Chapter 609: Supply(1)
Chapter 609: Supply(1)
The Battle of Stalingrad ended after six months, leaving nearly two million casualties in its wake.
The Soviet Union, having judged that they could no longer endure the extreme war of attrition, executed Operation Uranus.
Had Nazi Germany’s flanks held firm, it might have resulted in a German victory, but an army of 900,000 was difficult to stop.
This was due to sheer numbers, of course, but Soviet deception tactics also played a role—they tricked the enemy into expecting a defense rather than an offensive, catching them completely off guard.
Nazi Germany wasn't stupid; they were well aware of their own weaknesses. Had they been more cautious, history might have taken a different turn.
But as the saying goes, there are no "ifs" in history. Nazi Germany fell right into the trap of Operation Uranus, resulting in the encirclement of hundreds of thousands of troops.
To make matters worse, the arrival of General Winter froze their gasoline, and chronic supply issues began to plague them. The situation grew increasingly dire, eventually leading to their defeat.
Thus, after a war of attrition involving two million people, the Battle of Stalingrad ended in a Soviet victory. It was a grand reversal, significant enough to turn the entire tide of the war.
[Operation Uranus was a massive success, but Nazi Germany’s Operation Winter Storm was only a half-success.]
[If even Operation Winter Storm had failed, the Southern Front would have been completely annihilated.]
[A defeat that highlighted Hitler’s incompetence and stubbornness.]
Operation Winter Storm managed to maintain the front line, but it was little more than putting out a localized fire.
Tanks and airplanes can be churned out of factories, but people cannot. Nazi Germany, in particular, suffered from a chronic shortage of manpower.
This shortage had been masked by a string of commanders so talented they earned their place in history books, and by the establishment of doctrines ahead of their time.
However, in the Battle of Stalingrad alone, a force of 800,000 was literally erased. For Nazi Germany, it was a devastating loss.
[We cannot die for a Bohemian Corporal. Distrust of Hitler deepens within the Nazi German military.]
[Even an ordinary person can’t find strength without food. It goes without saying for a soldier in battle.]
[Is Hitler truly a leader of great caliber? Or is he merely a byproduct that appeared by chance in an era of madness?]
General Friedrich Paulus, who led the forces at the Battle of Stalingrad, flatly ignored Hitler’s order to commit suicide and surrendered instead.
The failure of Operation Winter Storm had left them suffering from chronic supply problems, and furthermore, the Nazi German high command had effectively abandoned the unit.
Moreover, the soldiers' morale was at rock bottom. The weather was damnably cold, they were starving, and the Soviet army was swarming like madmen.
In the end, the 6th Army—the most battle-hardened unit on the Eastern Front—was literally deleted.
For Nazi Germany, now facing a reversal of fortune, this was a defeat they wanted to hide at all costs, but given its scale, concealment was impossible.
It had been a back-and-forth struggle from the start. Just when it seemed one side would win, the other would swarm in; just when it seemed the other would win, the first would reclaim the advantage.
Because of this nature of the fighting, Nazi Germany couldn't hide the loss. However, the ever-calculating Nazi Germany chose to exploit it instead.
[Do you want total war? If necessary, do you want a war more total and radical than anything we can even imagine today?]
[Are you prepared to stand with the Führer as the shield of the homeland, supporting the Wehrmacht behind the front lines, sharing their pain, and undertaking the most difficult tasks?]
[I ask you! Are you determined to follow the Führer and win victory, prepared to overcome any hardship or difficulty?]
This was the debut of Goebbels' famous "Total War Speech." With this single speech, Nazi Germany activated an even more absolute war economy.
It was a system where the entire nation looked toward a single goal—"war"—fitting the very definition of total war.
It was the result of the people's fanatical faith in Nazi Germany combined with Goebbels' brilliant agitation.
[Did you find that impressive? I thought it was impressive too. If I were a citizen of Nazi Germany, I would have volunteered.]
[The citizens of Nazi Germany don't realize they are helping a criminal regime. They lost their ability to self-regulate the moment they occupied France.]
[Even if they are unforgivable, you have to admit they are an impressive organization. There’s a reason the people follow them.]
The readers were also struck with admiration while reading the Total War Speech. Honestly, it was only natural to be impressed.
It injected intoxicating national pride and arrogance—the ultimate drugs for any citizen—and led them toward voluntary participation.
It would have been perfect if they had continued to succeed after this speech. Indeed, they did achieve a great victory in the Third Battle of Kharkov.
However, Nazi Germany is Nazi Germany to the end. Due to those chronic supply problems, they would eventually see Berlin occupied.
[Before the Battle of Stalingrad ended, the United States concluded the Battle of Guadalcanal.]
[A conference was held in Casablanca, Morocco. However, Stalin could not attend due to the Battle of Stalingrad.]
