"Germans!" White suddenly nudged Parks.
Two Germans appeared in their line of sight, walking towards them, laughing and talking.
Parks whispered to White, "Go wake them up, don't make any noise, leave this to me! Don't expose ourselves unless absolutely necessary!"
White nodded and quietly retreated.
The two Germans seemed not to care what was there; they did not search the woods but stopped about fifty meters from Parks.
They sat down and began to chat.
Parks didn't move; he knew it would be very easy to take out these two at such close range, but it would undoubtedly arouse German suspicion.
At least, two people disappearing without a trace would intensify the tension here, causing the operation to lose its element of surprise.
"Ed, why don't we leave here? This war is over for us; Americans are coming in endless waves, and our colonel is helpless.
I don't want to die!" a skinny German soldier said to the more robust German beside him.
"You want to be a deserter, Erick?" The German named Ed shook his head and said, "Buddy, we have no choice.
We can't hold this place, but you know what happens to deserters."
"Then what should we do?" The German named Erick sighed, "How about we surrender, to the Americans!"
"That's impossible too!" Ed shook his head, "Americans are devils, haven't you heard what they say? They even kill prisoners and eat their flesh.
Are you going to surrender to the side of the devil?"
"Ed, that's just their propaganda; I don't believe such ridiculous talk! Do you still believe it?" Erick looked at him and laughed, then also shook his head.
It was clear that even if it wasn't true, this idea didn't seem too good.
Parks couldn't help but shake his head; it turned out these were two German soldiers who were going AWOL.
He knew that some people in Germany were already losing faith in this war, especially those German soldiers on the battlefield who had suffered severe blows.
"Tomorrow, tomorrow I'm being transferred to the front line; they're having the Second Platoon replace us.
God, I can't believe I'll have to face that overwhelming artillery fire again! I've had enough!" Erick was full of resentment, "Ed, I miss my family; I still have a child who's almost two years old.
He's so cute, but I've barely seen him."
"I know, I know.
Everyone in the platoon will get drunk tonight." Ed sighed, "This might be some people's last big drunk.
Alright, let's go, Erick, don't stay out too long.
I know there are some things you can't say with them, but don't make the officers angry; we need to go back." With that, he tried to pull Erick back.
Parks breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, he also heard very useful information: this platoon would have a party tonight, meaning many people would lower their guard, which brought great benefits to the entire operation.
Just then, the grass beside Parks suddenly rustled, making a slight sound, and then White lay down beside him, but he made a little noise.
"Who?" The German named Erick instinctively looked towards Parks, then raised his rifle and cautiously walked towards them.
Behind him was Ed, who also held his rifle and followed.
Parks felt White's breathing become heavy.
He secretly patted him with his hand, wanting to calm him down.
At the same time, he aimed his submachine gun at Erick, who was walking forward.
"Hey, Erick, let's go! Stop being so paranoid!" Ed, behind him, called out, "This is behind our defensive line; what would Americans want to do here?
Let's go, we've lingered long enough.
I don't like Lieutenant Ridley; his tone when scolding people is exactly like Colonel Hight's.
Let's go!"
Erick stopped and looked towards Parks.
He saw nothing but clumps of grass swaying in the wind, making rustling sounds.
Perhaps he was too sensitive; this war had made him inexplicably nervous.
"Alright, let's go! Let's go drink; who knows if we'll be able to drink after tonight." Although Erick was hesitant, he still turned around and walked back with Ed.
Watching the two figures gradually walk away, White finally let out a long breath and gave Parks an apologetic smile.
"Don't be nervous!" Parks nodded at him, then put away his submachine gun.
If that German had come two more steps closer, he would have preempted him, taking out both of them with a silenced submachine gun.
If it had attracted German attention, the operation might have had to be moved up.
"God bless! Isn't that right?" White chuckled.
As the sky gradually darkened, Parks observed the Germans as he had the night before; they changed shifts as usual, everything was normal.
Then they turned on their lights, and a faint clamor could be heard.
Parks gathered his team members and began to assign the assault mission.
"Shifty, Dukeman, you two guard our retreat path, concealed on the left and right sides.
Immediately after our action, take out the machine gunner at the village entrance's retreat point.
Once we succeed in the rescue, we will use a flashlight as a signal, one long flash, one short flash.
When we rush out, snipe the German pursuers to buy us time for withdrawal; do not prolong the fight.
Even if we retreat, then wait for us by the roadside."
"Don't worry, Boss!" Shifty said.
Parks was startled, "Boss," this was the first time his team members had called him that.
He couldn't help but smile slightly, then said to Gordon, "After you hear the sniper rifle fire, provide cover for their retreat, then withdraw in time.
We will rendezvous one mile outside the village."
Gordon nodded, indicating no objection.
"The rest of us will split into two assault teams after we enter the village.
One team will go to the prisoner of war house and also take out the machine gunner at the other village entrance, led by Tibbett, with Guarnere, Martin, and Toy in this team.
The rest of the people will be with me to assault the German gathering point." Parks looked at them, "Any questions?"
"No! Boss!" Guarnere imitated Shifty's voice in a strange way, causing everyone to smile knowingly.
Parks nodded and said to Shifty and the others, "You all prepare separately first." Three figures disappeared into the night.
In the night sky, where the clouds had cleared, through the binoculars, one could see the Germans drinking and carousing heartily, probably because they were about to go to the front lines tomorrow.
They drank and enjoyed themselves to the fullest.
Parks could even see drunken Germans occasionally coming out of the house where they were drinking, urinating freely on the village roads, and then going back in to continue the revelry.
Night deepened, and the time pointed to one o'clock in the morning.
The Germans' boisterous revelry gradually quieted down.
Parks looked at his pocket watch, then softly gave the order: "Move out!" With that, he led the way, stealthily approaching the village entrance.
Two German soldiers guarded an MG42 at the village entrance; they held wine bottles, muttering occasionally.
Their voices were slurred, clearly a bit drunk.
"Pfft, pfft," two faint sounds echoed in the night sky, and then the two Germans fell to the ground.
Several figures rushed into the village, then split into two groups, advancing into the village.
"Martin, we'll handle the two closest.
Guarnere, Toy, wait for us to act, then rush in immediately and deal with the two guarding the entrance to the POW camp!" Talbert whispered the assignments, then made a gesture for action, and he and Martin darted out, firing at the two Germans nearby.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft," the sound of the Sten silenced submachine gun was not loud; the two Germans were mowed down before they could react, but the sound of their fall was heard by the two Germans at the entrance.
They looked over in surprise, took two steps forward, and before they could react, Guarnere and Toy rushed over and engaged.
