Blitzkrieg #1 A Return to War Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

AUGUST 14TH 1861 WASHINGTON D.C.

         The city lay quiet and still, more so than normal. Occasional patrols by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia would patrol down the streets, keeping the peace. Ongoing discussions between the Government of the United States and the Government of the Confederate states had stalled and little of consequence had been agreed upon. While the politicians verbally sparred with one another, men continued to fight and die.

         General Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Army of Northern Virginia, stood silently atop the little rocky hill. With him were Generals Longstreet, Ewell, and A.P.Hill. These were the three corps commanders who made up the army.  The army of Northern Virginia had recently been reinforced by a large portion of the Army of the Tennessee after that confederate army had been dissolved following the near complete destruction of the federal army of the Cumberland. The Army of the Cumberland had tried to cross the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky.  The Germans Luftwaffe, now with some confederate pilots, bombed and machine gunned the army until it was a gutted shade of itself.  As Lee and his generals watched far down below, the union armies tried another valiant push against the entrenched confederate forces. Lee knew that this latest push by the Yankees would accomplish nothing and would result in nothing but more losses for the union army. Since the talks in Washington had broken down, Lee had no choice but to continue pushing the union troops back. He had already been in agreement with President Davis that they would not occupy the north. They would only push back the union forces to a point where the Confederate border would be safe and that the confederate armies could entrench and defend safely.  Lee knew that as long as Lincoln remained president of the federals the war would never end.  So to that end, President Davis was meeting with the Yankee congressmen who had remained in Washington after the federal retreat.

AUGUST 16^TH 1861 NORFOLK, VIRGINIA NORFOLK NAVY YARD

         Capain Otto Kreuger of the U-2413 unterseeboot, or submarine, stood atop his conning tower and looked fore and aft. On the pier a large crowd of confederate citizens stood curiously watching the strange looking craft. Kreuger shouted below, "Warm up both diesels." From below and far to the rear a loud squeal was heard as the high pressure air was forced into the cylinders to start the engines.  After a cough the diesels came to life with a burst of blue smoke from the exhausts over the side of the boat.  Within moments the engines had evened out into a steady dull throb one could hear and feel throughout the boat.  Once sure that the engines were operating normally the captain gave the command for the boat to cast off. This would be the first reassembled boat to go to sea for sea trials prior to war.

         Two  hours later the type XXI U-boat was slowly making headway into the harbor entrance at Baltimore.  Captain Kreuger Slowly panned the periscope around a full 360 degrees making sure no enemy ships were close, then gave an order."Down scope." He walked a few feet to his charts then spoke. "Both engines ahead slow, right full rudder to course 145." As the orders were repeated back to him and he waited the usual commands he thought quickly to himself. As the submarine came nearer to the harbor entrance he ordered the full compliment of contact mines the submarine had carried to be released every 100 feet in a giant "x" pattern. After a few hours of slowly passing time the boats work was done and the entire harbor entrance had been mined.  The normal magnetic mines had been left at base and replaced with a contact type mine that the softer wooden hulled ships of the yankee fleet would be more liable to detonate. As the last mine was laid the crew in the control room breathed a sigh of relief and smiles and silent jokes were in abundance. He ordered the boat to periscope depth to report back to Norfolk that their mission was complete and gave the commands to head the boat to home and safety.

AUGUST 17^TH 1861 BALTIMORE HARBOR

         Abraham Lincoln sat on the rear deck of the USS Pennsylvania.  The Pennsylvania was a ship of the line. It was very large and one of the most powerful types of ships in the union navy. The ship was split into 4 decks, and carried 105 guns.  90 32 pounder cannons,  12 8 inch chambered cannons, 2 nine pounder cannons, and a small brass swivel cannon.  The Navy had chosen this ship to take Lincoln to Nova Scotia for a meeting with the heads of the british government to plead with them to not enter the war on the Confederate side. Lincoln knew in his heart that if he tried hard enough and said the right things he could get the British to see reason, and hopefully at least not provide the confederacy with military support. He sat on the deck and watched the other ships in the harbor slowly begin to drift off as the Pennsylvania gained speed in the wind. 

