Chapter 29: Leave
Rhys had his own ideas for the rifle design. Although the U.S. Army now had the M1 Garand, it was heavy, clumsy, its en-bloc clip couldn't be reloaded until the clip was empty. It was very troublesome and could not provide continuous fire, so its flaws were quite obvious. The primary role of the airborne was assault. If they were equipped with an automatic rifle that could provide sustained fire, it would give them superior firepower to suppress the enemy, which would greatly reduce the casualty rate for the brothers.
His first choice was the AK-47 assault rifle. The advantages of the AK-47 were clear, and for Rhys, he had more experience with this weapon in his past life than any other. He could disassemble and reassemble it with his eyes closed in a very short amount of time. Using a 7.62x39mm cartridge with a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, it would greatly enhance the unit's firepower.
Its effective range was 300-350 meters. Although this was much shorter than the M1 Garand's, it was more than enough for modern assault operations, and its accuracy within 300 meters was acceptable.
Furthermore, its gas-operated, rotating bolt action could also be used as a semi-automatic rifle. Most importantly, it had powerful firepower, was sturdy and reliable, had a low failure rate, a simple structure, was easy to disassemble, and was incredibly durable.
Since he had a plan, the design itself shouldn't be a major problem. As for whether the firearm would ultimately be adopted by the U.S. military, Rhys had no idea. But if the AK-47 were to appear before its historical debut in the Soviet Union, the fate of this world-famous weapon was impossible to predict.
"Parks?" Lieutenant Winters saw him during his morning workout the next day.
"Yes, Lieutenant," Rhys said, stopping. Winters was also in his PT uniform; he was clearly a diligent man as well.
"Care to join me?" Winters asked, jogging in place and gesturing for Rhys to come along.
"Of course, sir," Rhys nodded. The two of them ran side-by-side.
A few other soldiers and officers who hadn't gone home also began to emerge from the barracks, exercising or walking in small groups. Rhys enjoyed this kind of scene. It was like the military camps of his past life—tense, but with an underlying sense of peace.
"We'll be saying goodbye again soon," Winters said suddenly, looking at the surrounding scenery.
"Sir?" Rhys asked, turning his head to look at him.
Winters smiled, looked around the camp, and said, "It won't be long before we have a new training camp. We'll be leaving this place. We might be on the move very soon."
Rhys already knew this. They couldn't stay here for long, as the training environment was no longer suitable for their needs. The men of the 506th were about to receive even more varied training.
"How do you feel?" Winters asked as they ran.
Rhys was taken aback for a moment. "What do you mean, sir?"
"About the brothers in the company," Winters clarified.
Rhys smiled. "I feel very good. The brothers are all working hard, and they all know they can rely on each other as a solid foundation. That's the most important thing: mutual trust and unity."
"Good," Winters said, and nothing more. The two of them continued to run in silence until it was almost time for breakfast.
After that conversation, Rhys could clearly sense a certain unease in Winters. Perhaps it was worry for the men of Easy Company, or perhaps it was worry about Captain Sobel, because they were about to begin more complex training, including military exercises. But what were Sobel's tactical abilities like?
Rhys knew, and perhaps Lieutenant Winters knew as well, but the brothers of Easy Company did not. That was what Winters was worried about. If the men lost faith in their company commander, it would undoubtedly be a disaster on the battlefield.
But it was still too early to worry about that now, and it wasn't something he could control. If the day truly came when Winters and Sobel could no longer coexist, he knew he would have to take part in the collective resignation of the NCOs.
***
In the following days, the brothers of Easy Company began to return to the camp one by one. On the seventh day, Rhys was, as usual, holed up in the barracks, absorbed in his design schematics. Sometimes, when he was utterly exhausted, he would just collapse into sleep, not even bothering to wash his face. Although some brothers had returned, he was still the only one in his barracks.
"Hey, is this an Easy Company barracks? I thought I took a wrong turn," a voice called out. "There's a wild man living in here. Is the airborne planning to drop a wild man into Berlin to capture Hitler and drag him into the primeval forest? Well then, brothers, the war is over! Let's go home! No need to go to Europe!"
