Copyright: 04/2021 _
Fan-Fiction based on TV Show Combat! Copyright Selmur Production, Inc., ABC, Image Productions etc. Disclaimer: Combat! and its characters do not belong to me, this WWII story is a piece of fan-fiction and I am not being compensated in any tangible way for this story.
Vengeance from the Sky
CHAPTER 1
Since D-day, the men of the 361st had been slugging their way through France. On September 2nd, Allied troops had finally invaded Belgium and by the 3rd they had liberated Brussels (1).
The men had been given orders to make their way south of Brussels, towards the city of Liege. Their job was to move fast so that they could capture it. The men knew that the Germans weren't going to give up so easily. It would be an all-out war for Liege.
"Geez Littlejohn, we've been marching forever, why hasn't the Sarge called a halt? Littlejohn, aren't ya listening to me? Littlejohn!"
"Billy, you're beginning to sound a lot like Kirby more and more each day. And I don't know why they're pushing us. If you need to know so badly, ask the Sarge."
When Kirby heard the comment, he pulled up next to Billy and Littlejohn. "Hey wait one damn minute! I ain't said word one about movin' fast and not takin' any time out. I'm tired of you always sayin' you're soundin' like Kirby. Just leave me out of your conversation." With that said, he dropped back to his original place in line.
"What was that all about?" whispered Billy. "He knows you're just kidding, doesn't he?"
Littlejohn felt bad about what he had said. For over a week Kirby had been keeping to himself. He hardly put two sentences together. No one seem to know what was wrong.
"I don't think it was about me kidding him, there's something else going on. Maybe Caje or Sarge can talk to him about whatever is bothering him."
Saunders raised his hand to call a halt. "Break out your K-rations, you've have ten minutes."
"Sarge can I speak to you?" murmured Littlejohn.
"What is it?"
"It's about Kirby, there's something wrong."
"Are you two fighting again? I'm not running a kindergarten here, I'm your sergeant. I don't have time for this."
"No, we're not fighting. He's been keeping to himself. He's hardly talked to any of us in days. I was joking with Billy, telling him he's getting to sound like Kirby. Kirby's always had a comeback for me but not this time. He came unhinged over the joke. I thought maybe you could talk to him and find out what was bothering him."
"Look Littlejohn, if he wants to talk, he'll find me. I'm not butting in."
Saunders sat down and tore open his box of K-rations. He took out the P-38 (2) and opened the can of processed American cheese. He then removed the four Chesterfields and placed them in his cigarette pack. How he disliked the taste of those cigarettes but he figured Chesterfields were better than no cigarettes at all. Saunders looked down at his unappetizing meal and commenced eating.
"Sarge, what's so important about Liege?"
When it came to Nelson, Saunders sometimes felt like he was his big brother. Saunders took a deep breath and began his explanation.
"Well Billy, if we can capture the city, we'll be able to cross the Meuse River. From there we can advance towards the German border near a town called Aachen. And just maybe we can end the war a little sooner."
CHAPTER 2
As King Company entered the outskirts of Liege, Lt. Hanley saw a girl rushing towards him. The girl hoped he spoke French.
"La laine," she stated.
The lieutenant shook his head. "No Français. Caje, I need you up front, NOW!" yelled Hanley.
Caje ran to the front and nodded to the girl. "Je parle Français. [I speak French.]"
The girl repeated "La laine [wool (3)]."
"What did she say Caje?"
"She said wool, sir."
He shook his head and smiled. "Tell her rabbit (3)."
When Caje heard the lieutenant's reply, he knew it was a sign/countersign.
"Lapin," said Caje.
The girl had been so nervous that she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Lieutenant, je m'appelle Marguerite Pivoteau (4). Je suis avec le Front de l'Indépendance (5)."
"Lieutenant, she says her name is Marguerite Pivoteau and she is with the Independence Front."
"Veuillez dire à votre lieutenant que les Allemands préparaient une position défensive le long de la Meuse."
"She said to tell you that the Germans were preparing a defensive position along the Meuse River."
"Je dois y aller maintenant. Au revoir. [I have to go now. Good bye.]"
Caje smiled at her "Bonne chance petit. [Good luck little one.]"
Hanley rubbed his forehead. "Brockmeyer get me Captain Jampel, I got to report what the little girl just told me. I can't believe how young she was."
Hanley reported what he had been told.
All the companies were told to stay where they were until a plan could be hatched.
After what seemed like an eternity, Captain Jampel began calling his lieutenants. He explained to their colonel's plan.
CHAPTER 3
Hanley walked over to his platoon. He looked at the forty-four men he was responsible for and cringed inside. He cleared his throat as he launched into his speech.
