The Hit'em Back Raid
Chapter 5
The guards had just sat down for their evening meal when a fight broke out among the POWs. The guards on duty rushed to watch with orders not to interfere unless it spilled out toward the gate. They lined the fence in front of the prison yard.
A string of five trucks rolled into the compound and parked between the main office and the gates to the prison yard. Jack Moffitt climbed out of the first truck followed by Mark Hitchcock. Both were dressed as Germans. Moffitt called an order in German to the other truck drivers who nodded and remained in their trucks. Hitchcock stopped by the front of his truck as Moffitt spoke to him. Moffitt turned toward the main office and pulled some papers out of his tunic. He called to the guard by the door and waved the papers in his face. The guard nodded and led the British sargent into the building. Moffitt handed his papers to the enlisted man at the first desk and was ushered into the commandants office.
The fight was as far from the gate as the prisoners could get. There was a large crowd watching and cheering the combatants. When the explosion ripped through the mess hall they all hit the ground. The truck drivers hurled hand grenades at the gates, killing the guards standing there watching the fight. The wire gates hung on twisted hinges. The drivers grabbed rifles and began to fire at the guard towers. More explosions tore through the guards barracks. Gunfire inside the main office was Hitchcocks' cue to take out the guard at the door. Moffitt tossed a grenade behind him as he ran out of the building.
The prisoners ran for the trucks as the drivers donned blue arm bands and raced to hand out weapons. The entire escape was over in minutes. The Germans had been caught completely off guard. It wasn't long before the remaining Germans were prisoners and the prisoners had become guards.
"Sarge! Sarge!"
The men of K Company gathered around Saunders, excited to see him.
"We thought you were dead!" Someone called.
"Not quite." He tried to duck the slaps to his back.
"Stand down men!" Lt. Hanley pushed his way through the circle. "He was shot in the back, remember? Let's not be too rough on him." The men dropped their hands hurriedly.
"Sorry Sarge." They chorused.
Hanley grinned at Saunders. "Welcome back."
Saunders returned the grin.
"What now L.T.?"
"Now we go get some payback. This time we have the element of surprise. I have to go talk to the Major. Care to join me?"
Hanley and Saunders went to find the Major. They found him talking to Sam Troy. They introduced Lt. Hanley who produced the packet containing their orders. Handing them to the Major, he explained the situation as it had been explained to him.
"We took out their radio before they could get a message out. They don't know your POWs are free and armed. The plan was to wait for them to attack our lines then hit them from behind. If we can break the line, the attack will fail. My men and I are at your command Sir." Hanley waited for the Major to make a decision.
"I appreciate all your effort Lieutenant. I must admit, when I first heard the plan I was skeptical of its likelihood of success. But I've got to admit, you pulled it off beautifully. I think it's time we gave those krauts a taste of their own medicine."
"Here,here." A captain behind him agreed.
"The trucks are here. The men are here. The weapons are here." The Lieutenant reported. "Let's do this."
The Major and his officers studied the packets that Hanley had delivered as the men were loaded into the trucks. They needed extra trucks so they commandeered some from the Germans. A cheer went up as the first truck rolled out of the prison camp headed for the American lines.
