Combat! is owned by ABC TV. This story is meant only for the enjoyment of Combat! fans, with no intention to infringe on any copyrights, and no monetary compensation has been received.
Hard to believe, but this is my 55th story. Hopefully you've had a chance to read and even reread them all. Just like the series episodes, you can pick up different things each time. You've caught up to my backlog of stories, so future stories will be rather sporadic as I continue to have ideas come to me and I write about the squad. So, now's your chance to reread the previous 54. You can leave multiple comments as a guest.
I've reintroduced a couple of old characters that I wanted to explore a little more. If you haven't read my 4th of July story, Star Spangled Night, I highly recommend that you do. There are more than just passing references to it here. Hog Wild also gets a quick reference.
As always, I give special thanks to my live-in mortar man who helps to make my stories better and more accurate. Please consider leaving your thoughts and reviews at the end. They are appreciated and they really help, sometimes even offering me new ideas.
HURRY UP…AND WAIT
CHAPTER 1
"Rush, rush, rush," Kirby grumbled loudly as he jammed his foot into his boot.
"First, they give us down time," he added, grabbing his other boot. "Relax, they said. You deserve it, they said."
He quickly laced up and buckled both boots and stood up. "Now, it's grab your gear and get moving double time. We're sending you out on another patrol."
"We don't know if we're going out again," Billy replied, slipping into his field jacket.
"Why else would they make us bring all our gear?" Littlejohn asked, reaching for his helmet.
"Sure ain't no surprise party for us," Kirby huffed as he quickly checked his ammo.
Caje slung his Garand over his shoulder. "Whatever the reason, Price said the Lieutenant wants us there on the double. Everyone ready?"
Doc grabbed his med kit and helmet. "Let's go."
Scooping up the last of their gear, the men of First squad hurried toward the officers' quarters. They could see Price outside the Lieutenant's tent, waiting for them.
As they drew near, Price held up a hand. "Lieutenant Hanley wants you to wait here. He's still in a meeting with Sergeant Saunders."
The men stood in awkward silence for a moment as their adrenaline rush from their hurried mobilization refused to fade.
"We going on a patrol, Price?" Brockmeyer finally asked.
"I don't know," the young soldier replied. "Lieutenant Hanley sent me to get you guys in full gear as fast as I could. Then he told me to wait outside with you until he finished talking with Sergeant Saunders."
Seeing the skeptical looks on all the soldiers' faces, Price held up a hand again. "That's all I know. Honest."
With a heavy sigh, Kirby took off his helmet and sat down in the grass.
"Then I guess we just…wait."
CHAPTER 2
"You want us to leave now, Lieutenant?" Saunders asked as he folded the map and tucked it into his field jacket pocket.
The officer nodded. "Price should have your men ready and outside by now."
"We'll head out right away," the sergeant said as he opened the tent flap.
"Have Price bring me the radio," Hanley called from behind him.
Without turning around, Saunders nodded silently. He could see his men clustered together…waiting. Catching sight of their sergeant, Kirby stood up and slipped on his helmet. As Saunders left the tent, another soldier was approaching.
"Hey, Sarge, is Lieutenant Hanley in there?"
Saunders pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Walking toward his squad, he called out to Price.
"The Lieutenant wants the radio."
"Ok," the young soldier replied, and ran off between the tents.
Saunders turned back to his men. "Everybody got everything?"
"For what, Sarge?" Caje wondered. "We don't even know what we're doing." He handed his sergeant several mags for his Thompson.
"Patrol?" Littlejohn asked.
"Sentry duty?" Billy said hopefully.
"Maybe the whole Company's moving out," Brockmeyer said.
Kirby looked at the men billeted around them. No activity. All seemed quiet.
He shook his head and pointed over his shoulder to the lack of activity. "Nah, it ain't that."
Quickly checking his men over, Saunders finally said, "Let's move out. I'll go over it later."
He stuffed the mags into his field jacket. Pointing out toward a dirt lane, he added, "Caje…take the point. Head down to that road and go north. Hold up when you get to the crossroads."
