The Alps, beautiful yet rugged, with their snow-capped peaks and verdant green slopes and foothills.
The road was densely lined with trees on both sides, casting dappled shadows over it.
The brothers were in high spirits, lazily chatting or singing together; the beautiful scenery, while appreciated, had also become somewhat familiar to them.
On April 29th, Easy Company spent the night in Buchloe, near Landsberg, at the foot of the Alps.
It was already three in the afternoon when the cars drove into the Town of Buchloe.
Some residents were strolling outside their houses, others were mowing their lawns in the front gardens, and a few were chatting on the Town's paths.
The place seemed entirely untouched by the war, as if the German's continuous retreat had nothing to do with these Town residents, who continued to live their leisurely lives.
"My goodness, these people don't even know their country is at war, do they?" Cobb looked at them in astonishment, then turned to White and said, "I can't believe it."
The Town residents, in turn, watched in surprise as trucks carrying American soldiers drove into the Town one after another, with American soldiers jumping out of them.
They constantly yelled at the residents, then drove the owners out of the requisitioned houses.
This caused their dissatisfaction, but like Germans in other places, they dared not resist these soldiers with rifles.
However, they still muttered under their breaths, secretly slandering these American soldiers who looked like pirates.
"Get out of here, you damn Germans!" Ever since Webster had seen the refugee camp, he had lost all goodwill towards these Germans.
He used his rifle butt to forcefully push a man in his fifties out of the house, and the old man stumbled and fell to the ground.
Webster spoke German, which the man understood, and his face turned ugly as he glared at Webster.
"What are you looking at, you damn Nazis, you black-hearted bastards.
Haven't you seen the refugee camps?
Why don't you go and see, see those emaciated, toiling, and dying innocent people, see how profound your sins are.
Don't make me shoot you!" Webster said, and with a click, he took the safety off his rifle and aimed it at the old German man.
"Wait, Webster, damn it, you can't do that!" Li Pu Sergeant, not far away, quickly ran over and loudly yelled at Webster, "Put down your gun, Webster!
You can't point a gun at ordinary German civilians, they are not soldiers."
Webster looked at Lipton approaching and reluctantly put away his rifle, spitting fiercely on the ground at the German, and said to Lipton, "No German is innocent.
Sergeant, you'll regret being such a softie sooner or later." Then he roared at the old man, who was scared silly, "Get out, Nazi!"
The old man fled in a panic, not daring to say anything more.
This scene was witnessed by the surrounding residents.
Those who had been somewhat unwilling to give up their houses no longer said anything.
These American soldiers were not easy to deal with; they looked like a bunch of robbers or pirates, capable of killing people with their guns when displeased.
And the extensive plundering of these residents also began.
No one dared to resist anymore; Webster had inadvertently set an example: if you don't cooperate, then expect to be shot.
"Captain Heiliger, send men to secure the perimeter.
We're staying overnight here today, so try to expand the search area as much as possible." Major Winters summoned the company commanders after getting out of the jeep.
He said to Heiliger, "Expand the search area to two miles out." Then he added, "D Company will continue to requisition houses in the Town for temporary barracks.
F Company will secure the Town, establish a restricted zone, and prohibit all residents from approaching within the restricted zone."
The three company commanders all nodded, then went to prepare separately.
Heiliger immediately called Lieutenant Fuli and said, "First Platoon will search the nearby woods!" Lieutenant Fuli nodded, and then the Second Platoon and Third Platoon were deployed in different directions, while Captain Heiliger still needed to find a decent place for his company command post.
Major Winters and Parks got out of the jeep, then looked around.
Major Winters said to Compton, "Buck, find a place for Battalion HQ, find somewhere that looks nice and comfortable.
Don't shortchange yourselves!"
"Of course!" Buck smiled, then turned to leave, when suddenly someone called him from behind.
"Wait, Buck, I'll personally arrange this.
I need to find a place with good wine.
Clearly, you're not good at this." Captain Nixon stopped Buck, then winked at Major Winters and smiled slightly.
Major Winters shrugged helplessly; he had no choice.
Since Nixon was interested, he let him find it himself; anyway, what he found would definitely not disappoint, as he was accustomed to a life of leisure.
"I'll go with you, Nick!" Major Parks smiled at Nixon, "I also have some experience with good wine, and I'm sure with my help, you won't be disappointed." He said, patting Nixon's shoulder, and the two left together.
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"I bet they'll find a wine cellar, not a comfortable place to stay!" Captain Welsh watched their retreating figures, shaking his head and laughing, "But I also like good wine.
Yes, I remember in Normandy, he was the one who led me to a cellar with very good brandy; his nose is really useful."
Major Parks wanted to go with Nixon because he knew he might encounter an awkward situation.
He had been intimidated by the wife of a German general, then he retreated, until finally discovering the concentration camp, his anger made him glare at the old woman once again when he faced her.
Parks didn't want any of this to happen; he wanted to make the old woman feel ashamed from the very beginning.
"This is it!" Nixon indeed set his sights on a very luxurious building.
From the outside, it was lavishly decorated, a typical German villa, with a glass-paneled front door that looked grand in the sunlight.
Nixon pulled out his pistol, then pushed open the front door and walked in with Parks.
"Is anyone home?" Nixon looked around.
Major Parks easily spotted a valuable oil painting hanging on a table to the left of the hall.
He chuckled at Nixon and said, "Looks like a good haul today!" With that, he walked over, then stood on a stool and took down the oil painting.
Nixon walked to the entrance on the other side of the hall, pushed open the door, and found a spacious study.
On the desk in the study was a photograph of a man in his fifties wearing a German general's uniform.
Just then, the door on the other side of the study opened.
A thin but capable-looking woman in her fifties or sixties emerged; she possessed an innate nobility, wearing a long, dark blue dress with a small suit jacket that gave her an inviolable aristocratic aura.
Nixon's hand, holding the photo frame, couldn't help but pause.
He saw that the woman was staring intently at him, her eyes revealing a hint of disdain and even a trace of pity; her demeanor, imperceptibly, made Nixon feel the psychological pressure growing heavier and heavier.
"Wow, Nick, guess what I found?
Gold, there's gold everywhere here.
Clearly, this was all plundered by the Nazis, and I think we should reclaim these things on behalf of the invaded European people." Parks held up two gold pieces in his hand and excitedly walked into the study.
He had found these two gold pieces in a cabinet in the hall, along with a box containing a luger!
He had the luger tucked into his waistband when he burst into the study.
The old woman's gaze swept over Parks sternly; the word "gold" deeply agitated her, and she became somewhat restless, but she fiercely glared at Parks, concealing her emotions.
At this moment, Nixon's resolve began to waver.
He gave Parks a look and said, "Reese, I think we should leave here."
Parks saw Nixon getting cold feet and couldn't help but shake his head, then looked up coldly at the old woman and said, "Why?
Nick, we've already requisitioned this house, why should we leave?
Damn it, this is the best house in the whole Town.
And it belongs to a Nazi general.
Requisitioning this house is perfectly justified, and who knows what other good things we might find!"
Parks didn't wait for Nixon to speak; he immediately spoke to the old woman in German: "Hello, Madam.
Your house has been requisitioned by the American army.
You have five minutes to leave here now; you'd best be quick!"
The old woman hadn't expected Parks to speak such fluent German; she was a bit surprised, but she quickly composed herself and said calmly to Parks, "Major, you should know that this is the legal property of German citizens.
I hope you respect the people here.
You have no right to requisition my house; I'm sorry, I cannot leave my home!" The old woman said, her face bearing an inviolable, sacred, noble expression, then slowly sat down in a chair.
She also realized that this Major was not as easy to deal with as the Captain.
"Madam, don't talk to me about legal property." Parks' face immediately showed disdain.
"This house you enjoy, the gold and jewels within, and the valuable frescoes, are all plundered from the innocent countries and peoples of Europe.
