Chapter 90:
Chapter 90
There were various factors that made it difficult for Germany to enter a total war.
First of all, the German people who had experienced the First World War remembered those miserable times as a nightmare.
The Nazi regime needed the support of the people to win the power struggle against the military, which kept demanding more resources.
It was hard for the Nazis, who were politicians, to choose to strengthen the military while alienating the people.
Also, a huge investment was made in the armaments industry, but most of it was for fixed capital formation and infrastructure improvement.
It was inefficient to build new factories and install equipment when they should have been running at full capacity.
While the Soviet Union had already expanded its heavy industry through Stalin’s ruthless industrialization in the 1920s and 1930s, Germany had to start the war earlier than planned and build factories while exchanging fire on the front lines.
According to the original Nazi plan, the war should have started only after 1944-45, when they would have rebuilt their fleet and completed their rearmament through Plan Z, but the international situation did not allow it.
Moreover, Germany had a production system that was not suitable for mass production due to its traditional ‘meister’ artisan culture.
To make matters worse, due to the shortage of manpower, these skilled workers were also conscripted and dragged to the front lines, causing production problems.
There are sentries of the motherland on the Amur River
The top brass, for various political and personal reasons, demanded endless improvements instead of mass production of standard models, which also hindered the total war – mass production.
Three tankers, three happy comrades are riding in a tank
Three tankers, three happy comrades are riding in a tank>
The senior generals who should have stopped this were lacking in strategic and political mindsets, and even Hitler, who was slightly better than them in terms of ‘war’, could not get rid of his delusional attitude.
If you ask for a song that symbolizes each branch of the Soviet army, the representative song of the armored forces would undoubtedly be <Three Tankers>.
As proven on the front lines, it was much better to deploy ten mediocre tanks on the front lines than one excellent tank.
Hundreds of T-34/85 tanks crossed Moscow city as military bands and choirs sang along.
They were not shiny tanks like in the last parade, but tanks with traces of being hit and rusted by enemy shells.
Sometimes, tankers with the highest skills and powerful tanks like Tigers or Panthers could achieve local superiority with more than 10:1 kill ratios.
But where they were not present, holes were easily pierced.
The majestic German medium tanks had to fight desperately to cover their retreating allies and were destroyed or abandoned.
“Let us praise the brave fighting of our tankers in the name of the people!”
“Ura! Ura! Ura!”
At least it was a loss that occurred while advancing. If so, these abandoned tanks could be recovered and repaired and redeployed to the front lines. But losses that occurred during retreats resulted in final losses, and Germany eventually lost to snowballing losses.
The tank units belonging to Konev’s Northern Group Army returned to Moscow after the offensive stopped and held a parade.
To my left were Vasilevsky and Konev, who were about to be promoted to marshals.
They were excitedly looking forward to the upcoming marshal rank award ceremony.
Placards with slogans such as <Long live Comrade Vasilevsky>, <Forward for Comrade Konev> fluttered in the wind. The people who filled Red Square shouted their names.
But today’s protagonist was none other than Shaposhnikov standing on my right. He was retiring after a long military career and returning to civilian life.
To celebrate him, prominent figures from both the Bolshevik Party and the military gathered.
Tears welled up in Marshal’s eyes.
“Having completed your long dedication for your country and party, you are now starting a new journey in life…”
After my speech and Shaposhnikov’s farewell speech, two new marshals were born.
We had to show our people how good our situation was.
The event had to be as splendid as possible. To boost morale in the military and propaganda purposes.
And… most importantly, we had to show that someone could retire safely now.
***
“Koba… do you need my death now?”
Borosilov, Stalin’s closest confidant, was afraid that he would be purged.
Budenny was nervous in front of me because he had almost been purged before.
Excluding Vasilevsky and Konev who became marshals this time, there were nine existing marshals.
Four of them were executed and one was almost executed.
I felt a tingling sensation in my neck when I tried to use intrigue against Germany now.
So I showed them.
