Teutonic Dreams - A Germany 1936 HPP AAR

[Cybvep]

You can go the semi-historical road. Considering the fact that you haven't built much IC, you should annex Czechoslovakia in order to get some more. However, Allied nations are, most likely, less mobilised than you are, so instead of attacking Poland early you could attack it in spring of 1940 while simultaneously attacking Denmark - that should give them little time to build big forces. By the end of your conquests Kriegsmarine would be ready for action and you could attack Norway and Netherlands and invade UK. After fall of UK conquest of France should be easy. Then you can think about your future moves concerning the Soviets.

[TheBromgrev]

In this HPP version I only get cores from the Treaty of Munich, not the 1st Vienna Award. I skipped building lots of IC in order to get the armed forces up to speed as quickly as possible, going (mostly) historical with the navy. IC will be built after some pressure to build new units is relieved. Due to Germany's manpower, I can't have too big an army, or risk running out of MP. Also, restricting the size of the army helps with the supply situation later.

[TheBromgrev]

Chapter 10: Hitler's Decision

After the planning conference ended, Hitler took 2 days off to rest and contemplate the Reich's future actions. On July 19th, 1938, with the Heer in position along the borders, negotiations were completed and Czechoslovakia willingly ceded the Sudetenland to the German Reich. Shortly after, the Heer occupied the Czech's former border defenses and on July 27th began to dismantle the formidable fortifications. The intention was to show the Czechs, France, and the UK, that the Reich's territorial ambitions in Czechoslovakia had been satisfied. Whether or not that was actually the case would be determined after Hitler decided on which diplomatic and offensive plans he wished to follow.


Heeresgruppen A and B poised to attack Czechoslovakia in the event it refused to give in. Heeresgruppe C is positioned along the French border


Czechoslovakia willingly cedes the Sudetenland, without pressure from nations other than the German Reich
(Author's note: remember those coup attempts? They must've increased the Czech NS party's org and popularity such that I got this version.
The main difference is that with this one, I get more MP, less dissent, and less threat than the historical one where the Czech's protest to the UK.)


Hitler orders the Sudeten Line destroyed

The peaceful annexation of the Sudetenland was enough to make Hitler decide on the plan he wished to follow. Because the Czechs willingly ceded the territory, not even a single prominent French or British politician criticized or protested the treaty and land transfer. Due to the lack of any form of protest from the western democracies, Hitler decided that because his demands to this point were limited in scope to territory with sizable German populations, that if he were to continue this course of action, he could continue to use diplomacy to recover land from Poland and Lithuania. The Reich would then focus all efforts against the Soviet Union, then move against the west later, after the Kriegsmarine was up to full strength.

The final plan Hitler decided to follow was one of his own design. He would ignore the Hungarians and Poles and leave Czechoslovakia intact, possibly securing an alliance with them against any threat from those nations. The purpose of the potential alliance was to enhance the Reich's credibility. The Reich would then turn to Lithuania and demand the port of Memel and the surrounding territory be annexed into the Reich.

The next stage was to deal with German territory in Poland's borders. First, the Reich would focus on recovering the free city of Danzig in order to connect East Prussia with the Reich proper. Afterward, negotiations for the return of Upper Silesia, South Prussia, and Posen would begin. However, because Poland was considered a regional power, there was a high risk that the Reich would be forced into a war over these territories, either with Poland, the Soviet Union, the Allied Powers, or a combination of the three. To prevent the worse-case scenario from occurring, Hitler ordered von Ribbentrop to attempt to broker a pact with either the West or the Soviets in order to reduce the number of potential belligerents in a possible war with Poland. While Hitler was hoping for a non-aggression pact with the UK and France, he could not discount the possibility that they would perform a pre-emptive strike if a war with Poland were to start. To that end, a pact with the Soviet Union to partition Poland would secure the eastern front until the war in the west was concluded.

