In a nutshell, a huge secret facility was to be constructed in the area but its existence would not be announced to their Allies.
If it became known, then it would simply be a POW facility full of German POWs.
By the time the German War was over, the nature of Camp 1001 had changed, and work started anew on enhancing its facilities.
When the Allies started their attacks on Kremlyov, Vannikov proposed shifting the entire project to Akhtubinsk, and concealing it with a large population of Allied prisoners, who could also be used as a work force for further expansion.
The facility would be declared as a prison camp to the Allies and Red Cross, in order to avoid any unnecessary deaths or, as Vannikov suggested, ‘to use their soft natures and regard for life against them.’
Colonel General Boris Vannikov, the People’s Commissar for Ammunition, was glowingly positive about 1001 and the facilities it promised, and promised quickly, the vast majority of underground work having been completed some months previously.
Within the large site, there would be sub-facilities, where Soviet engineers and scientists would continue the work of the Soviet Atomic programme.
The assembly of all major components parts would be done within Camp 1001, and the waterway provided an excellent means to transport the larger items from their own factories, and in a disguised way, which was had been one of the deal clinchers.
For the months to come, Allied intelligence had absolutely no idea, and continued to bomb both the real and distraction sites set up throughout the USSR, whilst 1001 grew and became operational.
At 1101hrs on Friday 21st June 1946, the last electrical connections were made, meaning that every research and manufacturing facility was now functioning.
NKVD Lieutenant General Dustov received the confirmation over the phone and immediately sought a connection to Moscow.
His head of security, Colonel Skryabin, arrived to confirm the report.
After the telephone conversation with Vannikov, Dustov and Skryabin decided to wreak havoc with the readiness company by way of a surprise test of their response.
By the end of the drill, the base was short one NKVD Captain, who found himself waiting at Akhtubinsk for the next aircraft to Siberia, and the readiness company had a new commanding officer, who understood fully the value of being efficient and swift in all he did in future.
It had been a hell of a morning and, as Saturday afternoon arrived, it got no better for the commander of the Allied Armies in Europe.
Eisenhower settled back, his flow of orders now ceased, the men and women of his staff dispatched to sort out the crisis in Southern Germany, where Soviet pressure had actually jolted some of his units back, the first real losses in territory since the March offensive began.
Devers had been upbeat, but Ike had seen through the bravado, despite the concealment offered by the telephone, understanding the concerns that had built up, day after day, as US casualty rates grew.
Eisenhower had decided to blood more of the Allies, and his orders to Devers and other commanders committed the South Americans and Spaniards like never before.
Ever conscious of the political need to reduce casualties amongst the main players, Eisenhower had been judicious in the use of his British, Commonwealth, and US soldiers, and had successfully reduced casualty rates, offset by a drudgingly slow advance and higher consumption of the chattels of war.
And yet, the last few weeks had seen an increase in casualties; stiffer resistance, more counter-attacks, thicker minefields, heavier use of air assets, all in areas of American responsibility.
Whilst Soviet resistance was fierce everywhere, it seemed more targeted, more resilient, more pro-active in zones where US troops were in the majority.
The figures were developed and, when Ike had last spoken with his commander-in-chief, he had suggested the possibility of a defined attempt by the enemy to increase US casualty rates.
The reasoning was as clear to the military minds in Versailles as it was to the political ones in Washington.
The United States Army was being deliberately battered to increase casualty rates and influence political opinion at home.
It was a dangerous time for the Allied armies, and matters got a whole lot worse in short order.
Answering the phone, Ike acknowledged General Bradley’s greeting and reached for a cigarette… and stopped dead.
“Say what? Say that again, Brad.”
Eisenhower grabbed a small map from his desk, all that was to hand to interpret Bradley’s words.
He listened without interrupting, seeing everything in his mind’s eye, as Bradley’s words fell onto the map in his hands, illustrating an unexpected horror.
“When did it start?”
‘Ten hundred hours.’
“At three points…”
‘Yes, Sir.’
Eisenhower examined the map and saw opportunity mixed with the threat of an unprecedented Soviet counter-attack.
“Kassel?”
‘No reports of activity, Sir.’
“Can you firm that up, Brad? Get some air up to examine it, I want to know if that’s the secured pivot of this attack, clear?”
‘Yes, Sir. Are you thinking of using the French?’
Bradley had read his mind.
“Yes, Brad, I am. We know the enemy are weak, and if this the all-out effort you suggest, it will be limited in form. If they are anchored on Kassel, as seems likely, we move the French in behind them… cross the river at…,” a ring-shaped stain from a long-since consumed mug of coffee temporarily defied his efforts to read the name, “At Hann Münden… on the Fulda River.”
Eisenhower relaxed enough to light his cigarette and delivered his instructions slowly and precisely.
“Right, here’s what we do. I’ll assemble my staff and take another look at the whole shooting match. You get some more recon in place, and get me what I need to make the decision.”
He took in more of the calming smoke, mixing it with the comfort of applied activity, before delivering the rest of his orders.
“Have your boys work the problem too, just to make sure. Meanwhile, prep the French for a rapid deployment and assault to the southeast, aimed at crossing the Fulda at Hann Münden, isolating Kassel, and driving into the rear of the forces attacking into your front. Any questions, Brad?”
‘How much time you looking at, Sir?’
Ike consulted the clock and did the calculations.
“I want firm information in hand by fifteen hundred, and no later. I want boots on the road and a firm plan before sixteen hundred comes and goes, clear, Brad?”
‘Yes, General. I’m on it already. I’ll call as soon as I have anything firm.’
Exchanging the normal pleasantries, the call ended, and Eisenhower was straight on the phone again, calling his planners to order.
The Soviet attack presented a huge opportunity to break the stalemate in front of Bradley’s Twelfth Army Group, and to do so with limited loss of American lives.
By sixteen hundred hours, a huge portion of the French First Army was on the move or about to move. The reconnaissance photos and reports supported the notion that Kassel was the hinge, and that crossing the Fulda to the east would bring unprecedented dividends.
The shell that had chopped Lavalle down had also reaped a full harvest amongst the Normandie officers and headquarters staff that had accompanied him.