Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.

Rogue Army

By Suzie2b

A convoy was missing. Spotters had reported a German encampment with several captured American trucks. Captain Boggs sent the Rat Patrol out to do surveillance and find out if there were any prisoners.

A day of driving through enemy territory brought them to the ruins of the convoy. Three trucks, riddled with bullets, engines blown apart, lay like broken toys in the sand. They had been emptied of their cargo. The bodies of ten of the missing men were also there.

Troy and Moffitt took the dog tags of the dead and matched the names to the list they'd been given while Hitch and Tully dug two graves for the ten men.

Troy sighed as he checked off the last name. "So there's three trucks and two men missing."

Moffitt nodded. "It would appear this was a planned attack rather than a scouting column happening upon them. They could have known about the convoy and waited for it. They were careful not to destroy the trucks and took everything with them."

"Yeah. While Hitch and Tully are burying the bodies, check the map for a place to make camp for tonight. We'll go to that encampment tomorrow morning."

That night at around one in the morning Tully nudged Troy awake. "Sarge, listen."

At the sound of Tully's voice, Moffitt and Hitch awoke too.

In the distance they could hear explosions and gunfire.

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Early the next morning, as the sun was coming up, they were at the site of the German encampment. It had been well camouflaged and the only reason the spotter plane saw it was because the green American army trucks stood out on the sand.

Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully were on a hill that overlooked the German encampment. It was a smoldering ruin. Troy said, "That must've been what we heard last night."

Hitch asked, "Captain Boggs didn't mention a hit on the camp, did he?"

"No, he didn't."

Moffitt said, "Shall we go have a look around."

Hitch and Tully drove around the hill toward the camp, keeping their eyes open for a trap, while Troy and Moffitt manned the 50s. It wasn't long before they began to see bodies strewn throughout the encampment. They searched, looking for anyone left alive.

Tully came out of a tent and called, "Hey, sarge, I've got a live one over here!"

Troy and Moffitt entered the tent and found Tully trying to make a German captain comfortable. Troy said, "Tully, go get a med kit."

Moffitt knelt next to the wounded man. "Was ist Ihr Name?"

"Ich bin Hauptmann Adolf Kraus. Ich bin der Kommandant dieser Unternehmen."

"His name is Captain Adolph Kraus and he's the commander."

Tully walked in with a med kit and a canteen. He handed the things to Moffitt and asked, "Need any help?"

Moffitt shook his head. "You'd better go help Hitch. There could be more survivors."

Troy said, "Ask him what happened."

Moffitt started to open the captain's shirt to treat the bullet wound in his shoulder. "Was ist hier passiert?"

Captain Kraus replied, "Wir wurden mitten in der Nacht durch ein Schurke."

"He says they were overrun by a rogue army."

Troy scowled. "A rogue army, huh. I didn't think there were any of 'em out this way."

Before Tully left he looked at Moffitt and asked, "What's a rogue army?"

Moffitt replied, "Men who have walked away from their army to join this one."

"Deserters?"

Troy nodded. "American, German, Italian, British, and probably others too. They band together to fight a war against the war."

Moffitt said, "They attack whoever they can. Take whatever they can get their hands on to sell and survive. It doesn't matter what side the victims are on."

Tully frowned as he took in this information, then turned and walked out of the tent.

Troy gave a sigh. "How's the captain, Moffitt?"

Moffitt secured the bandages. "Bullet through the shoulder. A little messy but not too serious."

"Tell him we'll take him to the nearest field hospital."

Moffitt adjusted the sling and helped Captain Kraus to his feet. "Wir nehmen Sie mit auf den nächsten Bereich Krankenhaus für die medizinische Versorgung."

Kraus shook his head. "Nein! Wir müssen weiter nach meiner Männer, bevor sie ausgeführt werden!"

Troy furrowed his brow. "What'd he say?"

Moffitt replied, "He wants us to go after his men. He believes they'll be executed."

Troy thought for a moment, then said, "Let's go see what Hitch and Tully have found before we decide."

