Chapter 71 Volume 2 Chapter 29 Germany and Russia

Hitler turns east Stalin tries to appease German communist plotting Soviet miscalculation in British factories Molotov visits Berlin His meeting with Ribbentrop and Führer talks about Soviet and Nazi plans to carve up the British Empire Interspersed with Führer debate again In August 1942, Stalin told me about a British air raid in a bomb shelter. After Hitler's final decision to attack Russia, the draft agreement on military preparations was made. The Soviet Union made more demands. Ambassador Schulenburg tried to reach an agreement. February's Operation Barbarossa. Hitler failed to defeat or conquer Britain.The island nation is clearly determined to stay the course.Everyone knows that it is impossible to move German troops across the Channel without command of the sea or the air.Winter and the storms that come with it have arrived.Germany's attempts to terrorize the British nation by bombing or to crush its ability and will to fight had been thwarted, and the Blitzkrieg was costly.There must have been many months of delay in reviving the Operation Sea Lion program, and with each passing week the development, maturity, and equipment of the British Home Army improved, the greater the need for a larger Sea Lion program and the more difficult its transportation .By April or May 1941, even with 750,000 people and all the equipment, it would be difficult to do the job.Where then would the ships, barges, and special landing craft necessary for such a large-scale cross-sea raid be found?How would they rally against Britain's growing air power?

At the same time, British air power, backed up by the active production of British and American factories, and by the vast program of training pilots in the dominions centered on Canada, will enable the British Air Force, already qualitatively superior to Germany, to It also surpassed Germany in quantity in about a year.So is it any wonder that Hitler, as soon as he realized that Goering's hopes and boasting had been dashed, turned his eyes east?As in the case of Napoleon in 1804, he was hesitant to attack our island until he had fully understood that the East was safe.Now he felt that, before committing himself to invading Britain, he should, at any cost, get his relations with Russia straightened out.As was the case with Napoleon leading his armies from Boulogne to Ulm, Austerlitz and Friedland, so Hitler was governed by the same pressures, acted on the same ideas, and temporarily renounced the desire to destroy Great Britain and need.Now, that's the only way the drama can end.

No doubt he had made up his mind by the end of September 1940.Since then, the air attack on Britain, though often larger because of the general increase in aircraft, has only taken second place in the thinking of the Führer and in the plans of Germany. The air strikes, which Hitler no longer counted on to achieve decisive victory, may have been used effectively to disguise other plans.go east!From a purely military point of view, I personally did not dislike the German attack on Britain in the spring or summer of 1941.The enemy, I believe, will suffer defeats and casualties such as have never been suffered by any nation in a given military adventure.But I will not be so simple, just for this reason, I hope the enemy will really come to invade.In war, what you don't object to, the enemy often doesn't do either.And, in directing a long war, when time is in our favour, in a year or two, and strong allies are to be gained, I thank God for saving our people from a severe trial.

As can be seen from my papers written during this period, I never seriously considered a German invasion of Britain in 1941.By the end of 1941, the situation was different. We were no longer fighting alone; three-quarters of the countries in the world were on our side, but many unforeseen, thrilling and major events occurred here. An unforgettable year. At a time when uninformed Europeans and outsiders thought our fate seemed hopeless, or at best life-or-death, relations between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia were at the forefront of world affairs.Once it was seen that Britain could not be intimidated and subdued like France and the Low Countries, the fundamental contradiction between these two despotic powers emerged again.To be fair, Stalin, while doing his best and faithfully cooperating with Hitler, was also trying to muster all the forces he could muster among the broad masses of Soviet Russia.Every time Germany won a battle, he and Molotov congratulated them respectfully and respectfully as usual.They sent a steady stream of food and vital raw materials to Germany.The communists of their fifth column tried to disrupt our factories.Their broadcasts slander and slander us.They stood ready to achieve a permanent solution with Nazi Germany on the many outstanding outstanding issues between the two countries, and gloated at the final destruction of British power.But they have also always recognized that the policy could fail.They made up their minds to buy time by various means; nor, judging by their calculation of the matter, did they intend to base Russian interests or ambitions on a German victory alone.Both of these two totalitarian states lack moral restraint, are polite and ruthless in their mutual relations.