The Cajun nodded. "Got it. We in a hurry?"
"Normal pace for now," his sergeant replied. "I'll let you know when I want to pick it up."
The men had barely taken a few steps when Price called out, "Sergeant Saunders! Hold up."
The squad stopped, and Saunders looked back at the young soldier who was just tying back one of the tent flaps. When Price signaled for the sergeant to return, Saunders turned to his men.
"Wait here."
The soldiers watched as their sergeant ran back to the officers' quarters. Standing quietly, they began to look at each other. Finally, Kirby took off his helmet and unslung his BAR.
Sitting down in the grass once again, he dropped his helmet between his knees and cradled his weapon in his lap.
"And…we wait."
CHAPTER 3
Saunders ducked into the tent and stopped when he realized that the officer was on the radio. Price was standing nearby.
The soldier who had come in earlier nodded his acknowledgement toward Saunders and left. The sergeant nodded silently in return.
"Yes, Sir," Hanley said into the headset as he motioned for Saunders to sit down.
The sergeant stood for a moment, and then sat down on a crate. Unslinging his Thompson, he rested it between his legs, tapping the stock lightly with the toe of his boot. He was impatiently waiting to leave. The sooner they left the better chance they had of returning before dark.
Glancing out of the tent, he could see his men standing around Kirby as the soldier sat on the ground.
Everyone…just waiting.
"King Two…out," interrupted the sergeant's thoughts.
He looked back at the officer who was handing the headset to Price.
"I've just been told that two soldiers are on their way over. Send them in as soon as they get here, Price. And have Morales get his squad ready to go out. Now."
The young soldier nodded, grabbed the radio and left the tent.
Saunders stood up and slung his Thompson over his shoulder. "You still need me, Lieutenant?"
The officer nodded as he began to search through the pile of papers and maps on his makeshift table.
"Change of plans. We'll talk as soon as the two men get here."
Saunders fell silent and impatiently waited as the Lieutenant continued to look through his paperwork. Just as Hanley seemed to find what he was looking for and began to unfold a map, a deep voice came from behind the sergeant.
"Lieutenant Hanley?"
Saunders turned and his face lit up in recognition.
CHAPTER 4
"Stocker!" Saunders said with a smile as he held out his hand.
"Hey, Sarge," the soldier replied, taking the offered hand and shaking it warmly. "Glad to see you're still among the living."
"Me too," the second soldier agreed, extending his hand in greeting.
"Gunner," Saunders replied, returning the handshake. "Good to see you two again. I haven't seen you since…"
"Since my birthday celebration," Gunner laughed.
Lieutenant Hanley watched the exchange in confusion. Finally, he said, "I take it you three know each other."
Gunner grinned. "This here NCO throws the best birthday parties ever, Lieutenant. I oughta know."
"Sorry, Sir," Stocker apologized to the officer. "I'm Daniel Stocker and this here's Jimmy Croft."
"Everyone just calls me Gunner," Croft explained. "We're Mortars."
Seeing the lingering confusion on his Lieutenant's face, Saunders tried to explain. "Remember that time in July when you were injured and Captain Jampel gave me command of taking out three kraut machine gun nests and advancing up that hill?"
The officer thought for a moment and nodded. "You were in charge of two platoons. Took the hill with no casualties."
"That's right," Saunders agreed. "Stocker and Gunner were my mortar men. Couldn't have done it without 'em."
"Lucky thing our elevation spring was shot or we'd a been out with Third platoon," Gunner explained.
"So, what've you got? What's going on?" Hanley said, getting down to business. "Captain Jampel said you were going to fill us in on what this is all about."
Stocker pulled out a map from his field jacket and held it up. "Yes, Sir. May I?"
When the officer nodded, Stocker spread the map on the makeshift table, covering the officer's papers. He smoothed out the rumpled corners to flatten it. Pointing to a spot on the map, Stocker began to explain as the others moved in closer.
