Ironfall (Kirov Series Book 30)

by Schettler, John

  I must first get Model a little help by sending him back his 22nd Panzer Division. That goes to Belgorod, in a good position to assist Dietrich when he moves on Volchansk. Hopefully we can contain that breach in a few days, but that failing, those divisions will be well positioned for a counterattack. Then it is time I spoke with Steiner. It looks like 2nd and 3rd SS Divisions cannot go north as I had hoped. We will need to stop this third offensive. As for this attack planned for Elista, I think it is ill-advised until I determine the full scope of the Russian plan. Who knows, there may be something else out there that will rear its ugly head in the next week. I must be cautious now. For the moment, I will trade a little space for time, readjust line along the lower Don, and then see about marshaling the reserves needed to stop these enemy drives. First things first—I must defend Rostov, and the Donets must not be crossed.

  Even as Manstein deliberated, a messenger came in to hand him a signal from OKW. When he read it, all he could do was smile, shaking his head. Hitler wanted to know how soon preparations would be complete for the drive on Astrakhan! This message was obviously old, drafted before these offensives had begun. He called for an adjutant, telling the man to send a reply indicating that, in light of the three Soviet offensives presently underway, he was suspending any operation aimed at Astrakhan until the situation could be assessed and brought under control. Needless to say, still heady with the wine of imminent victory, Hitler did not want to hear anything of the kind.

  That afternoon, Manstein ordered Grossdeutschland Division to suspend preparations for the attack on the enemy fortress line northwest of Elista, and he signaled General Schilling to put his 17th Panzer Division on the rail line near Divnoye. The war with Ivan Volkov would simply have to wait. He contacted Steiner immediately.

  “We have a situation developing that could become serious soon,” he told him. “I want you to move Totenkopf from Donetsk to Millerovo immediately.

  “What about Das Reich? ”

  He also had a bull with two horns, but now he had to choose where to place this last piece on the board. If he sent Das Reich North to fight with Leibstandarte , he could definitely stop that northern attack towards Kharkov. Yet in Manstein’s mind, the greater threat was the attack against Paulus in the south. So he ordered 2nd SS to follow Totenkopf to Millerovo. He needed two fists in that fight, at least until he could get Grossdeutschland on the trains. Korps Raus was in deep reserve near Kirovgrad south of the Dnieper, so Manstein could send that to Kharkov to bolster the defense of the city if it became threatened. It only had two good infantry divisions, augmented with a Stug battalion, werfers and engineers, but it would have to do.

  * * *

  In the south, the situation went from bad to worse, on the line of the Don. General Polsten reported that two of his reserve infantry regiments had been completely overrun, and a huge gap had opened in the line. On his right flank, what was left of it, the entire 1st Luftwaffe Field Korps had collapsed and was retreating to the south. On their right, Schneken’s independent 17th Korps had been forced back, the 181st and 182nd divisions suffering heavy casualties. His last division, the 260th, was trying to fight its way out of a pocket on the upper Chir.

  The situation prompted Manstein to mate both 2nd and 3rd SS, and now he was rushing the Grossdeutschland Division north on the trains through Rostov, and all without stopping a moment to clear this move with OKW. They would begin reaching Millerovo on the 14th, and with those three divisions, he hoped he could put in a credible counterattack and stop this attack.

  Then he got news that Hitler himself was coming to the front to meet with him. Like a dark crow circling over carrion, the Führer wanted to personally intervene in the crisis, flying in to Zaporozhe, and requesting that Manstein meet with him there. It was the last thing the General needed at that moment, but he boarded a plane in spite of the urgency of the moment, leaving instructions with his Chief of Staff as to what he wanted done.

  When the meeting came, in spite of handshakes and strained smiles, the tension in the room was palpable. Hitler began by asking why the Army intelligence group had not detected the enemy buildup to report it in a timely manner.

  “That is a good question,” said Manstein, “but I am not the one to answer it. If any intelligence was gathered, it was certainly not presented to me. I had to hear the reports from Model before I knew what was happening, and by then this offensive was already underway.”

