"First Platoon, Easy Company, assemble!" Sergeant Tibbett shouted loudly. Then several Sergeants in the company called out to the men in their respective platoons. They gradually gathered in the town's largest square.
"Oh, don't tell me this is the signal to move out," Cobb grumbled as he lined up. "Didn't we just pull back last night? Don't the people at Division HQ know how tired we are?"
"Shut up, Cobb, there's no point in saying any of that," Martin couldn't help but interject as he passed Cobb.
The men of Easy Company had already assembled. They lined up and watched Winters walk to a platform in front of the formation, accompanied by several officers including Parks, Welsh, and Nixon.
"Everyone has worked hard. I've gathered you all here to tell you that starting tomorrow, we will be moving into defensive positions south of Carrington. Therefore, I ask that everyone try to stay in this town and avoid causing trouble." Winters then nodded to Parks, stepping aside to let him come up onto the platform. "Lieutenant Parks has an announcement."
"I hope it's good news!" Joe Liebgott mumbled.
The men of Easy Company felt a little uneasy. After all, the first news Winters announced wasn't good news. They now almost reflexively held deep resentment towards so-called news. After all, since D-Day, for Easy Company, they had constantly received all sorts of orders and participated in all sorts of battles.
"Landers, Martin, Guarnere, White, Dukeman, Shifty, Patrick Christenson, Tibbett, Toy, Gordon, and Liebgott. All the men whose names I called, stay. Everyone else, dismissed!" Parks didn't announce any news at all. He just read a long list of names and then dismissed the formation.
"What the hell is going on?" Patrick Christenson muttered.
Everyone whose name was called suddenly felt as if something was about to happen. It was clearly something, and not a good assignment. They all waited for Parks's further explanation.
"It's up to you!" Winters nodded to Parks, then gestured for Nixon and Welsh to leave.
"Dick!" Parks called out to him, handing him a piece of paper. "These are the supplies I need. Basically, they're everything our Division HQ can put together. I need to leave before 2 PM."
Winters took it and looked. It was all standard equipment, which shouldn't be hard to gather. He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll get it all together and give it to you before you leave!" Then he patted Parks on the shoulder and left with Nixon and the others.
"Alright, soldiers, come over here. We have a mission," Parks called out loudly.
The remaining men looked at each other, with an expression that seemed to say, 'I knew it'.
"What kind of mission, sir!" Landeman called out.
Parks smiled slightly and said, "Saving soldier Niland, "Big" Bill Guarnere!"
Everyone was stunned, then stared blankly at Parks.
"Sir, are you telling us to rescue a guy named Niland?" Dukeman called out. "Or are you telling us to go back to the front lines and fight the Germans? You know there are only a dozen of us now, completely useless."
Parks nodded and said, "Alright, men, let me tell you why. Bob Niland is a soldier in the 82nd Division. He was captured by the Germans in a battle. He is being held in a POW camp of the German Sixth Parachute Regiment, which is currently confronting us."
"But what does that have to do with us?" Liebgott muttered.
"Yes, it has nothing to do with us. Before this, I didn't even know there was a guy named Niland in this world, and I didn't need to care if he was captured. But men, now it has something to do with us!" Parks looked at Liebgott, then saw everyone's eyes fixed on him, and nodded. "This guy has three brothers. One is named Fritz Niland from D Company. I believe some of you may have heard that name. He was killed by the Germans during a night march. One brother, a platoon leader, died on Utah Beach on D-Day. Another brother, a pilot in the China-Burma-India theater, also died this week. In other words, all three of his brothers have died, and he himself has been captured by the Germans."
"But, sir, what kind of mission is this?" Shifty raised a hand, posing a question.
Parks did not directly answer his question, but continued, "In other words, Bob Niland's mother received three telegrams of casualty notifications from the Army Department on the same day. Therefore, the people at the Army Department, to avoid her receiving a fourth casualty telegram, decided on an incredibly foolish mission."
"Oh, God, you're not going to tell us to go to that damn German POW camp and rescue that guy, are you?" Liebgott couldn't help but frustratingly slap his forehead, looking very dejected.
"Congratulations, you got it right, Liebgott," Parks nodded. "But no prize."
"Sir!" Shifty raised his hand again.
