See, I just allow you to think you're stalking me, when in fact, the reverse is true.This is the sort of assiduous treatment you can expect once I actually start reading The Pact of Steel in earnest.
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So I've finished book 2! Lots and lots to process so I've been quite profligate with my quoting, but really great stuff. The shift from zany peacetime exploits to pretty hardcore military and diplomatic discussions goes over well when you do it all at once, and it';s even sort of poignant in a way, seeing all of these characters built up over ~80 whole chapters have to adjust to life during wartime.
As, I have to admit, I do tend to gloss over the specifics of the wartime updates, seeing as a lot of the technical stuff passes me by for want of game knowledge, I should have a faster time of things getting through the next book.
And you are right by the way, @Bullfilter, taking in the discussion in between updates really adds to the reading experience. Really heartening to see such a vibrant community building around an AAR and a campaign.
Nev must be gutted…
They really are all trying their luck now, aren't they!
This cartoon is very funny indeed. Love it.
Now there's a title I like to see!
I see the "X with Y characteristics" meme so much but, by god, somehow it hits every time. Very funny.
Seeing a picture of a sausage-making machine anywhere even vaguely close to Kelebek is stomach churningly ominous.
Oliver Stanley, dark horse spymaster and war hero over in the Echoes-verse, here reduced to discussing sumptuary laws. Chamberlain cabinet indeed…
Apropos of very little indeed, but seeing this French listening post picture reminds me of reading about Jean-Paul Sartre's war (fascinating if you're not familiar with it – amazingly he did see service). Manned a weather station, got captured by the Germans, spent a bit of time as a POW before escaping in a fittingly absurd manner, and then walked back to Paris. Not bad for a Phoney war.
The only question that comes to mind is: has he been watching the same war as everyone else?!
Welles' tour here is absolutely fascinating. Imagine not only being so well travelled but so well acquainted. It's all based off real events, I take it?
Fantastic
As an aside, these IC back and forth are golden. Great work all round.
Neville Chamberlain more and more sounding like a snooker commentator rather than a prime minister. He'll be saying that France are "under the cosh" next…
Butterfly here needling Nev and his bothersome buses as only Butterfly could. Wonderful.
If I were uncharitable I would be tempted to suggest that this 1:12min clip is in fact a real-time account of the 'French in Action'.
(If I were @El Pip I'd suggest it had been slowed down.)
The idea of Churchill never coming along is hilarious, if only because instead of war documentaries being called stuff like "Their Finest Hour", ITTL they'll all have to be called stuff like "All Aboard for the Fürherbunker!" and "One More Stop Along the Maginot Line". Instead of Dad's Army we'll just have On the Buses.
Peak HOI levels of research, this. I take my hat off to it.
Good to see evidence of the AAR Prompt Mega-thread's latent existence as early as 2017.
I know that it's good for cold hearted IG reasons, but as I am in fact a warm hearted leftist troublemaker I have to lament France's rightward slide. Normal service resuming after the war, I hope. (Pray?)
Seldom have I been so relieved to see an event fire in an AAR. The tension building up all in one go was immense!
Ah, ever was it thus. National Unity just about extending a few clicks left of centre, and then conveniently ignoring everything else.
Anyway, as I say, superb effort all round. Looking forward tothe war next step along the path to Glory!
As, I have to admit, I do tend to gloss over the specifics of the wartime updates, seeing as a lot of the technical stuff passes me by for want of game knowledge, I should have a faster time of things getting through the next book.
And you are right by the way, @Bullfilter, taking in the discussion in between updates really adds to the reading experience. Really heartening to see such a vibrant community building around an AAR and a campaign.
Nev must be gutted…
They really are all trying their luck now, aren't they!
This cartoon is very funny indeed. Love it.
Now there's a title I like to see!
I see the "X with Y characteristics" meme so much but, by god, somehow it hits every time. Very funny.
This unfortunate Boerewors seller in Istanbul was using his business as a cover for his espionage activities. He now finds himself out of the frying pan and into the fire (given Kelebek is involved, this is probably a literal description of his predicament)!
Seeing a picture of a sausage-making machine anywhere even vaguely close to Kelebek is stomach churningly ominous.
Oliver Stanley, dark horse spymaster and war hero over in the Echoes-verse, here reduced to discussing sumptuary laws. Chamberlain cabinet indeed…
Apropos of very little indeed, but seeing this French listening post picture reminds me of reading about Jean-Paul Sartre's war (fascinating if you're not familiar with it – amazingly he did see service). Manned a weather station, got captured by the Germans, spent a bit of time as a POW before escaping in a fittingly absurd manner, and then walked back to Paris. Not bad for a Phoney war.
The only question that comes to mind is: has he been watching the same war as everyone else?!
Welles' tour here is absolutely fascinating. Imagine not only being so well travelled but so well acquainted. It's all based off real events, I take it?
A picture is provided with the report of Connie enjoying her ‘Poison Gnocchi 101’ class at the NKVD's 'Laboratory 1', at a classified location somewhere in the Soviet Union.
Fantastic
As an aside, these IC back and forth are golden. Great work all round.
Neville Chamberlain more and more sounding like a snooker commentator rather than a prime minister. He'll be saying that France are "under the cosh" next…
Butterfly here needling Nev and his bothersome buses as only Butterfly could. Wonderful.
If I were uncharitable I would be tempted to suggest that this 1:12min clip is in fact a real-time account of the 'French in Action'.
(If I were @El Pip I'd suggest it had been slowed down.)
The idea of Churchill never coming along is hilarious, if only because instead of war documentaries being called stuff like "Their Finest Hour", ITTL they'll all have to be called stuff like "All Aboard for the Fürherbunker!" and "One More Stop Along the Maginot Line". Instead of Dad's Army we'll just have On the Buses.
Ali Örlungat, (D.O.B. unknown). Chief of Staff and Chief of the Air Force. [Ed. the only picture and reference I can find of his existence, including trying on the Turkish 'Vikipedia', is in HoI! So this will have to do.]
Peak HOI levels of research, this. I take my hat off to it.
Good to see evidence of the AAR Prompt Mega-thread's latent existence as early as 2017.
I know that it's good for cold hearted IG reasons, but as I am in fact a warm hearted leftist troublemaker I have to lament France's rightward slide. Normal service resuming after the war, I hope. (Pray?)
News Report: London, UK. British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley is among a number of Britons arrested under Defence Regulation 18B, a law allowing for the internment of people suspected of being Nazi sympathisers.
Mosley will be prevented from doing this for a while.
Seldom have I been so relieved to see an event fire in an AAR. The tension building up all in one go was immense!
Ah, ever was it thus. National Unity just about extending a few clicks left of centre, and then conveniently ignoring everything else.
Anyway, as I say, superb effort all round. Looking forward to
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They may say AARland is dead, but it is not so here. Every manor paradox game has writers who also comment here regularly, we all have our own characters that evolved really naturally, and we all have fun. It's great.
I may, when this is all over, look back and say this was the best AAR of the decade.
That's right! He gets properly fleshed out and written in this book. Now all the jokes and references make sense, presumably.
How did you find all the alt-commentator characters? More show up as the war goes on.
This did not go unnoticed at the time. I began to develope the conspiracy theory that Neville Chamberlain was indeed the secret mastermind behind the whole war and using it to get rid of his poltcial enemies and strengthen the british empire.
For quite a while (over a year in fact I think) the game certainly played that way.
This is threatening to become a minor roast of the AAR regulars.
And that actually sounds like a great idea for an end of year event...
...I'm not trawling through all my back comments to find every prompt ever given. If someone wants to do that, feel free. But it may take a while given how many comments there are...
I really do need to expand that list to the general AAR section at some point. Probably another year ender thing.
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You know, as it stands I’d be hard pressed to disagree. There have been many more ambitious, there are a number more extensively researched, and dare I say there are a few more literary examples of the form out there, but frankly this hits such a satisfying balance of just about everything you could ask for in a great AAR: old-school Action Reporting; madcap (and surprisingly relevant) pop culture references; reflexive character development as the campaign goes on; longevity; narrative drama; knowledgable and funny comentatAARs describing the action… Truly, a considerable achievement.
Great fun. Also very informative. The combined game knowledge in this thread is something to behold, from my point of view anyway, knowing bugger all about how to play HOI (in any incarnation). Genuinely insightful while also being a good old fashioned laugh.
Now I’ve got the Victoria Wood Widdecombe song in my head…
This would be a lot of fun indeed. All it needs is a punny name. Something like “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open FiAAR”, but less arbitrary.
Years of art/design-based education sort of has me trained to pick up on old discarded ideas wherever I find them, so I’ll flag them up when I see them as I go, but I won’t make a task of it necessarily.
Might make for a nice feature as part of a YeAAR in Review. Now for some of this year’s premier AARs that weren’t… That sort of thing.
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A good roast indeed.
Yeah something like that. The baar might like it if no one else.
Again, yeah, this could work. It'll serve as an intro into the actual list of interest is high enough that we might actually have a prompts thread.
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Feedback to comments (for which many thanks everyone ) Part 1:
I agree re Budapest: if it does need taking later, it will probably be after it is surrounded completely or they deplete/abandon its defences.
Even I don't know what will happen with Perse: perhaps I'll go off game events, and get a little old-school D&D by rolling the old percentage dice on a range of possible outcomes!
More comment responses to follow.
) Part 1:Yes, we're still definitely in the thick of it and I was quite pleased with progress in general terms. Not everything worked, but plenty did, including in Russia and Romania.
Yes, partly - but it's not a disaster unless someone gets cut off and destroyed. But it's risk and reward: I think we did better perhaps than might have been expected mainly because of the high tempo and constant pressure we've applied. Once we let them settle down, regain organisation, dig in etc, we may see these gains become slower and bloodier. My instinct is to keep up the high intensity until it's obviously no longer working, or we run out of manpower reserves to sustain it. The knuckles could be getting a little white by the end of the Summer Offensive!
I actually think the Axis/German AI has generally done very well in this game, given the circumstances and its limitations. You could never say it's been an easy fight, though it is of course a bit prone to getting encircled and pocketed. But then that happened a fair bit in OTL, too!
