"Elder Bloom, you also know how much the Soviets hate you Jews. I've heard that Jews in the Soviet Union are living in unbearable conditions."
In the original timeline, there were incidents and practices of exclusion and discrimination against Jews in the Soviet Union. After the birth of the Soviet Union, exclusion and discrimination against Jews still existed in certain classes, ethnic groups, and populations; Stalin was one of them.
Once, there was a mass incident at the 30th Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. The investigation department reported to Stalin, believing that the leaders of the disturbance were a few Jews. When Khrushchev, who was also a high-ranking official in Moscow, exchanged opinions with Stalin, Stalin said, "We should organize some strong workers, let them hold wooden sticks, and after finishing a day's work, give these Jews a good beating."
In this timeline, because of the theft of 560 tons of gold (Spanish gold), an enraged Stalin vented his anger and fury on the Jews in the Soviet Union (Chapter 114). It is no exaggeration to say that the current situation of Jews in the Soviet Union is not much better than in Germany during World War II.
Elder Bloom sighed deeply. "May God bless my suffering compatriots."
Wilhelm continued, "So, even if I order Rommel to immediately advance into the Middle East and seize Jerusalem to establish a state for you, what would be the point? If the German-Soviet war breaks out and we are defeated, wouldn't the Jews gathered in Jerusalem be conveniently targeted by the Soviets? If the Soviets go all out, the Jewish people on the European continent might be exterminated."
"Your Highness is right, I was too impatient. Please forgive me," Elder Bloom said with an embarrassed smile, then asked with some confusion, "But now the Soviets can't even take down little Finland. Why worry about defeat?"
Wilhelm shook his head. "The fact that the Soviets can't take Finland for now is 30% due to our strong support and the heroic resistance of the Finnish people, and 70% or more due to the Soviets' own reasons.
You must know that the Soviet Union has just undergone a purge, and only one in ten capable commanders remain. The newly promoted officers lack combat command experience and are often at a disadvantage against the experienced Finnish commanders.
This war may cause the Soviet army to pay a heavy price, but there is a saying, 'War is the best teacher; learn war through war.' As long as Stalin is not a fool, he will recognize the shortcomings through this war. The Soviet army will summarize experiences, learn lessons, and improve tactics.
You can imagine how terrifying this would be. Once the war fully breaks out, how many troops can the Soviet Union, with nearly 200 million people, mobilize? Ten million? Twenty million? Or thirty million?!"
Before the start of World War II in 1930, the total strength of the Soviet army was only about 600,000. However, two years after the outbreak of World War II, by 1941, the total strength of the Soviet army had expanded to 5 million. All of these 5 million troops were put into the German-Soviet war.
During the four-year-long German-Soviet war, the total number of Soviet soldiers killed, captured, and missing was about 20 million. By the end of the war, the Soviet army still had 12.8 million left. So, in total, the Soviet Union mobilized about 30 to 40 million people during World War II.
"And our German population is less than half of the Soviet Union's. How many people do you think Germany can mobilize?"
Germany's population was about 80 million, but this number does not refer to the Germans within Germany but to all the Germanic people in Europe. Among them, 66.54 million were in the traditional central areas of Germany, about 7.06 million in Austria, 2.8 million in the Sudetenland, 730,000 in the Saarland, 2.16 million Germans in Poland, 960,000 in Romania, 220,000 in Italy, and 1.5 million in Alsace.
At the peak of World War II, the German army had more than 15.3 million people, 80% of whom were authentic Germans, and the remaining 20% came from Germany's satellite countries, such as Romania, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, and others.
"The most important factor is the United States. Elder Bloom, do you think the United States will help us or the Soviets?"
Elder Bloom thought seriously. "If it's Roosevelt, he will help the Soviets."
"Yes, if they don't help the Soviets, and we defeat the Soviets and integrate Eurasia and Africa, then the United States will be excluded from the center of the world. So, the United States will strongly support the Soviets, hoping that we and the Soviets will both be exhausted."
During World War II, the materials the United States provided to the Soviet Union included:
132,237 tons of explosives; 2,589,766 tons of steel; 26,110 tons of aluminum; 2,622,357 tons of petroleum; 631,017 tons of chemicals; 100 merchant ships; 200 torpedo boats; 60 small submarine chasers; 77 A-class and U-class minesweepers; 43 landing ships; 28 Tacoma-class frigates; 1,196 radars; 329 sonars; 420,000 trucks and jeeps; more than 8,700 tractors; 1,981 locomotives; 44,600 metal-cutting machine tools; 8,218 anti-aircraft guns; 5,800 anti-tank guns; 8,200 tanks and self-propelled guns; 14,000 aircraft; more than 470 million rounds of ammunition, etc.
These aids amounted to more than $150 billion today, accounting for more than a quarter of the total amount of the U.S. Lend-Lease Act.
Because the U.S. aid mainly appeared after Britain won the Battle of Britain and the Soviet Union won the Battle of Moscow, it seemed insignificant. Especially for the Soviet Union, being able to withstand the first wave of the German blitzkrieg meant the inevitable defeat of Germany and the possibility of the Soviet Union turning the tide.
But the problem is that Germany had already occupied almost all of Western Europe and almost all of the Soviet industrial bases, so it was not inferior to the Soviet Union in terms of size, and fighting a protracted war was not a problem. Moreover, the Soviet Union had almost lost all its industrial areas in Europe, and the industrial capacity in the rear Siberia could not be restored in the short term. At this time, U.S. aid was particularly important.
Providing timely help is far more important than adding icing on the cake. The U.S. aid, which was used where it was most needed, appeared at the critical moment when the Soviet Union was in dire straits, and its help to the Soviet Union was imaginable.
Elder Bloom said, "But according to the current support rate of the American people, it is difficult for Roosevelt to be elected as the next president. Moreover, since Washington, no president has served more than two terms." Although it is not stipulated by the Constitution, no one would be arrogant enough to think they are greater than Washington.
You don't know the historical process of the original timeline, Wilhelm thought to himself, shaking his head. "Even if it's not Roosevelt, the new president cannot change America's strategic policy. The new president might be even more aggressive and lead the United States into war directly."