Ch.5

As we arrived in Britain it seems my knowledge of how D-day was planned was much more complicated than I imagined. As we did not have enough men to launch the official D-day into Normandy. Therefore we'd be gathering as many men in Britain before launching D-day. That's when General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and later US President after WW2, showed up and took command of the American Forces. 

"Colonels come with me," Eisenhower says to me and the other Colonel who was first placed in charge here before he showed up after the conference determining our plans for the war. 

"The Germans are dug into France and Germany like ticks. As you know we do not have enough men to make a push into the lands. So instead we are leading 'Operation Torch'. We will begin landings in North Africa specifically in Morocco and Algeria," Eisenhower says as we are walking toward the US command center. 

"So far there are some resistance fighters from France already making a mess over there with the Germans. That means we have roughly one hundred thousand men made up of us and the Britians to push them out. That should give us a better foothold to surround Germany from all sides," Eisenhower says as he gestures to the war map on the huge table in the room explaining the movements he wants to make. 

"Colonel Millar you are going to lead the charge on Morocco. Here are the plans I want you to follow, read them and then inform your men of their coming assignment," Eisenhower says handing several stacks of paper to Colonel Millar who salutes him and then quickly leaves to begin preparations. 

"James," Eisenhower says with a heavy sign pouring us glasses of whiskey as we take seats at the table. During my time in the military, I've met many people making connections everywhere, including the future President sitting in front of me. Though over the years the two of us have become friends. 

"This is going to be the bloodiest battle the world has seen yet… The amount of expected casualties just for this Operation alone is staggering…," Eisenhower says letting out another heavy sigh and rubbing his temple in frustration. 

"We knew that going into the war. Not much we can do, but hope our men are trained enough for this war," I say with a shrug knowing my small group of men are trained enough for my standards. 

"Easy for you to say… now. But unfortunately… Command wants me to send you and your men on a special assignment," Eisenhower says while giving me a worried look. 

"Let me guess, we are going to be airdropped behind enemy lines and tasked to lock them up from behind giving you all a better chance to take a beachhead," I say with an expected look since this was why I was tasked with making my unit. 

"Correct, I need you to support Colonel Millar. Our French allies are already messing with the Germans in Algeria," Eisenhower says sliding the orders across the table to me. I read them and they give me the basic structure that command wants from me. 

"Your achievements in the First War are the reason you have a lot of autonomy here," Eisenhower says explaining why my papers are so limited compared to Colonel Millar's orders. 

"Good… Though remember I want to be there on the official launch into France," I say taking the orders and standing up. Since I hope to limit the amount of dead on that day of extreme death. 

"Never understood you… Do you have a death wish? Always volunteering to take the shittiest assignments. Don't you want to retire after this and maybe settle down with a nice woman?" Eisenhower says as I grunt at his statement and down my glass of whiskey. 

"I don't have a death wish… I just know my time is not here yet. Plus I have no interest in settling down with someone who will eventually leave me," I say making Eisenhower shake his head and just sigh not understanding my meaning. 

"Fine, fine. Though I expect to see you at the end of this war," Eisenhower says as we shake hands, before I leave to gather my men and explain to them our upcoming mission. 

Over the next few days, a huge sense of urgency was around as men were running around gathering supplies and delivering orders. Finally, we set out to North Africa along with the British. Over a several-week journey there we'd run into some German and French ships who fought with the Germans. Then the rest of the ships left us going further into the Mediterranean Sea toward Algeria. 

I then boarded the naval bomber/transport plane along with some of my men. While the rest boarded the other planes on the other aircraft carriers. The first planes in the air were the naval fighters who began to fight the incoming German planes. Then the time came for our planes to take off. We all got into the air and the battle over the sea began, looking out the window I could see the carnage. 

Fighter planes shooting down one another, with the occasional transport plane going down. The optimal situation is all my men survive the drop, but in actuality, we are expecting at least a twenty percent casualty rate. There I can see the flaming balls of fire fall back to the see ally and enemy alike. While our gunners were shooting back at the enemies. 

I looked at the faces of my men and each looked stoic, but I could see the fear and nervousness in their eyes. I patted the ones back before looking back outside to the carnage. Just then the sounds of shelling could be heard immediately bringing me back to WW1 as the German antiair Flak rounds began trying to shoot us down. 

