Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong
By Suzie2b
Charley worked hard to learn how to read the military charts she would need if she drove herself off base, as well as filling out and filing her route, or "flight plan". Tully was quite proud of her tenacious attitude to learn. She soon was going in to check the charts before each mission, even though she hadn't gone on one alone yet.
Charley picked up the package she was to deliver to Captain Macintyre at Jerez wadi. She stopped and checked the charts and saw that there had been no activity on either side and it wasn't in enemy territory. Captain Macintyre was waiting for the documents and maps she had so they could deploy on their mission.
At the motor pool, Sergeant Peters told Charley there would be no one available to drive her to Jerez wadi for several hours. "I can't wait that long. Captain Boggs wants this stuff there ASAP."
Peters sympathized, "I'm sorry, Charley. I just don't have anyone available right now."
Charley sighed and thought, "Well, I guess this is what I've been waiting for." Then said, "Okay, sergeant. Sign me out a jeep."
"Are you sure?"
Charley nodded. "Give me the paperwork to fill out."
By the time she was finished filing her flight plan the jeep was gassed up and ready to go.
Sergeant Peters said, "You've checked the charts?"
"Yes. I did before I left headquarters. Jerez wadi is slightly less than my 120 kilometer limit and the only one out there is Captain Macintyre and his company."
"All right. Got a map?" Charley nodded. Peters put several full canteens in the back and said, "Stick to the road and you shouldn't have a problem, but if you do use the call sign Black Bird. You'll be calling base communications and that call is Blue. Got it?"
Charley took a deep breath and said, "Got it. I should be back this afternoon."
Sergeant Peters watched her drive away and said to himself, "What could possibly go wrong?"
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It took about two hours for Charley to reach Jerez wadi, where she delivered the package to Captain Macintyre. Then she was assigned and escorted to a tent to wait for the information she would return to base with.
The private that had shown Charley to the tent stood at the door and said, "The captain would prefer you stay here until you get what you're taking back with you, ma'am. Can I get you some lunch?"
Charley dropped her satchel on the table and smiled. "That would be great, private. Just don't bring me any hot dogs."
The private grinned. "Got it. No hot dogs. Be back in a few minutes."
When the food arrived, Charley got a book out of her satchel and sat down to eat. The mystery meat, lumpy mashed potatoes, and canned green beans swimming in salty gravy made her wish for a box of K-rations. At least the coffee was hot and the fruit cocktail wasn't.
After lunch, Charley moved to the cot and continued to read until Captain Macintyre's aide arrived with a sealed envelope. "The captain wants this delivered to Captain Boggs in person."
Charley put the envelope in her satchel. "Captain Boggs will have it in his hands in a few hours."
She was probably slightly less than halfway home when she saw columns of dust rising up over the dunes ahead. Cautiously curious, Charley pulled off the road and out of sight. She found a pair of binoculars in the back and climbed the dune she had parked behind. What she saw made her heart start racing and her hands go cold. It was a German scout column.
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The Rat Patrol pulled into the motor pool at five o'clock that afternoon. They had discovered that the Germans were pushing into Sector H, which had been controlled by the allies for several months. Several scout columns had already been sighted.
Troy got out of the jeep and looked at Hitch and Tully. "Moffitt and I are going to tell Captain Boggs what we found. Get the jeeps resupplied and ready to go in case we have to leave right away."
After Troy and Moffitt left, Hitch and Tully started taking inventory of what they would need from supply.
A bit later Sergeant Peters appeared next to Tully. "Hey, Pettigrew. I need to tell you something."
Tully turned and faced him. "Tell me what?"
"Charley signed a jeep out this morning."
Tully knew this day would come. "Did you ask her if she checked the charts?"
The sergeant nodded. "I made sure she had maps and water, too."
"Did she file a flight plan?"
"Did it right in front of me."
Tully didn't like the look on Peters' face. "Did she stay within the 120 kilometer limit we agreed on?"
The sergeant replied, "Yeah, but she's not back yet and she left at 0915 this morning. She asked for a driver and I had to tell her it would be several hours before there would be one available. She said she couldn't wait that long."
"Where was she headed?"
"Jerez wadi."
Hitch had been listening and said, "That's on the south edge of Sector H."
Tully frowned as he looked at Sergeant Peters. "You're sure Charley checked the charts?"
"She said she did before she left headquarters."
Hitch said, "Ya know, Tully, if she checked those charts before 9am, we hadn't radioed our findings yet. There's no way she could've known about the Germans pushing through there."
Tully looked worried. "We didn't get a chance to check the south side before we got called back. Don't know yet if the Germans have gotten that far."
At that moment Troy and Moffitt hurried into the motor pool and up to their men. Troy said, "Captain Boggs sent Charley on a mission to Jerez wadi this morning and she hasn't reported back in yet. A spotter plane reported at least one German column moving into that area."
