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Mao should at least be distracted now in China if he's fighting Manchuria. Maybe the KMT/Allies can even take some land back.
As for Italy, I'm not sure what happened. My best guess is that Mussolini's government in exile was able to stage a rebellion, or that the French occupation has gone on so long that the Italian lands revolted. I thought both of those were DLC features (along with spies so you can use your agents to prevent this sort of coup), but I'm not sure.
As for Italy, I'm not sure what happened. My best guess is that Mussolini's government in exile was able to stage a rebellion, or that the French occupation has gone on so long that the Italian lands revolted.
Maybe, but I’ve only got the DLC up to Man the Boats, iirc. Not the Resistance or espionage stuff. So it must be a more general revolt. More story interest I suppose, but just a little tedious!
Chapter Twenty-One – Déjà vu All Over Again (June 1942)
Polish armour and infantry in northern Italy, June 1942.
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With the irritatingly Mussolini having encouraged a massive revolt in Italy, yet another Polish Expeditionary Force was soon being readied to defeat this menace. Note: with the Italian front active again for Poland, we resume the ‘standard’ one month per chapter format, to keep them short and sharp.
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1-7 June 1942: Faceless Men and a New Challenge
Now fully apprised of the situation in Italy, the same expeditionary of seven divisions that had recently returned from the victorious lightning war in Bulgaria was soon embarking the troop trains for the trip to Turin.
Over in Sinkiang, troops were also making a strategic redeployment. But this time, other than two divisions left in place to guard a few key points, exhausted Polish were being moved away from the front to where they could get supply, reinforcements, new equipment and some respite from the severe attrition of the front line.
But the headlines read over breakfast that morning all came from the USR. Trotsky had authorised the breaking off of four newly independent Soviet states. Of most direct significance was the creation of the Byelorussian Independent SSR, which occupied more than half Poland’s former border with the USR.
Byelorussia remained part of Trotsky’s 4th International, but this did not stop Poland launching a diplomatic and political offensive straight away, to see if the new regime could be brought to a more convivial relationship – and its Communist government’s political dominance loosened a little.
The three Caucasian republics of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan were simultaneously given their ‘independence’, on the same conditions as Byelorussia. And either the leaders of these four new countries looked remarkably similar to each other, or the pictures on file in the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw of these ‘Faceless Men’ had simply been duplicated by some lazy researcher .
While he was at it, Foreign Minister Józef Beck renewed the improvement of relations with Romania, which were just starting to erode a little (+69%). The attempted popularity boost for the like-minded non-aligned party in Romania continued. At this time, the Foreign Ministry assessed Sinkiang to be at 40% towards capitulation and the ‘Vapid Vapsids’ in Estonia 85% in the face of the French onslaught there.
A few days later, it was assessed Italy was around a third of the way towards surrender (again), with Mussolini fielding somewhere around 40 divisions.
The Battle of Midway began on 3 June. The Japanese sought to deliver another crushing blow to the U.S. Navy to ensure Japanese dominance in the Pacific, but American codebreakers had determined the time and place of the Japanese attack in advance, enabling the U.S. Navy to prepare its own ambush. By the next day, the Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga and Sōryū were crippled and scuttled. The Hiryū was crippled by American dive bombers on and scuttled on the 5th.
L: The Hiryū under attack by B-17s at the Battle of Midway. R: The USS Yorktown at the moment of impact of a torpedo from a Nakajima B5N.
The Battle of Midway ended in a decisive American victory on the 7th, marking a turning point in the Pacific War, though the American aircraft carrier USS Yorktown sank the day after being torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-168.
The Hiryū, shortly before sinking.
Just before midnight on 4 June, the first Belgian division was sighted entering the north Italian theatre in Turin. But there would be no further influx of forces from there as France, Germany and Yugoslavia were doing most of the fighting. Nine Italian divisions remained pocketed on the Swiss border north of Turin.
In Sardinia, the German amphibious landings had succeeded, with a two-province lodgement secured, with a whole German corps ashore.
The Polish EF then arrived in Turin on the afternoon of 7 June and began the process of reorganising. But by that night, one of the attacks on the pocket (now reduced to two provinces) was running into trouble. Three Polish divisions, including a ‘heavy’ division, started heading to the front and across the Po River, in case they were needed later to hasten the destruction of the pocket.
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8-17 June 1942: Retracing Past Steps
In the east, the initial resting places for the evacuated CSE divisions were essentially stripped of available supplies by 8 June, so the men were sent to new garrisons further south, where the logisticians of the British Raj could hopefully assist their rebuilding better.
The British reported that their earlier invasion to seize Truk from Kwantung had succeeded. A small victory in a theatre that had seen many losses of late.
