Iron Cross

Ps: I went out during the day and came back in the evening. There will be another update tonight.

Vlasov is certainly not a nobody. On the contrary, this lieutenant general, who wears a pair of black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose and looks like a political cadre, is definitely a strongman in the Red Army.

Vlasov is a graduate of Neustadt Theological Seminary. He joined the Soviet Red Army at the age of 19 and made outstanding contributions in the civil war. From July 1924 to 1925, he studied in the training class of the Leningrad Higher Cavalry School. At first glance, the name of this school means His head doesn't ring, but just look at the names of his classmates to know the value contained therein - he is a classmate with Zhukov, Rokossovsky, Bagramyan and Yereomenko. In 1930, Vlasov, who was only 30 years old, was elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party (Bolsheviks). In 1938, he was sent to China as a military adviser and helped the Communist Party train its troops. At that time, the German military generals who had aided China had not yet withdrawn. The Army General Staff still had his file and rough evaluation, thinking that he was "a worthy opponent with his flexible mind and brave style." After Operation Barbarossa, Vlasov became the commander of the newly formed Soviet 37th Army. He participated in frontal defensive operations in the direction of Kiev and made many achievements. Finally, he miraculously escaped from the Kiev encirclement and returned to his own position on foot. Stalin He was taken to Moscow by plane and awarded the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner. He was also appointed commander of the 20th Army defending Moscow. At the climax of the Typhoon Battle, facing the impact of the German 3rd and 4th Armored Groups, Vlasov personally led the 7th and 8th Guards Infantry Divisions to block the breakthrough with forced marches, protecting Moscow in danger. , and even launched a counterattack between Dmitrov and Lake Ikshay with the support of friendly forces, abruptly blocking the enemy on the line of the Moscow Canal. In view of his achievements, after the Typhoon Battle, Stalin promoted him to deputy commander of the Volkhov Front. After taking over, he immediately went to work with unprecedented vigor - he launched an attack from the area west of Kirish and occupied Chudovo to A large forest swamp between Novgorod was wedged 60-70 kilometers deep into the German army. The vanguard was only 15 kilometers away from Liuban, seriously threatening the flanks of the German 18th Group Army. Only because other friendly forces did not cooperate well, the German troops penetrated deep alone. He was helplessly captured at the end of June after being surrounded by superior German forces.

Because of his outstanding reputation, after being captured, he did not suffer in the dark prison camp like other prisoners of war. Instead, he was quickly locked up in a villa on the outskirts of Berlin. It’s just that the German side’s preferential treatment for him was only based on his past achievements. No one noticed his additional value. Whether Hitler, Himmler or other high-level officials scorned the idea that he in turn wanted to fight Stalin and the Bolsheviks. But Hoffman would not make the same mistake. He had already thought of this figure when he made a decision to support the dissident forces within the Bolsheviks.

Although Manstein did not participate in the Battle of Moscow, the enemy situation report conveyed from the base camp made it clear. Now the head of state has chosen such a general to lead the Russian Liberation Army, both in terms of qualifications and ability. It was a good choice. He put down Vlasov's "Open Letter" and asked Zeitzler with concern: "This person's certificate of nomination has been handed in. What will the head of state do next?"

"This guy has great ambitions. He initially expressed his intention to gather all the anti-Stalin and Bolshevik ethnic groups and soldiers in the former Russia to form a new force. However, the head of state asked him to give up this idea and told him that he would establish separate countries according to the principle of national self-determination. A new Russia It will consist only of the Russian nation and its inherent territory.”

Manstein sneered: "It turns out that he is still trying to become the next Stalin. Oh, he is still a Stalin who can fight."

"Our purpose of overthrowing a Stalin is never to create another Stalin." Zeitzler added with a smile, "The head of state is going to first let him and some other captured senior officers of the Soviet army form the Russian National Committee to issue a political declaration, which will be consistent with the The political declarations of other non-Russian ethnic groups will form a unified system, and at the same time, let him go to the prisoner-of-war camps to select officers and soldiers of pure Russian ethnicity in the Soviet army to form the Russian Liberation Army. Next month we will hold an Eastern Conference in Warsaw, which will unify and coordinate the former Russia. Territorial matters, the 'countries' you entrust will all declare their independence and participate in the fight against the Bolsheviks, and the Russian National Committee will be recognized by us as a friendly force at war with Soviet Russia, enjoy allied treatment, and Promise to form a new Russian state power based on them after the war is won.”

