Kreuz des Eisens

[Ottoman]

Little John
He has gone
Out to see the world alone
Staff and hat,
Look at that,
He's one happy cat.
But his mommy cries a lot
Now she has no Johnny got.
"Fortune find,
But you mind,
Come back to your kind.

Since the Iron Cross was issued over several different periods of German history, it was annotated with the year indicating the era in which it was issued. For example, an Iron Cross from the First World War bears the year "1914", while the same decoration from the Second World War is annotated "1939". The reverse of the 1870, 1914, and 1939 series of Iron Crosses have the year "1813" appearing on the lower arm, symbolizing the first year the award was created.

Seven years,
Joy and tears,
John in many lands appears.
Then he thought
That he ought
To go home and got -
But now he's no Johnny small,
No, he is now big John tall.
Tall and tanned,
Face and hand.
Will they know this man?

Adolf Hitler restored the Iron Cross in 1939 as a German decoration, continuing the tradition of issuing it in various grades. Legally it is based on the enactment of 1 September 1939 Verordnung über die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes. The Iron Cross of the Second World War was divided into three main series of decorations with an intermediate category, the Knight's Cross, instituted between the lowest, the Iron Cross, and the highest, the Grand Cross.

One, two, three
Pass and see,
Don't know who this man might be.
Even Sis:
"Who is this?"
Knows not who he is.
Then along comes mother dear,
Barely sees his eyes so clear,
Says: "My son,
Welcome home,
God bless you my son."

Like the Knight's Cross, the Grand Cross was also worn suspended from the collar. The only recipient of the Grand Cross during the Second World War was Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, who was awarded the decoration on July 19, 1940. The medal is in effect an oversized Knight's Cross. It was originally intended to have outer edges lined in gold, but this was changed to silver before the award was presented.

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa). The armed forces of Germany and its allies invaded the Soviet Union, quickly advancing deep into Soviet territory. During December, having suffered multiple defeats during the summer and autumn, Soviet forces counter-attacked during the Battle of Moscow and successfully drove the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) from the environs of Moscow.

By spring 1942, the Germans had stabilized their front and were confident they could master the Red Army when winter weather no longer impeded their mobility. There was some substance to this belief: while Army Group Centre had suffered heavy punishment, 65 percent of its infantry had not been engaged during the winter fighting, and had been rested and reequipped. Part of the German military philosophy was to attack where least expected so that rapid gains could be made. An attack on Moscow was seen as too predictable by some, most notably German dictator Adolf Hitler. Along with this, the German High Command knew that time was running out for them, as the United States had entered the war following Germany's declaration of war in support of its Japanese ally. Hitler wanted to end the fighting on the Eastern Front, or at least minimize it, before the Americans had a chance to get deeply involved in the war in Europe

This Rp takes place in the Hellish city of Stalingrad, in the year 1942, the third year of the war in Europe. You are a foot-soldier of the Werhmacht, here to push on to the oil feilds of the Caspian sea, this is your squad's story...

Character Develpment:
Name:(German Please)
Gender: (This is a Warzone, you are probably a guy, unless you are a nurse behind the lines.)
Age:
Rank:(German Please) Nothing above the equivilant of a Captain. You can find a list of ranks here.
Place in the Group: (Heavy Weapons, Medic, Rifleman, etc.)
Weapon: (Any German Armarment from before 1943, NO SWORDS)
Background:
Persona:

Rules:
1. No Uber-Soldiers,
2. No Godding, everyone hates a God Mod,
3. Remember, you are not the Terminator, you have emotions like the rest of us, the enemy is a person too, let your mind take that in...
4. Romance is not the biggest thing here, this is Stalingrad, not the Love Boat, you may meet a nice nurse at the feild hospital, but you'll soon be back in combat,
5. You do not have detailed knowledge on how to drive a Tank/Fly an Airplane, the biggest vehicle you can probably use is a Truck, intimidating I know...
6. You are a Soldat in the Werhmacht, not Superman. Bullets hurt, alot. If you've ever been shot, you know what I'm talking about.
7. Only I advance teh plot.
8. Swearing is allowed in moderation, however there is no limit on violence, if someone has their arm blown off beside you, don't be afraid to describe it in detail!
9. Have fun!


