A fabulous race prepped 1930s Bugatti Royale had been unearthed in Estonia in 1986. For forty-five years it quietly sat secretly sequestered in a barn on the farm of Mihkel Oja’s just deceased father Jaak Oja. It’s discovery has inspired the grieving Oja retinue from America to devise a wild scheme to smuggle the car out of Estonia. Because they envisioned an independent Estonia in the not too distant future, their intention called for selling the Bugatti in the west to fund an Estonian technical trades academy. It would serve as a magnificent memorial to honor the patriotism of Mihkel’s deceased parents. At the same time sneaking this “Mona Lisa” of vintage cars out from under the repressive Estonian communist government’s nose would serve to celebrate Jaak Oja’s antipathy to Estonia’s communist regime.

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale Part 3 (Episode 17- The Best Laid Plans)

ESTONIA 1986

All men selected by Valentina to bring the Bugatti plan to life, called themselves the “Forest Brothers.” The name would honor the roughly thirty thousand native Estonian men who in WWII chose not to submit to the Germans nor subsequently the Russians. These thousands of men instead armed themselves and melted into the dense Estonian forests. From then on, these Forest Brothers conducted a brutal guerilla war against first the Nazis, then the Soviet occupying forces. They continued to fight for years even after the end of the War.

WWII Forest Brothers

Viktor Karmään joined by loyal extended Oja family members Roman, Andrus, Peeter, Aleksander, Margus and Madis formed the core of the new Forest Brothers. In the suppressed but patriotic native Estonian culture the sacrifices of those who came before were held in the highest esteem. Unspoken but understood, these new Forest Brothers, like their WWII namesakes, would give their lives rather than betray a comrade. Not alone, the Forest Brothers had the support of women from the extended Oja family; all no less dedicated than their brethren. Olga, Katrin, Marina, Helen and Elena would call themselves the Forest Sisters. Together as a clandestine assemblage of righteous co-conspirators, they formed a resourceful and fearless ad hoc network dedicated to a single purpose. They would make Mihkel Oja’s plan a reality. Consisting of craftsmen, local police, dock supervisors, port administrators, town officials, loggers, warehouse managers and a doctor, all involved had an important role to play.

Led by Mihkel and Valentina all understood they had to move with speed and precision as winter fast approached. All bore the burden of being entrusted with creating and delivering the hollow log “Trojan Horse” containing the Royale. Though eager, the Forest Brothers and Sisters faced a daunting task subject to a fast moving clock. Two major choke points loomed over the work schedule. First the visiting Americans’ mandatory departure time in Estonia rapidly approached and secondly punishing Arctic winds already portended a harsh winter.

With little time and scarce resources they toiled tirelessly to fabricate the “Trojan Horse.” A rugged Ural 6X6 flatbed truck “borrowed” from a logging camp would provide the muscle to haul the Trojan Horse to the docks. As fabrication proceeded respected team members discretely dispensed bribes to smooth access to the docks and facilitate passage and approvals through the port to the awaiting Liberian flagged cargo ship.

Finding seasoned logs reduced the weight of the Trojan Horse by almost half compared to fresh cut lumber. Finding a site with little chance of discovery unwittingly brought the story full circle as the warehouse built deep in the woods 1n 1938 to prep the Royale still existed. Though gutted it remained sound. There would reside the platform upon which the Trojan Horse would be built. Generators and Salamander space heaters on short term loan “appropriated” by John from Eesti Energia transformed the open space into a somewhat tolerable work space. And work they did.

Back in the Oja barn Jack and Viktor had made significant progress. Farm tires had been found that would accommodate the Royale’s wheels. Suspension components and the steering box experienced resurrections courtesy of recently developed silicon grease. Surprisingly the rejuvenation process moved along quite smartly resulting in a more than acceptable rolling chassis. Realizing that they had brought the Bugatti’s chassis to life and knowing that the team at the warehouse needed more time to complete the Trojan Horse, Jack and Viktor turned their attention to the powertrain. Not that they thought they could get it running, they simply wanted to know the beautiful beast better.

In navigating the wonders of the Royale’s unique supercharged engine Viktor wanted to explore how to refine the integration of the supercharger. He dared not try anything with the existing set-up but, he thought, if he could get a second carburetor to play with, how grand that would be. In a bolt of inspiration he researched and found the address and phone number of the Bugatti Club of Switzerland. They had been around since 1935. On a whim he went to the local train station for a phone and called. A poised and very formal gentleman man answered. Viktor asked for any information as to where a carburetor for a Bugatti Royale might be found. The man chuckled and said the last one he saw was strapped to a unicorn. The man did say Viktor could leave his phone number; which Viktor did, and if the man ran into that unicorn he would call him. Viktor laughed, thanked the man for his time and returned to exploring the magnificent beast without giving the call a second thought.

MOLSHIEM, FRANCE 1986

Wizened by the off-putting effect that his aggressive tone had on his elderly Aunt Yvonne, Yuri Petrov would not make that mistake again. Having flown to Molsheim, France, the revered home of Bugatti, Petrov placed himself in the company of his Aunt Yvonne and her colleague from Pre-War Bugatti Jacques Moreau. Jacques had been a young and skilled apprentice at Bugatti in the late 1930s. With the three seated at Yvonne’s dinner table, Petrov presented himself as a classic car aficionado with a love of all things Bugatti. Reaching for an open bottle of Chateau Margaux Bordeaux he had brought and set aside to breath earlier, Petrov gushed about his admiration for the brilliant craftsmanship of artists and visionaries such as Jacques. After Petrov filled the wide mouthed stemmed glasses Yvonne had set out for the three seated at the table, he raised his glass in a toast to the elderly man in the dark beret, checked shirt and heavy duty work pants. He toasted the great men such as Jacques responsible for creating such breathtaking beauty. Eagerly refilling Jacques’s glass, Petrov with almost fawning obsequiousness lavished praise on the great men of the automotive Golden Age such as Jacques. Petrov’s voice radiated warmth and congeniality as he began to explore Jacques’ memories of the  “Old Days” at the Bugatti factory. Despite his best efforts to project a warm and a conversational ease, Petrov’s words, increasingly acquired the feel of an integration. He could barely restrain himself from clawing to the facts for which he hungered. fortunately for Petrov, the fine wine and feigned adulation had lubricated Jacques’ recollections of the factory while dulling the old man’s desire for compensation.

Bugatti Factory 1930s

Much to Petrov’s liking, Yvonne initiated talk of the mystery car by recalling how Jean Bugatti had made such an issue about the hush, hush nature of this “special Bugatti. Being the office manager she saw big invoices come in and go out. However, none matched the size of those going out to some rich Romanian playboy. Jacques, wishing to capture the dominant role in the recollection of past events, jumped in recalling sneaking into the off-limits “quarantaine” special projects workshop. What he saw then, he described, now, as “fantastique.” He related how this project funded by some rich guy named Antonescu with an odd first name had the shop bustling. As, apparently, cost had been no object to this rich Romanian, Jean Bugatti dedicated himself to its perfection. In this troubled pre-war period, such a considerable infusion of cash could not have been more welcome.

Jacques went on to provide details of what he had seen. Even when he tried to embellish his recollections, his efforts fell short of doing the actual Royale justice. Petrov consumed this confirmation of his wildest hopes with a ravenous appetite driven by his dream of possessing the ultimate Super Auto; a dream fed by his early experience with the Nazi Silver Arrows.

Petrov drilled down into Jacques’ memory always lubricating the probe with copious doses of adulation and praise. In so doing he had succeeded in coaxing out a tantalizing mother lode of information. Yes, the original bespoke 7^th Royale had been built. He had a witness who saw it quietly loaded onto a truck. It had headed north for a 1939 Monte Carlo rally starting point. It would have been either Stavanger, Norway or Tallinn, Estonia.

Petrov’s journey to Molsheim had paid great dividends with a rich but incomplete trove of information. He immediately called upon all resources at hand to fill in critical blanks. With surprising speed Petrov discovered that a wealthy, egocentric Romanian, auto racing aficionado named Archimedes Antonescu had registered for entry in the 1939 Monte Carlo Rally. The Romanian’s intended starting point had been Tallinn. However, Antonescu never showed up for the rally. Apparently, Antonescu along with three respected racing mechanics had died in a violent railroad crossing accident near the Estonian/Polish border in 1939.

Based on his research, Petrov concluded that, as best as could be discerned, the mystery Bugatti Royale had never been seen since leaving the factory for Estonia. For Petrov a jaw-dropping reality began to take shape: Antonescu’s racing Bugatti Royale has sat in some dark corner of Estonia waiting for Petrov to find it. The thought of some Super Auto grander than a Silver Arrow being lost in time and hidden waiting to be found, elevated his level of interest to a ten on the frenzy scale. He frantically explored every avenue to narrow his search without betraying his objective. Then he got lucky.

One of the 6 original Bugatti Royales

In reaching out to a contact in the Bugatti Club of Switzerland, he asked about special Bugattis, like a Royale for instance. The friend laughed saying “There are only six Royales, yet in one day I have gotten two inquiries.” Doing his best to appear to be making idle conversation Petrov halfheartedly asked about the second inquiry. His friend pooh poohed the other call referring to it as just some guy with an accent asking about getting a carburetor for a Royale. With a smirk he said, “There are only six Royales it’s not like he had a seventh one with a servicing problem.” Petrov did his best to laugh nonchalantly. Then he asked matter-of-factly as to the caller’s accent. His friend responded recalling that the accent sounded like it came from Latvia or Estonia, one of those little Baltic nations.

Cleverly, Petrov followed up by asking the caller’s phone number. Sometimes a little luck can go a long way. Petrov knew he was on the scent. He would go to Tallinn to employ his connections within the Estonian communist hierarchy.

ESTONIA 1986

Muuga Harbor, Ribbon Cutting

Mihkel surveyed the nearly completed log stack “Trojan Horse’ with its hollow center revealed. He cast a smile across the warehouse floor that warmed the assembled Forest Brothers and Sisters charged with bringing his plan to fruition. As in every step of the process, time cracked an unrelenting whip over all involved. The feast of Saint Lucia on December 13^th fast approached and right after that on December 16^th would come the huge celebration recognizing the opening of Muuga Harbor. Muuga Harbor would be the main cargo harbor for the Port of Tallinn and Estonia. Mihkel’s plan called for the truck transporting the Trojan Horse with its precious cargo to take advantage of the frenzy of activity surrounding Muuga Harbor’s opening. Lost in the swirl of activity, the truck with the aid of incentivized customs and security police would be loaded on the Liberian flagged freighter arranged by Mihkel’s American father-in-law and shipping big wig Johnny Santucci. Valentina and her dancers including Jack Oja would depart Tallinn for Helsinki during the flurry of activity on the 17^th. John, her geologist husband, with Mihkel and his team from Lamont-Doherty would follow shortly, after seeing the freighter depart the port. All seemed in order, or so it seemed.

Part of Valentina’s UN responsibilities involved being present for the Muuga Harbor festivities that began on the 14th. Even in proper business attire Valentina, pretty, blonde, slim and athletic presented a striking visage. One that could elicit undiplomatic comments from a diplomat. So it was at a party attended by numerous members of the Estonian communist government, Baltic region officials and members of the military that she was approached by a gentleman in military regalia who introduced himself as a Colonel Petrov. While seeming a bit full of himself, Valentina felt no threat in talking for a few moments before moving along. As part of the American diplomatic corps that comprised part of her responsibilities. Making small talk Valentina asked this Russian Colonel about his presence in Estonia. Petrov seeking to impress this very attractive diplomat responded with a story that froze Valentina. She did her best not to gasp. Her diplomatic skills served her well. Petrov told of his efforts to track down a mystery Super Auto that he believed had long ago been hidden. Valentina much to Petrov’s delight seemed fascinated by his adventure. It seemed she could not get enough. Petrov was more than willing to keep this striking beauty hanging on his every word. When the time came that Petrov had exhausted the tale of his search for the Super Auto and moved on to Valentina’s plans for later, Valentina diplomatically excused herself.

Trying to hurry as slow as she could to leave the gathering to return back to the Oja farm without attracting attention, Valentina entered the farm yard skidding to a halt. Winds swept across the field with a bitterly cutting intensity thanks to unseasonably cold temperatures. Against the stiff wind she muscled open the sturdy farmhouse door. While closing the door her words tumbled out. Mihkel, Jack and Viktor stared with a shared concern. Catching her breath Valentina related the horrible news that someone else, an arrogant Russian military man, had come to Tallinn to track down a mystery Bugatti lost for fifty years. No one could believe the timing. Mihkel spoke first with the calming voice of one who had faced more than one devastating surprise. “Does he know enough to defeat our plan,” Mihkel asked. Valentina laid out everything that he said and she surmised. They concluded that though a potential irritant this Petrov did not know enough to be a problem. Left unexplored but on everyone’s mind rested the question, “how did he know?” Three days remained before the Trojan Horse would be delivering the Royale to the docks.

The next morning Petrov called the phone number given to his contact at the Bugatti Club of Switzerland. The station master answered and informed the caller that no one lived in the train station. Having identified the station location, Petrov sped to inspect, in his mind, this first tangible  clue to locating the ultimate Super Auto. As Petrov raced towards the railroad station, Viktor had fired up the muscular Russian Ural 4320, 6×6 flat bed truck that would carry the Trojan Horse. His path to the warehouse would take him by the train station.

