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

The Locomotive Raid

By Suzie2b

Troy and Moffitt walked into the mess hall after their meeting with Captain Boggs. Hitch and Tully were waiting at their usual table against the far wall. The sergeants got their coffee and tea before they joined the privates.

Hitch asked, "What's the word, sarge?"

Troy took a sip of his coffee before he replied, "We're to report to Major Harris at Rafah for a security detail."

Tully sighed unhappily. "Another security detail. I'd rather be blowin' something up."

Moffitt smiled. "There's a shipment of heavy artillery, ammunition, and other supplies moving through to the western front."

Hitch questioned, "Isn't Rafah a train depot?"

Troy nodded. "And it's in an open area. The locomotive has run into mechanical problems and is due to stop in Rafah for repairs."

Remembering the last time their mission included a train, Tully asked, "So we're not going to escort the stuff, right?"

Troy smiled. "Nope. The plan is for us to help babysit the train while it's being worked on."

Hitch asked, "Doesn't the major have enough people to guard the stuff? Aren't there guards on board?"

Moffitt said, "Yes, but during this stopover the major would like to allow the guards on board a chance to rest." He took a sip of his tea. "The Germans would love to get their hands what's on this train … or at the very least blow it to smithereens. Major Harris feels our 'expertise' in handling the Germans would be useful in this case if something should happen. His troops are still fairly green when it comes to the war. Though they went through training like any other soldier, they were sent to Rafah Station mainly to keep the trains fueled and in repair as needed."

Troy said, "The station is only about six months old. The Germans have never paid it much attention, preferring to try to hit the trains out in the desert where they can break up the tracks to stop or derail them. But this shipment is important and Major Harris doesn't want to take any chances on losing it."

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

The sun was going down when the Rat Patrol arrived at Rafah Station. They reported to Major Harris, who told them, "Thank you for coming on such short notice, men. That supply train is the most important one that's come through here to date."

Troy said, "We were under the impression it would be here by now, sir."

"Unfortunately, the problem has gotten worse, slowing the locomotive to a crawl. But it should pull in early tomorrow morning."

Moffitt asked, "Is there any idea as to how long the repairs will take, major?"

Harris said, "First they have to find the problem. Then it could take up to three days to fix it. I suggest you get your tent assignment from Lieutenant Murphy and get some rest while you can. As soon as that train pulls in, everyone's going to be busy."

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

Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully were in the mess tent finishing up their breakfast when they heard the diesel locomotive grind to a halt at the station, its engine coughing and belching black smoke as the couplings between the heavy cars it was hauling banged together loudly. Tully shuddered at the sounds the locomotive made and said, "That doesn't sound good."

Troy looked around the table at his men. "I suppose it's time to get to work."

They walked the short distance to the station and met Major Harris and his aide Lieutenant Murphy. Harris returned their salutes and said, "Well, it finally made it."

Troy said, "Yes, sir. From the sound of things it was an effort."

A sergeant stepped off the lead car as his men jumped out of the other fifteen cars to swarm the depot and gather in one place. He stepped over to Major Harris and saluted smartly as he said, "Sergeant King reporting, sir."

Harris said, "At ease, sergeant. Other than the locomotive were there any problems?"

"Nothing directly, major. We did see several German patrols, but they didn't make a move on us."

"Good." Harris indicated Troy and his men. "This is Sergeant Troy and his men. They and my men will take over guarding the cargo while you and your men get some down time."

King said, "Thank you, sir. It's much appreciated."

"Lieutenant Murphy will hand out tent assignments. We're a small platoon here, so conditions will be a little tight."

"Not a problem. We can handle it, sir."

Major Harris turned to the lieutenant. "They're all yours, Murphy."

The lieutenant said, "Yes, sir. Sergeant King, shall we get your men taking care of?"

As the two men walked away, the major signaled one of his men to join them. "This is Sergeant Scott. He's in charge of my men." He looked at Scott and said, "This is Sergeant Troy. I'm putting him in charge of this detail."

