IF you secure Norway would you be able to use it as a launching point for landing in Western Europe? Now excuse me while I go cry in the corner over flashbacks of Norway.
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Constantly reminded about how silly the game system is permitting an engagement during heavy weather.
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Yes, that's definitely a possibility. I think opening up secondary fronts is the way to go to spread out the Axis forces and open up more opportunities for breakthroughs. For now the two operations I'm looking at is landing in the Balkans and pushing into Denmark from Zealand. The former might be achieved as soon as late December 1942, the latter will take a little longer to prepare, as more forces would have to be gathered, but a first stage could be launched as soon as the new Naval Infantry Corps is ready for action in early 1943. Of course, those timelines are contingent on nothing else going wrong and requiring our reserves to be committed.
Looking at the bright side, at least this game has weather, and penalties for fighting in bad weather. Of course, some very bad weather should entirely preclude any engagement, but at least weather has an impact.
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That Lend lease convoy route from Boston is taking a very optimistic route, clearly they can bully through the Baltic with some losses. But surely the OTL Arctic convoy route is the better option, particularly when the Red Army is working so hard to clear out the German threat in Norway? Such are the inscrutable ways of the AI USN. It's almost as odd as the large number of Bulgarians in Norway.
The continued success of the Red Navy continues to disconcert me for some reason, however it is indeed getting results. I would warn the Admirals that the Italian navy is not a first tier navy with respect to AA warfare, nor are the Germans. This is not to take away from their achievements, but a warning against over-confidence.
The continued success of the Red Navy continues to disconcert me for some reason, however it is indeed getting results. I would warn the Admirals that the Italian navy is not a first tier navy with respect to AA warfare, nor are the Germans. This is not to take away from their achievements, but a warning against over-confidence.
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Thus is a good front to have alm wrapped up. More forces for striking into the north of Germany.
Huzzah!
This was a pretty successful month on the ‘other fronts’. Surely the Fascit swine are doomed.
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The Americans are the ones who decided on the route. Losses have been quite small, and now that the last of the German surface fleet has been bombed to smithereens and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet is escorting the convoys in, there have been no losses at all. I guess Destroyers with modern ASW equipment and Radar combined with two escort carriers' worth of aircraft is too much trouble for the U-boats. Of course, with Comintern Air Bases in Bornholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, and Riga, the convoy also benefits from land-based air cover against Naval bombers all the way through the Baltic.
It must be said that the Royal Navy did most of the heavy lifting against both the Kriegsmarine and the Regia Marina, at this point the Red Navy is mopping up the remnants rather than fighting large fully formed fleets. The Japanese, on the other hand, have been wiping the floor with the Royal Navy, and the USN is being very shy. If this continues I expect that once the Germans are dealt with, and the Red Navy has to go toe to toe with a still very much intact IJN, they might well end up with a bloody nose for our Navy.
We don't have many forces in Norway, and there are no mountains in Northern Germany, so realistically, when the units finally reach the ports, we will have two rifle corps available for an operation into Denmark or Northern Germany. Add in the Marines and we might be able to take and hold most of Denmark, but we really need a motorised corps to take full advantage of a surprise offensive, and the next motorised units to be commissioned are slated for the Balkan operation.
Huzzah indeed, though let us not count our chickens before they hatch. Things can still go wrong and delay what now seems more and more inevitable.
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Finally! Vur ha...I mean, ummm, Da, Comrade?
Seems that the Red Army still lacks sufficient mass to press everywhere at once. Thus there is still work to be done on the back end.
Congratulations!
The system is quite excellent now and really showing the fruits of revisions. It is always challenging to report well on a Soviet AAR so I am delighted you've found something that works so well.
They really have evolved from simple character quotes to evocative storytelling moments.
I am appreciating the broken-down format of the reports, as it makes each piece more digestible.
Seems like the ideal case would be to build up a solid reserve of units which can be leapfrogged forward to secure a gain and dig in at full strength. Although even then, advancing one province at a time minus losses to enemy attacks elsewhere means going will still be slow.
Anyone who would call it such shall be promptly overkilled.
It is due largely to the AI, which is unable to build up a reserve and concentrate for an offensive, leading to perpetual high-intensity war along an entire front until somebody runs out of men or materiel.
<spit>
What's particularly ironic is that much of the Russian experience in WWI was of maneuver warfare (minus most any sort of large-scale mechanization, of course) as the front was simply too wide for a trench stalemate like that in the West. That really speaks to the expansion of scale in the present war.
Heh.
Since the carrier air groups are the products of Soviet engineering, even money says "no".
This is highly unrealistic. A truly Soviet carrier air wing would not be able to manage effectively the radio communications to carry out such an efficient maneuver, thus we are forced to conclude that the "Soviet" carrier force is actually American mercenaries in disguise.
This also raises the question of what, at least in the Mediterranean, carriers offer that full-size aircraft operating from littoral air bases cannot do better. Hardly anywhere worth caring about in the Mediterranean is not within range of an air base, and those places which are could easily have air bases constructed in range.
There is a reason why nearly every serious HoI3 mod ramps up the weather penalties.
Because it is a ghastly abomination and an assault against sense and sensibility which expects barely-seaworthy ships and death-trap submarines? Because the Red Navy being even vaguely competent is nearly as anti-historical as anything TBC says? Because you hate Communism?
All are valid reasons.
This is another argument in favor of building up a strong naval aviation arm with lots of MA regiments to clear the waters around the Japanese home islands.
I look forward to this continuing in another 2-4 months, as is the traditional timeline.
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Thanks for this comprehensive comment. Lots to unpack here. But first:
Of course, the story would be cut quite a bit shorter if I took control of the Red Army at this point, regrouped the armoured forces, and just went ham with encirclements, and that was never the point of this exercise... The AI mimics the lethargy of the massive Soviet bureaucracy rather well. The lack of coordination and the obstination with attacking across the entire front rather than focusing on a narrow area aren't that far removed from reality, at least in those first years of ww2 when Stalin didn't trust(some of) his generals yet.
The tactics discussed are a bit unlikely due to doctrinal deficiencies, but they do work for dramatic effect...
Don't forget to vote in the YAYAs before this Saturday if you haven't yet. Also the Q4 ACA nominations are closing on Sunday, don't forget to vote there either.
As usually follows after graduation, I have now started working as an Architect. I'm also going to be playing as a soloist with my orchestra at our next concert, and I'm going back to school on Saturdays to become a trainer in a sport I've been practising for over ten years. Unsurprisingly this has left me precious little time to write the next update, let alone keep up with all of the other AARs I was reading consistently little more than a month ago.
There are more than enough forces on the board for the Red Army to operate massive manoeuvre forces while still holding the line. The Ai just decides to use them to probe river defences or throws them into a contested province one at a time. We have more tanks than the Germans at this point, and they're all modern T-34 and IS-2 variants.
Of course, the story would be cut quite a bit shorter if I took control of the Red Army at this point, regrouped the armoured forces, and just went ham with encirclements, and that was never the point of this exercise... The AI mimics the lethargy of the massive Soviet bureaucracy rather well. The lack of coordination and the obstination with attacking across the entire front rather than focusing on a narrow area aren't that far removed from reality, at least in those first years of ww2 when Stalin didn't trust(some of) his generals yet.
Great to see the positive response from you too. The reports will probably stay this way for the foreseeable future, so I'm glad it works.
I'm trying to keep them short, but telling. Lest I fall into the trap of writing the same thing over and over, I've been getting more creative with the quotes, and as it has been a success, I will continue down this road.
Sure but the CAG's aren't actually the product of Soviet Engineering but borrowed tech from the British. Basically they're modern Lavochkins and Ilyushins which are modified for carrier use by copying the undercarriages of British carrier aircraft.
The tactics discussed are a bit unlikely due to doctrinal deficiencies, but they do work for dramatic effect...
That's all well and good, but if you don't control any of those air bases. Sure, we have Mythiléné now, but they've only just finished building a rudimentary dirt strip there, so it'll be a while until we can deploy some serious land-based air power from there. Having a few carriers around doesn't hurt in protecting your ships from enemy air attacks. Of course, you do run the risk of losing the carriers to air attack or submarines, or even land-based artillery, then again, our carriers are cheaply build variations on British & French inter-war designs. Pieces of crap with shiny new planes on them, really. The question is how much the Red Navy can build upon the 'borrowed' tech and doctrines and adapt them based on experience at sea. There are going to be a lot more Soviet Carriers than OTL, so there is a lot of learning to be done, especially it we go to war with the Japanese at some point.
There is some method to the madness.
I can only concur here. Conditions on Soviet ships are definitely terrible. Note that nothing has been invested in improving crew training or naval doctrine for years. The little improvements there have been were 'borrowed' by our spies from abroad. The naval aviators, on the other hand are well trained and well equipped as our air doctrines are not far off our enemies (and frenemies), and our planes are quite modern. They just need to pray the carrier doesn't sink, break down, or spontaneously combust at any point during their deployment.
I honestly have no clue. I started writing the next update, a narrative one, a month ago, but I just can't find the time or energy to sit down and focus on it. 2-4 months seems doable. We'll see. And to say I had the ambition, at some point, to put up an update very two weeks... that's not happening for the next two years at least, if ever.I look forward to this continuing in another 2-4 months, as is the traditional timeline.
Don't forget to vote in the YAYAs before this Saturday if you haven't yet. Also the Q4 ACA nominations are closing on Sunday, don't forget to vote there either.
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Having the time and energy to consistently read AARs is, I have learned, a rare blessing to be treasured while it lasts.
I suppose it works up until December of '41 OTL, you could even argue for Spring '42 depending on how you feel about Operation Mars, and then again through Summer '42. The trouble is that once you get to Uranus and beyond, the Eastern Front in broad strokes turns into an exchange of grand operational strikes back and forth, which the AI on either side is woefully incapable of masterminding.
This is why
Truly an uphill battle for whatever g/God they might choose to pray to, certainly it has never yet been accomplished.
I can certainly relate to this. Building one's new life keeps one entirely to busy, but necessarily so or so we like to think.
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Indeed a triumphant return! Good progress on, well, some fronts. Gratifying to see the encirclement finally complete, even though the prize is perhaps less than could have been hoped for. Still, every division eliminated reduces the amount of Axis forces our troops will have to contend with. Success in Norway will also result in the capture of several divisions, and the freedom to operate in the Baltic Sea is certainly valuable. Now if only the pesky commanders of Luftwaffe would realize that the Red Star rules the skies, and they should just go home, or fight with the Brits instead...
Congratulations on your graduation!
Congratulations on your graduation!
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1st of November 1942, 'Odinatsat' #21: 'Odin': Summoned by uncle Joe.
