Breakthrough (The Red Gambit Series) (82 page)

Tatiana sensed the two’s confusion.

“Apologies, Comrades.
Released prisoners of war returning from incarceration in the
United States
and
Canada
.”

The GRU officer delved into a separate file and retrieved a heavily sanitised document.

“Apologies again that I cannot show you the originals for operational security reasons. These are précis of the reports we have received. Please note that all but one speak of the apparent physically healthy appearance of these men.”

Malinin leaned in towards his boss, so anxious was he to read the reports.

“I am unable to say for sure
,
but I believe that these ports may have seen the transit of a minimum of thirty thousand German prisoners in the last two weeks.”

An NKVD report had already set out the reinforcements arriving in Europe from the
USA
and
Canada
, as well as the shorter cruise from
England
.

Zhukov sat back in his chair, honouring Nazabayeva by discussing
higher military matters in her presence.

“
It seems that e
very day brings them more manpower. The situation is still militarily in our favour
,
of course. We have more men and equipment
,
but they seem to be almost manufacturing bodies to throw at us!”

Malinin, not for the first time, found an opportunity to put forward his pet suggestion.

“We have 1st Southern and the Alpine. Is now the time to bring them forward and to hell with the main plan?”

Zhukov pondered, and took advantage of Nazarbayeva’s presence.

“Comrade
Polkovnik
, the latest on the Italian forces if you please.”

Without the slightest indication of triumphalism, the GRU officer extracted a folder from her collection.

“Comrades
, as GRU predic
ted, all Italian forces have withdrawn behind the military demarcation line. Unconfirmed reports indicate that
they
are waiting for further indications from us before declaring themselves neutral.”

A second document was extracted from her folder.

“This is a copy of the report Comrade General Pekunin sent to the Foreign Ministry.”

The answer to Zhukov’s question was satisfactory, and he conceded Malinin’s point.

“It may well be that we will look to alter the master plan Mikhail. But that is not for now.
Proceed, Comrade Nazarbayeva.”

She selected a thicker folder entitled ‘
Enemy
Losses’.

A wad of paper fell before Zhukov’s gaze, listing every major enemy formation known or suspected to have been destroyed or badly damaged since the opening of the war.

Cont
a
ined within the healthy sized report were casualty figures for air and sea forces too.

In isolation
,
it made excellent reading for hungry eyes.

However, Tatiana held a thicker report containing the losses sustained by Soviet forces over the same period.

Zhukov’s eyes flicked up from reading about the loss of US reinforcements at sea, catching the title in her hands.

“I am only too well aware of the contents of that report
,
Comrade
Polkovnik
.”

She waited unto both men had consumed her information and sat back
,
satisfied that all was well.

“I am afraid that you may not be aware of the contents of this report
,
Comrades.”

Zhukov’s eyes narrowed, his senses pricked by the sudden smell of danger.

“I have seen your combat casualty report and it suggests figures that are less than those GRU have, by as muc
h as 10
% in some cases.”

A hand appeared, itself sufficient to demand possession of the file.

Malinin rose and retrieved the
official
Red Army casualty report for comparison.

There were some discrepancies, which
were
only to be expected in some ways, but there were some glaring
problems with the numbers
.

“How do you explain this difference in tanks
,
Comrade
Polkovnik
?”

“My understanding is that your field reports include all tanks available on the day of the report, and that includes tanks recovered from the field for repair and return.”

“Yes
,
that is the case, and it always has been
,
Comrade.”

“It would appear that means that tanks that are recovered but that prove irreparable are lost to this casualty accounting process, meaning...”

Malinin spoke
this time
, interrupting her flow.

“Meaning that the figures we have for tank strengths are higher than actual strengths in the line.”

“Your commanders make reports on losses, detailed ones that are accurate. When compared with these general reports submitted to higher formation enquiries, the reports on which you base your strengths, we find discrepancies, such as this in tank strength.”

“Ten percent difference!”

The two senior officers exchanged looks, aghast that something so simple could have such an impact.

The higher formations had
apparently
simplified the process of reporting, merely wishing for numbers to pass on to their own higher controlling formations.

“If I may point out
,
Comrades,
Marshall
Bagramyan has continued with the old system and so his returns are within +/- 2%
,
according to GRU calculations.”

That was of little comfort, as Bagramyan’s 1st Baltic had suffered the most casualties of any front so far.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention
,
Comrade Nazarbayeva. Mikhail, no time like the present.”

Malinin understood his boss perfectly and excused himself from the room.

Whilst
t
he
CoS
commenced
a number of haranguing phone calls to Front and Army commanders across
Europe
, Zhukov decided on more tea.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

Nazarbayeva, in the habit of all messengers in such circumstances, stayed silent, just in case.

