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OK, so the Soviets are certainly stronger and better prepared! Those casualty figures indicate some really serious fighting. I notice your MP is now 438 and I think you said you were still mobilizing up until July? Your reserve is modest and you've taken 75K casualties in those battles you listed - that is quite concerning.
Your prospects along the Baltic coast look good. You are close to linking up with your men in Riga and that will cut off a lot of Soviet forces. That should be very helpful.
The landing in Estonia also looks to be expanding very nicely. All that should help Finland.
It's not looking so good further south and Romania seems to be under a lot of pressure. But no immediate cause for alarm.
Also, you still have Turkey in your back pocket I believe? At some point I'm sure they will provide a useful distraction.
Your prospects along the Baltic coast look good. You are close to linking up with your men in Riga and that will cut off a lot of Soviet forces. That should be very helpful.
The landing in Estonia also looks to be expanding very nicely. All that should help Finland.It's not looking so good further south and Romania seems to be under a lot of pressure. But no immediate cause for alarm.
Also, you still have Turkey in your back pocket I believe? At some point I'm sure they will provide a useful distraction.
As SSmith say - some nasty casualties on the German side and an MP ratio on 438 is ot a very confident number in this phase. This means that this AAR will be very exciting to continue to follow .
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This means that this AAR will be very exciting to continue to follow
It certainly will.
@Enewald: Finland will be saved. I absolutely cannot allow them to fall and expose my entire northern flank.
@Cybvep: Thanks.
@SSmith/CptEasy: There's some good news, and a lot of bad news. The good news is that I'm still getting the effects of the 450% MP boost, and that also applies to captured territory.
The bad news is that the front has turned into a meat grinder. Yes, I'm pushing the Soviets back, but they're making me pay for every inch, which only favors them. Turkey and the other Axis minors not currently fighting haven't mobilized yet, so I don't want to call them in too early. Not like that would stop Romania from asking them for help if it gets desperate.
All of that is a direct result of leaving the Heer and attached air wings on AI Blitzkrieg control. The Blitzkrieg setting only makes my AI more aggressive, as you can see from the battle reports. What normally happens, pre-2.04d, is that I have some *really* nasty battles for the first three months, then all resistance stops and I steamroll east. It'll be interesting to see what the effects of the org regain changes will have.
@All: Sorry for the lack of pictures for the land battles. I was mainly taking screens of battle reports with more than 1k casualties on my side and didn't think of actually moving my view to the actual front I have to say, I'm pretty pessimistic, although if I end up getting a historical result, then that will make this game even more fun. I've only lost once to the Soviets, and that was during my first attempt a year ago. The Soviets changing doctrines on me was a complete surprise, as there's only about a 10% chance for the AI to switch doctrine trees.
@Cybvep: Thanks.
@SSmith/CptEasy: There's some good news, and a lot of bad news. The good news is that I'm still getting the effects of the 450% MP boost, and that also applies to captured territory.
The bad news is that the front has turned into a meat grinder. Yes, I'm pushing the Soviets back, but they're making me pay for every inch, which only favors them. Turkey and the other Axis minors not currently fighting haven't mobilized yet, so I don't want to call them in too early. Not like that would stop Romania from asking them for help if it gets desperate.
All of that is a direct result of leaving the Heer and attached air wings on AI Blitzkrieg control. The Blitzkrieg setting only makes my AI more aggressive, as you can see from the battle reports. What normally happens, pre-2.04d, is that I have some *really* nasty battles for the first three months, then all resistance stops and I steamroll east. It'll be interesting to see what the effects of the org regain changes will have.
@All: Sorry for the lack of pictures for the land battles. I was mainly taking screens of battle reports with more than 1k casualties on my side and didn't think of actually moving my view to the actual front
I have to say, I'm pretty pessimistic, although if I end up getting a historical result, then that will make this game even more fun. I've only lost once to the Soviets, and that was during my first attempt a year ago. The Soviets changing doctrines on me was a complete surprise, as there's only about a 10% chance for the AI to switch doctrine trees.
That's actually 1%... Although in your case it might have been because of a bug in the code
Sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been really hectic where I work lately since it seems like the US government (aka the ignorant redneck House and hippie Senate) will vote to stop funding my project. Which is stupid, since they've been funding it for the past 15 years and we'll be completely done and ready to start production in 2 months... Anyway, there's a mad rush to get as much done now before the funding is cut and the company will need to us its own funds, so I've had very little free time lately.