"According to information from the Maquis, the krauts out here are waiting for a large convoy of supplies. Not just food. They're supposed to be getting a really large payload of munitions as well. Possibly more heavy weapons and replacements, too."
Lieutenant Hanley stared at the map. "If that's true, it could change the course of the war in this sector."
Gunner nodded. "That's why Captain Jampel is sending us to take it out."
CHAPTER 5
"Take it out?" the officer asked incredulously. "Just you two?"
Stocker gave a faint smile. "Well…us…and Saunders and his men."
Saunders stood silently for a long moment, staring at the two mortar men. He finally managed, "Me? And my squad?"
"What can one mortar and a squad of men possibly do against a large convoy?" Lieutenant Hanley asked.
"Well," Gunner began to explain, "Captain Jampel has this idea. And it actually has a chance of at least slowing the krauts down. Hopefully it'll put a dent in their supplies."
"Why not artillery?" Saunders asked.
Stocker shook his head. "We don't know exactly where the convoy is. Only roughly where it's eventually going."
"How about spotter planes?" Hanley asked.
"None available for at least a week, according to the Captain," Gunner replied. "One's been shot down and the other's being repaired. By the time it's fixed, it'd be too late. It's even too far for a spotter on the ground."
"We may be cutting it close ourselves," Stocker added. "Like I said, we're not sure where it is exactly."
"Why just one mortar?" the Lieutenant asked. "Why not three or four?"
Gunner gave a quick laugh. "We're gonna have a tough enough time getting one weapon and enough rounds that far into kraut territory, never mind three or four plus all the guys and rounds you'd need."
"So, what's the plan?" the officer asked, resigned to the Captain's orders.
Stocker leaned over the map again and pointed. "The convoy'll have to come through what looks here to be a valley. We're gonna set up above them and give 'em everything we got. And then get the heck out of there before they can get organized and come after us."
Saunders replied doubtfully. "That's pretty deep into kraut territory. We could have a heck of a lot of krauts on our tails before we ever get to that valley. And we'll be lugging your mortar and ammo. That's a lot of weight."
Stocker straightened. "We don't have a choice. We have to get close enough to see when the convoy gets to that valley."
Gunner gave a faint smile. "That's why you guys'll be with us, Sarge. To protect us."
"We're just soldiers," the sergeant reminded the two mortar men. "We're not miracle workers."
Gunner gave a quick laugh. "Guess Captain Jampel thinks you are."
"Why just you two?" Hanley asked, trying to make sense of it all. "I mean, don't mortars work in teams of four or five?"
"The Captain wants as few men as possible to go," Gunner explained. "Figures fewer men have a better chance of getting in there and pulling it off."
"And getting back out again," Stocker added.
Gunner nodded in agreement. "That's kinda important. The Captain remembered that Saunders used just the two of us to help him take that hill back in July. So, he figured we could work together and do it again."
Saunders stared at the map. "This is more than taking a hill with a few machine gun nests. A lot more."
"We know," Stocker admitted grimly. "It's a long way to travel through kraut territory lugging a four deuce and enough rounds to get the job done."
"But," Gunner added hopefully, "we figure if we can put our heads together, Sarge, we can come up with a good plan."
Saunders stared at the map again for a long moment, and then asked, "When we going?"
"Tomorrow morning," Gunner replied quietly. "We're really running short on time."
A silence fell over the tent.
Finally, Saunders pulled out his map for their previous patrol and handed it back to the Lieutenant.
"Then we'd better get to it."
CHAPTER 6
"We're not going out?" Kirby asked with a grin, standing up quickly, slipping on his helmet and sliding the BAR over his shoulder.
"No," their sergeant replied. "Third squad's going out instead."
"That's great," Littlejohn added. "Now we can get a little rest."
"Get your rest," Saunders said, looking at all of his men as they gathered around him. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
"Where to, Sarge?" Nelson asked.
"Kraut territory," Saunders explained. "We're giving a mortar team protection."
"How come they gotta go into kraut territory?" Caje asked. "Can't they fire from No Man's Land? They can shoot pretty far."
