“Did you ever have any leverage?” Schloss asked with a one-sided grin.

  “Ha! That is the question, is it not? Stalin does what Stalin desires. To be honest, the rest of us have mainly scrambled to remain alive.”

  Smirnoff glanced over at Khrushchev and then turned to face Schloss again. “While I am happy to talk, I have very little influence on the course of the war moving forward.”

  “Your request concerning Ukraine that was part of your surrender note was intriguing for several reasons.”

  Smirnoff slid forward slightly on the sofa, trying to listen more closely to what Schloss had to say.

  “First of all,” Schloss continued, “Stalin can only interpret this as an act of insurrection.”

  “To be honest,” Smirnoff responded, “the moment we asked for terms, our lives were forfeit.”

  Schloss nodded. “I can understand that. Secondly, your suggestion mirrored some things I had considered. I’m confident Germany will eventually win this war. The problem we face is how to arrange the European boundaries and governance so that we don’t have to do this again in twenty years. I am not confident we will ever see any sensible government in Moscow. So my question would be, how do we break apart your Soviet Union in such a way so that no single part can be a threat to the German Reich?”

  “That is an honest answer,” Smirnoff said. “To be candid myself, I began looking at this as a means to ensure personal survival. That is what we do in the Soviet Union. But if I can get at least some of the people out from under the thumb of Stalin, is that not such a bad thing? The man is a monster.”

  Schloss studied the two men across from him. Khrushchev was deferring to Smirnoff, and he thought that interesting.

  “So let us explore what you have in mind and how Germany might be able to help. I believe our aims are similar, if not identical. You ask that we allow you to set up an independent state in Ukraine, but it may be some time before we can be in a position to do that.”

  After the interpreter translated the words into Russian, Khrushchev laughed. “So you’re saying it will be sometime before we can harvest that field.”

  Schloss smiled. “That is entirely correct. What might Germany do to hasten that harvest?”

  “My people are in good condition, but we would need to be equipped and provisioned,” Smirnoff stated. “The lack of food, ammunition, and POL is what drove our surrender, as you know.”

  It is incredible how a simple conversation can be so revealing, Schloss thought to himself. It seemed that Smirnoff had been thinking about this for some time. He had arranged the surrender in a way to salvage his army, regardless of Stalin’s orders to fight to the finish.

  “And so after we fight through to the eastern border of Ukraine, we simply hand the country over to you. What will you be doing meanwhile?”

  Smirnoff looked over at Khrushchev and then back at Schloss. He rubbed his hands on his trouser legs and seemed to hesitate.

  “General Smirnoff, there must be a quid pro quo here other than just my general strategy to end the war.”

  “I suppose we are going to have to help fight through to the eastern borders of Ukraine.”

  “Yes, I suppose you are. And that begs the question we’ve all been dancing around this morning. Are you willing to fight against your nation and your fellow officers? Is your army willing to fight?”

  Smirnoff leaned back and gazed around the room, seemingly studying the details.

  “Come now, General,” Schloss persisted, “this cannot be the first time you have considered this.”

  “It has occupied my thinking since Rommel closed off the salient, and we found ourselves in a sack. When our resupply did not arrive, the end was not in question. Let me tell you what I have done. Yes, I have thought about this; and yes, I am willing to fight against my countrymen. You will note that the first thing we did was to arrest all of our political officers.”

  “What about him?” Schloss asked, pointing to Khrushchev.

  Khrushchev looked down at the floor. “I found myself under arrest as well.”

  So Smirnoff really is in control, Schloss thought. This is interesting. He looked around the room as he thought quickly.

  “Here is what we are going to do, meine Herren. You will be interned in camps in Germany. You will be responsible for unit discipline and development. Your first task will be to determine which of those in your army are willing to fight for an independent Ukraine and who aren’t. We will split the two groups into separate camps. As far as the world is concerned, you are all prisoners of war, and we will treat you accordingly. As we develop plans to move back into Poland and eventually Ukraine, we will keep you apprised and develop plans for utilizing your army. Right now, I intend that your army will probably comprise the invasion force. We will provide your logistics. Is that agreeable?”

  Smirnoff nodded. “Yes, Herr Reich Chancellor. That is not only agreeable but generous. If it has to be said, we will be honorable and reliable allies to Germany. I hope that we can help build a lasting peace so that nothing like this ever happens again.”

  “Thank you. That is my fervent hope as well. For the moment, you will work with members of the Wehrmacht High Command. At various times, as needed, you will also work with members of my government. We will be involved in helping you design a new government. We would like something that is both stable and easy for us to work with.”

  “I understand,” Smirnoff answered.

  Schloss stood. The other two men quickly stood as well.

  “Meine Herren,” Schloss said, “thank you for your time this morning.”

  After shaking hands with Smirnoff and Khrushchev, Schloss walked quickly from the room. He hoped his trip to Brandenburg had not been a fool’s errand. But, Smirnoff and Khrushchev were realists. If they were convinced they could separate Ukraine from the Soviet Union, Germany should help them.

