Hammer of God (Kirov Series Book 14) by John Schettler Read Free Book Online

Führer? The problem of attacking the
British in Egypt is simply a matter of logistics. Neither axis of attack is
promising in that regard. We cannot adequately supply and sustain the forces
necessary to defeat the British there, as they will make it their major war
effort, and send everything they have to the Middle East—unless…”
    Hitler’s dark eyes were on him
now, waiting, the question obvious on his face.
    “Unless you tackle the question
of Turkey, my Führer. Barbarossa will join hands with Ivan Volkov. Or will it?
If Halder gets his way we will be off chasing the Russians through the streets
of Moscow. But if we pursue the southern strategy, with the principle aim of
securing the oil in the Caucasus, then only Old Man Turkey stands between the
Wehrmacht and the British position in the Middle East.”
    “You advise I attack Turkey?”
    “That may be a difficult
campaign. The terrain is very rugged, the road network impossible, but so was
Greece and the Balkans, and you have seen what we accomplished there in little
time. So I lay my baton upon Istanbul because if you ever really want to drive
the British from the Middle East, you will need secure lines of communications
to do so, by land, and not simply air or sea. A move as I have suggested here
would see German and Axis allied forces encircling Turkey on every border. We
may not have to lift another finger there. This alone could compel the Turks to
submit, or at the very least sign a treaty of non-aggression with us. Careful
negotiations could even secure passage for German troops and supplies through
that country. That said, the Turkish rail system is not modernized. It may, at
best, support no more than one or two Korps, perhaps five or six divisions, but
the right divisions might just do the job. Don’t forget Baba Gurgur! If you
continue to pursue your Mediterranean strategy without Turkey, the only other way
to get at the British in Egypt is through the Western Desert. But that will
take time we do not have, unless Barbarossa is delayed.”
    Hitler’s eyes were a well of
thought now, with a light slowly kindling there as these thoughts fed the fires
of his determination. Manstein smiled, tucking his baton beneath his arm, the
lesson in strategy now over. He left the Führer with one last note of caution.
    “This is a bold and imaginative
plan,” he said. “It would augment the southern emphasis for Barbarossa very
well. Yet would even this knock Great Britain out of the war? I do not believe
so. It may knock them out of the Middle East, but they will continue to fight
on. The British Empire would still have strong outposts in India and the far
east. Taking Egypt would be a severe setback, but they will fight on no matter
what, and wait for the Americans to get involved. Then we will be moving troops
west again, because instead of us planning to invade England as we should have
last year, they will be planning to invade French colonies in West Africa, or
even France itself. You see, my Führer, Ivan Volkov is not the only man who can
make predictions.”

 
     
    Chapter 5
     
    They were some time
discussing all the ramifications of what Fedorov had told them—that Ivan Volkov
was not a man of their own world, but a dark angel from another. What he had
whispered in Hitler’s ear, no man knew, but Fedorov stressed that, at key
junctures in the war thus far, the Germans had taken decisions that they never
made in the old history, and that they were slowly but surely leading them to
victory. It was clear to all present that Volkov was now acting as a source of
intelligence for Hitler and his regime, using his knowledge of future events to
shape the present as best he could. It was therefore necessary for Fedorov to
stand in opposition to Volkov, and be light where the other man cast his
shadow.
    He had discussed all this with
Admiral Volsky and Kamenski before he was sent to this meeting, and they had
expressed their confidence in his