Beria, visibly annoyed at Khrushchev, shoots back, “We’ve heard that before, Tovarishch Nikita. Perhaps you should take personal charge of the war in the north, and entertain us with your heroics, as you did at Stalingrad eh comrade?”
Not caring what he sounds like and having little fear of Beria at this time, Khrushchev explodes, “Don’t belittle my service, Beria! I saw the war first-hand, unlike you, spending the entire time hiding behind your secret police and your NKVD troops! I know the smell of death by bomb and bullet, first hand! All you know is death by torture!”
Everyone sits there momentarily stunned at Khrushchev and Beria’s exchange, until Molotov brings the meeting back into order, “Enough, old friends! Let’s get back to the business we have come here for. Stalin will not be pleased if we don’t come to some conclusions and report to him by 3:00am. You know that he will still be awake, and expecting us to report, so do we have a consensus? Can we conclude that it appears that the Americans are having trouble mobilizing their forces for another all-out war and that Comrade Stalin was correct again about their will to fight for the same ground they have already fought over? No objections then? Good!” And the meeting breaks up into smaller cliques, for further discussions.
Chapter Twenty:
Preparations
“What have we here, Dimi?”
“It is a list of the British squadrons.”
“This is useful information, eh?”
“Yes, our agents are providing us with many bits and pieces from which to put together a nice little picture of just how prepared the British are.”
“They have moved many of their bomber squadrons out of England. Perhaps, it is to avoid them being destroyed?”
“Yes, that appears to be so.”
Royal Air Force Headquarters
London
August 5th, 1946
Stationed in the British Isles at the start of hostilities May 2nd, 1946
7 squadrons of Meteors
1 squadron of Vampires
30 squadrons of Spitfires
4 squadrons of Mustangs
1 squadron of Tempests
7 squadrons of Hornets
8 squadrons of Mosquitoes
9 squadrons of Mosquitoes, night-fighter variant
20 squadrons of Lancaster bombers
13 squadrons of Lincoln bombers
100 squadrons
1,232 combat aircraft
Stationed in Germany
3 squadrons of Tempests
2 squadrons of Spitfires
6 squadrons of Mosquitoes
136 combat aircraft
Stationed in France
1 squadron of Meteors
1 squadron of Spitfires
1 squadron of Tempests
40 combat aircraft
Stationed in Norway
2 squadrons of Spitfires
27 combat aircraft
Stationed in Italy
1 squadron of Tempests
1 squadron of Mustangs
1 squadron of Hurricanes
1 squadron of Mosquitoes, night-fighter variant
45 combat aircraft
Stationed in Austria
2 squadrons of Spitfires
30 combat aircraft
Stationed in the Far East (Java, Hong Kong, Japan, Malay)
5 squadrons of Spitfires
4 squadrons of P47s
2 squadrons of Mosquitoes
2 squadrons of Hurricanes
1 squadron of Tempests
181 combat aircraft
Stationed in India
2 squadrons of Spitfires
2 squadrons of Mustangs
1 squadron of Tempests
58 combat aircraft
Stationed in Mediterranean (Malta, Palestine, Greece)
1 squadron of Tempests
1 squadron of Spitfires
2 squadrons of Mustangs
2 squadrons of Lancaster bombers
1 squadron of B24 bombers
84 combat aircraft
Stationed in Egypt
2 squadrons of Spitfires
1 squadron of Mustangs
1 squadron of Mosquitoes
1 squadron of Mosquitoes, night-fighter variant
4 squadrons of Lancaster bombers
1 squadron of Lincoln bombers
142 combat aircraft
Stationed in South Africa
1 squadron of Spitfires
10 combat aircraft
Stationed in Sudan
1 squadron of Mosquitoes
12 combat aircraft
Stationed in the British Isles at the start of hostilities
10 squadrons of Meteors
2 squadrons of Vampires
42 squadrons of Spitfires
10 squadrons of Royal Auxiliary Air Force Spitfires
8 squadrons of Mustangs
6 squadrons of Tempests
9 squadrons of Hornets
9 squadrons of Mosquitoes
11 squadrons of Mosquito night fighters
5 squadrons of Lancaster bombers
1 squadron of Lincoln bombers
113 squadrons
1,487 combat aircraft
Stationed in the Far East (Java, Hong Kong, Japan, Malay)
5 squadrons of Spitfires
4 squadrons of P47s
2 squadrons of Mosquitoes
1 squadron of Tempests
152 combat aircraft
Stationed in India
2 squadrons of Spitfires
2 squadrons of Mustangs
1 squadron of Tempest
72 combat aircraft
Stationed in Mediterranean (Malta, Palestine, Greece)
2 squadrons of Tempests
3 squadrons of Spitfires
2 squadrons of Mustangs
81 combat aircraft
Stationed in Egypt
4 squadrons of Spitfires
4 squadrons of Mustangs
3 squadrons of Mosquitoes
1 squadron of Mosquitoes, night-fighter variant
14 squadrons of Lancaster bombers
14 squadrons of Lincoln bombers
40 squadrons
587 combat aircraft
Stationed in South Africa
1 squadron of Spitfires
10 combat aircraft
Stationed in Sudan