Chapter 63 - Chapter 31

The German counterattack was no weaker than the British shelling, and even more ferocious.

They disregarded the issue of ammunition, raining shells down on the U.S. Army's positions like a downpour.

Even Easy Company, defending the far right flank, could not avoid the bombardment of German heavy artillery.

For a time, the trenches around them were blasted to pieces, and in some places, gaps were even blown open in the trenches.

Amidst the shelling, a faint cry could be heard, "Doctor, I'm wounded!"

"Damn it!" Dr. Cooper couldn't help but curse fiercely.

It was clear that searching for a wounded soldier amidst such intense artillery fire was an unbearable terror.

But he only paused for a moment before quickly scrambling up and running swiftly towards the source of the sound, keeping his back as low as possible to avoid exposing himself outside the trench.

"Who is it?" He grabbed White, shouting loudly at him, "Who is calling for a doctor?"

White pointed to his left, hunching his body, and said loudly to him, "I don't know, probably around that position.

It seems to be a recently supplemented private, who knows what his name is."

"Thank you, White!" Dr. Cooper continued in the direction White pointed.

It was once unimaginable for veterans not to know the names of new recruits, but now it had become a habit.

The veterans looked down on the new recruits who had been supplemented.

They liked to exaggerate, even act cowardly.

They liked to shout loudly during combat.

This made the veterans of Easy Company look down on them immensely, even unwilling to ask their names, even if they were in the same platoon.

Soon, Dr. Cooper found the injured soldier.

Cooper didn't recognize this fellow either.

He was lying on the ground howling miserably, his face contorted, looking seriously injured.

"Where were you hit?" Cooper pressed him down, preventing him from rolling on the ground.

"I don't know, Doctor, my leg hurts terribly, I think I'm going to lose this leg!" The fellow said to Cooper with a crying voice, "I don't know, Doctor, you have to save me, I don't want to lose my leg, I still want to swim in the lake behind my house! Please, God, it hurts so much."

Cooper nodded, "Okay, okay, buddy, let go of your hand, you have to let me see your wound.

Otherwise, I can't help you, okay?"

"Okay, Doctor, I trust you!" The fellow released his hand.

"Oh, how interesting!" After Cooper cut open his pants, he couldn't help but curse under his breath.

It was clear that this fellow didn't even have a scratch, just a very thin bloodline, probably from a small stone blown up by a shell.

"Doctor, how is it?" The fellow stared at Cooper, asking with a crying voice, "Can my leg be saved?"

"God!" Cooper exclaimed to himself.

This was the silliest fellow he had ever seen.

He nodded and said, "It can be saved, actually, you're fine, you're just too nervous.

Alright, what's your name?"

"Harber!"

"Alright, Harber, you're fine now, I still have things to do and no time to accompany you.

You can still go swimming in the lake at your house now, of course, only now, it's hard to say about later, but unfortunately, Harber, there's no lake here, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed!" Cooper stood up angrily, then turned and left.

He didn't even want to stay with this fellow for another minute.

"Hey, which unlucky guy got hurt?" When Cooper sat down beside White, White released his covered ears and said to Cooper, "Did someone's 'balls' get blown off by the Germans?"

"It's a replacement named Harber." Cooper shrugged and raised a hand, saying, "This guy is so neurotic.

He just got a small cut from a stone blown up by a shell, but he's acting like his 'balls' were harvested by the Germans.

It's tragic, looking at him, I can't help but want to kick him!"

"Oh, replacements? I hate replacements!" White smiled and nodded, "These guys are really making a fuss over nothing.

I don't understand, are the guys in the Army Department's heads filled with manure?

How can they send these sissies to our paratrooper unit?

I don't know if the people above who sent those guys are crazy, or if Colonel Sink, who accepted these guys, is crazy."

"Both!" Cooper nodded, "That's the only way to explain it!"

"I agree!" White raised a hand.

Just as the two were talking, the German artillery fire finally gradually subsided.

At this moment, Luz's shouting was heard again: "Brothers, raise your heads, keep an eye on the outside of the trenches, don't let the Germans slip through.

Watch them closely, shoot anything moving and alive in front of the trench, that must be Germans!"

"Good idea!" White nodded, then stood up, leaned over the edge of the trench, raised his rifle, and aimed forward.

"Are you going to stay with me, or go to the other side of the trench, it's quieter there."

"Alright, thank you for the reminder!" Cooper patted White's shoulder and walked back in the direction he had come from, hunched over.

The brothers of Easy Company began to concentrate fully on the front.

After the shelling, the German attack was about to begin.

Time passed very slowly, minute by minute.

When the sky gradually brightened, it felt even longer, making one's heart almost stop beating.

White lay there quietly, the closest person to him, Heffron, was about 15 meters away.

God knew how many Germans could ambush them through that gap at this distance.

Fortunately, the Germans did not choose this place as their main attack area.

This was where White felt fortunate, and the only moment of comfort.

"Hey, White, do you need bullets and grenades?" At this moment, a person came from the side and then lay beside him.

It was Hubler, he placed two packages on the trench, then smiled and said, "I'm well prepared, grenades, rifle bullets.

I can share some with you.

These are good things for us to beat the Germans badly."

"No, no, I don't need them!" White glanced at him, then looked at the distance between himself and Heffron and complained, "I want to know why the Germans didn't choose this place to attack.

Our defensive distance is so far, it must make those Germans feel great.

But now it seems I don't need your stuff!"

"Oh, God, I've asked several people.

They all don't want them." Hubler complained, "It's really inconvenient for me to carry these things, they're too heavy, and Lieutenant Welsh won't let me put them down.

He also warned me to go support wherever ammunition is needed, this is really too good, I'm almost exhausted!"

"That's your problem, Hubler!" White chuckled, "Don't expect me to help you!

If I were you, I'd put these damn things down and find a place to have a good smoke!

It looks like the Germans have forgotten about us here, damn it.

It's so surprising, their cannons didn't forget about here!"

"You want the Germans to attack?" Hubler looked at him, then shook his head and muttered, "You pervert! You really got me!"

"God, actually, I wanted to be with Parks.

He's probably slaughtering Germans right now!

Boler contacted Parks, they're engaging two full companies of German at the junction of the dike and the road." White said.

"God!" Hubler exclaimed softly.

"But they succeeded!" White said, "They routed two full companies of SS German.

Now they seem to be waiting for reinforcements from D Company, then launching an attack on the German at the riverbank to capture the crossing."

"Cool!" Hubler exclaimed, smacked his lips, then chuckled, "I don't know what to say, I think the Boss made a mistake sending us here.

You know the First Platoon are seasoned veterans, those silly guys in the Second Platoon are really lucky to have such a good fellow."

"Yes! Lucky!" White nodded, "If it were us, we might have already captured the crossing without reinforcements!

We are the First Platoon, the force Lieutenant Parks relies on!"

"Alright, this is all nonsense!" Hubler lay beside White, then stared forward, "Maybe some blind German ran to the wrong place, then charged over, letting me take them out one by one."

White looked at Hubler and couldn't help but shout, "Hey, buddy, your position doesn't seem to be here, does it?

Go back to your position, I don't want the Germans to make this a key breakthrough point!"

"Alright, good luck!" Hubler picked up the two bags of ammunition and grenades again, "God knows how much longer I have to carry these two deadly heavy bags!" He continued to move around in the trench as he spoke.

It was relatively quiet here, but the German had not forgotten about it.

When the main German force was assembling, they suffered a fierce blow from British artillery fire, thus sustaining heavy losses, but they had to launch an attack prematurely, but the strength of this attack had been greatly weakened.

The frontal attack was also met with fierce resistance from the 506th Regiment, and it was clear they were prepared.

So the German tried to raid the right flank of the 506th Regiment, attempting to open a gap.

They sent a company of troops to conduct a probing raid on the defensive line held by Easy Company.

"German!" Lipton was the first to spot German figures about 400 meters ahead.

He shouted loudly, "Guys, get ready, the German can raid at any time, hold steady, hold steady, wait until they get closer before firing!"

Welsh was also busy deploying troops.

He contacted battalion headquarters, shouting loudly, "We need fire support, the German are attacking our positions, we need artillery!"

"Damn it!" Suddenly he slammed the walkie-talkie receiver down.

"What's the result?" Boller looked at Welsh.

"The damned British said they're busy with frontal shelling against the German and don't have the energy to take care of us for now!" Welsh appeared very angry.

He said to Gordon, "Quickly set up your mortar, we need it to fill the gaps in our defensive line."

"Christenson, use machine guns to fill the gaps, don't give the Germans an opportunity!" Welsh kept issuing orders, and the brothers of Easy Company held their breath, awaiting the German attack.

The German attack was a probing one, their forces spread out, advancing cautiously after the shelling, with everyone on edge. This was especially true after the German forces on the main front suffered heavy losses in their attack on the 506th Regiment. They seemed to have become extremely careful.

