What I Always Say

by AliasCWN

When Hitch is temporarily reassigned, Troy gets a replacement driver with an annoying habit.

What I Always Say

BY: AliasCWN

"Did you go over the jeep before we left?"

"Why?"

"To make sure that it didn't sustain any damage the last time we were out," Troy growled.

Private Griff Parker looked at the sergeant as if he had two heads. "Was I supposed to?"

"Yeah," Troy growled, "you were supposed to." He looked at the jeep, sitting at an odd angle next to a rock. "If you had, maybe we wouldn't be stuck out here with a broken-down jeep."

"I don't know Sarge, maybe it wouldn't have made any difference. If it isn't broke, don't fix it; that's what I always say."

"It's broke now," Troy answered.

"But it wasn't when we left the base," Parker argued. "How was I supposed to know that it was going to break?"

"Maybe if you had gone over the jeep like I told you to, you might have noticed that loose rod."

"Probably not," the private answered with a shrug. "I'm not much of a mechanic."

Troy growled again and shook his head. "Tully!" he called to his other driver.

Tully lumbered over, his ever-present matchstick in the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, Sarge?"

The sergeant pointed to the jeep. "Take a look at it will you? Maybe you can fix it."

Tully nodded while glancing sideways at Parker. "Is he gonna help?"

Troy looked over at his replacement driver and shook his head. "No, he's done enough damage for one day. I'll have him stand guard. If you need any help, give me a yell and I'll do what I can."

The Kentuckian gave the sergeant a skeptical look but he nodded again. "I'll get right on it."

"Parker, take a rifle and stand guard. Make sure you keep your eyes open."

"Sure Sarge," the other private agreed. "You can't be too careful, that's what I always say." He walked off to get a rifle.

Moffitt was checking their maps, making sure that they were still on course. He looked up as Troy walked past the jeep. "Missing Hitch?"

"More every mile," Troy answered.

The Brit looked up at their guard. "At least he seems to take guard duty very seriously."

"Huh!" Troy answered. "I asked if he checked the jeep before we left the base like I told him to."

"What did he say?"

"He said he didn't know he was supposed to. Then he said it probably wouldn't have made a difference anyway. He said it wasn't broke so it didn't need fixing."

The Brit raised his eyebrows. "Sounds careless."

"Oh no," Troy replied, "according to Private Parker, you can never be too careful."

Moffitt managed to hide his smile from the obviously agitated sergeant. "If you can hold out a bit longer, Hitch will be back soon."

"None too soon for me," Troy grumbled. He stomped off to help Parker watch the desert, convinced that he would miss something without help.

Tully finished the repairs and was cleaning his hands when Troy walked back to check on him.

"All fixed?"

"Good as new Sarge."

"Then I don't have to worry about it breaking again?"

Tully shrugged. "If he hits another rock, it might break again." Tully glanced at the other private. "If he does break another one, I don't have any more spares. We'll be stuck."

"In other words, make sure he misses the rocks?"

"That sure would help," Tully grinned.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Troy glared at their guard with disgust.

Tully shook his head and walked away with a small smile on his face.

Parker managed to avoid the rocks for the remainder of the day. At their night camp he parked his jeep next to Tully's with a self-satisfied grin. "Troy told me to avoid the rocks, and I did. He should be happy. A job well done is worth doing, that's what I always say."

Tully nodded without comment.

"He'll be happy, just you wait and see."

Tully laughed. "Sarge hasn't been happy since Captain Boggs sent Hitch to take that class on explosives. He isn't going to be happy until Hitch gets back." Shaking his head at the other private's unrealistic expectations, he went off to build a fire to heat their rations.

Moffitt relieved Troy on watch and he went directly to the fire. Tully was stirring their supper while Parker sat watching him. "Did you go over the jeep?"

"I'll do it after supper Sarge. I want to put this fire out before dark so it isn't spotted," Tully answered.

"Do it now. You can't see to check them after dark," Troy growled. "Let Parker heat the meals. I want those jeeps checked and ready to go."

Tully made a face at the memory of the last meal that Parker had cooked. "Are you sure Sarge?"

