Hitler nodded, as if finally seeing the menace Volkov represented on his far flank. He had been so obsessed with the fighting in Russia that he could see nothing else. When Operation Phoenix dawned in his mind, it was as if he was finally coming to a new clarity of thinking about this entire war. Most of his army was fighting Sergei Kirov, and he had starved Rommel, seeing the Allies take back all of Libya, and now Morocco and Algeria as well. If they won the battle for Tunisia, then they would be masters of all North Africa.
Yet here he was, meting out a dozen divisions to Kesselring in Tunisia, including all Rommel’s forces, and then committing another dozen more to Operation Phoenix. Yet he had now sent 17th and 11th Armies, and several independent Korps, to prosecute Operation Edelweiss—24 divisions, as much as all the forces he had deployed against the Allies in the West! Manstein was going to kill 50 Soviet divisions in the Kuban if he prevailed, only to bring the Reich a little closer to oil that Volkov now controlled. Tunisia was now the only thing preventing the Allies from striking at Italy or Southern Europe once they regained control of the Med. Operation Phoenix was the only real chance he had at securing the vital oil he needed, and here was Guderian, coming like a beggar for more troops, just like Rommel was forced to do. Himmler was correct. All this must change.
“My Führer, it was your plan to destroy the Soviet Armies in the Kuban, and thus free up all the troops Manstein now commits to Operation Edelweiss for use against the Soviets, or in the West. Yet I think that will never come to pass. I think that once we take the Kuban, all those troops will have to simply sit there, facing off along the demarcation line between Volkov’s Armies in the Caucasus, and our Armeegruppe South. There they must sit, for the duration of the war, useless to us for further operations. Why? Because Volkov presently has 1st Kazakh Army here, on the line of the River Salsk. He has his 3rd Army here, headquartered at Stavropol, obviously to control all these potential new oil fields. Then he has his Army of the Kuban at Maykop, and another army in Georgia controlling all the Black Sea Ports. Do you think he has any intention of withdrawing all those troops after Edelweiss?”
“Of course not,” said Hitler, the realization so striking to him now that he could not believe he had not seen it all before. “This map makes that quite clear.”
“Yes,” said Himmler. “And he has three armies near Volgograd, and another forming at Guryev, now moving to Astrakhan. He is building up, my Führer. He has no intention of abandoning any of this territory, or demilitarizing it once we link up after Operation Edelweiss.”
“He did so along the lower Don.”
“But there is no oil there,” Himmler quickly pointed out. “In fact, it would be my guess that once the Kuban is cleared, he will seek to negotiate with us for control of that entire province, ostensibly so that he can extend his pipelines to Rostov, and so forth. All that will take time, and he can delay such operations as long as he wishes. Frankly, I do not think we will ever see a drop of his oil. Why would he wish to strengthen us? And once the fields at Ploesti run dry, Volkov will be sitting there, ready for war with us, and knowing we may not have the oil to prosecute another war after we exhaust ourselves destroying the one great enemy that has bedeviled him for decades—Sergei Kirov.”
“He doesn’t have the weapons to face us,” said Hitler; “the tanks and artillery…”
“Oh? Who will get all the Soviet factories that have relocated to Siberia? He made an accord with Vladimir Karpov once before. What is to stop him from doing so again? And if he were to join Sergei Kirov this year—what then? He can trade his oil to the Soviets for tanks and artillery, even as he dangles it before us for our servitude to his war aims now.”
That struck Hitler like a thunderbolt. Volkov! That scheming bastard has been planning this all along, but now he will soon see the price of his duplicity. My revenge will be swift, and final.
He stood up straight, taking a deep breath, a new light of discovery and fiery determination in his eyes. “Herr Himmler,” he said with a grave tone in his voice. “You have brought me much more than all these new SS divisions today. So very much more….”
Part X
Harbinger
“ It has seen marching armies, bomb blasted villages
And the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
Now, unsullied from its tireless journey,
It comes to us,
Messenger of the morning,
Harbinger of a new day.”
