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Have I described them as mopving west? (Not impossible - I also get left and right confused - when navigating in a car I use "That way" with energetic gestures).

Or are you referring to the rivers that straggle across provinces so it looks as though the units are on the east side?

I'm referring to the crossing from Berehomet to Kolomia ^^ it seems to me that the push north along the river is more effective, especially seen the odds your tanks are up against.

:)
 
The tentative plan is to slowly build up speed to say five day updates. At the moment just trying to give some colour. Plus I find it very interesting what the Russian AI is doing.:rolleyes:

I can't be sure there is no uit within a province or two of Riga: my reconnaisance hasn't gone inland. And it is so critical to get a port I threw everything at it. 3rd Marines are to step in if the Red Army tries an attack on Jurmala to disrupt my attack.

I'd try to capture some ground around the attacking units with the 3rd Marines then, possibly even encircling Riga. That way you get more warning time in case the Soviets try something and you gain more room to maneuver as your units will move faster within "your" territory than if they had to march through hostile provinces. If you have instant ports available, now would be a good time to drop one of them.
 
The statistics are great Uriah, thanks for adding them in.

I'd like to second this statement. This level of detail is really awesome and gives a whole new level of story telling and in-depth analysis.


@Uriah: You're PM box is full and you can't recieve new messages unless you delete some of the old ones.
 
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My comment about the Italians and Athens was meant to be a joke. Guess it's hard to convey that.

On a serious note I thought a much riskier but stronger strategy might be to land the marines near Lenningrad and try to take the city. Use paratroops (I think they had the range) to seal the city off in the north. That would give the AI real problems as front line troops would move all over the map. TO me Riga is just a couple of provinces away and doesn't really offer much chance for trapping the red army or messing up their defenses. And that province to the north of Riga over the river is very important to capture to break the river defense line.
 
Why Italy is incapable of conduction two operations at once is a mystery.

I actually like this aspect. While it would be nice to see Italy steamroll the Greeks in game-terms, such an ahistorical result is really pushing it. Lets be honest, the Italian military and command structure just wasn't up to it. If you were to fully simulate this timeframe 10k times, they would only see such absolute victories way off in a tail of the distribution contributing a few percent of the outcomes.

Think about what's happening: it's April 1941 and the Italians are stuck, bogged down in Greece. They are racing across the Mediterranean coast, but this has it's genesis in the German intervention in Spain. Pretty f-in cool from an alternative history perspective, especially with a narrator like Uriah!

jju_57 said:
On a serious note I thought a much riskier but stronger strategy might be to land the marines near Lenningrad and try to take the city. Use paratroops (I think they had the range) to seal the city off in the north. That would give the AI real problems as front line troops would move all over the map.

Aww, come on! That's a little gamey.

Besides, don't abuse the AI too hard, it will abuse you back in the next decade! ;)
 
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War​


Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th April


My second day at what is being called the “OKW Annexe”. Apart from the fact that nearly everyone was in uniform and that as a result there was a plague of saluting, it was not all that different to the Reichskanzlei. Every day tonnes of paper were delivered, sorted and prepared for filing. I was right at home.

As usual, any completed research projects were on top of the pile. There was only one today, but bearing in mind the difficulty we seemed to have in putting down the smallest insurrection, it was timely. All second-line units are to be equipped with the 7.5cm le IG 18, so they will at least have a decent light artillery gun, even if they have been dragged from some forgotten storage facility. To further help keep the captured provinces peaceful, better suppression techniques are to be designed for use by our police brigades.

During the night the Luftwaffe had responded to General Hännicke’s pleas for help in crossing the Memel at Marijampole. Kirponos is easily holding 56. and 73.Infanterie on the south of the river, and casualties are mounting. Löhr’s Henschels were available and were prepared to mount attacks at night. They did inflict heavy losses on the defenders, but also saw the extent of Hännicke’s problem. He faced 10 infantry, 4 motorised, 2 cavalry and an armour brigade, backed by 2 artillery, 2 tank destroyer and an anti-tank regiment. It would take more than Löhr’s 200 dive bombers to clear the way.

Dörstling and Müller-Michels continued their assignments over Slobozia and Sniatyn respectively, with no real change, other than Müller-Michels reported that the three infantry brigades he had seen the day before had disappeared.

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Flying around the clock, hundreds of Junkers 88s are vital to our plan to crush the Soviets

The Jagdwaffe, stung by criticism from the commanders of the bomber geschwader, were searching for Soviet fighter formations. Christiansen became the prey when 4th Jagdfliegerkorps was ambushed over Tallinn airfields. Even with their faster and better armed aircraft our pilots were hard-pressed, outnumbered two to one and far from their own base. The situation became more dangerous as it became clear that the Russian commander Astakhov was quite experienced, and his skill at night fighting was proving to be decisive. Christiansen had no choice but to flee.

Yesterday Sarata was secure: today Behelendorff found his way forward blocked by another division. General Frenkel’s 130 Strelkovaya has interposed itself between Behlendorff’s three Gerbirgsjägers, buying time for the defeated 156 Strelkovaya to escape being overrun.

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Second Battle of Sarata

Von Förster must have advised Guderian’s HQ that he did not require further air support, because Müller-Michels and 5th Kampffleigerkorps did not return to Sniatyn. They were needed far more at Kolomyja, where Bock and Höpner were in real trouble. “Hindenberg” and “Krahe” flattened swathes of forest, killing nearly 300 men, but Aseichev still had 16 brigades and regiments and the dim forest with its thick undergrowth made perfect terrain to hold off the light tanks and infantry. His five regiments of tank destroyers made even the most reckless panzer crews think before moving down a forest trail.

At 7AM Christiansen returned to Tallinn, hoping that the daylight would give our Messerschmitts the advantage over Astakhov’s MiGs. Numbers were still the deciding factor, and as 3th Jagdfleigerkorps headed home, it had lost 10% of its strength in the two clashes with the six Russian fighter brigades.

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Air Battle of Tallinn: 7AM 22nd April

Sniatyn fell to von Förster soon after 7AM, the Russians collapsing in disorder and only 216 Motorizovannaya, which had been in reserve, remaining in the province. Our losses were high, but nowhere near that of the Russians.

As the morning passed, Keller was back over Ogurtsov’s troops in Taurage, and Schwartzkopff returned to Kolomyja, adding to the destruction being wrought by Müller-Michels. Löhr was reinforced by Kitzinger’s 3rd Kampffleigerkorps and together the four hundred bombers (assisted by the Fw 190s strafing anything that moved) killed more than 350 of Kirponos’s men in Marijampole.

Just before noon General Hilpert finally crushed 53 Strelkovaya in Slobozia. Facing three divisions, bombed heavily and abandoned by their comrades, the single division had fought well, holding Hilpert for nearly two full days. My suspicion that the Red Army would not simply collapse is proving correct.

General Phleps is a fresh new commander who must give little attention to odds. From Chernivtsi he took his motorised infantry north, straight into the path of Gereral Khryeaschev who was leading 35,000 men across Dunayivtsi. 208 Motorizovannaya was retreating from the battle of Horodenka, while 169 Motorizovannaya and 21 Gorno-Kavaleriyskaya were survivors of Chernivtsi. The only other unit was a second line division, 186 Strelkovaya, with the rest of the troops HQ detachments from 35th and 46th Corps. Phleps has taken a gamble, but it could pay off: his 10,000 well equipped and trained infantry may be enough to deal a severe blow to a much larger foe which is completely unprepared for battle.

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Battle of Dunayivtsi.

Even after the heavy losses of the morning, Christiansen still hoped to deal the VVS enough punishment to keep them away from the bombers. I had, in fact, seen top secret Luftwaffe documents that hinted that in order to maintain the necessary security over the battlefields, the Jagdwaffe was considered expendable. It will save more lives in the long run if our bombers have free and uninterrupted access to the enemy positions. (As I read this I thought of my brother. I know he is far to the south, flying in support of the Österreich Army, but this order would apply over the entire theatre of operations.) After another round of dogfights over Tallinn 4th Jagdfliegerkorps had just 247 aircraft left, from 300 overnight. Our pilots claim to have shot down 62 enemy fighters.

