June 6, 1944: Sainte-Mère-Église, France:
As the night sky darkened over Normandy on June 5th, 1944, Fred Barrell and Jean-Luc, the leader of a French Resistance group, waited anxiously in a field outside the town of Sainte-Mère-Église. They had been tasked by the OSS with assisting the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, which was scheduled to drop behind enemy lines in just a few hours.
Fred and Jean-Luc had now been working together for several months, coordinating Resistance activities and providing intelligence to the OSS on German defenses in the area. Now, with the invasion imminent, their focus had shifted to supporting the airborne units that would be dropped into the area to secure key objectives and disrupt German forces.
As the sound of approaching aircraft grew louder, Fred and Jean-Luc donned their helmets and tightened their equipment. They had a crucial role to play in guiding the paratroopers to their drop zone and providing them with the support they needed to carry out their mission.
When the planes finally appeared overhead, Fred and Jean-Luc sprang into action, using flares and signal lights to guide the paratroopers to their designated drop zone. As the paratroopers landed, Fred and Jean-Luc rushed to their side, providing them with supplies, ammunition, and critical intelligence on German positions in the area.
An amusing episode happened when Fred approached a pair of paratroopers who had been separated from their squad. "Halt! Who goes there?" one of them barked. "A friend," Fred said. He stayed hidden, just in case, because everyone was trigger-happy and it was still pre-dawn and dark as pitch. He grinned as he heard one of the soldiers tell the other one, "That guy sounds American."
The first soldier wanted to be sure. "Hey! Who won the World Championship Series last year?" he asked. Fred smiled. "The Cannons," he replied. Then he laughed and added, "I should know. My nephew pitches for them and my kid brother plays for the Keystones." Soon he was explaining to the two surprised paratroopers that his nephew was Deuce Barrell and his brother was Bobby. He left out his own big league career. He was technically still undercover and expected to have more clandestine work in the near future. No need to completely blow his cover, but he suspected at least one of the soldiers had worked out his identity - he simply had the sense not to say anything about it.
For the next several hours, Fred and Jean-Luc accompanied the paratroopers on their mission, providing them with local knowledge and support as they moved to secure the town of Sainte-Mère-Église. Despite facing heavy resistance from German troops, the paratroopers were able to secure the town and establish a bridgehead behind enemy lines, thanks in part to the support provided by Fred and Jean-Luc.
Over the next several days, Fred and Jean-Luc continued to work closely with the paratroopers, providing them with crucial intelligence and support as they moved to disrupt German forces and prepare the way for the main invasion force to come ashore on the beaches of Normandy.
Although their efforts often went unrecognized, Fred and Jean-Luc knew that they had played a vital role in the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy. Their bravery and dedication had helped to turn the tide of the war and pave the way for the eventual liberation of Europe.
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Same day, aboard the armored transport ship USS Sheridan (APA-51) somewhere in the Pacific Ocean:
Roger Cleaves and his fellow Marines from the 8th Marine Regiment were on board the USS Sheridan, en route to their next invasion site at Saipan in the Marianas Islands. They were eager - and more than a little nervous - to take on the next challenge and were focused on preparing for the upcoming battle. Life at sea was often monotonous, particularly for someone like Roger who had always led an active lifestyle. Cooped up on a tin can for weeks on end was pure torture. At least he didn't get seasick like some of these poor saps, he thought.
As they sailed across the vast Pacific, news of the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, reached them. The colonel called them together and made the announcement. The Marines were impressed by the bravery and success of their fellow soldiers in the European theater, but they couldn't help but muse about the Army finally getting its feet wet for a change.
"Seems like the Army is finally getting a taste of what we do all the time," Paul Ippolito remarked to Roger and the others. "Assaulting beaches under enemy fire is our specialty, and now the Army is finding out just how tough it is."
The other Marines laughed and nodded in agreement. They were proud of the Marine Corps' reputation as the first to fight and the toughest of the tough. They knew that their skills and training were unparalleled, and they relished the opportunity to put them to the test in battle.
As they approached Saipan, the Marines were ready for whatever lay ahead. They knew that the battle would be tough, but they were confident in their abilities and the support of their fellow Marines.
"We're the tip of the spear, boys," Dwayne Hickey said. "We go in first and clear the way for the rest of them. That's our job, and we're damn good at it."
The Marines cheered and pumped their fists in the air. Roger wondered if the Germans in Normandy would put up the kind of fight the Japanese had at Tarawa. If they did... well, Roger felt more than a little sorry for the dogfaces that were right now fighting through the bloody surf and trying to cling to whatever cover was available on a French beach. There hadn't been a hell of a lot of cover at Tarawa... This in turn made him think about Saipan and what they'd be facing themselves in another ten days or so.
