Sacrifice (The Red Gambit Series. Book 5) Read online

  Sacrifice

  WRITTEN BY COLIN GEE

  The Fifth book in the ‘Red Gambit’ series.

  25th DECEMBER 1945 to 24th APRIL 1946

  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.

  Those of you with a clear eye will realise that the name of this book had changed from the preview in ‘Impasse’. I abandoned ‘Counterplay’ early on in the piece, but it was too late to change the details in ‘Impasse’.

  I hope there is no confusion as a result.

  ISBN-10: 1505458110

  ISBN-13: 978-1505458114

  Copyright © 2014 - Colin Gee

  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.

  Overview by author Colin Gee

  If you have already read the first four books in this series, then what follows may 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.

  In the four previous books, the reader has journeyed from June 1945, all the way to Christmas Eve 1945. 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.

  Battles have occurred from the Baltic to the Adriatic, some large, some small, some insignificant, and some of huge import.

  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 thanks to the family of John Thornton-Smith, who gave me full permission to publish his reports, without interference or direction. I am deeply indebted to you all.

  Thus far, I have avoided writing anything that could be attributed to Sir Winston Churchill and President Truman. The requirements of ‘Sacrifice’ make me tackle the introduction of these statesmen head on. It is my hope that I can do both of these men justice.

  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, Mario Wildenauer, Loren Weaver, Pat Walsh, Elena Schuster, Stilla Fendt, Luitpold Krieger, Mark Lambert, Simon Haines, Greg Winton, Greg Percival, Robert Prideaux, Tyler Weaver, Giselle Janiszewski, James Hanebury, Renata Loveridge, Jeffrey Durnford, Brian Proctor, Steve Bailey, Paul Dryden, Steve Riordan, Bruce Towers, Victoria Coling, Alexandra Coling, Heather Coling, Isabel Pierce Ward, Hany Hamouda, Ahmed Al-Obeidi, Sharon Shmueli, and finally BW-UK Gaming Clan.

  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.

  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 a
re 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.

  Fig# 1 – Table of comparative ranks.

  Book Dedication

  I once read that for every Medal of Honor, Knight’s Cross, Hero Award, or Victoria Cross presented, a score of similarly noteworthy actions will have gone unnoticed.

  When you read the citations for bravery awards, if you are anything like me, you will conjure up pictures of valiant actions and superhuman courage on behalf of the recipients, many of whom so often paid the full price for their actions.

  If you visit war cemeteries, you will find a nation’s young lying in neat rows, often alongside comrades who fell in the same fight, and occasionally find the grave of a soldier who has received such an honour.

  Of course, such headstones will attract attention.

  However, I also spare some thought for the soldier alongside, whose headstone carries only a name and some numbers, and perhaps an inscription chosen by a grieving family.

  Maybe the bones laid to rest there belong to one of the score who died, but whose valiant contribution went unnoticed?

  Perhaps it is fitting that this book, Sacrifice, is dedicated to such men, and women, who died for their country and comrades, and whose deserving actions will forever remain a secret.

  Although I never served in the Armed forces, I wore a uniform with pride, and carry my own long-term injuries from my service. My admiration for our young service men and women serving in all our names in dangerous areas throughout the world is limitless. As a result, ‘Soldiers off the Streets is a charity that is extremely close to my heart. My fictitious characters carry no real-life heartache with them, whereas every news bulletin from the military stations abroad brings a terrible reality with its own impact, angst, and personal challenges for those left behind when one of our military pays the ultimate price. Therefore, I make donations to ‘Soldiers off the Streets,’ and would encourage you to do so too.

  In Impasse, I made a mistake in the name of the island on which the B-29 crashed. It should have read Østerskær Island, which is part of the Christiansø Archipelago, also known as Ertholmene. Perhaps the greater sin was in stating sovereignty belonged to Sweden, whereas in fact the island belongs to Denmark. My apologies.

  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]

  TABLE OF CONTENTS.

  Series Dedication

  Overview by author Colin Gee

  Author’s note.

  Book Dedication

  TABLE OF CONTENTS.

  Chapter 126 - THE OPPONENTS.

  The Soviet Union.

  The Red Army.

  The Red Air Force.

  The Red Navy

  Soviet Allies.

  Imperial Japan.

  The Allies.

  Allied Ground Forces.

  Allied Air Forces.

  The Allied Navies

  Allied technology

  German designations for Republican Forces.

  German Republican and Austrian Forces

  The French Army

  Author’s note on the forces-

  Chapter 127 - THE ANNIHILATION

  1317 hrs, Wednesday, 25th December 1945, airborne above North-West Eire.

  2002 hrs, Thursday, 26th December 1945, Camp 5A, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

  Chapter 128 - THE WASTELAND

  1627 hrs, Monday, 30th December 1945, Lough Erne, Northern Ireland.

