The Hidden Depot Raid
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 10
"I say we go back for our jeep Sarge. The Colonel will be mad if we come back without it." Mark Hitchcock was siding with Tully on the decision to return to the base. Tully wanted to send rockslides down to seal the caves permanently so the Germans could never use the again.
"Forget the jeep Hitch. The point is, did we do enough damage to guarantee that they won't be able to resupply that division that the Fifth is facing? The Fifth is counting on us to do the job right." Troy stood in front of his team moderating the discussion.
"We won't know that unless we go back to check." Moffitt, always the voice of reason, pointed out. "We could always observe from a distance now that we know where the base is located."
Troy looked at the three faces watching him expectantly. "Oh alright, we'll go back and see how much damage we managed to do. After all, they won't be expecting us to return this soon."
The four of them piled into the single jeep to return to the German base. Long before they arrived they could smell the smoke from the explosions. Trucks were on fire as well as the curtains that had blocked the light from escaping the caves. Troy, using binoculars, surveyed the damage with satisfaction.
"You did a good job planting those charges. It looks like two of the smaller caverns were buried completely. The explosions destroyed a couple more. Looks like we got everything." '
"What are they loading into that truck on the right?" Moffitt had his glasses focused on a truck in front of one of the smaller caves that hadn't been damaged.
Troy swung his glasses to take a look and swore softly under his breath. "Looks like 88 shells, lots of them. They could do a real number on our guys." He watched as a steady stream of workers carried their deadly cargo from the cave to the truck. "I guess we go back in." He said with a sigh. "We'd better get that cave before it gets light. This desert is going to get hot tomorrow when the krauts come looking for us."
"What about the truck Sarge?" Mark Hitchcock ask quietly, thinking of the American troops that would be facing the big guns. If that truck got through, a lot of American soldiers would die.
"Moffitt, you and Tully go after the truck. Make sure it doesn't get through. Hitch and I will go after the cave. We need to destroy the rest of the shells they have in there."
"Right." Moffitt acknowledged. "Are you sure you won't need help?"
"Are you? That truck is going to be heavily guarded. You'll be out there with no back-up."
"Right you are. We'll try to survive if you two do the same." The Brit admitted with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Take care Jack. We'll meet at the wadi where we were taken prisoner."
Moffitt nodded, his face clouded with concern. When his eyes met the calm brown ones of his driver, he saw the same worry reflected there. Apparently no one was too happy with the arrangements. "You be careful too Troy."
Tully took the glasses and studied the base as the truck fired it engine to leave. He took note of a bent bumper on the truck, filing the information away for future reference in case they should need a way to identify the truck. Moffitt called and they climbed into their jeep to stop the delivery.
Both teams watched the other until they were out of sight, neither knowing what the morning would bring.