On the first day of their stay at Bastogne, Parks received two newspapers at the makeshift company headquarters. One is the Times in the United Kingdom and the Washington Post in the United States. The Times is an old photograph taken by Churchill when he met Parks, and I don't know where the British got it. In the newspapers, Parks was in good spirits and Churchill was in good spirits, and it seemed to complement each other. And the British used the title: Bastone - the spirit of the Allies.

The Washington Post is a photo of Parks and President Roosevelt when he received the Medal of Honor. And their title was: The 101st Division is the flag that does not fall. Obviously, the British were very few involved in the Ardennes, mainly the Allies, but they did not mind stealing the limelight from the American army, since General Montgomery was ousted from the position of Allied commander-in-chief. And the Americans pay more attention to the honor created by their military. Parks led a platoon of soldiers to infiltrate the rear of the German army, snatch German supplies, destroy German artillery ammunition, and kill two platoons of German soldiers, which was a miraculous victory for the American army in the siege. At that time, the U.S. military was under siege, they lacked food and clothing, medical supplies, and despair and frustration filled the entire U.S. military. But Parks' victory is undoubtedly a ray of sunshine in the most desperate time of the American army, which makes people full of hope for the future, the German siege is not unbreakable, someone can, and even can inflict heavy damage on them, this person is Captain Parkes, the company commander of Company E of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

Because of Parks' presence, all media attention was on the 101st Airborne Division, and despite the fact that the 82nd Airborne Division's battle at the northern end of the salient was equally desperate and infrequent, the battle was in any case as significant as the Battle of Bastogne. But they were not surrounded, and more importantly, they did not appear as heroes as Captain Parks, and thus did not receive the same media attention as the 101st Division.

The newspapers even carried a map of the 101st Airborne Division guarding Bastone, noting that it was still fighting during the worst wave of collapse in American history.

The Washington Post opinion piece reads: ...... A worried nation is in need of encouragement and hope, and these days, every morning, it is the inspiring spectacle of them persisting in the war. And Captain Parks is the most legendary and exciting important person in this story. He persevered in the midst of hardships and hardships, and used his wonderful command art to defeat the German army again and again, and was able to penetrate into the heart of the German army. His story makes the entire American army in Bastone seem even more magical, and the 101st Division is a strong soldier of Bastone Fortress. The officers and men of the 101st Division were shrouded in panic and defeat, but they were brave and tenacious; In the face of poor living conditions, freezing weather and extreme scarcity of materials, they showed extraordinary courage and optimism; In the siege of the German army, it was able to magically break the encirclement of the German army; And General McAuliffe's reply to the "neurosis" of the German army's persuasion to surrender humiliated the German army, which surrounded them but was helpless; And the brotherhood that is shown on the battlefield...... We need to say too much, and all this is the supremacy of courage and the camaraderie that forged an invincible German army...... "but they have a lot of respect for General Patton!" Everyone thinks it was General Patton who saved us! Wales smiled a little disdainfully, and then flipped through the newspaper randomly, "It's like a cavalryman going to save the occupants of a caravan!" ”

"Do you think we need someone to save us?" Parks looked at Wales and asked a serious question.

Wales thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, we don't need anyone to save us!" ”

Yes, the brothers of E-Company believe that they do not need people to save. They can save themselves on their own. After the 4th Panzer Division was stationed in Bastogne, many people talked about how they got the 101st Division out of trouble. They are heroes and knights who deliver from need. It is clear that this atmosphere did not satisfy all the brothers of the 101 Airborne Division.

"Shit!" When Goneri and Toy talked, he couldn't help but curse, and he asked Toy the same question as Captain Parks, "Do we need someone to rescue?" ”

Toy shook his head and said, "Of course not, but General Patton feels that he is like a rescuer." God, the Germans on the other side were beaten to the ground by us, and then a patton came and they said to us, hey, boys, we've come to your rescue, we've defeated the Germans. Do you find it credible? We had already defeated them, did we need that old man? ”

At this time, Li Gaote beside him also shook his head and said: "Think about the infiltration battle that the leader led us, we can completely get supplies from the German army, and we still need to rescue them?" If I had to deliver it, I'd be back at the Momion barracks right now, and honestly, I miss the hot baths there! ”

"I'm going to shave my beard too!" Goneri added.

Yes, the men of Company E, no one thought they needed to be rescued, not even the recruits who had suffered so much on the defensive line, they had become more endurance after Bastone's defenses.

