Second Front (Kirov Series Book 24)

by John Schettler

  That night, four Marsch Battalions pulled into Algiers, troops that had been intended as replacement battalions for Rommel. Behind them on the road, was another motorized battalion designated KG Hauer. Major General Mast, in command of the Division de Algiers, was headquartered outside the city, at a town called Blida on the rail line. He had been Chief of Staff of the French 10th Army Corps at the outbreak of the war before moving to this post. Yet he had long been suspected of disloyalty to the Vichy regime, and was even arrested at one point, before a close personal friend who was also the Japanese Military Attaché to Vichy France obtained his release. So the Germans were somewhat edgy as to his reliability, and the disposition of his division in that vital city.

  Algiers was important for its harbor, two good airfields, and close proximity to Toulon relative to Oran or Gibraltar. It was also the center of Vichy French administration for all their North African colonies and protectorates. If it were to fall, all German operations to the west would be cut off. Still suspecting General Mast was in league with other officers like Giraud who were deemed ‘collaborators’ with the Allies, Kesselring had been ordered to take any and all necessary measures to secure that city and port.

  General Mast had been told the Germans would be coming to Algiers, a brief stop before continuing west towards Morocco, but that was a lie. Kesselring intended them to take control of the city and harbor, even though they would be badly outnumbered if it came to hostilities. Mast had over 7500 men under arms in and around Algiers, to no more than 1800 German troops arriving in those battalions.

  There was one other reason why the Germans were very nervous about this situation, and it was moored to the long stone breakwater out in the bay, the pride of the French Fleet, the battleship Normandie. Admiral Laborde was commanding that ship, with a small flotilla of destroyers out in the bay. His dislike of Darlan was well known. In fact, Marshall Petain had played him off against Darlan, and at times whispered that he might replace him. Laborde was also angry at Admiral Raeder, seeing his use of French naval resources as nothing more than a disaster for the navy. In Fedorov’s history, it would be Laborde who would give the order to scuttle the French Fleet at Toulon, and Hitler had received a message from Ivan Volkov warning him of this, and telling him to watch that man closely. So he, too, was darkly suspected of collusion with the Allies, and when a man you suspect of possible treason is commanding one of the most powerful battleships in the world, you take special precautions.

  That night, three U-boats were lurking in the silent darkness beneath the sea off Algiers, and they were each carrying a platoon of the elite Brandenburg Commandos. Their mission, should it be determined that Laborde and Mast were unreliable, was to seize control of the Normandie on a signal that would be transmitted later.

  General Mast would be receiving General Hasso-Eccard Freiherr von Manteuffel, the commander of those four Marsch battalions, for dinner at his headquarters. Manteuffel had been told those battalions were to be the nucleus of a new division that would take over at Algiers, but his first order of business would be to size up General Mast and make the decision as to whether or not that fateful signal would be given to the Brandenburgers.

  It was going to be a very long night.

  Chapter 27

  “A very good meal,” said Manteuffel as he sopped up the last of the sauce that had been ladled over a very fine cut of lamb. “When I was told I would be assigned to 5th Panzer Army, I did not expect the fare would be quite so opulent.”

  General Mast nodded with a smile. “I cannot say we dine this way every day, Mon General, Yet for a special guest, a little civility is warranted. It reminds me of France, and the life we had… before the war.”

  Manteuffel could not help but notice the certain inflexion in the other man’s voice. It wasn’t a longing for the better times of the past. There was a certain recrimination in his tone, well masked, but there. It was just the sort of thing the General was there to look for. He had been briefed on this man, and told his host had long been suspected of collaboration with the Allies. Now he was here to ascertain his reliability.

  “Well General,” he said. “You and your troops have not had a bad posting here in Algeria. I daresay it is much preferred to the duty I had in Russia. Now, however, the war is coming in your direction. Can you say your men are ready to deal with that?”

  “My men will always be ready to defend France,” said Mast, and Manteuffel noted that there was wide latitude in that careful statement. “But tell me,” Mast said quickly. “This 5th Panzer Army—it is coming from Germany?”

