Chapter Fifty-One The General and the Soldier

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  "Give it to me!"

  Germans hidden in the darkness suddenly opened fire on this team of American soldiers from various angles with numerous light and heavy machine guns. The vanguard of the US military was exposed to the open square, instantly falling under the cover of bullets, being suppressed to several shell-holes that could not move.

  "Sergeant Clive, what shall we do? What shall we do?" The soldiers who were suppressed in the pit covered their heads and curled up like a frightened ostrich, anxiously placing all their hopes on Sergeant Clive.

  Soldiers can sometimes complain about their commanders and scold their superiors, but at times, the commander is their mainstay, leading them to survive with hope. And because of this, whether high-ranking officers or low-ranking officers on the front line, keeping their soldiers alive is one of their most important tasks.

  "Give them a blast where they stand! Give them a blast where they stand! Wait for Captain's relief!" Sergeant Clive yelled to his soldiers.

  The soldiers finally began to counterattack, but the German firepower was too strong, and they could only extend their guns out of the trench in the general direction of the German machine gunners for a blind return fire.

  "Shona, don't expose your head! Quick retreat!" Sergeant Clive suddenly saw one of his soldiers recklessly sticking his head out to get a clear view of the German position. Just as he was about to shout at him not to do so, more than a dozen machine gun bullets instantly blew his skull off, and the entire person received a severe impact, inertially falling backwards.

  "Damn it!" Sergeant Clive had no time to rebuke the soldier's impertinence, for there were more men who needed him.

  I took cover behind the Sherman tank, got a clear view of Sergeant Clive's situation and told Miller: "Get me artillery! City Hall coordinates XX, one round rapid fire! Blast those machine gun positions for me!"

  "Yes!" Miller remained glued to my side, infantry radio always at the ready. "Artillery units! Artillery units! I need artillery support! I need artillery support! Coordinates XX, coordinates XX!"

  "Jones, take your men and get around to the other side of that building. Knock out the German strongpoint on the left flank from behind, then take it! Hold a position on the left wing of City Hall!"

  "Lucas, you use two companies to pin down the German right wing's attention, get them to shift their focus away from Sergeant Cleef! Lucas, remember, all you need to do is make a feint, the main German force defending City Hall is on the right!"

  "Mortar team, take out that machine gun on top of City Hall!"

  Orders were given one after another, and the troops of Jones and Luca began to move quickly. Lieutenant Roberts' men and horses, I couldn't mobilize them, could only discuss with him, pinning down the German army in front, but Lieutenant Roberts' subordinates looked like they had been scared out of their wits by the German ambush just now, if they were forced to charge, it might not have much effect.

  Captain Roberts' predicament was clear to himself, his soldiers were transported in batches from the US mainland by sea, although they had previously participated in attacks on German troops, but because the US military's weapons and troop numbers were much more than the German army, so in the war, this group of new recruits under his command, when fighting a winning battle, their morale was quite high, and when attacking fortifications, they were also relatively brave. The only drawback is that they couldn't bear to see their comrades die in large numbers, which was devastating to their morale. Although just now, under the siege of the German army, they could still fight back desperately, but that was just a last-ditch effort. Now that my rescue team has arrived and rescued them from danger, their determination to fight to the death has almost disappeared.

  I can't blame them for being timid, they are actually very brave! Anyone who knows the cruelty of war and that it requires death, no matter how they chose to become soldiers, once they arrived on this battlefield, if they can pick up a gun for the first time and fire at their enemy, then they are brave. Because truly weak people, as soon as they arrive on the battlefield, lose their will to fight when they hear the deafening cannon fire. I've seen many such people already.

  On the battlefield, to be honest, I don't have much respect for those high-ranking generals. They can measure a war with numbers and victories, they can talk about their soldiers being insufficient because there are no more hands available, but they never worry about their own lives and hopes. Because they know that if they fail in command, they can start again; if they lose soldiers, they can recruit more; if they run out of weapons and ammunition, they can get more. But those soldiers struggling on the front line, they have no dreams, no hope, nothing at all. Even the medals awarded to them for their merits are useless, except as a reminder of the price they almost paid with their lives. If they're still on this battlefield where cannons fire continuously and corpses lie everywhere, their only desire is to stay alive, regardless of whether they're friend or foe!

