October, 1930
On October 5, the last of the Turkish army battled their enemy to the bitter end, but the results were a foregone conclusion. The fortress and naval fortress were destroyed by the usual mean, massed artillery fire, and the destruction of 7 FT-17 tank battalions, a HMG battalion and rifle brigade meant the fall of Ankara. The Turks were destroyed.
Two days later, a meeting of the Committee for the National Security of the USSR was held in Yalta on the Black Sea to discuss the latest situation.
Representing the Central Committee of the USSR: I.V. Stalin
Representing the Council of People’s Commissars: V.M. Molotov
Representing the High Command of the Red Army: M. Tukhachevsky
Representing the Directorate of the Red Army Air Forces: G.I. Lorchkin
Representing the Naval Fleet of the USSR: P. Torgalev
The situation relative to England was discussed at length, and lasted the entire morning. Comrade Stalin expressed his great disappointment that the Red Army Air Force had not seen better results. Nevertheless, the English navy was suffering a steady diet of losses as documented in the combat reports, and the equally steady flow of newly-commissioned Soviet coastal submarines might well result in a shift in the relative balance of power over time. The prospect for immediate invasion was one that the general secretary did not look to with great enthusiasm given the unique challenges. He suggested that all branches of the armed forces continue to build up forces for a landing in the Spring of 1931, when sufficient landing craft could be in place to land the required forces there. It was estimated that at least six armies would be involved in the initial landings at a location to be determined, although Plymouth seemed most likely. In the meantime, Cherbourg was to be the collection point for the required landing barges.
As the conference concluded the morning session and the participants were enjoying a pleasant meal, the door to the conference room opened, and in walked the newest general in the Red Army, Georgiy Zhukov. His part in bringing about an end to the resistance at Marseilles had brought its reward. Walking directly over to Stalin, he leaned by the General Secretary and said something that no one else could quite make out.
“Oh, he’s here. Excellent, yes, bring him in. Oh wait. Gentlemen, your attention please. Will you join me in congratulating our newest member of the general officer corps, General Zhukov. He has proven very efficient at every assigned task and his latest action concluded the end of the campaign against the French- well for the most part anyways. Those so-called Free-French won’t bother us to any extent." Stalin reached for his wine glass. "Gentlemen, I propose a toast to General Zhukov. A long life and continued success! “
The others assembled didn’t necessarily share the same enthusiasm as the General Secretary for this newest man of the hour, but all were in good spirits given the success that the USSR enjoyed to date.
“Here here!” The people assembled rising their glasses in unison.
As Zhukov acknowledged the response, he began to head for the door. Stalin continued, "And now comrades, the good general has brought a guest of mine with him. He has come from a far way, quite a far way indeed. If there is perhaps one criticism I will acknowledge, and by no means should any of you think I will make a habit of this- it is that our actions have been at times a bit, how shall I say it? Heavy handed? These latest wars brought upon us by our foes were quite unexpected, and I think signal a need to change our tact ever so slightly. In the Far East we have two enemies, the Japanese empire and the Chinese. That pathetic excuse of a leader, Generalissimo Chaing Kai-Shek and his lackies think they have their people united against us. But the Chinese people are hardly united behind him, and in fact there is a man who has been fighting Chiang for many years, and would be a willing partner with us, if we will provide him with the necessary assistance in his struggles."
With that, Zhukov re-entered the room, bringing with him several people clearly of Chinese origin. The man among them who one could tell was their leader, was dressed very plainly in simple garb.
Stalin continued, "Comrades please join me in welcoming comrade and Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Tse-Tung. Through secret negotiations with our own comrade Molotov, we are now arranging to provide necessary advisors and equipment to his forces so that they can take back the lands from the imperialist leader Chiang. Naturally, we must be somewhat subtle in how we go about doing this."
All the while Stalin spoke, Mao’s interpreters quickly passed on to him what was being said.
“First, our advisors may have to- assist- in some form of combat from time to time. For that purpose, we are arranging for several Finnish Sissi commando units to act as volunteers in this regard, along with a French combat engineer team as well as a very few hand-picked Siberian infantry brigades. That will be the extent to our infantry support. Second, with regards to war material, artillery to be given to our friends will be in the form of light mountain guns, more suitable to fighting in their type of terrain. We will not at this time equip them with anything heavier. T-26 light tanks will also be provided to our new ally. Air forces for the time being will not be involved. Third, we want this to be a Chinese operation to the greatest extent possible. For his part, the good chairman has raised the 1st Red Army which will be based out of Shanghai as soon as possible. Due to the present situation, I have authorized 1st Guards Army and 30th Independent Tank Brigade to take an active part in seizing Shanghai. Once that is done, we will turn the city of Shanghai over to Chairman Mao’s forces, and our own Guards Army will return to Tsingtao and remain in garrison. Our forces will remain in Tsingtao for use in later operations but for the immediate future as I said, we will be lending our full support for the purpose of supporting our brave ally in the liberation of his homeland. Comrade Chairman, do you have any words to add?”
The interpreting continued on for a brief moment, then Mao spoke a few words of his own.
“You and the Russian people are most generous comrade Stalin, and I trust your people are aware that we too have struggled for many years against the evil of capitalism. Our appreciation for your contribution to the struggle for the liberation of our people will be remembered by future generations. May our great alliance flourish for many years.”
Stalin then replied “Thank you Comrade Mao. And now I believe we have some additional meetings scheduled with you and members of the general staff and the foreign office in another part of this building to discuss the final details around our pact. At the end of the day’s proceedings, it will be my pleasure to host a reception for you and your delegation.”.