Trench warfare is actually quite simple; when the German forces attack, just keep firing at them. This was White's thought, and he had been thinking this way since the German attack began. The German attack formation was not dense, but their speed was very fast. However, they had too much ground to cover. There were no barriers here, and they were spotted and became targets from a great distance.

The German forces actually performed quite well. They advanced in a continuous, staggered pattern, and their charge speed was not much slower than that of the brothers of Easy Company. But their targets were too obvious, especially with the sky already brightening.

"Bang!" After the gunshot, a German soldier fell to the ground like a log. White silently murmured, "Sixth one!" This is how trench warfare is; the trenches provided excellent cover for the brothers of Easy Company, while placing the charging German soldiers in danger.

The crossfire from the machine guns and the continuous mortar fire finally stopped the charging German forces a hundred meters in front of the trenches. The German forces retreated very quickly, without a hint of hesitation. But the battle would not end with the German retreat.

Suddenly, the whistling sound of shells filled the sky. Someone in Easy Company shouted, "German shelling!" Everyone hit the ground. The German forces indeed would not give up easily. They decided to launch another attack.

After the shelling stopped, everyone prepared to face the enemy again. They found that there were many more German forces attacking than the first time, about 120 men. The German forces had at least five MG42s providing them cover.

"This is awful!" Welsh looked at the charging forces opposite him and couldn't help but curse under his breath. He shouted loudly at Bowler, "Contact the British artillery battalion headquarters! No matter what, they must provide us with artillery support. The German forces are about to break through our defenses. They are overwhelming!"

"Lieutenant, the British said to wait!" After a while, Bowler shrugged helplessly at Welsh.

"Damn it!" Welsh cursed. There was no other way.

Fortunately, the brothers of Easy Company did not retreat. They held the trenches stubbornly, firing desperately at the German forces. And the German advance was also very fast. Although the brothers resisted with all their might, at the rate the German forces were advancing, they would soon break through Easy Company's line of fire and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the brothers.

This was clearly a terrible outcome.

"Fix bayonets!" Welsh shouted loudly. Clearly, this was the worst possible outcome. But Easy Company's defensive line was too long. Although they resisted fiercely, the German attack was also much more intense than before.

The brothers quickly fixed their bayonets. By this time, a few German soldiers had already broken through the line of fire and were rushing into the trenches. Malarkey watched as a German soldier, rifle in hand, leaped into the trench and raised his gun at him.

"Puff!" With a sickening sound, the bayonet on Malarkey's rifle plunged deep into the German soldier's body. As the bayonet was pulled out, the German man gasped, his mouth wide open in surprise, and fell to the ground. But for Malarkey, this was already somewhat numb. German soldiers kept jumping into the trenches, but they were too hasty and were often stabbed to death with bayonets or shot with rifles by the brothers of Easy Company.

"Boom—" An explosion sounded among the German forces. The German follow-up assault troops were stunned by the sudden shelling and quickly withdrew from the battle. The German forces who had charged forward were cut off by the shells, unable to retreat. When they reached the front, they were met with a hail of bullets from the brothers of Easy Company. Many lay on the ground, raising their rifles in surrender.

"Damn British, they finally sobered up from their drunkenness!" Welsh watched as the German follow-up forces were bombarded by shells and quickly retreated, and he couldn't help but curse excitedly.

"I'm wounded!" At this moment, a very weak cry for help came from a trench not far away. Dr. Cooper quickly moved in that direction.

At this time, Lipton walked over from that side. Welsh couldn't help but ask, "Who is it?"

"It's Harber, a new recruit!" Lipton shook his head and said to Welsh, "I'm afraid he won't make it. He was slashed in the stomach by a German bayonet. Dr. Cooper is going to treat him. But—that can only relieve his pain."

Welsh nodded, saying nothing. To be honest, quite a few people were wounded in this attack, but it seemed Harber was the only one with a fatal heavy injury. This is the battlefield; it's inevitable.

Due to the artillery fire, the German attack stopped. And they retreated, very quickly, without the slightest hesitation. Perhaps it was due to Easy Company's strong counterattack, or perhaps it was the support of British artillery fire. After their probing attack, the German forces disengaged from the entanglement with Easy Company's defensive line.

Of course, the brothers of Easy Company could only watch the German forces retreat, and it was an orderly retreat, without any sense of dejection from having suffered a defeat. In reality, they couldn't be considered defeated. They merely withdrew voluntarily.

The brothers of Easy Company cheered. Although the German forces only made two charges, the tension caused to the brothers was relieved by the German forces' voluntary withdrawal.

Patrick Christenson watched the German forces retreat, then breathed a sigh of relief, plopping down on the ground. He shook his head and smiled at Welsh, "I really don't know what those Germans are up to."

"Clearly, they are retreating. The German forces didn't gain anything, so they are going back!" Welsh looked ahead. Besides the large craters left by the shells and the smoke that hadn't completely dissipated, there was almost no sign that this had once been a battlefield. The German forces had collected their dead and wounded. The area in front of the trenches was already empty.

"It seems we can have some peace for a few days!" Patrick Christenson patted the dust off himself, then sat down. "This is the most intense battle I've encountered in this godforsaken place."

"Indeed!" Welsh nodded, then said to Miller, who was a bit dazed in the trench, "Still got any cigarettes? Miller, I don't mean those British ones!" "Of course, Lieutenant!" Miller was startled, then stood up and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He handed the whole pack to Welsh, saying, "They're all yours, I don't need them!"

"Oh, that's too—" Patrick Christenson shouted discontentedly at Miller, "You already gave the Lieutenant a pack earlier, why not give me one too? That's not fair!"

"I don't have any left, Patrick Christenson, that was the last pack!" Miller shrugged helplessly at Patrick Christenson.

"Alright, alright!" Patrick Christenson turned to Welsh and said, "Share some with me."

"No, don't even think about it!" Welsh shook his head, chuckling, "Of course, I don't mind sharing one with you when I'm smoking. That's the highest honor!" As he spoke, he pulled out a cigarette and threw it to Patrick Christenson, then lit one for himself. He looked behind the trenches and murmured to himself, "I wonder how Lieutenant Parks is doing?"

How was Lieutenant Parks doing?

Parks was constructing and reinforcing fortifications along the dike and road. They needed to guard against a German counterattack, though in reality, this possibility was very small. The German forces had suffered a great loss and couldn't recover for a while. Moreover, their objective had not been achieved. The greatest possibility was that they would return via the ferry crossing again.

Winters and Nixon arrived at the junction of the dike and the road in a jeep. They saw the brothers constructing fortifications, ambulances transporting the wounded, and some clearing out spoils of war and German bodies from the battlefield.

"Sir!" Winters saw Lieutenant Peacock, who was counting the spoils of war. Peacock also saw him and Nixon, stood up, and saluted them, saying, "We're cleaning these up!"

"Well done!" Winters nodded at him.

"Yes!" Peacock was a little excited. "When we charged up, a German company was in this open area, and then we attacked. The German forces scattered, completely helpless. Later, another German company came up, and they merged. But we still severely defeated them and drove them to the riverbank!"

"Oh?" Winters was a bit distracted, his eyes scanning around, looking for Parks.

"If I had enough troops, I would definitely intercept the German forces and might even capture the ferry crossing. My goodness, Captain Parks is simply a lucky star. He brought us good fortune. You know, we were really lucky this time!" Peacock continued to ramble.

Nixon responded absentmindedly, "Lucky? Oh, tell me, where is Lieutenant Parks?"

Peacock looked around and said, "Perhaps on the other side of the dike. He was just here earlier, I can't be sure. Perhaps if you look over there, you might find him. He's with Lieutenant Speirs!"

"Speirs?" Nixon looked at Peacock in confusion. "Okay, I understand. You continue your work!" Nixon found this guy a bit annoying.

Parks was indeed with Speirs. They sat on the other side of the dike, watching the German-occupied ferry crossing from a distance. They seemed to be discussing something. Nixon whistled from afar, "Woah, so you were hiding here."

Parks and Speirs quickly stood up and turned to see Winters and Nixon walking towards them.

"Dick, Nick?" Parks smiled.

"Didn't think we'd find you?" Nixon smiled slightly and said, "What's the outcome?"

"I think we defeated about 300 German soldiers from two companies. We lost two men and had some wounded, about a dozen. We killed about 50 German soldiers, captured 10 Germans, and about 100 were wounded. I think that's about it." Parks shrugged at Winters and the others.

"Which two died?" Winters frowned.

"They were from our company!" Speirs said from the side, "The two who died were from F Company, shot while attacking the German forces at the ferry crossing."

"Not bad, this result for them!" Nixon nodded, then looked at Parks and Speirs and said, "What are you two discussing? Reese, your company is still short an officer. I think if you bring up this issue, Colonel Sink will definitely take it seriously."

Nixon's words made Speirs look up at him.

Evidently, he really wanted to join this company.

He had been doing nothing in D Company, fighting unexciting battles, living unexciting days, and not getting promoted for a long time, which frustrated him.

Coupled with the atmosphere he felt in Easy Company a few days ago, he was indeed eager to make a move.

