Axis Victorious: Book 4 of the Axis Alternate Series by Max Lamirande

Author:Max Lamirande [Lamirande, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Obsidian Press
Published: 2024-01-20T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 3

Kuntsevo Dacha

January 28th, 1941

Kuntsevo Dacha was Joseph Stalin's personal residence near the town of Kuntsevo, where he lived, although he also spent much time inside the Kremlin, where he possessed living quarters next to his offices. In fact, he often slept on the couch right by his desk. But when he went home, it was to this place. The dacha was located inside a densely wooded birch forest; its defenses included a double-perimeter fence, camouflaged 37-millimeter antiaircraft guns, and a security force of three hundred NKVD. The grounds included lemon and apple trees, a rose garden, a small pond, and a watermelon patch that Stalin liked cultivating. It was as much of a center of power for the Soviet Union as the Kremlin was. The Soviet dictator often received important guests at the house. The entire grounds were covered in heavy snowfall, just as Stalin liked it.

The rectangular dining room was dominated by a long, polished table and covered with rose-design carpets. The walls were decorated with images of Vladimir Lenin and the writer Maxim Gorky. It was in this room that Stalin welcomed the Soviet Politburo for meetings and late-night dinners and where important decisions were often taken. An "almost invisible" door on the wall on one side of the dining room led to Stalin's bedroom and a kitchen.

Situated on the left-hand side of the dacha was Stalin's personal study (where he spent most of the day when at Kuntsevo) with his large war-time desk, a radio that was a gift from Ribbentrop, the German Foreign Minister, and a couch; Stalin preferred to sleep on this couch, instead of his bedroom.

From the entrance, a long, narrow corridor led initially to two bedrooms (mostly used for accommodating occasional guests) and eventually to a large open veranda. On that cold day in January, he sat in a chair, wearing his warm sheepskin coat and a fur hat. Beside him on a small table were a book and a steaming hot cup of tea.

He was busy looking at the sunset in the distant, cold air when one of the NKVD guards opened the door to the veranda. “Comrade First Commissar,” said the young man, saluting sharply. “Yes, Leytenant Dakov?” “Sir, the battle of Baghdad is over, we have won and General Yeremenko reports that he should be in within sight of Palestine within a week.” “Thank you, Lieutenant,” answered Stalin with a grin, never leaving his gaze from the sunset.

He exhaled in satisfaction, and his breath fumed in the cold air. His forces were finally making good progress in the Middle East after some initial difficulties and his reluctance to attack the territory since it would go to the Germans in the end. But now that the Turks had surrendered and joined the Axis, the Wehrmacht was on the move in Syria and had already conquered Aleppo. It wouldn’t do to show Hitler any kind of reluctance to advance and help him with the conquest of the Suez Canal and Egypt. As much as he continued to dislike the German dictator, he found he still had his uses.

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