On June 10th, in Angoville-au-Plain, Parks received a letter in a pink envelope. Even after traveling thousands of miles, the stationery inside still emitted a fresh fragrance.
Wester, who was in charge of mail, looked at the envelope with envy for a while, then said resentfully, "You are truly lucky, sir!"
"What?" Parks was opening the envelope and sniffing the scented paper when he heard Wester's words. He looked up, puzzled. "Is there a problem, soldier Wester?"
Wester quickly explained, "No, no, I just wanted to say that at least you haven't been dumped by a girl, unlike me!"
"Are you saying that a girl still remembers me?" Parks laughed. "Or are you trying to express that you've already been dumped by a girl?"
Wester shook his head, "I received a breakup letter before D-Day."
"Oh, that's truly unfortunate!" Parks couldn't help but laugh. "But there's absolutely no way I'm sharing this with you." He then waved the letter in his hand and walked away somewhat smugly.
It was a letter from Virginia.
In the letter, she poured out her longing for Parks, hoping he could return soon. If possible, she could contact General Lee to see if he could be transferred back for a position. As for the automatic rifle incident, she didn't mention a single word, which seemed very unoptimistic. However, she did mention one thing: during General Lee's recent visit to her home, he brought up Parks and said that he had also mentioned Parks in a recent letter to General Taylor, calling Parks the best American paratrooper he had ever seen.
All of this made Parks feel a bit proud; the praise from the Father of American Paratroopers was hard-won after all. This letter was basically good news. His woman hadn't changed her mind, and he was still valued by his superiors. What could be better than that?
Easy Company's good days in Angoville-au-Plain came to an end.
The 29th Division, coming from the direction of Omaha Beach, linked up with the 101st Division northeast of Carrington. This allowed the beachhead to be consolidated. However, if the Americans did not drive the German out of Carrington, this beachhead could not expand or extend inland. The task of capturing Carrington fell on the shoulders of the 101st Division.
General Taylor decided to launch a simultaneous attack from three directions. The 327th Glider Infantry Regiment would attack from the north, the 501st Regiment from the northeast, and the 506th Regiment would conduct a night march to outflank the nearly encircled Carrington from the southwest. The coordinated attack was set for 5 AM on June 12th.
"I want F Company to lead the vanguard, Easy Company to follow closely, and D Company to bring up the rear!" Colonel Sink's order was clear.
This time, Easy Company was not leading the charge. After Winters carried out this order, many in Easy Company were very happy. In short, not being constantly exposed at the forefront of the position, occasionally encountering German snipers, was the greatest happiness.
"Colonel Sink is truly a good man!" Webster wrote in his diary. "In my memory, Easy Company always led the way, including the battle for the manor on D-Day and the attack on Angoville-au-Plain. But all that is in the past. I now understand what war is: seeking honor in excitement, and experiencing brotherhood in danger. If one day the war ends, I don't even know how I'll say goodbye to my brothers…"
Webster's thoughts represented a large number of brothers in Easy Company. They sought warmth from each other amidst tension, excitement, and pain, and found honor in that warmth.
On June 11th, the 506th Regiment began its night march, with companies maintaining distance from each other. The brothers of Easy Company were proficient in night operations because they had undergone several months of night training when Sobel was their Company Commander, including night cross-country, forced marches through forests, night compass use, potential problems during night troop movements, and control of night troop movements.
However, other companies constantly ran into problems, which greatly annoyed the brothers of Easy Company.
"Alright, we've lost contact with D Company again!" Guarnere cursed under his breath, "These damn idiots!"
"Not just D Company, we've lost contact with F Company too," Parks said expressionlessly as he walked past him. "Sergeant Guarnere, you and Luz go contact F Company."
Then Parks called out ahead, "Sergeant Tibbett, take one man and go contact D Company!"
This was not the first time they had lost contact. During the march, such situations frequently occurred between the companies of the Second Battalion, causing them to stop and start, which greatly annoyed Parks.
"See, we're often fighting alone!" Although Parks knew this situation would happen, he couldn't help but complain to Company Commander Winters.
"This is all because the officers didn't properly train the soldiers," Winters also seemed a bit vexed. Although he complained, he was still able to endure it.
"See, our Sobel still left us an elite force!" Nixon, beside Winters, couldn't help but whistle and laugh, "This should be Sobel's greatest contribution to Easy Company."
"We've already reached the designated location. Are we going to wait indefinitely?" Parks shook his head, a hint of anger in his voice. "Can't the battalion headquarters staff be more accurate? Now at least I know that our designated location is also a wrong location."
"Even if it's wrong, we still have to follow orders," Winters said helplessly. "Parks, stop complaining. Tell your brothers to build fortifications and set up the machine guns. We're entering a defensive position."
"Alright!" Parks knew it was useless to talk to Winters, so he calmed down and began to arrange for his brothers to build fortifications.
"Da-da-da!" The sound of an MG42 machine gun, particularly jarring in the night sky, fired towards Easy Company's direction. It was only firing in bursts, with a burst every short distance.
"Get down," Parks cautiously called to his brothers. "Maintain silence. Fix on the German position. We're going to move in and catch them by surprise!"
"Christenson, come here, set up the machine gun, aim at the enemy's strongpoint, and when we assault, listen for our gunfire, then open fire fiercely to cover us!"
"Understood!" Christenson crawled over and set up the machine gun.
"The rest of the brothers in the First Platoon, follow me! Stay low. We're going to take them out!" Parks led the remaining brothers in the First Platoon, quietly approaching the German strongpoint.
The German were using their strongpoint to search for the American forces. But by doing so, they were undoubtedly exposing themselves. By the time Parks could see their position, it was no more than forty meters away, which was within the visibility range of Easy Company's brothers, who were familiar with night operations. Parks could even hear the German talking softly. There were fifteen German in total, more than a squad's worth.
"White, tell everyone their target, then listen for my gunshot. After taking them out, immediately retreat to the prepared fortifications and get ready for defense." Parks carefully laid out the assault mission against the German. He wanted to eliminate them in one swift move, then retreat cleanly.
"Three," Parks counted silently in his heart. He raised his M1 rifle, then carefully adjusted the sight, aiming for a single, fatal shot.
"Two!"
"One!" Parks had just counted to one when he pulled the Trigger. A crisp gunshot echoed loudly in the night, and the German machine gunner's head slumped down. He had been shot in the head, a fatal blow.
The German were instantly startled. When they reacted and tried to retaliate, a burst of gunfire quickly eliminated them one by one. But the responding German fire began, with machine guns firing fiercely in their direction!
At this moment, Christenson's machine gun also opened fire, drawing most of the enemy's attention.
"Retreat, retreat!" Parks shouted, then directed his brothers to retreat along the same path. He followed at the very end of the line, and the group quickly withdrew to their original fortifications.
"That's enough, Christenson," Parks called for the machine gun to stop. "We're safe now, no need to waste bullets."
When the machine gun here stopped, the German counterattack also ceased. Neither side was clear about the other's strength, so they dared not attack rashly and cause unnecessary losses.
"We took out 15 of them in one go," Cobb boasted quietly, discussing the recent excitement.
