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

Author's note: Most of us don't know about this one-of-a-kind round tank because no one knows much about it at all. Officially known as the Kugelpanzer round tank, it never actually saw battle, but one remained intact after the war to leave us all wondering, what were those Germans really up to?

What is known about the one-man-tank is that the slit in the front was likely a viewpoint for the driver, and that it was a two gear engine. The tank was built by Nazi engineers and shipped to Japan, so who knows what the Japanese were planning on using it for.

Yep, creative license is at it again.

Ball Tank

By Suzie2b

There was a rumor going around that the Germans had engineered a new style of tank. No one had seen one yet, but the rumor stated that it was being tested in North Africa. At first Allied High Command dismissed the reports, but then, for a reason no one could figure out, Eisenhower gave orders to look into the reports. Captain Boggs sent his best out to discover if the rumor was true.

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

The Rat Patrol had been out for nearly a week and hadn't found anything concerning a new tank used by the Germans. They were taking a much needed break with an embedded Australian battalion which included showers, clean uniforms, cots instead of the ground, and food without sand in it.

Hitch and Tully were in the mess tent waiting for Troy and Moffitt. Hitch sighed as he sipped his coffee, then questioned, "You think the Germans have a new tank out here somewhere?"

Tully shrugged as he flexed his left hand and wrist. "Anything's possible. If it's here, we'll find it."

"How's your arm doing?"

"Seems to be doin' fine. Sometimes my arm or hand feels like it itches or tingles, or my fingers sorta fall asleep. Doc Baker says it's normal while the nerves heal."

Hitch gave a satisfied nod. "That's good. So long as you're not in pain."

Tully picked up his mug of coffee. "Nope … haven't had any pain in a couple weeks now."

Troy and Moffitt walked in, got coffee and joined the privates as Hitch asked, "Any word from Captain Boggs?"

Troy said, "Yeah, he wants us to keep looking."

Moffitt opened the map bag he'd brought in with him and said, "I've been thinking…" He spread a map on the table and pointed out a spot. "We go here to Zuwara. I know someone there who just might be able to tell us if anyone has seen anything they thought unusual."

After plotting out the best way to get to Zuwara, the Rat Patrol headed out.

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

Standing on a sand dune five miles from the walled in city of Zuwara the four Allies looked over the landscape at the German activity they found.

Troy handed the binoculars to Hitch and said, "Looks like the Germans got here first."

Moffitt nodded and gave his field glasses to Tully. "We can still go in and talk to Wakil. It would be nice to know what's going on regardless if we get the information we need or not."

Troy agreed. "German or Arab?"

"I would think it easier to get German uniforms at the moment."

Tully was watching a German halftrack with four men in it. "Come on, Hitch. Let's go head those guys off."

Less than thirty minutes later the privates returned with Hitch driving the halftrack and Tully the jeep.

Troy and Moffitt met them and Troy asked, "They give you any problems?"

Hitch smiled as he got out of the halftrack. "They never knew what hit 'em, sarge. And we didn't even have to dirty their uniforms much."

Tully opened the back of the German vehicle, revealing the bodies, and said, "A captain and three privates. All we have to do is strip 'em."

Troy grinned. "Good work. Drag them outta there." He looked at his fellow sergeant and said, "Moffitt, you get to play captain."

The uniforms and equipment were removed from the dead Germans and the bodies were buried in a single shallow grave at the base of the dune. Hitch gave four sets of German dog tags to Troy.

Once they were changed and the jeeps were covered, Troy asked, "Are we ready to go, Moffitt?"

The sergeant smiled as settled the cap on his head. "That's Captain Peters to you, private. And yes, I would say we're as ready as we're going to get."

Troy chuckled. "Don't let the rank go to your head."

Hitch and Tully did their rock, paper, scissors routine and Tully got to do the driving this time.

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

They weren't stopped by the guards when they drove into Zuwara. Once inside, Moffitt said quietly, "Turn right down the first alley you come to and left at the other end." Tully silently nodded and did as he was told. When he made the left, Moffitt said, "Find a place to park. We'll walk the rest of the way."

Tully pulled up behind another halftrack and stopped. As they all exited the vehicle, Troy asked quietly, "Where's your friend?"

"Wakil will be in the marketplace this time of day. It's not far, but I thought it would be bit too conspicuous if we were to just drive in there."

Troy gave a nod of agreement as he slung the German rifle's strap over his shoulder. "Let's go."

Hitch and Tully shouldered the straps of their procured rifles and followed.

Moffitt led the way to the marketplace. As they neared, the streets got busier and it was clear that the local inhabitants didn't appreciate the Germans being in their town. However, despite the looks they received no one actually confronted them.

They walked through the busy marketplace until Moffitt located Wakil with his family plying their wares. He stepped over to the Arab man and touched his arm to get his attention. When Wakil turned, his face lit up with a smile and Moffitt touched a finger to his lips for silence and said quietly, "We need to talk."

