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I'm waiting for the Soviets to develop SPART for export, which I'll then add as the 5th brigade for all the armd/mot formations (none of them have ART yet). The Cav don't have arty either. I'll investigate what it would take for me to do SPART conversions - not sure if it will be in reach, but would be useful if it was.
it seems the prerequisite is level 3 in all 4 light tank techs. I was referring to our ordinary inf divisions that will get upgraded to mot, most of them have an artillery as a 4th brigade so we might need to detach them for to not slow down the formation
it seems the prerequisite is level 3 in all 4 light tank techs. I was referring to our ordinary inf divisions that will get upgraded to mot, most of them have an artillery as a 4th brigade so we might need to detach them for to not slow down the formation
Ah, I doubt I’ll be upgrading many/any of them any time soon. If that happens in larger scale ever, it might be for Great War 2.1 vs the Allies. Until then, they’ll be more of a specialist formation for breakthrough work, with selective upgrades of some units to save IC, manpower and time. I think, anyway.
Ah, I doubt I’ll be upgrading many/any of them any time soon. If that happens in larger scale ever, it might be for Great War 2.1 vs the Allies. Until then, they’ll be more of a specialist formation for breakthrough work, with selective upgrades of some units to save IC, manpower and time. I think, anyway.
Yes Turkey doesn't get tanks in HOI4 either. Which is annoying because the way the game is currently set up (so all dlc before man the guns for future readers) means that turkey is on the european front untakeable if the player sets up some trenches and infantry in advance. On the middle east front though, you know, the front the turks can actually expand into without ruining their european front and getting involved in ww2, infantry will die in droves without mechanical assitance. It's all desert and flat open terrain. The enemy doesnt have airplanes so there are no runways for you to base your own strikes off. Its a pure ground war and a much better army under italy got its ass handed to them by a middle eastern allaince until i burned millions of men getting that bloody oil.
Basically tanks are more of a necessity in HOI4 I think. The only countries I've played where they are not gamechangingly amazing have been China and France. One because if you win initially then you have unlimited men for infantry so you might as well crank them out, and the other because literally all your resources go into building that wall and holding it.
Yes Turkey doesn't get tanks in HOI4 either. Which is annoying because the way the game is currently set up (so all dlc before man the guns for future readers) means that turkey is on the european front untakeable if the player sets up some trenches and infantry in advance. On the middle east front though, you know, the front the turks can actually expand into without ruining their european front and getting involved in ww2, infantry will die in droves without mechanical assitance. It's all desert and flat open terrain. The enemy doesnt have airplanes so there are no runways for you to base your own strikes off. Its a pure ground war and a much better army under italy got its ass handed to them by a middle eastern allaince until i burned millions of men getting that bloody oil.
Basically tanks are more of a necessity in HOI4 I think. The only countries I've played where they are not gamechangingly amazing have been China and France. One because if you win initially then you have unlimited men for infantry so you might as well crank them out, and the other because literally all your resources go into building that wall and holding it.
Long story short...yes and no. That doesn't help, does it?
As of TFH tanks (and some other tank-like units, e.g. MEC/TDs) have a value called armor and all land units have a stat called piercing. If a unit in combat has armor, it takes half the damage from any enemy units with lower piercing than its armor, which means that tanks in general are able to totally stomp on enemies without proper AT upgrades, and heavy tanks in specific are nearly unstoppable unless the enemy has their own heavy tanks or over-techs into AT/TD brigades. So in that sense, tanks are totally OP unless you have the correct counters in place, especially against a poorly-teched foe (like any AI minor or even semi-majors like Italy, China, etc.)
On the other hand, tanks are quite expensive especially heavy tanks and over-investing in them can lead to not having enough infantry to advance on a broad front or to hold the flanks which is tbh a fair representation of the real-life armor/infantry dynamic. Vanilla HoI3 does this fairly, but mods like BICE/HPP further highlight the disparity by reducing the ORG of tanks, so they are very good at attacking and breaking through but without infantry support will not be able to hold the ground they take against enemy breakout counterattacks - which is something I keep having trouble with in my HPP Germany campaigns when I invade France, so it feels very realistic and challenging.
I haven't played HoI4 so I can't compare, but another aspect of HoI3 tank warfare is that they suck at attacking into rough terrain, particularly hills/mountains as well as urban centers, which ie one of the main reasons you usually don't build a lot of armored divisions as Japan or China even if you have the tech. That helps make tanks even more specialized and less broadly OP because it's often possible to set up a defensive line along terrain that tanks don't fight well in - such as the Yeniceri Line in this AAR!
Useful analysis as always, Professor Nukeluru Slorepee (aka @nuclearslurpee). And many times in this game I’ve seen the Germans and Soviets have their armoured breakthroughs successfully counter-attacked because they outrun their infantry support and are caught somewhat disorganised after advancing from a tough fight. Armoured/mech warfare is all about momentum and I think even the unmodified tfh can be quite reasonable at portraying that. Once you let properly equipped infantry dig in and reorganise on a decent defensive line, it can be tough for the armour to force the issue. Needs air support too.
As of TFH tanks (and some other tank-like units, e.g. MEC/TDs) have a value called armor and all land units have a stat called piercing. If a unit in combat has armor, it takes half the damage from any enemy units with lower piercing than its armor, which means that tanks in general are able to totally stomp on enemies without proper AT upgrades, and heavy tanks in specific are nearly unstoppable unless the enemy has their own heavy tanks or over-techs into AT/TD brigades.
Okay so HOI4 has a system of upgrading where once you unlock a tank you can boost these stats plus speed and supply consumption by using up army exp. As you can also customise your infantry quite well too, it is rather easy to build invincible in defence infantry divs with tank divs that can outrun and outgun everything.
The ultimate unlock on the tank tree is a medium tank for most nations, that is generally the best tank in the game and cheaper to make than late game heavy tanks.
Mm...this really does depend on so many factors such as night and weather as well in HOI4 that I'm not sure what terrain by itself does to tanks. In europe they tend to be fairly useless because everyone has a natural border and fortifies it. But once you get them past that, they tend to run over everything.
Once you let properly equipped infantry dig in and reorganise on a decent defensive line, it can be tough for the armour to force the issue. Needs air support too.
True but in HOI4 the hardest part of the game is making a good infantry mould for your army cos there is so much to unlock. Once you do it then you tend to win easy but before then they'll get murdered by everything. And since most countries dont have specific national focuses, most countries will have terrible armies for most of the game.
I've mentioned before about the two russian tanks taking over spain for the republicans but since then I've also seen tanks drive from Washington state to DC very quickly so...its hard to tell.
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Chapter 149: A Severe Turn (16 to 29 October 1941)
Chapter 149: A Severe Turn (16 to 29 October 1941)
AuthAAR’s Notes
Given the ATL front is not moving quickly and we are approaching the OTL winter campaign, I will go a bit more general now with the Eastern Front OTL comparisons. I will just mention key city losses or events, etc. Every so often, I’ll present maps with the historical positions to compare to the ‘real’ ones in the AAR.
Also, I had hoped to cover the rest of the month plus summary reports in one chapter, but best laid plans … it means you will be left with a bit of a cliff hanger. However, it also means I now have room for a bit more of the narrative components too. The Midnight Express passenger manifest for the second half of October will be included in the monthly summaries.
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16 Oct 41 (pm)
OTL: Eastern Front. The Germans finally won the siege of Odessa.
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17 Oct 41
News Report: United States. Kearny incident [OTL]: the American destroyer USS Kearny, dispatched to defend Allied convoy SC 48 from a German wolfpack, was hit by a torpedo from the German submarine U-568.
USS Kearny (DD-432), is a new Benson-Livermore-class destroyer, launched on 9 March 1940 and commissioned on 13 September 1940. She was torpedoed by a German U-boat 17 October 1941 but survived that attack. In October 1941, Kearny was docked at Reykjavík, in US-occupied Iceland. A "wolfpack" of German U-boats attacked a nearby British convoy and overwhelmed her Canadian escorts. Kearny and three other U.S. destroyers were summoned to assist. Immediately on reaching the action, Kearny dropped depth charges on the U-boats, and continued to barrage throughout the night. [In OTL, this action was specifically cited as a provocation in Hitler's declaration of war on the US two months later.]
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18 Oct 41
As the latest diplomatic mission returns from Moscow, another is despatched hot on its heels: it is time for another lavish project for the future – that will not overtax limited manpower. And with the first heavy tank brigade (equipped with IS-1 heavy tanks) due to complete construction on 14 November, Inönü believes the budget can stand the enormous outlay. Another heavy tank brigade – this time equipped with the latest IS-2 model – is ordered. [Basically, your author really wants one of these babies, even if it is an indulgence! ]It is a real beast: slow-moving, it will be used as an infantry support tank for a foot-infantry breakthrough division.
OTL Event: Tokyo, Japan. Hideki Tojo replaced Fumimaro Konoe as Prime Minister of Japan.[Note: In-game it is still Okada Keisuke, a ‘Happy Amateur’!]
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19 Oct 41
Arın Kaya, wife of Şükrü Kaya, meets Foreign Minister Aras in his office at the Foreign Ministry. Kaya still remains incommunicado, but not condemned. She is worried and despite distrusting Aras, she is asking if he had any news or can provide any help. And perhaps trying to catch him out or implicate him in the plot against her husband.
Arın Kaya. She is a formidable woman and influential in her own right.
