Big Time 1958

On the anti-Mobutu leaflet, in addition to pointing out the various problems that Mobutu had notified to the DRC, the most important point was to state the position of the Sudanese government, which was signed by all the Sudanese Military Council, and finally wrote, "We are Lu. Momba University students, if you haven't forgotten Prime Minister Lumumba, please join us in overthrowing this brutal regime."

   The above accusation made Mobutu's eyelids jump, and the name Lumumba was a thorn in his heart. Of course, the true founding father of Congo did not die directly in his hands, but Mobutu played a role in fueling the flames at the time. It was he who delivered the captured Lumumba to the warlord who was bound to kill him. After the successful seizure of power, Mobutu banned the activities of Lumumbaists, which was also his own psychological effect. Fear that Lumumba's supporters will one day come back.

Although there are such hidden concerns, Lumumba's supporters never expected to return from Sudan. "A group of students from the Soviet Union, speaking so noble, seems like you are an independent country." Mobutu scoffed, and then issued the order. Ordered the seizure of all leaflets dropped by the Sudanese Air Force, and those who concealed them were immediately executed.

One thing the KGB judged correctly was that the Lumumba faction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo did still exist, resisting in the provinces that Mobutu could not control. This new African country, even a strongman like Mobutu, would not May end tribal rule. The Sultan was purged by the KGB himself, and a stable government was barely established. Although far from meeting the expectations of the Soviet Union, it is still much stronger than the structure of the Congo.

   Almost at the same time, Andropov came out of the Kremlin and immediately went to the Ministry of Defense. He was recognized by General Secretary Brezhnev, Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, Sherepin, and Chairman of the Council of Ministers Kosygin. Arrive at the Ministry of Defense with Ustinov and order the Soviet Air Force to resupply Sudan.

   Less than a year after the war in the Middle East, because of the wars in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the two enemies of the Soviet Union and the United States once again rolled up their sleeves and faced each other, building an air bridge for the two countries involved in the war. One reached the battlefield from the northern hemisphere to Central Africa, and the other supported Kinshasa across the Atlantic.

   The transport aircraft formations of the air forces of the two countries have occupied the focus of the world. This is the competition of the air forces of the United States and the Soviet Union. Both countries are very far away from the host country, and the distance is about the same. This contest is also a demonstration of the strategic projection power of the respective air forces.

   In order to ensure the influence on Sudan, Brezhnev ordered to support Sudan's just cause, and especially emphasized that the support operation should be done with great fanfare, showing NATO the unparalleled strategic strike capability of the Soviet Union. On June 20, the Soviet Union began to transport supplies to Ethiopia on a large scale. At least 200 transport planes flew from the Soviet Union to Ethiopia that night, unloading tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, rocket launchers, and a large number of fighter jets and fighter jets. military helicopter.

"Let Zinev maintain the airport in Sudan. We must ensure that a Soviet transport plane will land in Khartoum every half an hour. As for the transfer to the battlefield on the southern line of Sudan, we also have to look at my students. After taking power, is there any real change in Sudan? If they can’t even carry out air transport in the country, frankly I will be very disappointed.” Shelov mobilized the KGB’s forces in Sudan while sending a telegram to the students in Khartoum .

The Soviet Air Force’s strategic transport capacity is, in all fairness, a little worse than that of the United States, but it has reached the level of the Soviet Union in the late 1970s in history. In this case, in order to bridge the capacity gap with the United States Air Force, decisive judgment is required. , make a quick judgment and narrow the time among them to take the lead.

   Now the world economic crisis, the huge fleet of transport planes between the two countries can't afford it. Compared with the United States, which was affected by oil prices, the Soviet Union, which had been doing its own thing, was hardly affected, and because of the rise in prices, a lot of foreign exchange was added. Historically, the Soviet Union used this money to buy food, but now the Soviet Union has a food solution. In the way of armaments, they are even more willing to burn money, and they can definitely afford it.

   Just when the people of the world feared that the world would not be in chaos and exclaimed what happened to the United States and the Soviet Union, the problem before Serov was not that of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The problem of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo was simple. It is not so difficult to stand on the side of allies and fight the enemy.

   But another problem is more complicated. Chairman Siad Barre of Somalia is preparing to visit Moscow. It should be almost time to get off the plane at this time. Before that, Shelov heard that Siad Barre was operating the so-called West Somalia problem. This place is Ethiopian land, but Somalis occupy the majority.

