World War Three 1946 Series Boxed Set: Stalin Strikes First

by Harry Kellogg

  “Well I’ll be damned. That may be a breach of security. Still an impressive skill and demonstration of initiative. I’ll need you to write up a report just in case.

  “Ah, Craig, he told me what the last one said before you sent him on his way. Am I in trouble?”

  The senior officer’s demeanor changed immediately as he looked at his friend and colleague and spoke after a long pause.

  “I don’t know Bill, I really don’t know. What did he say exactly?”

  “Listen, Craig it was just harmless gossip. We didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves Lieutenant! Now tell me exactly what he said! Is that understood?”

  “Sure it is Craig, err Major Yost. I completely understand.

  He said that NATO had just dodged a bullet when some Soviet Marshal named Konev replaced another guy named Zhukov. Apparently this Zhukov guy had guessed right about our impending attack. He was sending out orders to fortify Beirut and the surrounding area, and was starting to pull back from the Suez Canal. He smelled a rat and had sniffed out our plan to land behind him.

  We were lucky Zhukov was replaced by this Konev guy. Otherwise our troops landing in a reinforced Lebanon might have faced a blood bath. It looks like our plan will work. That was just about the gist of the message.”

  “How exactly did we know of this development?”

  “According to Jones, we have broken the Red’s code.”

  “Is that what he told you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Listen very carefully Lieutenant. I am not going to deny or confirm Jones’…version of that highly classified message and what you just told me. I want you to transfer Jones as far away from that teletype as you can and I mean within the next 10 minutes. Then you will wait for me back at our barracks. You will speak to no one. If anyone asks you will say that you are sick and are not to be disturbed on my orders. Is that perfectly clear Lieutenant Henderson?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Off the record Bill, I really don’t know what I’m going to do about this. I know both of you are loyal Americans and would do nothing to betray your country or this unit. But I have to cover my ass as well. I’m going to pose a hypothetical question to Major Quincy of G2. Depending on his answer I will decide what to do next.

  You are dismissed and will go to your room in the barracks after transferring Jones. You will be under house arrest. I will try and keep this off your record Bill, but I can't promise anything.

  Now do you understand your orders, Lieutenant Henderson?”

  “Yes, Sir, Major Yost, Sir.”

  Konev Commits

  Alexander Konev was on his way to the Headquarters of the Red Army Levant Front. He had been ordered to relieve his arch rival Ivan Zhukov. He relished the task. From what he understood Zhukov had done the unimaginable, he defied Stalin. He did not know the details but would find them out soon enough. Zhukov had thrown away all of the victories, all the metals and all the glory in one stupid decision that will probably cost him his life.

  Konev was not going to make the same mistake. He was going to follow orders and attack with all his resources. His opponents were the NATO forces arrayed on the Suez Canal. This action was Zhukov’s mandate and he had chosen not to follow orders from the Stavka.

  He was exceedingly jealous when Zhukov was given the majority of heavy artillery and armor along with squadrons of heavy ground attack planes. These weapons had been denied him and he was relegated to containing the Amerikosi in Trieste and Vienna. Now he could use all of Zhukov’s modern weaponry to drive the enemy forces from the Middle East.

  His plan was simple, attack, attack, attack. In his race with Zhukov to capture Berlin, both Marshalls used men’s lives like a machine gun uses bullets, 90 in every 100 is wasted. This fight would be similar and would be won by sheer numbers of Soviet soldiers. Chief Marshal of Aviation Alexander Novikov had personally assured him that the addition of the American carrier planes would have no effect on the Red Air Force’s ability to rule the skies over the battlefield.

  The rumor was Zhukov believed that the appearance of these aircraft carriers was a telltale sign that the Americans were planning something in his rear. Konev secretly thought that Zhukov might be correct, but the threat of Beria’s chair was enough to ignore that possibility.

