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The next formation to arrive in Valjevo was the now-famous 3 Cav Div, led by the dashing MAJGEN Toüdemür. [@Diskoerekto I’ll continue to use the game’s spelling for consistency but acknowledge your prior research and the no doubt correct spelling of Toydemir.] The fast-moving unit was still quite disorganised from its recent valiant rear-guard fight in Jasa Tomic but was sent on to make a desperate dash to help secure Visegrad.
of course he will make it in time! he's the real cavalry! about the spelling, I think the game's version is even more altaic and befitting of a cavalry leader.
“Sunray Major, this is Three-Charlie. Our lead scouts report the enemy advancing on Visegrad have both turned around. They have not just stopped advancing but have turned around 180 degrees and are both heading north-west, away from the city! It is a miracle. We will continue to move forward will all speed. Vur ha!”
Theatre Commander Field Marshal Calistar was informed early that morning of another Soviet rifle division in Iran that had been assigned to Turkish command. He immediately countermanded its travel orders to the Far East, got their trains turned around and had them head to Ankara. Turkey could use them to very good effect to try to hold the Balkans, rather than wasting their time on that Far Eastern sideshow! And the Soviets already had half the Romanian Army over there chasing their own tails, after all. MAJGEN Pogodin’s 171 SD would soon be finding out what a real war looked like! And there was another Soviet division about to cross the border along the Caspian coast: maybe they would be assigned to Turkish control as well?
they are not trying to point out in their own way that there's only aghanistan now between the japanese hordes and our glorious union? if i remember correctly japan was also invading sinkiang. we have a 3 province border with afghanistan, what is the situation there?
“One this is Three-Charlie. Objective Citadel secured. I say again, Objective Citadel secured.”
3 Cav Div had beaten 10 Inf Div (and the Axis, of course) into Visegrad, reoccupying and beginning to repair the damaged defences previously held by 3 and then 6 Inf Divs. No further Axis opposition had been encountered and the previously attacking divisions were still headed away from the front. A cheer went through the 1st Army HQ CP when the message was received: and Toüdemür’s reputation went up another notch. Who said well-equipped and boldly led cavalry had no place on the modern battlefield? Huzzah!
In Ankara, bureaucrats from the War Ministry prepared an update for the President on the latest from Turkish researchers. An advance in fighter pilot training would be of some use to their older fighter wing. But it was now time to start upgrading the infantry again, starting with support weapons to improve their defensive capacity.
The overnight conditions in Resita favoured the defenders – and showed how poorly placed the German panzers were when employed fighting in mountains, at night. But despite all this, the air raids continued, Namut was badly outnumbered and had started the battle not fully recovered from previous fighting. And the enemy divisions were still showing less wear and tear that the Turks.
“At least, Milli Şef, we assess the potato-eaters will be suffering some attrition while they are in those mountains,” observed LTCOL Diskoerekto, who had been directed to brief the visiting Army Commander on some of his recent findings.
“We will take every small advantage we can – it was one of the reasons I was willing to cede Zrenjanin to them while we fortify behind the river in this great city. Anyone forced to stay there in hostile mountain country for a prolonged period may, we hope, suffer for their many sins in doing so.”
“We can only hope so, Milli Şef,” finished the Mountain Komando Combat School Chief Instructor. “It will depend on the level of the occupying troops’ mountain and cold weather equipment.” He saluted and left the briefing room.
A special report from Foreign Minister Aras on the diplomatic situation with Finland was also provided. There was continuing concern they might join the Axis, diverting Soviet effort away from the main fight and even granting access to German troops. While they were fully aligned with Germany and under their persistent influence, President Kallio had neither joined the Axis as yet or granted Germany military access. How long this might last was unknown, of course. They could join the enemy at any time.
some lessons that were learnt on the front by the fighting troops have been noted by me thoroughly. those will be useful to polish up the training. VUR HA!
some armor/TD/etc? some more air wings? another mountain div? so difficult to choose from or since we might research mot/mec soon, a massive upgrade program of our regular inf and cav?
No! So many little details that can tip the war into the Axis's lap. The Polish rebellion being crushed and allowing supplies to flow again. The Fins joining the Axis could open the USSR to another direction of attack and thin them out. The Japanese slowly advancing in Asia. So many straws to break the Comintern's back!
But it was instead information passed on from the British MI6 liaison officer at the British Embassy in Ankara – a report on the Polish uprising around Lublin. Apparently, both LTCOL Diskoerekto (still conducting a study tour of the front) and the dreaded Darth Kelebek of the S.I.T.H. had asked for the information. Interesting, but not urgent. It would be included in the President’s morning intelligence update.
