The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid

By; AliasCWN

Chapter 7

Tully and Moffitt were in the lead when the planes circled back for another pass. The jeeps split up; each racing to avoid the lines of bullets headed their way. As the planes made a strafing run they each chose a different target.

Tully made a sharp turn, nearly upsetting the jeep in the soft sand. The plane, flying low, passed directly over their heads. Moffitt was too busy trying to stay in the jeep to be able to get the gun into position to fire at the easy target. The plane roared away for another pass before he could correct the problem.

Troy fired at the plane that was chasing his jeep as it began to climb but he knew he had missed. He twisted to spot the second plane and saw it aimed right at them. Hitch dodged the bullets and put on a burst of speed, trying to get into a position that would give Troy a good shot. The planes suddenly pulled up and abandoned their strafing run. Troy looked around but he couldn't see any reason for the change.

The planes changed course and this time both planes were concentrating on the same target. Tully swerved and changed speed as both planes made a run at him. The first one made another strafing run, keeping Tully occupied. Tully ran for a short distance and then did something the pilot never expected. He stomped on the brakes, spun his wheel, and put his jeep broadside to the path of the approaching plane. He waited until just the right moment and then stepped on the gas. For a second he thought that he may have miscalculated, but then the tires caught and the jeep jumped away from the line of bullets in the sand. The second plane, couldn't correct in time so the pilot chose to hold his fire.

The planes split up, each one going in a different direction as they chased the slippery American vehicles. This time one of the planes made a strafing run while the second one opted for dropping a bomb.

Tully watched as they came in, trying to time their speed as he tried to maintain a zig-zagging course. He hit a patch of soft sand and the jeep tipped dangerously. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Moffitt hanging onto the base of the 50 for support, his hands no longer on the handles. Regaining control, the ex-moonshine runner put all of his considerable driving skills to good use to escape the planes.

The pilot making the strafing run anticipated his move and angled his plane in the same direction. As Tully hunched over his wheel and tried to outmaneuver the plane, the pilot opened fire. Bullets tore into the sand alongside the speeding jeep. The little vehicle wobbled precariously as the front tire blew.

The second plane lined up to drop his bomb but his entire plane shook under his hands on the yolk. The aircraft was headed for the ground before he could correct and pull up.

Hitch broke off from chasing Tully after Troy's bullets tore into the belly of the second plane. He saw it shake and lean as the pilot tried to pull up. Turning away, he began to look for the first plane again. He heard Troy yell just as he spotted it coming at them from out of the sun. With a desperate yank he twisted the wheel, trying to get out of the line of fire. The pilot, having had little success with bullets, decided to opt for a bomb this time.

Hitch heard the heavy bomb as it left the bomb bay. The aircraft roared overhead and climbed to get out of the bomb's blast radius.

"Jump!"

Hitch heard Troy's yell over the whine of the plane's engines. Letting go of the wheel, he tucked and rolled out of his seat. He hit the ground hard, knocking the air from his lungs. Holding his hands over his ears, he burrowed as deep as he could into the sand. He could hear the jeep as the engine slowed without his foot on the gas. His last thought was that maybe the jeep would slow enough that maybe the bomb would miss it.

Troy yelled at his driver and then dove for the sand himself. He landed on his shoulder and then rolled into a depression in the desert floor. Covering his ears he ducked a low as the ground would allow. The detonation of the bomb was close enough to momentarily render his deaf. He struggled to his feet only to fall as the world spun around him crazily. He looked for his driver but he couldn't see anything in all of the dust thrown into the air by the explosion. Struggling to his feet again, he almost stepped in front of the other jeep as it slid to a stop beside him.

Tully slammed on the brakes and slid to a stop, narrowly missing Troy as the sergeant took a wobbly step. Moffitt jumped down and grabbed the other sergeant by the arm.

"The plane Moffitt, watch for the plane!" Troy shouted. If Moffitt answered Troy couldn't hear him over the ringing in his ears. "Hitch! Hitch!"

"Troy! Troy!"

Moffitt's voice finally drove out the ringing in his ears and Troy turned toward the sound. He was surprised to find that he was on his knees next to the other jeep. It was disconcerting that he hadn't even realized that the other vehicle was there.

"The plane?" Troy asked in a louder voice than he realized.

"It crashed." Moffitt yelled back. "We managed to shoot it down but not before it released its bomb." The British sergeant tried to get Troy to sit down but it was no use.

"Hitch?"

"Tully's looking for him."

"Looking?"

"We can't see much until the dust settles Troy."

"The jeep?"

"Gone."

"Hitch?"

Moffitt sighed, glanced deeper into the dust surrounding them, and shrugged his shoulders. "Tully's looking." Moffitt reached out to push on Troy's shoulder as the other sergeant tried to rise. "Stay down Troy, you're hurt. Give Tully time to look."

