Lieutenant Mihan taking over as the Company Commander of Easy Company brought a slight sense of relief to the brothers of Easy Company. After all, they had inquired with the soldiers of Baker Company and knew that he was a decent guy.
"He's even thinner than I am." After a day of training, the Easy Company brothers gathered together. Patrick Christenson sat on the grass and said to Guarnere, "I can't believe he's such a scrawny guy."
"But he's definitely taller than you," Guarnere laughed.
"There's nothing to complain about. Don't you think it's a good thing we got rid of Captain Sobel?" White came closer, shouting at Cobb, "Perhaps you have a masochistic tendency."
Everyone around them burst into laughter.
Lipton walked over, looked at the crowd, and laughed, "Is this a farewell party for Sobel? You picked the wrong day, because Captain Sobel already left yesterday. He went to the paratrooper school in the nearby village of Chilton Foliat. That's putting his talents to good use."
"I'm really worried about those pretty nurses!" Luz smacked his lips.
"Those nurses aren't ladies. I went there and saw them. I guarantee, they're definitely more masculine than you!" Heffron interjected from the side.
Everyone laughed at Luz, and the atmosphere was so relaxed and cheerful. This atmosphere was absolutely a genuine joy that came from within after Sobel left. And this joy would continue in Easy Company.
Lieutenant Mihan was indeed a very capable person, and he treated his subordinates equally. Although his training was just as strict, he still gained the initial approval of Easy Company's officers and soldiers.
As wartime approached, the intensity of training also increased to a certain extent. The frequency of Easy Company's parachute jumps continuously increased, including some night jump training.
On December 13th, the company conducted a night jump, and a tragedy occurred. Due to a parachute malfunction, soldier Rudolph Dietrich of First Platoon unfortunately died, becoming Easy Company's first casualty. Because Parks wasn't entirely clear about what would happen, after all, even if he knew some of the plot, the plot was just the plot and didn't represent reality. He was still very sad, watching his brother sacrifice himself before even reaching the battlefield.
Lieutenant Mihan held a coffin-covering ceremony for Dietrich within Easy Company. His body would be transported back to his hometown in the United States by naval transport ship a day later.
That day, the weather was also uncooperative and it started to rain, fortunately not too heavily. But since it was already winter, the thinly clad soldiers still felt a bit cold. The cold wind swirled, sweeping across everyone's faces.
"Present arms!" Parks shouted loudly.
All the brothers of First Platoon raised their rifles uniformly above their heads.
"Fire!"
"Bang—" The loud, synchronized gunshots penetrated the nearby woods, startling a flock of birds.
After three shots, Parks finally gave the command to "Order arms."
"I am very sad!" Lieutenant Mihan stood before the coffin, speaking to the brothers, "This is the first brother to die under my command. He did not die on the battlefield, which is my regret, and I believe it is Dietrich's regret as well." His voice was not loud, but it had strong penetrative power, and everyone in Easy Company could hear him clearly.
At this moment, Evans walked over holding an umbrella, wanting to shield Lieutenant Mihan from the rain.
"Thank you, I don't need it!" Lieutenant Mihan refused without hesitation. This made Evans slightly awkward, but he still retreated to the side, then closed his umbrella and stood in the rain with the brothers.
"In the future, more of our brothers will fall, perhaps on the training ground, or perhaps under the guns of the Germans. But what I want to say is that the life of every one of our brothers is precious. You are valuable resources to the military. To defeat the Germans, we must first protect ourselves, especially not fall on the training ground." Mihan spoke fluently, and although his tone was relatively calm, it was clear that his mood was not high. "I demand that every brother in Easy Company, at all times, maintain his vigilance, including all of your equipment. Your equipment is your second life."
The rain was getting heavier, making a pattering sound.
Lieutenant Mihan also raised his voice: "In the future on the battlefield, we must cherish each other even more. You will fight together from now on, and the only ones you can trust are the brothers beside you. This bond is like family."
It must be said that Mihan's speech was very inspiring, and it also expressed the heartfelt sentiments of the brothers who had been together for two years.