Ah yes, because we are for some reason in charge of Turkish Intelligence and tactical operations as well. Though it does make me wonder...about a headmaster of a special school in the mountains who also helps run a counter intelligence group and who frequently (verbally) battles a dark lord. Oh and he teaches special forces, which in this game basically have magic powers in their chosen environment.
A special report from Foreign Minister Aras on the diplomatic situation with Finland was also provided. There was continuing concern they might join the Axis, diverting Soviet effort away from the main fight and even granting access to German troops. While they were fully aligned with Germany and under their persistent influence, President Kallio had neither joined the Axis as yet or granted Germany military access. How long this might last was unknown, of course. They could join the enemy at any time.
...shit. Russia might actually find itself on a three front war and be losing on all of them. Not good, especially as the newest would flank the patriotic and most important front of the war. We have to nobble Finland or stop the Germans from getting closer to them and making them feel confident enough to wage war.
Ah yes, because we are for some reason in charge of Turkish Intelligence and tactical operations as well. Though it does make me wonder...about a headmaster of a special school in the mountains who also helps run a counter intelligence group and who frequently (verbally) battles a dark lord. Oh and he teaches special forces, which in this game basically have magic powers in their chosen environment.
of course he will make it in time! he's the real cavalry! about the spelling, I think the game's version is even more altaic and befitting of a cavalry leader.
only the sight of him made the swine run away! VUR HA!
they are not trying to point out in their own way that there's only aghanistan now between the japanese hordes and our glorious union? if i remember correctly japan was also invading sinkiang. we have a 3 province border with afghanistan, what is the situation there?
pide&ayran
no pide&ayran
to be serious, maybe the extra 0.5% mountaineers get makes the attrititon rate a total of 0.5% and somehow rounded down?
And the cavalry once again saves the day
The 1941 electronic computing machine can be a candidate for the next one
really unfair and one sided battle
exactly!
well, it seems I already start to feel more confident than before in front of the biggest gun around
this will not be good at all. soviets should've annexed them in the winter war :/
some lessons that were learnt on the front by the fighting troops have been noted by me thoroughly. those will be useful to polish up the training. VUR HA!
some armor/TD/etc? some more air wings? another mountain div? so difficult to choose from or since we might research mot/mec soon, a massive upgrade program of our regular inf and cav?
Toudemur and the cavalry once again prove their worth - without having to fire a shot this time!
Sinkiang is neutral, trending mainly towards the Comintern but still some way off from joining. And otherwise, I think the infrastructure is a barrier to much of India: Japan would need to either come through Burma or launch amphibious attacks (which I've seen done while playing a losing UK hand once). I think Sinkiang would have to be invaded (or voluntarily join the Comintern) and then the Soviets would have to lose completely in the Far East for that route to come into play. So no real danger there - for now.
Will look at the computing machine, but really getting my infantry upgraded again plus related doctrine for this coming defence will be the highest priority for research, I think (though not the only one). With armour, TD, fighters and a new mountain div already in the pipeline, maybe some engineers (cheap), some more standard infantry divs (to help hold that Balkan line, if I possibly can) may be in order. Though again, will keep the odd high-end capability in mind as well.
Don't know about the Finns - the OTL event made me take a look - maybe there will be some OTL Barbarossa timing thing egging them on, but the Great Liberation War has been going over a year now and they haven't joined in yet ...
Thought your avatar would enjoy the study tour and the chance to meet and brief the Milli Sef in person! Huzzah!
No! So many little details that can tip the war into the Axis's lap. The Polish rebellion being crushed and allowing supplies to flow again. The Fins joining the Axis could open the USSR to another direction of attack and thin them out. The Japanese slowly advancing in Asia. So many straws to break the Comintern's back!
Let's hope the Finns stay out - they certainly would be a pest if they do come in. As you know, I'm banking on the Soviet Steamroller chugging into life, with a better industrial base than in OTL because of the ground we have (hopefully) preserved from the OTL German occupation of large swathes of the Rodina. And the fact France kept going longer than OTL and this war has been soaking up large amounts of Axis manpower for a year+. But so many things remain in the balance - a nice frisson of strategic uncertainty! The big ones to come: will the US join the Allies roughly on time? Will the Allies end up fighting Japan? Will they do anything useful in either Europe or Asia? It could be left to the Comintern to do even more of the heavy lifting than in OTL. And I can only set futile objectives to guide Soviet activity!
Ah yes, because we are for some reason in charge of Turkish Intelligence and tactical operations as well. Though it does make me wonder...about a headmaster of a special school in the mountains who also helps run a counter intelligence group and who frequently (verbally) battles a dark lord. Oh and he teaches special forces, which in this game basically have magic powers in their chosen environment.