By the night of 9 June, the Swiss Pocket had been constricted to just one province. The first Polish detachment had yet to cross the Po, while the other four divisions were given orders at midnight to march north-east from Turin to be prepared for a final storming of the Italian defenders. Who it was discovered classified themselves as ‘resistance fighters’.
By the 10th the German advance in Sardinia had secured half the island as they drove on Cagliari.
And the Swiss pocket was reduced and destroyed by 0800hr on 12 June – just before the first Polish units could engage. The nine Italian divisions had surrendered one by one as they ran out of supplies and morale. The two Polish groups immediately started heading south-east towards Genoa, where the Allies had broken through. The plan was, as in the previous campaign, to help drive along the Tyrrhenian coast towards Rome.
The recent diligent exercising of the Polish Air Force had cost a few airframes but on 12 June led to an advance in their fighter doctrine.
In Estonia, the leadership was proving a little less vapid than had been expected: by mid-month the Estonian Fascists were still hanging on as the Franco-German invaders closed in on their makeshift capital of Pärnu.
In Poland, another national focus was achieved on the 16th, allowing the development of Upper Silesia to be started.
The 2nd Italian War continued steadily for the Allies, with a tough battle for Cagliari was meeting heavy initial resistance, despite a complementary French naval landing and shore bombardment from the south.
On the afternoon of the 17th, the last Polish division left on the northern flank near Urumqi was withdrawn for R&R, after a Nationalist Chinese division arrived to hold the province. At the same time, the first of the rebuilt units –10 DP – was sent up to plug a gap that had arisen near the enemy salient to the south-west.
That afternoon, yet another Iraqi revolt broke out but this one was particularly insipid, with no partisan units actually taking the field.
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18-30 June 1942: The War Grinds On
Both the German and Italian troops fighting it out over Cagliari were nearing exhaustion as the bitter battle dragged on through the morning of 20 June.
On 21 June Tobruk fell to Axis forces, completing victory in the Battle of Gazala. The Germans claimed 25,000 prisoners.
Battle of Gazala and the advance of Panzer Army Africa to from 21 January to 30 June 1942.
By the 23rd, the Poles were in position and both corps launched a combined attack on La Spezia. It would take five days of heavy fighting to force the victory.
With an eye always on the possibility of conflict with the Soviets, the Polish aircraft industry moved to once again upgrade its increasingly obsolete fighter arm to the new PZL.56 ‘Kania’ model.
Having secured La Spezia on 28 June, the Poles beat off a hasty Italian counter-attack in a two-hour firefight. Yugoslav armour had taken Bologna as the Allied offensive quickened after crossing the Po River on a broadened front.
And Cagliari was finally secured on the evening of the 28th after a savage battle, completing the a victorious Sardinian Campaign for the Wehrmacht. But the occupation reverted to France.
Over in China, the Communists and their allies in Shanxi were engaged in widespread combat on all fronts against ‘imperialists’ of all stripes, though the Japanese were only assisting against the Nationalist Chinese.
On 28 June the Germans began Case Blue on the Eastern Front. The summer offensive opened with the Battle of Voronezh.
In Sinkiang, 10 DP arrived back at the front on 29 June in time to assist a German attack in western Urumqi, sharing in a decisive victory a day later.
Mersa Matruh fell to Axis forces on 29 June. Benito Mussolini flew to Derna, Libya in anticipation of leading a triumphal entry of Axis forces into Cairo.
The drive resumed in Italy with the Poles reinforcing an Allied attack into Tuscany on the late morning of the 30th. A victory would be achieved a day later, with no recorded Allied casualties incurred as the Italian resistance fighters fled south. The Germans and Yugoslavs were on the outskirts of Florence by then.
As June 1942 came to a close, the reconquest of Italy was progressing well, but the invasion of Estonia seemed to have stalled somewhat. And the new states of the 4th International showed Trotsky was willing to surrender some direct control in order to keep restless minorities with the broader Soviet family.
In Asia, the war’s biggest front remained aflame to the north, west and south, while things remained fairly quiet in Sinkiang.
The font line in Indochina had seen little change, with the Fascists still giving the Allies plenty of fight.
One province had been lost to Japan in northern Sulawesi, but the Allies now seemed to have stabilised the situation.
The Polish inventory was in fairly good shape, with only AT guns in deficit and the new Allied participant Belgium offering some lend-lease assistance there. The fighter deficit had been gradually repaired, while many new bombers could be deployed. The key areas of field artillery, infantry equipment and trucks now all had healthy surpluses, as did light tank holdings.
But the headlines read over breakfast that morning all came from the USR. Trotsky had authorised the breaking off of four newly independent Soviet states. Of most direct significance was the creation of the Byelorussian Independent SSR, which occupied more than half Poland’s former border with the USR.
A few days later, it was assessed Italy was around a third of the way towards surrender (again), with Mussolini fielding somewhere around 40 divisions.
