They certainly did not (to our knowledge) suffer the defeat on the scale of Dunkirk as they did OTL which spurred the spending... That said, I'd certainly think, COMINTERN or not, the British would certainly still purchase from the Americans.
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They certainly did not (to our knowledge) suffer the defeat on the scale of Dunkirk as they did OTL which spurred the spending... That said, I'd certainly think, COMINTERN or not, the British would certainly still purchase from the Americans.
Just read up to and including Chapter 125a
The Battle of Timisoara is proving to be rather nail-biting stuff. One feels that the line will inevitably break at some point.
The Battle of Timisoara is proving to be rather nail-biting stuff. One feels that the line will inevitably break at some point.
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That was indeed an epic battle - that became legendary within the Turkish Army. But as a nail biting victory or an heroic and gallant fighting defeat?
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A general reply to the learned debate between @Wraith11B, @diskoerekto, @TheButterflyComposer, @roverS3 and @nuclearslurpee. First, thanks so much for the effort and thoughts. It has definitely re-shaped some of my thinking on these options for using Turkey's developing amphibious capability (mixed in with options Sicily and both sides of the Adriatic). There will be a fuller analysis of these matters in another Anti-Fascist Coalition meeting after this next chapter of the already-played session is out (which will be soon).
In the broad, and as mentioned above and previously, Inonu will remain focused (per the original objectives for this AAR) on winning the Comintern victory and doing it as quickly as may prove possible. The post-war implications will be left largely to the alt-historians, though a subsidiary objective is for Turkey to control as many of the VPs and objectives that contribute to that victory as possible. So to that extent those ponderings still have relevance, if in a more short-term and pragmatic way.
The concern about bringing Vichy into the war when it may not be advisable to do so (yet anyway) is a strong one. That's a decision not to be taken lightly, nor without consulting the Coalition partners first. Also, the practical considerations about where to land, in what force and with what support are also wisely canvassed. As with the Adriatic recon-in-force, some similar information would be necessary for anything done in Libya in particular. There's also the issue of how much Turkey believes it can tackle alone and which objectives to assign to the US, in the rather vague hope (no expectation) of them acting on them (and if they did, figuring out how long to wait before setting off to have any hope of them mustering some support, given proper in-game planning exchanges are not playable).
These matters will be tackled after mid-August and the advisory panel/commentariat will be given ample opportunity to refine their arguments, with as much extra info as can be garnered from recon and allied reporting (including from the UK, who would be keen to share what they had if it improved the chances of Churchill's proposal being put into action).
Next stop, Chapter 173, where the Battle of the Bulge continues through to the end of 15 August and we get an outline of how things are going more widely.
In the broad, and as mentioned above and previously, Inonu will remain focused (per the original objectives for this AAR) on winning the Comintern victory and doing it as quickly as may prove possible. The post-war implications will be left largely to the alt-historians, though a subsidiary objective is for Turkey to control as many of the VPs and objectives that contribute to that victory as possible. So to that extent those ponderings still have relevance, if in a more short-term and pragmatic way.
The concern about bringing Vichy into the war when it may not be advisable to do so (yet anyway) is a strong one. That's a decision not to be taken lightly, nor without consulting the Coalition partners first. Also, the practical considerations about where to land, in what force and with what support are also wisely canvassed. As with the Adriatic recon-in-force, some similar information would be necessary for anything done in Libya in particular. There's also the issue of how much Turkey believes it can tackle alone and which objectives to assign to the US, in the rather vague hope (no expectation) of them acting on them (and if they did, figuring out how long to wait before setting off to have any hope of them mustering some support, given proper in-game planning exchanges are not playable).
These matters will be tackled after mid-August and the advisory panel/commentariat will be given ample opportunity to refine their arguments, with as much extra info as can be garnered from recon and allied reporting (including from the UK, who would be keen to share what they had if it improved the chances of Churchill's proposal being put into action).
Next stop, Chapter 173, where the Battle of the Bulge continues through to the end of 15 August and we get an outline of how things are going more widely.
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Maybe we land to the harbor just north of Taranto and walk straight into Taranto? Take the airbase and camp there. Or, if after the current operation is done (so we have Split), land to Pescara and fan out to the surrounding mountians and camp there?
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And now read up to and including Chapter 128a.
What a fight over Timisoara - even if it fell relatively soon thereafter nevertheless a bloody nose for the hated Fascists, and perhaps a rallying cry for the future.
Going to try and make an effort this week to catch up further. I would really like to finally get current on this AAR.
What a fight over Timisoara - even if it fell relatively soon thereafter nevertheless a bloody nose for the hated Fascists, and perhaps a rallying cry for the future.
Going to try and make an effort this week to catch up further. I would really like to finally get current on this AAR.
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Catching up on this AAR is one of the better things I've done in the past few years
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Chapter 173: The Battle of the Bulge - Part Two (9 to 15 August 1942)
Chapter 173: The Battle of the Bulge - Part Two (9 to 15 August 1942)
AuthAAR’s Note: Here is the second chapter of the last play session, with a short mid-month review of key positions in other theatres. The previous chapter finished at midday on 9 August 1942, so that is where this one takes things up. The same ‘sector approach’ will be taken this time as well.
1. Northern Sector 9-15 Aug 42: Report by GEN Yamut (Comd 3rd Corps)
9 Aug 42
1 Inf Div secured Travnik at 1pm and soon pushed north-west to the open country of Banja Luka, where they encountered and attacked assorted stragglers at 3pm. While they should be able to push these Hungarian and Italian Fascist riff-raff aside, the enemy commander did his best to hold them up by attempting an ambush.
The Italian Air Force was soon doing their part to try to blunt the attack, with an air raid hitting 1 Inf Div in Travnik at 5pm. 2 Avci Grubu, (F4F Wildcats) largely but not completely recovered from previous duties, was scrambled to intercept the two TAC and one escorting Italian fighter wings. An hour later the dogfight began, with 4 AG (La-5s) also scrambled, in the hope they might rotate their interceptions with 2 AG. The first raid struck home on the ground, while neither side suffered appreciable damage in the air. A second raid was intercepted at midnight and the dogfight carried into the early morning.
(0.58m)
A short information clip on the Grumman F4F Wildcat, which is in service with the ATL Turkish Air Force in 1942 (6 and 7 Avci Filo).
4 AG did not appear for either dogfight, while the Turks (mainly 7 AF) suffered a few more casualties than the Italians (13 Tac Wing).
At 9pm, the enemy’s attempt to retake Tuzla was in big trouble, though they were trying to inject the German 73rd Division into the fight. But Kurasov’s counter-attack and the fact the Germans were attacking across the Sava River told against them.
Air Report. The single Italian raid on 1 Inf Div in Travnik killed 65 men.
10 Aug 42
15 Inf and 2 Mot Divs – the two most powerful formations in the Turkish Army at the time – encountered the old foes of the LSAH SS division in Prnjavor at 3am, just before they were able to occupy the province. They launched an assault straight away, attempting to sweep away Düvert’s counter-attack with a blitzing strike of their own.
To their east, in Tuzla the battle was almost won by 5am. The Germans were no longer trying to reinforce their now worn 5th Division, while 217 SD had succeeded in reinforcing 4 SD themselves and 10 Inf Div had arrived in reserve from Zvornik (the danger posed by the so-called ‘Zvornik Gap’ had not yet been appreciated).
