Second Chance

Appendix Three: Soviet Responses to the Transition, 1940

It was not until nearly two weeks after the Transition that Stalin realised that something had happened, and only then through the Germans and French Communist sources in France. (Later, Soviet spies in the United States would also provide a stream of data, although many had been removed or isolated.)

Hitler’s flunky, Ribbentrop, approached the Soviets soon afterwards, offering an alliance against the future. Although Stalin was eager to accept – historically the Soviets had attempted to join the Tripartite Pact – joy turned to alarm when they read the German computer files on the Second World War. Although Stalin believed the German claim that the Russo-German war had been caused by Allied manipulation, the Soviets started a very careful defence program.

The strategic decision to concentrate on the Stalin Line, a line of defences in pre-1939 territory, doubtless made the task of defending the USSR easier. The joint – and very private – agreement with the Germans to literally exterminate the Poles was executed by the NKVD, which had been tripled in size following the discovery of those who would later betray Stalin. Units from the southern SSRs and Siberia conducted most of the ‘slash-and-burn’ missions, units of doubtful loyalty that were considered expandable. Polish resistance was brutal, but succumbed to overwhelming firepower.

In addition, a political decision was made to settle the tensions in the Far East, following the Nomonhan Conflict. The USSR gave up some ground to Japan; Stalin had concluded that it could be recovered when they were ready, and Soviet support for the Chinese – communist or nationalist – was terminated.

Although a massive program into scientific research was forced forward, the USSR lacked the priceless technical data the Germans had amassed, and remained behind on atomic power as well as jet engines and other related areas. The Germans shared some information, mainly concerning submarines and other areas that didn’t threaten the Reich, but it wasn’t always trustworthy. Production-wise, the Soviets forced-forward production of T-34s (and finished the JS-1 design), and – ironically – a knock-off version of an AK-47 that had been captured in the Dutch East Indies by the Japanese and passed on to the Soviets as part of an exchange deal.

One area in which the Soviets had an unsurpassed advantage was in the field of biological weapons. The process was forced forward as fast as it could – ‘accidents’ were covered up despite some exaggerated fears of accidentally exterminating the Russian people – and these were field-tested in Afghanistan in the hopes that the diseases would spread into India. The Soviets also worked on delivery systems, but were forced to rely on the Typhoid Mary principle until rocket systems were ready.

Finally, and with the agreement of the Germans, the Soviets acted to remove foreign threats to themselves. Finland was invaded (with German permission) and the population crushed. Despite the brutality of the Soviet invasion, resistance was fierce and remained in existence for years afterwards. Afghanistan was also invaded on a trumped-up pretext, using programs designed to exterminate the population. This was conducted so well, including biological weapons, that the population was reduced significantly, although in some cases the diseases spread to Soviet troops. As part of long-term geopolitical desires, Iran was invaded, which brought Stalin into confrontation with British forces.

If the Shah had believed in the threat, it might have been possible for the British to mount a defence of Iran. As it was, the Soviet advance was almost unchallenged – the Iranian equipment was badly outdated – and continued until they outran their own logistics. RAF air attacks made a bad situation worse, but the Soviets were always able to move forward, if only at a crawl. Iranian resistance became better coordinated as the Soviets closed in on Tehran, but the flight of the Shah made further resistance seem hopeless. The Turkish declaration of semi-belligerency, a curious legal fiction, unravelled the entire British posture, therefore allowing Stalin’s men to complete their work.

It is curious to note that Stalin never declared war on Britain, despite the clear state of war. Stalin never really understood the forces driving the 2015 Britain, nor that they had no desire to bargain with him, as they were aware of his future broken promises. Despite his alliance with Nazi Germany, nemesis was on the cards…