Humanity of the Broken [ Band of Brothers ] 2

FORTY-ONE

May 8th, 1945

Zell am See, Salzburg, Austria

When the caravan of jeeps rolled up to the massive resort in Zell am See, Alice only had eyes for the incredible scenery. She'd never witnessed such incredible natural beauty. The greens seemed to be just a little more rich, the blue of the sky more calming. Above them, white clouds speckled the sky like cotton balls. Their jeep halted at the base of the resort.

Nixon and Dick hurried out of the jeep and towards the stairs. Alice took her time more slowly with Harry. The massive hotel resort was mostly white, with starkly contrasting reddish brown wooden trim and accents. The view over the lake took her breath away as it sparkled in the sunlight beyond the trees and between the mountains.

As she climbed the stairs, Harry just behind her, Alice could hear Nixon talking to Dick. It made her laugh that he still sounded exhausted. Officers of the Second Battalion flanked them as they ascended into the massive entrance way.

Alice had never witnessed anything as ornate as the resort lobby. Even the Berchtesgadener Hof paled in comparison to the white and gold marble floors, white walls, and dark carved wooden decor. Sunlight streamed in from the many windows. In small bunches around the massive lobby, upholstered chairs and tables sat vacant. Above them, stained glass created a bit of a raised ceiling in the center.

Dick paused for a moment in the center. His gaze traveled around the pristine lobby before he turned back to the Company Commanders who had gathered with him, and a handful of other officers. He nodded. "I want you to get your XOs on figuring out where to house your men," he ordered. "Officers will stay here. There are few other resorts nearby; split them up among the companies. I want Fox Company manning the school, Dog at the church, and Easy will take the Airfield. Rotate the enlisted as you see fit. Get it done."

The commanders nodded. Alice watched as Ron pulled Shames aside and they disappeared back into the daylight. Before long, as Dick turned to her and Nixon, more footsteps sounded. Sink and Strayer moved in unison towards the three of them.

"Sirs, I've given 2nd Battalion their orders," Dick told them. "Anything else?"

"Able Company is bringing in a regiment of German troops," Strayer told him. "Their commanding officers are being brought here. See the Germans are processed correctly."

Dick nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Klein, you're on this one too," Strayer added.

Once Alice nodded, Sink looked back at Dick. "I've gotta call General Taylor, let 'im know how we stand. Get it done, boys."

After Dick, Alice, and Nixon saluted them, both colonels left to look through the resort and find a place to set up as some sort of headquarters. A few aids helped the three officers get a back part of the lobby set up as a desk of sorts. The whole time, Alice felt herself tensing, her anger spreading through her entire body.

When Harry walked in twenty minutes later, expression unreadable, they had just finished getting the table set up. As he told Dick and Nixon that the Colonel and his aid were arriving, she moved away towards the door. Alice wanted a first look at them, at the people who had committed such horrible atrocities in the name of her homeland. She didn't have to wait long.

They stood tall, the same height or perhaps taller even than Dick and Nixon. Grey, silver, and black made up the colors of the Wehrmacht uniforms and she had to admit, they wore it well. Alice scowled. Behind them, two corporals had their rifles loaded but down. They paused when they saw her. The taller one, the aide, smiled.