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| U.S. Army Photo (PD) |
Miller, who was watching the rear, hissed at Ferguson, "Fergie, someone's coming."
"Challenge them, dumbass!"
Miller called out, "Spring!"
He heard the response, "Chicken."
"Is that you. McCoy?" Miller thought he recognized the voice.
"Yeah, me and Johansen, we've also got two Kraut prisoners."
Ferguson turned at that, "Stay where you're at, Will. We're coming to you."
"Something is going on out there, Oberfel." Hartstein was ready to fire, in fact, he was itching to fire. He loved being on the MG-42.
Streicher listened, "Sounds like the Amis might be pulling out ..."
"Do I fire?"
"No, let them go. We need to think about leaving as well, I think our supports are all gone. That firing we heard earlier, just an Ami weapon, there was no return fire. I think the CP¹ is gone."
"Let me give 'em a burst, a going away present."
"Are you determined to give away our position, Kurt? Pull that trigger and I'll shoot you myself."
Hartstein sighed, "You're no fun at all, Oberfel."
MacIlroy had finally stopped running. He was hiding in a ditch by the roadside next to yet another hedgerow. The shaking had stopped, as he gathered his wits about him, the enormity of what he'd done began to make an impression on him.
He had run in terror after seeing one of his men cut down by the Germans, it had been more than he could bear. But now that the night was quiet once more, he realized that he may well have killed himself through his actions.
I mean, they shot deserters, right? He knew that technically he wasn't a deserter, yet, if he went back though, they could still have him shot for running like that.
"What the hell was I thinking?" MacIlroy asked himself, out loud.
Ferguson had a look at the two prisoners, there wasn't much light to see by so he couldn't make out any details about the men. One looked to be an officer by the cut of his uniform, the other, due to the baggy smock he was wearing and the cut-down helmet was a paratrooper. Any other details than that would have to wait until they returned to their unit.
"Alright, move 'em out, we need to get back before the lieutenant thinks we're all dead and gone."
Miller spoke up, "Shouldn't we wait for first light, Corporal?"
"Nope, we go now."
"Did you get Biscayne's dog tags?" McCoy asked, as he held out something which made a metallic jingling sound as he held them out.
"Those belong to Smitty and Jed?" Ferguson asked.
"Yup, we left them near where we grabbed these Krauts. Graves Registration can claim them later."
"We're ... we're just gonna leave 'em?" Johansen asked, his voice shaky.
"We sure as hell ain't gonna lug 'em back to the lines. We've got enough on our plate with these two Krauts. Besides, look around, there are only seven of us left, and Ted is a little banged up." Ferguson waited for a response.
"Okay, I thought so. Now, let's move, no more jabbering."
Oster stumbled along behind Möller, both of them had their hands clasped behind their heads, fingers interlinked. The Amis had pulled their tunics open, looking for weapons he presumed and neither man had his headgear. Möller's helmet had been tossed into the dark, his own soft cap had gone into an Ami kit bag.
He hadn't let on that he spoke English, he knew Möller had a smattering of French and some Russian soldier slang, mostly obscenities, but no English that he knew of. The Americans didn't seem to be in a hurry to question them anyway. Though they were in a hurry to get away from the scene of the firefight which had cost them three killed.
He almost fell as one of the Americans shoved him roughly from behind, "Move it you Nazi bastards."
Möller cried out as one of the Amis lunged at him with his rifle, pricking the German medic with the affixed bayonet.
He acted like he didn't understand when one of the Americans told the others to "knock it off." Good, at least we might make it to a prisoner camp alive.
2nd Lieutenant Holbein looked up as Ferguson came into the CP.
"Where's MacIlroy?"
"I dunno, Sir. He lost it and ran off, we've also got three KIA."
Holbein rubbed his face with both hands and muttered, "Damn it."
"Um, Sir?"
"Yeah, Ferguson, what is it?"
"We did nab two Germans, but ..."
"But what? I asked for a prisoner and you bring me two, what's the 'but' all about?"
"One's a chaplain, the other is a medic, they ain't combat troops, Sir."
Holbein thought for a moment, chaplains and medics tended to be smarter than your average dough, these guys might actually be a treasure trove. "Bring me the chaplain. Get your boys some chow and have a runner go get the Captain, he'll want to know about this."
"Copy that, Sir."
"Oh, Corporal, good job by the way."
Ferguson nodded, then shook his head. "If'n you say so, Sir."
"I do, now get moving."
"Sir."
¹ Command post
A chance for hot food for what's left of the squad and perhaps to think about what happened to Macllroy. A prisoner wanted and how many died?
ReplyDeleteThe brutal calculus of war. Losing a few now to get prisoners who might talk could save many lives later. Or not, the math is brutal at times.