(Author's note: I'll need to change the decision triggers for Memel and Danzig to allow them to fire w/o the 1st Vienna Award)

Hitler decided that the best way to defeat the Allies was to hold France at bay while the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe invaded the British Isles. Von Ribbentrop was ordered to use diplomatic influence on the Belgium and Luxembourg to keep them out of the war until preparations to defeat France were in place. He was also instructed to attempt to form an alliance with Italy in order to secure the Reich's southern flank. Because the first of the 5 planned battlefleets was due to be completed in the Spring of 1940, Hitler decided that he would attempt to force the concessions from Poland in June 1940. The formation of the first battlefleet would allow the Kriegsmarine to raid and keep the RN at bay until 2 of the other battlefleets were finished, which were projected to be ready sometime in 1941. During that time, a purely defensive war outside of securing Denmark was to be conducted in order to buy time for the Kriegsmarine to be completed.

After the Allies were defeated, or if no war with them occurred, Hitler blessed Plan 3, and would invade the Soviet Union.

As a direct result of Hitler's decision, after the tanks of Panzerarmee 3 were completed, no further work was to be done with the remaining light bombers and motorized infantry until the Kriegsmarine's support fleet was finished. Due to the long time period involved, any spare resources were to be spent upgrading the Reich's ship building capacity and build static defenses in Wilhelmshaven and Kiel, the two most likely targets for the UK to invade. The remaining 3 Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers as well as the first batch of M-class light cruisers were to be constructed as resources were freed. Finally, five more fallschirmjaeger divisions, two more transport air wings, four more naval transports, and 4 more marine divisions were to be completed before the planned potential war.

[Cybvep]

IMO that's a little strange course of action. Are you afraid of starting the war early on? Why leave Czechoslovakia, a potential Allied member, alone? I doubt that Poland will fold and when you DOW them, the Allies may attack you anyway due to threat increase. Moreover, even if they fold, then so what? Unless they become your ally - which is not only unlikely, but also not recommended because of the supply system and the fact that Polish AI does not know that it's beneficial to invest in infrastructure - you will still have to attack them if you want to get to the Soviet Union.

[CptEasy]

Massive diplomatic offensive there... That's usually very efficient in singel player games as the AI opponant seldom counter influences.

[TheBromgrev]

@Cybvep: About Czechoslovakia. Do you remember those two coup attempts? Well, after getting a third one (which also failed) while grabbing pictures, I decided to send a bunch of spies in there and figure out what the diplomatic situation was. Turns out... well, I'll surprise you later Let's just say I don't need to worry about Czechoslovakia joining the Allies after its next coup. A big hint is that Czechoslovakia willingly gave up the Sudetenland, which requires at least 10 organization and 15 popularity for its NS party for the AI to even think about it.

About Poland, since they won't have a UK guarantee, there's a 50% chance they'll fold and give me Danzig. If they fold, I'll attack them later, depending on what's in my production queue. Regardless, I'll be signing the M-R Pact, so if Poland decides to fight I won't have to worry about the Soviets. This kind of thing is what I like about the mod, and why I designed and Slan wrote the events this way. It's unpredictable, yet the AI's actions make sense when you put it in the context of what has happened so far. There's no guarantee things will go how I want, so I'm taking precautions as a result. There's a reason I'm being cautious

As far as starting the war early, I'm not afraid to do so, but would prefer to delay it until my first battlefleet is ready. I haven't tried this tactic before, so I want a little more time to prepare. Thanks for suggesting it, btw. I wanted to try something different but wasn't sure what. I was initially going to try Slan's idea of wiping out the Soviets first, but yours sounded more challenging.

