Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Three
7th October 1941
Northern Sea of Japan
All the skulking around the Northern Pacific had come to this. Jacob watched as hundreds of airplanes launched and circled over the fleet in the predawn light. He didn’t claim to understand much about naval aviation. It was an area that had never interested him in the past and that had become apparent to when he’d been present for the mission briefing. Getting talked to like a six-year-old by the Ensign who was explaining the mission was an experience he could have lived without. He had been on the other side of such briefings on countless occasions and he’d instantly recognized it for what it was. It was not as if this was complex mission. If it floated, rolled or provided support for the Russian war effort in the Pacific then it was a legitimate target. Those targets would get hit and if the opportunity presented itself then they’d bounce the rubble. Jacob had concluded that it was something that he needed rectify if he was going to continue with his career.
In other areas, no one had any doubts about Jacob’s abilities. He saw this when two crewmen walked past him and he detected the usual awe that these sorts got when word about his ability to use radios and the barest intelligence to guide a fleet undetected through less than friendly waters. Already they had to pass dangerously close to the Japanese home islands once. On the way back out they’d need to repeat that except every Navy in the North Pacific would know that they were somewhere out there.
Jacob just hoped that their faith in him was not misplaced.
As Jacob watched, the fighters aboard the SMS Albatros, formally the SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm, took off and the whole formation turned west towards Vladivostok. The war had just come to the far east…
Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia
Being in the Russian Navy here meant that one could have privileges that far outstripped their actual rank. As a Chief Petty Officer and a clerk, Vasily had it particularly easy. Just keep things within screaming distance of good order. If some high-ranking officer took issue and a memo got fired off to Moscow they’d probably all die of old age before such a matter ever saw the light of day. If it did, what would they do? Send him to Siberia? A bit late for that wasn’t it. He mused on this as he walked down the street towards the warehouses where he worked about ten minutes late.
Vasily heard the whistling buzz of an airplane’s engine. Must be an unscheduled plane coming in from somewhere, he thought. That was hardly unusual, there had been a lot of that lately as diplomatic traffic had increased and this had been a waystation in this effort. The sound increased as the airplane got closer and the sound of more engines came into earshot, the Air Force must be up to something, he thought.
The warehouse that had been Vasily’s destination exploded into a cloud of splinters. He ducked instinctively as an airplane streaked past at what seemed like only meters over his head. He caught a glimpse of dark gray on light gray camouflage and the unmistakable markings of the German Navy where they had absolutely no business being.
There were more explosions, a large fireball was seen rising over the harbor, another from the railyard that was the terminus of the Trans-Siberian railroad.
A couple hours later Vasily was dragooned into help with the fire-fighting effort when the next wave arrived…
Baranovichi, Belorussia SSR
It had been a long time coming but the moment was finally here. Thousands of artillery pieces that had been moved into place and carefully camouflaged. They had been fighting to hold this in place while the reserve armies had been moved into place. In the early morning hours, the shelling started and the counter attack commenced…
9th October 1941
North of Kiev, Ukraine SSR
Hans was aiming down the sights of his rifle shooting at the Russians as they came again. Horst had ended up in charge of the Regiment after the Oberst had disappeared in the initial onslaught. The whole thing had been a mess from the start. Everyone knew that Major Horst had met with General von Wolvogle late last month. Judging by the reaction that Horst had when all Hell broke loose it was obvious what the subject they must have been talked about was.
They had been subjected to rolling artillery followed by thousands of infantry. Hans heard the sound of a cartridge cooking off inside the barrel of one of their machine guns. Something he had grown increasingly familiar with over the last day and a half. He pulled the trigger and watched as the Russian troops went to ground. There was also a considerable amount of fire back, the sound of Russian submachine guns was something else that had become distressingly familiar. There was also a chugging sound of those light machine guns that they had.
After a time, the attack finally let up, the line held, barely. That was when the word came down that they were falling back. It was with a bitter taste in their mouths that they found themselves retreating back down the road back to Kowel. But their left flank was exposed and it was that or risk encirclement. The fact that it was starting to snow didn’t lighten the mood.
