A mortar shell screeched through the air. Calls for the incoming explosive rang out moments before dirt and rocks sprayed up in the air. Gunfire sprang up out of the chaos from both sides of the field.
Lia Creed hauled her rifle up over the mound in front of her. Piper followed in suit close by with her own far deadlier weapon. The pair could hear Winters encouraging the men to keep firing as he made his way down the line.
A soldier next to Lia made to stand up and shoot at the attacking Germans. She was quick to act and grab his arm to pull him down. Bullets whizzed by where his head was at just seconds before.
"Stay down low, soldier." She hissed at him. He only blinked back.
Lia shook her head, turning back to fire across the field. She took down every target she fired upon. Movement out of the corner of her eye snagged on her attention. A tank began rolling up over the hill behind the enemy lines, and more followed closely behind it. That definitely wasn't in her list of shit she wanted to deal with today. The tanks hurtled through the lines, firing onto the American left flank.
"Pip! Take out those damn gunners!" She shouted as she crawled out of her foxhole, keeping her self low to the ground.
Lia flew down the line, throwing out directions where she could to the men around her. Stopping momentarily to fire across the field amidst her commands. The soldiers around watched on in awe. The young girl stood with no fear of the German fire against them. She was a beacon for them, effectively rallying their will to fight.
In the midst of all the gunfire and mortar blasts, Lia could hear a soldier screaming. Not out of pain, but out of fear. She turned away from the line, following the sound of the screams.
Lia came upon a soldier crouched down in the heart of a foxhole. His hands covered his head, and he was shaking out of fear. Blithe.
She threw herself down into the foxhole beside him. Even her movement didn't drag him out of his trance. Blithe's hands stayed in place over his head and his screams continued to ring out above the gunfire.
"Blithe." Lia placed her hand onto his arm. "Blithe, come on. You gotta get up."
The American soldier did not budge.
"You're a soldier, Blithe. Let's go. There's no time for fear." He slowly looked up, catching the lieutenants eye. "You are not afraid. Now stand up, and shoot."
Blithe watched the determination in Lia's face. He noticed the fearlessness she withheld and slowly rose from the foxhole, bringing his rifle up and aiming it across the field.
"That's it. Now let them have it!" Lia yelled out, bringing her own body out of the pit. She hauled her own rifle up, dumping round after round on the Germans. Blithe, after a moment, began following Lia and firing across the field. She nodded her head, pleased, and found her way back down the line to Piper.
Her companion was still okay, taking down every enemy that found its way in between her sights.
Lia continued on down the line, coming up on Welsh, McGrath, and their machine gunner. A shell dropped down in front of her path, sending her stumbling down to the side. She dropped in next to Welsh, taking a moment to breathe.
"That tank is pushing our line!" She shouted over the ever persistent gunfire.
Welsh focused in on the tank that was beginning to push over the hill, the gunner on top shifting over to put the American machine gunner in his sights. "We'll take it out. McGrath, on-"
His sentence was cut out as the tank gunner began hammering their cover with bullets. The four soldiers pressed hard into the ground to avoid any hits. McGrath wasn't so lucky, taking a bullet to the shoulder. He wouldn't be able to properly handle the bazooka with that bullet.
Lia hissed in annoyance at the tank. She grabbed Welsh by the shoulder and pulled him slightly to gain his attention. "That tank is going to shatter our lines."
She shot up from her prone position, grabbing the bazooka and ammo next to McGrath. She turned to the machine gunner, barking orders. "Shift your fire right, and keep him busy!" Lia turned back to Welsh, a wicked smile plastered over her lips as she tossed him the ammo. "Let's get that fucker."
The pair shot forward once the German gunner grew busy with the MG-42 she had moved further down the line. Lia flew to her knees, hauling the bazooka over her shoulder as Welsh tore the ammo from its pack.
As the tank began to show itself over the hill, Lia allowed the first shot to fly, hoping to hit the gunner on top. She cursed as the shell hit directly below him, and didn't slow down his fire. Welsh quickly loaded another round.
"Going to get it right underneath!" She shouted over the gunfire. Welsh voiced his agreement, clutching onto her uniform.
Bullets riddled the ground beside them, but still, the pair stayed put and waited for the perfect moment. As the tank drew closer, she could feel the hold on her clothes tighten. "Oh we are so going to die." Welsh spoke up.
Lia smiled then, that wicked look flashing up again. She glanced sideways at the lieutenant beside her. "Yes we are, Welsh." She turned back, facing the tank that slid over the hill, finally exposing its underside. "Just not today."
She let the shell fly, hitting the tank directly in the spot she wanted it to. The hit sent a burst of flames as it landed home. Welsh yanked Lia up, and pulled her back towards the hedgerow along with him. As they neared the American soldiers, the tank they took out fired one final shot as the barrel headed for the dirt. The shell struck the ground behind the pair, sending them flying forward through the hedge row.
