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TheBromgrev

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Jan 10, 2010
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Teutonic Dreams - A 1936 Germany HPP AAR

"It was a familiar dream. The man was flying, east, through the smoke-filled skies of the Rhineland, over the forests and fields of Lower Saxony, past the sprawling capital of Berlin, past the plains of Posen and the dense forests of Prussia, and into the dark forests of Russia. The man felt at peace, happy, as though this was home. Then, as he began to fly further east, he froze in fear. In the distance he saw a huge battleship, coming toward him. While trying to flee, a huge red bear came lunging at him from the ground, and dragged him toward the earth..."

The man awoke, and decided that he had had enough. "The dream cannot end like this every night", he thought. "I must remove the obstacles in the way. I must allow my people to once again move east, like the crusaders of old."

With that, Adolf Hitler began to form a plan. A plan to destroy his enemy and remove all obstacles in the way of meeting his goal: to finally free the German people from the threat of the Russian Bear.


geruy.jpg

Warning for people with slow internet connections: this is a picture-intensive AAR!
Most of the pictures are click-able, so if you can't read the text then click on the picture to see a larger version.

Nation: German Reich
Difficulty: Normal
Start Date: 1936
Game Version: SF 2.03c (edit: Steam auto-updated me to 2.04d :mad:)
Mod: HPP v 1.7.32a

I will try to write using a history-book style, but may add comments when I feel it's necessary in order to explain something. The dream at the top of this post is just an intro.

The AI will control the Army Group level and any attached airplanes at the Army level, but I will manually control the navy, marines, and paratroopers. All ships will be built using the HPP's historical models or very close, so not every ship will have the best weapons available (more on that in Chapter 5). I will use whatever occupation policy the HPP has as a default, which is different for every nation involved (ie. Germany will use a different default occupation policy in the Netherlands than it will use in Poland). The exception will be to have a collaboration government in Denmark, for historic reasons. This will really hurt the supply situation in the Soviet Union, as the default policy is the harshest one.

*I don't play too far ahead. If you see a chapter in the list without a link, then that means I'm either writing it or sorting out pictures.

My primary goal will be to defeat the Soviet Union completely, so no Bitter Peace unless I'm barely hanging on. I will change the Bitter Peace truce (keyword: truce) boundaries to be more historical (see the underlined text in paragraph 2 in the photo of the original; Hitler says the Arkangelsk-Volga Line is the goal of Barbarossa), if I need the truce (note: the HPP will include this decision as a truce after I test it in this AAR). The UK will need to be dealt with as well, although there may be diplomatic options available to prevent a war with the Allies or stop one after a certain period of time. If everything goes well, then maybe Hitler will look somewhere else for other fertile lands to conquer. Like the Far East or the Americas.

I appreciate all feedback, positive and negative. If you like or don't like my writing style or chapter setup, feel free to let me know! I'm always trying to improve.

Table of Contents:

The Long-Term Plan and its Requirements:
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Chapter 2: The Wehrmacht
Chapter 3: The Diplomatic Situation - April 1936

The Preparation:
Chapter 4: Building Up - April 12 to November 11, 1936
Chapter 5: Building Up - November 11, 1936 to January 25, 1937
Chapter 6: Building Up - January 25 to July 30, 1937
Chapter 7: Building Up - July 30, 1937 to February 3, 1938

Preliminary Implementation:
Chapter 8: The Anschluss of Austria and Preparing for the Treaty of Munich
Chapter 9: The Plan for the Future
Chapter 10: Hitler's Decision
Chapter 11: More Building Up Before Memel - July 27, 1938 to March 22, 1939
Chapter 12: Memel, Danzig, and More Preparations - March 22, 1939 to January 1, 1940
Chapter 13: The Calm Before the Storm - January 1, 1940 to June 22, 1940
Chapter 14: Overview of the Wehrmacht - June 22, 1940

The War in the West - Opening Stage:
Chapter 15: Week 1 - Second Battle of Jutland and the Surrender of Denmark
Chapter 16: Weeks 2 & 3 - Surrender of Poland and a Narrow Escape
Chapter 17: Weeks 4-6 - The Battles of Bridlington Bay, Broken Bank, & the Wash
Chapter 18: Weeks 7-9 - Surrender of the Netherlands and Preparation for Operation Sea lion
Chapter 19: Weeks 10-12 - Unternehmen Seelöwe Part 1
Chapter 20: Weeks 13-16 - Unternehmen Seelöwe Part 2
Chapter 21: Weeks 17-27 - Fall of Wales and England, Scottish Resistance