The benefits of being in Easy Company were undeniable, and he was fortunate enough to participate in Easy Company's battle today, which greatly stimulated him.

Before he arrived, Easy Company, with only 35 men, had driven two companies of Germans to the riverbank.

After he joined, they even took the initiative to attack over 200 German soldiers with a force of more than 60 men, forcing the German to not dare to fight again.

Speirs's eyes shifted to Parks's face, hoping to get something from him.

Parks smiled slightly at him, then hesitated and said, "Our company definitely lacks officers like Lieutenant Speirs.

Of course, he is also what I urgently need."

Speirs nodded and smiled, "Of course, I am very willing to fight for Easy Company.

Lieutenant Parks, that's why I admire you so much."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Nixon couldn't help but exclaim, smiling at the two of them, "Hearing you two flattering each other, I don't know if I can keep my breakfast in my stomach!

But don't say I didn't warn you, this is not an easy matter.

At the very least, Colonel Sink won't think like you two!"

Winters also smiled slightly at this time.

He said to Speirs, "Your platoon will stay and hold this defensive line."

Then he patted Parks on the shoulder and said, "Are you coming with us to Battalion HQ?"

Parks nodded, looking at his brothers resting on the ground; after a major battle, they seemed a bit tired.

But that couldn't stop these guys from getting some good things for themselves.

Someone started a fire to cook.

"Okay, but I need to settle my brothers first!" Parks nodded at him.

"Good!

I'll wait for you at Battalion HQ." Winters nodded at him, then motioned with his head, waving to Nixon, "Let's go back to Battalion HQ, leave this to Reese and Speirs."

The jeep sped along the road for a while, then slowed down and headed towards Battalion HQ.

The results Winters and Nixon saw satisfied them.

This was already a very impressive battle.

The capabilities displayed by Easy Company's soldiers in this battle were indeed remarkable, even though they had performed very well before.

"It seems Sobel wasn't entirely wrong!" Nixon sat in the passenger seat, his legs propped up against the windshield, leaning back comfortably, holding a wine bottle, and taking a swig.

"I never thought his training was wrong." Winters nodded, "But most of the Easy Company brothers' ability, which surpassed other companies, should be attributed to Reese.

His methods are very surprising, and of course, very effective.

I still benefit greatly from those methods."

This was one of the most brilliant battles in all of Easy Company's previous wartime operations.

This battle demonstrated Easy Company's superiority at every stage of infantry tactics: reconnaissance, defense, offense under covering fire, retreat, and most importantly, superb rifle, machine gun, and mortar marksmanship.

Moreover, the physical fitness of Easy Company's soldiers was a prerequisite.

They expended enormous energy and effort throughout the battle; if it weren't for Parks's training methods strengthening and regulating their physical condition, then many would certainly not have been able to endure this time.

This could be seen from D Company, who joined later.

D Company participated in far fewer attacks than Easy Company, but their soldiers appeared very fatigued, almost as slumped as Easy Company's brothers.

"This was a battle where all aspects performed excellently!" Nixon nodded.

He was telling the truth, and Winters had also analyzed it through Parks's narration.

In addition to the excellent individual qualities of Easy Company mentioned above, every aspect of Easy Company's combat operations was perfectly executed, including communication, interactive offense and retreat, evacuation of casualties, and coordinated cooperation with British artillery, and so on.

Of course, the most crucial source of victory came from Parks.

He made one wise decision after another, stemming from his calmness, wisdom, decisiveness, and his spirit of leading by example.

Moreover, he killed far more German soldiers than anyone else.

Especially when he charged onto the road alone, facing a dense company of German soldiers, he suppressed them with two consecutive magazines, achieving almost a one-shot, one-kill hit rate, until the follow-up forces arrived, inflicting great casualties on the German.

But for Parks, this battle indeed had an element of luck, just like the lucky factors when Winters fought this battle in his previous life.

The German's terrible command, the German huddling together forming large, dense crowds, and the two German machine guns being taken out by him first.

More importantly, the German soldiers were actually wearing thick, long coats, moving slowly, and unable to form an organized firing point for a long time.

Clearly, all of this was an unforgivable mistake made by the German.

Parks watched Winters and Nixon leave, and he couldn't help but feel a little emotional; he hadn't expected that he would ultimately seize what was originally his classic battle, but no matter what, the outcome was the same.

Easy Company's brothers achieved victory, and what could be more important than that?

Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared on Parks's lips.

"Sir, would you like some?" At this moment, a voice beside Parks interrupted his thoughts.

He turned to see Medical Officer Luo, holding a mug and handing it to him, "Coffee!"

"Excellent!

Thank you very much!" Parks quickly thanked him.

After a night and day of fighting, he was indeed a bit tired.

He just needed a cup of coffee to feel more energized.

"Sir, well done!" Medical Officer Luo raised his cup to him, smiled slightly, and then walked over to join a group of brothers.

Parks saw Luz chatting and laughing with a group of guys, occasionally eliciting bursts of laughter.

Parks couldn't help but smile; that guy could create a good atmosphere wherever he went.

"Luz!" Parks waved to him and said, "Come here, have you contacted Lieutenant Welsh at Company HQ?

How are they doing now?" This was also something Parks was very concerned about.

"Not too bad!" Luz nodded, "Earlier, when things here wrapped up, we contacted them.

They repelled two German attacks, and the brothers aren't doing too badly.

Harber died, and some brothers suffered minor injuries; some guys didn't even need bandaging.

They also endured a barrage of German shelling, truly lucky!"

Parks nodded and said to Luz, "Harber?

The new recruit who was brought in?"

"Yes, that's him!

The timid one who screamed like a woman.

Lieutenant Welsh said a German jumped into the trench and was killed by a bayonet!" Luz seemed to sigh and shake his head.

Parks nodded, indicating he understood, then told Luz to leave.

Harber died, but this couldn't be simply explained by a German jumping into the trench.

Parks knew that there were some new recruits in Easy Company now, and their quality was indeed too far below that of the veterans.

Moreover, they had empty enthusiasm, some were even cowardly, but they didn't know how to use and control it.

It seemed that after this battle, training was imminent, especially with the upcoming Ardennes battle.

If they couldn't adapt to the battlefield, their chances of survival would be very small.

They would either be killed by the German, or they would collapse in battle, or they would shoot themselves.

Suicide due to fear was not unprecedented in the American army.

After a period of rest, Parks called Talbert and Peacock to gather the brothers; they were to return to Company HQ.

There they would get a brief period of rest and recuperation.

"Guys, we're leaving!" Talbert was shouting loudly, "Say goodbye to the brothers of D Company.

I think we won't see them for a while."

Easy Company's brothers stood up in twos and threes, then slowly packed their gear.

Although they were tired, the entire battle was considered a victory after all, and their faces were still full of smiles.

"Hey, buddy, thanks for the cigarette!

Much better than British stuff!

Is it American?

Seems a bit off." Someone was shouting loudly at the brothers of D Company.

"German stuff, I found it in the pockets of those dead German soldiers." The D Company guy smiled triumphantly, "Looks like you missed out on the best stuff."

"Damn it, no wonder it smelled.

Damn German corpse smell!" The guy was furious, causing the D Company group to laugh loudly.

"Goodbye, brothers!" Luz also said to a group of D Company men who were cooking, then began to retreat.

Lieutenant Speirs and Parks shook hands again.

Clearly, Parks already understood Speirs's desire well enough, but he wouldn't fight for him; that was up to him.

"This is the best battle I've ever felt!" Speirs smiled, "I hope there will be such an opportunity again!"

"I look forward to it!" Parks nodded, then bid farewell to Speirs and began to retreat to Company HQ.

Lieutenant Speirs stared blankly at the retreating figures of Easy Company, his eyes only noticing one person: Parks.

Yes, Parks had created many miracles.

Even just one of these miracles would be almost impossible for the vast majority of Americans to achieve.

But he was able to do many of them.

Of course, this time was included.

What could he do now?

Should he just spend his time in D Company in obscurity?

Speirs greatly desired honor, especially those honors obtained in battle.

But now his highest honor was only the Silver Star.

However, in Easy Company, even without mentioning Parks's Medal of Honor, even the Distinguished Service Cross had been awarded to several individuals.

First, Captain Winters, then Lieutenant Parks, and Lieutenant Welsh, and even Sergeant Shifty were able to receive it.

He suddenly had a decision in his heart.

He could hear the meaning in Nixon's words, which meant that Nixon and the others also knew what he was thinking now.

Perhaps he could talk to them about his ideas first.

"Good idea!" He muttered to himself, a smile appearing on his face.

Behind him, a D Company soldier was exclaiming, "Oh, these Easy Company brothers are simply iron men; I don't know how they endured it.

If I fought for so long, I'd go crazy!"

Although the small-scale action on the dike was probably crucial to the main attack launched by the German 363rd Division at dawn that day on the left flank of the 506th Regiment in Opheusden.

If two companies of the German SS had occupied the south side of the dike without hindrance, they would have attacked the battalion headquarters while Colonel Sink was concentrating his attention on Opheusden.

