Colonel Sink and Colonel Strehl were optimistic, but they obviously ignored that even if Easy Company achieved great results, they were ultimately outnumbered and outmatched. Once the German understood the characteristics of this bunker, they would figure out a way to deal with it. After all, relying on one bunker to win a battle was a bit incredible, and Parks was well aware of this. This bunker was not flawless; every bunker had its undeniable flaws. Or, at the beginning of every bunker's appearance, people would be amazed, but once it was repeatedly used in combat, people would find a way to deal with it. Now the Parks Bunker was the same.
The brothers of Easy Company also shared the same thoughts as Colonel Sink and Colonel Strehl. They had achieved a great victory against the German by relying on the Parks Bunker. In their view, the Parks Bunker was undoubtedly the guarantee of their confidence. Some even believed that as long as they stayed inside the bunker, there would be no danger to their lives.
"Are you also optimistic about this?" Parks looked at Lieutenant Welsh, who was enthusiastically recounting the battle, and shook his head, saying, "War is the art of man. If there is a hard shield, there will inevitably be a spear to pierce it. Human wisdom is infinite. Never underestimate your opponent, Harry, I must remind you!"
Welsh chuckled, "If you still want me to remain calm in the face of victory, then I wouldn't be myself. I'm not like you, who has to look worried even after a successful battle."
Parks smiled slightly, "That's why I'm the Captain and you're the Lieutenant!"
"So I can be happy as I please, and you have to frown!" Lieutenant Welsh chuckled, then looked at Parks and said, "Do you want to talk to the brothers? To keep them vigilant!"
"No need!" Parks shook his head. "After this, I'll talk to the brothers."
The snow-covered ground after the great battle was quiet. The brothers of Easy Company once again returned to the bunker. Parks still dispatched observation posts to the front line of the forest. The movements of the German became the most pressing concern for Easy Company. It could either be another large-scale attack, combined with methods to deal with the bunkers, to capture this defensive line regardless of casualties, or it could be a change in the direction of attack, looking for another breakthrough.
These were the two scenarios Parks anticipated from the German. But now, time was passing by, minute by minute, and the German attack had still not begun. They hadn't even started shelling. This also allowed the nerves of the Easy Company brothers to relax a bit. Long periods of nervous tension and high-intensity combat had left them mentally and physically exhausted.
As dusk gradually fell, the company cook, Joe Domingues, made some cornmeal mush with cornmeal and lard, but when it was brought over, it was already cold. For the past two days, everyone had been eating k ration as their staple food. Although this cornmeal mush wasn't particularly tasty, a slight change in flavor could help the brothers get rid of the urge to vomit at the sight of k ration.
In platoons, the brothers lined up in long queues, one after another, holding their mess kits, waiting to get some cornmeal mush. To be honest, Easy Company's food was monotonous, mainly white beans. Being able to eat cornmeal mush, even if it was already ice cold, made the brothers full of praise. Food doesn't have to be delicious; a slight change makes it a delicacy.
"Oh, Joe, tomorrow, tomorrow, more cornmeal mush, I like this!" Guarnere stretched out his mess kit, then craned his neck to look at the large tin bucket. The cornmeal mush in the bucket swayed.
"Don't even think about it!" Domingues shook his head. "Unless you pack up the rest today, there definitely won't be any tomorrow. I brought this from Momyon, and it's all gone now. Tomorrow I'll bring you beans."
"I want to pack some too!" White shouted from the side.
"Please, don't snatch my only cornmeal mush! I still need it to get through my days in Bastogne!" Malarkey laughed heartily from the side, waving the spoon in his hand, about to go and scoop from the tin bucket.
"Who's making noise here?" Just then, Lieutenant Peacock walked out from behind the trees. He looked at the brothers and couldn't help but angrily scold White and Malarkey, "Damn it, don't you know this will attract the attention of the German? Do you want everyone to be buried here for a bit of cornmeal mush?"
"Sorry, sir!" White said, then walked away. As he left, he made a face at Christenson, clearly not caring about what Lieutenant Peacock said. Malarkey shrugged and quietly moved aside. To be honest, Lieutenant Peacock was a qualified officer, but he didn't know how to get along with the brothers, which made his relationship with them a bit tense.
Peacock's angry roar made them scatter. Except for a few brothers still in line, the others squatted to the side, silently eating the cornmeal mush from their mess kits. Eating this stuff made them feel like a block of ice in their stomachs, freezing their intestines into popsicles. Lieutenant Peacock looked around, then served himself a portion of cornmeal mush and walked to his bunker, feeling a bit bored.
"Look at that guy, he thinks he's a Hollywood star!" Toy looked at Guarnere and shook his head. "I always feel that his arrival can make the temperature here drop even further. Look, my cornmeal mush is already frozen, which didn't happen before he came!"
Guarnere chuckled, "I don't feel that way. Actually, he's a good person, but I don't like him. I believe Captain Parks will like him. This guy executes Parks' orders without the slightest discount. He just doesn't know how to adapt. If he could be a bit more flexible, I think he'd be a good person!"
"I hope so. To be honest, he's much easier to get along with than Sobel!" Toy nodded, sliding his spoon a few times in his mess kit. The cornmeal mush inside had already turned into ice shards. He scooped a large spoonful and put it into his mouth. The cornmeal mush made a crisp "crunch, crunch" sound in his mouth.
Domingues scraped the large tin bucket clean. Despite this, some brothers still seemed to want more. "These guys can really eat!" Domingues chuckled, clearly very happy that the food he made was eaten completely. But finding something new to improve the brothers' taste again seemed to be enough to trouble him. He could guarantee that if the brothers ate beans for three consecutive days, they would definitely go crazy.
"Dessert, want some?" Welsh handed Parks a cup filled with snow.
