Impasse (The Red Gambit Series) (59 page)

Much of Force V started to disappear below the waters of the Baltic, the towing vessels extinguishing their own lights
, and immediately running northwards, through Øresund, past Saltholm.

The Soviet party on the small island now had other problems, the
continued disturbances seemingly having attracted a strong force of Danish Marines, who were all over their secret position, forcing them to keep well hidden, and therefore unable to spot anything passing to the north.

Meanwhile, across Soviet-occupied territory, telephones started to ring.

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

Napoleon Bonaparte

“Comrade Nazarbayeva. Why is there an Allied naval force in the Baltic, seemingly in large numbers, which none of my intelligence services know anything about?”

Woken from a deep sleep, Tatiana sat upright in
the camp bed, set in her office as usual, her mind starting to clear rapidly as doubts and fear entered her mind, an effect only too common for those woken early by a call from the General Secretary.

“
What has apparently happened, Comrade General Secretary?”

Poboshkin averted his eyes as his commander stood and moved to her
desk, picking up a pad and pencil, not the blouse and trousers that would have caused her aide a lot less embarrassment.

She started to record his words, listing reports from various arms of service in and around the Baltic, all of which combined seemed to indicate that a large-scale Allied operation was in progress.

“Comrade General Secretary, there has been nothing regarding any large enemy naval force in the area. Not from ourselves or from the NKVD. I find it difficult to imagine that any large force could have assembled and moved in undetected, but I will look at that again.”

Even Poboshkin could hear the anger in the replying voice.

“No, Comrade General Secretary, that is not what I’m saying. Clearly, these reports have some basis in fact, but what they represent may not be what they say they represent.”

The situation was getting unbearable for Poboshkin
, so he gallantly held out Nazarbayeva’s tunic, in an attempt to draw her attention to the fact that a bra and knickers were insufficient to protect her modesty, and moved him closer to seeing his commander naked than he wanted to get.

She ignored the item,
placing her hand over the telephone.

“
You’ve seen a woman before. Now, get me the file on their Allied Second Army Group immediately, and order up any naval reports we’ve received on unusual assemblies and groupings of enemy vessels over the last month, now.”

Returning to the receiver, she spoke in a controlled fashion, buying time for Poboshkin to return.

“Comrade General Secretary. The only ground force of note that would be available is the new Allied Second Army Group, a formation that has raised suspicion in both GRU and NKVD circles.”

Stalin understood this
, and also understood his ‘protégé’ was stalling. His reply focussed her on his needs.

“
Yes, Comrade General Secretary. I will review everything we have that can have a possible bearing on these reports and contact you immediate... as you say, Comrade General Secretary.

Poboshkin placed the folder in front of her and she flicked to the page she had summoned from memory.

“There was a brief rise in activity, immediately followed by a modest reduction in radio traffic three days ago, Comrade General Secretary. Our view was that it was an exercise, given the lack of naval activity.”

Nazarbayeva winced
, and the phone moved away from her ear.

“
That may well be the case, Comrade General Secretary. But the only reports of any substance are the usual convoys from America.”

She summoned something from memory.

“One of our agents reported a large force of their motor boats flotilla leaving Harwich some while ago. That was passed to Navy for review.”

She didn
’t mean it to sound like passing the buck, but the man on the other end of the phone was an expert in the field,and interpreted it as such.

“
No, Comrade General Secretary. As you say, it was not considered important at the time. They are small vessels of little worth. However, we have recently seen a concentration of larger Allied naval assets in the southern end of the Adriatic. Again, w...”

Stalin had no interest in the Adriatic
, and swung into a tirade.

N
azarbayeva took the opportunity to slip into her shirt and jacket.

“
Yes, Comr... ye... As you order, Comrade Ge...”

She took the receiver from her ear
, and gently handed it to Poboshkin.

Considering her words carefully, she slipped into and adjusted her skirt.

“There will be no more sleep tonight, Andrey. Get everyone at their desk within fifteen minutes.”

“
Yes, Comrade General. What are we looking for, Comrade General?”

“
According to reports from the Baltic Fleet, diplomatic sources, agents, and Red Army ground forces, the Allies are presently entering the Baltic with a large naval force.”

As he turned to go, Poboshkin realised there was more.

He looked back.

“
The GKO is concerned that it may be an invasion force on its way to Northern Germany... or Poland.”

Poboshkin nodded and went about his business with speed, leaving his commander to check over the Second Allied Army Group file once more.

She found nothing.

There was nothing to find.

“All units in position, Comrade General.”

Colonel General Vasily Sokolovsky was impressed.

NKVD Major General Oleg Piersky was impressed.

For different reasons of course.

Sokolovsky was commander of the Polish Home Front, the large group of Polish units banded together, and placed solely in the defence of their homeland.