Huh - that would be true to form, no doubt.
It really was helpful - I had hoped but not expected it to happen.
That was a tough one - like one of those epic defensive battles from a year or two back. Very relieved to win it.
This will be a very significant victory once the last prisoner is taken. I especially enjoy destroying SS divisions - in game and out!
Yes, will see what reorg and operational recalibration is necessary if/when we (collectively) take Hungary off the board. My thoughts are gearing for a land and see invasion of Italy, but there's also an opportunity to lend a hand to a joint Comintern invasion of the German heartland. Will see what fight and fate provide.
Either way, it's a win for the greater coalition: even if they aren't wiped out quickly and some escape, it's a massive diversion of important units now stuck off in stage left.
Thank you! With RL, work on the mod (which I do in between episodes) and updating the other AARs, it does take me a while to cycle through these days. I am still maintaining an update rate of around one per week, but that's spread over four of course. Have no fear, I will keep up the effort as best I can with summer and the cricket season here, even if the rate is slower than in days of yore on this, my first and favourite AAR.
Very true - the Axis will have to watch out when those reinforcements arrive and attain something like battle readiness. And I'll be on the lookout for more pocketing opportunities, for sure.It strikes me that when the pocket is finally cleared that will free up considerable forces for a new push, after a little re-organisation. One has to wonder at the chance of a further, albeit most likely smaller, pocket continuing up the boundary between the Romanian and Turkish forces. All in all though it looks to have been a major operational success.
I am not convinced Budapest is worth concentrating on right now - there are so many better opportunties elsewhere it seems.
As for Perse, I watch
I agree re Budapest: if it does need taking later, it will probably be after it is surrounded completely or they deplete/abandon its defences.
Even I don't know what will happen with Perse: perhaps I'll go off game events, and get a little old-school D&D by rolling the old percentage dice on a range of possible outcomes!
Spot on - getting them to surrender is what I'm really after. If Budapest proves the only way of doing it, then I'll revisit that when the time comes. But if we can between us all take enough other VPs to overcome their NU, then that might be less expensive.
It is: I haven't counted specifically, but all that stuff might either be destroyed, or at least sidelined. And may well be quite hard to supply properly depending on where they're drawing their logistic support from now.
No detail, I think it may have been two-three divs of German and Hungarian infantry.
Very much so! It could be a Second Happy Time for this Summer Offensive!
More comment responses to follow.
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Comment responses Pt 2:
Thank you, my friend, and congrats on the FOTW award
Yeah, they were all still a bit strung out from recent defeats or second-line outfits.Maybe a spoiling attack to Szekesfehervar from the province with multiple divisions just south?
Answer comes swiftly
Their surrender will be a big moment in the war so far.
And the assassins were far from elite - not Soviet wet ops guys, nor S.I.T.H. specialists either. So where did they come from? Hmmm
I've never found a way of requesting allied naval objectives. Will just have to hope that someone can do it.
A 'strategic' pocket in combination with the Soviets and Romanians would indeed be nice.
Very much so. I'll do the maths once I fire up the game and play the next session in a day or two.
A good read of the situation. Once the immediate tasks are completed, it will be a mixture of objectives and opportunism. VPs to kill the Hungarians off, but also opportunities to exploit weak points in the enemy lines and encircle German divisions in particular, where possible. Should be an interesting little period.
And welcome back! The slowing of update rate (for explained reasons) at least allows those catching up a little more time to do so. As remarked before in this AAR, the MP situation with the Turks here in 1943 is a bit analogous to the British in 1944: but so far, we've not let it hamper a robust offensive. Instead, it puts the brakes on new unit generation.
And I agree. It in part relies on the actions of my allies, but they have proved pretty effective in recent weeks as we each take advantage of the other's agression and pressure on the enemy across the whole front.
It will probably end up something like that. The first formations have already started to move north. Once things are tidied up, those divisions at or close to full strength will be switched, Patton-style, immediately north to reinforce the line and the offensive. Others may take a little more time to reorganise and replenish, they will do so on the move and when they get to new positions in the front line.
Agreed. Unless they present an open door somewhere, the idea there is to hold and consolidate for now. Will see how things look there in a few weeks.
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Feedback Part 3, the @DensleyBlair threads dealt with separately, to avoid spoilers:
Keeping a straight face is probably the single most important skill BJ and Perse must have: otherwise the frequent silliness of their offerings in face of the bleak misery of their brief would be too much for them!
Do hope you can get more of a season in next time, though things remain a bit dire over there, so I see in the news reports. It is now cricket season here, and I got another game in yesterday. I did a non-representative tour with our ACT (mini-state equivalent) Over 60s team in England for four weeks in July last year. We've all marvelled how lucky we were to get that in before the hammer fell. I returned with a nasty head cold for the 22-hour return flight (struck just as we were boarding the plane, of course), but compared with now ...
Corona cigars? Well, yairs!
I think it important to remember (via these little OTL contemporaneous news snippets) that not everyone in Germany or the occupied territories were chuffed with Herr Hitler's ministration. A pity none of them worked.
Chamberlain, rather like the corona reference, never ages very well, does he?
The only explanation for many of the cabinet atrocities in the game is the ambition vs limitation of the simulation of government mechanics in the game. On balance, I'm one of the 'glass half full' brigade on this aspect. Yes, Paradox made plenty of research errors or one-size-fits-all mechanics incongruities in this part of the game, but in all kudos to them for trying in such detail, for every country in the game.
Later tidying up per player feedback (or indeed inviting them to do much of the work then incorporating it in updates) would have been nice, but ... to do it themselves would cost people, time and money. And they had other things to invest that it by then. I guess the HPP, BICE etc brigade must be the ones to take up that baton now.
That Valais canton flag in Switzerland reminded me of some kind of vexillogical ink-blot test! Nice pick-up - though even Perse would have thought twice before running that up the flagpole, I think. A little straining on the eyes.
And those early comments on Musso's crowd by Churchill - aged no better than those Coronas, nor Nev's contribution to diplomatic posterity.
- sorry, I might explain but will never apologise). This has grainy hand-held visuals, but you can hear him fine. It is from 2010, when he was 80 years old. He wasn't necessarily my brand of politics, but was a great figure and could sing, drink and played cricket. Can't say fairer than that! Bob Hawke, Solidarity Forever, 2010
I think it is the strength of the Godfather that propels him here! Pius, Puzo ... what's in a name!?
Beautiful Baku in 1938 - what's not to like!?
The assiduousness is very much appreciated.
See Above!
High cuisine in the UK and Australia )
Hardly out of place.
I'm really enjoying your commentary on the earlier episodes - it actually prompted me to go back and re-read some of those chapters and the nostalgia was nice! Some parts I remember clearly, others, well - three-odd years and three other AARs can sometimes dim the memory a little. So thanks once again for this.Ah, that’s no good. It was the white standard of the Union of Glorious National Republics. How Persephonee could run that up the pole with a straight face I do not know.
Any AAR that takes the time to include football detail is good by me.
Keeping a straight face is probably the single most important skill BJ and Perse must have: otherwise the frequent silliness of their offerings in face of the bleak misery of their brief would be too much for them!
Do hope you can get more of a season in next time, though things remain a bit dire over there, so I see in the news reports. It is now cricket season here, and I got another game in yesterday. I did a non-representative tour with our ACT (mini-state equivalent) Over 60s team in England for four weeks in July last year. We've all marvelled how lucky we were to get that in before the hammer fell. I returned with a nasty head cold for the 22-hour return flight (struck just as we were boarding the plane, of course), but compared with now ...
Nothing to forgive - everything to be thankful for!
Corona cigars? Well, yairs!
I think it important to remember (via these little OTL contemporaneous news snippets) that not everyone in Germany or the occupied territories were chuffed with Herr Hitler's ministration. A pity none of them worked.
Chamberlain, rather like the corona reference, never ages very well, does he?
The only explanation for many of the cabinet atrocities in the game is the ambition vs limitation of the simulation of government mechanics in the game. On balance, I'm one of the 'glass half full' brigade on this aspect. Yes, Paradox made plenty of research errors or one-size-fits-all mechanics incongruities in this part of the game, but in all kudos to them for trying in such detail, for every country in the game.
Later tidying up per player feedback (or indeed inviting them to do much of the work then incorporating it in updates) would have been nice, but ... to do it themselves would cost people, time and money. And they had other things to invest that it by then. I guess the HPP, BICE etc brigade must be the ones to take up that baton now.
That Valais canton flag in Switzerland reminded me of some kind of vexillogical ink-blot test!
Nice pick-up - though even Perse would have thought twice before running that up the flagpole, I think. A little straining on the eyes.And those early comments on Musso's crowd by Churchill
- aged no better than those Coronas, nor Nev's contribution to diplomatic posterity.Bravo and Huzzah!Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Turk;
He is building up the fact'ries where the tanks of wrath are work'd;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of artillery brigades;
The Turk is marching ooooonnnn!!!!
With apologies to Julia Ward Howe and anyone with an ear for rhyme - or the lack thereof!
Have you ever seen our former (late) PM Bob Hawke's version of Solidarity? It was one of his famed party tricks (see what I did thereAlthough I have to expose myself a b it here and admit I can only ever hear Solidarity Forever to that tune. And The Smiths whenever someone says "Mine eyes have seen the glory"…
- sorry, I might explain but will never apologise). This has grainy hand-held visuals, but you can hear him fine. It is from 2010, when he was 80 years old. He wasn't necessarily my brand of politics, but was a great figure and could sing, drink and played cricket. Can't say fairer than that! Bob Hawke, Solidarity Forever, 2010Molotov, Litvinov? It's all Stalin in the end.By any reasonable measure, Litvinov staying instead of Molotov should be good news for just about everyone. Unfortunately, I am under no illusions that this will at all be the case. (And I am very quickly proven correct…)
Maybe it was Molotov in a mask after all?