The picture is actually of Hatice Özgener (1865 – February 21, 1940). She was a Turkish female school teacher, politician and one of the first 18 members of the Turkish parliament.
They have made pointed small talk for a while – more polite verbal jousting really, which has become increasingly tense.
“Gentle Lady Arın,” says Aras. “To leave this keen encounter of our wits, and fall somewhat into a slower method, is not the causer of Kaya’s untimely imprisonment as blameful as the jailer?” He implies the ‘jailer’ is Prime Minister Bayar and that the ‘causer’ is unknown.
“I fear you are the cause, and the most accursed effect!” she says, pointedly. And accurately, as it happens, though she cannot be certain.
“Oh, not me, my eyes could never endure to see your anguish. Your smile would light my day!”
Arın Kaya is made of sterner stuff than this, however, and is not convinced: “May black night overshadow your day, and death your life!”
“Curse not yourself, dear lady, you are both!”
“Oh, would I were, to be revenged on you.”
“It is a quarrel most unnatural, to be revenged on him that loves you.”
“It is a quarrel just and reasonable, to be revenged on him that back-stabbed my husband.”
“There is another who would be your protector.”
“Where is he?”
“Here.”
Arın spits at him.
“Why do you spit at me?”
“Would it were deadly poison, for your sake!”
“Never came poison from so sweet a place.”
“Never hung poison on a fouler toad. Get out of my sight! You do infect my eyes.”
“Your eyes, sweet lady, have infected mine.”
“Would they were basilisks, to strike you dead!”
“I would they were, that I might die at once; for now they kill me with a living death. Those eyes of yours from mine have drawn salt tears, shamed their aspect with store of childish drops. These eyes that never shed remorseful tear, not when our glorious Atatürk did pass, that all the standers-by had wet their cheeks like trees soaked with rain: in that sad time my manly eyes did scorn a humble tear. And what these sorrows could not then exhale, your unkind scorn has now, and made them blind with weeping. I never flattered friend nor enemy; my tongue could never learn sweet smoothing words; but now my proud heart weeps and prompts my tongue to speak.”
Arın looks at him scornfully.
Aras continues. “Teach not your lips such scorn, for they were not made for such contempt. If your revengeful heart cannot forgive, here I lend you this service revolver; which if you please use to shoot this true heart. My heart that pledges no conspiracy from me, I lay it naked to the deadly shot, and humbly beg the death upon my knee.”
He kneels on one knee and opens his arms wide; she points the pistol at his chest, but hesitates.
“No, do not pause,” he says, rather melodramatically. He is not too worried, as the pistol is only loaded with blanks. A variation on the old Gestapo trick.
She lets her arm that holds the pistol fall, and it clatters to the ground.
“Arise, dissembler: though I wish your death, I will not be the executioner.”
She stalks out of the office. As soon as the door is closed, a wry smile comes to Aras’ lips. But then it is followed by a furrowed brow. What to do about Kaya now?
OTL: Eastern Front. Joseph Stalin proclaimed a state of siege in the capital and issued an Order of the Day that "Moscow will be defended to the last."
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20 Oct 41
Prime Minister Bayar has convened a special meeting of the Security Committee of Cabinet. Interior Minister Kaya is, of course, absent and his department is not represented. The only topic is that of Kaya’s position itself.
“Gentlemen,” starts Bayar, bringing the meeting to order. There are no armed goons present this time – as yet, anyway – so everyone is slightly more relaxed. “We must resolve the issue of the Interior Ministry leadership and Kaya’s position. The Milli Şef has asked me to provide a recommendation.”
Bayar looks down at some notes in front of him and then, after a short pause, continues. “The, ah, discussions with Sükrü were full and frank, but polite, conducted by men from the President’s private office – to avoid any perceived conflicts of interest from among our various security agencies. Various accusations were put before him; he stoutly maintained his innocence and it was the opinion of the President’s delegates that none of them were proven to have any credible substance.”
The faces around the table are all impassive. Aras himself had planned for this outcome: he well knew that the accusations were indeed concocted. His main aim had been to at least see Kaya’s wings clipped if he wasn’t removed outright, so a weakened Kaya remaining in place might even be better than someone new coming in.
“Thoughts, gentlemen?” concludes Bayar. “I have circulated a list that includes those available to fill the position and their pros and cons. It includes Kaya, given he has not been found guilty of anything specific.”
“Other than being an arsehole,” mutters Intelligence Chief Ögel, just loud enough for everyone to hear. None at the table dare chuckle aloud, but few disagree.
“Prime Minister, I note your name is on the list,” observes Supreme Commander Calistar. “Are you keen to assume the role, in addition to your current onerous duties?” He can’t keep a note of cynicism out of his voice. The PM has a reputation as a bit of a backstabber in such matters. Calistar even thinks it might have been Bayar himself who organised all this, so he could add the powerful Interior Ministry to his portfolio.
“As it happens, no Fuad. I have quite enough on my plate. While I believe I would be able to take down foreign spies more effectively than Kaya, I think the concentration of power would feed into dissent. We don’t need that in time of war.” More cynically, he thinks the main dissent would come from the Milli Şef himself, with whom he had a difficult relationship. No point adding to it.
“I see Mehmet Recep Peker’s name is on the list too,” remarks Ögel. “Unfortunately, I don’t really rate him. He may be seen as a compassionate gentlemen of the old school, but our national unity is fine: the nation doesn’t need pampering at this time. It needs strong leadership of the secret police. I think Arikan could combine his duties as Commander of the 1st Army Group with leadership of the Interior Ministry. He would be a strong crime-fighting counter-espionage candidate, with no other drawbacks.”
This draws several nods. He would really make the Midnight Express run on time!
“I agree,” says Aras. “But our counter-espionage operations seem to be doing well enough for now. I know it seems incongruous to some, but Kaya does have a reputation as a ‘man of the people’, whatever that might mean. With Sükrü, we are able to get a little bit more willing cooperation from our research and national leadership efforts. It is why Mustapha Kemal appointed him in the first place.”
“A good point, Aras,” nods Bayar.
“So,” continues the Foreign Minister, playing his ‘loyal and selfless support’ for Kaya to the hilt. “Given no other available candidate can bring that to the table, I suggest we allow Kaya to resume his role. Perhaps with a few safeguards in place given this recent unpleasantness, but otherwise back in charge of the Midnight Express, hunting down foreign operatives and keeping the fractious peoples of the Glorious Union in line. Though I might also suggest a little more discretion regarding the pursuit of this rumoured ‘Thorn’ operative. It did get to the point of interfering with the smooth operation of our various ministries.”
There are nods and murmurs of ‘hear, hear’ around the table.
“I concur,” finishes the Prime Minister. “I will recommend to the President that Kaya is brought back. We shall see what he decides.”
The meeting breaks up. Aras is well enough pleased with this outcome. He will now trumpet his selfless support for his old adversary, hoping his real hand in engineering the whole scenario remains undiscovered. Even if some, like Kaya’s wife, may suspect his involvement.
Certainly, when Kaya returns, he will be furiously trying to work out how all this happened and who was behind it: fortunately for Aras, there is a long, long list of those with an axe to grind against the ‘man of the people’ plus the motive and means to undermine him. The paranoia is only likely to ramp up as the war continues to heap pressure on everyone at the top of Turkey’s riven Government.
---xxx---
21 Oct 41
The Dark Lord Kelebek has appeared (a very apposite term for his sudden unexpected presence) in Ögel’s office on a consultation visit from his activities in Rome, where he is infiltrating the Vatican Bank and scouting out Mafia connections to the Fascist Government, in preparation for the impending combined S.I.T.H. and foreign intelligence service operation. There is also the matter for the dormant, but not forgotten, Mafia plot to assassinate Ambassador ‘Mike’ Ceylan, where treasonous involvement by one of ‘Vito’ Ceylan’s old associates is suspected.
“Thank you for that update, ah, ‘Agent K’,” says Ögel, uneasily trying to maintain his notional position of authority as Kelebek’s superior. Never an easy task and one he takes care not to make too much of. “I can give you a debrief on our recent Security Committee meeting and the case of that blackguard Kaya’s rehabilitation, if you wish it.”
“No need,” rasps Kelebek, waving a nonchalant hand in dismissal. “I’ve already heard all about it.” He does not go into details. I should have known, thinks Ögel to himself, with a mix of irritation and respect that he keeps carefully to himself. “I would like to know when our push into Italy will be ready and my and Cennet’s complementary operations can be put in motion, however. I am ready, as I mentioned before, but Cennet’s arrangements in Naples are not quite complete. It is all about timing, as you know, Chief Ögel.”
“Ah, yes, quite. We now have twelve complete teams ready. After our experience in Japan, I would like to have one more team, giving us a reserve of three in case of casualties. I anticipate launching before the end of the year.”
“Very good. I’ll be gone, then.”
And suddenly, Kelebek isn’t there anymore. How does he do that, wonders Ögel to himself. I’m glad he’s on our side and not the Germans’. Or at least I hope he is on our side!
Kelebek – where did he get to!?
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Entertainment News: United States. The comic book superhero Wonder Woman made her first appearance in All Star Comics issue #8 (cover date December 1941/January 1942). The comic book villain The Penguin made his first appearance in Detective Comics issue #58 (cover date December).