Anyway, I have pictures for the next two chapters, but need to sort them out and write them up. I'll hopefully have some free time this upcoming week. My spoiler is that things are looking good in Ukraine... and that's about it
Anyway, I have pictures for the next two chapters, but need to sort them out and write them up. I'll hopefully have some free time this upcoming week. My spoiler is that things are looking good in Ukraine... and that's about it
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Chapter 35: Panic! - May 1 to May 31, 1942
On May 1, 1942, in an effort to prevent Romania from being overrun, Bulgaria joined the war. Saudi Arabia also joined the Axis Powers on this day, due to the threat of a possible Soviet invasion of Iraq, as well as wishing to make capital gains by selling oil to the various Axis nations. However, Bulgaria joining the war in Romania's defense was not enough to calm down the Romanian leadership, who, in a mass panic, called on every Axis nation to its defense. This set off a chain reaction of Calls to Arms, as no Axis member wanted to be seen as failing to come to the aid of their allies. Argentina alone refused to join the war. This event has since been known as the Great Romanian Panic, sometimes also called the Great Blunder.
The Great Romanian Panic occurred on May 4, 1942
The Panic was to be the greatest strategic blunder of the war. The Kingdom of Italy was still fighting the Greeks at Athens, and was in no position to aid in the war effort. Turkey, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia hadn't yet mobilized when they joined the war at Romania's behest, and Indonesia had no navy and lacked the means to offer any real material aid. China was still engaged in fierce fighting against the Japanese, and could hardly afford a fighting two wars while being effectively surrounded by enemies. Argentina was the only Axis nation that declined to help, citing its distance from the conflict as well as a lack of troop transports to offer aid. Why the Axis nations not involved in the conflict decided to prematurely aid Romania has been much debated. Some historians point to surviving memos and diary entries that they wanted to show their strength and thought that joining the conflict to be a matter of prestige. The leaders of Italy, Indonesia, China, and Saudi Arabia are commonly thought to have joined the war for those reasons. In contrast, Turkey and Iraq are believed to have joined due to panic, feeling that if Romania fell, then the Soviets would attack and open another front. Why both nations didn't wait to mobilize first was due to the overall sensation of panic, as well as the belief that the Soviet border guards were not very strong, as the main thrust of the Axis attack was to the west. The decision to not mobilize would prove to be near-catastrophic for the Axis.
China forms the 2nd United Front, this time against the Soviet Union. Curiously, the Communists join in the defense.
Two days later, on May 6, the first reports of good news filter in from the front. A pocket has been captured in Liebaja, and the port has been blockaded by the obsolete Baltic Fleet. While the pocket only held a single Soviet infantry division, the Soviets had managed to slip past the Baltic Fleet a tank division and two more infantry divisions. The pocket was closed and the port taken 9 days later, on May 14. While not a huge victory in and of itself due to the sheer size of the Red Army, the capture of the tank division would severely hamper the Soviet defense efforts, because such armored formations were rare in the Red Army.
The first major victory in the war
After the pocket was formed, Heeresgruppe Süd began a major offensive in Ukraine, in order to relieve pressure on Romania. It was vital to the war effort that Romania not collapse and allow the Red Army to rampage through the Balkans, with the main Italian army potentially getting trapped in Greece. Of the four fronts, the Romanian border was deemed the most at risk of causing the defeat of the entire Axis alliance. The push was costly, and many soldiers were killed on both sides. However, by May 19, the city of Kiev was taken and by the end of the month, Heeresgruppe Süd had reached the Romanian/Soviet border. As a result of the offensive, the Luftwaffe began to report that the Soviets started to transfer some of their industry out of Ukraine east.
The Soviets begin to move their heavy industries away from the front lines
For Heeregruppe Mitte, little progress was made. The month of May saw extremely heavy fighting near the Pripet Marshes, where the Heer's tanks were of little use and the Soviets could use the terrain to their advantage. Losses were heavy on both sides.
The Pripet Marshes took a massive toll on Heersgruppe Mitte
In the North, progress was also slow, with several setbacks in Estonia. On May 20, Luftwaffe scouts had determined that the Soviets had curiously begun to move its defensive troops south out of Leningrad. The only spare forces available to take advantage of the situation were the two paratrooper divisions in Riga. Since Heeresgruppe Nord had finally linked up with them, the special forces were freed for other operations. At this point, the Wehrmacht's leadership was split on whether to send the men to Turkey, to aid in the collapsing front there, Finland to supplement the paratroopers and marines, or to take the city. In the end, the decision was made to take Leningrad and the province to the east. Leningrad was a major air base and industrial center, and had significant radar facilities. Taking the city and the adjoining province would cut off the most direct supply routes to the Soviet's Finnish front, as well as deprive the Soviets of their main air base in the North. The indirect benefits were deemed to be more helpful to aiding the Finns than direct intervention. Also, if necessary, the paratroopers could abandon the city and be moved elsewhere.
