Genesis: the Beginning and the End | Band of Brothers

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ４７ － Ｉｔ （？）】

Chapter 47 - It (?)

The chairs were rickety and uncomfortable.

Everyone was sitting on those chairs, under a canopy of some sort, at Membury Airfield, listening diligently.

Operation Market Garden they called it.

"In terms of Airborne Divisions involved, this one's even bigger than Normandy. We're dropping deep into occupied Holland. The Allied objective, to take this road, here," he indicated a road on the map. Margaret couldn't really see it, she was more towards the back. "...between Eindhoven and Arnhem, so the two British Armoured Divisions can move up it," his hand moved to show the direction, "towards Arnhem. Our job is going to be to liberate Eindhoven, stay there, and wait for the tanks."

She squinted at the map a bit, before deciding she'd look later.

Then, Nixon – who she had not seen for some time – stepped forward and Winters to the side.

"The entire European advance has been put on hold to allocate resources for this operation. It's Montgomery's personal plan...and so we'll be under British command."

There were a lot of groans and sarcastic cheers, which, quite frankly, were insulting. She had to do everything in her power to not shout Oi! at them. Nixon caught her eye, and she saw him fighting a smirk, so she glared at him – goodnaturedly of course.

"The good news is, if this works, these tanks will be over the Rhine and into Germany. It could end the war and get us home by Christmas." They all liked the sound of that. The war being over? Seemed like a fever dream to Margaret. "It'll be a daytime jump. Intelligence doesn't expect much opposition. They think the Krauts in Holland are mostly kids and old men. And we should take them by surprise." He paused for a moment, though no one could be quite sure why, but then he was wrapping up. "In any case, say goodbye to England, boys. I don't think they're gonna call this one off."

Was this it?

Margaret couldn't be sure anymore. They'd had so many this is i- wait no it isn't moments, she wasn't sure how trusting she should be.

Would this really be the time they got off the runway?

Certainly felt like it, everyone else seemed sure too. Maybe this was it.

As they were all getting ready on the runway, there was a bit of noise and Margaret saw a man she didn't recognise with Lipton and Randleman.

"Sure I can, Lip, I just can't sit."

They were coming her way.

"Welcome back, Popeye."

"Popeye" thanked Bull, but then noticed her and eyed her suspiciously. Had he recognised her from Normandy? She thought it unlikely, she didn't really recognise him.

"Popeye went AWOL just in time to jump." If what Lip said was true, Popeye couldn't be that bad, right?

Bull asked after someone else, a stony faced man that had been in the car/truck thing (Margaret still didn't know what to call them) with Popeye.

"Who? Sobel? Well, he's the newly appointed regimental S4."

"Supply officer."

"Yeah, you got it."

They paused for a minute, as Popeye explained why he arrived with Sobel. He'd been picked up in Aldbourne when he was trying to find Easy. Sobel knew Popeye went AWOL – something Margaret was sure they were not supposed or allowed to do. Popeye didn't want to sit out this jump, and she understood that. They were like brothers really, and who would want to be parted from their brothers?