High Flying Trouble
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 1
Hitch slowed the jeep and searched the sky.
"What is it Hitch?"
"I hear a plane Sarge. It sounds low."
Troy twisted in his seat to search the sky behind them. If the plane was coming in off of the ocean they would have all heard it.
Tully slowed his jeep alongside and Moffitt looked over at Troy expectantly.
"Hitch hears a plane." Troy called. Moffitt nodded and reached for his binoculars.
The Rat Patrol had been tasked with delivering an operative to a drop off point where he had been picked up by a submarine. Having successfully completed the mission, they were on their way home. Not to their regular base but one near the coast that supported bombers that attacked the German supply lines stretching from the sea to the interior.
There was a mountain range that followed the coastline and Troy had decided that the mountains and hills at their base would provide good cover for the jeeps. There was a German base near the coast that had a squadron of fighters to defend against the American bombers and Troy had been warned to avoid the open as much as possible. The installation protecting the German supply line was between the Rat Patrol and their base, making it important to stay undetected since much of their route would follow the coast, allowing the fighters to predict their course.
"Do you think we passed that installation yet?" Troy asked Moffitt as they watched for the plane.
The British sergeant looked over and nodded his head thoughtfully. "I think so. If my calculations are correct, we should have bypassed it about twenty minutes ago. That still leaves it way to close for comfort. Are you thinking that we were spotted and they sent a plane out to find us?"
"No." Troy answered. "We've been staying pretty close to cover for the last couple of hours. I was just wondering if it might be a damaged plane returning to its base."
"That's possible." The Brit admitted. "And I must admit, I like that idea better than my suggestion."
Troy smiled. "Let's not borrow trouble before we have to." The sounds of the plane grew louder and Troy took a quick survey of their surroundings. "Find us some better cover." He ordered.
Hitch nodded and hurried to find the cover before the plane found them. They were still close enough that any plane that found them could radio the base and get help within minutes. There wasn't enough room to maneuver if they had to dodge several planes at once.
Tully kept pace right behind them since there wasn't room to drive alongside. He glanced at the damp sand beneath the wheels and was grateful that it wasn't dusty. They might leave faint tracks in the wet sand but it wouldn't raise a dust cloud to give away their location. The German patrols had worn a path along the coast that their tracks blended in with and made it unlikely that they would be spotted.
"There!" Troy shouted to get his driver's attention. He pointed to a cut in the rocks along the trail that looked big enough to hide both jeeps. Trees lined both sides with both ends open, making it ideal for their purpose.
Hitch nodded and headed for the cut with Tully close behind. Both jeeps fit but there wasn't much room to spare. Hitch and Tully stayed in their seats, ready for a quick getaway if needed. Troy and Moffitt jumped down and pulled the camo nets over the vehicles. They both reached for field glasses and ducked under the net to watch for the plane.
The heavy roar of the plane engines echoed back and forth across the mountain peaks making it hard to tell where the sound was coming from. Troy checked the sea side again but it was still clear.
"Something is wrong." Moffitt tilted his head to hear better.
Troy didn't look over at Moffitt's announcement; his attention was focused on the sound of the approaching aircraft. A moment later the plane crossed over the mountain peak and came into sight. The heavy plane was flying low, barely missing the top of the mountain. Thick black smoke poured from one of the engines, leaving a trail that was visible for miles. As they watched the plane turned and followed the coastline, headed for the American base.
"A bomber." Moffitt identified the plane.
"There must have been an air raid on the German ships again." Troy suggested.
"That bomber came from over the mountains; the ships would have been in the other direction." The Brit pointed out.
"Maybe they bombed the supplies that made it onto trucks."
"That's possible. Some of the ships do get through. That one looks like it ran into some heavy flak." The plane dropped lower as the pilots tried to avoid the enemy radar. The flak damage was easy to see from below.
"Hey Sarge!"
Troy turned toward the jeeps and called an assurance to Tully and Hitch. "It's one of ours."
"That one may be," Tully called back, "but those aren't."
Troy and Moffitt twisted from watching the bomber to see two German fighters streaking straight toward it. Troy looked back at the bomber in time to see them alter their flight path when they spotted the fighters.
"That bomber's too slow to outrun them." Troy growled. "It's a sitting duck."
"Perhaps not." Moffitt answered. His attention was focused on two more fighters who were chasing the crippled bomber.
Troy focused his glasses on the new fighters. "Ours." He announced. The white stars on the wings stood out in sharp contrast as the planes passed overhead.