  1633 hrs, Monday, 30th December 1945, OSS base, Inishmakill Island, Northern Ireland.

  2358 hrs, Tuesday, 31st December 1945, Lough Erne, Northern Ireland.

  0000 hrs, Wednesday, 1st January 1946, Glenlara, County Mayo, Eire.

  0034 hrs, Wednesday, 1st January 1946, airborne over the Atlantic, 35 miles north of Llandavuck Island.

  0049 hrs, Wednesday, 1st January 1946, off the North coast of Eire.

  0142 hrs, Wednesday, 1st January 1946, Building Nine, Glenlara, Cork, Eire.

  The facts about the Robert Hastie.

  0817 hrs, Wednesday, 1st January 1946, RAF Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland.

  Chapter 129 - THE BASES

  1331 hrs, Wednesday, 1st January 1946, Camp 5A, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

  1355 hrs, Wednesday, 1st January 1946, airborne with 34th Bombardment Group, approaching Prague, Occupied Czechoslovakia.

  Chapter 130 - THE FREEZE

  January 1946, Europe.

  2013 hrs, Monday, 20th January 1946, 3rd Guards Mechanised Corps headquarters, Bargteheide, Germany.

  2111 hrs, Monday, 20th January 1946, OSS British Headquarters, 70-72 Grosvenor Street, London.

  0401 hrs, Tuesday, 21st January 1946, Headquarters bunker, Motorised Anti-Tank Company, 1st Motorised Battalion, 9th Guards Mechanised Brigade, Fahrenkrug, Germany.

  Relative to the events within the Headquarters of ‘Camerone’, Gougenheim, Alsace, on Sunday 8th December 1945

  1854 hrs, Tuesday, 21st January 1946, Former Headquarters of ‘Camerone’, Gougenheim, Alsace.

  0310 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, the Cemetery, La Petite Pierre, Alsace.

  0413 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Headquarters, 16th US Armored Brigade, Fénétrange, France.

  0418 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Drulingen, France

  0502 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Drulingen, France.

  0504 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Drulingen, France.

  0513 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Headquarters, 16th US Armored Brigade, Fénétrange, France.

  0525 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Drulingen, France.

  0533 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Headquarters, 16th US Armored Brigade, Fénétrange, France.

  0529 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Drulingen, France.

  0601 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Drulingen, France.

  0643 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Headquarters, 16th US Armored Brigade, Fénétrange, France.

  0647 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Drulingen, France.

  0649 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Soviet-held treeline, east of Drulingen, France.

  0900 hrs, Wednesday, 22nd January 1946, Hangviller, France.

  1101 hrs, Friday 24th January, Ward 22, US 130th Station Hospital, Chiseldon, England.

  1157 hrs, Saturday 25th January, L’Eglise Saint-Hippolyte, Thonon-les-Bains, France.

  Ch
apter 131 – THE LULL

  February 1946, Europe.

  2054 hrs, Sunday, 3rd February , Der Brankenwald, one and a half kilometres south-east of Hollenbeck, Germany.

  2054 hrs, Sunday, 3rd February Three hundred metres south-east of the Soviet supply base, Hollenbeck, Germany.

  Chapter 132 – THE RETURN

  0551 hrs, Wednesday, 6th February 1946, airborne over Russia.

  0701 hrs, Wednesday, 6th February 1946, GRU Commander’s office, Western Europe Headquarters, the Mühlberg, Germany.

  0852 hrs, Wednesday, 6th February 1946, Office of the NKVD Deputy Chairman, Lyubyanka, Moscow.

  0900 hrs, Wednesday, 6th February 1946, The Georgievsky Hall, Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow.

  0937 hrs, Wednesday, 6th February 1946, GRU Briefing room, Western Europe Headquarters, the Mühlberg, Germany.

  1203 hrs, Wednesday, 6th February 1946, Bois Neuf, Moselle, France.

  1607 hrs, Wednesday, 6th February 1946, la Mairie, Troisfontaines Moselle, France.

  1700 hrs, Wednesday, 6th February 1946, Office of the General Secretary, the Kremlin, Moscow.

  Chapter 133 – THE PROTOTYPE

  1104 hrs, Saturday, 9th February 1946, on board S-22, off the coast of Sweden.

  1607 hrs, Saturday, 9th February 1946, Ramenskoye Airfield, USSR.

  1903 hrs, Saturday, 9th February 1946, on board S-22, Østerskær Island, Denmark.

  2159 hrs, Monday, 11th February 1946, Temporary Office of the Deputy Chief, Deuxieme Bureau, Heming, France.

  0218 hrs, Tuesday, 12th February 1946, astride Route 58, one kilometre east of Ascheburg, Germany.

  0859 hrs, 12th February 1946, the Mühlberg, Nordhausen, Germany.