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So we're beginning to learn a little about Private Price and his issue with Sergeant Saunders. But we haven't even begun to scratch the surface. He has more surprises in store, so join First squad in discovering them.
As always, please consider leaving your comments in a review. They always help, and sometimes stir up another story.
PRICELESS
Part 2
CHAPTER 16
Ever since joining the military, Price felt like he was on a nightmare roller coaster. This was nothing like what he expected the Army to be.
First he was ridden and finally beaten senseless by a terrifying bully of a sergeant in boot camp. Then he was treated sympathetically by concerned doctors. But then he was thrown out of the hospital and into the middle of the war with only a few weeks of basic training. The Army's solution to making their problem go away, as if he was somehow the problem and not their drill sergeant.
He arrived in King Company assigned to Lieutenant Hanley, who was a disciplined but fair officer. And then he came up against Sergeant Saunders.
Although the two sergeants were really nothing alike, Price couldn't help but get triggered by Saunders' blond hair and blue eyes…and those stripes. Just like Sergeant Gemein.
The drill sergeant in basic had never let up on him. Price had tried with everything he had to keep up, but the sergeant kept pushing him further and further.
When Saunders first barked at him, all of Price's fears came flooding back. Ever since then, having to be near the sergeant was almost agonizing. His heart beat so fast that he thought that it would explode.
So when Lieutenant Hanley told him that he would be going out on his first patrol with Sergeant Saunders, Price could instantly feel his anxiety and heart rate climbing. The knot in his stomach tightened.
But he was determined to get through it. After all, despite Price's fears, he reminded himself that Sergeant Saunders had not actually done anything to really make him so fearful. It wasn't his fault that he was a blond, blue-eyed sergeant. But fear rarely listens to reason.
Price also tried to keep reminding himself that Saunders had actually been quite nice to him after his initial gruffness. He finally decided that maybe this patrol just might be where he'd 'get over it.'
He was nervous…almost terrified…at first. But the entire squad seemed to be trying to help him out. Neither babying him nor bullying him. Just teaching him. He could tell that even Sergeant Saunders was trying. There were times that he could visibly see the soldier holding his temper in check, and Price was grateful for all of their efforts.
The young man was practically beaming when the sergeant complimented him on his map and then again on finding the German cigarette.
His terror instantly returned, however, when Saunders tackled him. But he quickly understood that it was for his safety and those around him. It wasn't an unprovoked attack.
One thing that Price was extremely good at was absorbing and retaining information. He learned from his mistakes. He wouldn't need to be told again about possible booby traps. He just wished he could be more comfortable handling a gun…no…rifle. He couldn't even seem to get that straight.
Knowing that some of his behavior seemed immature to these seasoned soldiers, he was grateful that they didn't make fun of him. It was only a couple of months ago he was sitting at a desk in class or laughing with his friends in the cafeteria at lunch. This was a huge change in his life.
Price was an only child of a single mom, and he was the first to admit that he'd lived a sheltered life. When the schools realized how smart he was, they suggested he move up and skip several grades.
But his mom insisted that he grow up around children his own age. She understood how his intelligence would eventually separate him from others. She didn't want to add any more stress to his life. She wanted him to have a normal life.
Being an only child, he wouldn't have been required to join the military and fight. But he felt that he had to do his patriotic duty for his country. So, despite his mother's fears for his safety, Price joined the Army.
CHAPTER 17
And then everything seemed to spiral out of control. But now he finally felt that he was being given the chance to take back control of his life. Things seemed to be slowly falling into place for him. He didn't need to be afraid of Saunders, or any other sergeant.
As he started to step out of the trees to rejoin the patrol, Price froze and then quickly ducked back under the cover of the bushes. Everything happened too fast for him to think.
A German soldier had slipped from behind a tree and slammed his rifle barrel across Sergeant Saunders' lower back, driving the soldier to his knees. He then shoved him to the ground with his boot. When the sergeant tried to reach for his Thompson, the German kicked the side of his head.
Somewhere deep inside of him in a small, dark corner of his brain, Price felt it was payback for what his drill sergeant had done to him. He pictured himself as the German, and Sergeant Saunders was really Sergeant Gemein. And for a tiny moment in time, it felt good.
But the larger part of him…the human part…felt Saunders' pain in his own gut and head.
Staring in horror at the prone sergeant and the other men who were all taken by surprise, Price was at a loss for something he could do. The patrol had been taken prisoner by a dozen or so Germans. The private leaned against a tree and closed his eyes.
Now what was he going to do?
CHAPTER 18
The soldiers of the patrol were taken totally by surprise from the woods behind them. As each soldier was stripped of his weapon and utility belt, the German sergeant barked orders to his men. Weapons, helmets and belts were piled in a heap. The Americans were pushed to sit on the ground, a good fifteen yards from their sergeant.
One German searched Saunders, pulling things out of his pockets and taking his utility belt. Then he roughly yanked the sergeant's arms behind his back and tied his wrists.
Doc watched anxiously, noting a bloody gash on his sergeant's cheek. Looking up at the German sergeant, he said, "Let me check on him."
When the soldier just stared at him, the medic pointed to his red cross arm band and over to Saunders. "Let me check on him."
Finally understanding, the soldier shook his head. "Nein."
