I Became Stalin?!

Chapter 25:

Molotov informed me that the fat Churchill had called me on the hotline. 

His tense face told me that something big had happened. 

I also felt nervous.

As soon as Churchill heard that I had arrived at the phone, he started firing at me. 

The interpreter was flustered but calmly relayed the content to me.

[The Nazi bastards have attacked Gibraltar. Our fleet went out to chase the Bismarck and got caught by them.]

What…? Gibraltar?

“No, what do you mean…”

[Our intelligence department has succeeded in decrypting their code, and based on the decrypted code, we were able to intercept their communications and find out that they were preparing for a landing operation…]

Oh, damn it. If there was a future person in Germany, someone who was interested in the history of World War II, they would not have missed Alan Turing and the decryption of Enigma. 

I knew it too.

But Churchill had never said a word to ‘me’, to the Allies, that they were decrypting Enigma code. 

I was too busy with the poison war to forget that fact.

Germany knew that they had decrypted Enigma, and they used it not only to change their code system, but also to actively leak false information…!

“Did you crack Enigma? They probably knew about it. At least since last year.”

[…]

“The old Enigma used 3 out of 5 rotors to encrypt, while the enhanced Enigma used 4 or more out of 8. Even so, there is no difference in the basic structure, and each alphabet has the characteristic of not changing to itself. If you have a genius mathematician like Turing at Bletchley Park, you should be able to decrypt it again. If you improve the encryption bomb and make an automatic computing device… Huh!”

[…How did you know that, Secretary-General?]

I blurted out what I knew as if I was helping ‘them’, and I was shocked to see the interpreter and Molotov who were looking at me.

I knew it from books and movies-Imitation Game was quite fun-but I told them not to our political bureau or intelligence department, but to Britain, which might become a virtual enemy country…

And not only about Germany’s code, but also about Alan Turing and Bletchley Park, the top secrets of Britain’s intelligence department, in front of Churchill…!

“No, that…”

[I don’t care. There must have been Soviet spies in our intelligence department too, and we needed our information to fight against the Nazis. I regret not sharing the information we found out.]

I thought I heard something rattling. And Churchill’s curses that sounded like howls.

Soon he started talking again in a calm voice. 

It wasn’t information that was extracted by spies, but if our spies were caught and spilled it, it would be a problem in its own way. 

What should I do?

[If you want, I can share the old but decryption machine. But if the Soviet Union succeeds in decrypting first, I hope you share that information as soon as possible.]

[We are in a desperate crisis in the Mediterranean right now. You know that the season when Eastern Europe becomes a mud puddle is coming soon, but can’t you somehow launch an offensive?]

This is the main point. 

Britain might hit us in the back while strengthening with Germany if they knew that we were looking at their information like palm reading, but it would be different if they were in danger of losing the Mediterranean. 

If they lose the Mediterranean, they lose the Middle East and Asia.

[Gibraltar has been attacked by them. Our home fleet and Mediterranean fleet are going to save Gibraltar, but the situation is unclear.

If we lose the Mediterranean, we will lose Egypt, Iraq and India. And even Iran and Turkey, which are keeping neutrality, may join them. The route of our and American aid materials to the Soviet Union may be cut off.]

Ah… damn it…

Iran is ruled by Pahlavi Shah, who has a pro-German tendency. 

Britain and Russia have been fighting over Persia and Afghanistan since the 19th century as part of the Great Game, and Iranian people’s national sentiment was not good against these two powers who intervened in this region. 

Rather, they leaned toward Germany.

In actual history, Roosevelt threatened Iran and Britain invaded Iran and drove out Pahlavi Shah and crowned his son as king, then settled the Iranian issue. 

Now? 

They couldn’t touch Iran because of the urgent African front.

I tried to pretend to be calm.

“I understand. We also had plans to push back the German army with an autumn offensive before it rains. In Gibraltar… I wish you luck.”

[Thank you.]

I felt exhausted. 

The Lend-Lease route through the Arctic Ocean could be cut off by the German naval fleet. 

The Pacific route would lose its efficiency if the Pacific War broke out. 

If the Persian Gulf route was also severed, the Soviet Union would be surrounded by enemies on all sides.

“Let’s go to the conference room for now.”

I had a bad feeling. 

How far would the butterfly effect that started in Gibraltar go?

The changes that began on the other side of the European continent amplified as they passed through the Mediterranean and the Middle East, becoming a storm that would sweep over the Soviet Union.

The Middle East of this era was a powder keg, to say the least. 

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which was weak but still an empire, gave birth to numerous Arab states. 

The factions based on tribes that made up each state fought repeatedly for independence and hegemony.

And the victorious countries of Britain and France, who had torn apart the defeated Ottoman Empire with the sword of nationalism, each took a juicy share in the Middle East. 

Britain swallowed up the puppet state of Iraq and the colony of Transjordan, while France gulped down Syria-Lebanon.

