Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.
All at Once Raid
By Suzie2b
The Rat Patrol had finished a recon mission and was now at the base in Najd awaiting orders. They'd been there for several days, always ready for the call that would send them out into the desert again.
It was between lunch and dinner. Shift changes were already under way. Hitch was playing lookout at one of the enlisted men's barracks latrines. There were ten shower stalls inside – five against one wall and five against another. As quickly as he could, Tully unscrewed a shower head and poured a packet of cherry Kool-Aid in it, then he reattached it. He did this in five showers. Then he quickly did the same with the grape flavored drink mix in the other five showers.
Hitch said in an low urgent voice, "Hurry up, Tully!"
"I'm doin' the last one now."
They'd no sooner started down the hallway when three men walked around the corner with towels and toiletry kits. The men were talking and laughing as they headed for the showers. They didn't seem to pay any attention as they walked past Hitch and Tully going the other way.
Outside they both grinned and Hitch said, "I wish we could've stuck around to see what happens."
Tully said, "Me too, but I'm sure we'll see the results. Grape's always been my favorite."
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Several hours later, Hitch and Tully were with Troy and Moffitt having dinner in the mess tent.
Suddenly, Moffitt looked up and did a double take as several GIs walked in – two with cherry red skin and one with purple. "Good heavens!"
Troy looked at his friend, then looked at what Moffitt had seen. "What the…"
The people already in the mess hall started to snicker and laugh out right.
Hitch and Tully had to turn in their chairs to see what was causing such amusement behind them. Their eyes opened wide at the sight, then they looked at each other and began to laugh. When they turned back, the privates saw the looks on Troy and Moffitt's faces. Hitch and Tully said in unison, "What?"
Troy shook his head and went back to his meal as he said, "We'll discuss it later."
By the time they'd finished eating there were at least a half-dozen red and purple men in the mess hall.
They walked silently back to their shared quarters in the visitor's barracks. Inside, Moffitt closed the door as Troy asked, "Was it you two?" Hitch and Tully looked down at their boots and nodded. "What exactly did you do?"
Hitch quietly said, "A friend of mine from collage sent me some packets of Kool-Aid. In his letter he reminded me of the prank we pulled with the dorm showers. I mentioned it to Tully."
Troy looked at Tully. "And you thought it would be fun to do it here?"
Tully said, "It's just Kool-Aid, sarge. It's harmless."
Moffitt smiled slightly. "He's right, Troy. The drink mix will wash off in time. I remember when I was the victim of a similar prank while I was at university. Only it was chicken bouillon." Troy turned to fix a glare on him. "It smelled awful, but it washed off in a day or two."
Hitch asked, "Are you going to turn us in to Captain King, sarge?"
Troy sighed. "No … just try to stay out of trouble until we can get out of here."
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The next day at about midmorning, each member of the Rat Patrol received a message to report to Captain King.
One-by-one they appeared in the captain's office. Tully was the last and his eyes opened wide in surprise as he saw three red and purple men standing next to the captain's desk.
The purple GI said, "That's the other one, sir. Him and the guy with the funny hat were walking down the hall in the other direction while we were headed for the showers."
Captain King asked, "Private Pettigrew?"
"Yes, sir."
"I want the truth, private, did you and Private Hitchcock put something in the barracks B showers?"
Tully looked at Hitch, who's look told him that he'd already admitted it. "Yes, captain."
King asked, "What exactly was put in the showers?"
Hitch said, "Kool-Aid, sir."
The captain looked at the red and purple men. "Kool-Aid did this?"
"Yes, sir. It should wash off their skin after several showers … I'm not sure about their hair though."
One of the men, who obviously had light hair which was now bright red, groaned softly.
King tried not to smile. "How do you know it will wash off that quickly?"
Hitch shrugged and said, "A friend and I did the same thing in our dorm in collage."
"And where did the Kool-Aid come from?"
"That same friend sent a bunch of packets as a joke and reminded me of what we'd done."
King stated, "So this was your idea alone."
Tully said, "No, captain. It was actually my idea. Hitchcock told me about the prank and I … sort of … suggested we try it."
"I see." The captain looked at the colorful GIs and said, "You're dismissed. I'll take care of this from here."
After the door closed behind the three GIs, Troy asked, "Will there be punishment, captain?"
King looked from the sergeants to the crestfallen privates. "No, not this time. But from here on out, I highly suggest they keep their noses clean."
