Endgame (The Red Gambit Series Book 7) Read online

  Endgame

  WRITTEN BY COLIN GEE

  The Seventh book in the ‘Red Gambit’ series.

  20th August 1946 to 19th August 1947.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright holder. The author has asserted the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  Copyright © 2016 - Colin Gee

  If I might take the opportunity to explain copyright in the simplest terms. It means that those of you who decide to violate my rights by posting this and others of my books on websites that permit downloading of copyrighted materials, are not only breaking the law, but also depriving me of money.

  You may not see that as an issue, but I spend a lot of my limited funds to travel and research, just to make sure I get things as right as I can.

  I ask you sincerely, please do not break the copyright, and permit me to profit properly from the labours I have undertaken.

  Thank you.

  Series Dedication

  The Red Gambit series of books is dedicated to my grandfather, the boss-fellah, Jack ‘Chalky’ White, Chief Petty Officer [Engine Room] RN, my de facto father until his untimely death from cancer in 1983, and a man who, along with many millions of others, participated in the epic of history that we know as World War Two.

  Their efforts and sacrifices made it possible for us to read of it, in freedom, today.

  Thank you, for everything.

  Foreword by author Colin Gee

  If you have already read the first six books in this series, then what follows will serve as a small reminder of what went before.

  If this is your first toe dipped in the waters of ‘Red Gambit’, then I can only advise you to read the previous books when you can.

  In the interim, this is mainly for you.

  After the end of the German War, the leaders of the Soviet Union found sufficient cause to distrust their former Allies, to the point of launching an assault on Western Europe. Those causes and the decision-making behind the full scale attack lie within ‘Opening Moves’, as do the battles of the first week, commencing on 6th August 1945.

  After that initial week, the Soviets continued to grind away at the Western Allies, trading lives and materiel for ground, whilst reducing the combat efficiency of Allied units from the Baltic to the Alps.

  In ‘Breakthrough’, the Red Army inflicts defeat after defeat upon their enemy, but at growing cost to themselves.

  The attrition is awful.

  Matters come to a head in ‘Stalemate’ as circumstances force Marshall Zhukov to focus attacks on specific zones. The resulting battles bring death and horror on an unprecedented scale, neither Army coming away unscathed or unscarred.

  In the Pacific, the Soviet Union has courted the Empire of Japan, and has provided unusual support in its struggle against the Chinese. That support has faded and, despite small-scale Soviet intervention, the writing is on the wall.

  ‘Impasse’ brought a swing, perhaps imperceptible at first, with the initiative lost by the Red Army, but difficult to pick up for the Allies.

  The Red Air Force is almost spent, and Allied air power starts to make its superiority felt across the spectrum of operations.

  The war takes on a bestial nature, as both sides visit excesses on each other.

  Allied planning deals a deadly blow to the Soviet Baltic forces, in the air, on the sea, and on the ground. However, their own ground assaults are met with stiff resistance, and peter out as General Winter spreads his frosty fingers across the continent, bringing with him the coldest weather in living memory.

  ‘Sacrifice’ sees the Allied nations embark on their recovery, assaults pushing back the weakening red Army, for whom supply has become the pivotal issue.

  Its soldiers are undernourished, its tanks lack enough fuel, and its guns are often without shells.

  Soviet air power is a matter of memory, and the Allies have mastery of the skies.

  In ‘Initiative’, we see a resurgence in Allied military power, offset by a decline in the Soviet ability to wage war to its fullest extent, as supply issues and the general debilitation of their force comes into greater play.

  None the less, the Red Army performs some real heroics and inflicts some heinous losses on the Allied soldiery.

  The Japanese Army in China suffers defeat after defeat and ceases to function.

  The US uses the atomic bomb on targets in Japan, and the Mikado announces Japan’s surrender before the Empire has made its full contribution to Project Raduga.

  However, Japanese military and scientific fanatics continue to support the project, and slowly the necessary assets are put in place.