Pius seems to be channeling the strength of the Lord quite literally here. Breaking apart stones with his hands?! Sounds more like Mr Apollo to me
As soon as I read that Kiwi sheep non-jibe I was bracing myself for the inevitable…
What a charming poster! Never mind the Caspian riviera, those oil rigs look positively Parisian!
Excellent point by FDR there. Very astute indeed.
Up to chapter 68 now. Almost done with book 2. Cracking stuff, as ever.
I think it is the strength of the Godfather that propels him here! Pius, Puzo ... what's in a name!?
Beautiful Baku in 1938 - what's not to like!?
This is the sort of assiduous treatment you can expect once I actually start reading The Pact of Steel in earnest.
The assiduousness is very much appreciated.Great stuff - your dedication is warmly appreciated. More profligacy in quoting is always appreciated too. Some characters (commentator avatars and others) come and go, but many are still plying their trade three years later!
That may prove correct - though I do try to implicitly or explicitly explain much of the mechanical stuff or put it into narrative context in the knowledge that not everyone is familiar. Much like when I read a Vicky AAR.
Yes, much comes out in that - and often the commentariat goes off on its own tangents, which is invariably appropriate, amusing and informative.
Cartoons are I believe one of the high political art forms, when well done.
Now there's a title I like to see!
See Above!Very true. Not to be looked at before a meal of bangers and mash (for US or other viewers who may not be familiar with the term: sausages and mashed potato
High cuisine in the UK and Australia )I hope he believed in authentic kilt wearing - just not near any sausage-making machines: like getting your tie caught in the shredder.
I haven't read him in that context, though it does sound interesting. One of these days ...
Yes, it was based entirely on contemporaneous travels and news reports, only very lightly adapted to the game context (as shrunk down and 'curated' by Wikipedia, anyway).
Always good fun. Just be careful whenever you order gnocchi.Fantastic
As an aside, these IC back and forth are golden. Great work all round.
And he did end up snookered himself, what?
Go ahead, be uncharitable!
Hardly out of place.Very good. Once you get to later in the war, see what the UK gets up to (or not) and are regarding post-war UK documentaries and comedy series, I'd be interested in some updated versions of these.
Par excellence.
So many ideas, so little time.
We'll see, but if the Comintern has its way Solidarity Forever will be the least of it! The Paris Commune must arise once more!
Me too - it was uncanny how all the factors were so in-balance and narrowing down to a singular point in time.
Yes, it does seem to be a recurrent theme in French politics, from the 1790s through to the 2020s, whichever kingdom, empire or republics it is! As to the path to Glory: it is paved with both good and bad intentions, and very many little electronic bodies.Ah, ever was it thus. National Unity just about extending a few clicks left of centre, and then conveniently ignoring everything else.
Anyway, as I say, superb effort all round. Looking forward tothe warnext step along the path to Glory!
Thank you for those very kind words. I must say the commentary, support and willingness of you all to become part of the story and have those sometimes sweeping side-discussions have kept the whole enterprise going all this time.
And thank you - that was pretty much exactly the niche I came to pitch the AAR into: a bit of everything, even if at heart a game-play based story. So grateful to the commentatAARs who have helped me keep it all going and contributed so much along the way. And very welcome you are to that club. As mentioned previously and frequently, please feel free to continue the retro-commentary as much as you like. I will keep response separate so as to remove potential spoilers mixing in the general response replies to current chapters.
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Have you ever seen our former (late) PM Bob Hawke's version of Solidarity? It was one of his famed party tricks (see what I did there
Bob Hawke is coming up everywhere for me at the moment! Think it’s the universe making sure I don’t pass up the chance to include him in Echoes vol. 2. And a very fine rendition that is! Always gets my hairs standing up a little.
Yes, and appreciated it is to. Depending on how close an eye you have (if at all) on the Echoes thread, you may have seen that after a computer update I can’t actually play Vicky anymore. So I’m trying to get to grips with HOI in a very piecemeal fashion.
Very early on in his writing career and very influential on his worldview, and in particular his view of history and one’s part in it. It was as a POW, I believe, that he first started to write Being and Nothingness. But I may be mistaken on that front.
Roger that!
And very welcome I feel! Excited to be all caught up so I can join in the moment.
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Are we in Berlin yet?
Not quite yet - but the next chapter is about to be published, at least.- 2
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Chapter 205: Death from Above (16 to 30 June 1943)
Chapter 205: Death from Above (16 to 30 June 1943)
Recap
Perse, with the aid of David Callan, had foiled another assassination attempt, which revealed both that there must be more ‘moles’ within MI6 … and that whoever had been sent to attack her were not the ‘A-Team’!
At the front, the Axis was coming under increasing pressure across the whole Patriotic Front. The Zrenjanin Pocket had been closed for some days now and was on the cusp of being squeezed shut completely. The Russians and Romanians pressed forward elsewhere on the Patriotic Front, albeit all against stern Axis resistance.
16 Jun 43
As at midnight, two battles continued in the Turkish sector of the front. West of Budapest, a Turkish probe on Székesfehérvár [42%] continued, where the motorised German 4th Leichte Division had slipped in to defend the province before 156 SD could occupy it. 2 Mot Div was still retreating from Hatvan, the attempt to surround and assault Budapest having been abandoned for now.
The most significant ongoing battle was in Kikinda, where the last bastion of Axis resistance in the Zrenjanin Pocket mounted by the SS Totenkopf Division was just barely holding now, under attack by Turkish forces since 14 June [89% progress]. Tens of thousands of Axis troops – mainly German – were isolated in the pocket.
This last ditch defence in Kikinda soon crumbled, with the latest victory declared at 3am. This brought the immediate surrender of all Axis forces then in Kikinda. Others were still retreating there from Lugoj, but would be rounded up over the next few days. The newspaper report would not be released for operational security reasons until the weekend edition of The Istanbul Times, once the last prisoners had been taken.
At 9am, another minor Japanese-inspired revolt in the Dodecanese was snuffed out, eight Turkish garrison troops killed for 100 rebels, the other 2,900 melting back into the countryside. Again.
The attack on Székesfehérvár was called off at 2pm, with no satisfactory progress being made. The Soviet EF had lost 133 men, while the Germans suffered 83 killed.
Kikinda was secured at 6pm by 5 Inf Div, meaning there would be no further chance for the enemy retreating from Lugoj to stage another desperate stand. It was now just a matter of taking the prisoners as they arrived.
Air Damage Report. Italian attacks on Skekszard on 156 SD killed 493 of the Soviets who had been attacking Székesfehérvár defenders. This was just a foretaste of the blizzard of enemy air raids that would follow over the next two weeks.
17 Jun 43
A welcome and long-awaited advance in Turkish land doctrine came on 17 June: combat reinforcement, the bane of many a battle in the past years, would be substantively improved.
Then early that morning, in the Adriatic Sector, the US Marines took Krsko, soon beating off a quick enemy probe. But while that was happening the Italians occupied Novo Mesto, which the Turks had earlier been forced to retreat from. MAJGEN Diskoerekto’s 3 Mtn Div was already on its way from Karlovac and soon engaged the enemy in what would prove to be a long and savage battle.
The Hungarians reoccupied Hatvan at 8am, while 2 Mot Div were still retreating from it south to Monor. Then at 1pm, most of the remaining Axis divisions (two German and one Hungarian) from Lugoj were captured as they retreated to Kikinda, only to find it in Turkish hands. Only the Italian 3a Divisione (motorised) remained to be put into the bag.
With the pocket effectively now liquidated, the Romanians had retaken Cluj and continued to advance strongly in their sector. New objectives were suggested to the Soviets and Romanians: the key Hungarian cities of Debrecen and Kosice (both of which had been occupied by the Comintern early in the war, while France still fought on).
Note: at their current national unity, these two VP cities plus Pécs (already occupied), would still not be quite enough to force a Hungarian surrender – Budapest would still probably need to be taken.
Up in the Baltic Sector, the Germans had once again retaken Sigulda, the coastal province that maintained land communications with the almost-encircled Army Group North: but yet another Soviet counter-attack was already in progress.
Air Damage Report. The Italians began heavy aerial attacks on Karlovac on 3 Mtn Div in Karlovac, which would continue into the next day. They also struck Krsko, which would continue without let up for another five harrowing days.
18 Jun 43
The reason for the continuation of intense air strikes on Krsko was presumably because at 3am 1 US Mar Div joined the attack on Novo Mesto in support of 3 Mtn Div [2.6% reinforcement chance].
Further east, 2 Mot Div (still in very good condition) had finished its retreat from Hatvan to Monor at 8am and was sent straight on to the south-east, to join the forces gathering north of Timisoara for a renewed offensive following the elimination of the Zrenjanin Pocket. This fast and powerful outfit should be useful if they got loose on the Hungarian plain. The first formations redeployed from the pocket were already arriving on the front line by then.
217 SD in Delnice was added to the attack on Novo Mesto at 9am and reinforced almost immediately, improving the odds further [82% progress]. Then late that night, 1 Mtn Div in Ribnica added its weight to the attack on Novo Mesto, where 3 Mtn Div was finding the attack tough.
Air Damage Report. Enemy air raids finished on Karlovac that night, having caused 1,392 casualties since the day before, while the effort stayed on Krsko and now also hit both Ribnica and Delnice simultaneously from late on 18 June in a massive effort to try to disrupt the attack on Novo Mesto. All these raids would persist non-stop through 21 June.
19 Jun 43
The last Italian division surrendered at 8am as it limped into Kikinda. The whole pocket was now completely shut down.
6 US Mar Div began advancing on the empty Lenti at midday, while an hour later Italian mountain troops struck Nagykanizsa in a strong attack, but it was hampered by a very effective counter-attack by the 5th Corps commander, LTGEN Edelhun. Still the battle for Novo Mesto ground on to the west of Zagreb, under heavy enemy air attack.
For the first time since June 1940, Beograd was so removed from any direct threat that its last garrison troops (a division of the reinforced militia) was put on trains at 3pm and sent to reinforce the line west of Zagreb.
1 Mtn Div reinforced the attack on Novo Mesto at 10pm [95%], but still the Italians refused to give up. Both they and 3 Mtn Div were becoming fairly worn down by this stage.