You should be ashamed of what your husband has done, rather than talking about fairness here."
"Look at this painting in my hand, 'The Peasant's Lunch.' It was originally treasured in the Louvre in France, but why is it in your house now, Madam?
Don't look at me like that; this is a work of art, yet your husband acted like a robber, and you, indeed, are a clown fencing stolen goods.
And all this gold.
Don't tell me it wasn't plundered from the people of other countries." Parks was aggressive, staring intently at the now somewhat flustered old woman, saying, "Get out of here.
Otherwise, I'll have the soldiers drag you out of here.
Don't lose your false noble status in this Town, Madam.
Will you walk out gracefully and with dignity, or shall I have the soldiers throw you out of this house?
Choose for yourself.
You'd better decide quickly."
Nixon watched Parks in surprise.
Parks glared fiercely at the old woman and said, "You now have 30 seconds left, enough time for you to make a decision!"
Under Parks' furious gaze, the old woman finally couldn't bear it any longer.
She trembled, slowly stood up, and then, with immense resentment and a hint of shame, covered her face and slowly walked out of the study.
Parks looked at this solitary, aged figure, feeling an inexplicable stir in his heart.
He couldn't quite describe the emotion.
"Wow!" Nixon relaxed, let out a whistle, then chuckled at Parks and said, "Looks like you had a trick up your sleeve; that was really good.
Honestly, I was a bit worried just now!"
Parks shook his head; the concentration camp hadn't been discovered yet, but when it was, Nixon would probably be even more ruthless than he was.
And just as they were driving out this old German woman, Landers, Patrick Christenson, Christenson, Okief, and others were searching in the woods.
They chatted casually, then walked deeper and deeper into the forest, where a scene that would leave them unsettled and shocked for a long time was about to unfold!
Footsteps crunched on the soft soil of the forest, the fallen leaves and branches rustling faintly with each step. The afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the branches, casting dappled light and shadows on him.
Landeman had a cigar in his mouth, Luz was smoking, Christenson was chewing gum, White walked at the back, holding a half-eaten apple, while Patrick Christenson walked at the very front, leading the way, his rifle swaying in his arms. Behind him followed the new recruit, Okief. Okief seemed a bit nervous, his eyes darting around like an escaped rabbit.
"Okief, why are you so nervous?" Landeman touched Okief, who was walking cautiously in front, tense as a spring, with the helmet he had taken off his head.
"I'm not nervous, Sergeant, I'm fine!" Okief was a bit embarrassed when Landeman touched him, his face flushed, "It's just, my heart is beating a little fast!"
"Pfft!" Luz, walking in the middle, suddenly burst out laughing, and then the cigarette in his mouth fell out, making him curse, "Damn it!" Then he smiled at Landeman, ""Big" Bill Guarnere, stop teasing this kid. You made me drop a cigarette!"
"George, does this place remind you of Bastogne?" Patrick Christenson, walking in front, turned his head to look at Luz, who had already taken out another cigarette, and said, "I always feel like I'm walking in Bastogne without snow."
Luz took a puff of his cigarette, then walked past Patrick Christenson and said, "Yes, hearing you say it, I feel it now. Except there's no snow here, we have hot food, and the tree trunks haven't been blasted to pieces by the Germans. You're absolutely right, Frank, except for those things, everything else here is very much like Bastogne."
"Exactly right!" Patrick Christenson chuckled, very proud of his discovery.
"Damn it, Frank," Luz said, "Why bring up Bastogne? Who would miss that place? I swear I'll never go there again in my life. "Big" Bill Guarnere, give him a slap for me!" As he spoke, a "smack" sound came from behind, and Landeman slapped Patrick Christenson's helmet, making Patrick Christenson complain under his breath.
The forest was very quiet. Apart from the occasional banter among the few people, there was basically no other sound, not even many bird calls. But the sunlight was abundant; even inside the forest, it was quite bright. The dappled tree shadows lay on the somewhat dry grass, and the fresh, free air made the patrolling group feel lazy.
"It's really quiet here!" Okief suddenly said, his nerves highly strung, looking around. And his statement was clearly agreed upon by the others.
"He's right, guys!" Landeman couldn't help but say, and then they stopped, all looking a bit nervous as they observed their surroundings. It was as if they had fallen into an eerie environment, a situation that only occurred in war. This sense of crisis was only felt when they were in danger.
Everyone held their breath, quietly disengaging the safety on their rifles. Landeman cautiously walked to the front of the team, then gestured to his comrades. The group no longer took it lightly, but moved forward very cautiously, step by step. This atmosphere made them feel uneasy.
They walked step by step, and in front, they saw a very bright area – the end of the forest. The group watched it warily, moving forward cautiously, and then their faces became serious, and then their serious faces slowly turned to shock. They slowly walked out of the forest, and in front was a huge clearing carved out of the forest. Low sheds were scattered haphazardly within the clearing, surrounded by barbed wire, and a huge iron gate locked the enclosed area.
There were people inside, all dressed in baggy striped pajamas. Rather than people, they were skeletal figures on the verge of death. They made no sound, some grasping the barbed wire with their hands, pressing their bodies against it. If not for the occasional movement, one would think they were long-dead corpses, shriveled and emitting a foul odor.
"God!" Luz was stunned, his cigarette once again falling from his mouth. They slowly walked forward, confirming that these were living people. "Oh God, how can such a place exist?" Luz's voice trembled. He could clearly see some corpses lying haphazardly inside the barbed wire, emaciated bodies reduced to mere skeletons.
"Is this a concentration camp?" Landeman couldn't contain the surge of anger within him. He shouted with a trembling voice, "Is this the damn, motherfucking concentration camp? My God, the Germans did this, it must be them." Saying this, he slumped his rifle butt to the ground in frustration and sat down in front of the barbed wire.
Their voices clearly startled the people inside the barbed wire, who rushed towards it. Some even extended their hands through the narrow openings in the barbed wire, trying to grasp these men. They made "ho-ho" sounds, like drowning people desperately calling for help from the shore. In their lifeless eyes, a faint, yellowish light suddenly flickered. They saw the uniforms of these men; these were not German uniforms, which made those who had lost all will to survive suddenly feel that in this world, they could continue to live.
"Oh—God! God! God!" Okief suddenly burst into tears, then fell to his knees on the ground. This was simply a horrific scene from hell, and Okief could no longer bear it. These were people, their fellow human beings, just like them, yet now suffering such torment.
"Frank, go find those officers, tell them to deal with this, quickly, quickly! These people are about to die!" Suddenly, Christenson shouted loudly at Patrick Christenson, "God, quickly send someone to rescue them!"
Before Christenson's words had even faded, Patrick Christenson was already running back quickly. He ran with such urgency, eager to tell the officers about this significant discovery, so they could make a decision quickly to save these poor people.
"Frank, what are you looking for?" Major Parks asked when he walked out of the Battalion HQ, bumping into a frantic Patrick Christenson who was looking around for someone to ask. Parks was startled, then quickly realized what they had discovered, just as before, they had found a concentration camp. So he shouted loudly at Patrick Christenson, who hadn't seen him yet.
Patrick Christenson then turned and saw Major Parks. He immediately walked towards Parks and said, "Thank goodness, sir, I finally found you. I think we've discovered something, and you need to go see it immediately. I can't explain exactly what it is, but, sir, you must go yourself."
"Alright, Frank, don't be nervous. I'll gather the men!" Saying this, Major Parks shouted loudly to Gordon, who was not far away: "Sergeant Gordon, come here, immediately notify your company commander, Captain Heiliger, to prepare his men and then follow our direction." Then Parks walked into the Battalion HQ and called out to several people who were discussing matters: "Dick, I think we have an important discovery."