The four men watched as the German fighters reached the bomber first. Tracers streaked toward the larger plane. They could hear the rapid fire of the guns mounted on the front of the fighters. The pilots of the bomber tried to avoid them but the plane was too big and too slow. They couldn't even climb into the cloud cover to escape, there weren't any clouds. The bright blue sky was clear as far as the eye could see.
The watchers winced as they imagined the bullets tearing through the thin outer shell of the large plane. The crew would be nearly defenseless against the faster fighters. They had their side guns but it didn't look like anyone was manning them. The fighters were closing in for the kill.
The lead fighter banked to begin another run at the crippled bomber. As he moved out of the way the second fighter ripped more of the plane's outer shell to ribbons. The bomber's pilot tried to climb above the fighters but his plane seemed sluggish. He gave it up and dove closer to the ground instead. Both fighters followed him down.
Just when it looked as if the bomber was defenseless the tail gunner opened up on the overconfident fighters. The bullets steaking toward them had both planes peeling off in surprise. They quickly repositioned themselves for another attack.
They were closing in on the bomber again when the American fighters caught up to the battle. The two American fighters pounced on the German fighters from above, catching them off guard.
One of the German fighters took a hit but it didn't slow him down. He made a sharp turn and quickly gained altitude. The American fighter followed, shadowing his every move. The other two fighters were also locked in an aerial duel that was almost too fast to follow.
The bomber's pilot took advantage of the dual face-off to increase the distance between him and the fighters. He continued his desperate race toward his own base while the smaller planes fought it out. Troy and his men ignored the bomber to watch the fighters.
The first set of fighters had gone out over the water as they chased one another in an impressive display of aerial ballet. They twisted and dived over and over again as each one tried to get the advantage over the other. One would loop over the other only to find himself facing the same maneuver performed by his challenger. Neither one seemed to be able to break the stalemate. If the stakes hadn't been so high the four men watching would have enjoyed the levels of skill displayed by both sides.
The Germans, on the offensive at first, now found themselves on the defense. They couldn't shake the American fighters to follow the bomber and they couldn't get a hit on the American fighters. The Americans were persistent, giving the bomber time to get away.
"Ut-oh." Tully drawled.
One of the German fighters was locked on the American fighter's tail. The American pilot twisted and turned but he was having trouble shaking him. He tried a loop overhead but the German followed. He tried diving toward the ground but that didn't work either. He was climbing again when the German fighter opened fire. The American plane shook under the impact of the lead. Flames began to shoot from the engine. As the men below watched the pilot pushed his canopy free and bailed out. The fighter continued to climb as the pilot arched through the sky and started toward the earth. The plane nose-dived to the ground as the white silk parachute caught the air and billowed out to slow the pilot's fall. Gripping his cords, the pilot began to guide the chute toward the base of the mountain where he could find cover until someone could pick him up.
As those on the ground watched in horror the German fighter circled around and ran straight at the falling pilot. The gun on the nose of the plane began to spit lead. The body of the pilot jerked under the repeated impacts. His arms dropped to his sides as his head rolled on his shoulder. They watched as he went limp and floated downward at the mercy of the wind. The body landed near the base of the mountain near a clump of easily recognizable rocks. All four men made a mental note of its location.
"Sarge!" Hitch's call drew everyone's attention back to the second pair of planes.
The American pilot must have seen what happened because he quit chasing the other fighter and went for the one who had shot the helpless pilot. Caught watching his victim fall to the ground the German pilot failed to notice the second American fighter until it was too late. Bullets tore into his plane before he could dodge the attack. Within minutes he found himself forced to bail out as his wing disintegrated from all of the damage. The American pilot was coming toward him as his chute opened when the second German plane rejoined the fight. Another fight ensued with both planes taking heavy damage. The German pilot decided he had had enough and he broke off contact and fled toward his base with the American fighter giving chase. Troy and the others watched until they both vanished over the top of the mountain.
"That was interesting." Moffitt murmured as the sounds of the planes faded.
"Sarge."
Troy turned toward Hitch. "What?"
"That pilot, he fell pretty close to where we're going."
"You want to find him." Troy guessed.
"Yeah." Hitch nodded.
"He's one of ours." Tully added. "It only seems right to bury him. At least somebody will know where to find him."
"All right, if we can find him without too much trouble." Troy agreed. "Remember, the krauts are going to be looking for their guy too."
"He landed further down the coast." Tully responded.
"We'll have to stay near the mountain and stay alert for planes." Moffitt warned. "The Germans will send ground troops to look for their pilot, theirs and ours."
