Saithis said somewhere in this AAR he wanted the campaign done by Christmas...Really enjoying the frequent updating
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Oh you.
Here, we see the reason why "Monty" is perceived as such a good commander by mostly (only) British historians. It's quite fitting actually - just like in real life, the arrival of Montgomery coincides with a substantial strengthening of the lines, which will inevitably grant him victory over the Germans and ever more fame. I'm looking forward to which non-strategy you'll have him follow in the next update
In case you're wondering what my crusade against Monty is all about, I myself am an avid supporter of daring tactics and seizing the initiative, at any cost. This is probably my main criticism against namesake General George Catlett Marshall as well, and the reason why I consider General Heinz Guderian the single best commander of World War II. It's quite funny to see him and Rommel in this AAR's situation, as there are actually quite a few parallels with real life (again). Did you perchance read one of their books?
Aside from that rant, though, a great update indeed! The way you write it, and probably due to the way you play and mod the game as well, it really feels like reading an actual war report.
Here, we see the reason why "Monty" is perceived as such a good commander by mostly (only) British historians. It's quite fitting actually - just like in real life, the arrival of Montgomery coincides with a substantial strengthening of the lines, which will inevitably grant him victory over the Germans and ever more fame. I'm looking forward to which non-strategy you'll have him follow in the next update
In case you're wondering what my crusade against Monty is all about, I myself am an avid supporter of daring tactics and seizing the initiative, at any cost. This is probably my main criticism against namesake General George Catlett Marshall as well, and the reason why I consider General Heinz Guderian the single best commander of World War II. It's quite funny to see him and Rommel in this AAR's situation, as there are actually quite a few parallels with real life (again). Did you perchance read one of their books?
Aside from that rant, though, a great update indeed! The way you write it, and probably due to the way you play and mod the game as well, it really feels like reading an actual war report.
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Thanks! I'm a little disappointed by its longevity since it should have been finished long ago, but at least I haven't given up.
Nice job with inflicting another solid defeat on the IJN. That's a few capital ships you've sunk now, I think you can keep up the bold engagements
The Middle East also seems to be coming along nicely, have you given any thought to coming up the Red Sea into Egypt? Not sure about the quality of the ports or infrastructure though...
Really enjoying the frequent updating
The Red Sea is a definite area of interest for me, but the way the sea zones line up is inconvenient. I can't actually land on Sinai or anywhere useful unless I take Port Sudan, and Port Sudan itself is very very poor quality and surprisingly well-defended. Egypt has the strongest defending army of any of the Axis territories (likely because the VPs on the Suez are so high) and it's not a place I want to be right now. Free France only holds them back because of the terrible supply situation.
Saithis said somewhere in this AAR he wanted the campaign done by Christmas...
Yes, but that was last Christmas...
Oh you.
Here, we see the reason why "Monty" is perceived as such a good commander by mostly (only) British historians. It's quite fitting actually - just like in real life, the arrival of Montgomery coincides with a substantial strengthening of the lines, which will inevitably grant him victory over the Germans and ever more fame. I'm looking forward to which non-strategy you'll have him follow in the next update
In case you're wondering what my crusade against Monty is all about, I myself am an avid supporter of daring tactics and seizing the initiative, at any cost. This is probably my main criticism against namesake General George Catlett Marshall as well, and the reason why I consider General Heinz Guderian the single best commander of World War II. It's quite funny to see him and Rommel in this AAR's situation, as there are actually quite a few parallels with real life (again). Did you perchance read one of their books?
Aside from that rant, though, a great update indeed! The way you write it, and probably due to the way you play and mod the game as well, it really feels like reading an actual war report.
If it helps, I play this game in advance of writing updates and at that point I'd already committed to promoting Monty. Of course, the parallel of him coming in to 'shape things up' right as the siege was starting to turn (supply was running out, especially), is a fairly entertaining prospect to me. Tehran he took on his own merit, and I can't judge his performance in Britain and France, but he genuinely achieved the highest Skill rating of any of my generals so far (6 at that time, compared to 5 from my best other generals including the other main candidate, 1st Cavalry Lt. General Robertson). Outside of the game, I generally agree with you that Monty was a bit overrated and I feel Rommel was the clear 'tactical genius' of that battlefield, but he couldn't turn the tides against superior resources when he wasn't there to give orders. I also agree with you on the idea that Guderian was the best general of WW2, but that doesn't necessarily matter here. Rommel's Asienkorps for mysterious reasons is once again under an assault it can't seem to weather. Will it end in tears for the Germans?
I'm aiming for another update tonight or tomorrow - the fighting has gotten really intense in-game and I'm eager to start to plough through it.
Chapter 5.14 - Fallen Heroes
At home, the country sees an upswing in Australian nationalism and a revitalized All for Australia Party begins to rise back to prominence.
The dominant victories of the Australian Labour Party in past elections had greatly damaged the legitimacy of the Country Party and led to the dissolution of the United Australia Party in 1940. However, despite this, Australasia's war propaganda, the expansion of her nation to legally include Papua New Guinea, Oceania and New Zealand and her success overseas had led to a renewed sense of nationalism in the state. While the people would hardly accept or rally behind fascists and the All For Australia League was seen by many as a perfectly acceptable and reasonable party despite their right-wing leanings. In fact, many were growing to see her as a preferable alternative to the other conservative parties, who were consistently losing to the Labour Party in popularity polls.
The Red Army continues its advance into Poland, recapturing the city of Brest-Litovsk - Königsberg and Warsaw are next.
The situation in Europe was improving, and on November 1st the Soviet Red Army had finally captured the critical city of Brest-Litovsk. Wehrmacht Generals knew their troops were exhausted and broken from the long, unsuccessful battle, and forces in Prussia and Lithuania were in danger of being overrun and captured. They drew up a plan to withdraw to the Mottlau River and build a new defensive line there, abandoning East Prussia and Eastern Poland until they could rally enough troops for a counter-attack. Hitler declared this was unacceptable, and that German ground could not be lost to the Soviets. His men were ordered to hold their ground, and grimly settled in for the next wave of Soviet assaults.
The US refuses to take violent action against Icelandic Freedom Fighters who take over Reykjavik; they declare an independent state in the North Sea country.
