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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The second finishes its fight. The building, which had housed
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: the patients from the San Severe Hospital for a week,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: was being emptied hastily. A plump, older nurse was helping
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: the saku could walk, hurrying them into their wraps. She
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: bustled them out to a line of waiting ancient cars.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Doctors were aiding the more helpless patients. All of them
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: froze like statues. When a shell crashed nearby, Sinston scolded
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: the nurse, ze, Jacques has been going on. Now one
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: foot up in Zacadia. Now, Sia, that's my good girl,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: bon voyage. The last to leave were the Gangongs. Pierre
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: walked slowly toward the door with his arm round Madame Gangnon.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: She moved stiffly, but without pain. At the door, a
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: doctor smiled at them. I do not worry about Madame
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Monsieur Gangnon, he said, she is rightly approved. I expect
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: no more difficulties for her. Merci do, Pierre replied gruffly.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: The doctor peered around the door. I sees that Monsieur
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Angele is a waiting for you in his car, and
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: sure you will find his house a faultwits of safety.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: His words were drowned in the shriek and explosion of
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: a second shell and the rending crash of roof timbers.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: The blast hurtled the three of them into a corner.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: A shower of falling lath and plaster filled the room.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: The doctor and Pierre called Madame Guignon to her feet
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: from outside. The desperate voice of the car driver's shrieked, hurry, doctor,
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: come at once. I do not intend to wait till
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: another explosion hits my car. The nagiong shook herself with
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: great dignity, stated firmly, I can walk, ob xelvir own step, Pierre,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: A you also doctoe. She crossed the shattered porch and
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: went down the steps. Pierre and the doctor raced to
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: help her into the conveyance. At the slam of the door,
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: Monsieur Angele was prepared, and the car leaped forward through
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: the gates and into the lane. Pierre gasped for breath.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: I hope your home is a safe he said, hoarsely.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: No place is safe today. The driver retorted over his shoulder,
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: swinging the battered old car expertly around curves. Braced as
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: well as she could manage, Madame Guignon looked out with
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: horror on the countryside, my son and d'artell. She cried,
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Could they exist so such warfare? As I must know, Pierre,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: it is worse than I imagined. The doctor spoke soothingly, but
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: broke off to shout, ah hell, walks yourself. A soldier
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: had stepped out from the shelter of the ditch with
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: upraised hand. You must detto, he said in French, sis elene,
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: and zied beyond our mind. He pointed to one side.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Those fields are safe. Monsieur Ahle muttered, and nose the
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: car cautiously into the pasture, circling shell holes, rocking over hummocks.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: He steered towards the shallow depress some distance ahead. After that,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: he forced the car up arise. As they neared the top,
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: the sound of machine guns and rifle fire, which had
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: been muffled, seemed to explode all round them. Monsieur Archell
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: brought the steaming car to a stop. He surveyed the
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: landscape on all sides. After a moment, he said, if
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: you will be kind enough to alight, I shall lead
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: you to safety, But on your own feet. We must
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: abandon this vehicle to the mousies of heaven. Madame Gangnjong
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: said to the doctor, it is causeful rejoicing. Doctors, your
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: kill was successful and I can walk. He stop founding.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Pierre is stuff. I take leads toward home. As a
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: moment snapped Monsieur achle. Our steps lay downs that slope on.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: He left towards those cottages as at pass, and he
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: pointed to the chateau. He is to my house with
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: a filing of considerable intensity is going on there. A
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: tremendous salvo of shells interrupted. Dense white smoke rolled over
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: the hill and drifted through the trees lining the driveway
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: to the chateau. If the sounds as though we were
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: moving directly into the middle of a battle, Madame Gagnon said,
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Monsieur ahele raised his head. Siasieur, as he has the
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: sight of the hilloud, which I do not understand, he said.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Pierre Gagnon stared around at a fresh outbreak of gunfire.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Madame Guignon begged him to lower himself, but Pierre's eyes
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: were fixed wildly on a point near the cottages. His
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: mouth dropped open and closed again excitedly. Mammon, he gasped
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: a patiu is see Pachiu? The doctor and Monsieur Angele
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: turned to him in alarm. Madame Gagnon stood up. I
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: do not see Pachiu, she cried, But if he is here,
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: certainly Andrea must be near. Suddenly, the vague noises broke
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: into a noisy scuffle on the rocky brush covered knoll
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: above them. Germany and American voices rang out angrily. It
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: is unbearable, Madame Guignon cried, I must find underdy. She
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: broke and ran. Pierre gave a lunge. He caught his
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: wife's sleeve and was about to pull her to the
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: ground when a racing dog, like a tornado, streaked up
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: the slope. Pachu danced to Pierre and then to Madame Guignon,
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: lathering their hands in rapturous welcome yelping shrilly. An American soldier,
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: his shoulders sagging with fatigue, came out of the underbrush.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: He frowned at the group. What are you folks doing
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: out here? He demanded, you better come along with me.
