we're on each other's team [band of brothers / hbo war]

17: a horrific discovery

UPDATED 05/14/2022. Did some major revisions here, which I am quite proud of. Despite the tragedy that occurs in this chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it. This was a difficult chapter to write and read, and I always have to step away from it.

Reminder that I decided to get read of the German text dialogue so when Madison or any other character is speaking German, it's italicized in the quotations. (I can never remember if I put a reminder in the notes, I am so bad lmao.)

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In early April, Easy Company officially entered Germany.

Madison wasn't sure what to expect when they had entered the country that her grandparents had immigrated from. On one hand, they had praised Germany, yet they moved to the states for better opportunities. On the other hand, all of her comrades insulted the country. She couldn't blame them, the Germans did invade Poland and brought the entire world into a huge mess.

Madison didn't let her inner conflict bother her too much. She had a job to do, and she couldn't let her feelings get in the way. After all, she wasn't born in Germany, she was just the second generation of Kleins born in the United States. She was an American girl who could speak fluent German, amongst other things.

The 101st Airborne weren't given much to do in the meantime. Their current orders were basically made of patrols and venturing about. A lot of the men took to looting, especially Speirs. Madison didn't really agree with the looting bit. She never had, and perhaps never will steal something for "souvenir purposes" or whatever the men were in it for. It just felt wrong to steal, especially when you had no true purpose for it. Just take what you need to survive, and move on.

The Germans weren't the friendliest, either. Many of the civilians that Madison encountered with sure did love Hitler. She felt extremely uncomfortable. This feeling would be amplified with Austrians when Easy Company entered Austria.

"Why shouldn't we be good to Hitler when he gives us all this?" a farmer had asked in English, gesturing to the land. Madison had to admit, the place was beautiful and there was no doubt that the Germans were well off. However, there was a reason for that. There were others paying a price for it. The people from France, Belgium, Holland, and Norway and many more were paying the expenses. It wasn't right.

"Because others are suffering for your pleasures," Madison had responded. The Führer may treat him well, but what about the others? It just wasn't right. Madison wanted that man to know just how bad things are but if they were anything like, she knew it would be futile. Little did she know, she would have more of these disagreements once she was in Austria, the true home of Hitler and his affiliates.

Madison found herself going on patrol a lot while in Germany, in case they needed a medic or translator. Madison was one of the few in Easy Company who could speak German fluently. Madison, Guth, Liebgott, and Webster were some of the fluent German speakers in the unit, so they were all often used by their comrades and superiors. It also appeared that the native German speakers trusted her more than the others. It was strange, to say the least. Why were they willing to talk to her more than the others?

When Madison wasn't on patrol, she was often stuck in town. A non-fraternization policy was put in place, but Madison wasn't going to be cruel to the younger children and preteens who flocked her way. While their mothers tried to shun them away, their children often wandered around looking at the soldiers in awe. None—okay, most—of the men weren't as brash to the children as they were to the adults. Children were innocent, and they should not be punished for what their families have done. It wasn't the child's fault that everyone was stuck in current events. They didn't know the horrors of war. They were sweet; innocent.