Stormtide Rising

Chapter 28

Events in Russia in late January and early February were very limited. The weather remained brutally cold in the north and central latitudes, but less so in the south. Hitler decided that Operation Edelweiss would proceed, for he had to eliminate the Kuban pocket and become master of that province, and he had every intention of denying it to Volkov, or using it as a bargaining chip in the tense negotiations that would soon transpire.

The Soviet Army managed one big push south of Orel towards Bryansk, which sent Hermann Balck’s 11th Panzer into the breach, and also prompted Hitler to rescind his long standing order that nothing staged for Operation Downfall against Leningrad would be touched. He ordered 1st and 8th Panzer Divisions to move by rail to the threatened sector, followed by four more infantry divisions. It was months yet until the scheduled start date for Operation Downfall, weather permitting, so he told himself there was plenty of time to reclaim those units down the road. That was what Himmler’s revelation of all these new SS formations had done, many building out much earlier than in Fedorov’s history. Hitler was now less stingy in response to a crisis on the field, doing more than simply ordering the defending troops to stand and fight to the last man.

As for Fedorov, his clever ploy to feed German intelligence that map of all the oil and gas operations that would become so significant in the region had a most dramatic effect. Hitler had just sent seven fresh divisions and three more brigades to stop the Bryansk operation, a force that was bigger than everything he had sent to Rommel over two years’ time. He did this on a moment’s notice, realizing at the same time how little support he had given to the war effort against the recalcitrant British Empire.

Yet now he had seen Guderian complete a dramatic thrust that delivered all of Northern Syria and Iraq to his control in a matter of weeks. Then, just as it seemed that Operation Phoenix had transitioned into a static and unwinnable battle for Baghdad, Himmler’s revelations had produced a decided sea change in the Führer’s thinking. He was going to smash the British, sending anything that was necessary to do so. He was going to get the oil he had so long coveted for the Reich, and he was not going to see Ivan Volkov shoulder his way into further control over that most strategic of all resources. If he could produce seven division to stop the Soviet attack at Bryansk, then he could do the same to ensure his victory in Iraq.

A message was sent to Guderian to make plans to renew his offensive south at the first opportunity. “45th Infantry Division now enroute, one of several reinforcements to be assigned to your command. Given your need to focus on Iraq, it therefore remains impractical that you should also be burdened with the administration of forces in Syria. It has therefore been decided to appoint an overall Theater Commander to administer the needs of both armies, and you will retain full command of the Army of Iraq. It is also anticipated that an offensive will be renewed against Southern Syria and Palestine, and as you cannot manage both, the new Theater Commander will take full charge of all operations in Syria, effective March 10, 1943.”

That commander was to be Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was informed of Hitler’s offer and decision not ten days after his return from Tunisia. The will to intervene dramatically in the Middle East was now finally there. If Rommel could not get to Egypt through Libya, then let him try through Syria and Palestine. It was now just a question of logistics, and Hitler set his new Wizard at OKW, General Zeitzler, to the problem at once.

“I have calculated the carrying capacity of the Baghdad-Berlin Rail at present at about 15 trains per day, with an average of about 480 tons of all types of supply per train. That yields a delivery at the major railheads in Syria and Iraq of about 7200 tons. Depending on division type, units in heavy fighting on the offensive can consume from 800 to 1200 tons per day. Units conducting a sustained advance consume between 600 and 800 tons per day. Those on active defense or siege operations, as we have at Baghdad, will need up to 600 tons per day.

So you can see that this supply delivery capacity permits no more than six divisions on active offensive operations on any given day. Nine can conduct sustained advance with limited fighting. Twelve might be involved in active defense or siege, including mop up operations.”

“We put up to 1000 rail crews into Russia during Operation Barbarossa,” said Hitler, “and in just twenty days we completed major rail gauge conversions that permitted us to use ten separate rail lines to support those operations. I want an effort like this to improve carrying capacity of all the rail lines through Turkey. See to it. I want those supply delivery figures increased by no less than 50% by April 1st, and doubled by May. Understand? Spare no effort, not in manpower, rolling stock, or locomotive engines. The weather is so severe that spring may be very late this year in Russia. So this theater now becomes my major interest.”

“That is accepted, but the limitations of the current railway line remain in place until this effort is mounted, which will begin immediately. At present, there are five divisions in Iraq, with one enroute, and six divisions in Syria, with one more assigned but not yet in theater—the 104th Jager Division. That makes 14 Divisions in total for the Armies of the Middle East under Herr Rommel. I also note that the 901st Lehr Regiment was also sent to Guderian, and Student’s 1st Falschirmjaeger is now being moved off Crete for deployment to either front. For the time being, this is the maximum we can support over the Berlin to Baghdad rail, even if we can increase to perhaps 18 trains per day.”

“Make every effort to do so. I will order all the rolling stock transferred from Russia, It is just sitting there, as the rail lines are frozen over. So it will not be a question of any shortfall in that area.”

