Gunslinger

A few new recruits arrived on Christmas Eve, and some of the sergeants were giving the wide eyed newcomers a tour around the lines.

Dana and Brian were sitting with the other men having their meager K Ration dinners when Sergeant Adams walked toward them with two wet behind the ears recruits.
“Now what you gotta realize”, Adams was telling the two, “is that most of these guys, and girl, have been injured at some point and keep popping up again to give the Krauts more hell.” The recruits’ eyes widened even further.
“Hobbs here, well he got hit in his scrawny little butt in Normandy.” Hobbs just smirked at Adams in response.
“Hanson here”, Adams said with a smirk, “got hit in his rather substantial butt in Holland.” Hanson just grinned, lifted the back of his uniform and pointed at his butt.
“Vandenberg got attacked with a piece of exploded tank in Holland, and got pinked in the neck with shrapnel.” Dana waved at the recruits, who looked like they were going to faint.
“Richland over there almost got his nuts blown off in Normandy. How are those nuts anyway Sarge?”
“They’re just fine Adams, thanks for asking”, Richland replied with a smirk.
“Is it a tradition to get shot in the ass?”, one of the recruits asked nervously. Everyone in the vicinity laughed out loud.
“Just keep it puckered and out of the way”, Richland grinned.

Private Lister was wandering around the group handing out Christmas presents, that were mostly cigarettes from some packets that he had scrounged, but to Dana he presented a small cup of snow which looked suspiciously yellow.
“Yellow snow?”, Dana asked with a cocked eyebrow at Lister. “Really?” Lister grinned.
“It ain’t what you’re thinking you perv. I made it with my lemonade powder from my ration kit.” Dana’s lips curved into a smile as she sampled the small home made treat.
“Thank you, Joe”, she said with a happy smile as she tasted more of the snow cone that Lister had made for her.
“I’ve got a present for you too”, Brian whispered into her ear as he sneakily scooped a little of her snow cone out of the cup with his finger.

Before Dana could respond the whistle of incoming shells interrupted, and the men scattered in all directions to their foxholes. Dana, Brian and O’Shea scrambled into their foxholes as the first of the mortar shells began to find their targets. As they huddled together, a smoking mortar shell landed on the edge of their foxhole. The three of them froze in fear, however nothing happened. The shell was a dud.
“I think I need to change my underwear”, Dana said with a shaky voice.

A few minutes later, the trio learned exactly how lucky they had been. Just after they emerged from their foxhole and began checking the line, they saw Private Melville lying in shock in the snow. His eyes were fixated on a point directly in front of him. When Dana turned to look at what Melville was fixated on she saw a foxhole that had been destroyed by a mortar blast.
“Melville, get up”, she said, turning back to him and trying to get him to a sitting position.
“They’ve gone, I watched them”, Melville said, looking up at her with wide shocked eyes.
“Who’s gone?”, Dana asked, but then she turned back to the large crater that had been the foxhole and she felt herself growing numb. Melville was shaking and did not answer her question.
“Melville what happened?”, Brian asked.
“Adams and Holmes”, Melville responded after a moment. “I got stuck out here when the shells started to hit, and they were calling me to hurry up to get to the foxhole.” His eyes were still holding the same haunted look, and Dana looked back at the ruined foxhole.
“They were in that foxhole?’, she asked, pointing to it. Melville nodded shakily.
“Direct hit”, Brian said softly next to her. “He must have seen it all.” There was not a trace left of the men who had been in the foxhole, and Dana ran a shaky hand over her face. She saw a set of dog tags lying beside the foxhole, and she shakily pocketed them. She didn’t envy Somerville having to write to Adams and Holmes’ parents explaining that their sons had died. He wouldn’t be able to tell them exactly what happened. How could he write to a mother and advise her that the only thing left of her son was a set of crumpled dog tags?

*********************

Later on that day, the Germans attacked again, but fortunately for E Company, on the other side of Bastogne. The following day, Patton’s Third Army broke through the German lines. The 101st was no longer surrounded; it now had ground communications with the American supply dumps. Soon trucks were bringing in adequate supplies of food, medicine and ammunition. The wounded were evacuated to the rear.

The breaking of the siege brought the first newspapers from the outside world. The men of the 101st learned that they had become a legend even as the battle continued. It was aided by a worried nation’s grasping for encouragement and hope. The war department had identified the division inside the town, surrounded by Germans on all sides. Even before their bloody month in the town was up, to the world the 101st became the Battered Bastards of the Bastion of Bastogne. Still, the 101st had one complaint. As the story of the Battle of Bulge became more wider known, the story was becoming how Patton and his Third Army came to the rescue of the encircled 101st, like the cavalry come to save the settlers in their wagon circle.
“We damn didn’t need to be rescued!”, Somerville was often heard to shout after reading particular news articles.

***********************

With the encirclement broken, the company expected to return to Mourmelon but he heroic stand at Bastogne had been a defensive action, and to win the war the Allies were going to have to resume their offensive. The Germans had come out of their fixed positions and made themselves vulnerable, and Eisenhower wanted to seize the opportunity. However, the same problem existed at the end of December as it had during the middle of the month; a manpower shortage. The Germans still outnumbered the Americans on the Western Front, as the Americans had not raised enough infantry divisions to fight a two-front war. Eisenhower wanted to attack before New Year’s Eve but the American supreme commander stalled and shivered and made excuses, so it did not happen.

For E Company, this meant staying in the line. The conditions improved somewhat, as the company were supplied with overshoes, long underwear and sometimes hot food. The first time Dana ate beans that were actually hot, she almost groaned in pleasure.
“Damn, that’s the same sound you make when I’m inside you”, Brian said, glancing at her. Dana almost choked on her beans. O’Shea just looked at the two of them, startled.
“Way too much information there, Haner”, he said, blushing. Dana’s face was hot with embarrassment.
“Oops”, Brian said with a small embarrassed smile at her. Dana was saved further embarrassment when Sergeant Butler approached the group and addressed Richland who was sitting just behind them.
“There’s a tree up there toward Noville that wasn’t there yesterday.”
“How does a tree suddenly appear in a forest”, Brian asked. “We’re surrounded by fucking trees.” Richland picked up his binoculars and looked in the vicinity that Butler indicated.
“All I see are trees. Are you sure you’re not hallucinating?” Butler was adamant.
“There’s a tree there that wasn’t there yesterday”, he insisted. As Richland looked through the binoculars, he saw movement near a particular tree and then more movement under other trees around it. Then he saw the gun barrels – 88s by their appearance. He gave the binoculars to Dana. “Tell me what you see?” Dana lifted the binoculars to her eyes, and she realized that the Germans were putting up an anti-aircraft battery among the trees. The tree that Butler had spotted was part of the camouflage.

Richland called HQ for a forward artillery observer, and when he arrived he saw what Butler, Richland and Dana had seen and arranged for artillery. Within 5 minutes artillery was exploding around the German position and Richland watched through the binoculars as the Germans scrambled to get out of there. Within an hour the place was deserted.
“Damn, Butler. All of this because you saw a tree a mile away that wasn’t there yesterday”, Dana said, marveling at Butler’s eyesight. Butler just shrugged.