"Men, there are going to be eight companies making the assault on Liege. Charlie, Item, King and Love will be making a head-on assault into the city. The other four companies will be making a flanking maneuver around the south of Liege. We will wait here until they have made it to their designated area. Does anyone have any questions?"
He hoped Kirby would have said something to lighten the mood but he said nothing. His silence spoke volumes. There was something bothering him and they all would have to wait until he decided to talk about it.
As the sun began to set, Able, Baker, Dog and Fox reached their position on the southeast side of the city. It truly took the Germans by surprise. The fighting was sporadic. The Germans were thinly spread out.
Once King Company heard that the other men were in position, they began their entrance into the Liege.
As the squad came down the main road they noticed that each building was built next to the other. There wasn't anywhere to hide. The men knew that the Germans would be ready for them. They felt like they were going to be easy pickings.
The squad scattered about as the Germans opened fire on them. Saunders began to lead his men to the first building they came upon.
"Caje, you, Billy and Hawkins check out the building, be careful."
As the men entered the building, the others stood in doorways trying not to be shot as they watched for movement from other areas.
The three men entered the building and began to quietly climb the stairs. Billy and Hawkins checked out the ground floor rooms and found them completely empty. It looked like the Germans had stripped each room of all their contents. As Caje made his way to the second floor, he heard people talking. When Billy and Hawkins caught up with Caje, they too could hear someone speaking. As they grew closer, the men knew it was Germans. Hawkins turned the doorknob and flung the door open wide. The Germans were taken by surprise as Caje and Billy fired into the room. The men were dead before they could fire a shot.
The companies were spread out. They were now firing at will. The Germans were everywhere, they weren't going to give up easily.
Hawkins made his way down the street when a shot rang out. He scrambled into a doorway. 'Damn this hurts,' he thought. Out of nowhere he saw Doc running towards him. "Doc stay back!"w
The squad was firing trying give Doc some coverage. Shots were flying as Doc continued zig-zagging from house to house. He finally made it to the doorway where Hawkins was standing.
"Doc, have you got a death wish or somethin'?"
Doc ignored him and began examining the wound. "Not too bad, it went straight through." He ripped open the sulfa and liberally sprinkled it over his wound. He wrapped a bandage around his arm.
"Thanks Doc, I appreciate it but will you be more careful. We kinda like havin' you around."
The Germans were firing anti-tank guns from the outskirts of the city in order to keep the Americans at bay.
The men would run after each explosion. Finally the tank guns became quiet.
"Hey, yelled Littlejohn, someone must have captured the guns."
As the squad got closer into the center of the city, they were stopped cold as they looked down upon a very long stairway (6).
"Sarge, ya know how the church is always talkin' about the stairway to heaven? Well, I think we're goin' in the opposite direction, if ya get my drift," scoffed Kirby.
'At least he was sounding more like himself,' thought Saunders.
"This time I think you might be right, Kirby. I'll be damned, uh, bad choice of words, if I know how we're going to get down all these stairs without getting shot at. Caje, check to see if there is another way down from here."
Caje took off searching for an alternative route. Within a few minutes he returned with a smile on his face. "Sergeant, if we backtrack, I found a road that I believe will takes us down into the city. It's less than a quarter of a mile from here and there are plenty of doorways to hide in."
Saunders looked relieved. He really didn't want to try the stairs. He knew the Germans were probably in the buildings just waiting for them. He then looked at his watch and up at the sky. "In a few more minutes it will be completely dark out here. We'll follow Caje. Be quiet and don't lose track of each other.
The men found the little cobblestone street and began their descent into the center of the city. As they got closer, they could hear gunfire coming from the second floor a very large structure. The Germans were firing down on the men and hitting anyone they were aiming at.
"The dang thing looks like some kind of castle. Look at how thick those walls are," remarked Hawkins.
The squad looked at the wounded men and entered the fray with two hundred other men firing at the building. It was built like a fortress; rifles and machine guns weren't making a dent.
"We need something heavy. Mortars would work," screamed Caje.
"How about a bazooka?"
"Where did you find it, Sarge?" asked Billy
Saunders nodded in the direction of two men lying on the ground.
"I need a gunner; Kirby!"
"Yea, I know, Sarge. Caje you can be my loader. We're too close, we need to go back up that road a bit."
Caje and Kirby were hugging the walls and doorways of buildings as they made their way back up the road.
When the made it to higher ground, Caje loaded the bazooka. He tapped Kirby on his helmet. It was so dark that Kirby could only estimate how high he should aim in order not to hit anyone below. He pulled the trigger and prayed it would hit the building. They heard an explosion but the gunfire continued.
