The German commander of the troops surrounding the 101st Airborne had demanded the honourable surrender of the encircled town of Bastogne. The German commander had threatened to bomb not only the troops but the civilians in and around Bastogne if the Americans continued to hold the line.
Earlier on, Colonel Sink had reported that the American General McAuliffe had replied with one word to the German commander: "Nuts!" This word had been translated for the German general as, "Go to hell!"
How many lives were going to be lost tonight for the sake of holding the line?
Earlier, the men had thought McAuliffe's reply was funny.
Charlie couldn't imagine they'd think it was funny if they saw what she was living now.
She'd gone into town before the barrage had started, accompanying a frightened replacement with a nasty case of both frostbite and trench foot. With no immediate reason to go back to the line, Charlie had lingered. She'd sat with the replacement, whose name turned out to be Jack, for a while, then helped Renée and the black nurse, Anna, with some of the other wounded.
Charlie had been shocked to hear the whistling of shells so close by.
When the town of Bastogne started to burn, she understood why.
What looked like hundreds of German bomber planes were flying overhead, all of them raining fire on the people below. Buildings collapsed, windows were shattered, roofs burned. Medics rushed around, frantic as they attempted to get the wounded who'd remained outside of the church inside it.
"Nurse!" the driver of an arriving jeep shouted.
Charlie raced over.
"Shrapnel in the stomach," the medic beside him informed her. "No morphine."
"Get him inside!" she ordered them over the noise.
Jeep after jeep arrived from all of the various companies holding the front line. The Germans were hitting them everywhere. The men coming in hadn't even realised Bastogne itself was also being bombed.
To the driver of a returning jeep, heading back to the line to pick up more men, Charlie shouted, "Tell whoever's there to spread the word that Bastogne is being bombed! Only send back wounded who are critical - no nurses or medics!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the driver replied before speeding away.
Inside the church was chaos. Newly wounded men screamed and groaned while the world shook around them. Charlie's hands became so slick with blood she couldn't make out her skin anymore.
Every bomb sounded like it was getting closer to the church. They weren't supposed to hit hospitals or places of worship but Charlie wasn't sure the Germans particularly cared about that rule anymore.
She kept her head down and worked.
The heat in the main room of the church was stifling. The air felt thick. It was the warmest Charlie had felt since Holland. Sweat dripped off of her like water in a shower.
Man after wounded man was brought before her, crying and writhing around in pain. With the few medics who had stayed inside, she did her best to help them.
"We need a nurse!" cried a man at the top of the stairs.
The cold night air slapped her in the face when she emerged from the church doors.
"Over here!" continued the man who'd asked for her.
She followed him to a parked jeep, its back end caught on fire.
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The Spirit of the Corps » Band of Brothers
Historical FictionCharlie Lancaster leaves home knowing only that she wants to help. There's a war on across the ocean, and boys her age are fighting and dying for the cause. Why shouldn't she be playing her part in making sure their sacrifices aren't in vain? Assign...
