Invasion: New York (Invasion America) (31 page)

Mansfeld remained silent.

The Chancellor folded his hands, resting them on the table. “I am reminded of a historical parallel. In the First World War, the German armies swept the Allied forces ahead of them. Kaiser Germany made impressive military gains in those opening weeks. Yet the armies were supposed to swing behind Paris in their scythe through Northern France. Instead, the armies did not swing wide enough, but swept
before
Paris instead of behind it, leaving the capital intact and thereby saving France. That single mistake led to four years of horrendous warfare and the downfall of Imperial Germany. I fear that here in America our great blow will not strike deeply or far enough. I fear that you will fail to garner sufficient victory for this vast outlay of GD expenditure and blood.”

“We have Lake Ontario,” Mansfeld said quietly.

“Back in Berlin you said we would have Lake Ontario
and
Lake Erie by this stage in the campaign. Your plan called for a sweep through New York
and
through Northern Pennsylvania. We need to stretch the American defense so they are not strong enough where our main blows fall. Your blow might possibly fall short as you make the great attempt to encircle several American Army Groups, as you attempt to capture an entire front.”

“Excellency,” Mansfeld said. “I will give you as a gift one million American captives by the end of summer.”

“You boast,” Kleist said. “You tell me what you will do when you cannot even accomplish your prerequisites for victory given me in Berlin. The Americans have outfought you in Southwestern Ontario. Now they have begun to go on the offensive there. Just like Hitler in Russia, you lack sufficient manpower to complete the task at the critical juncture.”

Mansfeld’s eyes narrowed and he felt heat in his chest. “You have misjudged the situation, Excellency.”

Kleist’s eyes seemed to glimmer. “Have I?” he asked, softly.

“I have sufficient reserves that if I so desired I could smash through the Americans in Southwestern Ontario,” Mansfeld said. “I could also secure the Lake Erie coastline. Instead, I save my strength for the critical blow. Yes, it is true the Americans are stronger in Southwestern Ontario than I expected. Yet for them to achieve this they have stuffed their precious reserves in the wrong place. That means they will not have sufficient numbers or firepower to stop the amphibious assaults from the east and west. That is where I will use my reserves to the greatest advantage.”

Kleist gazed at Mansfeld. Finally, he said, “I have bad news for you, General. I have bad news for the German Dominion. Two days ago, I learned that Chairman Hong went before the Ruling Committee. He tried to convince them to order the North American PAA into a limited assault. I happen to know that Hong would have preferred a general offensive in the Midwest, but he knew the Ruling Committee would never agree to that. Yet if he could persuade them to launch several limited offensives and provide extended artillery bombardments, it would have frightened the Americans. Hong requested the demonstration of force and the Ruling Committee voted him down. The Chinese and Brazilians are going to wait this year as they rebuild their armies.”

“That is unfortunate news,” Mansfeld said, “but not altogether unexpected.”

Kleist barked a sharp laugh. “Unfortunate, our strategic wizard says to us. That is an understatement, General. It means once the Americans learn of this, they can ship vast reinforcements against us and crush our Expeditionary Force. They will hurl our amphibious landings off the various shores.”

Mansfeld glanced at the assembled officers, at the Field Marshal standing with his pointer. Slowly, he began to shake his head.

“Oh, the strategic wizard disagrees, does he?” Kleist asked. “You believe we have unlimited numbers, I suppose? But the Americans have already begun to outnumber us in Southwestern Ontario. They have denied us the Lake Erie coasts we needed. We are so strong and powerful that we cannot even complete the prerequisites for victory.”

“Excellency,” Mansfeld said. He tried to ignore the heat in his chest. It burned hottest in his heart, and he wondered for a second if that was a signal for a heart attack. No, no, he could not afford that now. He must speak with utter calm. He must soothe their fears and let them see how he viewed the situation. All great conquerors had moments of doubt. Nothing was certain in war. But it was always good to remember that the enemy had his own sets of worries. The trick was to steel your nerves and act boldly at the correct moment.

