The enlarged meeting of the political bureau of the Bolshevik Party in the Soviet Union was almost the highest decision-making meeting of the Soviet state. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 The things decided by Stalin were often brought up for discussion at enlarged meetings of the Political Bureau, and resolutions were formed and turned into party decisions. And the party's decision-making is naturally also the major policy of the Soviet state.

On May 8, 9, and 10, 1942, members of the Political Bureau of the Bolshevik Party and members of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, including Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov, Khrushchev, Andreyev, Zhdanov, Kaganovich, Kalinin, Mikoyan, Beria, as well as Chief of the General Staff Zhukov, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense Shaposhnikov, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense Novikov (in charge of the Air Force), and Navy Commander Kuznetsov and others all gathered in a room with a high roof. Inside a long house with dim lights.

On the walls of the room hung a row of maps showing the situation in the Northern, Western, Southwestern, Caucasus and Afghan battlefields. From these maps, it is not difficult to see that in the frontline areas bordering the Soviet-German (sphere of influence), the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was mostly concentrated on the front line - anyone who knows military affairs knows that this is an offensive deployment! On the other hand, the Germans adopted a layout of depth -- according to the theory of the Soviet military strategist Tukhachevsky, who was shot, the Germans adopted a large-depth defense, a defensive tactic that used space and cannon fodder units to consume the shock power of the enemy's mechanized troops.

Obviously, the Germans had no intention of attacking the Soviet Union at the moment, but they were well prepared for an attack by the Soviet Union!

"Comrades," Stalin said in a very heavy tone to the members of the Politburo and the Central Committee attending the meeting, "and now the Bolshevik Party and the Soviet state are at a critical moment of life and death. The German Nazi army had landed on the island of Ireland, and although the Germans had not yet taken the entire island, it was only a matter of time. And once the island of Ireland was controlled by Germany, Britain could be brought to its knees. According to credible intelligence, if the Soviet Union could not enter the war before Britain succumbed, the United States would make peace with Germany and withdraw from Iceland and the Azores in exchange for Germany's withdrawal from Guyana. This meant that the USSR would face the German attack alone! ”

After listening to Stalin's opening remarks, the leaders of the Soviet party, state, and army present here already understood the intention of the fatherly leader -- Stalin wanted to go to war!

"Comrade General Secretary, the Soviet state should refrain from fighting Germany alone!" Khrushchev, the first secretary of the Ukrainian Bolshevik Party, spoke first, the flattering (Stalin) bald man waving his short arms and loudly stating that "the German Nazis have always been hostile to the Soviet Union, and the reactionary partisans in Ukraine are supported by them, and the counter-revolutionary KB elements in Afghanistan also have the shadow of the Germans behind them." Moreover, the wife of the German crown prince is also the archduchess of the reactionary Romanov dynasty, and the Hohenzollern dynasty and the Romanov dynasty, the two most reactionary dynasties in Europe, have actually merged! ”

As Khrushchev spoke, he secretly looked at the fatherly leader. Stalin had no expression, but casually took out his pipe and lit a fire, and smoked a cigarette. It was only after Khrushchev finished speaking, and after a while, that Stalin was heard coughing lightly: "Of course, the Nazis are reactionary, there is no doubt about that." But they are also powerful, very powerful! ”

It's actually asking questions, asking a couple of army leaders in the room.

"Comrade Stalin, you are right." Zhukov was the first among the servicemen to speak, "Germany is very strong, and the Germans have very rich experience in mechanized warfare, which we do not have. Therefore, the offensive on the Western Front must be carried out under more favorable conditions if it has any hope of success. ”

"More favorable conditions?"

"The British should launch a powerful counterattack in Ireland!" Zhukov knew that attacking Germany was a big gamble and was not very sure. However, since Stalin had made up his mind, Zhukov did not dare to contradict it. He could only try to give the Red Army as many victories as possible.

"Of course, the British should certainly fight back!" Stalin nodded.

"Comrade Stalin, the outcome of the war now is largely determined by air power." Speaking behind Zhukov, Novikov, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense for the Red Air Force, said, "If we could destroy the oil fields of Romania, Iraq and Iran with bombers at the very beginning of the war against Germany, it would not be long before the German war machine would be paralyzed." ”

"Can you do it?" Stalin asked rhetorically.

"We can't do it alone, but with 1,000 B-17s and Lancaster bombers stationed in the war, plus our own Per-8 heavy bombers, then the destruction of the oil fields of Romania, Iraq and Iran is in control."

