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I am glad to see you back, Porkman.
I thought the looks at consumer goods and rail gauges were very good.
It will be a great day when Moscow finally falls.
I thought the looks at consumer goods and rail gauges were very good.
It will be a great day when Moscow finally falls.
Great to have this back. Another juicy update, with the perfect blend of historical flavour and gritty gameplay stats. Love how much depth you go into about your research projects as well.
I'm really itching to see how the post-war world will look - if the Allies really pull their weight on this joint front (or you decide to pretend that they have), we might end up with something other than a predictable 'China-that-thinks-it-did-much-more-than-the-West-being-disgruntled vs Self-righteous-Allies Cold War'.
I'm really itching to see how the post-war world will look - if the Allies really pull their weight on this joint front (or you decide to pretend that they have), we might end up with something other than a predictable 'China-that-thinks-it-did-much-more-than-the-West-being-disgruntled vs Self-righteous-Allies Cold War'.
Ahh, am I glad to see another update! A good one it was too...
You've made some great pockets out of the enemy troops in Russia, this is something they will never be able to recover from.
I had forgotten you were at war with Finland. Communism must be wiped from the earth!
You've made some great pockets out of the enemy troops in Russia, this is something they will never be able to recover from.
I had forgotten you were at war with Finland. Communism must be wiped from the earth!
Hurray for another marvelous update!
I must admit that the marlowe hint made it easier to guess the quiz, I did not know Tamerlane had actually planned to invade the chinese empire!
On another note I am curious whether the allies are succesful in Spain or not.
If they succeed in getting serious troops on land there the race to the Elbe might still be on!
I expect you'll wrapping up the soviet empire within weeks and then liberating all of Europe before the summer?!?!
As always much impressed by your AAR!!!
I must admit that the marlowe hint made it easier to guess the quiz, I did not know Tamerlane had actually planned to invade the chinese empire!
On another note I am curious whether the allies are succesful in Spain or not.
If they succeed in getting serious troops on land there the race to the Elbe might still be on!
I expect you'll wrapping up the soviet empire within weeks and then liberating all of Europe before the summer?!?!
As always much impressed by your AAR!!!
Outstanding update, glad to see that the Moscow pocket is weakening and that you went into detail what a nightmare logistics would be in a Chinese invasion of Russia. I can easily imagine an entire second army just devoted to improving logistics in Russia's far flung frontier.
elbasto - indeed!
Nathan Madian - then Merry Christmas!
Meadow - I'm still waiting for the Allies to pull their weight. They don't want to. I think it's a consequence of the US being a co belligerent but not part of the Allies. As for the Chinese perspective, it's largely true. The fighting and the dying by allied countries is ranked then the order goes 1) USSR 2) China and no one else comes close. In this timeline, the Chinese position vis a vis the western Allies is much stronger. There are actually two really big sources of conflict post war. 1) the Chinese state's recognition and diplomatic support for decolonization movements and 2) you'll just have to wait.
Maj. von Mauser - Finland is not a fun place to fight. I haven't committed that many troops to it and the terrain is designed to be perfect for a defender.
Wally Wals - He didn't just have plans, he technically started the invasion, he just died two weeks after starting the march. It was really the only logical place for him to go. His entire empire and political control was based on plundering other nations. Without plunder, he couldn't pay his armies and the only place with any money after he had rampaged across the Middle East, Central Asia and India was Ming China. Europe at the time, as always during the middle ages, was protected by a wall of poverty that kept non European invaders from even bothering.
I was surprised everyone didn't get it after the Marlowe hint. It's not terribly hard to google a list of plays. I think the Spain update comes next time.
Duke_of_BOOM! - I'm actually hoping to do a lot more logistics stuff next time as I found a ton of Chinese truck pictures. Having a good idea for a map or picture is generally what makes me buckle down and write an update. (Though those Moscow ones take a while so I'm glad to be done with them. 1 .psd file, 19 layers.)
And an update!
Nathan Madian - then Merry Christmas!
