Ironfall (Kirov Series Book 30)

by Schettler, John

  This would become a swirling battle between both mechanized forces on the arid steppes of the Terek District, all the land between the Kuma in the north, and the Terek River to the south. Volkov would now learn just how good the German Panzer Divisions were, and how bad his own mobile formations were by comparison. Volkov’s few tank brigades were still using old BT-7, OT-7 and T-60 tanks for the most part, though he had designed and built one new modern medium tank, which he called the T-44A, to give it a notch up on the Soviet T-34. It was roomier, had much better off road performance, better 120mm frontal armor and a copy of the highly successful Russian 85mm main gun. It would have been a tank that might match the German VK-75 Lions, but he had only one small problem—there were just 24 of his new medium tanks on the entire front.

  The Germans had continued with Manstein’s strategy of the indirect approach. By constantly moving east over the broad empty steppe country, they outflanked any defensive line that Volkov’s Generals struggled to build in the south. Now that strategy had led to a most difficult situation for the Armies of Orenburg. The German 3rd Panzergrenadier Division had followed the long Manych Canal south and east from Divnoye, and then threw up a pontoon bridge. This was the report Volkov received on the 15th of April, as the battle for the main bridgehead over the Kuma was heating up. General Karimov, a heavy set grey bull of a man, with a barrel chest and thick neck, was ordered to report on the situation. He was commanding the entire Caucasus Front, and now it was his turn to be the bringer of the bad news.

  Chapter 18

  “The Germans have a light mobile division over the Manych Canal,” said Karimov, “and it has already cut the rail line to Astrakhan in two places.”

  “What? That rail line is vital! Without it we have to rely on seaborne shipments to Makhachkala and Baku.”

  “That is the case, but we have virtually nothing in reserve to defend that area. I sent both security regiments from Astrakhan, the last two in the city. Now we have finally moved two 5th Army divisions north to help out, but that sector remains a critical vulnerability in our entire defense. To hold it adequately, I will need to pull more infantry out of the Terek River line, most likely from 5th Army, and the front near Mozdok is already thinned out with the need to shift forces to contain the German Kuma Bridgehead.”

  “Are we holding there?” Volkov was still pacing.

  “Barely holding. We’ve thrown all the mechanized brigades from every field army into that fight, but it is like feeding wood into a sawmill. Mister General Secretary, a decision will have to be made as to where we now attempt to establish the main line of our defense. Unfortunately, we have two widely spaced objectives to defend. In the South, Groznyy and Baku are both well established strategic supply sites for our oil production. But in the north, we have Astrakhan, and the new developments at the Tengiz and Kashagan fields. It may be that we will soon have to make a difficult choice.”

  Volkov stopped in his tracks, giving him a hard look. “You mean chose between the north or south? We cannot defend both?”

  “Well, if the German Army would be kind enough to pick one or another, and let me know, then yes, I could defend it. Unfortunately, they have established themselves in a good position between both those objectives. At the moment, their effort seems to be focused on Groznyy, and outflanking the Terek River positions. If they break through our defenses along the Kuma Bridgehead, then everything west of Groznyy is compromised. All the defenses in the Terek River bend are useless in that event.”

  “Then what would you suggest we do?”

  “Fall back here.” He pointed to the map. “Establish the line about 20 kilometers west of Groznyy, anchored on the heavy woodland in the high country. Then it follows the line of the Terek, all the way to the Caspian. There the terrain also favors us, because the heavy marshland makes it unsuitable for their mobile divisions.”

  “Very well. Then do this.”

  “I will order it,” said Karimov, “but that will soon dangle the same question before us. Once the Germans fully appreciate the nature of the terrain in the eastern Terek region, then what will they do with their mobile divisions? They will first bring up their infantry to face off against us on that defensive line I just outlined, then they have but two options. The first would be an attack here, just east of Groznyy, between Gudermes and the bridge south of Kargalinskaya. That is a given. It flanks Groznyy, and leads directly to the main road and rail through Makhachkala and on to Baku.”

