John Schettler - Hammer of God

“My generals in OKW are still debating the future course of the war,” he said flatly. “They are full of numbers and statistics, analyzing all the deployments of the enemy, but never seem to add those numbers up to the same sum. So I have called you here to listen to your thoughts on the matter. I was very impressed with the alterations you proposed for Fall Gelb. You have seen the plans for Barbarossa?”

“I have, my Fuhrer.”

“Your thoughts?”

Manstein wanted to be careful here, as he knew his arch rival Halder most likely had his hand on the tiller where Barbarossa was concerned. “It is top heavy again,” he said with confidence. “The emphasis on taking Leningrad, and then Moscow, commits the bulk of our forces in Army Group North and the central attack.”

“Yet Leningrad is the seed bed of Bolshevism,” said Hitler.

“It was, but as we have seen the seeds have spread considerably. Taking Leningrad is merely theater. The same can be said for Moscow. We should instead focus on the south, moving north only after we have effectively joined with the forces of the Orenburg Federation.”

“Interesting,” said Hitler enthusiastically. “I am surprised to hear you say this, as you are presently assigned to 56th Panzer Korps in Army Group North. Your forces would be leading the way there.”

“Correct,” said Manstein, removing his cap and tucking it under his arm to reveal his closely cropped white hair. “While taking Leningrad removes a strong economic and production center from Kirov’s control, it would not be decisive in and of itself, and it would eventually pull the axis of our attack towards Moscow. Where else? While a prominent political center and symbol of Soviet power, its capture really affords us no military strategic value. That fruit is all in the south, in the Crimea and the Caucasus.”

“Precisely,” said Hitler with a smile. “Finally I hear a general I can agree with. My thought is to overwhelm the Soviets west of Moscow, and not commit the same mistake Napoleon made by trying to drive on the city itself.”

“Yet the Soviet Army may be more resilient than you believe, my Fuhrer. It is my understanding that they have lately concluded an accord with the Free Siberian State. In this event, they now have all of Siberia in their back yard, a place to retreat if we press them hard.”

“Siberia? There is nothing there but endless forest and the backward Tartar cavalry the this Karpov has been mustering. They flit about in those obsolete Zeppelins, with no air force of any consequence. They are no threat.”

“Yet one of those obsolete Zeppelins bombed Berlin the other day, if the reports I received are true.”

Hitler gave him a dark look. “That was a fluke,” he said. “It will not be repeated. Yes, I have been told it was the Siberians-the same man who recently met with Sergei Kirov to seek his friendship. Rest assured, he will be held to account for that little stunt.” Hitler folded his arms, looking at the map table now as he often poured over it alone, his mind quietly moving his armies and ships about in the long hours of the night.

“And what of the British?” he suddenly changed his tack. “They are clearly beaten but remain as stubborn as that old Bulldog Churchill.”

“It was always my thinking that we should have proceeded with Operation Seelowe,” said Manstein. “If we had done so, we would not be discussing the British any longer. They would already be under our heel.”

“That was Goering’s fault,” Hitler said with an obvious edge of bitterness. “He promised me he would crush the RAF to allow for our invasion, and then never delivered.”

“That plan was flawed from the outset,” said Manstein.

“Oh? Then why did you not say so? Explain.”

“Our fighters could not range far enough over England to protect the bombers. This is why I believed the issue of air superiority should have been decided over the English Channel, during the actual invasion operation, and not over London, or god forbid, Birmingham.”

“They bombed Berlin,” said Hitler hotly. “I had to return the favor over London.”

“And we have seen the results. By that same logic we should be trying to bomb Novosibirsk to punish the Siberians, but we can both see how impractical that would be.” Manstein knew he was skirting a sore spot with the Fuhrer now, but he was determined to speak his mind.

“All that said, the issue is moot. We lost our chance to eliminate Britain in 1940, and now the possibility of another front opening against us in the West remains a real possibility.”

“From the British? They have done nothing more than seize a few useless islands in the Atlantic. They have not even moved to try and put troops into Portugal, because they know I would crush them in a heartbeat if they tried.”

“Oh? With what, my Fuhrer? It is my understanding that you have moved the heart of the Gibraltar garrison to North Africa, or that you are planning to do so.”

“16th Motorized Division remains there, along with the 76th Infantry division.”

“And if the British do land troops in Portugal? Would they be enough to stop them before they got established there? I think not. Why have you sent all these forces to North Africa?”

“Ask Raeder, and when you are done with him, you can then hear the same story from Paulus, Keitel, Jodl and even Halder. Raeder’s Mediterranean strategy has infected the thinking of everyone at OKW, even Halder. They insist I must deal with the British before I open a new front against Soviet Russia. Do you agree?”

“You will not knock Great Britain out of the war in North Africa. Look what happened to Rommel! The British were much stronger there than he thought, and now he is right back where he started from, at Agheila and Mersa Brega. The man is a good officer, bold, aggressive, but he is often rash. He did not have the strength to move east with the forces he had. He should have waited.”

“He was ordered to do exactly that,” said Hitler with a wag of his finger, “but ran off half-cocked on his own. Paulus reports he has finally talked some sense into Rommel. Yes, he was inadequately supplied, so I have sent him more troops.”

“A waste of time and resources,” said Manstein. “Yes, they will present a growing threat in the Western Desert of Libya, but a threat that is still a thousand kilometers from the Suez Canal.”

“I have considered this,” said Hitler, “But it was not mere a supply problem that led to this recent setback. Have you heard the reports about these new British tanks?”

“I cannot say that I have, my Fuhrer.”

“That was the shock Rommel got when he moved east. I am told the British have new heavy armor, better than anything we have-a tank twice the size of their old Matildas, and my panzer commanders tell me even that old tank was difficult to kill. Very well, we will get new tanks soon enough, but in the meantime Rommel will be doing little more than trucking in fuel and supplies for the next two months. In the meantime, OKW is urging me to eliminate the British outpost on Crete.” Hitler pointed at the map. “Do you agree?”

Manstein considered this for a time, then began pointing with his baton. “You could take Crete easily enough. Student’s troops showed what they could do at Malta. But it would be weeks mopping up there before the Fliegerkorps was ready to operate again. In the meantime, what will the British do? They are watching Rommel in Libya, but must also look over their shoulder at the trouble stirring in Iraq. Frankly, I am amazed that they have not moved against the French in Syria yet, but this is most likely because they do not have the troops in hand to do so.”

“This is what Ivan Volkov tells me,” said Hitler.