Late in the afternoon two battles began. Köstring’s 13.Infanterie (mot) was the lead unit to enter Balti after von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt’s victory. He has tried to maintain the momentum by surging across the Siret into Soroca, but the opposition is perhaps stronger than he expected. General Shuov has 35,000 men and his four divisions all seem fully supplied and prepared to fight.

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Battle of Soroca

9th Panzer Division faced even worse odds. General Wünnenberg has been instructed to engage the massive Red Army presence in Alytus. Von Manstein wants to keep up the pressure on the Russians, not allowing them time to dig in and rebuild supplies and morale. Has he asked too much of a single panzer division? Ahmanov has 4 divisions (one of them 11Tankovaya which escaped from Kalvarija) in the front line along the Memel, and has 5 infantry and a cavalry division, plus 20th Corps HQ, in reserve. Admittedly four of the infantry divisions were involved in the fighting in either Kalvarija or Virbalis, but he still has just under 89,000 troops available. Wünnenberg has only 10,000.

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Battle of Alytus

At least List has beaten off Selivanov’s cavalry again. Let us hope he can hold Liepaja this time. Further good news came from the west: the French rebels have been forced to fight at Sarreguinnes and have been defeated.

I didn’t find out until Wednesday 23rd, but late on Tuesday General Crüwell launched a surprise night attack across the Siret into Trembowla. As is now becoming the norm, he is taking on enormous odds. 3rd Panzer has previously defeated 18 and 305 Stremlovaya in Horondek, but the other three front line units are untested. Liudnikov has the responsiblity of defending 4 HQs that are in the rear areas, but he has a solid river line defence and this will sorely test Crüwell’s panzertruppen in their second battle in three days.

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Battle of Trembowla

Wednesday also saw more infrastructure improvements in Irun and Pamplona, but the crews were ordered to keep working: the transportation facilities are still sub-standard. More immediately useful was the deployment of 454 Sicherungsdivison to Bucuresti attached to 1st Romanian Korps and 41 Festungs sent to 2nd Frankreich Sicherungskorps. Upgrades of equipment and replacement of losses took up all the industrial capacity released.

Kitzinger continued to hit the Russians in Marijampole, but Löhr’s dive-bombers needed to recover and were held back. With the Battle of Slobozia over, Dörstling and 6th Kampffliegerkorps were available to help at Tiraspol. Petzel was aware of the reinforcements Osyka had received yesterday afternoon, but the spotter planes that accompanied the bombers picked out 12 separate infantry brigades and 2 cavalry brigades, with back-up provided by 2 artillery, 2 anti-aircraft, a rocket artillery and an engineer regiment.

More troubles arose in the west, but this should be short-lived. Partisans tried to seize the province of Melle, close to the important port of La Rochelle. The local garrison was a regular infantry division, the 83rd. Its commander, General Kortzfleisch, is not a dithering old fool like General von Greiff who had simply ordered 213 Sicherung to abandon Lille when the population rose against him. 83.Infanterie secured its barracks and has started to clear the streets of rebels . Kortzfleisch has said it should only take a day or so to convince the ringleaders to surrender

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Battle of Melle

General von der Chevallerie had it just as easy in Grodno. 95.Infanterie crossed the border at 11AM and by noon the Russians had collapsed. Casualties on both sides were light, but no-one can deny von der Chavellerie his first victory, won against odds and against a commander who had more experience than he did.

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Battle of Grodno

Needless to say General Ruoff was not resting on his laurels. “Vorwärts” was living up to its name, chasing Semenyuk’s 84 Motorizovannaya across the plains of Horodok. As if the Russians did not have enough to handle with 2.Infanterie (mot), within the hour Müller-Michels was taking his Junkers bombers and Focke-Wulf fighters low to bomb and harass the fleeing troops. Again there were reports of large numbers of tank destroyers (2 regiments to support 2 brigades of infantry): the Russians must have been preparing for our panzers for years.

horodokfinal.jpg


Battle of Horodok

Wednesday afternoon Schwartzkopff managed to carry out a mission in support of General Crüwell, but for reasons explained below, he did not return. Interestingly, the aerial photographs taken during the raid showed that Luidnikov had already moved several divisions and three of the HQ detachments north to Skalat. Only 13 units remained under the command of General Filippovsky. With just 7 infantry brigades, 2 artillery, 1 rocket artillery and one engineer regiment remaining, perhaps Crüwell’s chances have risen above zero.

Then the bad news. Schwartzkopff’s report came too late for Crüwell: Guderian had already issued orders to call off the attack on Trembowla. Had he known of the reduced odds he may have reconsidered, but by the time the information reached Balkans Army HQ it was not possible to reverse the order.

At least at Trembowla our losses were low. Von Manstein’s decision to call off the attacks on Laukuva and Marijampole meant that thousands of our soldiers died in vain. Perhaps he believed that the existing attacks had run out of steam and a fresh approach was needed. Whatever the reason at 7PM that evening both battles recommenced.

It is difficult to understand what General Pfeffer is to achieve at Marijampol. His single infantry division is up against 4 divisions on the far side of the river, and Kirponos still has an infantry and cavalry division in reserve. Russian losses so far appear negligible.

marijampolefnial.jpg


Second Battle of Marijampole: some supply shortages are already being felt

General Agricola’s push into the forests of Laukuva was a bit easier to comprehend. 5th Panzer Division was not suited to the forest trails, and Agricola’s infantry would attack from two directions. It would still not be easy. General Rodin now had command of the Russian forces, and he had 6 divisions blocking access to the centre of the province.

Any loss of confidence in progress in the north was offset by the radio message from Böttcher: Riga is ours. The Russians had been reinforced by a second-line division, but with the Fallschirmjägers already in the centre of the city and the tough Sturm-Marines and their pioniere regiments blasting their way up the main streets, Rokossovsky had no option but to order a general retreat. The port and, just as important, the airfield, will be in operation within days. While 2nd Fallschirmjager started to prepare defensive positions while waiting for the marines to arrive, General Dietl took his division southwest into Aizkraukle. He has orders to hold the southern banks of the Dauguva River and to prevent any Russian movement north or south.

Late that night one of von Kluge’s promising divisional commanders used his initiative to good effect. Although it was pitch dark (a seasonal thunderstorm blocking out any moonlight) his scouts reported that Krasni Okny was held by just a few thousand HQ support troops. He immediately moved his division north, taking the province in a bloodless (to us) single stroke.

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Battle of Krasni Okny: rain storms and cloud cover are having a bad effect on the efficacy of our bombers

When I arrived on Thursday there was a bit of consternation over the night’s events. Not like at the Reichskanzlei, where there would have been groups of people discussing the matter and people rushing around excitedly. Here it was a military display of concern, shown by officers striding a little more briskly than normal, by furrowed brows and pursed lips. It wasn’t hard to identify the reason: the most concerned faces were on Kriegsmarine officers, and the only place of serious naval operations was the Ostsee. At 2AM our troop transports had been intercepted by a small Russian fleet led by the battleships “Marat” and “Oktyabrskaya Revoluciya”. Although Admiral Carls had only a flotilla of destroyers as an escort, the Ostseeflotte had been detailed to protect the precious transports and “Schleswig Holstein” and “Schlesien” with three more Zerstörergeschwader were soon on their way to assist.

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The battleship “Marat”: she would not have been a threat to either of our main fleets but against the troopships and ageing ships of the Ostseeflotte she and the “Oktyabrskaya Revoluciya” posed some danger.

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Naval Battle of the Gulf of Riga

In fact, but the time I arrived at work the action was all over. Both sides lost a destroyer flotilla (1st Zerstörergeschwader and 8th Flotiliya Emsdev) and some of our transports were damaged, but otherwise it was effectively a standoff, though it was the Russians who withdrew as daylight came, perhaps fearing to be caught at sea when the Luftwaffe became active. There were some pronounced sighs of relief from senior Kreigsmarine officers. Riga is firmly held at the moment, with three Sturm-Marine and two Fallschirmjäger divisions already there, but reinforcements must come by sea. Had the Soviet Navy been able to destroy our transports, our invasion force may have been pinned in the city. The much maligned pre-1914 “Deutschland” battleships had saved the day.