Meadow - I'm still waiting for the Allies to pull their weight. They don't want to. I think it's a consequence of the US being a co belligerent but not part of the Allies. As for the Chinese perspective, it's largely true. The fighting and the dying by allied countries is ranked then the order goes 1) USSR 2) China and no one else comes close. In this timeline, the Chinese position vis a vis the western Allies is much stronger. There are actually two really big sources of conflict post war. 1) the Chinese state's recognition and diplomatic support for decolonization movements and 2) you'll just have to wait.
Maj. von Mauser - Finland is not a fun place to fight. I haven't committed that many troops to it and the terrain is designed to be perfect for a defender.
Wally Wals - He didn't just have plans, he technically started the invasion, he just died two weeks after starting the march. It was really the only logical place for him to go. His entire empire and political control was based on plundering other nations. Without plunder, he couldn't pay his armies and the only place with any money after he had rampaged across the Middle East, Central Asia and India was Ming China. Europe at the time, as always during the middle ages, was protected by a wall of poverty that kept non European invaders from even bothering.
I was surprised everyone didn't get it after the Marlowe hint. It's not terribly hard to google a list of plays. I think the Spain update comes next time.
Duke_of_BOOM! - I'm actually hoping to do a lot more logistics stuff next time as I found a ton of Chinese truck pictures. Having a good idea for a map or picture is generally what makes me buckle down and write an update. (Though those Moscow ones take a while so I'm glad to be done with them. 1 .psd file, 19 layers.)
And an update!
32年 2月 21日
The German front in the center was gradually rolling back with the victory at Orsha.
32年 2月 22日
Moscow's defenses were rapidly crumbling. as every single person able to carry a rifle had been drafted. It seemed like the Russians would not be able to resist one more push.
The Soviet troops outside of Moscow proper had crawled out to surrender en masse to Chinese soldiers a week earlier. The outer two rings of the Lenin Line had been breached and all that remained was to attack the innermost and strongest line of fortifications. Soviet soldiers and their heavy equipment were almost completely out of fuel and ammunition. Three months into the siege, communist authorities had instructed the citizens to save their urine for the manufacture of explosives.
At the same time, attacks were launched against the city of Minsk. The Germans in the city were unexpectedly well organized. What was supposed to be a formality had become a grueling house to house battle.
32年 2月 23日
The battle for Minsk was resulting in far too many casualties. The Chinese forces were to hold their positions and wait for either a better opportunity or for other forces to surround the city. The bitter February cold was slowing offensive operations to a crawl and there was very little anyone could do about it.
32年 2月 24日
Soviet resistance was bordering on fanatical. Soviet soldiers systematically destroyed miles of their own roadway and Chinese soldiers were shocked to as news of a disturbing practice rippled through the lines. Certain Soviet soldiers were equipped with backpacks carrying crude explosives and were blowing themselves up after feigning death or when surrendering to Chinese troops. It was unclear whether the bombs were voluntary or controlled by timers but the fear of "Suicide Sergei" was profound. Chinese high command reluctantly called off the offensive. It would not be resumed until they had a plan to make sure that occupying Moscow would not lead to the massacre of the civilian population by Soviet troops trying to turn them into living booby traps or by Chinese soldiers who feared just that eventuality.
The disappearance of the Luftwaffe over occupied Russia had led to complacency among the Republic of China Airforce. German commanders on the ground were becoming more and more desperate in their calls for fighter cover as spring approached. Both Hitler and Goering turned deaf ears. British night raids were penetrating the skies over Germany proper and "the sacred defense of the Reich" was far more important than shooting up some Chinese tin cans over Russia. Out of sheer desperation, General der Jadgflieger, Adolf Galland came up with a daring plan. Unable to secure the permanent commitment of large amounts of fighters, he bargained with Goering for a three week transfer of almost 400 planes and their ace pilots from France. The Germans knew that the ROCAF had severe coordination problems. Many air wing commanders, especially in the bomber arms, had come up flying planes in provincial armies and certain army generals, like Bai Chongxi, would requisition bomber wings based on personal ties with commanders without going through Airforce General headquarters. As Airforce General Headquarters, (空軍總司令部) was in charge of coordinating air superiority over the entire front, they often would fail to notice that a bomber wing was moving outside of defensive air cover.
