Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.
The Over Under Raid
By Suzie2b
The Rat Patrol's latest mission was to locate and rescue a high ranking member of the French Resistance, whom the Germans had captured.
The morning after their briefing with Captain Boggs, Troy and Moffitt met Hitch and Tully at the motor pool. Troy asked, "Is everything ready?"
Hitch nodded. "All set, sarge."
"Okay, let's shake it. We head for the Atlantic coast."
Moffitt got into the jeep with Tully and noticed the look on the private's face. He smiled and said, "Just because we're going to the coast doesn't mean we'll be boarding a boat, Tully."
The private started the engine. "I hope not, but I've got my seasick pills just in case."
##################
The sun was going down when they reached the shoreline. They pulled the jeeps off the road into a thick grove of trees. Between the trees and the camouflage tarps the jeeps wouldn't be noticed.
Once the jeeps were taken care of Troy said, "We don't have a lot of time before the German's ship Marcell André out. Tully, you and Hitch start your recon like we discussed. Moffitt and I will head out too. We all meet back here in three hours whether you find anything or not."
Tully slapped a clip into the machine gun he held. "Right, sarge."
Hitch gave a nod and together they headed out into the growing darkness.
##################
Three hours passed and they met back in camp. Troy asked the privates, "Any luck?"
Hitch replied, "Nothing, sarge."
"Okay, we head out again. This time…"
Moffitt interrupted, "Why don't we have something to eat and get some rest first."
Troy shook his head. "We have to find where they're holding André. If we don't, the Germans will give him to the Gestapo. He's got too much information to let that happen."
"We haven't eaten since breakfast and the drive here was hard. If we eat and rest for a few hours now, we'll be able to better function as a unit."
Troy thought for a moment. He realized that his men were tired and hungry, though they wouldn't admit their discomfort. "You're right. We'll have some cold rations. A fire might attract attention. Hitch, you and Tully take first watch. Get me and Moffitt up after three hours. Once we've all had some rest, we'll head out again."
##################
It was still dark when the Rat Patrol left camp again in search of the place where the Germans held Marcell André
Hitch and Tully went down the beach and headed for the cliffs a couple of miles away. The tide was out and it didn't take long for them to locate the opening to a cave that would no doubt be blocked when the tide back came in.
Tully whispered, "Think we should check it out?"
Hitch said, "May as well waste the time now, rather than drag Troy and Moffitt down here to find out it's nothing."
Just as they were about to enter the cave, they heard voices. They ducked back behind some boulders and waited.
Soon three German soldiers appeared in the darkness. In the moonlight Hitch and Tully could see that they were armed and each carried a box – probably supplies. They watched until the two Germans disappeared into the cave.
Hitch asked, "Could you tell what they were saying?"
Tully nodded. "They were talking about a French prisoner. We better get back to camp."
When Troy and Moffitt returned to camp, Hitch and Tully explained what they found. Troy asked, "You're sure they were talking about Marcell André?"
Tully said, "Well, they didn't mention him by name, but they were talking about a French prisoner they were holding."
Moffitt nodded. "That has to be it then."
Hitch said, "The entrance to that cave will be blocked when the tide comes in. We'll have to hurry."
##################
When they got to the cave, the water was almost knee deep. They waded inside and looked around with flashlights. There was a set of roughly chiseled steps in the rock that led up to another level.
Moffitt whispered, "Looks like they've been using this place for some time now."
Troy nodded silently and led the way up.
As soon as they were at the top of the steps, they could hear muted voices echoing off the stone walls. They looked at each, knowing that if they were caught in the tunnel, there would be nowhere to hide.
At the end of the long tunnel, there was a huge cave where the Germans had made themselves at home. However, there was no sign of Marcell André. Troy looked around and noticed a rock shelf at the rear of the cave. He leaned close to Hitch and whispered, "See that shelf at the other end?" The private nodded. "You and Tully find a way to get up there and have a look around."
Hitch nodded, bopped Tully on the arm to get his attention, and signaled his friend to follow.
They carefully made their way around, going from one set of boulders to the next. The few lanterns scattered around the cave didn't do a lot to light the place so it wasn't that hard to stay out of sight. And it was obvious that the Germans weren't expecting any Allied company.