"Whether officer, non-commissioned officer, or soldier, my requirement for Easy Company is to be like one family, because we are a whole, and indivisible!" Lieutenant Mihan concluded his speech, then turned to face Dietrich's coffin, raised his hand, and rendered a salute.
"Salute!" Parks shouted loudly, his voice cutting through the rain.
All the brothers of Easy Company snapped to a standard, neat salute.
"Dismissed!" Parks shouted, "Break ranks!"
This was a soldier's funeral. Although he was not buried in the ground, he had received all the respect of a funeral and the heartfelt emotions of his brothers. In the future, soldiers would continue to fall, perhaps without such a dignified funeral, and even more likely to lie dead in the wilderness, but their deaths would still cause their brothers to feel sorrow and mourn for them.
Lieutenant Mihan won the hearts of the brothers through this one event. Nothing earns respect more easily than respecting fallen brothers. Parks had to admit that Lieutenant Mihan handled this matter beautifully. It usually takes a long time to integrate into a company, especially as a leader, but Lieutenant Mihan only took a few short days.
In fact, the one most saddened by Dietrich's accidental death was Lieutenant Winters.
When all the brothers had dispersed, Winters remained there alone, even though he was soaked to the bone.
"I couldn't find you at the camp. Someone said you could be found here, so I came over!" At this moment, a voice came from behind Winters. "This isn't your fault, Dick!"
Winters seemed to awaken from his contemplation, and with a turn, he saw Nixon standing behind him.
"I'm just a little sad, Nick!" Winters' face was covered in rain.
"Let's talk about it back inside. I think you need a wash," Nixon gestured to him.
The two walked through the rain, one in front of the other.
"It seems Lieutenant Mihan is doing very well," Nixon said, watching Winters change his clothes, then laughed, "But you're no longer the Executive Officer, are you a little regretful?"
"Not at all," Winters thought for a moment before replying, "I'd be very happy, after all, we're now performing like a company that's on the right track, and we don't have Captain Sobel being neurotic on the battlefield all the time. I'm just sad for Dietrich right now. If only I had made them check their equipment."
"You already made them check! Dick. Stop thinking about it." Nixon shook his head and sighed, "Don't always take other people's mistakes onto yourself, you won't be able to live like this!"
"I know!" Winters nodded, "Thank you, Nick!"
Nixon then took a bottle of liquor from the cabinet, poured himself a glass, and took a sip before saying, "I understand now why you let Parks serve as the First Sergeant in your Platoon."
Winters glanced at Nixon, then slowly said, "What are you going to say?"
"Parks is a talent, and you want to keep him for yourself," Nixon seemed to have seen through Winters' scheme, smiling smugly, "I just can't believe Colonel Sink actually agreed, and Parks was a non-commissioned officer who made a mistake."
Speaking of this, Winters couldn't help but smile slightly; this was indeed something he was proud of.
"You wouldn't know this, even though you're now a Staff Officer at Battalion HQ, there are some pieces of information you guys wouldn't be privy to," Winters said, "Do you remember General Lee?"
"General William C. Lee?" Nixon nodded, "Of course I know him. What does he have to do with this?"
Winters then broke into a smile: "I merely exploited Sink's appropriate attitude towards General Lee. Remember when General Lee came to inspect last time and met with Parks privately?"
"Of course I remember."
"That's it," Winters smiled, "That time General Lee met with Parks privately, although he didn't say anything, the 506th Regiment, including Colonel Sink, all thought Parks had some connection with General Lee."
"Oh!" Nixon seemed to suddenly understand, "No wonder for a company First Sergeant to cause such an incident, which could be called a mutiny, and only be stripped of his First Sergeant position, this punishment was indeed relatively light. I thought Sink cherished talent, but it turns out he was indeed giving General Lee a favor."
Winters nodded: "You're right, Parks is a talent, and I must let his talent be utilized. I don't care what his relationship with the General is. Sink's agreement to my request was also based on the above considerations; I wasn't worried he wouldn't approve!"
The soldiers of Easy Company had a rough three days recently; they were all going to experience the most novel three days.
Because Lieutenant Mihan announced an order in Easy Company: all commissioned and non-commissioned officers of Easy Company were "killed in action."
