Opening Moves (The Red Gambit Series) (16 page)

RECEIVED 11:14 2/7/45-B.V.LEMSKY’

The storm did not arrive.

“Your interpretation of this Comrade Beria?” No storm but the cut in Stalin’s tone was noticeable.

“Confirmation of the date of test, certainly Comrade. We now have two names for a bomb, which implies two bombs. This is not news as we know the Americans are working on both uranium and plutonium projects.” That it actually was news, and not good news, was truer.

“On the positive side we now know Gamayun is still active and he has received our order as he acknowledges with ‘Wellington’. Our chances for interference with their project have increased.”

“Then why did you react so Comrade?”

“Because I learned this morning that we may have some difficulties with secure communications, particularly with our Washington Embassy, through which this message was unfortunately routed.”

Stalin looked pointedly at Beria, in a way that conveyed that this was not news to his ears.

‘This possibility was only uncovered last night and was acted on immediately. It would probably have been too late for this message.”

Stalin’s gaze did not falter, drawing Beria into further commitment.

“I have my best staff interpreting our intelligence on this but, as a precaution, all NKVD codes have been changed and new routings established.”

In an effort to end with something upbeat Beria hastily threw in an assurance.

“Our Manhattan agents all have lines of reporting which would remain uncompromised in any case, some because their own needs have dictated more complex methods of exchange.”

He indicated the message still held in the General Secretary’s hand.

“That message should not have gone through the embassy and we have identified the error and corrected it.”

Everyone present understood that referred to an individual as well as what corrected meant in this instance.

As was the case many a time, Stalin’s words were more order than question.

“You will confirm for me that there is no suggestion of Army codes being involved and absolutely no possibility of Kingdom39 being compromised.”

Beria answered with a conviction he genuinely felt.

“Absolutely not Comrade General Secretary. There has been no compromise of NKGB, GRU or Army codes. Of that we are sure.”

“The party will hold you to that Comrade Marshall.”

Stalin sat back in his chair.

“And the other?”

Beria extended a hand containing the other agents report.

Stalin read it slowly and was visibly agitated by its contents. Bulganin’s eyes silently questioned the NKVD chief who was furiously polishing his glasses.

Stalin passed the paper to Bulganin and lit a cigarette.

Bulganin digested the words.

‘
[priority code] ZZZ

[agent] Kalibr

[date code] 250645b

[personal code as an authenticator] OV322628BK

[distribution1] route x-eyes only

[distribution1] AalphaA [Comrade Chairman Beria].

[message] Reassigned Alamagordo NM. At O.R. material produced sufficient for 4 weapons max. Strength A. type-2. Wellington not possible. End-low.

[message ends]

Message authenticates. Codes for non-compromisation valid.

RECEIVED 11:26 2/7/45-B.V.LEMSKY’

“Four? Enough for four, Comrade?”

Beria replaced his glasses.

“Admittedly we expected material enough for three maximum. One for test purposes as we have confirmed. Two for offensive purposes against our slant-eyed comrades, also confirmed by the GRU’s asset in Washington. We can already sabotage the facility as we know without Kalibr and so this will not alter anything Comrade General Secretary.”

Stalin looked unconvinced, so he pressed on.

“Our intelligence is good. I concede we only recently discovered how advanced the project was and that they approached testing but we now know for certain what assets they have and we have known for a long time what they intend. We have agents in place awaiting orders to damage the project. Our security is intact despite the Washington routing problem. That the Capitalists may have additional material for another bomb does not change anything. I see no cause for concern here Comrades”

Beria finished with a confident flourish of the hand.

Stalin took the message from Bulganin and read it once more.

With an expansive gesture, he fired the message across the table at Beria and it slid almost menacingly onto his lap with all the weight of a death warrant.

“The party will also hold you to that, Comrade Marshall.”

Beria stood as if to leave.

“One last thing Comrade.”

Beria waited.

“Do not send the preparatory code to our agents.”

The NKVD Chairman, missing the point, drew breath to remonstrate.

Stalin held up his hand and with lightness inappropriate for the moment added, “Initiate Napoleon immediately.”

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.

William Jennings Bryan

0235 hrs Friday, 6th July 1945, The Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, French Alsace.

