Stalin's Ambition - The Dreams of the Great Bear

[SilverDragon]

Hi everyone, after reading through so many great AAR's, I thought I might try my hand at writing one. All comments are appriciated. (I like hearing what people think of my work)
Hope you all enjoy it!

Some notes before we begin:
This game is going to be played on VH/Furious as Russia (duh) v1.05b with the AI Enhancement Project Files. I plan on writing this as I play the game. I will try to include as many pictures as I can; as this is supposed to be an alternate history, I would like to be able to make it seem more real. If any one has ideas of where I can get said pictures, don't hestitate to say so.


Now with out further ado..... Our Feature Presentation:






Prolouge - Stalin's Dream

Dec 31, 1935

As the moon sits in the dark skies above Moscow, a man begins to dream...

There stood a great bear surrounded by many small cubs, and as the bear look over the cubs, he noticed they were sickly and weak because of a lack of food. "This cannot do", thought the bear, "my children need me to grow strong. I must look for food."

As the bear looked up and away from his cubs, he saw that there lay a vast lush field before him filled with all manner of life. He saw never ending water to the horizon. He saw that the field held all that was needed for life to be good for all creatures under the sun.

But as he searched for food for his cubs in the majesty of the field, he also saw the blackness of the creatures’ souls. The bear saw a wounded black eagle shed its bandages and join together a few small ravens to begin ravaging a bloated lion and its friends. He saw a water serpent emerge from the beneath the waves of the vast waters and begin to strangle a once majestic dragon. In the distance, the bear saw a lone gold eagle stealing away the foods and strength possessed by the quarrelling animals. As they fought and destroyed and stole, the bear saw the field begin to wither and die. And while he watched with sorrow, he saw for the first time what appeared to be a great castle in the distance slowly falling away to dust.

“They know not what they do”, said a deep voice in the mind of the bear. “Only you can unite these foolish creatures and lead them to the greatness of the kingdom I have shown you. Only under the rule of a great being such as yourself can the creatures survive and make the lands live once again. Only you can show them the great works that can be made by working in harmony. They will all bow before your greatness, and you shall be the leader of the entire world. Together, there is nothing you will not be able to do. Now, ARISE AND CONQUER THE LANDS I SET BEFORE YOU!”

And in that instant, as the sun edged up the horizon hailing the first dawn of the year, Stalin opened his eyes with a new purpose in his heart. He dressed rapidly and headed out toward the government building surrounded by his guards. As he left, he shouted an order to the servants that he passed to radio his field marshals and generals Konev and Zhukov to meet in the war chamber. “There is to be a new world order under communism,” thought Stalin with a smile of grim determination. “I shall unite all of mankind and do away with foolish ideals like capitalism and democracy. Feh, only a fool allows the ignorant to rule and the weak to prosper. Marx was right, capitalism will be the downfall of the human race, and I shall be its savior!”

Throughout the world, a chill spread through every person’s heart.




So what do you think? I have no idea how this will turn out, but I think I'll have fun trying at least!

[Armfeldt]

Cool intro I think.

[SilverDragon]

Janurary 2, 1936

Stalin had been poring over his maps of the world for nearly a day straight without rest as he awaited the arrival of the field marshals and generals he had summoned. He also called upon the minister of the army and minister of armaments. He had already decided where the Soviet Union could begin expanding too, he just needed just needed to give the word. “We need to make a bid for greatness now, before it is too late,” thought Stalin. “Romania is a very fine target indeed, and will supply all the oil Mother Russia needs to fuel her children in arms.”

“My comrade, why do you stare at the Romanian border?” The minister of the army said as he and the minister of armaments arrived. The afternoon was starting to warm up, for it was an unusually warm day in the dead of the Russian winter, almost 11 degrees Celsius (about 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Yet in the room it was sweltering hot, so the minister quickly removed their coats. “Are there some ideas for trade you have with the Romanian government?” That was the minister of armaments, who had been pushing for a new arms deal with Romania.

“No, we will not trade with them,” Stalin began in an even tone, but slowly, a dark grin spread across his face, “there is no reason to trade with those whom shall be the first country to fall to the great communist nation. The Soviet Union will one day rule the world, I promise you this, my comrades, and Romania, no the whole of the Balkans, shall be the first proof of that promise.”

Both Ministers were slightly taken aback at the power of those words, and tried to get Stalin to see the potential problems in assaulting Romania, let alone the whole of the Balkans. The minister of the army began, desperation in his voice. “Sir, please, you must understand. The Romanians have a very strong defensive position behind several mountainous provinces and across rivers, which is true of the entire Balkans. Plus their armies abilities are on par with our own, please re-”

“SILENCE!” Roared Stalin, anger evidenced blatantly on his face. “I will not have COWARDS in charge of our army! Our military is one of the largest in the world, and our numbers will always give us an advantage!” Stalin took a few deep breathes, visibly calming down, but not by much. “But I am so careless as to not even listen to my advisors and generals. However, what I say CAN be done, WILL be done, no matter how hard the task may seem!” Again, Stalin’s temper began to flare, “Never again question the fact that our destiny is to spread communism across the world and unite the world under the Soviet Union!”

