Defenders of Freedom and Democracy - A Democratic German AAR

**Tommy4ever** · 06-12-2008 20:32

This is my first ever attempt at an AAR, I have lurked these forums for a while now and after reading some brillaint AARs I've decided to give it a go myself.

This game will follow a Democratic Germany in a Europe dominated by Communism. My first three updates will give backstory and from then on it will be gameplay. I am writing in a sort of historybook style but might deviate at some point (and might not).

Anyway here is the first update, it will cover how Communism spread through the Europe

**Tommy4ever** · 06-12-2008 20:32

The Red Sea

After the Russian people overthrow their Imperial rulers the oppressed people’s of the world were given hope. The interbellum years would see the Worldwide Revolution spread throughout Europe.

Hungary

In the March of 1919 Bela Kun led revolutionary forces against the young democratic government of Hungary. After a quick victory he renamed the nation the Hungarian Soviet Republic and made plans for invasions of both Slovakia and Transylvania in order to reclaim land lost by Hungary at Versailles. The Hungarian Politburo assessed the chances of the Hungarian Revolutionary army and came to the conclusion that a war would mean destruction for the state. So on April 8th 1919 in a day of terror Kun and 59 of his high ranking supporters were arrested and executed as enemies of the Revolution. Lazlo Rakj was then made Premier of the Hungarian Soviet Republic. Rakj looked to help spread the revolution worldwide and supplied aid to Communist movements throughout Europe. However he also launched the infamous Order 12 within weeks of seizing power; over 8,000 wealthy Hungarians were executed as enemies of the Revolution and tens of thousands of others fled to neighbouring states.

Yugoslavia

After WWI a new state was created in the Balkans known as the Kingdom Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. After the succession of Serbian Nationalist Peter II many widely unpopular highly conservative reforms were launched throughout the Kingdom. The Communist Party of Yugoslavia gained more and more support particularly amongst the Croats in the West of the country. In 1922 the party won a landslide electoral victory with almost 60% of the vote. But Peter II outlawed the party and called for the arrest of all their leaders. Whilst most of the party gave in to military force Josip Broz (better known as Tito) escaped to the Slovenian mountains where he began a brutal guerrilla war against the State Army. The Hungarian Soviet Republic provided Tito with the arms to wage his war. Over the next three years the State Army suffered defeat after defeat throughout Slovenia; in November 1925 Peter II ordered the withdrawal of the army from most of Northern Slovenia. Now unable to fight the State Army on his own terms Tito began reorganising his force into a standing army. In the spring of 1926 he launched a colossal offensive against the State Army. The success of this operation would surpass even the most optimistic military planner’s expectations as the State Army was completely crushed. As Tito now advanced at will against what reserves the State Army had left Peter II abdicated and fled to Rumania. Tito would enter Belgrade only a few days later and proclaim the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. Tito’s regime was quickly invited into the newly forming Comintern but would follow Lenin’s more liberal ideals rather than the more hard line policies in Hungary and the USSR.

France

The Great Depression hit France hard and in the face of massive unemployment Maurice Thorez was elected Prime Minister of France, in 1930, at the head of a Popular Front Government (an alliance of Communists and Socialists). He would soon begin massive public work schemes and create an extensive social welfare legislation. Within a year of assuming power Thorez had brought unemployment back to the levels of the mid 1920s when the French economy was booming. Now with massive popular support Thorez decided to launch an election in 1932, the Communist Party was now able to form a government without the Socialists and Thorez decided to dissolve the French parliament and give full control of the country to the Communist Party. Thorez then invited fellow Communist leaders to the first annual meeting of the Comintern to be held in Paris, representatives from Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, Mongolia and Hungary met and agreed on unified foreign and economic policies in an unprecedented act of unity throughout the Communist world.

Italy

Through the German Civil War Mussolini invested massive sums in the Nazi Party’s war effort. Almost 10% of Italian Government Spending in 1933 was in aid for Hitler’s war effort. This was a massively unpopular move throughout Italy and after the Munich massacres in the summer of 1934 wide spread revolts against the Fascist regime spread throughout Italy. Palmiro Togliatti, head of the Communist Party of Italy (exiled since 1926) returned to Italy to lead the mounting revolution. Revolutionary forces would seize Rome on November 21st, and the Italian army split the anti-Communist forces remained loyal to Mussolini and fled into the North. These forces were able to hold Togliatti armies from overrunning Northern Italy but were unable to prevent public opinion rapidly turning against them. On the 2nd of April 1935 a crowd in Milan stormed Mussolini’s house, dragging him into the streets and publicly lynching the leader of the world Fascist movement. Within days the anti-Communist armies would surrender and Togliatti proclaimed the People’s Republic of Italy.

