In March, they lost their first man during a training jump.
Rudolph Dittrich. His chute didn't open. His reserve chute also failed him. The morale dropped and everyone was quiet for a few days. But Meehan did his best to keep the men busy. They ran more field exercises, fired their weapons and did more jumps and large manoeuvres. They were ready for combat; they were just waiting now. And the waiting was the hardest part. It got under their skin and caused more fights and drinking. Dallin didn't go to London because everyone who came back, had a bloody nose or a black eye.
One day in April, while her friends travelled to London, Dallin decided to pay the Barnes's a visit. Walking behind the shop, she found Mr Barnes watering his Spring flowers, while Winters mended a fence. Mrs Barnes and Elaine must have been out for the day because it was very quiet. Dallin was very impressed with the garden. Mr Barnes had a few neat and colourful flower beds. He even had a few gnomes, each holding various objects, like a fishing rod or a shovel.
When Mr Barnes spotted her, Dallin was welcome into the garden. Soon enough, she was kneeling against the mud and pulling out weeds. And for a moment, Dallin was back in Poland with her Abba, tending to their garden. She could hear her Ima humming, while she hung up their wet clothes and Kacper turning the pages from the book he was reading. But soon, Mr Barnes started to whistle, and Dallin couldn't hear her family anymore.
She didn't mind his whistling.
…
By the end of May, they were told to pack everything up because they were leaving Aldbourne and heading for Upottery Airfield. They had been called into combat, with no clue on where they were dropping but despite those nerves, the men felt ready for anything. Every now and then, Dallin would feel nervous bubbles in her stomach, accompanied by a sickly feeling. But she didn't want to appear nervous in front of her friends. No one did. They put on brave faces, told jokes and forced out laughs.
Dallin took in her friend's faces that morning before they got onto the trucks. She felt proud to be in Toye's squad and proud to be a part of Easy Company. Since Toccoa, they had been put through so much and the men she was around, were the best of the best. She could trust each and every one of them. They truly were remarkable men.
The airfield was circled with barbed wire fences. Armed guards were everywhere, making sure no one got out, or no one got in. Once they were inside, they sealed the gates shut behind them. There was no turning back now; Easy were jumping into Europe. It was a large airfield, with rows upon rows of tents. And near the back, were the C-47 planes – hundreds of them.
Toye got his squad inside one of the tents, with orders to;
"clean your weapons". Before he left for the briefing.
They settled into the tent, put their bags down and brought out their rifles.
Dallin's closest friends in the squad were Lowrey, Campbell and Bloser. But she did consider Lowrey her best friend after they had shared many fond memories together. Mainly to do with animals. For whatever reason, Lowrey always managed to pick up a stray, even in Aldbourne. He had found a box of little kittens and took them to the vet clinic in town during the winter. Lowrey even found a sheep all tangled up in barbed wire and cut it free. And then there was Robert Bloser, a very energetic young man from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was Lowrey's assistant machine-gunner. The pair of them worked well together. And then, of course, Jim Campbell, the big friendly giant, Toye's good friend and assistant squad leader.
1st squad also had Joseph Jordan, Jack Miller, Sal Bellino, Ed Joint and Eugene Jackson.
Everyone got along well in the squad, they hardly ever bickered or argued. And if there was any tension, then Bellino would always sing if Toye wasn't around to take the spotlight.
They had shared a lot of memories together. Most of them involved training, while others were fond memories of listening to the radio, while they cleaned their gear. Since Toccoa, Toye and Malarkey always made sure they had a radio inside their billets. But they didn't have a radio inside their tent in Upottery.
"That's a bad fucking omen…". Jack Miller whispered, "we always have a radio".
Sighing, Bellino grumbled;
"Jack…shut the hell up, huh? We ain't superstitious inside this damn tent".
"That's right". Jackson added, "don't believe in that…never have, never will".
Campbell gave the men an easy smile;
"come on…you've never done something, hoping it'll change your luck?"