Lieutenant Colonel Chase decided to meet Lieutenant Parks at Battalion HQ.

He was reviewing a commendation signed personally by Colonel Sink when he had the duty non-commissioned officer at Battalion HQ summon Parks.

"Knock, knock, knock!" There was a knock on the door, and without looking up, he called out, "Come in!"

Hearing the invitation from inside, Parks pushed the door open.

He saw Lieutenant Colonel Chase standing by the desk, looking at a document.

It seemed he was the only one in the entire Battalion HQ.

He couldn't help but open his mouth slightly.

"Please have a seat, Lieutenant Parks!" Lieutenant Colonel Chase walked over, gestured for Parks to sit, then unfolded the document in his hand and read to Parks, "Through this brave attack on a numerically superior enemy and the flexible application of tactics, this platoon inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and thwarted their attempt to attack Battalion HQ from the rear."

After Lieutenant Colonel Chase finished reading, he handed the document to Parks and said, "This is a commendation personally signed by Colonel Sink, and he asked me to hand it to you personally!

I hope you can read it aloud to Second Platoon, Easy Company, and all the brothers."

"I think it would be more appropriate for you, sir, to read it.

That is your authority!" Parks said, spreading his hands towards him.

"No, no, this is something you earned." Lieutenant Colonel Chase nodded and smiled at him, "I am very pleased that you could achieve such a feat.

Frankly, you saved Battalion HQ and battalion headquarters."

Parks nodded and smiled, "Well, in that case, I will be very happy to share it with the brothers of Second Platoon, Easy Company, and all the brothers.

I am proud of them!"

Lieutenant Colonel Chase smiled at Parks, "I am proud of you too.

Frankly, this is the last order I will sign for you as a battalion commander, and fortunately, it is a commendation!"

Parks couldn't help but stand up, looking at Lieutenant Colonel Chase, and asked in surprise, "I don't understand, sir.

What exactly does this mean?

Perhaps I should say congratulations, right?"

Lieutenant Colonel Chase chuckled, "This was already decided.

Lieutenant Parks, you know, ever since Major Horton was killed, I temporarily came down from battalion headquarters to take over the Second Battalion.

In yesterday's battle, Lieutenant Colonel Charles from battalion headquarters went to the front to check on the situation and was hit by German artillery fire.

battalion headquarters is short-staffed now, so Colonel Sink transferred me there again.

So—" Lieutenant Colonel Chase said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling at Parks, "That's the result!"

Parks couldn't help but laugh, then extended his hand to Lieutenant Colonel Chase and said, "Anyway, I still want to congratulate you, Lieutenant Colonel.

It seems you got a promotion."

"If this counts as a promotion, then of course!" Chase spread his hands and laughed.

"Hmm—" Just as Parks was about to ask further, Lieutenant Colonel Chase suddenly spoke, smiling at Parks, "You must be wondering who will take over the Second Battalion's commander position, right?

That's right, it's Dick.

He serves as the Second Battalion's executive officer, and he is experienced and has performed very well on the battlefield.

Undoubtedly, he is the best candidate for battalion commander, and I have already recommended him to Colonel Sink.

I believe his official appointment will come down soon."

"Oh, this is truly—" Parks didn't know what to say, but it was indeed good news.

He nodded, then smiled and said, "It has been a great honor to serve under your leadership these days!"

"Me too.

You are the best officer I have ever led, Parks, keep up the good work!" With that, Lieutenant Colonel Chase extended his hand to him; it was a farewell gesture.

Winters became the Second Battalion's commander.

Parks felt an inexplicable excitement as he left Battalion HQ.

He was happy for Winters.

After all, who doesn't like a promotion?

Indeed, Winters was to become the Second Battalion's commander.

Shortly after the battle ended, Colonel Sink called Winters to the battalion headquarters, clearly showing his appreciation for Winters.

And in the recent series of commands, Winters had indeed played some key roles.

For example, his judgment of Parks's encounter battle was very accurate; he promptly notified the British artillery for coordinated operations and dispatched Lieutenant Speirs of D Company to reinforce, thereby defeating two German companies that were attempting to ambush battalion headquarters and inflicting heavy losses on them.

"How do you feel about leading a battalion?" Colonel Sink asked when he met Winters at battalion headquarters.

"Sir?" Winters asked, confused, "I am currently the executive officer of the Second Battalion, sir!"

Colonel Sink, holding a cigar, took a puff, then smiled and pointed at him, saying, "I mean taking full command of the Second Battalion, with you as the battalion commander, Dick.

I know you are an excellent officer."

"But—" Winters took a deep breath.

He was only 26 years old this year, had been a Captain and company commander for only three months, and had served as executive officer for less than a month.

Now he was about to be promoted to battalion commander, which truly shocked him.

Winters took a deep breath and replied, "Reporting, sir, I am still responsible for some administrative matters.

I am worried—"

"Don't worry," Sink comforted him, "I will handle that part.

I will find someone to replace you, or perhaps you can find someone yourself to share this work with you.

You are now the battalion commander, and you should have your own decision-making power over the personnel of Battalion HQ.

Rest assured, I will not interfere with you on this."

"Thank you very much, sir!

I think I will do my best in this job!" Winters saluted Colonel Sink, clearly very grateful for Sink's decision.

"Hmm, what do you think of Parks?" Although Colonel Sink said he wouldn't concern himself with his Battalion HQ matters, he couldn't help but mention a name, "He is an excellent officer, there's no doubt about that!"

Winters nodded and said, "Indeed, but I think he might not be very suitable for administrative work.

He is more suited to leading troops on the battlefield; that is his strength!"

Colonel Sink nodded and smiled, "Perhaps you are right!

Alright, I have nothing more to say.

You decide on administrative matters yourself, no need to consider my factors!"

"Thank you, sir!" Winters nodded, then prepared to leave.

This promotion made him feel a bit dizzy; clearly, the speed of promotion was indeed very fast.

Even with his relatively steady mind, he couldn't help but feel a sense of elation deep down.

Of course, what he wanted most was to share it with Nixon, Welsh, and Parks now.

"Oh, by the way, Dick!" Sink did not intend to let him go immediately.

He said to Winters, "General Taylor is very proud of Lieutenant Parks's battle.

He intends to widely publicize this action throughout the 101st Airborne Division.

Perhaps he has already issued this order to the Division HQ's public relations office."

"You mean?" Winters looked at Colonel Sink with some surprise.

Colonel Sink took out a small, exquisite box and handed it to Winters, smiling, "Of course, this is not just for publicity.

Parks's achievements deserve such a rank.

I think he will feel doubly honored if you personally present this to him."

Winters opened the box and saw a silver bar inside.

Parks was currently a Lieutenant with one silver bar, so with another bar, his rank had clearly been promoted, just as Colonel Sink had said.

"I think he will be very grateful, sir!" Winters felt that this gain was truly immense, even a bit dizzying.

But all of this really happened.

Winters left battalion headquarters under Colonel Sink's pleased smile.

He was somewhat impatient to return to Battalion HQ.

At Battalion HQ, Winters saw Lieutenant Colonel Chase packing his things.

Winters's joyful expression naturally couldn't be hidden from Lieutenant Colonel Chase.

Seeing Winters enter, he immediately stopped what he was doing and walked towards him, smiling, "I think Colonel Sink must have mentioned it to you!

Congratulations, Battalion Commander Winters!"

"Congratulations to you too, Lieutenant Colonel Chase!" Winters quickly reined in his joyful expression.

He politely shook hands with Lieutenant Colonel Chase; after all, it would be a bit inappropriate to be so overjoyed right after the other person left.

Winters and Lieutenant Colonel Chase talked for a while, but the conversation always revolved around the promotion to Second Battalion, and even touched upon Parks.

And Chase, while chatting, also packed his luggage and documents.

He stopped, then smiled, "Originally, I should have waited a few more days to report to battalion headquarters, but I am very confident about the matters in Battalion HQ; you will be a good battalion commander!"

"Thank you! Lieutenant Colonel Chase!" Winters smiled faintly at him.

Lieutenant Colonel Chase did not stay in the Second Battalion for long; although the official appointment had not yet come down, it no longer mattered.

He was merely handing over the battalion commander position to Winters in advance, which would benefit both him and himself.

After Lieutenant Colonel Chase left, Winters couldn't help but walk to the desk Chase often used, tested the chair in front of the desk with his hand, then carefully sat down, feeling a bit strange.

He settled into a comfortable position, leaning back in the chair with his feet on the desk.

"Woah!" At that moment, a whistle came from the doorway, followed by an exclamation.

Without looking, he knew Nixon had arrived at Battalion HQ.

He looked at Winters sitting in Lieutenant Colonel Chase's seat and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "It seems you want to replace Lieutenant Colonel Chase, don't you?

God, I just saw Lieutenant Colonel Chase leave; it looks like he went to battalion headquarters.

No wonder you're so bold!"

"Do I look like I'm trying to take Lieutenant Colonel Chase's position?" Winters chuckled.

Nixon looked at him in surprise; he rarely saw Winters express his emotions so openly: "Are you feeling alright?"

