“It’s going to be a difficult situation for some time,” said Alexander. “I agree that 2nd Infantry should act quickly to take Abadan, come what may. If the Iranians come over the border, we may lose Al-Amarah, and possibly even Al-Kut in the short run, but we’ll get them back later. The only thing we have to really protect between Basra and Baghdad are the main road and rail links.”
“What about the north?” asked Wilson.
“It will have to hold on. I think it likely that Jerry will get into Mosul very soon. So Kirkuk will have to stand as a fortress city with 5th Indian and the Kurdish Levies.”
“Thank God for the Levies,” said Wilson. “I hope they fight.”
The British had raised ten Kurdish, 22 Assyrian, five Arab, and ten other tribal levies of battalion size in the last two years, and they were now mostly deployed in outlying cities, and along the border with Iran.
“So it’s decided,” said Auchinlek. “We put our house in order in the south first, secure Abadan, and defeat any Iranian forces in the region. Then 2nd Infantry moves to Baghdad with all the armor, and by that time, Wavell says he’ll have 7th Indian Division landing at Umm Qasar to look after Basra.”
Auchinlek was a superb military mind, and excellent tactician and real master of the operational art. He was quite possibly the best field General the British had, Montgomery’s equal in every respect. Yet now he found himself in a largely administrative role as overall commander in Persia, Iraq, and the Gulf. While Wilson was a steady hand, the Auk might have been a real match for Guderian on the ground, and better there than behind a desk in Basra.
Alexander agreed that their plan was the best approach. “Now then,” he said. “What is Jerry going to do about it?”
That was the question of the hour.
Guderian had taken ten full days to get supplies down the Euphrates, which was now the main link back to forward depots on the Turkish Frontier. Now he met with his three division commanders, Beckermann, Schneider with 4th Panzer, and General Fredrich Muller with the 22nd Luftland. He had come forward to Hadithah to personally lead the invasion of Iraq, sending the whole of 3rd panzer back through Palmyra with Hans Hube to check the offensive Alexander had pushed as far as the T4 Pumping station.
“So far, so good,” said Guderian. “We have taken every planned objective on schedule, and now control all of Anbar province. We’ve had time to refit and resupply, but we have also given that time to the enemy. They undoubtedly regrouped those two Indian divisions near Baghdad, and this brings us to the decision we must make concerning that city.”
“We’ll have to take it,” said Beckermann. “It can in no way be anything like the fight we had at Volgograd, so I say we simply storm the place with my entire division.”
“Assuming we do so, we then have the choice of turning either north or south. I have asked for infantry support, and General Kubler is adjusting his lines to free up Volker’s 78th Sturm Division on the coast of Lebanon. That division will move by rail and it should be in Mosul in another day.”
“Hauptmann Barenthin is already there,” said Muller. “They flew in this morning and took the place without a single shot. It was completely ungarrisoned.”
“Excellent, then Volker’s troops will have no problems.
Beyond that, the Turkomen Korps has made the long and difficult trek through northern Iran and they are now approaching Kirkuk. If those forces can secure Kirkuk and Baba Gurgur, then we stay on schedule, because no matter what you think, Herr Beckermann, city fighting in Baghdad could take us time.”
“My division is available to assist,” said Schneider.
“I am thinking to have you move north of Baghdad, here.” Guderian pointed at the map. “This will cut the Baghdad rail, and prevent the British from sending anything north quickly. Take Al Taji, then divide your division into two strong Kampfgruppes. The first can move south and attack Baghdad from the north. The second can be dispatched up central Iraq through Samara and Tikrit, with the aim of establishing contact with the 78th Sturm Division, and opening that rail line to Mosul for our use. They will be a much more reliable LOC than our present lines back up the Euphrates, and this is essential.”
“Then we aim to secure Baghdad and Northern Iraq first,” said Beckermann. “I agree.”
“Correct,” said Guderian. Once we have that rail line operational, and Baghdad secure, then we make that city our main supply hub. The Luftwaffe can concentrate everything there, and then your division, Herr Muller, will not be tied down on LOC duties as it is now. The falloff Baghdad and opening of that rail line to Mosul concluded Phase II of Operation Phoenix. Phase III then becomes the invasion of central and southern Iran, with the ultimate objective being the key oil refineries and facilities at Basra and Abadan. At that point, and pending the situation in the air, we may be able to move some of your troops by air, Muller—a nice little surprise.”
“What about the Iranians?” asked Muller.
“They aren’t much to speak of,” said Guderian. “On paper their army looks enormous, but I would estimate their typical brigade might have less real combat power than a single German battalion. Nonetheless, they can be useful by crossing the border, and pestering the British in the south to delay the advance of their reinforcements north to Baghdad. To that end, I want Reinhardt to use his Kommando Battalions to interdict the rail lines in the south.
“My pleasure,” said Reinhardt, his black hair slicked back tight on his squarish head. A handsome man, with a dimpled chin and prominent nose under dark brows, his blue eyes looked over the map, tracing the rail lines.”
“Can we expect any further reinforcements.”
“10th Motorized is being relieved even now by the 31st Infantry Division in Syria. I’ve been trying to get it east all along, but the British put in a very dogged spoiling attack at the T4 station. That situation is stabilizing, and so now we finally get Schmidt’s division. It should arrive in three days on the road from Palmyra. I would love to have Westhoven’s 3rd Panzer, but I’m afraid it must stay where it is. The British brought up a good deal of armor, but Westhoven had a lot of Lions, and he’s stopped them.” He folded the map, satisfied with these dispositions.
“We may need that division soon.”
“In time,” said Guderian. Then he took a deep breath, looking over the capable men under his command. “Soldiers of the Reich,” he said. “If we succeed here, we deliver a prize of greater value than Moscow was in 1941—of greater value than Volgograd in 1942! We deliver the largest known oil reserves in the world to the Führer, and at the same time, we take them from the enemy. The stakes could not be higher. This campaign is far more significant than anything Rommel did in Libya. We have a chance here to completely unhinge the enemy’s strategic supply situation, and immeasurably improve our own. Fight accordingly. We move out at dawn.”
It was Gruber again, out in front of the Brandenburgers as always when the division kicked off a mew operation. He was the first unit down the main road to Habbaniyah airfield, his three companies on line of march, but they were forced to deploy almost immediately. The 5th British Essex Battalion was right there at the airfield, dug in behind wire and fencing that was its only protection. On his right, between the airfield and the broad marshy lake of Al Habbaniyah, he could see the streams of dust being thrown up by 1/I Brandenburg Battalion, racing to engage another enemy force protecting that corridor.