Scott stuck his hand out with a smile. "Pleasure to meet you."

Troy returned the smile and shook the offered hand. "Likewise."

Major Harris said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

As the major walked away, Troy pointed to each of his men. "This Sergeant Moffitt, my second in command. Those two are Privates Hitchcock and Pettigrew." With the pleasantries over with, he got to work. "How many men are we working with?"

Sergeant Scott turned and looked at a group of men waiting for orders. "All tolled there's forty. Ten of them will be working on that locomotive in shifts."

Troy said, "Split them into two groups of fifteen. We'll work in eight hour shifts." He looked at Moffitt. "You and Tully take the first shift starting now. Hitch and I will be with the other shift. We're working with half the numbers Sergeant King has, so spread the men out one to a car. Tully, I want you at the far end with the caboose. I want someone who knows what to look for watching our backsides."

"Right, sarge."

Moffitt asked, "Where will you be?"

Troy said, "For now, Scott is going to show Hitch and me around so we can get a lay of the land." He looked at his watch. "The next shift will be here to relieve you guys at about 1600 hours."

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

The day was quiet except the occasional clanking and swearing of the mechanics. At 4pm Hitch appeared to take over for Tully. "Everything okay?"

Tully put the binoculars in his friend's hand. "Yeah." He pointed out at a sand dune to the north. "Keep an eye on that area there. I keep seeing the sun reflect off something every now and then. Don't see anything out there though. Could be nothing … just keep an eye on it."

Hitch nodded. "Right." He smiled and said, "You better get going. Moffitt's waiting for you and he's complaining he's hungry."

Tully grinned. "He's not the only one. I'll see you at midnight."

Between the times Hitch started his watch and the sun going down, he saw the glint Tully was talking about four times. Hitch couldn't make anything out on the sand dune and it didn't happen at regular intervals, but something was out there.

Midnight found Tully there to relieve Hitch. "How'd it go?"

Hitch sighed. "Not bad. Troy says that some of the guys are complaining about being bored."

"Considering the alternative they should be glad they're bored."

"Hey, I saw your reflections several times before it got dark. Can't figure out what it is though."

Tully said, "I mentioned it to Troy and Moffitt just so they'd be aware of it."

Hitch nodded. "Well, I'm off to the mess tent. See ya in eight hours."

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

The hours passed slowly on this dark, moonless night. If there was anything out there, it wouldn't be seen until morning.

Moffitt strolled up at 2am. "Quiet night."

Tully nodded. "Yeah. Makes me nervous."

"I know what you mean."

"How's the work going on the locomotive?"

Moffitt said, "They believe they've found the problem."

Tully said, "I hope they get it fixed soon."

It was the hour before sunrise. The sky had lightened to a hazy twilight. Tully had been leaning on the back of the caboose. He straightened up and stretched as he scanned the horizon. When he thought he saw something move, he stopped. Tully blinked and stared at the spot. Movement again. He grabbed the binoculars to get a closer look, then turned and gave a shrill whistle to get Moffitt's attention.

The sergeant ran to the far end of the train. "What do you see, Tully?"

"Looks like we have some company." Tully pointed to the north as he handed the glasses to Moffitt. "It's hard to make out, but they're out there."

Moffitt caught the movement as he stared out at the cool morning desert. He was about to give Tully an order when a head was stuck out of the car behind them and the young private said, "Hey, sarge!" Moffitt and Tully both turned. "There's a column coming from the other side!"

Moffitt and Tully hurried around to discover a second German column coming at them. Moffitt said, "Tully, go get Troy and Hitch. It looks like we may be in for some trouble."

However, before Tully returned with Troy and Hitch, with Sergeant Scott in tow, the two columns had fanned out and stopped.

Troy took the binoculars. "What's going on?"

Moffitt shook his head. "I'm not sure. They've simply stopped. We seem to be having a staring match now."