@CptEasy: You'd be surprised. Slan made some changes to the diplomatic AI, so it will counter-influence nations it really doesn't want to join an enemy faction and it feels it can pull that nation away. This isn't apparent in my screenshots, since I completely ignored the diplomacy triangle. The nations I want to join the Axis are either naturally drifting towards me or decided to actively drift on their own. Check out the diplomacy screen in the previous chapter; lots of nations are aligning toward me, and I'm not exerting influence on any of them. Also, most nations are reluctant to join a faction already at war, so the longer I stay at peace, the more allies I can bring in. For example, I can bring in Argentina or Turkey this way if I'm at peace still and they meet the necessary conditions.

[GhostWriter]

TheBromgrev: ...I get more MP, less dissent, and less threat than the historical one where the Czech's protest to the UK.

very interesting ! !

oh, do you obtain any cores, or IC ? ?

TheBromgrev: ...The Reich would then turn to Lithuania and demand the port of Memel and the surrounding be annexed into the Reich. .. The next stage was to deal with German territory in Poland's borders.

nice, if it works ! !

excellent updates ! !

i'm in ! !

[Baltasar]

TheBromgrev,

if Poland folds, you could go for the Baltic countries before dowing Poland. That'd give you a wider frontage vis-a-vis Russia and it would put you much neare to both Moskov and Leningrad.

[Slan]

IMHO it is kind of cheating from a game-balance point of view to change the prerequisits of Danzig and Memel to be available before the First Vienna Award, but not Poland's guarantee... Still, any other way would almost surely lead to war with the Allies anyway. In your version, the France should declare on you if you get enough threat! But they will mobilize first, so you will probably know when you are almost there.

[TheBromgrev]

@GhostWriter: Yes, I get cores on the Sudetenland, but there's only one province that's worth anything. After the HPP merges with Magrathea I'll spread out Czechoslovakia's IC and other resources to be more historical.

@Baltasar: While true, the HPP introduced "Spheres of Influence", and the Baltic states are in the Soviets' sphere. That means that if I were to attack them, the USSR would attack me in return. Poland is in both my sphere and the Soviets, and works in a similar way. Take a look at Cybvep's AAR to see the situation where the Soviets attack Poland, dragging Germany into another war.

@Slan: You're right, and I modded my save to give Poland the UK's guarantee after a certain event, and changed the triggers for the 1st Vienna Award so it would go away (so tempting to press that button ). At the point I stopped taking pictures, the UK mobilized, but France still hasn't. Too bad I skipped it and didn't take a picture.

[TheBromgrev]

Chapter 11: More Building Up Before Memel - July 27, 1938 to March 22, 1939

Domestically, the Reich experience unrest due to advancements in agriculture and a series of political scandals. New agricultural methods developed during 1938 were introduced on October 2. The new methods required fewer men to work in the fields, freeing them for potential military service. However, these men were now unemployed, and in some cases vented their anger against their local government authorities.


New agricultural developments freed some farmers for military serve. However, these men were now unemployed.

Also on October 2, it came to light that Field Marshall Werner von Blomberg's new wife had, unknown to him, previously been a prostitute and had posed for pornographic photos. This violated the code of officer conduct created by Blomberg himself. To make matters worse, Hermann Goering was Blomberg's best man, and Hitler himself was a witness to the wedding. In order to prevent a scandal, Hitler ordered Blomberg to annul the marriage. Blomberg refused, and was forcibly retired. Hermann Goering took over the position of Armament Minister for a short time, but was soon replaced by the position's former holder, Hjalmar Schacht.


The result of the Blomberg Scandal

The result of the scandal inspired the schemers Goering and Heinrich Himmler to arrange a similar situation for Commander in Chief Colonel-General Werner von Fritsch. Together they prepared a file accusing von Fritsch of being homosexual, and prepared a bribed witness to testify. Hitler knew there was no truth to these accusations, but decided to force von Fritsch to retire anyway, as Hitler suspected him of harboring anti-NSDAP sentiments.


Werner von Fritsch is forced to retire after being falsely accused of being a homosexual

Afterward, tensions began to escalate between the army and the government, culminating in the forced retirement of many Heer leaders after Hitler appointed Walter von Reichenau as Commander in Chief and Friedrich Paulus as Chief of Staff. The remaining generals swore their loyalty to Hitler, and the NSDAP's power was consolidated. Despite losing some talented individuals, their forced retirements would not impact the Reich's overall war effort.


