Germany to the Soviet Union: An Experiment in AARs

[marxianTJ]

January 1942

Government

Alexander Novikov replaces Alksnis as Chief of the Air Force (+ light air practical)
-=Novikov is a good Stalinist, so he'll prevent fractured government penalty, and also Alksnis was dead by this point IRL=-

Economy

All resources are in the positive - we can dedicate ~190 IC to production

Research

Of the utmost importance are armor and piercing technologies - these are already being researched, doctrines and other technologies will be researched as we are able to do so -=I'm trying to mix the two so that my upgrade costs don't skyrocket for all of 1942=-

Condition of the Fronts

Arkhangelsk Front

- Very stable, due to the weather, it is expected that this front will remain stable for some time, either due to the freezing temperatures or the mud that comes after the thaw.

Leningrad Front

- Due to mud and freezing temperatures we will limit offensive operations and attempt to hold what ground we've retaken.

Kiev Front

- We will attempt to hold what we've gained, offensive operations have ground to a halt due to the weather

Odessa Front

- Extremely stable, the Dniester line is no longer under threat with the recapture of Kamaniets

Trans-Caucus Front

- Offensive operations will continue in Persia, it is expected we will have finished Axis Persia, with British Assistance, by the end of January or mid February.

- Offensive operations will continue in Afghanistan, but an infantry division has been ear-marked for this theater of operations in case Afghan resistance at the capital should be too high.
A single 2x infantry division led by General F.K. Mironov is the extent of our forces allocated to assault Kabul.

- Irregular troops from Sinkiang are en route to the Afghan border to prevent any disturbances on the border - we had to take action before we were ready, but we absolutely cannot allow any disruptions in the South of the USSR.

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3:00, 1st of Jan. Not content to allow the Soviet people to ring in the New Year in peace, the Germans have attacked us all over the Leningrad and Kiev Fronts

- Riga, Rybalko again says that the city is so well fortified not even the entire German army could dislodge him! He boasts about cleverly designed tank camouflage, and demands additional shipments of winter camouflage - that is to say - chalk.

- Zarasai (just below the Daugava river), General Reiter reports that the 4 divisions assaulting his tank forces in the forest haven't got a chance.

- Berzarin's troops are attacked in Smorgonie, and he boasts that he can read the Hungarian general leading the fascists against him like a book! STAVKA believes he had indeed perfectly countered him.

- Katukov is attacked on the Kiev front, his position at Rowne is fast becoming an unseemly protrusion on the Kiev Front's forward lines, so there is a chance he may have to retreat shortly - our troops however - do not relish the idea of leaving their dug-outs to walk 5 KM's to the nearest safe rear-base.

- Molodeczno is attacked again, but general Kariofilli's troops have relieved the heroes. Kariofilli also commands the only heavy tank division on the Leningrad front.

- Kamaniets is also under attack (further expanse of Dniester line) but general Solomatin reports that his troops (under Vatutin, who is also present) have attacked this area so many times they know perfectly how to defend it!

- Field Marshal Chuikov is also attacked at Illichivsk again - the Germans will not cross that much is assured.

(numbered as they appear in the combat log)

(also note that they're bombing me in two locations where I can do absolutely nothing about it)

11:00, 2nd, we have won the battle of Kamaniets the Germans lost 2693 troops trying to fight Solomatin's heavy tanks!

23:00, 2,398 Axis bandits die attacking us in Zarasai - we lost only 169 soldiers.

2:00, 3rd, nearly 4,000 fascists die throwing themselves on the heavy tanks of the Leningrad front at Molodeczno

The Germans are lashing out at us like a wounded animal!

00:00, 4th, 3 new infantry divisions are raised, and 1 new heavy tank brigade is also built.

The Infantry divisions have been allocated as such - 1 to Arkhangelsk front, 1 to Trans-Caucus front, 1 to Kiev Front, the HARM brigade will go to Kiev front.

4:00, 4th, we retreat from Rowne.

14:00 we win the battle for Smorgonie, 2,900 fascists lose their lives in their counter-attack

16:00, 5,918 fascists, is still not enough fascists to cross the Dniester reports Field Marshal Chiukov.

01:00, 5th, 4,550 fascists fall victim to Rybalko's clever traps at Riga.

14:00, 6th, Mironov reports that the battle for Kabul is not going well our barely organized reinforcements have been called upon to assist him.

23:00, 6th, General Barinov's troops are assaulted in Olevsk - this is the extreme Northern flank of the Kiev front - we are not especially well prepared for this - most of our reserves are oriented towards Kamaniets in the interest of protecting the Dniester line - the Germans must not be allowed to break through!

Zhigarev's CAS flight will attempt to bail us out of this situation.

5:00, 9th, Panzers assault Berzene (directly South of Olevsk), they are attempting to turn the Northern flank of Kiev Front!

00:00, 12, a new tank division is allocated to Kiev Front

8:00, 12th, despite being in extremely poor shape, Kiev Fronts interceptor wing is sortied to fight over Olevsk - the German bombers are doing too much damage to Barinov's men for them to hold out.

11:00, the Germans give up the assault on Berzene. We killed 2858 of them! At least the entire Kiev Front's Northern section is not, for now, in danger of being broken!

16:00, 12th, General Ponedelin occupies Tehran - he will remain to garrison the city.

The Germans are hitting Olevsk with everything they have! Skripko's falcons are completely out-matched!

We will not have air coverage over Kiev Front for a very long time.

21:00, 16th, General I.A. Zhukov's (not to be confused with Georgi) tanks arrive in Olevsk and bail out Barinov - Barinov's light tanks are completely exhausted, but we should be able to hold Olevsk for the time being.

14:00, 17th, Barinov reports that we only just barely managed to hold onto Olevsk and took much heavier casualties than the Germans in the fight - many of our brigades are at or below 50% of their pre-war strength due to the ferocity of German bombing runs.

7:00, 19th, the Germans assault Glebokie, but quickly turn back. General Mironov fails to take Kabul and is thrown out of Afghanistan by the Afghan army - we will have to await reinforcements before trying again.

2:00, 24th, we are reassigning forces over the front, and news has come to us that Japan has taken the Philippines.

1:00, 27th we have conquered Persia.