The Germans had a good enough understanding of Chinese radio traffic to know when a fighter wing was given knew orders and also which areas were the responsibility of which air wings. The Luftwaffe plan called for German planes to wait for a bomber wing to sortie and hit it with an overwhelming number of fighters before Airforce General Headquarters realized that the bombers had moved. The idea of a lightning bolt from a clear sky that left the ROCAF terrified and relied on only a temporary commitment of German airpower was immensely appealing to Goering. Operation Plötzliche Sturm (Sudden Storm) was approved.
On February 24, the Germans found their moment as over 400 Chinese B-25's were hit by a nearly equal amount of Bf-109's. The accompanying P-51 escort was simply to small to fend off the Germans as they dived out of the clouds. In the end, the operation was a stunning success, with over 120 Chinese planes lost in exchange for 15 109's.
The wreckage of a Chinese bomber under guard until it can be dismantled.
32年 3月 1日
The reoccupation of Romania proceeded apace. Chinese Pabing divisions were able to secure the passes through the Carpathians with little opposition.
32年 3月 4日
Chinese troops were poised to cross the Bug and liberate occupied Poland. German forces were starting to feel the squeeze as the numerical disparity between them and the advancing Chinese forces was coming to a head. Germany's efforts to stem the tide were hampered by the frozen river, as Chinese forces were able to cross at will while avoiding the Germans' strong points at the bridges.
If the Germans had expected to stop Chinese air activity over the Russian front, they were disabused of that notion after the attack on Minsk with vast amounts of air support. The Germans defenders were suffering from attrition and exposure as Chinese bombardment had reduced much of the city to rubble,
The victory would be swift in coming as German troops were ordered to evacuate the ruined city.
The frozen temperatures had wrecked havoc among German vehicles and they were simply unable to cover all the ground they had to defend. The symbolic first German retreat from Poland was an event celebrated among the Allied and neutral capitals of Europe.
Chinese troops on American made jeeps rolling past the wreckage of an advanced German tank.
32年 3月 6日
China's synthetic oil production was gradually increasing and it looked like the war would end sooner then most anyone had anticipated. In a speech before the House of Lords, Winston Churchill would remark, "as the farmer must plan for his fields before the harsh bite of winter gives way, so too must we plan for the summer of peace that approaches." The Chinese high command was taking no chances however, and plans were being made for how to fight a protracted war across northern Europe should Nazi resistance prove stiffer than anticipated.
32年 3月 9日
Mass desertions among Soviet troops were becoming commonplace around Moscow. The weather, while still freezing, had gotten warm enough that Soviet soldiers were willing to risk the 10 km trek across open country to Chinese lines. These soldiers had given an account of the true direness of the Soviet situation with regards to fuel and ammunition and the Chinese General Staff concurred that now was the time to make another push on Moscow.
The Soviet defense had simply run out of steam the 100,000 troops still manning the fortifications were too exhausted to fight. Even if they weren't ammunition shortages had gotten so bad that some soldiers were literally reduced to throwing rocks at the advancing Chinese troops. The lines north of the city were the first to be breached and that was what sealed the city's doom. The fortifications on the southern and eastern sides had held so the Soviets had ordered those troops to the northern edge of the city to stop the advancing Chinese. When the line weakened, Chinese soldiers were able to breach the outer ring and those soldiers that remained began to surrender en masse. The commissars were forced to look on helplessly as the pistols they used to keep discipline had long since ran out of ammunition.
Soviet resistance had officially collapsed and all that remained was for soldiers to secure the government offices, find high government officials, and start organizing how to feed the starving populace.
Chinese soldier showing off the DP-27 infantry machine guns captured by the 2nd Battalion, Third Brigade of the 15th division. They are likely destined for employment in the field as Chinese soldiers, especially ones from pre unification divisions, were initially trained on Russian or German machine guns.
32年 3月 11日
German resistance in Finland was stronger than anticipated. The myriad small lakes and dense forests had made it a war of infiltration. Both German and Chinese forces sought each other out among the trees and the snow would muffle the sounds until the opposing soldiers were right on top of one another. German soldiers were determined not to let Chinese forces secure there position on the west side of Lake Saimaa.