I decided to have a look on the wiki and, sure enough, rebellions can happen if enough resistance is built up:
This also looks to be why, a few chapters back, Polish troops couldn't use Strategic Redeployment in northern Italy to reach Bulgaria, the resistance was too high. This is also why the French parts rebelled but the Yugoslav parts did not, It's on a per-country basis.
It looks like defeated nations revolting will become a regular occurence then until the entire war is resolved. As a positive, it looks like the Allies already have troops in the area.
Over in China, the Communists and their allies in Shanxi were engaged in widespread combat on all fronts against ‘imperialists’ of all stripes, though the Japanese were only assisting against the Nationalist Chinese.
My word some of those Communist puppet leaders are quite spicy fellows. Interestingly all from Georgia, which OTL was perhaps explained by the fact that Stalin was born there as well. Also all closely tied up with Beria who was also Georgian. While the AI is doubtless doing it for it's own bafflingly inscrutable reasons a narrative explanation could be that Trotsky's control is not as strong as it may appear and this is the Beria/Georgia faction flexing it's muscles and building a power base.
It’s an interesting way for Trotsky to behave. One day I’ll have to take a look at the Soviet focus tree (if that, rather than some broader mechanic, is the trigger for these events) to see what makes it happen and why.
Shedding territory (technically anyway) voluntarily rather than blobbing: an interesting strategy for Russia. An alt-Putin type figure will probably decry it furiously in the 21st century.
This also looks to be why, a few chapters back, Polish troops couldn't use Strategic Redeployment in northern Italy to reach Bulgaria, the resistance was too high. This is also why the French parts rebelled but the Yugoslav parts did not, It's on a per-country basis.
It looks like defeated nations revolting will become a regular occurence then until the entire war is resolved. As a positive, it looks like the Allies already have troops in the area.
My word some of those Communist puppet leaders are quite spicy fellows. Interestingly all from Georgia, which OTL was perhaps explained by the fact that Stalin was born there as well. Also all closely tied up with Beria who was also Georgian. While the AI is doubtless doing it for it's own bafflingly inscrutable reasons a narrative explanation could be that Trotsky's control is not as strong as it may appear and this is the Beria/Georgia faction flexing it's muscles and building a power base.
It is a bit perplexing. In order to come up with some plausible and directly applicable in game explanation, I may indeed need to see if I can find an appropriate part of the Trotskyist national focus in a dummy game. Unless he was getting embarrassed by the small membership of the 4th International so decided to instantly expand it with an accounting trick!
Chapter Twenty-Two – Giving Musso the Boot (July 1942)
Naples back under Allied occupation, July 1942.
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1-16 July 1942: Will the East be Red?
Rommel attempted to break the Allied line and push through to Alexandria when the First Battle of Alamein began 1 July. It would last for most of the month, ending on 27 July in a tactical stalemate but a strategic Allied victory.
The First Battle of Alamein, 1-27 July 1942.
The Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovenská Akadémia Vied, or SAV) was founded on 2 July 1942. It was the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia fostering basic and strategic basic research. [One for @El Pip]
On evening 3 July, the Allied drive in Italy continued with the Polish reinforcement of a German attack in Tuscany, which soon saw them take the upper hand. It took until the morning of the 6th to win, but by then the two defending Italian divisions had been surrounded. Those not killed in the fighting surrendered in another major Allied victory.
On 4 July, the Germans were being assisted again, this time in Sinkiang, with victory coming the following morning.
Polish radar and electronic development was some way behind contemporary practice in 1942. On 6 July, researchers were directed to improve decimetric radar technology for the two recently expanded radar stations in eastern Poland. [This area of research had been asked about previously, so I’ve included it here.]
The 7th saw the continued expansion of Polish industry with building for a new military factory in Warsaw commencing.
In the Sulawesi campaign, the Allies had reinforced their lines and now handily outnumbered the Japanese.
And that afternoon, the UK announced that Luxembourg had joined the Allies. They would join the war six days later, at Belgium’s invitation.
The next day saw the Allied push in Italy drawing close to Rome, where at midnight the Poles advanced on the apparently undefended Italian capital.
Rome was occupied easily by 2100hr on 9 July. A futile Italian counter-attack was defeated early on the 11th, the enemy taking heavy casualties and inflicting none. Italy was pushed closer to surrender, but fought on after Mussolini shifted his capital all the way south to Palermo in Sicily.
Case Blue (German: Fall Blau) was the German Armed Forces' plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942. On 9 July, Adolf Hitler made the fateful decision to modify Case Blue, dividing Army Group South into two groups.
Army Group A was to seize Rostov-on-Don and then continue through the Caucusus, while Group B was to drive on Stalingrad through to Astrakhan. Hitler also ordered Hermann Hoth's forces to head south in the hope of encircling the Red Army units still west of the Don River. [We all know how this ended].