His words were met with many responses. The First Platoon's proactive attack, which took out the German reconnaissance strongpoint, earned Winters' praise. This avoided unnecessary losses for the brothers and seized the initiative. Moreover, Parks' hit-and-run strategy was undoubtedly very successful, making the German unsure of the situation on their side and hesitant to act rashly.
Soon, Guarnere and Tibbett returned. They had made contact with D Company and F Company. They also brought an order from the battalion headquarters: Colonel Sink ordered Easy Company to continue advancing.
"Don't they know we've encountered German forces on the outskirts of Carrington? Why not set up a position here and then attack them?" Parks was somewhat puzzled by this order.
"Execute the order, Parks. When did you start complaining like this?" Winters couldn't help but frown.
"Yes, sir!" Parks could only salute, then turned away.
"Parks!" Winters called out to him.
"What?" Parks turned and looked at Winters.
"I want your First Platoon to be the vanguard," Winters said. "Be careful!" He then patted Parks' arm.
"I understand!" Parks nodded, sighing inwardly. He knew this couldn't change anything; he just needed to be more careful. But Easy Company was very lucky. Because Parks had cleanly eliminated 15 Germans, the remaining Germans thought they had encountered the main American force and retreated overnight. As a result, although Parks was cautious, he didn't encounter another German.
Easy Company continued to advance, and along the way, they still exchanged fire with the German, but it was sporadic.
The main engagement occurred between F Company, who were leading the charge, and the German.
Along the way, some areas of engagement still showed thick smoke and bodies.
There were both German and American bodies, but in the dim, flickering light, it was difficult to distinguish them clearly.
There was no time to stop and bury their fallen brothers; everyone's steps felt heavy, and there was a sense of unease.
"Are we just going to leave them here?" Donald grumbled, walking behind Parks.
Parks turned his head and glanced at him without speaking.
soldier Aubrey Brown, next to Donald, looked at him and said, "We're on a forced march right now, how can we stop? If we stop, it might be us lying here instead."
"But..." Donald wanted to say more, but no words came out.
A feeling spread through him, an indescribable discomfort.
"Alright, Donald, don't think about it, let's go, keep moving.
Once we deal with the German in Carrington, we can come back for them!" Brown also felt a bit bad; he patted Donald on the shoulder.
"Got it! Thank you, Aubrey." Donald's gratitude was heartfelt.
In the past two days, Brown was the first person to speak to him so gently.
Why hadn't he noticed before what a kind person he was?
"No problem, let's go!" Brown said, lifting his foot to step over the body of an American soldier, carefully avoiding touching any part of the body.
The squad continued to advance, with occasional quiet murmurs from the brothers.
"Oh—" Suddenly, a gasp came from the front of the squad.
It was from soldier Bloy, followed by suppressed snickers from the brothers behind.
"I thought he had me!" Bloy's face was a bit red.
It turned out that at a turn in the road, a German was leaning against a fence, his rifle aimed directly at Bloy, giving him a huge fright and turning his face green.
"I thought he... would shoot!" Bloy stammered.
At this moment, soldier Wayne Cisco, behind Bloy, walked over and kicked the German in the stomach, making a dull thud.
"Oh, I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't mean to kick you." Cisco grinned, then grasped the German's arm: "But you're already dead, you shouldn't feel it, so you probably can't hear my apology either!"
"He's a corpse, and you couldn't tell?" Parks walked up to Bloy, looked at him strangely, shook his head, and then said, "Alright, fellows, let's continue!"
A squad of men walked past Bloy, continuing forward into what was indeed darkness, then walking into the unknown in the dark.
Bloy looked at the German corpse with lingering fear, then, with a nervous heart, stepped forward.
This was just an interlude; along the rest of the way, few people spoke.
They walked in silence; even when they saw German corpses again, few people, contrary to usual custom, scavenged, as this was not allowed during a march.
Easy Company quickly crossed the Douve River and reached the railway line on the designated embankment, beginning to construct defensive positions.
"Orders from Battalion HQ, they want us to watch out for German armored units." Winters came over, stooping, and relayed the order to Parks, "Have the brothers prepare their bazookas.
Prepare for an attack by German armored units."
Parks nodded, then whispered, "Heffron, set up the bazookas on the embankment, keep them concealed."
"What?" Heffron was startled upon hearing this.
"Lieutenant, you want us to set up the bazookas on the embankment? Are you sure you want to do this? We'll be exposed to the German."
"We'll provide you cover! Go, do it as discreetly as possible.
We have no choice; behind us is the Douve River.
If we can't deal with the German armored vehicles, we'll be driven into the river.
We must fight with our backs to the wall." Parks said, "We're all counting on you, Heffron, don't miss."
"Alright!" Heffron reluctantly agreed, "I'll take out the German armored vehicles, don't worry."
Then he called out to someone nearby: "Joe, I need you to ensure two rockets are ready at all times, understood? This is crucial for taking out armored vehicles.
The moment I need one, you hand it to me immediately, not a second's delay, or the German will take us out." After speaking, Heffron crawled onto the embankment, then used the tall grass beside it for concealment.
"Got it!" A slightly trembling voice replied.
soldier Joe Ramirez was Heffron's ammunition handler.
But he was very nervous now; even his hands trembled as he moved the rockets.
"Okay, no delaying for half a second." Ramirez picked up the rocket, "Then, I'll remove them first.
I'll make sure there's no delay of half a second." He said, pulling out the pin of the rocket, then crawled towards Heffron.
"Heffron!" Ramirez whispered from behind Heffron.
Heffron was nervously watching the situation on the embankment, completely oblivious to what was behind him.
Suddenly, he flinched at Ramirez's call, turned around, and said irritably, "Ramirez, couldn't you make a sound first? Do you have to scare me like that?"
"Sorry!" Ramirez whispered, "I brought you the rockets.
I promise not to delay you for half a second; I even pulled out the pins of the rockets." His hands were trembling, but his tone was somewhat triumphant.
Heffron's hair stood on end when he heard that, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Damn it, why did you pull out the pins?"
It was well known that after the safety pin was removed, a loaded rocket would detonate if it fell from a height of two or three feet.
He broke out in a cold sweat, clearly quite startled.
"You have to find them and put them back in," Heffron said, somewhat annoyed.
"If it accidentally falls while loading, both of us are done for, you idiot!"
"Alright." Ramirez looked a bit wronged, but he still turned back to look for them.
Soon, he returned, having found the pins for the rockets.
"Put them back in," Heffron sighed in relief.
"When I need them, I'll tell you to pull them out."
As the two were murmuring, they suddenly heard a very low voice from behind them: "Silence."
They were startled and turned to see Parks, who was holding a finger to his lips, gesturing to them.
"You two are too loud; you know that on a quiet night like this, your voices will carry at least half a mile." Parks nodded to them, then crawled back.
Everyone remained silent, waiting for the German to launch an attack on Easy Company under the cover of armored vehicles.
But there was no movement from the German side.
It was pitch black over there, and everyone's eyes were wide, as if monsters or beasts that would devour human lives could burst out of the darkness at any moment.
Time seemed to pass slowly.
Sweat seeped from Donald's hand gripping his rifle.
