The Secret Raid
By:AliasCWN
Chapter 11
"Who are you and why are you here?"
Hitch sat in a chair facing a very angry base commander. "I told you, I'm a deserter. I came here to surrender to your troops. I want to be sent to a POW camp."
"Surrender? Why did you not surrender when my guard told you to halt? You killed him."
"He took a shot at me!" Hitch yelped indignantly. "I was trying to surrender but he opened fire!"
The officer didn't look convinced so Hitch tried again.
"He saw me in the alley." Hitch began. "I raised my hands but I guess he thought I was armed. He started shooting and I had to defend myself. I want to surrender not get myself killed." Hitch tried to look as innocent as he could. "I surrendered to the others when they came."
"You were surrounded."
"I didn't try to hide or run."
Major Koft studied the young soldier before him. He wanted to believe the prisoner. Admitting that he had been wrong when he sent Captain Dietrich away didn't sit well with him. If the prisoner was telling the truth then there was no reason to report his presence to headquarters.
His first reaction when informed about the young soldier's capture had been concern for his secret. He had rushed to his office to find everything just as he had left it. As a precaution he had left a paper lying across one corner of the envelope containing the report, it was still there. None of the locks had been jimmied and none of the windows were broken. His relief had turned to suspicion. Had the intruder been after the report? Was it possible that they had intercepted him on his way to the office? He faced the prisoner with more questions than answers. Fortunately, the prisoner seemed inclined to answer the questions.
"My guards tell me you were trying to leave the base. If you wanted to surrender, why attempt to leave?"
"I was going to surrender Major but I got to thinking that maybe it would be better to try if from outside the base. The actions of your guard seem to prove I was right. I tried to surrender to him and he tried to shoot me. I was going to spend the night outside and approach the gate tomorrow. I even had a blanket to keep me warm until morning."
The blond soldier tried to smile as he explained his plans. The Major thought he looked nervous, but considering the circumstances, a little nervousness seemed appropriate. He paused to ask about the blanket. One of the soldiers who had captured the prisoner confirmed the presence of a blanket. "If you were planning to surrender outside, why did you come in in the first place? And how did you get in?" The Major demanded.
"I wasn't sure about a plan to begin with." Hitch explained. "I didn't know how I was going to get onto the base to give myself up. So when I found an opportunity to get a ride with your men I took it. It wasn't until after I got here that I decided that surrendering from inside the base might not be such a good idea. That's when I decided to wait outside."
"You rode in with my men?"
"Yes."
"Which ones? Who brought you onto my base without my permission?"
"I don't know their names Major. And to be fair, they didn't know I was in the back of that truck."
"Explain." The officer demanded.
"I caught a ride in the back of one of your tucks." Hitch explained. "I saw this convoy stopped out on the road and there was no one around the trucks. I thought I could ride in with them and surrender, but then I thought better of it and tried to get out."
"What convoy and what truck?"
"The convoy that arrived today. I hopped in the last truck in line. They were stopped for something and I crawled in while they weren't moving."
"What was being transported in that truck?"
"Ammunition." Hitch answered. "Grenades, bullets, 88 shells."
"And did you try to hide in any of the other trucks? Did you look in any of them?" The Major asked suspiciously.
"No." Hitch answered truthfully. "Only that last one. I figured it was the furthest one from your men. I wasn't sure how they would react to my presence and, well, I was nervous."
"Where was this?"
Hitch hesitated knowing that the cave was nearby. Finally he shrugged. "I don't know. I can take you there but I can't give you the exact coordinates."
"But the trucks were stopped when you climbed in?"
"Yes."
The Major summoned the head of the convoy and questioned him extensively. All the while they spoke he watched the prisoner for any indication that he understood what was being said. The prisoner didn't react to anything that was said, not even when he suggested that the only solution would be to kill the prisoner.
"Why are you deserting?" The question caught Hitch off guard since he had only been half paying attention to what was going on around him. He hadn't expected them to believe him let alone ask why.
"I've been in the desert for a while now." He began. "And I've been wounded more than once. Every time I get wounded I keep expecting them to send me home, but they just keep sending me back into battle. I've had enough Major; I don't want to get shot again. Maybe he next time I won't survive. Let somebody else take the risk, let them be the hero, I want no part of it! I'll take my chances in a nice quiet prison camp for the duration."
"Where were you wounded?"
"You mean what battle?"
"No, where are your wounds?"
"Oh." Hitch exclaimed. "I caught some shrapnel in the belly that lodged next to a major artery. I was lucky that I was close to a field hospital and I made it to the surgeon in time. I've been shot in the leg, in the arm a couple of times. The shoulder. I had a chest wound that nearly did me in. I even got shot in the head one time. That was a close one." Hitch let his voice rise in indignation. "A guy can only take so much! What do they want from me anyway? Look, I can show you the scars."