"Ours is dead." Troy answered. "I doubt they'll bother with him."
"They will want to verify his death." Moffitt insisted.
"The surviving pilot can probably do that," Troy replied. "He probably saw what happened too." He turned and began to pull the net off of the jeep. The sound of a plane returning sent them diving for cover again "Down!" Troy yelled.
The four of them watched as the plane flew directly over them.
"The second fighter." Troy relaxed as he recognized the damaged plane from the recent battle. "He must be headed home after chasing that fighter off."
"He'll be lucky to get back to his base." Hitch remarked. "He looks like he got chewed up pretty bad in that last fight."
"He's headed the same way we are." Tully observed.
"Probably headed for the same base" Troy growled. "That means Jerry will be looking for him right where we need to go. They know he has major damage. We're going to have to be extra alert and stay out of sight."
"At least the bomber got away." Hitch added.
"Yeah," Troy nodded, "now we need to do the same. This whole area is going to be crawling with search parties looking for that downed pilot."
"There were patrols before the planes went down." Moffitt noted. "This just increases the vigilance required. We know they're here but they don't know about us; we need to keep it that way."
"You make it sound so easy." Troy growled.
"Not easy, necessary." Moffitt smiled.
"Yeah." Troy agreed. "Let's get moving before they have time to alert all of their ground troops. Maybe we can get out of this area before their search parties arrive."
"Hardly likely old man." Moffitt replied. "The search parties will be ahead of us. That pilot didn't go down here, he went down over there."
"Inconsiderate of him." Troy replied.
"Quite." The Brit agreed.
The two jeeps pulled back onto the trail and ran for their own lines. Troy and Moffitt kept their eyes and ears open for planes and enemy patrols. Tully and Hitch concentrated on keeping the jeeps out of sight as much as possible without impeding their progress. No one spoke as they pushed their vehicles to cover more ground. As the minutes flew by so did the terrain. They still hadn't spotted any enemy activity when the distinctive rock formation appeared in front of them.
"Sarge." Tully's call drew all of their attention. When they looked his way he pointed toward a figure running for cover the ground near the base of a hill.
"It's the German pilot." Moffitt called. "He's seen us and is running for cover."
"Let's go!" Troy urged. "He'll tell the others we're here if we let him get away."
The two jeeps raced after the lone figure on foot. They overtook him before he could reach any kind of shelter. He tried to hide in the brush along the trail but the Allied soldiers split up and surrounded him. Moffitt called for him to surrender or be shot.
The downed pilot hesitated, refusing to answer the sergeant. It wasn't until Troy lost patience and ordered the others to close in that the pilot admitted the hopelessness of the situation and gave up. Calling to Moffitt, he stood with his hands in the air. Moffitt ordered him to throw his sidearm onto the ground. Hitch and Tully rushed him and searched him for more weapons. They barely had time to tie his hands before Troy began issuing orders.
"Get him in the jeep, we need to get moving."
The pilot was shoved toward the jeep and tied into the seat beside Tully. The jeeps immediately continued their race toward the American base. They hadn't gone far after picking up the pilot before Hitch gave a call and turned from the trail. Picking his way through the rock formations he led them toward the base of a nearby hill. Lying among the rocks was the white parachute they had been watching for. The jeeps pulled up next to it and Hitch and Tully jumped out to investigate. They pulled on the fabric to untangle the folds.
"He never had a chance." Tully remarked as he stared down at the bullet-riddled body they had uncovered.
"At least he didn't suffer." Hitch offered in consolation.
"He wasn't even armed." Tully answered.
"Yeah, I know." Hitch nodded. He reached down and pulled the dog tags from around the neck of the dead pilot. Wrapping the chain around his fingers he carried them over to Troy.
"Dead?"
Hitch nodded solemnly. "He was dead long before he hit the ground. Those bullets tore him up pretty good."
Troy nodded as he took the dog tags. "Collect any personal items and put them in the jeep. Wrap the body in the parachute for burial. Moffitt and I will get started on a grave."
"You ought to let that guy do it." Hitch suggested. "He shot him." He didn't even try to keep the anger out of his voice. The prisoner looked over at him and smirked.
"Not a bad idea." Troy agreed. "We can keep an eye on him and get the grave dug at the same time." Troy reached for the shovel in the back of his jeep. "Tell Tully to stand guard."
"Right Sarge." Hitch returned to the body and sent Tully to stand guard. He gently searched the body for personal items that could be returned to the family. After putting the items in the jeep he carefully wrapped the body in the folds of the silk parachute.
