While the Americas were in chaos, the European continent ushered in a brief period of peace. As the war in Leningrad came to an abrupt end, all fronts ceased. Even Germany's uninterrupted air raids on southeastern Britain also stopped.
, the Soviet Union, Germany, and Britain were all pressing against their own wounds, brewing a fierce offensive.
On September 30, the German Parliament passed a resolution, and Leningrad officially restored its original name of St. Petersburg to show Germany's determination to fight the Soviet Union to the end.
St. Petersburg is the economic, cultural and scientific center of the Soviet Union after Moscow. It was also the capital of the Russian Empire. It is located on the east coast of the Gulf of Finland and the Neva River estuary delta. It is known as the "Venice of the North". After occupying the city, the German army
Army Group North was liberated at once. Among the 500,000 German troops, in addition to the 200,000 troops remaining east of Lake Ladoga and Tichven, the remaining 300,000 were reorganized to form the Eastern Front General Reserve.
Team.
General Küchler, who replaced Field Marshal von Bock as Army Group North, was promoted to a first-class general. At the same time, with the disbandment of the Army Group, Hitler appointed him as the Commander of the Reserve Army.
On October 1, Hitler and his colleagues from the Politburo arrived in St. Petersburg for an inspection.
The first stop that the German bosses visited was the Siyalin-style building of the Kinov Factory.
Kirov was a Soviet Bolshevik revolutionary and important leader who was in charge of local industrial construction. Seven years ago, a petitioner entered the heavily guarded Leningrad Municipal Party Committee office and shot Kirov to death with a pistol. From then on,
This kicked off the Soviet Union’s purge of counter-revolutionaries.
Heydrich, who still controls the secret police force, is currently in Minsk presiding over the suppression of Soviet guerrillas in Belarus and Ukraine. This time he came to the second largest city in the Red Empire and looked at the towering foundation.
Novus statue, thinking: "This is definitely Stalin's trick, otherwise how could an ordinary person enter the Smolny Palace unobstructed?"
Himmler, who was in charge of the Nazi party affairs and also managed the SS, echoed: "In order to eradicate dissidents, Stalin did not make fun of the future of the country and the nation. Compared with him, we are really kinder than little sheep!"
Himmler's metaphor caused a burst of laughter, and Hitler said seriously: "If Stalin had not gone crazy and asked Tukhachevsky to carry out regular military construction,
The Soviet Union, a vibrant country, has always maintained political integrity and people, and we have no way to get involved here. Therefore, the Soviet Union's purge is undoubtedly a good thing for the Germanic people! Now the empire is absorbing enough nutrients from the huge body of the Soviet Union, waiting for us
When we attack again, it will definitely be earth-shattering." Goering, Goebbels, Ribbentrop, Bormann and others all agreed in unison, saying that this was a great opportunity given to Germany by God. If it does not seize it, it will regret it.
Out of reach.
To Hitler and others' great joy, the Kinov factory had resumed production in a short period of time. The arms tycoon Krupp proudly led a group of top leaders of the German party, government and military to inspect, and installed hundreds of Soviet vehicles in the workshop.
The KV tank is being assembled. In addition to being painted with German black paint and an exaggerated Iron Cross logo, side skirts, iron mesh to prevent incendiary bottles, a muzzle brake, a loop antenna, etc. are also installed.
Of course, this is not so much perfection as it is a superfluous move to avoid accidental attacks by others.
St. Petersburg itself is a museum of architecture and sculpture. Every building here is carefully designed and built, and every building is a fine product, which is pleasing to the eye.
However, during the visit, Hitler and his group did not feel very happy, because from the beginning to the end, they could smell the smoke, blood and dead bodies lingering in the air.
Hillem recounted a tragic incident that occurred here a few days ago as reported by the intelligence agency: the German occupation authorities instigated the Baltics and Ukrainians in the Russian volunteer army to kill more than 100,000 dying, insane and
People who lost their limbs and were destined to become burdens in the future were secretly pushed into the Neva River, causing the bodies to accumulate and form a barrier lake. The remaining citizens of St. Petersburg accepted this tragedy indifferently and calmly. After experiencing the unprecedented tragedy of starvation, these people who escaped from death
People's hearts are as stone as stone, and not many things can touch them anymore.
Everyone sighed after hearing this, but Hitler and others unanimously put the blame on Stalin, saying that if he had not ordered the stubborn resistance, similar human tragedies would not have occurred.
After visiting the Kinov Factory, Küchler, who was promoted to the rank of general, acted as a voluntary tour guide and personally drove the convoy of Hitler and others onto Neva Prospekt, to the Palace Esplanade, on the other side of the Neva River.
