Chapter 550: The Map

The economic construction of the Soviet Union was not slow; on the contrary, for many reasons, it was very fast during the Stalin era. At least in the construction of railways, the Soviets had put in a great deal of effort. They did not hire German engineers but, under the leadership of their own technicians, designed and built a great railway that crossed the entirety of Siberia.

This railway stretched from Kiev in Europe all the way to the Far East and was the main artery of the entire Soviet Union, spanning from east to west. Unfortunately, this railway was not of European standard but was built using the backward railway standards of the Tsarist Russian era. This railway had its own locomotives and rolling stock and was more or-less an independently operated transport artery.

In this timeline, the railway tracks within the Soviet Union were divided into two parts. The first part was the old Tsarist Russian tracks, while the majority of the western regions of the Soviet Union used the new European-style tracks provided by Germany. The two systems were not compatible, but in the spirit of making use of waste, the Soviets still used both track systems.

Of course, the difference between the two types of tracks was not as simple as just the width. There was also a difference in the number of sleepers per hundred meters. The railway standards of the Tsarist era were very short-sighted. The load-bearing structure of the tracks was too simple, and the transport weight that could be expanded was also very limited. But the backward railway design standards also had an advantage: the cost was cheaper, which allowed the Soviet Union to lay more railways to solve the “have or have not” problem.

Like China back then, which was waiting to be rebuilt, the current Soviet Union was more concerned with going from nothing to something rather than with improvement. The pursuit of quality was not the focus; whether things could be produced to fill a blank field was what everyone was concerned about.

The train sped across the desolate plain. With the clattering sound of the wheels hitting the rail joints, it was easy to be hypnotized. But at this moment, the people on this train were in no mood to sleep, because they were the Far Eastern soldiers of the Soviet Red Army, heading to the western front.

This military train was not like the others. The soldiers in these carriages were all armed, which meant that in addition to being sent to the western Ukrainian front, they were also responsible for some security work. Because on this train, there were also 20 brand-new T-34 tanks that had just rolled off the production line.

In the second-to-last carriage from the rear of the train sat a refined Soviet officer. He was at his seat, carefully studying a military map of the Ukrainian province of the Soviet Union. And on the other side of his table was another map, covered with German annotations.

This Soviet officer was Lieutenant General Zhukov, who had just been ordered to take over Timoshenko’s command and to take overall charge of the military affairs near Ukraine. He had been recognized by Stalin for his outstanding performance in the Battle of Nomonhan and had been promoted to lieutenant general of the Red Army. Then, because of the urgency on the western front, he had been transferred to Ukraine to command this counter-offensive.

“Look at this operational map captured from the Germans…” Zhukov said to his staff officer, pointing to the map on the table. His tone was full of worry, as if he had already despaired of the operational deployment on the western front.

The operational map, which had been captured from the body of a German company commander, was not complete. But the road conditions and important intelligence of the nearby areas recorded on it were countless times more detailed than the Soviets’ own military maps. It was clear that German spies had already secretly drawn detailed maps of some areas, and the ones who had provided the topographical features were undoubtedly the German engineers who had helped the Soviets build the railways.

“It was premeditated. The Germans have been preparing to invade us since 1930, and at that time, we were foolishly cooperating with them to develop the western regions of the Soviet Union,” Zhukov said with a shake of his head, somewhat disappointed. “This is truly a hopeless war.”

The operations staff officer closed the German local military operational map, his expression also not very natural. He, of course, knew how long it would take to draw such a detailed map, and he also knew to what degree of perfection an operational task drawn up based on such a detailed map could be.

But he still spoke, trying to persuade him. “General, after all, we have a numerical advantage in some areas, and we also have new weapons being put into the battlefield. The current international situation is also relatively favorable to us. After all, America’s entry into the war is something we have been hoping for, isn’t it?”

This staff officer did not yet know that the Soviet P-40 fighter units had already suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, nor did he know that it was not just the Soviet Union that was putting new weapons into service, but that the Germans had also shown their new equipment on the battlefield. And it was clear that the Germans’ new equipment had a greater advantage: the Ta-152 was obviously much better than the American P-40.

And although the overall performance of the T-34 tanks on this train was a little better than the M4 Sherman that had entered service in the United States this year, it was still only on the level of the German Panther. There was still an insurmountable gap to the Tiger, which had thicker armor and a more powerful cannon. To expect the appearance of the T-34 to challenge the technological advantage of the German panzer forces was also clearly unrealistic.

