Thinking of this, Stalin decided to reform the army and said, "I never meant to annex Finland. It's just that they misunderstood my idea. I did this just to prepare for the future confrontation with Germany." That's all. Although we have very good relations with Germany now, who can say for sure about the country and the country?" Beria and Malenkov were stunned by Stalin's words. Although they did not dare to say that they knew Stalin best, However, they were still pretty much guessing. Now that Stalin's favorite method suddenly changed, they were all at a loss as to what to do. Stalin ignored the thoughts of Beria and the two men and continued, "After breaking through the second line of defense, if the Finnish government wants to negotiate, let Timoshenko tell the Finns that my conditions are still the same as before."
"Okay, General Secretary!" Beria and Malenkov looked at each other, "Then General Secretary, let's go make arrangements with Germany now!"
"Go!" Stalin waved his hand tiredly.
Beria and Malenkov's border trade with Germany went very smoothly, mainly because the two countries had laid a good foundation earlier. As early as April 10, 1922, the Genoa Conference was held under the chairmanship of the Italian Foreign Minister. The countries concerned put forward stringent requirements to Soviet Russia to repay the tsar's debts based on a unified caliber in advance. The Soviet Union and Russia made tit-for-tat counter-proposals, and the meeting reached a deadlock. When the meeting progressed to April 15, the German delegation, which was also rejected for its proposal to amend the Versailles Peace Treaty, felt deeply cold and suppressed, so it asked the Soviet delegation whether it was willing to hold separate bilateral talks with Germany outside the meeting. It was already late at night when Chitcherin learned of the news, and he immediately held a meeting to make a decision: to use the moment when the German delegation was wavering between the Allies and Soviet Russia, and began to turn its hope to Soviet Russia, to launch a diplomatic surprise attack. At 1:15 a.m. on April 16, Chitcherin called Count Rathenau to wake him up from his sleep, and invited the German side to hold bilateral negotiations at Raballo, a suburb of Genoa, at 11 a.m. that day, and specifically stated that it was a Sunday. Only the Soviet delegation could spare time, otherwise it would not be possible to arrange it. This sudden "invitation" forced all German representatives to immediately hold a "sleep-night meeting". During this period, the German representatives called the British delegation twice, but they could not get a reply because the British diplomats were asleep. At 5 o'clock, the German delegation informed the Soviet and Russian representatives to "attend the meeting as scheduled." A few hours later, when the German delegation got into the car, the objection call from British Prime Minister Lloyd George came slowly. Count Rathenau said: "The wine has been poured out, so you should drink it." He jumped on the car and went straight to the car. Raballo.
The formal talks between Soviet and German representatives began at 12 o'clock and continued until 6:30 pm. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed the "Agreement between Germany and the Soviet Russian Socialist Republic" on behalf of their respective governments. This marked the beginning of an era of Soviet-German cooperation that lasted more than 20 years. The Treaty of Raballo. According to the treaty, the two sides resumed diplomatic relations and developed bilateral trade and economic relations under the principle of most-favored-nation treatment. Both sides waived demands for compensation and property. Subsequently, the two countries concluded a secret military agreement. Germany resisted the ban of the Versailles Peace Treaty and provided complete sets of weapons manufacturing production lines to Soviet Russia to help the Soviet Red Army establish a modern staff command and training system. Soviet Russia opened its bases and factories to Germany. Germany was able to train armored personnel, pilots and other military personnel there without interference, and develop weapons strictly prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles.
In April 1926, the Soviet Union and Germany signed the "Treaty of Non-Aggression and Neutrality". Germany promised the Soviet Union not to join any international group's blockade of the Soviet Union, and the Soviet Union guaranteed the security of eastern Germany. This treaty further promoted the military strength of the two countries. cooperate. At that time, the supreme commander of the German Wehrmacht, General Hans von Seeckt, even hoped to unite with the Soviet Union to jointly deal with Poland, the emerging military power in Eastern Europe that was allied with France.
From 1928 to 1933, the Soviet Union launched its first five-year plan in an attempt to establish a modern military-industrial base. It urgently needed a large amount of assistance from Germany. Germany reciprocated by providing a large amount of credit to the Soviet Union and helping the Soviet Union order orders from German companies. Taking 1930 to 1933 as an example, the total value of Soviet imports from Germany in these four years was 431 million marks, 760 million marks, 626 million marks and 282 million marks respectively. Through cooperation, the Soviet Union has reached the world's advanced level in advanced weapons design and manufacturing and military personnel training. The most typical example is the Soviet submarine force. In 1926, a delegation headed by German Rear Admiral Arnold Spindler visited the Soviet Union. Soviet Navy Commander Zov, who was deeply interested in German submarines, expressed the hope that Germany could provide help in the design and construction of submarines. Soon, four submarines were built. The complete design drawings of the German submarine were sent to Moscow. In November 1933, Germany bought a complete set of EI-class submarine blueprints to the Soviet Union and sent its best engineers to Leningrad to help the Soviets complete the submarine construction work. By the time the Soviet-German War broke out in 1941, the Soviet Union had 309 submarines, making it the most powerful submarine force in the world at that time.
