Nexus Deep (Kirov Series Book 31)

by Schettler, John

They were very late. Elena knew from her research on these events that the divers contracted to recover the lost cases of marbles had returned in April of 1804 to begin looking for those that were still unrecovered. On June 9th, they would locate and retrieve the 16th case, and then continue searching for the “marble chair” that was the Throne of Prytanis. Lady Shaw Stewart would be sent to the island, but the marbles would not be loaded until the 16th of February 1805.

  Elena had also dug up the dispatches of Lord Nelson, scouring them to determine when he might have given orders for that ship to proceed to the island. She found the very letter that Nelson had dictated to Captain Charles Marsh Schomberg, HMS Madras , instructing him to see that a transport was sent to the island for Lord Elgin. That letter would be written in just a few days, on the 2nd of September 1804. That transport would be #99, Lady Shaw Stewart , which would sail with the schooner Renard to complete the task of retrieving the Marbles of Lord Elgin.

  What would take place in that interval, between September of 1804 and February of 1805 when the Marbles were finally loaded on the Lady Shaw Stewart ? It was one of those grey zones that make up so very much of the history, for 99.9% of everything that really happened remained unrecorded.

  That was where they were headed, on the very ship that they needed to board, the Lady Shaw Stewart . It would sail off that very day, and with six new passengers aboard bound for Malta—off into the grey mist that no eyes in modern times had ever penetrated. No one really knew what had happened with the ship in that five-month interval, but they were about to find out.

  Part II

  Operation Chariot

  “Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms, and with thee I will destroy the horse and rider.”

  —Jeremiah 51:20-21

  Chapter 4

  “Time for the main event,” said Montgomery, taking the podium. “The rains have finally relented, and the ground is much better. Now it’s time for the final big push. We’ll want to go all the way to Tunis and Bizerte this time.”

  “Here, here,” said O’Connor. “Sorry we’re a bit late, but Alexander pilfered 1st and 7th Armored from me, and Jerry can be stubborn when he wants to.”

  “We all know that,” said Monty. “Progress up the coast has been hammer and tongs, but they’ve retreated to Cape Rosa, and we think another good push will move them again. The real news is that they’ve had to pull out their 10th Panzer Division and move it to Le Kef opposite General Patton’s new position. That means my 6th and 10th Armored Divisions can double team the Hermann Goring outfit, and we’ve been further reinforced on the right with the arrival of 4th Infantry. The new Army boundary line is the Mellegue River, flowing from Souk el Arba south, to pass Le Kef to the east of that town. Seeing as though the American 3rd Infantry Division is still west of that line, General Eisenhower has graciously put it under my command.”

  “A good outfit,” said Patton.

  “Yes, well let’s hope so. The 34th has had some difficulty, but then we all have. In any case, Souk el Arba is my number one objective, and I plan to drive right up Highway 6. When I get there, I can send a group north towards the coast at Tabarka to unhinge any further defense west of that position.”

  “And then your entire northern corps will finally be inside Tunisia,” said Patton with a smile. Montgomery had been slugging it out with two German infantry divisions for months.

  “Well, I’m afraid the going along the coast only gets tougher as we approach the Tunisian border just east of Tabarka. We’ll be up off the marshy plain and there will be rugged country in front of us again.” Montgomery indicated the mountains on the wall map with his pointer. “That’s why we’re counting heavily on the inland push from my armor, and that’s why you’ve moved your two armored divisions to the center as well. Now then…. Once I take Souk al Arba, I’ll push right on through to Bedja as my next objective. General Patton, your 2nd Armored Division will push them out of Le Kef, and then drive right up Highway 5. Your 1st Armored will be moving parallel to that advance up the main rail line to Tunis, and hopefully, the two divisions can meet here—at Medjez al Bab. I should be at Bedja by then, and I’ll push on through Sidi N’sir to Mateur, which will put me right on the doorstep of Bizerte. You’ll continue right up Highway 5 to Tunis.”

