Chapter 44:
Chapter 44
“Captain Pavlov is demoted to colonel for his responsibility in the Smolensk debacle. Colonel Pavlov will be assigned as the commander of the 332nd Penal Division and serve until his retirement. The vacant position of the Western Front commander will be filled by… Captain Rokossovsky!”
Pavlov bowed his head with a dismal expression.
The Western Front had lost nearly 100,000 troops as its defensive line centered on Smolensk collapsed and failed to stop the rapid advance of the 2nd and 3rd Panzer Groups.
Most of them were probably sucked into the collapse of Smolensk, but anyway, Pavlov’s performance was much worse than that of Batutin, who calmly managed to regroup his forces and conduct a delaying action while retreating to Novgorod.
There were plenty of excuses. Some of the Northern Front troops under Konev, who were guarding Narva and Karelia, came down to support Batutin, and the 4th Panzer Group’s meager mechanized forces could not possibly annihilate the Northwestern Front.
But Batutin’s emergency measures shone, and Pavlov could not do the same.
He fled with his staff, leaving the headquarters in disarray, and was demoted with the blame for the initial defeat.
“…Make sure there is no disadvantage to Pavlov’s family.”
“Yes, Comrade Secretary.”
He was no longer fit for this position, so he was dragged out.
The penal division was a place where they sent people to die, but at least after death, he would receive the treatment of a soldier who sacrificed himself for the country.
It was the last gift they could give to a general who caused a disaster.
Instead of Pavlov, who was dragged out, Rokossovsky, who took over as the Western Front commander, still had a gloomy look.
The 4th Panzer Group was half-destroyed by Rotmistrov, and the 1st Panzer Group was crippled by Zhukov and Kirponos’ counter-offensive.
Even if Model tried to rescue them, unless General Model was a real wizard, most of their equipment would be lost!
But the two spearheads of the Central Group were still intact.
Rokossovsky might have imagined that he would be the next one to be purged.
Kulik was executed, and Pavlov was already treated as a dead man after being banished.
The secretary was a ruthless man who even sent his own son to die in a penal division.
How would he treat him, a Polish-born traitor?
Even if he had no such thoughts, people seemed to think so. I’m a good person…
“We lost Smolensk, but they have no more offensive capabilities. Captain Rokossovsky will rebuild the front and take charge of the winter defense with the full support of the General Staff.”
“Thank you, Comrade Secretary.”
“Good. Let’s move on to the next agenda. Novikov?”
“There are still major problems in mass-producing the new anti-aircraft missile tube that we received from Britain and America. First of all, it’s too expensive…”
The VT tube contained vacuum tubes, which were ridiculously expensive by this time’s standards and quite expensive even by our time’s standards.
It was like putting a computer in each anti-aircraft missile and shooting it into the sky, and designing it so that it wouldn’t break from shock.
Of course, this was by this time’s standards, and in our time we could just put transistors in it… But transistors didn’t exist yet!
There were some early transistors developed in 1925, but there were many difficulties in mass-producing them with enough reliability to use them for military purposes.
The Soviet Union was still in a miserable state in terms of cutting-edge science and technology.
It was only after it became one of the two superpowers that it could afford to spend money on it…
Not only VT tubes, but also cheap communication equipment – radios, wireless devices, etc. – had to be produced quickly with transistors.
I silently prayed for the scientists and engineers who were working hard under my orders.
“If it is difficult to develop our own tubes, we can choose to import or co-develop them from America. As Britain is on the verge of collapse, America will not easily refuse our request. And… Dr. Korolev? Huh!”
Yeah, if there’s no answer, it’s China!
The Nazis and Japan couldn’t mass-produce it because it was expensive, but China just threw money at it and made it!
The information that spies brought from America’s production was astounding.
Even if we took away their machines and production facilities with expensive prices and various espionage operations, there was a fundamental difference in scale.
The amount of iron pouring out of Detroit’s factories was equal to Germany or Japan’s total steel production, and America produced four times that.
How could we fill the gap in that amount of material? All weapons were made of iron, after all.
By the way… The genius who was chosen to fill this gap, Korolev, was shriveled up like a mummy.
I was so surprised to see him get up after hearing my name that I jumped out of my seat.
“No, didn’t I tell you to treat Dr. Korolev with the best care? Did you starve him without giving him proper meals? What the hell are you doing?”
Everyone was startled when I ran to him, hugged him, and shouted at Beria.
Beria looked unusually flustered, and Korolev waved his hand.
No, who said that? Did that bastard Beria starve you? Did you get tortured? Just kill that bastard!
“No, no, Comrade Secretary. I am receiving the best treatment. I was just devoted to research… Ahem.”
“Let me lend you my villa so you can rest. Dr. Korolev’s brain is a precious treasure that can advance the science and technology of this country by thirty years. Doctor, feel free to ask for anything you want.”