Since we took most of their major economic centers (the British only took the border with Iraq) we have secured all of the political and economic centers of Iran. Surely, the COMINTERN can find some Iranian Communists patriotic enough to lead Persia!

00:00, 29th, a new tank division is assigned to Kiev Front.

15:00, 29th, Leningrad Front attempts a modest forward offensive, but the mud and ice is so bad that we think better of it and decide to stay put for the time being.

7:00, 30th, the Germans however, are not deterred by the ice/mud cocktail and attack us at Smorgonie - General Bolotnikov reports that he should have no problems holding the position - 3 infantry divisions are also en route as part of Leningrad Front's reorganization process.

17:00, General Horolenko engages in a diversionary attack, with five infantry divisions, to turn the flank of the forces attacking Smorgonie - it is proceeding well.
Khudyakov's MRF flight will assist.

To our South:

-=I chose to puppet Persia because I feel like that would've been Stalin's approach had they taken over most of Persia instead of just the Northern bit - that didn't stop the USSR from attempting to establish a puppet state anyways=-

Around the World

The Italians have been thrown back in North Africa and are nearly pushed back into Libya, apparently calling all of their Axis lackeys to their aid was an act of desperation and not one of strength. We will keep 1 division on every border with Iraq just in case.

The Japanese have conquered the Philippines, and are on the march towards Singapore by way of Siam. They've also spread northwards from Siam. They did however, lose Johnston Island to the Americans.

Japan has lost another CA, while the Americans have lost no ships this month.

Naval Action Summary

We have sunk 1.27 million tons of cargo since the war began - we sank nearly 300,000 tons of Axis shipping last month - all of it German.

 

[guillec87]

you are doing so good I feel pity for the German AI... not even with your speed up is going to be able to defeat you

 

[marxianTJ]

It definitely has the resources to break me, or at least scare me really badly, but it only uses them every now and again Their bombing campaign on the Kiev front may be my undoing because I have absolutely no way of countering them and they have the ability to devastate the STR of my units - that'll at least help them lol.

 

[markkur]

Thank you for both the extra touches...that helps me better visualize your struggle...which btw, you appear to have a very good grip on compared to how I would likely already be in dire-straits or under panzer-tracks. I will send you a private message about my method using MS-Paint...I'm not wanting to insert anything more in such a fine tale.

 

[marxianTJ]

February 1942

Condition of the Fronts

Arkhangelsk Front:

- Stable for now, particularly because of the weather, an assault on Viipuri/Vyborg is being planned to push back the Finns, but we'll have to wait for the weather to clear. STAVKA has also considered naval actions to threaten Helsinki as a way to break the stalemate.

Leningrad Front:

- Most of the front is still inundated with mud and/or frozen, little offensive action is anticipated at this point.

Kiev Front:

- Due to the weather, little offensive action is anticipated, however, because of the ferocity of German bombing, there has been an ongoing discussion at STAVKA about reassigning air assets from other theaters to render aid to Kiev front.

Odessa Front:

- Odessa front is stable as always and now fully secure on the Dniester line.

Trans-Caucus Front:

With Mironov's failure to take Kabul, the war in this sector, against Afghanistan, will likely continue well through February, as we'll need to await the transfer for the 2nd Mountain Corps from the 10th Army in the Trans-Caucus. Once the war with Afghanistan is concluded, these troops will be reassigned to the various Western fronts.

------------------

8:00 February 1st, the Germans engage in another series of attacks.

All defending generals report that they should be able to hold out - but the Germans feeling confident enough to attempt to cross the Dniester in 3 locations perturbs STAVKA greatly.

It is thought that the actions at Kryzwice and Smorgonie are to dissuade us from making further offensive gains towards the city of Wilno. But on the Kiev front, it is clear the Germans have sensed that our reserve forces were sent North last month to stop the Northern portion of the line breaking, and now they hit us from the South!

13:00, General Glazunov's tank division and several divisions of infantry attempt to counter attack to relieve Kryzwice and Smorgonie, but he reports that the Germans are very well entrenched and that the weather conditions are simply too bad for an offensive operation - we lost 29, the Germans lost 2 in the abortive raid.

STAVKA had determined that our troops must simply bear the attacks as best they are able.

3:00, 2nd, General Pavlov reports that the Germans have been turned back at Shepetivka - we lost 96, while they lost 1,826 charging our entrenched tanks.

7:00, 2nd, we turn the Germans back from Kamaniets - our heavy tanks are too much for them in this sector!

8:00, 2nd, Meteorologists report an intense thunderstorm with winds over 35 KPH in some areas has entered Southern Ukraine - our defenders throughout the Southern section of the Kiev front and Odessa front will greatly appreciate the break from German bombers!



14:00, 2nd, the Germans cease their attack on Berzene, marching through freezing mud and 30 KPH winds must have disheartened the fascists!

23:00, 2nd, the Germans attacking Netyshin have heavy tanks, and so we have no choice but to attempt to counter-attack them! General Badanov's tanks will lead the charge!
(he is just North of the storm clouds!)

00:00, 3rd, a new interceptor wing is raised, it is sent to Kiev front

3:00, 3rd, the Germans are turned back from Kryzwice!

Meteorologists report that the storm has turned into a snow storm, draping the Northern Kiev front with a heavy blanket of snow. That should slow everything down for a time - including the reassignment of our reserves!

7:00, 3rd the Germans give up on Smorgonie and Borsuky.

20:00, 3rd, we attack the Germans at Kostopol - their troops are exhausted still from the assault on Olevsk, and due to the weather have not been able to rotate in sufficient reserves!
- General Khrulev's tanks lead the attack - though we will not pursue given the difficulty in moving large distances at the moment.

However, our snow storm is dissipating.

6:00, 4th, not content with the sound beating they received at the hands of Pavlov's tanks only days ago, the Germans attack Netyshin again!

16:00, 4th, the 4 day long assault on Illichivsk is done, Chuikov reports that he can confirm it takes more than 4,016 Germans to cross the Dniester.

10:00, 5th, Khrulev reports victory in Kostopol - we killed 1,663 Germans.

12:00, 5th, we have also won the battle for Rowne and turned the second attack on Netyshin this month!

