Approximately one hundred thousand residents lived in Eindhoven.
On this day, they brought out the orange flags they had collected for many years and tied them to windows, in squares, and anywhere visible.
Many people re-embroidered orange armbands on their sleeves.
They poured into the streets, cheering for the American soldiers driving in.
"It's so good to see you!" the Dutch shouted in English, "Welcome!"
"We've been waiting for you!" They brought out chairs, hot tea, fresh milk, apples, pears, and peaches.
They enthusiastically surged forward, offering the American soldiers their best food.
"This feels great!" new recruit Barry said with a smile to Sergeant Grant beside him, "I like it here.
They are so enthusiastic!"
Barry held the fruit given by the Dutch, biting into it, and constantly waving to the crowd, like a victorious general.
He held his head high, his chest straight, but his steps were a little light.
"Enjoy it while you can, Barry!" Sergeant Grant nodded.
Clearly, no one knew what would happen next, and no one knew if the next German bullet would strike them.
Living for the moment was the best way for American soldiers to vent.
Winters and Lipton struggled to squeeze through the crowd, then Winters said to Lipton: "I need to set up outposts.
We'll stay here and wait for the British tanks, then continue to the Dommel River bridge."
"Alright!" Lipton nodded, then turned and shouted loudly behind him: "Muck, McDonald, gather your men and set up outposts on the road ahead."
As soon as he finished speaking, a woman ran over, hugged him, and then sealed his mouth with her bright red lips.
Watching the woman giggle and run off to the other soldiers with a radiant face, Lipton couldn't help but touch his lips and chuckle.
He was about to urge the brothers of Easy Company to continue forward, but he quickly realized he was mistaken.
He walked into the crowd and was soon stopped by someone.
"Hello, warrior, can I take a picture with you?" Several Dutch people stopped him, holding cameras, looking at him with anticipation, and extending a very sincere invitation.
There was simply no way to refuse.
After all, there was still time, and the British tanks were late.
Lipton couldn't help but nod and say: "Alright, as you wish, that's a good idea!"
But after the photo, the Dutch were clearly not satisfied, and someone else asked Lipton for an autograph as a souvenir.
Usually, Lipton would not refuse such a request; he solemnly signed his name on a child's chest.
Then they smiled contentedly and left, as if they had received a special honor.
Just as Lipton was about to turn, he heard someone laughing at him from behind: "Hey, Lipton, did you just sign that kid's autograph?"
When Lipton turned around, it was Staff Sergeant Talbert, holding a glass of wine in his left hand, and spearing a piece of roast beef with a dagger in his right, still chewing, his words somewhat slurred.
"What's the problem?" Lipton shrugged and spread his hands.
Staff Sergeant Talbert chuckled: "No problem at all, you just signed your own name.
Do you know what I signed for a girl? Eisenhower.
Haha, it's funny to think about; some brothers even signed a British name—Montgomery.
I wouldn't do that; it's American soldiers who are liberating them now."
"Exactly, exactly!" Lipton shook his head and smiled, "You're almost a god, and they are all your people!"
"Want a sip?" Staff Sergeant Talbert raised his glass to him, "The Dutch are the most hospitable."
"No, no, keep it for yourself!" Lipton shook his head; the enthusiasm of the Dutch made the American soldiers feel like big stars.
They accepted autographs, posed for photos, and enjoyed the cognac brandy, fresh vegetables, roast beef, apple sauce, and milk offered by the Dutch.
They were, in fact, receiving star treatment.
"It's truly unbelievable!" Winters shook his head, looking at the scene.
Nixon, beside him, smiled: "We are liberators to the Dutch.
This is what they deserve.
Some people may never experience this kind of enjoyment again in the future.
War brings them enjoyment, but also hard work, and even injury and death.
They have performed well enough; we shouldn't be too demanding!"
Winters nodded: "You are right."
He suddenly felt a little dazed; many old faces were missing: Parks, Welsh, and Landers, Guarnere, Toy… This suddenly made his heart heavy.
There is no right or wrong in war, only sacrifice.
There are no victors in war, only disaster.
Winters' mood certainly wouldn't be good; he was constantly worried about the brothers of First Platoon, Easy Company, far away in Arnhem.
More than thirty brothers seemed to have vanished from the world.
There was no radio contact, no response, and no signs of engagement with the German forces.
This left Winters somewhat disappointed, but also gave him some hope.
Arnhem Bridge still stood over the Rhine River, the bodies of British and German soldiers on the bridge had been cleared, and the destroyed tanks and armored vehicles still emitted wisps of black smoke.
They were like wounded lions crouching on the bridge deck, making one feel their might and their helplessness.
The British here had no brandy, no fresh vegetables, and no roast beef.
The disastrous defeat on the first day cast a pall of sorrow over everyone; clearly, the armored vehicles and tanks here caught them off guard.
"I didn't expect the tanks to be here too; this is terrible intelligence!" Lieutenant Colonel Gough complained repeatedly to Brigadier General John Frost, "We were completely delivered into the Germans' mouths; we're just a piece of fat or a steak!"
"Fortunately, I was prepared!" Brigadier General John Frost smiled, "I never believed those lies!"
"You mean the information provided by intelligence agencies, that the enemy was composed entirely of old men and children?" Lieutenant Colonel Gough chuckled, "I can't believe I actually believed them; it's truly sad!"
"We can still organize an attack; the Germans might not be as strong as we imagine." Brigadier General John Frost said to Lieutenant Colonel Gough, "Perhaps after eliminating the Germans at the bridgehead, what's left will be old men and children?"
He smiled and then winked.
At least for now, he was not very pessimistic; as long as they held out for two days, the 30th Corps would arrive and easily crush the Germans.
This was the only reason they could hold on.
"C and D Companies of the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment will be the main assault force, the remaining forces of the 3rd Battalion will be reinforcements, and the 11th Battalion will be the rearguard, attacking south of the bridge again!" Brigadier General John Frost issued the order to Lieutenant Colonel Gough, "We will defeat the Germans south of the bridge, it's that simple, give it your all, fellows!"
"Understood, General!" Lieutenant Colonel Gough nodded, "Perhaps this attack will make the Germans collapse."
"Perhaps is not military language!" Brigadier General John Frost said to him, "Alright, have the brothers prepare, and then give those Germans a good lesson!
Now is their time to perform."
In the morning, two companies of the British 1st Airborne Battalion, 1st Airborne Brigade, launched their second offensive of the second day towards the southern end of Arnhem Bridge.
They had lost the courage of their wild charge yesterday, advancing cautiously, constantly searching for possible cover among the iron girders of the bridge, while dodging the Germans' suffocating, rain-like fire from their MG42s.
"God, I don't want to die here!" A British soldier advanced carefully from the side of the bridge, trembling with fear.
He couldn't stand the imminent tension and couldn't help but whisper a complaint.
"Then charge, soldier!" A Captain and Deputy Company Commander beside him said to the soldier, "If you want to live, you have to charge forward, no matter what happens around you; kill the Germans on the other side, and we'll have a way to live!"
