Nexus Deep (Kirov Series Book 31)

by Schettler, John

  General Casula took a deep breath. He had six understrength battalions. They had very few anti-tank guns, and only a few AT Rifles against all the armor he could see around him now, carefully lined up by Abrams to make his point. A little theater never hurts. Then a runner came up wearing a British uniform and Beret. The man saluted and spoke.

  “Excuse me Colonel. I was sent here by General Ramdsen to tell you that the whole of our division is now in position and ready to coordinate the attack with you at the designated hour.”

  General Casula knew just enough English to understand what had been said. He decided that he and his men would live.

  * * *

  The Allies would spend the next two days negotiating the mountain roads on the approach to Olbia. Everything was converging there, leaving little room for the American divisions because the British had not pushed all the way to the north coast. The town of Tempio was unoccupied by either side on the main rail to La Maddalena. The Canadians were in Sassari, and making ready to push on to Porto Torres. It seemed as though the campaign was coming to an end, at least for the Italian troops on the island, but there was still the matter of von Senger’s two German divisions. The arrival of two Regiments of Student’s Paras brought his entire force up to strength, and he was in a much better position now than he was down south above Oristano.

  Yet the Allies would begin lining up six divisions, and on a front stretching no more than 55 kilometers. The ground was rugged, and well suited to the defense, but those were steep odds. The Germans had 12 PzKfw-IVF2’s, 18 light Lynx Pz-II’s, and ten Marders for armored support. The allies had easily more than two full armored divisions. In spite of that, von Senger was digging in, prepared to fight it out unless Kesselring ordered him to move to Corsica. The time to do that was now, and he waited anxiously by the telephone for news.

  Hitler was astounded that the island could fall so easily. The Generals at OKW explained that the divisions had only recently arrived, formed from March replacement battalions; that they were underequipped, had few tanks, and were faced by vastly superior odds.

  “They will fight if you order it,” said Zeitzler. “But it will only be a matter of time on Sardinia after this, and we will have the ignominious honor of watching those divisions destroyed for the second time. Do not forget what we lost in Tunisia. If they could get to Corsica, then they could at least force the enemy to plan, stage, and execute yet another amphibious assault, and that will be expensive in both time and resources, particularly the shipping.”

  “Where was Raeder?” said Hitler. “I recalled his ships from the Black Sea to prevent such a landing. What was he doing?”

  “I cannot speak for the Navy, but it would be my opinion that he could not have done much to stop the landing on Sardinia. His ships would have been under all the enemy air power if he came anywhere near the beachheads. Corsica might be better defended, or else he might be better used to defend Toulon or La Spezia.”

  “He is good for nothing,” said Hitler. “He did one thing right when he delivered the Black Sea, but otherwise the steel we used to build those ships has been a great waste. Very well, I can see no point in having those two divisions destroyed on Sardinia. As you say, once was enough. Order them to evacuate to Corsica, but that island must be held.”

  * * *

  The Germans knew that the only chance for an evacuation of Sardinia would have to be by night. Daylight moves would be exposed to the withering power of the Allied air forces. To facilitate the operation, the Luftwaffe promised to use any night fighters they could scrape up, and deploy them to cover the Bonifacio Strait.

  It was a well-run operation, with the artillery and vehicles withdrawing to Palau and then taking the ferry to La Maddalena Island, where a host of Siebels waited to move them to Corsica. The infantry departed directly from Porto Cruzitta, St. Teresa, Palau, and a full regiment of Student’s troops withdrew to the port at Olbia and left on small boats and ferries from there. Troops of Allen’s 1st Infantry and elements of TF Abrams pushed up the road to Olbia, but they were too late to stop the first evacuation. Their arrival would force the remainder of 15th Infantry to fall back on La Maddalena, and the smaller ports farther north.

  Skillful at mounting delaying rearguards, the Germans were able to conduct an orderly withdrawal, though by day, the Allied fighters hounded and strafed any boat or ferries they found, sinking five Siebels.