— Clinton Lee Scott
Chapter 28
Events in Russia in late January and early February were very limited. The weather remained brutally cold in the north and central latitudes, but less so in the south. Hitler decided that Operation Edelweiss would proceed, for he had to eliminate the Kuban pocket and become master of that province, and he had every intention of denying it to Volkov, or using it as a bargaining chip in the tense negotiations that would soon transpire.
The Soviet Army managed one big push south of Orel towards Bryansk, which sent Hermann Balck’s 11th Panzer into the breach, and also prompted Hitler to rescind his long standing order that nothing staged for Operation Downfall against Leningrad would be touched. He ordered 1st and 8th Panzer Divisions to move by rail to the threatened sector, followed by four more infantry divisions. It was months yet until the scheduled start date for Operation Downfall, weather permitting, so he told himself there was plenty of time to reclaim those units down the road. That was what Himmler’s revelation of all these new SS formations had done, many building out much earlier than in Fedorov’s history. Hitler was now less stingy in response to a crisis on the field, doing more than simply ordering the defending troops to stand and fight to the last man.
As for Fedorov, his clever ploy to feed German intelligence that map of all the oil and gas operations that would become so significant in the region had a most dramatic effect. Hitler had just sent seven fresh divisions and three more brigades to stop the Bryansk operation, a force that was bigger than everything he had sent to Rommel over two years’ time. He did this on a moment’s notice, realizing at the same time how little support he had given to the war effort against the recalcitrant British Empire.
Yet now he had seen Guderian complete a dramatic thrust that delivered all of Northern Syria and Iraq to his control in a matter of weeks. Then, just as it seemed that Operation Phoenix had transitioned into a static and unwinnable battle for Baghdad, Himmler’s revelations had produced a decided sea change in the Führer’s thinking. He was going to smash the British, sending anything that was necessary to do so. He was going to get the oil he had so long coveted for the Reich, and he was not going to see Ivan Volkov shoulder his way into further control over that most strategic of all resources. If he could produce seven division to stop the Soviet attack at Bryansk, then he could do the same to ensure his victory in Iraq.
A message was sent to Guderian to make plans to renew his offensive south at the first opportunity. “45th Infantry Division now enroute, one of several reinforcements to be assigned to your command. Given your need to focus on Iraq, it therefore remains impractical that you should also be burdened with the administration of forces in Syria. It has therefore been decided to appoint an overall Theater Commander to administer the needs of both armies, and you will retain full command of the Army of Iraq. It is also anticipated that an offensive will be renewed against Southern Syria and Palestine, and as you cannot manage both, the new Theater Commander will take full charge of all operations in Syria, effective March 10, 1943.”
That commander was to be Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was informed of Hitler’s offer and decision not ten days after his return from Tunisia. The will to intervene dramatically in the Middle East was now finally there. If Rommel could not get to Egypt through Libya, then let him try through Syria and Palestine. It was now just a question of logistics, and Hitler set his new Wizard at OKW, General Zeitzler, to the problem at once.
“I have calculated the carrying capacity of the
Baghdad-Berlin Rail at present at about 15 trains per day, with an average of about 480 tons of all types of supply per train. That yields a delivery at the major railheads in Syria and Iraq of about 7200 tons. Depending on division type, units in heavy fighting on the offensive can consume from 800 to 1200 tons per day. Units conducting a sustained advance consume between 600 and 800 tons per day. Those on active defense or siege operations, as we have at Baghdad, will need up to 600 tons per day.
So you can see that this supply delivery capacity permits no more than six divisions on active offensive operations on any given day. Nine can conduct sustained advance with limited fighting. Twelve might be involved in active defense or siege, including mop up operations.”
“We put up to 1000 rail crews into Russia during Operation Barbarossa,” said Hitler, “and in just twenty days we completed major rail gauge conversions that permitted us to use ten separate rail lines to support those operations. I want an effort like this to improve carrying capacity of all the rail lines through Turkey. See to it. I want those supply delivery figures increased by no less than 50% by April 1st, and doubled by May. Understand? Spare no effort, not in manpower, rolling stock, or locomotive engines. The weather is so severe that spring may be very late this year in Russia. So this theater now becomes my major interest.”