-------
Speirs came up behind Winters who was barking orders at the soldiers. "Fox pulled back from the left flank!" He shouted over the gunfire. "Dog was forced back."
Winters muttered a few curses, glancing back out over the field. He began to reply, but his response was caught in his throat at two figures running out towards the gunfire. Speirs drew his attention to where Winters was looking and a flash of a long brown braid caught his attention. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Winters returned the look.
Winters and Speirs moved closer to the line to get a better view. The two watched on as Lia Creed fired two shots into the tank that was threatening their line, successfully taking it down. Lia and Welsh sprinted back to the line, but not before the tank fired again and sent them flying through the branches.
The two lieutenants rushed forward, concerned for their fellow officers. Speirs and Winters, however, came to a sudden stop with their jaws hung loose once they found the other lieutenants.
Lia and Welsh lay side by side in the dirt, their uniforms were peppered with holes and their faces smudged in the mud, but that wasn't what caught them by surprise. Their shock wasn't due to their appearance.
Rather it was due to the fact that, despite being caught in a near-death experience, Lia Creed and Harry Welsh were laughing.
-------
Luz, Guarnere, Malarkey, and Piper sat together on the decimated stone steps. Each held cards in their hands. All save for Guarnere who just previously threw his cards down onto the table. "You're cheating!" He turned to Piper. "He's completely cheating."
Luz dropped his head to the side. "I am not."
"Then how have you won six games in a fucking row? It's cheating, I'm tellin' you." Bill Guarnere countered, narrowing his eyes.
Lia waltzed up to the table, glancing over Piper's shoulder at the game they were playing. "Maybe George is just better than you, Bill."
The small comment sent the small group into a fit of laughter. All except Guarnere who wanted so desperately to fire back some witty comment, but instead fixed the fearful lieutenant with a pointed look. Lia smiled slightly at him and patted Bill on the back.
"Keep practicing, soldier. Maybe you'll get as good as Luz one day." She nodded at the group before trailing off back through the streets to check on the other men. Bill Guarnere was left with his jaw hung loose as the soldiers around him nearly fell out of their seats laughing. Piper sat with a wide smile spread across her face at her friend coming around and joking with the men.
"At least I'm not a psycho who laughs after almost dying." Bill scoffed, turning to shuffle the cards once more.
Malarkey leaned back against the stone. "What are you talking about?"
Guarnere glanced up with his eyebrows drawn. "You guys didn't see?"
Luz and Piper parroted Malarkey's confused look, shaking their heads.
"Well after nearly being blown to bits by that tank, Creed and Welsh were found laughing. They laid side by side fucking laughing. I mean, come on. They were basically torn a new one and yet giggled like a pair of school girls." Bill huffed out a laugh.
Luz whipped his head to Piper who didn't seem the least bit concerned over the information. She shrugged her shoulders. "It sounds like something she'd do. If you'd known her as long as I have, you wouldn't be surprised at all."
"Yeah Creed I can see, but Welsh? Now he's just as crazy as her."
------
For the next few weeks, the American paratroopers stayed in and around Carentan. They took nearby smaller towns within that time, defended the point, and spent most of their time within the town of rubble.
Thirty-two days after their initial drop into Normandy, thirty-one days after meeting the women of Vitale, they pushed on a small outpost in the woods.
"We need to know what's in there." Nixon spoke quietly. Welsh stood off to his left with Lia following next to him. Lush forest laid all around them filled with chirping bugs. They crouched low in the bushes, eyeing the building through the leaves.
Welsh stared straight ahead. "I don't know who the hell to send."
Nixon and Welsh began to banter back and forth.
"Ask for volunteers."
"I hate asking for volunteers."
"Then pick them."
Lia spoke up, her voice flat. "I'll go."
Nixon and Welsh both turned to her.
"Blithe, Martin, Dukeman." Lia talked as she scanned the small group of men hidden within the bushes behind them. The three men slowly stood from the shrubbery, stepping forward through the thick foliage.
"Well, that made it easier." Welsh joked from her side, smiling up at the girl. He admired her with her quick decisions and strong mind. As young as she was, he was beginning to look up to her.
Blithe, to Lia's surprise, offered to be lead scout. Welsh permitted his offer, and the group of four pushed on. Lia held close behind Blithe.
The leaves around them rattled slightly, putting the men on edge. The calmness of the forest was eerie. Lia watched the building in front of them closely, scanning for any signs of an enemy. No flash of metal, no movement beyond the windows. Blithe pushed on, dropping down behind the next bit of cover and scanning the building.