Led by Patrick Christenson's directions, Major Winters and his men drove their jeep to the edge of the barbed wire. Then everyone was stunned by the sight before them. Winters couldn't help but whisper, "God!" and then led his men forward. Everyone's face showed solemnity, pity, and a full measure of anger.
"Sir, the people imprisoned here are all Jewish!" At this moment, Landeman stepped forward, his expression downcast, clearly as if he had suffered a great shock. "Someone here understands English, they say they are all Jewish, there are teachers, doctors, scientists, and innocent civilians, there are even priests among them. They said the German soldiers left early this morning, they didn't have enough bullets to kill them, so they locked them up and fled!"
"Damn it!" He cursed, then said to Major Winters, "We should free them."
Winters nodded heavily, walked to the gate, saw that the iron gate was locked with a chain, and then said to the soldiers behind him, "Cut it open!" A soldier walked up behind him, raised the iron cutters, and was about to cut open the chain lock.
Major Parks thought he already knew about this and would not be shocked. But the moment he saw this concentration camp, he was plunged into a huge tremor. Although he had seen some exposed photos of German concentration camps in his previous life, those were blurry pictures printed in books, far from the shock of seeing this concentration camp up close.
"Wait, Dick!" Major Parks quickly stopped him, saying, "We can't do that yet, you know. We must regulate them, not let their emotions get overly agitated, and for now, we can only provide them with some water, not food. Otherwise, it will kill them."
"Sir!" Just as Parks finished speaking, Liebgott suddenly pushed his way forward. He shouted at Major Parks, not calling Parks "Boss," "They desperately need food, don't you see? They're about to starve to death, and there are so many corpses inside. Do you want them to continue waiting to die?" Then he cursed in a low voice, "Bastard!" Saying this, he snatched the pliers from the soldier's hand and was about to cut the iron lock.
"Sergeant, you must obey orders!" Major Parks couldn't help but let out a stern reprimand. He understood Liebgott's feelings, but he had to stop him from doing this, because on the day these people were released and given food and drink, more than a dozen Jewish people were literally stuffed to death, and three others died on the spot from emotional shock due to their sudden release.
"Reese!" Major Winters also looked at Major Parks.
"Contact the medical officer at battalion headquarters, and have the medical officer from Battalion HQ come over as well. We must have a proper plan! Only then can we open this gate." Major Parks looked seriously at Major Winters and said, "I don't want any one of them here to lose their lives on the day they gain their freedom. They have waited too long for this moment."
"Clatter!" The iron pliers in Liebgott's hand fell to the ground, and then he suddenly squatted down, covering his face with his hands, letting out painful sobs. And when the Jewish people in the concentration camp saw this situation, some couldn't help but let out bitter pleas. They saw the iron pliers fall to the ground again, thinking their hope for survival had once again been dashed, and they couldn't help but let out painful, disappointed whimpers.
All the comrades were speechless in the face of such a scene. They quietly watched these people, who were filled with hope and then quickly disappointed, living as if in hell, unable to calm the emotions in their hearts for a long time.
Colonel Sink rushed over, and then the medical officers arrived as well; they were satisfied with Major Winters' handling of the situation.
As soon as Colonel Sink got out of his vehicle, he walked over, nodding at Captain Winters, and said, "Well done, Dick.
Similar concentration camps have been found elsewhere, but because our commanders didn't know how to resettle them, people in every camp either starved to death or died from emotional distress."
At this point, the medical officers were still giving instructions to the men, and the men also began to understand that Major Parks' insistence was correct.
Liebgott felt very sorry for Major Parks about this.
He walked over to Parks with an awkward expression and said, "I'm sorry, Boss, I misunderstood you!
I think—I should apologize for this!"
Major Parks nodded and said, "I understand.
Alright, Liebgott, take good care of these people.
We must do our best to keep them alive!"
As he spoke, he walked towards the gate of the concentration camp.
At this moment, under the supervision of the doctors, the gate opened.
The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion entered the concentration camp and began to comfort all the German people in the camp as ordered.
They also began to provide drinking water and nutrient solutions.
When the men entered, despite being mentally prepared, what they saw inside the concentration camp was vastly different from what they had seen outside.
Emaciated, skeletal people leaned on each other, their bodies so tormented that they no longer looked human.
But some of them still had their will intact.
"God!"
Hubler covered his nose with his hand, then gasped at the scene he saw.
Not far in front of him, a scrawny middle-aged man was holding a skeletal corpse and weeping uncontrollably, and around him were more piles of foul-smelling corpses, lying haphazardly.
"It's alright!"
Hubler suppressed his nausea, reaching out his hand towards the man, trying to pull him up.
"It's alright, you are free!"
He didn't know if this person could understand, but he couldn't help but say it to him, just to comfort his heart.
"Free!"
Unexpectedly, the man could speak English.
He mumbled as he stood up, then tottered into Hubler, extending his bony arms and tightly embracing Hubler's shoulders, burying his head in his shoulder, and letting out a childlike cry.
It was the joy of new life, but more so for the loved ones who had lost their lives and never saw this moment.
Although the man smelled foul, Hubler tried his best to endure it.
He couldn't bear to push him away; he knew these people needed a shoulder to lean on.
He raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, then gently patted the man's back and said, "You will get better.
We will take care of you."
Then he whispered, "God, help these poor people!"
Major Winters, Major Parks, Captain Nixon, and Captain Welsh walked together.
They slowly stepped into this concentration camp.
The people in the camp, weak like withered grass in the wind, watched them enter, then slowly began to gather around them.
They realized they had been rescued.
Hope slowly rose in their hearts.
Many hands reached out to them, wanting to hold them, even just pulling at their clothes.
Different languages murmured from their mouths, and some people began to lose control of their emotions, weeping uncontrollably.
"Oh, God!"
Nixon walked to the front, then suddenly stopped, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
He shouted loudly, "Dick, Reese, come and see!"
Parks heard Nixon's voice; he was just being surrounded by a group of concentration camp refugees and couldn't help but step forward to look, and his heart was greatly shaken.
Along a long, narrow path, there were rows of low shacks, and people kept slowly crawling out of them.
Their faces were so emaciated that their expressions were unclear, and some held the corpses of their lost loved ones in their hands.
By the path, there were also people who had fallen and died long ago.
A pungent, choking smell emanated from there, making one feel nauseous.
Some people were shirtless, their sharp breastbones and ribs protruding high, and they walked out of the low shacks, hunched over and staggering, then walked towards Winters and the others.
"Lipton!"
Parks shouted loudly; he could barely hold back the pang of sorrow in his heart, feeling like crying.
"Go tell the men to get blankets ready, quickly!"
These people were like fallen leaves in the autumn wind, trembling withered grass in the storm, capable of collapsing at any moment.
"Yes, sir!"
Lipton answered loudly, then arranged for the men to go and transport their blankets from the camp.
Some other men took out their canteens and handed them to these people; they dared not give these people food because of the doctors' warnings.
A seemingly middle-aged man, holding a white-haired, skeletal old man, mumbled something, then suddenly knelt before Guarnere and Toy, his expression anxious and pained, as if pleading with the two of them for something.
"I'm very sorry!"
Toy didn't understand what he was saying; he shook his head helplessly, only able to say sorry.
Guarnere unfastened his canteen, then handed it over and said, "Water, take it!
Drink some water, you'll feel better."
"My God, Webster, do you believe there could be such a place?
This is worse than the refugee camps we encountered before, God, what on earth is going on?"
Luz and Webster walked uneasily through the concentration camp, holding their rifles.
They were filled with apprehension and a heartbreaking sorrow.
"No, I don't believe it!"
Webster's voice trembled slightly.
Suddenly, a white-haired old man staggered towards them.
He didn't speak, but despite his shaky steps, he walked very fast.
He was quite emotional, extending his trembling hands and tightly embracing Webster, then continuously kissing his face.