Petrov parked by the front door of the station. He had purposely worn his uniform in the belief that it would serve to intimidate anyone he questioned. The elderly stationmaster had seen plenty of uniforms over his considerable lifetime, first Nazi ones, then Soviet ones. He was not impressed, but he was smart enough to be respectful. He explained that from time to time people used the phone. He did not keep track.

Overhearing the conversation, a man with a Russian accent motioned to draw Petrov’s attention. A relieved stationmaster quickly shuffled away. The exchange between the two men quickly settled on the question of where a large car could be hidden locally. According to the man, other than the Eesti Energia facility and the Soviet military base, both a long ways off, the only structure relatively near the station was an old abandoned warehouse. The man, looking up and to the left as if to recollect something, said he had passed near it recently, though not exactly sure where, and thought he saw a light inside. Petrov started to hyper ventilate as suddenly distant memories from the depths of his past filled his mind’s screen. Like yesterday he recalled a boring day in his youth when as a very young Soviet officer in 1939 he stumbled upon a warehouse of relatively, then, recent construction. It had some tools and parts strewn about and specification sheets. Petrov momentarily froze as the fog of a distant memory cleared. He clearly remembered the spec sheets, emblazoned with the logo of Bugatti! Could it be, Petrov immediately discarded the man when he could not provide any further help in finding the warehouse. Luckily for Petrov, he thought, a large truck rumbled up the road towards the station. Flagging the truck down Petrov asked the driver for directions to an isolated warehouse buried in the woods. The driver, one Viktor Karmään, remembering Valentina’s encounter, immediately went on red alert. Fast on his feet, Viktor apologized for not knowing the back areas well, but did offer his best guess as to which direction. Viktor hoped he could get this Russian sufficiently lost to allow Viktor to get to the warehouse, warn his Brothers and clear out equipment that could be traced.

Petrov escaping the bitter cold wind jumped into his Russian Lada and while spewing a small rooster tail of loose gravel sped off, in the wrong direction. Unfortunately for the Forest Brothers, the limited number of roads through the forest ensured Petrov would find the warehouse in relatively short order.

Ural 4320

Navigating the back road like an ungainly bull on a tear, the big Russian flat bed with Viktor at the wheel plowed through the underbrush hugging the road. Snorting and creaking, the big Ural 4320 came to rest facing the warehouse. Viktor exploded through the warehouse door. His firm and urgent tone effectively communicated the crisis at hand. Details he assured would follow. What ensued consisted of a frenzied but thorough gathering of generators, space heaters, tools, wrappers anything that could be traced. With everything loaded on to the truck and into the three cars that had transported the Forest Brothers, everyone departed with the urgency of firemen responding to an alarm. Sadly the “Trojan Horse” had to remain.

Plummeting temperatures reaching -18°C (0°F) and a punishing wind gloomily complemented the mood inside the Oja farmhouse. Confusion and defeat hung in the air like a suffocating cloud. The murmuring, swearing and many softly spoken versions of “How could this be?” ceased as Mihkel stood up to face the roomful of crestfallen Forest Brothers and Sisters.  What words of comfort could the noble “Arctic Fox” offer in light of the inexplicable and devastating failure of this mighty and righteous effort. Mihkel scanned the distraught faces around the room and said, “I am profoundly in your debt. You should take great pride in what you have accomplished and the bond you have forged as the new Forest Brothers and Sisters. You have honored those who have come before you. Know that we could not have reached this point without all you have accomplished.” It was then that Viktor in a room thick with emotion respectfully asked, “What now?” Mihkel answered, “I have an idea.”

© Copyright 2023 Burton Hall

The passing of Jaak and Ann Oja, Mihkel’s parents, triggered a domino effect of unforeseen events including the discovery of a priceless Bugatti Royale unknown to the world and hidden for almost 50 Years on the Oja family farm in Estonia. This whirlwind of death and discoveries blurred Mihkel’s daily life turning it into a vivid jumble of lives past, present with a future tracking towards a very dangerous tomorrow. With the backing of a supportive team of family members, Mihkel had decided to surreptitiously spirit the unique Bugatti out from behind its Iron Curtain captivity. Meanwhile, over 1000 miles away fate stood poised to unleash the obsessive desire of a second suitor.

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale Part 3 (Episode 16- Bugatti Royale Resurrection)

ESTONIA 1986

Like a soothing balm to relieve the pain of his parents’ death, the idea of absconding with the Bugatti brought peace to Mihkel’s otherwise anguished mind. Successfully bringing this ultimate barn find to market in the west could fund the Estonian technical school that would honor his parents. Mihkel understood the odds did not favor success. His team possessed a very limited time window in which to carry out this crazy gambit. The schedule for Valentina’s Estonian folk dance tour would soon draw to a close. Mihkel with his cover as part of John Taylor’s research team enjoyed a bit more flexibility, but not that much. Dawdling had no place in executing the plan. Mihkel felt evermore uneasy courtesy of the tightening grip of a dwindling time line that threatened to thwart any escape. While Mihkel had gambled his life against the odds before, now he had included his loved ones in the dangerous game all would be playing.

With the basic plan set and Mihkel at the helm, each member went into action. Valentina immediately plunged into mobilizing the trustworthy support team needed to translate the plan into reality. She drew only from the close knit but expansive ranks of trusted Oja family members. She deftly allocated Mihkel’s stash of American hard cash. Highly prized American greenbacks would play a critical role in greasing the, at times ill fitting, moving parts of the team’s rough-hewn plan. The team’s intended actions functioned far past any grey area

Estonian Communist Party First Secretary, Karl Vaino (left) at Estonian Communist Party anniversary

of approved practices. Every step of the way would be carried out in complete and total disregard for the iron-fisted oversight of the oppressive Soviet led Estonian communist government. That said, at this late stage in the increasingly weakening bonds of the Soviet bloc, the iron grip had become brittle and suspect.

In casual conversations at the American embassy Valentina worked to developed a general feel for any shift in the local cultural climate. A longtime and trusted native Estonian translator pretty much summed it up saying, “Increasingly in the 1980s a spirit of freewheeling and corrupted capitalism was setting in with those in power wanting more for themselves. They took larger salaries, gave themselves twice the apartment allocation and would receive more rations and, rumor had it, receive some of the items seized at customs. These people could be bought for the right price. They just needed to make sure you were trustworthy and weren’t going to turn and rat them out.” Pleased with what she heard, Valentina saw it playing to the team’s advantage.

Valentina loved sharing that perspective with Mihkel and the team. They viewed the bribery culture as providing fertile ground that would help nurture their chances for success. In an expression of both her father’s genes and retribution for his wrongful death, Valentina took great satisfaction in her contribution to this highly dangerous, or as some might say,  foolish undertaking.

From John Taylor’s point of view, as an energy industry research  consultant working with the Estonian oil industry hierarchy, he had picked up a similar vibe. At a recent dinner a long time veteran of the Estonian fracking industry, on his 6^th scotch, confided in John. He said, ”Here in the Baltic nations like Estonia. it’s always good to be loud and visible as a company guy in support of the government. That said if you have good friends, you can sell things and skim off cash for yourself. Of course you have to keep it hidden and use it in non-conspicuous ways so as not to call attention to yourself.” John found the practice distasteful. However, in this case, he found confirmation of a business culture supportive of blind greed to be of great interest.

Mihkel joked with his son to lighten what could be, and actually was, a very stressful and dangerous state of affairs. In joking, Mihkel described his role in the plan as being a conductor leading an orchestra of honorable carjackers dedicated to a righteous cause. For simplicity sake Mihkel chose to keep the Royale sequestered in the barn. He would take down the false wall to afford better light and the greater space necessary to return the Bugatti to some state of mobility. It would be imperative that the massive car be at least capable of rolling freely thus allowing it to be winched up a ramp.

With Jack’s signature vigor and technical acumen, he bore down on assessing the state of the great and beautiful beast after its 50-year entombment. He worked as a man possessed on initiating the steps necessary to resurrect the glorious Royale from its moribund state. Jack felt well equipped thanks to a tool set provided by one of the Oja family co-conspirators, a young Estonian named Viktor Karmään. Enthralled with dreams of fast cars, Viktor wanted, more than anything, to work on great cars like those Jack and Mihkel serviced in America. He also wanted dearly to be respected by Jack. He orbited Jack like a very close moon. Jack did not mind. Viktor had a sharp mind, good skills and a great can-do attitude. Frankly, Jack enjoyed the bright lad’s company.

Step one called for the wheels to roll. Jack surveyed the slumbering and priceless Bugatti, his mind kept playing the famous line attributed to the Hippocratic oath, “First do no harm.” Jack saw things that he liked. He smiled upon seeing the loaded mouse traps wisely left by his grandfather. As well, his grandfather had sprinkled agricultural sulfur about the surrounding area to further discourage hungry rodents. Grandpa Jaak’s actions had seemed to achieve the desired results. The Bugatti’s simple wiring harness remained pretty much intact.

Though transporting the car would not require the engine to start Jack could not resist probing the massive straight 8-cylinder engine. Pulling spark plugs he recognized that the cylinders had been lubricated. Seeing that, and with the plugs removed, Jack felt comfortable attempting to turn the engine. He put a wrench on the crankshaft pulley bolt. Somewhat to his surprise and delight his sinewy arms spun the 12-Liter engine with relatively little effort. This thrilled Jack which translated into blissful happiness for Viktor. That simple easy turn of the crankshaft elicited hardy huzzahs from Jack and Viktor alike. A relatively freely turning crankshaft provided welcome answers to critical questions concerning the condition of the long stationary big Bugatti. Yes, the engine was not seized. No the clutch plate was not rusted to the pressure plate. Yes, properly shoed and lubricated the great behemoth should roll freely given proper motivation.

Jack ticked off the list of concerns that needed attention. The first being replacing tires that, despite having been driven precious few miles, had sat motionless for nearly half a century. So that the new tires would roll, Jacks’ attention would then turn to wheel bearing and suspension grease fittings. Good fortune found that the 24-inch rims of the Bugatti would accommodate available farm use tires. They would work fine. While mounting the tires could be a challenge, John believed he could get them done at the fracking facility motor pool. Also available from the motor pool would be a hand held grease gun that Jack could use to manually lubricate the suspension fittings. While suspension bushings did not represent a major issue for rolling the car a short distance Jack took no chances. With one look at the desiccated bushings he put silicon grease on the shopping list for John to bring to the Eesti Energia maintenance shop. Engine oil, brake fluid and gear oil made it to the list as well.

Deftly employing her greenback budget to enlist the cooperation of local officials, Valentina had purchased an expanded range of freedom to conduct her clandestine activities. Otherwise watchful Estonian eyes did not see her or Jack leave the hotel or rehearsal halls. Putting her newly purchased freedom to work allowed Valentina to mobilize a team of loyal Oja family members, both men and women. These Estonians would play critical rolls in bringing the team’s plan to life. As craftsmen, local officials, port workers and police these tight knit family members represented a powerful network capable of providing the necessary transportation, acquiring the fresh cut logs, building the hollow “Trojan Horse” camouflage log load, gaining access to the port and discretely dispensing the necessary financial incentives to enlist the cooperation of customs and port officials. These strategically selected customs and port staff members had to turn a blind eye for the log camouflaged Bugatti to be unchallenged when loaded onto the awaiting friendly freighter. The international cargo contacts of Mihkel’s father-in-law and wife Beth’s father, Gianni “Johnny” Santucci had proved invaluable by arranging the availability of a small Liberian flagged freighter.

Mihkel reflected on all the dominos that would have to fall properly. He realized more than dominoes he sat at the helm of a Rube Goldberg Machine. For a fleeting moment with a brief self-deprecating laugh he thought, “what could possibly go wrong?” Then he thought it better not to ponder what could go wrong. “Wrong” would take care of itself. He had to focus on doing his very best to make everything work right.

MOLSHEIM, FRANCE 1986

Yvonne Smirnov answered the phone. Her age worn voice greeted her Nephew, Yuri Petrov. With a tinge of disinterest Petrov asked why she wanted the call back. Yvonne responded saying she had not forgotten Petrov’s intense interest in some special Bugatti and had reached out to one of her old factory friends from before the War. She lightly laughed when relating how her friend said he remembered a lot about that Bugatti. She added that her friend also said that since that was almost 50 years ago, the statute of limitations had run out on the financial arrangement he had made with Jean Bugatti to keep quiet about the racing Royale.

Petrov, suddenly almost beside himself, started frantically yelling into the phone literally screaming “What did he say? What did he know? Taken aback by Petrov’s aggression, the elderly aunt became flustered and borderline fearful. If Petrov could have reached through the phone he would have grabbed her and shook her. Somehow she sensed that and blessed the thousand miles separating them. Gathering herself she explained that her friend did not tell her anything but said he would gladly talk to her nephew. She could not recall exactly what her friend had said about his proper compensated. With an uncharacteristically gracious effort, at least for Petrov, he reined in his normal arrogance. Petrov clearly sensed his elderly aunt’s sudden angst at the thought of continuing the conversation. In a patronizingly kind and gentle voice laced with an overeager undertone, Petrov asked for the friend’s phone number. He attempted to sooth Yvonne’s ruffled emotional feathers by suggesting that he could call the friend directly and not inconvenience her. She responded saying, “He does not have a phone; but he would probably speak to you in person.” Petrov clenched the phone’s mouthpiece to muffle his uncontrollable sharp groan of frustration. The call ended with Petrov in soothing voice promising to visit his beloved aunt as soon as she would be kind enough to set up a meeting with her friend. Yvonne with a faltering voice said she would do her best. Petrov with gentle precision rested the handset in the cradle of the push-button phone base. Then in one abrupt and violent motion he slammed the whole assembly off a nearby wall.