  § § §

  April 12, 1944; 3PM

  Reich Chancellor’s Office

  Frankfurt, Germany

  Schloss greeted Wernher Von Braun and General Walter Dornberger as they entered his office.

  “Good morning, meine Herren. I know you have traveled a long distance to get here, so let’s make the most of the time.”

  “Thank you,” Dornberger said. “We have accomplished much since we last met, and we are excited to share with you.”

  Schloss ushered them to the chairs across from his desk and returned to his chair. “I read the brief you sent ahead and found it interesting. I can’t say that I understand most of it, but it sounds like you’re making progress. General, would you like to summarize?”

  “Yes, Herr Reich Chancellor. We have our new base set up and functioning. We are now located about 30 kilometers east of Tripoli in Libya. Depending on the testing regime, the location allows us to fire rockets either into the Mediterranean or the Libyan desert.”

  “I was surprised you were able to get your base up and operational so quickly,” Schloss commented.

  “Conditions are primitive at the moment, but we have everything needed to continue the development of the rockets.”

  “Are you getting cooperation from the Army?”

  “Yes Herr Reich Chancellor. The Army has provided everything we have needed in terms of supplies and security. So far, most of our rocket assemblies are shipped in Germany, and Wernher is setting up a small factory so that we can quickly assemble rockets onsite.”

  “And you have done this on a shoestring budget. I am amazed. Now let’s talk about your progress with the rocket development.”

  “We are working on your directive to scale up the A4 to give us something with a range of about 2000 kilometers. I would like Wernher to explain the project in detail if that is all right with you, sir.”

  Schloss nodded and looked expectantly at von Braun. The dapper young man cleared his throat and began to speak.

  “Given the realities of our budget situation,” and his eyes twinkled, “we decided to rethink the whole process. We essentially started over and scrapped the A-10 design. We have a satisfactory rocket engine that we use in the A4. So we are taking a multipronged approach. We will scale up the rocket by adding A4 engines to the platform to give us the necessary range and payload. We have also initiated an extensive testing program on the engines themselves. First of all, we are working to increase the thrust of the engines, and secondly, we are working to improve the reliability.”

  “What kind of things are you looking at to increase the thrust?” Schloss asked.

  “We think the biggest gain will be in a redesign of the injector. We abandoned several promising designs because of the haste to get the original A4 into production. We also have a team that is focused on looking for less expensive components and cheaper manufacturing techniques. As you have pointed out, Herr Reich Chancellor, the A4 is too expensive to be an effective weapon. The success of the V1 was an eye-opener for us.”

  “What is the old saying?” Schloss asked with a grin. “Experience is the best teacher.”

  Von Braun laughed out loud. “And some fools will have no other.”

  “Exactly. A tight budget stimulates creativity. Have you given any thought to fitting the improved engines into the A4?”

  “Yes, Herr Reich Chancellor. I have a proposal with me for the redesign of the A4. It will, of course, require a budget.”

  Schloss laughed out loud while Dornberger looked horrified. “You really are a rascal, aren’t you? If you leave the proposal with me, I will start looking at it.”

  Von Braun handed a folder across the desk to Schloss. “Here is a drawing of the redesigned A-10, along with the general specifications and performance estimates.”

  Schloss opened it and examined the drawing of the new missile. “I see you have abandoned the streamlined shape of the A4. It looks like a long piece of pipe.”

  “We realized that the longer-range rocket would rise above the heaviest part of the atmosphere before it gained a lot of speed. This design is much simpler to manufacture and gives us more interior space to work with.”

  “And that you are planning to use six engines, then?”

  “That is our intention at this point, although that could change. We are examining the possibility of providing a flexible mounting for the central engine to deflect the thrust by re-pointing the engine rather than using guidance vanes. The guidance vanes on the A4 have proven troublesome.”

  “That’s very interesting. Since this looks like a preliminary design, how long do you think it will be before you have something to fly?”

  Von Braun looked over at Dornberger, who then spoke.

  “We have been debating on a new methodology for testing and development,” the general said. “Because we have simplified the overall design, the individual rockets should be inexpensive enough to build that we could rapidly build prototypes and test them, and make running changes to perfect it.”

  “Seems like a waste of good hardware to me,” Schloss commented.

  “Those on the team opposed to the methodology change have made that point. I believe that we are balancing the hardware cost against the team's payroll and fixing unexpected flaws in the production rocket. We are developing a new technology here, and I believe it would be a good opportunity to develop new ways of building the things.”

  Schloss bit his lower lip as he considered what he heard. “Very well, meine Herren, your track record has been good. I don’t think I want to try to be the engineer for you. Was there anything else this morning?”

  Von Braun slid another folder across to Schloss’s desk. “Here’s the proposal for the A4C rocket.”

  Schloss stood up, as did the others. “Thank you for making the trip up here. Make sure you keep the monthly reports coming. I don’t want to make you travel here for a twenty-minute meeting every month. You would lose a week in the travel. Let’s plan on having one of you travel here every six months. If I see something in the reports that warrants closer attention, then I will ask you to come for a visit.”

  “Of course, Herr Reich Chancellor,” Dornberger murmured.

