Chapter 75 - Chapter 43

The German SS Sixth Panzer Army's Piper Battle Group was approaching a small village, Bagniez, located halfway up a hill between Malmedy and Noville.

There, they encountered a small unit from the US 285th Artillery Observation Battalion; after a brief engagement, the American forces surrendered.

After being disarmed, they and about 150 other previously captured American soldiers were herded into an open field near a crossroads.

They were shot by the German forces here.

This incident shocked the entire Allied forces and greatly angered General Eisenhower.

However, the Piper Battle Group entered Stavelot, where they met fierce resistance from the American defenders.

After failing to defeat the American forces in this area, he left a small support unit and forty-eight captured American prisoners in the Town, then led the majority of his forces towards the bridge at Trois-Ponts.

This support unit was a battalion of three hundred seventeen men, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Gurian.

His final order was to retreat if they could not hold the position and to shoot all the prisoners.

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian constructed a defensive line in the Town and placed the prisoners of war behind it.

He sent soldiers to contact the American forces attacking the area, informing them that if the American forces shelled, they could not guarantee the prisoners' safety.

These prisoners were now Colonel Gurian's bargaining chips.

He did not care what others thought of him.

Because among the German forces, using prisoners to threaten the enemy rarely happened and would be ridiculed.

However, the American forces wanted to occupy this small Town, which would allow them to tear open the German defensive line and completely relieve Bastogne.

The US Fourth Armored Division's 37th Tank Battalion, mixed with the 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion, broke through here at all costs.

After a bitter struggle, Colonel Gurian was forced to withdraw from the small Town and then retreated in the direction of Noville.

However, they discovered a problem: they were surrounded by American forces on all sides and were encircled in the forest, and although they had not been discovered by the American forces, their breakout became extremely difficult.

They hid in the forest, and despite lacking supplies, they minimized necessary activities, staying in a concave valley and constantly sending out reconnaissance personnel, occasionally engaging in brief skirmishes with the American forces.

However, their sporadic engagements did not draw the American forces' attention; instead, they were likely considered German patrol teams near Noville.

The American forces did not stay long and continued to advance, which gave Colonel Gurian a chance to breathe.

In despair, he even wanted to kill all the prisoners of war and fight to the death with the American forces.

But he chose to endure.

The American prisoners were his bargaining chips; he would not give them up easily.

However, once in a desperate situation, he would act without hesitation, just as in the Malmedy massacre of American prisoners of war.

On January 15, 1945, Colonel Gurian could finally continue his movement.

The small patrol he sent out brought back information.

The main body of the American forces was advancing forward, and the threat around them had been lifted.

This meant that Colonel Gurian, who had been dormant in this valley for many days, could finally use this opportunity of the American forces' advance to return to his own defensive line.

However, after a battle with the American tank and armored forces, plus temporary casualties and soldiers who had deserted, they now numbered only 34 men.

And they all appeared depressed.

They had lost their map and had no compass, so they could only constantly explore in the forest, carefully avoiding encounters with American forces and cautiously preventing themselves from getting lost in the snowstorm.

Colonel Gurian could only rely on his own experience to determine the way to Noville.

What he could do now was pray to God that Noville had not yet been occupied by the American forces, so he could rendezvous with the German forces in the Town and then, after resupply, retreat to the rear.

"Lieutenant Colonel Gurian, how much further do we have to go?" asked a Lieutenant named Roger Eldred, who was the highest-ranking officer under Colonel Gurian and now his deputy battalion commander.

"I have a bad feeling. Are we lost?"

"No, we are not lost. I remember this direction. I need to be careful not to run into the Americans; now is not the time for us to fight them!" Colonel Gurian was confident in his judgment.

However, he only spoke this way in front of his subordinates; in reality, they had been wandering in the forest for a long time, and they had no heavy weapons, no machine guns or mortars.

Each person only had a 98K rifle and a few submachine guns, which were far from enough to be put into battle.

These past few days, snowstorms had been raging, and the temperature had dropped severely, making it harder to see the direction and easier to get lost.

But there was one advantage: it was not easy to be discovered by the American forces.

The German forces' days were tough, and the American prisoners' were even worse.

Their only warm clothes had been collected by the German forces to keep them warm, while they could only shiver in the cold wind, wrapped in a single military overcoat.

"How much further is this damned road?" Lieutenant Eldred looked at Lieutenant Colonel Gurian, who was leading the way, and felt doubt for the first time.

He was a staunch follower of Colonel Gurian.

Throughout the battle and retreat, soldiers constantly fled, and officers not only failed to control their own soldiers but also were the first to abandon them and escape.

Under harsh conditions and the suffering of being surrounded, he held fast to his duty and his beliefs, convinced that the Colonel would surely lead them out of this hellish place.

But now, after overcoming one difficulty after another, he finally couldn't help but waver.

"How far is it to Noville?" This was not only Lieutenant Eldred's doubt but also the doubt of Cobb, Toy, and Hudson, who had come out with Captain Parks.

They were very unlucky to encounter this day, when snowstorms filled the air, making the entire forest gray, causing them to get lost.

And the jeep Captain Parks was riding in had run out of gas after wandering in the forest for a long time, lying motionless in the snow.

Captain Parks was eager to return to Easy Company, and the three of them were the same, so even though the weather that day had started out terrible, they still set off, and because of Captain Parks, they even borrowed a jeep.

What should have been a quick destination now seemed distant and unreachable.

The four men wandered around the forest in a circle but found no way out.

They came from the aid station without any combat tools; the only paratrooper knife was one Toy always carried with him.

Of course, there was also Captain Parks's souvenir—a luger with ten rounds of ammunition.

Cobb and Hudson, however, were unarmed.

"It seems we'll have to wait until this snowstorm stops before we can move forward!" Parks looked at the falling snow and the gloomy sky, shaking his head.

"Now let's find a place, preferably one that can help us get through this day."

"Does God not want me to go back? Damn it, if we don't have shelter, we won't make it through here.

No cover, and nothing to hide behind," Cobb couldn't help but grumble.

"It seems our luck is really bad!"

"Alright, guys, there's still a military tarp in the jeep.

Let's set it up, and we can huddle together; that way, we can surely make it through!" Captain Parks looked at the jeep, then waved to everyone.

"Let's get to work, Cobb, come give a hand, we need your help!"

The tarp was quickly set up, forming a makeshift tent, but it was enough for four people to stay inside.

The snow inside the tent was cleared away, and Captain Parks also removed the jeep's seat cushions and spread them on the ground.

The four people huddled together, and it felt somewhat warm.

Then, through the opening of the tent, they looked out at the sky, and their mood became very bad.

They had nothing now.

Except for the k ration they carried with them.

This was the only thing that could sustain their lives.

God knew how long this snow would last; based on past experience, it would be until around ten o'clock the next morning.

That is to say, counting from now, five or six in the afternoon, they would stay in this snowy area for 16 hours, and the most serious part was that the weather would suddenly drop at night.

Captain Parks was also helpless in this situation; if he had a map or a compass, he could definitely lead his brothers out of this forest, but now he had nothing.

Out of boredom, he pulled out the captured luger and began to wipe it.

He skillfully disassembled the pistol and then reassembled it.

Hudson looked at Captain Parks with envy; although Easy Company had achieved a series of victories, Hudson had never captured a luger.

He leaned closer, then watched Captain Parks reassemble the pistol and take an aiming stance, and couldn't help but smile eagerly: "Boss, can I take a look!"

Parks looked at Hudson and smiled: "Why not?" He said, handing him the pistol.

This made Hudson overjoyed; he took the pistol and kept rubbing it in his hands.

As the sky slowly darkened.

Captain Parks smiled at Hudson: "Alright, Corporal, time to give it back to me." He took the luger from his hand, then loaded the bullets and said to the three inside: "If we're going to rest, one person must stand guard outside.

We'll rotate, starting with me! Cobb second shift, then Hudson, and finally Toy.

Don't spread out too far; we need to patrol the surroundings!"

Cobb looked at Parks, puzzled: "Weren't the German forces driven out by us? Why do we still need to worry about them?"

Captain Parks glanced at Cobb and said: "Be careful; the German forces couldn't have all been driven away.

If there are any left, we'll be done for.

Better safe than sorry!" He tightened his overcoat, then walked out with the luger.

Hudson watched Captain Parks walk out and chuckled: "I'd rather stand guard outside with the luger."

"You'd best say that to the Boss's face, then he'll give you the whole night, and the luger too! You idiot!" Cobb said to Hudson irritably.

Their conversation, as Parks walked further away, gradually became scattered in the snowstorm.

Parks felt the cold wind pouring down his neck.

He stomped his feet, then cautiously stopped about fifty meters from the tent.

From there, the tent appeared blurry in the snowstorm, and the dim white in front stretched into the deep forest, as if countless pairs of eyes were hidden within, staring intently at him.

Parks felt an inexplicable strange sensation, a professional hazard left over from his previous life, a hidden crisis that often stimulated his sixth sense!

Captain Parks patrolled the snowy ground with a pistol.

It was already getting dark, and the surrounding trees were black shadows under the gray sky.