He sent them out into the field, squad by squad, and had those officers and non-commissioned officers disguise themselves as German soldiers to ambush the American soldiers.
"I can't believe we're going to command a platoon or a squad. Don't look at me, Cobb."
White initially found this feeling quite novel. "I wonder what it would be like if I were the Company Commander."
Cobb was currently lying in a dug-out foxhole.
He didn't respond to White but just said to Heffron, who was not far from him, "What exactly does Mihan want? To have so many officers come after us soldiers, I think they must have lost their minds."
Heffron was cleaning his gun and replied without even looking up, "Don't complain. We just need to obey orders.
Mihan isn't Sobel; don't confuse the two!" In his heart, only officers like Sobel were out of their minds.
"Grenade!" Luz, who was slightly in the middle, suddenly shrieked.
Almost instinctively, everyone jumped into their foxholes, and then they saw a smoking grenade land near the foxhole.
After they jumped into the foxholes, they realized these were all blank rounds used for drills, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, two smoke grenades were thrown from somewhere unknown, and thick smoke immediately billowed.
"Cough, cough!" Cobb was the first to jump out of his foxhole, unable to bear the choking smoke, and rushed out of the smoke.
But as soon as he rushed out, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind!
"You're captured, Cobb!" It was Parks's voice.
Cobb obediently raised his hands: "You win, Staff Sergeant Parks!" His tone was one of helplessness.
Then he saw Winters, Compton, and Lipton appear around him.
Almost one after another, White, Heffron, and others rushed out of the thick fog in the same manner as Cobb, and they all broke out in one direction, allowing Parks and the others to capture them effortlessly.
"It seems being an officer isn't easy!" White mumbled dejectedly.
"Don't look at me like that!" Compton chuckled, "It was Parks's idea.
He said to catch you guys like groundhogs, using smoke to drive you out of your holes, but now it looks like the situation is marvelous!"
"Damn it, this screwed us over!" White winked at Parks.
Winters highly approved of the tactic Parks proposed.
When the opponent had dug foxholes, a frontal breakthrough would inevitably result in heavy casualties, but with the cover of smoke grenades, the situation would change.
Even when enemies were surrounded by smoke, they would experience a sense of panic and be eager to escape, thus rushing out like Cobb and the others, which would be an excellent opportunity to annihilate them.
In fact, this was just a common method Parks used in special warfare in later generations: luring the snake out of its hole.
"Very good!" Winters said, addressing Parks.
However, he was not satisfied with Cobb's performance, but he didn't scold them; that was his tradition.
"Work hard!" This was Winters's reply, but it was enough to make Cobb and the others feel ashamed.
This was just one scene from Easy Company's recent training.
Through this series of actions, Mihan's sole purpose was to improve the leadership abilities of ordinary soldiers, to prevent the unit from becoming uncontrollable in wartime after excessive officer losses.
However, there were still those who performed exceptionally well, as the squad led by Hanson and Muke successfully stopped the attack by Lieutenant Mihan, Lieutenant Harry, and Guarnere, among others.
They were commended for this.
On February 16, 1944, the 101st Airborne Division welcomed its new Division Commander, General Maxwell Taylor.
The brothers received news that General Lee had suffered a heart attack and had flown back to the U.S. to recuperate.
This news left Parks with some regret, as he admired this "Father of Airborne Troops" of the U.S. Army from the bottom of his heart, and he had even had interactions with him.
On March 23, the Second Battalion and Third Battalion of the 506th Regiment conducted a joint parachute exercise.
This was the largest parachute exercise for the regiment since the war began.
Those present to inspect the exercise included British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. Army First Corps Commander Omar Bradley, 101st Airborne Division Commander General Taylor, and several other prominent figures.
"We must perform well! Brothers, for Taylor!" This was Lieutenant Mihan's motivational speech before the exercise, which, of course, was met with laughter from the brothers because the flattery was too obvious.
"He should have said for Colonel Sink; that way, his chances of promotion might be higher!" Guys like Cobb would seize every opportunity to mock him.
"Don't be so harsh, Cobb!" Parks couldn't help but frown; the entire company was waiting to board the plane.