A burst of gunfire hit the two Germans, but one of them pulled the Trigger of his rifle before he died.
"Damn it!" Guarnere yelled.
Toy had already rushed to the door, kicked it open, and charged in.
"Move!" At this moment, Parks and his men had already rushed to the German gathering place.
Two German soldiers opened the door, and one staggered towards Parks.
When he raised his head, he saw a flash of white light across his neck, and then felt warm blood gushing from his throat.
He wanted to scream but could only make "heh heh" sounds, then fell to the ground, twitching.
The other German soldier noticed the strange sound and was about to turn around to mock the guy.
"Swish!" a soft sound, the bayonet cut through the dark night, carrying a hint of wind, and pierced his throat.
Parks's throwing knife shot into his neck; he also didn't have time to make a sound before falling to the ground, clearly not going to survive.
Landers gave Parks a thumbs-up, clearly awed by Parks's clean and decisive actions, expressing heartfelt admiration.
And just then, "Bang!" a gunshot, particularly abrupt in the night sky.
It clearly came from Guarnere's side.
The operation was exposed.
Sure enough, shouts and screams of Germans came from inside the house, as if someone was frantically running around in panic.
"Grenades!" Parks yelled, "Everyone has one!" With that, he kicked open the door, and several dark grenades were thrown in.
They themselves immediately pressed against the wall, hiding by the door.
"Boom—" several explosions rang out inside the house, followed by screams from within, and the sound of someone firing a gun inside, with several bullets shooting towards the doorway.
Parks suddenly rushed to the doorway, making a dive, sliding in from the doorway and landing prone on the ground.
A German with a bloodied face raised his rifle at him, and before he could fire, Parks unleashed a burst of gunfire.
At this moment, Landeman and the others had also rushed in, their submachine guns sweeping around.
This was a massacre.
Blood, screams, and the sound of silenced submachine gun actions intertwined.
Bullets mercilessly harvested the lives of these Germans, without any mercy.
The flickering, spitting muzzles of the guns ravaged the Germans' nerves.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft," a German tried to run to the door but was mowed down by Patrick Christenson, twitching once before becoming still.
"Luger?" Patrick Christenson looked at the fallen man, calling out in surprise; he was clearly an officer, and in his waist holster, Patrick Christenson found the luger he had always dreamed of.
"Don't kill me, I surrender!" A German, pale-faced, stood in the corner with his hands raised. Landers unhesitatingly raised his gun. The German tried to retreat in terror but was blocked by the wall.
"Wait, Landers!" Parks stopped him. He recognized this German; it was Erick, the same guy who had been complaining on the slope.
"Is your name Erick?" Parks walked over, stared into his eyes, and asked in fluent German.
The German was clearly a bit surprised. He nodded nervously, "Y-yes."
"Oh, then you can follow us. You're still useful to us." Parks walked towards the door, then suddenly turned back and smiled at him. "We Americans never eat prisoners' flesh, so rest assured!"
Erick still nodded, clearly shaken. Then, escorted by Landers, he walked out. As soon as they stepped out, they heard the sound of an MG42 machine gun. A burst of bullets shot from the village entrance, winding like a brilliant fiery serpent in the night.
Parks was once again pinned down inside the house by the machine gun, unable to leave.
"Damn it, Shifty still hasn't made a move?" Patrick Christenson exclaimed in annoyance.
As soon as he finished speaking, they heard two 'bang bang' sounds, and the machine gun at the village entrance stopped. Clearly, Shifty and his team had made their move. Parks made a gesture, and Landers rolled out of the house, raising his gun to guard.
"Clear!" Landers called out, and then Parks and the others filed out, with Patrick Christenson escorting the German, Erick.
At this moment, a group of people came from the other side; it was Talbert and his men, and mixed in with them was a group of ragged individuals wearing US Army uniforms.
"Talbert!" Parks called out. Talbert also saw Parks and his team, then smiled at Parks, "Boss, we have a problem now."
Parks frowned and said, "Niland? Didn't find him?"
"Found him, but besides that guy, there are twenty-one other prisoners here. Should we take them all with us?" Talbert then turned back and called out, "Niland, Bob Niland, come out."
At this moment, a gaunt, haggard, and heavily bearded man walked out and saluted Parks, saying, "Sir."
"Eighty-second Division's Bob Niland?" Parks asked.
"Yes, Sir." Niland was clearly a bit puzzled. "You know me, Sir?"
"I've heard your name. Alright, we've found you, now it's time for us to leave." Parks nodded.
Niland said with some unease, "Excuse me, Sir, where are you taking us?"
"To Carrington. Do you want to stay here?" Parks said curtly. Then, ignoring him, he turned to Erick and asked in German, "Are there any more Germans here?"
Erick replied tremblingly, "No, our entire platoon is here. There were thirty-four people at the gathering place, plus four guarding the two village entrances and four guarding the prisoners of war. Besides me, no one else is alive."
Parks nodded. He knew that this guy wouldn't lie at this moment. Overall, he was quite satisfied with this operation, having basically annihilated an entire German platoon. The reason it went so smoothly was mainly because this German platoon was about to be rotated out, and they were all heavily drunk. Also, they hadn't anticipated that US forces would penetrate their lines to raid this not-so-important prisoner-of-war facility.
"Boss, what should we do with these people?" Talbert frowned, looking at the captured men.
At this moment, a man walked out from among the group. Judging by the silver bars on his collar, he was clearly a Lieutenant. He stepped forward and said to Parks, "Hello, Lieutenant, I am Lieutenant James Bradley of the Fourth Infantry Division, Third Regiment. I am deeply grateful that you and your brothers were able to rescue me and these men. May I ask what your plan is now? How do we break through the German lines?"
Parks frowned slightly, then said, "Lieutenant, we already have arrangements, and it's no longer safe here. I believe the Germans have heard the gunshots and will be here soon. I think we should evacuate as quickly as possible."
Lieutenant Bradley listened and was somewhat displeased, saying, "Lieutenant, I have the right to know your retreat route."
"Bastard!" Hearing Lieutenant Bradley's somewhat overbearing tone, Patrick Christenson couldn't help but curse under his breath.
The Lieutenant's face instantly darkened; he had clearly heard it. He still insisted on his point, "Lieutenant, if you don't tell me your plan, the people here will not easily go with you."
"Is that so?" Parks sneered. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant, I'm in charge of this operation, and I don't want anyone interfering. If you want to stay here, no problem." Then he called out loudly, "Niland, come here, we are ordered to take you back. Alright, you follow us now, and we'll all return to Carrington!"
