Parks had only shared some preliminary thoughts, which were far from complete.
However, even that small bit gave Winters some hope.
He didn't immediately discuss it with Lieutenant Colonel Chase; instead, he worked with Nixon to refine the plan, and of course, he also invited Parks and Welsh to participate in the detailed formulation process.
But Welsh still had to manage the Easy Company headquarters, so he could only excuse himself and return to Easy Company, which he deeply regretted.
They didn't have much time left.
Parks simply stayed in Winters' office at the Battalion HQ.
Chilinsky brought over steaming hot coffee, then looked at Parks and tentatively asked, "Bacon sandwich?"
"Excellent!" Parks looked up from the map and gave him a slight smile.
They had been discussing for two hours, staring intently at the map and rapidly brainstorming, which indeed made him feel a bit tired.
The three of them took the opportunity to drink coffee and relax.
"If it weren't for Reese's suggestion, I would at least never think of it this way: launching an attack with a smaller force against a stronger one, just to pressure the opponent into attacking!"
Nixon took a sip of coffee, shook his head, then pulled out his flask, unscrewed the cap, and took a drink.
"This is still better! I suspect my taste has been spoiled by good whiskey!"
"Your stomach will be spoiled by it too!" Parks took a sip of coffee.
"Reese, if the German really turns defense into offense, I think this will be the toughest battle yet."
Winters took a sip of coffee, his eyes still fixed on the map, and slowly said.
"We have no choice.
At least we have to keep the initiative in our own hands to turn the tide a little."
Parks said, then suddenly fell silent.
Winters and Nixon were about to listen to his insights, but then they saw him furrowing his brow at the map, clearly pondering something and ignoring their previous conversation.
Nixon was about to speak to him when he saw Winters gesturing to him, signaling him to be quiet and not interrupt Parks' thoughts.
It seemed Parks might have some new discovery.
Unconsciously, a cup of coffee had been finished.
Parks still held the cup in his hand.
Then he slowly relaxed his brow, smiled faintly, and shook his head.
"Any new discoveries?" Winters watched as Parks' brow unfurrowed.
"I thought of some interesting things, but—" Parks couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "—I don't think Colonel Sink will be interested in these things."
"Why don't you tell me?" Winters looked at him with great expectation.
"Very much looking forward to it!" Nixon raised his flask to him, then took a big gulp.
"Let's end this damn discussion soon, my head is about to explode."
"That's why you've always been an intelligence officer!" Winters couldn't help but joke.
Parks smiled slightly and said, "It's like this.
Currently, the 506th Regiment has nine companies.
First Battalion and Second Battalion have a total of six companies.
Third Battalion is the reserve battalion, so why can't we let one company participate in the coordinated attack with the British artillery?
Once the German launches a counterattack and shifts from defense to offense, they would quickly retreat.
Then, two companies from Third Battalion would link up with them to intercept the German head-on.
After that, we'd position four companies along the German's inevitable attack route, flanking them from both sides."
Parks spoke with increasing excitement, pointing at the map.
"I just looked at the map carefully and found that the German's attack route will be very singular; they will have to advance along the riverbed and then cross the levee.
And our best ambush points are on both sides of the levee.
We can flank them.
The German will surely think our main force is here and will definitely turn around to try and eliminate us.
At that moment, there will be another company waiting for an opportunity to strike the turning German head-on, catching them by surprise."
Winters looked at Parks, stunned for a long time, unable to utter a word.
"What kind of tactic is this?" Nixon also looked at Parks in surprise.
"Pocketing the Snake Tactic!" Parks laughed.
"When a snake attacks us, we first strike its middle section, and then the snake's head will inevitably turn back.
That's when we strike the head hard."
In reality, this tactic was very simple and effective; at least in his previous life, it was a secret weapon used by the Korean volunteers against the American.
Now, he had to use it to help the American out of their predicament!
Parks couldn't help but find it very amusing.
However, he wasn't optimistic about the implementation of his tactic this time.
After all, the American now heavily relied on positional attacks launched with artillery and tanks; they didn't believe that fighting on the move would achieve any results.
After all, this had never been done before, while artillery-style offensives had repeatedly brought them success.
"A very interesting idea!" Winters pursed his lips and finally spoke.
To be honest, he was a bit disappointed, not because the plan was bad, but because it was simply impossible to implement.
Even the idea of disrupting the German's attack time by attacking, as discussed by the others earlier, carried a certain degree of risk, and he couldn't expect Colonel Sink to necessarily agree.
When Parks heard Winters say that, he knew he wouldn't agree to such a plan, and he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
If the arrogant American had suffered such a huge loss from this tactic on the Korean battlefield, they would reflect and then possibly thoroughly value such tactics.
So Parks closed his mouth and stopped talking about these things.
When the three of them discussed again, their ideas became much simpler.
Basically, all the details of the plan were finalized.
Regardless of the outcome, Parks felt that he had simply done his best.
A combat plan for the German attack, devised by Winters for Second Battalion, was submitted to the battalion headquarters.
Colonel Sink was clearly very interested in this plan.
However, he also noticed that, in addition to the plan, there was an attachment.
This attachment was added by Winters after much consideration, in addition to the original plan he had formulated.
This was what Parks referred to as the so-called "Pocketing the Snake Tactic."
He did not submit it as the main document, but only as an attachment.
It was not meant to offer a choice, but to provide a reference.
After all, adopting such a tactic was not something the American could accept at present.
"What is this? Another combat plan?" Colonel Sink smiled and shook his head, handing the attachment to Lieutenant Colonel Strayer.
To be honest, he was mainly drawn to Winters' original plan, but he also considered the risks involved, which made him hesitant.
As for the attachment, he quickly skimmed it.
To be honest, it was very innovative.
But innovation doesn't mean it can be executed.
So he quickly discarded it and handed it to Lieutenant Colonel Strayer to handle.
"Good idea!" Lieutenant Colonel Strayer chuckled, then looked at Colonel Sink and said, "Why don't we try it this way?
Perhaps we can even completely defeat the German!"
"No, no, don't even think about it!" Colonel Sink shook his head and said, "Without enough firepower and enough manpower, we absolutely cannot do this, buddy!"
It was clear he also saw the limitations of this tactic, which was that during head-on interception and flanking maneuvers, there had to be a guaranteed advantage, either in firepower or manpower.
Manpower was out of the question, and even for firepower, how much could an ambushing unit provide?
The reason Colonel Sink was not interested in this plan was precisely because of this.
This was a common flaw among American generals.
They would only execute such a plan when they had an absolute advantage.
If they were facing a defeated and fleeing German division, perhaps he would consider it.
Parks knew that this plan would not be approved; taking risks was indeed part of warfare.
However, this did not align with the prevailing views within the American military.
"Oh, it seems the plan wasn't very smooth!" Welsh looked at Parks' expression and couldn't help but chuckle.
"The look on your face makes it easy to guess the outcome of the plan!"
"Yes, but it's nothing!" Parks shook his head and smiled.
"I knew this would be the result, so I'm not disappointed!"
"They are very bureaucratic?"
"No, it's that my plan is too risky!" Parks nodded.
Welsh listened and chuckled, "That's their usual way of thinking.
God, if it were General Taylor, he might agree, but now Colonel Sink is in charge.
To be honest, he's an excellent regimental commander, but he will absolutely not become an excellent division commander!"
"It's not his fault!" Parks had no desire to speak.
"Alright, let's have a drink!
To hell with those plans!" Welsh took out two glasses and poured a drink for each of them.
"To the plan!" Welsh said.
"No, to face the most difficult moment!" Parks gave a bitter smile.
The first day passed very peacefully.
The German did not immediately use their superior forces to attack the 506th Regiment's defense line.
They maintained silence.
This, instead, made Colonel Sink even more uneasy.
He began to consider the feasibility of Winters' plan.
After all, enduring unpredictable blows while waiting makes one's emotions easily sensitive and anxious.
