John Schettler - Stormtide Rising

“But what if that’s a Panzer division in the latest report from Anderson? These other reports of a division on the road from Sfax give me the willies. If you want my opinion, I’d say Rommel’s heading our way, and with bad intent.”

“Rommel….” Patton gave Bradley a narrow eyed smile. “The old Desert Fox himself, chased all the way into Tunisia by O’Connor’s 8th Army. Now you think he wants to pick a fight with me?”

“It sure looks that way, George.” Bradley’s eyes held a warning that he hoped Patton would heed.

“Alright, alright. Get on the phone to General Eddy and the 9th. Tell him that instead of sending the 60th RCT up towards Mesoula as I advised him this morning, he can hold that regiment in reserve and screen Ain Beida. Now I just moved Harmon’s 2nd Armored through Meskiana, but if it will make you feel better, I’ll hold them where they are for the moment until we get a better idea what the Germans are up to.”

“What about Ward’s division? You’ve got CCB way off north of 2nd Armored, while CCA is down here in the fight for Tebessa.”

“I was going to send Oliver and CCB on to Charpinville on the border. That flanks this whole defense at Tebessa. If they hang on there any longer, Oliver can swing down and kick them right in the ass. I plan on pushing hard for Tebessa—all night if we have to. Once the Huns find out Oliver has Charpinville, they’ll pull out lickety-split. Hell, Blade Force reported they had a platoon up near Le Kouf an hour ago. If the Germans don’t make a run for it, I’ll have them in the bag by morning.”

“Well I hope that’s the case. Ike didn’t want you down here until we had cleared Constantine and moved on to Gulema.”

“So I’m here early,” Patton smiled. “I’ll take the damn place tomorrow, Brad. Then you can call him and ask him if he wants me to give it back to the Germans.”

It was vintage Patton, headstrong, confident, and brash. One day someone would make a movie about that man….

That night the head of 15th Panzer Division reached Sbeitla, 30 kilometers east of Kasserine. That single platoon from the 82nd Recon sent a shock through General Weber of the 334th Infantry Division. When he learned the Americans were about to cut him off, he did exactly what Patton said he would, and packed up shop. He gave up Tebessa and then moved northwest toward the border, intending to use his division to screen and defend that airfield at Le Kouf. Rommel wasn’t happy about that, and he telephoned von Arnim and asked him to order that division to stay put.

“It’s too late,” said von Arnim. “The Luftwaffe gave up that field at Tebessa three days ago, but they want to hold on at Le Kouf. Weber did what was necessary. Furthermore, you are late. I have both my divisions formed up and ready. We can go right back to Ain Beida on the main road to Constantine.”

“Not yet,” said Rommel. “It takes time to get my divisions up from Gabes. I’ll need another day, and just be thankful I’m coming, General. Otherwise you would be right back in the stew. Has Montgomery taken Philippeville?”

“Not yet. He’ll try again tomorrow. We gave the British a little ground on the road to Constantine, but the line is in a much better position now. Kesselring is watching that sector for me.”

“Good enough. What about the road to Gulema?”

“The 756th Regiment of Weber’s division was detached to watch that sector. The Americans have been probing the passes east of Constantine, but there is no serious threat. I sent KG Hauer south through Clairfontaine. There’s a good hill there, and he says there’s a lot of armor south of that position. They’ve pushed a column all the way to the Tunisian border at Charpinville.”

“Alright, our battleship will be along shortly.” He was referring to von Bismarck’s 21st Panzer Division. “I will be there tomorrow with the rest of the fleet. Then we’ll talk again and decide how to coordinate things. And by the way… I’ve brought the Tiger battalion with me. That should be a nice surprise for the Americans.”

For once, the other side was going to experience the dismay of tank shock.

Terry Allen’s 1st Infantry spent the morning clearing out Tebessa, quite literally. They rooted out the last of the Germans, and then quickly looked for any bar or restaurant they could find to source out their wergild, alcohol in any guise. There had been many complaints about the division, but thus far, Patton had given them a long leash because he loved Allen’s guts and fighting spirit.

Once he had his prize, Patton seemed to have no intention of stopping. He told Allen to set up his HQ in Tebessa, and then moved Robinette’s CCA of 1st Armored right on through the town on the road to Kasserine, in a triumphant parade. The locals hooted at the arrival of the big American Shermans, easily switching sides in this campaign, and seeing the American troops as much better sources of looting, for their units seemed plush with supplies and other excess material.

Blade Force had been down near Thelepte in a scrap with the Italian Superga Division for the last two days, and they were asking for some help. So Patton sent 2/6th Armored Infantry Battalion, with a company of M5’s and some tank destroyers down that road to lend a hand. He was also finally bringing up the 34th Infantry Division under General Ryder. They had moved well south and east of Batna, and were now coming up on a road that would take them down to Ghafsa. As Allen’s infantry cleared the town and pushed on north in the wake of the retreating Germans, Patton ordered Ward to roll on for Kasserine Pass. Then he got into a jeep and headed for Tebessa himself, tired of the accommodations at the airfield. Along the way, he pulled out a cigar, letting the aromatic smoke trail away behind him, a satisfied grin on his face as he went.

General Bradley had again cautioned him, still worried about the concentration of German armor north of Eddy’s 9th Infantry. So to mollify him, Patton told Harmon to sit tight for the second straight day. This way he could also say that the bold movements he had ordered with Old Ironsides were nothing more than reconnaissance operations. After all, it was only a single combat command. The rest of Harmon’s division would not arrive for several days. He had to make amends with Eisenhower one day, but for now, he was feeling that saddle leather under him, still an old cavalryman at heart.

That same day, the recon battalion of 21st Panzer Division came up from Kasserine and scouted the road through the pass towards Tebessa. It reached the village of Chekir before it suddenly took small arms and mortar fire from well concealed enemy positions. They had run up on the Ranger battalion under Colonel Darby, which had scouted that area, operating well north of Blade Force. The Germans decided to flush out their enemy, and swept off the road with their armored cars and halftracks, moving into the attack. The rest of the division wasn’t far behind them, and within that hour, II Battalion, 125th Panzergrenadiers, came up in support. A flight of American P-40s swooped low for moral support, their machineguns strafing the road near the town.

When the Germans started also ranging in artillery from a battalion of mobile guns, Darby and his men had had enough. He knew he was up against much more than a recon force here. There was power on that road, and he could see dust in the air being kicked up in the pass to the southeast. So he got on the radio to Robinette, knowing that CCA was on this very same road and heading for his position.

Meanwhile, the 501st Schwerepanzer Battalion had been out in front with Rommel on the road to Ghafsa, which was almost a hundred kilometers south of Kasserine. They reached a defile at El Guettar, and rumbled on through. Just where the highway was about to meet the rail line that branched off to the phosphate mines and other destinations south, they ran into the head of the US 34th Infantry Division in a long column of march. General Ryder had been ordered to Ghafsa, but he had not sent out much in the way of recon. What happened next would give the American infantry a real taste of tank shock, to be sure.