Luz watched from the side, feeling somewhat helpless and very sad.
Although the old man carried a pungent odor, Webster did not push him away.
He couldn't help but reach out his hand, gently patting the old man's back, and then heard the old man rambling, "God, God, you have come!"
Then he broke down in painful sobs, his cries like a long sigh that made one's heart tremble.
God, you have come!
The sorrow in Webster's heart suddenly spread.
He could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down his face.
He released the old man, then walked aside alone and squatted down, suddenly covering his face with his hands, his shoulders heaving violently as he sobbed uncontrollably.
"Hey, Babe, come here!"
Malarkey called out to Heffron, who was not far away.
He saw the bodies lying haphazardly on the ground, their arms marked with different numbers, and couldn't help but frown.
"Look at their arms!"
He pointed his rifle at the arms of the corpses.
Heffron couldn't help but shake his head, gritting his teeth and saying, "Numbers, just like livestock."
"Damn it!"
Malarkey couldn't help but curse in a low voice, "My God!"
In the shacks, many people still lay inside, perhaps with bodies that had been dead for a long time lying beside them.
They were startled awake by the sunlight streaming in when the doors were opened, and some couldn't help but raise their hands to block the incoming light.
More bodies were found in a train car stopped on the railway.
When the car door opened, the bodies that rolled out and the dangling arms of corpses felt like a sharp knife cutting through the men's hearts.
The bodies in the train car were piled up, several layers thick, and some bodies were even leaning against the car door, rolling out onto the ground when it was opened.
Flies buzzed and flew around inside the car, then dispersed in all directions.
Parks already felt speechless.
He couldn't speak.
This had far exceeded his comprehension.
Even if he knew beforehand about the atrocities of these Nazi concentration camps, what good would it do?
Once he experienced these scenes firsthand, how could the words on old papers and blurry pictures describe all of this in such detail?
And how could they clearly convey these tragic images?
Major Winters, like himself, and everyone else, they were all deeply shaken by such a scene.
They couldn't speak, only silently observing all of it—such a living hell.
"We must bring them back into the concentration camp, then find people to clear the bodies here, and disinfect the houses and tools here."
Major Parks, after a long silence, took a deep breath and said to Winters, "Dick, we must do this.
Only then can they live better."
"I understand!
Reese, you arrange these things; you know more about it than I do.
My God, I want some quiet!"
Winters said, taking off his helmet and running his hand through his hair.
His eyes were bloodshot.
Clearly, he was very agitated, but more so, he was furious—furious at the inhumane torture inflicted by the Germans on the Jewish, Polish, and other people.
The order was given: all people in the concentration camp must return to the camp again.
Although this was difficult for the men, they had no choice but to carry out this task.
The people in the concentration camp began to get agitated; their eyes were filled with doubt, and some even started to despair again.
They were emotional about any decision made by the American army.
But they had to be led back into the concentration camp by these soldiers again.
Liebgott sat on the edge of a dirt pit in the concentration camp.
In the pit were the charred ruins left by the German army when they departed, with wisps of smoke still rising.
The pit also smelled of burnt, pungent odors, but he seemed not to notice.
As he watched one by one the Jewish people, who were once his compatriots, enter the concentration camp again with expressions of despair, he couldn't help but break down in tears.
Patrick Christenson, holding a submachine gun, quickly wanted to leave this place.
It made him feel suffocated, as if a large stone was weighing heavily on his heart.
He took one last look at the low shacks.
A person, who was the last to enter the shack, suddenly turned around, hunched over, smiled at him, then tremblingly raised his hand and saluted him.
This might have been a soldier, or a civilian who held respect for the American army, but this salute made Patrick Christenson solemnly raise his hand and return a respectful salute to him.
----
The Town of Buchloe gradually sank into a depressing, ink-black night.
The brothers of Easy Company found it hard to calm the indignation accumulated from the sights they had witnessed during the day.
Although they were living in comfortable German rooms, these Germans no longer held their favor.
They were to depart tomorrow, and everything here would be taken over by other units.
So, the brothers indulged in wreaking havoc in the houses.
They smashed everything movable to vent their anger towards the Germans.
Battalion HQ was still set up in the German general's wife's house.
The old woman had appeared once at the beginning, but Lieutenant Compton had ordered her to be dragged away like a dog.
She never appeared again afterward.
"Dick, we've received a report from Division HQ.
Such concentration camps are continuously being discovered everywhere.
My God, the Russians seem to have found an even larger and more tragic one."
Major Parks sat at one side of the table, drinking the good wine cherished by the old woman of the house, and looked at Major Winters, as well as Nixon and Welsh.
"More tragic than this?"
Lieutenant Welsh looked at Major Parks, his brows furrowing.
Major Winters, who was writing on another table, also turned his head to look at Major Parks.
Because Major Parks had always handled the paperwork.
He was not very clear about this matter.
Lieutenant Compton had fallen asleep; he had drunk too much wine and cursed the Germans for an hour or two, finally getting so drunk that he fell into a deep sleep.
No one moved him; they just let him sleep by the table.
No one wanted to move.
"Ten times larger than this.
There are gas chambers, furnaces.
They are used for incinerating bodies!"
Parks spoke in a low voice.
He still couldn't forget the hellish scene he had witnessed during the day.
"Oh, God!"
Nixon couldn't help but let out a gasp.
His complexion was not very good.
"The local residents said they never knew such a concentration camp existed.
They all said we were exaggerating!"
"Alright, alright, tomorrow they're going to get a shock education!"
Major Winters sneered.
"General Taylor declared martial law about an hour ago.
He ordered all healthy Town residents aged 14 to 80 to start helping bury the bodies and clear the debris.
It will begin tomorrow morning.
The 10th Armored Division will supervise the cleanup."
"What about us?"
Captain Welsh looked at Major Winters.
"Us?
We will depart for Taran at 12 PM tomorrow!"
Winters looked at the order on the table, then nodded, "We are leaving here."
"This is a truly excellent arrangement!"
Nixon sneered sarcastically, then said to Winters, "I'm not talking about you, Dick, I'm talking about this order!"
Saying that, he took a bottle of wine from a nearby cupboard, then tilted his head back and took a big gulp.
When he finally let go, his eyes were already starting to turn red.
"Bastards!"
Captain Welsh cursed.
But he didn't know if he was cursing the Division HQ people or the Germans.
However, his expression was very abnormal.
It felt as if a large stone was pressing down on everyone's heart.
The next morning, all residents of Landsberg, including those from the Town of Buchloe, were mobilized.
They came to the concentration camp with rakes, brooms, and shovels.
Even amidst the Germans' actions, some low complaints could be heard.
Parks could only glare at them.
Once these Germans saw the situation in the concentration camp, they would realize that nothing had been exaggerated; in fact, it was beyond words.
The tragic situation could not be described in a few words.
When Captain Nixon left, he went to look at the concentration camp.
Many German residents covered their noses with their hands, their faces flustered and shocked.
This scene deeply impacted these Germans.
They indeed did not know such a concentration camp existed here, but such a concentration camp truly did exist.
The stench permeated the air above the concentration camp, and many people were continuously vomiting.
They moved the bodies while covering their noses with handkerchiefs.
A German elder couldn't help but cry out in pain.
More of them showed expressions of agony on their faces.
"Wuwu—"
A German woman was crying; her husband supported her, then let her sit aside, and continued to carry the bodies himself.
The German woman's crying attracted nearby sobbing sounds.
This hell on earth was a huge psychological shock for everyone, including these German residents who thought their lives were peaceful.
Nixon saw the old woman from the general's house again.
She was stumbling as she tried to move a skeletal body, but she couldn't move it and almost fell.
When she inadvertently looked up, she saw Nixon.
Her gaze was no longer arrogant, no longer noble and inviolable.