DeleteThat calculus, X men to lose while grabbing Y prisoners, was much worse in WWI. The static nature and built up defenses combined with No-Mans-Land, mines, wires, unexploded shells, pockets of gas meant far worse casualties in attempts at snagging prisoners.
DeleteThough the Bocage made for some horribly horrible fighting conditions. Imagine fighting in and around rock fences covered in dirt and thick bushes, oftentimes the mound being taller than a man, sometimes taller than a tank's turret. The Bocage was slow going.
Once the breakout into flatter less-walled-off lands happened, well, peddle to the metal boys.
That the Bocage apparently came as a surprise is quite an "Intelligence Failure".
DeleteBG
Beans - Yes, snagging a prisoner in the Great War was dicey indeed. But never an easy thing in WW2 as well.
DeleteBG - Yes, our intel folks really dropped the ball on that one. Rather like they did at Arnhem and in the Ardennes later on.
DeleteRecent experience leads one to think that "intel people" aren't very smart after all.
Intel Weenies also screwed up the tidal charts when the planning of the attack on Tarawa Atoll, thus being goodly responsible for the almost disaster of Tarawa, Bloody Tarawa. When tides were supposed to be high, they were low, thus forcing landing craft to drop off troops far away from the beach and making them walk or struggle across the somewhat exposed reef.
DeleteAnother fine example of incompetent intel.
DeleteSo, they eat, think, then two get the bright idea to go out and try to find MacIlroy. (have I said recently that I hate sans-serif fonts?}
ReplyDeleteGreat story, Sarge. Muse came roaring back like cannister from a 12 pounder.
MacIlroy's absence will be reported up the chain. He's not his unit's problem now, he's the Army's problem.
DeleteSeems like MacIlroy is first and foremost MacIlroy's problem. Likely he'll be shot by a nervous sentry if he tries to come back to his own lines in the dark; a not-infrequent fate for many.
DeleteBoat Guy
Yup, once he left the "comforting embrace" of the U.S. Army he became his own problem.
DeleteI'm thinking his buddies would be trying to find him without being ordered to do so.
DeleteA very good way to get court-martialed.
DeleteThe part with MacIlroy could be very interesting. A gap in my history; I have no idea how such things were handled in WW II by the Americans.
ReplyDelete"Holbein thought for a moment, chaplains and medics tended to be smarter than your average dough, these guys might actually be a treasure trove." Holbein is smarter than the average bear.
One man, yes one, was shot for desertion in WWII, Eddie Slovik. Many more deserted, in fact there was a flourishing black market being run by GIs behind the lines. GIs who had absconded from their units.
DeleteThat black market is a piece of history I'd never heard of, make a good story I'd bet!
DeleteGangs of soldiers from all sides engaged in black markets, especially after the war was over.
DeleteYeah but the amazing largesse provided by American factories made our black market so much more lucrative. Think "Crapgame" in "Kelly's Heroes"
DeleteBG
Rob - It might make a good story, not sure I could stomach it though.
DeleteBeans - The problem behind Allied lines in France was huge. Organized crime on a military scale.
DeleteBG - My father's supply room ran afoul of the black market in post-war Berlin. The Army issued soap which the GIs refused to use, the Germans loved it. Supply, meet demand.
DeleteThe Germans in occupied Europe had the same problem. In France, material mysteriously disappeared at an alarming rate. A German intelligence officer spent about a year unsuccessfully trying to uncover how. He had always been looking too small - for things like pilfered boxcars. He finally discovered that the black marketeers were forging train movement orders and were stealing stuff two trainloads at a time.
DeleteSo much for German efficiency. Do you have a source for this? It sounds intriguing.
DeleteGerman efficiency was tempered by German respect of orders and regulations (the French railroad workers were some of the first resistance. They dusted off every regulation ever issued since railroads first began and followed them to the letter. That alone significantly impeded rail traffic). I think the book was "Resistance: France 1941-1945" by Ehrich Blake (1965). My catalog list says it should be on my military bookshelf. I'll confirm when I find it (this may take a while - my paperbacks are shelved three deep).
Delete"They dusted off every regulation ever issued since railroads first began and followed them to the letter."
DeleteI think that's being called "malicious compliance " now.
Don - The Germans didn't have much respect for the French, even less for their rules. At least that's my take on it.
DeleteJoe - Shoot a couple of them to encourage the others. The Germans did do that, a lot.
DeleteGood story today!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rob.
DeleteMore interesting developments.
ReplyDeleteJB
Not sure if this continues or not, but I do leave the possibility open.
DeleteI knew a guy in South America who had been in the British Army of the Rhine, (post WWII occupation). He had made a lot of money from trading in black market goods. He was still putting his skills to use selling second hand industrial equipment. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Korea, the black market was thriving. Koreans looking for American goods not readily available on the economy and GIs looking to make a quick buck. I saw two people in my own shop go down for such activities. Lord knows hw many more got away with it.
Delete