After what seemed like eternity, Stalin broke the quiet, speaking in more subdued voice to calm the very agitated ministers. “Tomorrow, I am meeting with three of my field marshals, generals Konev and Zhukov, and the minister of foreign affairs. I wish for both of you to be prepared to offer some insight as to the best methods of accomplishing the goals set out in the meeting. Good day, comrades.” And with that Stalin turned back to his maps as the minister quietly left.

[Frankie]

An excellent idea, subduing the Romanians before they start shipping oil to the Germans! How about taking out the Hungarians and Bulgarians next before they start to befriend the Germans?

[Lord_VR]

Yay, a Soviet AAR! And a promising one, too!

[SilverDragon]

January 3, 1936:

Stalin paced animatedly before his assembled staff. He made it a point to look into the eyes of ministers and generals, judging to see who he would appoint what tasks. As they waited for the arrival of General Konev, who had been over seeing some tank testing outside Kharkov on the request of the armaments minister, Kaganovich, Stalin ran out of patience and decided to begin the meeting, which all but Kaganovich and the Chief of the Army, Voroshilov were curious about.

“Today is auspicious day for communism and the Soviet Union my comrades!” For today is the day we make our first step in uniting the world under our banner,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Litvinov’s face just beamed in joy, the others just smiled nervously. They all had faith in the dream of Marx, to be sure, but they knew one had to be calculating and patient to achieve their goal. Stalin continued as if feeling the trepidation in the room. “I know what you all must think, but today must be the day that we begin our push for the world! Therefore, as I have already ordered a vast industrial works project to be undertaken in the lands east of the Volga,” he paused as he noted the collective smiles and nods on his staff, “and today I order that preparations begin on Operation Southern Comet, the Soviet conquest of Romania and Bulgaria.” That announcement stirred some controversy, the most vocal being Litvinov, interestingly enough.

“You cannot expect us to wage war against Romania as long as the government there is still primarily capitalists,” began the minister. “The pigs in the west would never allow it, and we are hardly in a position to fight off ALL the western powers. Please reconsider, sir.”

“NO! Romania must be the first to fall,” countered Stalin, with an edge to his voice. “Romania has rich oil deposits that we need to expand and maintain our borders, and Bulgaria has a rich industrial base that would be easy to assimilate into our own.” Stalin paused there as if to collect his thoughts, and nobody dared interrupt him now. After a moment, he continued in a more pensive manner. “However your opinion does have some merit. We would be ill advised to agitate the western powers by attacking a democracy they hold so dear. Very well then, would they care if we attacked a fascist dog then?”

A bit confused, Litvinov answered as truthfully as he could, “No sir, I don’t believe they would. The German Fuhrer might…”

“No, he would not,” Stalin interrupted, cutting the ministers reply off. “He would hardly dare flaunt to the west how in so short a time from becoming leader of Germany he ignored their sanctions and built an army of a size large enough to attack us. So no, Minister Litvinov, he would not, nor would the west. Therefore, I am charging you with the task of setting up a fascist victory in the Romanian senate so we can march in and liberate our brethren to the south, the same shall hold true for the already fascist Bulgaria.”

“Very well, my comrade, if that is what you wish,” the minister stood. “Till when do I have to accomplish this?”

“You have till July 31st of this year. The campaign is slated to commence no later than September 1st.” Stalin’s voice took on a dangerous glint, “Do NOT fail me.”

“Understood. Good day, comrades,” with that Minister Litvinov turned, and left the meeting hall to begin his task. If he failed, he knew he would be killed.

Back in the meeting hall, Stalin returned to the task at hand, planning for probably the most historic campaign in communist history. “Field Marshal Timoshenko, how many divisions do you believe you would need to effectively neutralize the Romanian army?”

“I would prefer to have as many divisions as possible, 50 infantry divisions at least, and no less than a full armor core. I also believe it would also aid the operation if I could bring in an air corps or two, but I could make I could make due with less if it meant that our borders are more secure.”

Stalin had been staring at the general the whole time as if appraising his abilities by his words. “He has guts to ask for so much,” thought Stalin. “He might have an idea on using planes effectively, but I truly doubt their abilities to turn the tide of combat.” Then out loud, “It has yet to be shown in any conflict that air power is key to victory, for the price and time it costs to raise a full air corps, we could raise 4 to 8 infantry divisions. However, if you truly wish it, I will allow Southern Air Command to be placed under you. You may decide which air marshal takes command of the air corps. Now, my comrade, why so many troops?”