"Yeah…like turning the light switch on and off a certain amount of times". Bloser said, "in case the day doesn't go well if you don't switch it on and off three times".
A few of them pulled faces at Bloser.
"Nah…you just sound insane, Rob". Bellino said.
With a tiny smile, Dallin added;
"it sounds…very obsessive".
Bloser frowned;
"it is not…it's just…listen, I ain't loopy, alright? It's just something I do sometimes".
Jackson looked at him;
"that's why you're always the last to leave the barracks, huh?"
Clearing his throat, Bloser ducked his head and didn't answer.
Lowrey chuckled;
"poor boy…leave the fella alone now".
"We don't have radio…but Sal could sing". Dallin pointed out quietly.
And Bellino smiled and nodded;
"sure, I'll sing you all a song".
There was a pause, where the men thought of a song.
Campbell smiled at him and requested;
"We'll Meet Again".
It fitted their current situation perfectly. And while they cleaned their weapons, Bellino sang the Vera Lynch song. For some, it left them a little teary-eyed. Because they had sweethearts back in America or in England. And they thought about kissing and holding them again. Dallin hoped her friends would see their sweethearts, family and homes again.
She left the tent when Bellino finished singing.
Toye was making his way back to his squad and Dallin quickly jogged over to him, pulling their Sergeant to a stop. Staring up at him, with an intense look, she asked;
"where?"
He sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder;
"Normandy, France".
Dallin frowned. Giving her head a shake, she muttered;
"I should have…known".
"I'm sorry, Dill". Toye sounded like he truly meant it. "I'm sorry it ain't Poland".
"Me too". She whispered around the lump in her throat.
Licking his bottom lip, Toye then told her;
"it's 'gonna be huge, kid". He said, "we're all heading in together. Airborne is 'gonna land before the ships. We've got four causeways that run up from the beaches, it's our job to secure them so the fellas coming up by ship can move inland. We're dropping outside Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and securing that causeway which runs from the beach, through the town of Poupeville. Nixon and Hester have been busy, they've got a lot of sand tables, maps and photos to show you. Don't worry, you'll learn it by heart soon enough, kid".
With a nod, Dallin mumbled;
"I know the area".
Toye smiled a little;
"I fucking knew you would".
"Sainte-Marie-du-Mont is southeast from Cotentin Peninsula. Outlet of the Douve and Vire rivers. It is very good place to drop…Churchill and Roosevelt must have planned this one long ago".
"They're hoping we'll only be out there for no more than a week".
Dallin raised her eyebrow;
"in France? No…I do not think so, Joe. But we'll see".
Giving her shoulder a squeeze, Toye reminded her;
"you're 'gonna do great, kid. You all are".
With a little sigh, he then said;
"alright…meet you in the big tent in ten. I'm 'gonna brief the rest".
In just under an hour, all of Easy knew where they were dropping and what their objective was. Now that they had a name to their first jump, it all felt incredibly real. Soon, they'd be dropping into Normandy, right behind enemy lines. They studied those sand tables, which marked out every village, hedgerow, foxhole and German position surrounding the area. It was very detailed and easy to memorise for the men.
After a few hours of studying, the men left the tent for supper.
But Dallin stayed behind.
Buck stood next to her and said;
"Operation Overload…what'd you think?"
She huffed;
"very big".
He smiled tightly;
"suppose it is, huh?"
"My last mission was big but…not to this scale". She mumbled, "we only had three of us. Now, we have thousands upon thousands".
"It's nice to know we aren't going to be alone out there". Buck pointed out softly, "even if we do get lost, we're not going to be far away from another Paratrooper".
Dallin's lips twitched;
"yes…you are right".
She felt ready for the jump. Dallin had been a Paratrooper for almost five years now. It would be her second jump into combat and Dallin could still remember how she felt during that first jump into Poland. It was a strange mixture between fear, excitement and adrenaline. She could imagine the men having similar feelings.
