The rise of Germany and fall of the Dutch

[unscratchedfoot]

Nice battle. Looking forward to the next rumble.

[rob006]

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Bad news and worse news...

Over the next several months, Jacob and his force where ordered from one desolate area to another. As an expeditionary force, they were supposed to be on the front lines, but the Dutch army was virtually no more. It was now more of a matter of ‘what city do we capture today’? As far as the Allies, what the Berlin-Madrid-Lisbon alliance was called, knew all that was left of the Dutch forces where meager town garrisons of their Swiss pikemen, defending the remains of the Dutch empire. Less than a month after a surprising counter-attack liberated Dan Helder, it fell again, but this time to the Portuguese. Bismark was of course furious, but he regained his composure and began focusing on the ultimate goal, Amsterdam. Germany was still the main force leading the counter-invasion however the Portuguese and Spanish had large armies in the area. Shortly after Lauwersoog fell to Germany, Scandinavia joined the allies, however everyone knew they could never field an army. The Portuguese had captured and held Dan Helder. The Spanish hadn’t captured any cities, but were making raids against Dutch encampments and helped sped up the Allied advance with their conquistadors. The hilly terrain had slowed advances considerably, but the Dutch were crumbling, it was obvious to the whole world.

“Hot damn!” Jacob yelled one morning, moments after a messenger slipped into his tent. He came out of his tent to his men, who had already gathered thanks to his shout. “Men! It’s been quit awhile since we have seen any real action,” they all knew he meant Lauwersoog. “Well, we just got our new orders, and I quote ‘You will lead your men south, attack and capture the city of Haarlem. The city is a river-side city, important for trade. It is also a natural breeding ground for horses. Good luck. Fight for the Glory of the Fatherland!” Jacob could not contain his excitement and neither could his men. As one they let out an excited shout that surely carried all the way to Berlin. “Get a good nights rest men. We move south at 0700 hours tomorrow and get back in the war!” Almost immediately his men found their tents and folded themselves inside.

The troops woke up early and moved out at exactly 7 a.m., beginning the 3-day march to Haarlem. About noon of the first day of marching, a runner caught up with them, obviously almost riding his horse to death to get there. “Sir, I have some rather distressing news!”

“Well? Spill it!”

The messenger was obviously nervous about divulging his information, “Well sir, of course you remember Lauwersoog right? Well uhh, the city’s citizens led an organized rebellion and overpowered the garrison, executing the captured in the city square. They have pledged themselves again part of the Netherlands.” Anger quickly spread onto Jacob’s face. The city that he had attacked and purchased with the blood of many of his men, was overthrown by CITIZENS!? How could the generals have defended the city so poorly? “Thank you son, I assume we are ordered to turn around and retake the city. Correct?” “No sir, you are to continue your current mission.” Jacob nodded, and after a crisp salute, the messenger headed back north.

Needlessly to say, Jacob’s men were de-moralized by the news from Lauwersoog, yet everyone knew it was only a matter of time before it again succumbed to Germany. And by the time they got to the plains and hills that where north of Haarlem, they all were certain that the city was again German. But know their minds were on something else. Smoke. For the past several hours they had seen thick, black smoke rising from behind the hills. From where Haarlem should be.

The Germans topped the hills and looked directly into hell. The city was ablaze, and what areas weren’t on fire was rubble. Jacob and his men gazed into the inferno, collectively wondering “What the hell happened here?” A few popping sounds caught their attention and they could finally see who had caused this. Soldiers were lined up in a straight row in a field next to the city, not 20 feet away lay dozens of men, unarmed and dead. An execution. The men finally saw the bodies, thousands lay dead in the cities streets and hundreds of thousands lay in the surrounding fields. In the distance, a trail of people, mostly women, where chained and being led back north. The soldiers, the perpetrators of this heinous crime, where the forces of Portugal. Jacob found Frederick Heinz, his XO. “Frederick? How many people called this city home?” Heinz, obviously dazed, slowly turned his head to his commander, eyes glassy and a tear streaming down his cheek. “O... over eight... 800,000... sir.” War had reached a new low, war was fought against governments and the soldiers who volunteered to protect it, not innocent citizens. Jacob swore that one day, Portugal would pay. When news of this atrocity reached Berlin, Bismark swore the same thing.