The Germans were ready, with heavy artillery and tanks waiting, like silently waiting prey entering their hunting range.
The dark muzzles of their cannons glowed eerily, looking menacing.
The Germans' expressions were generally serious; they didn't talk or smile, as if they were a group of machines or puppets placed on the bridge deck.
"I keep feeling uneasy! Sir!" The British soldier couldn't help but speak again, looking at his Deputy Company Commander with a pathetic expression, almost tearfully, "Captain, I feel like I'm going to be hit, and then die screaming!
I'll be hit by the German machine gun, and then my head will be blown to bits.
I keep seeing this scene in my mind now; I'm going to die this time, Captain!"
"Damn it, you won't scream; if you're hit in the head, you won't scream at all; you'll die instantly!" The Captain was clearly getting angry, "If you say another word, I'll shoot you in the mouth first; I won't mind using that method to shut you up!"
"Alright, alright, sir! You..." He hadn't finished speaking when he heard a burst of machine gun fire, followed by the sharp whistle of incoming shells.
"Boom—" a shell exploded in front of the soldier, and the blast directly threw him in front of the Captain.
Then blood quickly soaked into the bridge deck.
Half of the soldier's head was sliced off by shrapnel.
The Captain was right; he died without even a scream.
The Captain agilely leaped behind a bridge pillar, looked at the corpse, and couldn't help but vomit.
"God! Please protect me, don't let me suffer too much when I die!" The Captain made a sign of the cross on his chest, then raised his rifle and charged out.
He fired wildly forward, then leaped agilely, dodging machine gun and shell fire.
Behind him, one soldier after another leaped forward.
Through the smoke, he could already clearly see the German tanks.
There was even flame spewing from an MG42; he was about to reach the German position, only seventy meters away, a distance that excited him.
The soldiers around the Captain were constantly hit by bullets, then fell to the ground screaming, and occasionally flesh and blood splattered, staining the Captain's uniform, but this could not stop him.
The German position was ahead; he would soon occupy it.
"Brothers, charge! Let's take out those damned Germans!" The Captain paused, then waved forward to those behind him.
But he quickly froze; of the dozens of soldiers behind him, not a single one remained; their bodies lay scattered across the section of the bridge they had charged over, with one or two occasionally rolling and wailing on the bridge deck.
"Damn it, this is bad!" The Captain cursed under his breath, then heard a tremendous "Boom—" and he was thrown into the sky, a shower of blood splattering in the air, falling all around.
Easy Company stopped on the outskirts of Eindhoven and began digging foxholes, preparing to spend the night.
This caused many to complain incessantly.
No one expected that after the warm hospitality of the Netherlands, they would have to lie in the mud for another night.
This feeling was no different from falling from heaven to hell, truly unbearable.
"Where are the Germans? Who can tell me why we still need to dig foxholes? There's no sign of the Germans!" Ellie kept complaining, digging his foxhole half-heartedly.
"soldier, using your time to complain to dig foxholes is far more meaningful. We are on this road and could encounter the Germans at any time. They are eyeing us, ready to appear before us and shoot you!" A stern voice suddenly came from behind Ellie.
He turned around and saw Captain Winters, and quickly saluted, "Sorry, Captain, I'll hurry!"
Winters nodded and continued to patrol other areas.
It was clear that there had been little fighting along the way, and the frequent appearance of enthusiastic Netherlands people, along with delicious wine, food, and fruit, had completely made these soldiers lose their alertness, whether they were veterans or new recruits.
They must have still thought this was a wonderful European tour.
The calm night was deep, with no starlight or clouds in the sky; the weather was not very good.
But without German artillery fire and no sniper's cold shot, this night was a beautiful night.
Winters personally checked every sentry post; he couldn't sleep.
When he closed his eyes, he could almost see the shadows of over thirty brothers, and he could only relieve this suffocating feeling by constantly walking.
"Dick!" Someone called him from behind.
Winters turned around and looked at the person, then smiled slightly and said, "Nick, if you keep getting mixed up with me like this, Sink will definitely have to consider whether to find someone else to be the staff officer for the Second Battalion."
"Even if Sink knew, he would turn a blind eye.
He knows you need a companion now!" Nixon laughed, "Someone who can calm you down.
Clearly, I'm the best candidate for that!"
"Congratulations, you can wander from Battalion HQ to company HQ!" Winters glanced at him, then turned his head, looking at the dark night sky ahead, "Yes, I've been a bit distracted these past two days.
It's already the second day of Airborne Day.
And the British 1st Airborne Division has completely lost contact.
According to the original plan, they should have already occupied Arnhem Bridge."
"Do you believe their plan will succeed?" Nixon walked up and stood beside Winters, "At least our current progress isn't very smooth.
The Germans are clearly prepared, even though our actions yesterday caught them by surprise.
I don't believe the First Division has already occupied Arnhem."
"Me too!" Winters's voice revealed deep worry.
Nixon looked at him and said, "Dick, I know what you're thinking, and I would think the same.
Thirty-odd brothers couldn't just disappear without a trace.
Don't worry about Parks, he is an excellent commander.
Your most important task now is to maintain your clear mind and sharp reactions, don't let the brothers here suffer harm!"
"I know!" Winters nodded.
The two stopped talking and walked to a few trees, leaning against the trunks, looking at the night sky and at the brothers huddled in the foxholes.
The air of this night gradually became somewhat heavy.
This night, for the brothers of Easy Company, was definitely relaxing; they passed it peacefully, as calm as an ordinary night in the countryside, with the chirping of summer insects sounding like a nocturne in their ears.
But this night, the First Brigade of the British 1st Airborne Division was not so lucky.
Yesterday's and today's daytime attacks had somewhat depleted their strength.
Clearly, attacking the south side of the bridge in broad daylight would only lead to greater setbacks.
So they decided to launch an attack at night, using the cover of darkness to break through the south end of the bridge in one fell swoop.
British paratroopers crept out of the buildings and houses that had served as cover during the day.
They moved towards a bunker at the bridgehead, a bunker that had been a huge obstacle in two previous attacks, and many paratroopers had fallen in front of it.
A large group of British soldiers hid on the bridge surface, lying prone.
A paratrooper Lieutenant and three paratrooper soldiers quietly approached the bridge's bunker.
"Why us?" one of the soldiers whispered.
"Because you won the lottery!" the Lieutenant replied, "No more talk.
We can only move forward after taking this out."
The four quickly approached the bunker, then were discovered by German soldiers at about ten meters.
Machine guns swept in their direction, foiling their plan to approach the bunker.
"Are you confident at this distance?" the Lieutenant and the three paratroopers said, hiding behind a bridge pier.
"I don't know, but we have to try!"
"Alright, God bless!" the Lieutenant said, "Grenades!"
"Throw—" The four braved the machine gun fire, stood up, and threw their grenades.
"Boom—" With several explosions, the grenades detonated near the bunker.
They bounced off the bunker walls before exploding, failing to enter the bunker's observation port.
"Damn it!" the Lieutenant couldn't help but curse, clearly very dissatisfied with the throw.
