Time has been harsh on them. The brutal winter cold only made matters worse for them. They were the only few surviving souls that have outlived those that died. But this only meant that for them, hell carried on as they struggled to keep themselves alive at such frigid temperatures. Having nothing but their cloths and some rags they could salvage, the survivors tried their best to keep warm together.
Lily, a Japanese girl that was held captive as a prisoner of war ever since Tunisia was among the few that survived. Having been well trained in infantry and them the armored core, she is now putting all her experience to the test. The only thing on her mind was to conserve as much energy as possible. With food rations dipping down to as bad as 200g of bread two times a day, there wasn’t much going around to be considered sufficient.
Lily coming from a Japanese family that migrated to the United States way before the war, have decided to fight along on the American side as their family no longer considered themselves Japanese anymore and are willing to fight along the side of the United State military. Lily Turning 16 just before the war was selected to be recruited along with several other American youths into a special task group nicked named by the army as the “Oddball” division.
The “Oddball” division utilized the advantage of the youth’s small size, agility and ability to adjust to the steep learning curve of combat and mastering new skills that different weapons on the battlefield required. Starting as a secret experimental division of 200 egger youths that volunteered themselves up for being what was a remarkable success as the youths were a rowdy bunch that were just itching for a fight took on roles on the battlefield seamlessly.
Though successful in the early stages of the war, they still suffered casualties. Taking part in secret operations to dislodge germen strong points in small groups of attackers, they were the unsung heroes that helped made the allied advance smoother with records of their heroism start in Tunisia itself.
Lily and her family seeing that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 without any forward notice was seen as an act of cowardly attack and dishonor as Japanese people should have fought fairly and in an honorable manner. When she first joined the “Oddball” Division she was not welled liked after all, it was her people that is why America was in the war. But taking her pride as an American war fighter and the fact they all fought for the same cause, she accepted the hatred and blamed no one.
After graduating from the Basic infantry course, Lily was posted to the US mechanized division. Learning the way of tankery, she and her fellow tankers adjusted well into their new “tin can” homes. Being trained in the Prototype M3 Lee medium tank that was about to be mass produced, they turned Americas brand new war machine into a deadly tool of mass destruction. They have unanimously decided to name “New Hanley”. It was there for the first time with the crew of “New Hanley” she was welcomed regardless of nationality.
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She was finally captured when their tank went over a stray mine and it blew up the “New Hanley”. Hull gunner and loader were immediately killed by the concussion and shrapnel sent flying when they mine blew up. That was the end of everything for the crew of the “New Hanley”. She was separated by heavy machinegun fire and was eventually captured by the germens. Despite being Japanese, she was caught wearing the American uniform and denied being a spy for the axis powers.
The scene kept replaying in her mind every time she thought of him. Fearless and always taking responsibility for the actions of the crew, she had developed feelings for him. And knowing that he knows that she was still alive as a prisoner of war, she hoped every single day ever since her capture that he will come to her rescue and liberate the day for her.
But as the situation stands, she has hoped well over a year now. Even so, that hope was what kept her going, fighting each day hoping to be liberated one day to be free once again and to join the fight against her captives that imprisoned her in such foul conditions. After all, men who lose the will to fight, lose the will to live. But as of now, the hope she has is slowly fading along with her energy reserves.
Lily was on her final stretch. She could feel her body starting to fail her as she could hold out no longer with such meager rations. It has been a miracle she has lived so long. The special training that the “Oddball” division cadets were given teaches them exactly how to cope with such a situations and how to conserve as much energy as possible.
But being stretch to the limits, Lily knew her final hour has arrived. If rescue does not arrive within the day, she knew her odds of pulling into the next day were slim. But if rescue arrived on the day, basic medical treatment can help her make a full recovery as it was the lack of energy that was killing her and not any wounds.
She said her final will and prayer as she finally gave way to fatigue. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she finally allowed fatigue to slowly put her to sleep. Although no one was talking or making any noise, there was never silence. There was nothing but the howls of the winter wind blowing through a cracked window.
She sat there in darkness with no company except the wind. Then there were sounds of little pops followed by thumps. She forced herself to ignore the sounds as she was really tired. But slowly the pops and thumps grew louder and louder to the point she could not ignore further. The final straw came when the guards guarding the camp started shouting. This woke her as it was unusual for the guards to act this way.
She plucked herself from the floor up to the window sill. There she could see the guards in frenzy. They took up their arms and some were rolling out Anti-tank guns from a nearby shed. Lily finally realized that the thumps and pops were the ground of cannons and gunfire coming from the village. Rescue was finally on its way.