"Don't treat Mihan like you treated Sobel; he's a good man!" Parks didn't know if Lieutenant Mihan would be hit by the German forces as in the plot, but if that were true, Cobb's current mockery of Mihan was unfair.
Cobb mumbled softly, then said nothing more.
The planes formed a "V" shape in the sky.
The green light in the cabin flashed.
"Stand up!" Winters stood up, gesturing; they knew it was showtime.
Too many important figures were present today, and many people were holding back a surge of energy, wanting to perform well.
Over a thousand paratroopers, with their parachutes open, filled the sky like heavenly soldiers and generals.
"Damn it." After landing, Cobb's parachute got tangled due to his eagerness, and he couldn't get free.
Parks had already freed himself from his parachute and walked over to Cobb, then held him down and helped him pull off his parachute.
"Thank you, Parks!" Cobb said gratefully, "Don't mind what I said before, okay?"
"Bullshit, Cobb, let's go, we need to be the fastest, stop talking nonsense, did you say anything before?" Parks pulled Cobb up and rushed towards the rendezvous point.
Then he raised his hand, making a gathering gesture.
Everyone in First Platoon rushed over.
"Excellent work!" Winters also arrived at this moment, making a gesture to Parks.
The brothers who had already arrived began assembling their weapons.
"Our objective is the hill approximately one mile to the front-left.
We need to seize the high ground before the Third Battalion and use it as a sniping fortress.
We need to force march there; time is running out! Let's move!" Winters gave the order decisively.
"Aren't we waiting for them?" Lipton rushed over at this moment and said to Winters, "There are still brothers gathering here; why don't we wait a bit longer?"
"We can't wait; have you seen the Third Battalion? They're almost here too.
Lipton, you stay behind and continue to contact the brothers in the other platoons, tell Company Commander Mihan to gather and then quickly come to support us!" Winters showed his efficiency.
"Parks, gather the brothers, let's go!" Winters led the way, rushing towards the objective.
Parks gestured to the gathering brothers, then let out a low roar: "Go!" He got up and rushed out, following Winters.
The already gathered men of First Platoon followed Parks, desperately running towards the objective.
"Which company of the Second Battalion is that unit running in front?" General Taylor quietly asked Colonel Sink beside him.
Colonel Sink whispered, "General, it's Easy Company of the Second Battalion.
That unit almost at the objective is led by Lieutenant Winters of First Platoon, and behind him is Sergeant Parks."
"Very good!" Taylor nodded, said nothing more, and raised his binoculars to continue watching.
This exercise amazed all observers with their speed of movement.
Not only did General Taylor gain prominence from this, but Colonel Sink was also overjoyed.
And undoubtedly, Easy Company once again became the best-performing company, and Winters's First Platoon within that company performed the best, thus receiving commendation from Lieutenant Mihan.
Soon after the exercise ended, General Taylor assembled the troops and invited Churchill and Eisenhower to review them.
General Eisenhower walked proudly at the front of the formation, then suddenly stopped in front of Parks, and said with satisfaction to the rigidly standing Parks, "Young man, where are you from?"
"California, General!" Parks replied loudly, puffing out his chest.
"Oh, young man, do you like England?" British Prime Minister Churchill suddenly interjected.
"Of course, I do!" Parks replied, "I like Shakespeare! And of course, I like Havana cigars even more."
Churchill was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter, even reaching out to pat Parks's shoulder and saying, "It seems we share the same hobbies, young man! What's your name again? I mean your full name."
"Reese Parks!" Parks stood tall, answering neither humble nor arrogant.
This meeting left a deep impression on Taylor, Eisenhower, and Churchill regarding this witty Sergeant named Parks.
However, this had no impact on Parks, as he was still a Sergeant, and he still had to live and train with his brothers every day.
But in the eyes of his brothers, this undoubtedly changed their impression of Parks again.
"He truly is a lucky fellow!" Many people thought this way; being able to converse with a General and a Prime Minister and have them remember him undoubtedly instilled a sense of admiration and envy for Parks in the hearts of his brothers.
As May arrived, Easy Company, along with the 101st Airborne Division, came to Aldbourne.
During the first week there, Easy Company practiced more subjects, including attacking artillery positions, bridges, and causeways.