...shit. Russia might actually find itself on a three front war and be losing on all of them. Not good, especially as the newest would flank the patriotic and most important front of the war. We have to nobble Finland or stop the Germans from getting closer to them and making them feel confident enough to wage war.
Alas, I can't nobble Finland myself, though they did get a very sound thrashing in the Winter War in the end. I just don't have the leadership/diplomatic power to affect anything. And they're so firmly locked into the Axis corner, with Germany continuing to influence them, that even a Soviet intervention would probably not shift things. I will look on the bright side of this and muse that at least Uncle Joe has not had to put up with them for the last year. And if the Germans can be kept well away from Leningrad, a Finnish intervention should be containable. I think Turkey and Romania fighting hard on their side outweighs the historical impact of Finland in OTL, at least on this front. Japan ... hurry up FDR, we need your meat shields!
Sinkiang is neutral, trending mainly towards the Comintern but still some way off from joining. And otherwise, I think the infrastructure is a barrier to much of India: Japan would need to either come through Burma or launch amphibious attacks (which I've seen done while playing a losing UK hand once). I think Sinkiang would have to be invaded (or voluntarily join the Comintern) and then the Soviets would have to lose completely in the Far East for that route to come into play. So no real danger there - for now.
Will look at the computing machine, but really getting my infantry upgraded again plus related doctrine for this coming defence will be the highest priority for research, I think (though not the only one). With armour, TD, fighters and a new mountain div already in the pipeline, maybe some engineers (cheap), some more standard infantry divs (to help hold that Balkan line, if I possibly can) may be in order. Though again, will keep the odd high-end capability in mind as well.
I think we have '40 versions of the infantry techs while the next batch is for '42 (one we already started to study last chapter) and both INF doctrines are already being researched (along with the important tactical command structure for 5 bde divs, which also boosts mot/mec/cav). I thought since the tech to be finished soon is education, researching computers would keep on boosting research.
About new production, it will be exciting to read what Milli Şef decides to do
He absolutely did enjoy! He trains mountaineers, he rubs shoulders with Perse, he gets to meet the Milli Şef; my avatar is really having the time of his life
Speaking as someone whose been on the other side of things: if the Winter War didn't go (did it? I can't recall), there's almost no chance of the Finns joining a war. In Stahlpakt, since nothing kicked off until early 1942, it was too late for the Soviets to activate the Winter War, and so they didn't get Finland. In my AAR, I had them join the Allies (which I think they would have otl, had the Germans not... you know, made them a deal they couldn't refuse) but they're kinda in the Soviet sphere, but decidedly independent of Moscow.
Speaking as someone whose been on the other side of things: if the Winter War didn't go (did it? I can't recall), there's almost no chance of the Finns joining a war. In Stahlpakt, since nothing kicked off until early 1942, it was too late for the Soviets to activate the Winter War, and so they didn't get Finland. In my AAR, I had them join the Allies (which I think they would have otl, had the Germans not... you know, made them a deal they couldn't refuse) but they're kinda in the Soviet sphere, but decidedly independent of Moscow.
Oh, the Winter War did fire on time, and the Soviets overran most of Finland before enforcing their demands. I think the question will be whether the Finnish intervention will fire sans Barbarossa (I’m not across the code for that and am happy enough to leave it as one of those delicious uncertainties, so if anyone knows for sure - please, no spoiler, I’m happy in my ignorance!)
So i have learnt. Artillery isn't important right now for italy but if we ever get any push back, we wont do well in a defensive war. Saying that, we've given ourselves hundreds of miles of fallback to retreat into before the alps, and then forts all the way through them. Much like turkey, its hard to get going as italy but one you get going, its quite hard for anyone to get to you.
I think turkey needs the big guns of tomorrow (or as close as they can get due to restrictions) and probably as much entrenchment and specialist bonuses as they can get. And make sure we have enough reinforcements and time to staff the defensice lines we have prepared in greece and istanbul.
So i have learnt. Artillery isn't important right now for italy but if we ever get any push back, we wont do well in a defensive war. Saying that, we've given ourselves hundreds of miles of fallback to retreat into before the alps, and then forts all the way through them. Much like turkey, its hard to get going as italy but one you get going, its quite hard for anyone to get to you.
I think turkey needs the big guns of tomorrow (or as close as they can get due to restrictions) and probably as much entrenchment and specialist bonuses as they can get. And make sure we have enough reinforcements and time to staff the defensice lines we have prepared in greece and istanbul.