Midday brought victory in Prnjavor against the LSAH fanatics – and they had been given a hiding. Caught in open country with no time to entrench against heavy and medium tanks with infantry and artillery support, they were cut down mercilessly and the Turks pushed forward.
Noting that the advance of 15 Inf and 2 Mot Divs to Prnjavor would open up a gap on the flank of the advance, at 3pm LTGEN Artunkal ordered his own reinforced HQ from Zenica to Doboj to create an improvised defence, though he continued to exercise command of the Adriatic Sector.
At the same time, the persistent enemy attack on Tuzla had almost been defeated, with 10 Inf Div now having also reinforced. Victory came two hours later at 5pm, with the Turkish command still oblivious to the Zvornik Gap. They had wrongly thought the defence of Tuzla carried along the Sava all the way to Sabac, but there was a small gap, shown below, between the right flank of the units in Tuzla and the left flank of 97 SD in Sabac. 4 SD was therefore sent west to reinforce Doboj, where the gap about to open in the line was far more obvious.
15 Inf Div were the first to arrive in Prnjavor just an hour later, at 6pm: their post-attack reorganisation would take another 70 hours, not being ready until the evening of 13 August.
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11 Aug 42
14 Inf Div finally arrived in Sabac, joining 97 SD, at 4am. At 5am 2 Mot Div joined 15 Inf Div in Prnjavor – they had an even longer wait in store another 92 hours, through to early on 15 August), leaving Doboj temporarily unoccupied – a calculated risk to maintain the advance. With Beograd deemed secure enough, one of the three divisions there – 2 Inf Div under MAJGEN Gürman – was also ordered west to Doboj, though they would take some days to march there. Their line of march would take them all along the south bank of the Sava River, so if any attacks occurred as they passed through they could join in the defence.
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13 Aug 42
With little new to report on 12 August, the move of 4 SD to Doboj from Tuzla ground to a crawl (0.44kph) when their armoured car brigade ran out of fuel! 4 SD was still delayed for lack of fuel twelve hours later, when the badly worn but still mobile Italian 4th Alpini Division slipped into Doboj. The Comintern moves to occupy it now became an attack from the east and south. Artunkal took personal command of the battle.
Then to complicate the situation, the Zvornik Gap was finally noticed at 7pm, when a column of two or three (it was unclear at that stage exactly how many) Axis divisions was spotted heading towards Zvornik from Semska Mitrovica! There was consternation at 1st Army HQ.
By 10pm that night, Inönü was being briefed on the general situation across the Northern Sector. The briefing officer used a pointer on a large wall map.
The Major paused while the Commander and his senior staff discussed the situation briefly. 1 Armd Div was becoming somewhat worn, but would keep pushing ahead for now. The terrain in Drvar did not favour armour, but there was open country to their west and they were on the spot. A nod allowed the Major to resume.
There was another pause as the tasks of 15 Inf and 2 Mot Divs were discussed. While 15 Inf could attack now and 2 Mot would have to wait for another day, it was hoped the quicker motorised division might make good use of the open country on the other side and Prnjavar remained exposed, needing a strong defensive presence for now. The argument was evenly balanced, but the decision was to stay with the current orders. The Major resumed his briefing.
14 Aug 42
At 3am, LTGEN Artunkal reported that his HQ in Zenica, which was advancing on Doboj, was being hit with an air raid – just as the battle for Doboj was won, with 22 Turkish casualties and 135 Italians falling. 4 AG (La-5s) was scrambled to intercept the raiders. Of the two wings, 4 AF was still only at 88% strength, while 5 AF was at 100%. Two dogfights occurred that day against two unescorted Luftwaffe TAC wings. Their first raid hit home but the second was aborted, one of the enemy wings being severely mauled.
The Hungarian 6th Division made it to Zvornik first, briefly isolating Tuzla on almost all sides. But the situation looked more alarming on the map than it was on the ground. 14 Inf Div hit the Hungarians straight away, who folded after the briefest of contacts!
With the battle in Doboj won a couple of hours before, Tuzla’s brief isolation should soon be relieved.
Air Report. The single German air raid on Zenica killed 158 members of HQ 2nd Corps that morning.
Doboj was secured by 4 SD (whose fuel supplies had been replenished the day before) at 2am. Another Italian unit that had been trying to cross the river into Doboj bumbled into them in the dark straight afterwards, but retreated as soon as they realised they had been beaten to the punch (one Soviet and eight Italian soldiers were killed in a brief skirmish).
At 3am, while the left hook north of Split slowly ground forward through hilly terrain, 2 Mot Div was finally able to launch its much-delayed attack over the Sava River on Gradista. And they ran into a mix of worn units that had nevertheless had a couple of days to begin digging in. Supplies were still low, logistics having trouble keeping up with the units at the sharp end of the advance. And the river was a significant obstacle for the motorised division. Perhaps the more suitably equipped 15 Inf Div should have been used the day before after all. Despite this, the attack was pressed and 15 Inf Div still held in Prnjavor. It was gambled that 2 Mot’s superior firepower, armour and organisation would allow them to prevail, despite the tricky tactical position they found themselves in.
HQ 2nd Corps (1x INF, 1 x MIL) joined 4 SD in Doboj at 7am: the key Sava River south bank province was now secure. By 3pm, the previously somewhat chaotic situation on the flank of the Northern Sector advance had been stabilised. 14 Inf Div was now in Zvornik and digging in. The Germans then launched an assault on Doboj from Brcko at 7pm, but with an adequate defence now in place, the Comintern forces were confident of holding. The difficult attack across the Sava by 2 Mot Div on Gradiska continued, enemy organisation weakening, but not without cost to Toüdemür’s troopers.
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2. Adriatic Sector 9-15 Aug 42: Report by LTGEN Artunkal (Comd 2nd Corps)
10 Aug 42
No notable events occurred in the Adriatic Sector for the rest of 9 August, though the heavy fighting in Korcula against the Slovakian 2nd Division continued. At 5am on 10 August, the Slovakians finally broke, after both sides had suffered heavy casualties. To the north, Turkish forces (as we saw earlier) ejected some transient defenders from Banja Luka, just over the boundary in the Northern Sector.
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11 Aug 42
3 Mtn Div (with COL Diskoerekto and MAJ Durden) made it to Jajce at 3am: their next task was to start the ‘inner left hook', striking south-west to Sinj and beyond that Split. But they still had a short wait before they completed their reorganisation and could attack the Hungarian infantry division defending the hills of Sinj. 97 SD 'Shev' secured Korcula at 8am, where three enemy formations were still retreating north-west to Makarska, one province south of Split. The vice was slowly tightening – but could the pocket be sealed off?
3 Mtn Div were ready to attack by 4pm. They hit the Hungarians at 5pm and had their victory by 6pm – their vigorous assault had found the Hungarians almost completely disorganised. MAJ Durden was spotted at the scene of the skirmish – as a belligerent, he was able to fight and did so on this occasion. However, there was no account of the action – because of course the first rule of fight club was not to talk about it!
All across the line of advance, from the Adriatic Coast to the Sava River, the front line Turkish formations were temporarily becalmed by post-attack disorganisation (see yellow arrows above). Divisional and corps commanders sweated on these delays, which gave Axis enemies more time to retreat, dig in or escape traps. But they had to remain patient and purposeful. For example, 1 Armd Div had reached Banja Luka at 5pm, and had a short (nine hour) wait before they could begin their parallel left hook to Drvar.