© Copyright Burton Hall

After forty-seven years Mihkel’s life had come full circle. He had surreptitiously returned to his Soviet occupied Estonian homeland. His mother’s death had abruptly and painfully tore open an aching void, long repressed, that had been gouged out by his separation from his parents. He felt compelled to return home to reunite with his elderly and, now, widowed father; Soviets be damned. He knew precious little time had remained for him to do so. Upon Mihkel’s return home his father would pass on a long held secret as his time ran out.

Unknowingly, Mihkel’s return would create a calamitous collision of men and machine set in motion decades earlier at the start of WWII.

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale Part 3 (Episode 15- The Ultimate Barn Find)

ESTONIA 1986

With his strong and weathered hands clutching his favorite photo of Ann to his chest, Jaak Oja’s last wish had been granted. He had passed in his sleep. Adorned with a gentle smile, Jaak’s last expression in life spoke to the peace experienced as he reunited with his beloved Ann. Mihkel cried. He cried for the loss of his father. He cried for the loss of his mother. He cried for the lost years apart from his parents, family and homeland. He cried for the loss of comrades in arms. He cried for the loss of his country to tyranny. He cried the tears that had been stored for half a century behind a dam of stoic determination to survive no matter the pain or hardship.

The loss of Ann and then Jaak Oja served up a brutal one two punch for the loyal and large Oja family in Estonia. The emotional gathering of the grieving Oja kin served to bring Jaak’s son Mihkel and grandson Jack close to the bosom and deep into the heart of the close knit, patriotic and loving Oja clan.

Amidst the tears they allowed themselves to laugh. One topic that generated great laughter and pride at beating the system centered around the packages of rags sent to Jaak and Ann Oja from America. These rags mixed in with other low value items usually made it past the Soviet customs agents. Inspectors accustomed to stealing the good stuff viewed the contents unworthy of pilfering. However, these rags included left or right pant legs of American blue jeans. The next package sent from America would include the matching legs to the blue jeans sent earlier. A third package could contain zippers. Ann, a talented seamstress would then stitch the “rags” together into pairs of new American jeans, a highly valued commodity on the Estonian black market.

Despite intense and calculated Soviet efforts to destroy the Estonian culture, the extended Oja family carried on in a quiet yet unyielding defiance of the Soviet attempts. With the Soviet occupation, Russian became the official language. Estonian ecclesiastical and cultural traditions suffered banishment. The Soviets flooded Estonia with people from other countries and cultures, primarily Russians. Marriages promoted with outsiders, predominantly Russians from distant places, supported the Soviet mission to weaken the Estonian cultural fabric and the collective societal will. For decades Oja family members would have none of it. The Oja’s refusal to accede to Soviet dominance honed a family culture highly adept at navigating a finely honed informal yet highly effective underground that functioned below the surface of Soviet control. This independent underground network would soon prove invaluable to energizing an outrageous scheme about to consume a yet unsuspecting Mihkel.

Amidst the swirling arc of emotions ranging from familial love to painful loss, a physically and mentally drained Mihkel sought refuge in the quiet of the once and yet strangely still familiar Oja farm yard. He allowed himself to fantasize about honoring his father’s desire for an Estonian technical school named in his father’s honor. He understood this could never happen as long as the Soviets ruled Estonia. He walked to the old barn where he once fed Päts the family horse his father sarcastically named after the pre-WWII Estonian dictator. Swinging open the creaking barn door Mihkel smiled. Rusting in a corner sat the old Lanz Bulldog tractor. He felt as if he had entered a time capsule. In walking around this memory museum he thought of his father’s last words about the elephant still in the barn. Mihkel knew it meant something. His father remained mentally sharp till his last breath. Then from the depths of his memory Mihkel recalled the story of the rich Romanian’s race car. In Mihkel’s present mental state none of this made sense. Certainly the old Lanz Bulldog did not qualify. Mihkel laughed at the thought of the Bulldog grunting down a track bearing a number and a racing stripe. He paced back and forth.

As a teenager he remembered walking across the length of the barn in carrying out some monotonous task for his father. Maybe he was fetching tools or bringing bags of feed. He would count his steps, always fifty-three steps. For old time’s sake he did it one more time. Forty-five? Yes, he had grown a bit more from his teenage years, but eight fewer steps? He would try it again. Still about the same. How could the barn have become shorter? He froze. He reflexively sucked in a breath. He grabbed a long handled hoe and began hitting the barn’s back wall where tools and tack hung. The wall moved. He grabbed a flashlight hanging from the wall. It worked. He pried a wall panel back. His flashlight beam danced across the dust muted surface of a spectacular and imposing work of genius. He has in the presence of automotive art created by a master. Crowning its radiator stood the prancing elephant designed by Rembrandt Bugatti the sculptor brother of Ettore Bugatti. Mihkel had never heard of much less seen anything like this. A voice broke Mihkel’s focus. It came from the open barn door. Jack, his son, called in. Mihkel poked his head out of the hide-away chamber. In an excited voice he told, more like ordered, Jack to close the door and come fast. He directed his son into the protective inner sanctum of the spectacular Bugatti that had been frozen in time since 1940. Jack just stared. Then in a hushed voice he uttered six words that would change their lives. “How do we get this home?”

With their flashlights crisscrossing the dark enclosed room like searchlights exploring war-time London skies, Mihkel and Jack examined the fantastic Bugatti. Thoughts of “What must it be like to drive this” flooded Jack’s consciousness. Mihkel’s mind had locked on to satisfying an altogether different desire: one to which he had only recently been introduced. In his heart and in light of the realities of a failing Soviet Union, he believed Estonia would soon again be a free and independent nation. A nation that would need free and independent trades people to build a strong nation. The dream of his father could be realized by the sale of this vehicle. Making this dream a reality would require answering Jack’s question, “How do we get this home?” Jolting Mihkel’s dream back to the here and now, an excited Jack waved a sturdy manila envelope. It contained documents in French, Estonian and some other language; they surmised Romanian. The Estonian presented no problem for Mihkel. Linguist Valentina he hoped would take care of the rest. They tore themselves away from the magnetic pull of the long forgotten Bugatti. Mihkel did not want their extended absence to attract attention. Both returned to join the fellow mourners at the farm house.

Days later and fearful of being overheard in the comfort of a surveilled   Estonian hotel room, Mihkel, Jack, Valentina and John sat in John’s company car by the nearby harbor. Viewed out the car’s windshield a north wind foretelling the coming winter stirred the Gulf of Finland sending a steady drumbeat of low waves against the dock pilings of Tallinn Harbor. The conspirators had chosen to park near the open and newly developed expansion of the Tallinn port named Muuga Harbor. Here they could speak freely. Mihkel spoke first and shared his dream of the eponymous Oja Technical Institute. Jack loved the idea. Valentina loved her adopted Uncle “Naali.” John dearly loved his wife Valentina. A team had formed. Now the only thing standing in their way was the lack of a plan. Son Jack stepped up to casually summarize the challenges faced in spiriting an incredibly valuable, 2-plus ton work of automotive art out of a hostile Soviet bloc country. He called attention to the Bugatti’s hiding place being a backwoods rural farm; that it had not been started in over 40 years; and that nobody actually knew if it had ever run. Other problematic issues included that its breathtaking beauty ensured that it could not be seen in public without causing a calamitous stir; that unfriendly authorities would be drawn to it like moths to a flame and, oh by the way, we do not know who actually owns this beautiful behemoth.

Valentina next spoke offering the stunning declaration that Mihkel owned it. With that she waved the manila envelope Jack had discovered in the car. She observed that the envelope’s contents revealed that a foresighted Grandpa Jaak had a valid mechanic’s lien on the vehicle. Apparently its original owner a Mr. Archimedes Antonescu had left this original Bugatti in Grandpa Jaak’s workshop for some 45 years beyond the activation date of the mechanic’s lien. Valentina then continued on to detail the facts, realities and conditions working in the team’s favor.

With the building power of a locomotive departing the station, Valentina began to advocate for their effort’s success by noting that a growing anti-Soviet, pro-independence sentiment in Estonia could create lapses in what once had been a near impenetrable wall around the Baltic states. The mere fact that she and her Estonian folk dance troop had been welcomed would have been unthinkable only a few years back. She went on to explain that the loosening grip of the great Russian bear on the native Estonian people could create opportunities. Estonians reacting to a reduction in the arbitrary oppression of the repressive Soviet rule would be more responsive to rebel and profit from financial incentives i.e. bribes. She noted that their team had significant cash resources on hand to enlist the willing support of local Estonian friends and officials. American dollars carried great purchasing power in Estonia. Now on a roll, Valentina’s advocacy gained steam.

Valentina powered on emphasizing that the opportunity existed to help Estonian lives with American dollars that would go much further here. She explained that giving a man $500 would exceed more than he could make in a year. She said, “As soon as you say, I’m going to give you 500 dollars. Can I borrow your truck for a week? They’d be like, yeah, what do you need me to do? Here’s my truck, here’s my keys. Let me get my sons to help. I will get my cousin to help too. Only then would they even ask about what  you wanted them to do. It would not matter.”

Valentina charged ahead at full speed explaining a plan she had conjured up in the wee hours when sleeplessly assessing the challenges they faced. She explained that the timber industry played a major role in Estonian commerce. Lumber trucks in transit existed as a common sight across the country. It would be relatively easy to create a stack of logs rigged on the back of a flatbed truck. However, that stack of logs would be fabricated to camouflage a hollow interior. There the Bugatti could be hidden. With the horizontally positioned logs artfully assembled with fake log end caps on the front and rear, the truck could be driven all over Estonia without attracting any attention. Interrupting the wrapped silence of her audience, Jack posed the question as to how we drive it across the border. “We don’t” said Valentina, “We load it on a ship.” She reminded her compatriots that Mihkel’s father-in-law Johnny Santucci had many good connections in the international shipping business and Johnny could never say no to his daughter. Valentina smiled. Looks flashed back and forth across the confined space of the company car. Half laughing Mihkel spoke, “It’s as good a plan as any.” “But,” cautioned Valentina, “It will fail without trust.

In Estonia the foundation of trust is respect.” Valentina explained, “Say a man has a family who loves and respects him. We have recently witnessed that Mihkel enjoys such love and respect. Over the years children grow and have children and so on. Estonian cousins of cousins still enjoy a strong family bond. Here familial relationships going back many generations remain close. Mihkel’s great closely connected tree of relatives, many of whom we met at Jaak’s funeral know the whole family tree and Mihkel’s honored position on that tree. Those family ties represent an unbreakable and expansive web of willing co-conspirators in whom we can entrust our lives.” And that is exactly what they would have to do to make this plan work.

UKRAINE 1986

Yuri Petrov ruffled through pages in a leather covered address book. He would return his elderly Aunt Yvonne’s message.

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Late fall 1986 found Valentina Taylor’s United Nations Estonian Dance Team including a strapping Jack Oja boarding a flight from New York’s JFK Airport to Finland’s Helsinki Airport. It represented the first and by far the longest leg of an official U.N. mission to Estonia and a surreptitious collaboration to return Mihkel Oja home. Sharing the same flight would be John Taylor’s Lamont-Doherty geological research team, sponsored by Estonian state-owned energy company, Eesti Energia. Part of Taylor’s research team would be Technical Specialist “Mike” Oja. Once in Helsinki a ferry ride to Tallinn, capital of Estonia would complete one journey and commence a clandestine second.

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale Part 3 (Episode 14 – The Beautiful Beast Poised at the Threshold of Discovery)

Helsinki Ferry

FINLAND 1986

Pudgy with a few days growth, a squinty eyed round faced man well into his cups stumbled towards Valentina as the ferryboat pitched. Jack quietly sensing a potentially unpleasant turn of events repositioned his sturdy frame between her and the approaching and severely listing celebrant. Upon contact with Jack, the squinty eyed man slurred his apologies to Jack, patted him on the chest and shambled off.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Old and tired the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn moaned and creaked. Both Valentina’s and John’s groups retreated to quiet corners in a best attempt to keep a low profile. It proved a greater challenge than one might expect. A large dank open space packed to the gills like a subway car afforded far too many opportunities to meet inebriated Baltic And Scandinavian  passengers up close and personal. Truly the last thing both groups needed would be some public spectacle drawing the attention of authorities. If all went as planned Valentina’s U.N. credentials and history with the Estonian authorities and John’s government approved pedigree would hopefully speed passage through customs. With Mikhail Gorbachev’s elevation to Soviet Premier a subtle yet discernible loosening of the great Russian bear’s grip had been felt in Estonia. Valentina’s dance team had been welcomed the prior year. John as head of the geological research team enjoyed the favor of Estonian officialdom. His success would be their success. Since the 1960s, Estonia had been the largest oil shale producer and consumer in the world. In the 1980s, Estonia accounted for close to two-thirds of the world’s oil shale production. John’s expertise dovetailed with the efficient discovery and development of shale resources. The recently introduced Estonian technical publication, Oil Shale had written glowingly of John and his research team.

