The gunfire roared all around us, a cacophony of violence, and the German tanks came charging through without fear, like monsters, rolling over everything in their path. The bullets striking their armor merely made a clinking sound.
"Rocket launcher! Get the rocket launcher!"
Hiding in the corner, I barely finished yelling when the Germans spotted me. The tank, which had been slowly moving forward, suddenly stopped and aimed its cannon directly at me.
"Lieutenant, get out of the way! It's dangerous!"
"What?"
In response, there was a deafening explosion. I lost all sense of feeling, as if my head had been struck by a sledgehammer. My ears rang. In that moment, the only thought in my head was: I'm going to die.
"Sir! Are you alright?"
A soldier grabbed the back of my shirt and dragged me to safety. I was stunned for a moment before I snapped back, and my first instinct was to curse.
"Goddamn Kraut bastards! You cowards hiding in steel boxes—what kind of heroes are you? Just when I think you can't sink any lower, you always prove me wrong! You sorry sons of bitches think your damn artillery's gonna scare us? Come on, let's see if your big guns can actually hit me! You're nothing but a bunch of gutless wastes of flesh!"
Everyone around me froze. They had never heard me speak like that before.
"What do we do now, Lieutenant?" Sully shouted from behind a nearby building.
"Get to the rooftops, take the high ground! Damn it, Joanner! Joanner! Where's your rocket launcher? Have you gone mute?"
"Sir, a dozen Germans are flanking us from the right!"
"What? Harper! Goddamn it, take that machine gun and block them! Now, move! Get to the rooftops!"
Urban combat is brutal, both for the defenders and the attackers. The German assault teams charged into the streets, but their overwhelming firepower became much less effective in the close quarters of the city.
Once they fully entered the city, the German tanks slowed down, wary of being hit from both sides by American positions in the buildings. To minimize casualties, the tanks followed closely behind the infantry, providing them with fire support. Our losses slowed dramatically. I cursed Delaney in my mind—why didn't he let the Germans into the city sooner? Then, we would've fought for every building, every intersection, over and over again.
That thought passed quickly. Carrington was a small town, and Delaney's unit was only a battalion. Without holding the bridgehead, the Germans would have overwhelmed Carrington in a few waves of attack. Even hiding in the city wouldn't have helped; they would have scattered our forces and picked us off piece by piece. Holding the bridgehead was the only viable strategy. Delaney had hoped that the geographical advantage of the bridgehead would slow the German advance, but he hadn't anticipated the Germans bringing heavy artillery. With that, the battle was unwinnable. If the Germans didn't want to capture Carrington so quickly, their losses would have been far fewer. Now, I had no idea what had happened to Delaney's forces. The battle had turned so devastating that I couldn't get in touch with them anymore. I could only pray to God.
"Hurry up, get the ammo up here!"
"Oh God! Damn tanks, they're back! Fall back!"
Boom! A grenade thrown by the Germans exploded on the other side of the wall, shaking the entire structure. Debris rained down on me from the roof. I looked up at the ceiling, then carefully peered out from behind the wall, spotting two German soldiers on my left. They crouched low, their P40 submachine guns aimed forward as they moved toward me, covering each other.
"Sully! Left side! Germans!"
Sully, with a few men, was positioned at the corner on my right. He and I saw the Germans at nearly the same time. In reality, though, battlefield engagements don't play out like in Hollywood movies. Charging out would have turned us into Swiss cheese. Sully, without hesitation, poked his Thompson submachine gun around the corner, firing suppressive shots in the general direction of the Germans.
In truth, this burst of fire did little to harm the two German veterans, who immediately dropped to the ground. One of them returned fire, and soon, dozens of bullet holes appeared in the wall where Sully was hiding. This wasn't an exaggeration—when I saw the Germans, they were already lying flat, coordinating perfectly. One covered Sully's corner, while the other aimed directly at my hiding spot.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
We didn't dare show our heads to check the results; there was no need. Whether those Germans were alive or dead, our only priority was to move. Behind them, the German tanks were closing in.
Boom! Boom! Two tank shells exploded, collapsing the buildings we'd just been hiding in. I glanced back at the structures that were still standing moments ago, but now, all I could see were faint shadows of the Germans charging forward through the firelight. The rest was nothing but rubble.
The battle had reached a boiling point. The entire sky above the city was lit by flares, bright as daylight. Yet, in the unseen, dark corners of the city, soldiers on both sides continued their deadly dance. Every building, every street—our lives were traded for each inch of ground, and yet, we were still being relentlessly pushed back by the Germans, whose pressure only grew as our defensive line shrank.
"We can't hold this position! Fall back to the rear defense line!"
The main streets and high ground had already been taken by the Germans. Their G42 heavy machine guns were set up, suppressing us relentlessly. The only remaining advantage was the church. If we lost that, we would either be dead or taken prisoner.
My men were now down to just a handful, and as we made our way back to the church, every single one of us was wounded. The men too badly hurt to walk were beyond my help. All I could do was pray they would receive God's mercy.
I hadn't realized that Major Delaney had already withdrawn to the church. When the Germans began using smoke rounds in their attacks, Delaney had ordered the units holding the bridgehead to fight a fighting retreat, using the terrain to their advantage. The unit had already pulled back, and when we counted the casualties, we realized that only two to three hundred men remained out of nearly nine hundred. We had lost almost two-thirds of the force.
"From the intensity of the German attack, it seems like a full German division is hitting us," Delaney said, eyes fixed on the military map of Carrington.
"No wonder. We barely held for two hours before breaking! Colonel, what do we do now?" I could tell it wasn't just a crack assault force—there had to be at least one heavy artillery regiment involved. Otherwise, the Germans' firepower wouldn't be so overwhelming.
Delaney gave a bitter smile. "I don't know how much longer we can hold, but we won't make it until dawn. I've decided—you and your men, along with the wounded and Miss Monroe, are to leave and return to the Normandy base for a rest."
"Sir! My men can still fight!" I said sharply.
Delaney patted me on the shoulder. "Listen, Lieutenant, this isn't your fault. You've done your best. Even if you're not doing it for yourself, you need to ensure the legacy of your unit. Keep it alive."
"I…" Hearing Delaney's words, I had no response. My company, after several battles, had been whittled down from nearly two hundred men to less than thirty. If we didn't withdraw from Carrington now, my unit would be wiped off the roster.
Yes, if I retreated, I would save my life and spare myself the fight to the death with the Germans. To preserve the unit, I had to retreat. Leaving these soldiers behind, whether I knew them or not, was a pain I couldn't put into words. Suddenly, it hit me—the bond we shared as soldiers, whether from different nations or from the same trench, we entrusted our lives to one another. That bond is what truly makes soldiers—American, German, or from any country across the world—brothers in arms.
"3rd Company! Get the wounded on the trucks, we're pulling out!"
There were only thirty-six of us left in 3rd Company. We saluted Major Delaney and set out for the Normandy base.
I didn't realize it at first, but my eyes were wet. My Major, my comrades—I prayed to God to keep you all safe.