...
Two good things happened during their journey to Le Grand Chemin…the two 82nd boys found their unit, and then Winters stumbled upon more friendly faces on the railroad. Soon, Nora and Lipton were reunited with Guarnere, Toye, Popeye, and Malarkey. Having not spoken much to Popeye; Nora only knew him as Shifty Powers's best friend from 3rd Platoon. But he was a very interesting young man from Virginia. Popeye and Shifty had actually met before joining Easy in Toccoa – they had both attended the same vocational school in Norfolk, Virginia. Having heard a few rumours about Nora's extensive survival skills, Popeye took an interest in the girl and asked a few questions here and there during training. "You'd beat all the boy scouts". Popeye had told her back in England…
Trouble soon brewed during the next neck of the journey. Upon hearing a horse and carriage, Winters soon discovered the enemy approaching from the road below. After getting his men in a position to ambush, Winters had orders to wait for his command to fire. However, Guarnere was eager and still angry about losing his brother to the enemy. So, the feisty Sergeant opened fire early and blazed his Tommy gun out at the enemy. Sliding down the grassy verge, Guarnere stood in front of the bridge opening and shot down anything that moved. A few grenades were tossed under the bridge, which in turn exploded, destroying the cart and the horses' legs. Crying out in distress and pain, the horse whinnied and begged for mercy...
"Next time I say wait for my command, you wait for my command, Sergeant!" Winters snapped at Guarnere, once the ambush was won…
"Yes, sir". Guarnere said through gritted teeth.
From the top of the grass verge, Nora slid down and reached the road. Toye put the horse out of its misery, showing the poor animal mercy. Nora moved up toward the cart and began looking for anything useful. It was an ammo cart. Collecting some magazines for a German rifle, she gave them to Lipton, who thanked her before handing the weapon to Winters. Nora's attention was soon drawn to the dead Germans on the road. They were ordinary German foot soldiers, on their way to dispense more ammo to the ongoing battle ahead. It wasn't the first dead German Nora's eyes had seen…
"None of your fucking business, Cowboy!" Guarnere snapped to Hall from inside the tunnel…
Nora looked to her left and saw Hall's shoulders drop. Malarkey gave Hall a shrug before following behind Guarnere and Toye. Lipton had ordered everyone to move out now. They had collected a fair chunk of ammo and a couple of German rifles. But Hall looked put out. Entering the tunnel, Nora stood near the entrance and beckoned Hall forward…
"Come on, John". She quietly called out to him.
Hall approached Nora and asked, "What's his problem, Clopper?"
"I don't know". Nora had some idea. In fact, she was certain Guarnere's attitude came from grief. But she didn't want to inform Hall of Henry's passing…
"Is he your friend?" Hall questioned. Nora gave a nod. He asked, "What's his problem then?"
She drew out a quiet sigh while her hand rubbed her forehead. Nora said, "He doesn't know you. Maybe you came around at a bad time, John".
"Nora, Hall!" Lipton called. "Let's go, come on".
Falling in behind the men, Nora found her position in front of Toye, who took the rear. Sunrise was only an hour away, at least they'd have light. Nora was never sure what her boots pressed against in the dark, but it tended to be wet and slippery – she only hoped it was mud and not an unfortunate soul's insides. Shrugging her shoulders, Nora shoved her pack further up. Her nose felt congested from the thick, humidity – the air was warm and stuffy, much like her nose. Nora sniffed and began searching her jacket pockets for a tissue or napkin. She couldn't find anything to use against the snot, dripping out of her nose…
"Nora". Popeye whispered, who was walking beside her. "Just launch it like a rocket".
Frowning slightly, Nora stared up at Popeye. "What's that?"
Popeye covered one of his nostrils and blew hard. "Do that". He said, "No one's 'gonna care. We call it, snotter rockets".
A small, amused smile lifted Nora's lips. "Nice". She complimented. "Thanks for the advice".
Popeye grinned with a friendly wink. "You're welcome, little friend".
Nora shyly asked him, "Can you not look?"
"Of course". Popeye complied. "I'll give you and your snotter rocket some privacy, Nora".
So, with Popeye not watching, Nora covered one nostril and blew hard toward the muddy earth. She did it with the other nostril, several more times until her airways felt clear and comfortable. Behind her, Nora heard Toye snort…
"That's fucking gross, Nora".
"Come on, Joe…". Popeye said lightly. "I'll bet you ain't no stranger to a snotter rocket".
Toye said, "But it's still gross".
Nora used her the end of her sleeve to wipe her nose. She decided to apologise to Toye. "Sorry you had to see that, Joe".
"Ah, don't worry". Toye said, "I've seen a lot worse now, kid".
Popeye asked Nora, "Is this what it's all about, Nora? Walking around in the dark…stomping through wet fields and shit?"
"Uh…". Nora drew out a quiet sigh and shrugged faintly. "I don't know…it's different from last time I think".