In the North Sea, the US refusal to re-occupy Iceland had been met by an equal lack of capacity for the Germans to invade the state. The cities had now been overrun by freedom fighters, who formed militias to resist an invasion by any power. At Reykjavik, they formed an Icelandic government, and declared themselves a nation free of any western Imperialist. While on paper the US refused to see the nation as legitimate, many of the Allies had little interest in Iceland as anything more than a potential springboard for a European invasion, and as long as the country remained out of Axis hands, they were content.
Numerous - if disparate - Axis divisions arrive in the Middle East to stem the flow of the Australasian offensive, including two German Panzer divisions.
The Axis had responded to Australasia's capture of Baghdad in force. Hitler ordered the recapture of Baghdad and the critical Persian oilfields, but there was no easy way for them to do this. Troops from multiple Axis countries poured into the Middle East, including Germans, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Romanians, Italians and Spaniards, supported by Auxiliary divisions of colonial troops. They were ordered to drive the Allies back to the sea, but they were disorganized and lacked supplies, making any offensive difficult at this time. Initiative was still in Allied hands.
The German and Iraqi Armies in the encirclement are forced to surrender, with 70,000 men taken prisoner; an additional 200 German tanks are captured.
At long last, the German and Iraqi forces in the south had surrendered to the Australasian Army. Over 70,000 men were taken prisoner at Ash Shabakah, a stinging defeat for the Asienkorps. Rommel was furious that he had been ordered to abandon his men, but now it was clear that the Axis did not have a unified plan that could save the Middle Eastern front. Those close to Guderian stated that he believed the war to be all but over, and that his men were merely wasting allied time to deliver Europe into the hands of the Soviets. He argued against Hitler's decision to commit so many forces to the Middle East, and wanted the entire Asienkorps withdrawn to Germany where they could prepare to stand against the Red Army. Hitler believed that if he could retake Baghdad and drive the Australasians to the sea, then maybe the Allies would consider an armistice, knowing they too feared the prospect of a Red Europe. The two clashed, and on November 3rd, Guderian was relieved of his command and ordered to return to Germany to face Hitler in person.
British Battleship HMS Valiant breaks into the Gulf of Aden, catching an Allied sub hunting group by surprise.
As part of Hitler's plan to drive the Allies towards a peace settlement, he orders the Royal Navy into the Indian Ocean. The RAN saw this as an unexpected move, and HMAS Queen Elizabeth was refueling and rearming at Muscat, too far to help the cruiser squadron in a fight. When the British Battleship HMS Valiant and her convoy steamed into the Gulf of Aden, an entire squadron of RAN cruisers and destroyers were caught offguard as they attempted to escort a merchant convoy with fresh supplies and fuel for the 3rd Cavalry Corps. Both fleets engaged on a cloudy evening at relatively close range.
The completion of HMAS Perth will help reinforce the Royal Australasian Navy's losses.
Just two days after the loss of the Geraldton, the new light cruiser HMAS Perth was commissioned in the city of her namesake. The addition of a new cruiser to the Navy would help bolster the losses, but rather than aid in the Aden Gulf, she was destined for Singapore, where she would escort the Vanguard and Commencement in their operations.
In Persia, the Australasians advance against three divisions of the German Asienkorps.
Realizing that the Axis were under pressure, the 2nd Cavalry Corps in Western Persia now launch a significant offensive. Three divisions of the German Asienkorps hold the town of Kermanshah against four divisions of Motorized Cavalry, who are now reinforced with the new M10 Wolverines. Although the German Panzers had previously been an immense obstacle for the Australasians to overcome, the new M10s were more than a match for the PzIVs and PzIIIs which armed the Middle Eastern Army. Digging into the rough terrain, the Germans cannot manage to bring their tanks to the offensive and instead are forced into a slow, bloody struggle to hold the town.
Two British battleships are sighted off the coast of Indochina - an Australasian response is required as their shipping is threatened.
Listening posts at Saigon pick up radio chatter from a British fleet, and reconaissance planes are soon sent out. Much to Australasia's surprise, it is discovered that another two British battleships are operating in the Gulf of Thailand. Following the loss of Malaya and Warspite at Sumatra, it was expected that the British Union would abandon the East Indies entirely and leave the Japanese to their fate, but now they were striking out against Allied convoys yet again. A response was required, and Vanguard and Commencement prepared to sail.
Iraqi defenders at Bayji cannot hold against the US, despite the arrival of Romanian and German reinforcements.
The Iraqi garrisons of Bayji now came under attack, battling the entire 2nd US Expeditionary Corps. Romanian, Hungarian and German troops arrived to aid in the defense, but shortages of fuel and supplies made them sluggish and slow, and they couldn't prevent the US advance. After a week of fighting, the key oil facilities of the city fell into US hands, and the Iraqi resolve to fight collapsed completely.
The Iraqi government surrenders and submits all her territory to Allied rule.
Faced with an inevitable defeat at the hands of the Allied assault, the Iraqi government surrendered completely. Bombers struck at the few lines of Axis supply and their local support faded away as a new Iraqi government was installed to support the Allied cause instead. At this rate, it was looking like the Axis would struggle to hold Damascus, let alone Baghdad.
With the fall of Iraq, a western advance across the deserts will be required if the Allies are to take the key cities of the Levant.
The key cities of the Middle East were still largely in Axis hands, but now that Iraq was in Allied hands, there was little to stop the Allies from driving west towards the Levant. If they could take Syria and Palestine, they would be able to place an intense amount of pressure on the Axis positions in Egypt and Turkey. The Axis poured troops eastwards, emptying much of the Egyptian Army to face this threat.
The RAAF does not have the reach to bomb these and other Axis cities, and debates the potential value of a four-engine bomber program.
While most of the Axis armies' supplies were shipped overseas from Europe, a respectable amount of Middle Eastern industry supported this effort. The major population and industrial centres of the Levant now produced munitions, food, clothes and fuel for the impending Axis counterattack. The RAAF believed that aerial strikes against these lightly defended targets were the best course of action, but she lacked any bombers with the range to strike at these targets from Baghdad. Before the Fall of Britain, the RAF had been working on designs for a four-engine bomber, the Avro Lancaster, but much of the details had been lost. There was some debate over whether a native program should be established, but many in the RAAF believed that any strategic bombing requirements should be provided by the vast industry of the United States. Plans to produce an Australasian Lancaster were shelved due to the cost, and increased requests for US Air Support were made.
Off the tip of Indochina, the RAN is surprised at night by a Japanese battlegroup in the Battle of the Thai Gulf.
