Guth was given a day off from the hospital, and he hitchhiked back to Aldburn, but E-Company was no longer here. He learned from a remaining officer that Company E was at Montberry Airport, waiting to participate in a major operation.

"Private Forrest? Guth! Guth was about to look for a hitchhiker to Montbury when he heard someone calling behind him.

He turned around and saw a face he didn't want to see - Herb? Sauber.

Guth frowned, and then when Captain Sauber walked in front of him, he saluted him and said, "Captain! ”

Sauber nodded at him, then said, "You just came out of the hospital?" Sneaking away? Do you know what kind of stupid thing you've done? You are going out without leave, which is a violation of military discipline. ”

Gu Si's face changed, he was suddenly a little scared, if this guy told him, then he would have to go back to the hospital, and he might even be sent to a military court, he knew that this guy was not a good person.

"I just don't want to miss it!" Gu Si spoke with some hesitation, "I don't want to be sent to another unit, I want to be with the brothers of Company E, sir!" Guth knew that if he couldn't return to the company for 90 days, he would be sent to another unit when he was able to fight again. This is unacceptable to him in any case.

Sauber looked at him, then suddenly smiled and said, "Then what are you doing?" Want to hitchhike? Well, I'm about to deliver a package for Montberry Airport, so I can pick you up! ”

"Sir?" Guth couldn't believe his ears, and he looked at Sauber suspiciously.

"Get in the car, it's the big truck, there's still a place behind the car, go find it yourself, we're going to leave soon!" Sauber glanced at Guth as he spoke, then turned and walked towards the big truck.

On September 17, 1944, it was a beautiful day at the end of summer in northwestern Europe, with a cloudless sky without a hint of wind. Twenty-four airports in the southern central region of the United Kingdom are busy, and ground crews, as well as airborne troops and glider troops who are boarding, make the airports look dense, and from the airborne navigation planes flying in the air, they are simply swarms of ants.

"E-Company brothers, board the plane!" Captain Winters continued to shout at the parachute captains of each E Company's boarding group, as he had done when he was airborne in Normandy, reminding them. Then he stood at the hatch of the plane and personally pulled every soldier on his plane onto the plane.

At 10 a.m., the plane began to start. A loud roar suddenly swept through the entire Montbury Airport, and the C-47's fuselage shuddered before it began to taxi forward. Then the nose of the plane was raised upward, as if it was about to break free from the shackles of the fat swan, dragging its heavy body and sliding towards the sky. From his wings, the black-pressed swarm of planes covered the sky like locusts.

A fleet of 1,131 fighter jets, 1,545 transport planes, and 478 towed gliders took off from twenty-four airfields in the southern central region of England and flew west to the North Sea along two routes. The largest Airborne Operations of the Allies kicked off.

"Boom!" The sound of ground-based anti-aircraft guns was heard, and then smoke exploded in the air. The sound was sparse, and it was clear that the operation was completely unexpected by the Germans, who were completely unprepared. But then there was the sound of fighter jets whizzing by, and the anti-aircraft fire on the ground was quickly silenced by the fighters' strafing fire.

The formation of the planes was calm, there was no panic in the slightest, and the formation was not disrupted, completely different from the panic during the airborne landing in Normandy. This is a good start for all the GIs who participated in the airborne.

The green light for the skydive came on. Winters yelled at the brothers who were ready in the cabin: "Let's jump!" With that, he plunged headlong into the blue sky. There was no artillery fire from the ground, no strafing from the panicked Germans' MG42 machine guns, and everyone landed smoothly in the predetermined parachute jump area.

"Oh God, there are armored vehicles of the Germans!" Pikak, who was still floating in the air, saw seven or eight German tanks on a nearby road, and he suddenly became very worried, if they attacked them while they had not landed or landed, it would undoubtedly be a disaster.

"Woo-" The sound of a few fighters flying by, and then several fighters dropped bombs on those armored vehicles, and there was a continuous explosion of "boom-", and suddenly five armored vehicles were hit by bullets and caught fire, and the remaining two wanted to escape, but were hit by rockets by the fighters who rushed from behind, and the gas was on fire, and several Germans climbed out of the tanks, and were immediately shot by the machine-gun bullets of the planes, and a German [***] officer was stopped by the bullets and was broken into two pieces.

"Oh, long live, we air warriors!" Pikak cheered loudly. Obviously, this is the beginning of an exhilarating battle for skydivers, and it seems like a good start.

The parachute is like a flower blooming in the sky, and then it gently falls to the ground, and the soft soil gives the paratroopers a very comfortable feeling.