Wakil sobered and nodded. He turned to his wife and explained in Arabic that he would return shortly. Then he led the four Allies to a quiet corner where they could talk without being observed. Wakil looked Moffitt up and down before he said, "Tell me you have not allied yourself with the German filth, my friend."

Moffitt smiled. "No, Wakil, my associates and I are here undercover. I was hoping you might have heard something about a new tank the Germans are supposed to be testing."

"A new tank? Hmm … there is a rumor, but I did not take it seriously…"

"What rumor?"

Wakil explained, "Some camel herders came through Zuwara not long ago. According to them they saw a very unusual machine in the desert. It was round and appeared to glide over the sand with no wheels beneath it. This happened just before the Germans invaded our town. Perhaps…"

Hitch and Tully were keeping a casual eye on things while Troy, Moffitt, and Wakil spoke behind them. The privates looked at each other when they heard what the Arab told their sergeants.

Wakil took in the looks Troy and Moffitt gave one another and frowned. "You mean that the rumor is true?"

Moffitt said, "I'm afraid so."

Troy asked, "Where's the nearest German base?"

Wakil shook his head and said, "There is no base for hundreds of kilometers. However, the same camel herders mentioned there is a large encampment a little more than eighty kilometers from here. I have assumed that is where all of these Germans come from every day, to harass my people and try to bed our young women."

Moffitt nodded. "No doubt you're right about that. Are they here around the clock?"

"No, a horn sounds an hour before sundown. They all leave with only three guards at the gate at night."

Troy asked, "Where can we find this encampment?"

Wakil replied, "North from here. Supposedly they are fairly well hidden in a wadi."

Moffitt took several coins from a pocket and pressed them into the Arab's hand. "Thank you, Wakil. It may take some time, be we intend to do everything we can to chase the Germans out of here."

Wakil closed his fist around the coins without looking at them. "Thank you, my friend. I will say nothing about your being here. Be careful." Then he watched the four disguised Allies disappear into the crowd before returning to his family.

Tully drove them out of Zuwara and back to where the jeeps waited. They quickly changed back into their own uniforms and prepared to leave. The German uniforms were folded and left in the halftrack, then Troy laid the four dog tags on top.

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

The jeeps skimmed easily over the sand as they headed north. After a little over fifty miles, the Rat Patrol was on a hill that overlooked a wadi, but not into it. It wasn't long before they saw what they were looking for as an odd looking round vehicle and a halftrack drove up and out.

They watched as the round metal "tank" was put through its paces while one of the men in the halftrack held a clipboard and took notes. It did appear to glide over the sand, but with a closer look with binoculars the treads could be seen encircling the vehicle.

Tully said, "That's gotta be the strangest thing I've seen … and I've seen some pretty strange stuff out here."

Hitch sighed. "Well, we've found it. Now what?"

Troy said, "We have two options here. We can capture the tank and take it back to base."

Moffitt shook his head at that idea. "Or…"

"We wait for dark, go in, and find whatever information we can to take back."

"That would be the more logical approach."

Hitch and Tully nodded their agreement and Troy said, "Right. Moffitt, you and Tully go take a look at what they've got in that wadi."

When the "tank" and halftrack disappeared back into the wadi, Moffitt and Tully headed down the hill, across a short expanse of open desert, and hid in the trees that were on the top edge of the deep depression that formed the wadi.

They lay on their bellies to make sure they wouldn't be seen as they peered down at the German encampment. It was larger than was expected—at least a thousand men along with the tanks, halftracks, armored cars, and other armament. And right in the middle sat the round "tank".

Moffitt was scanning the camp with binoculars as Tully whispered, "How can they call that thing a 'tank'? It doesn't look anything like a tank."

Moffitt said, "I don't know, Tully. That's one thing we're hoping to find out."

"That's not gonna be easy with so many of them on guard." One of the guards looked up as if he were looking for something. Tully quickly reached over and pushed the binoculars down. "Careful, sarge. The sun's reflecting off the lenses."

"Good catch. I believe I've seen a way in. Let's get back to Troy and Hitch."

Back on the hill Moffitt reported what they'd seen and ended with, "It's not going to be easy to get in and out without being caught, but I saw one possibility at the rear of the camp."

Troy nodded. "Moffitt, you and Tully draw up a map of everything you two saw down there. Tent placements, guards, everything. We'll plan on going in after midnight."

Moffitt and Tully sat side-by-side as the sergeant drew the requested map. When they were both satisfied that nothing had been left out, Moffitt gave it to Troy and they went over it carefully.

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

That night Moffitt led them to the trees where he and Tully had hidden earlier, then around to the rear of the camp before going down into the wadi. There were several large tents that sat apart from everything else that Moffitt had guessed were filled with supplies. They were able to skirt the camp behind the tents where they butted up to the side of the wadi. There was just enough room to walk, or skulk as the case may be, and they had to be careful not to start an avalanche of sand that would attract attention.

