Chapter 11: Rescue Mission
When they reached the radio room, Carter had LeBeau sit down. Nelson looked at LeBeau's wound. "You got a first aid kit?" he asked Carter.
"I'll get it," Carter replied. He was gone for a minute, then returned with a large case that he gave to Nelson. Opening the case, Nelson found that it was well-stocked with medical supplies for various emergencies.
Carter started sending his men for various supplies that they might need for their rescue mission. Nelson tried unsuccessfully to tend to LeBeau's injury.
"I'll be okay. There isn't time for this," protested LeBeau. "We have to get back to the others."
Noticing LeBeau's protests, Carter came over to join them. "It will take a while for us to get everything together. LeBeau, you have two choices," he declared. "Either you let Doc tend to your wound or I'll have the men upstairs detain you till we get back. Now, what's it going to be?"
"Okay, I'll let him play doctor if that will make you happy," LeBeau reluctantly conceded.
Nelson started treating LeBeau's wound and Carter returned to supervising the mission preparations.
After he had removed the bullet and bandaged LeBeau's shoulder, Nelson walked further down the tunnel to where Carter was grabbing some walkie-talkies. Carter was now dressed as a civilian laborer. "How is he?" asked Carter.
"The wound is bad but not seriously so," replied Nelson. "His exhaustion is what concerns me more. Probably caused by a combination of blood loss and his dash back here. He should not be returning with the rescue party."
Carter frowned. "You've seen LeBeau. He won't agree to that."
"After removing the bullet, I cauterized the wound. If he goes back out, it's likely he'll reopen it. There is also an increased risk of infection. He won't be able to travel quickly and will slow down the rest of you. As you know, every minute increases the odds against a successful rescue."
"He won't give up without a fight."
"I may have a solution to that," Nelson declared. "There's a supply of sedative in the kit. I could give him an injection to induce sleep."
Carter thought about it a moment. "All right. LeBeau will probably never forgive me but do it. Take care of him while we're gone."
"Yes, Sir," Nelson agreed and left to return to his patient.
Carter took inventory of what they'd collected. They had most of what they should need. He called Miller over. "Miller, run upstairs to Barracks 2 and have Olsen come down here. I'd like to speak with him."
"Yes, Sir," acknowledged Miller, leaving to carry out Carter's order.
A few minutes later, Miller returned with Olsen. "The mission went wrong. LeBeau's been shot. Hogan and the others were captured," Carter explained. "I'm leading my men on a rescue mission."
"I'll come along," Olsen offered.
"No, you're needed here. If we haven't returned by late afternoon, take command. Contact London and take steps to terminate the operation. You know the procedure. Once London gives the okay, organize a massive escape. Get as many out of camp as you can. See that LeBeau gets back to France safely."
"I will," Olsen promised. "How is LeBeau?"
"He's got a bad shoulder wound, but he'll recover. He's exhausted and Nelson's giving him a sedative."
"LeBeau's not going to like it."
Carter looked grim. "I know. But we didn't have much choice."
Miller had been standing nearby during the conversation. Towards the end, Montgomery and Evans came in to join him. The three of them spoke quietly among themselves. Then, Miller glanced at Carter and said, "Chief, we think we're ready."
Carter noticed that the three of them had changed into civilian outfits. He did a quick check of their inventory and found that they had all he'd ordered plus a few additions. He'd requested a coil of rope but Miller carried several. Montgomery had several handcuffs fasted to his belt. In spite of the grave situation, Carter couldn't prevent his weak smile. He could see where those items might prove useful. Along with the firecrackers he carried in his own pocket. "Okay, then, let's go," he ordered.
Carter and his crew of three headed down the tunnel. "Good luck," Olsen called after them.
Carter glanced back for a moment. "Thanks. We'll need it." Then, he continued on.
- - -
Carter's team stealthily approached the Hammelburg Bridge. In the moonlight, they could vaguely make out the forms of the four prisoners and five members of the patrol that were nearby. Two other members of the patrol stood guard at opposite ends of the bridge.
"Looks like there's seven of them," Carter whispered. "And Hogan's crew is still here. We'll have to be careful. Draw them away one or two at a time. Divide and conquer. Let's take care of the sentries at the bridge first. Sandy, you and Evans take out the man on this end. Montgomery and I will handle the other."
"Yes, Sir," Miller softly acknowledged.
Carter and Montgomery quietly approached their man from behind. Pointing his gun against the sentry's ribs, Carter warned, "Not one sound."
Montgomery snapped a pair of handcuffs around the guy's wrists, then tied a gag around his mouth. "We always get our man," declared the Canadian Mountie.
Meanwhile, Miller formed a lasso with one of several ropes he'd brought. After twirling the rope above his head, he aimed for the other sentry. He lassoed the man and pulled him to the ground. Before the sentry could cry out, Evans hit the guy on the head with his gun. Then, Miller proceeded to hog-tie their prisoner while Evans gagged the man.
