The brothers of Company E moved silently, and the increasingly fierce gunfire could be heard in front of them. With each step, they get a little closer to the battlefield, but they have a firm heart. It is this heart that has brought them victory after victory. Although most of them were now hunched around their necks and wrapped tightly in their military coats, although the snow was falling outside, they felt that the road ahead might be getting colder and colder.

From time to time, someone raised their heads to look ahead, and there was even a faint fire from the explosion of shells, and the closer the battlefield became, the quieter the procession became, and the whole march could only hear the sound of creaking feet on the ground that was beginning to freeze. Their exhaled breath quickly turned into a puff of white mist, and some people kept rubbing their hands.

Winters wrapped himself in a scarf and tried to wrap his neck around his neck to keep the cold air from entering. Nickerson had Compton behind him, and Parks was following him.

Winters looked at the faint light of the fire in front of him, took out a map from his arms, turned his head to Parks and pointed to the map: "The first battalion has entered the Norville area, and they have exchanged fire with the Germans. Colonel Zinke decided to advance the 3 battalion of the reserve to the town of Foy. We will protect the right flank of the regimental headquarters, Reis, and E Company will enter the east side of the Bastogne-Foy-Novel road, with the road on the left. F Company was on the right side of the strip and D Company was on standby as a battalion headquarters reserve. ”

Parks nodded, as in his previous life, Company E would enter a combination of a forested area and an open area, and to the south of Bastogne, the Germans would have to cut off the road and complete the battle against Bastone. Despite adequate supplies, the entire 506 Regiment lacked artillery fire, and the entire 101 Airborne Division had only one artillery battalion, a very weak force. And because of the weather, there will also be a lack of air support, and they will only have grenades, rifle bullets and, of course, 60mm mortar shells.

In front of the woods is a pasture with a slope that extends to the town of Foy, a kilometre away. The woods were lined with large pine trees, and Parks stopped the brothers and began to build a bunker - what Colonel Sink called a Parks bunker.

"Guys, all we saw along the way were the fleeing American troops, and all we heard was how ferocious the Germans attacked, but we had no choice, we couldn't retreat, and we didn't think about these things, all I had to do was dig cover!" Parks shuttled among the brothers while they dug the pit, and he had to cheer them on, "The brothers of the first battalion and the Germans have exchanged fire. We had to dig up bunkers while they were in the exchange of fire with the Germans. ”

"Those are just the Germans who have been defeated by us, we have never lost, they are our men, so don't worry, this time, we will continue to beat them. Look at your brothers, they are all your trustworthiness, look at it, like Lieutenant Haliger, who is calm and witty; Look at Mr. Gonorrhea, he is so confident and sharp-eyed that even a fly from Germany would not want to fly in front of him. ”

There was a burst of laughter in the forest, and it was clear that the brothers liked it very much to help set the mood. Then I heard Toy's voice: "Oh, Mr. gonorrhea, if it were a German girl, he would probably lose the courage to fight." ”

"You're the nasty German fly!" Goneri then fought back.

"The Germans are nothing great, I wish I could find one!" It was Tybert who spoke, who was ridiculed by Hubler for not getting a Luger pistol during the rescue in Normandy, and it was clear that he had this in mind.

The emotions of the brothers are as they say, although on the one hand, they are in a bad mood because of the fact that they have stepped into the battlefield again, but on the other hand, they have to face up to reality, and they have regained their courage. After all, the Germans on the opposite side were not very strong in their eyes, and the first battalion had already blocked them, making it difficult for them to move an inch, so it was clear that the brothers of the E company were arrogant, and they felt that they were much stronger than the men of the first battalion.

Parks decided to establish a main line of defense dominated by Parks bunkers during the time that the first battalion was holding back the Germans, and to establish a sentry post at the edge of the woods with such bunkers. Winters set up a starvation camp at the southern edge of the woods, immediately behind E Company. In this way, Parks' company could establish the fastest contact with the battalion headquarters at any time.

Although the weather was very cold, the soil was not completely frozen at this time, and digging bunkers was a difficult task, but despite this, the brothers were still digging very hard, because digging these bunkers meant that they could increase their chances of survival. Parks kept urging them, and he knew that any luck could cause immeasurable damage.