The final result of the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair


The new cabinet

The international scene saw only a few important developments. The first two occurred on November 2, 1938. The United States of America had achieved Great Power status, the first nation in the world to do so. The same day, reports came from local sources that a radical party had gained power in the UK. Because Hitler allowed the Reich's spy network in Britain to stagnate, no reliable information was available at the time as to which party was being referred to.



Later, on February 4, 1939, the UK decided to return Guyana to Venezuela. The Reich was unsure of the UK's motivation for doing so, but welcomed any weakening of its foe, especially if the UK volunteered. (Author's note: not sure why this happened; the triggers are 1) a democracy is at peace and has over 100 relations and 2) any nation is allied or in the same faction and at peace. The UK must've been making a lot of trades with Venezuela)


The UK returns Guyana

On March 8, rumors trickled in from the the Soviet Union that even more generals were disappearing. The Reich's leaders were pleased at this development, as it meant that the Soviet Union would be greatly weakened when hostilities eventually began.


Stalin continues to remove his generals

Finally, on March 22, 1939 von Ribbentrop, as per Hitlers plan, delivered an ultimatum to Lithuania for the return of Memel.


The Reich demands that Lithuania return Memel

The military situation saw the completion of V. Panzerkorps. Using the freed resources, the final three Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers were launched.


The final three Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers. The increase in cost is due to practical decay


The status of the military on March 22, 1939

[TheBromgrev]

Chapter 12: Memel, Danzig, and More Preparations - March 22, 1939 to January 1, 1940

The time period between March 22, 1939 until January 1, 1940 was dominated by a flurry of diplomatic activity. First, the Lithuanians accepted the Reich's ultimatum, and Memel was occupied the following day.


The Reich reoccupies Memel

A month later, after failing to secure agreements with France and the UK over Danzig and other areas of Poland, von Ribbentrop scored a victory by signing a pact with the Soviet Union to partition Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, and Western Poland would fall under Germany's sphere, while Eastern Poland, the four Baltic states, Romania, and Bulgaria would fall under the USSR's sphere.


Von Ribbentrop attempts to negotiate the partition of Poland amongst the Reich and Soviet Union


The Soviets accept the proposal

In May, millions across the Reich celebrated as Hitler announced the Reich had become a Great Power, superior to all in Europe and equal only to the United States. While not quite accurate, Hitler's rousing speeches had a similar effect of when Germany reached Major Power status, and thousands of talented individuals joined the government and military.


The Reich becomes a Great Power, the second nation to do so

However, by far the greatest victory for the Reich was when, on September 1, 1939, after the Reich had mobilized along Poland's borders, Poland ceded Danzig to the German Reich. Alarmed, the UK guaranteed the rest of Poland's borders, not knowing about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact's secret partition.


The Poles fold and cede Danzig. Shortly after, the UK guarantees Poland's borders.

Two days later, Hungary decided to join the Reich in a defensive alliance. Hungary's motivations to do so were a combination of wanting to appear to be a friend of the Reich as opposed to an obstacle, and a desire to use its new relationship to undo the damage caused by the Treaty of Trianon. The Reich also demobilized its armed forces, while the UK mobilized its own and began preparing for war. As the plan called for hostilities to potentially begin in June 1940, the armed forces were left demobilized.


Hungary joins the Axis

Finally, on November 1, the Soviets, emboldened by the non-aggression pact with the Reich, decided to conduct border negotiations in Finland. The Finns outright refused, and the Soviets chose to declare war rather than lose face and back down. Sweden secretly supported the Finns by sending volunteers and material.


The Soviet Union declares war on Finland. Sweden provides support.

