The War is Not Lost, The War Will Never Be Lost!- Germany 1945

Awww, man, I just realized someone else just started an 1945 AAR...

Hello, everyone! I’ve decided on a format for this AAR. It will be divided into chapters, which are then subdivided into months and weeks. To recap...

Previously, in the 1945 AAR…
• Hitler, after hitting his head hard one night, decided to win the war, instead of losing it.
• A front-wide withdrawal was ordered. German units moved by rail instead of driving, to save oil.
• Oil stockpiles were going up every day, instead of plummeting downward!
• On December 24th, stockpiles were deemed sufficient to launch a counteroffensive. The attack was launched Christmas Day, when GIs would be presumably be celebrating. Apparently, the Allies have no Christmas spirit, as resistance was surprisingly stiff.
• Meanwhile, the Courland Pocket is in the process of being rescued by the remnants of the Kriegsmarine.
And that brings us to the first week of 1945!


Berlin, Germany
January 1 3:00 PM
The War Room



“Happy New Year, Gentlemen! Shall we review the current state of affairs? Military first, please.”



“The Western Front, as it stands now Mein Fuehrer. Not good. As you know, your Christmas Offensive has thus far failed to achieve much. Resistance is tougher than expected, but we should achieve a breakthrough any day now.” Guderian began.



“The situation in Southern Europe. We have formed a solid line in Italy, and…”
“Why does Italy have land north of Croatia?”
“That is the “free” country of Slovenia, you ordered its liberation, remember Mein Fuehrer?” uttered von Ribbentrop.
“What was I thinking :wacko:!”
“Your mind is ever the mystery, Mein Fuehrer," Guderian said. "On to the most important front-







As you know, we have abandoned Hungary. They have, incredibly enough, managed to hold on regardless. In the center, we have abandoned most of Poland and set up a solid line, led by myself. Finally, Army Group North has set up a truly invulnerable defensive line in Prussia. The Courland Pocket has almost been completely rescued but it’s only a matter of time. General Jaenecke has been leading the defense, and he is coordinating the evacuation with Grand Admiral Saalwaechter. Given that the two have saved all but 9 of the 37 divisions trapped there, including all Panzers, HQs, and brigaded divisions in the pocket, some rewards are due for the two. I’m not saying anything, but perhaps we could use a Chief of Navy not so obsessed with submarines?”
“Doooo-doooo, doooooo-doooooo enemy spotted! Fire torpedoes! PEW PEW! Kabloo-



why is everyone looking at me :mellow:?”

“No reason, Doenitz. Go back to playing with your toys.”



“Finally, the current status of the Pacific War. The Japanese have already sunk 25 transports hmy:! And they have not lost a single capital ship yet ! AND they destroyed the American beachhead on the Philippines ! I know it is uncharacteristic of me to be so… excited!… but our Oriental friends are making a truly good showing so far. May they live a thousand years!”
“Thank you, General. Speer, may I see your report on the economy?”
“I’m sorry, Mein Fuehrer- I seem to have misplaced it. But I remember the important details. We currently have 8 days of oil left, provided Ribbentrop cannot acquire more for us. We lose 200 tons a day, but if you were to issue a halt order, we gain nearly 300 tons a day! Unfortunately, that is not an option at the moment, as we are in the middle of an offensive and the struggle against the Soviets requires constant shuffling of troops. Two more infantry divisions will be completed by the end of the week, after which we will only be building a nuclear reactor in Berlin- the first stage will complete on April 14th.”
“Thank you, Herr Speer. Doenitz, what is the status of the Kriegsmarine?”
“We have 30 GLORIOUS SUBS in Bremen. The Baltic Fleet is the only surface fleet intact, though we decided to scuttle a few ships after a duel with the Soviet and Finnish navies. I recommend building many, many more submarines- they're very useful you know. You can never have too many subma…”
“Thank you, Doenitz. Goering?”
*Om nom nom* “Hmm? Oh right, the Luftwaffe. We’ve had to ground the entire airforce, to save oil and enact repairs. I did scramble some interceptors to stop some British bombers though- that seems to have scared them off, as they haven’t come back.”
“Excellent! Ribbentrop, how goes your quest for oil?”
“Venezuela gives us almost 100 tons a day; other nations will provide us pitifully small amounts, but it does add up. Through negotiations, we can acquire more though. I’ll update you personally whenever I succeed.”
“Can Franco provide us with any oil? He is a fellow Fascist after all, and he owes us for everything he’s got.”
“Let’s just say, Mein Fuehrer,



whatever Franco is on,



I want some. He is willing to negotiate for oil, but he absolutely refuses to give us any reasonable lasting deals.”
*Sigh “Put Spain on the list of nations we need to invade after we win the war, Herr Ribbentrop! Meeting adjourned.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liepaja, Latvia
13:00 January 1



