Cabinet Meeting August 1946
0000 August 1st 1946
Reichstag, Berlin
"Welcome back gentlemen. Last month we enjoyed Moscow's vodka supplies; now, let's get back to serious business. Ernst, I'm tired of you always being first: Albert, please begin with your Industry briefing."
"With pleasure. Our Industrial Capacity has set a new high, with a base number of factory complexes amounting to 347, mainly due to our conquests in the Soviet Union."
"We can almost answer to every need of our Armed Forces now: upgrades and reinforcements run at a decent speed without leaving the other sectors affected; stockpiles are as usual good with the chronic exception of Oil. Our Transport Capacity is also starting to be a bit overstretched, as we are going over the same troubles we 've experienced until four years ago, when we reached our maximum frontline lenght.
Following our very approximate calculations on the comparison of current manpower pool and last month's, this month we've suffered around 40-50,000 casualties, which is a very low number compared to the staggering losses inflicted to the Soviet Union, both by encirclements and vicious battles."
"Excellent overview that is. Heinz, I want to see one of those excellent maps just to see how grey the Soviet Union is becoming."
"A lot, Martin."
"For the last years Until mid-July, the bulk of the Wehrmacht was concentrated in the North, focusing on Finland first, then Leningrad, then the Baltic States, then Moscow. Then, immediately after the Soviet débacle in Moscow and surroundings, the weight of our forces has shifted to the South. In fact, there are very few divisions defending Moscow and further north, as there is very little opposition. The bulk of our enemy - what is left of it - is concentrated in the Ukraine; beyond the Dnepr, nothing. We think so at least, but counting on our Intelligence estimates, what they possess in the Ukraine corresponds to more than two-thirds of the Red Army.
As things stand of now, with White Russia, Poland and Romania under our possession, Ukraine is by itself a giant bulge, which we are going to close soon. All our Heeresgruppen will be involved in this operation; Mitte and Süd will press the frontline from the southern part of Ukraine, even if it means facing them against a river; Heeresgruppe Nord will backstab them by progressively closing the bulge. Nothing new, afterall."
"As you can see, we possess minimal forces beyond Moscow, and the resistance offered by the Soviets is token resistance. We are currently halting our advance here in Kostroma, and we won't progress until the Ukraine is under our complete occupation."
"In the center, the Soviets still have a sort of frontline, but it is laughable compared to the giant numbers they possessed until two years ago."
"Finally the Ukraine in detail. Attacks are currently in progress and we're already trying to isolate the Zhlobin salient. I fear that von Rundstedt's divisions will be rather tired after two month of travelling and fighting though, so he might take a bit more time to penetrate into the heart of Ukraine. We have a month to do this though, so there's plenty of time. It's not like we want to reach Stalingrad this year."
"Ernst, it's your turn. Is it true that the Soviets have almost their entire Army in the Ukraine?"
"Not really almost, but surely a hefty quantity. Perhaps half of their Army yes."
"Last month we've inflicted a great deal of damage to the Soviet Armed Forces. In a climatic crescendo, June had already been murderous for the Red Army, this month has been even more destructive, and August has the potential to deal the final blow to the Reds. Talking about July, Soviet losses are enormous. 166 infantry divisions compared to 223, 31 armored divisions instead of 37. And I think these numbers are pretty accurate too. Their industry has fallen under the three-hundred complexes barrier, with a loss of 17 industrial complexes over the last month.
They have completed some new projects about Self-Propelled Artillery and Anti-Tank Artillery, but I don't know what good can be to them at this point."
"At this point, their only hope is that an asteroid crashes on the Reichstag."
"Unlikely. I'd prefer it on the US, though. Last figures tell about a further expansion of their base industry."
"Everything else seems largely unaffected though; they have just completed a new Tank Destroyer and a new Submarine model."
"Talking about the UK, they seem to be fine with not having any direct clash with us at the moment, just like the US. However, they have completed several Naval and Aerial doctrines, and they are developing many projects for their Airforce. I don't know what they are up for."
"Not a problem for us: if we decide to invade the UK, it won't be done via a thousand planes and a few canoe."
"Ah! Right about that, Karl, have you got any plans for our Kriegsmarine?"
"Err, actually not. We'd like to catch up in ship designs first. I think we'll be able to begin construction of our new Navy by mid-1947. We have a few very interesting names, though!
"Something like KMS Total Annihilation? I always wanted a ship with that name!" Heinz Guderian asked. Strangely enough, Guderian had a keen interest in ships.
"Um, no, but rather something on the lines of KMS Koloss-Zerkleinerungsmachine."
"Wow, a very spartan name."
"Oh, but also KMS ColossusCrusher, so that the British can tremble in fear at the sound of that name. And, also, KMS After Myself."
"Uh...?"
"Ach, sorry, wrong paper. I mean, KMS Darthkommandant."
"Ah! Yes yes yes, nice names and all. Please Joachim, could you tell something useful to us?"
"Perhaps. Last month the Soviets held a firm grip in Persia. Now, the British have been pushing them back and beyond, and even captured Baku."
"That hurts. For the Soviets, I mean."
"Well Martin, if that is the situation, I think we're dealing with a corpse here."
"That's what we all wanted since '41, isn't it? Come on gentlemen, let August mark the end of the Red Army."