1st of November 1942, Tula, -2,4 °C, 6pm Moscow Time
Our Comrade General Secretary summoned me to Moscow. He didn't explain why my presence was required, which isn't usually a good sign. As I often do when travelling alone, I took the train, disguised as a train guard, standing in for one of the regulars. I thus spent the trip checking tickets and giving the all clear for the train to proceed after each stop before arriving at Yaroslavsky station at 2pm. I quickly went into the staff restrooms to change into the rather modest suit of a low ranking civil servants. Just as I headed outside to get a taxi, I felt a light tap on my left shoulder. I turned around, and there was a, vaguely familiar, rather large man in a dark grey trench coat.
"This way Mr. Shabayev."
It wasn't subtle, he was clearly NKVD, and despite his large frame and the loose fit of the trench coat, there was a noticeable bulge where his weapon was stored. He must have been carrying a PPD submachinegun as no pistol seemed big enough to create such a protrusion. Anyhow, as he knew my alias for this trip, only Stalin himself could have sent him, be it directly or indirectly, I followed without complaint. We went back into the station, the man guiding me from behind by lightly pushing or pulling on my left shoulder. Definitely not a big talker, this one. We went back out of the station through a small door reserved to staff, walking over to Leningrasky station right next door.
Komsomolskaya square in Moscow, with Yaroslavsky Station on the right and Leningradsky Station on the left. Opposite to those two stations, on the other side of the square is Kazanskaya Station, also a terminal station. Further to the left is also stop on the Kursk line, which goes further south by about 2km before reaching Kursky Station, which is a through station.
On track ten, the closest to Yaroslavsky station, covered in frozen snow, was what looked like a typical maintenance train. An old Class X locomotive, two old passenger coaches, an old baggage coach, two equally outdated boxcars, and five more modern flatcars with everything from sections of track, to replacement sleepers, to fresh ballast, to a small crane. From where we were approaching we could only be seen by the locomotive's crew as it was shielding us from the prying eyes of the passengers and personnel in the rest of the station. The NKVD goon pushed me to step into the baggage car. At one end of the car was a little room where a member of the train staff would sit to keep an eye on any important cargo. It had a small window to the outside, which was boarded up, and a lock had been added to the door, turning it into a cell. This wasn't looking very good.
With it's sheet metal construction, this baggage car is more modern than the one 'Odin' gets transported in, which would have had a similar layout but with mostly wooden construction
As he nudged me into the cell, my escort simply grumbled under his breath: "Just a precaution Mr. Shabayev". As soon as he had locked the door to the cell, the train started moving. All I could see through the small window in the door was the big guy sitting on the only crate in the entire carriage occasionally feeding the fire in a small stove. Something told me this wasn't really a maintenance train, but rather an elaborate way to take me somewhere in captivity without drawing attention and without me knowing were it was we were going. The fact that I hadn't been searched, and in fact still possessed my small pistol was somewhat reassuring. There really was no point in escaping. Stalin wanted me on that train, he trusted me enough to let me keep my weapon, but not enough to let me know where he was having me taken
Where would I even go? I live for the Soviet Union, there is no other life waiting for me, no family, no career, not even a real identity.
After a bit more than two hours, the train slowed down, and after we ran through a set of points, the ride became significantly less comfortable, meaning that we were likely travelling on a branch line that doesn't see much use, nor much maintenance. Half an hour later, we slowed down further, until all the brakes were applied fully, and the train slid on for several seconds before coming to a halt. Hardly the smoothest braking action I'd ever experienced on a train. Mr. trenchcoat and submachinegun fell off his crate. Startled, he pulled out his PPD-38, but luckily he came to his senses before firing a burst in my general direction. Staggering to his feet, he lumbered towards my cell surprisingly quickly, unlocked the door, and took me to the little platform at the end of the carriage, before nudging me to get off. I didn't really feel like it as it was rather cold and muddy out there. However, the locomotive was already making steam, and soon the train was starting to move. I hurriedly jumped off before my bear-shaped warden threw me off.
As the train was moving away, I looked around. I was in a muddy clearing, surrounded by dense forest on all sides. There were some patches of snow underneath the trees, but the snow on the ground had melted away in the now midday sun. The branch line, likely used occasionally for logging, ran straight through the middle of the clearing and back into the forest. I decided to take a walk along the perimeter of the clearing to stay warm as the sound of the train disappeared into the distance and soon found what looked like it might be a road. It was really just a pair of fresh tyre marks winding their way in-between the trees. Before I could decide whether to follow the tyre tracks, I noticed the noise of an engine, faintly, in the distance, muffled by the trees. Gradually, it came closer, until a dark grey GAZ-61-40 came into view, coming in my direction.
GAZ 61-40 appearing out of the forest. With the same inline six engine that would later be used in the GAZ-11-73, this GAZ-M1 variant had four wheel drive and a raised ride height. Built in small numbers (a little more than 200 built in all variants, including prototype pickup truck variants), it was a favourite of high ranking Red Army officers due to it's unrivalled (by any other car on Soviet roads at the time) off-road capabilities.
It stopped right next to me and two state security types got out. The younger one, the driver in an NKVD uniform devoid of any insignia, was carrying a PPSh-41 that looked brand new and promptly pointed it at the ground right in front of my feet. The older one of the two, a man in his forties in a tailored suit simply stated:
"Mr. Shabayev. HE has sent us, please hand over your weapons and get in the back seat."
Now I was starting to get really worried. Why were they taking my pistol now? I complied anyway, and got in the back seat. Twenty minutes of driving and sliding around in the mud at no more than 30km/h over rough terrain later, we reached another, much larger, man-made, clearing. Right at the other end was a single rather shabbily-built wooden building with very small windows. Just one story, with a corrugated steel roof. The kind of building a small crew can put up in a week and demolish in a day.
Outside, a single GAZ-AA lorry was parked, and as we came to a halt, guards pulled a woman out of the back of the lorry. It was Odinatsat, still in her Naval Infantry Captain's uniform, but with a black eye. As soon as she saw me, she lightened up. She calmed down and stopped resisting the two large guards who were practically dragging her along. This made them relax a little, which proved to be a big mistake as she suddenly wrested her right arm free and punched the one on the left right in his right eye. The other guard was about to hit her with the butt of his Mosin Nagant carabine but the man in the suit who had been in the car with me, clearly the one in charge here, yelled, "that's enough", which stopped the two guards dead in their tracks, but not 'Odinatsat', and she hit the guard on the right in the groin with her next punch. The man in the suit simply stated: "That was meant for you too Captain."
The man in the suit approached 'Odinatsat', looked at her black eye, and asked: "He did that?", pointing at the guard on the right who was still recovering from her attack. She nodded, and the man in charge simply stated: "He deserved that then." Looking back at me, and then at 'Odinatsat', our mysterious captor said: "You two should head inside, no point in making HIM wait."
We entered the log cabin through a double wide door, a familiar voice said: "Close the door behind you."
We closed the door, and it was immediately locked from the outside. As my eyes got used to the darkness, I noticed Iosif Stalin was sitting in a large armchair, looking at both of us with the look of a disappointed headmaster. There was ten seconds of uncomfortable silence until Uncle Joe broke it with:
"Good. You're all here. Thank you for coming."
I had had enough, and whilst I noted 'Odinatsat' was already quietly hanging back and forcing the lock on the door so we might escape if necessary, I adressed our supreme leader as the friend he chose to lead his Secret Committee:
"Iosif. What is the meaning of this? We are comrades, our work together has gotten the Soviet Union to where it is today. You have us dragged out here, god knows where, just to what? Give us a talking to? If this is your idea of open communication going forwards, it's going to be difficult being efficient or productive."
Stalin's reply was swift:
"Indeed. We can't go on like this. There need to be some changes. I've been too lax, too easy-going, with the Secret Committee. A course correction is needed, which is why you're here, all three of you."
With all the dramatic flair he could muster, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union motioned to a small door. He opened it revealing a narrow hallway with what could only be described as holding cells on either side. Out of curiosity, we both followed him down the corridor, at the far end in the last cell on the right, which was larger than the other ones, was a man, tied to a chair. I didn't recognise him at first, he was hunched forwards, hanging from his bindings, sleeping despite the bright light above his head. As Stalin unlocked the door, the man looked up. It was 'Shest', he had lost about twenty kilos, he looked exhausted, his face was bloodied.
'Odinatsat' looked on with a mix of pity and rage, she was about ready to jump down Stalin's throat, but she didn't speak up, so I did: "What did he do to deserve such wanton violence? Did you beat him?"
Stalin was quick to answer, he sounded annoyed, as if I should already have known the answer to my question:
"I should have, after what he did. But no, I had someone else beat him, much more civilised that way."
'Odinatsat' clearly decided ignoring Stalin was the safest option here, and instead moved quietly towards 'Shest'. She got to within half a meter before our host pulled out his Tokarev, pointed it at her, and quietly said:
"Not one step closer. And don't even think of untying that traitor."
She opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off:
"I would be very careful speaking to me young lady." - There was no need to state that she could end up right alongside him. - He continued:
" 'Odin', I chose you to head this Secret Committee of mine for a few key reasons. You're competent. You're a good organiser. Most of all you were loyal to me above all else. You also lead with a soft touch, softer than mine at least. - He briefly glanced at 'Shest' to emphasise his lack of softness. - Of course, what would the point be of the Secret Committee, if it was run like any other department of the Soviet state. I needed, and still need, a different kind of organisation, and because you're not a real political threat to me, on account of not existing, I could afford to give you more leeway, all ten - looking at 'Odinatsat' - ehm, eleven of you. Really, in many ways you have exceeded my expectations several times over, but then there was this incident. A line has been crossed, and suddenly I'm not sure if I still trust you to make the right decision every single time.
Do you know how I felt when I read your report about OSS operatives operating side by side with our own military. ... On Russian soil?"
He looked straight at 'Odinatsat' who seemed frozen in place, so I ventured a guess:
"You weren't entirely pleased with how that particular situation developed and/or was resolved?"
"I was livid, 'Odin', livid. And you know what I do when events make me angry? I find who's fault it is."
He didn't have to elaborate. As he said it, he averted his gaze from 'Odinatsat', I looked straight at her, and she looked straight at Stalin, hoping to bluff her way through the exchange, or maybe she was planning her escape.
"The State, my State, our State, maintains power through it's appearance as a ruthless monolithic bureaucratic machine that can and will crush any perceived enemy without mercy. Perception is everything in this game. What does it say about the Soviet State, about our system of government and our military, when a representative of that state resorts to taking the help of foreign operatives to deal with a threat on home soil?
No matter how expedient your actions, no matter the success you achieved, no matter what you did afterwards in killing the foreign operatives, it looks very bad. It makes the NKVD look weak, incompetent, maybe even incapable of stopping a mutiny or a revolution. Clearly the political consequences of your actions in Leningrad weren't properly assessed."
