Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.
Gladiators
By Suzie2b
The Rat Patrol had been sent to Asmārā to meet with an American working undercover at a nearby German base. However, the Germans had gotten suspicious of Lieutenant Braun, who had only been on base for a month, after some important information had been leaked to the Allies. The commander, Maj. Gen. Weber, had Braun followed after he'd been seen leaving the base late one night.
Lieutenant Richter and his men discovered Braun meeting with two Allied sergeants. When the three went their separate ways after an envelope had been passed between them, Richter had two of his men go after Braun. The lieutenant and the men with him quickly captured the Allies and marched them out of the city where two Americans had been taken prisoner by more of Lieutenant Richter's men.
Silently Troy and Moffitt joined Hitch and Tully where they were standing by the jeeps with German rifles pointed at them. Lieutenant Richter opened the envelope he'd taken from Troy and found copies of plans of attack and maps.
A minute later two German soldiers appeared with Lieutenant Braun between them. He wasn't surprised when he saw Richter, but was disappointed when he saw that the Rat Patrol had been captured.
Lieutenant Richter looked at Braun with a humorless smile. "So, Lieutenant Eric Braun, if that is indeed your name and rank. It is you who has been leaking information to the Allies." Braun remained silent and Richter said, "Silence is as good as admission in this case." He took his pistol from the holster on his hip and without hesitation shot Braun in the temple.
As his men dragged the dead man to one of the two waiting halftracks, Lieutenant Richter turned back to the Allies as he spoke to his men in German. He ordered the prisoners to be handcuffs and put in the halftrack with their dead comrade.
##################
The Rat Patrol spent the rest of the night in separate cells at the German base. They remained handcuffed and couldn't see or talk to one another.
In the morning the prisoners were given approximately a half pint of boiled water with a grain-based coffee substitute added, which was quite bitter, and a piece of hard black bread. They were allowed fifteen minutes to eat their breakfast before they were taken to Maj. Gen. Weber's office.
When Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully were standing before the Maj. Gen., Captain Fischer said, "These are the men who were caught with Lieutenant Braun, sir. Lieutenant Richter witnessed him handing over copies of documents and maps."
Maj. Gen. Weber stood and walked around his desk. "I see." He looked each man up and down, then said, "You are prisoners of war now. Each of you will be interrogated before being sent to a POW camp. Do you understand?"
Troy said, "You won't get anything out of us beyond name, rank, and serial number. Do you understand?"
"We shall see, sergeant. Take them away."
Their day was spent being interrogated. That evening, after being left alone in their cells again, the sore and battered prisoners were fed a watery soup of potatoes, rutabaga, and a small amount of groats with another piece of black bread. Fifteen minutes later the lights were turned out.
##################
The next morning they were again given "coffee" and bread. However, they remained locked up with their hands still cuffed until nearly noon. Then they were taken out and loaded into a halftrack. This was only the second time Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully had seen each other since being captured. However, they were not allowed to speak during the trip into the desert. Even the slightest perceived whisper was met with a hard slap across the face.
When the small convoy came to a halt, they were in a wadi. Wooden bleachers had been built and were arranged in a circle. The four Allies looked at them curiously, then glanced each other.
Just beyond the bleachers were a half dozen small structures, each had a door, but no windows. The only light and fresh air inside came from holes that had been bored into the walls near the ceiling. Troy and Moffitt were locked in one, Hitch and Tully in another. Though the "cells" had been placed in the shade, it was still hot and stuffy inside. There wasn't room enough even for cots. The only items in their small prisons were a canteen of stale water and a wooden bucket so they could relieve themselves.
Moffitt leaned his back against one wall and lowered himself down to sit on the wooden floorboards. "Now what?"
Troy sighed as he sat down across from his friend. "Looks like we wait. What do you think is going on with those bleachers?"
Moffitt replied, "Do you remember the recent rumors about how some Germans have begun to build small 'colosseum' type structures and using POWs as gladiators?"
