Harry, this is where things get complicated. Naval Intelligence have
given us a go to intercept the beacon, but now they want us to capture
the weather station cipher machine as well. It's a Fialka mark I. I
talked with our marines and we figured the following plan, but we need
you to make it work.
You are the only one on the sub who is able to identify the Fialka and
we want you to board the weather station covertly and gather all the
intelligence on it that you can. Naval intelligence want photos, wiring
diagrams and settings if you can get them, but they don't want the other
side to know you've got them. With luck our marines will cut out the
Soviet troops and capture the beacon as well, but in any case I am told
by the higher-ups that the Fialka is just as important. What do you
think?
Of course the weather station is guarded but the Soviets think we are
after the beacon and we can use that to our advantage. We surfaced late
last night and left a raiding party (codenamed Wolf) on the ice pack
close to the expected route of the beacon. We will surface again to the
south of the Lomonosov weather ship and send another raiding party
codenamed Fox round to the north to track them. Once the beacon is under
way Fox will act as recon and radio the Soviet route to Wolf. Together
they will launch a pincer attack just less than midway to the edge of
the icepack. The soviet commandos are almost certain to call the weather
station for backup and this will leave it unguarded.
The Michael 5 will head fast and loud in a line to intercept the Soviet
troops at the edge of the ice pack in the hope of drawing the Leninsky
Komosomov off station. I can lose them in the shallow channels to the
west and we will then run quietly back to pick you up. You may need to
spend a night or two on the ice but we can give you a Marine guard. Fox
and Wolf will fade to the East and wait for a pickup, with or without
the beacon.
We intercepted the enclosed message from Soviet Naval command. The
cipher guys said to tell you it is an interesting twist on an old European
cipher. Latin Five they called it.