'Odinatsat' retorted: "But Leningrad NKVD had become weak and incompetent."
"Sure, but it had to appear strong and competent, even when it wasn't. Even with our massive propaganda apparatus something this brazen and unusual is bound to leak out. How many people saw the operation go down, in that residential neighbourhood? Clearly you don't grasp the full importance of this. It will take months, years even, to rebuild people's perception of the Leningrad NKVD office. Even if we employ radical measures and rebuild it all from scratch."
After pausing for effect, he continued:
"In any other department of the Soviet government 'Odinatsat' would have been designated as the main culprit and executed, and that would be it. But she isn't the only culprit, is she? Over the past week I've come to understand she isn't even the main responsible for this mess. That's why 'Shest' has been my guest here. So, let me use a bit of the old Socratic method to help you understand my reasoning."
"Remind me please, which department was 'Shest' responsible for, 'Odinatsat'?"
After two seconds of uncomfortable silence, she reluctantly responded: "Intelligence"
"So he was responsible for overseeing, indirectly and through covert means, the operating of the NKVD state security branch and the GRU?"
He looked at me for confirmation: "Yes, that's a fair description of his tasks."
"When the NKVD's Leningrad office was becoming ever more incompetent at counterespionage should he have been aware of it, should he have been fixing it, or telling me how to fix it?"
I nodded somewhat hesitantly as I had a bad feeling about where he was going with this.
"Is Leningrad some backwater that sees a foreign spy once in a blue moon? Or is it not only the second largest city in our Union, but also the location where all of our lend-lease shipments, and I would imagine the majority of our American spies, arrive?"
"The latter."
"So, if he didn't know about disfunction in the Leningrad NKVD, what was he doing?"
There were a few seconds of silence, I had a feeling this one was rhetorical and the answer was some variation on 'not his job'.
But then Stalin answered his own question and continued doing so with those that followed. So much for the Socratic method.
"Every moment I could spare over the last week. I came down here to talk things through. When exactly did 'Shest's' performance start to drop off? When and why did he take his 'eye off the ball', so to speak? I've traced the rot back to November 1940, that's when things started to go downhill in the Leningrad NKVD. That's not long after she" - he pointed aggressively at 'Odinatsat', who visibly shuddered- "arrived on your doorstep. I allowed the Committee to start it's own limited foreign intelligence operation based on the assurances of 'Shest' about his former asset and trainee spy."
"That wasn't a mistake in itself. - Of course not. Iosif Stalin doesn't make mistakes. - I must say, I enjoyed reading your exploits abroad, 'Odinatsat'. You managed to humiliate the French, the Italians, the British, and the Germans, all in record time. And you got out alive. Your performance as a captain and sniper in Lvov was just as impressive though less funny than your shenanigans in Alger.
'Shest', however, did not just enjoy your escapades. He was obsessed by them, by you. He still is. Thinking you were dead, he agreed to fake his death to join the Committee, but then you returned and you took risks, lots of risks. He started to spend more and more of his time and efforts worrying about you and trying to keep you safe. Sadly to the detriment of his duty to the Committee, to the people of the Soviet Union, and to ME."
There was a tense silence which seemed to go on for ever (realistically it was about half a minute), as Stalin waited for a response from us that never came, before he concluded that we agreed with his assessment, he sat down on a wooden stool in the corner of the cell and continued.
"So. Now that we've established that 'Shest' was responsible for not noticing or turning back the deterioration of the Leningrad NKVD, we must now get to how it became possible, or even thinkable, for OSS operatives to be invited to operate on our soil. Sadly, I must say that, here too, shest has had a rather big hand. Starting with the fact that he recruited the non-reciprocated love of his life, or that he became infatuated with his recruit." - He looked at 'Odinatsat', who was now trying her very best not to call attention to herself. - "She was already a bit of a loose cannon, no doubt, and he let her run wild. Of course, he tought her the tricks of the trade, but he didn't teach her the overwhelming importance of the Soviet State's reputation and that of all of it's organs. There are lines you don't get to cross even as a trusted agent. Inviting foreign operatives onto your home soil is never acceptable, lest they are defecting, and had 'Shest' not been distracted, he would have made that abundantly clear to HER - he jabbed at 'Odinatsat -. Had she not integrated these required discipline and limits to the operations of any Soviet operative, she should have been terminated form our service."
"Neither of these things happened because he - he jabbed much more aggressively at 'Shest' who just about managed a muffled groan -didn't do his job right, and we ended up with a highly skilled loose cannon who will cross any and all lines to reach her objective as quickly and effectively as possible. There are only two reasons she isn't tied to a chair right next to her mentor and admirer.
The first is that she is, in her own deadly way, very loyal to the Soviet Union. She let OSS operators in on her operation when the NKVD seemed incapable or unwilling to assist, but then she also killed them before they had even left the country. That doesn't make it right that she invited them in the first place, but it shows that she has the sense to see this was a violation of the Soviet Union's sovereignty, and that she will do whatever it takes to defend the motherland. Again, in her own way.
The second is that's she's one hell of a fighter, and we're fighting the mother of all wars. If our conversation today ends the way I hope it will, I'm prepared to overlook her transgression this one time on the condition that she returns to a purely military role, and that she does no espionage or counter-espionage ever again, especially on Soviet soil.
I'm prepared to overlook your transgressions too, 'Odin'. Your role was relatively minor here, but your touch was a bit too soft on this one. I expect better from you and I hope we won't have to meet like this again.
All right, I've said my piece. " 'Odinatsat', we'll give you some time alone with 'Shest' now.
Myself and Stalin left the room. Right before he closed the door, he pulled a Tokarev from his coat-pocket and placed it on the ground, inside the cell. He locked the door, and turned to me:
"Now we'll see if you were right about her."
I had some trouble thinking straight as we walked back to the front room. My mind was racing, and for some reason I couldn't figure out why exactly Stalin had given her his gun. I was relieved to have left that cell alive, but also confused, exhausted, and afraid. We had barely sat down when a single gunshot rang out from the cell, it was unmistakably a Tokarev.
Stalin motioned for me to come with him and go back into the cell, and he pulled out another Tokarev as he did so. I was hesitant, but clung to the tought that he would've killed me already if that was what he wanted. He unlocked the cell and opened the door fully so we could both look in.
'Odinatsat' stood facing away from us, towards 'Shest'. She was motionless, her arms seemed to have gone limp, but she was holding on to the gun in her right hand. After a few minutes, she turned around. She was shaking slightly, and I could tell she had shed a tear or two, but when her eyes met mine, I shuddered. I had expected to see pain, sadness, rage, remorse, anything, but no, her eyes seemed lifeless. 'Shest' was dead, a bullet-shaped hole right between his eyes.
What followed was a bit of a blur. 'Odinatsat' went into the small bathroom to change out of her bloodied uniform into a clean one. Stalin said his goodbyes to us in a perfectly jovial fashion. Business as usual - almost. Then, we were blindfolded and guided into the back of the GAZ-61-40. As the car started moving, 'Odinatsat' laid her head on my shoulder, and I noticed she was shivering, possibly from the cold, I covered her with my coat, and she soon fell asleep. I lost track of time, unable to sleep, but it must have been more than three hours when the car stopped and the engine was shut off. 'Odinatsat' woke up instantly. We were told to take our blindfolds off. She looked at me, there was a flicker of hope that the past day had been just a nightmare, but she didn't find the confirmation she was looking for. Just a second later, she was Captain Goleniewsky, entirely unaffected by the day's events. She handed me back my coat with a resigned look on her face, straightened up her uniform, and got out of the car.
Right next to us was the massive Stalinogorsk State District Power Plant. I instantly recognised it as Sem' had a picture of it hanging over his desk. The most powerful coal-fired power plant in Europe, with a design capacity of 350.000kW, fuelled by a constant flow of coal from lignite mines across Tula Oblast. We were told to wait a few minutes, then the GAZ AA lorry I'd seen earlier that day arrived with our weapons. Once again, I was impressed at the sheer amount of ammunition and weaponry 'Odinatsat' liked to keep handy. There was her trusty Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle with it's PU sight, three different pistols (a Tokarev TT, a Nagant M1895 revolver, and a Mauser C96), an assortment of five combat knives, and then there was her army bag, which held a PPsH-41, an RPG-40 hand-held anti-tank grenade, three RGD-33 fragmentation grenades, four smaller F1 fragmentation grenades, more knives, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Everything was fitted into the boot, except the Mosin-Nagant which she took with her into the passenger cabin placing it upright between her knees. Leaving the man in the suit behind, the NKVD driver drove us the last five-hundred meters to the station.
Stalinogorsk (Now Novomoskovsk) Power Plant in 1940. Not to be confused with the modern day gas fired power plant which replaced it. (Funnily some websites seem to suggest that the current day gas-fired plant was built in 1934...)
In front of us was a massive railyard, filled with hundreds of hopper cars which bring this monster it's constant supply of fuel. Closest to us was the 'station', a rather short passenger platform with no benches or awnings of any kind. Seventeen people were waiting for a train. As we approached, I counted two Apparatchiks, four Engineers, six Workers on leave, and five soldiers, four of which were quite clearly fresh recruits on their way to Tula for basic training. The fifth was quite a bit older, a sergeant in his forties with a scruffy beard and a M1938 Mosin-Nagant Carabine, probably a veteran returning to the front after some leave. We stopped right next to the platform, and the NKVD driver got out to open the passenger side door for captain Goleniewsky as I got out by myself.
Hanging her rifle over her shoulder, she made her way to the rear of the car to get her small arsenal. The sergeant, who was sitting on his rather large army bag got up, stood at attention and turned towards us. Then he marched along the platform towards the young recruits who had remained seated and were simply enjoying the view of a quite attractive female naval infantry captain who was on her way to get her own luggage. They were interrupted in their daydream when the sergeant gave them an earful:
"Attention!"
They jumped up, turned towards the Sergeant and stood at attention, clumsily leaving their caps on their heads.
"Recruits. If I was your drill sergeant, I would be making you all clean the latrines of the entire battalion, every day for a month straight. What do we do when we see an officer? A decorated Captain? Do we blankly stare at them? Do we stay seated? Do we keep our caps on?"
They all quickly took their caps off and mumbled. "No sergeant"
"All right. Now stand at attention, and when she gets here, salute her properly."
As I passed behind her, 'Odinatsat' mumbled to me, under her breath with more than a hint of sarcasm, but almost giggling: 'he's putting on a show.'
The Sergeant jogged towards her, stopping about two meters from Goleniewsky, standing at attention and with a salute he introduced himself:
"Captain. Artillery Sergeant Chornovil, at your service."
She stood at attention and briefly saluted back.
"Sergeant."
"Might I be of assistance by carrying your baggage, Mam."