The Soviets abandon the major city of Leningrad to the Luftwaffe's paratroopers, which conducted an amphibious assault on the city
On May 25, the marines of I. Marinekorps had retreated to Tallinn in preparation to be extracted and relocated to Helsinki. Finland's defensive lines in the center of the country had begun to collapse, and a concerted effort had to be made in order to stabilize the situation. Since the Heer couldn't afford to divert forces from the front, the marines in Tallinn were to aid the two paratrooper divisions already in Finland. Their initial orders were to secure the regions outside of the Finnish capital, then aid the Finns based on the situation. If necessary, the occupation forces in Norway and Sweden would be called in as well. Overall, the operations in Estonia were considered a success, as the Reich's losses were low and the marines had tangibly tied up Soviet defenders that could have been sent to the main front instead.
German marines abandon Tallinn and travel to Helsinki
The major battles of the second month that are etched into the war memorial are:
Pinsk, May 6, 1942 - 1,281 German KIA, 777 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Koret', May 6, 1942 - 1,693 German KIA, 590 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Podhajce, May 8, 1942 - 20,787 German KIA, 11,291 Soviet KIA, German Victory*
Trembowla, May 8, 1942 - 2,414 German KIA, 1,605 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Seduva, May 9, 1942 - 1,340 German KIA, 1,034 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Makhrovka, May 10, 1942 - 1,658 German KIA, 2,042 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Szczuczyn, May 10, 1942 - 4,217 German KIA, 3,919 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Slonim, May 11, 1942 - 5,619 German KIA, 3,707 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Starokostyantyniv, May 14, 1942 - 2,352 German KIA, 1,060 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Trembowla, May 14, 1942 - 2,415 German KIA, 3,176 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Liepaja, May 14, 1942 - 1,563 German KIA, 2,435 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Siauliai, May 15, 1942 - 2,041 German KIA, 990 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Ziezmariai, May 16, 1942 - 4,896 German KIA, 4,110 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Bila Tserkva, May 17, 1942 - 2,495 German KIA, 2,272 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Talsi, May 18, 1942 - 2,036 German KIA, 1,109 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Dunayivtsi, May 22, 1942 - 3,373 German KIA, 1,635 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Horodenka, May 23, 1942 - 1,368 German KIA, 3,020 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Berehomet, May 27, 1942 - 2,056 German KIA, 4,395 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Nowogródek, May 29, 1942 - 1,543 German KIA, 1,806 Soviet KIA, German Victory
*This battle is commonly sited as being the decisive factor in the collapse of the Soviet Ukrainian front
(Author's note: Notice the big block of German victories at the end. The Soviet's defense in Ukraine had mostly broken at that point. Not the casualty reports I need to see, but much better than the first month.)
The status of the war on May 31, 1942
On May 1, 1942, in an effort to prevent Romania from being overrun, Bulgaria joined the war. Saudi Arabia also joined the Axis Powers on this day, due to the threat of a possible Soviet invasion of Iraq, as well as wishing to make capital gains by selling oil to the various Axis nations. However, Bulgaria joining the war in Romania's defense was not enough to calm down the Romanian leadership, who, in a mass panic, called on every Axis nation to its defense. This set off a chain reaction of Calls to Arms, as no Axis member wanted to be seen as failing to come to the aid of their allies. Argentina alone refused to join the war. This event has since been known as the Great Romanian Panic, sometimes also called the Great Blunder.
The Great Romanian Panic occurred on May 4, 1942
The Panic was to be the greatest strategic blunder of the war. The Kingdom of Italy was still fighting the Greeks at Athens, and was in no position to aid in the war effort. Turkey, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia hadn't yet mobilized when they joined the war at Romania's behest, and Indonesia had no navy and lacked the means to offer any real material aid. China was still engaged in fierce fighting against the Japanese, and could hardly afford a fighting two wars while being effectively surrounded by enemies. Argentina was the only Axis nation that declined to help, citing its distance from the conflict as well as a lack of troop transports to offer aid. Why the Axis nations not involved in the conflict decided to prematurely aid Romania has been much debated. Some historians point to surviving memos and diary entries that they wanted to show their strength and thought that joining the conflict to be a matter of prestige. The leaders of Italy, Indonesia, China, and Saudi Arabia are commonly thought to have joined the war for those reasons. In contrast, Turkey and Iraq are believed to have joined due to panic, feeling that if Romania fell, then the Soviets would attack and open another front. Why both nations didn't wait to mobilize first was due to the overall sensation of panic, as well as the belief that the Soviet border guards were not very strong, as the main thrust of the Axis attack was to the west. The decision to not mobilize would prove to be near-catastrophic for the Axis.
China forms the 2nd United Front, this time against the Soviet Union. Curiously, the Communists join in the defense.
