African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1735 The Nomonhan War Derailed the Soviet Union

After Germany officially launched its offensive against the Low Countries, the French and British forces quickly moved north in an attempt to prevent Germany from taking Belgium, while the main French forces remained at the Maginot Line to guard against an attack by the German "main force".

On the same day that Germany declared war on the Low Countries, Japan also received the news.

The Japanese military is preparing to "declare war" on the Netherlands as planned. Of course, Japan's consistent tradition is to launch a surprise attack first and then declare war. Following this approach, the Japanese Navy began to assemble and mobilize in advance.

It was only a day later that the Japanese Kwantung Army received the relevant intelligence.

The Far Eastern Empire, Hailar.

At the headquarters of the Japanese 23rd Division, Tsuji Masanobu, the operations staff officer of the Kwantung Army, hurriedly sought out Komatsubara Michitaro, the commander of the 23rd Division.

"Lieutenant General Komatsubara, we must take immediate action!"

"News has come from the mainland that the naval forces are assembling, and if nothing unexpected happens, they plan to take action against the Dutch."

"Otherwise, once the war in the South China Sea begins, the Empire's resources will inevitably be tilted towards the navy. Moreover, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, the General Headquarters may put pressure on us to avoid conflict with the Soviet Union and thus avoid being caught in a two-front war."

"We must take action against the Soviet Union in advance to create a fait accompli, so that the homeland will tacitly accept the war between us and the Soviet Union."

After hearing Major Tsuji Masanobu's words, Komatsubara Michitaro could no longer contain his emotions and said with red eyes, "In that case, Major Tsuji Masanobu, we'll take a gamble with you this time."

Subsequently, Komatsubara Michitaro deployed: "Colonel Ouchi Tsutomu, immediately notify Higashi Yabozo's 23rd Cavalry Regiment at the front to advance to the Khalkha River and drive out the Soviet-Mongolian army. Yamagata Takemitsu will lead the 64th Regiment to follow immediately..."

The Halha River means "barrier".

Its west bank is higher than its east bank. In some places, you can't see the west bank from the east side. It looks like a long barrier in front of you. The name of the Halha River comes from this landform.

Upon receiving orders from the division headquarters, Higashi Yabozo, commander of the 23rd Cavalry Regiment, immediately assembled his troops and prepared to cross the Khalkhin Gol River into the disputed territory between the Soviet Union and Japan.

At this moment, Dongba Baizang rode upright on a warhorse, his back straight and his eyes arrogant, as if the entire grassland had been trampled under his feet.

He addressed the Japanese soldiers before him: "Warriors of the Empire, now is the time for us to make our mark and sacrifice ourselves for the Empire. Now, follow my command: the infantry will be the main force, crossing the pontoon bridge from the front; the cavalry will flank from behind and deliver a fatal blow to the Soviets on the other side..."

Inspired by Higashi Yabozo, the 23rd Cavalry Regiment of Japan was in high spirits and shouted "Wan sheng!" (meaning "Great victory!").

Then, with a death wish, he followed Higashiya Hyakuzo on the road to conquering the Halha River region.

However, Higashi Yabozo's army soon encountered setbacks. The Soviet-Mongolian forces on the other side of the river had always been wary of Japan, after all, the Soviet Union and Japan had already had several rounds of conflicts in this area.

Faced with the sudden arrival of the Japanese army, the Soviet officers on the border did not hesitate to order them to open fire. With the help of offensive and machine gun fire, even the Japanese soldiers who adhered to the "Bushido" spirit found it difficult to break through.

At the same time, the Soviet commander on the border immediately reported the news of the Japanese attack, and the Soviet 57th Army immediately dispatched troops to support the front line.

Other units of the 23rd Division quickly followed suit, and the war between the two sides in Nomonhan escalated completely, becoming difficult to stop in the short term.

On the second day after the outbreak of war, Kenkichi Ueda, commander of the Japanese Kwantung Army, arrived in Hailar directly from the rear.

When the news reached Japan, even though the war was still unresolved, it quickly caused a stir in Japanese society. Japanese newspapers, as always, praised the bravery of the Imperial Army soldiers and extolled the advantages of the war against the Soviet Union.

The Japanese high command and the navy were furious about the Kwantung Army's solo mission, but the Japanese army high command played coy, tacitly approving and attempting to cover up the Kwantung Army's actions.

The war had already begun. Even though the Japanese Navy was extremely dissatisfied with the Army, there was nothing they could do. However, they did not give up their preparations for war in the South China Sea.

For a time, both the navy and the army planned to fight their own battles.

……

Moscow, USSR.

Upon learning that the Japanese Kwantung Army had declared war on the Soviet Union, Joseph and other high-ranking Soviet officials were furious and extremely puzzled.

Inside the Kremlin, Joseph tapped his pipe on the table, his face grim.

"Japan truly lives up to its reputation as Germany's ally. They make no attempt to conceal their hostility towards the Soviet Union, and dare to so blatantly take the initiative to attack us ahead of time."

"We must teach this island nation a profound lesson, so that they know the consequences of daring to oppose the Soviet Union."

"Order the front-line troops to fight hard and make Japan pay an unacceptable price. Let our newly formed unit get some practice and see the results of reform and mechanization."

Joseph was not worried at all about Japan, a tiny country. Although Japan was also a great power, it was obviously far from being comparable to Europe.

The Soviet Union's current development, compared to East Africa, the United States, and Western Europe, lags behind, but it is undoubtedly far superior to Japan's.

Especially after the two Five-Year Plans, the Soviet Union's defense industry was basically complete, and it had a significant lead over Japan in the army and air force.

In particular, in terms of weapons production, Japan was no match for the Soviet Union.

Of course, the Soviet Union also had a very obvious weakness, namely its navy, but in this war, the Soviet navy obviously did not have to bear too much pressure.

In particular, the location where the war broke out was far from the ocean and was already inland.

After deciding to exact a severe revenge on Japan, Joseph asked Prokofiev, the head of Soviet intelligence, with bewilderment, "Comrade Prokofiev, why does Japan dare to start a war with us at this time?"

Joseph was not surprised that Japan and the Soviet Union went to war, after all, Japan was also a member of the Axis powers and the two countries would clash sooner or later. However, Joseph could not understand why Japan chose this time to go to war with the Soviet Union.

Prokofiev, who was also the head of the Soviet military intelligence agency, said to Joseph, "Comrade Joseph, we also find it difficult to understand the Japanese way of thinking."

"Logically speaking, even if Japan wanted to go to war with us, it should have waited until Germany attacked us first, so that they could maximize their benefits by launching a sneak attack from behind."

"But right now, Germany is busy with the war in Western Europe and doesn't have much conflict with us. How dare Japan face us alone?" "From any perspective, the Soviet Union has a huge advantage over Japan. But since Japan dared to strike first, we don't mind giving them a heavy blow."

The mention of Germany soured Joseph's mood considerably. He asked Prokofiev, "Do you think there was any German support behind this war between Japan and us?"

It's no wonder Joseph thought that way, because the timing was too coincidental. Germany was fighting in Western Europe when Japan suddenly went to war with the Soviet Union.

This gives the impression that Japan was actively helping Germany share the burden of the Soviet Union, diverting Soviet attention from Europe to the Far East.

Undoubtedly, at this time, although Germany looked down on the Soviet Union, it also exerted some pressure on the Soviet Union, especially fearing that the Soviet Union would stab it in the back.

Therefore, based on this understanding, Joseph couldn't help but speculate that Japan's unusual behavior was instigated by Germany.

Prokofiev also agreed with this idea, because it made logical sense.

"Comrade Joseph, there is a high probability that your idea is true. Japan may have received a promise from Germany, which is why it took the initiative to launch a war against us."

"To take it to an even more extreme point, Germany might be trying to get us to concentrate our forces in the Far East so they can launch a surprise attack on us from the east."

"At that time, we will face pressure from both Japan and Germany."

Joseph frowned: "You mean, this is a German tactic to lure us away from our base?"

Prokofiev nodded: "Otherwise, we can't explain how Japan had the audacity to attack us."

“We are far stronger than Japan in terms of industry, population and weaponry. Moreover, it is now obvious to everyone that our Far East region is not as valuable to Japan as people imagine.”

"Now that European countries are being held back by Germany, the control that Britain, France, and other European countries originally had over Southeast Asia has been greatly weakened."

"Moreover, the strategic resources in Southeast Asia, such as oil, minerals, and rubber, are hard for Japan to refuse. Previously, there was a great deal of momentum within Japan to attack Southeast Asia."

"Our land in the Far East has a harsh climate, is difficult to develop, and its resources and products are not as helpful to Japan in waging war as those in the South China Sea."

"Japan remains indifferent to the South Seas, where its military strength is depleted and the profits are more considerable, but insists on competing with the much stronger us for the harsh lands of the Far East."

"This unusual behavior proves one thing: Germany has had an influence on Japan."