"Get one of those recruits to do it Sergeant, and tell them not to drop it. -and then only half-joking- or it might just blow up in their face."
"Right away, captain."
He went back to the recruits, picked out the strongest looking one and ordered him to carry the Captain's bag. The recruit ran to the car, tried and failed to lift the bag with one hand as a show of strength, lifted it with both hands, slung it onto his back, and huffed and puffed to catch up with 'Odinatsat' who was calmly walking along the platform with the Artillery Sergeant.
In all of the commotion, no one paid me any notice as I walked onto the platform, and pulled out a newspaper to occupy myself as I waited for the train.
Just to mess with the recruits, or maybe simply absorbed by their conversation, Captain and Sergeant walked back and forth along the platform edge a few times. Every time they walked past the recruits they stood at attention and saluted. The one carrying her bag was following them at a respectful distance, he was getting quite the workout. After five or six laps, they stopped, and she showed her mauser pistol to the Sergeant. He seemed very impressed by her trophy, which didn't seem to impress her very much at all.
A few minutes later, the train arrived. It was the one daily passenger train amongst the constant flow of coal trains. Only three cars long, and headed to Tula. I kept my distance, at the rear of the train, while the military people all boarded the first carriage. When we reached Tula, I made sure to be the last person off the train, and when I stepped onto the platform, I saw Starshina Kharkov waiting for his beloved at the end of it.
She ran to him and hugged him. It was a regular hug that says 'I'm glad to see you after being apart for a day or two', the one you see in stations the world over when people return from a business trip or a family visit. It was as if nothing had happened. He didn't even seem to notice her black eye, or maybe he learned it was better not to ask her where she got her injuries. Then they disappeared into the crowd, and I hurried to get the next train back north. Now we all get back to fighting this war.
'Desyat', who has been working for us on the now much reduced GRU's foreign intelligence operations, will be taking over 'Shest's duties, permanently. Let this be a reminder of who and what we work for. The Soviet State must prevail at any cost.
Long live the Soviet Union.
'Odin'
OOC:
This was a pretty dark one, and it proved quite a bit harder to write than I anticipated. I decided quite some time ago that Stalin would point the finger at 'Shest', blaming him for XI's transgressions, the bad state of the Soviet Intelligence apparatus, and that he would coerce XI to kill him, directly or indirectly. To punish her, but even more to test her loyalty to the state against that to her mentor. The difficult part was how to frame it all. Is 'Odin' in the room when it happens? Does Stalin articulate an ultimatum? How much of his machinations do I reveal? What setting does it happen in?
In other news, I'm back, having been pretty busy with real life. Now that I've taken some time off I finally managed to finish this one. Next up is the regular ten day report. I am leaving on vacation soon, so if I don't post it in the next two days, you'll have to wait a few more weeks. I am also going to visit Stockholm in August, I'll try my best to visit the locations portrayed in the AAR and post some pictures here...
Our Comrade General Secretary summoned me to Moscow. He didn't explain why my presence was required, which isn't usually a good sign. As I often do when travelling alone, I took the train, disguised as a train guard, standing in for one of the regulars. I thus spent the trip checking tickets and giving the all clear for the train to proceed after each stop before arriving at Yaroslavsky station at 2pm. I quickly went into the staff restrooms to change into the rather modest suit of a low ranking civil servants. Just as I headed outside to get a taxi, I felt a light tap on my left shoulder. I turned around, and there was a, vaguely familiar, rather large man in a dark grey trench coat.
"This way Mr. Shabayev."
It wasn't subtle, he was clearly NKVD, and despite his large frame and the loose fit of the trench coat, there was a noticeable bulge where his weapon was stored. He must have been carrying a PPD submachinegun as no pistol seemed big enough to create such a protrusion. Anyhow, as he knew my alias for this trip, only Stalin himself could have sent him, be it directly or indirectly, I followed without complaint. We went back into the station, the man guiding me from behind by lightly pushing or pulling on my left shoulder. Definitely not a big talker, this one. We went back out of the station through a small door reserved to staff, walking over to Leningrasky station right next door.
Komsomolskaya square in Moscow, with Yaroslavsky Station on the right and Leningradsky Station on the left. Opposite to those two stations, on the other side of the square is Kazanskaya Station, also a terminal station. Further to the left is also stop on the Kursk line, which goes further south by about 2km before reaching Kursky Station, which is a through station.
On track ten, the closest to Yaroslavsky station, covered in frozen snow, was what looked like a typical maintenance train. An old Class X locomotive, two old passenger coaches, an old baggage coach, two equally outdated boxcars, and five more modern flatcars with everything from sections of track, to replacement sleepers, to fresh ballast, to a small crane. From where we were approaching we could only be seen by the locomotive's crew as it was shielding us from the prying eyes of the passengers and personnel in the rest of the station. The NKVD goon pushed me to step into the baggage car. At one end of the car was a little room where a member of the train staff would sit to keep an eye on any important cargo. It had a small window to the outside, which was boarded up, and a lock had been added to the door, turning it into a cell. This wasn't looking very good.
With it's sheet metal construction, this baggage car is more modern than the one 'Odin' gets transported in, which would have had a similar layout but with mostly wooden construction
Where would I even go? I live for the Soviet Union, there is no other life waiting for me, no family, no career, not even a real identity.
After a bit more than two hours, the train slowed down, and after we ran through a set of points, the ride became significantly less comfortable, meaning that we were likely travelling on a branch line that doesn't see much use, nor much maintenance. Half an hour later, we slowed down further, until all the brakes were applied fully, and the train slid on for several seconds before coming to a halt. Hardly the smoothest braking action I'd ever experienced on a train. Mr. trenchcoat and submachinegun fell off his crate. Startled, he pulled out his PPD-38, but luckily he came to his senses before firing a burst in my general direction. Staggering to his feet, he lumbered towards my cell surprisingly quickly, unlocked the door, and took me to the little platform at the end of the carriage, before nudging me to get off. I didn't really feel like it as it was rather cold and muddy out there. However, the locomotive was already making steam, and soon the train was starting to move. I hurriedly jumped off before my bear-shaped warden threw me off.
As the train was moving away, I looked around. I was in a muddy clearing, surrounded by dense forest on all sides. There were some patches of snow underneath the trees, but the snow on the ground had melted away in the now midday sun. The branch line, likely used occasionally for logging, ran straight through the middle of the clearing and back into the forest. I decided to take a walk along the perimeter of the clearing to stay warm as the sound of the train disappeared into the distance and soon found what looked like it might be a road. It was really just a pair of fresh tyre marks winding their way in-between the trees. Before I could decide whether to follow the tyre tracks, I noticed the noise of an engine, faintly, in the distance, muffled by the trees. Gradually, it came closer, until a dark grey GAZ-61-40 came into view, coming in my direction.
GAZ 61-40 appearing out of the forest. With the same inline six engine that would later be used in the GAZ-11-73, this GAZ-M1 variant had four wheel drive and a raised ride height. Built in small numbers (a little more than 200 built in all variants, including prototype pickup truck variants), it was a favourite of high ranking Red Army officers due to it's unrivalled (by any other car on Soviet roads at the time) off-road capabilities.
It stopped right next to me and two state security types got out. The younger one, the driver in an NKVD uniform devoid of any insignia, was carrying a PPSh-41 that looked brand new and promptly pointed it at the ground right in front of my feet. The older one of the two, a man in his forties in a tailored suit simply stated:
"Mr. Shabayev. HE has sent us, please hand over your weapons and get in the back seat."
Now I was starting to get really worried. Why were they taking my pistol now? I complied anyway, and got in the back seat. Twenty minutes of driving and sliding around in the mud at no more than 30km/h over rough terrain later, we reached another, much larger, man-made, clearing. Right at the other end was a single rather shabbily-built wooden building with very small windows. Just one story, with a corrugated steel roof. The kind of building a small crew can put up in a week and demolish in a day.
Outside, a single GAZ-AA lorry was parked, and as we came to a halt, guards pulled a woman out of the back of the lorry. It was Odinatsat, still in her Naval Infantry Captain's uniform, but with a black eye. As soon as she saw me, she lightened up. She calmed down and stopped resisting the two large guards who were practically dragging her along. This made them relax a little, which proved to be a big mistake as she suddenly wrested her right arm free and punched the one on the left right in his right eye. The other guard was about to hit her with the butt of his Mosin Nagant carabine but the man in the suit who had been in the car with me, clearly the one in charge here, yelled, "that's enough", which stopped the two guards dead in their tracks, but not 'Odinatsat', and she hit the guard on the right in the groin with her next punch. The man in the suit simply stated: "That was meant for you too Captain."
The man in the suit approached 'Odinatsat', looked at her black eye, and asked: "He did that?", pointing at the guard on the right who was still recovering from her attack. She nodded, and the man in charge simply stated: "He deserved that then." Looking back at me, and then at 'Odinatsat', our mysterious captor said: "You two should head inside, no point in making HIM wait."
We entered the log cabin through a double wide door, a familiar voice said: "Close the door behind you."
We closed the door, and it was immediately locked from the outside. As my eyes got used to the darkness, I noticed Iosif Stalin was sitting in a large armchair, looking at both of us with the look of a disappointed headmaster. There was ten seconds of uncomfortable silence until Uncle Joe broke it with:
"Good. You're all here. Thank you for coming."
I had had enough, and whilst I noted 'Odinatsat' was already quietly hanging back and forcing the lock on the door so we might escape if necessary, I adressed our supreme leader as the friend he chose to lead his Secret Committee:
"Iosif. What is the meaning of this? We are comrades, our work together has gotten the Soviet Union to where it is today. You have us dragged out here, god knows where, just to what? Give us a talking to? If this is your idea of open communication going forwards, it's going to be difficult being efficient or productive."
Stalin's reply was swift:
"Indeed. We can't go on like this. There need to be some changes. I've been too lax, too easy-going, with the Secret Committee. A course correction is needed, which is why you're here, all three of you."
With all the dramatic flair he could muster, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union motioned to a small door. He opened it revealing a narrow hallway with what could only be described as holding cells on either side. Out of curiosity, we both followed him down the corridor, at the far end in the last cell on the right, which was larger than the other ones, was a man, tied to a chair. I didn't recognise him at first, he was hunched forwards, hanging from his bindings, sleeping despite the bright light above his head. As Stalin unlocked the door, the man looked up. It was 'Shest', he had lost about twenty kilos, he looked exhausted, his face was bloodied.
'Odinatsat' looked on with a mix of pity and rage, she was about ready to jump down Stalin's throat, but she didn't speak up, so I did: "What did he do to deserve such wanton violence? Did you beat him?"
Stalin was quick to answer, he sounded annoyed, as if I should already have known the answer to my question:
"I should have, after what he did. But no, I had someone else beat him, much more civilised that way."