The German machine guns, unable to find their target, were sweeping everywhere.
"One more time!" the Lieutenant whispered, then raised his fist, "Throw—"
The grenades flew out again, but the Germans also saw them, and the machine guns swept over without hesitation.
Two soldiers were hit by bullets on the spot and fell to the ground.
"Boom—" The grenades still didn't enter the observation port.
The Lieutenant annoyingly slapped his head, about to signal the remaining one to throw again; he was already desperate.
Suddenly, a huge explosion sounded near the bunker, and then a massive flame shot into the sky.
The bunker was blown sky-high in the explosion.
Explosions followed one after another, constantly erupting with huge flashes of fire.
"God, Lieutenant, we blew up their ammunition depot!" The remaining soldier shouted in surprise, "Haha, God is on our side, Lieutenant.
They're finished!"
"Yes, a blessing in disguise!" the Lieutenant shouted joyfully, then rushed out, waving to the British soldiers lurking behind, calling out, "Brothers, charge! Go kill the Germans, let them know how powerful we are!" With that, he led the charge forward.
Seeing the bridgehead's ammunition depot blown up, the British soldiers behind cheered and charged forward with the Lieutenant.
Clearly, this was a good start, very capable of boosting morale.
This spurred the British soldiers to charge desperately towards the south side of the bridge.
"Toot-toot—" Lieutenant Colonel Gough kept blowing his whistle, gathering more British soldiers; they wanted to succeed in one go.
This was now the best opportunity in days.
The Germans had lost the cover of the bridgehead, and their firepower would be greatly reduced.
And the night would also make it easier for the British to provide cover, allowing them to successfully rush to the south side of the bridge.
"Boom—" A flare exploded in the air, and then its brilliant light illuminated the British soldiers on the bridge clearly.
Then the German machine guns and tank cannons opened fire.
The sparks from the gun barrels and muzzles, along with the flares, illuminated the vicinity as if it were daytime.
The Germans' dense firepower frantically reaped the lives of the British.
Lieutenant Colonel Gough ran in the middle; he saw the machine guns of the German tanks spewing flames.
Through the flares, he could see British soldiers constantly falling, and then more British soldiers constantly filling in.
Despite heavy casualties, he knew this was the best opportunity, and if it was lost, the British would forever lose the ability to attack.
He leaped forward, and constantly shouted at the British soldiers around him.
"Charge, fellows! Don't let the Germans beat us.
We're about to break through them!" He constantly boosted morale, then led the charge against the Germans.
Clearly, the Germans were also startled by the British's desperate attack.
Seeing the British getting closer and closer, some of them retreated in fear.
These British soldiers were reckless, like a bunch of madmen.
Gough saw a German soldier, who was shooting at the British soldiers with his rifle; he was already close.
Closer, closer…
Lieutenant Colonel Gough lunged forward, thrusting his rifle bayonet into the German soldier's body.
In the flickering light of the explosions, he saw the German's blood splatter and heard his terrified screams as he died.
Finally, after suffering huge casualties, the British engaged in close-quarters combat with the German defenders at the bridgehead.
Bayonets fiercely tore bloody holes in bodies, then splattered blood.
Gough didn't know how many Germans he had stabbed, but they seemed like endless cockroaches, one falling and another appearing, while the British soldiers around Lieutenant Colonel Gough were decreasing one by one.
Gunshots, shouts, and screams mixed together.
"Bang—" A gunshot sounded near Gough's ear.
As he hastily turned, a sharp pain shot through his waist, and then he saw a German soldier raising his rifle at him.
The German soldier calmly pulled the bolt, then aimed again, expressionless.
Lieutenant Colonel Gough wanted to raise his gun at him, but his hands had no strength.
He wanted to dodge, but his body felt as heavy as a sack of potatoes, unable to move his steps at all.
"Bang—" The gunshot sounded again.
Blood bloomed on Lieutenant Colonel Gough's chest; he was knocked to the ground by the bullet's momentum, then watched the bodies constantly falling on the road.
A British face also fell on the bridge deck; illuminated by the flare, he could see his sad, struggling eyes in his dying moments—this was Lieutenant Colonel Gough's last memory.
The morning of September 19th, outside Eindhoven.
"Easy Company, gather up, brothers!" Lipton shouted loudly.
"First Platoon, assemble! We're moving out!" Lieutenant Halliger yelled loudly, "Brothers behind, keep up. We're continuing east to Helmond, the picnic's over!"
The brothers of Easy Company picked up their gear and started moving forward. Early in the morning, Winters received orders from Colonel Sink for Easy Company to advance east to Helmond, with the objective of widening the "corridor" section at Eindhoven and engaging the German directly. Accompanying them was an armored company of the British Light Cavalry, who would fight alongside Easy Company in their cromwell cruiser tanks.
"Need a ride?" a British Lieutenant poked his head out of a tank and asked Winters, "Direct to Helmond from Eindhoven, free of charge!"
Winters looked at the British Lieutenant and smiled, "No, thank you. It would be more meaningful for me to walk into Helmond. But you can give the rest of my company a lift!"
The Lieutenant shrugged, indicating he didn't mind.
The brothers of Easy Company had long been impatient. Many climbed onto the tanks, sitting on their backs, even though they had to endure the clanking sounds of the tanks moving, which were even more jarring than walking. Easy Company's brothers marched towards Zundert, covering about 5 kilometers without encountering any resistance. Upon entering Zundert, they once again met cheering Netherlands, who provided water and food to the brothers. This made the brothers very happy.
"How great would it be if the whole process was like this!" soldier James Ellie, his arms full, gnawed on the fruit in his hand with a hint of smugness. Clearly, he was enjoying the process.
"You've taken too much. You'd better share some with others!" Talbert said to him, shaking his head. "We might run into the German, and all these things in your arms will become a burden, even costing you your life!"
Ellie was about to say something when he suddenly heard Nixon whistle beside him, "Wow, this is Vincent Willem Van Gogh's birthplace! I can finally see his former house up close. This is truly wonderful!"
"Captain, what does that guy do?" soldier Rede asked.
"Self-indulgent, willful, sad!" Nixon chuckled, "That's his style, a painter!"
Winters, standing nearby, smiled and added, "Impressionism!"
"Oh, that's quite a name!" Rede muttered, "If I could be as willful as him, my mom would definitely beat me first, then starve me for a few days."
Winters and Nixon exchanged glances, smiled, and said nothing. They walked through the cheering crowd and continued to advance. Van Gogh's hometown had not been ravaged by the German, entirely thanks to Van Gogh's influence on the German.
After Zundert, Easy Company's brothers continued forward as planned, but everyone became cautious, as the closer they got to their destination, the greater the chance of encountering the German.
"Tank! German tank!" soldier Jack Matthews suddenly pointed ahead and shouted frantically.
"Oh, God!" Ellie exclaimed. He was sitting on the back of a cromwell cruiser tank when he heard the exclamation, and then saw a German tank moving about 500 meters ahead. He and the other brothers quickly jumped off the tank and into the deep ditch by the roadside. Then he gasped in shock again.
