The Valkyrie Option
Page 1
THE VALKYRIE OPTION
Markus Reichardt
An historian is no more able to read the future than anyone else. But he has one advantage: he knows from the past how unexpected the future has, again and again, turned out to be.
Allan Bullock
Author’s Note
In the ever-growing genre of alternative history, two events have attracted special attention by science fiction writers as focal points in the history of modern civilization where a changed outcome would have fundamentally and for long subsequent periods changed the face of the world as we know it: The American Civil War and the Second World War. In both cases the stories have limited themselves to by and large straightforward reversals of outcome - the victor becomes the vanquished. However, in the case of the American Civil War many have also looked into how this reversal of roles might reflect deeper issues within the victorious society. The interesting thing for me has always been that while we have some plots delving into this issue for the American civil war, this has distinctly not been the case for alternative histories of WW2.
All alternative histories of humanity's largest, most deadliest conflict have assumed that if Germany had won, Hitler, or some Nazi successor would have won. A world with a victorious Germany is inevitably one where the hooked cross rules the globe. In a word, the shadow of Hitler hangs so tightly over Germany that the separation of the two seems to daunt even the imagination of science fiction writers. For Americans the issues thrown up by the Civil War are generally still with them today, race, state rights, the rural-urban divide. For Germans, the militarist heritage and the shadow cast by the hooked cross is one they are still struggling to emancipate themselves from.
And yet, during the Second World War, on July 20, 1944, there was a moment in German history where the nation for a few brief hours faced the possibility of a different outcome and a different course, when a small band of officers and civilians in a rather amateurish way attempted, and failed, to kill Hitler and topple his regime. For post-war Germany that day as much as the eventual outcome of the plot has shaped their history. For it has allowed a people (somewhat unjustifiably) to point to the actions of a brave, small band of dissenters from all walks of life who through their actions and their martyrdom (rather than merely their words), offered proof to the world that ‘men of the resistance movement dared to take this decisive step and attempt to replace the Nazi Dictatorship.'
The men and women of the anti-Hitler resistance - the Widerstand - came from all walks of life and represented almost all segments of German social and political life. In that diversity lay strength and legitimacy but in practical terms it often proved a hindrance to decisive action. That decisive step taken on 20 July 1944 by officers of Hitler's Army 'proves to the world and the records of history' something a post-cold war world has discovered in the last years of the 1990s. Just as not all southerners fought for the cause of slavery, not all Germans are possessed by militarist tendencies, Nazi ideology and jack-booting instincts. In the face of overwhelming adversity the imperfect men and women of the Widerstand laid down their lives to make the point that not all Germans were Nazis to the world. "The most terrible thing, wrote one of their leaders, "is knowing that it cannot succeed and that we must do it for our country and our children." This is the story of the world they might have helped shape.
Markus Reichardt, Johannesburg, 2011
Chapter 1
'Everywhere the troops are fighting heroically, but the unequal struggle
is nearing its end. It is urgently necessary for the proper conclusion to be
drawn form this situation.'
Field Marshall Rommel 15 July, 1944
(his last memorandum to the Führer)
3:15 pm July 17, 1944
Headquarters 1st SS-Panzer Corps,
Urville, Normandy
‘Achtung !’
SS Oberstgruppenführer 'Sepp' Dietrich stood at attention as Field Marshall Erwin Rommel passed through the camouflage netting that covered his command post. Behind him the rest of the1st SS Panzer Corps weary headquarters staff officers followed his example as Germany's most popular war hero entered the rundown old barn from which the cream of the Waffen-SS conducted their defence of the Normandy front. Few had had a decent night's sleep over the past two weeks; all were exhausted from the incessant harassment by Allied fighter bombers. Regardless, more than a dozen sets of jack-booted heels came together as one. Rommel, accompanied as always only by his aide, tall, blond Captain Helmuth Lang, replied to the SS officers’ Nazi salute with a casual raising of his marshal baton. He had no time for the Nazi salute in fact he was here today to ultimately put an end to its use..
'Guten Tag, Herr Dietrich' the legendary Desert Fox almost smiled, 'How goes the war? I could certainly use some good news.' Looking around he smiled ‘At ease!’
