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On the 22nd of September, new orders came in. They were going to Uden, a small hamlet about four miles beyond Veghel. In Uden, according to the Dutch Underground, a large enemy force was moving in that direction. Sink dispatched 2nd and 1st Battalion under the command of his executive Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Chase. That portion of the road, which featured four bridges, was the most valuable stretch along the entire sixty-five miles of what the Americans were calling "Hell's Highway". It needed to be kept open at all costs.
2nd Battalion had the lead, but they were short on trucks. Winters was forced to split Easy Company up. No one liked that idea. The first load of trucks took the injured, half of 1st Platoon and part of 3rd Platoon. The next lot of trucks took the rest of 3rd Platoon some of 1st and half of 2nd Platoon. In the end, eight from Easy were still waiting. Nelly was part of the eight from Easy who was waiting for the next lot of trucks to arrive. And waiting with them, was Fox Company. It didn't take long. Three trucks arrived and they all climbed aboard.
"Joe's pissed you're not with him". Malarkey mentioned to Nelly.
"He's hard to...keep happy".
Malarkey chuckled. "Yeah".
Jackson, Hughes, Guarnere, Malarkey, Nelly, Hoobler, Webster and Rice were on one truck and behind them, was Fox Company. They were really low on numbers. Each Company should have had around one hundred and forty-four men – now, they were lucky if they had one hundred. The journey to Uden wasn't very far. But just as the trucks were passing by Veghel, they suddenly came to a sharp halt. At first, the passengers were confused. But then, their eyes widened at the sight of a column of German armour headed straight for them. They had completely blocked the highway, leaving the troopers stuck. They couldn't reach Uden and the men in Uden couldn't get out – they were surrounded.
Abandoning the trucks, Guarnere called for what little men they had in Easy – rounded them up and led the way into Veghel. In battle formation, enemy tanks rolled along the road toward the town of Veghel. It would only be a matter of time before the Germans attacked the town. They had eight men from Easy and they had Fox Company – that was all Nelly, and her friends were seeing. Had they known a chunk of 1st Battalion were present, they might have sought them out. Guarnere did a good job at keeping seven men focused, however. Pulling a cellar door inside someone's kitchen, he ushered the seven paratroopers inside.
Down in the cellar, were a few Dutch families. Guarnere closed the cellar door and raced down the steps to join the others. He gave the Dutch a nervous sort of smile before addressing the men he had. "Get comfy – it's 'gonna be a long night".
Malarkey joked, "You've been promoted to Lieutenant".
"Hey – no fucking way". Guarnere said, "I'm a Sergeant, I do work".
"Christ, I hope the rest are okay". Jackson said.
"Ah – they'll be fine". Guarnere said with a wave of his hand. "They've got Winters".
"And they can keep Peacock". Webster mumbled.
The others chuckled at that remark.
And the Dutch looked on at the Americans, concerned and confused.
"So, what? We just sit here?" Hoobler asked while sitting down on the cold floor.
"We don't got nothing except rifles, Hoobs". Guarnere reminded him. "How the fuck are we supposed to kill a tank with a damn rifle?"
Hoobler huffed. "Yeah – I'll shut up now".
A few candles and oil lamps were lit inside the cellar, casting a warm orange glow around the large space. Leaning back against the wall, Nelly's eyes looked over at the Dutch families, she was greeted by fearful and tearful eyes. Nelly didn't know what it was like, to live in a country traumatised by war. London was bad and parts of England were destroyed but they weren't occupied like Holland. The children in the cellar looked dirty, skinny and scared. Taking off her helmet, Nelly set it aside and then took out the thick ration chocolate bar – she never did like it very much and figured the children would enjoy a treat. Inching toward them, Nelly sent them a small smile and unwrapped the chocolate bar before breaking it up into small squares. And she shared the chocolate out to the children.
"Het is oke". Nelly tried to assure them.
One of the boys smiled at her. "Bedankt".
She assumed he was thanking her.
"You're not American". A Dutch woman pointed out – she was one of the mothers.
Nelly shook her head. And pointed to her chest, "Scotland".
The mother smiled small. "You are kind".
Above them, the ceiling trembled. And dust fell onto their shoulders and the tops of their heads. The army of tanks had now entered the town and was rolling along the road. Scooting back to her original position, Nelly sat next to Malarkey. Prayers could be heard from the Dutch. A few of them sobbed as their children cried into their mother's stomachs. Nelly's head tilted back – she looked up toward the ceiling again and dust got in her eyes. Nelly rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the itch and dust. They knew it was coming, but the loud booming of shells startled everyone in the cellar.
There was no break-in between shells because of the number of tanks in Veghel – so, it was extremely noisy and earth-shattering – the worst shelling they had ever experienced. Nelly's hands were covering her ears, her head tucked between her knees. Her eyes were shut, her teeth gritted together to prevent herself from screaming out like the children. For all of ten minutes, Nelly kept it together. Until she eventually screamed out, "Donnie...it's loud!"