         As the Pennsylvania sped along it managed to barely graze a floating German contact mine, shortly followed by a second.  Lincoln had enough time to hear the explosion from far below him, then a second similar noise. In seconds Lincoln was surrounded by flame and flying debris. The last thoughts Lincoln had was as his body flew into the air from the near dual blasts. Then there was nothing but darkness.

         Within Hours of the Pennsylvania being sunk the Vice president Mr. Hannibal Hamlin was sworn in as the 17^th president of the United States.

AUGUST 17^TH 1861 OFF THE COAST OF MAINE

                                                           

As Hamlin was being sworn in to the Presidency, a large fleet of unknown warships appeared over the horizon heading for Maine.  A few men in a small fishing boat sat silently and watched the monstrous ships approach and begin to pass by. On the dark moonless sea the men couldn't make out any markings or flags flying from the ships but could hear the throbbing of powerful engines from deep inside the ships that passed by the closest to them.  As the morning approached the light of dawn revealed a fleet of 100 plus ships anchored in Casco Bay just beyond Portland, Maine. Three of the largest ships in the strange fleet were easily as long as 4 or 5 city blocks and had a large flat area atop them.  It was from one of these ships that a small motorized boat separated from and began to head to the dock area of Portland where a large group of curious citizens were gathered beyond a loose circle that a local army unit had formed at the docks.  As the boat approached it slowed and a voice spoke. "Ahoy there on shore. I need to speak to president Abraham Lincoln immediately." The man said.  The man in charge of the army unit on the docks, Captain John Trevors, then spoke. "Stranger, I don't know who you are, or where you came from but not just anyone can see the president.  Besides President Lincoln is dead. He was killed by some sort of mine in the water while on the business of the USA. " At this the men in the boat looked at one another in a brief moment of confusion. Captain Trevors watched the men in the boat begin to speak amongst themselves for a brief moment, then turned back to him. "Then we need to speak to whomever is the president now." Trevors was becoming impatient with these strangers. "Ok gentleman, whom then may I tell the President is requesting his presence?" He asked the boat full of men. One of the men who had been silent till now stood up. His white naval uniform of an unfamiliar cut, and he Saluted Trevors.  "You can tell the president that Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz of the United States Pacific Fleet is here to see him concerning his German problem."

AUGUST 19^TH 1861 OFF THE COAST OF MAINE

         President Hamlin stood on the deck of the ship admiring the advanced technology. He had been here for 2 days listening to Admiral Nimitz and still found this all hard to believe. But standing here and seeing it all made it all the more real. Admiral Nimitz had explained the war from his time with the Germans. He also explained how the world had come together to defeat Germany and her allies.  How during the early part of the year after Germanys surrender the allies had captured a German scientist who had went for a walk in the night. He had refused to say what he had been doing in the mountains of Germany, but he had spilled the beans on German work involving time travel.  After much interrogation of the scientist and then getting him to agree to work with US and British scientists in his field, they had been able to build a working prototype of the German time travel machine.  The American time machine being built much faster and without the slow trial and error the Germans had done, operated slightly differently than the German version. Without the ability to create two way travel the Americans had to adjust the size of the time field, and  it had to have enough power to operate a field large enough to successfully transport everything needed back all at once. So a ship was built to carry the machine and provide its power, essentially a floating power plant.

         Over the next few days President Hamlin invited members of his cabinet and senior members of the army to meet with Admiral Nimitz aboard his ship. He had said his ship was called an Aircraft Carrier.  The ship was able to carry war machines that flew in the air, and these had the federal military men in awe. 

