Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.
Who's In Charge
By Suzie2b
Tully joined Hitch as he connected the wires to the detonator. "Everything's set inside. As soon as we've blown this ammo dump we can go after Troy and Moffitt."
Hitch glanced up at the cave as he tightened the screw down on the second wire. "Yeah, we'll be on our way in no time."
The plunger was pulled up, and with a deep breath, Hitch rammed it home. The explosion was immediate and impressive as the cave, along with the German ammunition, was destroyed.
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It had started three days earlier. The Rat Patrol was out on a routine patrol when they got a call from Captain Boggs on the radio. Headquarters knew the Germans had set up an ammo dump, but hadn't been able to track it down. The captain assigned Sergeant Troy and his men to get into German headquarters and find out where it was located, then go and destroy it.
The jeeps were stopped behind a rocky hill not far outside the German base. Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully had been in there before and knew the layout. They knew what they were looking for would be in one of two second floor offices.
After sundown, they climbed the wall surrounding the base and watched until the upstairs offices in headquarters went dark. They waited another hour, then Troy whispered, "Hitch, you and Tully take Captain Roth's office. Moffitt and I will take Major Stein's. You know what we're looking for, right?" Both privates nodded. "Okay, let's go."
The four men moved as one off the wall. Staying low and out of sight they went to the back of the building. They knew where they would be able to get up onto the first floor roof. They also knew the windows wouldn't be locked. Troy and Moffitt disappeared into one office while Hitch and Tully went through the window of the other.
After following Hitch inside, Tully silently closed the window and pulled the curtains across it. With flashlights they started to methodically search the office.
It seemed to take an awfully long time, but it was actually only a couple of minutes before Hitch came up with what they were looking for. They quickly went out the window, leaving everything as if they'd never been there. As Hitch and Tully moved across the roof to Major Stein's office window, they saw the light come on. When they got there and peeked inside, they discovered that Troy and Moffitt had been caught. Hitch and Tully saw that they were outnumbered, not only by the Germans in the office, but by the entire German base if the alarm was sounded. They looked at each other and reluctantly started back to the jeeps.
The privates waited an hour, but there was no signs that Troy and Moffitt had escaped. Hitch said, "What do you think? Should we go after them or wait until morning?"
Tully sighed. "Well, Troy and Moffitt would want us to blow that ammo dump before we do anything else."
Hitch hesitated, then said, "Yeah, you're right. If they aren't back here by daylight, I guess we'll head out."
Tully nodded. "Once we blow that ammo we can come back and mount a rescue."
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Hitch and Tully spent the rest of the night taking turns on watch and not getting much sleep. When the sun finally rose it was obvious Troy and Moffitt weren't going to be joining them … at least not right away.
The privates decided to take one jeep and leave the other behind covered with a camouflaged tarp. Tully drove and Hitch read the directions off the map.
It was well after noon before they got to their destination. A cave. Tully went inside to make sure it was what they'd been looking for. When he returned to the jeep for the TNT and detonator wire, he said, "It's in there all right. Tons of it. There's going to be some real nice fireworks with this one."
Hitch smiled at the comment. "It's no wonder that our planes couldn't find this place. They were looking for a well-manned garrison. Good thing we found that map."
Tully grabbed the roll of wire and bundle of explosives. "I'll set this stuff up inside. Move the jeep to a safe distance and get the detonator ready."
"Right. Just don't take too much time setting up. We need to start back as soon as possible."
Tully nodded and headed into the cave.
After the very satisfying explosion, Hitch and Tully checked to be sure the cave was sealed up tight. If any of the ammunition or explosives did survive, it would take months for the Germans to dig them out of the rubble.
##################
It was close to midnight when Hitch and Tully got back to the cover of the hill and the other jeep. It was quickly uncovered so it would be ready to go. Again they would spend the remainder of the night taking turns on watch and sleeping restlessly. Each of them thinking of plans to suggest to the other come morning.
Tully yawned as he sat next to a scrub bush. The sky was starting to lighten up even though the sun wouldn't be up for a while yet. Tully squinted into the dull light as he noticed something that definitely hadn't been there before their expedition to that ammo dump. He picked up the binoculars and peered across the expanse of desert at the object sitting outside the gates of the German base. Then he realized what it was. "Oh my God." He turned and gave a whistle. Hitch sat up immediately and Tully waved at him to join him.