Of course, one had to be full of confidence; this was a matter of attitude. The commanders of the Soviet Red Army had already been scared out of their wits by the not-yet-completely-over Great Purge, and in any case, they did not dare to say anything that went against Stalin’s ideas. This was a means of self-preservation and had nothing to do with character or ability.

If the United States had not been dragged into the water by Japan and forced to enter the war, the Soviet Union might have already made peace with Germany, right? Zhukov thought with some helplessness. He actually did not approve of making a move against Germany ahead of time, but he himself also knew that if the start of the war against Germany were to be delayed, it would only become more difficult for the Soviet Union.

From this military map, he saw Germany’s long-premeditated plan, and also the gap in the quality of the grassroots officers and soldiers on both sides. To have the company-level commanders of the Soviet Red Army investigate the surrounding terrain and maps on their own would probably be a very difficult matter. Many Soviet grassroots commanders had not received a good military education. They only fought with belief and courage. The thinking was mainly left to the generals.

Ideally, this was not impossible. It was just that the Great Purge, holding high the banner of loyalty, had also eliminated most of the intelligent officers and generals. This had created a terrible fact: most of the people in the Soviet army could not fight with their brains. They were as clumsy as a bear, with strength but unable to use it.

A group of generals who couldn’t think, plus a group of mid-level officers who couldn’t think, plus a group of low-education soldiers who couldn’t think—for such an army to face the most professionalized, most educated, high-tech army in the world, just thinking about it gave one a sense of despair.

Zhukov poured himself a glass of boiled water, then looked at the scenery outside the window. His motherland had such a vast territory. This was the highest honor obtained through the continuous efforts and expansion of countless ancestors. But he now doubted whether he had the ability to defend this territory, to let his descendants continue to live on this beautiful land.

“Send a telegram to Comrade Stalin. Tell him that if possible, I hope to stop this offensive, to strengthen our front lines and hold our existing positions,” Zhukov finally said to his staff officer after thinking for a few minutes. “To be blunt, I have no confidence in an offensive. I would rather our diplomats end this war at the negotiating table.”

“General…” The staff officer was taken aback after hearing Zhukov’s words, and then reminded his superior, “If we send such a telegram to Moscow, we might end up in a military tribunal…”

“I would rather be sent to Siberia, or be shot in Moscow, than to face such a trial after having sent a million Red Army soldiers to their deaths!” Zhukov said firmly. “This is my choice, and it is also my right!”

The staff officer nodded. He also felt that this way, he might have a way out: if he were to be sent to Siberia for offending Comrade Stalin, at least there was a glimmer of hope for survival. But if he were to fail in commanding the war and lose a large amount of personnel and materials, then it would not be as simple as just going to Siberia. It might even bring disaster to his wife and children.

He went to another carriage to send the telegram. Zhukov, on the other hand, picked up the military map and studied it again. The German army on the main front was contracting its forces, trying to digest the parts of the Ukrainian region it had already occupied. This was what made him despair the most.

To be honest, he was not afraid of the German army driving straight in. After all, a frantic German advance could not threaten the vast depth of the Soviet Union. Even if Moscow were to be lost, he had the confidence to win the war, because to use land to wear down the German panzer forces was a sure-win deal for the Red Army. And the instability in the rear caused by a rapid offensive would definitely bring greater and more convenient opportunities for a Soviet counter-attack.

But the strategist who had drawn up the German plan was a genius. This had prevented Germany from being carried away by the victory at the border. Instead, they had advanced steadily and had stopped in Ukraine. The defensive line deployed along the Dnieper River had allowed the German army and its puppet state, Romania, to shorten their lines, and the defensive system deployed along the river could be described as impregnable.

At this stage, the Soviet forces did not have the strength to ensure that their troops could successfully cross the river and break through, nor could they guarantee that their troops would not be annihilated by the German panzer forces that would come to meet them after crossing the Dnieper. So Zhukov felt that to start a counter-attack in late May of this year was a very unwise choice. He felt that this time could be postponed to late July or even late August.

The reason was very simple: the campaign would extend into the arrival of the cold Ukrainian winter. At that time, it would be the time for the Soviet troops, who were skilled in winter warfare, to shine. And the advanced German tanks and planes, because they could not adapt to the cold weather of the Soviet Union, would have their power greatly reduced.

Published: 2025-09-04T04:13:02.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-23T15:33:39.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c550-map-138089759

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