Chapter 294: Prisoner of War Mission (Part I)

In the month of 945, the brothers of Company E seemed to have returned to the "island" of Holland to fight trenches, they did not dare to go out during the day, nor could they move around at will, they stayed in the house, and then sent out patrols to make contact and exchange fire with the German patrols, and everyone lived in the fear that they might die at any time and anywhere, and this feeling was very strong. As Webster wrote to his parents, "Strictly speaking, life is measured in days or hours. ”

On May 5, McCreery welcomed four recruits to Observation Post 2. The arrival of these recruits and lads surprised Webster. Because their young faces looked very surprised at this place, it felt as if curious children had entered an amusement park. But at least they kept their reverence for the veterans.

"I wonder why the Army would send these very young, inexperienced, and newly trained men to the front line as infantrymen to do the most dangerous errands in the world?" Webster watched as the four recruits were guided by McCreery into the basement of the observation post, shaking their heads to express their displeasure.

Many brothers were not satisfied with this, there were adult strong men in the rear echelon of the army, and there were fat and strong men in the air force units in the United Kingdom, but the people in the War Department sent these children who seemed to them to have just been weaned to the front. It's not about increasing strength, it's about increasing casualties.

"At least they can do the work of observation and phone calling," McCreary did have his own opinion, and in his opinion, it was a very good thing to have these recruits involved in the duty of the sentry posts, and it would completely reduce their burden, and even use them with a workload.

"Remember, folks, it's your job to observe, and then report, not a phone call to the artillery company, and then a bombardment, which will bring us in trouble," McCreary said as he left with new recruits, not very reassured. And the recruits also looked respectful, nodding their heads at the non-commissioned officer's words.

On the O day of the month, Captain Nickerson received an order from Colonel Sink to go to the regimental headquarters as an intelligence staff officer, which put an end to his long-term relationship with Captain Winters, but the distance between the regimental headquarters and the battalion headquarters was not too far, and the two still often stayed together, but the place of work was different.

"Congratulations," Captain Parks met with Captain Nickerson at the battalion headquarters, who was packing his things.

"If that's a promotion, I'm happy to accept it." Nickerson smiled at Captain Winters, who was soaping his face and preparing to shave, as he packed his bags, "I should make room for you, too." I don't even know how much Dick would want to be with you, but you'll see that he's a very boring guy. ”

"For me?" Parks couldn't help but look at Captain Winters, "Is it already decided?" ”

"It should be soon" Captain Winters was scratching his face, he stopped, and was about to speak, but Captain Nickerson laughed on the side, "You know the efficiency of the regimental headquarters, and after this, there will be a decoration, I don't know if there will be a ceremony, but in such a front-line area, I'm afraid this is difficult to achieve"

"It seems that this is true, before this, I thought the three of us could be together and stay in the same room, but now it seems that Colonel Zinke ripped us apart." Parks smiled, "But I'm worried that you won't be used to it at the regimental headquarters, no one will hide wine in the box for you, you have to be careful with Zink"

Nickerson went to the regimental headquarters in the afternoon, and of course he left after Colonel Zinke cleared his place for Captain Parks. And their ranks will be promoted at the same time. After all, in the 5o6 regiment, only Winters, who led the regiment, was a captain, and the other two were both colonels, which also put the battalion in a disadvantageous position from time to time.

Then, less than two days after Captain Nickerson went to the regimental headquarters, he found Captain Winters. And it came with an order. And Parks knew what it would be like.

"The regimental headquarters is going to send out a patrol mission to capture prisoners of war. This is a direct order from Colonel Zink, and it has nothing to do with me" Nickerson shrugged his shoulders at Captain Winters and spread his hands, indicating that he was also helpless, "The river in front of us is our main line of defense, so if we want prisoners of war, we have to cross the river." ”

"Well, that's a good job," Captain Winters muttered with some dissatisfaction, but he had nothing to complain about in front of Nickerson, someone had to do it, but he still shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Nickerson, "That's the bad thing about the captain as a battalion commander." The brothers of the second battalion were unlucky with me"

Captain Winters can't be blamed for complaining, because many of the difficult tasks and leading missions are mostly done by the second battalion led by Captain Winters. Of course, this also made E Company famous in the 5O6 Regiment and even in the O Airborne Division.

"You know, Colonel Zinke said that even Admiral Eisenhower was proud of the E Company of the 2nd Battalion, so he wanted the E Company to come on this patrol duty, and he also wanted to make some appearance for the recruits." Nickerson smiled wryly, "Sometimes, I really feel bad for Ress. It's as if the things that made Zink grow his face were his mistakes. ”

"Okay, it's better for us to go to the E-Company Headquarters in person." Winters also knew how intense the battle of Company E had been for almost two months, far stronger than the other companies. He had to arrange it himself, and even after the specific personnel were finalized, he had to talk to them personally.