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23 Oct 41
A very welcome improvement in Civil Defence procedures will help with the repair of units damaged in combat. The spare research capacity is directed at improving the weapons of the specialist AT and TD brigades, though further improvements in civil defence would be excellent and remain a likely future project as soon as it can be managed.
With no enemy activity to speak of in the last week and reasonable stability on the wider Patriotic Front, Turkish planners dare to hope that perhaps a corner has been turned in the Great Liberation War. Alas, they shouldn’t have been so foolishly optimistic!
“One this is Three – contact, enemy panzers, motorised infantry and mountaineers are conducting a concerted breakthrough attack over the Danube on our positions in Turnu Severin! We have two Soviet rifle divisions with us and the Soviet corps commander Rykov is leading the battle. Out!”
It is MAJGEN Karabekir, the experienced commander of the veteran 3 Inf Div. It is on again!
The reaction is immediate: Inönü has seen this kind of battle before. It looks like a comfortable fight to start with, but then gradually turns nasty. And can the Soviets be relied on to stay the course?
“Order 3 Cav Div up to Petrovac, ready to reinforce Turnu Severin if required. And it remains quiet in the south: call up 19 Inf Div to Cuprija. I know they are not ready yet, but I’d like them to continue their work-up training closer to the Danube front, just in case.” Inönü is uneasy, despite the apparently promising start to the defence.
“And while we’re at it, get Örlungat to prepare his fighters to scramble over Turnu Severin. I’m surprised the Axis hadn’t already sent the bombers in to support their river crossing attempt. Let’s not give them an easy target if they do!”
“At once, General!”
Four hours later, a harried aide brings a document to the Milli Şef, who had been trying to snatch a few hours rest.
“I’m sorry General, but the Chief of Staff said you needed to see this straight away!”
Of note, the standard divisional AT weapons of the defenders don’t have the power to pierce the armour of either the German panzers or the panzer-grenadiers [who must be equipped with TDs to have piercing and armour scores that high.]
“Damn! They only lasted four hours and then turned tail! This changes things – amend 3 Cav’s march order, to proceed immediately to Turnu Severin. And order 14 Inf Div to march there as well: we will risk the set defence of Petrovac – they need those troops at the front. I know they are unready, but replace 14 Div with the new boys of 18 Div. They will just have to do the best they can if they too are attacked. 5 Div remains in Petrovac to anchor the defence.”
As anticipated, the air raid alert is triggered at midday – two wings of Hungarian TAC are attempting to bomb the defenders of Turnu Severin. But they are met by three wings of Turkish fighters – who leave them with a bloody nose and force them to abort their ground attack! The same happens early the next morning, when just one of the Hungarian bomber wings returns for another try. No ground casualties are incurred from either raid. And the Hungarians did not return the next day. Vur ha!
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24 Oct 41
The War Ministry reports that with 80% of its requirements currently being supported, the new heavy tank brigade ordered some days earlier would be ready by early November 1942. This should improve commensurately when its production hits 100% with the completion of projects ahead of it in the queue.
14 Inf Div is quick off the mark and joins the reserve in Turnu Severin at 7am. Alas, Karabekir (now in command with the Soviets gone) picks the wrong tactic to counter the Germans.
And with very commendable alacrity for a division with no permanent commander, 14 Inf Div reinforces the front line by 4pm that afternoon, just seven hours after its arrival! This is just as well, as 3 Inf Div is tiring quickly.
OTL: Eastern Front. The Germans captured Kharkov and Belgorod.
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25 Oct 41
Another research breakthrough is announced – this time in Mass Assault doctrine. It is replaced by more focus on improving AT weapons – a concerted drive given the increasing incidence of German panzers and other armoured units in the Balkans. Turkish AT gear is not yet close to modern standards.
While the Hungarian bombers were seen off, a brand new threat has appeared over the skies of Turnu Severin: German Ju-88 TAC bombers! The Turkish fighters engage fearlessly – and in a three-hour dogfight manage to give one of the enemy wings a decent mauling. But this time, the Germans were able to deliver their payload, despite the interference.
Ju-88 – key statistics.
“Take that, Nazi swine!” A Ju-88 bites the dust over Turnu Severin, 25 October 1941.
Shortly afterwards, 3 Cav Div arrived in reserve at Turnu Severin. It was hoped their experience could soon add more steel to the hard-pressed defence – especially now the German commander von Both was showing a masterful command of breakthrough river-crossing operations.
When the Turkish fighters return to Beograd from their two recent intercept missions against the Germans, 3 AF (LaGG-3s) is almost untouched. 1 AF (Hawk IIIs) has minor damage [98% strength, 36.7/42.1 organisation] and 2 AF (I-16s) a little less [98% strength, 38.4/42.1 organisation]. All three wings remain on standby. 4 Avci Grubu [La-5s] is not up to full preparedness and has not yet been committed.
18 Inf Div, also still working up to combat readiness, pulls into Petrovac at 11am. They start to dig in.
Air Report. The single German air raid on Turnu Severin that day killed 164 Turkish defenders.
OTL: Eastern Front. The German drive on Moscow was almost completely halted due to bad weather.
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26 Oct 41
By 5am the German attack on Turnu Severin had eased down to a simple assault. While this took some pressure off, 3 Inf Div was by now getting badly disorganised [down to 9.2 org]. The worst affected German unit – 1st Gebirgsjäger Division – was far less worn [23.8 org]. With the situation gradually deteriorating, at 9am Inönü requested STAVKA to authorise a diversionary Soviet attack on Baja de Arama in the (probably vain) hope of diverting the Germans.
As if the main action to the north was not enough, that afternoon - out of the blue (literally) - an alert was received that the Italians were launching an amphibious assault on Chalkida, directly north-east of Athens! The strength of the attacking forces or of the fleet supporting it were unknown. The first reaction was to task Cebesoy’s Mk1 Eyeball sub flotilla to investigate. The main fleet – based in not far away in Izmir – was on standby in the hope of confirming the enemy’s strength. While it seemed unlikely they had much of a fleet left to fight, Turkey’s fleet was old and small.
As another precaution, in case the enemy got ashore in numbers, the Quick Reaction Force (4 Cav Div, based in Ankara) was put on trains to stage to Istanbul.
And as an added protection, the same was done with the Skopje Garrison, which would start moving to Athens.
Late that night, 3 Inf Div was evacuated from Turnu Severin, just before they became completely exhausted and routed. They were sent back to Petrovac. Toüdemür took over command of the battle, even though his 3 Cav Div was still in reserve, as neither 4 nor 14 Divs had permanent commanders. 11th Pz Division was now showing some damage, but not a great deal.
News Report: United States. Diplomatic reporting indicates armament officials have informed the American automobile industry that effective December 15, scarce materials such as chrome, nickel and aluminium could no longer be used for purely decorative aspects of cars.
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27 Oct 41
In the Aegean, the subs were proving too slow and the enemy landing was progressing. Admiral Üngen decided he could wait no longer: 1st Navy set out to see what the Italians had and attack it anyway!
Only six hours later they were on station – and discovered a single unescorted Italian transport fleet was all they had! The fleet, joined by a Romanian destroyer flotilla, let fly with every gun that could be brought to bear. The invasion fleet was soon badly disorganised and starting to take damage.
The subs joined the battle at midday, by which time many of the Italian transports were sunk or damaged and they had lost all coordination. By 1pm the survivors had fled, carrying whatever troops they had back with them. Unfortunately, they were able to escape complete destruction.
By 7pm the 1st Navy had finished its sortie and was back in port at Izmir. The subs would remain on patrol in the area for now, with the Skopje Garrison ordered back to base (they had only moved one province on their precautionary trip). But 4 Cav Div was kept en route to Istanbul, a bit closer should the Axis attempt another adventure in the Mediterranean.
Back in the main theatre, 3 Inf Div limped into Petrovac at 10pm. They were down to 89.7% strength and had only recovered a little organisation [2.3]. With their return, the green 18 Inf Div was the next ordered to the front. They were not yet ready, but the prospect of having mechanised German forces over the Danube in Turnu Severin was too great a threat. Inönü would throw everything he could at it.
News Report: Washington DC, US. President Roosevelt makes an address on Navy Day declaring that "America has been attacked," referring to the Kearny incident ten days earlier. "I say that we do not propose to take this lying down. Our determination not to take it lying down has been expressed in the orders to the American Navy to shoot on sight. Those orders stand." The president also that "when we have helped to end the curse of Hitlerism we shall help to establish a new peace which will give to decent people everywhere a better chance to live and prosper in security and in freedom and in faith. Each day that passes we are producing and providing more and more arms for the men who are fighting on actual battle-fronts. That is our primary task." These words are appreciated in Turkey and the Soviet Union, who both continue to receive lend-lease aid from the US [in ATL].
(1:26 min) Newsreel report of Roosevelt’s 1941 Navy Day speech address. It makes special mention of Russia. In-game/ATL, we’ll also read that as including Turkey. Huzzah!
OTL: Eastern Front. Erich von Manstein's 11th Army broke into the Crimean Peninsula.
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28 Oct 41
The day began with a new militia division marching out of basic training. They were allocated to HQ 5th Corps, sitting in reserve at Cuprija. The battle in Turnu Severin raged on, soon to move into its sixth day.
In far-off Iran, at 4am 1.13 Inf Bde finished its pacification of the rebellious Chabahar on got back on its trains to return to the oilfields of Ahvaz.