Aside from the snow-covered ground, which still had a bit of white reflecting some light, all he could feel was the cold sensation of snowflakes on his face.

Parks gripped the pistol tightly in his hand, not daring to place his finger on the Trigger; he was worried that in such cold weather, a shiver might cause him to pull the Trigger!

It was quiet all around, so quiet that he couldn't hear any sound from the small tent fifty meters behind him.

Looking at the darkness stretching ahead, he had a strong urge to explore.

Parks trusted his instincts implicitly.

So, he cautiously, slowly, walked deeper into the forest, step by step.

He moved very carefully, trying not to make much noise as he stepped on the snow.

It was very difficult to spot a person in the dark, snowy forest, especially when it was still snowing; basically, nothing could be seen clearly beyond four or five meters.

However, sound traveled farther than sight.

Parks had walked about twenty meters when he heard someone speaking, and from the muffled sounds, he could tell it was German.

German!

Parks tightened his grip on the gun.

He moved closer, then darted from behind one tree to another for cover, trying to avoid making loud crunching sounds in the snow.

Two German soldiers were conversing in the woods, and from their uniforms, they belonged to the SS armored division.

Parks did not act rashly.

He wasn't sure how these two German soldiers appeared here, whether they had more personnel following them, or if a German unit was passing through this area, or if these two were on patrol.

The two German soldiers clearly didn't want to go any further in such weather.

They stopped, complaining about the terrible weather, and then pulled out cigarettes from their pockets.

They huddled together, shielding themselves from the wind with their bodies, and then took out lighters to try and light their cigarettes.

"Damn it, Robben, when will we get out of this forest?" one of the German soldiers asked the other, lighting his cigarette, taking a comfortable puff, and exhaling smoke.

"Don't ask me, I don't know either!" The German soldier named Robben shook his head.

"If we still can't get out of this cursed place tomorrow, I'll surrender to the American forces!

Heaven knows why we have to suffer like this."

"You shouldn't say such things, if Lieutenant Colonel Gurian hears you, you'll be in trouble," the other German soldier said, shaking his head at Robben.

"He's notoriously ruthless; he ordered the execution of 153 Americans.

Does he care about executing one more of you?"

"Damn it, Littre, I only said that to you.

It's just talk!

Even if I were to be captured, it would be in combat.

I still have family in Germany.

Heaven, I wonder how they're doing now?

In this kind of weather, they usually wear thick coats or warm themselves by the fireplace.

But—but now, I don't know if they even have coats to keep warm."

Robben's words carried a deep melancholy.

Supplies in Germany were now extremely scarce, and in the current severe cold, many ordinary families might be facing a lack of clothing and food.

"How do you know?" Littre sighed.

"If I hadn't heard you say that just now, I would have thought I was the only one who felt that way.

God, I want to surrender to the American forces too.

I'm different from you, I'm all alone now.

My brother died at the hands of the Russians, and my last remaining mother died last month; she couldn't bear the shock of my brother's death."

"Yes, it's not just the two of us who think this way!" Robben nodded.

"Have we failed, Robben?

I'm wondering now, will this war end like the one more than twenty years ago, with us ultimately being the losers?"

Littre shook his head, then took a deep drag on his cigarette, looked at the butt that was almost burning his fingers, and flicked it lightly.

The cigarette butt arced through the air and landed on the snow.

"I don't know, but I can't see any hope!" Robben said with a bitter smile.

"Alright, this isn't what we should be talking about.

Let's go back, it's time for the shift change.

All I want now is to return to Germany alive; I don't care about anything else.

These American captives, I don't care about them either.

Even if Gurian executes them all, or lets them all escape, it's none of my business!"

With that, he slung his rifle over his shoulder, turned around, and walked back in the direction they had come from.

Behind him, Littre suddenly called out, "Hey, Robben!"

"What?" Robben turned his head to look at Littre, puzzled.

"What do you want to say?"

Littre's lips moved a few times before he finally spoke: "Let me go first, Robben, if I surrender to the American forces now and leave in the opposite direction from you, will you shoot me?"

"Are you really going to do that?" Robben looked at him in disbelief.

Earlier, he thought Littre was just joking, but now, in the dim light reflected from the snowy ground, he saw that Littre's expression was very serious, not like he was joking.

"You need to think about the consequences.

Even if I don't shoot you, can you prevent Lieutenant Colonel Gurian from sending people to hunt you down?

Or can you guarantee that in this weather, you can walk out of this forest area alive?

Also, will the Americans shoot you when they see you?

You know we killed 153 American prisoners; will they let you go?

God, Littre, sober up!"

Littre looked at him and shook his head, saying, "Robben, I wasn't the one who killed the prisoners, I didn't shoot, I didn't even know about it.

I only found out afterwards.

I'm not the murderer; that was Gurian's doing, don't blame it on me.

I've already lost a brother and my mother; I've done enough for Germany.

Now I only have my own life left, and I don't want to lose it."

"Are you sure, Littre!" Robben suddenly became very serious.

He was slowly trying to take the rifle off his shoulder, but Littre was faster than him.

His gun had always been in his hand.

He realized Robben's intention, quickly raised his rifle, aimed at Robben, and said, "Don't force me, Robben!"

"Alright, I won't force you.

This isn't your true feeling, is it, Littre?

Calm down!" Robben realized the seriousness of the situation.

His hand stopped on the rifle strap, not daring to move again.

He knew that if he moved, Littre might shoot without hesitation; just look at his serious and nervous expression now.

"Throw your rifle over here, slowly, slowly!

Robben, I don't want to hurt you, just throw down your gun.

I promise not to shoot you!" Littre looked at Robben nervously, his hand trembling slightly.

Parks, observing from the side, had no doubt that this fellow would accidentally pull the Trigger out of nervousness and kill the German opposite him.

"We are brothers, aren't we, Littre?

Don't get agitated, I promise I won't shoot you, and I certainly won't report your treasonous behavior to Gurian, I promise!" Robben slowly took down his rifle and gently placed it on the snow.

"Shut up, Robben, I'm not a traitor, I haven't betrayed.

I'm just finding a way to survive.

Look, our counterattack will ultimately fail.

I don't want to die in the cold snow like my brother.

Think about it yourself, what kind of life are your relatives in Germany living?

What's the meaning of your current fight?" Littre was practically shouting at Robben.

Perhaps these words had been building up in this guy's mind for many days, and today they finally erupted.

"Hands up, turn around, quickly, quickly, don't hesitate, don't force me to shoot!" Littre roared, ordering Robben to turn around, then rushed forward, trying to unbuckle Robben's belt and tie him up.

Just as Littre reached for Robben's belt, Robben suddenly spun around quickly, gripping Littre's rifle with both hands.

With a powerful tug, he pulled the rifle away.

But Littre reacted just as fast; as his rifle was suddenly snatched, he immediately drew a bayonet from his waist and thrust it desperately at Robben.

A muffled "thud" sounded.

Littre suddenly arched his waist like a shrimp, curling up and falling onto the snowy ground; his lower abdomen had just been heavily struck by Robben's knee.

Robben, gaining the upper hand, leaped forward and pressed down firmly on Littre's body, his hands attempting to seize the bayonet from Littre's grasp.

"Damn it, I won't let you succeed!" Littre recovered, kicking him away, sending Robben stumbling back a few steps and landing on his backside.

Littre didn't bother to pick up the gun; he directly swung the bayonet down towards Robben.

But his hand was again gripped tightly by Robben, and the two wrestled into a tangled mess.

Parks stood by, not moving.

He wanted to observe for the most opportune moment to act, and also to intimidate this fellow Littre.

It now seemed that this Littre truly wanted to leave the German army.

These two didn't seem to be faking it.

The situation quickly turned; Littre was no match for Robben, which quickly became apparent.

Robben was an old hand, a veteran of the SS, well-trained, and stronger than Littre.

He had already turned over, pinning Littre firmly beneath him, then gripped Littre's wrist, fiercely twisting his hand over, pointing the bayonet's tip at Littre's chest, and pressing down.

Littre's face turned pale.

He desperately resisted Robben, trying to prevent the bayonet from pressing further down, but he felt as if he couldn't hold on.

The blade, suspended motionless in the air, was slowly pressing down.

"Wait, wait, Robben, wait, I have something to say!" Littre cried out in a panicked voice.

"I have something to say, Robben, I don't want to die, I never wanted to kill you, God, wait!"

His last words seemed to be a long gasp exhaled into the air.

He felt the cold blade already touching his skin, and he used all his strength, but still felt a sudden sharp pain in his skin.

He felt the cold blade had already embedded itself in his flesh.

Before his eyes were Robben's fierce and bloodshot eyes.

He didn't want to give up resisting, preparing to be stabbed by the bayonet, when suddenly Robben stopped.

One hand grabbed his hair, pulling his head back, lifting it high, and a bayonet slit across his throat.

A "hiss" sound suddenly became clear in the night, and warm blood sprayed into the air, then scattered and landed on Littre's face, quickly turning icy cold…

Snow fell silently, landing on Littre's face and body. He sat in the snow in a strange posture, his eyes wide, staring at Captain Parks. His face was splattered with Robben's blood, which looked horrifying under the snow's reflection. Beside him lay a corpse, a body that had just been laughing and smoking with him, and had fought to the death.

