Chapter 976 Comrade Li De

In March 1944, while Japan and the United States were fighting an inextricable battle in the Hawaiian Islands, the Soviet Red Army was also preparing for a counterattack that might save the Red Army.

A combat plan codenamed "Red Guard" was urgently formulated in late March.

According to this plan, the Soviet Red Army will launch a counterattack against the German North Route Group before the German army launches a campaign to attack Moscow.

In this counterattack, the Soviet army will make full use of the rain in early April and the mud in April, investing more than 1 million "lightly armored" troops, launching surprise attacks and counterattacks from the forest area in western Kalinin State, using camouflage The internationalist fighters of the German and Polish armies disrupted the German rear.

Troops armed with light and fast BT tanks SU-57 tank destroyers will carry out large-scale outflanks and detours, striving to pass through Kalinin Oblast and cut off in Novgorod Oblast within 5-7 days. Red October Railway Line (Moscow-Petrograd Railway Line), thereby completing the encirclement of the German 6th Armored Group - the purpose of the encirclement was not to annihilate this powerful German Armored Group, but to force the army to fight in the mud Season breaks out in the direction of Petrograd.

Once the German army chooses to break out north, the roads in Russia's muddy season will make them suffer, causing a lot of equipment damage and fuel consumption. In this way, the German army's attack on Moscow would have to be postponed for a few months... These are quite critical months!

"Great, Comrade Pavlov, Comrade Zhukov, you have made a good plan. This is a plan made by genius!"

After reading the battle plan sent by Pavlov and Zhukov, Stalin showed a long-lost smile on his face.

"This is a plan that is sure to succeed!" Stalin took a puff of cigarette and added: "The United States and Japan are now engaged in a decisive battle in the Hawaiian Islands... and Japan will definitely suffer defeat, not only in the Hawaiian Islands, but also in the Hawaiian Islands. Failures occurred in the Dutch East Indies, Malaya, and the Philippine Islands—because the Americans had begun deploying in Australia an ultra-long-range heavy bomber that could destroy Japanese-controlled oil fields and bring Japanese industry to its knees.

In addition, American submarines are also very active. They sank a large number of Japanese cargo ships and oil tankers, and also deployed mines on Japan's main waterways, causing a very heavy blow to Japan's industry.

Therefore, the prospect of Japan's defeat can be expected...The Japanese will be defeated in the near future, and then the United States will join us in going all out to defeat Germany. As long as we can delay 1944, the Soviet Union will be saved! "

Although Roosevelt had now mentally given up on the Soviet Union, Stalin insisted that the Soviet Union could still be saved.

He believed that as long as the Soviet-German war could be delayed until the collapse of Japan, the Soviet Union would have a way to survive.

And it doesn't seem to be difficult to do this. Because of the weather in the Soviet Union, half of the year was either freezing or muddy, making it impossible to fight. If the German army insisted on launching an attack in winter, Stalin really wasn't afraid. The months that can be fought are the 6 months between May and October.

If the "Red Guard" plan succeeds, the German army's siege of Moscow will be postponed for at least three months... This will give a good chance of dragging the defense of Moscow into winter. Everyone knows that "Grandpa Winter is Russia's friend", and it is difficult for Germans to adapt to Russia's harsh cold climate.

"Very good, I approve this plan!" Stalin seemed confident. He took two puffs of cigarette and asked: "By the way, who will be responsible for the infiltration of the 'Red Brigade'?"

"It was Comrade Otto Braun," Zhukov said, "It was Comrade Rokossovsky who recommended him."

"Otto Braun..." Stalin muttered the name in a low voice without any impression. "Where was he from 1934 to 1938?"

1934 to 1938 were the years of the Great Purge, and many comrades of the German Bolshevik Party were wronged. Although these people appear to have no complaints now, who knows what they are thinking in their hearts?

"He worked in China," Pavlov said, "and did not return to the Soviet Union until 1939."

Although the Great Purge was terrifying, there were still people who escaped, and Otto Braun was one lucky person. He worked in China during the years of the Great Purge. Because of work needs, he joined the Chinese Bolshevik Party, so the Great Purge left him out - in fact, he was not important to the Soviet Union, he was just a nobody. , if it’s convenient, send him to a labor camp, but if it’s troublesome, there’s no harm in keeping him.

"What about the others?" Stalin asked again.

He is really worried about the German Red Brigades. Will letting them infiltrate make it easier for them to betray the revolution?