"Of course I'm sure," Troy growled, "I need those jeeps more than I need to eat."

Tully removed the matchstick from his mouth and examined it minutely. It was chewed but it still had some life left in it. He looked at Troy out of the corner of his eye and nodded. Replacing the sliver of wood in his mouth, he went to check the jeeps.

"I'm not much of a cook," Parker grinned, "But beggars can't be choosers, that's what I always say." He added brush to the fire before opening more of the ration packets. Then he sat down to watch it heat.

Troy went back to rejoin Moffitt, too agitated to sit still or stay around the new private.

"I hope you know what you're doing Troy," Moffitt commented when the other sergeant stopped next to him. "Even Hitch was never that bad of a cook."

"I had to do it Moffitt," Troy answered shortly. "We need those jeeps." He looked down to see Parker still watching the fire while their meals heated. "He hasn't even stirred it once." He glanced over at the British sergeant and managed a small smile. "Is it too late to change my mind?"

The Brit laughed. "I'm afraid so."

Troy sighed loudly.

Moffitt shook his head and went back to watching the desert around them.

"I miss Hitch," Troy moaned, "but don't tell anyone I said so."

Moffitt laughed again. "I would have thought that you would be glad to get away from him for a while."

"From Hitch? Why?"

The Brit shrugged. "Let's just say it would be a change."

"Like day and night," Troy growled. "And you know me. You know I don't like working with someone I don't know."

"True, but we really should break in a replacement for the times when we get an assignment and either Hitch or Tully is unavailable."

"You mean like now?"

The Brit shrugged. "This is a simple recon mission; as good a time as any to break in a replacement.

"I'm not sure who is breaking who in," Troy answered.

"You'd better get back to the camp Troy, it looks like your supper is ready."

"Smells like it too," Troy growled, "he burnt it again."

"I hate to say I told you so."

"Then don't," Troy answered.

"All right then, I warned you," Moffitt smiled.

"So you did," Troy admitted. He made his way slowly toward the fire. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of burnt food.

Tully finished taking care of the jeeps and joined Troy at the fire. Parker handed him a plate of food and a cup of coffee. Tully looked at the blackened offering on his plate and glanced over at Troy. The sergeant had the decency to look apologetic. Tully took a bite and hurried to wash it down with a swallow of coffee. It took two cups of coffee to wash down his entire meal.

"Waste not, want not; that's what I always say." Parker looked at Tully's empty plate and grinned. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Do you want some more?"

Tully took his empty plate and walked away.

The next morning Tully caught Parker digging through the gear in the rear of the jeep.

"What are you hunting?"

"Hand grenades," Parker answered. "Sarge said we might run into some German patrols today and I want to be ready. I thought I'd keep a few grenades handy. It's always best to be prepared, that's what I always say."

Tully shook his head and went to his own jeep. Moffitt and Troy joined them and he forgot about Parker's precautions.

When they spotted the German patrol Parker was eager to take them on so he could impress the sergeant. Troy, more reserved without his regular driver, decided to try to sneak past them. They might have made it too if Parker hadn't hit a soft spot in the desert floor. The jeep bogged down and the patrol spotted them before he could get it free. The sergeant grabbed hold of the spare tire and threw himself into the jeep. He was braced behind the 50 by the time the patrol caught up to them.

Tully and Moffitt did their part by taking out the first patrol car to reach them.

Troy riddled the second car with lead as Parker tried to avoid getting killed. Bullets passed so close to their heads that Parker gave a yell of surprise. Troy spun, thinking his driver had been hit. Another bullet hit the back of the passenger seat, causing Parker to give another yelp. Realizing that Parker hadn't actually been hit, Troy turned his focus back to the patrol car.

Something flew past his head and landed behind the jeep. It took a second for the sergeant to realize that the projectile was a grenade. He ducked just as it exploded. The patrol car's driver couldn't react quickly enough and drove right into the shrapnel. The driver slumped to the side as Troy gripped the handles of the 50 again. With another short burst from the 50, Troy ended the threat.

Parker pulled the jeep to a halt as Tully and Moffitt joined them.

"What the devil was that?" Troy demanded.