One exercise was a direct assault operation after parachuting, while other times involved simulating aerial flight and then "parachuting" from trucks.
In the second week, they began the "Operation Eagle" simulated attack exercise, their goal being to destroy German beach artillery positions.
And this time, it was a nighttime live-fire air drop.
"Spoon, blade, socks, toiletries bag, flashlight, map, three days of rations, four chocolates, a pack of gum, coffee powder, sugar, and matches, ammunition, compass, two grenades, one anti-tank mine, one smoke grenade, one tank bomb, two packs of cigarettes, ammo belt, cord, canteen, first-aid kit, bayonet, and my damned .45 pistol." Joe Liebgott complained incessantly, and it wasn't just him; many of the brothers in Easy Company were complaining.
Carrying so much stuff onto a plane and then jumping from that high altitude—many had mentally prepared, but the gear was simply too heavy.
"That's what a paratrooper is!" Parks said from the side, "There's nothing to complain about, for God's sake, Joe, you even forgot your entrenching tool, why don't you tie it to yourself? Do you hope that after landing, the krauts will help you dig a foxhole?"
"Damn it!" Joe Liebgott cursed fiercely.
Yes, there was nothing to complain about; this exercise was already a live-fire drill.
All environments were set up to simulate impending real combat situations.
The plane flew for two and a half hours in the air, actually just circling, and then the brothers of Easy Company parachuted.
"Vole!" As soon as Winters landed, he heard someone calling out the password.
"Eagle!" He quickly whispered back, recognizing the voice, "Is that Staff Sergeant Parks?"
At this moment, a figure flashed out from the nearby grass, silently approaching, and then, by a faint starlight, Winters recognized it was Parks.
"You got here a step before me!" Winters nodded when he saw Parks, "How are the other brothers doing?"
"We need to go to the rally point immediately to gather the brothers!" Parks said.
"Follow me!" Winters pulled out his compass, then hid in the grass, checked his bearings, and then patted Parks on the shoulder.
The two quietly walked together towards the gathering point.
They successively met other brothers from Easy Company, including some First Platoon leaders and Sergeants.
Gradually, more and more people gathered, when suddenly, a sound came from the grass ahead.
Parks, who was scouting ahead, quickly raised his hand to signal, and everyone quietly lay down.
"Heaven, I suspect Eisenhower's brain is broken to come up with such a password!" One person didn't care if his voice carried, "Vole? Is there anything funnier than this? Do they hope we can only burrow like voles?"
"It's Cobb!" Parks signaled to everyone, and then the group stood up.
Parks pushed aside the grass, and indeed it was Cobb and Heffron together.
Heffron was painstakingly helping Cobb untangle his parachute.
When the two saw Parks, the gathered brothers, and Winters, they quickly stood up.
"soldier Cobb, your voice just now was enough to cost you your life." Winters said to them both somewhat sternly, "Remember, if you treat this as a real battle, it won't be like this." Winters saw that some brothers were still not very cautious due to it being an exercise, and he couldn't help but worry.
"Understood, sir!" Cobb was a bit embarrassed, after all, many brothers were now looking at him with a playful gaze!
As they reached the gathering point, more brothers arrived successively.
Finally, Lieutenant Mihan also arrived.
"Count the numbers!" Mihan ordered.
"First Platoon all present!" Winters reported.
The men from the other two platoons also arrived.
Mihan found a hidden spot, used the Soldiers' raincoats to block the light, and then, under the faint flashlight beam, compared directions with a compass.
Then he established the attack point.
"Winters, you lead the First Platoon to attack from the right flank.
Compton and I will lead the Second Platoon to attack from the front.
Harry will lead the Third Platoon to attack from the left flank.
Pay attention to our attack time; we start in five minutes!" Mihan cleanly and efficiently assigned the attack roles.
They were to attack a simulated German artillery position located to the slightly right.
"Sir, shouldn't we leave one platoon to cover our rear, ensuring a clear path to headquarters and preventing German reinforcements?" Winters suggested to Lieutenant Mihan at this point.
Mihan looked at Winters in surprise, paused for a moment, and quickly dismissed it: "There's no need.
