Flying Jeeps and Rescues

by AliasCWN

The guys are sent to catch a plane but headquarters doesn't give them much time.

Flying Jeeps and Rescues

By:AliasCWN

The two American jeeps raced side by side across the desert, throwing caution to the wind in an attempt to reach their destination in time. As they neared the German airfield they slowed, by necessity; it wouldn't help their assignment if they were spotted before they were in position.

From the safety of a faraway ridge they studied the enemy base through binoculars. A medium size cargo plane was parked on the runway with its engines running. They hadn't even finished locating all of the guards and charting their routines when a German staff car arrived, followed by a truck. The two vehicles pulled up next to the plane on the far side. They couldn't see who got out of the staff car but the truck was parked closer to the tail where they had a limited view.

They watched in frustration as German soldiers ushered three American prisoners from the rear of the truck into the cargo hold of the plane.

"We're too late Troy, they're leaving now." Sergeant Jack Moffitt lowered his glasses and turned toward the leader of the Rat Patrol.

"Headquarters didn't give us enough time." The American sergeant growled in frustration. "The Germans aren't wasting any time shipping those guys out. Whatever it is that they know, it must be pretty important."

"There's nothing that we can do now but radio headquarters and let them know that we were too late." Moffitt continued as the plane taxied down the runway and took off.

"We'd better get out of here." Troy responded as the plane circled overhead and headed north. "That pilot may have spotted us and if he did he'll radio our position to the base."

"It will only take a minute to get the message to headquarters. Maybe they have a back-up plan that they can implement."

"All right," Troy agreed, "but make it fast."

Moffitt returned to the jeep to make the call while Troy kept an eye on the base. The closest threat was the truck that had delivered the prisoners. He watched as it circled the tower and left the airfield. There were enough soldiers in the truck to give them problems if they were alerted to the American presence.

"Troy, we have to go!"

The sergeant turned and ran for his jeep, scanning the desert for the danger that threatened them. After the urgent tone of Moffitt's call, he was expecting the desert to be crawling with enemy soldiers, but it seemed empty.

"What's wrong?"

"Headquarters wants us to follow that plane." The British sergeant answered as he climbed into his own jeep.

"They want us to do what?! I know Hitch and Tully can make these jeeps do just about anything….but I don't think even they can make them fly."

Moffitt smiled at Troy's praise of their drivers, silently agreeing with his assessment. Yelling across the space between the jeeps, he explained their new orders as the two drivers tried to prove Troy wrong about their limitations.

"Headquarters wants us to follow as fast as we can. They sent planes just in case we were too late. They have orders to force the plane down in the desert. Apparently we are the only unit close enough to have any chance at all of beating the Germans to the crash site."

"How do they know they'll be a crash site?"

"They have their orders, we have ours. I assume they know how to force a plane down. They will send a coded message with the coordinates."

"What are our orders when we get there?" Troy hated it when they got orders to make sure that someone didn't talk. He hadn't joined the Army to kill other Americans.

Knowing where the other sergeant's thoughts were headed, Moffitt shook his head. "Our orders are to pick up any survivors and return them to our base. They want them alive if possible."

It was the 'if possible' that kept Troy awake some nights.

"Chasing a plane….what are they thinking? These jeeps can't catch a plane and we're going to have to ignore caution to even stay in the same area." Troy settled in for the ride, still shaking his head at the absurdity of the order.

"If our guys shoot that German plane down, won't that kill the guys we are trying to rescue?" Hitchcock asked the question that was foremost in everyone's mind.

"I guess we'll find out… that is if we are lucky enough to find the plane before the Germans do."

"Our guys should be able to give us the exact coordinates if they see it go down." Hitch reasoned.

"Yeah, and the German plot will be on his radio giving his side the same information." Troy growled.

In the other jeep, Moffitt was having almost the exact same conversation with his driver.

"So what do we do if the krauts get there first?" Tully asked.

"Go back to our original orders….rescue the prisoners." Moffitt explained. "That is what this whole bloody assignment was about in the firsts place."

Tully eyed his sergeant as he caught the brief but definite sign of frustration. The Englishman, usually calm and methodical, was feeling the same stress this assignment had put on all of them.

