“Jawohl, Herr Feldmarschal.”
“I want that report tomorrow, and I want to know if we can fix these tanks in the field, or if they have to go back. If they go back, they can go to hell for all I care. I’ll get you standard Schwarzpanthers as replacements and we’ll let the engineers and designers sort it out at leisure.”
“I’ll oversee it personally, Herr Feldmarschal.”
“Good. Now, I can’t afford for a top unit like yours to be less than fully ready, so, with or without the new Panthers, you will have your Korps combat-ready by 18th February. Klar?”
“Alles klar, Herr Feldmarschal.”
“Gut.”
The two men saluted in turn and Guderian moved off to his vehicle and left the exercise ground in the possession of the seething commander of the II Deutsches Mechanisierte Korps [Legion].
He moved to the signals section, where the operators and overseers studiously avoided his gaze.
“Get me Maior Bauer immediately.”
The operator worked the radio and the commander of the workshop unit labouring on the plain in front of him was soon responding.
“Ringelblume-six, Sonnenblume-six. I’m coming down to the exercise area and I’ll expect a report as soon as I arrive. Over and out.”
Bittrich tossed the handset back to the waiting operator.
“Inform all units ‘exercise over’. Return all units to laager. Senior Officers meeting at 1800 hrs.”
“Jawohl, Herr Generalleut… nant?”
Bittrich was already heading for his staff car.
1602 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1947, NATO Headquarters, Frankfurt, Germany.
“Welcome back, Brigadier General.”
Eisenhower was genuinely pleased to see his USMC spymaster returned from stateside leave.
“Thank you, Sir. Pleased to be back.”
“I hate it when you lie to me, Sam.”
Rossiter conceded with a shrug.
“You got me, Sir.”
“Did you attend to the other matters?”
“I did indeed, Sir. The training schedule for Europe-bound USMC units has been adapted. Took some persuasion, but your letter helped.”
The statement concealed many hours of USMC officers refusing to change certain aspects of training and falling back on their proven record in the Pacific, countered by Rossiter’s insistence on increased attention to aspects that were more prevalent in Europe than in the Pacific theatre, namely cold weather training, anti-tank work, tank/infantry cooperation, and increased close-combat input.
Rossiter considered it indicative of the nature of the US Marine that the appeal for more hand-to-hand combat training was heeded immediately and with relish.
After all, he was a marine himself and the aggressive attitude only left a marine when he was put in the ground and, even then according to folklore, God and the Devil always trembled when worldly battle released some of the Corps upon them.
Ike checked his watch and realised he was fast approaching the time of his next briefing.
“Anything else of note… official note I mean.”
“Went to some Navy missile tests at Chincoteague, plus spent a few days with the USAAF weapons testing unit at Alamogordo. You’ll be shortly getting some interesting new weapons it seems.”
“Another way of killing the enemy is always welcome.”
Eisenhower made his statement evenly and Rossiter could not understand if it was humour or sorrow that he detected.
“Anyway, enough of that. What did you do for yourself, Sam? I take it you had some ‘me’ time.”
“Sure did, Sir. Had a little time out at San Pedro with my buddy Howard and his damn plane. Man’s obsessed but, that aside, he sure knows how to relax, and his girlfriend Jean is an angel… leastways I think she is.”
Eisenhower raised an enquiring eyebrow.
“Well, it’s a matter of public record stateside. She wants to be an actress…but loves the lifestyle Howie offers… but won’t commit as she thinks it’ll clash with her career. As for Howie… well he’s pretty certainly in love with her. It’s public knowledge that he’s considering marriage to the woman…… it’s complicated, Sir.”
“Oh. Well. I’d love to meet the great man one day.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged, Sir.”
“Thank you, Sam. Now, I must be on my way.”
“Have a good day, Sir.”
Rossiter threw up a smart salute.
“You too, Sam.”
The briefing on the Czech situation had been informative, and the general situation seemed to have calmed down considerably, in as much as there now seemed to be active fighting in only five places.
The Czechs and the Slovaks had started shooting at each other as political ideals struggled for supremacy, the communists and the democratic nationalists fell out, creating a maelstrom of uncertainty set right in the middle of Europe, a maelstrom that affected the positions of both recent belligerents.
The USSR still refused to remove its forces from Vienna, citing the fluid situation in Czechoslovakia as the main reason, and the Red Army displayed increasing numbers along the Czech border, enough to properly police and monitor events according to their negotiators in Sweden, more than enough to move forward and occupy the eastern end of the ravaged country according to their counterparts at Camp Vár.
Both sides immediately agreed to halt all movement of their forces within the old national boundaries of the beleaguered state.
Both sides agreed to allow the Czechs to resolve their differences without direct military intervention or supply, and both sides agreed to actively bring both sides to the negotiating table at Camp Vár and honour any deal reached by the two factions struggling to achieve power in the region.
Both sides carefully avoided placing other restrictions, which enabled supplies to be moved in from all borders, destined for the faction of choice, supplies that often pushed the boundaries of what was and wasn’t military.
A Curtiss O-52 Owl supplied under lend-lease, reconnoitring the fighting had a close run-in with a USAAF Thunderbolt, so close that it lost two feet of its port wingtip, provoking an angry confrontation over the Swedish negotiating table.
An accidental mortaring of a Soviet position by Slovaks brought about a swift and terminal battlefield response from the Red Army unit attacked, which drew nothing but a murmur of understanding and agreement from the Allied side of the table.
What tested the military and politicians of both sides was finding accredited parties to bring to the negotiating table in Sweden, and the absence of suitable candidates ensured that the fighting continued.
The briefing officer retired, leaving the handful of senior commanders to chew over the details.
“So not even the fresh snowfalls are calming them down, Sir.”
“Which is surprising, Brad.”
They both turned to the dapper Frenchman who had raised his finger to speak.
“We continue to have Czech units present themselves to us seeking anything from munitions to food.”
De Lattre accepted another coffee from Simpson, who had got the role of drinks officer, as he was junior rank in the room.
“Thank you, General. It is difficult for us, especially when we have men who wear Allied uniforms seeking our help. My men do what they can to help.”