Chương 217: 217
Episode 217: What will you toast for (8)
January 8, 1943
Soviet Kuybyshev
The Soviet Union was in more crisis than ever.
The loss of Moscow cut off the supply network, and the Soviet Union began deploying civilians to lay new railroads to the front to supply supplies to the front, but it was not easy due to the German Air Force's continuous bombing.
To make matters worse, the Baku oil field, which had been barely restored to drilling capacity, was shut down again due to the German Air Force's second bombing.
When Stalin heard the news, he went crazy and screamed that all those responsible should be executed.
"You incompetent bastards! "You useless bastards!"
Although Stalin made the Soviet Union what it is today and contributed greatly to numerous defeats at the front, he still wielded enormous power in the Soviet Union.
When he shouted and got angry, people trembled in fear, and each time they bowed their heads and struggled to save their lives.
His subordinates still feared him, and his loyal hounds - the NKVD and Smersh - rounded up and brutally tortured anyone, regardless of gender or age, who spoke even slightly against Stalin and the party.
In the NKVD's dungeon, screaming and shouting still continued.
"Comrade Secretary General? "Can I come in?"
"Please come in."
Kruglov, who opened the door, noticed that the secretary was not in a good mood again today.
He saluted without any hesitation, then skipped the rhetoric and immediately reported the report.
"About the instructions you gave me earlier."
Stalin, who noticed that the atmosphere in the military was in disarray due to the fall of Rostov and Voronezh followed by the bombing of the Baku oil fields, ordered Kruglov's NKVD to conduct a large-scale investigation.
In times like these, the number of people with different thoughts tends to increase. In order to raise his tarnished status and establish military discipline, a certain amount of blood was needed.
"As a result of the investigation, this is a list of those who made remarks with questionable ideology."
"hmm."
Stalin, who was reading the list written by Kruglov himself, stopped when he saw a familiar name on the list.
Polina Zemzucina.
Wife of People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov.
"What did this woman say?"
"While talking with my maid at home, I expressed that I felt uneasy as the persecution of Jews increased."
Molotov's wife, Polina, was of Jewish descent. Russia has traditionally been a country with strong anti-Semitism, and Stalin, a communist, was no different.
Rather, Stalin was one of the most hard-line anti-Semites in Russia.
He always distrusted the Jews, saying they were colluding with the West to overthrow the Soviet Union, and became even more extreme when he received intelligence that Hitler and the Nazis were banning discrimination against Jews and creating a Sonderkommando made up of Jews to their advantage.
As the war reached its peak, Stalin implemented even harsher anti-Semitic policies.
Anyone who was Jewish or had Jewish blood, even if they were a party member, was under constant surveillance, and the villages where Jews lived were disbanded by the NKVD, their families were torn apart, and they were sent to Siberia, Central Asia, and the Far East to live in settlements that were nothing but empty plains. It was forced.
Polina was free from such discrimination because she was the wife of Molotov, a high-ranking figure, but the current anti-Semitic craze was difficult for her to understand, as she was proud of her Jewish ancestry.
"What about Molotov? "Do you know this?"
Kruglov nodded.
"Paulina said the same thing to Molotov. However, Molotov asked if he was going against the party's decision, and he got angry and told him not to go anywhere and say such things."
"Anyway, you were aware of the remark. "Keep that a secret from me, too."
Crackling. Stalin's fingers, as thick as Vienna sausages, wiggled and tapped the surface of the oak table.
Kruglov said nothing and waited for the secretary's instructions.
Molotov had already shown suspicious behavior in many ways (in Stalin's opinion).
The fact that Hitler was especially close to him during the meeting with Germany and even received a luxury watch as a gift was extremely suspicious.
Are you going to catch me right now?
"······Do not arrest Paulina."
Kruglov's eyes turned round at the unexpected instruction.
"Leave it alone for now. Instead, surveillance and wiretapping should be further strengthened. I expect that guy Molotov will reveal his true colors sooner or later. "Then we have to catch them all at once and kill them."
"Yes, Comrade Secretary."
Kruglov went out and Voroshilov and Tymoshenko came in. Holding in his hands the blueprints and blueprints of a new tank.
"Comrade Secretary, this is a report that a new heavy tank has been completed."
"exactly?"
Stalin showed interest in the report that the long-awaited new tank had been completed.
A new tank to combat the Nazi army's heavy tanks has finally been released.
To counter Germany's new heavy tanks, the Soviet Union developed the T-34-85 and SU-203.
The T-34-85 was a more advanced weapon than the T-34-76 in many ways, but it was not enough for the Panther and Tiger, and the SU-203 was an abnormal weapon that sacrificed everything else for firepower.