Troy, Moffitt, and Captain Kraus went outside and met Hitch and Tully. Troy asked, "Anyone else alive?"

Hitch shook his head. "No one. There's at least a hundred dead Germans, but not one American."

Tully said, "Looks like they took whatever they could find. I didn't see any food, water, guns, or ammo. And the only vehicles left behind are the one that got blown up."

Moffitt asked the captain how many men were under his command. "Wie viele Waren in Ihrem Unternehmen, Hauptmann?"

Captain Kraus said, "Hundert und fünfzig."

Moffitt nodded. "He says he had a hundred and fifty men." He looked at the captain and told him how many dead there were. "Es gibt ungefähr hundert Toten hier im Camp."

The captain shook his head with dismay.

Troy said, "Ask him about the two Americans."

Moffitt said, "Sie haben zwei Amerikaner hier im Camp?"

Captain Kraus nodded. "Ja. Sie wurden von einem Konvoi eines meiner scouting Parteien getroffen."

Moffitt looked at Troy. "Yes, they did have the two missing men from the convoy."

Troy put his hands on his hips. "Okay, that means there were two Americans and about fifty Germans taken prisoner."

Hitch asked, "Are we going after them?"

Tully said, "They left plenty of tracks we can follow."

Troy looked at Moffitt. "What do you think? The odds won't be in our favor."

Moffitt smiled slightly. "When has that ever stopped us? If we can knock out this rogue army, it will benefit both sides."

"Yeah." Troy gave it some thought, then said, "Okay, let's do it. Tell the captain we're leaving him here, but we'll be back for him. Make sure he has what he needs for a day or two."

###############################

Following the tracks of the rogue army's vehicles, Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully found them about 120 kilometers northwest of the encampment. It was well hidden in the hills. The prisoners were crowded into a pen made of wooden posts and wire. There were captured trucks, tanks, halftracks, and other assorted weaponry from both sides of the war.

Troy and Moffitt were hiding among some rocks and boulders with binoculars. As they peered into the camp, Troy said, "How many do you figure?"

Moffitt said, "Maybe fifty or sixty. It would appear that this is a fairly permanent camp for them."

"Yeah. They're probably selling equipment and prisoners to the highest bidder."

"They appear rather lax in the sentry department. I would guess that they don't seem to think that anyone would come after them." Moffitt smiled. "Shall we cause a little alarm and despondency?"

Troy nodded. "Why not."

Back at the jeeps Troy told Hitch and Tully they'd found the rogue army. "They aren't expecting us so we're going in fast and hard. The prisoners are corralled, so there shouldn't be any mistaken identity with all the different uniforms."

Tully asked, "Are we taking prisoners."

"If we can. I'd like to see this rogue army wiped out. There's enough vehicles to carry a platoon stashed there."

True to their word, the two jeeps went in fast with the 50 calibers blazing and grenades exploding. The rogue army wasn't ready for the fight. Many died before they gave up. Their leader, an Australian, was angered that four men with two jeeps could defeat his army.

Troy and Moffitt held their prisoners at gunpoint while Hitch and Tully tied up the twenty or so survivors before loading them into a truck. Then, while Hitch stood guard Troy, Moffitt, and Tully went to release the other prisoners.

Troy hollered into the crowded pen, "I'm looking for Corporal Frank Murphy and PFC Charles Reed!"

The two Americans pushed through the crowd as the corporal yelled, "We're here!"

When they reached the gate where Troy, Moffitt, and Tully waited, Troy asked, "You two okay?"

Corporal Murphy smiled. "A little banged up, but nothing serious."

Private Reed said, "We're really glad to see you guys."

Troy said, "Moffitt, tell the others that they are our prisoners now and when they come out, they're to go straight to two of the trucks and get in. We're going back to pick up Captain Kraus."

Moffitt shouted at the crowd of German soldiers, "Sie sind Gefangene des Krieges. Sie gehen zu den Lkw und in zwei von ihnen schnell und leise. Wir kehren zu Ihrem Lager zu holen Hauptmann Kraus."