"Do you have any questions? Go ahead and ask, Shifty," Parks nodded to him.
"Excuse me, can we question or raise doubts about this operation?" Shifty asked a question that all the soldiers there wanted to ask, and then they all looked eagerly at Parks.
Parks looked at him, then smiled and said, "Alright, I'll try my best to explain it to you. Please state your question."
"Um, can we refuse this mission?" Shifty seemed to have mustered a lot of courage. "Everyone knows this mission is no different from suicide."
Parks smiled slightly, then replied, "Well, you can refuse to carry out this mission, but the premise is that I must refuse this mission from the company headquarters, then the company headquarters refuses the battalion headquarters, then the battalion headquarters refuses Division HQ, and finally Division HQ refuses the Army Department. And so on. But I think General Taylor of Division HQ will not refuse the Army Department. Anyone else have questions?"
Shifty lowered his head in frustration. At this moment, someone else raised his hand; it was Liebgott.
"What I want to say is, the 101st Division has many regiments, and the battalion headquarters also has nine companies. Why did they choose Easy Company?" Liebgott looked at Parks and said loudly.
"I also wanted to know why. So I asked Captain Winters the same question. Want to hear how Captain Winters answered?" Parks looked at their eager eyes, smiled and said, "Captain Winters relayed Colonel Sink's words. The Colonel said: Easy Company is the best company in the 506th Regiment, so it is also the best company in the 101st Division, because the 506th Regiment is the best regiment in the 101st Division. That's it."
"Why us?" Martin finally couldn't help but interject. He had been listening the whole time.
Parks nodded and said, "That's a very good question. I also asked Captain Winters that, and he told me: Parks, besides you, I can't think of a second person to lead this mission. Now I must also relay this sentence to you: Guys, besides you, I really can't think of anyone else for this mission. Are you satisfied with this answer?"
Everyone couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter. Shifty mumbled, "So, there's no other choice?"
Parks nodded, and said solemnly, "Yes, Shifty, we have no choice. Alright, pack your things. We will depart promptly at 2 PM. I will have a detailed report for everyone then. Dismissed!"
Everyone dispersed. To be honest, morale wasn't very high. They were quite negative and indifferent to this suicidal mission, but they didn't refuse, because it was a mission and had to be carried out.
"Hey, Toy, you guys have a mission?" Cobb saw Joe Liebgott walking from the square and went up to him, striking up a conversation.
Toy was in a bad mood, nodded, and said somewhat impatiently, "Yes, yes, is there anything else?"
"Oh, no!" Cobb stepped aside and then looked at Tibbett, who was following him, "Is he on fire? Or did someone upset him?"
"You upset him, Cobb!" Tibbett walked past him expressionlessly.
"You're dead, Cobb!" Liebgott, who came up from behind, made a shooting gesture with his hand, then winked at him. "Maybe you want to taste his tiger ring?"
"Hey, what's wrong with me?" Cobb spread his hands and said discontentedly to the others, "Who did I provoke? Why are you treating me like this?"
"If you shut up, it'll have nothing to do with you!" White had always been unhappy with Cobb. Ever since Cobb accidentally killed that French man, the two of them hadn't gotten along.
"What exactly happened?" Bloy was also curious about them. After being kept by Parks, they were like this. It was certain that this was definitely not a comfortable mission.
"I don't know, why don't you ask yourself?" Malarkey next to him said to him.
Bloy nodded, then stopped talking. He looked at them, lost in thought.
The morning was their free time. Several of them got haircuts, and then shaved their beards. Martin was writing a letter; he wanted to write a letter to his family. After all, for this mission, they all believed it was a near-certain death.
"These are the things you need: one BAR, two M1 sniper rifles—these are not easy to get—smoke grenades, flashlights, a radio, is there anything else you need to add?" Winters laid out the equipment in a warehouse, then looked at Parks. "And the British Sten MK II S submachine gun. Colonel Sink went to great lengths to get this."
"That's all!" Parks nodded. This was basically the simplest special operations equipment, but for now, it had to do. "Alright, thank you, Winters."
"Do you need me to talk to the men again?" Winters looked at Parks and asked.
"No need," Parks smiled. "Even if I received a mission like this, I would be displeased, but don't worry, Dick, they are very disciplined soldiers."