"That's very generous, sir."
"I have to admit it's a good prank. I wish I'd thought of it when I was in boarding school."
Captain King's aide knocked and walked into the office. "Sorry, sir, but this just came in."
The stamped letters on the envelope read "URGENT".
"Thank you, corporal." King opened it and slid the paperwork out. After he scanned it, he looked at Troy and said, "Your orders are in. I'll call an immediate meeting with the details. You and Sergeant Moffitt come back here to the conference room at 18:30 hours."
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At 6:30pm, everyone who needed to be at the meeting was there. Base commander Major Scott took charge and started with, "This mission comes about due to the recon assignment Sergeant Troy and his men did at the German base in Fattani. According to the information they were able to get and the aerial surveillance that's been done, the Germans are planning a push into Allied territory…" He went to a wall map and circled a swath of desert. "Across here. An enemy battalion has been spotted dug in and ready for action at the border." The major pointed to another spot. "It's been seen here. It was well camouflaged, but our spotters were able to make it out for what it is."
Captain Robinson said, "That's just one battalion, major. Surely the Germans would need more men and equipment than that to pull off something this big."
"There's more. The information Troy got says there will be an assault by at least two brigades as well as the battalion." Major Scott pointed out two spots on the map and said, "The brigades will be converging from here and here. Captain Conrad, you'll take your men to head the Germans off here. Captain Robinson, you and your men will go in from the east."
There was a smattering of unease throughout the room and Captain Conrad said, "Major, one German brigade has up to 3,000 men. Captain Robinson's company has about 250 and mine is the same. How are we to hold the enemy, let alone defeat them?"
Scott explained, "That's where our desert rats come into play. Sergeant Troy will go with Captain King's men to Fattani and stop the small battalion that is to come from there to meet with the one already at the border. Their plan is for the smaller battalion to become their communications center and the larger will help storm the border."
Moffitt asked, "Will there be time for that, sir? We'll need a day and a half just to get to Fattani and another day to get from there to the battalion at the border. That doesn't leave much time to stop anything."
"Do you have a better idea, sergeant?"
"Well, major, my thoughts are what if Captain King takes his men directly to the battalion at the border while we take care of the other."
Captain Conrad scoffed, "The four of you against up to 400 German troops?"
Troy said, "Moffitt's right, sir. If we can meet the battalion from Fattani after they leave the base, we should be able to stop them. Then we can meet Captain King and his people at the border to carry out the rest of it."
Major Scott scowled as he thought it over. "You and your team do have a reputation for doing the seemingly impossible, sergeant. Are you positive this will work?"
"Major, we can move faster and keep a lower profile than the captain's company. If we take on the Germans without the reinforcements of their home base, we can catch them by surprise."
Captain Robinson asked, "Won't they be expecting something after your foray onto their base?"
Moffitt said, "Every bit of information we got was photographed, captain. Nothing was taken and I can guarantee that it all was replaced exactly as it was. We weren't seen coming or going, so the Germans have no idea we were anywhere near Fattani."
Major Scott finally said, "All right. We don't have time to debate this. The most important thing is to knock out their communications. Without that there will be no coordination for the German troops. Sergeant Troy and his men will leave as soon as possible tonight for Fattani. Captains Robinson and Conrad's companies have the furthest to go so they'll leave in the morning. Captain King will leave the next morning."
Captain King asked, "One last question, major. Where are the Allies during all this activity?
"I wasn't given complete details of that, which is to be expected. However, I do know that the Allies are now aware of the German push and will be ready to defend our territory." There didn't appear to be any other comments or questions, so Scott asked, "Does everyone understand the mission and what they're to do?"
The captains and sergeants agreed that they knew what was expected of them.
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The Rat Patrol drove through most of the night before stopping in a wadi to get some rest. They estimated that they were about halfway to Fattani. If they kept their speed up, they would get to their target area well before noon.
They were up before dawn, which allowed them time for a quick breakfast before heading out. Once the sun rose, with the jeeps gassed up and radiators filled they were off.
They made it to the rocky lookout they'd used the last time they were at Fattani by midmorning. As Troy surveyed the area around the base, Hitch asked, "When do you think they'll head out, sarge?"
Troy said, "Today maybe. Tomorrow for sure."
Back at the jeeps Moffitt was going over maps, trying to decide which road the Germans would most likely take. There were three. Each would take them to the same place in about the same length of time.