The order had been classified as urgent, imperative that they not fail. Headquarters didn't seem to care that the time frame was way too short. The four men had pushed the jeeps hard, disregarding their normal rules of self-preservation, only to reach the airstrip too late. Headquarters would have found it hard, maybe even impossible, to find another unit that could have done better. Yet they had still failed in their primary mission to rescue the three American officers.

Racing across the open desert, chasing a plane of all things, each man considered their situation in his own way.

Hitch was willing to chase the plane. It seemed silly, but the Army often gave orders that didn't make sense to him. As a private he knew that he didn't have all of the facts, and that was okay with him. Let the officers make the decisions and shoulder the responsibilities, he was happy doing what he was doing as long as he got to stay with the Rat Patrol.

Tully didn't really have a problem with it either. He was happy tearing across the desert in the open jeep. He had his friends and he had his wheels, what else did one need? The lack of caution did concern him but he knew that both sergeants would be extra alert to keep them as safe as possible. He trusted these guys with his life and he had complete confidence in them. To headquarters they may be expendable, but he knew that Troy and Moffitt didn't feel that way. Looking over at Hitch, he winked as he caught the other private's eye.

Moffitt watched the sky behind them. If the Germans sent a plane after them it would most likely come from the airfield they had just left. He didn't pay any attention to Tully. He knew that his driver knew his job and that he was good at it. Experience had taught him beyond a doubt that the lanky private would be alert and ready to do whatever was asked of him when the time came. Sometimes he even thought that his driver could read his mind because he had been known to act on an order before Moffitt could get it out of his mouth. He knew that the lack of precautions would bother Tully. The ex-moonshine runner had caution built into his genetic make-up. He could never have avoided the revenuers as long as he had if he were careless or foolish. That inborn trait had saved them more than once while out on missions. Putting thoughts of his driver aside, he tried to imagine what they might encounter if the American planes did manage to force the German plane down.

Troy was more concerned with keeping his small team safe until they reached the plane. Running full speed across an open desert could drop you in the middle of an ambush pretty fast. He kept his eyes moving, searching for any sign of the enemy. Their own dust trail was probably visible for miles, giving someone else plenty of warning that they were on their way. He wasn't worried about his own driver being able to handle any situation they found themselves in. He might not say it often enough, but he had complete confidence in all of his men. If he had to run into trouble with anyone, they were the ones he would want at his side. They had orders to follow the plane but he was aware that they occasionally veered off course. He knew that it cost them a little time but he wasn't about to order his driver to keep them in a straight line. Throwing caution to the wind was one thing, but deliberately putting themselves in danger was another. The officers would never get rescued if they got themselves killed before they even reached the plane. Of course, it all depended on whether or not the Allied plane had intercepted and forced the German plane to land. He had no idea how they planned to do that, but that part wasn't his problem.

"Troy!"

Troy looked across to the other jeep and saw Moffitt signaling for a stop. Tapping his driver on the shoulder, Troy ordered a stop. As soon as the vehicles came to a standstill the British sergeant jumped to the ground and reached for his radio. He began to fiddle with the dial as the others waited, anxiously watching the desert around them.

"Blue Dog to Red Fox. Come in Red Fox."

"This is Red Fox, come in Blue Dog." Moffitt answered the call quickly. The radio crackled and the sergeant made another adjustment.

"Red Fox, this is Blue Dog. Our angels have landed. The vultures are circling, reporting activity. Are you ready for the coordinates?"

"Ready Blue Dog." Moffitt replied as Troy took a pad and pencil out of his pocket. "Go ahead Blue Dog."

"Use your personal code Red Fox." Blue Dog ordered. The voice on the radio proceeded to give them the coordinates of the downed plane in code. "Do you have it Red Fox?" Moffitt and Troy had both copied the message as it was given and now they compared notes, making sure that they matched. "Do you need a repeat Red Fox?"

"Negative Blue Dog, we have it." Moffitt responded.

"Vultures will remain overhead in the area as long as possible." Blue Dog reported.

"Negative Blue Dog," Moffitt looked to Troy for agreement, "vultures will draw a crowd."

"Understood Red Fox, it's your call. Vultures will be called off."

"Roger that Blue Dog and thanks for your help."

"Good luck Red Fox, Blue Dog out."