Air Damage Report. Another day of enemy raids Krsko, Ribnica and Delnice took their toll on the forces attacking Novo Mesto.
20 Jun 43
While Turkey now had three divisions in the front line and one in reserve attacking Novo Mesto, the German 93rd Infanterie (low on strength but high on organisation) joined and then reinforced the Italians between 6am and 8am. Just as the latter were weakening (they would retreat at 4pm that same afternoon): the fight would now drag on further, into the following day.
At this point, Inönü began to start tracking reserve manpower more closely: the ground combat but particularly the incessant air raids were wearing it down more quickly now. At the start of 16 June it had stood at 41,000: by 10am on 20 June it had dropped to 36,000 with 3,210 reinforcements needed to reinforce.
Air Damage Report. The enemy air raids Krsko, Ribnica and Delnice continued.
Interlude: London – ‘The Hour Before Dawn’
Following here escape a few days before, Perse had been laying low in a nondescript ‘off the books’ apartment provided David Callan.
“I’m sure MI6 in London itself has been infiltrated by the Comintern,” Callan had insisted. “It was not just MacLean. Probably the Soviets, or possibly the S.I.T.H., have someone working there. Those thugs sent to do the dirty work the other night were Romanian, so it has been deduced.”
“Acting on behalf of …?” asked Perse, thinking it may be her old employers back in Turkey.
“Hard to tell. In a way, it doesn’t really matter. London and I suspect England is just too hot for you at the moment, Perse. I have a RAF contact who can smuggle you out on a flight to Washington, if you’re game. Once there, you can make contact with your American friends – but not before. If it gets out here in advance that you’re heading over, well …”
“Enough said, I’ll take my chances with BJ’s crowd. They may be in the Comintern formally, but their affection is more superficial and it was they who saved me, after all.”
“Right then, Perse. I’ll send my man over later this evening. A Group Captain Nigel Featherstonehaugh [pronounced 'Fanshaw']. Here’s a picture of him and he'll have a password I'll give you now. Be careful, but I’m sure he can be trusted.”
Later that night, Callan was gone when Hawthorn knocked on the door. Perse allowed him in after he provided the password Callan had provided, but she was still wary.
“Are you absolutely sure you weren’t followed, dear boy?”
“Quite, my dear. No flies on me!”
“Are you absolutely sure you weren’t followed, dear boy?”
“Very well, come on in. Here’s a little bite to eat while we discuss plans.”
“Charming. Now, there is a ‘milk run’ flight leaving an hour before dawn tomorrow. Despatches and such. Heading to Washington via Reykjavik. I’m commanding it. I will cover your passage as a diplomatic mission – David has provided me with some papers. You may be recognised after the fact, but by then you will be in the States. The crew themselves can be trusted during the flight and won’t know you’re coming beforehand. Dress plainly and warmly. I’ll have a staff car pick you up at 3am. Any questions?”
“Now, there is a ‘milk run’ flight leaving an hour before dawn tomorrow. Heading to Washington via Reykjavik.”
There were none. Soon, Hawthorn had left and Perse was making her preparations.
21 Jun 43
At midnight, 1 US Mar Div became the fourth Comintern division to reinforce at Novo Mesto [96% progress]; the Germans fought on, though they were now becoming disorganised. The enemy attack on Nagykanizsa also continued.
Three hours later, with USMC LO MAJ Kenny ‘Wraith’ Loggins passing on mounting concerns about a possible enemy counter-attack on Krsko with 1 US mar Div committed in Novo Mesto, 6 Mil Div was ordered to march up from Zagreb to reinforce the position in Krsko. In line with these concerns and with the battle nearly won in Novo Mesto, 1 US Mar Div was peeled off the attack at 4am even though they had only recently reinforced. They were still under heavy air attack and needed time to recover some organisation and to dig in. Furthermore, the Turkish command didn’t want them being drawn into Novo Mesto when the battle was won, leaving Krsko open.
Meanwhile, Perse managed to slip aboard her flight to hoped-for safety while the airfield outside London was still dark. The crew, while a little surprised to see her, were happy to have such an attractive passenger on board. A few thought they recognised her from previous press reporting. The rest of the flight would prove uneventful.
At 8am the battle for Novo Mesto was finally won and 3 Mtn Div occupied it just an hour later. The Italians had suffered heavy casualties in the ground combat, but the real toll for the Comintern forces had come from the skies. The raids would only stop that night, but the cost was great.
Air Damage Report. The enemy air raids on Krsko (17-21 June) killed 2,595 US marines, in Ribnica (19-21 June) it was 1,469 troops from 1 Mtn Div and in Delnice (19-21 June) another 894. In other words, almost 5,000 men, on top of the 1,400 in the earlier raids on Karlovac and over 600 killed in the ground combat. This had been a very bloody affair.
6 US Mar Div fought and won a brief skirmish in Lenti against some Italian troops passing through (12 v 18 casualties) at 2pm and kept advancing. Then at 6pm, reports came that Dunaújváros had been vacated by the enemy, so three of the divisions that had been assembled to defend the possible breakthrough instead advanced to reoccupy it, while others (the armoured formations) were sent to prepare for the next offensive into central Hungary.
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22 Jun 43
With the cessation of the enemy raids connected with the battle for Novo Mesto, at 2am their attention was drawn to Nagykanizsa, where the Italians were still attacking [-29%]. With that battle continuing throughout the day, Lenti was occupied by 6 US Mar Div at 6pm. The air raids also extended into the following day.
23 Jun 43
Early that morning, Agent SkitalecS3 delivered the latest update from the northern front. The Soviets were once again holding Sigulda, though the foothold remained precarious. They had also made a push up towards Leningrad, led by the 1st Guards Division, but it seemed this brave foray had recently been turned back. And, as a curiosity, it seemed some Ethiopian units were fighting in that sector! They wouldn’t enjoy the winter very much if they were still there by year’s end!
4 US Mar Div (which didn’t have to cross a river) was the first back into Dunaújváros early that morning, but were soon being attacked from Budapest. At least the ‘mobius strip’ river that 'encircles' the city while running through it means any attack from it is also a river crossing. The marines will certainly need the help that is still on its way from the south. And of course, the drone of enemy bombers soon heralded another aerial pummelling for the defenders and the Turkish Air Force was still not sufficiently recovered to believe it could make a meaningful intervention at this point and none of the tactical situations were so dire that a desperate play seemed necessary.
Then the previous suspicions of an attack on Krsko were turned into reality early that afternoon, with 2 Pz Div launching an attack from Ptuj, just before 6 Mil Div was able to arrive. The partly-recovered 19 Inf Div was also ordered up from Karlovac as Krsko once again came under air attack. Two hours later, a Hungarian division joined the attack, though was yet to reinforce.
But a little to the east, the Italian attack on Nagykanizsa came to an end that evening with a hard-fought Comintern victory. This prompted orders for 5 Mil Div to start pushing forward to reinforce 6 US Mar Div in Lenti.
6 Mil Div duly arrived in Krsko at 11pm, but would now need to reinforce [2% chance, odds back down to -53%].
Air Damage Report. The enemy air raids on Nagykanizsa ended, with 1,180 Comintern troops killed over the two days. Raids supporting the enemy attacks on Dunaújváros and Krsko (which started that night) would carry over into 24 June.
24 Jun 43
4 SD arrived in Dunaújváros at 6am and, even though they did reinforce straight away, it seems their arrival [sending enemy progress to -15%] was enough to cause an end to the attack at 8am. The Axis lost 204 men, while the defending US Marines had lost 228. With the province now secure, another of the ‘second line’ formations (the recovering 12 SD just to the south in Baja) was also sent west to reinforce the Adriatic Sector at 10am.
This was in part prompted by the fact 1 US Mar Div was failing in Krsko by 6pm and would not be able to hold on for much longer alone, with 6 Mil Div in place but still waiting to reinforce. To try to rescue the situation, Orbay’s IS-1 veteran equipped 1 Inf Div launched a spoiling attack on Ptuj from Ormoz, hitting the attackers in the flank at 7pm.
Five hours later, the ploy succeeded – and not a moment too soon. Krsko was saved for now, with 19 Inf Div also soon to arrive to beef up the defences. The short but successful spoiler on Ptuj was called off at the same time.
“Just in time – we were red-lining in the Danger Zone there!” said a relieved ‘Wraith’ Loggins reported back with news of the defensive victory. But it left 1 US Mar Div in a tenuous position: they needed more time to recover and dig in – but would they get it?
Air Damage Report. The raids on Dunaújváros ended up killing 929 defenders, while the renewed raids supporting the attack on Krsko killed another 680 Comintern troops.
25 Jun 43
As dawn was breaking, word came that Oradea had been retaken by the Romanians – meaning Debrecen was now within direct striking distance. The order was given for the latest offensive to begin, with eleven divisions taking part at the start and more on the way and waiting to the north-west.
The main thrust would pass through now-friendly Oradea to hit Debrecen from the south. A secondary push was aimed at Békés via Békéscsaba, where the enemy had already been routed by a Soviet tank division which had swung across some days before from Romania. The hope was that resistance here might be relatively light, given the heavy casualties being suffered across in the Adriatic Sector.
There were no enemy air raids that day.
26 Jun 43
2 Mot and 1 Armd Divs arrived in Békéscsaba early that morning, finding it already secured by the Soviets (operating as a Romanian-commanded EF). They kept rolling on towards Békés.
The wider situation in northern Romania that morning was looking promising for the Comintern. The enemy were back-pedalling across the entire sector.
For the Turks, the main concern was the dwindling manpower reserve. By 11am, it had declined to 33,000 men, with just over 4,000 still needed to reinforce. Axis air power was the major culprit.
Perhaps sensing this, the Hungarians launched a new attack on Krsko at 1pm: this time it was from the north, in Murska Sobota. A crafty move, as it was secure from any potential Turkish spoiling attack. And it was of course supported by renewed air raids. Straight away, the assessment was made that 1 US Mar Div was in no fit state to maintain the defence: they were evacuated to Karlovac to begin reviving and establishing a fall-back line in case Krsko was lost. Unfortunately, once MAJGEN Reybold was gone, there would be no qualified Comintern general to command the remaining defenders.
