Ask a Russian

[Ferocitus]

I read today that China is helping to build a natural gas processing facility on the Baltic coast near St. Petersburg as past of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Are Russian views of that Belt and Road Initiative generally favourable/unfavourable, critical, mixed...?

 

[red_elk]

Generally favorable, I think. It will help to diversify our trade partners and improve infrastructure. There are projects of building high speed railroad between Moscow and Beijing, for example, also gas pipelines and other things. Don't see much downsides in this cooperation.

 

[AdamCrock]

Generally favorable, I think. It will help to diversify our trade partners and improve infrastructure. There are projects of building high speed railroad between Moscow and Beijing, for example, also gas pipelines and other things. Don't see much downsides in this cooperation.

You know despise centuries old grudges, I really wish Poland would have a good, friendly and relationship based dealings with the East ! And I would like to make it Warsaw -> Beijing instead we're licking Trump's boots (yuck!) in hopes of getting visas next year. Sorry might seems like an agressive post but I needed to vent.

 

[Zardnaar]

Germany's wartime oil consumption was estimated as 7.25 millions of barrels. Monthly.
USSR imported 4 millions of barrels in entire 1940.
That's less than 5% of Germany needs.
https://www.quora.com/How-did-Germany-provide-oil-to-military-in-WWII

Ironically, lack of oil was one of the things which prompted Nazi invasion of USSR. They were aiming for Caucasus and Baku oil fields.

That's what theY needed, what they got was a fraction of that.

Something like 6 to 10 million barrels per year.

4 million barrels was a lot by German standards iirc.

They also more or less ran out in 42.

41 attack on 3 fronts (center, north, Doug)
42 attack on one front (South)
43 attack on one sector of one front (Kursk)

It wasn't because they couldn't produce enough tanks but the further they got from the reserves seized in 1940 the weaker they got.

After each campaign they had to pause for months (Poland, France etc) due to oil and ammo.

If the French had pushed 1939 while Germany was in Poland RIP Hitler.

 

[red_elk]

Something like 6 to 10 million barrels per year.

An order of magnitude more.
In 1943 they got 71 millions from all sources.
Romania alone was giving 13 millions, every year in 1941-1943.
5 millions was plundered from France and Benelux in 1940
USSR imports added 4 millions in 1940 and another 1.6 in 1941.

4 million barrels was a lot by German standards iirc.

Enough to satisfy all their needs for 2-3 weeks. Substantial amount, but hardly a game changer.
Soviet leadership weren't brain dead to dig their own grave. They understood there's going to be a war sooner or later.

 

[FriendlyFire]

and Americans forget that they had troops in Russia around 1919. Very convenient!

You know how the Americas are like whenever there is Oil
Besides all the Yankees did was guard the rail wayline, its also ironic that the US finally gotten around to filling out the Tsars armenent orders after Russia collapsed.

 

[FriendlyFire]

An order of magnitude more.
In 1943 they got 71 millions from all sources.

Germany 1943 total production was 11.3 Mil which is when oil production peaked
Average was barely 7Mil when the war started and Oil imports ceased.

 

[Zardnaar]

Germany 1943 total production was 11.3 Mil which is when oil production peaked
Average was barely 7Mil when the war started and Oil imports ceased.

Yeah hence why I said 6 to 10 million was more typical.

Stalin was som where between grossly incompetent to being an outright traitor.

Not only did he fuel the Nazis, he executed those who warned him invasion was imminent.

The UK got nervous when the strategic reserve was under 10 million barrels or around Germany's annual production.

British intelligence didn't believe the reports they got about the fuel situation when they heard about it.

Stalin was very big on destroying oil infrastructure in places like Maikop.

They knew the Germans were low on oil as the Germans kept demanding more 39-41.

No oil from USSR no invasion. Or if there was it would have been a joke.

 

[red_elk]

Germany 1943 total production was 11.3 Mil which is when oil production peaked
Average was barely 7Mil when the war started and Oil imports ceased.