AUTHORS NOTE: in case you couldn't quite follow what happened there at the end, Portugal had captured the city before i did and razed it, the city was a size 11. so yeah, it sucked.

[rob006]

no comments for 2 days? i thought i was doin good... any feedback would be better than none...

[rob006]

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Death, destruction, and Allied advances...

A few weeks after the Massacre of Haarlem, as it came to be known, Portuguese cavalry overwhelmed the civilian defenders of Lauwersoog. And again the Portuguese committed the vilest crime in all war, mass murder. Over 300,000 innocents called Lauwersoog home. Word quickly spread throughout the known world that the Portuguese had killed over 1 million innocent civilians. When news of this second razing reached Chancellor Bismark, he had to be physically restrained to keep from telling his Generals to attack Portugal. Bismark was a hard man who would kill or destroy IF there was a due cause, not killing innocent people who happened to be born in the wrong country of a brutal war.

The Spanish where also making headway against the Dutch. In the south, at the Dutch-German border the city of Newcastle, which was annexed into the Netherlands from England, fell to Spanish cavalry. But reports of this battle were quite disturbing, the Dutch had used rifles, until know they only had muskets and pikes. The war would now be even more brutal.

“Sir?”

Jacob groggily woke in his tent to find his sergeants standing around and a messenger. “Huh?... What is it? What’s going on?”

“Orders sir.” The messenger told him. “Would you like me to read them?” Jacob waved his hand giving him permission. “Very well. Jacob Von Goethe, you will lead your expeditionary force west, through the hills and attack and capture Utrecht. We must capture this city as it will greatly slow down the enemy’s production as it is a great source of both iron and coal. Good luck. For the Fatherland.”

“Uh huh... is there a reason why the General doesn’t want us to capture Leiden? When it falls we will have a straight shot into Amsterdam!” Frederick Heinz demanded from the messenger.

“Well sirs, its true that Leiden is the gateway to Amsterdam, however Utrecht must fall first so that the enemy cannot circle around and cut our supply lines. Besides, the 3rd army is going to attack Leiden in 5 days.”

“Ok men. You heard the word. Relay the info to our men, we are moving out at 0700 hours! That’s 2 hours! Double time ladies!” Jacob barked to his men, and they rushed to carry out his orders.

Jacob laid back onto his makeshift bed, still able to smell the embers of Haarlem. “Utrecht... should be easy enough, last I read about the city said it was defended only by some Swiss mercenaries...”

The force moved out at promptly 7, heading west across the hills towards Utrecht. After 2 days of marching the men looked down on the city. “Humph... I figured such a productive city would be larger, and have at least a factory... they only have an alchemist’s camp... good Lord have mercy on them, FOR WE SHALL NOT!! CHARGE!!” Jacob pulled his sword from its scabbard and led the charge on horseback. During the two-day march they had worked out the plan of attack. The cavalry would charge, blitzing its way into the city, the riflemen would be close behind and provide cover for the cavalry, the cannons would not be used for bombardment but in close quarters against any enemies that entrenched themselves and couldn’t be routed.

Utrecht was a small town yet highly productive due to its immense coal and iron deposits it the surrounding hills. The city was a center of manufacturing for what remained of the Dutch empire. The citizens knew that the Allies where on their way, and Utrecht was a very nice prize to whoever captured it. Its citizens found out with a shout of charge that it would be the famous expeditionary force of Jacob Von Goethe.