  I swept a glance over the A Company men who had just walked back from the dead line, and I yelled at them: "Brothers, cover my back! My people follow me, and we're going to bring Sergeant Clive back!"

  Jimmy rushed out first, using the destroyed buildings as cover, and charged forward. A soldier carrying a light machine gun followed closely behind Jimmy, and just as they had rushed out not far, the German MG42 machine guns sealed off their path with a string of bullets.

  "Take cover! Take cover!" Jimmy and the machine gunner darted to the right, simultaneously hiding behind a building.

  The machine gunner instantly fell to the ground, using the wall corner as cover and firing back in the direction of the MG42. Jimmy took a look at the machine gunner's posture and felt that something was off, upon closer inspection he saw that he was controlling the fire with his right hand, and couldn't help but curse:

  "McCall, you bastard, why didn't you use your left hand!"

  "It's just a habit of mine, sir!" Mackay said without looking up.

  "It's damn good, didn't your instructor whip you with a whip during boot camp?"

  "No, sir!"

  "Maccau, alright, I'll tell you this: if I catch you again in that posture, I'll order you to go blow up the German pillboxes!"

  "Sir, I object! You're deliberately sending me to my death!"

  "Damn it! You're not much different from sending him to his death, are you? Are you going to fill out a report saying he died because of poor handling of the weapon and was unfortunately shot by a German bullet?" Jimmy shouted at the machine gunner who was crouching on one side as he returned fire against the Germans.

  This doesn't mean Jimmy is rude, no one on the battlefield speaks politely, on the contrary, this reminds Mac that he also thinks about the lives of his soldiers. In the infantry combat manual, there is a warning to soldiers, as a soldier, if the cover you are in cannot shoot well with your right hand, then you must learn to control the weapon with your left hand. Although it doesn't feel good for soldiers who are used to using their right hand, it can minimize the chance of exposing their body to the enemy.

  Macaw was scolded by Jimmy, taking advantage of the moment to change bullets, he rolled sideways and hid behind a bunker, saying: "Sir, I don't want to die in such a hurry!"

  "Good! Very good! Then don't forget what you learned during your training!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  On the German position, Lieutenant Ruman already felt that the US troops attacking them were different from the previous US troops, both in combat movements and counterattack frequencies.

  "Everyone keep your eyes open, these Yanks might be their elite troops!" Captain Rümann shouted to all the German soldiers defending the position.

  "Larry continues to attack the squad of Americans stuck in that pit, Med, keep your machine gun trained on and supporting the left side, don't let the Americans rush over, get me a few men, reinforce the right flank!"

  Captain Luman's men are nominally a company, but in reality they don't even have the strength of a platoon. With so few people defending such a large area, it's indeed a bit overwhelming! "Damn it, where did our self-propelled artillery go?"

  "Sir, he's defending our right flank!"

  "Alright, let them come! My front line is like an American cowboy about to make a forced breakthrough! I need to strengthen my firepower here!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  "Mani, your marksmanship is good, don't stay here, go to the top of the building and join Niguel. Try to take out a few more American officers!"

  "Yes!"

  "Anti-tank gun, watch out for the American tank! Don't expose our anti-tank position if you're not sure! Try to take it down with one shot! We're all counting on you!"

  "Understood, sir!"

  My Sherman tank is finally moving forward again, although its firing range isn't far, the machine gun at the front shooting port can still barely provide firepower suppression, serving as a mobile bunker. However, even though I've chosen a favorable position for attack, the German counterattack is just as fierce. What I'm most worried about is whether the German anti-tank cannon has destroyed it in the previous bombardment!

  Jones' troops were having a tough time advancing on the left flank of the German army, whose machine gun nests, complemented by a sniper, unleashed powerful and accurate fire that hindered Jones' progress. Despite trying various methods, they failed to break through the German blockade effectively.

  I really wish I could be like a commander in the movies, waving my hand and having my soldiers charge forward without regard for life or death. But here, it's just a fantasy. Facing the suppressive fire of machine guns, if I really did that, within a minute, all of my over 100 men would be wiped out!

  "For crying out loud, stay alert! Don't expose yourself to German gunfire! We're not made of iron!"