Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Operation Barbarossa (1)
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While Korea devoted all its efforts to purges and social cleansing, the month changed.
The fateful battle for Eurasia loomed on the horizon.
On May 9, 1941, Soviet military command received a report that a German deserter had crossed the border and was babbling incoherently.
“Will you spare my life?”
Though the Federation and Germany were effectively in a hostile relationship, they were still officially bound by a non-aggression pact.
“Why would we harm a soldier from an allied nation?”
“I’ll tell you the truth. On the morning of May 15, 1941, at 4 a.m., the German army will invade the Federation.”
The authorities took the German deserter’s story seriously.
Around the same time, spies in Germany reported that basic Russian phrasebooks—containing lines like “Surrender,” “Hands up,” “Where’s the collective farm chairman?” “Are you a communist?” and “I’ll shoot”—were being mass-printed.
Communist workers on the railroads also reported endless columns of aircraft, tanks, artillery, and soldiers moving eastward.
Important intelligence also arrived from Swiss spy Alexander Rado.
“The German invasion force totals 168 divisions and 3.8 million troops, planning to invade Russia. Their targets are Leningrad, Moscow, and Kiev.”
Rado reported to Moscow even the minutiae of Operation Barbarossa, which had been shrouded in secrecy.
Soviet High Command was stunned by the report.
“The Nazis are sending an invasion force this massive?”
Germany’s intent to invade was now clear enough for a three-year-old child to understand.
That was why the General Secretary Comrade’s mobilization order had been so timely.
Had it not been Stalin, who else could have boldly decided to conscript 12 million men starting in February?
The generals were tense about the scale of the German invasion force but judged they could put up a good fight.
‘The Federation’s army numbers nearly 13.5 million.’
Numerically, that was four times the German force.
Considering that the Soviet army during the original Operation Barbarossa had only 3.2 million troops against 4.3 million German and allied forces, suffering a numerical disadvantage, it was no wonder the generals were confident.
“General Secretary Comrade, what measures should we take now?”
“Shift to wartime footing. From this moment, Germans are our enemies.”
Stalin decisively ordered preparations for counterattack.
On May 10, smoke rose from the German embassy as they burned codes, and embassy families returned to the homeland.
On May 13, trains from Germany to the Soviet Union stopped running.
On May 14, no German merchant ships entered Soviet ports.
Meanwhile, in Berlin, deceptive talk emerged that diplomatic channels could ease tensions between Germany and the Soviet Union.
Stalin didn’t buy the lies.
As the Soviet Union sharpened its claws, Germany grew a bit tense.
Hitler was overconfident from past successes, but German army generals thought differently.
“The Federation has openly called for total mobilization. Frontline troop ratios are at least 1:2.”
In reality, there were even more Soviet troops.
In a 1:2 scenario, it would be extremely difficult for the attackers to exploit enemy weaknesses, penetrate, and conduct mobile warfare.
German command puzzled over the issue but couldn’t devise a clear solution.
‘If the war drags into winter, lack of winter gear will hobble us—what to do?’
They had subtly raised the winter equipment issue with the Führer, but Hitler pretended not to hear.
“The Soviet Union is a rotten doorframe. You think we’ll be fighting a doorframe that falls with one kick all the way to winter?”
“S-Sorry.”
They could only hope the Ivans would show the same inferior combat prowess as they had in Finland.
The German army prepared the operation as planned.
At 10 p.m. on May 14, 1941.
The 3.8 million Wehrmacht soldiers deployed on the Eastern Front heard a speech written by Hitler.
“Soldiers! After months of silence, weighed down by heavy worries, the time has come for me to speak openly.”
Hitler justified the great war with aggressive rhetoric.
The forced relocation of Baltic Germans from the Baltic states—traditional German territory; the Soviet Union’s irresponsible provocations despite the non-aggression pact; Stalin’s insidious plot to bring mutual destruction upon Germany and the West.
Denunciations of the Bolsheviks’ unbelievable deceptions continued.
The Führer declared:
There could be no peace in Europe while leaving the Judeo-Bolshevik regime intact.
For the sons and daughters of Greater Germany to stretch their legs and live comfortably, they must eradicate these loathsome beasts to the east.
