Opening Moves (The Red Gambit Series) (72 page)
Read Opening Moves (The Red Gambit Series) Online
Authors: Colin Gee
His newly acquired rifle lay propped by his side, its bloody bayonet testament to the hand-to-hand gutter fight that had resulted from the desperate charge.
They had died hard, these damned Amerikanisti, as hard as the German to be sure.
The headache was extreme now and the bandage seemed to get tighter by the second, squeezing his head.
Grabin had reported to him but he could not remember what was said, except that he handed command of the battalion over to his old soldier.
The Regimental Commander’s GAZ moved up the track amongst the dead and dying, clearly on his way over the bridge.
Deniken struggled to his feet quickly to give his report and, just as quickly, dropped to the ground.
His fight was over for now but he had done his duty and the line was broken.
It would be many hours before the newly-promoted Commander of 3rd Battalion, 49th Guards Rifle Regiment regained consciousness.
Some two hours after Deniken was taken back to the medical facilities established outside of Bienenbüttel, one company of 3rd/77th Engineer Brigade was brought forward by the scar-faced Major Elstov. He was keen to get his valuable bridging equipment secreted in the woods either side of Hauptstra²e, running north out of Heiligenthal, now finally free of the enemy who had been pushed back beyond Kirchgellersen.
The arrival overhead of three USAAF 405th Fighter Group Thunderbolts was perfect timing for the Americans and could not have been worse for the engineers.
A trio of quad-mount Maxim AA guns had been positioned to defend the bridge until more substantial assets could be placed, and they engaged immediately.
Major Eltsov frantically signalled his trucks to scatter and seek refuge in the woods but the previous artillery barrages had made the ground difficult to negotiate at the best of times.
Part of the briefing received by Soviet officers on the allied air forces concerned the use of rockets by ground-attack planes. For the Major, the claim that they were extremely inaccurate paled into insignificance when it came to being on the receiving end of a full salvo from a determined and experienced enemy.
The first P47 drove in hard and released all eight rockets at the scattering engineer vehicles.
Watching behind him as his Jeep rode up on the bridge, Eltsov winced as death was visited upon the troops he led, disproving the inaccuracy claims of the GRU Colonel who had briefed him.
In his rage he screamed at his driver to halt, which he did, bringing the jeep to a stop in a storm of pebbles and dust.
Eltsov slapped the man on the shoulder and pointed off towards a smoking structure nearby. Grabbing his SVT automatic rifle, he ran back over the bridge, only to stop short as the second salvo of rockets arrived, more deadly than the first.
The vehicles carrying the inflatables had been in the centre of the column, and it was these that had been badly handled by the first strike. The second strike had been aimed at them as well but had overshot and fallen as accurately as could be upon the lorries containing most of the prime personnel, his best engineering troops, veterans of combat bridging operations from the Volga to the Elbe. Few of them survived intact as soft-skin transports demonstrated their lack of resistance to high explosive.
The Major winced as bodies were tossed high, whole or in pieces, fire and smoke concealing the area from whence they sprang.
Shouting as loud as he could, he waved frantically at the front vehicles, desperately encouraging them to scatter for cover as he stood exposed on the bridge.
The fourth vehicle stalled, holding up those behind but first three vehicles sprang forward, almost propelled by the carnage behind them, and reached the bridge, timed to the second with the arrival of the third aircraft’s salvo.
Bridge and lorry disappeared together as the first pair of rockets struck precisely, the bridge decking units from the Studebakers load tossed and shredded by the blast. The next three pairs turned the east side of the bridge approach into a maelstrom, converting men and machines into pieces and spreading them for yards in all directions.
The planes were gone in the blink of an eye, pursued by lead from the two surviving but impotent Maxims.
In their wake, the carnage was complete, the bridging engineer company now consisting of thirty-seven wounded and shell-shocked men who would never be the same again.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt
The first of them had arrived at 1325 and was immediately shown to the elegant dining room where a modest buffet lunch had been provided and where sat General Dwight D Eisenhower in full uniform. The others arrived in short order and soon the ensemble was complete.
As quickly as was considered polite, the orderlies cleared away the side tables, provided coffee for the thirteen men and left.
The general hubbub of conversation dropped, conversation that had not been about the most pressing matter in the minds of the nine visitors but had just been small talk of family and life. What they all wanted to know most was why they were here.
Eisenhower rose to his feet, two other senior allied officers remaining seated by previous agreement. A US Army intelligence Major took his cue from his General and commenced his brief, addressing both sides of the long walnut table equally, firstly in his native tongue and then in English, a courtesy not lost on the nine.