Therefore, Stalin continued to demand the creation of a tank that could compete with the Nazis' heavy tanks.
The product that was born was the 'Stalin tank', named after Stalin.
The Stalin tank originated as the Voroshilov tank (KV).
Soviet developers, who wanted to create a new tank that combined the strengths of the T-34 and KV-1, created the KV-13, which reduced weight by miniaturizing the KV-1's chassis, increased speed, and further improved defense.
However, the KV-13 had many problems that needed to be resolved, including engine reliability (one of its shortcomings was that its main gun was 76mm, the same as the T-34 and T-43).
Accordingly, developers corrected the shortcomings of the KV-13 and created the first Stalin tank, the IS-1.
The IS-1 was better than the KV-13 in many ways, but questions were raised as to whether the IS-1, a heavy tank, needed to be equipped with an 85 mm gun like the T-34-85, and Stalin ordered a larger and more powerful gun.
The tank finally completed was the IS-2 equipped with a 122mm main gun.
"The 122mm 48-caliber main gun has a penetration power of 160mm at 1km, making it possible to penetrate the frontal armor of the Panther and Tiger without difficulty, and is also covered with 90mm of armor on the sides, making it capable of protecting against armor-piercing shells from the Panzer 4 and PaK 40 from 1km away. there is. "It's a performance that can be said to be superior to Panther and Tiger in many ways."
"We finally have a tank that surpasses Panther and Tiger."
Voroshilov and Tymoshenko praised the new tank until their mouths watered.
However, instead of reacting to their words, Stalin quietly read the photos and the text written in the report.
As Stalin's silence continued, the two, embarrassed, soon fell silent.
"Not bad."
When a positive review finally came out of Stalin's mouth, the two were relieved.
but,
"But I heard that the fascists deployed tanks more powerful than the Panther and Tiger."
"yes? Ah, yes, but..."
"I think this is the tank that Hitler said a while ago that could even deflect 152mm shells. "I heard that the Pashos' heavy tanks played a big role in the fall of Voronezh."
Voroshilov, who had been close to Stalin since his youth, had an idea of what Stalin was trying to say.
"Can this tank gain the upper hand against the fascists' new heavy tanks?"
"Well, that is..."
"It will be completely difficult, but we assume that an equal battle will be possible in limited circumstances."
Since the IS-2 was a weapon created by comparing the Panther and Tiger, it could not be guaranteed superiority over the Tiger II, which was one weight class higher than the Panther and Tiger.
Stalin's expression turned cold and he waved his hand as if he didn't need to hear any more.
"I understand. "Go out now and see."
***
January 9, 1943
Soviet Kuybyshev
"Comrade Secretary General says he is in a low mood these days."
"Yesterday, Comrade Voroshilov and Tymoshenko went with news that might interest Comrade Secretary General, but came out without much result."
Molotov, sitting across from Kaganovich, took a swig of vodka. Putting cold vodka on an empty stomach made me feel sick.
The two were close friends and often met up together without anyone knowing.
"To be honest······."
As soon as the alcohol went in, my mouth, which had been heavy for so long, became lighter.
Having only his closest and most trusted people around him also encouraged Molotov to relax.
However, I did not forget to lower my voice in case anyone overheard.
"For now, it seems there is no other way than to conclude peace with Germany."
"Strengthen it."
Kaganovich repeated as if pondering the weight hidden in the word "strengthening" uttered by Molotov.
"You know, comrade, this does not mean we should bow our heads to the fascists and go in. "It's just that the current situation in the Soviet Union is so bad that we have no choice but to compromise."
"You know what you're talking about, comrade."
Kaganovich nodded.
Kaganovich, who serves as chairman of the People's Committee for Railways of the Soviet Union, also did not know how bad the current war situation was.
With the loss of Moscow, the railways of European Russia were virtually cut off.
Work was in full swing to lay a new railway that did not pass through Moscow, but construction was slow due to German air raids and a lack of fuel, and because of this, Kaganovich, like Molotov, was firmly in the hands of Stalin.
On that fateful day, Kaganovich was summoned to Stalin and had to listen to his harsh rebuke while giving an explanation - more of a plea rather than an explanation - for the delay in laying the railway and the delay in transporting materials.
The fact that Kaganovich was a Jew who was despised by Stalin was also one of the factors that jeopardized his position.
Kaganovich himself tried hard to deny his Jewish ancestry and took charge of a previous large-scale purge of the Jewish community, but even this could not erase Stalin's suspicions.
"We are short on fuel, and even though we have barely built a railway, the Germans are destroying everything with bombs. What can we do?"