“Speak,” Kleist said, waving a hand. “Spin your webs of fancy and tell us how everything will come out well.”

Mansfeld forced himself to speak slowly and to keep every inflection off his features. “Excellency, the Americans and Canadians have always outnumbered our Expeditionary Force. We have predicated the assault on our superior training, weapons and tactics. From the beginning, we struck first and pulverized one set of enemies before the next could come up and support them. We smashed the Canadians, hurled back the rest and hit the approaching American Strategic Reserve. They have repeatedly attacked us piecemeal and we have devoured their forces one by one. Finally, the enemy stripped reserves from critical coastal defenses. With those numbers, they have brought greater firepower to bear against us in Southwestern Ontario. But that is exactly the wrong place, Excellency. They must believe I desire Detroit. I do not, and I never have.

“Now we must move with speed, using our advantages while they squander their momentary gains. We will land in mass at Rochester. One third of the amphibious force will rush to Buffalo. There, they will encircle the US Fifth Army in the Niagara Peninsula, cutting them off from their supply base. The other two thirds will head east along the lowland route. Shortly thereafter, Kaltenbrunner will land on the Jersey shores and capture New York City. He will head northwest, heading up the Hudson River for Albany. The two amphibious forces will met, trapping US Army Group New York and US Army Group New England. Together with the US Fifth Army that will combine to over one million American soldiers in our net. It will be a monumental victory, Excellency, and it will be the beginning of our continental conquest. ”

“You speak glibly,” Kleist said. “Why not also speak Southwestern Ontario into the bag as well while you are at it?”

Mansfeld allowed himself a brief smile. “I have deliberately kept myself from giving General Holk the reserves he needed to reach Detroit. Those reserves will land in New York State. From there they will race unopposed to Buffalo and to Albany. The Americans should have kept more divisions back. Instead, they have put them in Southwestern Ontario where they will do them no good. I wish you could see that as I do, sir.”

Kleist glanced at his yellow pad on the table. He drummed his fingers, soon asking, “Once you land in New York, why won’t the Americans simply redeploy their excess numbers?”

Mansfeld shook his head. “Holk will attack in Southwestern Ontario. He will keep the pressure on them and cause them to fear for Detroit. Under those conditions, Excellency, it will take the Americans time to decide on the correct move. By that time, my speeding armies will have reached their destinations. It is inevitable.”

Kleist glanced at Wessel.

As he stood by the screen, the old Field Marshal cleared his throat.

“Do you believe General Mansfeld’s plan is feasible?” Kleist asked.

“On the surface it has some interesting possibilities,” Wessel said. “But I would need to hear the plan in detail before I pronounced judgment on it.”

Once more, Chancellor Kleist drummed his fingers on the table. Soon, he spread his fingers on the wood. “Get up, General. Take the pointer. Tell us the specifics of your plan.”

Mansfeld shot to his feet and strode to the computer screen. He accepted the pointer from Wessel. Ponderously, the Field Marshal went to his chair and sat down.

He had them, Mansfeld knew. Kleist worried about the coming assault. No doubt, the Field Marshal had his doubts. Before a great assault, fear and doubts always stirred and rose up. He would show them that he had the situation under control. The German Dominion had already achieved greatness this summer. Soon now, they—and he—would enter into the military halls of the gloriously victorious against amazing odds.

“First,” Mansfeld said, tapping Rochester, New York, “you should realize…” He proceeded to outline his plan and show them that he had everything under control.

From
Military History: Past to Present
, by Vance Holbrook:

Invasion of Northeastern America, 2040

2040, July 7-10. Beachhead
. General Mansfeld carefully readied the assets needed for the daring Lake Ontario amphibious invasion. He lacked the shipping to move the entire GD Twelfth Army at once, and would need to control the lake for extended voyages and for supplies. Despite a large number of hovers, the majority of the men, machines and materiel would cross on impounded Canadian and American freighters, ore haulers, tugs and recreational craft. Some historians believe Mansfeld now operated on the old SAS maxim:
Who dares, wins
.