"I thought you could use some help," Parker answered.

"You could have warned me!"

"He who hesitates is lost, that's what I always say. I figured you'd see it soon enough Sarge, and I was right."

"What happened?" Moffitt asked, looking between Troy and his driver.

"I tossed a grenade back and killed their driver," Parker explained before Troy could answer.

Moffitt looked over at Tully. His driver had told him earlier about finding the other private looking for grenades.

Tully turned his head to hide his grin as Troy leaped from the jeep. As he walked past Tully, Tully could hear him grumbling to himself. Tully looked over at Moffitt and the Brit raised an eyebrow in response. Nobody said a word as Troy walked away.

Troy went over to the second patrol car and checked for survivors. There weren't any, so he returned to his jeep.

Parker watched him until he crawled back into his seat. "What's the matter Sarge? I thought you wanted them dead."

"I did," the sergeant growled, "but I wasn't planning on joining them."

"Hey! We're both alive and they're dead; mission accomplished."

Troy looked back at the patrol car. "We'd better get going. Somebody may have heard that explosion." He looked toward Tully. "Let's shake it."

They made a full sweep of the sector before Troy ordered them to turn toward home. After a while he realized that Parker had slowed the jeep.

"Why did we slow down?"

"You told me to avoid the rocks."

"But I didn't tell you to creep along. We have a report to deliver. At this rate the information will be outdated before we even get back to the base."

"Better late than never, that's what I always say. We may be late but we'll get there."

"That may be," the sergeant growled, "but I'd rather get there before I'm old and grey."

"Okay. Okay. Geez Sarge, I wish you'd make up your mind." The jeep picked up speed and maintained it until they stopped to cool the engines.

Moffitt was on guard duty as they waited for the engines to cool. Troy had just settled down to relax when the British sergeant called to get his attention. "Troy! There's a patrol headed this way."

"Any chance they'll miss us?" Troy called from where he sat.

"Not bloody likely," the Brit answered. "They're headed directly for us."

"Okay." Troy nodded. "This time, let's try to sneak away. Tully, take the lead."

The Kentuckian nodded and climbed to his feet. He stayed close to the hills and avoided the soft spots. This time they managed to avoid detection, slipping away before the Germans got close.

"Gee Sarge, it sure seems like you don't trust me." Parker looked over at the sergeant with a hurt expression on his face. "I think I've done pretty well so far."

Troy shook his head and looked at his driver. "You do, do you?"

"Yeah, I do. I heard you were hard to work for, but I've done everything you've asked. I haven't done anything wrong."

Ignoring the obvious, the sergeant focused on the other part of the comment. "Who says I'm hard to work with?"

Parker chuckled. "Almost everybody who ever worked with you."

"Good to know," Troy answered. "It's always good to have a reputation."

"Well, you sure got one," the private asserted.

"And you're getting one," Troy answered. "Catch up to Tully, I want to make a course change."

The other jeep slowed as Parker hurried to catch up.

"Moffitt!"

The Brit had Tully slow even more.

"I want to angle over toward Dietrich's base. Something doesn't feel right. There should have been more patrols than we've seen so far."

"Don't borrow trouble Sarge, that's what I always say." Parker called.

Troy didn't acknowledge his driver's concern. "I want to see if that crafty Kraut is up to no good."

"Why bother?" the Brit called back. "I can practically guarantee that without going near his base. He seems to excel in coming up with ways to cause trouble."

"Sort of like you fellas," Parker added.

"Now who is borrowing trouble?" Tully asked in a normal voice.

Parker didn't hear him, but Moffitt did. He sent an amused glance in his driver's direction. "Troy is correct. Dietrich normally has more patrols out than we've seen in the last two days."

"Maybe we just missed them," Parker suggested.

"Maybe," Troy admitted. "But I don't want to guess, I want to know."

Tully set the pace and Parker was hard pressed to keep up. In his struggle to stay with the other jeep, he forgot Troy's earlier orders. He hit another rock.

"Of all the…" Troy sputtered to a stop.

"Haste makes waste, I always say," Parker began to explain. "I didn't have time to swerve around that rock Sarge. If we had been going a little slower…"

"Tully! See what he broke this time!" Troy stomped off to stand guard.