In the far east, Admiral Colvin's carrier group now hunted for the British, but to no avail. After a week of searching, they had completely lost track of the battleships, and considered returning to Singapore. They would end up too late, as under cover of night, the Japanese had closed in on them under radio silence. In the early morning, the Japanese fleet opened fire, catching the Australasians almost completely offguard. Only HMAS Hood had realized the threat they were under, and she immediately turned to face the Japanese battlegroup - only to realize she was outnumbered 4 to 1. HMAS Renown, HMAS Hermes and HMAS Eagle were all hit by fire from the Japanese battleships, and two destroyers were sunk outright. The Vanguard and Commencement, spared the shelling so far, launched their Seafires for an immediate counter-attack. Flak rounds exploded around them as they came in, ship after ship was struck by fire from HMAS Hood and the cruisers Auckland, Hobart, Wellington and Perth. After an hour of this exchange, the clouds overhead began to transform into an intense storm, and Australasia's planes were grounded while the Japanese retreated under the cover of bad weather.
Three of the fleet's capital ships are crippled following the Battle of Thai Gulf.
Quick-thinking damage control teams had barely saved the Eagle from a fate at the bottom of the Gulf, while Renown and Hermes were badly damaged themselves in the attack. Heavy waves struck the battered fleet as they withdrew. Several times the crew of the Eagle feared they might sink, but slowly and surely, they were towed back towards the safe shelter at Singapore. The Japanese fleet did not seem to realize the damage it had done, or how close several of Australasia's capital ships had come to being lost, and despite the lack of aircover, they did not pursue the withdrawal. Once again, Australasia had defeated a great power on the sea...but not without loss.
Ragnar Colvin is remembered and honoured by the entire Royal Australasian Navy following his death.
Partway through the battle, HMAS Vanguard was struck by a shell from the Hyuga in her conning tower. The resulting damage killed several of the ship's command crew, including the fleet commander Admiral Ragnar Colvin. The loss was a bitter one, Colvin had served as commander of the Australasian fleet since they fought the Italians in the Mediterranean, and now they had lost one of their greatest heroes. Now the wounded fleet didn't just have to lick its wounds, but it would also have to find a new commander capable enough to fill his shoes.
Casualties from 17th of October, 1942 to 21st of November 1942
Allied Casualties:
12,380 total killed in action
(8,325 Australasians, 4,055 Americans)
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Tanks Lost: 3x Vickers-Armstrong MkV Light Tanks, 32x M4 Sherman Medium Tanks
Tank Destroyers Lost: 3x Bren Universal Carriers (2pdr), 21x M10 "Wolverine" Tank Destroyer
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Transports Lost: 4x Australasian Transports lost
Ships Lost: HMAS Geraldton (CL)
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Fighters Lost: 26x Supermarine MkXII Spitfires, 34x Supermarine MkXII Seafires
Bombers Lost: 15x Vultee Vengeance Bombers, 34x Bristol Beaufort Patrol Bombers
Axis Casualties:
13,341 total killed in action
(3,524 Hungarians, 3,505 Germans, 1,980 Turkish, 1,463 Iraqis, 1,097 Egyptians, 846 Romanians, 512 Japanese, 304 Spanish, 110 Bulgarians)
~50,000 German Prisoners, ~20,000 Italian Prisoners, ~10,000 Iraqi Prisoners, ~10,000 Egyptian Prisoners taken
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Tanks Lost:
45x PzIV Medium Tanks Destroyed, 15x PzIII Medium Tanks Destroyed
~200 Panzers captured
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Ships Lost: IJN Hyuga (BB), IJN Fuso (BB), HMS Liverpool (CL), 10x IJN Destroyers, 3x RN Transports
Transports Lost: 5x Merchant Transports, 4x Merchant Escorts
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Fighters Lost: 5x Ki-45 Toryu Two-Seat Fighters, 12x Ki-43 "Oscar" Fighters
Bombers Lost: 32x Mitsubishi Ki-21 Medium Bombers
Well those drop tanks should certainly be useful in the Middle East and the Pacific
How is you airforce looking? I think it was a wise idea not to spread yourself too thin and develop/build heavy bombers.
I see the Japanese and British fleets still pose some danger, but are gradually being whittled down
I'm a little worried about the growing Soviet juggernaut though you might have to be content just saving the UK, Italy, etc in the end for democracy. Eastern Europe, Germany, France, the Low Countries could be a lost cause?
How is you airforce looking? I think it was a wise idea not to spread yourself too thin and develop/build heavy bombers.
I see the Japanese and British fleets still pose some danger, but are gradually being whittled down
I'm a little worried about the growing Soviet juggernaut though
you might have to be content just saving the UK, Italy, etc in the end for democracy. Eastern Europe, Germany, France, the Low Countries could be a lost cause?
Well, it's really easy to land in Holland when Germany is at the brink of collapse and liberate the area before any German response or Soviet victory occurs... or maybe I'm just saying that due to wishful thinking
Mixed. Bonus of being a Major Power combined with the transfers I did from Britain is that I can actually keep up in most areas of important tech. Saying that, I'm pretty far behind in almost every naval design (especially battleships, cruisers and submarines). I'm competitive in carrier tech and light cruisers. My doctrines are very good though, as while I wasn't willing to transfer ship design from Britain in the fall, I was more than happy to copy over Britain's doctrine tech to my own as the majority of my Admiralty became British officers. Canada and South Africa got the same treatment, and we got minor boosts in the designs to represent the few experts who could've escaped Britain passing on knowledge.
Well those drop tanks should certainly be useful in the Middle East and the Pacific
How is you airforce looking? I think it was a wise idea not to spread yourself too thin and develop/build heavy bombers.
I see the Japanese and British fleets still pose some danger, but are gradually being whittled down
I'm a little worried about the growing Soviet juggernaut though
They're annoyingly slow to upgrade, but when the drop tanks finally hit...man that range boost is delicious. You never think about the difference a few hundred kilometres will make until you see it on a map!
The Japanese and British have suffered heavy attrition against both me and the US Navy. I didn't know it at this point, but the Japanese have lost the majority of their capital ships by now and they're struggling to keep up in the war, despite continuing to hold their islands against US attacks. I'm finally catching up.
Might be too late to save Europe. If I have the choice, I'll try and get into France and save that as it's an important land zone to control, but I don't know if I'll have the choice. I should be able to liberate Britain either way as the Soviets don't have a navy worth speaking of (mostly subs), but my real concern is that it's just going to take too long to deal with China and the Middle East, and that I won't have free troops to liberate Europe before Stalin makes it all the way to Lisbon.
