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.
As mentioned before, I hope you've read Star Spangled Night. The two mortar men, Stocker and Gunner, will fit into this story more naturally. But have no fear, if you didn't read it, this story still holds together. Please consider leaving your thoughts. So, stay with Saunders and his squad as they protect the two mortar men on their impossible mission.
HURRY UP…AND WAIT
Part 2
CHAPTER 14
Slowly, each of the soldiers stepped out from cover. Stocker and Gunner began to maneuver the heavy cart back onto the roadway. Littlejohn and Caje grabbed the back of the cart to help push it forward through the tall grass and low brush.
Saunders stepped out into the middle of the road and looked nervously in both directions.
"Kirby…follow them out about fifty yards and keep an eye out."
The BAR man gave a quick wave of acknowledgement and ran down the road.
"Brockmeyer," the sergeant called out softly.
The soldier came over. "Yeah, Sarge?"
"You hear what they were saying?"
Brockmeyer nodded. "We should be good for a while. They're the only patrol out here. Been the same guys three days in a row, and they're pretty bored. Haven't seen much more than squirrels and rabbits."
"How far they go out?" Saunders asked. "They coming back this way?"
Brockmeyer nodded again. "They'll be back, but it sounded like it won't be for quite a while. We should be ok."
Saunders looked down the dirt-packed road, staring at the bend where the krauts had disappeared and Kirby now stood.
"I'm not worried about now," he replied. "It's on our way back they could be a problem."
"All set, Sarge," Stocker said softly as they finished straightening the cart.
Saunders looked at all of his men. Giving a big wave, he caught his BAR man's eye. "Kirby," he said softly, waving him back.
As Kirby returned, the sergeant said, "Caje, Brock…grab the cart."
Looking at his BAR man, Saunders added, "Kirby…"
"I know," Kirby pointed over his shoulder. "Cover our rear."
"I'm back on point," the sergeant told everyone. "Stay alert. Just because the krauts said they're the only ones out here, doesn't mean we're home free."
Seeing his men take their positions, Saunders moved ahead of everyone. "Move out."
CHAPTER 15
Saunders was torn on how to proceed. His soldier's instincts were screaming for them to move slowly and cautiously. But being overly cautious just might mean missing their window of opportunity to get the mortar set up overlooking the valley and take out or at least delay the kraut supply convoy. Then all of this would've been for nothing. And they'd still have to make their way back through German territory to safety.
As he walked, he finally made his decision.
"Brock, Caje…step it up. We need to move faster."
"Gunner and I'll push, Sarge," Stocker said. "As soon as they're tired, we'll take over. We're used to hauling the four deuce around."
As the two mortar men began pushing the cart, Saunders loped ahead. When their pace picked up, he felt a little more positive about their mission. Even though it was now early afternoon, he had no intention of stopping for his men to eat. Recognizing the urgency and danger of their situation, not one of the soldiers complained.
Continuing his pace, the sergeant occasionally glanced back over his shoulder to be sure he wasn't outpacing them. Keeping a steady pace, Saunders could sense from their surroundings that the soldiers were drawing closer to the valley.
"Hold up, Sarge," Stocker called out. "Gotta shift positions."
Stopping, Saunders turned back to see Caje and Brockmeyer relinquishing their spots on the handle. Stocker and Gunner switched with them.
"You want me and Billy to push?" Littlejohn asked.
Stocker shook his head. "We're good. If I remember from the map, we gotta be pretty close. Right, Sarge?"
Saunders drew closer and nodded. Taking out the map, he unfolded it and turned it upright. Both mortar men came to look over his shoulder.
"My guess is we're about…here." The sergeant pointed to a spot on the map. "The road we need to get to is just over here."
Gunner looked closer and pointed to a spot. "That bend is the one we're looking for. The valley narrows at that point. If we can take out the first couple of vehicles, that should block the roadway."
