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This is interesting :D

Thanks. :D Hope it keeps your interest.

I'm totally following this one
Little sarcasm:How do you manage to control that huge army?

Lemme tell ya, took me hours to get this thing organized, I lost a lot of sleep...

No not really. It was more a matter of:

1) Start up the game.

2) Say, "Who's this? I want Golian in charge!"

3) Start playing.

:D
 
Great idea for an AAR -- can't wait for more!

Thanks! Although I'm sure other AAR writers have gone this route. Usually I write in the history book style for AARs. I decided to try something different.

Sooooo....when will Mat'ka receive a new letter?

I'll try to update this tomorrow.
 
October 2, 1939

1939100201.jpg

Slovak forces move into Poland

My dearest Mat'ka;

We entered Poland on September 30, unopposed. We immediately moved east into Ozenna, further into Poland. Along the way, however, we were ordered to halt. We were unsure why until later when we were told that Poland had officially fallen to Germany. Territory towards the east was given to the Soviets. The Polish government went into exile. Other than this, I don’t know.

Many of us are cheering. Slovakia has maintained her borders, and we have shown the world that, as a young nation, we are able to hold our own in combat. Our people will hopefully earn some pride after our defeat with Hungary.

1939100202.jpg

The borders of the Third Reich at the start of October, 1939

My dearest love, I may soon be coming to visit you! Please know there is nothing else on my mind right now but to gaze upon your face yet again;

Nikolas


OOC: Around 1,083 Slovaks were lost in the war against Poland, far greater than the 37 killed in real life. This was most likely because the German AI said “Good luck!” and left, whereas in reality the Germans used Slovakia as a launching pad into Poland. Either way, it made the first few posts of the AAR more interesting :D

Unfortunately, no land was gained by Slovakia in the war with Poland. I’m not giving up on the AAR however - I just need to find something else to do with Slovak forces. As it stands, the western front is quiet and the eastern front has not erupted yet. Hungarian troops are massing on my borders, I’m a little bit worried about that. I don’t know if I should send my soldiers west in the hopes of taking part in the eventual invasion of western Europe, or keep them situated in the east just in case war with Russia erupts sooner than I expect.

Incidentally, some might notice that, in the account of the Battle of Poprad, Nikolas records fighting in the mountains but the screenshot says that the battle took place on open plains. The reason is that in the game Poprad is registered as a “plain” region, but in doing research on the actual city, I found that it was famous for its nearby mountains. So, I put that into the AAR. If anyone is seriously offended or put off by that, I apologize :p
 
Didn't even know this one existed; I'm intrigued.
 
October 27, 1939: Special Historical Record

1939102701.jpg

Bratislava, Slovakia - the home of Nikolas and his love

As the guns in Poland fell silent, Slovak troops began to head home, and didn’t arrive back in the Bratislava area until October 18, almost three weeks after the war with Poland had ended. Four days later, Nikolas proposed to Martina, and the two planned to get married when it was most convenient.

As it would turn out, those few weeks had much more happen than either Nikolas or Martina had imagined. On October 11, 1939, Nazi Germany declared war on Denmark, and began the invasion almost immediately. The very next day, Italy joined with Germany and Japan to form the Axis Pact. On October 22, the offensive against France was launched by German forces, striking at the wings of the Maginot Line.

1939102702.jpg

The main offensives of the war to date: the invasion of Denmark (Oct. 18; left) and the penetration of the Maginot Line (Oct. 22; right)

Hitler called up his faithful ally - or rather, unwilling puppet - to provide additional forces for the western front. The Slovak forces under Field Marshal Golian were to mobilize and head up towards the border with the Netherlands, providing cover for the bulk of the German army, which was handling both France and Denmark at once. Nikolas, still engaged to Martina but as of yet unmarried, left with his division on October 27, heading back to war.

1939102703.jpg

A map showing the long trek that Slovak troops would have to make - and on foot

It might be best, for the benefit of the reader, for us to take a moment and review the situation within Slovakia, both politically and economically.

Slovakia was a Fascist state run by Jozef Tiso of the Slovak People’s Party. The SPP was a political machine based upon the principles of Clerical Fascism, an ideology that combined Roman Catholic theology with Fascist ideals (similar to the National Catholicism of Spain’s Francisco Franco). Tiso himself was actually an ordained Roman Catholic priest and held the title of Monsignor, and would even still attend his parish during his tenure as president.

1939102704.jpg

The Slovak government during World War II

Due to the puppet status of the nation, foreign trade was controlled by German advisers, and as such was virtually non-existent. Aside from the occasional “supplies-for-cash” deals that sprung up between Germany and Slovakia whenever the German war machine demanded it, Slovakia had to rely on being virtually self-sustainable. Unfortunately, it could not produce enough oil to supply its industry, and near the end of October, 1939, oil production and use came to a standstill.

However, this should not imply that the Slovak industry was stagnant. Indeed, as the Slovak troops were returning home from Poland, the military was already building up an artillery brigade to assist ground forces in their operations. Likewise, the defense ministry was trying to speedily catch up to upgrade the army with more modern equipment, weapons and strategy, and despite some lack of funding, all was going according to plan.

1939102705.jpg

A snapshot of the Slovak military construction and research

It was this nation that Nikolas left in late October, departing to fight some 550 miles from home.
 
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Didn't even know this one existed; I'm intrigued.

Thanks :)

How many current bigades does Slovaki have deployed? Just the two infantry, plus the two HQs?

Two brigades under the first division (Stefanik), and three brigades under the second division (Kubela). So, five regular infantry brigades plus the two HQ's, altogether.
 
