Novikov Reports

Novikov paced outside the door of the most terrifying man in the world. He knew what game Stalin was playing. Hell he used it himself. He used it because it worked…just like it was working on him. The trouble was he could not control himself.

Novikov thought…It’s the anticipation that does it. You just can’t help thinking about it. He knew what he was going to say. He had all the facts and figures. He had all the justification he needed to put the blame squarely on Beria. That little weasel had been out foxed by the RAF. His pool of spies had failed to alert the VVS of the upcoming attack. Without that advance information things were going to go wrong just like with any military operation. The only reason they had been almost completely successful in intercepting the Capitalist air raids was because of advanced notice. Without it Leningrad would be a smoking pile of radiation and more attacks would have followed on more cities.

What a monstrous invention the atomic bomb was. He actually hoped that the VVS will never be given the opportunity to use one.  He didn’t know if he could sleep at night knowing he had created such wanton destruction. He wondered if the American commanders and pilots who detonated them over those two helpless cities in Japan had any regrets. Snap out of it Novikov … you have to be aggressive and have your facts in order.

Go over them one more time. Despite what the British press is saying we only lost 58 pilots and 116 planes. Out of tens of thousands of pilots that is not many. We lose more pilots per month in training then that. The destruction of facilities and supplies were well with in normal ranges for a day’s worth of combat. A pin prick your Excellency…no …Comrade.

I don’t want to seem too obsequious.

He pretends to like that but in reality that is what gets you killed. He had seen it many times. Many times…

Concentrate Alexander… he is the most dangerous man on earth…yes a pin prick Comrade and easy healed. If Beria had warned us like he contends he can this would have not happened at all. If you will recall Excellency, Comrade Beria is the one who promised to inform us of any major raid by the RAF and USAAF. And I will say that so far he has been doing very well. But to blame me and the VVS for this is beyond reason. If anyone is to blame it is the NKVD under the direction of Lavrentiy Beria.

In his mind he takes a more conciliatory tone.

But do not be too hard on him comrade he has done very well so far and I have confidence in him (because he knows too many of my secrets) and I am sure he will not fail again. This and the attack by the Capitalist battleships were mistakes but correctable ones comrade. Do not go too hard on him.

It does not do any harm to try and soften the blow for Lavrentiy. He is a dangerous man to cross and this is not worthy of his ire.

Ouch…damn…my toe hurts. I must have gout or something. Of all the time for this to happen. Oh damn it …it hurts...god damn it!

The door opens and an aide beckons Novikov inside.

How does he do that? How did he know my foot would be hurting? He must have a witch on his payroll…

“Alexander Novikov, Chief Marshal of Aviation reporting as ordered Comrade.”

The door closes behind the aide as the aide leaves the room without looking back.

Hit and Run the Execution by Tallthinkev

At 14.40 hours the airmen were back

'I will now continue.' Said Park this morning we covered the part the RAF will take in the inevitable battle ahead.
I will now outline the part the Royal Navy will play.'

There was some murmuring within the ranks. 

'As you, hopefully, will not know, a number of out carriers are now based in the Irish Sea and in the Western Isles. These are out of the range most of the Reds. The aircraft from these carriers will be able to carry out the duties that our groups would normally do themselves. This will be a great asset for us all. Up to another 500 fighters to cover the rest of the country some based on the ships and others on land based at airfields in the North West, and Ulster.' said Sir Keith.

A voice spoke up. Sir Keith didn't know whom.

'But don't the navy still use Martlet's?' 

'Yes we still have some of them, but also a lot of the newer American aircraft like the Corsairs, and a couple squadrons of the new Bearcat. We were very lucky to have some of these. We also have a fair few of their naval bombers like the Avenger I would now like to pass you over to the Royal Navy and ask them to give you more details.'

The meeting carried one until near dusk.


Many of the pilots returned to their squadrons, some being as little as five miles away, other stayed in Duxford or Cambridge. Among those did remain was Bader and Garland. They were in the snug at The Plough. 
Soon they were joined by four more officers. 

'So Major Falck what more can you tell us about your night fighting experiences?' asked Bader.

'Well, one of the best ways, as you well know is to get under and behind the bomber and a hit and run. I think you call it.'

Falck's English wasn't good but was getting better but still wasn't that good, he talked slowly.

'We had good radar. But not as good as you had, and you have even better now. What we all need to do is just teach to each other how we, sorry you.'

He halted looking for the right words.