"With luck that's what the land mines will do," Saunders replied. "Hopefully you two will finish the job. If nothing else, we'll slow them down. Give the Allies some breathing room."
The sergeant studied the map. "Problem is, we don't know how shallow or deep that valley is. And if it's really deep, we got a couple of problems."
"Yeah," Gunner replied. "For sure one of the problems if it's steep, we'll have a tough hike up to the highest point to set up the mortar."
"Won't be easy with the four deuce in tow," Stocker agreed.
"And if it's too steep," Saunders explained, "we may not be able to get down there to bury those land mines. Without those mines, some trucks might get through once you start hitting them. Maybe a lot will make it."
Everyone remained quiet for a long moment as the three soldiers thought about their options.
Finally, Saunders folded the map and tucked it back into his field jacket. "Whether it's steep or not, we won't know until we get there and check it out." With a slight wave he took hold of his Thompson once again.
"Let's find out."
CHAPTER 16
As they drew closer, Saunders could feel the ground slowly sloping upward. He was forced to slow the pace down as it became harder for Stocker and Gunner to pull the cart. Even though Littlejohn and Nelson had both jumped in to push, he could tell that the pace had still noticeably slowed.
When the sergeant came to a narrow dirt side road off to their right, he stopped. Pulling out his map once more, he motioned for the men to take a break.
With just a quick look from his sergeant, Kirby dropped back watching their rear as the others caught their breath.
"Looks like this is it," Saunders said, pointing at the dirt road that wound around the side of the hill and disappeared.
"Looks more like a cart trail than a road," Gunner noted as he stared at the hill.
"Well," Stocker reminded him, "that's what we got. A cart."
"Let's go check it out," Saunders replied, tucking the map back into his field jacket.
"Everyone wait here with the cart while we go up and check it out. Keep your eyes open."
Watching as the three soldiers wound their way up the path, Kirby nervously fingered his BAR.
Scanning their surroundings, he grumbled, "Hurry up...and wait."
CHAPTER 17
Reaching the crest of the hill, Saunders looked down into the valley with the lone road snaking through it. At least no one could sneak up on them from that direction, he thought to himself. He had an excellent view of the entire area, and all seemed quiet.
Not really a valley, he thought. More like a road just passing through a few hills. Not as high up as he'd pictured in his mind. That had its good points and bad.
It would be easier to see the krauts coming. Easier to get down to the road to plant the mines. But that also made it easier for the krauts to get up the hill if they came after them.
He continued to study the area and road in silence as Gunner and Stocker waited and studied the area for their own needs. Saunders noted that the road looked like packed dirt. They'd be able to bury the land mines. Would have been impossible if it was paved.
"We aren't as high up as I thought we'd be," Stocker finally commented as he continued to scan the area.
"Think you can still do it?" the sergeant asked with concern. If the mortar man said no, then their only other option would be to bury the land mines and hope to slow the German convoy down to give the Allies a little breathing room.
"Oh, sure," the soldier replied. "We'll just have less protection and less time to get our rounds off and get the heck out of here."
"You gonna be able to plant those mines?" Gunner asked.
Saunders nodded and pointed. "The road's just packed dirt, not pavement. And see there? The cart trail we took getting up here winds back down the other side to hook up with the road down there. Locals probably use it as a short cut."
Checking the surrounding area once more, the sergeant pointed farther north. "The convoy'll be coming from out that way."
"We can see quite a ways," Stocker noted. "That's good."
"We'll most likely hear 'em before we see 'em," Gunner said.
"Been warm and dry for a few days," Saunders replied. "More 'n likely they'll be kicking up a lot of dust."
After a couple more moments of silence as the men contemplated their situation, the sergeant finally added, "Don't know how much time we've got. Better get moving."
The three soldiers headed back down the cart trail to the waiting squad.
CHAPTER 18
"The trail up is fairly narrow," Saunders explained to the men. "For a horse cart. But it's hard-packed dirt and pretty clear. The big problem'll be getting everything up there."
