World War Three 1946 Series Boxed Set: Stalin Strikes First

by Harry Kellogg

  Luckily, the guards and busybodies that had questioned him so far did not understand Kurdish. By design, he understood Russian and Turkish, as well as French, and Armenian of all things. When questioned he went into a torturous version of Turkish with Kurdish overtones that drove most Turks nuts. Kind of like a Canadian from Quebec talking to a Parisian. The guards quickly just threw up their hands and let him pass by.

  His teeth were even made for the job. He had purposely had a few removed that needed caps anyway. So, he had the gapped toothed smile you would expect from a poor working stiff making his way from job to job on the historic border between East and West.

  The Soviets kind of had their feet in both worlds and seemed to relish being the masters of Turkey. It had been a centuries old goal of various Russian empires to open up the Turkish Straights to have a warm water port from which to explore and to establish trade with the rest of the world. A second driving force was to rid the area of the American fighter and bomber bases in Turkey and the Levant.

  Fiat was pleased to see that the Soviet’s invasion of the area had taken precedence over the repair of old defensive positions. The situation was much the same as when the Soviets first crossed the Straights and pushed into Istanbul. The lack of progress was a good thing for what NATO had planned.

  He came to another checkpoint. This one was manned by former members of the Turkish army. It was amazing how fast former enemies became useful to the victors. The US was using German POWs to guard huge stockpiles of weapons just last May. Weapons that the former German SS could have easily used to try once again to create a Fourth Reich. Instead the Soviets now had use of all that equipment.

  He knew of another example of using previous enemies. The entire Indo China Theater was still governed by former Japanese officials, who could have easily been hung as war criminals like Tojo.

  The soldiers at this checkpoint were not very interested in him. Once again, he was allowed on his way. A few meters past the checkpoint, he heard a shout in Russian to stop. He ignored it because he was not supposed to know Russian. He was shuffling along at his usual pace so the Russian soldier that had shouted at him caught up easily. As he was spun around he was confronted by a face he knew. Luckily, the man was from an earlier checkpoint. He must have been the local commander who recognized Fiat from the other area.

  The soldier was memorable because he had made fun of Fiat the last time they had met and had teased him for about an hour. Now, it looked like he was going to do it again. Fiat could easily have killed the man with any number of moves he had been taught in commando training. But as usual, he played the slow-witted manual laborer just trying to find enough to eat.

  This time, the Russian teased him by dancing food before his eyes. He played along and tried to catch the food. He didn’t have to pretend to be hungry, so that of course, added to the realism of the tableau. Fiat was not a big man, he made himself seem even smaller for his role of migrant laborer. The Russian was huge, over 6’4” tall, just plain big, and a natural bully. Fiat went along with the game the Russian wanted, who eventually tired and sent him on his way with a kick in the side.

  The only part that alarmed him about the whole incident was the fact that the commie asshole remembered him. Spies are not supposed to be noticeable. He would have to make an adjustment the next time and take on a persona that was not so meek, mild, and memorable to bullies like the Soviet bastard. Maybe, add a touch more menace so they would think twice about abusing him and not recall how much fun he was to tease.

  He was now within a few days walk to the mouth of the Black Sea. He was very curious to see how well the Turks had rendered the defenses from the south useless. Useless defenses were the key to what was to follow in this area. Historically, the threat usually came from the North in the form of the Soviet Navy, so not many of the defenses faced north. He would spend the next week scouting the area and making sure this was still the case. If not, he and a few of his commando friends would have to blow some stuff up this coming spring.

  Figure 23 - Sedd El Bahr /Cape Helles - Defensive Position s Turkey

  Montgomery at the Fore

  23 January 1946

  NATO HQ

  Cairo, Egypt

  0645 hrs

  General Montgomery had been given command of the Mediterranean Theater. His main goal was to let the Soviets approach the Suez Canal, and then stop them cold. Achieving this outcome required a bit of finesse that he actually possessed. A Patton or Rommel would never have been able to resist using all the forces he had at his disposal to stop the Soviets far from the Suez. Montgomery knew he had to have a more sophisticated plan.