Of course, regarding Finland and Romania, the opinions of the two sides are not in agreement.Soviet leaders were appalled by the fall of France and the end of the Second Front (which they clamored for reopening soon after).They did not expect such a sudden disintegration, fully expecting a long-term mutual consumption situation on the Western Front.There is no Western Front now!But it would also be foolish to make major changes to the methods of collaborating with Germany before it was clear whether Britain would capitulate or be wiped out by 1940.As the Kremlin came to realize that Britain could handle a protracted, indefinite war and that anything could happen around the United States and in Japan during the war, Stalin became more aware of his danger and more eager to buy time.But, as we shall see, he obviously sacrificed a lot and took a lot of risks in order to remain friendly with Nazi Germany.

What is even more astonishing is his ignorance and ignorance in making many miscalculations of the impending catastrophe.From September 1940 until Hitler's onslaught in June 1941, he was a ruthless, scheming, and ignorant colossus. After the brief account of the situation above, we might as well talk about the episode of Molotov's visit to Berlin on November 12, 1940.When the Bolshevik emissary arrived in the heart of Nazi Germany, he was greeted with all kinds of compliments and every kind of grand hospitality.In the next two days, Molotov and Ribbentrop also held lengthy and tense talks with Hitler.Their gruesome exchange of views and face-to-face conflicts are laid bare in the book Nazi-Soviet Relations, 1939 | 1941, compiled from seized documents by the U.S. State Department in Washington in early 1948.In order to describe or understand the course of it, it is necessary to quote the material.

Molotov's first meeting was with Ribbentrop. 【１】 [1] See "Nazi|Soviet Relations", pages 218 and later. November 12, 1940 The German Foreign Minister stated that in his letter to Stalin he had expressed Germany's firm belief that: No power in the world can alter the fact that the end of the British Empire has begun.Britain has been defeated, and it is only a matter of time before it finally admits defeat.It may not be long before it throws in the towel, because the situation in Britain is getting worse every day.Of course, Germany would also welcome an early end to the fighting, as it would not in any case wish to sacrifice human life unnecessarily.If Britain does not make up its mind in the near future and admit defeat, then they will definitely demand peace in the coming year.Germany is continuing to bomb Britain day and night.Germany would also gradually make full use of her submarines, inflicting severe losses on Great Britain.Germany believed that Britain might be forced to give up the struggle because of these attacks.In England there is evidently a certain uneasiness that things will be resolved in this way, but if the present form of attack does not bring Britain to its knees, then Germany will resolutely carry out a major attack as soon as the weather permits. A large-scale attack, thereby completely destroying Britain.The failure of this large-scale attack so far has been entirely due to bad weather.

Any attempt to land or take military action on the Continent by Great Britain or Great Britain with the support of the United States was doomed from the start to total failure.This is not a military question at all.This the British did not understand, since there was obviously still some degree of confusion in Great Britain, and since the country was led by a man named Churchill, who was a political and military layman, His previous career had completely failed at every critical moment, and this time he will fail again. Besides, the Axis powers had overwhelmed Britain militarily and politically in Europe.

Even France, already defeated and paying for the war (which, by the way, the French were well aware of), accepted this principle: France will never support de Gaulle, the conqueror of England and Don Quixote in Africa in the future.Because the Axis countries are extremely powerful, what they consider is not how to win the war, but how to quickly end the war that has already been won. After lunch, the Führer received the Soviet envoy and spoke again of Britain's total defeat.The war, he said, created many complications against Germany's intentions, often forcing it to respond militarily to certain matters.

