Screaming Eagles

^FORTY-TWO GRILLO

Grillo, Captain Taylor, and Shaw hit the dirt as rounds ricocheted around them. They’d managed to secure the POW, but the German was a handful. The man was strong but slow. It took the three of them to wrestle him over onto his stomach. A couple of MPs joined the effort and got the man secured before they hauled him off.

“Nice work, men,” Captain Taylor said.

Grillo sucked in deep breaths and wondered how much worse this was going to get. He peeked over the barricade and swore.

A lot worse.

There was no end to the advancing enemy. They came at the thin line and were cut down, but for every Kraut they shot, there were three to take his place. Grillo slung his M1 around and took careful aim.

He shot a pair of Germans, then shifted his aim, but there was an American soldier in his sights. He paused, unsure if he could shoot one of his own guys. Then someone did the deed for him, and the man dropped.

Shaw stated the obvious. “Jesus Christ. There’s too many of them!”

With the assistance of villagers, some of the Americans had started to build fortifications behind them, next to the low walls and buildings of the town.

Everything that could work as a barricade was added to the task. They dragged out dressers, tables, chairs, sections of fence, and chunks of buildings. The wall took shape, but there wasn’t enough manpower to create a barricade long enough to hold this force back.

Grillo fired until his gun ran empty, then dug out his last clip. He reloaded, and picked his targets more carefully.

Only twenty yards separated the men from the Krauts.

He heard a scream to his left, and hazarded a look: a forward foxhole filled with GIs—all of whom were packing it up to fall back—came under direct attack. A soldier dressed in white ran toward them, shrugging off several shots.

He fell onto the men and went after them with his hands and a knife. One of the American soldiers shot him in the head, but it was too late. A force of a dozen or more descended on the emplacement and overwhelmed them.

One of the GIs got free and ran.

The rest screamed and fought, but it appeared to be too late for them.

An officer ran from behind the barricade and yelled “Fall back!”

Grillo didn’t need to be told twice. He rose to his feet and with Shaw and Captain Taylor on either side, made for the city.