Chapter 552

In fact, the Soviet Union's economic construction was not slow. On the contrary, for many reasons, it was very fast in the Stalin era. At least in terms of railway construction, the Soviets made great efforts. Instead of hiring German engineers, they designed and built a large railway across Siberia under the leadership of their own technicians.

This railway extends from Kiev in Europe to the Far East and is the main artery of the whole Soviet Union across the East and West. Unfortunately, the railway was not built according to European standards, but according to the backward railway standards of Czarist Russia. This railway has its own front and car, which is almost an independent transportation trunk line.

In this time and space, the railway tracks in the Soviet Union were divided into two parts. The first part was the old-fashioned Russian railway tracks, while most of the Western Soviet Union used the new European railway tracks provided by Germany. The two systems were not compatible, but in line with the principle of waste utilization, the Soviet Union still used the two rail systems together.

Of course, the two kinds of rails are not as simple as the difference in width. There is also a gap in the number of sleepers within 100 meters. The railway standards of the tsarist Russia era are very far sighted. The bearing structure of the rail is too simple, and the transport weight that can be expanded is also very limited. However, the backward railway design standard also has one advantage, that is, the cost is cheaper, which enables the Soviet Union to lay more railways to solve the "Yes No" problem.

Like China, which had a lot of waste to be revived in those days, the Soviet Union is now more concerned with improving rather than changing from nothing to something. The pursuit of quality is not the key. Whether we can produce something and fill a blank field is the concern of all people.

The train is galloping on the very desolate plain, and it is easy to hypnotize people with the clang sound of the wheel hitting the rail junction. But at this moment, the people on this train are not in the mood to sleep, because they are soldiers from the Far East of the Soviet Red Army going to the western front.

This military train is different from other military trains. The soldiers in this train are armed, that is to say, apart from being sent to the front line of western Ukraine, they are also responsible for part of the security work. Because this train is also loaded with 20 T-34 tanks that have just stepped off the production line.

In the penultimate carriage at the end of the train, sitting in his position, a refined Soviet officer scrutinized a military map of the Soviet Union's Ukraine Province, while on the other side of his desk, another map was covered with German annotations.

This Soviet officer was lieutenant general Zhukov, who had just been appointed to take over the military power of Timoshenko and was in charge of the military affairs near Ukraine. He was praised by Stalin for his outstanding performance in the first World War of Nomenkan, and was promoted to the rank of Red Army lieutenant general. Then, because of the shortage of the western front, he was transferred to Ukraine to command the counterattack.

"Look at this battle map captured from the German army..." Zhukov pointed to the map on the table and said to his staff. His tone was full of worry, and he seemed to be desperate about the deployment of the western front.

The battle map captured from the body of a German company commander is not complete, but the road conditions and important information of the nearby areas recorded on it are countless times more detailed than the Soviet military map. It is obvious that German spies in some areas have secretly drawn detailed maps for a long time, and the German engineers who helped the Soviets build railways undoubtedly provided the geomorphological features.

"It was premeditated. The Germans began to prepare to invade us in 1930. At that time, we foolishly cooperated with others to develop the western region of the Soviet Union." Zhukov shook his head and said with disappointment, "it's a desperate war."

The operation staff officer closed the German army's local military operation map, and his expression was not very natural. Of course, he knew how long the detailed operation map would be drawn, and how perfect the operation tasks based on the detailed map could be.

However, he still spoke and said, "general, after all, we have local military superiority, and new weapons are put into the battlefield. The current international situation is also more favorable for us. After all, US participation in the war is something we have been looking forward to, isn't it?"

The staff officer did not know that the Soviet P-40 fighter units had suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, and he did not know that it was not only the Soviet Union that put in new weapons, but also the Germans that showed their new equipment on the battlefield. And obviously the new equipment of the German army has more advantages: the ta-152 fighter is obviously much better than the P-40 fighter of the United States.

Although the overall performance of the T-34 tank on this train is a little better than that of the M4 Sherman tank in the United States this year, it is still the level of the German Panther tank. There is still an insurmountable gap between the T-34 tank with heavier armor and more powerful artillery. It is obviously unrealistic to expect the appearance of T-34 to challenge the technical advantages of German armored forces.

