The Rise of the Third Reich

Stalin was not happy, the problem was serious!

Moreover, Stalin's anger was not unreasonable. Ukraine was too important to the Soviet Union. On the land of today's Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the most important territories are the Stalino Oblast (the capital of Donetsk) and the Kharkov Oblast.

Among them, Donetsk, the capital of the Stalinist State, has been a famous coal city since the Tsarist Russia. Although the Soviet Union is rich in resources and ranks first in the world in anything it produces, most of its coal resources are buried in cold and remote areas that are difficult to mine. Zone, economic value is very low. The easiest large-scale coal mine to mine is in the Stalin Oblast. If the Stalin Oblast is caught in the flames of war, the Soviet Union will lose at least half of its coal supply. Without coal, the Soviet power and steel industries will be paralyzed, and the entire national economy will be paralyzed. Big problems can also occur.

Moreover, the city of Donetsk itself is the largest steel industry center in the Soviet Union, with two major steel giants, the Azov Steel Plant and the Ilycha Steel Plant. If these two steel plants cannot produce normally, Steel Stalin will lose almost half of its steel!

The Kharkiv Oblast was as important as the Stalin Oblast in the Soviet heavy industry. Due to its close proximity to the Donetsk coal fields and steel industry center, Kharkiv's industry, especially the machinery manufacturing industry, developed rapidly from the opening of the railway to Donetsk in 1869. During the Soviet period, Kharkiv became the capital of Ukraine, and its economic and political status was further strengthened. It was a key development area in the three five-year plans and became a major town in the Soviet machinery industry. The Kharkiv Machinery Manufacturing Plant, one of the four major tank manufacturing centers in the Soviet Union, is located in Kharkiv. Currently, the Leningrad Kirov Machinery Manufacturing Plant, one of the four major tank manufacturing centers, has basically stopped production due to the siege of Leningrad. If the Kharkiv Machinery Manufacturing Plant stops production again, the Soviet tank production will also suffer a heavy blow.

In addition, the Kursk Oblast (belonging to Russia), which is less than 300 kilometers away from the Stalino Oblast and less than 100 kilometers away from the Kharkiv Oblast, is the most important iron ore producing area in the Soviet Union, supplying the iron ore needed by the Soviet steel industry. Most iron ore.

If the three "industrial key states" such as Stalino State, Kharkiv State and Kurdsk State become battlefields, they will be reduced to ruins or even occupied by the German army. Then the Soviet Union's industry will be severely damaged, and its war potential will also be greatly reduced.

"We cannot lose Stalin, Kharkov and Kursk!" Stalin said in an unquestionable tone. "Although we have developed the Ural Industrial Zone and have a rear area that is difficult for imperialism to invade and destroy, we We still cannot lose the old centers of heavy industry. Because we depend on Stalino, Kharkiv and Kursk for most of our steel, coal, machinery and electricity, we will not be able to win the war!”

"Comrade General Secretary, we will not lose Stalino, Kharkov and Kursk..."

Pavlov still wanted to argue, but was interrupted by Stalin. The fatherly leader said: "Comrade Pavlov, I know the terrain of eastern Ukraine and Kursk Oblast very well... Stalin Oblast is not far away from the meander of the Dnieper River. To 130 kilometers, Kharkiv Oblast is only 70 kilometers away from the meander of the Dnieper River, and Kursk Oblast is only 260 kilometers away from the Dnieper River. Moreover, there are very good roads and railways in eastern Ukraine, and there is an endless plain. It is a terrain that is very conducive to German armored group assaults. If we lose the Dnieper River defense line, the German Tiger tanks are likely to assault the gates of the Kharkov Machinery Factory and the Azov Steel Plant. By then we will what to do?"

Then we will have street fighting in Kharkiv and Donetsk... Pavlov wanted to answer Stalin like this.

Because according to the "Red Star One" plan jointly developed by him and Gorshnikov, the last and strongest defense line of the deep defense zone on the east bank of the Dnieper River is located in the city of Donetsk-Kharkov and the western border of Kurtsk Oblast.

The Donetsk Industrial Zone and the Kharkiv Industrial Zone will both be the battlefields for the final decisive battle! The Red Army will rely on a large number of solid buildings in the industrial zone for street fighting - Pavlov, who fought in the siege of Warsaw, knows that the siege of a big city is a flesh and blood mill. No matter how many tanks, aircraft and artillery the Germans (or the Soviet Red Army) have, in the Even in a large city with densely built solid buildings, it cannot fully exert its power.

If the Red Army can fight the Germans in street battles in Kharkiv and Donetsk, even if the cities are finally lost, it will be delayed for several months, and hundreds of thousands of German lives will be lost - if you don't count Ukrainians and Poles. Among the casualties of the German army, the casualties of serious German soldiers in this world war were less than 600,000, of which the maximum number of deaths was 300,000.