Caje loaded another rocket and Kirby fired again. After the second explosion, Kirby and Caje waited to hear more gunfire. The only thing they heard was silence. All of a sudden there were loud whoops and hollers.
"I think you did considerable damage, Kirby."
"Yea. I wish I could have inflicted some damage when we were in Avignon."
"Avignon?" whispered Caje.
"Come on, let's get back," uttered Kirby.
They ran back down and saw their guys ushering the krauts out of the building. They also saw all the devastation the Germans had caused. The medics were overwhelmed by the number of wounded men.
"How many did we lose Doc?"
"Lieutenant, too many to count sir but there were only three in your platoon who were wounded. We're bandaging them as fast as we can and sending them to Battalion Aid.
"Lt. Hanley, you're wanted on the horn. It's the Captain."
Hanley listened carefully to the captain. As he finished his conversation, Hanley swiped his hand across his face. Well, he thought at least when they are done, they'll get a bit of a rest.
He found his platoon sitting together on the steps of the massive building.
"Before anyone asks, no we are not leaving tomorrow. We are staying behind to provide protection for the engineers. They are going to construct a bridge across the Meuse under the cover of darkness. So we know once they begin, the krauts might start taking potshots at our guys. Rest up tonight and tomorrow. You probably can find a place to bivouac around here. The whole platoon goes on duty at 2100 hours tomorrow."
"Lieutenant, what about this place? It's definitely big enough for everyone."
Hanley took a couple steps back to get a better view.
"What is this place anyway?"
"Lieutenant, it's called the Palais des Princes-Evêques or the Palace of the Prince-Bishops. I've been talking to some of the people around here and they said the Germans were using it to house some of their men and as a CP."
"Thanks for the info Caje. I guess if it was good enough for them."
All right, let's all go inside and get something to eat and get a good night's rest.
CHAPTER 4
Once the fighting was over, Kirby became sullen again. He sat away from the others, hoping they would leave him alone.
"Doc something is really eating at Kirby. He mentioned Avignon; he wished he had done more. I think I'm too close, maybe he'd talk to you. When I was rummaging around, I found several bottles of wine. I thought it might loosen his tongue."
Doc took the bottle and nonchalantly strolled over to Kirby.
"Hey Kirby, Caje found some wine and he's sharing it with the squad. Here have some, it's pretty good stuff."
Kirby grasped the proffered wine and took a long swig. Doc sat nearby giving Kirby some breathing space. He handed the bottle back to Doc. Doc took a drink and returned it.
"You did a great job with that bazooka today. A lot more men would have been wounded or worse."
"Yea, thanks."
"Kirby will you tell me what is wrong? You seem upset, tell me. You might feel better talking about it."
Kirby felt so alone, he needed to tell someone. 'Doc might be right,' thought Kirby.
"I got this letter from my sister, Ruthie and she wrote some stuff and I just can't understand why she waited so long to tell me."
"What kind of stuff?"
"After all this time, she's blamin' me for Eddie's death. She wanted to know why we didn't get there sooner. After he died, I wrote her. I couldn't tell her that he was beaten to death, I just said that he died from his wounds. I had told her that we did everything we could, ya know, including capturing Bruener. I don't know what to do. I can't tell her the truth, it would kill her."
Doc moved closer and put his hand on Kirby's shoulder.
'Will you let me see the letter?"
Kirby pulled it out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Doc. He removed the letter from the envelope and began reading it. Doc couldn't believe Kirby's sister would blame him after all this time. She must have held all this anguish in until it had to come out. You have to blame someone, he thought and she took it out on her brother. He was about to hand it back, when he noticed something. Doc's eyes softened and he smiled a little.
"Kirby, when did you get this letter?"
"Over a week ago. That's why I couldn't figure it out. She's written me dozens of time since then. She even said she was sorry because she knew Eddie and me were best friends."
"She was probably sayin' she was sorry for blamin' you. Take a look at the post mark."
Kirby looked and saw the date on the envelope. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"She wrote this letter right after I wrote her about Eddie, that was months ago. She was hurtin' and lashed out at me, that's all."
Kirby felt happier than he had in days. Kirby took a couple more swallows of the wine and smiled.
"Ya know Doc, this wine ain't half bad."
"I'm glad you think so, because I gotta go share it with the others."
"Gee Doc, I shoulda waited a little longer before I told ya that, I coulda drank a little more," laughed Kirby.
Doc again touched Kirby's shoulder as he started to stand. I'll see you later."
"Thanks Doc, for everything."
"All I did was look at the post mark."
Caje and the rest of the squad heard Kirby laugh and they knew that their BAR man would be all right.