Yes indeed. Fortunately, because the final lines are so narrow (only two provinces for each, so four in total) I already have enough troops to hold them pretty securely. It’s the intermediate ones that I’m spread too thinly on. Though not so thinly it’s prevented me holding on for over a year against the Axis at the height of their strength!
Thank you sir! Not sure how much of it you’ve had the chance to read so far (there is a lot of it by now! ) but the next session has just been played through and the chapter is going through the production phase. I won’t spoil, but can say those vile German swine and their odious lackeys insist on continuing to make themselves very annoying to the Glorious Union!
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Chapter 136: The Danube Line – Part 1 (10 to 15 June 1941)
Chapter 136: The Danube Line – Part 1 (10 to 15 June 1941)
Author’s Note.As mentioned before, I am trying to progress the campaign a bit further and had played the next ten days through, intending to squeeze all that into the 35-screenshot limit for entries, in part by reporting some more minor events without illustrating them all. I succeeded in this, but it left no room for the narrative pieces (and illustrations for spy neutralisations), etc and would have been too long, I feel, once those were included. So, this will now come out in two shorter parts, one after another, to still push the story along, but hopefully make each entry a little more easily ‘consumed’ and allow a little more flavour and colour. I hope you enjoy.
PS: and thanks for all the readers who have taken the AAR past the 80,000 views mark: very much appreciated.
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Introduction
The last report ended at 7am on the morning of 10 June 1941. The Turkish command had managed to secure Visegrad after a tough defensive battle that had seen two Turkish divisions forced to retreat before the enemy finally broke off. Concerns remained that Sabac, held by the leaderless 4 Inf Div, remained too thinly defended, despite having brushed away a previous Axis attack. But with Visegrad needing to be held and the rest of the newly forming Danube Line centred on Beograd needing to be solidified and many units badly damaged, the potential reinforcements for Sabac were not yet recovered enough to be put into the front line, while the latest Soviet expeditionary division was still en route from Istanbul. Inönü hoped for just a few more days to enable the exposed Sabac to be properly reinforced …
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10 Jun 41
… alas, that time was not forthcoming. The Acting Commander of 4 Inf Div came up on the 1st Army radio net at 10 am:
“One this is Four, the enemy is attacking on two axes. Panzer grenadiers are attempting to force a river crossing from Semska Mitrovica and a Hungarian infantry division is trying the same from Ruma. Our defences are holding strong for now, over.”
“Four, this is Sunray Major speaking. Roger, can you hold, over?”
“We believe so – this is the same strength of attack we faced last time and beat off, over.”
“See what you can do and advise if the situation changes, out.”
Inönü was tempted to pre-emptively send 3 Cav Div up to Sabac from Visegrad but remained concerned about two Axis divisions still bordering that key point and the fact 10 Inf Div were still digging in there. For now, he would hold off and await developments. As the fighting continued in Sabac, at 2pm HQ 1st Corps in Beograd reported German medium armour was still moving south-east from Zrenjanin into the undefended Panavo, just north-east of Beograd. While that was happening, a column of three enemy infantry divisions was heading south-east from recently occupied Jasa Tomic towards Vrsac, on the northern bank of the Danube, just to the east of Panavo. And further north, 11 Pz Division had already occupied the mountains of Resita, from which Namut’s 5 Inf Div was still retreating. Those Soviet reinforcements had never turned up. By 5pm, 7 Pz Division was confirmed as having arrived in Panavo. All these developments further inhibited consideration of switching scarce reserves from the eastern portion of the Danube Line to Sabac.
Shortly afterwards, 1 Cav Div – which had now recovered to about two-thirds efficiency [ie organisation – their strength was now fine]arrived in Arandelovac. It was a good good central position from which to act as a reserve ‘fire brigade’, as well as defend that province should the panzers attempt a crossing there to outflank Beograd.
The rest of the evening passed without undue incident and no air raids on Turkish forces were reported that day.
News Report: Vichy, France. Vichy Vice-Premier François Darlan makes a speech to the French people warning of those who were "trying to darken the nation's understanding." Darlan said that "de Gaullist and Communist propaganda" both had "the same goal - to create disorder in the country, to increase the misery of the population, to prevent the rebirth of the nation ... Frenchmen, beware and help the government in its heavy, very heavy task. This task of the government is triple: to ameliorate the French people's situation, to prepare for peace in that measure a conquered nation can, and to prepare France's future in a new Europe."[Comment: defeatist, collaborationist dog!]
News Report: Rome, Italy.On the first anniversary of Italy's entry into the war, Mussolini said in a speech to the Grand Council of Fascism that the United States was already in a de facto state of war with the Axis, but that "America's attitude does not bother us excessively ... American intervention would merely lengthen the war and would not save England."[Comment: Let’s hope he’s wrong on that count – as he is on so many other things.]