"Can we attack them?" This was the third time Colonel Sink had consulted Colonel Strehl on this question.
"What did General Taylor say?" Lieutenant Colonel Strayer knew that Colonel Sink had submitted this combat plan to General Taylor.
Sink suddenly shook his head and gave a bitter smile.
"General Taylor said it's up to us to decide!"
"That's truly nonsense!" Lieutenant Colonel Strayer shook his head and laughed.
"Perhaps we can wait a bit longer; the situation might become clearer, and then we can make a decision—"
"That doesn't sound like you!" Sink shook his head and said, "We've already lost our composure, and this might be the result the German commander wants, as it would surely make their efforts more effective."
"Alright, I agree to that plan." Strehl seemed to have made up his mind.
"If you insist on me helping you make the decision!"
"That's what I thought too!" Sink suddenly chuckled.
"The German will surely be very surprised."
The order was quickly issued, and this action indeed brought unexpected results for the 506th Regiment, all stemming from their hesitation on the first day.
However, no matter how one looked at it, it seemed like an irony.
The German attack was set for dawn on October 14th. However, the entire 506th Regiment was unaware; Colonel Sink was still guessing when the Germans would attack. He didn't know the German was already fully prepared. Obviously, if this situation was overlooked, the 506th Regiment would suffer a major blow.
At 3 AM on October 14, 1944, Parks still sent Sergeant Youman, soldier Ellie, soldier Stafford, and Rede to set up a post in a house near a windmill on the south side of the dike. The building was located by a north-south road that led north to the ferry crossing by the river and south to the village of Nijmegen.
The patrol arrived at the roadside. Sergeant Youman said to Stafford, "Go check on top of the dike. We need to set up a post nearby. We have to be careful of the German."
"Yes, Sergeant!" Stafford was a disciplined soldier who followed orders very well. He quickly climbed up the dike's ditch. When he was about to reach the top of the dike, he quickly lay down and then crawled along the ground of the dike to the top. He took a look and couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Damn." Although it was dark, he could still make out several German on the dike, patrolling. What surprised him even more was that there was a German machine gun position there. The machine gun was set up at the intersection of the road leading to the ferry crossing and the dike.
"The German are up there!" Stafford was a little flustered. He gestured behind him and then slowly tried to retreat to his original position. But he was nervous and accidentally kicked a stone, making a sound.
"Damn it!" He couldn't help but yell and then quickly ran towards Sergeant Youman. The German obviously noticed him and then discovered Sergeant Youman and the other three behind him. They threw grenades.
"Grenade!" Sergeant Youman yelled and then lay flat on the ground.
Several explosions boomed around Stafford. Stafford had just run a few steps when he felt a warm gush of blood from his neck.
"I'm hit!" He yelled, quickly falling to the ground.
The German started shooting in their direction. Machine gun bullets quickly swept towards them, interspersed with the sound of rifles. Bullets whizzed over Sergeant Youman and their heads, forcing them to keep their heads down.
"Rede, pull Stafford over. Damn it, what's wrong with him?" Sergeant Youman yelled hoarsely. He crawled over, pulled Stafford, and found him twitching continuously. Blood was gushing from his neck.
"God, he's hit!" Ellie and Rede also crawled over, and then the three of them worked together to pull Stafford over and roll him down into the dike's ditch, which was the only place they could avoid the German's gunfire.
"Go, go, go." Sergeant Youman yelled, "Let's retreat, back to the company HQ, quickly!"
"God, how many German are there? We can't see clearly!" Ellie didn't dare to look back, but he couldn't help but exclaim. The German's firepower was very fierce. It was far more than what a patrol could handle.
"Don't worry about that." Sergeant Youman and his men dragged Stafford quickly towards the company HQ. "We need to get back to the company HQ alive. Quickly, Ellie. Rede, you cover the rear!"
"Alright, it's me again, Sergeant!" Rede turned around, wanting to fire a burst at the German. He was really annoyed at being suppressed by the German.
"Bang!" He fired one shot, then emptied all the bullets in his rifle in one go. But before he could change the magazine, a bullet flew over and hit his left rib.
"Ah—God, I'm hit too, they shot me!" Rede yelled loudly. He fell into the ditch, trying to get up, but he felt a sharp pain in his left rib, as if something was tearing at his lungs, making it impossible for him to breathe.
"Damn it!" Sergeant Youman now felt that leading this patrol was really too bad. He said to Ellie, "You go help him, Stafford is on me!"
Ellie deftly helped Rede up, but he held Rede's left arm, trying to hoist him onto his shoulder, but this touched Rede's wound, causing him to scream and sweat to break out on his head.
Rede gasped violently, then yelled at Ellie, "Are you trying to help the German kill me? Damn it, my left rib is injured, you should support my right arm, buddy, I won't forgive you!"
"Let's just go back first, Rede, if you can shut your mouth! I don't mind letting you kick me back at the company HQ, you idiot, hurry up!" Ellie turned around, took his arm, hunched over, and retreated step by step towards the company HQ.
This patrol felt really terrible. Sergeant Youman didn't even know how many German had crossed the dike before they were attacked by the German, and two of them were injured.
"How much further, Sergeant!" Ellie was behind Sergeant Youman, supporting Rede, following breathlessly. The German didn't pursue them, which allowed them to eventually escape the German's gunfire without further injury.
"500 meters, I don't know, it should be like that. We're almost there!" Sergeant Youman vaguely saw the blurry outline of the company HQ. The distance from the company HQ to where the firefight just occurred was only about one kilometer.
The company HQ vaguely heard gunfire, but this was relatively normal during patrols. Occasional firefights were not very intense. Parks was cleaning his pistol—a Colt pistol—at the company HQ. Lieutenant Welsh had gone to the trench positions of First Platoon and Second Platoon. He said he was going to supervise those lazy guys.
Talbert was leading a large dog and talking to several soldier. Other soldier were either sitting on the ground or boiling things in their helmets. Obviously, they didn't care about the gunshots that had just occurred.
"That's how it is, guys. The German have to cross the river first, then cross a riverbed and the dike. That's a large area!" Talbert kept reminding the several G.I.s.
"So, Sergeant, where are you going to send us?" At this moment, Sergei suddenly asked Talbert.
"Sergei?" Talbert looked at him and then said, "You go up to the attic, with these guys!"
"Alright! Sergeant!" Sergei answered and then said to the guys behind him, "Alright, rookies, follow me up! This is really a privilege!" Then he walked with the several G.I.s towards the farmhouse attic.
"This is terrible!" Talbert muttered.
Parks smiled at him, "Is the covered area too large, just with a few of us American G.I.s, right?"
"Yes, that's right!" Talbert shook his head and then said to Parks, "The old recruits used to familiarize the new recruits with the environment. Damn it, I dare say some of them aren't even adults yet!"
Parks nodded. While wiping his gun, he said, "Yes, they're just kids!" Then he looked at Talbert's dog, "This is really a strong dog, Tibbet! What's its name? Trigger?"
"That's right, it's Trigger!" Talbert looked at Parks in surprise and said, "I rarely call him that name, usually just 'buddy.' I didn't expect you to hear it; the chance was too small!"
"Trigger?" Luz, who was sitting opposite Parks and responsible for the company HQ's walkie-talkie, immediately perked up. He nodded and smiled while stuffing food into his mouth, "Very good, I like it, Trigger!"
"Any movement?" Talbert asked Luz, "Either from the trench side, or from Battalion HQ!"
Luz shook his head and said, "No, it's very quiet here, except for someone firing a gun just now!" He smiled as he spoke.
Just as they were chatting, the door was suddenly pushed open. Sergeant Youman, covered in blood, and Ellie, each supporting one person, burst in. As soon as they entered, they shouted, "We've been infiltrated by the German. The German have broken through our lines."
"Doctor!" Ellie yelled loudly for a doctor, "We have injured men!"
