If an infantry division is equipped with new assault rifles on a large scale, Stalin cannot estimate what kind of results they can achieve.
The only thing he can be sure of is that if an army is equipped with RPGs and large-caliber individual rocket launchers on a large scale, its offensive and defensive capabilities will be greatly improved.
Berekov's so-called "Catfish" rocket launcher is completely different from the "Katyusha" used on a large scale by the Soviet army. It is currently only produced by one factory. As for RPG weapons, there are at least ten factories in the entire alliance.
Production.
However, looking at the current problem realistically, it is really a difficult task to equip three infantry divisions with new weapons in accordance with Berekov's standards within one and a half months.
Stalin attached great importance to the new assault rifle and wanted to equip the entire army with it immediately. This was very unrealistic for the time being, and even though he and several other comrades recognized it, many people in the army were still skeptical about it.
Because the strategic adventure in May led to the current strategic disaster, it was a major blow to his personal honor and prestige. After that, Stalin was nervous about all adventures and the like. He was afraid of failure, especially in military equipment.
If you take risks and fail, the consequences will be even greater disasters.
Is the new gun good? He needs some experimenters, so it is feasible to use 30,000 people to conduct the experiment.
Stalin lifted his beard, thought for a while and said to Yang Mingzhi: "Comrade Berekov, in the future your arsenal will produce assault rifles, what do you think its average daily output will be?"
"This... depends on the number of workers and the proficiency of the technical workers. Putting aside other possible effects, I think the average daily output is at least higher than that of submachine guns of the same size."
"You didn't answer my question!"
"Well, maybe it can reach an average of 200 per day."
Stalin nodded: "If this is your highest level, you can basically equip a division in a month. With one factory like this, the monthly output of ten factories can equip the front army."
"Ah!" Yang Mingzhi was very smart. He felt that he had heard something extraordinary. "Comrade Stalin, you..."
"I'm thinking that during this meeting, we should consider eliminating submachine guns and replace the entire army with your assault rifles."
Zhukov immediately said: "Comrade Stalin, for the time being, we cannot take risks on the issue of firearms, even though I think assault rifles are excellent infantry weapons."
"Yes, it will be the first to equip three divisions and put them into actual combat, that's all." After saying that, Stalin looked at Yang Mingzhi again: "You must communicate with your old subordinates about this matter. Now listen to my new instructions.
Order."
"Yes!" Yang Mingzhi stood at attention.
"I order you to stop in that city on the way back to Novosibirsk. If you want to enter the training camp there, you must explain the matter to the three division commanders. In this matter, you must also supervise the implementation of follow-up matters. When the battle is ready to launch
When the time comes, I want to see three excellent infantry divisions."
"Yes! Comrade Stalin."
"Very good, I will also inform Comrade Ustinov and order him to supervise the production of new weapons. Next..."
Stalin looked at Zhukov again: "As for your request to adjust the conscription standards, I think this is very reasonable and we should relax the standards."
"So, how low should we lower our standards?" Zhukov asked rhetorically.
"This issue? I haven't thought about it carefully. I don't know what other comrades think." After saying this, Stalin looked around.
"Then let me express my opinion!"
The speaker was Konev, and he did have his own set of suggestions.
"For those peasants recruited from collective farms, it takes a lot of time to train them into excellent soldiers. As for urban residents, their overall quality is higher, and their will towards the construction of the Soviet Union is also stronger. So according to my
According to the investigation, quite a few of the deserters came from collective farms..."
Stalin immediately raised objection: "Comrade Konev, your words are a form of discrimination."
Konev's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly explained: "I'm sorry, I made a mistake. What I mean is that our army must strengthen the ideological education of soldiers, and this will take at least half a year, which is the same as our army's current one-month recruitment.
The crash training model is contrary to this. Generally speaking, it is true that the quality of urban residents is higher. In the final analysis, they have received more school education, because we should recruit more citizens as soldiers."
Stalin shook his head: "On the issue of conscription, residents of cities or farms must fulfill the same obligations. What you said is like saying nothing."
"No! There are still some city residents, and the recruitment department must have forgotten their existence."
"Oh? Who is that person?"