If you’re saying that because Beria is watching, tell me now…
But Korolev really defended Beria. Was it Stockholm syndrome?
Anyway, Korolev seemed to be able to devote himself to research.
The abundant support and clear direction of development he was given gave wings to his talent and enabled him to achieve quick results.
“Your legs are wobbly, it makes me dizzy. You can sit down and talk.”
“Thank you… Thank you, Comrade Secretary.”
He thanked me as if he was grateful and started to talk about the progress of his research.
“First of all… I believe you all know about the rocket launchers that are being distributed on the front line. Our design bureau is collecting feedback from the front line and making improvements on the rocket launchers.”
The RPG-7 was born decades earlier by the hands of this great genius.
In fact, there were weapons like Panzerschreck, Panzerfaust, or Bazooka, but they were reborn as something better after passing through the hands of Korolev’s design bureau.
The soldiers on the front line shouted for more rockets, and already hundreds of German tanks were destroyed by rocket launchers.
Of course, soon the Nazis would copy it and blow up our tanks too… But anyway, it’s one shot for you, one shot for me, and Germany, which operates expensive medium tanks like Panther or Tiger with much less resources, will suffer much more!
If necessary, we could even give up on producing the improved version of Stalin tank and just convert the chassis into a 152mm self-propelled gun platform. There were plenty of plans.
“And some new rockets have been developed. What I’m handing out now is the data on the Victory 1 missile, which is currently undergoing final tests before deployment. Please note that this will be collected after the meeting for confidentiality reasons.”
In real history, it was Nazi Germany’s V1 rocket.
It was 41 years old when it entered service in 44 years compared to real history!
“The production cost is reduced by limiting the launch platform… It is difficult to operate directly on the front line. However, this missile has a tremendous advantage that it has no ‘need’ to be used directly on the front line because its range exceeds 200km. It can’t eliminate tactical targets due to its limited accuracy, but…”
The distance from Minsk, Germany’s supply base, to Smolensk on the front line was about 300km in a straight line.
It could be intercepted by fighters, and its accuracy was not very high, but V1, or Victory 1 had a great advantage. That is…
“This missile requires a launch pad to launch, but our design bureau has succeeded in testing it by mounting it on a train. Unlike conventional bombers or fighters that need runways and become easy targets, Victory 1 that can be launched from a train can greatly expand the enemy’s defense front in time and space and penetrate our attack.”
A missile that doesn’t need a runway or a launch site!
It was relatively light at 2 tons and used a powder-based launch platform that was not much different from the design of a railway gun.
They just moved around with a train using the railway and poured a few shots at Germany’s base and ran away, then poured again and ran away.
They could load 15 missiles in a space where they could carry one 30-ton tank, and pour nearly 1 ton of explosives per shot at Germany’s base.
It would be possible to intercept it with technology advancement, but could anti-aircraft guns protect this vast land’s vast sky for 24 hours?
Fighters were out of the question. Pilots and anti-aircraft gunners were human beings with flesh and blood. While they were exhausted, we could just keep firing these missiles instead of paying with blood and life.
“How much does it cost to produce?”
A general from the army cautiously asked.
Korolev smiled as if he had been waiting for it.
It costs about as much as 30 bombers per thousand shots.
The engine used is also an old one that can use old engine production facilities. There were exclamations everywhere. Novikov even started clapping.
The Soviet Union’s aircraft were almost all designed based on engines produced in American facilities or imported directly from America.
They were using the engines we made for maintenance of old aircraft, and they had to close down the old engine production facilities. It was very efficient in terms of productivity to use them like this.
Let’s say we produce 30,000 Victory 1 missiles at the price of producing 1,000 bombers.
We don’t need to operate and protect runways, and we don’t need anti-aircraft guns to prepare for air raids targeting runways – we can deploy them elsewhere to protect the army.
And we can do something called ‘strategic bombing’.
No pilot consumption, no giving them experience, while they are consumed, we pay with relatively cheap iron and gunpowder instead of blood and life!
“The missiles we produced as prototypes are already deployed on the front line.”
Only a thousand were produced as prototypes, but dozens of fighters and bombers were blown up every day. It was about the same price as producing 30 bombers.
The Nazi Germans can’t produce more than 50,000 trucks a year. Italy is even less than half of that.
We will smash their railways and trucks, which are like their blood vessels, by pouring these missiles on them!
Yes, even if their tanks slaughter our soldiers, it is the supply lines in the rear, the railways, and the trucks that connect the railways and the troops that maintain their combat power.
A one-ton explosive can break a truck if it falls in the right place.
Of course, the accuracy and distribution of the trucks would be a problem, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is that everyone realizes the value of this missile.
In fact, Nazi Germany only produced 150,000 trucks during the war, which caused a total supply crisis. But what now?