Hitch and Tully carefully climbed up towards the shelf. At one point Tully's foot found a loose rock that tumbled noisily to the ground. They ducked down as flashlight beams suddenly flashed around them, but luckily they weren't spotted and the Germans went back to what they'd been doing, convinced it was nothing to worry about.
After a minute, the privates continued up to their destination without further mishap. From this vantage point Hitch and Tully could see the entire cave. It wasn't easy to see in the dim light, but finally Tully spotted a man bound and gagged against a wall. He was lying on his side and it appeared that he was either asleep or drugged.
Hitch gave a nod and they started to move to climb down. There was suddenly a cracking sound as the shelf they were on started to give way beneath them. As they began to fall, Hitch managed to grab hold of the edge and then he reached for Tully, snagging the front of his jacket.
Dust rose up around them, obscuring them from the Germans below. Tully looked up at Hitch and saw that there was no way his friend could save them both.
Hitch stared down and saw the look in Tully's eyes. He shook his head and began to try to haul them both up. Then he watched Tully pull the buttons loose and slip out of his jacket. As his friend disappeared into the dust, Hitch knew he could do nothing else and scrambled up to quickly climb down, holding the jacket tightly as he went.
##################
Troy and Moffitt couldn't see Hitch and Tully in the dim light, but they knew they were there. They held their breath when the sound of a rock falling got the Germans attention for a minute. The sergeants were relieved when they didn't find anything.
A few minutes later Troy and Moffitt heard a loud crack echo off the cave walls as the shelf broke away and fell. Dust blacked out what little light there was as the Germans began to yell and choke as they ran blindly for the tunnel. But there wasn't anything Troy and Moffitt could do but hide and wait.
The Germans ran down the tunnel until they out distanced the roiling dust. They knew they couldn't get out, as the tide was quickly filling their exit. They simply stood there and watched as the dust swirled as it slowly began to settle.
When Hitch showed up with Tully's jacket, Moffitt pulled him down into their hiding place. Moffitt whispered, "What happened? Where's Tully?"
The sergeants had covered their noses and mouths with ascot and kerchief. Hitch took his own kerchief to do the same as he said, "That shelf gave way. I managed to grab the edge and had ahold of Tully's jacket. But he let himself slip out of it. He did it so I could get away."
Troy put a hand on the private's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get him back. Was there any sign of Marcell André?"
Hitch took a deep breath to calm himself. "Yeah, we saw him. He's tied up and either sleeping or drugged. Couldn't tell for sure."
##################
Tully slid down the rock face. He frantically tried to stop himself and finally managed to grab a protruding rock, but when he jerked to a stop something in his left elbow popped. The pain forced him to release his grip and Tully ended up hitting the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him.
He was gasping and coughing as he rolled to his knees. Tully could hear the Germans around him, but couldn't see anything. He scrambled to flatten himself against the cave wall. Ignoring the pain in his arm, Tully tied his kerchief around his face. He was totally disorientated by the blinding dust and had no idea which way to go.
##################
Moffitt listened to the Germans at the other end of the tunnel as their voices echoed off the walls. Then he said, "Marcell André was left behind. They're arguing as to whether or not they should go back to get him."
Troy quickly said, "Okay, if we move fast, we can use the dust cloud as cover. Hitch, where's André's position?"
The private said, "West side of the cave at about our 10:00."
"Right. Moffitt and I will go get him. You find Tully and get back here. We'll have to wait for the Germans to go back into the cave before we can get out of here." Troy waited for Moffitt and Hitch to nod their understanding, then said, "Let's shake it."
##################
With goggles in place over their eyes Troy and Moffitt quickly made their way through the dust until they came to the wall on the west side. They followed it until they started to hear someone coughing and choking. They located Marcell André on the ground. Troy cut the ropes away from the Frenchman's wrists and ankles while Moffitt removed the gag and quickly tied it around André face. Then the sergeants helped the older man to his feet and led the way back to their hiding place.
##################
Hitch followed the wall until he found the debris left by the fallen shelf. He saw and picked up the American issue helmet at his feet, then called quietly, "Tully, where are you?"
