Standing at the Scratch Line by Guy Johnson Read Free Book Online

made poor time because stealth was important. They knew that the Germans patrolled the area frequently. Much time was lost while the men sat quietly and surveyed their surroundings prior to moving.
    Côte d’Saar was an old fort city that presided over a particularly calm stretch of the Saar River, which meandered slowly through a broad valley. After repeated air strikes by both German forces and the Allies, most of the town had been abandoned, its buildings in ruins. There was still a group of residents who had refused to leave their homes, but they generally hid from soldiers and were rarely seen. The onset of winter and the lack of food had forced even these hardy mountain people to take shelter in Saint Die.
    There were no lights, nor was there any discernible movement. Nonetheless, LeRoi spent half an hour watching the town and the surrounding area before he signaled that it was alright to move forward. Their destination was a roofless stone warehouse set on a small hill on the edge of town. Once the men were inside the building, they had Professor serve as a lookout and they checked the structure for booby traps. After assuring themselves that all was safe, LeRoi, Slick, and Big Ed turned their attention to moving a large metal plate along a section of wall. Once the plate had been moved, it exposed a staircase leading down into the depths of the building. LeRoi and Big Ed descended into the darkness with their guns at the ready, but they were only met with the scurrying sound of rodents. Big Ed came back up the stairs with a large tarp, which he hung over the entrance leading to the stairs.
    Once the tarp was up, Slick lit an oil lantern and hooked it to an overhead beam. The basement was filled with all sorts of supplies, gear, weapons, and ammunition. It looked like an armory. Once the men had decided to keep their own storehouse, they had been very industrious. The Vickers was perched on its tripod in the far corner. It was just after midnight when they started working on the big machine gun and nearly two in the morning when they had it disassembled and packed into three bundles. It was clear to everyone that the four of them could not possibly carry the gun and ammunition. It was decided that the gun would be brought along and then ammunition would have to be stolen from somewhere near Kastledorf.
    A hissed warning from Professor had the men dousing their lights and scrambling up the staircase in darkness. As they joined Professor, he pointed out a lone German military vehicle with its lights on, parked in the town square. It was a small troop carrier capable of holding eight to ten men. There were six soldiers standing around the vehicle talking.
    “There’s our transportation,” whispered Professor. “We’ll even be able to carry some ammunition, won’t we?”
    “How many soldiers you seen?” asked LeRoi, forming a plan in his mind.
    “Just those men in front of that truck.”
    “Whoa, you ain’t thinking what I think you’s thinking, is you?” Slick questioned LeRoi.
    “Yeah, we gon’ get that truck.” LeRoi turned and looked at Slick. “You got a problem with that?”
    “We taking racehorse chances here, for what? It’s gon’ be the same when we get home: a nigger is still a nigger. Ain’t nothin’ gon’ change. Uncle Sam ain’t my uncle, he’s just Mr. Charlie to me.”
    LeRoi poked Slick in the chest. “The Three hundred Fifty-first is family! I don’t give two shits about Uncle Sam or patriotism, but I’ll kill and die for family! You in or not?”
    Slick sighed. “I’m gon’ help. You’s the boss.”
    LeRoi quickly outlined a plan and sent Big Ed and Slick off in different directions. He figured that he and his companions had the advantage because they knew the town very well. He had Professor climb the only church tower still standing and prepare for covering fire in case things went wrong. He slipped out of the building and headed toward the vehicle. His plan was quite