She frantically dodged, trying to avoid the fury spewing from Nixon's eyes.
Nixon's gaze made her flustered.
Nixon didn't try to argue with her again.
There was no need.
He just wanted to take another look at this miserable, hellish place and the people in it, and also to see what these Germans felt about such a scene.
Carts piled high with bodies were transported out, one after another.
These deceased would regain respect; they would regain their dignity after death.
This was not only necessary but essential.
Every German's gaze flickered as they looked at Nixon and the American soldiers supervising them.
They felt guilty.
Some Germans had faces filled with grief and indignation; they still possessed some conscience.
But the suffering still existed.
And it had already happened.
Nixon didn't linger too long; he stood there quietly, then watched it all, silently turned, and drove his jeep away from this place.
Perhaps they would encounter such places again.
But the war was beginning to draw to a close.
Perhaps for people like them, this was the best outcome, and the result everyone longed for.
"Easy Company brothers, prepare to board!"
Li Pu Sergeant was loudly calling out to the company's brothers.
But many of the brothers were still dawdling.
It wasn't that they didn't want to leave, but that they weren't in the mood.
All the good spirits they had experienced while in Germany had been swept away by this concentration camp.
"We were in hell yesterday."
Webster was the first to jump onto the truck.
He repeatedly rubbed his leg with his hand.
"I can't imagine yesterday's scene; if this was a dream, it was only a nightmare.
I never thought anyone would treat their fellow humans like this.
I've decided that from this moment on, I will spend my entire life hating those Nazis."
Patrick Christenson also climbed onto the truck.
He shook his head at Webster and said, "You haven't seen a women's concentration camp yet.
This morning, people from the 10th Armored Division found a women's concentration camp at the next train station, and they said it was far more tragic than this.
To be honest, I can't even imagine what a scene more tragic than this would look like.
My God!"
Saying that, Patrick Christenson covered his face with both hands.
Soldiers continuously climbed onto the truck.
Liebgott was the last to climb on.
He looked very haggard.
It was said that last night he had smashed everything in the house he was staying in, then rushed into the street and beat up a passing German middle-aged man.
He almost shot the unlucky fellow.
Patrick Christenson patted Liebgott's thigh as a gesture of comfort.
Everyone knew Liebgott was Jewish, and this fact plunged Liebgott into extreme sorrow and pain today.
Later, he drank alcohol and cried uncontrollably in the house.
"Liebgott, everything will be alright.
They have been liberated!"
Patrick Christenson said to him, but then he didn't know how to comfort Liebgott, so he said that one sentence and then fell silent.
Liebgott nodded, then covered his face with both hands, rubbing it.
His eyes were bloodshot, clearly having not slept all night.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the brothers were still climbing onto other trucks.
They were about to leave here and continue forward.
Major Parks suddenly said to Winters, "Let me drive, Dick!"
Saying that, he got into the driver's seat and started the car.
The long convoy began to move forward.
Parks made a circle with the jeep in place, then followed the trucks in front.
And they could almost see that in the back of all the trucks, the brothers were staring straight at the concentration camp that had once held the Jewish.
There seemed to be faint smoke still rising there.
"I think the war is about to end."
Nixon took a sip of wine, then looked at the increasingly distant Town of Buchloe.
"Is war really God punishing us?"
"I don't know, Nick!"
Captain Welsh's body swayed continuously with the movement of the jeep.
"I don't know.
This is not up to us; war is decided by the big figures.
Either war or peace.
God sends these people to punish us.
It all depends on the whims of these big figures.
They toy with humanity as if in the palm of their hand."
Then there was a silence; no one spoke.
When the convoy rounded a bend and the Town of Buchloe was no longer visible, Winters suddenly said, "My God, the images of those hungry and disoriented people are still swirling before my eyes; I can't shake them off.
This feeling, I think, will stay with me for life.
A few days ago, I heard Webster's words; he was asking why we were dragged here from halfway across the world.
Why is this?
Now, I think I understand why I am here!"
Yes, why did they come here?
Actually, Parks had understood for a long time.
It's just that the big figures didn't consider these things.
But for them, as fighting soldiers and lower-ranking officers, their understanding was even simpler.
Why did they come?
Major Winters stated his reason.
Perhaps many soldiers of Easy Company now shared this thought.
But Parks' reason was different.
Why did he come?
Parks couldn't answer himself; he hadn't given himself an answer like Winters had.
The convoy traveled further and further, moving forward between the verdant roadside trees along the broad road, beside the majestic and beautiful mountains...
Berchtesgaden is a small town in the Bavarian mountains, located south of Salzburg.
Hitler had a residence here and built a stone building called Obersalzberg, or the Eagle's Nest, on an 8,000-foot-high mountain peak.
Due to very well-built roads, cars could park within a few hundred feet of the Eagle's Nest.
An elevator led to the center of the mountain, and from there, another elevator, with walls adorned with gold foil, ascended to the Eagle's Nest.
Berchtesgaden was a strong magnet for all troops in Southern Germany, Austria, and Northern Italy.
It was in Berchtesgaden that the highest leaders of the Nazis gathered around their Führer.
The residences of Nazi leaders Martin Bormann, Hermann Göring, and Albert Speer, SS bases, guesthouses, and underground bunkers were all located here, and many officials from Berlin also moved to Berchtesgaden.
A small airport was built in the valley below for the transport of large machinery.
Many of the spoils collected by the Nazis from various European countries were stored in Berchtesgaden.
This place was filled with money, including gold, various foreign currencies, and precious artworks.
Göring alone collected five Rembrandt paintings, one Van Gogh, and one Renoir, along with works by many other artists.
There were countless fine wines, treasures, and luxury cars here.
Therefore, Berchtesgaden attracted everyone's attention and desires like a giant magnet.
This place symbolized Hitler's insane lust for power, and conquering it meant completely conquering Hitler and the Nazis, which carried immense, self-evident symbolic significance.
Moreover, the treasures collected by the Nazis from all over Europe were piled up here.
This was also the reason everyone wanted to rush here.
Now the French were advancing here shoulder to shoulder with the 101st Division, the British had rushed over from Italy, and even the Germans, unwilling to accept defeat, were eager to reclaim their property.
Every American in Europe was equally impatient to enter this place.
On May 3rd, Colonel Sink received orders for the 506th Regiment to be ready to depart at 9:30 AM the next day, with Berchtesgaden as their objective.
On May 4th, the 101st Division convoy, with the 2nd Battalion as the vanguard, advanced south along the highway between Munich and Salzburg, passing through Rosenheim and Chiemsee.
They turned right at Siegsdorf onto the highway leading to Berchtesgaden.
After only about 14 kilometers, the men encountered the rear of the French 2nd Armored Division led by General Leclerc.
The American soldiers generally had no liking for the French.
They were disgusted by the greed displayed by these Frenchmen.
Wherever they went, they looted.
Typically, they would fill several trucks with goods and send them back to France.
Now they were drooling over Berchtesgaden.
They were only an hour's drive south into the mountains when their path was blocked by a broken bridge, with a deep gorge below.
They had no bridging equipment, and some stubborn SS elements were holding the south bank of the gorge with automatic weapons and mortars.
The rest of the 2nd Battalion and the French troops stood together, waiting for the 101st Division's engineering unit, while observing the distant exchange of fire, which was clearly ineffective.
"I think we should retreat, get back on the highway, and an outflanking maneuver around the roadblock might succeed, allowing us to reach Berchtesgaden."
Major Parks knew there was a road that could lead Easy Company directly to Berchtesgaden.
In fact, that's what they did.
It was just that Major Parks proposed it now, not Colonel Sink.
"Yes, I'll report to Sink."
Major Winters looked at the French troops not far away and frowned, saying, "I've long disliked the greedy faces of these Frenchmen!"
Colonel Sink quickly agreed to their request.