Soon, Lin Wei's father, Gustav, in order to have enough experience to arm the German army again in the future, responded to the order of the Wehrmacht and asked Krupp to manufacture cannons and armored vehicles in Tula. Almost at the same time, other German military industrial companies He also secretly entered the Soviet Union and began a plan to secretly re-arm Germany. The Junkers company opened in the suburbs of Moscow to manufacture aircraft engines, and the Farben chemical company manufactured military gas and poison gas in the Samara province. Germany sent experts to help the Soviet Union build three large arsenals. German experts once accounted for 80% of the total number of external experts employed by Soviet military industrial enterprises. The exchanges of military technology and personnel between the two countries have maintained a harmonious relationship, forming a situation of mutual exchange of needs and mutual help.
Throughout the 1920s, Germany sent 60 ace pilots from World War I to the Lipetsk base in the Soviet Union to assist in training the Soviet Air Force flying group composed entirely of Germans. This included Goering, who later became Air Marshal. He stayed in Lipetsk for a year and a half and developed a deep relationship with a Soviet girl. Different from Göring's romantic experience, Stuart, the "father of the German Airborne Forces", often traveled between Germany and the Soviet Union in the 1920s. He helped the Soviets establish a paratrooper base in Ryazan and discussed the use of gliders with the Soviet army. To explore the possibility of airborne operations, he cracked his skull during a glider training session. In addition, from 1926 to 1927, Guderian, known as the father of German armored forces, transported the first-generation German tanks disguised as "agricultural tractors" to Kazan, the Soviet Union, and conducted mechanized marches and encounters in various environments. During the war exercises, his blitzkrieg theory was fully demonstrated in the Soviet Union and finally developed.
It can be said that the military cooperation between Germany and the Soviet Union has been going very happily so far. Until after the Battle of Poland, because the common enemy of both sides had been eliminated by the two countries, Poland as a buffer zone no longer existed, and suddenly The closer distance between them made the two countries begin to take careful precautions against each other.
However, after the Soviet Union learned that Germany had turned its attention to the West, the situation of careful confrontation seemed to suddenly become insignificant again.
Immediately, Stalin sent a purchasing team to Berlin to negotiate a plan to exchange Soviet raw materials for German weapons. Hit? Of course, Le was greatly appreciative of this move. Before the war between Britain and France began, to be honest, Hitt? Le was not sure how long the fight would last. Britain and France were not like Poland. There were currently one million French troops and hundreds of thousands of British Expeditionary Forces behind the Maginot Line.
Although the generals of the Wehrmacht were discussing the tactics of attacking the Maginot Line. However, once the war starts, anything can happen, and if there are any small mistakes, it may affect the overall plan.
In view of this, Hit? Le solemnly received members of the Soviet purchasing delegation in Berlin. The high standards and solemnity of the ceremony made these ordinary Soviet cadres feel flattered. And they also anxiously invited many reporters to come, allowing these reporters to convey the message to the world through the cameras in their hands, that is, Germany and the Soviet Union now stand together. The Soviets would not stab Germany in the back while Germany was fighting bloody battles with Britain and France.
Just in Hit? When Le and the head of the Soviet purchasing delegation shook hands intimately, the dedicated reporters immediately pressed the shutter of their cameras. Subsequently, the news that Germany and the Soviet Union had strengthened border trade, through these reporters, the news was immediately spread to all parts of the world.
News of the approach of the Soviet Union and Germany immediately spread to all countries in the world. The most restless among them may be the British and French. All signs indicate that the force they did not defeat in 1919 is now back again. As for their opponents, you can think of them with your buttocks. Now there are only four major countries left on the European continent: Germany, the Soviet Union, Britain, and France. Germany has just solved its problems with the Soviet Union, so its only remaining opponents are Get yourself off.
The news of the strengthening of relations between Germany and the Soviet Union also reached Finland without missing a beat. Lin Wei took the telegram sent from Berlin and read it for a long time. He didn't know whether he was happy or worried, and said: "Leader, what does the domestic telegram say? !" asked the staff officer standing nearby.
"Oh? The head of state has made up his mind to fight against France!" Lin Wei said without joy or worry on his face.
"That's great!" the staff members said happily.
Lin Wei looked at these happy staff officers coldly, not knowing what to think in his heart. He knew in his heart that once he embarked on this road, it meant that Germany had completely rushed to the cliff, or it would increase its horsepower and rush to the other side in one go. . Or, fall off the cliff and be shattered to pieces.
After sorting out his somewhat confused thoughts, Lin Wei asked, "How is the situation with the Northern Combat Group?"
"Not good! Leader, the victory of the Soviet Red Army is basically determined now, unless a miracle occurs! The Finnish army has no hope of making a comeback," the staff officer replied, "More than 2,000 people in the Northern Combat Group have been killed. Fortunately, we are familiar with the terrain. With the help of Finnish residents, there are no missing persons, otherwise the Defense Forces would have lost their combat effectiveness.”
"Let the wounded and sick recover first! If necessary, let the Northern Combat Group withdraw first! It has caused enough trouble for the Soviet Red Army now," Lin Wei ordered calmly, "In order to prevent future negotiations between Finland and the Soviet Union, If I find anything, I will talk to President Kallio, and when the war is over, let the Northern Combat Group go to the northern Lapland area at the border of Finland and Norway to rest!"
"Why do you want to go there? Wouldn't it be better to go back home?" the staff officer asked.
Lin Wei glanced at the staff officer who was very curious about knowledge, and said calmly, "You will know what's going on by then!"