"We were going too fast," Parker explained as Tully dropped to his knees next to the other jeep.

The tire was flat, that was obvious, but he had to see under the frame to see if anything else was damaged. He rolled onto his back and slid underneath the jeep.

"Problems Tully?"

Tully pulled himself from under the jeep and looked up at Moffitt. "It looks okay Doc, other than the flat tire, that is. I'll change the tire and we should be ready to go."

"I'll take Troy some water. Perhaps he has cooled down by now."

Tully shook his head doubtfully. "Maybe you'd better dump it over his head."

The Brit looked up at their guard and smiled. "I don't think that would be wise."

"Maybe not," Tully answered, "but that's the only thing that's going to cool him down this fast."

"We'll see," Moffitt answered doubtfully.

"Maybe if you tell him the only damage is to the tire, that might help."

Moffitt smiled. "I think I'd rather try that."

"I'll change the tire." Tully got to his feet and walked around the jeep.

Tully was right, Troy did calm down a bit when informed that the damage was confined to the tire. He accepted the canteen from the other sergeant and took a drink. He was handing it back when he glanced over at the jeeps. "What's Tully doing now?"

"He's changing the tire." Moffitt turned to look over at the jeeps. He could see what had prompted the question. Tully was removing the spare tire from his own jeep rather than taking the one off of Troy's jeep.

"Yeah," Troy growled, "but why is he taking the spare off of your jeep? What's wrong with our spare?"

"I don't know," Moffitt answered, bemused. "I guess I'll go down and ask him."

"You do that," Troy suggested. "I'm not sure I really want to know; and that's not something I always say."

Moffitt bit his lip to keep from smiling at the other sergeant's outburst. Taking the canteen, he returned to the jeep. "Is there something we need to know Tully?"

The private looked over at Parker. Parker looked subdued.

"Tully?"

"I went to change the tire Doc, but the spare on the other jeep is flat too."

"There were a lot of bullets flying around."

"It wasn't hit by a bullet," Tully drawled, "it was shredded by shrapnel."

"Shrapnel?" The Brit looked puzzled until he remembered the grenade Parker had tossed behind the jeep earlier. "Oh." His mouth formed the word silently.

Tully nodded solemnly. He continued to work on the jeep, removing the flat. Parker, for his part, stayed out of the way. When Tully finished changing the tire, he stuck the flat on the rear of his jeep to be repaired. He made his way over to the British sergeant to inform him that he was done. "All ready Doc."

"Thank you, Tully, I'll go tell Troy."

"Better you than me."

Moffitt was half turned away when Tully made the comment. He paused in mid-stride. He looked back at his driver, hesitated again, and then started walking again. Tully couldn't make out the words but he heard Troy's muffled outburst.

When they reached Dietrich's base, it looked almost deserted. Instead of his usual number of armored vehicles, there were only two halftracks and one tank guarding the base. Even though it was still daylight, the streets looked deserted. Moffitt and Troy lowered their glasses and looked at each other. Without speaking, they returned to the jeeps.

"I'm telling you Pettigrew; we shouldn't be here. Our orders were to scout this sector, not drop in on the Germans."

Both sergeants heard the comment as they returned to the vehicles. Parker suddenly spotted them and swung his rifle in their direction. He might have fired if Tully hadn't grabbed the barrel of his rifle and pushed it up.

"You dang fool," Tully growled. "Do you want to bring the entire German base down on us?" He shoved the barrel to the side. "Besides, if you shoot Doc or Sarge, I'll plug you myself."

"I wasn't going to shoot, honest I wasn't! I was just being careful. You can never be too careful, that's what I always say."

Tully released the barrel and turned toward the sergeants. "Find anything?"

"There wasn't much there," Troy answered.

"I told you so," Parker crowed.

"I mean," Troy growled, "that there wasn't much there. He's moved most of his men and equipment out."

Tully nodded, having been sure Troy was on to something from the start.

"Let's move out," the sergeant ordered. "Maybe we can figure out where they went."

"I think we should head back to the base," Parker suggested.