  “And the second option?”

  “North,” said Karimov, a warning in his voice. “In fact, the entire mobile Corps could disengage and head north at any time. Remember, they have already bridged the Manych Canal. If they send yet another division over to go after the main rail to Astrakhan, we may not be able to stop them. In that event, all forces presently committed here will be cut off. Yes, we will still have sea communications over the Caspian, but the German Stukas will make short work of that in due course. Furthermore. If they choose a containment strategy on the Groznyy-Terek line, they could take that entire Mobile Corps, or a good portion of it, right up to Astrakhan….” He let that sink in before he spoke again, emphasizing the grave danger.

  “Then we lose everything. We will lose access to all the oil in the south, and at present, I have nothing but cooks, barge handlers, stevedores and service troops at Astrakhan. Those fields, and the developments at Tengiz and Kashagan are ripe fruit for the taking.”

  “God almighty….” Volkov had no good standing with the deity he invoked, but he now realized the full gravity of the situation he was facing. The Germans already had Baba Gurgur and Maykop. Now they could bottle up all his oil at Groznyy and Baku, and seize the fields around Astrakhan. Karimov was not being dramatic when he said they could lose everything. “What could we do to prevent this?” he said. “And you damn well better have a plan.”

  “I have no more armies, unless you would order me to give up Volgograd and move the 2nd Army to Astrakhan. Yet that would open a vast hole in our lines for the Soviets to exploit. They may not be able to do so in the short run, but the southern Volga would be undefended. We would have to pull back the 1st Kazakh Army, which is now opposite the Italians between the Volga and the Manych Canal, and that means yielding the entire Kalmyk Steppe region, making the Volga our new defense line. Yet before that happens we still have the option to pull out as much as we can and try to swing it north of the Kuma and Manych Canal—to try and defend Astrakhan well south of the city, and also hold Elista. Unfortunately, every division we move is one less to hold the line I showed you earlier. But we must choose, Mister General Secretary, North or South. We cannot adequately defend both. Choose one, and we may have a chance at holding on to something here. Astrakhan would seem the better objective to try and hold, since it is very likely that Groznyy will fall, and Baku will be cut off, even by sea routes over the Caspian.”

  Volkov clenched his jaw, his eyes dark, brow deepened with anger. “Damn the German Army,” he said in a low voice. “Damn Hitler and his rapacious appetite….” He waited, leaning over the map. Then, without even looking at Karimov, he gave the order.

  “Save Astrakhan—by any means possible. Save it, or I will have your head!”

  Karimov would have his work cut out for him. He looked for the troops he needed to accomplish it anywhere he could find them. The 71st Division, part of 7th Army, had been forced to retreat over the Manych Canal at Divnoye. Now it was part of the defensive group around Elista, and together with the 11th Guards Rifle Division there, he had two strong and fresh divisions he could quickly move by rail. If he could extricate the bulk of the 7th Army from its positions in the south, then the north might be held.

  The danger point now was a narrow 40-kilometer corridor near the confluence of the Kuma with the Caspian Sea. The thin rail line traversed that corridor, crossing the Kuma near its marshy delta on the Caspian, and proceeded north to Astrakhan. As far as Orenburg was now concerned, and particularly for General Karimov,
that 40-kilometer bottleneck was the most important ground in the Federation.

  The General began extricating any intact mobile brigade he had and shifting it in that direction, and was also pulling all the divisions of the 7th Army out of the Terek defenses, and looking for ways to get them to the threatened zone. The question now was whether he would have time to do so before the Germans either broke through or decided to shift north over the Manych Canal as he feared.

  To make this sudden shift, he still had to keep something on the line in the Kuma Bridgehead sector, and for this he relied on the Army of the Kalmyk, a second-rate formation that he knew would not hold long. It was his intention to order those troops to begin a withdrawal to the Groznyy line. His aim was to try and save and move as many regular Army formations as possible.