Malarkey's arm went around her shoulder. He lowered his head, so his mouth was near her covered ear. "Okay – okay...shh...". He soothed softly. "I've got you, I'm here". Malarkey pulled Nelly toward him, and she pressed her face below his chest. At least now her screams would be muffled, so the Dutch wouldn't hear. They didn't want to frighten the civilians further with a scared Paratrooper. And Nelly did scream. "Shh...shh...". Malarkey continued to soothe. "I know – it's too noisy, huh? It'll be alright...it'll be over soon".
Guarnere moved across the cellar and sat on Nelly's other side. He pressed his hand on her back and could feel her body tremble and shake. Guarnere cast Malarkey a frown.
Malarkey looked at him. "It's too noisy for her!"
And Guarnere joked, "Hold on – I'll tell 'em to turn it down!"
Malarkey almost smiled. But he couldn't smile while Nelly screamed into him. Removing his hand from Nelly's back, Guarnere brought out his jump knife and ripped off a piece of his shirt. Tearing that piece of fabric down the middle, he rolled the two halves up into balls and handed them to Malarkey.
Guarnere pointed to his ears and then at Nelly. "Put 'em in her ears, Malark!"
"You smart sonofabitch!"
Guarnere grinned. "I know!"
Taking hold of Nelly's head and pulling it away from his stomach, Malarkey gently placed the balls of fabric into her ears. And Nelly opened her eyes, staring up at her friend. He gave her a gentle smile and mouthed, "Can you hear?"
"It's...like being underwater!" Nelly yelled – voice a little hoarse from screaming.
Guarnere gave Malarkey the thumbs-up. "Genius Gonorrhoea strikes again!"
Malarkey looked at him. "Not something you 'wanna yell out, Bill!"
For a few minutes, it worked. The shelling from outside was muffled. But that soon changed, when the Waffen SS took to the skies and began dropping bombs onto the town. The noise not only overwhelmed Nelly but it physically hurt her ears and head. With a groan, Nelly's legs began to kick out in front of her – as if she was trying to kick something out of the way. And her hands soon gripped the top of her hair. Giving her hair a sharp tug, Nelly whined, and her boot stomped onto the ground. Malarkey had seen something very similar back in America – the day she found out her father had died. She whined again – but the whine sounded painfilled and distressed. Nelly's hand slapped against her forehead – hard. Malarkey quickly took a hold of her wrists, to prevent Nelly from hitting herself again.
And her nails dug into his hand – she was drawing blood.
Malarkey ignored the spots of blood and the scratch marks on his hands. As long as she was no longer hitting herself, it didn't bother him at all. She continued to stomp on the ground and kick her legs out. Nelly wasn't hurting herself by doing that – Malarkey didn't stop her. But Malarkey did pull her back against him. She put up a fight that time around – resisting the comfort. And he waited for Nelly to stop fighting. When she did, Nelly buried her face back under his chest.
Malarkey let go of her wrists. He could hear her muffled whines and groans. His eyes looked over at her legs, which were still kicking out – albeit weakly now. Malarkey rubbed her back in soothing motions – up and down her spine and between her shoulder blades. Her hands gripped his jacket tightly. And Malarkey could feel her body tense up and tremble. It was awful for him to see his friend so distressed and out of control. There was only so much Malarkey could do for Nelly. He couldn't stop the noise and he couldn't take her somewhere quiet. He could only hold Nelly and wait for it to stop.
One hour went by since the shelling had started.
Nelly was still burrowing into Malarkey. It was emotionally taxing for everyone inside that cellar. Hughes broke next. And Jackson wrapped his arms around him. Hoobler had his eyes closed, trying to picture himself far away from Holland. Webster sat with Rice, where he had a hand on Rice's shoulder. And Guarnere watched them all like a hawk. As well as the door. He wasn't the only man worried the Germans would barge into the cellar – if that happened, they'd be taken as POWs and learning their Heil Hitlers. They also worried about their friends in Uden. The men were set on thinking they'd never see them again.
...
The bombardment lasted for hours – all night, in fact, but the troops in the cellar weren't to know it was morning because it was so dark. However, by sunrise, things had quietened down slightly. Nelly hadn't said anything – apart from screaming, groaning and whining. But she did quieten down when the shellings grew quiet. Face leaving Malarkey, she blinked and took in all the weary and tired faces around her. Guarnere yawned and sent Nelly a nod when she looked at him – he was still sat by the bottom step, rifle at the ready to shoot whatever came into the cellar. Some of the guys had actually managed to fall asleep when it got quiet. But Malarkey was still wide awake. Nelly looked at him.
"Donnie...where are the toilets?"
His lips twitched – at least she was speaking now. "Probably above us somewhere".
"Can we go?" Nelly asked quietly.