November 18, 1939

1939111801.jpg

The town of Kronach, Germany, where the 5th Regiment spent some time

My dearest Matka;

I am writing you from a quaint little village called Kronach, in the heart of Germany. I am sorry that I have not written to you sooner, but they have been pushing us to march so long that just as I sit down to write, I find exhaustion overcomes me and my eyes are shut before my hands can lift up a pen. However, the local villagers have been very kind to us, supplying us with bread and even drink, and for once I feel rested enough to adequately let you know what has become of us.

I don’t know what they tell you back in Slovakia, but we hear the news of the war from all corners as we march. To the north we heard that Denmark surrendered at the end of last month, and is now under German occupation. To the west, the French launched a counterattack against the Maginot line along the border with Switzerland, and for a while held it, but then the Germans pushed them back out again. Now the Germans are pushing down from the north as well.

1939111802.jpg

The French front, November 18

All word is that the fighting is slow and hard. Many of us are worried that this will be a repeat of the previous war. Though you and I are too young to remember, Mat’ka, many of the older officers served with the Austrians in the war, and say that it was a horrid thing. Many of them faced the mountain warfare with the Italians, and few would go into great detail about it.

The weather is growing cold, although I suppose that is expected. There is a wonderful fortress here, and I wish you were with me to see it. Already I miss you dearly. I hope we return home as quickly as we did when we faced Poland.

Yours in love;

Nikolas
 
Ive never seen the German AI crack the Maginot Line like that before. They usualy need to at least partially suround it from Belgium before it falls apart. Nikolas may spend spend Christmas on the Dutch border with celebrations instead of fighting if the war continues like it has.
 
Incidentally, some might notice that, in the account of the Battle of Poprad, Nikolas records fighting in the mountains but the screenshot says that the battle took place on open plains. The reason is that in the game Poprad is registered as a plain; region, but in doing research on the actual city, I found that it was famous for its nearby mountains. So, I put that into the AAR. If anyone is seriously offended or put off by that, I apologize :p

The city itself is located in a hilly landscape but the best mountain resorts with the highest mountain in Slovakia are just to the north of it. Generally, you take the train to Poprad and then go hiking or skiing. I'll do the hiking next month :D
 
Ive never seen the German AI crack the Maginot Line like that before. They usualy need to at least partially suround it from Belgium before it falls apart. Nikolas may spend spend Christmas on the Dutch border with celebrations instead of fighting if the war continues like it has.
Apparently they do...The German AI has some momentum in the first months of the war.However they tend to get a bit stupid after Middle 1940.The French can actually push them out.
It once happened to me when i played as an Axis Czechoslovakia.
 
Nikolas may spend spend Christmas on the Dutch border with celebrations instead of fighting if the war continues like it has.

I won't give anything away, but my next few posts may be a little boring, but then after that things will get better. :D

The city itself is located in a hilly landscape but the best mountain resorts with the highest mountain in Slovakia are just to the north of it. Generally, you take the train to Poprad and then go hiking or skiing. I'll do the hiking next month :D

Oh sweet, someone in Slovakia reading my AAR! :D

I've seen those pictures of the resort, that's what inspired me to have the Poles and Slovaks fight it out on the mountain. Hey, it makes sense to defend on a mountain, right? :)

Apparently they do...The German AI has some momentum in the first months of the war.However they tend to get a bit stupid after Middle 1940.The French can actually push them out.
It once happened to me when i played as an Axis Czechoslovakia.

That happens here too for a short while, but thankfully the AI has yet to do anything peculiar.
 
November 30, 1939

1939113001.jpg

Nikolas’s division approaches the border

My dearest Mat'ka;

They say we are a little more than a hundred miles from the Dutch border. I am thankful that snow has not quite fallen yet, otherwise it would have made our march harder. We are to deploy near the town of Lingen and await further orders. If you desire something to brag about, my beloved Mat’ka, you can tell your sisters that your fiance’s division is currently the furthest ahead than most of the Slovak army. Our legs are tired, but we are happy to almost be done with the march all the more.

We have heard some heartening news from the southwest: the Germans have pushed past the Maginot Line, and have even surrounded a pocket of French troops at the town of Colmar. The French are still fighting for every inch of ground, and the progress is still slow, but hopefully this will assist the Germans in their offensive.

1939113002.jpg

The front lines, showing the Colmar Pocket

If you are curious what danger we will be in, so far there is no sign of any. We have not heard word of impending war with the Netherlands, and there is no sound of gunfire coming from the border. We’ve also heard that the Dutch do not have much of an army to field, so that we should be more than a match for them. Hopefully they will be easier to beat than the Poles.

One interesting event earlier today. We heard the sound of planes, and assumed they must be the Luftwaffe. When some of us went off to a hill to see where it was coming from, a few fighters flew overhead, and we recognized the markings of the Royal Air Force. They flew over us harmlessly and continued on. This is the first I have seen of the British in this war. I do not know what they were doing, and most of the officers assume they were merely on reconnaissance patrol.

1939113003.jpg

The Spitfirepilot Mk1 model - the British plane Nikolas most likely saw

Write to me, my love, and tell me what you would like for Christmas. Anything you desire, and I shall find all within my power to acquire it;

Nikolas
 
Not much of an army? I see 3 divisions right there in that 1 screenshot alone. Your 2 divisions might not be enough to hold them off in case of war for German reinforcements to arrive.
 
Not much of an army? I see 3 divisions right there in that 1 screenshot alone. Your 2 divisions might not be enough to hold them off in case of war for German reinforcements to arrive.

I wouldn't intend to hold the entire border, just that northern section. I'd say let Germany defend the rest. :cool: