War and dishonor

On August 23, 1939 it was signed a non-aggression Treaty between the USSR and Germany which is better known as the “Molotov — Ribbentrop Pact”. This diplomatic victory of the Soviet Union allowed winning in time and territory and it is still hated by our enemies: not in vain in 2009, the European Parliament declared the date of signing of the so-called “day of remembrance for victims of Stalinism and Nazism”.

The day after the signing of the infamous Munich agreement Winston Churchill uttered his famous words: “England has been offered a choice between war and dishonor. It has chosen a shame and will get a war.” All European countries in the second half of the 1930-ies chose dishonor for the sake of their potential opponent sooner or later got in a war not with them, and with a single country — the USSR. High side forgetting about basic dignity played a “giveaway” stronger, paying destinies weaker: they tried to delay their participation in the sharing of the global pie to the moment when it will be able to eliminate from the path of the resurgent Russian superpower.

In the era of Interbellum there were no allies of the USSR in Europe it was able to establish relatively good relations with Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Greece and the Scandinavian Kingdom, but all the other countries view us as enemies or as a political entity, which will want at some point to expand sphere of influence into their territory. Definitely Pro-German position was occupied by Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Finland; all three Baltic dictators were sympathetic to Nazism: Antanas Smetona, Konstantin Payts and Karlis Ulmanis. Opponent of rapprochement with Germany was only Pilsudski, however, after the death of the Warsaw “Comandante” he was replaced by a triumvirate in the person of Marshal Edward Rydz-Smigley, President Ignacy Macsitskiy (often incorrectly referred to as Moscicki) and Minister of foreign Affairs Josef Beck: this trio especially the foreign Minister, openly sympathized with Berlin.

Help to the friendly regime of the Spanish Republic’s has not brought success: leading players in European politics could not afford the Iberian Peninsula under their control, and the USSR was not available common borders with Spain, and marine communications passed through hostile waters. In Asia the situation was slightly better: the troubled border with China on its significant stretch was covered by satellites in the face of Mongolia and Tuva, but Iran and Afghanistan since the beginning of the 1930-ies flirted with England and Germany that did not create peace in the spaces between the Caspian Sea and the Pamir mountains.

The year 1938 brought our country new alarm: in March, there was the Anschluss of Austria, dramatically increased the potential of Nazi Germany. For example the population of the Third Reich in that year amounted to nearly half the population of the USSR, the ranks of the Wehrmacht were supplemented by six Austrian divisions, and the German defense industry — new plants. Summer abruptly worsened the situation in the Far East, where the samurai warlords and their Manchurian accomplices started the conflict at Lake Khasan. The direction of the Middle East cracked: in April it happened the rupture of relations with Saudi Arabia, they have found a new ally in the person of London, and in November instead of the deceased friendly Mustafa Ataturk, the head of Turkey became the General Ismet Inoynuy, who deployed his gaze towards Berlin and Paris. Autumn of 1938 was marked by two shameful events which crossed out last remnants of respect for the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On September, 29-30 in Munich behind closed doors Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain and Daladier decided on the transfer of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany the Sudetenland in exchange for peace agreements of the Axis countries with England and France. Czechoslovak diplomats despite all their protests allowed in the courtroom only to familiarize with the already signed document. A few hours later Warsaw with the tacit consent of Berlin stabs in the back to its southern neighbor: it was an ultimatum with claims of Tieszyn region; and Prague Castle is forced to reconcile with the requirements under the impunity of Josef Beck.

Interestingly that the USSR originally had intended to send representatives to Munich to protect the interests of Czechoslovakia with whom it had a Treaty of friendship however it was refused by the other participants of the behind-the-scenes intrigue. In addition the Red Army was preparing to provide relying on the Treaty military assistance, however, broken Prague decided not to send a request and Warsaw has not given approval for the transit of military cargo through its territory.

On November, 2 Germany and Italy during the First Vienna arbitration verdict that the land of Southern Slovakia and Transcarpathia should belong to Hungary. Thus Berlin and Rome took over the function of last resort with authority to redraw the map of the world at their discretion.

The Munich agreement has finished Czechoslovakia for three and a half months. The country erupted into ethnic conflicts and in mid-March the state decays: in Slovakia it was created the puppet Republic, and the Czech Republic aligns it with the Third Reich in the form of so-called “protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia”. Moreover it crushed the last resistance of Germany from other European countries: when in March 1939 Berlin demanded Klaipeda region from Lithuania they got it on demand.

In January 1939 Poland are given to understand the justice of the old truth: “If you give way, you can’t stop!” Hitler is causing Beck to his residence, where offers to join to future aggression against the USSR promising Warsaw Ukrainian lands, but also requires permits for the building of an extraterritorial highway to East Prussia through Poland. Beck understands that all of this is prohibitive fee for Tieszyn region, and in response, said that Warsaw must have English and French guarantees: what if London and Paris had already agreed with Moscow?

The fears of the Polish Minister were not in vain: in the spring of 1939, the Soviet Union started to probe the soil for the establishment of a new Entente with the main allies of Imperial Russia. However neither Britain nor France did not show proper enthusiasm: their delegations, consisting of third-rate figures, are not endowed with any authority, traveled to Moscow via Leningrad at the slowest ships and trains, and arrived in the Soviet capital only on August, 11. Three weeks earlier in London secret Anglo-German negotiations have started; the main bargaining chip in them is Poland and the Baltic States, and in addition Berlin has requested access to resource-rich former colony of Namibia and Tanganyika. Of course in conversations of diplomats prevails Polish question: persistently did not want to become a German vassal of the shrew Warsaw needs taming, and so the British or convince Beck and n Macsitskiy not to resist Berlin’s requirements, or will not prevent the annexation of Poland, and if the USSR will try to stand up — join the anti-Comintern Pact. The fate of the Baltic States is makeweight: these Border States become the springboard for the deployment of the main forces by striking at the very heart of the Soviet Union.