  Konev’s personal assessment suggested there was a 50/50 chance that the Amerikosi could mount another amphibious assault to cut off his supply lines. However, there was a 100% chance that he would end up arrested like Zhukov if he did not attack within days of his assuming command.

  His plane landed and Zhukov was unceremoniously escorted on before he could exit. They didn’t say a word. Both men knew that their fates could change within hours depending upon the Stavka and Stalin. They did make eye contact and Zhukov was defiant which Konev admired. Ivan had to know what was in store for him at the end of his long journey. He was sure the journey would not be long enough for Zhukov. If he were Ivan he would wish the trip would be endless.

  He was driven to the headquarters facility. It was a modest apartment building in Bir El Malhi, Egypt. It was far enough inland that they did not have to worry about the American battleships shelling them. Good choice of locations, he thought. Zhukov was not his equal but very close to it.

  The first thing he did was to send Zhukov’s second in command to a frontline unit. He was sure that Vasily Sokolovsky was the one who had informed on Zhukov. He had heard that they were good friends but in the empire of Stalin there was no such thing as friendship. Friends got you killed.

  Next he set about reversing many of Zhukov’s orders Ivan had given before his arrest. He discovered that Vasily had already negated most of them and was impressed, but not enough to trust the man. He looked around and saw many officers watching him with distaste. The same sentiment would have been true if Zhukov had replaced him. As long as they followed orders and did not think about contacting the Stavka he was comfortable with their hate.

  He gave a rousing and threatening speech about the need to attack in 48 hours before the enemy could strengthen its defenses further. He warned exactly what would happen to anyone who dared disobey orders or contact higher command. All communications were to go through the proper channels or he would personally shoot any transgressors.

  When he asked if they completely understood every officer had nodded in the affirmative. He then ordered all units forward and prepare to attack in what was now 47 hours at 0400 17 May 1947.

  Pain and Vindication

  Lavrenti Beria’s favorite room was inside Lubyanka Prison, there he was about to start his second assault on Georgy Zhukov’s body. The first had been rather mild by Beria’s standards and Zhukov was missing all of his fingernails on his left hand before he passed out. Beria was disappointed. He thought that the tough talking Marshal would have been able to stand more pain considering how much he inflicted upon his enemies and the men he led.

  No matter he was a patient man.

  Suddenly the door to the room banged open and a contingent of Stalin’s own body guards seized Beria before he could offer protest. He was bound and gagged before Zhukov’s now open eyes. The Marshal was having trouble believing what he was seeing and thought he was still unconscious.

  One of the same guards undid Zhukov’s handcuffs and told him to go home. As he stumbled outside there was a car waiting and somehow, he made it into the back seat with the help of the driver. As he was being driven away he saw the inert form of Lavrenti Beria being put into another car.

  Just as Zhukov was about to turn away, there was an explosion. His driver accelerated from the area with an alarming disregard for life and limb.

  Zhukov found his voice and demanded to be taken back to find out the fate of Beria but the driver didn’t acknowledge the Marshall’s outburst. Without hesitation or comment he drove directly to Zhukov’s Moscow home. His wife was home and Georgy Zhukov’s body could not function further. He was carried to his r
oom. His wife Alexandra put him in bed.

  Beria’s Endgame

  There had not been an explosion at Lubyanka prison since the Bolshevik Revolution. Two of Stalin’s men were incapacitated immediately the other two were stunned. Beria’s second in command calmly walked up and firing a pistol shot all four guards in the head.

  He then got in the car with Beria in the back seat, and drove off to location unknown. Beria had known that this day would come and had an elaborate endgame to save his life and those who assisted him. His place of hiding had been well chosen. If need be a plastic surgeon was waiting to alter his features. As planned, a well-choreographed propaganda machine started spreading the word that Stalin was gravely ill.

  Nine months ago, Beria had a very secret and special prison built. It was for the sons and daughters of highly placed NKVD leaders. Within 24 hours his loyal followers had abducted 29 young progenies of these officials.

