As the German military continued advancing into the Russian interior, the construction of various infrastructure projects also accelerated. Large numbers of Russian prisoners of war were put to work on them. Highways, railways, and airfields became the top priority. After more than two million Russian prisoners of war were confined in POW camps, they began laboring on these projects.
For Germany, these Russian prisoners of war were undoubtedly the best labor force. The more roads and railways they built, and the faster they built them, the more adequate the logistical support for the front lines would be. The greater the German military's chances of winning the war would become. After all, including the armies of its client states, the German military now had nearly twelve million troops fighting within Russia. Merely ensuring supplies for such a massive force was already a huge problem. It was even more difficult than defeating the Russian military.
When fighting in western Russia, the transportation situation had still been relatively good. Trains and trucks could more or less easily meet the troops' consumption needs. But after entering the areas around Moscow, the transportation conditions were already far worse than in western Russia. Though it was now spring, rain and melting ice and snow had turned the roads into mud. Along with the Russians' deliberate sabotage, the roads were riddled with huge craters. Many times, even trucks would sink into the holes and be unable to climb out. This undoubtedly severely affected the front lines' logistical supplies. Therefore, in order to ensure supplies for the frontline troops, the German military had no choice but to commit enormous resources to urgently repairing the roads.
As for airfields, those were considered entirely from a military standpoint. Although the German Air Force also possessed a sizable transport aircraft fleet,