Another Chance for a minor encirclement was seized in the forests of Northern Russia with Chinese mobile divisions racing to capture the north flanks of the German position in Pskov.
The Soviet Union officially surrendered on March 11, 1943. Stalin was found dead in a Kremlin basement of a gunshot wound to the head. It was unclear whether it was by his own hand or another Russian official who pulled the trigger. What was known was the final failure of the communist experiment in Russia. The Soviet Union would be dismantled into its constituent republics for the most part with some exceptions. Germany had declared war on the Soviets on August 2nd of 1941, followed by the Chinese declaration 13 days later. The corrupt party apparatchiks fought to preserve their autocratic rule, while the Germans sought to destroy all in their path. The Chinese war aims had been more limited initially, but had become more ambitious. Discoveries in Siberia had made the possibility of a German or Soviet victory equally unpalatable and Chinese war aims had expanded until their could be no possibility of either occurrence.
Hitler was ecstatic about the news while his generals were most certainly not. Hitler gave the Chinese even less regard than he had the Russians and remained convinced that the ineptitude of his generals was all that kept the Wehrmacht from forcing the Chinese to scurry back to Asia. For the the commanders on the ground and on the General Staff. The news was apocalyptic. The Moscow pocket had kept 800,000 Chinese soldiers away from German lines and they were going to come rushing forward in the next few weeks.
Chinese soldiers from the 72nd Infantry Division celebrating after the fall of Moscow.
The news would only get worse as the long awaited surrender of Heeresgruppe Nord and its more than 300,000 soldiers became official. Years later, historian Gerhard L. Weinberg, would write, "Inside German war memoirs, there is a consistent and marked change after March 11th, 1943. The capture of Heersgruppe Nord had been foreseen with many German generals advising that Hitler pull the armies back from the gates of Moscow after Leningrad had fallen to the Chinese. This was of course refused. To retreat from the siege of Moscow would be to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory," according to a Goebbels speech before the Reichstag in late 1942. Generals who questioned the decision were summarily demoted with one, Schweppenburg, actually both demoted and executed for high treason after he started pulling his division back towards German lines.
Contrary to popular belief, the Moscow pocket was not the largest German defeat of the war. Both the battles of Kharkov in July of 1942 and the siege of Perekop one month later had captured a larger number of German soldiers. It's position as 'the turning point of the Eastern front' is largely a combination of western historical bias as well as it being the largest encirclement entirely attributable to Hitler's amateur generalship. Any lieutenant with access to a map in late 1942 would have known that the Germans around Moscow were in danger of being cut off. Unlike previous Chinese pockets, this one had not been accomplished by mobile divisions and was largely unplanned. According to the memoirs of many senior Chinese officers, including First Class Generals Long Yun and Luo Zhuoying, the orders for the armies in the center and the north to link up were not discussed until December of 1942 following the Chinese conquest of Leningrad. At the time, it was thought that the Germans would pull their lines back should Leningrad or Smolensk fall to the advancing Chinese as these cities anchored the northern and southern flanks of Heeresgruppe Nord. Both cities fell far quicker than the Chinese or the Germans had anticipated fulfilling OKW's worst nightmares.
Sullen and starved German prisoners line up after surrendering on the outskirts of Toropets.
32年 3月 12日
In the surrender agreement with the Soviet Union was a clause to recognize all Chinese claims and to void the treaty of Aigun and the Convention of Beijing which had ceded outer Manchuria to Russia.
While the Germans in the South were collapsing, the Finnish front was surprisingly resilient. German forces operating in the forests across the Saimaa had successfully forced the Chinese back to the east shore of the lake.
The days were numbered for the last Soviet on Earth. Chinese forces met and a engaged the few Finnish forces that were still fighting in the forests of Jyvaskylla.
32年 3月 13日
The Finnish front would become the one bright spot for the Germans in March as the Wehrmacht forces dissolved the Finnish Soviet and officially took control of the entire country.