17:00, 5th, putting our reserves to good use, and since the weather has cleared, we initiate a small offensive in the Northern section of Kiev Front.

2:00, 6th, the Germans call off their assault on Vendychany, in 6 days of battle we lost 668 defends on our side of the Dniester, and they lost 3,275 on their side of the river.

7:00, 6th, we again turn the Germans from Shepetivka.

20:00, 6th, sensing a chance for initative, 2nd Tank Army, of the Kiev front, under General Vasilevsky orders an armored counter-offensive into Izyaslav - the divisions there have just finished throwing themselves on Shepetivka twice in just 6 days, we will test their resolve! This will broaden the offensive on Kiev Front.

STAVKA has ordered its generals to be very limited in their aims with this offensive - we are only able to attack because the Germans have exhausted themselves by having a winter storm interrupt their attack and freeze up their reserve rotations - we should expect very heavy resistance after we make these gains and our own reserves will be lagging behind - the situation is very dangerous, but the opportunity is too good to pass up.

We also have a total of five divisions on the Northern flank of the Kiev front that are too badly depleted to even participate in this action as reserves - they will remain stationary for the time being to recuperate.

Rudenko's TAC flight is recovered enough to attempt to aid in the offensive.

6:00, 7th, we win the battle for Kryzemieniec - our losses are staggering, but we have thrown back the Germans and the offensive continues - armored forces will however have to wait until the infantry arrives in front of them - there is simply no way for us to move forward because of how often the tanks become stuck in the mud.

4:00, 8th, the Germans are bombing Kiev front savagely, over 6 flights of bombers are in the area by STAVKA's estimation of reports.

17:00, 8th, we win the battle for Izyaslav.

00:00, 10th, the German counter-offensive is swift, and the Northern sections of the Kiev front are under heavy attack, but we should hold. Reserves are having a great deal of trouble catching up.

1:00, 10th, The Germans are obviously pulling troops from the line on Leningrad front to staunch Kiev Front - we will engage in a diversionary attack on Leningrad Front towards Wilno.

Novikov's CAS flight will assist.

5:00, 10th, the Germans are FAR too strong in Iwje -=second arrow from the bottom=- to attack, we will have to leave them.

13:00, 10th, General Mishanin's troops in Isyaslav are being bombed to smithereens! Our reserves will have to be rotated in, but they will not reach there for some time!

15:00, 10th, the Germans attack Molodeczno, but Kariofilli's heavy tanks should turn them back - it's obvious the Germans are trying to turn the Southern flank of the Leningrad Front to dissuade us from attacking further North!

17:00, 10th, General Khrulev reports that we now hold Kostopol, but that IA Zhukov's tank division is badly damaged (many brigades below even 50% of pre-war strength!)

7:00, 12, General Baranov reports that we have defeated the Germans to the NE of Wilno and he will be moving forward.

18:00, 14th, General Tsinchenko reports that his tank division now occupies the area SE of Wilno.

23:00, 14th, General Pavlov's tanks decide to continue the offensive with the goal of re-securing more of the Dniester - he attacks Zloczow!

2:00, 15th, General Badanov's tanks of the Kiev Front engage the Germans at Luck - the Germans are focusing their counter attack on Kryzemieniec - and we must do everything possible to relieve them!

7:00, 15, we turn the Germans back at Kryzemieniec, losing 1786 troops, while we smashed 1793 Axis bandits! Fighting is slow going and hard, but with the Germans disorganized and their reserves paralyzed we must move forward!

13:00, 15th, General N.A. Novikov's tanks engage the Germans at Husaityn along the Dniester.

14:00, 15th, General Bolotnikov attacks Iwje to relieve our tanks which found a paved road and arrived far too early to the SE of Wilno and are now under concentrated attack.

18:00, 16th, the German heavy tanks have shown up in the South of Kiev front and dislodge us from Tarnopol. The Kiev Front's offensive is reaching its limits because our reserves cannot catch up and so our exhausted divisions must dig-in and wait!

21:00, 16th, N.A. Novikov reports victory in Husaityn!

7:00, 17th, Bolotnikov reports victory in Iwje!

23:00, 18th, the Germans are counter-attacking with heavy tanks all along the Southern flank of the Kiev front - they are also bombing us still - many divisions are at their breaking point!
- our reserves lag dangerously behind in several areas, and our organization is hampered by so many exhausted divisions sitting in the way, creating supply problems.

3:00, 20th, General Pukhov in Husaityn (the one with 19 in the above photo) is forced to stage a diversionary attack on Rohatyn to relieve our troops in Tarnopol who are starting to break!

4:00, 21st, yet more German heavy tanks show up in the North of Kiev front at Luck - we likely will not be able to hold!

00:00, 22nd, some of our reserves, only just arrived, are pulled into the maelstrom at Luck! We must turn back the German heavies!

8:00, 22nd, all quiet is reported from Tarnopol. General Pukhovs men's sacrifice was not in vain!

9:00, 22nd, General Karpezo's men stationed SE of Wilno engage in a flank-turning attack on Zabloc to relieve our beleaguered soldiers attempting to dig in in Iwje!

23:00, 22nd, the Germans attack, with heavy tanks, our completly battered divisions at Zloczow - we have no choice, but to engage in a counter-attack in earnest against Rohatyn. Troops have been pulled up the Dniester line to make this attack possible!

17:00, 23rd, with no more reserves to give (we must not sacrifice our strategic depth), we have been forced to retreat from Luck

19:00, 24th, General N.A. Novikov reports that he has broken the heavy tanks in Rohatyn and will attempt to secure more of of the Dniester!

17:00, 25th, the Germans engage in a massive attack on Riga! General Rybalko informs us that this attack actually has him worried, but he's sure all the chalk STAVKA sent him has so improved morale that we are sure to hold. Admiral Kuznetsov's Baltic fleet reports their guns are ready to unload on the Germans! STAVKA has every confidence in Comrade Rybalko!

00:00, 26th, a new heavy tank division is raised, it will be assigned to the defense of Riga once it is sufficiently organized.

21:00, 27th, it has been decided to retreat from Iwje - we cannot hold and many of our divisions are exhausted.

14:00, 28th, the Germans try to retake Kostopol, general I.A. Zhukov's troops are still in the area, they demand to stay at the front despite being depleted to below 50% pre-war strength by German bombing raids. Zhukov claims they're too well dug in to be dislodged!