The person in front of Littre, dressed in a US Army uniform, was examining Robben's corpse, taking his 98k rifle, bullets, grenades, bayonet, and bandages – almost everything Robben had. Although the American soldier never looked at him, only diligently searching the body, Littre dared not move, because that person had eagle-like eyes that were intimidating even in the dark.

"Not many bullets left, only twenty-one. Two grenades, and the bayonet is still sharp. At least some gains," Parks muttered, then turned around, picked up Littre's rifle, and said to Littre in pure German, "You're lucky. Didn't you want to surrender to the US Army? Now hand over your bullets and grenades. You are my prisoner now!"

Littre looked at Parks in fear. He could tell this was a Captain, and quickly nodded, then handed all his bullets and grenades to Parks. It wasn't a lot, but it was much more than Robben had: thirty-three bullets and four grenades, all with wooden handles, just like Robben's.

Parks put these items into a bag he carried, then raised his rifle and smiled slightly at Littre: "Alright, now you can follow me. I still have some questions to ask you!"

Littre said nothing. He quickly got up, raised his hands, and walked along the path Parks indicated. This was the best outcome he could think of; at least this American Captain saved him, and he had, as desired, become a prisoner of the US Army. But he was still a little worried, occasionally hesitating and looking back at Captain Parks walking behind him.

"Is there a problem, Littre?" Parks called his name.

Littre immediately stopped. He turned around and said sincerely to Parks: "Sir, what I want to say is, I truly did not participate in the massacre of prisoners of war. That was not my doing, I wasn't even aware of it. You must have heard what Robben and I said. I did not lie, everything I said is true."

Parks shook his head and said: "It's not that I don't believe you. Everything needs evidence. Of course, if you have information, it would be best if you could testify for us and identify those who massacred American soldiers."

"I… I only found out about it afterwards. Someone told me…" Littre murmured.

"That's enough. Alright, what you need to do now is cooperate with us! I'll have some questions for you!" Parks said, continuing to have Littre walk forward. They were not far from the small tent Parks had set up.

Parks went to stand guard alone, while Cobb, Toy, and Hudson were wide awake. In such an environment, they couldn't sleep; it was simply too cold.

"I said it already, in this situation, how could there be German soldiers? They've already retreated, we're attacking. How many times have I said it! But the Boss is just so cautious!" Cobb grumbled in the tent, and he had repeated this complaint several times.

"What else? That's all you can say, Cobb. Listen to what the Boss says: better safe than sorry!" Toy looked at Cobb. In the darkness, Cobb's face was not very clear, somewhat blurred.

"Alright, alright, let's not argue about this. Let's think about how to get through this night. Heaven knows when this snow will stop. If it were clear, we would have arrived today already!" Cobb said, then curled up on the mat in the tent, tightening his coat around him.

At this point, Hudson, who had been sitting silently nearby, suddenly spoke: "Toy, now that Captain Parks is returning to the company, he will continue to lead us. So, in the future, will I also be able to get a luger? To be honest, I'm a bit jealous of First Platoon. You know that every special operation involves First Platoon. I think this is a bit unfair!"

"There's nothing unfair about it. To be honest, First Platoon was trained by Captain Parks. Don't you know how strong we are in combat? Don't just look at the victories we've achieved; saying that is unfair. We prepare more thoroughly than anyone for these victories!" Toy seemed dismissive of Hudson's words.

"Alright, alright!" Hudson was a bit discouraged, as he knew Toy was right. "But no matter what, I still have a chance to get a luger, don't I? In short, the Captain is back, and anything is possible!" Hudson sounded as if he was trying to console himself. He then curled up and lay down head-to-head with Cobb, but Cobb had taken his spot, so he kicked him.

"Damn it, Hudson, what do you want?" Cobb grumbled discontentedly, then shifted his position and said to Hudson, "Look, you'll never get a luger pistol like that!"

"You don't decide that, Cobb!" Hudson retorted immediately.

"Alright, stop talking. Let's wait for the Boss to come back. Wait a bit longer, Cobb, you need to go out on patrol. You're taking up too much space, this damn tent wasn't set up just for you." Toy was also dissatisfied with Cobb taking up too much space.

As they were talking, Cobb suddenly rolled over and said to the others: "Shut up, someone seems to be coming!" He was clearly lying on his side on the ground, his ear to the ground, making it easy to hear faint sounds. And now he heard the sound of someone stepping on the snow. Then he suddenly stood up, stopping Toy.

Toy was stunned, looking at Cobb suspiciously: "It should be the Boss coming back!" "No, it's two people! There are two sets of footsteps, the sound of stepping on the snow is very clear, I'm sure I didn't hear wrong!" Cobb rolled over, quickly crawled out of the tent, and at the same time patted the other two, saying, "Let's hide, behind the jeep. It might be German soldiers!" Cobb's suggestion was the most suitable.

The three quickly exited the tent and hid behind the jeep, which was very close to the tent. They had just concealed themselves when a German soldier emerged from the woods. Cobb was startled, and Toy, beside him, quietly drew his dagger.

"And the Captain!" Hudson suddenly whispered. He couldn't see very clearly, visibility was too low, but he could vaguely make out someone in a US Army uniform.

"Toy!" Someone called, clearly Captain Parks by the sound. The three men felt a wave of relief. Toy was the first to stand up, then raised his hand to Parks and said, "Boss, I'm here!"

The three of them saw the German prisoner Parks was escorting and stared at him in surprise. Clearly, Cobb was the most astonished, having never expected there to actually be German soldiers active in this area.

"See, Cobb, you were wrong again. Your complaints are always baseless!" Hudson stood beside Cobb, quietly chuckling to him, but Cobb could only give a dry laugh. He was indeed wrong.

"Take this, Toy, a German rifle, barely usable." With that, Parks threw a rifle to Toy, then took out grenades and gave two to Cobb and two to Hudson. "Take them all. Although they're not as good as American goods, we'll have to rely on these. Guys, we're facing a difficult decision." Parks said, his expression becoming somewhat serious.

"Have we run into a large group of German soldiers?" Cobb couldn't help but worry. There were only four of them, plus a German prisoner. If it was a large group of German soldiers, they would definitely be in a very dangerous situation.

"Listen to the Boss, Cobb!" Toy glared at Cobb, then said to Parks: "Tell us, Boss, what should we do? We'll follow your orders! You're our Boss, and the company commander! We are still under your command!"

Parks nodded: "Alright, on my way here, I interrogated this prisoner. He told me something that requires everyone to decide together. About a mile from here, there's a group of German soldiers, possibly 32 of them, escorting 48 American prisoners. The good news is they probably haven't discovered us yet. The bad news is that in two hours, they'll realize no one has returned to relieve the sentries, and we'll be at risk of being discovered at any moment. We need to make a decision now."

"Sir, what is your decision?" Hudson looked at Captain Parks.

"I don't know yet, but what I'm thinking about most right now is that we still have 48 brothers held captive by the German soldiers, and I also got another piece of information from this German prisoner. The Malmedy massacre that enraged General Eisenhower was carried out by this group, and Lieutenant Colonel Gurian, one of them, was the executioner who personally did it. His current plan is that if they cannot successfully reach Noville, they will shoot these 48 prisoners of war."

"God!" Toy suddenly covered his face, then looked at Parks, wanting to say something, but didn't.

Cobb's lips moved several times, and he finally spoke: "Boss, we are outnumbered—"

Parks nodded: "Yes, I know. That's why I can't make a decision yet, because if we are to do this, we must be prepared. We could die at any moment!"

"I'm willing to do it!" Toy was the first to raise his hand.

Hudson hesitated for a moment, then also raised his hand and said: "Count me in!"

Captain Parks looked at Cobb, then said: "Cobb, do you have any problems?"

Cobb looked at Parks, then at Toy and Hudson, shrugging: "Alright, I have no problems!"

"Excellent! Now, what we need to do is plan this thoroughly before the German soldiers discover us," Parks said, then turned back to the German prisoner Littre and said in German, "You see, there are only four of us now, and we're short-handed. And we're planning to raid your unit. Either you lead us to ambush them, and if successful, you will be acquitted as you wish. I believe what you said, that you didn't shoot a single prisoner of war, and I will testify for you! Or you lead us to the German soldiers and expose our target, but I will kill you first! What do you choose?"

Littre had completely not expected to be captured by such a small four-man American team. He thought he would be sent directly to a prisoner-of-war camp, but now he faced the choice Parks had given him. He hesitated for a long time, until Parks grew a bit impatient, then he finally made his decision: "Captain, I hope to prove my innocence!"

By midnight, everyone was huddled together from the cold. The German had dug crude foxholes, but they paid no mind to the American prisoners.

The already ragged American prisoners could no longer endure.

"Thud!" With a sound, an American prisoner could no longer hold on. He had been sitting on a log in the snow, but suddenly his body tilted, and he fell into the snow.

"God!" Another American prisoner not far from the fallen prisoner quickly ran over, helped the fallen man up, and felt his neck. Then he suddenly turned his head and yelled at the German soldiers guarding them, "He's still alive! Let him take shelter in the foxhole, for God's sake, please!" This was an American Lieutenant officer.