A lone German soldier peers down an icy Finnish road, on the lookout for advancing Chinese troops.
CHINESE QUIZ!: China was frequently the only export customer for many European Machine guns during the 30's. Some of these guns are largely unknown outside of China. Find and post pictures of a ZB26, ZE70, Lahti and the DP - 26 as well as their countries of origin. (That last ones a gimme!）
The German front in the center was gradually rolling back with the victory at Orsha.
32年 2月 22日
Moscow's defenses were rapidly crumbling. as every single person able to carry a rifle had been drafted. It seemed like the Russians would not be able to resist one more push.
The Soviet troops outside of Moscow proper had crawled out to surrender en masse to Chinese soldiers a week earlier. The outer two rings of the Lenin Line had been breached and all that remained was to attack the innermost and strongest line of fortifications. Soviet soldiers and their heavy equipment were almost completely out of fuel and ammunition. Three months into the siege, communist authorities had instructed the citizens to save their urine for the manufacture of explosives.
At the same time, attacks were launched against the city of Minsk. The Germans in the city were unexpectedly well organized. What was supposed to be a formality had become a grueling house to house battle.
32年 2月 23日
The battle for Minsk was resulting in far too many casualties. The Chinese forces were to hold their positions and wait for either a better opportunity or for other forces to surround the city. The bitter February cold was slowing offensive operations to a crawl and there was very little anyone could do about it.
32年 2月 24日
Soviet resistance was bordering on fanatical. Soviet soldiers systematically destroyed miles of their own roadway and Chinese soldiers were shocked to as news of a disturbing practice rippled through the lines. Certain Soviet soldiers were equipped with backpacks carrying crude explosives and were blowing themselves up after feigning death or when surrendering to Chinese troops. It was unclear whether the bombs were voluntary or controlled by timers but the fear of "Suicide Sergei" was profound. Chinese high command reluctantly called off the offensive. It would not be resumed until they had a plan to make sure that occupying Moscow would not lead to the massacre of the civilian population by Soviet troops trying to turn them into living booby traps or by Chinese soldiers who feared just that eventuality.
The disappearance of the Luftwaffe over occupied Russia had led to complacency among the Republic of China Airforce. German commanders on the ground were becoming more and more desperate in their calls for fighter cover as spring approached. Both Hitler and Goering turned deaf ears. British night raids were penetrating the skies over Germany proper and "the sacred defense of the Reich" was far more important than shooting up some Chinese tin cans over Russia. Out of sheer desperation, General der Jadgflieger, Adolf Galland came up with a daring plan. Unable to secure the permanent commitment of large amounts of fighters, he bargained with Goering for a three week transfer of almost 400 planes and their ace pilots from France. The Germans knew that the ROCAF had severe coordination problems. Many air wing commanders, especially in the bomber arms, had come up flying planes in provincial armies and certain army generals, like Bai Chongxi, would requisition bomber wings based on personal ties with commanders without going through Airforce General headquarters. As Airforce General Headquarters, (空軍總司令部) was in charge of coordinating air superiority over the entire front, they often would fail to notice that a bomber wing was moving outside of defensive air cover.
The Germans had a good enough understanding of Chinese radio traffic to know when a fighter wing was given knew orders and also which areas were the responsibility of which air wings. The Luftwaffe plan called for German planes to wait for a bomber wing to sortie and hit it with an overwhelming number of fighters before Airforce General Headquarters realized that the bombers had moved. The idea of a lightning bolt from a clear sky that left the ROCAF terrified and relied on only a temporary commitment of German airpower was immensely appealing to Goering. Operation Plötzliche Sturm (Sudden Storm) was approved.
On February 24, the Germans found their moment as over 400 Chinese B-25's were hit by a nearly equal amount of Bf-109's. The accompanying P-51 escort was simply to small to fend off the Germans as they dived out of the clouds. In the end, the operation was a stunning success, with over 120 Chinese planes lost in exchange for 15 109's.
The wreckage of a Chinese bomber under guard until it can be dismantled.
32年 3月 1日
The reoccupation of Romania proceeded apace. Chinese Pabing divisions were able to secure the passes through the Carpathians with little opposition.