“I believe I can answer that,” it was Zhukov’s turn to speak. “If we present an overwhelming amount of troops to the enemy, then we can effectively reduce causualties on our side and speed up the rate which we take the country. However, due to the immense amount of rivers in the area, we would be hard pressed to make quick advancements without the aid of engineering units.”

“Smart ones,” thought Stalin while appraising the field marshal and general, but then he smiled to himself “but then again they are MY generals. It would probably be wise to listen to their advice on tactical matters from time to time.” Then as he came to a conclusion, he spoke again in approving tones. “Very well, Field Marshal, you shall be given command of 48 infantry, including the 6 engineering infantry I am now authorizing,” Kaganovich made a mental note to begin their training as soon as possible. Stalin continued, “You will also have a 4 division cavalry corps at your disposal.” Stalin then turned to Zhukov, “General, I have decided for this upcoming campaign, all motorized and armored divisions of the army shall be placed under your direct command.” That brought a smile to Zhukov rather quickly, and so he stood and saluted his leader. After turning back to the field marshal, Stalin continued on “Field Marshal, with the exception of the armored and cavalry corps, you may organize your armies however you like, however you may only place one more field marshal in command. Submit the plans of the operation after the completion of the engineering brigades, Field Marshal. Be safe in your endeavors, my comrades. Good day!” And with that Stalin began studying some old military records with the armaments minister.

One by one, the assembled staff made their way out of the hall, after they had gone, it was General Konev’s turn to make an appearance in the hall. “I am sorry for my lateness,” Konev began, out of breath, “a snow storm delayed my departure from Kharkov. I know I missed the meeting, but what was it about?”

“General Zhukov can fill you in later,” replied Stalin. “Tell me, what do you think of our armor in the field.”

“Our armor is good, but there is so much potential if we would just design larger tank guns, we could do so much more.”

“Very well then, comrade Konev, you and Kaganovich can work on a plan to increase our armor's potency.” Stalin then stood, rather confident that the prospects of communism never looked better. "Good day to you both, I have some pressing business to attend to.” And so he left, both men watching him with mixed feeling of awe and fear.


Frankie - you know, peering into the files of high command is punishable by death, lol

VR - thanks I really appriciate the comment, I'll try my best to be a good writer!

Trumpets sound! Stay tuned for the next installment, which will contain (dramatic pause) pictures! (And the crowd cheers)!

[SilverDragon]

April 13, 1936

In a war room in Sevestapool:

“But Commander, you must see that sending me on a flanking maneuver to the west could end up causing a stall in the advance down the coast, and severely slow our progress towards the capital! If you allow me to advance between to battle groups, I could aid both you and Blucher because of the speed of my tanks.” General Zhukov almost looked like he restraining himself from yelling obscenities at the field marshal.

“No General, that is were you are mistaken.” Timoshenko, on the other hand, looked like he was going to have fun berating Zhukov for his insolence. “Blucher will be able to handle himself till he gets past Constanta and into Dobrich to aid us in the attack on Bucharest. It is your job to perform a flanking maneuver to the west so that we can surround Bucharest and force the Romanian’s surrender.”

“Again, if the assault along the coast stalls…” Zhukov began, but was again cut of by the field marshal.

“If the advance stalls, Blucher is a fool and should be removed from his post after the campaign is over.” Timoshenko seemed to relent a bit after this. “Alright then,” a smirk appeared on the field marshal’s face, “how about this as compromise. You progress under MY battle group, under my direct command. If Blucher fails to advance, then you shall be released from my command and allowed to go to his aid. You would still return for the assault on Bucharest. If not, however, we will follow the plan as I have laid out.”

“No,” Zhukov was standing firm, “it is between the armies or I am given freedom to do as I see fit.” It was dangerous to bait his superior, but his courage is what made him a General, so he didn’t really care at this point. All he cared about was getting his plan through so they could begin the preparations.

Timoshenko was furious, but he figured that if Zhukov failed, that would be the end of his ego, so he gave in. “Fine! You may travel between the groups, but under the condition that you must meet my battle group in both Ploiesti and Bucharest.”

Zhukov narrowed his eyes and smiled, half smirking, “Then we are agreed. I shall submit the final draft of the plan to High Command immediately.”


The Plans for Operation Southern Comet, slated for mid to late summer 1936.


May 5, 1936

Just outside Kharkov:

“General Zhukov, I see you have found your Armor Corps to your liking.” It was Field Marshal Blucher, auxillary commander of Operation Southern Comet. He had been requested to take command of the western army corps that was to be sent down the Romanian coastline and to oversee the preparations of the armored corps General Zhukov would be commanding. “I have just received word that the engineering brigades are on their way to the front lines, and have come to inform you that a special motorized engineering division will be sent to Kharkov to join with your troops.”

