[ WP ] The day in the trenches in a Dieselpunk WWI

*This was such a terrible idea* 
 
 My teeth chattered as shells fired from the German artillery spewed columns of dirt far into the sky. The Germans always fired artillery before a big assault, and judging by the increased rate of fire and lack of rifle fire this was going to be a big one. 
 
 But what the hell do I know? I'm just Squad Leader Gueguen, meritoriously promoted after a german *Kriegsmarsch* tore our last Squad Leader's legs from his torso and showered me in his guts. It was just coincidence that I managed to pull the pins on my whole grenade belt and trip in time for the belt to come off and the diesel monstrosity to step over it as it exploded. 
 
 The shelling stopped and then I looked up and reconfirmed by earlier statement. `` *GET IN THE BUNKER*'' was all I heard as the dirigibles dropped their lethal payload. 
 
 We scrambled to put our rebreathers on and make a rush for the bunkers, but the multi-tasking seemed to be too much for some of the younger members of my squad as they writhed and clawed at their eyeballs. 
 
 Then, the distinctive sound of a *Gewehr Wagen* as it peppered the men who were too slow with brass. I took a shot to my calf and stumbled into the muck. 
 
 My rifle out of my hands I grasped for my revolver and flipped onto my back only to be greeted by the encroaching german line. 
 
 They had broken through. I shot at a man carrying a tank of liquid fire, it took to many rounds to puncture the metal tank on his back and envelop his squad in an inferno. 
 
 And then I saw it, a *Kriegsmarsch* heading straight for me. A smoke bellowing monstrosity with a large wolf scrawled crudely against it's bullet dented chassis. 
 
 I had a feeling this would not end like last time. 
 
 I fired the rounds left in my revolver and drew my knife struggling to stand 
 
 *As if I have a chance against this thing, this war was such a terrible idea* 
 
 An explosion threw me off my recently stabilized knees and the *Kriegsmarsch* in front of me exploded in a shower of metal and human bits. The thunder of a land fortress sounded behind me and a surge of French soldiers outfitted with metal plating and backed by our own diesel mechs came foward. 
 
 *This was still such a terrible idea* 
 
 My wound's pain growing faint I thought of home and the life I left behind. My wife, my son, my farm. And then I felt sorry for the future squad leader because he would soon realize that his promotion was another in a string of terrible ideas. 

