In the morning, 'Shest' joined me and 'Tri' in the embassy. He just appeared at the door of the cultural attaché's office. As usual, no one saw him enter the building, or the country for that matter. He quickly took charge of the emergency meeting:
“Let's go over the facts. The Americans are holding 'Odinatsat' in the American Residence. The British don't like it but won't do anything about it, at least not in the next couple of days. A certain 'General Markkur' is on his way to Stockholm, and if he's as good as I think he is, he'll be here by tomorrow. That means that the last chance to get her out before the General arrives is tonight.
We know that the Americans know that she's not who she says she is, we don't know what they think, know, or believe to know she is.
She was recognised by a French Maréchal, from the guest list and witnesses, it seems not to have been Maréchal Weygand, but it was Général de Division Le Gentilhomme. You didn't see that wrong though, he was wearing a Maréchal's uniform. GRU spies in French Indochina believe that Le Gentilhomme was named military Attaché to the French legation in Stockholm after he escaped from Northern Africa. But, this position seems to be a cover for French intelligence, more specifically the 'second bureau' of military intelligence. I believe he hoped that he would not be recognised by wearing a Maréchal's uniform, and putting his name on the list as Maréchal Pretelat. This suggests that he was prodded by the Americans to go to the party, and to hide his identity as to throw 'Odinatsat' off the scent. That still doesn't prove or disprove whether the Soviet Embassy was used as a convenient crowded venue, or because they suspect her of working for the GRU.
The question remains: How to act? We need to strike a balance here. We want to find out more about this 'General Markkur', and we want 'Odinatsat' to get out of the American Residence alive. From the transcripts, and your last report, it seems evident to me that she won't be able to recover the trust of the OSS, and once the OSS shares it's evidence, whatever it is, with MIR, the latter probably won't trust her either. This means that, whether they know of her Soviet affiliation or not, her cover is essentially blown.
This 'General Markkur' isn't likely to give anything of note away while interrogating 'Odinatsat', though we would probably still learn something about the man, what he looks like, his interrogation style. Now, for the chances of 'Odinatsat' talking her way out. I don't think she has a chance. Don't get me wrong she can spin narratives and tell lies like the best of them, but crucially, she has the same problem we have, she doesn't know how much they know, not even approximately. A great believeable lie builds on the truth your opponent already knows and then adds on to that in a plausible fashion. The perfect example was her hoodwinking of the SS-Grupenführer in that Polish palace. She went in there with a very good idea of what the Gruppenfüher knew, and not being a spy, he probably gave away the extent of his knowledge in conversation, allowing her to spin a very elaborate tale, of which the only real truth was what he already knew, therefore making him feel like the rest was also the truth. Now, we also want to avoid letting the Allies know that she works for the Soviet Union, in case they don't know. This means that any rescue operation needs to be disguised as something else, or as the doings of another nation.
To sum things up, I see few possible courses of action here, all of them carry risks, and all will be difficult to pull of convincingly.
The first is to wait the Americans out. We leave everything as it is, let the General arrive, and keep the residence under constant surveillance. Only once they attempt to move her, we pounce, and grab her before the Americans can get her out of the country. Now, this could get messy, and we probably would have to kill American agents on Swedish territory, but, if we disguise it as the actions of a terrorist group, or of German spies, we could get away with it. The biggest problem with this plan, is that we don't know when, or how, they will move her out of the country. There are several possibilities here. They could hold her in a diplomatic car or a lorry, drive her to the Airport, and fly her out. They could move her by sea, with a small boat, or a seaplane could pick her up in the bay, right next to the Residence. They would probably also use decoys to make sure, so we would need a lot of manpower, a lot more than what we have now, and they would have to be trained operatives who can speak Swedish, or German, it all seems a bit impossible to pull off at short notice, especially considering that we only have one decent GRU operative in Sweden, and the OSS seems to have quite a lot more than that.
Now, another option would be to act first, instead of reacting, meaning a rescue operation targeted at the static target that is the American Residence. This kind of operation could be executed using military special forces, something of which we have some relatively close-by. The guards Rifle corps is far away, but we have Airborne Riflemen within range. Now, if these guys go in in full VDV uniform and with the latest soviet-produced weapons, we'd be outing 'Odinatsat' as being a rather important Soviet operative, and we'd cause a diplomatic incident with Sweden that will definitely reflect badly on our diplomatic rapprochement. That's why I think we should dress them up as Fallschirmjäger, and if at all possible have them jump out of a 'borrowed' Ju-52. I'm sure we can fill a plane with VDV who speak enough German for this to be somewhat believable.