Parks was a bit angry. He bypassed Lieutenant Bradley and said to the other prisoners of war, "Alright, if any of you are as stubborn as the Lieutenant, then stay here. If you want to come with us, go find German weapons and strip off their uniforms too; we'll need them."
Saying this, Parks decided to ignore Lieutenant Bradley. He raised his hand and checked his watch; it was almost two in the morning. He then said to Hight, "Open the radio, contact battalion headquarters, and request an artillery bombardment on the German positions at 3 AM to cover our crossing of the line."
Lieutenant Bradley watched Parks ignore him, and his face flushed red, but the others were not on his side at all. They had already started collecting German weapons and clothing.
Parks saw that they had collected almost everything, then said to Erick, "Alright, buddy, go lead us to a truck. We'll take you out of here, and for the rest of your days, there will be no overwhelming artillery fire or bullets that can take your life at any moment. Your life will take a crucial turn."
"Okay, Sir!" Erick had gradually overcome his fear, and he gladly accepted the task. Parks tilted his head towards Patrick Christenson, signaling him to follow Erick.
"We'll change into German uniforms and then pass through the German checkpoints." Parks called out, then picked a Corporal's uniform from the collected German uniforms and handed it to Lieutenant Bradley, saying, "Lieutenant, put it on. Now is not the time to see whose rank is higher, if you want to get back to the American lines."
Lieutenant Bradley glared fiercely at Parks but still took the uniform.
The truck drove over. Parks, in a German Sergeant's uniform, was driving the truck. Beside him sat Liebgott, in a Lieutenant's uniform, holding a German submachine gun.
The truck quickly sped out of the village and flew down the road. Along the way, they successfully picked up Shifty, Dukeman, and Gordon.
"Hey, your German uniforms are really good; they almost made me mistake you for Germans and take you out!" Dukeman said in the car, touching Guarnere's German uniform, "If you hadn't given the signal."
"You're the one who looks like a German." Guarnere glared fiercely at Dukeman.
"These are yours!" At this moment, Toy handed over three sets of clothes.
"Do we have to change too? Oh, come on, there are enough Germans here already. Spare us, Toy." Gordon sighed, "I don't want to wear stinky, ugly German uniforms."
"The boss said you have to wear them." Toy chuckled, "Otherwise, who knows if you're our prisoners?"
Shifty shrugged and reluctantly took the clothes.
"Alright, we're a truck full of Germans!" Gordon took them, then threw one to Dukeman.
The German line was ahead. Behind the line was a village, with occasional lights. Roadblocks were set up at the entrance to the village, and German soldiers were patrolling.
The truck was stopped at the roadblock. A German soldier walked over, shining his flashlight towards the truck, while another raised his flashlight and turned to walk towards the back of the truck.
"We're from Neuwiedeldorf, here for the rotation." Parks explained to the German soldier in fluent German.
"Oh, I know. Why are you here so early?" The German soldier laughed, "I heard you guys had a wild night. What? Weren't you supposed to come at dawn?"
"No, changing shifts at dawn is too unsafe. We have to guard against American artillery fire; we don't want to be blown up by Americans for no reason. Alright, any more questions?" Parks seemed a bit impatient.
"Almost ready!" The German called out to the back, "Hiss, are you done yet?"
"Don't yell, almost!" The German who had gone to the back of the truck replied impatiently, then he lifted a corner of the truck's canvas cover, saw a face, and nodded to him, "Hey, Erick, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me." Erick nodded, "What? Is something wrong? Why did you stop us?"
"Oh, it's like this: we just heard explosions from your area. Colonel Hight has given orders to strictly check all vehicles and personnel to prevent American infiltration." The German named Hiss laughed, "Alright, you can go, Erick. I'll be pulling back from the line at dawn. It's great to have survived this time. I really hope God continues to favor me and let me get through this damned war."
Erick's face twitched slightly, then he forced a smile and said, "He will, Hiss, everything will be fine! Alright, I have to go, goodbye!" As he spoke, he lowered the lifted corner of the canvas. At his waist, Patrick Christenson was pressing a pistol.
"Alright, you can let them go!" Hiss shouted loudly to the front.
"Go on, guys, good luck, and don't get taken out by the Americans!" The German smiled, then waved them through. The truck restarted and slowly drove past the checkpoint.
"Hey, stop, stop!" Suddenly, Parks heard the German behind them chasing after them, shouting loudly.
Liebgott's heart tightened, and he instinctively gripped his Sten submachine gun. Parks quickly gave Liebgott a look, signaling him not to act rashly. Then he slowly stopped the truck.
The German caught up and then said to Liebgott, "Lieutenant, I almost forgot, he said if I saw you, you should go see him. You made too much noise tonight; perhaps the Colonel himself wants to question you!"
"Who?" Liebgott couldn't help but frown, saying in German, "Who did you say wants to see me?"
The German man smiled, "It's Colonel Hight, he'll definitely interrogate you. You made too much noise tonight. Alright, since you've arrived early, I'll tell you now, go, don't keep the Colonel waiting."
Parks nodded slightly at Liebgott. Liebgott still hesitated and said, "Alright, I'll go right away. Can you tell me where the command post is?"
Upon hearing this, the German man looked puzzled and glanced at Liebgott, saying, "Lieutenant, you don't know where the command post is?"
Liebgott's body tensed, knowing he was finished. He wanted to speak, but he was too nervous, his mouth opened and closed, but he said nothing.
"Oh! Lieutenant, you've drunk too much." Parks patted Liebgott's back with one hand, while smiling at the German man, "We drank too much, the Lieutenant is confused. Why don't you guide us? I'm sure the Lieutenant won't forget you. What's your name again? soldier."
"Yes, what's your name?" Liebgott reacted then, smiling at the German man, "You completed your mission very well today, I think Colonel Hight will be very pleased. I'm confused today, why don't you help me?"
"Really? That's great, my name is Hogan, Heikes Hogan, from the 1st Battalion," the German man said excitedly, "I'd be happy to lead the way for you. Wait, I'll go get my bike, just follow my vehicle."
The German man said a few words to the Germans coming from behind, then he started a three-wheeled motorcycle from the side of the road and gestured to Parks, indicating for him to follow.
"Boss, are you sure you want to do this?" Liebgott was a little nervous.
"Yes, this is an opportunity that's been delivered to us, why would we let it go?" Parks chuckled, "If we take out the German command post, our chances of breaking through will be much greater, while they're in chaos."
"This... seems like a good idea!" Liebgott still felt uneasy, but there was no way to change it now.
Parks said, "Give the brothers the signal, tell them to prepare for battle."