  At the same time, he summoned at Air Vice Marshall in charge of the Southern Sector, and told him to do everything possible to interdict the German supply line over the Manych Canal. To that end, the airships Taskent, Taraz and Sarkand transported their airmobile companies behind the German lines and landed to conduct raids, if only a demonstration of the vulnerability of that LOC. The Germans had clear air superiority, but those airships could climb to heights where no German fighter could follow, and then they could choose just the right time in the dead of night to quickly descend and deliver their assault squads.

  The rail line was a life saver, in spite of attempts by the Luftwaffe to interdict it. By the 19th of April, Karimov had labored mightily to save his own head, and as much of the army as he could. He now had eight rifle divisions and four smaller brigades north of the Kuma to begin operations aimed at uprooting the German 3rd Panzergrenadier Division. Three more divisions were being moved from Armenia and Georgia, and now only the 3rd Army was still trying to hold the line near the Terek, with scattered elements of the Kalmyk Army along the Kuma Bridgehead line. That position would soon collapse, and a full-scale retreat to Groznyy would begin.

  * * *

  General Manstein was also looking at the map, quite pleased with what he had accomplished in just a few weeks. His infantry was moving on the Terek, and his 1st Panzer Army had performed brilliantly, unhinging every enemy defensive line with its skillfully executed maneuvers. The enemy finally saw the danger, and they have massed everything they could find to try and stop me, he thought. 3rd Panzergrenadiers got over the Manych Canal and put the fear of the Lord into them. Now they are scrambling to defend Astrakhan.

  At the moment, my mobile forces are about equidistant from those two widely spaced objectives, Astrakhan and Baku. It’s clear that they don’t want me moving north. They have compromised what might have been a very solid defense here in the south to try and protect the approaches to Astrakhan. So it seems that someone, most likely Volkov, has made his choice. He isn’t stupid. He can read a map as easily as I can, and knows that he cannot hold both cities. I am 40 kilometers from cutting his armies off, so he is trying to pull as many divisions out as he can now.

  As for Baku, I may eventually get there, but it will not be as easy as it looks. On one side are the mountains, on the other side the Caspian Sea. As send 11th and 17th Armies south, with each mile we gain, the open terrain is compressed a little more by that geography. The will be attacking into a funnel created by those mountains and the sea. With every mile, the enemy defensive front compresses, and it can therefore be held with fewer and fewer troops. It will be no place for my Panzer Divisions, as there will be no room to maneuver there. So how to proceed here?

  I have orders to take Baku, but they say nothing about Astrakhan—at least not yet. That city is a major oil producing site, and also acts as the gateway to more developments and resources on the North Caspian shore. Success has many friends, and Hitler must be elated that his miracle worker has delivered the Caucasus as promised. How long will it be before I get orders to move on Astrakhan?

  I do not wish to go there, and frankly, it would take a major effort to just get over the Manych in force. That river is impenetrable over most of its length, kilometers wide and surrounded by deep water marshes. It can only be crossed in three places, the Manych Canal where it meets the Kuma River, the road and rail bridges at Divnoye, and the sector near Salsk and Proletarskaya. The first two are defended, and we control the last.

  So how would I operate if ordered to continue to prosecute the war against Volkov? I would attack at Divnoye in conjunction with a drive on Elista from the north and west, where the Rumanians are posted. Volkov uses Elista as a forward depot and air field, so I will have to take that place soon. There are no good German troops available. Could the 3rd Rumanian Army do this? We shall see. Perhaps I could stiffen that force by adding in 22nd Panzer Division, but that unit is in deep reserve. Otherwise, I would have to shift a division from the south, and this seems my best option at the moment. Thus far, the Russians have been accommodating. We know they’ve been building up, but do they have plans to attack along the lower Don? If so, where might they come? I may need to leave 22nd Panzer where it is.

