Gathering the Lost
The Manchurian Candidate
While the Red Navy was by no means a dominant or even a regional naval power, for economic and trade reasons the USSR wanted more naval bases on the Pacific Coast. The Soviet Union had grown in economic and military power and their foreign policy shifted to a more aggressive stance as a result.
In an attempt to intimidate Manchuria, two corps were deployed to the Far East. While publicly the move was said to be for the defense of the region, unofficially this would be the vanguard of an invasion force.
Unfortunately for the Soviet Union relations with Manchuria deteriorated quickly and a state of war existed between the two powers. The 60,000 Soviet soldiers in the region would have to win the war themselves.
Early in the year 1905 the Soviets invaded Manzhouli in hopes of winning a decisive victory against the Manchurian troops stationed on the border. The enemy reinforced their position with nearly 100,000 men. Still the Union was able to win the battle thanks to a coordinated infantry and artillery attack.
The Red Army strategy shifted while they awaited reinforcements to defend Soviet installations in the immediate area. At the Battles of Yaksa and Chernomin the Red Army ended any hope of Manchuria invading the USSR.
Delays forced the USSR to ask for assistance from its great power ally, China. China entered the war and quickly overrun Manchuria forcing them to accept the Soviet’s peace terms.
The Bell Tolls in Poland
The USSR desperately wanted to bring Poland back into the fold. The problem was they were protected by Germany, which commanded the world’s foremost army. Germany was undoubtedly a threat. The USSR hoped to gain some lost territory back and deal a fatal blow to the German Armies' aura of invincibility. The Red Army had been far from ideal since its birth. Massive amounts of troops were recruited and given modern training and equipment. By November of 1909 the Red Army had swollen to 300 brigades. The full might of the Red Army's 900,000 soldiers would be used to smash Germany into submission.
The problem was a massive war was coming soon and the Red Army's marshals were deeply divided on a battle plan. The two camps were basically divided between an attack posture and a defensive one. Marshall Chibisov was strongly in favor of launching several coordinated precession strikes against the German field armies while keeping them separated. It would require speed and a quick invasion of Germany. The amount of coordination required would push the Red Army officers to their limits.
Marshal Zavoyko respected the might and speed of the German armies and wished to remain in friendly territory until they could be destroyed. His plan was to mass the Red Army around Minsk and mobilize the reserves. The Red Army reserves were more than formidable, consisting of 707 brigades. With the Zavoyko plan an army of over 3,000,000 million soldiers would be used to defend the Motherland.
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