   As early as five years ago, there was a coup in Somalia. After successfully coming to power, Siad Barre chose to be pro-Soviet and became an ally of the Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa. Last year, a coup occurred in Ethiopia, and Somalia’s left neighbor also became an ally of the Soviet Union.

Therefore, the reason why Ethiopia and Somalia are hostile to each other has just aroused Serov's vigilance, because from the perspective of decades later, the war between these two countries with good relations with the Soviet Union is a meaningless war at all. , there is no winner, because both countries lost, it is not accurate to say that, plus all three countries of the Soviet Union lost.

   If you compare Somalia in this era, it is similar to Afghanistan in this era. There must be one problem. The countryside is also very poor, and the gap between the rich and the poor is very large. But Somalia is a promising country in this day and age. The government is still in operation, and it is fully capable of controlling the whole country of Somalia. Somali Airlines is the most highly rated airline in Africa, and its gentle attitude and service are among the best in Africa.

  Ethiopia has the highest reputation among all African countries because of its record in Italy. Once Somalia and Ethiopia fight, the Soviet Union is likely to choose Ethiopia, which was once a powerful country. Thus losing the base in the Horn of Africa.

These are not the reasons why Serov wants to stop the war. He is not so great. In order to seize the Congo, a big mining country, he has just launched the war between Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once the interests appear and it is beneficial to the Soviet Union, he does not mind the first to rush in. harvest. There is only one reason for not doing this. The Ogaden oil field and natural gas field that stimulated the ambitions of the Somalis at that time have not been discovered by experts from various countries in the 21st century.

   In other words, exploration companies in Western European countries just let out a wind, saying that there may be oil there, and the two countries fought. This is the same as the report by the Western European Notre Dame reporter that Haile Selassie I fed meat to lions, which led to the Ethiopian emperor being placed under house arrest and separated from the Western world. The root cause is a rumor.

"I heard about Siad Barre's ambitions. We can't support this kind of idea. We must strictly stop it, and we can't even be vague about not expressing our position. Otherwise, because of Siad Barre's character, he will definitely do something to Ethiopia. Yes, you must know that the situation in Ethiopia is not good now, the famine has just been brought under control, and once the war starts, the famine will definitely expand rapidly." Shelov clearly expressed his opinion, and he opposed to playing sloppy eyes between Ethiopia and Somalia.

  Ethiopia has been pro-Soviet since the coup d'état. Somalia was originally an ally of the Soviet Union, and there are more than 4,000 Soviet military advisors. Once the war begins, the Soviet Union must choose one of them. No matter how you choose the Soviet Union, you are a loser and will offend another country. Isn't this choice sick?

   "Somalia shouldn't dare, how can their country be an opponent of Ethiopia." Kirilenko thinks that Serov is making a big fuss. He is the secretary in charge of heavy industry, and he still doesn't know much about the current two countries.

"Somalia's strength is now higher than Ethiopia's. Ethiopia's army has been cleaned up. Now it is definitely not Somalia's opponent. Siad Barre must have seen this and is ready to take advantage of the neighboring civil strife." Shelov raised his eyebrows. Picked up, "This kind of gambler's mentality, the Third Reich and Japan in those days, have already shown it once. In the eyes of the Soviet Union and the United States, how dare these two countries confront us? In the end, we were all confused. a slap."

"Shelov is right. We should stop this dangerous idea. Somalia's territorial ambitions arise because of the rumor of oil in Ogaden. This is very good. On the one hand, we can accuse the Western world of thinking about oil. Crazy, while sending a large-scale exploration team to the local area for exploration, if there is nothing in the local area, Somalia will naturally not start a war." The Supreme Soviet Chairman Shelepin immediately seized the opportunity to express his opinion.

Um? Brezhnev stopped Kirilenko's words with his eyes and said, "Okay, if there is oil, we will invest, if we hadn't persuaded the two countries to lift their hostility, we could still afford the funds for this exploration. Yura, for the first time in years, I seem to see you in a meeting to stop the war."

   "Who made me a pacifist?" Serov said with a blushing face, making Brezhnev chuckle, and then restrained his expression. As a general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he should be serious.

In the subsequent meeting with Siad Barre, Brezhnev seriously pointed out the danger of this kind of adventure, and said that Ethiopia is not easy to deal with. It is still the capital of the African Union, and the Soviet Union dare not support Somalia. , anyway, there are some interfaces, and finally expressed that the Soviet Union is willing to explore the disputed area to prove whether the local area is worth fighting for. (To be continued~^~)