Then other German tanks seemed to emerge from the bushes. They were lined up, about a dozen of them. Clearly, these were German reinforcement tanks. They drove towards Zundert, making a deafening sound.
"Stay low, stay low!" Ellie constantly admonished himself. Beside him was the new recruit, Sergei, who was nervously staring ahead, then looking at Ellie, gripping his rifle with sweaty hands.
"Damn it, what should we do?" Barry, behind Sergei, kept complaining.
Sergeant Muke spotted a German tank hidden behind a hedge about 100 meters away. A British tank was heading in that direction. Martin ran towards the British tank. He climbed onto the tank and shouted to the commander, "There's an enemy tank down there to the right, behind that hedge!"
The commander looked through his binoculars but only saw a hedge, not the tank. He said to Muck, "Sergeant, I believe what you're saying is true, but I don't see it, so I can't aim accurately. We must keep moving forward!"
"Damn it, you keep moving forward, and you'll see it!" Muck shouted, "But the German tank will definitely spot you too, and they'll destroy you." With that, Muck jumped down and hid to the side. He had already warned these British anyway.
The cromwell cruiser tank continued in its original direction. Clearly, Muck's warning was correct. The German tank spotted them, then adjusted its barrel, as if waiting for a grand feast. The tank suddenly shuddered, and a flash of fire erupted from its barrel.
"Boom—" With a sound, the shell penetrated the British tank's armor. The tank immediately burst into flames.
The second British tank arrived. It hastily fired a shot at the German tank, but missed, blowing the branches off the hedge into the sky. Then the German tank reacted, its barrel already turned.
"Damn it!" Winters shouted, yelling to the brothers around him, "Conceal yourselves, stay low!"
"Boom—" With a sound, this British tank was also blown up. At this moment, the German appeared from nowhere. Under the cover of infantry, they set up 88mm anti-tank guns and opened fire on the British tanks. The fierce artillery fire made it impossible for Winters and his men to lift their heads. Many brothers lay in the ditch, not daring to move.
Suddenly, a huge explosion sounded beside them. When Winters looked up, a British tank had been hit by an 88mm anti-tank gun, caught fire, and detonated the shells inside, blowing the tank into the sky.
"Nixon, we're in trouble!" Winters said to Nixon, frowning, "The British are completely helpless. It seems we can't stay here. We must retreat."
"Boom—" Another shot. Another British tank was hit. The remaining two tanks, seeing the grim situation, turned around and drove towards Zundert. Winters then bent down and shouted to the soldiers in the ditch, "Retreat, retreat, quickly, quickly! We'll retreat behind the tanks. Everyone get out! Quickly, get out of this damn place!"
No sooner had Winters finished speaking than Rogers eagerly scrambled up and ran back, but the German clearly had them targeted. Tank shells, machine gun bullets, and sniper rifle fire rained down on them.
"Whoosh!" Rogers seemed to hear the bullet whistling past, then a numbness in his shoulder. He was hit, and blood gushed out. He couldn't help but let out a piercing scream, "Medic, medic, damn it, hurry up, I'm wounded!"
Medical Officer Luo ran over quickly. Because he was running at the very front, he had to run in reverse, shouting to the panicked retreating brothers as he ran, "Move aside, let me through!"
"God, they hit me. Damn it, those German sons of bitches. They deserve to be stabbed in their asses. These bastards, they hit me, these cowards, these lowlifes." He cursed incessantly, as if to vent all the resentment and fear from being hit, gritting his teeth.
"They've given you a colorful welcome, Rogers!" Lipton rushed over, then looked at him. It wasn't serious, so he shouted, "Matthews, come here, help the Sergeant, we're retreating!"
The German artillery fire was fierce, shells constantly falling around the brothers, and machine gun and rifle bullets whizzing "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" overhead, forcing Easy Company's brothers to keep their backs bent, retreating hunched over.
"Guys, hurry up, don't let the German catch up! Quickly, quickly, they're going to butcher us, damn it, don't straighten your back, Fritsch, get down, get down, do you want to die?" Compton was evacuating the retreating brothers nearby, shouting loudly. He saw soldier Fritsch trying to straighten up, so he rushed over and kicked him. The kick sent him sprawling.
But Compton himself stumbled and fell. He felt a sharp pain in his hip, then reached down and felt a hand full of blood.
"Damn it, I'm hit!" Compton couldn't help but cry out, then Muck swiftly darted over from the side. He saw Compton hit by a bullet and fall down.
"The bullet went right through your ass, Lieutenant!" Muck chuckled, "You're lucky! But your big ass is a bit in the way, I can't move you." Then he shouted to soldier Fritsch, who had just been kicked down by Compton, "Hey, come help, the Lieutenant is wounded!"
"Yes, I'm coming!" Fritsch stammered in reply, but their combined strength was clearly too little. Compton had once been an athlete, and he was genuinely heavy. At that moment, two more brothers ran over. They tried to move Compton, but it was clearly strenuous and extremely slow. The German would catch up.
Compton looked at the four brothers gathered around him and suddenly ordered, "Go, let the German take care of me."
"Lieutenant, you must be out of your mind!" Muck said, seeing a nearby farm, and told Fritsch, "Go get a door from the farm, we'll drag the Lieutenant."
Compton was finally dragged to a retreating British tank and placed face down on its rear. The bullet that hit Compton entered his right buttock, exited, re-entered his left buttock, and then exited again.
"Four holes from one shot, I've seen it all!" Muck checked Compton's wound once more, then chuckled.
"Oh, that's not funny, Muck!" Compton said, "I've got four holes from the German, and you're still laughing at me. This is the unluckiest day I've ever had, not even Normandy was this bad."
"Boom—" Another shell exploded amidst the brothers. Clearly, this shell caused significant casualties among the brothers. New recruit Barry was hit in the chest by shrapnel and died on the spot. Two others had their legs blown off.
"God!" Sergei, watching his brother who had just been joking with him die, climbed onto the tank and continued to tremble uncontrollably as he retreated.
"What's wrong, Sergei?" Muck, who had climbed onto the tank and was sitting beside Sergei, wiped Compton's blood from his injured pants and couldn't help but ask when he saw Sergei trembling incessantly.
"N-nothing, Sergeant!" Sergei wanted to answer completely, but he just couldn't stop trembling.
Muck patted his shoulder and comforted him, "It's alright, Kevin, don't be afraid. We'll be leaving here soon. Relax, Kevin, don't be nervous."
As he spoke, the tank trembled and drove towards Zundert. Thick smoke billowed from the tank's rear, and the brothers of Easy Company were sprawled out, hanging onto the tank as much as possible, silently gazing at the still smoking area. For a moment, no one spoke.
By the time they reached Zundert, dusk had already fallen, and the German advance had halted. Faced with the German tank assault, Winters didn't have much confidence in resisting. He took advantage of the night to quietly withdraw from Zundert, retreating towards Eindhoven. They still camped in the eastern suburbs.
After settling his men down for dinner, Winters went to Battalion HQ. He heard laughter coming from the entrance of Battalion HQ. Then he knocked on the door and walked in, infuriated by the scene before him.