The guarding German soldiers looked towards Lieutenant Colonel Gurian not far away.

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian was expressionless, as if he hadn't heard the American Lieutenant's shouts. He was gazing ahead, thinking about how to get out of this forest area. According to his experience, the heavy snow might stop before noon tomorrow, and then the visibility would be better, making it easier to determine direction.

Watching the American Lieutenant continuously pleading, although the German soldier didn't understand what he was saying, he could infer his meaning. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded at the American Lieutenant, walked to Lieutenant Eldred's side, and whispered something.

Lieutenant Eldred turned his head, looked at the American Lieutenant, and then nodded.

The German soldier whistled at the American Lieutenant, then beckoned, signaling him to carry the fallen man over. Lieutenant Eldred stood up and gave up his foxhole.

The American Lieutenant placed the frozen soldier inside the foxhole, then gestured to the German, "A blanket, I need a blanket! If not, he won't last long!"

The German soldier understood his meaning from the American Lieutenant's gestures.

He looked towards Lieutenant Eldred again.

Lieutenant Eldred frowned, looked at the American Lieutenant and the American soldier in the foxhole, and finally nodded, handing over the blanket he was wearing.

The American Lieutenant gratefully accepted the blanket and wrapped the soldier tightly.

At this moment, the German soldier looked at Lieutenant Eldred with some confusion.

It was clear that the Lieutenant had given his foxhole and blanket to the American prisoner, and he himself preferred to endure the wind and snow, which was an incomprehensible act.

Lieutenant Eldred didn't explain. He was no longer the spirited SS Lieutenant, but was planning for his own retreat.

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian was an executioner; he had killed 153 American prisoners of war, but Lieutenant Eldred had not participated in any of these matters.

Seeing the German in constant retreat, even this Ardennes offensive, meticulously planned and executed with all their might, might end in failure.

Their destination was Noville, but now it seemed questionable whether Noville was still in German hands.

Once Noville was occupied by the American, they would be completely isolated, surrounded by the American, and it would be impossible to return to Germany.

And according to Lieutenant Colonel Gurian's intention, once the American occupied Noville, he would not hesitate to order the execution of these prisoners.

Lieutenant Eldred did not approve of doing this; it was equivalent to cutting off his own retreat. Once he was surrounded and captured by the American, what awaited him might be an Allied trial, and he would not escape death.

But as a junior officer, he could not criticize the Lieutenant Colonel's decision.

Sometimes, he even wanted to use these prisoners to exchange for his own freedom with the American, but he was not sure if the other 32 people shared his thoughts.

He dared not take the risk and could only keep this idea hidden in his heart.

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian was aware of everything happening around him, but he did not stop it.

Although he was sitting in a foxhole, covered with a blanket, he knew that some people in this team had different ideas from his own, at least the only officer in his team besides himself, Lieutenant Eldred, whose thoughts were somewhat wavering.

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian had already made a judgment in his heart. Judging by the progress of the war, Noville was most likely no longer in their hands. If that were the case, he would unhesitatingly carry out the order and execute all these American prisoners.

But he couldn't do it in front of everyone; he had to let reliable people he trusted do it.

And those people were the SS soldiers who were absolutely loyal to the Empire.

"Lieutenant!" Gurian glanced at Lieutenant Eldred, who was standing beside him, and said, "Why haven't the patrolmen returned yet?"

Lieutenant Eldred was startled upon hearing this, and he also began to wonder. It was already time for the changing of the guard, but the two patrolling German had not returned.

If they weren't lost, then something was wrong.

"Alright, Sir, I'll send someone to check immediately!" Lieutenant Eldred nodded, then shouted loudly towards the distance, "Sergeant Okri, take your men to check. Littre and Robben haven't returned yet!"

"Alright, Sir!" A tall, burly German soldier climbed out of a foxhole on the other side.

He whistled at the soldiers staying in the foxhole beside him and shouted, "Time to work, you lazy bums, hurry up, hurry up!"

Just as they were about to get up, they suddenly heard a gunshot, "Bang," which echoed clearly in the silent snow.

Gurian suddenly straightened up. He had already recognized it; it was the sound of a 98k, and judging by the current environment, the furthest distance would be no more than two hundred meters away.

"Sir!" Lieutenant Eldred had already grabbed his rifle.

All the German were awakened by the gunshot. They looked around in a panic, frantically grabbing their rifles.

Clearly, having fled all the way here, they had become like startled birds.

"Wait, Lieutenant, wait!" Lieutenant Colonel Gurian quickly calculated in his mind.

There was only one gunshot, and then no more sounds came out. He immediately came up with several possibilities: one was that one of the rifles of the two soldiers sent out on patrol had accidentally discharged.

But this could be quickly ruled out, because those two were experienced, especially Robben, who was a battle-hardened veteran, and Littre was not a new recruit either.

The second possibility was that they had discovered traces of the American and opened fire.

From only one gunshot and no more sound, he could even conclude that the American they found was a straggler or lost.

It was also not ruled out that a American unit was passing nearby.

Another possibility was that the two of them had an internal conflict, and one of them fired a shot.

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian quickly ruled out the first and third possibilities.

Now there was only the second possibility.

He then made a decision and said to Lieutenant Eldred, "Lieutenant, you stick to the original plan, send out a patrol, find the two men, and make sure to find out the truth!"

Sergeant Okri didn't wait for Lieutenant Eldred to speak again, but waved to the four soldiers behind him. The group walked in a column towards where the sound had just come from.

Lieutenant Eldred looked at their backs with some worry until they disappeared into the woods.

The American Lieutenant also heard it; his hands involuntarily tightened.

His guess was actually similar to Lieutenant Gurian's, and he began to pray for the American soldiers who might have been separated.

Sergeant Okri walked at the very front with his gun, and the wind and snow behind him quickly covered the five men's footprints.

Even after walking twenty or thirty meters, the figures behind them became unclear.

"Be careful, guys, we're in a column, that way we can avoid casualties! Don't spread out too far, check around carefully, don't miss any suspicious spots." Actually, as he said this, Okri himself didn't believe it. Even if there were any clues, in such a heavy snowstorm, everything would be covered. It would be much easier if they just saw people!

"Sergeant, why is it always us?" A German soldier walking behind Okri muttered with some dissatisfaction, "I think Lieutenant Eldred has a prejudice against us.

Last time when we shook off the American, it was also our squad that covered the retreat, and we lost six brothers that time.

Look, now our remaining five men are also sent out. If we run into the American, we're finished!"

Okri turned his head and looked at the German, saying, "What's there to complain about? If we really fall into the American's encirclement, we're dead! Why bother with these things?"

"I don't think so. Today I feel like the Lieutenant and the Lieutenant Colonel are a bit at odds. Someone quietly told me that the Lieutenant might not agree with Lieutenant Colonel Gurian's plan to kill the American!" the German continued.

"I don't care about all that, buddy. Now the one who calls the shots in the team is Lieutenant Colonel Gurian. He is the supreme commander, we have to listen to him. If he tells us to kill the American, I'll do it. If he tells me to release those prisoners, I'll do that too!" Okri continued walking forward. He spoke very seriously, not at all like he was joking.

"Alright, you're our leader, whatever you want to do, we'll listen to you!" the soldier finally muttered.

This made Okri smile involuntarily.

They walked about two hundred meters forward, but saw no traces, nor did anyone appear, even the two sentry soldiers who were sent out were not visible.

"Damn it, what do we do?" The German behind Okri couldn't help but curse, "Sergeant, let's go back. There's no result here; we're just wandering aimlessly."

Okri nodded. He knew there wouldn't be any results, and if they couldn't find anyone and dispersed to search, they might even get lost in the woods themselves.

But he turned and walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped, looking at everyone in the team in surprise, his eyes wide.

The remaining people also looked at Okri, appearing somewhat puzzled.

"Sergeant!" Someone couldn't help but call out to him.

"Damn it, damn it!" Okri suddenly shouted, "Where is Hamilton? Tell me, why isn't that damn guy in the team anymore?"

At this moment, everyone realized that there were only four of them standing in the snow, but when they came out, there were clearly five of them; one guy named Hamilton was missing.

"Maybe… maybe he got lost!" A German soldier cautiously offered his guess.

"God, he was right behind us, no more than two meters away, how could he get lost?" Okri said, getting confused himself, because this guy disappeared when it was least likely for him to disappear.

As soon as they thought of this, all four of them shrunk their necks, feeling the wind around them grow colder, making their hair stand on end.

A soldier disappeared without a trace, as if he had vanished into thin air, causing all four of them to feel a tightening in their chests.

"Romano, go check, maybe he fell behind! Maybe he went to pee!" Although reluctant to admit it, Sergeant Okri had to change his tune, as there was no other explanation for Hamilton's disappearance.

"Sergeant—perhaps—perhaps he will catch up with the squad later." The soldier named Romano clearly didn't want to go; they all knew that the excuse of 'taking a leak' was very flimsy, so no one wanted to do something that seemed so worrying.

"Damn it, fine, I'll go find him. You three stay here, don't leave, and wait for me to come back!" Sergeant Okri said to the three, raising his submachine gun, and turned back the way they came.