Two days later, on May 6, the first reports of good news filter in from the front. A pocket has been captured in Liebaja, and the port has been blockaded by the obsolete Baltic Fleet. While the pocket only held a single Soviet infantry division, the Soviets had managed to slip past the Baltic Fleet a tank division and two more infantry divisions. The pocket was closed and the port taken 9 days later, on May 14. While not a huge victory in and of itself due to the sheer size of the Red Army, the capture of the tank division would severely hamper the Soviet defense efforts, because such armored formations were rare in the Red Army.
The first major victory in the war
After the pocket was formed, Heeresgruppe Süd began a major offensive in Ukraine, in order to relieve pressure on Romania. It was vital to the war effort that Romania not collapse and allow the Red Army to rampage through the Balkans, with the main Italian army potentially getting trapped in Greece. Of the four fronts, the Romanian border was deemed the most at risk of causing the defeat of the entire Axis alliance. The push was costly, and many soldiers were killed on both sides. However, by May 19, the city of Kiev was taken and by the end of the month, Heeresgruppe Süd had reached the Romanian/Soviet border. As a result of the offensive, the Luftwaffe began to report that the Soviets started to transfer some of their industry out of Ukraine east.
The Soviets begin to move their heavy industries away from the front lines
For Heeregruppe Mitte, little progress was made. The month of May saw extremely heavy fighting near the Pripet Marshes, where the Heer's tanks were of little use and the Soviets could use the terrain to their advantage. Losses were heavy on both sides.
The Pripet Marshes took a massive toll on Heersgruppe Mitte
In the North, progress was also slow, with several setbacks in Estonia. On May 20, Luftwaffe scouts had determined that the Soviets had curiously begun to move its defensive troops south out of Leningrad. The only spare forces available to take advantage of the situation were the two paratrooper divisions in Riga. Since Heeresgruppe Nord had finally linked up with them, the special forces were freed for other operations. At this point, the Wehrmacht's leadership was split on whether to send the men to Turkey, to aid in the collapsing front there, Finland to supplement the paratroopers and marines, or to take the city. In the end, the decision was made to take Leningrad and the province to the east. Leningrad was a major air base and industrial center, and had significant radar facilities. Taking the city and the adjoining province would cut off the most direct supply routes to the Soviet's Finnish front, as well as deprive the Soviets of their main air base in the North. The indirect benefits were deemed to be more helpful to aiding the Finns than direct intervention. Also, if necessary, the paratroopers could abandon the city and be moved elsewhere.
The Soviets abandon the major city of Leningrad to the Luftwaffe's paratroopers, which conducted an amphibious assault on the city
On May 25, the marines of I. Marinekorps had retreated to Tallinn in preparation to be extracted and relocated to Helsinki. Finland's defensive lines in the center of the country had begun to collapse, and a concerted effort had to be made in order to stabilize the situation. Since the Heer couldn't afford to divert forces from the front, the marines in Tallinn were to aid the two paratrooper divisions already in Finland. Their initial orders were to secure the regions outside of the Finnish capital, then aid the Finns based on the situation. If necessary, the occupation forces in Norway and Sweden would be called in as well. Overall, the operations in Estonia were considered a success, as the Reich's losses were low and the marines had tangibly tied up Soviet defenders that could have been sent to the main front instead.
German marines abandon Tallinn and travel to Helsinki
The major battles of the second month that are etched into the war memorial are:
Pinsk, May 6, 1942 - 1,281 German KIA, 777 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Koret', May 6, 1942 - 1,693 German KIA, 590 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Podhajce, May 8, 1942 - 20,787 German KIA, 11,291 Soviet KIA, German Victory*
Trembowla, May 8, 1942 - 2,414 German KIA, 1,605 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Seduva, May 9, 1942 - 1,340 German KIA, 1,034 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Makhrovka, May 10, 1942 - 1,658 German KIA, 2,042 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Szczuczyn, May 10, 1942 - 4,217 German KIA, 3,919 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Slonim, May 11, 1942 - 5,619 German KIA, 3,707 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Starokostyantyniv, May 14, 1942 - 2,352 German KIA, 1,060 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Trembowla, May 14, 1942 - 2,415 German KIA, 3,176 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Liepaja, May 14, 1942 - 1,563 German KIA, 2,435 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Siauliai, May 15, 1942 - 2,041 German KIA, 990 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Ziezmariai, May 16, 1942 - 4,896 German KIA, 4,110 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Bila Tserkva, May 17, 1942 - 2,495 German KIA, 2,272 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Talsi, May 18, 1942 - 2,036 German KIA, 1,109 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Dunayivtsi, May 22, 1942 - 3,373 German KIA, 1,635 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Horodenka, May 23, 1942 - 1,368 German KIA, 3,020 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Berehomet, May 27, 1942 - 2,056 German KIA, 4,395 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Nowogródek, May 29, 1942 - 1,543 German KIA, 1,806 Soviet KIA, German Victory
*This battle is commonly sited as being the decisive factor in the collapse of the Soviet Ukrainian front
(Author's note: Notice the big block of German victories at the end. The Soviet's defense in Ukraine had mostly broken at that point. Not the casualty reports I need to see, but much better than the first month.)