The hills east of the city spewed over 3000 men bent on conquest towards the city. “Cavalry first! Rifles mixed with Cannons second!” Jacob shouted as a reminder to his troop as they charged the city. The city was so small that the men could see all the way to the barracks, and already the glint of Dutch steel could be seen. Pikes. The cavalry slipped into the city as it had no walls or towers. “They never expected us to reach this far.”Jacob thought to himself. When the cavalry was within 20 yards of the pikemen they opened fire. The sound of a few ricochets could be heard but mostly it was the sickening thud they had all become used to. The pikemen where under cover behind several crates at the barracks when the battle began. The cavalry where slowly reducing the crates to splinters. The riflemen and cannons arrived several minutes after the ‘battle’ began. A dozen cannons were wheeled into place in front of the cavalry and discharged obliterating the crates and sending men, mostly parts of men, flying. Then the arrows hit. Several men fell from their horses as the arrows easily penetrated the cloth uniforms. “The city hall you morons!!” Sure enough, a small squad of archers was on the roof of the city hall.

“Charge them! Break down the doors! Attack! Overwhelm the enemy!” Jacob commanded an within moments men where attempting to push the doors open. “It’s barricade sir!”

“Dammit to hell! Fine, get that cannon over here!” Jacob, took control of the nearest cannon as several of his men continued to fall from lucky arrows, most of which fell short. “Let’s see them stop this!” Jacob pulled the string and released hell onto his enemy. The side facing the Germans exploded instantly killing any defenders on that corner of the building. Seconds later that whole wing of the building caved in, killing any who where inside. On the farther end of the building, the side that was untouched from the battle, a single windows’ shutters flew open and a white flag was being waved. Utrecht had fallen. Jacob called his own runner to him, “Get to Dordrecht and tell the general that we have captured Utrecht. We request reinforcements, a town garrison and our next orders. Go! Now!” The runner quickly disappeared into the twilight of early evening.

The force remained in the city for several days before the runner returned. “Sir! I have brought with me reinforcements, our new orders and good news. We are to remain in this town until further notice, for now, we are the garrison. Germany has advanced faster than we have been able to train new soldiers. The good news is, sir, that Arnhem has fallen to a combined German-Spanish attack. The Spanish have given the city to us. But something distressing happened there sir, the Dutch forces again had rifles. Also, the 3rd army has begun its assault on Leiden.” The messenger said, obviously proud of Germany’s incredible advances, and strength. “Thank you son. That’s good to hear.”

[unscratchedfoot]

You should declare war on Portugal too cause they sound a lot more evil than the Dutch. With all your power and military prowess, you can deliver a double beatdown.

[rob006]

i would but i actually have an alliance with them against the Dutch and im a democracy so yeah, that was out of the question. Plus they have a MUCH larger attacking force than i do.... most of my military is defence. this war against the Dutch lasted from 1735 to 1788 (ive made the turns into months/weeks for the sake of realism). but in 1824 i redeclare war on them simply to completly annex them. by then i have infantry and artillery and they fall in 2 turns. portugal shortly after becomes jealous and ATTACKS me (along with their ally, arabia, but they are on the other continent so we only have a few naval battles and 1 horribly failed landing on their part)! i make short work of the cities the have to my south (their homeland is to my north-east) and i capture a border city of theirs that has like 5 sources of dyes!! they surrender to me after that city falls.. giving me alot of cash and a city they took from me like 1000 years before! man.. artillery and infantry rocks when your enemy only has riflemen i may make a sequal to this story about the short war with portugal or maybe the annexing of the Dutch. i dunno.. so what does everyone think of this story so far? ? ? comments requested

[rob006]

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 The fall of Leiden...

Jacob and his men stayed in Utrecht for 2 months. All the while getting messages of gallantry and bravery on the front lines on behalf of the German troops. Germany had captured Delft, and Spain had captured Eindhoven in the last month alone. It was clearer now than ever, the Netherlands was in full retreat, their last hope was to keep Amsterdam, and make the war too costly for the Allies. But Bismark had made up his mind, he wanted Amsterdam, he didn’t yet want to completely end Dutch civilization, but he wanted to make certain they could never reemerge as a world power.

“Don’t tell me they are gonna leave us in this city until the end of the war. I can’t just sit by like we did after Lauwersoog!” Was a common complaint from his men. “I know I know, we should get orders to move out soon.” Was Jacob’s common reply. His men had loved the idea of staying in a city at first, but now they had completely exhausted the supply of booze and women, so boredom quickly set in. He wanted to be on the front just as much as they did,

“Dammit, it isn’t fair, they know how good....” He was interrupted from his thoughts when he noticed a messenger enter the city from the north, with reinforcements. “Maybe now we can get back to the action!”