"What was it like last time?"
The last time Nora found herself wondering the countryside in occupied Europe, she was with Polish agents from the SOE. In some respects, it was similar to Normandy. "I wasn't with an army of Paratroopers". She replied to Popeye. But in many ways, it was completely different. Nora felt a lot safer with the men she was with now…
"I hope I get to do more shooting". Popeye sounded eager. "It sure was something ambushing those Krauts".
Nora was sure there would be more combat for Popeye to sink his teeth into soon enough. She agreed, the ambush was something else. Having only seconds to plan, Winters had executed his manoeuvre extremely well. Nora was impressed by her Lieutenant. And while secretly admiring the man, they began walking past a small cottage. Not paying much attention to what her boots were walking on, Nora tripped over a rock on the road and fell into the partially destroyed gate in the front of the cottages' garden, holding a wooden fence together. Because the gate was only just hanging on, it collapsed under Nora's sudden weight and she too, fell…
Nora fell on top of a corpse. With their noses only inches apart, she pressed her hands against his unmoving chest and pushed herself up quickly. It was an American Paratrooper. They didn't recognise him. Nora wiped his blood against her trousers and said, "We should move him, sir".
Winters agreed and with Lipton's help, they moved the corpse away from the cottage. It wasn't the last dead body they'd come across during their journey to Le Grand Chemin. Many bodies lay scattered across Normandy, some were even hanging from trees. It was the grim reality of war – death. And while walking through the swampy and flooded fields as the sun began to rise, more bodies were spotted. For some, it would be their first time ever seeing a dead body…
"Did you see him? He just sat there…". Guarnere complained to Toye, while they walked through another flooded field. He was complaining about Winters again. The Sergeant was still sour that the Lieutenant told him off for firing too early…
"He didn't have a weapon". Toye said, "What's he 'gonna do, shout at them?"
"Shouts at me for killing Krauts…". Guarnere muttered.
"He just wanted you to wait for his command".
"Joe, he don't even drink". Guarnere pointed out. "He's a damn Quaker if I've ever seen one".
"Oh, not this again…". Toye said with a sigh.
Nora decided she wouldn't involve herself. Grabbing a twig from a nearby bush, she used it to weave through the tall grass. Around them, mosquitoes buzzed and bit at their exposed skin. Guarnere was mad at the world; nothing would calm him down at the moment. And Toye was kind enough to allow his friend to gripe and complain. Upon feeling an itch on her arm, Nora dropped the twig to roll up her sleeve. Giving her skin a good scratch, she noticed a small, red, bump…obviously, some insect had bit her. Pulling her sleeve back down, Nora looked up and noticed a farm close by. Once they reached the end of the field, Winters had them all take cover while Popeye and Lipton made sure the area was clear…
A lone American Paratrooper hung lifelessly from a tree and a dead German lay on the ground. Grabbing what weapons they could find, the men resupplied themselves, while Malarkey eagerly checked the German for a Lugar. Nora was reminded of Hoobler while she watched Malarkey – she hoped Hoobler was doing okay. But Nora was sure her friend was fine, Hoobler had never given her a reason to worry. Soon, Nora's thoughts about Hoobler were interrupted by the loud woosh of planes soaring overhead…
"It's the Navy". Hall announced.
Winters said, "The landings have started. Let's go".
"Let's move it out!" Lipton ordered the men.
"Right on time". Hall sounded impressed as he checked his watch.
"Yeah? Tell that to him, Cowboy". Guarnere snapped.
"My name's Hall".
Guarnere huffed. "That so?"
Once again, Nora paid witness to Guarnere's feisty attitude. While shrugging a rifle she had found, over her shoulder, she heard Malarkey and Toye tell Hall that it wasn't about him, and to not take it so personally…
"He just heard his brother…". Malarkey began to explain.
"Malarkey, shut your yap!" Guarnere said while walking past him.
Malarkey lowered his voice to tell Hall, "His brother got hit at Cassino. Found out before we jumped".
With that new piece of information, it suddenly all made sense to Hall, and he could look past Guarnere's mean demeanour toward him. When Lipton ordered for the men to move once more, Hall stepped in next to Nora…
"I'd be the same if I lost my brother". He told her quietly.
Nora gave a faint nod. "Yeah". She said softly.
"Guess he's on a path to revenge, huh?"
Nora remembered her talk with Guarnere, the night he found out about Henry. And Hall was right, Guarnere was on the path to revenge. She said, "It won't last…he'll be okay".
…
They reached the muddy road which led to the farm in Grand Le Chemin. Winters could breathe a sigh of relief because they arrived in plenty of time. Nora battled against the slippery mud and thought she'd make a fool of herself by falling face-first into the mud. And during her struggles, she noticed twenty or so German soldiers gathered on a grass verge by the muddy road. Nora's heart stopped for a moment, thinking they were under attack, but she soon spotted a couple of men from Sink's Regiment standing guard. Good, they weren't under attack. But why were there German prisoners? Nora picked up her pace to reach the front to stand next to Winters…
"Sir?" She called. "Sir…did you see the German prisoners?"