"Sergeant Peters says Charley took a jeep out on her own. Maybe she's still at the wadi."
Moffitt shook his head. "The captain radioed the company Charley was delivering information to with the change of plans. She had already left."
Troy said, "Finish loading the jeeps. We're heading out that way tonight to finish the sector recon in the morning. We'll be able to look for her at the same time if she's not back here before morning."
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Charley didn't get back on the road. She decided to drive around the German column and hopefully stay out of sight among the dunes. After an hour, she stopped again, this time to check her map.
Charley found the base at Ras Tanra and the road she's been on. She located the approximate place where she left the road after spotting the scout column. She really wanted to get back to the road, but wasn't sure how safe it was at that point. "My first time out alone and this happens. Tully's never going to let me out of his sight again."
Charley took the map and binoculars to the top of one of the dunes that surrounded her. She figured she should be able to see Ras Tanra by this time. She scanned the horizon in every direction and saw … nothing. No road, no base.
With Germans in the area, Charley knew she shouldn't use the radio. She knew she'd been heading north towards base when she was on the road, but obviously she had wondered east while negotiating the sand dunes. Quite a ways east, as a matter of fact. She turned and looked down at the jeep's tracks. Charley decided her best bet was to backtrack until she could find the road again. She sighed as she headed down to the jeep.
After putting the map away, Charley got into the jeep and started the engine. She depressed the clutch and put it in gear, but she gave it a bit too much gas and spun the tires. She cursed under her breath and tried again. This time the tires spun because they couldn't move forward. Charley was stuck.
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They had hoped they'd find Charley on the road as they headed in the direction of Jerez wadi, but they saw no sign of her or the jeep before it got too dark to continue.
After a cold dinner, Troy looked at Tully and said, "You going to be able to sleep tonight?"
Tully smiled slightly. "Probably not. Want me to take first watch?"
"Yeah. Maybe a couple hours of boredom will wear you out."
"We saw signs of a German patrol. Do you think Charley ran into them?"
Troy replied, "Chances are she saw them first. She's got enough sense to get off the road and hide. Could be she got turned around in the dunes. I'm sure she's just biding her time until morning."
Tully asked, "I know we're in radio silence, but do you think I could just monitor…"
Troy smiled. "If Charley saw that German patrol, she knows to stay off the radio, but if it makes you feel better go ahead."
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Charley pulled her jacket collar up around her neck as the cold night air creeped into her. She shivered as she sat in the back of the jeep, her pistol on her lap ready to use … just in case. She had turned the radio on, but all was quiet. Charley couldn't sleep even if she wanted to. In the morning she would have no choice but to try to call for help.
When daylight came, she again climbed the dune and checked the area. There was nothing to see but sand. She got her map out and rechecked the coordinates she had figured out the day before. "I hope I'm at least close." She had found a flare gun in the jeep's emergency pack and it was ready to use if needed.
Charley picked up the microphone and took a deep breath.
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Moffitt put his bedroll in the jeep and heard the radio crackle to life. He tuned it slightly until he heard a voice say, "This is Black Bird calling Blue. Come in Blue. Over."
Moffitt reached for the microphone as he called, "It's Charley!" Then said into the mic, "This is Apple Red, Black Bird. Do you read me? Over."
Charley's relieved voice said, "This is Black Bird, Apple Red. Read you loud and clear. Over."
With Troy, Hitch, and Tully gathered around him, Moffitt asked, "Are you all right?"
"Other than being hungry, I'm fine. My problem is the jeep is stuck. Over."
"Can you tell me what your location is?"
Charley gave Moffitt the coordinates she'd worked out and said, "That's where I left the road. Best I can figure is I'm about fifty miles northeast of there. Over."
Moffitt watched Tully grab the map bag. "All right, we're on our way. Over and out."
Tully spread a map on the hood of the jeep and quickly found the coordinates Charley had given.
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Charley was so glad that someone was coming for her that she had to wipe tears away. Then she remembered that there were Germans out there too. Probably close. If they heard the radio conversation … all she could do was hope the Rat Patrol would get to her first.
Charley took the binoculars and went to the top of the dune. She sat down to wait and watch.
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They found where Charley had left the road. Shallow marks in the sand vaguely marked the spot. With Troy and Moffitt both holding compasses, the two jeeps headed northeast.
Hitch and Tully drove fifty miles through the dunes, occasionally able to see jeep tracks as they went.
When they stopped, Tully got on the radio. "Black Bird. Black Bird, this is Apple Red. Do you read me? Over."
When Charley heard the voice she ran down the dune, only falling once, to the radio. Tully had called her three times before she could get to the microphone. "This is Black Bird. Over."
Tully gave a relieved sigh. "We're in the area. Can you give us a signal?"
"I have a flare gun. Over."
"Perfect. Point it straight up and let it go."
Seconds later a bright starburst could be seen in the sky and Tully said, "We've got you. We're not far away. Over and out."