“Thank you Commander; that is good news.” Zhukov sound very tired, however, and tried not to sound too dismissive of Blucher. “Send Timoshenko a message for me.” He didn’t wait for Blucher to acknowledge his request. “Ask him who’s advance will receive Air Marshal Novikov’s aid first.”

“Why I believe that will be his own, at least at first,” replied Blucher, not understanding why the general would ask him such as thing.

“That is good, then I shall make a move to appear to help him on his flank, but I shall turn and move to your flank and help you down the coast.”

“Sir, the planes aren’t going to replace the power of your armor. Why would you think that the air corps would be so powerful?” Blucher was seriously confused at this point.

“I never said I did commander. I do, however, believe that the bombers can effectively reduce the ability of the divisions present to defend against a land attack, by sending them into disarray and probably give them a few casualties as well.”

“I see, I see” Blucher sounded a bit despondent at seeing the tactical mind of his subordinate. “Well, if you think that it is best…very well, I shall keep this information to myself... I must be off to Odessa to see to the new arrivals.

“Farewell Commander.” With that, Zhukov headed back to his headquarters as Blucher turned to leave. “I guess its all up to Minister Litvinov now,” he thought as a he walked. “Then we can see how strong we truly are.”

See, I told you I'd get a picture up. Stayed tuned for the next installment in which we shall see what Minister Litvinov has been doing to accomplish his task, current events in Moscow, and Operation Southern Comet in its entirety!

As a side note: Ignore information in the legend of the above map that pertains to dates after 1936.

[Mutton]

Indeed! This looks like its gonna be an epic AAR.
I will follow this one

[Exterous]

Ha! Another great chronicle of the military genius of Zukov.
One question: Where are the coffee stains?
Great start!

[TC Pilot]

I think it's spelled Zhukov.

Anyway, great start. I tried this invasion yesterday, and let's just say it's harder than it looks.

[SilverDragon]

June 14, 1936:

Bucharest

A vaguely familiar character, flanked by two heavily armed brutes and standing on a platform with several noted Romanian dissidents, began addressing an assembled mob of hundreds brown-shirted individuals. “My friends, it is time to take back that which is rightfully ours. The bureaucratic fools slowly eat away at Romania’s pride and the unionists and socialists take your money for themselves. It is time to force the senate to take your voice into account, for yours is the voice of reason, the voice that truly matters. Force the senate into session and make the people vote for the Romanian Liberation Front, for you are the only true form of strong leadership in this, the greatest of nations.” As the man finished to the sounds of tumultuous applause one of the guards leaned in and whispered in the speaker’s ear, who promptly smirked. After a minute, he continued. “Now go forth, and do what is required of you!” And the assembly began to dissipate.

After the hall was cleared, and the speaker and his guards were alone in his office, the pretense was done away with.

The first guard began, “That was a great speech, Minister Litvinov. They absorbed every word.”

“That was nothing, I told them exactly what they wanted to hear.” Litvinov replied. “The ingenious part is that we are copying that German, pseudo-capitalist dog’s own rise to power. It will be near impossible to see that this was orchestrated by their own enemies.”



From the text of A History of the Twin Great Wars:

“It was generally accepted at the time that the German fuehrer, Adolph Hitler, was behind the Romanian uprising; however, it has recently come to light that the entire scenario was really a Soviet plot masterminded by Joseph Stalin himself to give the Soviet Union a pretext to begin the later named Soviet Balkan Intervention Campaign consisting of Operations Southern Comet and Winter Fury. Regardless of that fact, June and July of 1936 were marked by increased hostilities against unionist and socialist sympathizers in the Balkans. This alone seemed legitimate provocation for Soviet intervention to occur without reprisals from the West and, at the time, an impotent Germany.”



July 2, 1936:

Moscow

“You must see, gentlemen, that should the fascists win out in Romania, I will have no choice but to issue a declaration of war on the nation. The dissidents in that nation are known to be vehement communist haters and have already executed many unionists and socialists.” Stalin had an air of righteous indignation about him. “I will not allow my brothers and sisters to be subjected to such treatment!”

“Please Premier. Surely there must be a diplomatic solution to all this.” The pacifist, England’s newly elected Prime Minister, Chamberlain, had no idea why Stalin would be so quick to declare war on such a trivial matter.

“No, there can be no other method for dealing with swine that are known murderers. I will NOT allow such an injustice in the Balkans to continue!”

“But…” Chamberlain was quickly interrupted by France’s Prime Minister Blum who had been quiet up until this point.

“No, my friend, he is quite right. The fascists are a threat to us both. Therefore, I say here and now, should the fascists win out in Romania, you will not receive interference from any western power.”