Though some days were slower than others, their time in England felt short-lived. Dallin had lovely memories of Aldbourne, but she had her share of heartache there too, they all did. Leaving the tent, Dallin brought out her tin and rolled herself a cigarette. With the smoke between her lips, she heard someone comment;
"still smoking roll-up's, huh?"
Frowning, Dallin turned towards the voice.
And soon grinned;
"David Webster…".
Webster grinned back and closed the distance between them.
Dallin took his hand and gave it a shake.
He laughed;
"you've changed, huh?"
She nodded;
"yes…more than you know".
Webster smiled;
"strange, isn't it? We met at the beginning".
Nodding again, she mumbled;
"yes…and now we meet again, at the end".
Webster sighed;
"I guess". He said, "I've been meaning to chase you down. I knew you were still around".
"I had no idea you were in 2nd Battalion".
"HQ". Webster told her, "I was in Fox but…they transferred me to an MG".
"I'm in Easy".
He smirked;
"yeah, I know…everyone knows".
"How do you feel about drop?" Dalli asked while ending the handshake.
Webster shrugged;
"us Privates, we don't have much of a say, Dallin. But I do feel pretty confident".
She hummed;
"that's good, David". She said, "remain confident, yes? You will do great".
With a smirk, he teased;
"do you still pee with the door open?"
Dallin snorted;
"no…not anymore".
He chuckled;
"well, that's an improvement".
Smiling softly, Dallin clapped his shoulder;
"it is…very good to see you again, David".
Smiling back, Webster nodded;
"good luck out there, Dallin".
Giving his shoulder a squeeze, she told him;
"see you on other side, David".
Before they could walk off, Dallin quickly told him;
"and David?"
He turned around to face her;
"yeah?"
Smiling, she nodded and said;
"you are important…very important".
…
The Airfield got very busy on the 4th of June when they were called to get ready for the jump that night. The men had to put their emotions aside in order to get ready. They had a lot to pack and take with them. With large pockets attached to their uniforms, they could stuff their rations deep inside, or any other candy bars they'd wish to take. Inside their musette bags, they each had a rain poncho, mess kit, toothbrush, maybe half a pup tent, razor, a blanket, cigarettes and more rations, if that man was a "chowhound". The rations they did take, would last them for three days.
Then, they wore their ammunition belt. Strung on their belts, were two lines of ten clips of M1 rifle ammunition. Each clip had eight rounds, so they had eighty rounds of ammunition altogether. Also attached to that belt was an entrenching tool, one canteen full of water, a bayonet, gas mask and a small first aid kit.
They also wore suspenders, each with a metal ring, and from each ring hung a hand grenade. Strapped under their left shoulder was a holster with a .45 sidearm. They kept a trench knife down in their right boot. Next to their collar, they had a zippered pocket where they carried a switchblade. A compass was strapped on their right ankle and strapped on their other ankle was a British Hawkins mine.
On top, they wore a steel helmet. A basic steel pot with a chin strap. Their main parachute went on their back, with a reserve at the front. And around their neck was a Mae West vest. When the men were in the process of packing, the British came up with a new invention. A "leg bag". Some of the men were given a leg bag, to stow extra ammunition, radios, machine-gun tripods, medical gear, explosives – anything they might need. Dallin turned down the offer. The extra weight wouldn't do her any favours.
When the mail arrived, it gave Dallin time to process what she was about to do. The men dropped whatever they were doing to read their letters. Things seemed to freeze in time, for those short five or so minutes. For a moment, the men were reminded of home and their loved ones back in the States. And in that silence, footsteps approached Dallin. Looking up from her gear, she saw Shifty.
Rubbing her lips together, she got onto her feet.
Shifty frowned and gently took hold of her wrist;
"will you talk to me?" He asked her gently.
Dallin nodded.
And she followed him away from the men. They ended up inside a large tent, where their briefing had taken place days ago. Shifty closed the flaps, his letter remained in his hand. Dallin looked towards the letter and asked;
"family…okay?"