The Case Blue offensive, showing progress to from 7 May to 23 July 1942, as the Axis closed up to the Don River and Stalingrad.
After a period of consolidation in and around Rome, as the Italian defence slotted into place again, Polish forces helped defeat another heavy but doomed assault to the north in the hills of Abruzzo by the morning of 12 July.
Then came an announcement from China, with much fanfare and perhaps a bit ahead of itself, that their civil war had been won and the People’s Republic of China was declared. Whether this would have any material effect on the ground was uncertain.
All the PRC’s partners in the Mutual Assistance Bloc were supposedly at war with both the Allies and the Fascists. This must mean that the Japanese had at some point rejoined the war against Kwantung (who they sought to annex) despite earlier reports of a separate peace treaty.
No further major events or outcomes were recorded from 14-16 July.
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17-31 July 1942: The Campanian Breakout
The ‘Vapid Vapsids’ were making their last stand by 17 July, having lasted far longer than initial predictions indicated they would.
But by the following morning, they had capitulated, with Estonia going under French military occupation. This was also good news for Poland, with an Allied-held front now active along the northern border with the USR. Though the garrison left behind by the end of the month seemed rather puny for the task!
The middle of the month saw the Allies grinding forward in the Apennines and then pushing past Rome towards Naples, with two victories in Latium on 18 and 19 July.
The Poles again reinforced a weak German attack in Campania, towards Naples, on the afternoon of the 20th, with hard fighting resulting in Allied victory by the morning of the 23rd. Progress was slower inland, to the north.
Benito Mussolini returned to Rome on 20 July after Rommel's failed offensive at El Alamein. [Happy to be making him even more miserable here in the ATL.]
With the smaller scale development of Upper Silesia finished on 21 July, the way was opened for the culmination of industrial expansion plans: a major investment in Eastern Poland.
By the evening of 24 July, the Poles were ready to launch the next major city assault on Naples. It was taken after two days of fighting.
Over in Sinkiang, with the PRC declared a Nationalist China slowly being ground down, the bulk of the largely recovered CSE began a strategic redeployment to the Allied line south of Urumqi, to see if another approach to the enemy’s capital could be found and also getting Polish forces closer to providing direct aid to the beleaguered Nationalists.
At midnight on 27 July, with Naples secured the Poles supported a struggling German attack in the mountains, while also pushing ahead in an attack along the coast. The coastal attack witnessed a day of even fighting, but victory was won on the morning of 29 July.
The inland fighting was some of the toughest of the campaign so far, but the Allies also prevailed on the morning of the 30th.
Joseph Stalin issued Order No. 227 on 28 July with its famous line "Not one step back!"
Next came another hotly contested Polish attack on four Italian divisions holed up in the mountains east of Naples on the afternoon of 30 July. The battle would still be going as the month ended.
In Sinkiang, by midnight on the 31st the bulk of the CSE was approaching its new destination. Given the healthy surplus of trucks now held in stockpile and in the hope that it might improve supply further, the 4th Army’s motorisation priority was raised to the highest possible level.
In the ‘Boot of Italy’, much of the heel had been taken by Australian forces which had made an amphibious landing and were currently attacking Taranto from the south.
While this welcome distraction went on, hard fighting continued east of Naples in the Campanian breakout, as a large concentration of Italian divisions traded attacks with the advancing Allies ( a mixture of Polish, German, French and Yugoslav formations).
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31 July 1942: Summaries
Italy was being pushed closer to the brink of surrender. It was not yet clear whether a final invasion of Sicily would be required to extinguish the Italian uprising.
In Poland’s immediate region, things remained in good shape. Despite their many external commitments and heavy casualties in China, Germany was maintaining a few more divisions in the area than the Poles were at home, which was reassuring. Between these two Allied powers alone, the USR forces visible along the border would be heavily outnumbered. How much Trotsky held in depth was a matter for guesswork.
The Middle East and Central Asia were once again quite and fully secured by the Allies.
In Asia, the newly declared PRC remained heavily engaged on all fronts. Allied progress in Sinkiang had been small and incremental only during July.
Nationalist China remained under heavy pressure and was slowly conceding ground, mainly against the Communists.
The Kwantung-led Fascists were also slowly gaining ground in French Indochina, having occupied a large slice of northern Cambodia.
But in northern Sulawesi, the Dutch and British had regained some ground and were still attacking.
Eurasia and Africa saw the Allies dominant in the west, the Communists strong in the east and the Kwantung Fascists still causing some problems for the Allies, but also under mounting pressure from Mao and his partners, who sought to paint the east red.
On the home front, Polish research sought to modernise itself in the fields of electronics, fighter and medium tank design, plus improvements to infantry equipment.