He swallowed, but his saliva had long since dried up; his mouth was parched and bitter.
"You're very nervous!" Brown, beside him, glanced at him and whispered.
Donald nodded, his eyes not daring to leave the embankment.
He was constantly on guard for the German and armored vehicles that might suddenly emerge from there.
His heart was beating much faster, making his breathing somewhat hurried.
"Don't worry, just like regular training!" Brown continued to whisper to him, "I was luckier than you; when I rejoined the squad, I caught the street fighting in Angoville-au-Plain.
It's nothing, relax, take a deep breath, yes, that's what Parks taught us before the attack, and it really works, no kidding."
"I know, thank you, Aubrey!" Donald took a deep breath, then whispered to Brown.
Brown nodded, then looked forward, staring intently at the embankment.
"Do you think the German will launch an attack?" Guarnere looked at Parks, who was lying beside him.
"I don't know!" Parks shook his head.
"Then should we just keep waiting like this?" Guarnere asked again.
"We have to follow orders, Guarnere!"
"Lieutenant, let me take a squad of men to scout ahead.
We can't just stay here.
If it gets light, we'll all be exposed to the German." Guarnere was a bit anxious.
Parks looked at him: "I know, Sergeant, but you must ensure it's only reconnaissance, don't engage the German, disengage as soon as possible, and return to these defensive works."
Guarnere nodded: "Okay, I know what to do!" Saying this, he gestured behind him, then, leading his squad, quietly moved along the ditch below the embankment, keeping low, and crept forward.
At this moment, Winters crawled over, looked at the spot where Guarnere had disappeared, frowned, and whispered to Parks, "Lieutenant, what are you trying to do?"
"I sent Guarnere out to scout; we can't just stay here." Parks whispered.
Winters nodded, then said to him, "In the future, if there's any action, it's best to tell me first, understood?" Winters' expression was a bit serious.
"Understood, Lieutenant!" Parks knew he had acted a bit on his own initiative this time.
After all, the entire company was lurking here, not just his platoon.
Soon after, Cobb, who had gone with Guarnere, returned and reported the reconnaissance results: the German forces had retreated.
When Parks reported this to Winters, the instruction he received was to continue advancing northeast.
"God, we're finally out of this damn place!" Heffron, who had been lying on the ground, finally breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and said to Ramirez beside him, "Look, if we weren't careful, we'd be carrying these two dangerous items forward, and they could blow us both sky-high at any moment."
Ramirez gave an embarrassed smile; he knew he couldn't say anything, only listen carefully and learn from this experience next time.
However, this was also because he had little combat experience; he had only rejoined Easy Company after the Battle of Angoville-au-Plain.
"Let's go, we're moving out." Heffron shouldered the bazooka and waved to Ramirez, who was still fumbling with the ammunition box, "Don't fall behind."
The brothers of Easy Company finally breathed a sigh of relief, and their taut nerves instantly relaxed.
They continued to advance in the darkness, and some even quietly started joking.
"You're sweating?" Brown glanced at Donald.
Donald gave him a somewhat awkward smile: "A little nervous, you know, I lack combat experience, so it's inevitable to be a bit nervous.
I really envy you!"
"Envy me for not being killed by German bullets?" Brown chuckled, "I only know that in combat, the only people I can trust are the brothers beside me, and you should be the same."
Donald's face turned a little ugly upon hearing this; many of the brothers weren't interested in him now.
He mumbled, "But… you know, I did something stupid, the brothers…"
"It's nothing," Brown glanced at him, knowing what he was thinking, "No one doesn't make mistakes, don't worry about that.
Once in combat, they won't leave you isolated; you are a brother of Easy Company, and that won't change, but the key is, you have to treat them as brothers.
Alright, don't think about it anymore, the brothers will change their opinion of you."
"I understand!" Donald was still a bit disheartened, but his mood had improved slightly.
At 5:30 AM, the entire Second Battalion had moved into position to attack Carrington.
Their objective was the T-junction defended by the German forces.
The last hundred meters or so of the road leading to the junction was straight and a gentle downhill slope, with two shallow ditches on either side of the road.
"Easy Company will advance directly along the road, F Company will support on the left flank, and D Company will be the reserve." Major Horton assigned wartime tasks, "We need to push into Carrington and link up with the 327th Regiment coming from the north.
Understood?"
"Attack starts at 6 o'clock!" Horton checked his watch.
"Understood!" Lieutenant Winters also checked his watch, then nodded.
It looked like Easy Company would be the vanguard again; this would be a tough fight.
He understood his mission and turned to leave.
"Hey, Lieutenant Winters!" Horton called out from behind him.
"Sir?" Winters turned around and looked at him.
"This is a tough fight, Winters." Major Horton's expression was a bit solemn, "I know Easy Company has always been the best company in the battalion headquarters, so your mission is a bit harder."
Winters's mouth twitched, trying to force a smile, but he couldn't.
Such a task was not good, but he had to carry it out.
Major Horton's words merely provided a slight comfort to his grumbling heart.
"I know what to do, Major." Winters saluted, then turned and left.
At dawn, it was quiet, everything seemed calm, but beneath the calm lay an imminent battle, perhaps the most intense battle for Easy Company since D-Day.
Winters called for the three platoon leaders.
He began to assign tasks.
"Parks will lead First Platoon on the left side of the road, that is, where the road straightens after the bend," Winters pointed to the road ahead, "Welsh and I will lead Second Platoon on the right side of the road, and Compton will lead Third Platoon as the reserve."
"Understood!" The three men nodded.
Winters looked at Parks and said: "Parks, I demand that once the attack begins, you must advance quickly, without delay, so our casualties will be much smaller."
"Understood, Lieutenant!" Parks led First Platoon and began to move into the designated left side of the road, preparing for the attack.
Second Platoon and Third Platoon also quietly moved into their designated positions.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
The brothers of First Platoon and Second Platoon, who were assigned to attack, were very nervous.
They knew today would be a tough fight.
They stared nervously ahead, even though it was still a bit blurry and unclear.
"I really don't know what the Battalion HQ people are thinking, why wait until 6 o'clock to launch the attack, by then it will be completely bright!" Welsh complained to Winters, "Do they think our casualties in Easy Company aren't high enough?"
"Just wait, Harry!" Winters checked his watch, "We have no choice."
The brothers of Easy Company had no choice; the bureaucracy of the battalion headquarters completely disregarded the lives of ordinary soldiers, which made everyone angry and helpless.
"Donald, are you still scared?" Brown looked at him; Donald's face was starting to turn pale again.
"I feel a bit dizzy." Donald's voice trembled.
"Don't worry, just follow behind me later." Brown frowned, "First, take a deep breath and keep your heart rate steady.
Don't worry, during the attack, don't stop, just run quickly, then they won't be able to aim at you."
"Understood, thank you, Brown!" Donald took a deep breath.
Exactly 6:00 AM.
"Move out!" Winters gave the order to attack.
"Follow me, guys!" Parks was the first to leap out, leading the brothers to charge towards the T-junction about 50 meters away, "Run fast, don't stop, be quick!" He shouted loudly as he ran.
White, Guarnere, Patrick Christenson, Cobb, and Luz leaped up behind him and ran at full speed.