         Over the next few days the president and his military chiefs hammered out an agreement to accept the help of their countrymen from the future. Just south of Portland the President set aside 3500 acres of land for Nimitz and his men to use for a base of operations.  Nimitz immediately set to work building this base. He ordered his dozens of cargo and tanker ships in close to the shore and began having his LST's, (landing ship, tank), begin ferrying the heavy equipment and fuel and building material in to the landing beaches. He had US Navy Seabees, or navy construction crews, begin building a fence line around the property, and the buildings and the spot for an airfield.  Other crews came in to begin building machine shops, and factories, streets, and electrical production plants.

         Nimitz had several steel Quonset huts erected to use as a headquarters while construction was ongoing. Nimitz estimated it would take at least 6 months to a year to have even a basic infrastructure built to wage a long term war. It would take a year or more for the factories to be built, and to go into production to build the items they would need to conduct modern war. Until then, Nimitz had to keep his operation hidden and safe or the German forces, who had such a great deal more time here then his forces had, would be able to smash them with a few short battles.

AUGUST 21^ST 1861 RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

         President Davis relentlessly paced the floor of his office waiting for Rommel to arrive. Ever since his intelligence officers had uncovered what they found up north he had deliberated what to do. If not for his German friends his country wouldn't be in the position they are in today. But Davis knew that eventually their help would come with a price. Davis wasn't sure what that price would be but he was almost positive he and his country either couldn't afford it, or wouldn't like it. 

         After a few minutes Rommel was ushered into his office by his secretary in the outer office. "Good afternoon, Mr. President." He spoke with a smile, and held out his hand to shake Davis's hand. "What can I help you with today sir?" Rommel spoke.  I'm not sure if you are aware of the developments up north Field Marshal?" President Davis spoke.  Rommel shrugged and said no he wasn't.  "Our informants up in the north have reported that the Yankees have received their own assistance similar to what you and your men have given us." Davis spoke. Rommel's smile abruptly left his face replaced by a look of genuine concern. "DO we know exactly what kind of assistance and who it might be?" Rommel asked. Davis shook his head and spoke." No we don't know any details for sure. All our informant was able to report before his death was that the Yankees had began using technology similar to our german friends and that they were furiously building some type of base in Maine for these new forces to use." Rommel seemed to think for a moment then stood still and looked at Davis. "Then we will need to eliminate this new force assisting the Yankees immediately." Rommel said. I propose that we reinforce the Army of Northern Virginia with more of my mechanized units, then we strike north through the lines of the Army of the Potomac, smashing all resistance in our way.  We fight north until we get within artillery distance of this base. Then I propose that we use a combination of artillery and aircraft to destroy this base the Yankees are building in Maine." Davis nodded and gave the idea some thought. "Will we be able to strike this enemy base and then return to our borders without suffering severe losses?" Asked Davis. " Rommel nodded affirmative. "Mr. President I believe that if we use overwhelming force at the point of attack, the federal troops will collapse in short order and fall back in disorder.  I can have our Luftwaffe and artillery blast the union lines and then lead off the attack with a massive Panzer Army.  This combination of air, artillery, and Panzers should be enough to eliminate any resistance. "Rommel said.  Davis seemed to give the idea some thought then nodded to Rommel. "Very well,  Field Marshal. Order the preparations for the attack.

AUGUST 23^RD 1861 JUST NORTH OF WASHINGTON D.C.

         Several Days later Rommel sat in his Panzerkampfwagon VI and waited for his watch to strike midnight.  As the hands finally reached midnight he nodded to his radio operator to give the signal for the artillery bombardment to begin. From far behind Rommel and His massive formation of tiger and panther tanks mixed with Panzer Grenadiers the rumble of his massed artillery began. 