As the situation became ever more concerning (no reserve division had reinforced since 14 Inf Div on the second day of the battle), Inönü took another risk: the dug-in veteran 5 Inf Div, led by the well-respected MAJGEN Namut, was also ordered up to Turnu Severin, thus exposing Petrovac to even greater hazard should the Danube be forced. The under-prepared 19 Inf Div was ordered up to replace them, with the defence of Petrovac to be entrusted to the disorganised 3 Inf Div and leaderless and untrained 19 Inf Divs: none of whom had had much time to dig in. But Turnu Severinmust hold! There were a few Soviet units in the vicinity, but they could never be relied upon to hang around.
By the end of the day, 4 Inf Div was now also approaching the point of exhaustion. 18 Inf Div joined the reserve but had a limited chance of reinforcing. 3 Cav Div needed to get in there – but seemed unable to inject themselves into the fray!
---xxx---
29 Oct 41
The next morning, with the battle now more than six days in, German commander von Both initiated another change of tactics. Sensing the weakness in the Turkish line and hoping to win the fight before reinforcements could deploy to the front, he now switched to blitzing tactics. Again, the Turkish commanders had no answer to this. 5 Inf Div had also arrived in reserve by that point and had the best chance of the three waiting units to reinforce. Surely at least one of them would! The tension mounted in HQ 1st Army as they day wore on. It was Turkish Republic Day – surely glorious news would arrive!
An hour later, organisation reduced to minimal levels [0.5], 4 Inf Div was pulled back to Petrovac to lick its wounds and add to the threadbare defence there. This left the leaderless 14 Inf Div bearing the brunt of the enemy attack alone and desperately waiting for reinforcements from their compatriots. They fought on valiantly for the rest of the day, but by midnight none of the reserve units had been able to reinforce. The battle would struggle into a seventh day.
With Turnu Severin now hanging by a thread, the Air Force was ordered to muster its full strength to attack the enemy forces assaulting it. 1 TAK would strike Baja de Arama, with 1, 2 and 3 AFs providing air cover. In addition, the multi-role La-5s of 4 Avci Grubu (now at about 75% organisation) were ordered to supplement the bombers’ efforts and conduct their own ground attacks.
Would all of this be enough? the Milli Şef pondered to himself. Should I do even more? Can I do more without further risking other parts of the line? Will just one of those reserve units reinforce and help turn the tide of battle? These thoughts raced through is mind as he crawled, exhausted, into his bed at HQ 1st Army in Sofiya. The answers would have to wait for the morrow.
News Report: Ankara, Turkey. It is Republic Day in Turkey. Huzzah! Celebrations are conducted in a muted but sincere way this year, as the Second Great War drags on at the front.
Below is an actual newsreel of Republic Day in 1941. In the other (OTL) world, Turkey is of course neutral and the Axis countries’ ambassadors are still in attendance. You may be surprised to discover the British Pathe announcer does not have much time for them! Part of it mentions the fact that the Turkish Army has now adopted British-style helmets (in ATL we have of course gone for the Soviet equivalent), but intriguingly also mentions Turkey had been included in the US’s lend-lease arrangements! Art imitates life!
(1:20 min) Republic Day 29 October 1941 – Pathe Newsreel. Also, watch out for glimpses of Inönü, motorised infantry, cavalry units (vur ha!), a Marx Brothers reference (I kid you not – gold!) and the Turkish Air Force. You can imagine Perse proudly viewing the latter from the rear of the dignitaries’ platform.
News Report: Harrow School, UK. Churchill delivers a rousing speech to the students there, reviewing developments in the war over the last ten months. His refrain, much reported, is uncompromising: “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never.”
OTL: Eastern Front. A German attempt to capture the city of Tula failed. The Germans took Volokolamsk northwest of Moscow but expended many resources in the process and had to halt for resupply.
---xxx---
Coming Up: The fierce fight for Turnu Severin continues: can the tide of evil be turned? What is happening elsewhere on the front – in Romania and Russia? Have the British been able to sustain they’re effort in Egypt, or was their attack there too little, too late? Will November bring the long-awaited intelligence assault on Italy, months in the preparation? Will Mike Ceylan be able to avoid his would-be assassins? What kind of mood will Kaya be in and will he pursue The Thorn with the same maniacal vigour as before?
Turnu Severin looks pretty bad, but if reinforced the tide can still turn. Or maybe, if the timing is right this could be a redo of Pozarevac, with the Germans crossing the Danube after a protracted fight, and then being thrown back over it by fresh Turkish troops. The Turkish army is putting up a more than valiant effort, it's hard to tell if that will be enough.
Too bad the Turkish Navy didn't manage to sink all of the Italian transports. Of course, pursuing the transport would have been very risky, as you don't know whether the Regia Marina is in the area, and the Turkish fleet really isn't all that. In any case, this doesn't look like it was a very significant attack, a single transport, with what I'd guess is a single binary Division, would never have been able to make much of a dent. Interestingly we got to see a trial run of what the Turkish armed forces can muster in case of an amphibious landing.
Do all those big words by mister Roosevelt mean that the Americans are going to implicate themselves more in the war? Let's hope so.
I'm also looking forward to S.I.T.H.'s Italian mission, let's see how much damage Turkish intelligence can really do.
Heavy tanks are excellent. A division with them are like undestructible. Keep in mind to maximize CA bonus by researching that doctrine tech (I don't know how far away we are from that) and couple the HArm with a TD, a form of infantry, a form of artillery and either an Eng or an AC.
I had this image of a happy-go-lucky mailman who occasionaly leads the country after his shift ends and successfully invades the east half of the Asian continent just like that
As anticipated, the air raid alert is triggered at midday – two wings of Hungarian TAC are attempting to bomb the defenders of Turnu Severin. But they are met by three wings of Turkish fighters – who leave them with a bloody nose and force them to abort their ground attack! The same happens early the next morning, when just one of the Hungarian bomber wings returns for another try. No ground casualties are incurred from either raid. And the Hungarians did not return the next day. Vur ha!
The subs joined the battle at midday, by which time many of the Italian transports were sunk or damaged and they had lost all coordination. By 1pm the survivors had fled, carrying whatever troops they had back with them. Unfortunately, they were able to escape complete destruction.
the result i expected from this folly, only short of the complete destruction. nevertheless, good material for the government press. traecherous italians attacking civilians out of th blue and our brave navy showing them their place which is the bottom of the sea.
I wish the english were as assertive though and try to land somewhere axis holds. with friends like those we don't need enemies anyway.
With Turnu Severin now hanging by a thread, the Air Force was ordered to muster its full strength to attack the enemy forces assaulting it. 1 TAK would strike Baja de Arama, with 1, 2 and 3 AFs providing air cover. In addition, the multi-role La-5s of 4 Avci Grubu (now at about 75% organisation) were ordered to supplement the bombers’ efforts and conduct their own ground attacks.
By the way, even though the 11. Panzer has higher combined arms (meaning artillery etc) and armor than 16th Infanterie, it received some damage and the 16th is unscathed. I'm guessing it's something like a 4xMec 1xTD? Something really powerful there.
“Gentlemen,” starts Bayar, bringing the meeting to order. There are no armed goons present this time – as yet, anyway – so everyone is slightly more relaxed.
There's two SITH agents there however, mostly just to check Turkish security (terrible). The secretary and the hall attendent were barely glanced at. Kelebek was most displeased.
“Given no other available candidate can bring that to the table, I suggest we allow Kaya to resume his role. Perhaps with a few safeguards in place given this recent unpleasantness, but otherwise back in charge of the Midnight Express, hunting down foreign operatives and keeping the fractious peoples of the Glorious Union in line.
At this point, the Secretary displaced his ink, causing the hall monitor to enter to clear it up. The red ink had been spilt and thus within 2 minutes the SITH Presidium knew Kaya would be back.
The Dark Lord Kelebek has appeared (a very apposite term for his sudden unexpected presence) in Ögel’s office on a consultation visit from his activities in Rome, where he is infiltrating the Vatican Bank and scouting out Mafia connections to the Fascist Government, in preparation for the impending combined S.I.T.H. and foreign intelligence service operation.
He had somewhat of an easy time as of late. The fascists were absurdly unpopular in much of Italy. The destruction of the fleet, the poor display against Turkish troops and Musolini managong to both trap most of his army in africa and fail to achieve anhtjing jn their despite no enemy action had made the regieme a laugjing stock in the coutnry. Their now open ties and support of the Mafia had made them particularly hated in the south and in Rome. The mostly open secret about the Vatican assasination attempts led to even more criticisms in and out of the country, with many Church officals suggesting this violated the treaty the two states had signed in good faith a few years ago. SITH therefore found ample support for home grown terrorist and freedom fighter groups, and even more amongst the middle classes and nobility, by now very anti-fascist in general. The issue was more ensuring the royalist factions did not dominate such groups rather than building them.
“Thank you for that update, ah, ‘Agent K’,” says Ögel, uneasily trying to maintain his notional position of authority as Kelebek’s superior. Never an easy task and one he takes care not to make too much of.
Kelebek nodded. He was in a period of activity and progression in several SITH and personal projects, therefore his contempt for such meetings and brownnosing with turkish officals was at the high water mark. It did not help that both the British and the Soviets were actively trying to court the SITH into a mutually beneficial agreement, which made the Turkish cabinet as a whole very nervous and Ogel in particular extremely hands on at the moment.
Thus Kelebek made his opinion of the man clear by espousing with his usual cloak and dagger image that he used for Turkish meetings and instead was stroking a duck-billed platypus whilst idly listening to his 'superior'.
