Chapitre 25: Planning 6
Before departing, he handed a stack of papers to Tukhachevsky, who came to bid him farewell. "General Tukhachevsky, Moscow is truly impressive, but it seems to be missing some iconic buildings with Soviet characteristics, like the Statue of Liberty in the United States, the Eiffel Tower in France, or Big Ben in the United Kingdom. As you know, one of my hobbies is architecture and painting. These are a few of my humble works. I hope you can deliver them to Comrade Stalin as a small gift to strengthen the friendship between our countries."
Of course, let friendship take a back seat. His purpose in painstakingly drawing these architectural blueprints was simple—to make the Soviet Union waste more resources.
There are a total of eight architectural drafts here, with the first one being the Soviet Palace.
Many people may be unfamiliar with it, even unheard of, considering that construction began in 1930 but was constantly modified and never completed until the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In the design, the 416.5-meter-high Soviet Palace perfectly combines classical and skyscraper architecture, making it the undisputed tallest building in the world at the time. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is 278 meters shorter, the Eiffel Tower is 95 meters shorter, and even the Empire State Building falls short by 8 meters.
At the top, a 75-meter-high statue of Lenin stands against the wind, overshadowing the 46-meter Statue of Liberty and the 38-meter Christ the Redeemer.
The base of the building is a grand hall that can accommodate 21,000 seats. If the palace were completed, it would replace the Kremlin as the center of Soviet power and become the Soviet Union's three-crowned "Babylon Tower"—the tallest building, the largest monolithic building, and featuring the tallest sculpture in the world.
The total area of the Soviet Palace is 11 hectares, and it weighs 1.5 million tons. If it were built, how many resources would it consume? Just the steel alone would be enough to build several battleships, right? And the cement used could build countless fortresses.
Just thinking about it gets a little exciting.
Is the palace too magnificent to dare build? No problem, there are still seven remaining architectural drafts.
These are the famous Seven Sisters buildings of Moscow: Moscow State University, Leningradskaya Hotel, Model Workers' Apartment Building, Heavy Industry Ministry Building, Ukraine Hotel, House of the Intellectuals, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Wilhelm couldn't believe that Stalin wouldn't be moved after seeing these. After all, these buildings were a batch of "red" buildings personally proposed by the bearded man himself in Moscow. Even if only one of them were built, it would be a profit. After all, a blueprint like this would be worth more than a hundred tanks.
Tukhachevsky, who had no telepathic powers, naturally didn't know what was on Wilhelm's mind, and he nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, Your Excellency Wilhelm, I will definitely deliver them to Comrade Stalin."
"Goodbye, General Tukhachevsky. And goodbye, Miss Natasha." Wilhelm smiled at Natasha, the translator by Tukhachevsky's side, and turned to walk into the carriage.
Soon, the train slowly started and left the station. Wilhelm gathered Guderian and the others in his compartment. "Major Guderian, I hope this trip was not in vain for you."
Guderian earnestly nodded. "Your Highness, this trip has been very rewarding. It has opened my eyes."
Wilhelm scolded sternly "I hope so, Major Guderian, when you and General Tukhachevsky performed the sand table exercise, you used the old tactics of the chivalric era. Have you not considered that you are holding modern armored soldiers!" In all fairness to Guderian, it's somewhat unfair to criticize him for not grasping armored warfare, especially since Germany currently doesn't even have a single tank. Blaming him for his lack of understanding in armored tactics in such a situation is rather unreasonable.
Guderian is revered by future generations; he is not only a German army general but also the father of Nazi Germany's armored forces, and the founding figure behind the "Blitzkrieg" strategy. He stands alongside Rommel and Manstein as the three pillars of Nazi Germany.
Guderian not only formulated the theory of "Blitzkrieg" but also put it into practice, sweeping across the whole of Europe and capturing the attention of the world.
However, his intellect was undoubtedly high, but unfortunately, his emotional intelligence did not keep up. His impulsive and uncompromising personality, coupled with his limited foresight, restricted his greater development.
Many aspects of the previous war were deeply ingrained in people's souls. As a former cavalry officer, Guderian was unable to shake off this fatal influence.
Although he ushered in a new mode of warfare and invented new tactics, he failed to fully comprehend the profound changes and requirements brought about by the new mode and tactics. His thinking remained rooted in the era of Emperor Napoleon and the American Civil War, adhering to the unique approach of a cavalry officer leading a cavalry unit to swiftly break through enemy lines, penetrate deep into enemy territory, maneuver, encircle, and annihilate enemy forces.
For him, the only change on the battlefield was replacing horses with armored tanks. In his mind, all strategic and tactical considerations could be summarized in one phrase: "Advance, advance, advance, continuously advance." Anything that disrupted this mindset was heresy, clouds, or a blatant violation that would cause him to turn unforgivingly. His impatient and uncompromising character had long offended everyone. He was fierce and stubborn but lacked strategic planning.
"With the rapid advancement of military technology, we must keep pace. Cavalry will eventually be replaced by armored units and will exit the stage of history."
The key advantages of cavalry are battlefield impact and rapid maneuverability, which are superior to infantry. However, armored forces (mainly tanks) provide the same strong impact and rapid maneuverability on the battlefield, effectively replacing cavalry. Cavalry cannot compensate for the role of armored units through any kind of improvement, so they can only withdraw from the battlefield.
"If you don't change your perspective, you will also be eliminated. Losing a war game only costs you a few game pieces, but on a real battlefield, you will sacrifice the lives of thousands of soldiers who trust you!"
Under Wilhelm's reprimand, fine beads of sweat began to form on Guderian's forehead. "Understood, Your Highness, I will keep that in mind."
Wilhelm nodded and took out a small booklet. "This is a compilation of operational theories based on General Tukhachevsky's expertise. Take it back and give it a read; it should be helpful to you. Also, I have a task for you. Take the time to write letters to General Tukhachevsky, ask him questions, and seek his advice. Well, at least four or five letters per year. It doesn't matter if he doesn't reply; you just focus on writing yours."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone