Pitschen ma en gamba - Small, but powerful [A Band of Brothers Story]

Eindhoven and Nuenen

The jump went over without a hitch. The sky was a beautiful blue, with a few clouds floating high up. There was no ordnance trying to blast them to smithereens, everybody landed in the drop zone, it was almost too good to be true.

Ella absorbed the fall and rolled back to her feet, slamming the release button for her chute with one hand, the other already tugging off her life-preserver. Looking around, she found Gene only a few feet away from her, discarding his chute. She smiled at him before making her way to the assembly area.

Nobody had expected the citywide party in Eindhoven.

Never a fan of huge crowds, especially in confined spaces, the small medic stuck close to the men around her. But the sheer mass of people soon swept her away, separating her from her friends.

In their exuberance, the Dutch didn't notice the young woman's discomfort as she ducked and dodged the people reaching for her. She was fairly successful in escaping the hugs and kisses, probably more so than her comrades. It didn't do anything to ease the panic spreading in her stomach.

In a desperate attempt to locate either an officer or somebody, anybody from Easy Company, Ella climbed the brass base of a lamp post and looked around.

She spotted some helmets with a vertical stripe up ahead. Squinting, she recognised one of the men as Winters. Deciding to get to them as quickly as possible, the girl slipped through the crowd, trying not to lose her bearing again. Clutching her medical bag tightly, Ella weaved her way through the celebrating people.

***

Out of nowhere, someone seized her around the waist. Ella struggled, but the hold was too strong. "No, please. Bitte lassen Sie mich los. Please, let me go. Laat me gaan." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Easy, kiddo, it's just me", a familiar voice spoke close to her ear.

Turning her head, she relaxed a little when she realised it was Lt Nixon. He was watching her with concern etched onto his features. "Sorry, sir", she mumbled, looking away, panic easing up slightly.

He waved it off and started leading her through the sea of jubilant civilians, effectively shielding her from the over-excited people that tried to smother them with kisses and hugs.

"You alright?!", he called over the singing and cheering.

The girl nodded. "Yes sir. Thank you."

They reached Captain Winters, who was standing with Welsh and Buck Compton.

"Dick", Nixon said, "clock's ticking."

Winters nodded, tucking his binoculars back into his jacket. Immediately, he was swarmed by women who had apparently only been waiting for that instant. Nixon met the same fate, getting hugged and kissed from all sides.

Ella flinched and let out a small, startled yelp when men and women alike grabbed her, trying to pass her around and cover her in kisses. Her pleas were ignored, or simply misunderstood since they were a jumbled mess of at least three languages.

This time, it was Captain Winters who came to her rescue, pulling her back to the relative safety between him and Nixon. She gave him a shaky, yet grateful smile.

The officers began tugging at their collars, turning them up. It took Ella a moment to comprehend what they were doing.

"What's up, Welshy?", Buck asked.

"Snipers", Welsh replied, fiddling with his jacket to hide his insignia.