Around the World

The Italians have made progress around the North African coast, but STAVKA assumes their days are numbered - the British have made a landing at Tunis in North-West Africa, and in all likelihood will force the Italians to give up on the idea of offensive operations and concentrate on defense. According to our news-watchers in the intelligence services, the British claim they have sunk basically the entire Italian navy, except the Caio Duilio and a few other ships.

The British have also invaded Syria, which is under Axis Vichy control.

The Japanese continue to march up the coast of the Gulf of Martiban, and are on the outskirts of of Kuala Lampur.

The Americans have re-taken Midway Island.

The Naval war remains virtually unchanged with the Japanese sinking several British ships and the British sinking several Japanese ships of small size.

Naval Action Summary

We sank no enemy shipping last month - perhaps between the storm in the Black Sea, and the icy waters in the Baltic and Arctic none could be found? Or perhaps there were none to find!

 

[guillec87]

a war of attrition... how is Germany's MP?

 

[marxianTJ]

March, 1942.

Condition of the Fronts

Arkhangelsk Front

- Still no movement, transports for a summer naval operation are not under-construction due to the army's requirements for upgraded equipment.

Leningrad Front

- The Defense of Riga will decide the fate of the front for now. If we are pushed back across the Daugava the Germans will be able to free up a gigantic amount of divisions to attack us on open ground, and likely force us back. The rest of the front is in extensive discussion as to what to do about this situation.

Kiev Front

- Kiev Front has experienced modest gains in February, and we will seek to sure up and hold these gains - as the Germans are just as likely to force us back if we become too disorganized, and the whole Front could be endangered if we over-reach!

Odessa Front

- Odessa Front remains stable, but its reserves have been pulled up closer to Kiev Front, and will be released to Kiev front should Kiev Front begin to break down.

Trans-Caucus Front

- General Anasimov reports that he will be ready to assault Kabul on March 4th, so perhaps the war in Western Asia will conclude, for now, for us this month?

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The Germans engage in counter-offensive on the Leningrad front that force STAVKA to abandon all plans of continuing offensive action to attempt to force the Germans to call off the attack on Riga. They also heavily engage in attacks on the Northern edge of the Kiev front, and also try to cross the Dniester at the extreme ends of the line at Husaityn and Illichivsk!

6:00, 1st of March, we have righted our defenses and continue to assign our reserves to attempt to formulate a cohesive defense, but nothing can be done for Riga.

10:00, 1st of March, General Baranov comes up with a plan. We will attack Utena (North of Wilno) with our line infantry (Utena is a forest) and attempt to clear the Germans from there and then attack through there with what armor is still yet available to the Leningrad Front, and attempt to out-flank the divisions facing the rest of our troops on the Daugava - that should at least get the German's attention and encourage them to rethink their massive Riga operation.

Novikov's CAS will assist.

12:00, 1st, General Kariofilli reports that they have held Molodeczno, and killed 832 attacking fascists in the process!

7:00, 3rd, we've managed to completely defeat the German thrust against Kiev Front's Northern Flank, but many divisions are exhausted and will have to be withdrawn.

Meteorologists report that the mud is beginning to dry up in some sections of the Kiev Front, and so perhaps, we'll be able to use our reserves to prevent a dangerous situation from developing.

15:00, 3rd, General Berzarin reports that we have held in the battle of Oszmiana - but our divisions are severely depleted and we have few reserves to offer them with most of our fast moving forces bound for the offensive action at Utena. 1044 Soviets gave their lives hold Oszmiana, while killed 2933 fascists.

5:00, 4th, the Battle of Illichivsk ends, Chuikov reports that 3,077 fascists died in another foolhardy attempt to cross the Dniester.

6:00, 4th, with the situation becoming desperate in Riga, STAVKA approves general Baranov's plan for a lighting fast offensive to relieve Riga. The weather is not in our favor, but STAVKA does not want the Germans to be able to free up so many divisions and throw them against the Southern flank of Leningrad Front. We will sacrifice our strategic depth here - as if Riga falls, it is STAVKA's opinion that all of the gains from the winter offensive will be lost! The fate of the front may hang on the next few days.

Smuschkevich's TAC flight, as well as Yakovlev's badly depleted CAS flight will assist. Thor's MRF wing has provided air coverage for Riga, but is severely depleted now. But General Falaleev's INT flight reports it is ready to protect Riga and the Baltic Fleet once more! (they have been out of action for months)

10:00, 4th, Baranov reports we have thrown the Axis back from Utena, and will begin moving - but just as he sent his report, STAVKA learns that Daugavplis has come under attack - the right flank of our forces attacking Utena - this will withhold several fast-moving formations from our offensive action! Baranov *must* make the attempt regardless.

The generals in Zarasai draw lots to see which of them must be forced engage in a diversionary attack against the Germans trying to cross the river at Daugavplis, to free up the road to Utena. General Ruckoy, and the brave Soviet soldiers of the 9th Guards division -=the AI built this unit=- have been selected. They will charge headlong into numerous German armored formations to attempt to get them to cease their attack on Daugavplis. The Rodina, and the people of Riga, will remember their sacrifice!

14:00, 4th, Ruckoy's guards division assaults 3 panzer divisions and a light tank division.

00:00 a new infantry division is raised and released to Kiev Front.

1:00, 6th, General Anasimov's troops are assaulted outside of Kabul by the city's garrison. He expects to hold.

6:00, General Anasimov reports that the attackers have drawn back into the city - he gives chase!

5:00, 8th, General Rybalko reports that the chalk was of no more use, and his tanks have been forced from the city! The remaining infantry divisions have decided to hold out to the last possible moment! Reinforcements will arrive from further North on the 9th.

General Baranov is attacking Ukmerge now.

18:00, 9th. It is of no use. The Germans have forced us from Riga. In the battle, 7,012 Soviet soldiers gave their lives to hold the city, but 16,202 fascists died wresting it from them!

1:00, 10th of March, General Anasimov reports that we have won the battle for Kabul - the Axis will be out of West Asia!

9:00, 11th, Baranov reports victory in Ukmerge - the best we can hope for is to punish the Germans for what they have done!