“What news do you bring boy?”

“Well sir, the Celts have declared war on through Dutch and are moving massive armies south, though Spain, and Portugal. And.. Uh.... the Portuguese have again committed mass murder.”

Jacob gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.. He hated Portugal now, he couldn’t wait fo Germany to set them straight. “Where and.... How many?”

“The citadel known as The Hague sir. Nearly 800,000 lived there sir. All that’s left is rubble.”

“We have to move even faster if we are to stop them from continuing this campaign of death! Damn it .... Well...Have we captured Leiden yet?” Jacob asked, still fuming from the news of The Hague.

“No sir, actually that is your new orders, you are to move south, join the 3rd army and press the attack at Leiden. The city must fall quickly as it is the gateway to Amsterdam. And sir, the Dutch have a large supply of rifles now, they have 4 divisions of riflemen in Leiden. That’s why it hasn’t fallen yet. They also lack cannons. Good luck sir.” The runner saluted and trotted out of the city.

Jacob called his men together to give them their orders, “Men, today we have received our new orders. We go south, to assist the 3rd army in the capture of Leiden. The Dutch are dug in very well and are supplied with rifles.” This news caused his men to whisper amongst themselves, “But that’s okay, we’ll out number them 10 to 1 once we get there. And we have cannons, so it won’t take too long. Get your **** together guys, we move out in 2 hours. We will be there in just a little over 1 hour as the railroad has been completed to the 3rd Army’s camp. The news courier brought with him a town garrison, so we will all be in this fight. So let’s move! 2 hours ladies! Hustle!”

By the time the men where within sight of the camp of the 3rd army, they where geared up for a good battle. But when they got there, most of the army was just sitting around with about 50 men firing into the city idly.

“What the hell is this?” Jacob rhetorically asked. He grabbed the nearest soldier from the 3rd. “Where is your CO? Take me to him. Now.” Jacob left his men at the outskirts of the camp as he followed the soldier to the general’s tent. “Sorry sir, you can’t go in right now, he’s in a conference.” Jacob sneered at the boy who couldn’t have been more than 17, “Like hell I can’t.” With that Jacob entered the tent.

The general looked up obviously surprised by the disruption, “I swear, friggen security isn’t worth a damn! Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?” The General demanded of Jacob.

“Lieutenant Jacob Von Goethe sir. Here to assist you in your,..” Jacob paused, thinking of the poor excuse for an attack he had seen on the way in, “.. Assault on Leiden. I lead an expeditionary force of 3000 men, they are ready to charge sir.”

“Hrmph... so the politicians didn’t think I was doing a good job, eh? Screw em, you saw the ‘assault’ we have massed.”

“Assault? General, how many men have you lost in the 2 months that you have been supposedly attacking this city? And how many casualties have you inflicted?” Jacob said, his blood rising, his natural dislike for this man was already developing into a deep hate.

The General smirk quickly changed to a frown, knowing that Jacob would not be a push over. “We have lost about 50 men. The Dutch have lost at least 100.”

“That’s pathetic. You have had 2 months to captured Leiden and you haven’t even begun!” Jacob began to shout, his no longer able to contain his anger.

“You listen to me you little fu*k! I am the general here, you and your men will follow my orders and my army in the attack of the city.” The general quickly matching Jacob’s tone.

“Screw you and your army.” Jacob stormed from the room over to his force. “Men, the General is a pompous ass, so we shall lead our own charge into the city. Gear up and get ready to move out. It’s 1300 hours, we attack at 1400!” The men were unsure about this judgement, and Jacob’s ignoring orders, but followed his commands, and at 2 o’clock, they topped the hill towards Leiden.