At 8pm, 222 SD pulled into Prozor (where 1 Mtn Div was still reorganising, just south of Jajce). But the Soviet division was ready to go and so was also sent onto Sinj, where they would be able to help seal the pocket. As they raced with 3 Mtn Div to take that province, to their north the ‘left hook’ was broadened into a three-province frontage. While 1 Armd Div still waited to begin their move to Drvar, 1 Inf Div arrived in Banja Luca and was ordered to prepare to advance to Bosanski Petrovac (they had another 12 hours before they would be ready to set off).
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12-13 Aug 42
A day later, 1 Armd Div was advancing on Drvar as ordered, when they encountered the Hungarian 20th Division, which had retreated earlier from Sinj (to the south of Drvar). Wehib Pasha sought to blitz them out of their hastily prepared positions. The Hungarians hung on for 12 hours before being forced to retreat once again the following morning.
By the early afternoon of 13 August, 176 SD had joined their Soviet comrades in Korcula and, following their earlier orders to exploit to Markarska, found themselves attacking the German 88th Division (in prepared positions) and the barely recovered Slovakian 2nd Division. Their chances of success did not seem great. To their north, 3 Mtn Div got to Sinj at 2pm. They only had another six hours to wait before they could attack again. They knew there was a garrison in Split, but their forward scouts did not yet have detailed knowledge of their positions.
That night, as the battle for Makarska began to get beyond the reach of 176 SD, 3 Mtn Div started their attack on the Italian garrison in Split. The early signs were not promising: the Italians were thoroughly dug in, had the advantage of defending a built-up urban area and their commander put in an effective counter-attack against the mountain formation that lacked a qualified divisional commander of their own. Meanwhile, reinforcements were on their way from the east and south, while 17 Inf Div had almost moved into Konjic, the final gap in the eastern edge of the pocket, opposite Mostar.
With casualties mounting and a desire to encourage enemy units to stay in the pocket until it was too late to escape it, the attack on Makarska was called off.
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14 Aug 42
As we saw in the report on the Northern Sector, by 13 August the Italians had briefly reoccupied Doboj but were being counter-attacked by the approaching 4 SD and HQ 2nd Corps. Progress had come to a temporary halt in the centre of the ‘bulge’, with post-attack reorganisation and lack of fuel slowing things down. At midnight, 1 Armd Div secured Drvar as the left hook swung south-west towards Zara and Split, but they would now have to reorganise for the best part of five days! Then at 3am, some of the pressure was relieved with victory in Doboj, which would soon be retaken, securing the right flank along the Sava River and hopefully improving the supply situation further forward. 3 Mtn Div in Sinj was still attacking Split but was making slow progress, when at 3am scouts spotted an approaching Axis attack from Makarska on their flank.
That attack hit home at 4am, the German 88th Division attempting a breakthrough against 3 Mtn Div’s left flank. After five hours where the position of the 3rd in Sinj slowly deteriorated, the only partly-recovered 97 SD ‘Shev’ in Korcula was ordered to make a spoiling attack on Makarska to see if that would cause them to break off their spoiling attack on Sinj. The tactic worked immediately, the Germans halting attack. It was just as well, because they had just begun to inflict far more casualties of the Turkish mountain troops than they were receiving. The spoiling attack It also gave a more accurate snapshot of the Axis forces holed up in Markarska: apart from a couple of HQs, the other three other Axis divisions there were all thoroughly disorganised from previous fighting.
With the German’s flanking attack diverted, 97 SD ‘Shev’ was pulled out of their attack six hours later, having lost their flanking advantage and with their casualties starting to mount, while running low on organisation, supplies and fuel. Their main job had been done and the Axis positions in Makarska would now be left alone until when (or if) the pocket was closed off further north.
With 1 Armd Div still reorganising in Drvar, 11 Inf Div (in Banja Luka) was ordered to switch from the Northern to the Adriatic sector, instructed to exploit through Drvar towards Knin, to the immediate north of Split, north-west of Zara and on the right flank of 3 Mtn Div in Sinj.
15 Aug 42
At 9am, 17 Inf Div secured Konjic, sealing off the last gap in the developing pocket south of Split. Due to the lack of progress of 3 Mtn Div’s single-axis attack on Split, the battle was called off at midday. 3 Mtn Div would reorganise (a 133 hour wait) while other units pushed north-west. At the same time, Knin became the new focus: 222 SD had arrived in Sinj at midday, and was sent north-west to Knin rather than being thrown into the frontal attack on Split. If that attack was renewed, in would be attempted from more than one directed and with better odds. For now, 3 Mtn Div would anchor the neck of the forming pocket. 2 Mtn Div would arrive in Sinj from Prozor later that night.
And when they did arrive at 9pm, 2 Mtn Div was ordered to follow 222 SD onto Knin, from where either Zara or Split could be attacked, as the circumstances warranted.
3. Other Fronts 9-15 Aug 42: Report by Supreme (Theatre) Commander FM Calistar
9 Aug 42
While most attention was focused on the fighting in the ‘bulge’, other matters were also dealt with or reported on. On the afternoon of 9 August, the old Hawk IIIs of 1 AF were relocated (reserve mission) to the new Danube Line air base at Cuprija, co-located again with the Shturmoviks of 1 TAG, as their base in Kursumlija was now largely out of range of the front line in Croatia. They would again operate as a unit if required.
News Report: Leningrad, USSR. The Leningrad première of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 has occurred while the city is still under siege by German forces.
News Report: Bombay, India. Bombay police arrest Mahatma Gandhi and fifty other members of the Indian National Congress a few hours before a massive civil disobedience campaign was to begin. Five people are killed later in the day when police fired on crowds of people who were jeering and throwing stones.
Entertainment News: London, UK. The Walt Disney animated film Bambi had its world premiere in London.
OTL Event: Eastern Front. German Army Group A captured Krasnodar and the Soviet oil centre of Maykop.
OTL Event: Pacific. The Battle of Savo Island ended in tactical Japanese victory. American cruisers Astoria, Quincy and Vincennes and the Australian cruiser Canberra were all sunk while three Japanese cruisers were damaged. The American destroyer Jarvis was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Guadalcanal.
10 Aug 42
On 10 August, Romanian Liaison Officer RasaUrs75 [ @racebear75 ] reported that the Romanian border area was holding firm, thanks to both Soviet and Romanian efforts there. In fact, some ground had been regained in local counter-attacks both sides of the border with the Soviets. The midday update from Agent SkitalecS3 noted that Leningrad held and had not been attacked again since the beginning of the month, though the situation to its south remained fluid and dangerous.
OTL Event: Eastern Front. The German 6th Army crossed the lower Don River and reached the outskirts of Stalingrad.
12 Aug 42
OTL Event: Moscow, USSR. The Second Moscow Conference began. In attendance were Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and U.S. representative W. Averell Harriman. [Comment: there will be an equivalent conference in the ATL soon, including Turkey, to discuss possible coalition operations in the Mediterranean and in the Pacific.]
13 Aug 42
At 1pm on 13 August, the Germans (SS-Verf and 23rd Infantry Divisions) launched a brief probing attack on Beograd, which now only had 13 Inf Div and 156 SD as its garrison. It ended as soon as it began, with 23 attackers and ten defenders killed.
OTL Event: North Africa. Bernard Montgomery took over command of the British Eighth Army following the death of William Gott. [Comment: in ATL, he remains commanding an armoured division in Malaya.]
OTL Event: Allied Planning. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named Anglo-American commander for Operation Torch.