14:00, 13th, Kiev Front reports that General NA Novikov's troops have taken Shodorow! He will be at the gates to Lwow (Lvov/Lviv)!

General Panov's Tanks attack Kranse, to secure Kiev Front's Southern flank, and enable us to turn our reserves Northward again

14:00, 14th, motorized troops, and 2 tank divisions under general Mitrofonov attack Birzai on their crusade of revenge!

3:00, 16th, at Ukmerge, general Baranov's tank force comes under-attack by the forces freed up from the assault on Riga, he will stay for now, but will be pulled back at the first sign of trouble, cooler heads must prevail if we are to weather the storm that is coming our way.

10:00, 18th, General Baranov reports that he has thrown off all of his attackers at Ukmerge and continues to Birzai.

- The Germans attack Vendychany on the Odessa front at this hour - but the only messages that STAVKA can seem to get from them are the latest "how many Romanians does it take to cross a river" jokes from the Soldier's papers.

11:00, 19th, General Kurochin's motorized troops arrive in Birzai, and are beset on all sides - but he insists we *will* have our revenge for Riga. STAVKA hopes he is right.

6:00, 22nd, STAVKA finally receives an answer to its requests for updates on the situation in Vendychany. The only response they get is "2202, still not enough!"

9:00, 25th, Kiev front is reassigning its forces and preparing for a major offensive in the North of Kiev Front, but in Leningrad Front the situation is much more active:

We are attempting to relieve general Mitrofonov in Birzai and complete the formation of a pocket of several panzer divisions. But the offensive will never succeed until the armored forces in Birzai beat back their attackers - whether this is possible or not is very much up for debate in Moscow. But the attempt will be made nonetheless.

6:00, 27th, the attacks are all called off, the operation for Birzai has failed, the Leningrad Front must steel itself.

2:00, 28th, it is decided to attempt to take Iwje in the South of Leningrad Front, so that our front will be straight when the inevitable German counter-offensive falls on our heads.

General Martirosyan is in charge of the assault.

7:00, 29th, the Germans, in an unexpected attack, attempt to force the Daugava at Sigulda (directly behind Riga). The Baltic Sea Fleet will assist them! There are no reinforcements in the area as it was thought the line was secure, but General Nikitin says there shouldn't be any problem with his defense.

8:00, 29th, Martirosyan reports victory in the assault on Iwje. Hopefully this will sure up our Southern flank in Leningrad Front.

9:00, 30th, The Germans initiate what is sure to be a counter-offensive on Leningrad Front South of the Daugava - on Rokiskis -=the one with "80" in the above picture=- General Ruckoy commands the defense - he reports that we should hold solid against only a single division of panzers.

1:00, 31st, General Anasimov reports that he has entered Kabul and occupies it - the Axis Afghan State should fall!

7:00, 31st, a massive attack comes down on General Baranov's attack force at Ukmerge - we will watch these developments closely.

00:00, April 1st, we have puppeted and brought the Communist Way to Afghanistan - the British are welcome to have back the territory the former Afghan army took from them!

Around the World

The British have taken all of Vichy's land in Syria and have only Beirut left to take. They are also right outside of Tobruch, and are only 100 KM away from Tripoli in the West.

The Japanese have taken Singapore and look to be about to take Rangoon. They have invaded Oosthaven in Malaysia. They have also retaken Midway Island.

As for STAVKA's appraisals of how the naval war is going: Japan has lost another BC and several other smaller ships, while only being able to sink several smaller Allied vessels.

Naval Action Summary

We neither sunk nor found any cargo ships last month.

 

[marxianTJ]

Guillec well... It's not as good as mine I checked at the New Year, they should have more than enough MP to make it through 1942 barring something really wacky happening. If it starts to run low because they've built tons of MP heavy divisions I'll give them a boost. But when I looked at the queue it seemed the AI at least 1/2 way knew what it was doing and wasn't building anything too out there.

 

[markkur]

Riga...what a bloodbath that was.

 

[guillec87]

the AI almost do an encirclement? :O

 

[marxianTJ]

Mostly what happened there Guillec was I tried to do my own encirclement to try to eliminate what I estimated to be about 6-7 divisions, with several of them being tank divisions, but failed to do so lol. Then they tried to force that river because I have only 3 infantry divisions there and no reserves, but I don't think they'll be able to cross and reinforcements are en route anyways so even if they do break-through I doubt they'll make it all the way - of course if they do I'll be in massive trouble lol.

yeah Markkur - that's one of the bloodiest battles where nukes weren't involved that I've seen in hoi3. I had 7 divisions in Riga (one of them a tank division) and they hit me with 18 divisions - that's a massive force lol. I fed 3 more divisions into it as reinforcements too and in urban terrain, and winter.... I would have fed even more, but once the AI hit my attacking tanks' right flank I knew I'd never make it in time to save the city so I had to hope for a miracle or for the AI to decide maybe killing 1 1/2 divisions worth of MP wasn't worth it .

 

[marxianTJ]

April, 1942

Condition of the Fronts

Arkhangelsk Front

- Transports for a summer offensive are now being built - though we will not engage in such an offensive if we don't hold Estonia - which is a possibility.

Leningrad Front

- With the loss of Riga, it may be difficult for Leningrad Front to gain traction, the Front will be looking to go back on the defensive. The city was tying down upwards of 20 divisions, and they are now free to roam South of the Daugava.

Kiev Front

- Kiev Front is preparing for a North-ward offensive, using the Bug river as a natural barrier to attack.

Odessa Front

- Odessa Front is completely stable for now, no offensive action is planned as of yet.

Trans-Caucus Front

- Like the Far Eastern Theater, the Trans-Caucus Front will now be considered inactive, once we account for the defense of its borders, all remaining divisions will be transferred to the Odessa Front, to free up better equipped divisions for Kiev Front.

-----------

00:00 1st, April

- A new CAS wing is raised and will be assigned to the Leningrad Front
- A new Infantry division is raised is also assigned to Leningrad Front

3:00, the Germans assault us all along the North of Leningrad Front, the North of Kiev Front, and of course, they attempt to cross the Dniester in two locations

The defenses of Ukmerge, Kostopol, Kiwerce, and Krzemieniec are not going particularly well.

