A Major Problem

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 12

Dietrich rose awkwardly from his chair, still learning how to get around with a broken leg. He leaned on the desk to push himself to his feet; leaning on the crutches hurt his injured ribs. His aide rushed to his side, reaching for the crutches that stood against the wall behind the desk.

"Thank you Corporal," Dietrich smiled at his aide, "but I can do that myself. I'm not entirely helpless you know."

Flustered, the young staffer reddened at the Captain's comment. "Yes Captain, but I like to help. We thought we'd lost you this time."

"Who knows," Dietrich teased, "you might have been assigned a better officer." Since his return he had found himself in a very good mood. He didn't know if it was relief that he had escaped or the knowledge that he would have been missed. He did his best to be fair-minded and treat his men with the respect they earned but it was nice to know that his efforts were appreciated.

"Oh no." his aide declared. "We would not have gotten a better officer. We want to serve with you Captain."

Dietrich laughed at the staffer's earnest comment. "I was only teasing Corporal; you could just as easily have gotten a worse officer."

"Yes sir." The aide agreed uneasily. "Captain?"

"Yes Corporal?"

"Was headquarters very angry that you escaped without the major?"

Dietrich lost his smile at the question. His superiors had been upset that he had escaped without Major Horst. He had explained that his Arab friends had not been willing to wait until the major returned from the American commander's tent. It would have increased their danger of discovery. But they had still felt that he hadn't tried hard enough to save the major.

The fact that he had a broken leg and hadn't been capable of moving very fast hadn't mattered to them. The additional risk of discovery which would have resulted in no one escaping hadn't seemed to bother them either. He hadn't told his superiors that the Arabs didn't like the major and hadn't been willing to wait for him for any reason.

"Our superiors were understandably upset that the major was lost." Dietrich answered carefully. "But in the end they realized that we really had no choice, we couldn't wait for the major's return. It's quite possible that our rescuers would have been discovered and none of us would have gotten away."

"Were they upset that you weren't able to bring back the Rat Patrol after you captured their sergeants?"

Dietrich paused before answering.

"I'm sorry Captain; it is none of my business."

"That's quite all right Corporal." Dietrich put his aide at ease. "Yes, they were upset about that too. They seemed to think that we should have fought harder to prevent their escape."

"But Captain, they had you covered by one of those 50 caliber machine guns!"

"Yes Corporal, they did."

"You would have been killed Captain!" His aide cried. "Those commandos would have killed all of you! They're a blood thirsty lot from what I hear. I, for one, am glad that you did not try to fight them."

"They aren't as bad as all that Corporal. In fact, I think they showed quite a bit of restraint." He didn't mention all of the opportunities that the enemy unit had had to prevent his escape. And he certainly didn't mention their part in helping him escape.

"Is it possible that they didn't recognize the opportunity until it was too late? They have certainly done enough damage to our convoys to prove they are capable killers."

"Yes, I suppose it's possible. I suppose I should be grateful to be standing here at all." The Captain agreed.

"Yes." His aide agreed. "Don't worry Captain, I'm sure that you will get another chance at those commandos. Next time you might have the upper hand then they will know how it feels to be imprisoned."

Dietrich sighed. "We shall see Corporal, but until that time, I have a base to run. Have you got the reports I asked you to find?"

"Yes sir." The corporal flushed red again. "I have them right here." He rushed to a shelf by the door to pick up the reports he had placed there when he went to help Dietrich with his crutches. "Here they are Captain."

The officer took them and placed them on his desk. "I think I will take a few minutes and get some fresh air. I'll read them when I return. That will be all for now Corporal."

"Yes sir." The corporal retreated to his desk where he kept a worried eye on his captain until the officer had navigated the flight of stairs to the ground floor. He relaxed as the captain reached the flat surface where he had no problem with his crutches. The corporal got to work on his files content in the knowledge that his captain wouldn't need his help again until he tried to climb the stairs to his office.

Dietrich paused at the foot of the stairs to catch his balance. The sun was hot and the glare hurt his eyes until they adjusted. He took a deep breath, no longer taking his freedom for granted. His thoughts went back to the oasis. He wondered if the major was even now being interrogated by the American major. He felt a touch of guilt at the thought.

When Sergeant Troy had first told him of his intended fate he had thought it was a ploy to convince him to talk. The sergeant's demeanor had finally won him over though. The realization that the American major might actually use the Gestapo methods had quickly morphed into near panic. The methods were inhuman in the hands of experts; he imagined they could be both painful and deadly in the hands of amateurs. Thankfully Troy and his men had the moral fortitude to find the practice inhuman as well. Although his Arab friends hadn't said as much, Dietrich was sure that the Rat Patrol had had a hand in his rescue as well. In fact, he was so certain, that he had been about to order the release of the two sergeants.

The arrival of the privates had solved a dilemma for him; how to explain to his men why he was releasing two of the enemy for no apparent reason. Releasing them in the face of the 50 caliber machine gun had been much easier to justify. The presence of the second private hadn't hurt either. Yes, Dietrich thought, things had worked out rather well. He had even been relieved of Major Horst. The captain hadn't appreciated being abandoned at the oasis so the major could save himself. Yes, all in all, things had worked out nicely indeed.