The general distrust in their will to fight the Allied nations had condemned them to a static life
, and the gradual decline of their combat power, as units in Germany benefitted from the equipment that was steadily stripped away from them.

None the less, the two Polish Armies
still represented a very considerable force, and one that was now fully arraigned along the North coast of their home country.

Admittedly, they had practised and practised
, and part of the units were already in position, following an exercise the First Army commander had staged without notice, or request to higher authority.

Previously, Sokolovsky would have visited the man to tear a strip off him but,
General Zygmunt Berling, the officer in question, seemed to have changed his mood of late. No longer bordering on uncooperative, he was now knuckling down and no longer afflicted by the surly nature that had marked the last few months.

In fact, the unannounced exercise, which would have earned Berling a sanction of some sort, could now only be seen as a stroke of good luck.

NKVD officer Oleg Piersky was there, poised ready for the slightest indication of disloyalty, backed up by a large number of NKVD divisions, all strategically placed to be able to swoop on any Polish headquarters that looked suspect.

His
subsequent report to Moscow was heavy in praise for the readiness and commitment of the Free Polish Forces, and did much to restore a little faith in their will to fight.

Spectrum
Red was wholly successful in that regard.

For now, two armies of Polish soldiers
crewed guns and tanks on the beaches of the Southern Baltic, ready to repel the imminent allied invasion.

“
Shall we displace, Comrade General?”

Sokolovsky considered the suggestion, mentally working his way
through the checklist of command, before responding.

He nodded at the NKVD officer
’s suggestion before speaking with in a commanding voice.

“
Gentlemen, we shall move to the secondary command centre immediately. Execute the Alpha Plan.”

Activity
commenced in every corner of the Fenger Palace, as those tasked for the Alpha plan took up the necessaries of their jobs, ready for the move to the alternate command point, set in the forest between Torun and Bydgoszcz.

Within five minutes, the advance guard of the Polish Home Front
’s headquarters was on its way to a set of inconspicuous wooden lodges, concealed in the tall trees that surrounded Cierpice.

Reports started to come in to 1st Baltic Front, the headquarters for all units in occupied Denmark.

Hazy at first, but soon firming up into definite actions at the airfields and anti-aircraft bases throughout the islands.

Casualties were not known
, but the reports suggested high losses in equipment, particularly aircraft.

“Attention!”

The aircrew sprang to their feet as their regimental Commander strode in, his faithful hound
, as always, at his heels.

“
Comrades, be seated.”

As always, the eyes of the youthful were drawn towards the shining gold star, signifying a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Major Sacha Istomin had come a long way since the award of his medal following the 14th September raid on Birkenfeld.

If nothing else, he had aged a thousand years; life in the Red Air Force tended to be exciting and brief for most; those that survived carried many unseen burdens.

Istomin had risen to command the 21st Guards Bomber Air Regiment, and had led the unit in fierce combat that, in the end, brought about its total destruction during the air battles of October.

With his surviving nine
air crew, he was sent to establish a new formation, the 911th Bomber Regiment, and today was to be its baptism of fire.

“
Comrades, today we are called to arms in defence of the Motherland. The situation is serious and perilous, but I know you will do all that the Rodina asks of you.”

The base intelligence Officer rolled back a screen, revealing a map that was mainly blue.

“The Allies navies have broken through into the Baltic, and sunk some of our submarines. Our command believes it could be a force designed to attack into either Northern Germany here,” he made everyone jump as he slapped a pointer to the map, “Or here, the northern coast of Poland.”

He replaced the pointer on the
lectern.

“Information is limited, but there are reports of possibly more than one hundred vessels, types unknown, passing Saltholm Island during the night.

“We have been tasked to respond to any reports of enemy activity in the area off the Polish Coast. We will have full bomb load, and we take off at 0700hrs. Any questions?”

There were a few.

What type of enemy vessels? Warships? Merchantmen?

What air cover do they have?

Where exactly are they?

Istomin could only shrug his shoulders.

“I don’t know, Comrades. We;ve been taken by surprise, and must do what we can today. Now, make sure you’ve maps for all areas... from Denmark to Leningrad. The 911th Regiment will not be found wanting on this day. Good luck, Comrades.”

The salutes were formal and smart.

Istomin strode from the room, no longer the joker, but a man for whom life had become very serious. Now he was a commander who cared for his men, and recognised a bad mission when he saw one.

Across Northern Germany
, airfields mirrored the activity at Kluczewo, as Soviet aircraft of all shapes and styles prepared to rise and defeat the enemy armada.

Across Northern Germany, Norway
, and Denmark, and also on the decks of aircraft carriers at sea, Allied aircraft were being made ready to rise up and meet them, and to destroy the greater part of Soviet air and naval power in the Baltic.