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Myth

Strategy Cognoscenti
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Jul 8, 2005
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Yay, yet another Soviet AAR. How can I make this one different from the rest? Hmmm, how about an AAR of a LAN game versus two other human players on a demi-custom-made geopolitical world map where the single largest empire is Equatorial Africa, in various styles on four different levels? Yep, sounds good. And ambitious.

Right, so an explanation of the basic game mechanics is in order. I played the Soviet Union against an alliance of human-controlled Germany and Britain. Since my play style is relatively minimalist, don’t expect to see more than four hundred or so divisions, if even that many, involved at any one time. We had a free reign to conquer whatever we want (except each other, and limited to two nations at a time) until April 1, 1942. At that date, the campaign truly started as the Soviet Union began its war on the Berlin-London Axis. Also, there was no espionage against other human players as using spies against other humans is simply tedious. Puppets were allowed, but without any military control. The difficulty was normal/aggressive; however, though “normal” was slightly modded: the AI had bonii of 10% to industry and resources, 15% to manpower and a penalty of 1000% to espionage in an effort to stop those bastards from inundating us with spies. Also, there was no tech team or full IC take over. Other game changes included different land and air doctrine trees (nicked from CORE and further modded), expanded industry and naval doctrine trees (stolen from the DD Tech Tree and Naval Combat Improvement mod and further modded), the Community Leaders/Ministers Improvement Project, bits and bobs lifted off of The Epsilon Project, the inclusion of DAIM (modded to fit with the changed tech trees) as well as many, many other changes I’ve personally made (including the addition of 80+ tech teams, many of which have made an appearance in HIP). One particularly important change was this:

Code:
# Reinforce cost
	0.5 # was .8
# Reinforce time
	2.5 # was .5
# Upgrade cost	
	0.25 # was .5
# Upgrade time
	1.0 # was .5

Secondly, an explanation of the AAR mechanics is needed. There will ideally be four different styles in use throughout this AAR focusing on different levels of the game. One level is that of the LAN itself—it will literally be about me and my mates as we try to outwit each other on the battlefield and perhaps eating chips and pizza in between, complete with pictures (and which will be greatly limited by memory). Another level is that of the reports and orders going through STAVKA either to Stalin or to the Front commanders; these orders and reports will probably be most common before or after major operations. The third level is that of the generals and politicians, and will be similar to Great Ambitions in style, though perhaps with more character development. The final level is a narrative of a group of individual soldiers of the 205. Motostrelkovaya Diviziya (who, honestly, didn't have a great amount to do before 1942 so updates for these guys will be relatively rare until war breaks out between Germany/England and the Soviet Union). I have two hopes, the first is that there’ll be something here for (almost) everyone and the second is that I’ll actually be able to tie these four threads together effectively to be able to present the whole story.

On top of all this, the guy who played Germany is Discomb and he will occasionally post his own comments on this game, so that you more or less get both sides of the story, which should be interesting once we actually have at. Whenever he posts, his post will be the update of the day, and will thus take the place of any update I might've posted otherwise. I'll post the first update later today, and I expect the AAR to be updated every other day.

So, yeah. Triple Table of Contents ftw. It will fill up, don't worry.

Table of Contents
The LAN
Generals, Politicians and STAVKA Reports​
The Soldiers​
Discomb Update #3: Natural Failure Quota
Discomb Update #4: All the Ghosts of Mozambique
End of the First LAN, Overview of the Initiation of the Second
Discomb Update #5: What is an OOB?
My Glorious Army
Victory in Riga
My Strategic Critique (It's More of a Ramble)
Discomb's Update #6: Strategic Critique
 
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Camping Myth's Spawn as usual ! Reporting for duty ! Another Mythical AAR , I'm so excited ! Glad to see this one coming ; very anxious to see the updates rolling in !
 
~I'm not sure how to post out of character, as my character is myself here, but I just want to say that everyone shold read this. Myth is a decent writer (he's getting much better recently) and he's always been an excellent storyteller. That aside, our game was absolutely titanic! The whole world went to hell, the weirdest things happened, the the final showdown was so intense that it sometimes took a full 20 minutes just to play one week. But then, neither of us was keeping track of time.