"Is that what you always say?" Troy asked in disgust.

"Well no, not always."

"Then save it," Troy growled again. He turned back to Tully. "We're headed back to the base but we'll have to keep our eyes open on the way. Captain Boggs will want to know about this. Dietrich is up to something I have a hunch that we're going to be the ones who get the job of finding out what it is."

Tully turned and headed for his jeep.

"Tully." Moffitt leaned closer to his driver to speak to him. "How are you getting along with Private Parker?"

Tully continued to drive as if he hadn't heard.

"Tully?"

"I heard you Doc; I just don't want any trouble."

"Trouble? Why would there be trouble?"

"That guy gets on my nerves. I'm glad he's riding with Sarge and not me. I might have strangled him by now."

"You? I hardly think so. You don't let things bother you."

"Oh, things bother me Doc, I just don't usually let it show."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Sometimes when Hitch gets to teasing, it bothers me."

"You don't show it."

"If I let it show he'd know he was getting to me. Then he'd just keep it up. When I ignore him, he gets bored and picks on someone else."

"Oh," eh Brit replied. "I never realized that you didn't like it. He doesn't mean anything when he does it."

"Heck, I know that Doc. He just gets bored. And it really doesn't bother me all that much. It's just that sometimes I'm not in the mood for his silliness."

"But Parker is different?"

"Yeah, for one thing, he hadn't earned the right to get on my nerves yet. He's always trying to say what we should be doing. He complains behind your backs all the time. I don't know how Sarge puts up with him."

"He doesn't have a choice; it comes with the stripes."

Tully shook his head. "I'm sure glad I'm not a sergeant."

The Brit made a face. "Yes, I believe I know what you mean."

"Anyway, I can work with Parker. I only have to put up with him when we're stopped, Sarge has to ride with him. Maybe when this is over the captain will give Troy a medal."

"Perhaps he will," Moffitt agreed with a smile.

Tully chuckled. "I don't think I want to hold my breath though."

"I don't believe that I would either."

The drive back to the base gave Troy time to think. Before they reached the base he called for another halt.

"What now old man?" Moffitt asked when the jeeps were stopped side by side.

"I was just thinking about where Dietrich may have gone. We've been in all of the sectors on the other side of the base in the last few days. That means they either went deeper into their own territory, or they came this way."

"Sounds reasonable."

"If they went the other way, we probably have time to report back to the base and let headquarters decide what they want to do."

Moffitt nodded.

"But if they came this way…"

"Then they could be headed for the base," the Brit finished.

"That's the way I have it figured."

"We haven't seen them Sarge," Parker interrupted. "They must have gone the other way."

Troy glanced over at his driver without answering.

"Come on Sarge!" Parker insisted. "If they came this way, we would have seen them."

"Not if they circled around to come in from the other direction. The base wouldn't be expecting that." Troy reasoned as he glanced at Moffitt for his opinion.

"Why would they do that? It's longer that way." Parker argued.

"Maybe it's longer, but that's what we would do," Tully added his thoughts. "Dietrich's not stupid, and it wouldn't be the first time that he used our own tactics against us."

Troy and Moffitt looked at each other and then at Tully.

"He's right Troy, Dietrich has used our tactics against us before," Moffitt agreed.

"Code a message to the base. Tell them what we found and that we are going to check a theory before we come back in. Tell them to be ready for an attack, just in case."

Moffitt nodded and pulled out a pad and their code book. Troy dug out their maps. He was running his finger along various routes and calculating the time it would take a column to reach the American base when Moffitt finished sending the message.

"The captain is going to run a drill so he doesn't panic the Arabs on the base. Less chance of spies getting wind of it too. He says to let him know the minute we can either confirm or deny the attack."

Troy nodded without looking up. "Look, these are the two most likely routes. We can't check both of them in time so we'll have to choose one. If my calculations are right, he could be almost to the base by now. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"We could split up. You and Tully can check one route while Parker and I check the other one." Troy used his finger to trace each route until it stopped on the dot marking the base on the map. "If you find anything, pull back, call the base, and then give us a call." He pointed out two more spots on the map. "If you spot something we'll meet here. If we spot anything we'll call you and you can meet us here. With a little luck we can cause a bit of alarm and despondency."