“I also note that all the mobile divisions are with Guderian,” said Zeitzler, “where our best prospects for renewed offensive operations will now lie. The troops assigned to Syria under Herr Rommel are all infantry divisions, and four of the seven will be mountain or Jager Divisions, with only two infantry regiments each. This force is not suited for any sustained offensive into Southern Syria or Palestine. It will require at least two panzer divisions, and optimally, three. At present, unless further troops are sent from the Russian Front, I identify only the 16th Panzer Division in the West as being available.”

“Don’t worry, Zeitzler. There are more things in the works than you may yet know. Himmler has already delivered a new SS Korps to support Operation Downfall, and a second is building in the West. This is why I rescinded the order that none of the troops along the Dvina were to be touched. So yes, 16th Panzer goes to Rommel in Syria, and at the earliest opportunity.”

“I should note that Kesselring has also asked for that division,” said Zeitzler.

“He will have to wait.”

“Anything more?” Zeitzler waited patiently.

“I told Steiner to send the 5thSS Wiking Division to help kick off the Edelweiss Offensive. It has done so, precipitating the initial breakthrough, but now the heavy allotment of infantry divisions in that front can continue without it. That division has already fought in Syria. It was part of the initial incursion there, which in hindsight, should have been much better supported. Given that it is already familiar with the terrain there, I am ordering it detached from Steiner’s Korps, and it will also be made available to General Rommel. That should allow offensive operations to begin against Southern Syria, with the seizure of Damascus being the first major objective. Your goal is to therefore improve the rail line to support the divisions already scheduled for this theater, and these two new mobile divisions as well.”

“Very well,” said Zeitzler. “I will make it my top priority.”

“Good. You are a general that knows his business, and produces results instead of reasons why things cannot be done. We will double that rail capacity, even if it means we convert that line from a single rail to double tracks all the way from Istanbul to the Syrian border. As of yet, there has been no concerted effort on the part of the Allies to interdict that line through Turkey, so we must take ever advantage of this time, and move as much material and supply forward as possible. You have 90 days. After that we will have to begin reassigning rolling stock and rail crews to Operation Downfall, now tentatively scheduled for May.”

“And what about Kesselring in Tunisia?”

“I have already authorized a new infantry division shipping out from Toulon, the 337th. Unfortunately, there will be no more panzer divisions made available to that front. He already has five, and I do not see why that force cannot be adequately concentrated to achieve a dramatic result. Of course, I am told it is all for lack of infantry. If need be I will find another division to put that excuse to rest, and I am telling Kesselring that he is to plan a new offensive for the Spring as well. We will not give up Tunisia as we have lost all of Libya and Algeria. No. We will fight, and you, General Zeitzler, will make certain we have the means to do so.”

“I will do my very best,” said Zeitzler. “ I do note that, unlike the Turkish rail line, the supply route to Tunis and Bizerte is subject to Allied interdiction, both from the air, and by sea. The transfer of Raeder’s capital ships to the Black Sea greatly enhances Operation Edelweiss, but weakens the defense of those sea lanes to Tunisia by an equal measure. I do not think we can rely too strongly on the Italian Navy. We might be able to move one more mountain division to Tunisia, perhaps the 5th from the successful Crete Operation. Otherwise, I believe that the Tunisian front is already maxed out in terms of our capacity to supply the forces assigned, and if the Allies increase their interdiction effort, we may soon see shortfalls there. This is not something that can be cured by assigning rolling stock and rail crews. It needs considerably more—shipping that can be defended by naval forces, and a much stronger commitment by the Luftwaffe. Neither seems likely in the short run.”

“Then Kesselring must make do with what he has,” said Hitler. “These Generals keep asking for more troops, and more supply deliveries. First they must deliver on their promises! General Guderian has certainly redeemed himself with Operation Phoenix. I am hoping that Rommel will do the same, so make that theater your top priority. Look for a third panzer Division for Rommel.”

Ordering transfers and moving units would be done easily enough. Even if there were more divisions in theater than the carrying capacity of the rail line, not all of them would be used for active operations at one time. This would allow the shipment of infantry divisions, which could then occupy static portions of the line to allow the mobile divisions to conduct offensive operations. This was Guderian’s hope, and it would soon be realized.

In Syria, Kubler’s Mountain Korps would be reinforced to now include 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Mountain Divisions, and the Prinz Eugen 7th SS. The 12th Infantry Korps would retain the 31st and 34th Infantry in Syria, but send its 45 Infantry Division to Guderian in Iraq. By mid-March, Rommel would get the 3rd Panzer Korps HQ, with 16th Panzer From Marseilles, and the tough 5th SS Wiking Division from Steiner’s Korps, and perhaps one more division to be identified later, though he did not yet know this.

