Hammer of God (Kirov Series Book 14) (12 page)

There the Vichy French blew both
the road and rail bridges and dug into well prepared positions. The town itself
was on the north bank of the river, and directly behind it there was an
imposing hill, Jebel el Kelb, rising to the 840 meter mark. Moving west from
there, across a flat valley, was more high ground over 900 meters known as Tel
Afar and Jebel Madani, and it was this sector that was now being scouted by
small patrols of Gurkhas. If it could be taken, it would unhinge the entire
French defense at Kiswah.

The ground here was strewn with
boulders, and very rugged, which made it impractical for the Scimitars. But the
Gurkhas were right in their element, accustomed to the high peaks of Nepal, and
found the hill no obstacle. It was therefore decided that two companies of
Gurkhas would advance under cover of darkness to take Jebel Madani, while the
third company and the Scimitars would take the road further north to attack the
village of Aartouz. Holding the extreme left flank of Centerforce were the
Argonauts and Popski with the Russian Marines. They found themselves on rising
ground, and approaching the village of Qatana.

It seemed a good plan, putting
the strong, modern troops on the left to outflank the French river defense at Kiswah,
but this vulnerability had not escaped the Vichy French planners either. Jebel
Madani was therefore garrisoned by 2/6th Battalion of the French Foreign
Legion, and a second battalion of these hardened troops, the 4/6th had come
down on the train from Homs the previous day. It was positioned in the key town
of Aartouz. Legendary for their tenacity on defense, the Legionnaires were in
good positions, with mortars, Browning Automatic Rifles, and the whole defense
was to be supported by a full regiment of artillery.

Yet this was not the worst of it.
Unbeknownst to the allies, the German mountain troops that had debarked at
Tartus had quickly boarded French trucks waiting for them there, and raced
south to Tripoli. There they boarded the trains to make their way south along
the coast to Beirut, then east through the mountain passes to the principal
Vichy French Aerodrome in Syria at Rayak. There they met up with two battalions
of the Luftland Sturm Brigade that had been airlifted the previous day. The
third battalion of that force had been forced to abort when the transports were
jumped by
Hurricanes
just off the Lebanese coast, and a swirling
dogfight ensued with the escorting Bf-109s.

Yet these two battalions of tough
paratroopers were now added to the whole of the 85th Mountain Regiment of the
5th Giebergs Division, making what now amounted to a heavy brigade of veteran
German infantry coming through the pass at Jebel Mazar to defend Damascus. It
would bring them into direct confrontation with the warriors from 2021, and the
battle that ensued would be one for the new history books these events were now
about to write— with blood and fire.

For a map of these
dispositions and other battles in this novel, please visit:

http://www.writingshop.ws/html/k-14-maps.html

Chapter 12

News
of the swift German
counterstroke against Cyprus was troubling, to say the least. General Wavell
had barely been able to muster an adequate force for the enterprising Operation
Scimitar, and now the words of warning Fedorov had tried to convey about the campaign
returned to haunt him.

Things on the Litani had gone
well enough after that first day. Forewarned about the difficulties the 11th
Commando had experience, Wavell had the three section officers well briefed,
and this time Pedder, More and Keyes made much better landings. The Aussies
pushed over the Litani, brought up engineers to get to work on the bridge, and
slowly unhinged the French defense when the Royal Scotts Greys and Stafford Yeomanry
attached to support this attack were able to cross.

The French decided to play for
time, swinging their defense back like a gate to reform along the Zahrani River
south of Sidon. They were encouraged by the stubborn defense they had mounted
in the center near Merdjayoun, which they still held, along with the old fort
that defended that road. The Aussies eventually took the redoubt, but now the
operation was days old, and their mission to swiftly break through here and
race up the valley to cut communications between Damascus and Beirut had been
foiled.

“Rayak,” said Wavell despondently
to O’Connor when the two men met to discuss the situation. “Given the hindsight
of what has happened, I can see that was the key axis of attack now. If we
could have pushed on through Merdjayoun to take that place, we would have the
enemy’s principle airfield, while also cutting the road and rail connections
between Beirut and Damascus. Now that the Germans are in it, they’ll use those
lines of communication to move troops to either flank. We should have put our
main thrust up that valley, with at least two full brigades.”

“It’s a pity the Russian Captain couldn’t
clue us in,” said O’Connor.

“That’s just the thing, this may
not have even happened insofar as they know the history. This Captain Fedorov
seemed well bothered about the changes being made. In time the war will look
like nothing he’s ever read about, so we’ll have to feel our way forward on our
own. The only question now is, what to do about this mess? It’s looking to be
the long slog this Fedorov warned us about.”

“This news from Sabre Force is
somewhat alarming,” said O’Connor. “It seems they’ve spotted German troops in
the high passes near Jebel Mazar. They have to be staging from Cyprus and
flying in under cover of darkness, or coming by convoy at night.”

