FOR: Lt. Col. Robert Sink, Commander, 506th PIR

SUBJECT: Summary Notes on Activities of Soviet Liaison 1st Lt. Svetlana Samonova and colleague 2nd Lt. Zhanna Casmirovna

DATE: May 16, 1943

On a good day, Nixon could easily drown out the droning chatter of Dick and Harry. Usually it was pretty mindless, tales of training or sometimes complaints of Sobel that they'd whisper in secret in his office in the Battalion HQ. He enjoyed his office much more than he ever enjoyed slogging away behind Sobel. Here he could drink and smoke and do work in peace. And here he had a fan and some shade.

He reached for his glass of whiskey. Harry had just finished reading a letter he'd gotten from his sweetheart Kitty. With that done, a bit of quiet settled over the relatively small office. Dick had taken up one of the two desk chairs, sipping at a glass of water. Harry, on the other hand, had perched himself on a desk at the other side of the room. The clicking of the overhead fan filled the silence. He sat back.

"What am I supposed to say in this?" Nixon shook his head.

"What do you usually say?" Harry sipped his own glass. With a quick gesture towards the closed door into the dark HQ, he just shrugged. "Lieutenant Casmirovna seems to be doing better."

Nixon scoffed. "Yeah. I'm surprised Sobel didn't march her to Sink after that stunt."

"At least she's talking more," Dick argued. "Second Platoon likes her a bit more."

With a nod, Nixon straightened up in his seat. He put his fingers on the typewriter keys and set the paper. He nodded.

Part One: Continued Observations of 2nd Lt. Zhanna Casmirovna

Previous reports reported on the slow but steady integration of Casmirovna into Easy Company's 2nd Platoon. The woman has continued to remain a silent part of the company, but in the last few days has improved relations with both enlisted and officers. On the maneuvers of May 14, Casmirovna displayed-

What had she displayed? According to Dick, Sobel had muttered words of insubordination and ineptitude. The enlisted had called her insane but seemed less disgruntled about her existence. But Dick insisted her improvisation had been inspired. She had climbed into a tree, escaped death, and explained as such to Sobel. It seemed finally that she'd gotten comfortable enough, either with the men or with her English, to speak up for herself.

-courage and ingenuity in her approach. Casmirovna took it upon herself to scale a tree for a better view of the field and thus escaped as one of the few survivors among the casualties of Cpt. Sobel's group. Her actions were truly inspired. 1st Lt. Richard Winters believes her inventiveness will be a real asset to Easy Company.

I believe Casmirovna will only continue to improve in her relationship with Easy Company. If Casmirovna becomes more integrated into Easy, I believe 1st Lt. Svetlana Samsonova will follow suit.

Svetlana Samsonova. He still hadn't figured her out. Then again, he hadn't figured out Zhanna either. It annoyed him if he was honest with himself.

"If you think any harder you might strain something, Nix," Dick said.

He looked up. Both Harry and Dick had turned to him again. Glancing at Harry only made his frown deepen, thinking about the way Svetlana had acted when Harry had first arrived. It didn't make sense. Something was very wrong.

"Harry, Svetlana hasn't said anything to you about what happened?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. He took a drink. "Nope."

Nixon didn't need to say anything more. They all knew what he'd referred to. When Svetlana had left, fled, from Sink's office, Nixon had brought Harry up to speed on his observations and opinions of the Russians. Since then they'd had many conversations between the three of them.

"You've not found anything, Nix?" Dick asked.

Nixon sighed. He sat back, molding into the wooden swivel chair. "No," he grumbled. "There's nothing that would explain how she acted. I mean she panicked over flowers, for Christ's sake."

"It doesn't sit well with me," Dick agreed.

Nixon let out a rueful laugh. "Yeah. You don't say." Straightening up, he read over what he had so far. Nothing about Svetlana. What was he supposed to say? He should probably report her odd behavior. But something had stopped him that night, and because he still didn't have an explanation, he still didn't want to say anything.

"Maybe she's allergic?" Harry suggested.