  So by day the Germans would move overland to the ferry and port sites, and by night they would cross the Straits. They would save 90% of their forces, which Kesselring considered a great success. Though he had hoped to delay the fall of Sardinia much longer, most major combat was over three weeks after the initial landings. The Allies would be another week rounding up and disarming any remaining Italians, and the whole operation was considered complete by July 15. Then the movement of supplies and material into Cagliari, Oristano and any other suitable landing site continued.

  The buildup for the next jump, be it to Sicily, Corsica, or the Italian mainland, was soon underway, and the debate over which operation to choose was the next item on Eisenhower’s agenda. Corsica was deemed valuable to the Allies because it could provide bomber bases, and extend air cover into the Northern Med, and also become a base permitting further operations against Southern France or Northern Italy. But Eisenhower was told it was not essential if the next objective was Rome. He was briefed by Tedder and the Air Force commanders to determine the value of Corsica to the enemy.

  “There are only a few decent air fields useful to the Luftwaffe,” he explained. “These are at Bonifacio and Porto Veccio in the south, Ajaccio on the west coast, and Calvi and Bastia in the north. We estimate that they could base and support no more than 450 aircraft there, and that even if they did so, our own forces could control and neutralize a force on that scale. In effect, we believe that we can hold the airspace over Sardinia secure.”

  “Even up north?” asked Ike.

  “Yes sir, even as far north as La Maddalena.”

  “And yet,” said Montgomery, “the planners have indicated that any assault on Corsica should be made as soon after the fall of Sardinia as possible. Otherwise the Germans could strongly reinforce there. We were to use the same forces and shipping we have in hand now to do the job, and bring in the Free French Division as a point of honor.”

  “Yes,” said Eisenhower, “but the plan also reads—and I quote: ‘This operation should be initiated only if it becomes evident that Corsica is to be appreciably reinforced, and only if at that time full use of Sardinia as an air base is deemed essential, or if future amphibious Operations against Southern France are contemplated.’ If we’re only going to Italy, then we can do so without Corsica. All we really need now is to develop port capacity on Sardinia, and Cagliari is our best bet.”

  Montgomery spoke next. “We can use that for at least one assault division to embark, and the others assigned can sail directly from Tunis and Bizerte, sail due north, and rendezvous off Cagliari. We should be able to float three divisions for the first wave of any assault we plan, and protect them. The only question now is the target. My people are already working up a briefing on beach conditions near Rome. I’m told we have prospects south of the city, near Anzio, and that there are also good beaches north between Fiumincino and Civitavecchia. That last city can also offer us a small port to lift supply in after we take it.”

  “We have a good deal to do beyond that,” said Eisenhower. “First, we need to set the primary objectives, both operationally and on the strategic level. Then we need to assess risks, and allocate resources needed to minimize them.”

  “Rome is the obvious objective,” said Montgomery.

  “Yes, but we don’t know whether the Germans will fight to hold the south as yet. The next few weeks should be very telling on that score.”

  “If I may,” said Patton. “Rome is a great political objective, no argument there. Old King Alaric knew the value of the place when he first marched the Visigoth
Army to sack Rome in the year 410. That aside, we could march in there on D+1 but still couldn’t claim any legitimate victory in Italy.”

  “It would very likely topple the Italian Fascist Regime,” said Brooke. “Our Mister Churchill is quite convinced of the value of that. He wants us to hurl a wildcat ashore. And stir things up over there.”

  “As he should,” said Patton. “Now, I’m just a crazy old horse cavalryman, but my view is that the Fascists are finished in Italy as things stand. They’ll collapse within weeks.”

  “Possibly,” said Brooke. “But Italy could still choose to fight on under a new government. Taking Rome would be decisive.”

  “But it wouldn’t mean we’ve defeated the German Army in Italy,” said Patton. “You can bet Hitler will be planning to seize the reins over there, no matter what the Italians do. Hell, he’s already moving divisions out of the Middle East and into Italy at this moment. Rome is one thing, very symbolic, but to win this, we’ve got to close with the enemy and take him by the throat. We’ve got to beat the German Army.”

