World War Three 1946 Series Boxed Set: Stalin Strikes First

by Harry Kellogg

  A roaming prostitute became impregnated by Besarion. When she discovered that she was with child she was 300 miles away in Lagan and destitute. Somehow, she survived the pregnancy and gave birth to a son. She immediately placed him in an orphanage and disappeared.

  The boy was 12 years younger than Stalin and grew up in Lagan until the age of 16. He chose his own name, Lazar Lissitzky.

  Another Lazar Lissitzky [cli] came to the attention of the NKVD as an instructor at a school that taught abstract art. In 1922 the Soviet government turned against such decadent art forms and the artist Lissitzky fled to Germany, only to return in 1925. His behavior and trip to Germany put him in the spotlight of the authorities in 1939. This coincidence of events is the reason Stalin’s only living sibling, and the second Lissitzky, was under investigation.

  Both Lissitzkys were eventually caught up in the same inquiry and eventually the brother and his origins were traced back to Besarion Jughashvili, Stalin’s father. Besides Stalin, only a handful of officials knew of Lazar’s.

  Dr. Yuri Voronoy was consulted on the possibility of once again attempting a human kidney transplant on an unknown patient in June of 1947. Since 1933 it was known that the best possible match for an organ transplant was a close relative of the patient.

  Stalin’s half-brother was detained in January of 1946 and place in a luxurious prison cell. As Stalin’s condition worsened, Dr. Voronoy was notified that he should prepare for another human-to-human kidney transplant. Despite his objections, he was told he had no choice in the matter. The Doctor was not informed of the patient’s name.

  He was allowed to choose his transplant team and location for the operation. He also received the latest equipment and supplies for the upcoming operation.

  Lazar Lissitzky’s kidneys were harvested by another surgeon shortly before he was killed by asphyxiation. By this time all of the tests possible had been done and it was determined that the blood types matched. The now comatose Stalin was prepared for the surgery. His identity was concealed from the surgical team and the operation commenced.

  The kidneys were brought in from the adjoining operating room and one was immediately implanted in Stalin’s leg similarly to the operation that Dr. Voronoy had performed 14 years earlier.

  After two days it was determined that the transplanted kidney was functioning properly. At this point, both of Stalin’s disease kidneys were removed and his brother’s second organ was implanted. Another 12 hours later the first kidney was relocated.

  By some unknown quirk of nature both kidneys started to function properly with no sign of rejection. No one on the surgical team or the following group of attending nurses and doctors understood why the operation had succeeded. All that mattered to them was the care and health of their patient.

  The end result was a rapidly recovering Joseph Stalin who was gaining strength by the hour and demanding answers.

  Missiles Miss

  The unusual phenomenons inherent in an object traveling faster than the speed of sound were becoming known to science. The effects of an explosion followed by the projectile’s sound waves were not common knowledge to most Americans. The Brits of London had experiences random explosions followed by the unnatural noise of missile engines hundreds of times. Hitler wanted to especially subject the British to the combination of unexpected explosions followed by the disturbing din of a rocket engine. These features were unique to the V2 Rocket. He had spent a large percentage of his military budget on a weapon of dubious effect trying to terrorize his implacable enemy.

  The Soviet missiles aimed at the convoys off the coast of Italy were based on the same V2 Rocket weapons system. If you were lucky you heard the missile’s engine a few seconds after it passed overhead. If not your ship exploded, you either died or were wounded. To have a ship hit before there was any indication of danger was especially unnerving. The anticipation of a possible missile hit was highly stressful and surreal.

  With large caliber naval guns you had the same effects of a direct missile hit before you heard the shell ripping through the air. The difference being that it was very rare for the first rounds of canon fire to actually hit anything of consequence. Great geysers would appear in the ocean or ground around the intended target. The initial close calls warned all that the enemy was near. Lookouts would then search for flashes on the horizon indicating that more shells were on their way. You could even count the seconds until they detonated to estimate the enemy’s distance.

  Missiles, on the other hand would come in one at a time from far over the horizon with sudden and devastating results. There were no near misses.

  Thank God, Billy thought, most of the sons of bitches are just going overhead. There would be hell to pay if a majority of those warheads hit the ships in our convoy. Billy must have seen 30 missiles fly by, or more correctly seen the contrails from their journey.

  The word was that the weird paint job they were ordered to apply to their ships was the reason for the misses. If this observation was true, a combination of scientist and artist had saved thousands of American lives.[clii] One out of 20 missiles still hit home. This hit rate was a far cry from the slaughter that would have occurred had the missiles been more accurate.

  Each of the troop transports were carrying a larger than normal load of over 3200 men. Billy could just imagine the carnage if one of those guided bullets slammed into the side of his troop ship.

  His ship was named the USS General A.W. Greely AP-141 and made an 18,000-ton dent in the water when fully loaded. Greely was a famous Civil War commander who had led an expedition in 1881 to study the area near the North Pole.

  Billy had done some research and Greely was the first of only two to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for noncombat service, the second being Charles A. Lindbergh. He had also discovered there was possible evidence of cannibalism on Greeley’s expedition when they were stranded for two years. Not a very comforting fact to find out about your ship’s namesake.