15 Aug 42
The Athens Garrison finally returned safely from pacifying Chalkida.
OTL Event: Eastern Front. German troops captured Georgiyevsk and reached the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.
4. Industry, Supply, Technology, Espionage, Trade and Diplomacy 9-15 Aug 42: Departmental Reports
12 Aug 42
“Ambassador Ceylan, a decoded radio message for you from our station head in Rome,” said his Head of Communications at the Turkish Embassy in Switzerland.
It was the announcement of another team lost in Italy. The last reserve team had been inserted in-country and there were now none spare. It was the Slovakians again – Italy still had no teams left alive in the field. Ceylan ordered another temporary counter-espionage effort (50/50 with tech espionage) and cabled Ankara for reinforcements. With plenty of spare diplomatic teams as a result of slowed licence procurement, diplomatic training was put on hold and the effort switched to training more new spy teams.
With the supply stockpile now just below 30,000 and decreasing by a net 322 per day, supply production was upped again, to 32% of total industrial capacity [60 IC]. This meant work on both the two new Mustang wings and some projects above them in the queue would be temporarily halted. The effect of the increased supply production was seen the next day, with a deficit of 252 units per day (70 less than the day before).
14 Aug 42
At this point, Norway (part of the Allies but never invaded by Germany) made a timely trade offer of supplies for cash, which was eagerly accepted. Foreign Minister Aras was called in to see what else could be negotiated with foreign governments. Although they had large supply surpluses, neither the US nor USSR were prepared to trade for them (under Comintern rules these would have been provided free of charge to Turkey). But the British were willing to make a sizeable trade for almost 20 units of supply per day.
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15 Aug 42
With these measures in place – and perhaps a recent decrease in the intensity of land and air activity in the Balkans – the daily supply deficit was down to around 140 units by 15 August. With the stockpile now at 29,227, this was a more sustainable equation. If it could be maintained.
5. Mid-Month Summaries
Some ‘by exception’ reporting of the general conduct of the wider war was provided to the president as at midnight on 15 August. This was complemented by some additional background information on two proposals that had been floated in advance of another Global Anti-Fascist Coalition meeting slated for Moscow later in the month [see previous post on possible landings in Libya and Syria-Lebanon]. One was a re-floating of Churchill’s earlier proposal for Plan Torch – landings in Libya to trap the Italians in North Africa. The second was an internal Turkish idea to invade Vichy Syria – but that would lead to the entry of hitherto neutral Vichy France into the war, so would need to be discussed with the Coalition partners (the Allies, represented by the UK and the other members of the Comintern ‘Big Three’, the USSR and US).
The Patriotic Front showed some German progress (since 1 Aug 42, green line) in Ukraine, but stabilisation in the situation on the Romanian-Soviet border and mixed outcomes in the North and Centre and some losses in central Romania. The Turkish ‘Bulge’ in the south was now quite pronounced (blue line).
A more detailed map of the North showed there was now a larger garrison in Leningrad, with some more forces approaching from the east to attempt to solidify the line, which was now at least continuous (if still thin) all the way south from Leningrad.
In eastern Romania, the line was holding in the corridor between the Prut (the border with the Soviet Union) and Dnestr Rivers. Chisinau had not yet been attacked by land and the Soviet 310 SD (under Romanian control) had even retaken Orhei to its north. But Iasi remained in Axis hands and they had made advances to its south-west.
A detailed map of ‘the Bulge’ salient showed three battles currently in progress: the renewed (but probably doomed) enemy attack on Doboj; the foundering attack by 2 Mot Div on Gradiska and a new attack by the German 88th Division that had just started on Korcula from Makarska. Falling just the other side of midnight, it had not been included in the Adriatic Sector report for this period [Comment: it will be covered at the start of the next chapter: suffice it to say it seemed unlikely to amount to much.]
There had been little change in North Africa since 1 August, with just the coastal province of Ra’s Abu Lahw (west of Mersa Matruh in Egypt) having been retaken by the British. In South East Asia, the Japanese had still only advanced in the one province south of Kuala Lumpur in Malaya and made some more gains in Burma as they drew closer to Rangoon.
The brave partisan crew in the Far East continued to thumb their noses at the Japanese occupiers, liberating more territory as they headed generally north-west.
In the wider Eastern Front, for the first time in two years, the Comintern had actually gained a little more ground than it had lost, especially in the south and in Central Asia.
In Central Asia, the Japanese had advanced no further towards the Turkish screen, while with fuel supplies restored as the logistics system geared up, 4 Cav Div had almost completed its long approach march from Tashkent to Gora Manas, but the going was still slow in the harsh terrain. The Soviet counter-attack on the advance Japanese elements looked to be picking up a little momentum.
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Coming Up: Can Turkey close off the Adriatic Pocket, or will the last part of the race prove the hardest, given the factors slowing down the advance? How far north-west will the High Command be willing – or able, given finite troop resources and the risk of a German-led counter-offensive – to go before calling a halt? Will they just keep going towards Italy for as long as possible, halt and consolidate along a suitable line? Or try the right hook to attempt an encirclement of the forces currently investing Beograd and the Danube Line, preparatory to a new offensive in combination with Romania to try once more to knock Hungary out of the war?
Will the Turkish offensive and the Soviet rebalance – which appears to be working well enough – be sufficient to steal the initiative away from the Germans by the end of 1942? Or will the current apparent Soviet recovery prove a false dawn? Will the British collapse in Malaya, losing access to all those strategic resources, ceding them to the Japanese? Can they hold Rangoon with the flimsy forces defending Burma? Will the US finally start to punch in their weight division in the Pacific? And is there any prospect of them providing more support in the Mediterranean, or has their granting of those three marine divisions as EFs to Turkey basically signalled the extent of their practical assistance for now?
What will the next Anti-Fascist Coalition meeting decide to do about their shared theatres in Europe and the Pacific?
AuthAAR’s Note: Here is the second chapter of the last play session, with a short mid-month review of key positions in other theatres. The previous chapter finished at midday on 9 August 1942, so that is where this one takes things up. The same ‘sector approach’ will be taken this time as well.
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1. Northern Sector 9-15 Aug 42: Report by GEN Yamut (Comd 3rd Corps)
9 Aug 42
1 Inf Div secured Travnik at 1pm and soon pushed north-west to the open country of Banja Luka, where they encountered and attacked assorted stragglers at 3pm. While they should be able to push these Hungarian and Italian Fascist riff-raff aside, the enemy commander did his best to hold them up by attempting an ambush.
A short information clip on the Grumman F4F Wildcat, which is in service with the ATL Turkish Air Force in 1942 (6 and 7 Avci Filo).
4 AG did not appear for either dogfight, while the Turks (mainly 7 AF) suffered a few more casualties than the Italians (13 Tac Wing).
At 9pm, the enemy’s attempt to retake Tuzla was in big trouble, though they were trying to inject the German 73rd Division into the fight. But Kurasov’s counter-attack and the fact the Germans were attacking across the Sava River told against them.
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10 Aug 42
15 Inf and 2 Mot Divs – the two most powerful formations in the Turkish Army at the time – encountered the old foes of the LSAH SS division in Prnjavor at 3am, just before they were able to occupy the province. They launched an assault straight away, attempting to sweep away Düvert’s counter-attack with a blitzing strike of their own.
