Paulus folded his arms. “You thought we would win every battle, did you? That seldom happens in war, Rommel. A good defeat can actually be healthy for an army, as long as morale is strong and the officers and men learn from the loss they suffered. I will speak with the Fuhrer and get him to understand why Mersa Brega is the best defensive line now, but learn a good lesson from this. You will have to re-think your tactics here. We were masters of maneuver warfare, but this new enemy armor has changed the whole balance. You may have to rely on defensive tactics until we can better assess this situation. This position at Mersa Brega looks strong. Dig in, Rommel. No more dashing off on the southern flank. Dig in behind mines and wire, and site your artillery well. I don’t care how thick the armor is on these new British tanks. They won’t like a hit from a 150mm HE round. The concussion alone will knock the men senseless.”
“True, if they hit anything. They are not the most accurate weapons, Paulus, as you well know.”
“I understand, but you will have to use saturation fires at the point of the enemy attack. I’ll see about getting you some good heavy nebelwerfers. We have rocket munitions too. Pre-register your guns! Think like an infantry division commander now. Infantrie Greift! Did you not write such a book? You cannot resort to blitzkrieg tactics with your tanks now.”
“At least not against those heavy tanks I saw. We might be able to hurt their infantry carriers.”
“Yes? Well, if the 88s cannot stop their heavy tanks, then use your artillery and infantry. Scissors, paper and rock, my friend. In war there are always alternatives. You cannot use the sharp, cutting scissors in your Panzer Divisions against this new British rock, so use paper-Infantry! I will see about getting better air support from Goering, which reminds me, he has also offered to send his brigade to bolster your forces here. It’s in Italy as well.”
“The Goering Brigade? Good. Tell the fat oaf to come along as well, and I’ll put him right on the front line. The British will take one look at him and run the other way!”
Paulus smiled. “You are too hard on the man. That brigade has some tough men in it, good equipment, and we will need Goering’s cooperation to make certain you get the air support. With his own brigade here, I can assure you he will be more than willing to send the Stukas our way. There is your answer to these new British tanks-500 pound bombs and good artillery, minefields in well prepared defensive positions. Mersa Brega is a narrow place. Dig in there, and if they try to push through, we’ll see how things go this time. As for the supplies, I will get you everything I possibly can.”
Rommel shrugged. Think like an infantry commander! His stock in trade had been that of the dashing Panzer leader, but he knew that Paulus was correct. He would have to adapt his methods and tactics to face this alarming new enemy armor. It could not be a very large force, and how they managed to get it positioned there on his deep right flank was yet another mystery, but it might be solved by tactics like those Paulus suggested.
“What about the Italians?” Paulus moved to a new subject. “You don’t really mean to leave them in Cyrenaica, do you?”
“The Italians… Yes, they are another problem,” said Rommel. “Those that manage to get east will be little more than mouths to feed here. If I had my way I’d have them all shipped back to Italy. I can use a few of their motorized divisions-or at least use their trucks, but the infantry is useless. If the Fuhrer insists I hold Benghazi, then I’ll post the Italian infantry divisions there and we’ll see how long they last. O’Connor rounded up over 30,000 the last time he came west. Our best strategy might be to send them all the rest, and then let the British feed them!”
“Very well, defend Benghazi. The British will take it, but it will delay them and buy us some time to bring up fresh German divisions. Then, when they do take it, we can blame it on the Italians. If the Fuhrer asks why no German troops were posted there, I will tell him we had to secure our main supply line back to Tripoli. That is the prize for the moment. Hitler sent you here to stop the British from invading Tripolitania and capturing Tripoli! Lose that and the Italians may soon lose their stomach for this war. After what happened in that naval engagement off Malta, Mussolini is on pins and needles. They lost several battleships!”
“That’s Raeder’s watch,” said Rommel. “I hear Hindenburg is in the Mediterranean now, so he had better be careful. It seems the British have more than these new tanks to bedevil us. What is this business about naval rockets?”