Liebgott nodded and began tapping backward.
"Alright, brothers, we need to prepare for battle!" Talbert whispered to the brothers in the carriage. He heard the message transmitted from Liebgott.
Everyone's nerves were taut.
Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt, and then a loud shout was heard, it was Parks' voice, speaking German. Then Parks came around to the back of the car and whispered to the brothers, "Get out quickly, don't expose your identities, grab the German weapons, we're going to take care of their regimental command post, there might be a big fish!"
It turned out that the German named Hogan had already stopped and was negotiating with two German soldiers on duty nearby. Parks called out to the brothers, then he and Liebgott went forward. Apparently, Hogan and one of the Germans had a conflict; he wouldn't let Hogan in, only Liebgott alone, and Hogan obviously wouldn't miss this opportunity to please his superior, so the two got into an argument.
"What are you doing?" Parks shouted loudly in German, furious at the German on duty.
"These are the regulations, Lieutenant!" The German refused to budge, completely ignoring Hogan's dissatisfaction. He just said to Liebgott, "Don't make it difficult for us, this is Colonel Hight's order."
Liebgott looked at Parks, who nodded slightly to him, then Liebgott hesitated and said to Hogan, "Since that's the case... Hogan, I'll go in alone then. I won't forget you. Oh, by the way, what's your full name?"
"Heikes Hogan, sir!" Hogan quickly replied with a grin.
"Alright, I've got it!" Liebgott said to the German, "Let's go, you lead the way, I'll follow you! I'm going to see Colonel Hight."
Parks quickly looked around. A pair of German patrolmen walked by not far away. After they had gone further, Parks winked at the brothers behind him, subtly pointed at Talbert, then pointed at the German Hogan, and then walked over himself, laughing loudly at the remaining German on duty, "Hey, brother, you've worked hard, have a cigarette!" As he spoke, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed them over.
The German man indeed fell for it. He leaned in and loudly said "Thank you," and was about to take a cigarette. Parks waited until he was close, then with a bayonet already drawn in one hand, without waiting for him to make any more moves, the blade sliced across his throat.
At the same time, Talbert, taking advantage of Hogan looking towards Parks, covered his mouth from behind and also slit his throat with a knife. The two Germans collapsed to the ground without even making a sound. Parks called Patrick Christenson and White to hide the two bodies.
"Toy, Tibbett, you two disguise yourselves as German sentries and guard here. The rest of you follow me inside. Patrick Christenson, keep a close eye on Erick, let's go." Parks signaled to the brothers behind him, then hurried in the direction Liebgott had gone.
Liebgott was stalling for time. He suddenly tripped, then stopped and smiled at the man, "Sorry, my shoelace is untied, wait a moment, soldier." As he spoke, he squatted down, and at the same time, he glanced back. Parks and the others were walking towards them, and he finally relaxed. He had been in a cold sweat just now.
"We should go, Lieutenant!" The German was a little impatient.
"Alright, I'm ready!" Liebgott smiled at him, "You lead the way, I'll follow you! How much further is the command post?"
"It's just ahead, that building is it." The German didn't suspect any problems; he just wanted to get this guy to the command post as soon as possible to complete his mission. He pointed to a house ahead, then walked forward without hesitation. Just as he took a step, he felt a pain in his neck, reached up, and felt his hand covered in blood. He wanted to scream, but could only make a hissing sound. As he turned, he saw the Lieutenant's triumphant smile. This was the last thing he saw.
Watching the German's body fall to the ground, Liebgott mumbled to Parks, who had already caught up, "If you had been a moment later, I wouldn't have known what to do. This damned German is so stubborn!" He then kicked the corpse.
"Their command post!" Liebgott pointed to a building about fifty meters ahead, "What do we do now, boss?"
There were no sentries outside the building, which was an excellent opportunity for Parks and his men.
"What do we do? Kill everyone alive!" Parks smiled slightly, then said to all the brothers, "Alright, guys, it's our time to perform!" With a wave of his hand, the remaining thirty-one men, carrying Sten submachine guns, quickly rushed towards the command post.
In the darkness, dozens of figures swiftly approached the German building. Some of the prisoners were nervous, some were excited. Parks pulled Niland aside during the movement and whispered to him, "soldier, you follow me, don't let the Germans capture you again. If that happens, I'd rather kill you than let you be captured again!"
Although Niland was very dissatisfied, he had no choice but to stay by Parks' side. He had witnessed the Lieutenant's wisdom and decisiveness. In fact, after this night, he had already developed admiration for the Lieutenant.
Colonel Hight was particularly restless tonight, always feeling agitated. He paced back and forth in the hall, which had been converted into a war room. Various operational maps were laid out on the long rectangular table in the hall. Besides him, there was a Lieutenant Colonel, a Major, and four Captain staff officers. The five of them were gathered around the map under the lamp, pointing and whispering about something, and a Captain was operating a radio.
The explosions from Newville Village tonight were unusual, and he somewhat suspected that American infiltration units might have already sneaked in. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Even if they were American infiltration units, what was in that place? Besides twenty-one prisoners of war, there was nothing else, only his own reserve unit, a platoon stationed there.
It was clear that the Americans wouldn't sacrifice the lives of a group of people for the lives of those twenty-one prisoners, as this mission wasn't that easy. There were no important figures among them, except for one Lieutenant. But what was a Lieutenant? Was he worth such a large-scale mobilization? This was what Colonel Hight couldn't understand.
"Mus, any news from over there?" Although Colonel Hight had already given instructions to the sentries, he still ordered continuous contact with the troops stationed in Newville Village.
"No, sir!" The Captain operating the telegraph said helplessly.
Hight didn't speak. He thought for a long time before saying to the Captain, "Captain Mus, take my orders and go to Newville Village once. I need to know what happened there. We need to grasp any changes promptly now."
"Yes, sir!" The Captain stood up, ready to walk out.
"Remember, take more men with you!" Hight specifically reminded him again.
"Yes, sir!" The Captain stopped and nodded to Colonel Hight. Then he walked towards the door.
Just then, the door suddenly opened, and a squad of German soldiers walked in. The one leading them was a Lieutenant. He subconsciously shouted loudly, "Stop, what are you doing?"
The Lieutenant's loud shouting attracted the attention of the others, and they all looked towards the door, including Colonel Hight, who immediately saw that these men were extraordinary.
He was about to speak when he heard the soldier next to the Lieutenant say, "Is this the regimental command post?"
"Yes!" The Captain answered without thinking.
"No!" Hight wanted to speak first, but the Captain beat him to it. He couldn't help but inwardly curse, "Damn it!", and at the same time, he dove under the table in the middle.