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11 Jun 41
The relative quiet was shattered at 1am, when Inönü was woken and called to his Kraljevo CP. The Italian Air Force had begun hammering Sabac, while another German infantry division had arrived in Semska Mitrovica and immediately sought to reinforce the bridgehead attempt there. Another Hungarian division was doing the same from Zvornik. Should either or both reinforce, the scales would be tipped decisively to the Axis, while air power and greater numbers had been regularly employed to successfully weaken otherwise tactically strong Comintern defences. This was now becoming a dangerous situation.
With the pressure decreased on Visegrad, 3 Cav Div was ordered to march to the sound of the guns in Sabac. The problem was the hilly country on the approach march and then a river crossing would slow the usually speedy horsemen down somewhat. Simultaneously, with Axis forces in Ruma now engaged in Sabac, the main defensive force in Valjevo – 13 Inf Div – was ordered to break its entrenchments and also make for Sabac. Both these moves were risks: weakening defences, plus the danger they might be caught up in any rout from Sabac if they didn’t arrive in time. The hope of saving Sabac (and its river defences) was enough though to warrant the gamble.
Once again, superior German battle doctrine gave them an edge: after only three hours, their 36th Division successfully reinforced from Semska Mitrovica, as the first of the Italian air raids finished there. At 6am, the still very weak 6 Inf Div [7.6 organisation and 87.2% strength] arrived in Valjevo from the south: a shaky replacement for the full-strength 13 Inf Div which had been sent on towards Sabac earlier in the morning. At the same time, to add to Turkish worries, 14 Inf Div in Pozarec reported its supply lines had broken down. What!? But at least the German Panzers in Panavo were now reported to be heading back the way then had come – no doubt for some other nefarious purpose, but it meant that part of the line had a temporary breather.
In better news, the new tank destroyer brigade was delivered to 1 Mot Div that morning. Their old armoured car brigade was swapped out and sent on to join HQ 4th Corps, where they would be held for now until some better purpose might be found for them. The SU-85s were the same as those already operating for some time with 1 Cav Div. Another (third) TD brigade was in training, but not due until early December.
A new standard infantry division was put into training, with its priority advanced above the fifth fighter wing and engineer brigade already in production: recent events had shown Turkey simply had too few main force divisions to adequately defend an extended line in the Balkans against such heavy German attention. It was hoped there may still be such a line to hold by the time the new troops were ready in October.
By 4pm, the situation in Sabac was worsening. The acting commander of 4 Inf Div was doing his best to delay the enemy while reinforcements made their way to him. But the enemy commander, MAJGEN Köstring of 2nd Division (motorised infantry), must have read the situation well: he had launched a reckless attack to force the bridgehead before the relief columns could arrive. The defenders were now down to about 50% efficiency and the air raids continued.
Night brought some relief for the beleaguered 4 Inf Div, but they would have to hold out until midday the next day before 13 Inf Div could arrive, with 3 Cav Div due four hours later. It would be a nail-biting wait. Just before midnight, two Axis divisions occupied Vrsac, opposite the Turkish defences on the east of the Danube Line – with Pozarevac still suffering logistical problems.
Air Report. Four raids killed a total of 628 4 Inf Div defenders in Sabac that day – a savage toll.
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12 Jun 41
The night market in Istanbul was doing a brisk trade, with bargain-hunters looking for quality produce – while they still could.
“How much for this rug?”
“For you sir, 30 lira!”
“30? Nonsense, I’ll give you 10!”
“10 lira? For this finest Afghan tribal rug? You would be stealing the food from my children’s mouths. Are you trying to beggar me? 20 lira, and I will be making a loss at that!”
The prospective buyer looks at his watch, then back at the Afghan rug-salesman.
“Twelve,” he said.
“Twelve? I will be bankrupted. 18, at least!”
“No, I mean that is the time. Twelve midnight. I’ll take the rug – here is your payment.”
The Afghan salesman looks at what he has been handed.
It simply says: “This is a ticket on the Midnight Express. One way. Leaving immediately.” Two secret policemen come in from either side to march off the now ‘neutralised’ Afghan spy. Their boss takes the rolled-up rug under his arm. A perk of the job.
This very nice hand-knotted Afghan Kargahi woollen rug was soon adorning the secret police Lieutenant's sitting room.