Major Horton and his staff were laughing heartily and enjoying a lavish dinner, clearly in high spirits. Horton saw Winters, turned in his chair, and looked at him with a smile, asking, "Winters, how did it go today?"
Winters' face turned cold, and he replied somewhat stiffly, "Today we suffered a defeat. Twelve brothers were killed or wounded, and four British tanks were destroyed. We couldn't hold Zundert. The Germans have many tanks and infantry, and without tank cover, we had to retreat. Yes, that's the situation."
Immediately, the atmosphere in the room cooled. Major Horton and his staff exchanged glances, falling silent. After a long while, Horton finally put down his stiff knife and fork and gently said to Winters, "You've done your best, don't worry. Winters, talk to your brothers, it's very important!"
Winters pursed his lips, glanced at Horton, and said, "Is there anything else? If not, please allow me to leave first!" With that, he turned and walked out of Battalion HQ without another look at them. Clearly, after his company suffered heavy losses, Winters was very dissatisfied with Horton's performance.
That night, everyone in Easy Company witnessed a massive German Air Force raid on Eindhoven. The British attack troops were stationed in Eindhoven city, but there were no anti-aircraft guns or any equipment to defend against German air raids. Seventy German Air Force planes brazenly first dropped pale yellow flares, then bombed in successive waves.
The flares illuminated the sky over Eindhoven, and the roaring of the planes, along with the immense tremors from the exploding bombs, could be felt by the brothers of Easy Company in the eastern suburbs. They stared dumbfounded at Eindhoven city, which was rapidly turning into a sea of flames, unable to believe what it would be like if they had been stationed in the city.
James Ellie looked at the sea of flames in Eindhoven with lingering fear, muttering, "Holy Mary." He had complained just the night before why they couldn't be stationed in the city to enjoy the delicious food and wine from the enthusiastic Dutch people, and the warm embraces of the girls. Now, he was secretly Rejoice .
Easy Company had suffered a terrible battle near Zundert, losing men and being utterly miserable. Winters led his brothers in a desperate retreat to the eastern suburbs of Eindhoven, and then that night, witnessed Eindhoven turn into a sea of flames under the German air raid. Everyone's hearts were unsettled. They no longer had the optimism that had lasted from the start of the war until yesterday.
While Easy Company suffered a major setback, the British at Arnhem Bridge also sustained huge losses. Because the three attacks over the previous two days had caused immense casualties for the British, they were now completely incapable of launching further attacks against the Germans. However, the Germans now had the strength to attack the British.
The death of Lieutenant Colonel Gough was a severe blow to Brigadier General John Frost; he even considered giving up and retreating from the bridgehead. The four British battalions involved in capturing the bridge had been decimated. Out of a total of over two thousand men, only five hundred remained. They led these 500 remnants, consolidating their forces and retreating to Oosterbeek village, three miles north of the bridge. Brigadier General John Frost refused to retreat; he continued to hold the bridge with six hundred men from the Second Parachute Battalion.
The Germans clearly would not be lenient. They too had suffered heavy losses in the British's suicidal attack last night. Although their losses were less than the British, it enraged Lieutenant General Wilhelm Bittrich, the commanding officer. He decided to retaliate against the British, give them a taste of their own medicine, and simultaneously recapture the bridgehead north of the bridge, which was still occupied by the British.
The officer in charge of this attack was Colonel Haines of the SS Ninth Panzer Division. He stood in front of an armored vehicle, raised his binoculars, observed the bridgehead for a while, then turned to his subordinate, Lieutenant Colonel Lisbon, and said, "The British are hidden in the buildings. They will certainly be on high alert. What we need to do is destroy those buildings one by one and then drive them out."
"That's a good idea. The British, without cover, are like ducks waiting to be slaughtered; we can butcher them at will!" Lieutenant Colonel Lisbon seemed very optimistic.
"No, even then, they won't be easy to deal with. These British are very stubborn, and they possess astonishingly foolish bravery." Colonel Haines clearly took the British more seriously; he showed no carelessness.
"Tell all attacking soldiers that buildings containing British must be ruthlessly destroyed!" Colonel Haines gave the order, then mounted his combat vehicle. He forcefully waved his hand forward. The vehicle's body trembled slightly, then it spearheaded the charge, followed by various light armored vehicles and Panther tanks.
"The Germans are coming! Colonel, get our men ready!" Brigadier General John Frost said to a Colonel beside him. This Colonel was Price David, an Irishman, who was originally Lieutenant Colonel Gough's subordinate. However, after Lieutenant Colonel Gough was killed in action, Brigadier General John Frost appointed him to take over Lieutenant Colonel Gough's position.
"Yes, General!" Colonel David nodded, then relayed the order.
The British paratroopers nervously watched the German armored vehicles approaching the bridge. The German soldiers on the armored vehicles, and their grim faces from tension, made everyone's hearts pound faster.
"God, are the Germans planning to wipe us all out?" a British soldier lying at a window said to his equally nervous comrade beside him, "They're coming fiercely." He licked his lips, then his hand involuntarily tightened its grip on his rifle.
"We'll take them out!" His comrade seemed to be trying to encourage himself. But his words clearly lacked conviction; even he didn't believe them.
"Bang!" Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from the British lines; someone, due to extreme nervousness, had pulled the Trigger.
"Hold your fire, damn it!" Colonel David yelled towards where the shot came from.
The German armored convoy was already in sight. The rumbling sound of the armored vehicles driving on the bridge created immense pressure on the paratroopers. They kept their mouths shut, their eyes wide, just waiting for the order to fire.
Clearly, the German forces also spotted some hidden British troops, and they opened fire.
"Boom—" With a loud bang, a shell passed through the wall and exploded inside. Several British soldiers hidden in the residential room screamed, thrown out of the shattered ruins by the blast wave, and were quickly hit by the armored vehicle's machine gun fire, collapsing to the ground.
"Steady, steady! Wait for them to get closer!" Brigadier General John Frost raised his hand, continuously reminding them. And Colonel David also kept repeating the order; the German forces had not yet entered the effective range of the anti-tank rockets.
"Boom—" The German forces kept firing, their shells continuously destroying nearby buildings, and machine guns incessantly swept, claiming the lives of those British soldiers who had lost their cover.
"Fire!" Brigadier General John Frost finally slammed his hand down and shouted loudly. Several rockets were fired from different angles towards the German armored vehicles.
With several "Booms!" the leading German armored vehicles immediately burst into flames. A group of German soldiers on the armored vehicles tried to jump off, but were quickly shot dead by the British. The destroyed armored vehicles blocked the path of the armored vehicles behind them. They were stuck. And this was the perfect opportunity for the British to counterattack.
"Destroy that armored vehicle." Brigadier General John Frost suddenly pointed at a leading armored vehicle that was stuck. It was trying to reverse and retreat. Brigadier General John Frost saw the person with his upper body exposed from the armored vehicle through his binoculars; it was a Colonel commander. So he pointed at that armored vehicle and loudly told two rocket launcher soldiers beside him, "It's yours, destroy it!"