Troy was already using their latest code book to decipher the coded coordinates. Moffitt signed off on the radio and dug out their map case. While the privates stood on their hoods to keep watch, the sergeants plotted the course to the downed plane. 'Activity' meant that there had been survivors, but it didn't specify who the survivors might be. They could arrive at the crash site to find he Americans dead and the Germans ready to fight.

"It's not much to go on." Moffitt sighed.

"We have the location; we'll do some recon to figure out the rest. That pilot probably radioed his position, we'd better shake it."

"Sarge, dust behind us." Tully called from atop his jeep.

Troy turned to look but he couldn't spot it. "How far?"

"Five, six miles, maybe a patrol." The private elaborated.

"All right, let's see if we can lose them." The sergeants returned to their jeeps and they changed direction, heading into the sun. "Drop your rakes; we'll cover our tracks for a while." Troy ordered.

"They'll just follow the dust Sarge." Hitchcock pointed out. "With the rakes down we'll leave a trail of dust a blind man could follow."

"I want them to follow it." Troy answered. "They don't know we spotted them, let them think that we changed directions and we're trying to hide our tracks. If they lose us they'll just keep on our original course, we need to get back on that course after we ditch them, I don't want to run into them again."

"Got it Sarge."

Troy pulled a cloth over his face as their dust rolled over the jeep. Any other time they would have reduced their speed to keep from raising a dust trail but that wasn't an option at the moment. Adjusting his goggles, he resigned himself to eating dust for the next couple of miles.

"Troy." Moffitt waited for the other sergeant to acknowledge the call.

"What?"

"Turn northeast here. Head for that series of hills over there."

Troy twisted to peer at the hills. They were still at least a mile away and slightly to the side of their present course. "What's in the hills?"

"If I remember the map correctly, there is a rock shelf that covers most of the area. We can change direction without leaving tracks. If we follow it for a few miles we can drop our rakes again and our trail should be gone before they pick it up again."

Troy considered the suggestion. "Okay, Hitch, do it. If they figure it out, maybe we can ambush them."

"There is a good chance that they already radioed our change of direction." Moffitt pointed out.

"If we ambush them, their base may think we were trying to silence them."

"Perhaps," Moffitt agreed, "Either way, we get them off of our trail or we can drop our rakes for a while."

"Win, win." Troy replied with a grin.

As they approached the hills Troy had Tully and Moffitt lead the way. The British sergeant used his knowledge of sand and stone to pick the trail least likely to leave tracks. The light tread marks they were leaving behind would soon be erased by the wind blowing across the sand. By the time that the German patrol reached the hills, their trail would be gone. Without the rakes they wouldn't leave a dust trail as they crossed the rock ledge.

Tully skillfully navigated around any loose rocks that might be dislodged and leave a clue for the German patrol to follow. Hitch followed in his tire tracks, making sure to stay far enough back to give Tully room to maneuver.

When they reached the end of the rock shelf Troy had the rakes lowered again. Despite their hurry he had both drivers keep their speed down so that no one could track them by their dust trail. After nearly an hour with no sign of their pursuers, Troy ordered the rakes lifted and their head-long dash resumed. They returned to their original course, adjusted for the detour, and raced through the late afternoon. They stopped only long enough to cool the engines and fill the radiators and gas tanks. They pushed the machines hard, but they pushed themselves harder.

Night fell rapidly, worrying Troy that they might not reach their goal before darkness forced them to slow their pace. They were all too aware that the Germans were most likely searching for the wreckage too.

"There it is Troy." Moffitt pointed ahead to the wreckage of the plane. "It doesn't look too badly damaged."

"It kind of looks like it just landed there on purpose." Tully drawled around his matchstick.

"Do you think our guys are still alive?" Hitchcock asked as he studied the wreck.

"I don't know." Troy responded absently.

"It looks like the Germans beat us to the crash site." Moffitt warned after studying the site for a bit.

"What?"

"Just behind the body of the plane…it looks like tire tracks."

Troy focused his glasses on the spot that Moffitt indicated. Finally he was able to make out the markings that the other sergeant had seen.

"Maybe that patrol wasn't tracking us after all." Tully suggested.

"Or maybe they were and they let us go so they could head straight for the crash." Hitch offered. "I thought that we lost them pretty easy."

"It doesn't matter," Troy responded, "they're our problem now. We have to check out that plane and see if our guys survived."