At this moment, the German machine gun also opened fire, sweeping along the road, instantly cutting Parks's platoon in half.
The more than thirty men behind them all lay face down in the ditches on both sides of the road.
"Damn it," Talbert cursed loudly, but the mud splashed by machine gun bullets hitting the ground filled his mouth, making him shut up immediately.
"We have to crawl to get close to that machine gun nest!" Donald was a bit frustrated, watching the machine gun bullets whiz past overhead.
Winters was furious.
He ran over, jumped into the middle of the road, and shouted, "Move out! Move out!" But it was no use; the soldiers remained motionless, heads down, lying in the ditches.
At this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Strayer, Major Horton, and other Battalion HQ members shouted in dissatisfaction: "Winters, what the hell are they doing, make them go, Winters! Make them go!"
Winters became anxious.
He threw away his gear, picked up his M1 rifle, ran to the right side of the road, and roared hoarsely: "Get moving, damn it, hurry up!" He kicked Donald, who was lying beside him, in the butt.
Then he grabbed his collar and pulled him up, "Get out of here, get to the front, now."
Parks led five men to the very front, where they found a low break to take cover.
Then he saw Winters waving his hands wildly in the middle of the road like a madman, yelling at the brothers on both sides of the road and kicking their butts.
But the remaining brothers of First Platoon and the men of Second Platoon were as if dead there, no one dared to move.
"We have to do something, or Winters will be dead!" Parks said to White, "We have to take out that machine gun nest."
Guarnere poked his head out for a look, then quickly pulled it back, saying to Parks in surprise, "Are you crazy? We're directly in front of it; if we charge out, we'll be dead!"
Parks checked the ammunition in his M1, then said, "If I don't do this, then Winters will be dead!" He poked his head out for a look; the machine gun had already locked onto Winters.
"Remember, first use grenades, then cover me as I go out, and I'll take care of the rest." Parks whispered to the few men huddled together, "Follow my orders!"
"Parks, I'm with you!" White interjected at this point.
"No, White, too many people will just get in the way!" Parks gave him a slight smile, "Trust my marksmanship, White.
And my luck, you know, my luck isn't bad at all!"
With that, Parks motioned for a few men to pull out grenades, then held up three fingers, counted to three silently, and shouted: "Throw!"
"Boom, boom, boom—" Several explosions, instantly sending up dirt and a cloud of smoke.
Parks then leaped up, avoiding the machine gun's line of fire, and charged to the side of the machine gun nest.
He clearly saw that three Germans were operating it.
While the smoke had not yet dispersed, Parks quickly raised his m1 garand rifle and fired three rapid bursts.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Crisp, clear sounds rang out amidst the machine gun fire, and three streams of blood spurted from the heads of the three Germans.
During Easy Company's most difficult moments, Parks's excellent military qualities proved to be of great use.
Three bullets, three Germans operating a machine gun killed—this required very quick speed, a wide field of vision, and accurate marksmanship.
This was also the standard displayed in his usual training; when he and Shifty competed in marksmanship, he basically approached the theoretical firing speed of an M1 rifle.
"Faster, move up, now! Don't let the Germans catch their breath." Winters kicked Bloy's backside. "soldier Bloy, don't die in the ditch."
"Guys, follow me!" Talbert leaped up, taking advantage of the machine gunner being eliminated, quickly got up, and led the charge out.
Behind him, the brothers of First Platoon all followed and got up.
The brothers of Second Platoon also charged out of the roadside ditch with Lieutenant Welsh.
Then came the Third Platoon, the reserve.
The brothers of Easy Company swarmed forward, and they quickly occupied the crossroads position.
"Parks!" Winters called from not far away, first giving Parks a thumbs-up, then holding his palm horizontally, signaling them to attack to the left.
"Harry, you take Second Platoon and attack from the right." Winters looked at him.
"Understood!" Welsh's face was somewhat pale from being pinned down by the German machine gun in the ditch earlier; he was now brimming with energy, wanting to eliminate those Germans and retaliate.
"Tibbett, follow me later!" Parks waved, signaling Tibbett to come over, then said to Guarnere and Talbert beside him: "We'll now split into tactical teams, two men per group, first use grenades, then clear each building, just like our street fighting in Angoville-au-Plain."
Guarnere and Talbert began assigning personnel; Parks also signaled White to join him.
Donald and Brown were grouped together, which was good news for Donald; he only needed to be closer to Brown now.
"Move out!" Parks waved his hand, leading the charge, picking up his rifle and attacking into the town from the left.
Immediately, the brothers of First Platoon dispersed into tactical teams.
White and Tibbett followed beside Parks, with bullets occasionally shooting from buildings, hitting the nearby walls, and brick fragments splashing onto their faces, stinging them.
"Da da da" A stream of fire erupted from a window, and in a group not far from Parks who charged out at the same time, one person was hit, and another nimbly rolled to the side, hiding beside the building.
It was a German MG42.
It blocked an alley Parks needed to advance through.
"Cisco was hit!" The soldier leaning against the corner of the wall shouted loudly at Parks, "I don't know if he's dead, the German machine gun is too fierce, I can't get close."
"It's Boyle." Tibbett, beside him, looked at the shouting soldier at the corner, "Cisco was hit.
He's still alive!" As he spoke, he kept looking at Parks.
"Alright, you two cover me!" Parks nodded to them, "Grenade."
White and Tibbett nodded.
They took off their grenades, then pulled the pins.
Their faces were a bit tense as they looked at Parks.
Parks nodded and shouted: "Grenade!"
"Boom—" Two explosions occurred in front of the window where the Germans had set up the machine gun.
Immediately, a lot of smoke and dirt filled the air.
Parks suddenly rolled sideways at the intersection.
The machine gun did not stop, still pouring bullets towards the intersection.
The "whoosh whoosh" of bullets accompanied the "da da da" of the machine gun, flying over Parks's head.
Parks rolled several times, moving closer forward.
The smoke from the grenade explosions had cleared.
He saw the Germans in the window of the building and the machine gun muzzle spewing fire.
"Ding—" A crisp sound, it was the sound of the grenade's safety pin being pulled and the metal piece springing out.
"Boom—" An explosion came from inside the house, followed by a thick smoke rolling out of the building.
A German, his face covered in blood, crawled out of the window.
He raised his hands high, continuously shouting something loudly.
Parks understood he was saying "surrender."
White, Tibbett, and Boyle rushed out, and bullets from three rifles poured onto the German, instantly riddling him like a sieve.
With a "thud," he fell down like a log.
"Tibbett, White, go see if there are any survivors inside." Parks pointed into the house, "Don't take prisoners!" He looked at Cisco, who lay motionless in a pool of blood, and added, somewhat gritting his teeth.
"Boyle, come here!" Parks was already squatting beside Cisco; bullets had 貫穿 his right shoulder and abdomen, but his chest was still rising and falling, he wasn't dead.
"Send him back, I'll take care of things here!" Parks said to Boyle, who had run over, "Hurry, don't let him die here, he can still be saved.
Hurry, buddy!"
Boyle quickly squatted down, Parks carefully helped Cisco up and placed him on Boyle's back, "Be careful."