The brothers of Company E began digging the bunker at four o'clock in the morning, and they were doing it all day, until that night, when their bunker was completed under Parks' acceptance. And such a bunker gave the brothers a little comfort, after all, it was much stronger than a single foxhole.

"Guys, we're ready to eat!" Beside West was a cauldron of canned meat, steaming hot, and all of them looked very tired after a long day of intense digging. They prepared dinner one by one with a jar and leaned against the trunk of a tree or simply sat in the snow. Some even ran into their newly dug bunkers. It was the first hot meal the brothers had in Bathstone and it looked pretty good. The brothers have a great appetite.

In the distance, the sound of a firefight could be heard about four kilometers away, when the 1st Battalion and the Germans were fighting in Norville, they had been fighting the Germans all day, but the battle was not over.

"I can't imagine what kind of blow the first battalion will suffer!" Malaki stirred the food in the jar with a spoon as he looked in the direction where the sound of firefighting was coming from. In fact, every brother wanted to know what was going on with the battle of the first battalion. Was the German offensive very fierce? Did the casualties of the first battalion be large?

With these questions, night fell quietly. At ** o'clock in the evening, a heavy snow fell one after another. The temperature dropped suddenly. Even though the brothers wore thick military coats and thick scarves covering any part of their heads except for their eyes, and each of them wore basically two pairs of socks and thick combat boots. But I still felt the cold to the bone.

Goneri stayed in cover, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his body trembling slightly, so much so that his helmet shook a little. He didn't want to speak, because as soon as he spoke, the heat felt as if it was going to run out of his body, and his whole body felt cold.

"How's it going?" Parks appeared in their line of sight. Parks was already covered in a thick layer of snow, and he half-knelt down at the observation port next to Goneri and Toy's bunkers, patting the snow off his body.

"Nothing, except a patch of white everywhere. And the weather that freezes to death! Goneri's voice trembled, and Parks could even hear his teeth rattling.

"Keep an eye on it!" Parks patted his helmet, then stood up, ready for the next cover inquiry. On the first night, he had to cheer everyone up and get them into habit. Otherwise, they will feel depressed and uneasy, even hopeless, for a long time to come.

"Boss!" Gunari suddenly stopped him, "Don't you feel cold?" I also have a scarf that I can lend you if you need it, God, it's colder than hell here! ”

Parks smiled at him, "Keep it for yourself!" With that, he stepped on the thick snow and continued to walk towards the next bunker. In fact, such a bunker, as long as both people are not asleep, then the Germans will definitely not be able to escape the detection of their brothers. But on the first night, Parks insisted on checking the situation himself.

"I bet the skin of the head must be a little thicker than ours, like a polar bear!" Grace was rejected by Parks, and smiled at Toy, "It's windy outside, but luckily we have these things covered above our heads." ”

"He probably has a little more chest hair than yours." Toy smiled at Goneri, "That's why the boss is hardy than we are!" Then his eyes looked forward alertly, and in fact, he and Goneri were in a triangular bevel, and the angle of observation was wide.

Knowing that every bunker and outpost at the edge of the woods had been explored, Parks returned to his bunker with confidence. He stayed with Wales, which would have been unlawful, but at Wales' insistence, he agreed. After all, even if they were really unlucky and hung up both of them with one shot, then the other officers of Company E would take over the command very well. After all, officers and non-commissioned officers have been trained in this way.

"What's the matter?" Wales watched as Parks got into cover and smiled at him, "I think the Germans will be considerate of us, we're only on the first day, and they'll keep us up before they attack us." But in fact, they are now being dragged by the first battalion, and they can't do anything, God bless the brothers of the first battalion! ”

"We don't fail them. We dug bunkers, set up sentry posts, and now we are waiting for the Germans to attack us! Hopefully, God will bless us too! Parks looked at Wales and said, "I hope you remember taking the rum out and going around outside, and now I really feel what the cold is like!" ”

"Here you go!" Wales reached for a jug from his waist and handed it to Parks, "I always remember these things, don't worry, Dick is right behind us, and I still hide the wine in his box." And, of course, Nick's good wine put together. ”

Parks took it, put it to his nose and sniffed it, and the smell of wine immediately came to his nose. Parks smiled slightly, then tilted his head, poured a few sips, clicked his mouth, rubbed it with his hand, and a stream of heat immediately rose from the bottom of his heart, making his internal organs almost ossified, lazy, indescribably comfortable.