 'I mean to say. How your bomber boys knew, bomber boys, is that the right word?'

Bader nodded. 'Please continue Major.'

Falck did. 'If we can talk to your bomber boys and ask them how they did it, then maybe we will know had to stop the Stalinist's.’

More pilots joined the group, they had to move to the main bar, and tables pushed together
The conversation turned to the use of planes the Russians had used on the Eastern front. Mostly the small PO-2's that were used to buzz German ground forces at night.

One German officer spoke of his experiences 'The main concern was not the damage the little planes could do, but what they might do. Some had bomb load of, maybe 200kg or more of bombs. We didn't encounter any with that amount. One thing I can tell you, we could hear them before we could see them. They flew in low and were gone in 30 seconds. It was very frightening'.

Ideas of the kind of plane they could use went back and forth. No decision was made; it was not up to them anyway. 

The weather had, at last, cleared a little. Part two of the bombing of the Russian airfields was about to begin.

Rhubarb's, Ramrod's and Circuses were to, again, start, this time with a lot more planes. The idea was the same as the last war. A small number of bombers escorted by a larger number of fighters. The thinking, again was the same.

Get their fighters up and then shoot them down. 

All of them down.

The only problem was the Russian rockets, but with the high speed of the aircraft they were going to put up it shouldn't matter too much this time. Unlike the aircraft of Bomber Command, Fighter Command's aircraft are least one hundred fifty miles an hour faster. Giving the Red's no time for them to get their act together.

The bombers to be used were Mosquito's and Beufighters and not the Bristol Blenheim's and other now, obsolete bombers as before. The new Wellington radar aircraft would see the Soviet fights before the NATO fighters and bombers could and then direct them to the targets, while the bombers would go for the command centers that the French had told them about. Also it was the first time The Free French had taken part in such a raid.

All 11 Group fighters were going, this meant 12 group would have come move down to protect the bases in the south east.

Everything was up, from Spitfire MK IX's to recovered German. From Meteor’s to Mustangs to the new Hawker Tempest's. Two squadrons were to going in first, to lure the Yak's and Mig's up, they then were going to turn tail a run.

Run.

Run straight into the path of over five hundred fighters. The more aircraft Stalin got airborne the more they could shoot down. Meanwhile the bombers would continue their attacks deeper into France and the Low Countries than they had been before. These were to be escorted by a further five squadrons. More than one hundred planes in all.

Another of the ways Fighter Command decided was, if you can't shoot them down get them over England, and over your own fields 12 group would take care of them, if not their fuel would run out. Either way one less Russian. They then would have to take more from the rest of Europe and therefore take pressure away from Scandinavia. 

The attack was going to take place at one in the afternoon. Not at dawn, not at dusk but lunchtime. Everyone had lunch didn't they?

Also a smaller number of P-47's, P-51's and Spitfire's would go to Normandy and hit anything they could, air bases, railways, roads, and if they were lucky enemy fuel depot's.

By 15.00 hours most had come back. By 16.30 no more had returned back to their own bases. Others had landed elsewhere, or crash landed on English soil, those which ended up in the channel he hoped would be picked up later. Those who hadn't been heard of, maybe they were alive. The stories he had been told by, his now German allies, he didn't even want to thinking about.

Claims of over three hundred enemy aircraft shot down had reached the office of Air Chief Marshall, Sir Keith Park, as well as many ground targets destroyed. Sir Keith knew the claims of shot down Russian aircraft were well over the top. Maybe eighty?

 It had been the same in the Battle of Britain, three pilots claiming the same aircraft. Other just damaged and they were able to make it home, how many pilots the Russians had lost all together there was no way to tell.

As for the ground targets they would have to wait until the photographs had been checked.


NATO's own losses where a lot better than he had hoped. Less than ten percent planes down with only six percent of aircrew unaccounted for.

Unaccounted for, but not all dead.

Over the next couple of days the numbers did come in and was almost the same result that Sir Keith had thought, give or take. The bombing was better in some places than others; the Normandy raid was by far the better. All targets destroyed or out of action for weeks. Across Northern France it was more hit and miss. And a lot more miss than had been hoped. One thing had had him thinking, the further inland they had struck the worse the damage the RAF had done. Why crossed his mind. Could have been that the Russians had put all their eggs in one basket, blind to them as they tackled the fighters over the channel? Or just didn't think we would try it in the first place. One command post and one railhead where no longer there, that was something. He'd have to have a word with Harris. But it had taken three re-con planes to get the photos back, two Spitfire Mk 19's and a Mossie. How long would it take to get a Meteor fixed up for PR? A couple of days?