         All along the Yankee battle lines the troops sat behind breastworks and in trenches silently waiting for anything to happen in anxious anxiety.  Unknown to the German and confederate troops waiting to attack, the Army of the Potomac had been reinforced by a division of Marines from Nimitz's Task force in Maine. These men had been battle hardened against the Japanese forces in the pacific theater of war back in 1944-45.  With their modern weapons and equipment they were sure to give the germans something to think about in their next attack into the rebel lines which had been scheduled for the next day. Suddenly the Marines recognized the sounds of incoming artillery rounds and dove into trenches or hastily dug bunkers. The federal troops took shelter into trenches or got lower against the ground until the only thing separating them were the  buttons on their uniforms. The artillery blasts seemed to last for hours but were actually over in around 15 minutes or so. As the echoing of the last blast faded away, the men behind the lines could hear the rumbling and squeaking of tank treads and engines from the direction of the confederate lines. Slowly the noise got louder and then the men could begin to see Panzers and infantry advancing in halftracks on the Yankee lines.  The confederates and Germans, not expecting any serious resistance, were unpleasantly surprised to hear several whoosh's, and see streaks of smoke stream from the union lines out over the open areas between the forces.  These streams slammed against several Panzers holing them.  One panzer screamed to a halt, its turret separating from the lower half of the tank as the fuel and ammunition blew up inside the machine.  Some of the Yankees could hear the brief screams of the men inside as they burned alive in their machines.  Another Panzer hit by these anti tank weapons slowed to a stop and the turret hatch and drivers hatches  flew open with a clang, a large fireball erupting from inside the machine.  Several other panzers were disabled by tank treads being blown off, or engines being disabled.

         Rommel began to receive reports of the union troops using anti panzer weapons or panzerfausts. Slowly his Panzer commanders began to report casualties from the attack. After only a few moments of advancing he had lost over a dozen Panzers already. Rommel was already angry over the failure of his Luftwaffe to make the showing that he had wanted to over the union lines. Apparently his Luftwaffe commander had reported problems with the airbase his engineers had built on the outskirts of Washington D.C.

         Rommel listened in to his command frequencies and saw how his Panzer commanders were beginning to falter under the barrage of anti tank weapons that the union troops were using.  He ordered Major General Sepp Dietrich  to follow through with the attack.  Dietrich affirmed his orders over the radio and changed his radio to his units command net. "12^th, and 67^th Panzer Divisions form in V formations turrets left and right, full advance into the union lines. Run them down." Dietrich ordered. But the units were now facing a determined defense by the Marine division that they had no idea were facing them. As the Panzers approached closer to the union lines they began to hit anti tank mines that the marines had placed all along the federal lines to prevent such an attack. The Marines, being experienced in combat, were targeting command tanks. These were the tanks with several radio antenna on their hulls. Within moments the units begin to feel this lack of command as the various unit commanders went silent on the radio and the pleas and screams from the other Panzers making up the units went unanswered.

         In anger and astonishment at this unexpected result of the battle Rommel immediately ordered his Panzer Grenadiers into the battle. The halftracks began to disgorge their troops into the battlefield full of flying shrapnel and lead.  Almost as soon as the men were in view of the Yankee lines confederate and German troops began to fall from the intense fire. But there was only one division of Nimitz's troops on the field and the rest of the federal line was still using muskets and miniball ammunition.

         As the accurate and lethal fire of the confederate and German troops took its toll, the federal troops began to break and waver. At first a few men threw down their weapons and turn and ran, then groups of men, then finally whole units were fleeing the line. The marines in the line had no choice but to withdraw or they would be flanked on both sides by the on rushing Army of Northern Virginia. 

         Three days later Field Marshal Erwin Rommel stood on the top of a Tiger II tank, peering into the valley below. The Federal troops, now pushed deep into Maryland were placed along a long line stretching from Aberdeen along the end of the Chesapeake Bay, past Westminster in the northern middle part of the state, over to Hagerstown near the panhandle of Maryland. Rommel knew that the longer he took to push this union army back the stronger the federal army would get from Nimitz's assistance. H had previously asked one of his vaunted U-boat captains to peek into Chesapeake Bay. He had been turned back by a determined defense of several destroyer type ships.  The U-boat captain had informed Rommel on his return that he had barely escaped with his ship intact.

