Another Exhausting Mission

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

Hitch and Tully threw the gas cans into the rear of their jeeps and slid into the seats. Moffit's gun was already in action and they could hear Troy putting up a fight. Both privates grabbed machine guns and fired one-handed as they started the engines.

"Get us out of here!" Moffitt shouted as it became abundantly clear that Troy wasn't going to be able to make it back to the jeeps.

Both jeeps lurched forward as the privates tossed their guns on the seats next to them and drove away from the waterhole.

Hitch's jeep took the lead as bullets hit the sand around them. He ducked as lead whistled past his ear. Whipping the wheel, he tore around a large rock and aimed for the gap that led to the open desert. Bullets punctured the side of the jeep and he jerked the wheel again. His front wheel hit several smaller rocks, throwing the jeep sideways before it settled into the ruts of the path. A spurt of speed took him past the larger boulders guarding the entrance to the waterhole. Behind him he could hear Tully's jeep not far behind.

Tully stepped on the gas and spun his jeep in a circle. Moffitt's gun chattered non-stop as the jeep spun around. The Germans in the rocks ducked as the heavy slugs hit the rocks all around them. As the jeep faced forward again Tully kicked up dirt as the wheels sought a grip.

Above them on the hill Troy had changed positions and taken out several of the attackers. As he shifted positions again Tully's tires caught and the small vehicle charged out of the clearing.

Tully dodged around the rocks that Hitch had hit and twisted the wheel hard to stay on the beaten path. He too felt the draft of air as bullets whizzed past his head. Behind him Moffitt was still covering their escape. Back in the clearing Troy's gun was still keeping some of the Germans hiding behind the boulders for safety. They cleared the final boulders and raced out into the open desert.

Several halftracks made a rush toward them but the two jeeps shot from the opening at full speed. Before the halftracks could cut them off the jeeps swung around them and made a run for freedom. Knowing they could not catch the smaller vehicles, the halftracks gave up the chase. They turned back toward the waterhole as the Americans disappeared into the distance.

Moffitt watched as the halftracks turned back toward the waterhole. There was another burst of gunfire and then things got quiet. The only sounds were the wind whistling past his ears and the quiet engines of the two jeeps.

Tully glanced over his shoulder and Moffitt was adding another belt of ammo to the ammo box of the 50. The sergeant didn't look up to meet his lingering gaze. After a minute he turned his attention back to his driving.

Hitch's jeep was falling behind and Tully slowed down to let him catch up. Even before the other jeep pulled up beside him, he knew there was a problem. There was a grinding noise coming from the other jeep, a sound that clearly meant the jeep needed immediate repairs. Without waiting for orders Tully began to look for a place where they could hide and work on the jeep.

"What's wrong Hitch?"

Tully heard Moffitt's question and he strained to hear the reply.

"Something's wrong with my steering," Hitch called back. "I hit some rocks coming out and it wasn't steering right, but now it's getting worse. We're going to have to stop and take a look."

"Very well, we'll find a place to stop and you can inspect it and hopefully fix it."

Hitch didn't answer but Tully could picture him nodding his head at the sergeant's solution. The other jeep fell behind again but Tully slowed his own jeep so Hitch could keep up. Finally Moffitt leaned down and tapped Tully on the shoulder.

"There's a wadi about a mile ahead, we're going to stop and let Hitch check the damage to his jeep."

Tully nodded and began to search for the wadi that Moffitt wanted. When it came into view, he steered toward it. It was wide enough to park both jeeps side by side while still hiding them from prying eyes.

Tully shut his engine off and turned to look toward the sergeant.

"Doc?"

"Yes Hitch?"

"Do you think he's all right?" Hitch's blue eyes were filled with concern when he mentioned Troy. "I didn't hear any shooting after we broke out."

"Troy's a fighter," Moffitt answered solemnly. "He'll do his best to stay alive until we can go back for him."

"But what if they decide to just kill him?"

"They won't."

Hitch and Moffitt turned at Tully's announcement.

"How do you know?" Hitch demanded.

"Dietrich wouldn't kill Sarge if he surrendered and Sarge would know that. He didn't have a chance in there alone and Sarge would realize that too. My guess is he covered our escape and then he surrendered."

"What if Dietrich wasn't there?"

"He was."

"He was?" Moffitt asked. "How do you know? Did you see him Tully?"

"Yeah, I saw him," Tully nodded. "He was standing at the top of the hill watching everything."

"Well, that explains a lot," Moffitt replied. "Dietrich is one of the few German commanders in this area who could have pulled off an ambush like that one."

"Then Sarge will be okay until we can go in and get him." Hitch relaxed and climbed from his jeep. "All we have to do now is fix this jeep and go after him."

Moffitt chuckled.

"What?"

"You make it sound so easy."

"We've done it plenty of times before."

"We have, but I would not want to get too over confident. It may not be that easy."

"What do you mean Doc?" Hitch tensed again.

Moffitt glanced at the damaged jeep. "Dietrich has in all likelihood already left the waterhole with Troy. He's going to have a head start on us. He may even reach a base before we can catch up to them. The question is, where will he take Troy? There are several bases around here other than his own. Some of them are closer than his base."

"We can follow their tracks," Tully answered.

"Yes, we can, and we will," Moffitt agreed, "But we can't do that until the jeep is repaired. We may need both jeeps to pull off the rescue. The problem is, this wind is going to erase those tracks if we are delayed for too long."

"Then we'd better get to it," Tully declared.

"I hope we have the parts," Hitch added.

"I guess we won't know that either until we take a look." Tully walked over to the other jeep.

"I'll keep watch, "Moffitt volunteered. "I suggest you get it done as quickly as possible. Troy will be expecting us."

"So will Dietrich," Hitch added.

"So let's not disappoint either of them."