[CENTRE][i]Worthy children of Low Countries
Whom a fine passion has aroused,
To your patriotic fervour
Great successes lie in store.
Remain under arms, so that naught shall change!
Let us keep to the same will,
And we shall see Orange bloom anew
Upon the tree of Liberty.[/i]
-The original Brabanconne[/CENTRE]


Marching bands, girls waving handkerchiefs and blowing kisses, all of this accompanied the squad of Sergeant van der Koopften. But unlike most of his men he knew better than to smile and be glad of what he was about to see. He was marching off to what had a reasonable chance of being his last day alive.

As he saw in the distance the farmstead with the bridge he'd be defending he grunted; the scale was quite different in real life than upon the map. The damned krauts had already ruined the livelihood of this innocent worker, not particularly caring for the ambitions of the Germans. The bastards didn't want to fight war honestly and attack France through it's proper borders so they invaded Belgium to get around the French defences. Well, if a scrap was what the nazis wanted then they'd get one. They'd see what the sons of Flanders and Wallonia could bring forth, and they'd taste cold steel on their filthy lips. 

As they got closer, Leopold started to bark orders.

"Nicolet, Albrecht you old bastard, get over to the far side of the road right before the bridge, go in the ditch and cover yourselves with mud. I know, I know, your beautiful uniforms will get dirty but I don't care. You'll use the ditches as cover as you lie down. You won't show your faces until the enemy is right and close where you can throw your grenades and get off some fast shots, you hear me?" As the grumbled confirmations came the Sergeant said "Good, on to the next order of business. Private Janssen, you'll go to the barn, stand at the door and look through the lines of the forest, you'll be one of our little reserves. Heavy gunner team, you'll set up at the right window of the farmhouse. Robert, Heinrich, you two will be at the window and doorways of the farmhouse... now!"

At last, the Sergeant inhaled, and massaged his eyebrows as only two remained without orders. Corporal Voors and Private Jacobs, you'll come with me to the windmill, we're the aegis, you hear? The others will be relying on us for support. Enemies our comrades don't see, we take them down. If all else fails, we are here. Understood? Good. Let's go, I think I hear the Germans in the distance." 

With that, they were deployed. Some men smoke, whilst the gunnery team quietly played a game of cards to settle their nerves before the invader arrived....

[img]https://i.imgur.com/DfvvwDI.png[/img]