We Happy Few | Band of Brothers

Chapter 33: Merry Christmas

Annie felt the rumbling in her bones as the large aircraft flew overhead. It was pretty low to the ground, but it seemed to be moving in a deliberate pattern over the trees. In a matter of seconds, men were jumping out of their foxholes, cheering and chanting as they ran in the direction the plane had gone in. 

Shrugging, Annie joined the group as they bolted for the tree line before jumping out into the open, waving their hands wildly up at the planes in the sky. Red smoke bombs were dropped from above, landing just meters away from the trees and dousing the field in crimson smoke. 

Lipton, who was standing beside Eugene and Annie, had a smile wider than anyone had seen in a long while. Everyone watched as the planes turned back around and headed toward them again. As they got closer though, they tipped their noses down and started shooting.

Bullets peppered the ground around the troopers' feet and one by one they darted back into the forest for cover. A few of the men started shooting at the planes, pissed off that their own aircrafts had just shot at them, but Lipton put a stop to that real quick.

"Sergeant, I don't understand, it was our own planes!" Eugene was beyond shocked.

Lipton shushed Eugene as a whole new fleet of planes flew over. "C-47s." He recognized the sound. "They're bringing supplies. It's a drop. It's a drop, come on!"

Parachutes with duffle bags full of supplies dropped from the planes over Bastogne and hope was filling the men and women of Easy. Along with Eugene, Lipton, and a few others, Annie rode into town to pick up some supplies for the men on the front. 

Heading into the church-turned-aid station with Eugene, Annie was quick to pick up as many boxes of bandages, morphine, plasma, and anything else that she could. As the small medic turned to carry the boxes back out to the jeep, she spotted Renée in the corner of the room, holding the hand of a severely injured man, whispering to him about how he would get to go home soon. 

Annie had whispered those same words to many men before, so she was able to tell when they were a promise or a just white lie. 

By the time Annie made it back outside the jeep was half full and wouldn't be able to take all the men back in one trip, so while Eugene stayed behind to scrounge up as much stuff as he could, Annie rode back with the first load of crates and two other men. 

Easy Company was thrilled to have a restock on the things they were desperately in need of, and as Annie handed out food packages, smokes, and various other items, she finally, for once in weeks, felt like she was actually helping. 

It was a small gesture, but seeing the smile on Malarkey's face as she passed him a box of smokes was enough to make her whole day better.

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Staring out at the German line where the approaching tanks were throwing snow up into the air in large white clouds, Annie swallowed hard as Lipton ran by, warning the medics that it was about to get really busy for them. 

Two or three foxholes up, much closer to the front of the pack, Margot was sat beside Babe, her hand resting on her M1 Browning and her finger ghosting over the trigger. 

The Germans were coming in for an attack, and just like that Lieutenant had said before Easy marched into the front lines, they had artillery coming out of their asses. Tanks, guns, mortars. You name it, they had it. 

All Easy had were guns and their determined 1st Sergeant, Carwood Lipton. 

Turning to the foxhole next to her, Margot locked eyes with Smokey and gave him a nod, wishing him luck. Smokey smiled, nodded back, and then collapsed into his foxhole. His hot coffee spilled all over him as the Kraut bullet went in one shoulder and out the other.