"SIR! YOUR DROP ZONE IS COMING UP IN–" one naval aircraft personnel begins shouting at me as we are approaching the drop zone. Though just as he was telling me a Flak round hit our plane shredding an opening on the right side. 

The opening kills several men immediately with others being pulled out by the wind pressure. The plane then dips down as the pilots either lose control or die, and the remaining men begin to panic. I yell at them to follow me and I slowly make my way to the back of the plane opening the door. 

"GET THE FUCK OUT NOW!!" I scream at them as they rush over and jump out of the plane. 

Just as I was about to jump out I saw one pilot alive and struggling to get out of his seat belt. I then rush over to him and see the ground quickly coming into view, so I rip the belt off with my pure strength. I then grab him rush him to the back of the plane and jump out of the plane with him. He screams as we jump out maybe twenty seconds before the plane crashes into the ground and explodes. 

We then land on the ground roughly as I use my body to keep him from becoming harshly injured. I can feel the impact that would break a normal man's bones like twigs but I stand up after pushing the pilot off of me. I sigh I look around and see the ongoing battle in the sky still happening along with my men parachuting out of the planes. We were the first Paratroopers of the US military with other units following after us shortly after I made this group. 

"Thank you!" the pilot says breathing heavily having just experienced a near death. 

"Yeah, though now you are a part of this ground battle. So get up and prepare to shoot some Germans," I say as I take my M1 Garand from my pack and other supplies before tossing the rest to the pilot. 

The pilot quickly takes the M1911 out along with the ammo and stands up beside me. Then the rest of the surviving men from my plane and nearby ones land quickly rushing toward me. I then grab the radio operators nearby telling them to begin relaying information back to our allies on the ship. We then form up and make our way to the heavily fortified, fort that we are going to begin distracting as our allies begin to land on the beach. 

"How many survivors?" I say to the nearest radio operator. 

"Little over two hundred sir!" the radio operator says and I grunt since that was more casualties than we were hoping for. 

"Seems the Germans were more prepared for us than we thought," I say as we begin moving toward the fort. 

"Remember, no heroics. We are only here to distract them the best we can, so our allies can storm the front once they take the beach," I say as the radio operator relays my command to the officers in the battalion. 

We then split up to cover the south side of the fort while beginning to fire at the Germans inside. The Germans responded by firing back, plus with the mortars and machine guns, my men were quickly being overwhelmed. The radio operator I made stay by my side, was relaying with Colonel Millar's radio operator. 

Seems the beachfront is going well and they should be here in less than ten minutes. However, looking at my men we have already lost another fifty or so men. Now we are down to half our original number and in another ten minutes may lead to all of them dying. 

"Give the order to fall back!" I say to my radio operator who begins relaying the order. 

My men then quickly fall back to the small outcropping nearby where the machine guns won't be able to reach us effectively. Plus it gives us decent cover from the mortars. 

"Sir, what now?" one of my officers asks me once we regroup here. 

"Now we wait for those fuckers from the beach to draw some attention. Then we will head back and split the attention of the Germans," I say since many of my men are now dead. 

"Fuck Colonel Millar," I say before anyone can point out he will be pissed. 

"How many explosives do we have?" I ask as the men know I don't care about Colonel Millar's opinion. 

"A few bazookas and ammo to go with them," one of the other officers says. 

"Good, gather it all. Then get me the best shots with them now," I say as they begin running around gathering the bazookas and men. Within the next five minutes, it is all brought to me. 

"Ok, you all are with me. We are going to begin raining hell on the Germans. Everyone else give us covering fire," I say grabbing a bazooka and bag of ammo, with the other quickly doing the same. 

The officers begin shouting commands to have a firing line quickly made to give us cover. Once they begin shooting back at the Germans we rush as close as we can while the German machine gun nests begin to fire at us again. I feel myself get his several times but now it doesn't even bother me. Though one of my men falls down dead, I grab his ammo bag and keep running. 

"Down now!" I say seeing a small ditch giving us decent cover from the machine guns. 

"Fire at will!" I say standing up and shooting my bazooka at the German machine gun nest that was giving us the most trouble. 

As soon as I stood up I felt several more rounds hit me but they did nothing to affect my aim. I then released my shot which rocketed toward the nest and a split second after exploded on contact. I heard the men inside screaming in pain as the nest exploded with debris going everywhere right afterward. My men then quickly did the same standing up and shooting though two went down right after standing.