Well, it's really easy to land in Holland when Germany is at the brink of collapse and liberate the area before any German response or Soviet victory occurs... or maybe I'm just saying that due to wishful thinking
Super easy! In fact, I have just the General in mind for such a mission...
As I said above, though, I prioritize France over any other continental state, as one of my core allies and one of the last few remaining great powers (even if they're mauled and in need of a good few years of recovery).
Wow, the story's really moved in the last week or so...
Brazil's "adventure" in South America turned into a total farce, didn't it? It's a pity it was largely irrelevant to the wider war, but it was a decisive Axis defeat and more importantly didn't require any of your precious forces to get it done. Your naval actions have been quite brutal but crucially it was the IJN that was actually losing capital units even if some of yours might be out of commission for quite some time! I get the impression you've accepted the surrender of quite a large number of Axis divisions in the Middle East now through the elimination of a number of medium-sized pockets. That's all good, but you're still quite a long way from Suez, and the front will only get narrower with less room for manoeuvre as you get closer and the Mediterranean is presumably still an Axis lake? It's a little concerning that the IJA is still testing the mountain line in Asia and forcing Morshead to re-deploy his coastal garrisons to hold the line, so I'm intrigued to find out how he thinks he can now win the war in Asia!
Brazil's "adventure" in South America turned into a total farce, didn't it? It's a pity it was largely irrelevant to the wider war, but it was a decisive Axis defeat and more importantly didn't require any of your precious forces to get it done. Your naval actions have been quite brutal but crucially it was the IJN that was actually losing capital units even if some of yours might be out of commission for quite some time! I get the impression you've accepted the surrender of quite a large number of Axis divisions in the Middle East now through the elimination of a number of medium-sized pockets. That's all good, but you're still quite a long way from Suez, and the front will only get narrower with less room for manoeuvre as you get closer and the Mediterranean is presumably still an Axis lake? It's a little concerning that the IJA is still testing the mountain line in Asia and forcing Morshead to re-deploy his coastal garrisons to hold the line, so I'm intrigued to find out how he thinks he can now win the war in Asia!
It might be different in game, but the natural ending is teh Germans being driven back to Bavaria and the Alps for their last stand. If stopping the Stalinist tide is a policy priority, obtaining a blocking position in the North Italian plain and driving to the Rhine and as far beyond as possible up the Rhone and across the low countries in particular is the key to keeping some form of western Europe, assuming Stalin stops rather than fights when the allies meet in the field.
I think the key is the liberation of Allied capitals. It probably wouldn't require a lot of forces to stage an intervention in Norway and Denmark but moving into continental Europe could be a lot tougher. However, if the Australians could manage to liberate Paris, the Low Countries should also be within striking distance for a big Allied win. Of course, you might need a staging area like the British Isles first...
I was thinking the same thing. Get the Japanese to heel first, then play as an Axis Japan would and "island hop" across Africa to Great Britain. If you want to liberate Europe, you'll need the world's largest aircraft carrier.
Wow, the story's really moved in the last week or so...
Brazil's "adventure" in South America turned into a total farce, didn't it? It's a pity it was largely irrelevant to the wider war, but it was a decisive Axis defeat and more importantly didn't require any of your precious forces to get it done. Your naval actions have been quite brutal but crucially it was the IJN that was actually losing capital units even if some of yours might be out of commission for quite some time! I get the impression you've accepted the surrender of quite a large number of Axis divisions in the Middle East now through the elimination of a number of medium-sized pockets. That's all good, but you're still quite a long way from Suez, and the front will only get narrower with less room for manoeuvre as you get closer and the Mediterranean is presumably still an Axis lake? It's a little concerning that the IJA is still testing the mountain line in Asia and forcing Morshead to re-deploy his coastal garrisons to hold the line, so I'm intrigued to find out how he thinks he can now win the war in Asia!
I was a little disappointed, when it erupted I expected Brazil to be my next great enemy I'd have to tackle. On paper their army was twice the size of Argentina and Uruguay, but it seems Argentina's tech and doctrines were much better and they had better airpower. They smashed them.
Make no mistake, I'm nothing but pleased with the naval excursions so far, despite the close call with the Eagle. The USN has done some damage to them even if they haven't taken islands, and between the two of us we're whittling down the enemy capital ships to nothing. At this rate, I'll take control of the seas with just my little fleet. Who said Decisive Battle was a bad idea?
The mountain front is worrying, but as I said, don't worry, Morshead has a plan...there's more than one way to tackle China, I just need to find some extra manpower somewhere.
The main problem is finding the manpower to do this. First I have to secure a launch pad, either from Egypt and the Suez (where I have to fight the Italian Navy) or launch a liberation campaign against Britain, where I contend with the British Union. Either campaign is going to require significant resources - I need to worry about finishing the Middle East campaign before I can worry about saving Europe. I thought this would be a quick theater, what I didn't realize was how much the Axis would commit. As of last update, I've taken over 400,000 prisoners and killed another 100,000 in the campaign - more than the entire active Australasian Army - and I'm STILL facing resistance from almost a quarter of a million combined men. Like OTL Hitler, he's turning what should be a sideshow theater into an unnecesssary bloodbath, and the worst part is that he'll almost certainly lose, having drained himself of experienced men and material needed to fight on the homefront.
This is fairly key, but as I said before, getting to them is another question. Remember, my fleet has just two carriers and one battleship, plus two escort carriers and a battlecruiser. I'm facing down a relatively healthy Regio Marina and the remains of the British Union Navy, which by all accounts is building more ships daily. We've got a hell of a fight waiting for us to get to those capitals, but I suspect the Axis Nations are pretty lightly garrisoned due to the amount of resistance I'm meeting here in Europe.
This is a possible strategy. Strange as it is, right now China looks easier to beat than the Middle East, because China doesn't get much in the way of reinforcements while my troops are developing faster, are better quality, and Soviet reinforcements continue to roll in. In the Middle East I'm facing a never-ending tide of hostile Axis troops determined to stop me from threatening Fortress Europe.
More on that next update, however. I've now played pretty far in advance and I know what I'm going to be doing to try and turn the war, I'll try and nail through some updates as I've got about 500 screenshots to sift through. I'll try and get the next one up shortly.
I wonder if the Fascist Britain industry is running: Vichy usually doesnt build anything, and i'm thinking the new Britain will do the same. They just spend their IC on convoys and upgrading.