"We don't have coordinates and no spotter plane is available," the sergeant answered. "They gotta have a visual."
His men stood quietly for a long moment.
"Right now I'm going to go over the plan with the mortar men. We've got quite a hike tomorrow. So get ready now. Rations, lots of ammo. Two grenades each."
"Am I going, too, Sarge?" Doc asked.
"Everyone, Doc," Saunders replied. "Anyone needs me, I'll be over in Weapons with mortars."
As Saunders made his way to Weapons, his mind was racing. How do they get in and out with all that weight, get the job done, and get out with hopefully no casualties? He'd studied the map enough to now mentally picture it in his head, and he began working on a plan. By the time he found the two mortar men, the sergeant had a good idea.
With the map spread out between them on the grass, Stocker and Gunner looked up as Saunders entered their bivouac.
"Here's the mastermind now," Gunner smiled hopefully. "Any great ideas yet on how we can pull this off and keep on living, Sarge?"
Saunders knelt down next to them. "Actually, I think I do have something."
The faces of the two soldiers brightened. "Let's hear it."
"First off," the sergeant began, "you said you have an idea where you want to set up once we get there?"
"Yeah," Gunner replied, pointing to the map. "We'll be up here. We're figuring they gotta come through this valley. Unfortunately, it's the best map that the Captain could come up with on such short notice. Pretty sketchy. No elevations. Barely marks the roads. Don't know how high up it is, but it should be ok, long as we can see 'em."
"You sure they won't go a different route?" the sergeant asked with concern. He didn't like the idea of going through all of this only to have the krauts take a different route.
Stocker nodded. "Really the only road that can possibly handle all those big, heavy vehicles."
Saunders studied the map again. "No bridges."
Stocker gave a short laugh. "That would've been too easy. Nope. Not so much as a tiny stream along this route."
"Yeah," Gunner agreed. "But that works in our favor. The other possible route they could have taken, according to the Captain, has two small, narrow bridges that would have to be rebuilt to carry that load. That's part of why they have to come this way."
"So, anyway we're thinking of setting up here," Gunner continued, pointing at the map once again. "Decent enough elevation, we think. We'll catch 'em coming around a blind curve. Right here, where the valley narrows."
Still looking at the map, Saunders ran his finger from the place where they were billeted across the paper to where the soldier was pointing.
"This'll be our route getting there."
Gunner sat back on his heels. "Yeah."
He ran a hand through his hair. "Long way from here to there. Gonna be near impossible to lug the four deuce and enough rounds that far."
Once more, Saunders slowly ran his finger over their expected route and was silent for a moment.
"Looks fairly flat almost the whole way. Mostly on roads of some kind. Lots of trees for cover. No towns to go through."
"Got any ideas?" Stocker asked hopefully.
The sergeant reached into his field jacket pocket for his cigarettes and lighter.
"I'm working on it."
The two mortar men waited patiently as the sergeant pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
Inhaling deeply, Saunders scratched his chin as he thought. Taking another drag on his cigarette, he finally replied, "I think I know a way to get us there."
CHAPTER 7
"Manny?"
"Go away, Saunders!" came the muffled reply from the back of the tent.
Saunders waited in silence. After a long moment, the Quartermaster's head popped out from between two crates.
"You didn't go away."
The sergeant wanted to cut their banter short, but he really needed the Quartermaster's help.
"I'm not going away."
With a heavy sigh of resignation, Manny came out from behind the crates.
"What now?"
Looking the sergeant over, he added, "Can't be a Thompson. You still got one. Boots look all in one piece. Uniform…no holes or blood. So what is it?"
Saunders took a breath…and a chance. "A hand cart."
Manny stared at the sergeant. "You crazy? A hand cart? You can't requisition my hand cart. You know I only got one. And I need it."
He waved his arm in a sweeping gesture. "That's like requisitioning my tent…or…my deuce and a half."
Saunders smiled. "The truck would be even better, but I don't think we'd get very far into kraut territory before we were spotted."