Lia pushed forward next to him. He looked at her expectantly, and she gave him a nod to bring Martin and Dukeman forward.
She saw it at the last second. The soft gleam of the sun against metal, shining like a flash of lightning. Her eyes caught onto the barrel of a gun sticking out of the upper right window; aimed straight at Blithe.
Lia shouted, launching herself at the private but she wasn't quick enough. The bullet had flown through the air, embedding itself into Blithe before anyone had even heard the crack of the rifle. Lia felt the blood spray her face as Blithe fell to the ground. For just a moment, she stared at him. At the growing wound on his neck.
You got him killed.
She stared down at Blithe, watching the blood seep out of the hole in his neck. He gasped for breath as he stared death in the face.
Loud voices erupted from behind her calling for covering fire. Those voices brought her back to herself, flinging her arms down onto his shoulders and began pulling him back towards the safety of the covering fire . Martin and Dukeman trailed closely behind.
The gunfire cut short quickly as the three of them got to work on Blithe's injury, waiting for a medic to pull up to the front.
Lia leaned down next to Blithe's ear. "No time for fear, do not be afraid." She whispered. His eyes traveled slowly to hers, blinking twice at the words she had already spoken to her before. Words that were from her mother. She nodded her head once. "You are not afraid."
"Coming through. Give me room." An accented filled the air paired with rushing footsteps. The lieutenant moved backwards as Roe came in to work, standing back beside Winters, Nixon, and Welsh.
"They're pulling us off the front line." Winters spoke, eyeing the bleeding soldier.
Welsh fumbled for a cigarette out of his jacket pocket.
"To a field camp north of Utah Beach." Winters continued. "Hot food, and showers. Then back to England."
Lia listened in on the conversation, and couldn't wait to get the hell off of this line, but she couldn't help but stare at the soldier on the ground before them. Blithe bleeding furiously with Roe trying to contain it. If she hadn't have volunteered him, he wouldn't be lying there right now. He'd be back behind the bushes in safety.
This was the part of war she hated; death. No matter her actions, no matter what she does, someone is bound to die. She hated how hard she took it. She hated the pain that erupted in her chest and threatened to swallow her whole.
"Lieutenant Creed, everything alright?" Winters' voice pulled her out of her head and condemning thoughts. She turned, noticing himself and Nixon staring straight at her. Welsh threw his unused cigarette to the forest floor, taking one look at Blithe before marching back the way they came.
Lia didn't miss the stress on his face. Blithe was a soldier in his platoon, and had gotten hit under his command. His stress was one she felt far too much. Just as she had done with Winters, she made a mental note to speak with Welsh later.
She took a deep breath but held her face passive, not giving away an ounce of her feelings raging beneath her skin. She only nodded once at the men, before turning and taking her pain down the path with her.
------
The camp north of Utah Beach was packed with infirmary tents. Wounded men shifted to and from, having their injuries taken care of. Bloodied uniforms were piled high outside of them.
Lia leaned against the hood of a lone jeep, watching the never-ending stream of men going into the tents. She knew Blithe was in there, or at least had been. She was unsure of his condition, whether he had made it or not. His blood was still splattered on her skin, and she feared that one of those uniforms was the young privates'.
Another presence joined her against the jeep, but she didn't turn to acknowledge it. Not until a pack of smokes was held out in front of her. She turned, eyes catching onto Lieutenant Speirs. He nodded down to the pack. Lia took a smoke and his lighter, with none other than a thankful nod of her head. The pair sat in silence, each taking drags of their cigarettes.
After a while, Speirs finally spoke up. "Everything alright, Lieutenant?"
She didn't offer him anything else but a small up and down turn of her head. Her mind was too cluttered to speak.
She could have prevented it.
------
Piper sat in the mess area, stuffing food down her throat. Malarkey, Skip, and Penkala sat with her, feasting on the hot meal. Thankful to finally be pulled off the line. Luz and Guarnere threw themselves down into the available spots around them.
Luz threw his arm around Piper as he sat down. "So, Sarge. You have a lovely gentleman waiting for you back home?"
A piece of food smacked the side of his face, earning Malarkey a glare. He only shrugged his shoulders while the rest of the table fell into a fit of laughter. Piper shook her head with a small smile on her face.
"Well, do you?" Luz questioned, removing his arm from her shoulders. A small playful smile etched onto his face.
"Wasn't home long enough to have one." Piper spoke, her tone light.
The men around the table exchanged questioning glances that didn't go unnoticed by the young Sargeant.
"From where we were before the war. Lia and I were recruited into the airborne shortly after we came back to America."
Penkala picked his head up from staring at his food. "Back to America?"
Piper nodded her head. "We were in Germany."
This caught the attention of the soldiers around her. By now, the men knew the two women in their company were previously trained but they had no idea they'd been in Germany.