7:00, 1st, the Germans call off their assault on Krzemieniec - the Kiev Offensive operation will begin!

14:00 General Rodin engages in a flank turning attack to relieve our armored forces fighting in Ukmerge - we would like to leave them there for the time being to exhaust the Germans - or at least leave them there as long as is reasonable. It is good ground for defending due to the forest.

15:00 the offensive on Kiev Front begins!

17:00, 1st, we win the battles for Krasne (Kiev Front) and Iwje (Leningrad Front) ~1,000 Axis troops die in either assault, 200 were our greatest losses.

22:00, 1st, General Krylov reports that his thrust on the Kiev Front has been a success and they will be moving on to Dubno.

8:00, 2nd, General Rotmistrov reports that he has won the battle for Luck.

2:00, 3rd, 2,441 Germans die at Sigulda trying to cross the Daugava. The Daugava threat is over for now.

6:00, General Ruckoy informed STAVKA that they have successfully defended Rokiskis.

16:00, General Borzikov's tanks come under counter-attack from the Germans on Kiev Front - but he claims they will be crushed!

9:00, 4th, General Pavlov wins the battle for Brody - his tanks count 4,622 kills.

- General Baranov calls off the defense of Ukmerge, we cannot hold.

13:00 - General Berzarin's motorized troops come under heavy panzer assault to the SE of Wilno - we will engage the South of Leningrad Front in a turning attack to try to dissuade them and give Berzarin more of a chance - if Berzarin's troops have to fall back, it will create a very dangerous situation for Baranov's exhausted tank force.

14:00 General Bolotnikov leads the charge against German troops attacking Oszmiana.

1:00, 5th, it is apparent that the German garrison in Wilno is engaged in Oszmiana as well - we will attack them - General Vishnevskij will lead the attack on the city with 3 infantry divisions - we simply want to turn the Germans around, but if we can take the city, that would be a great victory.

18:00, 5th, the offensive continues in Kiev, but the defense of Kostopol is breaking down, the Northern flank of the Kiev Front is buckling, but we assume the tank operation being carried out to the South will keep German gains to a minimum - defensive depth is still in place behind Kostopol as well, so should the Germans break through, Kiev Front should not be in serious danger.

19:00, Chuikov reports that 5,280 Germans died trying to cross the Dniester at Illichivsk, but that was still not enough Germans to cross.

00:00, 6th, a new infantry division is raised and placed in depth behind Kostopol.

17:00, the Germans *finally* give up trying to cross the Dniester at Husaityn, General Petrov reports that his troops are very tired, mostly as a result of killing 6.687 fascists.

00:00, 7th, USA announces the collapse of Vichy France -=but not really it's still there=-.

9:00, 9th, General Shumilov is counter-attacking into Kostopol - the Germans are pushing heavy tanks through the swamp - the Northern flank of Kiev front will have a difficult time dealing with this if it should make it through the swamp into Kostopol.

Zhivgarev's CAS flight will bomb them.

19:00, 12th, the Battle for Ozmiana has finished - we lost 7,832 holding the line on the Leningrad Front, while the Germans lost 6,382.

21:00, 12th, General Kurkin engages the Germans at Lida along the Neman river. While so many Germans are concentrated to our North - we should attempt to disrupt their reserve rotation by cutting them off along the river.

00:00, 14th, a new infantry division is raised and assigned to Leningrad Front

7:00, 14th, General Rukoy's troops come under assault in Rokiskis by 2 panzers, and a heavy tank division - his men are no stranger to heroism however, and will hold the line for as long as possible!

19:00, the Germans attack at Borsuky to try to break the Dniester line - they will be thrown back!

11:00, 15th, the rivals of the Black Sea Fleet - the Caio Duilio appears in the Black Sea Again - Admiral Papanin and the Paris Commune engage!

General Rychagov's MRF flight will assist!

19:00 15, the Black Sea Fleet chased off the thrice-damned Caio Duilio, but the Black Sea Fleet was dealt a harsh blow, as both the Profintern and Pamiat Merkuriya light cruisers were lost. They did sink CA Francesco Furriccio. The guns of the Paris Commune took them down. However, the Black Sea Fleet must retreat to port immediately - all of the ships of the fleet are very badly damaged. The shock workers at the Batumi docks will be called upon once more!

2:00, 16th, the Germans assault Oszmiana again - again we must hold!

9:00, we lose the battle for Rokiskis. The left flank of the Daugava is falling back!

14:00, 16th, General Badanov reports that the Kiev front has achieved a decisive breakthrough on the Kiev Front - as far as he can tell - and will race forward in an attempt to encircle, or at least threaten to encircle, as many Germans as possible!

1:00, 19th, Katukov is assaulted as Zarasai - the Germans are indeed making a big push on the Leningrad front, and it is absolutely Vital that Katukov hold the line because the situation on the Kiev Front is incredible!

Such an encirclement may be possible - there are hardly any Germans in front of Kiev Front's forces, and we may be able to reach!

3:00, 20th, we have won the battle for Zarasai reports Katukov

3:00, 21, we have won the battle for Borsuky, the Germans could not turn the Dniester line - yet again.

Kiev Fronts troops race into Kobryn - only 2 cities left to pass and we will have cut off the Germans!

General Pavlov's tanks race into Swislocz - only 1 province left!

18:00, 21st, we have won the battle for Oszmiana again! Our reserves had to be called in yet again, more and more troops poured into the crucible - but we succeeded in holding the line - the Southern Offensive must not be jeopardized! We lost 3783, while the Germans lost over 7,000 troops.

00:00, 22nd General Vishnevskij's troops have taken Wilno! We lost 6,980, while the Germans lost 6,530 - but taking Wilno was worth the cost as it sure up our defensive line considerably.

00:00, 24th, the Germans are attempting to break the Leningrad arm of the pincer by throwing everything they have at Zabloc - General Martirosyan has been informed STAVKA that he is forbidden to retreat and that reinforcements are en route!

4:00, 24th, Pavlov arrives in Swislocz - The Leningrad arm of the pincer will be coming shortly! He only needs to hold out long enough for the ring to close!

16:00, Pavlov decides not to wait and attacks Wolkowlsky alone!