"Now look, Saunders," Manny began, but stopped.
Staring at the sergeant for a moment, he asked, "Kraut territory? You going into kraut territory? How far?"
Now Saunders knew that he had the Quartermaster's attention. The two of them may have bickered a lot over supplies, but first and foremost, Manny was a soldier doing the best job he could.
Saunders nodded. "Far. And we're gonna be lugging a mortar and lots of rounds."
"That's a lot of weight," the soldier pondered. "How many going?"
Saunders had his interest. He needed to convince him now. He knew that if he had to, he could always get an order from the Captain, but that'd take too long. He wanted it right now.
"Just my squad and two mortar men."
"That's it?" Manny asked doubtfully.
Saunders nodded. "Captain Jampel's orders. We're going in to take out…or at least slow down a big German supply convoy headed up to the kraut front lines."
Silence fell over the two soldiers. Saunders waited.
Finally, the Quartermaster replied, "You'll never make it that far lugging all that weight by hand."
More silence as Saunders waited for Manny to convince himself.
With a quick wave, Manny turned toward the truck.
"C'mon," he said with a sigh. "You're gonna have to help me unload it. It's still hooked up to the back of the deuce and a half."
He stopped and faced the sergeant. "Don't suppose I'll ever see it again."
"Probably not," Saunders admitted honestly.
With a deep sigh, Manny turned back toward the truck. "C'mon."
CHAPTER 8
"Where'd you ever come up with an M3A4?" Stocker asked incredulously as the sergeant approached him pulling the cart.
Saunders stopped near the edge of their bivouac and dropped the handle of the empty cart.
"This cart?"
Both Stocker and Gunner nodded with interest.
"Requisitioned it," the sergeant replied simply.
Gunner walked around the cart, running a hand over one of the wheels. "You've got some pull in this Company."
"Will it work?" Saunders asked.
"Heck, yeah," Stocker answered. "We can get the four deuce on there, and a bunch of rounds, too. No problem. We've done it before with the M3A4. "
"With two people pulling," Gunner added, "we can haul a pretty heavy load. We should be ok. You said the way out there looked pretty flat, didn't you?"
Saunders nodded. "Right up until we get to where you want to set up. That'll be a higher elevation."
"No problem," Stocker said with a quick wave of his hand. "We can carry it all up there if we have to. Long as it's not too far."
"How many rounds do you think we can bring?" Saunders asked.
Stocker walked around the two-wheeled cart with the shallow, slatted frame. He tapped the toe of his boot against the crossbar of the long handle.
"Strapped down good, maybe eight…maybe ten."
"We can give some of the guys vests like last time," Gunner added. "Get maybe another dozen that way."
"We'll need to cut back on a few," Saunders said. "I want to bring some anti-tank mines. Set them out on that road if we can. If we're able to stop the convoy, you won't have to try hitting moving targets."
Stocker thought about it for a moment. "That'd help since we'll have a limited amount of time and rounds."
"What if we bring a couple smoke rounds?" Gunner asked. "If we have time, we can use them before the krauts show up. It'd give us the exact coordinates of the road."
"That'd cut back on two more rounds," Stocker noted. "But it'd also give us an extra minute or so to work on the convoy. We'd be wasting a couple of rounds just to home in on them anyway."
"We'll get the rounds and strap them and the four deuce onto the cart and meet up with you tomorrow morning," Gunner said. "Don't think they'll issue us the land mines though."
"I'll get us the four land mines from Ordnance," Saunders assured them.
"Be there 0600," he added. "We've got a long way to go."
CHAPTER 9
At 0545 hours, Stocker and Gunner appeared, pulling the hand cart loaded with the mortar and rounds. Several other soldiers were following, carrying ammo vests loaded with additional rounds.
First squad was busy making their final preparations. Saunders strapped on his utility belt as he made his way to meet up with the approaching soldiers. He reached out and ran his hand over the already assembled mortar that was standing in the middle of the cart. Its base was surrounded by rounds stacked on each other.