  “A good plan,” said Eisenhower. “We’ll have four armored divisions hitched to the chariot, and intelligence has indicated they’ll be short one panzer division. The Russians kicked up quite a stir near Kharkov last month, and the Germans look to be building up for a big counteroffensive in that region. That means Hitler has been forced to make a few margin calls. They’ve withdrawn their 7th Panzer Division to Tunis, and it’s already been shipping personnel back to Sicily. The tanks were distributed to the other four panzer divisions here to replace losses. Our interdiction efforts will be ramping up. We want to prevent any further transfer of units here back to Italy with increased naval pressure in Operation Retribution. I believe Admiral Cunningham said it very well with the message he transmitted to his Captains: ‘Sink, burn, destroy. Let nothing pass.”

  “Now that’s a man with my kind of eloquence,” said Patton. “But Ike, don’t you worry. We’ll get to Tunis alright. My men are razors now. They’ll get the job done. So what’s this big push going to be called? I rather like the phrase Ike coined—four armored divisions hitched to our chariot. Since we called the last one Gladiator, why not call this one Operation Chariot?”

  There were nods all around the room, and Montgomery spoke up. “We were going to call it Operation Vulcan, but I rather like that, General Patton. Chariot it is. If we keep those four horses abreast of one another, they won’t be able to stop us.”

  “What about us laggards on the east coast?” said O’Connor.

  “Ah, yes Richie,” said Monty. “We’ll want you to keep up strong pressure there. The Germans have moved both their 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions onto the line in that sector, so your job is to keep them there, and prevent them from reinforcing their center. The same can be said for General Truscott’s Corps—unrelenting pressure. Gentlemen, this one is for the prize. We plan on kicking everything off on May Day, 06:00 hours.”

  “Good,” said Patton. “That will give me the whole day to get to Medjez Al Bab.” That got laughs, but General Bradley leaned in and spoke quietly to Patton.

  “George, I almost think you meant that.”

  Patton just smiled.

  * * *

  Eisenhower’s intelligence briefing was right on the money. The Germans had moved all 7th Panzer personnel to Italy, with plans to ship the unit directly to Germany. There they were to receive all new equipment; one of four panzer divisions now being upgraded in the homeland. The margin call would also fall on Rommel and Guderian. Hitler could see that further operations aimed at Egypt would not succeed unless Rommel was strongly reinforced, and he was simply not prepared to do that. His favorite general had kept his promise, but he looked at the photograph of the Nazi war flag flying over the ruin of the Parliament building in Damascus, and said nothing. He was in Damascus, but the Führer knew he could not leave Rommel there, nor could he support him with more panzers.

  He sent word asking Rommel to fly directly to OKW Headquarters, and planned to break the news to him there, and with the offer of yet another new post. “Herr Rommel,” he said. “You have done what I asked of you, only this time, I cannot support you further. I wanted you to hear this from me directly, for I must ask you to send me back the Wiking SS Division. It is needed on the Ostfront .”

  “That is my strongest division,” said Rommel. “What am I to do in Damascus without it?”

  “Nothing,” said Hitler. “You will not get to Egypt through Damascus and Jerusalem. So what is the point of leaving your forces at Damascus? I am usually most reluctant to give the enemy back ground our soldiers have won with steel and blood, but in this case, I may have to withdraw all th
e panzer divisions from Syria. Do you realize that the Soviets had an army across the Donets last month? We pushed them back, and now we must push harder. There are big things in the offing, and I have a new assignment for you.”

  “On the Ostfront?”

  “No, I want you to rest first. You had too little time after Tunisia, so take at least a full month. Then, I would like you to assume command of all forces in the continental west, France, Belgium, the Low Countries, and even Norway. Italy and Tunisia I leave to Kesselring, but all the rest is yours.”

  “I see…” said Rommel quietly. “So, the old warhorse is being put out to pasture at last.”