“Okay. Our cannons will pour the hot stuff on them while we charge down the hill. Once we reach the city the riflemen will dig in and wait for the cannons to make it down the hill. During this time the cavalry will charge into the city taking on small bands of the enemy. If it gets too hot in there, leave. Once the cannons make it down, the riflemen will come-over-the-top and will advance at a slow pace while the cannons obliterate every building that houses enemies. Do you get me men?”

“Yes sir!” His men called back, obviously giving him their full support.

“Okay! Take positions!” His men moved to the edge of the hill. The third army was behind them, hearing every word, however they quickly found out that this attack was not to include them, they collectively wondered why.

Jacob surveyed his men. “CHARGE!” The cannons erupted, and the mobile forces moved out, down the hill. “LET’S TAKE THIS FIGHT TO THE BASTARDS!” His men cheered as they charged towards the city. Seconds later the world around many of Jacob’s men flew up in a thunderous greeting. “THEY HAVE CANNONS!! FASTER!!” The cavalry where already at the entrances of the city, hiding behind buildings while the German cannons continued their symphony. The riflemen, however, where still halfway up on the hill but continued to run towards the city, even as they died by the dozens.

Many men of the 3rd watched from the hill top in horror as fellow Germans where destroyed by Dutch cannons. “Dammit, I’ve had enough of this!” One shouted. “Im going down there! Who’s with me? Most of the entire 3rd stood up and cheered. The general came out of his tent and demanded where his men where going. “We aren’t going to sit idly by while our brothers get butchered!”

“I’ll have every last one of you court-marshaled!” The general screamed. “Fu*k you!” Came the reply.

The cannoneers where surprised to say the least when soldiers bearing the patch of the 3rd army slipped between them down the hill.

As the sea of German’s continued down the hill it was obvious that the Dutch guns could not stop the tide. But by the time the last German got to the bottom, the hill was littered with hundreds of bodies. “RIFLES! DIG IN! CAVALRY! MOVE OUT!” Jacob shouted, realizing too late though that his orders where already being carried out. The 3rd army had heard his entire speech. He looked back at the hill. The cannons where making slow progress and the nearby earth erupted around them, so far none had been destroyed. Moments after the cavalry entered the city, gunfire could be heard. A few cannon reports could also be heard coming from inside the city.

About 10 minutes after the riflemen had dug in the cannons reached the bottom of the hill, only one had been destroyed in the advance. “OKAY! RIFLES! OVER-THE-TOP! CANNONS! FOLLOW BEHIND!” With this, the trenches released over 8000 men who found the closest street and began a slow march. Cavalry could be seen occasionally charging from street to street, making hit and run attacks on the enemy. When the middle rifle column was only about 50 yards into the city, bullets hailed down from the 3rd story window of a brothel. Several dropped before anyone knew what was going on or where it was coming from. Finally they looked up and saw the intermittent puffs of smoke and opened fire. The side of the building cracked and chipped as nearly 500 men said hello to the enemy. Then the cannons greeted the building, sending debris through the air and ending the ambush.

After an hour that seemed to last eternity, the men had reached the middle of the city. The 20 columns of nearly 500 men each converged at the town square. The town hall could be seen across the street and Dutch riflemen where holed up in it. “All right guns! You know what to do!” The cannons all sent their high explosive shells into the building, collapsing it instantly. Far down the main street, a glint of metal caught a few soldiers’ eyes. But it was too late, the Dutch cannon fired and several Germans went flying. Beyond the Dutch cannon, riflemen could be seen, preparing for an infantry charge. “That appears to be almost all the troops they have left! They are done! Let’s get ‘em!” The 3rd army, under Jacob’s command, began a long march towards an angry enemy. German guns fired back causing several buildings around the Dutch to collapse.

Out of nowhere, German cavalry poured into the Dutch rear, sabers and rifle’s at the ready already drawing blood. “STOP FIRING!” Jacob yelled back to the cannoneers. More cavalry came from the Dutch right flank killing the cannon crews. Several men dismounted and turned the guns around, towards the remaining Dutch. Almost as if on cue the German cavalry who where involved in close combat retreated to the sides, hacking their way out. The Dutch realized the trap too late. As the last German cleared, and the first Dutch retreated, the captured guns fired point-blank range into the line. Within 5 minutes the mop up was over.
The cavalry officer came to and saluted Jacob, “Sir, all enemy resistance is eliminated. The city is ours.” Jacob smiled, not only because of another rousing success, but also wondering what the 3rd’s general was thinking. “Great to hear son. As you where.”

