Convoys and Advise
By:AliasCWN

Chapter 1

"Sarge!"

Sam Troy froze with the canteen halfway to his lips to look up at his driver. The young private was standing watch on a ridge above where they had paused for a short break. Troy was tense as he waited for the news that had his guard excited. Only twenty minutes earlier his driver had reported spotting dust from something large moving across the desert floor. Since the dust had disappeared they could only assume that whoever had caused it had stopped. Troy had chosen to wait and let them come to him rather than chance stumbling into an ambush. As he looked up at his sentry he was expecting to hear that they were once more on the move.

"Dust headed this general direction." Hitch called from his position on the ridge.

"How close?"

"A couple of miles, I'd guess."

"Hitch," Troy called in frustration, "they were closer than that before they stopped. Did they turn around?"

"I don't think so Sarge."

"Then how can they be further away and still headed this way?" He demanded.

The blond shrugged as he looked down at his sergeant. "The last dust was headed east to west before it stopped. This dust is headed west to east and it hasn't met up with the other dust yet. I think that we may have two different groups headed for the same road."

"Two German columns meeting up?" Troy asked.

"I don't know Sarge." The private replied, turning back to watch the dust. "I can't tell who is making the dust…any of it."

Recapping the canteen, his drink forgotten, Troy dropped it in the jeep and grabbed his binoculars. With a dozen quick steps he was beside his driver, looking for the dust himself.

"There Sarge." The blond pointed to their west.

With the rolling slopes of the desert floor and its dips and valleys, he couldn't see the source of the dust, even with the glasses.

"Where did the first dust stop?"

"Over there." His driver pointed. "They're maybe two to three miles apart."

"You think they're going to meet?"

"Yeah I do. There's a road over there. I think they're both on the same road."

"Maybe it's the same group heading back. Are you sure you didn't just lose them earlier?" The look that the blond gave him answered his question in no uncertain terms. "Okay Hitch, keep your eye on them. I'll talk to Moffitt and see if there is a wadi over there that we can use to sneak a peek."

The private nodded and took the binoculars that the sergeant handed him without a word. Focusing the glasses on the rising dust, he tracked the progress of their unidentified neighbors.

Troy and Moffitt were checking the maps for a good vantage point to check on the sources of the dust. They had a pretty good idea where the two groups would meet.

"We need to get there without alerting them," Troy explained, "it could be two German columns meeting and we can't handle that many vehicles on our own."

"I agree." Moffitt nodded.

"Sarge!"

Troy and Moffitt both turned at the yell but they didn't need his warning, they could hear the sounds of gunfire for themselves.

"Looks like they weren't both German after all." Troy shouted as he motioned his driver to his jeep.

The drivers started the vehicles as Moffitt folded the maps and put them away. Troy took the binoculars that Hitch handed to him and grabbed for the dash as the jeep lurched forward.

As they cleared the wadi he climbed into the back to man the 50. Seeing Moffitt clearing the chamber on his gun, Troy cleared his own. Hitch concentrated on his driving as Troy leaned down and pulled the dust cover. Tully's jeep pulled up alongside, and Moffitt nodded that he was ready.
Getting closer, they could now distinguish between the different weapons. The American guns sounded like rifles while the Germans had rifles and the support of at least two halftracks.

Using hand signals, Troy sent Tully around one side of the approaching ridge while he had Hitch go around the other end. The scene before them looked bad for the outgunned Allies.

Hitch drove straight at the halftrack shelling the American trucks in the valley below. Their big guns had a much longer range than the American rifles. The shells were forcing the Allied soldiers to remain behind their trucks. Troy glanced down toward the American forces and noticed that they had managed to disable one halftrack on their own, but there were still three more that they had missed. Those three were creating havoc with the Allies. Returning his attention to the task in front of him, he prepared to rectify their mistake.

