“Let's begin then…”
“We currently have the parts for four atomic bombs ready for assembly. Under normal circumstances they take two days to assemble, and they have to be used within 48 hours of assembly, or they have to be disassembled, to replace some components before it is reassembled again. The Mark III atomic bomb has a battery and this battery has only 48 hours of optimal power needed for detonation.” [xi]
“The bombs are massive and weigh over 10,000 pounds each. Only the specially-modified B-29 Silverplate bombers can deliver them. The B-29's have a range of 3,200 miles. They can be escorted up to 2,000 miles. We currently have twelve of them.”
“The atomic bombs are so large that it can only be loaded on the B-29 by positioning the bomber over a specially-designed pit, using lifting equipment to hoist it up into the bomb bay. Currently we have two of these pits. One is on Okinawa, and the other one is in England.”
“Hopefully, this goes a long way toward answering why we just don't bomb Moscow, and a dozen or so other cities and get this war over with.
We only have four bombs.
Not all of them will work as designed.
Not all of them will reach the target.
The Soviets have a darned good air defense system, at levels below 25,000 feet, with a fighter force equal to ours.
They have had nearly two years to study the B-29.
It will take time to assemble and position, a large enough raid, to test their air defense system.
There are remarkably few airfields in Europe designed to use the B-29. They must be specially constructed.
They have assassinated eighty percent of our atomic bomb assembly team members.
There was, and probably still is, a spy in the atomic bomb program and they likely have all the information I just shared with you.”
“Theoretically we could just fly higher than 32,000 feet, which is the current operational ceiling of their most advanced fighter-interceptors. As was previously mentioned, they've had access to three force-landed B-29’s for nearly a couple of years now. They have certainly tried, and have possibly developed, a solution to the threat of an atomic attack delivered by a strategic bomber force. Otherwise they would be foolish to attack now.”
“We have to determine what that defense is and how to neutralize it.”
“Conservative estimates are that we will be ready to use our greatest weapons in significant numbers in no less than six months. In the meantime we are at an extreme disadvantage in conventional forces.”
“Basically, we have to hang on, and hope for the best, until that time.”
***
Some examples of how the Soviets obtained information. Taken from diaries and testimony of participants.
***
Loose Lips
“Hey Smitty what ya got there?”
“Knock it off Bill. I'm on my way to deliver this pile of stuff to the General himself. And I don't need any grief from you.”
“Come on, Smitty, just give me a peek. I won't touch nothin'. It's not like its top secret or anything. Come on, just a little look-see.”
“Well, I suppose, a little look-see won't hurt nothin'. I'm putting my cushy job on the line here, so what you got for me in return for this little lookey here?”
“Don't be a jerk Smitty, just hand it over for a sec. Don’t get so uppity and all, just because you’re the General's gofer don't mean nothin'.”
“Well, it means I can show this to you or not unless you offer somethin' up in return. One hand washes the other ya know?”
“Ah, man...how about a few smokes for all your trouble?”
“Make it an even dozen and you get a one minute peek, deal?”
“Oh, alright; it's a deal.”
“What is that, anyway?”
“I dunno, just some map that the General wanted printed up and all colored in; pretty nice, huh? I think it has something to do with the Reds' attack. It's probably for some briefing he's got coming up. See there? It's got how many divisions the commies are attacking with, I bet.”
“Man, that's a hell of a lot. What's going on now must make the Battle of the Bulge look like a picnic. Damn, look at all that red and not much of our stuff. What do you make of this anyway?”
“Well, the boxes with ovals in them are armor units the ones with X's are infantry, the ones with little wheels under 'em are motorized.”
“Geez...What do the little 'x's' mean over the tops?”
“I pretty sure that the 'xx' are divisions, and the 'xxx' are corps.”
“Man that makes it even worse looking for our side. How about those figure-eight ones layin’ on their sides in the boxes?”
“Those are some kind of airplane units.”
May 3rd, 1946 Koln Sector
D+10
May 11th, 1946
Outside Münster, Germany
07:46 hours
“Jeez, Mac! How are we supposed to stop 'em here? All the pillboxes and antitank ditches are facing the wrong way! What are we supposed to do? Just close the bunker doors in their faces? And have you see those tanks they got? Ours are like toys, compared to those monsters! You can't count on the flyboys to whack 'em, like when we fought the Krauts. Hell, all you had to do was shout ‘Tiger’ and the ground-pounders would be all over ‘em like stink on shit! Now we have to wait for hours and even then, they don't show up most of the time. They're busy fighting the commie pilots, and not paying attention to what is going on down here, in the mud.”
“Shut the hell up Jess! I got y'all this far, now just shut the hell up, and fucking pay attention! Everyone...FALL IN!” The rough-looking First Sergeant gathers up the rest of his decimated platoon into the wrecked barn to start the briefing.