Midday brought victory in Prnjavor against the LSAH fanatics – and they had been given a hiding. Caught in open country with no time to entrench against heavy and medium tanks with infantry and artillery support, they were cut down mercilessly and the Turks pushed forward.
At the same time, the persistent enemy attack on Tuzla had almost been defeated, with 10 Inf Div now having also reinforced. Victory came two hours later at 5pm, with the Turkish command still oblivious to the Zvornik Gap. They had wrongly thought the defence of Tuzla carried along the Sava all the way to Sabac, but there was a small gap, shown below, between the right flank of the units in Tuzla and the left flank of 97 SD in Sabac. 4 SD was therefore sent west to reinforce Doboj, where the gap about to open in the line was far more obvious.
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11 Aug 42
14 Inf Div finally arrived in Sabac, joining 97 SD, at 4am. At 5am 2 Mot Div joined 15 Inf Div in Prnjavor – they had an even longer wait in store another 92 hours, through to early on 15 August), leaving Doboj temporarily unoccupied – a calculated risk to maintain the advance. With Beograd deemed secure enough, one of the three divisions there – 2 Inf Div under MAJGEN Gürman – was also ordered west to Doboj, though they would take some days to march there. Their line of march would take them all along the south bank of the Sava River, so if any attacks occurred as they passed through they could join in the defence.
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With little new to report on 12 August, the move of 4 SD to Doboj from Tuzla ground to a crawl (0.44kph) when their armoured car brigade ran out of fuel! 4 SD was still delayed for lack of fuel twelve hours later, when the badly worn but still mobile Italian 4th Alpini Division slipped into Doboj. The Comintern moves to occupy it now became an attack from the east and south. Artunkal took personal command of the battle.
“My God! Who do we have nearby that can rectify the situation without opening up yet another gap in the line?” was Inönü’s pointed question. The risks of keeping up a punishing rate of advance with limited units to hold the flanks were beginning to become more obvious.
“The 14th Division has been entrenching in Sabac for a couple of days, but could be diverted to Zvornik,” said the Chief of Operations. “And 2nd Division has just arrived in Valjevo – they are already heading to Zvornik anyway, but are further away.”
“Get the 14th going straight away. That will have to do to start with. We must maintain the attack on Doboj to secure that, need to hold Tuzla and I don’t want to relax the rate of advance to the north-west. We half expected such problems would arise. Let’s deal with them and move on.”
“Yes sir!” The brigadier was soon getting orders drafted and passed via the command net.
“The 14th Division has been entrenching in Sabac for a couple of days, but could be diverted to Zvornik,” said the Chief of Operations. “And 2nd Division has just arrived in Valjevo – they are already heading to Zvornik anyway, but are further away.”
“Get the 14th going straight away. That will have to do to start with. We must maintain the attack on Doboj to secure that, need to hold Tuzla and I don’t want to relax the rate of advance to the north-west. We half expected such problems would arise. Let’s deal with them and move on.”
“Yes sir!” The brigadier was soon getting orders drafted and passed via the command net.
“Sir, working from west to east, the 11th Infantry has just reached Banja Luka. They are holding there for now to secure it. 1st Armoured are making south-west towards Drvar, where they will eventually cross over into the Adriatic Sector to support the closing of the pocket there.”
The Major paused while the Commander and his senior staff discussed the situation briefly. 1 Armd Div was becoming somewhat worn, but would keep pushing ahead for now. The terrain in Drvar did not favour armour, but there was open country to their west and they were on the spot. A nod allowed the Major to resume.
“The 1st Infantry are also making progress from Banja Luka, heading due west to Bosanski Petrovac, keeping the ‘left hook’ on a reasonably broad front and looking for genuine gaps in the enemy line to punch through. In Prnjavar, the 15th Infantry have completed all reorganisation but are currently holding, given the enemy presence in Doboj to their south-east has delayed any other holding units coming forward to secure their current position. 2nd Motorize are earmarked to assault across the Sava to Gradiska to gain a bridgehead on the northern bank, but they are still reorganising.”
There was another pause as the tasks of 15 Inf and 2 Mot Divs were discussed. While 15 Inf could attack now and 2 Mot would have to wait for another day, it was hoped the quicker motorised division might make good use of the open country on the other side and Prnjavar remained exposed, needing a strong defensive presence for now. The argument was evenly balanced, but the decision was to stay with the current orders. The Major resumed his briefing.
“The enemy have not tried to reinforce Doboj: they seem to be shuffling units west along the north bank of the Sava, to try to stem the main axis of our advance further west. But they are pressing towards the ‘Zvornik Gap’ and we have no way of knowing whether they or we will win the race, or how strong their push is. That concludes my report, General.”
“Thank you Major, that is all for now. We shall see how events develop.”
“Thank you Major, that is all for now. We shall see how events develop.”
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14 Aug 42
At 3am, LTGEN Artunkal reported that his HQ in Zenica, which was advancing on Doboj, was being hit with an air raid – just as the battle for Doboj was won, with 22 Turkish casualties and 135 Italians falling. 4 AG (La-5s) was scrambled to intercept the raiders. Of the two wings, 4 AF was still only at 88% strength, while 5 AF was at 100%. Two dogfights occurred that day against two unescorted Luftwaffe TAC wings. Their first raid hit home but the second was aborted, one of the enemy wings being severely mauled.
“One this is One-Four, Acting Sunray speaking. The cowardly goulash-eating curs have turned tail as soon as they saw some good hard Turkish steel and even harder men coming their way! Vur ha!”
With the battle in Doboj won a couple of hours before, Tuzla’s brief isolation should soon be relieved.
Air Report. The single German air raid on Zenica killed 158 members of HQ 2nd Corps that morning.
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15 Aug 42
Doboj was secured by 4 SD (whose fuel supplies had been replenished the day before) at 2am. Another Italian unit that had been trying to cross the river into Doboj bumbled into them in the dark straight afterwards, but retreated as soon as they realised they had been beaten to the punch (one Soviet and eight Italian soldiers were killed in a brief skirmish).
At 3am, while the left hook north of Split slowly ground forward through hilly terrain, 2 Mot Div was finally able to launch its much-delayed attack over the Sava River on Gradista. And they ran into a mix of worn units that had nevertheless had a couple of days to begin digging in. Supplies were still low, logistics having trouble keeping up with the units at the sharp end of the advance. And the river was a significant obstacle for the motorised division. Perhaps the more suitably equipped 15 Inf Div should have been used the day before after all. Despite this, the attack was pressed and 15 Inf Div still held in Prnjavor. It was gambled that 2 Mot’s superior firepower, armour and organisation would allow them to prevail, despite the tricky tactical position they found themselves in.
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2. Adriatic Sector 9-15 Aug 42: Report by LTGEN Artunkal (Comd 2nd Corps)
10 Aug 42
No notable events occurred in the Adriatic Sector for the rest of 9 August, though the heavy fighting in Korcula against the Slovakian 2nd Division continued. At 5am on 10 August, the Slovakians finally broke, after both sides had suffered heavy casualties. To the north, Turkish forces (as we saw earlier) ejected some transient defenders from Banja Luka, just over the boundary in the Northern Sector.
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11 Aug 42
3 Mtn Div (with COL Diskoerekto and MAJ Durden) made it to Jajce at 3am: their next task was to start the ‘inner left hook', striking south-west to Sinj and beyond that Split. But they still had a short wait before they completed their reorganisation and could attack the Hungarian infantry division defending the hills of Sinj. 97 SD 'Shev' secured Korcula at 8am, where three enemy formations were still retreating north-west to Makarska, one province south of Split. The vice was slowly tightening – but could the pocket be sealed off?