Doc looked at his sergeant one more time and sighed in frustration. "What'd they have to do that for?" he whispered.
Caje leaned a little closer to the medic. "Take out our leader and we're less likely to try anything."
The seven soldiers fell silent as the Germans seemed to be settling in. Their radio man slid the equipment off his back, set it on the ground and turned it on. While three others stood guard over their prisoners, their sergeant waited impatiently for the radio to warm up. The rest of the men were relaxing and taking out their cigarettes.
Caje noted that it didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon.
CHAPTER 19
Saunders was struggling to make sense of what had just happened. One minute he was taking out his map, and the next minute he was in agony being shoved face down into the grass. Instinct for survival kicked in and he tried to use his Thompson, but he was rewarded with a sharp blow to the side of his head.
As his arms were roughly pulled behind him and his wrists were bound, the fog clouding his brain began to lift. He realized that they were being taken prisoner by the krauts.
Turning his head toward his men in alarm, he waited impatiently for his vision to clear. With a flood of relief, the sergeant saw that none of the soldiers seemed to be injured.
And then he noted that Price wasn't among them. Saunders couldn't figure if that was a good thing or not. But he finally decided that any soldier free was a good thing…even Price. Hopefully the young private had the good sense to call in their position to Hanley and report on the kraut activity in this area. And then with luck he'd find his way back to their unit.
Price was the one who drew up the map after all. It just depended on how good his memory was. Saunders had visions of the young soldier wandering the countryside until he was eventually captured or killed by the krauts…or he stepped on a booby trap.
Saunders tested the bindings on his wrists. They were strong and tight. He knew that he needed to stay positive about Price and hope for the best. Maybe once he called in, Hanley would send out a rescue patrol.
He just couldn't see any other alternatives at that point.
CHAPTER 20
It didn't take Price long to realize that he was the patrol's only hope. He knew that he should call it in to Lieutenant Hanley, but he also knew that there was a large hill directly between him and where King Company was billeted.
He'd either have to go back around the hill the way that they'd originally come in, or he'd have to climb that hill in order to make contact. Either way he would need to leave the patrol and the Germans. By the time he got back they might all be gone.
Making the decision to stay, Price decided that just listening and watching might give him some ideas about what he could do. Although he never told anyone, Price was fluent in several languages. He'd kept it to himself because he was afraid that it would make him seem super smart to the other men…and to the sergeant.
Being too smart had already put him in the hospital once. And then there was Brockmeyer. Price really liked Brock. But he'd already started to take the role of electronics expert away from his friend. He didn't want to ruin their growing friendship by also usurping his role as German interpreter.
Hunkering down in the bushes, the young soldier watched…and waited. If the Germans moved out with their prisoners, at least he could follow them. He could always call in to the Lieutenant if they cleared the hill.
Think, the young man said to himself. Think, Price. The Germans took control of Sergeant Saunders first, quickly neutralizing him. Smart. The rest of the men would be less likely to try anything. Even if they managed to escape somehow, they'd probably be forced to leave their sergeant behind. In order to free him they'd have to overpower twelve Germans. Not likely to happen.
Price watched and listened carefully as the radio finally warmed up and their sergeant began to communicate with someone. While he listened, Price suddenly had an idea.
CHAPTER 21
The men of First squad sat silently sizing up their situation. Each soldier was mentally running through their possibilities and chances of escape. None came up with anything viable, but each soldier's thoughts turned to the only slim possibility.
Price.
"Think Price is out there watching somewhere?" Billy whispered.
"Probably running like a scared rabbit," Kirby replied softly.
"Might've got lost," Littlejohn added.
Brockmeyer shook his head. "Price'd never run and leave us. And he's way too smart to get lost. He drew the Sarge's map himself."
"Just drawin' a map don't mean he'll remember it," Kirby replied.
"He'll remember it," Brockmeyer reassured him.
"Sure hope he comes up with something," Doc said anxiously as he watched their captors.
"Doesn't look good," Steller added nervously.
"We can't depend on Price to somehow get us out of this," Caje said. "Brock, keep listening for anything we can use."
One of their guards took a step forward and pointed his rifle at the group of seated men.
"Nicht sprechen!"
CHAPTER 22
Listening intently, Price was getting an earful. Two platoons were planning to advance in order to take back the sector and set their Company up for a major push forward. Those platoons were coming to join the patrol in a few hours. If all remained quiet, the rest of the Company would move up and join them and regroup for another move forward.
Price knew that this was information that really needed to get back to King Company. But he also knew that he couldn't just walk away and leave his fellow soldiers as prisoners.
Hopefully if his idea worked, he could deal with both issues. He continued to listen while the sergeant talked on the radio. When the soldier finally stopped, Price began to slowly back away. He needed to put some distance between him and that German radio. But he also needed to keep their radio and their radio man in sight.
When he felt that he was far enough away not to be heard, Price slid the radio off his shoulders and set it on the ground. Kneeling down, he turned it on, knowing that it would take a good ten minutes to warm up.
Setting his haversack down, he began pulling out various parts and tools. He hooked up the antenna as he waited impatiently for the radio to warm up. Mentally going over diagrams in his head, Price opened his box of crystals and set to work.