Took longer than expected to put this update out, but I was sick and I was also experimenting. I've added datestamps to the images and tried to throw in more information in places. If you like it, do let me know as it's quite a bit of extra effort to do and I don't know if the results are worthwhile, but I'm trying to get more information into the sometimes vague imagery.
I'd hate to spoil the surprise and tell you exactly what they're doing, but yes, they are building things. Useful things. They don't have the quantity that normal Britain would have, but due to how I changed their allegiance instead of releasing a puppet state, they act very differently from Vichy and they still have enough IC to be useful. They also inherited old Britain's convoys, so they don't feel much need to build more in massive quantities.
Chapter 5.15 - Winter Stalemate
Reconnaissance planes ran into Japanese Zeroes off the coast of Malaya on the evening of the 21st, indicating the presence of Japanese Carriers.
Panic spread through the Admiralty at Singapore - the Japanese were coming. After the Yamashiro's withdrawal from the South China Sea, it was anticipated that the Japanese remained unaware of the damaged state of the RAN, yet scout planes had detected Japanese Zeroes off the coast of Malaya, indicating the presence of one or more Japanese carriers nearby. HMAS Renown and several of the fleet's escorts were badly damaged, necessitating lengthy repairs - an airstrike from the IJN could finish them for good. With Admiral Colvin dead, there was no time to debate or argue succession - his second in command, Bruce Austin Fraser, was immediately put in charge.
Vice Admiral Fraser rallied the fleet and sailed out to meet the Japanese, desperate to maintain control of the seas.
Although he didn't have the Renown, Eagle or Hermes, the Hood was still in fighting condition, and the Commencement and Vanguard were still fully capable of launching their aircraft. The air crews of the Eagle and Hermes and their planes were still in transit off their respective ships, but they represented just a third of the carrier taskforce's fighting strength. The Australasian garrison at Singapore was weakened and vulnerable to attack, but the RAF had also stationed three full fighter wings there to provide air cover. The two fleets tentatively probed at each other in the night, exchanging fire. HMAS Perth and HMAS Wellington both took damage from skirmishes with enemy destroyers, but they had finally scouted out the fleet's location - and it was close. Planes were launched in the predawn light.
HMAS Commencement comes under heavy attack from the Japanese, who were now desperate to sink the RAN's carriers.
Fraser had prudently kept his distance through the night, sending the cruisers and HMAS Hood further ahead to feel out the enemy. Commencement and Vanguard, supported by the Spitfires of the RAF, soon engaged a substantial force of Zeroes over the sea. Each attempt to slip past RAF patrols was met with stubborn resistance, and no successful reconnaisance of the harbour was made from air, nor could they manage any airstrikes. At sea, HMAS Hood and the Great War Dreadnought IJN Ise exchanged heavy shellfire, with the Ise coming out slightly on top. In the air, the skilled Japanese pilots had adapted to the MkXII's powerful engines, but continued to suffer casualties. After two losing aerial battles, the Japanese aircover was breaking and couldn't hold much longer. Admiral Kichisaburo realized he could not stay here any longer, and ordered the fleet to withdraw from Malasyian waters.
After an exhausting battle, the Japanese retreat from Singapore, unable to strike at the damaged ships in the harbour.
Some of Fraser's more aggressive officers suggested that they vector a pursuit while the Japanese fleet remained in range of Singapore's airfields, but the Spitfires were not equipped with torpedoes and his own Seafire fleet was short of munitions. Moreover, HMAS Hood's hull was belching smoke from a fire belowdecks and while her crew had it under control, she was no longer ready for a fight and HMAS Wellington had also sustained substantial damage. He decided that protecting Singapore from attack and repulsing the IJN from their waters was enough, declared victory, and returned to Singapore to rearm and repair. Historians would remember the Battle of Singapore as one of the most unusual of the war - despite the aggressive maneuvering of Hood and Ise, the battle was decided almost entirely in the air. No ships were sunk on either side, but the Australasians had narrowly won a strategic victory and retained control of their home waters.
The Battles in the South China Sea had taught the Royal Australasian Navy many valuable lessons, bringing hard lessons through experience. Many RAN officers had served and studied abroad in England, but this no longer served as a reliable option. The need for internal education was evident from the poor positioning of the fleet's escorts, and despite their victories, the Australasians saw room for improvement. Significant funds were put aside towards the founding of the Royal Naval Academy at Sydney, where sea cadets and experienced officers alike could dedicate themselves to the furtherance of Naval Theory and to pass on the lessons learned from the war.
German and Italian troops from the Egyptian Garrison counter-attack through the open deserts of Western Iraq.
On the land, the Allies had once again lost the initiative. Significant numbers of Axis troops, mostly Germans and Italians, had launched an offensive into Western Iraq, driving back the American and Australasian troops there. The reinforcements had come from the Egyptian garrison and the Axis once again held the advantage in men and material. American troops, now growing hardened by the war, fought bitterly but ultimately without chance of victory. They were driven into retreat.
In Persia, the Asienkorps outnumbers the Australasian 2nd Cavalry, but poor supplies prevent any serious attempts at an advance.
In Persia, the situation remained more static. The German Asienkorps was strong and well-organized, supported by elite French mountaineers and a number of local militias who sought Middle Eastern independence. Despite their numerical advantage, however, the supply situation in the mountains was bleak. Trucks and panzers had a difficult time, and so horses and mules carried most of the supplies to keep costs and risks down. Although the Asienkorps and their auxiliaries outnumbered the Australasians and the local Red Army forces, they could not muster enough munitions to launch an offensive, resulting in a series of small and ultimately pointless skirmishes.
The Allies consolidate their forces in a substantial salient, blunting the German counter-offensives. Under orders from High Command, they dig in to defend their new gains.
The entire Iraqi front had stabilized over the course of November, and once again the Middle Eastern front had been drawn into a long, dull stalemate. The Australasians held a substantial salient through the heartland of Iraq, occupying the west bank of the Tigris and both banks of the Euphrates up to the border of Iraq. Despite their impressive gains, it had become clear that the Axis were committed to the Middle Eastern Theater, and a vast, diverse array of troops was being thrown at them. While the Asienkorps operated actively in the west and east, they were supplemented by Romanians, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Turks, Italians, Spaniards and even Portuguese. The disorganization of the united Axis front further stymied their attempts at carrying on offensives and the war seemed, for now, a stalemate.
The Japanese have reinforced their lines with Chinese conscript divisions, hastily trained and lacking commitment or discipline, but swelling the Kwangtung Army's numerical superiority.
