Winter Storm Read online

  “Much appreciated,” said Volkov. “Yet now I must discuss something of great importance concerning the likely future course of this war. And I have intelligence that may surprise you. To begin with, I can tell you that it was not the British who developed these new rockets, but the Russians.”

  “The Russians? Nonsense. Ah, then you mean the nebelwerfer of sorts, which they now deploy in small numbers? We captured several and they are not all that impressive, merely rockets mounted on trucks for rapid fire barrage. We are working on the same. Yet the real threat has been at sea with these damnable new naval rockets the British employ. The Russians have nothing to do with that.”

  “Oh, but they do. In fact, they have everything to do with it. None of those weapons were ever mounted on a British man-o-war. They were all deployed and fired from a Russian cruiser, named for our current nemesis, Sergei Kirov himself.”

  “A Russian battlecruiser? That ship is penned up in Leningrad, and I believe it is merely a heavy cruiser.”

  “That is not the ship I refer to. No. This is another vessel that was recently operating with the British fleet in the Mediterranean, and has since moved to the Atlantic. It caused all that mayhem with the Italians, and then got the better of your own navy recently, if my intelligence officers serve me well, and they do. The loss of your Graf Zeppelin was most unfortunate.”

  “I was told that ship was struck by two torpedoes,” said Hitler, “most likely from a British submarine. That is the problem with our navy that I will have Admiral Raeder address. I’ll admit that I was partly to blame, and I instructed him to build big gunned ships to match and beat the British battleships, but a few more destroyers might have saved the Graf Zeppelin that day, and I will address the matter.”

  Volkov shook his head. “You have not been well informed. That ship was not sunk by torpedoes. Your battlecruiser Gneisenau succumbed to such an attack, but not the aircraft carrier. It was destroyed by a missile, a technology developed not by the British but by the Russians. It is in limited deployment, confined to this single ship, but as your Admirals will tell you, it is very effective, even capable of seriously harming your heavy battleships, as it did in the Mediterranean Sea and again in the Atlantic.”

  The silence from Hitler seemed like the prelude to a storm of inner rage, though Volkov could see how he restrained his emotions. “A Russian ship? You are saying they have a battlecruiser at sea that our own intelligence services knew nothing about?”

  “Correct. I can verify that information, provide photographs, and even tell you the present location of that ship. It was recently in their northern port of Murmansk.”

  “That will be our northern port soon,” Hitler scoffed, but then took a more serious tone. “You are certain of this? The ship involved in these engagements with our fleet was Russian? Do you realize that these rocket attacks began well before the onset of formal hostilities between our two nations? Are you telling me the Russian navy was attacking our ships, cooperating with the British, as early as June of 1940? Because that was the time when we first received these reports of a new enemy naval rocket being deployed by the British.”

  “It was never deployed by the British,” said Volkov, “and they do not presently have such technology. If they did, do you think they would have allowed your Luftwaffe to bomb London without using these new anti-aircraft rockets in defense?”

  “That was somewhat of a mystery,” said Hitler. “But our people on the ground over there have produced some evidence that the British are now developing rocket batteries for aerial defense. It was our conclusion that their first prototypes were designed for the navy, and that they are only now developing a land based version.”

  “Both conclusions are completely wrong,” said Volkov. “They have no viable missile program that could in any way match the performance of the weapons used against your ships. Oh, they do have some small rocket batteries they are testing for aerial defense. They call them ‘Z batteries,’ and they are being produced by G. A. Harbey in Greenwich, but they are nothing like the weapons you have encountered at sea. Later they will develop a weapon known as the ‘Stooge,’ radio controlled like the plans I have sent you for your Fritz-X program, but we have no reliable intelligence that they are behind the weapons that put so much damage on your battleships, and prompted you to cancel all future Plan Z ships in excess of 30,000 tons.”

  The hard edge of truth now stung the Führer, piercing the optimistic bravado, and the braggery that so often dressed out these discussions.

  “A Russian ship…” his eyes smoldered. “These rockets were designed by the Soviets?”

  “Correct. Yet the technology is confined to only one ship, very secret, and it is now north of Siberia in the Arctic Seas, and presently on a course that will take it to the Pacific.”

  “The Pacific? Why would it be sailing there?”

  “We believe they intend to attack the Japanese Navy.”

  Again, a moment where Hitler seemed to have been struck by a stiff jab, frowning to regain his composure. “You are saying the Russians will declare war on Japan?”

  “Most likely, because if they do not, the Japanese will soon declare war on them. You realize they will soon become an active belligerent, and join the Axis powers. In this case, they will be at war with the Soviets, and so Sergei Kirov may have simply bowed to the inevitable.”

  Hitler shook his head. “He is sending this single battlecruiser to challenge the Japanese Navy? That is preposterous!”

  “Perhaps, but it is very likely the case, and if you are in doubt about the capabilities of this single ship, you need only speak again with your Admiral Raeder on the matter, and that failing, with the Italians. Most all of the damage inflicted on your navy and the Italians, was the work of this single ship. Now it sails east to the Pacific, and it will likely challenge the Japanese as they deploy their fleet to begin hostilities in December.”