"That's the best enjoyment!" Parks returned the kettle to Wales, bared his head, looked ahead and said, "Hopefully we'll get through this fight." Then I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. Of course, if I survive until the end of the war, the first thing I will do is to get myself drunk and put myself back in the other world. Enjoy a peaceful life. Live my life back to myself! ”

"Another world?" Wales looked at Parks strangely and grinned, "Are you sure it's heaven or hell?" Or a place far from the battlefield? ”

Parks shook his head and smiled, he knew that Wales didn't understand, and of course he didn't expect Wales to understand, he was just feeling for himself. At the beginning, all kinds of novelties in this world and the emotion of wanting to fight with his brothers were slowly fermenting, and although the cruelty of war made him realize the value of brotherhood, he still preferred that he had never been in this world. He watched a brother get shot, wounded, or even killed in front of him, and the feeling was suffocating.

Parks took out a blanket from his backpack, wrapped it around his body, leaned his back against the cold soil in the tunnel, closed his eyes slightly, and said to Wales, "Okay, I'm going to rest for a while." If it doesn't matter, don't wake me up, and, Harry, you'd better send someone to scout the post every two hours and find someone to change the guard!" ”

Parks took a piece of chocolate out of his backpack, shook it towards Wales and said, "Do you want it?" ”

Wales shook his head and smiled: "You need it more than I do, and to be honest, if I were you, I would be exhausted!" Wales took the kettle, then shook it at Parks, took a sip, and put it on his waist. Then he watched Parks stuff chocolate into his mouth little by little, smiled slightly, turned around and lay on the bunker, looking outside, except for the faint white light of the snow, he didn't see anything to move, maybe the Germans wouldn't come, tonight. Wales thought so, but he knew it was just wishful thinking. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn his head to look to the side and couldn't help laughing. Parks was wrapped in a blanket, cried out for a piece of chocolate in his mouth, and still fell asleep with a piece in his hand. Obviously, he had been busy urging his brothers to dig bunkers and inspect bunkers and sentry posts, so that Parks, who had been sitting in the car for a long time, couldn't help but get tired and fell asleep.

The sound of the night's firefights gradually weakened after midnight, and the explosion of shells seemed intermittent. There was also the sound of intermittent small arms design, which seemed very clear in this night, even if it was faint and came to the ears, it was very clear. Sometimes the brothers who are a little sensitive sleep are restless.

At two o'clock in the morning, Wales decided to go to the checkpoint, and he looked at Parks, who was asleep, and then climbed out of cover. There is still some distance from the bunker road sentry post. Because the defense line was too long, he walked cautiously, fearing that the Germans would infiltrate, although he knew that the Parks bunker was a very good anti-infiltration individual bunker, but after all, it had not been tested in actual combat.

The soft "creaking" sound made his own hairs stand on end. He was holding a submachine gun flat and approaching the sentry post step by step, and there seemed to be a sound coming from the sentry post. He was stunned for a moment, then lowered his posture and quietly touched it, and near the nearest sentry post he saw two guys inside, who were drinking and did not pay any attention to observation. And after drinking, he is singing loudly.

"Damn bastard!" He cursed in a low voice, but still crawled gently behind them, and shouted at them, "You two fools, do you want to summon the Germans?" Who made you sing? ”

One of the two guys was Pooh, a recruit who had been replenished by Momion, and a recruit Sebins, who had been added after Operation Holland Market Garden, and the two guys had drunk too much, and then they became emboldened and began to sing unscrupulously. They heard a voice coming from behind them, and were so startled that they quickly picked up their rifles and were about to turn around.

"Damn, where are your guns pointing? On your observation side, it is the direction in which the Germans are going to penetrate! Wales stepped forward, then crouched down, looked at the two guys, and said, "Do you know what you're doing?" You will kill the brothers of the whole company, and if the Germans infiltrate, even if you escape, I will not let you go! ”

Pooh quickly stood up and said to the Welsh lieutenant in a bit of a panic: "I'm sorry, lieutenant, I promise, I'll watch here." ”

"Me too!" Sabes also quickly stood up straight and said to Wales, "We just feel too cold, Lieutenant, we feel cold, so we drank a little wine, but it's like an addiction, and once we drink it, we can't stop eating!" Sebins looked red, but when he spoke, he smelled of wine.