"You like eating snow?" Parks took it and looked at it, then discovered something, and couldn't help but laugh, "There's even lemon powder in here, a good dessert, Harry. It seems you've learned a lot in this environment! Do you want to sell ice cream or dessert cakes after the war?"
"After the war?" Welsh couldn't help but smile, then looked at the front line. It was already dark. The faint glow reflected from the white snow in front made it impossible to see anything. At this time, flares occasionally rose, illuminating the mile-long open space in front. Other than that, everything was quiet.
"I hope I can live until the real end, then I will thank God, and then I will marry my Betty, then find a job, or being a teacher would also be good." Welsh said, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face, then he turned to Parks and said, "What about you? What do you want to do?"
Parks looked at Welsh and smiled, "Perhaps I'll stay in the army. I'll go to West Point Military Academy. You know I have honors, so I can go to any military academy I want at any time. This is my first choice. I have no special skills; besides continuing in the army, I don't know what else I can do." As Parks spoke, his heart couldn't help but stir slightly.
"Stay in the army?" Welsh looked at Parks with some surprise, then nodded and smiled as if enlightened, "As far as I know, it would indeed be a waste for a military genius like you not to stay in the army. But if we can continue to cooperate, I wouldn't mind being recalled to the army. I don't want you to lose yourself in a strange unit; I have to watch over you!"
Parks smiled slightly, then patted Welsh's arm and chuckled, "This is just an idea. First, I have to live until the end of the war. The war in Europe is already clear. If the German fail this time, Hitler, that little mustache, won't last much longer. The German surrender is only a matter of time, but we still have the Pacific theater. We might be deployed in China or on the Pacific battlefield."
"That's truly awful!" Welsh shook his head with a bitter smile.
Parks looked at him and smiled slightly, "I'm actually looking forward to it. They need us there, Harry. If one day I can lead the company to parachute into Tokyo, Japan, and occupy their imperial palace, that will be something I'll be proud of for the rest of my life!" What Parks hadn't said was that it would be far more proud and exciting than occupying Berlin.
"Harry, after the brothers finish their meal, immediately enter the bunker. The German won't make it easy for us. They won't let us sleep soundly." Parks suddenly said to Welsh, "We must prohibit sound and light; these will be the key targets for the German!"
Welsh nodded, then he climbed out of the bunker. He had Luz find the platoon leaders of each platoon and relayed Parks' orders, but even so, Parks was still not entirely at ease. After all, in the original plot, the brothers of Easy Company couldn't endure the cold and loneliness. Some sang in foxholes, some made fires in the snow, eventually leading to shelling. And Welsh himself had been wounded by German shelling while making a fire; he absolutely could not let such a thing happen again.
When Welsh returned to the bunker, Parks decided to personally inspect the entire defensive line. He would personally check the situation at the outposts and how the brothers were sleeping.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Welsh looked at him.
"No need, Harry, you stay here!" Parks said as he climbed out of the bunker, then began to walk along the defensive line. His figure quickly disappeared into the snow. A line of deep footprints was left in the snow. Welsh watched Parks gradually walk away, felt a bit tired, sat down, then shook his head and smiled, "Continue in the army? If I really stay with him, it wouldn't be a bad choice."
After walking for a distance, Parks faintly heard someone singing. He couldn't help but frown and looked towards the sound. Clearly, this situation had still occurred. In fact, this was understandable; without patience, staying in the bunker day and night without finding something to do would definitely drive one crazy.
He saw a figure approaching him. Parks recognized him and couldn't help but call out, "Is that Guarnere?"
Guarnere turned his head, saw Parks, and nodded, "Yes, it's me, Boss!"
"Do you know who's singing there?" Parks frowned. "That's not a good idea! Tell them to shut up, don't attract German shelling!"
"Don't worry, Captain, I'll make these guys shut up!" Guarnere nodded at Captain Parks and said, "I'm going now!" With that, he quickly ran towards the direction of the singing.
Flares occasionally emitted dazzling light in the sky. Captain Parks used the light to move constantly between the shelters in the snow.
Although the brothers were prepared and dressed in thick clothes, the temperature in Bastogne was too low, and they kept shivering.
Especially at night, the temperature would drop even lower.
Every time a flare went up, it would be accompanied by the sound of German machine gun fire, but they couldn't hit anything, even during the day, they couldn't hit the Easy Company soldiers hiding in the shelters.
Captain Parks was still carefully patrolling step by step, but he quickly felt something was wrong. Someone had started a fire, near a shelter not far ahead, someone was making a fire under a big tree, and the firelight could be vaguely seen!
He quickly walked over, and four guys were already squatting around it.
"Oh God, how much longer do we have to stay here?" It was Toy speaking, and he sniffed hard, "I don't want to spend Christmas in a place like this, just think, Christmas turkey and all.
What else is there here? Only stinky beans, canned food, dry rations, and snow that you can see as soon as you open your eyes."
"You can't escape, Joe!" It was Malarkey speaking, and he smiled at Toy, "The Germans have us surrounded, we can't go anywhere, luckily we don't have to go to God for Christmas!" With that, he turned to Pankala next to him and said, "Got a smoke? I want a cigarette, it's not good without a smoke in such warm weather!"
"Still a few left, a gift from Luz, hehe, he's a really good guy!" Pankala said, rummaging in his Pregnant for a few cigarettes, then handed one to everyone.
Muck shivered, his hands trembling so much he couldn't take the cigarette, and he said helplessly: "Damn it, I'm shaking too much, it feels like I'm dancing, Pankala, light the cigarette for me!"
Pankala put two cigarettes in his mouth, lit them, took a puff, and then handed one to Muck: "Happy hour!"