  Politically, the call to use the bombs on the USSR rises with the return home of more dead sons and husbands from the battlefields of Europe.

  Stalin and his closest advisors still cling to the options offered by Project Raduga and its offshoots, but are presented with the unpalatable truth that the Red Army is on the verge of defeat in Europe.

  The Soviet leadership agrees to use Sweden as a go-between to broker a peace deal, insisting that the Swedes present it all as their idea.

  However, Allied intelligence learns that the Soviets initiated the talks, and use their strong position to get more of what they want.

  On one battlefield, a rogue element within the Soviet military employs Tabun nerve agent, which nearly brings about a cataclysmic response from the Allies.

  However, a Soviet apology draws both sides back to discussions and a ceasefire is agreed.

  Initiative ends with a clandestine agreement between a resurgent Germany and a disillusioned Poland, an agreement that appears to threaten the progress towards a final peace settlement between the combatants.

  In the six previous books, the reader has journeyed from June 1945, all the way to August 1946. The combat and intrigue has focussed in Europe, but men have also died in the Pacific, over and under the cold waters of the Atlantic, and on the shores of small islands in Greenland or the Atlantic-washed sands of the Kalahari Desert.

  In Endgame, the series heads towards its conclusion, bringing together many of the main characters into focal points where their destiny, and the destiny of the world, is decided.

  The task of doing that and bringing Red Gambit to a conclusion has proved too large for one book, so there will be one more to come.

  As I did the research for this alternate history series, I often wondered why it was that we, west and east, did not come to blows once more.

  We must all give thanks it did not all go badly wrong in that hot summer of 1945, and that the events described in the Red Gambit series did not come to pass.

  My profound thanks to all those who have contributed in whatever way to this project, as every little piece of help brought me closer to my goal.

  [For additional information, progress reports, orders of battle, discussion, freebies, and interaction with the author please find time to visit and register at one of the following-

  www.redgambitseries.com, www.redgambitseries.co.uk, www.redgambitseries.eu

  Also, feel free to join Facebook Group ‘Red Gambit’.]

  Thank you.

  I have received a great deal of assistance in researching, translating, advice, and support during the years that this project has so far run.

  In no particular order, I would like to record my thanks to all of the following for their contributions. Gary Wild, Jan Wild, Jason Litchfield, Peter Kellie, Jim Crail, Craig Dressman, Mario Wildenauer, Loren W
eaver, Pat Walsh, Keith Lange, Philippe Vanhauwermeiren, Elena Schuster, Stilla Fendt, Luitpold Krieger, Mark Lambert, Simon Haines, Carl Jones, Greg Winton, Greg Percival, Robert Prideaux, Tyler Weaver, Giselle Janiszewski, Ella Murray, James Hanebury, Renata Loveridge, Jeffrey Durnford, Brian Proctor, Steve Bailey, Paul Dryden, Steve Riordan, Bruce Towers, Gary Banner, Victoria Coling, Alexandra Coling, Heather Coling, Isabel Pierce Ward, Hany Hamouda, Ahmed Al-Obeidi, Sharon Shmueli, Danute Bartkiene, and finally BW-UK Gaming Clan.

  It is with sadness that I must record the passing of Luitpold Krieger, who succumbed to cancer after a hard fight.

  One name is missing on the request of the party involved, who perversely has given me more help and guidance in this project than most, but whose desire to remain in the background on all things means I have to observe his wish not to name him.

  None the less, to you, my oldest friend, thank you.

  Wikipedia is a wonderful thing and I have used it as my first port of call for much of the research for the series. Use it and support it.

  My thanks to the US Army Center of Military History and Franklin D Roosevelt Presidential Library websites for providing the out of copyright images.

  Thanks also go to the owners of www.thesubmarinesailor.com, from which site I obtained some of my quotes.

  I have also liberally accessed the site www.combinedfleet.com, from where much of my Japanese naval information is sourced.

  All map work is original, save for the Château outline, which derives from a public domain handout.