  Schloss returned to his desk and thought about the rocketry project. He needed a weapon that could reach Moscow from Germany. If Heisenberg were able to develop an atomic warhead, the A10 would be the best delivery vehicle. It would be one of those weapons he hoped never to have to use.

  And von Braun still had his dreams of reaching the Moon. In Schloss’s other world, the scientist had been a vital member of the American Moon program. For Germany to be a truly global power, this was a technology she had to master. He hoped the von Braun of this world was up to the task.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  April 14, 1944; 3PM

  The Kremlin

  Moscow, USSR

  Stalin’s meetings were usually quiet. Those attending kept their voices low, and Stalin never shouted, either. The first meeting following Smirnoff’s surrender was strangely subdued. The four men in the room worked through routine business required of governing the state. Along with Stalin, of course, were Kruglov and Malenkov. Demyan Korotchenko had been summoned from Kiev and was also in attendance. Unsure of his status, he sat quietly and visibly fought his fears.

  “For our final item today,” Stalin announced, “we will select a replacement for Ivan Smirnoff, who has turned his back upon his people and stabbed International Socialism in the back.”

  Malenkov took this as his cue to speak. “The Presidium voted to elevate Vasily Chuikov to be responsible for all the armies in the West.”

  It was quiet in the room again as Stalin loaded his pipe. After fouling the air with his acrid tobacco, he looked around the table. “Comments from anyone?”

  “I would recommend Ivan Koney,” Kruglov said. “He is a reliable party member and also a superior tactician.”

  “I would agree with Comrade Kruglov’s comments about Koney,” Malenkov responded. “However, there seems to be a consensus that Chuikov is just as good.”

  Stalin looked over at Korotchenko as though expecting him to speak. The Ukrainian glanced wildly around the room and saw no overt sympathy.

  “I have met Chuikov,” he stammered. “I do not know him well. He seems to be a loyal son of the revolution.”

  Stalin stared at him for a while. The man was panting in fright. He gazed around the room again.

  “Very well. We will accept the recommendation of the Presidium. That will be all. Sergei, please remain behind.”

  “Of course, Comrade General Secretary,” Kruglov murmured.

  Stalin seemed to puff contentedly on his pipe after the others had trooped out. One never knew what Stalin was thinking, Kruglov thought, and the man was devilishly hard to read. Finally, the general secretary spoke again.

  “What do you think of our new friend from Kiev?”

  Kruglov snorted involuntarily. “The man is a lightweight. He is a climber who does not understand his limitations.”

  “Is he reliable?”

  “Is anyone truly reliable? He serves himself, first of all. He has not given any cause to doubt his loyalty, however.”

  “That will have to suffice for the moment. Why did you not arrest Khrushchev and Smirnoff?”

  “I lost contact with the party apparatus in the Army. We later learned that Smirnoff had arrested all of the political officers and sequestered them.”

  “And how did he learn the identities of all the political officers?”

  “Khrushchev,” was Kruglov’s one-word reply.

  Stalin tapped the ash out of his pipe on the table and began refilling it. He did not speak again until the tobacco was alight.

  “Khrushchev killed Beria.” A statement.

  “I believe that is correct, Comrade Party Secretary.”

  “And now he thinks he is out of our reach.”

  “If he believes that, he is mistaken.”

  Stalin removed his pipe and stared at Kruglov. After a few moments, he nodded.

  “See to it, Sergei.”

  Kruglov had spent time and effort in protecting Khrushchev and Smirnoff. Once they had surrendered, he lost the ability to watch over them. Consequently, he was not sure he even wanted to protect them. At this point, he agreed with Stalin that everyone needed to learn the lesson.

  “Understand, Comrade, that we have two highly placed agents in the German army. One is a colonel, and the other is a major. They will likely be expended in this operation.”

  Stalin replaced the pipe in his mouth and commenced his usual tuneless humming. After a while, he waved Kruglov out of the room. The head of the MKV understood Stalin’s decision. He had the general secretary’s permission to do whatever was necessary to eliminate Khrushchev and Smirnoff. If the effort failed, he would later be held responsible for the resources he wasted.

  He stood and walked from the room. It was the way the game was played in the Soviet Union, and he accepted that. Protecting himself against Stalin’s unpredictability was one challenge he faced. Malenkov was also a threat, as was Korotchenko. On top of that, he had to manage the huge bureaucracy that was the NKVD effectively. And Dzerzhinsky Square was full of vipers who thought they might overthrow Kruglov and run the place one day. The challenge there was to maintain awareness of who those people were and make sure they knew he was aware.

  To be honest with himself, Kruglov enjoyed the challenge of managing the wheels within wheels that was the Soviet government. As a self-critical man, he was comfortable in his abilities and confident that he could control his future.

  Kruglov returned to his office and began planning the removal of Smirnoff and Khrushchev. While he was satisfied he had the resources to accomplish the task, he was well aware that little had gone right in this war. The Germans had repeatedly maneuvered their forces to avoid a crushing defeat while bleeding the Red Army. The Russians had learned a lot in this war, mainly through painful experience.