"Alright!" Winters was about to say something.
At this moment, a group of people appeared at the warehouse entrance. Winters saw that they were the soldiers Parks had called by name. Not one was missing, and they arrived on time.
"Alright, my men are here!" Parks smiled at Winters, "Do you want to say goodbye to them?"
Winters nodded, then shook Parks' hand, and the two hugged tightly. Then he walked up to the group of soldiers and embraced each of them one by one, putting a lot of strength into each hug.
"Don't be like this, it's like we're saying goodbye forever." Guarnere joked, "Prepare dinner for us, maybe we'll bring that guy, what was his name? Niland, yes, we'll bring that guy back, and we can still have a hearty dinner."
"Come back alive!" Winters just patted his arm, "That's the most important thing."
Winters' words made the soldiers, who had just relaxed a bit, fall silent again. Parks chuckled and said, "Alright, Captain, we should set off. Actually, these guys probably wanted to act alone a long time ago." Then he shouted to them, "Guys, come and get your equipment."
"Shifty, Dukeman, take the M1 sniper rifles. Gordon, your BAR. White, the radio is yours, you're more familiar with it. Two smoke grenades per person, one flashlight per person. Alright, and the British submachine guns, silenced ones, I hope you can get used to them."
"Oh, this is the Sten Mk II S submachine gun, a beautiful baby, I like it!" Guarnere exclaimed in surprise, then picked one up and fiddled with it.
"Alright, leave your cumbersome m1 garand rifles behind, we don't need them anymore, hand them over to Lieutenant for safekeeping." Parks called out to everyone, "Check your grenades, bayonets, pistols, canteens, and so on, and your U.S. Army rations."
"I hate U.S. Army rations!" White muttered, slinging the radio over his shoulder.
"Me too, but we're going to rescue that guy for the Army Department, so they're treating us to U.S. Army rations." Guarnere chuckled, "Maybe next time we go to rescue some guy from the Navy, we'll get to taste seafood."
"I like the Air Force!" Patrick Christenson nodded.
"You want to eat something that flies?" White burst out laughing.
The atmosphere finally lightened up a lot. Parks took a Sten submachine gun, checked the ammunition, and shouted, "Alright, equipment checked, we're setting off! Guys, let's go, let's go!"
A truck was already parked outside the warehouse door. Parks was the first to climb up, then reached out and took White's hand, who was waiting for the truck, pulling him up, followed by Gordon, Landers, Dukeman, Guarnere, Shifty, Patrick Christenson, Liebgott, Talbert, Martin, and Toy.
At this moment, Lieutenant Winters watched quietly from the side. He watched these brothers board the truck, and then gradually, as the truck started, it drove away. He straightened his chest, raised his hand, and saluted them, not lowering his hand until the truck disappeared from sight.
The truck slowly started and drove forward. The brothers all saw Winters' salute, and then each of them quietly looked at him, swaying with the bumps of the car, until Lieutenant Winters' figure disappeared.
The truck quickly drove out of Carrington, heading towards the rear of the two armies' front lines.
"Lieutenant, can I ask a question?" Liebgott suddenly said to Parks.
Parks nodded to him and said, "Ask away, feel free to ask anything you want. Except for the reason and outcome of this mission, because that's not something I can control."
"Then I'll forget it!" Liebgott grumbled dejectedly.
Guarnere laughed heartily and said, "Liebgott, Lieutenant has seen right through you."
"Alright, I'll ask a different question!" It was clear Liebgott was provoked by Guarnere, "Lieutenant, are you married? I heard you have a girlfriend, and even two, that's what I heard."
"Married?" Parks laughed, "No, at least not until the war ends. As for the two girlfriends, do you think that's believable? Don't believe rumors, seeing is believing."
"Hmm, regarding girlfriends and such, I think rumors are a bit more real than what you see." White chuckled.
"Alright, don't talk about me, find something else to talk about. I don't want to be distracted by this before we go deep into enemy territory!" Parks chuckled, changing the subject.
But his words made everyone burst into laughter.
The truck was very bumpy on the winding road. Fields and groves intertwined along the way. The brothers laughed for a while, then fell silent, watching the road they came from continuously extend, which meant the way back was getting further and further away.
