Certainly not the nearest of bows that I've seen, but definitely one that keeps the players warm!
- 1
-
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.
It was quite the shock to the system. Those two seconds of flight were definitely the longest two seconds I've experienced in my lifetime. There is the dread of the inevitable pain that's coming, and a strange inner peace that comes from the knowledge that there is nothing you can do about it, except to brace for impact. It wasn't my first traffic accident, I've had a few scrapes here and there over the years, but this one was definitely an entirely new experience. A career in acrobatics or stunts wouldn't be a very good fit with my desire to keep playing music for a long time to come. I feel like the speedskating I do every winter is already a bit on the limit. Long story short, I'd like to keep all my fingers, which is also why I never considered a woodworking or construction career, because I'm definitely clumsy enough to slice off at least one of my fingers if I were to make a job out of using table saws and angle grinders.
I had already planned out much of this instalment in 'Odinatsat's saga before the accident, at least all the main events and what their impact would be, but the detailed write-up was much delayed. Now that I've (mostly) resolved the cliffhangers from last episode, I think I'm going to take a break from the AAR for the next month or two to catch up on RL, further deal with Insurance, and further recharge that precious nervous energy.
It got messy there in the end, and with such a complex web of motivations, loyalties, questionable actions on all sides, and significant amounts of targeted violence, it was clear that no one would get out of it squeaky clean. There is a method to the madness, at least to some of it, but I won't spoil where things go next, and the war's progression will likely also have at least some influence on the narrative. This whole murder case / spy thriller is definitely my most ambitious and complex narrative effort yet, and these episodes do take longer to write than some earlier ones where there were fewer moving pieces. Bringing together all those different characters in a way that makes sense, and moves the story forward in a useful direction can be tricky, but it's a fun challenge that's for sure.
The Norway 'solution' was a messy one as well. I didn't trigger the 'Liberation' of Norway, but when I loaded up my save I got pop-up messages stating that Norway had been liberated, and that Norway was now part of the Comintern. Either something on the Soviet side was triggered on accident, possibly by the AI, as when I loaded up that save everything was strangely under AI control. Or the USA AI triggered the liberate Norway button, as the US did control a single province of Norway proper at the time, but because most of the Norwegian VP's were under Soviet control the resulting liberated government automatically formed as a Federal Socialist Republic and joined the Comintern. I didn't plan that outcome as I thought that a US military enclave on a Communist Norway's Atlantic coast had a lot of potential for interesting post-war developments, but now that it happened, I decided to just roll with it. (as I did when Istuck the landing...)
Last edited:
- 3
- 1
Ah, thanks for the ‘season ending episode and epilogue’!
)
Oh dear, such praise would be a very dangerous thing, especially for some suspect non-Russian copper. His veins should turn to ice!
A very elaborate bit of tradecraft. Such precautions can only mean …
… yes, Eleven at least I expected. Lyadov is either very lucky or unlucky to be included. Probably the former, or he would have met Mr Makarov’s anti-traitor tool by now.
A very fine distinction!
When was doing the right thing ever of itself a defence in the USSR? Poor Lyadov is a rather idealistic NKVD officer. Or at least, giving a good impression of being so.
I was thinking just that!
A very comprehensive set of negations.
Wrong answer. Should have been “Did I hear a voice just then? No, it must have been my imagination.”
Was that a game event or narrative fun?
Now that really is bizarre. On more than one level.
Quite.
You mean, like us reading Odin’s account? Hope he keeps his journals secure, and doesn’t post them on publicly available chat forums!
I suspect being guilty of “treason, incompetence, and negligence” would cause replacement of a large amount of their brain with nothin via a 9mm round.
Oh, either very ruthless, or they were informed beforehand, made their escape by other means, and the ‘bodies‘ will conveniently never be found.
Bet he wasn’t on it. Markkur is indestructible.
My question too.
Ah ha! Markkur lives on (as does our old friend in our hearts
)Art imitates RL.
Salute, Comrade General.
A lucky escape, but fair enough.
“Replaced”. How ominous.
Ouch.
За здоровье! [za zda-ró-vye]!
Enjoy the break - glad you didn’t injure anything musical in the accident!
- 3
- 1
- 1
Thanks for writing out your comprehensive play by play reactions to this latest episode @Bullfilter
And yes, I'll admit, Markkur gets a bit of plot armour as I'm not ready to part with the character just yet, in remembrance to our old friend. I'm not saying I won't ever kill off the general, but if it happens it has to be a meaningful death.
Of course, I'm glad I wasn't carrying my cello at the time of the accident, as that would have resulted in more serious injuries for me (unless if I somehow landed on the cello and it absorbed the shock by breaking into a million pieces... a horrifying thought) as well as a very long and expensive reparation process.