[What the Allied Powers want is unconditional surrender. This is to ensure a definitive surrender and prevent another war from breaking out.]
While the Soviet Union was fighting a war of attrition in Stalingrad, the US military was fighting in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
At the time, the United States did not realize the importance of the Pacific Front; even Marshall prioritized Europe and pushed the Pacific to the back burner.
This was a reasonable measure. Japan lacked the oil to cross the Pacific, but Nazi Germany did not.
The US had no choice but to pour its strength into the European Front rather than the Pacific.
Of course, massive supplies poured in after that conference, but it was still insufficient.
[If Stalingrad was the pinnacle of attrition, the Battle of Guadalcanal vividly showed the process of how war drives humans to madness.]
Unlike the European Front, the Pacific War was a conflict between different races.
The problem, however, was that the other race was the Japanese. Armed with militarism, the Japanese were truly worthy of being called "savages."
The Banzai charges were one thing, but the true terror of the Japanese army lay in their savagery. One could glimpse a form of knightly courage that seemed more at home in the Middle Ages.
[The Japanese army is savage, but I like their courage.]
That courage did earn them some favor. However, that favor vanished completely as they triggered a series of "dislike" stacks.
Their treatment of prisoners and massacres, violations of the Geneva Convention, booby traps, and suicide attacks even after being captured... they were beasts in human skin.
This isn't just because I'm Korean; these are records of what they actually did in history. They repaid every kindness with enmity.
Because of this, even the once-kind American soldiers gritted their teeth, saying every last Japanese soldier had to be killed.
[The Japanese army got what they deserved. The US gave them excellent treatment as prisoners, but they threw filth back at them.]
[Even Nazi Germany gave decent treatment to prisoners if they considered them 'equals.' But the Japanese army had none of that.]
Even in this world transitioning into the modern era, there is an underlying culture that prisoners should be treated well.
Fundamentally, this was influenced by the early establishment of the concept of "human rights," as well as the value of prisoners as labor and for exchange.
However, Japan treated prisoners "fairly" in a very different sense—treating them like toys or prey.
One might think it was because their cultures were different. Indeed, with the language barrier, they might have been terrified of what the enemy would do to them.
However, Japan had a history of severe civil wars; it’s even stranger that they had no concept of prisoner treatment.
Their ideology and brainwashing were the primary problems, with the harsh environment of war acting as a secondary factor.
[Blood and Iron shows the wars of the future, but at the same time, it shows something that never changes. And that is logistics.]
[Scenes of soldiers starving or complaining of fatigue due to logistics appear every time. In severe cases, it even caused internal fractures.]
[There isn't a single country that hasn't experienced supply problems.]
As wars that drove ordinary people to madness broke out on every front and results emerged, people began to realize.
Logistics is the beginning, middle, and end of war. Without supplies, mental strength means nothing.
Even the United States struggled with logistics in the early stages of the Pacific War. Even that United States.
If they hadn't gained naval supremacy through the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Guadalcanal, they likely would have continued to struggle.
Though Japan likely would have self-destructed before then anyway. Logistics is a headache even for the United States.
[The US is effectively supplying three locations at once. The Soviets in Europe, the British in North Africa, and themselves in the Pacific. Is this actually possible?]
[Military experts have flatly stated it is 'absolutely impossible'... dismissing it by saying it's only possible because it's fantasy.]
[A self-deprecating critique from a military family: If such a nation existed, it would have ruled the world.]
Still, it is an undeniable fact that the US was supplying everyone smoothly while fighting a two-front war.
People asked military experts if this was possible, and most said it was impossible.
Perhaps it's because technology hasn't advanced that far yet, but even thinking logically, it's nearly impossible.
Furthermore, in this world where even railways aren't properly developed, local procurement is the only answer. Many conditions must be met to transport goods by wagon.
[An army is a collective where all technologies converge. The fact that such logistics are possible means technology has also advanced.]
[Not just technology, but the social aspects must also be far more advanced. How on earth did the US military build such logistical capacity?]
[Anywhere in the world, a well-fed army is brave and mentally well-armed.]
[Even for Elves and Demons, large-scale teleportation is difficult.]
Logistics procurement is something even the magic of Elves and Demons cannot easily solve.
Teleportation can easily move light objects, but as weight increases, the risk grows exponentially.
One mistake could mean the entire massive shipment of supplies is wiped out. Even if it were possible, the energy consumption would be enormous.
Perhaps it will be different in the future when teleportation advances further and mass-energy equivalence is proven, but let's leave that for later.
Right now, I only have one question.
"How were you able to supply all the way to that distant Northern Region?"
"Are you asking me?"
"Yes. You, who have the exact same name as the Marshall in the book."
How was this man, Marshall (Cattle Kalas), able to facilitate such smooth logistics to that far-off Northern Region?