The Führer then outlined to Molotov the course of the military operations so far, adding that such operations had left Britain without allies on the Continent. The methods of British revenge are ridiculous, and Russian gentlemen can see for themselves how fictional the so-called destruction of Berlin is.As soon as the weather improved, Germany was about to deal a heavy, final blow to England.At present, Germany's purpose is not only to deploy military forces for this final struggle, but also to clarify the crucial political issues in and after this final showdown.He therefore re-examined relations with Russia, not in a negative spirit, but in a positive, if possible, adjustment over a long period of time.In this regard he came to the following conclusions:

1. Germany does not want military aid from Russia. 2. Because of the wide spread of the war, Germany was compelled against Great Britain to go deep into places far from her own country, in which she had no political or economic interest at all. 3. Nevertheless, Germany also has certain needs, the full significance of which can only be revealed in war, and they are absolutely essential to Germany. Included among these needs are sources of certain raw materials which Germany regards as extremely important and absolutely indispensable. Molotov echoed all this vaguely. Molotov asked what the "Triple Treaty" [1] meant for the new order in Europe and Asia, and what role was the Soviet Union to play in this new order?These issues will have to be discussed during the Berlin talks and the expected visit to Moscow by the German foreign minister, whom the Russians must be expecting.Also, there are issues that need clarification regarding Russia's interests in the Balkans and the Black Sea, regarding Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey.It might be easier for the Russian government to come up with a more definite answer to the Führer's question if it had access to explanations on the above-mentioned issues.The Soviet Union expressed concern about the new order in Europe, especially the progress and form of this new order, and it also wanted to know the scope of the so-called Greater East Asian Circle. [1] Treaty signed by Germany, Italy and Japan on September 27, 1940. The Führer replied that the purpose of the Triple Pact was to adjust the situation in Europe according to the natural interests of the European countries, and that Germany was now asking the Soviet Union to indicate its own areas of interest.In any case, it cannot be decided without the cooperation of Soviet Russia.This applies not only to Europe, but also to Asia. Russia is required to cooperate to delineate the Greater East Asia Circle and put forward its requirements there.Germany's task in this regard is to act as a mediator.Russia will never encounter a fait accompli. When the Fuehrer set out to establish the union of the above-mentioned great powers, he considered that the most difficult point was not the relationship between Germany and Russia, but the question of whether cooperation between Germany, France, and Italy was possible.Only now did he feel that it was possible to resolve the problems of the Black Sea, the Balkans and Turkey through consultations with the Soviet Union. When the talks concluded, the Führer concluded that the talks had taken, to a certain extent, the first concrete steps towards broad cooperation: the talks had fully considered the problems of Western Europe, which were to be resolved by Germany, Italy and France; The problem is mainly a matter of Russia and Japan, but Germany is willing to mediate as a mediator.This is a question against America trying to get rich off Europe.The United States has no room for comment on Europe, Africa or Asia. Molotov said he agreed with the head of state about the status of the United States and Britain.In his view, as long as Russia can cooperate as a partner and not just as an object, Russia's participation in the Tripartite Treaty is completely acceptable in principle.Under these circumstances, he sees no difficulty in participating in the common cause for the Soviet Union.However, the purpose and significance of the treaty, especially the division of the Greater East Asia Circle, must first be more clearly defined. When talks resume on November 13; Molotov raised the question of Lithuania's narrow territory and emphasized that the Soviet government had not yet received a definite answer from Germany on this question, but that the question was awaiting a decision.With regard to Bukovina, he admitted that it involved another piece of land, which was not mentioned in the secret agreement.Russia's initial claims were limited to northern Bukovina.In the present circumstances, however, Germany should be aware of Russia's concern for South Bukovina.On this question, too, Russia received no answer.Germany, on the contrary, guaranteed the territorial integrity of Romania, completely disregarding Russia's wishes for South Bukovina. The Führer replied that Russia would occupy even a part of Bukovina, which would be a