This meeting was called by 'Tri', he had, on my suggestion, encouraged several members of the Committee to attend New year's eve parties in Moscow. Now, he had called everyone to Vologda for a meeting where everyone would presumably get to know why they were sent off to various parties. 'Tri', as you may remember, is a master of political intrigue and international diplomacy. Most people at the table were hung over, but 'Tri' wasn't. This was his show, and he thus took the stage:
"Gentlemen, Ladies, I arranged for you to go to official parties linked with your areas of expertise, this was not only because I'd like my colleagues to have some fun once in a while, but also because these parties are the place where the up and coming politicians are found. So let's go around the table. Which party did you go to? Did you meet anyone worthy of the central committee? Someone with a new skill set, a new approach? What position would they be suited for?"
'Dva' sat directly to my right, started talking:
"I went to the Red Army Officer's Party, and there, I was most impressed by the ambitions of General Georgy Konstantivovich Zhukov. He is universally considered the brightest General of the Red Army, and his current position reflects this. He is currently in charge of 2ya Tankovaya Armiya, the Red Army's most potent Army. Now, he seems to have political ambitions as well... He only half-Ironically set out his programme if he were to be selected for a Central Committee position. Were he to become People's Commissar of Armaments, he would reorganise the Military Supplies Industry, which he reckons to be wildly inefficient today... He promises a 20% increase in output. Besides the Armament portfolio, he also seemed interested in becoming Chief of Staff, and Chief of the Army. He believes the Red Army lacks fire support, and would like to see an increase in Artillery production (Chief of the Army). Moreover, he proposes to reshape training and doctrines in order to make the Armed Forces better prepared to reinforce other units on the offensive. (Chief of Staff)
Another interesting guest with a lot of ambition was Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko, a veteran of the Winter War and Lt. General of the veteran XIV. MSK, a full corps of Motorised Riflemen. He is well positioned for the job of Chief of the Army. His views are interesting but predictable. He want to see an increase in the amount of Mobile Units in the Red Army, and to make this happen, he wants to drastically increase the production of trucks and Armoured Cars. His plan for the coming war with the Axis is one of Elastic Defense, where a very mobile line constantly adjusts to the pressure exerted on it without ever breaking thanks to the mobility of the Divisions it's made up of. We'll have to ask our own Generals about the usefulness of such tactics, especially compared to their high cost per unit.
That's it for the new faces.
Lt. General Meretskov, and General Rokossovsky are still looking to be Chief of Staff. The former with an agenda of using Psychology to boost the Armed Forces Morale in perfectly tailored messages. The latter with a focus on maximising the Red Army's mobility. Strangely there are no other contenders for Chief of the Army"
Then it was the turn of 'Chteyre':
"I went to the VVS party and didn't discover any new exciting faces, it's still the same trio that's looking to replace Yakov Ivanovich Alksnis as Chief of the Red Army Air Force. Air Lt. General Golovanov of I. BAK and ex-Lt. General Loktionov, both want to switch Aeroplane production to Medium Bombers. Air Lt. General Rychagov of IV. IAK wants to do the same, but with a focus on Naval Aviation, having part of his staff support Naval Engineering projects along, the ridiculousness of this proposition in our current context makes me think that either his application must be a Joke, or he truly believes we will win by flying our whole Air Force from the decks of 10s of Aircraft Carriers... So nothing new under the sun"
Next was 'Piat'
"At the Red Navy party it was much the same as always, a drunk Rear Admiral Kuznetsov of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet arguing that we should be building Battleships instead of Carriers, and a perfectly sober Commander Isakov of V Flot Podlodok arguing for better control of supplies in our Naval Bases to improve efficiency. We might want to consider that last man once the war starts, as he could lessen the impact of Naval units on the Far East and Southern supply route."
Then 'Shest'
"The GRU / KGB party was quite interesting,
The man who made the biggest impression is Alexey Pavlovich Panfilov, Maj. General, commander of 139. Strelkovaya Diviziya, and Deputy Chief of the GRU, he wants to replace Semyon Uritskiy as Chief of the KGB. What is most interesting here is what Panfilov brings to the table. He proposes to use his skills in negotiation and blackmail to get more out of the nation's intellectuals, he says he can increase the intellectual output by about 5%., which means that research teams can be shrunk and new ones created, and more officers and spies can be trained, all with the same number of smart people... It sounds like black magic and subterfuge, but if he can deliver it might be hugely beneficial. If he gets to be head of the GRU instead, he will concentrate on Land Unit Intelligence.