"Please rest assured," Pavlov replied, "Every commander and soldier participating in the infiltration operation will be personally selected by Comrade Rokossovsky to ensure their absolute loyalty to the communist cause."

…

Comrade Otto Braun, who was absolutely loyal to the cause of communism, was kissing his wife Lillian Braun goodbye at the Yaroslavsky Railway Station in Moscow. Lillian Braun is Braun's second wife. The two met in China and got married in 1939.

Soon after, the two arrived in the Soviet Union together. Their peaceful life in the Soviet Union was not broken by the outbreak of the world revolution until 1942.

At that time, he had rich military experience, was politically reliable, and was of the right age (Braun was born in 1900 and was 42 years old when the world revolution broke out, which was really the right age for career development), so he was selected as the commander of the German Red Brigade. He was ready to march into Berlin with the Soviet Red Army.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and the world revolution has now become a great patriotic war. The status of the German Red Brigade suddenly became embarrassing. Germany could not go back unless they went to the German concentration camps as traitors (of course there were concentration camps, which were places where German internationalist fighters and socialist white leftists were imprisoned) for labor reform.

And it seemed that there was no use for the Soviet Union to keep a bunch of Germans, and sooner or later they would be consumed as cannon fodder.

And the day of becoming cannon fodder has obviously come now!

Including Otto Braun, more than 30 German (Austrian) internationalist fighters wearing Soviet military uniforms bid farewell to their families at the Yaroslavsky Railway Station today - all trains departing from the Yaroslavsky Railway Station are bound for Siberia!

According to the orders of Rokossovsky and the leader of the German Bolshevik Party, Thälmann: All Red Brigade commanders, soldiers and political cadres must send their families to Chelyabinsk in Siberia.

Commanders, soldiers and political cadres without families are not allowed to participate in the "Red Star Operation" (referring to the operation of infiltrating behind enemy lines). They will be disbanded and incorporated into ordinary Red Army units to participate in the counterattack against the German invaders - using their lives and blood to prove their loyalty to the cause of GCism!

In other words, only those who have family members as hostages are eligible to participate in the Red Star Operation, which is a life-or-death situation. Those who do not have family members as hostages can only participate in the frontal offensive, which is a life-or-death situation, and go head-on to the defense line of the German 6th Panzer Army.

…

"Dear Ludwig, I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too, dear Olga."

When Otto Braun kissed his wife goodbye, in the Peterhof Palace in Petrograd, Imperial Marshal Hersmann was kissing the Russian Empress - a kiss on the cheek, and Chloe was waiting in line to kiss the Empress.

"I heard that you will soon be a distinguished prince and duke?" After kissing Chloe, the Empress walked towards the front of the luxurious Peterhof Palace while talking to the Hersmanns.

When the Hersmanns visited Petersburg, they would stay in the Russian palace as usual.

"His Majesty the Emperor wants to confer me the title of Duke of Rastenburg and Prince of the German Empire after we recapture Moscow." Hersmann replied.

The matter of conferring the title of Duke and Prince on Hersmann was actually part of a conspiracy!

But the conspiracy was not aimed at Hersmann, but at German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. This conspiracy was created by Schleicher, who persuaded Kaiser Wilhelm III to confer titles on several military personnel and politicians who had made special contributions to the German Empire as dukes and princes after "defeating the Soviet Union" (marked by the occupation of Moscow).

In addition to Hersmann and Schleicher, the only person who was eligible for the title was, of course, Adolf Hitler!

Was it a conspiracy to confer the title of duke and prince on Hitler?

Yes, it was a conspiracy! This was a conspiracy with European characteristics. Because there was a natural gap between the Workers' Party and figures like dukes and princes. There was no problem with Hersmann and Schleicher being conferred titles as Junker noble officers, because they did not need the votes of the workers anyway.

But once Hitler became the honorable Prince Adolf von Hitler, Duke of Linz, then Hitler was no longer "one of their own" of the German working class.

"I'll tell you a secret," Empress Olga did not discuss further, but shifted the topic to Russia. "I will soon confer the title of Duke on several very important people."

"Oh?" Hersman nodded. "Have you negotiated with all of them?"

"All of them", of course, refers to those who have just become Soviet marshals and Soviet heroes.

"Not all of them," the Empress said. "There are always people who regard faith as more important than anything else, such as my father, mother, sister and brother."

Her words sounded a bit strange, but Hersman knew the reason - Tsar Nicholas II and his family (except Olga) were canonized as saints by Sergei I, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Olga compared those who refused to submit to the Tsarist regime and were ready to devote themselves to the cause of GCism to Orthodox saints.