32年 3月 4日
Chinese troops were poised to cross the Bug and liberate occupied Poland. German forces were starting to feel the squeeze as the numerical disparity between them and the advancing Chinese forces was coming to a head. Germany's efforts to stem the tide were hampered by the frozen river, as Chinese forces were able to cross at will while avoiding the Germans' strong points at the bridges.
If the Germans had expected to stop Chinese air activity over the Russian front, they were disabused of that notion after the attack on Minsk with vast amounts of air support. The Germans defenders were suffering from attrition and exposure as Chinese bombardment had reduced much of the city to rubble,
The victory would be swift in coming as German troops were ordered to evacuate the ruined city.
The frozen temperatures had wrecked havoc among German vehicles and they were simply unable to cover all the ground they had to defend. The symbolic first German retreat from Poland was an event celebrated among the Allied and neutral capitals of Europe.
Chinese troops on American made jeeps rolling past the wreckage of an advanced German tank.
32年 3月 6日
China's synthetic oil production was gradually increasing and it looked like the war would end sooner then most anyone had anticipated. In a speech before the House of Lords, Winston Churchill would remark, "as the farmer must plan for his fields before the harsh bite of winter gives way, so too must we plan for the summer of peace that approaches." The Chinese high command was taking no chances however, and plans were being made for how to fight a protracted war across northern Europe should Nazi resistance prove stiffer than anticipated.
32年 3月 9日
Mass desertions among Soviet troops were becoming commonplace around Moscow. The weather, while still freezing, had gotten warm enough that Soviet soldiers were willing to risk the 10 km trek across open country to Chinese lines. These soldiers had given an account of the true direness of the Soviet situation with regards to fuel and ammunition and the Chinese General Staff concurred that now was the time to make another push on Moscow.
The Soviet defense had simply run out of steam the 100,000 troops still manning the fortifications were too exhausted to fight. Even if they weren't ammunition shortages had gotten so bad that some soldiers were literally reduced to throwing rocks at the advancing Chinese troops. The lines north of the city were the first to be breached and that was what sealed the city's doom. The fortifications on the southern and eastern sides had held so the Soviets had ordered those troops to the northern edge of the city to stop the advancing Chinese. When the line weakened, Chinese soldiers were able to breach the outer ring and those soldiers that remained began to surrender en masse. The commissars were forced to look on helplessly as the pistols they used to keep discipline had long since ran out of ammunition.
Soviet resistance had officially collapsed and all that remained was for soldiers to secure the government offices, find high government officials, and start organizing how to feed the starving populace.
Chinese soldier showing off the DP-27 infantry machine guns captured by the 2nd Battalion, Third Brigade of the 15th division. They are likely destined for employment in the field as Chinese soldiers, especially ones from pre unification divisions, were initially trained on Russian or German machine guns.
32年 3月 11日
German resistance in Finland was stronger than anticipated. The myriad small lakes and dense forests had made it a war of infiltration. Both German and Chinese forces sought each other out among the trees and the snow would muffle the sounds until the opposing soldiers were right on top of one another. German soldiers were determined not to let Chinese forces secure there position on the west side of Lake Saimaa.
Another Chance for a minor encirclement was seized in the forests of Northern Russia with Chinese mobile divisions racing to capture the north flanks of the German position in Pskov.
The Soviet Union officially surrendered on March 11, 1943. Stalin was found dead in a Kremlin basement of a gunshot wound to the head. It was unclear whether it was by his own hand or another Russian official who pulled the trigger. What was known was the final failure of the communist experiment in Russia. The Soviet Union would be dismantled into its constituent republics for the most part with some exceptions. Germany had declared war on the Soviets on August 2nd of 1941, followed by the Chinese declaration 13 days later. The corrupt party apparatchiks fought to preserve their autocratic rule, while the Germans sought to destroy all in their path. The Chinese war aims had been more limited initially, but had become more ambitious. Discoveries in Siberia had made the possibility of a German or Soviet victory equally unpalatable and Chinese war aims had expanded until their could be no possibility of either occurrence.