'Odinatsat' clearly decided ignoring Stalin was the safest option here, and instead moved quietly towards 'Shest'. She got to within half a meter before our host pulled out his Tokarev, pointed it at her, and quietly said:
"Not one step closer. And don't even think of untying that traitor."
She opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off:
"I would be very careful speaking to me young lady." - There was no need to state that she could end up right alongside him. - He continued:
" 'Odin', I chose you to head this Secret Committee of mine for a few key reasons. You're competent. You're a good organiser. Most of all you were loyal to me above all else. You also lead with a soft touch, softer than mine at least. - He briefly glanced at 'Shest' to emphasise his lack of softness. - Of course, what would the point be of the Secret Committee, if it was run like any other department of the Soviet state. I needed, and still need, a different kind of organisation, and because you're not a real political threat to me, on account of not existing, I could afford to give you more leeway, all ten - looking at 'Odinatsat' - ehm, eleven of you. Really, in many ways you have exceeded my expectations several times over, but then there was this incident. A line has been crossed, and suddenly I'm not sure if I still trust you to make the right decision every single time.
Do you know how I felt when I read your report about OSS operatives operating side by side with our own military. ... On Russian soil?"
He looked straight at 'Odinatsat' who seemed frozen in place, so I ventured a guess:
"You weren't entirely pleased with how that particular situation developed and/or was resolved?"
"I was livid, 'Odin', livid. And you know what I do when events make me angry? I find who's fault it is."
He didn't have to elaborate. As he said it, he averted his gaze from 'Odinatsat', I looked straight at her, and she looked straight at Stalin, hoping to bluff her way through the exchange, or maybe she was planning her escape.
"The State, my State, our State, maintains power through it's appearance as a ruthless monolithic bureaucratic machine that can and will crush any perceived enemy without mercy. Perception is everything in this game. What does it say about the Soviet State, about our system of government and our military, when a representative of that state resorts to taking the help of foreign operatives to deal with a threat on home soil?
No matter how expedient your actions, no matter the success you achieved, no matter what you did afterwards in killing the foreign operatives, it looks very bad. It makes the NKVD look weak, incompetent, maybe even incapable of stopping a mutiny or a revolution. Clearly the political consequences of your actions in Leningrad weren't properly assessed."
'Odinatsat' retorted: "But Leningrad NKVD had become weak and incompetent."
"Sure, but it had to appear strong and competent, even when it wasn't. Even with our massive propaganda apparatus something this brazen and unusual is bound to leak out. How many people saw the operation go down, in that residential neighbourhood? Clearly you don't grasp the full importance of this. It will take months, years even, to rebuild people's perception of the Leningrad NKVD office. Even if we employ radical measures and rebuild it all from scratch."
After pausing for effect, he continued:
"In any other department of the Soviet government 'Odinatsat' would have been designated as the main culprit and executed, and that would be it. But she isn't the only culprit, is she? Over the past week I've come to understand she isn't even the main responsible for this mess. That's why 'Shest' has been my guest here. So, let me use a bit of the old Socratic method to help you understand my reasoning."
"Remind me please, which department was 'Shest' responsible for, 'Odinatsat'?"
After two seconds of uncomfortable silence, she reluctantly responded: "Intelligence"
"So he was responsible for overseeing, indirectly and through covert means, the operating of the NKVD state security branch and the GRU?"
He looked at me for confirmation: "Yes, that's a fair description of his tasks."
"When the NKVD's Leningrad office was becoming ever more incompetent at counterespionage should he have been aware of it, should he have been fixing it, or telling me how to fix it?"
I nodded somewhat hesitantly as I had a bad feeling about where he was going with this.
"Is Leningrad some backwater that sees a foreign spy once in a blue moon? Or is it not only the second largest city in our Union, but also the location where all of our lend-lease shipments, and I would imagine the majority of our American spies, arrive?"
"The latter."
"So, if he didn't know about disfunction in the Leningrad NKVD, what was he doing?"
There were a few seconds of silence, I had a feeling this one was rhetorical and the answer was some variation on 'not his job'.
But then Stalin answered his own question and continued doing so with those that followed. So much for the Socratic method.
"Every moment I could spare over the last week. I came down here to talk things through. When exactly did 'Shest's' performance start to drop off? When and why did he take his 'eye off the ball', so to speak? I've traced the rot back to November 1940, that's when things started to go downhill in the Leningrad NKVD. That's not long after she" - he pointed aggressively at 'Odinatsat', who visibly shuddered- "arrived on your doorstep. I allowed the Committee to start it's own limited foreign intelligence operation based on the assurances of 'Shest' about his former asset and trainee spy."
"That wasn't a mistake in itself. - Of course not. Iosif Stalin doesn't make mistakes. - I must say, I enjoyed reading your exploits abroad, 'Odinatsat'. You managed to humiliate the French, the Italians, the British, and the Germans, all in record time. And you got out alive. Your performance as a captain and sniper in Lvov was just as impressive though less funny than your shenanigans in Alger.
'Shest', however, did not just enjoy your escapades. He was obsessed by them, by you. He still is. Thinking you were dead, he agreed to fake his death to join the Committee, but then you returned and you took risks, lots of risks. He started to spend more and more of his time and efforts worrying about you and trying to keep you safe. Sadly to the detriment of his duty to the Committee, to the people of the Soviet Union, and to ME."
There was a tense silence which seemed to go on for ever (realistically it was about half a minute), as Stalin waited for a response from us that never came, before he concluded that we agreed with his assessment, he sat down on a wooden stool in the corner of the cell and continued.
"So. Now that we've established that 'Shest' was responsible for not noticing or turning back the deterioration of the Leningrad NKVD, we must now get to how it became possible, or even thinkable, for OSS operatives to be invited to operate on our soil. Sadly, I must say that, here too, shest has had a rather big hand. Starting with the fact that he recruited the non-reciprocated love of his life, or that he became infatuated with his recruit." - He looked at 'Odinatsat', who was now trying her very best not to call attention to herself. - "She was already a bit of a loose cannon, no doubt, and he let her run wild. Of course, he tought her the tricks of the trade, but he didn't teach her the overwhelming importance of the Soviet State's reputation and that of all of it's organs. There are lines you don't get to cross even as a trusted agent. Inviting foreign operatives onto your home soil is never acceptable, lest they are defecting, and had 'Shest' not been distracted, he would have made that abundantly clear to HER - he jabbed at 'Odinatsat -. Had she not integrated these required discipline and limits to the operations of any Soviet operative, she should have been terminated form our service."
"Neither of these things happened because he - he jabbed much more aggressively at 'Shest' who just about managed a muffled groan -didn't do his job right, and we ended up with a highly skilled loose cannon who will cross any and all lines to reach her objective as quickly and effectively as possible. There are only two reasons she isn't tied to a chair right next to her mentor and admirer.
The first is that she is, in her own deadly way, very loyal to the Soviet Union. She let OSS operators in on her operation when the NKVD seemed incapable or unwilling to assist, but then she also killed them before they had even left the country. That doesn't make it right that she invited them in the first place, but it shows that she has the sense to see this was a violation of the Soviet Union's sovereignty, and that she will do whatever it takes to defend the motherland. Again, in her own way.
The second is that's she's one hell of a fighter, and we're fighting the mother of all wars. If our conversation today ends the way I hope it will, I'm prepared to overlook her transgression this one time on the condition that she returns to a purely military role, and that she does no espionage or counter-espionage ever again, especially on Soviet soil.
I'm prepared to overlook your transgressions too, 'Odin'. Your role was relatively minor here, but your touch was a bit too soft on this one. I expect better from you and I hope we won't have to meet like this again.
All right, I've said my piece. " 'Odinatsat', we'll give you some time alone with 'Shest' now.
Myself and Stalin left the room. Right before he closed the door, he pulled a Tokarev from his coat-pocket and placed it on the ground, inside the cell. He locked the door, and turned to me:
"Now we'll see if you were right about her."
I had some trouble thinking straight as we walked back to the front room. My mind was racing, and for some reason I couldn't figure out why exactly Stalin had given her his gun. I was relieved to have left that cell alive, but also confused, exhausted, and afraid. We had barely sat down when a single gunshot rang out from the cell, it was unmistakably a Tokarev.
Stalin motioned for me to come with him and go back into the cell, and he pulled out another Tokarev as he did so. I was hesitant, but clung to the tought that he would've killed me already if that was what he wanted. He unlocked the cell and opened the door fully so we could both look in.
'Odinatsat' stood facing away from us, towards 'Shest'. She was motionless, her arms seemed to have gone limp, but she was holding on to the gun in her right hand. After a few minutes, she turned around. She was shaking slightly, and I could tell she had shed a tear or two, but when her eyes met mine, I shuddered. I had expected to see pain, sadness, rage, remorse, anything, but no, her eyes seemed lifeless. 'Shest' was dead, a bullet-shaped hole right between his eyes.
What followed was a bit of a blur. 'Odinatsat' went into the small bathroom to change out of her bloodied uniform into a clean one. Stalin said his goodbyes to us in a perfectly jovial fashion. Business as usual - almost. Then, we were blindfolded and guided into the back of the GAZ-61-40. As the car started moving, 'Odinatsat' laid her head on my shoulder, and I noticed she was shivering, possibly from the cold, I covered her with my coat, and she soon fell asleep. I lost track of time, unable to sleep, but it must have been more than three hours when the car stopped and the engine was shut off. 'Odinatsat' woke up instantly. We were told to take our blindfolds off. She looked at me, there was a flicker of hope that the past day had been just a nightmare, but she didn't find the confirmation she was looking for. Just a second later, she was Captain Goleniewsky, entirely unaffected by the day's events. She handed me back my coat with a resigned look on her face, straightened up her uniform, and got out of the car.
Right next to us was the massive Stalinogorsk State District Power Plant. I instantly recognised it as Sem' had a picture of it hanging over his desk. The most powerful coal-fired power plant in Europe, with a design capacity of 350.000kW, fuelled by a constant flow of coal from lignite mines across Tula Oblast. We were told to wait a few minutes, then the GAZ AA lorry I'd seen earlier that day arrived with our weapons. Once again, I was impressed at the sheer amount of ammunition and weaponry 'Odinatsat' liked to keep handy. There was her trusty Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle with it's PU sight, three different pistols (a Tokarev TT, a Nagant M1895 revolver, and a Mauser C96), an assortment of five combat knives, and then there was her army bag, which held a PPsH-41, an RPG-40 hand-held anti-tank grenade, three RGD-33 fragmentation grenades, four smaller F1 fragmentation grenades, more knives, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Everything was fitted into the boot, except the Mosin-Nagant which she took with her into the passenger cabin placing it upright between her knees. Leaving the man in the suit behind, the NKVD driver drove us the last five-hundred meters to the station.