3 Mtn Div were ready to attack by 4pm. They hit the Hungarians at 5pm and had their victory by 6pm – their vigorous assault had found the Hungarians almost completely disorganised. MAJ Durden was spotted at the scene of the skirmish – as a belligerent, he was able to fight and did so on this occasion. However, there was no account of the action – because of course the first rule of fight club was not to talk about it!
At 8pm, 222 SD pulled into Prozor (where 1 Mtn Div was still reorganising, just south of Jajce). But the Soviet division was ready to go and so was also sent onto Sinj, where they would be able to help seal the pocket. As they raced with 3 Mtn Div to take that province, to their north the ‘left hook’ was broadened into a three-province frontage. While 1 Armd Div still waited to begin their move to Drvar, 1 Inf Div arrived in Banja Luca and was ordered to prepare to advance to Bosanski Petrovac (they had another 12 hours before they would be ready to set off).
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A day later, 1 Armd Div was advancing on Drvar as ordered, when they encountered the Hungarian 20th Division, which had retreated earlier from Sinj (to the south of Drvar). Wehib Pasha sought to blitz them out of their hastily prepared positions. The Hungarians hung on for 12 hours before being forced to retreat once again the following morning.
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14 Aug 42
As we saw in the report on the Northern Sector, by 13 August the Italians had briefly reoccupied Doboj but were being counter-attacked by the approaching 4 SD and HQ 2nd Corps. Progress had come to a temporary halt in the centre of the ‘bulge’, with post-attack reorganisation and lack of fuel slowing things down. At midnight, 1 Armd Div secured Drvar as the left hook swung south-west towards Zara and Split, but they would now have to reorganise for the best part of five days! Then at 3am, some of the pressure was relieved with victory in Doboj, which would soon be retaken, securing the right flank along the Sava River and hopefully improving the supply situation further forward. 3 Mtn Div in Sinj was still attacking Split but was making slow progress, when at 3am scouts spotted an approaching Axis attack from Makarska on their flank.
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15 Aug 42
At 9am, 17 Inf Div secured Konjic, sealing off the last gap in the developing pocket south of Split. Due to the lack of progress of 3 Mtn Div’s single-axis attack on Split, the battle was called off at midday. 3 Mtn Div would reorganise (a 133 hour wait) while other units pushed north-west. At the same time, Knin became the new focus: 222 SD had arrived in Sinj at midday, and was sent north-west to Knin rather than being thrown into the frontal attack on Split. If that attack was renewed, in would be attempted from more than one directed and with better odds. For now, 3 Mtn Div would anchor the neck of the forming pocket. 2 Mtn Div would arrive in Sinj from Prozor later that night.
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3. Other Fronts 9-15 Aug 42: Report by Supreme (Theatre) Commander FM Calistar
9 Aug 42
While most attention was focused on the fighting in the ‘bulge’, other matters were also dealt with or reported on. On the afternoon of 9 August, the old Hawk IIIs of 1 AF were relocated (reserve mission) to the new Danube Line air base at Cuprija, co-located again with the Shturmoviks of 1 TAG, as their base in Kursumlija was now largely out of range of the front line in Croatia. They would again operate as a unit if required.
News Report: Leningrad, USSR. The Leningrad première of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 has occurred while the city is still under siege by German forces.
News Report: Bombay, India. Bombay police arrest Mahatma Gandhi and fifty other members of the Indian National Congress a few hours before a massive civil disobedience campaign was to begin. Five people are killed later in the day when police fired on crowds of people who were jeering and throwing stones.
Entertainment News: London, UK. The Walt Disney animated film Bambi had its world premiere in London.
OTL Event: Eastern Front. German Army Group A captured Krasnodar and the Soviet oil centre of Maykop.
OTL Event: Pacific. The Battle of Savo Island ended in tactical Japanese victory. American cruisers Astoria, Quincy and Vincennes and the Australian cruiser Canberra were all sunk while three Japanese cruisers were damaged. The American destroyer Jarvis was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Guadalcanal.
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10 Aug 42
On 10 August, Romanian Liaison Officer RasaUrs75 [ @racebear75 ] reported that the Romanian border area was holding firm, thanks to both Soviet and Romanian efforts there. In fact, some ground had been regained in local counter-attacks both sides of the border with the Soviets. The midday update from Agent SkitalecS3 noted that Leningrad held and had not been attacked again since the beginning of the month, though the situation to its south remained fluid and dangerous.
OTL Event: Eastern Front. The German 6th Army crossed the lower Don River and reached the outskirts of Stalingrad.
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12 Aug 42
OTL Event: Moscow, USSR. The Second Moscow Conference began. In attendance were Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and U.S. representative W. Averell Harriman. [Comment: there will be an equivalent conference in the ATL soon, including Turkey, to discuss possible coalition operations in the Mediterranean and in the Pacific.]
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13 Aug 42
At 1pm on 13 August, the Germans (SS-Verf and 23rd Infantry Divisions) launched a brief probing attack on Beograd, which now only had 13 Inf Div and 156 SD as its garrison. It ended as soon as it began, with 23 attackers and ten defenders killed.
OTL Event: North Africa. Bernard Montgomery took over command of the British Eighth Army following the death of William Gott. [Comment: in ATL, he remains commanding an armoured division in Malaya.]
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14 Aug 42
OTL Event: Allied Planning. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named Anglo-American commander for Operation Torch.
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15 Aug 42
The Athens Garrison finally returned safely from pacifying Chalkida.
OTL Event: Eastern Front. German troops captured Georgiyevsk and reached the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.
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4. Industry, Supply, Technology, Espionage, Trade and Diplomacy 9-15 Aug 42: Departmental Reports
12 Aug 42
“Ambassador Ceylan, a decoded radio message for you from our station head in Rome,” said his Head of Communications at the Turkish Embassy in Switzerland.
It was the announcement of another team lost in Italy. The last reserve team had been inserted in-country and there were now none spare. It was the Slovakians again – Italy still had no teams left alive in the field. Ceylan ordered another temporary counter-espionage effort (50/50 with tech espionage) and cabled Ankara for reinforcements. With plenty of spare diplomatic teams as a result of slowed licence procurement, diplomatic training was put on hold and the effort switched to training more new spy teams.
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14 Aug 42
At this point, Norway (part of the Allies but never invaded by Germany) made a timely trade offer of supplies for cash, which was eagerly accepted. Foreign Minister Aras was called in to see what else could be negotiated with foreign governments. Although they had large supply surpluses, neither the US nor USSR were prepared to trade for them (under Comintern rules these would have been provided free of charge to Turkey). But the British were willing to make a sizeable trade for almost 20 units of supply per day.
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15 Aug 42
With these measures in place – and perhaps a recent decrease in the intensity of land and air activity in the Balkans – the daily supply deficit was down to around 140 units by 15 August. With the stockpile now at 29,227, this was a more sustainable equation. If it could be maintained.
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5. Mid-Month Summaries
Some ‘by exception’ reporting of the general conduct of the wider war was provided to the president as at midnight on 15 August. This was complemented by some additional background information on two proposals that had been floated in advance of another Global Anti-Fascist Coalition meeting slated for Moscow later in the month [see previous post on possible landings in Libya and Syria-Lebanon]. One was a re-floating of Churchill’s earlier proposal for Plan Torch – landings in Libya to trap the Italians in North Africa. The second was an internal Turkish idea to invade Vichy Syria – but that would lead to the entry of hitherto neutral Vichy France into the war, so would need to be discussed with the Coalition partners (the Allies, represented by the UK and the other members of the Comintern ‘Big Three’, the USSR and US).