Hitler was ecstatic about the news while his generals were most certainly not. Hitler gave the Chinese even less regard than he had the Russians and remained convinced that the ineptitude of his generals was all that kept the Wehrmacht from forcing the Chinese to scurry back to Asia. For the the commanders on the ground and on the General Staff. The news was apocalyptic. The Moscow pocket had kept 800,000 Chinese soldiers away from German lines and they were going to come rushing forward in the next few weeks.
Chinese soldiers from the 72nd Infantry Division celebrating after the fall of Moscow.
The news would only get worse as the long awaited surrender of Heeresgruppe Nord and its more than 300,000 soldiers became official. Years later, historian Gerhard L. Weinberg, would write, "Inside German war memoirs, there is a consistent and marked change after March 11th, 1943. The capture of Heersgruppe Nord had been foreseen with many German generals advising that Hitler pull the armies back from the gates of Moscow after Leningrad had fallen to the Chinese. This was of course refused. To retreat from the siege of Moscow would be to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory," according to a Goebbels speech before the Reichstag in late 1942. Generals who questioned the decision were summarily demoted with one, Schweppenburg, actually both demoted and executed for high treason after he started pulling his division back towards German lines.
Contrary to popular belief, the Moscow pocket was not the largest German defeat of the war. Both the battles of Kharkov in July of 1942 and the siege of Perekop one month later had captured a larger number of German soldiers. It's position as 'the turning point of the Eastern front' is largely a combination of western historical bias as well as it being the largest encirclement entirely attributable to Hitler's amateur generalship. Any lieutenant with access to a map in late 1942 would have known that the Germans around Moscow were in danger of being cut off. Unlike previous Chinese pockets, this one had not been accomplished by mobile divisions and was largely unplanned. According to the memoirs of many senior Chinese officers, including First Class Generals Long Yun and Luo Zhuoying, the orders for the armies in the center and the north to link up were not discussed until December of 1942 following the Chinese conquest of Leningrad. At the time, it was thought that the Germans would pull their lines back should Leningrad or Smolensk fall to the advancing Chinese as these cities anchored the northern and southern flanks of Heeresgruppe Nord. Both cities fell far quicker than the Chinese or the Germans had anticipated fulfilling OKW's worst nightmares.
Sullen and starved German prisoners line up after surrendering on the outskirts of Toropets.
32年 3月 12日
In the surrender agreement with the Soviet Union was a clause to recognize all Chinese claims and to void the treaty of Aigun and the Convention of Beijing which had ceded outer Manchuria to Russia.
While the Germans in the South were collapsing, the Finnish front was surprisingly resilient. German forces operating in the forests across the Saimaa had successfully forced the Chinese back to the east shore of the lake.
The days were numbered for the last Soviet on Earth. Chinese forces met and a engaged the few Finnish forces that were still fighting in the forests of Jyvaskylla.
32年 3月 13日
The Finnish front would become the one bright spot for the Germans in March as the Wehrmacht forces dissolved the Finnish Soviet and officially took control of the entire country.
A lone German soldier peers down an icy Finnish road, on the lookout for advancing Chinese troops.
CHINESE QUIZ!: China was frequently the only export customer for many European Machine guns during the 30's. Some of these guns are largely unknown outside of China. Find and post pictures of a ZB26, ZE70, Lahti and the DP - 26 as well as their countries of origin. (That last ones a gimme!）
So finally, the USSR is no more! I'm looking forward to ho the Germans react to those extra 800,000 Chinese soldiers!
Seems to be shaping up to be a terrific year. The destruction of the Comintern, the first liberation of Allied soil, catastrophic losses for the Axis, and plenty of time left in the campaign season.
Congats on defeating the Soviets! I look forward to seeing what will become of the Soviet Union.
Good AAR 
I remember a friend of mine who played China. By 1942 he'd turned it literally into an IC powerhouse after LOADS of serial IC runs so that by 42, China rivaled the the US in terms of IC :rofl:
And China has stupid amounts of manpower to burn, even alot more than the Soviets....if Nat China is lead properly and built up from the ground up in 36....who on earth can stop them?
