The Single Survivor Raid

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 1

"What do you think Moffitt?"

Jack Moffitt studied the scene on the desert floor below them with a critical eye. "It appears that that German column got themselves ambushed. No one buried the dead so we can assume that the Germans lost. All of the bodies appear to be German."

"Arabs?"

"Perhaps. Allied soldiers usually allow the survivors to bury the dead or they do it themselves."

Troy raised his glasses again to scan the desert around them.

"There are tire tracks from at least one vehicle leaving the scene." Moffitt noted.

"So maybe some of them got away?"

Moffitt shrugged. "Either that or the victors needed the truck for some reason. It's possible that it may have been loaded with something of value."

Troy squinted at the sun. "We still have some daylight left, let's take a look."

"Hitch, take us over to that convoy, but be careful. Moffitt thinks there may be Arabs involved." Troy slid into his seat and lifted one of the machine guns from the holster on the fender. If they were attacked while in the jeep he could use the 50 but he wanted to be armed on the ground too. He didn't want to be caught in a position where he couldn't reach the jeep and found himself unarmed.

Hitchcock looked over at the British sergeant but Moffitt was busy explaining the plan to Tully. The other driver nodded even as his jeep lurched forward. Hitch saw Moffitt grab for support as he continued to talk uninterrupted.

Troy reached for support too as Hitch followed Tully's jeep. Both vehicles cleared the dunes and bounced across the uneven desert floor. Hitch kept alert knowing that the Arab bandits could hide in the most unexpected places.

The jeep pulled up next to the first of the bodies and Troy jumped to the ground. He leaned down and checked for a pulse while Hitch kept watch. He looked toward Moffitt and shook his head.

Moffitt nodded and instructed Tully to move on to the next body. One after another the bodies were checked but there were no survivors. The two sergeants stood over the final body and looked around the battle scene.

"It looks like they were taken by surprise." Troy noted.

"Most likely." Moffitt agreed. "Did you notice anything about the bodies Troy?" "You mean how some of them had bullet holes in their heads?"

"Shot point blank." Moffitt agreed. "They had other wounds but the head wounds had powder burns around them."

"They executed the wounded."

Moffitt nodded sadly. "They may have survived their wounds but they weren't given a chance."

"Are you still thinking they were Arabs?" Troy checked to make sure that both drivers were staying alert.

"Everything of value is gone. Someone stripped the bodies of weapons and even personal items. I found tan lines from rings and watches but all of the jewelry was gone. Some of them were even stripped of their boots."

Troy sighed. "I guess the least we can do is give them a proper burial. I wonder if they managed to get a message out to call for help."

"We didn't pick up any messages on the radio. It is possible that they were using a different frequency. Do you want to stick around and see if a relief column shows up?"

"No. We'll bury them and then head home. Dietrich's base is the closest and its two days from here. If they called for help it could be that long before they get here." Troy looked down at the bloated corpse at his feet. "How long do you think they've been here?"

"Two, three hours at least."

Troy nodded. "You and Tully take a swing around and make sure we're alone. I'll put Hitch on starting the graves. I'll help him after I collect dog tags and see if I can find something to wrap them in."

Moffitt nodded and slid into his jeep, giving Tully his new orders. The jeep swung out around the battlefield giving the dead plenty of room.

"Hitch, grab a shovel and start digging some graves. I'll help as soon as I find something to wrap the bodies."

"Right Sarge." The blond reached behind his seat for a shovel. "Where do you want to bury them?"

Troy glanced up from the body at his feet. He wrapped the chain from the dog tags around his fingers before he pointed toward a depression in the sand. "Start there. We can bury them in a shallow grave and then start a slide to make it deeper.

Hitch grunted in appreciated. The less digging he had to do in the heat the better. Stabbing the point of the shovel into the sand, he began to dig.

Troy went from body to body collecting identification. He could hear the sound of the shovel as Hitch tossed the sand aside. Walking over to the disabled vehicles he searched them for blankets or tarps. He found several small tarps and one large one in one of the trucks. They had holes in them but they would do the job. Throwing them into a pile he turned to check on the progress his driver had made.

"Hitch, look out!"

Troy's yell sent Hitchcock rolling into the recently dug grave. There was no other shelter for him to use. Gripping his shovel tightly, Hitch wished he had a rifle instead of the shovel.

Troy had spotted movement on the small dune above where Hitch was digging the grave. Yelling a warning he fired at the spot where he had seen the movement. When there was no return fire Troy took a second to check on his driver. Hitch was lying flat in the hole he had dug hugging the shovel and keeping his head down. Since he wasn't armed the blond was staying out of the way. Troy looked back at the hill but there was no movement there now. Both men waited to see what would happen next.