Muck took the cigarette and put it in his mouth, responding with a trembling voice: "Happy hour!" Smoking was the happy hour for the Easy Company brothers.
Staying in this place, all the things they brought with them were eaten, and the cigarettes were long gone.
If anyone still had cigarettes, it was definitely a happy treat.
The four men exhaled smoke, letting out long sighs as they smoked, as if it were an incredibly comfortable pleasure.
When the last cigarette butt could burn their fingers, they extended their fingers and flicked the cigarette away.
"Have you heard about Captain Parks?" Suddenly Malarkey said mysteriously to the three guys, "This morning, I went to Battalion HQ, do you know what I heard?"
"Is it about Captain Parks?" Pankala leaned in, "Tell me, what's going on?"
Malarkey nodded and said, "When I was at Battalion HQ, I was accompanying Lipton to pick up some usable items, but I overheard Captain Winters and Captain Nixon talking in the command post."
Then Malarkey imitated Winters' tone and said: "Nixon, Colonel Sink and I have talked, he wants to recommend Reese for the Medal of Honor!"
This was a conversation Colonel Sink had with Winters when he was at Battalion HQ.
Easy Company repelled a large-scale German attack and achieved very good results.
Such a battle record was undoubtedly an exciting point for the American army, which suffered major setbacks in the early stages of the Ardennes Offensive, and could greatly and quickly boost morale.
"I want to apply for the Medal of Honor for him again!" Colonel Sink clearly told Captain Winters, he felt that Captain Winters had the right to know this decision, "He set a benchmark for us in the Ardennes Offensive.
I have reported the battle report to Division HQ, and I believe General McAuliffe will make a clear decision.
Do you have any opinions to express?" In fact, this was just a notification, and Colonel Sink didn't care about anyone's opinion.
He always acted on his own.
Winters was startled, then subconsciously nodded and said, "I have no objection, sir, I think this is a good thing.
Do I need to talk to the brothers about it? I think this will make the brothers proud, after all, they all have deep admiration for Parks, and this time it will boost their morale!"
Colonel Sink shook his head and said, "Let's wait, I don't know if it will be approved.
You know, Captain Parks has already received one Medal of Honor, although the conditions for this time are already sufficient, but do you know who has received two Medals of Honor? Thomas?"
"Thomas?" Winters nodded, that was the only person in the American Civil War to receive two Medals of Honor, "There's already this precedent, Parks is fully qualified to receive it again!"
"Of course, I know he's qualified, but the war isn't over yet.
I really don't know what kind of medal we should apply for him if he achieves greater achievements in the future!" Colonel Sink smiled, then shook his head in distress, and then looked at Winters and said, "There's one more very important thing I must tell you, the Germans will continue to besiege us, and we will remain in an isolated and helpless situation, enduring German attacks.
Thank you very much, Captain Parks, he withstood most of the German attacks, thereby reducing the defensive pressure on other battalions and companies.
But you must tell him that I cannot send him reinforcements, let him continue to hold out until we are relieved."
"I will, sir!" Winters saluted, then returned to Battalion HQ, and after he returned to Battalion HQ, he told Nixon about this, which obviously also surprised Nixon, but Parks being able to receive the highest honor again, as his friend, they were both very happy, of course.
"I'm dying of jealousy!" Nixon smiled and joked with Winters, "Are you going to tell him the news yourself?"
Winters shook his head and said, "No, not for now.
This will have to wait until after the battle is over, you know, it might be a bit difficult to get this medal approved.
Now is not the time to discuss this, we must put all our energy into dealing with the German attack.
Holding the line is the first thing we need to do."
The conversation between Captain Winters and Captain Nixon was overheard by Malarkey.
He deliberately took his time packing things up at Battalion HQ, because he heard about Captain Parks, who was the Captain of the company directly related to them.
"You mean Colonel Sink is going to apply for the Medal of Honor for the Captain again?" Pankala stared at Malarkey in surprise, his expression as if he had seen Hitler in Washington, "God, the Captain has already received one Medal of Honor, if he gets another one... that's a bit too crazy, isn't it?
Do you know what my biggest dream is? The Silver Star Medal, I only need one Silver Star Medal to boast about for many years when I return to my hometown!"
"So you're still a Corporal, buddy, that's why Parks is Captain!
That's the difference between you!" Muck chuckled at Pankala, then turned his head and said, "Hey, Joe, what do you think?"
Toy shivered, hugging his arms, looked at the three of them, and chuckled: "I don't have any opinion, the Boss should get such an honor, damn it, he should have gotten the Medal of Honor from Normandy, but that time it was the Cross, and he only got the Medal of Honor in the Netherlands.
You know, the entire war situation was almost changed by less than a platoon of us.
If it weren't for those British idiots, we might already be enjoying victory milk tea in Berlin, instead of enduring this damn weather here and having to endure German shelling.
In my opinion, it wouldn't have mattered if he had received two at once that time."
"Don't change the subject, Joe!" Malarkey tugged at his arm, "I'm talking about this time.
I think this time we annihilated the Germans, diverted the Germans' main attack direction, and greatly reduced the pressure on other companies, so the Captain should also receive the Medal of Honor because of this!
My God, Colonel Sink is still a pretty fair guy, I always thought he was a rigid, narrow-minded, ill-tempered old man!
Just like my old man at home, always looking for opportunities to trick people!"
Toy was about to answer when he suddenly heard footsteps from the shadows, and then a voice came: "I swear, I smelled fire!" With that, a figure walked out from the edge of the woods, carrying a rifle on his shoulder, and walked towards them.
"Malarkey!" Captain Parks walked closer and said to Malarkey, "Starting a fire is not a good idea!"
"Captain!" Malarkey stood up, "We just wanted to warm up for a few minutes, we couldn't stand it anymore! We're in the valley in the woods, Boss!"
