Chapter 14
The platoon led by Captain Jones and Lieutenant Scognamiglio had annihilated the German guard, favored by surprise and the enemy’s fatigue. The grenadiers lying wounded on the ground had been immediately slaughtered mercilessly, according to previous mandatory orders of the OSS. Not a single German guard at the armory was to be taken prisoner, so that he could not later shout a warning to his comrades. The raiders had not escaped without shedding some blood, on the contrary: at the end of the battle less than half of them remained. The American captain had been killed too, so Mariapia's brother had assumed the command of the survivors. As well as Scognamiglio there were eleven left, six of whom were unharmed including him, two were injured though not seriously, the last two had