"We can take the rounds and mines off the cart and hand carry them," Gunner suggested.
Saunders looked from the cart to the trail and up the hill. "What about the cart and mortar?"
"Gunner and I'll do it," Stocker offered.
Looking at everything again, the sergeant said, "Let's get to it."
The soldiers began to unstrap the rounds and mines. Each took what they could carry.
When the medic went to take a round, Saunders reached out and stopped him.
"No, Doc. I don't want you carrying any of it. Just go on up. Watch in case someone needs help."
With a nod of understanding, the medic followed the others.
"Gunner," Stocker said as he handed Billy a mine. "Take 'em up there and show 'em where you want everything. And figure out where you want the four deuce positioned."
With a wave of acknowledgement, the mortar man grabbed another round and led the men up the trail. Reaching the crest of the hill, Gunner stood for a moment looking down at the road and then around him for the best position for the mortar.
As the men came up behind him, he pointed off to his right. "Stack the rounds right there. Put the four mines over here. Get your vests off and pull those rounds out, but put the empty vests back on. We want to bring 'em back with us. When you're done Littlejohn, c'mon back down."
While the soldiers went about their tasks, the mortar man made his way back down the hill. Saunders and Stocker were already maneuvering the cart and mortar to the beginning of the trail.
"Think we'll get it up there and be ready in time?" Saunders asked the two men.
With Stocker and Saunders on the handle, Gunner went around to the back to push as Littlejohn came down the trail.
Gunner grinned and began to push.
"Piece of cake."
CHAPTER 19
With Stocker and Saunders pulling, and Gunner and Littlejohn pushing, the soldiers slowly wound their way up to the crest of the hill. Reaching the top, they maneuvered it into position, adjusting it several times until Gunner was satisfied.
"We gotta get those mines laid," Saunders said. "Stocker, let me have your bayonet."
As the mortar man handed over his knife he replied, "First things first, Sarge. We need to use the smoke to zero in on the road. You lay those mines now, guaranteed we'll set off at least one."
"Won't take me long," Gunner added.
Saunders waved toward the mortar. "Do it."
Setting to work, Stocker grabbed the two smoke rounds, as Gunner looked down at the road to pick his spot.
"I think I'll drop the first one right where the road comes out of the bend," he finally decided.
"Sounds good," Stocker agreed, staring at the road. "What about the second round?"
Gunner was quiet for a moment and then pointed. "I'll try for a couple hundred yards farther back down the road. Get them at both ends. Make it harder for them to maneuver or retreat."
"Good idea," Stocker replied, nodding. He held up one of the smoke rounds. "Just tell me when you're ready."
As the others waited, Gunner studied the area below, making corrections on the mortar and occasionally moving the cart. After a long moment he repeated the process. Finally, the mortar man smiled.
"Looks good out there. Got my CAP and DAP."
"Cap and dap?" Nelson asked.
"Close and distant aiming points," Stocker explained. "I'm gonna drop the smoke. Everyone step back and cover your ears."
The soldiers immediately stepped back. "We sure remember that," Kirby replied, slinging the BAR on his back and plugging his ears.
When Gunner was satisfied that everyone was safe and ready, he said, "Load."
Stocker dropped the smoke round into the tube, quickly turned away, crouched down and covered his ears. The explosion was loud as the round took off. Saunders flinched, worrying about the noise they were making.
Both mortar men quickly looked out to see the results. The smoke had exploded slightly to the side of the road.
"Pretty close," Stocker noted.
"Just a hair off," Gunner agreed, making another adjustment on the mortar. "Should be dead center now."
He swiveled the cart slightly and made more adjustments. The squad watched in silence as their sergeant nervously looked out to the north. Nothing.
Finally, Gunner looked up. "Got our second point. Go ahead, Stocker. Load it."
Stocker dropped the second smoke round down the tube, with everyone covering their ears once again. This time the smoke was a good two hundred yards back, dead center on the road.