Rhys knew who it was from the voice. He couldn't help but smile, quickly putting away his drawings. "White, it really is you. But this makes me a little suspicious. Was the beer at your house not to your liking? Or is the beer at the community club just so much more appealing that it lured you back to camp from such a distance?"
"I was worried you'd be lonely," White said with a laugh, carrying a heavy package. "Hey, buddy, give me a hand. This is all for you. Canned peaches, brandy, wine, and of course, chocolate!"
Rhys went over, took the bag, and laughed. "Chocolate? If you take it to town, the girls will like it. I hear chocolate is a gift for lovers."
"A gift for lovers?" White asked, confused. "Why didn't I know that?"
"Maybe it's not popular yet. Anyway, that's what it means where I'm from," Rhys said. He wasn't sure when chocolate had become a romantic gift. But he was very touched by White's gesture. To end his leave early and bring so many gifts… although he knew White's family was well-off, the sentiment was touching.
"Hey, what's this?" White suddenly exclaimed. As Rhys was putting the package down, he saw the design schematics. "It looks like a mechanical drawing. Is it a gun? Parks, you actually know how to design a gun?"
Rhys walked over and smiled. "It's just a hobby of mine. Alright, since you gave up your vacation to keep me company, I should show some generosity too. Tonight, I'm taking you out for a drink, and you can pick out a girl for yourself."
"That's great, Parks! You're practically an angel of God," White said excitedly.
***
The ten-day leave ended quickly. The vast majority of the brothers in Easy Company returned on time, but there was still one latecomer: Private John Doe from First Platoon. Captain Sobel was furious, because Colonel Sink was very displeased.
"I must humiliate him, so he knows how stupid his actions were," Captain Sobel said through gritted teeth. Soon, during a company training session, he did just that.
"Private Doe!" Captain Sobel roared. "Front and center!"
All eyes focused on Doe. Though nervous, he stepped forward. Captain Sobel practically charged at him, ripped the 506th patch from his shoulder, and bellowed, "You are not a soldier, Doe!"
He then tore the Silver Wings from his chest and the paratrooper insignia from his cap, threw them on the ground, and roared, "A soldier with no discipline is not worthy of the Silver Wings or the paratrooper's badge! I want him to understand how serious this is!"
Just then, an NCO raised a camera and, with a 'flash', captured Doe's miserable moment. It was the ultimate humiliation. Doe's eyes turned red, but he had to fight back the tears.
"From now on, you will get rid of your boots and wear Army shoes," Captain Sobel said, delivering the final blow. This meant that for the foreseeable future, Doe would have to attend training in regular shoes, unable to blouse his trousers like the other paratroopers.
"I'm glad I came back early," White said to Rhys later, still shaken. "God knows, if I wasn't worried about you being here, I probably would have lingered at home."
But there was one positive outcome of the incident: from then on, no one ever returned late from leave again. During these days, Rhys had also basically completed his design. He went to town, sent a telegram to Virginia, and mailed her his design schematics.
Soon, Virginia replied. Not with a telegram, but with a letter.
In the letter, she lavished praise on his design, saying that after a review by some of the best designers, they all agreed that it would be an exceptionally fine assault rifle. Then, her tone shifted. She spoke of the current difficulties, especially regarding cooperation with the major arms manufacturers. It was clear that the big companies had not accepted it easily. They were still basking in the glory and profits of the M1, and had little interest in this brand-new assault rifle. This left Virginia very frustrated.
Of course, as if to console him, she said that they might build a few prototypes to send to him as a souvenir. This didn't do much to lift Rhys's spirits.
Although Virginia ended the letter by expressing how much she missed him, it offered little real comfort to Rhys. He had originally thought that by producing the design for a superior firearm, he would immediately, like a protagonist in a time-travel story, reap huge glory and wealth. But the current situation was clearly not so optimistic.
It wasn't that Rhys hadn't considered this outcome; he knew very well that it was a normal result. Everything was always driven by profit. This gloomy mood stayed with him until the end of January 1943.
On January 28, 1943, Easy Company, along with the other companies of the 506th, crossed the Chattahoochee River and entered their camp in Alabama. Here, they would begin training that was even closer to actual combat.
*****
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