"I know, Lieutenant!" Boyle nodded, then said to Cisco, who was still gasping and spitting blood foam, "Don't worry, brother, I've got this, you'll be fine." He carefully carried Cisco on his back, returning the way they came, cautiously, trying to walk as steadily as possible, so as not to agitate Cisco's wounds.
"Bang bang bang" Several gunshots came from inside the building; the wounded Germans inside were shot dead by White and Tibbett.
Then they came out and gave Parks a thumbs-up.
"Thank…you!" Cisco behind him became a little conscious.
He struggled to mumble, "Thanks, brother!"
Boyle quickly said: "Buddy, don't say that, it's best if you don't talk now, otherwise your blood will flow faster, don't worry, we'll be at the aid station soon."
There was no response from behind; Cisco had fainted again.
"Doctor! Doctor!" Boyle shouted loudly at the people at the aid station from afar, "There's a seriously wounded man here, come quickly and take a look, he's dying!" There was a hint of a sob in his voice.
Several medical personnel rushed out of the house; they helped place Cisco on a stretcher and then carried him into the aid station, "He's too severely wounded!"
"He's only wounded in the abdomen!
Doctor, he won't die, right?" Boyle's hand tightly gripped the lapel of the doctor who was examining Cisco, refusing to let go.
"Alright, if you want him to live, let go quickly!" The doctor glared fiercely at Boyle.
Then he sighed and said to Boyle, "Don't worry, he'll live!" He could only comfort Boyle like this.
"That's good!" Boyle heard this, released his hand, and then said to the doctor, "Thank you!" Saying that, he left the aid station, grabbed his rifle that he had placed by the wall outside the door, and looked at his hand—it was covered in blood, Cisco's blood.
He paused, then wiped his hand on his clothes and ran quickly towards the town.
Explosions and intense gunfire occasionally came from within the town; Easy Company's attack was very difficult.
The Germans were not many, but they defended the city, which obviously gave Easy Company a big headache.
"Tibbett, I'll count to three, then we move!" Parks nodded to Tibbett.
Tibbett nodded in response, watching Parks raise three fingers, then kicked the main door open, followed by a burst of chaotic gunfire; there were two German soldiers in the house, and they were obviously killed before they could even react.
This method of attack was already very well-practiced by Easy Company during training, and after the actual combat of the Angoville-au-Plain street fighting, they gained experience and naturally became proficient, which greatly reduced Easy Company's casualties.
Donald kept running beside Brown.
He felt so nervous he could barely breathe; after only a few steps, he was gasping for air, his throat tight.
His face was a bit pale.
But he still gripped the rifle in his hand tightly, as if by holding it, his heart wouldn't feel empty.
"Grenade!" Brown signaled to him; they were both already guarding the two sides of a building's entrance.
Donald nodded nervously, his hand trembling slightly as he took off the grenade.
Brown stepped to the side, standing opposite the door, and kicked the main door open; Donald's grenade was thrown in.
"Boom—" An explosion.
Dirt and smoke splashed out of the house.
Donald flashed inside the doorway, raised his rifle and fired wildly, then heard a "ding" as the magazine ejected; by this time, the smoke had also cleared.
Donald followed closely behind into the house.
At a glance, three Germans lay dead inside; two were killed by the explosion, and one was wounded by the explosion then shot dead by Brown's chaotic gunfire.
"Hey, Donald, that's how you do it! These Germans won't get the better of us." Brown gave Donald a thumbs-up, a wide smile on his face.
He was basically satisfied with Donald's performance just now.
This was Donald's first real battle.
Donald smiled, feeling a bit proud.
It was clear that his performance could completely change the opinions of the brothers who had ignored him in the past few days.
However, he had to thank Brown; if it weren't for him, he might not have performed like that, and perhaps he would have been killed by the Germans by now.
"Thank you, Brown!" Donald's smile was sincere.
He now truly felt how correct Parks's earlier words to him were.
"Alright, let's continue." Brown stepped out of the doorway, turning back to give Donald a slight smile; he saw Donald's change and was in a very good mood.
Just then, he suddenly heard a "bang" as a gunshot rang out, and a jet of blood spurted from his neck; a flash of gunfire came from the window of the building opposite.
It was a German sniper; a figure could be seen moving in the window of the building across the street.
"Sniper!" Donald yelled, quickly retreating behind the wall inside the house.
He shouted at Brown, then pressed tightly against the wall, not daring to move an inch.
Blood gushed from Brown's neck; he tried to scream, but more bloody foam came out of his mouth.
He covered the wound on his neck with one hand, trying to stop the blood from gushing out, but it was useless.
His eyes gradually became desperate, his legs weakened, and he knelt down at the street corner outside the door, then his body tilted, and he fell to the ground.
"Brown!" Donald cried out, watching Brown struggle on the ground.
But he didn't have the courage to move; he knew there was a German sniper across the street.
He didn't dare to move; his face turned pale, and his breathing became more and more urgent, as if an invisible hand was strangling his throat, making his whole body limp.
He saw Brown trying to turn over and couldn't help but shout, "Brown, don't move, please!" His voice trembled, sounding somewhat desperate in the cold wind of the battlefield.
Brown felt his breathing getting tighter and tighter; he was feeling powerless.
He looked at the doorway with reluctance, as if it were a place of life, though only a meter or two away, it now seemed so distant.
With trembling hands, he reached into his in my arms and pulled out a piece of paper, then struggled to lift his hand, shaking it slightly in Donald's direction, and a faint, intermittent voice came from his mouth: "For... for my... wife!"
"No, no, Brown!" Donald's voice was choked with tears.
"Don't make me do this, I'll save you!"
The German sniper didn't shoot again; he was waiting.
He knew there was another American behind the wall opposite.
He wanted to use the wounded Brown to lure that American out.
"Whoosh—" A sharp whistle sounded in the air, then "Boom—" an explosion.
It was the German mortar firing; the shell made the ground tremble.
"Take cover—" Lipton shouted loudly on the interface, constantly directing his comrades to take cover on both sides to avoid the German artillery attack, his voice loud and anxious.
"Lipton, are you crazy! Get to cover quickly."
Just then, Parks, with Heffron and White, came around from that side, seeing Lipton standing brazenly in the street.
He rushed over quickly, pulled Lipton away, and concealed him behind the corner of the wall.
"Boom—" A mortar shell exploded less than two meters from where Lipton had just stood.
Shrapnel flew over, grazing Lipton's face, and he felt a burning pain.
"Damn it!" He touched his face with his hand, and it was covered in blood.
Parks leaned over, reached out and wiped his face; there was a deep wound on Lipton's face, constantly seeping blood.
It seemed Lipton hadn't been hit in the thigh, but the wound on his face was unavoidable.
He took out a bandage, covered half of Lipton's face, then smiled and said, "Alright, Lipton, it's nothing!"
"Thank you, Parks!" Lipton grinned at Parks, but it pulled at his wound, making his mouth twist in pain.
German artillery shells continuously exploded in the city, with stones flying in the streets and the sound of collapsing buildings, occasionally accompanied by the whistle of shells in the air.