As a result of this blatant display of communist aggression, Italy also joined the Reich in a defensive alliance, realizing Hitler's goal of securing the Reich's southern flank.


Italy joins the Axis

On the domestic front, with the completion of VI. Panzerkorps, the Scharnhorts, Gneisenau, Bismarck, Tirpitz, Admiral Hipper, Bluecher, and 4 more paratrooper divisions, major construction projects began on the Kriegsmarine, as well as another division of motorized infantry.


Construction of the battleships for 2 of the 4 main battlefleets begins


The final three battlecruisers have also been launched


The first 3 of 12 planned M-class light cruisers. Projected completion date is November 27, 1940


The two Graf-Zeppelin class aircraft carriers. Projected completion date is August 6, 1942


The Gotenhafen Shipyard near Danzig, where the Graf Zeppelin was being built

Finally, final preparations for the inevitable war were started, the first being changes to the cabinet.


The new cabinet



The Axis military situation on January 1, 1940

[GhostWriter]

TheBromgrev: ...Hitler ordered Blomberg to annul his marriage. Blomberg refused, and was forcibly retired.

didn't Blomberg give you +5 percent IC ? ? if so, why be hysterical about it ? ?

TheBromgrev: ...Hitler knew there was no truth to these accusations, but decided to force von Fritsch to retire anyway .. Despite losing some talented individuals, their forced retirements would not impact the Reich's overall war effort.

what was von Fritsch's advantage (trait?) for being in the cabinet ?

TheBromgrev: ...The military situation saw the completion of V. Panzerkorps. Using the freed resources, the final three Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers were launched and construction started. .. The final three battlecruisers have also been launched

OK, this confuses me. it seems from the context that you are starting construction of these ships. however, the use of the word, "launched" clearly implies that construction is finished ! ! which is it ? ?

TheBromgrev: ...Memel was occupied the following day. .. The Poles fold and cede Danzig.

splendid ! !

TheBromgrev: ...von Ribbentrop scored a victory by signing a pact with the Soviet Union to partition Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, and Western Poland would fall under Germany's sphere, while Eastern Poland, the four Baltic states, Romania, and Bulgaria would fall under the USSR's sphere.

works for me ! !

TheBromgrev: ...The Soviet Union declares war on Finland. Sweden provides support. .. Hungary, Italy joins the Axis

excellent ! !

TheBromgrev: ...Finally, final preparations for the inevitable war were started, the first being changes to the cabinet.

wonderful ! ! on to victory ! !

awesome updates ! !

[TheBromgrev]

Blomberg reduced infantry and militia theory decay, Fritsch had two possible positions, and reduced infantry practical decay in one and artillery practical decay in the other. All of the generals I let go were old guards, and were in charge of my port divisions or corps and are easily replaced.

In naval terms, there are 4 stages a ship needs to go through before it is combat ready. They are design, lay down the hull, launch, and commission. In HOI3 terms, design and laying down the hull represent the research (in the tech tab) and design phases (in the production screen); the ship can be repurposed and changed at this point. The German carrier Seydlitz was originally the 4th Admiral Hipper CA, and was changed to be a light carrier later (which wasn't finished). When a ship is launched, the hull is completely finished and no further changes can be made. This is when the interior portions and weapons are added. In HOI3 terms, this is when construction starts, since you can't make changes to the design after this point. The ship is also given its name at this point. Finally, commissioning is when the crew has finished training and the ship has completed sea trials and is ready for combat.

There will be two more chapters until the war starts. The next one will cover the time period from the end of the last one to right before was is declared, and the next one will be a complete overview of my OOB, production screen, and research, so you guys can get a feel for the state my military is in. After that, the fun starts

[TheBromgrev]

Chapter 13: The Calm Before the Storm - January 1, 1940 to June 22, 1940

On January 1, 1940, the Republic of China decided to request aid from the various warlord states. Yunnan agreed to join the ROC completely, while Xibei San Ma reaffirmed the alliance. The Guangxi Clique and Shanxi decided to remain neutral. After years of civil war, the Reich's leadership was baffled as to why Japan hasn't taken advantage of the situation and continued its previous policy of slowly absorbing China.

