Carantan was the meeting point of the Omaha Beach Landing Force and the Utah Beach Landing Force, and the reason why this town of only 4,000 people was used as the meeting point of the two beach and other forces was because of its geographical location:

The town guarded the road from Cherbourg to Caen and Saint-Lô, and the railway from Paris to Cherbourg passed through it - and Cherbourg, a deep-water port that the Allies saw as having to capture, could only get from England to France faster and more efficiently with the supplies of the Allied army's huge forces, rather than by moving from a few landing beaches like ants, little by little from the transport ship to the boat, and then to the surface.

But until D-Day, the Allies had not been able to find out one thing:

In their eyes, there was no elite German garrison in the Carentan area, and before D-Day, an elite German paratrooper regiment was stationed, that is, the sixth parachute regiment, which was later praised as the "lion" by the 101st Division.

The German Sixth Parachute Regiment had more than 3,400 men before it left for Carentan, and when it arrived in Normandy, its strength was rapidly perfected to 4,500 men, and the members of the regiment were fully half veterans, and they were armed with the German paratroopers' trimodal guns: the FG42.

The reason why the FG42 is called a triple purpose is because it is equipped with both a scope and a machine gun mount, and at the same time it is also a 20-round magazine feed, in the hands of these German troops, the FG42 not only plays the role of a rifle, but also can be incarnated as a sniper rifle and light machine gun, only slightly smaller than the 98K bullet muzzle velocity and an effective range of 600 meters, the M1 carbine equipped with the 101st Division, the near-effective range is nearly twice as much as the M1 carbine!

Before the 101st Airborne Division attacked Carentang, it received a warning from the command, but the command itself did not know much about the information of Carentay, and only reminded Carentão that there was an elite German infantry stationed in Carentão - the 101st Division did not take this warning to heart, and then launched an attack on Carentão with more than 5,000 troops.

And then......

After a long battle, they did not even take a small street in Carentham, and then the paratroopers called for the help of the armored troops, but they were ambushed by the Iron Fist Bazooka of the 6th Parachute Regiment, and lost more tanks than Zheng Yingqi and they killed in many days of hard fighting in Rumle.

In order to capture Karangtang, the two sides did not capture Karaentan until June 12, and it was not until the ammunition of the 6th Parachute Regiment ran out of ammunition that the 101st Division captured Karaentang, and the 6th Parachute Regiment still had more than 3,000 troops at this time.

But in the early hours of the next morning, the 6th Parachute Regiment, which had received ammunition supplies and reinforcements, launched a counteroffensive against Carentan in an attempt to recapture and control this important transportation hub.

In this German counteroffensive and the defensive battle of the American army, the evaluation of the 101st Division by the Sixth Parachute Regiment was generally not high, and only the 506th Regiment was praised by the Sixth Parachute Regiment, but even so, the performance of the 506th Regiment was also wonderful in the defensive battle, taking the 2nd Battalion as an example, in the defensive battle, F Company could not withstand the German attack and ran directly, exposing the D Company on the right side of E Company directly to the German offensive, forcing D Company to retreat, only E Company was rigidly embedded in the left flank, and waited until reinforcements arrived a few hours later, saved face for the 2 battalion and the 506 regiment.

The German counterattack on Carentan on the 13th was ultimately declared a failure due to the steady arrival of Allied reinforcements, but even so, the Germans still held the perimeter of Carentão, holding back the Allies while always thinking about retaking Carentão.

……

Carangtang.

This is the front line of all populations, and at noon on June 18, Zheng Yingqi, dressed even more scruffily than the defenders of Karangtang, came to Karaentang, a small city where the flames of war have never been extinguished.

He entered this small town with mixed emotions, and the closer he got to this small town with a strong smell of gunpowder, the more worried his heart became—I don't know how many of his comrades-in-arms who had trained with him for nearly two years are still there.

He was afraid that he wouldn't see many, many familiar faces.

After entering the small town full of fortifications and the smell of laziness, Zheng Yingqi hesitated for a while before asking someone about the location of Company E of the 506th Regiment, but what he didn't expect was that his hesitation became suspicious in the eyes of a tight patrol.

So the patrol stopped Zheng Yingqi, who was not dressed as a defender at first glance, and asked Zheng Yingqi to report his home - after all, who would carry so many things with the defenders wandering around the city?

"Sergeant Jacob, 1st Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, 506th Regiment, I'm here to return to the team." Zheng Yingqi reported to the patrol team that stopped him.