The outbreak of the Nomonhan Incident successfully led the Soviet leadership astray and distorted their judgment, since they simply could not understand Japan's current thinking and behavior.

Ironically, this unusual way of thinking and behavior becomes quite reasonable when combined with the factors of Germany and the Axis powers.

In the past, the Soviet Union would most likely not have thought this way. After all, in the past, until Operation Barbarossa was launched, the relationship between the Soviet Union and Germany was very "close" on the surface. So much so that Joseph did not believe that Germany would go to war with the Soviet Union at that time, until the eve of Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.

However, in this timeline, the situation has changed. From beginning to end, Germany and the Soviet Union have been mortal enemies, with no possibility of reconciliation.

At this time, Germany's Asian ally, Japan, suddenly launched a war against the Soviet Union in the Far East, directly confirming that the Germans were behind it all.

Thinking of this, Joseph became restless. He stood up, smoking a cigarette, and said, "We absolutely cannot let the Axis powers' plot succeed. Since Germany is doing this, we must be fully prepared."

"First, we must fully support the war against Japan in the Far East, and at the same time increase our support for the Far Eastern Empire. We absolutely cannot allow Japan to cooperate with Germany in encircling the Soviet Union."

"Secondly, surveillance of German and Axis military forces was strengthened along the European borders, and frontline troops were prepared to go to war with Germany and its allies at any time."

"Finally, our negotiations and cooperation with Britain and France should also get back on track."

"We can no longer sit back and watch the tigers fight as we have in the past. Once Britain and France are defeated by Germany, the final pressure will fall entirely on us. We must support both countries and help them tie down the German army in Western Europe."

"Since Germany wants to put us in a two-front war, then we'll do the opposite and let the Germans experience what it's like to fight on two fronts first. I believe that Britain and France are now willing to accept our goodwill."

The outbreak of the Nomonhan Incident completely swayed the Soviet Union's strategy.

In fact, after Germany declared war on Britain and France, Britain and France realized that Germany had become their greatest enemy and changed their views on the Soviet Union, attempting to draw the Soviet Union into the war to share the burden of their respective countries.

However, the Soviet Union was not enthusiastic about courting Britain and France before the outbreak of war. After all, it was the Soviet Union that had been actively trying to win over Britain and France and suppress Germany before the war broke out.

At that time, Britain and France harbored illusions about Germany and disregarded the Soviet Union's attempts to win them over. Now that the situation has reversed, how could the Soviet Union possibly have any goodwill towards Britain and France?

Moreover, although Germany was very powerful, the Soviet Union did not believe that Germany could easily defeat Britain and France, as both countries still had a deep foundation of strength.

The Soviet Union was happy to sit back and watch the two sides fight, waiting until the war between Germany and the two countries reached a stalemate before taking action against Germany.

Now, the outbreak of the Nomonhan Incident completely shattered the Soviet Union's thinking. They believed it was a "prelude" to Germany's war against the Soviet Union, and that Germany might follow suit after Japan's war against the Soviet Union.

The Soviet leadership had no doubt that Germany possessed the ability to fight on two fronts. After all, Germany had done just that during World War I, ultimately achieving a stalemate with the Allied Powers. Now, Germany was clearly more formidable than it had been during World War I, and it also had more allies.

Therefore, Germany was fully capable of launching simultaneous operations on both the Eastern and Western fronts, just as it had done during World War I. Furthermore, Germany and its allies had effectively encircled the Soviet Union, and apart from the Far Eastern Empire and Afghanistan, all of the Soviet Union's other external routes were controlled or monitored by Germany.

Meanwhile, the Far Eastern Empire had also lost large swathes of territory, and its coastline had been blocked by Japan, rendering the coastline essentially useless to the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union had very few routes to communicate with the outside world. Apart from the Central Asia route, the only other route was the Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean. However, to use this route, it was necessary to establish relations with Britain and eliminate interference from Finland.

Although Finland is not part of the Axis powers, it has a closer relationship with Germany, especially in the military sphere where it cooperates extensively with Germany.

In conclusion, the outbreak of the Nomonhan Incident further deepened the sense of crisis among Soviet leaders. As a result, under the influence of this war, the Soviet government, led by Joseph, planned to contact Britain and France in advance, and even form a military alliance, to jointly deal with the threat from Germany.

Against this backdrop, in May 1939, Soviet diplomats in France and Britain became active again, just as they had before the outbreak of war, actively seeking cooperation with the two countries.

This shift in Soviet diplomacy was immediately welcomed by the British and French governments, who were already overwhelmed by the war, and had a profound impact on the subsequent developments in the European war.

(End of this chapter)