Name: Otto Kampf
Gender: Male
Age: 34 Years
Rank: Unteroffizier
Place in the Group: Support
Weapon: MP-40
Background: Grew up in the depression in Germany, when Hitler came along, he liked him, he ended the depression. He signed up for the Werhmacht in 1940, and since then, his opinion of the Fuher has changed.
Persona: Loose cannon, does what he thinks is right, does not always obey orders.

((This RP is in no way supporting the National Socialist movement, nor does it reflect my politcal beleifs.))

[Kronos]

Do we need defenders?

Name: Alexandru Sturdza
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Rank: мла́дший сержа́нт
Place in the Group: Coordinator.
Weapon:
1x 7,62-мм самозарядный пистолет Токарева образца 1930 года,
3x 107-мм дивизионная пушка образца 1940 года (М-60) (Non-Personal)
Background: Just another peasant was conscripted in the Red Army with the onset of WWII, He fights for his country, and holds the completely minor rank of a commander of 3 artillery pieces.
Persona: Is just another soldier on the lines. Fights for the Motherland. Dislikes the shitty conditions, but does it for his country.

[Ottoman]

Sure.

[Thorgaar the Bloody]

Name: Franz Ulfenstein
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Rank: Schutze
Position: Firebat/Infantry Support
Weaponry: Flammenwerfer 35, Walther P38, Sturmgewehr 43, 8-cm schwere Granatwerfer 34
Background: Franz was born during the middle of WWI, however his life during the Weismar Republic made him extremely suspecting, and he joined a small, virtually unknown terrorist group. The Fuhrer quickly recruited them, and he was shipped to the eastern front. He's been killing the bolsheviks ever since.
Personality: Very shifty, has an extreme love of fire and explosions. Is thought to be asexual.

[Ottoman]

Accepted.

[Thorgaar the Bloody]

When are we starting?

[PanzerJedi]

I will definitely be joining, it just might take me a bit to get my character. I am very excited, this seems like it will be an awesome rp. I have to ask, have any of you guys read The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. If you haven't, you should. It's a great book.

[Ottoman]

No, can't say I have, but I've read Allquiet on the Western Front. ((Best War Novel, EVAR)).
Look foward to having you.
The kind of stuff that'll happen.

[Kronos]

I can only say that I know more about the equipment and the grand offensives then the small nuances of the war.

From the real battle of Stalingrad!

I wonder... If this was the war in the Pacific, how many Japanese defenders would we have?

[Thorgaar the Bloody]

I'm going to have to dispute that last point, Ottoman, and say that either The Gunner's Dream or Two Suns in the Sunset are better songs... can't get much better than nuclear apocalypse

[Ottoman]

Meh, bombing Berlin to that song in a Wellington just isn't as good as doing it to The Hero's Return.
It actually scared me a bit when the Lyrics started and the 20mms started to fly past me... Just creepy...

[Thorgaar the Bloody]

To each his own. I personally found it creepy when I viewed several battle scenes from gladiator. They somehow matched Master of Puppets...

[Ottoman]

Yep, we all have our own opinion.
However, the Schniztle-Stick song from Hoodwinked was disturbing...

[Thorgaar the Bloody]

Never heard that... Don't think I want to either, though.

[PanzerJedi]

Name: Karl Hoffman
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Rank: Schutze
Place in the Group: Rifleman
Weapon: Kar98k, 4 Stielhandgranate Model 24
Background: Karl was born in the poverty of Germany's depression. His father was unemployed most of the time until '33. When Hitler took power everything changed for Karl's family. His father finally got a permanent job working in one of the tank factories. His mother finally could stop working and be home with the kids. Germany was being restored to it's pre-war glory, something Karl had only heard about. He came to trust and admire Hitler, and when Hitler went to war, Karl followed blindly. He enlisted as soon as he could. His views started to change when he arrived at the front. While he still believes in the 3rd Reich, he believes things are being handling wrong. Between the propaganda and his experiences on the Eastern front, Karl has come to hate the Soviets, but he sees no reason why they should be fighting everybody else.
Persona: Loyal youth who would do anything, even die, for his country, but who is starting to have doubts about his leaders

There's my character, finally. Tell me if I need to change anything.

[Ottoman]

Accepted.
Glad to have you.

[PanzerJedi]

Is anyone still remotely interested in this, or should we just consider it to be dead? Because I'd be sad to see it die

[Ottoman]

I consider it live and accepting, but, then again, I am the creator.

I do not consider it dead. I'd be sad to see it die as well.