Cauldron of Blood

by Leo Kessler

  `But, my Führer,' he stuttered. 'The monastery - you know, of course, we have assured the Church authorities that nothing would happen to it diming the course of the fighting?'

  Hitler sighed wearily.

  `It has been our misfortune, Kesselring, that we have the wrong religion.'

  Kesselring flushed, but said nothing.

  `Why couldn't we have had the Japanese religion which regards sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? Why must we have Christianity with all that damned meekness and flabbiness? But we have and so do our enemies – and our friends, Christian France and Spain. Now the point is this, Kesselring. A great change is taking place in the course of the war. The days of 1940 and 1941 are over – for the time being. Unfortunately we Germans cannot do as we wish, without considering the attitudes and feelings of the rest of the world. We must take such things into account now and play their foolish Christian games. We must attempt to win the hearts of our potential allies – the neutrals. Do you understand?'

  `Yes, my Führer.'

  `Good, then you must realize that we vitally need a propaganda victory this winter. We must show the neutrals that we are not barbarians, as the enemy propaganda makes us out to be, but the defenders of the true faith.' He smiled cynically at the devout Field Marshal. 'Which we are, are we not?'

  `Yes, yes,' Kesselring agreed hastily.

  `There are also those enemies within our own ranks,' Hitler's face darkened, 'who must be rendered impotent by such a propaganda victory – in due course, the Gestapo will take care of them properly. But for the time being, we must be content with taking the wind out of their sails - '

  `But Cassino?' Kesselring was provoked into interrupting. `The connection with Cassino?'

  `I was coming to that, my dear Field Marshal. Now what if the Allies thought we were using the monastery as an observation point?'

  `But we aren't, my Führer!'

  `Yes, but if they thought we were?'

  `They would attempt to destroy the position – perhaps.'

  `Perhaps. But because of the monastery's valuable antiquities, its venerability,' Hitler sneered, his contempt naked now, 'they might hesitate, eh?'

  `Yes,' Kesselring conceded lamely.

  `But if we provoked them into destroying that supposed observation post, Kesselring, and thus brought down the wrath of the so-called Christian world on their guilty heads?'

  `How, sir? We haven't the strength for any large-scale operation. The front is at a stalemate. As Jodl has indicated they are probably at this moment gathering their strength for an amphibious landing behind the Cassino position, somewhere higher up the coast. If that comes off, Cassino will lose in importance. There will be no need to - neutralize,' he coughed over the word, as if he could not bring himself to utter the word ‘destroy' - 'the Cassino line'

  Politely Hitler let him finish.

  `All very sound reasoning, Kesselring. But you are forgetting one thing.'

  `And that is, my Führer?'

  `Colonel Geier's SS Battle Group Wotan!' Hitler snapped, iron in his voice. We shall use his roughnecks to provoke the Allies into destroying that precious monastery of yours. Kesselring, I want you to give an immediate order to Tenth Army Commander that Colonel Geier's men recapture Peak 555.'

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