"It won't stop him, not if the column is as big as we think it is," the Brit warned.

"No, but it might distract Dietrich for a bit. Maybe give the base a few more precious minutes to prepare for the attack."

"If we go looking for trouble, we're liable to find it, that's what I always say," Parker chimed in.

"Looking for trouble is our job," Troy answered.

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread…"

"We're not angels," Troy interrupted.

Troy and Moffitt walked off to the side to talk in private.

"We may not be angels yet but he's working on that," Parker complained.

"Some of us don't have to worry about that," Tully answered.

"Anybody can get killed."

"Yeah, but not all of us will qualify to be angels." Tully took his helmet and walked off.

When the sergeants returned to the jeeps, both privates were given their directions. The two vehicles split up, each with its own area to search.

Troy kept his eyes roving the desert, looking for the telltale dust that would indicate that a column was present. When he finally saw it, he had Parker park the jeep so he could track it with his field glasses. As he suspected, it was the German column. He carefully counted the tanks and halftracks, the patrol cars, and the trucks carrying men and equipment. Then he returned to the jeep and made his first call. He called the base and confirmed that the column was headed their way, giving them the coordinates. Then he contacted the other jeep.

The two jeeps met at the prearranged place with Troy and Parker getting there first.

"Are you sure you don't want to just head back to the base.?" Parker watched Troy as the sergeant watched for the other jeep. "We could head back and help defend the base."

"The base will prepare for the attack without us," the sergeant answered. "We can do more good out here."

"What can we do out here?"

"We can slow that column down. Give the base more time to prepare. If we take a few halftracks or trucks out of the equation, so much the better."

"How are we going to do that?"

"We'll hit them hard and fast. Then we'll get out of the way before they can hit us back."

"Aw Sarge! That's just asking for trouble."

"It's not asking for trouble if we don't give them a choice. We're going to start it this time."

"Never start something you can't finish, that's what I always say."

Troy shook his head, about to make a comment, when the second jeep arrived. Instead of saying something that he might regret later, he walked over to talk to Moffitt. Giving him the count of the German forces, he waited to see what his fellow sergeant thought of the situation.

"The base knows that they are coming?"

"Yeah," Troy confirmed. "I sent them a message before I contacted you. They're preparing as we speak."

"Are you thinking that we might be able to delay Dietrich and give them more time?"

Troy nodded. "I thought if we attacked them, we might be able to cut their numbers down a bit. We can hit the patrol cars, trucks, and halftracks. We'll have to avoid the tanks; the base will have to deal with them. I figure if we hit them hard and fast, and then run, we might slow them down."

"Dietrich will know he has lost the element of surprise," the Brit warned.

"I think it might be worth it."

The Brit smiled. "It may be at that. Where do you want to wait for him?"

"That series of wadis six miles this side of the base. We can hide behind the hills and strike before they even know we're there. Then we'll hightail it for the base. We shouldn't have any trouble beating Dietrich there."

Moffitt nodded as he considered the plan. "May I suggest that we hit from both sides at once? We can let the tanks go past and make a run along the trucks and halftracks."

"The patrol cars are spread out to the sides now but they'll move in closer once they reach the wadis. That will be out chance to hit them too."

"I agree," the Brit nodded, that will be our best chance." Moffitt looked toward the jeeps. "How are things going with Parker?"

Troy threw his driver a disgusted look. "He thinks we're asking for trouble."

"What did you tell him?"

Troy laughed. "I told him we weren't asking because we weren't going to give them a choice. I don't think he liked it."

This time it was Moffitt who laughed. "I doubt that he did."

Troy turned serious. "Let's get going, I want to beat Dietrich to those wadis."

"Are they that close?"

Troy nodded again. "Dietrich is driving slowly and sticking to the hard-packed sand, but it won't take him long to get there."

Parker walked over and caught the tail end of the conversation. "Sergeant Moffitt, you aren't going along with this crazy plan, are you?"

The Brit smiled at Parker and shrugged. "Do you think it's crazy?"

"Don't you?" Parker demanded.