With a "Whoosh!" a rocket, trailing smoke, flew towards that armored vehicle. Then there was a huge explosion, the armored vehicle was hit and caught fire. The German Colonel tried to crawl out. At this moment, Brigadier General John Frost grabbed a soldier's rifle beside him, aimed, and pulled the Trigger.
With a "Bang!" the German Colonel fell from the armored vehicle like a wooden stake. Lieutenant Colonel Lisbon, on an armored vehicle behind him, saw it and quickly ran towards Colonel Haines. He tried to drag him back, but he didn't know that Brigadier General John Frost's shot had hit his neck, piercing his artery.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Continuous gunshots rang out. Brigadier General John Frost accurately hit Lieutenant Colonel Lisbon, who had come to rescue. He watched from afar as the rescuing Lieutenant Colonel clutched his chest, fell sideways beside the Colonel, and lay motionless.
Although the German artillery fire was very fierce, the British stubbornly resisted their attack. With the deaths of Colonel Haines and Lieutenant Colonel Lisbon, the German forces finally turned their vehicles around and sped towards the southern end of the bridge; they retreated. They left behind more than a dozen destroyed armored vehicles, burning fiercely and emitting thick smoke on the bridge.
"It's simply insane!" Welsh, observing from nearby, couldn't help but shake his head. Clearly, such a brutal battle, even in Normandy, he had never encountered. This was a direct frontal charge. "Do we still have to wait?" He said this to Parks.
Parks looked at him, then looked at his brothers behind him, who were all nervously staring at him, and smiled, "No, it's our turn! Starting tonight, this battle belongs to us. This time, we'll make both the Germans and the British remember us, Harry, are you ready?"
The German attack was repelled, and both the German and British forces suffered heavy losses in this offensive.
The German did not give up easily; later, they launched another attack, this time changing their charging strategy.
After the morning's failed and costly offensive, the German became cautious; they used artillery and mortars to bombard the British paratroopers' strongholds one by one with fierce firepower, and then sent troops to engage in close combat with the remaining paratroopers in the strongholds.
However, the more than 600 British soldiers led by Brigadier General John Frost bravely resisted, turning every building into a fortress for attacking the German, causing the German to suffer heavy casualties once again.
The fierce fighting between the two sides gradually subsided as night fell.
But Brigadier General John Frost's troops were compressed into a few buildings; some soldiers were hiding in windows or basements, preparing for their last stand.
Brigadier General John Frost's face was scarred; he was in the basement with some wounded soldiers, while Colonel David, whose leg was shot and made him immobile, lay in the basement, his face covered in dust, looking somewhat dejected.
"We've contacted Division HQ!" At this moment, a signalman suddenly shouted, turning to Brigadier General John Frost and excitedly exclaiming, "General, we have made contact with Division HQ, it's General Urquhart! Do you want to speak with him?"
"Oh, of course!" This news injected Brigadier General John Frost with a shot of excitement.
He picked up the radio and loudly said, "Is that General Urquhart? This is Brigadier General John Frost, we are currently holding the Arnhem Bridge and hope to receive your reinforcement! We desperately need it; we lack everything here: anti-tank weapons, mortars, machine guns, and food.
A large amount, we need a large amount."
"I'm afraid I can't bring you those, Brigadier General John Frost!" General Urquhart's voice came from the other end, sounding very tired.
"We have been surrounded by the German; when the Polish paratroopers air-dropped at noon, they were routed by the German and fled, abandoning all their supplies.
I don't know whether I should meet you or you should meet me!"
The smile on Brigadier General John Frost's face instantly froze, and he hesitated for a long time before saying, "Then… General, what else can you bring us?"
"I'm afraid nothing but the courage to inspire you!" General Urquhart's tone seemed very helpless.
They had been surrounded by the German in the small village of Oosterbeek; under the fierce bombardment of German tanks and artillery, they were powerless to attend to any other units.
The entire Division HQ, gathered here, numbered less than five thousand men.
"Are there any good news then?" Brigadier General John Frost asked again, despite his disappointment.
"Good news? Well, the Polish will send their First Parachute Brigade to assist us again, but the premise is that they can cross the Rhine River.
Of course, if that counts as good news!" General Urquhart spoke with some helplessness.
The Polish were, in fact, not very reliable.
They were gathered west of the Rhine River, trying to find a way to cross, but in reality, they had no way at all.
"God Save the King!" General Urquhart finally said after a long pause.
"God Save the King!" Brigadier General John Frost also said blankly.
Courage? Division HQ could bring him nothing, not even courage; now, all the remaining soldiers were just over four hundred.
Night quietly fell.
The German did not attack; they surrounded Brigadier General John Frost's few remaining strongholds, so the British could not slip away quietly, and by day, they could easily and comfortably crush them.
"When it's light, take the remaining soldiers and surrender to the German!" Brigadier General John Frost looked sadly at Colonel David, who was lying wounded opposite him, and said, "We've lost enough men.
But we still failed."
"General, let us cover your breakout!" Colonel David suddenly sat up and said to Brigadier General John Frost, "Or, while it's still dark, let us cover your breakout towards Oosterbeek village; Division HQ is still there."
"Impossible!" Brigadier General John Frost said, "That would mean breaking through two layers of encirclement, and it's clear the German won't let us succeed easily, and I cannot let my brothers sacrifice for me again.
They have done their best, and the British Empire will be proud of them.
People will remember them, absolutely!"
"I'm sorry, General, I'm afraid I cannot agree to such a thing!" Colonel David shook his head, "Let's prepare for the final battle!
This way, if anyone talks about us later, they will surely say, don't blame them, they have done their best."
Brigadier General John Frost did not speak.
He tacitly agreed with Colonel David's words, then looked around the basement; many wounded and soldiers who had hidden there were looking at him, their eyes devoid of fear, very calm.
Yes, they had endured such brutal combat, seeing their brothers fall one by one before them; what more could they fear?
South of the bridge, a patrol car continuously patrolled near the bridge, with a huge searchlight mounted on it, constantly sweeping the bridge deck and the Rhine River water.
Occasionally, a team of German patrols roamed nearby.
"Our targets are the German ammunition depot and fuel depot," Parks said to the brothers gathered around, then pointed to a hand-drawn map, "These are the German's lifelines; without them, the German tanks and artillery will be a pile of scrap metal.
The location marked by the Dutch is very accurate; Webster, Liebgott, and I have repeatedly confirmed it."
"How many German are guarding it?" Welsh raised a question.
"About a platoon's strength," Parks glanced at Welsh, "Roughly a platoon's strength at each of the ammunition depot and fuel depot; it's not very specific, and it will definitely change these days.
The German are fighting very hard over at the bridge, with heavy casualties, so perhaps the numbers will even decrease!"
"Alright, this is our chance! We will take them by surprise; taking them out won't be a problem!" Welsh nodded, "The ammunition depot is mine; I'll take men and sort it out!" As he spoke, he raised a hand.