  He was chosen for his defensive abilities. The Battle of El Alamein had amply demonstrated those skills. He was not chose for his offensive skills and that was demonstrated by his aborted attempt in Operation Market Garden. He was cautious and did not move until he had overwhelming odds. His well thought out plans and thorough risk assessments made him perfect for the job he was given.

  The Soviets were on track and had just taken Aleppo in Syria. Most of the airbases in Turkey that SAC and the 15th Air Force had been using, were overrun as was the plan. The airbases had been used as bait and Zhukov had taken it hook, line and sinker. Now they were reeling him in.

  Farther to the east, the second Soviet column under the command of Marshal Ivan Bagramyan was the actual threat. He had under his command the bulk of the armored forces. These forces were on the move towards Kuwait, taking a more easterly path to the Suez by starting farther east and then heading south. This army could be a real thorn in the sides of NATO, and Montgomery knew it. The Marshal and his tactics reminded him of his old nemesis Rommel.

  By this time tomorrow, Bagramyan would have taken Fallujah and Bagdad. More units in the form of naval airpower were being sent to further impede his progress. He was moving much faster than anyone at NATO had imagined. It was thought that he had been given the bulk of remaining fuel and mobile units for his part of the offensive.

  Meanwhile, Montgomery was building up the already formidable defensive line that had existed before World War Two. The Suez was the lifeline of the British Empire and it could not be lost. Its capture by the Soviets would make the Mediterranean Sea shipping route to Britain useless. Weeks were added to the shipping time, for the vital resources the Empire was still receiving from its colonies in the Far East. To lose the Suez was to cause the deaths of many a sailor who would have to brave the Horn of Africa not to mention the extra transit time and oil needed to complete the journey to the factories of Britain. The Suez had been a strategic priority for the British since it was developed in the 1860-70s.

  Montgomery’s orders were to slow up and harass the Red Army. He was to pull back and draw them in. “Show them a leg and pull it back” was how it was put to him. He was very good at implementing these types of plans. He used his natural defensive bent for fighting an enemy army. His strategies had worked in Rommel’s case, although some said it was not by design. As your opponent is drawn further from his supply line, he becomes weaker and weaker. You, in effect, defeat him long before the battle starts.[cvi]

  Montgomery was very comfortable in his skin at the moment and very content with the progress of the Soviet forces. The press was going nuts, which in his mind, worked in his favor. Zhukov and Bagramyan were going to take over the world. “Woe is us, we are doomed.” He uncharacteristically held his tongue. Some of the criticisms were scathing. Calls for his resignation were rampant. But still, he kept quiet. He smiled for the cameras, spouted platitudes, and deflected the insults, etc.

  Luckily, the Prime Minister knew the plan, and knew that the current strategy was on track to succeed.

  Montgomery at the Fore

  23 January 1946

  NATO HQ

  Cairo, Egypt

  0645 hrs

  General Montgomery had been given command of the Mediterranean Theater. His main goal was to let the Soviets approach the Suez Canal, and then s
top them cold. Achieving this outcome required a bit of finesse that he actually possessed. A Patton or Rommel would never have been able to resist using all the forces he had at his disposal to stop the Soviets far from the Suez. Montgomery knew he had to have a more sophisticated plan.

  He was chosen for his defensive abilities. The Battle of El Alamein had amply demonstrated those skills. He was not chose for his offensive skills and that was demonstrated by his aborted attempt in Operation Market Garden. He was cautious and did not move until he had overwhelming odds. His well thought out plans and thorough risk assessments made him perfect for the job he was given.

  The Soviets were on track and had just taken Aleppo in Syria. Most of the airbases in Turkey that SAC and the 15 th Air Force had been using, were overrun as was the plan. The airbases had been used as bait and Zhukov had taken it hook, line and sinker. Now they were reeling him in.