The War in the West - Final Stage:
Chapter 22: Weeks 28-30 - Fall of Belfast & the Final Stage of Fall Gelb
Chapter 23: Weeks 31-35 - Italy Joins the War, the Heer reaches Paris, and the South Africans Counterattack!
Chapter 24: Weeks 36-39 - Belgium & Ireland fall, the Siege of Paris Begins
Chapter 25: Weeks 40-44 - The Siege of Paris
Chapter 26: Weeks 45 & 46 - The Maginot Pocket and the 2nd Sino-Japanese War
Chapter 27: Weeks 47 - 52 - The End of the Allied Powers
Chapter 28: Weeks 53 & 54 - Border Negotiations
Chapter 29: Overview of the Axis and an Analysis of the War

Intermediate Events
Chapter 30: The United Nations, Yugoslavia, and Switzerland - June 20 to August 22, 1941
Chapter 31: The Scandinavian War - August 23 to December 3, 1941
Chapter 32: Expansion of the Kriegsmarine and the Shanghai Lodgement - August 10, 1941 to March 31, 1942
Chapter 33: Overview of the Wehrmacht - March 31, 1942

War in the East - Unternehmen Barbarossa
Chapter 34: Surprise! - April 1, 1942 to April 31, 1942
Chapter 35: Panic! - May 1 to May 31, 1942
Chapter 36: The Romanian Pocket - June 1 to June 30, 1942
Chapter 37: Axis of Confusion - July 1 to July 31, 1942
Chapter 38: The March to Moscow - August 1 to September 30, 1942
Chapter 39: The Bitter Peace and the Fall of Athens - October 1 to December 8, 1942
Chapter 40: Analysis of Operation Barbarossa

War in the Far East - Unternehmen Abendsonne
Chapter 41: Planning
Chapter 42: Stage 1 - September 9 to September 14, 1943
Chapter 43: Stage 2 - September 15 to September 29, 1943
Chapter 44: Stage 3 - September 30, 1943 to November 15, 1943
Chapter 45: Analysis of Operation Setting Sun

Cleaning Up Loose Ends
Chapter 46: Chinese Unification Part 1 - November 16, 1943 to April 12, 1944
 
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Chapter 1: The Beginning

For every end, there is a beginning. Every reaction has an action that preceded it. For the event known as World War 2, the seeds of the conflict were planted at the end of the Great War. The Russian Empire had collapsed, and the new communist government had signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in order to focus on the Russian Civil War. In addition to territory already taken by the Central Powers, the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic ceded Russian-held Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, and Ukraine to the German Empire.

Armisticebrestlitovsk.jpg

Land transfers of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

However, Germany's defeat on the Western Front and subsequent signing of the Treaty of Versailles nullified the territorial gains and took land away from Germany. The result was a humiliating defeat for a once proud and powerful nation.

Cores.jpg

A map of Germany and territories lost as a result of the Versailles Treaty (Author's note: vanilla province borders are horrible, so this is the best I could come up with)

Then, in 1933, the resentment boiled over as Adolf Hitler and his National Socialists came to power. The German people were angry at the terms of the treaty, and Hitler promised to not only undo the damage, but make the Reich greater than it was before. To do so, an in-depth study was performed on the nations containing former German territories and German populations. The result of the study was that Denmark and Belgium were too risky to attack due to the UK's guarantee on their borders, and they wouldn't be willing to give up land while being backed by the UK. France was too strong and wouldn't give up Elsass-Lothringen, after just recently having the region returned to it. Italy now controlled South Tyrol, but to gain Mussolini's friendship Hitler openly proclaimed that he had no ambitions concerning the provinces of Storo and Trento. Only Austria, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, and Poland were deemed to be weak enough and diplomatically isolated to the point that the Reich could incorporate portions of them into a Greater Germany. Poland and Lithuania, however, were to meet a different fate. The ultimate goal of the new regime was to destroy the Soviet Union as a political entity, and annex the land promised to it in the treaty of Brest-Litosvk.

In 1936, Hitler made changes to the position in his cabinet. Armament Minister Blomberg was replaced by Hjalmer Schacht. A large industry was required in order to manufacture the weapons of war needed to right the wrongs of Versaille. Wilhelm Frick was moved to the position of Intelligence Minister, while Joseph Goebbels was appointed minister of security. Frick's talents were better suited to manage the Reich's foreign spy networks, while Goebbels' was better suited to find talented leaders in the Reich itself.