  “From Rommel, for the most part. I am forming a division here as units arrive at Tunis, but the guts of the army will be the panzer divisions Rommel sends us. There will be more troops arriving very soon.”

  “I see… Then Rommel can afford to detach these divisions in his present position? It was my understanding that he has been rather hard pressed since the battle on the Gazala line.”

  “He still holds the line at Mersa Brega, and I am told that is very good ground for defense.”

  “Ah… Then he is no longer planning another move east. Lord knows we sent him more than enough trucks to get him to Alexandria.”

  “And for that we are very appreciative,” said Manteuffel. “But you and I both know that Rommel will never get to Alexandria. General Mast, let me be clear about what is now happening. As you may well know, the British have landed in Spain and the Americans already have Casablanca. It is a pity that all our good troops out west were in Southern Morocco and the Canary Islands when this invasion began, but they have already been withdrawn north—three divisions under General Kesselring. In fact, My division will be subordinate to his headquarters with 1st Fallschirm-Armee North Afrika. General von Arnim will command 5th Panzer Armee with the troops Rommel sends him, and the whole lot with be renamed Armee Group Afrika. Now then, that fight in Morocco will soon be coming here, and both Oran and Algiers will likely become principle objectives of the enemy. You and your men will soon be put to the test.”

  “Then you are taking your men west to Oran tomorrow?”

  “Those are my orders.” Manteuffel lied.

  “Well then rest assured, Algiers will be kept secure for France in your absence. Have you noticed our other distinguished guest out in the harbor? I extended an invitation to Admiral Laborde to join us this evening, but he was otherwise engaged. Yet with the Normandie sitting out there, I do not think the Allies will be coming here by sea—and not while you still hold Gibraltar. Have no fear, I will meet with the Admiral tomorrow and we will determine how best to proceed. In the meantime, I do hope you enjoy your battle in Morocco. I never liked the place. Too many flies, even this late in the year. Yes… big grey flies….”

  Manteuffel heard more in that than he wished. He was a very astute man, and could see through a brick wall if he sat before it long enough. One thing he clearly saw here was that this General Mast had no love of the German Army. He had no doubt that those big grey flies were the Luftwaffe troops holding the line in Morocco. And what might this man be cooking up with Admiral Laborde tomorrow, he thought?

  What he would do next would be very risky. He had four battalions of infantry in the city, all down near the harbor. In the morning, when his men failed to board the trains again for their supposed journey west, this General Mast will not like that news over his breakfast. But the Normandie is the key. Its guns could pound my troops to dust if the French had the backbone to fire on this city. The next train in from Tunis will have a thousand navy men, all that Admiral Raeder could send us from Germany and Southern France. I am told Vice Admiral Hellmuth Heye is getting a big promotion and a seat in the Kapitan’s Chair of the Normandie, and of course, that ship will have to be renamed.

  But all of this awaits my decision here, and my order to take that ship. That will be work for the Brandenburgers. A full company is seeded in those Marsch Battalions near the harbor—excellent troops under Friedrich von Konen. The rest come
on the U-boats, and if we cannot take that ship, they have orders to sink it rather than see it break out into the Med.

  An aide from his headquarters staff came in precisely at 11:00pm, as ordered, whispering something in his ear. Manteuffel looked at his watch, noting the time and realizing that the moon would be down in precisely sixteen minutes. “Well General Mast,” he said. If you will excuse me, I have yet another appointment this evening, and it will be a very long day tomorrow. I thank you for your hospitality, and I hope we can repay your courtesy in the days ahead.”

  Mast smiled, not knowing that Manteuffel had whispered a pre-arranged phrase to the aid, who departed with a salute, only to return a moment later with three armed men.

  “Your escort?” said Mast, raising an eyebrow. “I can assure you that the area is completely secure.”

  “No, Mon General, this is your escort. If you will be so kind enough to remain here, I must be off to make certain this area is indeed secure.” Manteuffel pulled on his gloves, smiled and turned to leave. He stopped, turning briefly. “My adjutant will ask you to order your men to stand down here. If they do not, then hostilities will commence immediately.”

  “What is the meaning of this? Hostilities? What do you intend here? This is outrageous! I will do no such thing!”