“That is accepted, but the limitations of the current railway line remain in place until this effort is mounted, which will begin immediately. At present, there are five divisions in Iraq, with one enroute, and six divisions in Syria, with one more assigned but not yet in theater—the 104th Jager Division. That makes 14 Divisions in total for the Armies of the Middle East under Herr Rommel. I also note that the 901st Lehr Regiment was also sent to Guderian, and Student’s 1st Falschirmjaeger is now being moved off Crete for deployment to either front. For the time being, this is the maximum we can support over the Berlin to Baghdad rail, even if we can increase to perhaps 18 trains per day.”
“Make every effort to do so. I will order all the rolling stock transferred from Russia, It is just sitting there, as the rail lines are frozen over. So it will not be a question of any shortfall in that area.”
“I also note that all the mobile divisions are with Guderian,” said Zeitzler, “where our best prospects for renewed offensive operations will now lie. The troops assigned to Syria under Herr Rommel are all infantry divisions, and four of the seven will be mountain or Jager Divisions, with only two infantry regiments each. This force is not suited for any sustained offensive into Southern Syria or Palestine. It will require at least two panzer divisions, and optimally, three. At present, unless further troops are sent from the Russian Front, I identify only the 16th Panzer Division in the West as being available.”
“Don’t worry, Zeitzler. There are more things in the works than you may yet know. Himmler has already delivered a new SS Korps to support Operation Downfall, and a second is building in the West. This is why I rescinded the order that none of the troops along the Dvina were to be touched. So yes, 16th Panzer goes to Rommel in Syria, and at the earliest opportunity.”
“I should note that Kesselring has also asked for that division,” said Zeitzler.
“He will have to wait.”
“Anything more?” Zeitzler waited patiently.
“I told Steiner to send the 5thSS Wiking Division to help kick off the Edelweiss Offensive. It has done so, precipitating the initial breakthrough, but now the heavy allotment of infantry divisions in that front can continue without it. That division has already fought in Syria. It was part of the initial incursion there, which in hindsight, should have been much better supported. Given that it is already familiar with the terrain there, I am ordering it detached from Steiner’s Korps, and it will also be made available to General Rommel. That should allow offensive operations to begin against Southern Syria, with the seizure of Damascus being the first major objective. Your goal is to therefore improve the rail line to support the divisions already scheduled for this theater, and these two new mobile divisions as well.”
“Very well,” said Zeitzler. “I will make it my top priority.”
“Good. You are a general that knows his business, and produces results instead of reasons why things cannot be done. We will double that rail capacity, even if it means we convert that line from a single rail to double tracks all the way from Istanbul to the Syrian border. As of yet, there has been no concerted effort on the part of the Allies to interdict that line through Turkey, so we must take ever advantage of this time, and move as much material and supply forward as possible. You have 90 days. After that we will have to begin reassigning rolling stock and rail crews to Operation Downfall, now tentatively scheduled for May.”
“And what about Kesselring in Tunisia?”
“I have already authorized a new infantry division shipping out from Toulon, the 337th. Unfortunately, there will be no more panzer divisions made available to that front. He already has five, and I do not see why that force cannot be adequately concentrated to achieve a dramatic result. Of course, I am told it is all for lack of infantry. If need be I will find another division to put that excuse to rest, and I am telling Kesselring that he is to plan a new offensive for the Spring as well. We will not give up Tunisia as we have lost all of Libya and Algeria. No. We will fight, and you, General Zeitzler, will make certain we have the means to do so.”