He knew that it would take patience and time to rebuild the radio, lower the frequency and find the one that the German patrol was using. But he had no doubt that he could do it. And he had a few hours before the two platoons showed up. More than enough time.
CHAPTER 23
Knowing that they outnumbered their prisoners almost two to one, most of the Germans were paying scant attention to the Americans.
Lying face down in the grass, Saunders looked over toward his men all seated about fifteen yards away. He tried and failed to speak.
Clearing his throat, he whispered hoarsely, "Everyone ok?"
When he got no response, he cleared his throat again and repeated a little louder, "Everyone ok?"
His men all turned as one. "Yeah, but are you ok?" Caje asked.
Ignoring the question, knowing that he probably only had a minute before they shut him up, the sergeant asked, "Brock, you listening?"
As soon as Brockmeyer nodded, Saunders added, "Anyone understand us?"
"No one," the private replied. "They've been talking about how they should have someone in their patrol who speaks English."
"Keep an eye out for Price," the sergeant said. "He's our best chance of getting out of here."
"Sarge," Brockmeyer began, "I gotta tell you…"
At that moment, one of the guards grabbed Saunders by the jacket collar, pulled him to his knees and roughly shoved him back to sit leaning against a tree. The sergeant struggled to keep his balance and remain upright as the guard stuffed a handkerchief in his mouth and tied it behind his neck.
Slamming Saunders' head against the tree, the guard shouted angrily, "Nicht sprechen!"
Pain exploded in the sergeant's head, and blackness enveloped him.
CHAPTER 24
Price was concentrating on his work, occasionally glancing up to see what was happening in the clearing. He noted with alarm that the sergeant was now sitting up against a tree and he appeared to be unconscious. What had he missed? he thought.
The other men didn't seem to be overly distraught, so he assumed that Saunders was only unconscious and not dead.
Just as he was finishing up, Price could see the German sergeant on the radio again. He made some quick adjustments, being sure that he'd lowered the squelch knob. Certainly didn't need static and background noise giving away his position.
Continuing to adjust the knobs, Price listened intently on the headset until he was finally rewarded with clearer voices. German voices. As the conversations continued, the young private was listening silently and formulating a plan.
The German sergeant had just been told that the platoons would be there in less than two hours. He'd been commended by his lieutenant for capturing so many Americans, including a sergeant.
Price was running short on time.
CHAPTER 25
"Can you get a good look at him, Doc?" Caje whispered. "Is he still alive?"
"I don't know," the medic replied as he strained to get a better look at their sergeant slumped against the tree.
"Wait!" he added excitedly. "I just saw him move. He must be unconscious."
"Sergeant!" Doc called out to the German sergeant who had just handed the headset back to his radio man.
When the soldier looked at him, the medic once again pointed to his red cross arm band and over to Saunders.
"Let me help him."
Looking at the unconscious NCO, the German shook his head. "Nein."
Caje whispered to Brockmeyer, "Brock, how much time do we have."
"Half a Company is due here in less than two hours," Brockmeyer answered anxiously. "They're getting ready to push back into this sector."
"If Price is gonna do something," Billy whispered worriedly, "he'd better do it soon."
CHAPTER 26
Price was as ready as he'd ever be.
But he was also about as nervous as he could possibly be. If this didn't work out, he couldn't see any other alternatives. He'd be forced to leave the men prisoners and get back to Lieutenant Hanley with the information about the Germans moving back into the sector.
His performance had to be flawless.
Clearing his throat, the young private mentally lowered his voice. He needed to sound commanding…and believable. Taking a couple of deep breaths to steady himself, Price finally clicked the button, using the German sergeant's call sign a couple of times.
He could only hope and pray that the platoon's radio man was conserving precious battery power and not listening in. Having heard the German sergeant's conversations, Price knew a lot about them. He hoped it was enough.
When he finally made contact, he said in his most commanding voice, "This is Colonel Hoffnung. Are you Sergeant Glauben?"
Startled by the recognition by name, the sergeant replied, "Why, yes, my Colonel."
"I was told of your capture of the American patrol," Price continued, growing more confident with Glauben's acceptance of the authenticity of the 'Colonel'.
"Excellent work. And I hear that you have a sergeant. Be sure to keep him safe. We will be interrogating him soon."
Glauben looked over anxiously at the unconscious American sergeant. "Yes, Sir. He's alive and well. They all are."
Not wasting time or giving the sergeant a chance to think, Price added, "You and your men are to head due south to be sure there are no other Americans in that sector. We will be advancing shortly, and we need no more surprises."
Confused, the sergeant looked over at the cluster of prisoners seated on the ground. "But what about the prisoners? There are too many of them to take with us, Colonel."
Before Price could respond, the sergeant added, "Should we shoot them?"
"Of course not!" the young private answered, almost too loudly and quickly. He looked nervously out at the German soldiers to see if they might have heard him talking off in the woods. Nothing. Price breathed a silent sigh of relief. If anyone heard him speaking out in the woods, the entire charade would be over. And he'd end up either dead or a prisoner himself.
"I just told you of our plans to interrogate them. Why would I want you to shoot them?"
"But what should we do?" Glauben asked, still confused. "What about all of their weapons?"
"I've sent another patrol out to get them," the young man explained. "They should be there within the hour. Just leave the weapons. We can use them."