great concession on the part of Germany. But Molotov stood by what he had said before: the redistricting Russia wanted would be minimal. The Führer replied that if German-Russian cooperation was to produce real results in the future, the Soviet government must understand that Germany was engaged in a life-and-death war which it would no matter what to end victoriously.Both parties agreed in principle that Finland belonged to Russia's sphere of influence.Therefore, instead of continuing purely theoretical discussions, the two countries should turn to more important issues. After England was conquered, the British Empire was to be divided up as a vast estate of bankrupts covering forty million square kilometers and extending all over the world.Of this property of the bankrupt, Russia will be given a real and ice-free outlet to the ocean.A minority of 45 million Britons now rule over the 600 million inhabitants of the British Empire.He is about to destroy this minority.Even the United States, in fact, has nothing more than to choose from this bankrupt's property a few things that are particularly suitable for the United States.Germany, of course, had to avoid other conflicts that would distract her from her assault on the British Isles, the heart of the British Empire.Therefore he (the head of state) disliked wars waged by Italy against Greece, because, to do so, the troops would be scattered abroad, and the forces could not be concentrated on one point to attack England.The same goes for waging war in the Baltic region.The war against England would be fought to the end, and he had no doubt that the defeat of the British Isles would bring the Empire to its knees.It is a dream to think that the empire can be ruled and united from Canada.In this case, a world-wide perspective emerges.In the coming weeks, these issues were to be resolved in joint diplomatic negotiations with Russia, and arrangements were made to involve the Soviet Union in their resolution.All countries interested in this bankrupt's property should put aside their past differences and concentrate on dividing up the British Empire.This applies to Germany, France, Italy, Russia and Japan. Molotov replied that he had listened to the Fuehrer with interest and agreed with everything he knew. Then Hitler withdrew and went to bed.After dinner at the Soviet embassy, ​​the British Air Force raided Berlin.We had heard about the talks beforehand, and although we were not invited to participate in the discussions, we did not want to be completely aloof.After the air-raid siren was sounded, they all took refuge in the bomb shelter, and the two foreign ministers continued their talks in safer surroundings until midnight.Official German records say: Due to the air raid sirens, the two ministers went to the bomb-raid room of the German foreign minister at 9:40 p.m. for a final meeting. Ribbentrop said that the time was not yet ripe to discuss the question of a new order in Poland. The Balkan question has been discussed at length.The Germans have only economic interests in the Balkan countries, and we don't want the UK to disturb us there.Germany's guarantee to Romania was obviously misunderstood by Moscow. The dominant spirit of all German government decisions is to maintain peace in the Balkan countries and prevent Britain from interfering in it and interfering with our shipment of supplies to Germany.German action in the Balkans, therefore, was entirely dictated by the circumstances in which we fought against Britain.As long as Britain admits defeat and seeks peace with Germany, Germany's interests in the Balkan countries will be limited to economic aspects, and German troops will withdraw from Romania.As the Führer has repeatedly declared, Germany is not interested in the territories of the Balkan states.He could only repeat again and again that the decisive question was whether the Soviet Union was ready or able to cooperate with Germany in the great cause of destroying the British Empire.If we can expand our relationship and divide our spheres of influence, we can easily come to an understanding on other issues.The division of spheres of influence has already been discussed several times.Therefore, as the Führer has clearly stated, for the interests of the Soviet Union and Germany, partners who work together are required not to be against each other, but to rely on each other, so as to support each other in the realization of their aspirations In reply, Molotov said that Germany believed that the war against Britain had actually been won.On the other hand, therefore, if Germany is engaged in a life-and-death struggle against England, he can only understand it in this way: that is, Germany is fighting for life, and England is fighting for death.On the issue of cooperation, he fully agreed, but added that cooperation must be based on a thorough understanding.This idea was also expressed in Stalin's letters.The question of dividing spheres of influence also had to be settled, but he (Molotov) could not yet express a certain opinion on this point, because he