With a shake of his head, he just sighed. "No, I don't think so."

"Maybe she'll tell us," offered Dick.

"That's a laugh, Dick," Nixon said. "It's been months, and I swear she's even less talkative than she used to be."

"The enlisted still compare her to Sobel," Harry added. "She's competent though. Knows her way around the weapons and the maneuvers."

"I'll do some more digging," Nixon assured them.

But Harry just shook his head. "Why don't you just ask her?"

"Ask her? Svetlana Samsonova, the perpetual frown?" What a laugh. Nixon shook his head. "You're crazy, Harry. She'd bite my head off."

He turned back to the report as Harry tried to defend himself. One drink, and then his hands went to the keys. Svetlana Samsonova. She had made some strides, he supposed.

Part Two: Continued Observations of 1st Lt. Svetlana Samsonova

There has been some improvement of Samsonova's relationship with Easy. She has made a few connections with the enlisted in 1st Platoon, and 2nd Lt. Harry Welsh reports her efficiency within maneuvers. Her rifle scores are elite, likely due to her training as a sniper for the Red Army. Not quite as high as 2nd Lt. Casmirovna, but better than the majority of the Regiment.

Samsonova continues to resist integration into Easy, but I believe with the strides being made by her companion 2nd Lt. Casmirovna that this will change. I will continue to report on that progress. Samsonova has not made any suspicious moves, either. Overall, I am pleased with her progress.

Nixon looked up. "I know Martin and Randleman talk to her. Anyone else, Harry?"

He shrugged. "Not really." A quick drink, and then he continued. "She stays by herself. And Sobel always orders her about as far from him as possible."

Dick couldn't suppress a small smile. He shook his head. "Some things never change."

"The one benefit of having her around," Nixon joked, "is getting to watch Sobel bang his head against a wall when she pulls strings."

He meant it, too. Sometimes Nixon wondered if Svetlana knew how much it irritated her platoon, though. The fact that she could contradict their CO but they couldn't, it rubbed them the wrong way. Roy Cobb was still the most vocal about it, but no one seemed particularly happy. At least Sergeant Martin seemed to have convinced them to keep their objections quiet.

RECOMMENDATIONS: for Lt. Col. Sink's consideration

1. Maintain observation of both 2nd Lt. Casmirovna and 1st Lt. Samsonova with continued reports as needed.

2. Continue 1st Lt. Winters taking a more active role in the integration of Casmirovna into Easy Company.

a. Samsonova may need a more pointed integration as well. I will monitor her relations with the officers and enlisted.

3. Continue the investigation into Samsonova's connection with the NKVD. While I do not believe she is an active spy, the possibility cannot be ruled out at this time. I will continue to investigate until told otherwise.

Submitted by 1st Lt. Lewis Nixon, Easy Company, 506th PIR

"Done." He took the last paper out of the typewriter and stood from the desk. His legs hurt. For a Sunday night, he'd done far too much work and far too little drinking. "Time?"

Dick glanced at the clock. "2215."

"Jesus Christ," he muttered.

Harry laughed. "You know, if you didn't put those off, you wouldn't have to stay up doing work so late."

Nixon looked at him. The other man smirked back, and he shook his head. "Shut up. I had a weekend pass. Can you blame me for putting this off?"

As he tucked the report into an envelope, the other men stood up as well. They flipped the lights and fan off. While Dick scolded him for delaying his responsibilities, he nipped to Sink's office just down the hall.

Placing the folder in the commander's inbox, he sighed. In the dark of the office, he found himself transfixed on the empty vase that had held the roses nearly a month ago. What had set her off? What was Svetlana so terrified of? And how did Zhanna fit into it all?

Dick had mentioned her comments about following orders versus staying alive. She had taught herself the latter. Why?

"Hey, Nixon, you coming?" Harry called.

He sighed. Turning away from the dark office, he pulled the door shut and. It locked. They had more training, and more maneuvers in the coming week. He needed sleep. Pushing away the questions, he focused on the drink in his hand and the conversation at his side.