22:00, 25th, Pavlov comes under attack by German panzers - they're trying to stop us!

8:00, 26th, Pavlov's tanks have turned the German attack - and charge ahead!

11:00, 26th, victory in Zabloc! The Leningrad pincer will support Pavlov's attack from behind the Neman river.

22:00, Pavlov reports that he is now free to move for the encirclement!

18:00, 27th Pavlov closes the gap!

Both Fronts are set to attempt to maintain this pocket! There are untold fascists trapped inside!

19:00, 27th, the Germans engage us all along the arms of our pincers to try to break the encirclement battles rage all across both fronts!

12:00, 28th, we have held at Mosty (the extent of the Leningrad Pincer at the Neman river)

20:00, we hold at Kobyrn (behind Brest)!

8:00. 29th, we hold at Lida (Neman River)

00:00, 30th, the Germans again try to break through at Mosty - and fail.

14:00, 30th, we hold as Swislocz (just south of where the pocket closed).

00:00, May 1st, all of the line is holding except Pavlov, who has been isolated by German attacks on his flanks - he may not be able to hold and the fascists may yet escape!

-=I will make an appraisal as to how this could happen, along with other things at the end of the AAR in a wrap up, also this update may seem disjointed because my internet browser crashed several times while making it so I kept having to rewrite several portions a few times=-

Around the World

The Italians have lost all of their North African territory except Bengasi. The British are overrunning them.

The British have taken Syria and Lebanon.

Japan is making their way towards India, but have lost Midway Island again, and have made little progress in Oosthaven.

Naval Action Summary:

We sank 194,000 tons of Axis cargo last month. The Paris Commune is currently at 50% operation - the Black Sea fleet will not sail for some time.

-----------------

The War may be won or lost in May 1942. Will the encirclement hold? Will 44+ Axis divisions be destroyed because of Germany's failure to defend in depth, or will Kiev Front lose all of its tanks? Find out in the next installment!

 

[marxianTJ]

Preparations for the May First General Offensive

Offensive Operation Plans by Front:

Leningrad Front:

Leningrad Front will attempt to close the pocket and engage in 2 large diversionary offensives in the North along the Daugava river and Westwards through Wilno towards Alytus to attempt to pin-down the Germans and force them to choose between rescuing their trapped men, or giving us ground along two very defensible rivers. We also seek to close the Pinsk cauldron as much as possible - if the attacks are not going well they will be called off as it is just as likely our own forces could end up themselves cut-off. All available air assets will be sortied regardless of condition.

Kiev Front:

Kiev Front will primarily engage in holding the Dniester River and attempting to both tighten the pocket *and* relieve General Pavlov - there are several divisions in transit, but they are being pinned down by the Germans who are desperate to escape! All available air assets regardless of condition will be sortied. Kiev Front will also be responsible for re-establishing the pocket should Pavlov be forced back. There is a distinct possibility that Kiev Front may lose it's armor in this operation, or at least some of it. Our secondary goal, in order to guard against this possibility is to secure the Pripyat River, *inside* the Pinsk encirclement, and use it as a defensive line to guard Kiev Front against Southward pressure.

Odessa Front:

Odessa Front's Objective is to force the river Dniester and pour as many troops as possible into Romania to force the Axis to choose between allowing us to make for the Danube or to open the gap at Pinsk. Failing that, we will simply attempt to pin down as many German divisions as possible. We have 10 infantry divisions, 5 tank divisions, 5 cavalry divisions, and an additional 5 infantry divisions to contribute to this operation.

 

[marxianTJ]

May, 1942

00:00, May 1st. International Worker's Day.

The Offensive begins - terrible battle rages all over the front. From the Baltic to the Black Sea.

On May 2nd, at 3 AM General Pavlov will be relieved. We hope that our soldiers are able to hold!

Battles rage in 17 different sections of the front!

16:00, May 1st, Rybalko reports that we have taken the battle for Alytus - he will attempt to push as hard along the Neman river as possible!

18:00, May 2nd, Pavlov is relieved and the Germans break off their attack for now - but the situation is so choatic, there is no guarantee that will hold for any great length of time!

20:00, the Germans attack Pavlov's division (now with reinforcements) yet again - desperately trying to open the encirclement!

General Kondratchev reports that in the Chaos he has been able to take the city of Brest!

5:00, 3rd the Germans attack Lida, trying to find another escape route as some of our divisions have managed to cross the Neman river and may thicken the pincers!

13:00, 3rd, the Germans try to distract us with an assault on Husaityn - but we turn them back!

18:00, desperate to escape the Germans in the Pinsk encirclement throw themselves at Lida - we lose 59 troops, they lose 1,112.

00:00, 4th, Pavlov throws off a second all-out attempt to break through his division.

4:00, the Germans attack behind Brest to try to break out - they will not succeed.

14:00, 4th, Heavy tanks are en route to the encirclement's pincer area to reinforce the line.

5:00, 5th - we win the battles for Rokiskis and Bender on the Odessa front!

Odessa Front will now attempt the largest possible offensive in its area of operations!

10:00, 5th, Pavlov's division (and many reinforcements) come under attack again - but this time by thoroughly exhausted units! This reeks of desperation!

22:00, 5th, German mechanized troops show up for the first time! They are attacking Pavlov to try to break the encirclement - but little do they know units are heading in to his rear which will secure the area behind him, so that even if he has to retreat, the encirclement will remain!

14:00, May 6th, General Berzarin held Tarkai for 5 days - and took 3,400 losses, but the offensive continues.

22:00, 6th, Pavlov is attacked by even more Mech - but he will turn them back with ease!

11:00. 7th. The Germans have completely exhausted themselves flailing onto Pavlov's tanks - the offensive now spreads outwards from the pincers!

16:00, 8th, we take Mosty which should sure up our position along the upper edge of the Leningrad arm.

15:00, 11th, it is obvious that the operation has succeeded - the Germans are completely exhaust and Odessa Front rages through Romania!

Those are all ongoing battles in the Leningrad front - given our troops are tired too - but the Germans are a spent force in STAVKA's estimation.

21:00, 11th of May we execute a secondary encirclement in Pinsk - as part of Kiev Front's Objective to hold the Pripyat Riverline, which appears to no longer be necessary.