As the latest grim fight for Krsko continued, that evening the Turkish armoured column on the western axis of the advance to Debrecen encountered the under-strength but well-organised Hungarian 16th Division, which had just arrived in Békés to establish a hasty defence. The command net crackled into life, that doughty old war horse Wehib Pasha himself speaking:
Air Damage Report. The renewed raids supporting the attack on Krsko would continue for four gruelling days, while the enemy also started striking Békéscsaba that night, which would last for another two days.
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27 Jun 43
Soon after midnight, the powerful and quick 2 Armd Div had already reached Oradea and launched straight into an attack on the weakened and disorganised German 20th Infanterie in Debrecen. MAJGEN Naci Tinaz hoped to break any resistance quickly and seize the key centre before a strong defence could be mustered. To the west, the attack on Békés was progressing well. Manpower remained a concern, but the reserve was holding at 33,000 with 2,340 required for reinforcements. While heavy losses in the defensive battles in the west were unavoidable, it was hoped these offensive attacks would be less sanguinary.
Unfortunately, the nearly full-strength and fully organised 36th Infanterie had arrived and reinforced in Debrecen by 1pm: just before the 20th broke at 5pm [progress back down to -44%]. The battle would be more of a slog now and may require follow-up forces to win. The ground fighting and air strikes in Krsko went on without respite all day.
Air Damage Report. The raids on Krsko and Békéscsaba continued throughout the day.
28 Jun 43
Early that morning, the situation in the Debrecen sector had developed: with the Germans looking to abandon Szolnok (apparently under a Soviet EF attack), at 2am 8 and 17 Inf Divs advanced on it to widen the breakthrough. An hour later, the Turkish 4 and 13 Inf Divs had caught up and now joined the attack on Debrecen in reserve, while the battle for Békés had been won. The Hungarian defenders had received a tremendous pizzling [an Australian slang term, normally used in sport; similar to a shafting or a rogering, for American and English readers], being caught in the open by two strong armoured formations.
By 7am, 2 Mot Div had liberated Békés but would have to wait another 87 hours before it could attack again. By that time, reserve manpower was down to 32,000 though only 1,750 reinforcements were required (according to the War Ministry statistics, anyway). They would be joined by 1 Armd Div at midday, incurring a similar reorganisation delay.
Just to the west, Soviet armour had occupied Szolnok by 11am, easing the way for the Turkish units advancing on it from the south-west and meaning they would not have to perform any post-attack reorganisation.
By 4pm, 2 Mot Div was still awaiting reinforcement in the attack on Debrecen [4 and 13 Inf Divs both had a 2.8% chance per turn – better than in the past]. And the Soviets reported they had once again lost Sigulda to the Germans and the salient towards Leningrad had been rolled back.
Back over in the Adriatic Sector, 19 Inf Div was the next to be withdrawn from Krsko before it broke: it would join 1 US Mar Div in Karlovac, while forces from further east were earmarked to secure Zagreb. 6 Mil Div was now alone in its defence and remained under heavy air attack.
Air Damage Report. The raids Békéscsaba (26-28 June) finished that night, having killed 1,002 of the Turkish troops attacking Békés, partly offsetting the heavy Hungarian ground casualties there.
29 Jun 43
By 3am, the attack on Debrecen was picking up. The enemy 36th Infanterie was still holding quite strongly, but 4 and 9 Inf Divs had reinforced the front line by then, while 7 and 13 Inf Divs and the Soviet (EF) 307 SD were now in reserve [81% progress]. 307 SD then reinforced three hours later, increasing the pressure.
Things were not going so well over in Krsko, however. Under heavy air attack (though partly protected by their AA guns) and with the second-line militia troops fading fast, 6 Mil Div was ordered to retreat in good order to Zagreb. With the attack now in the ascendant and manpower under such pressure (32,000 in reserve, 2,030 reinforcements needed), further bloodshed trying to hold Krsko was deemed a waste. The enemy had been delayed enough for approaching reinforcements to solidify the line.
But in the Debrecen Sector, things were going more smoothly; 8 and 17 Inf Divs (the latter IS-2 equipped) had made it to Szolnok by 6pm and attacked Karcag (directly south-east of Debrecen) immediately, brushing away light resistance (no Turkish casualties, 56 German and Hungarian troops killed). By then, the attack on Debrecen was well progressed [97%].
Indeed, at 8pm victory was declared in Debrecen. The fight had been tough and by then Axis aircraft had started hitting Oradea, but a large Turkish column was making for the city, led by the now rather worn but successful 2 Mot Div.
Air Damage Report. By the time the battle for Krsko was over, the latest Italian air raids had killed 1,772 Comintern defenders from 26 to 29 June. The two heavy air raids that struck Oradea that day killed 623 men, but spread out over a large amount of units.
30 Jun 43
The next widening of the breakthrough came with an attack on Cegléd, where the weakened 79 Infanterie was fighting in the open, having abandoned its trenches to withdraw earlier. Kanatli’s 1 Mot Div led the attack. And, of course, ‘spoiling’ Italian air raids on the attackers were soon being performed on the attackers.
And in very welcome news, Debrecen fell to 2 Mot Div at 2pm, further denting Hungarian morale.
Which was balanced at 6pm with news that the Hungarians had retaken Krsko, where so much blood had been spilled in recent days. But soon after, an over-ambitious probe on 1 Inf Div in Ormuz by 2 Pz Div in Ptuj was quickly defeated at 8pm, the German light panzers no match for Orbay’s IS-1s (two Turkish v 23 German casualties).
The month’s fighting finished with the occupation of Karcag at 10pm, where 8 and 17 Inf Divs would soon be ready to renew the advance, followed by a decisive victory in Cegléd at 11pm.
Air Damage Report. The disrupting air attacks on Monor killed 531 men and 231 in Kecskemet, but they could not prevent the Comintern victory in Cegléd.
Monthly Summaries
Overall, the Patriotic Front showed major and heartening advances during the month of June 1943. The Germans had managed to keep their Army Group North (barely) connected to the Reich and not lose too much key ground within the salient around Leningrad. But to the south of that, the Soviets had made wide and steady inroads above and below the Pripet Marshes, including some minor inroads into German-occupied Poland and eastern Hungary.
The most sweeping advances had come in Romania, where almost all of the country had now been liberated and a swathe of Hungarian territory along the border around Debrecen taken.
And while Turkey may not have occupied quite such a large amount of territory in the Balkans, the significance of the closing out of the Zrenjanin Pocket in mid-June was of course also a major victory. The map below summarises advances made (almost all by Turkey) made since 1 June. Battles and air actions from 16-30 June are also illustrated, making it clear where the most intense fighting had occurred: in the central Adriatic Sector. Late in the month, the Debrecen Offensive had made rapid gains and saw a few significant battles, but enemy resistance was weaker and air power less destructive.
The two weeks from 16 to 30 June saw just 3,883 Turkish-commanded troops die in ground combat, while the Axis had lost 10,547 men in the same battles. But the (literal) killer had been the intense Italian air effort, which in this two week period the Turkish Air Force had been unable (and/or unwilling) to contest. An unprecedented 13,791 friendly troops had perished in air attacks over the same time, with no raids on the Axis. That meant a total of 17,674 Turkish casualties against the 10,547 Axis losses from 16-30 June.
For June as a whole, Turkey had suffered 41,405 battle casualties (16,639 on the ground, 24,766 from the air) and the Axis 34,073 (30,575 on the ground, 3,498 from the air). These loss rates – and the ability of the Turkish Air Force to provide air cover and contest the skies once again – would be key considerations for the next phase of the campaign, as such heavy losses could not be sustained indefinitely.
The Far East – the ‘Forgotten Front’ – provided modestly pleasing news, with more advances made in the second half of the month (solid lines) and two new guerrilla uprisings in the enemy’s rear breaking out.
British reporting from India indicated that some more forces were now on the scene, though some seemed to be guarding the border with Turkish-controlled Persia while others were still quite distant from the front with Japan.
In East India, Calcutta was still undefended, with Japanese marines just to the north. But Japanese numbers did not seem large and the British forces spotted heading east might be enough to eventually stabilise the line, while the Japanese would probably need a larger force if they wanted to eventually subdue and hold the whole of India.
There had been virtually no changes in South East Asia, New Guinea or the Pacific and no evidence of any major US activity. Nor had the Japanese advanced any further south of Auckland in their invasion – or raid – of New Zealand’s North Island. In Libya, the lines remained as they had on 1 June, with thin British forces making no move on nearby Tripoli, despite apparently facing little much more than enemy HQs.
In Washington DC, Perse had arrived safely some days before and made contact with BJ Guildenstern and was now being held ‘for her own safety’ at an undisclosed location. Her flight to the US had eventually been discovered by MI6 – which also meant the NKVD and GRU were aware, as was S.I.T.H. How this would be taken from here was now a matter for the Comintern partners to decide between themselves.
A pensive Perse posing in front of the Stars and Stripes as a guest of BJ Guildenstern and the OSS. But what was to happen to her now? How would this tricky intra-Comintern situation resolve itself – if it ever did?
Otherwise, the latest two-week period had seen no reported action in the Secret War, either in Italy or foreign agents in Turkey. It was all quiet – too quiet?
Naval Report
No major fleet units from any of the belligerents had been lost to naval action during the whole of June. The British had lost one destroyer flotilla and a landing craft flotilla. France had lost two and the US one submarine flotillas each. For once, Italy had lost no naval units, while the Japanese had lost one submarine flotilla.
AuthAAR’s Endnote: A reduced battle tempo, few overseas developments of note and a relatively quiet month on the seas allowed a full two week period plus monthly reporting to be completed in a single chapter. The re-linking of the fronts after the quick elimination of the Zrenjanin Pocket and the somewhat less complex operational events also let me return to the familiar battle diary format for this episode.