ESTONIA 1986

The scene upon arrival at Tallinn did not comfort the Americans. Long lines trailed back from custom’s check points. The stony tension made everyone, even the most innocent grandmother, project a scent of guilty nervousness. The two teams from the United States were not immune. Dour uniformed Soviet soldiers functioning as border guards opened every bag and every pocket in every purse. Everyone received a form requiring the declaration of anything of value being brought into the country. John claimed his Compaq Deskpro 386 computer that contained his research notes. John would forget to claim the $20,000 secreted in his secure computer travel case. The cash could be useful in any effort to get Mihkel’s father out of the country. Soldiers in grey uniforms carrying serious weapons stood everywhere. No one smiled. Sweat gathered on the brows of Americans slowly yielding to the mounting stress of their circumstances.

The mounting pressure and terror gathering in the cluster of Americans vaporized as a man and woman both in depressingly styleless official garb emerged from the tangle of travelers and troops. Incongruously, considering the sterile and severe surroundings, they waved and smiled in approaching to welcome the Americans. Far more genial than their attire would imply, they directed the two groups away from the customs assembly lines to an anteroom. Native Estonians rather than Soviet transplants, both the man and woman expressed a genuine joy to welcome the returning UN representative, Ms. Taylor and the “very smart” Dr. John Taylor.

As a courtesy the traveler’s luggage would be taken to the hotel. John apologized for being a quirky scientist but asked that he keep his computer with him because of its important contents. Everyone understood, or thought they did.

Hotel Viru

Tallinn from a distance on the Helsinki ferry presented a charming view featuring the majestic towers of the old town and the churches. However, driving through Tallinn on the way to the hotel presented a city decidedly grey, dirty and sad. Both groups would initially be housed in the Hotel Viru. For the group, entering the hotel with its dark paneled walls felt like walking into the 1960s. However, for Estonia the Hotel Viru served as a showplace for visitors that provided a level of food and service basically unavailable to the people of Estonia. It also provided women on the lobby of every floor whose job consisted of keeping track of who came and went. Secret spaces located between pairs of hotel rooms facilitated government agents’ ability to observe occupants’ actions and conversations. As past visits had educated Valentina as to the intense scrutiny, everyone in her group understood the game.

Soviet Police electronic eavesdropping facility at top floor of Hotel Viru

As a small but proud nation Estonia suffered greatly under the Soviet efforts to destroy their culture and character. Understandably little love loss existed between the native Estonians and the occupying Soviets. For Estonians attuned to the informal but powerful network connecting trusted family members and friends, much could be accomplished below the awareness of the Soviet oppressors. As a daughter of respected and trusted Estonians Valentina was dialed in, respected and trusted.

As a UN diplomat Valentina enjoyed a level of officially approved freedom that when combined with Estonian family loyalties created a level of access and influence possessed by few. A savvy and skilled diplomat, she discretely began working the levers of influence and the power of the American dollar. She walked past the native Estonian watcher on her floor as the woman averted her gaze while bending for an extended period of time to secure the American $20 bill in her purse. Valentina exited the hotel together with Jack to meet her equally savvy husband John accompanied by Mihkel. John and Mihkel waited in an Eesti Energia company vehicle. Quickly, the four departed. Destination the Oja farm. Though over 40 years had passed since last here, much had not changed. Mihkel knew the way.

Moskvitch sedan

A thundering silence surrounded the four passengers as the car approached its destination. Son Jack had never seen his father Mihkel so deep inside himself. Mihkel simply clenched his heart and soul as prepared to return to a life and place once familiar, then lost; and now, what? His mother gone and his father? Mihkel could not even grasp the inconceivable moment about to reveal itself. He began to choke up inside. His heart could not wait to get there while his body sat paralyzed by the thought. The familiar house and barn yard appeared. A few horse drawn wagons and a faded Moskvitch 4-door sedan populated the barn yard.

Voices could be heard inside. Enlisting all of the fortitude that had carried him through life’s travails to this point, Mihkel knocked on the door. The room went quiet. With a neutral but firm timber, a voice called out questioning who knocked. At this point, not caring who would hear whether friend or Soviet foe he answered, “Mihkel, Jaak Oja’s son. I am here to see my father.” With a sharp creak the door flew open. Astonished faces embraced the man as he entered the room. Seated in a rocking chair by a fireplace a slender, elderly but not frail man gasped and with the gravelly voice of age uttered, “My son.”

Tears rolled freely from all eyes in the room. Heads shook in disbelief. Myriad questions first poised on the tips of tongues suddenly seemed unnecessary. All present had been captured by the power of the moment, by the return, as if from the dead, of “their” Mihkel. Everyone cried and laughed and sang and hugged. Oh how hard they hugged. Mihkel could not have timed his return better. In Estonia, especially communist Estonia, family is everything. Cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces had made a routine of stopping in to keep Jaak company since Ann had passed. Today would have been her birthday so everyone had come to celebrate her life. Many in the room had yet to be born when Mihkel had fled his homeland. He quickly became aware that while he did not know everyone in the room. They all knew him. His father, Jaak, had for decades made sure. All in the family revered the brave and patriotic son of Jaak Oja. They all grew up listening to Jaak’s stories of his son’s heroic efforts in the cause of Estonian independence. Jaak had ensured that Mihkel’s rightful place in the family ranks had been established and preserved.

As the day too swiftly drew to a close Valentina and John knew they had to return to town before their power to disappear suffered challenge. They had established cover stories for their respective team members who would spend the night at the Oja farm in a joyous celebration of family. Into the wee hours Mihkel and son established family bonds of trust and love that would last many lifetimes. Jaak spoke honestly and openly of his hatred for the occupying Soviets. He could speak so openly because all present were family members. All there held an allegiance to the Oja family blood line that knew no limits when surreptitiously challenging their Soviet oppressors.

For a week, every minute that could be stolen from a their “cover story responsibilities” day found father, son and grandson reliving the Estonian life together they had missed. Jack spoke of Estonian independence. He dreamed of a time where with the Russians gone, there could be a trade school when young Estonian boys and girls could learn the technical skills needed to bring an independent Estonia back to life. Mihkel recalled warm memories of his mother. Jaak spoke of the bountiful love they shared that warmed the sturdy farm house he still called home. But for Jaak home had lost its heart. He had lost his Ann. While the joy of being reunited with his son and meeting his grandson helped to mask the pain of losing Ann it could not cure it.

Late into the night as the fire burned low, Jaak confessed to Mihkel that despite the wretched Russians, his time on earth had been blessed because of his wife, Ann. He confided that he, now, ached for nothing more than to be reunited with her. Jaak shared a wistful smile that conveyed both an inner peace and a welcome acceptance of his soon to be granted wish. Jaak apologized to Mihkel for feeling so deeply tired. Mihkel reached out as Jaak made a weary effort to rise from his chair. Mihkel braced Jaak as they both shuffled towards the bedroom. At the bedroom doorway entrance Jaak turned to Mihkel. He flashed a smile brimming with the triumphant satisfaction of an underdog’s hard earned victory. Placing a hand on his son’s shoulder, Jaak promised to reveal a surprise the next day that would become Jaak’s to keep. When Mihkel asked what, Jaak simply grinned slyly and told him that “the Elephant was still in the barn.” He then hugged his son with a loving firmness that conveyed all the missed hugs of the past 40 years. Jaak turned and retreated to bed. The scuffing of slippers on the wooden floor the only sound.

UKRAINE, 1986

Tanned and carefree Yuri Petrov returned from his Black Sea adventure on the “Russian Riviera” at Yalta. He dropped his suitcase on the bed. Checking his answering machine, he heard the voice of his Aunt Yvonne Smirnov in France. He would return her call, just not right now.

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Like a large and complex gear train slowly picking up speed, events, forces and lives in America had been set into motion by the death of Ann Oja. Four thousand miles to the east local family and friends gathered at the rural Oja farm east of Tallinn, Estonia to comfort, Jaak, her husband of 68 years whom they all loved dearly. For most in attendance change of a profound nature approached just beyond the visible horizon. No one could see it coming.

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale Part 3 (Episode 13- Return to a Heart of Darkness)

Estonian Forest Brothers

ESTONIA 1986

Unknown to the world, the 7^th Royale radiated a glorious presence with lines that bore the signature of Jean Bugatti’s unique genius. His creative gifts seasoned through years of inspired expression had manifested itself in ever greater iconic automobile designs through the 1930s. The 7^th Royale capped a brilliant body of work sadly cut short by the young Bugatti’s untimely death. The sculpted lines penned by Bugatti imparted a breathtaking visual expression of motion, power and elegance. The Royale’s velvet smooth 12.7-liter 400 plus horsepower 8-cyl. engine stamped an equally resounding exclamation point with performance capabilities that did the incomparable aesthetics justice. For almost half a century this Olympian masterpiece had stood stoically in silence and darkness under an accumulating blanket of fine dust.

As he had for almost half a century, Jaak Oja, now stooped and bearing a veil of grief, slipped past the barn’s false rear wall to dutifully minister a dose of oil to the eight cylinders of his beautiful beast. With the loss of his beloved wife Ann, Jaak felt the imminence of approaching change. He saw no better plan than to wait for it to come.

NEW JERSEY 1986

News of his mother, Ann Oja’s, death savaged areas in Mihkel’s heart and soul possessing no capability for defense. Like a cruel mind game, death had ripped a scab off emotions Mihkel had long repressed. It had abruptly brought to the forefront of his mind his beloved mother. Then, just as suddenly, ripped her away with cruel finality. Further adding to his sorrow, Mihkel had to face the question of what about his elderly and, now, widowed father?

Though sealed off from Estonia by the Soviet Iron Curtain of the post WWII years, Mihkel had exerted his best efforts to stay connected with his parents. Letters bland enough to be read by the oppressive Soviet KGB censors without incident could be exchanged. At times, packages sent from America bearing what appeared to be scraps and basic necessities would reach the Oja farm. Always the soul numbing Soviet repression hung over all exchanges like a toxic cloud. Mihkel knew that with his mother’s passing his father’s time would surely be near. Now, for Mihkel it was Soviet oppression be damned. He had to see his father, but how?

ESTONIA 1945

In one of those serendipitous circles of life, the means for returning Mihkel to his father’s Estonian farm had its roots anchored in the painful past of WWII Soviet deportation of native Estonians. During the war years Juri Varnik, Mihkel’s boyhood friend, had become one of the many thousands of valiant Estonian men known as the “Forest Brothers.” These Estonian patriots had armed themselves and blended into the dense Estonian forests. From there, as a powerful guerrilla force, they attacked occupying Soviet troops. Towards the war’s end Juri had been part of a “Forest Brothers” scouting unit that had set upon a Soviet truck convoy. Each truck with its canvas top drumming in the wind was carrying Estonian women and children to a local railhead. There east bound freight trains encircled by a malevolent cloud of locomotive smoke, snorts, hisses, and haunting whistles impatiently waited. Upon arrival these terror struck bewildered women and children would be squeezed into freight cars destined for Siberian gulags and, most likely, death. Freed by the Forest Brothers’ deadly assault, the women and children fled in all directions. Amidst the horror and chaos a beautiful though fleeting encounter changed the lives of two young Estonians and in so doing rippled through lives of loved ones decades later.

Train to Soviet Gulag

Fleeing into the forest a distance from the railhead, young “Forest Brother” Juri Varnik helped one of the freed women, Katariina Jakobson find shelter. Not yet twenty, Katariina, a bright and comely seamstress harbored beautiful dreams despite the presently ugly world surrounding her. Katariina shared her dreams with Juri. Mesmerized he would sit attentively as she spoke. The rich poetry of her words and gentle voice cast a spell to which Juri joyfully succumbed. He marveled at the wisdom, insight and passion for someone so young…and beautiful.

Though only knowing each other for a handful of days in this happenstance encounter of 1945, the young Estonian couple knew they had found love. Their love would last, their time together would not. While fetching water in a nearby stream Katariina encountered Soviet guards. Concerned by her failure to return, Juri, following her trail, saw her, under guard and being returned to the railhead. In an act of ultimate love and sacrifice, Juri dispatched the two guards and with a final kiss hid Katariina on a west bound train heading to what he hoped would be an allied “Displaced Persons Camp”. He then distracted approaching Soviet guards and led them away in chase. Katariina never saw him again nor ever learned of his fate. She always hoped for one thing but knew another. Nine months later in early 1946, Katariina gave birth to a beautiful daughter whom she named Valentina Varnik.

UKRAINE 1986

Leonid Brezhnev’s 1973 Lincoln Towncar

Even for a member of the Soviet hierarchy, life had been especially good for Colonel Yuri Petrov. With his patron Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev holding the reins of power for 18 years, Petrov developed a political momentum that carried him in grand style through the years following Brezhnev’s death in 1982. In the later 1970s as the Premier had sunk into an alcohol and drug fed haze, the great care Petrov exhibited in overseeing Brezhnev’s significant car collection and personal needs earned Petrov handsome rewards such as his 200-acre country estate in the Ukraine. This wooded retreat near the Black Sea afforded an ideal setting for driving the classic cars he had collected. Many of his cars had been skillfully extracted from the Brezhnev Collection while leaving no record of their disappearance. Other vintage vehicles had been added during numerous classic car search trips to wealthy venues outside of the Soviet Union. Petrov, in deftly employing the skills and connections honed in his service to Brezhnev endeared himself to other influential Russians possessing a comparable appetite for the “good things” in life.