Poland’s military stockpile was in good shape, with only AT guns in significant deficit and now large surpluses held in artillery, infantry equipment, trucks and light tanks.
This led to an immediate move to beef up the existing motorised divisions with an artillery regiment for each of the infantry brigades.
Now fully apprised of the situation in Italy, the same expeditionary of seven divisions that had recently returned from the victorious lightning war in Bulgaria was soon embarking the troop trains for the trip to Turin.
Any chance of getting Czechoslovakia and Austria into the Allies? I was just thinking it would be a much direct route if you could move through those two counties next time you have a pressing need to visit Italy.
But the headlines read over breakfast that morning all came from the USR. Trotsky had authorised the breaking off of four newly independent Soviet states. Of most direct significance was the creation of the Byelorussian Independent SSR, which occupied more than half Poland’s former border with the USR.
A few days later, it was assessed Italy was around a third of the way towards surrender (again), with Mussolini fielding somewhere around 40 divisions.
Over in China, the Communists and their allies in Shanxi were engaged in widespread combat on all fronts against ‘imperialists’ of all stripes, though the Japanese were only assisting against the Nationalist Chinese.
This also looks to be why, a few chapters back, Polish troops couldn't use Strategic Redeployment in northern Italy to reach Bulgaria, the resistance was too high. This is also why the French parts rebelled but the Yugoslav parts did not, It's on a per-country basis.
Then came an announcement from China, with much fanfare and perhaps a bit ahead of itself, that their civil war had been won and the People’s Republic of China was declared. Whether this would have any material effect on the ground was uncertain.
Over in Sinkiang, with the PRC declared a Nationalist China slowly being ground down, the bulk of the largely recovered CSE began a strategic redeployment to the Allied line south of Urumqi, to see if another approach to the enemy’s capital could be found and also getting Polish forces closer to providing direct aid to the beleaguered Nationalists.
I do hope this ends better than the last time, but I'm sceptical fighting through that terrain with such poor logistical supply is really feasible. We'll see.
China's position is now looking very precarious. I hope they don't have too many of their VPs near the front line, because a sudden Chinese collapse could see the Allies lose a huge number of divisions.
Polish radar and electronic development was some way behind contemporary practice in 1942. On 6 July, researchers were directed to improve decimetric radar technology for the two recently expanded radar stations in eastern Poland. [This area of research had been asked about previously, so I’ve included it here.]
Then came an announcement from China, with much fanfare and perhaps a bit ahead of itself, that their civil war had been won and the People’s Republic of China was declared. Whether this would have any material effect on the ground was uncertain.
This must mean that the Japanese had at some point rejoined the war against Kwantung (who they sought to annex) despite earlier reports of a separate peace treaty.
No-one would described what the Soviet troops were doing as stepping back. Running or fleeing wildly, absolutely. But not stepping, even before Stalin's order.
Overall solid enough progress, the Italian resurrection remains an unfortunate distraction but it looks like it will soon be sorted (again). Hopefully this time France will not get occupation duties!
Any chance of getting Czechoslovakia and Austria into the Allies? I was just thinking it would be a much direct route if you could move through those two counties next time you have a pressing need to visit Italy.
I’m not sure how I’d do that as a member rather than faction leader (being pretty inexperienced in HOI4). Other than taking the Churchillian approach of justifying war against them and forcing them into it by conquest!
Yes, a big rebellion. I’m surprised the game mechanics seemed to eject any garrison troops offshore and there was no fighting on the ground when it started. It seems a bit unrealistic and rather clumsy. But the French, Germans and Yugoslavs did seem to respond quite efficiently, with Poland and a few other friends then chiming in to accelerate the reconquest. Mussolini is really becoming that stone in the shoe …
You’d think it would, but if the Japanese-backed Chinese Communists end up coming out on top, which you’d have to think is probable, China and the Allies may reap the whirlwind. Then if Trotsky ends up supporting them directly, having already sent some EFs to the theatre, Spanish Civil War style … we could have a real world war on our hands!
I’m not sure how the mechanic works in Hoi4, but assume it may be triggered by controlling x amount of Chinese territory. There’s also something that happens mid July I didn’t notice until August that may have contributed that is mentioned in the next chapter.
I do hope this ends better than the last time, but I'm sceptical fighting through that terrain with such poor logistical supply is really feasible. We'll see.
We can at least try, with little of substance we seem to be able to do about the wider situation in China, as Mao and his Japanese partners now gain momentum.
China's position is now looking very precarious. I hope they don't have too many of their VPs near the front line, because a sudden Chinese collapse could see the Allies lose a huge number of divisions.
No-one would described what the Soviet troops were doing as stepping back. Running or fleeing wildly, absolutely. But not stepping, even before Stalin's order.