         Rommel jumped down from the tank he had been standing on, lowering his binoculars. "Mein Gott." He declared, slapping his gloves in his hand against his pant leg.  He turned followed by his ever present aides and went to his command track to sit and think. A plan was forming in his mind to break through the enemy lines, but he hadn't yet had the time to work out all of the fine details. He would though. He always found a way.

         Several days later a unit of SS commandos silently slid through the night. Approaching the federal line the men moved like ghosts. Their Commander, Otto Skorzeny , was a brilliant special operations commander.  He had previously glided into Italy and rescued Hitler's Ill Fated ex partner Il Duce, Benito Mussolini the former Dictator of Italy.  Skorzeny, face blacked out with black grease paint, silently motioned to the men to his left and right and they slipped through a small gap his men had found in the federal lines after several nights of  exploration along the entire line.

         His men peeled off to the left and right, several dozen going both ways.  Silently the men began to kill any Yankees they came to behind breastworks or in trenches. Bayonets, and silenced pistols were used primarily on this night. By the time first light was upon the field the the men of the 179^th SS Commando Brigade had cleared almost a mile gap in the near continuous federal lines.  As the men had completed their work in one area, a unit of confederate troops would move across the open area in front of the old federal line and occupy defensive positions in preparation for moving up when the commandos had cleared a new area.  As daylight dawned Rommel had placed an entire confederate corps in the gap in the union line whose flanks were protected by mg 42 machine gun nests and crack wehrmacht units to hold the gap open. Rommel now had his chance. He ordered the confederate corps commander General Thomas Jackson to move with all speed toward the north to a town called Gettysburg. This small town was an important road hub with roads leading in all directions, some of which were the directions in which this army had to move.  The confederate corps, mounted up on Panther and tiger II tanks started their big diesel engines up shattering the still quiet of the early morning. This alerted the union troops on either side of the gap to something unusual happening. Both local Yankee unit commanders on opposite sides of the gap came to almost the same decision at almost the same time. They sent runners to contact the units on the line in the direction of the noise, only moments later hearing the stuttering fire of a machine gun as it cut down their runners on both sides of the gap. The waste of valuable time this all took to happen seriously cut down on the speed of the Federal Army response to the breach in the lines and they were slow to react.  Within moments of the engine noise being detected the confederate corps was racing off to the north, over running rear units of the federal army and destroying or scattering an entire division supply wagon train including the medical supplies and artillery units.

         General McClellan, the federal commander of the Army of the Potomac, realized what was happening after almost an hour of continuous heavy firing and battle to the west of his position behind the federal lines.  He slowly began to receive reports of confederate and German units in his rear areas disrupting and destroying his supplies and rear echelon troops. McClellan screamed in rage." Can anyone tell me how those damnable rebs got into and behind our lines?" He said while scanning the faces of the officers surrounding his situation map. All of the men looked down or away and none would look into his eyes." I thought so. I am surrounded by incompetence and men who are consistently failing to follow my orders and have nearly doomed us all." He raged, screaming.  All you men may now pray to whatever god you believe in that our friends in Maine have that secondary defense line set up. Because if they don't gentleman we may have just lost this war.