  His convoy was rumored to be on the way to Crete. The total absence of information on their next port of call was the subject of much scuttlebutt amongst the crew and combat troops in the ship’s holds. Idle men always make-up theories and tall tales, and there was some whoppers floating around.

  One theory even suggested that their true destination was Istanbul and eventually the Black Sea. Everyone in “The Know” said that was very unlikely. What the hell would they accomplish by taking Istanbul and at what cost? This very strategy had been tried 20 years ago. The results being the British and French had been almost slaughtered to a man by an inferior Turkish enemy.

  The battle had occurred during World War One when The Allies attempted to invade Gallipoli at the southern mouth of the Turkish Straights. All the “experts” pontificated on the difficulties and dubious rewards of the effort. In the end, this idea was dismissed out of hand. Bets were placed and Beirut was the odds-on favorite.

  Big Brother

  The US 2nd Armored Division was pressing the enemy hard. Richard Post and his unit the 1321st Engineer General Service Regiment, were hours behind the lead combat battalions. The frontline detachments increasingly needed the assistance of the engineers to clear minefields and other obstacles placed by the retreating Reds. Booby traps and other lethal devices designed to slow an enemy were being employed in ever increasing numbers by Zhukov’s forces.

  Richard was looking for his opportunity to go on a “temporary” absence to locate and bring his brother Phil to safety. Whether the trip was authorized or not didn’t matter to Richard. He was going and going soon.

  A corporal in his unit had relayed some information gathered from local sources. Phil had been sighted 45 miles away from their current position in Batman, Turkey. It was an ironic name for a town since The Batman, of comic fame, was Phil’s boyhood hero. Richard would not be surprised if his brother had changed his name to Bruce Wayne.

  Richard had connected with the International Red Cross and corresponded with a Dr.
Marcel Junod. The good Doctor had promised to assist Richard in enabling his brother’s immigration to Switzerland where he could wait out the war.

  The Doctor himself would accompany Phil. He had heard about the younger Post and his exploits of both taking and saving lives. Phil had been responsible for saving over a hundred Soviet soldiers who were about to be slaughtered by tribesmen from Turkey’s Anatolia Hill Region. Phil was able to negotiate their internment with the Turkish military and had been seriously wounded for his efforts.

  It seems that at the final negotiations a tribal leader became very angry at the turn of events and had plunged his dagger into Phil’s side. Luckily the thrust had missed anything vital.

  The attacker was suddenly dispatched by his fellow clan members. They were mortified that a guest in their home had been assaulted. As a result, custom dictated that they grant their wounded guest’s request. Consequently, they agreed to let the Soviets live.

  Phil’s wound had become infected and he was in serious trouble without antibiotics. Junod received many letters of appeal daily requesting his help. He had heard about a wounded American named Phil Post. He recalled, a letter from a Richard Post in time he connected the tales of the brothers and decided to assist. It would hopefully be his last action in Turkey before he made his way home to Zurich.

  Bringing this hero, who had fallen from grace to asylum, would be a fitting end to his time in Turkey. He sent a messenger to Richard Post and proposed a meeting in a conflict-free zone. Despite the power of both the Red Army and NATO forces, there were still areas where neither had gained control or possibly even wanted to. They were isolated areas where most feared to enter ruled by fiercely independent tribal leaders and their followers.

  Junod was given access to some these safe havens. His reputation preceded him. He was an honorary and revered member of a number of tribes in these ethnic regions.

  The messenger on his way to Richard was carrying a special talisman that gave the bearer privileges of both passage and hospitality in the most secretive areas of Turkey. When Richard received the amulet he was instructed in its use when he became free to travel. A member of the clans would lead him safely to Junod. Post was told that he would have 7 days to engineer his departure from military service.

  One day after receiving the invitation to rescue his brother, Richard was given medical leave. He disappeared to the north with the assistance of the hospital staff. He was heading for Batman, Turkey. He avoided a number of incidents by showing the talisman and using his new skill at speaking Turkish.

  He had discovered that he was surprisingly adept at learning the local dialect. He supposed he had always possessed this trait. But, until now there had been no opportunity for its use. He began to wonder what other skills he might have and vowed to explore them in the future.

  After a day and half’s walk he was blindfolded and led to a cave at the base of a mountain. He later estimated that mountain was over 9,000 feet. Inside the cave was his brother Phil attended by a highly trained local woman. The wounded warrior was very weak and was totally astonished at seeing his older brother. He broke down and cried in his brother’s arms confessing all the things he had done in tearful sobs.

  Richard listened knowing that Phil needed to complete the litany in order to heal his soul. Richard was taken aback upon hearing of the murder of Phil’s former squad mate, Warren. He listen further and decided that it was a case of kill or be killed. He completely understood having been put in a somewhat similar situation himself.

  After the tearful reunion, Phil seemed to come out of a fog. Soon he was close to being his former self the gentle artist instead of the killer the US Army and Warren had created. After a series of long, into the night, heart-felt conversations both decided that Junod’s offer of a new life in Switzerland was the best choice for Phil Post.