  A whole new dimension in blackmail and manipulation was created once he began using his hostages to extort the parents. In the resulting chaos the manhunt for Lavrenti Beria was poorly executed.

  After 48 hours, what was said to be his badly burned body was pulled out of a house about three hours’ drive from Lubyanka prison. The shootout had been elaborately staged. A man who bore a striking resemblance to Beria was inside tied to a post. The sacrificial man died of smoke inhalation and third-degree burns.

  Two doctors, three senior ranking NKVD officials and a member of the Politburo, all certified that the body was indeed Lavrenti Beria. The body’s fingers and toes were burned off in the fire thus eliminating any possible finger print identification.

  Unbeknownst to Beria, Stalin was truly in grave health. In Stalin’s stead Nikita Khrushchev, Molotov and Malenkov ordered Beria’s arrest.

  The opportunity presented itself after Zhukov was proved correct and the 350,000 troops of the Levan Front were trapped along with Marshall of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev. Exactly as predicted by Zhukov, the Amerikosi landed a force in Lebanon cutting off Konev’s supply lines and means of escape.

  Konev bravely fought to the end. You can’t bring a knife to a gunfight and expect to win. In his arrogance, Beria had uncharacteristically failed to see the threat to Konev’s forces.

  After he woke and cleared his head, Beria was shocked when informed that Zhukov was vindicated and that the Amerikosi had attacked Lebanon. He knew almost immediately that NATO had broken the Soviet code. It was the only explanation he deemed possible for his failure.

  At once he set about smearing Konev and Zhukov.

  Step two was to gruesomely and very publicly assassinate Khrushchev, Molotov and Malenkov.

  Step three was to poison Stalin.

  Step four was to rise from the dead.

  Operation Cutoff

  Off the Coast of Beirut, Lebanon

  18 May 1947

  The NATO attack on Beirut began as dozens of other American led invasions had. Instant mayhem was generated with a devastating naval barrage and fighter bomber attacks. The intelligence gathered on the region was excellent. They correctly determined that the Soviets had not fortified their rear areas. The first Marine Division waded ashore against very light opposition. Within hours they started to spread out and occupy defensive positions facing south in the area around the initial beachhead.

  The Soviet units in the area were third tier. They were basically administrative troops, supply units and soldiers recovering from wounds suffered in combat. The Red troops in the vicinity of the invasion sites were overrun in a matter of hours. Beirut fell in less than 6 hours. The surviving Soviet soldiers that escaped retreated to the northeast.

  General Leonard Gerow, leading the V Corps, was on shore within 4 hours of the commencement of the invasion. He was a man of firsts. He was the first Corps Commander ashore on 6 June 1944 and was the first American Major General to enter Paris after its liberation.

  Included in Gerow’s corps were a number of units that had been languishing in Trieste and Vienna. Combat there was minimal. He requested that the now underused veteran forces be added to his command. He specifically wanted their expertise leading his initial assault force.

  The two soldiers known as “The Combat Savants” and their company were among the added troops. Phil Post and Warren Johnston were in the first boat of the V Corps. Phil was now the Sergeant of the 3rd Platoon and Warren was a corporal with Lieutenant William Grupe commanding.

  Within two days, 10 full American divisions had landed and were pushing towards Baghdad. The defensive line had been formed facing south assuming a response from Marshall Konev. The Soviet forces had been cutoff in the Levant and were now rushing north in an attempt to break out of the trap.

  The Soviets were moving with astonishing speed. They made their first attempt at breaking the NATO lines on 20 May 1947. It was a surprise attack minus the usual massive barrage of shells and rockets. It almost caught the defending American forces unprepared.

  Defending at the point of the enemy attack was General Charles H. Gerhardt directing the US 29th Division. He was an experienced combat commander. Also he was one of the most controversial figures in the European Theater during World War Two. His division in that war, had the highest casualty rate. It was said that he commanded three divisions, “one on the field of battle, one in the hospital and one in the cemetery.”[cxl]

  Gerhardt did a masterful job of using his reserves and plugging holes in his lines as they appeared. Although the first attempt failed it was a closer fight than anyone anticipated. The Red Army units were desperate to escape and they knew that time was not on their side.