CHAPTER 5
Saunders rose early and walked outside to greet the morning. The air was fresh and clean. There wasn't the smell of death or the odor of gunpowder. Hanley walked quietly out of the building. He took a deep breath which startled Saunders.
'Oh hi Lieutenant. I didn't see you there."
"I like to get up a little early and enjoy the peace before all hell breaks loose," chuckled Hanley.
"Do you think there will be more than snipers at the river?"
"Maybe but that is why we are going to be there. We need to them keep safe."
The men spent the day taking showers, shaving and mending their clothes. It was nice having the day off even if it meant not leaving the area.
At 2000 hours, K Company headed out for the specified area. The men quietly positioned themselves on a bluff overlooking the river.
The engineers worked diligently building a Bailey bridge (7) at the narrowest part of the river. When the men got halfway across, shots resonated from the opposite shore.
Saunders saw the flashes. "They're to our left. Pour it on!" he yelled.
The platoon and some of the combat engineers launched into one hell of a firefight.
The Germans were determined not to let the Americans cross the river. They were trying to blow up the bridge but hadn't zeroed in.
Caje had found several Panzerfausts at the castle and had given them out to squad.
"Sargent, do you think it would be an appropriate measure if we used these?" hollered Caje over the tumultuous uproar.
Saunders shook his head. "Let em' fly," he shouted.
The men took turns firing their newly acquired weapon.
After them had fired the Panzerfausts, it became deathly still.
"Is everybody alright?" asked Doc.
"Yea Doc," the men all answered from 1st squad.
"Okay, I'm gonna go see if the other squads need my help."
Doc went from one squad to the next helping out the wounded men.
"Do ya think they'll be back Sarge?"
"I don't think so. The Germans know we're not going to give up building that bridge. Once we get across the Meuse, it's a hop, skip and a jump into Aachen. They need to regroup."
Saunders was right, the engineers finished the bridge by 0600 hours the next day without another fight.
A long line of tanks, jeeps and trucks loaded with soldiers, were waiting to move across the bridge as soon as it was completed.
The men headed back for a good long rest. Hanley waited until his platoon was lying in their bedrolls.
"I just want to make a small announcement. For the excellent job of keeping the krauts at bay, you've got a 48 hour pass. Take advantage of whatever is here."
CHAPTER 6
Kirby awoke to the sounds of trucks. 'How many soldiers are they sending across the river,' he wondered.
He walked out the door and saw a huge medical transport passing by. Kirby ran and jumped on the running board of a truck.
"Hey who are you guys?"
The driver stared at Kirby as if he had two heads.
"Are you nuts or somethin'?"
"I'm not nuts, I just wanna know who you are? Look, if you must know, I have a real close friend who's with the 93rd Evac."
"Fella, it's your lucky day, we're the 93rd. And if you're lookin' for a close friend of the female persuasion, you'll find her in the third truck from the last."
"Thanks Mac."
"Good luck."
Kirby jumped off the running board and ran towards the end of the convoy. As he saw the truck. he grabbed the tailgate and hoisted himself into the back of the truck.
"Soldier, are you nuts?"
"I just got asked that question a few minutes ago. At least I'm consistent," laughed Kirby.
Laura had been dozing but as soon as she heard his voice, she stood up off the bench only to be knocked back down when the truck hit a large hole in the road.
"Kirby? Are you nuts?"
The nurses launched into hysterical laughter.
Laura looked completely confused.
"WHAT?"
Kirby slowly made his way towards Laura.
"Apparently, a lot of people think I'm nuts today, including you."
"Sweetheart, if Saunders finds out that you left without permission, he'll have your head on a platter."
"It's okay, I've got a 48 hour pass. As long as we don't leave the city."
"Oh boy! We're not staying in the city. Somebody tell the driver to pull over, tell him I'm sick."
One of the nurses pounded on the cab and yelled for the truck to stop. The truck came to an abrupt halt as well as the two trucks behind.
"Oh Shoot, hide him Laura. Captain Prentiss is coming this way."
"Lt. Jenkins, there's no use in hiding him. I saw Kirby get on the truck. You've got five minutes to say your hellos and goodbyes."
"Thanks Dave."
"You really got a 48 hour pass?"
"Yep. Do you think you can get a pass?"
"I know it won't be today but maybe tomorrow. I'll try. Where are you staying?"
"At that old castle back there; it's really a palace, don't remember the name."
"You've got two minutes!" yelled the captain.
Laura knew the nurses were watching them.
"Could you all close your eyes for a minute?" pleaded Laura.
The women lowered their heads and closed their eyes.
Kirby drew Laura to him and kissed her gently. As their lips parted, he whispered. "If you believe only one thing, believe that I will always love you. I better go now."
He hopped out of the truck and saluted the captain. Captain Prentiss retuned the salute.