The submachine guns in the hands of the group of Germans who rushed in spewed fire, and bullets instantly riddled the Captain, turning him into a beehive. Blood even splattered onto Liebgott's face, who was very close to him, feeling warm and sticky.
"Damn it!" Liebgott kicked the German down and then sprayed bullets at the others.
The Germans in the command post had nowhere to hide; they were completely unprepared. Bullets struck their bodies, very densely, making their bodies tremble like leaves in the wind.
"Ceasefire, ceasefire!" Parks called out twice. The firing stopped.
Parks squatted down and smiled slightly at the area under the table, "Come out, Colonel."
Colonel Hight's small worry finally became a reality, but this outcome was truly beyond his expectations; he never imagined that the American commando unit would cross the defense line to rescue twenty-one prisoners of war, nor that they could infiltrate the battalion headquarters and raid it.
When the person wearing a German Lieutenant's uniform walked in, he felt a bad omen, but everything was beyond his control.
"Come out, Colonel!" the person in the German Sergeant's uniform said with a gentle smile, as if talking to an old friend, appearing calm and composed, completely devoid of the tense, murderous atmosphere of having just raided the command post.
Colonel Hight suddenly felt ashamed of his action of hiding under the table; he should have stood tall and accepted being shot to death by these Americans, at least avoiding humiliation from the enemy.
But when everything calmed down, he couldn't find the courage to draw his pistol and commit suicide.
Colonel Hight sighed and then crawled out from under the table.
He straightened his chest, trying to make himself look less disheveled, attempting to regain the dignity of a German Colonel officer.
"Colonel Hight?" Parks watched him slowly straighten his uniform and chest, attempting to save face, and smiled, saying, "You are now my prisoner of war; you shouldn't deny that, should you?"
Hight's expression changed, his face flushed with shame and anger, subtly revealing a hint of paleness.
Although he had long anticipated that his end would not be good, he never expected to be captured in such a manner.
"Yes, I have no objection!" Hight's voice came out with difficulty from his throat.
He suddenly hated the triumphant face before him.
At this moment, a suppressed burst of laughter erupted in the command post, and everyone was clapping in celebration.
"Weapon!" Parks' voice had an irresistible quality.
He pointed at the pistol on Colonel Hight's hip, then crooked his finger.
Hight's breathing suddenly became heavy, but he had already lost his courage.
He slowly pulled out his issued luger, and under the aim of numerous dark muzzles, he held the pistol upside down and handed it to Parks.
He suddenly thought that if he had died in combat like Andris, glory, not the current humiliation, would await him.
His eyes flickered, and his hands clenched into fists, tightening more and more.
"You won't escape!" Hight said suddenly and firmly, stepping back a few paces and leaning against an office desk, one hand propped on the table, as Parks put away the pistol.
Parks' eyes suddenly flashed with a strange look at Colonel Hight, then he chuckled softly: "That's our problem, Colonel, but you won't see the outcome of our escape!"
With that, he suddenly raised his Sten silenced submachine gun and sprayed Hight, riddling him with bullet holes until he slumped softly onto the office desk.
This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard and left them dumbfounded.
"Boss, you killed him?" Patrick Christenson looked at Parks with some surprise, "He's the current German commander, and you killed him?"
Before Patrick Christenson could finish speaking, another person suddenly rushed out from the crowd and shouted at Parks: "Lieutenant, you will be held responsible for today's actions.
I will complain about you to your superiors.
Do you know what kind of person you killed?"
The speaker was Lieutenant James Bradley.
"A Colonel, a German Colonel, Lieutenant!" Parks said calmly, "Gordon, clear the battlefield, then we leave here."
Lieutenant Bradley said indignantly: "Lieutenant, you killed a high-ranking German prisoner, this will bring us great losses."
Parks walked towards Colonel Hight's corpse, saying, "Lieutenant, a high-ranking prisoner is still just a prisoner, it doesn't mean much to me, and besides, he wasn't even a prisoner yet!"
As he spoke, he pushed aside Colonel Hight's corpse, "See for yourself, Lieutenant, if I hadn't killed him, we would all be finished, and perhaps you'd be a German prisoner again!"
As Hight's body fell, the office desk drawer opened halfway, revealing a red button and a small Browning M1906 pocket pistol.
Lieutenant James Bradley was stunned, then stared blankly at Parks, speechless for a long time.
"Boss, we're done clearing up.
We had a good haul this time; four people here were equipped with lugers, which is a good deal for us.
There are also some documents; I had Liebgott collect them all."
At this moment, Landers walked over.
He didn't even glance at the Lieutenant; he was very annoyed with that guy, who was always looking for trouble.
"Set the time bomb, Landers!" Parks no longer paid attention to Lieutenant Bradley.
"White, contact battalion headquarters immediately and tell them the mission is accomplished.
We will break through the German lines as planned and enter our positions!"
Outside the command post, German soldiers patrolled in groups from time to time.
Talbert and Toy looked a little nervous; after they saw Parks and his team enter, there was no more movement.
In fact, the sound of the silenced submachine guns used by all the commandos reached here.
"They should be out by now!" Toy looked at Talbert and whispered, "They've been in there for a while.
I hope nothing went wrong, otherwise, we're in trouble, Talbert."
Talbert also looked at the command post, then nodded: "Don't worry, Toy, if no gunshots are heard, it means the boss has everything under control.
They are using silenced submachine guns, and the German ones are not."
That made sense.
Toy's heart settled a little.
Just then, a group of figures emerged from the command post, clearly only Parks and his team.
"They're out!" Toy exclaimed, lowering his voice excitedly.
It was indeed Parks and his team.
Patrick Christenson saw Talbert and chuckled softly, "We took down a big fish!"
Talbert understood what it meant: they must have completely wiped out the German battalion headquarters.
Parks raised his hand and looked at his watch; there was still half an hour until battalion headquarters support arrived.
He said to everyone: "We can't go by car anymore; that would be too obvious.
When battalion headquarters starts shelling later, the coordinates will already be indicated.
We will break through from a different location.
Be careful, we must pretend to be an attacking force to pull off this deception!"
At this point, no one doubted Parks' words anymore.
Even Lieutenant Bradley stopped speaking, because he had already proven himself wrong, and he didn't want to be seen as a troublemaker; as long as they could return to their own positions, everything else could be discussed later.
"Now we wait to move into the defense line.
With the German battalion headquarters taken down, it will surely be exposed very soon.
We must enter our positions before that happens."
Parks gave concise orders, then followed a small path towards the German front lines.