The 1st Army logistics chief reported that supplies had resumed to Pozarevac at 5am. Whatever the problem had been, it was now rectified. A good thing too, with the Axis build-up on the northern bank of the Danube immediately to their north. The main story of the day remains the Battle for Sabac: defying the odds, 4 Inf Div has held out into the afternoon: MAJGEN Bözer takes command of the battle when he arrives with 13 Inf Div at midday and Toüdemür’s 3 Cav Div gets in at 4pm. Both go into the reserve, bringing the notional odds back into Turkey’s favour. But the crucial question is can at least one of these reinforce before 4 Inf Div fails? If they can’t, then all will be caught up in the general rout.
The fight in Sabac continues for the rest of 12 June, with neither side able to reinforce further, 4 Inf Div gallantly holding on. For some reason – perhaps recovery or other tasks – the Italian Air Force has left Sabac alone all day, no doubt contributing to 4 Inf Div’s survival.
OTL Event: Munich, Germany. Hitler met with Romanian leader Ion Antonescu in Munich. An agreement was reached for Romania to participate in the invasion of the USSR.[Comment: Another reason that Turkey’s brotherly ‘intervention’ in Romania in this ATL was a Very Good Thing. In this time line, Antonescu probably still has nightmares about his visit from Luca Brasi and the 'offer he couldn't refuse' back during the Yugoslavian War.]
The Fuhrer and the 'Conducator', Munich, 12 June 1941. The prevention of this meeting and its consequences is another benefit of Turkey's intervention in this time line.
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13 Jun 41
The armoured car regiment detached from 1 Mot Div arrives at HQ 4 Corps (which has become the holding depot for spare supporting brigades) at 3am – it may not allow them to stand in the front line of battle but should speed them up somewhat when called upon to move.
Bözer provides a SITREP from Sabac at 4am, with dawn lightening the battlefield – and increasing the defender’s peril. 4 Inf Div’s organisation is now very low [4.2] and neither of the Turkish reserve formations has been able to reinforce during the night. The enemy appear to have suffered relatively few casualties during their attack so far. Once again, relatively primitive Turkish military doctrine is cursed. But no enemy aircraft appear that morning – a glimmer of relief.
At 11am, the Hungarians are able to get their ‘Szent László’ infantry division to reinforce: 4 Inf Div’s organisation is virtually drained. It is the straw that breaks the camel’s back: unable to reinforce, 4 Inf Div finally breaks at 1pm and the whole Turkish force flees in headlong retreat to Visegrad. The first Axis troops (the German motorised division) occupy it just an hour later. Sabac is lost and the Axis have their bridgehead over the Sava River.
To try to cope with this setback and while the now temporarily useless reserve divisions caught up in the rout from Sabac make their way back to Turkish lines, 97 SD’s trains are instructed to deliver them straight to Valjevo, which now becomes a crucial defensive location. It will need a strong force to hold it, as the province is open country that now has a flank with Sabac that is unprotected by a river obstacle. 3 Inf Div, though not yet fully recovered from its earlier ordeal in Visegrad, is also ordered forward. Beograd’s left flank must now be protected strongly.
There was no enemy air activity to report that day.
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14 Jun 41
The day for Turkish forces was spent in retreat and redeployment. There was no significant combat or air activity to report.
But in Rome, there was activity of another kind. A Vatican Bank official opened his morning mail. In one envelope, postmarked from Monte Carlo, he found a simple but disturbing message. It was fortunate that he was sitting at his desk, because his stomach went cold and his legs turned to jelly.
It was a wordless calling card. But one the recipient knew only too well: the dreaded Red Butterfly would soon be in town and expecting to renew an old acquaintanceship. Yes, Darth Kelebek would be paying a visit – and he never made social calls. He would want something – the man hoped it was not his soul, just some clandestine ‘service’ to be performed.
This message meant he must now begin to regularly check his designated dead letter drop. Unless of course the S.I.T.H. ‘lord’ decided to – literally – just drop in one night. He began nervously checking dark corners and the ceiling of his office. Nothing there – yet.
News Report: Washington DC, US. President Roosevelt issues Executive Order 8785, freezing all German and Italian assets in the United States.[Comment: we’ll assume that this has also been done in this ATL – no practical game effect, of course.]
OTL Event: Croatia.The Independent State of Croatia joins the Axis.[Comment: another Bad Thing avoided in this ATL. The Croatian GNR may remain largely occupied but is still part of the UGNR.]
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15 Jun 41
A man of Mongolian appearance sits in a small room in the northern Iranian city of Tabriz. He is cooking a traditional Mongolian Khorkhog – in this case barbecued lamb. He supervises a metal pot containing hot stones and water in which the pieces of meat are being cooked. As he enjoys the appetising aroma, he drinks yet another cup of Arkhi - a milk vodka distilled with fermented tarag (cow milk yogurt). He has distilled it himself with very acid yoghurt, giving it a very high alcoholic content (his was probably around 20%). He drank it while it was still hot from the still – the best way.