"We'll leave as soon as they get here," the sergeant replied.
"There's no time. Leave now," Price insisted. This part was critical to his plan. "Just tie the prisoners up good and leave them."
There was silence as Price sat on the ground next to the radio, staring in the distance at the German on the other end of his conversation. He could see the sergeant looking around at the prisoners and his own men.
"But…" the sergeant began.
"That was an order, Sergeant," Price said angrily.
"But…I have nothing to tie them all up with, Colonel," Glauben finally responded.
Price wanted to scream in frustration. They were so close. He stared at his feet, thinking. So close.
With a sudden thought and a smile, he answered, "Are your prisoners wearing boots?"
CHAPTER 27
The prisoners all knew that something was up as they nervously looked from the German sergeant on the radio to Brockmeyer. Everyone waited in anxious silence as Brockmeyer listened intently.
When the sergeant finally handed the headset back to his radio man, Brockmeyer turned to the others.
"Change of plans. The krauts are leaving us and heading out," he whispered.
"They're just gonna let us go?" Littlejohn asked incredulously.
Brockmeyer shook his head, "I don't think so. I can't hear everything they're saying."
"They ain't gonna just let us walk away," Steller said.
"They…gonna shoot us?" Billy asked in a low, shaky whisper.
Brockmeyer shook his head again. "I get the feeling that someone else is coming for us. They want to interrogate us."
He looked over at their still unconscious sergeant. "Especially the Sarge."
"Good luck with that," Kirby replied. "He's out cold."
CHAPTER 28
Saunders' head was pounding. He opened his eyes and instantly remembered where he was…and what their situation was. He closed his eyes again and remained still, trying to think.
The longer the krauts believed that he was unconscious, the more time the sergeant had to think. But try as he might, he just couldn't see a way out of this.
He'd pinned his hopes on Price, but now that seemed to have been overly optimistic. What could he possibly expect the young inexperienced soldier to do? It was his first time out in the field. The man couldn't even hold a rifle properly.
And Saunders knew that even if he himself was free, he'd have a hard time coming up with a solution. He wouldn't fault Price for leaving them and heading back to the Company.
He knew that he was simply expecting too much.
Saunders could hear the other men whispering but, as much as he tried, he just couldn't make out what they were saying. He could hear the krauts talking, but a lot of good that did him since he couldn't understand them. It reminded him how much he really appreciated Brockmeyer.
The kraut sergeant had been smart to take out Saunders first, he thought. By quickly isolating him from the others, they had effectively neutralized his power and control.
He couldn't think of a single thing that he could do, except remain 'unconscious'…and wait.
CHAPTER 29
The prisoners stared at their guard in confusion as he gestured toward their feet. "Stiefelschnürsenkel ab."
Brockmeyer knew exactly what the soldier wanted but couldn't let on that he understood German. He needed to keep taking in as much information as possible.
When repeating himself got no response, the guard trained his rifle on his prisoners while another one knelt down cautiously in front of Doc and grabbed one of his boots. Startled, the medic tried to pull away, but Caje stopped him.
"Let's see what they want, Doc."
Hesitantly, the medic relaxed his leg, and the kraut began to unlace his boot. Pulling the last of the lace free from the boot, the soldier held the lace up and pointed to the other boot.
"Nimm die schnürsenkel. Raus!"
Once what he wanted became obvious, Brockmeyer confirmed, "He wants us to take our boot laces out."
Slowly the soldiers began to unlace their boots. When Kirby began to unbuckle the boot tops, one kraut said, "Nein."
With a quick look at his fellow prisoners, the BAR man rebuckled his boot and went back to unlacing them. The guard held his hand out and each soldier in turn gave him his laces.
The guard handed them all to two other soldiers, who began tying them together in pairs. Now the soldiers knew exactly what they were doing.
CHAPTER 30
Seeing his plan playing out nicely so far, Price quickly but silently gathered the spare parts and tools that were scattered around him on the ground.
Once everything was back in his haversack, he stood up, grabbed the radio and slipped it up over his shoulders and onto his back. Picking up the haversack, he slid the strap over his shoulder and slung the rifle over his other shoulder.
Moving slowly through the brush and trees, Price now had to get closer to hear and see if everything was happening as planned. When he felt that he was as close as he could safely get without being discovered, the young soldier knelt down quietly.
He shifted until he had a good view of everyone. Sergeant Saunders still seemed to be unconscious. The rest of the men remained seated in a cluster about fifteen yards away from their sergeant. And the Germans seemed to be making plans to move out.
Excellent, the young soldier thought. It appeared that 'Colonel Hoffnung' was believably effective.
Price continued to watch as each prisoner was led to a sapling on the edge of the clearing and tied to the tree right next to each other. He noted that even though they were tied securely to the trees, they were still kept segregated from their sergeant.
The German sergeant was pretty cautious, Price thought. He wasn't taking any chances. He was told it would only be about a half hour before he expected the other patrol to come to collect the prisoners. But that was more than enough time for his prisoners to find a way to escape.
Price could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the sergeant quickly look around the clearing one more time and then lead his men off to the south and into the trees.
CHAPTER 31
Caje knew that this would be their best opportunity to escape, but he also realized that it just didn't seem possible. The guards were too attentive and too thorough. Each prisoner was tied one at a time near each other yet not close enough to reach each other.