On one trip that took him to France, he visited an elderly aunt, Yvonne Smirnov. She lived near the old Bugatti factory where she had worked as an office manager before WWII. In the midst of an idle conversion with his elderly aunt, Petrov snapped to when she recalled some big fancy secret high speed custom Bugatti and some nosey journalist who had come to ask questions about it. She apologized for her bad memory and for forgetting exactly where up north it had been shipped. She then drifted off to other stories and mourned the death of Mr. Bugatti’s lovely son. Petrov, however, could never free his mind of the possible existence of a mystery high performance custom Bugatti that disappeared just before WWII.

NEW JERSEY 1986

Mihkel had reached out to share the news of his mother’s passing with his best friend Ed Sikes. Ed, after leaving the service in the 1970s, had delighted Mihkel by choosing to open a business in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut. A savvy businessman who knew what he liked, Ed utilized his global contacts to launch a business that specialized in brokering the sale of vintage aircraft, primarily military and vintage luxury cars. He operated out of a renovated Cadillac dealership from the 1930s. He along with fellow local visionaries and WWII veterans Ed Jurist (Vintage Car Store in Nyack, NY) and Bob Grossman (Foreign Cars of Rockland in West Nyack, NY) served a marketplace comprised of knowledgeable collectors possessing considerable disposable income. Ed came from money and continued to attract it in his adult years. As Mihkel hung up the phone a vibrant blonde burst through the door.

“Hello Uncle Naali”. The bright and joyful voice came from one Valentina Varnik Taylor. She loved to use his sobriquet from his WWII exploits. Blonde, athletic and pretty, Valentina did not so much command a room when entering; more so, the room seemed to happily yield to her presence. As she sashayed into Mihkel’s office no one could foresee the pivotal role she would play in Mihkel’s return to the Oja farm and his father.

Katariina Varnik with young daughter Valentina had migrated to America in 1948. As a gifted seamstress she established a business in Englewood New Jersey, just across the George Washington Bridge from New York City. She soon gained renown for both bespoke women’s fashion and custom drapery.

Young Valentina had made many influential connections through her mother’s clientele. Now 40-year old, Valentina held a respected position at the United Nations in New York City as a multi-lingual translator, with Estonian and Russian languages among her fluencies. She also served as a member of the diplomatic corps. Her work focused on the Scandinavian and Baltic nations. As a pastime, Valentina’s passion for and mastery of Estonian Folk dance afforded her the opportunity to visit and immerse herself in the birthplace and culture of her parents. Interestingly, it would prove to play a critical role in facilitating Mihkel’s return home.

Happily  married, Valentina’s husband John Taylor, a geologist by education and trade, worked at the nearby renowned Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Much of his time, however, demanded conducting on-site research involving the significant oil and gas reserves in and around the Baltic nations. His work had created the opportunity to meet Valentina at a United Nations conference.

Apple 1984 TV ad

Shortly after relocating to New Jersey in 1965 Mihkel and Beth had attended a local Lutheran church with a appreciable membership with Estonian roots. It did not take long for the Oja and Varnik families to discover their bond. Thus, by sheer happenstance the life lines of old Estonian boyhood friends Mihkel and Juri reconnected at the spot marked by Valentina. Over the years Valentina had embraced Mihkel and Beth as her uncle and aunt. Both loved her like their own. They thought she looked just like the spirited blonde runner throwing the sledgehammer in the iconic Apple Mactintosh “1984” Super Bowl ad.

Mihkel shared with Valentina the news of his mother’s death and the imperative need for him to return to Estonia. In a blink her ebullient mood turned focused and task oriented. Clearly, Mihkel had enlisted the wholehearted support of one who would be a most wily, tough and resourceful co-conspirator. Mihkel with a tone of quiet reflection instructed all present to give thought to the challenge at hand. Valentina mentioned that with Mikhail Gorbachev now ruling the USSR and louder calls for self determination rumbling throughout the Soviet Union, some sensed the Iron Curtain around Estonia gaining a certain porosity.

A few days later Mihkel, wife Beth, son Jack, Valentina and husband John Taylor gathered at the hand hewn dinner table at Mihkel’s house. Son Jack spoke first. A wrestler while at Purdue University earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Jack, at six feet two inches and 210 pounds looked like a living action figure. Jack would be your guy if seeking the  archetype for “the strong silent type.” Standing tall at the table he simply stated that considering the fluidity of world events, returning his father to Estonia would not be a question of if but how. In speaking next, Valentina bearing an unusually impish expression explained how she and husband John had evaluated the resources at Mihkel’s disposal and flushed out an idea. She then turned to Jack and asked if he liked to dance.

In the next few weeks a plan took shape. The international credentials of Valentina through her U.N. cultural exchange dance activities and husband John’s work involving the Estonian fracking fields could both provide cover for penetrating what appeared to be an increasingly permeable Estonian border security. Valentina had a number of times traveled to Estonia to reintroduce the traditional native Estonian folk dances that had been purged from the Estonian culture during the height of the Soviet occupation. Her passion, perfection and personality would ensure a warm  welcomed back. She thought Jack could more easily gain entry as part of her dance team. Jack while not enthused accepted his place in the plan. He made clear he would do anything for his father and the grandfather he had never met. Geologist John’s plan provided for Mihkel to be a technician on his research team. As the fruits of John’s work served to attract hard currency to Estonia, the presence of his team served everyone’s interest including the occupying Soviets. Late fall saw the two teams under cover of their professional guises depart America as separate and independent operations.

Ukraine 1986

The phone rang at the bedside of Yuri Petrov. Not there to answer, Petrov could be found luxuriating with a few well compensated and endowed companions on the fantail of a 174 ft. custom built Benetti yacht. Petrov basked in the sun as he sailed across the Black Sea to Yalta for a vacation on the Russian Riviera. The trip? A thank you gift to Petrov for facilitating the yacht owner’s purchase of a state owned oil company. Petrov wanted for nothing except for more of everything.

The answering machine clicked on. The raspy voice of Yvonne Smirnov, Petrov’s elderly aunt and one time Bugatti office manager could be heard. She said to give her a call. The machine clicked off.

War blazes in Europe. Scandinavia quakes under threats of Nazi invasion. Soviet armies march into Finland. Seeking to escape the deadly whirlwind stirred by Soviet troops to the east and Nazi forces to the west, Estonian freedom fighter Mihkel “Arctic Fox” Oja and American pilot Ed “Wonderfalk” Sikes must flee the frozen battlefield. Both had volunteered to fight for Finland against the Soviets in the Winter War. Now they must retreat from the onrushing and victorious Soviet forces. Powered by Mihkel’s team of strong willed sled dogs they will brave the frozen hell of the Arctic Circle in a last ditch effort to reach neutral Sweden and avoid certain capture and, most assuredly, death. Then, in making their escape a downed allied bomber would change their lives.

With survival dominating his thoughts, Mihkel harbors no recollection of his father’s, tale of a dead Romanian playboy’s Bugatti abandoned at the Oja farm in rural Estonia.

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale Part 2 (Episode 12 – Two Heroes’ Dramatic and Divergent Paths to Freedom)

Balto Alaska rescue mission

KIRUNA, SWEDEN 1940

The fateful events surrounding the rescue of the allied Bristol Bomber air crew triggered startlingly unforeseen and profound opportunities for both Ed and Mihkel.

In their brief time together at the frozen airfield in Kiruna Sweden, Ed and Arctic flying legend Bernt Balchen had developed a bond that would last a lifetime. Ed had accepted Balchen’s invitation to join his team that supported the early British war effort by ferrying airplanes to England. Then, in the summer of 1941, Balchen joined the United States Army Air Force as a colonel and accepted the responsibility of overseeing construction of a major Air Force base in Greenland. At Col. Balchen’s urging and with the colonel’s personal recommendation Ed enlisted in the USAAF and in a few months become the youngest American pilot in the European theater. When America went to war Col. Balchen included Ed in the rescue air team responsible for a litany of dramatic, high risk rescue missions of allied fliers downed in the frozen arctic wilderness. Through the war years Ed flew fighters, bombers and PBY Catalina rescue sea planes. He served as one of the first pilots to test helicopters in battle conditions. Ed “Wonderfalk” served his country and its allies for decades. By way of his unflinching courage, brilliant airmanship, selfless sacrifice and relentless good spirits he earned respect, admiration and undying friendships on multiple continents.

As to the Fox and Hounds, Mihkel’s exploits gained significant recognition, certainly among those Swedes responsible for supporting the national efforts to protect the Swedish nation. He enjoyed significant government support for a facility that trained mushers and skilled dog teams capable of delivering supplies and conducting rescue missions. Mihkel named his training facility “Balto Alaska.” It honored the world’s most famous sled dog who had become an American national hero after leading the team that delivered desperately needed diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska in 1925. The Alaska part paid tribute to a distant land that filled Mihkel’s dreams. He envisioned it as a glorious place where people lived in freedom and loved sled dogs.

ZWICKAU, GERMANY 1945

Auto Union Silver Arrow

By the end of WWII Yuri Petrov had solidified his place as a member of Leonid Brezhnev’s inner circle. As a trusted subordinate, Petrov could not believe how fate had smiled on him. Orders from Brezhnev took him to Zwickau, Germany, the site of the Auto Union factory and the location of the stored Grand Prix Silver Arrow cars of 1939. Petrov knew Brezhnev had a thing for fast cars but, now, he truly understood the extent of Brezhnev’s interest. Petrov insinuated himself into the process of shipping the Silver Arrows back to Russia for study. One evening he stole into the warehouse to actually sit in one of the 12-cylinder silver  brutes waiting for shipment. With his hands grasping the wheel he became in his imagination one of the racing gods of the Grand Prix circuit. Seated in silence and shadows he wondered, had the great Nuvolari sat where he now sat? He allowed himself to dream. Touching that Silver Arrow ignited a passion that would only build as the years passed.

SWEDEN  1945

The tumultuous war years provided a canvas upon which both Ed and Mihkel sketched lives both fulfilling yet unsettled. When the clouds of war cleared in 1945, it brought relief accompanied by a great awakening in Mihkel. With Estonia firmly in Soviet hands, he began serious consideration of where he could build a life. He wanted to leave Europe. He dreamed of coming to America but dreaming does not make it so. And what would he do with his beloved dog team? He continued his life in Sweden training dogs and developing the mechanical and metal fabrication skills inherited from his father.

P-38 Lightning

During his war years in Sweden he and his team often received the call to locate and rescue downed airmen. He always preferred saving allied fliers. However, when called upon to save Nazi or Soviet airman he found that many were only too happy to have escaped the service of their dictator led homelands. Whether allied or Nazi, Mihkel would query every flier to unearth any news of Ed “Wonderfalk.” Many allied fliers had heard of him though few had any specifics.” One American pilot’s colorful comments made Mihkel laugh because he had no doubt of its truth. The pilot had no idea of Ed’s present whereabouts but he told Mihkel, “That boy can fly and wherever he is, he’s causing a shit load of trouble for the Germans.”

Downed German pilots who knew of “Wonderfalk” while not laudatory in their comments expressed a grudging respect. In piecing together bits of stories from both allied and German airman, Mihkel had assembled one apparently true story that unmistakably bore the mark of Ed “Wonderfalk.” In summer of 1943 three American P-38 “Lightening” twin engine high speed fighters surreptitiously undertook a long distance and blisteringly quick strafing of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest “Summit of Power” positioned high above the town of Berchtesgaden. The attack much like the Doolittle raid over Tokyo accomplished little structural damage if any. Rather, the bold strike succeeded in delivering a message of vulnerability to Hitler on his doorstep. Mihkel thought the attack screamed of classic Wonderfalk. He would not be wrong.

Years passed producing a dull sense of sameness for Mihkel. It deepened his hunger for change. He got snippets of information indicating his parents were alive and still on the farm but with the Soviet occupation no means existed for him to see them. He dreamed of America. Sometimes dreams come true.

SWEDEN 1948

Ed “Wonderfalk Sikes strode confidently into the Balto Alaska office. Having grown into full manhood, now trim, poised and sharp in his Air Force uniform he threw both arms around a surprised and stunned Mihkel. Mihkel’s faltering efforts to ask a multitude of questions simultaneous devolved into the two men simply embracing. Ed spoke of how Col. Balchen after the war had been recalled to active duty and assigned to command the 10th Rescue Squadron in Alaska. Col. Balchen assigned Ed the responsibility of Chief of Rescue Operations. Ed described both the beauty and freedom found in Alaska. He also explained Col. Balchen’s considerable influence with The Alaskan Territorial Court System. The Court had the responsibility for processing immigration documents for individuals living in Alaska and wishing to be American citizens. Ed would be returning there. Then came the kicker. Ed asked if Mihkel would like to become an American citizen. Mihkel burst with excitement, an excitement that just as quickly extinguished. What about his sled dogs? Ed’s Response sealed the deal. As long as a vet certified their health, the Hounds could accompany the Fox.