“Yes, and we’d better have a word
with Cunningham and Tovey about that. The Royal Navy has to do more to
interdict any further movement of German troops by sea. The R.A.F. has its
hands full trying to duel it out with the Luftwaffe. As it stands, they’re flying
in troops from Cyprus and Rhodes—a battalion here, another there, and they all
seem to be concentrating on Rayak.” He tapped the map to point out the airfield,
some 50 kilometers east of Beirut. “If we had rolled everything up that valley
we might have Beirut outflanked by now.”

“If wishes were horses,” said
O’Connor. “We’ll need more than the two divisions we have there now if the Germans
build up any strength.”

“I’ve already sent for the other
two brigades of the 4th Indian Division,” said Wavell. Things went off without
a hitch after Habbaniyah, and the Golden Square is on the run in Iraq. So that
will give us the troops General Slim has there in the 10th Indian division, but
they’re a long way from Damascus as it sits now.”

“Don’t send them there,” said
O’Connor. “You’ll want them to run right up the Euphrates into Syria. We’ll
have to take the north as well before this ends, so we might as well get
started. Once Habforce can pull itself back together, get them back to
Habbaniyah. Then I’d have them backtrack and turn north to Palmyra. We’ll need
to secure the pumping stations and oil pipelines. Send Slim and the 10th Indian
Division right up the Euphrates an on to Aleppo. If nothing else it will force
the French to send more troops there, and might take the pressure off down
south at Damascus.”

“Yes? Well it might also prompt a
further reaction from the Germans.” Wavell had a worried expression on his
face. “This bloody operation is becoming much more than we realized. It could
develop into the major theater of the war effort here. Thank god Rommel is
playing a game of sitskrieg for the moment. He hasn’t moved from his positions
near Mersa Brega, but the Germans are building up there as well, and we’re
still fighting for Benghazi.”

“Damn unsporting of the Italians
to finally put up a good fight,” said O’Connor. He was restless, being assigned
to the Western Desert in Libya with no clear operation beyond consolidating and
taking that port.

 “Well, what about Kinlan’s
troops? They’ve taken Giarabub as planned, and we’ve got a good supply run down
to Siwa as agreed. Yet to leave those marvelous tanks just sitting there on the
flank when they could do so much good elsewhere…”

“What are you proposing?”

“Why should we just sit here
watching Rommel build up strength? He has us at a disadvantage. With both
Australian divisions at Benghazi, that leaves us only the New Zealand Division
and Kinlan’s force watching Rommel. We can’t go on the offensive, and we have
to truck supplies, food and water all the way from Tobruk. Meanwhile Rommel
sits at Mersa Brega getting fatter every day with a steady stream of trucks
coming down from Tripoli. We might reverse that situation.”

“How so? The Royal Navy is in no
shape to try and interdict that coastal road. I’ve spoken to Cunningham.
Churchill wanted him to bombard Tripoli, but it would only be a temporary stay,
and any disruption along the coast road would be equally short lived.”

“You mistake my meaning,” said
O’Connor. “We have Tobruk, and Rommel couldn’t take it earlier. Why stand out
west? We could pull back the 6th Australians into the Jebel country between
Marahwah and Derna, and post the 9th Division centered on Machili.”

“But we give Jerry the airfields
at Benghazi, Musus and Soluq.”

“True, but we’ll still have good
fields at Marawah, Al Baydah, Cyrene, Derna and Machili. I’ll pull together 2nd
Armored now that we’ve fleshed it out with the 22nd Guards Brigade, and I’ll
screen the approach to Tobruk south of Michili. 2nd New Zealand Division can
back me up at Bir Hacheim southwest of Tobruk. Then we put Kinlan’s brigade
here, south of the airfield at El Adem, or anywhere to the east for that
matter. Let it stand in reserve—a fire brigade behind our three infantry
divisions.”

“So we give up Benghazi?”

“It’s not ours to give!” O’Connor
smiled. “We haven’t taken it yet, but if we re-deploy as I suggest, we get back
the 6th and 9th Australian Divisions, which gives us a full infantry Corps with
Kinlan’s Brigade. Then the shoe is on the other foot. If Rommel wants all that
desert between Mersa Brega and Tobruk, he’ll have to pay for it in gasoline,
food and water. If he comes in strength, our prospects in a fight are much
better near Tobruk than they would be if it comes to blows out west.”

“Interesting,” said Wavell. “But
Churchill will see it as defeatism. He won’t like us leaving Benghazi to the
enemy, as they’ll use it to improve their own supply situation.”

“Well it was no bloody good to us
when we had the place,” O’Connor argued. “You can only get three or four ships
in at any one time, and under a good steady pounding from the air that port was
all but useless. If we can’t interdict Tripoli yet, we can damn well bottle up
Benghazi. I say it’s a worthless asset. We don’t need it. We can’t use it, even
if we do take it. So we shouldn’t spend our two best infantry divisions there
trying to take the damn thing. Strategic withdrawal, General, not defeatism.
This is a bit of a boxing match out here, and we’ve driven Jerry back to his
own corner. Now he’ll cover up and wait out the round, resting on the ropes.
Let’s get back in the center of the ring and see if he comes out after the
bell. We can’t go on the offense yet, not against a position like Mersa Brega,
and not while Operation Scimitar is likely to soak up any reinforcements we
might receive. I say we get some breathing room by moving back a bit and
freeing up those two Australian Divisions, then we might even be able to pick a
few cherries off that tree for Palestine if need be.”

