PLANES OVERHEAD
The German sniper fire is lighter now. Turner moves cautiously to check on the rest of the platoon.
While crossing the road to see Sergeant Niland's squad, Turnbull hears buzzing from above.
"Dear God, please let that be one of ours," Turnbull prays.
Two fighter planes zoom across the sky. Turnbull, squinting, sees three white bands on their’ wings. They are P-51 Mustangs, American single-seat aircraft.
Thinking quickly, Turnbull pulls the pin on a smoke grenade and tosses it as far as he can to the north - towards the Germans. The grenade pops a green smoke plume into the air.
The Mustangs arc back towards the town, flying almost on their side. After a long few seconds, the lead pilot wiggles his wings, telling the paratroopers that he sees them. They continue flying east and disappear beyond the trees.
Then the Mustangs roar back, diving into the assembling German. Fifty calibre machine gun rounds tear their formations to prices and rockets pound the remnants.
Turnbull moves as quickly to connect with Sergeant Niland.
"Well, Chief, I've always thought it's better to be lucky than to be good," Niland says. "Those Mustangs did us a heck of a favor."
Indeed, the Germans sniper fie slackens and Turnbull's men can catch their breath.
"We probably hurt them badly enough that they have to move up a fresh unit to try again," he says to Niland.
But the Americans also pay a price throughout the afternoon, with four more paratroopers killed and five are wounded.
"I think they have men behind us," Niland observes. "Also, I think we are fighting German paratroopers. now."
American paratroopers have never fought German paratroopers before. These two elite groups are now going head-to-head.
The German paratroopers, called "Fallschmirjaeger" have uniforms distinct from the regular German army, including camouflage smocks and rounded helmets.
Just then a whistling sounds in the sky and the men throw themselves the ground.
"Incoming," Turner yells. "Mortars!"
The mortars fall around them, shaking the earth. Turnbull presses his body into the ground, straining to get away from the German barrage.
The platoon's situation is serious, Turnbull thinks.
