Reilly blinked, unsure of what she just heard. "I'm sorry, sir, but can you repeat that?"
Wing Commander Boyle chuckled. "I know, it's a bit different from the other missions you've done for SOE, but your services are needed all the same." He stood, indicating for her to sit as he leaned against the front of his desk.
Crossing his arms across his chest, he said, "The western side of the country is still under German command. The people have been long forgotten and mistreated." He sighed deeply. "They're starving to death. Every day more perish. Including children."
Reilly only blinked again, aggrieved by what he was saying, but she still didn't see what they needed her for.
Boyle continued. "We're trying to get the krauts to allow us to drop food to them, but, naturally, there is some distrust. On both sides. We aren't sure if they will allow this to happen at all, and no one wants another battle." He stood, grabbing a map off his desk and unrolling it. She stood as well to look at where he was pointing. "This is where you come in, Reilly. We're moving forward anyway, something called Operation Manna, but we want to make sure the food gets to the people here and not into the hands of the krauts who are patrolling here. We need someone with your experience."
She nodded, finally seeing her role. "Will I be dropping before or during the food drop, sir?"
He smiled, glad to see her catching on. "The day before. You'll be given a radio to let us know if our designated drop area is clear. We also need you to alert the townspeople without the Germans catching on. Yours skills in obscurity are an ideal match with this mission." He paused a moment and coughed. "I heard that you have experience with organizing food with those that need it most?"
Reilly's mind flashed back to the camp, feeding the starving prisoners. She nodded slowly. "Yes, sir. My regiment liberated a work camp in Germany. I'd like to recommend a rationing program. If the townspeople eat too much, too quickly, it could kill them."
Boyle nodded. "I've heard that as well. Very good. Once we are ready to move forward with the drop, work with the town and set up whatever is necessary."
Reilly saw a flaw in the plan. "I don't speak Dutch, sir."
"That's alright, private," he replied. "I hope to give you enough time to communicate in other ways with them." He sighed. "Although I am impressed with your detail of work, Reilly, to be honest, an SOE operative that speaks Dutch wasn't available. I'm sorry if this poses difficulty for you."
Reilly met his eyes and knew what he really meant. You mean there weren't any left alive.
Taking another breath, she gave him a smile. As far as missions go, the end result seemed to be something from a dream. To directly help those in need - it was more than she could hope for. For the first time since she received the radio transmission from SOE, Reilly was confident that she'd be home to Easy again, she just didn't know when.
April 28, 1945
Reilly and Boyle reviewed the mission over the next week, working with the British, Canadian, Australian and Polish forces. To her dismay, the Americans weren't involved - their interest remained in defeating the enemy. This mission held a risk of helping the Germans if the food and supplies were dropped in a wrong location, something which Eisenhower was against.
She was being dropped that day into a large town, surrounded by villages, all in desperate need of food after a hard winter and no access to supplies. Over the next several days, she would work with the townspeople and the soldiers to deliver and organize distribution. Boyle made it clear to everyone involved that Reilly was in charge, and that anything she decided was law. It was a strange feeling for her.
With a radio on her side, Reilly climbed into a plane again. The pack was heavy, and she grinned, thinking of Luz. I'll have to give him some credit when I see him again. The thought warmed her.
The red light came on, and she went through the motions, muttering to herself when she checked her own equipment. With a pang she thought of Tabitha and the last time she jumped into enemy territory. Taking a breath, she braced herself, knowing the girl would give her a hard time if she saw her with sorrow in her eyes.
With the green light, she jumped, the sunlight blinding her, but she landed safely into a field. No livestock was nearby the hay bales. They had long since been eaten.
Securing everything in place, she hugged her borrowed rifle to her chest and crouched low, running towards the center of town. Over the next several hours, she surveyed everything and everyone she saw from her hiding places. Only thin townspeople sometimes walked in her line of sight, but no sign of the enemy. With a deep breath, she stood, and started walking to the town.
Although she didn't speak Dutch, even she could make out what they started saying when they saw her in her Army ODs. "Amerikaans. Amerikaans."
Reilly stopped by a small group of elderly women - or at least their lined faces and grey hair made her think they were older. For all she knew, the war could have aged them prematurely.
"Uh," she began, not sure on what to say. "I am looking for someone in charge."
The women looked at her, wonder in their eyes at her appearance, but remained silent.
Reilly placed a hand on her chest. "I'm American. I am trying to help. Help you."
Suddenly the woman in the middle nodded. "Helpen."
Reilly nodded back, smiling. "Ja, helpen." She silently thanked Boyle again for teaching her a few basics in the language. She pointed towards a large building in the middle, its clock tower somehow still in one piece. "I need to speak to your town leader. Someone in charge."
The woman paused but then smiled back, several of her teeth missing from malnourishment. "Ja, leider." And before Reilly could agree, the woman took her hand and brought her to the building and inside.
Boyle assured her that the chances of a trap were slim, but there was a chance all the same. The people in town were desperate. If working with the Germans helped them, they would do so to feed their children.