"Excellent, you lead a team to do it; Liebgott is under your command, he speaks German and is familiar with the roads, so he can be useful!" Parks nodded and said, "Harry, make sure every brother you lead carries an anti-tank rocket launcher.
Destroying German vehicles with German weapons will be a very interesting thing."
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Welsh nodded and smiled, "I agree!"
"After we blow up the German fuel and ammunition depots, the German will definitely counterattack furiously.
We will move in the opposite direction; the bridge's defense will certainly be weak, and we will occupy the southern end of the bridge.
This will attract the German troops attacking the north side of the bridge to return for reinforcement, successfully rescuing the British on the north side of the bridge."
"Good idea!" Welsh chuckled, "When do we start the operation?"
Parks looked at his pocket watch, smiled slightly, and said, "Operation at midnight; we demand speed, like a panther, agile and fast, delivering a fatal blow to the opponent, and then quickly withdrawing.
Do not get entangled with the German in offensive and defensive battles.
So this time, our operation is Operation Panther."
"Got it, Reese!" Welsh was very excited, "I know what to do.
Operation Panther? A very good name, it will surely make the German wet their pants." Then he started gathering his men.
But he forgot one thing: what would they do after the German from the north side of the bridge returned for reinforcement?
Should they fight to the death with the German on the south side of the bridge, and then suffer a pincer attack from the German who had realized their mistake?
"Will this plan work?" Webster whispered to Liebgott with some concern.
"Listening to the Lieutenant is not wrong." Although Liebgott didn't know if it would succeed, what he thought of now was to obey the Lieutenant's command, and perhaps it could succeed.
"Does everyone understand?" Parks said to the brothers gathered around.
"Understood!" The scattered voices of thirty-something people came, and it was clear their confidence was not very high, although they trusted Parks enough, after all, this was German territory, and their stronghold at that.
Time passed bit by bit, and every brother in First Platoon changed their camouflage; they wore grass, branches, and leaves on their hats, then lay quietly, waiting for the final order.
The waiting time felt very long to them, yet it also seemed like it would arrive at any moment.
Parks took one last look at his pocket watch, then put it into his pocket, and said to Welsh, "Alright! First the ammunition depot, then the fuel depot." Then he quietly shouted, "Move, brothers, cheer up!" As he spoke, he took the lead and ran out of the woods.
Landers followed closely behind Parks; despite a strenuous run, he didn't seem very tired, which was where the Easy Company brothers were far stronger than other companies.
It was also the result of Parks' effective training.
The German fuel depot was in an open area, surrounded by woods, with a winding road passing through the woods to reach the fuel depot.
Parks and his men had left the main road and were advancing through the woods, quickly approaching the fuel depot.
The fuel depot was about a hundred meters from the open area of the woods, and around the fuel depot were German machine gun positions.
Dim yellow lights were lit there.
The machine gunners were not staying in the sandbagged positions but stood aside, chatting and loitering.
"Truly foolish German!" Parks couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle softly, "Clearly, they don't know how to protect themselves.
These are good targets, aren't they?"
"Why are they doing that? Do they really think there's no danger here?" Guarnere quietly asked, puzzled.
"Clearly they're not as smart as us!" White's voice came from behind him.
"Rifles!" Parks said, "Listen to my command, Guarnere, you take a few men and aim at the machine gunner on the left; Landers, you lead a few brothers and aim at the machine gunner on the right.
White, first on the left; Patrick Christenson, second on the left; Hubler, first on the right.
Then, listen for my gunshot, fire, and occupy the machine gun bunkers.
The remaining brothers follow Lieutenant Martin, assault the barracks on the right side of the fuel depot, starting with grenades."
After Parks finished speaking, he raised his m1 garand rifle and slowly aimed.
The German under the muzzle in the middle, in the dim yellow light, appeared quite clear; they were laughing and talking to each other, looking very leisurely.
Under the sight, that figure grew larger and larger in Parks' pupils, and then he decisively pulled the Trigger.
"Bang—" With a crisp sound, the m1 garand rifle's clear report was very abrupt in the night sky.
Blood bloomed from the German's head, and then he fell headfirst, while the German he was talking to was at a loss, about to shout, but then dense gunshots of "bang bang bang" rang out all around, and they were quickly hit and fell.
A German tried to run towards the machine gun bunker, but just as he took a step, he was shot in the back and fell headfirst.
The machine gunners at all three machine gun positions were all killed in a volley of bullets.
"Go!" Parks shouted loudly.
He led the brothers who had just fired and dashed towards the machine gun positions, while Sergeant Martin led the remaining brothers, running desperately towards the barracks.
The German were startled awake, the lights in the barracks came on, followed by their noisy shouts and yells.
"Grenades!" Martin shouted loudly; German were already rushing out of the barracks with rifles.
"Boom—" Continuous explosions rang out in front of the barracks.
The German soldiers who had just rushed out were knocked down by grenades, and at this moment, more German soldiers rushed out.
They didn't even have time to put on their clothes, only wearing shorts and vests, they rushed out with their guns.
The rifle in Martin's hand fired, and his brothers behind him also opened fire.
The fierce shooting, like a storm, wiped out the group of German soldiers who rushed out, some of whom were even hit by bullets as soon as they reached the doorway.
Just then, Parks and his men had already occupied the machine gun bunker, turned the muzzles, and aimed at the barracks.
As soon as Martin saw this, he shouted, "Grenades, again! Throw them into the barracks!"
Dark grenades rained down into the barracks, and then all the team members quickly retreated to the side of the barracks.
They cleared a path for Parks's machine gun position.
Then they also held their guns on the side, waiting.
"Boom—" Continuous explosions rang out inside the barracks.
Screams of German soldiers came from inside the barracks.
Then a group of German soldiers were driven out by grenades like ducks, some of them didn't even have rifles in their hands, coming out with empty hands, they raised their hands high, shouting loudly in gibberish.
But some German soldiers held rifles, wanting to surrender and wanting to fight to the death, getting mixed up.
Parks had no time to gather prisoners, which meant that no matter what kind of German soldier, they all had to die.
"Fire!" Parks calmly gave the order.
The sound of the MG42 seemed to tear people's hearts in the air.
Bullets rained down, sweeping the German soldiers, they didn't even have time to fire a single bullet before they were mowed down by the machine gun.
Their bodies were hit by bullets, splashing high blood, their bodies trembling, like drunken men swaying back and forth.
"God, God!" Miller, while firing, opened his eyes in horror, muttering non-stop, obviously, this scene, a one-sided close-range massacre, completely shocked him.
"Ceasefire, ceasefire!" Parks shouted loudly.
Sergeant Martin also made a ceasefire gesture and shouted loudly.
After the brothers had fired to their heart's content, they felt a bit out of control.
"This is war! Rookie!" Guarnere walked past Miller, snorting at him angrily, "If it were against us, the German soldiers wouldn't be soft either."
Miller opened his mouth, looking at Guarnere's back, but couldn't say a word.
"Martin, take the explosives and blow up all the German fuel depots.
We want to turn the German tanks into scrap metal." Parks shouted, "Now Harry should be acting too!"