Soon, Carter and Montgomery joined them, forcing their prisoner along. They prodded him to a nearby tree, its trunk about ten inches in diameter. They removed the handcuff from one of the guy's wrists, wrapped it around the trunk and reattached it, effectively handcuffing the guy to the tree.
Then, the foursome left to set a trap. A short distance away, Carter got a rope from Miller. He tied a noose in one end and covered it with leaves. He threw the other end over a sturdy branch above and the end of it fell back down within reach. Then, they headed back to where the patrol was gathered with their prisoners.
A short distance away, Miller made the sound of some twigs breaking. The patrol leader sent two men to investigate. Carter's group continued to make small noises leading the men towards Carter's trap. Near the place to turn off to head for the tree, Carter said, "Let's split them up here. Montgomery and I will continue to lead one of the men to our trap. Sandy, you and Evans lead the other away in the opposite direction and take care of him."
"Yes, Chief," agreed Miller.
Carter and Montgomery veered to the left and hid behind some bushes to wait. Miller and Evans veered to the right and hid there. As the two Germans approached, they heard a sound from the left. Almost immediately, they heard another sound from the right. The two decided to split up.
The first German followed the sounds to the tree with the trap. As he neared, Carter stepped out into view. The German started to turn around to aim his rifle at Carter. Once his foot was where it needed to be, Carter yanked on the rope and pulled the guy off his feet until he was hanging upside down from the tree. The soldier was so startled, he dropped his rifle in the process. Montgomery slipped up from behind and cuffed the guy while Carter fastened his end of the rope securely to the tree. "Helfen," yelled the man. "Helfen."
Hearing the voice back at the bridge, the leader ordered his two remaining men, "No one goes. It could be a trap."
Miller and Evans had led their man in the opposite direction. They quickly stretched a piece of rope across the path, concealing it under some leaves. Then, they each took a position at one end of the rope. When the man approached, they lifted the rope up, pulling it taut, tripping the guy. Once their victim had fallen, Evans hit him over the head with his gun.
"I must remember to never turn my back on you," Miller commented, as he proceeded to hog-tie the man.
When they were finished, Carter's team rejoined at the place where they split. Then, they returned to the spot near the remaining patrol. Carter took a string of firecrackers from his pocket, lit it and threw it in front of the patrol. Thinking they were under attack, the three Germans fell to the ground for protection and fired their rifles in front of them. Carter's team crept up from the sides and the rear, guns drawn, covering the Germans. Realizing there was no way to turn around and get off a shot, the leader wisely surrendered.
Relieved of their guns, the prisoners were herded to a nearby tree. Montgomery handcuffed the three men to form a circle around the tree, each man's right hand to his neighbor's left.
Carter's team went over and released Hogan's group. "Glad to see you guys," Hogan said. "They were about ready to take us into Hammelburg and hand us over to the Gestapo."
"I brought some more dynamite in case you needed it. Do you want to finish the mission?"
"Be my guest," Hogan offered. Then, he nodded in Durand's direction. "Take him with you."
"Thanks." An eager Carter headed for the bridge, Durand following behind. They quickly set the charges under the bridge, then connected the fuse to the detonator. Carter had his hands on the detonator. "Now?" he asked Hogan.
"Now," Hogan agreed.
Carter pushed the handle down and the bridge exploded into tiny pieces. "Shall we go back to Berlin, now?" Carter asked.
The others gave him puzzled looks but said nothing. Hogan caught on and declared, "Yes, let's go home."
The two teams headed in the direction of Berlin, leaving their prisoners behind. On their way, they passed the guy still hanging by his ankle from the tree. "I see you've got one of them still hanging around," commented Newkirk as they went by.
Once they were safe from being overheard by the patrol, Hogan asked the question his crew were all wondering. "I see LeBeau made it back. How is he?"
"Shot in the shoulder," Carter explained. "Doc says its bad but he'll recover. LeBeau's exhaustion from his blood loss and the rush back to camp was his biggest problem. We had to sedate him."
"LeBeau's not going to like that."
Carter frowned. "I know. But we didn't really have a choice. Not if we were going to rescue you."
"You did the right thing," Hogan assured him. Then, he changed the topic. "But why Berlin?"
Carter's frown slowly turned to a smile. "Hochstetter wanted me in Berlin. I decided to oblige."
Hogan chuckled. "When the patrol tells Hochstetter about their prisoners from Berlin and the civilians that rescued them, he's going to think a Berlin Underground cell right under his nose was responsible for the sabotage. He'll be tearing Berlin inside out looking for them."
"Maybe he'll leave us alone for awhile," suggested Newkirk.
"We can only hope," Kinch added, as the group headed on towards camp. They needed to hurry. They had to make it back in time for roll call.