The silence went on, with Zhukov deep in thought.

The tea arrived and Zhukov dismissed the orderly, taking advantage of the act of pouring to bring himself back from his
un-soviet
thoughts.

Taking a sip of his drink, Zhukov adj
usted his jacket and looked at I
ntelligence officer.

“Tell me you have
some good news for me
,
Tatiana,”
the use of her name being more indicative of Zhukov’s distraction and annoyance than anything else.

“Comrade Marshall, the NKVD report you
will
see tomorrow will not include all matters of relevance regarding production, supply and reinforcement.”

“Go on.”

Behind his eyes, Tatiana could see the smouldering embers come to life, a growing fire of anger she had not seen before, yet spoken of in hushed whispers by others less fortunate than she.

“
Ukrainian
separatists
continue to cause problems with the rail network. This week alone they have derailed or destroyed eight
t
rains carrying supplies and equipment to the front.”

That the figure was in excess of his briefing was apparent in Zhukov’s silence. The fire spread inside.

“German partisan attacks are on the increase as you are aware, but the increase in security combined with the centralisation of supply seems to have reduced their effectiveness.”

That was not news to
the
man.

“NKVD inspection teams descended upon
Chelyabinsk
and made examples amongst some of the senior staff. Production has fallen by nearly 20% in the last two weeks, mainly lost in IS-2 and 3 output, and the new IS-4 production line will not be completed for some time to come it seems.”

“Go on.”

“The production of bridging equipment has increased since you insisted on it, but quality control has declined. So much so that our NKVD comrades have put units in place to ensure
maintenance of
production and standards. Unfortunately, they have shot a number of senior factory employees responsible for standards and, as of last Wednesday, the main factory has ceased production following a fire that is suspected to be arson.”

The conflagration in Zhukov’s head was now raging out of control.

“Tell me that is it, please Comrade. There is no more of this.”

Tatiana took the plunge.

“Your request to employ
Soviet
prisoners of war
who are engineering skilled
is to be refused
. Both the NKVD and GKO see such an acceptance of surrendered personnel as undermining the fighting spirit of the Red Army.”

Total meltdown.

“Are they fucking mad? Do they not have fucking eyes and ears? I, we...”, he brought his breathing under control, “The Motherland needs those men
,
and their skills
,
and we need them now.”

Holding her ground, Nazarbayeva spoke firmly.

“I state the position of the GKO and NKVD on the matter,
Comrade Marshall.”

The door opened and in came Malinin, attracted by the sudden raised voices.
He nodded to his commander, indicating that the wheels had been set in motion

The
momentary lapse now history, Zhukov spoke softly.

“My apologies, Comrade
Polkovnik
.”

She said nothing, only surprised that he had bothered to apologise at all.

“Listen to this
,
Mikhail,” and he beckoned Tatiana into a repeat.

Malinin was as appalled as his boss, but didn’t have the luxury of venting himself as Zhukov had done.

Professionalism rallied and extinguished the flames in an instant.

“Right, enough. I will tackle this and the other issues tomorrow in
Moscow
. Which of these reports can I officially have
,
Comrade Nazarbayeva.”

“I will be in
Moscow
tomorrow presenting all of these reports myself
,
Comrade Marshall.”

“All?”

“Of course. How can Comrade Stalin and the GKO make proper decisions if their information is flawed?”

“Such an attitude is excellent, but you do understand that Comrade Beria already seems to hate you, and pulling his NKVD report apart will be tantamount to a declaration of war?”

Both Zhukov and Malinin noticed the firmer set in her features and the resolution in her voice.

“We are at war with the capitalists and we must win, so I will take the risk of Comrade Beria’s wrath to ensure that the Motherland is best served
,
Comrade Marshall.”

‘Balls of steel!’

“You will accompany me tomorrow then
,
Comrade
Polkovnik
. I am leaving at 063
0 hrs
.”

“I am on the same flight, Comrade Marshall.”

“Is there anything else
,
Comrade?”

Tatiana considered saying nothing
,
but she felt her relationship with the great man was such that she could share something less tangible with him.

“Yes Sir. I have a feeling that something is not as it seems with
Spain
. I have little to go on but a gut feeling and some low-level reports, but my instincts are telling me there is trouble ahead.”

Zhukov, understanding
that the woman had offered up a feeling based on intuition
,
recognised it as the privilege it was, and acted appropriately.

“What sort of trouble are you thinking of
,
Comrade?”

“At the moment
, we have neutralised
Spain
. T
he NKVD are bragging about an operation they ran that brought Franco into a neutral position, removing the Spanish Army from the equation.”