  “It we go for Rome,” said Montgomery, “then they’ll have to come north to stop us. From there we could cut off anything they choose to leave in the south. They would either have to evacuate or surrender.”

  “Look,” said Patton. “We let them pull two goddamn divisions off Sardinia. Anything they evacuate from Southern Italy and Sicily is just another division we’ll have to fight somewhere else.”

  “A fair point,” said Montgomery, “which is why we’re going to be looking at several other possible operations in the south. Some of these are already being sketched out. Operations Buttress and Goblet would be landings in Calabria on the toe of Italy, to cut off any Axis garrison on Sicily. They can live off the land there, but we can make sure they’ll never receive military supplies again with such a landing. Then we have Musket and Slapstick , both aimed at Taranto. If they do try to evacuate, they’ll do so through that port, and the major aerodrome of Foggia in that region. Considering Naples, we have Gangway , Mustang and Barracuda , all looking to make a direct assault there.”

  “That port would be useful for our purposes,” said Eisenhower, “but the Germans could certainly not use Naples to evacuate a single platoon, particularly if we hit them on the kneecap at Rome. Napoleon said it best: Italy, like a boot, should be entered from the top. Marshall and the joint Chiefs went along with Brimstone , but as for all these other operations into Southern Italy, none of that has been agreed to. Draw up the plans, but realize that they will be subject to U.S. approval and cooperation. Marshall still sees a cross Channel attack as our next order of business, and he wants it as soon as possible.”

  “Surely not before we’ve knocked Italy out of the war,” said Brooke.

  “Frankly,” said Eisenhower, “I tend to agree with General Patton on that question. Attacking Rome will knock down the Italian government, Fascist or otherwise, but it won’t necessarily beat the Germans. We only have so much in the way of shipping and landing craft, so we need to plan this carefully. And remember, I’m to select seven divisions for transfer back to the UK for Overlord . Anything we do in Italy from this point forward will be determined by a lot of unanswered questions. Will Mussolini fall? Probably, but when, and how hard? Will Italy fight on? How many divisions will the Germans throw into this theater, and will they fight for the south? We need contingencies based on real intelligence of the enemy’s deployments. Then, no matter what we choose to do, we have to define clear objectives, a center of gravity for the entire operation, maintain a cooperative effort, plan proper phasing. We need a lot of answers before we can arrive at the best strategy here, and right now, all we have are the questions.”

  There was a moment of silence before Brooke spoke again. “Does your General Marshall believe we can cross the Channel this year?”

  “He hopes for that,” said Ike.

  “Well, not to throw too many lumps in the tea, but Churchill has asked me to float one more idea. What about an invasion of France from the south? It would mean we take Corsica next, not Rome, and then from there we would have real choices. Do we strike east at Italy, or North and take Toulon and Marseilles? Remember, we can also muster troops in Spain for that. In this scenario, we might not want to transfer anything back home when we can put it to very good use right here.”

  Too many cooks, it has been said, will spoil the broth.

  Part XI

  Curious Marbles

  “I should wish to have, of the Acropolis, examples… of each cornice, each frieze, each capital of the decorated ceilings, of the fluted columns; specimens of the different architectural orders, of metopes and the like…. Finally, everything in the way of sculpture, medals and curious marbles that can be discovered by means of assiduous and indefatigable excavation.”

  —Lord Elgin, 7th Earl of Bruce

  Chapter 31

  The master of the ship was a Mister George Parry, and when Elena and her small company finally located him in the harbor at Gibraltar, their brief meeting went very well.

  “I expect your associates here will get on well enough,” said Parry, particularly since you say they are all more than willing to take on ship’s duties. But I’m afraid we haven’t much in the way of accommodations for a woman such as yourself, m’lady. However, it is a rare event that we would have a lady of stature aboard a poor ship like this. House of Fairchild, is it? It would seem that the only chivalrous thing a gentleman might do is offer my cabin for your comfort. You are more than welcome.”