The Winter Palace. The Winter Palace faces the Palace Square, the center is slightly protruding, there are three arched iron doors, and there is a colossal statue of the god Atlas at the entrance.
During the German siege, the entire Winter Palace, like other art buildings, was covered with a huge camouflage net, and there were realistic replicas built next to it, so the damage suffered was relatively light.
To commemorate the victory over Napoleon, Russia erected an Alexander Column in the center of the Winter Palace Square. It was made of a whole piece of granite without any support. It stood on the cornerstone only by its own weight. Its top
Above is an angel holding a cross, with his feet stepping on a snake, which is a symbol of victory over the enemy.
There are two rows of colonnades around the Winter Palace, which is majestic. The palace is gorgeously decorated, and many halls are decorated with malachite, jasper, and agate products. It is one of the four major museums in the world, together with the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Grand Museum in New York.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is equally famous.
Witnessing all this, Hitler proudly introduced that this place was originally the personal museum of Empress Catherine II. Nearly two centuries ago, Catherine II purchased Rembrandt and Rubens from Berlin.
More than two hundred paintings by others are stored in the Hermitage of the Hermitage, from which the museum gets its name.
The Hermitage has a collection of art, oil paintings, statues, carpets, furniture, handicrafts, etc. from all over the world. There are more than 400 exhibition halls and showrooms, including ancient Greek bottle painting art, ancient Roman sculpture art and Western European art.
The three collections of art are well-known in the world of collections, and of course there are Chinese porcelain. There are oil paintings from the 14th century to the 20th century, including Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, Raphael and other world painting giants.
works.
Heydrich suggested that the [Chinese] culture obtained from Kiev, Minsk, St. Petersburg and other places be returned to the South China government. Hitler hesitated for a while and agreed. For Germany now, it is still very important to avoid multi-front wars and maintain peace with South China.
It is necessary.
Coming out of the splendid and dazzling Winter Palace, the group went straight to the magnificent Isaac Kiev Cathedral.
Here is the world's most famous Isaac's Cathedral, together with St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Hua in Florence, it is also known as the four cathedrals in the world.
In front of the church is a bronze equestrian statue of Tsar Nicholas I. The horse's front legs are in the air and its rear legs are on the ground. Hitler stared at the statue for a long time and was filled with emotion: The last Tsar Nicholas II was born on July 23, 23 years ago.
On September 17, he was shot in Yekaterinburg along with other royal families, but the bronze equestrian statue of Nicholas I was completely preserved, which is a wonder in the world.
A group of people were walking on a stone road. The golden spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress Cathedral was like the mast of a sailboat reaching into the sky, shining in the winter light. This is the iconic building of St. Petersburg: the Peter and Paul Fortress Cathedral and the bell tower.
It has also become a symbol of.
Since there were so many places to visit, Hitler suggested going to St. Isaac's Church, which is regarded as the "national church" because there are huge murals there that can satisfy his hobby as an amateur painter.
This church was built by the French over many years. It took eight years just for the central dome, bell tower dome and gilded cross. The church is majestic in shape, solemn and solemn. The overall structure and decoration reflect the Russian style of the last century.
The architecture is characterized by late classicism, with both Renaissance and Baroque marks. The interior of the cathedral, which can accommodate more than 15,000 people, looks both solemn and gorgeous because of the use of a large number of rare colored stones.
Hitler held his breath and stared at the huge dome mural "The Virgin in the Company of the Saints" for a long time. When his neck couldn't bear it anymore, he turned to Göring and others: "After more than half a year of preparations, our fuel and combat supplies
Basically ready, I decided to launch the Battle of Moscow again before the arrival of winter... I will pick up where I failed, what do you think?" Everyone was stunned. No one expected Hitler's topic to change so quickly.
Originally, everyone was immersed in the joy of occupying St. Petersburg. Now when they heard that Hitler was going to restart the Moscow Campaign, they suddenly felt a chill from the bottom of their hearts. After all, the tragic defeat at the beginning of the year was too impressive, and Napoleon's defeat that year
No one is willing to take risks when the situation is so good.
Goering thought for a while and said: "Führer, attacking under the severe cold air currents of the Arctic is a huge torture for the morale of the army! Killing three thousand enemies and losing eight hundred is not worth the loss. Now we have a solid defensive position.
From north to south all the way to Stalingrad, it resists the Soviet attack. If the deployment is changed in a hurry in winter, the entire defense line will become full of loopholes. Once the frontline battle fails, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Speer, who had been silent all this time, was in charge of military production in Germany and the occupied areas. The last thing he wanted to see was that the hard-earned construction results were destroyed. Seeing Goering speak, he became brave and said: "Führer, relative
Instead of capturing Moscow, we should actually pay more attention to the battlefield in East Africa. Since the oil came out of Libya the year before last, this region has become extremely important to us as the axis countries!