The status of the war on May 31, 1942
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Quite a lit of big bloody fights. No major breakthroughs nor huge pockets.
That's bad!
That's bad!
Could be a lot worse. Would be awesome if HG Mitte could move south-east and cut off the Soviet forces currently marching towards Romania and Bulgaria. If that force could be destroyed, that would take off a lot of pressure across all fronts.
Agreed... and the Black Sea is not really very far away.
Finland looks like it's under real pressure. I am not too concerned about Romania as the push into Ukraine should save the situation. Its too early to tell how Turkey will get on, but at least that front is occupying some Soviet forces. All in all, a costly month but some progress made. I imagine some Soviet forces may have been overrun in the Ukraine?
Finland should just be able to hold out a bit longer. The infrastructure is generally not good and I expect the Soviet formations to stall in the middle and the north because of that. If those two Marine divisions can be moved to protect Helsiki, that should buy them some time. Still, you need to get rid of Soviet formations and fast. Worst of all, manpower seems to be very low at around 300. You can't afford that many attrition battles any more. Any chance to change occupation policies or any other idea as to how to increase your manpower gain?
Thanks for the responses. HG Süd is indeed attempting to grab Odessa and cut that region off. HG Nord is stuck along the Daugava for now, and HG Mitte is stuck in the marshes. Not much progress was made, and a lot of MP was lost, although the Ukrainian front has started to collapse, as you can see from that last screen. Since I have everything but the fleet and special forces on AI control, the whole war in the east so far has been like sumo-wrestling, with each massive opponent trying to push the other out of the ring.
My timing on moving the 4 marines to Helsinki was perfect, as when they unloaded they stopped a battle the Finns were about to lose. If Helsinki had been taken, Finland would've surrendered. The two paratroopers already there are in the northern part, so no screenshots of them yet.
I'm not entirely sure if taking Leningrad was worth it. It's tying down two paratroopers that could be used in the more vulnerable fronts. However, seeing the city unoccupied and with a big radar installation was just too tempting a target. For now the radar is pretty useful, as you can see the reserve infantry divisions rushing about.
I'm not too worried about my MP levels. I'm still benefiting from the 450% MP boost, and will for roughly the next 540 days. On top of that, I'm benefiting from the Soviet's 3000% MP boost due to faulty game mechanics. The reasoning is that the MP boost effects change the *province* base values, which are added together to get your national base. Compare that to LS, which adds up your province base to get your national base, then applies the % modifiers. So, when I take a Soviet province, what I end up getting is this: MP_added_to_national_base = province_base * (100% + 3000% - 100% - 30%) = province_base * 2970%. The 100% penalty comes from my occupation policy, which defaults to the harshest, and the 30% penalty comes from revolt risk. The first 100% bonus is the base, so you get everything if you don't have modifiers.
So, I'm benefiting from the Soviet's mobilization, which will only get better the more land I take. This is entirely PI's fault for their poor implementation of how MP works. They should've used the same equation LS uses, in order to prevent this type of situation. Anyway, I can rationalize it by saying the new recruits are disillusioned locals who want to rise against their Bolshevik masters
My timing on moving the 4 marines to Helsinki was perfect, as when they unloaded they stopped a battle the Finns were about to lose. If Helsinki had been taken, Finland would've surrendered. The two paratroopers already there are in the northern part, so no screenshots of them yet.
I'm not entirely sure if taking Leningrad was worth it. It's tying down two paratroopers that could be used in the more vulnerable fronts. However, seeing the city unoccupied and with a big radar installation was just too tempting a target. For now the radar is pretty useful, as you can see the reserve infantry divisions rushing about.
I'm not too worried about my MP levels. I'm still benefiting from the 450% MP boost, and will for roughly the next 540 days. On top of that, I'm benefiting from the Soviet's 3000% MP boost due to faulty game mechanics. The reasoning is that the MP boost effects change the *province* base values, which are added together to get your national base. Compare that to LS, which adds up your province base to get your national base, then applies the % modifiers. So, when I take a Soviet province, what I end up getting is this: MP_added_to_national_base = province_base * (100% + 3000% - 100% - 30%) = province_base * 2970%. The 100% penalty comes from my occupation policy, which defaults to the harshest, and the 30% penalty comes from revolt risk. The first 100% bonus is the base, so you get everything if you don't have modifiers.
