"Were you able to find out anything?" Troy asked.

Moffitt slipped onto the bar stool beside Troy. "Some. Actually, quite a bit more than I thought I would."

"What makes you say that?"

"Wouldn't have expected Intelligence to have quite so much information on a captain." Moffitt shrugged and ordered a beer.

"Okay, spill it. What do you got?" Troy asked impatiently. It had been a long two days since he had asked the other sergeant to dig up any information available regarding the German captain. The captain had been foremost on Troy's mind since he had first encountered him a little over a week ago. Thinking back, Troy could have sworn it was over an eternity.

"He is Hauptmann Hans Erich Dietrich of the 21st Panzer Corps. Academy graduate in 1934. Highly educated, he speaks several languages including English and Arabic."

"Just in from the Eastern front?"

"No, he's been in North Africa for a few years. It appears he was one of the originals to arrive with Rommel's staff. New to this area of operation, though."

"Anything else?"

"Your captain comes from a family of substantial financial means. They have an extensive estate and land holdings outside of Coburg. His mother, Alexandra, is from a prominent Prussian aristocratic family. She is well known in German social circles."

"So, he really is a Prussian," laughed Troy, "or at least half-Prussian."

"So it would seem."

Troy lit a cigarette and thought about what Moffitt had said. "What is he, a spoiled rich boy who had his academy appointment bought for him because he was bored playing polo and wanted to play soldier instead?"

"Not quite."

"Then what?" asked Troy, deadly serious again.

"His paternal side has a distinguished military background, stretching back several generations. His father, Erich Georg Dietrich, is a well-known German soldier. He was highly decorated in the Great War and made extensive contacts in England, not to mention in the United States. I have heard of him. Although I didn't originally make the connection between the captain and him."

"Still, what's our pampered Prussian prince doing here, getting his hands dirty in the desert? Riding on his pop's coattails? From what you've said, sounds like he belongs in Paris with an easy duty station."

"Apparently, he has a record for achieving his success with little, if any, assistance from his family. He did serve in France at the beginning of the war. He was assigned to Paris briefly after it fell, but not long after that, he was reassigned to North Africa. He definitely has Rommel's eye, he's considered a rising star, someone to be watched."

"Real golden boy, huh?"

Moffitt took a drink. "The Captain has tallied up a full set of medals. The most recent addition to his collection being the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves."

"What'd he do to get that?"

"He executed a suicide maneuver at Jufra which saved the German's left flank. Caught the British forces there completely off guard with it, and, he was able to push them back past their original lines."

"Brassy," Troy said with more than just a little admiration.

"Hardly surprising that you'd appreciate that tactic, Troy." Moffitt quirked an eyebrow at him. "Dietrich's action saved his unit and another."

Troy gave a low whistle. "Not bad for a rich Prussian. If he has Rommel's eye, then there must be something to him. The General wouldn't choose a second stringer." Troy contemplated this information for a few minutes, turning it over in his mind before turning back to Moffitt.

"Weren't you at Jufra?"

"No, missed that one, I'm sorry to say. Had a good friend from Cambridge, James Lyon, who was there. Unlike Dietrich, he didn't make it."

"Sorry to hear that." Troy pondered Moffitt's information for a moment before asking his next question.

"A Nazi?"

"Don't know." Moffitt looked thoughtful. "However, if I had to choose, I would say he really wasn't."

"What makes you say that?" Troy felt that it was suddenly important for him to know.

"Highly honorable family, old school military, well educated…Being a Nazi doesn't seem to fit what little I found out about him. That's not to say he isn't one, at least on paper," said Moffitt thoughtfully.

"Any information as to why Dietrich was pulled away to focus on this area, to focus on us?"

"Your guess would be good as mine, Troy. Maybe the Germans have finally grown weary of losing the war to you?" Moffitt grinned. "Perhaps the German command thought Dietrich would have greater success than his predecessor?"

"Yeah well, I don't think Meyer could have hit his ass with both hands tied behind his back." Troy laughed. "It's not much of a stretch to assume that the Germans thought that anyone would be better than him."

Moffitt let his comment sit for several minutes before he finally felt compelled to respond.

"Troy, why do you have such an interest in Dietrich? Knowing about him doesn't change the situation, does it?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Troy casually swirled his beer in its glass. "I like to know who I'm going up against. Besides, the enemy I know is better than the enemy I don't."

Moffitt narrowed his eyes. "And did you have the same interest in Meyer?"

"I didn't need to, I didn't need to care. I never considered him a serious threat to my operations. Besides, I knew the situation with Meyer would take care of itself, and it did."

"Not certain that this is the ideal resolution. The replacement appears to be worse than the original. Keep in mind that it was because of Dietrich that you lost a man."

Troy gave Moffitt a warning look. "That's a fact I will never forget. It's not necessary for you to remind me of it, Moffitt."

"Understood. My apologies, Troy. That was thoughtless of me."

Troy waved Moffitt's lack of tact aside. "What happened was nothing against Cotter. It was strictly war. It could have been me, you, Hitch, Tully, or even Dietrich lying dead back there." Troy's eyes were direct and unflinching.

"To that point, Troy, and forgive me for asking, but why didn't you kill Dietrich when you had the opportunity? It would have solved a problem that's not going to dissipate. In fact, he's a problem which could become much worse very quickly. He's an excellent soldier and if he truly has Rommel's eye, he might be able to bring additional resources to use against us."

"I wasn't going to shoot an unarmed man, Moffitt, even if he is a half-Prussian Kraut," Troy looked Moffitt directly in the eye, waiting for him to challenge him.

"Troy, you do realize that there's a strong probability you will have to kill him in the future? Dietrich won't always be unarmed and killing him won't always be avoidable."

"You're preaching to the choir, Moffitt. If and when that moment arrives, you can bet I won't hesitate to do what I need to do."

Moffitt downed his beer and wiped his mouth. "Good to hear."

"And I'm sure the Captain wouldn't hesitate to call me on that bet."

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Many thanks to Susan, my beta reader, for her great assistance in helping me bring to life my story of Hauptmann Dietrich and the Rat Patrol.