...
When it got dark, their only light source came from vehicles burning in the near distance. It was difficult, travelling through the flooded fields in the dark. And the stench of dead flesh lingered, as they came across more deceased. Stepping over countless of bodies, they tried their hardest not to step atop their bloated chests and bellies. The setting reminded Nora of a terrible dream. Shrugging her shoulders, Nora shimmied her pack further up her back. She tried not to yawn, as exhaustion began to seep in from not sleeping the previous night. Being so tired, made Nora feel unwell. She rubbed her heavy eyes and hoped the nausea would subside eventually. All the men must have felt as tired as Nora, maybe even unwell from being in dirty and wet clothes for days now. But nobody complained. Not once. And nobody could complain because they were walking past the dead…
"Ah – shit…". Someone up ahead cursed and the entire Company came to a standstill. They had lost Fox Company, who were leading the Battalion through marshy fields. So, they set-up their machine-guns and waited until contact was made again. Nora sat on a fallen tree with Luz next to her. He was trying his radio again, hoping to reach Fox Company…
"Piece of shit equipment…". Luz hissed.
Nora said, "It's not your radio, George. It's Fox…they're moving further ahead without telling us".
Luz frowned. "Why the hell are they doing that?"
"Officers are probably anxious…like Captain Sobel was whenever he heard something". Nora tried to explain. "They just move without thinking".
"Well, they're screwing this up for everyone". Luz grumbled.
"Yeah". Nora said and then yawned a yawn so fierce, that her eyes watered.
Luz chuckled sympathetically. "Aw, chick…no rest for the wicked, huh?"
Nora asked, "But you have reached Fox on the radio before?"
"Yeah". Luz said, "It's hard to make out what they're fucking saying…they've 'gotta keep quiet cause the Germans can tap into our radios". He added, "They're thinking the German tanks are 'gonna show up at some point…hence us setting up our MGs".
Nora drew out a quiet sigh and faced the front. Lying just inches from their feet was a dead German soldier. She didn't mind about the rotting corpse, Nora just wanted to sit down on something that wasn't wet or coated in muck. The dry, fallen tree was a luxury comfort for herself and Luz that night. Taking the canteen off her belt, Nora took a quick drink before they were ordered on their feet again – contact with Fox Company had been restored, however, the contact wouldn't last very long…
There was no dry, fallen tree to sit on during their next unplanned stop. Nora stood behind Bull, who was chewing at the end of an unlit cigar. They had firm orders to not smoke during the long march to Carentan, so they could travel undetected from the enemy. Hearing the men set up the machine-guns again, Nora expected a long wait until they were ordered to move again. And from standing in the same spot for five or so minutes, Nora felt the mud take a firm hold of her boots, holding them tightly in place like glue. She tried wiggling herself free, but her foot slipped right out of her boot. Nora lost her balance and fell backwards, her hands saving her fall, however, landing in something she'd rather avoid…
Nora pulled her hands out of a bloody, open wound in a dead soldier. She lost her balance once more and fell forward, face first into the mud. Someone whispered a "Jesus Christ", under their breath before grabbing Nora by the back of her jacket and lifting the girl up. Spitting out chunks of mud, Nora hastily wiped her hands against the front of her jacket, getting rid of the blood and rotten flesh.
"You good?" Bull grimaced at the state of Nora…
"Yeah". She answered quietly.
"Where's your boot?"
"In the mud". When Bull let go of her, Nora used some water from her canteen to give her hands a quick wash while Bull yanked her boot out of the mud. "Thanks". She said, "That is the second time that's happened to me".
"That's unfortunate". Bull said as his lips twitched with some amusement.
She said, "I think I will burn this jacket in England".
Bull snorted quietly. He said, "Quit complaining, huh? It ain't so bad…just a bit of blood".
"And lung". Nora added with a grimace.
"Reminds me of the hog's innards problem back in Toccoa…". Bull said with a fond smirk.
Nora frowned, "What?"
Bull explained, "On Thanksgiving, we had to crawl through pig guts and all its blood and shit, while live rounds from an MG fired over us".
"Why?"
Bull shrugged. "Training purposes". He said, "We laughed 'bout it…cause those city boys were almost puking. They ain't ever seen fresh pig guts outside a butcher's before".
"Or crawled through it". Nora added.
Bull smiled, amused. He said, "Brass wanted an exercise to replicate real-life combat".
Nora stared down at her jacket. "Yeah… guess it's just like that".
Bull snorted out a quiet laugh and gave Nora's helmet a gentle knock. "I like you, Clopper".
Nora mumbled somewhat shyly, "You too, Bull".