So, I'm benefiting from the Soviet's mobilization, which will only get better the more land I take. This is entirely PI's fault for their poor implementation of how MP works. They should've used the same equation LS uses, in order to prevent this type of situation. Anyway, I can rationalize it by saying the new recruits are disillusioned locals who want to rise against their Bolshevik masters
IIRC the provincial manpower values are recalculated every month. Could you confirm that while you are at it? And actually I believe the same is true for Leadership. What happens technically is that the global modifiers are still applied at the provincial level, only they effect every province you own.
And actually I believe the same is true for Leadership. What happens technically is that the global modifiers are still applied at the provincial level, only they effect every province you own.
Paratroopers mounting an amphibious assault on Leningrad! That's going in your "Best of Paradox" files, yes?
Great work!
Rensslaer
Great work!
Rensslaer
Well, they could be jumping out of the transport ships and... um... falling to the beaches. Maybe they even can deploy their parachutes during the 3-meter fall. Also: Awesome!
@Slan: The province MP modifiers stayed in place for the full three months. At the end of this month I have about 300 MP. After taking Ukraine in the next update, I have about 400 MP. Then, the MP modifier goes away and I drop down below 300 It doesn't look good, but my progress is steady, and I redid the BP to be a decision. Now, if only I can take Moscow and force them to fire it...
@Rensslaer: My marines were held up in Tallinn by Soviet attacks, and only the para's were available. Plus, the Soviets didn't even bother to protect the city. There was an infantry division there that was passing through, and gave up after the first hour and kept going south. Stupid AI...
@GulMacet: Thanks and welcome! It gets much more intense later, due to Romania's AI panicking and drawing the entire Axis in.
@All: Do you guys like the monthly formats here? What about the big battles (over 1k KIA on either side) lists? Unlike the earlier wars, I need all the MP/IC I can get for this one, which is recalculated on the 1st of each month. So, playing in monthly sessions will allow me to retain my non-core conquests for the longest amount of time per session. For those who aren't sure what I mean, try to recall a game where your IC/LS fluctuated from when you started to play and got bigger a little later for seemingly no reason. When you load up your save, you only get the resources from your cores and very little from non-cores, but at 0:00 on the 2nd of the next month your non-cores will get recalculated and added to what your cores give you.
It doesn't look good, but my progress is steady, and I redid the BP to be a decision. Now, if only I can take Moscow and force them to fire it...@Rensslaer: My marines were held up in Tallinn by Soviet attacks, and only the para's were available. Plus, the Soviets didn't even bother to protect the city. There was an infantry division there that was passing through, and gave up after the first hour and kept going south. Stupid AI...
@GulMacet: Thanks and welcome! It gets much more intense later, due to Romania's AI panicking and drawing the entire Axis in.
@All: Do you guys like the monthly formats here? What about the big battles (over 1k KIA on either side) lists? Unlike the earlier wars, I need all the MP/IC I can get for this one, which is recalculated on the 1st of each month. So, playing in monthly sessions will allow me to retain my non-core conquests for the longest amount of time per session. For those who aren't sure what I mean, try to recall a game where your IC/LS fluctuated from when you started to play and got bigger a little later for seemingly no reason. When you load up your save, you only get the resources from your cores and very little from non-cores, but at 0:00 on the 2nd of the next month your non-cores will get recalculated and added to what your cores give you.
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Yes, very.
Also good. You'd not even mention all of them, just the ones you feel being important.
PS.: play more often!
Chapter 36: The Romanian Pocket - June 1 to June 30, 1942
The Baltic Front
On June 7, the final pocket of trapped Soviet troops was cleared, securing western Latvia. On June 14, the last two paratroopers in Riga, having finished aiding HG Nord push the front to the Daugava River, boarded the Reich's transport ships and landed in undefended Tallinn, once again taking the city. A division of Soviet light armor and infantry was pushed out of Pärnu west, then trapped and captured.
Western Latvia was secured on June 7, stabilizing the Northern Front
The month of June was harsh for HG Nord, as the Soviets had dug in deep behind the Daugava. The sheer size of the Red Army was beginning to take a serious toll on the Wehrmact. While the Luftwaffe had complete air superiority, their bombings were ineffective given the masses of soldiers the Red Army had available. That, coupled with the heavily forested terrain, allowed the Red Army to make the Wehrmacth pay heavily for every meter of ground gained. The only edge the Heer had during these battles was the fact that HG Nord was composed of the same men who had defeated Britain, and later France. It was the men of Armee 1 and Armee 2 who had fought in Scotland, and they were the best troops available. This edge in experience began to show later during the last weeks of July, when Armee 1 broke out into Estonia, nearly linking up with Leningrad.