"Thanks Captain."
He couldn't help smiling at the private.
"Kirby get the hell outta here before you get us all in trouble."
Laura finally came to her senses. "I forgot to tell him," she yelled at no one in particular.
"You'll tell him tomorrow, said her friend, Marilynn."
She pulled out her dog tags and smiled brightly as she looked down at the ring that was also attached. Kirby had asked her to marry him the last time they saw each other.
Kirby watched as the trucks started up again and rolled away.
Kirby ran back to the palace. He felt like had flown.
The Germans had left a lot of food and the platoon was eating it like there wasn't a tomorrow.
"Hey Kirby, come join the feast," shouted Caje.
"Yea, okay but guess who I just saw?"
"Gen. Eisenhower."
"Oh I know," said Littlejohn. "Gen. Bradley, I'm right, aren't I?
"No! Be serious, guys."
"Well who was it?"
Kirby's grin couldn't get any bigger.
"Laura, I saw Laura. The 93rd Evac rolled through. They're lookin' for a place to set up the hospital outside the city. She's gonna see if she can get pass for tomorrow."
"I can't wait to meet this Laura. I still don't believe she's real, she's too good to be true," said Littlejohn.
"She's real, just wait and see."
After the squad had eaten and cleaned up, they decided to check out the little city.
There was very little damage to Liege. It was a welcome change from the rubble they had known through most of the towns in France.
The men eventually ended up at a little café. They ate and drank and were having a nice time. The squad didn't have to think about the war for a little while.
Kirby was so happy, he was feeling no pain. Caje and Doc had to pick him up off the floor of the little café after he stumbled and fell.
As the squad dragged him back to the palace, Kirby was more like himself, drunk, wisecracking and funny.
"Ya know Doc, Laura's really, really beau-tee-ful and I love her an' shhhe loves me," Kirby slurred."
"I think we'd all like to meet her."
"Yea, sure. Shhh, but ya gotta keep our bein' together a secret, okay?"
"So she's really your girl?" said Littlejohn.
"How did YOU find out?"
The guys shook their heads.
"You just told us."
"Oh yea, I forgot."
"Let's get you back so you can sleep it off."
CHAPTER 7
The medical transport arrived in the town of Fayembois, five miles outside of Liege. They finally found a place full of apple trees called verger de Fayenbois [Fayenbois orchard]. Col. McDaniel had been looking for suitable ground for the men to pitch the tents. They needed to hurry. Each tent took ninety minutes to setup and they knew wounded men would be coming in soon. They had heard that the fighting was fierce as the Allies tried to push the remainder of the German Army back over the border.
The staff needed to get set up as quickly as possible. Laura was hesitant in asking for a pass but she figured the Colonel owed her more favors than either of them could count. She found Col. McDaniel supervising the last of the tents.
"Sir, I know we are busy but I was wondering if I could have some time off tomorrow. Um, Pvt. Kirby is in Liege and I wanted to tell him the news in person."
"You seldom ask for a pass, so go ahead. I can do without one of my best nurses for 12 hours. That should be enough time to tell him."
She gave the colonel a smile and nodded. "That's plenty of time. Thank you sir."
Laura ran back to the Pre-op tent. The men and women could probably put up the tent hospital with their eyes closed. Everyone knew their jobs well, they had been doing it since D-day + 1 (8).
It was 0300 when the last ward had been set up. Laura and Marilyn walked to their tent and collapsed on their cots.
"I'll take a shower tomorrow morning," yawned Laura.
It is tomorrow morning, so you better get at it" giggled Marilyn.
"Oh gosh, I've got to look good for Bill, got to tell him."
"Laura, you were saying?"
Nothing more was said, both women had fallen asleep.
At 0730 Laura drug herself out of bed. She got out her dress uniform and hoped it would be alright. She grabbed her soap and towel and headed for the showers. The water felt good, it helped her come alive.
She put on some lipstick, fixed her hair, got dressed and found a little bottle of perfume. She dabbed it on her wrists and behind her ears. Laura picked up her hand mirror and inspected the results. "Well, I'm definitely not Jane Russell but I'll do," smiled Laura. She placed an envelope into her handbag and made sure it was securely closed.
Laura practically ran to the HQ to pick up her pass and requisition a jeep.
'Oh boy, Bill Kirby, are you in for a surprise,' she thought.
She drove back to the palace at break-neck speed. She walked up to the door and knocked loudly. She smiled and nodded as she recognized the blonde sergeant from Kirby's description.
"Hello Sgt. Saunders, I am Lt. Jenkins. I'm here to see Kirby."
"Please come in Lieutenant. Here, please have a seat. Kirby will be with you shortly."
