“You’ve seen Chilton Foliat and Aldbourne. Two tiny towns in England. You haven’t even seen the real part of the continent yet. And neither of us made it to Oxford as we’d hoped.”

William grew somber. “You know all that’s about to change, right? We’re rolling out as soon as we get the word.”

Tom clenched his jaw and nodded as he inserted the bore down the barrel and scrubbed. “Yeah. I saw some of the planes. In fact, I got recruited to help paint them.”

“Just imagine it. Two thousand Waco CG-4s.” He spoke with the same awe as he did with the beauty of a sunset. William had adopted John’s ability to see the best in a situation, and Tom had to admit that the sight of such a fleet had been as impressive as it had been ominous.

“Twenty-one hundred of them, I heard. That would be quite a feat if we didn’t have the whole company working on it.”

“They ordered the company to have it done by tomorrow. I think that means whatever is coming is imminent.”

“I just hope they give us a briefing soon. The brass has been tight-lipped about their plans.” The lack of information coming in only fueled his desire to remain in the military beyond the war. Being promoted to officer would not only please his father immensely, but it would also put him in the decision room. Now that he’d come to regard these men as his own blood brothers, he wanted to do everything he could to ensure their safety. And the ones to come after them.

His master’s degree would give him an advantage. And if he performed with excellence when tested in the field, it would almost guarantee rapid promotion.

“Wherever we’re sent, it will be a mighty vision to see them all in the air at the same time.” William’s eyes glossed over.

But the reality was that they were about to go to war. Not just the rehearsal for it. All their training, as difficult as it had been, was going to be nothing in comparison to flesh-and-blood battle.

The presence of such a substantial number of gliders only emphasized that.

By this time tomorrow, the planes would each bear three white stripes and two black stripes, making their bellies and wings look like zebras in order to identify them in the night. Word was that radio silence would be enforced not only because of the need to create a sneak attack, but also because the brass was afraid that the radio system wouldn’t be able to handle all that traffic.

So they had to arrive quiet and stealthy, making their presence known only by the contrast of their paint colors.