Chapter 3 My D connects with my troops

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  David and I somehow became majors in a miracle-like manner, on the way to the temporary residence, I asked John.

  "What's his name?"

  John put his arm around my and David's shoulders, chuckling. "This is the first time in all these years I've ever heard anyone call him that! Buddy, let me give you a piece of advice: never, ever call him that to his face, or you're dead!"

  I was somewhat puzzled and casually asked: "Is Colonel's eyes as big as a chicken's buttocks?"

  "Good God," John guffawed, "if Major Rommel heard you describe him that way, he'd stuff a German grenade up your ass!"

  David slapped his hand on Springfield and said disapprovingly, "God bless him, don't let me get to his ass first!"

  John told us that Major Rom is one of the best commanders in the guerrilla forces, highly valued by his superiors. Although he currently holds the rank of major, there are rumors circulating that the US military command may soon promote him directly to lieutenant colonel or even brigadier general. If this becomes a reality, we soldiers under his command will be able to bask in the glory!

  "He's really had a stroke of good luck!" Being able to rise from lieutenant colonel to general is something that can't help but make people envious, and I'm no exception. In a fit of jealousy, I cursed him with a foul mouth.

  David didn't know why he always liked to tease me, and with a somewhat blue eye, he exaggeratedly said: "In this era, many people are lucky to be born in the year of the dog! However, damn it, it's just not my turn!"

  John and I simultaneously patted David's shoulder sympathetically and said: "Poor kid!"

  David was stunned on the spot!

  On the way, John mysteriously told us a secret about Major Rome. What Major Rome likes most in his life is that someone respects him, and what he dislikes most is that someone does not respect him! It's said that those who do not respect him, scold him behind his back or confront him face to face, have all been given a hard time by Major Rome, of course these are unspoken secrets.

  I don't know why such a young colonel can become a general, maybe people who want to gain respect from others always respect others first. Maybe this is not a shortcoming, if one doesn't even know how to respect their own superior, how can they gain respect and attention from others? Thinking of this, I regret my loose tongue earlier, just like the song "Kan Ke" says. Respect! My heart thinks of the scene where the colonel apologized to David again.

  The Omaha Beach landing battle took nearly two days to break through the first line of defense set up by the Germans along the coast. In the fighting, American DD amphibious tanks also participated in the sequence of crossing the sea to support the operation. Although these DD tanks were touted as "swimming tanks", they did not pass the technical test. On that day, the tank landing craft went into the water two kilometers away from the beachhead and prepared to swim ashore on its own to give a head-on blow to the defending German army. However, because the floating pontoons used for flotation were not made of modern waterproof materials, but were made of cotton canvas coated with grease on the surface, and the lifting capacity of the pontoons was limited, they could only withstand waves within 1 foot high. However, the wave height that day exceeded six feet. As a result, in fact, at Omaha Beach, the DD tanks ended in defeat due to the natural conditions of water pressure, seawater salinity, and wind waves, with "sinking before landing" and causing unexpected minor loss of life; most crew members were rescued by the 16th Combat Team using emergency breathing apparatuses that could support them for five minutes and inflatable lifeboats. To this day, many sunken DD tanks remain on the seafloor off Omaha Beach, still sitting upright on the seabed in their original direction of movement, and have become an artificial reef.

  I finally understand why the Americans, a country that takes lives so lightly, wouldn't have tanks appear on the battlefield in such an intense and brutal fight. It turns out it wasn't that they didn't want to, but rather they couldn't.

  Looking out at the vast, still bloody sea, I couldn't help but recall yesterday's battle. As I rode on the Allied Samuel Chase landing craft, we were attacked by German automatic weapons and artillery when we were just a few hundred meters from the shore. As the landing craft approached the shore, the German firepower grew more intense. It wasn't until then that I realized the pre-landing bombardment and bombing by the Allies had little effect. In the subsequent fire support, bombers not only delayed takeoff due to weather conditions but also dropped their bombs far away from the German defensive line for fear of accidentally injuring friendly forces nearby. Since most were towns relatively far from the German defense line, the defending German troops on the beach were not greatly affected.

  The battle was too brutal, I was the seventh to jump off the ship and fortunately did not get hurt. But apart from me, Meng La Yi etc. were only the twelfth to successfully jump off the ship. All the others were hit by bullets, with several at the cabin door being instantly killed by MG42, turning them into a beehive! More than half of the thirty people on the landing craft were killed just trying to get out of the landing ship, and the rest were either injured or shot dead on the beach. What happened next I don't know how I managed to survive in a daze, perhaps it can only be explained by my good luck.

  The sporadic fighting had no impact on the beach, where newly erected tents and accumulated war supplies were scattered everywhere. Several Sherman tanks had already been driven onto the beachhead, parked around as guard posts to prevent a highly unlikely German counterattack. More troops lined up in neat rows, hastening towards their respective front lines. Perhaps not many of these men would survive after all.

  John, following Major Rom's orders, assigned David and me to the guerrilla battalion D Company under his command without a word and left. And so I became the acting company commander of D Company in a situation where no one knew me. As for the original company commander, unfortunately, he was blown up by an infantry shell yesterday and went on a date with Saint Mary. Otherwise, I could only be the deputy company commander.

  The loss of the company was not great, and the entire company had only 20 casualties. After a slight replenishment, it became a fully equipped and manned combat company again.