"Hitch, you and Tully bring the jeeps around. We may need 'em. Moffitt, make your way down to other end and tell the guards to stay ready but hold their fire. No use wasting ammo when they're out that far. Scott, you'd better go tell Major Harris what's going on."

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

When Harris arrived on scene, he found Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully in their jeeps, ready to go at a moment's notice. "Report, Sergeant Troy!"

"Two German columns, sir. They fanned out and met in the middle, then they stopped."

As the sky brightened with the rising sun, they could see a total of six halftracks. Three with mounted machine guns and three with mortar launchers, and one tank.

Moffitt said, "They're in range for the tank, and possibly the mortars, but that's it."

Major Harris said, "That's all they need. One well-aimed shot and the ammunition goes up taking everything with it."

Troy said, "I don't think so. If they wanted to blow the place up, they could've done it before we knew they were out there."

Scott asked, "You think they want the train and the goods don't you?"

Moffitt nodded. "They just have to wait until the locomotive is fixed. Once it's on the move they can attack before it can get up to speed."

"But why let us know they're out there?"

"Arrogance I would guess. They obviously don't know we're here with these jeeps. They feel there's no way to stop them once the train leaves the station."

Tully observed, "But why didn't they hit the train before it got here, when it had to go slow?"

Troy said, "Probably didn't get the word in time to catch up with it."

Major Harris said, "Sergeant Scott, rally Sergeant King and his men."

"Major, I'm going to take my men out and see if we can drive them off."

"Good idea, sergeant."

However, as the two jeeps headed out of the station from the cover of the train, the German vehicles began to move. Only they weren't going toward a fight, rather they turned and ran for the dunes.

They stopped and watched as the enemy disappeared. Hitched said, "I can't believe we scared them off that easy."

Troy frowned. "I'm sure they'll be back."

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

It was all hands on deck. Sergeant King's men took up their positions on the train. Sergeant Scott's men were stationed around the depot. Troy sent Moffitt and Tully to the west end to watch the tracks.

As the mechanics frantically worked to finish fixing the locomotive, Major Harris paced anxiously. There were sixty-six men and two jeeps to defend Rafah Station. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't be concerned about being able to beat back a small German attack, even without the extra men. However, under normal circumstances the Germans wouldn't bother with the station. Half of Harris' men were simply mechanics who had been trained to march and shoot, all of them had been in North Africa less than six months, when he and his newly attained troops had been assigned to the hurriedly built Rafah Station. They weren't seasoned soldiers, some hadn't seen any fighting at all yet. Sergeant Scott was a good man, a good soldier who knew what it was like to be in a fire fight, but he could only do so much. The test of his men would come under fire.

Until then the Germans had ignored the tiny depot. It had proved of no consequence until the fighting in the west picked up a month before and trains began to move through on a regular basis with various supplies, stopping only for fuel or repairs. The Germans wanted to take over Rafah Station to cut the supply line.

Major Harris' thoughts were interrupted when a private rushed up to him and said, "German's are on the west side, sir. Three halftracks. Looks like they're going to block the tracks with a tank."

Harris' frown deepened. "All right, private. Get back to your position and stay alert." He called out, "Sergeant King!"

He stood in the car's doorway above the major. "I heard, sir."

Harris gave a nod and walked off to tell Troy. "They're blocking the train's exit with a tank, sergeant." He noticed the original group of Germans had returned. "So there's more. I had hoped the others were part of this group."

Troy nodded. "They want this station intact or they would've rushed us by now."

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

It was midday. One of the mechanics that had been working on the locomotive hurried over to Major Harris and saluted. "It's fixed, sir. We're putting diesel in her now. Should be ready to roll in about thirty minutes."

Harris breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally! Good work." He turned to Lieutenant Murphy. "Pass the word."

Soon the big locomotive rumbled to life and sounded raring to go. Major Harris, along with Troy, Moffitt, King, Scott, and the engineer were in a huddle. Troy looked at the engineer after he and Moffitt laid out their possible plan and asked, "Can it be done?"