The other candidates for the KGB were already known. Laurenti P. Beria, with an agenda of terrorising the populace into supporting the Communist Party, Sergiy G. Gendin, wanting to focus on giving foreign spies false intelligence, and finally Andriy G. Orlov, who proposes to silently calm things down, making everyone seem less threatening.
For Chief of the GRU, only Filip P. Golikov is looking for the position with an agenda of Political espionage."
'Sem' and 'Vosem' had gone to the same party, 'Sem' talked first,
"We went the party of the Leaders of State Institutions, this encompasses Industry, Mining, Education, Research, etc. Two industrialists are looking for the position of Armaments Minister:"
'Vosem' continued:
"The new face, part of many Red Army Research Programmes, and now director of an Armaments factory, Dimitri F. Ustinov wants the Soviet Union to look to the future and be the first nation to succeed in the theoretical development of Rockets, Jet Engines, and Nuclear Physics. He believes getting a better grasp on these cutting edge fields will give us a technological edge over any enemy..."
'Sem' cut him off,
"But looking to the near future, Lazar Kaganovich is still pushing for the same position, promising more efficient extraction of resources, in order to fuel a larger Industrial base."
Before 'Vosem' could go into a highly theoretical expose on the possible applications of Rocket science, and Nuclear Physics, 'Tri' took the stage again,
'All right, let's wrap this up.
I went to a party of the Diplomatic service, where I found several contenders for the post of foreign Minister:
The new face is Andrey Vyshinsky, Jurist, Diplomat, and since last year deputy to the Foreign Minister, he proposes to defeat the Germans, by subtly encouraging nations to join the Allies. I'm not sure this will work.
An older contender, who held the job before Molotov is Maksim Litvinov, he proposes a straightforward intellectual charm offensive to lure other nations closer to the Comintern.
So, to summarise,
For Foreign Minister, we have:
The incumbent, Molotov, who through his antics pisses of foreigners, while increasing domestic support for the 'strong' Communist Party. (Threat impact: +5%, Ruling Party Support: +10%)
Maksim Litvinov, a brilliant intellectual (Susceptibility to the Comintern: +10%)
and Andrey Vishnivsky, a known schemer who wants to win by making the Allies stronger (Susceptibility to the Allies: +10%)
For Armament Minister:
The incumbent, Georgy Bazilevich, Army man and all round Infantry proponent (Inf Theory Decay: -25%, Mil. Theory Decay: -25%), Comrade Stalin doesn't like this man, and the NKVD thinks he might be a traitor.
Lazar Kaganovich, Resource Industrialist (Resources +5%, Chemical Engineering Decay -25%)
Dimitry F. Ustinov, Industrialist, and theoretical scientist who want to see Soviet Jets and Atom Bombs (Jet Engine Theory Decay -25%, Nuclear Physics Research -25%)
General Georgiy K. Zhukov, Military man and Entrepreneur (Supplies +20%)
For Head of the KGB (Security Minister)
The Incumbent, Sergej Uritskiy, Crime fighter, a spy-catching white knight of sorts (Counterespionage +10%), Comrade Stalin isn't very fond of him either.
Lavrenti Beria, hoping to become a Prince of Terror (Ruling Party Support +15%, Partisan Efficiency +10%)
Andriy G. Orlov, Silent Lawyer (Threat impact -10%)
Sergiy G. Gendin, an impressively efficient Sociopath (Counterintelligence +10%)
Alexey P. Panfilov, a Man who motivates people (Leadership: +5%)
For Head of the GRU (Intelligence Minister)
The Incumbent Ivan I. Proskurov, he's an enigma to everyone (Land Intel +10%, Naval Intel +10%) He insists on telling the truth to Stalin, which is fine.