  Farther to the east, the second Soviet column under the command of Marshal Ivan Bagramyan was the actual threat. He had under his command the bulk of the armored forces. These forces were on the move towards Kuwait, taking a more easterly path to the Suez by starting farther east and then heading south. This army could be a real thorn in the sides of NATO, and Montgomery knew it. The Marshal and his tactics reminded him of his old nemesis Rommel.

  By this time tomorrow, Bagramyan would have taken Fallujah and Bagdad. More units in the form of naval airpower were being sent to further impede his progress. He was moving much faster than anyone at NATO had imagined. It was thought that he had been given the bulk of remaining fuel and mobile units for his part of the offensive.

  Meanwhile, Montgomery was building up the already formidable defensive line that had existed before World War Two. The Suez was the lifeline of the British Empire and it could not be lost. Its capture by the Soviets would make the Mediterranean Sea shipping route to Britain useless. Weeks were added to the shipping time, for the vital resources the Empire was still receiving from its colonies in the Far East. To lose the Suez was to cause the deaths of many a sailor who would have to brave the Horn of Africa not to mention the extra transit time and oil needed to complete the journey to the factories of Britain. The Suez had been a strategic priority for the British since it was developed in the 1860-70s.

  Montgomery’s orders were to slow up and harass the Red Army. He was to pull back and draw them in. “Show them a leg and pull it back” was how it was put to him. He was very good at implementing these types of plans. He used his natural defensive bent for fighting an enemy army. His strategies had worked in Rommel’s case, although some said it was not by design. As your opponent is drawn further from his supply line, he becomes weaker and weaker. You, in effect, defeat him long before the battle starts. [cvii]

  Montgomery was very comfortable in his skin at the moment and very content with the progress of the Soviet forces. The press was going nuts, which in his mind, worked in his favor. Zhukov and Bagramyan were going to take over the world. “Woe is us, we are doomed.” He uncharacteristically held his tongue. Some of the criticisms were scathing. Calls for his resignation were rampant. But still, he kept quiet. He smiled for the cameras, spouted platitudes, and deflected the insults, etc.

  Luckily, the Prime Minister knew the plan, and knew that the current strategy was on track to succeed.

  Chapter Nine:

  Politics

  Figure 24 -Truman reauthorizes the War Production Board

  War Production Board

  Civilian Production Administration had once again reverted to the War Production Board. The transition had been smooth with some of the members being replaced, but the majority of them stayed in place.

  Erving Brown returned from Europe to take up the mantel of Labor on the Board. He had served in that capacity until the end of the war. He went to a war ravaged Europe in hopes of counter acting the pressure from the Soviet Union efforts to turn the labor unions into communist tools. He desperately wanted a future for the labor movement that did not include communism.

  Communism had been included in labor movement before the war and he was convinced that it was going to happen again. The combination would mean death to the union movement if they were once again seen as an arm of the USSR.

  Stalin pre-empted Brown’s return by not only subverting the existing labor movements in Europe but by invading as well. He fought a hard fight to get himself appointed once more to the board. He had garnered a reputation among American conservatives of being a commie. At the same time, Brown was being seen as an enemy of the communistic cause. He was a vehement anti-communist as his brief foray into France had demonstrated where he battled the former French Resistance fighters for control of a number of labor unions.

  When the invasion came, Brown was a marked man and a number of attempts on his life by former Resistance members occurred. The threats to his life had been the most convincing argument that swayed President Truman to once again appoint him to the War Production Board as the labor representative. When World War Two ended, the War Production Board had quickly switched to the Civilian Production Administration and most production restrictions were lifted. After the Soviet attack, the WPB was reinstated to make sure resources matched up with the needs of the armed force’s.

  Despite the cowardly sneak attack by the Soviets, the American public was not as outraged compared to the aftermath of Pearl Harbor despite many more lost lives. Part of the apathy may have been racism or war weariness, but the bottom line was that the initial scrap metal drives and donations campaigns garnered a fraction of what was needed to defeat the USSR.

