John Schettler - Grand Alliance

Rommel shrugged. Think like an infantry commander! His stock in trade had been that of the dashing Panzer leader, but he knew that Paulus was correct. He would have to adapt his methods and tactics to face this alarming new enemy armor. It could not be a very large force, and how they managed to get it positioned there on his deep right flank was yet another mystery, but it might be solved by tactics like those Paulus suggested.

“What about the Italians?” Paulus moved to a new subject. “You don’t really mean to leave them in Cyrenaica, do you?”

“The Italians… Yes, they are another problem,” said Rommel. “Those that manage to get east will be little more than mouths to feed here. If I had my way I’d have them all shipped back to Italy. I can use a few of their motorized divisions-or at least use their trucks, but the infantry is useless. If the Fuhrer insists I hold Benghazi, then I’ll post the Italian infantry divisions there and we’ll see how long they last. O’Connor rounded up over 30,000 the last time he came west. Our best strategy might be to send them all the rest, and then let the British feed them!”

“Very well, defend Benghazi. The British will take it, but it will delay them and buy us some time to bring up fresh German divisions. Then, when they do take it, we can blame it on the Italians. If the Fuhrer asks why no German troops were posted there, I will tell him we had to secure our main supply line back to Tripoli. That is the prize for the moment. Hitler sent you here to stop the British from invading Tripolitania and capturing Tripoli! Lose that and the Italians may soon lose their stomach for this war. After what happened in that naval engagement off Malta, Mussolini is on pins and needles. They lost several battleships!”

“That’s Raeder’s watch,” said Rommel. “I hear Hindenburg is in the Mediterranean now, so he had better be careful. It seems the British have more than these new tanks to bedevil us. What is this business about naval rockets?”

“Another surprise,” Paulus frowned. “I heard the rumors, but was never really briefed on the matter. Raeder is having fits! Thank God Hindenburg made it safely back to Toulon. I also hear Hitler was none too happy about the damage to the ship. In fact, he’s beginning to question this whole strategy in the Mediterranean again, and looking east at Kirov’s Soviet Russia. You were too quick with your boast about taking the Suez Canal in 90 days, Rommel. Be more realistic.”

“You heard about that?”

“Who didn’t? Tell the Fuhrer things like that and he will actually believe you! That was a mistake. The British have proven to be a stubborn and resourceful foe. They will not give up easily, and we may have a long slow grind of it in the months ahead. I know that doesn’t suit you, but you will have to adapt. This war here will be won by the supply columns, on either side.”

“And the tanks,” said Rommel darkly.

“True, but considering logistics, we have two birds in hand now, both Gibraltar and Malta. That dramatically improves our prospects for supplying you here. To bend an old maxim, those two birds are worth more now than that single bird in the bush you were running after-Suez. Take your time! We had no idea the British weapons programs were so advanced-new naval rocketry, new heavy armor that can stand up to an 88. At the moment these new weapons do not seem to be widely deployed, or reaching the front in any great numbers. Doenitz will have to concentrate heavily on the convoy routes south. That is the only way the British can send Wavell any more of these tanks, eh? Time in battle, wear and tear, maintenance issues will all take their toll. So do not be so crestfallen. This is a new rock in the stream for the moment, nothing more. If we can solve the logistics problem, we’ll get you the troops to sweep right over this new British armored brigade. Just you give us the time. Be stubborn now! Fight a good delaying action and get on that defensive line you’ve chosen. Then dig in. Your war of maneuver is over for the moment-understand?”

“Only too well,” Rommel said sullenly. “They called my division the Ghost division in France, Paulus. Well that’s what we have on our hands here now, a ghost of what my Afrika Korps once was. This new British brigade is an apparition from the darkest corner of hell! But I have been to hell and back, Paulus, at Caporetto as a young man of only 25 years.”

During that war Rommel had distinguished himself as a young officer with the Wurttemburger Mountain troops. In difficult and rugged mountain country, he energetically embarked on a campaign that involved stealthy infantry marches, infiltration behind enemy lines and flanking maneuvers that once saw his detachment, no more than a battalion in strength, capture five Italian regiments. He had removed 9000 men from the enemy order of battle, losing only 6 men, with 30 wounded. He had an uncanny ability to see the possibilities in any situation, foresee enemy intentions and dispositions on the ground, and guess their probable reaction to his maneuvers. In most cases he specialized in making attacks from unexpected directions, demoralizing his enemy and unhinging their defense.

“Well,” said Paulus, “we’ve taken good stock of our situation here. I’ll do what I can to persuade Hitler. But you must do what you can to restore order here now. None of us are getting any younger. You must find a way to deal with this.”

There was a glint in Rommel’s eye now, and his hand strayed to the prominent Blue Max on his breast pocket. “Yes,” he said. “Even in hell I found a way to beat the devil.”

Paulus made good on his promises. The German buildup in North Africa accelerated with the infusion of fresh troops and equipment. The 90th Light Division had not been formed until late June of 1941 in the old history, but was already arriving at Tripoli in February of that year. The other units Paulus had mentioned were also being diverted to staging ports in France and Italy. The 90th Light had been motorized with the trucks provided by the Vichy French, as they had promised. The two other motorized formations were both brigade sized units, Grossdeutschland and Herman Goering. As for the new Panzer Division Paulus had mentioned, it would be 10th Panzer, but the unit had not yet been released. Paulus still had the difficult task of convincing Hitler this campaign still offered the prospect of victory.

The Fuhrer leaned over the map table that day, the red swastika armband contrasting starkly with the drab brown of his coat. His eyes had a distant harried look in them, as if he were seeing things in some far off future, the struggle and conflict of a war that was only now threatening to take a dramatic new turn. He was not happy with the sudden and unexpected reversal in North Africa, and he let Paulus know this in no uncertain terms.

“What was that man doing galloping off into Egypt with only one division like that? The 15th Panzers only reached him a few weeks ago!”

“It seems he believed he had a promise to fulfill, my Fuhrer.”

“You mean his boast about taking the Suez Canal? I knew that was not likely.”

“He might have done exactly that, were it not for this new force that appeared on the southern flank.”

“I have read the reports,” said Hitler. “What do you know of these new British tanks that seem to be impervious to our guns? Have you seen this, Paulus?”

“Not personally. I know only what was reported to me by the officers I interviewed. From all descriptions the British must have been building on the success of their Matilda heavy tank, and they have delivered another model with considerably more power. Troops say it is twice the size of the Matilda, and with a gun on it that is as big as a 25 pound artillery piece. Yet in spite of its size it was very fast-very agile. The troops say it could fire on the move, and hit with amazing accuracy. And nothing they used against it was able to harm it in any way.”