Ahead was an area where woods and fields intersected. At this moment, the truck suddenly stopped, and then the two drivers got out and shouted loudly, "Alright, guys, you've arrived, we can only take you this far. Any further and it's German defensive territory."
"Alright, guys, get out." Parks was the first to jump off the truck, looking up. Ahead was a grassland and a few clumps of trees they had to pass through. Thinking that once they left, he didn't know if they would be able to return. A sudden surge of emotion filled his heart.
The truck turned around and returned along the same path.
"Goodbye, Ford." Patrick Christenson watched the truck disappear on the winding road.
"Guarnere, Toy, you two be the vanguard. Liebgott, Martin, you two bring up the rear." Parks said, holding his submachine gun horizontally, and started walking forward. He didn't look at the road where the truck disappeared; it was clear there was no turning back.
The afternoon weather turned gloomy. The group walked cautiously through the grass shaded by trees. Flying insects in the grass occasionally bumped into their faces.
With a "smack," Shifty slapped his neck, then looked and saw a mosquito stuck to his hand. He vigorously shook his hand and muttered, "Damn vampire!"
"Sir, how much longer do we have to walk?" Shifty couldn't help but complain.
Parks took out a map from his pocket, looked at it, then looked ahead, and nodded, "Don't worry, we're taking a detour, so it's about twenty more li."
"Sir, I have an opinion about this mission!" Liebgott said, "Are we going to sacrifice the lives of twelve of us for that guy? We all have mothers. Wouldn't our mothers be sad if we died in battle?"
"We've already discussed this, Liebgott, do you have any new topics?" Parks laughed.
"No, sir!" Liebgott was a bit dejected.
Guarnere raised his hand and said, "Sir, I have something to say!"
"Speak." Parks said.
"I think the Army Department sending us out this time is a bit of an overkill. We are all elites among paratroopers; they should send us to Berlin. That way, we could even take out Hitler. Forget about rescuing just one soldier." Guarnere chuckled.
"You're absolutely right, but let's complete this mission first, then maybe Colonel Sink will believe everything you said is true!" Parks laughed.
"I'm just complaining a bit!" Guarnere smiled. At this moment, Toy, who was walking at the very front, suddenly stopped, crouched down, and then raised his hand.
Ahead was a steep slope, and faint sounds of laughter could be heard. Parks gestured for them to quickly take cover, then he quickly rushed forward, lay down by the edge of the slope, and peered over.
It was a German patrol. There were six of them, laughing and talking, and two of them even had wine bottles in their hands. They were heading towards Parks and his men from the side.
Parks turned around and gestured to them. Immediately, the group split into two sides, flanking the Germans. Guarnere led one team, and Talbert led another, quickly occupying advantageous positions.
"Listen to my command!" Parks whispered, "Leave one alive. The first one on the left, leave him. Kill all the others." Then he relayed the message to Talbert.
The Germans seemed very excited, perhaps due to the alcohol. They were noisy and walked a bit unsteadily. They were getting closer and closer, and Parks could already clearly hear what they were saying; they were complaining about the damned war.
Parks aimed at the last one and pulled the Trigger.
"Puff, puff, puff!" The submachine gun made a faint sound, and then the German fell to the ground.
"Haha, Barbara, you're drunk!" Another German laughed, about to reach out to help him, when he suddenly felt something hit his chest. He looked down in surprise and saw a red patch on his chest rapidly expanding. He opened his mouth and also fell to the ground.
The other four noticed something was wrong, suddenly cried out in alarm, and turned to flee, but the weapons in the hands of the others had already opened fire, and three of the four immediately fell.
The other one ran back desperately. Parks jumped out, holding his submachine gun, and shot him in the calf. The German fell. He crawled forward, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"What is that German shouting?" The brothers who had been in ambush rushed out and had already caught up with the injured German. Guarnere chuckled at Toy.
"He's probably calling for his mother!" Toy laughed, walked forward, and kicked the German over, so he lay on his back on the ground.
The German's eyes were full of fear. He kept shaking his hand at Toy, trembling all over, and babbling incoherently, shouting something loudly.
"Shut up!" Toy couldn't stand the noise and roared fiercely. The German was clearly terrified, still muttering incessantly at Toy.
"Bang!" With a muffled thud, silence fell. Toy waved his right hand, then shook it in the air, his tiger ring on his hand glinting slightly in the air.