As they approached the German positions, Parks whispered, "From now on, besides Liebgott and me, no one else is allowed to speak.
This is a military order!"
No one objected.
Parks then nodded and swaggered towards the defense line.
At this moment, a German sentry post raised their rifles towards them, and one of them shouted, "What are you doing here?"
"We're here for the shift change," Liebgott said loudly, at Parks' signal.
"Oh, great!" the guy suddenly laughed, "Thank God, we're finally being relieved.
But your timing seems early, wasn't it supposed to be in the morning?"
"Colonel Hight changed his mind!" Parks quickly walked over and added, "Any other questions?"
The German sentry chuckled, "No, we've been looking forward to this day for a long time.
Damn it, I don't want to stay here for another minute."
With that, he shouted loudly towards the inside: "Hey, guys, we can leave the defense line!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of over thirty soldiers, dressed in rags like beggars, emerged from the positions behind the fence.
Among them, a Lieutenant officer stepped forward and smiled at Liebgott and his group, "Thank God, you're finally here.
I don't know if I could have held on much longer.
Damn Americans, their artillery fire is much fiercer than ours!"
"Yes," Parks smiled, "now it's our turn to suffer."
With that, he led his brothers into the position.
The Lieutenant officer, muttering curses, led a group of soldiers out of the position and walked back.
Suddenly, he stopped and said to Liebgott, "Hey, which company are you from?
You look a bit unfamiliar to me."
Liebgott paused, looked at Parks, who nodded, stood up, and said to the guy, "Lieutenant, any more questions?
Do you have any doubts?
Perhaps you should go to battalion headquarters and ask Colonel Hight."
"Shut up, Sergeant, I wasn't asking you."
The guy turned around, yelled at Parks, then turned back to Liebgott and smiled, "I'm quite familiar with the officers of the 6th Parachute Regiment.
Tell me your name, maybe I'll remember it.
Perhaps we'll even have a drink together sometime in the future."
Parks frowned, and Liebgott's hand twitched.
If the German made even the slightest move, he would not hesitate to kill him.
"Hey, Lieutenant!" The German stepped closer to Liebgott, still wanting to say something.
"Whoosh—" A sharp whistling sound of a shell cutting through the air broke the night's silence.
Parks shouted loudly, "Shelling, American shelling, take cover, everyone take cover!"
"Boom—" A shell exploded not far in front of the position, shaking the ground.
"Damn it!" The German quickly dove to the ground and cursed fiercely.
Parks, lying on the ground, took the opportunity to say to the guy, "Lieutenant, are you staying here, or are you leaving?"
At this moment, flashes of fire constantly erupted from the American positions, followed by the sharp whistling of shells and the deafening explosions as they landed on the German positions.
The German Lieutenant looked at Liebgott and Parks, then finally turned, crawled a few steps, then got up and, taking his brothers with him, fled the front line as if flying.
"Oh—" Liebgott let out a long sigh of relief, "Thank God, Colonel Sink was finally on time for once."
At this moment, almost everyone relaxed for a moment, then tensed up again.
At this point, the German artillery also began to return fire.
Crossing such a position was truly not easy.
The sudden American artillery barrage broke the silence of the night. After being stunned by the initial shelling, the Germans began to counterattack sporadically, but their counterattack was disorganized.
Amidst such a weak counterattack, a German unit proactively launched an attack from their position, thrusting towards the American lines. This strange sight left other units in the German position somewhat dumbfounded, and some even cheered and praised this brave charging unit. To actively attack amidst the fierce American artillery fire truly required immense courage.
"Take off your German uniforms, quickly! Don't let our brother units guarding the position misunderstand!" Parks shouted loudly as he ran. He had already discarded his German clothes and rifle.
"White, contact battalion headquarters, quickly! We are advancing to the predetermined location, request support!" Parks issued a series of commands. "Talbert, signal the American position, one short and one long flash of the flashlight, three times consecutively."
"Boss, battalion headquarters replied, telling us to enter the position at the original location. They've arranged for A Company to meet us there," White said excitedly to Parks, holding up the radio receiver.
"Alright, guys, don't stop! We can charge all the way to the position!" Parks waved his hand, and everyone followed him, sprinting towards the American lines.
The Germans finally noticed something amiss. Not a single American bomb fell on this German unit charging towards the Americans. Moreover, they changed into American uniforms midway and began signaling the American position.
"Boom—" A bomb exploded fifty meters from the unit. Clearly, the Germans had reacted and were beginning to adjust their artillery. This was a significant test for the assault team.
"Faster, faster! Faster!" Parks urged constantly. All they could do now was reach the position as quickly as possible.
Patrick Christenson was panting continuously; he felt a bit breathless, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. The captured team members behind him were even more exhausted. Although they hadn't been beaten or tortured during their captivity, the Germans had starved them, causing them to lose stamina faster. Some had already fallen during the continuous run.
"Boss, I really can't run anymore." Patrick Christenson finally couldn't help but cry out, but he still couldn't stop. Stopping meant death. The German artillery corrected its aim quickly; in the second round of shelling, a shell exploded less than five meters from the unit, and two American POW team members following behind fell.
"Go check, Guarnere, Landers! The rest of you, don't stop!" Parks shouted loudly.
"They're dead!" Landers said. "Are we still taking them with us?"
"No time, Landers, let's go!" Parks said firmly. At this moment, nothing else mattered. As long as they could escape this hellhole, it was fine. They couldn't let the dead drag down the living.
Landers removed their dog tags, looked at them, and then followed.
"Everyone, discard your gear and weapons! Don't leave anything behind! We'll travel light to speed up!" Parks knew the danger that carrying weight posed to the team members at this moment. He decisively ordered them to abandon all equipment.
The team members haphazardly threw away their equipment, but they kept their spoils of war, especially the luger they had later captured.
"Dukeman, the position is just ahead, go contact them!" Parks shouted, then pulled up Patrick Christenson, who had fallen to the ground, and dragged him forward.
"Yes, Boss." Dukeman nodded.
Dukeman quickly moved past the group and ran ahead towards the American position. The American artillery continued, and the German counterattack, after the initial chaos, had gained some order. Streaks of fire cutting across the night sky wove into a picture of flowing light and color. But Dukeman had no mind for such things; he needed to quickly cover the last fifty meters to reach the American position.
"Forty meters!"
"Thirty meters!"
...
The last step, Dukeman, full of confidence, was about to leap forward when suddenly a shell exploded beside him. With a "boom—," the huge air blast knocked him to the ground, and then he felt himself land heavily. He felt pain all over his body, especially in his legs.