"No, no, Nick, to tell you the truth, do you know what Colonel Sink called me for today?" Winters chuckled, "Lieutenant Colonel Chase has been transferred to battalion headquarters to serve as Chief of Operations, and he told me to take over as battalion commander of the Second Battalion!"

"Woah!" Nixon whistled again in surprise, then smiled at Winters, "You're really lucky, Dick!

What about Parks?

What will he get?"

Winters looked at Nixon and smiled, "I'm afraid from now on, when you see him, you'll have to call him Captain Parks!"

Speirs participated in this operation, and the next day he saw his name on the announcement issued by Division HQ to every company-level unit.

Division HQ widely publicized this operation, and although his name was only mentioned, it was enough to make him feel a little proud.

The announcement truthfully stated: "Captain Parks's order had to be, and indeed was, a bayonet charge.

Due to this brave order, two SS companies were severely hit, found no opportunity to launch their planned attack at that time, and were forced to retreat.

In this operation, officers and soldiers of Easy Company's Second Platoon and D Company's First Platoon displayed extraordinary courage; they firmly and decisively executed orders, which was the result of excellent training."

At the end of the announcement, the names of officers and soldiers who performed outstandingly in the battle were listed.

Lieutenant Speirs was one of those officers, appearing directly after Lieutenant Parks's name.

Two days later, Winters received his official appointment; he was now the legitimate Battalion Commander of Second Battalion.

This was a completely new and challenging job for Winters.

Although it meant he could no longer directly charge into battle on the front lines, it also indicated that he would have greater scope for tactical deployment and coordination of the companies within Battalion HQ.

Nixon remained as the Chief of Staff for Second Battalion's Battalion HQ, allowing him to continue working with Winters.

In fact, Colonel Sink intended to transfer Nixon to battalion headquarters as a staff officer, but Nixon politely declined.

After all, this was not a formal appointment discussion, and Nixon still had the right to choose for himself.

"You turned down the opportunity to serve at battalion headquarters?" Winters asked Nixon while shaving in front of the mirror, "I bet you're regretting it now; look at how restless you are!"

Nixon looked at Winters and couldn't help but shake his head, "Dick, it seems you've been promoted and forgotten some of your former Battalion HQ duties.

I'm swamped right now, and you're still leisurely shaving."

"Is shaving a leisurely activity?" Winters made the last stroke, then wiped the foam from around his face with a towel, laughing, "It seems you really are regretting it!"

"It has nothing to do with regret, Dick.

You need to consider adding another staff officer to Battalion HQ.

According to the position setup, we indeed need someone to fill the vacancy created by your promotion!" Nixon looked at Winters's smiling face, somewhat helplessly, "I suppose you've already started considering this."

Winters was startled; he hadn't considered such a problem.

He hadn't inquired about many things since his promotion to Battalion Commander, and now that Nixon brought it up, he suddenly realized, nodding and laughing, "Perhaps—I am considering it.

Nick, do you have any good suggestions?

Colonel Sink once wanted to recommend Parks to be the battalion's staff officer.

But I think that would be a waste of talent."

Nixon nodded and smiled, "On that point, you are correct!"

"I mean, do you have anyone else to recommend to me?" Winters looked at him, hoping Nixon could give him an answer.

Nixon looked at Winters, shook his head, and smiled, "You want to be a pure Battalion Commander.

How about Lieutenant Speirs?

He's a good officer; perhaps Battalion HQ needs him!"

"Lieutenant Speirs? What are you up to, Nick!" Winters looked at Nixon strangely, then laughed, "Tell me, what's your real intention!"

Clearly, Winters knew that Speirs could lead troops in battle and would be a good junior officer, but as for his administrative capabilities, at least for now, they were not apparent.

Nixon chuckled, "I'm just getting him out of D Company.

He's an officer who can lead troops in battle.

Now Easy Company lacks officers, so why don't we let Speirs go to Battalion HQ first, and then to Easy Company?"

"Oh, Nick, that's not according to regulations!" Winters frowned slightly.

Nixon shrugged indifferently, "That doesn't violate any regulations.

Speirs moving out, then from Battalion HQ to Easy Company, doesn't break any rules for anyone.

Do you want Easy Company to have someone like Peacock sent from battalion headquarters as an officer?

That would kill a lot of brothers.

This time we were lucky to have Parks commanding, but what kind of luck will we have next time?"

Winters fell silent.

Clearly, in his eyes, Peacock certainly wasn't a good officer; he was rigid and harsh with the brothers, and basically the entire platoon disliked him, which would cause some harm in battle.

"I'll think about it!" Winters nodded.

Clearly, he was somewhat tempted.

Winters didn't ponder for long; that afternoon, he and Nixon went to D Company, where he and Nixon met with Lieutenant Speirs alone.

"What are your thoughts on your current position?" Winters got straight to the point with him.

"What?" Speirs clearly hadn't caught on, "What do you mean, sir!"

"Is your work in D Company not to your liking?" Winters cleared his throat, then added, "What I mean is, if you're interested in taking on a new challenge, you'll receive a new appointment!"

Seeing Lieutenant Speirs growing more confused, Nixon shrugged helplessly at Winters.

He walked over, patted Speirs's shoulder, and laughed, "It's like this: Battalion HQ needs a staff officer, and this requires an officer with rich combat experience.

I think if you're interested, you'll get this position!

This is Battalion Commander Winters's intention!"

Winters smiled slightly, nodding at Speirs.

Speirs struggled intensely internally; this was an opportunity to get out of this company where he found no challenges, but if he went to Battalion HQ as a staff officer, he would be far from the battlefield, which was not what he wanted.

Winters and Nixon didn't rush him; he knew it was a difficult decision.

Not every officer was interested in serving as a staff officer at headquarters, especially those junior officers who liked to prove themselves on the battlefield.

There was silence for a while.

Speirs finally made his decision; this was an opportunity, and he had already planned in his mind that if he had the chance, he would still strive to go to Easy Company, and then it wouldn't be as difficult as it was now.

"I agree, sir!" Speirs nodded at Winters, very firmly.

Winters smiled slightly, then said, "This is the right decision, Speirs.

I believe Battalion HQ will be a good place.

Make the most of it!

Go pack your things and report to Battalion HQ!" Winters said, patting Speirs's arm, then turned to Nixon, "Let's go to Easy Company.

I think this will be good news for Parks!"

Winters and Nixon left D Company's company headquarters, but Speirs heard their last words.

"This will be good news for Parks?"

He suddenly smiled slightly, already convinced that Winters was doing this just to get him out of D Company and then to Easy Company as an officer.

If that were the case, his decision just now was undoubtedly very correct.

Speirs, of course, misunderstood Winters's latter remark.

Winters merely wanted to go with Nixon to Easy Company to present Parks with his silver bar.

The jeep kicked up dust on the path, and Nixon smiled at Winters, who was driving, "You finally did something right.

Of course, this is only for Easy Company."

"Nick, is this really right?

I don't feel much about it.

As you said, this might be a good thing for Easy Company, but for Second Battalion, it's not.

You forgot, I'm already the Battalion Commander now!"

"Yes, you're already the Battalion Commander!" Nixon chuckled, "But why can't you ever change?"

"Change what?" Winters looked at Nixon, somewhat puzzled.

"Your special feelings for Easy Company.

Your affection for Easy Company surpasses that for other companies, there's no doubt about it.

Why don't you change?

You know you're the Battalion Commander now!" Nixon's tone was clearly playful.

Winters paused, then smiled slightly, "Yes, why not change?" Then he looked at Nixon and laughed, "Can you change, Nick!"

"No!"

"Then neither can I!" Winters said, slamming his foot down on the accelerator.

The car quickly rounded a bend and sped towards Easy Company's command post.

Winters and Nixon's feelings for Easy Company, like many who are promoted from junior officers to senior commanders, cannot shake off their nostalgia; this is a common problem, not only evident in Winters and Nixon but throughout the entire US military.

Along the way, they met soldiers on guard duty around the company headquarters, including Muck, Sergei, and others.

They all saluted Winters and Nixon.

Clearly, this was one of the reasons Winters couldn't let go of Easy Company; he had always been respected there, and his relationship with the brothers was harmonious and close.

As Winters pushed open the door of the company headquarters, he saw Lieutenant Welsh facing them from the side, holding a bottle of wine.

His eyes were looking out the window, where Easy Company's main defensive line was located.

Parks was flipping through a book, reading very intently; he even kept making marks in it with a pen.

"Woah!" Nixon whistled, "Looks like our Captain is studying hard.

What is he reading?

'Attention: Armored Forces'?

'Infantry Attack'?

Or is it Hitler's 'Mein Kampf'?"

Parks looked up, then saw Winters and Nixon, and couldn't help but smile, stand up, and walk towards them, shaking their hands, "I've already read those books, and of course, some are contraband!

I assume you won't report me!"

"Depends on the situation!" Nixon chuckled.