By 1936 The Worldwide Revolution had spread over much of Europe, under the leadership the Comintern aimed to bring the Communism to every nation on earth, whether through election or the strength of arms.

**Mico94** · 06-12-2008 21:29

sounds nice.
43 dissent. ouch!

**Hatuke** · 06-12-2008 21:39

So we basically got Germany and UK VS Europe and Asia? I dig

**trekaddict** · 06-12-2008 21:41

I did something similar a long while back, I will follow.

**rocky43** · 06-12-2008 21:43

Great idea.

**belgum rules** · 06-12-2008 21:50

Originally Posted by Hatuke

So we basically got Germany and UK VS Europe and Asia? I dig

No you got all the minors that havent turned commie and maybe Japan

OOOh a truly awesome alliance. And also france's colonies what well happen to them well they revolt or not this well be intresting.

Subscribed

**Hatuke** · 06-12-2008 21:57

Most minors are in Eastern Europe, meaning dangerously close to Yugoslavia, USSR and Italy. So if they stay in the war for more then a month, they deserve a freaking Iron Knight Cross for every soldier.

**Tommy4ever** · 06-12-2008 22:03

Hatuke was right, its UK and Germany vs most of the rest of Europe. I'll be all alone fighting in Europe.

I'm not sure what is going to happen with Japan but I really doubt they will fight on my side.

Anyway don't want to give too much away, the next update will concern the German Civil War.

**belgum rules** · 07-12-2008 01:25

well then what are the low countries and I forgot about the USA and the commonwealth countries

this should be an interesting AAR

**Quanto** · 07-12-2008 01:39

I love this idea already, you should seek an alliance with Nat. China and the USA. Chang Kai-shek is already fighting Mao, I'm sure he'll welcome some help from Deutschland.

**Teep** · 07-12-2008 01:44

Is there an axis at all or is it just Comintern Vs 'Allies'?

**Tommy4ever** · 07-12-2008 09:48

Axis doesn't exist, and I wont join the Allies for awhile because it doesn't make sense in my story. I will tell you this much there will be more Commintern meber before it all kicks off.

**Tommy4ever** · 07-12-2008 22:05

really massive update coming up

**Tommy4ever** · 07-12-2008 22:13

The German Civil War

In 1932 Paul von Hindenburg had narrowly defeated Adolf Hitler. He was now under considerable pressure to appoint Hitler Germany’s Chancellor. But in January 1933 he received a poignant piece of advice from his old friend and colleague from the Great War, Erich Ludendorff:

‘’By appointing Hitler Chancellor of the Reich, you will have handed over our sacred German Fatherland to one of the greatest demagogues of all time. I prophesy to you this evil man will plunge our Reich into the abyss and will inflict immeasurable woe on our nation. Future generations will curse you in your grave for this action.’’

Hindenburg knew that denying the Nazis power would likely lead to bloodshed within Germany. The SA, the Nazi Party’s paramilitary force was more than five times larger than the German army (limited to 100,000 by Versailles) and would likely be used to seize power if Hindenburg denied them position after the election. Hindenburg replied to his friend by asking that he return from retirement to lead Germany’s armies and protect the Republic from any enemy. Ludendorff’s accepting of the agreement was followed by the appointing of Otto Meissner as Chancellor. This caused great furry throughout Germany as large protests were organized by Nazi supporters and an emergency meeting of all SA members was called in Munich. In response Hindenbrug ordered the mobilization of the Reichswehr.

Some time passed and it seemed tension was receding but on March 5th 1933 Hitler launched the second Munich putsch. SA forces took control of all military controlled areas in Bavaria and large portions of the Reichswehr (lead by General Schoner) in Bavaria defected to the newly formed Nazi government. The Nazi forced then launched a two pronged attack; Ernst Rohm, head of the SA, led a massive force of approximately 150,000 heavily armed Brown shirts (a force one and a half times the size of the entire Riechswehr) in an offensive against the Saar. Schoner would lead a slightly weaker army in a large push North East towards Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin. Nazi military planners believed that the success of the attacks would force Hindenburg to surrender and allow Hitler to take control of all Germany. Elsewhere in Germany opportunists took their chance to try and break from Germany as Polish nationalists rose up in Silesia and East Prussia, whilst Communist began major revolts in the Northern cities of Hamburg and Bremen.