"They are students who are over 18 years old. They may be in grade 10 or grade 9, but they are already over 18 years old. These people, they often have a very high level of knowledge, especially mathematics, and they can be trained
Becomes a good artillery aimer, as well as scouts and communications troops.
Whether they are boys or girls, we do not need them to go to the front line to fight. They are excellent technical arms. For example, a communications soldier, the time cost of training a middle school student or college student into a communications soldier is very short.
As for recruiting people who are fifty years old, as long as their physical fitness is good, they are fully qualified to serve as front-line soldiers."
What Konev said is indeed true.
The army accepted a large number of young volunteers, who were often just adults, and enthusiastically signed up to join the army in order to defend the country. The Lenin Communist Youth League was an active advocate of this patriotic movement, and young Lenins from all over the country enthusiastically joined the army. However, due to organizational constraints
Under the system, almost all college students will join the organization, and a considerable number of college students have joined the army to serve the country.
As Konev told it, almost all of the college students in their early twenties who joined the army became technical soldiers, and even students studying literature, they are the best candidates to serve as clerks.
Originally, Stalin had already agreed with Zhukov's opinion, but now Konev stepped forward to explain the rationality of his opinion. This is naturally the best thing.
But Stalin was a little surprised, so he said: "Let middle school students who are only 18 years old join the army? Is this a big risk?"
At this time, Purkayev was even more helpful: "Those young students, they grew up in Russia after the establishment of the Soviet Union. The Soviet lifestyle is everything to them, so they are the most loyal young Bolsheviks. For example, on the issue of desertion,
That can't happen to young students. They are naturally a group of patriots, and they are knowledgeable patriots! We do need their help, and we also need to set more young role models."
As he said that, Purkayev looked at Yang Mingzhi again: "For example, Speroskina, who was trained by Comrade Berekov, is a role model for young people. We need more!"
He continued: "I do not agree with Konev's views on soldiers from collective farms. Most of the soldiers in my unit do come from collective farms. Objectively speaking, the quality of these people is relatively poor because of the limited education they receive.
Yes, even if the education situation is poor, this is by no means the original sin of deserting.
In my opinion, the emergence of deserters is caused by fear. Whether they are from the city or the farm, everyone is the same. When they first arrive on the battlefield and witness the sudden sacrifice of their comrades, they will be scared. But everyone admires heroes very much, and we must do our best.
Promote heroic deeds.
They also worship knowledge very much, so I do need a group of young technical troops, and I also need to go to colleges and universities to recruit some people, even if they are young girls, to be assigned to regiment-level and battalion-level headquarters."
Purkaev and Konev are different. Konev is a pure soldier, while Purkaev knows some political propaganda techniques.
Purkayev, the Kalinin Front he took over, was an army that was panting in the hands of Konev. It was like a boxer who, although very strong, showed fatigue and scars. At this time, the smart man not only
To give the boxer water and apply painkillers, he also needs to be given face-to-face encouragement.
For more than a year, the battles that the Kalinin Front participated in have been very difficult, with more defeats and fewer wins. It is an irresponsible and wrong behavior of the commander to blame the reason on the strength of the enemy.
Looking for the reasons within himself, Purkayev boasted that he had found a bunch of problems.
Diseases must be treated bit by bit, and the most serious diseases must be cured radically.
Here, Purkayev explained his request very straightforwardly to Stalin. To Stalin's expectation, he did not hope that the entire front army would be equipped with new weapons, but he wanted to show his respect for technical arms, especially the communications corps.
Significant needs.
"Since my front army undertakes the major task of liberating Smolensk, I must ensure that I can smoothly contact all troops. But the serious problem now is that although I can directly contact division-level combat units, at the infantry division level, the division commander
Only the regiment commander can be contacted through the radio. For downstream communication, we can only rely on wired telephones, semaphores, or traditional messengers running.
I urgently hope that before my troops launch an offensive, I can ensure that every battalion of the first and second attack echelons is equipped with communications troops and radios."
"Your request is very reasonable and I fully support it." Stalin supported it without thinking. However, Zhukov, who knew the actual situation of the Soviet army, really did not want to say anything negative at this juncture.