  “We have no word from the Japanese Foreign Minister as to their timetable,” said Hitler quickly.

  “They will attack the first week of December, at the American base in the Hawaiian Islands, Pearl Harbor. They have been planning this attack for some time, designed to strike and cripple their real enemy in the Pacific, the American fleet.”

  Hitler seemed very surprised. “They are going to sail their entire battlefleet that far east?”

  “Some battleships will accompany their fleet, but no, the attack will be made by their aircraft carriers. Naval strategy is changing, Herr Hitler. It will no longer rely on the big gunned ships, though navies will still deploy and use them effectively in the years ahead. Now the seas belong to the carriers.”

  “We will have more soon,” said Hitler. “Graf Zeppelin was only the first, a prototype design. Yes, I have curtailed the Plan Z battleship program as you have said, but our development of these aircraft carriers will continue. That was another area where we lagged behind the British.”

  “Yes,” said Volkov, “in the Pacific, the real damage will be done by aircraft carriers, planes striking and sinking battleships before they ever get within range to use those big guns. This is the same basic strategy behind the new missile technology the Russians have developed. Most of your ships never laid eyes on the vessel that was attacking them, am I correct? They were hit from well over the horizon by a radar guided missile, and seriously damaged before they could even find or engage their enemy. And may I point out that in that most recent engagement, last May in the Atlantic, the primary target of these naval rockets was your own Graf Zeppelin. Believe it or not, that ship was far more dangerous than your battleship Hindenburg, and the enemy knew as much. I applaud your effort to build more of these ships, because if your nation is to survive and prevail in this war, you will need them. But be clever. Use them to provide air cover over your U-boat wolfpacks as much as your battleships. Yes, you will need carriers, along with all these Big Cats you speak of today. Tanks, aircraft carriers, bombers, submarines, and eventually missiles. Those are t
he weapons that will win this war. I mean no disrespect, but it is now time you learned the lesson the men on Graf Zeppelin learned when it went down in a flaming wreck last May. The day of the big battleship is already over. These naval rockets have changed everything.”

  Chapter 23

  Hitler’s lip quivered as Volkov finished, his jaw eventually tightening as he restrained his anger. “I was told you like to make predictions,” he said darkly. “Well I can predict things as well. We will build these new tanks by the thousands, by the tens of thousands if need be. But all of that may not even be necessary. I will have Moscow within 30 days, and then we will see what good this new Russian missile technology is on the battlefield. If they have such weapons, why don’t they use them to defend their capital?”

  “Because most are of little use in a land combat scenario. They are more accurate, but the blast effect is no greater than your own very heavy artillery. No. Their virtue is in an anti shipping role, and as a defense against aircraft, which will be the most destructive weapon deployed in this war. That is why putting planes on ships to project air power over the seas is the primary naval strategy now, and the Japanese know this, even if your Admiral Raeder and others do not. If the Japanese win in the Pacific, they will do so because of their aircraft carriers. If you win in the Atlantic, it will be your U-boats that carry the day, not your battleships. That said, keep the ones you already have. Use them to harry the British convoys and stand as a defense against enemy invasion fleets that will surely come after America enters this war.”

  “America?” Hitler nearly laughed. “Yes, they have a strong navy, but no real army to speak of. Why should I fear them?”

  “Because they can out build any nation on this earth. Their industrial capacity is safely behind two oceans, while yours will soon be visited day and night by enemy bombers.”

  “Nonsense, our fighters will sweep them from the skies!” Hitler waved his hand, dismissing the threat as if it were no more than a bothersome fly.

  “Not in the numbers that will soon come. Very well… You say I am fond of making predictions, and I will not disagree. But I base my pronouncements on sound intelligence. So here is what I predict, Herr Hitler. Japan will attack the Americans in December of this year. They will also seize the Philippines, invade the Dutch East Indies, occupy Singapore and push as far as the Solomon Islands. They may even attack Australia. The Americans will be outraged after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and enter the war with a vengeance. They will build ships by the hundreds, planes by the tens of thousands, and yes, tanks as well. How many of these new Lions have you built?”

  “The first production run delivered 250,” said Hitler, “ and that is just the beginning.”

  “The Americans will build 50,000 tanks, perhaps not as good as yours, but more than enough to do the job. Their army will build up to great strength, though it will take them some time, and they will field over ninety divisions before this conflict ends. In the meantime, their bombers will base out of England and help the British launch a massive strategic bombing campaign that will completely overwhelm your Luftwaffe.”

  “Ridiculous!” Hitler could not contain his anger this time. “50,000 tanks? Aerial bombardment? Such campaigns are completely ineffective! Our own Blitz proved that much to me. Goering threw most of the Luftwaffe at the British last year, and it got us nowhere. I bombed London day and night, and the British still fight on as if nothing had even happened. We could not even establish air superiority over the English Channel! Their RAF were just enough to hold us off, and we will do the same to them should they dare to mount such a campaign. Yes, their bombers come. They attack us in France and also here in Germany, but they do little real harm.”

  “You say you could not establish air superiority over the Channel,” said Volkov. “What makes you think you will have it over Berlin?”

  “The British fighters cannot reach Berlin, don’t be foolish.”