"Bullseye!" Stocker said with a grin.
"That was great, Gunner," Littlejohn called out laughing, as the squad drew closer.
"You're really good," Billy agreed.
"I'm the best," Gunner replied with a big smile.
Stocker laughed. "And he's modest, too."
"You set now?" Saunders asked, looking out once again to the horizon in the north. "We're making a lot of noise."
When Gunner nodded, the sergeant turned to his men. "Littlejohn, Billy, Brockmeyer…grab a mine and make sure you have your bayonet. Let's get down there and bury them before the convoy gets here."
Pointing, he added, "Caje, Kirby…keep us covered from here. If anyone heard those two go off, we might have visitors soon. We've been lucky so far."
"Anything I can do, Sarge?" Doc asked.
"Just keep your head down for now, Doc," Saunders replied. "With luck, we'll get through all this without needing you."
Kirby laughed. "Yeah, you just came for a nice stroll through the French countryside, Doc."
While Caje and Kirby took up their positions to cover everyone, the four soldiers picked up the land mines and headed down the trail toward the road.
CHAPTER 20
The way down was tricky in spots with loose gravel having shifted in the last rains. The four soldiers moved slowly and carefully, fully aware of what they were carrying, even if they weren't armed yet. Each man had handled mines before and knew what they were doing.
As they reached the end of the trail, Saunders stepped onto the hard-packed dirt road, looking up to the crest of the hill to get his bearings. He walked back and forth up and down the road a few times as his men waited. Occasionally he poked the toe of his boot into the packed dirt. The placement of the mines was going to be crucial for maximum effect.
Finally, he dug the heel of his boot into one of the tracks in the dirt and pointed to the spot.
"Billy."
While Nelson moved to that spot and took out his bayonet, the sergeant crossed to a second wide rut in the road and moved forward a few yards. Once again, he dug his boot heel into the dirt and pointed.
"Littlejohn."
The big man pulled out his bayonet, knelt down and set to work. Saunders kept moving to repeat the process.
"Brock."
Silently, Brockmeyer knelt down by his sergeant's heel mark and began digging.
Watching for a moment as his three men worked on burying their mines, Saunders looked around to locate the best spot for his own land mine. Checking his surroundings once more to be sure, he finally knelt down and pulled out Stocker's bayonet.
The men worked silently and carefully, gently covering the mines with dirt and smoothing it out to try to disguise the disturbed soil as much as possible.
The sergeant was getting nervous, looking around frequently as he worked. He knew they couldn't work any faster, but this was taking too long.
Suddenly, he heard a faint "Sarge!" float down from the hill. His head snapped up as he listened.
A vehicle. Moving fast.
CHAPTER 21
"Hit it!" he called out, waving to his men.
The other three soldiers instantly bolted for the sides of the road. The sergeant finished covering his mine and looked at the other three. They weren't covered as good as he'd like, but it'd have to do. He looked around for someplace to hide.
There was very little cover, but the men made do with what they had. Saunders slipped behind a shallow outcropping, pressing his back against the cold stone. Brockmeyer lay flat in the grass nearby, becoming a motionless part of the landscape.
Nelson and Littlejohn were scrambling for cover on the other side of the road. Billy crouched down behind a low bush, and curled himself into a tight ball. Littlejohn, finding nothing to hide his large frame, lay flat himself.
Not nearly as hidden from view as Brockmeyer, Littlejohn worried their sergeant. Saunders could clearly see him, but it was too late to consider moving him somewhere else. The vehicle was coming.
A motorcycle. Moving fast.
At the rate it was traveling, Saunders felt that they had a chance that they wouldn't be seen. The motorcycle would probably come through the narrow pass and just keep moving. After all, they were deep in German territory. The driver…more than likely a courier…would not be expecting Americans hiding on both sides of the road.