The Patriotic Front showed some German progress (since 1 Aug 42, green line) in Ukraine, but stabilisation in the situation on the Romanian-Soviet border and mixed outcomes in the North and Centre and some losses in central Romania. The Turkish ‘Bulge’ in the south was now quite pronounced (blue line).
The brave partisan crew in the Far East continued to thumb their noses at the Japanese occupiers, liberating more territory as they headed generally north-west.
---xxx---
Coming Up: Can Turkey close off the Adriatic Pocket, or will the last part of the race prove the hardest, given the factors slowing down the advance? How far north-west will the High Command be willing – or able, given finite troop resources and the risk of a German-led counter-offensive – to go before calling a halt? Will they just keep going towards Italy for as long as possible, halt and consolidate along a suitable line? Or try the right hook to attempt an encirclement of the forces currently investing Beograd and the Danube Line, preparatory to a new offensive in combination with Romania to try once more to knock Hungary out of the war?
Will the Turkish offensive and the Soviet rebalance – which appears to be working well enough – be sufficient to steal the initiative away from the Germans by the end of 1942? Or will the current apparent Soviet recovery prove a false dawn? Will the British collapse in Malaya, losing access to all those strategic resources, ceding them to the Japanese? Can they hold Rangoon with the flimsy forces defending Burma? Will the US finally start to punch in their weight division in the Pacific? And is there any prospect of them providing more support in the Mediterranean, or has their granting of those three marine divisions as EFs to Turkey basically signalled the extent of their practical assistance for now?
What will the next Anti-Fascist Coalition meeting decide to do about their shared theatres in Europe and the Pacific?
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It was epic and very exciting and nerve wracking as a gaming experience, especially knowing it would be reported on 'publicly' in the AAR! It was once of those big battles (and there have been a few so far and will be again) where it could go either way until the last minute with both sides throwing in more troops and resorting to ever more desperate measures as pride (at least on the human side
) started to play a part. Having to yield it later was bitter, but, like 'Remember the Alamo', 'Remember Timisoara' is a suitable rallying cry when resisting the hated Fascist foes and their dodgy meat product-consuming hordes. You're making good progress and only have another 45 chapters to go!
Which means you're almost 3/4 of the way there. Thanks for your support. And you for your support to, my friend.Catching up on this AAR is one of the better things I've done in the past few years
BTW, what would Turkish be for Operation Righteous Sword (or Scimitar etc, whichever would suit best) be? Calistar is firing up the Propaganda Dept and you know how much he enjoys devising cheesy and outrageous operation code-names. Mainly for public consumption - the soldiers at the front couldn't care less. Except when they gratefully accept propaganda leaflets printed on reasonably soft and absorbent paper! - 1
These options will go into the mix when possible marine targets are discussed. But my gut feeling is that anything on the Italian peninsula itself would be premature anytime soon. Like in OTL, maybe in 1943 after some of the other problems have been dealt with - and to support (and divert efforts from) a ground attack on Italy via Trieste and Venice. But one never knows when opportunity may knock.
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Quite an exciting week for the Glorious Union. Things seem to be heating up in the Bulge, and one begins to wonder if the "culminating point" of the offensive is close at hand. While it's good to draw attention away from our beleaguered allies, we must be careful not to overextend and risk the destruction of our best and brightest (well...best, anyways! ) in the field. Looking forward to seeing how this offensive resolves. I expect to see modest territorial gains and of course the destruction of some scattered enemy divisions, a la a smaller scale version of the Soviet offensives circa 1943.
Boooooooooooo!
This is heartening to see. It may be a secondary theater, but it's still quite important to prevent the Japanese from advancing into the industrialized regions near the Urals region. If they get into those ICs and VPs, it makes it that much easier for the Germans to get a lucky Soviet surrender if they take Leningrad and, God forbid, Moscow.
OOC, I appreciate the restraint shown here. A lot of players would make a gamey landing on mainland Italy, knowing they could outfox the poor AI with Flying Circus tactics and VP rushes. I prefer a more realistic campaign that respects the AI as a proper military force even if they don't deserve that much respect. Good to see that here. Of course, whether by cheesey tactics or hard-fought campaigns done the realistic way, death the the Fascist dogs!
) in the field. Looking forward to seeing how this offensive resolves. I expect to see modest territorial gains and of course the destruction of some scattered enemy divisions, a la a smaller scale version of the Soviet offensives circa 1943.Boooooooooooo!
This is heartening to see. It may be a secondary theater, but it's still quite important to prevent the Japanese from advancing into the industrialized regions near the Urals region. If they get into those ICs and VPs, it makes it that much easier for the Germans to get a lucky Soviet surrender if they take Leningrad and, God forbid, Moscow.
OOC, I appreciate the restraint shown here. A lot of players would make a gamey landing on mainland Italy, knowing they could outfox the poor AI with Flying Circus tactics and VP rushes. I prefer a more realistic campaign that respects the AI as a proper military force even if they don't deserve that much respect. Good to see that here. Of course, whether by cheesey tactics or hard-fought campaigns done the realistic way, death the the Fascist dogs!
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Great action, one just cannot have enough of this
I was half expecting the enemy to fill into a pocket themselves through the Zvornik gap to be encircled and captured, but the swift closing of the gap without jeopardizing the integrity of the front is also one of the best outcomes of this situation
Isn't the question mark instead of the general so fitting with this Project Mayhem vibe and the first 2 rules of the Fight Club?
We would've beaten that garrison :/ 133 hours of waiting is just brutal
The Adriatic pocket will be closed for sure, and I think setting our eyes on knocking Hungary off the war can be a realistic target after that. Axis trembles!
I'm confident Toüdemür will cross Sava with minimal casualties.
I was half expecting the enemy to fill into a pocket themselves through the Zvornik gap to be encircled and captured, but the swift closing of the gap without jeopardizing the integrity of the front is also one of the best outcomes of this situation
We'll be the first ones in Split!
Isn't the question mark instead of the general so fitting with this Project Mayhem vibe and the first 2 rules of the Fight Club?
We would've beaten that garrison :/ 133 hours of waiting is just brutal
Partisans! Go to the railway! RA IL WAY!!! Good going but turn east, hug lake Baikal and camp at Irkutsk!
Hmm, I guess Adil Kılıç would be a good one (that also could've been a character name in a spy novel by the way, in Turkish most names and surnames are words that are still used in everyday language) if we're going for the "just, fair" meaning of righteous. Otherwise, Haklı Kılıç (righteous as in being right, correct) or Erdemli Kılıç (virtuous) can be used as well (this 2 are not legitimate human names by the way).And you for your support to, my friend.
The Adriatic pocket will be closed for sure, and I think setting our eyes on knocking Hungary off the war can be a realistic target after that. Axis trembles!
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Kelebek hummed. He had been somewhat distracted of late from the italian spy business by that school teacher climbing through his office window with another plan to invade the peninsula. As the russian and amercian delegstes had shown up soon after, with their own plans, Kelebek made an executive decision to lock all of them in the basement with some coffe and maps to keep them out of harms way. He need not have worried however, the group were having the time of their lives planning the new world order. He'd even joined in quite a bit, it reminded him of Ataturk's empire building projects and over the top rituals. A shame...