Views on next steps from the gallery of advisors, LOs and strategic commentators on how to proceed in July are, as always, welcome – even though Inönü has a few ideas of his own. He basically wants to consolidate in the Adriatic Sector and calm that down; get the Air Force back in the skies and protecting the troops; and concentrating on the Hungarian Offensive aiming for speed but lower-cost operations in cooperation with the Romanians (and their Soviet EFs).
Coming Up: How much will personnel losses and manpower shortages curtail Turkey’s offensive options from this point forward? Will unit disbandment or other forms of consolidation or conversions be required, rather than new land unit constructions, to save manpower? Should a quick ‘end run’ raid be considered for Tripoli, to see if the Italians can be thrown out of Libya and a central Mediterranean base be taken for possible future operations against either Sicily or Vichy Tunis, for example?
Will July see the full encirclement of Army Group North by the Soviets as they advance to its south? Or will the Germans prove more resilient than that? Can Hungary be knocked out of the war in July, with the help of the Romanians and Soviets? While little is expected of the UK or US these days, might one or both be able to do enough to further distract Japan and save the British position in India?
And what will happen with Perse – who now represents a delicate quandary for the three principal Comintern powers? Can Callan do any more to uncover Soviet moles in MI6? Finally, will the relative calm in the Secret War in Italy and Turkey be broken in July, with Mike Ceylan and Cennet coming back into the forefront of operations with the assistance of their ‘associates’ in Sicily and Naples, led by Vito Corleone?
Recap
Perse, with the aid of David Callan, had foiled another assassination attempt, which revealed both that there must be more ‘moles’ within MI6 … and that whoever had been sent to attack her were not the ‘A-Team’!
At the front, the Axis was coming under increasing pressure across the whole Patriotic Front. The Zrenjanin Pocket had been closed for some days now and was on the cusp of being squeezed shut completely. The Russians and Romanians pressed forward elsewhere on the Patriotic Front, albeit all against stern Axis resistance.
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16 Jun 43
As at midnight, two battles continued in the Turkish sector of the front. West of Budapest, a Turkish probe on Székesfehérvár [42%] continued, where the motorised German 4th Leichte Division had slipped in to defend the province before 156 SD could occupy it. 2 Mot Div was still retreating from Hatvan, the attempt to surround and assault Budapest having been abandoned for now.
The most significant ongoing battle was in Kikinda, where the last bastion of Axis resistance in the Zrenjanin Pocket mounted by the SS Totenkopf Division was just barely holding now, under attack by Turkish forces since 14 June [89% progress]. Tens of thousands of Axis troops – mainly German – were isolated in the pocket.
This last ditch defence in Kikinda soon crumbled, with the latest victory declared at 3am. This brought the immediate surrender of all Axis forces then in Kikinda. Others were still retreating there from Lugoj, but would be rounded up over the next few days. The newspaper report would not be released for operational security reasons until the weekend edition of The Istanbul Times, once the last prisoners had been taken.
The attack on Székesfehérvár was called off at 2pm, with no satisfactory progress being made. The Soviet EF had lost 133 men, while the Germans suffered 83 killed.
Kikinda was secured at 6pm by 5 Inf Div, meaning there would be no further chance for the enemy retreating from Lugoj to stage another desperate stand. It was now just a matter of taking the prisoners as they arrived.
Air Damage Report. Italian attacks on Skekszard on 156 SD killed 493 of the Soviets who had been attacking Székesfehérvár defenders. This was just a foretaste of the blizzard of enemy air raids that would follow over the next two weeks.
OTL News Event: Tokyo, Japan. Subhas Chandra Bose met in Tokyo with Japanese Premier Hideki Tojo, and obtained a promise that Japan would help India gain its independence from the United Kingdom. [Comment: one can imagine something similar happening in this ATL, with the Japanese still romping through eastern India.]
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17 Jun 43
A welcome and long-awaited advance in Turkish land doctrine came on 17 June: combat reinforcement, the bane of many a battle in the past years, would be substantively improved.
With the pocket effectively now liquidated, the Romanians had retaken Cluj and continued to advance strongly in their sector. New objectives were suggested to the Soviets and Romanians: the key Hungarian cities of Debrecen and Kosice (both of which had been occupied by the Comintern early in the war, while France still fought on).
Note: at their current national unity, these two VP cities plus Pécs (already occupied), would still not be quite enough to force a Hungarian surrender – Budapest would still probably need to be taken.
Up in the Baltic Sector, the Germans had once again retaken Sigulda, the coastal province that maintained land communications with the almost-encircled Army Group North: but yet another Soviet counter-attack was already in progress.
Air Damage Report. The Italians began heavy aerial attacks on Karlovac on 3 Mtn Div in Karlovac, which would continue into the next day. They also struck Krsko, which would continue without let up for another five harrowing days.
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18 Jun 43
The reason for the continuation of intense air strikes on Krsko was presumably because at 3am 1 US Mar Div joined the attack on Novo Mesto in support of 3 Mtn Div [2.6% reinforcement chance].
Further east, 2 Mot Div (still in very good condition) had finished its retreat from Hatvan to Monor at 8am and was sent straight on to the south-east, to join the forces gathering north of Timisoara for a renewed offensive following the elimination of the Zrenjanin Pocket. This fast and powerful outfit should be useful if they got loose on the Hungarian plain. The first formations redeployed from the pocket were already arriving on the front line by then.
217 SD in Delnice was added to the attack on Novo Mesto at 9am and reinforced almost immediately, improving the odds further [82% progress]. Then late that night, 1 Mtn Div in Ribnica added its weight to the attack on Novo Mesto, where 3 Mtn Div was finding the attack tough.
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19 Jun 43
The last Italian division surrendered at 8am as it limped into Kikinda. The whole pocket was now completely shut down.
1 Mtn Div reinforced the attack on Novo Mesto at 10pm [95%], but still the Italians refused to give up. Both they and 3 Mtn Div were becoming fairly worn down by this stage.
Air Damage Report. Another day of enemy raids Krsko, Ribnica and Delnice took their toll on the forces attacking Novo Mesto.
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20 Jun 43
While Turkey now had three divisions in the front line and one in reserve attacking Novo Mesto, the German 93rd Infanterie (low on strength but high on organisation) joined and then reinforced the Italians between 6am and 8am. Just as the latter were weakening (they would retreat at 4pm that same afternoon): the fight would now drag on further, into the following day.
At this point, Inönü began to start tracking reserve manpower more closely: the ground combat but particularly the incessant air raids were wearing it down more quickly now. At the start of 16 June it had stood at 41,000: by 10am on 20 June it had dropped to 36,000 with 3,210 reinforcements needed to reinforce.
Air Damage Report. The enemy air raids Krsko, Ribnica and Delnice continued.
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Interlude: London – ‘The Hour Before Dawn’
Following here escape a few days before, Perse had been laying low in a nondescript ‘off the books’ apartment provided David Callan.
“I’m sure MI6 in London itself has been infiltrated by the Comintern,” Callan had insisted. “It was not just MacLean. Probably the Soviets, or possibly the S.I.T.H., have someone working there. Those thugs sent to do the dirty work the other night were Romanian, so it has been deduced.”
“Acting on behalf of …?” asked Perse, thinking it may be her old employers back in Turkey.
“Hard to tell. In a way, it doesn’t really matter. London and I suspect England is just too hot for you at the moment, Perse. I have a RAF contact who can smuggle you out on a flight to Washington, if you’re game. Once there, you can make contact with your American friends – but not before. If it gets out here in advance that you’re heading over, well …”
“Enough said, I’ll take my chances with BJ’s crowd. They may be in the Comintern formally, but their affection is more superficial and it was they who saved me, after all.”
“Right then, Perse. I’ll send my man over later this evening. A Group Captain Nigel Featherstonehaugh [pronounced 'Fanshaw']. Here’s a picture of him and he'll have a password I'll give you now. Be careful, but I’m sure he can be trusted.”
Later that night, Callan was gone when Hawthorn knocked on the door. Perse allowed him in after he provided the password Callan had provided, but she was still wary.
“Are you absolutely sure you weren’t followed, dear boy?”
“Quite, my dear. No flies on me!”
“Are you absolutely sure you weren’t followed, dear boy?”
“Very well, come on in. Here’s a little bite to eat while we discuss plans.”
“Charming. Now, there is a ‘milk run’ flight leaving an hour before dawn tomorrow. Despatches and such. Heading to Washington via Reykjavik. I’m commanding it. I will cover your passage as a diplomatic mission – David has provided me with some papers. You may be recognised after the fact, but by then you will be in the States. The crew themselves can be trusted during the flight and won’t know you’re coming beforehand. Dress plainly and warmly. I’ll have a staff car pick you up at 3am. Any questions?”
“Now, there is a ‘milk run’ flight leaving an hour before dawn tomorrow. Heading to Washington via Reykjavik.”
There were none. Soon, Hawthorn had left and Perse was making her preparations.
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21 Jun 43
At midnight, 1 US Mar Div became the fourth Comintern division to reinforce at Novo Mesto [96% progress]; the Germans fought on, though they were now becoming disorganised. The enemy attack on Nagykanizsa also continued.
Three hours later, with USMC LO MAJ Kenny ‘Wraith’ Loggins passing on mounting concerns about a possible enemy counter-attack on Krsko with 1 US mar Div committed in Novo Mesto, 6 Mil Div was ordered to march up from Zagreb to reinforce the position in Krsko. In line with these concerns and with the battle nearly won in Novo Mesto, 1 US Mar Div was peeled off the attack at 4am even though they had only recently reinforced. They were still under heavy air attack and needed time to recover some organisation and to dig in. Furthermore, the Turkish command didn’t want them being drawn into Novo Mesto when the battle was won, leaving Krsko open.
Meanwhile, Perse managed to slip aboard her flight to hoped-for safety while the airfield outside London was still dark. The crew, while a little surprised to see her, were happy to have such an attractive passenger on board. A few thought they recognised her from previous press reporting. The rest of the flight would prove uneventful.