"Perhaps. But that just makes it that much more appealing. Crazy works for us." Parker stared speechless at the sergeants as Moffitt turned to Troy. "Are you ready to leave?"

Tully was waiting patiently in his jeep when the other three returned to the vehicles.

"We heading out Sarge?"

"Yeah Tully. Moffitt will tell you the plan as you drive. We're going to try to delay that column."

Tully nodded without comment. Moffitt slid into the seat next to him and began to explain Troy's plan.

Dietrich was watching the desert ahead of his column. He knew about the series of wadis ahead and planned to use them to cover his approach to the American base. As they neared the wadis he sent his patrol cars to join the halftracks. They had orders to split up and use different wadis to keep the dust to a minimum. Like any soldier who had spent any time on the desert, he knew that a dust trail would reveal their location to anyone with sharp eyes. He also knew how difficult it was for a force to avoid raising dust. He had never been able to understand how his greatest foes managed it.

Thinking about Troy and his team, Dietrich reached for his binoculars. Suddenly his plan to split his forces didn't seem quite so clever after all. He hadn't had any reports about that particular American unit, and that worried him. It could mean that they had been set to harass some other unfortunate German officer, or, more likely, they were making recon runs somewhere in the area. Lifting the field glasses, he searched the desert ahead for the first clues that an attack was imminent.

When the column spread out, Moffitt was lying on top of a dune watching to see which path the Germans chose to pass through the wadis. He glanced across the wadi to where Troy waited. Troy motioned for a quick meeting and slid out of sight. The two of them met in the middle.

"They're splitting up," Troy growled. "Either the captain knows we're here or he's being extra cautious."

"I'm going with cautious," Moffitt answered, "if he knew we were here, he would be trying to surround us about now."

"Okay," Troy nodded, "change of plans. Hit and run. Find another opportunity and do it again. We'll play hide and seek. Our jeeps are more agile than any of their vehicles."

"But they outnumber us."

The other sergeant nodded. "That just means that we'll have to be smarter than them; get them chasing us around in circles. Hit them a couple of times and then sneak away. They'll have to check each wadi before they go through it to make sure we aren't in there waiting for them."

"Or they could make a run for the base."

"At the very least, they'll have to deal with their wounded. What have we got to lose?"

"Only our lives."

Troy looked at his friend in surprise. "Now you sound like Parker."

"I'm not against your plan," the Brit hurried to explain, "but you did ask."

"Yeah," Troy smiled, "I did. Explain the change in plan to Tully. Take the first opportunity you get; we'll do the same."

The British sergeant nodded and returned to his jeep. Troy went back to tell Parker the new plan.

Dietrich's halftrack turned off the main trail to go through another wadi. The hair on the back of his neck tickled, making him spin around to study the dunes on both sides of the wadi. He didn't hear any enemy engines but the engine on his own vehicle was loud enough to cover most other sounds. The sound it couldn't cover was the loud explosion behind him.

Black smoke rose into the sky from an adjoining wadi. Several smaller explosions echoed through the dunes as shells and ammunition over heated. Then another large explosion rocked his vehicle. He spun the other way to see another column of smoke darkening the sky. Reaching for his radio, he warned his men to be on the lookout for enemy troops or vehicles. He didn't specifically mention jeeps, but it was what he was looking for.

How had they discovered his column? Had they known about the attack? He had tried to keep his secret limited to a very small number of trusted officers. Even the troops hadn't known their destination until after leaving the base. There could only be one explanation. He got back on the radio and warned his men about his suspicions.

There were other explosions as his unit made its way through the wadis. He heard gunfire amid the explosions, some German, some American. One of the patrol cars got into a running fight with an American 50 caliber. He heard it, but he couldn't see it. His halftrack made it through the wadis without coming under attack, but some of his vehicles weren't so lucky. The explosions and gunfire continued sporadically until the last of them drove back out into the open desert.

The tanks had all made it through, no real surprise there. One by one the halftracks pulled up and stopped. Three of them were missing. He realized that each one was marked by a plume of smoke darkening the sky behind them. He had lost several of his patrol cars and two of his trucks. Many of the troops from the missing trucks staggered out of the wadis bloodied and looking shell-shocked.

