The Hit'em Back Raid -Chapter 2

Cage watched in horror as Sargent Saunders jerked under the impact of the bullet. He screamed his name even as he emptied his clip trying to drive the Germans back. He gathered his feet under him, ready to make a dash toward the fallen man. A hand grabbed his arm. He tried to pull away but Kirby refused to let go.

"It's too late Cage. There's nothing we can do." Kirby pulled on his arm. "You're in charge now. You have to get us out of here."

Cage turned and snarled at his friend. He wanted to scream at him for interfering. Only the look on Kirbys' face stopped him. With a jolt he realized that the other soldier felt the same loss and anger that he felt. Frustrated and helpless to do anything about it, he relented. Knowing that the squad was now his responsibility, he tried to get his head back into the fight.

"Pull them back. We have to join Second squad." Kirby nodded and picked up the weapon he had dropped to grab Cage. He slid off the hill and went to gather the rest of the men. Calling to the others, they began to fall back, hoping they wouldn't get overrun before they got there.

Second squad was dug in just where Saunders had said they would be. Cage called out before exposing himself or his men. Second squads sargent met them as they crossed the defense line.

"Who's in charge?"

"I am." Cage answered.

"Where's Saunders?" The way every head dropped and everyone refused to meet his eyes gave him his answer. He sighed in regret before he nodded. "Okay, get your wounded over to medical and the rest of you men fill in wherever you find a spot."

"Sargent, we're almost out of ammunition. We burned up a lot holding them as long as we did. "

The sargent nodded in understanding. "Okay, we have some extra in that house over there. Load up and get back over here. From the sounds of things, those krauts aren't quite ready to surrender."

Cage nodded and passed the orders on. The wounded were treated and the ammo resupplied. As Cage came out of the house he found Kirby, Littlejohn and Sawyer waiting.

"You guys can get some rest." He told them as he tried to walk past. They stood their ground and refused to move.

"We don't want to rest. We want to reload and go get those guys who got Sarge." Kirby thrust his jaw out and dared Cage to argue.

"Alright, but hurry up, they'll be here any minute." Cage wasn't about to try to talk them out of it. They were ready and back on the line less than five minutes later. With the help of Second squad they held the position. The Germans were stopped on the ridge. The numbers were not so one-sided now and the Americans refused to move any further.

"What happened to Saunders?" Lieutenant Hanley had arrived and taken command. Once he had inspected the defenses he had set up a command post. Cage stood in front of the lieutenant and gave his report.

"He was falling back to join us when he took a bullet in the back. He'd already been hit in the shoulder. He was too far away for us to get to him. They overran him before we could drive them back."

"Any chance he's still alive?"

Cage shook his head sadly. "I don't know Lieutenant. Like I said, he was hit in the shoulder and then in the back. I tried to cover him, but once he fell, he didn't move. They drove us back and we lost sight of him." Cage hoped for a moment that Saunders had survived before he let reality take over. The odds were against the sargent. Even if he had survived the injury, it was unlikely that the Germans would take time to get him a doctor. And without a doctor, there was no way that he would live for long.

"Okay Cage, I'll file the report. For now, we'll list him as MIA. Go get some rest."

Cage left the officer feeling frustrated and guilty. In his head he knew he couldn't have done anything differently but the guilt refused to go away.

"Will the L.T. let us go look for Sarge?" Billy cornered him as soon as he returned.

"No. The krauts control everything on that side of the ridge. Nobody is going over there."

"What about Sarge?"

"The Lieutenant is going to list him as MIA."

Billy looked stricken. None of the others spoke.

"The Lieutenant says for us to get some rest. We have to hold this ridge." Cage headed for his bedroll. The others followed, looking dejected.

Over the next two weeks the Germans made repeated efforts to take the ridge but the Americans had gotten reinforcements. First and Second squad of King Company were the heart of the resistance. They refused to give up any more ground. Kirby, Littlejohn and Sawyer healed and returned to full duty. Lt. Hanley left Cage in charge of the squad until Cage ask to be relieved. When the new replacements arrived, First squad got a new sargent.

Sgt. Mac McConnell took over three weeks after the battle that took Sgt. Saunders. The men were quiet around him, respectful but not warm. The solemn mood lasted well after his arrival.