Parks had already jumped up, sweeping everything on the table to the ground, and yelled at them, "Quickly, put them over here."
At this moment, all the brothers became alert. They quickly got up and grabbed their rifles. Medical Officer Luo rushed in from outside, then he said to Ellie, "Press Rede's ribs, with gauze!" As he spoke, he threw a bandage to him. He himself quickly pulled out another one and pressed it on Stafford's neck.
"I'll handle it here. Sergeant Youman, go call Dr. Cooper over, I can't manage alone. Quickly, he's right outside." Medical Officer Luo yelled loudly.
"What happened? Where?" Parks asked Ellie.
Ellie looked at Rede, pursed his lips and said, "The crossroads, where the road and the dike meet." Then he shook his head again and said, "I don't know how many German there are, but their firepower is very strong. It doesn't seem like an ordinary patrol!"
"Alright, I'll leave this to you." Parks nodded.
At this moment, Talbert had already started yelling, "Lieutenant, assign a squad to me. First Squad, prepare, grab your weapons and ammunition, quickly, hurry up!"
He quickly rushed to where he had just rested, grabbed his weapons and ammunition, and yelled loudly, "Quickly, let's go."
At this moment, Dr. Cooper rushed in. He yelled at Ellie, "Let go of your hand, I'll take over here!" As he spoke, he reached out, took over from Ellie, pressed Rede's wound, and said softly to him, "Alright, you'll be fine, relax, Rede!" As he spoke, he began to give Rede's wound emergency treatment.
Talbert had already led a squad of men out.
Parks was about to tell Boyle to bring the radio, but on second thought, he gave up and turned to Luz, saying, "Bring the radio, we're going with Talbert." Then he turned back and yelled at Boyle, "Watch the radio, we'll keep in touch at all times!"
Parks suddenly felt very familiar with this battle. This should be the most exciting battle scene he encountered with Winters. Only the time was different, but nothing else had changed. He caught up with Talbert and whispered, "I'll command. You go call the rest of the brothers over. I estimate this won't be a small group of German!"
Captain Parks led the entire platoon of 35 combat-ready men swiftly along the south side of the dike. As they drew closer, Sergeant Youman whispered to him, "This is it, Captain!"
Parks nodded, turned around, and gestured to his men to take cover along the dike slope. The German machine gun position was still there, firing south, and the tearing cloth sound of the MG42 machine gun sent adrenaline surging through the men in the platoon. This was indeed a good way to stimulate the nerves.
"What are they shooting at?" Lieutenant Peacock crawled over and asked Parks, "What's there?"
"It's the battalion headquarters!" Parks replied, "But it's more than three miles from here. They're revealing their position for no reason. It makes no sense at all."
"I'll go take a look. Stay here and wait for my signal!" Parks told Lieutenant Peacock, "I'm leaving this to you."
With that, Parks began to scramble quickly to the top of the dike. On the north side of the dike, he saw a 1-meter deep ditch running parallel to the dike. This ditch would provide good cover for their approach to the road.
Parks returned to the patrol and quietly ordered, "Hasheyi, Sergei, you two cover the rear and protect the right flank. The rest of you follow me, we're going over the dike." Then he led his men over the dike and down into the ditch on the north side, cautiously moving along the ditch towards the main road.
When they were still 200 meters from the main road, Parks again halted the patrol and moved forward alone to reconnoiter. As he approached the main road—which was about 1 meter higher than the surrounding fields—he could hear sounds coming from the other side. He looked to his right and saw the silhouettes of several German soldiers on top of the dike next to the machine gun, silhouetted against the night sky. They were wearing winter coats and distinctive German steel helmets. Captain Winters was in the irrigation ditch below, about 25 meters from them.
This was a scene from the movie, and the historical truth once again appeared before his eyes. Parks couldn't help but smile faintly. It seemed that Captain Winters's famous battle was destined to be achieved through his own hands.
Parks crawled back to the patrol: "The Germans have a machine gun position, and they have guards there, but not many. We can completely eliminate them! We must crawl there without making a sound, keep low, and move quickly, guys. We don't have much time left; it's almost dawn!"
Parks led the team to a position about 40 meters from the machine gun on the dike. Parks went to each team member, whispering and assigning targets to each rifleman and machine gunner.
"First on the left, first on the right!"... Parks put Boyle in charge of the machine gun, to attack the German MG42 machine gun. Pankala and Muck set up the 60mm mortars to provide fire support after the attack began. He himself lay on the dike slope, then raised his rifle. He carefully adjusted his sights. The Germans hadn't noticed anything unusual; they were still firing south and talking loudly.
"Aim carefully, shoot straight, guys!" Parks slowly drew out his words. He felt the cold light on his rifle, then gave a decisive command: "Fire!"
"Bang, bang, bang," the rifles opened fire, sounding somewhat abrupt amidst the roar of the German MG42 machine gun. The machine gunner targeted by Parks was hit in the head and immediately slumped down. The remaining six German soldiers were hit and fell to the ground before they could react. At this point, the subsequent German personnel immediately reacted. Their machine guns swept towards their position.
They were using tracer rounds, and bullets with trails of fire whizzed over the men's heads. Their shooting was too high, but the men still lay on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.
"Boyle, suppressive fire!" Parks yelled loudly, "Pankala, Muck! Mortar rapid fire! The rest of you men, fall back, quickly, quickly!" he shouted.
"Boom!" a mortar shell exploded among the Germans. Pankala and Muck's first mortar round hit a German machine gun position, silencing the MG42 machine gun that had just been roaring with delight.
"Well done!" Boyle couldn't help but shout in praise, "Baby, that was beautiful, you hit the German MG42 with one shot, what luck!"
But the Germans quickly recovered, and Parks and his men began to receive heavy and dense small arms fire from across the main road leading to the ferry. This was clearly not something a patrol could achieve. Parks quickly thought of the situation Captain Winters encountered in his previous life; there must be two German companies here.
Although he didn't know their exact current location, Parks couldn't take any risks. He loudly ordered the men of Second Platoon to retreat about two hundred meters back along the route they came, where they were out of the Germans' sight. This spot connected to another ditch perpendicular to it, leading from the dike to the river.
"Luz, contact Battalion HQ. We've encountered a large German force, about two companies, infiltrating towards us. Their likely target is the battalion headquarters. The German attack might begin at dawn today. Get this message to Captain Winters as soon as possible. The battalion headquarters still has a choice: launch a preemptive strike or be passively beaten!" Parks beckoned to Luz and then said.
"Understood!" Luz quickly contacted Battalion HQ. Captain Winters was very surprised to hear this news. He requested to speak with Parks personally; he wanted to understand more.
"Reese, are you sure?" Captain Winters asked.
"Yes, yes, we just engaged them. From their firepower, at least one company is engaging us. And this is just the company we've discovered infiltrating. There must have been Germans infiltrating before this. Dick, think about it, what's their objective in doing this? The battalion headquarters, they definitely want to launch an attack today!" Parks spoke very quickly, but he had to; the situation had become extremely urgent.
"Alright, I'll contact Colonel Sink immediately!" Captain Winters now displayed his calmness and decisiveness. The information revealed by this matter clearly indicated that it was consistent with Parks's prediction. The Germans were very likely to launch an attack. And Colonel Sink could still make a favorable decision: launch a sudden and fierce artillery bombardment on the German positions before they launched their attack, completely disrupting their offensive plan and forcing them to hastily commit to the assault.
Because the Germans were now like arrows on a bowstring, they had no choice but to fire.
"Luz, contact Lieutenant Welsh. Tell him to have the men of First Platoon and Third Platoon hold their trench positions. The Germans might launch a large-scale attack. Tell the men to stay alert." Parks shouted at Luz again! Clearly, the men of First Platoon and Third Platoon couldn't spare anyone to help him; their own defensive line was too long, and the German attack could be tonight.