[Kelebek's forms are varied and British intelligence currently is trying to document them all. So far he has appeared as an edwardian dressed gentleman in London and generally when amongst British people, a dark cloud in Germany, a demonic eldritch creature in Italy, a shadowy spymaster in Turkey and an especially creepy spider in Amercia. He has twice been observed in Russia and both times in the visage of an old crone with a pestle and mortar.]
“No need,” rasps Kelebek, waving a nonchalant hand in dismissal. “I’ve already heard all about it.” He does not go into details. I should have known, thinks Ögel to himself, with a mix of irritation and respect that he keeps carefully to himself.
Kelebek gave little indication that he cared about the outcome. It was more a maintaining of an image of omniscient knowledge than actual interest, thoufh he was begining to find the foriegn minister's speeches quote 'overplayed and a little disturbing'.
“I would like to know when our push into Italy will be ready and my and Cennet’s complementary operations can be put in motion, however. I am ready, as I mentioned before, but Cennet’s arrangements in Naples are not quite complete. It is all about timing, as you know, Chief Ögel.”
“Ah, yes, quite. We now have twelve complete teams ready. After our experience in Japan, I would like to have one more team, giving us a reserve of three in case of casualties. I anticipate launching before the end of the year.”
“Very good. I’ll be gone, then.”
And suddenly, Kelebek isn’t there anymore. How does he do that, wonders Ögel to himself. I’m glad he’s on our side and not the Germans’. Or at least I hope he is on our side!
As anticipated, the air raid alert is triggered at midday – two wings of Hungarian TAC are attempting to bomb the defenders of Turnu Severin. But they are met by three wings of Turkish fighters – who leave them with a bloody nose and force them to abort their ground attack!
Well this is a fine turnaround for our airforce...though I don't want us to do too well and attract the german airforce's full attention. Better they waste fuel and time over northern russia than protecting bombers that could do real damage in the balkans. Fortunately if there is one intelligence agency easier to infiltrate than the turkish it's the germans. Aside from frontline reports, they believe most of their bombing campaigns were utter failures and have turned around most air groups to other areas.
In the Aegean, the subs were proving too slow and the enemy landing was progressing. Admiral Üngen decided he could wait no longer: 1st Navy set out to see what the Italians had and attack it anyway!
Only six hours later they were on station – and discovered a single unescorted Italian transport fleet was all they had! The fleet, joined by a Romanian destroyer flotilla, let fly with every gun that could be brought to bear. The invasion fleet was soon badly disorganised and starting to take damage.
Bang bang pow. And the italians look even more pathetic. The best thing is this encourages them to either try again or do something rash in another theatre before they're ready. Possibly the begining of the end of the Axis. It can certianly be sold as such.
The subs joined the battle at midday, by which time many of the Italian transports were sunk or damaged and they had lost all coordination. By 1pm the survivors had fled, carrying whatever troops they had back with them. Unfortunately, they were able to escape complete destruction.
OK, the next chapter (finishing the last two days of combat for the month and doing the customary monthly reports) has been written and illustrated, but uploading and polishing will need to wait till the morning (my time). First, some response feedback.
Turnu Severin looks pretty bad, but if reinforced the tide can still turn. Or maybe, if the timing is right this could be a redo of Pozarevac, with the Germans crossing the Danube after a protracted fight, and then being thrown back over it by fresh Turkish troops. The Turkish army is putting up a more than valiant effort, it's hard to tell if that will be enough.
Too bad the Turkish Navy didn't manage to sink all of the Italian transports. Of course, pursuing the transport would have been very risky, as you don't know whether the Regia Marina is in the area, and the Turkish fleet really isn't all that. In any case, this doesn't look like it was a very significant attack, a single transport, with what I'd guess is a single binary Division, would never have been able to make much of a dent. Interestingly we got to see a trial run of what the Turkish armed forces can muster in case of an amphibious landing.
Do all those big words by mister Roosevelt mean that the Americans are going to implicate themselves more in the war? Let's hope so.
I'm also looking forward to S.I.T.H.'s Italian mission, let's see how much damage Turkish intelligence can really do.
You will soon see how Turnu Severin resolves - what should have been a tough but fairly comfortable defence has been plagued by problems all along. Disappearing Soviet defenders; inordinately slow reinforcements after the initial quick one by 14 Inf Div; and some mesmerising tactics by the German commander. It remains in the balance (though I've played through a few more days already and know how it ends - but I won't spoil ).
Yes, I'd hoped to blast those Italian transports right out of the water with whatever they were carrying, but they got away somehow. And yes, it seems the Italians may not have much left for conducting amphibious landings. Though you never know what the nefarious fascists might pull out of their bag of tricks!
Cennet, Mike Ceylan, Kelebek and perhaps even Luca Brasi are all keen to get to grips with their Mafia enemies again.
Heavy tanks are excellent. A division with them are like undestructible. Keep in mind to maximize CA bonus by researching that doctrine tech (I don't know how far away we are from that) and couple the HArm with a TD, a form of infantry, a form of artillery and either an Eng or an AC.
I had this image of a happy-go-lucky mailman who occasionaly leads the country after his shift ends and successfully invades the east half of the Asian continent just like that
shall. they. choke. on. their. borsch!
maybe we should bomb them a little?
he should join the battle ASAP, things are going south and so will the nazi swine if this door is opened
the result i expected from this folly, only short of the complete destruction. nevertheless, good material for the government press. traecherous italians attacking civilians out of th blue and our brave navy showing them their place which is the bottom of the sea.
I wish the english were as assertive though and try to land somewhere axis holds. with friends like those we don't need enemies anyway.
you meant the 13 inf?
wise move.
By the way, even though the 11. Panzer has higher combined arms (meaning artillery etc) and armor than 16th Infanterie, it received some damage and the 16th is unscathed. I'm guessing it's something like a 4xMec 1xTD? Something really powerful there.
Yes, I can't produce too many of them, but those IS-1s and 2s will be nice when I can get them. Not sure I'll have the research available for the doctrine, but will see.
'Happy amateur' - yes, not exactly striking the necessary fear into the oppressed victims, is it?
We do indeed bomb them - plenty of air action in the next update!
We need someone to join that battle in Turnu Severin - because they'll all rout if the battle is lost.
Not exactly the Battle of Midway, but we don't get many naval actions and at least we stopped their landings. And the British landed once - in Sardinia - then never went any further than Cagliari, eventually withdrawing.
Absolutely right. Maybe they had been passing through and just kept going, or maybe they were gutless wonders (don't let Stalin hear about me saying that ). Are you sure your AI generals haven't been talking to their Soviet counterparts in this game?
There's two SITH agents there however, mostly just to check Turkish security (terrible). The secretary and the hall attendent were barely glanced at. Kelebek was most displeased.
At this point, the Secretary displaced his ink, causing the hall monitor to enter to clear it up. The red ink had been spilt and thus within 2 minutes the SITH Presidium knew Kaya would be back.
He had somewhat of an easy time as of late. The fascists were absurdly unpopular in much of Italy. The destruction of the fleet, the poor display against Turkish troops and Musolini managong to both trap most of his army in africa and fail to achieve anhtjing jn their despite no enemy action had made the regieme a laugjing stock in the coutnry. Their now open ties and support of the Mafia had made them particularly hated in the south and in Rome. The mostly open secret about the Vatican assasination attempts led to even more criticisms in and out of the country, with many Church officals suggesting this violated the treaty the two states had signed in good faith a few years ago. SITH therefore found ample support for home grown terrorist and freedom fighter groups, and even more amongst the middle classes and nobility, by now very anti-fascist in general. The issue was more ensuring the royalist factions did not dominate such groups rather than building them.
Kelebek nodded. He was in a period of activity and progression in several SITH and personal projects, therefore his contempt for such meetings and brownnosing with turkish officals was at the high water mark. It did not help that both the British and the Soviets were actively trying to court the SITH into a mutually beneficial agreement, which made the Turkish cabinet as a whole very nervous and Ogel in particular extremely hands on at the moment.
Thus Kelebek made his opinion of the man clear by espousing with his usual cloak and dagger image that he used for Turkish meetings and instead was stroking a duck-billed platypus whilst idly listening to his 'superior'.
[Kelebek's forms are varied and British intelligence currently is trying to document them all. So far he has appeared as an edwardian dressed gentleman in London and generally when amongst British people, a dark cloud in Germany, a demonic eldritch creature in Italy, a shadowy spymaster in Turkey and an especially creepy spider in Amercia. He has twice been observed in Russia and both times in the visage of an old crone with a pestle and mortar.]
Kelebek gave little indication that he cared about the outcome. It was more a maintaining of an image of omniscient knowledge than actual interest, thoufh he was begining to find the foriegn minister's speeches quote 'overplayed and a little disturbing'.
Well this is a fine turnaround for our airforce...though I don't want us to do too well and attract the german airforce's full attention. Better they waste fuel and time over northern russia than protecting bombers that could do real damage in the balkans. Fortunately if there is one intelligence agency easier to infiltrate than the turkish it's the germans. Aside from frontline reports, they believe most of their bombing campaigns were utter failures and have turned around most air groups to other areas.
Oh...
Well, we didn't see that coming! Possibly because no one told the Italian navy that was what they were doing either.
That is a very courageous decision since it's either going to get him national hero status or get him shot.