This simulated German artillery position only has one platoon.
We will strike them with lightning attack speed and absolute superior force, and then we will quickly disengage from the battlefield!"
After Mihan finished speaking, he raised his hand to check his watch and issued the command: "Move out!"
The entire company's brothers quickly rushed out, charging towards the predetermined target.
Their movements were just like their usual training, swift and powerful.
Soon, the people disguised as German at the target reacted and began to block with blank rounds, but the three-sided encirclement quickly routed the one platoon of "German." Easy Company easily took down the target.
Just as the Easy Company brothers were retreating, preparing to return to headquarters along the original route, Parks stepped forward and said to Winters: "First Platoon Leader, I want to speak!"
"Speak, Parks!" Winters glanced at him, not surprised; it seemed he also had something to say.
"We made a commotion here, but the enemy didn't send reinforcements, not even a shadow appeared.
I think there must be a problem!" Parks voiced his concerns.
"I'm also considering that problem." Winters said his concerns without hesitation.
"If it's not that the opposing commander has no ideas at all, then they definitely have a trump card!" Parks looked at Lieutenant Mihan, who was reassembling for withdrawal, "Perhaps we should talk to Lieutenant Mihan!"
"Leave it to me!" Winters nodded, "But you have to tell me what your concern is exactly."
Parks nodded: "My judgment is that if we withdraw, it's possible the enemy has set up an ambush on our retreat path.
This is the first possibility, because when we captured the position, we didn't leave any reserve forces.
And the night provides the best cover."
"The second possibility is that they themselves lack sufficient reinforcements and will follow us, harassing us as we go." Winters suddenly said at this moment, then looked at Parks, "How's my guess?"
Parks nodded.
"Alright, which one do you think is most likely?
We can't divide our forces." Winters acknowledged Parks's suggestion.
"I think it should be the first possibility.
In this exercise, the simulated German forces are the brothers from the 82nd Division; they have a numerical advantage and combat experience." Parks did not hesitate.
"I'll give Lieutenant Mihan a suggestion, perhaps!" Winters nodded, then left.
And in fact, just as Parks had guessed, the "enemy" used two platoons of brothers to set up an ambush where Easy Company was retreating.
However, because of Parks's and Winters's early warning, Mihan sent out a lead squad, attracting the "enemy's" attention, and then pressed forward with a concentrated force, achieving success.
But thirty people were judged "killed in action," and twenty-one were wounded, almost a platoon's worth of casualties.
Such losses were quite significant, even though they annihilated an "enemy" company.
Afterward, Lieutenant Mihan held a wartime debriefing meeting for Sergeants and Lieutenants in the company.
"Many thanks to Staff Sergeant Parks and Lieutenant Winters for their suggestions, which prevented Easy Company from being completely wiped out!" Mihan was a very candid person, "This deeply moved me."
"One issue I'm thinking about is that our staff officers and staff Sergeants, whether at the platoon level or company level, should proactively voice their opinions during wartime and make their own judgments about the enemy, rather than blindly following orders!" Although these words somewhat challenged the authority of the officers, Parks knew Mihan was right.
This would empower those officers and Sergeants with a greater sense of responsibility.
From this meeting, all Sergeants and Lieutenants learned that Mihan was a responsible person.
And he was good at summarizing.
And Parks's talent, once again displayed this time, deeply impressed the brothers of Easy Company again.
This caused his prestige in Easy Company to rise steadily.
"Meeting adjourned!" Mihan made his final conclusion and then announced the meeting was over!
When the Sergeants and officers left one by one, Mihan called out to Winters.
"Lieutenant Winters."
"Sir?" Winters turned around and looked at Mihan.
Mihan, seeing that only the two of them remained in the wartime barracks, smiled and said: "What do you think of Parks?"
"He is a good Sergeant!" Winters answered truthfully.
Mihan did not continue with that question but said to Winters: "I know that in Easy Company, your prestige is the highest among the brothers."
"Sir?" Winters looked at Mihan, puzzled.
"I mean, if the brothers have any opinions on the results of the exercise, I hope you can do a good job of managing them!" Mihan continued, "Don't let the brothers lose confidence."