Troy left Hitch on watch on the hill and went down to talk to Moffitt. "What did you find?"
Moffitt said, "There are three routes. None seem better than the other and all take approximately the same amount of time."
"Which is the most used?"
Moffitt put his finger on a spot and said, "This one. It's a standard supply line."
Troy lit a cigarette. "Cross that one off the list. Too much of a chance of getting held up for some reason."
"There's this one. However, I don't hold too much hope for it. It takes only slightly more time. It's hillier with switchbacks."
"And the third?"
Moffitt said, "It's a fairly straight shot across the desert. Not much cover, but they're less likely to run into anyone whether it's Axis or Allied."
Troy said, "I'd bet my money on number three."
"Good. We're in agreement then."
"Once we know they're on their way we'll get ahead of them by several hours and place the land mines we brought."
Tully joined the sergeants and asked, "What are the chances the Germans left before we got here?"
Troy said, "I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but it's not likely. There's a fine line between being early and being on time."
They waited and watched throughout the day. A few small patrols went out and returned later, but there was no sign of the awaited battalion.
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Early the next morning, just as the sun began to glow on the horizon, Moffitt left his hilltop post on watch and woke Troy, "The gates are open."
Troy got up and started up the hill while Moffitt woke Hitch and Tully. When the sergeant joined Troy on the hill, they saw a convoy pulling out of the base. Truckloads of men and supplies, halftracks – some towing field artillery, and two tanks.
Hitch and Tully were loading the bedrolls into the jeeps. They had checked and prepared the vehicles before sundown the day before so they'd be ready to go.
Troy was getting into the jeep as he said, "Okay, let's shake it. Our time's limited."
Hitch and Tully drove as quickly as they dared to get far enough ahead of the Germans to have time to lay their trap.
Once they found a good place, they buried the land mines in intervals in the road and the surrounding area. There would be approximately four seconds between triggering a mine and the explosion.
Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully were just finishing preparing the last of the M1 mines when they got the signal from Troy that the Germans had come into view. They got into the jeeps and raced to the sand dune where they'd dropped Troy off to keep watch.
As they watched the Germans approach, Troy reminded his men, "Remember, there's too many troops for us to take out all of them. The main thing is to destroy their transportation and radios. By the time they manage to get back to base with their wounded it'll be too late to get a warning out."
The Allies watched as the leading edge of the convoy rolled into the minefield. They were moving fast enough to allow the first halftracks to be past the half-way point before the first land mine detonated. Three of the vehicles exploded before the Germans had chance to realize what was happening. The rest of the convoy came to a halt and the troops started jumping out of the trucks, thinking they were going to help their comrades, only to trigger more mines as they ran.
Then Hitch and Tully sped from their sand dune cover with Troy and Moffitt manning the 50s. Trucks, halftracks, and the tanks split up thinking they could escape by driving off the road to go around the mines, but then they started to hit those that had been buried out there as well. Both of the tanks detonated mines, destroying their undercarriages and sending deadly shrapnel up inside.
Hitch and Tully stayed away from where they knew the mines were, but close enough so Troy and Moffitt could do the damage needed to stop the Germans from continuing on to their destination. Troy then spotted the last truck in line and the only one left that wasn't smoldering. He pointed it out to Hitch, who maneuvered around to it. They found it abandoned and Troy was ready to destroy the engine when he had a thought. He had Hitch stop long enough for him to transfer to the driver's seat. Then they headed off with Moffitt laying down cover fire as they went.
After driving about ten miles, they stopped at a waterhole. They checked the jeeps and truck for damage and then Hitch and Tully went to the well replenish their water supply.
Moffitt joined Troy at the back of the truck. "Can I assume you're more interested in this 15cm Nebelwerfer 41 than the truck itself?"
Troy was in the back of the truck and pushed a German's body out as he said, "The opportunity presented itself and I thought a multiple rocket launcher might come in handy."
"It'll slow us down a bit, but I see your point. Ammunition?"
"There's plenty packed in here. As soon as Hitch and Tully get done, we'll get going. It'll be dark by the time we rendezvous with Captain King and his men."
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Captain King met the Rat Patrol as they rolled into to camp. Troy got out of the truck and joined King at the back as the captain said, "Good catch. I take it your mission was a success."
Troy said, "Yes, sir. I thought you might be able to make use of a rocket launcher."