The new cabinet

The second step to restore the Reich's greatness was to secure a steady supply of iron ore. Sweden had large iron deposits in its northern regions. However, the ore was difficult to transport, and it was impossible to import the needed mineral if the Baltic froze. However, a trade route through Norway was possible, because the ore could be transported to the Norwegian port of Narvik, which was ice-free during the winter. The problem was that German state industries did not yet have trade agreements in place for the transfer to Narvik. At this point, the Norwegians simply didn't trust Hitler's government. Diplomats were sent to trade oil, which Norway was in need of, in order to build the trust needed to transport Swedish ore from Narvik.


The first tasks for the Reich's diplomats

Next, Hitler ordered a complete revision of the Reich's foreign spy network. No more spies would be sent out to countries other than Austria, Finland, and the Soviet Union. Hitler's reasoning, was that Austria was even more humiliated than Germany after the war, and he felt he could capitalize on their resentment and persuade Austria to join the Reich in a formal union. Out of the former Russian vassals, Finland was viewed as the one most able to resist the Soviets, and was the only one to not fall under the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Therefore, efforts to create a government that would be on friendly terms with the Reich were started. Finally, Frick and Hitler knew that the new Soviet government under Joseph Stalin was having internal problems, as the military was not loyal to its leader. Hitler ordered that all current and future spies were to sow discontent, which would lower popular support for the Stalin's government and, in some cases, stir up enough radicals to potentially create a revolt.


As per Hitler's orders, the Reich's spy network has been focused and repurposed

Finally, steps were taken by the national industries to secure the Reich's border with France by extending the line of forts on the border south, to provide protection along the entire German/French border. Several factories were ordered to be built in Aachen and Karlsruhe, as both major cities were still suffering from the global depression. The new jobs would greatly aid in the future war effort, as well as help bring the country out of the depression. The final construction project was a rocket test site in the Baltic province of Ruegen. The Reich's brilliant scientists had persuaded the government that the test site would eventually allow for the development of new, powerful weapons.

In addition to the construction projects, training on 9 guard divisions was begun. These divisions were intended to protect the Reich's ports and help man the border with France.


The first steps to secure the Reich's borders and build a test site to develop new weapons
 
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Chapter 2: The Wehrmacht


The state of the German Reich's armed forces in early 1936 (Author's note: this is why Slan and I don't like adding new units; makes the statistics messy for AARs)

In the early months of 1936, the Reich's airforce, the Luftwaffe, was far superior to anything France or the UK could field. However, Herman Goering felt it wasn't ready for the massive conflict he knew would come. While he lacked the resources to make direct changes to it, once the construction projects and guard training completed, he planned to request resources to improve his Luftwaffe. Because the Reich's total airforce was to be split between a naval arm, an army arm, and the Luftwaffe, and each arm would report to its respective leader, Goering focused on his own. His plan was to split the Luftwaffe into 3 main branches, with a possible fourth depending on the resources available.

The branches of the Luftwaffe would be: fighter command, tactical command, and the ground forces. The current fighter defense forces were inadequate to the tasks of obtaining air superiority in enemy territory, and protecting the Reich's civilians from the enemy. Goering estimated that Luftwaffe's current 3 light fighter wings would need to be expanded to at least a total of 18 fighter wings divided into 6 corps of 3 wings before hostilities begin.

The tactical branch would operate independently of the army, and would be used for a wide variety of tasks, including bombing enemy supply depots, roads, and rail lines, attacking ground troops, and bombing enemy industry if the opportunity presents itself. The eight medium bomber wings currently in service were deemed to be sufficient for the task, but Goering planned to build another wing anyway.

The ground branch was non-existent at this point. Goering essentially had his own private army, in the form of air field guards unsuitable for front-line duty. In late 1935, Goering was witness to Soviet maneuvers in which the Soviets displayed a paratrooper squad jumping from their plane to several international observers. Goering was one of the foreign observers present and immediately recognized the strategic value such a tactic would provide, but he was unable to provide transport planes and equipment in sufficient numbers to create his own paratroopers. Once the resources became available, he intended to expand this branch quickly.