Stalinogorsk (Now Novomoskovsk) Power Plant in 1940. Not to be confused with the modern day gas fired power plant which replaced it. (Funnily some websites seem to suggest that the current day gas-fired plant was built in 1934...)
In front of us was a massive railyard, filled with hundreds of hopper cars which bring this monster it's constant supply of fuel. Closest to us was the 'station', a rather short passenger platform with no benches or awnings of any kind. Seventeen people were waiting for a train. As we approached, I counted two Apparatchiks, four Engineers, six Workers on leave, and five soldiers, four of which were quite clearly fresh recruits on their way to Tula for basic training. The fifth was quite a bit older, a sergeant in his forties with a scruffy beard and a M1938 Mosin-Nagant Carabine, probably a veteran returning to the front after some leave. We stopped right next to the platform, and the NKVD driver got out to open the passenger side door for captain Goleniewsky as I got out by myself.
Hanging her rifle over her shoulder, she made her way to the rear of the car to get her small arsenal. The sergeant, who was sitting on his rather large army bag got up, stood at attention and turned towards us. Then he marched along the platform towards the young recruits who had remained seated and were simply enjoying the view of a quite attractive female naval infantry captain who was on her way to get her own luggage. They were interrupted in their daydream when the sergeant gave them an earful:
"Attention!"
They jumped up, turned towards the Sergeant and stood at attention, clumsily leaving their caps on their heads.
"Recruits. If I was your drill sergeant, I would be making you all clean the latrines of the entire battalion, every day for a month straight. What do we do when we see an officer? A decorated Captain? Do we blankly stare at them? Do we stay seated? Do we keep our caps on?"
They all quickly took their caps off and mumbled. "No sergeant"
"All right. Now stand at attention, and when she gets here, salute her properly."
As I passed behind her, 'Odinatsat' mumbled to me, under her breath with more than a hint of sarcasm, but almost giggling: 'he's putting on a show.'
The Sergeant jogged towards her, stopping about two meters from Goleniewsky, standing at attention and with a salute he introduced himself:
"Captain. Artillery Sergeant Chornovil, at your service."
She stood at attention and briefly saluted back.
"Sergeant."
"Might I be of assistance by carrying your baggage, Mam."
"Get one of those recruits to do it Sergeant, and tell them not to drop it. -and then only half-joking- or it might just blow up in their face."
"Right away, captain."
He went back to the recruits, picked out the strongest looking one and ordered him to carry the Captain's bag. The recruit ran to the car, tried and failed to lift the bag with one hand as a show of strength, lifted it with both hands, slung it onto his back, and huffed and puffed to catch up with 'Odinatsat' who was calmly walking along the platform with the Artillery Sergeant.
In all of the commotion, no one paid me any notice as I walked onto the platform, and pulled out a newspaper to occupy myself as I waited for the train.
Just to mess with the recruits, or maybe simply absorbed by their conversation, Captain and Sergeant walked back and forth along the platform edge a few times. Every time they walked past the recruits they stood at attention and saluted. The one carrying her bag was following them at a respectful distance, he was getting quite the workout. After five or six laps, they stopped, and she showed her mauser pistol to the Sergeant. He seemed very impressed by her trophy, which didn't seem to impress her very much at all.
A few minutes later, the train arrived. It was the one daily passenger train amongst the constant flow of coal trains. Only three cars long, and headed to Tula. I kept my distance, at the rear of the train, while the military people all boarded the first carriage. When we reached Tula, I made sure to be the last person off the train, and when I stepped onto the platform, I saw Starshina Kharkov waiting for his beloved at the end of it.
She ran to him and hugged him. It was a regular hug that says 'I'm glad to see you after being apart for a day or two', the one you see in stations the world over when people return from a business trip or a family visit. It was as if nothing had happened. He didn't even seem to notice her black eye, or maybe he learned it was better not to ask her where she got her injuries. Then they disappeared into the crowd, and I hurried to get the next train back north. Now we all get back to fighting this war.
'Desyat', who has been working for us on the now much reduced GRU's foreign intelligence operations, will be taking over 'Shest's duties, permanently. Let this be a reminder of who and what we work for. The Soviet State must prevail at any cost.
Long live the Soviet Union.
'Odin'
OOC:
This was a pretty dark one, and it proved quite a bit harder to write than I anticipated. I decided quite some time ago that Stalin would point the finger at 'Shest', blaming him for XI's transgressions, the bad state of the Soviet Intelligence apparatus, and that he would coerce XI to kill him, directly or indirectly. To punish her, but even more to test her loyalty to the state against that to her mentor. The difficult part was how to frame it all. Is 'Odin' in the room when it happens? Does Stalin articulate an ultimatum? How much of his machinations do I reveal? What setting does it happen in?
In other news, I'm back, having been pretty busy with real life. Now that I've taken some time off I finally managed to finish this one. Next up is the regular ten day report. I am leaving on vacation soon, so if I don't post it in the next two days, you'll have to wait a few more weeks. I am also going to visit Stockholm in August, I'll try my best to visit the locations portrayed in the AAR and post some pictures here...
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And then there is the dilemma, when you find some time and energy: Do you read AARs or do you move your own AAR forward.
Of course, in TTL Barbarossa happened in 1941, so we're fine until mid-1943... After that, I guess we'll need to use a bit more imagination and/or a bit more player control, though that would be unfair on the enemy AI, of course. Who knows, maybe we win this thing before Christmas...
The Red Army is excellent, of course, the best and biggest in the world. However, when the enemy is on an island or another continent entirely, some boats are required to get them there. Realistically, they can't bring the revolution to the entire world without a navy.
Good thing the Soviet Union is atheist, though everything that happens is part of Stalin's plan, obviously. Comrade Secretary general works in mysterious ways after all.
It's all about choosing what to invest time in, what to sacrifice, what to put on hold. Now that I've settled into my job, I might be able to claw back a bit more time and energy, though striking the right balance, for me, between social life, music projects, and this massive project is definitely tricky.
I have to be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking this endeavour isn't as 'useful' as my other endeavours. It's a way to express myself creatively that's quite different from music or even the creative parts of my job. Picking this up again, I realise how much I missed writing & creating stories. Even if it's just a little bit here and there, I need to plan in time for this AAR.
Every division counts, and so does the liberation of the Baltic states, shortening the front, and moving us a little closer to Berlin. Our operations in the Baltic continue to be occasionally harassed by Ju-290 naval bombers, but realistically with carrier-based and land-based fighters nearby, they mostly get intercepted before they can do significant damage to our fleets. Of course, we don't know what the Kriegsmarine is building, so maybe we're in for a nasty surprise at some point in the future. Unless, of course, we manage to end the war, or take the German Baltic coast, before the Germans finish building their new ships.
The thing is that the Brits aren't that devastating to Germany right now. Seems like half of their strategic bomber fleet is based in the Mediterranean along with most of the tactical & Naval bombers. Comparing the damage done by the RAF to German cities with occasional strategic bombing to the damage the VVS is doing with it's relentless ground attacks, I can understand the logic of the Luftwaffe in allocating most of it's fighter force to the Eastern front. They still don't have nearly enough fighters to stop the VVS though, the best they can do is slow us down a little by taking an aviation regiment out of action. However, even that doesn't really slow us down because we can easily rotate in a reserve regiment and have the aviation corps be operational again the very next day.
The VVS is much more limited by aircraft range, basing space, and supply bottlenecks, than by the number of aircraft or pilots. Really, the big impact the Luftwaffe has is that it forces us to keep fighters in bases close to the front, where they take up basing space, fuel, and supplies, which could otherwise be allocated to even more short-range Ilyushin bombers. This is why we are restarting development and production of longer range Tactical bombers, which can be based closer to Moscow and put less strain on the supply network while still being able to support our troops.
Thanks. As much as it was my goal for years, It was truly just the beginning.
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Welcome back! Am travelling at the moment but will read and comment when I get the chance.
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Very grimly enjoyable restart. Someone had to pay and there was only one currency Uncle Joe would be willing to accept.
Indeed, just not its citizens.
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Welcome back! Looking forward to seeing more of this AAR! Also noticed you trying to catch up on Road of Queens. I'm so slow posting now-a-days you can easily catch up.
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5th of November 1942, 'Odin', 10-day report #213
The 5th of November 1942, Vologda, -6,7°C, 10 am Moscow Time,
Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten-day period between the 27th of October and the 5th of November 1942,
Army:
The three Regiment strong 180 DOp (Garx3) has been deployed to Haradok. These men will form the core of the reformed 180 SD once they've recieved additional training.
517 POp, 507 POp, 514 POp, 518 POp, 523 POp, 524 POp have finished retraining and rearmed into fully fledged Rifle Regiments.
3 GarD (Garx3), 7 GarD (Garx3), 13 GarB (Garx2), and 14 GarB (Garx2) have been deployed to Leningrad. They are awaiting transport to Norwegian ports and Naval Bases which they will be guarding.
Two NKGBF peacekeeping brigades have been deployed to the Finnish SSR: MB 3 to Mikkeli, and MB 4 to Kolosjoki. Both are equipped with Lend-lease weapons and vehicles from the US.
15 VDP and 16 VDP have been deployed to 2 VDD and 1 VDD respectively, beefing up both of our remaining Airborne Rifle Divisions to four Regiments.
Army numbers (Brigades/Personnel) Reserves included (these numbers don't include regiments being upgraded):
Air Force:
Navy:
Politics / International
Norway has purchased a production license for two Aviation Regiments' worth of Yak-4 Tactical Bombers.
Sweden has started aligning itself to the Axis again in order to maintain it's 'neutrality'.
Battle of Britain & the Atlantic
No major naval engagements and no naval losses in this theatre. The convoy war remains low in it's intensity but now clearly favours the Allies as they sink Japanese convoys attempting to support their forces in their newly aquired bases. A single British freighter was sunk off the coast of Borneo.
Indonesia Front:
Industry:
Intelligence:
Research:
Statistics:
This Information is accurate on the morning of the 5th of November 1942, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.
'Odin'
Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten-day period between the 27th of October and the 5th of November 1942,
Army:
The three Regiment strong 180 DOp (Garx3) has been deployed to Haradok. These men will form the core of the reformed 180 SD once they've recieved additional training.
517 POp, 507 POp, 514 POp, 518 POp, 523 POp, 524 POp have finished retraining and rearmed into fully fledged Rifle Regiments.
3 GarD (Garx3), 7 GarD (Garx3), 13 GarB (Garx2), and 14 GarB (Garx2) have been deployed to Leningrad. They are awaiting transport to Norwegian ports and Naval Bases which they will be guarding.