To her relief, inside only housed a young woman. The cinch of her dress was painfully tight across her unnaturally tiny waist. The elderly woman began talking to her rapidly, pointing to Reilly, her excitement evident.
The woman looked to her, an eyebrow raised. "Klopt het wat ze zegt? Dat je uit de lucht viel en tegen me moest praten? (Is it true what she says? That you fell from the sky and needed to speak to me?)."
Reilly grimaced, no idea what she just said. Shit. Thinking quickly, she asked hopefully, "Est-ce que tu parles français?"
To her relief, the young woman smiled and replied in French. "Yes, but a little. My husband thought it charming that I could speak to him in the language of love."
Reilly smiled back, eager to finally communicate to someone. She needed to radio Boyle soon. "My team and I are organizing a food drop for your town and its villages."
The women gasped at this, even the elderly woman understanding the word "food."
Reilly continued to the young woman. "Are you in charge?"
She smiled sadly and nodded. "My husband was mayor before the Germans took him away. I try to keep up with everything now."
Reilly studied her and nodded back. She held out a hand. "My name is Fran Reilly."
The woman took her hand in both of hers, her skin papery and thin. "Eva Moreau. Thank you for coming to us, Fran Reilly. You are saving our lives."
Reilly radioed into Boyle after Eva confirmed with her that the Germans left them weeks ago, but barricaded the roads, not allowing anyone to come or go. They were living off grass and bark for the most part, sometimes the odd onion if they allowed it to grow long enough.
After Boyle verified the food drop would occur tomorrow night, well after sun down so that the Germans couldn't see, Reilly and Eva got to work on organization.
It was difficult, but Reilly tried to explain about the work camps that have been found recently, Landsberg only one of many. And it wasn't even close to the size and scope of some that the Allies had freed.
Eva swallowed hard at this. "That is probably where my husband ended up." She didn't cry. Reilly suspected her tears had dried up long ago.
She next explained to her why they needed to ration the food. "It's for everyone's safety. If a starving man eats too much too fast, he will likely die. Food has to slowly be integrated back in."
Eva nodded. "That is going to be difficult to tell everyone."
Together, they recruited the help of the elderly women and their families. The mayor's house held many rooms, all with locks that the Germans used for their own purposes. They created a system for distribution, listing out all the families and their members.
The time had come for the second part of Reilly's role. Donning the black shirt and pants once again, she left as the sun set to make sure the enemy was still away. She would be the only defense the townspeople had, until the Allies could open up a road and drive in to help.
The night was clear and quiet. With a smile, Reilly witnessed the first plane fly overhead, its belly low to the ground, so close she thought at first it would brush across the tops of the buildings. Squinting, she could see the first packages drop from it.
Jogging back to town, she met up with Eva, trying to keep quiet as to not wake up the townspeople. Quickly, with the help the old women recruited in their grandchildren, they began organizing and hauling the boxes into the building, treating each boy with a candy reward every hour or so.
As soon as they were done with one drop, the next would hit. And then the next. Boyle tried to stagger the planes, both for their sake and for the sake of obscurity in case the Germans caught on. It was a long night of physical labor, but by dawn, they were done.
May 2, 1945
Over the next several days, Reilly and Eva worked together to begin feeding the people. At first it was chaos, and unfortunately Reilly had to pick up her rifle at one point in a show of protection. Finally when the aggressive men quieted, she put away the weapon, thanking God in that moment that she didn't need to use it. She wasn't sure she would have been able to.
In the distance, there was a sound of a few jeeps heading into the town. From what she could see from her vantage point, about a half dozen Canadian soldiers were rolling in. Wiping her brow with the back of her hand, Reilly smiled. The cavalry has arrived.
She cleaned her hands on her OD pants before walking to the first jeep. To her surprise, Lieutenant General Simonds jumped out. He held out a hand to her. "Private Reilly, it's good to see you again."
Reilly got over her initial shock and returned the handshake with a grin. "Likewise, sir."
Always abrupt, he immediately got to work. "How's it going here? I see that you have things well under control."
They surveyed the line of townspeople waiting for food together. She nodded. "It was a little chaotic at first, sir, but it's gotten better."
Simonds waved for his men to come over. They towered over her. He turned back to speak again. "Where do you want us, Reilly?"
Her eyebrows shot up, but she remembered Boyle's words that she was in charge of the operation. It felt strange to order her superiors around, but she began nonetheless. "Uh, you," she pointed to the first pair of soldiers, "Organize a second line. With two we will be able to help more people faster." She pointed to the next three. "And you, the villages hold some weak and sickly people. See Eva inside for a list of names and addresses. You can use your jeep to deliver their food."
Nodding, the men went off at once. Blinking in surprise, she turned back to Simonds, who gave her a rare smile. "And me, private?"
She grinned. "I'd appreciate any news from the front, sir. I haven't spoken to anyone since I alerted Commander Boyle three days ago."
