“You realize the Germans will fight.”
“Of course they will, until they have nothing left to fight with. Do you have any idea what a Challenger II can do in battle?”
Fedorov knew the power Kinlan could wield here all too well. “Yes, but that said, you will be facing two full divisions. The Challengers aside, how thick is your armor on the other vehicles?”
“The Warrior IFV has a welded aluminum armor hull and laminated steel armor turret. We’ve got the upgraded version, with the new stabilized 40mm main gun, but I take your point. Their armor can protect against armor-piercing rounds up to 14.5mm, and the frontal arc is likely to withstand 25mm rounds. Many have the modular applique armor system for the turret and hull, and the anti-mine barrier below, so we can toughen those vehicles up considerably. We usually lay on the modular protection depending on the mission. You say this Rommel has four tank battalions?”
“5th Light Division started with 44 light Panzer IIs and another 40 medium Panzer IIIs between the two battalions. The 15th Panzer Division will have at least that. They likely sustained some attrition coming all the way from Agheila, but they’ll probably have eighty percent of those tanks still operational. Then there will be the Panzerjager battalions, and the flak units to think about. Rommel was the man who adapted the 88mm gun to good use as an AT weapon, and I’m sorry to say that an 88 will put a round clean through one of your Warrior IFVs, and then some.”
“You know a good deal for a navy Captain,” said Kinlan. “Yet what you say is true. So how many of these 88s will they have out there?”
“I’d say he might have three batteries with four guns each-possibly four batteries. Many more come later. Then there will be the self-propelled Panzerjagers. They’ll have a 47mm AT gun that might penetrate your Warriors, as will all the guns on their medium tanks if they have the 50mm version. Even their light Panzer IIs will have a 20mm main gun that could pose a threat to one of your IFVs. Beyond this there will be artillery, and a lot of it. Each German division would have several battalions, from 75mm guns up to 150s. Attack a prepared German defense and you can expect it will be well supported, and they’ll have air support as well, Stukas, Heinkel-111s, Bf-109s. Yes, these are old planes, but very capable, and those Stukas will be dropping 500 to 1000 pound bombs. This won’t be like a deployment in Afghanistan. You’ll be up against tough, disciplined troops. Another thing, sir, your force is mostly mechanized infantry. Well, once they exit their vehicles…”
“I’m beginning to get the picture,” said Kinlan. “They’ve got good infantry body armor, but beneath that its good old flesh and blood. We were sent here to face down the renegade Egyptian Army, and that we did, and without a single casualty. They wanted no part of us.”
“That won’t be the case here. You’ll shock the Germans in the first encounter, undoubtedly, but they will adapt, and they will fight. Something tells me they’ll put a good deal more effort into this campaign, now that Gibraltar has fallen. Malta may be lost soon as well. That has dramatically increased their logistics potential, but it will be my job to work on that end for you. My Admiral is already at sea with the British to see about it. But I’ve given this a good deal of thought, General. Yes, I think you can win this battle up north, but the Germans have plenty more they could commit here if they choose to do so. Understand? The British have not yet seen the full might of the Wehrmacht, and with Russia and the United States still neutral, their prospects are very bleak. They’ll need all the help they can possibly get. This may be a very long war.”
“Understood, but at least we can make a real difference here if it comes to a fight.”
“You certainly can, as long as the ammunition holds out.” Fedorov thought he should voice this concern early on. “We found our capabilities more than equal to the adversaries we faced, but that said, we’ve taken hits, and there have been some alarming near misses. We’ve had to be very stingy with our ammunition once we realized we were…” He looked at Popski now. “…going to be in theater for a good long while.” He also wanted that to register on Kinlan-a good long while.
“That’s another issue I’ll have to visit with the men in time. For now, I’ve got my whole brigade strung out in road column. If we go north, how soon before we can expect trouble?”
“I can give you a detailed scouting report with my helicopter, if you’ll permit me.”
“You’re a long way from the coast out here. What is your fuel situation?”