As the commander of the 101st Airborne Division, General Taylor undoubtedly had nothing more to show off in this defensive operation, he was far away in London, living like a vacation. I can't understand what the brothers were like on the Bastone Line. This is also the most difficult thing for the US military to suffer. The limelight was stolen by General McAuliffe.

General McAuliffe became the legendary commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, and his long time as the division's deputy made him a hero in the hearts of Americans. The word "neurosis" is one of the most frequent words that appear in newspapers around the world, and his and Parks' names appear almost equally frequently.

General Taylor reacted somewhat allergically to the situation. But he knew that he had nothing to boast about in Bastogne, and if he had to be associated with Bastogne's defensive battles, it would be Captain Parkes. He was determined to apply for a medal for Captain Parkes and to highlight his spiritual role in the 101st Airborne Division. This can divert attention from the topic.

A jeep was crushed on the snow, which had been run over many times and was covered in mud. The splash of mud threw on the soldiers on the side of the road, causing a burst of shouting and swearing.

"To hell with it!" Kaber gestured to the jeep with a middle finger.

"That's the division jeep!" Recognizing the division headquarters emblem above, Lipp warned to Kaber, "Maybe it's General Taylor's staff officer, look at his major's badge." ”

"I don't care, General Taylor abandoned us at a critical time!" Kaber snorted.

It's not just the soldiers who have a problem with General Taylor, but the officers like Captain Winters have accumulated some resentment towards General Taylor. But they did not express it, and they adhered to the duties of the officers.

"Captain Parkes?" When the Major jumped out of the jeep, he saw Parks coming out of the company, and he easily recognized Parks. Obviously, his face has now been spread all over the world with newspapers around the world, and it is difficult to recognize it.

"Yes, sir!" Parks looked puzzled, "Is there a problem?" ”

"General Taylor wants to see you!" The Major was very sincere, and in fact, he admired what Captain Parks had done in Bastone, and it was a sentiment shared by many American officers. They don't think they can do such a perfect infiltration war.

"The general can make a phone call to the company headquarters, we have a telephone!" Parks said as he walked with the Major.

The major smiled and said, "In order to show more attention, the general asked me to come and run in person." Honestly, Captain Parkes, as an officer of the 101st Airborne Division, I am proud of you! ”

Parks smiled, neither modest nor boastful. There is no need to belittle or boast about his deeds. And it must be a good thing for General Taylor to see him, whether he is using it or not, whether he is sincerely complimenting, in short, there will be no tricks worth hyping up now, and now everything about him will be set up as a benchmark and an idol.

When Parks walked into the divisional headquarters, General Taylor personally greeted him. He took the initiative to reach out his hand, held Parks' salute hand tightly, and laughed: "I've been waiting for you for a long time, hurry up and come over, how about a drink?" ”

Parks walked in, and then sat down across from General Taylor at the suggestion of General Taylor, and then the major who led Parks in handed over a cup of coffee and placed it on the table in front of Parks.

"The Parks bunker successfully saved the lives of the vast majority of the 101st Division, and relied on the bunker to carry out a brilliant counterattack against the German attack, E Company repelled the charge of a German regiment and destroyed a number of German tanks; At the most difficult time for Company E, he led a platoon of brothers to take the initiative to attack, killed two German platoons, and went deep into the rear of the German army, grabbed supplies, and blew up German artillery and ammunition. In the first two days of the German offensive, two German companies were again thwarted and two German tanks were destroyed; When the brothers were depressed, unite everyone in the company so that they do not feel lonely, fearful, and helpless. General Taylor didn't have any opening remarks, he directly read out a series of Parks' exploits in Bastogne, and then nodded, "Captain Parks, you are the best American officer I have ever met, there is no one." Winters had said this phrase before, but from the mouth of General Taylor today, it was clear that it had carried a great weight.

"It's hard for everybody, and if it weren't for the brothers, I don't think it would have happened!" Parks groaned for a moment, then said solemnly to General Taylor, "I'm even more proud of my brothers! ”

Taylor smiled and nodded, "That's what I admire about you so much." Your company is a band of brothers. They have supported each other to achieve today's achievements, of course, the most important thing in this is your contribution, Parks, you don't need to be humble, I think if you are humble, then it is emotionally erased to all the brothers of Elian, you should be proud, your merits are the merits of your brothers. ”

Taylor said, his face suddenly became very serious: "Captain, you have to bear these honors, let the brothers feel this honor too, they are proud of you, just as you are proud of them!" ”

(To be continued)