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“Schlesien” and “Schleswig-Holstein” race to get between Carls’ troopships and the Russian battleships.

On Thursday Sperrle and 1st Kampffliegerkorps took over from Grauert and 4th Kampffliegerkorps. “Schild” had been hard hit during the air battles over Lwów and required replacement planes and repairs. Müller-Michels and 5th Kampffliegerkorps relieved Dörstling over Tiraspol: the Luftwaffe is making sure that as many bomb loads as possible are delivered in the opening days of Barbarossa. Badonov’s ten brigades in Edinet had a couple of day’s relief from bombing, but Schwartzkopff’s bombers started their attack before dawn and continued all day.

At 6AM Christiansen caught Astakhov’s fighters as they patrolled over Jurmala. Still vastly outnumbered (236 Messerschmitts to 524 mixed Russian fighters) our pilots more than equalled the VVS and while Christiansen did not claim a win, by its actions OKL paid him a compliment. Abernetty was ordered to start loading supplies at Königsberg: our Arados would start to fly in food and ammunition to the invasion force. (The Kriegsmarine officers who landed to determine what tonnage we could ship into Riga have decided that the facilities cannot handle enough cargo to supply the number of troops we expect to be operating in the Riga area in the next week or so. We need to build up a stockpile).

General Soyankin chose the wrong retreat path as he led 156 Strelkovaya away from Sarata. He marched straight into the path of Friedrich-Willich and 2nd Gebirgsjäger Division, heading north from Slobozia. Already badly affected by their earlier defeat, the Russian infantry are able to put up little resistance.

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Battle of Rozdil’na

Their comrades at Sarata were not doing much better: Udets’ dive bombers were given a rest from attacking forces with heavy anti-air defences. Having lost 18 aircraft from each of his geschwader, it was a relief to send his bombers to attack the 6 infantry brigades remaining in Sarata.

At Buczacz a combined operation with our Hungarian allies started at noon. 5, 8, 10 and 11 gyaloghadosztály were under the command of General Dietrich, who used them in support of his own 2nd Panzer Division. Attacked from three directions, General Fiksel is in a difficult position. His two frontline divisions are combat capable, but his three reserve divisions need extensive rest and replenishment before they can do any more. 103 and 185 Motorizovayanna and 74 Strlekovaya were the original defenders of Sniatyn and left in such a hurry they could take no supplies with them.

(This is becoming noticeable in the reports of our leading commanders: the Russians are having problems in getting sufficient replacement supply to their frontline units. Supply usage in battle and losses from air attacks and enforced retreats are so high that the ramshackle road and rail systems cannot meet the demand.)

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Battle of Buczacz

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Hungarian infantry enter into Russia

Von Lützow’s route march into Krasny Osky hit a slight obstacle at 6PM. The HQ orderlies and support staff had fled at first sight of regular troops, but 40 Kavaleriyskaya, last seen at Tiraspol yesterday, has now appeared to bar the way of 163.Infanterie. It is showing signs that it was badly mauled in the recent fighting. An Aufklärungsabteilung has reported that behind the cavalry 53 Strelkovaya is trying to reorganise after being defeated in Slobozia.

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Second Battle of Krasni Osky

Having quickly driven Pukhov and his two divisions from Grodno, General von der Chevallerie had been ordered by Polen Army Nord to halt 95.Infanterie in Bialystok to allow other units to advance. The Russians showed that they could take advantage of any errors in judgment by moving an infantry division into the province before we could secure it. Unfortunately the only available unit was Potaturkhov’s 160 Strelkovaya, a second line garrison division. Still, it was enough force General von Weichs to order 101.Infanterie to break from its marching columns and deploy for combat.

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Second Battle of Grodno

Finally the second battle of Sarata is over, with 130 Strelkovaya having had enough. Whether Udet’s bombers were the last straw or whether Frenkel though that he had bought enough time for 156 Strelkovaya to escape we can’t tell. We do know he left more than 800 dead behind him.

The end of the 5th day of our invasion of Russia. Losses are beginning to mount, but the general feeling around here is positive. How much of this is justified will be clear in the next week or so. Personally I think we need a decisive victory before I will stop worrying.


Polen Army Nord

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Second Marijampole: For unknown reasons, General Kirponos has withdrawn with half his force, leaving General Beloberodov with just 37 and 306 Strelkovaya (and 140 Strelkovaya in reserve). Pfeffer has Hännicke with 56.Infanterie moving to assist him, and the chances of success are suddenly much higher. Maybe General von Manstein’s decision to withdraw temporarily was correct. (37% complete)

Second Laukuva: There is a similar story in Laukuva. General Rodin has handed back control to General Zyrianov and has left him with just four divisions to hold the river. Meanwhile General Agricola has been told the 5th Panzer Division is moving back to rejoin the battle. (75% complete)

Second Grodno: von Weichs has been promised a pincer attack from von Salmuth’s 52.Infanterie in Augustów. When they arrive it will be all over for 160 Strelkovaya. (92% complete)

Taurage: no change, other than the von Both’s shock attack has worn off. The Russians are starting to show signs of running out of ammunition. (28% complete)

Alytus: General Ahmanov must have been under orders to protect the shattered units fleeing form Virbalis and Kalvarija, because he has followed them northeast with several of his own divisions. General Krasnopetsev is now in charge of 125 and 162 Strelkovaya and 38 Kavaleriyskaya. 9th Panzer is already across the river in several places and is looking to increase the pressure. (47% complete)


Polen Army Sud

sudfinalend.jpg

Shats’k: No change (90% complete)

Lwów: More divisions are joining the assault on the city. 22.Infanterie is already in the city, having advanced from Krystynopol, and 102.Infanterie is moving up from Gródek Jagellonski. (59% complete)

Brzesc Litewski: Von Sponeck’s soldiers have made a small breakthrough, but otherwise no change: (45% complete)

Drohobycz: No change (72% complete)


Balkans Army

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Kolomyja: General Meise, his 345.Infanterie recovered from the Battle of Sniatyn, is on his way to catch Aseichev on the flank. Some of Bock’s forward units have been ambushed, but slowly we are moving forward. (35% complete)

Horodok: General Semenyuk has reinforcements on the way, but 52 Strelkovaya is not yet at the front line. (71% complete)

Soroca: Now 36.Infanterie is also engaged in the battle, doubling Köstring’s force. (23% complete)

Edinet: No change (84% complete)

Buczacz: No change (74% complete)

Dunayivtsi: Khryashchev has been replaced by General Shirobokov and 6ya Armya HQ has been detected in the rear areas. Neither should impact the progress of 98.Infanterie (mot). (665 complete)


Österreich Army

ostfinalend.jpg

Chisinau: General Shirokhin had moved all his reserves to the front line, giving him 4 infantry and a cavalry division with which to hold off Volkmann, who has been heavily reinforced. 2nd leichte Panzer Division is attacking from Iasi, while 69.Infanterie (loaned by the Balkans Army) has entered from Balti. (62% complete)

Tiraspol: Osyka has withdrawn, taking several units with him. General Potapov has 195 and 118 Strelkovaya still locked in battle at the front as they have been for several days. 127 Strelkovaya is with them, but he had only one division in reserve: 308 Strelkovaya. Petzel’s four divisions are still in good shape. (80% complete)

Second Krasni Okny: The Russians have attempted a counter-attack, but General von Lützow has laughed it off as a death rattle. (97% complete)

Rozdil’na: Friedrich-Willich has achieved a breakthrough, despite the heavy rain, which will accelerate the end for General Solyankin. (98% complete)



Finalised Battle Casualties

Sniatyn: 872/49,983: 2,568/32,986
Slobozia: 237/29,989: 807/23,986
Liepaja: 47/10,000: 209/13,981
Grodno: 35/9,993: 78/14,990
Trembowla: 139/9,958: 74/47,480
Laukuva: 1,646/21,984: 1,386/48,972
Marijampole: 1,189: 29,980: 414/73,804
Riga: 303/37,981: 457/17,989
Sarata: 207/30,000: 814/17,990