"How can four men cause so much damage?" he wondered, not for the first time.

"Captain."

Dietrich turned as his junior officer arrived with the reports of losses.

"It was as you warned," the young officer shouted over the sound of the engine. "I saw one of their jeeps. It was them Captain. They threw a hand grenade from the hill above and hit the halftrack in front of me. Then a jeep attacked us from behind another hill. Two of our trucks were hit. There are many wounded Sir."

"Sent the medical personnel Lieutenant. We'll wait here until all of the wounded have been treated."

"I have ordered them moved here sir," the lieutenant answered. "I had a truck emptied and I sent it back for them."

"Well done, Lieutenant. Our plans will have to wait, the wounded come first."

"They know Captain. The Americans know we are coming."

"That is quite obvious," Dietrich answered dryly. "Have the men check for damage to the vehicles. The tanks can act as guards while we are forced to stay here. Get any of the wounded who walked out into the shade. Make sure everyone takes a drink of water."

"Yes Captain."

The captain stood in his halftrack and surveyed his small force. With the element of surprise he believed that they could have broken through the defenses of the American base; but they had lost that very important advantage. He counted his vehicles again, noting damage to several of them. The trucks had been the most vulnerable and their attackers had taken advantage of that fact. He couldn't leave the wounded behind, and he couldn't spare the vehicles to send them back. Taking them into battle was the same as offering them to the enemy. With a disappointed sigh, Dietrich ordered his men to rest before heading back to their own base. He had no choice but to go back and report his bold plan as a failure. Dietrich silently cursed Sergeant Troy and his men.

"They're turning back," Moffitt announced as he watched the German column turn and go back toward the German base.

"They gave up pretty easily," Troy answered.

"They lost the element of surprise."

"That wouldn't have stopped us. We would have just come up with some other way to do it."

"Dietrich isn't us," the Brit answered. "But you must admit, separating his forces in those wadis was brilliant. If it had been regular troops fighting in those wadis, they may have gotten away with it."

"I think Dietrich learned that trick from us."

"Imation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Troy spun to gape at Moffitt. "Not you too! I've had about all of the words of wisdom I can stand from this outfit."

"That's what I always say," Moffitt smiled. "Has Parker been quoting his famous sayings to you again?"

"Again?" Troy snorted. "He never stopped. If I hear one more thing he always says…"

"He does seem to have a lot to say," Moffitt ventured.

"Always," the other sergeant growled. "Let's go tell the captain that it looks as if the attack has been called off. He'll probably want us to follow to be sure they don't try to sneak back."

Several hours later the Germans were still headed for their own base and the Rat Patrol was headed home. They entered the base and Troy headed for the captain's office to give his report.

"Are you sure they are really headed home?" Captain Boggs asked after listening to the sergeant's report.

"We followed them all the way back to their own lines sir."

"Good work Sergeant. You and your men have earned a break. Take the rest of the day off; see me in the morning."

"Yes sir." Troy turned to leave the office.

"Sergeant."

"Yes sir?"

"Private Hitchcock is back. You can send Private Parker back to his own unit tomorrow. Private Hitchcock can rejoin your team."

"Thank goodness."

"Excuse me?"

"Just something I always say Sir. Thank you. I'll let Parker know." Troy left the office feeling much better than he had when he entered.

"Troy, look whose here!" Moffitt called as Troy approached the motor pool.

Troy looked at his regular driver and smiled. He had to resist the urge to hug him. "Welcome back Hitch. How was the training?"

"It's good to be back Sarge. The training was interesting, but you wouldn't believe how annoying that instructor was between classes."

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"Who was there Sarge, you or me? That guy had all of these little sayings that he kept repeating. He had one for every occasion. It was annoying."

"You don't say?"

"I do say," Hitch insisted.

"You ought to tell Private Parker about it. I bet he'd find it interesting."

"Really?"

"That's what he always says," Troy answered with a grin. "We have the rest of the day off. Does anybody want to join me for a drink?"

"Yeah," Hitch grumbled. "I could use one."

"That's what you always say," Troy laughed.