We shouldn't forget the key fact that it is plausible that the Germans still want to interrogate her, and execute her. Seeing as the Gestapo definitely didn't find her body in the dead Vistula, it's possible the Germans believe that she might still be alive, as it is equally possible for someone at that party, besides the Americans, to have recognised her from a German intelligence brief or maybe even a German diplomatic service internal publication. The Gestapo would certainly have spread her picture around as soon as her escape was discovered. Even though the German ambassador didn't stay at the party, the Italians and Hungarians were there, and one of them might have recognised her and notified the Germans etc.
Now, to go one step further, we could fake her death, and disguise the rescue operation as a kill mission. If we manage to fool everyone, the diplomatic repercussions should be to our advantage, with the German ambassador likely being asked to justify this brutal show of force. The Germans are used to getting their way with Sweden ever since Sweden gave them Military Transit Rights, it seems plausible to me that enraged Germans would not care about Sweden's response, ready to try and get their revenge by any means necessary. They would then simply threaten to invade if Sweden rescinds the transit rights.
The very plausibility of this scenario also makes me worried about a possible real German assasins targeting her. If she was recognised, it's also possible, considering the noisy exit the Americans organised, and the ease with which our cultural attaché managed to follow them, that he wasn't the only one following.
Let's hope the American Residence's security has flaws we can exploit, while being able to repel a German frontal attack. So, which route shall we go, do we attempt to get her out in transit, or do we hastily organise a large-scale false flag operation to assault the facility? Without any informants in the new OSS, nor in the American residence, I can't see how a stealthy infiltration could be successful, so those are the two main options.”
We were all interrupted in our thoughts by the ringing of the phone. It was the cultural attaché again, still watching the American Residence:
“
Sir, a seaplane is landing in the bay, it's got US markings. Wait a minute, a small motorboat is going towards the seaplane, I've got a feeling someone wanted to make a swift entrance. All right, the plane is moving slowly, in the water, towards the embassy, the motorboat has reached it. Let me grab my binoculars. Yes, a man in a US Army General's uniform is stepping out of the plane, and into the boat. This has got to be him, the General has arrived. A lieutenant is carefully transferring a heavy metal case into the boat, oh and there is a second case as well, and a small attaché case... Now the motorboat is coming back to deliver it's shipment to the embassy. The seaplane is throwing out it's anchor. What do I do now.”
“
Wait by the telephone, and keep looking, I'll come up with something.”
“
Yes sir”
The General's seaplane, a Grumman G-44 'Widgeon', military designation OA-14 (USAAC & USAAF), or J4F (US Navy & Goast Guard). It was originally designed as a civilian aeroplane. The first flight was in 1940, and the aeroplane soon peaked the interest of all sorts of military buyers. They served in many branches of the US Military, as well as in the Royal Navy, the Portuguese Navy, the Brazilian Air Force etc. Of the 276 that were built in the US, 176 ended up in the military. (After the war, France license-produced 41) The aeroplane was mostly used to scout, and to ferry people around, it could carry four passengers. The US Navy modified a number of them to carry a 90kg anti-submarine bomb. With it's twin 200hp engines it's top speed was 246 km/h, and cruising speed 220 km/h, needless to say it was never going to break any speed records. It shined in other areas, it's range of close to 1,500 km was excellent for it's size, and it needed only little space for landing and take-off, which allowed it to land in many places where larger flying boats, like the PBY Catalina would simply not have the space to do so.
'Shest', being used to rapidly developing spy-related situations reacted as soon as I had put the telephone down.
“Interesting development, they flew the General in with that aeroplane, and it's staying right there, in the bay. If I was the OSS General, what would I do now?”
'Shest' stood there, silent, with his eyes closed, for a full three seconds, then he continued, as if he was the General:
“All right. I think I've got it. First, I would interrogate the suspected operative in an effort to gain extra information, right there in the American Residence. Second, I would invite the British to convince them to officially hand over their operative into my custody. Third, I would get her as far away as possible, to England, or even better, to America. How would I get her out?
I would think the seaplane would be too obvious, it's great because you can fly below the radar and land on any large body of water, but anyone watching would assume that's how she'll be extracted, as it is the most convenient way. That would make it a great decoy. I don't want her leaving with me, because it would also be too obvious. I don't know how much manpower my potential enemy has, so I would probably not consider multiple cars making a run for it. If the enemy, most likely a nation, has enough resources available they would be able to follow all of the cars simultaneously. So that puts the advantage back on the aeroplane, though the boat-ride over to it could prove very dangerous, and the most vulnerable part of that entire operation.