At this moment, Welsh also turned around and laughed loudly at them, "Hey, Nick, Dick, it's good to see you!" Then he saluted Winters again, "This is my formal greeting to the Battalion Commander!"

Winters patted his shoulder and laughed, "Alright, Harry.

I'm not here to listen to your flattery." Saying that, he waved to Parks, "Come here, this is yours.

Colonel Sink thinks you've earned enough merit; if he doesn't promote you, the brothers in Easy Company will riot.

Congratulations, Captain Parks!"

Parks was stunned, then heard Welsh whistle, "Captain?

That's great, we can have a few more drinks!"

Parks opened the box, and inside was a silver bar. He couldn't help but grin, laughing, as he was genuinely happy about this latest promotion.

At that moment, Welsh, seemingly out of nowhere, produced several cups, poured wine, handed one to everyone, and laughed loudly, "This is certainly worth a drink!" "No, Harry, just water for me!" Winters said, shaking his head with a smile, "You know!"

"Oh, come on, Dick, don't be a spoilsport! Just this once!" Welsh couldn't help but shake his head, "Didn't you make an exception last time? You can do the same this time."

Winters looked at Welsh and smiled helplessly, "It seems that was truly a wrong decision!" With that, he said no more, picked up his wine glass, and looked at everyone, "Then—"

"To the Battalion Commander, or to the Captain?" Nixon looked at Parks and Winters, then smiled slightly.

"To a toast!" Parks smiled, and then the four men's cups clinked together.

All four were in good spirits. Moreover, Winters, Nixon, Parks, and Welsh had always been the closest in Easy Company, which was key to their enduring strong friendship. They admired each other, were fierce in combat, and had straightforward personalities. Each was willing to give everything for the others, even their lives. So, even if one of them had to undertake a very dangerous mission, the others would be drawn to participate without hesitation.

"When can we withdraw from the front line?" Parks gestured for Winters and Nixon to sit down, then poured another glass of wine for each of them, and a glass of water for Winters, asking him.

"I don't know, I'm afraid that's not something we can decide!" Winters shook his head, "Perhaps soon. British troops and Canadian forces are already coming up in succession. I think we should be at the end of our rope."

"Maybe!" Nixon wasn't very optimistic. He shrugged, "Those Canadian guys are old soldiers. Don't expect them to do anything. Alright, we should be going!" Nixon drained his cup, then stood up. He smiled at Parks, "What do you think of Speirs?"

Parks was a bit surprised, "Lieutenant Speirs? What about him? But he feels very good, brave in combat. Working with him this time was great. He possesses many qualities that many officers lack. I look forward to working with him again!"

"There will be opportunities! Lieutenant Speirs has already left D Company; he will serve as a staff officer at Battalion HQ for a period of time," Winters interjected with a smile. With that, he nodded to Nixon, signaling him to come along, and they left Easy Company's command post.

"What does he mean by that?" Welsh looked at Parks in surprise, clearly confused by Winters's abrupt remark. What connection did Speirs leaving D Company for Battalion HQ have with him working with Parks again?

"I know. Going to Battalion HQ is just the first step. If I want Speirs to come over, I don't think it will take long for that condition to be met." Parks certainly understood Winters's meaning, after all, he understood people like Winters and Speirs. "Harry, I don't think it will be long before we have a candidate for our Third Platoon leader."

"Are you talking about Lieutenant Speirs?" Welsh looked at Parks, then suddenly grinned, "I knew you guys were up to something, but Speirs is pretty good, I like him!"

"Why not?" Parks smiled, then walked to another side where there was a small mirror. Parks took the small box out of his pocket, and facing the mirror, pinned the silver bar onto his collar. Then he puffed out his chest, looked at his reflection from left to right, and nodded with satisfaction.

"You look absolutely dashing!" Welsh watched him with a chuckle from the side, "I'm a little jealous of you now. You're one of the fastest promoted officers I've ever seen, if not the fastest! Sergeant, Lieutenant, Lieutenant, and then Captain, you actually only took a few months. God, on June 5th, when you boarded the C-47 from England, you were still a Sergeant. Now, in Netherlands, you are already a Captain."

"This surprises even me!" Parks spread his hands, turned to Welsh, and smiled, "God truly favors me. But what's the difference? We still have to stay in this damned place, enduring the German shelling. If my promotion speed could put tremendous pressure on Hitler, leading him to surrender, then that would truly hold immense meaning for me!"

"Brilliant idea!" Welsh chuckled, then also drained the wine in his cup.

The news of Parks's promotion to Captain quickly spread throughout Easy Company, and the commendations Easy Company received were widely publicized throughout the entire Division HQ by the 101st Airborne Division. After this battle, the brothers' morale improved somewhat. In fact, rather than an improvement, it was more like, at least when they were in the trenches, they weren't too lazy to defecate in the trenches, which would have made it reek.

The brothers of Easy Company were indeed much more diligent. And when Parks inspected, he could always see the admiration and envy in the brothers' eyes towards him. But this was irrelevant; the most important thing was that the brothers' morale had indeed improved compared to before.

White was one of the happiest among them. To be honest, he had always been a staunch supporter of Parks. Since their time at Taccoa Barracks, his relationship with Parks had been the best, and Parks was also willing to stand up for him. This also helped him avoid many unnecessary troubles, such as Sobel's baseless troublemaking.

Therefore, in Easy Company, White was the one who could least tolerate anyone speaking ill of Parks, and also the one who could least tolerate a negative attitude towards Parks's orders. Now, Parks's promotion further strengthened his support for this relationship. For this, he even got into a fight with Cobb. It was actually a simple matter.

"He's just lucky!" Cobb said this one sentence, which led to White assaulting him. The two had never gotten along well. Especially after Cobb accidentally killed a French woman's husband in Carrington, White couldn't stand Cobb. He believed this guy only complained and caused trouble, and was not a good paratrooper.

"He earned that with his life, he deserves it, shut your mouth, don't talk rubbish about being lucky!" White, passing by Cobb, heard him, and then launched a counterattack, "You shameless bastard, you have no right to evaluate the Company Commander!"

"Hey, White, it's none of your business. I didn't provoke you. You go your way, I'll say what I want." Cobb, of course, wasn't going to back down, because in front of him were several new recruits, Miller, Huxley, and others, and he didn't want to lose face in front of them.

"Is that what you want to say?" White, however, refused to let him off. He stepped forward and said to Cobb, "Since Captain Parks landed in Normandy, when has he not achieved great success? He deserves this, and you call it being lucky? I think you're asking for a beating or something?"

"That's not even a bad thing!" Cobb argued. Indeed, that remark was actually a tone of envy, nothing major, but White simply couldn't stand this guy and deliberately wanted to stir up trouble. He wanted to make Cobb lose face in front of the new recruits, to vent the resentment that had been building up in his heart since Carrington.

"You're just a bastard!" White yelled at him in displeasure.

"What do you want? Don't go too far!" Cobb's face fell, "White, you actually called me a bastard, damn you, you're the bastard, you damned one!" Cobb said, then rushed forward to grab White's collar.

How could White let him succeed? As Cobb charged, White landed a punch on Cobb's face with a "bang," sending him staggering back several steps, almost falling to the ground.

"Damn it, you dare hit me?" Cobb rushed forward, and the two quickly got into a brawl.

"Oh, God, Cobb's face is turning into a pig's head!" At this point, many people gathered to watch, clearly with no intention of breaking them up, especially when White gained the upper hand. In fact, many people disliked Cobb, and now they could see him get what he deserved.

"I bet 20 dollars, Cobb won't last five hits!" Someone was betting—it was Malarkey, who was grinning at Patrick Christenson, "Look, do you want to bet?"

"No, I bet three hits, I only bet three hits!" Patrick Christenson quickly said, because at this moment, Cobb's face was punched again by White, sending him staggering again, almost falling to the ground. His face was flushed red. If he lost, he would lose too much face today, and he wasn't the one who provoked first. This made him feel a little wronged.

"Oh, heavens! You're just standing there watching?" At this moment, someone pushed through the crowd. He yelled loudly at the two, "Damn it, what are you doing? Fighting your own brothers? Are you two crazy?" The person who pushed through was Li Pu Sergeant. He shook his head at Guarnere, "You're also a non-commissioned officer, you didn't even stop them!"

Guarnere shrugged, chuckled, and didn't defend himself. In fact, he was happy to see it happen. What was wrong with someone teaching Cobb, whom he disliked, a lesson?

"It's not my problem!" At this point, the two were finally pulled apart. Cobb complained to Lipton, feeling wronged, "This guy is completely like a lunatic, he has no reason at all."

"Bullshit!" White spat fiercely on the ground towards him, then turned and walked away, not even glancing at Cobb.

This incident, neither big nor small, exposed some hidden conflicts among the brothers. Although everyone seemed very close, there was a problem: the longer the brothers stayed in the trenches, the more irritable they became, easily leading to situations like Cobb and White's just now. Moreover, there were also certain conflicts between new recruits, replacement recruits, and veteran soldiers. The new recruits disliked the veterans' bossiness, and the veterans couldn't stand the new recruits' pampered demeanor.