"Valley in the woods?" Captain Parks squatted down, reached out his hand, and warmed it by the fire, "The place where immortals and dwarves live?"
Just then, Winters suddenly walked out from the edge of the woods, and with him was Lieutenant Compton.
They also saw the fire and couldn't help but frown and say, "Are you crazy?"
"We are in the valley in the woods, the Germans can't easily see us!" Muck stood up trying to explain something.
Suddenly, he heard the whistling sound of shells in the air.
"Get down!" Captain Parks yelled, then kicked the bonfire, sending burning wood splinters onto the snow, and the people around quickly lay down on the snow.
With a "boom!" the first shell exploded not far from them, and dirt and branches fell all over them.
Then came the second and third shells, even closer to them.
Toy saw that there were still burning wood splinters and wanted to run over and stomp them out, but just then, a shell exploded not far from him.
"Oh, God!" Toy let out a piercing scream, "Oh God, no, I've been hit!"
Captain Parks rushed up and quickly dragged Toy away from that spot, then shouted towards the back of the woods: "Doctor, doctor, hurry, someone here is injured!"
"Malarkey, put out the fire!" Captain Winters shouted at Malarkey, "Everyone else, get into the shelters immediately, damn it, hurry, hurry, the Germans will still shell us!"
As he was speaking, he heard a few more whistles, and shells exploded one after another in the woods, this time they deviated from Captain Parks and his men.
"This is Lieutenant Compton, Second Battalion Easy Company headquarters needs an A-class jeep.
Repeat..." Compton had already started contacting the medical ambulance at the aid station in Town with his walkie-talkie.
With a "boom!" of a cannon, after the dust dissipated, Dr. Luo came through, running quickly towards them.
At this time, Captain Parks' hand was pressing tightly on Toy's wound, which was on his arm, bloody, and he didn't know how serious it was!
"I'll handle it!" Dr. Luo said, skillfully taking over Captain Parks' hand.
Toy was transported to a hospital in the rear.
Parks patted the hood of the jeep, then watched it drive away.
Malarkey, Muck, and Pankala all took cover in the foxholes.
Captain Winters and Lieutenant Compton lay prone in the snow, as shells continued to explode deafeningly all around them.
Captain Parks crawled towards Winters, gesturing for him to take cover in a nearby foxhole.
The German artillery fire was fierce, with flashes of light constantly illuminating the sky, like lightning during a thunderstorm.
Parks took cover in Malarkey's foxhole, while Captain Winters took cover in Toy's original foxhole.
Guarnere had already run back from an adjacent foxhole.
Shells continuously exploded behind him, the concussive force knocking him to the ground.
He kept crawling forward, trying to reach his own foxhole.
Winters leaned out, half his body exposed from the foxhole, and grabbed Guarnere by the collar, dragging him into the foxhole.
Compton, who was nearby, also came to help, frantically pulling Guarnere in.
The three had just tumbled into the foxhole together when a shell exploded nearby, and the flying dirt and concussive force knocked all three of them to the ground again.
"Damn it!" Guarnere cursed, then gave Captain Winters an apologetic smile.
"How are the men doing?" Winters grinned at Guarnere.
"I heard someone singing; staying in these foxholes is really unbearable!"
"It's Vito and Gordon!" Guarnere laughed.
"I've already warned them!"
"Good job!" Winters nodded.
Compton suddenly turned to look at Winters, then at Guarnere, and shook his head.
"They're all veterans from Taccoa, and if they can't stand it, then imagine how the others are doing.
These damned krauts, they have the advantage in artillery and are superior in numbers.
It looks like we'll have even tougher days ahead!"
"Talk to the men properly!"
Winters patted Guarnere's arm, then nodded to Compton.
"Buck, let's go check other places.
If the krauts don't attack tomorrow, then they'll choose another point of attack!"
With that, he motioned for Compton and began to crawl out of the foxhole.
"Sir?" Guarnere suddenly spoke from behind.
"Is that true what you said?
Will the krauts choose another place for a breakthrough?
Will their main force leave here?"
Winters stopped, turned to look at Guarnere, and smiled slightly.
"Yes, if they don't attack tomorrow, then they will choose another place.
That's good news!"
With that, he nodded slightly to Guarnere before crawling out of the foxhole.
Winters' judgment was correct.
If the krauts didn't attack, there was no way they would waste more time here.
They had to open up the vital road to Bastogne as quickly as possible to gain strategic initiative.
After this round of fierce German bombardment, there was no more movement.
Perhaps this was their largest bombardment before retreating.
Of course, they couldn't all withdraw; they still left troops to maintain the threat to Easy Company's defensive line.
They also had to hold their own defensive line and continuously send people to infiltrate Easy Company's defensive line.
The sunlight gradually spread across the snow, like a curtain being pulled open, filled with brilliant golden light.
The snow seemed to be gilded with a layer of gold, transforming into a more vibrant and dazzling color.
Sunlight shone through the observation hole, waking Heffron early!
He rubbed his eyes, then looked outside.
The men of Easy Company were gradually waking up.
Some of them, with no shelling, had already left their foxholes.
Staying here every day was really starting to make them feel moldy.
The krauts did not launch an attack; a very peaceful day had arrived.
Guarnere had a good night's sleep.
He opened his eyes and saw the already bright sky outside, and suddenly remembering Winters' words, his mood brightened considerably.
He couldn't help but touch his face; he hadn't shaved in a long time, and his face was covered in a full beard.
But when there was no attack, they still had to guard against German infiltration.
If they were careless, infiltration often caused much more damage than their attacks, especially in these foxholes.
Direct attacks didn't cause much substantial damage, but sneak attacks after infiltration could cost the lives of men sleeping in the foxholes.
