War of Soviet Aggresion

The War of Soviet Aggresion

Stalin's Revenge 1945

Ever since World War II ended in 1941, Germany knew it would face a constant threat from the USSR. The Wehrmacht, redesignated by the Federal German Republic as the Bundeswher, retained the size, technology, and command structure of the Nazi Government, although formations such as Das Reich and Leibanstardte Adolf Hitler were disbanded, and all vestiges of the SS were removed. German Chancellor Konrad Audenauer, elected by a large majority by the Bundestag in 1942, announced to the world the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps of the 1930's. Dachau is preserved as a memorial to the dead, and all political prisoners are set free. Stalin never forgets Hitler's betrayal of 1939, and plans for war against Germany continued even after the Soviet defeat. In April of 1945, most of WWII's combatants were not willing to fight another major war. England, which had just finished rebuilding Dover Harbor in 1944, was still rebuilding cities such as Henley-on-Thames, Canterbury, and Aberdeen. And in France, the Government barely kept power, battling insurrections in Indochina, Algeria, and against riots and revolutionary groups. The Germans had also kept up the research of the super weapons of the Nazi period. By 1945, Germany boasted the Me 262 Jet Fighter, armed with eight air-to-air missiles, V-3 rockets that could target a city as far away as eastern Poland, the STG-43, the world's first assualt rifle, infra-red sights, the Panzer IV and Panzer V ("Panther"), U-45, a new diesel powered U-Boat, and one more project neared completion: The Atomic Bomb. But Germany was not alone in the race. The USSR had had a project since 1940, and were almost a year away from completion. France, England, Japan, and the United States were in varying stages of completion. So in April 1945, the Stavka presented Stalin with the final plans for Operation Suvorov, the invasion of Germany and Eastern Europe. The Plan called for the invasion of Germany from Communist Poland, and the Invasion of the Balkans; once Germany was defeated, the Italian Empire would be next. Once these goals were accomplished, the USSR would seek peace on their terms. The attack was scheduled for April 25th, and would start with a planned four hour artillery barrage, in concert with Red Air Force raids on German air fields and supplies. The 1st Ukranian Front, led by Marshal Timenshenko, consisted of 150 Divisions, 15 armored. The Armored divisions boasted new technology that overcame the Soviet deficencies of WWII. The new Soviet tanks were the new IS-2 tanks, along with uprgraded T-34's. All the tanks of the Red Army had been fitted with radios, and new Soviet officers had made it through the ranks and began to replace the leadership lost during the purges. The infantry however, were still armed with Mosin-Nagant Bolt-action rifles, which while still being phased by the SVT-40, was no match for the STG-43.