"Oh—, damn it! You've done a good job, Toy!" Parks shook his head and smiled bitterly, "It seems we'll have to carry this burden all the way. I still need to ask him questions."
The front was gradually dimming.
At the end of the grassland was a forest, and a farmhouse, half-collapsed from a bombing, could be vaguely seen.
Occasionally, a few birds made hoarse sounds in the woods.
Several figures moved quickly through the forest, approaching the house from two directions.
"Guarnere, Liebgott, to the left.
White, Martin, to the right.
The rest of you, secure the perimeter."
Parks gestured to them.
The four figures quickly approached the house.
One side of the farmhouse was blown in.
When Guarnere, Martin, and the other two agilely entered the house, they found it empty.
"Clear!"
Guarnere nodded to Martin, exited the house, and gestured to Parks and the others, signaling them to come over.
"We'll spend the night here!"
Parks stepped into the house, looked around, and said, "Landers and Talbert will be responsible for guarding the perimeter of the woods.
I'll arrange for people to relieve you."
Then he turned to Toy and said, "Drag that German in.
Perhaps I have some questions for him.
You all rest up."
"This German isn't awake yet!"
Toy laboriously dragged the German in, then patted his head, chuckling, "What a good boy.
Let's see how daddy wakes you up!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and the tiger ring on his finger gleamed menacingly.
The German suddenly screamed, rapidly babbling something at Toy, then sat up abruptly, quickly scuttled a few steps backward on the ground, and then loudly seemed to be explaining something to Toy.
"What's this bastard saying?"
Toy stopped and looked at Parks.
"He says he's Polish!"
Parks said with a faint smile, "But he's speaking German."
"There can't be any Poles in the German 6th Parachute Regiment!"
Liebgott suddenly interjected, "This damned German obviously wants to gain our sympathy."
Parks nodded, then said, "Alright, he's all yours.
You all rest!"
He said, kicking the German and speaking a sentence in German.
Then the German obediently followed Parks into the innermost, undamaged room.
"What do you think the Lieutenant will do to that German?"
Liebgott said, smiling at Toy.
"Torture? Or death threats?"
Toy nodded, "That's all I can think of."
Just as Liebgott was about to speak, he suddenly heard a shrill scream from inside the room.
The sound had just come out, then it was as if it had been cut off midway, and there was silence.
"I told you, torture, but I like that kind of method!"
Toy chuckled triumphantly.
Martin looked into the room, wondering, "Did the German pass out?"
"Who knows, let's rest.
I need to replenish my energy."
White pulled out a U.S. Army ration from his backpack, opened it, looked at it in his hand, and hesitated whether to eat the stuff.
"Ah—"
Another short, shrill cry came from the room, startling White.
The ration he was about to put in his mouth accidentally dropped, drawing a round of laughter.
"Damned German!"
White cursed resentfully.
"Haha, I bet, White, if it were you, you'd tell everything you know without the Lieutenant even having to speak."
Guarnere chuckled, prying open a can with his dagger.
"Why is there no sound?"
Patrick Christenson was eating his ration when he suddenly said.
There was no sound from inside, which made them a little surprised.
Although they didn't doubt Parks being overpowered by the German, it was a bit unusual.
Everyone looked towards the closed door.
"Should we go rescue the Lieutenant?"
White glanced at Guarnere.
"No need."
Only Gordon here was completely unconcerned.
He knew what kind of skills Parks possessed.
He and Parks had, on D-Day, in their first encounter with the Germans, single-handedly taken out three, and one of them was killed by Parks's throwing knife.
Everyone looked at Gordon.
"If Parks still needs help, then there's no need for us to carry out this operation at all."
Gordon spoke calmly, but everyone could see his immense trust and great confidence in Parks.
Just as everyone was hesitating, the door opened.
Parks walked out from inside.
He was neat and tidy, without any signs of injury.
"Finally got something useful out of him, that damned German, he tried to trick me at first!"
Parks looked at his brothers in the room, who were all staring at him, and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What's wrong with you all?
Do you still want me to stay with that damned German?"
"No, we're wondering what method you used to make that German talk and tell the truth."
Guarnere stared at Parks, hoping he would explain.
"Nothing, just used a little trick."