Parks stepped out of the dike ditch and quietly observed between the two defensive lines, his mind racing. The Germans were now hiding behind the sturdy road embankment, while he and the men of Second Platoon were in a shallow ditch, with no safe retreat. Clearly, the Germans occupied the advantageous terrain.
It was starting to get light. Suddenly, faint but very dense artillery fire could be heard from between the southern defensive lines of the 506th Regiment, and their targets were the German positions in the south preparing to launch an attack. Clearly, Colonel Sink had finally made his decision; he began to preemptively act before the Germans launched their offensive.
Although it was still dawn, the observation of shell impact points was not very clear, but the British did not spare their shells. Their bombardment was almost indiscriminate and dense, with shells falling like rain. Such intensive artillery fire was almost unmatched, even during Operation Market Garden.
The Germans behind the road embankment were clearly agitated by this situation, but they still didn't move. Instead, they stayed behind even more cautiously. The Germans hesitated; they knew this artillery fire wasn't from their own side, it was the Americans firing. This was completely different from their initial plan, and they didn't dare to act rashly.
"They've started!" Lieutenant Peacock crawled next to Parks and said to him, "What do we do now?"
Parks pulled out a map, looked at it, and said to Lieutenant Peacock, "The Germans now occupy the advantageous terrain. They can easily use the causeway to flank us from both sides and eliminate us, if they think it through. And there's nothing on the south side of the riverbank to obstruct them. The Germans can easily move down the road and directly attack the 2nd battalion headquarters located in Heumen."
"How many Germans will we face?" Lieutenant Peacock asked with a frown.
"Possibly two companies. They crossed the ferry by boat! They intend to infiltrate over here, and then cooperate with the German 363rd Division's attack on the battalion headquarters. It seems they've succeeded; they've infiltrated!" Parks said.
Lieutenant Peacock took a deep breath. Clearly, this was what he least wanted to hear. Now they only had thirty-some men, but they were facing two entire companies of Germans.
"So, tell me your decision, Captain Parks!" Lieutenant Peacock sighed.
Parks put the map back in his pocket and whispered to Lieutenant Peacock, "We have no choice!" At this point, it was already light, and the situation on the embankment was clearly revealed. Parks gestured to Lieutenant Peacock, and then both slowly crawled back down the dike slope.
Parks counted the men he had at hand: 35 men. He beckoned to Lieutenant Peacock and Staff Sergeant Talbert, saying, "Come over, let's discuss. We will have to engage the Germans."
"Let's do it, Boss!" Talbert used that term at this moment. Although Lieutenant Peacock knew that many men in First Platoon had called Parks that, he was still somewhat surprised when Talbert said it now. He glanced at Talbert without speaking.
Parks didn't pay any attention to their expressions just now. He was on the side, arranging the mission: "Tibbett, you lead Third Squad to attack from the right flank. Lieutenant Peacock leads First Squad to attack from the left flank. I'll lead Second Squad to attack from the center. Have Boyle place the machine gun between the columns as our fire cover." "Understood, Boss!" Talbert replied again. He pursed his lips, and his eyes began to sparkle. Clearly, his insistence on calling out that phrase was to encourage himself. It was as if the word "Boss" was a guarantee that he would lead them to victory.
"Tell the men to fix bayonets!" Parks said. "We might have a tough fight ahead! Go prepare!"
Lieutenant P.K. and Tibbett went their separate ways to prepare. They conveyed the details of the battle just now, then urged their men to fix bayonets.
"Second Platoon, over here!" Parks waved, signaling the men of Second Platoon to gather around. Seeing them all gathered, Parks began to explain his plan to them.
"Is that clear?" Parks confirmed one last time.
"Clear!" All of Second Platoon nodded.
"Fix bayonets!" Parks gave the order.
When Parks's order was given, Ellie swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. It was clear he was very nervous, and his whole body was tense from the anxiety. When he drew his bayonet, he even accidentally cut his finger, but he didn't notice it at all; his attention was focused on Parks's command.
Parks pulled out a red smoke grenade and said to everyone, "Wait for the red smoke, then you can begin the attack!" After he finished speaking, he saw everyone staring intently at him and pursed his lips. He took a deep breath, then threw the grenade forcefully into the grass ahead, immediately leaping up and sprinting with his rifle towards the road embankment. He needed to cross the 200-meter extremely soft field near the road at full speed, then rush up to engage the German.
The soldiers of Second Platoon behind him were about to leap out with him, but Lieutenant P.K. stopped them from a short distance away, saying, "Wait, the Lieutenant said to wait for the red smoke, don't move!"
Everyone watched Parks sprint quickly towards the embankment. Then the grenade made a soft "hiss," and a thick red smoke billowed out from it, quickly spreading across the grass.
"Go, go, quickly, quickly!" Tibbett immediately whispered, roaring at the men. "We're following, we're following quickly!" With that, he was the first to leap out, rapidly sprinting towards the embankment, following Parks.
Behind him, Lieutenant P.K. also led the men of First Platoon, quickly getting up and sprinting towards the embankment. All three columns began to cross the 200-meter wetlands near the road at full speed, keeping their bodies as low as possible and gasping with open mouths, but they dared not make any sound, as this would alert the Germans.
Parks sprinted quickly towards the embankment, like a leader flying out of a deer herd. He held his rifle, gasping with an open mouth. He knew how fast he was; even carrying weapons and ammunition, he would not be much worse than the short-distance runners of later generations.
He even heard his heart almost leaping out of his mouth. He knew how risky this operation was; even with the experiences from his previous life, he couldn't guarantee that nothing would change. After all, some things had already changed since he transmigrated. His biggest fear was that as soon as he rushed onto the road embankment, countless German muzzles would be aimed at him, turning him into a hornet's nest.
But he had no choice now; this was a moderate risk! But clearly, his gamble succeeded. After losing their machine gunners and riflemen in the first assault, the German surprisingly hadn't arranged any observation posts on the road or on top of the embankment. They had made an unforgivable mistake, and a low-level one at that.
"Phew—" As he climbed the embankment and leaped onto the road, he let out a long sigh of relief. Then he saw a German sentry a few feet in front of him, looking down at something. Then he heard a sound, looked up, and discovered Parks.
This German was stunned. He was completely shocked by Parks's appearance; he didn't even think about picking up his weapon. He didn't know what expression to use to face the murderous American opposite him. He opened his hands, wanting to shrug at him, indicating his helpless expression.
In Parks's eyes, there was a childish face, just like some of the fresh recruits who had joined his company—young, naive, perhaps not even adults! He saw that young, naive face seemingly still wanting to smile at him.
"Bang!" Parks pulled the Trigger. At this moment, he couldn't afford any mercy.
The bullet pierced the German soldier's chest. There was even a look of bewilderment on his face, then his body fell backward, like a log, onto the grass, rolling twice before lying motionless!
Parks had already noticed that to the right of this sentry, there was a large, dark mass of people, over 100 of them. Clearly, Parks's gunshot startled them, catching them off guard and throwing them into chaos. They huddled together, scattering and fleeing, some immediately dropping to the ground, firing at Parks without even aiming.
Parks's goal was clear. While seeking cover on the road, he moved his body quickly. He shot down another German machine gunner, eliminating the machine gun threat.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Parks's shooting was methodical. He moved continuously, fired continuously, and with every shot, a German would fall. This greatly increased the pressure on the Germans there; they scattered, trying to avoid Parks's shooting, which prevented them from concentrating their efforts on an effective counterattack.
With a "ding," the magazine ejected. Parks quickly emptied one magazine, then swiftly loaded a second, and another round of continuous firing began. The German's equipment greatly helped Parks; they were all wearing long winter coats and carrying backpacks, which slowed their movements. They were almost all facing the embankment, while Parks appeared on their flank, fifteen meters away!
After another magazine was emptied, the rest of Second Platoon also rushed onto the road embankment. They all lay down along the edge of the embankment, Boyle set up his machine gun, and they all opened fire.
