The Road Through France
I sought
cover behind a broken down, badly beaten American infantry motorcycle as a
volley of lethal 9mm the ground gagging parabellum rounds raced over my head
and pierced the soft flesh of the man behind me. He let out a sickly cough and
fell to the ground choking up blood. I reached out a hand to pull the soldier
to safety behind the motorcycle with me. I looked down at the wounded soldier
to see how severe the wound actually was. The young corporal was holding his
neck and gasping for air. I removed his hands from his neck trying to apply a
dressing I hade acquired from a pouch on my pistol belt. As I removed his
tensed hand from his neck, a spray of blood from the man's pierced jugular vein
shot up the side my face and helmet. "MEDIC!" I shouted "MEDIC!" A short
slightly unconditioned man crawled, avoiding fire, to our position behind the
motorcycle. He immediately removed the field dressing I had hastily applied to
the boy's bleeding artery. Another shot of the red fluid left the soldier's
neck, this time I ducked it.
"This one's gone Sir, He hasn't got a chance." The Medic
stated. He took out a small syringe of morphine and pierced the young
corporal's leg with it. "He'll still die but he wont feel it this way." I
watched the medic make haste to respond to another call for his aid, as the boy
beside me drew in his last breath of air and became another casualty of war. I
closed his eyelids with my fingers.
I turned to
the officer taking over to my right. "I THOUGHT THE DAMN SS WAS HIGH-TALIN' IT
OUTTA HERE SIR!"… "Sir?" I took another
glance at the officer beside me. "Sir?" I grabbed his shoulder. The man fell
onto my lap. I looked at his face and realized that I knew this corpse. "I never
thought they'd get Captain Miller." I thought to myself. I remembered the
Captain teaching me everything I knew about being an officer and a ranger. As I
scanned the area, amongst the bullets grazing the pavement and brick, I also
noticed that Sergeant First Class Mike Horvath was lying lifeless beside the
bridge crossing the river. I made a beeline for the bridge, evading rifle and
submachine gun fire from the retreating German forces. I slid in behind the
bridge wall beside a man I recognized as Private First Class Reiben, Laying
down fire on the krauts across the bridge. He glanced over at me "LIEUTENANT
MORGAN SIR, IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU GUYS SHOWED UP!" "WE JUST GOT OVER THAT DAMN
RIDGE, WE TOOK SOME PRETTY HEAVY FIRE FROM THE KAIZERS" I replied.
I opened up
with my Thompson and let loose a volley of lethal 45 ACP ammunition on some
German soldiers making a run for some cover behind a blown out Panzer. The
flying lead ripped through the kraut Feld Webel leading the small squad.
Reibens Browning Automatic Rifle cut down two more of the bastards. The
remaining two set up an MG42 between the tread of the tank and a stairway to a
café. "NOW WE'VE GOT A MACHINE GUN NEST TO WORRY ABOUT!" I pointed out to
reiben and the other three soldiers that had collected behind us. The machine
gun nest was an obvious attempt to keep the American GI's from crossing the
bridge, therefore allowing the rest of the SS to escape, or at least giving
them cover. This was an obvious suicide mission.
"ALRIGHT" I
yelled "YOU FIVE MEN COME WITH ME. REIBEN YOU GO LEFT AND COVER THE ATTACK!"
"YES SIR!" We made our way across the bridge, being missed, narrowly by the
deadly 7.92 mm machine gun fire. I dove for cover behind a pile of rubble and
the rest followed. Reiben's BAR made a loud statement towards the bunker
causing the Krauts to duck and cover. This allowed myself and another soldier
who had previously introduced himself as Corporal Timothy Upham, to make a run
for the wall of the café. I handed a grenade to Upham "Do it." I whispered. He
hesitated. "Do it now." I repeated. He removed the pin and dropped it to the
ground. He lobbed the grenade into the nest, not three feet away from our
position. The grenade went off with loud percussion. The nest became silent
except for the sound of a man screaming in pain. I cautiously maneuvered around
the corner, Thompson ready, to inspect the remnants of the machine gun and its
crew. I saw a German soldier lying in the battered nest. He had his hands
placed on his stomach, trying to keep his digestive system from spilling out onto
the pavement. "MEDIC" Upham yelled "MEDIC". A Medic came from around the bridge
and looked at the German soldier laying in agony and replied, "He's not worth
the morphine" and ran off to help other fallen GI's. I took out my M1911,
pulled back the hammer and let loose a round into the bleeding man's head. "It
had to be done" One of the soldiers noted.
I holstered
my sidearm and cautiously made my way around the blown out Panzer. After a
glance down the road I had noted that it was relatively clear. Except for a few
German soldiers exiting the Ville, Sporadically firing in the general direction
of the American GI's. I let loose another volley from my Thompson, Not hitting
anyone, but causing the retreating Germans to move faster.
We moved
back across the bridge, to our own side. "That looks like almost all of them."
Major Greene, our company commander pointed out. "You did a hell of a job
Morgan" he commended. "Who are these men Lieutenant?" The Major inquired. "Uh,
This is Private Reiben and this is Corporal Upham, Sir." "Oh" he replied "Well
they're in your platoon now Morgan" "Yes Sir". "Bravo Company will clear the
rest of the town, Meet the new Charlie Company Commander in the forest on the
outskirts of town. His name is Robert Beckett, He's a Captain. He'll be
expecting you. "Yes Sir" I replied obediently.
"Alright
guys, Lets saddle up" I commanded. On the way out of town Reiben and Upham
filled me in on the events proceeding my arrival. They told me of Captain
Miller's death, Private James Ryan and taking on the 2nd SS with
only 20 people at their disposal. I was obviously impressed. I was also happy
to get the new support that came with Reiben and Upham.
When we got
to the edge of town we saw my platoon Sergeant in a jeep. "Hello Sir, I've been
ordered to pick you up by the new Captain. I slung my Thompson over my right
shoulder and climbed into the small green vehicle. "Lets go Sergeant" I said
"We got a war to fight"