I'll just be throwing in updates in Myth's stead every now and then, with a long and detailed writeup of Germany's official position on the events in question, and perhaps some things overlooked by Myth. In a remarkable blunder I managed to delete all 50 something screenshots that I took, thus rendering us without visual aids for the battles that went on in Europe. Myth does have a few screenshots, but it seems that I'll be writing mostly from memory. Very unfortunate.

Regardless, me posting is mostly just a device to give Myth more time to think over what he's writing and actually write it. At the time of posting this, we have 15 updates written (a whole months' worth of updates), and unless the world explodes or the internet gets raped by a zebra-colored bulldozer, this AAR will have a consistent bi-daily update schedule. I swear this on Myth's honor and fertility.

Enjoy~~~ or suffer the heavy mixture of consequences.
 
Original idea, I will follow this as the loyal fan I am ;) :D .
 
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canonized: great to have you along! and, well, the first one will be rolling in, in a bit! :D

Discomb: I did not sponsor this post, I was napping when it was posted. nor do I appreciate my fertility being used as the stakes.

rcduggan: thanks! we played the actual game about a month and a half ago, but luck is always useful ;)

Edzako: yup, there won't be a zebra-colored bulldozer for a while, as I have 15 updates written already. the first one will be posted in a bit.

General Jac: thanks, and great to have you along as well! :D

Deus Eversor: I've not ever tried gaming via internet but LANs are always easy, as the people are in the same room/apartment as you and this makes coordination easy. but yes, I've heard of several problems with the valkyrie that I don't believe I've ever encountered while lanning HoI2 (and I've been lanning with Discomb for a good three years now, on and off). plus, its always great to yell war cries and scream obscenities at them as the the war goes for or against you, respectively. :D

as promised, the first update will be posted in a bit!
 
001 - Anytown, USSR

The old man slowly shuffled down the well worn path that connected the small riverside town to its train station three kilometers away, leaving little clouds of dust behind him to play in the wind’s eddies. He had given himself a full half hour to make the trip as he wasn’t the spry and quick young man he had used to be, and as he was closing along the final score meters to the station he knew that his half hour was running out. The train would be arriving soon, according to the timetable, at least. With his joints well worked by the walk, the three steps up to the top of the long concrete slab that served as the platform did not challenge him as much as he had feared they might. He trundled over to the far end of the platform, which itself was immensely cracked and nearly as much covered with grasses as concrete, where there was a decaying ticket booth occupied by a old woman who appeared distinctly bitter at having to sit in a box for hours in the blazing summer afternoon sun. Near the booth was a series of three dilapidated wooden benches under the cover of an equally decrepit wooden roof. Having bought a ticket, he sat down with a sigh on the bench furthest away from the booth and leaned his back against the nearly tottering wooden wall that served as the back support for the roof; it had once been painted but by this time the vast majority of the paint had been removed either by the elements or children adventurous enough to stand firm in the face of the old woman’s shrill, scathing yells and insults. Turning to face the direction his train would arrive from, the old man realized how much things had changed; four decades ago this had been a new, utterly pristine station designed to make the little riverside town proud to have its own stop. Now it was a tired place, just like the village he had left behind him, with little more than memories only rarely visited.