The performance of the Soviet Pei-8 is actually very unsatisfactory, as a four-shot heavy bomb, its bomb load is not much more than that of Germany, the United States, Britain and other countries. And it doesn't fly high and slow.

In addition, the number of Pe-8s is not very large, and there are currently less than 300 of them (much more than in history), and it is simply impossible to complete the task of bombing the oil fields of Romania, Iraq and Iran.

Fortunately, the Americans offered to send B-17s to help in the war at this time, and finally solved the dilemma of having no long-range bombers available.

"There will be 1000 B-17s, only more, not less, because the Americans also want to blow up the German oil fields." Stalin nodded. He also felt that it was not necessarily possible to win by relying on an armored assault, and that it was very necessary to bomb the oil fields.

"Comrade General Secretary, the Red Navy is ready!" Kuznetsov of the Navy said that "two Soviet-class and one Kronstadt-class will be ready by July at the latest." However, we do not have aircraft carriers, and if we are going to conduct ocean-going operations, we must either have aircraft carriers to escort us, or we will have to postpone until after the autumnal equinox and use the cover of the Arctic polar night. In addition, the Red Navy has a number of submarines, which are also currently concentrated in Molotovsk. Once war broke out, submarines would be able to march from Molotovsk into the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean to strike German merchant and surface ships. ”

The heads of the army, navy, and air force have made statements one after another, and now it is Voroshilov's turn to speak. He assured Stalin: "Comrade General Secretary, the Western, Northern and Southwestern Military Regions have now concentrated 268 divisions, with a total strength of more than 4.5 million troops, more than 52,800 artillery pieces and heavy mortars of various types, more than 20,000 tanks, more than 12,000 aircraft, and more than 420,000 automobiles. Our army has a great advantage in terms of the number of personnel and the number of equipment! ”

This is the Soviet Union, where the Third Five-Year Plan is nearing completion! And the preparations for war in the Soviet Red Army have also been completed, and the current Red Army is stronger than the Red Army in June 1941 in history!

Voroshilov went on to report: "The Red Army had a great superiority not only in terms of quantity, but also in the quality of the main mechanized equipment. Among the 20,000 tanks deployed in the northern, western and southwestern military regions, more than 8,000 are T-34, KV-1 and KV-2 tanks with strong combat effectiveness, and the remaining 12,000 tanks are mainly fast tanks with relatively advanced performance, such as BT-1 and T-26. ”

Historically, before the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Soviet Union had less than 1,800 T-34 and KV series tanks, and now due to nearly a year of full production, the Soviet Red Army has more than 7,500 T-34 and more than 2,500 KV-1 and KV-2, of which 80% are concentrated in the Northern, Western and Southwestern Military Districts, and 1,500 of the remaining 2,000 are concentrated around Moscow and belong to the Soviet Strategic Reserve.

Another 500 T-34s were deployed in the Far East, and the Soviet Far Eastern Military District was unprecedentedly strengthened after the Japanese swept across the Pacific. Not only did they receive the most advanced T-34 tanks from Moscow, but American tycoons on the other side of the Pacific also gave them military aid, and as of May 42, more than 1,000 M3 Grant/Lee tanks and M3 Stuart tanks had been transported to Vladivostok by American steamers flying the Soviet red flag.

In addition, the American tyrants also sent 1,000 P-36, P39 and P40 planes to the Soviet Far Eastern Military District, as well as more than 30 B-17 long-range bombers (the same batch that bombed Tokyo).

Although the weapons and equipment that the Americans sent to the Far East, according to the agreement between the two sides, could only be used to deter Japan and not to fight on the Western Front. However, the deterrence of the Far Eastern Military District of the Soviet Red Army against the Japanese Army in Manchuria and Korea was also very helpful for operations on the Western Front. It is precisely because of the existence of this deterrence that the Japanese Navy does not dare to blockade Vladivostok, and can only turn a blind eye to the capitalist giant ship waving the red flag.

The existence of this lifeline of the Pacific-Trans-Siberian Railway also gave Stalin a lot of confidence -- even if the North Atlantic route was interrupted, the Soviet Union could still receive a steady stream of support from the United States in the direction of the Pacific Ocean.

Stalin felt that the time was almost over, so he said in a solemn tone: "Comrades, since we have a huge advantage, and the German Nazis have been trying to destroy us, what reason should we not strike first? So I suggest that we should wage a preventive war, carry out the thunderstorm plan, eliminate Nazi Germany, liberate the working people of Europe under the iron heel of the Nazis, and plant the banner of socialism in every corner of the European continent! ”

Then he looked around and raised his right hand, "Raise your hand if you agree!" (To be continued.) )