Hammer of God

Chapter 20

The British had convened a conference at Rutbah concerning the plan to capture Palmyra. General Clark had flown in from Jerusalem to brief Brigadier Kingstone on the overall operation in Syria, and he made a point of emphasizing the importance of this wide flanking maneuver.

“It’s not just the airfield and the pipeline route we uncover,” he said, “but this move could unhinge the whole of the French Defense at Damascus. I understand you have already sent an advanced detachment?”

“I’m not sure who they are, sir,” said Kingstone, feeling stupid for the remark. “They were sent all the way from Palestine, and must have come in by air. Apparently they caught the French napping. I’m told a Colonel Peniakoff from the LRDG was with them, a small party sent to scout the position before we arrived.” Kingstone folded his arms, a tall hard man with a high forehead and cheeks reddened by the long hours in the sun. He had come all the way from Palestine to Baghdad, and now his hastily assembled force was heading back to Syria, and there seemed to be elements scattered all over the desert from Rutbah to Habbaniyah.

“Colonel Peniakoff? Ah yes! That’s Popski. Wavell will vouch for the man, and I’d say that puts him in good company. Apparently his operation came from Wavell himself-and it’s very hush, hush. I was simply told that they were to have a free hand here, and was assured they would deliver results-much like your Arab friends out here. What have they been up to?”

“Glubb Pasha apparently left last night with his Legion. That leaves us here with my column, and anything Habforce can send us from Habbaniyah.”

“Well the situation in Iraq is still very fluid, but the Indian Brigades have taken up the burden of running the last of the Iraqi hostiles to ground. We’ve put one battalion into Kirkuk, and another in Mosul. The rest are consolidating and preparing to move up the Euphrates. Your action is the inside arc of this operation. You are to take Palmyra, then press on to Homs to cut the rail line there. We tried to put in commandos, but ran into a little more than we expected near Rayak.”

“The Germans?”

“Who else? They had the bald faced audacity to call our operation in Syria an ‘unprovoked aggression’-as if the whole affair in France the Low Countries, Denmark and Norway was a garden party-not to mention Gibraltar and now Egypt. Well, we don’t mince words with the Germans any longer. Either we meet them on the field and win through, or they’ll have the last laugh, and I for one refuse to contemplate that.”

“What might we expect at Palmyra?” Kingstone wanted to know what he was up against.

“We’ve had word the Germans flew troops into Homs last night. They might be headed your way, and if not, you’ll have to be prepared to meet them there after you take Palmyra.”

“Very good, sir. Jerry has pulled a few rabbits out of his hat lately. That ambush of the supply flotilla on the Euphrates could have stopped us cold for a while. Luckily there was fuel at Habbaniyah, and the lorries should be here soon. We’ll be assembled and ready to move out soon after. I can brief Colonel Nichols with the rest of Habforce when we get to the T3 Pump station.”

That afternoon they pressed hard for Palmyra on three fronts. To the south, Glubb Pasha was already a day ahead, leading his Arab Legion, a force of about 300 men, across the border post at Al Walid, and across the rugged desolation of the desert. He skirted the edge of hard rocky basins of volcanic debris and desiccated lava, relying on the uncanny nose and ground sense of his experienced Bedouin scouts. The force was ‘mechanized’ now, which meant that the troops had moved from the backs of their horses to Ford 8cwt trucks that the Legion had purchased from America some time before the war. Smaller than a typical British Lorry, they mounted a Lewis Gun up front with a driver and two gunners. A squad of five riflemen road in the back, and a few of these had a Vickers heavy machinegun assigned. Otherwise the force had no heavy weapons, artillery, or even mortars, though Glubb Pasha had four home brewed armored cars with Twin Lewis Guns and a Vickers