'So could I Herr Feldmarschall, So could I' Dietrich smiled. Like so many other Wehrmacht officers Rommel tended to get around the complex hierarchy of Waffen-SS ranks by skipping the issue of rank altogether. As Commander Army Group B, the German Forces fighting the Allies in Normandy, and Dietrich's immediate superior, he could certainly afford this slight oversight. Dietrich, despite his senior rank, had never been one to bother with unnecessary formality and did not mind. Short and squat, with a broad, dark face that was dominated by a large wide nose and rapidly dwindling dark hair, SS Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich was the antithesis of the Aryan superman. Having started out as a butcher before the First World War he had been Hitler's bodyguard and the first man to command Hitler's famed military elite - the Waffen-SS. Direct to the point of rudeness, he enjoyed the implied informality and camaraderie which Rommel extended him.
Captain Lang helped the Field Marshall out of his leather coat and took his cap and baton. Rommel's gaze swept the assembled ranks of black-uniformed men with the double lightning runes on their collar lapels before he stepped forward to the large table in the middle of the room. There was nothing particularly distinctive about the features of Germany's greatest war hero, in civilian clothing he would have gone unnoticed. But in Field Marshall's uniform, with his decorations from two World Wars hanging from his neck, his clenched fists and arms bent at the elbows, his blue-grey eyes narrowed to slits, lines of humour running from their corners, his roundish, clean-shaven face seemed to radiate energy. There were many in the Wehrmacht who did not like the SS, military or not. If Rommel was among them he had never showed it.
Dietrich motioned his chief of staff Kraemer forward to brief Rommel on the German efforts to contain the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Waffen-SS had so far played a major part in it and had paid a heavy price.
The wiry, unshaven Kramer, looking as weary as every on else in the command post was short and succinct. If the Desert Fox wanted more information he would ask specific questions. “No attacks in the last 48 hours but prisoners tell us that a major attack is being planned around Caen. While we remain unsure of the objectives of this attack, we believe that it will be heavily supported by fresh tank units brought over from England over the past week. Its objective will no doubt be to dislodge and outflank our forces in a way that we would be forced to give up the town.’ Somewhere in the background the rumble of artillery reminded everyone how close the commanders were to the front.
Rommel nodded. He knew Dietrich to be an able and courageous commander, a motivator of soldiers who contrary to many of the aristocrats who still dominated the German officer corps, would not ask anything of his men that he was not prepared to do himself.
The Field Marshall took his eyes off the map on the makeshift table 'Very well done, Herr Dietrich. You and your men are to be congratulated for performing an incredible feat under impossible co
nditions. The Allies have once again found out just how tough German soldiers can be.' Rommel’s voice was sharp, incisive. His eyes settled on Dietrich's two divisional commanders the legendary Kurt 'Panzer' Meyer and Theodore ‘Teddy’ Wisch. Both returned his gaze with a short curt nod. Praise from the Desert Fox. Even the arrogant Nazi, Meyer, himself a legend in the German Panzer troops beamed inwardly at that. He took a deep satisfied breath. 'Thank you Herr Feldmarschall, I will pass your words on to the men. Do you have any good news about where the Luftwaffe might be these days? Of all the many things we need, supplies, new tanks, fuel, more men, it is air cover that is the most critical.[1][2]'
' These days I think not even Reichsmarschall Göring knows.' Rommel's tone was low, cold. Like every German soldier he felt the total lack of air cover acutely at every step of the way. In the days of the Blitzkrieg the Luftwaffe had dominated the skies, demoralising allied troops with its incessant bombing, its sheer speed sweeping the skies of opposition. Rommel had fought in Africa with and without air superiority; he knew firsthand just how decisive it could be. Now, outnumbered nearly 25 to one German planes kept a low profile on the western Front. During daylight it was almost impossible for German vehicles to move without attracting the unwelcome attention of allied fighter bombers or artillery brought down by spotter planes.
For a moment there was silence. Through narrowed eyes Rommel caught Dietrich's gaze and held it. There was something else in those eyes the SS Colonel-General thought, something questioning, something pondering.