  “Well, what is happening? Why has so much ground been lost along the Don?”

  “That question I can answer—because four of the ten regiments receiving the attack have all but been destroyed. The enemy began this offensive on the tenth near Prokhorovka north of Kharkov. Since then it has evolved to a series of blows against the line, the second along the Oskol river north of Valuki, and then this attack emerging from the middle Don.”

  “Those enemy bridgeheads should have been destroyed long ago. Why wasn’t this done?”

  “Because I was tasked with taking Volgograd, and for no good military reason, I might add. Yet I did so as ordered. After that we had to send twenty divisions into the Caucasus that were once on this front preparing to drive the enemy north of the Don. If they were still here now, instead of fighting our former ally, then this attack could not have been prosecuted.”

  “Push was coming to shove with Volkov,” said Hitler, wagging a finger. “War was inevitable. There were both economic and political considerations, but chief among them was the oil I have tasked you with securing. It is clear that Volkov has gone running to Sergei Kirov for aid and support. That is undoubtedly what is behind this new Soviet offensive, but it must be stopped.”

  “I am already marshalling the resources required for a counterattack,” said Manstein.

  “Steiner?”

  “Of course, but these attacks are widely spaced. That creates certain difficulties, but also offers opportunities.”

  “What is your assessment of the situation?” Hitler seemed calm and controlled, but Manstein could perceive the slight tremor in his hand, a small twitch in his right eye, and a general weariness on the man.

  “It is a strong attack, apparently aimed at Prokhorovka as it began, but the real strength is in the center, along the Oskol River from Novyy Oskol to Valuki. I have already sent Dietrich to support the defense of that sector, but this second pincer from the Oskol is a very serious threat. He won’t be able to handle it alone, and before I can stop it, I must first deal with the situation on the lower Don. Steiner will bring the rest of his Korps here.” Manstein pointed out the location on the map. “Millerovo. I have already taken the liberty of moving Grossdeutschland Division there as well.”

  “Yes, and I was not happy about that,” said Hitler. “Movement of any major formation like that must be brought to my attention for approval.”

  “I am sorry to say that there was no time for that. Moving a division the size of Grossdeutschland is no small matter. It requires a lot of rolling stock, and I had to act quickly.”

  Hitler was willing to excuse that transgression, but it led to an inevitable question. “What of the operation against Elista?”

  Manstein’s answer was not welcome news.

  “It will have to be cancelled, or at the very least, postponed.”

  Part VIII

  De Führer

  “ To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.”

  —Thomas Paine

  Chapter 22

  Hitler was clearly not happy to hear that. “But there are still four mobile divisions in the Caucasus,” he protested. “Why can’t they proceed with this operation?”

  “Because two of them are here, holding the line of the Kuma River to where it meets the Manych Canal. The other two will not be sufficient, and I may need one more of those divisions north of the Don.”


  “That should not be necessary,” said Hitler. “Steiner will master the situation quickly enough.” Hitler waved his hand as if dismissing the whole Soviet offensive, the four regiments Manstein had reported destroyed, all of it. Steiner had stopped Zhukov the previous year, and he would do so again. His mind remained fixed on only one thing, the oil.

  “How soon will we have the fields at Groznyy?”

  “A matter of days,” said Manstein; “perhaps hours. We have three bridgeheads east of the city on the Terek, and that has unhinged the defense west of Groznyy. That is the same general strategy in play with this new Soviet offensive. They want to get over the Donets, and from there, to threaten Rostov. That would put an end to all our operations in the Caucasus.”

  “Nonsense,” said Hitler. “You fail to consider the political situation. Volkov has been at war with the Soviets for twenty years. I do not think they will become nice cozy bedfellows now simply because I have taken the prize they were both tussling over.”

  “A moment ago, you stated this offensive was staged at the request of Volkov,” said Manstein.