did not know the opinion of Stalin and his other friends in Moscow on this matter.He must say, however, that all these major issues of tomorrow are inseparable from the problems of today and the implementation of existing agreements. At this point, Mr. Molotov bid farewell to the German Foreign Minister, emphasizing that he did not regret the air raid alert, because he owed it to the alert for his thorough talks with the German Foreign Minister. When I visited Moscow for the first time in August 1942, I got a brief account of the talks from Stalin, basically identical to the German record, though much more succinct. Stalin said: Not so long ago, everyone complained that Molotov was too pro-German. Now everyone says he's too pro-British again.But none of us trusted the Germans.For us, it's a matter of life and death.I interrupted him to say that we've been through this situation ourselves, so we understand how they feel.The Marshal said: When Molotov went to Berlin to meet Ribbentrop in November 1940, you heard about it and sent planes to attack.I nodded.When the alarm sounded, Ribbentrop led the way down many flights of stairs to a luxuriously decorated air-raid room.Once he was inside, the air strikes began.He closed the door and said to Molotov: "It's just the two of us here now, why don't we divide it?"Molotov: What about the British opinion?England, Ribbentrop said: England is finished.It can no longer function as a great power.Inlotov said: If it's all over, why did we come to this air-raid room, who dropped the bomb here? The Berlin talks had no effect on Hitler's innermost decisions.In October, Keitel, Jodl, and the German General Staff all drew up plans under his orders to move German troops eastward for the attack on Russia in the early summer of 1941. There is no need to set an official date at this stage, as this is also subject to weather.In view of the distance to be covered after crossing the border and the capture of Moscow before the onset of winter, the beginning of May was obviously the best time.Moreover, the massing and deployment of German troops along the two thousand miles of front from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and the preparation of all depots, barracks, and sidings, was one of the most difficult military tasks ever undertaken, whether in There is no room for delay in planning or action.On top of all this, there is an urgent need to keep a secret and deceive the other party. To achieve this, Hitler utilized two different forms of cover, each with its own advantages.The first was the careful negotiation of a common policy based on the partition and distribution of the British Empire's Far East colonies, and the second was the control of Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece through Hungary's continuous deployment of troops.This had significant military gains, and at the same time, it could conceal or explain the concentration of German troops on the southern flank of the front against Russia. Negotiations took the form of Germany putting forward a draft proposal, inviting the Soviet Union and Russia to join the "Triple Treaty" and giving Russia the rights and interests of Britain in the East.If Stalin had accepted this plan, the situation might have evolved in a different direction for a period of time.Hitler could suspend his plans to attack Russia at any time.How will the two empires on the mainland with millions of troops form a military alliance to divide the Balkans, Turkey, Persia and the Middle East, and even further attempt to seize India, and at the same time, what will be the result of the Greater East Asia project advocated by the keen partner Japan , we can hardly imagine.But Hitler was bent on destroying the Bolsheviks, and he hated them.He believed that he had the power to make his life's ambitions come true.From now on, everything can belong to him.He must have seen from the Berlin talks and other contacts that his proposals for Ribbentrop to send to Moscow fell far short of Russian ambitions. An undated draft of the Quadruple Pact was found in a seized letter from the German Foreign Office addressed to the German Embassy in Moscow.Schulenburg is said to have held talks with Molotov on November 26, 1940, and this draft was apparently the basis for their talks.Under the draft, Germany, Italy, and Japan agreed to respect each other's natural spheres of influence.As these spheres of influence are in contact with each other, they will consult with each other frequently and in amicable manner on the questions arising therefrom. Germany, Italy, and Japan jointly announced that they recognize and respect the current territorial limits of the Soviet Union. The four countries will never participate in or support any national alliance aimed at opposing any of the four countries.They will work together to assist each other on economic issues and will complement and expand existing agreements with each other.The agreement is valid for ten years. In addition to the Quadruple Pact, there were secret protocols in which Germany declared that