Two NKGBF peacekeeping brigades have been deployed to the Finnish SSR: MB 3 to Mikkeli, and MB 4 to Kolosjoki. Both are equipped with Lend-lease weapons and vehicles from the US.
15 VDP and 16 VDP have been deployed to 2 VDD and 1 VDD respectively, beefing up both of our remaining Airborne Rifle Divisions to four Regiments.
Army numbers (Brigades/Personnel) Reserves included (these numbers don't include regiments being upgraded):
Front line troops: 733 / 2.199.000
Support troops: 392 / 392.000
Total fighting troops: 1.125 / 2.591.000
Headquarters: 65 / 65.000
Total Army Personnel: 1.190 / 2.656.000
Officers: 110.216 + / 116.350 needed / 0 POW / 174 KIA / 94,728 % -
Active Leaders: 302 / 3 POW / 193 more available (498 total)
The transition of People's Militia into rifle regiments continues as 533 POp, 525 POp, 519 POp, and 515 POp have started retraining.
Army Leadership:Red Army MajGen. Sinilov (SK2) has been drafted out of retirement to take command of the new 180 DOp.
Similarly, Colonel Kirillov (SK1, Eng) returned from his forced retirement to take command of 13 GarB.
Formerly retired Colonel Kutlin (SK1, Cdo) was recalled to lead 14 GarB.
To lead 7 GarD, MajGen Magon (SK1, Eng) was returned to active service.
MajGen Prohorov (SK1, Eng) was pulled out of retirement to lead 3 GarD.
Former Red Army MajGen. Karpezo (SK1, LW) was recalled from retirement to become NKGBF Major of State Security in charge of 3. NKGBFMB (Gar, Pol).
A newly commissioned Major of State Security Skvirskij (SK1, Eng) was placed in charge of 4. NKGBFMB (Gar, Pol).
Air Force:
124 new Lisunov Li-2's have been delivered to form 4 TrAD (Tra), which will be part of I TrAK (Ftr, Trax2).
The Navy Air Fleet has deployed 10 KPA (CAG), counting 32 La-7VM's and 32 Il-10VM's, to our brand new Carrier Novorossiysk as part of III KPA.
Aeroplane Numbers (Wings/Planes):
Interceptors: 29 / 3.596
Multi-Role Fighters: 11 / 1.364
Close Air Support: 11 / 1.364
Carrier Air Groups: 10 / 640
Single Engined: 61 / 6.964
Tactical Bomber: 4 / 404
Strategic Bombers: 2 / 162
Total Bombers: 17 / 1.926
Transport Planes: 4 / 496
Total VVS: 60 / 7.386
Total Navy: 10 / 640
Total Aeroplanes: 71 / 8.026
Active Leaders: 26 / 24 Reserve
Production of La-7VM's and Il-10VM continues towards the formation of 12 KPA (CAG).
A new Yakovlev production line is being built at the Tupolev factory to restart production of Yak-4 tactical bombers, integrating the lessons from SB-2 production next door along the way. The first 101 units will form 2 BAD.
No changes to VVS nor VMF leadership.
Navy:
Novorossiysk, our third Kyiv-Class Carrier has been delivered to the Red Navy in Archanglesk. Escorted by two ice-breakers, a small flotilla of support ships, and the entire Norwegian Navy, it has started it's voyage to the Mediterranean, where it will join I AvF.
Navy Numbers (Flotillas / Ships)
Transports: 4 / 20
AG-boat Class (I): 11 / 55
Series II Class(II): 9 / 45
Series V-bis Class(III): 3 / 15
Submarines: 23 / 115
Norvik-Class (I) : 3 / 15
Gnevnyi-Class (II): 2 / 10
Kiev-Class (IV): 1 / 5
Sevastopol-Class (IV+): 6 / 30
Destroyers: 11 / 55
Light Cruisers / Profitern-Class (I): 3
Escorts: 14 / 58
Battleships / Gangut-Class (I): 3
Escort Carriers / Moskva-Class (I): 2
Fleet Carriers / Kyiv-Class (I): 3
Capitals: 8
Total combat ships: 22 / 66
Total Navy: 49 / 2001
Leaders: 13/ 21 Reserve
The Maxim Gorkiy, the third new Kirov-Class Cruiser was laid down in Sevastopol, right next to Kirov, it will take about a year to complete.
Construction has also started on five new Destroyers of the Sevastopol-Class, these will be built in Mykolaiv and Kerch shipyards.
Politics / International
Norway has purchased a production license for two Aviation Regiments' worth of Yak-4 Tactical Bombers.
Sweden has started aligning itself to the Axis again in order to maintain it's 'neutrality'.
Battle of Britain & the Atlantic
No shipping losses in the Atlantic for either side.
Not much of note happened in the air. German attempts to bomb Dover and Portsmouth were twarthed by the RAF, whilst no successful bombing operations happened on the continent.
Greece
British and Italian forces exchanged some ground on the Peloponesse; the Mountains around Tripolis falling into British hands whilst Italian forces walked into Korinthos to the North. Intelligence from I. Avianosets Flote and from our radar station on Mythinléné reveals that the Royal Marines are under serious pressure in Amfissa.
RAF Bristol Beaufighters based out of Athens continue intensified their bombing runs on Italian forces while the Italians bombed the British headquarters in athens in return.
Halifaxes based out of Athens bombed Otocac in former Yugoslavia several times without being intercepted.
North Africa & Med
Another Allied counter-offensive managed to retake El Adem in the desert south of Tobruch, which remains in British hands.
No major naval engagements and no naval losses in this theatre. With pretty much all British shipping rerouted around the cape of Good Hope, no merchant vessels were lost on either side.
Italian bombing runs on Tobruch were intercepted by Iraqi Golster Gladiators, which proved more of a nuisance to them than might be expected from old biplanes. Allied bombers didn't leave their bases in Alexandria.
South East AsiaNo major naval engagements and no naval losses in this theatre. The convoy war remains low in it's intensity but now clearly favours the Allies as they sink Japanese convoys attempting to support their forces in their newly aquired bases. A single British freighter was sunk off the coast of Borneo.
Indonesia Front:
On Celebes, the area surrounding the port at Makassar has been taken over by the Japanese.
Malay Front.Nothing changed here, with Singapore somehow still in British hands despite the fact that the Garrison has ceased to exist with all of it's members, dead, captured, or MIA. Siam, or Thailand, still grants Military Access to the United Kingdom while being influenced by Japanese diplomats, blocking any Japanese advance into Burma.
French Indochina, including the capital in exile, Hanoi, continues to evade Japanese attention.
Pacific Front:The USN has sprung into action, landing United States Marines on Jarvis Island, which has now been liberated as the Japanese Garrison is taken into captivity.
With a 1940 population of exactly 3 people, Jarvis Island doesn't have much in the way of (military) infrastructure, save for some abandoned tram/train lines dating back to guano-mining several decades ago.
In OTL, the USN didn't care enough about Jarvis Island to garrison it, and the IJN didn't care enough about it to take possession of it. The only action that happened there was a Japanese submarine taking a few potshots at the 4 inhabitants with it's deck gun in late 1941 and missing all of them. About a year later, a single US Coast Guard Cutter evacuated the entire population.
The Minekaze-Class destroyers of 1 Kuchikukantai (DD) were sunk by aerial torpedo attacks by TBM Avengers launched from USS Belleau Wood (CVL), and the landing craft of 25. Yuso Sentai were ravaged by the 8-inch guns of USS Northampton (CA).
Top Left: USS Belleau Wood, a 14,000 tonne Light Aircraft Carrier of the Independence-class. She was commissioned in 1943 (OTL). The Independence-class were adapted from the Cleveland-Class Cruiser design. The 100.000hp power plant was made up of 4 "Babcock-Wilcox" Water tube boilers providing steam for 4 General Electric Steam Turbines, propelling the vessel to a top speed of 32 knots. While it had no armour to speak of, 26 Bofors 40mm AA-guns were mounted to provide some active defence against air attack. Typically, it would carry 24 fighters (mostly Grumman F6F Hellcats) and 9 torpedo bombers (mostly TBM Avengers)
She had an active career in the Pacific Theatre, notably sinking IJN Carrier Hiyo at the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 1944). She was hit by a Kamikaze near Leyte in October 1944, which caused a fire which caused significant damage and 92 casualties. After repairs were completed in California, she returned in February 1945 to take part in air raids on Iwo Jima and the Japanese Home Islands. Her Air Group took part in the flyover of Tokio during the surrender ceremony.
After the war, USS Belleau Wood was placed in reserve before being transferred in 1953 to the Marine Nationale, where she served as the 'Bois Belleau', with her air group providing air support to French Forces in Indochina, and later in Algeria, before being scrapped in 1960.
Bottom: USS Northampton, lead ship of the Northampton-class of Cruisers. Commissioned in 1930, she displaced about 9.200 tonnes. Her original Main armament was made up of 9 8"/55 Naval guns in 3 triple turrets, two super-firing fore, and one aft. 4 5"/25 guns (anti-ship and anti-air) in single mounts and 2 3-pounder 47mm saluting guns (AA) some more firepower. 2 triple 21" torpedo launchers completed the armament. In 1941, 4 more 5"/25 guns were added, as well as 4 1,1"/75 AA Guns. 8 White-Forster boilers provided steam to 4 Parsons reduction steam turbines resulting in 107.000 shp, propelling the vessel to a top speed of just shy of 33 knots. A seaplane hangar had space for 4 sea-planes. Armour was pretty light for a 'Heavy' cruiser, with a 3.75" belt, and 1-2" of armor on the deck , turret, barbettes & the conning tower. As it happened this didn't matter much as the IJN landing craft it was shooting at had noting larger than a heavy machine-gun to return fire against a rain of 8" shells. However, the lightness of the hull in proportion to the heavy main guns made the ships a bit top heavy and prone to excessive rolling, which was somewhat resolved by fitting deep bilge keels.
Northampton was part of Halsey's Enterprise Task Force during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Unharmed by the attack, she was part of the first USN pacific operations of the war, mostly searching the enemy. February 1942 saw her and USS Pensacola bombard Wotje, sinking 2 Japanse ships in the process, and Wake Island setting fires and destroying a dregde in the lagoon. She was part of the screening force for
USS Enterprise during the Doolittle raid and later at the Battle of Midway. She escaped unscathed from a Japanese submarine attack near San Cristobal on 15 September, which sank the Battleship USS North Carolina, the Carrier USS Wasp, and the Destroyer USS O'Brien. In the aftermath of the Battle of Santa Cruz, she attempted to protect and tow the badly damaged USS Hornet away, to no avail.
USS Northampton was lost in the night-time Battle of Tassafaronga (aka. 4th Battle of Savo island) sustaining two torpedo hits which proved fatal though much of the crew was rescued by Destroyer USS Fletcher and torpedo boats. The battle was a significant tactical defeat for the USN.