The engineer said, "I don't see why not. Ole' Betty is a strong engine. Once we get moving they won't be able to catch us."

Troy nodded as he looked around at the group. "Right. Spread the word." He looked at Major Harris. "Whenever you're ready, sir."

The major said, "Let's get this show on the road, men."

With a lot of banging as the cars came together, the engineer backed the train up about three quarters of a mile. Then he pulled forward enough to take up any slack in the couplings. He waited just long enough for everyone to brace themselves. Then with a blast of the train's whistle, the engineer took the locomotive to full power.

Wheels slipped and spun as the train lurched forward. The six German halftracks that had been positioned a couple of miles behind the train started forward. The tank fired, but the shell fell well short as a warning.

Troy gave the signal and Hitch and Tully sped off to meet the German's head-on. Leaving the other halftracks and their occupants to Major Harris and Sergeant King's men.

The train continued to move forward, gaining momentum. By the time it reached the station again, it was moving at a good clip. When it hit the tank, the locomotive gave a jerk. There was a screech of mangling metal as the tank was bounced off the tracks, hitting one of the halftracks.

The Rat Patrol engaged the Germans as they always did. Hitch and Tully maneuvered the jeeps easily around the halftracks, dodging tank and mortar fire as machine gun bullets ricocheted off the jeeps. Grenades took out two of the halftracks and the tank. Survivors scurried to climb aboard the other vehicles. Not all of them escaped as the 50 caliber machine guns did their job.

It was a hard fought battle on both sides. Two of the halftracks broke off and headed for the station, but with Sergeant Scott shouting orders, his men did a good job defending themselves.

Finally, what was left of the Germans retreated into the desert and the jeeps returned to Rafah Station.

Major Harris met them and Troy said, "I don't think they'll be back anytime soon, sir. How'd your men do?"

Harris said, "Two dead. Six wounded. But my men fought well, sergeant. I'm quite proud of them." He noticed Moffitt and Hitch fussing around Tully. "I see you, too, have wounded."

Unaware that any of his men were injured, Troy spun around and hurried towards them with the major following. "What happened?"

Hitch was helping Tully out of his shirt and said, "Bullet creased his shoulder."

Moffitt inspected the wound. "Looks worse than it is." He took the alcohol out of the med kit he was holding. "I'll have him cleaned up in no time."

Tully looked at Hitch and pleaded, "Take that away from him."

Major Harris said, "Why not take him to our medical tent?"

Moffitt said, "Your doctors are busy with your wounded, sir. When things calm down, we'll see to it he sees a doctor."

Tully looked around at the others and begged, "Someone please take the alcohol away from him."

Moffitt uncapped the bottle and said, "It'll only sting for a minute, Tully." He started to tip the bottle over the wound. "Just hold still."

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

The next day Lieutenant Murphy found Troy and his men and told them Major Harris would like to see them.

Upon their arrival, Harris smiled and said, "Just got word that the train arrived at its destination. There were a few minor injuries from when the engine hit that tank and the Germans got off a couple of lucky shots." He looked at Tully. "How's the shoulder?"

"Just a little sore, sir."

"Good. Good. There was some slight damage to the tracks. Headquarters is sending a crew to take care of it."

Moffitt asked, "What about your men, sir?"

"The wounded are on the mend. Headquarters is also sending some replacements—temporary and permanent. Now that the Germans are interested in my little station, more troops will be sent out here to help protect it, but it'll take a week or two." Major Harris looked at Troy. "By chance would you and your men be willing to stick around until those troops show up?"

Troy nodded. "I'll contact our captain and let him know what's going on, sir."

Moffitt added, "There was some minor damage to the jeeps, major. We'll take the time while we're here to fix them."

The major said, "We owe you a lot. Anything you need, just ask."

As the three Americans and one Brit left the major's tent, Moffitt said, "Well, Tully, seems we were able to do a security detail and blow a few things up in the process. Happy?"

Tully smiled. "I can't complain. It sure wasn't boring."