He couldn't believe how he sounded to himself. 'Man he thought, have you forgotten how to talk to a woman? You sounded like a damn butler!'
Kirby was dressed and shaved, thanks to the help of Caje and Doc but he was still feeling a bit hungover.
"Kirby, Lt. Jenkins is waiting for you. Pull yourself together!"
"Yea okay, Sarge, I'm mostly pulled together. I just have a few frayed edges."
He swallowed two more aspirins with the last of his coffee. He stood up straight, smiled and walked into the entrance hall where Laura was waiting.
She heard his steps before she saw him. Laura instinctively stood up and ran across the room to the man she loved.
"Hi!" she said breathlessly.
'She always looks so happy to see me,' he mused.
Kirby encircled her waist and smiled.
"God, how I've missed you," she murmured in his ear.
He couldn't wait any longer. Kirby crushed his lips to hers. Little burning embers started a blaze inside of Laura. The spell was broken however, as she opened her eyes and noticed men were peeking around the doorway. Laura began to giggle.
"What's so funny?"
"We've become the center of attention."
Kirby looked around and saw nothing.
"What are you talkin' about?" he demanded.
"There were a bunch of guys watching us."
"What!?"
"Oh calm down. Don't even say you've never looked at a man kissing a girl before."
"That's different,"
"Why is it different?"
"Because it's me and you."
Laura broke away from Kirby smiling the whole time. "Come on." She took ahold of his hand and pulled him in the direction of the men who were watching them.
"There's a lot of guys in there!"
"So introduce me."
"As what? An old friend?"
"Kirby, when was the last time you kissed an old friend like that? Just tell them I'm your fiancé."
"I can't do that, we'll be in so much trouble, the whole U.S. Army will be after us."
"I've got a big surprise for you."
Kirby was almost afraid to ask but he had to know. "What kind of surprise?"
Laura removed the letter from her purse and handed it to Kirby. "Here, read this."
Kirby unfolded the letter and read and then read it a second time.
"They said yes! I can't believe it. You said the Army had loosened their rules of officers marrying noncoms, I figured it was a lost cause. But there it is in black and white, they finally granted our request to get hitched."
He picked her up and carried her through the door.
"I believe the custom is to carry me over the threshold on our honeymoon."
Kirby winked at her. "Just practicin' for later, he whispered suggestively."
Laura's face was beet red as he put her down.
"Guys, this is Lt. Jenkins, I mean Laura and she an' me are gettin' married."
"Kirby what are you saying?"
"It's okay Sarge, we went through the proper channels and the Army approved it. This has got to be the best day I have ever had since I got here!"
The platoon and especially the squad found it hard to believe that Kirby's skirt chasing days had come to an end.
Caje shook Kirby's hand and then kissed Laura on both cheeks. Saunders and the rest of the squad congratulated Kirby and gave their best wishes to Laura.
Laura pulled out her dog tags and removed the ring and handed it to Kirby.
"Here, this time it's for keeps."
He took her hand and slid the ring on her finger. There was pure joy as they looked at one another.
"How long have you got?"
"I've have a 12 hour pass but I've got a jeep and I need to leave no later than 0630. It gets dark on that road."
Hanley had been listening to the conversation.
"First I want to wish you both all the best. I also have an idea if Sgt. Saunders and the squad will agree. Kirby you drive the lieutenant and some of you can follow in my jeep and Kirby will have a ride back."
"Sounds good. Kirby make sure you're back here no later than 0615."
"Thanks Lieutenant, thanks Sarge. I'll be here."
"Thank you both and I will make sure we are on time," responded Laura.
Kirby placed his hand on her back as he hustled her out the door.
"We ain't got much time to see the sights around here. Maybe we'll try climbin' all those stairs."
Laura looked at him suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"
As the door closed she was heard to say "How many stairs!?"
Laura and Kirby visited a few spots but all they wanted, was to be alone. Kirby drove up to the long staircase. "You wanna try this," smiled Kirby.
"No thank you," laughed Laura.
"In that case, we'll drive up there."
Once they got up to the top, Laura looked down. "There's no way I could've climbed all the way up here. You'd have had to drag me most of the way."
Kirby saw something. "I wonder what that is?" he said, as he pointed at what looked like an old stone fortress. "Come on let's go see."
They spent most of the afternoon exploring the old fortress.
Laura looked at her watch, 'where had the time gone?' she thought.
"Sweetheart, we gotta get back," she said sadly.
They drove back in silence; each one thinking that they wouldn't be seeing each other for some time.
They walked inside.
"Hi Sarge, we're back."
"Thank you Lieutenant."
"Hey!" laughed Kirby.
"You're welcome but please call me Laura."