DNEPROPETROVSK, UKRAINE 1948

In 1948 Brezhnev returned to his Ukrainian home town of Dnepropetrovsk to be the regional first party secretary. Accompanying Brezhnev, Petrov clung by his side like a pilot fish hugging its host shark. The comparison came much closer to reality than analogy. Petrov hung close to protect Brezhnev from political parasites while Brezhnev’s political power protected Petrov from bigger fish in the carnivorous Soviet political pond.

Nineteen fifty saw Brezhnev promoted and sent to Romania tasked with Sovietizing the population of the recently conquered country. While in Romania Petrov became acquainted with the stories of the Antonescu family wealth and their love affair with exotic cars. These stories represented but one dot of interesting information for the Soviet car enthusiast. Petrov, however, did not yet have enough dots to draw a line back to Estonia.

ALASKA, 1956

Since setting foot in Alaska in 1949, Mihkel had established himself as a respected participant in local sled dog racing. He found the skill level of competitive Alaskan mushers extremely high. That said, while never winning the prestigious NAC race, North American Championship, (The Indy 500 of dog sledding) he consistently placed high despite the advancing age of his dog team. The shared love and loyalty that existed between Mihkel and his team shaped his life in Alaska. In the early 1950s his beloved dogs began to pass. By 1956 none remained. Racing without his team no longer gave him the same joy. While a charter member of the Alaska Dog Musher’s Association, Mihkel stopped competing. By the mid-1950s his gift for mechanical troubleshooting and especially for metal fabrication had begun earning him a reputation that had spread beyond Alaska.

With the retirement of Colonel Balchen in 1955, Ed chose to leave the Air Force as well. He had been spoiled by Col. Balchen’s excellence and did not wish to answer to anyone less. He joined up with some WWII Air Force buddies who had started an air freight business called Flying Tiger Line. He flew routes all over the world including Alaska. The face-to-face opportunities it provided tightened the bond of friendship with Mihkel.

Around that time Ed, while in town, had reached out to introduced Mihkel to a longtime friend from back east named Johnny Santucci. Ed had met Johnny, whose real first name was Gianni, through Flying Tiger. Johnny, a WWII veteran and a hard working and savvy man of means, had earned his wealth and stature in the global shipping business. A widower, he had his 25-year old daughter Beth accompanying him. A free-spirited outdoorswoman and a bit of an adventurer herself, she wanted to experience the NAC dog sled race. Ed thought Mihkel would be the perfect guide. Apparently so did Beth. By Christmas 1956, Beth and Mihkel had married, set up a home in Anchorage and started a family with the addition of a son, Jack, named in honor of Mihkel’s father. Mihkel’s business grew quickly. So did young son Jack who spent most free hours at his father’s side honing the craft and creative skills found aplenty in the Oja gene pool. For the young Oja family, as the early rock band the “Crew Cuts” sang in 1954,  “Life is but a dream,” until it was not. It fell apart on March 27^th 1964.

Anchorage earthquake 1964

On that date the largest earthquake in the history of the United States, measuring a 9.2 on the Richter scale, and the second largest on record in the world hit Anchorage at 5:36 pm Alaska time. A land mass of roughly 46,000 square miles pitched up; in some places over 80 feet. Tsunamis swept down the west coast sweeping villages out to sea. The main street of Anchorage collapsed 20 feet into the earth. Locomotives were tossed up hillsides. For all intents and purposes Anchorage, as people knew it had been demolished. So, too, had the life built by Mihkel and Beth Oja.

ESTONIA 1964

Bitter at the communists for their decades of lies, oppression and treachery, 64-year old Jaak Oja gained his only solace from his loving wife, Ann; his tight knit community and the priceless secret hiding in his barn.

The communists had promised a better, richer life. Save for the Soviet apparatchiks ruling Jaak’s country, as with all other countries under the communist fist, the promise of a better life ranked as one of the greatest frauds perpetrated on mankind. Buoyed by the loved ones around him and his once a month visit behind the false wall in his barn with his oil can, Jaak Oja, more than most, found peace in a life lived under the communist’s radar.

NORTHVALE, NEW JERSEY USA 1964

Mihkel’s family had lost everything, his business, their home and most belongings. When Beth’s father, Johnny, suggested Mihkel move his family near Johnny’s home in Northern New Jersey it seemed a life altering but undeniably correct decision. With Mihkel’s English well polished from his time in the states, he could even tell jokes, as he did in accepting Johnny’s invitation by declaring that for he and wife Beth, earth-shaking experiences were nothing new.

NORTHVALE, NEW JERSEY USA 1986

Bob Seger’s new single “Like a rock” blasted out of the approaching 1979 Dodge Li’l Red Express pickup truck. It rumbled to a stop respectfully distanced from a 1984 Blue Metallic Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe. The two vehicles enjoyed significant company in the form of thoroughbred foreign cars of the performance kind and muscular domestic iron. The assemblage parked facing the workshop represented a broad range of vintages.

Low and handsome the workshop’s fascia and interior featured a handsome execution of stone and barn wood harvested from the fast disappearing local area farms. A cowboy boot emerged from the customer’s red hotrod pickup. Jack Oja flashed a thumbs up to his dad, Mihkel, seated inside his office.

Having left behind the earthquake savaged home of his auto specialty shop in Anchorage, Alaska, Mihkel with family in tow arrived in Northern New Jersey in 1965 with a dream and a plan. His new business, Fox and Hounds Performance Services would target discerning aficionados of high end performance vehicles.

Mihkel’s Thirty-year old son Jack filled the front door as he entered the shop. Earlier, when he had left to road test the truck, it seemed like just another fine late summer day at Fox and Hounds Performance. Now, entering the office and seeing his father, Jack sensed something wrong, very wrong. Jack just stared silently and waited. Mihkel, now 66-years old, seemed frozen. His elbows rested on his desk to steady the clenched weathered hands supporting his chin. His gaze vacant, a telegram hung down captive in his grip. The news? Mihkel’s mother Ann Oja had died. His parents seemingly timeless and indestructible family unit had been shattered leaving his father Jaak a widower. Mihkel knew the Soviets could have long memories, he also knew he would have to return home to Estonia.

Secreted away in his family’s barn in rural Estonia, the priceless Bugatti had not even crossed Mihkel Oja’s mind since he fled the pre-WWII turmoil gripping his Estonian homeland. It would remain a forgotten fact, now, as he fled from victorious Soviet occupation forces overrunning eastern Finland. With the Soviet/Finnish Winter War ended and Soviet power in ascendancy the prospects for he and fellow teenage warrior Ed Sikes loomed as dark and foreboding at best. Both had volunteered to fight for Finland against the, now victorious, Soviets. At this point, their only hope, in the bitter winter of 1940, resided in the ability of Mihkel’s 12 iron willed sled dogs to deliver the two young but hardened warriors to safety in neutral Sweden.

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale  (Part 2, Episode 11 – A Wounded Bird Points the Way)

Wounded Bristol Blenheim bomber

LAPLAND, FINLAND 1940

Even as the dark smoke from the wounded British Bristol Blenheim bomber’s starboard engine hung in the frozen arctic air Mihkel knew his plan to reach Kiruna, Sweden had been profoundly altered. What Mihkel could not know was how this single event would impact his life’s path for all his years to come.

Just as he had felt compelled to rescue “Wonderfalk” when learning of Ed’s downing in the Finnish wilderness; so too Mihkel could not bear to turn away knowing that one or more of the wounded bomber’s air crew might have survived. Stranded and ill-equipped in a frozen wilderness and subject to Lapland’s deadly winter, anyone still alive stood little chance if not located quickly. Mihkel understood immediately what he had to do. He also knew he would have to do it alone. He tasked Ed with continuing on to Kiruna to rally more support. Ed’s success in his mission would come to play a vital role; one that that would shape his own future as well.

Andres Turi

Mihkel and Ed had quickly devised a rescue plan. With the sled already outfitted with provisions for the intended run to Kiruna, Mihkel, the master woodsman and musher, could turn his team north without delay. Ed, with the willing support of Andres Turi a Sami veteran of the Winter War, would continue the journey towards Kiruna via Andres’ reindeer sled. As soon as possible Ed would seek to connect with people willing and capable of supporting any success Mihkel’s immediate rescue efforts might achieve. Such resources might also be enlisted to aid the two young warriors long term plans for an escape to freedom. In short order Ed and Mihkel bid each other “safe journey” with an implicit understanding that they would reconnect in a matter of weeks if not days.

The acrid smell and soot that had rained down from the wayward bomber’s burning engine corrupted the pristine arctic air. It provided an olfactory foot print that Mihkel, with all his senses on full alert, relied on to help track the crippled plane’s flight path.

During a needed rest for his hard driving dogs, Mihkel momentarily relaxed finding himself lost in wonder as he viewed a spectacular “northern lights” display dancing across a crystal clear, star filled and brutally cold night sky. Contemplating the confluence of such beauty in a world experiencing such horror quickly exceeded his ability for personal reflection. A dog barking snapped his focus back to the immediate danger he faced. The call of a great Grey Owl had caught the barking dog’s attention.

Snapped tree tops made the distant ridgeline resemble a lower jaw with a tooth knocked out. Mihkel mushed the dogs to full stride, his ever more frenetic approach to the damaged trees revealed the source of the knockout punch. Pieces of airplane embedded themselves in the thick snow cover. Mihkel recognized a sheet metal shard torn from an engine cowling. Peaking the ridge he saw it. At rest in a large open field bordering a frozen lake. The plane’s shredded tail twisted grotesquely up and away from the plane’s fuselage. Its wings splayed wide and lifeless like a felled bird. A dark broad smudge extended from the starboard engine. A patch of snowless ground showed where an intense fire had melted the surrounding snow before the frozen resting place sucked the life out of the fire. As Mihkel approached the wreckage, a man’s halting hollow voice uttered two words, “Thank God.”

KIRUNA, SWEDEN 1940

With the bearing, savvy and stance of a battle tested winter warrior, which he was, Sami war veteran Andres Turi had delivered Ed to a frozen airfield on the distant outskirts of the Kiruna iron mines. The Swedes there initially did not know what to make of Ed this brash young American with Andres the indigenous chauffeur. However, being an airfield, it did not take long for the English speaking Swedes to grasp the situation and embrace the notorious Ed “Wonderfalk” Sikes. There in their presence, stood Mr. “Death from above” in the flesh. While warmed by the welcome, Ed stayed on point. He set about prepping a rescue effort. In so doing he quickly became aware of the presence of a living legend and America’s greatest Arctic flight operations expert: Colonel Bernt Balchen a Norwegian by birth. Balchen had served as the pilot for several of the greatest polar adventures in human history including the Amundesen-Ellsworth-Nobile Polar Expedition, Admiral Byrd’s flight across the Atlantic and piloting the first airplane to fly across the South Pole. Ed felt awed but never veered from his focus on Mihkel. He worried about his dear friend, but then he would reassure himself by thinking, “Mihkel most certainly must have earned the nickname Arctic Fox for a reason.”

LAPLAND FINLAND 1940

At the crash site Mihkel had found all three crew members alive. Some barely so, with two, the pilot and navigator, in rough shape. The third, the gunner, suffered a broken leg as the worst of his injuries. The crew had been flying a reconnaissance mission for a planned allied assault on Nazi forces positioned near the Norwegian coastal town of Narvik. This Norwegian harbor town would soon be the stage for a bloody land and sea tug-of-war between the allied and Nazi forces with victory slipping from the grasp of one side, then to the other and then back again. At last, victory came to rest in the tight grip of the Germans. Antiaircraft fire from a Nazi destroyer in the harbor took out the Bristol’s starboard engine. Too far from home the pilot had to bring it down, preferably over land. Heading east the rugged terrain did not provide any attractive opportunities until gravity made the decision for him.

While the plane’s fuselage provided some shelter and Mihkel’s presence and provisions elevated the crew’s spirits, Mihkel faced a devil’s choice as to how to evacuate the men, considering their injuries. As Mihkel pondered his poor choice of options the gunner startled him by loudly bemoaning his disappointment that the aircraft’s radio had been damaged. Mihkel snapped to. Radios had always fascinated him. So much so that as a child he would take them apart to see how they worked. Making a beeline to the cockpit, He climbed through the twisted wreckage to the instruments and the radio. Mihkel recognized the standard T1082 transmitter. Mihkel smiled.

ESTONIA 1940

Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev

Young lieutenant Yuri Petrov, though not considered remarkable in the performance of his duties, had no shortcomings when it came to personal ambition. However, in all honesty, when it came to personal attributes, he could take no credit for his single greatest asset, that being his place of birth. Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine did not exactly roll off the tongue, but it did claim as a native son one Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. By 1936 the thirty-year old Brezhnev as a passionate pro-Stalinist had survived the bloody 1930s Soviet “Great Terror” purges. Recognized as a suitable candidate for the ranks of the Communist hierarchy, Brezhnev rose through those ranks quite quickly. During the early years of Brezhnev’s ascension he took a liking to a very solicitous young officer from the same hometown. Being that young officer, Petrov used his Brezhnev connection to transfer from the Estonian woods to the Transcaucasian Front as a direct report to Political Commissar Brezhnev.

