Just Finished Reading: Operation Kronstadt by Harry Ferguson (FP: 2008) 

It was an impossible mission, so of course he agreed to go. Lieutenant Augustus ‘Gus’ Agar RN had missed the ‘big shows’ during the Great War and was eager to show his mettle. This mission for a struggling MI6 looked just the thing. The plan, such that it was, was deceptively simple. ‘Gus’ and his chosen men would temporally join the British Fleet in the Baltic along with 3 of the navy’s radical torpedo boats. They would then run missions into Bolshevik occupied areas to drop off and pick up intelligence operatives including Paul Dukes who was at that time the only SIS agent operating inside St Petersburg and a vital British asset. At their earliest opportunity ‘Gus’ and his team would extract Dukes and return home. Simple really – except for a few minor issues. For one, no one had been in touch with Dukes for weeks and it wasn’t at all certain that he was still at liberty. For another the boats being used had never operated in Baltic waters before and no one really knew how they would perform. The boats themselves, whilst not exactly experimental, where on the cutting edge of naval technology. They were fast, VERY fast, but where incredibly noisy at high speed and frighteningly delicate because of the need to reduce as much weight as possible. Even a near miss from any shell of appreciable size would easily destroy the craft and kill everyone on board. The engines where modified from aircraft use and were notoriously temperamental and, the weight restrictions had another effect. The torpedoes couldn’t be launched forwards using compressed air to fire them ahead at their intended target. Nothing so rational, oh no. They were ejected backwards – using a powered ram – which meant that the boat had to swerve out of the way to avoid being hit by their own weapon. But that was OK. No one expected that the torpedoes would be required. But as the weeks slipped by without any message from Dukes, ‘Gus’ had an idea. The Bolshevik fleet was in easy reach of his team and they could, if given permission, wreak havoc in a confined space. Appalled by the idea that any of the boats could be lost before Dukes could be rescued MI6 gave an emphatic ‘No’ to the operational request. ‘Gus’ went anyway and, as predicted havoc did ensue. After a successful mission was completed the British admiral in the Baltic saw an opportunity to deal the Russians a crushing blow and maybe drown the Bolshevik Revolution in its crib. Only two things stood in the way – the combined firepower of the Kronstadt Fortress and the Soviet Baltic Fleet.

I knew that we had spies in Russia both in the run up to and in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution but I had no idea that the British navy was so heavily involved in operations in the Baltic at that time. I know that Allied Forces were stationed briefly on Russian territory supposedly to assist the ‘Whites’ in their civil war with the ‘Reds’ but I never realised that British and Russian forces actually came to blows with thousands dead around Kronstadt. It was completely off my radar. I certainly know a LOT more about that now! This was essentially a story in two halves – the espionage bit with Dukes in St Petersburg and ‘Gus’ in the Baltic in his torpedo boats. Both sections were incredibly tense and very exciting (with the benefit of 100 years distance!). I was honestly entranced by the whole thing. The rescue plan itself and Dukes being in place in the heart of Soviet Russia were typical ‘make do with what you have and improvise the rest’ British operations wholly dependent on the grit, determination and bloody mindedness of all involved. Luckily for most of those involved (without giving TOO much away) things largely worked as hoped – at least eventually! This was a story of a little known operation  quite brilliantly told. Highly entertaining – especially if you enjoy real hair-raising moments – and highly recommended.       

           [!Coming next: A Pandemic Blitz Read, so buckle up ]