Although these foxholes allowed for observation from all angles, no one could guarantee that no krauts had secretly slipped in.
"Sergeant Martin! Martin—" Sergeant Talbert was shouting.
"Hurry up, we have a mission."
Martin, with his submachine gun slung over his shoulder, walked towards Sergeant Talbert.
He shook his head, his face serious.
"I knew you wouldn't be bringing good news.
Tell me, what's the mission?"
Sergeant Talbert nodded to Martin.
"Gather your men; we're going to patrol along the defensive line.
General McAuliffe said that the Eighth Army was caught off guard when the krauts launched a large-scale attack on December 16th due to insufficient manpower and lax patrols, causing widespread panic.
The General has decided to strengthen combat patrols along all defensive lines."
"Who's leading?" Sergeant Martin asked.
"Captain Parks sent Lieutenant Peacock to lead the team; he thinks he's the best choice for the First Platoon!" Sergeant Talbert shrugged, spreading his hands.
"Martin, gather your men and take good care of them.
Lieutenant P-cock—" He paused.
"You know, he's always like that!"
Martin nodded.
"I understand!" With that, he began calling his squad's soldiers one by one from their foxholes in the First Platoon, then waited for Lieutenant P-cock to arrive.
"Oh, God, I started praying to God this morning, and I didn't expect good luck to come my way so soon!" Heffron grumbled discontentedly, then said to Julian beside him, "I guess it's because I didn't wash my hands when I ate breakfast today.
God is mad at me for disrespecting him!"
"I didn't dream of God last night, so I got picked today!" Julian chuckled.
"Don't worry, baby, I'll watch your back.
Just follow behind me!"
"No, no, I'm not worried!
Julian, if you're unfortunately hit by the krauts, I can say hello to your mom for you!" Heffron gave Julian an annoyed look.
Julian shrugged indifferently, not bothered by anything Heffron said.
"P-cock leading?" Luz, with his walkie-talkie on his back, leaned his rifle against a tree trunk nearby, shaking his head and laughing.
"That idiot, he won't find anything.
He's just a guy who only follows orders, and now we have to follow his orders.
This is truly awful!"
"Orders are orders, Luz, nothing to complain about!
Luckily we still have Martin, right?" Christenson, carrying his machine gun, plopped down on a tree trunk lying in the snow nearby, then yelled at Martin.
"Hey, Sergeant Martin, will Lieutenant P-cock lead the way, or will he walk at the rear?"
Martin glanced at Christenson.
"You'd better ask him yourself!"
Some people were discussing here when they suddenly heard a voice roar, "What are you discussing?" But no one answered him, so he continued as he approached, "We know the krauts are in the woods in front of our main defensive line, but we don't know how many of them there are, or where their main defensive line and outposts are located.
Now, our mission is to figure out these things, and if possible, capture a few prisoners."
But it was clear the men had a lot of questions to clarify.
After all, going on patrol with P-cock, if they didn't clarify some issues beforehand, he could get confused at any time when encountering the krauts.
Sergeant Christenson asked, "What's the plan of attack?"
"Where do each of us take position?" Heffron asked.
"What do we do if we lose contact in the woods?" Sergeant Martin asked.
"Alright, alright, stop asking about this.
Who's leading anyway?" P-cock couldn't answer, so he said angrily, "You'll know once we get to the trees."
"Son of a bitch, knowing so little about the situation, this is definitely going to be another messed-up operation," Christenson cursed inwardly.
"We depart at 10 AM." P-cock, seeing that the men were a bit disheartened, didn't want to say much, so he just ordered, "Go prepare your weapons and ammunition!"
Watching P-cock leave, Heffron couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, I knew this wasn't going to be a good job!"
At 9:30 AM, the men assigned to the patrol mission gathered a few meters behind the main defensive line, surrounding Father Maloney.
He recited the prayer before communion, announced the forgiveness of all sins for the faithful, distributed communion wafers to those who desired communion, and finally, he said to the men, "Good luck."
"Amen!" Everyone made the sign of the cross, then stood up and began to gather their equipment.
At this moment, Julian, having prepared his gear, walked over to Martin and said, "Sergeant Martin, I'll be the point man!"
Sergeant Martin looked at Julian, then nodded.
"Alright, you be the scout!" After saying that, he glanced at P-cock, who showed no reaction; his face even seemed unnaturally flustered.
"Let's go! Alright, men, we're off!" P-cock only said this one sentence, and then offered no further instructions.
Martin couldn't help but shake his head, then yelled to the men, "Guys, we keep going until we encounter the krauts.
We are reconnoitering the krauts' positions," Martin then loudly added, "Alright, that's it, we're off, in tactical column, men!"
The group, grumbling, began to walk forward.
Julian, rifle in hand, walked at the very front, while Martin and P-cock walked at the very rear.
At this moment, Dr. Luo also came forward, wanting to join the team, but Martin stopped him.
"Doctor, doctor, this is a combat patrol.
Why don't you stay back to avoid trouble?" Martin nodded to Dr. Luo.
"Alright, sir!" Dr. Luo looked at the backs of the patrol members who had already set off, then stopped.
Sergeant Martin quickly took two steps to catch up with the team.
Someone was shouting loudly, "Luz, hurry up, catch up with the team!"
The group trudged through the vast forest, leaving behind a chaotic mess of footprints in the snow...
It started snowing when Lieutenant Peacock and his men set off.
The snow fell heavily, and even during the day, the entire sky was overcast, with very low visibility.
In the woods, they often encountered piles of already cut trees, stacked in heaps along the forest path, forming natural timber stockpiles.
They also served as excellent open-air bunkers.
Dr. Luo Cooper quietly crouched under a large tree, watching Sergeant Martin and the other men walk forward.