Our missiles will break your trucks, railways, supply depots, and everything! What are you going to do by bombing cities!
The message I wanted to convey through Korolev was this. T
he time when we were unilaterally beaten is over. It’s time to counterattack.
The meeting of the headquarters, which had been depressed by the massive air raids, seemed to regain its vitality.
Korolev blushed and smiled sheepishly at the praise. Crap… Just tell me whatever you want.
“We also have a suggestion. That… we would like some of the ‘infantry fighting vehicles’ that are modified from light tanks to be deployed here…”
The response to the infantry fighting vehicles, or modified tankettes and light tanks, was quite good.
The original motive for developing tanks was to support infantry breaking through trenches and trench-based defenses.
Now tanks could break through the front line and pierce the enemy’s weak points, and tanks (and armored vehicles) that could catch enemy tanks appeared on the battlefield… But still, there was a demand for infantry cover.
Of course, there was a dilemma.
It was a waste to use medium-armored tanks for infantry support.
It compromised their independent operational capability.
The power of a powerful tank force was proven by the invasion of France and the Barbarossa operation in real history.
And tanks ‘like that’ couldn’t stop the shells and air raids that killed infantry.
Nevertheless, using ‘combat vehicles’ equipped with light tank-level armor and weapons specialized for infantry killing to support against enemies who were not mechanized and had little anti-tank firepower had its own results.
There was an endless demand from the front line.
“Hmm, I’ll send as many vehicles as possible to the front line as they are produced in the rear.”
For now, they could use the leftover light tank chassis and production facilities instead of trucks to mechanize infantry, and sufficient heavy firepower also helped infantry combat.
They equipped flamethrowers that could use vehicle fuel or anti-tank rifles that were too heavy for infantry to carry and run with, 20mm-class machine guns or anti-aircraft guns that could be used as heavy machine guns or anti-aircraft guns, mortars that were too heavy for infantry to carry…
Even if it was a light tank, there were countless things they could do if they didn’t expect it to have tank capabilities and just thought of it as a vehicle.
“If Japan is trying to start a war with America as you predicted… It might be worth considering supporting these units to the Far East Military District, or China or the Chinese Communist Party.”
Vasilyevsky was indeed a great general.
He could see beyond tactical dimensions to national ones.
The Japanese who faced pathetic Stuart-like things or rolled pathetic Chi-Ha tanks on the Chinese mainland could be crushed by this second-line force.
“Not yet. It’s not time to provoke them yet.”
It was enough provocation to bring out Koreans and Taiwanese Koreans who were almost taken away by Pallo’s army under Chinese Communist Party control and form them into Soviet mechanized corps.
Pallo’s guys might be unhappy, but what do they know?
They’re risking their lives anyway.
I just threw them some oil instead of weapons that would reveal who gave them while rejecting their earnest request for material support because Japan’s invasion was feared.
We have plenty of oil, and oil is just something you burn.
It was much better than giving them weapons that would reveal who gave them.
Mao Zedong was unhappy because he didn’t have mechanized troops, but Chiang Kai-shek was happy.
It was about what I expected as I had to keep Mao in check for later.
“And… forming units composed of ethnic minorities…”
“Enough, General Vasilyevsky. That’s enough. Koreans are not our Soviet Union but they have to occupy that Korean peninsula and act as a buffer zone between us and America. I won’t accept any objections on this.”
That’s what I explained to them about why I formed and supported Korean units.
We need Korea and Japan to expand our access to the sea or as a buffer zone against America.
To do that, Korean ‘independence activists’ have to defeat the Japanese Empire and emerge as the founding heroes of their country!
How can you say you don’t want to provoke Japan while openly supporting colonial rebels?
That’s something I can ignore with the authority of the Secretary.
I’m a minority expert in the Bolshevik party, you know? An expert in repression, that is.
“Yes, I understand, Comrade Secretary. Is the existing line of not allowing single-ethnic units for other ethnicities maintained?”
“That’s right. You’re a good chief of staff and you have a good point, but I’d like you to respect the opinion of the Politburo on this.”
Vasilyevsky nodded politely. Shaposhnikov was coughing and choking without being able to speak.
‘… Should I retire him soon?’
If it was real history, he would resign in 42, so the time to resign is coming.
He died in early 45 without seeing Germany’s downfall due to his poor health… In this history, I want to let him see Germany’s downfall sooner for working hard for me.
Anyway, I could see the generals who would lead the future Soviet army. Vasilyevsky, the successor chief of staff, Konev, the northern commander, Rokossovsky, the central commander, Zhukov, the southern commander.
They might be inferior to the Manstein-Guderian-Model lineup, but they were the best we had.
I did everything I could do for the strategic board. Now it’s time for the generals to work.
Somehow I was looking forward to the coming winter.
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