"I suggest that we head for that dune just past the plane and leave the jeeps there. We can walk the rest of the way." Moffitt had spotted a route from the dune to the plane that he thought would give them some cover.

Troy decided to keep his team together. He calculated that if the patrol had beaten them to the crash they would be dealing with at least eight men from the patrol plus any Germans who had survived the crash.

Getting the jeeps to the dune was easy enough. A light breeze was blowing, not enough to hide their movements but enough to carry away the sounds of the motors. Once the jeeps were parked they gathered their gear and began their careful approach to the downed plane.

Hitch crawled up behind the first guard and wrapped his garrote around the throat of the sleepy soldier. Jerking backwards, he pulled the guard off his feet. As the soldier lost consciousness and his body relaxed, Hitch released the pressure. He quickly tied his hands and feet and left him lying in the sand.

Tully hit the next one with the handle of his knife. This guard too dropped soundlessly to the sand. Tully smiled as he crouched over him; he would have one whopper of a headache when he woke up, but he would live.

Troy and Moffitt slid along the side of the plane, carefully so that they wouldn't make a sound. As they eased toward the door Troy motioned the privates to cover them. With one fluid motion, they stepped inside, one on either side of the door.

The rest of the Germans from the patrol car were asleep, lined along one side of the plane. Several other men slept along the other side of the plane's interior, leaving the center aisle clear. Near the back, the three prisoners slept, bound to one another by a heavy rope. Another guard, Troy guessed that he was supposed to be watching the prisoners, sat leaning against the plane's rigid frame, sleeping.

Troy looked toward Moffitt and his smile shone brightly in the plane's dark interior. The moonlight shining through the bullet holes in the sides of the plane gave it an eerie quality. Troy leaned out of the door to motion Tully forward. He had Hitch remain on guard outside.

Tully tip-toed his way between the sleeping soldiers, reaching the sleeping guard. He raised his rifle and hit the guard over the head. The thump of wood hitting bone woke several of the men from the patrol cars. They lifted their heads and looked around sleepily. Seeing Tully, they raised their weapons, waking the others in the process. The mad scramble halted as Moffitt told them to freeze. One by one they raised their hands in surrender.

"Sergeant Troy."

Troy looked over in surprise as Dietrich sat up, letting the blanket fall from his face.

"Good evening Captain, sorry to disturb your rest, but you have something that we want."

Dietrich looked toward the prisoners knowingly. "Our pilot reported seeing American jeeps near the airfield as we took off." He looked to Troy for confirmation.

"Guilty as charged."

"How did you find us? How did you even know that we had crashed?" The German officer waited for Troy to respond. Troy remained silent, letting him work it out for himself. "Oh, I see, those fighters never meant to destroy us. They were just to force us down so that you could catch up to us."

Troy's ready smile was confirmation enough for the Captain. Troy left Tully to guard the prisoners while he helped the freed Americans out of the confines of the plane.

"Lucky for us that you found us Sergeant." The Major exclaimed as Troy cut the ropes on his wrists.

"Not much luck involved Major." Troy admitted. "The flyboys who forced you down gave us the coordinates."

"However it happened Sergeant, we're grateful for the rescue."

"You told Captain Dietrich that you were at the airbase when we took off Sergeant." A Captain questioned suspiciously. "How did you get here so fast?"

"We flew Captain." Troy answered with a smile. "Ask headquarters, my men are amazing with a pair of jeeps."

Moffitt chuckled at the comment, earning him a glare from the third American, a young lieutenant.

"Major, if it's all right with you, I want to move out of here before daylight. The Germans know this position and they will send more help. Our safest bet is to be gone before they get here." Troy urged the officers toward the dune and the jeeps.

"I've always heard that traveling on the desert at night was dangerous." The Captain remarked.

"No more dangerous than hanging around here waiting for Captain Dietrich's men to come hunting for him." Troy responded seriously.

"You know the Captain?" The lieutenant demanded.

Troy gave the Lieutenant an amused glance. "Yeah, we've met." He answered without going into detail.

"You got here to rescue us Sergeant; I think we should trust you to get us back to our lines. Whatever you want, we'll do." The Major agreed in a friendly manner. "Let me make the introductions. Captain Thomas DeLano, Lieutenant Todd Prentiss, and I'm Major Edward Reese."

