Chapter Sixty-Five
The end of the war meant the town of La Roche-en-Ardenne could finally start rebuilding. The fighting that had killed over one-hundred of its citizens had destroyed more than 95% of the town. The German Ardennenoffensive had been particularly brutal since the German troops had occupied the highest point in town, the Château de La Roche-en-Ardenne.
Like the battle for the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy, the Allied forces continuously bombed the Château until there was little left but rubble, which ironically made better hiding places for the surviving German troops. Only a full-frontal attack by the Scotsmen of the 51st Highland Division and the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry Armoured Regiment finally captured the heights, at great cost.
Fortunately, Gabrielle and her parents had survived the war unscathed. After Bill had surrendered to the British troops, Gabrielle began to realize how attached she had become to him. He meant a lot to her, although they hadn’t known each for that long.
Bill was the first man she had truly fallen in love with and made love to, and she knew he was starting to have the same feelings for her, too. In the brief time they had together, they didn’t talk much about their lives, their interests, or their futures. They were too concerned about being discovered by the Germans.
Soon after the town was liberated and Bill left with the advancing British troops, Gabrielle walked into town to see if there was anything she could salvage; anything her family could use as they could rebuilt their lives. The occupying Allied Army had set up an aid station and camp to help feed and shelter the homeless civilians who were trying to survive the rainy, stormy weather that was so common in the spring. Food and shelter were the keys to survival, and the Army made sure there was plenty to eat and that the civilians had a dry place to sleep.
Gabrielle was very popular in town. She had been the high-school English teacher until the Germans had destroyed the school when they pushed through town in December, 1944. Now it was time for the children to help on the farms and prepare the fields for planting while avoiding the landmines the Germans buried everywhere. More than one innocent child was killed or horribly maimed by thousands of landmines buried nearby. Years later, an occasional cow or horse would step on an overlooked landmine somewhere in town and pay the terrible consequences.
Walking through town, many of her friends shouted out to her. In war, it was always a celebration to see your friends safe and unharmed after a particularly brutal battle. Walking up to a young soldier at the aid station, Gabrielle asked, “Sir. I would like to know where I could get some food for my family. We haven’t had much to eat in the past few days.”
The young soldier smiled at her, “Ma’am, why don’t you go over there and talk to the sergeant behind that table? I’m sure he can help you.”
As she approached the table, the sergeant impulsively stood up to acknowledge her. Her beauty and poise always seemed to have that effect on men. Smiling, she asked him, “Sergeant that nice young man over there said you could help me. I would like to know where I can find some food for my family.”
“How many are there in your family?” he asked.
“Three. Just me and my parents.”
“Do you have a husband or any children?” he asked, questioningly.
“No, I’m not married, and I have no children.”
“Tell me. Where do you live in town?”
“We don’t live in town. We live on a farm about four kilometers from here.”
“How did you get into town?” he asked.
Gabrielle thought that was a strange question. “I walked. Our horses are too lame to ride.”
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