The Kriegsmarine was in a pathetic state. The Panzerschiffe KMS Graf Spee was due to be commissioned on January 5, which would bring the Reich's surface fleet to number 2 obsolete pre-dreadnought battleships, 3 modern heavy cruisers, 6 outdated light cruisers, 20 destroyers (5 per flotilla), and 40 submarines (10 per flottila), with an additional 5 destroyers and 20 submarines on the way. The Reich lacked the means to transport troops to East Prussia, let alone challenge the UK and France.

Admiral Raeder knew the Kriegsmarine was in no state to fight a war, and wouldn't be for some time. To remedy the situation, he created an ambitious plan to rebuild the Kriegsmarine into a force that could challenge the world's naval powers. Because resources have been allocated elsewhere for the time being, he instructed the navy to begin designing new, better designs for all ship classes. His plan was to split the Kriegsmarine into 4 branches: the naval aviation arm, the core fleet, the trade interdiction fleet, and the ground forces. The pace and quality of the future designs would rest on the Reich's diplomats being able to negotiate a new treaty with the UK.

The naval aviation arm was to be constructed from small, fast planes that could launch from and land on dedicated aircraft carriers. Raeder planned to build two small, light carriers as soon as the diplomats secured permission to design them. Later, 4 large carriers would be built. The purpose of this branch was to support the planned battleships in combat through scouting duties and helping to maintain air superiority.

The core fleet would center around 10 battleships, 15 heavy cruisers, 24 light cruisers, and 45 destroyers (9 flotillas). The core fleet would be divided into 5 smaller fleets. 4 main fleets would be composed of 2 battleships, 1 fleet carrier, 2 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, and a destroyer flotilla. 1 support fleet would consist of 2 battleships, 2 light carriers, 2 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, and a destroyer flotilla. The remaining ships would serve either as a reserve force and replace any losses, or to hunt down enemy submarines.

The commerce raiding fleet would consist of 290 submarines (29 flotillas), 5 battlecruisers, and 5 heavy cruisers. The 5 heavy cruisers and battlecruisers would be specially designed to trade firepower for speed and operating range. (Author's note: the HPP gave ship weapons "weight", which slows the ship down; using smaller weapons in the production screen results in a much faster ship. See chapter 5 for an example)

The existing 2 pre-dreadnoughts would be used to protect any transports fleets. The planned completion date is sometime in 1945, possibly earlier depending on resource allocation. Overall, Raeder felt that focusing on the Reich's surface fleet over its submarine fleet would allow it to project power and gain control of enemy sea zones, as opposed to commerce raiding which only denies the enemy control.

The ground forces would consist of special marine forces supported by combat engineers. These troops could, in times of need, also be used to help the Heer cross fortified rivers.



The surface fleet as envisioned by Admiral Raeder. The two light carriers and 2 battleships don't appear in this initial version of the plan


Change in naval focus to allow the Kriegsmarine to take control of the sea

The Heer was also in a terrible state. The Treaty of Versailles restricted the size of the Heer, and the Nazi leadership felt that a change was in order after the diplomats change the terms of the treaty. The new focus was to be on fast, decisive battles that focus firepower on a single point then rush troops into the breach. Tanks and motorized infantry were to be used to exploit the breach.



However, such a tactic also requires men to hold the line. The army was to be reorganized with the new tactic and ultimate target in mind. 6 foot-infantry based armies were made once resources became available. Each army was to contain 3 corps of 4 infantry divisions. Because each division needs to hold its own and combat the enemy, each regiment will be oversized and contain more heavy weapons and men than normal. If resources allow it, additional support brigades, such as artillery, will be attached to these divisions. (Author's note: the HPP completely redid the land doctrines to make them more like HOI2's; Germany follows the Firepower infantry doctrine, which increases regiment size, attack, defense, and cost. See picture below)

The core of the army was decided to be 3 tank armies. Each Panzerarmee was to consist of 2 Panzerkorps and 3 Panzergrenadierenkorps. Each corps was to contain 4 divisions. Each Panzerdivision contained a single tank regiment and 2 regiments of motorized infantry. Each Panzergrenadier consisted of 3 motorized infantry regiments. Support brigades such as artillery or armored cars would be assigned as resources allow.

The Reich's leaders also had to decide whether to continue using a standing army. The benefit to a standing army is that all combat units receive better training when compared to a nation like the USA that drafts its soldiers. The downside is that a standing army relies on a limited pool of fit, dedicated professional soldiers, where a drafted army can take men from a much larger pool. It was determined that the benefits of maintaining a standing army outweighed the drawbacks.