“We've been ordered to make a stand here, just to slow 'em up, and to give the engineers time to destroy the depots behind us. We can't move them, and we don't want the Reds getting a hold of all them nice U.S.G.I. C-Rats. I know you'd hate having some Red bastard chewing on your chipped beef.”
From the crowd, “I heard that the Reds already got a hold of most of them depots.”
“Anyway the top brass has scrounged up a bunch of planes, and plans on surprising old Uncle Joe's boys later today when they try to cross the river. They've been gettin' kind of frisky lately, throwing haymakers left and right. We're going to throw them a few jabs, to slow 'em up make 'em at least look through the window before they bust open the door, if you catch my drift.”
“The flyboys will actually be there when we need ‘em for the next couple days anyway. Get Sparks to call in the mud-movers, and punch a few holes in those commie tin-cans.”
“Now y'all…That's 'yous' to you, Dutch...need to be a part of the jab. For the next few days until they flank us, this town is ours, and we do what we have to do to keep it.”
“If those Jews in Warsaw could hold out for weeks with only rifles and grenades, we can sure as shit do it with some 105's and bazookas. Now get your asses out there and find a hole to hide in. If you can't find one then dig one. We got plenty of ammunition, so don't hold back. Use it, or lose it; interlocking fields of fire; barbed wire; obstacles blocking the main roads in; sharpshooters on the high ground. You know the drill. Stick 'em and move, then move back in and stick 'em again. The papers are calling it a 'fighting retreat'. By the time we're done, the papers back home will call what we done to the Reds here a good ol'-fashioned ass-whoopin'.”
After the meeting breaks up, the First Sergeant slips around the corner for a smoke and has time to think.
Jeezus! What am I doing here? These recruits can’t fight their way out of a paper bag! Why in the hell did I come back so soon? I could be back home, going to school on the G.I. Bill, playing with my kids when I come home at night. Instead I’m in charge of someone else’s kids, who are trying to kill as many other kids as possible. But this is just a delaying action, nothing but. The Russkis got the numbers on their side in men, tanks and planes. We don’t stand a ghost of chance.
This is suicide
***
Official news announcement of the creation of NATO.
***
NATO
Press statement released to
AP/UPI/CBS/NBC/MBS
May 11th, 1946
London, United Kingdom
15:34, Greenwich Mean Time
“In an unprecedented announcement not heard since the start of World War Two, the Western nations have formed an alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The purpose of this organization is as follows...”
“The signatories of the new alliance have agreed, in principle and in fact, that an armed attack against one, or more, of them in Europe, or North America, shall be considered an attack against them all. Consequently, they've agreed that the armed aggression by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and its allies, will cause each, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense, to assist the party, or parties being attacked individually, as well as in concert with the other parties, such action as it deems necessary including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.”
“The initial signatories to the NATO agreement include: the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Dominion of Canada, the Fourth Republic of France, the Duchy of Luxembourg, The Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Portugal, the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Denmark and the Republic of Iceland, with the Kingdom of Greece and the Republic of Turkey both expressing interest in membership, at the highest levels.”
“It is felt that the unmatched barbarity of the Soviet attacks has forced these diverse nations to unite in haste, without the usual diplomatic discourse.”
“NATO's spiritual leader, and first Secretary-General, Winston Churchill, remarked, 'If the Western nations lay down their weapons the Soviets would occupy all of East, West and Southeast Europe along with the greater part of the world. An iron curtain would fall over this enormous territory, controlled by the Soviet Union, behind which nations would be slaughtered (my apologies to Goebbels)'
Surplus US Army Jeeps in France
***
Diary and testimony demonstrating just how vast and useful the twelve US storage depots were and how the Soviets planned to use them.
***
U.S. Army Surplus Depot,
Mannheim, Germany
The rows of trucks and piles of new tires seemed to stretch for miles. He was sure hidden treasures lurked in the dozens of large warehouses further back in the depot. He was ordered to search for advanced electronic equipment, like radars, something called a ‘jammer’[xii], a magic fuse for artillery, all sorts of unusual things. Already he had found six American jet engines. They were probably destined for the U.S. Shooting Star, their P-80 jet fighter.
Now they were on their way to Moscow, probably to be studied and improved upon to be used in a Soviet jet. He had heard that two dozen jet engines had been found at the B-29 base that had been overrun during the first days of the People's Liberation War, along with six nearly-complete P-80 jets, that had been in the process of being repaired and thus, unable to fly. An attempt to destroy them had been thwarted by the early intervention of a company of paratroopers, or air-landing troops, as the VVS called them. He liked the western name far better.
These Yankee cigarettes are amazing, he thought wistfully to himself. He had forgotten how good they were. Funny how each nation seemed to specialize in certain products. He hoped the worldwide communist movement did not prevent this and standardize everything. He liked that the Belgians made the best chocolate, or that the French were great cooks.
“Major Taras, come here.”
“Yes, Comrade General?”