Sweat trickled down his back and forehead as he sat and stared off into the distance with dead eyes, waiting for the train to materialize. His patience was soon rewarded as a black smudge appeared on the horizon of the flat and desolate landscape that was the steppe. It seemed to but creep slowly forward toward the station but the old man stood up and made for the side of the platform, acting upon a now seldom-used habit that was forty years old, if not more. He stood waiting patiently, stubbornly ignoring what he imagined to be the powerfully scornful gaze of the ticket booth creature. The train eventually edged into the station, finally with a great groan of released steam. By luck, the old man happened to be standing right where the doors opened and, seeing no one making to leave the train, he clambered on board. Closing the door behind him, he turned into the main body of the cabin only to be confronted by another door. He wrestled with the stubborn portal for what seemed to him to be a considerable length of time before it finally found its track and slid open, gracefully accepting defeat. Sitting down upon a wooden bench facing the direction the train was traveling and staring out the window, he felt the train lurch forward as it began accelerating and soon the platform and the ticket booth were both behind him. He stared numbly out the window at the desolate landscape that passed by so quickly, but at the same time seemingly not quickly enough. He saw a large smudge that could have been a large industrial city very far away, or simply a kolkhoz long forgotten; it failed to make any impression on him and he simply allowed the smear on the otherwise lonely steppe to slip by him unrecognized.

Some indeterminate time later, as it was impossible to measure time against a near totally featureless landscape, another old man shuffled into the cabin. Disinterested eyes shifted to look at him; by his uniform it seemed that he was the conductor of the train. Smiling ironically and clacking his ticket stamper in an enthusiastic show of energy, the uniformed old man loudly and wryly announced “tickets, please!” before sighing and shaking his head. He ambled his way over and sat down opposite the old man, who presented his ticket. Stamping it, the uniformed old man handed it back and sighed again. “You know, you’re the first new passenger I’ve seen for hours. Back a couple cabins, there are two young toughs each trying to impress the other with stories of their age and what they’ve seen in the recent war against Afghanistan.”

As this elicited but a disinterested shrug from the old man, the uniformed old man, who was obviously desperate for some company, continued. “One of them even boasted that he was called Zhukovlev in honor of Field Marshal Zhukov!”

This seemed to catch the old man’s attention, as he scoffed. “In honor of Zhukov? Who do they think they are? They couldn’t have even a tenth of the ability Zhukov had! As if he'd be honored by scum such as them!”

Somewhat surprised. If pleased, by this turn of events, the uniformed old man nodded his agreement briskly. “I had meant to lecture them on the war, but thought better of the impulse. I am not the strong young man I used to be and they are toughs, after all. What could I do if they decided to take offense and attack me? Youths such as them have no respect for their elders any more.”

The old man scratched his chin. “Of course. I don’t like this new generation, they take the accomplishments of their predecessors for granted. They cannot imagine this great Union without its nuclear reactors, jet fighters and assault rifles, they cannot understand that once the Red Air Force used biplanes and the Red Army bolt-action rifles and that it was the great dam at Dnepropetrovsk or the immense industrial complex of Magnitogorsk that were the greatest industrial accomplishments the world had yet seen.”

Quick to show his agreement, the uniformed old man continued on. “Do you know that the anniversary of Timoshenko greatest struggle and eventual victory, at Bialystok, is coming up? Gorbachev is inviting all his old veterans to attend and join in the remembrance of the battle, of Timoshenko and of the war in general.”

The old man nodded. “Yes, I’m going.”

Showing surprise, the uniformed old man asked, “if I may, could I ask which unit you belonged to?”

Nodding his acquiescence, the old man replied. “I was with the 205. Motostrelkovaya Diviziya.”

Standing up as abruptly as his joints would let him, the uniformed old man crossed over to the old man’s bench and sat down next to him, staring intently. “Nikifor?” he asked quietly.

It was the old man’s turn to be surprised as he opened and closed his mouth several times before being capable of croaking out an affirmative. Searching the uniformed old man’s face, Nikifor’s eyes widened. “A-Arsenij?”

Nodding, Arsenij smiled tremulously at Nikifor, who clutched at Arsenij’s shoulder and, resting his head against his hands, quietly began sobbing. Memories long forgotten were resurfacing.
 
Good start, you truly know how to decribe the characters Myth :) .
 
The future landscape was a great touch ; the twist of fate is implied well here so we know something has dramatically changed . Simultaneously , however , with a speed that coincided with the slow acceleration of a train leaving the station , you introduce characters who display an openness of history and in the fullness of that start , you show us a warm reception . I can't wait for more !
 
