• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Good thing too. Dolinin might not be a Naval Genius but it's not like the RF is swimming in high rank Admirals...

Yeah, but there a few names I haven't seen used in battle, names better then Dolinin.........

It's a small fleet, you don't need a high rank for it, well, it's on ship above a Vice-Admiral...


Anyways justice is avenged! And by the Marat no less! Even more sweet!
 
Pwn*Star - I thought so too, but in game terms Copenhagen isn't an island, but an area separated from Germany by a river (ence the barrel crossing before) :mad:

Maj. von Mauser - I... don't remember those other names, really. But Dolinin already had a fleet under him, so it made more sense to send him ahead than to pick someone up from the pool. But I'll look into it.

Also, I apologise to everyone but I just now realised there was a pic I completely forgot to put in the AAR. It's edited in already, and I'll repeat it here:

 
Would help if your big hitting BBs weren't firing at you own :p
 
Yeah I noticed that you were talking about your ship hitting a friendly.

As for the Names, I guess Dolinin isn't horrible, he's a base of a Skill3, along with Spotter.

Some others that could be good, with high Max Skills are: Tributs, base of skill three, no traits, Gorshkov, base of Skill 3, no traits, Panteleiev, base of Skill 2, Superior Tactician, Eliseev, Base of Skill 2, Superior Tactician.

Or you could always have Kuznetsov take personal command of the fleet. I don't know how high up in skill Dolinin is now, either way for story puroses you should say something like he was talked to about the friendly fire and stuff. I'm not trying to tell you what to do either, this is the best Naval AAR EVER!
 
Last edited:
American invasion to France and Belgium seems to follow the standard AI pattern. They have sent inadequate force which is soon wiped out. However Soviet army and marines don't have the same excuse, that they are controlled by stupid AI who wouldn't know his head from his bottom. So there's room for improvement, but at least the navy managed to do something useful.
 
While the sinking of Hipper and Blücher had left the Red Fleet's Honour intact again, the same couldn't be said about the ships of the 17th Fleet.

The Moskva was too damaged to operate any aircraft, and the main screen had been heavily damaged by the Karl Marx. This was no good way of maintaining a blockade of several capital ships, and so the Admiral Dolinin was ordered to sail towards Copenhagen, for whatever repairs could be preformed there.


To replace the 17th, Leningrad saw the Baltic Fleet leave with one Battleship less than usual.


By the 15th of May, Dolinin was already in Copenhagen, and after seeing off the Karl Marx - sent to reinforce the Smirnov's force - he spent most of the following days working on an enquire to support the strongly worded formal complaint to the United Kingdom, regarding the unexplicable accident whereupon British naval bombers attacked the Fleet during the night, killing several sailors and leaving the Marat considerably damaged.


En route to the Blockade - seemingly unbroken by the Kriegsmarine - the Karl Marx still had the opportunity to help in the Aalborg battle, although it was more of a clean-up than a battle. Starving German soldiers made good use of a new pamphlet distributed by plane over the whole region, urging their surrender and teaching them how to do so in Russian.


Aalborg would be the only good news for the enemies of Fascism, though. The very next day, an apparent second attempt at an Allied invasion of Northern France failed, with only the New Zeeland forces gaining a foothold. Defeated in North Africa, both Germans and Italians could now concentrate only in Europe, which meant the USSR.


Just how much Hitler had concentrated on the USSR, however, would only be clear on the following day.

After dismissing British denial of responsibility as another break on loyalty from an "ally" who had sent a good dozen spies to the Soviet Union, Commissar Kuznetsov was faced with an even worse situation.

The British were telling the truth.


Some 500 aircraft, between the bombers and their escorts, attacking the largest floating targets on the planet, while these weren't even expecting any sort of aerial attack. Such beautiful planes, and such a terrible power they had.

When the attack ended, hours later, only one light cruiser was seriously damaged, but most of the crews were shocked, scared, or in the Sovietsky Soyuz and Karl Marx case, severely wounded.

Kuznetsov had little time to make the call. Maintain the blockade, risking another bomber attack - or worse, a coordinated Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine attack - or lift the blockade, and risk a German return to the Baltic?


Ultimately it was his aide, Viktor Andreev, that made the decision easier, but pointing out that any German incursion in the Baltic could be fought, as it had been before, as long as the Battleships remained afloat. Keeping them under the Fw-200s could mean another Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya, and then the Baltic would be all the harder to defend.