Finally, the army would be supported by close air support. These light bombers are short ranged and vulnerable to enemy aircraft, but are accurate and devastating against fortified positions. 18 air wings, divided into 9 groups of 2, are planned to be built in order to support each army.


The new Blitzkrieg style of warfare


The latest idea to give the German infantry an edge over their opponents
 
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Looking good. I like the look of the land tech tree in this version of HPP. :)
 
That is a pretty ambitious naval plan. Are you sure there you have enough ic to build that fleet while expanding the Luftwaffe and the Heer
 
I'll provide you with a small graphical update to fix the backgrounds for the tech-screens soon! :) I already made some save-incompatible changes since 1.7.32, so I advice against updating until you finish this! I must also add that this is much better than my sorry attempt at a history book was ;)
 
I made some of the pictures be clickable so you can read the text easier.

@Sir Humphrey: I like it too, although it's missing a tech background, which isn't a big deal. I only posted a screen of the land doctrine tree. I'll make an edit to the post with the actual land unit tree.

@darthkommandant: You're right, it is ambitious and, except for the 2 light carriers, I basically wrote down Plan Z which was also overly ambitious. At this point, I simply wrote up a wish-list for each branch. Whether or not everything gets finished on time is up in the air. At a minimum, I'll build the support fleet with the light carriers and some transports.

When I start the war will be a surprise, as there are pros and cons to starting it early. I'll write up an entire chapter later describing what I plan to do

@Slan: got the background pic, thanks. I'll redo the appropriate tech screenshots. As you can see, I only got to January 5th, so if the changes vastly improve the US then I can start over with the changes while keeping the AAR in place. I didn't realize how much work this would be, but I like how it looks.
 
@Slan: got the background pic, thanks. I'll redo the appropriate tech screenshots. As you can see, I only got to January 5th, so if the changes vastly improve the US then I can start over with the changes while keeping the AAR in place. I didn't realize how much work this would be, but I like how it looks.

The changes turn the New Deal into a recurring decision to fight the long lasting effects of the Great Depression (actually, the Great Recession by then, but whatever), and makes the gearing up for war part a lot longer. Originally, if you make that decision, the New Deal goes away, and you can use the full potential of your Industrial might right away. Not anymore with this change! It will still take time to get those gears working. Still, it is completely untested, so I wouldn't suggest using it for an AAR right away! :)
 
Chapter 3: The Diplomatic Situation - April 1936

In March, the world's major naval powers convened in London to create a new naval treaty to replace the existing one, which was due to expire soon. The treaty increased the tonnage limits on all signatories. However, Japan felt that the limits were too much and left the naval treaties completely. Italy refused to sign the treaty, as a result of diplomatic pressure concerning its war with Ethiopia. As the Reich was covered by a separate treaty with the UK, it did not attend.


The result of the Second London Conference

A few days after the naval conference ended, Ethiopia surrendered to the Kingdom of Italy and was formally annexed.

ethiopia_annexed.jpg


On April 12, 1936, the guard divisions finished training and were deployed to guard Reich's major naval bases. However, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, 3 divisions were positioned in strategic locations along the demilitarized Rhineland. Despite this brazen violation, France and the UK did nothing but lodge official protests.

reoccupation.jpg


This response, or lack thereof, prompted Foreign Minister von Neurath to renegotiate the Reich's naval treaty with the UK. The talks were a success, and the Reich's tonnage limit was increased and the Kriegsmarine was allowed to build and field aircraft carriers. Admiral Raeder immediately ordered plans to be drawn up for his planned carriers. While the German Empire had earlier attempted to convert the ocean liner Ausonia to become a fleet carrier in 1915, the project was canceled and little experience from it could be applied to the purpose-build ships the Kriegsmarine required.



The beginning of the design phase for the 6 planned carriers

The importance of the results of the naval conference is that it helped the Reich identify its potential allies for the war to come. While both Italy and Japan were enemies of the German Empire in the Great War, they are also isolated diplomatically, have militant ambitions, and maintain navies that are not bound by international restrictions.

