September 1944, Dijon, France
A follow-up to The Gray Fox. Certain liberties have been taken with the details of the liberation of Dijon.
Casino crouched behind the barricade while there was a lull in the shooting. Goniff and Actor were kneeling next to him, also armed with German rifles, along with a squad of Free French soldiers. The Warden and Chief were off somewhere, playing hero.
"How the hell did we end up in the middle of a war?" he grouched. Goniff shrugged with a grimace. He didn't like playing soldier any more than Casino.
Their mission had been simple enough, picking up German defense plans from a contact halfway to the Swiss border. Driving west towards liberated France, they had run into a troop of Maquis partisans. Since they were in a Kraut vehicle, carrying German arms, their story of being an Allied commando unit were doubted by the suspicious French. They had been escorted to the Free French front lines, where Lieutentant Gung-ho and the damned Indian volunteered them to join the northward swing of the offensive.
So here they were, ranged along the side of a large square in front of German HQ, waiting for the tanks to wind their way along the narrow streets of the city. The remaining Germans were manning the upper and lower stories of the Ducal Palace, whose courtyard was ringed by an iron fence mounted on a three-foot stone wall. No way to infiltrate the fortress, but they were obliged to exchange gunfire with the entrenched troops. Maybe to prevent an advance from them, Casino didn't know and didn't care.
He wished their barricade was a little more subantial. The French seemed to think a few tables and hay bales provided protection. Casino peered cautiously over the top. No activity. Then he spotted a young boy creeping along the front of one wing of the building. The kid stood up, paused, then dashed forward, dropping a grenade into each of the shattered windows.
"Man, that kid would make one helluva quarterback!" he exclaimed.
The boy ran full tilt toward their position and vaulted over the top. Rolling to a stop, his cap fell off and a familiar red braid dropped loose.
"Kerist," said Casino with some resignation. " I shoulda guessed. Hi there, Suzette, how ya doin'."
"Casino!" The French girl threw her arms around his neck. She hugged Goniff and scurried over to kiss Actor on each check. Her eyes scanned the men behind the barricade.
"Is… is Chief with you?" she asked anxiously.
"He and Garrison are out behind the palace somewhere," said Actor.
She smiled back and said, "Son véritable jour de gloire , n'est-ce pas ?" [Isn't this truly a day of glory?]
"Il est donc bien," replied Actor. [It is indeed.]
A series of muffled explosions sounded, clouds of smoke and flame rising over the back of the building.
"I do believe that's Chief's handiwork there," commented Casino.
Suzette beamed at him. Despite the grime on her face, she did almost look pretty.
A two-toned whistle sounded. The girl looked around and saw a civilian figure hailing her from behind another barricade. She waved back and turned to the Gorillas.
"I must go," she said. "You will tell Chief that I am here?"
"Bien sûr," replied Actor.
"Like we wouldn't of thought of that," muttered Casino.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
As Suzette joined the resistance men behind their barricade in the front of the plaza, she heard the awesome screech and rumble of tanks approaching. Slowly, the tanks moved into position behind them and slowly, raised their guns. The Jacquerie waited anxiously. This was the telling moment, and they prayed it wouldn't be necessary to fire on the medieval building.
The silence grew. They heard a ragged cheer from their right, and turned to see a white cloth being hung from an upper window of the palace, then another waving from the ground floor.
"Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu," whispered Suzette. "Est-ce vraiment passe?" [My God, can this really be happening?]
"Ils sont surrendin," replied one of the men with awe. "Sa fin vraiment!" [They are surrendering. It's really the end.]
A French officer climbed down from the center tank, calling for some infantry to follow him. Rifles at the ready, they walked towards the barricades. The captain stopped by the civilians and asked ,"Partisans locaux ? Maquis ?" [Local partisans? Maquis?]
Jaques-Emile, the baker, pointed to Suzette, "Nous sommes les Jacquerie. C'est la Renard Gris, notre chef. Les Maquis et le groupe communiste sont plus sur le flanc droit." [We are the Jaquerie. This is the Gray Fox, our leader. The Maquis and communist groups are over on the right flank.]
The officer spoke to one of his men, who headed off to the right end of the barricades. Then he looked down at Suzette. "Viens avec moi. Cette victoire nous appartient à tous." [Come with me. This victory belongs to all of us.]
Suzette followed them to the gate, the soldiers moving to the concrete base for partial cover. They waited, and were soon joined by two men. She nodded her head to Stephan; they had worked on several actions. The other was wearing the traditional leather jacket and cap of the Maquis.
The front door of the palace opened slowly. A white cloth tied to a pole was held out, hesitantly followed by several soldiers with their hands raised. They unlocked and opened the gate, then stood aside. A German colonel strode out of the building.
The French captain motioned to his group. "Formez une garde d'honneur. " [Form an honor guard.]
He stepped forward into the courtyard, and the French soldiers and partisans stood in two lines. The captain waited silently until the officer reached him.
"Colonel, je vais accepter votre pistole comme une capitulation," said the captain. [I will take your pistol as surrender.]
"Ich spreche kein Französisch," replied the German. [I don't speak French.] There was a snort from the Maquis man.
"English, perhaps? I will not speak the language of the Boche", the captain said mildly. "I will accept your surrender."
"I must defer to surrender to an officer of equal rank," said the colonel, looking down his nose.
The captain cocked his head. "I will not waste his time….Gray Fox, will you please disarm this man?"
Suzette started. At a nudge from the Maquis next to her, she stepped forward. A brief look of amazement crossed the German's face, then he resumed his stony look. Suzette smiled up at him, and pulled his sidearm out of the holster.
"I'm very happy to meet you in this circumstance," she said sweetly. She offered the pistol to the captain, but he waved it away. "À votre honnuer ," he said. [To your honor.]
By this time, other Germans were filing out the front door into the small courtyard. French troops were moving up to escort them away. Suzette clutched the pistol to her chest and walked towards her friends.
"Emile, c'est fini?" she asked him. [Is it over?]
Emile picked her up in a bear hug. "C'est fini, ma fille." He tossed her to the next man, and the Jacquerie took turns embracing their leader.