"Didn't expect it to be all put together."
"This is usually how we cart it if we're going any distance," Stocker explained. "It's ready to go at a moment's notice."
"And this way there's more room for all the rounds," Gunner added.
"Bolted down for getting in and out in a hurry," Stocker continued. "We don't intend to leave this baby behind if we can at all help it."
"We'll try," Saunders replied. "But don't count on it coming with us. We might have to move pretty fast."
"Hey, guys," came from behind them. "Look who's here."
The men of First squad came over and surrounded the three men.
"You two are the mortar men we're gonna be protecting?" Littlejohn asked with a big grin.
"No one but the best," Gunner replied, returning the grin.
"Guess they sure will need protecting," Kirby laughed. "They forgot their rifles."
Stocker shook his head. "Gunner and I only carry sidearms."
"So that's what we need you for," Gunner added. "Without the rest of our team we're kinda sittin' ducks."
As the soldiers all exchanged handshakes, Saunders took one of the ammo vests from the mortar men.
"No time for this now. Littlejohn, Caje, Brock…you're carrying ammo. Gotta figure who's carrying the mines."
"No problem, Sarge," Stocker said, grabbing another vest. "Gunner and I got it all worked out."
He held out the vest to Littlejohn. "This here's got four rounds. The big guy can carry this one."
"Gee, thanks," Littlejohn replied, taking the vest.
Gunner motioned to the other vests. "Those have three each." He handed one to Caje and one to Brockmeyer.
Patting his chest, Stocker added, "Gunner and me are each carrying three. And there are eight on the cart."
"That makes twenty-two, plus the two smoke rounds," Gunner said.
He pointed to the rounds in the cart. "We can strap down those four mines you got, one on each side. Right on top of the rounds."
Saunders frowned. "Is that gonna be ok?"
Gunner smiled. "Not to worry. They ain't armed. And those land mines have a two-hundred-pound pressure point. Unless Littlejohn decides to square dance on top of 'em, they should be safe enough."
"Billy, Kirby…get the mines," Saunders said. "Let's get 'em strapped down good. We've gotta get moving."
CHAPTER 10
As Kirby and Stocker finished securing the land mines, Saunders and Gunner went over the map once again.
"Looks like we're on fairly decent roads for quite a ways," the mortar man noted.
The sergeant nodded. "Roads look pretty clear, but we'll be in kraut territory for most of it. Just don't know how much is paved, or dirt…or what kind of shape they're in."
"That could create a problem," Gunner admitted.
"We'll have to be ready to get off the road in a hurry," Saunders said with concern.
The mortar man paused, and then replied. "That cart ain't exactly a roadster, but Stocker and me are pretty good at maneuvering it. As long as we get some warning and find some cover to get to, we should be able to handle it."
Saunders folded the map and tucked it into his field jacket. "Hope so."
As the two soldiers turned back to the others, Saunders called out, "Billy, Doc…you two pull the cart to start. Everyone'll trade off. Kirby…bring up the rear. I'll take point."
Maneuvering the cart, the men got in behind their sergeant. Nelson and Doc pulled on the crossbar handle, straining to get the heavy cart moving in the grass. Stocker and Gunner got behind them and pushed to help them start moving.
"Thanks, guys," Nelson said. "It's really heavy."
"You ain't gonna be winning no races," Gunner replied. "But once it's moving, it ain't bad handling it. Just take it slow and steady."
The line of soldiers strung out with the cart in the middle as they headed toward their own front lines.
CHAPTER 11
Passing through the front line of soldiers, the men of First squad remained silent, well aware of the looks they were receiving. Soldiers laden with ammo vests, hauling a cart full of ammo, mines and a mounted mortar. No one doubted that this would be a very different and difficult mission.
Saunders was glad that no one spoke or asked questions as they passed through. He wasn't in the mood for talking. His mind was totally focused on their mission. A dangerous…and tricky mission.
One good thing on their side, he thought, was the probability that they wouldn't be running into too many krauts before they reached the valley. Intel was sure that most of the German buildup was concentrated farther east where they were awaiting the convoy of supplies and munitions.