Major Winters led the men of the Battalion back onto the highway, then headed east to Bad Reichenhall.
With Easy Company leading, the men of the 2nd Battalion reached Berchtesgaden without any resistance and eventually occupied the town without firing a single shot.
The delicious food, fine wine, and luxurious residences made the men of Easy Company feel as if they were in paradise.
The place was full of lush forests, snow-capped peaks, pristine ice lakes with their initial ripples, salt springs, and luxurious homes.
Ancient churches, monasteries, castles, and summer palaces, among other historical sites, made one feel as if they were in a prosperous medieval era.
This impression of intertwined beauty and ancient relics made one exclaim in admiration from the bottom of their heart.
"We need to help the Colonel find a place to stay."
Major Winters, Major Parks from Battalion HQ, Nixon, and Welsh were sitting in a jeep.
Major Parks, driving the jeep, looked ahead and chuckled, "Look, what's that up ahead? The Berchtesgaden Hotel, that's a good place."
The jeep stopped at the entrance of the hotel.
"Captain Heiliger!" Major Parks shouted loudly, then saw Captain Heiliger jogging over.
"Have the men stop here, we need to arrange lodging."
Captain Heiliger took the order and left.
Then Major Winters and the other three walked towards the hotel.
Above the hotel's main entrance hung a huge vertical banner with the German Nazi Party emblem.
Major Parks glanced at Major Winters, then shrugged and smiled slightly.
This place was no longer a Nazi gathering point.
They were now the occupants, and the victors.
The Berchtesgaden Hotel displayed the usual luxury and extravagance of the German Nazis.
It was just more astonishing than other places.
A waiter was tidying up the hotel's registration book at the counter.
The intrusion of Major Winters and the others startled him, and he frantically tried to roll up the registration book and leave.
But Nixon stopped him; he pointed his pistol at the waiter, making him leave the registration book.
He casually flipped through it and found that it contained records of important German Nazi figures, as well as foreign dignitaries, including British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and King Carol II of Romania, among other state guests.
This made Nixon ecstatic; he had no interest in jewelry, but this was very valuable historically.
Meanwhile, Major Winters, Welsh, and Major Parks split up.
They entered every hall or room to check, trying to find some valuable items.
In the huge ballroom, the tables were covered with white, silky cloths, and even clear crystal wine glasses were placed on them.
A waiter was placing a large set of silver cutlery into a 4-foot-long, velvet-lined box.
He saw two Americans with weapons walk in and frantically fled through a side door.
"God!" Welsh rushed over, and upon seeing the glistening silver cutlery in the box, he was overjoyed.
"Betty will love this to death.
How many brides get a wedding gift from Hitler?" He whistled.
His exclamation attracted Major Winters, who walked over to Captain Welsh.
He reached out and picked up a silver butter knife; the light reflected in his eyes, and truthfully, these items greatly moved him.
"Do you want to take half?
I can't take it all!" Welsh chuckled triumphantly at him, "You know whoever comes in after us will take anything not nailed down!"
"Hmm--" Major Winters nodded with a smile, "I hope they don't get that chance!" He then took off his helmet and put the silver cutlery from the box into his helmet.
Just then, Captain Heiliger and Captain Speirs walked in from another side door.
Captain Speirs saw the shining silver cutlery in Captain Welsh's hand and quickly walked over, saying, "Good stuff!" He then reached out to take some.
Captain Welsh quickly grabbed his hand and said, "No, no, don't even think about it.
This belongs to me and Dick!
You'll have to find other things."
"Alright! Alright!" Captain Speirs awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Then he went after other targets.
There were still many good things waiting for him to take here.
After the cutlery was distributed, Major Winters said to Captain Welsh, "Harry, tell F Company to reinforce the hotel's guard, set up a roadblock at the west entrance of the town, and keep those French bastards from entering here.
We're going to set up Battalion HQ here.
Then prepare to receive prisoners of war."
After speaking, he looked at Welsh, who was about to leave, and said, "Also, Harry, don't let anyone get hurt.
We don't need that now!"
Watching Harry leave, Major Winters smiled slightly at Captain Heiliger, who was full of anticipation, and said, "Easy Company will go up the mountain from Obersalzberg and capture the Eagle's Nest."
This statement immediately excited Captain Heiliger.
Both he and Speirs were beaming, and then they saluted Major Winters.
This was an excellent assignment.
The benefits of capturing the Eagle's Nest were undeniable; it would forever engrave Easy Company's name in the history of World War II.
And the officers and men of Easy Company would all become famous because of it.
And this arrangement was mostly due to Major Winters' personal bias.
His care for Easy Company far exceeded that for the other companies in the 2nd Battalion.
Major Parks entered the hotel alone, then he searched upstairs along the hotel's stairs.
He was equally uninterested in silverware or other cutlery; he was looking for historically valuable items worth collecting.
And it was with this objective that he quickly found the archived minutes of meetings where Hitler and high-ranking Nazi officials received Nazi dignitaries and foreign political leaders in a safe in the hotel's largest conference room.
Of course, there were even more important things, which might be found in the residences of those high-ranking Nazi officials.
Although these residences might have been cleared out by those people beforehand, there might still be some overlooked items.
Of course, Major Parks preferred to find items of artistic value, such as the artworks in Göring's home.
This was a major looting operation.
Everyone in the 2nd Battalion, including Easy Company, participated in the plundering of Berchtesgaden.
They plundered as many valuable items as possible, then packed them up, ready to send them back home!
The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion occupied the SS barracks, which were a group of recently built, modern apartment buildings in the style of the Alps region, complete with plumbing and interior decorations.
Officers and non-commissioned officers alike moved into luxurious rooms overlooking Berchtesgaden, all of which had belonged to former Nazi officers.
Winters chose a Nazi official's residence as the Battalion HQ, a house built on a steep cliff in Berchtesgaden.
From its spacious balcony, one could overlook the clear, emerald-green Königssee.
No one felt ashamed of seizing German residences; even Winters believed that after sleeping in foxholes in Normandy, fighting in freezing weather, watching their brothers get injured or die, and seeing the tragic concentration camps, no one would feel pity for these former German residents.
Parks and Captain Welsh discovered the residence of Göring, the second most powerful figure in Nazi Germany, during a patrol.
This discovery filled them with elation, and Parks, who had long intended to collect valuable artworks, saw this as the perfect opportunity.
With a 'bang,' the door burst open.
Two men, weapons in hand, entered the house, which was large and appeared to have been plundered.
Most of it was empty, with almost everything gone except for some immovable furniture.
This left the two excited men feeling disheartened; it seemed there was nothing good to gain here.
"Damn it, someone got here before us and cleared the place out!" Captain Welsh looked dejected as he walked around the empty hall with his pistol, then holstered it, preparing to leave.
"No, wait!" Parks said to him, "Perhaps we should find something! The place is covered in dust after being damaged; we can tell this wasn't done by our people!" At the very least, Parks knew there was a wine cellar here, containing tens of thousands of bottles of champagne, wine, and brandy collected from all over the world.
He walked out of the house and towards the back, saying to Welsh, "There should be a basement behind the house; let's go check it out, hopefully those bastards left us something."
Parks was right; when the basement was opened and the lights came on, Captain Welsh's jaw dropped.
Before him was a massive wine cellar, and he couldn't help but whistle, then excitedly turned and hugged Parks, laughing, "I think this is the treasure we found.
God, your nose is truly sharp; you always find good wine!" With that, he rushed in, his eyes darting around, unsure which bottle to take, as these were all the best wines in the world!
Parks, meanwhile, began looking around, trying to discover something else here; he was unwilling to leave the residence of the second most powerful Nazi figure empty-handed!
Yes, it was impossible for everything in the house of this second most powerful Nazi figure to have been moved out in a hurry.
So, he quickly discovered a hidden compartment door at the very back of the wine cellar.