The middle tent of the three was picked. Troy and Moffitt listened carefully, but heard nothing inside. Troy gave a nod and signaled Tully to make a door. The private stepped forward as he drew his long-bladed knife from its sheath. He stabbed the blade into the canvas, stopped, and listened. Hearing nothing he pulled the sharp knife down, making an opening.

Troy went in first, followed by Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully. Crates of supplies were neatly stacked inside, but they didn't stop to see what they were. They went to the tent flap and Troy moved it aside just enough to peek out. The coast was clear, so he led his men out into the dark encampment.

They stayed low and in the moon-made shadows as they made their way to the tent that Moffitt had discerned to be operations. Guards were everywhere and it was difficult to maneuver without being seen. It took longer than Troy had thought it should, but eventually made it to the tent they were looking for and ducked inside as another guard rounded the corner. As soon as the German passed by, Troy silently signaled Moffitt and Tully to get to work.

Moffitt and Tully pulled penlights from their pockets and began to go through any and all paperwork looking for what they needed while Troy and Hitch watched the door.

After stuffing files and other papers in their jackets, Moffitt and Tully looked at each other and nodded. They joined Troy and Hitch to head out. However, just as Troy was going to step outside, they heard German voices coming their way. Troy backed up and the four Allies spread out to hide.

The two Germans walked into the tent. Whatever they were there for so late at night would never be done by them as Hitch and Tully stepped out and slit their throats. Then Troy again checked outside and found the coast was clear. He led his men back to the supply tent they'd come in through. They went in, went through, and out the back door Tully had made earlier.

Once back at the jeeps they quickly left the area. They stopped at a waterhole and made themselves comfortable for the remainder of the night.

The next morning Hitch took over for Moffitt on watch so the sergeant could get some breakfast. When he joined Troy and Tully with his plate of powdered scrambled eggs, Moffitt noticed Tully standing at the jeep eating his own breakfast as he looked through some papers on the hood. He leaned on the jeep and asked, "What are you looking at so intently?"

Tully chewed and swallowed, then said, "The stuff I grabbed last night. It's kinda interesting."

"How so?"

"Well, the Germans call it a Kugelpanzer…"

Moffitt swallowed some eggs before he said, "Makes sense that they'd call it a 'Ball Tank'."

Tully nodded. "Its diameter is 4.9 feet and the length is 5.5 feet. Its crew is exactly one person, who drives it and shots a single 7.62mm machine gun. That wouldn't be easy."

Troy had been listening and asked, "How thick is it?"

Tully scanned the page and said, "Says here it's 0.1 inches all 'round. And this is the only one."

Troy's brows went up. "Only one?"

"Yeah, that's what it says here. It's a production model they're thinking of eventually using in Japan."

"Are you sure you're translating it right?"

Tully handed the paper over to Moffitt, who set his empty plate aside as he took it. After looking it over, Moffitt said, "He's right, Troy. There's an entire diagram of the Kugelpanzer here. Hopefully some of the other paperwork we took will explain further."

Troy said, "Gather it all up. We'll get it to Captain Boggs and let the higher ups figure it out what they want to do."

"They're going to know someone's been there when they find the dead men and the missing paperwork."

"That's not out problem at this point. Tully, get the jeeps ready to go. Moffitt and I will clean up and stow our gear."

The private straightened and said, "Right, sarge." He shoveled the last of his eggs into his mouth before setting the plate aside and started for the other jeep to get started.

Moffitt began to gather the paperwork to add it to what he'd taken from the camp. He said quietly, "You know, Troy, Tully's getting better with his German all the time. He's become an excellent translator."

Troy picked up Tully's plate and reached for Moffitt's. "I know that. I'm really kinda … well, proud of him for that, among other things."

"Then why not tell him?" At Troy's expression, Moffitt explained, "I've noticed that you tend to minimalize Tully's new ability with German. It's actually become an asset."

"Yeah, it has on more than one occasion. I didn't realize I was doing that."

Moffitt smiled slightly and took the plates from Troy's hand. "Go talk to him. I'll take care of these things."

Troy looked from his counterpart to Tully where the private had his head under the hood of the other jeep. He gave a silent nod and walked over to his private, his friend. "How's it look, Tully?"

"So far, so good, sarge. Should be ready to go soon."

"Good … good." Troy hesitated to figure out what he wanted to say. "You know, Tully, I'm really impressed by you learning German."

Tully looked at the sergeant with a grin. "You been talkin' to Moffitt?"

Troy chuckled. "Yeah, but I mean it. You knowing the language has helped us out on several missions. I just want you to know that, and … that I'm proud of you for it and other things you've accomplished since I've known you."

Tully straightened up and looked at the sergeant seriously. "Thanks, sarge. That means a lot to me. Hitch and me do the best we can for the unit."

"I know you do. I wouldn't want to this with anyone else."