"I'm sorry, I caused you trouble!" White stood in the Company HQ, somewhat embarrassed. Lipton finally told Parks about the incident. Moreover, in Easy Company, everyone knew that Parks and White had a relatively good relationship. Handing it over to Parks might have some effect.

Parks gestured for White to sit down, then smiled slightly, stood up, poured a glass of rum, and handed it to White, "Want some?"

"Alright, just a little!" White took the glass and drank it down in one gulp.

Parks sat opposite White and smiled, "Staying in the trenches is definitely not as comfortable as here. This damned weather, it keeps raining, I think many of the brothers are going to get moldy. But fortunately, we still have rum!" With that, Parks raised his glass to White.

"Reese, don't you want to tell me something?" White looked at Parks, "I know I caused you some trouble!"

Hearing White speak like that, Parks couldn't help but smile slightly, shaking his head and saying, "It's nothing, I know what's going on. Usually, this is a way to vent resentment, and I can't say anything about it.

However, White, do you remember what we talked about when we were on the Samaritan on our way to England?

Perhaps on the battlefield, some of our brothers will leave our team because of the war, either injured or killed.

But on the battlefield, the only thing we can trust is the brothers around us.

Even if Cobb is next to you at that time."

White nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I can choose to trust him, but will he choose to trust me?"

Parks nodded and said, "He will, he definitely will!

Don't worry, it is this trust that makes the brothers of Easy Company like brothers, and only then can they depend on each other in battle.

This is the foundation of our victory, White!"

"Alright, I got it!" White raised his hands and said with a smile, "I know what you mean, don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you.

Actually, this is not a big deal.

Perhaps I can apologize to him or something."

Parks gestured to him by raising his cup, and then the two of them drank it all.

White sat in the company headquarters for a while, and the two talked about many things at Taccoa Barracks, reminiscing about the past, which made them laugh out loud from time to time.

"To be honest, I really envy you, Jennifer and Virginia, they are both top-notch beauties, are you sure you have made your choice?" White chuckled, the aroma of rum emanating from his cup, he really enjoyed talking with Parks like this, in fact, since the Normandy airborne, he rarely had the opportunity to talk with Parks like this.

"No, no, I'm not even sure myself.

It's a fact, you know, both are very good!" Parks shook his head and smiled, "But perhaps I can think of a proper solution!"

White shook his head and smiled, "You're too greedy, Reese..."

Just as he was about to say something, the door was pushed open, and then a voice said, "Oh? Have I interrupted you two?" The two looked towards the door, it was Lieutenant Welsh, he was standing at the door, smiling and looking at the two of them.

"No, no, no, sir!" White quickly stood up at this time, in front of Welsh, he had to strictly abide by the duty of a soldier, so he saluted Lieutenant Welsh.

"At ease!" Welsh looked at him with a smile on his face, "I'm worried about interrupting your reunion! But it's okay, you can totally continue, just ignore me.

I can mind my own business."

At this time, the atmosphere seemed a little strange.

White quickly said, "No, sir, I—actually have nothing to do.

I was just about to leave."

As he spoke, he winked at Parks, nodded politely to Lieutenant Welsh, and turned to walk towards the door, it seemed he knew the timing very well.

"It seems my arrival made him a little uncomfortable!" Lieutenant Welsh shrugged his shoulders helplessly and smiled at Parks, "Just for a reunion?"

"Did you hear anything?" Parks smiled and looked at Lieutenant Welsh.

Welsh nodded, then looked at Parks somewhat seriously and said, "I heard about White and Cobb.

This seems like a small matter, but it shows that there are still many conflicts between our veterans, and between new recruits and veterans.

We must face this squarely.

I think if we step down, I suggest it's best to conduct some training to strengthen the integration between new recruits and veterans."

"I'm considering this issue."

"It seems you are already prepared." Welsh smiled, "Why am I always a little slower than you when it comes to these ideas!

It really doesn't seem like the 'dumb luck' Cobb said!"

Parks and Welsh's worries were somewhat justified.

White came out of the company headquarters and suddenly laughed for no reason.

It was clear that although he hadn't chatted with Parks like this for a long time, the feeling was still there.

It was just that his identity and position were different now, and it was impossible for them to drink and play intimately together anymore.

"Apologize to Cobb?" White shook his head, but when he jumped into the trench, he still decided to say "I'm sorry" to Cobb, even if it was for Parks, otherwise he wouldn't bow to that guy.

White found a good excuse for himself.

Of course, he really did it to avoid making things difficult for Parks.

"Saying sorry won't kill anyone!" White nodded, then walked towards Cobb's spot in the trench.

From a distance, he saw Cobb talking to several new recruits, somewhat impassioned and agitated.

They saw White walking over.

Several new recruits involuntarily stood up, then cautiously moved aside a little, it was clear that they thought White was coming to pick a fight with Cobb again.

"What do you want to do?" Cobb glared at White somewhat angrily.

To be honest, Cobb also didn't want to conflict with White, on the one hand, because he couldn't beat White, and if there was a conflict, he would definitely be the one to suffer.

On the other hand, he didn't have the same dissatisfaction towards White as White had towards him.

In fact, he had always felt a sense of apology towards White.

Ever since the accidental killing incident in Carrington, France, he had always had this kind of mental pressure.

But this didn't mean he would admit defeat verbally, he had to show his courage in front of the new recruits to maintain his authority in front of them.

"It's like this, I just want to—" White's tone was unexpectedly gentle, he didn't glare, nor did he intend to make a move, it was clear that he was brewing a word in his mouth, but it was a word that was difficult to say.

"I just—"

Just then, the whistling of shells suddenly came from the sky, and the German routine shelling began.

Their shelling was always relatively accurate, close to the trench positions, some even directly falling into the trench.

A "boom—" explosion at the front edge of the trench kicked up dirt.

"Get down!" White shouted loudly at the somewhat stunned new recruits, wanting to rush over and try to push them down, but another volley of shells exploded even closer to the trench.

"Get down!" Although the dirt splashed by the shells hit his head and face, stinging him, White kept shouting at those guys, while Cobb was already lying on the ground, holding his head with both hands.

The new recruits were pressed down by White, but another volley of shells smashed over again.

White suddenly felt an impact throw him to the ground, and then someone pressed him tightly.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Shells exploded continuously, and one shell even landed inside the trench, very close to them.

The force of the explosion made White, who was lying at the bottom, feel the earth tremble, and a buzzing in his ears.

This feeling made him feel a little dizzy.

But he could still vaguely hear a person's voice coming from above him.

"Damn Germans, damn it! I'm going to get hit by them."

"God, stop it, damn shelling."

...The German shelling stopped quickly.

But the guy on his back kept cursing until the German shelling stopped, and finally couldn't help but curse, "Son of a bitch!"

It was Cobb's voice.

It was clear that it was Cobb who had tackled him just now.

Parks was right, even Cobb would be a brother he could trust in times of crisis.

"Damn it, Cobb, you're crushing me!" White groaned.

"Alright, alright, I'm crushing you.

It seems you're really lucky, if it weren't for me, your balls would have been blown off by the Germans.

I didn't even think that before this, you actually beat me up, you really got some nerve.

White, I'm not done with you!" Cobb was still Cobb, annoyingly garrulous.

"Alright, what exactly do you want?" Cobb straightened up.

At this time, the three new recruits also got up, and looking at the two, they couldn't help but retreat a few steps, clearly wanting to watch the show.

"I originally wanted to say sorry to you." White snorted, then angrily said, "I didn't expect you to still be like this, it seems I really came at the wrong time this time.

Goodbye, Cobb, you son of a bitch, you're like a woman!" White said fiercely, then turned and left without looking back.

Cobb, however, was stunned by what he said, and suddenly smiled at the three new recruits, "How about it?

I told you, he would definitely regret his actions, look, he came this time to apologize to me."

Miller looked at the other two new recruits, then shook his head, and somewhat cautiously smiled at Cobb, "But—he seemed to have called you a son of a bitch!"

"Damn it!" Cobb cursed under his breath, then smiled, "Don't worry, he'll also regret cursing me.

Just wait and see, he'll come back to apologize!"

"He's the one who's like a woman, guys!" Cobb looked disdainfully in the direction White had left!

In fact, there is a truth embedded in this, which is that no matter how much conflict and dissatisfaction the brothers of Easy Company have with each other, on the battlefield, they are indeed brothers who can rely on each other.

The same goes for White and Cobb, and the same goes for the other brothers of Easy Company.

When White returned to his section of the defensive position, he met Lipton.

Staff Sergeant Li Pu looked at him and said, "What's wrong?

No problems with the shelling just now?"

"No, Lipton, but you can go ask Cobb, that guy might have problems." White walked away without looking back.

Lipton couldn't help but shake his head, it was clear that the Easy Company brothers in the trench had been a bit irritated by the German shelling recently.

How they talked and walked was full of anger.

"Is everyone alright?" Lipton shouted loudly as he patrolled the trench, using this method to understand the casualties of the brothers and at the same time reassure them.