Seconding and subscribing, I'll be following once more.
Glad to have you back, Myth :)
 
General Jac: thanks! you'll be seeing more of these characters in the future ;)

Guangxi: glad to have you along! :D

canonized: well, its a future-beyond-hoi2 but its still probably the 1980s. the two industrial projects I mention by name--Dnepropetrovsk and Magnitogorsk--were both completed in the 1930s. it seems that the old men are mostly talking about what they see as the degradation of society and of how the young ones today don't see the need for sacrifice to put the Soviet Union ahead, as old men tend to find this sort of conversation topic interesting. but yes, there is still the implication of a major event, that required the sacrifice of many young men 40 years back...

The_Carbonater: good to be back, and good to see you'll be following along :D

Spacehusky: hopefully ;)

as I said that this'd be updated every other day, you'll get no update today, sadly. you'll have to wait until tomorrow :p
 
Myth said:
canonized: well, its a future-beyond-hoi2 but its still probably the 1980s. the two industrial projects I mention by name--Dnepropetrovsk and Magnitogorsk--were both completed in the 1930s. it seems that the old men are mostly talking about what they see as the degradation of society and of how the young ones today don't see the need for sacrifice to put the Soviet Union ahead, as old men tend to find this sort of conversation topic interesting. but yes, there is still the implication of a major event, that required the sacrifice of many young men 40 years back...

Newer generations do indeed get complacent . Plus , the whole Zhukov namesake portion was amusing if it weren't so true . We tend to lose sight of the kind of manliness it took to move forward . A very bold approach , Mr. Myth !
 
A very intriguing beginning!
 
canonized: yes, indeed. thanks!

stnylan: thank you, that's exactly what I set out to do with my beginning, intrigue people! ;)

therev: great to have you along! :D

now, a note on this next update: I wrote it in the space of a week or two before our LAN game and have not changed it since. you'll understand the significance of this once you know what the update is about. also, update coming right up ;)
 
STAVKA Directive
of 13.12.35

To: Stalin and the Politburo
When: December 13, 1935

Introduction
The world is in an unstable situation. No ties of mutual aid link any two governments together, save those of the United Kingdom and Germany. It is common knowledge that these two governments aim at dominating Europe, if not the entire world, primarily through conquest. It is obvious that the Soviet Union will at some point by 1943 find itself at war with these two other powers. Thus, STAVKA considers it imperative to gain access to resources and industries that may otherwise be closed to the Soviet Union and to build up the Soviet Red Army to a level acceptable for a great power.

Expansion of the Soviet Red Army
We at STAVKA have decided upon a certain target to hit by early 1942 to be fully prepared for war. This aim is to field twelve full Fronts in Europe; each of these Fronts but one will consist of an HQ, seventeen Rifle Divisions, four Motorized Rifle Divisions, two Mechanized Rifle Divisions, two Interceptor Divisions and two Close Air Support Divisions. These will be comprised into six corps controlled directly by the Front commander, with the six Motorized and Mechanized Rifle Divisions serving as the Front reserve. These Fronts shall be Murmansk, Leningrad, 1-3 Baltic, 1-3 Belarusian, and 1-3 Ukrainian. The final Front is a Reserve Front stationed around Moscow to protect the capital, it will consist only of fifteen Rifle Divisions and the usual complement of air support; this Front will come directly under STAVKA’s command.

STAVKA intends to deploy three Fronts in Asia. Two of these Fronts will be comprised of twelve Rifle Divisions, with a mobile corps of three Cavalry Divisions. The third Front shall be comprised of twelve Mountaineer Divisions, along with a reserve corps of three Cavalry Divisions.

Also in Europe STAVKA plans on deploying three dedicated Shock Armies, independent of the Fronts. Each Shock Army shall be comprised of three corps of three Rifle Divisions, each with a heavy artillery brigade attached. Similarly, there shall be two Tank Armies. Each Tank Army shall be comprised of four Tank Divisions, four Motorized Rifle Divisions and two Mechanized Rifle Divisions in four corps.

