Chapter 37: The Action Begins

"Work hard to occupy the target, fight hard to protect the vehicle, as long as you have a breath, fight hard to protect yourself."

After shouting the slogan countless times, at this moment, he became very imposing.

Hearing this, Urquhart read out Shakespeare's long poem in what he thought was the most colorful and touching tone: "Anyone who has passed today's pass and can come home safe / safe, whenever mentioned On this day, I will stand up in awe!"

"The time has come, boys, take up your arms, put them on your shoulders, and prepare to assemble."

Until this moment, everyone standing in the duty room still felt unbelievable, because the airborne operation they had been looking forward to had 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, that is not an expectation, but an action!

The 1st Parachute Brigade will serve as the advance force and take the lead in airborne. The three battalions under it will meet in Arnhem, and these three teams will advance from different directions——

The 2nd Battalion of Lieutenant Colonel John Frost was given the primary objective of the operation: marching along a road spur near the north bank of the Rhine to capture the giant road bridge, and not only that, but on the way, they would capture the The railway bridge west of the ferry;

The 3rd Battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel Fitch, would support the 2nd Battalion by advancing along another road also leading to Arnhem, approaching the bridge from the north.

Once the two battalions were successfully airborne, the first battalion of Lieutenant Colonel D. Dobby would march along the northernmost route and occupy the highlands north of the city.

In order to facilitate the distinction, these three routes are named as 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, and besides, the bloody font on the blackboard, thinking about it now, still makes people shudder.

"Inform the others immediately."

At this time, Major General Urquhart issued the last order, then turned and left.

Immediately afterwards, cheers and whistles sounded, and the big Miller bumped into Lu Li's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Dude, what are you doing in a daze, pack your bags, and prepare to go to Holland for vacation."

"Has the counterattack really started?"

Lu Li muttered to himself, until now, he still felt that he was in a state of confusion.

"Of course, the teacher personally announced this order, so could it 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 army composed of teenagers with milk powder and old men on bicycles. They can be crushed at the first glance. There is nothing to worry about. Let's go!"

Surrounded by everyone, Lu Li walked out of the duty room. At this moment, forced to accept his fate, he was thinking about how to survive.

Meanwhile, soldiers crammed into tents and Nissen-style mobile homes were gathering to play cards.

Since yesterday, they have been told that there may be a large-scale exercise in the early hours of the 17th, and all members are prohibited from sleeping and drinking.

Therefore, there is no other way except to kill the boring waiting time in this way.

"Francis, you have won so much money, how are you going to enjoy it?"

Twenty-year-old Francis Monk was lucky. From the beginning, he kept winning money, and the guilder piled up before him.

Hearing someone teasing himself, Monk stubbed out the cigarette butt, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said with a smile: "If, I said if, our division is indeed selected, then I will invite everyone to have a good time in Arnhem after the battle." !"

Frankly, almost everyone thought that if there was a fight, it would only last 48 hours, so there was laughter and laughter in the tent.

Suddenly, the curtain was lifted.

Several eyes converged on the incoming person.

"Quiet! Pack your bags! We'll be leaving in an hour and a half."

Lu Li glanced at the colorful banknotes on the table, feeling more and more uneasy.

So, he said in a deep voice: "Attention, this is not a drill. Everyone, bring your equipment, food, and enough ammunition."

"Very good……"

The soldiers cheered in unison, and they didn't restrain their expressions until they saw Lu Li's expression was very bad, and raised their hands in salute.

"Half an hour later, follow the pre-determined plan and gather in the designated area. Remember to take airsickness medicine in advance."

After saying that, Lu Li turned around and walked towards his personal tent.

As a junior non-commissioned officer in the second battalion, he managed a squad, that is, two combat teams.

If the airborne goes smoothly and no one is missing, then the eight people in the tent will accompany him on the mission until he dies or is captured.

A burden, or a boost?

Lu Li didn't know either.

Now, he had to pack his personal equipment and prepare for the fierce battle ahead.

A few minutes later, an exaggerated voice came from the sergeant's tent.

"Am I crazy?"

The big Miller who was in charge of the second shift froze in place. After a while, he shouted like reciting a poem: "Combat camouflage net, anti-collision helmet, compass, ammunition, geotechnical tools, carrying bag and reserve ammunition... Hawking style Mines, grenades, smoke grenades, gamma bombs, dynamite, water bottles... parachutes, parachutes, life jackets."

"And a bulging leg bag!"

In his memory, he had a good relationship with him, so Lu Li restrained himself and asked, "Miller, what are you going to say?"

"These things add up to be heavier than me, buddy, are you going to overthrow the enemy's platoon alone?"

Miller was puzzled.

He even thought it was necessary for him to take Lu Li to see a doctor in order to avoid problems during the skydiving—this guy was too nervous to bring such heavy equipment on board.

"Bring more supplies, it's better than..."

Lu Li hesitated to speak, feeling that he shouldn't say something frustrating at an important moment, so he changed his mind and said, "You should bring more food. It's good to have some snacks while walking."

After speaking, he carried the leg bag to the wooden box behind him, opened a gap, and took a sneak peek.

It turned out that the antibiotics were bought in advance, but unexpectedly they were placed here by the school.

...

At two o'clock in the morning, the rumbling sound of the flying formation taking off made the cattle and horses around the base panic and run around.

Dozens of minutes later, the fleet flew over London, and by chance, a young drummer was sitting in his courtyard, performing for his family and neighbors.

The sound of the propeller rotating at a high speed interrupted the performance. He raised his head and struck a symbolic drum beat forcefully:

Three points and one line, in the Morse code, that is the word V, which stands for victory.