This heavy reinforcement allowed Guderian to move all the 22nd Luftland to Iraq, and then Student’s 1st Fallschirmjagers. The last division for Iraq would be the 104th Jaegers. This was all beyond the present capacity of the rail lines supporting these divisions, but Hitler’s decision to increase rail carrying capacity was actually also something that could be easily achieved, as he had already boasted to Zeitzler. After the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran in 1941 in the old history, the US and Britain took a rail system through Iran delivering only 200 tons per day to Russia, and increased it to a daily high of 7,520 tons by 1944. The Turkish rail system was far more developed after a year of work by the Todt Organization Battalions, so if such an effort were made to increase it further, that would soon become big trouble for Churchill and Alanbrooke.

Now Hitler turned to Zeitzler, with another pressing issue on his mind. “Herr General…. I want you to prepare a complete report on the current field army strength of the Orenburg Federation—numbers of divisions, typical strength and fighting quality, current deployments. Include any intelligence on weekly troop movements and make it part of my regular briefing. Furthermore, I want Student’s troops from Crete airlifted to Baba Gurgur and Kirkuk immediately. I will speak with Goring about the necessary air transport.”

Zeitzler could hear more in these requests than it seemed on the surface. “Are you concerned about possible hostilities with the Orenburg Federation?” He was very direct with this question, but that was his nature.

“That possibility has always existed,” said Hitler. “Would-be friends become enemies at the drop of a hat these days. Look what Franco did in Spain, and now the French. I have no doubt that the Italians are getting nervous now as well. Thus far, Ivan Volkov has been our ‘Ally’ because it suits his own aims to do so. This operation in the Kuban is a perfect example. We commit 24 good German divisions to do the job that he could not accomplish, and when we are finished, what will be our reward? The promise of oil? And how long before the first shipments begin to make any difference? It may be that we have to make some hard and practical decisions concerning resources that are needed by the Reich—critical resources that are now largely controlled by Orenburg. To that end, I want you to be prepared. No unit is to be transferred out of the Kuban after the successful conclusion of Operation Edelweiss—not unless I specifically order it. Understand?

“Of course, my Führer.”

“Furthermore, German troops are not to cede any ground taken in the Kuban to the control of Volkov’s troops. They are to maintain a well manned front, and there is to be no intermixing of Volkov’s units with our own. Any units of the Orenburg Federation currently behind our lines must move to their side of the demarcation line. I am also issuing a directive today, that Maykop is to be taken by German forces, and held, with no access permitted by troops or engineers from Orenburg. I will send our own oil brigades. I paid for the Kuban dearly, and for Iraq. I gave Sergei Kirov back Voronezh, which was taken at great cost by Model. It will be German arms, and German blood that secures the oil we need for future operations. I am no longer willing to wait on Volkov’s good intentions and well-spoken promises.”

The seed that Himmler had planted had now begun to grow into a dark, coiling vine in Hitler’s mind, and the only fruit it might bear would be more misery and war.

“One more thing,” said Hitler, pointing to a spot on the map that had been the center of his desires the previous year. “Remove the siege guns presently east of the Don and send them to Rostov. Then I want you to readjust our lines. Pull back these divisions here to the line of the River Chir.” He was pointing to the bitterly contested ground near Golubinskaya, that had been fought for in Manstein’s counterattack to stop Operation Uranus.”

“My Führer, is that wise?” Zeitzler finally found his voice. “If we pull back to the Chir, that means yielding the vital crossing at Kalach.”

“It is no longer vital,” said Hitler. “It is only a bridge.”

“But it is the primary bridge linking our forces to those of the Orenburg Federation east of the Don. And this move would also compromise the rail bridge at Nizhne Chirskaya. That bridge was to receive oil shipments from Orenburg as soon as Volgograd is cleared.”

“Don’t make me laugh, Zeitzler. We both know that will not happen any time soon. By the time it does, I will have secured other sources of oil.”

“Yet such a withdrawal will expose their flank and force them to find troops to watch that whole segment of the Don if they wish to hold as far north as the Aqueduct above Volgograd.”

“Precisely,” said Hitler coldly. “Once again, German troops will no longer shoulder the burden for Orenburg. Have I not made myself clear on this point? I wanted Volgograd, but now I can think of no sound military reason why it was necessary to take that city. It was only to strike a blow at Sergei Kirov to weaken his morale, and this we have already done. So now I throw it like a bone to Ivan Volkov, and let him chew on it. But German troops will no longer secure his left flank. You may notify the local commander of the 4th Orenburg Army 48 hours before this move takes place. Military Police are also to take up posts along the whole line of the Don, from the River Chir all the way to Rostov. I will send the Italians to watch the lower Don. I want all these dispositions completed within one week. That is all.”

That was quite enough. It seemed a small matter at the time, a mere inconvenience for Volkov’s forces near Volgograd, but it was to be a harbinger of something much greater yet to come.

Chapter 29

It was immediately evident that the Germans were planning a double envelopment of Baghdad, and Jumbo Wilson now sat with the prospect of having 90% of the entire British Army and Commonwealth forces in Iraq trapped there. He could see that if the Germans made a concerted effort in the southwest, Blaxland’s four Brigades would certainly not be enough to stop them. The attack east of the Tigris on his far right had been stopped by Kingstone at the Kayam Quarter, but for how long? He called Kingstone, Grover, and a few other division commanders to discuss their prospects.

