World War Three 1946 Series Boxed Set: Stalin Strikes First

by Harry Kellogg

  You could very often stop them locally, but then they just went around you and swarmed you once a gap was found that they could pour their tanks through. The 1945 Soviet Deep Battle made the 1940 German Blitzkrieg look like child’s play. So far, no army had stood up to this new form of organized mayhem since the Soviets perfected it in 1944. It had cost the Soviets literally millions of deaths to perfect their original version of the Blitzkrieg, but they had done it.

  Nazik has seen the Soviets in action as a driver for Gen. Tahsin Yazici who was observing the Soviet’s Operation August Storm against the Japanese in Manchuria in 1945. What he saw and overheard as the aides and staff of the General spoke among themselves opened his eyes to the power of the Red Army near the end of that war. They were attached to a unit that drove the Japanese back at a rate of 80 kilometers a day for a period of ten days. It was an unheard of feat for any army, especially for one that was rumored to still be using horses . The reports that the use of horses slowed an army down and increased its logistical needs, proved to be erroneous as the Germans, Japanese, Americans, British and French discovered in succession.

  Nazik had learned he only thing that had even slowed the Soviet Deep Battle was a major city that Stalin insisted be taken by storm. If cities were bypassed, the casualties to the soldiers were minimized. When forced to attack an entrenched, determined enemy in an urban setting the military casualties were enormous. Nazik’s native intellect told him that Turkey was doomed. It had no large urban areas that an army could use to slow the Soviets. The sizable cities it did have were easily bypassed and could be left to wither on the vine. There was no propaganda advantage from taking any city but Istanbul. The world didn’t even know the names of Turkey's other cities.

  Nazik knew that the rivers mainly ran east-west, as did the mountain ranges where it mattered. Invasion routes were numerous and well known by all military historians. There would be no surprises for the Soviet officers. No sudden winters like the Germans experienced in the USSR. If the Soviets attacked soon there would be no challenges with mud and rain.

  On a national level, Nazik was quite pessimistic but on a tactical level, he believed his team could stop and hold the forces he saw arrange before him if only for a brief moment that would win the first encounter, he was sure. Then, all pointed to a complete and general rout and he had a plan for that as well. However, first he would kill a good dozen enemy soldiers before he instituted his escape plan. In his way of thinking, if everyone took 12 before he was killed or escaped, then they would win.

  He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when one of the behemoths started its engine and rotated its turret in his general direction. None of the others had woken up, so he figured the monster was just warming up his oil and checking out his systems. The huge tanks were extremely intimidating. Even so, his Yankee advisors had assured him that they could be defeated if they followed the process they outlined for their destruction. It seemed reasonable to him if everyone did their job and in their last two drills his team did very well.

  The challenge was the other teams to his left and right who were not perform very well. They particularly had problems when the Yankee Sergeant Mankowitz, simulated the loss of their unit leaders during their last training. The Turkish culture is too stratified. If you were not born into the elite or even middle class, you did not and could not take the initiative.

  No one would step up and fill the simulated vacant leadership positions properly, including his. The squads had failed and would have been massacred in real combat. As was the prerogative of youth, Nazik decided on a very naïve, yet logical course of action. He would not be injured and lead his men to victory.

  Figure 5 - Turkish Kilij circa 19th century

  The Ferry

  Toros was beyond despair. His beloved ferry was sinking before his eyes. His family had run the ferry for over a hundred years and this was the 5th iteration of the large boats that plied the Turkish Straits. His ferry had carried kings and queens, and now, it was being scuttled before his eyes by the thugs from the Turkish army. He was told that it was to keep it out of the hands of the cursed Russkies in whose hands they feared it would be used to bring death to all from across the Bosporus.

  Why would he have let that happen? He would have taken his ferry away from the fighting. Did they really think he was that stupid or was a spy for the Russkie up north, their ancient enemy the Cossack? We will fight them for every inch and they would never have gotten on foot on my beautiful ferry he fumed.

  What was he going to tell the family? Should he have fought an unwinnable fight with these 18 year olds and their pig of an officer? All that would happen would be a knife in his belly if he had tried to physically stand up to them. He had seen their kind before. All swagger and bravado when facing an old man, but just wait until they faced an 18 year old Russkie driving a tank, then we’d see how brave they were.

  He could hear shouts all along the waterfront as barge and ferry were scuttled. The weeping and wailing was deafening as it bounced off a passing freighter, which made them even weep louder and curse the soldiers harder. How were the fishermen going to fish? How were the ferryman going to feed their families? The whole waterfront was shut down and how in Allah's name were the Cossacks going to get across in the first place. There were no boats on the far side and he could see nothing or imagine anything that they could use to get across.

  His family’s ferry and heritage, bumped against the rocks in the causeway as the boat drifteds down to the bottom. One last large jolt causes the clapper of the bell to hit the side of the rim and to ring one last time. It so happens that this was the one millionth time exactly, that the bell had rung, and it’s last.