“You mean Kinlan’s troops?”

“I know we’ve the issue of
secrecy and all, but a few of those tanks might make all the difference.
Kinlan’s force shouldn’t be out on a limb at Giarabub, or heaven forbid as far
west as Jalu. We won’t get anywhere near there unless we’ve already thrown
Rommel out of Mersa Brega, and are prepared to move on Tripoli. You and I know
that is simply not in the cards. So I believe we should move Kinlan’s boys up
north, where they can get to the coast road if needed. It’s a fast, mobile
force, and it could serve to reinforce either flank when necessary—the Western
Desert, or Palestine.”

“Which would mean we’d be running
them back and forth through Alexandria, for all those eyes to goggle.”

“We could manage it,” said
O’Connor. “They could move up to the rail head at Mersa Matruh, and we could
get them on the trains. The rail bridge over the Suez Canal at Kantara will
take the weight easily enough, and that’s a good heavy gauge rail line all the
way to Haifa. They’ll have to move at night, of course, and we could use the
Military Police to clear the roads and rail stations. We could even use tarps
to camouflage the tanks while in transit! We could pull it off. I’m sure of it.”

Wavell was quiet for some time.
Then he said a single word that summed up the one real problem with this
proposal. “Churchill. He’s thinking we’ve the Hammer of God in hand now, and
I’m already getting suggestions about a new offensive he wants to call Battleaxe.
He won’t take another backward step on our part well.”

“Yes, but he can be made to see
reason. From the position I describe, Cyrenaica would become a vast no man’s
land between the two camps. We’d be at Tobruk, and Rommel at Mersa Brega and
Aghelia. Both sides would push out patrols. There might be a bit of thrust and
parry there, and that’s a fight I think we can win. I’ll wager my hat that I
can hold Rommel at bay, and if he does get up enough steam for an offensive,
why, we’ll have Kinlan’s boys and those bloody tanks of his to stop him, just
like they did at Bir el Khamsa. Given the resources we have, this is the better
position, General. We should withdraw to the line I’ve detailed, and see what
Rommel does. If he takes the bait, all the better. Then we get a mobile fight,
with good flanks and an open desert. I’d prefer that any day to trying to slug
it out through that badland country near Mersa Brega. It’s the best defensive
position in Libya.”

It made perfect sense. The
British would shorten their supply lines, and force the enemy to lengthen his
if he wanted a fight. Everything O’Connor said about Benghazi was true, thought
Wavell. And Kinlan’s force positioned up north, perhaps near Sidi Barani, could
get to Tobruk in a flash, or see select units discretely peeled off for use in
Operation Scimitar. O’Connor was right. Just sitting out west watching Rommel
was no good.

“I’ll take it under
consideration,” said Wavell. “Which means I’ll spend the whole night drafting a
note to Churchill about what we propose to do. Perhaps we could get the Russian
Captain to weigh in on this with us. The Prime Minister seems to have taken
quite a liking to the man.”

“Yes, I noticed that. Well it’s
understandable. He has the answer to so many questions in his head that I would
think Churchill would have him locked away in the tower by now, and having tea
with him every afternoon. Letting on that we win this damn war was heartening,
to say the least.”

“It was, but three more years,
Richard. It’s going to be a long hard slog, and I don’t think this Fedorov told
us but a thimbleful of all he knows. He was right about the Germans. If they
get serious and find a way to supply a large force in the Middle East, we can’t
match them. This is why these developments concerning Cyprus, and troops
landing at Rayak, are so bedeviling. We’ve got to prevent them getting a firm
hold in Syria. A stitch in time saves nine. We need to sweep them out of the
Levant and link up with Turkey… before they do the same to us.”

“Agreed,” said O’Connor. “And
we’ve just the tool we need in Kinlan’s force. Shall I have a chat with him
about another deployment? He still has four battalions now, but each one has
the fighting power of one of our brigades, if not more. Suppose I ask him for
one good battalion, stiffened with a troop of those tanks.”

“They’ll have trouble on the
inland roads through those mountains in Lebanon, and I doubt if any of the
bridges along that coast road would handle them well.”

“He has engineers. Have you had a
look at some of their other vehicles? He’s got a real monster called the
Trojan. Damn thing looks like a crab out of hell, with a massive mine plow
forward and three metal arms. Another is called the Titan AVLB—that’s for
Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge. Looks like we did a few things right in the decades
ahead. It can bridge a 60 meter obstacle in minutes!”

“Damn amazing. Well I’d put
whatever force General Kinlan may part with on the coast road, or right in the
center for the drive on Rayak. The resistance has been very tough there. Once
we get Rayak, and cut the roads and rails between Damascus and Beirut, things
might look a little better for us. Alright, let’s see what Kinlan thinks.”

“You could simply order the
deployment,” O’Connor gave Wavell a look, curious as to his reaction to that.

“Yes, I could order it, but as
things stand I think we’d best get his opinion on the matter first.”