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Transcript
Hartsock's introduction
Marshall: Night mission?
Hartsock: Night mission. The 101st was massing up for the big push up the causeway. Sergeant Hassay sent me with three guys to check out a bombed chateau. We needed it for an aid station. I had Desola, Allen, and Garnett.
Marshall: Were there any other Sergeants or officers around?
Hartsock: No, it was just us; stragglers were showing up all the time, but 3rd platoon lost half its sergeants the first day. I guess that expedited my promotion.
Conflict
Hartsock, Desola, Allen, and Garnett are standing at the gates of a bombed-out chateau.
Garnett: This would have been a nice lil house if we hadn't bombed the holy shit out of it.
Desola: Just recon, right?
Garnett: I don't know, Desola. Every time I hear the words 'scout' or 'recon,' I bring extra ammo.
Allen, who had been staring at the bombed-out chateau without a word, finally speaks up.
Allen: Just seems like it's never over.
Garnett: What?
Allen: Just thinking out loud.
Desola: Well, I don't know about you, Allen, but I ain't gettin' shot over a stupid chateau. Let's get moving.
The three then turn to Hartsock as their objective begins.
Flashback to Hartsock's interview with Marshall
Marshall: What's wrong?
Hartsock: Allen and Garnett died the next morning.
Hartsock pauses for a brief moment.
Hartsock: Desola was the day after.
Hartsock starts sniffling.
Marshall: Do you need a minute?
Hartsock does not answer and continues sniffling for the loss of his three friends.
Marshall: Sergeant Hartsock, do you need a minute?
Hartsock recovers and stops sniffling.
Hartsock: No, sir.
Hartsock takes a big gulp and a sigh.
Hartsock: I'm fine, let's keep going.
Flashback back to the mission
Hartsock orders Desola, Allen, and Garnett to follow him down the center of the bombed-out chateau. The roadway to the chateau was blocked halfway down the line. Just as the four make their way halfway down the road, towards the blockage, they were immediately met with German machine gun fire. Hartsock orders his squad to take cover to the right of their position and to try a flanking maneuver. However, they are met again with three German squad units stationed close to the MG42. Hartsock then orders his squad to lay down suppressing fire while he goes around to the left side of the roadway and cut them down. The plan is successful as Hartsock, with the help of his squad, cuts down the three German squad units. Now all that was left was the MG42, which was still being put to use and firing at Hartsock's squad. Hartsock yelled out the order to lay down suppressing fire as he made his way through an archway. Once he entered the archway, Hartsock pulled the pin off a grenade he had and flung it at the MG42. Seconds later, the firing from the MG42 ceased and Hartsock's squad regrouped.
Just as Desola, Allen, and Garnett arrive at Hartsock's location, another German squad opened fire on their position. The firing only lasted less than two minutes as Hartsock took them down with relative ease with his Browning Automatic Rifle. Once the fighting stopped, Hartsock and his squad entered the house with the front staircase was blocked and engulfed in flames. Hartsock and his squad turned left and spotted another German squad entering the back door of the house. Hartsock ordered his squad to their positions and wait for the German squad to enter the house. Once the German squad entered the house, Hartsock and his squad welcomed them with a barrage of bullets.
The back door of the house was still open, which Hartsock and his squad slowly exited. Just as they were exiting the house, they were encountered by an MG42 just twenty-five feet away. The four immediately ducked and turned tail back into the house. Luckily, help arrived when an M4 Sherman tank rolled along behind the MG42 and fired its 75mm gun. Hartsock and his squad, who were very grateful to the M4 Sherman for taking out the MG42, approached the tank. Sergeant Kelly, the person was commanding the tank, stuck his head out of the tank.
Kelly: You guys were sent here too?
Hartsock nodded.
Kelly: It's dark as hell out here; so I'm gonna need you to be my eyes, Corporal.
Now with a tank crew on Hartsock's back, he had to keep them alive as well as his squad. Nevertheless, Hartsock pressed on through the chateau where more German squads were expected to be. This time, however, Hartsock sensed that because the Germans around the area heard the shot from the M4 Sherman on the MG42, they would equip themselves with anti-tank guns, namely, panzerfausts. Therefore, he tells Kelly to move his tank slowly to not attract any attention. After a few minutes of scouring the chateau, no resistance was encountered. That was the case until a few panzerfaust units started popping up and firing at the tank. Three panzerfaust units started opening fire on the tank, which Hartsock and his squad put a stop to after ten minutes of intense fighting.
After the fighting was halted, Hartsock grabbed what little ammunition the German panzerfaust had and set out with his squad and tank crew through the remnants of the chateau. After a while, Hartsock and his squad encountered sporadic resistance but had no casualties. The fighting quickly intensified as they ventured further and further through the chateau. Eventually, Hartsock, his squad, and the tank crew found themselves near the front of the chateau. However, as the struggle for survival continued, machine guns, panzerfausts, and now mortars and Panzer IVs were put into effect by the Germans who were desperately trying to take out the tank as fast as possible.
Luckily, Hartsock and his squad managed to exterminate any German engagements there were and soon found themselves directly at the gates where they first started the objective. They had successfully secured the chateau. Just then, Baker and Mac pulled up in a halftrack with Baker as the driver.
Baker: Hop in the back, guys!
Chapter ends