  “That will change. The planes will get better, and they will come in much greater numbers, and the Americans will develop long range fighters that can accompany them all the way to Berlin and back again. They will match your own fighters, which will be spread too thin all over Europe to be an effective defense. The bombers will come, and unrestrictive bombing will take a terrible toll. Your cities will suffer horribly, as will your people. Hamburg, Dresden, they will be utterly devastated by intense aerial bombardment, which your fighters will simply be unable to stop, unless you build another 10,000, and very quickly. Japan will suffer the same, once the American carriers defeat the Japanese Navy. They will occupy islands close enough to Japan to build air bases for new long range bombers, and then carry terrible fire bombs and weapons of unimaginable power to devastate Japan. I know this to be a fact, as our intelligence has already uncovered their plans in this regard. I speak now of the secret project we discussed earlier… I trust the information I provided you was also helpful in that regard? Well, the Americans will have the same idea, and they will get their weapon before anyone else, unless you heed my warnings and take further action. This is imperative.”

  Hitler steamed, his face a mix of anger and disbelief, but something in what Volkov now said had the sting of truth in it.

  “Herr Hitler,” said Volkov. “Your optimism is laudable, necessary in any true leader. You must be the torch that lights the way for your nation, but even the fiercest fire can be quenched. That is the strategy our enemies will pursue in this war, which is only now beginning. The combined production capacity of Russia and America will simply swamp your defense. I know this sounds preposterous to you, because at this moment your Operation Typhoon looks promising. But the Soviets will not capitulate, even if you do take Moscow. The Soviets will simply move the government to Leningrad, and then you will have to mount yet another Winter Storm to drive on that city, as you should have done already. I realize the troops and divisions for that were transferred south, and that was necessary if we are to link up as we plan soon, but that will not end this war either. This war will only end in fire and the terrible destruction of virtually every city within the defeated nations.”

  “What you say is complete idiocy!” Hitler’s voice carried a sharp rebuke. “I have overrun and occupied most of the Soviet state in just 90 days, and we will finish the job there soon enough. Sergei Kirov may be a stubborn fool and fight on from Leningrad, but after I take Moscow, and our forces link up to take Volgograd, then Leningrad is all they have left of any consequence. I will have 90 percent of their coal mines. I have destroyed their factories, and I will also have your oil. Yes? How will they carry on their war effort when they cannot build the weapons needed to fight?”

  “Do not think me a fool,” said Volkov sharply. “You have overrun their factory sites, Herr Hitler, but they have salvaged most of the heavy equipment and moved it east to the Urals. They are already establishing vast industrial complexes there, and the resources of Siberia will give them all the coal, fuel, and raw materials they will ever need. I can show you photographs. So they will continue to fight, and continue to build—in fact, the Soviets will out produce Germany in this war, and by a wide measure. You are fond of these new tank designs? The Russians have them too, and they will built ten tanks for every one you do. This T-34 that has started to appear? It will get better armor, a much stronger gun, and they will build them by the tens of thousands, and many more advanced designs to challenge those you have shown me here. As for your Luftwaffe, do you presently have air superiority over Moscow?”

  The question was, in fact, a harsh statement, for the Germans did not control the skies there, and Hitler knew this. Now Volkov leaned in, the seriousness on his face evident as he lowered his voice.

  “Unless you heed this warning, you will lose this war. We will both lose it together. You have hurt the Soviets badly, but mostly just destroyed all their old, obsolete equipment, and the calcified regular army they once had. But they will build a completely new army, with all new equipment, and
they will field two new rifle divisions for every one you destroy. The key to their accomplishing all of this can be summed up in one word—Siberia.”

  “Siberia?” Hitler frowned. “That is nothing but an endless wasteland, full of pine forest and swamps populated by backward mongrels.”

  “Yes, that may be so, but it has all the strategic war resources the Soviets will ever need, and one thing more, those mongrels are tough, hardy men to flesh out new divisions that are already beginning to arrive in your battle for Moscow.”

  “A pity Kolchak would not listen to reason,” said Hitler. “I promised him my support on the issue of Japanese occupation of his territory, but he refused an accommodation.”

  “Kolchak is not the problem. In fact, he is no longer even numbered among the living.”

  “What is this you say? Kolchak is dead?”

  “He was assassinated last week… a hunting accident. You will hear the news soon.”

  “I see… Then who will take his place? Might he see reason and reconsider the position of Siberia in this war?”

  “Vladimir Karpov, the present Admiral of the Siberian Air Fleet. He will most likely assume command, and he is a very dangerous man.”

  Hitler smiled, shaking his head. “Now I will say that I mean you no disrespect. I can see why you hang on to those obsolete Zeppelins, considering the distance they can travel. A dangerous man you say? Yes, he had the temerity to overfly Berlin, and actually left a calling card by dropping a few bombs. I haven’t forgotten that, but that is the extent of his capabilities. What does he command, ten Zeppelins? Twenty?”

  “Seven, to be precise, but the Soviets are leasing him all five of their airships, so he will soon have twelve. That becomes a problem for me, because many of his ships will be bigger, and more heavily armed than the units in my fleet.”