“A fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into,” he began. “It’s taken every division we have just to keep them out of the main city districts. We lost the Al Muthana aerodrome, and it’s only a matter of time before they make a move on the Al Rashid field. The question is, should we hold here? In another two or three days, they might have the whole army in the bag.”

“That would be like a cat in a bag,” said Grover. “We can fight, and we can hold.”

“Possibly,” said Wilson, “but for how long? If they cut the rail lines south there will be no further supplies coming in. We’ve got stores to hold two weeks, but after that things will get difficult. I don’t want this to become the largest surrender of British-Commonwealth forces in this war.”

“If they do surround us, we could still fight our way out.”

“I have no doubt, but if it comes to that choice, then why not move now, while we still have the roads and rail lines open to the south? The pay dirt here in Iraq is all down south—Basra, and now Abadan. I’ve also just received information that the Orenburg Federation has negotiated further transit rights through Iran. They’re moving another large force through Tehran, and from there they can come south to Ahwaz.”

“The oil,” said Grover. “It’s all about the bloody oil.”

“Yes, the Iranians have big Fields at Ahwaz, and we might want to get there first and add that to what we’ve already taken at Abadan. But that means we have to give up Baghdad and move south. Opinions?”

“It’ll be dangerous,” said Kingstone. “We’ll have to move smartly, and fight a good delaying action. The Germans are masters of that sort of mobile battle. It’s this fight here that they don’t like—a city fight. That said, I see your point about encirclement. It may be that a cat on the run would have a better chance than one in a bag.”

“General Grover?”

“We’ll have to be nimble. I’ve had men down repairing cuts to the line as it stands. If we do this, we should start immediately. But what about Whitehall? Have they weighed in on this question?”

“I’ve a message here that instructs me to make the defense of the oil concerns in Southern Iraq my key priority. How I go about that was left to me. We thought we could stop the Germans by holding here, and we certainly did, yet I’m just not sure that we can hold out. I’d prefer to take my chances on the run.”

“What about the oil bunkerage?” asked Kingstone.

“We’ll load as much of the refined oil as practical, the rest burns.”

There were no objections, and so it was that Wilson decided to move that very night, gathering all his transport and rolling stock to get the wounded, and his supplies, loaded first. Then he set up a schedule for the withdrawal.

“General Grover, I want your division to watch the right flank, and you go along with him, Joe.” He looked at Kingstone.

“What about the left,” said Kingstone. “Blaxland is over there now, and he’ll make a mess of things. Mark my words.”

“I’m going move both the 7th and 9th Armored Brigades out first. They have good mobility, and they’ll be sent to backstop Blaxland’s brigades. Then the rest of the infantry falls back through the city to the rail loading points. We’ll get as much as we can onto the trains, the rest go overland by truck. We’ve enough lorries to make a good go of it.”

“What about the Levies at Baqubah?”

“I’m afraid they can’t be helped,” said Wilson. “The Germans have already cut off the road and rail connections south. They’ll just have to hold on as best they can.”

“Alright,” said Kingstone. “It’s as good a plan as any, except for those Levies, but we’ll have to step lively, and keep moving. The Germans will be right on our heels like a pack of hungry hounds, and they’ll harry us at every chance. We’ll need to stop and fight in the cities along the route, and Alexandria, and east from there to the Tigris, presents us will a relatively narrow front for a good delaying action. After that, we can fight rearguard actions at Al Hillah and Diwaniyah along the main route south along the Euphrates, and at Al Kut and Al Amarah on the route east of the Tigris, but I’m still worried about Blaxland.”

“To that end we’ve still got the 18th Infantry Division,” said Wilson. “I’ll pull it off the trains at Al Hillah, and then send that rolling stock on to Baghdad for us to use. Blaxland will follow the Euphrates south through Alexandria to Al Hillah, where he’ll find Beckwith-Smith’s 18th Division there in good positions to hold the line.”

“Good enough,” said Kingstone. “Thank God that division was available.”

“Indeed,” said Wilson. “I went to Auk with this plan, and he’s approved it, so we’re good to go. If I had heard strong objections here from you tonight, I would have reconsidered, but it seems this is for the best. Joe, where is Glubb Pasha?”

“He’s at the Oil Bunkerage.”

“Well see if he can move south tonight and watch the crossing points along the Euphrates. Alright gentlemen, let’s get busy. I’ll get the armor moving immediately.”

It was now to be run and gun, as Wilson sought to save the army, and get to some defensible line in the south. That night the sound of lorries was heavy in the city, a long dull rumble. Service troops worked for hours on end, loading everything of value they could. Artillery was given high priority, and all the ammunition. Most of the two Armored brigades moved south, but those M3 tanks of the Royal Wiltshires near the ferry landing had a difficult time getting back. Currie told them to hold at the Barracks, and he sped off south with the rest of his brigade.