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Same day, Cincinnati, OH:
Someone was banging on the door.
"Go away!!!" Deuce Barrell shouted. Belatedly he realized it was doubtful he'd been heard - his face was buried in his pillow.
He raised his head and yelled for his sister. There was no response and whoever was at the door banged again.
Muttering, Deuce rolled over, carefully avoiding using his left arm. His elbow was getting better, but it was still tender and sore from his rehabilitation session the previous day.
More banging.
"I'm coming! Hold your horses!" he shouted.
He shuffled out into the living room and opened the door.
His uncle Tom stood there, frowning at him. "Being injured doesn't mean you should spend all day sleeping, Deuce," Tom chided him. Then he pushed past him. "Where's your sister?" he asked.
"Uh... I don't know, actually," Deuce replied. "I was sleeping until you started banging on the door," he said.
Deuce's gaze had followed Tom as the latter had entered the apartment, so he hadn't noticed that his uncle wasn't alone.
"So you're the famous Deuce Barrell," he heard a woman's voice say.
As he turned back in surprise, the woman pushed past him and all he had was a brief whiff of perfume and a quick glance at her dark hair as she passed by.
"Yep, that's him," Tom said. Deuce looked outside to make sure no one else was standing out there, then closed the door.
"You might want to close your robe," the woman told him. Deuce looked down, and realized his open robe revealed that he was wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. He blushed a little, then quickly tied his robe.
Tom was grinning. "Marla, this is my nephew, Rufus Barrell the second." He waved a hand in Deuce's direction. "Nephew, this is Marla Fitzpatrick," Tom finished. Marla reached out a hand and shook hands with Deuce.
"You're a lanky piece of work," Marla noted, eyeing Deuce up and down.
"Sure, I guess," Deuce replied, no better response having come to mind. He decided to go on the offensive - "If I might ask, Tom, what are you doing here?" he asked. It was a valid question, Tom was a Cincinnati Cannon now and the team was in the middle of a road trip.
"We're off today, as you might know if you bothered to pay attention," Tom replied. "We got our butts handed to us in Chicago, dropping three of four to the Cougars. We're on our way to Philly, but we had an extra day so the old man decided to give us a day at home."
Deuce was surprised. Ad Doria tended to be all business during the season. Maybe he was getting soft. As if reading his mind, Tom added, "I suspect the reason wasn't so much that he wanted to give us a day off as much as it was that it would cost the team money to spend an extra night in the hotel in Philadelphia."
Deuce nodded, that sounded more like the Doria he knew.
"Well, Marla, since Gloria isn't here, our trip may have been wasted," Tom told his companion.
Deuce eyed them. "You traveling with the team now, Miss Fitzpatrick," he asked, wanting to get a shot in if only because he was miffed at having been rudely awakened. He'd been on a date with Nurse Debbie the night before and was having pleasant dreams when the banging started.
"No, nothing so scandalous as that," Marla replied coolly. "I decided to visit Tom when I discovered he'd be in town, although I am going to travel to Philadelphia - separately - for the series with the Sailors."
Deuce nodded. "Why are you looking for Gloria, Tom?" he asked.
"Oh, we wanted to take you two out for lunch. I assume you have your sister doing everything for you, and the poor girl could probably do with a friendly meal outside this place," his uncle replied.
As if on cue, Gloria opened the door and burst into the apartment. "Oh good, you're up!" she told her brother. "Have you heard?"
"Heard what?" Deuce asked.
"About the invasion?"
Deuce just looked confused so Tom piped up and said, "He just got out of bed."
"Oh, hello Tom... Marla," Gloria said, noticing them for the first time. She paused and Deuce figured she was about to ask why Tom & Marla were there before she turned back to him and said, "Our troops have invaded France!"
"Oh, that's good," Deuce said, wondering why she was so excited about this. He figured it was good news, but Gloria seemed overly happy about it.
"Yes, it is good!" she said, adding, "The sooner this war is over, the sooner Charley will get home!"
"True, but Charley's fighting the Japanese, not the Germans," Deuce said.
Gloria looked at Tom and shook her head. "He doesn't get it," she explained. "The sooner the Germans are defeated, the sooner we can go all out against the Japanese and that means a quicker end to the war!"
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Deuce admitted. Gloria shook her head. "Let's go get some lunch," she said brightly. "I assume that's why you're here," she added. Tom smiled and nodded.
Deuce just stood there until Gloria slapped him on the shoulder (his right shoulder) and told him to go get dressed.
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Tom Barrell & Marla Fitzpatrick at Deuce's apartment 1944