  Luckily, much of what was needed for the spring offensive had already been produced. The materials were now on their way back from the Pacific area where they originally had been sent for the invasion of Japan. Thousands of tons of supplies in the form of Krations, bullets, bombs, and all the implements of destruction necessary to bring Stalin to his knees were being gathered in various places all over the world. The most valuable being the amphibious invasion craft and transports that would be used to cut the current Soviet Union into digestible parts. To take on the USSR as a whole would have required more than the US people were willing to pay in both blood and money.

  It would be suicide to try and slog our way from the Pyrenees to the factories hidden beyond the Urals. We would bleed to death long before we even got to Moscow. It would take another thousand miles to reach the real goal of Soviets production facilities. Brown knew that nearly ninety percent of the secret factory locations were unknown to NATO.

  It appeared that the US was not going to restart our nuclear bomb program once again. The US nuclear program had been put on hold due to a number of accidents and Soviet sabotage. The accidental explosion of the easier to produce Mark I Thin Man bomb in front of the world’s press had been the last straw for the American public, and more importantly the President. Add in the frequently rumored polonium poisoning of 94% of our nuclear scientists, their families and friends, the US appetite for all things nuclear had all but disappeared.

  For now, this war would be won by soldiers on the ground and not by planes dropping nuclear bombs. Frontal assault on fortress USSR was not an option either, as the Germans and French before them found out. The NATO plan was solid and based on the premise that when a nation loses its army, it surrenders to the opposition. No amount of civilian casualties or destruction of infrastructure seems to matter. If a dictator has an army in the field he will fight on until that army is destroyed.

  Erving Brown saw his job as keeping that goal in mind. He was determined to see that America would not once again bomb innocent men, women and children. Instead, he would concentrate on the elimination of the enemy’s[cviii] armies and leadership. The destruction of large portions of Germany and Japan along with their civilian population had not brought either dictatorship to its end. The destruction of their field armies was the key and that was the mission of the WPB.

  Brown was determined to see that the kinds of weapons needed
to isolate and starve the Soviet armies reached our military leaders. Not more bombers destined too indiscriminately, and in the end uselessly, bomb enemy cities. America was to make the weapons needed to force the enemy’s armies to surrender in the field. He wanted the soldiers to be so devoid of hope that they peacefully lay down their arms.

  Even the most fanatical enemy could be brought to this realization as demonstrated by MacArthur in the Pacific. The Japanese troops who, when confronted with overwhelming odds, committed what can only be called suicide as they charged our machine guns with swords on island after island. These fanatical troops had one thing in common, and that was there was an enemy to directly confront.

  On the islands that MacArthur bypassed even more fanatical troops surrender peacefully when they were left to starve. The great Japanese fortified islands of Rabaul and Truk were never directly invaded. Hundreds of thousands of isolated, fanatical Japanese troops had no way of closing with their enemies. Eventually, they surrendered peacefully.

  This same outcome was the basis of the strategy that MacArthur had proposed and Truman adopted before the general’s death. An almost bloodless victory was a mandate that Irving Brown was determined to see fulfilled through his work on the War Production Board.

  He would fight with all his might to curb the call for more strategic bombers. Bombers that were and would be destroyed for no gain. Bombers that had already proven to have had a marginal effect on the outcome of World War Two.

  Payback is a Bitch

  Marvin peered around the tree trunk and was more than surprised with what he saw coming at him at about 13 knots. Hundreds of invasion craft of all shapes and sizes were headed straight at his campsite. Marvin was out in the middle of nowhere in Maine. Nowhere was Arcadia National Park. The park was located about two-thirds up the Maine Coast on an island that stuck out into the Atlantic forty miles SSE of Bangor. He had barely heard some noises a few hours earlier but had ignored them to get some more sleep. What his sleepy eyes observed probably hadn’t happened since D-Day.