  “I was merely being facetious. Sergei Kirov pursues his own war aims, but I do not think they presently include considerations on the wellbeing of Ivan Volkov. The Soviets may, indeed, be trying to get over the Donets, but for reasons of their own, that should be obvious. They want to force us to yield all territory we now hold in the Don Bend, which would then threaten these more important operations in the Caucasus. But they will never get there.” Hitler put on his eyeglasses, leaning over the map. Yet his eyes were not on the ruptured lines along the Don and upper Donets, but on the far distant fields of Astrakhan and Baku.

  “We have done very well up until now,” he said. “Ivan Volkov has learned that we can put steel behind the decrees I put forward. The man presumed to think he would control the oil at Baba Gurgur, but I showed him how wrong he was there with my Fallschirmjagers. Then he presumed to dictate to me concerning control of the Kuban, and all the fields at Maykop. Thankfully, our troops soon put those demented notions to rout. Now we have Groznyy within our grasp. Yet how long before we can continue the drive to Baku?”

  Manstein took a deep breath, somewhat frustrated with Hitler’s obsession with these distant economic objectives. He wanted to move the session to the crisis of the hour. “My Führer,” he said. “We have the Caucasus well in hand. Volkov’s forces there have little offensive power, and we can generate sufficient mass to move them any time we choose. Even if we were sitting on Baku at this moment, it would still be months before that resource could be developed to a point where it would be useful. The pipelines have all been destroyed, and so it will need trucks to haul the oil, and rail cars. But all of that is many months away. So Volkov and his oil is not the issue here and now. As for Sergei Kirov, the Soviets are another matter. They clearly do have the potential to mount an offensive, as that situation map shows. Now, it may be necessary for me to adopt some rather sweeping redeployments to contain, and then defeat, the enemy offensives now underway. That is where our minds should be focused.”

  “Sweeping redeployments?” Hitler gave him a look half akin to annoyance. “Tell me that is not just another word for retreat. My Generals are always advocating withdrawal in the face of a crisis. I certainly hope that poison has not infected your own thinking, General Manstein.”

  “My Führer, have you never watched a good fencing match? The contestants thrust and parry, they move forward, and yet also withdraw. This is the art of mobile war. Consider this first prong of the enemy attack near Prokhorovka. Both Model and Heinrici have had to fold back their respective flanks, and Model is preparing a new blocking force to screen Belgorod. I am not worried about 2nd Army at the moment, but 4th Army’s position is somewhat precarious. The attack across the Oskol river on its lower right has real power, and it could go all the way to the Donets. That would cut off the entire 4th Army. I have added the 22nd Panzer Division to Model’s bag of tricks to help out. It is moving out of reserve status from Poltava.”

  “That unit was scheduled to return to Germany for a refit,” said Hitler, his mind an amazing steep trap for all the divisions of his army.

  “Under the circumstances, it will have to remain in theater. For that matter, if we could get the other two divisions of that Korps back, then we might easily smash this smaller northern pincer. Kharkov would seem an inviting target for the enemy, but I do not believe they can get there from the north. That drive will be lucky to just take Belgorod, but if it is then supported by this central attack from the Oskol River, things change.”

  “In what way?” Hitler gave the General a look that revealed the hidden anxiety within him.

  “If the two pincers do link up,” said Manstein, “then Kharkov is on the cutting board for the meat cleavers. If they get that, then they have an opportunity to go for the Dnieper. That is the real prize for the enemy now. 4th Army would do much better on the upper Donets than it would if pocketed while trying to hold the Oskol River line. This is what I mean by redeployments.”

  “You want to withdraw 4th Army? What about Steiner?” It was as if Hitler had not been listening. The only thing he grasped was that Manstein was angling to move 4th Army.

  “Steiner’s last two divisions are needed here at Millerovo,” Manstein reiterated. “And to really do the job quickly there, I will need to muster forces presently operating in the Caucasus. For that I have chosen Kirchner’s 57th Panzer Korps Headquarters, and to this I will add Grossdeutschland Division and 17th Panzer.”

