277

Episode 277: Blue Operation (1)

00:00 on November 25, 1943.

At the start of Operation Blue, all the Axis artillery deployed on the front opened fire at once.

At the same time, bombers took off from the runway and dropped bombs on the Soviet military camp.

The prelude to the Second German War began with a spectacular fireworks display befitting its scale.

The German Air Force fiercely bombed cities such as Kuybyshev, designated as the new capital of the Soviet Union, as well as Saratov, Kazan, Volsk, and Kuznetsk with approximately 3,000 bombers.

The Me264s, which had the longest range of any German bomber, bombed cities further afield than Kuybyshev: Ufa, Perm, Izhevsk, Sverdlovsk, and Chelyabinsk.

Although an emergency alert was issued to the front lines in preparation for a possible surprise attack from Germany, an air defense alert was not issued to cities in the rear, so the damage to these cities was bound to be severe.

Belatedly, fighter planes went out to defend the city from Nazi bombers who invaded the homeland's airspace, but the Soviet fighters were unable to reach the German bombers.

German heavy bombers dropped bombs from high altitudes, beyond the reach of Soviet fighters.

"What is that thing that looks like a giant stingray?"

"Fuck, that's so fucking fast!"

The Soviet Air Force, which was struggling even with the Do335 or Ta152 line without even reaching the Me262, was astonished by the appearance of the German Air Force's latest jet, the Ho229.

The new jet, which resembled a stingray, was much faster than the Me262, and the Soviet Air Force's fighter jets could not keep up with the Ho229's speed.

"Chu, it's falling!"

"Zenya suffered!"

"Nazi bastards. What kind of monster this time... … "What!"

While the pilots were wondering, the enemy plane disappeared from their sight and used its high speed to catch their rear and fire its cannons.

Thousands of tanks and anti-tank guns deployed by the Soviet Army on the border had already been located almost entirely by German reconnaissance aircraft, and German artillery focused on targeting the areas where enemy tanks and anti-tank guns were deployed.

"Reload!"

"Hey you bastards! Aren't you moving fast? "Do you want to play a game with me?"

"no!"

"hurry! hurry!"

Amid criticism from officers and non-commissioned officers, the artillerymen worked hard to fire shells even in the bitter cold.

Because it was winter in Russia, the coldest winter in Europe, the soldiers' bodies naturally had no choice but to slow down.

Nevertheless, the German artillery dominated the Soviet artillery and gained the upper hand in the battle.

The German army succeeded in annihilating 70% of the Soviet artillery deployed on the front line by first striking the Soviet artillery position with the sortied Stuka squadron and then with the second artillery barrage.

The remaining 30% were safe as they were not detected by enemy reconnaissance planes thanks to thorough camouflage.

However, as soon as they could fire their shells, they were discovered by the Germans and hit by artillery fire.

By 4 a.m., the Soviet artillery deployed on the border had been destroyed.

Only a small portion survived, but they either abandoned their guns and ammunition and fled to avoid the advancing German tanks, or surrendered by raising a white flag.

Tanks whose shells penetrated the thinly armored turrets ejected their turrets and spewed out smoke.

Some of the tanks that were lucky enough to survive were devastated when they saw the German tanks rushing in like a pack of dogs.

"oh my god. How many cars are there? … ?"

"We are all dead now."

The performance of Soviet tanks was already inferior to that of German tanks, and even the numbers were similar or there were more German tanks.

Most of the many Soviet tanks were destroyed by artillery fire or had their main guns damaged and were no longer usable.

The only advantage was that the Soviet tanks were difficult to aim because they only went inside the tank with the turret sticking out, but the Germans had Vampirs (vampires) who could find the enemy even in the dark, along with skilled tankers through years of actual combat and training. ) There were night vision goggles.

"Enemy tank at 11 o'clock. It looks like a T-34. The distance is 920!"

"Aiming complete!"

German tanks equipped with Vampir were able to find Soviet tanks even in the dark.

When the tank commander discovered the tank and reported the fact, the driver stopped the tank and the gunner turned the turret in the direction indicated by the tank commander to search for the enemy.

"Shoot!"

The T-34 tank crews, who believed in the darkness and were relieved that the enemy would not be able to find them, were pierced and dismembered by an 88mm shell that flew in the darkness.

Soviet tanks also fired at German tanks, but if the shells missed, or if they hit, they only made minor scratches on the armor surface and ricocheted off with yellow sparks.