As soon as his voice fell, he heard intense gunfire, followed by explosions, obviously, as Parks was speaking, Welsh had acted.
"Should we go help them?" Guarnere walked over, at this time, he felt sincere admiration for Parks's successful attack on the German soldiers again and successful control of the fuel depot, and his words unconsciously carried a hint of expectation.
This guy wanted to attack again under Parks's leadership.
Parks smiled slightly and said, "No need.
No matter whether Harry succeeds or not, we can't go over.
Now the German soldiers are probably alarmed, and they will mobilize large forces for reinforcement.
Think about it, how can they sleep when there are gunshots and artillery fire from such an important place?
This is simply a nightmare for them!"
Guarnere nodded and said, "The brothers just counted, there are nearly a hundred German soldiers here, almost a company.
Heaven, we actually wiped them all out.
This is truly a great victory."
"The great victory is yet to come, Guarnere!" Parks finished speaking, then shouted towards the fuel depot, "Martin, we don't have time, hurry up."
Martin led his brothers out of the fuel depot, then said to Parks, "All ready! Can explode at any time!"
"Alright, brothers, let's go quickly, don't let the German soldiers surround us!" With that, Parks rushed quickly towards the bridge.
Obviously, this time they were going to take a shortcut, presumably German tanks and trucks were speeding along the main road.
"Boom—" A huge bang, then bright red flames soared into the sky, followed by a series of explosions, illuminating the entire sky above the fuel depot crimson, almost lighting up half the sky.
The raging fire even ignited the forest a hundred meters away, making crackling burning sounds.
This fire stunned all the German soldiers.
"Hurry, hurry, damn it, it must be the British." A German SS Colonel waved his arm and roared on the armored vehicle.
He seemed to be venting, seeing victory about to slip away from his grasp.
They almost only needed one day to annihilate all the British soldiers north of the bridge, but now it seemed the situation was bad.
"Sir, it's already been destroyed!" A Captain couldn't help but murmur to him.
"I know, but we must advance, don't let those damned British soldiers escape!" The Colonel said fiercely, then stared at the Captain in confusion, "But why is there still gunfire?"
The Captain was stunned, and couldn't help but smile, "It's not from the fuel depot, sir, it's from somewhere else." Then he suddenly widened his eyes, looking at the place where sporadic gunfire was coming from, and cried out, "It's the ammunition depot, sir.
The British are attacking the ammunition depot!"
"I heard it!" The German SS Colonel roared, "Let's go to the ammunition depot quickly, don't let the British succeed, damn it, these cowards, hurry up!" With that, the tank re-adjusted its direction and sped towards the ammunition depot.
Less than two miles after Parks left, he faintly heard the sound of German tanks and trucks from the side.
Parks nodded to Martin, and whispered, "The German soldiers have gone to the ammunition depot, I hope Welsh can complete the mission.
We cannot stop, continue to maintain our marching speed, the time has come to test us!"
Parks was right, the German soldiers rushed frantically towards the ammunition depot.
They couldn't let anything happen to the ammunition depot, otherwise, this battle couldn't be fought anymore.
"Boom—" A huge explosion rang out, almost shaking the entire southern bank of Arnhem, and a huge air wave quickly swept across the entire area, like an earthquake, and then explosions followed one after another.
Everyone turned their heads to look.
"They succeeded!" Guarnere excitedly said to Parks, "Boss, they succeeded, I knew they could do it, this is great, God, we really did it.
Boss!"
Parks looked back at the road there, then smiled slightly and said, "The German soldiers will definitely rush over to put out the fire.
We not only destroyed their lifeline but also diverted them from the bridge, luring the tiger out of its mountain lair, it seems the German soldiers will be busy today!
Guys, hurry up!"
"Yes, Boss!" Many people answered like this.
Obviously, Parks was the Boss in their hearts, and one battle could establish Parks's supreme position in their hearts.
This was also an excellent way to boost their morale.
Huge, continuous explosions erupted on the south bank of the bridge, followed by raging fires.
Obviously, all of this could not be concealed from Brigadier General John Frost, who was trapped north of the bridge, nor from General Urquhart, who was trapped in Oosterbeek.
They all crawled out of their bunkers, hid among the ruins, and observed this astonishing scene with binoculars.
Even without binoculars, it could be seen that many British soldiers also crawled out and saw all of this.
"It's German territory." Brigadier General John Frost said to Colonel David, who had also run out beside him.
"God, what happened there?" Colonel David secretly cried out.
Brigadier General John Frost suddenly smiled triumphantly at him and said, "You know what kind of explosion would have such enormous power?
David, we have hope.
I just don't know which unit attacked the German soldiers and cut off their lifeline."
"Is it… is it the ammunition depot?" Colonel David cried out in surprise.
"Yes!" Brigadier General John Frost chuckled, "And the fuel depot.
The ammunition depot only has the power of the explosion, but only the fuel depot can create this raging, long-lasting fire.
David, tell the brothers to prepare, maybe tomorrow, the situation will turn around.
Our chance has come, we can hold the bridge."
Brigadier General John Frost's guess was correct.
His good mood was also General Urquhart's good mood now.
He couldn't help but whistle in front of his subordinates, "Whose troops are these?
I will reward them heavily.
We have hope." He turned to a Captain next to him and smiled, "Tell the brothers, tomorrow we prepare to break through, and, occupy that bridge."
"This… what's going on?" A Sergeant next to General Urquhart looked at him in surprise; they were surrounded now, and he actually wanted to break through, and even occupy the bridge, which was a bit incredible!
"The German ammunition depot and fuel depot were blown up by us!" General Urquhart couldn't help but smile; for the past few days, he had almost always looked worried, rarely smiling, and now his subordinates were undoubtedly infected by his optimistic mood.
General Urquhart happily walked back into the Division HQ command post, followed by some operations staff officers, all with joyful expressions on their faces, obviously, this undoubtedly greatly boosted their morale.
"Have you contacted the Polish soldiers?" General Urquhart said to a Captain who was fiddling with communication equipment.
"No, General!" The Captain was a little nervous, because every time he answered like this, General Urquhart would scold him, although it was just collateral damage, it was enough for him to suffer.
"It's alright, keep trying to contact them!" General Urquhart, uncharacteristically, smiled at him this time.
This made the Captain feel flattered, and he was still a bit slow to react.
"Didn't you hear what I said, Captain, keep trying to contact them!" General Urquhart was unusually good-tempered at this time.
"Yes, General!" The Captain secretly called out to the Virgin Mary, then turned and continued to call the Polish paratroopers.
"Gentlemen, should we start planning our counterattack for tomorrow?" General Urquhart looked at the staff officers gathered around the huge military map and smiled.
"General, don't we need to wait for the Polish soldiers?" A Major General staff officer said.
"No, no need to wait!" General Urquhart smiled slightly at him, "Now it can be confirmed that the German army has lost their ammunition depot and fuel depot and are in a panic, and the German soldiers surrounding us will withdraw, they can no longer endure a long battle.
We can completely rely on our own strength!"