"I did". Winters confirmed.
Nora frowned up at him. "I thought we weren't supposed to take prisoners, sir".
Winters drew out a small sigh before staring down at the girl with a tight smile. "Let's not focus on that right now, alright? We've got a lot more to worry about, Nora".
Frowning still, Nora looked over her shoulder and caught sight of the German soldiers again. She remembered their orders before the jump, 'take no prisoners', and Nora began to wonder about the German soldiers' fate. Nora faced the front and saw the farmhouse begin to appear. While grabbing hold of the strap which kept Nora's rifle across her shoulder, she remembered the mass graves and killings the Nazis committed against innocent people. When looking back over her shoulder, Nora could no longer see the German prisoners. Facing the front once more, Nora's eyes lowered to the muddy ground. She missed most of the reunion Easy Company had with a few more friendly faces…
"Hey, you in…". Liebgott gave Nora's helmet a knock. Joseph Liebgott, from 2nd Platoon. When Nora first heard the name 'Liebgott', she thought he might've been German. However, both his parents were born in Austria. Liebgott was Jewish, and he hated the Germans more than Nora.
"Sonny". Nora smiled small up at Liebgott. The men called him Sonny, Nora wasn't sure why, but she thought the nickname was nice. "Who's here?"
"Buck…". Liebgott began to list, "Hendrix, Ranney, Plesha, Petty…me".
"That's it?" Nora asked.
"That's it". Liebgott confirmed. He said, "Strayer was hoping Meehan would be with you. I guess until he shows up, Winters is in command of Easy".
Winters wouldn't be the only man with a promotion. Sergeant Punchy Die hadn't turned up either, which left Guarnere as 2nd Platoon Sergeant and Malarkey taking charge of the mortar squad. Nora was soon led by the shoulder when Liebgott guided her to a grassy verge, where she sat down for the first time in hours. Bringing out her canteen, Nora took a few large gulps of water. She was beginning to miss cold water; her canteen had warmed the water up inside – the warm liquid was a couple of days old now. Nora noticed a water pump near the road. She turned her head to the side, catching Lipton who was sitting close by.
"Lip? Can I refill my canteen at the pump, please?"
"Sure, Nora". Lipton replied while running a cloth along his new rifle. "Come straight back, you hear?"
"Yeah, I will". She promised.
On her feet, Nora navigated her way along the mud to reach the water pump. When Lieutenant Speirs walked by her, cigarette between his lips, she barely noticed. With one hand, Nora held onto her canteen and with the other hand, she began pumping clean water out of the tap. With the entrance of the canteen by the tap, cold water soon poured inside. However, after a few minutes had gone by, Nora suddenly dropped her almost full canteen and stopped pumping because she heard the blazing sound of a Tommy gun…
Looking toward the road, she didn't see much. But Nora did catch Malarkey staring in the same direction. Seconds went by and then the firing stopped. Nora's heart dropped. She assumed the prisoners had been executed – either that, or they were under attack. But no one returned fire. It must have been the prisoners. She noticed it took a few moments for Malarkey to eventually look away and continue walking along the muddy road. When he spotted Nora, he walked over to her.
"You see that?" Malarkey whispered.
Nora faintly shook her head, staring up at Malarkey. "What happened?"
Malarkey swallowed thickly. "He hosed those prisoners down, Nora".
"Who?" She whispered.
Malarkey didn't give a verbal response. But he did look over his shoulder and stare at Speirs, who slung a Tommy gun over his shoulder as he walked toward the farmhouse. So, Speirs shot the German prisoners. Nora looked away from the Lieutenant and crouched down to retrieve her canteen from the ground. Once it was collected, she stared up at Malarkey…
"Did you see it?" She asked him quietly. Malarkey's eyebrows furrowed. Nora said, "Pretend you didn't, Malarkey. Just forget about it. We have other things to think about right now". Nora took a page from Winters's book of advice and decided that Malarkey shouldn't dwell. Nora didn't plan on dwelling either. "Do you need more water?" She asked. "I'm filling my canteen".
"Uh…". Malarkey blinked a few times, trying to erase what he had witnessed. "Sure. Thanks".
"It's okay, Malarkey". Nora told him softly. "What else can I do out here? I am not allowed to fight".
Malarkey huffed. "So, you're our waterboy? Or…water-girl".
"The best water girl in Europe, so they say…". Nora lightened her voice, trying her hand at humour to keep Malarkey from frowning.
Malarkey's eyes lightened with amusement and a smile met his lips. "Says who, huh? Hitler?"
Nora snorted out a faint laugh. After filling up Malarkey's canteen, she handed it back to him and said, "I'll see you back with the guys, Malarkey".
His smile softened. "Thanks again, Nora".
"So long, Malarkey".