Operation Fog - Failure of Zeppelin

More recently, the “top secret” neck was removed from one of the operations of the Second World War period, which had the code name “Fog”. The idea of ​​holding a radio game appeared immediately after it became known about the intention of the German sabotage and intelligence agency "Zeppelin" to organize an attempt on the life of I.Stalin. The idea of ​​the attack belonged to Hitler himself. Schellenberg, head of the German Imperial Security Directorate General, wrote in his memoirs that in 1944, Ribbentrop told him about a secret operation, warning that it was kept in complete secrecy, and only Hitler, Himmler and Borman know about it .

Himmler decided to send two agents to Moscow who were supposed to be supplied with explosive remote equipment. It was planned that the bomb should be installed in the car that drove Stalin himself. The Nazis wanted to carry out the action, using the saboteur’s acquaintance with the driver of a special garage. However, the plan failed, and what happened to the scouts, the Germans did not manage to find out.

Therefore, a new attempt was made. This time, the leader was ordered to kill Peter Tavrin, whose real name was Shilo, and who was a full-time recidivist. He twice managed to escape from custody, and the same time he changed his last name. Even despite the fact that Tavrin was wanted, he repeatedly managed to occupy very significant positions, including the investigator of the Voronezh regional prosecutor's office. In 1941, Tavrina was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army, and a year later he voluntarily surrendered to the fascists and immediately fell into the hands of German intelligence. In 1943, he was brought to Berlin and introduced to the head of Zeppelin, who was Grefe Gainz. The saboteur was trained under a special program in Zeppelin-Nord, which was located first in Pskov and then in Riga. Otto Skorzeny, a fairly well-known fascist terrorist, was actively involved in his training.

In order to conspiracy Tavrin lived in Pskov. At the same time, he had to meet his partner on the instructions and his future wife Lydia Shilova, who was supposed to perform the functions of a radio operator.

Tavrin received fictitious documents of a major, Hero of the Soviet Union and the deputy chief of counterintelligence SMERSH. And Shilova received the documents of the junior lieutenant of the same department.

In order to transfer saboteurs across the front line, the Arado-232 aircraft was specially manufactured at the Messerschmidt plant. This plane was used only in the case of night flights for the landing of sabotage groups on Soviet territory, while it absolutely did not need a specially prepared site. The machine was equipped with 12 pairs of rubber tracks with rubber coating, which made it possible to plant even in the marshland.

5 September 1944, Tavrin and Shilova were transferred to the Smolensk region. However, the pilots failed to navigate in the dark, so they chose an unsuccessful landing site. The plane was fired three times by Soviet gunners, which led to the ignition of one of the engines. Therefore, the pilots were forced to make an emergency landing. A motorcycle was immediately rolled out of the plane, on which Tavrin and Shilova left at dawn. The pilots, not wanting to attract too much attention, violated the instructions, deciding not to blow up the plane. Soon they were caught. One of them was killed in a shootout.

The arrested pilots during interrogations showed that they were German intelligence officers, and also that they were warned about the particular importance of the successful transfer of Tavrin to Soviet territory. In 1945, the entire crew of the German aircraft was sentenced to death.

Tavrina and Shilova were arrested and taken to Moscow. During the search, the Panzerknake special unit with 9 charges was discovered. Later it was found that these charges had a caliber of 30 millimeters, a length of 17 centimeters and a weight of 235 grams and were armor-piercing high-explosive grenades of cumulative action that can hit the target at a distance of about 300 meters. The device had a remote control. The device was made in such a way that it easily fit in the sleeve of a coat. Several pistols were also found, among them Scott with 15 explosive bullets with a high-speed poison. The saboteurs also carried a magnetic mine with a remote fuse.

In addition, during the arrest of terrorists, coding tables and ciphers were identified, as well as warning methods developed specifically in case of failure. Later it was possible to establish another ciphering feature, a precaution that only Tavrin knew about. As it turned out, Tavrin agreed with the Zeppelin to send a conditional signal, which had to be transferred to the center in the event of his arrest. But he refused to explain in detail the principle of the use of encryption.

27 September 1944 of Shilov, under the control of Soviet counterintelligence, went on the air and transmitted the first cipher message containing information about the allegedly successful arrival of saboteurs at their destination. October 25 from Germany received an answer with a request to indicate the coordinates where the plane and crew remained.

The next day, another radiogram was transmitted, in which Shilova reported that, together with Tavrin, she settled in one of the suburbs of Moscow, in the village of Lenino. In the response cryptogram, German intelligence set the task for the terrorists: to settle in Moscow and begin preparations for the task, as well as transmit information about the general state of affairs in Moscow and the Kremlin.

Then it became clear that the Germans did not guess that the encryption was sent by the Soviet Chekists. That is why it was decided to start a radio game, called "Fog". Sanction for its conduct was issued personally by the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR, LP Beria. The main goal of the radio game was to call on as many German agents as possible on the Soviet territory and arrest them, as well as to get turnouts with other saboteurs of fascist intelligence.

The Soviet counterintelligence did everything possible to ensure that the Germans believed in the success of Tavrin's actions in Moscow and made sure that Tavrin was fully capable of carrying out the assigned task. Thus, they tried to prevent another German intelligence attempt to eliminate Stalin. The Chekists also sought to convince the Germans that it was necessary to subordinate all the agents operating in the Soviet rear. That is why the next encryption was sent, in which Tavrin reported difficulties, as well as that he was going to get a job. Later information was transmitted that Tavrin managed to establish contact with a woman doctor who had acquaintances at the Kremlin hospital. In response, the Germans sent a message stating that other German agents were working in the same area, and it was proposed to establish contact with them. Soviet intelligence began to suspect that the Germans had some doubts, and thus they were trying to check whether Tavrin was not working on the NKVD. Therefore, instead of an affirmative answer, a radiogram was sent to Germany in which Tavrin gave the center the opportunity to decide on this matter.

In this way, a few months of radio games gave tangible results. The operation continued until the end of the war. Later, one of the employees of the Main Directorate of Imperial Security, captured, reported that until the very end Tavrin was spoken of as a great chance for Zeppelin to secure not only honors and titles, but also unlimited powers in future intelligence activities.

The last encryption to Zeppelin was sent in April 1945 of the year, but there was no answer. So ended the radio game "Fog". 16 August 1951, Tavrin appeared on trial. He was charged with all the crimes he committed, and on 1 in February 1952, the terrorists were sentenced to death. March 28 was shot Tavrin, and April 2 - and Shilov.