“Gentlemen, my name is Major David S. Goldstein,” the Jewish officer could not help but leave his name hanging just for a split second, “And I am here to translate for both groups, which I will do honestly, literally and completely, to ensure full understanding.”
Goldstein pulled out a small stack of V-shaped cards and walked towards his own grouping of officers.
“For ease, it has been decided that name indicators would be appropriate and so I will place them out now by way of introduction.”
He leant round Eisenhower placing a name strip and, despite the General not needing any introduction whatsoever, named him, including the position of Supreme Allied Commander. Respectful nods were exchanged across
Moving to Ike’s right the diminutive Major placed out the strip for Joseph de Monsabert, naming him as the representative of the French Government and General commanding French Forces in Germany.
Placing his own marker in the space he had recently vacated to Monsabert’s right, he moved to the other side of Eisenhower in order to complete the Allied ensemble with the naming of Brian Robertson, Baron of Oakridge, presently the British Deputy Military Governor of Germany and Britain’s representative at these proceedings.,
Effortlessly, he moved around to the other side of the long table and commenced his introductions of the guests.
“Franz Von Papen”.
More correctly known as Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen, his credentials were impressive. A former army Colonel, politician, and one time Chancellor of Germany; Von Papen was a name that would be known to every German.
Leaning forward the second strip was placed.
“Adolf Schärf.”
Twice a political prisoner of the Nazis, Scarf was head of the newly formed Social Democratic Party of Austria.
Von Papen noted that with each name, nods from the Allied sides showed acknowledgement.
A strip for the provisional President of Austria.
“Karl Renner”
‘
Nods of acknowledgement, and something else
.’ The old politician’s senses lit up.
The Prime Minister of Bavaria received his name strip.
“Wilhelm Hoegner.”
‘
It isn’t contempt
.’
No mention of his former military rank of General-Oberst.
“Heinrich von Vietinghoff.”
‘
It isn’t superiority
.’
Another General-Oberst status went unmentioned.
“Heinz Guderian”
‘
It isn’t hate
.’
The ex-minister of Armaments and War Production needed no introduction.
“Albert Speer”
‘
It certainly isn’t subservience
.’
Neither did the last leader of the failed Third Reich.
“Karl Dönitz.”
‘
It isn’t even mistrust
.’
Finally, the last Chancellor of Germany, albeit briefly and not by that name.
“Johann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk”
‘
Grü² Gott! It looks very much like need
.’
Goldstein, having finished his introductions, strode to the main double doors and knocked on one, which was immediately opened and admitted two US NCO’s bearing organised files and documents, one grouping of which was placed before each man present.
Each lay where they were placed, untouched by the recipient, as if by common agreement.
His work done, the First Sergeant left the room, the T4 Sergeant taking her place at the stenotype in the corner of the room.
Eisenhower began, and Goldstein translated into German.
“Thank you all for coming here at such short notice. I know some of you have been held awaiting investigations into your activities over the last twelve years and I must stress that such investigations will run their course and where there has been transgression, justice will surely follow. Today you should have been ten and now you are nine, because the individual concerned has been proved to be associated with unacceptable activities. What needs to be done cannot be done at any price. I hope that you will all understand that.”
Ike waited until Goldstein had delivered the translation and deliberately prolonged the pause to let the words sink in. There was no hint of a reaction from those facing him.
“Gentlemen, by now you will all have heard of the events which commenced yesterday morning.”
The pain on the faces of all of those across the table encouraged Eisenhower. His next words were deliberately chosen.
“This attack poses the highest possible risk to all our countries,” indicating not only those before him but the two allied officers either side of him, “And will not be easily defeated, and certainly not without great loss, even in the face of our unity.”
That was noted loud and clear.
“Germany is without government, as is Austria, both controlled by our Military at this time.”
As each word wormed its way into their minds of the Germans and Austrians, to a man both groups squirmed out of national embarrassment, as well as developing more understanding as to part of their purpose in being there.
“Each of you is a figurehead, a leadership icon to your people, to varying degrees and with appeal to different sections of your societies, from the military across the spectrum of your homelands political make-up.”
Eisenhower’s craving gave him a moment’s pause. He coughed.
“I have today spoken with the President of the United States, the British Prime Minister, and the French Head of State. They all support the view that we stand on the threshold of Europe and the World’s darkest days, and all three fully endorse these proceedings.”