A voice said, "Wir haben verwundet!"

"They have wounded."

Corporal Murphy nodded. "There are four in bad shape."

Moffitt told them to bring them out. They would be treated and taken to a hospital, "Bringen Sie den Verwundeten, mit Ihnen. Wir behandeln Sie und erhalten Sie sie dann in ein Krankenhaus."

Troy looked at his private. "Okay, Tully, let 'em out of there."

With bolt cutters Tully cut the lock on the chain that held the gate closed. Corporal Murphy and Private Reed walked out first and stood next to Troy. Then the Germans filed out in an orderly fashion and followed Tully to the trucks with Moffitt bringing up the rear. The prisoners were so grateful to be "saved" they didn't seem to care that they were actually POWs now. They were loaded into the two trucks and Moffitt and Tully did what they could for the wounded.

When they were ready to go, Troy said, "I want Tully, Murphy, and Reed to drive the trucks."

It was dark when the three truck convoy arrived back at the German encampment. They found Captain Kraus sitting by a fire and was very happy to see his men.

Corporal Murphy and Private Reed had helped Hitch and Tully gather food and water from the rogue army's camp while Troy and Moffitt watched the prisoners. It was now passed out to Captain Kraus' men, who would remain in the trucks for security reasons.

It was late and Tully had just relieved Hitch on watch. After about an hour, one of the prisoners, an American, stuck his head out of the back of the truck and said in a low voice, "I need to relieve myself, pal."

Tully looked up at the deserter with disgust. "Hold it."

"I don't think the other guys in here will appreciate the outcome if I have to wait much longer."

Tully sighed and looked at the other two trucks, which were parked side-by-side, to make sure things were still quiet. "Okay, get down here."

The prisoner climbed out of the truck and held out his tied hands. "It's a little hard to take care of business with this rope."

"Make do." Tully pointed to a tree a couple of feet away. "Right over there where I can keep an eye on you."

"Hope you don't mind if I turn my back."

"Just hurry up."

Tully kept a flashlight beam trained on the prisoner's back and could hear the unmistakable sound of the man urinating. Then he zipped up and started back to the truck. Just as he reached Tully there was a rustling sound inside the next truck over. The moment Tully glanced away the prisoner attacked.

The flashlight and machine gun flew out of Tully's hands as they went down. One of the German POWs in the next truck stuck his head out to see what was going on and saw the two men struggling, one on top of the other. Recognizing the one on the bottom as one of the men who had "saved" him and his comrades, he jumped out to help. He quickly located the machine gun and as he swung around, he saw a long-bladed knife plunge into Tully's side.

Tully let out a pained cry as bullets tore into the prisoner's body.

The noise of course roused everyone. Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch, along with Murphy and Reed, arrived on the scene to see the German holding the machine gun. Thinking that he'd shot Tully, Moffitt growled, "Die Waffe fallen und legte ihre Hände!"

Immediately the machine gun was dropped and his hands went up.

Troy said, "Go check on Tully." Noticing that there were many heads peering out of the back of the trucks, he said, "Hitch, keep an eye on our prisoners."

Moffitt rushed to Tully, grabbing up the dropped flashlight as he went. A quick check revealed he'd been stabbed with his own knife, the blade still in his side. He looked at the prisoner and saw that he'd been shot. Moffitt turned to the German and asked him what had happened, "Was ist hier passiert?"

The German replied, "Sie kämpften. Ich wollte helfen, also nahm ich die Pistole und schoss, aber ich war zu spät."

Moffitt translated, "He saw the two of them struggling and wanted to help. He managed to shoot and kill the prisoner, but not before Tully was stabbed."

Captain Kraus heard the voice of one of his men. He was helped out of the truck and hurried to find out what was going on.

The private explained what had happened to his captain as Troy lowered his weapon and said, "Murphy, Reed, help Moffitt with Tully."

