“All my Generals want more divisions,” said Hitler. “You must understand that this is not the only front needing reinforcement. General Kluge tells me he cannot advance on Orel because he has already sent so many divisions to your command. General Kuchler of Armeegruppe North tells me he cannot launch Operation Untergang until all the units he has given up are returned. And you must also remember that Italy is now a weak sister, and I must provide for the possibility of Allied operations against the Balkans, Greece, or Italy.”
“I have already told you how Italy can be reinforced,” said Manstein. “Kübler should be moved out of Syria, and Guderian should also destroy Baba Gurgur and leave Iraq.”
“These things have been under consideration,” said Hitler, “but the movement of forces takes time.”
“Correct me if I am wrong, but has this redeployment even been ordered? Equivocation and procrastination will not serve us now. We need your decisive leadership, timely orders. Otherwise the enemy steals a march on us while we take things ‘under consideration.’ Which brings us to one last point of discussion, and the real reason I came here today. I must tell you, and I believe that both General Kluge and Zeitzler here are in agreement, that until we stabilize the Southern wing of the army, Operation Untergang is completely out of the question. If you cannot now find troops to save the Donets Basin, then you will most certainly not find them to bring Operation Untergang up to its planned strength before the July 1st launch date. It must either be postponed, or cancelled.”
Hitler had taken one barrage after another, the towers and walls of his fortress collapsing with each passing minute. Now he simply closed his eyes and began speaking, as if to himself more than anyone in the room, and with each word he uttered, his tone grew harder, darker, until his famous anger sallied forth in his defense.
“Cancelled… cancelled. My Field Marshal is oh so fond of cancelling offensives. He had the temerity to suspend Operation Zitadelle, and now he tells me I must cancel Untergang as well! Then I must return the Terek to Ivan Volkov, and all to serve his defense of Armeegruppe South! There are 30 infantry divisions in Armeegruppe North, along with six mobile divisions. That should be more than enough to crush enemy resistance, and do the job. That operation will not be cancelled, nor will it be postponed! You will return to your command and fight! Fight!”
The Führer struggled to compose himself, brushing the hair from his white brow. “The time for all these clever ‘Operations’ is long past. This situation simply requires backbone—staying power. It can be mastered and this army has the means. I am tired of hearing one excuse after another as to why things cannot be done and why we must give the enemy back everything we have taken from him. Very well… I will get you the infantry you request, because I have already taken the decision to leave the Syrian desert behind. Do not think I idle away my days and hours, Herr Manstein. I have more on my mind than you can possible imagine. So, I am done with deserts, and fruitless promises, and adventures in the Middle East. I have already recalled the Brandenburg Division, Guderian and Kübler will also be recalled. Cyprus will be evacuated and the troops there sent to Rhodes. All the mountain and Jager divisions will be distributed between Italy, Greece and the Balkans. All the regular infantry divisions and the Panzers, will be moved to the Dnieper depots and prepare for service as required. This will include both 2nd and 16th Panzer Divisions in Hube’s Korps, and 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions from Iraq. The Brandenburgers will be sent to Germany to refit as a Panzer Division again.”
Hitler had been leaning on the map table with both hands, staring at the dents and bulges in the front, his eyes unmoving. Now he stood up, clasping his hands behind his back, and staring at Manstein.
“There,” he said sharply. “The decision has been made, and it will not be questioned. The turkey is on the table, and I will now leave the three of you to decide how to carve it up. I use such a metaphor for good reason, for that is what I have had to sacrifice to clean up the mess on the southern front. Turkey! This movement out of Iraq and Syria will have political ramifications. It exposes Turkey’s southern border to the enemy, and it could weaken the resolve of the Turks to remain neutral. Churchill and Roosevelt have been pressuring the Turks to close their borders and cut our supplies to Syria and Iraq. Now they will begin courting favors, but there must be no movement of British forces through Turkey. All the key rail depots and bridges the Todt Organizations built will be destroyed as we evacuate. We will no longer need those rail lines, but neither will we leave them for the enemy to use. It is a moot issue now. Operation Phoenix, as well as Eisenfall have been cancelled. Plan Orient is dead. As for Untergang, that operation will not be cancelled, and it will proceed as scheduled on July 1st.”
The three Generals took all this in, surprised that Hitler would make such sweeping changes all at once. He had invested all his energy and hopes for some great economic boon to come out of his Middle East adventures, but they knew changes were in order once the Führer recalled Rommel from Syria. The defeat in Tunisia changed everything, and now Hitler was closing his ranks, and looking for a certain and sure set of borders that he could defend. He was not going to defeat the British in Syria and Iraq, and had finally come to see that he had weakened the Ostfront entirely too much to pursue those distant objectives, just as he had done so in North Africa. The ill-fated Operation Zitadelle, suspended before it could truly prove itself, still festered. He wanted no more excuses. Then he turned to Manstein, his manner softening.
“What you have done in restoring the front has not gone unnoticed.”
At first, Manstein did not know quite how to take that. Was Hitler praising him, or suggesting that he was aware that he had done things the Führer did not approve.
“I understand fully what you have said concerning that bridgehead. If the enemy has reinforced it so heavily, then we must do the same if we are to have any chance of throwing him back. You may have the pick of the litter when these forces reach the Dnieper, but I will expect results. When you return to the front, tell Steiner that I am very pleased with his performance, and that of all his troops. As for the decision regarding the Caucasus, the Mykop-Tuapse pipeline is the only thing that matters now south of the Don, and the Army will stay where it is to give us a strong buffer zone to defend. Keep a wary eye on Volkov, Herr General. He may seem weak now, but he will do everything possible to take his revenge upon us. Be wary.”
With that, Hitler turned and walked slowly toward the door, the guards stiffening to salute as he passed. Manstein watched him go, a plaintive figure in so many ways. He could see the disappointment in his eyes, the reluctance to yield anything, the irrational logic fed by his stubborn will.
“Well,” he said, when Hitler had departed, “I did not get quite the decision I wanted, but this will have to do. He has given up on Iraq, Syria, and Turkey in one throw, but yet he will not budge on the Caucasus.”