"Damn it!" Parks saw a bomb explode near Dukeman from not far away and couldn't help but tremble and cry out.
Two men sprang out from the American position and quickly dragged Dukeman into the position.
"Alright, brother, you're safe now, you'll be fine!" An American soldier held Dukeman down with one hand while bandaging his explosive wound. Both of his lower legs had been blown off.
"You're a brave man, brother." Another American was giving him morphine, speaking to him with respect.
"Thank you, brother." Dukeman tried to force a smile, but his smile was uglier than a cry. "Tell the brothers to meet our team members! They've arrived!" This was the last thing Dukeman said before he fainted.
"Boom—" Another explosion, and the firelight illuminated the faces of the team members. Although they were in a sorry state, their faces were filled with joy. They only needed to take one more step to enter the American position.
"Hurry, guys!" Parks, at the front of the position, sent each team member into the position, where the soldiers of the supporting A Company settled them.
"Quickly enter the position!" Parks shouted to Landers and Talbert, who were bringing up the rear, then turned to enter the position himself. Suddenly, a bullet struck his helmet with a "clang." Parks was thrown to the ground by the bullet's inertia, his entire body falling into a pit within the position.
"Boss—"
"Lieutenant—"
Countless voices rang out almost simultaneously. Landers, the last to enter the position, rushed over in a flash, knelt beside the fallen Parks, and then held his head, looking around, cursing, "Damn it, where are you hurt?" Then he shouted loudly to the side of the position, "Doctor, doctor, damn it, hurry!"
"Stop shouting, Landers, I'm fine!" Parks touched his head, secretly calling himself lucky. It was just a stray bullet that hit his steel helmet and then ricocheted off.
"Are you sure you're fine?" Landers looked at Parks cautiously.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. It was just a stray bullet that hit my steel helmet!" Parks nodded, smiling. "That's not important, Landers. What's important is that we're home!"
We're home! This sentence was more important than anything else. And it instantly struck their hearts.
Landers was somewhat dazed. After days of hardship, after tests of life and death, after tension, unease, and bloody battles, the feeling of returning left him somewhat stunned.
For a moment, many people were in a daze.
The doctor quickly arrived. He came to Parks, looked at him, and asked in confusion, "Lieutenant, are you injured?"
Parks smiled, "Can you see where I'm injured? No, Doctor, thank you!" Parks suddenly remembered Dukeman after speaking. He was the only injured team member in this operation, besides the two American POWs who died. Dukeman had already been sent to the rear hospital. For Dukeman, his war was over.
But what about his own war? Parks looked at the German position, his lips twitching slightly. Perhaps it had to continue. He suddenly had a strong desire, a desire he had never had since his rebirth: that he must survive until the end of the war, until the day of victory. This held extraordinary significance for him.
The artillery fire of both armies gradually ceased, and silence returned to the front lines of both positions.
"When will it explode?" Parks asked, "Landers!"
Landers raised his hand, looked at his watch, and said, "One minute left!"
"Alright then, we'll wait to see the fireworks before heading back to the company headquarters!" Parks said this calmly.
"Fireworks?" Patrick Christenson said with a laugh from the side. "I love fireworks, especially fireworks for the Germans!"
"Me too!" His words received the approval of all his brothers.
"Boom—" With a sound that made the ground tremble, a huge fireball rose from behind the German position.
"Right on time!" Landers looked at his watch. "Not a second off, not a second over!"
White rolled his eyes at him. "That's redundant! I should count my spoils of war now. luger, look guys!" He said, pulling a luger from his pocket. It was one he had captured from the German battalion headquarters.
"I have one too, there's nothing to show off about that, but do you have a gold watch?" Patrick Christenson immediately mocked White again. He rolled up his sleeve and showed off a shiny watch on his wrist. "This was found on that unlucky German Lieutenant Colonel. Look, this lovely thing keeps time much better than its former owner."
"Alright, guys, after watching the fireworks, it's time to go back!" Parks said, then turned and walked towards the rear.
"Hey, Tibbett, you didn't capture a luger this time? That's really unfortunate..." Patrick Christenson's voice became intermittent as he walked further away on the American position, followed by another burst of laughter.
Behind them were a group of respectful soldiers from A Company.
"I can't believe they broke through from behind the German lines. Only a lunatic would do something like that!" A soldier watched their retreating figures, shaking his head. He truly couldn't believe it, but he had to.
"They are truly brave warriors of the American army!" At this moment, a Lieutenant platoon leader beside him suddenly said with great emotion.
"Are they breaking out?" A voice, filled with anxiety and unease, came from the entrance to Carrington from the defensive line. It was Hubler's voice. He and the soldiers of Easy Company stood at the intersection, waiting for Parks and his men to return.
"Yes!" It was Welsh who spoke. He looked at the flickering firelight ahead, accompanied by the rumbling of artillery fire, and his heart was also a little uneasy, clenched tightly. He simply answered and then said nothing more.
Easy Company had already learned about tonight's operation; Winters had not kept it from them. When he was preparing to receive Parks, this news spread throughout Easy Company, and then the soldiers spontaneously came to the intersection to wait.
"Why wasn't I in on this operation?" Hubler said, a bit dejectedly.
"That's because you didn't offer Private Perks the good wine you collected from the town." At this moment, Cobb chuckled from the side. "It must be that."
"Shut up, Cobb!" Luz couldn't help but say from the side, even with his good temper. "Don't talk about that."
"Alright!" Cobb shrugged and said nothing more. In fact, he still very much hoped that Parks and his men could return safely. After all, in the company, Parks's attitude towards him was perhaps the best.
Time passed little by little. The artillery fire ahead seemed to grow more intense, with flames soaring into the sky. It looked like the German counterattack had strengthened considerably, which made the soldiers fall silent.
"God, God bless Parks and his men!" At this moment, Compton suddenly murmured softly.
"God will protect them, Buck!" Winters, standing beside him, said softly, his eyes fixed on the flickering light, his body not moving an inch.
The artillery fire gradually faded into the night. Aside from the faint firelight occasionally flashing in the sky, darkness still concealed the sky, without a trace of mercy.
"We've connected with the front line; mission accomplished, assault team arrived safely!" At this moment, a Lieutenant officer hurried over from battalion headquarters and shouted to the soldiers of Easy Company.
Silence!
After a brief silence, the entire company suddenly erupted in a huge cheer.
Parks hadn't expected all the soldiers of Easy Company to greet them at the entrance to Carrington. With them were every officer in the company, including Lieutenant Winters. Moreover, besides the officers of Easy Company, there were also several important figures: the main officers from Battalion HQ and battalion headquarters, including Lieutenant Colonel Strayer.