"Sergeant Sam Troy, my second –in-command, Sergeant Jack Moffitt, and Private Tully Pettigrew is the guy on guard duty inside. I have another man on guard on the hill, Private Mark Hitchcock. We know who you are Major, we were at the airfield to rescue you but we were a little late."

"Why were you late?" The lieutenant demanded.

"The jeep wings were a little short." Troy answered in a tone every bit as clipped as Moffitt's English manner of speaking.

"What were you doing while we were being interrogated?" Lt. Prentiss continued despite a warning look from the Major.

"Interrogated?" Troy looked toward the plane where Dietrich was trying to look disinterested. "Are you saying that Captain Dietrich interrogated you?"

"Yes, what else would you call it?"

Troy shrugged. "Well Lieutenant, we've met the Captain a few times. He asks a lot of questions, no doubt about that, but he has never done any hard core interrogation. That would have come after you met the Gestapo."

"Are you defending him?"

"Just saying Lieutenant, the Captain may ask a lot of questions but as far as I know he has always stayed within the guidelines of the Geneva Convention."

Deciding that it was time to change the subject, the Major interrupted. "How are we going to guard all of these prisoners and get them back to our lines?"

Troy sighed. "If you have no objections Major, I'd rather leave them here."

"What?" The Lieutenant squawked.

"Lieutenant, we need to move fast. We're pretty sure that this part of the desert will be crawling with krauts before long. These guys would only slow us down and we don't have enough men to guard them sufficiently. Taking them along would only make it more dangerous for us."

"For you, you mean. You're worried about you and your men."

"Lieutenant, if that was all I was worried about, I would have called the base and said that we couldn't find you. We'd be almost home by now in that case. Instead we told them what plane you were on and then chased it across the desert. Chasing a plane with a jeep is no simple task. Taking these guys along will slow us down and use up valuable resources. We'd have to use one or both of their cars which are slower than our jeeps. That means all four of us would have to drive. That doesn't leave anyone to act as guards but you three and you can't watch all four vehicles. If you can figure it out any differently, enlighten me Lieutenant."

"What do you have in mind Sergeant? It seems to me that if we just turn them loose they'll soon be chasing us again." The Major interrupted before the Lieutenant could argue any further.

"I was thinking that we could send them back in one patrol car. If I have Tully work on the engine, we can guarantee that they can't make good time. We'll disable their radio and send them on their way. Even if they run into someone, the others will have to take the time to see that they are taken care of and get back safely. We'll give them one can of water to keep them going."

"Why give them water if we are going to leave them?" Lieutenant Prentiss wondered aloud. "You said they might run into others."

"Might Lieutenant." Troy repeated the key word. "I won't leave anyone out here without water if I can help it. Leaving them without water is a death sentence. I don't kill helpless prisoners or wounded."

"They're not our problem once we turn them loose."

"Lieutenant! The sergeant knows what he is doing… and besides …he's right, we don't murder non-combatants. These guys became non-combatants the minute they surrendered." Major Reese took a stand in the decision. "Sergeant, have your man 'fix' their car."

"Yes Sir. Tully! Fix one of the cars and disable the other one. Smash the radio and check for weapons."

Tully nodded and left to do Troy's bidding.

"Sir, I think that we should take Captain Dietrich with us." Lieutenant Prentiss insisted. "He's the commander of this entire sector. He probably has a lot of valuable information."

"Sergeant?"

"The Captain may have the information, but he'll be a tough nut to crack Sir." Troy warned. "And we know from past experience that he's as slippery as an eel."

"Well I'm a pretty good fisherman Sergeant." The lieutenant gloated.

"Your call Major, we can fit the Captain into one of the jeeps; just don't say I didn't warn you."

"All right Lieutenant," the Major agreed, "but the Captain will be your responsibility."

Tully returned to report that the patrol car had been doctored. "I checked the other one out and filled the gas tanks on all of the vehicles." At Troy's questioning look he added. "I thought that we might want to use the second patrol car, eight of us in two jeeps will be a tight fit. Besides, if we get into a fight, the others can run for it in the patrol car."

"Good thinking Tully. With eight of us we would have had to do a lot of walking before we got back." Troy looked around as if looking for someone. "Is Hitch still on guard?"