Had I structured XI's narrative, this was the second part of a longer season finale, with the previous more action-packed narrative as the first part. 'Odinatsat' will return in the next season of 'The Committee'.
I could have just have written an XI interrogation, but putting Lyadov in the mix just added a bit of extra spice to the whole thing, not to mention the contrast between their personalities. They did have very little 'screentime' where they were actually interacting up to this latest episode. I'm glad that wasn't too predictable as some had already suggested bringing those too together to 'resolve' the case.
Probably a bit of both. If you are believed to be at your core a naive idealist you avoid a certain amount of suspicion, and many people are more likely to underestimate you when it really counts. I'm not in his head, but I would assume he's less idealistic and naive than he lets on, but still more so than all of the other characters.When was doing the right thing ever of itself a defence in the USSR? Poor Lyadov is a rather idealistic NKVD officer. Or at least, giving a good impression of being so.
In these circumstances you have be sure that nothing was left not unsaid.
I fear that Lyadov, in such a stressful and very serious (tohim) situation, would not have come-upwithsuch a witty response, that's more 'Odinatsat's style.Wrong answer. Should have been “Did I hear a voice just then? No, it must have been my imagination.”
This happened in-game. Basically at some point there was a US-funded uprising in a coastal province just south of Narvik. I sent in the paratroopers to contain it by grabbing the surrounding provinces, and that was that. Except that when I reloaded my save at the next play session I got the game message: "Norway is now a puppet of the Comintern. We have installed a loyal Federal Sosialist Repubilc government in Oslo." I did not trigger the creation of a Norwegian Puppet, so either soemthing happened with the save file, or the USAI triggered the liberation of Norway but because the Soviet Union controls all of the VPs, it ended up forming a Communist state with non-communist leadership. The weirdest part is that Communist Norway's government is the same government that was in exile, king Haakon included. I'll share screenshots in the next 10-day report.
Haha. I did explain in the beginning that this account would only be revealed once Communism achieved world victory, or at least when 'Odin' was dead. That was the intent by 'Odin' but I haven't actually decided whether the journals will end up being leaked before their time or not.You mean, like us reading Odin’s account? Hope he keeps his journals secure, and doesn’t post them on publicly available chat forums!
I'm not sure whether that is better or worse than freezing your testicles off for the rest of your career in some permanently frozen outpost in Northern Kamchatka.I suspect being guilty of “treason, incompetence, and negligence” would cause replacement of a large amount of their brain with nothin via a 9mm round.
If this were to be the case, 'Odinatsat' will be brought back in immediately and kept in captivity until she can conclusively prove that they didn't get the information from her, even tangentially. I'm pretty sure she knows that. So, would she go so far as to confidently walk into one of our compounds to clear her name when one phone-call from 'Shest's contacts in Leningrad could see her thrown into a hole indefinitely? Maybe. There willbe no spoilers.
Of course there is the implication here that XI might have strongly suspected, or even known, that he wasn't going to be on his plane. Maybe she even told him to take his car? Who's to say? The relationship between 'Odinatsat' and the General remains unclear, it's in both their interests to not elaborate, but there has to be some mutual respect and admiration by this point even though they are often adversaries.Ah ha! Markkur lives on (as does our old friend in our hearts
And yes, I'll admit, Markkur gets a bit of plot armour as I'm not ready to part with the character just yet, in remembrance to our old friend. I'm not saying I won't ever kill off the general, but if it happens it has to be a meaningful death.
Funny how that happens. I guess we both went through a traumatic experience... even if my accident doesn't compare to some murderer targeting people around you whilst slowly unravelling your secrets.
The Inspector was a tricky one. It would have been easier to just use the Makarov solution, but he is a very good detective after all, and his skills remain very useful. As long as he behaves himself... I might also have some plans for him later in the narrative, I hope his so-called 'escape' wasn't too out of character.
Likewise.
A good 40-odd people are also glad about that one as I played three concerts last month. Two of them were of a symphonic orchestra project we had been working on since the beginning of the schoolyear, and I was 1st chair so the entire cello and bass sections relied on me quite q bit. I even played a concert one week after the accident. Considering I was hopped up on pain-killers and anti-inflammatory drugs, I did rather well. Barely anyone knew I'd had the accident, and no-one noticed anything substantially different about my playing. Some noticed I was limping slightly when going off the stage, and that was about it. Had I broken even one finger, I wouldn't have been able to play.