I'd like to see a Nat China powerhouse goe toe to toe with the US and see who comes out on top. Simply for manpower reasons, my money would be on China.
I remember a friend of mine who played China. By 1942 he'd turned it literally into an IC powerhouse after LOADS of serial IC runs so that by 42, China rivaled the the US in terms of IC :rofl:
And China has stupid amounts of manpower to burn, even alot more than the Soviets....if Nat China is lead properly and built up from the ground up in 36....who on earth can stop them?
I'd like to see a Nat China powerhouse goe toe to toe with the US and see who comes out on top. Simply for manpower reasons, my money would be on China.
Czechoslovakian ZB-26
Finnish LS-26
Soviet DP-26
Swiss KE-7
ZE-70 is an alternate designation...
Finnish LS-26
Soviet DP-26
Swiss KE-7
ZE-70 is an alternate designation...
Victory over the bolsheviks! To Berlin and beyond!
Also, to honour this wonderfully deatiled, informative, well-written, and all round brilliant AAR,
I award you the honour of a Lord Strange Cookie of British Awesomeness ●
You may now place it in your signature, as a sign to all of the wonder of your AAR.
Also, to honour this wonderfully deatiled, informative, well-written, and all round brilliant AAR,
I award you the honour of a Lord Strange Cookie of British Awesomeness ●
You may now place it in your signature, as a sign to all of the wonder of your AAR.
I hope that Finland will prove to be nothing but a speedbump on the way to Berlin. But that aside... those were some quite impressive victories over the Commu-Nazis! Hopefully it'll not be long till Hitler's body is found in a basement
Maj. von Mauser - You Win! I was trying to find a picture of the ZE-70 and I couldn't so I decided to punt it to all of you. As for the Soviets, thank god. I hate taking down the Moscow pocket. It's the worst pocket place in the game.
great_chairman - Good try but look at the Major. Pictures and country of origin.
Duke_of_BOOM! - I like to start early. If only the allies would get off their butts and help in Spain. Right now, nothing....
Nathan Madien - I haven't figured out yet how to explain all of the post war stuff. Russian political parties are not my expertise.
ddiplock - I think my IC whoring was hampered by the need to build a real navy to fight Japan. As for the US vs. China in this game. I would put money on neither of them. With two equal players, the Chinese will not be able to sink America's navy. America's vast tech advantage will keep it several levels above in terms of air and sea power and prevent the Chinese from taking them down. It's a "for want of a nail." For the Chinese player, they have to hit America's ships, to hit America's ships, they have to hit America's planes. To hit America's planes, they have to outnumber America's planes. Much harder to do with airfields and the force limits.
America won''t be able to beat the Chinese on land as China can force the Americans to spread if they can get a landing. An inherently risky thing, as that is the one time China will be able to hit America's ships.
Lord Strange - I will treasure it forever and display it with pride.
Milites - Hitler's body is going to be stuffed with blackpowder and launched during the victory fireworks display.
great_chairman - Good try but look at the Major. Pictures and country of origin.
Duke_of_BOOM! - I like to start early. If only the allies would get off their butts and help in Spain. Right now, nothing....
Nathan Madien - I haven't figured out yet how to explain all of the post war stuff. Russian political parties are not my expertise.
ddiplock - I think my IC whoring was hampered by the need to build a real navy to fight Japan. As for the US vs. China in this game. I would put money on neither of them. With two equal players, the Chinese will not be able to sink America's navy. America's vast tech advantage will keep it several levels above in terms of air and sea power and prevent the Chinese from taking them down. It's a "for want of a nail." For the Chinese player, they have to hit America's ships, to hit America's ships, they have to hit America's planes. To hit America's planes, they have to outnumber America's planes. Much harder to do with airfields and the force limits.
America won''t be able to beat the Chinese on land as China can force the Americans to spread if they can get a landing. An inherently risky thing, as that is the one time China will be able to hit America's ships.
Lord Strange - I will treasure it forever and display it with pride.
Milites - Hitler's body is going to be stuffed with blackpowder and launched during the victory fireworks display.