"Why the hell were you there?" Luz asked.
Piper bit down onto her lip. Her head turned to the side, staring at her companion who sat against a jeep, Lieutenant Speirs next to her. She wanted to tell them. She wanted to scream to the world what they had done to her, but Lia hated it.
Piper didn't know why. If it was because of the pitiful looks, or the reminder of the pain, she didn't know. All she knew was when the past was brought up, Lia turned cold again. Not even Piper knew everything that the Germans did to her friend before the rest of the girls were brought in. Lia never spoke of it.
Years later and her mouth was still sealed shut.
So the young Sargeant only shook her head. "I can't talk about it."
Guarnere huffed out a breath, throwing his hands in the air. "What is it with her? You two come from the same place, been through the same hell storm out here, yet here you are smiling and laughing. I swear I haven't even seen that girl smile once. And I'm talking real genuine and no 'I almost got blown up by a tank' smile."
This time, a piece of food smacked Guarnere's face. He held his hands up in defense. "I know you all are thinking the same thing."
Piper had been brought into the operation at thirteen, Lia had been brought in at ten. Piper had Lia when she first got there, Lia had been the first. Piper hadn't been a prisoner of war. She spoke, her voice low, "No. She's been through more. More than I have been, or any of us."
Her eyes caught onto Speirs pushing away from the jeep. She had been watching the pair. Seeing as Speirs kept talking to her with Lia only nodding her head in response. No words. Something was wrong.
She bid the boys farewell itching to get out of this conversation. Piper jogged to catch up to the lieutenant retreating from the jeep. Her steps fell into stride beside him.
"Is she alright?" Piper asked.
Speirs glanced back at Lia who still sat against the jeep, taking a drag from her cigarette. He shook his head. "She hadn't said a word."
"Did something happen on that last mission?" Piper hadn't been on the mission, and hadn't heard anything about it, but could only guess this is where her friends silence was coming from.
"Blithe got hit." He stopped, pulling Piper to a halt next to him. "Is that something she would be upset over?"
Piper furrowed her eyebrows. She knew Lia was taking that hit hard.
"If it was something she could have prevented, then yes."
Speirs took another look back, seeing the lieutenant had now disappeared. "Why is that? She was like this over my men in Dog Company at Brécourt."
Piper loosened a breath. "She lost a lot of men, good men, under her lead in Vitale. It was all on one mission, and it was nowhere near her fault. The intel was wrong, but, " Piper remembered the pain Lia had in her eyes when she knew the men were gone. The darkness that quickly built back up behind them.
"She sees that group of soldiers in every single one she loses."
------
Lia slid herself down against the wall next to Harry Welsh. A cigarette hung loosely from his lips as he sat quietly with his eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping, that much she could tell from the pace of his breaths. Still, she kept quiet, allowing him to speak when he was ready.
The lieutenant fished a smoke from her own pack, patting down her pockets in search of a lighter. Before she could figure out where she put hers, one was stuck out in front of her face. She turned, facing Welsh who was already looking at her, and she took the lighter.
"Heard you were pretty messed up over Blithe. How're you doing?" Welsh asked, sparking his own cigarette up after the return of his lighter.
She hadn't expected anyone to notice the turmoil in her own head. Lia kept quiet and tuned out, yes, but that's how she usually was. And yet, someone was picking up on the pain.
"I should be the one asking you that." She replied, not wanting to dig deeper into her head.
Welsh drew in a breath, leaning up off the wall and sitting straight shoulder to shoulder with Lia. He was quiet for a few passing moments, messing with the smoke between his fingers.
"Seeing one of my own platoon members like that, I don't know. Feels like i'm noticing the consequences of war for the first time." His voice was hushed as he stared at the pile of rubble at their feet.
Lia nodded her head slowly. "It'll hurt for a good while. War just isn't pretty and you have to take these things with a grain of salt. The unfortunate truth is you can't save everybody, even if that's all your head is screaming at you to do."
Welsh turned to look at her, trying to figure her out. Winters had told him about the interaction with the young lieutenant after Hall fell victim to war; how she had sought him out to offer a little bit of advice on the issue of losing men. She was a cold girl, and yet, was proving to throw her heart out there to try and help the people around her.
Lia stood up, patting Welsh on the shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. Try not to get down on yourself too much about it."
Welsh wondered if anyone have ever told her that, or if she ever listened to her own advice. He heard of how upset she had gotten over the men they lost at Brècourt, and now about Blithe as well. And yet, here she was throwing out the words she needed to understand herself.
As Lia began walking away, Welsh called out to her. "Hey Creed." Lia paused to glance back at him, a puff of smoke trailing out of her mouth. "It wasn't your fault either."