"Yeah, he said it looked as if we had things under control so he stayed on the hill to watch for company."

"Okay, let's get started. We'll get the extra Germans out of here first. Why don't you help Moffitt get them loaded and on their way?"

Tully nodded and went to tell Moffitt.

"Who is Hitch?"

Troy turned to find Captain DeLano standing behind him. "My other driver." Looking more closely at the Captain, Troy suddenly became concerned. "Are you all right?"

"I think that I may have a few broken ribs." The Captain explained with a wry smile.

"Moffitt!" Troy called as he reached for the Captain. "You'd better sit down Captain; I'll have Moffitt take a look at you."

"What is it Troy?" The British sergeant came at the summons.

"The Captain may have some broken ribs, take a look at him, and see if you can make him comfortable. Did the Germans give you any trouble about leaving?"

"No." Moffitt shook his head and reached for the Captain. "They didn't want to leave Dietrich but he ordered them to go, so they did. Are you aware that he has a broken arm?"

"No, why wasn't it bandaged?"

"They didn't have any medical supplies. They used the kits in the patrol cars for the more seriously injured. The pilot and co-pilot were killed. They buried them. I gave one of the injured a shot of morphine before I sent him off. I gave Dietrich one too. It should be kicking in soon."

"The Captain may need one too." Troy sighed. "How many do we have left?"

"After I give the Captain one I will have six left. I brought extra in case we needed them for the rescued prisoners."

Troy nodded thoughtfully. "Barring any more injuries, that should get us through."

"Let me look at the Captain and then I think that we should bloody well be on our way. This part of the desert may be getting fairly crowded when the sun comes up."

"Tully, watch Dietrich."

"Right Sarge."

"Major, we need to get loaded. Can one if you drive the patrol car?"

"Why not let one of us drive the jeep?" Lieutenant Prentiss challenged.

"Because my men drive our jeeps Lieutenant. If we run into trouble, they know what to do without being told. You'll take the patrol car and run for home while we keep the enemy busy."

"Lieutenant, let the sergeant do his job. Can you drive the patrol car or not?" Major Reese demanded an answer as his patience wore thin.

"Yes Sir." The Lieutenant acknowledged meekly.

"Good, then get behind the wheel, the sergeant wants to leave as soon as Captain DeLano is ready." The Major waited until the Lieutenant had gone before he turned to Troy. "He's a good officer Sergeant, just young."

"They don't stay that way long around here Major. They grow up or they get killed." Troy nodded toward the patrol car. "Can he handle Captain Dietrich? Like I told you Major, the Captain is not easy to hold."

"Perhaps you could keep him in your jeep while we are traveling Sergeant." The Major suggested.

"I can do that Major, but if we run into trouble, he's going to get in the way."

"Kick him out Sergeant, I can live with that. If we run into trouble his people will pick him up"

Troy laughed at the idea of kicking Dietrich out of his jeep. He wasn't sure that the officer's wounded pride would be worth the trouble he would cause because of it though. "We'll see Major; it's too late to send him back now anyway. Maybe we'll have time to hand him off to you if things heat up."

As soon as Moffitt finished treating Captain DeLano and Captain Dietrich they climbed into the vehicles. "Hitch!" The driver ran out of the darkness and took his seat behind the wheel of his jeep. With the jeeps leading the way, the three vehicles headed out into the darkness themselves.

Hitch led the way with Troy walking ahead when the going got rough. Tully and Moffitt brought up the rear with Dietrich sitting beside Tully where Moffitt could keep an eye on him. By dawn they had covered enough distance that Troy felt it was safe to stop to cool the engines and eat while their wounded got some rest.

"How are you feeling Captain?" Troy approached Dietrich as he ate the meal that Tully had prepared.

"Fine Sergeant." Dietrich replied stiffly.

"You're not fine and we both know it Captain. There's no need to suffer, if you need more morphine, just let Moffitt know."

Dietrich looked into his adversary's eyes and saw the genuine concern there. Relaxing his attitude a bit, he nodded. "Thank you Sergeant. I suppose I also owe you a thank you for allowing my men to return to our base."

"I hope that they made it all right Captain. We did what we could but we couldn't give them any more help without putting ourselves at risk."

"I'm sure that they made it all right Sergeant. Lt. Holstrum is a capable officer who has desert experience. I'm sure he took good care of them."