  The next breakout attempt was even more ferocious and costly to both sides. Konev’s fighters were within a kilometer of freedom when three battleships of the Royal Navy appeared over the horizon and shelled the advancing Soviet units. The British had always been known for their accurate gunnery. At the behest of General Gerhardt they poured it on and caught many a Red in the open.

  The shells came from an unexpected direction, the seemingly empty sea to the West. The V Corps was shelling the enemy from the North and the Royal Navy from the West. Both were using the VT fuse to deadly effect. The timed fuses exploded over the heads of the Soviet soldiers spraying them with lethal shrapnel shredding any hope of escape.

  Ivan Stepanovich Konev, winner of the Order of Lenin, Order of the Bath, Legion of Merit and Hero of the Soviet Union was seen leading the final charge. A 15-inch shell from the HMS Queen Elizabeth exploded within 2 meters of his last known position, leaving only a red mist where the Marshal had been seconds before.

  Figure 10 - Ivan Stepanovich Konev

  Figure 11-British Breakout May 1947

  Premeditation

  Neither Phil nor Warren was enamored with their new leadership roles. Both missed the days when they were independent wholesalers of death. Phil was still bothered by his only personal kill. He made himself indispensable by crafting his own ambushes and circumventing ones devised by the Reds. He had a gift for thinking like the enemy and was a master at what he called “double jeopardy.”

  His initial explosive devices were simple. He would setup a fairly easily discovered booby trap or obvious ruse. After disarming the first mechanism the enemy would usually let their guard down, that’s when Phil’s evil genius and creativity really kicked into high gear. Sometimes double and even triple acts of havoc occurred shortly after the initial contact.

  Phil would setup Rube Goldberg type contraptions that would roll grenades down drain pipes a few minutes after the first trip wire was disarmed. At the same time he might have Claymore Mines arm themselves behind the group when another grenade rolled into their trigger mechanism.

  He used Limpet mines, TNT, C4 and Bouncing Bettys. He incorporated various forms of pencil detonators such as the Lead Delay, Percussion Ignitor and his particular favorite the Number Ten Delay Switch in his bombs. His creativity knew no bounds and the Soviets soon recognized his work and put a bounty on
his head.

  Warren was on the edge of being out of control. Phil had used up all his options to prevent Warren from killing at least three of his fellow Americans in the last 30 days. One of the targets of his murderous anger was the current Captain of the company. Phil had confronted Warren as he lay in wait armed with a garrote. Post had talked him out of attacking the Captain but he was not confident that he could continue to stop Warren from carrying out one of his planned “revenge” killings.

  It seems that Warren’s fame had gone to his head. He violently resented anyone who dared to limit his actions. In his mind he was winning the war all by himself. How could anyone dare question one of the publicly named Savants of Combat was beyond his comprehension?

  He only listened to Phil because he was an equal partner in their success and his only friend. In Warren’s way of thinking, the captain was a 90 Day Wonder and not worthy of command and especially of commanding him. Phil’s intervention the previous night, had only postpone the inevitable. The Captain would die and soon.

  In the meantime, he and Phil did their jobs as only they could. He was exceedingly grateful for Phil’s friendship. Where he used brute force and the instincts of a killer, Phil was smart and sneaky. They eliminated the enemy in numbers that were astounding to anyone reading the reports.

  Phil’s methods were the only thing that scared Warren more than the nightmares of his father’s beatings. He was awestruck by Phil’s evil genius and Phil was staggered by Warren’s capacity for violence.

  For his part, Phil knew the day was coming when he could no longer control Warren. It would come down to who would kill whom first. To Phil, the most troubling part was if he used his usual methods his plan would be premeditated. Premeditation is one of the prerequisites for first degree murder.