However, Italy's poor performance in Ethiopia was not promising, and Japan had been slowly taking over China over the past 50 years. The latter was a bigger problem, as the Reich was supplying military support to the Republic of China in exchange for Tungsten, a rare earth metal that was essential to the Reich's industry. In fact, the ROC currently fielded 20 binary divisions that had been trained by German advisors, and retired General von Falkenhausen was currently in China acting as Chiang Kai-Shek's military adviser.

ch_2.jpg

Chinese soldier with German equipment, posing

china_trade.jpg

The Reich imports large quantities of rare materials from China

Overall, the political and military situation in East Asia was explosive. The ROC and its ally, the Ma Clique were engaged in open fighting against the Chinese Communist Party. Japan, based on its recent aggression in 1935 that formed the creation of the "East Hebei Autonomous Council" outside of Beiping, was suspected to be waiting for an opportunity to acquire more territory at China's expense.

While Japan has a modern military, if it were to be drawn out into a war with China, then the Reich wouldn't be able to rely on Japan to aid it when the conflict with the Soviet Union began. On the other hand, China was weakened by internal conflicts with its own communists, and may not be able to deal with its problems in time to provide any substantial aid. Regardless, both nations are vying for support from the Reich, in order to gain an advantage over the other.


The situation in the Far East. Note France's concession in Guangdong

The search for potential allies has so far yielded little promising results. In Europe, most nations are either too small, hostile, or incompetent to help. In Asia, the two largest free independent nations seem poised to fight in the near future. In the Americas, only Argentina could be potentially be persuaded to join the Reich in a potential war with the UK and France, due to its claims on the Falkland and South Georgia Islands. However, despite having the largest navy in the southern hemisphere, Argentina would not be able to provide the support the Reich required.


The diplomatic situation in Europe, as well as nations aligning to the Axis.
 
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Chapter 4: Building Up - April 12 to November 11, 1936

This time period saw the completion of 4 transport flotillas, the new static defenses along the French border, both new factories, and the motorized divisions to complete the first Panzerkorps. Research project were completed that allowed the construction of better aircraft and light tanks. Due to the breakthroughs in tank design, a new concept emerged of creating a tank meant for heavy combat, as opposed to speed. Prototypes of the new design have started construction and testing, and the first models are slated to begin construction in the beginning of 1937. In the meantime, the Heer's equipment overall was upgraded to newer, more reliable models.

panzer2b.jpg

The new PzKpfw IIb tanks during a training exercise

The 20 submarines under construction finished, and Admiral Raeder successfully managed to secure resources for 20 more submarines. The new models were equipped with a better, more reliable engine that quadrupled the range when compared to the earlier models. The Kriegsmarine design teams also pushed ahead and made great progress during this time period. At the time, it was estimated that the 2 Bismark-class battleships could be launched in early 1937, once resources were freed after the remaining divisions of the 2nd Panzerkorps and 1st Panzergrenadieren completed their training. The planned Scharnhorst-class battlecruisers were to be launched during the Summer of 1937, after a design review determined that their current level of anti-aircraft protection was inadequate for a long-range surface raider.

U-106a.jpg

A type IXB submarine underway. It was the latest model available during the Summer of 1936

The Luftwaffe and the Heer both began construction of new air wings in July of 1936. The Luftwaffe ordered construction to commence on a wing of medium bombers and 3 wings of light fighters. The Heer ordered 2 wings of light bombers. These aircraft were the first step in the massive planned build up before the war, and all were slated to be completed by February 1937.

Heinkel_He_112.jpg

A Heinkel He 112. This plane was to form the core of the Reich's fighter force

During the month of August, it came to light that the government was unable to properly store its vast coal reserves. As a result, large amounts of coal were stored improperly and became unsuitable for industrial use.


The Reich had more coal than warehouse space

In early November, the rest of the world finally recognized the might of the Reich, and Hitler declared Germany to once again be a Regional Power. However, that was not enough for the German government nor its people. They had thrown off the shackles of Versailles and had begun their climb back to the spotlight, and would not be satisfied by becoming a "mere" regional power. (Author's note: the requirements for this are 150 brigades and 50 IC, and the strategic effect is triggered by an event)


Germany has begun to assert itself regionally

Despite the rapid pace of military buildup, the most important event to happen occurred in September, when a prominent conservative member of the Spanish parliament was murdered, triggering a coup by the country's conservative military forces. At first, the Reich did nothing and observed the situation. It wasn't until Italy and the Soviet Union intervened on behalf of the Nationalists and Republicans, respectively, that the Reich decided to send aid to the Nationalists' Spanish State. The Condor legion, a mix of medium bombers from the Luftwaffe and tanks from the Heer, was sent to aid the Spanish State with its struggle against communism. The purpose of the expeditionary force was to test the new Blitzkrieg combat tactic, such that refinements could be made based on the Legion's experience in the civil war.

