Blood and Ice Read Free Page A

with Sergeant-Major Schulze.’
    Carefully Habicht locked the door behind a mystified Schulze and pulled the blackout shutters closed before putting on the light, a single fly-blown electric bulb without a shade.
    ‘Schulze,’ Habicht began slowly, ‘I’m going to tell you some thing which so far I have only told to my senior officers. I’m going to have to rely heavily on you and your Wotan men in what is to come. You have seen the standard of training of my young officers. I’m going to attach two of your veterans to each one of them. They will give him the experienced support he will need. You must give them the necessary motivation. The situation here in Hungary is very grim. Last November, as soon as the mass of the Hungarian Army began surrendering to the Reds, our whole front was forced back to the Danube and the Fatherland threatened anew. Our war economy depends on the Hungarian bauxite and one third of the crude oil we use in the refining industry to make the Luftwaffe’s aviation spirit comes from this country. As a result we tried to hold on to Budapest and stop the Reds driving any further into Hungary.
    ‘But while our forces were occupied with the task of keeping Malinovsky’s Army out of Budapest, that damned cunning Tolbuchin moved up from Belgrade and crossed the Danube near its confluence with the Drava. We had not expected the Reds to cross there but they did and driving rapidly north-west to Lake Balaton, they upset the whole German front in Hungary. By Chrisimas Eve, the two Armies completed the encirclement of Budapest, cutting off 150,000 of our troops, including comrades of ours of the 8th and 22nd SS Cavalry Divisions.’
    Habicht strode over to the big wall map. ‘Remember now, Schulze, what I am telling you now is absolutely secret. It will cost you your head if you breathe a word of it to anyone.’ Habicht drew himself up proudly. ‘Schulze, the German Army in Hungary is going over to the offensive again. The rot has stopped. There will be no more retreats. Soon we march again!’
    ‘General Balck of the 6th Army has decided that with the support of his infantry divisions, we of the Viking and our comrades of the SS Death’s Head Division will break out without any preliminary artillery or air support from the north – here.’ He tapped the map.

    MAP 1: The situation in Hungary, 1st January, 1945
    ‘But that’s mountain country, sir,’ Schulze objected. ‘Difficult for tanks and armoured vehicles.’
    Habicht beamed at him. ‘Exactly! That is why General Balck picked the area for the 4th SS Panzer Corps . The Reds will never expect us to attack through the mountains, especially in winter. It will be the task of the Viking to roll through the Vértes Mountains and take as its initial objective Bickse, which should place the whole southern Hungarian road network in our hands, a network that is particularly important to German High Command.
    ‘That is where Europa comes in. You see General Balck has honoured the Regiment with a special task. Viking will have as its initial object Bickse. On our left flank, Death’s Head will have as its object Zsambek. Both will use the only road network through the mountains to reach those objectives. Accordingly once the Reds tumble to what is going on, they will attempt to block those road networks.
    But there is one road through the Vértes Mountains which our Intelligence is sure that they do not know about. And even if they did, they would hardly imagine we would attempt to use it in the depths of winter because it is one thousand metres or more above sea-level, running here,’ he tapped the map, ‘between the twin objectives. Our object then is to slip in and through the Red lines without their spotting us, until we reach the road network beyond.’
    ‘And then, sir?’
    ‘Then, Schulze, we shall race towards Budapest at the head of the SS Panzer Corps .’ His hawklike face gleamed with sudden, almost crazy fanaticism. ‘Imagine