He whistled. "Well, then I have the happy job of telling you that Hitler is dead. He killed himself two days ago."
Reilly blinked, in shock. Recovering, she cleared her throat. "Does this mean the war is over, sir?"
He frowned and they turned to walk towards the building. The Canadian soldiers had already peacefully organized the second line, the townspeople kissing their cheeks as they received their food. "Unfortunately not. The SS are holding themselves up in the mountains. I believe your regiment is going after them."
She swallowed hard at the news. She knew it was part of Easy's plan to go after the Nazis leaders, but knowing they were on the move without her didn't give her any peace.
They arrived at the building. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."
Simonds clapped her on the shoulder. "It was my pleasure, private. I didn't get the opportunity to tell my own men. Damn NCOs got wind and spread the news before I could get a chance."
Reilly chuckled. "And here I thought my company was the only one with any gossipers, sir."
May 7, 1945
Reilly and Eva had just finished another long, hard day. Food packages were still being dropped daily, but with the help of the Canadians and now the Australians, the operation continued to succeed.
A radio transmission came in for Simonds recently. Reilly's pack almost became its own battalion headquarters while Operation Manna finished up. Thinking of it and Luz again, she was getting antsy to return to Easy. She needed to see for herself that her friends were OK.
Suddenly, Simonds shouted for everyone to gather round. Eva stood next to her, curious as well. Although she didn't see a smile on his face, she felt it.
"Listen up. Word just came in." He paused, slowly killing everyone with anticipation. "All German forces have surrendered. The war is over."
The men around them began to cheer and talk excitedly. Eva turned to Reilly, a hopeful question on her face. She smiled, grasping her hands. Repeating Simonds words to her in French, Eva almost collapsed, her knees knocking together. Reilly held on to her as the young woman cried.
There was a huge celebration that night in the makeshift battalion. Reilly had to pull herself away from the Aussie soldiers; their sheer cheek had her rolling with laughter, reminding her so much of her boys back in Easy that it almost hurt.
As she walked away to collect her thoughts, she almost bumped into Simonds. "Good, I'm glad I caught you, Reilly," he said. He motioned to an empty office. She followed him in, curious.
He sat down next to her in front of the desk. Sighing, he said, "I know you must be eager to get back to your regiment, especially now that the operation doesn't need you anymore. Your hard work has paid off, private. You will be able to go back to the 101st knowing that."
Reilly nodded. "Thank you, sir. That means a lot."
He cleared his throat. "But I wanted to see if you'd come with my men. Just for one more mission. Your expertise is needed one more time."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Sir?"
Grimacing, he continued. "I just received word that my men and I are to move out tonight to a work camp nearby. It hasn't been liberated yet." He paused. "I know you have experience with these, and we do not. As well as the leadership you have shown here, we could really use you."
Reilly took this in and nodded quickly. She couldn't turn him down, especially after seeing the devastation for herself. "Of course, sir. When do we leave?"
He nodded and stood up. She followed his lead. "In an hour. The camp was put into the care of the Dutch Red Cross two weeks ago, but they are overwhelmed. Prisoners are still dying. We are needed immediately." He held out a hand. She took it, shaking it. "I seem to be constantly in your debt, private."
She gave him a grim smile. "I am only doing my job, sir."
May 9, 1945
Amersfoort, Netherlands
It wasn't so much the sight of the camp that made Reilly pause, but the smell. She and the First Canadian regiment arrived just after dark that first night. Like Landsberg, the prisoners were essentially still prisoners, locked in to receive care. Trucks had started to bring those most severe away immediately. The rest would be taken every day to open spots at local hospitals and schools. Thousands remained.
She worked with the nurses and soldiers to help organize everything, including food, medicine and care. She watched prisoners die every day, some too far gone to be saved, but others began to respond. Reilly tried to focus on them. The constant death was too much to bear.
The Amersfoort camp held a mix of prisoners, some stayed briefly before being eventually transported to death camps in Germany and Poland, but many remained. There were a lot of Russians that were captured as prisoners of war, but also Dutch Resistance fighters, and other members that were captured trying to aid the Allies. Reilly thought briefly of her experience in Foy. If that kraut didn't choose to try and kill her, she would have probably ended up someplace like this. The thought sent constant shivers down her spine, not sure which end was worse.
Reilly was helping another handful of prisoners into a truck to be transported to a hospital closer to Antwerp. These people were in need of aid, but they didn't require stretchers or nurses for the journey - only a few soldiers to give them water and an embrace when they could.
She had just helped a stick of a woman into the truck when a cracked voice sounded behind her. "Can't be trusted with a gun anymore, girl? What did you do to piss off your commanding officer this time?"
Reilly's body turned on its own. When her eyes locked on the woman in front of her, all the air in her lungs left in one whoosh. "Jesus Christ," she managed to get out.
Even with her shorn hair and sunken cheeks, the smile on Tabitha's face was recognizable. "You didn't think I was dead, did you? Idiot."