…
At 0530 hours, 2nd Battalion finally reached its position outside of Carentan. The march had been long and hard, the men were exhausted. Route 803 entered Carentan as a gentle downward slope, with shallow ditches to both sides of the roadway. In town, it merged with another street to the right at a forty-five-degree angle. Together, they formed a slanted T-intersection, overpowered by a hotel that sat straight ahead, looking down the 803. Houses and shops lined both sides of the town's streets. The intersection was Easy Company's objective…
"No air cover". Winters said out loud. "Seems this attack was hastily thrown together".
"That's not good, sir?" Nora asked.
Winters sighed and said, "No…it's not good, Nora".
Looking up at the sky, Nora noticed the sun hadn't risen yet and the pale moon was still pressed against a grey sky. Lowering her head, she soon noticed Lieutenant Lavenson stepping away from the road and into a field. Curiously, Nora watched him for a moment, but promptly looked away when Lavenson began pulling down his trousers…
"Jesus". Welsh snorted, amused. "His ass is reflecting against the moon".
Winters said, "Not a lot of cover in the field, Harry".
"Hey…when you've 'gotta go, you've 'gotta go".
Suddenly, a single shot was fired out. The bullet came from inside the town, and it hit Lavenson's butt-cheek. With a grunt of pain, Lavenson fell to the ground. A brave medic ventured out to the Lieutenant's aid and pulled him back onto the road, where Lavenson was soon patched up and taken off the line. It was unfortunate, but at least Lavenson wouldn't be around for the hastily planned attack on Carentan…
Chewing down on her bottom lip, Nora looked away from the wounded Lieutenant and faced the front. Clearly, the town was still actively occupied. Trouble was, they didn't know just how occupied Carentan was. According to Intelligence and Nixon, an entire Regiment was holding onto the town, but there was enough room in there for more German Paratroopers. Nora bit down on her lip so hard, that she tasted blood. Releasing her lip, she drew out a shaky sigh before looking over at Winters, who was briefing the Platoon Leaders from Easy…
"What do you think?" Welsh asked.
"I don't know, but I don't like it". Winters said, "The men are tired, the road's exposed and there could be a thousand Krauts up ahead for all I know. Anyway, you've got the honours, Harry…".
"Gee, thanks". Welsh remarked with a smirk.
Winters smiled small in return before he said, "Take first Platoon straight in. Second Platoon will follow, then third. Mortars and machine-guns will provide covering fire. Get in there fast, all of you. When you hit the intersection, secure it and fan out to the right. Fox will handle our left".
"You got it, chief". Buck said with a firm nod.
Turning away from the Platoon leaders, Winters moved toward Nora. "Stay back with Nix and Major Strayer, until he tells you otherwise, okay?" He set his hand on her shoulder.
Nora nodded. "Yes, sir". Staring up at him, there was a hint of fear in her eyes.
Winters smiled and squeezed her shoulder before letting go. "I'll see you in there, kiddo".
"See you in there, sir". Watching him go with a frown, Nora moved further away from the slope where Nixon, Strayer, and the rest of 2nd Battalion Staff were located…
Winters was right about his previous uneasy feeling regarding the intersection. The road was out in the open and the Germans used the road and the hotel, to their advantage. Poking out from the ground floor window in the hotel, was an MG-42, its deadly bullets soon headed straight down the intersection, just as Welsh had his men up and moving into town. Welsh and six other men braved the deadly fire and raced into town while everyone else stopped and took cover in the shallow ditches. It was a heart-stopping moment, watching the entire Company, except six, halt and freeze in the ditches. Nora raised her head slightly, where she could just see the beginning of the slope. No one was on the road, it was empty, save the hail of lead firing at them…
"Get moving!" Strayer barked out, while he cowered at the end of the slope. "Get them moving, Dick!"
Nixon argued back, "They're in the open, for Pete's Sake!"
Strayer ignored him and continued to push Winters on, "Go! Go!"
Suddenly, Winters sprung up and ran into the centre of the road…much to the horror of those who watched. Nora's eyes went as wide as plates, she could feel the colour drain from her face upon witnessing Winters put himself in direct contact with live bullets. The Lieutenant was yelling, screaming for his men to move. Winters had become the only visible target for the Germans, and he knew it. Bullets churned up the ground at Winters's feet and buzzed around his ears like mosquitoes as he bounced back and forth across the road. Then, Winters started to grab his men, drag them onto their feet, and push them forward…
"Get going!" Winters yelled, "You're 'gonna die here! Move!"