Blinking a few times, Shifty whispered;
"Jimmy enlisted in the Navy…he's heading for the Pacific".
"Oh". Dallin whispered, "suppose he could not wait".
Shifty shook his head and met her eyes;
"nah…he couldn't…Frankie's still too young".
"Your mama will be fine, Shifty".
He sighed;
"oh, I ain't so sure, Dallin". He mumbled, "she's only got Frankie and Sis left".
"She has…all of you". Dallin reminded him quietly, "write to her. Tell her you are okay".
He huffed and shook his head;
"I ain't okay…".
Taking in a deep breath, Dallin took a step closer to him;
"why are you scared…to say sorry?"
He searched her eyes for a moment;
"didn't think you wanted to hear that, Dallin. Truth be told, I ain't sure what you're wanting to hear".
Biting down on her bottom lip for a moment, she then whispered;
"that you will do anything…to stay safe out there".
Shifty swallowed before asking;
"you still want me safe?"
Dallin nodded.
"Then I'll tell you that". Shifty said quietly, "I'll do what it takes, I sure will. But you 'gotta do the exact same out there, Dallin. Because I sure as hell miss you…and I sure am-". His voice broke. And tears filled his eyes.
Tears filled Dallin's eyes too.
Clearing his throat, Shifty mumbled;
"I sure am sorry…is all I wanted to say". He said, "I sure as hell am sorry. I ain't smiled or laughed as hard since I did that stupid thing, Dallin. Cause it eats me up inside, picks away in my head all the time, you know. What I did…that I hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you; I hate that I caused you pain in your heart. I shouldn't be hurting your heart; I should be loving it".
When Dallin blinked, a tear rolled down her cheek.
And when he saw that tear, Shifty felt a tear escape his eye.
With a sniff, he said;
"cause I do…that is…love you, Dallin. You ain't supposed to hurt the ones you love. And I did just that. And I understand, though it pains me to say, if you don't want me 'round like we once were before I-"
But Shifty didn't finish what he had started.
Because Dallin pressed her lips against his.
Arms around his neck, she deepened the kiss.
It took Shifty a few seconds to come out of his shock and kiss her back. With his arms around her waist, he pulled her in closer, until her back was against a table. And when that table moved up and made a noise, the kiss ended. But they remained close. Staring up into his eyes, Dallin still had a few tears rolling down her cheek, while she whispered;
"I love you too, Shifty".
Shifty wiped her tears away with his thumb;
"I 'wanna marry you…so, we 'gotta get through Normandy".
A smile met her lips;
"you marry me?"
"Yeah". Shifty confirmed, "we ain't supposed to be apart from each other, Dallin. We was meant to fall in love. Why, I do declare, it was written in the stars when God created the earth".
Nodding, she told him;
"yes…I accept the offer".
Shifty chuckled quietly;
"oh, I'm 'gonna do it good and proper one day". He said, "you know, with a nice ring and all. I'll get down on one knee and everything".
Dallin kissed him on the lips again before saying;
"and I will say yes".
Moments after Shifty and Dallin left the tent, they were called for supper. It was the best supper they had ever eaten, with thick steaks, mashed potatoes, bread with butter, peas and a lot of coffee. And for dessert, they had ice cream. Dallin didn't think she'd ever manage to get on that plane, she must have put on a few pounds after eating supper. Licking her plates clean, they left and headed back to their tents, with orders to clean their mess kits and gear.
Outside, the wind was howling like a pack of wolves. And it might have been two hours before they were supposed to board the plane, that word came around that the mission was cancelled. It was too windy. The entire operation was put on hold. Some were more disappointed than others because they had everything packed and ready to go. The anticipation was horrible.
But with a scrubbed mission, they got to watch a movie inside one of the wall tents. Not that anyone was paying much attention to the film. Dallin didn't even know the name of it. Like the men, she was staring out into space, wondering if the mission would be back on the following day.
