The Rise of the Third Reich

April 22, 1942, today is the 72nd anniversary of the birth of Comrade Lenin, the famous Marxist, proletarian revolutionist, politician, theorist, thinker, and the late great leader of the Soviet people.

As in previous years, the Soviet party and government will hold various commemorations and memorials for their late great leader, and the working people of all walks of life in the Soviet Union will present their latest and most successful results of labor when this day comes to pay tribute to them. A tribute to the late great leader.

What is different this year is that the commemoration of Comrade Lenin's birthday is not only unprecedentedly large-scale, but also a bit more explosive.

First, the Bolshevik Party of the Soviet Union gave Comrade Lenin a laurel that had never existed before - the great forerunner of the world revolution.

Everyone who knows the political life of the Soviet Union knows that this is not a title that can be used casually!

World revolution means that the proletariat of the world will unite, use violence to overthrow the bourgeoisie, and establish a proletarian government worldwide!

In the past ten years, the Soviet Union has been focusing on building socialism in one country, world revolution, etc... That is what the Trotskyists talk about all day long to deceive people - at least in the Soviet Union, the Soviet official There is very little content about world revolution in public opinion.

But this time, taking advantage of the anniversary of Lenin's birth, the words world revolution appeared in Soviet newspapers and periodicals almost overnight.

Moreover, this year, 1942, was the final year of the Soviet Union’s Third Five-Year Plan. Unlike the previous two five-year plans, which focused on basic and heavy industries, the third five-year plan focuses on the defense and military industries to prepare for the future world revolution.

According to the plan, the Soviet Union would vigorously develop the three major industries of aviation, shipbuilding and machinery in the five years from 1938 to 1942.

Among them, the aviation industry mainly serves the Red Air Force. Large-scale aviation industry bases were built along the Volga River and in the Ural Mountains. In 1938, the total aircraft production doubled from 1937 to 7,500, ranking first in the world. one. By the year the World War broke out in 1939, the Soviet Union's aircraft production reached as many as 10,000 aircraft. Since then, it has steadily increased year by year, always ranking first or second in the world. And it has also made great progress in technology, manufacturing a series of world-advanced fighters and bombers such as MiG-3, La***e8, MiG-5, Yak-7 and IL-2, thus greatly improving The strength of the Red Air Force.

The key service targets of the machinery industry are the mechanized units of the Soviet Red Army Army. In the Third Five-Year Plan, the Soviet machinery industry not only produced excellent tank vehicles such as BT-7, T-34 tanks, KV-1, and KV-2, but also built large-scale tank production bases to allow the Soviet The tank production far exceeds the total production of European countries under the leadership of Germany, and is comparable to the tank production of the United States, which is fully prepared for war.

The shipbuilding industry, which had always been a weak link in Soviet industry, also made remarkable achievements in the Third Five-Year Plan. On the special day of April 22, 1942, the Soviet shipbuilding industry produced the most important result of their hard work for many years-the battleship USSR!

Next to the dock of the Ordzhonikidze Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad, named after Lenin, a ship with a total length of 269.4 meters, a maximum width of 38.9 meters, a fully loaded draft of 10.4 meters, and three triple-mounted 406mm caliber main The steel giant of the gun is showing off its majestic body to the visiting leaders of the Soviet party and state - it is the Soviet battleship, with a standard displacement of 59,150 tons and a full load displacement of 65,150 tons. It is known as the second most powerful battleship in the world. !

"Comrade General Secretary, according to your instructions, the comrades of the First Central Special Hull Design Bureau and the Fourth Design Bureau of the Baltic Shipyard, as well as the Ordzhonikidze Baltic Shipyard, finally filed a proposal after four years of hard work. The design and construction of the USSR battleship was completed in 2008.

On the bow deck of the USSR battleship, Kuznetsov, People’s Commissar and Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Red Navy, said to Stalin in a proud tone: “Our USSR battleship is currently the second largest battleship in the world in terms of displacement. The 80,000-ton battleship second to the Japanese is the largest battleship in Europe. Even the German Hindenburg class cannot compare with us. "

The only thing that cannot be compared is the tonnage. Compared with the protective capabilities, the Soviet class is not as good as the Hindenburg class. The thickness of the side main armor belts of the two is about the same. The thickness of the deck armor of the Hindenburg class is not as good as that of the Soviet class. However, the quality of German armor steel is much better than that of the Soviet class. Moreover, the Hindenburg class also has a dome armor protection system and underwater protection. Better than the Soviet Union.

As for the main gun firepower, the Soviet class has stronger firepower, because the main guns of the Soviet class and the Hindenburg class are exactly the same, both are 52 times the caliber 406mm SKC/34 artillery that is not powerful enough-these cannons have good relations between the Soviet Union and Germany. At that time, Germany exported it to the Soviet Union (Germany had to pay a price for taking so many Soviet resources. The Soviet Union that could not be built is now built at Germany's expense). The Soviet Union has one more cannon than the Hindenburg, and its firepower is certainly more powerful. However, the Soviet class does not have a fire control radar, and the optical sight is not as easy to use as the German one. If they really want to fight on the battlefield, I'm afraid they won't be able to take advantage of the Hindenburg class.

