The Aftermath of Failure Raid
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 3
"That convoy didn't stay on Dietrich's base for very long." Troy lowered his binoculars to turn to talk to Moffitt. "They didn't have time to load or unload much at all."
"Perhaps they just stopped for fuel, or water," the Brit suggested.
"I wonder," Troy answered.
"I sense a plan." Moffitt lowered his field glasses and smiled as he turned toward Troy. "Are we going to go down there and visit our favorite German? He really doesn't seem too happy about our frequent visits."
"No," the American sergeant growled. "He'd never tell us anything of value anyway." He grinned a wolfish grin directed at Moffitt. "But making him mad is half the fun."
"Perhaps it is what he doesn't say that will tell us what we want to know."
"That could cover a lot of territory. There a ton of things that he might not say, and most of them wouldn't even be relevant."
"Then what are we going to do?"
Troy grinned and shook his head. "What makes you think we're going to do anything?"
"That look, for one thing." Moffitt smiled at the reaction from Troy. "That, and I know how puzzles drive you crazy."
"Yeah, they do," Troy admitted. "And this one is proving to be a doozy."
"So, what are we going to do?"
"I think we'll let the convoy go. We'll follow it for a while and watch it. We may have to hit it to see what they are carrying. Maybe they have something interesting in those trucks. Either way, that convoy was our original target, so it's a win-win for us."
"Unless they change course, we may have to wait a while to reach a good ambush site. Are we going to shadow them and watch them until then?"
"Yeah," Troy nodded, "at least until we're sure they aren't going to change course."
The British sergeant nodded. "I'll go tell Hitch and Tully to top off the gas tanks and fill the radiators. If we're spotted trailing the convoy, we may not get another chance to do it."
Troy nodded absently as he raised the glasses to watch Dietrich's base again. Troy saw the captain walk across the open space in front of his office. Halfway across the clearing the captain's steps faltered. The officer stopped and looked around. Then, very slowly, he turned and stared across the desert. Troy lowered the glasses instinctively, then raised them again when he realized that the sun was behind him; there was no way Dietrich could have seen a reflection from the glasses. The captain continued to look his way as he continued to watch the German officer. "What are you up to?" Troy asked out loud.
Finally, Dietrich resumed his walk across his base.
The sergeant watched a few more minutes, but there was nothing interesting going on. The soldiers were going about their business as usual, with no apparent sense of urgency. To the watching sergeant it seemed like a typical day on the base.
They followed the tracks of the convoy until they were fairly sure that the Germans were not going to change course. Troy called a halt to confer with Moffitt.
"It looks like they're staying on course," Moffitt stated as the jeeps stopped side-by-side.
"Yeah," Troy agreed. "I think we should drive on ahead and check out that ambush site you mentioned earlier. I was thinking we should cut off a few of the trucks and see what they're carrying."
"If it's a secret, they'll fight to keep it a secret," Moffitt warned.
"I expect that," Troy answered, "but you know me, I just have to satisfy my curiosity."
"Lucky for you you're a rat and not a cat," the Brit replied.
Troy laughed. "Let's go. I want to beat the convoy there so I have time to look around before they get there."
The site Moffitt suggested had hills on both sides of the road, giving them plenty of places to hide until they were ready to attack.
Troy had Hitch drive back and forth so they could look around. He noticed several gaps between the hills and pointed them out to Moffitt. "Those would give a few of the trucks an escape route once we attack. If they have anything to hide, they'll head for those gaps to get away from us. Those are the trucks we need to check. Once we hit the main body, we'll have to swing around to keep those trucks from rejoining the convoy."
"That sounds as if it might work," the Brit agreed with a nod.
Troy glanced over at the other sergeant and smiled. "I hope so, it's the only plan I have at the moment." Troy positioned his men and settled in to wait for the convoy.
Hitch fidgeted, looking back at Troy every so often. Finally, he gave up and climbed the hill to talk to the sergeant. "Sarge."
"Yeah Hitch?" Having noticed his driver's growing restlessness, he was surprised that it had taken so long for him to act on it.
"They should have been here Sarge. Even if they slowed down, we should have seen some sign of them by now."
Troy rubbed a thumb over his jaw and took one more look at the road. "I know, I was thinking the same thing." The sergeant got to his feet. "Okay, let's go talk to Moffitt."
Troy and Hitch walked over to Tully's jeep. Moffitt was leaning on the hood of his jeep talking to Tully.
"Hitch and I think they should have been here by now."
The Brit nodded. "It does appear that we guessed wrong about their intentions."
"We'd better go see where they changed course."
Moffitt nodded and slid into the seat next to Tully.
The jeeps headed back toward the German base, avoiding the road in case the convoy had just been delayed. It took some time but they finally located the point where the Germans had left the road. Troy had the jeeps stop while he had Moffitt dig out the maps.
"Does this place look familiar Sarge?"
Troy looked over at Tully. The way his eyebrows moved together answered the question without words.
"Not at all?" Tully asked. He reached up and took the matchstick from his mouth. "Take another look."
Troy spun in a slow circle, noting the location of the hills in the distance. When he looked back, Tully was nodding.
"We're not far from the wadi where that Major Alderbeck tried to kill us."
"You don't think this convoy is another attempt to lead us into a trap, do you?" Hitch asked in a slightly worried tone.
"It could be," Troy answered, "but it's not very likely. Dietrich would know we'd be suspicious if they used the same area. Besides, it didn't work out so well for them the last time."
Moffitt looked up from the maps. "When they changed course, they headed directly for the wadi where the major had us trapped. It would appear that the wadi is their destination."
"Appearances can be deceiving," Troy growled, "that's why we're hunting them again after spotting them earlier."
"Hitch could be right," the Brit warned, "this could be another trap."
"We were sent to get that convoy," Troy answered. "Where we get it doesn't really matter."
"At least tell me we're going to observe them before we go charging in," Moffitt responded.
"Yeah," Troy nodded. "We'll look them over first. There is something going on here and I want to find out what it is."
"That wadi is only a few miles ahead," Tully called.
The British sergeant glanced at his driver and smiled. "Tully is correct, as usual. The wadi is only a few miles from here."
"We'll be coming in behind the wadi unless we circle around," Hitch noted. "That convoy will have to go around if they want to get into the wadi. Even then, they won't all be able to fit in there. There is no other place to hide out there."
"They won't hide in the wadi," Tully argued. "We'd have the advantage if they tried that. Dietrich's not dumb enough to give us that edge."
"Perhaps Dietrich has no say in the matter," Moffitt suggested.
"Something tells me we're going to find out," Hitch remarked as he watched Troy.
"Yeah, we are," Troy agreed. "Come on, let's go find that convoy."