its territorial aspirations were concentrated on the lands of Central Africa, apart from the territories of Europe redistributed at the conclusion of the peace treaty; Apart from the divided territories of Europe, its territorial aspirations are concentrated in the lands of North and Northeast Africa; Japan declares that its territorial aspirations are concentrated in the East Asian region south of the Japanese Empire itself; The Soviet Union stated that its territorial aspirations were concentrated in the area south of the Soviet homeland leading to the Indian Ocean. The four countries declare that, except for special issues that remain to be resolved, they all respect each other's territorial aspirations and have no objection to their acquisition of these territories. 【１】 [1] It is worth noting that in the Berlin talks, although Hitler and Ribbentrop mainly discussed the partition of British territory, the name of the British Empire was not mentioned in the draft agreement, while the French, Dutch and Belgian Colonial territories were expressly included in the divisions made by secret agreements.Although Britain appeared to be the most distinguished and valuable prize in both Berlin and Moscow, it was not Hitler's only target of capture.He is seeking a broader redistribution of the colonial territories in Africa and Asia of countries that are fighting him or who fought him. Unsurprisingly, the Soviet government did not accept the German proposal.They dealt alone with Germany in Europe, and Japan pressed them on the other side of the world, but they were confident in their growing power and their vast territory, which covered one-sixth of the earth's landmass many.Therefore, they bargained again and again.On November 26, 1940, Schulenburg sent the Russian draft counter-proposal to Berlin.The Russian counter-proposal stated that the German troops should immediately withdraw from Finland, because according to the 1939 treaty, Finland belonged to the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union; For the security of the Neil Strait, the Soviet Union concluded a mutual assistance treaty with Bulgaria, which was geographically located within the border security zone of the Black Sea of ​​the Soviet Union. In the form of a long-term lease, it provided for the Soviet Union within the range close to the Bosphorus Strait and the Dardanelles Strait. Army and Navy bases established; recognition of Batumi and all areas south of Baku leading to the Persian Gulf as the center of Soviet territorial aspirations; 【1】Sakhalin Island is Sakhalin Island.translator There was no clear answer to this suggestion.Hitler had no intention of making compromises with Russia.A matter of such seriousness deserves long and careful study by both parties in a spirit of friendship.The Soviet Union certainly hoped and did wait for a reply from Germany.During this period, both sides began to increase their troops to the border where there were already a large number of troops, and Hitler's right hand had already been extended to the Balkans. The plans developed by Keitel and Jodl on the Führer's orders were now sufficiently mature to enable him to issue his historic Directive XXI from his headquarters on December 18, 1940 . Operation Barbarossa The German Armed Forces must be ready to destroy Soviet Russia in a quick battle before ending the war with Britain. To this end, the army must devote all the troops it can call, but leave some troops to protect the occupied areas from surprise attacks by the enemy. The task of the air force is: to support the army in the eastern battlefield with a strong fighter force, in order to quickly end the ground battle and minimize the loss of the enemy's air strikes on the eastern German territory.In addition to adequately protecting the entire area of ​​operations and the munitions industries under our control from enemy air attack, all the main forces of the Air Force should be concentrated in the East, except that offensive operations against Great Britain, and especially attacks on British supply lines, should not be interrupted. . The main force of the navy should continue to attack Britain unrelentingly during the Eastern War. I will order the concentration of forces to attack Soviet Russia about eight weeks before deciding to proceed. The work that requires more time to make preparations should be started now and should be completed by May 15, 1941 if not already done. It is of the utmost importance that the intent of the attack must not be revealed under any circumstances. The Supreme Command shall prepare according to the following items: Ⅰ‧General purpose Take a fierce attack to destroy the huge army in western Russia by means of armored units penetrating and penetrating into the enemy's army, and prevent capable enemy forces from retreating into the vast Russian territory. In rapid pursuit, a line was reached from which the Russian Air Force would no longer be able to attack German territory.The ultimate goal of this operation is to establish a line of defense against Russia's Asian region roughly from the Volga River to Archangel.In the future, if necessary, the German Air Force can be used to eliminate the remaining Russian industrial areas in the Urals. In the course of the fighting, the Russian Baltic Fleet would soon lose its bases and could no longer fight. As soon as the fighting started, the Russian Air Force should be dealt a heavy blow to prevent it from participating effectively. Ⅱ‧Possible allies and their tasks: 1. On the two wings of our war we expect Romania and Finland to take an active part in the war against Soviet Russia. After the two countries have entered the war, the High Command will in due course coordinate and decide the manner in which their armed forces will be placed under German command. 