Another excellent update. where do you find these great old B&W photos? Fallschirmjagers on the rooftops!
No single place - what I so is write the update, insert the maps and then look for photos to "space" it out. (I try to have 4-5 photos to break up my otherwise interminable prose.)
I look at the relevant situation and then look for a suitable photo. So I might search for "WW2 mud artillery" or something similar. But that is just the start. Then I go "link to link" until I find something I like and can use.
Good show, but I see increasingly challenging fights on the horizon.
I've started a Soviet campaign in the HPP mod, and I dare say, they've managed to create a much more convincing barbarossa; the Great Officer Purge actually hurts Soviet capabilities, and until you get suitably whalloped by the Germans, even with tech parity, Soviet troops just can't fight the Germans on an even footing due a 50% org malus (shrinking eventually to 30, 20 and eventually 0 by '43 or '44). Therefore, the Germans do really well in the opening phase (less so with a human controlling the Soviets, they've lost 250k in a month, I've lost about 350k), and then slowly start struggling as Soviet organization improves, industry expands, manpower losses take their toll and various "Not One Step Backwards" esque bonuses make the Russians more and more dangerous as they lose ground. Eventually, generally the first winter in, the Germans just can't push any further, and start crumbling.
I don't foresee the same occurrence here; base HoI is much more favorable to the Germans and undervalues General Winter, but this may turn into a nasty meat grinder somewhere around the eastern Ukraine when you can't encircle as well, bring your air power to bear or use naval maneuvers.
It's a meat grinder already: unless I can reduce my losses I will be out of men sometime in 1942. (And that is with the minimal builds I am doing now). But there are signs that things are changing. With about 55MP per month I need to keep losses to about 1K per day to be able to rpelace the dead and still be able to build a few divisions a month.
Well, Soviets keep losing more officers than men?
I think they must be - officer ratio is directly related to length of battle and the trend seems to be shorter battles. But I expect them to recover during the winter, so Ineed to keep hurting them.
Wow, what happened in Riga? I think you removed the paras and the Soviets attacked before the German army AI could send in the Infantry to shore up the front? Doesn't look good :/
I have to agree with others: Leningrad would've been a better target. With that many units, you should've been able to capture it and the Soviets would not be able to shake you out of it, forcing them to take a large detour to reach the front further south.
I was annoyed that the last para wasn't ready to go with the first, and when it finally had enough org to load I just sent it. Without checking that there was another unit present.
Put it down to poor staff-work.
OK, I accept Leningrad may have been better, but I thought it would take too long to get there to releive the Marines (with the Baltic and Polen Nord Armies) and I wanted to surround some more Red Army divs in good trap terrain. What is done is done - personally I blame some minor staff officer in OKH.
Those Wehrmacht soldiers posing for the photo-op must be the most unconvincingly disguised guys ever. That one single twig tugged at the front of the helmet is about as effective as having a smear of dirt on the nose. The lack of actual ammunition makes the picture even sillier.
See below. I still think it is staged - the uniforms are just too neat and the body language is saying "look at me".
Well, about the "camofulage" you´re right. But there ist ammo on the weapon. The MG 42 is fed from left, so the belt on the right side has to be empty. Look just under the barrel on the chest of soldier on the right. There you can see that he is feeding the gun with ammo. At least there are rounds in the belt, if life or just exercise is not visible. What I find interesting are the decorations of the Unteroffizier commanding the squad. He seems to have seen a little bit more action with the Grossdeutschland Regiment/Divsion (look at the cuff title and shoulder boards).
This is the problem with being left-handed: complete inability to comprehend left and right in photos (or directions. My wife has been reduced to pointing rather than saying "Turn Left/Right".) You are right and as soon as soon as I looked at the photo I realsied I had looked at it back to front.
As for the Grossdeutchland being in Berlin for publicity shots - obviously he has been wounded and is either recuperating or in Berlin to receive a reward.
Long time lurker here. First, let me chime in on saying that this is by far the best AAR here, keep up the work Uriah, you're doing wonderfully!
But the other reason im posting here is to clarify this photo. I'm a long time reenactor of ww2 german fallschirmjager and heer forces, and I have a lot of experience with camo. Generally, if you're moving around a lot, the camo you start out with is not the camo you finish the day with. Thee guys probably had tons and tons of grass stuck in the rubber bands on their helmets, but during the course of operations that day, it basically all fell out. Judging by how messy and falling apart it is, I think this is the case here. Also, as the poster above pointed out, the unteroffizer is a member of grossdeutschland, as are the two enlisted men. The gun commander also has a iron cross first class, infy assualt, and a silver wound badge (3-4 wounds), meaning he has absolutely seen a LOT of combat. These guys are no amateurs.
Welcome VonMudra and thanks for the compliments.
As I said before, I still think this a staged shot. Camo does fall out when moving about, but the uniforms are just too nice and the spacing and body language scream out "professional photographer". But thank you for the info on the medals/insignia: I know that my readers know so much more than me! And keep it up - I am sure that many of the other readers enjoy the extra detail that such comments add. I know I do.