On the Chinese front, the Kwangtung Army had also committed more and more troops to the front lines. Expecting an offensive, the Australasians had braced themselves for the better part of a month. It seemed the Japanese had committed most of their manpower and munitions to the north, and upon the gathering of further intelligence, Morshead realized that most of the new numbers were Chinese conscripts. Hastily raised with hand-me-down guns, Great War era artillery and the most minimal of training, the Chinese divisions knew the land well but were expected to add next to nothing to the Kwangtung Army's actual fighting capacity.
Another division of US Rangers are diverted from Burma to Indochina in support of the Australasians.
In the west, General Cariappa arrived to rendezvous with Australasian troops assaulting Ft. Carnot. His US Rangers were, on paper, elite, but had received little training before arriving in Burma. There, they had fought a slippery foe with little weapons or food, and they welcomed a chance to fight with the more disciplined Australasian units. Willkie had reluctantly approved their redeployment and now they prepared to assist in the next offensive.
General Mackay examines the front lines from the battered French Fort of Carnot. Two divisions of Japanese troops hold the far side of the bank, but were withdrawing towards Muanglong.
Mackay's 2nd Army Corps had served honourably since the onset of war, and now they were engaged in the fiercest of fighting against the Japanese. The IJA had briefly retaken the French Fort of Carnot, opening a hole deep into the Laotian Kingdoms and Siam. Morshead's redeploymen of troops, however, changed the course of the front. Mackay retook Fort Carnot, and driven the enemy back into Muanglong province. If they could just retake the western reaches of the Mountain Line, they could hold out against the Japanese indefinitely.
Muanglong Province had long been the site of heavy fighting, but now that the Australasians had retaken Ft. Carnot, they were on the counterattack.
Muanglong would become the site of some of the fiercest fighting in all Indochina. Already, thousands of good men had fought and died here over the past year, but now the Australasians were determined to retake it for good. Six divisions of infantry under the command of Lt. General Mackay assaulted the entrenched Japanese troops, suffering heavy casualties as they drove the Japanese back. Each mile of ground was paid for in blood, but it was regained. Retaking the Mountain Line was the absolute highest priority, and the Australasians pushed onwards with a grim facade of cheer and eagerness.
The static of the Middle East needed to break if they were to achieve victory, and the German oil supply had to be cut off by any means necessary. On the 19th of December, the Australasian diplomat at Riyadh delivered a formal declaration of war to the Saudis, citing a refusal by the Arabic state to embargo Germany and her empire of puppets, and the state's refusal to permit military access at this critical venture.
Two divisions of the 2nd Cavalry land west of Mecca, launching an immediate offensive against the holy city. Resistance crumbles instantly.
The Saudis were not exactly caught offguard. They had been expecting war ever since the Allies had taken Basra, but her capacity to resist the onslaught either alliance was now incredibly limited. A token garrison in the west was all that stood between Australasian landings and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
With fresh numbers, the Germans launch an offensive at the weakest point of the salient: the Bayji Oilfields.
The Axis needed to make an offensive of their own, but continued to struggle with lack of supply and organization. Despite this, they converged for an attack on the weak point of the Salient - its northernmost tip. The Bayji Oilfields were not just a critical object in Iraq, but it was also the point where the Asienkorps could bring the most troops to bear at one point. They hit the region hard, and the US Infantry struggled to hold against the onslaught.
Australasian troops cross the borders of the Trucial States, shattering the Arabian 2nd Division in just 24 hours. 'Riyadh by New Year's', Inglis boasted.
Just five days after the declaration of war, Australasian troops were on the outskirts of Riyadh. The 2nd Division had resisted their attack bravely, but had no guns capable of threatening the new Sentinel tanks. The 1st Armoured crushed them effortlessly, and continued to roll on towards the Saudi capital. Isolated and with no chance of immediate aid, the Saudis fled Riyadh and made for Palestine, where the Axis awaited to take them happily into exile.
US troops mount a tentative offensive, testing the German lines to the west and attempting to pull pressure away from Bayji. Outnumbered as it is, they prove unsuccessful.
While probing the line, US troops in the west of Iraq had found a surprising weak point, shattering a wide open hole. Despite the orders to dig in and prepare for a defense, they advanced anyway, carefully forming a new, smaller salient into Syria. The offensive was not intended to seriously advance and take land, only to provoke a response from the Axis that might draw pressure away from Bayji. It proved unsuccessful in this regard, and the troops at the oilfields continued to take a pounding from several sides.
Italian and German troops break the US Division at An Nukhayt as fresh troops pour in from Egypt, pressuring the entire western line.
A division of Italian troops breaks through at An Nukhayt, breaking the defensive line established by the US there. Hitler declared that he wanted Basra and Baghdad retaken by February, and no one was keen to disappoint him. As Egyptian troops move in to hold the rear, the Europeans launch an offensive eastwards to cut off the enemy from the sea.
Guderian and Rommel are both recalled by Hitler to Germany and are nominally in command of the Asienkorps, but from Berlin there is little they can do to lead.
The offensive, however, wasn't going anywhere fast. Guderian and Rommel had both been withdrawn to Germany, where the Führer believed they could be of more immediate use. This left the Asienkorps in command of von Bismarck who, while a competent general, lacked the genius of his superiors. Guderian was incensed, but there was little he could do to resist. Trapped in Berlin, he continued to receive updates and tried to lead his forces from afar, but their fate was now in their own hands.
The 2nd Asienkorps withdraws from Persia and the 2nd Cavalry Corps find their chance. They easily break the Turkish and Romanian troops left behind to oppose them.
Finally, the Australasians found a weakness of their own. Drawing manpower back for their attacks into Iraq, the Germans had left weakened auxiliary units to defend Persia instead of their elite Asienkorps. General Burrows was quick to react, launching a full scale offensive on the town of Kermanshah; they immediately drove back a division of Turks and devastated a division of elite Romanian Guards with little to no hesitation. The agile British trucks and Wolverines gave them a qualitative edge which shone through even in the hills of Northwest Persia. It was now clear that anywhere the Germans left would crumble and could not hold against the Allies. The Reich was overstretched and her allies continued to falter...
I'd hate to spoil the surprise and tell you exactly what they're doing, but yes, they are building things. Useful things. They don't have the quantity that normal Britain would have, but due to how I changed their allegiance instead of releasing a puppet state, they act very differently from Vichy and they still have enough IC to be useful. They also inherited old Britain's convoys, so they don't feel much need to build more in massive quantities.