General Jaenecke had been expecting this attack for some time. The loss of a single division in this darkest hour could be disastrous- where was Saalwaechter?


Meanwhile, at Guderian’s Headquarters…
Guderian was inspecting the defenses of Lodz when one of his aides came running, his face pale and despairing. Guderian braced himself.



“The Soviets! They’ve finally launched a major offensive, at Zilina!”
Guderian pinched the bridge of his nose. If the Soviets achieved a breakthrough here, the entire front would collapse; reinforcements traveling by train are still a week away. Guderian immediately ordered a counterattack on Krakow, and ordered an end to a minor offensive planned in the south.



Instead, Manstein is ordered to Zilina, double-time!


Berlin, Germany
Hitler was working on some very Fuehrerish stuff when he decided to take a peek at the progress in the West.



Finally, some victories!



This is not the end, or even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning of the end of the Reich!



Fight to the last, men! Hmm, the Allies are having supply problems? Is Doenitz secretly still sailing sneaky submarines, surreptitiously :ninja:? Meanwhile, the Allies throw themselves against the Siegfried Line! Presumably literally, given they have no ammunition :rofl:?



Liepaja, Latvia



General Jaenecke had no choice but to order his soldiers to retreat into the ocean. The struggling men swam for hours in the Baltic, until Admiral Saalwaechter’s ships picked up the desperate men. General Jaenecke and the three divisions under his command are all that’s left trapped in the pocket- he knows it is unlikely he will make it.



Lodz, Guderian’s HQ
10:00 January 5th



A collective sigh of relief is given when Field Marshall Manstein finally arrives in Zilina. The odds still look grim, but further help is on the way! Guderian considers encircling Warsaw via Radom, but decides against it. The last thing the Reich needs is another risky counteroffensive.



A miracle! The entire Courland pocket escaped! General Jaenecke is immediately promoted to Field Marshal… and then immediately fired, as he is as talented a Field Marshal as Heinrich Himmler. Herr Jaenecke will nonetheless enjoy his retirement no doubt; this hero of the Reich brought us a much needed victory!


-General Jaenecke in real life was in command of the army encircled in Sevastopol. Hitler fired him for suggesting the pocket be evacuated… but remember, Hitler is a touch schizophrenic after his bump on the head.
-I love that picture of Doenitz.
-How do you retreat into the ocean?
-Next update will show economy and tech progression. I took screenshots at the end of the week, but not the start- oops!
-The Soviets have been extremely timid so far.
-The characters tend to switch back-and-forth from serious to goofy; six years of war is probably starting to get to them.
-Seriously, how does one retreat into the ocean?
-I am genuinely impressed so far with the Japanese- but can they keep it up?
-I mean really, how do you retreat into the ocean?

Thanks for the support everyone! I’d like to ask for a little vote: Should the AAR be…
A. More zany, less serious
B. More serious, less zany
C. Keep the current tone
D. Some other fourth thing

Enclave: I actually have not withdrawn behind the Vistula yet, so there's still a little, teensy-tiny bit of wiggle room in the north.

StoneColdCroat: Soon enough ! I love your AAR by the way.

Everyone else: Thanks for the support!

I'm still working on the next update, but I've made a quick tech and economy update.


Berlin, Germany
January 8th, 1945
Hitler’s Office

“Mein Fuehrer?”

“Ja, Bormann?”

Albert Speer would like to see you. He says he has made a report on the status of the economy for you, as well as Schellenberg’s technology report. Schellenberg is still on his secret mission, as you know. *whispering* :ninja: He thinks he’s close…”

*whispering* :ninja: “Excellent…” *Speaking normally* “Anyway, please send Speer in.”

