Three Kings

He compromised with the inner fear that came with that strange thought, that rising wary feeling within him. Malta was largely undefended at this point in the war. A quick operation to seize it should not cause him any delay or concern in his own planning. So, when the conference concluded, he made one last suggestion to Keitel on the matter, and it fell like a stone in the quiet pool of the other man’s thinking on the subject.

“Take Malta as soon as possible,” he said. “Take it before the British realize what they already have in hand, and start sending reinforcements there. Then give me everything you can, Keitel. Give me the tanks and supplies, and I promise you-I will give you Egypt in return.”

Yes, he thought. I will give them Egypt, and after that, I will carry the war on my shoulders all the way to the Caspian Sea. He could see it all now, and he knew it was more than possible. Then they will have all the oil they might ever need, he thought, but to do that I will need the supplies and fuel Keitel speaks of first. The 5th Light Division is hardly enough to get started, but I will not know that until I am on the ground in Libya. If I find myself begging for table scraps, starved of men, fuel, and material, then things might not turn out to the Fuhrer’s liking. But I do know one thing-Hitler loves a good victory, doesn’t he? So that is exactly what he will get.

Keitel had his answer from Rommel, and now he knew that there would not be objection or difficulties on his end of things if his own plan went forward. He hadJodl and Raeder in his corner, and Kesselring too. Now he wanted to sound out the mind of yet one other key officer before he face the real challenge of trying to persuade Hitler. That man was FranzHalder, the Chief of the OKH General Staff at that time.

Keitel had taken Rommel’s advice to heart, at least on one matter, the importance of Malta to any future effort to supply an army in North Africa. So now he sought to raise the matter withHalder, and the two men went round and round with it before a decision was reached.

“Crete would seem to be a more inviting target,” saidHalder, Chief of the OKH General Staff at that time. He removed his cap, tucking it under his arm as he ran a hand over his short cropped hair, which he wore in Hindenburg style after the famous German Chancellor, a half inch thick brush on top, and shorter on the sides. His eyes played over the map behind the round wire frame spectacles he wore, his face serious as he considered the situation.

“We are not in a position to attack Crete at the moment.”

“That will change soon enough. We’ll finish up in Greece in another month, and from there we can make the jump easily with Student’s 7th Flieger Division and the 22nd Luftland Air Landing Division. Throw in a mountain regiment by sea and that should be all it takes to do the job.”

“Yes, yes, I have seen the plans, but we must look at the bigger picture, Halder. We’ve sent Rommel to Africa with the 5th Light Division, and I have plans to send him at least two more divisions, five if we can find the shipping. How do you propose that we keep them supplied?”

“You’ve been talking to Raeder?”

Keitel gave him a disparaging look. “What has that to do with anything? I am well aware of his views concerning the Mediterranean strategy, but at the moment this is purely a consideration of logistics-a matter for the army. If we put men in the deserts of Libya and Egypt, then they will have to be supplied. We have one good port at the moment-Tripoli-and Malta sits right astride the sea lanes we must use to get there.”

“Rommel had no trouble landing his troops,”Halder put in.

“That is because the British have yet to build up their air defenses on Malta, but you know they will, particularly if we do begin a stronger buildup of forces in North Africa.”

Halderfolded his arms, not entirely convinced that Rommel should even be there. “You are aware of the Fuhrer’s plans regarding Operation Barbarossa?”

“Of course I am, but that is six months off-perhaps even a year if I can talk some sense into the man. For my part, I believe we would be foolish to attack Russia anytime soon, if at all.”

“You forget the oil, Keitel. Volkov has plenty, but we need a way to get our hands on it. The fields of Ploesti in Romania will only take us so far-and that is another reason we should take Crete. If we leave it to the British they will build up defenses there as well, and from Crete their bombers can reach Ploesti. Yet, if we have that island, we can use it to bomb Alexandria.”

“Volkov?” Keitel darkened at the mention of the man’s name. “Yes, Ivan Volkov, always whispering in the Fuhrer’s ear with those intelligence messages he keeps sending us. If he were not correct so often I would just as soon choke the man. There is something about him that I do not trust.”