"Brown!" Donald looked at Brown lying by the roadside and called out softly.
Brown could no longer move; a corner of the paper in his hand fluttered in the wind.
Donald saw clearly that it was covered in Brown's own blood.
"Damn it, damn it!" Donald choked up, tears streaming down his face.
He now understood Parks's words even more deeply.
It was the feeling of helplessness and pain intertwined after losing a comrade.
"You haven't experienced the feeling of your comrades falling beside you, you haven't seen brothers as close as hands and feet talking and laughing with you one moment, only to become a corpse the next.
You'll understand later!"
Parks's words seemed to still echo in his ears, and now this moment had actually become reality.
The reality was so cruel, so cruel that Donald wanted to scream loudly, wanting to tear that damned German sniper into a thousand pieces.
"Boom—" A mortar shell exploded not far away, and flying stones hit Donald's face.
He involuntarily glanced at the sniper's window opposite, noticing that the figure inside seemed to have been shaken by the mortar shell's explosion, and the figure wavered.
Donald took a deep breath; an idea had formed in his mind.
He knelt on one knee, stepped forward half a pace with the other leg, then gripped his rifle, took out a grenade with one hand, and then stared intently at the window opposite.
"Whoosh—" A sharp whistle.
"Boom—" A mortar shell landed exactly between Donald and the window opposite, exploding, and dust immediately scattered.
Although shrapnel bounced around his head, Donald didn't blink; he controlled himself.
Then he saw the figure in the window opposite flash slightly again, seemingly dodging stones flying into the window.
It's now.
Donald let out a huge shout in his heart, opening his mouth wide as if to scream it out loudly, but he didn't scream.
He quickly darted out from behind the wall.
The German quickly came to his senses; he raised his gun and fired at Donald, who had rushed out, without hesitation.
"Bang!" The bullet grazed Donald's face.
The German was clearly too rushed; his bullet went wide.
He pulled the bolt, and the empty casing ejected, falling to the ground with a crisp sound as it hit the surface.
He instinctively glanced at the ground.
When he raised his gun again, he had lost his target.
He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it!" For him, this was a fatal mistake.
"Thud," a dark object was thrown into the window, landing at his feet.
"Oh no!" This was the German's last conscious thought.
Then he heard an explosion.
"Boom—" The grenade inside the window exploded, making the German bounce up before falling to the ground.
After Donald threw the grenade, he immediately dropped to the ground, covering his head with his hands.
He heard the German's last scream, and the grenade exploded.
Donald rushed in through the blown-out window.
The room was a mess; the German lay horizontally on the ground, blood still bubbling from his mouth.
Shrapnel from the grenade had almost torn him into a mutilated corpse.
Donald kicked his head viciously.
Then he returned to Brown, who was lying by the street.
Full of sorrow, he reached out and pressed Brown's carotid artery, then, disappointed, he sat down heavily on the ground.
Brown was dead! This was a fact.
"Donald, what are you doing just standing there?
Watch out for German shelling!" Guarnere darted from a street corner and spotted Donald sitting by the roadside, couldn't help but yell at him loudly.
But Donald seemed to have been enchanted, not moving at all.
Guarnere gritted his teeth and ran over.
Just then, a mortar shell exploded nearby.
Guarnere didn't even think; he tackled Donald to the ground, pressing him tightly beneath him.
The "Boom—" of the explosion nearly deafened both of them.
"Damn it, are you stupid, Donald!" Guarnere, after the explosion, brushed the dirt off himself and angrily glared at Donald.
"Get up, there are still Germans waiting for us to take them out!"
"Sorry, Sergeant!" Donald finally came to his senses, then scrambled to his feet, grabbed his rifle, and looked at Brown lying on the ground: "What about him?"
"He's dead! soldier Donald, you'd better sober up.
If you don't move, you'll be the next one lying down." Guarnere yelled exasperatedly, "Hurry up, you're with me now." Saying that, he pulled Donald and then ran forward along the wall.
Donald hurriedly followed Guarnere for a few steps, then suddenly turned around, quickly took the paper Brown had clutched tightly in his hand, then removed Brown's dog tags from his neck, put them both into his pocket, glanced once more at Brown lying on the ground, and then ran off with Guarnere without looking back.
"At least three mortars." Parks looked at his comrades around him; they were either pinned down, not daring to move, or scattering wildly from the shells.
"We need to take out those mortar crews."
"How do we take them out?" Lipton asked.
Parks didn't answer, but instead waved to White and Heffron across the way, signaling them to come over.
Then he looked around at the surrounding buildings, and his gaze fell on a tall bell tower that stood much higher than the other buildings.
"Lipton, do you see the bell tower?" A faint smile appeared at the corner of Parks's mouth; at this moment, he had an idea.
"You want to climb the bell tower?" Lipton was startled.
Parks looked at him and smiled, "Is there a problem?"
"It's a good idea, but there must be Germans on that bell tower, we have to deal with them first." Lipton nodded; he strongly agreed with the idea.
From a high vantage point, mortars would be difficult to hit, but it would be easy to locate the German mortar positions, and if close enough, they could even take them out directly.
Just then, White and Heffron rushed over, crouching low.
"When we take the bell tower, I'll direct you from there, and then you'll deal with those mortar crews!" Parks decided decisively.
Parks' idea was excellent, but it undoubtedly put Parks in danger.
The bell tower was a high point, but it was also the most vulnerable place to attack.
However, there was no time to think about that now; if the Germans' shelling didn't stop, Easy Company's attack would remain suppressed.
The four men quickly approached the bell tower.
At the entrance, the main door was tightly shut, but from the window below, the sound of an MG42 was clearly audible, indicating Germans were inside.
Because the four men approached stealthily, the Germans didn't notice them; their target was at the street corner opposite, where the Third Platoon, led by Compton, was suppressed while trying to reinforce.
Parks nodded at Lipton and gestured to break down the door.
Lipton suddenly turned and kicked the door, but it was sturdy and didn't open.
"Get down!" Parks yelled, lunging forward and tackling Lipton, then rolling on the ground until he reached the wall.
Then, a burst of gunfire, like popping beans, erupted, and the door was instantly riddled with holes.
"That was close!" Parks exclaimed.
Lipton quickly got up, crouched by the wall, and nodded at Parks: "You saved me again!"
Parks didn't bother to reply, telling the three: "Get your grenades ready; once I blow open that door, throw them all inside!"
With that, he took off a grenade and lightly tossed it into the gap between the door and the ground, yelling: "Scatter, get down!"
"Boom—" The door was blown open.
Lipton, White, and Heffron each threw the grenade they had prepared inside.
"Boom—" Three consecutive explosions echoed, and then silence.
Parks led the charge, with the other three providing cover from the sides, rushing in and, while the smoke hadn't cleared, firing wildly until their magazines were empty.
Five Germans lay inside; two were blown over next to the machine gun, and the rest were killed by the explosion at the doorway.
The three grenades had, in fact, already dealt with these five Germans.
Parks looked out the window and saw that the suppressed Third Platoon outside the window had already rushed into the street, and Compton was even smiling and giving Parks a thumbs-up.
The battle below alerted the two Germans operating the machine gun upstairs, who came down with their guns, which was exactly what Parks wanted.