A small rearguard held on in the north, the 5th Essex and 3/15 Punjab of the 21st Brigade. Most everything else in Central Baghdad got moving south, but troops still had to watch the east bank near all the bridges. All of Grover’s 2nd Infantry took the road that ran along the east bank of the Tigris, down past Rashid Airfield. That move strung out the division as a good flank guard, and they could also board a train on the rail line to Kut. Kingstone left his infantry where they were on defense against any continued thrust by the Germans, but he sent his armored cars down towards the small air strip at Salman Pak to screen that area.

The movement of both Armored Brigades behind Blaxland gave the indolent Colonel heart. The tanks and infantry lined up behind his defense lines, and Currie found him that night to brief him on what was happening. “The whole lot is headed south,” he said, “and you’re the rear guard for this flank. Don’t worry, my tanks will be right behind you.”

Soon they could hear the drone of the lorries, long columns making their way down to find the roads leading south. The trains were mustering there to take the guns and other heavy equipment south. The withdrawal was protected and screened by the same marshes, canals and other water obstacles that had made the city such a difficult place to attack, and Wilson was confident that he would get his army safely south. The question was where should he go? How far? Was there a place where he might turn and make a stand?

General Heinz Guderian could hear those columns moving in the cool night, and he smiled. The British were retreating! The dual envelopment he had clearly threatened had put a hard question to them, and this was how they answered it. Westhoven called from 3rd Panzer HQ and told him there was also a lot of movement heading south beyond Rashid Airfield.

“They’re pulling out,” said Guderian. I’ve got similar reports from General Beckermann west of the river.”

“Do you want me to try and stop them?”

“Stop them? Whatever for? No Westhoven, now we get our battle of maneuver back again. This thing here at Baghdad could have gone another two or three weeks, even with the new troops I’ve been promised. This retreat is exactly what I was hoping for. You can send recon elements out towards Salman Pak, but otherwise stay put. I’ve told Schmidt to bridge the Euphrates, and he’ll be all night and most of tomorrow doing that. When that is complete, he’ll take 10th Motorized down the west bank of the Euphrates and clear Karbala. Beckermann will move down the east bank, so they won’t be able to blow all the bridges as they move south. Fuel up, and get ready to move on my command.”

As far as Guderian was concerned, the Battle of Baghdad was over, and good riddance. He would take it as a pyrrhic victory, and now he could set his sights on what he really intended, the long drive south to Basra.

There were still many things on the General’s mind. First off, 45th Division was delayed when Student’s troops were given priority after arriving at Istanbul to cross the straits and board trains for Mosul. There was a reason for that. He had been called by Barenthin at Kirkuk, and learned that the situation there was becoming somewhat tense.

Barenthin had a single regiment sitting on all the key facilities at Baba Gurgur and in Kirkuk itself, but he reported the two Turkomen Divisions were now taking up positions in a wide semicircle, and moving up close to his lines. Ivan Volkov had been informed of the subtle, and not so subtle changes in the interaction of German forces with his own, and he was not happy about it. Tensions were slowly rising in areas where his troops were operating close to the Germans, and so he ordered that certain objectives were to be closely screened.

The local Turkomen commander did not yet have the gumption to actually order his men to confront the tough German paratroopers at Kirkuk, but he was clearly making a show of force, deploying his battalions to surround that area on three sides, wise enough to leave a route of retreat open for the Germans.

But Barenthin wasn’t going anywhere. He had been told that General Student and the entire 1st Falschirmjaeger Division were already on the way, but oddly, there was no direct rail connection from the railhead at Mosul to Kirkuk. With the Crete operation winding down, Goring had flown the paratroopers back to Athens, but he needed to use those transports to fly in garrison troops to replace them. So the division went by rail to Mosul, then south along the Tigris to a point about 120 kilometers east of Kirkuk. From there they would move overland using reserve trucks pooled there by the rail crews that had been working on the line.

Guderian also was still waiting for the other two regiments of the 22nd Luftland to come in from the Euphrates, an area that was now to be designated as part of Rommel’s new command. A detachment from the 164th Light was moved there to replace the 22nd, as reinforcements scheduled for Rommel’s Army of Syria began to flow in through Aleppo. Rommel was not even due to arrive for another week. He would reach Istanbul about the same time 16th Panzer arrived from the West, with 5th SS Wiking Division right on its heels.

The log jam was slowly breaking up. Things were beginning to move and become more fluid. Guderian had a lot of business right there in Baghdad, his troops, largely from the 78th Sturm Division, advancing into the city the following morning to take over ground abandoned by the British. KG Rosenfeld and Schafer were ordered east by Hube to rejoin the entire division and prepare for the drive south.

There were questions about the facilitation of a new Iraqi government he had to see to, as Rashid Ali was arriving to declare himself the new Pasha. The Embassies of Britain, China and the United States had to be searched, the whole city swept for stay behinders, supplies and fuel had to be salvaged wherever possible. So a sudden violent pursuit was out of the question for the next few days. He would give his troops some rest after the long battle, which had raged since the 22nd. On the last Day of February, he rode triumphantly into Baghdad, and when the news reached Berlin, Hitler was elated.

