The POW Raid
By: AliasCWN
Private Andy Peterson approached Captain Boggs' office with a sense of foreboding. Rumors were flying around the base, rumors he prayed weren't true. He entered the Captains' office and stopped just inside the door. A bright patch of red on the top of the captains' desk caught his eye. He recognized the kepi and the steel rimmed GI glasses lying next to it. His hopes sank as he spotted a set of dog tags tucked underneath the familiar cap.
"Have a seat Private Peterson." The Captain returned his salute and motioned him to a chair. "I'll get right to it Private. You've been filling in whenever one of Troys' men is injured. Do you like it?" He pinned Peterson with a piercing stare.
Andy nodded with a bit of uncertainly. "I like working with them Sir. I wish it was under different circumstances though. They're all my friends and I hate to see any of them hurt."
Captain Boggs nodded. "Understandable Private." He picked up the kepi and ran his fingers over the design embroidered in the crown. Things are a bit more permanent this time." He raised his eyes to meet those of the private.
"So it's true then?"
"What's that Peterson?"
"The rumor around camp is that the Rat Patrol lost a man. That he won't be coming back." Andy forced the words out past the lump in his throat.
The Captain nodded sadly. "I'm afraid it's true. You've worked with them before so I thought I would offer you first chance to fill the vacancy."
"What happened Sir?"
"They went after a German column. A shell caught his jeep and flipped it. Hitchcock was trapped underneath. The others were driven off before they could reach him. By the time they got back all they found was a grave with a rifle sticking out of it with his kepi, GI glasses and Hitchcocks' dog tags. They figure the German captain buried him because they buried some of his men recently after they found them dead in the desert." The Captain shrugged as if to say he didn't know what to think. "So how about it Peterson, are you interested?"
"Yes Sir. That is if they want me to join them on a permanent basis."
"They suggested it." The Captain assured him returning the kepi to the desk top. "Report to Sargent Troy. I'll notify your current commander."
Andy saluted and left the room. Once in the hall he sighed, letting the news register. He'd worked with Hitch, considered him a friend, it didn't seem possible that he was gone. Not eager to face the others, Andy drug his feet all the way to the room the two sargents shared.
"Come on in Andy." Troy called in answer to Andys' knock.
"How do you do that?" It never ceased to amaze him how the sargent always seemed to know who was on the other side of the door.
"Everybody else is here." Troy answered with a shrug. He invited Andy into the room where Moffitt and Pettigrew sat on the bed. "So you decided to take the offer?"
"If you want me Sargent. I told the Captain the final decision was up to you."
"We ask for you Andy."
"Thank you." Andy frowned as he struggled to find a way to offer his condolences. "I'm sorry about Hitch. You know I always hoped I'd never get this job this way."
"We know Andy." Moffitt stood and faced the window. "I guess we always knew it could happen but none of us really expected it."
"We have a patrol tomorrow morning Andy. Meet us at the motor pool at 0800 tomorrow. You can move into the room with Tully whenever you want."
Andy was at the motor pool early. He didn't want to be late on his first day. He watched as the others walked over, as somber as he'd ever seen them.
"We'd better get moving." Troy called to the others. They climbed into the jeeps and began another day of combat.
Andy kept to himself at the beginning, giving the others time to come to terms with their grief. On their first patrol, they stopped on a hill in the middle of nowhere and Troy left Andy to guard the jeeps. The others climbed the hill to a clump of rocks. They stood looking down for a long time without speaking before returning to the jeeps. As they drove away Andy glanced back to see a rifle stuck in the sand, barrel first. Even without the kepi and dog tags to mark it, he knew what was there.
Gradually they returned to their regular routine. The patrols came and went. Andy settled into his place on the team.
"Are the charges all ready?"
"Ready Sarge." Andy answered. He and Tully had just finished placing explosives on the road in strategic locations. The wires were run and all they needed to do was push the plungers. The four of them were lying on the top of a dune watching the line of halftracks and trucks approach their position.
"The halftracks are maintaining the same distance apart. Be ready." Troy studied the halftrack in the lead. They needed to take that one out to stop the trucks. The one in the rear had to be targeted to keep the Germans from taking the trucks back the way they had come. It was the trucks they wanted, but they needed them undamaged. The trucks carried American POWs being transported to a German POW camp. Their mission was to free them and escort them to safety.
"Here we go. Ready number one." Troy gave the nod and Andy pushed the plunger.
The first halftrack jumped into the air as the explosives buried beneath it were detonated. Most of the guards riding in the back were killed in the explosion. Before the remaining Germans could exit the vehicle, the halftrack at the end of the line blew up.
The Rat Patrol had already raced to their jeeps. The remaining Germans scrambled for cover, firing at the jeeps as they barreled around the trucks. The two 50 caliber machine guns made short work of the resistance.
As the firing stopped the freed POWs poured from the trucks. Everyone was shouting and pounding each other on the back. The laughter made it hard for anyone to hear what the officers were shouting. A captain separated himself from the jubilant crowd and approached Troy.
"Captain Rodgers." He offered a salute and then his hand. "We sure are glad to see you guys."