Anyway, they were all at it again. For some reason the teacher turned soldier was clutching his bag of rocks ("for strength and bonuses!" He said) and once again looking at naval landings in italy, even though everyone else including he himself had spent the last 6 hours focusing on africa. The man had a complex.
Everyone looked at him for a moment, and then went back to plotting the new world order.
Are we holding our own against the italians in the air now or is it merely us being out of range of more of their aircraft?
Good that we're advancing so rapidly I suppose.
The first stumbling block. And in the worst place too. Oh well, we've nearly closed the pocket now. We can smash through this place if needs be.
That's very good news, but the soviet lost ground to the north flank still makes me nervous.
Hmm...yes, we're going to have to have one about the vichy france thing at the very least. Espeically as actual france must be pissed at the british by now.
How embarrassing.
The President was a bit annoyed that everyone was focusing on future fronts and not the actual and very important one he was currently fighting. Still, perhaps if he got to the alps before they made a decison, they'd be good enough to look embarrassed.
Yes!
So they are exhausted or at least unprepared. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
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So now read up to and including Chapter 135. Some very fierce fighting - I must admit to a certain amount of trepidation. Whilst the Glorious Republic is making the fascists pay dearly, the wait of fascists is telling.
And I had to smile at the return of a certain character
And I had to smile at the return of a certain character
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You’re cracking through things now! The Eye of Sauron that we drew after the 1941 offensive was rather disconcerting it has to be said. And with some characters, you really need to ‘have the body’ before you can believe they’re really gone!So now read up to and including Chapter 135. Some very fierce fighting - I must admit to a certain amount of trepidation. Whilst the Glorious Republic is making the fascists pay dearly, the wait of fascists is telling.
And I had to smile at the return of a certain character
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That's a bit of a tough nut to crack for a pair of Int wings. The F4Fs can probably handle it, but as shown, they do take significant damage. In my experience, Intx3 is a lot better at dealing with escorted bomber formations. This just shows that those P-51s are definitely going to come in very handy.
The gap in Zvornik turned out not to be fatal to the offensive, though it was still a waste of time and resources. I can't say much though, as the Red Army has definitely done worse. The rest of the offensive is progressing splendidly. Split has been reached, and the strength of the Garrison really does prove that a landing there could really have spelled disaster if it had lacked Air support, and especially if some of the Regia Marina made it's way over to spoil the party before the province was taken. To crack Split, I'd suggest attacking from 2, maybe even 3 sides. But I'm sure the Turkish general staff already thought of that. In any case, it looks like the Turkish army will catch quite a few Axis Divisions, including the German 88th. Those kinds of losses are hard to replace, and the scenes of mass surrender that will probably take place have great propaganda value.
This is a bit of a strange move for the UK. The British empire has a very positive resources/IC ratio, meaning that the optimal trade strategy tends to be the sale of excess resource, and the purchase of supplies with the proceeds. Of course, this is the AI that's trading, so it is likely following a counterproductive trading strategy. There are only three ways in which the UK selling supplies makes economical sense:
1. The UK built a ton of IC, and now the resources/IC ratio shifted to negative. Short of a full-on IC-rush this seems unlikely.
2. They are low on convoys, and buying resources outside the empire actually shortens trade routes considerably.
3. They were buying too many supplies, and with the wartime IC boost, their money situation went negative. Instead of cancelling the least lucrative supply purchase deals, they decided to sell some supplies on to Turkey. Further complicating their trading strategy. Maybe they're even making a profit, buying supplies in bulk from the Americans, and selling it at a premium to any and all takers they're not at war with... Of course this strategy requires more diplomatic points.
The Soviet Union has a very positive resources/IC ratio, so we also need to be buying, not selling supplies. Unless they're buying and selling for a profit, on top of what we can afford, within the Comintern, that's impossible. With the ongoing war, I'm sure our supply consumption is ridiculously high, and we thus have nothing to spare. If you manage to get a somewhat durable supply surplus, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if the Soviet ambassador kindly asked if the Red Army could take some of the growing Turkish stockpile. Free of charge, of course.
The American refusal to sell to Turkey is somewhat more baffling, as the US in full war economy mode tends to have some use for the sale of supplies (and it most games it does send quite a few tonnes of supplies to the UK). Not that they don't have a lot of resources, just that with everything kicked into overdrive, they have so much IC, that they do lack some resources, and they start selling supplies to pay for it, especially if they hold on to previous resource-selling deals.
I heard it was a stunning performance, with occasional German Artillery fire in the background, adding that little bit of extra oomph to it.
The Eastern front is looking better, and the Northern Romanian front has been stabilised. As others have already stated, the Northern part of the front is the most worrying. Let's hope Shostakovich's masterpiece inspires the thinly spread Red Army troops in the Leningrad area to fight to the best.
I would really like to thank the darkest of Butterflies for offering up his basement for our discussions on the New world order, and Turkish empire-building. The decor was quite inspiring, in the way that the various objects and contraptions around us gave us quite a few novel ideas about how to punish enemies of the revolution. I take no offense at the locked door, that was to be expected, and if push comes to shove, any self-respecting veteran GRU operative can surely find his/her way out. Not that that was necessary. When the discussions were over, the door simply seemed to unlock itself, before becoming slightly ajar, letting a fine line of daylight enter the dimly lit torture chamber / strategic planning room with coffee-making facilities.
STAVKA is rating the Turkish army higher and higher every day that passes, the entire Comintern is rooting for this offensive to be a success, and I don't see how it won't be.
SkitalecS3
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We certainly seem to be back in 'control' a little now, with the Japanese advance blunted if not halted, and the Axis being solidly fought back in the Balkans. The optimism does seem to be getting to us, much as it did after our runaway successes stealing a huge chunk of Europe before the war started, and we made the gamble to go afternoon Persia as well through a very narrow front. Now we all know that payed off, but we have to make sure we get another Persia out of this, not a really nasty desert war.
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That has been an exciting two weeks. Things are looking good for the pocket. Possibly sliding past Split to Zara to close the pocket then coming back to take Split would get the most axis troops trapped. I am sceptical of distant amphibious expeditions right now. As I understand it we have nobody available to relieve the marines once they are holding the objective. Anything other than an in and out raid is likely to tie the marines tied down in garrison duty. It might be good to remember some of the history of a part of our Glorious Union. During the Peloponesian Wars Athens got themselve is trouble twice sending out their last troops on expeditions they couldn't bring them back from. To Syracuse in the main war and to Egypt in the first war about 30 years earlier. Any amphibious operation should also have a plan for relieving the marines so they are available for further operations. Or it should be a high enough value target that putting the marines in garrison for six months or so is an acceptable cost.
It might be good to remember some of the history of a part of our Glorious Union. During the Peloponesian Wars Athens got themselve is trouble twice sending out their last troops on expeditions they couldn't bring them back from. To Syracuse in the main war and to Egypt in the first war about 30 years earlier. Any amphibious operation should also have a plan for relieving the marines so they are available for further operations. Or it should be a high enough value target that putting the marines in garrison for six months or so is an acceptable cost.- 1
Well, that was why I was working with the SMELT idea: especially if the Italian navy is done, then they cant bring in reinforcements. It would be worth it alone to cut off the supply lines for the Italian troops in NAfrica, relieve the British, but that should be the only hostile troops there.
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