Colonel Frisson had been remarkably efficient and organised the segregation of the seven selected German officers. It would have been preferable had he exercised some thought, as his efficiency obviously telegraphed the impending departure of Knocke and the others to every German in the camp. Initially rumours of trial and execution abounded but a message was smuggled out through an easily bribed French-Alsatian soldier.

The prisoners were relieved to hear that the seven were not harmed and were relocating to another base for further debriefing.

The interview between Knocke and Lavalle had taken place on the Sunday; those with Knocke’s named candidates were satisfactorily concluded over the next four days. Perversely, the French had chosen Biarritz as the name for their symposium as it was not associated with Alsace, which was the symposiums actual location. Perhaps because it would all appear wholly French if, heaven forbid, news of it came out.

And so it was that Knocke and his comrades found themselves en route by truck to a secret location within Alsace, not to Biarritz in the south-west of France. It was the early morning of Friday 6th July 1945. The significance of that date brought a wry smile to some of the faces in the back of that truck. Two years previously, many of the group had been involved in the bitter combat in and around the Kursk Salient, and each man wrestled with memories of comrades lost in those dreadful days.

They passed incognito through the growing dawn, crossing from Germany into Alsace on their way to a sleepy little hollow called Orschwiller and their meeting with destiny and Colloque Biarritz at the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg.

Elsewhere in Europe, three other such groups were assembling in comparable secrecy, in and around Hamburg, Paderborn, and Frankfurt. All three comprising similaly tried and tested men who had also agreed to provide the unique services of the secret symposiums. The first two locations housed German officers of similar stature and rank to those assigned to ‘Biarritz’.

Frankfurt was different, graced with General grade officers of all nations, and concerning itself with higher matters.

However, all four were dedicated to the single purpose; that of educating the Western Armies in the fine art of fighting their erstwhile allies, the Red Army.

I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief.

Gerry Spence

0720 hrs Saturday, 7th July 1945, The Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, French Alsace.

The previous day the lorry had taken them straight to the Château where all seven were subjected to an intense medical examination, conducted sympathetically for a change. All were given vitamin supplements and, in one case, some penicillin tablets had been prescribed to address a throat infection. Each was then afforded the opportunity of a hot bath or shower, an opportunity which was universally accepted.

The rest of the day had seen the group casually escorted around their impressive new home and given the full guided tour by Patrice Dubois, a young officer of the French Naval commandos. During the tour, he also pointed out the strengths of the security arrangements put in place for the symposium. None of the group failed to notice the very obvious fact that a considerable amount of the security faced inwards and was for an entirely different but not unexpected reason. None of them had any doubt that was part of the purpose of this “impromptu” tour.

In the northeast corner of the lower courtyard, silent kennels caught everyone’s eye, for German soldiers loved their dogs and this group were no exception. The four large and obviously recently built pens held three German Shepherd Dogs of considerable size. One hound was obviously out being exercised or doing its duty. Resisting the urge to approach closer, the group moved on to the Little Bastion.

Fig#2- Main plan of the Château

The Château was impressive as a structure in any case, many different levels built into the solid rock on the site of the old fortress which had overseen the area in one form or another since the 12th Century. Standing on the eastern edge of the summit at a height of over seven hundred and fifty metres, it was the dominating feature for many miles around. The narrow approach twisted and turned, by both military design and constructional engineering requirements. Indeed the previous evening they were twice aware that their transport grated along rock or wood on sharp turns and narrow squeezes.

It sat on a stark promontory, open to the elements but that was a godsend on hot summer’s days like today, when breezes ventilated the Château and created a very pleasant environment. From positions around the battlements, and especially from the imposing high tower, there were all-round expansive views across the Alsace plain.

The Château was strategically positioned, so had seen its fair share of bloodshed, and had fallen to assault on more than one occasion. Not that any assault was a possibility any more with peace in Europe, but one hundred and twenty aggressive looking and well-armed French commandos would certainly call a halt to any belligerent incursion in any case. During the Thirty Years War, a Swedish army had laid siege to, taken and razed the castle to the ground, since when it had fallen into unoccupied decay for over two hundred years until efforts were made to rebuild it in 1882, which failed for lack of funds.