He walked cautiously, clearly having doubts in his heart; the footprints from their arrival had been covered by heavy snow, leaving only faint, shallow traces.

"Hamilton, damn it, where are you?" Sergeant Okri shouted into the surroundings, but it was clearly futile.

The surrounding woods were silent, with no echo.

He looked back and could no longer see the other three; he had already moved dozens of meters away from them.

He could only rely on his imagination, picturing the other three not far from him.

Sergeant Okri didn't want to go any further back; if he did, he wouldn't find the damned Hamilton.

This was his premonition.

So he stopped, then made a decision, looking around again and shouting loudly: "Hamilton, if you hear my voice, come out! This isn't hide-and-seek, hurry up, you damn guy!"

Still no response.

The cold wind poured down his neck, and Sergeant Okri shivered, clearly confirming again that Hamilton was not lost but missing.

Sergeant Okri dared not go any further, fearing losing contact with the others again in such a snowstorm, and decided to head back.

Following the still uncovered footprints, he walked back through the thick snow, looking around vigilantly after only a few steps.

Hamilton's disappearance was like a thorn stuck in his throat, making him feel as if the dark woods around him were a monster with a huge open mouth, keeping him constantly on edge.

The distance of dozens of meters felt very long to Sergeant Okri, so long that when he saw the blurry figures ahead, he felt a sense of exhaustion, and even in the cold air, a fine layer of sweat slowly formed on his back.

"Is that Sergeant Okri?" A trembling voice came from the blurry figures, clearly the three men from before.

Okri answered with all his might, "Yes, it's me, Okri!" As he spoke, he quickened his pace, and then two figures appeared in his sight; they were huddled together, looking towards Okri, their rifles aimed in his direction.

"It's me!" Sergeant Okri waved at them and walked over.

"Where's Avord?" Only when Sergeant Okri got closer did he realize that there weren't three people, but only two.

He instinctively looked around, then let his gaze fall on the faces of the two men.

"I don't know, Sergeant!" One of the German soldiers shivered, his teeth chattering, and said, "Just now there was a blurry figure on the left, it looked like Hamilton, so Avord told us he'd go check.

But Hamilton didn't seem to notice us; he walked that way, so Avord chased after him, and no matter how he called Hamilton, he wouldn't stop!" The German soldier said, pointing to the front left.

"Alright, damn Hamilton!" When Okri heard it was Hamilton, his tension eased, and he said to the other two, "We're not going anywhere else, we'll just wait for them here.

I don't care about Littre and Robben anymore; they might be lost, or they might have surrendered to the American forces.

I don't want to die here!" After this ordeal, Sergeant Okri felt an unprecedented sense of frustration, which made his words much more disheartened.

His decision was clearly met with unanimous approval from the other two.

They also didn't want to search for the other missing personnel in such terrible weather, regardless of whether they were alive or dead; it was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

The snow was falling heaviest at this point, making the three anxious German soldiers a bit impatient.

Sergeant Okri had already stood up and was pacing in circles, he had circled ten times, because he was anxious, and because circling could keep his body warmer, while the other two German soldiers huddled tightly together, shrinking their necks, and stomping their feet in place.

"Bakewell!" Okri suddenly stopped and called out to the two German soldiers.

"No, no, Sergeant, don't make me go!" The German soldier called Bakewell reflexively recoiled, shaking his hand at Sergeant Okri and saying, "I don't want to go find them, Sergeant.

Let's wait a bit longer; if they don't come back in half an hour, let's leave.

I don't want to stay in this hellhole for another moment!"

Sergeant Okri looked at Bakewell and couldn't help but shake his head; no one was a fool, and it was clear that if they really left alone, they would likely never return.

He wasn't worried now about whether these people were lost, but whether they had encountered American forces.

However, no gunshots were heard, which also puzzled him.

Sergeant Okri didn't want to abandon any soldier, but the situation was no longer under his control.

He waved to the other two and said, "Alright, from now on, we must stay together at all times, without any mistakes.

I don't want anyone else to go missing! Now, let's go back! Let's end this damned mission!"

"Sergeant, what about Hamilton and Avord?" The other German soldier asked; although he also wanted to leave, he was still somewhat reluctant to abandon the two who had just gone missing.

"Damn it, Fred, we have to go back.

If they haven't been captured by the American forces, they'll definitely find their way back.

Do you want all of us to go missing in these woods? And then freeze to death or starve to death?

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian doesn't care about your life, or mine, or the Sergeant's; he's a cunning and ruthless guy!" Bakewell couldn't help but shout at the speaking German soldier, his emotions a bit agitated, "Look, that Lieutenant also doesn't like us, always wanting us to carry out these most dangerous missions.

Are we going to keep staying here? Or do you still want to go look for those two guys?"

"Shut up, let's leave!" Sergeant Okri looked at the two, and couldn't help but snap.

He no longer looked at them, and walked directly back the way they came; he didn't want to stay here either.

Bakewell and Fred exchanged glances, then said nothing more, silently following Sergeant Okri back.

The three of them stayed tightly together, no longer needing any distance; none of them wanted to fall behind.

Now, for them, falling behind meant disappearing.

Sergeant Okri cautiously searched for the direction they had come from; aside from the section where he had walked back earlier, the footprints were covered by heavy snow.

They walked very slowly, checking their surroundings every so often.

Along the way were numerous shell craters covered in snow, scattered everywhere, making it impossible to distinguish anything.

"Sergeant, I think we've taken the wrong path!" Fred said to Sergeant Okri.

He looked around, then pointed to a snowdrift piled up under a large tree not far away and said, "When we passed by earlier, this wasn't here."

"Are you sure?" Sergeant Okri asked him, puzzled.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure!" Fred pointed to the snowdrift and said, "There's no way I wouldn't have noticed such a large snowdrift, and I believe you, Sergeant, must have noticed it too.

I think we might be lost, which tells us bad news!" Fred said, suddenly looking a bit dejected.

"Now you understand why those two, after leaving, never came back!" Bakewell said to Fred with a hint of mockery.

Fred pointed at the snowdrift, and as he approached to speak to Bakewell, he couldn't help but let out a soft gasp of surprise, because a dark mark, like a piece of cloth, was exposed beneath the snowdrift, particularly visible against the white snow.

He slowly drew closer, the look of bewilderment on his face growing heavier.

"Did you find something?" Sergeant Okri heard Fred's surprised gasp, turned his head to watch him walk step by step towards the snowdrift, and couldn't help but walk over as well.

"Sergeant, I'm not sure, but there seems to be something else underneath here.

I think we need to open this snowdrift and see what's buried inside!" Fred said, reaching out to clear the snowdrift.

Bakewell looked at Fred's actions, and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, not bothering to join in the excitement.

He leaned against a large tree nearby, watching their cautious movements, finding it somewhat amusing.

"Slowly, Fred!" Sergeant Okri walked over, aiming his submachine gun at the snowdrift.

Then he watched Fred clear the snowdrift, and both of them couldn't help but let out a low gasp of surprise.

Buried inside was a person, a German soldier in an SS uniform, slumped half-sitting there with his head down, his helmet pulled low, obscuring his face.

Sergeant Okri quickly put away his rifle, extended a finger, and pressed it against the German soldier's carotid artery.

Feeling a pulse, he couldn't help but shout to Fred, "He's alive! Help him up!"

Fred's rifle was abandoned to the side, and Okri also let go of his submachine gun; both extended their hands to lift the German soldier.

The German soldier's right hand suddenly lifted, and before the two could react, a gleaming bayonet fell from his sleeve into the German soldier's hand.

Okri's reaction was also very quick; when he saw the bayonet, he knew something was wrong.

He wanted to retreat, but he had only straightened his body slightly when the bayonet pierced his throat, then the blade twisted, almost severing his entire neck.

Thick blood gurgled from the large blood vessels.

The corpse, like a wooden stake, toppled crookedly onto the snow.

Fred also wanted to run; he didn't have time to pick up his rifle and ran towards Bakewell, shouting at Bakewell, who was still standing there, "Run, we've been tricked!"

But Bakewell remained motionless, his eyes bulging, a bayonet deeply embedded in his neck—an American standard issue bayonet.

The blade had pierced his throat, nailing him firmly to the tree trunk, which was why he didn't fall.

"God!" He cried out in terror, his voice full of despair, and as he turned around, he suddenly saw a bayonet tearing through the misty snowstorm, appearing abruptly before him, followed by a faint "thump."

He felt a sharp pain in his neck, then his hands gripped his throat tightly, and warm blood spurted from between his fingers.

---

Snow was still falling, not heavily, but the weather felt even colder.

A thin layer of snow quickly covered the few people lying on the ground.

Perhaps it was the extreme cold, or perhaps he was stunned by the scene before his eyes, Littre stood behind a large tree nearby, with Cobb holding a gun behind him.

They stood behind the tree, and the visibility was too low for any of the three German soldiers to notice them.

But his body was trembling, and Cobb, behind him, knew why he was like this; even he himself would be speechless with astonishment at such a sight.

The demise of the three German soldiers was instantaneous, and it happened without a single shot being fired.

