FIRE WARNING SHOTS
"Give 'em a burst from the BAR, Dunnegan," Turnbull orders the private manning the machine gun. "Aim off to the left, and we'll see how they react."
"If they're friendlies, they'll probably duck for cover and cry for a cease fire, but if they're Germans, they'll shoot back," Turner reasons.
The two men on the Browning Automatic Rifle site in and let loose with a short burst. The ripping sound of medium-caliber machine gun bullets tears through the air.
Though the rounds hit harmlessly, fifteen yards to the side, they throw dirt and rocks into the air and create a powerful impression. The men on the road jump into a shallow ditch and open fire on Turnbull's platoon.
"They were Germans after all," thinks Turner. "Well, this is the fight we came to France for." His men respond immediately, firing back at the Germans.
A few enemy fall, but the rest flee back or into the hedgerows. Two Germans lie dead in the middle of the road.
An eerie calm settles on Neuville-Au-Plain. Turnbull watches the scene for the next five minutes, waiting for a follow-up attack by the Germans that does not materialize.
Then a sharp crack breaks the tension and a bullet smacks into the stone wall behind Turnbull.
Turnbull crouches, thinking about what might come next, when an American jeep appears behind them from the direction of St. Mere-Eglise. Lieutenant-Colonel Vandervoort is with four other paratroopers and is towing a 57mm gun.
"The gun, not the jeep," Vandervoort replies gamely, though he is as scared as Turnbull. "I'm still need the jeep. We recovered them both from the glider drop this morning. I thought you could best use the 57mm."
A sniper shot spits past their heads. Turner winces. "Maybe we should talk behind the townhall, before that Kraut gets our range."
"How are you holding up?" the Colonel asks in the shade of the town hall.
"We're ok. We just had a probing attack. I expect something stronger soon. The gun will help."
Vandervoort nods. He made the right choice to send Turnbull to NAP.. "Well, the rest of the battalion has been in the thick of it all morning. We beat back one tough attack on St. Mere-Eglise, and we're holding for now."
Then his eyes narrow on Turner. “You need to hold. You cannot let any Germans get through. I will send men to relieve you as soon as I can, hopefully in a few hours.”
"You can count on us, sir. We'll hold."
Vandervoort takes a quick look around and talks to a few of paratroopers, but he is eager to get back to the rest of his command at St. Mere-Eglise.
The three new paratroopers move the 57mm gun behind a stone storage house in the center of Route 13. They stack ammunition and site the gun in on the far end of the road.