"I have a problem! Lipton!" At this time, a voice came from not far away, "The Germans blew up my balls, I want to ask if there's a way to fix them!" It was Guarnere shouting there.

In reality, he was just venting, relaxing his mind in this way!

Guarnere's exaggerated shouting made Lipton feel both amused and helpless. He responded without turning his head, "Of course there is, Guarnere, if you don't mind dragging three balls around! I'll add another one for you. Made from British army rations!"

"Oh, you lost, Mr. Gonorrhea, you said Lipton would never joke, he's not as serious as you said!" At this moment, someone suddenly burst out laughing at Guarnere and shouted, "Ten dollars, you owe me, hurry up!" It was clear they were betting on this.

"Lipton, I hate you!" Guarnere yelled loudly, which then triggered a burst of laughter.

Lipton couldn't help but shake his head, then continued to loudly greet his comrades in the trenches. This was his duty; he always saw it as his way of looking after the Easy Company brothers, preventing these guys from doing anything irrational and causing casualties when they were overly proud or disheartened.

Of course, even though the comrades in the trenches were feeling stifled, they still found ways to comfort themselves. They always tried to find some fun, or when sending out patrols, they would scavenge for things. First, from the nearby Dutch houses, and then from some previously abandoned German positions, searching for their supplies. The German attack came quickly and retreated quickly, causing them to lose many of their own positions.

German wine tasted bad, but their cigarettes were much better than the British ones, which was the best thing many people found while on patrol. Although German food supplies were not much better than British ones.

"German cigarettes!" Parks tossed a pack to Welsh. "White collected these from an abandoned German position during his patrol. This is the best gift the Germans have to offer!"

Welsh lit one, took a deep drag, and exhaled smoke rings with a smile, "Much better than the British ones. I like this taste. This is the only good thing the Germans have done!"

"By the way, at two o'clock in the afternoon, you need to go to the battalion headquarters. Colonel Sink might have a mission for you," Welsh said. "I took the call when you weren't here. I hope this time you encounter something good, like a mission to welcome the US Army's USO tour. I heard they've already sailed from Britain to Netherlands and might come to the battlefield to comfort the brothers."

"What USO tour?" Parks asked, surprised, looking at Welsh.

"Oh, God, your news is so out of date," Welsh chuckled. "I heard it from the people at Battalion HQ when I went there once. I think Winters and Nixon already knew this news!"

"Is Marlene Dietrich among them?" Parks suddenly asked.

"Of course, otherwise Sink wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to get her here. To be honest, I really want to see her. Parks, you have to find a way to get this assignment!" Welsh chuckled.

"Don't even think about it, that's Colonel Sink's exclusive!" Parks shook his head, then smiled slightly. Marlene Dietrich? He really wanted to meet this woman.

But clearly, he was mistaken. Colonel Sink would never hand such a plum assignment to any other officer; it was impossible. Parks also met Winters and Nixon on the way; they were clearly also heading to the battalion headquarters. Parks was walking, and Nixon invited Parks into their jeep.

"Are you also here for Marlene Dietrich?" Parks' first question after getting into the car made Winters choke, while Nixon chuckled beside him.

"Probably not," Nixon chuckled. "Colonel Sink wouldn't let anyone else touch her! But he met a British Captain early this morning, so it might be related to that."

"Oh, it seems we really misunderstood!" Parks smiled somewhat awkwardly.

Winters shook his head from the side, "No, you misunderstood, not us!"

"Look, I always thought he had no sense of humor, but it seems the rumors might not be true!" Nixon said, shaking his head and laughing. "But this guy did something stupid this morning."

"I know!" Parks chuckled. "Dick poured the urine from your bottle onto you, didn't he?"

"Oh, God, oh, Reese, how did you know? This just happened, has it already spread?" Nixon exclaimed, then glared at Parks.

"It's no secret. Men always can't find a toilet when they're sleeping," Parks chuckled. "Of course, more importantly, some people just don't want to find a toilet. Obviously, I was just making a guess based on the person! I didn't expect to hit the mark. Is my luck too good, or are you too unlucky?"

"Oh, damn it, you bastard!" Nixon cursed again in a low voice at Winters. "Are you happy now? I guess before dark today, or maybe even sooner, everyone in the entire 506th Regiment will know that I kept urine in a glass bottle, and you poured it all over me, Dick, I hate you!"

Winters shrugged and said, "This matter is already known throughout the regiment!"

"Everyone knows you poured my urine on me?" Nixon said angrily.

"No, no, Nick!" Winters smiled slightly and said, "I'm referring to your habit of putting urine in a glass bottle when you sleep at night."

The three chatted along the way, and the jeep drove into the battalion headquarters. They saw that besides Colonel Sink and some staff, there was also a British Captain wearing a red beret.

"Oh, no, Colonel Sink's face looks really bad!" After entering the door, Parks glanced at Colonel Sink, then whispered to Winters.

"Dick, Parks, come over here. This is Colonel Dobie from the British 1st Airborne Division," Colonel Sink waved to Winters and Parks, then pointed to the red-bereted British Captain sitting beside him.

"Captain Winters is the commander of the Second Battalion, and Captain Parks is the company commander of Easy Company!" Colonel Sink introduced Winters and Parks to Dobie. Then he and Colonel Dobie walked to a map on a table, pointing to the map and saying, "The British army lost nearly 8,000 brothers in Operation Market Garden, so Colonel Dobie is here to coordinate the rescue operation. To rescue the Red Devil troops trapped when Arnhem fell."

Colonel Dobie looked at Winters and Parks, then pointed to a location on the map and said, "The Netherlands underground resistance organization has taken in 140 of our brothers 15 kilometers north of the Rhine River, outside a fallen town. We will try to reach the riverbank three nights from now and rendezvous in this forest." He pointed to a spot on the map.

"Captain Parks, you need to select a squad from Easy Company and lead them across the Rhine River as soon as possible!" Lieutenant Colonel Strayer added from the side, "Because the crossing point will pass through Easy Company's defensive positions. Canadian engineers will provide you with six boats."

Parks nodded. At this moment, Colonel Dobie walked to a large map hanging at the battalion headquarters and said, "The assembly point is very independent and allows for landing. Last night, at three in the morning, I swam it again by myself. When the time comes, we will use red 'torches' to draw a V-shape representing victory." Then he looked at Winters and smiled, "Americans call them red 'flashlights'."

"We call this operation 'Operation Pegasus'," Sink said from the side, then pointed at Winters with his finger and said, "Winters, your Second Battalion is responsible for the mission."

Winters nodded, then looked at Parks and said, "Reese, do your best to assist Colonel Dobie. If you need anything, try to find me. Complete this mission as perfectly as possible."

"I will! Don't worry, Dick!" Parks turned to Colonel Dobie, puzzled, "Why are there still British troops in the occupied zone? Didn't they all return with General Urquhart at the ferry crossing south of the bridge?"

Colonel Dobie looked at Parks, then suddenly said to him, "Are you Lieutenant Parks? No, no, you're a Captain now. I'm sorry, I just remembered, are you Captain Parks, the one who raided the German fuel and ammunition depots, guided us to capture the bridge, and led us to evacuate from the ferry crossing?"

Colonel Sink, at this moment, clearly felt very proud. He nodded to Colonel Dobie and said, "Yes, that's him. He created a miracle that time!"

"God, thank you very much!" Colonel Dobie walked over and hugged Parks, then smiled, "I'm sorry to surprise you, yes, some of us crossed the river with them that time, but some wounded soldiers didn't make it to the ferry crossing in time. They fell behind, and later German planes ravaged the crossing, so they couldn't cross the river. I was also captured by the Germans that time. And some escaped and received help from the Dutch!"

Parks nodded, indicating he understood. Then he extended his hand again and shook Colonel Dobie's hand, smiling, "I never thought I'd have the chance to cooperate with the British again! I hope this is a pleasant memory!"

"Very glad to cooperate with you again! I have great confidence in this operation!" Colonel Dobie nodded, then smiled at Colonel Sink, "I'm very optimistic!"

"Me too, Colonel!" Colonel Sink nodded with a smile.

Clearly, these British troops were stragglers. More than half of them were wounded soldiers who inevitably fell behind during the forced march. They could have crossed the river together if it hadn't been for the German reconnaissance planes and later bombing.

"Do you know how that Colonel Dobie got here?" When leaving the battalion headquarters, Nixon smiled mysteriously at Winters and Parks, "This guy escaped from a German hospital and then swam across the Rhine River. Heaven, I don't know how he did it. No wonder some people call him 'Crazy Colonel,' it's truly a fitting name!"

"I agree!" Parks chuckled. "But I also quite like this madman. Think about it, maybe someday, someone will call me 'Crazy Captain' too."

"Crazy Captain?" Winters smiled slightly, then glanced at Nixon.

"Don't look at me, Dick, I know what you're thinking!" Nixon shook his head and chuckled. "However, this matter still needs to be handled carefully, after all, the British army is temporarily still our friendly army, they haven't surrendered to Germany yet!"