From the Medical Reports of Field Medic Corporal Donovan "Doc" Willows 79th Infantry Division American Expeditionary Forces.
When we first marched up and saw the château many of the boys thought it was Versailles, it was in better shape than most of France and we learned that it was originally meant as an Officer's Quarters at first for the French and later the Germans, now this luxury building called Château Lacroix would become our battlefield.
The Germans set up a line of Trenches that was meant to stop us, once we broke past that they would have back defenses in a small set of buildings and in the courtyard of the château. The lien of trenches were near now destroyed farm houses and they had two pillboxes as the Tommies nicknamed the heavy stone and concrete fortifcations.
From our previous fights I knew this was going to be bloody, the Germans have been fighting for four years now against some of the largest and most powerful nations on Earth and they are still here. They were all veterans who had destroyed the Russian advances and held against the British and French.
Our General Kuhn knew about the Germans better than most Americans, he spoke their language and even met their Kaiser. We were lucky to have someone like him in command. He ordered the advance and our massive landships were the first to roll up supported by lighter armored cars and vehicles. I was attached to King Squad as its medic, we had two assault soldiers, Mickey Summers and James Mulligan, Mickey even before the war was a duck hunter and used a 12 gauge shotgun and James took a MP 18 off of a dead German at Montfaucon, Our scout Jefferson Lands was our best shot and used a SMLE sniper rifle and our burly support Alexander "Lex" Albany with a Lewis heavy machine gun who was also our capable squad leader. I on the other hand used a good old fashion American gun, a self-loading M1907 Winchester.
We all gathered behind our own set of trenches and defenses prepping ourselves for the fight. Some looked at pictures of their girls back home, I prayed. I prayed that my squad would make it out alive, and I prayed that the day would be over quickly.
I heard the whistle of our commanding officer Captain Josiah Bridges. He stood at the top of the trench and did not hide as stray bullets flew by him. He only glared at the enemy with pistol in hand pointing to their lines.
We followed close behind the landship we nicknamed Zeus, machine gun fire ricocheted off of its heavy armored bulk and its cannon turned towards a bunker. It fired several shells damaging the top of it. Mickey rounded the left side of the tank with two grenades in his hands. His baseball playing clearly helped as he lobbed one right into the hole of the bunker, it exploded and broke one of the machine guns and no doubt killed the Hun operating it. He threw the other one into the trench itself and I saw an unfortunate soldier go flying from the blast. Several of the Huns turned their attention towards him and as bullets whizzed by one cut into his arm. I rushed forward firing my Winchester and taking out a German soldier looking over the trench, two bullets pierced his chest with one hitting or nearly hitting his heart.
I brought Mickey back behind the slow moving landship and patched up his wound. It was only a minor wound that would leave a scar but no internal damage to the arm. "You're good to go."
Mickey thanked me and we moved forward, we were always pushing forward, we couldn't give them an inch or they would blunt our advance. Our men began to fire on the trenches but many were killed by the precise fire of German riflemen behind the lines in the forest to the west and on some of the hills where a burned windmill stood.
I ducked and ran towards two of our men who fell. One was screaming while the other who also was bleeding kept on firing his rifle. I did not know their names but they knew me as a medic. One's foot was blown off and he was bleeding out. I spoke calmly to him and looked at his dog tags "Erik, I'm here for you, I have bandages for your wound." I lifted up his leg and had to remove shrapnel that was stuck in the stump of his foot. "This is going to hurt, Lex I need support!" Lex turned and fired several round off of his Lewis gun before ducking and running towards us.
"He is badly hurt we need to take him back, assess the other soldier's wounds and tell me his name." Lex nodded and popped off several more rounds towards the German lines as I applied pressure to Erik's wounds and bandaged him up.
Lex shouted back to me as he continued to fire and more bullets whizzed by and one struck the other soldier just under his helmet and went through the back of his head. I turned in silence as the blood from his head hit me in the face.
"I need stretchers!" I shouted above the din of battle and several Red Cross ambulance drivers took the two dead men. Lex grabbed my shoulder "Doc! Doc, his name was Douglas."
I clenched my teeth in anger and charged the German lines firing my rifle with more precision and rage than before. I killed two Germans, one bullet penetrated the left cheek and went into his brain and the other took several shots to the chest and abdomen. I climbed over the broken barbed wire and into the trenches. I was soon followed by the rest of my squad who took out several Germans and gave us an opening in the Trenches. As I landed I realized I had no ammo in my magazine but there were Huns surrounding us up and down the trench fighting off parts of our charge. One of them had his back turned to me and I charged him with my bayonet ready. The blade penetrated his spine as his body fell to the ground.
As I pulled out the bayonet his body turned and I saw the face of a kid who barely looked sixteen, he didn't even have any hair on his face. I've had to kill Germans before but most of them were grizzled veterans older than us, but I just killed a boy who didn't even see it coming. He shouldn't even have been in this war torn Hell yet.
I froze in place just looking down at his face when I heard what felt like muffled voices and a hand on my shoulder. Jefferson was looking at me with a big smile "Doc, We are pushing them back! Donnie focus! Let's go over the top."
He led me through the trenches and we climbed over the opposite side. I looked back and saw both our dead and the dead of the Germans strewn out across the trenches and the grey fields. The courtyard and surrounding lands were still green not yet bearing witness to the same combat as back there.