"Good to know Captain." Troy looked uncomfortable as he glanced back toward the others. "Look, Lieutenant Prentiss is complaining that we are wasting our medical supplies on you. He thinks that we should save it for Captain DeLano."

"I understand Sergeant; that puts you in a rather awkward position." The German officer nodded in understanding.

"Not really Captain." Troy grinned. "The Lieutenant doesn't know just how much morphine we have with us." The sergeant reached into his shirt and pulled out a cloth wrapped bundle. "I'm giving you two styrettes, that should keep you comfortable until you get to a hospital."

"Why would you do that Sergeant?"

"Maybe I don't like the Lieutenant's attitude…or maybe I figure you'd do the same for me."

"Highly unlikely Sergeant." Dietrich responded as he noticed the gleam in the sergeant's eyes. "What are you up to?"

"Prisoners become your responsibility the moment that you make them a prisoner. I believe that Captain." Handing the bundle to Dietrich, he gave him some advice. "Keep the morphine out of sight Captain."

Dietrich fingered the bundle, feeling the styrettes inside. Finally he nodded and slipped the medicine into the sling that Moffitt had placed on his arm. "Thank you Sergeant." Troy nodded and walked back to the others as if nothing had transpired between them.

Tully was the first to notice the dust. He yelled to Moffitt and pointed. The sergeant had him swing around the patrol car and catch up to Troy. "Dust!" He yelled at the other sergeant.

Troy looked and nodded. "We'll try to avoid them. Keep your eyes open. Drop back and drop your rake." Moffitt nodded and turned his full attention to the dust. He knew that Tully had heard the orders and would take the appropriate action.

Hitch changed course and hugged any imperfections on the desert floor to break up their outline. There wasn't enough cover to hide and they couldn't risk allowing anyone to catch up to them. When Troy spotted dust ahead of them he began to seriously consider his options. Calling a halt, he had Dietrich transferred to the patrol car. The others didn't need to be told that he was considering action against one or both of the approaching groups.

"Keep moving in this direction Lieutenant. If we have to engage, we'll lead them away and come find you."

"What if we run into more Germans?"

"Don't run into them, run away from them." Troy advised. "If we engage we'll probably draw every German for miles around. Keep your eyes open and hug the dunes and the hills for cover. Sometimes you can duck behind them and escape notice."

"We'll be fine Sergeant." Major Reese assured him.

"Good luck Major, we won't leave you unless it looks like we have no choice."

"We appreciate all of your help Sergeant. Good luck to you too."

The three vehicles covered a few more miles before they spotted the German column. Troy knew that they could outrun it but he didn't want to get trapped between two or more German units. Giving Hitch a nod, he signaled Tully and Moffitt that they were going after the column. The two jeeps broke away from the patrol car and raced toward the approaching German unit.

The lead halftrack spotted their approach and opened fire before they were in range. The shell hit well in front of them, making geysers of dirt in their path. The jeeps split apart, passing the column on different sides. Bullets flew past them, some close enough to whistle in their ears. Both 50's opened fire, some bullets hitting the armor while others found softer targets. Men screamed and fell to the sand, some dead, some merely wounded. Troy hoped that the wounded would need to be returned to the base, requiring the column to send able bodied men back with them. He called off the attack after the second pass, hoping that the number of wounded would force the column to give up the chase. With a wave to Moffitt he sent both jeeps racing back to the patrol car they had abandoned.

"That is not an attack I would have expected to succeed but you seem to know what you are doing." The Major commented when they were once again together as a group.

"It works for us Major. Maybe we should find a place to rest and check our wounded. We want to make sure that the morphine doesn't wear off. The road is going to get rougher from here on out."

"Lead on Sergeant."

They were still cooling their engines when the source of the second dust cloud made its presence known.

Hitch yelled a warning as the first of the halftracks rolled around the dunes only half a mile away. The German driver spotted them about the same time and yelled to his gunner. Hitch ran for the jeeps as a second halftrack followed the first.

"They're close Sarge. They came in behind the dunes so the dust and noise was lost in the valley." The private yelled as he jumped into his jeep.

"That area is baked hard." Moffitt confirmed. "They wouldn't have created much dust. The dunes would have hidden the sound with the help of this breeze."