"Yeah". Malarkey said, "I 'gotta go too".
Guarnere looked over at them. "I'll go with 'ya". He said, "I 'wanna do some sightseeing".
Putting on their helmets and grabbing their rifles, Nelly, Guarnere and Malarkey walked up the stairs, left the cellar and entered the kitchen. On the ground, were broken dishes and smashed cups and wine glasses. The cool box had fallen over onto the oven. All the chairs were tipped over as well as the table. It was like an earthquake had hit the house. The troopers stepped over the obstacles laid out in front of them and reached the entrance hall. An archway leading into the living room was to their right and just by the stairs, was a door. Guarnere pushed it open and discovered a toilet. Of course, he checked to see if the enemy were inside first before letting Nelly in.
"It's like a wasteland here". Guarnere mumbled, "Like the end of the Goddamn world".
Huffing, Malarkey leaned against the wall and nodded. "Yeah". He agreed.
Guarnere peeled the rest of the wallpaper off the wall.
Malarkey looked at him. "Don't do that, man".
Guarnere joked, "This place is a mess – it needs redecorating".
Malarkey let out a tired chuckle. And said, "You kept us together down there, Bill".
Guarnere nodded to the toilet door. "You kept Nelly together".
Frowning softly, Malarkey shrugged. "Wish I could've done more".
"You did a good job, Malark". Guarnere said to him. "You're a damn good friend to her".
Malarkey harmlessly teased, "Getting sentimental, Gurno?"
And he snorted. "Fuck no – 'ya stupid mick".
Malarkey smiled small – amused.
Smiling back at him, Guarnere clapped Malarkey's shoulder. "We're 'gonna get the fuck out of here one way or another".
"I know, Bill". Malarkey said, "You'll get us out".
Nelly said from inside of the bathroom, "Toilet...won't flush".
Guarnere asked, "Did 'ya shit?"
"No".
"Then we don't fucking care, Nelly".
Opening the toilet door, Nelly stepped outside, and Malarkey walked in next. Guarnere gave her a friendly wink when she looked up at him. Standing next to the Sergeant, Nelly leaned against the wall and gave him a tiny and soft smile. "Bill?"
"Yeah?"
Lips pursed together, Nelly brought out a carton of cigarettes from her pocket and handed them to Guarnere. She said to him quietly, "I'm sorry...about Henry".
Nodding, Guarnere tucked the carton of smokes into his pocket. "Thanks, Nelly".
She gave his side a gentle nudge. "Frannie...she'll be proud of you".
"Ha – yeah – uh...she worries". Guarnere shrugged. He said, "Most of the time. But my ma's always asking if they're feeding me, 'ya know?"
Nelly's lips twitched.
"She taught me how to cook – ma did...I'm pretty good". Guarnere asked, "Can you cook?"
She shook her head. "Not really".
He smirked. "Find a fella who can then, huh?"
And a small smile lifted her face – Alex could cook.
With their bladders emptied, the three of them cautiously left the house and stepped outside. Guarnere led the way – they crossed the beaten road and took cover. It was clear they were still surrounded. An occasional round of machine-gun fire tattered in the distance. A shell kaboomed a block or so away. And a bullet pinged here and there. Safer, yes. But still not safe. They wanted to find Fox Company and fight alongside them – they were stronger in numbers. Taking cover wherever they could, the trio soon found the most amazing sight.
A British tank crew parked in the street, enjoying their late-morning tea.
"Lads!" The Officer called them over.
With tiny smiles on their faces, the Paratroopers walked over to the British soldiers.
The Officer jumped off his tank and smiled at them. "Don't worry, lads. You won't be here for much longer. We expect our planes to be here later. We're going to push those Jerry's back".
"Glad to hear it, sir". Guarnere said, "We've had a rough night".
"I can imagine". He sounded so understanding. And he brightly pointed out, "But you made it – I believe, the worst of it is over now".
"You need us anywhere?" Guarnere asked. "We'll fight alongside 'ya".
"How many?"
"The three of us and five others, sir".
Nodding, the Officer smiled and shook Guarnere's hand. "Yes. You can fight with us, lad. And we'll push those bastards out of this town".
"Sir? Have you been to Uden?" Malarkey asked – thinking of his friends.
"Not yet, lad". He replied. "But we'll reach that village soon. Hopefully, by tomorrow morning".
"That's great, sir – really". Malarkey sounded relieved. "The rest of our Company is there".
"Oh, bloody hell". The Officer said, "They'll be worried about you lot, won't they?"
Malarkey huffed and said, "We're pretty worried about them too, sir".
Nelly looked up at the British Officer. "Sir?"
His eyes widened with surprise. "Bloody hell...a Scottish Yank?"
"Scottish girl Yank". Guarnere proudly corrected.
The Officer smiled down at Nelly. "Yes?"
"Thank you for coming, sir". Nelly said to him softly.
"You are most welcome".