Winters quickly packed up his umbrella and began to shout loudly, "E Company, assemble!" ”

"Hurry up, brother!" Paul? After Rogers fell, he glanced at Gusi, who was limping on his legs, and said with a smile, "Are you a little unaccustomed to coming back to skydive?" You really shouldn't have come out. ”

Guth sorted out the equipment and followed him, "Rogers, I don't want to be assigned to other units, I want to be with my brothers, my injuries are completely healed!" The bullet went through, I should have come back a long time ago! ”

"Alright, let's hurry, Captain Winters is calling us!" Rogers grabbed Guth by the arm and ran towards the rendezvous point, where the brothers of Company E were the first to assemble, demonstrating their superiority over the other companies.

The mission of the 101st Airborne Division was the fifteen-mile stretch of the Eindhoven-Wigherr road, which became known as the Inferno Highway. The 500-foot area around the highway is a low-lying, flat, mostly swampy wetland surrounded by streams and rivers, the main point of which is the bridge over the river barrier. Rows of shrubs and woods, like Normandy fences, cut the horizon to only a few hundred yards, and the vehicle left the road and was immediately plunged into a mire. This terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The task of the American Airborne Forces was to control the road and the many bridges on it, opening the way for the British 30th Army. The corps, spearheaded by the Guards Panzer Division, was to march to Arnhem and thus cover the entire Lower Rhine region.

The landing of Company E was 30 km from the front line and about 15 km north of Eindhoven. The first target of the 506th Regiment was Thorne, and then Eindhoven, which determined that the march south must be made first. The whole regiment began to operate, with the 1 battalion crossing the field to the west side of the road, the 2 battalion advancing along the road and the 3 battalion behind. The 2nd Battalion marched in the following sequence: Company D was the first to start, followed by Company E, the Battalion Headquarters and Company F.

D Company advanced on the road, while E Company flanked D Company, followed by the battalion headquarters and F Company. The flanks of E Company are a piece of farmland, and it feels very fluffy when you walk on it.

"The Great War has begun!" Nickerson walked beside Winters, and he rushed to the front from the battalion headquarters in the back, and he just wanted to march with Winters.

"Yes, the Great War. I hope everything goes well! Winters nodded.

Nickerson also nodded: "I hope Lacey can successfully rendezvous with the British 1st Airborne Division, this is their only chance!" ”

Winters didn't answer right away. He walked for a while before suddenly saying to Nickerson, "Nick, why would Parks ask a platoon of brothers to participate in this operation!" ”

Nickerson was stunned for a moment, and then immediately realized the problem: "I also feel very strange, if it is purely a reconnaissance mission, it is obvious that there are too many people." You mean......"

"Yes, I have only noticed this problem now, if it is just a simple reconnaissance, it will not need a platoon, unless Parks has planned or expected it in the first place, he must know that even if they detect real information, it will not necessarily be adopted by the proud British, and they will not give up the whole huge battle plan for the sake of a lieutenant. So, Parks must have his plans! ”

Nickerson smiled: "In that case, then what else do we have to worry about him?" ”

"yes, it's time for us to frown at our mission. It is clear that Parkes' intelligence is accurate, and the Germans will not let us have a good time! Winters nodded, then looked at the endless stretch of road, and there was some uneasiness in his heart.

As Winters had expected, Parks had predicted, and they were now quietly lying in ambush around the Arnhem Bridge, with him and Wales lying in front, behind them all the brothers in a row disguised as weeds, holding their breath and waiting.

"The Germans didn't move!" Wales put down the binoculars, then handed them to Parks, and whispered, "They act like they're on holiday, laid-back." I really envy them! ”

Parks took the binoculars and looked at them, then laughed quietly, "Before the big war, it always behaves more peacefully, so that the war can show its cruelty." ”

"Wonderful theory!" Wales smiled.

And then he had to say something when he was going to say. There was a faint roar in the sky. Surprised, he turned sideways and looked at the sky north of the bridge, where a large black cloud faintly floated over.

"It's the sound of an airplane!" Although it was not loud, Wales quickly judged the character of the sound.

Parks nodded, then looked at his pocket watch, and said with a slight smile: "Yes, it's an airplane, there are fighter jets, there are C-47 transport planes, and quite a few gliders, Operation Garden has begun, Harry!" ”

Sure enough, the sound grew louder and louder, and gradually became a huge roaring sound, and then the huge black cloud got closer and closer, and it became more and more clear that it was a huge Allied fleet.

"It's spectacular!" Wales couldn't help but exclaim, "This is a great operation!" ”

Parks shook his head and said, "This is also a huge loss and a failed operation, Harry, don't forget the Germans' armored clusters, they are waiting here quietly, and then waiting for the British to land, and then surround them, and use these steel behemoths to devour them one by one." The defeat of the British was obvious. ”

"What should we do?" Wales couldn't help but smile bitterly, "We only have one platoon, we can't do anything!" ”

A smile appeared on the corner of Parks' mouth and said, "We've made the British suffer enough, let's save them again and let them know that they are so wrong!" ”

(To be continued)