The Fleet was called to Copenhagen, in a sound strategic decision, but one that felt too much like running and hiding.


Air coverage was hard to negotiate, and probably the only reason it was granted at all was the much-needed moral booster the Red Fleet had become for the whole Soviet Union. But it would be awhile before the Yak-9s and LaGG-3 could operate from the Copenhagen airfields, and until then the fleets were stranded.


But bad news never come alone. Three days after Kuznetsov's hardest decision, further proof came of the need for moral boosts (and of good timing requesting aircraft), when the Germans forced the Red Army out of Memel, making Denmark the only territory currently occupied by Soviet Forces that wasn't so when the Nazis first attacked.


Does the Condor spell death Soviet naval operations? Will the Red Fleet hold on to Denmark? Will the USSR be defeated by the Red Army's legendary incompetence?

I know just about as much as you dear reader, since we've once again hit a point where my save file stands! So onwards to the future we go!

Don't lose the next instalments of Red Star over Blue Seas! :)
 
Raaritsgozilla - Indeed. How for no small damage either. It would have probably sunk a DD group.

Maj. von Mauser - Thanks! :cool: As for why I don't use Kuznetsov, it's partly because I found it rather silly to have him as a Commissar, active research team AND leader (I mean, where does he find the time and space?) and partly because he was making things too easy :D

Olaus Petrus - HEY! :mad: Just because I allowed a bunch of divisions get encircled and lost a BB to a CA and am continuously retreating on the mainland doesn't mean it's fair to compare me with the AI!

...oh wait, actually it does. :D :p :eek:o
 
Whoops! Naval bombers! I hope, for your sake, that those three units of fighters/interceptors are enough to drive the bombers away, otherwise your beautiful battleships are not going to do much good...

Here's hoping that the Mighty Kiwis can succeed where combined Anglo-American invasions have failed... Any help for the Red Army is welcome, even if it comes from Antipodean Capitalists. :)
 
Aw, shoot. Bombers.

Yeah, it's hard to produce enough of everything when playing as the USSR. Planes, infantry, and ships too.

I need a morale boost too, actually. You look very unfortunately brink-bound.
 
A streak of defeats, even for the Red Navy (for let us not charm ourselves - this 'tactical withdrawal' to Copenhagen can be perceived by the Germans and your own fleets as nothing else than fleeing!). Heads will fall, that's for sure.

Those British bastards attacked you by night, as well. I demand vengeance.

Good read :).
 
It's better retreat to the nearest naval bases for repairs than sunk at the bottom of the sea, so don't feel too bad about the tactical withdrawal. Because the fleet is back in the business sooner or later.
 
Hrmmn, Naval Bombers are not something to be trifled with in this game.

Idk what to do with the fleet, but I think you need to send a larger fighter force to combat those bombers.
 
Played a bit more, had cool stuff happen, had all that lost because a major naval battle happened without me noticing, so I reloaded back. Then tried to make a small graphical change, things didn't go well, all lost, re-installing now. :(

Save files ok, AAR is alive.
 
Played a bit more, had cool stuff happen, had all that lost because a major naval battle happened without me noticing, so I reloaded back. Then tried to make a small graphical change, things didn't go well, all lost, re-installing now. :(

Save files ok, AAR is alive.
Wow, it's been almost a month without an update. Time flows by too quickly. Good to hear though that the AAR's alive, I enjoy it.
Awaiting the next installment.
 
Last edited:
Hahahaha YUS! New Zealand in Calais!!
 
Just caught up with this AAR! Good stuff so far. I, like many other, really enjoy the naval part of HoI.

I'm the exact opposite, which is the reason why I enjoy reading naval AARs, which give me ideas how to use my navies. I usually focus to huge land forces and only use large fleets* to escort my invasion forces. I usually play as Germany or Soviet Union and I have noticed that challenging Royal Navy and US Navy can be deadly for my ships, so I often avoid direct confrontation. I usually do convoy hunting etc. only in waters which I consider relatively safe.

*Fleets have to be large because when Allied fleets of 40-60 ships arrive 20 Axis ships would be at the bottom of the Ocean really soon.
 