Chief of the General Staff Shalashnipov whispered to Stalin: "Comrade General Secretary, if we want to hold on to the Dnieper River defense line, we must also deploy tight defenses on the Minsk-Smolensk line, and we must also lift the siege of Leningrad... we We don’t have enough troops!”

"Not enough?" Stalin became even more angry when he heard this. "We now have more than 12 million Red Army soldiers, and you still say it is not enough? So how many troops do the Germans have? Comrade Shalashnipov, please answer this question! "

"About 7-8 million..." Shalashnipov replied, "But Germany still has many servant countries. If their armies are included, the total military strength exceeds ours."

"Germany has allies, but we don't?" Stalin glared at Shalashnipov angrily, "Comrade Shalashnipov, how many people do you think are needed to defend the Dnieper River defense line and Minsk-Smolensk?" Defense line, and relieve the siege of Leningrad? Give me a number, no matter how many, I can get it for you!"

Shalashnipov and Pavlov looked at each other. Both of them knew that the plan to deploy a large-scale defense in eastern Ukraine was ruined.

"Comrade General Secretary, the number of people is not the key," Pavlov quickly took over Stalin's question. "The key is to have a strong mechanized assault group."

Of course, the number of people is not a problem. If Pavlov and Shaposhnikov want people, Stalin can immediately recruit millions of vigorous Eastern Volunteers. However, without sufficient mechanized equipment and necessary training, the advantage in numbers cannot be used at all.

"Don't we have a strong mechanized assault group? Comrade Pavlov, how many tank corps and mechanized corps do we have now?" Stalin asked rhetorically.

"There are 25 tank corps and 14 mechanized corps." Pavlov answered truthfully, "Each tank corps has 3 tank brigades and 1 motorized infantry brigade, and each mechanized corps has 3 mechanical brigades. (Including 1 tank regiment) and 1 tank brigade. In addition, we have also formed a group of independent tank brigades, self-propelled artillery brigades, independent tank regiments and independent self-propelled artillery regiments. The number of tanks/assault artillery currently owned by the Red Army has exceeded. The total number of possessions before the war began."

In the winter that just passed, in addition to losing two battles (the Battle of Kiev and the First Liberation of Leningrad), the Soviet Union used the entire country to expand its armaments, prepare for war, and build armaments. Countless tanks, planes, cannons, submachine guns, etc. were built. Regardless of the quality, the quantity was definitely a lot.

Stalin already knew the data Pavlov talked about. He nodded, then raised his voice and said loudly: "Since we have enough strength, the Red Army should defend every inch of Soviet land!

Comrades, although we now need to adjust our strategies for world revolution, this does not mean that we need to admit defeat, because we have not failed, but have only suffered temporary setbacks. In the future, we need to adopt a combination of strategic defense and strategic offense, and adopt a strategy of overall defense and local attack on the frontal battlefield in Europe where the enemy is strong. At the same time, we must take a strategic offensive in India, where the enemy is weak, and ignite the raging fire of the Indian revolution! "

"Comrade General Secretary's instructions are absolutely correct." Khrushchev, member of the Political Bureau and the First Secretary of Ukraine, was the first to speak in support of Stalin. Then he volunteered, "Comrade General Secretary, please send me to India." Well, Comrade Timoshenko and I will definitely turn India upside down."

Marshal Timoshenko was removed from the post of commander of the Southwestern Front after the fall of Ukraine on the right bank, but he was appointed commander of the Indian Front not long after he sat on the bench. Khrushchev had previously served as the Military Commissar of the Southwest Front and was very familiar with the situation on the Ukrainian battlefield, so he wanted to find an opportunity to extricate himself from Ukraine.

"Okay! Comrade Khrushchev, I think you are the best candidate." Stalin was also worried about who could lead the Indian revolution. It would definitely not work to rely on a group of Brahmin revolutionaries. It must be experienced by the Soviet Union Revolutionary guidance. At present, the status of Serov, the general adviser of the Soviet Bolshevik Party in India, is too low within the party. It is impossible for him to take the lead, let alone to serve as the military commissar of the front army.

Then Stalin explained: "India has Indian national conditions and cannot copy the experience of the Russian revolution. Moreover, the current focus of the Indian revolution is not class revolution, but national revolution. On this issue, the success of the Chinese revolution can be used as a reference. In In India, we must unite with bourgeois revolutionaries like Mahatma Gandhi and work with them to overthrow the reactionary rule of the British and German colonists.

In this process, we should continue to strengthen the Indian Bolshevik Party and support the workers and peasant revolutionaries in the Indian Bolshevik Party so that it can gradually evolve into a true Bolshevik Party. "