Troy nodded. "You're thinking that's what they've got going on here?"
"Why else would they put together seating in a circle?"
Next door Hitch and Tully had also made themselves as comfortable as possible.
Hitch asked quietly, "What do you think is going on?"
Tully shrugged. "I don't know, but it looks like they're set up for some kind of show."
The prisoners were fed another meager meal of soup and bread before being left for the night to huddle together for warmth in the cold darkness.
##################
The next morning the prisoners were awakened when they heard vehicles arriving and voices. Several hours later the door was opened and Troy and Moffitt were hauled out into the daylight squinting painfully.
The sergeants blinked and looked around to see at least a dozen halftracks and staff cars parked in the wadi. As they were escorted toward the bleachers, they could hear the loud talking and laughter of the German troops seated inside. They were taken up a staircase to the upper most seats. When they sat down, Troy and Moffitt had Maj. Gen. Weber on one side and Captain Fischer on the other.
Weber smiled as he said, "A good day for a fight, do you not agree?"
Troy growled, "Where are my men?"
"Oh, you will see them shortly, sergeant. First we will see a demonstration so you will understand what is going on."
Two Arab prisoners were pushed through a door across from where they were sitting. A cheer went up all around.
Captain Fischer explained, "These two are brothers and were caught stealing from the base commissary. The winner will be set free."
Guards removed the handcuffs from the two young men. One was given a long, broad sword, the other a lance. Maj. Gen. Weber told his Allied guests, "The Romans called that sword a gladius and the lance a hasta. Both were commonly used in gladiatorial events."
The troops in the stands began to chant "Fight! Fight!" in German.
The Arabs looked around the arena, then at each other. One yelled in Arabic, "إذا كنت تتوقع منا لمحاربة بعضهم البعض، ونحن سوف لا!"
Weber asked, "What did he say?"
Before Fischer could respond, Moffitt said, "They're refusing to fight one other."
"Captain, explain to them that if they fight, one will go free. If they do not, they will both die."
When Fischer stood the stands went quiet. The captain called out to the Arabs, "سوف مكافحة أو يموت! سيتم تعيين الفائز مجاناً!"
The brothers looked at each other and spoke a few words between them. The crowd again began to chant. The men then backed away from each other and held their weapons at the ready.
The fight was fairly short. The brother with the lance obviously didn't know how to use it, while the other was quite adept with the sword. The lance was eventually knocked away as the Arab stumbled and fell onto his back while avoiding the thrust of the sword. His brother was clearly the winner, but from the stands were heard chants of "Kill him!" in German.
At first they didn't understand, but then it somehow dawned on them what was expected. The one with the sword looked at his brother and shook his head. Heated words were exchanged between them as the one on the ground got to his feet. He grabbed the point of the heavy sword and pressed it against his chest. It became clear that the loser was willing to die if it meant his brother would go free. Finally, with a few final words, which if it could've been heard over the crowd would have translated into a farewell, the sword was plunged into the other's heart. The contest was over, the door was opened, and the "winner" was set free as promised.
With a sigh, Weber said, "Not one of our more entertaining exhibitions, but there is more to come."
Moffitt frowned as he said, "I can't believe anyone could call these bloodthirsty contests entertainment."
"The Romans got great enjoyment out of the gladiatorial games, sergeant."
##################
Hitch and Tully could hear the crowd's raucous cheering, but had no idea what was going on.
After a time, the crowd went quiet and the door to their cell was opened. The guards led the prisoners to the door under the bleachers and removed the handcuffs before opening it.
As soon as the door was opened, the crowd again erupted into cheers and Hitch and Tully were shoved out into the arena. They looked around at the people, still wondering what was about to happen. Hitch drew Tully's attention to a puddle of blood that was still seeping into the sand at their feet. They looked up again and caught sight of Troy and Moffitt sitting with Maj. Gen. Weber and Captain Fischer.