  These big soldiers were not impressed by my arrival, and even when they heard that I was the commander who personally directed the opening of the D1 gap, they just raised their eyelids slightly. The expressions on these people's faces seemed to be telling me: if you want to come, then come, there is no need to be so garrulous! And David, this bastard, was like a bystander, hiding in the corner wiping his Springfield rifle, watching my joke.

  The awkward atmosphere, my self-esteem made my face sink instantly, although I had never faced so many people before. I must punish them, I must establish prestige among this group of damned bastards, actually it's not for the position, but it's about the dignity of me as a commander, I don't want to lose my life in the next battle because of some reason and let them get away with it. My mind unconsciously thought of that damned major again, should I also make those few bastards in front of me wear small shoes?

  "Attention, fall in!"

  As for this sudden command of mine, D's reaction speed is still quite satisfactory. Of course, apart from the slightly disheveled military uniform, there's nothing else to pick on!

  David held a gun and stood beside me as a temporary guard, apparently he didn't know that I was going to give these American soldiers who were unaware of the situation a warning shot, perhaps with his knowledge he wouldn't have known either. There's an old Chinese saying "new official takes office three fires". Apparently my first fire, the warning shot, was about to begin.

  "What the hell is wrong with you bunch of idiots, moving like a bunch of women, so slow!" I loudly cursed at this group of American soldiers who were almost stupid, clearly they didn't know why I was doing this!

  “NO.SIR!”

  "What are you talking about? I can't hear! Look at your listless appearance, did the German machine gun scare your little heart?"

  "NO, SIR!" This group of American soldiers was clearly not indifferent to this spiritual blow.

  "Oh, heavens! Not yet, that's just great! So bring out your strongest momentum and show me! Show this old soldier who crawled out of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood what kind of momentum you've got, you bunch of trash, cowards, and weaklings!" My face turned bright red from shouting at the top of my lungs, like a woman's rouge had been slapped on my face. But with such an earth-shattering performance, I might only get to experience this once in my lifetime. To be honest, looking at these American soldiers who were about to explode from being stifled, I felt incredibly refreshed! A kind of indescribable pleasure, yes, that's the kind of perverted thrill that stimulated my nerves to the extreme! Who would have thought that you Americans, who usually look so domineering, would have a day like this!"

  My past life was a special forces soldier, but I was just a small soldier. I remember when we first entered training, our instructors scolded us like this group of soldiers today, leaving us with no dignity. At the time, I was already a lieutenant in a certain department, but when I heard the instructor's humiliating and dehumanizing insults for the first time, my anger can be imagined. Now, I can also experience this kind of thrill, although it's in another space-time, another country's army. However, the result is the same - seeing what it means to be scolded harshly, what it means to be insulted without reason. This group of American soldiers couldn't bear such humiliation either, and they almost shouted their answers at me.

  “YES,SIR!”

  The American soldiers on the entire beach, apparently unaware of what had happened here, stopped their work and stretched their necks to watch! Even many American soldiers passing by the troops stopped to watch this wonderful scene! And David looked at my eyes but was a bit silly!

  I applauded alone with a few "pa pa pa" sounds, the sound was not loud, but except for the distant gunfire that still echoed, the whole scene was quiet!

  The prestige has already been lost, and the reward cannot be stingy, otherwise there will be big trouble!

  "Great, you people are much better than I imagined!" I continued in a low voice: "Yesterday's battle, you also participated! The cruelty of war you have also experienced! But what I want to say is that your ability, your experience is still far from enough! The war is still going on, although it may not take long to end! However, you, including me, and the fight against the Germans will continue! Maybe God who should be dead fell asleep and threw one of you or me into hell to die. But our American glory, our guerrilla glory cannot be abandoned!"

  I suddenly smiled eerily and said, "Of course, what's more important is that we all try to survive! In the days to come, I will fight alongside you, and I will exhaust all my efforts to keep you alive, to see your mothers again! This is the greatest guarantee I can make! It's also the greatest guarantee I can make to that damned God!"

  The surroundings were quiet, and almost all the American soldiers' eyes were moist! The big David next to me reacted first, applauding loudly, followed by the soldiers of D Company and the surrounding American soldiers who applauded wildly! I know that from today on, the soldiers of D Company will forever remember to obey me, this person who gave them hope for life, Colonel Conti! My shoulders suddenly became heavy, one hundred and twenty lives turned into a huge responsibility that made me feel suffocated!

  Later, David told me privately: "Captain Conte, to be honest, when I first met you, I didn't take you seriously, because your rank is not much higher than mine," pointing to his own military insignia, and said with a bitter smile: "But later, your speech moved me. You are different from other officers who only talk about honor and glory in front of their subordinates. This coldness makes me admire you! From that moment on, I realized that I am really not as good as you!"

  "Really, David? I found out that you are worshiping me for the first time!" I said with a smile, shaking my head. In fact, he didn't know what was really on my mind. What I was actually thinking about was just being able to get these American soldiers to protect me so I could survive until the end of the war! After all, soldiers always die faster than officers - that's an iron rule! But this is something I would never say out loud!

  Looking at the group of young soldiers laughing and scolding in the distance, my heart became even more confused. Was I really fighting to protect myself and live on? The answer, I myself was still unclear about!