Parks also threw a grenade at the Germans, and with a boom, it exploded among them. And the men of Second Platoon also opened fire at this time, Boyle's machine gun also began to strafe the German.
"Hit them hard!" Parks shouted loudly, roaring to the back, "Muck, Pankala, continuous mortar fire! Don't let the Germans catch their breath, hurry!"
Pankala and Muck were quick. As Parks reloaded his magazine, mortar shells were already whistling through the air. The shells exploded among the German, terrifying them even more. From some initial resistance, now they only wanted to flee this place as quickly as possible. But their heavy coats slowed their movements, making them easy targets.
"Bang!" A German soldier fell. Lieutenant P.K. shouted happily, "I hit another one!"
"I've got four already!" Muck, lying beside him, chuckled, then raised his rifle. With a "bang," another one fell. Muck teased Lieutenant P.K., "Now it's five!"
"God, this is like shooting toy targets!" Ellie couldn't help but laugh loudly.
"You son of a bitch, I got you!" Sergeant Youman, after a heart-stopping experience, had been fuming, especially after two of his comrades were hit by the German in front of him. He raised his rifle and fired continuously, yelling, "Look, this is what I'm giving back to you, enjoy it, fifth, sixth…"
A group of German soldiers had their retreat cut off and were hiding in the tall grass. Sergeant Youman spotted them and said to Ellie and a few others beside him, "Let's go take care of them!" With that, he took the lead and rushed towards them.
"Come out!" He roared loudly, "Come out, hands up, hurry, you damned Germans!" But there was no movement. He couldn't help but fire a shot into the grass, and then heard a scream. The Germans all stood up in unison, hands raised. There were still 10 Germans left.
"Poles!" A German, in very broken English, spat out an English word to Sergeant Youman. He seemed very scared, repeating the word over and over, "Poles!"
"They say they're Poles?" Ellie asked Sergeant Youman in surprise, "My God, they're SS, these guys are really shameless enough. How can there be Poles in the SS?"
"Poles!" The German soldier kept repeating, still not understanding what Sergeant Youman and the others were saying. The only English he knew was that phrase. He saw the distrust in the Americans' eyes and, in a hurry, shouted again loudly.
"Shut up! Damn it!" Sergeant Youman roared at him.
"Poles—"
"Thump—" The German's mouth was hit, and his front teeth flew out. Sergeant Youman couldn't take it anymore, angrily smashing the butt of his rifle into the German's face, knocking the German to the ground.
"Quiet now!" Ellie shrugged and smiled at Sergeant Youman. He had also wanted to do that to the guy just now.
"Ellie, you continue!" Sergeant Youman, pressing the ten German prisoners, walked back. He left Ellie behind, returning to the roadside to continue shooting at the Germans. But as Ellie just ran to the roadside, a German soldier turned and fired a shot backward.
Ellie immediately felt as if his leg had been hit by a club, a heavy blow to his leg, feeling very painful. The bullet spun him around, then he fell headfirst to the ground.
"God, I'm shot!" Ellie shouted loudly, "They hit me!"
"Let me handle it!" At this moment, Medical Officer Luo rushed over to him, then looked at his wound and couldn't help but smile, "You're really lucky, Ellie!"
"God, I'm shot, and you still say I'm lucky. Damn it, ah—" Ellie screamed, "You're hurting me, Doctor, is this how you treat your patients?"
"If I were you, I'd choose to shut up!" Medical Officer Luo shook his head at him, "Do you need morphine?"
"No, no need, I can still hold on!" Ellie said. At this moment, Hasheyi and Sergei passed by him. They had finished their guard duty and joined the attack.
"You're wounded? Ellie!" Sergei said to him, "You're really lucky!"
"God, this is the second time I've heard such a stupid greeting." Ellie gave a bitter smile, then said to Sergei, "Do you need bullets? Then take them, take my bullets. I think I won't need that thing for a while!"
"And grenades, Hasheyi, here you go!" Ellie handed the grenades to Hasheyi, keeping his pistol and rifle.
"Alright, this is just a minor injury, Ellie, can you walk to the rear yourself?" Medical Officer Luo bandaged Ellie, then said to him, "I can't send you over right now. I still have a lot to do here!"
"Of course, I can!" Ellie stood up with the help of Hasheyi and Sergei, then limped to the rear.
"Are you sure you don't need anyone to look after you?" Hasheyi called out behind him.
"No, no need, you guys go deal with the Germans!" Ellie waved his hand behind his back without looking back.
The German's chaotic situation worsened as they continued to scatter and flee. At this moment, Peacock suddenly saw more German soldiers about 100 yards ahead. They were swarming over the dike from the south, SS that had not been discovered before. They merged with the retreating SS and charged eastward, trying to avoid Easy Company's firepower. This made them an even larger target.
"Oh, damn, almost an entire company of Germans has appeared again!" Peacock couldn't help but exclaim.
The Germans were clearly in a panic, trying to run towards a patch of woods next to the dike, where there was another path to the river. The Germans began to flank left, advancing along the road towards the river!
"Boyle, hurry, shoot at them fiercely." Captain Parks shouted loudly, "Pankala, Muck, don't let your mortars sit idle, they are concentrating, it's a great opportunity for us."
Boyle adjusted his aim and fired fiercely at the flanking Germans, while Pankala and Muck also continuously adjusted the mortar coordinates, firing several shells at the Germans. Although not as accurate as before, the pressure on the Germans was imaginable. Their speed was slowed down.
"Luz, walkie-talkie, attack report to the artillery command post, we need support!" Captain Parks waved to Luz. "Connected!" Luz shouted to him. Captain Parks grabbed the walkie-talkie and started calling.
"Request artillery support for Yellow Sector One!" Captain Parks shouted loudly, then quickly assessed the Germans ahead, "Add one hundred yards, three groups concentrated fire. Then subtract two hundred yards, one hundred yards to the left! Repeat, add one hundred yards, three groups concentrated fire. Then subtract two hundred yards, one hundred yards to the left! Germans in the open, effective fire, over!"
Under Captain Parks's guidance, the British artillery began to fiercely shell the fleeing Germans. Clearly, this time they were very accurate. The Germans kept falling under the bombardment, scattering to minimize casualties.
"Captain Parks, what do we do now?" Peacock crossed the road and ran to Captain Parks's side, "The Germans are retreating towards the river, should we pursue them?"
Captain Parks looked around him and couldn't help but shake his head. Trying to deal with over 150 Germans with 35 men was clearly difficult. After all, this was no longer a surprise attack, but a real head-on battle, losing the element of surprise would inevitably increase the difficulty of the attack and the number of casualties among the men in the platoon.
Four men were wounded, and ten Germans were captured. Captain Parks shouted to the few men who had just climbed onto the road embankment: "Sergei, come here, escort these German prisoners back."
Sergei heard Captain Parks's order and immediately ran over.
"There are ten prisoners here, and I want all of them escorted back alive." Captain Parks said to him somewhat seriously, "Have you heard anything? About prisoners?"
"I've heard, but I believe those are just rumors, not worth believing, Sir!" Sergei nodded.
Captain Parks nodded: "That's good, don't believe those words, and don't learn to do that. Escort the prisoners back to Battalion HQ properly. Alive. Remember that? soldier!"
"Understood, Sir, don't worry, they will live. They might even live longer than us!" Sergei knew Captain Parks's meaning. Clearly, Captain Parks did not want any more incidents of killing prisoners.
The Germans' previous river crossing point was at one end of the road where Captain Parks was, so the Germans now had to return here. Captain Parks hoped to occupy this crossing point before the Germans arrived.
"Luz, contact Battalion HQ." Captain Parks waved to Luz again. Now he needed to request support from Battalion HQ; he needed more men to complete this mission.
Winters received Captain Parks's call at Battalion HQ, then he heard Captain Parks's brief report and quickly informed Lieutenant Colonel Chase of the situation.