Troy grabbed his machine gun and handed the shovel to the German pilot after untying his hands. "Moffitt, tell him he's going to help dig the grave."
When Moffitt translated the message the prisoner snapped something in return.
"What did he say?" Troy demanded.
"He says he won't do it." Moffitt answered. As if to emphasize his refusal the prisoner threw the shovel on the ground at Troy's feet.
Troy gave a low growl and took a step back. "Moffitt, step away." Troy waited until Moffitt had stepped out of the way. He pointed the gun at the prisoner and glared at him. "Tell him he'll do as he's told or I shoot him right here and now."
Moffitt repeated the warning in German.
The prisoner eyed Troy defiantly. He turned to Moffitt and spit out an answer that brought a smile to Moffitt's lips.
"What's it going to be?"
"He says he's a prisoner of war. You can't just shoot him." Moffitt translated. His amusement must have been evident in his tone because the prisoner eyed him uneasily.
Troy laughed then sobered and gave the prisoner another glare. "Tell him we'll give him the same chance he gave that pilot."
When Moffitt translated Troy's words the prisoner paled noticeably.
"He's got thirty seconds to make up his mind." Troy warned.
Moffitt repeated the warning.
The prisoner hesitated, eyeing both sergeants. Whatever he saw must have convinced him that Troy was serious. With an angry nod of his head he agreed to dig the grave. He picked up the shovel and waited to be told where to dig.
"He wants to know where we want the grave." Moffitt translated with a smile.
Troy looked around for a sheltered spot that would be protected from the worst of the elements. Somewhere they could mark so that the body could be recovered if the chance presented itself at a later date. Spotting a small space behind a group of rocks he pointed it out. "That should do it. The rocks will make it easy to find again if we need to."
Moffitt led the way to the chosen spot with the prisoner following. Troy brought up the rear with his rifle pointed at the prisoner the entire time. The two sergeants took turns helping the prisoner dig the grave. Troy wasn't being considerate; he was just in a hurry to get moving. The first part was fairly easy but the ground got harder the deeper they went. They were all sweaty and tired by the time they finished.
"Hitch, bring that body over here!"
Hitch gently picked up the dead pilot and carried him over to the newly dug grave. With Moffitt's help he lowered the body into the hole. Hitch and the pilot shoveled the dirt over the silk wrapped corpse.
Troy said a few words over the grave and turned away. "Tully, time to go!" He eyed the jeeps critically as he approached them. "I guess we should check the gas and water before we go."
"Already done Sarge." Hitch answered. At Troy's look of surprise Hitch shrugged. "I did it while you were digging the grave. I had time to service both jeeps after I finished wrapping the body."
"That's good. Now we can get going. I have a feeling we are going to be getting company around here before too going."
Tully ran down and joined them and they continued on toward the American base. No one spoke as they traveled, most of them replaying the aerial battle in their minds.
The German kept quiet, trying not to draw attention to himself. He knew from Troy's warning that they knew he was the one who shot the helpless American pilot as he floated toward the ground. He'd seen their anger as the pilot was buried and he didn't want to test their patience any more than he already had, Troy had warned him what would happen.
The next hour flew by and Troy was starting to breathe a little easier. They had left the area of the aerial battle and he didn't think the Germans would search too far for their missing man. They knew the general area where he went down and they would concentrate their search there. He glanced back at the prisoner and saw him watching the ridge above them with interest.
"Hitch. Find cover."
Hitch put the jeep closer to the bank next to them and slowed as he searched for a place to pull off the road they were following. The sand was damp and well packed so they weren't leaving tracks that would be noticed from a distance.
There were gullies formed from the water running off of the nearby mountain that were wide enough to hide the jeeps, if only from a distance. Hitch backed into one, going deep enough to allow Tully to back in in front of him. They didn't bother with the nets because the gullies were deep enough to give them cover from everything but a plane.
"What is it?"
Troy glanced toward Moffitt with a grim look on his face. "A German patrol."
The two sergeants took their binoculars and climbed to the top of the gully to watch the Germans. Hitch took a rifle and went to watch the trail they had been traveling on. That left Tully to grab a machine gun and watch the prisoner.
"Did they see us?" Moffitt asked as they watched the actions of the Germans.
"I don't know." Troy admitted. "I don't think so."
Moffitt lifted his glasses to watch the Germans again. "Well they're definitely looking for something."
"Yeah," Troy agreed, "but what…or who?"