“We have jet fighters in the area, don’t we?”
“Yes sir, but they were ordered not to enter the naval air-combat zone for fear of friendly-fire incidents by Admiral Mitscher. The Army Air Force’s P-80’s were also lured into chasing after a couple of dozen decoys. The Navy wanted it that way claiming they could take care of their own. After all, they have over twenty aircraft carriers on station right now. What they lacked was their own fighter jet.”
“And why is that?”
“They’ve been developing their own, and have refused to work with the Army, on an off-the-shelf, operational, shipboard variant of the P-80. Instead they’re invested in developing their own jet fighter based on one of the captured German models but are having trouble with the tail section. In the meanwhile they were caught too low and too slow to catch the new Soviet jet-job. Nonetheless there is good news.”
“I’ll bet… and what would that be?”
“The Soviets appear to only have sixteen jet bombers, and we shot down three of them.”
“What about those reports about the V-1 Buzz-Bombs hitting the ships?”
“Well sir, it appears they were a decoy all along. No one saw any of the V-1’s hit any of the ships. The torpedo depends on blind luck and is designed to be dropped in the middle of a convoy, or in a busy harbor. Or in this case, a battle line of dozens of battleships, and it can be effective. The torpedo is not some kind of wonder weapon, but just the right tool, used at the right time. You have to give the Reds credit on this one.”
“Alright Leahy, I’m ordering Nimitz to use the P-80 until your own plane is a reality. We need the Navy, and we need them bad for our plans to proceed. You’ll just have to use the P-80, in the meantime. From what I understand it is the best, and fastest plane in the air. The Navy has to be able to defend itself, now. Not tomorrow, but now.”
“Yes sir; on another subject sir… we just lost two battleships…”
“Yes, I understand. Damn it, we just stayed a little too long. We can’t underestimate the Reds like that again. End ‘Operation Louisville Slugger’ now.”
“It was only a delaying tactic anyway. Just to buy us some time, and that’s what it did; two weeks, and a very steep price for Uncle Joe to swallow. That ought to slow him up a bit next time he decides to run through an open door just because it’s open. Send my condolences to all involved. I will address the nation on Wednesday about the losses of two magnificent ships and hundreds of brave young men.”
“Well put sir. How long before you think the Reds will figure out our real plan?”
“Hopefully not for another month at least we should be in position by then. At least that is the plan. You’re dismissed, Admiral… Churchill is calling, and he is a real windbag.”
“Yes sir.”
Stalin’s Private Office
July 11th, 1946
1358 hours
“Sergo, what is the situation as you see it?”
“Comrade Stalin, thank you for seeing me and asking such an astute question. The NATO command now knows that we have used our own resources and combined them with our liberated Nazi technology to create what they could not. Our Terror Bombers and the torpedoes have done their job and for the loss of one, we have sunk or at the very least, severely damaged two battleships. Consequently, they have cancelled their little game in the English Channel.”
“We can expect them to test our defenses against their B-29 Superfortress soon according to the information you have given me. I am confident that we will be able to defeat a major raid if given specific information about when and where, it is to happen. We have had over two years to study the B-29. In that time we have developed two main countermeasures to their threat. We lack only the quantity of weapons necessary to cover all of our major strategic assets. With the proper preparation, we will be able to confuse and confound the bombers and their escorts. They will not be able to determine just what we have done, that has enabled us to destroy them in great numbers. I estimate that we will achieve a twenty percent or better destruction rate, with an eighty percent chance of shooting down any bomber carrying an atomic bomb.”
“The NKVD is taking care of the ‘when’ and ‘where,’ Sergo. I have been assured that we will have at least two weeks’ notice of the impending attack.”
“Then there should be no delay, in my receiving that information!”
“Yes, Sir, Gospodin Sergo! Yes……………Sir!”
“Oh. Excuse me, Esteemed Comrade. I get carried away sometimes.”
“One more question puzzles me Sergo. What do you need a hundred hamsters for?”
“That is actually a personal project Comrade.”
“Just make sure it does not interfere with your work Sergo.”
“I would not dream of it Comrade.”
“You are dismissed, Sergo… Major Nikolayev. Send the order to recall Sokolovsky to the Kremlin. I want to discuss the location of the Yankees. They seem to have disappeared. There are at least ten divisions unaccounted for according to all indications and reports from the NKVD.”
“I would know nothing about that Comrade.”
“Of course you don’t Sergo. That’s why I need to talk to Sokolovsky. I have already dismissed you. Why are you still here, Sergo?”
“Thank you Esteemed Comrade.”
Chapter Ten:
Progress
“Where is ‘here,’ anyway? The fighting is up north. Those Red bastards are laughing their asses off, enjoying Paris while we keep digging holes in the ground.”
“Shut up Jess. You’re just lucky you’re not in some Russian prison camp. If we hadn’t hitched a ride on that convoy we’d be digging holes for the Reds, eating rotten borscht. Just be glad you got those K-Rations, instead of some beet soup. I do like their vodka, though. Remember that night in Berlin when we snuck over to that Red outfit near the barn? Yeah, I do like their vodka. I wonder what made those guys attack us the way they did? That bunch sure seemed nice enough. I wonder what got into them?”
“They probably just wanted our K-Rations.”
“Shut up Jess.”
July 12th, 1946
11:03 hours
NKVD OMSBON,
Operational Group Formidable
G.G. Karasev, Unit Commander
The following report is submitted:
2 July 1946
The advance continues with other elements of the division passing through CT 16, leaving the regiment to liquidate isolated enemy strongholds and snipers. Patrols encountered many of these strongholds and snipers. Contact was maintained on the left flank while other elements of the division remained in contact with the enemy to the south and on the right flank.
3 July 1946
Contact made with remnants of Free French forces near Herny. No casualties taken.