  Three days later Junod himself was escorted into the cave. Discussions on Phil’s new identity and exit strategies ensued. True to Richard’s prediction Phil chose Bruce Wayne as his new name without the older brother even suggesting as much. It turned out that Phil’s’ nurse was trained by the Red Cross, and was a big fan of Batman as well. Another couple of hours were spent discussing DC Comics and superheroes.

  With his brother on the mend and Dr. Junod on the scene Richard felt it was time to get back to his unit. Phil tried to talk his older brother into going to Switzerland with him. However, Richard was adept at explaining to his younger brother the realities of life. Not for the first, time he felt guilty for not being there for Phil.

  Their final argument had been all about Mom and Dad. How could they endure losing two sons? Richard had to return to Wisconsin to give them the happy news of Phil’s resurrection as well as see to the wellbeing of brother Burt and sister Eloise. After all, that is what Mable and Harry Post had taught them both. In the end it was agreed, taking care of siblings is what big brothers do.

  Chapter Six: Looking Up

  Figure 21 - AntiAircraft crew watches the action as they wait their turn

  Spy in the Sky

  It was the first flight for USAF pilot Major Jessie Roth in the FP-80A Reconnaissance model of the Shooting Star. This stripped-down version of America’s first jet fighter was streaking over the narrowest parts of the Danish Straits. He was assigned to do aerial photo reconnaissance on the Oresund portion.

  This three-mile-wide stretch of water was presumed to be heavily mined. Yet indications were that the Soviets had yet to take seriously any kind of incursion into the Baltic Sea from the Atlantic. The British MI6 had reported that the Soviets were in the process of clearing the shipping channels of mines. This action was in anticipation of using the Danish Straits and Kattegat for their own shipping and naval purposes. The Soviets removing their own mines was welcome news to the planning teams of the NATO allies.

  Major Roth was to take high resolution pictures that would assist in refuting or confirming the reports on the ground. Not that a plane flying at a height of 45,000 feet could gather much intelligence but every little bit helped.

  The flight was at the maximum range of the airplane. The mission would be extremely long but headquarters thought the risk was worth the effort. So here he was approaching the area from the west at over 450 mph.

  Submarines, divers, land-based spies and intercepted Soviet messages were also being used to determine just what defenses lay between the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. If the Soviets were strengthening their defenses then the planned operation would have to be called off. If not, then all lights were green and NATO would attack.

  Any mine fields of consequence were to be dealt with in a unique manner but first they had to be identified. Luckily all of the Soviet ships capable of laying large minefields were well documented. His images would hopefully show whether any of these ships were in the area.

  The British had once again found a break of good weather or the Major to fly through. Without the clouds, he had a clear view for the cameras and radar in his plane’s nose. From Roth’s lofty perch he could not see anything with the mark one eyeball.

  Head Quarters was counting on their Spy in the Sky to deliver photos that revealed all Soviet activities and land and sea.

  “Vertical Insertion”

  0600

  Training Field

  Pope Army Airfield

  Outside Fayetteville, North Carolina

  General Maxwell Taylor was particularly impressed with all the hard work that he and his planners had done in advocating for and utilizing this new and novel method of warfare: the new term coined for it by the powers that be was heliborne vertical troop insertion. General Taylor used a far simpler and more appropriate term: air assault.

  Over the past couple of months, General Taylor and his counterparts in the USAAF on this project were working feverishly to convert the newly-reconstituted 13th Airborne Division to Air Assault status, adding the Sikorsky H-19B and Piasecki H-25C helicopters as integral air assets of the division. This move was unprecedente
d as all air units, regardless of size and mission, were controlled by the USAAF command structure in support of U.S. Army missions. The helicopter aviation regiments would be modeled after the cavalry in that their mobile units would be broken down by squadron, and each squadron was paired with an airborne battalion.

  Over the past three weeks, General Taylor has rigorously drilled the soldiers and airmen of the 13th Airborne Division (Provisional Air Assault) until they worked as a finely-oiled machine. Today would be their final exam and their exhibition to a very select group of generals admirals, and congressmen, who approved the project, along with the Secretary of War, Robert Patterson. They would not fail.

  With the launch of a star flare, the soldiers ran from their staging areas to the waiting, warmed-up, helicopters. As each helicopter was filled with soldiers and their equipment, they received clearance to take off, assuming a moderately dense formation while in flight to their target landing zone. The helicopters made staggered landings, with H-19's carrying troops and H-25's carrying Jeeps and other light equipment, all offloaded in an astonishing small amount of time into the landing zone.

  In a matter of less than an hour, the division was assembled in the landing zone and had begun to establish their defensive perimeter, as they would have under actual combat conditions. General Taylor was rather impressed himself with the performance of the division, as was the Secretary of War, who congratulated the General on his hard work and proposed that he draw up plans to convert two more divisions to “Air Assault” status. With a salute and a handshake, the future of warfare had been changed yet again.[cliii]