At 8am the battle for Novo Mesto was finally won and 3 Mtn Div occupied it just an hour later. The Italians had suffered heavy casualties in the ground combat, but the real toll for the Comintern forces had come from the skies. The raids would only stop that night, but the cost was great.
6 US Mar Div fought and won a brief skirmish in Lenti against some Italian troops passing through (12 v 18 casualties) at 2pm and kept advancing. Then at 6pm, reports came that Dunaújváros had been vacated by the enemy, so three of the divisions that had been assembled to defend the possible breakthrough instead advanced to reoccupy it, while others (the armoured formations) were sent to prepare for the next offensive into central Hungary.
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22 Jun 43
With the cessation of the enemy raids connected with the battle for Novo Mesto, at 2am their attention was drawn to Nagykanizsa, where the Italians were still attacking [-29%]. With that battle continuing throughout the day, Lenti was occupied by 6 US Mar Div at 6pm. The air raids also extended into the following day.
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23 Jun 43
Early that morning, Agent SkitalecS3 delivered the latest update from the northern front. The Soviets were once again holding Sigulda, though the foothold remained precarious. They had also made a push up towards Leningrad, led by the 1st Guards Division, but it seemed this brave foray had recently been turned back. And, as a curiosity, it seemed some Ethiopian units were fighting in that sector! They wouldn’t enjoy the winter very much if they were still there by year’s end!
Air Damage Report. The enemy air raids on Nagykanizsa ended, with 1,180 Comintern troops killed over the two days. Raids supporting the enemy attacks on Dunaújváros and Krsko (which started that night) would carry over into 24 June.
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24 Jun 43
4 SD arrived in Dunaújváros at 6am and, even though they did reinforce straight away, it seems their arrival [sending enemy progress to -15%] was enough to cause an end to the attack at 8am. The Axis lost 204 men, while the defending US Marines had lost 228. With the province now secure, another of the ‘second line’ formations (the recovering 12 SD just to the south in Baja) was also sent west to reinforce the Adriatic Sector at 10am.
This was in part prompted by the fact 1 US Mar Div was failing in Krsko by 6pm and would not be able to hold on for much longer alone, with 6 Mil Div in place but still waiting to reinforce. To try to rescue the situation, Orbay’s IS-1 veteran equipped 1 Inf Div launched a spoiling attack on Ptuj from Ormoz, hitting the attackers in the flank at 7pm.
Five hours later, the ploy succeeded – and not a moment too soon. Krsko was saved for now, with 19 Inf Div also soon to arrive to beef up the defences. The short but successful spoiler on Ptuj was called off at the same time.
Air Damage Report. The raids on Dunaújváros ended up killing 929 defenders, while the renewed raids supporting the attack on Krsko killed another 680 Comintern troops.
OTL News Event: Berlin, Germany. Baldur von Schirach, the 36-year-old leader of the Hitler Youth, lost the influence he had had on the Nazi German government, after arguing with the Führer, Adolf Hitler, about the need to end the war with the Allies. Schirach would continue to be the Reichsjugendführer, but Hitler would never talk to him again. [Comment: in the ATL, Schirach may not bother. Surely he knows what fate will befall Germany when the Comintern wins the war and cobbling together some lame peace with Britain will not swing it for them.]
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25 Jun 43
As dawn was breaking, word came that Oradea had been retaken by the Romanians – meaning Debrecen was now within direct striking distance. The order was given for the latest offensive to begin, with eleven divisions taking part at the start and more on the way and waiting to the north-west.
There were no enemy air raids that day.
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26 Jun 43
2 Mot and 1 Armd Divs arrived in Békéscsaba early that morning, finding it already secured by the Soviets (operating as a Romanian-commanded EF). They kept rolling on towards Békés.
Perhaps sensing this, the Hungarians launched a new attack on Krsko at 1pm: this time it was from the north, in Murska Sobota. A crafty move, as it was secure from any potential Turkish spoiling attack. And it was of course supported by renewed air raids. Straight away, the assessment was made that 1 US Mar Div was in no fit state to maintain the defence: they were evacuated to Karlovac to begin reviving and establishing a fall-back line in case Krsko was lost. Unfortunately, once MAJGEN Reybold was gone, there would be no qualified Comintern general to command the remaining defenders.
“One this is One Alpha. Contact! Fresh meat for our tanks to grind into mince. We will make them pay the blood price for their insolence and perfidy. Vur ha! Out.”
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27 Jun 43
Soon after midnight, the powerful and quick 2 Armd Div had already reached Oradea and launched straight into an attack on the weakened and disorganised German 20th Infanterie in Debrecen. MAJGEN Naci Tinaz hoped to break any resistance quickly and seize the key centre before a strong defence could be mustered. To the west, the attack on Békés was progressing well. Manpower remained a concern, but the reserve was holding at 33,000 with 2,340 required for reinforcements. While heavy losses in the defensive battles in the west were unavoidable, it was hoped these offensive attacks would be less sanguinary.
Air Damage Report. The raids on Krsko and Békéscsaba continued throughout the day.
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28 Jun 43
Early that morning, the situation in the Debrecen sector had developed: with the Germans looking to abandon Szolnok (apparently under a Soviet EF attack), at 2am 8 and 17 Inf Divs advanced on it to widen the breakthrough. An hour later, the Turkish 4 and 13 Inf Divs had caught up and now joined the attack on Debrecen in reserve, while the battle for Békés had been won. The Hungarian defenders had received a tremendous pizzling [an Australian slang term, normally used in sport; similar to a shafting or a rogering, for American and English readers
], being caught in the open by two strong armoured formations.
Just to the west, Soviet armour had occupied Szolnok by 11am, easing the way for the Turkish units advancing on it from the south-west and meaning they would not have to perform any post-attack reorganisation.
By 4pm, 2 Mot Div was still awaiting reinforcement in the attack on Debrecen [4 and 13 Inf Divs both had a 2.8% chance per turn – better than in the past]. And the Soviets reported they had once again lost Sigulda to the Germans and the salient towards Leningrad had been rolled back.
Back over in the Adriatic Sector, 19 Inf Div was the next to be withdrawn from Krsko before it broke: it would join 1 US Mar Div in Karlovac, while forces from further east were earmarked to secure Zagreb. 6 Mil Div was now alone in its defence and remained under heavy air attack.
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29 Jun 43
By 3am, the attack on Debrecen was picking up. The enemy 36th Infanterie was still holding quite strongly, but 4 and 9 Inf Divs had reinforced the front line by then, while 7 and 13 Inf Divs and the Soviet (EF) 307 SD were now in reserve [81% progress]. 307 SD then reinforced three hours later, increasing the pressure.
Things were not going so well over in Krsko, however. Under heavy air attack (though partly protected by their AA guns) and with the second-line militia troops fading fast, 6 Mil Div was ordered to retreat in good order to Zagreb. With the attack now in the ascendant and manpower under such pressure (32,000 in reserve, 2,030 reinforcements needed), further bloodshed trying to hold Krsko was deemed a waste. The enemy had been delayed enough for approaching reinforcements to solidify the line.
Indeed, at 8pm victory was declared in Debrecen. The fight had been tough and by then Axis aircraft had started hitting Oradea, but a large Turkish column was making for the city, led by the now rather worn but successful 2 Mot Div.
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30 Jun 43
The next widening of the breakthrough came with an attack on Cegléd, where the weakened 79 Infanterie was fighting in the open, having abandoned its trenches to withdraw earlier. Kanatli’s 1 Mot Div led the attack. And, of course, ‘spoiling’ Italian air raids on the attackers were soon being performed on the attackers.
The month’s fighting finished with the occupation of Karcag at 10pm, where 8 and 17 Inf Divs would soon be ready to renew the advance, followed by a decisive victory in Cegléd at 11pm.
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Monthly Summaries
Overall, the Patriotic Front showed major and heartening advances during the month of June 1943. The Germans had managed to keep their Army Group North (barely) connected to the Reich and not lose too much key ground within the salient around Leningrad. But to the south of that, the Soviets had made wide and steady inroads above and below the Pripet Marshes, including some minor inroads into German-occupied Poland and eastern Hungary.
And while Turkey may not have occupied quite such a large amount of territory in the Balkans, the significance of the closing out of the Zrenjanin Pocket in mid-June was of course also a major victory. The map below summarises advances made (almost all by Turkey) made since 1 June. Battles and air actions from 16-30 June are also illustrated, making it clear where the most intense fighting had occurred: in the central Adriatic Sector. Late in the month, the Debrecen Offensive had made rapid gains and saw a few significant battles, but enemy resistance was weaker and air power less destructive.
For June as a whole, Turkey had suffered 41,405 battle casualties (16,639 on the ground, 24,766 from the air) and the Axis 34,073 (30,575 on the ground, 3,498 from the air). These loss rates – and the ability of the Turkish Air Force to provide air cover and contest the skies once again – would be key considerations for the next phase of the campaign, as such heavy losses could not be sustained indefinitely.
The Far East – the ‘Forgotten Front’ – provided modestly pleasing news, with more advances made in the second half of the month (solid lines) and two new guerrilla uprisings in the enemy’s rear breaking out.
In Washington DC, Perse had arrived safely some days before and made contact with BJ Guildenstern and was now being held ‘for her own safety’ at an undisclosed location. Her flight to the US had eventually been discovered by MI6 – which also meant the NKVD and GRU were aware, as was S.I.T.H. How this would be taken from here was now a matter for the Comintern partners to decide between themselves.
A pensive Perse posing in front of the Stars and Stripes as a guest of BJ Guildenstern and the OSS. But what was to happen to her now? How would this tricky intra-Comintern situation resolve itself – if it ever did?
Otherwise, the latest two-week period had seen no reported action in the Secret War, either in Italy or foreign agents in Turkey. It was all quiet – too quiet?
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Naval Report
No major fleet units from any of the belligerents had been lost to naval action during the whole of June. The British had lost one destroyer flotilla and a landing craft flotilla. France had lost two and the US one submarine flotillas each. For once, Italy had lost no naval units, while the Japanese had lost one submarine flotilla.
