History 18/02/20 if Stalin was Planning first to attack Hitler in 1941
a Number of German and Russian historians are of the opinion that in 41-m is not only Germany made plans to attack the USSR, but the Soviet General staff developed the operation to invade the occupied Reich territory. Hitler, however, Stalin was ahead.
the Response to the threat
According to the German theory of pre-emptive strike, an invasion of the USSR was due to the potential threat that carried the Red Army to the interests of the Reich in the region. Not only Hitler, but many German commanders believed the Soviet Union was ready to attack Germany first. This is what German propaganda tried to convince everyone that the war is guilty only “provocation of the Soviet side.”
In the 1990s this theory was popularized by Russian authors, in particular, a former employee of the legal residency of the GRU of the USSR Viktor Rezun (pen-name of Suvorov), who emigrated to London. In its publications, Suvorov claimed that the threat of a Soviet attack on Germany was not potential but real, existing in the form of a ready plan for a military operation.
Suvorov was supported by a number of Russian historians, including name. The General tone of their statements was to ensure that presumably in mid-may 1941, the Soviet General staff at the direction of Zhukov and Tymoshenko was a plan of a preventive attack on Germany, which is supposedly even signed by Stalin.
Strike first
Name of the operation “Storm” was invented by Viktor Suvorov, which is reflected in his book “Icebreaker”, which was terminated in 1987. Called “the Storm” the author suggests the strategic offensive of the red army and Navy on targets located in the Eastern and South-Eastern Europe with the possibility of further promotion to the historic lands of Germany.
According to several other authors continued to develop tonreply hypothetical preventive war with the Soviet Union against Germany, the starting point of the operation “Storm” should be considered 11 March 1940, when it was declared a large-scale training exercises in the Western military districts of the USSR.
According to their estimates, for the camp, which ended only at the beginning of may 1941, at the Western borders of the country was centered about 2 million 200 thousand soldiers, in addition, more than 8 thousand tanks and armored vehicles, up to 6,500 aircraft and more than 37 thousand guns and mortars.
In some publications even indicate the exact date of the Soviet attack on Germany on 6 July 1941. It was at this time ostensibly had completed the strategic deployment of the Soviet troops.
the Researcher of this theme, Sergei Zakharevich believes that “operation Storm” was planned to begin with the Soviet invasion of Romania, journalist Leonid Mlechin has put forward the version according to which along with operation “Storm” Stalin was preparing an attack on the Middle East.
as a plan of attack on Germany is often cited a document entitled “Considerations to plan for the strategic deployment forces of the Soviet Union in case of war with Germany and its allies”, compiled by Vasilevsky. There is, in particular, said that the first strategic goal of the red Army is defeating the main forces of the German army on the lines of the Brest – Deblin, with further prospects of mastering the territories of Poland and East Prussia.
the Chief said
As proof of the aggressive intentions of the USSR towards Germany often cite the words of Stalin. For example, the historical toast, said the leader of 5 may 1941, in the Kremlin in honor graduates of military academies. According to the transcript of the speech made by the employee of people’s Commissariat of defense V. K. Semenov, Stalin among other things said the following:
“Fortresses, towns and settlements of the enemy was considered occupied only when to enter leg infantry. It always has been, so will it be in a future war. The first toast I propose for infantry. For the Queen of fields — infantry!”.
GermanII the historian Joachim Hoffman is confident that in this speech Stalin unintentionally gave up his plans to start a war with Germany first. In General, all work of Hoffman laced with abundance of quotations from various sources, although the conclusions of the scientist are much bolder than they gleaned information.
For example, referring to the testimony of the prisoner of Colonel of the 53rd infantry division Ivan Bartenev, Hoffman reported that Stalin on the occasion of the release of the young officers rejected one of the toasts of General for peace policy and said: “No, the policy of the war!”. It is for the historian was one of the reason Stalin called the initiator of aggressive intentions in Germany.
There are memories of a German diplomat Gustav Hilger, who worked before the war in Moscow. He had witnessed Stalin’s speech, who said that defensive slogan is outdated, it’s time to move to a policy of forced expansion of the socialist front.
Facts there
we must admit that to date not published any document which in any degree may indicate impending Soviet attack on Germany. All the arguments of the researchers are based on speculation and assumptions.
In particular, the above-mentioned document written by the hand of Vasilevskiy, until 1948, was kept in his personal safe, and only then moved to the state archives. Accordingly, he was hardly considered by the General staff. And overall the big question is, would a document abounding in corrections and inserts, to lie on the table the head of state? Moreover, some scholars believe that it was not the plan of a preemptive strike on Germany, and countermeasures able to thwart the aggressive intentions of the German troops.
Historian and writer Arsen Martirosyan draws attention to the fact that by June 1941 the whole border of the Soviet-German area “swarming” troops of the Wehrmacht, and in this situation, you need to be insane to decide on the offensive. “What kind of a preemptive strike back in Germany could there be?!”, – angry Martirosyan.
Taras Repin
Source:
© Russian Seven
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