German: 4,675
Russian: 6,807

Prior Battle Casualties

German: 2,032
Russian: 3,788

Total Battle Casualties to date:

German: 4,675 + 2,032 = 6,707
Russian: 6,807 + 3,788 = 10,595


Bombing Summary

Marijampole: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfleigerkorps: 124, 238 (362)
Marijampole: Lohr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps and 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 359 (359)
Marijampole: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 144, 294, 269 (707)
Slobozia: Dörstling with 6th Kapmffliegerkorps: 183, 328 (511)
Sniatyn: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 143 (143)
Kolomyja: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 288 (288)
Kolomyja: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps: 234 (234)
Kolomyja: Müller-Michels with 3rd and 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 212 (212)
Taurage: Keller with 7th Kampffliegerkorps: 364, 242 (606)
Tiraspol: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps: 139, 86, 115 (340)
Tiraspol: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 72, 173, 154 (399)
Horodek: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 183, 31 (214)
Trembowtha: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps: 248 (248)
Lwów: Sperrle with 1st Kampffleigerkorps: 44, 159, 367 (367)
Edinet: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffleigerkorps: 108, 261, 176 (545)
Sarata: Udet with 3rd Schalchtfliegerkorps: 176, 70 (246)

Total: 5,781

Prior Bombing Casualties

German: 620
Russian: 10,885

Total Bombing Casualties to date

German: 0 + 620 = 620
Russian: 5,781 + 10,885 = 16,666


Total East Front Losses Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th April 1941

German: 4,675 + 0 = 4,675
Russian: 6,807 + 5,781 = 12,588

Prior Losses

German: 2,652
Russian: 14,673

Total East Front Losses to date

German: 2,652 + 4,675 = 7,327
Russian: 14,673 + 12,588 = 27,261
 
Great update.

I was surprised at your invasion also. :eek:
I would have put marines ashore on both sides of Riga. Do they have engineers? I would have dropped an airborne into Riga directly. If I had more marines and airborne, they would have been moved/dropped in other surrounding hexes. As a minimum you would get envelopment on Riga. Probably require too many units to get surrounded. How many airborne units do you have? I try to have at least three, but hopefully between four and six by Barbarossa. They come in so damn handy. :D

All my marines have an pioniere regiment. I ordered them all to drop on Jarmala, why one landed in the province to the west I don't know. (Frontage?). I only have 2 airborne, both only 3 brigades (a relic from the Ju 52 days). I wanted to mount a land attack in conjuntion with air. The key objective isthe port: watch for more landings.

Ah, you've unleashed Horthy on the Soviets?

Have no fear, he'll strangle them all single-handedly. As much as he didn't like Hitler and the fascists, the Soviets managed to irk him just a little bit more. I don't, however, envy you having to now enter Hungarian divisional names; bloody horrible language to try and spell. I tried doing an AAR on a Hungary game of mine, go tired of typing out dozen syllable long names every other sentence.

I also find it incredibly amusing the AI has Rokossovsky as a divisional commander; what next, Zhukov commanding a pair of engineer brigades, and I. Yamamoto commanding a single squadron of Minekaze destroyers?

The Hungarian names are a struggle for an English speaker: is Magyar and Indo-European language? It seem so different. Still, so are the Russian. And I am sure Hungarians curse English names just as much.

Do you like the Hungarian marching photo? The moustaches alone would strike fear into the enemy.

Wow, this AAR's still going? I haven't checked here in months! Now I need to figure out where in these 114 pages I left off...

I've been busy figuring out Vicky 2, and playing DW, so I haven't played HOI in a long time. Might have to pick up SF.

The is more joy in the kingdom of heaven for the returned prodigal .....

Welcome back. I'll give you a week to catch up, then there is the exam.

Get SF - it is a huge improvement to my mind (though what is has to do with the Marines is beyond me). And what is DW?

The statistics are great Uriah, thanks for adding them in.

NP - I have always wanted to do something like this for an HOI Barbarossa: now is the time.

I'm referring to the crossing from Berehomet to Kolomia ^^ it seems to me that the push north along the river is more effective, especially seen the odds your tanks are up against.

:)

Aha - I see your point. Well, as always when things look stupid I'll blame the AI. If you see any signs of brilliance, those are mine.

I'd try to capture some ground around the attacking units with the 3rd Marines then, possibly even encircling Riga. That way you get more warning time in case the Soviets try something and you gain more room to maneuver as your units will move faster within "your" territory than if they had to march through hostile provinces. If you have instant ports available, now would be a good time to drop one of them.

I'm already expanding the bridgehead, but I want at least 2 divs in Riga until I have a decent buffer. Give me a week and it will be impregnable.

I'd like to second this statement. This level of detail is really awesome and gives a whole new level of story telling and in-depth analysis.


@Uriah: You're PM box is full and you can't recieve new messages unless you delete some of the old ones.

Thanks Baltasar, glad you appreciate it. I think that a lot of people could get an appreciation of how the game works by analysing the manouevres of the AI.

Sorry about the PM box. Paradox sent an email to my personal email address to tell me.:)

My comment about the Italians and Athens was meant to be a joke. Guess it's hard to convey that.

On a serious note I thought a much riskier but stronger strategy might be to land the marines near Lenningrad and try to take the city. Use paratroops (I think they had the range) to seal the city off in the north. That would give the AI real problems as front line troops would move all over the map. TO me Riga is just a couple of provinces away and doesn't really offer much chance for trapping the red army or messing up their defenses. And that province to the north of Riga over the river is very important to capture to break the river defense line.

No, I did take it as humour, just thought I should make a comment.

I agree about the Leningrad option, but I rejected it on the grounds of risk. The only nearby port is Narva and supply struck me as a real issue. Unlike Riga there is no airbase for air supply, and it would take a long time to get an overland supply. Whether Narva could supply enough troops to take a strongly held Leningrad while also repulsing counter-attacks was doubtful. So I could have lost my only 3 marines and 2 paras for the sake of major disruption.

Maybe it is a sign of age but I went for the safer option. If it goes well I hope to cut off at least 10, maybe 15 divs. Good enough for a start.

I actually like this aspect. While it would be nice to see Italy steamroll the Greeks in game-terms, such an ahistorical result is really pushing it. Lets be honest, the Italian military and command structure just wasn't up to it. If you were to fully simulate this timeframe 10k times, they would only see such absolute victories way off in a tail of the distribution contributing a few percent of the outcomes.

Think about what's happening: it's April 1941 and the Italians are stuck, bogged down in Greece. They are racing across the Mediterranean coast, but this has it's genesis in the German intervention in Spain. Pretty f-in cool from an alternative history perspective, especially with a narrator like Uriah!



Aww, come on! That's a little gamey.

Besides, don't abuse the AI too hard, it will abuse you back in the next decade! ;)

I think that both Italy and Japan have been pretty historical. Italy has large forces but very brittle and easily exhausted. She also struggles to maintain supply to units burning lot in combat.

Leningrad may be gamey but I did consider it a valid tactic. In reality the Germans didn't try a major naval invasion because they thought the Kriegsmarine was not up to defeating the Rad Fleet in the Baltic. (and it was easier to go overland:D)
 
DW= Europa Universalis III: Divine Wind. The expansion is great, but only if you play as Japan or China, as that's where most of the changes are (I think there might be something for Korea, too). It also makes some much-needed improvements and a few tweaks to the game as a whole. Diplomacy is a bit more in-depth, with a better interface. They added a bunch of buildings and events. That sort of thing. They also upgraded the graphics and prettied up the map (and added that nice paper-map look that Victoria 2 has when you zoom out).

All in all, I think it's worth it, but someone with no interest in playing as an Eastern country may or may not agree.
 
27,000 causalities in a handful of days; this is going to be a bloody stage of the war.

Once the encirclements start forming, and you knock out 100k formations, the bodycount will become quite grim indeed.

