The Mongolian and Siberian divisions, switched by Stalin to the west
from the Far East of his country, were vigorous and full of fighting
spirit. It was largely due to them that Moscow in the end was saved.
And, of course, also to the fact that Stalin could calmly denude his
5600-mile sea frontier from the Bering Straits to Vladivostok and his
1900-mile land frontier from Vladivostok to Outer Mongolia, without
having to fear that Japan's Kwantung Army would cross the USSR's
eastern frontier and help its German allies by stabbing the Russians
in the back.
He was able to do that because he knew from his master spy Dr Sorge
that the Japanese, the allies of Germany, were preparing instead to
attack the Americans in Pearl Harbor in order to capture for
themselves the islands of the Pacific. It was this decision that saved
the Soviet Union.
Japan was to reap a poor reward from Stalin for this service.
..............'Hitler Moves East' by Paul Carell
|
|
')){kind=link}