Finally, STAVKA anticipates creating an Airborne force of two Paratrooper corps, each with three Paratrooper Divisions reinforced by engineer detachments. It is expected that this Airborne force will be at the forefront of any major operation, dropping deep in Germany’s or Britain’s strategic rear.

War Planning
STAVKA intends to oversee the annexation many nations before the coming of war. However, as STAVKA is as yet inexperienced in directing strategic operations, it will only embark on two at a time. Of highest priority are the conquests of Turkey and Persia; Turkey to gain control of the Bosporus and Persia for the oil at Abadan. Subsequent operations will attempt the conquests of Tannu Tuva, Manchuria, the three Baltic States, Finland, Bessarabia, eastern Poland, the western Black Sea coast, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sinkiang. STAVKA believes, by use of war games, that initial Red Army forces are sufficient for the conquest of these countries. STAVKA has also run a specific war game relating to the conquest of Turkey, due to highly sensitive feature, the control of the Bosporus, and estimates that the conquest may be fully completed by early April if the attack is begun immediately.

Anticipated German, British Intentions
Due to a an extended period of strategic deception, STAVKA has planted the idea in the British Imperial General Staff and the German Oberkommando des Wehrmacht that STAVKA intends to occupy Spain; thus it is expected that Britain will attempt to conquer Spain early. Additionally, a spy STAVKA has in the OkW reports that Germany aims to gain the Romanian oil fields at Ploesti and the many deposits of rare minerals in Yugoslavia. It is expected that from these two Balkan countries Germany will attempt to make a push on Istanbul to open up the Black Sea to her transports, thus adding urgency to the conquest of Turkey and of the western Black Sea coast. Spies also report that Germany anticipates conquering Finland, this must be prevented as it places the Murmansk Front in a very difficult strategic position. STAVKA also has reports of German intentions for the conquest of Scandinavia. Germany has disavowed interest in Poland; STAVKA believes this is merely an attempt at deception. STAVKA expects that, as Germany concentrates on northern and southeastern Europe, she will allow Britain a free hand in western and southern Europe.

Spies in the German OkW also report that the German high command is making ready two plans for possible major offensive operations against the Soviet Union once the war comes. The first is expected to be a single decisive push though the target is unknown and Moscow specifically named as being ‘too obvious.’ The aim must be to destroy the Red Army. The second possible major offensive has only been described as ‘incredibly daring;’ though it may be connected with landings in either the Black Sea or Archangelsk regions. Our spies estimate that the Germans plan to enlarge their own army to approximately 250 divisions of all kinds, of which some 50 will be armored or motorized divisions; the size of the British army is expected to be approximately 100 divisions, predominantly of infantry. It has thus been reported that Germany expects that England will provide a large portion of the infantry support throughout the war. Finally, spies have discovered that Germany plans to build an air force to perform close air support functions, though such air force development will take second-priority to expansion of the armored branch.

STAVKA has run war games concerning Germany’s push through to Ploesti and estimates that, at best, they may gain the oil wells in March, which allows time for a push through Bulgaria to Istanbul. This war game, however, assumes that Germany’s path is Austria-Hungary-Romania, that she does not use her entire army, and that Italy and Yugoslavia stand neutral in the wars against Austria and Hungary. However, this gives STAVKA a very specific and narrow time frame in which to gain Bessarabia, Istanbul and the western Black Sea coast.

Conclusion
STAVKA’s conclusions are that the Soviet Red Army requires constant attention for the next six years to ensure that it will be expanded to the proper size as advised above in Expansion of the Soviet Red Army to meet the challenges that it will face in the form of a greatly strengthened German-British alliance. The United Kingdom aims to expand its industry whereas Germany intends to gain more raw materials; both are preparing for a war against the Soviet Union. Thus, we must expand our own industrial and military capabilities to meet this new threat. Shown now are our suggestions for immediate military production and technology development.

002-01-STAVKAProduction.png
002-02-STAVKATechnology.png


Signed
Mikhail Tukhachevskij
countersigned
Kliment Voroshilov​