In mid-September, while a series of intensive diplomatic activities were underway, the Ming army's Far East offensive was imminent.
The Ming army's plan was to complete the first battle before winter, eliminate the Soviet Far East Army in two months, and capture the Far East together. The goal was to advance north to the Waixing'an Mountains and east to the sea.
. Then use the opportunity of the easing of the war between the two sides in winter to consolidate the defense line, develop and expand the Free Russian Liberation Army, and by the spring of next year, the main force in the war against the Soviet Union will gradually be handed over to the Russians themselves, while the Ming army will gradually retreat into the background.
But the first battle is very important. The Ming army must mobilize elite troops and strong generals to take the first bite steadily. In other words, at the beginning of the battle, the positioning is still a war between the Ming Dynasty and the Soviet Union.
Ming Dynasty also wanted to give the Soviet Union the impression that Ming Dynasty's ambitions were limited.
It is just an expansion of the war in Central Asia. The purpose of the Ming Dynasty is not to overthrow the Soviet regime, but just to capture the Far East coast so that it can deal with Japan. Because, at the negotiating table, the Ming Dynasty wants this piece of land.
But the Soviet Union refused to give it to them, so the Ming Dynasty got impatient and took it themselves.
But at the same time as it won the Far East, Free Russia also entered the political stage and began to carry out large-scale purchases of the US military. Moreover, the Ming army's first move still had a way out, and it was not a gamble on the fate of the country. If
If Free Russia’s arms purchase does not work, or Belarus cannot support it, then war-level
Don't stop here and occupy this area as a bargaining chip. The two sides can continue negotiations in the winter. This result is definitely not unacceptable to Moscow, and Stalin will not risk his life for this "local war" in the Far East. Because the battlefield is in the Ming Dynasty.
At home, the Soviet Union wanted to end the war as soon as possible than the Ming Dynasty.
However, if the road to free Russia goes smoothly, it will continue to push westward next spring and turn this war into the Russian Civil War.
On September 15, the Ming Dynasty’s Supreme Command finally finalized the campaign plan and determined the attack time—that is, day d and hour x.
D-day is scheduled for September 26, and x-hour is scheduled for 4:30 in the morning. This day is Sunday. Although the Soviet Far East Army will not be too paralyzed, and the troops below may not have a holiday on the weekend, the military and political agencies in Moscow will definitely have a holiday.
The leading organs of the border defense military region also have to take a holiday. The Soviet army's army command system is very rigid and lacks subjective initiative. Without instructions from Moscow, the army generals dare not let go of the command.
Now the entire Soviet Union, especially the leadership, is in the panic of "elimination of counterrevolutionaries." The purges are now in full swing in the party and government systems. The military has basically not been affected, but the generals in the military system, especially senior
The generals were already frightened, and they all dared not breathe. They were afraid that at some point, they would be bitten by Moscow's "forced confession letter" and be taken back to Moscow, where they would be worse off than dead, and their daughters would also be sent to concentration camps.
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Some senior generals know that they are on Stalin's suspicion list, and they already know it. For example, Tukhachevsky. They are even more cautious, walking on thin ice, as if they are facing an abyss, and do not dare to take a step beyond the bounds of fear in every move.
Some people were given the opportunity to be accused of political crimes.
Xiang Xiaoqiang knows that the current war against the Soviet Union must be incompatible with Germany's war against the Soviet Union in 1941. At that time, a major purge of the army had already been carried out, and little of the Soviet command system had been purged. But now,
The Ming army faced the Soviet army with an almost intact command system.
But there are two sides to everything. The Ming army also had a huge advantage over the German army.
First, the equipment of both sides. The Ming army's military strength is no worse than that of the German army. At least in terms of aircraft, tanks, artillery, light weapons and other hardware, it is not bad at all, or even stronger.
Second, the international support from both sides. During the Soviet-German War, Germany basically fought alone, while the Soviet Union was supported by the entire Allied camp. The massive material support from the United Kingdom and the United States to the Soviet Union, even if it cannot be said to be the most critical factor in the Soviet Union's persistence,
At least it is one of the most critical factors. But now the situation is opposite. The Soviet Union is fighting alone, and the Ming Dynasty will be supported by many countries, including Britain, the United States, France, and Germany. The United States, the largest arsenal in the world, will open up supplies.
Provide material support for the Ming army that comprehensively overwhelms the Soviet army.
Third, the battlefield mobility capabilities of both sides. The mobility of the German army on the Soviet battlefield in 1941 was far inferior to that of the Ming army today. At least the dozens of divisions the Ming army is preparing to invest in the Far East battlefield are either armored divisions or mechanized divisions.
Not only the motorized infantry divisions, they have all realized mechanization and motorization, and are 100% "march on wheels." Moreover, the Ming army still has dozens of motorized infantry divisions in the country. And the Germans on the Soviet battlefield
The army still relies mainly on walking and animal transport. This is not only a problem of battlefield mobility, but also has a great impact on the "offensive limit". The same front length is one thousand and hundreds of kilometers, and the German army fought from Poland to Moscow.
At the end of Qiannu's campaign, they were unable to make another effort. However, the Ming army fought from Harbin to the Xing'an Mountains and Lake Baikal. Since they had sufficient mobile transportation, they should not be at the end of Qiannu's campaign.
Fourth, the preparations for the winter on both sides. Hitler was quite optimistic, thinking about killing the Soviet Union instantly. He never thought that the German army would spend the winter on the Soviet battlefield. So much so that when it was minus 40 degrees outside Moscow, the German soldiers were still wearing
Summer clothes... And now the Ming army is very realistic and knows that Su
The problem cannot be solved in a short time, so we have already made full preparations for the winter. The baggage vehicles are filled with thick winter clothes, and all vehicles have been replaced with special antifreeze lubricants. Antifreeze ingredients are also added to the gasoline. Tanks, cars
, some parts of the aircraft have also undergone special antifreeze treatment...
Every Ming Army soldier was given anti-frostbite medicines, as well as some medicines commonly used in cold areas. The Ming Army troops also continued to conduct "cold zone garrison" training. In order to deceive others, the euphemistic name was "In order to prevent the Soviet invasion, the troops
"You will be stationed in the Northeast for the winter", in fact, the content of the training
Not only "stationing", but also a large number of "attacks"... How to fight in the cold forest and snowfield, how to maintain body temperature, how to quickly find a warm shelter, what to do if you are injured in a low temperature environment...
The military health system has also conducted a lot of relevant training...
Although the Ming army was mainly from the south, judging from the winter battles in the north during the Unification War, the performance of the Ming army was satisfactory. There was no significant drop in combat effectiveness because they were from the south. Of course, in the winter in Shanxi and
Siberia in winter is still incomparable. The Ming army had a clear understanding of this and was very mentally prepared.
Fifth, and perhaps the most important one - Hitler's paranoid and cruel policy of "eradicating the Slavs" brought to life the Soviet soldiers and civilians who had welcomed the Germans with food and drink in the early days of the war and actively defected to the Germans, forcing them to return.
Stalin's embrace. The Ming army would never do this. On the contrary, the Ming army wanted to "take away the local tyrants and divide their land" and give preferential treatment to the officers and soldiers who surrendered to the Soviet Union. Whatever the Bolsheviks could not give to the Soviet people, the Ming army would give them to them.