The Führer saw the sudden improvement on that front as the direct result of his determination to make it a priority. It was a much needed victory for him, after suffering a string of half measures, withdrawals, failed offensives and lost territory in North Africa. His spirits were high, and his mind was now obsessed with the tremendous economic and military windfalls that his Operation Phoenix had made possible. He might have reaped this bounty much earlier, but Brigadier Kinlan had stopped him in Syria. That shining knight in impenetrable armor was no longer there to joust for King and Country. It was a whole new war now, and the changes it would cause to the overall course of events were still unseen, even by men like Anton Fedorov.

In England, Churchill and Alanbrooke received the news with great distress. The Prime Minister would later say that the fall of Baghdad eclipsed even the loss of Ceylon in his mind for strategic significance.

“How is it possible,” he railed. “Auchinlek had five divisions to hold that city; over 100,000 troops. Montgomery stopped the Japanese at Singapore with far less.”

“First off it wasn’t Auchinlek in charge on the ground. It was Wilson,” said Alanbrooke. “It’s true that Wilson had 15 Brigades, and the two armored brigades as well compared to 10 brigades defending Singapore, but Monty was facing only three Japanese divisions, while Wilson was facing two good German Panzer divisions, the Brandenburg Division, and other forces totaling at least 16 brigades.”

“Even odds,” said Churchill.

“You might see it that way, but these were some of the best troops in the German Army, while a lot of those Indian divisions, the 5th excepted, had languished in Persia with little training, poor equipment, and understrength formations. The 6th and 8th Indian Divisions were garrison units, and rated as even second tier units for defense. Wilson had little in the way of offensive potential until Grover finally arrived with 2nd Division, and the armor came up. By then, Guderian had pushed us out of west Baghdad, and was threatening a double envelopment. Wilson made the correct decision. If he had stayed where he was, in ten days to two weeks we might be discussing the loss of the entire army.”

“But we simply must hold on there in Iraq,” said Churchill. “It cannot be lost, any more than we could afford to lose Egypt when Rommel was after us. We defeated him, and so we must also stop this General Guderian. Where can we find more troops?

Chapter 30

That was a very good question.

“We have other assets close at hand,” said Alanbrooke. “Don’t forget the two divisions in Abyssinia. The 11th East Africa Division is formed up, pulling troops from Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika and Rhodesia. Fluffy Fowkes has it there now, and he’s been training the men well from all reports. Then we still have the forces we used for the occupation of Madagascar last year. The two good British Brigades returned to 5th Division in Syria, but there’s still our 29th Independent Brigade, the South African 7th Motorized Brigade, and the Rhodesian 27th Infantry Brigade there as a garrison.”

“We might make good use of the 29th Independent.”

“My thinking exactly. The other two can stand as a garrison well enough. Now then, after that, we have more troops being organized by General Giffard in Africa. He’s used units of the Royal West African Frontier Force and teed up two divisions for service in Burma, or the planned counterattack at Ceylon.”

“Ceylon can wait,” said Churchill glumly. “We’ve lost the rubber plantations, but losing the oil rigs is out of the question, and the Germans have already occupied Baba Gurgur.”

“Well, we’ve taken Abadan from Persia in compensation.”

“Which we should have done long ago,” said Churchill. “The Persians have been flirting with the Germans ever since Turkey became a wayward bride. Now they’ll throw in with them completely.”

“It couldn’t be helped,” said Alanbrooke. “Don’t worry, they’ve little to contribute militarily, though they did cross the border into Iraq and they’ve occupied Amara after we took Abadan and Ahwaz. We did have plans to go all the way to Tehran, but that operation had to be shelved when the Germans pulled Operation Phoenix out of their hat—that’s what it’s being called.”

“Well named,” said Churchill. “They took an old plan that we foiled with our own Operation Scimitar, then gave it to an old General that had gone into semi-retirement after falling out of favor with Hitler. Well it seems there was a good deal of mileage left in that warhorse after all.”

“Indeed,” said Alanbrooke. “I agree that under these circumstances, our attack on Ceylon will have to be postponed.”

“These two new divisions Giffard has organized,” asked Churchill, “will they be any good?”

“Decent fighting men,” said Alanbrooke. “But they’ll have no transport—not even for artillery or any of the heavy equipment. They were both to be organized using porter squads to carry everything—jungle warfare has little use for trucks. That may be good for Burma, but they’ll have limited offensive capability if sent to Iraq, unless we can motorize them.”

“We’ll have to do so. Trucks we have in abundance, but it’s a long voyage by sea to get them there. What else can we find—good experienced troops?” Churchill was pacing.

“The 70th Division is still with Slim in Burma. It’s perhaps the most experienced division there.”

“We’ve already stolen away his 2nd Division. No, I think we’ll have to leave the 70th where it is.”

“Then there’s the Canadians,” said Alanbrooke. “1st Division under Guy Simonds is training up for the Med. The 2nd and 3rd Divisions are just sitting about here in the Kingdom on garrison duties, and training for the eventual invasion of France, whenever that might happen.”