Only then could Germany survive.
Hitler also emphasized how winnable the war was.
“Our army has already proven invincible. Victory after victory in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France. Even that great British Empire came begging for armistice. United, the Germanic race is this mighty.”
“Numerous friends stand under our banner. Marshal Mannerheim of Finland and Marshal Ion Antonescu of Romania will advance alongside us toward the Bolshevik heart.”
“Mark my words: By 1942, the distasteful name ‘Soviet Union’ will cease to exist on this earth. German soldiers, forward to victory! Deutschland, Sieg Heil!”
Hitler framed the war as a crusade.
A crusade against the great evil of communism.
And its true nature was just that.
Fascists across Europe volunteered as SS auxiliaries or German soldiers, donning uniforms for this showdown.
They had no choice but to win this war.
The troops reaffirmed their resolve, reminded of their place at the center of great history.
They would crush the Bolsheviks in this war.
Tear them to shreds, leaving no trace on earth.
German soldiers glared fiercely eastward, stoking their enmity.
At 2 a.m. on May 15, 1941.
Airfields shrouded in darkness lit up brilliantly as hundreds of pilots and ground crew bustled about.
To make the first strike a perfect surprise, the air raid had to begin at dawn.
Considering the dangers of night flying, only veteran pilots were selected.
“Hurry up. We’re short on time.”
At the maintenance officer’s shout, the NCOs’ hands moved even faster.
At 3 a.m.
German field artillery at their garrisons advanced to pre-prepared firing positions and cooled their barrels.
Over 10,000 massive guns targeted Soviet positions and outposts beyond the border.
“The Ivans are gonna lose their minds.”
The Germans believed the Soviets couldn’t withstand their combined arms assault.
At 3:50 a.m.
Vast columns of vehicles appeared on roads right up to the border.
Tanks and trucks idled engines, awaiting the attack order.
Heinz Guderian, father of the German Panzer force, also rode in a tank at the front line, directly commanding his panzer corps as he awaited orders.
“Ten minutes until attack time.”
“Already?”
Guderian donned his headset.
At 4 a.m.
Over 10,000 guns roared to life along the entire front from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
Boom!
The overwhelming German barrage swept everything in an instant.
Border guard posts, barracks, positions, fortresses, airfields—every Interior People’s Commissariat site was a target.
Simultaneously, German bomber formations pierced the darkness, flying toward Soviet airspace.
“We’ll wipe out the Ivan air force on the ground in this strike.”
“Hah. Easier than twisting a kid’s arm.”
The German pilots were confident of victory.
Even without mentioning the Soviets’ poor showing in Finland, they knew the Soviet air force’s capabilities well.
What was there to fear from foes they’d shot down countless times in the Spanish Civil War?
Pilots exchanged chatter as they sped toward the nearest airfields.
Blackout enforced, the airfields were dark.
“Take this, you Ivan bastards.”
The Germans dumped masses of 250kg bombs on runways and hangars where planes might be.
Explosions lit the base somewhat, and the German commander circled once, photographing the damage below.
But something was off.
Not much seemed to be burning.
The fuel depot was definitely ablaze, but there were hardly any aircraft visible.
‘No way the surprise failed.’
The thought couldn’t be helped.
Still, they couldn’t just circle endlessly observing.
“Return to base.”
The German commander turned west, unease gnawing at him.
At 5 a.m.
After an hour of preparatory barrage, 3.8 million Wehrmacht troops and 800,000 allied forces from Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary crossed the border.
The greatest invasion in human history—Barbarossa—had begun.
But contrary to the grand buildup, Soviet resistance was weaker than expected.
“What’s the enemy resistance like?”
“Perfunctory. Nothing beyond the Interior People’s Commissariat border guards.”
“Is that so?”
German Army High Command didn’t know how to interpret the situation.
If they failed to encircle and annihilate the main Soviet forces near the border, the planned short war could collapse.
‘The Ivans are too damn cowardly—things are getting messy.’
But it wouldn’t affect Germany’s ultimate victory.
Even if dragged out, it’d end in triumph by ’42.
The German generals had absolute faith in the invincible Wehrmacht securing victory.