Bang bang pow. And the italians look even more pathetic. The best thing is this encourages them to either try again or do something rash in another theatre before they're ready. Possibly the begining of the end of the Axis. It can certianly be sold as such.
Well the war is going quite well this week and some insurrection in italy after that naval fiasco would be an excellent way to end the month.
Mm. So you know before, many months ago when you first described the shadowy mystery advisor Kelebek?
Well this kind of makes him sound like a sitcom character from the 70s. Kooky Mr Kelebek or something like that.
...hmm, Kelebek in a sweater surrounded by old dinnerladies trying to be funny. There could be something in this.
Mm. So you know before, many months ago when you first described the shadowy mystery advisor Kelebek?
Well this kind of makes him sound like a sitcom character from the 70s. Kooky Mr Kelebek or something like that.
...hmm, Kelebek in a sweater surrounded by old dinnerladies trying to be funny. There could be something in this.
Chapter 150: The Voice of Reason (30 to 31 October 1941)
This episode will round off the last few days of fighting for October and provide the monthly reports. There is no naval report this month, as no major fleet units were notified as being sunk for the entire period.
---xxx---
30 Oct 41
The day begins with a Turkish air raid on Orsova by planes on their way to Baja de Arama, trying to stave off the German assault on Turnu Severin. They discover 16th Infanterie Division is a powerful mix of MOT and TD brigades. And virtually undamaged so far.
While the Turkish air raid hits Orsova, the German blitzing attack takes it toll in Turnu Severin. Inönü is sweating on even just one of the three reserve units reinforcing the front.
With excellent timing, the fighter wings engage three counterpart Hungarian formations over Baja de Arama between 1am and 3am, preparing the way for first bombing run. The old Hawk IIIs of 1 AF suffer a little damage, but most of the planes engaged on both sides are relatively in the night-time dogfight.
At 4pm, the whole Turkish air force is taking part in the raid on Baja de Arama. Aerial recon shows the enemy’s 1st Mountain and 11th Panzer Divisions have both suffered significant disorganisation, though not a great deal of damage.
While the ground attack is finished by 7am, the Hungarian fighters reappear and a dogfight ensues until 9am. Perhaps from ground fire during their bombing runs and then in aerial combat with the Hungarian fighters, the two La-5 wings of 4 AG seem to bear the brunt, but one of the Hungarian wings is noticeably damaged and disorganised.
At 9am, 4 Inf Div (evacuated earlier from Turnu Severin) finishes its retreat to Petrovac, still badly disorganised [only 2.1]and in no fit state for another fight any time soon. At 10am, another six-wing Turkish raiding force appears over Baja de Arama (without stopping over at Orsova on the way this time). Reports of the next aerial action are tensely awaited at HQ 1st Army in Sofiya.
In the far-off capital of the Glorious Union, the recently released Interior Minister, Sükrü Kaya, makes a staged public appearance with Prime Minister Celal Bayar. His absence from the public eye in recent days is attributed to a ‘classified fact-finding mission’. This is actually partly true: though he was the target rather than the conductor of said mission.
At a press conference that morning, Bayar praises him as “a voice of reason and man of the people, keeping the Turkish motherland and Glorious Union safe in troubled times.”
Sükrü Kaya: “voice of reason and man of the people”. No one who knows him buys this for a second. He will be in a vengeful mood, but knows his position remains vulnerable. Especially until he can discover who might have been behind his uncomfortable ‘mission’.
At midday, 19 Inf Div, called up from the Yeniçeri Line, to replace the already committed Danube Line reserve (18 Inf Div, now in Turnu Severin) pulls into Petrovac. Its work-up training is still only half finished as its men are ordered to start digging in.
The afternoon sees the latest dogfight over Baja de Arama come to a head – and this time it is furious. By the end of it, the ground attack has gone in and the Hungarian fighters are quite badly carved up. The Turkish fighters suffer some damage (though less) and 1 TAK escapes unscathed again. But the multi-role La-5s of 4 AG once again take some hard hits. After they finish the ground attack at 4pm, their damage is such they will need to be rested for some time.
---xxx---
Naples
While aircraft do battle above the Danube, in southern Italy business of another kind is being transacted.
It is early afternoon and an inner-city neighbourhood street Naples is crowded. A parade is beginning.
Vittorio ‘Vito’ Corleone, Cennet’s up-and-coming underworld contact, is looking around nonchalantly – but carefully, with a calculating eye.
Pete Clemenza walks up to him. “His family's out,” he says. “Don Fanucci's alone in the café.”
Vito’s other ‘business partner’, Sal Tessio, then comes over. “Vito, here's my five hundred lire. Good luck.”
As Vito walks off towards Fanucci’s café, Clemenza asks: “Hey, Vito - are you sure he's going to go for it?”
“I’ll make him an offer he don't refuse. Don't worry, I’ll be the voice of reason,” he answers calmly, then walks off.
Vito enters the café. He places the money on the table by Fanucci, who covers it with his hat and looks up sharply at Vito.
“It looks like there's – 1000 lire under my hat,” then, looking under it, nods at Vito. “Ah, I was right. Only 1000 lire!” He pushes the hat over to Vito.
“Only 1000 lire under my hat.”
“I'm short on money right now. I've been out of work - so just give me a little time. You understand, don't you?”
Fanucci laughs, takes back his hat – and pockets the money. “You've got balls, young man! How come I never heard of you before? You've got a lot of guts. I'll find you some work for good money.”
He stands up to leave, then says to Vito: “No hard feelings, right? If I can help you, let me know.”
He then pinches Vito’s cheek patronisingly and walks out to join the street festival. “You've done well for yourself. Enjoy the Festa!”
When he is out the door, Vito touches his cheek in disgust.
Outside, Fanucci walks along grandly. He grabs an orange from street stall. A local man comes up and kisses his hand. He stops by another stall and the owner gives him a necklace.
Don Fanucci: The Fresh Black Hand Prince of Naples in a white hat and suit.
A statue of Jesus covered in money is being carried down the street as Fanucci looks on. On a rooftop overlooking this, Vito watches the Blank Hand chieftain’s lordly progress and tracks him as he moves along the street and pins some money to the statue.
Fanucci is now watching a puppet show. The two puppets - one an Italian soldier, the other a British ‘Tommy’ - begin to fight. Fanucci walks off, a look of feigned anguish on his face: “Oh! This is too violent for me!”
Above, Vito breaks open a rooftop door with a crowbar and descends a stairway into an apartment block. Directly below, Fanucci ascends the stairs to his apartment.
Vito loosens a light in the stairwell, pulls out a pistol and waits in the shadows. As Fanucci unlocks his door, he glances over at the darkened light bulb and taps it a few times, then screws it in.
As the light flickers on, it reveals the hidden Vito. The gun has a small towel draped around it. Fanucci sees Vito.
“What've you got there?”
Vito, without a word, simply points the gun and fires a shot.
“What've you got there?” Fanucci soon finds out!
Fanucci looks down at the wound in his chest, tearing at his vest. Vito fires another shot into his face.
Don Fanucci, the late underworld boss of Naples. A new, younger player has usurped his position.
Fanucci stands for a moment, looks at Vito, then collapses.
Vito shakes the towel off, which has caught fire from the muzzle flash. Outside, fireworks go off and people cheer.
Vito kneels down, places the gun in Fanucci's mouth and pulls the trigger. He takes out Fanucci's wallet, removes the cash he had just given him and walks off, disposing of the gun and wallet in chimney pots as he heads back over the rooftops.
His next meeting with Cennet will reveal who now runs the underworld in Naples. He expects her to be well pleased – and he plans to make a tidy profit out of the arrangement for himself, his partners, and the criminal organisation he hopes to build.
---xxx---
As the air raid on the Germans in Baja de Arama ends at 4pm, 14 Inf Div remains alone at the front in Turnu Severin[org now down to 9.0, with the attack reverting to an assault]. The most worn German division (the mountaineers of 1st Gebirgsjäger) is in a similar condition [10.5 org], but the others remain strong.
“Three Charlie this is One-Four, Acting Sunray speaking. With respect, where are our reinforcements? It has been days now and we can’t hold out much longer!”
Alas, the only answer Toüdemür (still in reserve with 3 Cav Div and in command of the battle) can give is that they are “doing their best”. This is of scant reassurance to the men at the front.
Air Report. The single early morning Turkish air raid on Orsova killed 36 German troops. Three air raids on Baja de Arama killed another 101 (though only three were killed in the last of those, which finished at 8pm). This was unlikely to be enough to provide any measurable relief to the failing defence of Turnu Severin.
OTL: Eastern Front. The Siege of Sevastopol began.
News Report: New York, US. Charles Lindbergh spoke to 20,000 people at an America First rally in Madison Square Garden. Lindbergh accused President Roosevelt of using "dictatorship and subterfuge" to draw the United States into the war.
---xxx---
31 Oct 41
At midnight, with still no reinforcement at Turnu Severin and Inönü now assuming the worst, both of Turkey’s mechanised units are ordered to assemble in Petrovac for an assumed counter-attack on Turnu Severin. It was hoped they would have the speed and hitting power to make an impression on the German panzer-grenadier unit that may soon be in there.
As if sensing Turkish desperation and their difficulties in getting reinforcements to bear, at 1am von Both orders another breakthrough attack on the wilting 4 Inf Div [attacker damage +25%, defender dame -15%, attacker speed +50%]. He is going for the kill. But five hours later, 4 Inf Div is still there – and they make a report:
“One this is One-Four. 11 Panzer has broken off from the attack! If we could only bring our reserves to the front, we would be able to hold this position comfortably!”
