Czech not giving in in 1938?

Why is everyone saying that the Red Army purge hurt the Red Army so badly that it couldn't fight Germany? In 1939, a year after the purge, The Red Army under Zhukov defeated the Japanese in Mongolia and convinced the Japanese to sign a Non-Aggression Pact with the Soviet Union, which lasted until the Soviets abandoned it at the end of World War II.

In 1939 the USSR also went to war with Finland and bungled the war horribly to the point that Marshal Mannerheim gave them some very expensive lessons in tactics....Zhukov was the best Soviet general of the war so his being present at that battle offers a skewed view of the entire Red Army of the time.
 
In 1939 the USSR also went to war with Finland and bungled the war horribly to the point that Marshal Mannerheim gave them some very expensive lessons in tactics....Zhukov was the best Soviet general of the war so his being present at that battle offers a skewed view of the entire Red Army of the time.
Of course Finland had some substantial advantages that Germany didn't really posses.
 
Just find out that around September 22-23 Soviet air force officers landed in Prague on mission to check possibilities of Soviet support for Czechoslovakia. On the meeting in Brno with Czechoslovak Air Force commander general Fejfr one of officers, Iakov Smushkevich on September 27th said that Soviets could provide 700 airplanes. According to some sources there was meeting in Moscow on September 25th when generality of Soviet army made decision to start preparations for 700 planes to leave for Czechoslovakia.
Anyway for example General Syrovy after war mentioned around 100 planes promised. (Czechoslovakia had ready 380 B-534, 213 Bombers (B-71, Ab-101, A-100, MB-200), 259 scouts/light bombers S-328.)
 
Czechoslovak gold reserves shortly before Munich were 94 t. After Munich Czechoslovakia had to pay 14.5 tons to Germany as a payment for currency reform in Sudetland. Additional gold was gained by Germany after march 1939. Around 40 t deposited in English banks and transferred to Germany.

Did you guys notice how fast Poland and Czechoslovakia were trying to update their bombers fleets. B-71 in case of Czechoslovakia and PZL-37 in case of Poland but with fighters planes their were much slower (B-35, B-135 and PZL-50 which were just in state of plans and prototypes). Why the armies of small regional powers didn't recognize priority of defense and started to build or buy modern fighter planes? I understand that in 1936/37 there was not much to buy except maybe Hurricane, but here priority in manufacturing were supplying the RAF. In USA it was Curtiss P-36 with tag price around $ 23 000. Czechoslovakia had also an option to buy instead of SB-2 from Soviet Union I-16s as a stop gap. Anyway 300-400 of them in Czechoslovak possession would change balance of air power from Luftwaffe side at least to make it more even fight. Does anybody now wha was the price for I-16 which Spain was paying for them? I mean. Czechoslovakia could spend 14.5 t of gold to buy easily another 400 modern fighter planes, 300 LT-35s, around 500 antitank guns and 500 AA from Oerlikon and still go with deal of SB-2 with Soviet Union (these were exchange for rights to produce Skoda mountain gun in Soviet Union). I know that in 30-ies a lot of European armies were modernizing with the time finish time around 1940. But still in 1937 it already looked pretty bad. The true is only Anschlus showed real imminent danger to Czechoslovakia. But Czechoslovak Government still had time to buy i-16s from Russia for similar deal or cash. Plus manufacturing another tanks as factories could be run on three shifts.
BTW during the mobilisation another tanks were added to inventory. The tanks manufactured in Slovakia for various customer around the world.
It would be better to blow 14.5-30 tons on modern weapons and the rights to manufacture them then just give them to Hitler for free.
 

Cook

Banned
Of course Finland had some substantial advantages that Germany didn't really posses.
Yes, an impatient Stalin unwilling to listen to his generals and wanting a quick victory without even the most basic preparations and after having just shot his most competent generals. Of course, the Germans had that advantage too for the first months of Barbarossa, and then the snow started...

 
Yes, an impatient Stalin unwilling to listen to his generals and wanting a quick victory without even the most basic preparations and after having just shot his most competent generals. Of course, the Germans had that advantage too for the first months of Barbarossa, and then the snow started...

Actually the German plan was failing even when it looked it was working. Their plan involved only the army, not any city at first. So they smash their first dozen Russian armies and are breaking out the champagne and celebrating the war's end.....then they bang into another dozen in Ukraine and at Smolensk. Then another dozen. Then another. Then outside Moscow a quarter-million-more.....:eek::cool:
 

BlondieBC

Banned
If Germans will have hard time dealing with Czechs there is possibility of Poland intervening against Germans, at least to take Danzig or if a larger war erupts to correction of border in Silesia and East Prussia.

If I had to place a bet, the Poles are more likely to enter against the Czech than Germans. The Poles took part of Slovakia in OTL. The best bet is the Poles remain neutral, but if I had to bet, I go against the Czechs.
 
If I had to place a bet, the Poles are more likely to enter against the Czech than Germans. The Poles took part of Slovakia in OTL. The best bet is the Poles remain neutral, but if I had to bet, I go against the Czechs.
I would say Poland would wait till war goes bad for Czechoslovakia and then occupy areas of interest (Tesin, and maybe some areas of Slovakia they did occupied in 1938 - small parts on Czech-Slovak-Polish border and small areas in West and High Tatras region.
 

MSZ

Banned
I would say Poland would wait till war goes bad for Czechoslovakia and then occupy areas of interest (Tesin, and maybe some areas of Slovakia they did occupied in 1938 - small parts on Czech-Slovak-Polish border and small areas in West and High Tatras region.

If the war went badly for Czechoslovakia, wouldn't Tesin be under German control? Munich granted it to the germans OTL, remember.

And I am positive that in case of hostilities, Poland would go to war with Germany, period. Czechoslovakia offered to resolve the Tesin issue by surrendering it to Poland and form an alliance with it as early as 22 september 1938 (by the diplomatic note sent). Poland accepted it 5 days later. By accepting Munich Benes broke that alliance - if he chose to fight, Poland would have good reason to step in (to take direct control of disputed territory) and France and Britain would be in a much harder position (abandoning Sudetenland is one thing, abandoning Poland was another).
 
The Czech defenses are in primarily sudentland german zones so I wonder how those would hold if the germans in sudentland try partisan warfare like the germans in Poland did before Poland got invaded.

They'll be crushed, it's rather easy to crush partisans in a small country when you're willing to kill the entire populace supporting them if the need arises.
 
If the war went badly for Czechoslovakia, wouldn't Tesin be under German control? Munich granted it to the germans OTL, remember.

And I am positive that in case of hostilities, Poland would go to war with Germany, period. Czechoslovakia offered to resolve the Tesin issue by surrendering it to Poland and form an alliance with it as early as 22 september 1938 (by the diplomatic note sent). Poland accepted it 5 days later. By accepting Munich Benes broke that alliance - if he chose to fight, Poland would have good reason to step in (to take direct control of disputed territory) and France and Britain would be in a much harder position (abandoning Sudetenland is one thing, abandoning Poland was another).
No it wouldn't be under German control if Poland move in when Czechoslovak troops will be retreating or after deal with Czechoslovak. My understanding about Benes's offer from September 22nd wasn't really about the alliance with Poland but about buying out Poland's neutrality.
 
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