Even if they somehow could manage a quick break for freedom, they would have to leave their unconscious sergeant behind. Something that none of the soldiers were willing to do.
"They just gonna leave us here?" Billy asked worriedly.
"There's another patrol coming for us in just a little while," Brockmeyer explained. "These guys are heading out the way we came in for some reason. I couldn't hear. Looking for more prisoners maybe?"
The soldiers sat on the edge of the clearing, helplessly watching as the German patrol gathered their things and headed out on the trail to the south. As soon as the last German disappeared into the brush, the men of first squad began to test their bindings.
Struggling against the laces, Kirby said in exasperation, "Ah, it's no use! It's just too tight."
Murmurs of "mine too" rippled down the line of men. But the soldiers fell quiet, continuing to work on their bindings, determined to keep trying.
As the forest birds began to sing again, the near silence was broken.
CHAPTER 32
"Hey, guys!"
Everyone looked up as one. Price.
The young soldier immediately went straight to Brockmeyer and, reaching behind him, began to untie the laces.
"You didn't take off!" Kirby exclaimed.
"Or get lost," Billy added.
Price shook his head as he finally loosened Brockmeyer's bindings. "Thought about going back, but I stayed. Been here all the time."
Brockmeyer rubbed his wrists and then began to work on freeing Caje. Price slipped the radio and haversack off, and then began to work on Littlejohn's laces.
"We've gotta hurry," Caje said anxiously. "There's a kraut patrol coming to get us any minute."
The young private smiled and shook his head. "No, they're not."
"Brockmeyer heard them," Steller said, looking around nervously.
"Yeah," Brockmeyer explained. "I heard the sergeant talking to a colonel, who's sending out a patrol for us."
Price smiled. "The colonel changed his mind."
And then he added in a deeper voice, "Ich habe meine Meinung geändert."
The men all stared at the young soldier until Brockmeyer broke out in laughter. "It was you! How the heck did you ever do it?"
"Do what?" Littlejohn asked in confusion as he pulled the last of the laces from his wrists.
Just then, it seemed like all hell broke loose.
CHAPTER 33
Saunders remained quiet and motionless as the kraut patrol slowly filed past him into the woods. For some unknown reason, they were leaving their prisoners unguarded. They automatically used the narrow animal trail that Saunders and his men had used on the way into the small clearing. The sergeant continued to stay still with his eyes closed just in case one of the krauts came back to check on them.
The Germans had made a major error, and he intended to take full advantage of it. In their hurry, none of them had thought to tie the 'unconscious' sergeant to a tree. He was leaning against a tree, but his arms were tied behind his back. Hopefully they didn't remember that.
The sergeant could hear his men begin to talk and it concerned him. Too much commotion right now might bring one of the krauts back to investigate. They couldn't have gotten very far yet. The animal trail was narrow and twisting through the dense brush.
Finally looking up when the talk seemed to increase and grow more excited, Saunders saw Price kneeling down, slipping off his radio and untying Littlejohn. The sergeant struggled to stand. His muscles were resisting after remaining frozen in one position for so long.
The moment he stood up, a lone German soldier broke free from the brush and immediately focused on the stranger…Price. None of the others in the squad seemed to notice as they concentrated on untying each other. Saunders tried to yell a warning, but only muffled noises made it past the gag stuffed in his mouth.
As the kraut raised his rifle, Saunders launched himself at the soldier. At the same time, there was an explosion in the woods and the kraut's rifle went off.
CHAPTER 34
Movement caught Caje's eye, and he yelled, "Hit it!"
A German soldier was standing only twenty yards away, aiming his rifle at Price. Kirby went to grab Price's arm to pull him down when seemingly out of nowhere, their sergeant appeared to be flying through the air. He was still bound and gagged, but definitely conscious and mobile.
Saunders hit the soldier with a cross body block that drove both of the men to the ground with a loud whump. The German reflexively fired his weapon before it flew from his hands. But his shot went wild into the trees above everyone's heads.
Almost simultaneously, there was a loud explosion in the woods. Everyone froze for a brief moment until Caje broke the silence.
"C'mon." He scrambled up and ran to the two struggling soldiers. Grabbing the rifle, he shouted some of the few words he knew in German.
"Hände hoch!"
The German stopped struggling under the sergeant's weight, and Saunders rolled off of the soldier. Pulling himself up onto his knees, Saunders gestured urgently for someone to untie him.
Looking at the other men, Caje called out, "Someone untie the Sarge."
Before his wrists were completely unbound, Saunders reached up with one free hand and pulled the handkerchief down below his chin.
"Kirby…Brock…get your weapons!" the sergeant yelled as he stood up and ran to the stack of weapons and utility belts himself.
Grabbing his Thompson, he checked the magazine as he ran.
"The rest of you watch our backs. Kirby, Brock…c'mon."
The two soldiers scrambled for their weapons and followed their sergeant into the woods. Saunders slowed as he neared the area of the explosion. The krauts had tripped their own booby trap. But with so many soldiers, it was unlikely that all of them had been killed.
When he caught the sight and smell of the lingering smoke, Saunders stopped and held his hand up for his two men behind him to wait. Slowly inching forward, he came to four obviously dead soldiers on the narrow trail.