"Hitch?"
"Stay put. I'm coming." Hitch carefully stepped over the debris and found Tully sitting on the ground against the wall. He helped his friend to his feet as he asked, "You okay?"
Tully nodded. "I'll live."
After the fall Tully had taken, Hitch knew he was probably lying, but he handed over the helmet and whispered, "We have to move fast before this dust settles and we're seen."
"Lead the way."
##################
Troy and Moffitt led André to the place among the boulders where they had been hiding before. André said, "We have to get out of here!"
Troy nodded. "We will. But the way out is blocked by the Germans this dust storm chased into the tunnel. And we have to wait for our other two men."
Moffitt looked at Troy and asked, "The tide's in, Troy. We'll have to either wait or find another way out."
"No time for either one." Troy looked at André and stated, "Tell me you can swim."
Before André could reply Hitch and Tully appeared. Moffitt watched Tully hold his left arm as he hunkered down and asked, "Are you all right?"
Tully knew better than to hide the truth from Moffitt and said, "Banged up my arm a little, but I'm good."
Before Moffitt could question him further, they heard the Germans making their way back towards the cave they'd abandoned. After another few minutes, they decided the air was clear enough to go in. That was the Allies cue to get moving.
They quickly and as quietly as possible ran down the tunnel. At the end they found the water filled their exit to the top of the stone stairs. Then they heard the Germans raising the alarm that their prisoner had disappeared.
The five men looked at each other and gave a nod, then plunged into the water. They had to swim underwater to get out through the exit and when they sputtered to the surface outside, Troy took a quick count of the heads bobbing in the water. Then he turned and swam for shore with Moffitt, Hitch, and André following.
After he took several strokes, Hitch looked around for Tully. He saw his friend floundering behind the group. Hitch quickly returned and grabbed hold of him. "What's wrong?"
Tully sputtered, "My arm! I can't use it anymore!"
Hitch said, "Float on your back. I'll get us to shore."
Troy stumbled out of the water onto the beach and turned to watch Moffitt and André do the same. Then he realized that Hitch and Tully were missing. Troy quickly scanned the water and spotted Hitch slowly making his way toward shore with Tully in tow.
Troy and Moffitt waded out to meet them and Moffitt supported Tully as they got to the beach.
The Allies all stood there, catching their breath and watching to see if the Germans would appear in the water. They didn't. Troy finally said, "I doubt the Germans ever realized we were there. They're probably searching the tunnels for their prisoner."
Moffitt nodded. "They most likely wouldn't think that anyone would dare swim out of the cave."
"Yeah. Let's get to the jeeps."
##################
Moffitt gently examined Tully's swollen elbow and arm. "Well, it doesn't seem to be broken. My guess would be ligament damage."
Tully sighed. "What's that mean?"
Moffitt smiled. "It means we get you to a doctor to find out for sure. In the meantime you get a sling and I get to drive. I'm sure Olive will understand."
It was midday. Troy had been watching the water with binoculars while Moffitt and Hitch worked to clean the salt and sand out of the machine guns they'd carried into the cave. Tully slowly checked over the jeeps after promising to only "check" and not try to fill radiators or gas tanks.
The tide had receded and the German's appeared on the beach as soon as the cave's opening was clear. Troy saw them bring out a radio. There was much talking and gesturing. A ship appeared on the horizon, but didn't move in and soon disappeared.
Marcell André stepped up behind Troy and said, "I suppose that was the ship that was to pick me up."
Troy lowered the binoculars and turned to look at the older man. "That would be my guess."
"Where will you take me?"
"You'll be debriefed at our base in Ras Tanura."
André sighed. "Is there no place closer?"
Troy shook his head. "Afraid not. When we're ready to go, we'll get outta here and drive until dark. We'll get to Ras Tanura tomorrow by noon."
"You and your men risked a lot to rescue me, sergeant. Thank you."
"That's our job, sir."
André smiled slightly. "I'm sure this was just another assignment for you and your men."
"Not exactly." Troy returned the smile and looked over at Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully. "But we have a reputation to uphold."