The company is set up in a hotel, and there are comfortable beds, hot water for bathing, and even a kitchen to cook any food you want, but there is a lack of materials here. A lot of good things can't be delivered to the front line, and they are stripped away on the way. Even dry food C has become a scarce commodity, and cigarettes are inferior only to Chelsea and Raleigh. Of course, people who have a way can always find a way to get a little Schlitz beer on the way. The two cases of beer in Company E were brought by Colonel Zink to Captain Parks during a tour of Company E, which was already a great discount.

Dinner was a roll of beef from a nearby farmer's house, and Lip's was not very good at cooking, but Parks's stinker than he was, and the Welsh lieutenant knew nothing more than drinking beer and waiting for the meal to begin, and he didn't do it at all, because he couldn't.

"Well, let's enjoy the luxury of an officer now." As Lip brought the roasted and fragrant beef to the table, Parks unceremoniously forked a large piece and placed it on the plate, "Do you know what the GIs in those platoons say about us?" They said, "Damn, the officers of the company have robbed the best place, they eat steaks that can only be eaten in the most luxurious restaurants in New York, compared to them, we are beggars, bastards, I don't want to waste what these guys say about us." ”

"We're those damn bastards, they're right, guys," said the Welsh lieutenant, raising his glass, the quilt full of golden beer. The three of them touched each other, and the cups made a crisp sound. Lip drained the beer from his cup in one gulp. Although he felt that it was a bit inappropriate to do so, he was still only a sergeant, not an officer, and should not have sat with Parks, but it was because of Parks' enthusiasm that he stayed.

"Sir, are you sure you keep me, isn't it because you don't know how to cook, and I know how to roast beef?" Lip looked at Captain Parks with some confusion after he had drained his beer.

"Of course, this is one of them," Parks said vaguely, taking a piece of beef in his mouth and chewing it, "when Sergeant Tybert was the sergeant major of the company, he didn't eat with us less. Of course, his craft is much better than yours. And I think the most important thing about being a sergeant major is to be a link between soldiers and officers. ”

The Welsh lieutenant also nodded and smiled: "That's very right, that is, you can go to the platoon to eat stinky beans with the soldiers after eating here." That's where the bond comes in, Lip"

Lipp was stunned for a moment, then he raised his hands and said, "Okay, I'll admit I was wrong, I could have eaten beef first" and he began to let go of his belly, enjoying the delicious food and beer. This is the practice of the army, and in the eyes of the soldiers, the officers are superior, and the same is true in E Company. Although Captain Parks and they had both trained together as soldiers in Tacoya, Parks' long-term victories and exploits had long since made it impossible for all veterans to look at Parks with an equal mentality. In their hearts, Parks was both close and awe-inspiring, not to mention the recruits.

The three of them were enjoying the delicious food, when suddenly they heard someone shouting at the door: "God, what do I smell?" The aroma of roast beef and the taste of beer. Looks like we're just in time, or these bastards will stealthily wipe it all out. With that, Nickerson and Winters appeared at the door of their restaurant.

The three of them quickly stood up, and Lip even had to salute. Winters walked over with a smile, then nodded at the three of them and said, "Take a break, we're here just in time" With that, the two walked straight to the table, moved their chairs, and sat down.

"Lip, take two more cutlery, this is the last thing we lack," Parks chuckled, and then turned to Winters and Nickerson, "Well, for your luck's sake, I'll allow you to bring some beer back." ”

"Captain" At this time, Li Pu also took two sets of utensils and placed them in front of the two of them.

Nickerson couldn't wait to pour himself a beer. Winters couldn't help but smile and shook his head and said: "That's right, Colonel Zinke directly ordered that E Company organize a night patrol mission, and four days later, cross the river to the German position on the opposite bank of our defense line and capture a few prisoners." I know the task is hard, Resis."

Parks was stunned, but he didn't expect this mission to come as scheduled. Now his only concern is Eugene? Jackson, who was a recruit when he was in Norville Town, had little combat experience. So he decided that once he had the list, he would remove the name from the list. This is his power.

"Don't look at me, Lacey. Colonel Zinke's order, but you can never take any chances, even if you can't catch the Germans. I know we don't have to," Nickerson said as he watched Parks turn his head to look at him.

"I know," Parks nodded at him, then turned to Lipp, "Captain Nickerson is right, we don't need to take any chances. Lip, after dinner, you decide on the soldiers. I will decide the officers who will participate in the command, and I will be given the list of candidates for review," Parks decided, and this mission must not allow unnecessary casualties.