I have high hopes for the Hungarians, but in response to your linguistic question, if my memory serves me correct it's part of the Asiatic language group, along with Russian, Mongolian, Japanese and a handful of other northern Eurasian languages, which at first glance have virtually nothing in common save for their sentence structure. The Magyars themselves originated somewhere around the same location as the Huns, if the genealogy is anything to go by, hence the imposing, if poorly equipped, soldiers. Seeing as they're right on a shared front line, they probably won't be useless, but the Hungarian AI likes to over-produce units, and runs out of manpower really fast. Maybe Horthy's got a thing for new, shiny regiments, rather than replacing old battered ones?

I'm wondering, are you considering any more marine builds in the future; you've got an over-developed navy from a historical perspective, and it's only going to be so useful if you don't have marines to exploit naval domination in the Med. and Baltic, at any rate.

One last thought; Bulgaria and Hungary have both been defeated ("Refuse to give up), Italy has lost control of Africa and Germany is 500mp in the hole, but the USSR is now 100 mp negative in 1943, and the Russians are pouring into Poland. Let's see if you can beat my idiotic AI allies position in January 1944.
 
nice reports on the casualties. although the Russians "should" be able to cope with those with ease. The pressure on the whole front seems to be enough to ensure that the defender starts panicking and that ultimately you win.
I hope some pockets are to be seen though as it would make the job so much easier.
 
Well done Uriah. The summing up of the individual battles at the end really clarify what is happening at the front. I was wondering what measures you would take to keep the audience in the picture on this massive battlefield.

Top marks for accumulated losses !

And as ever your AAR offers invaluable insight to the AI, and is damned funny to boot.
 
Uriah: Hungarian (or Magyar) is a Fenno-Ugric language, hence it doesn't have an relationship at all with Indo-European (or Indo-Germanic) languages. It's sister languages include Finnish and Estonian. :)

Also, wow...I haven't posted in this thread in a looong while. You're doing a great job so far. Let's just hope that you get to the treasures of the Petergov and the Hermitage soon! ;)
 
I fear that even with a 4-1 casulty ratio the Soviets can still outlast the germans. Spain may come back to haunt the Wermacht in Russia.

Well, he does have almost a 4:1 casulty ratio in favor to him, but this does not take into account the eventual destruction of Russian forces due to being overrun or encircled.
 
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War​


Friday 25th to Monday 28th April 1941

My small team of filing experts have settled into a routine, leaving me a little more time to follow my “hobby”. One thing has been made clear to me: there are no weekends at the OKW Annex. We are a military office, and the nation is at war. So my opportunities for relaxation are limited. At least until I learn how to work the system. Anyway, the way we are going at the moment, I won’t be able to have a day off for a while.

The big news of the 25th was the announcement that following months of study, the Heer has decided to create a new infantry unit: the panzergrenadier brigade. These heavy infantry will be provided with sufficient half-tracked vehicles to be fully motorised. A huge investment, but the researchers believe it will give our panzers the extra weight to make Blitzkrieg a reality. Minister von Blomberg is behind the project and twisted Production Minister Schacht’s arm to get approval for the manufacture of enough equipment for two mechanised divisions, each with two brigades of mechanised infantry and a self-propelled artillery and a tank destroyer regiment. It will be six months before they are ready, but if the war in Russia extends into second year they will be needed. (Von Blomberg is really pushing hard for the Heer at the moment: he also kept the research team and put them to work developing improved barrels and ammunition for our artillery).

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Work has already begun on production of the Sdkfz 251 halftracks needed for our mechanised divisions. The body work is the easy part, though it does consume a lot of steel

Some of the production capacity for the new divisions was available because our second schwere Panzer Division has been completed. General Hube has taken command and it is now based at Königsberg with 1st schwere. In fact, following its arrival, a new korps has been set up, with General Model to lead 1st schwere Panzerkorps.

There has been other expenditure approved, some of it arising from what were seen as failings with our Riga air landing. The Fallschirmjägers, with only 3 brigades, are seen as underpowered. As we now use the much larger Arados for transport, we can increase each division with another brigade. Training for the selected candidates began immediately.

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There is no shortage of volunteers for the Fallschirmjäger regiments, though even the training jumps from light aircraft would be enough to deter me.

With some areas of Russia now considered safe, work gangs are moving in. Sarata, Slobozia, Chenivtsi, Horodenka, Sniatyn, Iwanice and Liepaja are already having roads and rail connections surveyed. In addition, two more Romanian provinces have been identified as vital links, so work is to be carried out in Putyla and Suceava.

Then the reports started to arrive from the Front (as we now call it). Schwartzkopff on his return from a raid on Horodek was able to confirm that Semanyuk had received extra troops. Another division with 3 infantry brigades and an artillery regiment are present, but Ruoff is not worried. More helpful was Löhr’s report that the opposition in Marijampole is now only 11 brigades/regiments: 7 infantry, 2 artillery, an anti-tank and an anti-aircraft unit. General Pfeffer was greatly cheered by the news, as well as the support of the dive bombers.

Russian bombers tried to mount an air attack on Wlodawa, in a last desperate attempt to save Shats’k. While it was never going to succeed in deterring General Bremer, it was not able to drop one bomb. Christiansen had 9 Jagdgeschwader between Khudyakov and his target. More than twenty aircraft from 12 and 13 BAD were destroyed.

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Air Battle of Wlodawa

In the pile of papers delivered overnight (many merely copies of telegraph messages or transcripts of radio messages) were two notifying OKH of victories. Friedrich-Willich and 2nd Gebirgsjäger Division have Rozdil’na, and von Weichs has won Grodo for the second time. Both were very cheap in terms of casualties, which is a relief after the death toll of the past few days.

Next was a movement order: 13.Infanterie is to leave XI Armeekorps (1st Küste and Grenze Army) and move at full speed to Danzig. There has been a succession of similar orders. It looks as though Carls’ transports will be busy.

Then, early in the morning, a bombshell. The Russians have taken Memel, cutting off List’s 16.Infanterie in Liepaja and threatening to move down the coast to East Prussia! If that were not enough, we have lost the use of the port and, far more importantly, the airbases near the city. Not to mention the supply dumps built up for use in the forthcoming days of the offensive.

(It is perhaps at this point that I should mention a short discussion that I had on my first day. My immediate superior, a cheerful looking army officer whose use of crutches spoke of a disabling injury in the past, had welcomed me into his office. As the door shut, he had subtly changed his demeanour.

“You are to be given certain military clearances here that are not normally given to a civilian. In fact, clearances that are not normally given to an officer, except of the highest rank. “

Gone was the cheerfulness, or had it been just a charade? In its place was a toughness that somehow fitted the officer more than the façade of friendliness he usually wore. I decided that this would not be a man I would like to be my enemy. He seemed the kind who would be implacable in carrying out what he considered to be his duty.

“There are many messages sent to and from the most senior officers that contain their thoughts and perceptions on certain matters that must not become public knowledge. For example, they may report incidents that could affect morale, or they may have certain opinions regarding fellow officers or political figures that must remain forever secret. “

I hoped my face showed the correct mixture of apprehension, concern and respect.

“You will from time to time receive sealed envelopes, containing such documents. These are to be dealt with by you, personally. None of your staff are to ever see the contents. Should the contents of any of these sealed envelopes ever become public, I shall consider it a breach of my personal trust in you. Have I made myself clear?”

Certainly. Any rumours start to circulate in the building, and you will make it your mission to destroy me. I nodded.

“Good. You may think of me as a soldier unable to perform any more useful tasks for the Heer.”

No, in fact I was already sure that this could be the most dangerous man I had met for some time. There seemed nothing wrong with the way he moved, and I was suddenly aware that he wore his standard issue side-arm and knife, even in the office.

“Since it has been decided that some minor wounds incurred last year have rendered me unfit for active duty, my only opportunity to serve is here, in Berlin. While my legs may stop me from rejoining my unit, do not make the mistake of thinking it has made me soft. Never do anything that would make me believe that you are not dedicated to serving the Reich. You may go.”