2. The task of Romania is to contain the enemy confronting it, together with the troops concentrated in the country, and to carry out auxiliary work in the rear. 3. Finland shall cover the build-up of the German Army Group North (part of the 21st Army) brought in from Norway for redeployment, and cooperate with this Army Group.In addition, Finland will also take on the task of conquering Hange. 4. It is expected that, at least from the start of the operation, the Swedish railways and roads will be available for massing the German Army Group North. Ⅲ‧Instructions on combat: 1. Army (I am now approving the plan sent): In the combat area, the north and south theaters are divided according to the Pripyat Marsh, and the main force should be placed in the north of the theater.Two army groups should be prepared here. The center of the entire front of the Army Group South of these two Army Groups should advance forward from the area around and north of Warsaw with particularly strong armored and mechanized units to destroy the enemy in Belarus.Only if the Russian resistance collapsed very quickly would we be justified in attacking two targets simultaneously. The army group deployed south of the Pripyat Swamp should place its main force in the area from Lublin to Kiev, so that the powerful armored forces can be used to quickly insert the Russian army's flanks and rear, and then force the enemy along the Dnieper River. The flank of the army fell into my siege. On the right wing the German|Romanian Combined Army Group will have the following tasks: (a) protection of Romanian territory and thus the entire southern flank of the area of ​​operations; (b) Army Group South should contain the confronting enemy forces when attacking on the northern flank, and, according to the gradual development of the situation, together with the air force, prevent the enemy troops from safely withdrawing across the Transnistria while we pursue them; (And) in the north, to get to Moscow quickly. Occupying this city means a decisive victory politically and economically. In addition, it also means conquering the most important railway center. 2. Air Force The task of the air force is to paralyze as much as possible the Russian air force's participation in combat operations, so that it cannot fight, and to support the army in the main combat points, especially the army group in the center and the army group in the south.The Russian railways should be cut in order according to their importance to the battle, or, boldly use paratroopers and airlift troops to capture the most important nearby targets (river crossings). In order to concentrate all forces against the enemy's air force and directly support the army, it is not necessary to attack the munitions industry in major battles.Such an attack, mainly on the Urals, could be considered only after the maneuvering battle had been completed. IV. The orders issued by the Commanders-in-Chief of the Armies in accordance with this instruction should clearly indicate that they are precautionary measures in case Russia changes her present attitude towards us.The number of officers involved in the early preparations should be as small as possible, and replenishment should be delayed as much as possible and limited to the activities required of individual persons.Otherwise, if the readiness is discovered, the time for the implementation of these plans has not been determined, which will cause extremely adverse dangers politically and militarily. V. The Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Armies submits a supplementary plan report based on this instruction. The expected preparations of the various branches of the armed forces, including their progress, shall be reported to me through the Supreme Command. Adolf Hitler [1] [1] "Nazi|Soviet Relations", page 260 below. From this time onwards the outlines of the major events to take place in 1941 were formed.Of course, we did not know at the time the bargaining between Germany and Russia to carve up our empire and destroy us, and it was difficult to fathom that Japan had not yet made up its mind.Our active intelligence personnel have not yet seen that the main body of the German Army has moved east.他們只看出了德軍滲入並逐步集結於保加利亞和羅馬尼亞的情形。要是我們知道本章所講的這些情況的話，我們當時就可以大鬆一口氣了。德國、俄國和日本聯合起來對付我們，是我們最害怕的事情。但是誰知道呢？此時，我們還是決心：打下去！