Note: this was written when I suffered from massive sleep deprivation, as a piece to give you something. I will not have too much time to play in the next few days.
Chapter 4
After the disastrous Polish counterattacks Stalin virtually exploded. He threatened to have all the frontline Commanders shot, and it took his inner circle even longer than usual to calm him down again. When news of this outburst reached the Red Army, despite the best efforts of the inner circle, the dissident faction decided that it was time to do something, as Stalin became more and more unstable and unpredictable, and so they decieded to move up the timetable of their plan. Their plan seemed outrageously bold even by todays standards, and back in 1936 it was probably even more so.
They once again contacted Trotzky. who had arrived in Teheran only a day before, and on August 3rd 1936 Leon Trotzky once again entered the country he had helped to create and been forced to leave behind so many years before, under the disguise of one of the unofficial ‘traders’ that helped the USSR to aquire certain goods it could no longer officially buy since the war had started and the Soviet Union had been turned into a pariah. To help with this disguise Trotzky also shaved off his trademark moustache, and jokingly said that this was in the best revoloutinary traditions, as Lenin had done the same in the days before the 1917 revoloution. The bordercrossing went smooth, allthough Trotzky and his party of trusted associates and GRU ( Military Intelligence ) escorts. The group then used forged GRU papers to travel through Stalingrad along the Volga up to Moscow, where they hid in the personal Datcha of Field Marshal Blücher in the woods to the east of Moscow. It was here where Trotzky first heard details of the plan as it had been kept secret, the purge had taught the faction the neccesity of strict security. In his diary Trotzky called this plan “bold and yet simple “. Nevertheless, the preparations needed to be thorough, as many things still needed to be done. Trotzky als knew that he ran the risk of beeing reduced to a figurehead of the Junta around Blücher and was determined not to let that happen. Luckily one G.K. Zhukov was completely loyal to Trotzky as he hated Stalin for having ordered the shooting of his Grandfather who had been a Zsarist officer and revoloutinary of the first hour. Through this Trotzky could be assured that most of the younger mid and low level Officers Corps would be behind him, as well as most of the NCOs of the recent classes, as Zhukovs name was in good standing with these men, for Zhukov had sucessfully fought in several Border Incidents in the far east during the early 1930’s and had -unsucessfully- lobbied for the creation of a strong armoured force to pierce the enemy lines and wreck havoc in his rear. ( This would later be implemented with the creation of the Shock Armies ) So assured that it would be possible to push the Junta aside should it be needed Trotzky made a mental note to push this promising officer along.
G.K. Zhukov in later years.
The rest of the dissident faction went on with the preparations for the coup. Many things were still uncertain: How to capture the innards of the Kremlin and in particular Stalins inner sanctuum, the layout of which was a state secret? What to do with Stalin once he was captured? How to make sure that the NKVD did not act against the plotters?
Trotzky and his co-conspirators worked day and night and on August 16th everything was ready and all assests were in place.
On August 17th Zhukov went to a pre-sheduled meeting with Stalin to propose a plan for a warwinning counteroffensive in Poland. At the same time a reserve Rifle Division was moving through Moscow, to be transported to the front. At exactly 11:00 an explosion could be heard all over the Red Square. Zhukov who was just arriving for his ‘meeting’ then took control of the Rifle Battallion just moving through the square, stating that there was a conspiracy by Polish Infiltrators and White - Russian counterrevolutionaries to kill Stalin. He ordered the Battallion to secure the Kremlin. The Guards there tried to resist, but where quickly overwhelmed, and when the mist of the fight had cleared Zhukov announced that they had unfortunately been to late and that Stalin was dead. What he did not tell was that Stalin had died from the bullet of a imported German Luger pistol, and that Zhukovs personal weapon was such a gun. At the same time motorized detachements raced throughout the city, securing vital points. Trotzky was raced to the Kremlin where he showed himslef to the troops and decleared that he had gotten word of the conspiracy and had raced back to Russia to prevent this shameful attack, but much to his regret Comrade Stalin was already mortally wounded when he arrived and that Stalin had appointed him to succeed him in all his posts. He then ordered Radio Moscow to broadcast a pre-recorded speech.
Trotzkys speech said:
Comrades! Workers! Soldiers! Peasants!
It is me, Comrade Leon Trotzky!
I regret to announce that our beloved leader, Comrade Stalin, has been killed by a conspiracy of Polish Infiltrators and lingering white sympathisers! Some weeks ago word reached me of this conspiracy. I was even asked to partake in it! I did no such thing. Quite different in fact! I raced back to Moscow, to warn Comrade Stalin of this. However when I arrived here I was already too late. When I arrived in Moscow I heard that Stalin was already under attack and wounded, despite the best efforts of Comrade Zhukov. I rushed to his side and with his last words he thanked me for my loyalty to our cause and appointed me to succeed him in all his posts. With a heavy heart I now take over the helm of our beloved Rodina. Much needs to be done. Adhere to the party line! Work to the best of your efforts! Fight to the death to preserve socialism! If you all do that our victory is assured.
The coup had succeeded. Yeshov, the head of the NKVD was suspicious, but Trotzky used his knowledge of Yeshovs personal failings to basically blackmail him into submission, and also made plans to replace him once a suitable man to lead the downsized and cowed NKVD which was basically reduced to Border Guards duty, his internal responsibilities taken over by the GRU. Trotzky also initiated a bloodless purge of the bureaucracy, to weed out possible opposition and lingering Stalinist elements. For the moment his reign was secure. Stalin was granted a State funeral and was buried in a separate Mausoleum that was constructed aside of Lenins’.
Trotzky immediately went to work. Much needed to be done, formost in Trotzkys beloved Red Army which had suffered greatly from years of mis-management.
