Few people know, but zombies are not merely a product of film and literature. Although, of course, their true nature has been distorted by the need to entertain. The phenomena was written about by ancient Greeks all the way back in the fifth century BC, and throughout history diligent scholars can find the hidden accounts of this terrible occurrence.
Zombies are a product of a very specific set of circumstances. There must be a number of humans, living together in close quarters, under extreme stress. Too few people or too many people, and it doesn't happen. This means that, over the centuries, it's been recorded almost solely among military units, serving in extreme conditions, far from home.
Outbreaks follow a familiar pattern. Firstly one individual develops the symptoms. They become single minded in their pursuit of combat, furiously consumed with a need to kill the enemy. In the midst of war, this is rarely seen for what it is. Others around them begin to exhibit the same behavior, all social activity ceases as their entire waking existence is shaped by the desire to be in combat. They talk sparingly, and only to facilitate the art of war. At this stage they start to cease eating food, although some accounts have them tasting the flesh of their downed enemies.
It is not long before the entire unit is taken over by the disease. It is important to recognize that it does not appear to effect memory or skills. Zombies can use all the skills they had before their affliction. But there is no longer any thought in their minds beyond a ceaseless and insatiable need to seek and destroy the enemy.
Nor are they slow and shambling. Indeed, they move somewhat quicker than before and are hardier. However, their bodies no longer heal without intervention.
They eventually become a threat to both sides and, over the years, leaders have learned that the best response to these outbreaks is to destroy them utterly before they infect more people.
This Sunday, 29th Jan, we will be reenacting one of the secret battles fought against this relentless foe.
November 1942., North Africa campaign, the Tunisian desert. A small German garrison succumbed to the disease, and a nearby Allied taskforce was ordered to engage and destroy. On the evening of November the 5th most of them engaged the German zombies at their garrison in the Tunisian desert. The attack was a disaster. There were no Allied survivors, although they did manage to reduce the number of German zombies and severely damage their vehicle pool.
On the morning of the sixth the remaining Allied soldiers, who had been left behind to repair damaged vehicles, were ordered to take and hold Hill B1. It lay between themselves and the German base. The intention was to gain the attention of the Germans and cause them to attack the hill. In the meantime, a wing of bombers was being hastily assembled to come and destroy the zombies from the air. However, they could not be allowed to disperse across the desert.
The remaining Allied forces had to ensure the German zombies did not scatter until the air strikes could remove the problem from the face of the earth.
The story of the following thirty minutes will be told this Sunday at 6pm PST, or a little after. All you need to be a part of the secret history of the world is a copy of 2042 and the willingness to step up against overwhelming odds.
Are you ready to come help us save the world?
"What's the point of being a grown up if you can't act like a child?"
Oh YEAH!
Dis gonna be FUN!
Sounds like I need to stream this!
Kenisama: Sounds like I need to stream this!
I think a record of this historic event may be very interesting indeed.
The shadow history of the battlefield is often shrouded in, er, shadow.
Even I don't know how this battle turns out.....
So you're saying all of the other battles have been scripted? HOW DARE! Just kidding, I'm pretty excited to see how this one works and all that :)
What can I say about the battle of hill B1 that wont get me arrested for revealing state secrets?
What I can say is that the operation was a success. The Allied team managed tp capture the hill from the foe, and despite constant counter attacks was about to hold on until the enemy exhausted themselves.
The battle took 25 minutes, and the victorious Allied troops were able to call off the air strike that would have killed everything in the valley.
After a debrief, where they were warned very seriously not to talk about things that didn't happen, they were transferred as a unit to Europe.
Where we'll catch up with them in a few weeks time.