King nodded with a smile. "We have grenade and mortar launchers, as well as tanks. This is just the icing on the cake, sergeant. I'll have my men move it into position."
"How long have you been here, captain?"
"We got here a couple of hours before it got dark. I wasn't expecting you until morning."
Troy said, "We got lucky and decided not to stop."
King said, "The Germans don't appear to be expecting anything yet. But I'm sure they'll get suspicious when their people don't show up tomorrow."
"We should have their communications knocked out before then, sir."
"You and your men are going in tonight then?"
Troy gave a nod. "We'll go in and take care of their radio, then you can take care of the rest tomorrow, captain. We'll get some food and rest before we go in at about midnight."
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Troy woke Hitch and Tully at 11:30pm, then joined Moffitt on a sand dune where he was surveying the German battalion. "How's it look?"
Moffitt lowered the binoculars and said, "Quiet. They obviously don't expect our little visit. It appears there are only minimal guards on duty."
"Good. That'll make our job easier. Any idea where their communications are set up?"
"My guess would be the tent that's lit up like a beacon."
Captain King arrived with Hitch and Tully. He asked, "How long do you think it'll take you?"
Troy replied, "If things go our way, we should be back here in less than two hours, sir. But if we don't, start the attack as planned."
King nodded his understanding. "Let's just hope you get back before I have to give that order."
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Troy led his men down the dunes that were hiding them and out into the moonless night. The only thing that guided them was the lantern light from the German battalion.
The four Allies quietly made their way past the guards into the encampment. They moved with silent purpose towards the large tent that had light spilling out of the open door. As they neared it, they could hear hushed voices inside that confirmed that it was where the Germans had set up their communications.
Troy took a peek inside and spotted five men – three standing at a table with maps spread out and two were manning multiple radios. With quick hand gestures he let his men know what he saw. They hadn't expected there would be planning work going on in the middle of the night.
When they moved into the tent it was as a single unit. Hitch pulled the flap over the door as Moffitt quietly said, "Hände hoch!"
Five sets of hands went up, but as Tully moved around to cover the radiomen, one of them reached for a pistol that sat on the table. With one hard swing the butt of Tully's machine gun smashed into the side of the German's head. As the radioman slid out of the chair, Tully picked up the pistol and put it in his belt.
Troy said, "Okay, let's get these guys tied up. Tully, get to work on those radios."
Troy held the Germans at gunpoint as Moffitt and Hitch had them sit on the ground before tying them together back to back and gagging them.
Tully quickly disabled the communication equipment so it couldn't be readily fixed or used again.
Moffitt said in a low voice, "They're going to know we were here before Captain King can start his attack."
Troy said, "They'll know we were here. But they won't have a clue what's coming at daylight." He peeked outside, then gave the signal to follow.
However, they hadn't gotten far before a group of German soldiers stepped out of the darkness to stop them.
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Captain King began to pace nervously after the two hour mark came and went. He used binoculars to try to see any sign of Troy and his men, but the darkness between him the German encampment was total. He searched the camp and saw nothing that told him what was going on. There was no way to know if they'd even been able to disable the Germans communications.
After waiting another hour, all the captain could do was assume the four man team had been caught.
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The Allies were taken into a supply tent and tied up. Two guards stood outside. A lantern was left burning on a crate. They could hear the battalion commander reprimanding someone not far from where the Allies sat.
Troy asked, "What's he so upset about?"
Moffitt smiled slightly as he said, "He's quite angry about the radios. Apparently Tully did a good job on them. The commander is going to send some men out to bring back new ones first thing in the morning."
"Think we should tell them not to bother? Captain King will be lighting this place up before they can get going."
"Shall we give escape a go?"
Before Troy could answer Tully said, "I'm takin' care of that now, sarge."
Troy asked, "What're you doing?"
"I'm tryin' to use this nail that's stickin' out of this crate to cut through the rope."
Tully worked the rope on his wrists back and forth against the nail. He could hear the fibers tear a bit with each motion. After nearly an hour, he had done enough damage that he was able to snap the rope with one strong pull. Tully quickly untied his ankles and crawled to Troy, Moffitt, and then Hitch to untie them.
Hitch asked quietly, "We're loose, but how're we getting out of here with those guards standing out there?"
Troy looked at his watch. "We wait."
Moffitt frowned. "Wait for what?"
"If we try to get out of here now, we'll be cut us down before we can get ten yards. We wait for Captain King to start his attack."
