Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 They didn't look very evil. They were dull gray, with six stubby rocket tubes gathered into a bundle and mounted onto a trailer with very large tires. Each was the size of a small tractor. Paul and Mr. Leon spotted a Nazi soldier nearby, leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette. Mr. Leon picked up a rock. At first Paul thought he was going to throw it at the soldier. But instead,

Mr. Leon threw it in the other direction, into the woods. The rock hit with a loud crack. He quickly picked up another one, and threw it toward the same spot. And then a third and a fourth. The four rocks hitting sounded like the footsteps of a very large person. Which was the idea. The guard tossed his cigarette and headed over to investigate, gripping his machine gun. Mr. Leon and Paul waited until the guard was out of sight and scurried over. Mr. Leon took a quick look at the Nebelwerfers. "They're loaded," he said. Even if the Nazis weren't expecting the Allied invasion tonight, they were prepared for an attack. Paul could see the round tips of the rockets sticking out of the ends of the launching tubes. Mr. Leon had already cut the yellow cake of C- 3 into small pieces. In the low light, the pieces almost looked like madeleines.

They were each going to plant the C-3 in five Nebelwerfers. Mr. Leon gave Paul six pieces of C-3, in case he dropped one. Heart pounding, Paul reached into a barrel on the first Nebelwerfer. He felt like he was sticking his hand down the throat of a serpent; he half expected it to get chomped off. He moved down the row, quickly sticking a piece of the C-3 in each one. In moments he was finished. And so was Mr. Leon. They had done it! Now, when the Nazis tried to fire them at the Allies, these deadly weapons would be blown to pieces. Paul felt almost weak with relief. Within the hour, they'd be safe at the castle, safe and sound. Maybe Victor would be awake. They were creeping back across the field when the sky filled with the sound of a distant whine. Paul knew the noise all too well: A plane was coming across the channel.

But this wasn't one plane. Paul looked up. Hundreds of large planes were flying toward them, crowded so close together it seemed their striped wings were touching. They were larger than the bombers Paul was used to seeing. It had to be the paratroopers! Excitement rose up in Paul, but it quickly turned to dread. Because now the Nazis knew that the Allies were attacking them. A siren blared. Explosions roared from the cliffs as the Germans' big cannons—antiaircraft guns—blasted at the planes. And now there were Nazi soldiers everywhere, even popping up out of the ground. Paul realized he and Mr. Leon were near the entrance to an underground bunker. Soldiers rose up, like enormous ants boiling out of the dirt.

Paul looked around in horror. There was no way they could escape now. Mr. Leon reached into his bag. He pulled out what looked like a black apple. It was a grenade. "We need to get these soldiers away from here," he said. "I'm going to try to get one of those

Nebelwerfers to blow. Get ready to hit the dirt and cover your ears." He pulled the pin from the top of the grenade and tossed it. It landed in front of one of the Nebelwerfers. "Get down, Paul!" Mr. Leon cried. Paul threw himself to the ground and pressed his hands to his ears as the grenade exploded. KABOOM! But that was just the beginning. The air seemed to shatter as one of the Nebelwerfers blew apart. KABOOM! It worked! The grenade must have triggered the C-3! Soldiers scattered, clearing the way for Mr. Leon and Paul to rush back toward the hedgerow. But now came a new sound, an explosion from the sky. Paul looked up in horror and saw a plane in flames. It must have been hit by one of the Nazi