The jeep approached from behind, surprising the crew of the halftrack. The gunners hadn't heard their approach over the sounds of their own guns. They fired another shell at the trucks below, oblivious to their own danger. The American soldiers ducked the flying shrapnel and debris as the shell landed mere yards from their line. The German soldiers took advantage of their actions by moving closer.

Troy's 50 began to chatter, the bullets pinging off of the steel sides of the armored vehicle. The German soldiers turned in shock in time to face the next volley of lead. There were grunts and screams of pain as the heavy lead tore through their bodies. One after another they either fell backwards over the side or collapsed into the space in the back.

The second halftrack on the hill exploded as Tully and Moffitt put its crew out of action. The lead hit the gas tank, causing a flood of gasoline to run down over the engine compartment. The hot engine caught fire as the gasoline fumes ignited. Soldiers in the area stood up to run and were cut down by the soldiers below.

Some of the soldiers next to the halftrack turned their attention to the jeep. Troy yelled a warning as bullets whizzed past his head like angry bees. Hitch reacted by driving his jeep behind the disabled halftrack, giving them a moment to prepare to return the gunfire. When the jeep cleared the disabled vehicle Troy had the 50 lined up to deal with the foot soldiers. Those soldiers ducked wildly as they realized their cover wouldn't protect them from the heavy gun.

The sergeant yelled another warning as a German soldier threw a grenade at them. Hitch cut the wheel and ducked as the explosion rocked the jeep. Dirt and small pieces of stone rained down on them as he turned to drive around the end of the ridge. Glancing back at his sergeant, Hitch nodded as Troy motioned him to go back. They could both hear the guns on the third halftrack still pounding the American position.

The German gunners were ready for them this time. A shell landed in front of the jeep as it cleared the ridge. Hitch swerved sharply, throwing Troy off balance. He missed the gunners but he did manage to send them ducking for cover. Bullets hit the base of the 50, drawing Troy's attention back to the soldiers lying in the sand. Lowering the barrel of the 50, Troy raked the ground around the halftrack sending geysers of sand and blood flying. There was a definite difference in resistance by the time Hitch ducked for cover again.

Troy spun the 50, climbing into the passenger seat to cover their retreat. The few soldiers who dared to raise their heads soon discovered why it was a bad idea. Troy turned to tell Hitch to go back but just then he heard Moffitt's 50 open fire. Without waiting to be told, Hitch swung back to give the other jeep some support.

They flew over the ridge instead of going around. The first thing Troy noticed was a German soldier getting ready to throw a grenade at Moffitt's jeep. Troy's 50 cut him down, his body falling forward, the grenade slipping from his fingers and rolling down the slope. The explosion caught three more soldiers dug into the sand below him on the hill.

Hitch spotted a German with a machine gun about to fire at the other jeep. Knowing that Troy wouldn't be able to swing the 50 around in time to save the others, he aimed his vehicle in that direction. The German with the machine gun heard the roar of the motor as Hitch gunned the engine. He tried to turn and shoot at the new threat. Hitch ran him down, knocking the machine from his hands with the front bumper. The soldier let out a scream before slumping to the ground unconscious.

Hitch steeled himself against his own reaction to what he had done. The act, though justified to save American lives, namely their own, still went against his nature. He made a promise to himself that if the Americans won this battle, he would personally check on the soldier's condition.

Another brief flurry of shots from a 50 and Moffitt's jeep reappeared in front of them. Moffitt was busy defending the jeep from the rifle fire of the soldiers still positioned on the hill.

Troy sent Hitch back toward he third halftrack. Since Moffitt had the attention of the Germans, he wanted to finish off the armored vehicle before it could do any more damage. As soon as it came into sight it was clear that Moffitt and Tully had had some success. Only two crew members still struggled to send shells into the valley. Seeing Troy and Hitchcock coming toward them, they reacted by jumping over the side, abandoning the vehicle.

