STALEMATE
7th September to 27th October 1945
WRITTEN BY COLIN GEE
Dedication for the Red Gambit Series
This series of books is dedicated to my grandfather, the boss-fellah, Jack ‘Chalky’ White, Chief Petty Officer [Engine Room] RN, my de facto father until his untimely death from cancer in 1983 and who, along with many millions of others, participated in the epic of history that we know as World War Two, and by their efforts and sacrifices made it possible for us to read of it, in freedom, today.
Thank you, for everything.
The ‘Red Gambit Series’ novels are works of fiction, and deal with fictional events. Most of the characters therein are a figment of the author’s imagination. Without exception, those characters that are historical figures of fact or based upon historical figures of fact are used fictitiously, and their actions, demeanour, conversations, and characters are similarly all figments of the author’s imagination.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright holder. The author has asserted the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Foreword by Author Colin Gee
There has been some suggestion that the action sequences contain descriptions that are too graphic, and in some quarters, I have heard the key word ‘gratuitous’ whispered.
It is my habit to think about what my readers have to say on the content; to do otherwise would be foolhardy in my view.
Therefore, in reply to those who find the sequences too powerful, I make the following observations.
I have never been in combat, but have spoken with those who endured a great deal of it, in all its horrible forms. Listening to descriptions of hand-to-hand combat, I very quickly formed the opinion that it was wholly bestial, and without qualms or rules of any kind.
My time in the Fire Service exposed me to some of the worst traumas imaginable, and some that went beyond that threshold.
Together, I believe that the two experiences permit me to give some air of reality to my action sequences, and not portray the standard format that carries other authors successfully through their own literary confrontations.
Some of what I present is my interpretation of historical fact, as recanted to me by men who were there. Some of what I present comes from my own knowledge of the events of World War Two. Yet more is a product of my own dealings with the horrible ways that our fellow man can find to leave this planet.
In some ways, I would apologise to any reader who is unsettled by reading such sections, and in some ways, I find that I cannot.
I would not wish to disturb anyone, but similarly, why should readers be hidden away from the awfulness of combat?
Such avoidance could leave the reader with all the tastes of glory, and none of the true cost of battle.
After all, we still send our young men and women into foreign fields, and they all return in one way or another; alive and well, alive but scarred forever, both mentally and/or physically or, as in the case of far too many, dead, returned home for their loved ones to intern.
In my view, to wrap up combat in the traditional glorifying and sanitised way would do them, and all those who went before, an injustice.
I do not believe that what I write is gratuitous violence, and it is not my plan to shock. I firmly believe that what I present to the reader is my best effort at telling combat how it was, and, to focus on one of the main points of my books, how it was for the soldiers on either side of the divide.
There has been some criticism of spelling, so I would ask the reader to remember that I am an Englishman, and therefore, honour is just that, as is valour. I have been extremely surprised to find just how many words have been varied between the USA and the UK. However, I have tried to use Americanism’s where dealing with American figures and scenarios, and the reader will find some, such as ‘armored’, ‘honor’ and ‘valor’, where appropriate.
Again, I have deliberately written nothing that can be attributed to that greatest of Englishmen, Sir Winston Churchill. I considered myself neither capable nor worthy to attempt to convey what he might have thought or said in my own words.
My grateful thanks to all those who have contributed to this project in whatever way, as every little piece of help brought me closer to my goal.
My profound thanks to all those who have contributed in whatever way to this project, as every little piece of help brought me closer to my goal.
In no particular order, I would like to record my thanks to all of the following for their contributions. Gary Wild, Jan Wild, Mario Wildenauer, Loren Weaver, Pat Walsh, Elena Schuster, Stilla Fendt, Luitpold Krieger, Paul Dryden, Mark Lambert, Greg Winton, Greg Percival, Robert Prideaux, Tyler Weaver, Giselle Janiszewski, Brian Proctor, Steve Bailey, Bruce Towers, Victoria Coling, Alexandra Coling, Heather Coling, Isabel Pierce Ward, Ahmed Al-Obeidi, Hany Hamouda, and finally, the members of the ‘Red Gambit’ facebook group.
Again, one name is missing on the request of the party involved, whose desire to remain in the background on all things means I have to observe his wish not to name him.
Once more, to you, my oldest friend, thank you.
The cover image work has been done by my brother, Jason Litchfield, and his efforts have given the finished article a professional polish beyond my dreams. Thanks bro.
Quotes have been obtained from a number of sources, which have included brainyquote.com and quotegarden.com. I encourage the reader to visit and explore both sites.
Wikipedia is a wonderful thing and I have used it as my first port of call for much of the research for the series. Use it and support it.
My thanks to the US Army Center of Military History website for providing some of the out of copyright images. Many of the images are my own handiwork.
All map work is original, save for the Château outline, which derives from a public domain handout.
Particular thanks go to Steen Ammentorp, who is responsible for the wonderful www.generals.dk site, which is a superb place to visit in search of details on generals of all nations. The site had proven invaluable in compiling many of the biographies dealing with the senior officers found in these books.
If I have missed anyone, or any agency, I apologise and promise to rectify the omission at the earliest opportunity.
This then is the third offering to satisfy the ‘what if’s’ of those times.
Book #1 – Opening Moves [Chapters 1-54]
Book#2 – Domination [Chapters 55-77]
Book#3 – Stalemate [Chapters 78-102]
Author’s Note
The correlation between the Allied and Soviet forces is difficult to assess for a number of reasons.
Neither side could claim that their units were all at full strength, and information on the relevant strengths over the period this book is set in is limited as far as the Allies are concerned, and relatively non-existent for the Soviet forces.
I have had to use some licence regarding force strengths and I hope that the critics will not be too harsh with me if I get things wrong in that regard. A Soviet Rifle Division could vary in strength from the size of two thousand men to be as high as nine thousand men, and in some special cases could be even more.