Chapter 2.2: Counter-Attack!
The Lithuanians ceded Memel to Germany to buy peace, and found a little later that for the rest of them the cost was really much higher. Forcibly absorbed into the Soviet Union, the Lithuanians found themselves suddenly thrust into the fold of the Comintern. For the inhabitants of Memel, now that the Germans had advanced into Poland, they wondered if they were not better off with the Soviets than dragged into a bloody war with all of Europe. They wondered what would happen to them should the Allies win and liberate Memel. Liberate to what? Should Memel become the new one province Lithuania?
On the 14th of September, 0600, their ponderings were to become a great deal more complex. On this day and on this hour, Swedish transports, escorted by a veritable battle fleet, sailed into harbor, and deposited three divisions of Swedish infantry.
* * * * *
The Fuhrer was furious.
“What did you say?”
“The Allies,” returned the unfortunate Chief of Staff, “has landed on Memel. They overran the garrison …”
“Of course they overran the garrison,” Hitler shouted, and glared at his staff, all of whom seem to find their shoes suddenly a great deal interesting, “They overran the garrison because there was no garrison. We sent them to the front. To fight! That’s what you told me. Fritz, isn’t that what you told me? You told me that they would never land their troops on our coast.”
“Well yes,” the Chief of staff stammered a reply, “They’ve … never done this before. We’ve gone through two different iterations of this entire grand strategy simulation exercise, and … the truth is … the Allies have never, ever amphibiously attacked us before. We had no reason to believe that they would!”
“We do have good news,” Werner Von Fritsch, Chief of Army, bravely cut in, “We beat back the Irish when they attempted to land at Konigsberg.”
“Did we?” Hitler raised an eyebrow, “We had troops in Konigsberg?”
“Yes, ah …. Well … ah … not exactly. Well, you see, it was our East Prussian Armee HQ which beat back the invaders.”
The ensuing singular force of chaos forstalled all conversation for a quarter of an hour. The resulting heavy silence lasted for a while before Hitler asked his staff to plan a counter attack.
Von Fritsch appraised Hitler of the plans he had already set in motion, “Our troops are engaged in the entire front in East Prussia. To pull any of them back would be disastrous. All except for the 12th Infanterie division. This unit was to advance into Danzig. But the Polish troops there are already engaged from the west. We will pull them back in all haste and hurl the Swedish back into the sea.”
One division against three. It didn’t take a genius to conclude that there would be no hurling any Swedish into the sea. Alternatively the Northern arm of the envelopment could be postponed, and the siege of Warsaw delayed until the Swedish could be dealt with.
But no. Things were going too fast, too well, too smoothly to stop now.
Hitler made up his mind, “Send the 12th Infanterie division to hold Konigsberg to secure our life line to our entire East Prussian Armee. We’ll let the Swedish dig themselves in Memel and slowly swing down south. By the time they’ve arrived, Poland would already have fallen. We’ll meet them head on with our troops then and crush them. In the meantime, send the Baltic fleet from Rostock and sink the Swedish transports. We must prevent further Allied troops from landing!”
“But the Royal Navy …”
“Avoid them, if you can. Otherwise …” Hitler muttered, “Well, we all must do our duty … mustn't we, gentlemen?”
* * * * *
Prior to that, on the day the Swedes captured Memel, a flotilla of 3 Type VII U-boats was tasked to sink any Swedish convoys to cut off their life line while the mighty Kriegsmarine Baltic fleet, under the able command of Rear Admiral Bachman (who was given the job really by default), launched from Rostock and headed towards Memel. His fleet was headed by the mighty flagship KMS Bismarck and her sister, KMS Tirpitz (the Graf Zeppelin being still built in dock). One may criticize the immense expense of building these battleships, at that time the largest battleships in the world. These critics would say, they would have been worth 10 divisions of able German infantry, and these infantry would have no problem hurling the Swedes into the sea. But Hitler had his eye on Great Britain, and eventually the United States. To have any hope, any hope at all, of beating these mighty foes to the ground, he needed at least parity in the Atlantic ocean.
In addition to these assets, a wing of Dornier Do-217 naval bombers combed the Baltic sea for the Swedish fleet. Despite having no Swedish aerial presence, the effectiveness of the Naval bombers, manufactured for a hoped for invasion of the UK, was regretfully utterly incompetent.
It was on the 15th of September when the two fleets met. The Swedish fleet, composed largely of Heavy cruisers and a few light cruisers, was caught just beyond Memel in the eastern Baltic ocean. Rear Admiral Bachman would comment later that it was such a pity he did not catch any of the Swedish transports – admitting to a sadistic desire to watch the helpless enemy sink with their ship into the pitiless waves of the Baltic.
The Kriegsmarine, hitherto green and unproven, had their trial by fire. And in the rapid exchange of gunfire (so rapid, regretfully, there was no record whatsoever apart from the testimonies of those engaged), the Swedish fleet was decimated. Little surprise for the Swedish heavy cruisers were no match for the Bismarck or the Tirpitz. For the loss of the KMS Dresden, the Kriegsmarine sunk a veritable fleet of Swedish cruisers.
But the Swedish had struck their blow, more profitably to the Allies that they initially thought. For the Tirpitz had taken a torpedo and was taking in water, while the Bismarck was barely damaged, there were no useful screening vessels to protect her. The ships limped to Rostock and survived, but would take no greater part in battle, leaving Donitz and his wolf pack of U-boats to patrol the waves.
“Well,” mumbled Fritz Bagerlain, Chief of staff, “That was that. Wasn’t very much really. The 12th Infanteri division will soon secure Konigsberg. Armeegruppe A, bless Guderian and his excellent book, are right on schedule cutting off that Polish Poznan salient.
“And our Allies! They’re not doing so bad. The Italians and the Yugoslavians are working hand in hand like old friends! At this rate, Greece will be surrendering.
"The Swedish …. Well, the Swedes will have no more supplies and no more reinforcements soon enough! Could be much worse couldn’t it,” He laughed, “Could have been the British!”
Later that day, the BEF, 3 infantry divisions and an armoured division, landed on Wilhelmshaven.