Unless... Yes, I could use the British, if I can convince them, I would have them take her to the airport, or the harbour, where I would arrange further transport in US custody. The point being that, as the British probably don't like the fact that their operative was taken, it would seem unlikely to an observer that I would trust them. That makes them the perfect way out, as long as I trust them.”
Then, he paused, and he was 'Shest' again.
“My best educated guess is that she will be extracted by the Brits when they leave the compound for the second time. To throw whomever is keeping an eye on him off, the General will leave the way he came, or in a car, possibly with a dummy, or female OSS operative standing in for 'Odinatsat' as a 'prisoner'. Depending on how much time everything takes, that gives us a couple of hours, half a day tops to string together an operation to get her out. This means that the airborne operation is definitely off the table, we need more than a day to prepare for that. I already started preparations before I left, but that's beside the point, they won't be ready in time. We have to do this with what we have here, in Stockholm, right now.”
'Tri' responded:
“I'm confused, what are we doing exactly to get her out?”
'Shest' replied:
“We're intercepting the British on their way out. With any means necessary, but without giving ourselves as Russians. I expect the Cultural Attaché speaks fluent Swedish, and that he has a reasonably powerful, untraceable, Swedish-made automobile on hand? That should be all we need.”
At that point, the telephone rang once more. This time 'Shest' picked up the telephone, with all the appropriate code-words. When the call was over 'Shest' said, with purpose in his voice:
“
The British have just arrived at the American Residence. They didn't take the Jaguar this time, but a Rover 16. Makes sense, as there is no space in the Jaguar to hide a prisoner. We're on. Let's get over there. 'Odin', you drive.”
The Rover 16/50, a modern car, introduced in 1936, sporting a 2,1l straight six putting out 50hp. Thanks to the relatively slippery body, that could propel the vehicle to a respectable top speed of over 120 km/h. It seems doubtful however, that one used by military intelligence, and especially one used by Cecil Clarke, would be entirely unmodified. It's probably reasonable to assume that the vehicle in question is at least somewhat more powerful.
At that exact moment, the telephone rang again. 'Shest' picked up:
“What now!”
but it was for 'Tri', and when 'Tri's call ended:
“We've got a problem. The Swedish government has started making overtures towards the Allies. It seems a significant enough part of the Swedish government and/or diplomatic felt that they were getting too close to the Comintern, or too far from the Allies. This will definitely negate our own diplomatic efforts, as long as this goes on. I need to go make some calls to try and fix this. No offence to your rescue operation, but the fate of the Soviet Union is at stake.”
And 'Tri' left the room.
I followed 'Shest' out, and in an alley a few streets from the embassy was an unassuming black on black Volvo PV653. We fitted-in nicely in Stockholm's traffic with this relatively unassuming car. As I was driving, I noted that it felt uncharacteristically powerful. Before I could say anything, 'Shest' answered my question:
A Volvo 1933 PV653, part of the PV65 series, of which thousands were produced. In stock form, this particular model had a 3,3l straight six putting out a maximum of 65hp from the factory. However, this one is far from stock. The engine was replaced by a more recent 86hp 3,7l straight six, used in the newer PV659 and PV53 models. Some additional modifications increased power output further to over 90hp, and the top speed of our vehicle was thus significantly higher than the stock 110 km/h.
“
This car is great, it fits in, but it's really quite powerful, it's got the 86 hp engine and the transmission from the PV659 and the PV53-56. Moreover there has been some further tinkering under the bonnet to increase it's power output even more. It may not look like it, but despite the boxy shape, this car can go over 130 km/h.”
We got to the American Residence, and found the Cultural attaché, somewhat stressed out:
“Will someone explain to me what's going on?!”
'Shest' answered:
“No time to explain, we need to move my car into position to t-bone any car coming out of the Nobelgatan. Your car should be parked on the far side of Nobelgatan for our escape. Let's go.”
Once the car was in position, with me at the wheel, we had to wait. 'Shest' explained the mission to the cultural attaché. Half an hour later, we were joined by 'Tri', who isn't much of a fighting man, so 'Shest' put him on lookout. We waited for an hour. But then our patience was rewarded, the Garage-door of the American residence was opened, and the Rover 16 emerged, driven by Captain Clarke, with Richard on the passenger seat. They looked a bit tense. 'Shest' turned to us, and said:
“Gentlemen, this is it. She's got to be in that car. Here are your Luger P08s, we will use only German weapons on this one. Ivan (my codename for this mission), you will not speak, you're the driver. I will speak Swedish with our friend the cultural attaché, and you will drive them off the road. If you do it right, they won't have time to pull out their weapons, and no-one will have to die.”