"You'd better be able to do that!" Feeling unforgivable, Wales made a note of the post and considered having Tybert send someone to replace them when he returned. Staying in this place on the first day would have been terrible if the Germans had infiltrated it.

This inspection did allow Wales to investigate and deal with some problems, and the brothers at the sentry posts, because of the long march and digging bunkers all day, have long been exhausted, some of the sentry posts, two of them fell asleep, and some of them were squinting. This made Wales furious, and unceremoniously scolded the two sleeping brothers for a while.

After some tossing, there was finally some improvement. Wales decided to rotate two-hour shifts, and he informed Sergeant Major Tybert and told him to urge the sergeants in each platoon to do so. After all, the stakes were high, and Tybert gathered the sergeants together and recounted the arrangement. Still, something went wrong.

Early the next morning. The woods appear clearer after the snowfall. Parks woke up again, and Wales beside him was already asleep. Parks covered him with a blanket and picked up his rifle to look around. At this time, several gunshots were suddenly heard, and the sound was the sound of the Germans' 98k rifles. Parks would have hid behind a large tree to cover himself. After a while, two people ran desperately towards him, he subconsciously raised his rifle, and then shouted: "Who is it, raise your hands!" ”

The two men stopped suddenly, and one of them shouted, "It's me, Heflang!" There are Germans! He shouted loudly and pointed behind him. Apparently Parks recognized him immediately, as he was Spina, the hygienist. Parks beckoned to them, and they sped toward them.

Seeing the two of them panting and running over, hiding behind the big tree. Parks frowned at them and said, "Germans? What's going on? He looked in the direction they had come and found nothing.

"Company commander, we got lost and entered the positions of the Germans!" Spina looked at Parks, took a breath, and burst into laughter, clearly seeing the experience as a thrilling adventure with a comedic ending.

It turned out that Spina had taken Heflon to the field ambulance station in Bastonfoy early in the morning to get some medicine. They want to go in the dark and come back quickly. Apparently they succeeded. They managed to reach the ambulance station, where Spina got some medicine and hot food.

"We need to hurry back!" Despite some reluctance, Heflang proposed to return to his position. By this time the sky had already begun to lighten. If it had been dawn, they might have been spotted by infiltrated Germans on the road, although so far they had not found Germans infiltrated.

"Take a shortcut!" Spina, who suggests, would be much faster if he took a shortcut. Hevron immediately agreed, and they did not feel in the slightest that the Germans were nearby.

"Squeak, squeak" The two stepped on the snow and walked quickly towards the line of defense of Company E, but Heflang suddenly screamed, and he fell into a pit hidden by the heavy snow, and then heard a faint scream from inside.

"Haha. We're here! Hefflang laughed, and then taught loudly, "Hinkel, Hinkel, is that you?" ”

But instead of Hinkel's reply, he heard a burst of language that he did not understand, and the only ones who could speak it were the Germans, and he could not help but exclaim: "Damn it, Spina, let's run, to Hinkel of TM, the Germans at that time!" With that, he jumped out of the foxhole as fast as he could, and ran in the opposite direction.

The branch covering the foxhole was lifted, and a German soldier appeared, screaming and firing at the two men with his gun, but the German was too panicked to shoot several shots in succession without hitting either of them. The German was also so frightened that he even thought he had been captured by the Americans at first!

Parks quickly figured out the cause and effect from Heflang's mouth, couldn't help but smile, patted Heflang on the shoulder and smiled, "It seems that your luck is really not bad." Then he turned to Spina, "What?" Don't we have enough medicines right now? Aren't our supplies distributed in full? ”

Spina hurriedly said: "Sir, that's right, Captain Winters has asked us to transfer with other battalions, so now we are a little short of medicines. If the Germans don't attack us on a large scale, I think it will be enough. I got some more from the ambulance station. It's always good to be prepared! ”

Parks nodded, then looked at the vast snow, feeling a little helpless. The elongation of the defensive line, even if there is the convenience of covering each other, but the Germans will always find some gaps, and it seems that the nerves of the brothers will be tense at all times!

(To be continued)