Chapter LV - The Battle for Germany
Players: 2xSOV, USA, UK, 2xGER, 2xJAP
Recap: The Brits landed unopposed in France. With Italy gone, there were no units left in France. Also, the front against the Americans in Denmark is preciously weak, but the Americans seem not to know it – or they have other plans. Yanks are swarming up through Switzerland and the Red Army rushing for land-grabbing. The final battle is at our door-step.
December 22nd, 1944
The vultures were massing at all fronts. The biggest tactical problem for the German commander of the Heer (me) was to shift units from the eastern and southern front to set up a defensive line towards the oncoming Allies. The German commander of the Luftwaffe (Thelamon) had the problem of air bases falling into enemy hands. Germany had during late summer and autumn built several small airfields, just for this reason, but they could not match the huge (lvl 10) airfields which now fell in enemy hands.
December 26th, 1944
A huge Soviet tank army attacked Prague. But they faced stubborn resistans. They also had supply problems, were troubled by the cold weather and were not at all optimal for urban warfare. But Ztalin did not care. He wanted the city at any cost. He got it eventually, but at a high cost.
December 28th-31st, 1944
Germany still used its forces offensively. While the Wall of Victory still deflected every Soviet attack, protecting the flank, the Panzers of Legend beat the Red Army twice as they tried to enter Jauer. As long as they could not mount an attack from Jauer, Glogau was safe.
December 31st, 1944
The noose is becoming tighter. The first Allied troops has now reached the thin, hastily formed West Front. According to the plan, the West Front was allowed to retreat a few provinces, to slow the Allies down, while a “wall” was prepared behind the next latitudinal river. That line would be final, the wall that must hold. The Final Stand of the West
Late December, 1944
Everything will not be decided in Europe. Japan is still conquering more and more of the world. However, the Brits seem to have been daring out of the Suez and have attacked the brave and loyal Saudis… defeating them.
January 10th, 1945
(It feels pretty cool to write 1945)
The Allies are massing around the thin West Front. They seem to respect the German prowess so much they don’t even attack single divisions. While the Allies are stalled, the Final Stand of the West is being manned and the troops dig in.
The Yanks are moving in a powerful strike army in the center of the West Front, seemingly to take up the race with the Red Army. It will hurt when it reaches the front.
January 10th-11th, 1945
The Wehrmacht could not keep Jauer free forever, and with Jauer in Soviet hands, the pressure on Glogau increased. But the Heer held firm and piled up Soviet bodies high in front of them. The Battle for Germany was not an easy one for the invaders.
January 21st, 1945
In the meantime, the Imperial Japanese Navy spotted an American Carrier Fleet and engaged. The suspected a trap but as the war seemed to be in the final stage, they hungered for yet another grand battle. The proud Japanese sailors could not imagine coming home alive if defeat indeed became a reality. And oh was the battle great. The American Carrier Fleet was beaten with several losses but suddenly the ocean was full of Allied war ships. It was indeed a trap.
In the end, the first Japanese Carrier Fleet fought until last man and last ship, taking many enemy ships with them to the bottom of the Pacific. So much death and economic value was lost on both side this day it was as epic as it was horrible.
January 22nd, 1945
So much fear and respect did the Brits have for the Germans that they send some 60 000 men into Hannover to beat 500 Germans. These brave 500 lasted for three days. The Allies are now closing in on the Final Stand of the West.
January 23rd, 1945
The Red Hordes attacked furiously now. Ztalin would not hear about anything but victory. Losses meant nothing to him. And oh did they bleed. The left a trail of mutilated bodies and burning wrecks as the all so slowly pushed the Germans back. And the Germans had to retreat, if only to shorten the southern front and shift units to the Final Stand of the West.
January 26th-29th, 1945
In late January, the American strike army tried a tank attack on the Final Stand of the West. It was the four day battle of Zerbst. They were brutally defeated. This was the Final German Stand. It would not break.
January 26th, 1945
The Red Army is pressing on from the south and is allowed to gain ground slowly and with high casualties (blue arrows). Ztalin has given up on the Wall of Victory. It is simply not his path to victory.