Then the most important question.

'Can we get away with it again?' He said aloud 'we might', but that would be the last time to get at the Reds the same way. They would be up all the time bad weather or not. The strength and range of their radar was still a matter of discussion. It was better than what Germany had in '45 that was for sure.

As for any radar the Russians it must go, and that was a job for small teams of commando’s. And if what he had heard was right, the bloody SS.

Nasty bastards.

He smiled. Then laughed. 

At least they were now our bastards.

Bader

Chief of the Air Staff 1st Baron Arthur Tedder couldn't believe what he read. His office walls seemed to close in on him as he tried to fathom what was before his eyes. They were actually listening to Douglas Bader. Douglas Bader of Big Wing fame ... of the useless Big Wing fame.

He thought the death of Leigh-Malory would put an end to this nonsense. He was so stunned that he was paralyzed with disbelief. Not only where they going to try and take the fight to the enemy and give up all of their home air space advantages by conducting useless fighter sweeps but they were going to concentrate their fighters in the larger fighter bases and defend them with massive amounts of AA guns making every one into a big flack trap.

For all he knew that part might work but the Big Wing controversy was supposed to be over and done with. It didn't work last time and he was certain it wouldn't work this time. But what could he do?

They were listening to Bader now. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how Park had been persuaded. It wasn't like him to give in so easily. Tedder knew he wasn't a fighter man anyway. They wouldn't listen to him for God's sake on matters involving Fighter Command.

His sense of foreboding was mounting the more he thought about it. Four or possibly five to one odds and now this.

He had to leave the office and take a long ... long walk. Possibly go home and see to his family and not think about what was to happen. Of all people Bader. Leigh-Malory's hand rises from the grave. It was too much he had to leave before he did something rash.

Hit and Run the Plan by Tallthinkev

They had gathered in the one of the hangers at R.A.F. Duxford, near enough to the airfields that would bear the brunt of the oncoming storm.

Sir Keith Park stood up to address them.

'Gentleman, you are the best of the best, or at least the ones we have left' a small chuckle from the men present 'and were able to make it at such short notice.' he told them. This is mostly down to the weather.’

As you know the Russian fighters cannot reach this far north, without their drop tanks, one of the main reasons we meet here today, as their bombers, of course can.'

Sir Keith continued

'Do not get carried away because of this. We will let them come to us. As in 1940 bombers without fighters they are the easy meat. There plenty of them for each of you, so there is no need to go chasing them. Their fighters cannot get more than to the north of London keep that in mind at all times.'

'General Garland I must thank you for your idea of painting the underside of our aircraft the same way as you did with yours in the last war. I am sure we will have a lot less of a chance of being shot down by some of our more enthusiast members of our own ack-ack crews.'

'Thank you Sir Keith.' said the German General.

Sir Keith continued 'As you also know I was a not a great fan of the Big Wing. However, this may be the time to revise it.'

Air Commodore Bader spoke up.

'Thank you, Sir Keith for following my advice.'

'It was not your just your advice I was following, it was also the idea of the late Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory. However, we cannot have the same numbers as before and still provide cover for the airfields we have in this part of the country. My idea is to have two 'smaller' big wings, maybe four squadrons from the south west to shoot down their bombers on the way back. Is it better to shoot down ten on the way or fifty one the way back. I hope you agree with the latter. If the fields are going to be hit in the south west we can have our own big wing attack them from here. Of course there will be a problem is they decide to go for both at once.'

A slight smile comes over his face.

 'If this does happen they will have to half their aircraft. This will mean fewer bombers to deal with, here and there. A big wing would not be needed as much.'

A German officer asked a question. 'How will we know which way the Reds will go?'

Park replied 'Have you forgotten our new flying radars range? And your name?'

'Priller. Pips most call me.'

'Our Wellington’s, over Wales, can see from where, and when they take off…plenty of time to scramble our own forces.'

Pips nodded at this.

'While larger aircraft continue to be converted, like our own Lancaster’s and the American B-24's. With these can take more equipment and therefore cover a bigger area. As the weather over Western Europe is expected to remain bad for the time being at least, the chance of bombing over next few days will be a lot less than in the last week or so. Any questions?'

There was no answer.

'Good. Right then gentleman, this afternoon at 14.30 hours.'

The men left. Some to the mess others to look at planes they had only faced in a fight.