Lenin’s 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

By the 1960s, Brezhnev would have risen to the leadership of the USSR. Then like many Soviet leaders past and present, Brezhnev enjoyed extensive privilege. For example, Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik Peoples’ Revolution against the elite and rich, loved big expensive luxury cars. He rode in a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost chauffeured by Adolphe Kegresse, the deposed Tsar Nicholas II’s personal driver. Petrov quickly became attuned to Brezhnev’s tastes. He displayed skill at providing luxury vehicles, secretaries and nurses. All to serve the needs of Brezhnev when Brezhnev took a respite at one of his free villas, beach houses, and hunting and drinking parties. Over the subsequent years Brezhnev cultivated Petrov as a capable and attentive administrator for addressing Brezhnev’s interests which increasingly involved unique and luxurious automobiles.

KIRUNA, SWEDEN 1940

The young apple cheeked Swedish airman blew open the hangar office door aided by a stiff gust of frigid arctic air. The slamming impact of the runaway door on a file cabinet jarred Ed from an intense conversation with Balchen. The young Swede’s breathless message met with great huzzas. Mihkel had radioed in confirming that he had located the crash site. Even better, all crew members had survived. However, their precarious state put them in desperate need of evacuation.

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Col. Balchen spun back from the door, turned to Ed and uttered two words, “Let’s go!” that would change the trajectory of Ed’s life. A twin engine Consolidated PBY Catalina warmed in a hangar as Ed scrambled in preparation to fly with a legend. Airborne, Balchen startled Ed by suggesting that “Wonderfalk” assume the controls. Clearly, Balchen had taken to the young American pilot. Without hesitation Ed took over. As if born to fly the multi-engine PBY Catalina, a hyper-vigilant Ed cruised the rugged snow cover landscape with the directional guidance Mihkel had provided. With the help of a blazing signal fire below, Ed spotted the crash site. Clearly, Balchen had been so impressed by something he saw in the young pilot that he chose to be bet his life on it. Pointing to the frozen lake, he turned to Ed and told him to “put ‘er down.” Ed caught his breath then locked on to the job at hand. He banked, turned and set the PBY down like a baby on a bassinette. At this moment Ed understood the stage upon which his life would be lived.

Though the PBY seated seven and a pilot, the need for additional space to accommodate the compromised condition of the three air crew members left Ed with the short straw. No worries. Certainly, there would be no room with the “Fox and Hounds.” For Mihkel, he had anticipated insufficient space for transporting his team and sled. For Ed he savored the thought of returning to his role as dog sled co-pilot.

Two days later the Fox, twelve happy hounds and Wonderfalk entered the air field grounds. Quonset huts disgorged cheering men with fur hoods and steaming breath delivering a hero’s welcome. Gloved hands clapped the sledder’s backs. Calls for celebratory drinks filled the cold air. Of course, Mihkel’s drink would have to wait. Twelve valiant dogs needed to be fed and loved up. The dogs basked in the warmth of blankets and Mihkel’s heartfelt affection.

ESTONIA 1940

As snow gently fell across the open family farm yard, Jaak Oja sat quietly in his rustic country kitchen warmed by a blazing wood fire. His wife Ann quietly occupied herself in another room stitching the sturdy work pants he had snagged on a nail. He savored a cup of strong black coffee as he quietly thought. The simple and hard life of an Estonian farmer did not so much appeal to Jaak Oja, as much as it met his needs. He entertained no alternative to this the only life he had ever known. While he personally did not aspire to greatness, he did have dreams. At night before falling to sleep he would envision the day when he learned his independence loving son Mihkel had escaped to freedom and lived a family life of love and abundance. This dream, shared with his wife Ann served to cement their close and loving marriage.

While accepting of the peasant life he lived, Jaak, also comfortably accepted his circumstances as the beneficiary of an unbelievable twist of fate in the face of stifling Soviet oppression. Jaak the Estonian peasant had been left in possession of what could well be the most visually compelling, desirable and valuable car in the world, a custom race-prepped Bugatti Royale; that is, should anyone discover his secret. But no one had as it remained protected by Jaak’s stubborn silence and a camouflaged hideaway on his farm. As the steam rose from his coffee cup Jaak tilted back his head, closed his eyes, thought of Mihkel and allowed his mind to wander to a better place.

KIRUNA, SWEDEN 1940

The wood fire crackled in the Quonset hut fireplace as its flickering golden light danced across the faces of Ed and Mihkel. They had talked. Now, they sat quietly. Mihkel and Ed had forged a bond of friendship that would endure regardless of what tomorrow would bring. And tomorrow had a lot in store for them.

A stiff bitter cold wind buffeted their creaking hut.

February 1940 saw the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty that ended the Winter War between the Soviets and Finland. However, unlike the war, Finland’s punishing unrelenting bitter winter continued unabated. An uneasy peace hung in the frigid Baltic air. Fueling a blanketing dread, a great gathering storm malevolently churned on the horizon. The near future seemed explosively ripe and ready to unleash what seemed an inevitable whirlwind of death and destruction. All knew peace stood no chance. None more so than two freedom fighters revered in Finland but foreign to that frozen land. Brothers in arms, both keenly sensed the rapidly shrinking window available for their escape from an ever tightening Nazi/Soviet vice.

Neither yet 21-years old, Estonian Mihkel Oja and American Ed Sikes, possessed many friends but no roots in the gallant Finnish land for which they had fought. Like the jagged bitter cold that pierced their flesh, the prospects of the coming apocalypse shredded their sense of well being. Neither possessed a sliver of doubt as to their future. Their only hope would reside in fleeing the forests of Finland, NOW!

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale Part 2 (Episode 10 – Harrowing Escape into an Unknown Future)

FINLAND 1940

With the changing political climate and boiling clouds of war, every minute Mihkel and Ed remained in Finland hardened their shared ominous sense of imminent doom. Neither could dispel haunting thoughts of a tightening noose about to choke off any means of escape. Tomorrow they would be gone. As they stood together overlooking a map of the Scandinavian countries, Mihkel’s finger pointed to a town in the north of neutral Sweden. “Kiruna,” said Mihkel. He had pinned their hopes on reaching a Swedish mining town in the Arctic Circle.

Mihkel believed escaping to Sweden offered the best opportunity to avoid capture by the Soviets and most likely death. And in all honesty Sweden presented the only apparent opportunity offering any chance of success. In its favor, Sweden had declared itself neutral in the blossoming global conflict. As well, by being a willing trading partner with Germany, Sweden lessened its attractiveness to the Nazi’s as a subject of occupation. Mihkel also took heart in Sweden’s treatment of Allied air crews forced to land crippled aircraft in Sweden. Crewmen while not permitted to leave Sweden had free reign to explore the country and interact with the Swedish people. To the delight of downed airmen that included Swedish women. Other positive things factored in to brighten Mihkel’s outlook as well. During Finland’s Winter War with the Soviets, Sweden contributed thousands of army and air force volunteers to support the Finnish war effort. Unknown to Mihkel his “Arctic Fox” reputation returned home with the Swedish volunteers as did that of Ed “Wonderfalk” Sikes, the “Peregrine Falcon” known by Soviet pilots as “death from above.

ESTONIA 1940

Back in Estonia young Soviet Lieutenant Yuri Petrov had many free moments. For him, too many. Eastern Estonia bored him horribly. It consisted of little more than a few farmers, loggers and dense forest, dense, dense forest. Yes, he had discovered a strange abandoned warehouse with some Bugatti parts but it amounted to nothing. Desperate for excitement, he had  fantasized that it had held a “Super Auto.” He found race cars fascinating, especially the German grand prix cars. Of course, while Petrov loved fast cars, he could only dream of owning one.

So fast and powerful and dominating, the sleek yet brutish supercharged 500-horsepower V16 Silver Arrows of the Nazi backed German Grand Prix teams had ignited a passion for “Super Autos” in the heart of young Petrov. Starving for excitement in the Estonian woods he did his best to stay current with the German Siler Arrows. “These magnificent mechanical beasts,” as Petrov viewed them, crushed all competitors foolish enough to mount a challenge. Even while he served the needs of the Soviet people in the “God awful” forests of Estonia in 1939, he reveled in Auto Union’s great victory in the 1939 Belgrade Grand prix. That same day, September 3^rd 1939, Germany invaded Poland and the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany. In confident reflection, Petrov assured himself that the Soviets could build comparable Super Autos…but, of course, “Iron” Joe Stalin had to first focus on serving the needs of the Soviet people. Often before going to sleep at night young Petrov would allow himself to dream of a time when the people’s work back home would be done and he could own a great car maybe even a Silver Arrow.

FINLAND 1940

Mihkel’s team of sled dogs, in possessing no sense of political realities or apparently any fear, energetically pranced in place eager to face whatever adventure lay ahead. Intelligent and keenly aware, the dog team took its cues from Mihkel. On this dark bitter winter morning he had prepared the sled exhibiting extra care. The dogs sensed importance. Mihkel knew the challenge of the additional passenger would test the dogs. The dogs themselves seemed nonplussed by the added burden. As a group, the dogs displayed an eager intent to devour whatever challenge awaited them like a good reindeer stew. Vapor boiled off and swirled about the excited sled dogs.

Mihkel, barely able to sleep the night before, had spent tortured hours exhaustively modeling every detail that, if mishandled, could diminish their chances of survival much less success. At best, he knew that at least a week traversing a frozen snow-blanketed hell stood between Ed, him and any hope of surviving as free men.

Mihkel allowed himself a moment of reflection, the skilled woodsman and warrior understood what awaited. Before him loomed a frozen and desolate expansive wilderness of barely penetrable evergreen forest mixed with barren glacial scrubbed fells (highlands). There, temperatures above zero would qualify as a heat wave. Traveling in near darkness through the Arctic Circle they would face temperatures capable of plunging to a potentially deadly -45°F. On a good day his team could cover 85 miles. A bad day with bad terrain might be a reach to hope for 20 miles. Of course, all bets would be off if, as could happen at any moment, they encountered heavily armed scout teams from the massive Soviet army that he and his overmatched Finnish army comrades had just fought to a standstill.

ESTONIA 1940

Typical of Estonian winter, a howling wind piled drifting snow against the large sturdy barn across the barnyard from Jaak Oja’s equally sturdy home. Alive with the sounds of creaking beams withstanding the winter fury and comfortably ensconced well fed farm animals, the barn’s very existence represented a monument to Jaak’s determination and animal husbandry skills. Incongruously a spectacular custom one-of-a-kind Bugatti Royale hid in dark silent seclusion behind the barn’s skillfully crafted false rear wall. It represented a breathtaking anomaly: valuable beyond estimation, yet, unknown to an otherwise covetous world that would claim it. This historic and priceless king of Olympian vehicles, instead, served as a silent tribute to Jaak Oja’s stubborn determination to defy Estonia’s oppressive political order. In an otherwise somber and repressive political landscape the sequestered Royale represented Jaak’s one man defiance of a political culture for which he could only express his total disdain in silence. Even in this bitter cold grey world the Bugatti’s  existence warmed his heart. Jaak called it his inside joke. Jaak’s “subversive” joy made his wife Ann smile.

FINLAND 1940

With the first pale rays of light bleeding into the bitter March morning sky Mihkel with stern resolve set his beloved team to task. Like hunting dogs on point each team member focused on the job at hand. No barking, no wasted energy, the Fox and Hounds with passenger Ed Wonderfalk made their move. With Kiruna as a destination and stealth worthy of a stalking cat, the team moved out betrayed only by a faint whisper of compressing snow easily mistaken for a light breeze in the surrounding pines.

Early on Mihkel chose to avoid the logging trails. Though these trails would afford the dog team the best opportunity to make good time, logging roads served as a magnet attracting Soviet troops. Being ill equipped and poorly trained for fighting in the dense frozen forest, Soviet scouting parties found the cleared trails very much to their liking. As the nearby town of Salla had seen fierce fighting, and with the Soviets now claiming Finish land, Mihkel welcomed the forest as an ally. He skillfully wove his energetic dog team through the pine scented landscape. Suddenly Mihkel’s caution paid dividends. A Soviet scouting party came into view. Slumping soldiers in dark wool coats heading east moved from left to right across Mihkel’s field of vision. With Ed and Mihkel nearly invisible in their white winter warrior uniforms and the battle wizened sled dogs silent and alert, the enemy soldiers moved unknowingly off into the distance.

In heading west away from Salla and deeper into Lapland the threat of enemy troops lessened as the danger posed by nature itself grew ever greater. Ed felt awe struck by the simultaneous beauty and terror that increasingly consumed his every thought. Alone the two men and twelve dogs had chosen to challenge an arctic landscape of frozen lakes, towering peaks, glacial scrubbed highlands and frozen forests readily capable of eloquently communicating how beauty and pain could share the same canvas.

By the second day Ed felt compelled to express his admiration for how well and wisely Mihkel had packed and how much Mihkel loved the dogs. Stopping to eat meant the dogs ate first. Stopping for the night meant unhooking the dogs first, feeding the dogs first and every dog got a blanket before attention turned to the humans. The first night, feeling safe from Soviet troops, a camp fire warmed everyone’s food and the men. When it came to sleeping, each dog burrowed a hole in the snow and each got covered with a blanket. While experienced thick furred sled dogs can sleep comfortably without a blanket in frozen climes, Mihkel by bringing each dog a blanket seemed to make them all rest better.