“Thank you,” Stalin began in concealed, mockingly gracious tones. “I am glad we were able to come to an agreement. Now, if you’ll pardon my not seeing you off to your plane, there is some business I must attend to.”

As the Western Ministers car pulled up to Moscow’s Military Airbase, Chamberlain turned to Blum. “Aren’t you afraid,” he began, “that this will merely be Stalin’s first bid for world dominance? He IS open about his belief that communism will consume the world.”

“Nonsense, my dear Prime Minister, he is as dangerous as the German Fuehrer. For all their posturing, their militaries are naught compared to our own. If the communists and fascists go at each others throats, the better for us. But WE have nothing to fear from two defanged snakes.”

“I guess you are right, monsieur Blum. Maybe if we let Stalin have his way now, and allow Hitler to keep preening himself, then we would have nothing to fear at all.” And with that Chamberlain and Blum sat down to sleep during their long flight back to Leningrad where the British battleship Reprisal was waiting to return them to London.

July 13, 1936:

Moscow

When word arrives from Bucharest that the fascists have won majority in the senate, Stalin immediately gives the go ahead to make final preparations for Operation Southern Comet. He personally flies in to Kiev to promote General Zhukov to Field Marshal and give state’s honors to Field Marshal Timoshenko and Minister Litvinov. He then flies to Odessa to give several speeches to the assembling troops on the eve of the Soviet Union’s great first offensive, of which one of his more memorable quotes, and the sheer power of it, is taken. “You are the vanguard of greatness! Let no one stop your charge!”


July 16, 1936:

Midnight, Moscow

Stalin had finally given the order to march on Romania. And so, on a cloudless night, 400 Soviet planes began the bombing of the Romanian province of Beltsy, to herald the arrival of over 61 divisions of Soviet troops.


The next update is slated for later today, where you will see the results of Operation Southern Comet and the exploits of the 19th Armored Regiment. As an added bonus for reading, I'll include pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Note: Fixed "Baltic" to read "Balkans" as it should have. Sorry about such a blatent error

[elbasto]

Nice update
and fast too
are you planning to have any allied nation, or you want to take the entire planet?

[SilverDragon]

July 16 - 22, 1936

Belorussia

The coming campaign was predicated to exact a terrible price from both sides of the battlefield. 48 Soviet infantry divisions, 4 Cavalry divisions, and 9 Motorized and Armored divisions crashed down upon the Romanian army, which consisted of barely half that number. The only advantages the Romanians had was their defensive terrain to the north, and that the Soviets were their technological equals. Over Beltsy, the Soviet Air Force, to every one’s surprise, severely hampered the Romanian’s ability to defend and allowed Field Marshal Timoshenko to roll over the would be defenders, who immediately began pushing through the province of Iasi towards Ploeisti to seize the initiative. In the east, Blucher ran into the exact trouble Zhukov expected. So the newly named field marshal immediately turned southeast to aid the field marshal. He sent Armor Divisions 3 and 5, 3 being home to his command outpost and 5 containing the now famous 19th armored regiment, to begin an “encirclement” of the defenders of Chisinau province, a newly devised strategy between Konev and Zhukov never before seen in combat. The results were devastating, and allowed Blucher and Zhukov to drive towards Constanta unhindered by anything except the new storm creeping up out of the Black Sea.



Soviet Operational Map, July 22, 1936

Moscow

News of the easy victories on the front was the only thing keeping Stalin from going on a rampage.
At first he was entertained by the reports his commanders sent back to high command. It was inconceivable to think that airpower served any purpose in direct combat, and yet Novikov’s small air force did more in the span of 2 days than a large artillery bombardment does in a week. He would definitely give the Air Marshal state’s honors for his achievement. And then have him look into future fighter and bomber development. But everything would come in due time.
Then news began pouring out of Iberia. “General Franco has launched a coup against the current Spanish government,” began Minister Litvinov. “It started at midnight on the 18th. The fool attacked several military installations simultaneously and now has half the army following self-titled ‘Nationalist Movement’. They already have imprisoned several noted unionists in northern Spain, and are openly against socialist tendencies, which the ‘Republicans’ advocate.”
Stalin became nothing short of furious when the minister brought the news. “How dare they imprison our brothers! That fascist dog, will know fear! I order you to send military aid to the Republican Spanish. Do anything you can to wipe the dogs off the face of the planet!!!!”
Litvinov left quickly before Stalin began screaming epithets and descended into an even deeper rage.