With those words, Mao and his associates were then escorted out of the conference room by General Zhukov. The afternoon discussions involved the Japanese situation, and there was agreement that the efforts to assist the Chinese Communists would take first priority in that theater, and that later Russian military operations would be against British and French interests. An invasion of Japan was not a consideration for the immediate future.
At the end of the day’s activities, it was announced that the reception for the Chinese delegation would be held in the main ballroom. The conference participants gradually filed out of the conference room until only Stalin remained. He walked over to a large world map on the conference room wall, showing the progress of the Soviet Union’s military achievements, and gazed intently at it. As focused as he was in thought, he clearly heard the door to the conference room open behind him. The Russian leader made no motion, but said aloud.
“So tell me, Zhukov, if you had a choice of any command that merited your standing in the army, what would it be, eh? He then pointed at the map. The world is such a large place, needful of men with ambition. We’ve conquered so much, but yet so little. Where shall we send you, I wonder?”
Although the General Secretary was still obsessed with the map and did not face him, Zhukov replied, “Comrade Secretary, I would choose to be part of the invasion force sailing against England. It will be an enormous endeavor and we will need every resource available.”
Stalin turned to face the general, and with a smile replied, “Yes. I’m sure that would find you in a challenging position. But it is out of the question. The several purposes of an invasion of England are not all so readily apparent. I have reasons of my own for deciding who will go and who will not. When the time comes, there is the potential that things could get messy over there, so I have other plans for you. Come now, do not look so disappointed, general.” He then went to his place at the head of the conference table, where he pulled out a folder from his briefcase.
“You have an impressive field record, comrade general. I have my eye on you, along with other men I might add, though not without differing reasons. Our armies have triumphed from the Sea of Japan to the English Channel; from the Artic Sea to the Black Sea. But now what? The troops will sit idle now, while generals of the various armies become bored for lack of new conquests. Bored generals make for dangerous men, they begin to look for other avenues to greater power. They forget who it was that brought them to their lofty positions in the first place and they grow restless. They begin to plot and scheme. And then they become dangerous men, to Russia and to myself. But the question now at hand is what shall we do with you?”
“I know of no general who is not loyal to either yourself or the Soviet Union, Comrade Stalin. As for what you will do with me, I trust you have already decided that, or you would not have sent for me. And I imagine that you should have my thanks for taking such a personal interest in my next assignment.”
At once Stalin broke out in laughter. "Thank me after you have heard what I have in mind for you. And it is you who will make the choice between two very interesting opportunities that I have in mind. Now come, look here.”
With that, Stalin pulled from the table a smaller version of the area of Europe and Asia as Zhukov approached his side. At first, the General Secretary placed his hand to the right of side of the map.
“Your first choice, Comrade General, is to go with Chairman Mao. You would be my personal representative and have the responsibility of commanding those Soviet troops attached to the Chinese Red Army. Though small in number they are important to assisting him in the field. You would also be liaison to the 1st Guards Army and report directly to it’s commander. As I had stated before, this is a Chinese operation, you and your men will wear the uniform of the People’s Liberation Army so as not to arouse the suspicions of our foreign adversaries. Imagine, you have an opportunity to help Mao unite his country under communism and insure we have a staunch ally for years to come. When the time is right, our own forces will join the battle to evict French and British forces from their imperialist strongholds in Asia, and you might well have a major part to play, depending on your measure of success in the Chinese campaign. Does that sound as if it has interest to you, Zhukov?”
“It may, Comrade Secretary. What is my second choice?”
With that, Stalin’s hand moved slowly to the left side of the map, stopping over Great Britain.
“The campaign against England in the air did not have the results one would have hoped for. General Lorchkin has suspended his activities until we have a better handle on the situation. Right now, the control of the sea lanes are at issue. The British for their part are reinforcing their home islands with naval vessels and colonial troops from their colonial holdings in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Those vessels must pass through the Suez Canal, then though the southern Mediterranean, and past Austrian-held Gibraltar. We need to put a stranglehold on that passage, and cut off the British reinforcements. General Lorchkin has placed two air armies, the 4th and 5th , in that area, and naval forces from the Black Seas Fleet are being sent there as well, but we need to add a land component if we are to truly shut off this flow of naval vessels to England.”
Stalin then proceeded to place his finger on a spot that Zhukov had hardly expected.
“Here is Tunis, held by a small, Free-French garrison. I intend to send a small mobile force to capture the place, and tie down what British or French ground forces may be in that area. Holding Tunis will also have the effect of shutting down this naval passage. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to send a large force at present. The invasion of England will take up much of our available strength, and our centers of production will be equipping the Chinese. So in that theater it will be meager reinforcements for whoever is placed in charge of that operation. But let me be clear, it is a vital operation. Until we succeed in shutting down this naval transit lane, the possibility of an invasion of England is questionable at best.”
“And now, Comrade General, choose. Choose between the rugged hills of China and the jungles of southeast Asia with their lovely monsoon seasons and exotic snakes, or the hot, choking winds of the Sahara, with scorpions, Bedouins, and their camels. Choose between the opportunity to unite one country or set the stage for the downfall of another. Choose, knowing that the reward for success will be as great as the penalty for failure in either case.”
Let's see just how well the "Free French" fight, eh? Not well, I imagine, given they don't realise that they're not free if they're under capitalist domination.