Hitch knelt next to Tully. "What's going on?"
Tully gave him the binoculars as he pointed and said, "Take a look at that. They were busy while we were gone."
Hitch looked—blinked several times—looked again before he gasped, "That's a gallows!" He lowered the binoculars to look a Tully. "You don't think they're going to hang Troy and Moffitt do you?"
"Don't believe there's anyone else in there they'd be hangin'."
"We gotta do something."
Hitch and Tully sat there as the sun came up, making suggestions and discarding them one by one.
##################
It was 0830 hours on a Tuesday … if it matters. Hitch and Tully watched the gates slowly swing open. Twelve German soldiers marched out and lined both sides of the gallows. A minute later they saw two sergeants, one American and one British, walk out of the gates under heavy guard.
Troy and Moffitt had both been interrogated and beaten. Neither had given the Germans any information or any reason why they had been caught in Major Stein's office. Now they were ascending the stairs at gunpoint, hands cuffed behind them, to the gallows to be executed for treason.
Without a word Hitch and Tully ran down to the jeeps. Tully drove while Hitch manned the 50 caliber in the back. As they rounded the hill, they could see Captain Roth standing before Troy and Moffitt reading the charges against them as two of Roth's men placed masks over their heads and put the nooses around the sergeants' necks.
Hitch let loose with the 50 before any of the Germans knew what was happening. By the time any of them could return fire most of them were dead.
Captain Roth hurriedly reached for the lever that would release the trapdoors beneath the prisoners. Heavy slugs ripped through his body. He was dead before he started to fall. As he went down, he fell against the lever. Troy and Moffitt felt the floor go out from under them. However, they didn't stop at the end of their ropes, but when they hit the ground after 50 caliber bullets severed them. Then Hitch grabbed each of the sergeants by the arm and yelled, "Let's go!"
Recognizing the private's voice, Troy and Moffitt allowed themselves to be led to the jeep and pushed in. Then they heard an explosion that was Tully using a grenade on the gallows before he got them out of there with the Germans hot on their tails.
Tully stopped long enough to pick up the other jeep before he and Hitch sped off into the desert.
##################
They stopped in the cover of a waterhole when they were sure they were no longer being pursued. Hitch and Tully were quick to get the nooses and masks off Troy and Moffitt.
Troy looked at his two privates through swollen eyes as Tully made short work of the cuffs with the bolt cutters. "Thanks. The ammo dump?"
Hitch replied as he handed the sergeant a canteen and reached for a med kit. "We took care of it, sarge."
Moffitt rubbed his wrists after Tully freed him. His voice was slightly garbled due to a swollen, bloodied lip. "As much as I'm glad to see you both, I'm equally glad you blew that ammunition before coming for us."
Tully said, "We knew you'd want us to do it that way … even though it was a rough decision for us."
Hitch and Tully then went about helping Troy and Moffitt out of the jeep. Once they were settled on blankets in the shade, the two privates set about cleaning and bandaging the sergeants bruised and bloodied faces.
When they were finished Tully looked at Hitch and said, "We should probably stay here until morning."
Hitch nodded. "Yeah. It'll give these two a chance to rest."
Troy frowned. "'These two'? And since when are you two giving orders?"
Hitch smiled. "Since you and Moffitt nearly got yourselves hung."
Moffitt sighed. "They're right, Troy. We're in no shape to be in charge at the moment."
Tully grinned as he said, "Just take it easy. Hitch and I can handle things. You can take over in the morning … if you want."
Troy relented. "Yeah … okay. I have to admit, I'm ready to get some sleep."
Hitch said, "There you go then. Get some rest and when you wake up Tully and I will have some soup ready for you."
Without waiting for further conversation, the privates stood and walked away to take care of other things.
Moffitt laid back and closed his eyes. "We have a lot to be proud of, don't you think? They handled themselves very well under the circumstances."
Troy continued to watch his men. "I couldn't be more proud if they were my own sons."
When he laid down and closed his eyes, he fell asleep to the sound of Hitch and Tully's quiet voices as they talked and laughed.