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: The doctor, the only one of the Normans who understood English,
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: said is most certainly we do not wish to stay here.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: The Americans started down the slope, Madame Guignon and Pierre,
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: attended by the two other men that followed. But Pierre,
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: Madame Guignon protested, why do we follow them that Patu
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: comes his way. Pachu answered by tearing ahead with great purpose.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: You'll see, said Pierre. At the foot of the slope,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: the American pushed his way through a break in the hawthorns.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: At his heels, Monsieur Achille and the doctor gallantly pulled
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: the bushes apart from Madame Gagnon, she took a step
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: forward and stood still, a hand clasped to her heart.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: Not twenty feet away, standing near a cheap and a
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: cluster of soldiers, were Andre and Marie. At the same instant,
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Andrea and Marie saw her, and Andrea hurtled himself towards
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: his mother. I knew I would find you, he cried,
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: I knew. Marie and Pierre drew into the family embrace.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: Slim and Weller turned to catch each other's eyes. The
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: kid done it, Weller said, Slim, sighed, I shall wish
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: I had that trumpet now, he said, I feel awful.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: Sanimentle Captain Dobe sat back and smoked, watching the happy
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: reunion of the Gangnong family. When the doctor Monsieur Ahle
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: left to start up the hill, Marie broke away from
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: the family to run after them. Oh, Monsieur Ahle, she called,
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: and miss d how sorry I am your bond was burned.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: It was so useful to the marquis. We are grateful
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: to you for Latinius use it. It is nothing, Monsieur
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Anghle replied courteously. It was for France. However, if you
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: will accept advice for my stranger, I suggest that you
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: now you turn home with your mother. Marie smiled, I
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: quite agree with you, monsieur. Within a few minutes, trucks
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: and ambulances drew up the wounded, both American and German,
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: were cared for and taken away. Weller and Captain Doby
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: resisted the suggestions of the medics to go back in
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: the ambulance. We don't want no pampering, Waller said shortly.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: I'm only nicked anyway. The fighting squad's clambered to board
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: trucks returned to the South Survel front. The Captain leaned
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: from thee to talk more easily with Madame Gaignon and Pierre.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: The radio in his car squawked incessantly answer that signal,
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: Willia Weller. Captain Toby said. Weller snapped the switch and
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: said okay, Colonel, and gave his report on Ovarski's rescue.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Then he listened for a few minutes and exclaimed, yes, Colonel,
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: I'll tell the captain sure will. Captain Doby had stopped
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: talking to listen to Weller, Andrea asked curiously, good news.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Weller almost shouted, Our armies are cleaning up Saint Sauvel
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: and the forty seventh moving on past, heading for the
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: coast and then Shoreberg. Good, said, Dobe Is that all nope?
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: Weller grinned. The colonel says the eighty second won't be
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: going on to Shrburg, with the ninth Division ordered to
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: take the marshy country south of Saulsville, and after that
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: we get relieved, the eighty second will be out of
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: the war. Doby asked, every blooming man of us. Weller replied,
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: and that means you too, Captain Slim winked at Andrea.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: I guess it means you too, kid, he said. Captain
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: Dobey rubbed his hand across his eyes. After over two
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: weeks of steady fighting, I guess the eighty second deserves
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: a rest. Well, give me that phone. Weller, when he
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: had finished his call, he said to Pierre, I've sent
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: a jeep to take you home, Monsieur Gangall. Do you
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: think you can hang on to Andrea till the cheef
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: gets here. Pierre threw back his head in his a
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: great bellowing laugh. I think so, Capitan, he roared. Never mind, kid,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Weller said, I promise you, we'll be back. We'll see
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: you in a week or two. You just save us
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: some of that good fresh milk. Pierre clapped his hand
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: to his head and glared to Andrea. Mind you, he shouted,
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: zay ows. End of chapter nineteen