  Hitler squinted, adjusting his eyeglasses with an unsteady hand. It was clear that he was uncomfortable with any transfer of units from the Caucasus. “Why can’t Steiner deal with this situation on his own? If you move the 57th Panzer Korps, then we have no strong mobile units in the Caucasus.”

  “We don’t need them there at the moment. As I have said, the operation to take Elista has been cancelled. Once I get a free hand and stop this attack in the south, I propose to move all those forces to the vicinity of Izyum, and for two reasons. First, in that position they block any attempt to cross the lower Donets. The second reason is that it places them in the perfect place to attack the flank of this second enemy thrust if it drives for Kharkov.”

  “If you move 17th Panzer Division from the Caucasus, what will hold the ground they now defend?”

  Manstein was quite direct in his answer, and equally truthful. He said just one word: “Nothing.”

  “Nothing? Then Volkov’s Armies will simply rush through those gaps and the entire front could collapse. Then all the Generals at OKW will be pleased, won’t they? We will have your whole operation at Groznyy turn into another pocket, and then they can hound me endlessly for permission to withdraw. If I order Model to stand fast, as he should, they will say the very same thing about his army—another pocket.”

  “They will not have to do so,” said Manstein, “because Heinrici’s troops will not be there if you allow me to operate as I wish. You are correct in stating that the redeployment of 17th Panzer Division creates a gap in our line in the south, but I will still have 18th Panzer on hand there as a good sheepdog, and there are army assets that can help out as well. Volkov will not attack. It is all he can do to hold the line. As for Heinrici, no one eats dinner alone at this table. The Army is a family, and when it moves, it must do so as a whole. So when I maneuver Steiner and 57th Panzer Korps into position, Heinrici goes with them. I propose that he move to a new line here, and anchor his left on Belgorod. That joins hands with Model and restores the front. There is heavily wooded country due east of that city, and look how it is broken by all these river tributaries flowing into the Donets. That is a very good place for our infantry. The northern pincer will try to use that ground for defensive purposes. Their real hopes are pinned on the central thrust. I believe they will attempt to move through Volonovka to Volchansk, then bypass that city to move on the Donets…. And Kharkov. This will leave their southern flank exposed, and when I
move adequate force to Izyum, our counterattack can begin.”

  “Can’t it be done without yielding all the territory 4th Army now holds?”

  “It cannot. Before I can strike, I must move, and 4th Army must come along with me to prevent the formation of a pocket you were lamenting over a moment ago. So we must move Heinrici’s 10th and 12th Infantry Korps as well, and re-establish themselves on a line here, near Volchansk on the upper Donets. If they could get their quickly, they would be able to help defend Kharkov against this powerful central thrust.

  “Yet another withdrawal…” Hitler shook his head.

  “Quite the contrary,” said Manstein, moving to parry that thrust by Hitler as soon as possible. “If Model and Heinrici do not withdraw together, then tis invites real trouble if the enemy breaks through to Kharkov. You pointed this out yourself just a moment ago. So they must withdraw. Otherwise, this strong attack from the Oskol River Bridgehead will cut them off.”

  “Yes,” said Hitler with some annoyance. “From a bridgehead that should have been eliminated!” His voice was barely controlled.

  It was the first break in the icy calm that had lay upon the Führer up until that moment. He had seemed irksome when he discussed Volkov, particularly his obsession with the oil, but now the first flash of anger returned.

  “Eliminated! Eliminated! You call this generalship? You propose to give them ground that they have not even had to fight for—ground that it took us weeks of hard fighting to acquire last winter. Can’t you see what they are doing? They want to push us farther from Voronezh and Kursk, and upset all the planning for our summer offensive in this sector. They want us to do exactly what you suggest and pull our best troops out of the Caucasus. That is the real aim of this offensive. And now you propose to give them everything they want, and all because a few reserve regiments were overrun south of the Don! Model and Heinrici should hold their present lines. Steiner will stop this other attack from the Don sector, and then he can turn north with Grossdeutschland to deal with the center thrust.”