Within this, some factions wanted to use Germany’s power to drive out Britain and France, the foreign powers, and establish an independent state of Arabs. 

Others wanted to build a kingdom of Allah based on Islamism.

The problem was that the Soviet Union had very few cards to use to exert its power in this region.

“If we let the fascists take over the Middle East completely… we will end up opening a second front.”

Britain had no military leeway at all, fighting against Germany in its homeland, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. 

Churchill flatly refused my proposal to attack Syria-Lebanon, which supported Vichy France, together.

In North Africa, Rommel was unstoppable, advancing towards Alexandria, the home port of the British Mediterranean fleet. 

Turn around the troops that were barely enough to stop Rommel? 

That could trap 150,000 troops in the Mediterranean?

I knew it was an unreasonable request, so I expected to be rejected… but then I had no other way.

“What about fighting a defensive battle in the Caucasus?”

“That’s out of the question. If we retreat even a step in the Caucasus, we’ll be right at Baku. Do you intend to fight a war without oil?”

The general who had suggested it flinched and shrank back. 

It was possible to fight a defensive battle along the rugged Caucasus mountains. 

Giving up some Soviet territory south of the mountains, such as Georgia where Stalin was born.

But literally one inch further from here was Baku. 

The city that Germany had coveted so much in 1942 and the largest oil field in the Soviet Union. 

Hitler wanted Baku’s oil more than Moscow and tried to advance into the Caucasus.

“We need an offensive operation. An aggressive offensive! Neutral countries like Turkey and Iran could turn against us at any time. We need to make at least one of them firmly on our side!”

“…”

Most of the generals were ignorant of these issues. 

To begin with, ‘I’, Stalin, was an expert on the problems of the Caucasus and its neighboring regions. 

They could carry out my orders, but they lacked the ability to take initiative and devise a national strategy.

“…I’ll take care of Iran.”

“Oh! Comrade Molotov!”

Molotov quietly raised his hand. 

Was he confident because he had already asked Iran for cooperation on Lend-Lease once? 

Of course, his expression was not full of certainty.

“The Shah of Iran is probably wondering whether to switch sides or not. If Germany dominates the Mediterranean, their influence will spread to the Middle East, and then to Iran. It’s only natural.

They don’t like how Britain and America come into their territory and dig up oil at their own discretion. They probably expect Germany to be more ‘gentlemanly’. Regardless of what they really are…”

Molotov had a fairly accurate grasp of Iran’s political situation. T

here were three groups that shaped Middle Eastern politics: those who pursued Westernization-modernization, nationalists who wanted to build a national state free from British and American interference, and traditional Islamists.

Of course, none of them liked the Soviet Union. T

hose who pursued Westernization were wary of the rise of communism. 

Nationalists hated Russia, which had tried to advance into the Indian Ocean through Persia for the past century. 

And Islamists hated us Soviets more than infidels because we were atheists.

“…Is persuasion possible?”

“Yes. I will declare full cooperation with them on oil development as you mentioned before. They were… positive about ‘resource nationalism’.”

The blessing of the earth, oil. 

The trend of the times was already moving towards using much more oil than coal.

But unlike coal, which was relatively evenly distributed, oil could only be mined in certain regions. 

And the great powers of Britain, France, and America pressured the local governments with force and plundered oil at a very low price.

The so-called ‘Seven Sisters’ companies. Companies like Standard Oil, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell virtually mined oil in the colonized oil-producing countries. 

Later, OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was established and expelled the influence of the oil companies controlled by the great powers… but that was a long time later. 

The colonial nationalists still had no power to resist the plunder.

“The Shah of Iran wants to nationalize oil. Of course, he is afraid of the backlash of the process. We can ally with them as fellow oil-producing countries. If you just give me the order, comrade leader…”

“Good! Do as you please. I entrust you with full authority!”

In actual history, Reza Shah was ousted by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941. 

His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who succeeded him, collaborated with Britain and America to oust Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who tried to nationalize oil.

Of course, he eventually lost power and went into exile in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and Iran’s new regime under Khomeini was established. 

Oil was also successfully nationalized. 

We are just turning the tide of history a little faster. To make Iran, a regional power in Southwest Asia, on our side.

“If we can turn Iran to our side… we can use force on Turkey?”

“Leave it to me!”

Borosilov suddenly shouted that. Ah… oh no… why is he there…

Borosilov had already died once in Finland and had been pushed out of his position as defense minister until a year ago. 

That position was taken by Timoshenko and now I was holding it.

But Borosilov still seemed to want to get back his position as defense minister. 

He also tried to butt in when I proposed the operation to strike behind the Central Group Army last time, and now…

“…Let’s deal with this issue later.”

I sweated as I looked at Borosilov’s sullen face. 

Turkey might be an easy opponent, but Borosilov is… hopeless.

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