"Harry!" Parks shouted, "Come here, there's a secret door!"
"I hope it won't disappoint us." Captain Welsh walked over, holding his submachine gun, and stood beside Parks, examining the secret compartment door.
He shook his head and said, "Sorry, Reese.
This door can't be opened!" The lock used here was clearly a safe-type lock, extremely difficult to open.
"No, what door can stop us?" Parks said, motioning for Captain Welsh to step back, then pulled out his pistol and fired a barrage at the lock.
Bullets made 'thudding' sounds as they hit the door, but they did not penetrate it.
"God, what kind of door is this?" Captain Welsh exclaimed, then raised his submachine gun and sprayed the door until his bullets ran out, but it still didn't penetrate, let alone the lock being shot through.
Parks smacked his lips and grinned at Welsh, "Harry, the deeper something is hidden, the more valuable it is.
It seems our entire future is in here.
Give me this!" With that, he took a grenade from Captain Welsh's shoulder, attached it to the door lock, and then pulled the pin.
The two quickly ran away and lay down.
With a tremendous 'boom,' the door could no longer withstand the force and crashed down.
The two got up and cautiously walked inside, covering their noses with their hands, stepping deeper into the secret room amidst the rising dust.
Then, both of them froze, their eyes wide.
In the darkness, a sliver of golden light subtly projected from the wine cellar.
Parks took out his flashlight and shone it inside, and then both were stunned by the blinding reflective light.
With a 'click,' Parks found the light switch in the secret room, and then both were speechless with surprise again; this was simply an unimaginable treasure.
Even Parks, who had seen enough of the world in his past and present lives and didn't have a strong concept of money, couldn't help but gasp.
"Reese—" Captain Welsh murmured, "You'd better slap me, quickly, Reese!"
"What's wrong, Harry!" Parks spoke to Welsh, but his eyes were fixed on the treasures, unblinking.
There were pyramids of neatly stacked rectangular gold bricks, dazzling diamonds and necklaces hanging on shelves, and various art-form jewelry and gems neatly arranged on different display tables and covered with glass domes.
On the walls hung numerous rare and famous artworks and sculptures.
"God!" Major Parks exclaimed.
The reason this place hadn't been discovered was that after Göring's death, this secret room became a secret that no one could find, nor could anyone open it using this method.
Or, more plausibly, those who plundered the entire house didn't have enough time to scour every place, thus missing the most important area.
But no matter what, these things now belonged to Parks and Welsh.
"Oh, God, you—you're right!" Welsh felt his voice trembling, and even though he tried to control himself to sound normal, his voice still trembled, "You're right, this is our future; we can enjoy the rest of our lives without doing anything.
God, God, God!" He was incoherent, only able to call out to God.
"Van Gogh! Oh, God!" Parks looked at a hanging painting and couldn't help but open his mouth; he knew the value of Van Gogh's paintings, which sold for tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars in the twenty-first century.
"Harry!" Parks turned to look and saw Captain Welsh busily stuffing jewels into his pockets, "I don't think we can carry all this.
Why don't we ask Dick and Nixon to help?"
Welsh paused, then thought for a moment and said, "Good idea, alright, I'll go get them now!" With that, he rushed out with his pockets full of jewels.
Parks's point was clear: such immense wealth, if shared only by the two of them, would surely invite jealousy.
Leaving aside Major Winters and Nixon for now, what about the other officers?
Or Colonel Sink?
It was hard to guarantee they wouldn't use means to make Parks and Welsh cough up the jewels, perhaps getting nothing in return.
The best solution was to divide it equally among the senior officers of the Battalion HQ.
Soon, Captain Welsh returned with Major Winters and Captain Nixon in a jeep.
Just like Parks and himself, Nixon was amazed by the fine wines in the cellar, thoroughly impressed, and then upon entering the secret room, they were completely dumbfounded.
Even Nixon, from a wealthy family with little concept of money, couldn't help but gape, speechless for a long time.
"God, you robbed the richest man!" Major Winters said to Parks, then walked forward towards the large golden counter, reached out, and picked up a gold bar.
The heavy feeling combined with the shimmering golden light made him a little dizzy.
"Reese, what should we do with these things?"
Nixon also walked towards a table displaying gems.
He picked up a diamond, squinted his eyes, looked at the enormous gem, and involuntarily exclaimed, "I can't believe we found something like this."
"Reese, I'd like to hear your opinion!" Winters suddenly turned to Parks and said, "You were the first to discover these things, so you should suggest a way to deal with them.
You know this is truly an enviable matter." Clearly, Major Winters also realized that this wealth could not be shared by just the four of them.
And Nixon and Welsh, hearing Major Winters's words, nodded; they all now had this awareness.
"This is what I'm thinking, Dick!" Parks said to Lieutenant Winters, then looked at Nixon and Welsh and said, "Guys, this is what I'm thinking.
We'll pick the best things first, then seal this place up and hand it over to Colonel Sink for disposal.
Remember, no matter what we take, we must remember one thing: we didn't take anything!"
Major Winters nodded and said, "Excellent, I agree! That way we won't have any trouble." With that, he picked up a gold bar, smiled slightly at them, and put it in his pocket!
"Alright, alright, let's take the best now!" Although Captain Welsh was a bit reluctant, he still followed Parks's advice and began selecting the most valuable treasures he fancied there.
Parks didn't let go of Van Gogh's painting; he took it down, carefully packed it, then chose several small sculptures that would be very valuable in later generations, selected a few diamonds, and took a few gold bars.
This was already enough.
This was a distribution meeting for the four closest people in the Battalion HQ, and then Göring's secret room was reported to the battalion headquarters.
Parks also spread the news, making everyone aware of the matter, which caused a shock within the Allied forces.
Colonel Sink was both excited and pained; excited because he could select gems from it, but pained because he couldn't monopolize these things.
Since the entire Allied forces knew about it, he had no choice but to report it truthfully to Division HQ.
Of course, there was some embellishment in this.
As it was reported up through the ranks, the wealth in the secret room also continuously decreased.
Of course, in the end, the Allied forces came to a conclusion to reward those who first discovered this treasure trove again.
The reward was that they could choose any item they liked from the wealth that had been reduced layer by layer, excluding artworks, of course.
This was Eisenhower's decision.
This wealth was the greatest Parks had acquired in Europe.
And Winters, Nixon, and Welsh also lived prosperous lives due to Parks.
Early on the morning of May 9th, Major Winters had already arrived at the battalion headquarters when Major Parks appeared. He had woken up very early and seemed quite excited. Parks was the first person he saw at the battalion headquarters. So when Parks came in, he walked forward, gave Parks a strong hug, then released him, saying with a big smile, "Reese, best news! The German army announced its unconditional surrender last night. All troops are to remain in place. My God, I can't believe it, it's truly over!"
Reese was stunned, then quickly understood. Yesterday was May 8th, the day Germany announced its surrender. Having been here for so long, he had actually forgotten this important victory day. He suddenly realized that all of this was real, it had already happened. There was no change; the German army had announced its unconditional surrender.
"This is indeed great news!" Winters chuckled, then looked around and shook his head, saying, "I don't think those guys know about this yet. Alright, Reese, call them back, and we'll celebrate together. Oh, and we need to inform all the brothers about this news. The war is over!"
By the time Nixon, Welsh, and Compton returned, they already knew the news. Parks had first relayed the news of the German surrender to the various companies, and then the companies immediately relayed it to all officers and soldiers of the 2nd Battalion.
"Bang, bang, bang," a series of dense gunshots rang out from outside, the sounds of pistols, rifles, submachine guns, even light machine guns, and some German weapons all joined in. The brothers were excited, firing bullets into the sky to vent their emotions. Yes, the war was over now, and they were still alive; what could be more exciting than that?