"Scars mean you survived." The Major pointed out. "They are not something to worry about." He did however allow Hitch to pull up his shirt to show him the shrapnel scar.
"The ladies don't like them." Hitch explained. He bit his tongue, thinking the comment would sound out of character but it was done.
"You worry about women? Women love scars on a hero."
"Not the ladies I like." Hitch responded. "High class women don't like anything that's not perfect."
"And you think you have a chance with those women?" The Major took another look at his prisoner. "I suppose you are good looking in a primitive sort of way."
"Thanks, I think." Hitch smirked. "So how about it Major? Will you send me to a nice quiet POW camp until this crazy war is over?"
"I still have a few questions." The Major replied sternly. "If you answer my questions I may consider it. Where did you come from?"
Hitch named a base on the other side of the mountain range.
"But how did you get here?"
"I took a jeep." Hitch explained. "It was sitting next to the motor pool and no one was around. I needed transportation and the Army has lots of jeeps. I grabbed a few extra cans of water and gasoline and a bunch of rations. I broke through the gate and took off. I drove as fast as I could toward your lines. I drove so fast that I lost some of my supplies. A couple of cartons of rations fell out, I don't know what else."
Hitch knew they had found the missing rations when the officer reacted to his admission.
"And no one saw you on this road?"
"I was driving pretty fast." Hitch repeated. "I kept an eye out for dust and I was able to duck before your patrols saw me. I saw a column on that road too but it didn't see me."
"And your people did not try to find you? Don't they hunt down deserters?"
"Of course they do." Hitch answered. "That's why I was in such a hurry. I guess I just outran them is all. If they find me they will try to take me back. I don't want to go back."
"I see."
"So how about it Major, can I go to one of your POW camps?"
"We shall see Private, perhaps."
"Great! When do I leave?"
"What's your rush?"
"The MPs Major, they might come after me."
"I doubt that they would chase you this far Private. But if they do, we will see them and stop them."
"Promise? After all, you didn't see me."
"You will not be returning to your base, I promise."
"Thank you Major, I sure appreciate that. I have to admit, I was worried there for a minute."
"You will be taken to a cell, rest for now, I may have more questions later."
"Sure Major, I am kind of tired. I slept in an abandoned building near where I was caught but your men kept going by and waking me up." Hitch allowed the guards to escort him to his cell. He tried to look around without arousing any suspicion. To his relief he didn't see any sign of the others. He hoped that they didn't come back for him. If he could convince the Major that he was just a deserter looking for a safe place to ride out the war he might be able to salvage the mission. He had no illusions about his own intended fate. The Major's promise that he would not be returning to the American base had sounded understandably ominous.
"What do you think?" Major Koft asked his second-in-command. "Do you believe him?
"I find it hard to believe that he traveled that road without being spotted." The other officer declared.
"Yet he knew about the rations we found on that very road. If he didn't lose them how would he know about them?"
"I can't explain it." The captain admitted.
"His scars were real."
"Yes, the one he showed you looked real enough. Would you like me to have the guards check for others?"
"I suppose we must be thorough." The Major sighed. "Check for more scars and keep me informed. Have Lieutenant Beil ask the prisoner some questions. I want you to oversee the interrogation. Inform me immediately if any of his answers change."
"Yes sir. How far do you want the lieutenant to go to get his answers?"
"Don't kill him." The Major paused to consider the question. "No permanent damage. If we have to turn him over to the Gestapo they will need something to work with. Even under their expert care a half-dead prisoner could succumb to his injuries before he breaks. I have no wish to anger the Gestapo."
"I'll inform the lieutenant."
After the captain left the major paced his office. If the prisoner turned out to be telling the truth then his secret was still safe. Of course he would not allow the soldier to live, just as a precaution, but his secret would be safe. He noted the time and wondered how long it would take the lieutenant to find out what he wanted to know.
Hitch knew what they wanted when the two officers stopped in front of his cell. When the guards rushed him he offered no resistance. His hands were tied behind his back and he was led from the building. The sky was just starting to lighten as night gave way to day.
The room where they took him looked like an office. The chair was pulled away from the desk and he was tied to it. He repeated his earlier answers again and again as he was slapped and punched. Before when answering the Major's questions he had stuck as close to the truth as possible to make it easier to remember his answers. That precaution proved useful as his head began to swim from the blows. Time after time they demanded answers to the same questions he had already answered. He struggled to keep his replies consistent. Finally, sore and exhausted, he allowed the darkness to overtake him.
"His answers remained the same." The captain reported to Major Koft.
"He is still alive?"
"Yes sir. The lieutenant hit him with an open hand and a fist but the damage is not permanent. He should recover fully."
"Good, good, keep an eye on him; I may have more questions for him later."
The captain returned to the lieutenant and ordered the prisoner returned to his cell.