He heard movement on the stairs and signaled the three to spread out, aiming their guns at the staircase.
A German cautiously appeared at the top of the stairs; when he looked down, he realized something was wrong and tried to retreat, but Parks' gun fired.
"Bang!" The sound of the M1 rifle was pleasing to the ear.
The German toppled over and rolled down the stairs.
Then, a rapid sound of footsteps was heard, desperately moving upwards.
Parks recognized that there was only one person.
"Leave this to me; you go out and prepare, watch for my signal to gather the brothers for an attack."
Parks didn't wait for their reply and immediately started going up the stairs.
"Let's go!" Lipton decisively led the two out; there weren't many German soldiers here, and leaving it to Parks was absolutely no problem.
Suddenly, a feeling of trust welled up in him for Parks.
Easy Company was still suppressed by the German mortars, with the German 80mm mortars aimed at a crucial T-junction on the city's edge.
This almost left the attacking brothers helpless.
"Damn it!" Guarnere and a few men ran to a T-junction and were forced to stop; with the continuous shelling, he couldn't get through at all.
"Hey, wait, Donald, are you being foolish?" Guarnere grabbed Donald, who was madly rushing towards the intersection.
"Stay here obediently; don't do anything stupid! It's not worth it."
Donald was pulled back, crouching reluctantly beside him, still tightly gripping his gun.
But his hand didn't tremble.
His face wasn't pale; it was blood-red, a furious blood-red.
"You have to learn to survive before you can eliminate the Germans!" Guarnere lectured him, speaking rather impolitely to this impulsive fellow.
Easy Company's attack was stalled, and Winters was anxious, but he was helpless unless those damned mortars were taken out.
But they couldn't even break out of the intersection, under the mortar blockade.
This made his eyes redden; if it continued like this, it would only increase the casualties among Easy Company's brothers.
"When will the Germans stop shelling?" At this moment, soldier Carletto next to him suddenly mumbled.
"You'll have to ask the Germans, soldier Carletto!" Winters hadn't spoken yet when he heard an ill-tempered reply from nearby; it was Welsh, who was also furious.
"Look, Lieutenant, there's someone up there!" Carletto suddenly exclaimed, pointing diagonally with his hand at the tallest building in the distance, and then they saw the person on top, raising a rifle and firing.
Winters raised his binoculars and saw a bell tower.
On the bell tower, an American soldier was operating the MG42 on the bell tower, continuously firing downwards, and he clearly saw the person's face.
"It's Parks." Winters suddenly smiled; clearly, Parks had found a solution to the problem.
"I knew it was him.
Only he would do that!" Welsh also became excited.
The person on the bell tower was indeed Parks; he followed that German up.
The German turned around and fired a shot, but missed.
Taking advantage of the pause in his firing, Parks decisively shot him dead.
At the top of the bell tower was an MG42 machine gun position.
Then he looked down and quickly discovered that the German mortars were arranged in a triangular formation, and they were within the effective range of the MG42.
"Ready, Germans!" Parks adjusted the machine gun and aimed at the mortar position.
He was very satisfied with the MG42; it was indeed one of the best machine guns in the world.
But now, the Germans' best machine gun wasn't fighting Americans, but themselves.
Parks' lips curled into a slight smile, and then he whispered, "Germans, prepare to receive the MG42's praise."
Then he pulled the Trigger.
The machine gun vibrated and jumped in his hands, and the flames spurting from the muzzle were particularly dazzling in the cold morning, like fireworks high in the sky.
The "da da da" sound was like trembling music.
The Germans under the crosshairs seemed to jump together with the gun's aim.
The mortar position on the right was riddled by a burst of machine gun fire; two were killed on the spot, and four others scattered and fled, pursued by merciless bullets and shot dead at the intersection.
The middle position, seeing the unfavorable situation, voluntarily ran away when they saw the muzzle turn.
They frantically abandoned their mortars and fled like birds, like yellow flowers after a storm in the machine gun's hail of bullets.
Parks was about to turn the gun to fire at the last mortar position on the left when he saw a dark muzzle already raising upwards, and the shouts of several Germans below were faintly visible.
He was being aimed at!
Parks broke out in a cold sweat and quickly rolled towards the exit below.
"Boom—" An explosion, a pillar on top of the bell tower was hit, debris flew everywhere, some landing on Parks' face as he ran down the stairs, scraping painfully, and liquid flowed out; his face was cut by the gravel.
Parks didn't bother to wipe his face, sprinting downstairs at the fastest speed.
Just as he left the top of the bell tower, he heard a "boom—", and the machine gun position on top of the bell tower had been blown away.
Parks felt a huge wave of air rushing down from the top, pushing him down forcefully, and he tumbled down the stairs from above.
"Damn it! Parks is finished!" Lipton below suddenly yelled, gripping his rifle tightly and rushing towards the bell tower.
Winters watched the top of the bell tower, "boom—" it was blown away by the Germans, and he was dumbfounded, unable to recover for a long time.
Welsh next to him couldn't bear it and started cursing profusely.
"Damn it, cowards, follow me, let's go kill those damned Germans.
They killed Parks!" He then took the lead, rushing towards the last mortar position, with the brothers of the Second Platoon following behind him.
"Be careful, Harry!" Winters quickly followed suit and charged out.
Now the Germans only had one mortar left, making it impossible to blockade all the intersections.
Soon, Lipton and the others found this German mortar position, but they were covered by an MG42.
"What should we do? What should we do?" Suppressed by the German machine gun, White was a bit incoherent.
The damned Germans had killed Parks, which hit him hard.
But this position was like an isolated island; even though the machine gun and mortar blocked some street corners, soon, with the First Platoon's frontal breakthrough and the few brothers of the Second Platoon led by Winters and Welsh, and the few brothers of the Third Platoon led by Compton, attacking from both sides, they reached the front of the position.
"Ramirez!" Winters' mouth twitched slightly, "Take out that machine gun position with the bazooka!"
"But sir, that would expose us to them," Ramirez said carefully, pursing his lips.
"Let me do it, you follow me!" Welsh glanced at Ramirez, "Winters, you cover me!"
Then he picked up the bazooka and charged out, and Ramirez, having no choice, followed.
"Cover!" Winters shouted, firing his weapon continuously.
The firepower of several M1s quickly drew the machine gun's fire.
"Hurry," Welsh roared.
Ramirez had just loaded the rocket when he heard a "whoosh," and a trail of smoke shot out.
"Boom—" The machine gun nest was torn apart by an explosion, and several Germans tried to scatter and run, but were quickly shot dead by a barrage of bullets. The mortar crews, stripped of the protection of the machine gun nest, gave up resistance and raised their hands high—they surrendered.
"Bang bang!" White fired two shots, killing the first man who raised his hands. The other Germans shouted anxiously. White raised his gun again, preparing to kill all these Germans.
"Enough, White," Winters shouted loudly. "Ramirez, escort these Germans to Battalion HQ."
"Alright!" Ramirez swung his gun and yelled, "Let's go, Germans, if you don't go now, no one can save you!" With that, he escorted the prisoners to the rear.