Toy emerged from behind the large tree where the German soldier had stood dead, then gently pulled out his dagger, which he carried with him and found very handy.

This feeling was too exhilarating for him; he praised Parks, who was approaching in an SS uniform, saying, "Boss, I really don't know how to express myself.

Seriously, it's great to fight alongside you.

You always manage to surprise me and teach these Germans a lesson!"

Yes, Toy was truly surprised; even when Captain Parks was assigning the mission, he knew that these five German soldiers were finished.

This plan was perfectly executed.

First, using what Parks called the "luring the snake out of its hole" method, a shot was fired to attract the German patrol, and then Parks, using the dim weather, silently eliminated the last German soldier, causing the German Sergeant to investigate alone, and sending Cobb, disguised as that German, to lead one person away in pursuit; of course, that German would also "disappear."

Then, exploiting the fear and unease of the remaining three, and the pervasive heavy snow, he deduced that they would return the way they came.

The Captain, personally dressed in a German uniform, used the snow as camouflage, then killed two German soldiers in one swift move, while he dealt with the other.

These actions, one linked to the next, were swift and clean, leading these few German soldiers unknowingly into a trap, and thus easily eliminated by their side.

This series of actions was one of the standard subjects of special operations, comprehensively employing various means to achieve the goal of eliminating the enemy.

And Parks's personal assassination skills truly earned the admiration of several people, so much so that afterward, Hudson kept muttering, "God, a perfect killing machine, a perfect killing machine!"

Yes, not only Hudson thought so, but everyone, including the German prisoner Littre, thought the same.

Toy, in particular, wanted to learn something from Parks, constantly using phrases about special action teams to mimic Parks's tone.

"Littre, now it's our turn!" Parks suddenly said to Littre with a slight smile in German.

Littre was startled, then looked at Parks with some fear and said, "Sir, what? What do you need me to do?"

He had no intention of resisting now; his heart was filled with admiration for Parks.

This man's actions were so bizarre that even the upper echelons might not be able to fathom them, and his calm and composure in killing like cutting grass, his merciless attacks, made him dare not disobey any of his orders.

Parks waved to him and said, "Come here, Littre, there's something we need to cooperate on.

You seemed to have said earlier that some of you were unwilling to take responsibility for killing prisoners, right?"

"Yes, yes, sir!" Littre almost shuffled to Parks's front, nodding his head repeatedly and saying, "Most people were unaware at the time, and only found out after the shooting, but not entirely so.

Sergeant Okri was one of them; he definitely knew the details, but he didn't tell us beforehand."

"Alright, I can tell you now that Noville has been occupied by our people.

So, how many people in your unit are still willing to follow Lieutenant Colonel Gurian and execute his order to kill those 48 prisoners?" Parks asked again.

His expression was calm, but it made Littre feel a chill run down his spine.

"I—I don't know, but it shouldn't be many!" Littre looked at Parks and couldn't help but shrink his neck, as if Parks's gaze was like the bayonet he had thrown, which would pierce his throat, just as that bayonet had pierced Fred's throat, then quickly added, "We have a Lieutenant; his opinion differs from the Colonel's.

He doesn't want to kill prisoners, but Colonel Gurian is the Lieutenant Colonel, so he has no choice.

So I can't be sure now, sir, I'm telling you the truth!"

Parks looked at him and smiled slightly, "Don't worry, Littre, maybe this time we need to cooperate.

If you can help me rescue these prisoners of war, then you will receive Captain America's pardon, and maybe even a commendation.

And—you will also save the lives of those Germans who don't want to kill prisoners.

Do you know what General Eisenhower ordered?

He once ordered that no executioner involved in the Malmedy massacre should be spared.

You are a member of their combat unit; the only way to clear yourself and those who did not participate is to cooperate with me and rescue these 48 American prisoners of war.

Do you understand?"

Littre suddenly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his throat bobbing up and down as he gulped it down, then nodded vigorously and said, "I know! Sir... tell me, what should I do?"

"It's simple, I'll tell you, but the premise is, you're too nervous right now!" Parks nodded at him, then smiled easily, "I need you to relax.

Being this tense will ruin the atmosphere.

Of course, if you have any other thoughts, I promise, I will be the first to kill you, without mercy!"

When he said this, Parks's words were somewhat cold, making Littre feel a chill from body to soul, but he quickly understood the entire plan from Parks's mouth, and it sounded quite good.

At least it was worth a try, relying on luck.

Of course, if it didn't succeed, he would have to make other arrangements.

Around two in the morning, the snow became heavier, and the American prisoners huddled together, warming each other with their bodies, while the German soldiers stayed in makeshift foxholes, covered with branches; they were only slightly better off, but still felt the biting cold.

Lieutenant Eldred had checked his watch for the tenth time.

The patrol that had been sent out had not yet returned, which worried him greatly.

Although he didn't like Sergeant Okri, it didn't mean he could ignore the danger.

A total of seven people had gone out, and not one had returned; surely they hadn't all gotten lost.

But in such snowy weather, who could say?

He even wondered if Sergeant Okri and his unnamed soldiers never returned, would Lieutenant Colonel Gurian have five fewer obedient soldiers?

But he quickly dismissed this thought; now was not the time to think about such things; they had to overcome this difficulty together.

Suddenly, he saw two blurry figures ahead, quickly raised his rifle, and shouted at the two figures, "Who's there? Speak, or I'll shoot!"

His shouts woke up the German soldiers; they all raised their rifles, and then they heard someone shouting, "It's me, Lieutenant, it's me, Littre, I'm Littre, don't shoot!"

Lieutenant Eldred breathed a sigh of relief, then waved to the other soldiers, signaling them to put down their rifles.

He saw Littre helping a soldier in a German uniform walk over; he felt something was wrong, slowly picked up his rifle again, and said to Littre, "Who is he? Where did Robben go?"

Littre's expression seemed a bit stiff; he said to Lieutenant Eldred with surprise, "Damn it, Robben hasn't returned yet? I told him to come back first.

I had to take care of this unlucky fellow; he got shot, thankfully I still had some bandages and bandaged him up."

Saying this, he laboriously helped the German soldier to his own foxhole and sat him down.

Lieutenant Eldred frowned, looked at the two, squatted down and said to the German soldier already lying in the foxhole, "Hey, Corporal, what's your name? Why are you here, and why are you injured?"

"Sir, my name is Jason Byrne, from the 5th Panzer Division.

I got lost.

I've been wandering alone in the snow for two days.

We were originally stationed in Noville, but three days ago, Noville was occupied by the Americans.

Many people died, but I escaped and hid here.

I haven't eaten all day, and I also got shot!"

Saying this, he pointed to his left hand, which was bandaged and in a sling, "His masterpiece! Sir."

This was said loudly, and some of the surrounding German soldiers had already heard it, then turned their heads to look over.

"Yes, it was my carelessness, but stop bringing that up, okay?

Who told you to move around there and not answer my questions?

It's not my fault, it's your own problem, buddy!" Littre seemed to grumble at Byrne with dissatisfaction.

"Enough, stay put!" Lieutenant Eldred was clearly annoyed by the news brought by the soldier named Byrne.

From the looks of it now, Noville had fallen.

Then their group was completely trapped by the American forces; even if they weren't captured by the Americans, the ultimate outcome could be to freeze or starve to death!

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian was roused from his hazy sleep in the foxhole by someone pushing him.

Actually, he didn't like to be disturbed when he was sleeping; he had his own biological clock.

He slept very little, but when he was asleep, he was very alert.

"Damn it!" He cursed, then opened his eyes, and when he looked up, he saw Lieutenant Eldred's face—an anxious and helpless face, then shook his head, somewhat displeased, "Lieutenant, what's the matter?"

He tried his best to suppress his displeasure, speaking to Lieutenant Eldred.

"Sir, I just received news that Noville has been occupied by the American forces!" Lieutenant Eldred looked at Gurian's impatient expression and patiently told him the news.

Gurian was startled; although he knew Noville might have been occupied by the American forces, he never voiced his speculation, precisely to stabilize morale.

He wasn't surprised by the news of Noville's occupation; he was surprised by who had said it.

He immediately reacted instinctively, getting up and looking sternly at Eldred, "Lieutenant, you can't just say such things.

Tell me, where is your source of information?

Is it reliable news?

Do the soldiers know?"

"Yes, I think this news should be reliable.

It's news obtained from a soldier who escaped from Noville, discovered by the patrolman Littre!" Lieutenant Eldred said.

"Bring that person here, I'll question him myself!" Gurian frowned, then waved to Lieutenant Eldred.

If this news truly became irreversible and believed by everyone, he would execute his plan and shoot all the prisoners.

---

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian found no discernible flaws; nothing seemed amiss. Corporal Burne, the wounded man, could accurately name the unit defending Noville, its commander, and their deployment—all seemingly truthful information. Yet, Gurian was troubled. The news of Noville's fall had already spread, and now it was time for him to make a crucial decision regarding the 48 captured American soldiers.

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian waved his hand, dismissing Burne back to his spot. He then beckoned to Lieutenant Eld: "Lieutenant, we are now faced with a choice. Either we surrender to the Americans, or we execute these prisoners, put on their uniforms, and break out. Then we still have a chance to escape."