Synopsis of The Iberian Civil War: The Rise of Nationalist Spain

When the first foreign forces arrived to back a side, it was a small contingent of Soviet forces. The Soviet army, who were currently embroiled in a war against Romania, sent exactly what was needed (which was, coincidentally, all they could spare) to suppress General Franco. That alone would have been enough to alter the course of history and may have prevented Franco’s eventual victory over the Republicans on February 19, 1938 had it not been for German and Italian support of Franco’s troops, which arrived 2 weeks after the Soviet forces did. At that point, the Spanish Civil War became more of a display open defiance by the Fuehrer and Il Duce against Stalin’s actions in the Balkans since they were forbidden by the west to interfere. This probably was the first act of defiance against the West and East they could successfully get away with. Creating and backing an Iberian fascist state, despite its utter dependency on German supplies, was crucial in ensuring Hitler’s political clout remained in tact, plus it gave the Wehrmacht an immediate advantage over the western powers, more so than even the learning experience the Soviet Balkan Intervention Campaign provided gave the Red army. As a result, Hitler obtained a new ally to make up for the ones he eventually lost.

August 3-18, 1936

Central Romania

The advance deteriorated into fierce fighting about 100 km from Bucharest. Both Timoshenko and Blucher ran into serious difficulties, especially in Ploiesti. Zhukov’s armored corps lacked the punch it needed in the rain to do anything significant. However, it was in the Battle of Ploiesti that the 19th armored regiment first gained notoriety and gave the tank its new role in combat. Their achievements also allowed Konev to finally acquire the approval and funds necessary in designing and building a new Soviet tank armada.


19th Armored Regiment HQ
August 12, 1936 15:00
The Ploiesti Front

“Commander Nikolai! We are receiving an urgent transmission from Division Commander Shevko. He says that we must move to begin assaulting the western most flank of the enemy in accordance with Field Marshal Zhukov’s grand strategy. All regiments are therefore ordered to concentrate on the west flank.”
“That seems like pretty vague orders Lieutenant Yasiv. Are you sure that was all?”
“Yes commander. Reports say that fighting is grim all along the front. Maybe high command figures there is some weakness we may exploit on the fringes of the battle.”
“Order the tanks westward, Lieutenant. We will probe for weaknesses and attack the eastern most one. Luck may very well be the only the thing on our side.”


August 13, 1936 06:00

Nikolai looked out on the battlefield from the turret of his command tank.The sun was just now edging its way over the horizon. By the dimmest light, he saw something he had never seen before in the days since the fighting began, a retreat of about 2 full regiments towards the south. “This may either be divine providence or a deadly trap worthy of Napoleon,” thought Nikolai grimly. “Either way, it could prove decisive especially if we can punch all the way south. We would be heroes.” With that thought as encouragement, he rousted the 50 or so tank crews under his command and, within half an hour, was rolling towards the breech with machine guns blazing.

August 13, 1936 11:00

Within 5 hours, Nikolai and his troops were in a breech 4 miles deep into enemy territory. I had been a fruitful push, killing nearly 3 Romanian infantry regiments single handedly. They had been conserving their ammo as best they could by just driving OVER some of the soldiers they encountered, a gruesome but useful tactic. However, they had long left their division behind them on the front lines, stranding them should they run into any trouble, especially if the Romanians had been able to push the Soviet line further north. Nikolai had just order his tanks around to fight their way back north to rejoin the main division when he saw something that made his stomach drop. The lone armor division the Romanian army possessed had just cut of his retreat. He did the only sensible thing he could do in a situation like that. He ordered his tanks to scatter at top speed, follow random, westerly paths, then northern ones once they could make a break for it, and keep their turrets trained on the tank division ahead of them, firing non-stop. It was best plan he could think of to save his troops and break out of the encirclement.

August 13, 1936 13:00

After 2 hours, it seemed like a miracle that all but 1 of his tanks had survived the onslaught while they had destroyed nearly 70. Still, he estimated they had 2 more miles to go and several hundred more tanks to pass before they reached what was at least the old front line. That’s when bad news came through the intercom.

“Commander Nikolai, this is tank commander Kosti. We regret to inform you that we have but 5 heavy shells left. We are also running low on fuel, maybe enough to last another 2 hours. Awaiting orders, please respond.”

Many of the tank commanders began issuing the same statements. Nikolai had to think quickly; the brilliant victory he envisioned was slowly becoming a nightmare. The only reason he got this far south, he realized, was on sub-commanders’ abilities, not his own recklessness.

He got on the intercom, “All units, volley all shells remaining shells at the enemy’s front, then retreat to the north, full speed!”

That’s when he heard several explosions in the vicinity of the enemy’s armor. “What great shots my men are. At least we will always have our honor.” That last thought was one of deep sorrow at having thrown his men into a trap without realizing it. Then he heard the engines; the deep, loud rumbling of bomber engines. They were saved after all! As his men rejoiced Nikolai’s bravery and the twist of fate that saved them, Nikolai himself offered a prayer of thanks to Novikov and his planes.