Further, France had left the naval treaty it signed with the USA and UK, presumably to respond to the new threat the Kriegsmarine posed.


The ROC asks the warlords for aid, Finland is actively attempting to form and alliance with the German Reich, and France is no longer adhering to the London naval treaty.

Several other international developments of note occurred as well. Several nations had elections the year prior, and the new governments came into office today. As a result of the Reich's spy networks, both Finland and Czechoslovakia elected National Socialist parties to power. Finland also is actively attempting to ally with the Reich, as a result of the ongoing Winter War. Both events were great news for the Reich, as it gained a potential ally against the Soviets and had secured the Czech front from any possible counterattacks.


Both Czechoslovakia and Finland now have German-friendly governments

On May 2nd, the Winter War ended in a truce. The small nation of Finland held off the Soviet Union for a long period of time, and remained independent despite the loss of its northern port and the heavily industrialized Viipuri region. The Reich was encouraged by the development, as it meant Finland would most likely join in a future alliance to regain land, and the Soviet Union was reeling from the effects of the Purges.


Territorial changes after the end of the Winter War

Later, on May 7th, Hitler orders the Reich's armed forces to mobilize, and instructs the appropriate interior ministries to gear the population for war.


The reserves have been called into active duty


The interior ministries have begun to prepare the civilian population for the upcoming war

In response, two days later France and Poland also mobilized.


In response to the German mobilization, France (not shown) and Poland mobilize their armies as well

On May 27, the French initiated the Allies first hostile actions with a trade embargo. Since the Reich's state industries had no contracts in place with French companies, the embargo had no effect.


The French impose a futile embargo in a vain attempt to force the Reich to back down

On June 2nd, the Soviet Union delivered an ultimatum to the Baltic states. After witnessing the Finn's defeat, and knowing their armies were much smaller and the weather better, their response was to avoid bloodshed and willingly become Soviet Socialist Republics inside the Soviet Union.


The Soviet Union aggressively forces the Baltic states to commit to joining the USSR

Domestically, after the two light carriers were completed and deemed battle-worthy, a grand ceremony was held in Wilhelmshaven in which the battleship Bismarck was appointed the lofty position of Pride of the Fleet. From this point on, only the best officers and sailors would be aboard the mighty battleship.


The Bismarck becomes the Pride of the Fleet

However, Hitler's plan were derailed by advances in infantry doctrines, which increased the size of the Reich's infantry brigades. The result was that the Heer needed 10 more days to finish mobilizing. It wasn't until June 22, that all divisions were reinforced and in place for the inevitable attack. According to surviving sources, Hitler was enraged by this miscalculation and delay of his plan.


Due to the reorganization of the infantry, more reservists than planned are being called into active duty


The Reich chooses to continue the doctrine of using large infantry divisions

[Cybvep]

I expect the fighting to be intensive, with you building a powerful naval force and all

Good luck!

[GhostWriter]

TheBromgrev: Blomberg reduced infantry and militia theory decay, Fritsch had two possible positions, and reduced infantry practical decay in one and artillery practical decay in the other. All of the generals I let go were old guards, and were in charge of my port divisions or corps and are easily replaced.

OK, i also remove old guards. i just do it differently...

TheBromgrev: ...In naval terms, there are 4 stages a ship needs to go through before it is combat ready. They are design, lay down the hull, launch, and commission. .. When a ship is launched, the hull is completely finished and no further changes can be made. .. In HOI3 terms, this is when construction starts,

i was aware of the 4 stages. thanks for the info.

TheBromgrev: ...Several nations had elections .. Both Czechoslovakia and Finland now have German-friendly governments

awesome ! !