Chapter 5.15 - Winter Stalemate
Reconnaissance planes ran into Japanese Zeroes off the coast of Malaya on the evening of the 21st, indicating the presence of Japanese Carriers.
Panic spread through the Admiralty at Singapore - the Japanese were coming. After the Yamashiro's withdrawal from the South China Sea, it was anticipated that the Japanese remained unaware of the damaged state of the RAN, yet scout planes had detected Japanese Zeroes off the coast of Malaya, indicating the presence of one or more Japanese carriers nearby. HMAS Renown and several of the fleet's escorts were badly damaged, necessitating lengthy repairs - an airstrike from the IJN could finish them for good. With Admiral Colvin dead, there was no time to debate or argue succession - his second in command, Bruce Austin Fraser, was immediately put in charge.
Vice Admiral Fraser rallied the fleet and sailed out to meet the Japanese, desperate to maintain control of the seas.
Although he didn't have the Renown, Eagle or Hermes, the Hood was still in fighting condition, and the Commencement and Vanguard were still fully capable of launching their aircraft. The air crews of the Eagle and Hermes and their planes were still in transit off their respective ships, but they represented just a third of the carrier taskforce's fighting strength. The Australasian garrison at Singapore was weakened and vulnerable to attack, but the RAF had also stationed three full fighter wings there to provide air cover. The two fleets tentatively probed at each other in the night, exchanging fire. HMAS Perth and HMAS Wellington both took damage from skirmishes with enemy destroyers, but they had finally scouted out the fleet's location - and it was close. Planes were launched in the predawn light.
HMAS Commencement comes under heavy attack from the Japanese, who were now desperate to sink the RAN's carriers.
Fraser had prudently kept his distance through the night, sending the cruisers and HMAS Hood further ahead to feel out the enemy. Commencement and Vanguard, supported by the Spitfires of the RAF, soon engaged a substantial force of Zeroes over the sea. Each attempt to slip past RAF patrols was met with stubborn resistance, and no successful reconnaisance of the harbour was made from air, nor could they manage any airstrikes. At sea, HMAS Hood and the Great War Dreadnought IJN Ise exchanged heavy shellfire, with the Ise coming out slightly on top. In the air, the skilled Japanese pilots had adapted to the MkXII's powerful engines, but continued to suffer casualties. After two losing aerial battles, the Japanese aircover was breaking and couldn't hold much longer. Admiral Kichisaburo realized he could not stay here any longer, and ordered the fleet to withdraw from Malasyian waters.
After an exhausting battle, the Japanese retreat from Singapore, unable to strike at the damaged ships in the harbour.
Some of Fraser's more aggressive officers suggested that they vector a pursuit while the Japanese fleet remained in range of Singapore's airfields, but the Spitfires were not equipped with torpedoes and his own Seafire fleet was short of munitions. Moreover, HMAS Hood's hull was belching smoke from a fire belowdecks and while her crew had it under control, she was no longer ready for a fight and HMAS Wellington had also sustained substantial damage. He decided that protecting Singapore from attack and repulsing the IJN from their waters was enough, declared victory, and returned to Singapore to rearm and repair. Historians would remember the Battle of Singapore as one of the most unusual of the war - despite the aggressive maneuvering of Hood and Ise, the battle was decided almost entirely in the air. No ships were sunk on either side, but the Australasians had narrowly won a strategic victory and retained control of their home waters.
German and Italian troops from the Egyptian Garrison counter-attack through the open deserts of Western Iraq.
On the land, the Allies had once again lost the initiative. Significant numbers of Axis troops, mostly Germans and Italians, had launched an offensive into Western Iraq, driving back the American and Australasian troops there. The reinforcements had come from the Egyptian garrison and the Axis once again held the advantage in men and material. American troops, now growing hardened by the war, fought bitterly but ultimately without chance of victory. They were driven into retreat.
In Persia, the Asienkorps outnumbers the Australasian 2nd Cavalry, but poor supplies prevent any serious attempts at an advance.
In Persia, the situation remained more static. The German Asienkorps was strong and well-organized, supported by elite French mountaineers and a number of local militias who sought Middle Eastern independence. Despite their numerical advantage, however, the supply situation in the mountains was bleak. Trucks and panzers had a difficult time, and so horses and mules carried most of the supplies to keep costs and risks down. Although the Asienkorps and their auxiliaries outnumbered the Australasians and the local Red Army forces, they could not muster enough munitions to launch an offensive, resulting in a series of small and ultimately pointless skirmishes.
The Allies consolidate their forces in a substantial salient, blunting the German counter-offensives. Under orders from High Command, they dig in to defend their new gains.
The entire Iraqi front had stabilized over the course of November, and once again the Middle Eastern front had been drawn into a long, dull stalemate. The Australasians held a substantial salient through the heartland of Iraq, occupying the west bank of the Tigris and both banks of the Euphrates up to the border of Iraq. Despite their impressive gains, it had become clear that the Axis were committed to the Middle Eastern Theater, and a vast, diverse array of troops was being thrown at them. While the Asienkorps operated actively in the west and east, they were supplemented by Romanians, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Turks, Italians, Spaniards and even Portuguese. The disorganization of the united Axis front further stymied their attempts at carrying on offensives and the war seemed, for now, a stalemate.
The Japanese have reinforced their lines with Chinese conscript divisions, hastily trained and lacking commitment or discipline, but swelling the Kwangtung Army's numerical superiority.
Another division of US Rangers are diverted from Burma to Indochina in support of the Australasians.
General Mackay examines the front lines from the battered French Fort of Carnot. Two divisions of Japanese troops hold the far side of the bank, but were withdrawing towards Muanglong.
Muanglong Province had long been the site of heavy fighting, but now that the Australasians had retaken Ft. Carnot, they were on the counterattack.
Muanglong would become the site of some of the fiercest fighting in all Indochina. Already, thousands of good men had fought and died here over the past year, but now the Australasians were determined to retake it for good. Six divisions of infantry under the command of Lt. General Mackay assaulted the entrenched Japanese troops, suffering heavy casualties as they drove the Japanese back. Each mile of ground was paid for in blood, but it was regained. Retaking the Mountain Line was the absolute highest priority, and the Australasians pushed onwards with a grim facade of cheer and eagerness.