At first, the men gaped at Winters in awe, because their Lieutenant never yelled – he was always so calm and soft-spoken. But there was Winters, yelling, red-faced, at the men. Suddenly, two years' worth of training and discipline kicked in and the men began to move. Several got hit along the way, but they were soon pouring into Carentan and flushing the Germans out…
"Well…at least they're moving". Nixon said to Nora with a tiny smile. "Never thought I'd see the day where Dick yells like that".
Nora sighed and said, "He could have got hit".
"But he didn't". Nixon reminded her. "He's fine".
Welsh quietened the German machine-gunner inside the hotel with a grenade. Soon, the road was no longer a primary target. With the road now clear, Easy could focus on securing the intersection. However, fleeing Germans from inside the town, ran to the marshy fields. Strayer had his machine-gunners hosed the retreating Germans down. Once several retreating Germans went down, a building from inside the town rocked.
"Mortars!" Someone yelled, "Take cover!"
"Christ! The Krauts have got them zeroed in!" Strayer exclaimed.
"Air cover would've been really useful right about now…". Nixon remarked.
As houses were ripped apart, flying chunks of steel and masonry struck several men. One Private was killed instantly. Tipper was severely wounded in the head and both of his legs were broken when a mortar blasted a building he was searching. Lipton was struck in the upper thigh and crotch by shrapnel. A lot of men were wounded by German mortars. And Nora heard all the news from Strayer's radioman…
"We have to move the wounded!" Strayer stressed. "But we can't get in there, it's too risky!"
Nora suddenly felt ashamed of her cowardness. While Strayer wanted to avoid danger, his men were currently fighting and dying in the thick of it. Upon raising her head, Nora could see blood and bullets flying from one side of the street to the other…
"We have to try, sir". Nixon reasoned with Strayer. "This road is clear, or we could cut through the field".
Nora continued to stare out into the fierce fight in front of her, feeling her heart pound and sweat form on her forehead from the nerves and adrenaline she felt for her friends. Hoobler would be fine, Nora never had to worry about Hoobler. And Winters was always sensible, she didn't have to worry about him either. But what if…
"MEDIC!" Someone screamed from inside the town.
Nora faced Nixon and said, "We should go help".
He said, "Not until we're told, kid. I'm no use in there if I can't see what's going on around me".
"I'm not an Intelligence Officer". Nora said.
Nixon almost smiled. "No…no, you're not". He asked, "So, what are you?"
Nora's eyebrows gently furrowed in thought. "I don't know, Lewis…".
"I think you do". Nixon said, "I think you 'wanna go in there".
Softly biting down on her bottom lip, Nora faced the hectic scene again. Bullets were still soaring, blood was spraying, and Germans fell to the ground. Maybe a part of her wanted to be in Carentan, fighting alongside her friends. But she didn't have the courage because surely, Nora wasn't brave enough to fight. She faced Nixon again and said, "I don't think straight…I haven't slept, Lewis".
Nixon shrugged and said, "They haven't slept either, kid".
"I will do something stupid". She frowned, "I'll get scared".
"You don't think they're scared too?" Nixon cast her a tiny smile. He said, "Everyone's scared, kid. They just don't show it much".
"Even you and Lieutenant Winters?"
Nixon gave a nod and said, "I'll bet we are, yeah".
However, before Nora could even think about racing into Carentan, the streets quietened. No more shells from German mortars sounded, only small firearms rang out every ten seconds or so. The battle was slowing down. Strayer deemed it safe enough to begin moving the wounded to a make-shift aid station in a building on the northwest corner of the intersection. Wounded there were plenty of, some more severe than others. Nora noticed one Private tucked behind a wall, shaken and pale…
"Blithe?" Nora questioned while moving toward him.
"I can't…". Blithe whispered shakily. "I can't see…I can't see…".
Crouching before him, Nora waved her hand in front of his face. "You can't see?"
"Nothing…nothing". Blithe continued to whisper, "I can't see…".
Nora began scanning his head for any obvious injuries. "Did you hurt yourself?"
Again, Blithe repeated, "I can't see…I can't see a thing…".
He was scared stiff, and Nora couldn't blame him, she'd be terrified if her vision was suddenly lost. She took a hold of Blithe's arm and said, "Don't worry…I'm going to look after you".
Blithe's voice broke tearfully, "I can't see…".
"It's going to be okay". Nora promised him. "I won't leave you…you're safe now, Blithe".
With a few more words of comfort, Nora managed to get Blithe onto his feet. Keeping a firm hold of his arm, she began leading him toward the intersection. Nora guided Blithe over stone, and bricks that once made up a home. In just a short space of time, Carentan had collapsed, but it was in the hands of the Allies now.