The 19th Armored Regiment after their victory in Ploiesti


Sept 12, 1936

The remainder of the first phase of Operation Southern Comet continued without another pitched battle. The Battle for Bucharest lasted nearly two weeks and gave the Soviets their first taste of urban fighting, but when the capital fell, the Romanians finally conceded to joining the Soviet empire officially on September 12, 1936. Over 45,000 Soviet troops lost their lives in the campaign along with 300 planes and 5000 tanks and trucks. Though demoralizing, it impressed upon the Soviets the deficiencies inherent in their army.


Russian soldiers during the intense urban fighting in Bucharest



November 14, 1936
Upon finding concealed documents between Romania and Bulgaria, Stalin had the reason he could implement phase 2 of Operation Southern Comet. Within the month preparations had been completed and phase 2, a simple push to Plovdiv and Sofia, had begun. Nearly 1 month after phase 2 began, only 4 months after the operation had begun in earnest, all the objectives had been taken. This time only 20,000 infantry, 2000 tanks and trucks, and 45 aircraft had been claimed in the fighting, fewer losses than in the Romanian campaign, which meant that the Soviets were learning how to better conduct warfare.



Soviet Operational Map, November 14, 1936


Excerpt from The Soviet War Machine:

Operation Southern Comet had a tremendous effect on the evolution of the modern Soviet military. First, it taught much by the way of unit tactics, like encirclement and armor thrusts. But more than that, the Soviets saw that air power was an immensly useful tool in a military campaign. The most valuable experience gained by the Soviets during Southern Comet, however, was that they needed better equipment. Soviet High Command quickly realized that in their bid for dominance, numbers weren’t going to be enough; they needed better guns as well. However, there was an advantage to not having learned these lessons of war prior to 1937. It lay in the fact that the west did not see the fascist states or the Soviet Union as military equals. This ideology was named the “Folly of the West” and was later used by Stalin to his own advantage.



Soviet Fighters over Bucharest after seeing action during all of Operation Southern Comet.


Dec 15, 1936:

In Budapest, Hungary, in protest of recent Soviet moves, the Hungarian government passed a new resolution taking away the rights unionist and socialists to exist in any public forum. The Hungarian secret police then began to arrest many of the most influential unionist in the nation as being “suspected of terrorist activities”. When the news reached Moscow, Stalin could hardly contain his anger.


Mutton, Exterous, VR, elbasto, and to others I may have missed: Thank you all for your support, I hope you enjoy reading my AAR as much as I enjoy writing it. And P.S. elbasto, I don't PLAN on having allies or puppets, except for Mongolia and Tannu Tuva, which I am stuck with, though I may write a event in which I annex them later on though, if it seems appropriate.

Like the pictures? I tried my hardest!

[Exterous]

Great story line

Forget allies and just make the whole world red!

[Mutton]

Great work crossing those rivers into romania. I always end up in a stalemate there in my games, but im not a good player either
Pretty hightech units for the soviets in 1936 according to the pics

[iBaLkiD]

Really nice start. I think your writing is great. To think you could have written some more AAR's had you not been so shy

I like how you seamlessly write in your techs and build orders into the story. Something many AAR writers go about doing in a very ho hum scripted manner.

Smart move in Couping Romania, and the whole early drive into the Balkans. You will have an enlarged border with Germany but with your MP that is to your advantage.

The foreshadowing of Zhukovs predictions leads me to believe that you are wrting after a playing session, if so wow on the Update rate!


*Taps foot on floor nervously waiting on the next update*

[elbasto]

Good update, and fast too...
What about not annexing small conquered nation in order to get less consumer goods??

[SilverDragon]

December 23, 1936

“THEY ARE DOING WHAT!?!?” Stalin was red with fury now; his temper had been rising steadily for the past few days. “I refuse to let them suppress the workers, our comrades, in Hungary any longer. How DARE they imprison those working for the greater good of man! Those fascist dogs, they will pay for this transgression….” Stalin began pacing back and forth across the room before his assembled ministers.

“Yes sir,” began Minister Litvanov, trying to calm the Premier into a more relaxed state. “They will pay.” There was no hiding the disdain Litvanov held for the fascist powers. That was all Stalin needed to throw him into action.

“Enough! Where are Zhukov, Timoshenko, and Blucher stationed right now?”

Chief of Staff Tuchatjevskij answered, curiosity obvious in his voice. “Blucher is squelching some minor resistance in Bulgaria, and the others are in Romania, eliminating opposition to our governor in the area; Zhukov is in the south, Timoshenko’s in the north.”