“I will do my very best,” said Zeitzler. “ I do note that, unlike the Turkish rail line, the supply route to Tunis and Bizerte is subject to Allied interdiction, both from the air, and by sea. The transfer of Raeder’s capital ships to the Black Sea greatly enhances Operation Edelweiss, but weakens the defense of those sea lanes to Tunisia by an equal measure. I do not think we can rely too strongly on the Italian Navy. We might be able to move one more mountain division to Tunisia, perhaps the 5th from the successful Crete Operation. Otherwise, I believe that the Tunisian front is already maxed out in terms of our capacity to supply the forces assigned, and if the Allies increase their interdiction effort, we may soon see shortfalls there. This is not something that can be cured by assigning rolling stock and rail crews. It needs considerably more—shipping that can be defended by naval forces, and a much stronger commitment by the Luftwaffe. Neither seems likely in the short run.”
“Then Kesselring must make do with what he has,” said Hitler. “These Generals keep asking for more troops, and more supply deliveries. First they must deliver on their promises! General Guderian has certainly redeemed himself with Operation Phoenix. I am hoping that Rommel will do the same, so make that theater your top priority. Look for a third panzer Division for Rommel.”
Ordering transfers and moving units would be done easily enough. Even if there were more divisions in theater than the carrying capacity of the rail line, not all of them would be used for active operations at one time. This would allow the shipment of infantry divisions, which could then occupy static portions of the line to allow the mobile divisions to conduct offensive operations. This was Guderian’s hope , and it would soon be realized.
In Syria, Kubler’s Mountain Korps would be reinforced to now include 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Mountain Divisions, and the Prinz Eugen 7th SS. The 12th Infantry Korps would retain the 31st and 34th Infantry in Syria, but send its 45 Infantry Division to Guderian in Iraq. By mid-March, Rommel would get the 3rd Panzer Korps HQ, with 16th Panzer From Marseilles, and the tough 5th SS Wiking Division from Steiner’s Korps, and perhaps one more division to be identified later, though he did not yet know this.
This heavy reinforcement allowed Guderian to move all the 22nd Luftland to Iraq, and then Student’s 1st Fallschirmjagers. The last division for Iraq would be the 104th Jaegers. This was all beyond the present capacity of the rail lines supporting these divisions, but Hitler’s decision to increase rail carrying capacity was actually also something that could be easily achieved, as he had already boasted to Zeitzler. After the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran in 1941 in the old history, the US and Brita
in took a rail system through Iran delivering only 200 tons per day to Russia, and increased it to a daily high of 7,520 tons by 1944. The Turkish rail system was far more developed after a year of work by the Todt Organization Battalions, so if such an effort were made to increase it further, that would soon become big trouble for Churchill and Alanbrooke.
Now Hitler turned to Zeitzler, with another pressing issue on his mind. “Herr General…. I want you to prepare a complete report on the current field army strength of the Orenburg Federation—numbers of divisions, typical strength and fighting quality, current deployments. Include any intelligence on weekly troop movements and make it part of my regular briefing. Furthermore, I want Student’s troops from Crete airlifted to Baba Gurgur and Kirkuk immediately. I will speak with Goring about the necessary air transport.”
Zeitzler could hear more in these requests than it seemed on the surface. “Are you concerned about possible hostilities with the Orenburg Federation?” He was very direct with this question, but that was his nature.
“That possibility has always existed,” said Hitler. “Would-be friends become enemies at the drop of a hat these days. Look what Franco did in Spain, and now the French. I have no doubt that the Italians are getting nervous now as well. Thus far, Ivan Volkov has been our ‘Ally’ because it suits his own aims to do so. This operation in the Kuban is a perfect example. We commit 24 good German divisions to do the job that he could not accomplish, and when we are finished, what will be our reward? The promise of oil? And how long before the first shipments begin to make any difference? It may be that we have to make some hard and practical decisions concerning resources that are needed by the Reich—critical resources that are now largely controlled by Orenburg. To that end, I want you to be prepared. No unit is to be transferred out of the Kuban after the successful conclusion of Operation Edelweiss—not unless I specifically order it. Understand?
Stormtide Rising (Kirov Series Book 29) Page 25