After only a few steps, their figures were already blurred and indistinct.
The path ahead was hazy, with only the silhouettes of trees vaguely visible.
Dr. Luo stared blankly ahead.
Enduring German artillery fire and the agonizing screams of the wounded, along with his constant back-and-forth between the aid station and the front line, suddenly made him feel very tired.
However, he had no choice but to force himself every day; whenever he heard a scream, he would spring up like a coiled spring.
This had become a reflex.
The patrol had already gone far.
He worried they would encounter the German.
In reality, the purpose of the patrol was to engage the German.
The main force of the German might have withdrawn, but what was their actual strength?
Where were their defensive lines located?
Were they also infiltrating?
This required continuous combat patrols in front of the entire defensive line to compensate for their insufficient troop strength.
Although the Parks Bunker could deploy its defenses at maximum range, in heavy snow and extremely low visibility, the possibility of German infiltration was still very high.
The group moved in a single file through the snow.
Even veterans could not afford to be careless at such a time.
The further they went, the greater the chance of direct contact with the German.
In extremely low visibility, everyone's ears were pricked up, listening intently to every sound around them, then determining whether it was made by the German.
They held their guns, constantly looking around, and occasionally raising their rifles to aim at places where unusual sounds came from.
Though they might not aim at anything.
Martin and Julian, as scouts, walked at the very front of the team.
They kept a distance from the main group, crouching and jogging forward continuously.
Their positions constantly crisscrossed and alternated to provide mutual cover.
Suddenly, Martin raised his fist at him, then crouched down.
Julian crouched down to Martin's right, licking his lips, feeling a bit parched.
"Follow me!" Martin whispered to him.
Ahead of them was a large pile of cut timber.
Martin said, holding his palm horizontally and pointing forward.
He held his submachine gun, bent over, and quickly jogged to approach the timber pile, hiding himself behind it.
At this moment, Julian also ran over quickly and hid himself.
Martin poked his head out and observed the front for a while.
There was another pile of cut timber ahead, and it seemed no one was there.
In fact, it wasn't that there was no one, but in the hazy conditions, nothing could be seen clearly ahead.
"Go!" Martin gestured to Julian, his palm facing forward.
Julian nodded nervously, then crouched down, and with a low head, darted out from behind the timber pile, sprinting forward.
Suddenly, the sound of an MG42 light machine gun ripped through the hazy air.
Suddenly, shouts came from the opposite side, but they were clearly not American soldiers; they were German.
They yelled and screamed, opening fire on Julian.
Bullets flew past Julian's side and over his head, causing him to pause.
He was somewhat flustered and forgot to take cover, standing rigidly there.
"Damn it!" Martin cursed under his breath, shouting at him, "Get down, quickly!"
With a "whoosh," a bullet pierced Julian's neck.
His body was thrown backward by the bullet's impact, and he fell onto the snow, one leg bent unnaturally, a gurgling sound coming from his throat.
He clutched his neck with one hand, trying to struggle to his feet, but he had no strength at all.
The rifle in his other hand fell to the side, his hand grasping handfuls of white snow from the ground.
"Damn it!" Martin scrambled up, wanting to rush over and drag him behind the timber pile, but as soon as he stood up, the MG42 machine gun fired at him, sending wood chips flying from the nearby trees and timber pile, preventing him from exposing himself.
"Christenson, Heffron!" Martin shouted loudly to the back, "Get to the front line, quickly!"
Christenson and the others heard the gunfire from the front.
Then, as they looked at Lieutenant Peacock, waiting for his command, they heard Sergeant Martin's shout.
"Lieutenant, we must go support them!" Heffron yelled at him, growing tired of this slow-witted fellow.
"Let's wait.
There might only be scattered German ahead, and Martin and Julian will handle it!" Peacock muttered.
He showed no intention of moving forward.
"Bullshit!" Heffron cursed, and then he already ran forward, with all the men following behind him.
Peacock couldn't help but murmur, "Alright, let's go see.
Perhaps by the time we get there, the battle will already be over!"
Saying this, he also jogged along, following Heffron and the others.
"John!" Christenson yelled, he had already seen Martin, who was hiding behind a pile of wood, already engaged in a firefight with the German.
The German were using an MG42 machine gun, and its terrifying firing sound made everyone's heart tighten.
"We have someone hit!" Martin shouted, "Julian was hit by the German! Everyone get over to this timber pile, we'll use it as cover! Quickly, Christenson, machine gun, suppressive fire!"
"What's the situation?" Heffron quickly lay down next to Martin and asked.
"Don't move, Julian, we have to get out of here!" At this moment, Sergeant Lanny, the assistant squad leader, rushed over.
He leaned against the timber pile and shouted at Martin, "We have to leave!"
"I can save him, Sergeant!" Heffron suddenly yelled at Martin.
"Watch yourself!" Martin glanced at Heffron, then shouted at Christenson, "Suppressive fire, suppressive fire, we're going to save Julian."
As soon as he finished speaking, Christenson's machine gun began firing.
Luz had already begun contacting company headquarters.
He yelled into the walkie-talkie: "Easy Company Command, Easy Company Command, we have someone wounded, we need a doctor and an ambulance!"
Heffron seized the opportunity, rolled out from behind the timber pile, and then began to crawl towards Julian.
At this point, all the men began to open fire on the German's defensive line.
Heffron tried to crawl to Julian's side, but the German's MG42 machine gun fire was completely able to suppress them.
As soon as he crawled out, bullets flew over his head, and some hit the dirt in front of him, splashing snow and mud.
Julian's eyes showed a look of longing.
He stretched his hand towards Heffron, trying to grasp Heffron's hand so that he could take him away.
He didn't want to die yet.
He watched Heffron repeatedly crawl out and then be driven back by German bullets.
