“You must have made quite an impression on the captain.”
“It’s unfortunate I wasted precious fuel on the way back here. The captain should have held onto me while I was still in his possession.”
“You were needed here and still are. It was a last-minute decision on the colonel’s part. He was being pressured but did not confide as to by whom. I protested, vigorously, to the point where he almost told me to shut up. I went so far as to say the order negated the theme spelled out in the briefing that all strategic forces were to remain intact. I don’t much care to loan out men or needed transport, especially under present circumstances, but the colonel wouldn’t relent. He was of the opinion you would be of greater value at the captain’s side.”
“Did the colonel mention the specifics regarding Captain Falkenstein’s operation?”
“He did.”
“Would you care to relate any conclusions drawn from that knowledge?”
Griem allowed a long silence to pass. Finally, he said, “I believe the captain’s efforts will be seriously hampered by the retreat. He will be required to make for the river along with the rest of us. Material shortages, not to mention the Russians, will see to that.”
“I meant regarding the captain’s pursuit of Red Vengeance. Do you think the operation has any merit?”
“I am in no position to judge. There are a number of high-ranking officers who believe the mission is worthwhile. Hoth, Von Vormann, and Von Mackensen, to name but a few. I’ve heard the rumors as, no doubt, you have also. Perhaps something of a morale issue is at stake here, I don’t know. Use the same manner of professionalism you have illustrated to me and get the matter over with. Falkenstein is damned lucky to have you.”
“Thank you, Captain.” The words did not bolster Voss as much as he would have liked.
“Just remember, above all else, I expect you to report back to the battalion with your crew and this vehicle in operational condition. Is that clear, Lieutenant?”
Voss could not see Griem’s face, but he sensed he was smiling. “That is an order I will carry out with pleasure, sir.”
“Get on the move before sunrise. There is no telling what the situation will be like, now that the retreat is in effect.” He stood up and clasped Voss’s hand. “Until we meet again, Lieutenant.”
Yes, thought Voss, with any luck, God willing, we will meet again by the river or someplace in between.
19
The kolkhoz was a scene of utter commotion when the Hanomag arrived. Staff cars were heaped with officers’ luggage; lorries and wagons were loaded with supplies and equipment. By the look of many of the articles to be carted away—oriental rugs, samovars, furniture, and religious icons in gilded frames—it appeared the rear area personnel managed to get their hands on more than a few valuables. They had been busy since the evacuation from the Don Bas. The peasants were being forced to leave. Scenes were occurring, some nasty and brutal, as order police forcibly evicted the more recalcitrant occupants who did not want to surrender their homes.
Hartmann parked the vehicle at the rear of Lieutenant Gottfried’s billet. The American-made truck was nowhere in sight, but several grenadiers, appearing clean and groomed, lounged in the shade by the back door. Voss wasted no time and went immediately to the cottage. When he entered, Falkenstein was on the field telephone and beckoned him to the table where he sat. A large map lay open, illustrating the operational theater of the Army Group from the Sea of Azov in the south and as far north as the boundary with Army Group Center. A line had been drawn with charcoal pencil, indicating the Armies’ latest defensive positions. If the map was accurate, over one hundred kilometers separated the front from the great river to the west.
“Very well. Keep me informed.” Falkenstein hung up the receiver and looked at Voss. “Lieutenant Gottfried is trying to maintain some lines of communication until the last possible moment. Thank you for coming, Lieutenant.”
“I’ll do my best, sir,” Voss replied.
“I have no doubt that you will. Now, allow me to brief you on the situation, as I understand it so far, and the part we will play.” Falkenstein stood up and leaned over the map. “First Panzer Army will fall back to the bridges at Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye. Eighth Army intends to cross at Kremenchug and Cherkassy. General Hoth’s Fourth Panzer Army will make for the bridge at Kanev, establish the defense of Kiev, and link at the junction with Army Group Center further to the north.”
Voss tried to imagine the scope of such a daunting task. Nearly a million men and civilian employees of the Wehrmacht would have to withdraw from along a front line of over nine hundred kilometers. The armies in question had only six bridges available to cross and would then have to form a new front line of over seven hundred kilometers on the west bank of the Dniepr. This had to be accomplished in an orderly fashion, without panic, and under combat conditions as an enemy with a six-to-one ratio of superiority pursued them the entire way. Only the strategic genius of Field Marshal von Manstein would even consider such an audacious plan; whether a division general or a grenadier, this was the only option left if the Army Group was to survive and the southern half of the front hold. Voss prayed it wasn’t too late. “What of Sixth Army, captain?”
“Sixth Army will establish a defensive line, designated Wotan, that will extend from Zaporozhye across the Nogay Steppe to as far south as Melitopol. Now—this is important—as the armies converge toward the crossings, the areas in between will become broader and unprotected. The Russians will try to establish bridgeheads along the river at every opportunity. We will be in those open spaces, Lieutenant. Companies, battalions, even regimental—all arms groups are destined to get cut off from their neighbors on either flank. Depending upon the vicinity of where we happen to be, at the right time, we can provide valuable reconnaissance to these units.”
“With the disruption of communication, which is to be expected with a retreat of this magnitude, how will we know to be in the right place at the right time?”
“A question I thought you would ask, and a legitimate one. Lieutenant Gottfried will return to Zaporozhye and coordinate efforts with the signals branch at Army Group to monitor reports and keep us informed. Much the same as he was doing for me here, before, with the listening station. There is no foolproof guarantee. I have learned from experience that this hunt requires a certain amount of intuitive response. Red Vengeance has been active in First Panzer Army sector and the northern wing of Sixth Army, and that is where we will concentrate our attention for the time being.”
At first Voss had hoped the mission of the reconnaissance group would have been altered due to the new circumstances, but he realized he was terribly naïve to think so. The captain had merely predicated their main objective with other duties to make the exercise more palatable for him personally. Nothing had changed. Falkenstein was after Red Vengeance, and Voss was his adjutant. Next, Falkenstein directed his attention to the area around Zaporozhye. “A defensive salient is to be established to protect the city and the hydroelectric works,” he said.
“Yes, my battalion commander informed me. Our division will take part in the defense,” Voss replied.
“One of several divisions. A panzer and army corps will establish positions on the northeast bank of the reservoir and extend ten to twelve kilometers east. This salient should thwart any penetrations the Russians try to make between the Dniepr bend and the Sea of Azov. It will give cover to the northern flank of Sixth Army and at the same time interfere with any thrusts toward Dnepropetrovsk.”