A last Mongolian meal?
In fact, he had probably had a few too many, but the hour was late, the weather warm and his day’s work done. That work had consisted of manning a small street-side stall selling Mongolian wood engravings, embroidery and leather goods. It had proven a useful cover for his actual work of observing Soviet troop movements and gathering information on rail convoys heading to the Far East – and a few of late that had headed back in the other direction. All useful information for his masters back in the Japanese puppet state of Mengkukuo.
"Some stylish Mongolian footwear or perhaps a nice leather-finished flask for the Arkhi, my good sir?"
His self-congratulations (and dinner preparations) were interrupted by the crash of his flimsy door and a squad of secret policemen bursting in on the stroke of midnight. His reactions were slowed a little by his previous copious intake of the potent Arkhi – but he still reached for a revolver sitting on a side table. Too slow: he was shot as he sat, wounded but not killed.
He would be taken to the local outpost of the Turkish secret police – another foreign spy neutralised: he would never see the open Mongolian plains or the Gobi Desert again, condemned to eke out his last few days on earth in a dank cell, then strangled after his interrogations were finally done. Justice for a traitor to his own people and a spy for the Japanese Imperialists. The Secret War against the fascists was never a pretty one.
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In Ankara, another report is received at midnight, but this one is good news. The new LaGG-3 interceptor wing has finally been completed, the pilots and crew trained, deployed straight to the front in Beograd, with a new commander assigned – MAJGEN Berköz. The choice of the remaining top two air leaders was between him and the Army general’s identical twin brother Gataly [heh – yet another Paradox duplication where you can have the same leader commanding two different unit types at once ]. It would take some time though for the new wing to work up to full organisation.
Addendum: Here is a side-by-side comparison of the key characteristics of the three Turkish fighter wings.
The War Ministry noted the differences: interestingly, the old Hawk III had better air defence than its more modern successors, though the new models had greatly improved air attack capabilities. Of specific interest, the Hawk IIIs now had the same level of fighter pilot training in the I-16s of 2 Avci Filo (which had shipped with 1936 level training). The new LaGG-3 pilots had come with 1938 level training from their Soviet instructors, bringing their organisation up to 45. But none of these wings, even the most recently trained 3 Avci Filo, had any ground crew training at all. Therefore, Turkish doctrine research in this area could actually prove of use in improving the moral and resilience of all three wings. The President and War Minister requested further discussion among experts as to whether this might prove a useful thing to devote some future research effort to, given the important role the fighter arm would have as the war ground on and Turkey's fighter stocks increased. Perhaps a gathering at the Soviet-Turkish @Eurasia Strategic Studies Centre, based in Sevastopol, could shed some light on this aspect?
At 4am, 3 Cav Div is the first to arrive back from the Sabac debacle. They will stay in Visegrad to bolster its defence (as before): while a Soviet division is now also in place, its continued presence cannot be guaranteed. Four Axis divisions now occupied Sabac: where would they strike next?
On the other end of the Danube Line, 5 Inf Div had finally finished its retreat from the mountains of Resita into Mehadia, where MAJGEN Naci Tinaz’s 8 Inf Div (Light) shared defensive duties with the Soviet 182 SD. Namut’s battered 5 Inf Div would continue back to a depth position in Petrovac, extending the Danube Line further east – and hopefully having some time to recover and prepare before the Axis tide reached them again.
After some consideration, Inönü – in his capacity as War (Armament) Minister – cabled back instructions to Ankara for the next wave of military production. Another new standard infantry division would be raised, along with a couple of anti-tank brigades (for later employment in five-brigade divisions) and two militia brigades. The latter would be used to make HQ 4th Corps a combat-capable unit and/or to reinforce the militia divisions now digging in on the Tirane-Sofiya fall-back line.
With Axis forces mustering in Sabac, the veteran 3 Inf Div completed its relocation to Valjevo in the mid-afternoon and began preparing for an anticipated onslaught, part of the plan to firm up the Danube Line either side of Beograd.
Once again, the skies were clear of Axis aircraft that day over Turkish lines.
---xxx---
Coming Up: The second part of this double chapter will deal with what happened in the aftermath of the defeats in Sabac and Resita. Where will the Axis hammer fall next? Can the Turkish Danube Line survive many more such blows without causing a retreat to lines in depth? As the preparations for the planned espionage mission in Italy slowly begin to build, what other twists and turns will the Secret War take? And what is the Thorn’s real mission in Turkey?