Sorry to hear about your recent misfortunes, but I'm glad to hear you have the savegame and will be able to continue the AAR. I've enjoyed learning more about an aspect of HOI2 that's usually only a very small part of my game, since I usually play land empires. Apart from that, my only experience with naval forces comes from playing the US and building big carrier fleets, so learning about battleship fleets has been very informative. :)
 
The plane landed near Copenhagen on the early hours 17th of July, and shortly after it touched ground, it's Very Important Passenger was already inside one of the largest ships ever built, sailing into the Baltic Sea.

That night, a special private dinner for all captains of the 17th Fleet was held on the Sovyetskaya Litva, currently leading ship of the Fleet and newest Battleship on European waters.

At the end of it, around glasses of fine Vodka, current Fleet Admiral Kuznetsov delivered a speech.

- Comrade Captains of our Glorious Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet!

- Not two months ago, I issued one of the most painful orders of my life as a Seaman - telling our Fleets to lift the Kiel blockade and find shelter in Copenhagen. Back then, the Nazis had brought fearsome new bombers against us in never seen numbers, while our brave brothers at the Army - now, now, don't laugh comrades - while our brave brothers at the Army, I was saying, were unfortunately driven out of Köenigsberg, and even Memel. Germans controlled the outskirts of Kiev.

- Now, look at us!


- The Kiel blockade is firmly in place again, our ships sail without fear and since the commissioning of the Sovyetskaya Litva and the Sovyetskiy Uzbekistan, we have the largest battleship fleets in the North Sea, and the strongest of the Pacific!


- So strongly did we respond to adversity, is it any surprise the Kriegsmarine started acting as it did? Sending their pride and glory rushing into the Atlantic, almost alone? Don't let the propaganda fool you my comrades, the Germans weren't trying to disrupt European-American trade by sending the Bismarck out like that. No, they were running from us! So desperate to avoid the guns of the Sovietsky Soyuz, they went and committed suicide by American hands!


- Given this, it is no surprise, no accident of fate, that the USSR is crushing the German armies in such an absolute way as it has since last month, with relentless advance. Their spirit is now beyond salvation, and it is only a matter of time before they fall! No-one - not even the Red Army's special "skill" - can save Fascism now!

- And we, my comrades, we of the Red Fleet, we are the beacon of revolutionary excellence showing the way for the whole Soviet Union!


- But we're not stopping now!

- I'm sure you are all familiarized with the new Naval Attrition Doctrine published last month, but what perhaps not all of you know is how advanced the new projects are already. The old project for new escort carriers is nearing completion and the Nevskoye Bureau is doing a far faster job with newer doctrines than I did despite the efforts of my team. I guess I really was made to be at sea!


- But here's what I'm sure you don't know. Based on the Luftwaffe's success against us, and what we had already seen of the British designs in operation, I managed to convince Stalin himself to grant the Navy funds to design our own Naval Bombers. We'll have a prototype ready in a couple of months!


- Gentleman, it is an honor to sail and fight alongside men like you, as it is a privilege to serve our Glorious Union is such a fine force. To the Red Navy and...

- SIR!

- ...oh, we seem to have an urgent message here. What is it sailor?

- Sir! It's the Germans! They're using barrels again!

And was Admiral Kuznetsov's speech cut short, again by a direct German attack from Lübeck to Copenhagen, over the cold waters of the Baltic...


Despite what should be an obvious defending advantage, the relatively ill-equipped an inexperienced troops defending the Danish capital were forced to retreat by what seemed to be the only fully manned army the Reich had left.

Fortunately, the Germans had only mastered the art of attacking on barrels even with hostile fleets present, not so much the art of sending occupation forces, which offered the Soviets some time to send new defenders.


As if predicting the outcome of the battle, as much as underlining Nazi failure at securing the Baltic, the day before the battle witnessed a pathetic, desperate attempt at having any sort of presence over the Baltic waters, quickly crushed in a most final way by the forces acting as de facto Navy Air Force.


Come the day the Naval Infantry arrived in Copenhagen, and Hitler's luck ran short. Barrels or no barrels, the red marines cannot be beaten so easily.


The future is bright for the Red Fleet. Stay tuned to this AAR!
 
Last edited:
1. Aha! You are back!

2. That Pacific Fleet looks nice and healthy. Japan should start getting jittery.

3. Damn American CTFs, stealing your kills.

4. Naval bombers, now that's something even CTFs should be jittery about. Hint, hint.