The implementation of radio stations into battalion-level combat units is currently only possible for the elite troops of the Soviet Army.
Of course, there are a large number of radio stations on the list of agreements signed by the Soviet Union and the United States. For the time being, there are only 10,000 stations in name. The number of radio stations that actually escaped the German naval attack and arrived in the Soviet Union is currently less than 3,000. These are the ones shipped to the nearest location.
to the Leningrad Front, and specifically to the southern Russian region where the war is ongoing.
If every battalion-level unit was to have at least one radio station, Zhukov estimated that the Army alone would need to equip 50,000 units. After all, the army would have to consider damage to machines in combat and other losses.
Furthermore, don’t the tank troops and the air force have a more urgent need for radios?
Nowadays, the Soviet generals are very envious of the military configuration of the United States. They, who are rich and wealthy and have not suffered any losses in the war, actually equip every tank and plane with a radio. Their army is even more astonishing. Radio has almost been implemented.
Infantry platoon!
This is the intelligence that the Soviet generals received. Of course, there are exaggerated descriptions in it, and the real results are almost the same.
After all, the current United States has mobilized 40 million people to invest in military-related production, and they do not lack all strategic materials. This is also the source of their wealth.
Stalin didn't think much about the radio issue. He told Purkayev and Konev that he would work hard to meet their needs for radio stations.
It also included modifying the conscription standards and recruiting volunteers who were over 18 years old in middle schools. Stalin also responded in agreement.
The long meeting was basically over, and the time quietly reached seven o'clock in the evening.
It gets dark very early in Moscow in October, and the climate is even colder. The heating system under the earth is normal. After a long conversation and brainstorming battle planning, Yang Mingzhi feels that his energy has been consumed too much.
I wish I could leave this place and go back to the hotel to sleep soundly.
Yang Mingzhi wants to take a break, of course there is no problem.
This bunker was specially built for Stalin. It was originally a huge and well-defended command post, with a complete supply of food and fresh water, and a large number of bedrooms for senior commanders to rest during wartime.
The internal affairs officer wearing a blue hat opened a door for Yang Mingzhi. This was an independent lounge. He could lie down and rest for a while. He could even lie down and eat some bread and drink some black tea with sugar. It was really comfortable.
Nothing to say.
However, this comfort is the greatest luxury!
Yang Mingzhi lay down, his body was very tired, only his mind was still thinking hard.
In a few hours, Stalin and Zhukov had planned a huge battle that would determine the fate of two million Soviet soldiers. The operation codename was "Mars". Compared with the "Mars Operation" in that plane, the "Mars" in the new time and space is more...
For bravery.
In the "Operation Mars" in that dimension, the Soviet army lost hundreds of thousands of troops, but the German army still calmly and strategically retreated. That battle was called a fool's errand.
This time, Yang Mingzhi became more and more convinced that the Soviet army would not fail again in the "Operation Mars" in this time and space. The strength of the two attack echelons of the Kalinin Front alone reached 400,000, and there would be a subsequent mobile force of more than 200,000 troops.
With the third echelon on standby, will the Soviet army lose?
Moreover, this battle will be the first battle for the large-scale use of assault rifles, and it will also be the opening battle of a new era!
The more he thought about this, the harder Yang Mingzhi's heart beat. He couldn't take a nap at all and could only stay awake and lie down quietly.
At the same time, Purkayev and Konev, accompanied by members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, crossed their legs in a living room, smoked cigarettes, and talked about the glorious prospects for future battles.
Only Stalin, Zhukov and Beria gathered in another secret room to formulate detailed combat documents.
No one is allowed to return to the ground until the document is drawn up.
Just like that, the whole four hours passed, and Yang Mingzhi finally fell asleep. He felt that he was woken up by a knock on the door not long after he slept.
A blue hat opened the door and said: "Comrade General, Comrade Stalin, please go to the main office."
"Finally...is it finally over? Okay."
At this time, Yang Mingzhi stood up cleverly, put on his leather shoes and walked out of the room in an instant.
Why is he so anxious? Just because he hopes to see Stalin's detailed order document against him as soon as possible.