"Littlejohn, requisition a radio and meet us outside."
Littlejohn, Doc and I are going to follow you in the jeep. Caje is going with you, just in case."
"You think there might be snipers out there, don't you Sergeant?" Laura said anxiously.
"You can't be too careful."
Saunders pulled out a map. "Can you show me where your evac is located?"
Laura traced the map with her finger. "We're five miles west of the city, in the town of Fayembois. We're right in the middle of an apple orchard."
The men and Laura got into the jeeps and headed west.
CHAPTER 8
The jeeps were a mile away from the hospital when they heard a huge explosion in the woods.
Kirby stopped the jeep.
"What was that?" screamed Laura.
They heard a put-put-put sound, silence and then another explosion.
"Kirby, gun it, those are V-1 rockets!" cried Saunders.
The two jeeps were moving as fast as they could.
They made it to the hospital in no time flat.
Laura stood up in the jeep to see if the hospital was alright. She was relieved to see that everything was in order. Then she noticed the triage area. There were so many soldiers lying on the ground.
All the happiness of the day was forgotten in the blink of an eye.
"Can we help?" said Saunders.
"Yes, come with me."
They ran over to triage.
"Dave, they want to help. This is Sgt. Saunders, Littlejohn, their medic Doc and you know Kirby."
"Guys, this is Captain Prentiss."
Laura's teary eyes belied the smile on her face as she touched Kirby's cheek. "I've gotta go, find me if you can before you leave."
She ran off towards a tent marked Pre-op above its entrance.
"Captain, like Lieutenant Jenkins said, we want to help but I must report in to my CO and let him know what's going on. Littlejohn give me the radio."
"Checkmate King Two, this is White Rook over." Saunders repeated the call signs.
He heard the usual crackling sounds. "This is Checkmate King Two over."
"The 93rd has been overrun with wounded. We want to stay and help, over."
"We were given orders to leave here, will rendezvous with you at 0800. Do you copy?"
"Roger that."
"Checkmate King Two, out."
"Captain, you got us until 0800. Now tell us what we can do."
"Doc go inside Pre-op and give them a hand. The rest of you, come with me. I need to make a determination of who goes first. If you are in really bad shape, you go first. I need you to help move them.
The men helped move the wounded to the appropriate areas.
All night long the V-1 rockets flew overhead (9). Each time the wounded held their breath until it passed them by.
The medical staff didn't have time to hold their breath, they just kept working.
At 0600, citizens and more soldiers were pouring in and the sun wasn't even up yet.
Laura and Doc walked over to the mess tent for coffee. They saw Kirby holding onto a cup with his head resting on a table. Littlejohn and Caje were also resting. Saunders had an unlit cigarette between his lips. His eyes were also closed.
"I think the captain wore them out."
"Dave said they were great. He didn't have enough help. Dave would've still been working on the ones from last night. Now we get to do this all over again."
The men began to stir when they heard Doc and Laura talking.
"Did I hear you right, there are more wounded out there?" yawned Littlejohn.
"As soon as I finish this cup of coffee, I've got to get back."
"How about skippin' the coffee and we'll find a place to make out?"
"As tempting as that sounds, I don't have time. But I do have time for this; I need you to stand up."
Kirby stood up. Laura wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Kiss me."
"What?"
"Bill, do you know how much I want your lips right now?" she sighed.
He leaned down and kissed her hard and long. Laura was glad they were holding on to each other. She felt dizzy.
As they parted, she heard him softly say, "As much as I wanted yours."
They didn't even notice everyone in the tent was watching.
"Thank you all for your help. We all appreciated it. I've got to go now."
"I'll walk you back."
"Caje, you don't think they're gonna do that all over again?"
"I believe they will Littlejohn. You know, I think Kirby has some French blood in him somewhere."
CHAPTER 9
Kirby walked back into the mess tent. "Sarge, I was thinkin' we still have about an hour and half, maybe we could help out a little more?"
As Kirby sat down, a huge explosion rocked their tent. "Oh God no, Laura," yelled Kirby.
He sprang from his chair and ran out of the tent with the rest of the men at his heels.
The bomb had destroyed some of the orchard. The Pre-op tent had collapsed.
They could hear screams coming from under the tent.
Everyone stood motionless at first. Soldiers began trying to crawl under the tent but they weren't making any headway.
Saunders sized up the problem. "We've got to cut away the tent. Get out your bayonets. We'll start at the front. You five start at the back, five more on each side. Just be careful. We'll pull them out as we go."
As they cut, they'd pull out the patients and the medical staff. Some had already perished by the time the soldiers had reached them. Kirby kept cutting the tarp. He felt like he wouldn't find Laura alive.
