Sorry for the long delay. Finals are fast approaching and I have very little free time on my hands to update as often as I'd like.
GeneralHannibal: Still at war. There's still fighting going on in Persia, but no one cares about that much
Darks63: Usually destroying the army is a means to that end. Especially when they're fighting a two-front war they had no hope of winning in CI1.
grayghost: Yes, that was a very fun time for the Red Army. My armies even got some pretty stars too
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March 15th, 1941
Henry J. Kaiser stood up when General Marshall walked through the door of the conference room. Kaiser gestured toward his aides to leave them alone together. The two remained standing until the door had closed behind the last of them.
"I got your message," Marshall said first.
Kaiser sighed and shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry I don't have much good news for you right now, George."
The two of them sat down at the long conference table, Marshall taking off his cap and setting it down at the corner. "Well, Henry, when I got your message I can't say I was expecting anything else. So what have you got for me?"
"Intelligence reports from my usual sources. They're reliable, but that's about all I can say," Kaiser said as he slide a portfolio of documents across the table.
Marshall opened the 'folio and pulled out the first document. "Japan?" he asked.
"If only we were that lucky. Read on, George."
Quickly, Marshall scanned through it, his lips moving slightly as he softly muttered it to himself. He finally put the paper down and shrugged. "Henry, I'm no scientist, so I don't quite find this to mean much of anything. Sounds like you should have sent it to Einstein instead."
Kaiser smiled thinly. "I did, two weeks ago. Got them back two days ago, along with a letter for the President."
"Summarize it for me, if you can," Marshall insisted. He didn't know much about all the technical and scientific writing all over the document, but he fully realized the gravity of the situation if Kaiser was so worked up about it.
Kaiser took a deep breath. "Turns out the Soviets are further along than anyone thought on some atomic research program. Turns out they've been putting their best men on it for the last couple years but it's only been now they've started to pick up steam."
Kaiser pulled out another document and slid it over to Marshall. "My sources tell me Stalin's got some big construction project going on out in the Siberian wastes. They can't find out just exactly what it is, but it's the single most expensive project I've ever seen."
"How expensive are we talking?" Marshall asked as he looked over the untranslated Russian.
"We're talking about the equivalent of three tank divisions. And I'm talking about those new ones they've been deploying recently, too."
"
Three tank divisions? When they're going at it tooth and nail with the Germans?" Marshall asked in astonishment.
"Afraid so," Kaiser replied ruefully. "Whatever it is is important enough to divert that many resources away in the middle of all-out war and the Reds are doing well enough now that they can really start pouring funds into it."
"But what is it? Do your spies have any idea what it is?"
Kaiser shook his head. "'fraid not. Einstein says its an atomic research facility that could be used to build some kind of "atomic bomb". Essentially, he says it could be
the most powerful weapon created by man."
"And in the hands of someone like Stalin..."
"Would be very bad," Kaiser finished for him.
Marshall fell back into his chair, absorbing the seriousness of the implications.
"Unfortunately," Kaiser continued. "Turns out the Soviets are working on more toys. Newer, heavier tanks, battleships,
aircraft carriers, and best of all, they've got an up-and-running rocketry program."
"
Flying bombs?" Marshall asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.
Kaiser grimaced and nodded. "We could be looking at the development of Soviet superweapons. And with the Red Army almost at Venice and Budapest, it's looking less and less likely the Axis are going to keep them back."
"And the Allies won't do not better," Marshall remarked as he read through another document.
"There's not even a chance. France is fighting a two-front war and their barely holding together as it is against half the German army."
"Meaning less time on guns, more time on gadgets," said Marshall.
"I hate to even think of the possibilities. Unless something changes
very soon, we could be looking at Red Europe and the Soviet Union with enough wonder weapons to conquer the whole world."