Waiting whilst he was connected, he closed his eyes in prayer, which was interrupted by the voice in his ear.
“Ike. Brad here. I’m going to get a report to you by this evening, but I want to share the bare bones with you now.”
The report kick started a drive in re-examining Soviet logistics. Some days later, the only conclusion that could be reached was that, simply put, the Red machine was breaking down.
Constant air attacks, partisan raids, losses in support personnel and equipment, damage to infrastructure, all combined to support the notion that the Red Army was slowly being paralysed.
The three men were protesting their innocence, their cries ranging from hysterical sobs to controlled pleas for mercy, but mercy was not to be found in the frozen clearing that morning.
Nazarbayeva had attended to watch the NKVD soldiers pay for their murder of Anna Lubova, the medic who had nursed her back to life from the awful virus that afflicted her last year.
The three transport guards had attacked and raped Lubova, and inflicted awful injuries on the woman, resulting in her death on 4th February.
When the GRU officer had heard of the matter, she took a personal interest in ensuring that the perpetrators did not escape justice.
That interest brought her to the Mühlberg on a bitterly cold morning to witness the culmination of her participation in the investigation.
“Fire!”
A dozen rifles spoke at once, and the protestations of innocence stopped in a heartbeat.
The officer commanding the firing squad marched smartly forward, discharging his pistol once at each man’s head.
As the doctor moved in to confirm death, Nazarbayeva recalled the telephone call with Beria, the threats and the anger at her direct interference.
She had resisted the NKVD Marshal’s insistence at leaving the matter to NKVD internal discipline procedures, instead ensuring the men were processed through an Army court, one where she expected a fair trial to be accompanied by a fair sentence.
As the bodies were cut down, she could see the friendly face of Nurse Lubova, and unconsciously nodded at her memory, hoping that the dead woman could somehow see justice being done.
The vision was quickly replaced with one of malevolence, as Beria’s features filled her mind… snarling… threatening… dangerous…
Chapter 134 – THE CIRCUS
The galleries are full of critics. They play no ball. They fight no fights. They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing. Down in the arena are the doers. They make mistakes because they try many things. The man who makes no mistakes lacks boldness and the spirit of adventure. He is the one who never tries anything. He is the break in the wheel of progress. And yet it cannot be truly said he makes no mistakes, because his biggest mistake is the very fact that he tries nothing, does nothing, except criticize those who do things.
With a sense of dramatic, De Gaulle had personally selected the War Drawing room as the location of the meeting between the heads of the Allied Powers.
Once known as the King’s Cabinet, the large room contained celebrations of Louis XIV’s military prowess.
The centre of the ornate room was occupied by a huge solid table, providing sufficient space for all the representatives of the Allied powers to be comfortably seated.
Behind each prime position, two or three chairs were provided for advisors, depending on the size of the military contingent.
The head of the table, behind which stood a number of concealed maps, was set aside for the Supreme Allied Commander and his immediate staff. Eisenhower was already seated, drawing heavily on his cigarette as he eavesdropped the British Prime Minister’s conversation with Von Papen, present in his role as German Chancellor.
Tedder and Bedell-Smith juggled with a few papers, setting matters in final order before the presentation began.
A few of those present were unfamiliar to him, although most were household names.
Feeling the approach of an invisible energy field, Eisenhower yanked himself from his solitude and stood as President Harry S. Truman swept into the room, quickly extinguishing his cigarette, before earning a disapproving look from his political master. Shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries as he circulated the room, Truman still moved swiftly to his position opposite Churchill, both men sitting close to Eisenhower, as befitted their status.
Pausing only to shake de Gaulle’s hand, then Eisenhowers’, President Truman slipped easily into the embroidered upholstery of the gilded seat and looked expectantly around him, acknowledging Churchill with a friendly smile.
“Winston.”
“Harry.”
Such was the relationship between the two.
Truman had arrived in England three days before, spending his time at Chequers, as the two leaders decided on their joint approach to the proposed military plans for the months ahead.
In full agreement, they now sat either side of their chosen commander, ready for the presentation to begin.
Eisenhower stood and cleared his throat.
“Sirs,” the simple address had been agreed beforehand, if only to save time, as well as not challenging Ike’s memory, “Welcome.”
The muttered replies lasted a few seconds, giving Eisenhower the opportunity to sip at his water.
“Most of you have forces already committed to operations in Europe, and specifically within Operation Spectrum.”
He moved to one side, where a map outlining Spectrum thus far was marked out, indicating how the Allied forces had taken the initiative.
Using the map as an aid, he gave a quick résumé of the portions of Spectrum to date, commencing with the successful but costly French-led Spectrum-Black diversion, during which De Gaulle adopted the smuggest of smug expressions.
Keeping specifics to a minimum, Eisenhower shifted through the ground and air phases, up to where weather and Soviet resistance terminated operations.
Taking a sip of water, he moved into summing up the present situation.
“Overall, air operations, and in a limited way, ground operations, in line with the basic needs of Spectrum, have been maintained throughout the winter period, and we’ve taken the opportunity offered by the lull, to reinforce units, stockpile assets, and compile as much intelligence as possible on the enemy we face.”
Another sip eased his drying throat.
“In short, their Air Force is all but negated, and has a limited defensive capability, with almost no offensive power whatsoever. We control the skies, gentlemen, although we cannot permit ourselves to be complacent in that regard.”
Sounds of agreement gave him a moment’s pause.
“Their Navy hurt us badly at the start of the war, but is now pretty much confined to its ports and coastal waters, both in the Arctic and Baltic areas. Occasional excursions have been detected and successfully prosecuted.”
“However, their ground forces still represent a huge threat, albeit that we finally stopped their advance in December.”
Ike nodded to Colonel Hood who, with assistance from Anne-Marie Foster, uncovered a large map of Europe, showing the dispositions of the two mighty armies, down to Corps level, from Murmansk to the southern borders of the USSR.
Giving the assembly a moment to digest the presentation, Eisenhower fought his desire for tobacco.
Truman was a non-smoker and didn’t care for the habit being exercised around him, although he tolerated Churchill’s ‘Romeo y Julieta’ Cuban cigars with good grace.