This was something to think about. I was more than happy to gain access to the uncensored comments of our field generals, but to be under the eye of a fanatic was not so pleasant. This would need to be managed carefully. I made a note to warn Gisela that things were not quite as relaxed here as at the Reichkanzlei.)

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A photo I saw in my Chef’s office: he did not get his injuries in a training accident, as this is a line up for combat bravery awards. He still uses the crutches, but I will never make the mistake of thinking that this renders him less dangerous.

With the news of the fall of Memel came a slim sealed envelope marked to my attention. It had the highest security rating I had ever seen, and was delivered by two soldiers, both of whom insisted I sign to confirm that the seals were not broken.

When they had left, I opened the envelope and read the short transcript inside. It was a message from General von Manstein to OKH complaining about General List’s behaviour in attacking north into Liepaje. “Imbecilic insubordination”, “reckless endangerment”, “failure to follow the simplest of orders”. It seems the commander of the Army of Polen Nord blamed General List for the situation on the northern coast and wanted to let his superiors know. This would lead to several notes on List’s file, and his time as a divisional commander could be short.

General Rommel should not have such problems with General Müller in Chelm . 10. and 14. Infanterie are both advancing as directed, straight at Pushskin’s three divisions (64, 229 and 237 Strelkovaya) in Kowel. Already Muller’s reputation as an officer with an affinity for attack seems merited, and he is ahead of schedule despite the odds.

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Battle of Kowel

For the first time Abernetty’s supply shuttles were attacked over Riga. The three transport geschwader lost some aircraft, but not too many. Possible this was because Vershinin’s two fighter brigades were not fully recovered from earlier battles. Abernetty reported that there only seemed to be about 180 fighters present and many showed signs of previous damage affecting their speed and forepower.

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Air Battle of Riga

Christiansen, on hearing of the attack on Abernetty, sent his Messerschmitts off immediately, not only to rescue the transport aircraft, but also because it looked like a chance to catch a small number of fighters and give the VVS a lesson. He had misjudged the skill of his Russian opponent, Falaleev. Over Bauska he was met by 600 fighters, and returned to base at Suwalki with less than 75% of his original strength.

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Air Battle of Bauska

During the morning the waves of bombers took off, heading to Tiraspol, Laukuva and Taurage. There have been more changes at Tiraspol, with Obukhov in charge of 10 infantry brigades with two anti-air, an artillery and a rocket artillery regiments. Laukuva was the first mission for Weise’s 5th Schlachtfliegerkorps and “Gold” and “Silber” performed well, killing 233 of the enemy. They also fed back important information to General Agricola, including the fact that Zyrianov has just 6 infantry brigades with three anti-air, an artillery, and anti-tank and an engineer regiment.

The Luftwaffe also sent aircraft to Kowel, but Zhavaronkov was back over the front with 38 and 39 IAD and 36 IAD-PVO. Although Hoffman von Waldau steadied his pilots and completed his mission successfully, it was at a high cost. Just over 150 of his Henschels made it back to Lódz.

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Air Battle of Kowel

The Fallschirmjägers ran into some resistance late in the evening of the 25th, but it was not a reaction by the Russians. Rather it was a tribute to the marching speed of our soldiers. They had caught up the rear guard of Morozov’s 152 Strelkovaya, the second-line division that had attempted to help Rokossovsky hold Riga. Dietl assured OKW that he could handle the situation without assistance and before nightfall reported that all resistance in Aizkraukle has ceased.

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Battle of Aizkraukle

On the 26th, the Luftwaffe paid attention to Weise’s reports of heavy anti-air concentrations in Laukuva, and replaced the low level close air support aircraft of 5th Schlachtfliegerkorps with Kitzinger and his tactical bombers. The change may not have been necessary, as overnight one of Zyrianov’s divisions had withdrawn, reducing his strength by 2 infantry brigades and 2 anti-air regiments.

Saturday must have been a repair and rest day for the Luftwaffe, as there few other bombing missions. Schwartzkopff continued to hammer Semenyuk in Horodek and Sperrle took 1st Kampffleigerkorps back to Lwów. Otherwise all aircraft were grounded.

It did not affect von Lützow who again claimed Krasni Okny, hopefully this time for good.

Other news that day came from west, where von Kortzfleisch has put down the rebellion in Melle. 720 of the French Maquis were killed, and their “army” has dissolved. Just as important, 4.Infanterie Division “Falkenberg”, the most highly decorated unit of Fall Weiss, has been removed from the Nordsee Army and is to proceed to Danzig and await further orders.

Although General von Rundstedt would not have been happy to lose 4.Infanterie, at least he received a replacement unit. 164.Infanterie has been despatched to Copenhagen, its first assignment to maintain order in the Danish capital. All production capacity was re-allocated to replacing losses incurred in the east.

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On patrol in Copenhagen: usually the capital is calm, though there have been uprisings in the north of Dänemark
Having re-organised his panzer division after being ordered to halt his attack on Trembowla, Crüwell again attempted to cross the Siret. His messages to Balkans Army HQ make it very clear that he believed he had been robbed of a well-earned victory by the retreat order, though he was careful not to directly challenge General Guderian’s decision. Nothing good comes of telling your boss he was wrong. He probably already knows, and it gives him a way of releasing a bit of emotion. It probably didn’t help Crüwell’s mood to find out that his new opponent, Turchinskij, had taken advantage of the break in proceedings to dig his three infantry divisions in on the far river back.

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Second Battle of Trembowla.

Dörstling led off the day’s bombing missions on the 27th, and Petzel was overjoyed to be told that Obukhov has only 8 units left in Tiraspol and just four of those are infantry brigades, the others being 2 anti-air, and artillery and a rocket artillery. With his nine Gebirgsjäger brigades and three pioniere regiments, Petzel had no doubt that soon he will break the defenders. (In fact, by the middle of the afternoon Tiraspol was in our hands).

Most of the other bombing missions were routine, as the normal targets in Horodek, Laukuva and Lwów were attacked, and raids were resumed on Aseichev in Lomonyja. No new intelligence was revealed from the debriefing of pilots and other crew.

Not so routine was the order sent direct from OKW to Admiral Carl’s at Danzig: load 31.Infanterie Division and transport to Riga at full speed. (It was only when I was filing this report that I saw that I had missed an important detail in last Thursday’s naval engagement in the Bay of Riga. Our transports had been loaded with the men of 24.Infanterie and were in the process of unloading them at Jurmala when the Russians hit. If not for the quick response of the Osteeflotte we could have had a death toll in the thousands.)

The first battle in which we were assisted by the Honved has been successful, though casualties were higher than expected. The less well trained and armed Hungarians must have taken heavy losses during the fighting in Buczasc, as General Dietrich’s daily report showed 2nd Panzer was hardly damaged, with no men lost.

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Although these Hungarian soldiers seem quite pleased after the Battle of Buczasc, the Honved took heavy losses while our troops were unharmed. I fear that unless they learn quickly that many of the young men in this photo may not see the New Year.

After only a few hours’ rest, General Hell decided that 4th and 6th Gebirgsjäger Divisions were ready for action. While Petzel and 34.Infanterie secured Tiraspol, Hell and his men ploughed north, into Orhei. General Afanasiev, in his first real battle, had little hope of holding the province. He had one good division, 11 Strelkovaya, but 195 Strelkovaya is still exhausted from the battle for Tiraspol, and 53 Strelkovaya is still in headlong retreat from Slobozia! His sole reserve is the 18 Corps HQ, a few thousand clerks and cooks. To make matters worse, the Gebirgsjägers were so elated to be leading Österreich Army forward that they hit Afanasiv’s front line like a shock wave, further reducing the Russian’s ability to withstand our assault.

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Battle of Orhei

General von der Chevallerie must be wondering what is so hard about winning battles. With just his own 95.Infanterie he moved into the forests of Kobryn, under orders to clear out the defending 193 Strelkovaya and 39 Kaveleriyskaya. Normally one would expect this to have been a fairly difficult task: unsupported and outnumbered infantry in a frontal assault on prepared positions in good defensive terrain. But, as in the first Battle of Grodno on the 23rd, von der Chevallerie was blessed by good luck. Before midnight he had advised Polen Army Nord that his troops could not locate any enemy: all had fled.

