"Fight hard to capture the target, fight hard to protect the vehicle, and as long as you still have breath, fight hard to protect yourself."
The slogan I shouted countless times became extremely powerful at this moment.
After hearing this, Urquhart read out Shakespeare's long poem in what he thought was the most colorful and emotional tone: "Anyone who has survived this day and returned home safe and sound, whenever it comes to On this day, I will stand up in awe!"
"The hour has come, children, take up your arms, throw them upon your shoulders, and prepare to go."
Until this moment, everyone standing in the duty room still felt unbelievable, because the airborne operation they had been looking forward to finally arrived.
Of course, Lu Li was not included.
In fact, that strange memory left him in a daze.
According to the exercise plan, no, it has been confirmed now. It is not an expectation, but an action!
The 1st Parachute Brigade will serve as the advance force and take the lead in airborne landings. Its three battalions will meet in Arnhem, and these three teams will advance from different directions -
Lieutenant Colonel John Frosky's 2nd Battalion got the primary goal of this operation: march along a branch of the road near the north bank of the Rhine and capture the giant road bridge. Not only that, they also had to capture the giant road bridge along the way. Railway bridge west of the ferry;
The 3rd Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel Fitch, would advance along another road also leading to Arnhem and approach the bridge from the north to support the 2nd Battalion.
Once the two battalions are successfully airborne, Lieutenant Colonel D. Dobby's first battalion will march along the northernmost route and occupy the high ground north of the city.
In order to facilitate distinction, these three routes are named lion, tiger and jaguar respectively.
Among them, Lu Li will serve as a non-commissioned officer of the second battalion and embark on the lion route.
He knew that this was a failed operation with heavy casualties. Moreover, the bloody font on the blackboard still made people shudder when he thought about it.
"Go inform the others."
At this time, Major General Urquhart issued the last order, then turned and left.
Immediately afterwards, there were cheers and whistles. The big man Miller bumped Lu Li's shoulder and said with a smile: "Man, what are you doing here? Pack your bags and prepare to go to the Netherlands for vacation."
"Has the counterattack really begun?"
Lu Li murmured to himself. Until now, he still felt that he was in a state of confusion.
"Of course, the division commander personally announced this order, can it still be an April Fool's Day joke?"
The speaker is tall and slender, always likes to shrug his shoulders, and seems to be an optimist.
"Cheer up, Lu Li!"
"It is said that the enemy stationed near Arnhem is a motley crew of milk-powdered teenagers and old men riding bicycles. They can be easily crushed. There is nothing to worry about. Let's go!"
Surrounded by everyone, Lu Li walked out of the duty room. At this moment, he was forced to accept his fate and was thinking about how to survive.
Meanwhile, soldiers huddled in tents and Nissen-style mobile homes were playing cards.
Since yesterday, they have been informed that there may be a large-scale exercise in the early morning of the 17th, and sleeping and drinking are prohibited.
Therefore, there is no other way but to kill the boring waiting time in this way.
"Francis, you won so much money, how do you plan to enjoy it?"
Twenty-year-old Francis Monk had good luck. From the beginning, he kept winning money, and the guilders piled in front of him were getting higher and higher.
Hearing someone making fun of himself, Munch put out his cigarette butt, blew out a puff of smoke, and said with a smile: "If, I mean if, our division is indeed selected, then I will invite everyone to have a good time in Arnhem after the battle. !”
Frankly speaking, almost everyone felt that once a battle broke out, it would only last 48 hours, so the tent was filled with laughter.
Suddenly, the curtain was lifted.
Several eyes focused on the visitor.
"Quiet! Pack your bags! We'll be leaving in another hour and a half."
Lu Li looked at the colorful papers and pens on the table, feeling increasingly uneasy.
So, he said in a deep voice: "Please note, this is not a drill. Everyone brings equipment, food, and sufficient ammunition."
"Very good……"
Everyone cheered in unison. It wasn't until they saw Lu Li's expression that he calmed down and raised his hands to salute.
"After half an hour, gather in the designated area according to the pre-determined plan. Remember to take motion sickness medicine in advance."
After saying this, Lu Li turned around and walked towards his personal tent.
As a junior noncommissioned officer in the 2nd Battalion, he managed a squad, or two combat groups.
If the airborne landing goes well and no one is missing, then the eight people in the tent will accompany them on their mission until they die or are captured.
A burden or a help?
Lu Li didn't know either.
Now, he had to pack up his personal equipment and prepare for the upcoming fierce battle.
A few minutes later, an exaggerated voice came from the sergeant's tent.
"Am I crazy?"
Miller, the big man in charge of the second shift, froze on the spot. After a moment, he shouted as if reciting poetry: "Combat camouflage net, crash helmet, compass, ammunition, earthwork tools, carrying bag and reserve ammunition... Hawking style Mines, grenades, smoke grenades, gamma bombs, explosives, kettles...parachutes, parachutes, life jackets.”
"And a bulging leg bag!"
In his memory, he had a very good relationship with him, so Lu Li patiently asked, "Miller, what are you going to say?"
"These things combined are almost heavier than me. Man, are you going to defeat an enemy platoon by yourself?"
Miller looked puzzled.
He even thought that he needed to take Lu Li to see a doctor to avoid problems during the skydiving - this guy was too nervous to bring such heavy equipment on the plane.
"It's better to bring more supplies than..."
Lu Li hesitated to speak, feeling that he shouldn't say depressing words at an important moment, so he had to change his words: "You should bring more food. It would be good to have snacks while walking."
After speaking, he carried the leg bag to the wooden box behind him, opened the gap and took a sneak peek.
It turned out that the antibiotics were purchased in advance, but unexpectedly they were placed here by the school.
At exactly two o'clock in the morning, the rumble of the flying formation taking off caused the cows and horses around the base to panic and run around.
Dozens of minutes later, the fleet flew over London. By chance, a young drummer was sitting in his yard, performing for his family and neighbors.
The sound of the propeller rotating at high speed interrupted the performance. He raised his head and beat out a symbolic drum beat:
Three dots and one line, in Morse code, that is the V word, which means victory.