SCW.jpg

Hostilities break out in Spain
 
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Actually, I don't know yet. Attacking early and doing well gives me the option of accepting a white peace with the UK *IF* the UK is scared enough. If I'm too slow in France, or the UK AI happens to be stronger than normal, then I'll be stuck with a 2-front war. There's also the possibility Czechoslovakia will fight me, like in your AAR.

On the other hand, the longer I wait and prepare the longer my enemies have to prepare, and that really benefits the Soviet Union. If I wait too long, then I'll get dragged into the same situation you're in when the Soviet Union attacks Poland. That might actually be the better option.

This is the biggest decision to make, and I'll devote an entire chapter to it once I get there. I'm currently exactly where I left off, I don't play ahead very far. That helps keep things in a manageable time frame and keep things interesting (I hope). I'll most likely do posts that cover about 6 month intervals until the war starts, then I'll slow down the pace considerably based on what's going on.
 
Normal. I guess that's not clear from the opening paragraph. I'll go make an update and spell out all the details in list-form.

I would have played on hard, but we recently did a complete overhaul of the land doctrines, and the Human Wave type techs are now a viable strategy. When I tried a Germany game right after the new doctrines came out, I lost to the Soviet infantry horde :( I've learned a few things since then, plus I introduced the naval changes (Slan modified them) I'll show off in the next chapter, so I felt now was as good a time as any to show off the mod.
 
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Chapter 5: Building up - November 11, 1936 to January 25, 1937

During the month of December, several major developments occurred during the Reich's military buildup. The first was the completion of the Luftwaffe's last medium bomber wing, which was attached to Luftflotte III.

The second major development was that the 4 divisions of I. Panzergrenadieren finished training, and were deployed to Panzerarmee 1 along the Polish border. The official reason for the troop buildup was that Poland had manned its side of the border since February 1936.

Using the freed resources, 6 triangular divisions of foot infantry began training and equipment for the men was ordered.

The final major development was the launching of 2 Bismarck-class battleships, the Bismarck and Tirpitz, and 2 Scharnhorst-class battlecruisers, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. These expensive ships were the first step in Admiral Raeder's Plan Z.


The Bismarck-class Battleship


The Scharnhorst-class battlecruiser. Note the additional range and speed obtained by sacrificing firepower. These ships were designed as long-range commerce raiders, which only need enough firepower to destroy cruisers and merchant ships.


A chart showing projected German industrial output and resource flows, as well as the projected completion dates for various military projects

As far as internal politics are concerned, von Neurath was replaced by Joachim von Ribbentrop as foreign minister. The NSDAP's popularity had waned, largely as a result of the coal storage scandal.

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In the international scene, the Spanish State was quickly losing ground to the Spanish Republic. This wasn't good for the Reich's military planners, who had expected the Condor Legion to perform exceedingly well. While the exact fate of the expeditionary force is unknown, the fact remained that its performance so far wasn't enough to fight back communists alongside Spain's regular army.

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The situation in Spain is looking poor for the Nationalists

In China, the civil war has stalemated, as the Kuomintang's National Revolutionary Army was unable to breach the communist stronghold.

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In early January, the Reich's leaders came together to determine the foreign policy that would help lead to success in the conflict to come. The result of these meetings was the Anti-Comintern Pact, which was submitted to the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Japan by foreign minister von Ribbentrop. Both nations signed the treaty, which stipulated that if any of the signatories were to be attacked by a communist nation, that the others would be obligated to defend the victim.

The Republic of China was angered by this move, as they felt the Reich was abandoning them in favor of Japan. Von Ribbentrop took pains to assure the Chinese otherwise, and a new trade deal for more rare materials was signed as a result.


Italy and Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact

A very important event in international politics during this time period was the resignation of Stanley Baldwin. As an "appeaser", he was responsible for the lack of any real response to the Reich's earlier treaty violations. With his resignation, the Reich's leaders waited to see who his replacement would be. They didn't have to wait long, as a few days later, on January 7, Anthony Eden was selected to be the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

The Reich was unsure what this meant. During the past 2 years Eden was the UK's foreign minister and never criticized the so-called appeasement policy. However, he never outwardly supported it either. As a self-described "Man of Peace", the Reich at the time was unsure of its future diplomatic options with such a man in charge of its chief rival.


