User blog:El Alamein/Miller's Squad vs. Roebuck's Squad



It's the ultimate American battle of the Second World War as the men of Captain John H. Miller's squad, part of the 2nd Rangers Battalion, who were tasked to drive deep behind enemy lines in the aftermath of D-Day to find and rescue Private James Ryan; take on the men of Sergeant Roebuck's squad, part of the 1st Marine Division, who fought inch by inch across the Pacific theater to force their Japanese foes to ultimate defeat! It's a deadly encounter that will bring rifles, machine guns, and grenades to the forefront, but when the last spent shell casings clatter to the ground, only one squad will be the deadliest warriors!

Miller's Squad
The men of the 2nd Rangers Battalion were part of the spearhead that pushed into the beaches at Normandy during the D-Day invasions on June 6, 1944. Captain John H. Miller and his men fought savagely and secured the beachhead before taking control of the German defenses that sprawled across the limestone cliffs above. However, when the three brothers of Private James Francis Ryan turn up killed in action, orders directly from the top are issued to Miller and his men to probe through the massive Allied army (still in combat), find Ryan, and bring him home. Fighting through the French village of Neuville, his men suffer casualties before they find Ryan defending the town of Ramelle. They successfully delay the German advance long enough for reinforcements to come through, and save Private Ryan.

Captain Miller




Captain John H. Miller was a schoolteacher in Pennsylvania before the outbreak of the Second World War. Once the war started, he saw service in Tunisia, Italy, and finally France, as he participated in the D-Day invasion. When the orders to find Private Ryan were issued, he hand-picked members of his battalion to make up a small squad that would search out their high-value target. Fighting through Neuville, Miller detoured and ordered his men to take out a German machine gun position, where he captured and released (amongst much controversy) a German prisoner.

Miller and his men encountered Private Ryan in Ramelle, where he (along with members of the 101st Airborne Division) held off a massive German attack to prevent them from crossing a strategically vital bridge that spanned the Merderet River. He marshalled his resources long enough to hold back the German advance, but was fatally shot by the German soldier he had previously set free.

Weapons
|-| Primary Weapon=

Thompson M1A1 smg


 * 20-round box magazine
 * 700 rds/min
 * 50 m effective range
 * .45 ACP
 * -| Secondary Weapon=

Colt M1911A1


 * 7-round box magazine
 * .45 ACP
 * -| Other=

60mm Mortar Shells "Sticky Bombs"
 * Used as improvised hand grenades
 * Fuse caps activated by being slammed on surface before they are thrown
 * Composition B explosive with makeshift fuse
 * Wrapped in a sock coated in axle grease
 * Sticks to surfaces

Sergeant Horvath




Sergeant Mike Horvath had served with Captain Miller in both Africa and Italy, and was an experienced soldier at the time of the D-Day landing in 1944. He helps Miller rally and marshal the troops during and after combat. After a botched attempt on a German machine gun nest that leaves one soldier dead, and after Miller releases a German prisoner, Horvath angrily confronts Private Reiben when he attempts to walk off. However, Miller defuses the situation by revealing his prewar occupation as a teacher.

During the battle of Ramelle, Horvath destroyed a Tiger tank and defeated an enemy soldier who threw a helmet at him. He continues to fight despite being shot in both legs, the back, and the chest, though he bleeds out and dies at the end of the battle.

Weapons
|-| Primary Weapon=

M1A1 Carbine


 * 15-round box magazine
 * Semi-automatic
 * 270 m effective range
 * .30 Carbine
 * -| Secondary Weapon=

Colt M1911A1


 * 7-round box magazine
 * .45 ACP
 * -| Other=

M1 Bazooka


 * 2.36 in. rocket
 * 140 m effective range
 * Single-shot

Daniel Jackson




Private Daniel Jackson was a sniper from Tennessee who served in Miller's squad. Highly religious and a proficient marksman, Jackson would frequently pray aloud for strength, calmness, and combat efficiency while he fought. He demonstrated his skills when he neutralized an enemy machine gun position on the beaches during the D-Day assault, and killed an enemy sniper in the town of Neuville by shooting him through the scope of his own rifle.

During the battle of Ramelle, Jackson was ordered to the top of a bell tower, where he provided covering fire and kept Captain Miller updated through the use of military sign language. He killed many German infantrymen in the streets of the town below, but his skill worked against him when he attracted the attention of a German Panzer tank, which fired into the church tower and killed him.

Weapons
|-| Primary Weapon=

M1903 Springfield rifle (scoped)


 * 5-round internal magazine (fed by stripper clip)
 * 914 m effective range
 * Bolt-action
 * .30-06 Springfield
 * -| Secondary Weapon=

Colt M1911A1


 * 7-round box magazine
 * .45 ACP

Stanley Mellish




Private Stanley Mellish was a Jewish-American soldier from New York who served in Miller's squad during the D-Day invasion. He helps secure the beachhead and clear out the bunkers, where he finds a Hitler Youth knife and captures it for his own. After his best friend, Adrian Caparzo, is killed during fighting in Neuville, Mellish is devastated. He takes out his frustration by taunting captured German soldiers, telling them that he is a Jewish soldier.

During the Battle of Ramelle, he (along with a 101st Airborne soldier) hole up in a house with a blown-out wall, pinning down advancing Germans with a Browning machine gun. After the .30 caliber ammo runs out, three German soldiers rush into the room. Mellish kills two, but his Airborne companion is killed and the last German engages in a vicious hand-to-hand fight with Mellish. Tearing the Hitler Youth knife from his grasp, the German soldier uses Mellish's own captured weapon to kill him, stabbing him in the heart.

Weapons
|-| Primary Weapon=

Browning M1919

<p style="text-align:center;">
 * 250-round belt
 * 500 rds/min
 * 1400 m maximum effective range
 * .30-06 Springfield
 * -| Secondary Weapon=

M1 Garand

<p style="text-align:center;">
 * 8-round en-bloc clip
 * Semi-automatic
 * 450 m effective range
 * .30-06 Springfield
 * -| Other=

Hitler Youth Knife

<p style="text-align:center;">
 * 11-inch blade
 * Double-edged

Richard Reiben
<p style="text-align:center;">

<p style="text-align:center;">

Private Richard Reiben was a soldier from Brooklyn who served under Miller's command during the D-Day invasion. He was forced to discard his BAR at the onset of the battle, as the heavy weight of the weapon nearly drowned him before he could get to the beaches (though he did recover another one off of a fallen soldier's body). He pushed through the beaches and past Neuville without complaint, but angrily retaliated against Captain Miller after an attack on a German machine gun nest left their medic dead and after Miller let a captured German free. The situation escalated as Reiben threatened to abandon the squad and the mission. However, he was calmed into submission when Miller suddenly revealed his prewar profession as a school teacher (as the squad had placed bets on what their captain's job had been).

During the Battle of Ramelle, Reiben helped protect Private Ryan, pushing him out of harm's way when a Tiger tank fired its main gun at them, and fought to delay the German advance. He was one of the few soldiers to survive the battle, and was deeply saddened at his captain's death.

Weapons
|-| Primary Weapon=

Browning Automatic Rifle

<p style="text-align:center;">
 * 20-round box magazine
 * 500 rds/min
 * 1500 m maximum effective range
 * .30-06 Springfield
 * -| Secondary Weapon=

Colt M1911A1

<p style="text-align:center;">
 * 7-round box magazine
 * .45 ACP

Roebuck's Squad
'''TO BE COMPLETED LATER. '''