Not stepping back, unless you wanted a bullet from the NKVD/Commissars. But surrendering to the Germans was barely better. Three choices for the poor Russian soldier, none of them any good: immediate but 'glorious' death in combat, death as a traitor or maybe likely death in a posting to a barrage battalion (if 'lucky') or dishonor and slow death as a German prisoner.
Overall solid enough progress, the Italian resurrection remains an unfortunate distraction but it looks like it will soon be sorted (again). Hopefully this time France will not get occupation duties!
Mussolini really is very irritating in this time line. The biggest surprise is that he can keep getting so many poor fools to follow him lemming-like to the precipice each time. Before he scurries away while they drop into the seas.
To All: Checked out which DLC I had for the game (all bought some time back). And lo and behold, look at that Poland content! I didn't even realise - Glory to Poland!
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Chapter Twenty-Three – That Sinkiang Feeling (August 1942)
Chapter Twenty-Three – That Sinkiang Feeling (August 1942)
Mussolini once again tries to escape his Allied pursuers, August 1942.
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1-8 August 1942: The Trains Will Run on Time
August began with news from Sinkiang: 4th Army and CSE commander General Lucjan Źeligowski had succumbed to the same kind of problem many of his men had. He would carry on in his role, but with limited capacity.
With plenty of artillery now in the equipment stockpile, a support battery was added to the militia division (really just a basic brigade at the moment) template. With only two produced so far and a large excess of manpower, this was easily managed.
The symbol and insignia for these militia formations was updated to distinguish them from the much heavier standard infantry divisions. And two more began training, for deployment around Kraków. The plan would be to use them to provide a light guard on the Czech border to augment the current very light screen manning it.
The opportunity was also taken to adjust production priorities, with light tank production discontinued (due to a great excess in the stockpile), while light SP artillery production was restarted and support equipment and AT production increased.
This required an increase in tungsten importation, which was sourced from nearby Sweden.
Of interest, liaison officers reported that the large German troop presence noted earlier was largely deployed along the Austrian and Czech borders. The Poles were unaware of any plans by either side for imminent action. It was assumed for now that the strong border presence was merely a precaution on both sides.
On the night of the 1st, the Allies inched forward in western Yarkand district over in Sinkiang, but otherwise there was little action in the sector as the bulk of the Polish CSE headed east by truck.
In Italy, the tough battle in central Campania ground its way forward. Early on 2 August, an enemy spoiling attack was defeated allowing the four northern divisions of the Polish expeditionary force to join the large attack in the mountains that continued for late July.
By the end of the following day, the Australians were making progress in their attack on Taranto, while two strong German panzer divisions had just landed to support their invasion, but were not yet taking part in the fighting.
In Sinkiang, the chronically poor supply situation at the front had not improved as the Polish CSE arrived in its forward position.
This was unlikely to change, so the Poles started to disperse into new locations, with an infantry division and the trusty KBK cavalry striking east into the unoccupied desert while another two divisions reinforced Chinese lines to the north.
The next major action in Italy came with victory in the major battle in central Campania on the afternoon of 5 August. By that time, despite the Allies taking heavy casualties, the enemy’s position had almost been surrounded.
The next day, the Australians had occupied Taranto and were in the process of beating off a desperate Italian counter-attack, as other Italian units were either cut off on the Adriatic coast or were being herded south by the main Allied advance in Campania.
It was all too much for the Italian resistance, with Mussolini capitulating yet again on the morning of 7 August 1942. He again went on the run and evaded apprehension, while British forces took the surrender but the peninsula was handed back over to French occupation.
Something that had not been noticed at the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw at the time was that, although the Fascist puppet state of Mengukuo still existed on operational maps, its government had capitulated to Mao back on 16 July. It was not known whether any of their armed forces remained in the field, under the command of a government in exile.
The Polish troops were soon back on the trains again and heading back to Warsaw.
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9-31 August 1942: The Crimson Tide
By 10 August the three-way war in China met in the corner of the front north of Nanning. To its east, the Communists were now pushing over the border into Guangxi in places. To the west of that point, the Allies fought forces from Kwantung, Yunnan and Guangxi. To the north, the Allies and Communists were engaged.
Back home in Poland, a new heavy infantry division (containing 80 27TP heavy tanks) was deployed to the northern 2nd Army, where it would form part of the reserve facing the Byelorussian SSR.
The Communists were by 12 August pushing well into Kwantung territory in Manchuria. Notably, Korea remained neutral so was being bypassed. Their current government was technically democratic and run by Syngman Rhee’s Liberal Party, but large fascist and communist parties also existed.
With the first objective of the new advance in Sinkiang secured without a fight on the morning of 16 August, the Poles continued to drive north-east while another division dispersed along the front to the south.
