January-June 1936
Part II: The State Of The Soviet Military In 1936
Towards the end of 1935, the Red Army had undergone a major reorganization. The troops in the West were organized under four main Theatre's. When mobilized, the Arkhangelsk HQ would command 200,000 combat troops, including three light armor divisions and a small cruiser force to defend Leningrad. Three hundred aircraft were ready for action at a moments notice, with 200 fighters and 100 single engine bombers.
The Smolensk Front, guarding the Western border down to the Pripyet Marshes, would command 320,000 men after mobilization including two armored corps in its two component armies and held immediate control over 300 fighters. STAVKA reserves, stationed East of Smolensk would hold some 240,000 infantrymen and 200 fighters, and 146,000 active soldiers stood on the Manchurian border. The Kyiv Front, running from the Pripyet Marshes to the Black Sea was the strongest, with nearly 400,000 men ready to be called up. It was unique in that it commanded the 9ya Tankovaya Armiya, the only armored formation in the Red Army larger than a corps. Not much larger, mind you, with only six armored divisions, one motorized, and three cavalry divisions. It existed as a proof of concept, more than anything. It also held 100 twin engine bombers and 400 fighters, and controlled the three battleships of the Red Banner Black Sea Fleet.
Speaking of the Navy, in light of the weaknesses of Russia's geographical position, it had been decided to put the ships where they had the most chance of making an impact. The battleships and destroyers were sent to Sevastopol, where they could dominate the Black Sea in the absence of any other powers, and the powerful submarine fleet dispatched to Vladivostok. While the Japanese Navy could brush aside any Russian surface ship, the submarines could potentially slip the blockade and wreak havoc on Japanese shipping. While many would be confined by short range to disrupting shipping to Korea, the three most advanced flotillas could reach past Formosa.
In Finland, Romania, and Japan, KGB agents were sent to identify influential figures and build up significant communist parties. Though promising, only time would tell whether this approach would bear any fruit. Just for the sake of having a plan ready, MIkhail Tukhachevsky was ordered to draw up a plan for the defense of the motherland under the hypothetical scenario that all capitalist nations decided to invade tomorrow. Several, minor alterations were made based on things like weather conditions or whether Finland would be involved, but the core of the Tuchachevsky Plan called for an invasion of the Baltic States to allow the right flank to be anchored upon the Daugava River - elsewhere, Soviet forces would make a fighting retreat from the border to the Dnieper River and Sevastapol, and the enemy would be outlasted in a war of attrition, with counterattacks made where feasible. A strategic offensive would eventually be launched into the Ukraine and Crimea by the Kyiv Front, to destroy the troops in the salient naturally created by the Dnieper River line.
The Tuchachevsky Plan
Several new research projects were underway, mostly dealing with aircraft - New engine, armaments, airframe designs and a larger fuel tank were all being researched for the fighters and bombers of the VVS, with the intent of fielding a fighter and tactical bomber design to compete with the all-metal monoplanes of contemporary air forces. Research into industrial production methods and efficiency were also underway, as well as ways to improve education in the People's Republic. On the 8th of May, a significant political development came as a high ranking Party member advocated tightening government control of the citizenry further - Stalin shot down his proposal, an event that saw at least a short term increase in the popularity of The Party.
On that same day, Soviet volunteers were sent to fight in the Civil War that had just erupted in Spain. The situation was looking grim, as far-right forces had all but encircled Madrid, but over the next eleven days and with aid from the volunteers, the fascists were thrown back from the city.
Over the next month, Republican forces pushed a fair distance closer to Burgos and drove the fascists from Sevilla. Though the Civil War was looked upon with cautious optimism, it was too early to tell if the revolutionaries or the reactionaries would prevail. The technological advances that had taken place over the same month were relatively more decisive than anything but the victory around Madrid. The designs that would become the Polikarpov I-16 and Tupolev SB-2 had been completed, which were as good as anything the rival air forces of the world put on the field. Some improvements were made to industry as well, and production was well under way on two 47mm Anti-tank gun regiments, and enough factories to represent a 5% increase in Soviet industrial capacity.
