The Rise of the Third Reich

While Hersman and Yusupov were discussing how to destroy the Soviet Red Army, the Soviet Red Army was also preparing for an unexpected counterattack.

The unit that will play a key role in this combat operation codenamed "Red Guards" is the Red Brigade composed of Comrade Hitler's compatriots, the blond German supermen!

“Even when people are no longer loyal, we remain loyal.

Our team will always stand on this land.

The depiction of better times has alerted our youth.

A time of virtue and pride in sacrifice.

We will always be with you and never give in.

Please believe in us as you believe in the German oak tree and the sun and moon..."

Accompanied by high-pitched, majestic and exciting music, the SS military song "When People Are No Longer Loyal" sounded on the lawn of Kontsevo Villa where Stalin lived!

This is really an unbelievable scene.

Nearly 1,500 men wearing straight German armed SS uniforms formed a neat square formation on the lawn, and sang the SS military song loudly with the accompaniment of a military band.

The owner of Kontsevo Villa, Joseph Stalin, accompanied by Zhukov and Rokossovsky, reviewed this unit that looked like a Nazi SS.

"Hi! Hitler!"

"Hi! Hitler!"

When the singing suddenly stopped, 1,500 SS officers and soldiers uniformly gave Stalin a German salute and shouted... Hi! Hitler!

Stalin nodded, seemingly very satisfied with the performance of these "Nazis".

"It looks just like the real thing," Stalin said to Rokossovsky beside him, "but why do they dress up as SS soldiers instead of ordinary Wehrmacht troops?"

Of course these SS troops are fake, otherwise the Soviet-German war would have ended by now.

"Because it's more similar to playing the SS," Rokossovsky explained. "Although the German SS is also part of the Wehrmacht, there is still a certain gap between the two, especially the officers. Most of the officers of the Wehrmacht There is a certain aristocratic temperament that is difficult to imitate, and most of the SS officers came from the middle and lower classes.”

The German Wehrmacht was inherited from the Prussian Army and was a powerful force in "old Europe". The officers of "Old Europe" are all aristocratic - not necessarily aristocrats, but they must look like aristocrats.

Because officers in "old Europe" pay attention to training and education, those who want to become an officer often have to enter a juvenile military academy at the age of ten to receive strict training and edification, and also learn various aristocratic etiquette. Basically, they follow the rules of military aristocrats. (This is also done to enhance the sense of honor of the army and soldiers). So when I grow up, I look like I have a unique aristocratic temperament. But if the German internationalist fighters, most of whom are from the proletariat, pretend to be aristocrats, it will be easy for them to reveal their true colors.

The composition of the officers of the SS is very complicated. They come from all three religions and nine streams, and most of them have not received long-term training as officers, and they do not have that annoying aristocratic temperament.

In addition, the National Socialist Workers' Party and the Bolshevik Party are actually related. Both are branches of the European socialist movement. So in many terms and "cuts" it is very close, and it is much easier for a Bolshevik to impersonate a Nazi than to impersonate a Prussian noble officer.

Therefore, Rokossovsky, who was more familiar with the inside story of the German army, decided to let the Red Brigade soldiers dress up as Nazis, and also gathered them for 10 days of special training, and today was the day of the "reporting performance."

After listening to Rokossovsky's introduction, Stalin nodded again, then turned and walked towards the villa. Zhukov and Rokossovsky also followed Stalin and walked towards the villa building.

"When can we start?" Stalin asked the two Red Army marshals beside him as soon as he entered the room.

"The initial choice is April 5th." Zhukov gave the exact date. "The weather forecast says that from the 5th to the 10th, there will be continuous rain and snow in Kalinin Prefecture. Then the temperature will gradually rise, There will be widespread melting of ice and snow.”

In other words, April 5th to 10th is the best time to attack, and the mud season will come after the 10th.

"April 5..." Stalin said thoughtfully, "Lenin returned to Russia in April 1917, and then the Russian Revolution ushered in a comprehensive turning point. I hope that April this year will be a turning point in the Great Patriotic War."

Zhukov and Rokossovsky looked at each other, and Zhukov said: "There will definitely be a turn for the better in April. We can at least achieve the goal of delaying the occurrence of the Moscow Defense War."

In Zhukov's view, this was a turning point.

"Yes!" Rokossovsky replied, "The United States is making very smooth progress in the Hawaiian Islands. It has now controlled half of Niihau Island, and engineers have also gone to the island to start building the airport. Once the airport is completed, the United States' strong shore base will The aviation force can reach the Hawaiian Islands, and Japan will suffer a disastrous defeat."