  There were always questions like this in his mind. The long hiatus of winter was ending, particularly in the south, and he knew that operations would soon begin again. In late 1942, Georgie Zhukov had thrown one offensive after another at the Germans between Volgograd and Kharkov, but Manstein, with the able services of men like Steiner and Hermann Balck, had parried each and every one. Steiner had fought to hold open a corridor to Model at Voronezh, butting heads with strong Soviet armies south of Kursk. Then winter imposed its freezing hand on the battlefield, Hitler gave up Voronezh, and Manstein went south to eventually learn he would now have to fight both enemies and allies alike.

  The campaign had been a complete success, and now he could sense that things were winding down towards an inevitable conclusion. His 17th and 11th Armies would grind their way into Groznyy, of this he had no doubt. Whether they could then go all the way to Baku remained to be seen, but Manstein had no intention of using his five mobile divisions there. His effort now was to get to the most favorable position possible, and then find a way to extricate those valuable troops, just as he had done after reaching Volgograd. In truth, he did not really wish to go to Baku, nor did he want to keep any of these five good mobile divisions in the Caucasus, but orders were orders.

  First things first, he thought. I must take Groznyy and then move aggressively for Baku, but I need to reposition my mobile forces to a more central location. As for 3rd Panzergrenadier Division, it’s position north of the Manych Canal is becoming somewhat precarious. So I will order General Graser to consolidate and then simply defend that bridgehead. I am not going to Astrakhan by that route, some 250 kilometers. If I must drive on Astrakhan, then I will move mobile forces to Zimovinki by rail to get them all north of the Manych. From there, the only obstacle will be the desolation of the Kalmyk Steppe—balkas, stone fields, salt pans, marshes, deep sand. It is no place for an army, and even when we cross it, half of Astrakhan is on the other side of the Volga. My panzers might get there, but that is the last place I would want to send them. In fact, I want them back north of the Don as soon as possible. Let us hope the Führer is satisfied with Groznyy and Baku….

  Part VII

  Red Star Rising

  “ Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.”

  —Niccolo Machiavelli

  Chapter 19

  Manstein had good reason to want those mobile divisions north of the Don. Winter had finally released its icy grip on the land, and three weeks of mud had passed with the Spring thaw. Now, in mid-April, the ground was drying out and the Soviet Army was planning two Spring offensives, hoping to catch the Germans before they could complete offensive preparations of their own. All things considered, the Soviets were facing a much more difficult task than they had before them in Fedorov’s history. The German forces arrayed under Manstein’s command were considerably stronger than they were in the old history.
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br />   To begin with, there had been no disaster at Stalingrad. Manstein pulled his best Panzer Divisions out of the fight for Volgograd, and sent in ten infantry divisions. When those troops had reduced the Soviet defense there to a tiny strip along the Volga near the factory district, he then turned over the whole operation to Volkov. All those divisions, along with many extracted from the Voronezh pocket, were now the forces he commanded in the Caucasus. That campaign had achieved startling results, overwhelming the weary and supply starved divisions the Soviets had left behind there, and then driving Volkov’s forces all the way to edge of Groznyy.

  The German army had proved itself to be a potent and dangerous force. It had not taken the staggering losses it sustained in the real history at Stalingrad, and instead of desperately trying to patch together a front that had been completely shattered between November of 1942 and February of 1943, Manstein commanded forces and lines of battle that were solid, well provisioned, and backed by strong reserves.

  In the real history, the SS Panzer Korps was only now beginning to form as a strong cohesive fighting force that it would become, but in these Altered States, Steiner had commanded those divisions from the outset of Operation Blue, driving all the way to Volgograd, and then forming the backbone of the defense against Zhukov’s winter offensives. He had a hardened and highly skilled force, and for the last month his three remaining divisions had been in reserve, receiving new tanks, equipment and replacements.