Filip I. Golikov, a Political Specialist (Political Intel +20%)
Alexey P. Panfilov, Specialised in researching people and armies (Land Intel +20%)
For Chief of Staff:
The Incumbent Maj. General of 163. MSD and Chief of Staff Boris M. Shaposhnikov, known to have said that Quantity is a quality on it's own concerning his vision for the Red Army (Manpower +5%, Human Wave Doctrine Decay -10%)
Lt. General of VII. SK, Kirill A. Meretskov, Scholar of Psychology (Org. Regain Rate +10%)
General of 1ya Armiya, Konstantin K. Rokossovsky, a proponent of Manoeuvre Warfare (Combat Movement Speed +10%)
General of 2ya Tankovaya Armiya Georgiy K. Zhukov, a fan of massed Fire Support (Attack Reinforce Chance +10%)
For Chief of the Army:
The Incumbent, Field Marshall of the Far East Theatre, Kliment Y. Voroshilov, a man who knows how to conserve rations and ammunition (Supply consumption -10%)
General of 2ya Tankovaya Armiya Georgiy K. Zhukov, lover of Artillery and Decisive Battles (Art Practical Decay -25%)
Lt. General of XIV. MSK Semyon K. Timoshenko, proponent of the Elastic Defense Doctrine and Mobile Warfare in general (Mobile Unit Practical Decay -25%)
For Chief of the Navy:
The incumbent, Commander of IX. Flot Podlodok, Mikhail V. Viktorov, fan of Power projection and Aircraft Carriers (Carrier Practical Decay -25%) The NKVD doesn't like him, but he's managed to stay alive. Comrade Stalin argues that he should be promoted to be believable in his role as Chief of the Navy.
Rear Admiral of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, Nikolai Kuznetsov, Mahanian at heart, fan of Decisive Naval Battles and the Battleships that come with them (Battleship Practical Decay -25%)
Commander of V. Flot Podlodok Ivan S. Isakov, loves to keep the supply train nice and efficient, and his far flung bases well organised (Naval Base Efficiency)
For Chief of the Air Force:
The Incumbent, ex-VVS Colonel, Yakov I. Alksnis, loves to focus on Air Superiority and believes that the Air force with the largest amount of modern planes is always the best, regardless of type. (Light Aircraft Practical Decay -25%)
ex-Air Lt. General Aleksandr. D. Loktionov, and Air LT. General of I. BAK Aleksandr. E. Golovanov, both proponents of Army Aviation and Medium-sized Bombers. (Medium Bomber Practical Decay -25%)
Air Lt General of I. BAK Pavel V. Rychagov, proponent of Naval Aviation, believes that what the Soviet Union really needs is lots of long range torpedo bombers, and a larger Navy."
Now, I will give the word to 'Odin' who will explain the meaning of all of this."
I took the floor:
"Comrade Stalin is tired of these same old faces, so he asked us to propose some changes to the cabinet. Now, the men he really doesn't like will have to disappear, courtesy of the NKVD, but others may stay with a little guidance, or as they are. So, for now, we need a new Armament Minister, Head of the KGB, and head of the GRU. Now, it should be noted that military personnel who fill a post outside of Chief of 'Their Branch' and Chief of Staff, should be replaced in case of full scale war, either as a commander, or as a Commissar. Stalin might also take the Armament or the Army portfolio in case of war. Now, despite the fact that our Committee assists Comrade Stalin in the making of many decisions, the day to day grind is still in the hands of the Central Committee, so the choices we make here still have a significant impact. So..."
I was interrupted by 'Tri', who seemed to have just received some kind of file from one of the analysts.
"All right, it seems that the rogue Danish Ambassador in Washington convinced the United States and the United Kingdom that Iceland and Greenland should be kept in American hands until Denmark is no longer a government in exile. Our diplomats were surprised that, having taken both islands unilaterally little more than a year ago (after the fall of Denmark), the UK gladly handed them over to the US for safekeeping. Are the British trying to lure the Americans into the Allies with this diplomatic gift? Probably. Maybe we should find out more about the state of the US in general, and it's armed forces in particular? That's all, back to you 'Odin'."
I continued:
"I was about to say:
Think it over tonight and tomorrow we will send our recommendations for cabinet changes to Comrade Secretary General, we'll open tomorrow's meeting with the conclusions of today. You're all invited to go home and sleep off your hangovers. 'Dva', 'Chteyre', 'Piat', see you tomorrow, we'll meet with some of the Generals tomorrow to discuss a course of action on Military Leadership."
Dearest external Committee members, feel free to weigh in on the changes within the Central Committee, the non-secret one of course.
Greetings,
'Odin'