  “I was afraid that would be your answer.” Manteuffel strode out, his footsteps hard and fast in the outer hall.

  Even as he did so, his aides had already transmitted the code name “Amsel,” or “Blackbird” to all the four Marsch Battalion commanders. They were already setting up defensive positions around the harbor, while other units were fanning out, intending to surprise as many unwary French units as possible and disarm them before they could be formed into any force for real resistance. They were moving to secure the rail yards and station at the harbor, where feeder lines extended onto all the docks and quays. Others burst into the Provisional Government offices on Rude d’ Isly, while a full company was dispatched to seize control of Fort L’empereur on a low hill overlooking the city, while another moved to surprise the barracks at Caserne d’ Orleans.

  The Brandenburgers were already on the move, with Konen dispatching one platoon to the long cement breakwater. The appointment Manteuffel had alluded to with General Mast was a visit he had planned to the Normandie, to meet briefly with Admiral Laborde, ostensibly to deliver a personal letter from Admiral Raeder. Of course, he would never make that appointment, for his aim was to quickly reach KGs Witzig and Hauer only now arriving by truck outside the city. That unit would be tasked with securing roads from Blida to Algiers, and the headquarters units of General Mast. In his place, Konen would arrive with an escort, dressed out in a Wehrmacht General’s uniform, and posing as Manteuffel himself. His aim was to be escorted deep into the heart of the battleship, and get as many of his men on the deck of that behemoth as possible.

  At the same time, those three u-boats had surfaced to disgorge their platoons of commandos, all in black uniforms and slipping into the sea on dark inflatable rubber boats. They paddled silently through the relatively still waters, glad that the tides were quiet. Behind them was one other very special unit. A group of Kriegsmarine crewmen that had been pulled off the Hindenburg when it was at Gibraltar, and flown out by seaplane to rendezvous with a fourth U-boat in the Med. They were gunners, all highly trained in the operations of heavy naval armament, and their leader was none other than Axel Faust, the strong arm of Anton turret on the Hindenburg. They would follow the Brandenburgers in, waiting just off the harbor until a lantern signal ordered them to proceed.

  The commandos slipped up to the wide armored flanks of the Normandie, taking to any netting or ladder they could find, where several small boats had been moored along the belly of the beast. Their movement was so stealthy, that it was as if the shadow of night had rolled gently in on the evening tide, lapping against the steel of the battleship. Up they went, the silence thick as the dark.

  It was not long before they had reached the main weather deck, where it was knife work at first, until one wary sentry shouted the alarm. Soon after, the snap of pistol fire cut through the night, and a burst of submachine gun fire interrupted the meeting in Admiral Laborde’s stateroom. There, Konen and two supposed staffers had, indeed, produced a letter from Admiral Raeder, and Laborde had been reading it, with growing alarm as he scanned the lines.

  “Admiral, it is with great regret that I must now convey to you the news that you are herewith relieved of your command aboard the Normandie, which will shortly be taken as a prize of war…”

  Laborde heard the machinegun, men shouting and running on the decks below, a bell ringing, and he instinctively reached for his pistol, only to see he was already covered by three others. Colonel Konen reached quietly for the weapon, removing it, and then saluted. He then ran to the nearest port hole, eager to see what was happening outside in the harbor.

  The next ten minutes would be crucial, as there was still a destroyer in the harbor, well within the protected area encompassed by the Jetee du Nord and the large breakwater where the Normandie was moored. Furthermore, there was a battery on the Jetee du Nord that could turn and cover the moles and quays. There had been three destroyers earlier that day, but two had been lured out to sea hours earlier by a false distress call from a steamer, where they were now attempting to take on what looked to be tired and wet crewmen, all well infiltrated with Brandenburgers. It was hoped that the third destroyer would have also responded, but it still remained in the harbor, and it could be a problem.