With an overhand throw, Troy lobbed a grenade into the abandoned vehicle. The resulting explosion was met by a sudden and dramatic drop in small arms fire. The Germans still fighting were looking around, debating if they wanted to continue the fight.

The sergeant heard an engine clattering and turned to see a German patrol car disappear around another ridge. He called to Hitch and pointed, but by the time they reached the other ridge the patrol car had joined several others and was rapidly retreating. Troy reached down and tapped his driver on the shoulder. When the blond looked up Troy told him to head for the valley where the American troops were mopping up.

As they drove into the valley the battered Germans were surrendering their weapons and being rounded up by the victorious Allied forces. Driving up to the group of Americans standing by the trucks, they were greeted with cheers and waves.

Troy noticed that there were four German trucks still sitting in the road where they had apparently fallen victim to the trap set by the Americans. One badly damaged halftrack sat in front of the trucks, blocking the road. Thick black smoke poured from the halftrack as American soldiers swarmed over it.

A group of soldiers were unloading wounded Germans from the rear of one of the trucks. Since they were all on stretchers Troy decided that it was safe to assume that at least one of the trucks in the German convoy had been transporting wounded.

Spotting an officer among the Americans, Troy had Hitch pull up. As Tully parked behind him, Troy called to Moffitt to follow.

"Hitch, Tully, check the jeeps for damage. We may have trouble with those patrol cars so we need them ready."

"Right Sarge." Hitch answered, popping a bubble.

Tully nodded, his eyes watching all of the activity around them.

Knocking the dust off of his clothes with his hat, Troy headed for the captain trying to organize the chaos. "Sergeants Troy and Moffitt Sir." Troy introduced himself and Moffitt as he saluted the officer.

Turning in surprise, the tall officer examined the two men before him. If he was disappointed in their scruffy appearance he gave no indication. "You're the men with the jeeps." The captain spoke with a heavy southern accent. Troy found himself thinking that Tully might enjoy talking to this guy. "Thanks for your help. We had them outnumbered but those big guns were giving us a lot of trouble."

"Glad to be of help Sir." Troy responded with a smile.

"I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth Sergeant, but how did you just happen to be out here?"

"Long Range Desert Group Sir." Troy explained. "Captain Boggs sent us out to see what the Germans in this sector were up to. They've been pretty active these last few weeks and the Captain doesn't like surprises."

"Neither do I Sergeant, but in your case, I'll make an exception." The officer smiled in a friendly manner. "Let me introduce myself, Captain Jackson Beauregard at your service."

"Louisiana Sir?"

"How did you know Sergeant?"

"Just a lucky guess Sir."

"The accent gave me away." The Captain laughed as if it happened all of the time. "It always does. Although I've been away for years, I can't seem to get rid of the accent. You say the Germans have been active, are we in danger of meeting any more columns?"

"Not likely Sir." Troy told him, looking toward the ground. "There are about seven patrol cars out there though. They got away while we were dealing with the halftracks." The sergeant looked up to see if the officer was taking his warning seriously.

Captain Beauregard waved it off. "We can handle a few patrol cars Sergeant."

"They won't face you head on Captain."

"We've got them outnumbered Sergeant, and without those halftracks, I'm confident that we can handle them."

"Yes Sir." Troy responded warily.

The Captain paused to answer questions from several of his officers before turning back to Troy and Moffitt. "Is there anything else we can do for you Sergeant? Replace your spent ammunition, more gas, anything?"

"No," Troy responded, "we're good Sir. My men are checking the jeeps for damage, but other than that, we have everything we need."

"Captain." A young lieutenant rushed toward the group including Captain Beauregard.

"What is it Lieutenant?"

"Sir, we have the commander of the column. He was in the damaged halftrack."

The Captain smiled at the news. "Bring him here Lieutenant."

The young officer hesitated, "The medic doesn't want to move him Sir. He was badly wounded when we hit his vehicle."

"Oh, I see…I'll go see him then. What's his name Lieutenant?"

"Captain Dietrich Sir."