As the battle became longer, the flames flowing from the destroyed tanks allowed the tankers of both countries to target each other without using the Vampir.

"Loaded!"

"Range 750, fire!"

The Panther II shell that hit the T-34's gun mantlet penetrated the armor and exploded, and the flames and fragments generated from the explosion tore the bodies of the gunner, ammunition operator, and tank commander without mercy.

Eventually, the ammunition inside exploded, and the T-34's turret shattered like a broken glass cup.

The Soviets were able to destroy German tanks by either shooting from a very close range or shooting to the side while the German tanks were approaching, but after they succeeded, they were invariably attacked and destroyed by other tanks.

The infantry following the tanks advanced through fields and hills covered in fire and debris, dispatching Soviet troops hiding in trenches.

Since the tanks had already taken the lead and eliminated most of the obstacles impeding the advance, there was not much for the infantry to do.

The sounds of gunfire disposing of wounded soldiers who were still alive intersected with the voices of soldiers shouting for surrendering prisoners to come out of the trenches.

Most of the captured Soviet soldiers had been deployed to the front line for only a day or a few hours.

The soldiers blinked as if they could not believe that the war had broken out in just one day and that they had become prisoners.

And I had a gut feeling as I saw the endless procession of German tanks and infantry. About the fate of their country.

***

I was only supposed to get 2 hours of sleep, but 5 hours had already passed. The current time is 8 am.

I told them to wake me up at any time if anything unusual happened while I was sleeping, but since no one woke me up, it seemed like nothing unusual happened that I needed to report. In reality, it was like that.

"Mr. President. "Did you sleep comfortably?"

Kaitel saw me hurriedly entering the conference room and greeted me.

To me, it might have been just a greeting, but to me, it sounded like he was saying, 'Did you sleep well during this busy time?', which made me a little puzzled.

Of course, Kaitel couldn't have said that with that intention.

Are you saying that a thief's feet go numb when he sees something like this?

"I'm sorry I'm late. I guess I was a lot more tired than I thought. "Is there anything special?"

"Our forces have captured Boltsky, Kamyshin, Rostov, and Rybinsk, and fighting is currently in full swing outside Vladimir, Yaroslavl, and Onega. And a little while ago, two army divisions and one naval ground division landed in Arkhangelsk. Although the Soviet army is fiercely resisting, it is estimated that the occupation will be completed within today."

"Um, um. "It's going well as planned."

I nodded with satisfaction at Kaitel's report.

It seems that the Soviet army also made its own preparations in preparation for our army's attack, but because they were surprised while switching front and rear troops, they were unable to fight properly and were confused.

Although Kulik's revolutionary government in Siberia and Israel are certain to be destroyed, anti-Soviet guerrillas in Central Asia are still rampaging and steadily holding on to their Soviet troops.

Even if the relevant troops were brought to the front as soon as all rebellions in Siberia and the Far East are suppressed, it would take at least a few days to move them, and there would be no choice but to tie up some troops to clean up the remnants and maintain security in the areas where the rebellion occurred.

Goebbels announced through a special broadcast that today Germany had begun a 'special military operation' in the Soviet Union.

Although it was said that this measure was an unavoidable launch of a military operation to punish the Soviet Union, which frequently caused clashes on the border of Free Russia and threatened the security of Europe, even the most oblivious person would know that this was a blatant lie.

Would the Soviet Union, which is in a civil war, be crazy and start a conflict with Free Russia?

However, a civil war broke out in the Soviet Union, Germany's biggest enemy, and it would not be foolish to just sit by and watch.

I feel sorry for the soldiers who were waiting for their demobilization date, but I think the public will understand.

If not now, there would be no golden opportunity to reliably suppress the Soviet Union.

***

In Kuybyshev, which was heavily bombed by the German Air Force, black smoke rose from all over the city.

Stalin was at a loss for words as the worst assumption he had ever imagined became reality. Right now, he felt more shock and fear than anger.

Even as the generals reported to Stalin the list of cities that had been occupied so far and the status of damage to the Soviet army, Stalin remained silent like a mute.

As the silence continued even after all the reports were finished, Antonov, who had been watching carefully, opened his mouth.

"Well, Comrade Secretary… … ."

"Something."

"Something to do… … ."

After paying attention to Antonov's words, Stalin asked back.