The Northern front on June 15
The Ukrainian Front
The bloody Battle of Podhajce on May 6 had proven to be a much greater victory than originally realized. The Soviet resistance in Ukraine had evaporated, culminating with the uncontested capture of Odessa on June 7. The situation along the southern front became chaotic, as Soviet defenders were overrun by advancing German motorized infantry and armor. The regular infantry of the 5th and 6th armies were struggling to keep up the rapid pace of advancement along the now-empty center portion of the front. The Soviets had begun a full-scale retreat to the Dnieper River, abandoning their fellow soldiers now trapped in Romania. By June 13, both the Romanians and Soviets began a race to the port of Vylkove, which the Soviet rear guard had left undefended. The Romanians would win the race on June 15, sealing the fate of the estimated 20 Soviet divisions now trapped in Romania.
June 7 - An estimated 20 Soviet divisions were trapped in Romania (Author's note:)
Despite the early successes, by mid-June the Soviets had dug in along the Dnieper River, creating a second line of defense. However, just as HG Süd's infantry was slow to catch up, the Soviet infantry was slow to cover the southern portions of the river to replace their fallen compatriots. The result was an area void of any combat personnel starting halfway down the river from Kiev all the way to Sevastopol in Crimea, with troops from both sides racing to either establish a bridgehead or prevent one from being made.
The Ukrainian front on June 13
Overall, the month of June had seen the toughest fighting yet. The worst fighting was in Belarus, where the Soviets had held firm in their conviction to not allow the Heer to reach Moscow. The bloodiest fighting occurred near Minsk, as HG Mitte fought to clear the marshes.
The battles from June etched into the war memorial in Berlin are:
Slutsk, June 3, 1942 - 1,071 German KIA, 1,619 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Bauska, June 4, 1942 - 6,427 German KIA, 5,347 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Vievis, June 5, 1942 - 1,775 German KIA, 964 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Kaisiadorys, June 6, 1942 - 1,844 German KIA, 1,332 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Aizkraukle, June 8, 1942 - 5,390 German KIA, 3,372 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Berezan', June 9, 1942 - 2,701 German KIA, 1,920 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Molodeczno, June 9, 1942 - 3,229 German KIA, 2,813 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Balti, June 10, 1942 - 2,522 German KIA, 2,564 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Birzai, June 10, 1942 - 2,972 German KIA, 1,176 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Wilejka, June 12, 1942 - 2,641 German KIA, 2,637 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Minsk, June 12, 1942 - 2,765 German KIA, 851 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Heinola, June 13, 1942 - 1,725 German KIA, 2,656 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Zaslawye, June 13, 1942 - 2,558 German KIA, 811 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Postawy, June 14, 1942 - 769 German KIA, 1,702 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Wilejka, June 16, 1942 - 2,756 German KIA, 782 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Daugavpils, June 17, 1942 - 1,153 German KIA, 1,428 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Tsybuliv, June 18, 1942 - 1,356 German KIA, 2,138 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Zaslawye, June 18, 1942 - 2,809 German KIA, 892 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Zgurovka, June 18, 1942 - 3,529 German KIA, 4,290 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Kremenchuts'ka, June 20, 1942 - 2,813 German KIA, 1,438 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Marin''ina Horka, June 20, 1942 - 1,688 German KIA, 1,134 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Polatsk, June 22, 1942 - 4,258 German KIA, 3,100 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Jeabpils, June 22, 1942 - 5,728 German KIA, 3,532 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Bobrovytsya, June 26, 1942 - 11,011 German KIA, 6,853 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Cherkasy, June 27, 1942 - 1,811 German KIA, 1,670 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Zaslawye, June 27, 1942 - 1,324 German KIA, 1,222 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Domantove, June 7, 1942 - 2,899 German KIA, 1,021 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Zhlobin, June 28, 1942 - 1,366 German KIA, 1,519 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Ichnya, June 29, 1942 - 1,913 German KIA, 735 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
(Author's Note: The high concentration of lost battles near the end of June was the result of MG Süd's failed attempt to cross the Dnieper near Kiev. I even left about 8 battles I won off this list, and it's still bigger than I originally thought...)
The status of the war on June 30, 1942
The Baltic Front
On June 7, the final pocket of trapped Soviet troops was cleared, securing western Latvia. On June 14, the last two paratroopers in Riga, having finished aiding HG Nord push the front to the Daugava River, boarded the Reich's transport ships and landed in undefended Tallinn, once again taking the city. A division of Soviet light armor and infantry was pushed out of Pärnu west, then trapped and captured.
Western Latvia was secured on June 7, stabilizing the Northern Front
The month of June was harsh for HG Nord, as the Soviets had dug in deep behind the Daugava. The sheer size of the Red Army was beginning to take a serious toll on the Wehrmact. While the Luftwaffe had complete air superiority, their bombings were ineffective given the masses of soldiers the Red Army had available. That, coupled with the heavily forested terrain, allowed the Red Army to make the Wehrmacth pay heavily for every meter of ground gained. The only edge the Heer had during these battles was the fact that HG Nord was composed of the same men who had defeated Britain, and later France. It was the men of Armee 1 and Armee 2 who had fought in Scotland, and they were the best troops available. This edge in experience began to show later during the last weeks of July, when Armee 1 broke out into Estonia, nearly linking up with Leningrad.