The static of the Middle East needed to break if they were to achieve victory, and the German oil supply had to be cut off by any means necessary. On the 19th of December, the Australasian diplomat at Riyadh delivered a formal declaration of war to the Saudis, citing a refusal by the Arabic state to embargo Germany and her empire of puppets, and the state's refusal to permit military access at this critical venture.
Two divisions of the 2nd Cavalry land west of Mecca, launching an immediate offensive against the holy city. Resistance crumbles instantly.
The Saudis were not exactly caught offguard. They had been expecting war ever since the Allies had taken Basra, but her capacity to resist the onslaught either alliance was now incredibly limited. A token garrison in the west was all that stood between Australasian landings and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
With fresh numbers, the Germans launch an offensive at the weakest point of the salient: the Bayji Oilfields.
Australasian troops cross the borders of the Trucial States, shattering the Arabian 2nd Division in just 24 hours. 'Riyadh by New Year's', Inglis boasted.
US troops mount a tentative offensive, testing the German lines to the west and attempting to pull pressure away from Bayji. Outnumbered as it is, they prove unsuccessful.
Italian and German troops break the US Division at An Nukhayt as fresh troops pour in from Egypt, pressuring the entire western line.
Guderian and Rommel are both recalled by Hitler to Germany and are nominally in command of the Asienkorps, but from Berlin there is little they can do to lead.
The offensive, however, wasn't going anywhere fast. Guderian and Rommel had both been withdrawn to Germany, where the Führer believed they could be of more immediate use. This left the Asienkorps in command of von Bismarck who, while a competent general, lacked the genius of his superiors. Guderian was incensed, but there was little he could do to resist. Trapped in Berlin, he continued to receive updates and tried to lead his forces from afar, but their fate was now in their own hands.
The 2nd Asienkorps withdraws from Persia and the 2nd Cavalry Corps find their chance. They easily break the Turkish and Romanian troops left behind to oppose them.
Finally, the Australasians found a weakness of their own. Drawing manpower back for their attacks into Iraq, the Germans had left weakened auxiliary units to defend Persia instead of their elite Asienkorps. General Burrows was quick to react, launching a full scale offensive on the town of Kermanshah; they immediately drove back a division of Turks and devastated a division of elite Romanian Guards with little to no hesitation. The agile British trucks and Wolverines gave them a qualitative edge which shone through even in the hills of Northwest Persia. It was now clear that anywhere the Germans left would crumble and could not hold against the Allies. The Reich was overstretched and her allies continued to falter...
Casualties from 21st of November, 1942 to 28th of December, 1942
Allied Casualties:
14,406 total killed in action
(8,903 Australasians, 5,503 Americans)
---
Tanks Lost: 44 Tanks Lost, 110 Tank Destroyers Lost
---
Transports Lost: 2x Australasian Transports lost
Ships Lost: None.
---
Fighters Lost: 7x Supermarine MkXII Spitfires, 22x Supermarine MkXII Seafires
Bombers Lost: 16x Vultee Vengeance Bombers, 20x Bristol Beaufort Patrol Bombers
Axis Casualties:
21,016 total killed in action
(6,912 Japanese, 3,841 Spanish, 3,326 Germans, 2,530 Italians, 1,825 Egyptians, 1,326 Arabians, 851 Romanians, 295 Portuguese, 110 French)
---
Tanks Lost:
69 Tanks Destroyed
---
Ships Lost: None.
Transports Lost: 1x Merchant Transport, 2x Merchant Escorts
---
Fighters Lost: 35x Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" Fighters
Bombers Lost: 17x Mitsubishi Ki-21 Medium Bombers
Allied Casualties:
14,406 total killed in action
(8,903 Australasians, 5,503 Americans)
---
Tanks Lost: 44 Tanks Lost, 110 Tank Destroyers Lost
---
Transports Lost: 2x Australasian Transports lost
Ships Lost: None.
---
Fighters Lost: 7x Supermarine MkXII Spitfires, 22x Supermarine MkXII Seafires
Bombers Lost: 16x Vultee Vengeance Bombers, 20x Bristol Beaufort Patrol Bombers
Axis Casualties:
21,016 total killed in action
(6,912 Japanese, 3,841 Spanish, 3,326 Germans, 2,530 Italians, 1,825 Egyptians, 1,326 Arabians, 851 Romanians, 295 Portuguese, 110 French)
---
Tanks Lost:
69 Tanks Destroyed
---
Ships Lost: None.
Transports Lost: 1x Merchant Transport, 2x Merchant Escorts
---
Fighters Lost: 35x Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" Fighters
Bombers Lost: 17x Mitsubishi Ki-21 Medium Bombers
Ah, another update!
Well it looks like the Axis still has some ability to stymie you, I'm interested to see if taking Saudi Arabia will allow you to gain the victory you need in the Middle East to move onto North Africa and the Med.
I really like the date time stamps and troop information you added, it definitely helps add context to the images
How's the Soviet Bear going against the Germans right now, any notable progress?
Well it looks like the Axis still has some ability to stymie you, I'm interested to see if taking Saudi Arabia will allow you to gain the victory you need in the Middle East to move onto North Africa and the Med.
I really like the date time stamps and troop information you added, it definitely helps add context to the images
How's the Soviet Bear going against the Germans right now, any notable progress?
Ah, another update!
Well it looks like the Axis still has some ability to stymie you, I'm interested to see if taking Saudi Arabia will allow you to gain the victory you need in the Middle East to move onto North Africa and the Med.
I really like the date time stamps and troop information you added, it definitely helps add context to the images
How's the Soviet Bear going against the Germans right now, any notable progress?
They have a definite ability to stymie me and give me serious headaches...but more on that next update...
Saudi Arabia will certainly help, in some extents, but just as it opens up options for me, it opens up options for the Germans.
It's not, now that I've started to settle into a formula. I had to source all the relevant .dds (EDIT: and .tga) files and convert them to a .psd master file I could draw from, then I had to figure out a style I was reasonably happy with. It'll need continued improvements update on update before I settle, but I think it has promise.
I don't honestly know. I did check, but Georg von Bismarck proved difficult to find familial history about through a 5 minute internet check. If anyone else knows more about 20th century German Nobility than me, I'd be interested to hear about it.
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All I know about him, is that he died serving in the Afrika Korps under Rommel. I believe it's a coincidence. I can't imagine a family member of THE Von Bismarck to go by unnoticed while serving Nazi Germany.
edited to add: So that's how you got that stuff photoshopped in. I was wondering how you did that. You're way out of my league.