“Then they can muster their troops off Hungary’s borders within the month…yes…that would work….” Stalin kept muttering to himself just loud enough for his ministers to hear some key words, “liberate”, “tanks”, “overwhelming force”, and “idiot fuehrer”. Those assemble saw what was coming next. “Order them to advance to Hungary’s borders; authorize them to take as many non-garrison corps as they need. They march on Jan 24, a week before February. Send Yakovlev with Western Air Command down to the front too. Novikov is doing border patrols in the area; send him as well.” Stalin worked himself up into a state of frenzy once more. “Send every available soldier to CRUSH those tyrants!”

High Command dismissed themselves without so much a word. They had a lot to accomplish within a month.

January 23, 1937 7:00

Zhukov, Timoshenko, Blucher, and Chief of the Army Voroshilov had finally all arrived at a rally point 100 miles east of the Hungarian border. They were gathered around a map of Hungary, planning the next offensive.

“We don’t have much time to prepare!” Zhukov lamented. “We have to come up with a plan fast. Stalin issues his Declaration of War at midnight.”

“I believe that a straight push to the capital will be are best chance for victory.” Voroshilov looked incredulously at the map. “Snow’s going to be the biggest problem, and this helps us have better shot of finishing the operation before the snow gets to heavy.”

“You’re right about that. It’ll ground our airforce if it snows.” It was Timoshenko’s turn. “We should just drive straight into the capital. The Hungarians won’t be able to fight against 5 to 1 odds.”

“Don’t be so sure of that.” Zhukov interjected rather forcefully. “Remember the fighting in Bucharest.”

“Yes many of my men died proudly in that battle,” Blucher spoke with the pride born of being a Cossack. “I would rather hope we could avoid that bloody mess if we could.”

“Agreed.” Timoshenko nodded once. “But the extra air power High Command is granting us will make a difference.”

“Still, we saw how effective flanking can be in taking those provinces. I say that,” Zhukov looked to Timoshenko, “you and Field Marshal Blucher attack perform a two pronged attack from the east, while I circle behind the capital and attack from the west. When we are all in position, we strike.”

“No!” Timoshenko was glaring at Zhukov. “The air force will bombard the city for at least one full week before we attack.”

“Then we send them on their missions when the clouds break over Budapest,” Voroshilov was getting tired of this competition of ideas. “I like the plan, go with it, you have 5 hours to prepare before you roll out.



Excerpt from The Soviet Empire: The Balkan Intervention Campaign.

While begin the most hastily contrived plan of the entire Balkan campaign, Operation Winter Fury (named by the 3 Field Marshals and 2 Air Marshals involved in the operation to demonstrate the anger in Premier Stalin during the winter of 1936/37) had the distinction of being one of the most brilliantly executed plans in Soviet history. The campaign, lasting little over a month, saw only half the casualties of the Bulgarian campaign. The plan also allowed Zhukov and the other Field Marshals to bypass the worst of the winter storms. The fighting in Budapest was fierce, though, and only the Soviet Air Force’s constant harassment could break the defenders will-to-resist. So, when Budapest fell to the Red Army, it eliminated the final possible ally Germany had in Eastern Europe and gave Stalin’s Soviet Union a permanent strangle hold over the rest of the Balkans, all for the cost of 13000 troops, 1500 tanks and trucks, and 36 planes. The entire campaign claimed a total of 105,000 Soviet soldier’s lives, 10,000 tanks and trucks, and 400 planes. In response to General Zhukov pressuring him about the immense loss of lives, Stalin issued his famous line “My dear comrade, if one soldier were to have died, it would be a tragedy; if a million were to have died, it would be a statistic. So do not worry about the casualties of war, for they are but a means to an end.”

The main drawback to this campaign and Stalin’s actions was the dissention and unrest generated in the general populous of the USSR. This led several army officers to plan a coup against Stalin and his leadership. Even though the KGB found out early about the plan and took measures to smash it, the treachery ran throughout the military, and so it took nearly a year to root all the dissenters. The West, unaware of any unrest in the hearts and mind of the Soviet people, named Stalin’s apparent butchering of many, seemingly random officers, “The Great Officer Purge”.


Stay tuned for more thrilling updates!

elbasto - For the SU, that trick doesn't work, otherwise I would.

Kid - Thanks for the vote of confidence! In fact I do play for a while before I write so I have a small hint of the future for foreshadowing, but be warned, doesn't mean the forshadowing is necessarily what WILL happen!

Mutton - Yea, very high tech, best pics I could get for what I wanted. I actually have some better pictures for future updates. And Romania was hard, I got stuck for a longer period than i thought I would.

[Mutton]

Great update again! Can almost not wait to see how you will fare in hungary. There is a difficult river there with hills on the other side if im not wrong. How do the allies react to your early warmongering? At least in earlier versions they attacked if not already at war with germany.

[Josephus I]

Good AAR. One question though...how did you manage to make Romania fascist?