"Captain Parks has engaged the infiltrating Germans south of the dike." Winters reported to Lieutenant Colonel Chase, "They encountered two full companies of Germans. Clearly, they only have one platoon, and although they successfully ambushed them, it's not enough to annihilate all the Germans at the crossing point. They need support!"
"What? Two full companies?" Lieutenant Colonel Chase looked at Winters in surprise when he heard his report.
"I'm afraid so. The Germans are clearly not just on a regular patrol. They intend to infiltrate with two companies in today's attack and then assault our Battalion HQ, or Regimental HQ." Winters easily saw through the Germans' intentions. "Now the Germans still have over 150 men, while Captain Parks and his men only have 30 left, four wounded, and one is escorting prisoners back to Battalion HQ!"
"God!" Lieutenant Colonel Chase slapped his forehead, then nodded, "Alright, alright, we still have D Company as a reserve company. Send one platoon from D Company to assist them. It's best to crush those Germans, and even if we can't crush them, we must make sure they are unable to launch an attack on the south bank of the dike."
"Thank you very much!" Winters suddenly said this, then began to gather D Company, and dispatched one platoon to support Captain Parks, also bringing more ammunition supplies.
Captain Parks was intently watching the Germans swarming towards the crossing point, then suppressing his eager men who wanted to pursue, waiting for the D Company reinforcements to arrive. Just as he was about to curse the bureaucracy of Battalion HQ, D Company arrived.
Leading them was Lieutenant Speirs, who extended his hand to Captain Parks and smiled: "Glad to work with you. We've brought some ammunition supplies, you can take whatever you need."
Captain Parks shook his hand and nodded: "Hello, Lieutenant Speirs. We don't have time for pleasantries, we need to act immediately, cut off the Germans, and prevent them from occupying the crossing point."
"Alright, I'll follow your arrangements!" Lieutenant Speirs showed a very cooperative attitude. In front of Captain Parks, the mid- and lower-ranking officers of the 506th Regiment, and even the entire 101st Airborne Division, would likely adopt the same approach as Lieutenant Reese towards Captain Parks. Because he is too representative now. No one can refuse. And Speirs has a little ulterior motive towards Captain Parks.
"Sergeant Talbert, the men of D Company have brought ammunition, distribute it immediately." Captain Parks shouted loudly to Talbert, "Get the men ready, we are going to launch an attack on the Germans!"
"So, our arrangements!" Lieutenant Speirs looked at Captain Parks.
Captain Parks nodded to him: "We now have about 60 men. I and the men of Easy Company, about thirty men, will form one team. You lead the men of D Company to form another team. We will establish a strongpoint, then you advance about 100 meters and establish a strongpoint. We will advance along the road, leapfrogging your strongpoint by 100 meters, stop, and establish another strongpoint. We will advance in a crossfire pattern, supporting each other with strongpoints. We are currently about 600 meters from the crossing point, we can use this method to occupy it! Any questions?"
"Excellent!" Lieutenant Speirs nodded, "Can we start the attack now?" He was already eager to try. He wanted to prove something in front of Captain Parks with this battle.
"Wait for our command!" Captain Parks nodded to him, then he began to gather his company's men. They started establishing strongpoints, various weapons firing at the Germans, covering Lieutenant Speirs's attack by D Company.
"Go, now, quick!" Captain Parks set up the strongpoint and shouted loudly to Speirs.
Speirs stood up and shouted, "Alright, men, let's go!" With that, he charged out first, sprinting rapidly towards the riverbank. He was completely reckless, holding a Thompson submachine gun, taking the biggest strides as if he were an athlete in a sprint competition.
The Germans spotted him and began to fire at him. Bullets hit the ground at his feet, kicking up dust, but Speirs seemed oblivious to them. He continuously directed his soldiers forward, leaping and dodging the bullet fire.
"My God, what is he doing?" Peacock was somewhat dumbfounded, "Flash?"
Captain Parks shook his head. Clearly, Speirs was indeed very brave. He would always charge forward no matter what, but the cost was the casualties of his men. In a distance of one hundred meters, two of D Company's men were wounded, and one was hit in the head by the Germans, killed instantly. Even so, it did not stop Speirs's rapid advance.
"They've arrived!" Talbert shouted to Captain Parks. He saw the 'ok' gesture from Lieutenant Speirs; they had already established a strongpoint at 100 meters.
"It's our turn!" Captain Parks shouted, "Men, let's charge, speed, maintain speed and spacing, so the Germans won't easily hit you. Faster, Hasheyi, move! Muck, you need to be quick, don't be so slow."
At this moment, Talbert was also constantly shouting in the ranks, reminding the men to maintain spacing and move quickly.
"Damn it, Sergeant Youman, start running! Are you a woman?" Talbert's words were harsh, but they would stimulate the men to run with all their might. Then they reached the designated objective and began to establish a strongpoint. Easy Company had no casualties in this advance.
Captain Parks began to give Lieutenant Speirs the "ok" gesture.
"Alright, it's our turn again!" Speirs got up, just about to charge when the Germans organized a force of over 70 men and counterattacked the Americans. They launched an attack on Captain Parks and his men from the right rear.
"Damn it, our movement has slowed down!" Captain Parks cursed inwardly, then waved to Speirs, signaling them to stop the attack, because attacking now would be too risky. In Captain Parks's opinion, there was no need to take that risk!
The attacking force still used Captain Parks' cross-style attack, retreating back to the dike.
To prevent the German from bombarding the retreating brothers, Captain Parks kept urging them to maintain a swift withdrawal.
The last group was soldiers from D Company.
Their speed couldn't match the brothers of Easy Company, so Lieutenant Speirs stood at the intersection of the dike and the road, shouting loudly at them, "Hurry, hurry, don't let the Germans kick your butts."
When there were only five people left, Speirs himself rushed down the dike.
Just then, the German artillery struck the intersection with surprising accuracy.
"Enemy artillery!" someone shouted loudly.
"Boom!" followed by continuous explosions, stones on the road were blasted everywhere.
Some stones splattered down, hitting the brothers already concealed below the dike slope.
Although it only caused skin abrasions, it still made the brothers cry out in pain.
"Damn it, I've been hit!" Three of the five men were hit by shells, and one of them cried out loudly.
The other two tumbled and scrambled down below the dike, letting out panicked exclamations.
The three hit soldiers were quickly dragged off the road.
But among the three, only one was moaning.
The other two were already dead; one had his head directly blown off by a shell, and the other had shrapnel directly inserted into his heart.
The injured fellow had his lower leg blown off.
The result of two dead and one injured made this retreat less than perfect.
"Those idiots from D Company!" Sergeant Youman muttered to Muck.
"Don't talk about them like that.
Someone from their ranks died!" Muck retorted to Sergeant Youman.
Sergeant Youman shrugged indifferently and said, "I knew it.
I'm saying the brothers of Easy Company run faster than them.
In fact, the brothers of Easy Company run faster than any company in the entire 101st Airborne Division."
"That's the result of Captain Parks' training!" Muck nodded in response, "If it weren't for Captain Parks' amazing methods, perhaps it would be us who got hit here.
You can't blame them; you can only blame Sink, the Colonel, for not letting Captain Parks promote that training method to the entire battalion back in Taccoa."
"That's his mistake!" Sergeant Youman chuckled.
Now the brothers of Easy Company are increasingly feeling that those past training methods have given them stronger bodies and skills, and the benefits shown on the battlefield have made them realize this even more deeply.
D Company, led by Speirs, had two men killed and two injured and incapacitated during the attack and retreat.
But this had little to do with Speirs; it wasn't his improper command, but rather the difference in physical quality between D Company's personnel and Easy Company's, especially those veterans who came from Taccoa.
"Luz, call Battalion HQ, we need ambulances," Captain Parks shouted to Luz, "We need at least four ambulances."