A week after the capture of Leiden, Chancellor Bismark himself visited the city. The soldiers who had instruments or who ‘borrowed’ them from the conquered populace, put on a show at the Chancellor’s arrival. “Where is the general of the 3rd Army?” Bismark asked his personal aide. “He should be at the barracks sir.” “Very well, take me to the barracks.”Upon Bismark’s entrance into the barracks, the entire army saluted, even those on stretchers honored their great leader. The general sat at the mahogany desk that had somehow escaped major damage from the collapse of the city’ town hall.Jacob stood behind him to the right. “Are you the general of this army?” Bismark asked. “Yes sir I am.” The general stood extending his hand to Bismark. “You ignorant bastard! You are a disgrace to Germany. You are immediately relieved of your command.” The general slumped in his seat obviously shocked by the news. Jacob could hardly contain his glee. Bismark nodded towards him, “Jacob Von Goethe? You are given command of the 3rd army. In 2 weeks you will lead the assault on Amsterdam.” Bismark turned and went back to his carriage, and quickly pulled away from the city. Jacob’s mouth hung open, he was almost as shocked as the general.

[unscratchedfoot]

Nice fight. So a lot of Germans went down under fire as well right? When the Dutch are finished off, will there be a stronger opponent for you to fight?

[rob006]

yeah, my troops came under alot of fire in this battle. in the game there where like 4 or 5 riflemen units defending the place, as well as 2 cannons. this was the first time the Dutch had used cannons, so it really surprised me. and yeah when this war ends, ive still got strong opponents around me, especcially on the other continent. but im a Democracy, so im not picking any fight right now. i want to win this game by space race if possible, because my last game i won by domination. anyway, the continent that i am on is like a very misshapen O. im right below the large sea thats in the middle. (i also contorl the only 'canal' city that gives acess to both the sea and the oceans ) to my north-east is Portugal, with a nice sized empire, at the time they controled several island off their coast but now (over 100 years later) they have lost them in a quick was with Egypt. to my west, across a small gulf and my canal, is the Celts. VERY powerful, but a little bit behind in tech. to my north-west, beyond the sea, is Spain, average sized empire, decent army. North of them is the Vikings, small, weak and WAY behind in tech. (later spain annexes them) also there are really powerful nations on the other continent, especcially Persia. but they are too far away to worry me.
Ch 9 in the works...

[unscratchedfoot]

rob, where's the next update?

I think you should have a good punch-up with the celts and then the persians. What happens when you start a war while in democracy?

[rob006]

ive been having a case of writers block for the past few days... along with a few personal problems.. but everything is sorted out now. i should have ch 9 either today or tomorrow.

well, scracthed, you may get your wish on the one with the celts... im still playing this game and the year is 1862 and the Celts have attacked me. as for the persians... hmm.. maybe...

when i start a war when im a democracy, all my citizens complain about the war, and riot. i normally have alot of turns before they riot if im attacked. but if i attack someone, the war weariness sets in almost immediatly.

[unscratchedfoot]

Aha! Okay, I remember that. I haven't played civ for a couple of years so I'm forgetting about it with newer, much cooler games on the grill. I do recall that I turned off war weariness in my games using the editor. A easy as pie fix is to flag all the basic buildings like temple, market, bank, aqueduct etc with 'reduces war weariness'. This will not get rid of it but will reduce it to an easily managed level so you can scrap whoever you want to. Also, using fascist government is best I think.

Looking forward to the next batch of goods. I'm not sure but I think this forum may be becoming a ghost town with the game so old and what not. I had hopes it would transform into a hobby writing site but it seems to be mostly collecting dust unfortunately. But keep the goods coming rob cause I'll be reading them.