"Oberstgruppenführer, walk with me"
Among the trees that hugged the south side of the barn against which the camouflage netting was stretched, over forty wounded SS men awaited transport to a hospital for further treatment. All of them had received field dressing or had been treated in a way that took them off the critical list and allowed the medical staff to delay their transport until night time when it was safer to travel. Allied fighter bombers did not always respect or notice the Red Cross. A few of the less seriously wounded tried to come to attention when Dietrich and Rommel walked past them..
‘As you were’ barked Dietrich. Rommel quietly saluted the young men. ‘Relax men, you are the lucky ones, but you have shown the Americans how Germans can fight. Well done. Now look after yourself. And.. ‘he added with a half smile’ ..that is an order.’
Smiles all around. Dietrich smiled. Rommel knew how to touch the hearts of his men.
Walking on, Rommel turned to his commander. “How old is the oldest of them Dietrich? They both knew the answer – the average age was 19. “Those that began this march with me are now few and far between, most of them have stayed in Russia's snow and ice. And now they are being slaughtered by this meat grinder.”
'Kramer painted a bleak picture in there, Oberstgruppenführer.'
'You are my commander' the SS General cautiously replied, 'you need to know the truth'.
'Yes, .... the truth, Dietrich.' The Field Marshall responded softly. 'Tell me then, will we win this war?'
Dietrich stopped abruptly and looked at his commander. What Rommel, Germany's most popular Field Marshall and greatest war hero had just uttered could be treason. He had heard that in the past few weeks the Desert Fox had grown more vocal in his criticism of Hitler's conduct of the war. Rommel just stood there gazing at his Corps Commander, eyes narrow slits: 'The truth, Oberstgruppenführer'. The tension in his face was visible, the creases around the eyes more pronounced.
'The truth is we are being bled white and getting nowhere.[3] You know that better than I do. It is due to the quality of our men and equipment that we are holding on. Without the proper reinforcements and replacements, I cannot predict the outcome of this battle. Three weeks ago I told you we might not last the month. Every tank we loose is gone, while every tank the Allies loose is replaced within hours. If we would be given the freedom to manoeuvre, if we could hold back some of our Panzers in reserve, if the damned Luftwaffe would care to put in an appearance, and if supplies would actually get through regularly, if, if , if ... then the situation would be different.'
'Yes' the Field Marshall sighed, 'if we could do all that. You know that I again have proposed to the Führerhauptquartier that we pull the Panzer troops out of the line into a mobile reserve, while using von Salmuth's Fifteenth Army to hold the southern bank of the Orne river long enough for a real defensive line to be established along the Seine and Yonne rivers. It would give us the room we need to manoeuvre if we are to win some decisive battles. Here in Normandy close to Allied supply bases we are being simply feeding good men and great units piecemeal into a meat grinder. But of course the Führer thinks differently. I remain under orders not to retreat anywhere, not an inch of ground. Since we can hardly move forward under the present conditions, the Panzers are stuck.'
'Those orders are Scheiße and you know it. The Führerhauptquartier is far away and Adolf does not always understand the necessities of modern war.' Dietrich muttered ' As I said to you two days ago, we will need the flexibility of independent action if the front is broken; whether those office characters in the rear like it or not.' Dietrich's thick Bavarian accent was even more pronounced when he was angry. No amount of Berlin society in the early 1930s had been able to refine its rough, natural tone. He stamped his foot as the soft Normandy mud held his boot briefly. Under an overcast sky Captain Lang and Panzer Meyer followed at a respectful distance.