"Hitch, can you find better cover?"

"Not without exposing myself." The blond called back. "How many did you see?"

"Only one." Troy answered. "Stay put, I'm going to try to flush him out."

"Be careful Sarge."

Troy grinned at his driver. Making the first move might be risky but he wasn't about to let the enemy make a move on Hitch. His driver was exposed and unarmed, not a good combination. Bracing his hand on the ground Troy prepared to rush the enemy's position.

The roar of an engine, a quiet roar since it was Tully's jeep, split the tense silence. Tully wheeled around behind Troy to cover their retreat if they needed it.

Troy twisted around to see Moffitt manning the 50 and waiting for instructions. Waving his arm in a circle Troy sent Moffitt and Tully around behind the enemy position while he kept watch over Hitch. He settled onto the sand to stop any of the enemy who tried to get past him to get away from the other jeep. The rattle of Moffitt's 50 warned him that things could be heating up pretty fast.

"Stay down Hitch!"

"I planned on it Sarge."

Troy grinned and concentrated on the hill where he had spotted the movement.

"Troy! We have him!"

Troy relaxed and climbed to his feet as Moffitt called to him.

"Is he alone?"

"It would appear so." Moffitt answered. "He may be from the column, he's been wounded."

Troy lowered his weapon as he watched Hitch climb to his feet. Curious, he headed for the hill where Tully stood watch as Moffitt checked their new prisoner. Moffitt urged the young soldier to sit as he looked at his wound. "Tully, bring me the medical kit."

Tully nodded and put his machine gun in its holster. Reaching under the seat he ambled over to Moffitt with the medical kit. Troy followed with his weapon ready.

"He's not armed Troy." Moffitt announced as he glanced up.

Troy nodded. "How bad is he wounded?"

"A bullet in his arm and another grazed his head. He's dehydrated but the bleeding has stopped." Tully handed Moffitt a canteen and stepped back. "Thanks Tully." Tully nodded and chewed on his matchstick as he watched Moffitt work.

"Can he answer questions?"

Moffitt looked at the shaking German and shrugged. "He can, but that doesn't mean that he will. He's in shock and suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion. I wouldn't want to push him too hard."

"I wonder why he wasn't killed like the other wounded." Troy eyed the prisoner as Moffitt cleaned and dressed his wounds. "Hitch, finish those graves. Tully, help him. Moffitt find out what he can tell you." All three of the men nodded.

"What are you going to be doing?"

"I'm going to code a message to headquarters while I keep watch. Those shots may draw unwanted attention."

At Troy's comment the young German tensed. Both sergeants noted the reaction. They exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing. Moffitt tied off the last bandage and faced the prisoner.

"Do you speak English?"

The young German stared at him without speaking.

"We can do this in English or in German, I speak your language." Moffitt warned. "English would be quicker since I wouldn't have to translate everything for Sergeant Troy." He tried to look kindly so that he wouldn't frighten the prisoner.

"Can you tell us what happened here?" Troy demanded when the prisoner didn't answer. "Were there any other survivors?"

The soldier looked over to where Hitch and Tully were digging the graves. "You are going to bury our dead?"

Troy glanced toward the privates and nodded. "We don't want to leave them for the scavengers. Burying them is the only decent thing to do."

"The Arabs did not bother." The young soldier replied bitterly.

"You were attacked by Arabs?"

The youth hesitated as if trying to decide if he should answer, then he nodded. "Yes, they were Arabs."

"Were there any other survivors?"

"Yes." The soldier answered with a blush.

"Why didn't they kill you like they did the other wounded?" Moffitt asked.

The soldier blushed again. "Because I played dead." The boy answered with lowered eyes. "They found me and went limp while they searched me and took my weapon. I guess the blood on my head convinced them that I was dead. I think they were in a hurry and didn't check real well. I heard the shots but I didn't realize what was happening at first." A tear rolled down the young man's face. "I should have helped them, I should have fought for them."

"No." Moffitt argued. "You were unarmed. If you had exposed yourself they would still be dead. The only difference is that you would be dead too. Your death would not have helped anyone."

"But I did nothing!"

"You survived." Troy told him. "Now it's up to you to decide where you go from here. You can turn your back on them or you can help save others. It won't bring your friends back but maybe you could prevent more deaths."

"How? How do I that?" The prisoner asked.

Troy shrugged. "Only you can answer that. They were your friends. But I can tell you his; a true friend would not want you to throw your life away for nothing."