"Returning to the team?" The sergeant of the patrol looked at the sloppy Zheng Yingqi in surprise, and asked in a strange tone: "Sergeant, don't tell me that it's been almost half a month since D-Day now, and you have only returned to the team - even if it is a snail, you should have found your own troops at this time, right?" ”

With the sergeant's question, the paratroopers of the patrol tacitly raised the muzzle of their guns, although they were not directly aimed at Zheng Yingqi, but Zheng Yingqi believed that as long as he had a little abnormal movement, these bastards would definitely pull the trigger on themselves without hesitation!

After the airborne landing on the D-day, the chaotic return continued until the 9th, and by the time of the 9th, most of the paratroopers who had been thrown by the irresponsible pilots found their own troops, even if some of them were lost, but after occupying Carentan on the 12th, they all came to the door on the 13th and 14th. That's why the sergeant of the patrol suspected that Zheng Yingqi might have been captured by the Germans, and then he was sent back with a "mission".

In fact, such cases are not uncommon - paratroopers who have been captured by German dramas and then quietly released back with other purposes have been discovered.

Zheng Yingqi slowed down as much as possible, saying that he wanted to take something from his pocket, and after asking for permission, he slowly took out two certificates from his pocket, handed them to the sergeant in front of him, and said: "I was recruited to participate in other battles, this is the post-recruitment certificate, and this is the discharge certificate issued to me by the hospital." ”

The sergeant looked at the proof that there was no problem, but his heart became more vigilant, injured? According to the style of the U.S. military, after recovering from injury, you must lie in the hospital for an extra seven or eighty or ninety days to escape this damn war, hoping that the war will end unexpectedly in the period of time you lie down, and D Day has only been a few days now? Half a month is not enough time to lie down, who would be stupid to return to the team at this time?

Or is it Carentang, who is on the front line?

The sergeant pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "The certificate of return issued by the hospital?" You're hurt? Can you show me your injuries? Sergeant! ”

Zheng Yingqi smiled bitterly, was he treated as a spy? Well, although I have this intention, but ...... Definitely not a German agent, right?

He took off his coat and showed his injured left arm to the paratroopers of the patrol, and the sergeant was not at ease and asked Zheng Yingqi to open the bandage for examination, after hearing this request, Zheng Yingqi frowned, this kind of provocative inspection made him dissatisfied, but after thinking about it, he still did it, revealing the wound that had been pierced by the bullet and had not healed.

After seeing the wound, the sergeant asked: "9mm Parabellum pistol bullet?" ”

"Hmm."

The 9mm Parabellum pistol cartridge was used in a German-made submachine gun, and when the sergeant saw this wound, his suspicions were put down - if it was camouflaged by the Germans, it was generally impossible to have a wound from such a bullet, and if it was captured by the Germans, it was probably ...... I guess I won't put the wounded back immediately after they turn back.

The sergeant was going to let Zheng Yingqi go, but when Zheng Yingqi put on his coat again, he revealed the bandages on his body - in Ramler, where cannonballs were flying all over the ruins, the inconspicuous pebbles would become deadly things after explosions, and he was lucky that he was not reimbursed by the pebbles, but he left a lot of scum on his body, and it took a long time for the doctors in the hospital to clean up these tiny fragments that grew in the flesh, but because of this, his body was covered with bandages.

"Wait," the sergeant tensed and asked, "are you still injured?" ”

"It's gone."

"And what's the deal with the bandages on you? Don't tell me you're wearing a bandage because you're afraid of the cold! Although the sergeant said jokingly, he made a gesture to the rest of the people to prepare for arrest, and subconsciously retreated a few steps, and the rest of the paratroopers of the patrol tacitly unfolded the formation, and surrounded Zheng Yingqi in the middle in a half-moon posture.

"I think you're going to have to come with us."

!

Zheng Yingqi's anger skyrocketed, why is he endless? Do you really think Lao Tzu is a spy?

"Sergeant, you didn't think the two certificates were enough, you checked my injuries, and now you want to take me away, tell me, what the hell do you want to do?" Zheng Yingqi held back his anger and asked as calmly as possible.

This is Carangtang, the front line, the nerves of the soldiers are already tense, and the slightest wind and grass will cause a completely avoidable tragedy, so even if Zheng Yingqi is angry, he does not dare to mess around, let alone make radical moves - the American military and police are not able to withstand pressure, and most of them have the mentality of a dead friend, don't die poor.

"I suspect that you were captured by the Germans and are now being sent back by the Germans with ulterior motives."

Grass!

"I have a backup recruitment certificate and a discharge certificate from the hospital." Zheng Yingqi said coldly.

"These things can be faked, sergeant, you are obliged to cooperate with our investigation, we also have the right to investigate, if you do not cooperate, any consequences that arise, we are not responsible for any consequences that may arise!"

The commotion here attracted the attention of many paratroopers, although many of the paratroopers were very dissatisfied with the patrol, but at this time their butts were sitting with the patrol, and even many people spontaneously made up the half-moon-shaped encirclement of the patrol and surrounded Zheng Yingqi.