Stepping over them cautiously, the sergeant moved forward and found three more dead. It appeared that someone in the line had tripped the booby trap. Instead of spreading out, the soldiers had walked in a cluster close together. A fatal mistake.
Now he moved even slower. There were still at least three krauts unaccounted for, and maybe as many as five. He'd never gotten an accurate number before he was knocked unconscious. Crouching lower, he moved forward slowly.
CHAPTER 35
Littlejohn and Nelson picked up their rifles and moved to the other end of the clearing.
"Price," Caje called out. "Finish untying Steller and Doc, and stay with Doc. Steller, go with Littlejohn and Billy."
The Cajun motioned with his rifle for the German to stand up and move over near Price and the medic.
"Price, when you're done, grab a couple of those laces and tie up this kraut."
Taking Doc's laces, the young soldier tied up their prisoner's hands behind him.
"You sure there's no kraut patrol about to come down on us?" Caje asked anxiously.
Price nodded as he worked. "I'm sure. I made it all up just to get the others to leave you all behind."
He finished tying the laces and added, "But according to what I heard, there's a bunch of Germans coming in an hour or so. For real. We should be getting out of here soon."
"What was that explosion?" Doc asked as he rubbed his wrists.
"Sounded like those krauts triggered that radio booby trap," Caje replied, glancing quickly over his shoulder toward the animal trail.
Just then Kirby broke from the trees. "Hey, Doc. Sarge needs you. We got a bunch of injured krauts up the trail."
Grabbing his med kit from the pile of their belongings, the medic followed the BAR man up the trail.
CHAPTER 36
Saunders moved cautiously with Thompson at the ready as he stepped over and around the last obviously dead soldier. Must have been really bunched up, he thought as he slowly continued up the trail.
Catching movement up ahead, the sergeant stopped. Guess there were twelve Saunders thought as four more soldiers appeared in front of him lying in the brush. Two were obviously wounded, and two seemed to be disoriented and struggling to sit up. One was their sergeant who had probably been out on point, Saunders figured.
As the German sergeant slowly reached for his weapon, Saunders shouted, "Nein! Don't try it!"
The kraut sergeant looked at Saunders, trying to focus his eyes. Not really understanding what had just happened, the soldier did realize that somehow, he was now a prisoner. He helped the man sitting next to him to sit up, and he checked the soldier's bleeding head.
Seeing another of his men lying nearby bleeding from a shoulder wound, he leaned toward him. Saunders tensed and raised his Thompson, and the German sergeant pointed to the wounded soldier.
"Er braucht Hilfe."
Brockmeyer leaned forward and said quietly, "He wants help for his man."
When Saunders didn't respond right away, the German added, "Medizin."
Saunders turned sideways without taking his eyes off of his prisoners.
"Kirby," he called out. "Go get Doc. We got some wounded krauts here."
CHAPTER 37
They waited for the medic in tense silence. The woods around them seemed to absorb and reflect their tension, and all remained deathly quiet. Even the gentle breeze had stopped.
Pointing to his utility belt, the German sergeant said, "Binde."
He looked over at his man next to him with the head wound. He repeated, "Binde."
"He wants to get a bandage, Sarge," Brockmeyer explained.
"Tell him go ahead, but slow," Saunders replied.
Brockmeyer looked at the sergeant still sitting on the ground. "Mach weiter, aber langsam."
The German looked at Brockmeyer with a mixture of surprise and shock. It had never occurred to him that any of the Americans understood German. He'd made a huge mistake in underestimating his enemy.
With a slight sigh he slowly reached into a pouch and pulled out his bandage. Opening it, he began to gently bind his soldier's head.
"Those back there are all dead, Sarge," Doc said as he gingerly made his way past the bodies, with Kirby following close behind. The BAR man carefully avoided looking down at the carnage of war.
"There's four live ones here, Doc," Saunders responded without turning around.
Doc knelt down beside the closest one and checked his pulse.
"Not anymore," the medic answered. "This one's dead."
"Well, these three are definitely alive," the sergeant replied. "Check this one out."
He pointed to the soldier with the shoulder wound, lying near his feet. "Kirby, go back and put a litter together with Price."
"Should we make two?" the BAR man asked, pointing to the soldier with the head wound.
Saunders shook his head. "I think he can walk. He should be able to make it on his own."
As Kirby ran back down the trail, the remaining soldiers from both sides waited in silence while Doc worked.
CHAPTER 38
By the time Kirby and Price finished the litter, Doc had done what he could for the wounded soldier who was awake but in considerable pain. The medic held up an ampoule of morphine.
"He's in a lot of pain, Sarge. I'd like to give this to him."
"What's the problem?" his sergeant asked.
Doc hesitated. "It's the only one I've got."
With no hesitation, Saunders said, "Give it to him."
Kirby came running back up the trail carrying the litter. "It's done, Sarge."
Saunders stepped off the trail. "Give the litter to Doc. Brock, tell the kraut sergeant to help you get him on the litter. Kirby, keep them covered. Don't let your guard down with any of them. That head wound doesn't look that serious. I'm gonna check on the others. We'll all meet up with you here in a few minutes."
