Pt 8
The Focke-Agelis helicopter settled onto the sand, its rotors sending up a fierce storm of the stuff until gradually they slowed and died. Only then were the doors opened, and only then did the reception party come out into the open air ready to greet their distinguished guest.
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel stepped down and waited for his aides to gather around him. Hero of the Reich and for the past year Governor of Algiers, he had flown from his HeadQuarters at Constantine to see for himself how rebuilding efforts were going in the so-called capital of his province. Destroyed by the United States' first nuclear weapon to be used against the Reich, his presence in this city of death still sent a shiver down his spine. Manstein and Peiper had perished here, obliterated in their moment of glory, their liberation of North-West Africa stopped in its tracks by the demonic device.
"Field Marshal", the first of the reception party to reach him was the commander of the Western Defence Zone, SS Oberstgruppenfuhrer Hermann Priess, "Welcome to Algiers"
With the Americans in Oran only three hundred and fifty kilometres to the West, and the border between the two roughly half of that, Priess commanded the majority of the German forces within the province. Before 1946 that would have been unheard of, but after Berlin and with OKW now effectively in the orbit of the SS, a Waffen SS general could command regular Wehrmacht units without anyone raising an eyebrow.
"Thank you", Rommel did not bother to append the other's rank, SS nomenclature was such a mouthful and an element of strain still existed between himself and the whole organisation. In fact, after his 1948 speech about the Cost of Peace, he knew he was lucky to still be alive. He would not have credited it then, but learning later that Himmler had considered having him liquidated he could see now how that would have suited the Reichsfuhrer's long-term plans.
Instead, he had got a reprieve, been created a Hero of the Reich, and then packed off to the most difficult assignment of all. Maybe somebody had a sense of humour, or perhaps the Fuhrer had had a flash of inspiration - with the SS having branded his talk 'defeatist', perhaps he was the perfect person to convince the Americans that the Reich had no warlike intentions in North Africa ?
He allowed himself to be led back towards the small brick building that the reception party had sheltered from the down-draught of his helicopter in, and greeted the other significant personages as they moved within.
Dr Hugo Jury was the local Nazi Party representative, the Gauleiter of Algiers, though for the moment that honour consisted of a blasted pile of rubble, and numerous huts built amongst it. Rudolf Hoess was another of Himmler's men, reporting to Oswald Pohl in the SS Economic Office, his job being to oversee the rebuilding and regeneration of the city.
Kontre-Admiral Otto Kretschmer, on the other hand, was a pure military man like himself, a famed u-boat commander from the war, and now in charge of the docksides, which were the only area to have been completely rebuilt so far, and that with Kriegsmarine manpower and money.
Inside, the final member of the party awaited. Colonel von Lutzow these days got around little, his one leg and significant burns the result of injuries sustained in heroic defence of the Reich during the dark days of late 1946 when they had ever feared a second American bomb. His body had healed as best as it were able, but his mind had remained intact, a sharp instrument that the Luftwaffe had been reluctant to pension off. Instead Luftwaffe commander-in-chief Wolfram von Richtofen had assigned him to Rommel's command and the two men had made the journey out here together a year ago. Since then they had seen little of each other, their varying duties keeping them focused on different objectives.
They greeted each other warmly, then sat down to business. Rommel's aides stood behind his chair, his adjutant sat beside him, whilst of the others only Priess had an aide present, a local by the look of him, perhaps from the Tuareg Waffen SS regiment.
Outside, men of Priess's command guarded the doors, whilst on the airfield perimeter tanks of SS Panzer Armee Peiper lay dug in all around. Inside, a ceiling fan, electrically-powered, whirred softly above their heads, and an SS orderly dispensed glasses of water and plates of savoury biscuits, whilst everyone readied their papers, and exchanged inconsequential small-talk. A few minutes later, they were ready to begin.
"The Fuhrer's request", Rommel paused slightly to let them understand that a request was an order, "is that the American Ambassador be given a tour of the gau of Algiers, in order to see how the Reich is rebuilding after the nuclear weapon used against us."
"What is the purpose of this visit ?", Jury asked with a frown
As Gauleiter, he had little desire to see Americans on his territory, but if he must have one he wanted to understand why
"The Fuhrer wishes to show that we are dedicated to building a new city here, splendid enough to be the capital of German Africa", Rommel quoted from the instructions he had received, and waited
The interpretation was not long in common. Priess snorted,
"What that means is that we must show the Americans that we remain unbowed, and that even their worst efforts against us are being undone"
"Very true", the Field Marshal bowed his head towards the SS Oberstgruppenfuhrer
"A tour of the dockyard can be arranged", Kontre-Admiral Kretschmer was businesslike as usual, "We will of course keep him away from anything sensitive, and make sure that none of the new types of u-boat are present during his visit."
"A battleship in the harbour would be nice and imposing" suggested Jury
Kretschmer laughed,
"We could ask the Italians very nicely, I suppose"
Everyone joined in the laughter, and the Gauleiter blushed and regarded his notes with unnecessary intensity. Relations with their Axis ally were strained by the Reich's taking of Algiers for itself, and for the stationing of other German units in Tunis, which nevertheless had been ceded to the Italian Empire. That Egypt was a German protectorate, and not an Italian one, added even more to the injury felt by the Duce and his nation. Whilst in general, the differences between the two allies were patched up and smoothed over, the one place where they still rankled was on the scene in North Africa. The visit of an Italian battleship to Algiers was about as likely as that of a French one...and as the French possessed no such vessels...well !