He looked at the brothers around him; Medical Officer Luo was the only one taking care of the injured soldiers who couldn't move, but he seemed very skilled, constantly comforting the anxious soldiers.
This entire battle, whether attacking or retreating, including F Company, resulted in a total of two deaths and eight injuries.
This result was already quite satisfactory, at least for Lieutenant Speirs.
He always believed that since it was war, there would inevitably be casualties; it was unavoidable.
"We need to set up a defensive line here!" Lieutenant Speirs came to Captain Parks' side and then offered his suggestion.
"Yes, tell the brothers we need to fortify the fortifications here at the dike."
Captain Parks nodded.
He lay prone by the dike, looking somewhat helpless towards the German ferry crossing.
Clearly, they had fought well in this attack, but they had not completely cut off the German, thereby expanding their gains.
Most importantly, they had not captured the ferry crossing.
Ellie, dragging his injured leg, slowly walked back alone.
He soon reached an open area.
But he was a bit troubled; he had to cross this area before he could reach the aid station.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.
The open ground ahead was full of mud and cow dung, and some broken barbed wire.
And the Germans had an observation post not far away, so it was clear that if he was discovered, he wouldn't make it back alive.
"Why do I still encounter such good things even when I'm walking back?"
He gripped his rifle with both hands, leaning his body forward as much as possible, pressing himself against the ground, moving forward with the strength of his elbows, along a rough and uneven path, trying to crawl across that open area.
"Shit!" His pants got caught in the barbed wire again, but he kept moving forward, his face almost touching the ground.
Even in training, he would never let his face touch the ground.
"It stinks.
I really hope this is the smell left by dead Germans, not this damned cow dung!"
He crawled, complaining almost non-stop.
Considering his current situation, this seemed to fit his disheveled appearance perfectly.
But he was slowly approaching the safe zone.
It was only about a hundred meters away from him.
"Looks like I'll have to make a run for it!" He whispered, "Holy Mary!" then quickly got up and limped towards the safe zone.
Heaven help him, when this guy ran, aside from his leg being a bit lame, his speed was actually no slower than a normal person; he performed incredibly bravely.
Of course, this wasn't his self-assessment, but the dumbfounded assessment made by the men of F Company when they saw him.
It was truly astonishing.
The German observation post quickly spotted him and let out a cry of alarm.
The 88mm shells made a sharp whistling sound in the air, a sound that seemed to tear Ellie's heart apart.
He was scared out of his wits, and his running speed was invisibly boosted quite a bit.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Three continuous explosions rang out around him.
One landed to his left, one to his right, and one behind him.
It seemed three 88mm cannons were targeting him, but they all missed.
However, the mud splashed up by the exploding shells kept falling on Ellie's head and face.
He even felt mud with cow dung in his mouth.
But he didn't care about that anymore.
He had to escape this place before the German adjusted their coordinates.
"Hurry up, brother!" In the safe zone were some brothers from F Company, who were responsible for guarding and patrolling this area.
Someone desperately waved at Ellie, shouting loudly, trying to make Ellie run faster.
"I know, I know!" Ellie shouted loudly, and as he stepped into the safe zone, he fell to the ground with a thud.
The brothers of F Company quickly helped him up.
"Oh, brother, you look like you've been chased for a long time!" An F Company Sergeant checked his wound, chuckling as he joked, "Are you the only one who escaped the chase?"
Ellie retorted angrily, "Damn it, don't joke about that.
Your brothers are still under German artillery fire on the dike."
"Alright, my mistake!" The brother quickly apologized, then smiled at him and said, "Buddy, let me take you to the road.
There's a car there; we'll send you back!"
Saying that, he turned to another F Company brother and said, "Get ready, we'll help him over."
Ellie was taken to the roadside.
The Sergeant saw a jeep, so he lifted Ellie and walked towards the jeep, then placed him on the hood, patted the engine cover, and said to the driver, "This brother is injured; take him to the emergency station."
The jeep sped away on the road, which was full of potholes and very bumpy, forcing Ellie to grip the edge of the hood tightly with both hands, cursing the damned road under his breath.
The jeep dropped Ellie off at the Battalion HQ, and then the driver said to Ellie, "Brother, you'll have to walk to the emergency station yourself.
It's not far from here.
There are other cars there, and I have to go back; there are brothers more seriously injured than you."
With that, without waiting for Ellie's reply, he stepped on the gas and sped away like a flash.
"Bastard, are you going to make a man with an injured leg walk to the emergency station himself?"
Ellie was clearly enraged by this guy.
He shouted loudly at where the jeep disappeared, "You goddamn son of a bitch!"
But Ellie had no choice; he still had to endure and slowly walk to the emergency station.
As he passed the Battalion HQ, he saw Captain Winters and Captain Nixon walk out of the Battalion HQ.
He stopped and saluted Captain Winters and Captain Nixon.
Captain Winters returned the salute, then looked at his leg, frowning as he said, "Need help, Ellie?"
"No, no, I can still bear it, Captain.
We slaughtered those sons of bitches, the Germans, at the intersection of the dike and the ferry crossing.
We drove them back to the ferry crossing.
I got a little injured and was supposed to stay there, but Lieutenant Parks insisted I come back.
So—" Ellie said, making a helpless gesture.
"You did very well, Ellie.
You're injured; hurry to the emergency station!" Captain Winters looked at Ellie, then added, "Are you sure you don't need help?"
"No need, this small injury is nothing; I could have continued fighting!" Ellie babbled, "I don't want to become an incapacitated supernumerary."
"Very good!" Captain Winters looked at his leg, and after confirming that he was indeed fine, he nodded and said, "You've done very well, Ellie, don't blame yourself, you're excellent!
We'll see you later!" Captain Winters nodded to him, then said to Captain Nixon, "Let's go take a look over there, Nixon, Captain Parks has solved a big problem for us!"
"And also solved a big problem for Colonel Sink!" Captain Nixon chuckled, then he and Captain Winters jumped into a jeep and sped towards the dike.
"Oh, I'm such an idiot.
I clearly needed help!" Ellie suddenly muttered to himself, "It seems pretending to be a tough guy really makes one suffer!"
He then limped towards the medical station, taking a sharp breath with every step and making sounds similar to a toothache.
Captain Parks indeed solved a big problem for Colonel Sink, because Colonel Sink ultimately adopted an active offensive, and the timing was chosen very correctly, which made the German 363rd Division's attack appear hasty and chaotic.
Clearly, they were ultimately repelled by the 506th Regiment.
Moreover, they were heavily hit by British artillery during their assembly, and at least for some time, they would not be able to launch another attack.
And Captain Parks successfully ambushed the two companies that had infiltrated, preventing the possibility of the Battalion HQ and battalion headquarters being attacked and causing chaos and heavy casualties.
Actually, after Colonel Sink received the call from Lieutenant Colonel Chase, he fell into distress, and it was clear that Parks' report had shaken his long-held views.
If this infiltration was indeed a signal for the German attack tonight, then it would completely put him in a passive position.
"God bless!" Colonel Strehl made the sign of the cross after hearing the contents of the call.
It was clear he felt very lucky; at least the Second Battalion HQ and battalion headquarters were saved.
"God bless? The German are calculating against us, preparing to attack us!" Colonel Sink frowned at Colonel Strehl, "I really don't know what to do now?
Don't say I'm indecisive."
"You actually know what you should do, you just can't make up your mind! Sink." Colonel Strehl looked at the somewhat anxious Colonel Sink and nodded.
"I know, I know." Sink raised a hand, "I know what you're going to say.
But don't you think that's a risk?
We can't easily make a decision on such a risky operation."
"In fact, we are taking a risk!" Colonel Strehl nodded, "Waiting for the German to attack is a risk, isn't it?
Make up your mind, it's all a risk, so why not take the initiative into your own hands?"
Colonel Sink was stunned, then nodded and said, "You are right, Colonel Strehl.