Hitch said, "The Germans will be too busy with that to pay any attention to us escaping."
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Captain King checked his watch, then the horizon. The sun would be up within the hour. It was time to get things ready.
The captain directed his men to move the heavy weapons into position and prepare to open fire. Grenade and mortar launchers were readied. Tanks rolled into position and locked their sights on the German camp. The rocket launcher was unhitched from the truck and rockets were unloaded.
Men positioned themselves as they prepared to go in after Captain King halted the shelling.
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When they heard the first artillery shells whistle overhead, the Rat Patrol was on the move. The camp was already in chaos as they left the tent. Shells exploded around them as they ran toward the dunes where Captain King and his men were.
They managed to get to the relative safety of the dunes and Captain King met them on the other side. As the artillery continued to fire, the captain asked, "Where's Pettigrew?"
Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch spun around, but there was no sign of Tully. Hitch said, "He was right behind me!"
They ran to the top of the dune and dropped to their bellies to look out at the scene playing out before them. Then Moffitt pointed to a still form curled up on the sand and said, "There he is!"
Hitch started to move forward. "We've got to get him!"
King grabbed the private's arm and said, "Not yet! They're getting ready to rush us!"
The captain turned and signaled his men to stop the shelling. When the big guns went silent, the rest of King's men ran out of hiding to meet the Germans head on.
Troy said, "Hitch, grab a jeep! Moffitt, you're with me!"
While Hitch hurried to the where the jeeps were parked, Troy and Moffitt ran out following King's men. They stopped when they got to Tully, who was conscious, and rolled him onto his back. Troy ignored the whizzing bullets that flew over and around them as he asked, "Were you hit?"
Tully nodded with a grimace. "Left leg!"
Hitch stayed as low in the jeep as he could as he drove out to pick his friends up. He put the vehicle between them and the fighting. With bullets ricocheting off the jeep's metal body Troy and Moffitt quickly loaded Tully into the back and climbed in. Hitch hit the accelerator and sand flew as he sped back to the dunes.
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The skirmish between what was left of the German battalion and Captain King's men didn't last long. After the shelling, King's men outnumbered the Germans and there wasn't a lot of fight left in them. There was wounded on both sides, but the Americans only lost five.
Moffitt was able to stop the bleeding from the wound in Tully's thigh, which meant the artery wasn't hit. The sergeant cleaned the area and covered it with a snug bandage. "That should hold until we get you to a field hospital."
Tully was still sitting in the back of the jeep as he admired Moffitt's handiwork. "Thanks, sarge. Can I get some aspirin?"
Moffitt reached for the med kit with a slight smile. "I think this warrants a shot of morphine, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess. I just won't be worth anything if I take morphine."
Troy joined them and said, "You just stay off that leg. There's enough people here to help the wounded and see to the prisoners."
Moffitt gave Tully the shot as he asked, "How bad are the wounded?"
"Not as bad as you'd think, but the medics have their hands full. I thought maybe you could give them a hand."
"I've done everything I can for Tully. So, I'll head over to triage."
Moffitt left them and Tully asked, "Where's Hitch?"
Troy replied, "He went with some of the captain's men to see if there are any German vehicles left that can be used to get the wounded and prisoners out of here." The sergeant noticed Tully's eyelids were getting heavy as the morphine kicked in. He spread a blanket over his friend and said, "You rest now. We'll be moving out in a while."
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The field hospital was busy after Captain King and his people arrived. A makeshift stockade was built to hold the uninjured prisoners and those with only minor injuries. The wounded were taken care of according to triage. By the end of the day Tully had been through surgery and was sleeping peacefully with Hitch sitting next to the cot reading one of his ever-present comic books.
Troy and Moffitt walked in to see how things were going. Troy asked, "How's he doing?"
Hitch replied, "He hasn't been awake yet, but the nurse said he'll be good as new in a week or so. Any word on how the simultaneous raids went?"
Moffitt said, "Captain King contacted his headquarters in Najd. Everything went off as planned. The Germans had no idea what was coming."
Troy caught sight of the pitcher sitting on a chair with a water glass next to the cot. "What is that? Did the water go bad or something?"
Hitch grinned. "It's Kool-Aid. Tully mentioned he likes the grape flavor and I still have plenty of packets left that my friend sent. I thought he might like it when he wakes up."
"Just stay away from the showers with it."