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AuthAAR’s Endnote: A reduced battle tempo, few overseas developments of note and a relatively quiet month on the seas allowed a full two week period plus monthly reporting to be completed in a single chapter. The re-linking of the fronts after the quick elimination of the Zrenjanin Pocket and the somewhat less complex operational events also let me return to the familiar battle diary format for this episode.
Views on next steps from the gallery of advisors, LOs and strategic commentators on how to proceed in July are, as always, welcome – even though Inönü has a few ideas of his own. He basically wants to consolidate in the Adriatic Sector and calm that down; get the Air Force back in the skies and protecting the troops; and concentrating on the Hungarian Offensive aiming for speed but lower-cost operations in cooperation with the Romanians (and their Soviet EFs).
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Coming Up: How much will personnel losses and manpower shortages curtail Turkey’s offensive options from this point forward? Will unit disbandment or other forms of consolidation or conversions be required, rather than new land unit constructions, to save manpower? Should a quick ‘end run’ raid be considered for Tripoli, to see if the Italians can be thrown out of Libya and a central Mediterranean base be taken for possible future operations against either Sicily or Vichy Tunis, for example?
Will July see the full encirclement of Army Group North by the Soviets as they advance to its south? Or will the Germans prove more resilient than that? Can Hungary be knocked out of the war in July, with the help of the Romanians and Soviets? While little is expected of the UK or US these days, might one or both be able to do enough to further distract Japan and save the British position in India?
And what will happen with Perse – who now represents a delicate quandary for the three principal Comintern powers? Can Callan do any more to uncover Soviet moles in MI6? Finally, will the relative calm in the Secret War in Italy and Turkey be broken in July, with Mike Ceylan and Cennet coming back into the forefront of operations with the assistance of their ‘associates’ in Sicily and Naples, led by Vito Corleone?
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I don't know anything about how HOI works or about the nitty-gritty of warfare of the period (which is why I generally don't comment here much, though it's great stuff), but if you conquer Hungary, will you receive a corresponding manpower boost? If so, I say punch forward at any cost. You've almost got them. If not, then now may be the time to husband your strength and advance slowly while letting the Soviets take as many losses for you in Hungary as possible. Either way, air force development and construction is of course vital to staunch that bleeding. And given the Axis control over the skies, slower operations might be deadlier for the Union in any case.
I think that naval landings, as valuable as they will be in future, should absolutely wait until you've at least taken Hungary and consolidated your position as much as possible. After Hungary has fallen, though, a Tripoli-Sicily operation would be a good idea. Italy is probably the Axis' "soft underbelly" here, though here's hoping it doesn't turn into Gallipoli) But this really is the turning point for Turkey. Crack Hungary and (assuming the Soviets finish the job in Leningrad), the war in Europe is won, even if the Nazis can't accept it yet.
I think that naval landings, as valuable as they will be in future, should absolutely wait until you've at least taken Hungary and consolidated your position as much as possible. After Hungary has fallen, though, a Tripoli-Sicily operation would be a good idea. Italy is probably the Axis' "soft underbelly" here, though here's hoping it doesn't turn into Gallipoli) But this really is the turning point for Turkey. Crack Hungary and (assuming the Soviets finish the job in Leningrad), the war in Europe is won, even if the Nazis can't accept it yet.
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I love it when an enemy plan doesn't come together!
Vur ha! A successful and much-awaited conclusion. Now these forces can be freed up for a strike at Budapest.
The dismantling of the British Empire would be no small benefit to the post-war Turkish state.
I can only imagine how thrilled he will be to hear that!
I would have consolidated these orders into a single objective at Debrecen, given that Budapest is not only sufficient to force a surrender with Debrecen taken, but also likely to fall sooner anyways under the mighty Turkish hammer!With the pocket effectively now liquidated, the Romanians had retaken Cluj and continued to advance strongly in their sector. New objectives were suggested to the Soviets and Romanians: the key Hungarian cities of Debrecen and Kosice (both of which had been occupied by the Comintern early in the war, while France still fought on).
Note: at their current national unity, these two VP cities plus Pécs (already occupied), would still not be quite enough to force a Hungarian surrender – Budapest would still probably need to be taken.
I can't wait until we meet a man named Worchestershire.
Good Lord.
booooooooooooo...
Vur ha!!
Not much to say here. Manpower can probably hold out long enough to seize Budapest, after that we'll need to rest and regroup while our allies do a bit more of the lifting for a while. We need to take out Budapest now that we have the divisions freed up from reducing the pocket and Debrecen in hand. Strike while the iron is hot, and take out a key player in the unholy Axis alliance. Simply put no other objective makes rational sense as a present subject of our pursuits. The Adriatic sector can take care of itself for a little longer.
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Well I think its pretty clear that we need to clean up Hungary and then figure out what to do about Italy and Germany. Seems likely that in a few months we need to make a decision, but from the looks of things russia may be in Germany by now...
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I think at this point it is clear that the Axis is failing. It is just a question of what will the Allies do to take advantage of this while the Comintern does the 'heavy lifting'. And where do you wish to stop in your drive west?
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I actually hope the allies don't 'steal' france away from us with a D Day landing. At this point, it doesn't seem very necessary (though it may be something Turkey ends up doing if russia gets stuck in Germany and we've already broken Italy...hmm).
Actually, that's a point. What do we do when its just a straight fight between us, russia, and Italy, Germany? Snashihg through that narrow alpine border region will be hard, but once done, and Italy is pushed down their peninsula, do we focus entirely on beating them, or turn some forces west and smash through southern France as well? Is that even possible with the forces we have? Would it benefit us more? Lots of questions to ask, and now is the time to start thinking about it.
Scenario 1
Hungary is defeated. The Eastern front is linked up in a straight line and Germany and Italy now defend their own borders. The comintern focus on one each, with Turkey focusing purely on smashing through the Italian border, and taking the peninsula, keeping a small holding force in the west of the country to make sure reinforcements don't come through southern France. May or may not involve amphibious landings in sicily.
Scenario 2
Mostly the same as above, but we also send a proper army to the western Italian border and try to break into France at the same time as fighting Italy. May prove easy or difficult, depending on how depleted the axis are of manpower by then. If proves easy, continue with liberation of France. If difficulty arises, can always hold and defend whatever defensive line seems appropriate (i.e. scenario 1). This would probably mean we can't send a force to land in sicily as well, unless there are absolutely no troops there.
Scenario 3
The whole comintern fights in Germany and Italy at the same time and we all push forward together in both countries. This may shorten the war as the soviet ai is less likely to get stuck fighting the defensive German line if we are there pushing weak spots. However, it may dilute our own forces too much.
Scenario 4
The mad one. We shore up our line against Italy, and may break through at some point, but take most of our forces and amphibiously land in France instead. This catches the axis in a huge two front war they cannot hope to defend against, and will almost certainly activate the ai to join us or make their own d day landing as the UK and US. Pros are this might shorten the war considerably and guarantee the comintern runs France after the war. Cons are it might lead to the british liberating most of France by themselves and stealing a lot of warscore, lessening postwar influence.
I suppose there is also Scenario 5, where Turkey sits on the Italian border and refuses to do anything else in Europe for the rest of the war. Bit lazy and cowardly, but at this point we would have defeated our personal threats and reclaimed the empire so...
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@GangsterSynod , I've been pushing for the amphibious operation for awhile now. I'd imagine that if we ever got into a position where we could get the USMC and 19INF(MAR) out of the line, we'd be able to have a four-division corps ready to kick in the door to Sicily, or even a faster strike at Taranto across the heel of the boot. Either way, that strike would be sucking up the Italian's forces. I can't imagine how expansive the remainder of their army must be, but it would likely take away some of the pressure on the main lines.
I'm also concerned, because it looked like last time (or at some point this update) the Soviets managed to cut off Army Group North, but then I guess the Germans reestablished their tenuous hold over that area?
I also hate that when Paradox was considering how the AI should weight distribution of forces that the front with active combat isn't weighted higher than a maybe possible not even active semi-ally.
I'm also concerned, because it looked like last time (or at some point this update) the Soviets managed to cut off Army Group North, but then I guess the Germans reestablished their tenuous hold over that area?
I also hate that when Paradox was considering how the AI should weight distribution of forces that the front with active combat isn't weighted higher than a maybe possible not even active semi-ally.
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Thanks for this full episode! It's been the highlight of my day!
Vur Ha!
We'll crush them and clean the motherland from the fascists! Come on boys, this is what you've been trained for. We're the elite of the elite Turkish military. We'll fight for our honour and decimate the swine on these hills!
Oh come on comrades please handle this and bag that army group already!
The more the merrier!
Vur Ha!The damn bombers!
She's certainly a survivor! After all this, I hope she can find some peace and calm in USA (even though she screwed us).
Vur Ha! Although, we need us some more interceptors that's for sure!
Finally! I hope they can hold and widen the hold this time.
That's the spirit!
In Turkish we have saying that goes "The spear doesn't fit inside the sack", well they might be pressing us elsewhere but looking at the general situation their position is untenable.
It feels like yesterday when we had to discuss whether to evacuate Romania to a more robust fallback line. Now look where we are
I agree mostly, keep the sector from Adriatic Sea to Budapest on a standstill on the defensive, and contest the skies. About what to do in the east, well I say we should flow in the plains until we make it to South of Poland. That would cause another big pocket and eliminate even more Axis divisions. Something along the lines of meeting with the Soviets in Krakow via Cegled-Gyöngyös-Brezno. Once the wave becomes a tide that's flowing west, Budapest will only be a mere pebble on the way.
I was fist pumping that's how thrilled I was!
The British are really crazy when it comes to person and place names, I just cannot understand whyI can't wait until we meet a man named Worchestershire.
To me this seems the most practical way to go. We should try to bite as big of a piece as possible without it becoming an unrealistic adventure. The problem is there's a very thin line between the two
I second this, actually a bit north of Taranto there's a nice landing spot which is plains with an airstrip to conquer nearby.
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Given that I don't have a grasp of the vanilla game anymore, are there that many airfields down that way?
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