The Northern front on June 15
The Ukrainian Front
The bloody Battle of Podhajce on May 6 had proven to be a much greater victory than originally realized. The Soviet resistance in Ukraine had evaporated, culminating with the uncontested capture of Odessa on June 7. The situation along the southern front became chaotic, as Soviet defenders were overrun by advancing German motorized infantry and armor. The regular infantry of the 5th and 6th armies were struggling to keep up the rapid pace of advancement along the now-empty center portion of the front. The Soviets had begun a full-scale retreat to the Dnieper River, abandoning their fellow soldiers now trapped in Romania. By June 13, both the Romanians and Soviets began a race to the port of Vylkove, which the Soviet rear guard had left undefended. The Romanians would win the race on June 15, sealing the fate of the estimated 20 Soviet divisions now trapped in Romania.
June 7 - An estimated 20 Soviet divisions were trapped in Romania (Author's note:
)Despite the early successes, by mid-June the Soviets had dug in along the Dnieper River, creating a second line of defense. However, just as HG Süd's infantry was slow to catch up, the Soviet infantry was slow to cover the southern portions of the river to replace their fallen compatriots. The result was an area void of any combat personnel starting halfway down the river from Kiev all the way to Sevastopol in Crimea, with troops from both sides racing to either establish a bridgehead or prevent one from being made.
The Ukrainian front on June 13
Overall, the month of June had seen the toughest fighting yet. The worst fighting was in Belarus, where the Soviets had held firm in their conviction to not allow the Heer to reach Moscow. The bloodiest fighting occurred near Minsk, as HG Mitte fought to clear the marshes.
The battles from June etched into the war memorial in Berlin are:
Slutsk, June 3, 1942 - 1,071 German KIA, 1,619 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Bauska, June 4, 1942 - 6,427 German KIA, 5,347 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Vievis, June 5, 1942 - 1,775 German KIA, 964 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Kaisiadorys, June 6, 1942 - 1,844 German KIA, 1,332 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Aizkraukle, June 8, 1942 - 5,390 German KIA, 3,372 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Berezan', June 9, 1942 - 2,701 German KIA, 1,920 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Molodeczno, June 9, 1942 - 3,229 German KIA, 2,813 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Balti, June 10, 1942 - 2,522 German KIA, 2,564 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Birzai, June 10, 1942 - 2,972 German KIA, 1,176 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Wilejka, June 12, 1942 - 2,641 German KIA, 2,637 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Minsk, June 12, 1942 - 2,765 German KIA, 851 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Heinola, June 13, 1942 - 1,725 German KIA, 2,656 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Zaslawye, June 13, 1942 - 2,558 German KIA, 811 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Postawy, June 14, 1942 - 769 German KIA, 1,702 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Wilejka, June 16, 1942 - 2,756 German KIA, 782 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Daugavpils, June 17, 1942 - 1,153 German KIA, 1,428 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Tsybuliv, June 18, 1942 - 1,356 German KIA, 2,138 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Zaslawye, June 18, 1942 - 2,809 German KIA, 892 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Zgurovka, June 18, 1942 - 3,529 German KIA, 4,290 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Kremenchuts'ka, June 20, 1942 - 2,813 German KIA, 1,438 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Marin''ina Horka, June 20, 1942 - 1,688 German KIA, 1,134 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Polatsk, June 22, 1942 - 4,258 German KIA, 3,100 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Jeabpils, June 22, 1942 - 5,728 German KIA, 3,532 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Bobrovytsya, June 26, 1942 - 11,011 German KIA, 6,853 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Cherkasy, June 27, 1942 - 1,811 German KIA, 1,670 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Zaslawye, June 27, 1942 - 1,324 German KIA, 1,222 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Domantove, June 7, 1942 - 2,899 German KIA, 1,021 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
Zhlobin, June 28, 1942 - 1,366 German KIA, 1,519 Soviet KIA, German Victory
Ichnya, June 29, 1942 - 1,913 German KIA, 735 Soviet KIA, Soviet Victory
(Author's Note: The high concentration of lost battles near the end of June was the result of MG Süd's failed attempt to cross the Dnieper near Kiev. I even left about 8 battles I won off this list, and it's still bigger than I originally thought...)
The status of the war on June 30, 1942
A good chunk of Soviet units destroyed in Romania, another small group knocked out in Estonia. The Soviet advance in other areas seems to slow down considerably, so the Wehrmacht apparently makes it's weight felt when it occupies the better part of the Ukraine. Even your manpower seems to rise a little, growing by about 100 since last month.