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15 - We Were There at the Normandy Invasion by Clayton Knight · We Were There at the Normandy Invasion

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: The idea of Captain Dolby's staff going away came as
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: a shock to Andrea, but he stammered. Captain Dolby and
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Weller consulted maps and papers. At last, the Captain sat
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: back and lit a cigarette. You've seen father Dupray. What
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: did he have to tell you, he inquired mildly. Not
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: a good news, Sir, Andre replied, but nothing especially bad.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: I wish my family could get home, he said irritably.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Captain Dobe cocked an eyebrow. I wish they could too,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: he said. And as long as I'm responsible here, maybe
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: you'd like to tell me why you went off with
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: that pilot in his plane, this unexpected shift. Andrea flushed.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: You did not tell me not to, sir, he said, shyly.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: I did not tell you not to write an elephant
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: to Afghanistan either. The captain retorted, How could I know
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: you had any tension of flying over the enemy? I
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: did not know it to myself. Andre could not help smiling.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: It just happened. Well, you're lucky to be back. I
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: don't suppose it really matters if I turned gray worrying
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: about you, said the captain. A bark from Patu in
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: the kitchen gave Andrea an excuse to bolt away. Although
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Captain Doby's colonel had ordered the post moved closer to
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: the fighting, the change would not come until other units
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: were in position. During the next couple of days, Andrea's
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: mind turned more and more towards San Sevie. If he
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: could only go forward with Doby and Weller and Slim
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: to be near when that town was liberated, mother French
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: children were in the battle zone, and after all, he
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: had been under fire himself. Sauserville, Weller explained, was directly
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: in the path of the Americans were hammering through to
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: the coat to keep the Germans from sending help to
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: the fortress of Cherbourg. The ninth Division and their own
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: eighty second Airborne were working together in this drive for
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: the showdown. Weller came home from an errand to the
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: beach on Tuesday the thirteenth, whistling gaily off key good news,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Andrea asked, Weller replied, tops we wiped the Nazis out
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: of that gap between Utah and Omaha beachheads. Now we
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: can roll and boy, you want to see our new
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Utah airstrip planes going to land and out of there
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: like ferries with the wounded Captain Dobe, talking to his
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: colonel on the phone, hung up, looking cheerful. The towns
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: along the Metarey River seemed to be pretty well mopped up.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: He reported, we hold the bridges some on the way
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: to the dew of Rivers Cleardale. Later that day, Weller
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: made a fast trip to the new command post came
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: back to report that a small stone farm building nearer Crosswords,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: north of pont Nobles had been found for Captain Doby.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: We got a prayer of new lieutenants taken the places
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: of a couple that got wounded. Weller said, good fighters.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: These replacements John Farglin or Varski. Andrea grew more silent
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: as the captain's leaving day drew near son Saville was
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: to Andrea, a pretty little town where his family were.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: As each day went by, he felt more anxious about
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: his mother, and finally he decided he must follow Doby
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: and look for her. On the last evening, Captain Doby said,
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: I'm leaving slim here for a few days on orders Andre.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: He'll be in touch with me, so sand a word
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: if anything is wrong. Weller echoed, yeah, you do that, kid,
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: and you just tend to the cows and mind what
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Father Duprey says. Andrea was up in the house astir
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: before sunrise morning, maps, papers and Duffel were stacked waiting
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: in the hallway when Slim appeared at the door and
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: announced jeep's ready, cap'n. This was the bad moment for Andrea.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Doby hobbled out to the jeep and Weller followed. Several
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: of the neighbors, including Father Duprey and Victor, had come
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: to say goodbye. Pachu kept up a nervous barking, shocked
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: by the departure of friends, until Andrea put an arm
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: around him. Over the noise, he complained of the jeep's motor.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Captain Dobe thanked all those gathered for their help, and
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: he asked that thanks be given to the Yangons. I'll
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: see you all again, he smiled, clutching at his seat.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: As the jeep leaped forward and up to the overhanging
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: chestnut trees, rang the cries of Viva Riiberhic and vive
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: la capitan do bay. The last Andrea heard was Weller's
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: voice bellowing vive la Frenchman. The silence of the house
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: as the sun slid over the trees, numbing. Madame LESCo
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: arrived to break this up, equipped with an armload of
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: cleaning things. It's a place to resemble as a pig stye,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: she announced. Madame Guigno must not see such aness. Please
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: call yourself to be absent. Slim hurriedly remembered a job
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: to be done. Andrea pushed Pachiu hastily out of doors
