The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire 2

@DoomBunny: I'd like to try rescuing them, but Luftwaffe naval aviation (which goes raiding from Romania and Bulgaria) is the worst nightmare for my ships.
@Sakura_F: Yes, I know, and I don't want to allow this

The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire 2​

​

Chapter Six: 1942
Part XXXV: Again and again​

The year 1941 finished. Russian army spent 4 months fighting on 4 strategic directions - Arctic, Western, Eastern and Southern. It lost a lot of troops and vehicles, saw its first victories and defeats in the global conflict. WW2 was just on its peak - and no one was too close to victory or defeat. Wehrmacht faced a desperate (and well-organized) resistance in Russia - it was the first campaign where the Germans matched with such an army and such a defense. Hitler's plans of Blitzkrieg didn't work in Russia. The war went on...


Germans got new winter equipment to participate on equal terms with the Imperial Army during the horrible conditions of Russian winter. This helped a lot - German troops reorganized and started attacking Russian positions just like in autumn. By 5 of January the battle of Plock was lost, and Wehrmacht entered this key province.


Hitler's generals considered the year of 1942 a decisive year of war in the Russian front. They pointed an ambitious target - to destroy the Imperial Army and to take Moscow and St. Petersburg by the end of 1942. When Wrangel read one of German propaganda newspapers, in which they promised to finish the Eastern campaign by 1943, he just smiled. The Black Baron clearly realized, that it was a great mistake to expect such a result.


General Kruze was one of commanders, who didn't believe in German propaganda and didn't let his soldiers to do so. He was fighting in Bydgoszcz against the Germans with a visible success. Germans didn't expect any counteroffensives during the frosty season, when the tanks were getting stuck in the snow and guns couldn't fire, but the Russians knew how to use advantages of the winter...


Field Marshal von Bock understood that the Russians would counterattack again and again. He ordered to improve German defensive positions in the Eastern front.


In Thrace the catastrophe was going to finish. On 7 of January (Russian Christmas) the fortress of Gallipoli fell. Boldyrev moved his defeated corps to the last bastion. Constantinople.


In Manchuria the Japanese performed a massive comeback at Hegang - three Russian corps were defeated with quite heavy losses rate. Kwantung army was winning once again.


But Wrangel received not only bad news from the Far East, there were also good ones. For example, Russian aviation in Manchuria destroyed a lot of Japanese warplanes and was terrorizing Japanese land forces - in the sky Russian pilots were the best.


Jiamusi was going to fall soon - general Semenov threw all his divisions to crush the enemies, and he managed to do so. It was just a matter of time to conquer the region.


The things were going well at Mudanjiang too - Kalmykov had no problems with 4 Japanese divisions. Southern Manchuria was collapsing.


On 12 of January German troops in Plock were blockaded by general Myshlaevsky and the battle was in Russian favor.


In Mesopotamia Kuwait was almost taken by general Berezovsky from the 44th Army Corps. Iraq was absolutely defeated.


General Skoblin didn't have any troubles with Iraqi armed forces in the west of the country.

The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire 2​

​

Chapter Six: 1942
Part XXXVI: Manchurian snows and Baltic waves​

Bitter Russian winter forced the Germans to find other ways to successfully advance into the Russian territory, and the solution was found - on 17 of January Axis forces attacked Iasi, where 5 Russian divisions stood.


In the north Germans were losing the battle of Bydgoszcz - Russian HQ sent even more divisions to support the attack. The battle was furious and epic - some veteran soldiers remembered desperate fights of WW1 and understood that new era of warfare was even more cruel.


By 22 of January the good news were received - first reserve divisions were ready to be sent into the battle - Russian armed forces got 8 fresh units and it was a good sign.


From these reserve divisions two new corps were formed - both in the Far East: 52nd Army Corps of general Noskov and 53rd Army Corps of general Dieterichs.


Very soon Kalmykov defeated the Japanese and won the long battle of Mudanjiang.


With the victory at Mudanjiang baron Ungern was able to launch his desired invasion in Korea. On 23rd of January his 35th Corps turned to Chongjin.


In the Black Sea Russian raids weren't too successful - most of Romanian and Bulgarian convoys were worthless to attack...


On 26 of January the great victory in Southern Manchuria was achieved - Kalmykov took Mudanjuang while Semenov closed the pocket in Jiamusi. All Japanese forces there were destroyed (because they refused to surrender, begaving like Samurai).


But Japan took some revenge in Mongolia - week army of Bogd Khan ran from Choibalsan (yes, I know it's called in honor of Communist Mongol, but who cares...) and the Japanese soldiers entered the province.


On 1 of February Russian seamen engaged a big German flotilla in the waters of the Baltic sea. Nominally the battle was won by the Russians, because German ships were badly damaged, didn't complete the mission and had to retreat, but really it was more a Russian defeat, because Kriegsmarine lost 5 destroyers, while Raeder's men managed to sink an old (but glorious and legendary since the WW1-times) battleship Gangut.


Also, Russian casualties consisted not only of a sunk battleship - semi-modern carrier Ivan III was badly damaged and left the fleet to be repaired.