"Oh, Patrick Christenson, it's great to see you!" Seeing Parks and his men approach, Hubler was the first to step forward and embrace Patrick Christenson. Although they bickered from time to time on normal days, at this moment, Hubler's action was from the heart.
Everyone in Easy Company surrounded them, asking questions here and there. Hugging, shaking hands, laughing, affectionately patting shoulders, some even lifted Guarnere up.
Colonel Strehl couldn't help but smile wryly. Easy Company's officers and men had come spontaneously. They knew tonight would be the day their soldiers broke out. Although the time was set for three in the morning, they had still waited here for over an hour in advance. Winters even requested that Easy Company replace A Company to go and meet Parks and his men, but Colonel Sink vetoed it.
"Well done, Lieutenant!" Many soldiers reached out to shake Parks's hand or pat his shoulder.
"I thought no one would go looking for wine with me anymore!" Welsh embraced Parks, then laughed, "You know, I'm not good at this kind of thing. If you hadn't come back tonight, I might have gone to the German side to find you!"
"Don't worry, Harry, to keep you from hogging that excellent barrel of brandy we have hidden with Winters, I absolutely had to come back!" Parks chuckled, also moved by Welsh.
At this moment, Winters stood outside the crowd and called out to him: "Parks!" When Parks looked over, he waved to him.
Parks greeted the soldiers, then squeezed through the crowd and walked towards Winters. He knew that the men from battalion headquarters would surely be waiting for his battle report!
"Where is he?" Winters smiled slightly at him. In fact, he already knew that Niland had been rescued.
Parks shouted loudly towards the group of rescued prisoners, who were watching with envious expressions outside the crowd: "Niland, come over here, quick."
A soldier ran over from that group, then saluted Parks and Winters and shouted: "soldier Niland reporting!"
"Bob Niland of the 82nd Division?" Winters asked. "You have three soldiers, one of whom is in D Company, Second Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Division? Named Fritz Niland?"
"Yes, Sir." Niland looked at Winters with surprise. "Do you know them, Sir?"
Winters suddenly looked at Parks and said: "You haven't told him about his soldiers?"
Parks shook his head, shrugged, and said: "I never tell anything to someone I consider an asshole, unless you order me to!"
"Asshole?" Winters muttered softly, then whispered to Parks, "He certainly is an asshole!"
Niland's face changed, then he said: "Sir, what is this about? Perhaps you have something to tell me?" His voice was a bit loud and agitated; he had clearly heard what Parks and Winters had just said.
"Don't get excited, soldier Niland. It's not us who need to see you, it's battalion headquarters. I'll take you to them now!" Winters said, waving a hand at Parks. Just then, Lieutenant Colonel Strayer also walked over. He first shook Parks's hand, nodded, and smiled: "Well done, Lieutenant, I'm proud of you!"
"Thank you, Sir!" Parks saluted.
"At ease, Lieutenant." Colonel Strehl looked at Niland, who was accompanying him, then asked, "Are you sure it's him?"
"Yes!" Parks nodded. "Niland of the 82nd Division, Lieutenant Winters also just confirmed it!"
"Very good! You rest first; report to battalion headquarters tomorrow!" Colonel Strehl nodded at Parks, then said to Niland, "Follow me, soldier Niland, we'll go to battalion headquarters together." Then he turned to Winters and said: "Go have a good talk with the soldiers of the assault team, they need you now!" After speaking, he prepared to leave with Niland and the officers from Battalion HQ and battalion headquarters.
"Sir!" Parks suddenly called out to him.
Colonel Strehl turned his head and looked at him: "What is it, Lieutenant!"
Parks hesitated and said: "There's one thing I think I should tell you first. While we were rescuing that guy, we also took out the German regimental command post and killed Colonel Hight, the regimental commander."
"What?!" Winters and Colonel Strehl almost simultaneously gasped in surprise.
"I mean, we took out Colonel Hight, the commander of the German Sixth Parachute Regiment." Parks said seriously.
"God, are you sure?!" Colonel Strehl exclaimed, then pressed on, "Is this confirmed? Was it definitely Colonel Hight you killed? The commander of the Sixth Parachute Regiment that we're currently facing?"
"Yes, Sir, I don't think I could be mistaken." Parks replied calmly.
Colonel Strehl cleared his throat, then nodded and said: "Alright, I understand. I will explain it to Colonel Sink. Tomorrow morning, you will go to battalion headquarters and explain the details of this operation." With that, Colonel Strehl left with Niland.
"I can't believe it!" Winters suddenly laughed at Parks. "I didn't expect you guys to actually take out the German command post. That's truly shocking."
Parks laughed: "That's just luck, of course, this kind of luck isn't always there. The key is, if I were Colonel Sink, I would definitely take this opportunity to launch a major offensive against the Germans. Their command is already chaotic, this is our chance."
Winters also nodded and laughed: "If I were, I would too!"
"Do they need our suggestion?" Parks looked at Winters.
Winters looked in the direction Colonel Strehl had left, then slowly shook his head and said: "No need, they know how to handle it!" Then he patted Parks on the shoulder and said: "Alright, Nick said you would definitely come back safely, and he was right. And at the company headquarters, good wine has been prepared for you to celebrate. Let's go!"
Parks nodded. After several days of hard work, he really wanted to have some wine and then sleep comfortably.
"Hey, guys, let them rest! Lipton, take them to get something to eat, something hot. Then arrange a comfortable place for them to get a good night's sleep!" Winters shouted to the excited crowd still chatting.
"Yes, Sir!" Lipton answered loudly, then said to the crowd, "Alright, soldiers, let our heroes enjoy good wine and food and a hot bath."
The surrounding soldiers gradually made way, allowing Lipton to lead Talbert and the others away. Their eyes held respect and even more eager admiration.
"One day, I'll also capture a luger!" Hubler muttered to their retreating backs.
"Hmm, there will be a chance, but you'll have to stick close to Lieutenant Parks!" Luz chuckled from the side, adding.
"Yes, yes, but why didn't Parks pick me? I think I'm still no worse than Patrick Christenson. This is damn luck!" Hubler complained.
"Hmm, you should make a very deep impression on Parks!" Luz said, walking past him. "And you have to pray that he notices you, maybe there will be another chance."
Hubler said nothing, shook his head, and then followed Luz.
"Welsh!" Winters called out into the crowd as he left.
Welsh, with a face full of smiles, squeezed out of the crowd and then walked with Winters towards the company headquarters. This was a small gathering of a private group, for Winters, and for Parks, too.