Sitting beside her and looking the most pissed off, was Guarnere. When some light from the projector hit his eyes, Dallin could see a murderous look. Frowning, she gave his arm a gentle shove until he looked at her, with that same stare. Guarnere sighed and nodded towards the exit. Taking the hint, Dallin got up and followed him outside. The wind was still fierce. Dallin assumed the jump would get cancelled again.
Without prompting him, Guarnere spat;
"Henry's dead".
Her face dropped;
"your brother…". She whispered.
Guarnere rubbed the back of his neck;
"some fucking place in Italy. Monte Cassino. You know where that is? Cause I fucking don't".
Dallin shook her head;
"I don't".
"I'm ready to kill each and every fucking Kraut I see out there". Guarnere said, as if promising Henry, "they've let a fucking killer lose".
Hand going on his arm, Dallin mumbled;
"they have let two lose, Bill".
He gave her a sharp nod;
"we're 'gonna turn those damn streets red…just like you fucking said, Dallin".
"We will". Dallin confirmed, "when they see us…they will piss their pants".
"They don't stand a fucking chance".
…
The next morning, on June the 5th, the mission was back on. The wind had died down until a standstill and the weather was perfect for a jump. Suited up, the men were soon trucked out to the airfield. When they jumped off the trucks, the men walked over to their planes and started to put on their Mae West vests, helmets, harnesses and chutes. Once they were all geared up, they sat under the wing, the weight was too heavy to stand. All they had to do, was wait until it was dark enough to board the planes. And of course, think deeply about the drop ahead of them.
It would take two planes to carry a Platoon, Dallin was lucky to be with Buck, her squad and the mortar squad. Diel would lead the other half of the Platoon on the other plane. But they still found themselves short on space. So, some of their guys had to board the HQ plane, along with Lieutenant Meehan. Jack Miller from their squad was one of them, as well as Sargent Evans.
Buck handed out airsickness tablets. Which confused them.
"Buck, I'm not taking this". Malarkey said.
"It's an order, Don". Buck told him, "take the damn pill".
With a shrug, Dallin was about to swallow it, when Toye quickly told her;
"before we get on the plane, kid. It's not dark enough yet".
Looking towards the plane beside them, Dallin spotted Carl and Skip.
Her lips twitched and she gave them both a little wave when they spotted her. Of course, they waved back. Skip had a huge grin on his face, trying to make a scary situation, brighter. And it did make Dallin smile because it was such a wide and goofy grin.
With faces set like flint, men were pushed and pulled up onto the plane. Dallin was on stick one and plopped herself between Lowrey and Malarkey. She would be glued to that seat, unable to move until that red light went on. Her gear weighed her down, Dallin hoped she'd manage to get up in time for the jump.
It was dusky inside their plane. Troopers had to shuffle to sit down. And soon enough, the plane was crowded and packed up with Paratroopers. One of the crew members closed the heavy door, with a promise to open it after take-off so the men could smoke. He moved in and out of the men's legs, heading up the body of the plane to take his seat.
"You take the pill?" Lowrey asked, just moments before the engines turned on.
Dallin nodded;
"yes".
He smiled and gave her shoulder a nudge;
"we're really doing this, huh?"
Letting out a shaky breath, Dallin nodded and mumbled;
"yes…we are really doing this, Dewitt".
When the engines roared to life, the plane moved and followed in behind the other planes. One by one, they raced down the runway and took off into the sky, leaving England behind them. No one could see the earth grow smaller. But they could see each of their eyes widen. For a moment, Dallin felt scared beyond words. When she breathed in sharply, she looked in front of her and caught Toye's eyes staring back at her.
Almost instantly, that fear left.
Because Dallin was lucky.
Just like Colonel Sink had told her from the very start, she was lucky to be placed in Easy.
And despite jumping behind enemy lines, Dallin knew she was in safe hands. Because she was with Easy Company. She would be fighting alongside the best of the best. And to her, there was no greater feeling, than having complete trust in the men she was with.