[That is, the success odds are 9% only for the attackers, but they do not discriminate between units at the front and in reserve, just looking at all those in province.]
But before anyone can answer this message from 14 Inf Div’s acting commander, the radio net burst into life again.
“One this is One India, contact report, over.” One India (used to distinguish it from 1st Army’s callsign) is MAJGEN Orbay, commanding the veteran 1 Inf Div in Beograd.
“Send, One India!”
“We are under attack from two different directions by an all-SS force. They are conducting a reckless assault. SS-Verf is attacking across the Danube, but we have identified the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Division attacking across open country from Valjevo.”
“One India, do you believe you can hold?”
“One, yes for now anyway. Out!”
“This may be a diversionary attack to prevent us reinforcing the Danube Line to the east,” muses Inönü aloud. “Orbay is in a strong position. We’ll let him deal with this new collection of fanatical sewer rats. Tell 1st Cavalry and 1st Motorize to keep heading to Petrovac with all speed! And inform Orbay that for now, he will have to hold with what he has with him.”
Having left the decision until the last possible minute, at 7am 14 Inf Div can hold on no longer [org down to 1.3 – if I waited any longer, the whole lot would rout and I’d have no say where any of them retreated to, potentially leaving a yawning gap in the line].
“Get me Toüdemür on the secure land line.”
“Yes, General.”
“Toüdemür, this is your President. The situation in Turnu Severin is lost for now.”
“I agree Milli Şef and apologise. You have my resignation should you require it, sir.”
“I don’t blame you – it is our antiquated doctrine and stodgy operational command procedures. Take 5 and 18 Divisions with you to Zajecar. 14 Inf Div will retreat to Jiana, though they won’t be much use there if called on to fight. I’ve sent an urgent cable to the Romanians and Soviets to defend Jiana: it is their side of the river. We will stick to ours. I want your force ready to counter-attack Turnu Severin when the mechanised divisions get here, though you may be needed for defensive duties if that doesn’t work out.”
“Understood sir.”
“That’s it: move now! The 14th will need to move out last, or it will become a panic.”
Corps commander’s skill is one of the determinants for reinforcement chance and so some (not all) of the units trying to reinforce were penalised by not having a permanent general as their corps commander. I will finally look to transfer a couple of divisional commanders from the south soon into the two vacant Corps commands (4th and 5th). I had left them there in case of an Axis offensive.
The tech path for improved reinforcement chance (Grand Battle Plan) is a few steps away: Central Planning is now only at L1 and needs to be at L3 to enable Grand Battle Plan to then be researched.
Tactical Command Structure L3 will be finished in a couple of days, but that slot will be used straight away to research Superior Firepower, to unlock the five-brigade division.
The next research slots will be due in February. But this has proven such a pain I might now defer one at the bottom to get going on boosting Central Planning. I had finally resumed Blitzkrieg L2 research after a long delay (due to finish in April 1942), given the growing armoured/cavalry force. So much important research to do, so few resources to do it with!
PS: I’d have illustrated this with a screenshot but am already at my full quota of 35 for the update!
Will this be the decisive break in the line, in the place it was always feared: the boundary between the Turkish and Romanian sectors? Inönü has no firm idea of how it will work out. But the battle that should never have been lost has ended in a costly defeat, with the enemy hot on the heels of the retreating defenders.
At the same time, in a classic case of “too little, too late”, HQ 1st Army is made aware of a strange ‘attack’, which had been requested by Turkey some time ago, by two Soviet rifle divisions on Baja de Arama. The only problem is that the Soviets seem not to have actually left their starting positions! It’s all useless now, anyway.
The Soviet ‘attack’ on Baja de Arama, 31 October 1941. “Suddenly … nothing happened!”
With Turnu Severin lost, the Air Force’s efforts were diverted to the defence of Beograd. The fighters were tasked with keeping the skies above Zrenjanin free of enemy fighters while 1 TAK conducted a ground attack mission on the Turks old enemies – the SS-Verf Division.
In disturbing news, the enemy’s 16th Division (PzGren) was fully across the Danube and occupying Turnu Severin within two hours of the Turkish withdrawal, even while a last air raid by 1 TAK was still in progress on Baja de Arama (this time with no interference from the Hungarian Air Force).
On its return to Beograd at 11am, 1 TAK (still at 99% strength and almost fully organised) was immediately re-tasked to strike Zrenjanin: bombs were falling there an hour later. A second German infantry division was in place there, but not participating in the attack on Beograd.
“One this is Three, contact! German panzer grenadiers and tank destroyers moving from the east with great speed and a fresh infantry division attacking across the Danube. The shock of their assault is paralysing our defence. We are only lightly dug in. Only the raw 19th Division has any organisation to speak of. Our position is dire.”
How did the German 16th reorganise for their new attack so quickly – within six hours of their victory and only four since they had arrived in Turnu Severin!? Their efficiency and speed made the Turkish defence appear of horse and musket vintage! The earlier decision to strip Petrovac of both of its fresh and dug-in divisions to try to relieve Turnu Severin has backfired badly.
“A relief force is on the way but is still some distance off. Do what you can – out!”
1 Mot Div was closing in but 1 Cav was now only just south of Beograd. Petrovac – their proposed forming up point for the counter-attack – would now likely be lost before they could even arrive. This was getting serious. Thoughts may need to turn to stripping units away from the reserve lines near the Adriatic to staunch the bleeding on the Danube. Which itself ran a risk if the Soviets decided to move their units out.
After a single raid on Zrenjanin, the Air Force was redirected to begin action on the latest attackers in Turnu Severin as soon as they became free at 4pm. 1 TAK and the three fighter wings would do what they could – but it was not an enormous amount. 1 TAK reported that the worn-out enemy 1st Mountain Division had joined the 16th in Turnu Severin but was not taking part in the attack. Their raid went in, but little damage was being done.
By 7pm, the barely recovered 4 Inf Div, recently hammered senseless in Turnu Severin, was pulled out of Petrovac before it routed in panic.
The day ended with the remaining defenders of Petrovac hard-pressed and Inönü contemplating how many troops he could dare withdraw from the south to help stabilise the threatened Danube Line. If the Soviets did not rush to plug the widening gap on the boundary between the two sectors, a withdrawal to the Blue Line – or even further back – may soon become a serious consideration. In part, that depended on how strongly and speedily the Germans followed up their initial breakthrough. They had been pretty prompt so far!
Air Report. Turkish raids (which included some complementary 4 Avci Grubu runs earlier in the day, before they were rested) hit four different provinces during a busy day. Two raids on Orsova killed 112 enemy, one in Baja de Arama another 43, one on Zrenjanic 48 and finally a night raid on Turnu Severin killed 18, for a total of 221 - a decent day’s work.
News Report: US. While escorting Allied convoy HX 156 in the North Atlantic, the American destroyer USS Reuben James was sunk by the German submarine U-552 with the loss of 115 of 159 crew.
USS Reuben James (DD-245) - a post-Great War I, four-funnel Clemson-class destroyer. Laid down on 2 April 1919, launched 4 October 1919, and commissioned on 24 September 1920.Sunk [OTL, no game effect, news only] by a torpedo attack from German submarine U-552 near Iceland on 31 October 1941.
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Monthly Summaries
The map below shows the strategic position in Europe at the end of October 1941.
Europe, as at 2300 hr 31 October 1941.
The Patriotic Front has shown little net Axis progress since the beginning of the month. In fact, on balance there have probably been more advances by the Comintern than the Fascists. The air engagement map gives a good indication of the location and intensity of the heaviest fighting over the last week.
The earlier German breakout towards Tallinn in the North has not only been stopped, but its base has been cut off by Soviet counter-attacks, with two German divisions caught in a pocket. Huzzah! Other German and Soviet advances have nullified each other since the middle of the month.
In the Centre, the Soviets have launched two major offensives, north and south of Minsk. In fact, a large attack is currently in progress two provinces north-west of Minsk, towards Wilno, to take back the one province the Germans had seized in the sector that month.
In Ukraine, the Germans advanced in the north, the Soviets in the south, in roughly even measures.
In Romania, the Axis once more pushed towards Iasi in the north, but further south the Romanians and Soviets have reoccupied some of the key Carpathian Mountain provinces shielding Brasov. Though the Axis were currently counter-attacking one of those positions.
And of course, on the Yeniçeri-Danube Line, the loss of Turnu Severin and the heavy attack on Petrovac are the main events. For now, the attack on Beograd is serious but not yet dangerous. Though if the Axis sends more troops, reserves are now thinner there than a few days ago. The Axis is attacking the Soviet advance positions in Herceg Novi on the Adriatic Coast, so units directly exposed to that risk cannot be withdrawn easily.
The strategic situation in Asia is summarised below, showing vast swathes of Soviet territory occupied by Japan. Japan and the Allies remain at peace.
The Far East battle front continued to deteriorate during the month.
In Egypt, the British seem to have cut off an Italian attack that captured Cairo, with two Italian divisions in a pocket and Britain back in possession of Alexandria. Perhaps this time they might devote enough forces to do the job properly and drive the Italians all the way back to Libya - and beyond.