"Then he is both a political leader and a military commander. Can such an ambitious figure be controlled in the future?"

"There should be no problem. The head of state currently only gives the Russian People's Liberation Army three divisions, and there are no armored divisions. They can only be expanded if they prove their worth in the next battle." Zeitzler explained, "Don't think A lieutenant general is everything in the Russian National Council. Once he succeeds, the opposition elements within the Stalin regime, such as generals, generals and even members of the Communist Party, will be shaken and defect to them. If they With higher status, more famous names, and greater energy, they can compete with Vlasov and even become the highest political leader. Vlasov is at best a military leader, and after they have factions within them, it will be easier for us control."

"That's very possible."

"If I were Stalin, I would definitely pay attention to the value and demonstration effect of this figure. I would eliminate him at all costs and do everything possible to nip this trend in the cradle. Therefore, in Stalin's eyes, the direction in which he and his men are heading is It should be the most lethal direction in the battle." Zeitzler laughed, "When political goals overwhelm military goals, Stalin will become desperate, and the red cloth you need will be there."

Manstein nodded in recognition of this: "Where is he now?"

"Choose an army in the prisoner of war camp. In 3 days he will lead the first batch of troops to report to you and wait for your orders. I think you can win his respect like a Cossack. After all, everything he has is currently in your hands. ”

"He thinks he will be a smart person, and it is usually more pleasant to work with smart people." After Manstein finished speaking, the two laughed knowingly.

While Zeitzler and Manstein were discussing the next political offensive, Stalin was reviewing the next direction of the campaign in the Kremlin.

Comrade Stalin has been very proud of himself in the past few days. First of all, he received a message conveyed through a secret channel by Bulgarian Czar Boris III, saying that Germany is ready to negotiate peace with Russia on conditions. He hopes that Russia can express its attitude and put forward conditions. Bulgaria They are willing to act as intermediaries, and the message sent by the Germans is very clear. They have no intention of completely burying Stalin's regime, let alone annihilating the Slavic nation as they once said. They only hope to get a reliable and generous peace agreement. For Stalin, this was no less than an opportunity to get the second Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and with the precedent of Lenin signing the treaty under pressure, once he was ready to sign a contract with the Germans, no matter how harsh the conditions were , the whole party could not say anything, let alone accuse him.

Deep in Stalin's heart, it didn't matter even if he signed the most demanding contract with Germany, as long as it allowed the Soviets to retain some energy and slow down. He believed that the confrontation between Germany and Britain and the United States, especially the United States, had just begun. The United States would not tolerate a Germany that had mastered European hegemony. The war between the two sides would inevitably be endless. When both sides were exhausted, the Soviet Union had recovered its strength. They can attack again, tear up the treaty again, take back the ceded territory and rights, and even expand their sphere of influence to Eastern Europe - this time there is no Greater Poland under the leadership of Piłsudski to stand in the way of the Soviets.

Two days later, he learned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Japan hoped to negotiate a separate peace with the United States through the Soviet Union, which made him even more happy.

He excitedly said to Molotov, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs who reported the intelligence: "What does this mean? It means that the Japanese are about to lose their support. They are eager to keep most of what they have obtained so far and exit. If Japan and the United States If the peace negotiation is successful, all the power of the United States can be concentrated in Europe. At that time, fascist Germany will be under greater pressure and it will be more beneficial to us. "

"But if the Japanese make separate peace with the United States, will they turn around and attack us together with the Germans?" Molotov was not as optimistic as Stalin.

"Of course it's impossible. The Japanese can't even defeat the Chinese, so why should they deal with us? Just with their thin tanks and ridiculously weak artillery firepower? The combined fleet should not be underestimated, but they can't get there Shore..." Stalin sneered, "The Japanese will not forget the lessons they learned in the Zhang Gufeng and Nomenhan incidents so quickly. If they really had this intention, they should not have provoked the United States last summer but should have done the opposite. Attack us."

At this moment, Marshal Voroshilov walked in, his steps were heavy, his face was very serious, and he seemed to be vaguely angry.

"What happened?" Stalin keenly observed that his old comrade was in a bad mood. He was shocked. Could it be that there was very unfavorable news on the front line? But why didn’t Zhukov come to report?

"Comrade Stalin, this is the public communication we received." Voroshilov slowly placed a document on his desk. Stalin took it and took a look at it before he cursed angrily, "This damn thing The traitor, coward, fascist accomplice and lackey, I will hang him on the gallows!”