30 minutes later…

“Guten Morgen, Mein Fueher. Here is the report, one week late.”



“As you can see, we have a massive surplus of coal, and a large metal surplus as well. We are losing rare materials quickly, but the major problem is oil; we lose anywhere from 100 to 350 a day, depending on our convoys and the number of troops we move.”



“The technology report. Heisenberg is 1/10th done with his research- he believes the development of a nuclear reactor will speed up his research. Schellenberg says the Americans have very advanced atomic and nuclear research, and this technology can create a weapon unlike any ever seen. Schellenberg estimates we can have such a weapon in three years time.” Speer droned. “I.G. Farben is nearly a fifth done developing a new method for creating synthetic oil- We need this! Konrad Zuse is improving the Enigma Code. The rest of our research is devoted to military technologies. I personally have my misgivings about superheavy tanks…”

“But they’re just so cute o!”

*sigh “I also don’t understand why General Guderian is researching mechanized infantry. He’s a general, not an engineer! How did you even get him to agree :huh:?

“Money, dear boy. Also…”



“Carrot-and-stick, Speer, carrot-and-stick.”

Previously, on the 1945 AAR…
• General Jaenecke resuced the entire Courland Pocket!
• Breakthroughs were achieved in the Western Front.
• The line still holds in the Eastern Front.
• General Guderian is researching Mechanized Infantry, under threat of early retirement.
And now, for your feature presentation…




Saarbrucken, Germany
General von Rundstedt’s Headquarters

Von Rundstedt was ordered to launch an all-out offensive. He had his doubts as to whether such an attack could succeed, but he had his orders.



Meanwhile, on the Eastern Front, the Soviets end their attack on Zilina to attack Bratislava.



The Soviets are not deploying nearly enough men to win here. Guderian decides it is a ruse intended to lure Manstein out of Zilina, and quietly resumes reading his book, “Engineering for Dummies.”



The attack sees some early success. Why do the Bohemian Corporal’s ridiculous schemes always seem to work :angry:? Von Rundstedt took a long sip from his mug. If Hitler wins here, he’ll never hear the end of it. Of course, the Allies will get their act together soon, oh yes!



… Or they will somehow manage to get their ENTIRE ARMY IN FRANCE ENCIRCLED !


Berlin, Germany
Hitler’s Office

*ring, ring*
“Hello? Ahh, von Ribbentrop! What is it?"



“I’ve negotiated a deal with Venezuela. They’ve given us 527 tons of oil, in exchange for advanced horseshoe technology. Next we will trade our saddle technology.”

“Haha, the Venezuelans are real idiots, aren’t they :rofl:! That's priceless!”

The Next day…



…
…
…
*Hitler slowly takes off his glasses*
“I want only the following men in the room: Keitel, Jodl, Krebs, and Burgdorf.”

One Rant Later



“Wait! Mein Fuehrer, please, I will arrange another deal with them!”

“Nein! They are traitors, and I’m not talking to them anymore :angry:! I’ll find a newer, better oil market, you’ll see! One that won’t BETRAY ME, WHEN-”

“You’re not thinking rationally, Adolf.” Speer interjected. “We need the oil right now.”

“…You’re right, Speer. Von Ribbentrop- put Venezuela on “the list” please.”

“But of course, Mein Fueher.”


Antwerp, Belgium
Model’s Headquarters

Model was shaking with anticipation. The offensive had already destroyed around half of the Allied army in the Low Countries. If Model could take Lille, he could relieve the Dunkirk garrison and encircle what was left of the Allied forces in Belgium!



Only two divisions stand in his way!


von Rundstedt’s HQ

Von Rundstedt was simply astonished at the incompetence of the Allied army.



Von Rundstedt sighed. He could picture Hitler gloating already.


Model’s HQ

Model hopes were dashed when the Allied army arrived in Lille.



It’s no matter- they’ll simply be encircled here!





The Reich’s victory is inevitable.



• Venezuela presumably discovered the “advanced” horseshoe technology dated back to the 1870s.
• Nothing New From the Eastern Front. Hungary's been annexed, but that was expected.
• Hopefully next week will see a return of something.