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Operation Midnight Express
Since the last report on 16 October, another three foreign spies were ticketed on the one-way service to the Istanbul office: two Axis agents (from Japan and their Manchurian puppet) and an agent from the British puppet, Yemen. The latter had no discoverable contact with The Thorn – and, having been ‘neutralised’ while under interrogation (ah Mr Kelebek, you've done it again ), no further questioning was possible.
Weather Report
Sample weather reports from the five main sectors of the front have been included. As a gameplay point, the ‘General Winter’ effect conditions for the Soviets have been included. Nothing would apply before December. And, with the German invasion of Russia stalled, not one of the precondition Soviet provinces has been taken, meaning it is unlikely to trigger anyway. Unless someone is aware of any other winter-related penalty for Axis troops in the Soviet Union (as opposed to a Soviet benefit from occupation), then winter may not bring any great advantage to the Soviets anyway. I’m not that a familiar or frequent player of the game to know this instinctively, so if anyone is aware of other effects or factors that might apply, please sing out!
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Coming Up: While the wider Patriotic Front remains stable – even slightly favourable – the incipient emergency on the Danube at the Romanian border could prove difficult. Can the Turks retrieve the situation themselves? Will their Comintern partners assist? Can the Axis pockets in the Baltics and Egypt be closed off and the trapped enemy units ‘bagged’ - or will they manage to escape? Will Britain now resume the offensive in North Africa and do the job properly this time? How close is the US getting to entering the war and will either Germany or Japan do something stupid to provoke their entry? How close is the Secret War to coming into the open again in Italy? Will Luca Brasi now find an effective distributor for his GENCO Olive Oil in Naples, through Cennet and her new 'business contact'?
So, the German-Soviet Front is stable but the Japanese are eating up territory quickly and those Panzers seem to be causing you some issues along your own lines.
I thought maybe they're a newer model of TD than the 11th Panzer (ARM MOT TD AC), because the 11th seems to have received some damage. But going back to the previous chapter, that's not the case. The leader bonus of 16th is better than the 11th, but that should be more than compensated with the difference of CA bonus. In the end, the attack modifier is 90% vs 68% in favor of the 11th, and so is the armor bonus. Not that it's going to change anything at this point, but I'm just curious about the mechanics of the game. Does anybody have any idea why 16th is untouched while 11th is not despite being more advantageous on paper?
The afternoon sees the latest dogfight over Baja de Arama come to a head – and this time it is furious. By the end of it, the ground attack has gone in and the Hungarian fighters are quite badly carved up. The Turkish fighters suffer some damage (though less) and 1 TAK escapes unscathed again. But the multi-role La-5s of 4 AG once again take some hard hits. After they finish the ground attack at 4pm, their damage is such they will need to be rested for some time.
it seems like the new modern fighters not only fight good themselves, but keep our antiquated models safe in the air with them and let them deal some damage as well. So it's like they have more combat value than they have only themselves.
As if sensing Turkish desperation and their difficulties in getting reinforcements to bear, at 1am von Both orders another breakthrough attack on the wilting 4 Inf Div [attacker damage +25%, defender dame -15%, attacker speed +50%]. He is going for the kill. But five hours later, 4 Inf Div is still there – and they make a report:
I didn't get why we didn't get to use any combat tactics in this battle. Even if the other commander's good, there are tactics like ambush or elastic defense that doesn't rely on skill difference (and ambush is the counter to breakthrough which we faced). This was a really unlucky battle.
Corps commander’s skill is one of the determinants for reinforcement chance and so some (not all) of the units trying to reinforce were penalised by not having a permanent general as their corps commander. I will finally look to transfer a couple of divisional commanders from the south soon into the two vacant Corps commands (4th and 5th). I had left them there in case of an Axis offensive.
The tech path for improved reinforcement chance (Grand Battle Plan) is a few steps away: Central Planning is now only at L1 and needs to be at L3 to enable Grand Battle Plan to then be researched.
This reinforcement chance thing is one of the stuff about this game that makes the least sense to me. It's like they just need to walk/ride/drive until they see the HUGE river and start shooting at the other side, no rocket science needed.
Well, at least the 3rd, 5th and 18th are more or less full strength and morale. Now do they counter attack or do they dig in? By attacking they can also save Petrovac I guess?
Except for our tense battles and the blunder in far east (which I expect will be hit HARD by the siberian winter) things seem to be going for the better I guess? Maybe us drawing German attention made the recent breakthroughs and envelopments of Soviets possible?
Outside, Fanucci walks along grandly. He grabs an orange from street stall. A local man comes up and kisses his hand. He stops by another stall and the owner gives him a necklace.
The first man sends a whisper to the shadows. He is unarmed. He is unarmoured.
The second man, the salesman, gifts a necklace to Fanucci made from rusted iron. A red butterfly.
The third man, Vito, hears and sees all this from his vantage point. From up here, it is easy to feel powerful and in control, watching the destruction of a great enemy soon to be at his hands. But in truth, he knows he is as much a cog in the machine as those two men of S.I.T.H. The true conductor and composer of this symphony is ever present, just in the corner of his eye. Watching. Waiting.
Vito kneels down, places the gun in Fanucci's mouth and pulls the trigger. He takes out Fanucci's wallet, removes the cash he had just given him and walks off, disposing of the gun and wallet in chimney pots as he heads back over the rooftops.
The air is sweeter up here, but the smog of the city stench rises upwards, and there is an undercurrent of tension that has not dissipated even with Fanucci's death. It was not he, nor the Fascists that was causing it. Nor was it Vito and his Turkish intelligence friends. As long as SI.T.H. stalks the town, the place shall never rest easy. And Vito had just them in to stay.
His next meeting with Cennet will reveal who now runs the underworld in Naples. He expects her to be well pleased – and he plans to make a tidy profit out of the arrangement for himself, his partners, and the criminal organisation he hopes to build.
He would not, could not forget the shadowy hand that directed him here, that struck down the so-called 'Dark Hand' so contemptuously. He would be successful from now on. He would be rich, happy and prosperous. He would get all the respect and glory he had ever wanted, and the destruction of any enemy he wished to dispose of. All it had cost him was willingly walking into an invisible cage, and unquestionably dancing whenever a command was given.
"Possibly," Kelebek said, studying a map of the battlefield. "But perhaps not."
The president had grown numb to the Dark Lord's intrusions by this point and simply waved him towards the coffee and tobacco. "What do you mean?"
"Something has changed," Kelebek said, stirring his tea (Inönü had no idea where he had gotten it from). "The SS are touted as 'the best' in the Axis war machine but that is mostly propaganda. What is true, is that they are Hitler's attack dogs."
"Meaning...he wants to be seen as taking Turkey on personally?" Inönü frowned.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. He could be probing us to see whether his generals are right in saying Romania is the weak link in our armour or not. Still, it is a compliment to your nation, is it not? The Führer has up till now written your resistance off as futile, a sideshow to the Russian front. Whether it is your air force strengthening, the threat of a continuing and strengthening unified front with the Russians or simply his madness...he is looking at you now."
It was a somewhat worrying thought. The Turkish defences were probably strong enough to resist a full on attack from a determined German army...but only along the Calistar line, hundreds of miles further south. If Hitler or one of his generals was preparing for a full out assault...the line would not hold.
"Figure out what they are planning," the president barked. "Plans, ideas, arguments in their war council, anything. Give us data to work with."
Kelebek rose. "As you wish, though I believe this requires a renewment of...payment."
The president's eyes and mouth tightened but to his credit his face did not change colour. Much. He nodded stiffly, not turning around to face the room until he was sure the other...thing, had left.
Will this be the decisive break in the line, in the place it was always feared: the boundary between the Turkish and Romanian sectors? Inönü has no firm idea of how it will work out. But the battle that should never have been lost has ended in a costly defeat, with the enemy hot on the heels of the retreating defenders.
Mm...yes this could be something of a turning point in the war if you either break and they pursue, or if you manage to hold and they go back to killing themselves in the north against Russia. Interesting times...
"If there is to be payment, you might as well do something about that as well." Inönü said, somewhat annoyed at the news and at Kelebek. He did blanch this time, as a ghastly, ghostly chuckle reverberated around him in response.
In Egypt, the British seem to have cut off an Italian attack that captured Cairo, with two Italian divisions in a pocket and Britain back in possession of Alexandria. Perhaps this time they might devote enough forces to do the job properly and drive the Italians all the way back to Libya - and beyond.
Since the last report on 16 October, another three foreign spies were ticketed on the one-way service to the Istanbul office: two Axis agents (from Japan and their Manchurian puppet) and an agent from the British puppet, Yemen. The latter had no discoverable contact with The Thorn – and, having been ‘neutralised’ while under interrogation (ah Mr Kelebek, you've done it again ), no further questioning was possible.
Well he was awfully pleased this week. And to be fair, SITH have gotten a lot out of spies these past few months. Not much more to know about how rotten life is in Manchuria or how rubbish the British are (funny though).
As a gameplay point, the ‘General Winter’ effect conditions for the Soviets have been included. Nothing would apply before December. And, with the German invasion of Russia stalled, not one of the precondition Soviet provinces has been taken, meaning it is unlikely to trigger anyway.
Ah...this is something of a problem. But it is a victim of our own success issue, so I'm also quite pleased. It is quite an achievement to have slowed down the Germans so much in TTL!
Until then, they’ll be more of a specialist formation for breakthrough work, with selective upgrades of some units to save IC, manpower and time. I think, anyway.