  “What? Not at all, Herr Rommel. Not at all. I neglected to include Germany in that list. Yes, you will oversee all divisions presently building and refitting in the homeland, and that now includes the entire 24th Panzer Korps, and your old favorite, the 7th Panzer Division as well. I want you to go directly to the factories and inspect the assembly operations for our new tanks. See that they are built correctly, Rommel. You are the man for that now, as Guderian is still in Iraq. On that score, do not think I dismember your command in Syria alone. I have had to ask the same of General Guderian. The Brandenburg Division is also being recalled, and I want you to personally direct the refit of that division back to a full Panzer division, and with all our best new tanks. All of this is in your capable hands. I am trusting you to build me these strong reserves, because believe me, we will need them, and soon.”

  “What happened to all the divisions Himmler promised you?”

  “They are still fitting out, and training the men. Those will be yours to command as well. Some have gone to Armeegruppe Nord, but the 9th, 10th and 12th SS Panzer Divisions are still in France and Germany. And that is not all. As you may know, I have ordered the O.T. to improve coastal defenses all along the Atlantic and Norwegian Seas. That, too, will be your charge. The Organisation Todt will continue building my Festung Europa under your personal direction. I want you to improve all the defenses—strongpoints, minefields, gun emplacements, everything. Give particular attention to the Channel Coast at Calais and Boulogne. We have picked up intelligence that the British and Americans may be planning an early attack there. Then I want you to select units from those under your command and build me two Panzerkorps for the defense of the West. One will be this new II SS Korps with Himmler’s three Divisions. You may build the second using any of the panzer divisions refitting at home. ”

  “Very well,” said Rommel. “That is at least better than sitting in the Syrian desert twiddling my thumbs. But now it seems that General Guderian will not get to Abadan as planned.”

  “We don’t need it,” said Hitler. “If he can take it, all the better, but with Baba Gurgur in the north, and control of both Maykop and Groznyy, we now have access to plenty of oil. The danger now is in the east. We must knock the Soviets out of the war this year, and to do so, we will have to go to Leningrad. I will need every division available—all the panzer divisions presently assigned to Syria, and probably Guderian’s 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions as well. Infantry can take up a defensive posture there. I made good use of the time in the last winter months, but now the war on the Ostfront is heating up again. Understand?”

  “Of course,” said Rommel, and now he no longer felt like that old lost warhorse being put out to pasture. Not quite yet, he thought. The Führer wants to make a plow horse out of me first, and till all the fields of France and the Low Countries, because things are not going well in Tunisia. And Guderian will never see the Persian Gulf. He might be able to hold Baghdad, just as I could have sat in Damascus if I really wanted to stay there. Yet Hitler is correct. The Soviet Army is the real threat now, and it simply must be defeated. Perhaps I may get a position on the Ostfront one day, but for now, I am tired, and time at home sounds like the best medicine. My doctor will certainly be pleased to hear this, as will my darling Lucy.

  But something tells me that I will not be building those coastal fortifications without good reason….

  * * *

  The offensive in Tunisia would kick off on May 1st as planned, an unrelenting wave of force all along the front, which now stretched like a great shield from the northern coast, to that in the east near Enfidaville. Even though the German lines had been compressed, they were now missing 7th Panzer Division. The strong defense that had been put up earlier by the Hermann Goring Division standing with 10th Panzer was now diluted when the 10th Division had to be broken up into three kampfgruppes to backstop the infantry front. This left the Hermann Goring Division alone to face the onslaught of Montgomery’s 6th and 10th Armored Divisions, with two infantry divisions in support. It simply could not hold in the face of that attack, though it put up a dogged defense.

  Further east, the Italians had retreated up the coast, their best units at Enfidaville, but the inland segments of that line had to be held by the German 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions. The 90th and 164th Light Divisions joined the German 334th in the more rugged country between the coastal plain in the east and Highways 4 and 5, and only those scattered KGs of the 10th Panzer stood as a reserve. As the allies pushed dup their assigned roads, it was like a series of hammer blows on that German shield, which was soon being battered to the breaking point. The four horses hitched to that chariot were going to be too much to stop.