The Americans are trying their luck at Zerbst but will eventually fail (red arrow).
While the Brits show no eagerness, the Yanks are finally attacking out of Denmark where Germany is weakest (yellow arrow). This line needs to be shortened down somewhat and the Commander of the Heer is preparing a tactical retreat.
The Commader of the Luftwaffe is having distinct problems now. There are simply not airbases enough for the planes, and the majority needs resting after beating their enemies time and time again. From now on, that will be very difficult to keep up.
January 29th, 1945
Authors note: The surrender progress went quicker than I thought. I thought it would more or less come down to Berlin but the Allied rocket bombing of civilian targets had decreased the peoples will to carry on. As there still was VPs not taken in France, the German commander became nervous and realized the final circle perhaps was too small.
January 31st, 1945
In the hour of victory, the Allies chose to target civilians, killing them by the thousands as they were leveling Dresden. Who would do such a thing?
Authors note: Oh, I forgot. That was actually the reality….
January 31st-February 1st, 1945
My friends. This is my last screen shot. It was a mistake to retreat out of Kiel (yellow circle). When the Allies took it on February 1st, Germany surrendered. My intended last stand would have been strong – but sadly I drew the circle too small. Still, if the circle seen here is too small, then it would have been impossible to stall it longer than one or two more weeks. In hindsight, I should have sent some reinforcements to Hamburg and Kiel. But… alas… it would have changed little. Time is up. Time to drink my cup of poison…
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Epilogue
Hitler knew things were lost beyond savior. Since the loss of Gibraltar, his hope had been slim. So, in order to save his Germany from total annihilation he secretly sent one of his men, in the disguise of defector, paradropping over Britain. Hitler had something to bargain with. He had over a million allied men as prisoners. The public in the Allied countries had become weary of the war and all knew somebody still alive in German captivity. The Allied governments needed a grand victory in order avoid a public out-roar and anarchy. If Hitler ordered the prisoners to death, the Allies would be tricked on their grand victory. Also, there was Japan, still refusing peace. Ztalin was not very interested as the Allied probed him for a suggestion of peace, but he also had a million men in German camps. He needed them as well, although not as much. Ztalin despised the Allies, their weakness, their late entry on European soil, how Soviet had done the bleeding but got the poorer part of Europe. He knew this was not the war to end all wars. This was just beginning. Japan was still rulers of the entire Pacific. Japan despised America as well. Ztalin would need the Japs to shield Far East from the Yanks and a deal was made in secrecy.
With this secret deal made, Ztalin and the Emperor agreed with the peace treaty worked out in between Germany and the Allies. Germany regained a core as true Germany but had to let go of some parts to mainly France and Poland. They also needed to dismantle the entire army and Hitler was placed in Allied custody. The prisoners of war were released.
Italy got to keep its mainland and Sicily but lost Sardinia and its colonies and, just as Germany, had Allied bases integrated within the new country. Il Duce seemed to have disappeared.
The deal for Japan would be similar. Only, when time came for it to become reality, Japan refused and was supported by the Soviet Union. This, of course, came with a cost of a huge technology transfer to Soviet as well as giving them Sinkiang, Mongolia, Tanu Tuva and Manchuria.
The Allies could not muster the will to challenge this new Alliance and a cold war was initiated which finally in 1975 escalated to a Third World War, with USA and the commonwealth on one side, and Soviet and Japan on the other. Germany still had nothing but a neutral fragment army but many of the old officers and soldiers were brought in as mercenaries on both sides. Il Duce showed up in Japan, rather fat by now, as an advisor to the Emperor. He was assassinated in 1976. Some say it was some of the Japanese officers who simply grew tired on his long monologues.
Hitler was placed on a remote and very secret location in the United States from which he never left – officially. Although the books he wrote never became bestsellers, as they were quite tedious, his paintings were sold for 5-digit amounts. The money was donated to a global fund for war veterans. Hitler refused to take part in the Third World War.
End.