With that, Saunders trotted back to the others in the clearing. Caje was watching the kraut prisoner while Nelson, Steller and Littlejohn were out on the perimeter of the clearing. Price, with radio and haversack back on, was gathering the last of everyone's things.
Seeing the sergeant come into the clearing, the young private held out Saunders' utility belt and helmet. "I picked up all the boot laces…except for those." He pointed to the bound prisoner.
"We don't have time for everyone to lace them in again anyway," the sergeant replied.
"Steller, Billy, Littlejohn…let's go. We're moving out. Caje…take the prisoner up the trail to the others. Price, you can follow them."
Stepping in behind the remaining soldiers, Saunders took one last look around the clearing and brought up the rear.
CHAPTER 39
As the line of soldiers joined the others, Saunders called out, "Kirby, take the point. Follow the trail to the next clearing and then stop."
It didn't take long for Kirby to break from the trees into the next clearing. As Brockmeyer and the German sergeant set the litter down, Saunders said, "Brock, see if the kraut sergeant has my map."
Brockmeyer went over to the sergeant and started to search him, but hesitated.
"Hast du unsere Karte?"
The German looked at him for a moment and then sighed and nodded. He reached into his tunic and pulled out the map.
"Danke." Brockmeyer took it and handed it off to his sergeant.
"Search all three of them, Brock," Saunders said as he opened the map.
Going through the pockets of the injured soldier on the litter, Brockmeyer smiled and held out his hand. "Sarge?"
Looking up from the map, the sergeant couldn't help a faint smile. He reached out and took his lighter and watch from the private. Tucking the map under his arm, he returned the lighter back to his pocket and slipped his watch back on.
"Sarge," Caje said. "What're we gonna do about all the krauts pushing forward?"
Saunders pulled the map from under his arm. "What krauts?" he asked in alarm.
Brockmeyer replied, "They're pushing back into this sector. There's at least two platoons due here in maybe an hour or less."
Their sergeant looked at his men incredulously. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Without waiting for a response, he added, "Price, get that radio on and warmed up. Now!"
After an awkward moment of silence, Price replied nervously, "I can't."
Saunders turned and stared at the private with his look that could bore through steel. The young soldier visibly squirmed under the sergeant's steely gaze.
"Why not?"
CHAPTER 40
"I…I kind of changed the radio," Price replied nervously, looking around for a way out.
Finally, Brockmeyer jumped in. "I think Price is trying to say it isn't our radio anymore, Sarge. It's a kraut radio now."
Price nodded with relief. "Pretty much."
"What'd you do that for?" Saunders persisted angrily.
"It's…it's a long story," the private stuttered anxiously. "You see…"
Opening his map in frustration, the sergeant cut the soldier off. "We don't have time for long stories. We've got to get out of here."
Saunders was fuming. Two platoons of krauts on the way. A major push forward by the enemy. No radio. Wounded prisoner slowing them down. Saunders hated flying blind. He'd missed everything when he'd been separated from his men.
As he looked at his map, the other men stood in silence, occasionally stealing quick glances at each other. They knew that their sergeant was angry. Very angry.
Price was relieved that the spot light was off of him, and he began to breathe a little. As he waited, he watched the German sergeant continually glancing behind them down the trail. He knew what the sergeant was looking for.
Lowering his voice, Price said, "Die Patrouille kommt nicht, Feldwebel Glauben."
Both sergeants' heads snapped around, and the two men stared at the young soldier in stunned silence. The entire squad was silent.
But Sergeant Glauben was the most stunned of all. He'd just been told by the voice he knew as Colonel Hoffnung that the patrol wasn't coming. But this certainly wasn't Colonel Hoffnung. And yet, this soldier knew his name and about the patrol. The German sergeant was both confused and angry. He hated not being in control of a situation. And yet here he was a prisoner, somehow having been tricked by an American private.
Saunders was speechless as well. On top of everything else, now Price was speaking fluent German. What next?...Don't ask, he thought to himself.
Having been unconscious for a short while and then segregated from his men, Saunders had obviously missed a lot. He felt like he was losing control of his patrol. And one thing that the sergeant really hated was that feeling of not being in control of a situation.
Everyone remained silent except for Brockmeyer, who couldn't help laughing with recognition of what had happened. His sergeant gave him a deadly glare, and the soldier immediately stopped laughing.
Stuffing the map back into his field jacket, Saunders said gruffly, "We'll talk about all this later. Let's move out."
He flipped the Thompson off of his shoulder and took the point.
CHAPTER 41
The remainder of their trek back to their lines was in total, tense silence. Everyone filed quietly past the soldiers dug in on the front. As they walked into their billet, Saunders spoke for the first time.
"Billy, Littlejohn…take the litter over to the aid station. Doc, go with them."
"What about the one with the head wound?" the medic asked.
With a quick dismissive wave of his hand, the sergeant replied, "He made it this far under his own steam, I'll let the MP's decide what to do with him."
"Caje, Kirby, Steller…take our three prisoners to the MP's."
Continuing to walk toward the officers' quarters, Saunders called out over his shoulder, "Brockmeyer, Price…come with me."
Anxiously glancing at each other, the two soldiers dutifully followed their sergeant. Up ahead, Lieutenant Hanley was standing by a makeshift table just outside his tent watching them.