Rommel nodded slightly. Dietrich occasionally apologised to his superiors for his use of down-to-earth foxhole and beer hall vocabulary. He never did so to Rommel for the Field Marshal had himself risen through the ranks from humble origins and was known for his informality towards those who demonstrated ability. Dietrich's crude way of stating the obvious was exactly what the Field Marshal needed to hear. These days even Waffen-SS Generals like the aristocratic Hausser and 'Panzer' Meyer were known to mutter darkly about Hitler's abilities as a battlefield commander. And Rommel was counting on that. Prior to coming to Dietrich’s HQ he had visited the Commander of the 2nd SS-Panzerkorps, Gruppenführer (General) Wilhelm Bittrich, a Waffen-SS veteran officer known for his tense relationship with Himmler. Prodded by Rommel, Bittrich had disclosed how despite orders to the contrary he had arranged for a ceasefire along his front to exchange wounded prisoners. Encouraged, the Desert Fox had disclosed his own plans for ‘independent action’ which might be contrary to Hitler’s orders. Without hesitation, Bittrich had answered, ‘I am with you and so is II SS Panzerkorps. My commanders think exactly as I do.[4]. Both he and Rommel had agreed that there was a need for ‘further talks with the Allies about political issues’.[5] But it was Dietrich who really counted. The situation report Dietrich had given him on July 15th at his own headquarters at La Roche Guyon had led to a very frank discussion about the Wehrmacht’s chances of defeating the Western Allies in France. Today Erwin Rommel needed to know whether with Dietrich, Hitler's former bodyguard and the first commander the Waffen SS and the SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, the Führer’s bodyguard Division, this criticism ran deeper.
Ever since the Wehrmacht had failed to stop the D-Day landings, Rommel and others had argued for a withdrawal to more defensible lines, out of the range of the allies’ naval artillery and much of the short-range fighter bombers. When the Americans had broken out of the Omaha beachhead and taken the Cotentin Peninsula, the German defenders, denied the possibility of retreat by Hitler's 'to-the-last bullet' orders had been badly mauled. The following week Rommel had sought a meeting with Hitler to persuade the Führer to give him and his commanders greater freedom of operations. But before he could raise the issue, Hitler had worked his customary magnetic spell on his politically naive Field Marshal. The Führer's claims of V-1 rocket offensives on England and the bridgehead, and hints of yet more dramatic new weapons temporarily stiffened Rommel’s faith in his leader. But by June 28th, the situation had become desperate enough for him to stand his ground. It was a decision he had not made lightly. In all those years of war he h
ad not known tension, had not felt his stomach mussels knot as the moment he turned to Hitler in his Chancellery.
'Mein Führer, I must speak bluntly. I cannot leave here without speaking on the subject of Germany'. Never before had he spoken this way to the leader he had followed so devoutly for more than a decade. What he had meant to say was that it was time for a political solution in the conflict with the western Allies so that Germany could concentrate on holding back the Russians. But instead of listening Hitler had cut him short.
"Feldmarschall, 'the Führer had hissed, ' be so good as to leave the room. I think it would be better like that.' Hitler's left hand, clenched in a fist had been shaking. His eyes had burned into the Field Marshall. But this had not been the fire of a man of destiny as before. This had been the fire of rage of a weak person unable to confront failure.[6]
Rommel had left that meeting confused and angry. For the first time he found himself fundamentally doubting Hitler. He had prospered under Hitler, had followed him into the glorious campaigns of France and North Africa that had made him a legend not just in Germany. He had never truly stopped to question the political dimension of Hitler's actions until then. Upon his return to his headquarters in France he had found the Führer had gone behind his back and sacked his main Panzer general, Geyr von Schweppenburg, for suggesting a withdrawal out of the range of Allied naval artillery. The next day Rommel's own boss, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt was sacked for having supported that proposal. Until then Rommel had resisted the suggestions of his chief of staff, General Hans Speidel, that he support the Widerstand, the German resistance planning the removal of Hitler and the Nazi Party. The first approach from the German opposition had come in early 1944, but with the appointment of one of their key men, Speidel as Rommel’s Chief-of Staff, in April 1944, the approach had turned to cautious nagging. To Speidel and the Widerstand, Rommel’s value lay in his popularity, paradoxically the product of a sustained Nazi propaganda effort. The nagging had raised doubts in Rommel's mind but that day had been different. That night, July 2nd, 1944, the Reich's most popular war hero joined the conspiracy to overthrow Hitler. Ever the man of action, he had been doing some cautious but persistent recruiting of his own ever since; mainly among the Waffen SS. For the Waffen SS, now numbering more than half a million men held the key to a post-Hitler Germany. Their actions would decide whether there would be civil war after Hitler was removed.