Troy looked down at himself and was surprised by the blood on his shirt. "Didn't feel anything." He admitted after a moment. "Can't hear too well either." He strained to look into the dust. "I yelled at Hitch to jump but I didn't see what happened to him."

"Did he hear you?"

Troy shook his head to clear it. "I don't know."

"Sarge!"

"That's Tully." Moffitt shouted to Troy. "Wait here, I'll go see what he found."

"I'll go with you."

"No. Stay here Troy; I'll take care of that shoulder after I see what Tully needs. Let me check this out." He pushed Troy onto the ground. "Stay here!" With that Moffitt ran into the dust toward the sound of Tully's voice.

The dust was starting to settle but it still hung in the air like a dirty haze. Tully was kneeling on the ground covered from head to toe by the fine grit. Moffitt thought that he looked like a stone statue until he raised his head.

As Moffitt dropped to his knees next to Tully the private turned back to the still form in the sand. If Tully looked like a sandstone statue, Hitch looked like he was part of the desert. He was half buried by the sand thrown into the air by the explosion. His eyes were closed and the sand had sealed them as if they didn't exist. Streaks of blood had formed little rivulets in the grim like droplets of water on a fogged window. Tully lifted his head, trying to wake him.

"Wait Tully; let's check him for any injuries first, shall we?"

Tully nodded but he didn't loosen his grip on his friend.

Moving his slowly and carefully, they checked for more injuries. They found a few pieces of shrapnel in his arm and leg. They weren't too deep and Moffitt was able to remove them easily.

"They must have bounced and hit him." Moffitt suggested. "A blast with that force would have done more damage if it had hit directly."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I hope so Tully. I'm not a doctor but they don't look too bad to me. He was awfully close to that blast." The Brit applied bandages to the wounds and tied them off. "Help me get him into the jeep. Captain Olsen has medics with his group. We can take him there."

Tully nodded an tried to lift Hitch again.

"No." Moffitt placed a hand on Tully's arm. "We'll bring the jeep to him."

Troy was waiting impatiently for them. When they walked back to the jeep alone he slumped to the ground. "Did you find him?"

"Yes." Moffitt replied. "He's alive Troy."

"Where is he?"

"Over there. He jumped but it looks like some shrapnel bounced and hit him." At the flash of worry in Troy's eyes, he hurried to explain. "It wasn't deep and I managed to remove it so it won't do any more damage. We're going to load both of you into the jeep and take you to Captain Olsen's medics."

Troy nodded tiredly and began to push himself to his feet. "Wait, we have to change the tire on our jeep" Troy nodded again and sat down to wait. Once the tire was changed Tully took his seat while Moffitt climbed into the back, leaving Troy the passenger seat. Tully moved the jeep next to Hitch and they loaded him into the rear of the jeep on a bed of blankets.

"Your shoulder has stopped bleeding so I think I'll leave it for the medics to clean. Hold on." Moffitt leaned forward to help hold Troy upright as the jeep began to move.

They found the medics busy caring for the wounded from the battle. Moffitt and Tully dropped off their wounded and went in search of Captain Olsen to report.

"How's it going Captain?"

Captain Olsen turned at the sound of Moffitt's voice. "I thought that you and Troy were going to keep that column busy." The officer demanded.

"There is no column, not anymore." The sergeant reported. "It's all sitting in the desert either disabled or burning."

"You destroyed it all? The tanks too?" The officer sounded incredulous.

"Your mortar team destroyed the tanks." Moffitt smiled. "But we did manage to destroy the patrol cars, the halftracks, and the planes. Let's just hope that they don't send any more planes."

"How did they get word out?"

"Our jammer caught a bullet." Moffitt explained. "I hate to add to your worry Captain but it's more than likely that they asked for help from one of the nearby bases too. " The sergeant warned.

The Captain nodded thoughtfully. "How long do you think we have?"

"This is just a guess, depending on where they come from, but I would estimate two to three hours."

"We're making progress Sergeant, we just may do it. Where is Sergeant Troy?" The Captain's gaze sharpened as Moffitt's eyes dropped.

"Unfortunately, Troy and Hitchcock were injured Captain. They're with your medics right now."

"What happened?" The Captain asked.

"The second plane dropped a bomb on their jeep. They were able to jump clear but they were both caught in the blast."

"Bad?"

"Bad enough Sir, they won't be any help for at least a couple of days."

"At least they're alive Sergeant, be thankful for that. My medics are the best; they'll take good care of them. Once we take the base we'll get them to a hospital."

"Thank you sir, is there anything that Tully and I can do to help?"

The Captain was about to make a suggestion when they heard the planes. "Now what?" The officer sighed as he searched the sky for the aircraft.