Of course, confidence must be full. This is a matter of attitude. The commander of the Red Army of the Soviet Union has been frightened by the unfinished purge, and dare not say anything against Stalin's ideas. It's a way to save your life. It has nothing to do with character and ability.

If the United States had not been dragged into the war by Japan, the Soviet Union would have shaken hands with Germany and made peace? Zhukov thought helplessly. In fact, he did not agree to start the war against Germany in advance, but he also knew that if the start time of the war against Germany was delayed, it would only be more difficult for the Soviet Union.

From this military map, he saw Germany's plan and the gap in the quality of grass-roots officers and soldiers on both sides. I am afraid it is very difficult for the company commanders of the Red Army of the Soviet Union to investigate the topographic maps nearby by themselves. Many Soviet grass-roots commanders did not receive good military education. They only relied on their faith and courage to fight. Most of the things they thought about were left to the generals. In fact, it is not impossible to do so in an ideal situation. It is just that the big clean-up, holding high the flag of loyalty, has killed most of the officers and generals who have brains. This has created a terrible fact: most people in the Soviet army can't fight with their brains. They are as clumsy as a bear, but they can't use their strength. There are a group of generals who can't use their brains, a group of middle-level officers who can't use their brains, and a group of soldiers with low education level who can't use their brains - such an army has to face the high-tech army with the highest professional level and the highest education level in the world, which makes people feel desperate when they think of it. Zhukov poured himself a cup of boiled water, and then looked out of the window at the scenery. His motherland has such a vast territory, which is the highest honor that countless ancestors have been striving to expand. But now he doubts whether he has the ability to defend this territory and let his descendants continue to live in this beautiful land“ Send a telegram to Comrade Stalin and tell him that if possible, I hope we can stop this attack, strengthen our front line and stick to our present position. " After thinking for a few minutes, Zhukov finally spoke to his staff and said, "to be frank, I'm not sure about the attack. I hope our diplomats can end the war at the negotiation table."“ General... "The staff officer was stunned when he heard Zhukov's words, and then reminded his officer:" if we generate electricity to Moscow, we can't make it to a military court... "" I'd rather be sent to Siberia or shot in Moscow than accept such a trial after burying one million Red Army soldiers! " Zhukov said firmly: "this is my choice and my power!" The staff officer nodded, and he also felt that he might have a way to live: if he was sent to Siberia because he had offended Comrade Stalin, he would have a chance to survive. However, if the command of the war fails and a large number of personnel and materials are lost, it will not be as simple as going to Siberia. If not, it will also affect the family and children. He went to another carriage to send a telegram. Zhukov picked up the military map and looked at it again. The German army was shrinking its forces on the frontal battlefield, trying to laugh at the occupied part of Ukraine. This was the place where he was most desperate. To be honest, he was not afraid of the German army's Long March. After all, the German army's crazy March could not threaten the Soviet Union's vast hinterland. Even if he lost Moscow, he was confident that he would win the war, because to use land to consume German armored forces was a steady business for the Soviet Red Army. Similarly, the instability in the rear caused by the rapid attack will definitely bring the Soviet Union a greater and more convenient opportunity to counterattack. However, the German strategist was a genius, which made Germany stop steadily in Ukraine instead of being carried away by the border victory. The defense line along the Dnieper River shortened the defense line of the German army and the Romanian army, and the defense system along the Dnieper River could be described as solid. At the present stage, the Soviet troops have no strength to ensure that their troops can cross the river successfully, nor can they guarantee that their troops will not be annihilated by the German armored forces after crossing the Dnieper River. So Zhukov thinks that it is very unwise to start fighting back at the end of May this year. He thinks that this time can be postponed to the end of July or even the end of August. The reason is very simple: the campaign will continue until the cold winter in Ukraine, when the Soviet troops who are good at fighting in winter will play their role. However, the advanced German tanks and planes will be greatly weakened because they can't adapt to the cold weather in the Soviet Union.