The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 1333: Chapter 965: United Nations Conference Chapter 1333: Chapter 965: United Nations Conference Christmas of 1938 best demonstrated the extent of loss suffered by nations worldwide during the war.

Logically speaking, Christmas, being one of the most important holidays in the West, equivalent to the Spring Festival in the East,
should have been a time of laughter and joy in Western nations, with people enjoying abundant food and celebrating together, basking in the beauty of this beautiful holiday.

But now, in most areas of the belligerent countries, the former laughter and joy were long gone.

Even the food that Europeans took for granted had become scarce on the tables of the people in the belligerent countries.

The situation was somewhat better in Britain and France. Although they also suffered losses, they had supplies from their colonies, and the continuous export of grain and meat from Australasia meant that, while the supply situation for the public was tense, it was not yet desperate.

But aside from Britain and France, the situation in other European nations at that time was not so bright and shiny.

Italy and Spain, which had just surrendered, need not be mentioned. Following their unconditional surrender, a considerable portion of the supplies produced by Italy and Spain were transported to the battlefield by Britain-France-Australia, which considerably reduced the living supplies of the Italian and Spanish public, to the point where a material distribution system had to be implemented.

However, the Spanish and Italian descendants had no choice. As defeated nations in the war, the fate of their countries was in the hands of the victors.

Nevertheless, Spain and Italy were not the most pitiful nations in the war at that time. The truly dire nations were those regions occupied by Germany.

After the successive surrenders of Spain and Italy and the reclamation of Northern Europe by the Britain-France-Australia Three Nations, the supplies that the German government could collect from abroad had drastically decreased.

But with a population exceeding 80 million, the consumption of supplies for these people was a colossal figure. In order to maintain domestic supply consumption, the interests of the populace in the occupied areas had to be sacrificed.

Whether it was Poland, Hungary, or the Benelux, vast amounts of supplies were being continuously transported to Germany Mainland every day and then processed and distributed to the front-line Military and domestic German public.

It was precisely because of the massive amount of supplies from the occupied territories that Germany could still hold on at that time, and the domestic situation had not become untenable.

On the contrary, Russia, which had lost most of its Territory, was in a state of emergency regarding supplies.

Even though Russia had a vast land area, it also had a Population of over a hundred million, and the daily consumption of grain was an enormous figure.

Furthermore, after vast areas of Eastern Europe, particularly major grain-producing regions like Ukraine, were occupied by Germany, the Food production Inside Russia Nation had already drastically decreased.

If it weren’t for the fact that the Russians in the occupied areas did not need to be managed by the Russian Government, it is likely that Russia would be facing collapse due to a grain crisis.

As the saying goes, “Food is the first necessity of the people.” Without such a basic survival supply as grain, one cannot even speak of the importance of defending the country, as the people couldn’t even ensure their own safety.

Of the European Powers, Russia was probably faring the worst among the belligerent Powers, which were Britain, France, Germany, and Russia. The British and French people’s tables still had meat, regardless of what kind, at least it was meat.

Most of the German public also managed to have a full meal on Christmas Day, and even the Military had a portion of meat supplies.

Whereas on the Russian side, even the Military’s grain supplies were strained, and the domestic public had to implement strict Material distribution.

Even on Christmas Day, the supplies that Russians could get were limited, making it difficult even to eat to their fill.

Never mind meat, a piece of coarse and hard Bread, a cup of some indeterminate grain mush, and an apple on the verge of rotting—these were basically the Christmas dinner for the Russian public.

Logically, the situation in Russia should not have been as serious as it was.

After all, the United Kingdom and Australasia had provided some supplies to Russia, including as much as 500 Tons of canned rabbit meat from Australasia, amounting to over a million cans.

But to Arthur’s surprise, the Russians did indeed receive this aid and even transported it to the front line.

However, Russia’s poor logistics played a counterproductive role, and due to heavy snow at the front line a few days before Christmas, most of the supplies failed to reach the front.

The good news, however, was that the Germans’ logistics on the front line were also in dire straits.

The harsh Russian Winter was notoriously cruel, and, coupled with Russia’s poor logistical situation, any strong Military would suffer in Russia’s winter conditions.

The last to struggle were the widely known Napoleon, and now, naturally, it was the turn of the equally famous German Chancellor and German Army.

Fortunately, the location of the war was Stalingrad, which, although in the heartland of Russia, was already considered the south of Russia, where the Winter was not as unbearable as in Moscow.

Moreover, having learned from their bitter experiences in Moscow during the winter, the Germans had already had produced a large quantity of cotton-padded clothes and other cold-weather gear in advance, which they sent to the front line as a priority.

It could be said that this winter was extremely tough for both the Russian and German armies. Whoever could endure the longest would also be likely to win the war.