Kaganovic also threw a tantrum.
The cold weather restricted the German army's movement, but the Soviet army was also unable to move due to the collapse of the transportation network.
Fortunately, the German army had plenty of fuel, but the Soviet army did not even have enough fuel.
Molotov's main job became meeting with the American and British ambassadors to plead for more fuel.
Every time they heard Molotov's plea, the ambassadors showed pity and looked at him with a mixture of ridicule and contempt.
For Molotov, who prided himself on being part of the Soviet Union's elite, these gazes were an unbearable humiliation.
Nevertheless, he is relieved that he is barely able to survive while listening to Stalin's scoldings every day without being able to utter a single word to Stalin.
The best plan, they both thought, was to recognize Germany's superiority and conclude peace to resolve internal chaos.
The Secretary General may not be willing to accept it, but in anyone's eyes, there is no answer to the current situation.
"Comrade Lenin also accepted the humiliation of the past and signed a peace treaty with Germany. In the end, he founded the Soviet Union and regained all the territories lost to Germany."
Molotov did not specifically mention that the situation was different between Germany in 1918 and Germany in 1943.
First, if we end the war by concluding peace, reorganize the military, stockpile supplies, and lay railroads, the Soviet Union will be in a state where it can fight Germany again.
If we then join forces with Britain or the United States to attack Germany, we may be able to regain the lost territories.
······At least, I wanted to believe that.
"Even before Moscow, we had a chance to end the war, but we wasted it and ended up missing it. "If we repeat the same mistake, we will soon see the German army advancing all the way to the Ural Mountains."
"It would be good if Comrade Secretary General could face reality even now..."
But the two didn't know.
All high-ranking officials are subject to wiretapping by the NKVD.
Even now, at this very moment, their conversation was being overheard and was flowing into the NKVD's ears.
***
January 11, 1943
Soviet Kuybyshev
Looking at the text of the conversation between Molotov and Kaganovich submitted by Kruglov, Stalin wondered whether he should laugh or not because his predictions came true.
However, regardless of his worries, his hand moved automatically and engraved his signature in the blank space on the document.
"It's here."
"Are you going to take care of it right away?"
"okay."
"All right."
Stalin signed documents for the arrest and execution of the Molotovs and the Kaganovich family.
As a result, the position of People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs became vacant, and a replacement had to be found. Who should I leave it to? At the very least, I hope he is a person who is more useful and less suspicious than Molotov...
"In the end, there is only Litvinov."
After much deliberation, the person who Stalin came up with was Maxim Litvinov, former People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs.
Litvinov, like Polina and Kaganovich, was reluctant because he was Jewish, but there was no one else he could entrust as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs.
Still, it's better than the insidious Molotov guy cracking pumpkin seeds behind your back. If you look at his career as a People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, he was even longer than Molotov.
And one more thing. Stalin was indebted to Litvinov.
When he went to England to attend a Communist Party meeting, it was none other than Litvinov who saved Stalin from being beaten after a fight with dock workers.
There was no blood or tears, but Stalin did not forget the people who helped him. Although he secretly despised and suspected Litvinov of being a Jew, he did not purge him and kept him alive until the end.
Even as he ordered Molotov's execution, Stalin was concerned about what Molotov said.
There is no hope for war anymore. Ganghwa is the only way to survive.
Although he did not say it outwardly, Stalin also knew deep down that there was no other means than strengthening it.
However, if peace is concluded in a situation where there are repeated defeats, his prestige will fall further and only bring backlash from the military and the people.
Even if it was strengthened, it had to be done only after at least one meaningful victory was achieved. Only then could the Soviet Union survive, and he himself could survive.
In a meeting with Voroshilov, Tymoshenko, and Budyuni, Stalin revealed his plan.
With Moscow lost and the Baku oil fields shut down, the Soviet Union has no capacity to continue the war.
Since it is unlikely that the United States and Britain will come to the Soviet Union's aid, it is unreasonable to continue the war any longer.
Therefore, the three of them were surprised when they heard Stalin say that he was thinking about strengthening the war, but they remained silent.
There was no way to know for sure whether he meant it or if this was some kind of test.
"But if we reinforce it like this, it will be no different from surrender. If we win at least the last battle, won't we have at least one less thing to lose to the fascists?"
"Yes, but are you really planning to strengthen your relationship with the Germans?"
Tymoshenko asked, looking at me. Stalin nodded his head.
"exactly. "You know, comrade, that we cannot afford to continue the war."
"Yes, but..."
"Then may I ask what Comrade Secretary General's plan is?"
Stalin answered Voroshilov's question:
"Of course, this is the final blow to the fascists."
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