James Shipman - Task Force Baum

Hall nodded, too stunned to answer.

Stiller spit again, eyeballing the lieutenant as if deciding something. “I’ll tell you what, though, I’ll give you a little carrot to go with the stick. You do this right, and I’ll forget the past. Show me you got some guts, boy, and I’ll see to it you’re taken care of. You got me?”

“Yes, sir.” Hall turned away, unable to face the major for a second more. What was he going to do? He might well die out there on this suicide mission. He stood there, staring at the tent walls, while men scrambled in and out, preparing for a suicidal storm.

Over the course of the next hour, there was a hornet’s nest of activity. Hall watched the frantic movements unfold around him as he recovered from his disbelief. A stampede of officers and men came and went, reporting to Abrams as he scrambled to assemble the scratch task force. Stiller stood with him, chewing and chatting, poring over maps of the area between the Combat Command and Hammelburg.

Hall ached for a drink. Anything to take his mind off this ridiculous mission. He wondered if he could excuse himself long enough to track down something before Stiller checked up on him again. After some consideration, he decided he couldn’t risk it. The major kept flicking his eyes up and glaring in Hall’s direction, daring him to try something stupid. No, now was not the time.

As the planning continued, Hall noticed a figure marching in lanky strides across the tent. His crew cut was jet black with flecks of gray dotted through it. The man moved to within a few feet of Abrams and stood silently, apparently waiting for the colonel to notice him. Abrams looked up and smiled. “Captain, you’re here.” He clapped his hands together and turned toward Stiller. “Alex, I don’t think you know Captain Baum. Baum, this is Major Stiller.” The two men saluted briefly and shook hands.

“Abe’s a hell of a go-getter,” said Abrams. “Just the man you want to lead this thing.”

Baum’s eyes narrowed. “Just what do you have in mind for me, Creight?”

Abrams shook his head. “Not me. Orders from up top.”

“From Hoge?” Hall knew Baum was referring to Brigadier General William Hoge, commander of the 4th Division.

“A little higher than that even. These came straight down from Patton.”

Baum whistled. “What does he want with me?”

“Hang on to your seat, Abe. The chief wants a task force to break through the lines and liberate a POW camp.”

The captain whistled again. “What for? Where is it?”

“Right here.” Stiller jabbed the map with a leathered finger.

Baum stepped closer and examined the map. His eyes widened. “Fifty miles? You’re kidding me, right?”

Abrams shook his head. “That’s the deal.”

The captain paused for a second, as if considering the order. “How many you gonna send in with me?”

“Not sure yet, but pretty small. Figure two, three hundred.”

“Can’t be done,” said the captain, shaking his head firmly.

“How many would you need?” asked Stiller. “Minimum.”

Baum put his hand to his chin, stroking it for a moment. “Absolute bottom line? Figure a reinforced battalion. Seven hundred men with fifty tanks and a shitload of support. A thousand would be better yet.”

Abrams grunted “I can’t get you that, Abe. I wanted to send the whole combat command, but Patton already shot me down.”

“Maybe you should try it again with Baum’s numbers,” suggested Stiller. “Give the old man some options.”

Abrams nodded in agreement. “Can’t hurt. Already had my ass chewed once today. Why not try for twice?” He ordered a staff member to connect him with Patton. The men stood silently for a few minutes until the general was patched through. Hall watched, holding his breath, hoping their commander would authorize a substantial increase in the force he was accompanying. However, this call was a repeat of the first one. Abrams could hardly get a word in, and after a short conversation, he hung up.

“No dice,” Abrams said. “A reinforced company is all he’ll authorize.” He turned to Baum. “I’m sorry, Abe. Want me to find someone else to do it?”

The captain scratched his chin for a moment and shook his head. “No, sir. I’ve never disobeyed an order, and I won’t start now. I don’t think it can be done with three hundred, but I’ll give it a run. Can you get me at least that many? I need a batch of tanks too, and some self-propelled guns.”

“I’ll get you everything I can.”

“You know how many prisoners are in that camp?”

“Maybe two or three hundred,” said Stiller.

“Better rustle up some half-tracks too then. At least a dozen.”

“Can’t they ride on the tanks?” asked Stiller.

“Some can, but not three hundred, no matter how many Shermans we have with us. Plus, we’ll be fighting, maybe all the way back. The back of a tank is a nasty place for infantry to ride out an armored fight.”

“Don’t worry, Abe. I’ll get you everything I can.” Abrams looked at his watch. “It’s almost seventeen hundred. Let’s meet back here at nineteen hundred, and we will roll out. Is that enough time for you?”

Baum nodded. “It will have to be.” The captain turned and started to stride out of the tent.

“Oh, Captain, one more thing,” said Abrams.

“What’s that?”

Abrams jabbed a thumb toward Stiller. “The major here is going along with you. He and Hall over there.”

Baum looked Stiller up and down. “He outranks me. If you want a different leader for this, it’s more than fine with me.”

“Not on this deal. You’ll still be in charge. He’s just along for the ride.”

“With all respect, sir, I don’t like it,” said Baum. “In my experience, when a fellow rides along who outranks the commander, it mucks up the works. It’s confusing to the men. We have enough problems on this trip as it is.”

“Don’t worry captain,” said Stiller. “I know my place. I won’t interfere with your job. Patton wants me along.”

“Why is that?” asked Baum, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Stiller hesitated. “He didn’t authorize me to say. This is a pet project for him. Real important. He told me he’d recommend the commander for the Medal of Honor if he pulls it off. You’ll be a hero if you can swing it.”

Baum grunted dismissively. “I’m not interested in medals, Major. Just in my duty. I don’t like the smell of this one bit,” he said to Abrams. “Still, it’s not my job to like everything I’m ordered to do. I’ll see you back here at nineteen hundred.” The captain strolled out of the tent.

“Alex, I don’t like this any more than Baum does,” said Abrams. “Why is Patton dead set on this raid? Why the hell go after some POW camp with such a small force? Something doesn’t add up.”

“Like I said, Creight, he’s got his reasons. He doesn’t explain everything, even to me.”

Abrams shook his head. “Well, Baum is top-notch, the best we have. If he can’t get it done, nobody can.”

“Thanks for that. Is the mess open where we can grab some chow before we take off?”

Abrams nodded.

Stiller looked over at Hall. “My lieutenant will need to play escort. Can you find a Thompson for him, and a little ammo? Maybe a couple grenades also.”

“Sure thing, Alex. Anything else?”

“Maybe a clip or two for my forty-five?”

“I’ll get it all together. Go get some grub, and we’ll see you back in a few.”

Alex beckoned for Hall to follow him. They left the command tent and made their way to the mess, walking through the chow line and piling up a couple servings of creamed chipped beef on toast and some canned vegetables.