- Black line – extent of initial Nazi territory
- Red dots – Major Communist Uprisings
- Yellow Slashes – Polish Nationalist Uprisings
- Black Arrows – Nazi Offensives

In the face of Rohm advance into the Saar the Riechswehr was given special permission to send forces into the previously De-militarised zone in order to protect It from the Nazis. Ludendorff was scrambled to protect the area given an army of 33,000 men. Ludendorff’s army would halt Rohm’s advance at Kaiserslautern. Rohm would commit more and more troops into the battle for the city but with superior firepower Ludendorff was able to prevent the Nazi army from taking the city. Meanwhile in the East Schoner’s advance was much more successful as he defeated al Riechswehr forces in his path claiming Leipzig with only minimal casualties. Fearing for his safety in Berlin Hindenburg ordered the demolition of dozens of bridges along the Elbe and the tactic worked as Schoner was unable to cross the river and forced to halt his advance. Elsewhere the Communist rebellions were ruthlessly crushed and hundreds of rioters were shot. The Silesian rebellions were put down with minimal fuss but the garrison troops in East Prussia were pushed to the capital Koenigsberg. Unable to send any major force Hindenburg ordered the Kriegsmarine to send all spare sailors to Koenigsberg to hold the city.

After the failure of the Nazi offensive to topple Hindenburg’s government a series of trenches were set up across central Germany, through the Autumn and Winter of 1933 Ludendorff’s army slowly pushed Rohm’s army back towards the Rhine, Rohm’s failed offensive had cost 80,000 casualties and most of the Nazi army’s heavy equipment, now Hitler’s war machine was only kept going by the massive amounts of military supplies flowing across Austria from Mussolini’s Italy.

Fearing a repeat of the horrors of the Great War Reichswehr Generals were desperate to find a method of ending the current war of attrition. And in January 1934 Heinz Gudeiran and Erich von Manstein presented a plan to Hindenburg. Using large groups of motorized divisions and the entire Panzer force of the Reichswehr an army would break through the Nazi lines at a weak point just south of Frankfurt. The arm would then split one force (under General Rundtedt) racing southward towards Munich and another army (led by Von Manstein) with the entire Panzer force would move eastwards to capture Nuremberg and all supply lines to Schoner’s army based in Leipzig ad all the smaller army groups along the river Maine. Shortly after the breakthrough south of Frankfurt Ludendorff’s army would cross the Rhine, overwhelm Rohm’s army, forcing it to surrender before continuing on to take Stuttgart. With the bulk of the Nazi army cut off north of Von Manstein’s advance German forces would launch attacks all over the front and cause a mass capitulation on an epic scale. If the plan succeeded the Nazi revolution would be crushed forever.

- Black line – Front line
- Teal arrows – Actual Riechswehr advance
- Yellow slashes – Dissenting Polish regions

Hindenburg approved of the attack and the assault would be launched on May 1st. The success pf the new ‘Blitzkrieg’ tactic as it was being called was outstanding. By the end of June 300,000 Nazi troops had surrendered and all that was left in their control was a small area in South Eastern Bavaria. However they still held Munich and the new defensive line, named the Himmler Line after, the man who had overseen its hasty construction was seen as almost impenetrable. But now seeking a scapegoat for the great military failures of the Nazi army Adolf Hitler sent an army of Brown shirts into Munich to arrest enemies of the state. After they were met by rioting civilians the Brown shirts began firing on crowds, raiding homes and burning buildings. After two weeks of pillaging in the last major city in Nazi hands 15,000 civilians had been killed and thousands more were badly injured and homeless. This event was known as the Munich massacre and turned public opinion completely against Hitler in Germany and Mussolini in Italy who supplied the Nazi war machine. Military support to the Nazis from Italy was soon cut as Mussolini struggled to contain a rebellion within his own nation.

The now quickly expanding Luftwaffe had never been used for a really large scale operation in the war but Hindenburg had decided that trying to break through the Himmler line would be a pointless waste of life and ordered that the remnants of the Nazi state be destroyed through a great bombing campaign. After enduring months of destruction Adolf Hitler was killed in his home in the Bavarian mountains during one of the many bombing raids in the area on the 5th of December and the remaining Nazi officials would surrender their forces just a couple of days later.

Hindenburg ordered the dismantlement of the Himmler Line and an immediate military tribunal of the surviving Nazi leaders.