Parks sat down next to Patrick Christenson, "Do you remember the pressure points I taught you?
The ones we used during training."
"Yes, we remember."
Guarnere said, and then everyone nodded.
Parks chuckled, "Well, that's how I pried open his mouth.
You know, it can not only relieve fatigue and pain, but also increase a person's suffering.
Just now, I used that method to make that German feel as if he was covered in ants, biting him, making him wish he were dead."
Patrick Christenson suddenly trembled, almost dropping the can in his hand, and instinctively moved outwards, as if to get further away from Parks.
"You seem to be very afraid of me?"
Parks said, smiling at Patrick Christenson.
Patrick Christenson quickly said, "No, no, Lieutenant, I just... I just feel a little itchy!"
"I always feel like it's witchcraft!"
Guarnere chuckled, "But I like that German suffering."
"What about the German?
Are we still taking him with us?
We don't need prisoners."
Martin looked at Parks, "He'll be a burden to us."
"No, that German will never be a burden to us, don't worry."
Parks stuck out his tongue, licking his lips, "I've already sent him to hell!"
He said, placing his hand in a knife shape near his neck, making a throat-slitting motion.
Parks spoke lightly, but the scene from just now involuntarily flashed before his eyes: the German's pleading gaze, the bluntness and the slipping sensation of the bright knife cutting into his throat, and the gradually despairing eyes, the warm blood splashing out, and the German convulsing on the ground, making Parks close his eyes involuntarily.
Actually, killing someone on the spot was nothing, but watching a life gradually fade before his eyes, seeing that desire to live and the despair at life's passing, Parks's heart still twinged slightly.
"Lieutenant!"
At this moment, a voice interrupted his sudden hesitation, and then he turned to look.
It was Dukeman.
"Did you find out anything?"
Dukeman looked at Parks, somewhat expectant.
Parks nodded, then said, "According to this German, we have now passed through the German lines.
If we continue to move to the left, about five miles away, is our destination, the village called Neuville-au-Plain.
According to that German, there are indeed a group of prisoners held in the village, about twenty-four people."
"How many Germans are guarding them?"
Martin asked.
"A platoon of Germans!"
Parks scanned everyone, then stated the number.
"This is just great!"
Patrick Christenson sighed, "Twelve people against a platoon of Germans, and we still have to rescue twenty-four prisoners, this is just great!"
He repeated the last sentence.
The others said nothing.
They quietly looked at Parks, waiting for his attitude.
"This is indeed a big problem."
Parks nodded, "But we have to do it.
Someone has to do this."
"Oh, Lieutenant, we can completely ignore that damned Niland.
We can't deal with that many Germans.
Are we supposed to go and die for nothing?
Niland has a mother, I have a mother, Martin has a mother, White has a mother, and I believe Lieutenant, you also have a mother.
Why don't you consider our mothers' feelings?"
Shifty suddenly exploded, babbling as if venting, "I'm tired of this constant anxiety, you know, I haven't relaxed since we set out."
Parks looked thoughtfully at Shifty, then looked at the others, and calmly said, "Is this everyone's thought?
Or just his?"
No one spoke.
Everyone chose silence.
Parks took a deep breath, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Guarnere say, "Lieutenant, actually, I also want to say a few words."
"Go ahead, Guarnere!
Before that, say everything you want to say, don't keep it inside."
Parks nodded.
Guarnere nodded, then also took a breath and said, "Guys, you should all know that I already knew about my brother's death in battle before D-Day.
Yes, my mother has already received a casualty notification, and now I have to carry out such a dangerous mission.
To be honest, at first, I didn't want to participate, but then I changed my mind."
Seeing everyone looking at him, Guarnere nodded and continued, "I don't want to go back like this.
I don't want my mother to ask me when I go home in the future, 'Did you avenge your brother?'
At that time, how should I answer?
Perhaps my mother only wants me to come back alive, but I can't just give up like this.
I have to give myself a clear conscience, and that reason is, I want to kill as many Germans as possible, and now there's such an opportunity, I don't want to give up!"
Parks nodded, saying nothing.
He remained silent.
The rest of the people said nothing.
They quietly stayed in the room, lost in their own thoughts.
"Alright, I've decided to continue!"
