Soviet Union Background:


The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR),was a socialist state that spanned Europe and Asia during its existence from 1922 to 1991. It was nominally a federal union of multiple national republics; in practice its government and economy were highly centralized until its final years. The country was a one-party state prior to 1990 governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with Moscow as its capital within its largest and most populous republic, the Russian SFSR. Other major urban centers were Leningrad (Russian SFSR), Kiev (Ukrainian SSR), Minsk (Byelorussian SSR), Tashkent (Uzbek SSR), Alma-Ata (Kazakh SSR) and Novosibirsk (Russian SFSR). It was the largest country in the world, covering over 22,402,200 square kilometres (8,649,500 sq mi), and spanning eleven time zones.

The groundwork for the future Soviet Union was laid in the October Revolution of 1917 when the Bolsheviks, lead by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Provisional Government. That provisional government secured its power during the earlier February Revolutionn that replaced the absolute monarchy of the Tsar. The Bolsheviks established the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic,the world's first constitutionally guaranteed socialist state. Tensions between the Bolsheviks and other factions ignited a civil war.

The Bolsheviks organized a volunteer militia called the Red Guard. Monarchists, conservatives, nationalists, and other left-wing non Bolshevik communists fought against the Bolsheviks and were collectively called the White Army. The largest faction, the White Guard, which engaged in violent anti-communist repression against the Bolsheviks and their worker and peasant supporters known as the White Terror. The widespread terror and repression fueled Bolshevik propaganda efforts and the Red Guard began gathering steam, transforming into the Red Army. The Red Army expanded and helped local Bolsheviks take power, establishing soviets. Following an attempted assassination Lenin, the Bolsheviks began the Red Terror which saw widespread repression of political opponents and rebellious peasants. In 1922, the Bolsheviks had emerged victorious from the civil war. After securing territories outside Russia proper and forming communist governments in them, the Bolsheviks founded the Soviet Union which included the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian and Byelorussian republics. The New Economic Policy (NEP), which was introduced by Lenin, led to a partial return of a free market and private property; this resulted in a period of economic recovery and growth.

The civil war and subsequent recovery efforts dramatically impacted Lenin's ability to lead the party and country alike. By 1924 his health began failing and on January 24, Lenin died. A power vacuum emerged within the party as Lenin failed to designate a successor or a process of nominating a successor. Commissar for War and Foreign Affairs Leon Trotsky, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin began a power struggle that would dictate the nation's future. Stalin successfully leveraged his position to outmaneuver Trotsky exiling him and establishing a totalitarian dictatorship over the Soviet Union. With his dictatorship firmly established Stalin suppressed all political opposition to his dogma inside the Communist Party and inaugurated a command economy. As a result, the country underwent a period of rapid industrialization and forced collectivization, which led to significant economic growth. A consequence of such rapid industrialization also led to a man-made famine in 1932–1933 which killed millions of peasants. He also expanded the Gulag labour camp system originally established in 1918. Initially the Gulag was only to be used against the most serious criminal offenders but Stalin used it against anyone who went against party policy. As a consequence of forced industrialization, collectivization, and persisting paranoia Stalin began to fear his position was under threat. Fearing his political opponents could outmaneuver him, Stalin spearheaded a campaign of show-trials collectively called the Great Purge to remove his actual and perceived opponents from the Party through mass arrests of military leaders, Communist Party members, and ordinary citizens alike. Those found guilty would would either be detained in forced labor camps or executed.


Redy Army Background:


The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, frequently shortened to Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The army was established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. The Bolsheviks raised an army to oppose the military confederations (especially the various groups collectively known as the White Army) of their adversaries during the Russian Civil War. Beginning in February 1946, the Red Army, along with the Soviet Navy, embodied the main component of the Soviet Armed Forces; taking the official name of "Soviet Army", until its dissolution in December 1991.

The Red Army provided the largest land force in the Allied victory in the European theatre of World War II, and its invasion of Manchuria assisted the unconditional surrender of Imperial Japan. During operations on the Eastern Front, it accounted for 75–80% of casualties the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS suffered during the war and ultimately captured the Nazi German capital, Berlin.


Details of Modernization:

The Red Army standard service rifle is the AKM & SKS both using the 7.62x39mm RU with the SKS 20 rounds and AKM with 30 rounds, they use Soviet Flak Jackets & Soviet compact Helmets, the Soviet units were well equipped, but with bad coordination, the AKM is still in adoption process but is expected to be massively used in 1943, The Helmet is not common among the soviets, using Patrol Caps, Ushakas & also they use antiquate & Old-Dated vest.