However, the Germans were closer. They had heard Charley give her coordinates and instructions over the radio and triangulated her approximate position. They too had seen the flare.
Charley was thinking about climbing the dune again to watch for the jeeps when a mortar sailed over her head and hit the sand a short distance away. She spun around and saw the German patrol come out from behind a sand dune. There was nowhere to hide, so she started to run. Another mortar hit the jeep sending it spinning into the air.
The Rat Patrol heard the mortar fire, but Hitch and Tully already had the gas pedals to the floor. Tully's heart hammered in his chest as he willed his jeep to go faster.
As Charley ran for the next dune to try to hide, a tank appeared in front of her. She gasped and threw herself on the ground as it fired. She heard it whistle overhead and explode when it hit its target. Then there was the distinct sound of 50 caliber machine guns.
Charley put her arms over her head and curled into ball as the jeeps barreled by on either side of her. The next thing she knew there were hands on her, lifting her to her feet. At first she struggled, but then she saw Captain Macintyre striding towards her and she was released. She looked around and saw that the tank was American, as well as the halftracks and staff car that were also on scene.
Captain Macintyre stopped in front of Charley and said, "Well, Black Bird, I'm glad to see you're still in one piece."
Charley managed to say, "Yes, sir." Then fainted.
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As the jeeps approached the American column, Tully saw one of the GIs carrying Charley and couldn't get there fast enough. The GI was setting her down in the shade of the tank as Tully got out and ran to her side. "Is she okay?"
Captain Macintyre stood behind him and said, "She fainted. It doesn't appear that she has any injuries."
Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch joined Tully. Moffitt knelt with a canteen and med kit. He got an ammonia inhalant out and cracked it between his fingers, then waved it under Charley's nose. The effect was immediate as she began to cough and try to push the offending smell away.
Moffitt moved the ammonia away as she opened her eyes and looked dazedly at him. "What happened?"
Tully said, "You fainted." Charley turned her head and was relieved to see him, then started to sit up. He quickly put a hand on her back to help. "Easy does it. Go slow."
Moffitt uncapped the canteen and handed it to her as she leaned against Tully. "Take a drink. It'll help clear your head."
Troy turned to Captain Macintyre. "Glad you were in the area, captain."
Macintyre smiled. "Heard her radio call. I knew if we heard it, the Germans in the area did as well. Thought we'd head out to give a little backup. Can I assume that scout column won't be reporting back to their superiors?"
"Yes, sir. We took care of 'em. Have you seen any other activity?"
"No, sergeant. At least not yet. When we leave here we're going to do a sweep of the area and report back to Captain Boggs."
Troy nodded. "We've been hitting the German's pretty hard throughout the entire sector. Hopefully they'll soon take the hint that they aren't wanted and stay away."
The captain said, "I hope so. My company can't deploy until this sector is clear."
"Well, we were sent out here to finish our recon mission. So we should know soon enough."
"As I said, we're going to be doing a sweep of the area ourselves. I think it might be best to take Black Bird home."
They both looked to see Tully helping Charley to her feet. Troy smiled and said, "I think that's a good idea. Thank you, sir."
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Back at base, Charley reported to Captain Boggs with Troy and Moffitt. She handed the envelope to him and said, "Sorry I'm a bit late, sir. Jeep got stuck … then it sort of got blown up."
The captain smiled a little. "That's all right, Charley. I understand from Captain Macintyre that you had in interesting drive."
"Yes, sir, I guess that's one way to put it."
"Why don't you go get some rest now? I don't want to see you around here until you come in to make deliveries in the morning."
Charley sighed tiredly. "Thank you, captain." She turned to leave and said to Troy and Moffitt, "Thanks, guys. And don't worry, I plan to stay in the passenger seat as much as possible from now on."
The three men were smiling when she left them to their meeting.
###############################
Tully was waiting for Charley when she walked out of headquarters. "Everything all right?"
Charley nodded as he put an arm around her. "Yeah. Captain Boggs wasn't even mad at me for losing the jeep."
Tully pulled her close as they walked. "I sent a note to Hassan. There should be some food waiting for us when we get there. When did you eat last?"
"Yesterday. I had lunch before I started back here."
"An empty stomach and getting shot at ... plus you probably didn't get much sleep last night. It's no wonder you fainted."
Charley sighed. "All I wanna do is eat, take a shower, and go to bed."
Tully nodded. "You'll feel better after you get some sleep."
Charley smiled mischievously. "Who said anything about sleep? I said I wanted to go to bed. I'm too keyed up to sleep yet."
"Sounds like fun to me."
Charley stopped and looked up him seriously. "And the next time I start in about driving myself somewhere, remind me about the last twenty-four hours."
Tully chuckled as they started walking again. "Wasn't what you thought it would be, huh?"
"Actually, I think I need more practice."
Tully kissed the top of Charley's head as they turned into Hassan's Café.