While the Germans continued to cheer, some began to chant loudly. Hitch asked, "What are they saying?"
Tully said, "They want us to fight."
"Each other?"
Tully shrugged and shook his head slightly. Then Weber gave a signal and the door was again opened. In walked two Germans dressed as, what could only be described as, gladiators. One was tall and lean while the other was shorter and stocky. They both wore knee length linen tunics under leather padding, leather shin protectors that extended to cover their sandaled feet, and quilted leather guards on their forearms. Each had a bronze helmet tucked under one arm with a heavy wooden shield attached to the other.
Two German soldiers walked into the arena. A three-pronged trident was handed to one gladiator and a long spatha sword was given to the other.
Moffitt said angrily, "You can't expect them to fight unarmed!"
Maj. Gen. Weber smiled. "Of course not. Do not be ridicules."
Again the Germans walked into the arena. Hitch and Tully were each given a short sword.
The crowd got impossibly louder as the gladiators donned their helmets. Hitch and Tully looked at each other, then watched as the other two men began to circle them.
Without a word Hitch and Tully quickly positioned themselves so they were standing back-to-back. They moved as one as they followed their enemies arc.
The taller gladiator feigned a lunge with his trident while the stocky one took a swipe at Hitch with the spatha.
Hitch hoped the German gladiators they were fighting didn't understand English as he said loud enough to be heard over the crowd, "When they come at us, we separate!"
Tully nodded as both he and Hitch prepared to use the short swords they held.
The tall gladiator again lunged at Tully, but his intent was to kill this time. Tully leapt out of the way with an inch to spare and dragged Hitch with him to the ground. They both rolled to their knees in time to fend off the weapons that were being used against them.
Hitch got to his feet as he pushed the stocky gladiator back and swung his sword, only to have it meet the shield, sending splinters of wood flying. Tully had to roll away from the trident as it was thrust at him again, barely missing his face, but was finally able to get to his feet.
Maj. Gen. Weber leaned close to Troy and said proudly, "My men have never lost a fight."
Troy said through gritted teeth, "Neither have mine."
Hitch was holding his own, but couldn't get close enough to do any damage to his opponent. Tully was being forced backward and it was all he could do to keep knocking the trident away.
The stocky gladiator swung the spatha around and sliced through the upper part of Hitch's left arm. His friend's yell made Tully glance his way, taking his attention off his opponent for a split second and allowing one of the trident's prongs to stab into Tully's thigh.
Weber gloated, "I must admit, I am surprised your men have lasted this long, sergeant."
Troy said, "It's not over yet."
Tully went down, dropping his sword to grab the trident with both hands. He couldn't pull it out of his leg so he tried to yank the trident out of his enemy's hands, but instead flung the man over his head, forcing the weapon out of the other's grip. With adrenaline pumping through him, Tully didn't feel the pain as he pulled the prong from his leg. He struggled quickly to his feet and spun around with the trident as his opponent ran at him, impaling himself on his own weapon.
Hitch continued to fight, lunging and thrusting while trying not to get stabbed. He kept his enemy frustrated as they both circled. Out of the corner of his eye, the gladiator saw his counterpart become impaled. That was all the time Hitch needed to lunge forward under the longer sword and push his own weapon into his opponent's gut.
As the two gladiators fell dead in the arena, the crowd grew silent. Weber and Captain Fischer both stood, shocked at this defeat. That's when Troy and Moffitt took the advantage to quickly leap over the back of the bleachers.
Hitch noticed the sergeants' move and rushed to help Tully out of the arena through the door they'd come in through, before anyone else could react.
With the short sword in one hand and the other around Tully, Hitch kicked the door open. A bullet ricocheted off the doorjamb next to them and they ducked for cover behind the solid wooden door.
Then there was an explosion, followed closely by several others. Hitch took a cautious peek and saw a German halftrack coming at them with Troy driving and Moffitt lobbing grenades from the back before he manned the thirty caliber to cut down any lingering guards.