  Particular thanks go to Steen Ammentorp, who is responsible for the wonderful www.generals.dk site, which is a superb place to visit in search of details on generals of all nations. The site has proven invaluable in compiling many of the biographies dealing with the senior officers found in these books.

  If I have missed anyone or any agency I apologise and promise to rectify the omission at the earliest opportunity.

  Author’s note.

  The correlation between the Allied and Soviet forces is difficult to assess for a number of reasons.

  Neither side could claim that their units were all at full strength, and information on the relevant strengths over the period this book is set in is limited as far as the Allies are concerned and relatively non-existent for the Soviet forces.

  I have had to use some licence regarding force strengths and I hope that the critics will not be too harsh with me if I get things wrong in that regard. A Soviet Rifle Division could vary in strength from the size of two thousand men to be as high as nine thousand men, and in some special cases could be even more.

  Indeed, the very names used do not help the reader to understand unless they are already knowledgeable.

  A prime example is the Corps. For the British and US forces, a Corps was a collection of Divisions and Brigades directly subservient to an Army. A Soviet Corps, such as the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, bore no relation to a unit such as British XXX Corps. The 2nd G.T.C. was a Tank Division by another name and this difference in ‘naming’ continues to the Soviet Army, which was more akin to the Allied Corps.

  The Army Group was mirrored by the Soviet Front.

  Going down from the Corps, the differences continue, where a Russian rifle division should probably be more looked at as the equivalent of a US Infantry regiment or British Infantry Brigade, although this was not always the case. The decision to leave the correct nomenclature in place was made early on. In that, I felt that those who already possess knowledge would not become disillusioned, and that those who were new to the concept could acquire knowledge that would stand them in good stead when reading factual accounts of WW2.

  There are also some difficulties encountered with ranks. Some readers may feel that a certain battle would have been left in the command of a more senior rank, and the reverse case where seniors seem to have few forces under their authority. Casualties will have played their part but, particularly in the Soviet Army, seniority and rank was a complicated affair, sometimes with Colonels in charge of Divisions larger than those commanded by a General. It is easier for me to attach a chart to give the reader a rough guide of how the ranks equate.

  Also, please remember, that by now attrition has downsized units in all armies.

  Fig # 1[rev] – Table of comparative ranks.

  Fig # 1a - List of Military map icons.

  Book Dedication

  I do not know their names, or in what capacity they all serve, but I do know that they are there and are constantly vigilant.

  I also know that if it were not for them, then all our lives would be affected more openly by world events and the actions of a few lunatics.

  The war on terror continues without break, day in, day out, and sometimes we lose.

  In honesty, I think we all know that some will get through; to be successful all the time is impossible.

  Some home grown fanatic will not be spotted in time, or a group will manage to slip through the net, and outrages will be visited upon us, all in the name of something or other that has motivated some imbecile to take innocent lives.

  However, I have no doubt at all that the efforts of those I cannot name have prevented many outrages and will continue to do so.

  So, I take this opportunity to go on the record and address those who protect us from the evils of terrorism, fanaticism, and the brutality of the warped mind.

  No matter what your agency or your contribution, I thank you all.

  May I remind the reader that his book is written primarily in English, not American English. Therefore, please expect the unashamed use of ‘U’, such as in honour and armoured, unless I am using the American version to remain true to a character or situation.

  By example, I will write the 11th Armoured Division and the 11th US Armored Division, as each is correct in national context.

  Where using dialogue, the character uses the correct rank, such as Mayor, instead of Major for the Soviet dialogue, or Maior for the German dialogue.

  Otherwise, in non-dialogue circumstances, all ranks and units will be in English.

  Book #1 - Opening Moves [Chapters 1-54]

  Book #2 - Breakthrough [Chapters 55-77]

  Book #3 - Stalemate [Chapters 78-102]

  Book #4 – Impasse [Chapters 103 – 125]

  Book #5 - Sacrifice [Chapters 126 - 148]

  Book #6 – Initiative [Chapters 149 - 171]

  Book #7 - Endgame [Chapters 172 - 199]

  List of chapters and sections.