Lieutenant Eld clearly knew that Gurian wasn't asking for his opinion, but instructing him that surrender was impossible, and they must execute the prisoners, put on American uniforms, and infiltrate. He knew the chance of this plan succeeding was next to zero. Americans weren't fools, and few men here could speak English. Even he didn't speak fluently, and Lieutenant Colonel Gurian spoke with a heavy accent. The moment any of them opened their mouths, they would be exposed. This was clearly a hopeless gamble.

"Have you made your decision, sir?" Lieutenant Eld looked at Lieutenant Colonel Gurian, his brow slightly furrowed. He did not want to carry out this order, but it seemed he had no room for discussion.

Gurian also understood that to ensure Lieutenant Eld remained loyal, he had to make him carry out the order to shoot the prisoners. This would prevent him from wavering. Furthermore, the soldiers tasked with the execution must be those who still held onto some hope and had not participated in the previous massacres. Only then could all the German soldiers be bound together as a single unit.

"God, we're finished! The American attack was fiercer than anything we've seen. We were stunned. Noville fell in just half an hour. I barely managed to escape, but now I'm trapped in this damned forest. Luckily, I ran into you guys! Many of my comrades are dead, and now I don't know what to do. Can we even make it out? Americans are everywhere!" Corporal Burne was now surrounded by a group of German soldiers, and he was passionately recounting his ordeal.

"What are we going to do, lads?" Ritter, sensing the moment, began to complain. "I don't want to die here. I'd rather be an American prisoner. You know, my brother is dead, and my mother is dead. I have no ties left. But comrades, do you want to go home alive? If you want to live, what other options do we have?"

"Damn it," Ritter suddenly lowered his voice and spoke to his comrades, "to be honest, I no longer trust Lieutenant Colonel Gurian. He has led us into a dead end! I'd prefer the Americans to capture us all, then we'd have a chance to live. Do you know? The American leader, General Eisenhower, issued an order. They are going to severely punish those who shot prisoners in Malmedy. Burne told me this. We are desperate now. If the Americans find us, will they show us mercy?"

"Burne, tell us, is this true?" Someone started questioning Burne.

Burne nodded. "Yes, yes, I swear on God's name, it's all true. When we were defending Noville, the Americans scattered flyers, and that's what they said." Burne affirmed. "You know, some of us here retreated from Kampfgruppe Peiper. They joined us, but even so, the Americans are not letting them go! Some of them killed prisoners! God, now I know why their artillery is so fierce! They are seeking vengeance!" Burne muttered, fear visible on his face. "Why must we pay for the crimes committed by others? It's not fair!"

"Damn it, didn't Lieutenant Colonel Gurian once say that if Noville was captured by the Americans, the first thing he would do is shoot all the prisoners? God, if he does that, will we have any chance of survival? I don't know, damn it! I don't want to die here, we have to find a way!" Ritter spoke angrily, casting a displeased glance at Lieutenant Colonel Gurian, who was giving instructions to Lieutenant Eld.

"Tell us, how can we avoid this?" Some men were starting to waver. This was expected; these German soldiers, who had not participated in the massacres, were already unwilling to be involved in executing prisoners.

"Let's split up and surrender to the Americans!" someone suggested.

But this was immediately countered: "No, no. Right now, the Americans can't tell who was involved in killing their prisoners. If we surrender, we will certainly be put on trial."

"Someone should contact the Americans. But who can do that now?" someone sighed, clearly dismissing his own suggestion. Everyone else also disliked his idea.

"Lads, don't talk about surrendering where Lieutenant Colonel Gurian can hear. He'll surely shoot us; he's a ruthless man. We need to keep it quiet and low-key. It's better for us!" Ritter said at that moment.

"I've hated that bastard for a long time. That executioner is leading us to hell step by step. No one can save us now; it's up to ourselves!" someone couldn't help but say indignantly.

"Shh, keep it down, the Lieutenant is coming over!" Burne suddenly warned them.

Lieutenant Eld was walking toward them. By chance, the men gathered here were all those who had not participated in the massacres. Out of the remaining 28 men—excluding himself, the Colonel, and the newly arrived Burne—there were 19 gathered here. The other 6 were staunch supporters of Lieutenant Colonel Gurian, having participated in the Malmedy killings.

"What are you discussing?" Lieutenant Eld walked over, frowning at the sight of them huddled together. "Comrades, we have an assignment. It is this—" he lowered his voice. "We are going to shoot all the prisoners. This task has now fallen to us. Every single person has a part! Get ready!" Lieutenant Eld stood up, turning to leave.

"Did you agree to it, sir?" Ritter suddenly spoke.

Eld turned and looked at Ritter, about to speak, when Corporal Burne suddenly raised his right hand and said, "Sir, I should not be included in this mission. I am not a soldier of your company, and I don't want to participate."

Lieutenant Eld looked at him coldly. "What did you say, Corporal! This is an order. You know the rules of wartime. You are under my command now. Regardless of which unit you belonged to, you are my soldier now. Therefore, you certainly have a part in this assignment."

Burne suddenly stood up and addressed the Lieutenant: "Very well, Lieutenant, I know you are right, but you must think about these men. Once we carry out this order, it will block off the retreat for all of us. The Americans will not spare us, and we cannot get out of this forest now. Even if the weather clears, the Americans have already encircled this place!"

At that moment, everyone gathered turned to look at Lieutenant Eld, their eyes full of distrust. Clearly, they did not want to carry out this mission, as it amounted to sending themselves down the road to death or future trial.

"Lieutenant, I know you don't want to either. Why are we still listening to the Colonel? He has led his comrades to desperation, and now he wants to snuff out their only chance of survival, forcing us to die here with him. He is the executioner, the killer of prisoners. Are we going to be dragged along to be buried with him?" Burne's words were aggressive, but everyone there knew he was absolutely right.

Lieutenant Eld suddenly looked coldly at Burne. "Soldier, mind your own duty. No matter how unwilling I am, I am a soldier, and a soldier obeys orders. There is nothing more to say."

"A soldier is also a man! I have parents and siblings at home. I don't want to die like this. Am I wrong? Who doesn't want to return home alive? If we follow Gurian's orders, we are all finished!" Burne suddenly stood up and stared at Lieutenant Eld, showing no fear.

"Corporal, watch your conduct!" Eld instinctively took a step back! He seemed to want to avoid Corporal Burne's aggressive gaze but didn't want to completely concede, his eyes shifting nervously.

"Lieutenant, why must we still obey that lunatic?" Someone in the group raised his voice—it was Ritter. He seized the opportunity to loudly voice what was in all their hearts.

"Yes, why are we still listening to a Lieutenant Colonel who is leading us to ruin? We will not carry out this order, Lieutenant. Let's surrender to the Americans! I want to go home alive!" Someone else in the crowd impatiently voiced his opinion. Led by Ritter and Burne, they could no longer suppress their feelings and began to express their dissent.

The conversation clearly alerted Lieutenant Colonel Gurian. He glanced over and saw the group of soldiers surrounding Lieutenant Eld, seemingly arguing about something, their expressions agitated. He knew these men were unwilling to carry out the mission. He had initially assumed they would obey, as German soldiers, especially SS, were known for their strong discipline.

Lieutenant Colonel Gurian grew concerned. He signaled to the six remaining German soldiers beside him, indicating they should prepare their weapons, and then walked toward the group with them.

"What is going on, Lieutenant!" His tone was harsh. As he approached, he began to yell at Lieutenant Eld: "Mind your conduct! We are soldiers of the Reich! We are the SS, the elite troops loyal to the Führer! We are not stragglers, nor are we American prisoners!" His voice was loud and attracted the attention of many. His authoritative demeanor instantly put pressure on the agitated soldiers, and they all fell silent.

"Sir, they were only expressing their thoughts—" Lieutenant Eld seemed to try to explain.

"Silence, Lieutenant! A soldier only obeys orders!" Lieutenant Colonel Gurian strictly reprimanded him. He knew that this was the only way to prevent a potential incident and ensure the mission was carried out. He gave a stern look at all the soldiers, his gaze landing on one man's face, who immediately dropped his head. Clearly, they were not ready to resist him yet!

"Lieutenant Colonel, I don't want to carry out this mission!" At that moment, Ritter, standing next to Burne, suddenly shouted at Gurian. "I will not kill prisoners, Colonel! I won't allow myself to walk the path to ruin! Your order is unreasonable, and I refuse to carry it out!"

"You damn bastard!" Lieutenant Colonel Gurian waved a hand at the six soldiers behind him. "Arrest him! I will execute him by court-martial!" Two soldiers immediately rushed toward Ritter. At this, everyone suddenly looked at Lieutenant Colonel Gurian with intense dissatisfaction.

"Bang!"

The gunshot rang out without warning, startling everyone. They instinctively grabbed their rifles, but then they saw an unbelievable sight: a jet of blood suddenly erupted from the head of Lieutenant Colonel Gurian, and he collapsed onto the snow like a piece of wood!

Gunshots suddenly rang out, catching everyone off guard, but when they reacted, everyone grabbed their guns and aimed them in the direction of the sound.