[vovan]

And Scratchy surely won't be the only one. I caught up reading this story just now, and I like. I'm note sure what kind of comments to give though... Other than... I already want to see that chapter 9.

[rob006]

hey... nice to see you back vovan... and thanks both of your for your comments... i present chapter 9! the final chapter.

[rob006]

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The war ends...

In the short time that Bismark allowed Jacob to prepare for the assault, Jacob had only gotten to know the NCOs of the 3rd and its better soldiers. Now the commander of the 3rd Army, Jacob’s task was nothing short of ending the war. From the hills outside of Leiden, the 3rd could see Amsterdam. Rumor had it that King William had fled days ago, establishing a government-in-exile at Holwerd. The war was still being fought on a massive front, on the coast, in the center of the Netherlands, and in the arctic south. The Dutch where in complete and full retreat.

The assault on Amsterdam was planned for that day, so Jacob turned to his men, 15,000 strong. “Attention men! We move out in 2 hours! Once we reach the outskirts of Amsterdam, we will assault the city with the help of 10 cavalry and 3 riflemen divisions coming from the north. We will hit the city with nearly 50,000 troops.” His men where obviously pleased. “The enemy has less that 8,000, all riflemen. They have no cavalry or cannon support. Our 200 cannons will pound the city center, where most of the enemy is, in a mortar style attack. The cavalry will open the charge closely followed by riflemen supported by the cannons. The other 10 cavalry will pour into the city from the north. We will attack the eastern area of the city. Good luck men! This could be the last battle of the war!” His men cheered and shouted as if the war had been won. In a way it had, the Dutch were obviously crippled beyond repair, but Bismark demanded that Amsterdam fall, and with the Dutch out numbered 5 to 1, it surely would.

At 10 am, two hours after Jacob’s speech, the 3rd Army began to move. The march would take only about an hour. Looking north, Jacob could just barely make out the faint rise of dust and the occasional glint of steel. He couldn’t actually see the cavalry, but he knew it was them.

By the time they reached the city, it was quite obvious that much of the civilian populace had fled. Several buildings at the cities edge hung white sheets, substituting for white flags of surrender. “Don’t be fooled, those were put up by the citizens, not soldiers. Their soldiers will fight to the last man.” Jacob surveyed the surroundings and turned to his cannoneers. “Move about 10 yards into the city so you can get some better range and accuracy, then begin punding them. Hopefully we will hit as few civilian structures as possible. And under NO circumstances are you to target the Palace!” The cannoneers nodded and moved closer. “Commence bombardment!” the relative calm of the day was shattered in an instant by the immense noise of 200 cannons. The battle had begun.

Half an hour, and 2000, shells later, the 3rd Army’s cavalry blitzed into the city. The 10 supporting cavalry divisions to the north did the same. “All right! Riflemen move out! Protect the cannons! Let’s move!” Within moments, 50,000 German soldiers, bent on conquest, were in the city. After Jacob’s detachment had gone about halfway down the street they were to occupy, they came to a large, log barricade, blocking the road. “Dammit! Ok, they are only delaying the inevitable. Fine. Get a cannon up here and blow the hell outta this thing!” It was done, and the barricade was reduced to splinters. As the dust and smoke cleared all hell broke loose. Lead zipped through the air, parting the smoke and finding their intended, flesh, targets. “Ambush! Take cover!” Jacob dived behind a log that had was still largely left intact and laid prone behind it. “Fire at will!” The surprised German force quickly regained their footing and opened up on the Dutch. Jacob took careful aim and nailed the Dutch sergeant just above the right eye, sending him flying in a shower of blood. Jacob reloaded his rifle and his new round slammed into the stomach of another soldier. Soon the zing of grapeshot could be heard, and Jacob realized that his men had taken the initiative and filled a few cannons with grapeshot to regain the advantage. The skirmish ended within 20 minutes of its start. The Germans had won, but at the cost of over half a squad. “Okay! Move out. Keep it moving.” Jacob ordered, getting his men back under control. Now that the firefight had ended, and the ringing in his ears had ceased, Jacob could hear the distinct sound of gunfire throughout the city. “They must have had several of those traps set up all over the city. Smart.. “ Jacob almost grinned at his enemy’s resourcefulness.