What he was worried about was those mines they'd just planted. If the motorcycle hit one of them just where the valley narrowed, he and his men were well within the blast radius and extremely vulnerable. The explosion…the concussion…flying fragments and debris.
They wouldn't come through it unscathed. But he could only remain still, hope for the best…and wait.
The roar of the engine was loud.
CHAPTER 22
Saunders couldn't help closing his eyes as they awaited their fate. He flinched reflexively as the motorcycle roared through the narrow pass…and kept going.
Opening his eyes, he saw a lone German soldier on his motorcycle disappearing up the road, oblivious to the four Americans…and how close he'd come to eternity. He'd driven down the center of the road and missed the mines.
Saunders wasted no time. Taking a quick shaky breath, he reached down and grabbed Brockmeyer's arm to pull him up.
"Let's go!"
Both Littlejohn and Nelson scrambled to their feet and followed their sergeant as he led the way back to the trail.
"Watch the mines! Hurry up. The convoy might be right behind him."
Running down the center of the road, the four soldiers hit the trail winding up to the crest of the hill. With Saunders in the lead, they made their way upward, slipping on loose gravel and stumbling over rocks.
Just as they reached the summit, Saunders turned to look back out to the northern horizon. No convoy. Nothing.
Catching his breath, he pointed. "Caje, keep a close eye out there. I don't want any more surprises."
"He seemed to come out of nowhere. Must be some side road out there," the Cajun explained. "And he was really moving fast."
"Just keep watch," Saunders replied. "I'll have someone spell you in a while."
"Now what, Sarge?" Billy asked.
"Now…we wait."
CHAPTER 23
With both Nelson and Caje keeping watch, Saunders gave the men time to eat.
"Grab it now. That convoy could show up any time."
Opening his ration box, Stocker asked, "What if we missed it, Sarge? What if it's long gone?"
"Yeah," Gunner agreed. "We could be waiting here until the cows come home."
Saunders shook his head as he opened his own rations.
"No signs of any heavy vehicles going through there in some time. We're good…as long as it's definitely coming."
Opening a can, Stocker replied, "It's coming. Captain Jampel said that intel from the Maquis was solid. That's why we haven't hit many krauts in this area. They're building up their strength farther east for a huge push."
"Hopefully we'll put a dent in their supplies," Saunders answered.
Gunner pointed a spoon at the mounted mortar. "We will."
Saunders looked around. "Brock, Littlejohn…when you're finished, relieve Billy and Caje so they can eat."
Shoveling a spoonful of stew into his mouth, Littlejohn nodded while Brockmeyer waved his fork in acknowledgement.
Time dragged by as the soldiers watched…and waited. Gunner checked and rechecked the mortar. With the sun beginning to inch lower in the sky, Saunders glanced at his watch. Nagging doubt began to creep into his thoughts.
No, he reminded himself. No heavy vehicles had gone through that pass in the last day or so. He was sure of it. And Stocker was just as sure the convoy was coming. They'd continue to wait.
"This is the Army way," Kirby said to no one in particular as he stared into his empty ration can.
"What is?" Doc asked.
"Making us rush out here. And now we sit and wait."
The BAR man tossed his empty can under a bush.
"That's the Army motto, ya know," he explained. "Hurry Up and Wait."
Billy looked at him in confusion as he came back from watch. "I thought in basic they told us the Army motto was 'This We'll Defend.' "
"They did," Littlejohn agreed as he stood up and grabbed his rifle.
"Nah," Kirby disagreed, waving his hand. "That's what they want you to think. It's definitely Hurry Up and Wait."
Nelson stared at the BAR man for a moment and then turned to their sergeant. "Hey, Sarge?"
"Hey, Sarge!" Brockmeyer suddenly shouted. "Sarge!"
CHAPTER 24
Saunders scrambled to his feet and picked up his Thompson. Running over to Brockmeyer's position, he called out, "What?"
Brockmeyer pointed out to the north. In a slight swirl of dust, a horse and wagon were coming closer at a rapid pace. A lone older man was riding in an empty wagon. Farmer, the sergeant thought.