I heard the droning of our bombers overhead and one dove down like a bird of prey and dropped several bombs onto the stone buildings to the West by the forest. I heard the dying screams of at least a squad if not more of hapless Germans not trapped under the bricks. I rushed away from the main force without them noticing. I had to redeem myself. I had to atone for what I have done. When I was in medical school I made a vow to do no harm and today alone I killed five once breathing human beings.
I reached the bricks and began to move them away in a desperate attempt to save at least one fellow human. I saw a hand shoot up and grabbed it and pulled the soldier out. He wore a long black rain coat and still had a now damaged helmet on his head. He saw who his rescuer was but said nothing save "Danke" and together we tried to save more of his brothers in arms.
We found two more still living but did not stop until we found the rest of his squad and pulled them out. I quickly patched up their wounds as best I could. Those that didn't need it were laid on the ground and we closed their eyes.
The first one who I saved put out his hand. For a brief moment I did not know what to do, I was told they were the enemy but I just saved them, was I a traitor for helping those who stand against us and our allies. I slowly moved my hand forward and shook his.
I heard the crack of a sniper rifle and he fell where he once stood. The other three men were gunned down and I turned to see my squad running up to me smiling. Mickey yelled "Thank god you are ok, did they capture you?"
I had no words to say but Lex encouraged me "Its ok we weren't going to let you be captured by the Hun. Let's go we took the courtyard and are moving into the Château." I didn't even have time to ask for their names. I only looked back and saw the first man I saved with a smile on his face.
We rushed forward taking the sector nicknamed Shrapnel Corner and pushed back the Germans into the Château. I stayed behind to help our wounded soldiers, those with serious injuries were already taken back to the Military Hospitals behind our lines. Those left were patched up and sent back out into Hell. Part of me wished I could lie and say they all needed to go to the Hospital but it would leave our uninjured men without comrades to watch their backs.
As we advanced Lex stopped me and handed me two grenades. "These are gas grenades, you'll need them in the hallways." I was not sure how to respond "You want me to use the worst weapon to come out of this war?"
He did not care for my mroals, especially right now, "To save American lives, yes! Now let's go Doc." I took the grenades and I held them and placed them in my belt and followed him as he led the way.
We entered up a stair way away from the main courtyard into a side hallway. I ducked down and checked the corners as Lex steadied his gun. The rest of our squad closed in behind us. I heard German shouts and grabbed my grenade. I motioned for gas mask and spoke a quick prayer of forgiveness as I threw it down the hall.
I watched as the unearthly green gas spread through the hall and heard the screams of German soldiers who were only here to fight for their country like us, they didn't deserve this. One ran in our direction screaming and we fired our guns cutting him down.
We rerouted back and made contact with the rest of our Division as they stormed the courtyard, German snipers were on the battlements but our land ship aimed its cannon and destroyed their sniper nest. Part of the beautiful architecture fell crashing into the pebble courtyard.
One of our officers waved his pistol in the air and urged us forward. We charged and many of our men were wounded or killed by the Germans who were stuck in the Château, a large contingence of them were placed in the ball room and had vantage points by being in the center. Their machine guns seriously cut up our front ranks and I rushed forward and slid to check on my comrades.
Many of the men were dead as they fell but there were a few that I could save from the Germans. Mickey helped me and pulled the wounded back near a far wall where I could aid them.
Many of the wounded could not fight and a few couldn't even stand but those that could I had to send back into the fray. Most of the men had a grim sense of determination on their faces as though they were Greek heroes returning to face monsters. A few were scarred and one boy about the age as the German kid I killed here was shaking. I put my hand on his shoulder and spoke calmly as I read his dog tags. "Vince, we need you out there, your friends need you to help them, I and my friend Mickey will be right beside you, if you need cover or help I'm here." Mickey heard and gave a quick nod of approval.
He nodded with a renewed sense of purpose and rushed forward. The ambulance drivers took away the wounded as Mickey and I returned to the battle following close after the brave young Vince.
The gardens had a hill with a large tree that several Germans took cover behind, giving covering fire to their friends who rushed past the hedges down to the railway. Vince charged forward throwing a grenade then firing his rifle. The grenade landed by the tree and sent men and bark flying. He stood at the top of the hill waving his helmet in heroic pride. His squad gathered around him and cheered for him.
Suddenly the hellfire of machine guns flew upwards and cut into the squad. Vince was struck by at least even bullets shattering his arm that now hung loose and his ribs were completely torn apart. His medic tried to help but was struck by gunfire in the throat. I ran forward and threw my gas grenade down the hill.
Vince was still breathing when I saw him, his mouth was dark red with blood pouring out of it and his many wounds. His mouth moved, he was trying to say something but the blood was choking him. I lifted him up getting a lot of his blood on my uniform. His shaking arm managed to tap my shoulder before he fell in my arms.
The rest of our boys rushed forward with support from the landships and recently brought up aircraft. One of our attack bombers flew low near the train station and damaged a good chunk of it no doubt with many Germans inside.
Our officers ordered a halt as the Germans fled to trains waiting for them to retreat. We watched as iron trains came to pick up the men who once stood against the world, with our Brit and French allies we broke them.
We had done it, at the cost of good men on both sides we helped bring a light in the world, hopefully this war will be the one to end all wars and men like me won't be needed, men who were born to fight and kill and trained to save.
I helped gather the bodies, both of American and Germans, men who many did not choose to be here. If it was the soldier who chose when the war was over none of us would be here. The young German would be in school flirting with Fraulins. Douglas would be back home on some farm in the Midwest. Vince would still be alive and working in the factory his father worked in. And the German I saved wouldn't have needed to be saved.