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Battle of Kobryn

Other battles ended over the afternoon, two of which had been raging for the whole nine days since Barabarossa began. The first of these was Edinet. At last Badanov and his three divisions had taken enough punishment. As they pulled back, leaving Edinet strewn with dead and abandoned equipment, Bader and his three divisions moved forward. It was not a triumphant claim of victory from the General Bader: with more than 1,700 of his men dead or missing he was in no mood to celebrate.

Müller’s report was definitely more exuberant. He had used his two divisions well, not allowing Pushkin a chance to steady his men. Kowel was not an easy win, but like most quick battles, the victor paid a much lower price.

If we were appalled at the never-ending casualty list from Edinet, we were speechless at the death toll in Shats’k. Nine days of continuous fighting had turned the quiet countryside south of Brzesc-Litwewski into a slaughterhouse. More than 10% of the 80,000 men who fought for the key province on the flank of the fortress city had been killed in the ground fighting, 3,000 of them ours. General Bremer would never want to repeat such butchery, a reminder of the carnage of the Western Front in the last war. It could be some days before the survivors of the carnage are able to continue east.

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Some of the destruction in Shats’k: wrecked artillery tractors and a BA-6 armoured car lie next to a road, victims of either an artillery barrage or aircraft bombing.

General Ruoff showed how a pitched battle could be won without excessive losses. In the five days of fighting for Horodok he lost 534 men, despite being outnumbered. It just needs a bit of skill on the part of the commander.

While four battles were ended that afternoon, another five began (one over the same province).

The Gebirgsjägers are incapable of sitting still and disregarding the pouring rain, Friedrich-Willich was fixed on the prize of Odessa. In between him and that prize were the unfortunate Zhmachenko and his 81 Motorizovannaya Diviziya. On paper the Russian general has more experience, in practice Friedrich-Willich’s trickery and the skill of 2nd Gebirgsjäger outclassed the Russians.

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Battle of Illichivs’k

It was a similar story in Kam’yanet’s-Podil’s’kyi. General Bieß, though outnumbered by Petrakovski, could rely on the skill of his own “Bitrburg” motorised division, whose reputation only grows stronger as the war progresses. To assist him, somehow General Cochenhausen had got 161.Infanterie (mot) to support Bieß from Edinet, only hours after the end of that bloody conflict. It seems that there are some of the younger generation who have inherited the qualities of my comrades of the last war.

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Battle of Kam’yanets’-Podil’s’kyi

Von Manstein has reacted swiftly to the fall of Memel. General List had been ordered (the actual instructions made it clear that no initiative was to be displayed!) to turn back from Liepaja. General von Wietersheim was to be in command (another slap in the face to List, having to take orders from an untried general). A co-ordinated attack, 18.Infanterie from Liepaja and 11.Infanterie from Silute should clear the Russians from the port and airfield. Von Manstein made it clear to General List that failure was not an option. I think we can be sure he will exhort his men to do their utmost. The sooner his escapade into Liepaja is forgotten the better for him.

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Battle of Memel

Late in the afternoon word of a counter-attack came from Horodok. An armoured division has moved into Horodok from the southwest, from Dunayivtsi. Ruoff is fairly confident he can hold them off with the 5cm Pak 38 anti-tank guns that are standard issue to our motorised infantry, but would appreciate some air support. The Russian commander in Dunayivtsi must have felt threatened. General Phleps is already attacking that province and obviously the thought of a potential flank attack has prompted this response.

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Second Battle of Horodok

Final battle of the day was at Ratno. General Hansen had also done wonders with his men, still recovering from more than a week of fighting for Shats’k. He had resupplied 16.Infanterie (mot) and was hot on the chase of the retreating Russians. 318 Strelokovaya and the mountain infantry of 95 Moldavskaya had pulled back to Ratno, where the intact 237 Strelkovaya offered them some protection while they replaced their lost equipment and regained some form of organisation. Hansen was determined not to give them that opportunity. Hardly had combat begun when word was received that two HQ units were also present, a further incentive. Our commanders have been instructed that the Russian reserves of officers are low and any chance of killing large numbers of them is to be taken.

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Battle of Ratno

9 days gone and still no decisive battle, just a growing list of dead. Which side will break first?


Army of Polen Nord

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Memel: No change (65% complete)

2nd Marijampole: Beloberedov had brought 140 Strelkovaya to the front line from reserve, but Hännicke has arrived at the front with 56.Infanterie and von Pannwitz is also moving up from Ragnit with 75.Infanterie. The tide is turning our way. (49% complete)

Taurage: Both sides are escalating the intensity. Ogurtsov has brought all his existing units to the front, deploying 6 Tankovaya, 133 and 233 Strelkovaya, 46 Dnepropetrovskaya, 82 Motorizovannaya and 34 Kavaleriyska. He has received another cavalry division as a reserve (14 Kavaleriyskaya). To counter this, von Both has added 8.Infanterie to his attack. Still in the balance, though we have cut off a few of Ogurtsov’s men which has helped a little to even the odds. (39% complete)

Alytus: General Wünnenburg is still trying hard to secure a useable bridgehead but he is losing ground. This is partly because although 38 Kavaleriyskaya has pulled back, it is in reserve if required, and had been joined by 62 Turkestanskaya, still capable of fighting despite its recent involvement in the Second Battle of Marijampole. (30% complete)


Army of Polen Sud

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Lwów: General Schack had rushed 102.Infanterie from reserve and now has five divisions attacking from four directions. He shocked the defenders and had now captured the bulk of the city. (69% complete)

Brzesc Litewski: Larianov has put 91 Strelkovaya in reserve, but his front line is collapsing. (54% complete)

Drohobycz: 23 Har’korskaya has moved to the rear areas and after 9 days the other four divisions are at breaking point. (84% complete)

Ratno: Feklenko and the two HQ units have made their escape, leaving Sergatsov in charge of a crumbling defence. (72% complete)


Balkans Army

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Kolomyja: 345.Infanterie has engaged the enemy (from the south). The final blow, hoever, is like y to come from the west, where Dietrich’s 2nd Panzer is moving up, having suffered little in the Battle of Buczasc. Asiechev has seen the writing on the wall and is heading nerht with 5 Tankovaya and the two motorised divisions. General Mihajlov has been left behind with 73 Strelkovaya and has been ordered to mount a counter-attack. (94% complete)

2nd Horodok: No change, other than Blagodatov has increased the intensity of his attack to an assault, hoping to quickly crush Ruoff and “Vorwärts”. (35% complete)

Soroca: Köstring has doubled his force again and now has four divisions, though 386.Infanterie (mot) is still moving up from Edinet. With 6.Infanterie attacking from Botosani he has shocked Shuov’s men, drastically reducing their defensive ability. (59% complete)

Kam’yanets’-Podil’s’kyi: 315 Strelkovaya and 17 Gorno-Kavaleriyskaya have been evacuated, leaving just 302 Strelkovaya. (89%)

Dunayivtsi: Shirabokov and 6ya Armiya HQ have left, allowing Khryashchev to resume command. Generla Phleps continues his attacks, still with just his own 98.Infanterie (mot). In fact, he has decided to launch an assault on an enemy that outnumbers him more than three to one. (53% complete)

Trembowla: No change (36% complete)


Österreich Army

ostfinalend.jpg

Chisinau: Volkmann has shocked the defenders of the city and is slowly grinding down their resolve. (67% complete)

Illichivs’k: No change (84% complete)

Orhei: Afanasiev has been reinforced by 118 Strelkovaya, but that division is completely demoralised after its long time at the front in Tiraspol is and not fit for battle. (88% complete)

Note Maslennikov’s 181 Strelkovaya Division: it has been overtaken by our forces and its three infantry brigades will be forced to surrender.



Riga and environs

rigaandenvironsfinal.jpg

31.Infanterie has been safely landed in Riga and 24.Infanterie is moving into the city from Jurmala. We have allowed Russian units to enter Valdemarpils unopposed as it no longer has a strategic value for us. In fact, the more Russian units west of Riga the better.