Troy shook the hand offered while issuing orders. "Some of you guys throw sand on that fire." The first halftrack had caught fire and was billowing a thick cloud of black smoke. "That smoke will bring every German within twenty miles."
"What can I do to help?" The captain offered.
"Make it quick getting that fire out. Then find me three drivers for those trucks. We'll need to get everyone loaded back into the trucks so we can get out of here. We'll escort you back to our lines but we need to move."
"On it." The captain hurried away to get the ex-prisoners organized. The captain hopped into the first truck and urged the others forward. He waved at Troy to let him know everyone was ready. Minutes later they were leaving the destroyed halftracks behind.
Troy and Andy led the way, keeping the trucks moving at a fast clip. Moffitt and Tully brought up the rear, keeping an eye out for any pursuit. Occasionally the two jeeps would pull off to make a scouting run. The ex-prisoners had armed themselves with German weapons . Men sat at the tailgate of each truck helping to scan the desert around them. They waved every time the jeeps would drive past.
Troy pushed the trucks hard, expecting the Germans to come after them. His biggest concern, fighter planes, failed to materialize. As darkness settled over the landscape, he began to relax. Now all they need watch out for was ground troops.
Tully pulled his jeep up next to Troy.
"There's an oasis about three miles ahead. If it's clear it would be a good place to stop for the night. " Moffitt called across the distance between the two jeeps.
"I'll let the Captain know. Then we can go check it out." Troy called back.
He explained to the officer what he had in mind. The captain promised to keep the trucks moving until he heard from them.
"He seems fairly confident that we'll make it back." Andy laughed as Troy waved him forward.
The jeeps raced ahead, approaching the oasis from another direction to confuse anyone who might be waiting for them. The precaution proved unnecessary since the oasis was empty. Tully and Moffitt stayed behind to keep an eye on it while Troy returned to the trucks. They were close so it didn't take long to get the vehicles parked and a camp set up.
It was a rough camp but the ex-prisoners didn't seem to mind. The Rat Patrol shared the rations they had hauled in for just such a situation. The mood was jovial and the conversation kept rising in volume.
"Keep it down fellas." Troy called. "Sound carries a long way out here. I don't believe we want to attract any attention. This is still enemy territory."
The warning had the desired effect. Soon the men were hunting places to curl up and sleep. They didn't want to risk a fire so huddling together to conserve body heat was the preferred arrangement. Clumps of sleeping men were scattered around the water hole. The Rat Patrol shared guard duty as the malnourished and exhausted ex-POWs slept.
"Sargent, do you have any medical supplies?" Captain Rodgers approached Sgt. Moffitt before the camp had quieted.
"We carry some. Do you have wounded?"
"A couple of men are sick. Some are recovering from wounds they received when they were captured. Most of them are okay until we get back. We do have two who need care now."
Moffitt nodded and reached under the seat of his jeep for the med kit. "I can only give you one." He apologized. "Hope it helps. Do you need a medic?"
"No thanks, we have one." The captain hefted the kit in his hand. "This should do fine. Thanks again."
The sunrise found Tully sitting in his jeep with the headset on his head. He was listening to any radio chatter he could find. He was drinking his coffee and just finishing his breakfast when he picked up something that caught his attention.
"Hey Doc. What do you make of this?" He handed the headset to the British sargent.
Moffitt listened for several minutes before he sent Tully scurrying to find Troy.
"What is it?" Troy demanded as soon as he reached the jeep.
Jack Moffitt listened a moment longer before he pulled the headphones off. "Jerry is sending a couple of Stukas out to look for us. They're doing a grid search. I should think they will come out of the west."
"How close are they?"
"Still a ways off but coming this way fast. My guess, we have maybe half an hour before they're close enough to see the trucks."
Troy scanned the skies for any telltale specks. "Have the men move into the rocks and dig some pits. Cover them with blankets and sand. We'll never stand a chance on the open desert. The men can hide and we'll use the trucks as bait. They're too big to hide anyway." Troy looked around the oasis. "Tully, Andy, take the jeeps up on that ridge. Throw the camo nets over them." He pointed to the positions he had in mind for everything. "We'll let them make a run at the trucks. Once they get low enough, we'll pull the nets off the jeeps and hit them with the 50s."
Moffitt ran to wake the men and put them to work putting Troys' plan in action. They rushed to get the pits ready. The defenses took shape quickly, fear being a great motivator. The men realized how exposed they were against the planes.
"What about the trucks Sargent? We need them." Captain Rodgers eyed their transportation with concern.
"Can't be helped Captain. We can't hide them, they're too big. The trees will provide some protection. Hopefully we can get the planes before they can do too much damage. We have to get those planes or we're sitting ducks. If they can't get us they will radio to a ground unit and report our position and every turn we make until the ground troops make contact."
The captain reluctantly returned to getting everyone under cover, leaving the defenses to the Rat Patrol. While Troy and his men were busy, he had all the wounded taken to the pits. They carefully erased their tracks so the planes couldn't follow the footprints to the covered hiding places.