As soon as Hitch and Tully were aboard, Troy backed the halftrack up before slamming it into the cross members under the bleachers. The wood splintered, but remained solid, and Troy backed up again for a second try. Moffitt kept the Germans pinned inside the arena with the machine gun as Troy again slammed into the cross members. The wood began to crack, but still remained standing.
There wasn't time for another try, so as he backed up, Troy yelled, "Grenades!"
Moffitt grabbed two and Hitch snatched up two more. They pulled the cords to arm them and tossed them under the bleachers. As Troy accelerated away, the explosions destroyed the cross members, causing that section of bleachers to collapse, taking the rest of the structure with it.
When they reached the top of the wadi, Troy stopped and they looked down at the carnage they'd caused as black smoke rose from the vehicles Moffitt had blown up.
As Troy drove towards Asmārā so they could collect the jeeps, Tully retrieved his small ring of master keys and unlocked the handcuffs on Moffitt's wrists. As soon as he was free, the sergeant pulled his ascot off and wrapped it around Tully's badly bleeding leg. Moffitt looked at Hitch and said, "Put pressure on this."
Hitch moved over and pressed hard on the makeshift bandage with his right hand while Moffitt wrapped a kerchief around the wound in his left arm before knotting it tightly. Then he took the keys from Tully and went to unlock the cuffs Troy still wore as he drove.
##################
After getting their wounded men into the jeeps, Troy and Moffitt drove as quickly as they dared to the nearest field hospital, which was approximately thirty miles away.
Though Hitch and Tully's wounds had stopped bleeding before they got to the hospital, they both lost quite a bit before they could get medical attention. The privates were each given a unit of plasma while they were in surgery being stitched up.
After making sure their men were going to be all right, Troy and Moffitt went to check in and get a tent assignment before going for a decent meal. By the time they returned to the hospital, Hitch and Tully were resting on their cots—Hitch with his left arm in a sling and Tully's right leg elevated at the knee on two pillows.
Troy and Moffitt walked in, each carrying a tray of food, and smiled when they saw Hitch and Tully looking a bit doped up on pain killers. Moffitt set the tray across Tully's lap and said, "The doctor said you both should eat something as soon as possible since we hadn't much in the last few days."
Tully looked down at the fried spam and cheese sandwich on white bread sitting next to a scoop of green beans and a bowl of fruit cocktail, along with a mug of coffee. "Looks good."
Moffitt mentioned, "I even remembered to put mustard on both slices of bread."
Tully managed a loopy smile as reached for the sandwich. "Thanks."
Hitch sighed contentedly after taking a sip from the mug on his own tray. "Hmm. Now that's coffee."
Troy noticed Hitch and Tully looking at the food on each other's trays and said, "They're identical except for the ketchup on Hitch's sandwich instead of mustard."
Hitch's smile was slightly crooked as he said, "Aah, you remembered. Thanks, sarge."
Moffitt pulled a couple of chairs over between the cots as Troy made like he was going to smack the private. "Smart alack." Then he sat down and said, "Okay, go ahead and eat so you both can get some rest."
Tully swallowed, then asked, "What about you two?"
Moffitt replied, "We ate while you and Hitch were in surgery."
"So you're going to stick around for a while?"
Troy nodded as he took a deck of cards from a shirt pocket. "Thought you both could use the company."
Moffitt pulled a paperback out of his jacket pocket and held it up. "I've been carrying this around, but haven't had a chance to start it. I was thinking this might be a good time."
So, after getting another chair, Troy played solitaire, Moffitt began the story, and Hitch and Tully ate while they listened. When the food was gone, Troy moved the trays and settled back onto his chair to continue his game. The next time he looked up, Hitch and Tully were sound asleep.
Troy and Moffitt looked at each other and grinned as Moffitt continued to read.