Shifty suddenly smiled, "I don't want to have nothing to brag about after the war ends."
Gordon and Shifty went to relieve Landeman and Talbert.
Talbert was startled to see the German's corpse with its throat slit in that room.
However, he said nothing; everyone could predict the ultimate fate of this prisoner.
"Lieutenant, how much longer do we have to observe like this?"
Parks was lying on a high slope where the grass was deep, and it was a forest.
Parks and Shifty were hidden on the slope, observing, while not far below the slope was the village of Neuville-en-Verdun.
Through the binoculars, Germans could be seen going in and out frequently.
They had been lying there for a whole day.
As for the rest of the men, they, like Parks and Shifty, wore helmets covered with camouflage grass and had their faces painted dark blue and black.
They had been hidden for a long time, constantly changing locations, and did nothing but observe with binoculars.
Shifty finally couldn't help but ask.
"Until we are familiar with their routines and the surrounding terrain," Parks said in a low voice, "We must figure these things out, and also predict the weather for the next few days."
Shifty listened and subconsciously looked up at the sky; it was nearing dusk, and the sky was very dark, with thick clouds pressing down, giving a strong sense of oppression.
"Note the Germans' entry and exit patterns and times," Parks whispered to Shifty, "This is about one sniper rifle's effective range from the village.
You and Dukeman will undertake the sniping mission."
"Yes, sir, when should we move out?" Shifty was clearly impatient.
Parks glanced at him and said unhurriedly, "Shifty, you need to have some patience.
If we act rashly, the probability of failure will increase, and then our chances of completing the mission will be very small.
And it's impossible for me to bring all of you back alive, but I promised Captain Winters, so we must ensure foolproof success."
Parks gestured to the others, and everyone cautiously moved to another spot, quietly lying in wait again.
It was already dark, and the shadows of the Germans in the binoculars also became blurred.
"Let's go!" Parks whispered to Shifty, then he gestured to the rest of his brothers, quietly hiding their bodies in the grass and sneaking into the woods.
The woods were even darker than outside, almost like night.
A group of people hid in the forest, huddling together, finding places to sit down, and then replenishing food and water.
During this time, no one spoke, only the sounds of chewing and swallowing could be heard.
In the German defensive zone, let alone making a fire, even loud shouting could attract German patrols.
Parks sat among his brothers and whispered, "During the day, we observed the surroundings of the village.
We can see that there are two paths that can serve as our retreat after completing the mission.
One path is about one kilometer from the grassland we came through, but it's the longest distance, and the Germans can easily set up obstacles or even surround us.
Once this path is blocked, our chances of escape are very small."
"What about the other path?" Landers asked.
Parks coughed lightly, then said, "The other path is closer to our defensive line, even very close.
We will directly follow this path straight to the German front lines, then cross the lines and return to our army's defensive line.
This is very dangerous, but the chances of escape are the highest.
The shorter the distance, the greater our chances of escape.
However, we will face the Germans' relentless pursuit, so it is also the most dangerous path."
Both paths were almost dead ends, and everyone fell silent.
It was already dark inside and outside the forest, with an occasional insect chirping in the trees.
"Lieutenant, we should take the second path."
Someone spoke then; by the sound, it was Patrick Christenson.
"Even if I die, I don't want to suffer for so long.
Let's just go for it."
"Let's do it, Lieutenant!" For once, the brothers were united in this opinion.
Parks was a bit moved.
These lovely brothers always showed immense courage and determination at the most crucial moments.
He nodded and said, "Alright, we've decided.
Now let's rest a bit, then go observe again.
Our operation is set for nighttime, which will increase our chances of escape and make it easier to cause confusion among the Germans."
"Also, we observed the Germans' prisoner detention area today during the day.
They change shifts every two hours during the day, with four people per shift: two guarding the entrance, and the other two about fifty meters from the entrance.
The rest of the Germans are about a hundred meters to the right of this prisoner detention house.
Based on the people coming and going during the day and those eating, there are about forty more.
There are also four sentry posts at the village entrance, guarding our two retreat paths, with one MG42 light machine gun at each path."
"Inside are two trucks and four three-wheeled motorcycles.
Their other heavy weapon deployments are temporarily unknown, but I estimate they have weapons like mortars," Parks said unhurriedly.