But the advance was soon checked by a holding attack in Kunlun Shan, which although heavily defeated in the end delayed the Polish cavalry by four days.
The Battle of Stalingrad began on 23 August. Below, German infantry and a supporting StuG III assault gun during the opening stages of the battle.
The KBK secured its next objective late on 25 August as the Poles kept trying to feed more divisions into the salient. As the cavalry moved from desert to mountain, their attrition would become worse, so it was vital that the infantry caught up and then passed through them on the planned hook towards Urumqi from behind.
Once more, the enemy sought to block the move of Polish reinforcements in the breakout area with another holding attack early on 28 August, which would ultimately not be defeated until the morning of the 30th.
The AT deficit was noted by New Zealand, whose offer of QF 2-pounder guns was gratefully accepted on 29 August.
At midnight the same day, a spoiling attack was launched on the Sinkiang forces who in turn were attacking Kunlun Shan. It was this attack that broke the enemy holding attack, with another division from Kunlun Shan being thrown into the attack to the south, which was proving to be quite hard going.
The Battle of Alam el Halfa began south of El Alamein on 30 August.
The southern attack was still going as the month ended, while other Polish units still tried to complete the encirclement of Urumqi in the rough terrain to the north-east. The Poles had the numbers but were poorly supplied and thus organised, while the Sinkiang defenders were entrenched remained well organised and supplied.
Overall, in Sinkiang the situation remained challenging with slow progress, as reports of the Communist advancing quickly through Xibei San Ma were coming in.
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Summaries - Asia and the Rest of the World
The overall map of current front lines in Asia showed how far the Communists had advanced in recent months. It looked like the days of the various Chinese fascist regimes may be numbered. Though once they were defeated, Mao and his Japanese backers would be even stronger.
There was still heavy fighting in the north, though no specific details were available.
In the main NatChi sector, the Allies were attacking along much of the front with the Communists, while the fighting along the Yunnan front was more sporadic. Still, the Nationalists with help mainly from the UK and Germany were still maintaining a fairly stable front.
The Allies (predominantly Franco-German formations) were now pushing back in Indochina, where the failing fascist war against the Communists must have started to affect their resistance.
And the small campaign in Sulawesi also seemed to have turned in the Allies’ favour as they pushed the Japanese back into the centre of the island.
Peace had once again come to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.
While the US remained neutral in the war. Their current focus was on Willkie’s policy of ‘Intervention in the Americas’, though it was not fully understood what this might mean.
Polish military research progressed steadily, though no new advances had been recorded that month.
The Polish Army was currently training one armoured, one infantry and two militia divisions (brigades).
Amercia for once is being sensible. Much better to stay neutral in this mess and just get rich. Especially with the allies winning but constantly getting weird setbacks as enemies keeping reanimation thesmevles.
Amercia for once is being sensible. Much better to stay neutral in this mess and just get rich. Especially with the allies winning but constantly getting weird setbacks as enemies keeping reanimation thesmevles.
Probably right. Though it remains to be seen whether the AI can be sensible for the long haul! And I wonder what “Intervention in the Americas” entails? More than just the the guarantees they provide? They could find a zombie outbreak yet …
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Chapter Twenty-Four – Marking Time (September 1942)
Chapter Twenty-Four – Marking Time (September 1942)
Troopers of the Kresowa Brygada Kawalerii (KBK) advance behind enemy lines in Sinkiang, September 1942.
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1-19 September 1942: Inching Forward
On 2 September, the KBK’s scything run behind the main enemy front defending Urumqi saw them occupy the hills to the east of the Sinkiang capital. Here they would hold while the slower infantry divisions made their way forward along the narrow salient. Not only did their supply lines need to be secured, but past experience had shown the vulnerable cavalry brigade would suffer badly in the mountain terrain that now lay in front of them.
To the south, the big attack in Kunlun Shan, which started on 30 August, continued.
The Battle of Alam el Halfa, begun on 30 August, ended in Allied victory. Panzerarmee Afrika (Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel), attempted an envelopment of the British Eighth Army (Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery). In Unternehmen Brandung (Operation Surf), the last big Axis offensive of the Western Desert Campaign, Rommel intended to defeat the Eighth Army before Allied reinforcements arrived. Montgomery did not exploit his defensive victory, preferring to continue the methodical build up of strength for his autumn offensive, the Second Battle of El Alamein.
Battle map of positions during the Battle of Alam El Halfa, 30 August – 5 September 1942.
That attack still ground on by the evening of the 8th. Despite progress made, the attacking Polish divisions were being forced out one by one as they exhausted themselves. With the enemy also failing, 6 DP was thrown into the battle from the north and was in reserve behind 8 and 18 DP by midnight.
But by 0400hr the following morning 18 DP had been forced out. 8 DP followed at 0900hr, before 6 DP could reinforce. The hard-fought battle was lost after ten days of bitter fighting.