That those who worked faithfully for the people and the party could retire with honor.
We will reward you with honor if you pledge loyalty to us!
“Thank you… thank you…”
Shaposhnikov seemed touched.
After giving Konev his marshal badge, he sobbed as if he was crying.
The other generals also applauded and congratulated him.
“Marshal, always be healthy.”
“You can come back anytime. We’ll be waiting for you!”
“I remember the time I spent with Marshal… how long we’ve been together.”
Shaposhnikov shook hands and hugged the people who came to him. He was so popular that people flocked to him like clouds.
Much to Beria’s delight.
He watched the people closely, wondering if Shaposhnikov would emerge as the core of a treasonous plot.
He was the head of the secret police, so he could have thought that way. But I was most wary of Beria, so his attitude was more suspicious.
‘Should I purge Beria…’
He was indispensable in this operation.
He meticulously identified and selected the people who would do the ‘work’ in the German military, while contacting the resistance organization in Prague to prepare for Heydrich’s assassination.
Beria was very competent compared to Hitler and Canaris, who were his counterparts in Germany.
He was so competent that he was more frightening.
When I turned my eyes away from Beria, there was one person among the many people who were bubbling around Shaposhnikov.
A very awkward person.
He shook hands awkwardly and looked at me piercingly as I congratulated Vasilevsky and Konev, who were newly appointed as marshals.
Why did he bring me here? Who am I? Where is this? His expression clearly showed that he was very… frankly, amusing.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Wallace com… no, Vice President!”
“Nice to meet you, Comrade Secretary!”
We invited the vice president for a ‘high-level meeting’ because Roosevelt’s health was deteriorating.
The vice president was almost an honorary position in the United States, but Wallace was the most powerful and influential vice president in history.
He was also friendly to the Soviet Union.
He had served as the secretary of agriculture and commerce, demonstrating his competence as a bureaucrat.
He was also Roosevelt’s loyal confidant, who appointed him as the secretary of commerce even after he lost the vice presidential nomination to the conservative Democrats.
He was someone we had to befriend as the Soviet Union.
“First of all, I would like to give you a small gift.”
“Haha, public officials should not accept such things. Comrade Secretary. I appreciate your sentiment, but…”
“Hoho, it’s not that kind of gift.”
When I handed him a few documents, Wallace’s expression changed strangely. There was a huge photo of a handsome but cruel young man on the documents.
“Reinhard Heydrich? This guy is…”
“He is the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. He is also the head of the Reich Security Main Office (SD), a police general, and whatever else he is. He has a lot of sinister titles.”
“Hmm, I can’t stand this guy at all…”
His face showed deep hatred.
Why did he show me this?
He seemed to wonder.
“What if it was his corpse?”
“What?”
“We are going to assassinate this Reinhard Heydrich. And if we succeed, you will get the credit for ‘leading the cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union’. This is the gift we have prepared for you.”
“I don’t understand your intention. Comrade Secretary. What is this…”
He seemed puzzled now.
“Imagine. There are too many people who hate our cooperation in both countries. Why can’t we be friends while fighting against those evil fascists? There are so many things we can do together if our two great countries join forces!”
“…”
“This is just an example. But it’s also a good precedent. The Soviet Union and the United States can cooperate to punish the Nazis. Fascists of the world, beware!”
After pondering for a long time with a serious face, Wallace accepted the ‘gift’.
He was still young enough as a politician in his mid-50s, so he must have thought about his future career.
When someone like MacArthur returned as a war hero, it would be a bit bitter if he had not contributed anything to the war.
Well, it was also necessary for us.
“Isn’t it better to hide the fact that we are working in Germany for the linked operation?”
Beria agreed with my opinion and said that.
Killing Heydrich might be a satisfying deed to show to the media, but it had little to do with reducing casualties on the Eastern Front.
It was better to throw a nice-looking dog bone to the United States and take advantage of it. Frankly speaking, was General Heydrich such a big deal?
There were real big deals elsewhere.
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