AUGUST 26^TH 1861 SOUTH SIDE OF GETTYSBURG PENNSYLVANIA

         A long line of green colored tanks sat silently in the early morning coolness.  The machines faced over a small field directly beyond a stone fence.  The Officer commanding them stood silently, carrying a pair of binoculars, constantly scanning the far tree line and the spot where the dirt road disappeared into the woods heading south.  The mans olive green helmet was shiny, and had 3 stars on it.  On each hip was an ivory handled colt .45 pistol.  He turned again to look over his preparations. He had over 150 Sherman tanks on the line as his main defense. He had several dozen wolverine anti tank guns as well as hundreds of anti tank mines he had placed in a wide arc before his formations. With him were elements of the Big Red One, or the US army 1^st infantry division.  He stood impatiently, listening to the wildlife of the nearby woods. He knew that shortly the sounds of battle would silence the animal sounds. He stood and thought back to a previous life he believed he had. It was an early silent morning like this standing on the walls of the ancient city of Carthage.  The roman army encamped a short ways from the city gates.  The sounds of brakes squealing on a jeep that pulled up broke him from his reverie and he turned to see who the new arrival was. Major Clark Hoering, his adjutant, had come rushing up to him with a look of anticipation on his face. "General Patton, Sir." He saluted. "The German and Confederate troops have broken through the Army of the Potomac lines south in Maryland.  They are moving forward at the rate of 30 to 40 miles per hour. Headquarters staff expects the enemy troops to arrive within a few hours. The Army of the Potomac is split into roughly 2 corps and is falling back  one wing of the army to Chambersburg her in Southern Pennsylvania and the other wing towards Hanover. This should leave a wide enough gap open for the enemy army to travel up the valley towards our forces here in Gettysburg. " Patton nodded, slapping his riding crop against the side of his leg. "Good! Once the enemy formations are past Hanover ask General McClellan to force march that portion of his army in from the east to Gettysburg. Then ask General McClellan to send his western wing in towards Gettysburg from Chambersburg. The units from Chambersburg have farther to go so they should arrive in time if notified in a timely fashion." Patton smiled thinking. "If all goes as planned  the German and confederate forces should be fully involved in the battle here with us when the Army of the Potomac  and its two wings meet here with the enemy army in the center, caught between us, and the two flanking portions of the Army of the Potomac the enemy should be destroyed in short order." General Patton smiled in expectation.

AUGUST 26^TH  1861 SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA

         As the Confederate and German forces approached a small hamlet 30 miles south of Gettysburg Rommel ordered his units to slow to a halt. General Lee immediately rode up to Rommel's command tank in a kubelwagon.  'Why have we been brought to a halt, Field Marshal? "Rommel was asked by Lee in his southern accent.  was given to understand that the Yankee army is dispersed and unable to turn and form any display of resistance."  Rommel sighed, and removed his radio headphones from his head.  He turned to Lee and spoke. "General Lee, sir. My scouts out on each flank of our advance report large numbers of Yankees making a bee line for two towns that flank our objective. Although these two towns are quite some distance from Gettysburg, I feel that these units could if the opportunity arose, turn and force march to Gettysburg.  If that were to happen, General Lee, then this army would be caught between both dispersed wings of the Army of the Potomac.  Those units combined with any units this Admiral Nimitz might be able to bring against us. I have also learned that a large force of militia have departed from Baltimore to reinforce the Army of the Potomac by attacking  us from the south as we engage the enemy at Gettysburg." General Lee nodded, silent and thinking. "It does not matter Field Marshal. With our overwhelming superiority in arms we will be victorious over those men over there. It does not matter where we meet on the field of battle as I believe we have god on our side and our cause is righteous." Lee said.  Rommel shook his head, disagreeing with Lee's assessment of the situation. "General Lee, we could possibly become engaged with forces from my time. If this comes to pass and we are also engaged with the Army of the Potomac, we could be overrun and defeated in detail." Rommel said. "Field Marshal Rommel, I have given an order sir, and I do expect you to follow that order, sir. If you feel strongly that those orders are in error you may pull your men and material from this army and withdraw at any time. You aren't under my command, you are an ally and friend of the Confederate Government." Rommel nodded his head and took his hat off, throwing it on the ground. He paced back and forth a few moments behind his tiger tank. He then paused and took a moment to pick up his hat from the ground. "Very well General Lee. We will follow your orders for now. But I and my countrymen wont forget this." Lee then saluted and strode back to his command car and it drove off back to his headquarters. Rommel glanced in the direction Lee had left in for a moment silently full of doubt and anger. He then turned back to his tank and climbed back aboard.