Tully groaned and opened his eyes as Moffitt examined the wound. "Hang on, Tully." Moffitt looked at Murphy and Reed. "Hold him still. I'm going to pull it out." With one quick pull the knife slid out and Tully let out a yelp. "You're lucky. Another inch to the left and you'd been in trouble."

Tully panted. "Lucky … huh … not sure I'd call it that."

Moffitt pushed his ascot against the wound with a smile. He took Tully's hand and put it over the ascot as he said, "Just hold that tight." Moffitt looked at Murphy and Reed. "Get him over by the fire. I'll get a med kit."

As the sergeant walked by him, Hitch asked, "How bad is Tully hurt?"

Moffitt replied, "Looks worse than it is really. We'll get him cleaned up and bandaged. I'll let a doctor do the rest tomorrow."

After getting the captain and his man back into the truck, Troy returned to Hitch and said, "I'll take over here. You go get some rest."

At first light Troy was on the radio to headquarters. When he was done, he told his men, "We're going to meet a security detail at the field hospital at Muscat Oasis."

Moffitt said, "That's about half a day from here."

Troy looked at Tully, who was sitting against the wheel of one of the jeeps. "You think you can drive one of the trucks again?"

Tully nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

Captain Kraus walked up with Hitch in tow. "I think he wants to talk to you, sarge."

The captain said, "Ich möchte Ihnen danken, dass Sie es uns ermöglicht, unsere Toten begraben."

Moffitt translated, "He wants to thank you for letting them bury their dead."

Troy said, "It's the least we can do. Let him know that as soon as they're finished we'll be on our way."

###############################

The little convoy arrived at Muscat Oasis field hospital without incident. The security detail had beat them there by a couple of hours. Tully stopped the truck and slid out of the cab to sit on the running board. He was exhausted, his side was throbbing, and the wound had been bleeding off and on.

Moffitt grabbed his arm and said, "Let's get you inside, Tully." As they rounded the truck, he saw someone running towards them. "Well, look who's here."

When Charley stopped in front of them, Tully said, "It's not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?"

Charley looked at her husband worriedly. "I heard about what happened when I was delivering some things to Captain Boggs. He let me come." She noticed the blood stained bandage and slipped one of his arms around her shoulders. "How bad is it?"

Moffitt said, "Not too bad. He'll probably need a few stitches. Let's get him inside."

Tully kissed the top of Charley's head. "The captain let you come, huh?"

Charley smiled a little. "Well, I did have to beg a little bit."

After Tully's wound was numbed, cleaned, and stitched, he was taken to a cot to rest. As soon as the nurses stopped fussing around him, Charley appeared. "How are you feeling, love?"

Tully smiled. "Tired. I guess they're going to keep me a day or two."

"Yeah, well, I'll be right here with you."

The German prisoner that had helped Tully walked in with a guard, who said, "I was told you wanted to see him before we pulled out."

Tully nodded. "Charley, tell him thanks for saving my life."

Charley stood up with a smile. "Mein Mann möchte Ihnen danken, dass Sie für das Speichern von ihm. Außerdem möchte ich meinen Dank zum Ausdruck zu bringen."

The German smiled. "Ihr Mann?"

Charley nodded.

"Auch ich möchte mich bedanken, dass wir gerettet wurden."

Charley said, "Wir hoffen, dass Sie ein gutes Leben haben."

The German nodded. "Vielen Dank. Gut leben zu können."

The guard said, "We have to get going. Are you coming with us, ma'am?"

Charley said, "No, I'm staying here for a couple of days."

Tully asked, "What about the wounded Germans?"

The guard said, "We're leaving men here to keep an eye on them until they can be transferred."

After the guard escorted the prisoner out, Tully said, "That was a little more than a thank you. What did you two say?"

Charley sat down and took his hand. "He wanted to thank you and the guys for saving him and the others. I wished him a good life and he returned the sentiment."

Tully pulled her down into a kiss. "We do have a pretty good life, don't we?"

Charley smiled, "And it's only going to get better."

Charley sat holding Tully's hand as he drifted off to sleep. She watched his face and thought about what their future could hold.