11.3 millions of metric tons, yes.
Which is a bit more than 71 millions of barrels.
Thank you for the table, by the way.

 

[FriendlyFire]

11.3 millions of metric tons, yes.
Which is a bit more than 71 millions of barrels.
Thank you for the table, by the way.

Table is correct
Other sources put German Oil production 7-10 Mil tons per year in total wartime production
What do you know your right 1 Mil tons in total for Oil products from Soviet is only around 15%

However German stockpiles of Oil for Barbarrossa were 1.3Mil tons, by Oct Germans would be down to -7 Mil tons had it not been for Russian oil supplies.
Not to mention stocks of Rubber, Maganse and Grain

I keep telling you that Soviet Oil made the invasion of Russia possible in the first place.
Practically the entire fuel reserve for Barbarrossa was from Soviet Oil

 

[red_elk]

In metric units, all oil imported from the USSR was 760,000 tons, which is 2% of Germany's total consumption in 1940-1943.

 

[red_elk]

I keep telling you that Soviet Oil made the invasion of Russia possible in the first place.
Practically the entire fuel reserve for Barbarrossa was from Soviet Oil

Again.
Total German oil supply in 1940 - 7.6 million tons
Oil reserves for Barbarossa were 2.0 million tons (15 million barrels)
Total Soviet import to Germany in 1940 - 0.54 million tons (4 million barrels)

 

[Ferocitus]

It's time to disclose your political allegiance, redelk!
Is borsch Russian, or did Stalin's Commissar of Food, Anastas Mikoyan, appropriate borsch from the Ukrainians?

 

[Ferocitus]

You know how the Americas are like whenever there is Oil

Of course. The Dutch, French and Brits are usually also nearby.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sisters_(oil_companies)
If you want to learn about some real Nogudniks, then The Secret of the Seven Sisters is a great place to start.

 

[FriendlyFire]

In metric units, all oil imported from the USSR was 760,000 tons, which is 2% of Germany's total consumption in 1940-1943.

Wiki puts total Soviet oil and oil products at around 1mil tons
German reserves for Barbarrossa was 1.3 mil tons
My dear Ivan, 77% of German oil for the invasion was provided by Soviet

German war industry was getting around 18% of the oil it needed to function and the oil shortages was already affecting German military capabilities
And that just the Oil part of the war materials provided.

 

[Zardnaar]

Compounding the oil situation was German expansion food.

Norway for example needed to import food. France had surplus food but required fuel.

So without oil what's the next best thing? Horses!!!. Guess what the Germans took from France...

 

[red_elk]

My dear Ivan, 77% of German oil for the invasion was provided by Soviet

Read again the table you posted.
Germans used ~10 million tons every year in 1941-1943. USSR provided, as we established, 0.7-1 million tons. In total. No, it's not 77%, more like 2%-3%
And as you can see, foreign import actually increased in 1941-1942 after USSR ceased to supply its "irreplaceable oil". Germans simply pushed Romania to give them more.

 

[Zardnaar]

Read again the table you posted.
Germans used ~10 million tons every year in 1941-1943. USSR provided, as we established, 0.7-1 million tons. In total. No, it's not 77%, more like 2%-3%
And as you can see, foreign import actually increased in 1941-1942 after USSR ceased to supply its "irreplaceable oil". Germans simply pushed Romania to give them more.

It was at a critical time though when they got the oil.

Romanians used German expertise to expand production.

 

[red_elk]

It's time to disclose your political allegiance, redelk!
Is borsch Russian, or did Stalin's Commissar of Food, Anastas Mikoyan, appropriate borsch from the Ukrainians?

From what I read it originated from the region which is now Southern Russia and Ukraine.

 

[red_elk]

It was at a critical time though when they got the oil.

No, 1940-1941 wasn't critical time for Germany. Neither in military nor in economics.