TheBromgrev: ...On May 2nd, the Winter War ended .. Finland .. remained independent despite the loss of its northern port and the heavily industrialized Viipuri region...

i don't remember Finland losing its northern port in a game before. change ?

TheBromgrev: ...on May 7th, .. Reich's armed forces mobilize .. In response, two days later France and Poland also mobilized. .. On June 2nd, .. The Soviet Union aggressively forces the Baltic states to commit to joining the USSR

normal stuff ! ! still, it is important...

TheBromgrev: ...It wasn't until June 22, that all divisions were reinforced and in place...

unleash the dogs of WAR ! !

excellent updates ! !

[Slan]

TheBromgrev:[/B] ...On May 2nd, the Winter War ended .. Finland .. remained independent despite the loss of its northern port and the heavily industrialized Viipuri region...

i don't remember Finland losing its northern port in a game before. [B]change ?

That port would normally remain in Finnish hands, but then it would be completely cut off from the rest of the country, and it has no other stuff in it except the naval base. No point in keeping it, so it goes to the Soviets with the rest.

[TheBromgrev]

Chapter 14: Overview of the Wehrmacht - June 22, 1940

(Author's note: Picture dump If you guys like this format, I can make an overview chapter like this one every 6 months or every year for the OOB-related screens)

An overview of the current military situation:


An overview of the Axis militaries


The situation near Denmark. Note that Raeder's Flotte 1 is guarding the entrance to the Baltic, and Boehm's Baltic Fleet is protecting the transports. The Baltic Fleet is composed the oldest ships in the Kriegsmarine.


The Western Front



Southern Poland



Northern Poland

An overview of the Reich's military production:


Note the large investment into the Kriegsmarine and the expected completion dates

An overview of the Reich's research progress:








(Author's note: I may pick the air focus for my CAGs. The focus techs represent the quantity of plane-types that make up the CAGs, and Germany's carriers are primarily meant to provide air cover for the battleships, so it would make sense that Germany's CAGs to have a higher concentration of interceptors than bombers.)

[TheBromgrev]

Chapter 15: Week 1 - Second Battle of Jutland and the Surrender of Denmark

(Author's note: Now the real fun starts!)

After months of negotiations, both Denmark and Poland, emboldened by the UK's territorial guarantees, refused to return land previously owned by the German Empire. As negotiations stalled, Hitler decided to finally put his plan in motion. At noon on June 23, 1940, Germany attacked Poland and Denmark.


The Reich declares war on Poland then Denmark

The marines of I. Marinekorps landed in Copenhagen and the surrounding provinces, and immediately attacked the city. The Luftwaffe's paratroopers were dropped on Aalborg, Fredrikshavn, and Soenderborg, while the four garrison divisions guarding the BeNeLux border were moved to occupy their future posts. After a day of fighting, Denmark surrendered and the government fled to London. However, the Danish armed forces continued to defend their nation, and resistance to the Reich's invasion would continue for the next two weeks.


Denmark surrenders, but local resistance remains

On June 25, the United States takes control of Iceland and Greenland, despite protests from the Reich and the Danish collaboration government. This hostile takeover deprived the Reich of naval bases from which it could operate commerce raiders from.


The not-so-neutral USA occupies Greenland and Iceland

The final diplomatic action during the opening week of the war was the Soviet Union honoring the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and declaring war on Poland. The UK, unable to fight both nations, declined to declare war on the USSR. This was an odd turn of events, and sent the Reich's military planners scrambling to find the meaning behind it. At the time, there were fears of a Soviet betrayal, which later proved false. The UK simply did not have the resources to fight both nations and chose to not declare war in order to gain concessions later.


The Soviet Union honors the M-R Pact and attacks Poland.

Along with the progress being made in Poland and Denmark, the Kriegsmarine scored a major naval victory during the week-long Second Battle of Jutland. The battle was composed of a series of 6 engagements near the Jutland Peninsula. The opening battle involved a short engagement by Raeder's Flotte 1 against an anti-submarine fleet led by the HMS Calypso, accompanied by the 30th Destroyer Flotilla, The result of the battle was a complete victory for the Kriegsmarine, in which the KMS Jade was given credit for sinking the HMS Calypso and most of the destroyers.