  “I cannot thank you enough,” said Elena, fawning a bit, and even giving the man a flirtatious glance, which Captain MacRae could not fail to notice. He smiled, giving Mack Morgan a conspiratorial glance.

  The Lady Shaw Stewart was a Brig, with two masts (fore and main), and square-rigged sails. It was larger than a schooner, but smaller than a frigate, or any ship of the line, and often used for fast naval duties, or as a merchant transport, which was the case here. Britain was already extending her influence heavily into the Med, the twin poles of Gibraltar and Malta being essential outposts that would endure through the centuries. Lord Nelson shipped all his fleet supplies from Gibraltar to Malta, and from there, the transports would call on other ports and anchorages, or simply rendezvous with Royal Navy ships at sea.

  As cargos were valuable, even if a ship was only carrying foodstuffs, fresh water, or other simple necessities, it was common to escort a transport to give the impression of some strength that might discourage piracy. In this case, the escort ship was a smaller schooner, the Renard , formerly a French ship by that same name, captured in November of 1803 off the small port of Calvi on the Island of Corsica. Two ships in Nelson’s squadron HMS Cameleon , and HMS Stately , were credited with the capture. A fast ship, Renard had a crew of 60 men, with twelve 4-pounder guns (six on each side), and four more “swivel guns,” which could rotate to port or starboard. Nelson immediately put it to good use as a merchant escort and messenger ship. Normally, a ship would be renamed under these circumstances, and the new name “Crafty ” was already floating about in Nelson’s mind, though it had not yet been formalized.

  At this time Renard was captained by Lieutenant Richard Spencer, who had once served on the very ship that first took Renard as a prize, the Cameleon . Spencer had been serving aboard Lord Nelson’s ship, HMS Victory , at the time he was appointed to take command of the Renard . He served well, except for one incident where Nelson had to reprimand him for temporarily leaving four merchant vessels to investigate rumors of a privateer off Syracuse.

  The two ships would depart under favorable winds and head out into the Alboran Sea. It would be a journey of a thousand nautical miles to Malta, about five days sailing time if the wind could keep them moving at a speed between eight and ten knots. Few records remain to chronicle the voyages of Lady Shaw Stewart . At one point, she was intercepted by the Americans and taken as a prize, but at present, her duties were of a hum drum naval transport. The logs of the Re
nard record no incidents during the journey to Malta and on to Cerigo (Kythros).

  No one aboard knew that this sailing would be the most significant mission ever undertaken by the ship. Elena could not believe their luck in finding it at just this time.

  “You see, Mack,” she said by way of vindicating herself. “All this talk about us running afoul of pirates and changing history here by simply chartering a ship has now become a moot point. We will have a nice quiet journey. Finding this ship was a major windfall for our mission.”

  “What makes you so sure?” said Morgan, still a bit wary.

  “The history,” said Elena. “This ship reached Malta without incident. It also went on to Cerigo without incident, and was safely there until the coming February of 1805, when the marbles were finally loaded.”

  “I wonder what took them so long,” said Morgan, hinting at something. “I mean, if we get there in the next few weeks, what happens in the five months between this day and 16 February, when the Marbles were loaded. You might ask this ship’s master when he expects to arrive at Kythros.”

  “Call it Cerigo,” said Elena. “That’s what they called it at this time. And I can’t broach the subject with Master Parry just yet, because he doesn’t even know he’s going there.”

  “What?”

  “Think, Mack. We have the record of Lord Nelson’s letter ordering this ship to Cerigo, and it’s dated September 2, 1804. So Mister Parry hasn’t even received his orders yet. In fact, he probably won’t hear of this until we reach Malta, so hush up about Cerigo until we get there. Then we’ll take stock of the situation, and sort things out. I suggest you make yourself useful here, and help out with the ship. Otherwise, let’s enjoy the experience. It’s certainly going to be unique.”