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

Foy

The next day, in the afternoon, they moved out again. They were overlooking Foy once more, each of them knowing that soon, they would spearhead that assault. That knowledge had been there all along, niggling at the back of their minds.

Many of the men, including the NCOs, the medics and their First Sergeant, were dreading it. They couldn't trust their useless CO, who had left to 'go for help' in the middle of a devastating artillery barrage, not to lead Easy Company into disaster.

The assault was scheduled for January 13th, at 0900.

A few hours earlier, Captain Winters held the briefing for the officers and platoon sergeants. He outlined the plan, highlighted the difficulties and emphasised the key positions. Just like when he had been Easy's commanding officer, he listened to the suggestions and misgivings of the assembled men and took them into consideration.

At the end, he peered over to the ranking medic, who had yet to say something. Her eyes were riveted to the map. He could almost see the gears in her head turning as her sharp mind mulled over the ideal strategies for the medics. Her dark green orbs danced over the map, stopping here and there as she considered different scenarios. Finally, she raised her head and met his gaze, a determined look on her face.

"All set, Ella?", he asked.

The small girl nodded decisively. "Yes sir." She quickly described her planned course of action, which was met with all around approval.

***

Ella filled in her colleagues right after the briefing. They sat together while the men around them got ready for battle, checking their gear and weapons a second or third time.

"As by SOP, we'll follow a short distance behind the guys", she said. "Each of us will be attached to a platoon for the initial assault. But when we get into the town, you know how we do it, we're not exclusively responsible for one platoon. Find cover as quickly as possible and stay there until you hear the calls."

Gene and Spina nodded.

"Alright, the attack is gonna kick off at 0900, so I suggest we all rest up a bit now while we still can. Get your gear ready, stock up your supplies if you need to, then sack out", the brunette instructed with a smile.

When the machine guns opened up, spewing covering fire onto the Germans, the company poured out of the woods, anxious to cross the snow-covered field that provided virtually no protection. The three medics stood under the cover of the tree line, fidgeting nervously as they watched their comrades, their friends run towards the town they had been watching for so long.

Ella's teeth dug into her bottom lip as she counted the seconds until all the soldiers were out in the open.

Then, on her signal, they burst out of the shelter of the woods.

The Germans didn't wait long to return fire. 88s and tank shells shook the ground while bullets flew through the air. The girl caught up to 1st Platoon just as Bull and Liebgott tossed grenades into a barn. She skidded to a stop, taking cover beside Lieutenant Foley behind a shed.

Out of the blue, Dike screamed: "EASY COMPANY! HOLD UP!"

The brunette froze and ducked on instinct so as not to get hit should the guys redirect their fire. She looked over to 2nd Platoon. They were without cover, kneeling, lying and crouching in the snow while projectiles of various sizes whizzed past them.