  On the north coast, the British 3rd Division would push from Cape Rosa to Tebarka, driving the infantry of the 15th Division back over a five-day battle. Monty’s tanks would surge up Highway 6 after the Goring Division broke and fell back, and he had Souk al Arba by May 5th. Patton took Le Kef against strong resistance from the well-rested 334th Infantry Division, backed up by Tiger companies and one KG of 10th Panzer. His advance up Highway 5 was not the dramatic breakthrough and dash for Medjez al Bab that he had hoped for, but a grueling slog. The Germans would only give him ground when absolutely necessary, and managed to maintain a cohesive defense for five days. On the 7th of May, he had finally reached Le Krib, which was still 65 kilometers from his primary objective, much to Montgomery’s delight. His tanks were flanking the last blocking positions of the Hermann Goring Division around Sidi Ahmed and Souk el Khemis, and were now only 15 kilometers from Bedja.

  In O’Connor’s sector, the 8th Army threw its shoulder against the coastal defenses of the Italian Trento Motorized Division, supported by a company of German Tigers. He was using his old one two punch, the 51st Highland Division, with the strong 23rd Armored Brigade as its battering ram. These forces advanced from Sousse towards Enfidaville, and by May 7th, they finally made a dramatic breakthrough there when the French brought up their 3rd Algerian Division to make a pinning attack, and occupy 15th Panzer Division to keep it out of O’Connor’s fight.

  In the center, Truscott’s Corps had the 1st, 34th and 45th Infantry Divisions, with the 82nd Airborne in reserve. It would be faced off by the German 90th and 164th Light Divisions, which found themselves outnumbered by more than two to one. Truscott also had strong support from the 1st Tank Destroyer group, and he used those fast-moving M-10’s to exploit small breakthroughs as if they were armor. Little by little, he was pushing up Highway 4, and was even able to outpace Patton, where the Germans put up their strongest defense. By May 7th, however, the German shield was splintered and broken in several places, and Kesselring convened a meeting with Nehring and von Arnim to discuss the situation.

  Chapter 5

  “A fine mess,” he began. “We finally shorten our lines to a point where I think we can hold, and now they are simply overwhelming us with mass. Montgomery has five divisions in the north, the Americans eight in the center, and O’Connor has five more on the eastern plain. That has put eighteen enemy divisions against nine German and three Italian divisions on the line. It’s become one crisis after another.”

  “I do not think we can hold for much longer,” said von Arnim. “The Hermann Goring Division is down to 50% of its nominal strength. 10th Panzer is scattered all over the front. We’ve nothin
g we can use to counterattack.”

  “It was a mistake to put the 15th and 21st Panzers on the front line,” said Kesselring.

  “It could not be helped,” said Nehring. “Do you think the Italians would have held that front for even three days?”

  “Trento Division fought well.”

  “That was the best of them, but now O’Connor is breaking through at Enfidaville. Losing the men of 7th Panzer was a big loss. What has Hitler sent us in return?”

  “Practically nothing gets through these days,” said Kesselring. “They are bombing us night and day now in the straits off Sicily. All we can do is make small deliveries of ammunition and supplies by submarine, or destroyer runs. Putting a transport convoy there is virtually suicide for those ships now.”

  “And you know what that means,” said von Arnim. “Everything we have here is going to be lost. We can’t get back to Sicily under these conditions. It’s well beyond the time when we should have done that. Manteuffel was fortunate he got 7th Panzer out, even though he left all his tanks here to die with us.”

  “We still have some fight in us,” said Kesselring.

  “Yes,” said von Arnim sullenly. “We are Festung Tunis now, eh? Well that will end like all the rest—Festung Gibraltar, Festung Canaria, Algiers, Oran. Tunis will be no different. I give us two weeks at best.”

  “Where is your line now?”

  “It’s anchored just east of Tebarka on the north coast, and then runs through the hills to Bedja, which is screened now by nothing more than the Marsch Battalions. Goring’s division is wrecked, but I have a Kampfgruppe from 10th Panzer behind that line at Bedja. If Montgomery takes that, then he can either go right up the rail line to Mateur, or swing southwest to Medjez al Bab.”