Winters looked towards the clock tower: "Welsh, Compton, continue the sweep with the brothers." He then waved to White, "Let's go see Parks!" He then walked towards the clock tower.
They hadn't walked far when they saw two people coming towards them. One was limping, and the other had his arm draped over his shoulder. Seeing Winters and the others, he laughed and said, "Hey, look, it's our Parks."
Before Winters could reply, he heard White exclaim in surprise, "Hey, Parks, I thought the Germans had gotten you! I didn't expect you to be so lucky."
"The Germans' aim is too poor, White. They really should be taught properly. It seems they aren't good students." Parks was in a good mood. With the mortar position taken, driving the Germans out of Carrington was no longer an issue.
"You're injured." Winters frowned, looking at Parks's leg.
Parks released his hand from Lipton's shoulder and smiled, "A shrapnel cut on my thigh. I said there was no need to help me, but Lipton obviously wasn't very reassured." He smiled slightly at Lipton.
"It's not a big problem, sir." Lipton nodded at Winters. "I've already bandaged him."
Winters was very relieved that Parks had not been killed. This was good news. He valued Parks greatly, and in this assault, Parks had played an irreplaceable role.
"Alright, Parks, Compton and Harry have taken over here. You should go rest. You did a great job this time!" Winters smiled and patted his shoulder, then told Lipton, "Take him down to rest. This will be over very soon."
Parks said nothing, gestured to Lipton, and then walked towards Battalion HQ.
"I think you should still go to the aid station for a bandage." Lipton tried to help him again.
Parks blocked him, smiling, "I'm fine, thank you. But I'll still go to the aid station to get it checked. It will heal faster that way. You go help Winters, I think I'm fine here."
"Are you sure?" Lipton glanced at his leg.
Parks raised both hands: "I'm sure, Lipton, go!"
Lipton looked, then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go first. We'll meet in the city later. I think we'll have to stay here, the Germans won't give up easily."
Parks nodded: "You're absolutely right! Alright, see you in the city!"
Lipton, carrying his rifle, once again headed in the direction Winters had gone.
By then, it was already bright. Parks looked towards Carrington city. There were still sporadic gunshots and explosions; Easy Company's brothers were clearing out the remaining German forces. Some of the Germans had escaped.
Parks smiled and walked towards the Battalion HQ aid station.
"Lieutenant, this is just a minor injury, nothing serious. The shrapnel went through your thigh," the doctor re-bandaged Parks and gave him an injection. "It didn't hit an artery. You're quite lucky."
"I am lucky!" Parks smiled, then turned to look at the wounded lying nearby and saw Cisco. He was wrapped in layers of gauze, lying there motionless.
"How is he?" Parks asked.
"Him?" The doctor followed Parks's gaze, pointed at Cisco, then nodded, "He's seriously injured. Soon, we'll have a vehicle to transport a group of more severely wounded soldiers to Utah Beach. They will be sent back to England for the best treatment. Perhaps he'll survive, it's not certain, it depends on luck."
"Luck?" Parks couldn't help but smile bitterly. He, relying on good luck, only suffered a minor injury, while Cisco had to rely on luck to survive. What in war is more unpredictable than life?
Parks suddenly felt an indescribable sensation in his heart. Looking at the brothers lying there, some he knew, some he didn't, but his heart felt as if it had been pulled from water, dripping and uncomfortable.
After Parks was bandaged, he jumped down and walked out of the aid station. He then saw someone squatting by the corner of the wall, couldn't help but glance, and then called out: "Bloy!"
"I can't see, sir! I can't see!" Bloy was motionless, his eyes staring ahead, seemingly blank.
Parks knew Bloy had such an experience, and this time he was blind because he was too scared. But he was still unsure, and then asked the doctor in the room: "What's wrong with him?"
"Perhaps he's too nervous." The doctor shrugged.
Parks had a good impression of Bloy. Aside from his initial timidity and nervousness, he eventually became a brave soldier. Although he was eventually severely wounded, he was still worthy of admiration.
"Don't be nervous, relax. You meet the conditions to leave here. We'll get you out of here quickly. You'll go back to England. You'll be fine. Relax." Parks said, crouching down and taking his hand.
"I don't know, I don't want to be like this, sir!" Bloy looked dejected. "Sir, I'm not trying to escape. I should be like the other brothers."
"It's not your fault, Bloy!" Parks patted his hand. "We all get scared. When I was on the battlefield, my heart was also filled with fear, but I would encourage myself."
"I know, I know, sir, but I can't see now!" Bloy was in a terrible mood.
"You will see, you're just too nervous!" Parks stood up. "Now Easy Company has occupied Carrington, and this battle is over. Don't think about it. Stay here. Later, cars will transport the wounded to Utah Beach. You go with them!" Parks said, glancing at him, then prepared to return to the city to meet up with the brothers.
Parks had not walked two steps when he suddenly heard a voice from behind.
"Sir, wait for me!" Bloy slowly stood up.
"Don't be nervous!" Parks told him. "Don't move."
"I can see, I can see, sir! I can see you!" Bloy looked at Parks.
Parks looked at him, smiled slightly, and said, "Then return to the company, be with the brothers." Parks knew he was too nervous; all he needed was someone to talk to him and calm him down. Parks talked to him for a while, easing his emotions. Then he could see everything in front of him again.
Easy Company had completely controlled Carrington. By this time, F Company had already linked up with the 327th Regiment. Carrington was captured. Lieutenant Colonel Strayer entered the city and met with the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 327th Regiment. They went to a hotel and opened a bottle of wine to celebrate the victory.
Winters met Nixon at the temporary Battalion HQ in Carrington city.
"Want a drink?" Nixon, with a wide smile, pulled out a bottle of liquor from the cabinet. "Emerald '69 aged whiskey, my favorite." He then twisted open the cap.
"When have you ever seen me drink?" Winters smiled helplessly.
"The Germans won't give up." Nixon took a sip of whiskey. "But you really did a good job, Colonel Strehl is quite pleased."
"Right, we captured Carrington just to make Colonel Strehl happy." Winters shrugged.
"How's Parks?" Nixon raised his glass to Winters, gesturing.
Winters smiled: "He's pretty lucky. He's fine! Just a shrapnel hole through his thigh. But he contributed a lot to taking Carrington this time."
"I've known for a long time that he's an excellent soldier." Nixon chuckled. "It seems your decision was very correct."
"Nick, you've said that several times!" Winters smiled.
The Easy Company brothers' camp was set up in a large warehouse. The brothers were lying and sitting in twos and threes inside and outside the warehouse. After an intense battle, some were excited and talking loudly, while others were silent, lost in thought.
"Did you find the luger?" Guarnere nudged Malarkey with his elbow.
Malarkey, who had been very excited, showing off the watch he had taken from a German, looked a bit dejected after Guarnere's words: "I'll find it sooner or later, just you wait!"
"Hey, Guarnere, look over there!" Malarkey glanced at the guy sitting silently nearby, looking into the distance, sitting on the ground with a piece of paper in his hand. "What's wrong with him?"
"Donald?" Guarnere looked at Malarkey in surprise. "It's because of Brown. Brown's death hit him hard!"
Malarkey nodded: "We need to help him!"