"We'll have to engage." Troy yelled. "This patrol car won't be able to outrun them. Hitch, swing wide, we'll try to come in on their side." His driver nodded and adjusted his goggles. Troy felt the jeep lurch forward as the blond stepped on the gas. The jeep fairly flew over the sand.'

Troy cleared the chamber and checked the ammo for the 50. The column appeared in front of them as soon as they crested the dune. Troy opened fire, trying to throw the Germans into a panic. The more flustered they were, the more erratic their fining became. He could hear Moffitt's 50 on the other side of the column.

The racket was ear-shattering. Between the 50's, the rifles, the shells exploding and the whine of the engines, talking was no longer possible. Yelling didn't even work under these conditions. Troy leaned forward and tapped his driver on the shoulder when he wanted to break off the attack. Normally they would have ''hit and run', leaving the heavier vehicles behind, but this time, they needed to give the patrol car time to get away. The two drivers brought their vehicles together while they waited for orders. "We don't have a choice; we need to hit them again to make sure that they don't follow us when we leave." Troy yelled louder than he had to because of the ringing in his ears.

Moffitt nodded his agreement.

They were preparing to go another round when the sounds of gunshots reached their ears. The sound was coming from where they had left the patrol car. The two sergeants exchanged looks and the German column was forgotten. The jeeps raced for the patrol car they had left behind.

Troy saw their patrol car running ahead of two patrol cars full of German soldiers. The Germans were gaining but they were no longer shooting at the fleeing Americans.

"They saw Dietrich." Hitchcock yelled to his sergeant.

"It's a good thing that we left him with them." Troy yelled back.

Lieutenant Prentiss was leaning over the steering wheel pushing the car as hard as he could. The car bounced over a rock, throwing it sideways, bringing it to a stop. Troy noticed the damage to the front wheel right away. It didn't take a mechanic to know that the car was out of commission. Major Reese helped Captain DeLano out of the vehicle and they hid behind its frame. Lieutenant Prentiss jumped out and joined them, leaving Dietrich alone in the car.

The German captain took advantage of the lapse in security and slid out on the other side. While his men peppered the disabled car with bullets, he ran for the German vehicles. Troy watched as one of the cars surged forward to meet the Captain. Dietrich nearly fell into the car, helped by its crew. One of the crew members noticed the fast approaching jeeps and yelled a warning. Both cars turned sharply and retreated, taking Dietrich with them. Troy chose not to give chase. Instead he ordered his drivers to pick up the American officers.

"Grab any gas or water." He instructed Tully and Moffitt. "Major, you and Captain DeLano can ride with me. The Lieutenant can ride with Tully and Moffitt."

The officers were quick to comply, turning often o look toward the German column. All three seemed relieved when the column turned away and disappeared into the distance.

"Will they follow us Sergeant?" Major Reese sat on the radio in the rear of the jeep next to Troy. They had put Captain DeLano in the front seat where he would be more comfortable.

"I doubt it Major." Troy admitted. "We hit them pretty hard. They'll have to lick their wounds and they have to get their wounded to a hospital. Dietrich probably needs a hospital too."

"It's unfortunate that the Captain escaped." Major Reese watched Troy as he made the statement.

"Yes Sir, but I did warn you that he was slippery."

"Indeed you did Sergeant. I hope that you don't blame the Lieutenant."

Troy glanced over with a grin. "No Sir, we have a hard time holding onto him too."

"I hope his column has some morphine, I have a feeling that he's going to need it before he gets back to his base."

"I'm sure he'll be fine Sir." Troy smiled as he remembered the morphine Dietrich had hidden in his sling.

"Are you always so considerate of your prisoners Sergeant Troy?"

"No Sir." Troy admitted. "We treat them like we hope to be treated. Captain Dietrich is one of those officers who treat commandos like regular soldiers, despite his orders from Berlin."

"You respect him." The Major made it a statement rather than a question.

"Yes Sir."

"Enough said Sergeant….now,..how far are we from home?"

Troy laughed. "Homesick Sir?" As the Major sighed an admission, Troy leaned to call to his driver. "Hitch, the Major want to get home..step on it." His driver nodded and increased his speed. Troy looked over and smiled. "At this rate Major, we should be home in about two hours."

The Major nodded, smiling widely. "Excellent Sergeant."