The Twist of Fate Raid
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 4
While King Company awaited the signal to begin the assault, Billy worked his way along the stone fence until he was close to Littlejohn.
"Hey Littlejohn, psst, Littlejohn."
"Yeah Billy?"
"How are we going to take these Germans if they don't come out?"
"Well, I'll tell ya Billy," Littlejohn explained calmly in a voice barely above a whisper. "If they won't come out after Kirby throws that grenade through the window, we'll just throw you in the front and let you kill the rest."
"Me?! I can't take all those krauts by myself!" Billy's voice rose in a panic.
"Hush Billy." Littlejohn cautioned. "Sure you can, haven't we been teaching you how to be a good soldier?"
"Well yeah Littlejohn," Billy whined, "but I can't take all those guys alone."
"Haven't you been paying attention to what we've been trying to teach you?" Littlejohn acted indignant. He rolled onto his side to face the smaller man.
"Sure I have!" Billy was quick to assert. "But I'm not ready to take on all those guys all by myself." Appalled at the idea of going in alone, Billy prepared to ask his larger friend for help.
"Okay, okay, don't get all worked up." Littlejohn replied. "I guess Sarge won't mind if we helped; that is, if you're sure that you want our help."
Billy nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah Littlejohn, that would be real good. I'd like that." He added as he smiled with relief.
"Okay," the big man agreed, "but you've got to pay attention this time. Sooner or later, you may have to do this yourself."
"I will Littlejohn, I promise." Giddy with relief, Billy was ready to promise almost anything.
Littlejohn smiled to himself before turning back to face Billy. "Keep your eyes on the house Billy; we don't want anyone getting past us."
"Okay Littlejohn."
Littlejohn grinned again as Billy dutifully concentrated on the front of the farm house. The two men lapsed into silence as they waited for the signal.
When it came, pandemonium reigned. The Germans tried to flee by way of the front door. The men of K Company drove them back, forcing them to retreat into the building. Not all of them made it inside.
One German soldier kept popping up at a window, firing a short burst, and ducking out of sight. Littlejohn tried to get him but the German was quick.
After yet another miss, Billy shouted over the noise to Littlejohn. "I'll get him!" He climbed to his knees with a grenade in his hand.
"Don't forget to pull the pin Billy!" Littlejohn took another shot at the German before glancing over at Billy.
"Aw Littlejohn," Billy hollered, "I'm not that green." He lobbed the grenade in a perfect arc at the window. It landed against the wall beneath the window with a sodden thud. Billy threw his hands over his head and ducked as Littlejohn did the same. They waited expectantly for the explosion. Nothing happened.
"Billy!" Littlejohn frowned at his friend.
"Darn it Littlejohn, you distracted me!"
Littlejohn tried to hide his smile as he twisted, rose to one knee, and fired at the grenade. He dove for cover as dirt, rocks, and wood splinters rained down on them. The fight ended shortly after the detonation. One by one the German guns fell silent.
Billy and Littlejohn rose to their feet to join the others in a search for survivors.
"Hey Billy," Brockmeyer called, "nice throw." He grinned as Billy reddened at the comment.
"Littlejohn distracted me!" Billy called back as the others laughed.
"Don't you worry Billy," Littlejohn patted his shoulder in a fatherly fashion, "we'll make a soldier out of you yet."
"That's if you don't get yourself killed first." Kirby added.
"You just worry about yourself Kirby. I'll look out for Billy." Littlejohn warned.
"Is something wrong here?" Saunders growled as he approached his men.
"No Sarge." They answered in unison.
"Hey Sarge, did you see who we found?" Kirby called, changing the subject.
"As a matter of fact, I did." Saunders confirmed. "Troy and his men are going to go back with us. They'll turn their prisoner over to headquarters."
Saunders entered the house and gathered all of the papers and maps he found. Tying them into a bundle, he took them to Sgt. Moffitt. Handing him the bundle, he indicated the papers. "I guess you'll be wanting these too."
The British sergeant glanced at the papers without speaking. His expression became more animated with each page he read. Finally he handed the papers back to Saunders after a glance at Troy.
"These are notes on all the bases in the area. Detailed descriptions of how they operate, how they ae armed, and troop strengths. You have a treasure trove of information there Sergeant, I'm sure that your superiors will be quite pleased when you deliver them." Moffitt smiled at the expression on the other sergeant's face.
"You don't want to take them in with your prisoner?"
"We had orders to capture this particular prisoner Sergeant. We've been chasing him for over a week." Troy nodded at the papers that Saunders held in his hand. "We don't know anything about those. We got what we came after; now all we have to do is deliver him safely."
Saunders tucked the papers into his jacket pocket under his poncho. "We got what we were after too. I guess these are just a bonus."
"Maybe you can use them as leverage to get some down time." Troy suggested with a grin. "We should have a few days coming after we deliver the prisoner."