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After little to no sleep, the men were roused early the next morning. The sight of six Cromwell tanks greeted Easy Company. And the British drinking tea atop their tanks waved and wished them a good morning. It was eight miles to Helmond. According to the Dutch Underground, it served as a major staging area for the Germans and Regiment wanted Easy Company to find out. If the Dutch resistance said it was a staging area, then chances are – it was. Nelly didn't think the need to find out was important – pushing the Germans back was probably the key objective. Nelly had a strange feeling about Helmond, but she blamed the eery morning – it was foggy and cold. They climbed atop the tanks at 0700 hours. And quickly, they set off for Helmond.
"We're going to hell". Babe joked to Nelly.
She hummed, acknowledging his joke.
"Come on...". Babe rolled his eyes with a grin. "I'm funny".
"Heffron, at best – you're mediocre". Toye smirked.
Babe chuckled. "Come on, Sarge...I made you laugh – remember? Back in Aldbourne?"
"I don't". Toye said, "Was it a joke?"
"Play with words". Babe said, "Like Helmond. Hell – 'ya know?"
"We know". Hughes mumbled.
Jackson grinned at Babe. "We're just not laughing".
Scratching the back of his neck, Babe asked Toye, "Hey – what's up with Bill?"
Toye shrugged. "Nothing". He said, "That's just his face most days, Heffron".
Hughes frowned. "He didn't lose another brother, did he?"
Nelly looked at Hughes. "What?"
"You didn't know?"
Nelly shook her head.
Hughes raised an eyebrow. "Jesus, Nelly...Bill lost Henry the night before D-Day".
"Shit...". She whispered.
"That's why he went all crazy". Hughes explained. "That's how he got the name – "
"Wild Bill". Nelly finished quietly.
"Speaking of nicknames and all...". Ed Joint said, "How come you call Nelly 'Bricks', Babe?"
A knowing smile reached Babe's lips. "I can't tell 'ya – that secret will follow me to the grave".
Nelly wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but things felt tense between herself and some of the men. if there was tension, it had to do with what she did in Eindhoven yesterday. Many had witnessed Nelly punch that Dutch woman. She could have explained why but more questions would be asked, and Nelly didn't want to sit and explain Mauthausen. There was too much going on. And it was a harrowing story to tell and probably hard to hear. So, Nelly let the men think whatever they might have thought of her now.
"I told you...". Leonard said to Sheehy and Heffron. "She's just like her cousin".
"That's enough". Toye sent Leonard a small glare.
"I'm just telling the truth". Leonard defended. "Murray is unstable, Joe".
"Let me be the judge of that, huh?" Toye said tersely.
"I don't know why you waste your breath protecting her, Joe". Leonard said, "She's only 'gonna get you hurt next".
With a tiny grimace, Ed Joint shifted an inch or so away from Nelly. "She ain't getting me hurt".
The cookie Malarkey gave her earlier crumbled in her hand when Nelly gripped it tightly. Her eyes looked over at Leonard. And he smiled. A smug smile. As if telling her, "I told you so". And he might have been right. The dark cloud was back again, looming above Nelly's head, clouding any positive thought she had toward her own self-worth – shelf belonging. It cast its darkness over strips of light – those light moments of happiness – they were gone. Leonard knew it was getting to Nelly – that his words stuck inside her head and taunted her to no end. That's why he looked so smug.
Eyes leaving Leonard, Nelly wiped the sticky cookie crumbs against her trousers. They were lead tank – there was nothing but flat road ahead of them. And every couple of minutes, they'd pass a shaven-head Dutch woman, exiled from their hometown. Whenever Nelly saw a Dutch woman, she'd feel a piece of herself crumble – just like the cookie. But what really took their breath away, was finding a dead woman on the side of the road – with a bullet wound through her head. When Nelly saw that, she felt incredibly sick. Exhaling shakily, Nelly's hand rubbed her clammy forehead.
"Bricks, you alright?" Babe asked.
"Yeah". Nelly mumbled, "I'm okay".
When Nelly raised her head from her hand, her eyes cast toward a field, just as the tank was coming up for a sign "Nuenen". Near the end of the field, was a treeline. And Nelly thought she saw some movement between the trees. Inching forward, Nelly's eyes squinted. That's when she spotted the dark, squat halls of German armour that were materializing from the treeline and inching toward Nuenen. So, she called out, "German tank!"
"Fuck – where?!" Toye exclaimed.
Nelly pointed toward the treeline.
"Shit!"
Nelly looked at Toye. "Another collaborator". She said, "They've come from Helmond. They knew we were going there".