Due to the rise of the oil industry, Italy's shipping industry, oil refining industry, petrochemical and other related industries have developed, which effectively solved the employment problem and stimulated economic development. Italy's financial situation quickly improved.
"From June last year to June this year, Libya's oil fields provided three million tons of crude oil to Italy and Germany. I heard that many factories in Italy were full of orders and workers were working in three shifts. President Mussolini obtained unprecedented power in Italy.
reputation!
"At the beginning of this year, President Mussolini took the opportunity to launch an operation to eliminate the Mafia. Not only did he mobilize the resources of the Italian Fascist Party, but the Italian people also sided with Mussolini. I heard that the punishment was very cruel. The arrested Mafia
Party members were tortured so severely that they longed for death. With the help of differentiating, co-opting, and bribery, the Mafia finally became a historical term in Italy, consolidating the rule of President Mussolini...
"Yes!"
Goebbels took over: "When I went to Rome to visit President Mussolini in my capacity as [Prime Minister] last month, he told me that Libya had actually become Italy's lifeline. Once Libya is lost, Italy will also
The future will be lost, so the significance of Libyan oil has been fully publicized. Now, if you ask a random passerby in Italy, what will he do if Libya is invaded? Nine times out of ten, the Italian will think that he will fight the invasion.
They will fight bloody battles to the end." Yoder also said: "I have never thought that the Italians are not good at fighting. It's just that the opponents they faced before were more powerful industrial countries, and the soldiers did not know the meaning of fighting, which led to low combat effectiveness.
.
Now, they are working to make up for both of these two! After Italy's finances have fundamentally improved, President Mussolini has strengthened its military equipment, the equipment of the African Army has been fully strengthened, and Italy has built a strong fortress near the oil field area.
group to ensure safety there.”
Speer added: "Yes, the oil industry has driven Italy's oil refining, petrochemical and other industries, and has provided a source of nutrients to Italy's economic veins. In order to accumulate oil, we have to exchange some equipment and equipment for Libyan oil.
, this has further promoted the industrial development of Italy. The construction of oil tankers has stimulated the development of Italian heavy industry. The construction of ports will recruit more workers. Oil in turn has promoted the production scale of pesticides and fertilizers in Italy. Italians have been slow to
Slowness no longer becomes our burden.”
"Stop it!"
Hitler did not expect that everyone would oppose him launching the Moscow Campaign in the winter. He frowned and asked: "What is the purpose of comrades talking so much about Italy?"
Goebbels and others looked at each other, and finally it was Goering who spoke: "Führer, Moscow is going to win, but not now, but next summer. Before that, we should first ensure that Libya
and the safety of Egypt’s oil fields! The oil fields in the Gulf of Suez and the southwest Sinai Peninsula in Egypt now provide us with nearly 1.5 million tons of oil. If Libya’s oil is added, the interests of oil alone in this area make it necessary for us to
Turn it into an impenetrable fortress!
"Therefore, my opinion is to transfer the 41st Armored Army to North Africa, cooperate with the Rommel Group, take over East Africa in one fell swoop, push the war to South Africa, ensure the absolute security of the North African region, and at the same time echo our ally [Japan]
Imperial military operations on the American continent!”
Hitler looked at Speer: "Is East Africa suitable for large-scale use of troops?"
Speer said: "The British were very generous. During their rule in Egypt, they built the Mediterranean coast railway and the Cairo-Aswan railway along the Nile River. Later, we built a branch railway line connecting Sudan.
, our troops can take a train directly from St. Petersburg to Wawu, a city in southwestern Sudan. Troop mobilization and material supplies will not be a problem!
"As long as we can push back the allied forces entrenched in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania, we can avoid the outbreak of war in the surrounding areas of North Africa. When we attack Moscow next year, no one will cause chaos for us behind the scenes!"
Seeing that everyone was opposed to marching troops to Moscow in the cold winter and unwilling to break away from the masses, Heydrich immediately said: "Führer, our general's campaign against the guerrilla zones will not be completed until at least the end of the year. If troops are transferred from me to attack Moscow,
I'm worried that my previous achievements will be ruined.
"In addition, if we use this winter to stockpile more strategic materials, wouldn't we be more confident in future battles?"
Hitler was finally convinced and nodded: "Well, since we are a political party that talks about democracy, I will follow the good advice and listen to the voices of my comrades, and let Stalin have another miserable Christmas! But no matter what
, I will parade on the Red Square in Moscow on Christmas Day next year. This cannot be changed no matter what, do you understand?" "Hi, Hitler!" Everyone stood upright and stretched out their hands to give the Nazi salute and answered loudly!
Hitler then nodded with satisfaction and continued to appreciate the cultural relics.!