"Caje!"
The Cajun was already behind him, along with the rest of the patrol.
"Caje, get down there on the double. Stop that guy before he gets to the pass and those mines."
Before Saunders had even finished, the Cajun had launched himself down the trail toward the road below. Racing to stop the farmer, Caje flew along the trail, fighting to keep his balance.
Saunders and the rest of the patrol watched anxiously as the soldier quickly made his way down. It was going to be close, the sergeant thought nervously.
Before Caje reached the road, they could see him waving his arms. As the Cajun stepped in front of the horse, the farmer pulled back on the reins. The animal reared slightly and stopped in a cloud of dust.
The patrol continued watching as Caje and the old man spoke, with both waving their arms excitedly. Finally, the farmer turned his horse toward the cart trail and, with Caje in the lead on foot, the wagon made its way slowly up the path.
CHAPTER 25
Cresting the hill, Caje led the horse to the side of the hand cart with the mounted mortar. He stopped in front of his sergeant. The farmer stared at the mounted weapon.
"Caught him just in time," the Cajun explained. "He was heading home after selling all his produce in the next town."
"He was in a pretty big hurry," Saunders noted. "Has he seen any signs of the kraut convoy? How big is it?"
Caje nodded. "That's why he was moving so fast. They're only a few miles back. Maybe a dozen vehicles or more. They'd stopped to change a flat tire. They started eyeing his horse, and he got nervous they'd take her. Plus, he wanted to be way ahead of them or he'd be eating their dust the whole way home."
"You told him about the mines?" the sergeant asked.
Again, Caje nodded. "He's grateful we stopped him. But he's not happy having to come up this way on the cart trail. Says it'll take him more than an hour longer to get home."
"At least he'll get there in one piece," Kirby grumbled from behind his sergeant.
"Tell him to get moving," Saunders replied, ignoring his BAR man's remark. "It's going to get pretty dangerous around here real quick if they're only a couple miles back."
Once Caje explained to the farmer, the old man replied and nudged his horse to continue.
As they watched the wagon making its way down the other side, the Cajun said, "He says good luck, and he hopes we can make it out of here safely."
"Me, too," Kirby mumbled.
"Alright," Saunders said, turning back to his men. "Everyone get ready. Once that mortar starts firing on them, those krauts are gonna be looking for us. And they'll be shooting back with everything they've got. We need to give Stocker and Gunner as much time as possible."
He looked at his medic. "Doc, stay down, away from the mortar."
Looking at his BAR man, the sergeant added, "Kirby, watch our backs. I don't want any surprises."
Everyone found a position along the crest line, with a good view of the road. Stocker and Gunner took up their positions, with Gunner on the mortar and Stocker ready to feed in the rounds.
A nervous and tense silence fell over the soldiers.
Facing away from the others, Kirby pulled out an extra magazine and laid it next to his leg. He took a deep, shaky breath as he scanned the area behind them.
"And…we wait."
CHAPTER 26
As Saunders watched, it seemed that he could literally see the sun slowly making its way toward the horizon. He hadn't planned for the possibility that they'd be carrying out this operation in the dark. He wasn't too worried that Stocker and Gunner would be able to hit their targets at night. They'd done their calculations. And Saunders had seen them take out three German machine gun nests in pitch blackness back in July.
What he was worried about was that in complete darkness they'd be unable to see anyone coming up after them. Which they surely would once the krauts had a chance to figure out that there was only one mortar.
It is what it is, he reminded himself. They'd just have to deal with whatever came along. Stocker and Gunner had to have the time to do their job. The sergeant reached into his field jacket to touch the two grenades reassuringly. He wished they'd brought more.
Suddenly he sat up straight and his adrenaline surged. Dust. He could see clouds of dust being kicked up on the horizon.
They're coming.
"Sarge?" Caje said softly.
