Ever so slowly, Trieste is being enveloped, and at a relatively low cost in manpower. This seems like a worthwhile avenue of advance, allowing the Turkish Army to eventually move towards Venice, or hold in favourable terrain on the Venezia-Belluno, Udine-Tolmezzo or Trieste-Nova Gorica line. To the East and North , the Ljubianica river between Ljubljana and Zagreb, and then the woodlands between Zagreb and the Danube provide a reasonable defensive line, and a move Westward by about 120-150km in this area would be nice to secure the Eastern end of the Alps and shorten the line if inroads are made into Northern Italy, but it's not vital. For now saving that manpower seems key.
I would also like to commend the Turkish Air Force, which have made another brilliant appearance in those Adriatic skies. The sheer number of enemy aeroplanes will probably mean that this level of aerial operations isn't sustainable in the long run, and another rest period might be on the cards soon. That said, with the new La-7 wings they do seem to hold their own a bit better in those heroic 3-1 dogfights. Rest assured that Soviet aeroplane designers are working relentlessly to bring about our next generation fighter models, which Turkey will be allowed to buy, of course. Even without more new planes, losses in the air seem to have been disproportionately in Turkey's favour, which is a testament to the skill and experience of Turkish pilots, especially those flying outdated machinery.
The Red Army's advance into Eastern Prussia and from the South into former Czechoslovakia and Germany proper is impressive to say the least. Berlin is tantalisingly close, and the German Army seems unable to stem the red tide. They might not know it yet, but unless they have another Army group in reserves the Wehrmacht is doomed now. This is truly the beginning of the end for the European Axis.
Considering the renewed British interest in Sardinia, one can only assume an invasion of Italy will be on the cards relatively soon. This would lead me to conclude that Turkey should now be focusing the majority of it's efforts on Italy, while holding the line to the North. But with the preparations for an amphibious operation well underway, I'm sure Turkish high command is already moving in that direction.
The Naval losses by the Allies in the Pacific might motivate the Royal Navy to concentrate more on the Med for now, until they can build back up and send a large enough fleet East. That might even reinforce my previous point on the British potentially going for Italy now. If only they would concentrate on Australia and New Zealand, then we could rest easy and mop up Europe together, Soviets and Turks, hand in hand. (with the other behind their back holding a knife, for the negotiations on who gets which pieces...)
All quiet on the espionage front. The silence before the storm perhaps?
Let's hope Cennet is doing well, and that Turkey may reduce it's manpower deficit soon,
SkitalecS3
OOC: The discrepancy in manpower numbers can be explained by the following:
1. Land units that have a manpower number higher than their number of men x 1.000. Infantry/Motorised (3,33), Mountaineers/Paratroopers/Marines (4), Support brigades (1,33-1,76). This is mitigated by Militia, Garrison, Armour, etc. having a lower manpower number than 3. The 1 MP = 1.000 men is just a rule of thumb, and depending on which of your units take the bigger beating the actual ratio will vary.
2. Manpower lost in Air combat, though with just 1 MP per fighter wing, this should be relatively low compared to losses on the ground.
3. Attrition.
4. Fluctuations in reporting due to units dropping off the radar (when they're not getting supplies), or being in battle.