With a 1940 population of exactly 3 people, Jarvis Island doesn't have much in the way of (military) infrastructure, save for some abandoned tram/train lines dating back to guano-mining several decades ago.
In OTL, the USN didn't care enough about Jarvis Island to garrison it, and the IJN didn't care enough about it to take possession of it. The only action that happened there was a Japanese submarine taking a few potshots at the 4 inhabitants with it's deck gun in late 1941 and missing all of them. About a year later, a single US Coast Guard Cutter evacuated the entire population.
The Minekaze-Class destroyers of 1 Kuchikukantai (DD) were sunk by aerial torpedo attacks by TBM Avengers launched from USS Belleau Wood (CVL), and the landing craft of 25. Yuso Sentai were ravaged by the 8-inch guns of USS Northampton (CA).
Top Left: USS Belleau Wood, a 14,000 tonne Light Aircraft Carrier of the Independence-class. She was commissioned in 1943 (OTL). The Independence-class were adapted from the Cleveland-Class Cruiser design. The 100.000hp power plant was made up of 4 "Babcock-Wilcox" Water tube boilers providing steam for 4 General Electric Steam Turbines, propelling the vessel to a top speed of 32 knots. While it had no armour to speak of, 26 Bofors 40mm AA-guns were mounted to provide some active defence against air attack. Typically, it would carry 24 fighters (mostly Grumman F6F Hellcats) and 9 torpedo bombers (mostly TBM Avengers)
She had an active career in the Pacific Theatre, notably sinking IJN Carrier Hiyo at the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 1944). She was hit by a Kamikaze near Leyte in October 1944, which caused a fire which caused significant damage and 92 casualties. After repairs were completed in California, she returned in February 1945 to take part in air raids on Iwo Jima and the Japanese Home Islands. Her Air Group took part in the flyover of Tokio during the surrender ceremony.
After the war, USS Belleau Wood was placed in reserve before being transferred in 1953 to the Marine Nationale, where she served as the 'Bois Belleau', with her air group providing air support to French Forces in Indochina, and later in Algeria, before being scrapped in 1960.
Bottom: USS Northampton, lead ship of the Northampton-class of Cruisers. Commissioned in 1930, she displaced about 9.200 tonnes. Her original Main armament was made up of 9 8"/55 Naval guns in 3 triple turrets, two super-firing fore, and one aft. 4 5"/25 guns (anti-ship and anti-air) in single mounts and 2 3-pounder 47mm saluting guns (AA) some more firepower. 2 triple 21" torpedo launchers completed the armament. In 1941, 4 more 5"/25 guns were added, as well as 4 1,1"/75 AA Guns. 8 White-Forster boilers provided steam to 4 Parsons reduction steam turbines resulting in 107.000 shp, propelling the vessel to a top speed of just shy of 33 knots. A seaplane hangar had space for 4 sea-planes. Armour was pretty light for a 'Heavy' cruiser, with a 3.75" belt, and 1-2" of armor on the deck , turret, barbettes & the conning tower. As it happened this didn't matter much as the IJN landing craft it was shooting at had noting larger than a heavy machine-gun to return fire against a rain of 8" shells. However, the lightness of the hull in proportion to the heavy main guns made the ships a bit top heavy and prone to excessive rolling, which was somewhat resolved by fitting deep bilge keels.
Northampton was part of Halsey's Enterprise Task Force during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Unharmed by the attack, she was part of the first USN pacific operations of the war, mostly searching the enemy. February 1942 saw her and USS Pensacola bombard Wotje, sinking 2 Japanse ships in the process, and Wake Island setting fires and destroying a dregde in the lagoon. She was part of the screening force for
USS Enterprise during the Doolittle raid and later at the Battle of Midway. She escaped unscathed from a Japanese submarine attack near San Cristobal on 15 September, which sank the Battleship USS North Carolina, the Carrier USS Wasp, and the Destroyer USS O'Brien. In the aftermath of the Battle of Santa Cruz, she attempted to protect and tow the badly damaged USS Hornet away, to no avail.
USS Northampton was lost in the night-time Battle of Tassafaronga (aka. 4th Battle of Savo island) sustaining two torpedo hits which proved fatal though much of the crew was rescued by Destroyer USS Fletcher and torpedo boats. The battle was a significant tactical defeat for the USN.
Industry:
Coastal Fortifications (Level 1) in Slagelse have been completed. Work has now started on similar installations in Mytiléné.
237 - / 431 - / 533 + (base IC / domestic IC / total available IC incl. LL)
Lend-Lease from the us stabilised, with deliveries increasing slightly to around 101 IC. The average was relatively stable at 100 IC over 10 days, for a total of 1.002 ICdays, or 19% of total production.
IC Usage: ( Allocated IC / Need )
Upgrades: 33,50 / 41,32 - Spending on upgrades increased once again in order to speed up the replacement and refitting of our tank forces.
Reinforcement: 29,10 / 29,17 - The need for reinforcements varies wildly but remains over 20 IC.
Supplies: 61,00 / 54,49 - We continue to build up our supply stockpiles for future operations.
Production: 377,42 / 383,72 - A significant decrease as efforts continue to be redirected towards upgrades.
Consumer Goods: 31,98 / 31,98 - A slight increase due to the increasing size of our armed forces.
Stockpiles:
Energy: 100.000 tonnes +
Metal: 96.294 tonnes -
Rares: 49.315 tonnes +
Crude: 100.000 cubic metres +
Supplies: 51.342 tonnes +
Fuel: 99.029 barrels -
Money: 1.399 +
Intelligence:
Spy numbers, spies in (active / added / lost / caught by us)
France (Supporting our Party / Covert Operations): 5 / 0 / 0 / 0
Sweden (Support our Party): 10 / 0 / 0 / 0
{ Germany (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ Japan (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ UK (/) : 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
Other: 0 / 0 / 0 / 1
Total: 15 / 0 / 0 / 1
Reserves: 3
Spy training leadership expenditure: 0,72 = (a new spy every 9 days)
A spy from Japan was caught in the Soviet Union. No further losses in Sweden.
Research:
The Soviet Railways managed to make significant improvements to Supply Transportation (Level 4), reducing the expenditure in fuel and personnel for each ton of supplies that is moved to the front. More of the fuel and supplies we produce will thus reach our troops at the end of the line.
Funding was shifted to research into Combat Medicine (Level 3), which should increase the number of wounded soldiers who are eventually able to return to their units.
On the supply production (Level 7) side, new improvements were implemented in our ammunition factories, which have been able to increase their output significantly.
Now, our brilliant engineers en chemists will look at how to improve our agriculture (Level 7) through further mechanisation and the use of new fertilisers. This will hopefully increase output while freeing up able-bodied farm workers to serve in the army or to work in armaments factories.
The Red Army's theorists have developed new and better tactics for Mass Assaults (Level 6), armed with this knowledge, our Infantry will be more confident when storming enemy positions.
The Red Army continues it's efforts by improving on the concept of Integrated Support (Level 5), amongst the ideas put forward the direct integration of mortars, light artillery and anti-tank weapons are directly integrated into small special forces units looks quite promising.
Leadership distribution:Research: 21 =
Espionage: 0,72 (-0,16)
Diplomacy: 0,10 =
Officers: 12,50 (= 75 Officers/day)
Total: 34,32 (-0,16)
Statistics:
National Unity: 83,153 - Foreign spies seem to be having a field day spreading dangerous political ideas. 'Devyat' should really get this under control.
Neutrality: 0,00 =
Dissent: 0,00 =
Manpower:
Available: 2.041.000 (-18.000) Heavy fighting and the creation of new units continue to sap our manpower reserves, though we continue to benefit from a large pool of fighting age men. (and women) At this rate, we still have over three years before we have to really start worrying.
Men To reinforce(need): 5.820 -
Men To mobilise(need): See above
Monthly gain: 71.100 Men + (1 fully mobilised Infx3, Art, AT Division every 5,34 days)
No changes in Party Popularity or Party Organisation
This Information is accurate on the morning of the 5th of November 1942, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.
'Odin'
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A dramatic meeting with Murderous Joe indeed. Slightly disappointed in Stalin taking the soft option, had he been on form he would have waited until after Odinstat had shot Shest and then shot Odinstat as well, because frankly who can ever trust her again? The idea of him caring about the loss of her ability is very out of character for him, entire generations of scientists, engineers and experts of all kinds were purged just on the off chance that a few of them might not be 100% loyal, Odinstat should never have left that room alive.
However such quibbles aside it was a strong chapter, while you always had a sense of what was going to happen (Odin is sometimes slightly naive about the nature of the man he works for) it rattled along at a good pace and the exposition from Stalin was done well.
However such quibbles aside it was a strong chapter, while you always had a sense of what was going to happen (Odin is sometimes slightly naive about the nature of the man he works for) it rattled along at a good pace and the exposition from Stalin was done well.
This is much more like it. Blindly hurling men into a meatgrinder with the only concern being the level of reserves and not the human cost, that's proper communist thinking.
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Thanks for the warm welcome. Hopefully, I can keep moving things forwards now, without having to make too many 'comebacks', though life does have a way of interfering.
Someone definitely had to pay here, I'm glad the work I put in to get the pacing and tone right paid off. I'm definitely doing more rewrites on the narrative updates than a few years ago and am less apprehensive now about scrapping paragraphs, or even entire scenes.
Because of his personal relationship with Joe, 'Odin' likes to think the Secret Committee is special, protected from the NKVD, and Stalin's bloody and arbitrary concept of 'justice'. This might be partially true, but only up until the point that the usefulness of the Committee outweighs it's actions. This is something 'Odin' is now being forced to recognise.
As for why Stalin spared 'Odinatsat' in that moment. Let's just say he might not have told 'Odin' his full motivation for not killing her right then and there.
This is much more like it. Blindly hurling men into a meatgrinder with the only concern being the level of reserves and not the human cost, that's proper communist thinking.
It doesn't seem to be just Communist thinking, but (also) very much a Russian tradition... That said, the Communists did take it to a whole different level, on the battlefield, and even more so with the forced labour system. (I've recently read Solzhenitsyn's best-selling book on that particular subject - a fascinating and gruelling read. I won't be writing about it explicitly in order to comply with forum rules)Indeed, just not its citizens.
The slowed down upload schedule for Road of Queens means I might actually have a chance to keep up now, I'm glad to see that's still going strong.
Next up is another narrative update I've already started writing (potentially in two parts) before we move on to the 15th of November 10-day report.
Music projects I'm already committed to will start in a couple of weeks, and I'm also looking to jump on a few opportunities which have come my way to do some personal projects, so I'm not sure if I'll get the next one out before things get really busy once more. Anyhow. I wish you all an excellent end to the summer.
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