Anthony Eden becomes Prime Minister of the UK

However, the most important event to transpire was the beginning of the Great Purge. Stalin, the dictator of the Soviet Union, had become increasingly paranoid over the past few years, something which the Reich's Soviet spy network sought to exploit. The situation came to a head on January 5, 1937, when rumors leaked from the Soviet Union about generals and officers who failed to pledge loyalty to Stalin disappearing. The leaders of the NSDAP knew what this meant; they had themselves been contemplating the forced removal of members of the military who weren't members of the NSDAP. Whether or not the former generals disappeared was a detail to be worked out later. At the time, the full effects of the Purge couldn't be understood or grasped by either the Soviets or Germans. It was only later that the effects purge came to light.
 
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Interesting. Another HPP AAR where Eden succeeds Baldwin. :)
 
Chapter 6: Building Up - January 25 to July 30, 1937

During this time period, the II. Panzerkorps had finished training and construction and training began on the III. Panzerkorps, as well as 12 more infantry divisions to bring armies 1 through 4 up to planned full strength. The Heer also received 6 wings of light bombers, which were assigned to armies 1, 2, and Panzerarmee 1 in pairs.

The Luftwaffe finished construction of 2 more Fliegerkorps of 3 light fighter wings. Another Fliegerkorps was ordered, as the Luftwaffe at this point was short 3 interceptor groups of 3 wings each.

Meanwhile, the Kriegsmarine finished its designs for the 5 planned Admiral Hipper-class surface raiders, but no funding was available to start construction. Advances were made to the planned carriers, but none of the current designs were deemed battle-worthy. As most of the ship designs had reached the tonnage limits that the most advanced hulls could accommodate, Kriegsmarine officials set out to improve the training of its admirals, captains, and ship crews.


Redirection of officers and other personnel to improve the Kriegsmarine's effectiveness

On the International stage, these 6 months were full of setbacks and embarrassments. First, on March 2, Italy was internationally recognized to be a regional power. This meant that the German Reich was considered to be of the same stature as a nation that had difficulty pacifying an army of bowmen and spear-throwers. This was a huge embarrassment to the NSDAP leaders, who ordered resources to focus on the Heer instead of being balanced between the three branches. Since the Kriegsmarine had a larger percentage of the nation's industrial capacity assigned to it, further ship plans were put on hold until the Heer had at least the 6 planned infantry armies deployed.

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In March, an opposition leader was the subject of an assassination attempt. Once news of the attack was leaked to the press, some riots developed between NSDAP and SPD supporters. Hitler himself was forced to present a series of speeches denying involvement in the attack.



In late May, the Spanish Civil War came to a close, and on June 2, the Condor Legion returned. While they failed to bring victory to the Nationalist cause, much was learned about how the Blitzkrieg doctrine performed in practice. The Reich decided to continue following this path of thinking. Ten days later, the Spanish Republic formally rescinded its claims on Gibraltar. Even though the two nations were not on friendly terms, this event made it clear to the Reich that it could not persuade Spain to join it against a potential war with the UK.

(Author's note: this is the fastest SCW I've ever seen, especially since the Republicans won. Normally the SCW lasts until 1942 or so, with the Nationalists winning. Also, I'd really like to know "what a certain field" is.)


The Spanish rebels are defeated by the communists


The Condor Legion returned with valuable combat experience


Spain rescinds its claims on Gibraltar

The final event of note during this time period was that the coal storage situation was finally solved. Enough coal was lost or wasted that warehouse space was freed, allowing for proper storage.

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(Author's note: this is the fastest SCW I've ever seen, especially since the Republicans won. Normally the SCW lasts until 1942 or so, with the Nationalists winning. Also, I'd really like to know "what a certain field" is.)

I can give you a list, but unfortunately I have no idea how to include that the name of the "certain field" and the amount of research points in the tooltip...
Here's the list:
Code:
		fighter_pilot_training = 30
		bomber_pilot_training = 30
		cas_pilot_training = 30
		fighter_groundcrew_training = 30
		bomber_groundcrew_training = 30
		cas_groundcrew_training = 30
		ground_attack_tactics = 50
		interdiction_tactics = 50
		installation_strike_tactics = 50
		strategic_airforce_doctrine = 25

You gained some experience in air doctrines.