Back in Poland, research was finished on the new 14 TP medium tank design on 10 September, along with some improved infantry support weapons. Research team were assigned to longer term industrial project (improved fuel refining) and better infantry weapons.
And at the same time, a new light armoured division was deployed into General Anders’ 2nd Army, in the Byelorussian sector.
Later that morning, as both Polish and other Allied divisions pushed into the breakthrough, Sinkiang launched another delaying attack in Kunlun Shan, where NatChi troops were assisting their Polish comrades.
The attack was eventually heavily defeated but had imposed a delay of almost two days on the troops passing through.
The Wehrmacht began a massive ground assault on 13 September to try to take the city of Stalingrad, marking the beginning of the house-to-house fighting that most characterised the battle.
On the night of the 14th, a relatively fresh Chinese division launched a new attack in Kunlun Shan from the south. Briefly rested but still badly disorganised, at midday on the 16th a full Polish corps was thrown in to reinforce this attack. The hope was that the Chinese formation would be strong enough to lead them to victory against this stubborn stronghold that threatened the south of the breakthrough.
By early on 19 September all but one of the Polish divisions had reinforced the attack, which was making slow but steady progress. By that evening, one of the enemy divisions had been forced from the field exhausted – but so too had one of the already worn-out Polish divisions supporting the Chinese 15 Juntuán.
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20-30 September 1942: Another Bitter Autumn Closes In
During the entire campaign, casualties and disorganisation caused by attrition in the harsh terrain and weather had caused far more casualties than had combat. By the end of the month, it would have the commander of the CSE considering another round of rotations to the rear to allow some divisions to recover. But before then, there was work to be done – as the Communists closed in from the east through Fascist Xibei San Ma.
Little new happened on 20-21 September, as the attack on Kunlun Shan continued grimly. But by the early morning of the 22nd, the remaining enemy were finally weakening against the determined Allied onslaught.
The Germans occupied the centre of Stalingrad on 22 September. Two days later they broke through to the Volga River and cut the 62nd Army in two.
Battle map, German drive to the Volga, Stalingrad, 22 September 1941.
Finally, after another long battle, victory was won in Kunlun Shan on the afternoon of 23 September, as Polish reinforcements continued to plod forward into the breakout zone, with the KBK having been joined by the lead infantry division which now pushed towards Urumqi from the east.
The next day, the Chinese began an attack south-east of Urumqi. Both they and their opponents seemed both well-organised and near full strength. The exhausted Poles in the breakout area left them to it as they tried to envelop Urumqi by manoeuvre.
On the main Chinese front, reports were received that communist (Shanxi) forces had encroached to the outskirts of the makeshift Nationalist capital of Chongqing by the morning of 28 September. The Allies were trying to push them back there, even while being attacked by the communists to the north and south of the battle.
A major national objective was completed on the 29th with the completion of four new factories in eastern Poland. This completed all the projects of the Four Year Plan the government wished to at this stage.
The next focus would be directed at improving relations further with Romania.
The outflanking march on Urumqi was interrupted by a strong spoiling attack that night.
Both battles would continue as September ended, as would an Allied attack against the tip of the Sinkiang salient south-west of Urumqi. All Polish units remained disorganised and badly under strength, thanks largely to the terrible terrain, climate and supply conditions.
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Monthly Summaries
The current map of Asia showed the continued advance of Mao’s PRC on all three Fascist fronts (Manchuria, XSM and Guangxi), with slower progress against the stubborn Allied resistance in the remaining territory of Nationalist China and modest Allied advances in Sinkiang.
The heaviest fighting was concentrated in the south, where the PRC and its allies confronted both Allied and Fascist forces in heavy fighting across both sectors.
China was still largely in the same state it had been a month ago and was no closer yet to capitulation (92%).
The Allied recovery in Indochina also continued as the fascists, now beset to the north and south, slowly lost ground against the Franco-German led revival.
Sulawesi had returned to stalemate as the Japanese reinforced their front line in the middle of the island.
With no significant developments in international relations during September, Poland concentrated on building its capability and infrastructure within its own borders. It would do this through research …
… and a new program to improve transport infrastructure along the eastern border.
While at the command level, the defensive expert Field Marshal Władisław Sikorski was given command of the newly created Army Group East, which commanded the 44 divisions of the powerful 1st and 2nd Armies that guarded the border with the Communists.
I am required by ancient tradition to note that the only people who think Sweden is a source of Tungsten are Paradox, and they are (as almost always) catastrophically wrong.
I see the Atomic Physics Institute on the focus tree, thus it is entirely legitimate to suggest that Poland just nuke Wilkie's America, it's the only way to be sure.
Certainly don't come crying to me when the undoubted evil behind his "intervention" becomes apparent.