However, the Soviet-class power is really more powerful than the Hindenburg-class. The Hindenburg-class power system is the same as the Bismarck-class, with 12 boilers and 3 steam turbines. The Soviet class has 16 boilers and 4 steam turbines. The boilers and steam turbines are also imported from Germany. The brand and model are the same as those used by the Bismarck. Therefore, the output horsepower is one-third greater than that of the Bismarck, exceeding 200,000 horses. However, due to the hull shape, the maximum speed of the Soviet class can only reach 28.5 knots, not much faster than the Hindenburg class.

But in any case, it is still a huge improvement for the Soviet Union's first-class self-built battleships (with help from Germany and Italy during the construction process) to reach such a level.

Wearing a crisp green uniform and looking energetic, Stalin nodded with satisfaction: "Very good. It is a great achievement to complete the Soviet Union one year ahead of schedule (it is also part of the plan to be ahead of schedule. According to the original plan) The battleship planned to be built in 1938 was not completed until 1943). However, this was not enough. Soviet shipbuilders should continue their efforts and complete the construction of another three Soviet-class and two Kronshtadt-class battlecruisers as soon as possible. As long as there are 4 Soviet-class battleships and 2 Kronshtadt-class battlecruisers, the Soviet state has nothing to fear, whether at sea or on land.”

The Soviet-class battleships and Kronshtadt-class battlecruisers were the most important projects of the Soviet shipbuilding industry in the Third Five-Year Plan. Construction of the No. 1 Kronshtadt-class battlecruiser also started at the Ordzhonikidze Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad. This large battlecruiser with a standard displacement of 32,700 tons and a full load displacement of 40,835 tons uses the same power system as the Soviet class, so its maximum speed can reach 32-34 knots.

The layout of the main gun system is the same as that of the German Barbarossa class. It uses three twin 380mm turrets. The 52-caliber SKC/34 artillery used is also imported from Germany and is the same as the main gun of the Bismarck class.

"Reporting to Comrade General Secretary, the No. 2 Soviet-class ship is currently being outfitted at Plant 190 (A. Marti Shipyard) and will be completed next month. The battlecruiser Kronshtadt is at Plant 189 (Orzhong) Nikize Baltic Shipyard) Outfitting.”

Kuznetsov raised an arm and pointed to another dock about 3,000 meters away. He only saw a large battleship that was basically completed and was sitting there, as if a giant beast was waiting to attack.

"What about the other two No. 2 ships of the Soviet-class and Kronshtadt-class battlecruisers?"

"They are all built at Plant 402 (Northern Shipyard) in Molotovsk," Kuznetsov said. "Because Plant 402 is a new plant and therefore lacks experience, the project progress is slow and may have to be delayed until early 1943. Only then can it be completed.”

Because Ukraine on the right bank once belonged to Poland, the Soviet Union in this time and space did not have three major shipbuilding centers, and there was one missing Nikolayev Shipbuilding Center. However, the construction of the Northern Shipyards was advanced. At the end of the Second Five-Year Plan, the construction of Factory 402 was completed, so the construction of two Soviet-class ships and one Kronstadt-class ship started in Molotovsk (Severodvinsk).

However, the construction of these three large surface ships by the Northern 402 Factory will be beneficial to the Soviet Red Navy. Because the Mediterranean is now completely controlled by the European Community Navy, once a war begins, the Soviet Black Sea Fleet will not be able to leave the Black Sea, and it will not even be considered an existing fleet. On the other hand, the Soviet Union's Northern Fleet has great potential and can attack the North Atlantic to fight the German Navy.

According to the "Thunderstorm Plan" formulated by the People's Commissariat of Defense of the Soviet Union and the General Staff of the Red Army, before the Soviet Red Army launches an offensive, the main ships of the Baltic Fleet will go to Molotovsk in batches to join the Northern Fleet.

After the war breaks out, they will wait for an opportunity to attack from Molotovsk, and together with the British and American navies, they will fight against the European Combined Fleet to seize sea power in the North Atlantic.

But when he thought about the current strength of the European combined fleet headed by Germany, Stalin couldn't help but frown a little. He is not too worried about things on land. The Red Army has powerful armored forces and air force. It is very sure to attack Germany when it attacks the British mainland. Even if it cannot go straight to Berlin, it can at least severely damage the German army and regain the Baltic Sea area, Western Ukraine and Poland.

The sea was originally the most certain place. The combined naval strength of Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union could completely overwhelm Germany, Italy and France. But now... the sea has become the most uncertain place. This is why Comrade Stalin chose to celebrate Lenin's birthday. And the main reason to visit the shipyard in Leningrad.