  Endgame

  Series Dedication

  Foreword by author Colin Gee

  Author’s note.

  Book Dedication

  List of chapters and sections.

  Chapter 172 - THE STRAIGHTS

  1509 hrs, Monday, 19th August 1946, Chateau de Versailles, France.

  0101 hrs, Tuesday, 20th August 1946, two kilometres northwest of Ksar es Seghir, Morocco.

  0737 hrs, Friday 23rd August 1946, House of Madame Fleriot, La Vigie, Nogent L’Abbesse, near Reims, France.

  1104 hrs, Monday, 26th August 1946, French Military Headquarters in Bavaria, Altes Schloss Eremitage, Bayreuth, Germany.

  Chapter 173 - THE PEACETIME

  August 1946

  2003 hrs, Tuesday, 27th August 1946, Thessaloniki, Greece.

  1951 hrs, Saturday, 31st August 1946, Çanakkale Naval Fortified Command Building, Çanakkale, Turkey.

  Turkish Naval ranks

  Chapter 174 – ZA ENSHINBUNRIKI

  September 1946

  1822 hrs, Sunday, 1st September 1946, Mimaroğlu’s private residence, Dumlupinar Cd, Suluca, Turkey.

  0952 hrs, Monday, 2nd September 1946, Headquarters, NATO Forces in Europe, Frankfurt, Germany.

  1230 hrs, Monday, 2nd September 1946, Headquarters, NATO Forces in Europe, Frankfurt, Germany.

  2100 hrs, Saturday, 7th September 1946, Vinogradar Young Communists Sailing Club, Black Sea, USSR.

  0109 hrs, Sunday, 8th September 1946, Vinogradar Young Communists Saili
ng Club, Black Sea, USSR.

  Chapter 175 - THE SHIELD

  1522 hrs, Friday, 13th September 1946, Panemunė, Route 146, the Šilinė - Pauliai road, Lithuania.

  2017 hrs, Sunday, 15th September 1946, Mir Castle, Mir, USSR.

  1054 hrs, Saturday, 21st September 1946, the Kremlin, Moscow, USSR.

  1104 hrs, Saturday, 21st September 1946, Lieutenant General Kaganovich’s office, the Kremlin, Moscow, USSR.

  1108 hrs, Saturday, 21st September 1946, the Kremlin, Moscow, USSR.

  1253 hrs, Saturday, 21st September 1946, the Kremlin, Moscow, USSR.

  CHAPTER 176 - THE USPENKA?

  1537 hrs, Monday, 23rd September 1946, US Fleet Activities Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan.

  1203 hrs, Wednesday, 2nd October 1946, Dankerode, Germany.

  1601 hrs, Thursday, 3rd October 1946, the Lighthouse Tavern, Barnatra, County Mayo, Éire.

  1412 hrs, Saturday, 5th October 1946, Lieutenant General Kaganovich’s office, the Kremlin, Moscow, USSR.

  0755 hrs, Saturday, 12th October 1946, Headquarters, NATO Forces in Europe, Frankfurt, Germany.

  Chapter 177 - THE CRATES

  1101 hrs, Sunday, 13th October 1946, Schlosshotel Kronberg, Kronberg im Taunus, Frankfurt, Germany.

  1312 hrs, Tuesday, 22nd October 1946, Stakhanovo Airfield, USSR.

  2103 hrs, Tuesday, 29th October 1946, Vinogradar Young Communists Sailing Club, Black Sea, USSR.

  1100 hrs, Wednesday, 30th October, 1946, Camp Steel, on the Meer van Echternach, Luxembourg.

  1409 hrs, Thursday 31st October 1946, Makaryev Monastery, Lyskovsky, USSR.

  2355 hrs, Thursday, 31st October 1946, Glenlara, County Mayo, Éire.