Sami people

Good fortune travelled with the team. Uncharacteristically only one day brought harsh weather and fortunately Mihkel had found a hunter’s cabin to ride out the storm. The days rest did everyone, man and beast alike well. By the sixth day out, though, food supplies needed to be replenished. Again good fortune brought the team into contact with a gathering of the indigenous people of Lapland, the Sami Nomads. A friendly and hospitable people, the Sami, known primarily as reindeer herders welcomed Mihkel, Ed and the dogs. Valiant defenders of their Lapland home during the “Winter War” some of the Sami men had heard of Mihkel the “Arctic Fox.” Fortified by a rest day of warmth, good food and navigational guidance the restocked team set out with Kiruna in their sites.

Mihkel had just hooked up the last of the dog team. Then he heard it. With a start, his eyes shot skyward. He saw nothing, but he recognized the sputtering cough right away. Then low in the sky he saw it. A British twin engine Bristol Blenheim bomber, all shot to hell. It disappeared over the rugged white horizon.

Kiruna would have to wait.

Winter of 1939 found Estonian native son and freedom fighter, teenager Mihkel Oja seeking refuge from a tempest that would soon engulf all of the world he knew and much of the world in total. Clinging to a sled behind his team of powerful Malamutes and Siberian Huskies, his hunched and bundled frame cleaved the bitter Baltic night. Fleeing across the uncharted recently frozen surface of the Gulf of Finland offered his only hope. He would surely be killed if he stayed in Estonia. Better to make this desperate attempt to cross 50 miles of dark uncertainty and danger to reach Finland and sanctuary. To do otherwise would expose him and, worse, his family to the brutish retribution common to life lived at the cruel crossroads where Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia battled for dominance over a tiny nation alive with individual dreams of freedom.

Certainly at this moment Mihkel harbored no thoughts of a priceless Bugatti unknown to the world and hidden on his father’s rural Estonian farm, but decades later he would.

In Search of the Lost 7^th Royale  (Part 2 – Episode 9 – Priceless Bugatti Lost in the Fog of War)

FINLAND 1940

Distant flashes of artillery fire lit the far horizon. What became known as the “Winter War of 1939 to 1940 had escalated to widespread pitched conflicts producing battlefield bloodbaths across frozen forested terrain. At stake, Russia’s attempt to take control of large swaths of Finland. It pitted a massed and massive Russian armed force of about a million men against a far smaller and largely ill-equipped Finnish military and civilian force intent on defending their homeland.

Winter War

Warmed by the anxiety born of the distant sounds of war that carried across the great dark expanse of ice, Mihkel tried to concentrate his thoughts solely on reaching Finland. He envied the singular focus of his disciplined dog team. Thoughts crept into his consciousness bringing to mind questions of fight or flight. He allowed himself a half smile, half grimace in recognizing the irony of his apparent fleeing into harm’s way. He quickly snapped to, recognizing that worrying about the myriad things that could go wrong served no purpose. Life would provide answers soon enough. With a hushed “Tchk, Tchk” he spurred on the canine co-conspirators enabling his escape to freedom, he hoped.

A soft moonlight diffused by a gentle mist obscured the sled’s presence without obliterating the celestial beacons by which the young but skilled outdoorsman navigated his escape. Deep into the hollow hours of his silent journey, a thickening fog instilled in Mihkel both hope and trepidation. A significantly reduced visibility forced him to rely on his compass, watch, and estimated speed to orient his whereabouts. He could be close to land but how would he know. In a short time an answer came, abruptly. With startling immediacy his sled bucked high then tipped violently to the right sending both Mihkel and the sled spinning on their sides across the ice. A rock protruding through the ice had caught a sled runner. Without his life on the line, the scene would have been comical. He looked up to see his dogs, apparently unfazed, displaying “well let’s get going” expressions as they stood poised and ready to continue. Checking for damage Mihkel felt relief that the spill harmed neither the sled nor its passenger. With the sled righted and proceeding slowly, Mihkel found himself at the shoreline of a rocky beach. He had reached Finland.

He exhaled in deep relief. Then he heard it, the metallic draw and lock of a bolt action rifle. His body froze. His mind raced. Russian or Finn? His life or the loss thereof would be determined by the answer. Mihkel rolled the dice and spoke up in both Estonian and Finnish declaring his flight from the Russians. A gruff voice responded in Finnish. Mihkel, in translating as best he could understood something like “He’s some crazy, lucky Estonian son-of–a-bitch if he’s telling the truth.” Two more men came out of the woods. One cracked no smile. Clearly in charge, he displayed no intention of believing Mihkel without proof.

In a circle with a campfire and Mihkel at its center, twenty or so unshaven men in white uniforms sat silently as the leader quizzed Mihkel. It helped immeasurably that the leader, Ahti Heikkinen, during time spent in Tallinn had become acquainted with members of the Estonian freedom movement and, now, recognized Mihkel’s name. With Mihkel having been invited to share his story, the tenor of the conversation relaxed considerably. As he tended to his dog team under the respectful eyes of his new Finnish friends, they shared much about the hated invading Russians and the terror and destruction being visited upon their homeland. Mihkel listened intently as his dogs gathered like children at his feet. The Finnish soldiers’ stories inflamed his Estonian freedom fighter’s soul. He would join their fight.

MOLSHIEM, FRANCE 1939

Earlier in 1939, British automotive journalist John Daley could not quite get his hands around a haunting story of a very special Bugatti alluded to in hushed exchanges he overheard while visiting the Bugatti factory in Molsheim.

Daley, a writer for the widely respected British publication, The Autocar had come to Europe in the summer of 1939 to cover an extraordinary event. British sports car maker MG had boldly come to Germany to set land speed records with a special aerodynamic, supercharged 200 mph MG. After the successful event and before returning home to Britain, Daley had taken a side trip to visit his friend Jean Bugatti at Bugatti’s Molsheim headquarters. Always possessing a good feel for a great story, and a working knowledge of French, Daley while sharing a cup of coffee on the Bugatti factory floor overheard workers referencing a special Royale. Employing a perfect poker face and trained ear he listened for more, to no avail. With his interest piqued, Daley brought it up to Jean Bugatti in conversation. Bugatti acknowledge that in 1939 a Royale had been fitted with a new body for a French politician. Bugatti then abruptly changed the subject and said no more. Having fabricated the Royale re-body story as a cover for the Antonescu special project, Bugatti had no desire to continue the discussion.

Jean Bugatti accident

When Daley, as a naturally curious journalist followed up with the French politician, the politician denied ever owning a Bugatti much less a Royale. For Daley, this whetted his appetite for more information. Sadly for him, this hunger would never be satiated. In one final effort Daley reached out to the Bugatti main office and spoke with Accounts Manager Yvonne Smirnov. She had no information to offer. She had been well compensated to ensure her silence even though she had never actually seen the car. However, Daley’s interest and persistence always struck her as curious. As, frankly, did the hush money. The intensity of Daley’s interest, though, would remain with her for the rest of her life. As to Daley, with Jean Bugatti’s tragic death occurring weeks later, he lost interest and never chose to pursue the matter again.

ESTONIA 1940

A bitter cold wind rattled Jaak Oja’s house. Startled by a knock at the door, Jack’s wife Ann opened it to see the white breath and red face of their closest neighbor Endel. Good neighbor that he was, he had stopped to share some of his catch from ice fishing. Ann sat him down and went about fixing a cup of tea and some still warm freshly baked bread and jam. The three sat around the table catching up. Endel seemed slightly disturbed by an encounter by the lake with a very self-important young Soviet officer, a lieutenant Petrov. The fact that Soviet Russian soldiers had established camp in the Estonian forest caused sufficient concern. Worse, this young officer started questioning him about some warehouse or garage with car parts discovered in the nearby woods. Endel thought the officer must be crazy. Totally bewildered, Endel confessed that he had no idea what a Bugatti was. Jaak’s heart sunk. Ann’s tea cup clattered to the table as she momentarily lost her grip. Recovering quickly she apologized for her clumsiness and wiped up the spill. The conversation carried on drifting from topic to topic, though Jaak and Ann could not dispel the chilling fear that, for both, gripped their very being. Feeling warm and reinvigorated Endel rose to leave and head home. With thanks offered and hugs shared Endel departed through the cold and windswept farm yard. The shutting front door sealed out the blustery wind. Jaak exhaled deeply and looked to the heavens. Turning to Ann he embraced his visibly shaken wife.

FINLAND 1940

Molotov Cocktail

Mihkel had earned the warm acceptance of his Finnish comrades thanks to his passionate commitment to their cause. Mihkel and his dog team, armed with a Finnish creation called the “Molotov Cocktail,” quickly gained stature as a uniquely potent weapon that the badly outgunned and out-manned Finns could deploy against Soviet tanks.

The etymology of the homemade incendiary device called the “Molotov Cocktail”, traced back to the “Winter War” of 1939.  Vyacheslav Molotov, a particularly despised Soviet official of the time found his name attached to a very simple yet potent anti-Soviet tank weapon. A device that Mihkel employed with devastating and deadly skill.

A stealthy outdoorsman, Mihkel would work his way close to one of the lumbering Soviet T-26 and T-28 tanks pinned to the few passable roads by the dense surrounding Finnish forest. Once in close range he would set the tank ablaze by smashing the Molotov Cocktail’s flaming glass bottle against the tank’s vulnerable fuel tank or engine compartment. By the time his presence became know, he had fled the area behind his silent and powerful dog team. Honoring his speed, his silence and his savvy tactics, the Finns nickname him, “Naali,” which meant Arctic Fox.

Destruction of Soviet tank column

The character of Mihkel and his dog team dovetailed seamlessly with the undermanned Finnish strategy designed to leverage the Finns’ few advantages against the outsized Soviet troop strength. The strengths the Finns did have, they maximized. Their familiarity with the forested and rugged landscape as well as their skill as adept skiers provided huge benefits. Unlike the Russians, the Finns outfitted in white uniforms, could move largely unseen with deadly speed and silence while seemingly immune to the bitter winter conditions. Their mobility and cunning when applied with stunningly shrewd hit-and-run tactics equipped them to carve up larger and ineptly commanded Soviet troop formations with devastating results.

Found to be invaluable as well for transportation of needed supplies, reconnaissance and evacuation of wounded, Mihkel and his team’s performance elevated Finnish troop respect for dog teams. One especially dangerous rescue would have a profound impact on Mihkel’s life.

In the years just prior to WWII, a group of Americans had volunteered to fly with Britain’s RAF against the Nazi’s. A much smaller number chose to come to Finland to fight the Soviets. Upon arriving many volunteers found it most disconcerting that all Finnish aircraft wore a blue swastika. The Finns made this  unfortunate choice in 1918 well before it became the eternal emblem of Nazi evil. The Finns feeling that they had adopted the swastika first would continue its use into the early 21^st century.

Gloster Gladiator

One American volunteer, Ed Sikes arrived in Finland as a self confident rawboned cocky kid and a gifted flyer since his early teens. Though still a teenager Ed lied about his age and with money from his wealthy and adventurous father came to fly for Finland. And fly he did, like a bat out of hell.

Admired by comrades and feared by foes. Ed had acquired the sobriquet “Wonderfalk’ courtesy of a German pilot who witnessed the American’s daring “dog fighting” tactics. In English the German word “Wanderfalk” translated into “Peregrine Falcon,” the world’s fastest bird known to dive on its prey at speeds up to 240 mph. Fearful Soviet pilots simply referred to Ed as “death from above.”

War hardened Finns, even other pilots shook their heads at Ed’s exploits in a Gloster Gladiator biplane. They marveled at the things he got away with. Until the day that all changed.

Flying above enemy troop encampments and gun placements in Soviet occupied Finland south of the Mannerheim battle line, enemy ground fire brought Ed down in an isolated expanse of densely forested land. Ed’s wingman reported seeing him climb out of the smoldering wreck and wave. Upon hearing the wingman’s account Mihkel harnessed his team. He would find the downed flier before the Soviets did. Blessed with a rising full moon Mihkel set out immediately. He knew the area well enough. Certainly better than the Russians.

Surely brazen. In a different situation, probably stupid. But for Ed in the sub freezing arctic cold, the fire delivered life sustaining warmth. Even better it provided a beacon that brought 12 eager dogs and an Estonian teenager to his rescue. The little English Mihkel had acquired in school together with Ed’s stumbling Finnish supplemented by their shared skill at gesturing provided all they needed to bond as a team on a mission.

The camp exploded in cheers as the dawn brought the return of Ed and Mihkel, very possibly two of Finland’s favorite foreign sons. Sitting near a roaring fire Ed expressed his warmest gratitude in this the coldest damn place. Upon hearing this Mihkel’s nickname of Naali, the Arctic Fox, Ed coined his rescuers the “Fox and Hounds.”

The coming weeks found that, with new and better Soviet leadership commanding fresh troops, the tide of war had begun to turn. The Finns signed a negotiated peace with the Soviets that cost them land but preserved their freedom. Both Mihkel and Ed sensed the time had arrived for them to go. Tomorrow they would plan their escape. The following morning the “Fox and Hounds” and “Wonderfalk” would retreat through a frozen hell in hopes of reaching neutral Sweden.

Having lovingly tended his team, Mihkel found his hopeful thoughts for better days ahead to be interrupted by aching memories of the father, mother, friends and country he loved and left behind in a time that seemed like forever in the past. He exhaled deeply. His dogs gathered by his feet.