I started the car, and keeping my eye on the Rover, I steadily accelerated, building momentum, it had to be timed perfectly. As I got to the intersection, I braced for impact, I was doing a good 80-90 km/h. It was perfect, hitting just at the right spot, right in front of the front axle. The Rover's front wheels lost all grip, and it ploughed off the road, into a tree. The Volvo, was flung out onto the road, and as I applied the brakes, I noted that those too had been improved on by the GRU. Before I even came to a standstill, 'Shest' and the attaché jumped out. Then we heard a single gunshot, in the distance. It sounded like rifle fire from across the bay. It was followed by several shots being fired the other way, and soon we heard the seaplane engines come to life.
'Shest' was quick and efficient, exchanging but a few words in Swedish with the attaché while they searched the Rover. To our shock, the car was empty. 'Shest' had been wrong after all. If she wasn't here, were was 'Odinatsat'? And what was that gunshot? There was no time to find out, Captain Clarke was starting to come round, and we could hear Police sirens blaring a few blocks away. All of us jumped into the Volvo the cultural attaché had driven there, while 'Shest' raced off to dispose of his damaged car, and he was soon followed by a couple of V8 fords, definitely OSS cars.
As we drove off, after 'Shest' had drawn the attention of the Americans, and Swedish law enforcement, we passed several Swedish police cars going towards the American Residence. In the rear-view mirror, I could sea the seaplane, already in the air. I drove around the block to pick up 'Tri', who was still posted near the bay. As he got into the passenger seat, binoculars still in hand, he looked shocked:
“
Ivan, I don't know how to say this, but she was shot. The General was planning on moving her in his seaplane after all. They were all on the motorboat going towards the plane. The General, our operative, the lieutenant with one of the General's metal cases, and the US cultural attaché. She was being held at gunpoint by the cultural attaché and the Lieutenant, and she was tied up. Then, as they slowed down, there was a loud gunshot from across the bay, and she fell down, going overboard before the Americans could do anything. I don't know if this attack was meant for her, or for the General, but I think she's dead.
The General didn't wait to find out if the attack was meant for him or not. He got into the aeroplane as quickly as possible, while US Marines were firing their rifles towards the spot the shot had come from. Then, the seaplane hastily took off, and that was that. The US Marines arrived to shut the place down, and now the Swedish Police, and look, they're even bringing in the Swedish military.” - As he said this, a Swedish military convoy composing of several staff cars, and a lorry filled with soldiers passed us going the other way, towards the American Residence.
The 1930s neigborhood of diplomatic residences along the Djurgårdsbrunnsviken, in Östermalm, Stockholm. The American residence is just to the left of the frame.
After taking every possible precaution to make sure we weren't followed, we made it back to the Soviet embassy in one piece. Somehow, 'Shest' was already there, he had lost his numerous tails, hidden the damaged car, and gotten back to the embassy before us. 'Tri' told him what had happened, and his expression quickly went from smugness, to sadness and guilt. He just said:
“This is all my fault. I made a judgement call, and I was wrong. I could have prevented this...”
Always the one with his head in the game, 'Shest' was uncharacteristically shaken by the demise of our colleague. I tried to calm him down, but it was clear that 'Odinatsat' wasn't just another operative to him, wasn't just another operative to us.
Then 'Shest' started shaking his head ever so slightly:
“Something here doesn't add up. We're missing a piece of the puzzle. I know this sounds like wishful thinking, but I think she might not be dead. I was wrong about the way she would be extracted, and I was worried about a German assassination attempt. If I was worried about an assassination attempt, the General must have been too. By having the British come in with a larger car, he clearly played me, and anyone else attempting to figure out where 'Odinatsat' would be. Maybe this was all a show... oh... listen to me, I'm rambling now, I can't think straight, I just want her to still be alive. I have a feeling there is something fishy about this entire situation, but I'm not sure that I can trust my gut right now, and I'm in no state to think any of this trough. I'm going for a walk to try and clear my head. I'll see you at dinner.”
As he left, I tried to confort him:
“This isn't your fault. We had to act, and you made the call, a very tough call, someone had to make it, and none of us could have done it better. If we hadn't done anything, the outcome would not have been different. You didn't shoot her, none of us did.”
What a mess, 'Odinatsat' is dead, that's what seems to be the case. But 'Shest's doubts have given me some hope, I will keep you appraised of any new developments.
Greetings,
'Odin'