STORMING NORMANDY - D-DAY

DROP THE RAMP

Waves hit the side of the boat splashing James in the face. "10 MINUTES!" Sergeant Pierson yelled through the loud buzz of the motor and the loud splash of the waves hitting the boat. 𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒!!! followed by the sound of bullets hitting metal. "GET DOWN" a soldier in the rows of soldiers in the boat said. everyone ducked down almost at the same time. James stayed down until they got close to Omaha beach. "5 MINUTES!" shouted the driver over the shells exploding and the gun fire. James stood up for a minute looking over the edge of the boat, he saw a lot of other boats "at least we aren't doing this alone" James said under his breath knowing no one would hear him over the plethora of other sounds. James saw the approaching beach and started to steady himself, preparing himself for the moment the ramp dropped. "DROP THE RAMP!" Sergeant Pierson yelled. The ramp dropped suddenly and loudly, Immediately blood sprayed everywhere and the front row of the soldiers in the boat dropped still taking bullet after bullet, limbs and chunks of flesh flew at James and painted the boat red, green tracer fire ripped through the air and flying past James'  head and his helmet. Other soldiers started to climb over the sides trying the avoid the meat grinder that was the front of the boat. After recovering from the shock James stepped over the pile of bodies plunging his feet into the cold water, immediately James broke into a sprint to the nearest anti tank hedgehog. They looked like giant metal spinning jacks James would play with as a boy. James sat huddled in the cover of the hedgehog, holding back tears as he watched the water of the channel become red soaked with blood. 𝘗𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘗𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘗𝘐𝘕𝘎 the German machine guns fired at the metal of the hedgehog and beach kicking up sand all around James. James was holding back tears reliving the moment the ramp dropped over and over in his head. Could Sam have been one of the men to die when the ramp dropped? Even if James had the chance to look over all the bodies they were all to mangled and maimed beyond any recognition, The image of torn off limbs and shattered faces lingered in James' mind, James was too scared to move, he was freezing and covered in blood. James was surrounded by other men all looked to be in the same condition or worse.  beside James was a man about the same age as him who looked to be in horrible condition, He was covered in blood at first James assumed the blood was that of the man's comrades but he soon realized the man was shot in his upper left stomach, he was struggling to breathe and could barely utter "𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤...  𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱..." "shit" James muttered to himself. James was going to have to run through the gun fire to reach next hedgehog and help the man. "i can do this, i can do this" James told himself as he prepared to run, 𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 a bullet ricocheted off of James' helmet knocking it off hitting the hedgehog on its way making a clunk and hitting the beach floor. Immediately James fell to the ground and in shock picked his helmet back up and put it back on his head.  "No I can't do this I can't do this " James repeated "I'll just call for a medic and it'll be fine"