Rokossovsky was talking about the Battle of the Hawaiian Islands according to the caliber reported by the Americans. Although the Americans were caught in a terrible bloody battle on Niihau Island, the news they reported to the Soviet allies was still optimistic - the Soviets actually The Soviet Union knew about the bloody battle on Niihau Island (internationalist fighters tipped off the information), but according to Soviet standards, the U.S. losses on Niihau Island were nothing at all.

For such an important island, it was worth the death of 100,000 Red Army troops. However, the price paid by the Americans for many days of hard fighting was less than 30,000 (casualties and missing persons). It is estimated that the final victory was only 50,000 to 60,000 casualties. .

After taking Niihau, deploy enough P51s, P47s, A-36s (dive-bombing versions of P51s), and B-25s to attack Oahu.

As for the casualties, they were only three and a half million if calculated. In the eyes of people like Stalin, Zhukov and Rokossovsky, these losses were not a problem at all. Even if they were doubled, as long as they could capture Oahu, it would be enough. Worth it.

Therefore, the Soviet high command was optimistic about the Hawaiian Islands campaign.

…

"Marshal of the Empire."

Marshal Model, the newly appointed commander of the Northern Army Group, raised his hand to Hessmann who came for inspection at the headquarters in Tsarskoye Selo, Petrograd.

"Val T," Hessman returned the salute, and then shook Model's hand again, "How is the situation on the front line?"

He and Model had a very good personal relationship. They were both about the same age and had known each other since they were in the Junior Military Academy. During the interwar period, Model was also a member of the "Schleicher-Hersmann gang." After the outbreak of the World War, Hessmann also promoted his old friend. Not only did he promote Model to the rank of marshal, but he also made him replace Kuechler as the commander of Army Group North.

"Very peaceful."

As Model and Hessmann walked toward the splendid Yekaterin Palace (where Model's headquarters is located), he replied: "It's a little unusual to be calm."

"Abnormal?" Hersman asked. "Do you think the Soviets are preparing for a counterattack?"

Model nodded and said: "Actually, I think their counterattack should have started long ago, for example, in winter."

"They may be waiting for the JS-2 heavy tank." Hersman said, "This tank can deal with the Tiger."

Because of the traitor's report, Germany now has a better understanding of the situation of the JS-2 heavy tank. And there is a way to deal with it - the E-50 tank has increased its weight by 5 tons and changed the front armor to a 130mm/50-degree inclination angle. Theoretically, 130mm/50-degree inclination armor is equivalent to 202mm vertical armor. Even if it is a homogeneous steel plate, this thickness is enough to withstand the Soviet Union's 122mm caliber (JS-2 main gun) armor-piercing projectiles.

"There is a possibility." Model said to Hersman as they walked into a map room in the Yekaterin Palace. "There is also a possibility... The Soviets are waiting for the mud season."

This is probably the so-called "general intuition", right? Anyway, Model has smelled a hint of threat from the calmness of the battlefield.

With the complete recovery of Petrograd, the Soviet Red Army was already in a desperate struggle. Stalin could not sit still and wait for Army Group North and Army Group Center commanded by Manstein to launch a pincer assault on Moscow.

"Hessman stood in front of a huge map, looking at a lot of densely packed troop numbers and arrows on the map, "Val T, do you think the Soviet army may counterattack during the mud season? "

"There is this possibility," Model said with some worry, "because the purpose of the Soviet counterattack is not to defeat us, but to force us to postpone the scheduled attack time. In order to delay the defeat... If they can delay There may be a turning point once we go to Japan.”

"They can't hold back the Japanese." Hersman shook his head, "The Japanese are very tenacious!"

"But the Soviet Union is also very tenacious," Model frowned slightly, "but the Belarusian and Polish people on the front line are a bit confused and depressed. If the Soviet army wants to counterattack, it will probably break through from the White Russian or Polish positions."

"It's possible." Hessmann is a commander who is very able to listen to other people's opinions (he knows how much he weighs), "Val T, how are you going to defend yourself?"

Hessman knew that Model was known as a defense master in another time and space. Now that he has so many troops, he is definitely not afraid of the Red Army's counterattack, so he is not too worried.

"The Soviet army is very likely to launch a desperate attack, so I am going to let the 6th Armored Group shrink its main force," Model said. "While the mud season has not arrived, we will first withdraw the armored troops 50-100 kilometers." , In this way, the strength of the armored cluster can be effectively maintained.”