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: and went to melt the cows. He had just put
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: the milk to cool when Madame Leiscoux hailed him from
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: the kitchen door. Breakfast, she called. When Slim and Andrea
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: drew up to the table, Madame Lescou produced a breakfast
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: of army supplies she had found on a shelf. It
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: did not make these nets, she said, shortly, to complain
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: about Call's behavior, But I cannot help believing he has
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: encouraged the American Army to habits of extravagance. Though you
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: leave a good food behind the wherever you go. When
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: this was translated into English, Slim laughed, No, ma'am, he
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: said emphatic, This army eats everything it lays its hands on. Well,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: it's just repaying the Anong's for use of their house,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: I guess. After breakfast, Slim called for Andrea in the
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: trumpet fitted in between his duties, Slim gave Andrea more
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: lessons in American tunes. The old house trembled under the blasts.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: In the midst of one of Slim's Texas songs. An
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: ambulance full of wounded from the fighting at Sansovielle drew
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: up and stopped. The driver had a message about Captain Doby.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: Cam's got himself shot in the shoulder, he reported Andrea,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: and Slim froze, the driver added as he started on.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: Couldn't get him to come away and be evacuated home
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: with these other guys. What's well to do? And lend
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: the skiff to get shot? Slim exclaimed, best I get
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: up there quick now. Andrea decided to get up there too.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: He could surely get far enough to trace Marie and
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: perhaps find some clue as to where his father and
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: mother were. Late that evening of d D plus nine,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Weller returned to pick up Slim. Come on, corporal, he shouted,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: the cap'tain neat you looks like we'll take Salsavia in
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: a couple of days, he told Andrea. Then as soon
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: as we're cut through the coast. The big push up
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Shecherburg starts off. Won't be long. Now take care of yourself, kid.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: The two waved from the jeep. Be Celia they called,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Andrea answered we yes, I think so soon. Because of
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: his own plans, Slim's departure did not leave Andrea quite
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: so lonely as he might have been. The question of
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: how to get near Sansaville was the problem. Andre thought
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: he might ask some pleasant looking officer for a lift.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: He might. In the end, it was Victor who solved
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: things very simply. De Lesco's married daughter's home had been
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: burned out. I just sent word that she was at
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: a farm on Pecaville, a hamlet just outside pont Abe.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: The message begged her father to come please and get her.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: In the morning after Slim's departure, Victor arrived at the
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Gangong's door with Alflumme and the cart. Explained his journey
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: to Andrea. But Andre cried, I must go with you, Victor.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: You cannot speak English any battles than you did when
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: we went to Chacals. That is true enough, Victor admitted, good,
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: I go, I cancilate the when soldiers will try to
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: stop you. Andre announced, it is a good idea. Victor
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: agreed well. Then Andre cried the cows. Victor chided, Andre
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: paused Raoul. He suggested, do you think he would melt
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: them most certainly and steal the milk equally certainly? Victor said,
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: I'll ask him. Andre decided, wait, please, I will wait.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: Victor sat impatiently in the cart and polished his glasses
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: while Andrea raced across the field. Ten minutes later, Andrea
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: was back. Raoul had agreed, and Lafume was plodding steadily
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: towards some merr and a clatter and shriek of gunfire.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: Crouching under a blanket, Andrea's feet lay Pachu de Gingen's
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: house stood silently empty for the first time in weeks.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: About noon, a black motorcycle rode to a stop beside
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: the Gangong pump. Malie, in dark slacks and a man's
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: cap similar to the driver's, dismounted. The house looks empty, Leon,
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: she said, with alarm in her voice. She pushed open
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: the door and yelled Andrea. There was no answer. She
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: entered the empty hallway hurriedly. She ran through the house
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: in a panic and returned to the door. He is
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: an't here, Leon, she cried, the house he's empty, even
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: Pachu is gone. Leon looked at her calmly. Perhaps you
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: are not the only adventurous one in the family, he laughed,
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: a ghasted at the thought of Andrea wandering. Who knows
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: where Marie paused he did hope heard they let you
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: off from Maman telling us where the hospital had moved to.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: And now I don't even know what has happened to andreay,
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: she cried. She looked wildly round the village, darting between
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: passing trucks. She came to the Lescot's kitchen. A few
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: minutes later. She returned to Leon, breathless. Andrea has gone
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: off towards Sincrea with Victor. She explained, perhaps we can
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: to catch up with them on the olde two upon
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: you by, we must sorry. The black motorcycle shot off
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: in the direction of some mel end of chapter fifteen.