The brothers all seemed very surprised; they had thought about these things too, but never as comprehensively as Parks.
"Our operation will take place at night, at 1 AM.
After 1 AM, it's when people's energy is at its lowest, and when they are most sluggish and tired, which is most favorable for our action.
So we must continue observing at night, especially their patterns of movement after midnight."
"Lieutenant!" Patrick Christenson suddenly whispered.
"What?" Parks asked.
"I suddenly feel that we will definitely make it back alive; this absolutely gives me great confidence."
Patrick Christenson's words were agreed upon by all team members; Parks' analysis just now was detailed and absolutely convincing.
"We absolutely trust your decision.
Alright, what should we do now?"
"Alright then, let's go scout again.
We have work to do tonight!" Parks said with a smile, "Let's go, brothers!" With that, he led the way out of the woods.
"Alright, I've seen hope.
Perhaps this job will give me something to boast about for a while."
Behind him, White suddenly chuckled softly and followed him out.
Behind him was the sudden relief felt by all the brothers.
The wind rustled the leaves, making a soft "whoosh" sound.
In the binoculars, a few electric lights appeared in the village.
The shadows of the Germans appeared very clear in the binoculars, smoking, drinking, chatting.
They seemed very relaxed, and would never imagine that Americans would cross their lines and run to the rear.
As dawn gradually broke, Parks and his brothers retreated.
After a night of observation, they looked a bit tired.
Parks gathered them again.
"Now we understand their nighttime activity patterns, and we also have some understanding of the daytime changes.
Alright, what we need to do now is get some good rest.
White and I will stand guard, and two hours later, Patrick Christenson and Dukeman will relieve us."
Parks then waved to White.
Watching the two leave.
Gordon whispered, "Hey, "Big" Bill Guarnere, do you think we'll succeed?
I always feel like Parks is quite confident."
"I believe him!" Landers glanced in the direction Parks had left, then said to Gordon, "And we must trust him now.
Is there any other way besides this?"
Patrick Christenson fell silent.
Just then, Guarnere nudged his arm and grinned at him, "Patrick Christenson, if we make it back alive from this mission, what's the first thing you want to do?"
"Of course, get a good night's sleep.
My nerves have been so tense these past two days; I always thought I'd break down.
If I can live, it's just sleeping."
Patrick Christenson leaned against a tree trunk, sitting, then slightly closed his eyes, "What about you, Guarnere!"
"Me? Maybe find a French girl and have a wild night."
Guarnere nodded, "Hey, Tibbett, what about you?
What do you want to do?"
"I don't know!" Tibbett's mouth twitched, "Haven't thought about that question yet."
He idly threw small stones from the ground at a tree trunk in front of him.
"Guys, rest up.
We need to stay energetic tonight."
Martin said to them, then leaned his head against a tree trunk, covering his face with his helmet, and crossing his arms over his chest.
Patrick Christenson shrugged, made a face at Guarnere and the others, then pulled down his helmet.
The weather remained gloomy.
Parks and Shifty lay in the grass, observing their surroundings, then looked up at the sky, frowning slightly.
It was clear that it might rain tonight.
If it rained, the operation would have many more variables.
"Is it going to rain?" White looked at Parks' slight frown and couldn't help but say worriedly, "It will be even harder if it rains, won't it?
This damned weather."
Parks nodded and said, "Rain isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's not necessarily a good thing either.
The key is how we use the weather.
If used well, it will be to our advantage.
Learn to transform, to turn the unfavorable into the favorable."
But he added, "I still hope it doesn't rain.
This is unexpected for us, and now we will have to consider this factor."
White didn't speak.
He didn't feel very uneasy; he had always had a deep admiration for Parks, both in previous training and in subsequent battles.
And Parks had validated his admiration again and again, making this feeling even more deeply rooted.
"Parks!" White whispered to Parks.
"What?" Parks turned to look at him.
"Don't worry about the brothers, and don't worry about what misfortune this mission might bring them," White said sincerely, "What they truly care about is being able to fight alongside you.
This means a lot to the brothers!"
Parks was a bit moved; he didn't speak, just nodded, then patted White's shoulder.
Just then, a wind suddenly picked up, gradually blowing away the dark clouds in the sky.
The sky gradually cleared, which seemed like a good omen.