  This particular bell was made from the canons of Constantinople. The irony was that these cannons were originally made from the Christian bells of this same city. The bells were melted down, some more chemicals and the zinc and copper levels adjusted and poured into the cannons that manned the walls for centuries. As brass cannons were replaced the metal was remolded and used in Ottoman Tombak and bells.

  This form of brass called tombak is easy and soft to work by hand.: Hand tools can easily punch, cut, enamel, repousse, engrave, gilt or etch it. It has a higher sheen than most brasses or copper, and does not easily tarnish. Some of the greatest works of art to come out of the Ottoman Empire were made from tombak. It is a beautiful medium to work with. It was used to produce some of the most beautiful, intricate, and prized works of art man has ever imagined, much less created.

  Another use of tombak is just as creative yet very destructive to individuals, the full metal jacket. Gilding metal is a type of tombak, one of the most common jacketing materials for jacketed hollow point bullets that the Hague Convention of 1899 prohibited using. Jacketed hollow point bullets easily flattened and expanded in the body. They rip a person’s insides to shreds once they penetrate the skin. by expanding to triple the size as they enter. A monstrous invention on the par of shrapnel and napalm.

  As with most inventions of man, tombak can be used to create things of great beauty, and to kill and maim.

  In less than a week, Toros and all he knew would be dead, burned or blown to bits. His wife, 3 children, mother, 2 sisters and 13 cousin’s, aunts, and uncles would be gone, killed in the first days of the invasion. His ferry would not even be a footnote in history, even after serving kings, queens, the rich and the poor. Not a picture or even a clear memory would remain of his movable floating bridge between east and west. Luckily, he would be the first to die and none of this would enter his mortal life and spiritual memory. He would not take to the grave all the tragedies that were about to be endured by his family. We don’t even know Toros or his boat’s given name.

  All Toros knew is that his ferry was sinking, and so was his livelihood and his family’s future,. The feared and hated Russkies were a few hundred meters away and about to attack. His wonderful ship's bell rang one last time before it was swallowed up by the waters of t
he Bosporus. One last clear tolling of his beloved bell.

  “Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. . . . from Meditation 17 by John Donne”

  The Ferry

  Toros was beyond despair. His beloved ferry was sinking before his eyes. His family had run the ferry for over a hundred years and this was the fifth iteration of the large boats that plied the Turkish Straits. His ferry had carried kings and queens, and now it was being scuttled by the thugs from the army. He was told that destroying his ferry was to keep it out of the hands of the cursed Ruskies in whose hands t hey feared it would be used to bring death to all from across the Bosporus .

  Why would he have let that happen? He would have taken his ferry away from the fighting. Did they really think he was that stupid or was a spy for the Ruskie up north, their ancient enemy the Cossack? We will fight them for every inch and they would never have gotten on foot on my beautiful ferry he fumed inside.

  What was he going to tell the family? Should he have fought an unwinnable fight with these 18 year olds and their pig of an officer? All that would happen would be a knife in his belly if he had tried to physically stand up to them. He had seen their kind before. All swagger and bravado when facing an old man but just wait until they faced an 18 year old Ruskie driving a tank, then we’d see how brave they were. He could hear shouts all along the waterfront as barge and ferry were scuttled. The weeping and wailing was deafening as it bounced off a passing freighter, which made them even weep louder and curse the soldiers harder. How were the fishermen going to fish? How were the ferrymen going to feed their families? The whole waterfront was shut down and how in Allah's name were the Cossacks going to get across in the first place. There were no boats on the far side and he could see nothing or imagine anything that they could use to get across.

  His family’s ferry and heritage, bumped against the rocks in the causeway as it drifted down to the bottom. One last large jolt causes the clapper of the bell to hit the side of the rim and to ring. It so happens that this was the one millionth time exactly, that the bell had rung, and it’s last.

  This particular bell was made from the cannons of Constantinople . The irony was that these cannons were originally made from the Christian bells of this same city. The bells were melted down and formed into the Ottoman cannons that manned the walls for centuries. As brass cannons were replaced, the metal was reused.

  More chemicals were added, with the zinc and copper level s were adjusted to create a brass called tombak. It is easy to work and hand tools can punch, cut, enamel, repousse, engrave, gilt or etch it. It has a higher sheen than most brasses or copper, and does not easily tarnish. Some of the greatest works of art to come out of the Ottoman Empire were made from tombak.

  As with most inventions of man, tombak can be used to create things of great beauty, and to kill and maim. Another use just as creative, yet very destructive to humans, is the full metal jacket. Gilding metal is a type of tombak that is one of the most common materials for jacketed hollow point bullets. The Hague Convention of 1899 prohibited their use. Jacketed hollow point bullets easily flatten and expand in the body. They rip a person’s insides to shreds once they penetrate the skin. They to triple their size as they enter. They are a monstrous invention on the par with shrapnel and napalm .