ACAs.Also, if you haven’t already, don’t forget to vote in the quarterly ACAs. There is still time. Let’s keep HOI3 prominently featured in the ‘Other’ section. For those who haven’t done this before (and are normally just passive readers) it’s pretty simple and quick. The AAR community lives on such input – and you get to see a range of recommendations for excellent AARs across the boards. Whether it’s for this AAR and/or others you like, the authors will really appreciate it. You don’t need to be a regular commenter and anyone with an active account is eligible to vote (see the link in the signature below).
News Report: Rome, Italy.On the first anniversary of Italy's entry into the war, Mussolini said in a speech to the Grand Council of Fascism that the United States was already in a de facto state of war with the Axis, but that "America's attitude does not bother us excessively ... American intervention would merely lengthen the war and would not save England."[Comment: Let’s hope he’s wrong on that count – as he is on so many other things.]
Considering GB sunk their entire fleet, and every other fleet that isn't japanese, in the axis, I'm not sure what he thinks is going to happen to this completly fresh, continually strengthening empire that has them all surrounded by water. I mean, Africa yeah. Maybe. But it's only cos the British cant be bothered for some reason.
News Report: Washington DC, US. President Roosevelt issues Executive Order 8785, freezing all German and Italian assets in the United States.[Comment: we’ll assume that this has also been done in this ATL – no practical game effect, of course.]
The War Ministry noted the differences: interestingly, the old Hawk III had better air defence than its more modern successors, though the new models had greatly improved air attack capabilities. Of specific interest, the Hawk IIIs now had the same level of fighter pilot training in the I-16s of 2 Avci Filo (which had shipped with 1936 level training). The new Lagg-3 pilots had come with 1938 level training from their Soviet instructors, bringing their organisation up to 45. But none of these wings, even the most recently trained 3 Avci Filo, had any ground crew training at all. Therefore, Turkish doctrine research in this area could actually prove of use in improving the moral and resilience of all three wings. The President and War Minister requested further discussion among experts as to whether this might prove a useful thing to devote some future research effort to, given the important role the fighter arm would have as the war ground on and Turkey's fighter stocks increased. Perhaps a gathering at the Soviet-Turkish @Eurasia Strategic Studies Centre, based in Sevastopol, could shed some light on this aspect?
Mm. I've been finishing doctrines first then spamming all plane unlocks within a year (up to 1941) and then waiting to produce jet engines until I've unlocked the best ones in the tree (not done that yet). Much better than trying to modernise slowly. Bulk bought the crap stuff i started with to earn me the resources to buy the best in the game.
At 11am, the Hungarians are able to get their ‘Szent László’ infantry division to reinforce: 4 Inf Div’s organisation is virtually drained. It is the straw that breaks the camel’s back: unable to reinforce, 4 Inf Div finally breaks at 1pm and the whole Turkish force flees in headlong retreat to Visegrad. The first Axis troops (the German motorised division) occupy it just an hour later. Sabac is lost and the Axis have their bridgehead over the Sava River.
The War Ministry noted the differences: interestingly, the old Hawk III had better air defence than its more modern successors, though the new models had greatly improved air attack capabilities. Of specific interest, the Hawk IIIs now had the same level of fighter pilot training in the I-16s of 2 Avci Filo (which had shipped with 1936 level training). The new Lagg-3 pilots had come with 1938 level training from their Soviet instructors, bringing their organisation up to 45. But none of these wings, even the most recently trained 3 Avci Filo, had any ground crew training at all. Therefore, Turkish doctrine research in this area could actually prove of use in improving the moral and resilience of all three wings. The President and War Minister requested further discussion among experts as to whether this might prove a useful thing to devote some future research effort to, given the important role the fighter arm would have as the war ground on and Turkey's fighter stocks increased. Perhaps a gathering at the Soviet-Turkish @Eurasia Strategic Studies Centre, based in Sevastopol, could shed some light on this aspect?
Interesting, I would have expected more dramatic stat difference between the biplanes and the Lavochkin's but doubled air attack is a lot anyways. Note that there's also a bit better organization due to pilot training. About the doctrines, for some reason not all of them show up here (like better mission efficiency or target selection kind) and my knowledge is based on AARs and wiki only so I wouldn't know the best but there is supposed to be more stuff that can be improved (which is not researched but USSR as well). Although even without knowing those, increased morale through ground crew training sounds like a good deal to me.
Remember that the aircraft's "Defensiveness" bug is still alive and present in HoI3... so much like how Defensiveness/Toughness didn't work with the armies, it didn't work for the aircraft and they never managed to fully patch it up (I think it was that they brought in a decimal value from HoI2 but HoI3 was using integers, which made any increases basically a rounding error).