"I see it," Saunders replied, never taking his eyes from the rolling dust cloud. "Everyone get ready."
He quickly glanced over at the two mortar men. "Stocker? Gunner?"
"We see it," came the reply. "We're ready."
"Light is fading," Saunders said. "Think it'll be ok?"
"No problem," Gunner answered. "I locked in the coordinates with the smoke. I could do it in the dark now."
The sergeant took a quick look around at all his men. Satisfied that everyone was as ready as they could be, Saunders turned back to watch for the vehicles. All eyes were trained on the convoy as one vehicle after another came into view.
It was indeed a big one. Just like the French farmer had said. Maybe a dozen vehicles or more. Mostly three-ton Blitzes, but occasionally smaller vehicles were mixed in.
What if the trucks missed the mines? Saunders thought suddenly. No, he assured himself. The pass was narrow, and the trucks had to follow in the worn tracks of previous vehicles. No…at least one of them would hit those mines. He just needed to be patient and wait.
He didn't need to wait long.
CHAPTER 27
Saunders could feel the tension climbing in his men as the German vehicles drew closer.
When the first vehicle was about to enter the pass, Gunner called out, "Ready, Stocker?"
"Ready," Stocker confirmed, holding up the first round.
The mine explosion rocked the lead vehicle's back end, touching off another mine that tore through the front of the second vehicle.
As both vehicles began to go up in smoke and flames, Gunner yelled, "Hold up. I'm adjusting to my second point. Not gonna waste rounds on those guys."
Saunders could see Gunner was right. Both of the first two trucks were not only destroyed, but they were also effectively blocking the pass. The entire supply convoy had come to an abrupt halt.
"Load!" Gunner shouted, and Stocker dropped the round down the tube.
Instantly, the explosion sent the round hurtling toward the trucks farther back. Both mortar men had ducked and covered their ears momentarily, and then came back up to their positions again just as the first round found its mark. Gunner checked the coordinates and moved the cart slightly.
"Load!" came once again, and the process was repeated.
The rest of the squad watched as more trucks exploded with rolling billows of smoke.
It didn't take long for the Germans to recognize what was happening…and where it was coming from. Saunders knew that if they timed the rounds coming in, they'd soon realize that there was only one mortar up on that hill.
The vehicles farthest away began to back up to get off the road and scatter into the trees. Saunders knew that it wouldn't be long before the Germans tried to defend themselves and retaliate somehow. If they were carrying replacement soldiers headed up to the front, there'd soon be one heck of a lot of soldiers working their way up the hill.
Gunner and Stocker continued firing rounds every few seconds.
"Down to half!" shouted Stocker as he picked up another round.
"Gonna try for those trucks that went into the trees north of the road," Gunner replied, quickly adjusting the mortar.
"Load!" he yelled, and Stocker dropped the next one down the tube.
With the explosion, Stocker said, "Too high. Drop ten."
Quickly readjusting, Gunner called out, "Load!"
"Bingo!" Stocker yelled as trees and vehicles exploded below them.
Smoke rolled upward as the mortar men dropped another round into the trees. Suddenly, the sky brightened as multiple explosions filled the air above and around the trees. And then even more.
"You got their munitions!" Saunders shouted over the noise as the others cheered.
Seconds later, the hillside below the sergeant and his men blew apart in a hail of dirt, brush and rocks. The acrid smoke quickly began to settle around them.
"Hey!" Nelson yelled. "They got mortars too!"
"And someone who knows how to use it," Stocker added.
"That's it," Saunders decided. "Time to get out of here before they zero in on us. Pull back!"
Stocker began loading the few remaining rounds onto the hand cart around the base of the mortar.
"Stocker! Leave it!" the sergeant shouted.
Rifle fire suddenly filled the air as the Germans began to fire blindly up the hill.
"Hit it!" Saunders yelled.
Almost instantly, Gunner grunted, spun and dropped to the dirt.
TO BE CONTINUED