“Then I would need fresh panzers. Will the 24th Panzerkorps be refitted and returned to the front?”
“I’m afraid not,” said Zeitzler. In fact, we must also withdraw its last division, 22nd Panzer. The division fought bravely in April, a real life-saver for Model’s flank, but it is simply worn out.”
“Then perhaps the divisions sitting in Army Group North?”
“Out of the question,” said Hitler. “No further forces will be withdrawn from that Army Group.”
Kluge shrugged. “Then I regret to say that I do not believe that Army Group Center, as it is presently structured, is capable of mounting and offensive from Bryansk that has the slightest chance of ever reaching Kursk. At best, I could put in a spoiling attack, and then the main effort would have to come from the south, which I assume would be a combination of Knobelsdorff and Steiner.”
“That attack alone might be enough,” said Zeitzler.
“Yes,” said Manstein, “but it leaves that large grouping of forces unfought between the Donets and Oskol, and behind our main offensive. I don’t like that, and I would suggest that Habicht be launched first to destroy those two Soviet Shock Groups.”
“How much time do you think we have here, Herr General?” Hitler began to lecture again. Time was also money in his mind. “The Habicht operation would take two or three weeks, and there goes May. If we then move forces to launch Operation Zitadelle, another week is lost and it will be late June before we could then begin to contemplate Untergang, possibly even July. I think we must choose one or the other. Habicht is a little bite that hardly fills the stomach, and leaves us hungry for more in Panther or Zitadelle. I think we would be better just to form up for Zitadelle and attack. Kursk is a worthwhile objective, and attacking in great force from the south should get us there. I will see what I can do to strengthen your assault force, General Kluge. My thinking leans towards Zitadelle. Prepare for that as the main operation.”
It was a strange echo of the decision made in the old history. Then, there had been no consideration for an Operation Untergang, but the strategic situation in Army Group South was very much the same as it was before, with one exception. Manstein still had forces deep in the Caucasus….
Part IV
Zitadelle
“We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave… and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."
Chapter 10
“Zitadelle would require Steiner to move north,” said Manstein, “but a little deception would be in order here. The enemy watches Steiner’s Korps like a hawk. If that hawk looks like it is forming up for the northern pincer of Habicht, and 57th Panzer Korps gets positioned in the south near Kupyansk, perhaps that would convince them we are going to attempt that pincer operation. Knobelsdorff can move in tight behind Model and appear to take up a defensive posture, and if Zitadelle is the final decision, then Steiner finds his Korps in a very good place to quickly move north.”
And so it was decided, the history leading down the same familiar pathways as it did in another telling of these events, but it left Manstein with more than a few misgivings. First off, the enemy strength between the Donets and Oskol Rivers was considerable. What if that force were used to stage a strong counterattack while the Zitadelle operation was pushing north? He voiced this objection again, but Hitler batted it aside.
“Once they see what we are reaching for, the enemy assault groups in the south will have no choice but to retreat north if they wish to intervene, and so we solve two problems in one throw.”
“You assume their counterattack would be aimed directly at the base of our offensive towards Kursk,” said Manstein. “If they do what you suggest, all the terrain east of Belgorod that I mentioned earlier will be a strong shield against such a counterattack, and for this reason I do not think they would do this. A more indirect approach would serve them better. They could just attack towards the Middle Donets again, or even Kharkov.”
“Nonsense. They will retreat, I am certain of this.”
“Then they remain unfought,” said Manstein, “a sword the enemy still has to use against us…. Somewhere.”
“We know where they will be going,” said Hitler. “Why must everything be so complicated? They will try to stop Zitadelle, and then Steiner will deal with them when they do.”
“Against five more armies? And you expect he will still have the strength to take Kursk?”
“They will not be able to withdraw all their forces. Half will have to stay behind to hold that front. Do not worry yourself with this unnecessary speculation. You had no difficulty compelling the enemy to retreat from Kharkov, when they were within a hair’s breadth of taking it. This will play out much the same way.”
Manstein was still uncomfortable, but no one else came to his support. Kluge will not get anywhere from his side of that bulge, he thought. Steiner and Knobelsdorff, when side by side, will have tremendous power, but can they do this alone?
Hitler could see the displeasure on Manstein’s face, and so he decided to throw his Field Marshal a bone.
“You may prepare for Habicht to launch on four days’ notice,” said Hitler. “We will also prepare for Zitadelle, with Steiner instead moving north as we have discussed. Will that satisfy you, General Manstein? Target June 1st for the start date of both operations. I will give you my final decision four days before that start date. Now… We must discuss other matters, and how to reinforce the West. The loss of 5th Panzerarmee was a very hard blow—150,000 German troops!”
No one said anything, fearing Hitler would bemoan that for the next hour and begin a long litany of what went wrong there. Instead, he stayed on topic—how to reinforce the West.
“I have had to recall divisions committed to operations in the early spring, in spite of the fact that they might continue to bear good fruit. Guderian worked wonders in Syria and Iraq, and your own Operation Edelweiss was masterful, General Manstein. Yes, we have a new enemy now, but Volkov was a do nothing Ally all along, worse than the Italians! That said, we must consider how to keep Mussolini in the fold, and what to do should he falter. I need troops for that, so I have recalled the Brandenburg Division from Guderian, and all of Student’s troops. This means that Guderian will not go to Basra as I hoped.”
“And the fact that I needed to withdraw 57th Panzerkorps and all of Hollidt’s Infantry also means that I will not be going to either Astrakhan or Baku.” Manstein wanted that point understood early on.
“I realize that now,” said Hitler. The shock of losing 5th Panzerarmee had sobered him. “Maykop and Groznyy will suffice, along with Baba Gurgur. We will concentrate our efforts now on getting as much oil as possible from those fields, but this means that our position in the Caucasus is essential, which makes the lower Don Region, and the line of the Donets, areas which we must hold at all cost. For Baba Gurgur, Turkey is essential. All our communications to Iraq and Syria go through that country. The British are probably already scheming on how they can woo Turkey to their side of this war, and that is also a contingency that we must address. What if they succeed? What if Mussolini loses his nerve and attempts an armistice? We have Operation Alaric to flesh out for Italy, but what about Turkey?”