“See that these jet engines get put on the next transports out. Make sure they are packed safer than you would pack your wife…or mistress. I want them delivered to the scientists back in Moscow immediately.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Have they located any more radar sets or anything else of interest?”
“We believe we have found a number of those 'jammers'. They fit the description, and Senior Sergeant Baskov is claiming the prize you set forth for their discovery.”
“When; and if, you are sure they are the right thing then give Baskov his reward and put him on the same transport as the jammers. He is to be personally responsible for their delivery.”
“Make sure he understands that his life depends upon their receipt in good order, and completely accounted for. Write out his orders for a thirty-day leave, effective only after he delivers the shipment…is that clear?”
“Yes, Comrade General…very clear.”
“Our spies deserve extra pay this month. They have certainly done a spectacular job of keeping the NKVD informed as to what is in the depots, and their exact location. Now, it is our job to get the treasures within them to Moscow and, eventually, to that Peshkov person. I personally think he is a myth. No one ever sees him. I heard everything is done by notes passed through a hole in his office wall. He has the ear of Stalin, and that is all he apparently needs. Anyway, be on your way.”
“Yes Comrade General.”
One last look around before he left to dine at the nearby inn. He had eaten there last night and the cook had done wonders with the Yankee stock of food. He even used some of their CRations and did a remarkably good job of making a truly tasty pork stew. This place was immense. He had seen large ones in Moscow, but this equaled them. And to think, this was all surplus, things that the Amerikosy thought that they no longer needed…or perhaps had even forgotten that they had them. It was fortuitous that much of the equipment was familiar to the Red Army, and its maintenance crews. Lend-Lease had seen to that.
He walked over to one of the jet engines, and marveled at the complexity and workmanship. Amazing how the parts fit so well together and the tolerances were so small. He knew that the Soviet worker could replicate it if they were given the time, and proper training. He remembered how he had complained about the poor workmanship on the T-34's he was sending into battle. Then some smart-assed Major pointed out that the average life of a T-34, at that stage of the war, was less than a week so why bother with making sure the engine didn't wear out in a month by taking the extra time needed to mill down every piece to exacting measurements? It was considered a waste of time and resources.
The tanks being used for the Liberation War were of much better quality. After all, the workers had six months to prepare, and to suitably repair the tanks, knowing that they would be called upon to travel longer distances, and also knowing that they would not become smoking piles of scrap-metal, oozing oil and blood, in just a matter of days. Yes, they were holding up very well. When given the time and proper training the Soviet worker could produce a good and robust machine.
Stalin had even sent thousands of our most trusted comrades to school in the U.S., where they had learned not only how to fix and maintain U.S. equipment, but many had done some espionage, as well. Did not the Americans realize that they were sowing the seeds of their own destruction?
Another added advantage of capturing these depots ahead of the army by paratroops, is that they could be used for fueling, repairing and supplying ammunition. In addition, many of his lead elements drove into a depot and just exchanged their tanks for new ones left behind by the Amerikosy. Nearly all his tankers knew how to drive and repair a Yankee 'Deuce-And-A-Half' or a Sherman tank. What did it matter that the tank that drove through the Arc d'Triumph was a T-34, or a Sherman, as long as it was driven by Soviet tankers, carrying Soviet troops? Once they had punched through the weak front line of the Amerikosy, it was a drive through the park, with virtually no opposition.
In Manchuria, against the Japanese, they had marched up to 820 kilometers, in ten days. Some of the lead elements were on pace to match that now. With these handy filling stations along the way, things we
re going exceptionally fast, and he was sure nothing was going to slow them down. [xiii]
***
More strategic level briefings on what the NATO Allies knew at the time that will give us some context to decisions made later.
***
What We Know So Far
White House Map Room
May 12, 1946
Present are the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and President Truman.
“Mister President, if we may get started? Thank you, Sir.”
“We have a pretty good handle on the size of the Soviet forces and their anticipated plan of attack. We've acquired some vital information from a source in Poland. We have no specifics, but we can speak in overall numbers of divisions. This will make it simpler as the Soviets have a different table of organization and equipment. Their armies and corps are not equivalent to our armies and corps. We do share a common military unit, and that is the division. Consequently, all our estimates will be given in divisions.”
“The overall forces that we face in Western Europe are sixty well-equipped, full-strength, divisions. Another twenty-five 'second-line' divisions are expected to be 'contributed' by the satellite countries such as Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania. More about that later.”
“We have reason to believe that thirty-five divisions are designated for the initial push into the heart of Western Europe, initially heading for Paris, via the Central German Plain, as their focal point. At strategic times, division-sized units will peel off, and invest certain key points, such as Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam, but the bulk of the thirty-five divisions will continue through the heartland of Germany, the Low Countries and France, onto the main objective. Once Paris is taken they will again split off and go for port cities like Le Havre, Brest, and the like finally ending up at the Franco-Spanish border.”
World War Three 1946 Series Boxed Set: Stalin Strikes First Page 5