"Okay," Zheng Yingqi was really helpless, catching the spy on his head, this taste was so uncomfortable, he smiled bitterly and said: "I came out of the second field hospital of the Fourth Infantry Division, you can call them to confirm that the division headquarters should have a record of my requisition, you can go to the division headquarters to inquire." ”

Although Zheng Yingqi said that he had a nose and a face, the patrol team did not pay attention to Zheng Yingqi's defense, and after collecting the weapon in Zheng Yingqi's hand, he scolded in the tone of treating the enemy: "Less nonsense, come with us." ”

……

Since D-Day, countless Allied troops have set foot on the Cotentan Peninsula every day, countless supplies have arrived every day, and countless troops have made people feel that they are in the operation of telling - but in fact, the efficiency of the period is far less efficient than ordinary people think, and the bureaucracy within the US military is also "corrupt" and desperate.

Just like now, Zheng Yingqi's identity can be confirmed with the Second Field Hospital of the Fourth Infantry Division or the division headquarters, and even as long as Zheng Yingqi is found in the truck he took when he came to Karangtai, his identity can be confirmed from the other side.

But!

For five hours, the patrol team did not obtain relevant confirmation information, whether it was sending a letter of assistance to the Second Infantry Division or reporting to the division headquarters, but there was no response - Zheng Yingqi could only continue to be imprisoned in a small dark room converted from a private house, worried that there would be no missed shells falling here, and he was taken away with one shot.

The patrol team that did not receive a reply could only continue to detain Zheng Yingqi, or in the name of a "suspected spy", and even so stingy that he didn't even throw a K-level dry food to him in the small black house.

【Lao Tzu...... Want to jailbreak ......]

Listening to the faint sound of gunshots and explosions outside, Zheng Yingqi thought aggrievedly in the small dark room where all the doors and windows were closed: If I knew this, it would be better to lie down in the hospital for a while.

……

The defense line of Company E was not in the city of Carentham, but on the southern position outside the city, which was the front line of the front line, and the paratroopers who stayed in the position were nervous all the time, and even when they were sleeping, they tried to put their guns in front of them, so that when the Germans attacked or attacked, they could pick up their weapons at the first time.

Previously, for convenience, paratroopers preferred to sleep with their weapons in their arms, but after a tragedy occurred during this period, Acting Company Commander Winters ordered a ban on this kind of sleeping with a gun:

Sergeant Elbert of the second platoon, after finishing his night duty, entered the underground fortifications, stabbed Private George Smith with the butt of his gun, and signaled that the guy had changed the guard with himself, which was a very routine operation, but ...... It was raining that day, and because Elbert's poncho could not be used, the hapless sergeant put on a poncho that had been captured from the Germans.

Smith, who was awakened by his shouting with the butt of his gun, opened his eyes and saw a German in front of him, and he was stabbing himself with a gun, and Smith resolutely stabbed the gun out of his arms - Smith's gun was stuck in a bayonet and stabbed directly into Elbert's chest.

The only good news was that the bayonet did not stab the lungs, heart and other deadly organs, otherwise E Company would have had the first tragedy of cannibalism.

So since then, everyone has obeyed Winters' orders, and no one has ever slept with their weapons in their arms anymore, and no one has ever wanted to be the hapless Elbert the Second anymore.

Private Bliss finished his duty and went into the underground fortifications of the 1st platoon, awakening Robbins for rotation, and when Robbins was about to go out on duty, Bliss asked:

"Robbins, where's Jacob?"

"Jacob?" Robbins, who slept a little dazed, said in a daze, "Didn't he get drafted on D-Day?" ”

"No, Zachary from Company D told me that he saw Jacob in the city today, and Jacob was taken away by the patrol to help with the investigation."

"What?" Robbins' drowsiness suddenly disappeared, and he exclaimed, "No way, Jacob didn't come at all!" ”

"Zachary knew Jacob, he wouldn't have mistaken someone, and besides, Zachary also said that Jacob had reported to the patrol at the time." Bliss said with certainty.

"But he didn't come, wait...... Could it be that the patrol gangs are deliberately detaining Jacob? Robbins was suspicious, and Bliss was not sure—the patrols were responsible for the duties of the gendarmerie, and in Carentan these days, those patrols had made the paratroopers suffer, and the paratroopers generally had a bad impression of the patrols.

"No, I'll have to go to Lieutenant Winster, Jacob is an honest man, those guys on the patrol are terrible, they haven't been released back for so long, they must have 'rectified' Jacob." Bliss said he would go, and immediately went to the underground fortifications where Winster was located more than a hundred meters away.