Catch Her If You Can | Band of Brothers

XVII. June 6th, 1944. Le Grand Chemin, Normandy. France.

June 6th, 1944. Le Grand Chemin, Normandy. France.

Having the German battery firing did make it much easier to find. All Georgia had to do was listen to the sound of the 88s get louder and louder as she walked in this direction or that, and the work was done for her.

Georgia crept silently through the brush surrounding a small manor house, rifle in hand. The tall grass brushed gently against her jump pants, and the wood stock of her rifle was smooth and solid against her calloused hands. She had the hands of a soldier now, not of a pretty debutante from Virginia. What would her family think when they read the morning paper today?

Georgia pushed the thought from her mind and peered through the hedgerow before her. She could see four guns, connected via trenches. They were firing steadily down onto the boys landing on Utah Beach, and they were going to do a hell of a lot of damage if they weren't taken out of commission any time soon. With one last look at the early morning sun glinting off the metal of the German helmets, Georgia turned back towards the HQ.

When she entered, she couldn't find Colonel Sink.

"Where the hell is he?" said Georgia to herself.

"Can I help you, Captain?" asked Colonel Strayer.

"I suppose so," she said, stepping forward through the hay that lay strewn across the floor, "There's a German battery about 250 yards north of where we are, sir. They're firing directly down onto Utah Beach."

Strayer nodded, "Who do you think we should send? None of the companies are at full strength yet, so don't be hasty in your decision."

Georgia didn't hesitate. "Easy Company," she said, "They have an impeccable performance record, and I know they'll be able to handle the assignment."

Strayer nodded again and jerked his head towards the door. "Go find the Colonel and tell him the plan."

"Yes, sir." Georgia saluted and walked back outside.

The situation Georgia found herself in had only grown more nightmarish in the hours since daybreak. Dead animals lay everywhere, right beside resting paratroopers sitting beneath trees and against fences. The mud sucked down at her jump boots making even walking morph into an impossible task.

At last, Georgia spotted Colonel Sink speaking to Captain Hester, the regimental operations officer.

"Colonel Sink!" Georgia shouted, trying to be heard.

He nodded to Hester sharply before approaching Georgia.

"What is it?" asked Sink.

"There's a German battery firing onto Utah Beach two-hundred-fifty yards through those trees, sir," said Georgia as she gestured to the area in question. "I've already scouted, and it looks like four 88s. Permission to brief Easy and send them in?"

Colonel Sink looked at the hedgerow that stood between them and the 88s and met Georgia's gaze with a skeptical one of his own. "They're nowhere near full strength, but then neither is any other damn company."

"Is that permission, sir?" Georgia asked hopefully.

Sink smiled and shook his head. "Go see who've you got to work with, Georgia."

"Thank you, sir," she said.

Hopefully, Easy Company had amassed more men than just Buck, Luz, and Liebgott. They were damn good soldiers and damn good men, but Georgia wasn't fond of the idea of sending the three of them in there alone.

Picking her way through the muddy road once more, Georgia looked towards the small grove of trees where the men had been before dawn. The green leaves stirred ever so slightly in the light breeze. Now, the grassy area was lined with around twenty men. Certainly enough for a basic tactical assault, she supposed.