  In less than a week, Toros and all he knew would be dead, burned or blown to bits. His wife, children, mother, sisters and cousins, aunts and uncles would be gone. All were killed in the first days of the invasion. His ferry would not be a footnote in history even after serving kings, queens, the rich and the poor. Not a picture or even a clear memory would remain of his movable bridge between east and west. Luckily he would be the first to die and none of this would enter his mortal life and spiritual memory. He would not take to the grave all the tragedies that were about to be endured by his family. We don’t even know Toros or his boat’s given name.

  As ferry was sinking, and so was the livelihood of Toros and the future of his family. The feared and hated Ruskies were a few hundred meters away and about to attack. His wonderful ship's bell rang one more time before it was swallowed up by the waters of the Bosporus . One last clear tolling of his beloved bell.

  “Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. . . . from Meditation 17 by John Donne”

  Figure 6 - Turkish Tombak Pitcher

  Chapter Two:

  In the Air

  Figure 7 - Supplying the SAC Bases in Egypt 1946

  Head Quarters Mediterranean Command

  Cairo Egypt

  November 10, 1946 0842

  Report # 134

  Subject: After Action Report for October.

  To: The Joint Chiefs of Staff

  Attn: General Eisenhower

  October 1946

  Air Operations

  Bombing of the oil production facilities of the Soviet Union continued unabated. Five large raids were planned for the weeks of 13-27 October, 1946. Availability of bombers and their crews postponed two out of the five raids. An unexpected loss of supplies and aviation gas by submarine activity off the coast of Tunisia and Libya had caused the delays. Numerous reports of small mini-subs attacking shipping at chokepoints near Tunis, Benghazi and Tobruk.

  The 15th Air Force started operations on 12 October, 1946 with a 245 plane raid on Baku shortly after a raid by SAC. The raid seemed to catch the VVS reloading and was an unqualified success with major oil storage facilities destroyed near Khatai. Oil production in the Baku area is estimated, at 37% and increasing despite our bombing efforts.

  SAC continues to rely on large formation of B-29 entering enemy airspace at 24,000 ft. Leadership continues to insist that the Norden Bomb sight and radar bombing from a high level will significantly reduce oil production of the USSR. Evidence suggests that the same fast moving wind that covers Japan also is prevalent in this area and other tactics might be in order. They continue to take unsustainable losses.

  The 15th AF has authorized the development of rather risky maneuver designed to allow large formation of bombers to evade missile attacks. Currently progress has been made with no midair collisions reported. It is therefore suggested that this endeavor be allowed to continue.

  All airbases in the area continue to operate with extreme efficiency. The unexpected losses off North Africa had caused the rerouting of convoys around the Cape to the Suez. This delay has been overcome by increasing the amount of shipping along the route with assistance from Canada, Brazil and South Africa. The reroutinghad a temporary effect on SAC’s operations tempo that has been rectified. The 15 AF was not in operational status and was not affected.

  The Soviet forces continue to mass on the borders of Turkey. Increase in air activity and a blatant disregard for Turkish sovereignty is apparent. Although no formal declaration of war has been declared, VVS air forces continue to make incursions into Turkish airspace in pursuit of our bomber formation. A number of attacks on airfields in Turkey have previously been noted. A long range low level fighter sweep by Yak 9D fighter planes code name Far Boy, attacked the air bases in Kaysari on the Oct. 28 as has been noted in previous reports.

  Militarily, there has been no effect on operations of an undeclared war over Turkey. It is curious as to why neither side has done the obvious.

  Naval Forces

  The Mediterranean Fleet continues to prepare for future operations. The sight of a dozen aircraft carriers plainly seen steaming just off the coast of Egypt is a concern for operational security. It appears to be common knowledge that this large contingent of our fleet air arm was in the Mediterranean and not in the Atlantic. See attached report.

  As mentioned previously the threat of submarine warfare has been mitigated by using the longer route to the Suez. Tactics and new technologies are actively being developed to address this new threat caused by enemy submarines
to our supply lines connecting the major islands in the Mediterranean as well as merchant marine traffic traversing the routes previously used.

  Land Forces

  The assignment of over 250 advisors to the Turkish military has been completed. Each of these experts were embedded in their respective Turkish units. Each of these experts where chosen by their commanders and tasked with training the Turkish troops in the latest infantry and small unit tactics. These highly trained experts are expected to double the combat effectiveness of the Turkish forces facing the Soviet Union.

  Very preliminary reports indicate that the majority of the assigned personnel are working with their Turkish counterparts on a daily basis. The Turkish government has expressed its gratitude for this welcome assistance in its valiant effort to build up its defenses for an expected and eminent attack.

  No other ground forces are currently engaged in the theatre.

  NAVEL OPERATIONS

  Continued preparedness of the amphibious forces is paramount. Training continues unabated. Most of the equipment stockpiled from the planned invasion of the Japanese islands have been retrofitted and brought back into service. Enough equipment has been brought back into service to land and support 25 divisions a month up to a total of 90 divisions worldwide by June, 1947. Ongoing discussions are proceeding and focusing on the targets and goals for possible invasion scenarios.