More and more Panzers emerged from the treeline – they estimated around fifty. And once the enemy spotted the advancing Americans sitting atop the Cromwell tanks, the Panzers began to fan out across the field, infantry moving up from behind them. Of course, the only logical thing to do now was to get off the Cromwells and duck. So, the men rapidly jumped down from the tanks and took cover in an adjacent field crisscrossed with irrigation ditches. Hugging the ditches, the men began laying down a fusillade of small arms fire. The Cromwells began spreading out but not quickly enough. A German Panzer tank fired, its shell ripping into a Cromwell. The crew fled the crippled machine, abandoning one man who had lost his legs. And then, a second tank exploded in flame, sharps of hot metal streaking across the fields. But the alive Cromwell's fired back – one German half-track erupted into a ball of fire, and men poured out of it, some with their clothes aflame. A German tank took a glancing shot that severed one of its heavy treads, which snaked out onto the ground, bringing the wounded beast to a halt.
All around the men of Easy, bullets whined, and tank shells split the air. The roar was incredible and the firepower coming at the Americans was intense. There was only one direction the men could go – back – they had to pull back into Nuenen. Of course, the Germans followed them into the village. But Easy got there before them – it gave them some time to find cover in houses and buildings. They quickly set up their mortar squads and machine-gunners at likely hotspots. The riflemen followed with their squads.
Toye's squad took cover behind a house. And above them, a Dutch family were yelling out of a bedroom window. Toye was irritated by the gesture. "They're 'gonna get themselves killed – don't they have a cellar or something?!"
Leaning back and looking up, Nelly yelled back at them, "Verbergen!"
Hide was a useful Dutch word to know.
"You speak Dutch?" Babe asked.
"Not really". She said, "Just...a few words".
"What did you tell them?" Toye asked her.
"To hide".
Toye huffed. "Smart".
"Now what?" Leonard anxiously asked Toye.
"Wait". Toye said, "Shoot. The usual".
Nelly spotted a familiar man in the top story of a house – it was Shifty. "There's Shifty".
Following her gesture, Toye yelled for him, "See anything, Shift?!"
Shifty reported back, "A lot of stuff headed our way, Joe!"
Then, Nelly spotted something else hidden between two houses. "It's a Tiger...".
Ed Joint pulled a face. "Like...like the cat?"
The Tigers turret was poking out between a shrub. Toye spotted it quickly after Nelly. He let out a groan. "Jesus...". He said, "You were right, kid. The Dutch are filled with fucking snakes".
"Our Brits are coming up". Hughes said from the back. "They're probably 'gonna get hit by that Tiger".
But Nelly spotted a quick gesture shared between Martin and Bull. And a few seconds later, Martin and another guy were running toward the lead Cromwell tank. "Maybe not". She said quietly, "Johnny's warning the Brits now".
Hughes peered back around the corner. "I see them". He said, "Martin's speaking to them".
"And?" Toye asked.
"I can't hear them, Joe".
Toye sighed. "Does it look like anything is 'gonna happen?"
After a pause, Hughes watched Martin and the Private rush back to the café. The Cromwell tanks continued to fan out and move forward. "Nope". Hughes said, "They're not hitting the Tiger".
"Why the fuck not?" Leonard hissed.
"No unnecessary destruction of property". Nelly said, "It's a...very polite and stupid British rule".
"You've 'gotta be fucking kidding me...". Toye grumbled.
"That's horse shit". Jackson agreed with Toye.
The Tiger fired and its powerful shell hit a Cromwell tank. And before the Brits could even think about firing back, the Tiger hit another tank. From then on, it was a disaster. The German tanks and infantry from the field soon reach Nuenen. The Panzers trampled over bushes and spotted the Americans taking cover. The roar of its machine gun let loose, as bullets zipped the ground, aiming to hit fleeing Paratroopers. One Panzer blasted a shell toward the house Toye's squad were at and they all split up and ran before the house could crumble on top of them. It seemed no matter where they turned, they were met by a tank or a Platoon of German infantry.
Nuenen was completely overrun by the enemy.
...
The only thing left, was to run and attempt to fight. Of course, running from tanks was a heart-stopping moment. The Panzers chased the men, fired at them and some ran them over. On her own, Nelly raced along the road and a hail of fire ran after her. With nowhere else to go, Nelly burst into a house and closed the door. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she turned around and saw a man cowered in the corner. His nails were digging into the wall as if trying to create a hole to escape. Nelly didn't know his name, but he was from Easy Company. The walls started to shake as the Panzer tank approached the home. Heart in her throat, Nelly took large steps back from the door. And then jumped and leapt into the sitting room, landing close to the frightened man. She heard the shell pop out of the tank and watched, as it crashed through the door.
The shell zoomed down the hall and exploded at the stairs and by the kitchen. Stone, chalk and debris crumbled all around them. Above them, the house wobbled and shook. It was going to collapse. In the entrance, the ceiling did end up collapsing and Nelly heard the sound of a piano colliding and breaking. Taking hold of the frightened soldier's arm, she began dragging him out of the house. They left through a large hole at the front, where the door once was. Outside once again, Nelly ducked and pulled the man down with her. A string of bullets from the machine gun on the Panzer rushed over their heads. It took a lot of strength for Nelly not to cower like the frightened man beside her.
