Ch.22Ukraine War Zone

**Note: MacArthur mentioned in the phone call has been changed to Patton for story development purposes!**

* * *

It seems America is quite serious about this. Or rather, should they come?

By my standards, he’s a great man. Wow, amazing! That’s how I see it. At this time, he’s just a figure who was active in World War I.

From the beginning, if the great powers view this civil war not just as watching a fire across the river but take it seriously, it’s not impossible.

So it’s not strange that the officer dispatched from Germany is Walter Model.

The fortunate thing is,

With South Russia joining, Vasily Kharlamov, the White Army leader from the Caucasus region, and Ilya Fondaminsky, a high-ranking official from the Kerensky government, have also joined.

Various other figures have joined the Duma as well.

And.

“The Red Army has entered Ukraine. Nestor Makhno, the anarchist, has been attacked by the Red Army and has contacted us, leading the Black Army.”

Finally, they’ve started to move.

Entering Ukraine. It seems they’re trying to take control of Ukraine, suppress Anton Denikin, and stab us in the flank.

I don’t plan to just watch this happen.

If the Soviet Union actually takes control of Ukraine, it will be difficult to receive support from the great powers through the Black Sea.

Anton Denikin would also be in danger, and they could cut off Tsaritsyn again from the south.

So it’s right for us to take the initiative in Ukraine.

If we repel them in Ukraine, it would be good to advance northward and aim directly for Moscow.

It would also be good if Pyotr Wrangel, who has already occupied Kazan, attacks from both the side and below.

And Nestor Makhno.

He’s with the Red Army in the Ukrainian region and also an anarchist.

In actual history, he controlled southern Ukraine and even the Crimean Peninsula in 1919, but later commanded the anarchist Black Army and rebelled against the Bolsheviks, seeing them as dictators. Later, he was attacked by the Red Army.

In this altered history, it seems the Soviet Union showed its true colors earlier and is in poor shape, so after rebelling against the Soviets and being attacked, he’s trying to join our side.

Or maybe Trotsky is just eliminating him, thinking what place does an anarchist have in this situation.

“Aren’t they also of Red Army ideology?”

“They’re still reds all the same. Hmm.”

Internal strife among the reds is always welcome.

The fights between reds are always more entertaining.

Originally, these rootless bastards divided into factions like Leninism, Stalinism, Marxism, and all sorts of divisions.

It would be fun to watch them fight each other.

“They’ll have conditions for joining the White Army. Have you heard them?”

“They said they’ll help the White Army win, and in return, they want recognition of the Makhnovshchina, even if limited to the territories they control in Ukraine after the war.”

Makhnovshchina.

Free territory. Literally no different from an anarchist government.

I don’t plan to recognize it right now, but,

If we want them to fight the Red Army, I suppose we can do that much.

It’s the way of using and discarding allies. We can give them a place in Ukraine later, create a pretext about eliminating reds, and then get rid of them.

Then I can swallow up eastern Ukraine that Nestor Makhno controlled.

England can’t really tell us what to do that far.

“The struggle for initiative in Ukraine is important.”

“Yes.”

“England probably wants to call on us soon. Let’s raise our army in the south as well. Contact Lieutenant General Anton Denikin. Tell him to strike from the south and move up.”

I thought about going myself to boost morale, but,

If I did that, it’s clear the Bolsheviks would incite the Red Army, saying the war would be over if they just captured the Tsarina.

So it’s not good for me to take direct action until we’ve maximized the depletion of the reds’ strength.

I’ll have to hope that Anton Denikin does well.

The problem is that looking at actual history, his evaluation isn’t that good.

* * *

Ukraine

The British forces stationed in Ukraine were exasperated.

“We’ll give you Ukraine, colonies, whatever you want! Just save the Imperial family!”

The German Empire had become a giving tree, spitting out everything, but after briefly celebrating their victory over Germany, Britain’s best option now was to establish a pro-British government in Ukraine and withdraw.

The stationed troops numbered only a few thousand.

Belatedly, there were voices saying they had been too lenient with Germany, but with the American president also advocating for lenient treatment of Germany, they couldn’t reverse what had happened after victory.

But at this crucial time, the Bolsheviks, as if they had gone mad, suddenly sent troops despite their lack of capability and attacked the British forces stationed in Ukraine.

“Let’s kill all the imperialists and liberate Ukraine!”

“Ura!”

“These reds have gone mad! How dare they point their guns at our British Empire that even made the Jerry bastards surrender?”

At first, together with the Ukrainian army organized to British taste, they easily beat those conscripts based on their Great War experience.

However. Their numbers were far too many.

“There are too many for us to handle. Those madmen are pushing forward with sheer numbers like the Chinese.”

“Damn it, request support from White Russia! They won’t like having reds on their flank either!”

“Yes, sir!”

The British garrison in Ukraine requested support from the White Army.

They couldn’t refuse since they were receiving British support, and they wouldn’t want their flank exposed either.

“Now, great Red Army! Cross that trench! Overthrow the imperialists! Ura!”

Meanwhile, despite their victories, morale in the Red Army was not good.

They were a forcibly conscripted army from the beginning.

With guns pointed at their backs, they were pushing against the British forces, but discontent only grew. In a situation where they were going to die anyway, resentment toward the Bolsheviks only increased.