“That’s the ticket,” said Churchill. “How good are they?”

“Now that we’ve re-equipped them, they’re up to snuff, and I think they have good fighting men there as well. But again, even if we did send one, it would be six weeks getting there.”

“Which brings us back to our friends in Australia and New Zealand,” said Churchill. “Prime Minister Curtin was very adamant that his Aussies return home, but he can’t honestly think the Japanese are about to land at Sydney any time soon. Those are well hardened soldiers, and what are they doing over there now watching the home front? MacArthur has landed on New Caledonia, and Halsey has troops in the French New Hebrides. The Americans are getting a good head of steam up, and that should have eased the concerns of our friends down under. I must make an appeal to Curtain for at least one division again. There’s too much at stake.”

“For that matter,” said Alanbrooke, “what about the Americans? They have troops just sitting about in Australia as well.”

“What? Rob MacArthur? He’s been moaning about being short changed all these months. No, I don’t think we can count on help from the Americans, at least not for troops in this matter. The Commonwealth will have to do the job. Alright. I think we’ll have to take the best of our own forces in Africa, even if some of those units aren’t fully equipped. See to that, will you General Brooke?”

“Of course, sir. The 11th East African would be at the top of my list there.”

“Good. Then, if I can’t get my hands on anything down under, we’ll have to send the Canadians. But all these infantry divisions… will they be enough?”

“Put enough on the line and they can be very tough,” said Alanbrooke. “As for any offensive aimed at kicking the Germans out, that’s another matter.”

“Yes,” said Churchill, “what we need is more armor.”

“Everyone wants more armor,” said Alanbrooke. “Alexander has been hankering for more, and so we’ve had to gut the 8th Army and take it from O’Connor. I have no doubt that Monty will soon put in a similar request. Here in the Kingdom we still have the 9th, 11th, and 42nd Armored Divisions, and Hobart’s Funnies in the 79th. They’re all in the cupboard for future operations against France.”

“That’s a long way off, in spite of what General Marshall and the Americans are proposing with this Sledgehammer nonsense. We’ll have to win through in Tunisia first to even contemplate any further offensives in the Med, let alone against France. So tell me about these other divisions.”

“Of the lot, the Black Bull is the best—the 11th under General Burrows. It’s built out with two good armored brigades, and with our best new tanks. Then there’s the 9th Armored Division. It only has one armored brigade in it, but we’ve added a support group, and an infantry brigade. The 42nd Division has two armored brigades, but no infantry aside from a small support group.”

“I think we’ll have to hold on to the 11th, but might we put together something by mixing the other two? We can call it the Provisional Armored Division, or anything else that suits your fancy.”

“Yes sir, neither one is doing us any good here at the moment, so I suppose we might pick and choose from the litter to build something new, and there you have it, your Provisional Armored Division for Iraq. Send it on its way with one of the Canadian Divisions, and the situation in Iraq will look a good deal better, I can assure you.”

“Let me see what I can get out of Curtin.”

On that matter, the Curtin would remain closed, and Australia continued to insist it needed its only real fighting divisions to serve at home, training up new divisions that were all in the works. But Churchill would have more luck with New Zealand. The 2nd New Zealand Division was a veteran unit that had fought in the Western Desert before being withdrawn. In Fedorov’s history, it never was recalled home, continuing to fight in Tunisia and the Italian Campaign, one of the best Commonwealth divisions of the war. Something in the history of these events would now continue to pull that division into the orbit of the Kingdom, and Prime Minister Peter Fraser, attuned to the gravity of the situation in Iraq, said he would be willing to release his 2nd Division again if it was needed.

It certainly was.

All these deliberations showed just how resilient the British Empire and Commonwealth truly was. Within just a few months, forces had been found to reinforce 10th Army in Syria, and build out an all new Paliforce Army in Iraq and Persia. By taking units from India, Burma, East and South Africa, and now New Zealand, Churchill had the makings of an entire new Army.

It was decided that the Provisional Armored Division would be created and sent from the Kingdom as soon as possible, but in the short run, 2nd New Zealand Infantry Division was much closer and soon to be welcomed again. The 11th East Africa Division was also scheduled for deployment to Iraq, and it would be the first to arrive, along with the independent 29th British Brigade from Madagascar. Churchill was then prepared to send both the new African divisions if necessary, though he preferred to keep them on track for Burma. Yet he instinctively realized that the gravity of the war had shifted dramatically, and much might be won or lost in Iraq that could not be gained or lost anywhere else. As far as he was concerned, even the campaign in Tunisia would take a secondary role now, until Iraq was deemed secure.

Bletchley Park revealed that the Germans seemed to be of the same mind, and that an old nemesis, once thought vanquished, would soon return to the field. So Churchill was absolutely convinced that the entire war effort must make Iraq its number one priority.