"How long do you think it will take the fascists to get here to Kuibyshev?"

"Pasho pigs can't come all the way to Kuiby Chef no matter what!"

An oblivious general intervened in the conversation. Stalin looked at the general who made the remark with a look of absurdity. He was still a young general.

"What is the basis for that?"

"Because we have the people's Red Army!"

"Then why did we lose the last war?"

"yes? Well, that's… … ."

"At that time the Red Army was not the people's army? Please, please make sense! But it's not just about mana! I am now asking how to overcome this situation! "It's not like a blatant lie on Pravda!"

As Stalin roared, the already cold atmosphere in the conference room became even colder.

What Stalin wanted now was not lip service, but a way to stop the German army.

There was a plan made in preparation for a war with Germany, but it was no longer useful as the front-line bases and cities fell earlier than planned.

To make matters worse, the battle with the rebels was still in full swing in the rear.

Voroshilov said that the rebels had almost been crushed, but Stalin did not trust Voroshilov's words.

I can't listen to a guy who hasn't even figured out where Kulik went yet.

Of course, in terms of priorities alone, the German army was more dangerous than the rebels and anti-Soviet guerrillas in the rear, and it was a task that had to be stopped urgently.

However, if all the troops from the rear were brought to the front to block the German army, of course the anti-Soviet guerrillas would be active in the rear and mobilize their force, and even if they barely managed to block the German army, they could be attacked back and forth by the rebels in the rear.

Accordingly, even if troops were brought in from the rear, there were limits. Even if you pour all your troops into the front line, you can barely stop the German army.

"Damn it!"

When Stalin hit the table with his fist, the generals' hearts also pounded.

Even at this very moment, work was in full swing in the city center to clear away the debris from the bombing and rescue survivors, but no one paid any attention.

The atmosphere inside the conference room was virtually like a battlefield.

"Antonov."

"Yes, Comrade Secretary."

When his name was called, Antonov became nervous without realizing it. He had to come to his senses in this current atmosphere. If he makes a mistake, he could lose his head.

"I'll ask again. "How many days will it take for the fascists to reach Kuybyshev?"

"… … "It won't take more than three weeks at most."

"is it."

Stalin was silent again.

After hesitating for a moment, Antonov made up his mind. He said if he didn't say something now it might be too late.

"Comrade Secretary General. "How about moving the capital?"

"Let's move the capital?"

Antonov nodded.

"Where?"

"How about Omsk?"

"Omsk? The reason is?"

"Because the Nazi bombers won't reach Omsk."

I also considered Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk, but I thought Omsk would be better considering the certainty of safety.

However, Stalin shook his head and expressed his refusal.

"I agree with my comrade that we should leave Kuibyshev. But Omsk is too far. "How much will the fascists laugh at me if I run away to Omsk?"

"But comrade-"

"Omsk doesn't work. Even if I evacuate, I will definitely stay in Europe."

In response to Stalin's insistence that he take refuge only in places within Europe, Antonov pondered what he could do to persuade him, but soon gave up.

If he had left Europe and fled to Asia as Stalin had said, the German army would use this as a propaganda piece, and furthermore, the morale of the people and the military would have collapsed beyond control.

Therefore, there was some truth to Stalin's words that even if they had to flee, they would limit it to Europe.

"Then where would you like to go?"

"Umm… … ."

Stalin's eyes, as he was staring at the map, stopped at a certain place.

"the right wing."

The new capital decided by Stalin was Ufa. A city not only accessible directly from Kujbyshev, but also conveniently located in Europe.

"Of course, I will go to the right, but this by no means means I will give up Kuybyshev. Even if we fall to the fascists, we must fight for as long as possible and make them pay for invading the Soviet Union. certainly! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Comrade Secretary!"

From now on, Kuibyshev was no different from the front line.

Engineers among the city's residents would be sent to the rear, and those remaining in the city would be mobilized to build the entire city into a massive fortress.

Only then will we be able to delay the advance of the German army by at least a day!

While discussions were in full swing about Kuybyshev's fortifications, new news arrived. An NKVD major entered saluting and handed Stalin a telegram.

Then he quietly walked out of the conference room. As if he knew in advance about the impending disaster.

Stalin received the telegram and slowly read the words written on it. The moment he read all the words written on the telegram, a roar burst out of his mouth.

"Kulik! This dog -like baby! dare! How dare you!!!"