Looking over the three soldiers as they approached, the officer could see that his sergeant was not happy. And there was blood on his face.
"Everyone make it back okay?"
Saunders took off his helmet and wiped the gash on his cheek. When the sergeant nodded, the relief on the Lieutenant's face was obvious.
Taking out his cigarettes and lighter, the officer noted, "From those three prisoners you just brought in, I assume you found krauts in the area."
When he held out the pack, Saunders took one, shoved it into the corner of his mouth and leaned forward toward Hanley's outstretched hand as the officer lit the cigarette. "Four prisoners. One was wounded."
Inhaling deeply, the sergeant added. "We ran into a bit of trouble with a kraut patrol. According to these two, the Germans are planning a big push back into that sector."
With a look of concern, the Lieutenant replied, "Brockmeyer, go get a couple of crates and let's hear it."
CHAPTER 42
Hanley and Saunders sat on either side of the low table with a map spread out between them.
Pointing to a spot on the map, the sergeant said, "This is where we got overrun by the kraut patrol. They kept me away from the others, and from then on I was pretty much flying blind. Couldn't hear a thing going on. And they gagged me so I couldn't talk to the others either."
Hanley turned to the two privates sitting side by side in front of their leaders. "So it's up to you two to give me a report."
"Is it ok if I take off this stuff, Lieutenant?" Price asked.
When the officer nodded, the young soldier pulled off the radio and haversack and set them down next to his crate.
Hanley leaned forward. "So…let's have it."
"It all started when I needed to relieve myself," Price began in embarrassment.
"No," Brockmeyer interrupted. "It really started when you found that kraut radio and the Sarge tackled you."
The Lieutenant turned to his sergeant in confusion.
"Long story," Saunders responded.
"Seems like your squad is overflowing with long stories, Sergeant," the officer said.
Before the sergeant could explain, Hanley turned back to the two men seated side by side.
"Go on."
Slowly the sequence of events unraveled between the explanations from the two privates. Hanley and Saunders both sat listening intently in silence, mesmerized by their story.
Occasionally one of them interrupted.
"You rebuilt the radio?" Hanley asked incredulously.
Price nodded. "I always like to be prepared. I have my tools and spare parts." He patted his haversack next to him.
"I can't believe that kraut sergeant actually believed you were a colonel," Saunders said at one point.
"He's really good with German, Sarge," Brockmeyer answered. "He sure fooled me when I was listening in."
"Almost fooled me when I was standing right in front of him," the sergeant admitted.
The questions, answers and explanations continued until almost dinner. Finally, Hanley stood up.
"Well, I've heard enough for now. I've got to get all of this information over to Captain Jampel."
He picked up the map and folded it. "With these coordinates, he'll probably order a barrage to hopefully take out those platoons and put a stop to the kraut advance."
As he headed off, the other three soldiers stood up. Brockmeyer picked up the radio and haversack. "I'll take this stuff back."
Price shook his head. "That's ok, Brock. I'll do it."
"Then I'm heading over to mess, if that's ok, Sarge," Brockmeyer replied, looking at his sergeant.
Saunders nodded, crushing out his cigarette under his boot. Brockmeyer left the two soldiers standing by Lieutenant Hanley's tent.
Looking at the radio, the young soldier said hesitantly, "Sorry about the radio, Sergeant Saunders. You want me to rebuild it?"
"No," the sergeant replied. "Leave it, but mark it as a kraut radio. Just might come in handy."
As the private turned to leave, Saunders added, "You know, Price, you can call me Sarge like the others."
The private thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "I'm not sure."
Taking out his cigarettes and lighter, the sergeant lit one and asked, "How come you didn't tell anyone you spoke German?"
Price gave a slight smile. "I speak German, Italian, French and Spanish. Languages come really easy for me. I was planning to learn Japanese if I was shipped to the Pacific. I might do it anyway. Interesting language and culture."
Saunders stopped smoking and just stared at the young man.
"But why not tell anyone?" he persisted.
Looking at his boots, Price replied, "Because then everyone'll think I'm really smart."
Pausing a moment, he continued nervously, "Being smart got me in a heck of a lot of trouble once."
Saunders could feel the change in the young man. He'd finally gotten it out. Sort of. But he knew that it had taken a lot for Price to work up the courage to say it.
Saunders took a deep drag on his cigarette. "I'm not your drill sergeant, Price. In my squad, being smart is a plus."
The private looked at him with surprise. "You know?"
The sergeant nodded. Tilting his head and squinting through the cigarette smoke, he added, "Doesn't mean I won't yell at you if I get mad though. I'm still a sergeant."
After a moment of silence between them, Saunders said, "Better get to mess."
Just then a soldier called out, "Hey, Price. You got a package at mail call today. I left it on your bedroll."
Price waved excitedly and quickly slung the radio and haversack over his shoulders.
Turning to Saunders, Price grinned. "Probably from my mom. She's sending me a book on learning to read Japanese. Sure hope she remembered to get it for Hiragana and not Kanji."
He ran off, leaving the sergeant standing alone.
Saunders watched the young man run. Taking a last long drag on his cigarette, he flipped it out into the grass.
With one final look at the retreating soldier, Saunders shook his head and smiled.
"Priceless."
THE END