Moreover, the British weren’t the only ones in Ukraine.

After attacking the anarchists, whom they thought were fellow reds, they turned them into enemies too and were troubled by their guerrilla warfare.

“To hell with ‘Ura.’ What kind of great Red Army is this? Well, it is red with blood. Damn it!”

“Shh! You’ll get shot by the political officers if they hear you!”

“Let them shoot if they want! This isn’t why I supported the Bolsheviks!”

The Red Army was growing increasingly disappointed with the Bolshevik regime.

They thought supporting the Bolsheviks would make life better than under the Tsar.

But reality was more horrific.

At least under the class system, the high-ranking officials openly abused their positions and berated others. These reds call you comrade while treating people with violence and authoritarianism, pointing guns and firing if you don’t listen.

Moreover, if you didn’t listen to the Bolsheviks, you were labeled a White Army reactionary and taken away for correction.

And. The same was happening here.

A political officer who had been quietly monitoring them pointed his gun at a reactionary who seemed to be spreading impure thoughts.

“You reactionary bastard!”

Bang!

“Se-Sergei is dead!”

As the political officers opened fire, the soldiers had to submit.

However, the number of officers leading desertions increased daily.

Those who felt betrayed by the Bolsheviks they had trusted were busy deserting en masse to the White Army, which had entered Ukraine following the Tsarina’s orders.

“What? The White Army is coming?”

“This is our chance. Let’s desert!”

There was clearly a limit to threatening with guns.

If there truly was no possibility, it would be different.

With British forces in front and gun barrels behind, they had no choice but to charge toward the British, but,

The fact that the White Army was nearby provided a sufficient opportunity to seize a new chance.

Thus, those who wanted to live deserted in large numbers.

Nevertheless, the number of Red Army troops advancing to control Ukraine remained substantial.

* * *

Anton Denikin’s army marched into eastern Ukraine.

Makhno’s anarchists are helping the White Army, actively committing terror and harassing the Bolsheviks.

Desertions from the Red Army are increasing daily, they say.

Separately, it seems the British forces are dying fighting the Red Army on our behalf, but,

Well.

Is that my concern?

Isn’t it rather fortunate?

If the British were entering Russian territory proper, that would be different. But the reds are entering Ukraine, which they want to devour after it gained independence, and getting beaten by British forces.

Although Ukraine is called Little Russia. The conscripted soldiers must also dislike dying because the Bolsheviks want to devour Ukraine, which they gave away by treaty.

It’s like they handed everything over to Germany to end the war, and now they’re threatening others to clean up their mess.

The discontent of the conscripted Red Army can only grow.

“The Bolsheviks are being too reckless.”

“They probably don’t have many opportunities left.”

Kolchak mocked the Bolsheviks.

Considering the original history, this person should be grateful to me, but,

Well, he has reason to mock.

What the Bolsheviks are trying to do now is clearly a loss of the original spirit of revolution.

Although they’re sacrificing the Red Army, if they manage to take Ukraine, they can propagandize: “We recaptured it, the Red Army is strong after all. Imperialism has been defeated!”

In other words, they’ve turned their eyes outward to maintain power.

For all I know, they might be propagandizing that we’ve become England’s pawns and are trying to hand Ukraine over to British forces, but,

Even so, they wouldn’t make such stupid propaganda.

After all, we’re essentially dispatching troops to control eastern Ukraine at the “request” of “Makhno.”

This is an opportunity, but,

Considering the current situation of the Soviet Union, the troops in Ukraine are probably their main force that they’ve ambitiously prepared.

The disappointing thing is,

Honestly, isn’t now the opportunity?

If we strike from Finland and the Baltic region, and Pyotr Wrangel’s army thrusts deeply into Moscow, wouldn’t it be worth trying?

It would be similar if we annihilated the army in Ukraine, but,

It’s enough just to prevent them from taking Ukraine.

They’ve pushed hard to deploy in Ukraine.

If they’ve deployed in Ukraine, they need to gain Ukraine, but what if they can’t take Ukraine?

It signifies the military failure of the Red Army.

They might make up excuses about Yekaterinburg, saying they undertook it without properly organizing their army, but,

Ukraine is something they’ve built up to a considerable scale, even if hastily, by bringing in officers from the imperial era.

Although they haven’t fully rebuilt yet, so the 5 million strong army from actual history hasn’t materialized. Anyway.

They bullied that army into attacking Ukraine, and now they’re failing.

Stalin would probably like that.

Of course, I plan to collapse the Soviet Union before Stalin becomes the General Secretary.

If they fail in Ukraine, we can march straight to Moscow.

If we recapture Moscow, that would determine the final fate of the Soviet Union.

I wonder what will happen to other countries if the Soviet Union, the bastion of communism, is defeated.

I know that communists have increased considerably in various countries.

Yes. Before that, first,

The question is whether Anton Denikin can win.

If it were Brusilov, it might be different.

I don’t think he’ll lose, but if our side loses, it would be dangerous.

“Can Lieutenant General Anton Denikin capture the Ukrainian Bolsheviks?”

“He says it’s entirely possible.”

“We shouldn’t be overconfident.”

He seems to follow orders obediently because I’m here, but Anton Denikin is a somewhat ambiguous figure to call a great general.

Still, if he can’t defeat such a miserable Red Army now, he’d be a fool.