  The key was getting those naval gunners and Axel Faust aboard the Normandie as quickly as possible, and the Brandenburgers had made the forward main gun turret a primary objective, racing down the deck past B turret to the massive armored hulk of A turret beyond. Faust’s men arrived, scrambling up netting thrown down by the commandos. They had already seized the turret compartment, sending men down into the bowels of the magazine itself, and herding any French sailors they found before them. At one point, the French got onto a light flak gun three decks up, and began turning it about, trying to depress the gun to fire on the lower deck and turret. The Brandenburgers saw them, and sprayed the exposed gun mount with automatic weapons fire.

  Axel Faust and his men were soon up and rushing to the open side hatch of the massive turret. Once inside, they had command of an armored fortress, with four 15-inch guns armed and pointed directly at that destroyer where it was berthed near the railroad station quay. Faust felt right at home, looking the equipment over, and instinctively knowing what he would have to do here. It was just another A turret, only the had twice as many guns to load. A message would be sent by the commandos telling that destroyer Captain that his ship would be blown to pieces the first sign of steam or any hostile action with its deck guns. To underline the point, Faust soon had the turret rotated and guns trained on the destroyer, their barrels lowering with a hydraulic growl.

  By this time, the full company was aboard ship, disarming the small contingent of French Marines, and ordering any crew they encountered up onto the main deck. They were fortunate to find that a good percentage of the ship’s compliment had been ashore that night.

  So it was that the element of surprise, and the training, skill and determination of the Brandenburgers, would take the pride of the French Fleet in its mailed fist of steel that night. It was essential that men go down to prevent the sea-cocks from being opened, and forestall any attempt to scuttle the ship. At that very same moment, in the Harbor of Toulon to the northeast, the units of 7th Panzer Division which had been deployed all over the harbor area to supposedly be loaded for transport to Oran, were instead seizing the French Naval units there.

  Ironically, it was Admiral Jean de Laborde who was at Toulon in the old history, and it was he who gave the final order that the French fleet should be scuttled. He had sailed to Algiers aboard the Normandie to meet with General Mast and plan how they might deliver Algiers to the Allies at an appropriate time. At that moment, with the
war front far to the west in Morocco, and no hope of any Allied intervention until those battle lines had swept into Algeria, Neither General Mast, nor Laborde, had been in a position to take any decisive action. Their intention had been to use the time that remained to ascertain which units in French North Africa they might turn at an appropriate time, and these plans were only in the early stages of development before they were pre-empted by Manteuffel, Konen’s Brandenburgers, and the daring German plan.

  Come sunrise on the 29th of September, Germany would have a new super battleship, and Manteuffel would be in control of most of Algiers Harbor, including the graving docks, moles, petroleum storage depot, machine shops, port offices, and the seaplane base in the southwest quadrant. There were several French units well outside the city that had not been accounted for, some of them more determined Senegalese Regiments. They rallied when the shock of what was happening finally sunk in, and began forming up their battalions to push into the city with the aim of re-taking the harbor. But more German troops would soon arrive by rail, the leading edge of some really tough fighting men in the Hermann Goring Division. Behind it, Fischer’s 10th Panzer Division had moved to disarm the French Division at Constantine, and the French defenders of Tunis were meeting more unwelcome guests that night as well. A stream of transport aircraft were landing at the airfields, bearing the leading elements of the 334th Infantry Division. One Battalion of the 10th Panzer Regiment was also just outside the city, having been dropped off there for just this purpose. Its armor proved very persuasive. By dawn, ships would arrive with the Italian Superga Division, a Bersaglieri Regiment, and more German units, including the first company of the 501st Schwere Panzer Battalion.

  That day, peremptory fighting would continue in and around Algiers, but it was a fire that the rapidly arriving Herman Goring Division would quickly put down. Further west in Oran, KG Koch had four more veteran Falschirmjaeger battalions to seize that vital harbor, only this time the battleship out in the bay was the Hindenburg. It had been necessary to take out the shore batteries at Ain el Turk and others on the eastern coast, but the 16-inch guns of Hindenburg made short work of that task. Its imposing presence, and the threat the Germans made of leveling the city with those guns if the French attempted to resist, was enough to quell the ardor of the garrison there. This was reinforced by planes off the German carriers, which were up like a swarm of hornets come first light, with the Stukas silencing shore batteries further east along the coast.