Despite hard weeks and months of war and constant attrition, a large number of Beowulf short-range ballistic missiles heralded the assault, striking targets along the American Lake Ontario shore and farther inland. In the predawn hours, the bulk of the GD XIV and XV air corps lofted, flying constant sorties and providing CAP protection for the ad hoc fleet. GD stealth craft and UAVs challenged several critical US strategic lasers. The UAVs took substantial losses while the stealth craft inflicted surprising damage to the sites.

Several hours after the barrage and led by daring Galahad hovers, the lead elements of GD Twelfth Army headed for the Ontario Beach Park shore of Rochester.

LAKE ONTARIO

Captain Penner of the Canadian Air Force flew low over the lake’s water. At this height, his plane had a horrible tendency to dip. It forced him to concentrate harder than normal. He didn’t want to plow into the water.

GD ballistic missiles had cratered the runway in Buffalo. Others had destroyed several F-22s and a squadron of V-10s.

The captain flew an F-35A2, with advanced Harpoon missiles attached. Lieutenant Aachen was his wingman. They stayed low—a mere thirty feet above the choppy waves—and kept their radar off. Far to the rear flew American AWACS. This was suicidal being out here tonight. The sky was full of Germans, and the enemy hunted for aircraft like his.

An air controller gave Penner the word: finally, he was going to strike back. Penner popped up to one hundred and thirty feet before he flipped a switch. A moment later, a Harpoon Block II cruise missile deployed. It was an upgraded AGM-84. Since this was an air launch, the Harpoon lacked a solid-fuel booster. After leaving the Lightning II, the turbojet engine turned on, and the 12.6-foot missile with its three-foot wingspan shot across the waves. The Harpoon was a sea-skimming missile with active radar. It sped for the Canadian ore hauler forty miles away. The ship carried Sigrid drones and a few GD crewmen.

“I’m ready to launch another,” Penner told the control officer.

“Negative,” the air controller said. “We’re waiting to see if your Harpoon’s guidance system can crack GD ECM.”

“Roger,” Penner said. If the Harpoon failed to pierce enemy ECM, they would have to abort the mission or move closer into the heavily defended sea corridor.

GDN
GALAHAD 3/C/1

Lieutenant Teddy Smith sat at the controls of his new Galahad hover. His radar and towed sonar array searched the predawn darkness for possible American targets of opportunity but more critically, he searched for American missiles heading toward his charges. Sergeant Holloway waited at weapons controls, his face as bleak as ever.

The sun would be up soon, and they weren’t even halfway across the lake yet. He still couldn’t believe his bad luck at getting shepherd duty for these wallowing tubs. The mismatch of Canadian ships carried a battalion of Sigrid drones along with a battalion of infantry. Their little flotilla was going to have to make several runs today, and C Troop would have to escort them to each shore.

Instead of a regular shell in the cannon’s chamber, they had an antiair round.

“Still all clear,” Smith said.

Holloway didn’t answer. He never did during combat unless it was absolutely necessary.

Well, at least he had a Galahad again. Smith had taken a lot of ribbing about losing a hover to a Great Lake’s sub. That was like losing it to the Loss Ness Monster.

I’d sure like to meet that sub again
, Smith thought.
It would go differently this time, I tell you the truth
.

Smith twisted his neck and heard something pop. At the same time, his air screen pinged an alert.

Behind him, Holloway sat up.

Smith stared at his air screen. “Do you see that?”

“Cruise missile,” Holloway said in his clipped way. “It must be a Harpoon. It’s heading straight for the ore hauler.”

Lieutenant Smith of C Troop shouted into the comm-unit and alerted the rest of the Galahads. Where was the air cover? The Americans shouldn’t have been able to get a Harpoon-launching platform this close to the transports. And they certainly shouldn’t have been able to do this so soon in the lake crossing. Was the mysterious sub out there, sniping at the fleet?