The USSR was in a catastrophic situation. Narrow border strip width from twenty to forty miles separated from a potential enemy such strategic centers such as Minsk, Batumi, Leningrad and Odessa: if necessary, the city could be exposed to heavy artillery, and the last three in this list fall in the zone of reach of naval guns of the main caliber. From Khabarovsk to the border in those years there were sixty kilometers, from Murmansk- ninety, one hundred and fifty — from Vladivostok and two from Kiev: this is a zone of actions of front aviation. Three hundred miles it was necessary to overcome the enemy for the achievement of Sevastopol and four hundred fifty — to Moscow, Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk: it is quite on the shoulder for distant bomber.

With this arrangement, in the case of a ground strike battles for Leningrad, Minsk, Murmansk and Odessa were supposed to start already in the first days, if not hours, of enemy invasion. In the subsequent week the war Kiev was under attack and a month after the start of the campaign it was to be expected battles on the outskirts of Moscow.

It is clear that such a prospect did not please the Soviet leadership. The country was preparing for the implementation of the strategy of a blind defense: along the Western frontiers there were constructed chain of fortified areas and between them and the border — “track maintenance” with guerrilla bases for a ruthless war in the enemy’s rear. They had to constrain the bandwidth of logistics: on the borders with Poland and Romania there were no rearrangement to the European gauge wagons, and some railway lines leading into the Baltic States and Finland were put on deep conservation. Accordingly, the industrialization of the border regions to think was impossible.

And this is the layout of war only for the Western theater of military operations (TMO): it was impossible to exclude the occurrence of a similar theatre in the Caucasus, the Far East, and in the future — and in Central Asia. As we know from the works of the classics of the art of war: a war which is on two and more fronts, no country in the world has not yet won.

In August 1939 preventing the far Eastern TMO was one of the main tasks: in those same days, when Ribbentrop was in Moscow, turned the battle with the Japanese militarists in Mongolian on the river Khalkhin-Gol. Lesson inflicted on the Tokyo militarists, was so impressive that Japan subsequently did not dare to attack the USSR.

So at least on time to protect itself from the West, the Soviet Union was not required to give Germany to negotiate with England and France concerning Poland and the Baltics, and an important trump card here could be the poverty of the Third Reich a range of strategic resources, such as oil, food, non-ferrous metals. Logic is: we offer the German side of the supply which is under embargo from third countries of goods in which it sorely needs, but please accept our plan of dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, and wish to get about what owned Russia in 1913. Hitler realizes that stingy England hardly inferior to the former African colonies or will tear off for them last skin, and then the USSR offers a mutually beneficial trade the same, but for some territorial gains. Important for Germany is the fact that Moscow won’t be joining London and Paris if they would stand up for Poland. As for allies that for Berlin they are change material: you can donate allied Finland and sympathetic the Baltic States which should be included in the sphere of interests of the USSR, and Romania with its oil — generally pushed around as your heart desires. About the return of Bessarabia and Bukovina in late June 1940 is known to all, but few people know that two months later the Second Vienna arbitration decides on the exclusion from Romania several Transylvanian counties in favor of Hungary: for “great-grandchildren of Trajan” there is no more terrible slaps than this. For every Romanian knows, praised the Patriotic lyrics to the triune formula of the Fatherland: “Moldova, Muntenia, Ardal!”, I mean Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania. But even it is not the final of the story: the accompaniment of arbitration of the Bulgarian government sends in Bucharest the ultimatum with the requirement to give southern Dobrudja, and after urgent tips of Duce, supported Sofia, Romanian guide hanging the white flag.

As we can see meanness and betrayal in European policy circles in those years were the norm of the relationship. Warsaw betrayed Prague and then six months later it went for devouring. England and France traded the freedom of the Czechoslovak nation on false assurances possessed Fuhrer and in a couple of years they subjected to German aggression themselves. Romania and Finland in 1944, in retaliation for the humiliation, took the side of anti-Hitler coalition.

Note that at the conclusion of the Molotov — Ribbentrop Pact, Germany has betrayed many of its satellites, while the USSR did not betray anyone! We are left with the Czechoslovak people, doing everything we can: the Anschluss the Czech Republic and Bratislava puppet of Joseph Tiso in Moscow were not recognized. If the Soviet Union sacrificed the interests of Poland, the Baltic States and Finland, we had every right to be: well, what should I do with neighbors that are configured completely unfriendly, constantly intrigues and all time are ready to go in the service of a strong adversary?

The Soviet-German Pact is well highlighted the double standards of the Europeans. Do you play against the USSR? All means are good! Lost? Immediately hysterical screams heard that to win against a superior race, it turns out, not fair! Remember how angry Churchill gnashed his teeth on the occasion of the signing of the contract: plans to enter the war with the hated Soviets after they had exhausted Hitler collapsed! Moreover, now they have to fight with someone whom for so many years nurtured: it’s a shame when your weapons are launched against you!

Today the heirs of the Munich conspiracy and Vienna “arbitrators” are so angry vainly trying by all means to erase the memory of indiscretions ancestors. But they won’t succeed: we have paid a heavy price for our truth and it is not subject to revision!

Alexander DMITRIEVSKIY