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makif130289

Field Marshal
78 Badges
Feb 20, 2008
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WATCH ON THE RHINE


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1945



December 15, 1944

Berchtesgaden

Everyone was depressed in the morning of 15 December in Fuhrer's Headquarters. Tons of bad news arrived from the Eastern Front. Fuhrer was tired and nervous too. He spent the morning by sending orders to General Schörner about the situation of Courland pocket. Then he made phone call to Generalfeldmarschalll Kesselring. After morning, General Guderian and Reichsmarschall Göring arrived at Berchtesgaden to discuss the final details of the planned offensive in the West : Die Wacht am Rhein. Fuhrer analysed the plans carefully and gave his final orders to Generalfeldmarschall Model to begin surprise offensive in the West by tomorrow morning.

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Fuhrer analyzing the military plans for Die Wacht am Rhein​

Situation as of 15 December, 1944 :

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Hi, another small-scale AAR from me. This AAR is part of my hopeless AARs ( first one being France AAR). My plan is to play until I defeat American-British in the West and stabilize the front in the East. I have just begun the campaign, so if you are interested please let me know. I will go on if there is interest.
 
I'll follow this. Is playing after the stabilization possible?
 
What scenario is this? And why don't you use counters - the sprites are so messy...

(And you're getting a bit distracted, don't you think? Three AARs at once? Really? :D )
 
Interesting.

(And you're getting a bit distracted, don't you think? Three AARs at once? Really? :D )

This reminds me of my old crazy days when I had four running at once. Best way not to finish neither.
 
What scenario is this? And why don't you use counters - the sprites are so messy...

(And you're getting a bit distracted, don't you think? Three AARs at once? Really? :D )

This is 1945 Kampf für das Vaterland scenario made by omage20. It starts on December 16, 1944. I integrated the scenario to SMEP mod.

Yeah, you are right, I am playing too many games at the same but I really want to try this scenario.
 
Yeah, it has no difference from 1944 scenario. It is possible to play until 1964.
Hopefully you will do so. I'd love to see Germany save herself, and then reclaim everything lost in Europe. Liberate Japan from the Allies, if they conquer them.
 
If the difficulty is anywhere close to realistic, he'll lose. I mean, the chance that Germany could have won the war (not by conquering everybody, but by convincing them that defeating Germany was impossible) disappeared in 1943 when they squandered their best forces at Kursk. Since then they were just delaying the inevitable.
 
PART I : EARLY MOVES

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Volkssturm volunteers marching, November 1944

December 16, 1944

Germany has massive manpower problems. Almost all divisions are severely understrength. Formation of new divisions was halted. The priority is to reinforce the existing divisions. 600.000 new conscripts are needed for full reinforcement.

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Fuhrer refused to evaucate Courland at first and ordered entrenchment of all forces and ordered them to fight to the end. Guderian, however persuaded Fuhrer to evacuate the region to strengthen the defenses along the Eastern Front. Kriegsmarine has only 6 transport ships available. The main priority is to save tank and mechanized divisions.

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Soviets launched massive offensive into Hungary. Györ and Miskolc are under attack.

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Our forces in Dunkerque is making their last stand.

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In Yugoslavia, Soviet offensive to Bjelovar is threatening the rear of the forces in Split, Zenica and Sarajevo. Tito's partisans are also pressing from the South. General von Weichs plans to form a defensive belt alonh Maribor and Ljubljana.

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And thus hell gets loose.
 
Historically, the defender-occupiers of Dunkerque had held the city till the end of the war. I remember it because there were some Czech units involved in the siege.
 
PART II : WATCH ON THE RHINE

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Generalfeldmarschall Model during the Ardennes Offensive

December 17, 1944

Operation Watch on the Rhine commenced. The aim of the operation is to split the British and American Allied line in half and to force them into seperate peace. Fuhrer believes that if Wehrmacht could eliminate the Western threat, it could stop the advance of Red Army in the East.

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Field Marshal Model launched massive offensive to Liege. Antwerp and Aachen are also assaulted.

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Soviets launched an attack on Krakow.

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December 18, 1944

Antwerp offensive failed. General Model brokethrough Allied lines in Liege. He is advancing towards Namur.

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December 19, 1944

Withdrawal from Yugoslavia continues.

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December 20, 1944

Namur and Brussels were captured. Ghent Offensive has begun.

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What does that event do? - Also, it seems it might just work, encircle and destroy the Allies.
 
yeah it shows how airplanes are underpowered in HoI, in RL Germans were just annihilated by Jabos.

Well, IRL aircrafts were pretty useless in the beginning of Ardennes Offensive due to extremely bad weather. But I assure you that I am being bombed to the stone age, I just don't show everything in screens. Many divisions lost substantial amount of strength. Furthermore, my 4 TACs were annihilated by allied fighters in the West because I stupidly think that I may use interdiction mission to soften up Allied defenses.
 
yeah it shows how airplanes are underpowered in HoI, in RL Germans were just annihilated by Jabos.

The real problem lies in the fact that what airplanes really disrupted is not, or at best, misrepresented in HOI. Airplanes, especially in WWII, are not that good at actually destroying equipment or manpower. They are great for reducing operational capacity because the troops scatter, look for cover, only move at night, and have their supply lines bombed. Airplanes are a tool to soften up your enemy so that he fights back at many levels below optimum. They are not (at least in this timeframe) a tool to actually kill your opponents troops.

Org regain in HOI is fraking quick, thus, the deorganizing effects of a continous bombing campaign (coupled with the ridiculous effect negation of "dug in 20") are very undervalued, while the destruction effects (loss of STR ingame) are overvalued. An understandable tradeof, but one that casts a long and wrong shadow.

See link
 
I don't know, the Allied airpower in the West in 1944/45 was pretty devastating. It was practically suicidal for German tanks to move during day in good weather. I of course entirely agree that the key effect was just what you described, but I don't think the actual destructive power of CAS, especially against vehicles, should be underestimated.

(It would be great if for example "Ground Support/Attack" missions were more effective against the types of divisions that are "vehicle-based" - ARM, MOT, MECH, etc.).