"Put down the gun, Corporal, put down the damn gun, quickly!" Lieutenant Eldred shouted at Byrne.

Byrne stood there holding his rifle, and only when he saw everyone raising their rifles at him did he lower his. No one shot at him, a result he had already anticipated. This was one of his plans; he didn't want Colonel Gurian to say too much, otherwise he would influence many people. And from the moment he appeared here and started speaking, these dozen or so soldiers began to slowly become obedient. This was not the outcome he wanted to see. Decisively killing Colonel Gurian was the only way to pull most people's hearts back.

"Arrest him!" Lieutenant Eldred ordered sharply.

But someone immediately stood up to object. Littre stood by Byrne's side, raised his hands, and loudly shouted, "Wait, brothers, Colonel Gurian is dead, why should we still do this? If we arrest him today, what will we do later? We are not executioners; we will not pay for Gurian's stupidity. Now is a good opportunity!"

His words stunned everyone. Then some people's faces showed smiles, but others' faces were filled with fear. Someone suddenly raised a rifle from the crowd, but before he could fire, he was restrained by the person next to him. The person who raised the gun was one of the six soldiers most trusted by Gurian and bound to him.

"Grab them, don't let them escape, they are the murderers, we will hand them over to the American for trial!" Byrne suddenly raised his gun and shouted, pointing at the six soldiers huddled together.

Upon hearing this, the six German soldiers were already in a panic. They simultaneously raised their rifles at the soldiers standing with them, but they immediately despaired, because the other soldiers had all raised their guns and aimed them at the six of them. Their eyes were full of contempt and dissatisfaction, believing that if they dared to move, this group of soldiers would absolutely shoot them without hesitation.

"We... we were just following orders!" Although the weather was still very cold, these six soldiers were already sweating profusely. One of them finally couldn't help but stammered out a sentence.

"Put down your guns!" Lieutenant Eldred looked at the surrounding soldiers and then at Byrne, who was standing to the side with his rifle raised. He couldn't help but sigh, "Put down your guns, you might still live. Don't force your brothers to do something they don't want to do!"

The six German soldiers were finally half-convinced, but they couldn't make decisions now. One German soldier couldn't bear it anymore, and with a soft thud, his rifle fell into the snow, making a slight muffled sound. With one person starting, the rest became easier. Soon, the other five also put down their guns and held their heads in their hands.

"Watch them!" Lieutenant Eldred said to the two soldiers beside him. Then he turned around, his gaze coldly fixed on Byrne and Littre. He slowly moved through the crowd, walked in front of the two, and looked sharply at Byrne, saying, "Corporal, tell me, who exactly are you?"

"Is who I am important to you?" Byrne suddenly smiled, then put away his rifle and looked at Lieutenant Eldred, saying, "Lieutenant, now you are in charge of our men. Where you lead the brothers is up to you, not me. But this is very important to the brothers; their fate is in your hands!"

Lieutenant Eldred looked at Byrne, then pursed his lips and didn't speak immediately. He looked at the brothers around him, and they were all looking at him, their gazes either confused or expectant, but mostly hopeful, hoping that Lieutenant Eldred could lead them to escape the threat of death and return alive to Germany. Now, this was their hope.

"Sir, do we still have a choice?" Littre, standing beside Byrne, suddenly spoke. He stared intently at Lieutenant Eldred, saying, "The sooner we make a decision, the sooner we will get out of this damned predicament. You should know what the brothers need most right now." Littre's tone was earnest.

"I know you and Colonel Gurian are not the same kind of people. He disregarded the lives of his brothers, only wanting to achieve his so-called reputation, but now his reputation is worse than anyone's. Lieutenant, you don't want to become like him, do you? Make a decision soon, so that all the brothers can return alive to Germany, don't let them die in a foreign land." Byrne's words once again struck the hearts of every German soldier. Even the guarded soldiers couldn't help but feel the same way; they were just executors of orders, there was no need to die for this!

Their series of arguments had already aroused the suspicion of the American prisoners. The Germans' attitude was changing, and although they didn't know what they were saying, it was clear that they had a mutiny. Finally, the German Lieutenant Colonel who had always been very harsh on them was actually shot dead by a German soldier. This stunned all the American prisoners. While they were happy to see the Germans fighting among themselves, they were also afraid that the Germans would kill them all in the process of their internal conflict.

At the very least, the captured American Lieutenant knew that Colonel Gurian had been the perpetrator of the Malmedy massacre. From various indications, he would shoot them all when desperate. Even if he was killed in the internal conflict now, there was no guarantee that other German soldiers would not harm them. He would never have thought that the reason for their internal conflict was about their life and death. They killed Colonel Gurian to save their lives.

"Lieutenant, what are they going to do?" Several prisoners slowly approached the Lieutenant, then lowered their voices and said to him, "What are they going to do to us now, God, I don't want to die here. Are they going to create another Malmedy incident?" The speaking prisoner seemed a little flustered, his eyes filled with anxiety.

"Alright, go back and tell the brothers to be fully prepared. Once they start shooting at us, we'll scatter and escape. They're short on manpower now, and in this snowy weather, we can easily shake them off!" The Lieutenant whispered to him, then quietly moved back to the frozen soldier, tightening the blanket around him, "Alright, buddy, how are you feeling? If we're going to escape, you need to be able to move, otherwise you'll just get shot!"

"I'm fine, Lieutenant! Don't worry, even if I die here, it's nothing. I've suffered enough, do I still care about death?" The soldier couldn't help but murmur, but his eyes were filled with a strong desire to live.

"Alright, buddy, take care!" The Lieutenant said, then slowly moved back into the middle of the group of prisoners! And the few soldiers guarding them also seemed to become lazy, letting them move around without bothering them.

All they had to do now was wait quietly. They stood together, waiting for the final German decision. Suddenly, a prisoner whispered to the Lieutenant, "Sir, I suddenly had a realization. I know it's absurd, but I just can't help myself. Do you want to hear it?"

"What?" The Lieutenant looked at him with some surprise, then cautiously glanced at the German soldiers guarding them, but they showed no expression or action of stopping them, and their eyes were somewhat indifferent.

The soldier put his mouth close to the Lieutenant's ear and said, "Don't you think that German soldier who came over later looks a lot like someone? Captain Parks, our hero. God, I just had this feeling just now, he's so alike, I've seen newspapers, I know what he looks like, because I idolize him!"

"Nonsense!" The Lieutenant couldn't help but mutter, but he finally couldn't resist secretly glancing at Byrne, and then he also came to a conclusion: this German Corporal really looked too much like Captain Parks. This shocked him, and he stared at the prisoner next to him.

"Very similar, isn't he?" The prisoner said to the Lieutenant, "If he wasn't wearing a German SS uniform, I would have thought he was Captain Parks. God, how can there be such similar people?"

"Alright, alright, let's wait and see their reaction!" The Lieutenant said, gesturing to the prisoner to squat down, "Remember, soldier, don't tell anyone about your discovery, listen, you have to remember, don't tell anyone!" He had a vague idea in his mind, could this German soldier be Captain Parks?

"I understand, sir!" The prisoner nodded.

They looked towards the Germans again, only to see the German soldier named Byrne speaking loudly to the German Lieutenant. His expression seemed very firm, and his tone was somewhat impassioned.

"Lieutenant, we need your decision!" Byrne once again said to Lieutenant Eldred.

"Sir--" At this moment, others also began to urge Lieutenant Eldred. This group of people had their emotions stirred by Byrne's words. They wanted to live, and this reason was enough for them to stand on Byrne's side.

Lieutenant Eldred looked around at them, then finally nodded and said, "Alright, I promise to try my best to preserve the lives of the brothers and let us all return alive to Germany!" As he spoke, he stared at Byrne and said, "Corporal, even if we want to surrender to the American now, won't they attack us before they discover us? Or, how can we contact the American and tell them our intentions?"

Littre suddenly interjected, "That's simple, Lieutenant. We have quite a few American here right now, why don't we find them? Perhaps this is also a very good opportunity to ease relations!"

Lieutenant Eldred suddenly looked at the group of American prisoners. He stared at Littre in surprise, saying, "Are you saying we should surrender to these people we've captured?" He spoke slowly, but his voice was heavy. A soldier's honor still flowed in his bones. If surrendering to the American in battle was acceptable, surrendering to a group of American he had captured, and then becoming their prisoner himself, would simply wound his military pride too much. He would not accept it under any circumstances.

"That's an excellent idea! I agree, Lieutenant, I speak English, let me negotiate with them!" Byrne seemed very enthusiastic about this idea. He held his rifle and walked towards the Lieutenant among the American prisoners.

The Lieutenant watched Byrne approach nervously, then stood up straight, facing Byrne directly, his eyes fixed on him but without speaking. At this moment, the German soldier suddenly spoke to him in very standard English, "Lieutenant, I've come to negotiate with you, don't be so nervous, relax a little!" As he spoke, he reached out to pat his shoulder, while also leaning his head closer.

The Lieutenant heard a sentence he would never forget: "Lieutenant, I am Captain Parks of the American 101st Airborne Division!" The voice was very soft, but it struck him like thunder!