Winters did not stop these actions; he knew the brothers had been holding it in for too long and needed an opportunity to vent. And in the Battalion HQ, they also held a celebration. Nixon opened a bottle of fine champagne. He was an expert on wine, and even Winters, who didn't usually drink, couldn't resist the temptation of good wine and the joy after the surrender; they raised their glasses together.
"Clink," the glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound, and then everyone drank it all down. At such a moment, no one would be pretentious; even though Winters frowned as he drank it in one gulp, he didn't hesitate at all.
The brothers' celebration was even more wild. This was also thanks to the wine cellar that Parks and Welsh had discovered. Tens of thousands of bottles of good wine were stored there, and the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion had all divided them up. Of course, the best had already been picked out by Nixon, a whole truckload of it. But no matter what, the wine here was considered among the better ones they had drunk. Moreover, some brothers weren't picky at all; as long as it was wine, they poured it down their throats.
The celebration continued until nightfall. Webster and the others had drunk enough, and they were all drunk. Webster fell into a deep sleep, but the others couldn't sleep; they were noisy, acting crazy from the alcohol. Matthews staggered out of the barracks alone, but within ten seconds, he heard a thud outside, like a heavy object falling from the sky. He missed a step on the stairs and fell, hitting his head and bleeding, but he didn't feel the pain. He lay on the ground still babbling. But no one came out to see him; they were all too drunk to move. Fortunately, his injury was minor.
"What did you hear?" Jericho squinted his nearly closed, drunken eyes, asking Piper, who was still pouring himself a drink. But Piper was also drunk and didn't realize someone had fallen outside. He let out a hiccup and chuckled, "What can you hear now? The Germans won't attack us anymore, we've won, God—"
Clearly, they had reached the point of incoherent answers. Gilmer was ironing clothes nearby; he had taken out everyone's clothes in the squad and was constantly ironing them. He looked at Jericho and said, "Are you drunk, Jericho? Why do you always get drunk? Look at your clothes, what a mess! Your collar is gone, torn off by German women?" As he spoke, he held up the clothes he was ironing and chuckled, but he didn't realize he was holding up a pair of pants.
Piper kept rambling, talking about his experiences in Bastogne, old stories that he endlessly recounted, but even when heard drunk, these stories still stirred memories among the few guys in the squad who had been in Bastogne. However, they weren't talking about hardship, but how courageous they had been in Bastogne.
"I killed seven Germans!" Piper held up one hand, counted, then raised his palm again and said, "Seven Germans, I sent them to meet God!" He always thought he could hold up seven fingers on one hand. But no matter what, these guys were all dead drunk.
This day was just the beginning of the celebration. Then, the next day, these guys were out of control. They drank excessively and then, fueled by their drunkenness, caused trouble everywhere. They would either rob local residents' homes or run to nearby refugee camps to find girls there. As a result, Major Winters had to issue a curfew order. Of course, those guys couldn't be relied upon to fully enforce these orders, but they did have some effect. At the very least, robberies and forcibly taking girls from the refugee camp no longer occurred.
But the ways to celebrate victory were nothing more than heavy drinking and finding girls. After drinking heavily, the brothers became increasingly eager for women—prostitutes, young girls, maidens, young married women, German ladies, French ladies—that's what the brothers wanted. And now, after looting, these guys had plenty of money in their pockets, and military supplies were available for them to take at will. In this regard, the cooks showed their superiority even more. After taking a liking to girls in the refugee camps, they would directly bring them to the kitchen, where there was an inexhaustible supply of food that these refugees desperately needed. Then they would use these supplies to support those girls.
And it was very easy to find a girlfriend locally. Austrian girls were even easier to get along with than girls from the Ruhr area and other places. Soldiers would even walk around in groups of three or five, embracing their new girlfriends, parading them publicly. This was nothing new. Even the officers would frequently visit refugee camps to find girls. Because they had more capital, they had more money in their pockets, and could even use the pretext of orders to requisition supplies for the girls and even their families to enjoy. Now, the 2nd Battalion's supplies were inexhaustible, continuously being transported in, and the best way to consume them was to help consume them with these women and even their families.
But there were also unexpected situations. Corporal Mike Lilley was one of the unlucky ones. With his sweet talk, a few rolls of German marks, and military food packs, he had an affair with a married woman. But one day, while they were fooling around, something unexpected happened. The woman's husband came home, and he was extremely angry.
"Son of a bitch!" The woman's husband grabbed the rifle that Mike Lilley had left beside his clothes, pointed it at him, and roared in German, "Damn it, put on your clothes, you bastard."
Mike Lilley completely panicked at that moment. He fumbled to put on a pair of underwear, while the woman was still naked, tightly wrapping herself in a bedsheet. Her body was trembling, and it was clear that this scene was unexpected for both of them.
"Put down the gun, let's talk properly!" Although Mike Lilley didn't understand why the man was roaring, he knew he had been caught in the act today. This was definitely not a good thing, and the most frightening part was that the man was pointing his own rifle at him.
Suddenly, the woman wrapped in the bedsheet started shouting something emotionally at the man, which then enraged him. Her husband rushed forward and hit the woman's shoulder with the rifle butt. Immediately, the woman let out a sharp shriek, followed by cries for help. Just as the man was about to strike a second time with the rifle butt, Mike Lilley had already lunged forward, grabbed the rifle, and the two began to struggle, both trying to snatch the rifle. For a moment, the sounds of fighting and the woman's cries mixed together in the room.
In the chaos, a gunshot rang out. The air immediately solidified. The woman's eyes widened in terror as she watched her husband hunch over and fall crookedly. Mike Lilley held up the rifle, looking fierce.
The matter was simple: Corporal Mike Lilley had shot and killed the woman's husband, who had coincidentally caught them during their affair. This was the first incident to occur in the 2nd Battalion. This implicated Heliger, Mike Lilley's company commander, who was ordered to write a self-criticism. Corporal Mike Lilley was transferred out of Easy Company by Colonel Sink and reassigned as a soldier in the U.S. Army.
To learn from this lesson, Winters once again issued an order: no one was allowed to carry firearms while carousing, nor were firearms allowed into local civilian homes, unless specifically authorized. But orders were orders, and no one seriously intended to carry out this order. Some people still went their own way, carrying firearms to their dates with lovers, and even bursting into local residents' homes to forcibly take items they fancied.
The end of the war in Europe was accompanied by the surrender of a large number of German soldiers to the Allied forces. The 2nd Battalion accepted the surrender of approximately 25,000 German soldiers at once; they were fully armed, while the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion who went to accept their surrender had messy beards, dirty and disheveled clothes, and seemed lethargic due to repeated drunkenness, like a group of undisciplined routed soldiers. In contrast, the fully armed German soldiers who surrendered to them were neatly dressed and well-disciplined, like an elite force.
"I don't know how we defeated them!" Nixon looked at his own men, then at the German soldiers, and couldn't help but show an incredulous expression, then smiled bitterly at Major Winters.
"I can't answer that for you!" Major Winters chuckled at him, then said, "How did we defeat them? That's a profound question, but we still won, didn't we? The process isn't important, the result is what matters!"
Yes, no matter what, they had already concluded this war in Europe. But now, on the distant Pacific Theater, the U.S. Army Marine Corps was still fighting fiercely, and all of this seemed very far removed from the 2nd Battalion and Easy Company. However, in the following few days, Division HQ continuously organized the brothers to watch documentaries about the U.S. Army's struggle in the Pacific. Did all of this signify something?
Parks couldn't be sure, but one thing was certain: in early June, the Army Department had ordered the 101st Airborne Division to be transferred to the Pacific Theater and the China Theater. But it was only May now, and the Army Department had already begun such propaganda. This was nearly a month ahead of history, and did this month's early start mean that some historical processes were beginning to change? Parks couldn't answer himself, because this was already heading into a future he could not foresee.