Each time a soldier brought someone out, Kirby would stop to look, hoping it was Laura.
"I hate this damn stinkin' war, it kills everyone you love!"
"Take it easy Kirby, we'll find her."
The tent was completely removed and they could now search freely.
"Kirby, over here. I found her, yelled Littlejohn."
He picked her up and gently placed her down next to the other people who had been injured in the explosion.
Kirby knelt down next to her expecting the worst. "Laura, please open your eyes. I can't do this again."
Laura opened her eyes. She saw the anguish in Kirby's eyes. "I'm okay, the blast knocked me into a table. Kirby let out his breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. Laura tried to sit up, everything began to spin and she laid back down.
Doc knelt down next to Kirby and began bandaging her forehead.
"Am I bleeding, Doc?"
"Yea, just a little and I you may have a concussion. Stay with her Kirby, I'll find a doctor."
Kirby held her hand as she laid on the ground. "Bill don't look at me like that."
"I thought I lost you."
She squeezed his hand. "It's going to take more than an ole V-1 bomb to get you out of marrying me."
Captain Prentiss started to examine Laura. "You need to look at the others, I'm okay, probably a small concussion."
"Lieutenant, who's the doctor, here me or you?"
"Well, if you're going to get technical about it. By the way, my back is killing me. I hit a table when I was blown back."
He finished his examination and called for an orderly. "Take her to Ward 3, I believe Lt. North is on duty. Tell her to check on Lt. Jenkins every hour. I'll look in on you when I'm done here. If there are any changes, have someone come and get me."
"Yes sir."
"Could I go with her, Sir?"
"Sure, Kirby."
"I'll be right back Sarge, I just want to say goodbye."
"The Lieutenant will be here soon, you've have ten minutes."
Lt. North saw them as they entered the tent.
"Put her here, so I can keep an eye on her."
She then put a screen around Laura. "I'll be right back, I need to talk to the orderly. And you two can have a few minutes alone."
"I really don't want to leave you with all these damn V-1's flying overhead."
"I'll be fine, Bill. Heck, I've been worried about you ever since you landed in France. But we both have a job to do and we have to get on with it. This war can't last much longer. And when it's over, we'll have the rest of our lives to be together."
Kirby kissed her forehead. "When did you get so tough?"
"There's this guy I know, and he's a BAR man with one of the toughest squads around. And I love him so much."
"I love you too. I gotta go now."
"Bill…."
"I know, I'll be careful."
Kirby passed by Lt. North. "Take care of her for me."
"I will, she'll be fine."
Kirby wiped his eyes, straightened up and took deep breath. As he walked towards his squad, he heard Laura's voice. 'When its over, we'll have the rest of our lives to be together.'
THE END
1 On September 3, 1944 the Welsh Guards liberated Brussels.
2 A P-38 was a can opener that was developed in 1942 and was used up through the 1980's.
3 During Operation Overlord, there were 4 sets sign and countersigns. On June 6th the challenge was "flash" and the reply was "thunder." It changed June 7th through June 9th to "thirsty" and "victory." Then again the 10th through the 12th to "weapon" and "throat," followed by "wool" and "rabbit" the 13th through the 15th. I used the last set of challenges.
4 The name Marguerite Pivoteau belongs to my 3rd great-grandmother who was born in Saint Martinville, Louisiana in 1802.
5 There were many resistance groups in Belgium. One of the better known groups was Front de l'Indépendance (Independence Front). The 'Front de l'Indépendence' was given the task of coordinating civil resistance. All resistance movements in Belgium were concerned with civil resistance, intelligence gathering, sabotage and helping POW's to escape.
6 The long stairway is called the Montagne de Bueren (Bueren Mountain). It has 374 steps and is named after Vincent de Bueren, who defended Liege against an attack by the Duke of Burgundy, better known as Charles the Bold in the 15th century. The staircase was built in 1881 to honor the 600 soldiers who died in the battle.
7 A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. It requires no special tools or heavy equipment to assemble. The wood and steel elements are small and light enough to be carried on trucks and lifted in place by hand.
8 The 13th Field Hospital was actually the first field hospital to land on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasions. They landed on June 7, 1944 or D-day + 1.
9 Beginning in Oct., 1944, the V-1 or Vengeance weapon rockets were bound for Antwerp and England. However, they began to fall on and around Liege. At times they fell sporadically, others were like clockwork. They'd fly over every fifteen minutes. The people would hear them approaching but they had no way of knowing where the bombs would land. A rocket did hit an evacuation hospital killing many wounded soldiers and medical staff on Nov. 1, 1944. The rockets continued through Jan., 1945. Liege and the surrounding areas became known as "Buzz Bomb Alley."