A wave of despair surged in his heart.
He wanted to shout for help, but he couldn't make a sound; a large gash had torn open his neck.
Blood gushed out in streams, and the crimson blood on the snow was particularly glaring.
Heffron's several attempts failed.
The German machine gun had him firmly pinned down, unable to move.
He stopped and shouted loudly at Julian: "Stay there, don't move! Otherwise, they'll shoot you!"
His voice suddenly became hoarse, and a sense of sorrow and helplessness surged in his chest.
Bullets whizzed continuously towards the men.
The German's firepower completely suppressed the men.
They were helpless, and it was clear that the German outnumbered Martin and his men.
"I'm leaving you in command here!" Peacock, who was lying down behind, suddenly shouted at Martin, "I'm going to company headquarters to request reinforcements.
I'll be back very soon!"
Saying this, he crawled a good distance away, then got up and jogged all the way back.
"Damn it, I knew this would happen!" Lanny spat fiercely on the ground towards Peacock's retreating back, then said to Martin, "We have to go.
If we don't, we'll all be killed by the German!"
"Don't move, they'll keep shooting, don't move, don't move!" Heffron shouted at Julian.
Looking at Julian's pleading eyes, an inexplicable sadness instantly welled up in his heart.
"Damn it!" He cursed fiercely, then heard Christenson's loud shout: "Retreat, retreat, we have to retreat!"
"We can't stay here any longer!" Lanny shouted at Martin.
"Let's go, let's retreat! Quickly, quickly!" Martin gestured backward, shouting to everyone, "Go, quickly!"
Heffron looked at Julian helplessly, shouting: "Hold on, hold on, Julian, look at me, hold on!"
He shouted as he got up, "Hold on, Julian, you wait for us, we'll come back to save you! Hold on!"
"Let's go, quickly!" Martin continued to shout.
Christenson provided machine gun cover, everyone retreated, and then fired to cover Christenson's retreat.
They covered each other as they sprinted back in the direction they came from.
Heffron glanced at Julian, wiped his nose, turned his head, and forced himself not to look into his eyes.
He followed behind Martin, running backward.
"Quickly, let's go! We're almost back to the front line!" Lanny loudly urged the men.
The German kept firing.
Their G42 machine gun had a long range.
During the retreat, soldier James Weit was hit and wounded.
He was hit in the abdomen by a German 98K rifle bullet and fell headfirst into the snow.
"Doctor!" Martin shouted.
At this moment, Dr. Luo had already run over quickly from behind.
He lifted James's clothes, revealing the bleeding wound, and skillfully bandaged it tightly, also administering a morphine shot.
"Easy Company Command, Easy Company Command, we have someone wounded here, we need a jeep to be on standby at company headquarters!" Luz was now contacting company headquarters with the walkie-talkie!
"They also hit Julian!" Heffron yelled from the side, "He's still alive! We have to go back and save him, Martin, request company support, we're going back to save Julian!"
"We're encountering the German's front line," Martin shouted, "No, we're going back!"
"We have to save Julian!" Heffron shouted loudly at Martin, his voice thick with a nasal tone, he was almost in tears, "He's still alive, please, don't give up on him!"
"He's beyond saving!" Martin knew Julian's condition; he couldn't possibly survive.
He stood up and said, "We're going back to command!"
"Let's get out of this hellhole!" Lanny yelled, while Christenson grabbed Heffron, roaring at him, "Julian is beyond saving, you know that, but we can't lose anyone else. We need to get back to headquarters!"
Heffron didn't speak. He was pulled back by Christenson, and at that moment, they met Captain Parks and First Platoon's Heliger, who had come to meet them in a jeep.
"Get the wounded on, tie them down tightly!" Captain Parks then turned to Martin and asked, "How are things? Where is Lieutenant Peacock? Where is he?"
"We don't know where he is. He said he was going back to headquarters to request reinforcements," Martin said helplessly. "So I made the decision to have the men pull back first. Also, Julian is dead!" Martin's voice was heavy. He turned to look at Heffron, who was walking back dejectedly with Christenson, and said, "We couldn't save him. The German firepower was too strong, and we didn't have enough men!"
Captain Parks pursed his lips. To be honest, this was something he hadn't expected. He should have known this would happen, but if it wasn't Julian, it might have been someone else. That's how war is; you can't avoid it just because you want to. They had to conduct combat patrols, and casualties were inevitable during patrols. No one could change that. Bullets didn't have eyes.
"Talk to the men properly, this isn't your fault!" Parks patted his arm. "Take the men back to the medical station in Bastogne and get them something hot to eat there!"
Martin nodded, then gestured to the men beside him, leading them dejectedly away from the place. For them, this patrol mission was basically a failure. They had found the German main defensive line, but discovered that the German forces were not as spread out as they had been told; their firepower was intense. However, Martin and his men couldn't capture a single prisoner, and instead, had one dead and one wounded of their own.
Parks sent them back to the rear. He knew that people who had experienced setbacks needed a stable, peaceful environment. This was very important for them, even if only for an hour, it could help them dispel a little of the gloom in their hearts. Parks looked at Heffron's expression and knew that his inner self was already on the verge of breaking.
When Captain Winters learned of the situation, he also rushed over. He urgently wanted to know the details of this patrol. Captain Parks reported everything to him, which obviously made Winters frown. He hadn't expected that even after the German forces withdrew, they would leave behind heavy defenses, and judging by Easy Company's defensive line, it was simply too long. If the German forces switched to infiltration tactics, they might achieve things that a large-scale offensive couldn't.
"The men's morale isn't very stable, especially those who went out on patrol," Parks said seriously to Winters. "I believe such situations will continue to occur in the future, but we have no choice but to conduct these combat patrols! If this continues for a while longer, I believe most of the men will experience this unstable morale. This is not a good sign, Dick!"