13:00, 15th, we continue to rampage through Romania virtually uncontested after having broken their lines, and now continue to charge ahead on all fronts!

Kiev and Leningrad Fronts as of the 15th:

2:00, 17th of May, what is likely to be one of the last major battles of the war General Kurkin is tasked with Taking Merech, so as to get our troops across the Neman river and headed towards Konigsberg - we will create another large encirclement in the North of Leningrad Front if the Germans do not immediately pull their troops from the Daugava.

May 22nd, General Karpezo occupied Merech, it is only a matter of time before we reach the Baltic Sea and trap even yet more of the German Army.

8:00. May 29th, General Kiselev of the 29th Cavalry division enters the oil fields at Ploesti. Romania will soon collapse.

As of 10:00, June 2nd, The Pinsk encirclement has been eliminated - and there is yet another pocket forming. Our troops are seiging Bucharest at this very hour.

Around the World

Italy still holds only Bengasi in Africa.

Japanese forces are nearly to Bhutan - but they have lost several pacific islands.

-=welp, guess that goes to show even if you try to do everything right for Germany, enough partisan revolts in the right place during an enemy offensive will result in them committing suicide no matter how many troops you give them =-

 

[serutan]

Look on the bright side; you did set it up so that it appeared to be touch and go for a while, instead of what I presume would have been
a boring steamrolling if you'd played the SU from the beginning.

Now you must properly stomp the Germans into snot and spread the Revolution into all of Europe!

 

[guillec87]

the begining of the End...

 

[Wraith11B]

I admire your dedication and rapid posting! This has been a great ride!

 

[markkur]

That pic of your "Kiev Offensive" reminded me of the Mongol-hordes for some reason.

German infantryman to his officer; "Hold?! They're thick as fleas! Order us back to a river you madman before it's too late!." The young man didn't know...it was already too late.

What a commander you are Comrade-Field-Marshall! What an encirclement. <both thumbs-up>
Don't be modest at a time like this...what Soviet-medal would Stalin give you?

btw, nice work on the custom-screens.

 

[marxianTJ]

Lol yeah Serutan as soon as I broke through in April and then sent the Mots ahead and found only HQ's and open ground, I had this sinking feeling - because I had *just* flown over the area with some MRFs about a week prior and the Germans had a nice defensive set-up that wouldn't have allowed such a thing to happen lol. But after I started pushing Britain must've triggered *all* of their underground resistance stuff in Poland because Poland was lit up with partisans and the AI decided to displace a huge portion of its reserves to deal with the situation. When I inevitably get my USSR Vs. Germany itch again, I'll do the same thing - but also disable partisans entirely lol. It was more fun than VH because VH still gives you that 4 1/2 years of prep time, and the German AI tends to waste it's boosted IC - and get it bombed a *lot* more since the UK and USA VH AI's build ungodly amounts of STRAT lol.

That it is guillec, that it is - especially if I pull off another encirclement of the troops now marooned in Lithuania/Latvia, we'll be home before New Years lol.

lol yeah wraith this was honestly some of the most fun I've had playing hoi3 - up until the April offensive began, then I was mostly just sad lol. The early months of 1941 were not only rather difficult to play (I had to use basically every possible control tool, maneuver, and mission type that I could think of just to lose only a few provinces lol) but they also took *forever* to play. There are some of those early updates that represent 4+ hours of game time - but hey that's what vacations are for I think this is the first time I've *really* paid attention to weather too - because it completely saved my bacon at a few points lol. Managing my divisions as a mobile reserve was particularly fun - those poor guys had to walk/ride/drive all over their respective fronts lol. The updates came so fast because I *had* to play some more, it was borderline obsession for a bit there lol.

Yeah Makkur lol I see the Mongol horde aspect lol taking those river lines allowed me to free up a *ton* of divisions. Plus the Mongols really liked pincer-like maneuvers (but they didn't usually close the gap - they were more of Sun Tzu's thinking that it was better to leave a tiny gap so your enemy would *think* they had a way out and then.. well... fish in a barrel).

lol, all the generals got Hero medals - but ol' Pavlov's AI made tank division takes the cake really - he was fighting with ARM/MOT/MOT AA/AC, a division type no human would build typically, which *did* make his division incredibly fast lol. He'll get 2.

Thanks for the interest and support folks! Europe will soon be red it seems.

 

[marxianTJ]

The End of Germany Episode 1.

-=The way updates are presented will change fairly significantly at this point to simply highlight the important dates/times of major objectives instead of attempting to provide an approximation of the huge scope of the war=-

Condition of the Fronts

Arkhangelsk Front

- One more month until transports are ready for a general offensive on Arkhangelsk Front

Leningrad Front

- A solid attempt will be made to encircle the Germans in Lithuania/Latvia and trap them there as well - if this operation is successful it should completely defang Germany.

Kiev Front

- Kiev Fronts troops are badly dispersed and likely will not be able to cross the Bug river in many places - as such they'll mostly be holding the ground we've taken and reorganizing.

Odessa Front

- An all out race through the Balkans is the order of the day!

-----

9:00, 4th, General Berzarin liberates Kaunas!

7:00, 6th, General Koptzov occupies Bucharest - we expect unconditional surrender from Romania by the end of the day!

11:00, 10th, General Golikov reoccupies Riga - the Germans abandoned it.

We have closed the Latvia-Lithuania pocket:

8:00, 19th, General Kurkin reports that we have captured Konigsberg.

2:00, 30th, General Koptzov occupies Sofia - the Germans and Bulgarians had left it completely undefended. Koptzov's troops had quite a time driving their tanks through so many mountains to find it!

2:00, 2nd of July - the Bulgarians surrender.

July 14th - we finish off the Latvia pocket - Germany has almost no army to speak of.

July 18th - General Panov takes and occupies Warsaw - Poland is liberated! -=not by my choice =-

August 1st, 1942:

As August begins, we are meeting *very* little resistance across all fronts - it is simply a race to acquire the population centers of Europe and spread the Communist Way over all of Europe!

August will see a race to the Atlantic - as well as the end of Axis Finland.

-------------------------

If you're interested in MP/IC losses on the counter - I know many people don't care much for them since they're wildly inaccurate but...

As of August 1st,