Everything was ready by the time they spotted the two tiny specks in the distance, flying high. There was a sense of dread in the camp as everyone huddled in the pits and waited for the planes to spot the trucks. It didn't take long. The sound of the plane engines changed as they started their attack. First they made a strafing run at the oasis. Twin lines of flying sand raced across the sand. One of the trucks was hit, the canvas top shredded by the heavy pieces of lead ripping through it. By some miracle, the gas tank and motor were spared.
As the pilots concentrated on the trucks, they ignored the dunes beside them. It was the mistake Troy had counted on. At a yell from Troy, the nets were yanked from the jeeps and the 50s opened fire. The low flying Stukas were easy targets.
The first plane exploded and tumbled end over end not long after it cleared the oasis. The second one, trailing heavy smoke, tried to climb to safety. The pilot pulled up, made a tight circle, and crashed into the desert several miles away. A plume of oily smoke marked the crash site.
The oasis swarmed with cheering men, all trying to talk at once. It took several minutes for the captain to get all the trucks loaded and ready to roll.
The jeeps again led the way, taking time out occasionally to scout ahead, looking for German patrols. They managed to hide in a wadi while the only patrol they saw passed them by. Troy called a halt until he was sure the Germans were not going to backtrack as they sometimes did. They let the engines cool while they filled radiators and passed the water cans around.
"How are your wounded?" Moffitt ask the captain when he saw him standing by a truck.
"They're holding up Sargent. We've been keeping one of them unconscious the entire trip."
When Moffitt raised his eyebrow in question, the captain explained.
"We suspect he may be a plant put among us to report to the Germans. One of my men heard him talking to a German captain. He said they sounded friendly. We didn't want to give him a chance to betray us."
"Probably a wise decision." The Englishman concurred.
Sometime after noon Troy was happy to report to the captain that they had crossed into Allied territory. Two hours later the two jeeps and three trucks arrived at the Allied base. The trucks were sent to the medical building where all the ex-prisoners would get a physical.
Andy and Tully dropped Troy and Moffitt at headquarters so they could report to Captain Boggs. The two privates took the jeeps to the motor pool to get ready for the next trip out. The sargents gave the captain a quick rundown on all that had occurred.
"Alright gentleman, I expect your written reports on my desk by noon tomorrow." The two men were preparing to leave when Captain Rodgers was shown into the room.
"How are your men Captain?" Troy ask at seeing the other officer.
"All of them will be fine thanks to you." Captain Rodgers smiled.
"Even the one you suspect is a plant?" Moffitt ask with mild interest.
"What's this all about Captain?" Captain Boggs demanded.
"Well Captain, we picked up a man just as the trucks were leaving the German camp. One of my men heard them talking."
"About what exactly?"
"The German captain told him to stay with the POWs and not to foolishly try crossing the desert alone. He said that the doctor had sent him some extra morphine if he needed it. It was in his pocket. It sounded suspicious to us."
"Did the German captain have a name?" Troy ask, suddenly taking an interest.
"I believe it was Captain Dietrich." Rodgers answered.
"Did the soldier give you a name?"
"Yes but we can't be sure it's his real name. Couldn't even check it against his dog tags, he wasn't wearing any. Said his name was Hitchcock, Mark Hitchcock." The captain watched in surprise as both sargents ran from the room without a word or even a salute to the two captains. "Did I say something wrong?" He looked at Captain Boggs in confusion.
"Actually Captain, you may have said something very right. Shall we go see this mystery soldier of yours?" Captain Boggs told Captain Rodgers the story of The Rat Patrols' missing man as they walked to the medical building.
They found the four members of the Rat Patrol crowded around one of the beds. They couldn't see the soldier in the bed but the signs were there. Captain Boggs smiled at all the happy faces.
"Yes Captain. I think you said just the right thing."
"So what happened after we left?" Tully was sitting next to Hitchs' bed trying to piece the story together. The others stood around waiting to hear his answer.
"I was trapped under the jeep. The krauts dug me out and I wasn't sure what they had in mind. Then Captain Dietrich showed up and told them to get me a doctor and take care of me until he got back. He took off after you guys. The guys he left behind were mad at us for killing their friends and I guess they thought they were getting some payback. They made the fake grave and put my hat and dog tags on it." Hitch was still weak so he had to pause to catch his breath. "The captain didn't know about the grave. He couldn't figure out why you guys didn't try to rescue me. He had a nice little trap all set up for you. When two weeks went by and you didn't show he decided that you weren't coming. Since he couldn't use me to catch you, he put me on that truck for the POW camp. I told him about the grave right before he left me there." Hitch laughed at the memory. "He wasn't happy with his men."
"Well I'm glad he got you a doctor." Tully said with feeling.
"Yeah he treated me okay. Dietrichs' got class, no doubt about it." Hitch yawned as he looked around at his friends. "I bet he never figured you'd rescue those POWs though. If he had, he'd have shadowed those trucks all the way. Thanks for saving me…. again." Hitch was asleep before the others could respond. Tully smiled and made himself comfortable in the seat next to the bed.