Winters nodded, but he couldn't come up with a good solution right away. He could only turn his gaze to Parks, saying somewhat helplessly, "Talk to the men more. Don't let the non-commissioned officers collapse first; they are the backbone. Also, we ourselves need to stay steady and keep the officers' spirits up; the non-commissioned officers and soldiers are watching them!"
Although there was nothing new, if they worked hard, it could still have some effect. Now, at a critical moment, the role of the officers would become prominent. Speaking of this, Parks couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart. He didn't know if Winters had the authority, but he still had to try, so he deliberated and said, "Dick, about Lieutenant Peacock…"
Winters was startled. He knew that Lieutenant Peacock had played an inglorious role in this patrol; he had deserted midway. Captain Parks hadn't found him at company headquarters. Later, when Dr. Spina was getting medicine from the aid station in Bastogne, he found Lieutenant Peacock drinking hot coffee next to the medical station.
"Reese, I know about this, but I don't have the authority to appoint or dismiss. If we want him gone, we must get approval from Colonel Sink. Don't worry, he alone won't affect the big picture!" Winters also had no choice. However, he did remind Parks, "If Easy Company has any other work that needs to be arranged, perhaps he might be capable of it."
This made Parks very helpless. Good officers were an important factor in boosting morale. Parks could not tolerate those who retreated from the front line before their soldiers, and besides, he was on patrol at the time; his actions were desertion, which would severely affect morale. As for arranging another position for Lieutenant Peacock alone, it seemed somewhat unrealistic, as Easy Company was already short-handed on the front line.
Winters inspected various parts of the front line, accompanied by Captain Nixon. The two walked along Easy Company's defensive line. This was very meaningful for the men. After all, it meant telling the men that they were not fighting alone, they still had a battalion, and Companies D and F were with them. It also told the men that the officers would always be with them on the front line.
"Look at the men of Easy Company, their morale isn't low at all. On the contrary, our officers haven't done enough!" Nixon and Winters talked as they walked back.
"They've done better than other companies, but they also don't like this patrol mission. Everyone will get tired, and eventually, they might even develop resistance!" Winters was a bit worried. Except for when he was talking to the men with a smile, he was always frowning. It was clear that even in Easy Company, which was in relatively good condition, the men were like this, so other companies could only imagine.
"Should we talk to Colonel Sink?" Nixon suddenly asked Winters.
"About Lieutenant Peacock?" Captain Winters shook his head and said, "No, no, Colonel Sink won't deal with such matters. He doesn't have extra soldiers for us now, so he certainly won't have extra officers for us."
"It seems this is the only way!" Nixon shook his head. The two of them walked towards the battalion headquarters. It was clear they had no good solution, and Parks fully understood Winters' difficulties. Now, Parks could only hope that Nixon's war bond propaganda mission would come soon, so he could get rid of Lieutenant Peacock. In fact, this opportunity was also given to Lieutenant Peacock by Winters. Easy Company could not be short of a soldier, but it could definitely be short of a mediocre officer.
The men who went to the Bastogne medical station returned to the front line. They sat together, huddled around a fallen tree trunk in the snowy ground. None of them spoke, all huddled with their arms crossed. Martin's trembling hand pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He gave one to everyone, then lit them with a trembling hand. Christenson next to him leaned his head over, lit his own cigarette, took a deep drag, and then slightly stabilized his emotions.
Parks walked over. Martin was about to stand up to greet him, but Parks quickly gestured, "Don't move, I'll sit with you for a while!" Saying that, he also sat down next to Heffron, while Dr. Luo was sitting not far from them. He looked at them, then pursed his lips, saying nothing. Parks knew they needed him at this moment.
"Don't worry about the patrol, that's over. Julian was a good soldier, he always was!" Parks patted Heffron's hand next to him. "James is not in danger, and he'll be leaving here for the hospital soon, maybe even going home. He can leave this hellhole alive."
The men listened in silence, none of them speaking. Parks nodded and continued, "We've been through a lot, from Normandy to Netherlands and now here. We've endured, and believe me, the day of German defeat is not far off. We are Easy Company, we've always beaten them. We'll hold our line, and there are many companies in worse shape than us. They don't have cold-weather clothing, no ammunition resupply, and their food is even running low."
Everyone remained silent. Parks didn't say anything more. Too many dogmatic things said too much would not be good. If he could just sit with them for a while, it might have an even greater effect.
After sitting for a while, Parks patted Martin's arm and said, "John!" Then he left and walked forward. Martin stood up, then chased after Parks from behind. He knew Parks wanted to talk to him.
"The men's morale isn't quite right!" Parks said to Martin as he walked. "I know, the impact of one patrol wouldn't be this severe; it's probably an emotional outburst from many days. John, you're a good non-commissioned officer. You need to take care of the men's morale. They need you, they are your brothers!"
"I understand!" Martin nodded. He believed this was also his responsibility. He had talked to the men at the aid station, but some of the men's emotions just hadn't recovered yet.
"They are all good soldiers. Whether the mission is completed or not, saving their lives is the most important thing!" Parks finally nodded to her and said, "We have to leave this hellhole alive, not bury our brothers in this ice and snow." Saying that, he nodded at Martin and turned to leave.
This was Parks' heartfelt sentiment. His thinking was slowly changing, from wanting to achieve glory on the battlefield and bring honor to his men, to his current thoughts. This was something that emerged spontaneously from within Parks after countless battles. Bringing honor to the men through battle was indeed enviable and even proud, but compared to the lives of the men, everything else seemed so worthless. Even if it was the Medal of Honor, what then?
Life is what is most worthy of respect in war, even though war is a place where lives are buried.