Saunders was mostly concerned about stray patrols they might encounter unexpectedly. Would they be able to successfully avoid them with all the weight they were carrying? They'd soon find out.
At the first crossroads, Saunders automatically turned left and headed north. He'd studied the map enough to know the way. Noting that the road was paved, he thanked their luck. Looking back to be sure everyone was doing ok, he watched as Doc and Nelson pulled the laden cart. They seemed to be handling it alright, but he decided to switch them off in another half hour. He didn't need any of his men so exhausted that they couldn't do their jobs properly.
He glanced at his watch. A half hour.
CHAPTER 12
The patrol had been slowly making its way deep into German territory for almost two hours. Everyone shared the load of the ammo vests except Saunders, Kirby and Doc. The sergeant needed to be free to maneuver, and so did Kirby, protecting their backs. Saunders was willing to let Doc help pull the cart, but that's where he drew the line for the noncombatant. No ammo vests.
The paved road had eventually become dirt at their last turn. But it was hard-packed soil with very few ruts so their way was fairly smooth. And most importantly, they had yet to encounter a single German.
Saunders knew that it couldn't last. And he was right.
Walking ahead of the rest of the patrol, Saunders moved ahead even farther as the trees on both sides of the road grew denser.
He heard them before he could see them. Krauts. Turning quickly, he ran back, waving frantically toward the others. Instantly, Stocker and Gunner took control of the cart and began to maneuver it into a gap in the trees. The rest of the men found cover and disappeared.
Try as they might, the two mortar men couldn't completely hide the cart with the mortar jutting up above the low brush. Looking around for anything to add cover, Saunders quickly grabbed a fallen branch.
Slipping between the low brush and the cart, the sergeant slung his Thompson over his shoulder and held the branch up in front of him as he tried desperately to remain as still as possible. He found himself holding his breath as the Germans came around the bend and into view.
He had no idea if his trick would work. And if it didn't, he'd be relying on the others to protect them. He knew he'd never get to his Thompson in time to do much good.
Saunders forced himself to breathe slowly, trying to will his hands to stop shaking as the German patrol came closer.
CHAPTER 13
Saunders counted as they came into view. One…two…three…six.
He watched them carefully as they slowly passed his hidden patrol, barely twenty-five yards away. They were hardly on their guard for their enemy. They were talking among themselves, and even though the sergeant couldn't understand what they were saying, he knew they weren't concerned. They laughed frequently, as one soldier took out a pack of cigarettes and began passing it around.
Saunders' adrenaline spiked when the kraut patrol stopped. He quickly glanced left and right to check if his men were still hidden. He worried that one of the krauts would see something. But there were no alarms raised. They'd merely stopped to light their cigarettes.
The sergeant still held his breath. He waited. This was when his men were most likely to be discovered. If the Germans stayed in one spot too long, there was a good chance that at least one or two of them would casually examine their surroundings.
He knew that his men could easily take out all six of them. They were so clustered together and unprepared for a possible fight that Kirby could get them all by himself. But the last thing Saunders wanted right now was a firefight that might bring other krauts down their necks. They weren't prepared for an extended fight. And they'd never outrun a bunch of krauts on their tails. They'd have to scrap the mission.
No, they wouldn't fire unless the krauts discovered them. All they could do is…wait.
Both fists tightened as Saunders held onto the branch for cover. The Thompson felt heavy across his back as he waited. But none of the soldiers seemed to take notice of their surroundings. Their full attention was on each other and their cigarettes.
Even though their laughter continued and the soldiers began to move on, Saunders stayed tense and vigilant. He wasn't going to take anything for granted or let his guard down.
Every man in the sergeant's patrol remained perfectly still until long after the laughter and chatter faded in the distance. No one moved as they waited for their leader's ok. Finally, Saunders lowered the branch and dropped it in the brush. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he looked around at all of his men.
"Let's get moving."
TO BE CONTINUED