Chapter 88:
Chapter 88
Stalin seemed to know the nature of war quite well, as one could tell from his sayings.
<We are behind them by 50 to 100 years. If we do not catch up in 10 years, we will be crushed.>
<If we use less ammunition, we have to sacrifice more troops. We have to choose one of the two. Whether to save soldiers by using more shells, or to save shells by sacrificing more soldiers.>
<Artillery is the god of modern warfare.>
To Stalin, war was essentially a fight between national powers.
The nation that could project more resources more effectively won, and the nation that could not lost.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire in World War I collapsed because they poured their resources into resolving social conflicts on the battlefield due to internal cracks in their national systems.
Conversely, it could be said that they had less resources to project because they spent a lot of resources on resolving social conflicts.
Similarly, Britain and France, which had higher overall national power, but failed to properly deal with the battlefield in their homeland because they were obsessed with their colonies, also lost to Germany.
Their colonies may have increased their total production and output, but it took a tremendous amount of resources to maintain their huge size.
That’s why Stalin brutally suppressed the minorities who raised their flags against the regime.
To maintain the world’s largest country efficiently, he had to suppress internal conflicts, and in his eyes, the aspirations of nationalists were nothing but sources of discord.
He did not tolerate any kind of rebellion, even though he himself was once a Georgian nationalist.
After suppressing these conflicts, all surplus resources were invested in heavy industry, the industrial sector that could most efficiently increase national power – productivity.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
<If we do not catch up in 10 years, we will perish>
This was what Stalin said exactly in 1931.
And in 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union.
Under this prophecy-like insight, Stalin pushed for industrialization like a bulldozer.
With this productivity, he was able to fight a close battle with Germany, which had twisted the whole of Western Europe.
And the second saying mentioned above. Shells or soldiers’ lives also reflected Stalin’s insight into total war.
War is a fight of productivity.
At the same time, it was also important how much damage you could inflict on the enemy’s productivity.
Considering the limited productivity and ‘resource consumption’ (including human resources!), it was better to shoot cannons than to grind soldiers who were future producers and laborers.
Maybe that’s why the third saying came out?
Artillery was the most efficient way to inflict damage on the enemy in this era.
Under this principle, the Soviet army succeeded in greatly increasing its artillery power.
“From June last year to December last year, a total of 140,000 mortars were produced.”
“Good, good! Everyone clap!”
In the process of mass expansion of troops and weapons, mortars were the easiest and fastest artillery power to increase.
It took less time to get used to it, and wouldn’t it be better to give them something more than just rifles if they had to charge at the German army with only rifles?
So the Soviets mass-produced mortars and produced 140,000 mortars in just six months.
Considering that about 50,000 were deployed initially, it was almost three times as much as they had. Of course, many of them were 82mm and not many 120mm were deployed due to poor conditions... Anyway, the soldiers were happy enough with the mass deployment of 82mm mortars.
The head of the department in charge of mortar production was at a loss for what to do with the pouring applause.
“This year, 1942, it is important to produce 120mm mortars that can provide real fire support rather than small mortars of 82mm or less that infantry can carry around. We now have enough trucks and tractors. Thanks to our good friend Roosevelt. Hahaha!”
82mm was hard enough but it was possible to carry around at about 12-14kg in size while 120mm was a stupidly heavy thing with a combat weight of 280kg.
Of course transportation means had to be provided and trucks from America’s lend-lease were a great help.
Trucks or light tanks or tractors either pulled mortars directly or modified them into dedicated mortar firing vehicles.
There were not enough vehicles yet so most of them welded two or more mortars together or carried anti-aircraft machine guns as well but they received rave reviews from the front line anyway.
The people of this era must have had enough scientific knowledge as well, but their way of thinking was quite different. Hmm.
This might be my weakness.
The 21st century was also a cruel and violent era of course. But it was much more moderate than the 20th century that was full of madness.
Even though I came into Stalin’s body, I felt a repulsion towards ‘cruel’ means such as nuclear bombs, white phosphorus shells, and poison gas as a person from the 21st century.
‘Is this the limit of a future person?’
Maybe this was the limit of a future person.
Criticizing things that were inevitable in this era’s situation too harshly from a later perspective.
Not only white phosphorus shells or poison gas, but also the case of Beria.
It was hard to see it as a rational thought to doubt Beria now because he ‘betrayed’ after Stalin’s death in the future.
Was it because he was famous for being a cruel and wicked person?
Knowing the future changed the way I looked at people.
“Hmm...?”
And maybe, this was not just me.
“That’s enough for today. Molotov, Beria, stay with me.”
Pipe.
As I said that, the bodyguard quickly took out the pipe stone pipe that I had been using lately and handed it to me.
The people looked at me with curiosity at my sudden whim and ran away quickly.
Molotov and Beria sat down on the chairs next to me, wondering why they were called.
I weighed the tobacco and took out a match.
“Do you want to smoke too?”
They both politely declined, so I lit the match and lit it.
Puff, puff, a few puffs and the rich and fragrant smoke of tobacco began to flow in.
I threw the match into the ashtray and gestured to the bodyguards, and they also quickly left.
The guys were big but their actions were really fast.
“...Can you do me a favor?”
“We will do anything for you, Comrade Secretary.”
They were quick to respond too.
Do you really mean that, or is it just an instinct to survive?
You don’t even know what I’m going to ask you to do.
You can’t use them if you say that. You’re all grown-ups.
“Go to the fascists and propose a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t use poison gas, white phosphorus shells, landmines, biological weapons, etc.”
“??!?!”
Molotov’s expression was exactly like this.
Has the Secretary gone mad?
Beria also had a strange expression on his face.
But I felt like laughing somehow.
The laughter of a conspirator who was up to something.