They marched for half an hour in relative calm, still hearing faint reports of gunfire coming from small battles inside the massive city. Finally they reached the section of the city the bombardment had targeted.. Bricks, mortar, and gravel lay everywhere, while gapping holes scarred many buildings. Several buildings had completely collapsed, creating an obstacle course of rubble. A few shots came from the roof of a four story building, dropping only one German before a cannon shell slammed into the side of the structure, sending it to the ground in a cascade of rock and dust. The barracks could be seen, ablaze and in ruins. Dead soldiers littered the ground, leaving a path that lead to the Dutch Palace. “Damn. I didn’t want the Palace to be harmed!” Well... load all but one cannon with grapeshot. Give the other gun a solid shell. When we get to within range of their rifles, unload on them with grapeshot and your rifles. The cannon with the solid shot will blow down the doors, so we can seize the Palace.” The men did as they were told, and Jacob led them to the building that ruled the once great Dutch Empire.

Within 10 yards of the Palace, the Dutch defenders opened fire from windows, the roof, and even the ornamental towers. Jacob gave the order, and the air was filled with the distinct zing of thousands of tiny lead balls. The Palace walls became speckled as many rounds chipped away at it. A dozen Germans fell before the cannon carrying the solid shot could be maneuvered into position. The gun fired and the doors swung into the building while the doors’ centers disintegrated. One of the doors even came loose on its wildly out of control back-swing, almost hitting a German, who luckely dodged the door in time. The German soldier laughed at his luck until a Dutch bullet tore away the back of his head. “Riflemen! ATTACK! Cannons move into the building for cover.

Germans poured into the Palace, getting cut down in a hail of lead almost as quickly as the set foot in the building. Jacob seen other detachments coming from the city’s alleys, making their way to assist in the assault on the Palace. The German troops continued to stream into the building finally gaining a foot hold underneath the spiral stair cases. German guns fired, Dutchmen died. Dutch guns fired, Germans died. “GO! PRESS THE ATTACK! WIN HERE AND WE WIN THE WAR! ATTACK! DESTROY THOSE WHO TRIED TO DESTROY US! DO THIS FOR THE FATHERLAND! YOU WILL ALL BE.... “ Jacob couldn’t continue his speech. Not because he was overcome with emotion, seeing his soldiers fight bravely, not because he knew he couldn’t be heard over the battle. But because a Dutch round had found his neck. Splashing his blood over several of his men, who at first thought he was simply another soldier dying for the Fatherland. However, they quickly realized it was indeed Jacob. Several soldiers rushed to Jacob as the rest forced the Dutch into the upper levels of the Palace. Jacob clutched his neck, trying to stop the torrent of blood. As the reverberations of gunfire continued to filter through the immense Palace, Jacob lay in a puddle of his own blood, surrounded by dozens of hoping and praying subordinates. Comrades. Friends.

Jacob could still hear his men kill and be killed, but the noise continued to grow more and more faint. The room grew darker and darker. He whispered to those gathered around him, “F... for the... Fatherla...” With no oxygen reaching his brain, with no blood coursing through his veins, Jacob Von Goethe, the man who had led Germany to victory over the initial invasion and the first to strike back, fell limp and died.

The battle for Amsterdam ended less than an hour after Jacob’s death and many of his men gathered around their dead commander. He was covered in a white sheet that was stolen from the chamber of King William, and carried bak to Leiden. The nearly 800 men who remained from his original division accompanied Jacob’s body to Berlin. Chancellor Bismark himself placed the nations highest honor on Jacob before the casket closed.

Two months after Amsterdam fell, Bismark met with William in the German Forbidden Palace in Munich, Germany. Bismark gave William the terms for surrender, and William agreed. The Dutch handed over their entire treasury, world maps, and agreed to never again cross the border into the German Empire. After years of intense, brutal conflict, the war was over. The Dutch where all but conquered, and Germany was the largest, and one of the most feared nations in the world.