Flotte 1 scores an easy victory against the RN's anti-submarine fleet

The remaining engagements involved Flotte 1 and a battlefleet consisting of the Battleship HMS Ramilles, the Battlecruisers HMS Hood, HMS Renown, HMS Repulse, and four destroyer flotillas led by Admiral Chatfield. The first skirmish took place in the Eastern Norwegian Trench, and the RN lost 2 destroyer flotillas while KMS Deutschland and KMS Admiral Scheer received minor damage. The RN fleet retreated east, and Flotte 1 pursued.


The first engagement


Results of the first engagement

The second engagement occurred at 2am on June 26 in Skagerrack, and the surviving RN ships were joined by Denmark's HDMS Niels Jeul and HDMS Peder Skram. No ships were lost on either side, and the Allied fleet escaped south. Admiral Raeder pursued the fleeing fleet.


The second engagement


Results of the second engagement

The third engagement occurred in Kattegat and the Allied fleet lost the HDMS Peder Skram and another destroyer flotilla, while the KMS Nuernburg received hits from the Repulse but was not sunk. The Allied fleet fled further south toward Copenhagen and Boehm's Baltic Fleet. Raeder decided to maintain positions, as the Allied fleet was heavily damaged and knew the Baltic Fleet, as aged as it was, could easily destroy the Allied fleet. Any Allied survivors would be forced to head north in order to escape, and Raeder would be waiting for them.


The third engagement


Results of the third engagement

Unfortunately for Raeder, Boehm was focused on shelling Copenhagen and did not engage the RN's crippled fleet, which turn north in an attempt to escape. Raeder's screens found them and and the fourth engagement resulted in the sinking of the HMS Hood and the fleet's last destroyers. Chatfield again fled south to regroup, and Boehm again, due to poor weather, failed to contact the enemy. Chatfield, now desperate, attempted one final flight north, resulting in the fifth and final engagement.


The fourth engagement


Results of the fourth engagement

On June 27 at 22:00, Raeder again made contact with Chatfield's crippled fleet. Using the cover of darkness, Chatfield managed to escape north, but lost the HMS Repulse in the process. Raeder attempted to follow, but was unable to find Chatfield in the dark and poor weather. The Second Battle of Jutland was over, and Raeder ordered Flotte 1 to head to Kiel for repairs and rest. The reserve fleet was to meet Flotte 1 at Kiel, and damaged ships would be rotated with fresh ships from the reserve fleet. Some sources claim that Raeder received praise from Hitler due to his success; others claim that Hitler was furious over Raeder's failure to sink the remaining two crippled capital ships.


The fifth engagement


Results of the fifth engagement


Flotte 1 heads to Kiel for repairs

Now that the Baltic was secure, and no known Allied fleets were operating in the area, the Kriegsmarine's convoy raiders were sent out in pairs or independently to their assigned hunting grounds.


The KMS Scharnhorst heads to its hunting grounds near the Portuguese Azores Islands

The 2nd Battle of Jutland was an important experience for Raeder. The Reich's surface ships only sunk destroyers and Denmark's outdated heavy cruiser, while the carriers sunk both RN Battlecruisers. Due to the poor weather conditions and visibility, the Reich's surface fleet couldn't match the cheap, small aircraft carriers sunk tonnage. This battle convinced Raeder that his Plan Z should be altered to focus on carriers instead of battleships. Unfortunately, Hitler refused to believe this deduction and claimed the carriers' success was due to poor visibility and inadequate training of the Kriegsmarine's surface ships; Hitler believed that out in the open sea the surface ships would perform better than the carriers.



Finally, the Kriegsmarine managed to sink 2 Allied merchant ships during the opening week of hostilities.