Iron Cross

Ps: This chapter only has 2,000, and there are 1,000 more to be added tomorrow.

On October 11, 1942, the "Message to the Commanders and Fighters of the Red Army", which was published exactly two and a half months earlier than history and made Stalin furious, was published by the Russian National Committee in Smolensk and was signed by Lieutenant General A.A. Vlasov, the chairman of the committee. and Secretary Major General V.F. Mareshkin (he served as Chief of Staff of the 19th Front).

"...The Bolsheviks are the most ferocious enemies of the Russian people... They have never suffered such a defeat in the history of our country. The Red Army will definitely be doomed in this war. Despite the self-sacrifice of the commanders and soldiers, despite the bravery and tenacity of the Russian people, But this war is destined to be a failed war, because the main culprits for this situation are the decadent social system and the cowardice and incompetence of Stalin and his general staff... In the past 20 years, Stalin has been claiming that the country is the main The target of his struggle is the capitalists of Britain and the United States and other countries. He has repeatedly labeled outstanding elements within us as lackeys and accomplices of the British and American imperialists and knocked them down. But in fact, he is now forming an alliance with the capitalists of Britain and the United States that he spurns. One body, a shameful betrayal of the Russian people!”

The declaration concluded: "We choose to cooperate with the Germans today not because we are against the Russian people and their motherland. On the contrary, our goal is to unite to fight against the tyranny of Stalin and the Bolsheviks. The German government has signed an agreement with the Russian National Committee The main contents of the joint agreement include: ...recognizing the sovereignty of the Russian state on the basis of liberating the oppressed nations. Countries such as the Baltic States and Ukraine are forcibly bound together by a system of terror and power. They will enjoy the same rights with Russia in the future. Freedom and independence; within our country...economically we will eliminate the collective farms and give the land to individual farmers, establish a system that guarantees social fairness and protects the working people from the oppression of any exploiters;...clear all political injustices, Eliminate the effects of the Great Purge and release all ***... We call on all Russian people to fight for a new Russia without Bolsheviks and capitalists! In the new Russian country, the phenomenon of forced labor should be eliminated, and the labor rights of all people and True freedoms of belief, speech and assembly will be guaranteed..."

"What do comrades think of this declaration and statement?" After getting angry, Stalin gradually calmed down and called for an emergency meeting of the Supreme Command. At the meeting, he asked this question in a very calm tone, but Everyone knew that this was just another manifestation of Comrade Stalin's anger - the calmer and more composed he was, the more alarming the bursts of anger and energy were likely to be.

"This reflects that the Germans have declined in the war situation. They cannot rely solely on military means to conquer us. They can only use other methods to deal with us by any means - this declaration and statement clearly hope to attract our internal The wavering elements are trying to achieve goals that cannot be achieved on the battlefield by dividing us internally." Voroshilov glanced at Stalin secretly. He originally wanted to continue to investigate "internal instability factors," but he found that the other party had not yet done so. Before he could express his position by nodding, he hesitated to speak out, for fear that his thoughts would conflict with Stalin.

Molotov, Zhukov, Timoshenko, Budyonny and others are all "politically tested" old comrades. They knew the subtext of Voroshilov's words immediately. Everyone They all looked at Stalin nervously, waiting for his statement. From the bottom of their hearts, they are firmly opposed to continuing a "purge of counterrevolutionaries" under the current circumstances, but everyone knows that the Great Purge is Comrade Stalin's rebellion, and no one dares to express opposition on this issue. or conflicting opinions.

"Does anyone still question my words or that order?" Order No. 270 issued by Stalin on August 16, 1941 stated that the Red Army soldiers must persist to the last man under any circumstances and no prisoners will be taken. The commander is authorized Shoot anyone who dares to take prisoner to avoid death. There was no concept of "prisoners of war" at all in his mind, only words such as "deserters, traitors of the motherland and enemies of the people." Although many top Bolsheviks expressed opposition, it was to no avail. Judging from the current actions of Vlasov and the Russian National Council, Judging from what he did, it seems that Stalin's idea was right.

Everyone could only respond in silence, especially Zhukov and other generals who had relatively close relations with Vlasov. It was even more difficult for them to say anything.

“What’s the next step for this current so-called committee?”

"According to the intelligence we have received, there are currently rebel elements in all the former republics organizing so-called 'independence movements', especially in the three Baltic countries, Ukraine and Belarus. This so-called committee has formed the 'Russian Liberation Army' "Such a puppet army is currently searching for traitors in prisoner-of-war camps, and at the same time using political deception to recruit people as soldiers."

"Where is their headquarters? How many people are there now?"

"The headquarters is in Rostov. The number of people and equipment is unknown. There may be 80,000 to 100,000 people."

"Very good." A sneer suddenly appeared on Stalin's lips, "Comrade Constantine, has the General Staff been hesitant about the direction of the counterattack?"

"Yes." Zhukov answered hesitantly, "Many comrades in the General Staff have always held different opinions on the main attack direction in the "Uranus" counterattack plan. We are currently weighing them comprehensively, and Rostov is one of the targets."

"The main attack is directed at Rostov! There are the most vicious enemies of the motherland - is this reason enough?"

Zhukov sighed slightly and answered in a firm tone: "Yes, Comrade Stalin, we will resolutely follow your instructions."

"Tell the commanders below that whoever's troops can first break through Rostov or capture this traitor, I will give him the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner, and give him two more military ranks." Stalin said in an unquestionable tone, "Our goal is to cleanly, resolutely and thoroughly eliminate all surrenderers and traitors."

"Yes!" A neat and loud answer sounded below, and everyone understood that they must not go against Comrade Stalin's opinion on this issue.

"The offensive date is next week. We will use a fierce and unexpected attack to disrupt the enemy's position." Stalin glanced around with satisfaction, "I look forward to your good news."