“Rommel again!” he said. “We thought he was finally beaten in Tunisia. The Italians were calling for his head and he was sent home. But now we see that Herr Hitler was only huddling with his Desert fox, and all the while finding him a new desert. He’s been appointed the commander of all German forces in Syria!”

“A serious matter,” said Alanbrooke. “We thought Rommel was thoroughly knackered, and that they were giving that man a much needed rest, but there’s no rest for any of us in this war. Hitler has doubled down on this whole affair.”

“He has indeed,” said Churchill. “This is what the loss of Turkey precipitated. That was a very heavy blow. So we’ll pull all the stops and play to win there at all costs. Yet I’m thinking that Jumbo Wilson may be overburdened there in Iraq.”

“He’s a good man,” said Alanbrooke. “I’ve already told you that I second his every decision concerning Baghdad.”

“It’s not that,” said Churchill. “It’s just that he’ll be juggling a good many divisions soon, and perhaps more than he can manage.”

“Auk is there,” said Alanbrooke.

“Yes, but he’s been administering things on the higher level. I’m told he’s quite good with operational matters.”

“One of our best,” said Alanbrooke.

“Then let’s use him. Tell him I want him to roll up his sleeves and take charge of the ground operations more closely. He can coordinate with Wilson, but I want Auchinlek to get into the thick of things.”

“All right sir, that may be wise. After all, this thing is much bigger than it initially seemed. Bletchley Park thinks all these German operations are part and parcel together. They see Operation Phoenix and the big push now underway in the Kuban as closely related. But I’ve read the latest reports very carefully. There may be a silver lining in some of these storm clouds.”

“Pray tell,” said Churchill.

“BP says Hitler has issued some unusual directives of late, and they all have to do with the interface of German units with those of the Orenburg Federation. He’s sent his Italian contingent in the east to man the line of the Don, posted military police on all the bridges, pulled his troops out of the Volga sector, and now we’re told that there’s been some tension between the Turkomen Divisions Volkov sent through Northern Persia to Iraq, and the German troops garrisoning Baba Gurgur. Jerry pulled all those crack paratroopers off Crete and replaced them with a mountain division. Now they’re on the way to Kirkuk.”

Churchill’s eyes narrowed. “Interesting,” he said slowly. “Most interesting. Might there be cracks in the wall Volkov and Hitler have been building together?”

“It would seem so,” said Alanbrooke.

“That would be marvelous!” Churchill smiled for the first time in the whole discussion—for the first time since he left the Casablanca Conference with FDR. Since that time, he had been shunned by the Turks, then visited Palestine in the midst of that sudden new threat developing to undertake the sad duty of moving Wavell along to India before flying home to the UK. “Yes,” he said, “that would be blinding good news if those two ever came to blows. If there’s anything we can do to encourage that, we ought to be about it. Just when things look like they’re all going to pot, your enemy gets a mind to make a first class mistake. Let’s hope they get into a nice kerfuffle together. Brilliant—just brilliant!”

The army that Rommel was to inherit had been built as a holding force, composed mostly of light mountain troops. Now it was being reinforced with two line infantry divisions, a strong 16th Panzer Division which had been provided with all new tanks. Then the vaunted 5th SS Wiking Division under Otto Gille would arrive from the South Front in Russia, eager to dry out and warm up in Syria again. It was one of the heroes that had stopped Operation Uranus, Steiner’s old division, and he hated to see it go. This unit was still structured as a fast heavy Motorized Division, with the Nordland, Germania and Westland Regiments. It also included a Panzer regiment with 121 more tanks, as it had not been replenished after fighting in the opening rounds of Operation Edelweiss. That brought Rommel’s AFV total to 292, so before he flew to Aleppo, he made a special request..

He knew that any number of independent Panzer Brigades had been sent to the East Front, and wanted to get his hands on one. When he learned that one had been rebuilding in France, he asked for it as a personal favor, and Hitler granted his request. It was really restructuring as a heavy Panzergrenadier Brigade, the 101st, but it would add another 45 of the new Panther tanks to Rommel’s force, with a Schwere Company of 15 new VK-90 Lion Kings. They were prototype models, a little gift from the Führer to his favorite General. With good grenadiers included, this brigade would add a good deal of punch to any attack. All these units would gather under the newly designated III Panzer Korps, and including odd Marders and older tanks scattered among the Korps formations, Rommel would enter his new command in Syria with just over 375 tanks.

So while Jumbo Wilson struggled to administer his safe withdrawal from Baghdad, and Guderian cleared that city, the force that would finally make the German Army in Syria an offensive threat was being loaded onto the long steel rail lines and was heading south from Istanbul. They would arrive and take up positions near the T4 Pumping station and Palmyra, and a week later, on the 15th of March, Field Marshall Rommel would arrive at Aleppo. He had little time to rest after leaving Tunisia only three weeks earlier, convincing his personal physician that he was fit and ready for duty.

As soon as he reached his new HQ at Homs, his eyes played over the lists of units included in his new command, and the numbers and types making up those 375 tanks. The old desert warrior knew just what he would do with them.