"Something exceptional from the Kriegsmarine should nevertheless be on show", it was von Lutzow who spoke, "I know that the Oberstgruppenfuhrer intends to parade the new Draken desert battle tank to impress the American, and the Luftwaffe will provide a fly-past of its newest frontline units..."
"That is understood", Kretschmer said courteously, "but on land, showing your enemy your hand prevents an attack. At sea, we need to keep them guessing..."
"I agree", Priess furrowed his brow, "The show of strength by the army and Luftwaffe should achieve its end, but we do not wish these Americans to see the new submarines, and nothing else of worth yet uses the base here at Algiers."
"We could ask the Spanish...", Jury sounded as if he wished he did not have to voice this suggestion, but having thought of it, he did not see how he could not do so
There was a moment's silent pause, which for Jury was better than an outbreak of laughter, then the Kontre-admiral spoke,
"That is a possibility. Generalissimo Franco is keen to prove Spain's position as a major power in the world.."
"Prove ?" Priess raised his eyebrows
"I mispoke", Kretschmer took the correction, "The Generalissimo is keen to assert that this is true, and he is equally proud of the rebuilding of the Espana"
"Piss-poor heap of junk that it is !" snorted Priess
The Spanish battleship, the ex-French Strasbourg had been sold to Spain after being raised from being scuttled at Toulon at the end of the war. Keen to have something to show as a project of some prestige, many pesetas had been poured into the vessel, and rebuilding work had only just completed. Franco would, indeed, be keen for an opportunity to show her off.
"An invitation to the Spanish at the same time as the Americans might help to alleviate some of the anticipated local difficulties", Hoess spoke for the first time, "Rebuilding work is of course only necessary due to the actions of the Americans in the first place, and sentiment against them runs high, especially among those in the immediate area of the city."
"I hope you are not forecasting any difficulties with the local population ?" Priess eyed him coldly, "A strike, for example, would be met with the most severe reaction."
"It will not come to that", Hoess assured him, "And the SD can keep any potential demonstrations from happening, but unless we want the American to be greeted by a silent and sullen crowd..."
"We could always use the French !" laughed von Lutzow, breaking the spell
Tens of thousands of French settlers remained in the area administered by the Reich, and though hardly thrilled at the identity of their new masters, they would not have been happy under Italian or American control either, about the only thing that prevented the resentment from really brewing into a full-scale crisis when it flared up from time to time. With France a pale shadow of her pre-war self, and with the settlers hardly capable of liberating themselves, there was no other course for the French Algerians but to reconcile themselves to German rule. On the whole, if they acted like good citizens of the Reich, then they were treated accordingly. But it was a great unlikelihood that they would be prepared to cheer on command, especially when the visitor was from the nation who had dropped the bomb that had ruined the city in the first place.
"The Ambassador will, of course, not be permitted into the Western Defence Zone," Rommel picked up with the briefing, "Instead we have a number of visits into the interior arranged for him."
The Oberstgruppenfuhrer's aide whispered something into his ear, and Priess nodded,
"How far into the interior ?" he asked
Rommel handed over a map,
"This shows only the initial thoughts of my office"
Priess and his aide studied it for a moment, then the latter stabbed a finger down and grunted. Priess nodded again, and handed the map along to Jury
"It is good that someone in your office has taken into account the interests of ALL peoples of this province."
Rommel smiled thinly; that was a reference without doubt to the Tuaregs, and by implication a comment on Priess's desire to show off his new native Waffen SS regiment.
"I only employ the best officers in my headquarters" he said with a hint of coolness
"Where does the Ambassador's visit fall in terms of the rest of his tour of the Reich ?", it was Hoess asking, apparently simply out of interest.
Rommel turned to his adjutant who leafed through a wad of notes and found the right page for the Field Marshal,
"After leaving Nuremburg at the end of the present week, the Ambassador will tour the Rhineland and visit Wawelsburg", he did not envy him that, "He will then tour the Western territories", which included Luxembourg, as well as Alsace-Lorraine and the County of Burgundy, annexed from France as the price of the withdrawal of German armies, "and then fly on to Konigsberg where he will tour the Baltic provinces. His visit to Algiers falls in between this, and his return to Nuremburg via the Ukraine and Vienna."
"We are the exotic pickle in his sandwich", von Lutzow laughed
Priess gave him a curious look, then shrugged.
"What can your department have ready in six weeks ?" Rommel turned back to Hoess
The SS man smiled thinly,
"What would you like ? We can always ship in extra labour if it is necessary."
Rommel kept his expression blank whilst he shook his head,
"It would be best that everything that is done is the work of those currently within the province"
"As you wish", Hoess thought the Field Marshal squeamish, but it was not his place to say. The Reichsfuhrer had let him live, and the Fuhrer had appointed him over them all; that was enough. Anything more would be over-stepping he boundaries of his role.
"I will need the preliminary designs by the end of the week, and the completed blueprints by the end of next week.", Rommel spoke forcefully, as if feeling the need to put the bureaucrat in his place, "By that time I will expect also to hear that work has not only begun but is fully under way"
"Of course, Field Marshal"
Best Regards
Grey Wolf