Finalised Battle Casualties

Rodzil’na: 61/9,995: 106/7,593
Grodno: 34/19,996: 67/9,993
Krasni Okny: 48/9,995: 200/10,955
Aizkraukle: 15/8,994: 34/9,994
Buczacz: 0/30,381: 760/47,330 (472 Hungarian dead)
Tiraspol: 1,849/49,983: 3,314/95,764
Kobryn: 95/19,990: 101/15,987
Edinet: 1,712/29,986: 2,726/25,984
Kowel: 420/19,994: 1,416/45,971
Shats’k: 3,088/40,000: 5,559/43,974
Horodok: 534/9,997: 761/17,986

Total Battle Casualties Friday 25th April to Monday 28th April

German: 7,856
Russian: 15,044

Prior Battle Casualties

German: 6,707
Russian: 10,595

Total Battle Casualties to Date

German: 7,856 + 6,707 = 14,563
Russian: 15,044 + 10,595 = 25,639


Bombing Summary

Horodok: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps: 167, 270, 132, 212, 263, 118, 56, 349, 153, 169, 202 (2,091)
Horodok: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 221(221)
Marijampole: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps: 122, 120, 180 (422)
Tiraspol: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps: 148, 143 (291)
Tiraspol: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps: 225, 309, 128 (692)
Laukuva: Weise with 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 233, 102 (335)
Laukuva: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 162, 250, 281 (693)
Laukuva: Keller with 7th Kampffliegerkorps: 213, 294, 238 (745)
Laukuva: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps: 177, 212 (389)
Taurage: Keller with 7th Kampffliegerkorps: 286 (286)
Kowel: Hoffman von Waldau with 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps: 169 (169)
Lwów: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps: 348, 190, 135, 375, 186 (1,234)
Lwów: Grauert with 4th Kampffleigerkorps: 375 (375)
Kolomyja: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 158 (158)
Trembowla: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps: 325, 282 (607)


Bombing Casualties for Friday 25th April to Monday 28th April:

German: Nil
Russian: 8,758

Prior Bombing Casualties

German: 620
Russian: 16,666

Total Bombing Casualties to Date

German: 0 + 620 = 620
Russian: 8,758 + 16,666 = 25,424


Total East Front Casualties Friday 25th to Monday 28th April 1941

German: 7,856 + 0 = 7,856
Russian: 15,044 + 8,758 = 23,802


Prior East Front Casualties

German: 7,327
Russian: 27,261

Total East Front Casualties to Date

German: 7,856 + 7,327 = 15,183
Russian: 23,802 + 27,261 = 51,063
 
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DW= Europa Universalis III: Divine Wind. The expansion is great, but only if you play as Japan or China, as that's where most of the changes are (I think there might be something for Korea, too). It also makes some much-needed improvements and a few tweaks to the game as a whole. Diplomacy is a bit more in-depth, with a better interface. They added a bunch of buildings and events. That sort of thing. They also upgraded the graphics and prettied up the map (and added that nice paper-map look that Victoria 2 has when you zoom out).

All in all, I think it's worth it, but someone with no interest in playing as an Eastern country may or may not agree.

I have played EU a lot but I don't have time atm to do much other than HOI3. But I did look at Divine Wind with interest. Maybe one day ....

27,000 causalities in a handful of days; this is going to be a bloody stage of the war.

Once the encirclements start forming, and you knock out 100k formations, the bodycount will become quite grim indeed.

I have high hopes for the Hungarians, but in response to your linguistic question, if my memory serves me correct it's part of the Asiatic language group, along with Russian, Mongolian, Japanese and a handful of other northern Eurasian languages, which at first glance have virtually nothing in common save for their sentence structure. The Magyars themselves originated somewhere around the same location as the Huns, if the genealogy is anything to go by, hence the imposing, if poorly equipped, soldiers. Seeing as they're right on a shared front line, they probably won't be useless, but the Hungarian AI likes to over-produce units, and runs out of manpower really fast. Maybe Horthy's got a thing for new, shiny regiments, rather than replacing old battered ones?

I'm wondering, are you considering any more marine builds in the future; you've got an over-developed navy from a historical perspective, and it's only going to be so useful if you don't have marines to exploit naval domination in the Med. and Baltic, at any rate.

One last thought; Bulgaria and Hungary have both been defeated ("Refuse to give up), Italy has lost control of Africa and Germany is 500mp in the hole, but the USSR is now 100 mp negative in 1943, and the Russians are pouring into Poland. Let's see if you can beat my idiotic AI allies position in January 1944.

Look at death count now!

I was pretty sure that Hungarian was different: I can get by in French and have a little German, some Spanish and Portuguese, and Latin. But Hungarian is totally different. I seem to rember that it has a relationship with Finnish, but my knowledge of Finnish is close to zero.

Marines are on my wish list: I'll need them for my invasion of the USA. :eek:

Maybe I'd better concentrate on the USSR for now. I have enough Marines for the Baltic.

nice reports on the casualties. although the Russians "should" be able to cope with those with ease. The pressure on the whole front seems to be enough to ensure that the defender starts panicking and that ultimately you win.
I hope some pockets are to be seen though as it would make the job so much easier.

When the Russian supply/morale collapses battles will be over quickly, and the body count will drop. But Russian units will be overrun at least, even if I can't get the AI do do big encirclements.

So Unternehmen Barbarossa has started. I love the naval invasion to Latvia. Seems to be quite reasonable and within the boundaries of plausible reality. Onwards to victory!

The plan is to leapfrog up the Ostsee to Leningrad. We'll see how it goes.

Winning against 1:10 odds?
Unfair! :D

We laugh at 10:1!!!

But if we don't lift the casualty ratio a fair bit it will be all 10:1.:(

Well done Uriah. The summing up of the individual battles at the end really clarify what is happening at the front. I was wondering what measures you would take to keep the audience in the picture on this massive battlefield.

Top marks for accumulated losses !

And as ever your AAR offers invaluable insight to the AI, and is damned funny to boot.

Thanks Stabber - I've always wanted an accumulated loss function in HOI3: so I'm doing it manually. And I have found the "summing up" really facinating to see what is happening in each battle. When I have played before I simply started the battle and waited to win: seeing how it develops is interesting (well, to me at least).

And thanks for appreciating the humour: sometimes I fear I am too subtle.

Uriah: Hungarian (or Magyar) is a Fenno-Ugric language, hence it doesn't have an relationship at all with Indo-European (or Indo-Germanic) languages. It's sister languages include Finnish and Estonian. :)

Also, wow...I haven't posted in this thread in a looong while. You're doing a great job so far. Let's just hope that you get to the treasures of the Petergov and the Hermitage soon! ;)

Thanks Monzach: I think I'll have to put it on my "too hard" list of languages. (I tried Japanese and had a half hearted go at Chinese (Cantonese) but I suspect I am a bit too old now for a drasticly different language structure.)

As for the Petergov - Ihave to take Minsk and Kiev yet!

I fear that even with a 4-1 casulty ratio the Soviets can still outlast the germans. Spain may come back to haunt the Wermacht in Russia.

Excellent AAR

And now I am well below 4:1! I really do think, though, that the exp the Luftwaffe gained in Spain and the Channel war is paying off.

Thanks for the praise - all gratefully received and appreciated.

Well, he does have almost a 4:1 casulty ratio in favor to him, but this does not take into account the eventual destruction of Russian forces due to being overrun or encircled.

I am pretty sure that I have Ihave already overrun some units, but can't really tell. All my Russian spies ae dead. :(

But it is early days: let me break the front line and we'll see how the Red Army goes.
 
I find it endlessly amusing that every time the Russians try to bomb you, they're quite literally swarmed by a dozen+ geschwader. All that struggling against the British and French airforces sure have given you quite the air superiority force eh?

So, seeing as you're rightfully committing a lot of troops east, do you have any contingency plans should a Second Front open up somewhere when the Americans join in the fun?