Nelly looked at him - frowned and yelled, "Roy Cobb?!"
Cobb looked at her – face ashen and white from chalk and fear.
Nodding, Nelly grabbed a hold of his arm. "I've got you!"
Cobb was a lot older than Nelly – he was the oldest enlisted man in Easy. But she was all he had at that moment. Nelly squeezed Cobb's arm. They were both lying flat on their bellies. And their heads were turned to face each other. Nelly could taste death. If they lifted their heads, they'd get shot but if they stayed, they'd get flattened by the tank.
Then, her eyebrows twitched. "Roll!" Nelly yelled to Cobb, "Start rolling, Roy!"
He didn't.
Nelly pushed him and Cobb began rolling to the side, she followed him. They rolled through a hedge and into a ditch on the other side. Cobb rolled on top of a body. His eyes stared into the eyes of his lifeless friend. When Nelly rolled into the ditch next, she grabbed his wrist, pulled him up and kept Cobb moving.
"No, not him!" Cobb cried. "Not him!"
Nelly yelled back, "Keep low!"
They were both hunched at the waist, racing along a drainage ditch. And bursting through the hedge, was another Panzer tank – Nelly was convinced it was the same tank that had chased her since the house. And as its large body straightened out, Nelly dragged herself and Cobb up the ditch and back through the hedge. It felt as though she hadn't stopped running. All around her, she saw shells crash and buildings crumble. She saw men getting shot and dying. She saw men lose their legs and arms. She heard cries for a medic. The streets of Nuenen, once a peaceful and tidy village, were now a bloody battle scene. And to get away from the tanks and infantry, Nelly kicked a door open and pulled Cobb inside a house.
Nelly needed to catch her breath – she was panting. Leaning against the door, her head tilted up toward the ceiling. Cobb slumped down on the ground. They both took a short rest inside a hall. Nelly tried rubbing the white chalk and dust off her face before turning back around to open the door. Not much had changed outside. Men were still running and firing. She closed the door and looked down at Cobb. But before she could ask if he was okay, the window from the living room shattered as a shell burst inside the house. Reaching down, Nelly took hold of Cobb's wrist and pulled him up. Yanking the door open, she ran outside, dragging Cobb with her.
With her free hand, Nelly pulled up her rifle, turned and fired at the German infantry, who was standing next to the tank. It wasn't an easy task, firing with one hand. After a few shots, Nelly ended up dropping her rifle. Over the next few seconds, time seemed to slow down. Pushing Cobb to the side, he fell to the ground, while Nelly dove onto the road to take back her rifle. She could feel the bullets from German guns fire overhead – just missing her by the skin of her teeth. Pulling her rifle to her chest, Nelly rolled to the side as the Germans continued to fire. Reaching Cobb once more, she took hold of his wrist. Time sped up when they got onto their feet. Bullets whizzed overhead and brushed by their boots as they ran.
"Pull back!" Someone was yelling, "Pull back to the road!"
Taking that information in, Nelly diverted their route and headed for the road. But it wasn't as easy as she hoped. The Germans had almost outflanked them – that road was their only open exit. And getting to that road, was very dangerous and hard. Thinking on her feet, Nelly rounded the back of a house and dragged Cobb along a close. There, they reached the edge of a park. The two Privates ran through the park and behind them, a mortar shell burst into a tree. Both Nelly and Cobb flinched at the sound but continued to run. They ran through a bandstand, reached the other side and dove through a narrow opening in a thick hedge. They were on the south side of Nuenen. They were further from the road but safe-ish. If they continued south, they'd meet a street that would link up to the road. Nelly had been to Nuenen before. She set up a radio in one of the forests close by.
"Murray?" Cobb whispered.
Nelly looked at him.
His mouth opened and then closed.
Frowning softly, Nelly gave his wrist a squeeze. "I'll get us back". She promised him.
Eyes looking toward the hedges-only exit, Nelly saw a body was blocking the way. Letting go of Cobb's wrist, she crawled over to the body. "Help me...". The body moaned.
Frowning, Nelly grunted and rolled the man onto his back – it was Meth. And he was bleeding from the wrist. Reaching into Meth's pocket, she pulled out his aid kit and grabbed the bandage inside. Wrapping up his wrist, Nelly secured the bandage with a tight knot. "You're coming with us". She told Meth.
He whimpered. "I can't move".
Much like Cobb, Meth was frightened. "You can". Nelly said, "Your legs work – you can run".
"No". He cried, "I can't".
"I won't let you go". Nelly promised him. "I'm not letting any of you go".
Just then, the hedge ruffled and hissed – twigs snapped, and leaves fell from bullets. Reaching Cobb first, she grabbed his wrist and then took hold of Meth's uninjured wrist. Nelly heaved and grunted with effort as she pulled Meth onto his trembling legs.
They were running out of time – Easy was going to retreat, with or without them.