'Did the Ninth succeed in getting across?' asked a puffing Abel.
'Sure did,' replied the general, 'but they encountered heavy resistance when they reached the forest on the far side of the river. Ile first'platoons were ambushed and God knows how many men we lost. So you had better eat the food yourself, Colonel, because my only interest is getting as many of my men back alive as possible!
'Is there anything I can doT asked Abel.
The fighting commander stopped running for a moment and studied the fat colonel. 'How many men have you under your direct command?'
~One lieutenant, one sergeant, two corporals, and twentyeight privates; thirty - three in all including myself, sir.'
'Good. Report to the field hospital with your men and make yourself useful out there by bringing back as many dead and wounded as you can find.'
'Yes, sir,' said Abel and ran aU the way back to the field kitchen where he found his own men sitting in a corner smoking. None of them noticed when he entered the tent.
'Get up, you bunch of lazy bastards. We've got real work to do for a change.'
Thirty - two men snapped to attention.
'Follow me,' shouted Abel, 'on the double!
He turned and started running again, this time towards the field hospital. A young doctor was briefing sixteen medical corpsmen when Abel and his out of breath, unfit men appeared at the entrance to the tent.
'Can I help you, sir?' asked the doctor.
'No, I hope I can help you,' replied Abel. 'I have thirtytwo men here who have been detailed by General Leonard to - join your group' - it was the first time they had heard of it.
Ile doctor stared in amazement at the colonel. 'Yes, sir.'
9)on't call me sir,' said Abel. 'We're here to find out how we can assist you.'
Tes, sir,' the doctor said again.
He handed Abel a carton of Red Cross armbands which the chefs, kitchen orderlies and potato peeler proceeded to put on as they listened to the doctor continue his briefing, giving details of the action in the forest on the far side of the Ludendorff bridge.
'The Ninth has sustained ' heavy casualties~' he continued. Those soldiers with medical - expertise will remain in the battle zone, while the rest of you will bring back as many of the wounded as possible to this field hospital.'
Abel was delighted at the opportunity to do something positive for a change. The doctor, now in command of a team of forty - nine men, passed out eighteen stretchers, and each soldier rrceived a full medical pack. He then led his motley band towards the Ludendorff bridge. Abel was only a yard behind him. They started singing as they marched through the mud and rain; they stopped singing when they reached the bridge and were greeted by stretcher after stretcher showing clearly the outline of a body covered only in blankets. They marched silently across the bridge in single file by the side of the railroad track where they could see the results of the German explosion that had failed to destroy its founda - tions. On up towards the forest and the sound of fire, Abel found he was excited by the thought of being so near the enemy, and horrified by the realisation of what that enemy was capable of inflicting on his fellow countrymerL Everywhere he turned he saw, or worse, hearxi cries of anguish coming from his comrades. Comrades who until that day had wistfully thought the end of the war was near - but not that near.
He watched the young doctor stop again and again and do the best he. could for each man. Sometimes he would mercifully kill a man quickly when there was not the slightest hope of trying to patch him up. Abel ran from soldier to soldier organising the stretchers of those unable to help themselves and guiding the wounded who could still walk back towards the Ludendorff bridge. By the time their group reached the edge of the forest only the doctor, one of the potato peeler - s and himself were left of the original party; all the others were carrying the dead and woundedback to the camp.
As the three of them marched into the forest they could hear the enemy guns close by. Abel could see the outline of a big gun, hidden in undergrowth and still pointing towards the bridge, but now damaged beyond repair. Then he heard a volley of bullets that sounded so loud that he realised for the first time that the enemy were only a few hundred yards ahead of him. He quickly crouched down on one knee, expectant, his senses heightened to screaming pitch. Suddenly there was another burst of fire in front of him.
He jumped up and ran forward, reluctantly followed by the doctor and the potato peeler. They ran on for another hundred yards, when they came across a beautiful stretch of lush green grass in a hollow covered in a bed of white crocuses, littered with the bodies of American soldiers. Abel and the doctor ran from corpse to corpse. 'It must have been a massacre,'