I will personally issue the order."
Then he issued the order.
In reality, the companies still had more than two hours to prepare.
Lieutenant Welsh had already received Parks' advice.
He quickly relayed the order.
Tonight, they would face a fierce battle.
The German would launch an attack on the left flank of the 506th Regiment, and Easy Company's defensive line was at the far right end of the entire regiment's line.
Clearly, they would not be subjected to the powerful German firepower, but they still had to be extremely vigilant to prevent the German from flanking them.
"I heard that the Boss took the Second Platoon brothers and got into it with the German?" Patrick Christenson was lying on the edge of the trench, his rifle on top of the trench.
He observed the movements ahead, and asked Lieutenant Welsh beside him, appearing bored, "It's a shame, why didn't I participate?
They encountered two whole companies of German?"
"Yes, they are hitting the German hard." Welsh smiled slightly at Patrick Christenson, felt around his body, then shook his head and said, "Is there anything that can perk me up?"
"Apples? Or cigarettes?" Patrick Christenson turned around and looked at Lieutenant Welsh.
"Cigarettes? Oh, of course cigarettes!" Welsh couldn't help but chuckle, "You know, I just couldn't find any cigarettes.
You have cigars, don't you?
I saw you smoking cigars with Landers once!"
"No, no, those weren't my cigars, Lieutenant, those were Landeman's.
He was going to let me try them and then show off in front of me: 'Hey, Patrick Christenson, do you know what kind of cigar you're smoking?
It's the same brand as Churchill, quietly, don't I look a lot like him when I smoke cigars?'"
Patrick Christenson shook his head, "Actually, he was just bragging.
I only have roll-your-own cigarettes, British."
Saying that, he laboriously pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"Oh, that's just great!" Welsh couldn't help but shake his head, "You'd better give me an apple!"
Patrick Christenson shrugged his shoulders, with an expression that said he knew it all along: "Alright, there's one more apple!"
He rummaged through his backpack for a long time before pulling out an apple and throwing it to Welsh, saying, "You're really lucky, the only one.
I was originally going to gnaw on it while taking a dump after dawn.
I didn't expect it to end up in your mouth!"
"What?" Welsh looked at him in surprise, "You're going to eat that while taking a dump?
I think I'd better give it back to you!"
Saying that, he threw the apple back.
Patrick Christenson shrugged his shoulders, turned his head and chuckled, looking as if he had expected it.
At this moment, Lipton walked through the trench, shouting loudly to remind his brothers to pay attention to the movements of the German ahead.
As he passed in front of Lieutenant Welsh, he was called out.
"Hey, Lipton, got any cigarettes?" Welsh decided to ask directly.
"No, Lieutenant, I don't smoke, everyone in Easy Company knows that!" Lipton apologized to him and then continued to move along the trench, constantly reminding them.
"Oh, God, I'm destined to have bad luck today!" Welsh couldn't help but complain.
"I have cigarettes, Lieutenant, do you want them?" At this moment, Miller appeared from nowhere, holding a pack of cigarettes in his hand, and said to Welsh.
"Are they British?"
"No, they're not, they're from our supplies when we were in Veghel.
I didn't finish them, you know, I don't smoke much!" Miller shrugged.
"That's great!" Welsh quickly took them, looked at them, and sure enough, they weren't British, and he couldn't help but laugh, "It seems today is my lucky day, thank you very much, Miller!"
"Keep the whole pack, I don't like them anyway!" Miller nodded.
"Oh, Lieutenant, share one with me!" Patrick Christenson immediately reacted, then came closer, grinning.
"Of course, why not?" Welsh chuckled, "I was originally going to use it to fumigate the foul smell when I was taking a dump, do you want it?"
Patrick Christenson immediately took one, lit it with a lighter, and chuckled: "I don't mind, Lieutenant, actually, I usually do the same thing as you!"
Then he took a deep drag, as if to suck all the surrounding air into his lungs, and then exhaled the inhaled smoke vigorously.
Just as the three of them were talking, a dense whistling sound suddenly came from the sky; it was artillery shells.
Miller suddenly made a flying dive, falling prone in the trench, then holding his head with both hands.
His rifle was thrown aside, and he shouted loudly: "Bombardment, German bombardment!"
The huge explosion covered his voice.
Welsh and Patrick Christenson exchanged glances, and Patrick Christenson smiled at Welsh: "Is there something wrong with this guy?"
"I don't know!" Welsh shook his head, obviously the huge explosion of the shells drowned out Patrick Christenson's voice.
"I mean this coward!" Patrick Christenson shouted loudly at Welsh, "This guy is scared stiff, I really didn't expect that he was the guy who participated in the assault on Arnhem Bridge with us, it's really surprising."
"Our position is not the main point of the German attack!" Welsh suddenly looked at the bright streaks of the shells, and then at the flashing fire of the exploding shells ahead, and couldn't help but look at Patrick Christenson in surprise, "Hey, what's going on?
It looks like the British are firing at the German.
God, Colonel Sink's adrenaline is surging this time."
"Is he crazy?" Patrick Christenson also noticed the situation, his mouth widened in surprise, then he kicked Miller, who was still lying on the ground, and said, "Hey, Miller, get up, we are attacking the German!"
Miller got up, and then, like them, his mouth widened.
Clearly, he was surprised by this phenomenon.
In fact, the other brothers of Easy Company holding the trenches were just as surprised as they were.
They watched in amazement the flashes of explosions in front of them; clearly, the British seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of shells, and they were bombarding wildly!
"Oh, God, I doubt they'll hit anything!" Cobb lay in the trench, looking at the flashes of fire in the distance, and couldn't help but shake his head, "These British are crazy, they actually want to provoke a fight.
How good it is now, the German don't come to attack us, and we don't go to attack them.
We live in peace, each taking what we need!"
"Shut up, Cobb!" Guarnere yelled at him from the side, "Just watch our own defensive line, and hopefully the German won't attack us.
I always feel like something's not right.
Is Colonel Sink provoking the German?
Or has he finally realized that the 506th Regiment is really so strong that it can challenge a German division with one regiment?"
Guarnere said this to Malarkey on the other side, clearly he was also a little confused.
"Of course, now Colonel Sink must think that the other 8 companies of the 506th Regiment are as excellent as our Easy Company, so his confidence has swelled!" Malarkey joked from the side.
"I love to hear that!" Lanny chuckled.
He held a pair of binoculars, trying to see further into the night, but the shadows ahead were dark, and nothing could be seen clearly.
"I heard that the Boss is fighting the German again." Malarkey changed the subject, "The Second Platoon is lucky!"
"Do you really want to go to battle?" Cobb said, "I don't, I'm tired of this patrol mission, and the mission of hiding in trenches, and I don't even want to fight the German, what is all this?"
"No one wants to, but I have to admit, fighting with the Boss is sometimes a pleasure, even if you clearly know there's some danger!" Guarnere couldn't help but laugh, "I like this feeling."
"You mean even to die?" Lanny said.
"Don't you guys have this thought?" Guarnere looked at them strangely.
"Of course, we do! It's just not as serious as you said!" Cobb added, then nodded, "But this temptation is irresistible, even if you know there might be danger, or even death."
"You finally said something right!" Malarkey smiled and pointed at him.
"Oh, come on, Malarkey, I'm not stupid, following Lieutenant Parks has countless benefits, and medals.
Can you not be tempted, buddy!" Cobb spread his hands, chuckling.
The sound of the bombardment gradually eased, but soon, a dense whistling sound rang out in the sky again, followed by earth-shattering explosions, which made Guarnere sway.
"Bombardment! German bombardment!" Guarnere suddenly shouted loudly.
Clearly, this time the bombardment was from the German.
Their artillery fire was as fierce as the British', and shells exploded around the trenches from time to time, sending dirt raining down on everyone's heads.
"Get down, get down!" Lipton constantly moved through the trench, shouting loudly, reminding every brother!