Of course, I'm glad I wasn't carrying my cello at the time of the accident, as that would have resulted in more serious injuries for me (unless if I somehow landed on the cello and it absorbed the shock by breaking into a million pieces... a horrifying thought) as well as a very long and expensive reparation process.
- 3
- 2
Sorry to hear about your accident @roverS3 , a short break from writing while dealing with those issues sounds an excellent idea.
I must respectfully disagree with Odin and Shest, it was a terrible mistake letting Odinstatr go free as she is absolutely was guilty of treason even if she did her best to make up for it, which she botched as Markkur got away. Even if you believe her story, and frankly I am less than convinced, it is too risky to leave her alive as you can't ever really trust her again.
Overall I worry they are going a bit soft. I mean I assumed that when Lyadov climbed into the lorry he'd get a shot in the back of the head, but no he is actually being put on a train. And not even a train to a Siberian gulag but to the sunny shores of the Black Sea. For a group that claims to be Stalin's Secret Committee they aren't being very Stalin-esque in their behaviour, I doubt 'The Boss' would approve.
EDIT:
Just realised I should also say, a fine conclusion to a gripping and complex plot. Just because I disagree with the actions of some of the characters should not be taken as any criticism of the excellent of the writing.
This is one of the least accurate sentences ever spoken.
As is this. Innocence is no defence in the Soviet Union.
Ah Paradox, you do love taunting us with these ridiculous configurations. I think you have made the best of a bad job with this solution.
No just execute her for treason, that is the Soviet way.
I must respectfully disagree with Odin and Shest, it was a terrible mistake letting Odinstatr go free as she is absolutely was guilty of treason even if she did her best to make up for it, which she botched as Markkur got away. Even if you believe her story, and frankly I am less than convinced, it is too risky to leave her alive as you can't ever really trust her again.
Overall I worry they are going a bit soft. I mean I assumed that when Lyadov climbed into the lorry he'd get a shot in the back of the head, but no he is actually being put on a train. And not even a train to a Siberian gulag but to the sunny shores of the Black Sea. For a group that claims to be Stalin's Secret Committee they aren't being very Stalin-esque in their behaviour, I doubt 'The Boss' would approve.
EDIT:
Just realised I should also say, a fine conclusion to a gripping and complex plot. Just because I disagree with the actions of some of the characters should not be taken as any criticism of the excellent of the writing.
Last edited:
- 2
- 2
- 1
That's definitely true, but if you actually said that to Lyadov, if you planned on letting him live, you might make him question his loyalty to the Soviet Union, which you definitely want to avoid.
I did what I could. I'm glad the king of writing up Paradox's ridiculous configurations approves.
You are right. Where 'Odinatsat' is concerned, 'Shest' and 'Odin' have gone a bit soft. 'Odin' sees in her the daughter he never had, and 'Shest' still has romantic feelings for her, which is why he can get so emotional where she is concerned, while he's otherwise quite the cool cucumber. They both went into that interview looking for a reason not to execute her. They are definitely skating on thin ice, and if this decision comes back to bite them, the Committee members already don't exist, so making them disappear would be a piece of cake.
As for Lyadov, this Soviet Union is slightly different, as there is such a thing as the Secret Committee, which basically gives a second chance to some skilled and loyal but unlucky people who need to 'die' to maintain the security of the state. The Secret Committee generally values human capital a little bit more than the Soviet establishment at large, which is why it's contribution can theoretically positively impact the running of the Soviet Union (compared to OTL) in both peace and wartime. That's the premise of the AAR, how believable that is is up to my writing and your beliefs on the functioning of humans within political systems and nations.
Thanks for the compliment, it means a lot. You are, of course, free to disagree with any of the characters, I see it as a good thing that they don't always act the way the readAAR, or even I myself would in the same situation. Of course, the danger is to have characters act entirely out of character, with no reasonable explanation for this exception, in order to drive the plot. It's a delicate balance to strike. Your feedback, and that of the other readAARs is valuable in that regard as it does shine a different light on them. My narrative is very character driven. Varied views on their personalities, their strengths, their weaknesses, all feed into my own understanding of them, my own mental models of them.Just realised I should also say, a fine conclusion to a gripping and complex plot. Just because I disagree with the actions of some of the characters should not be taken as any criticism of the excellent of the writing.
- 2
- 2
- 1
All I see is a lot of treason, and no one getting shot! This is no way to run a Soviet state.
The Norwegians must have consumed rather large amounts of vodka during the negotiations, and the same applies to our negotiators. I'm not sure Stalin will be too pleased to hear the King is now running a state that is socialist in name only!
The Norwegians must have consumed rather large amounts of vodka during the negotiations, and the same applies to our negotiators. I'm not sure Stalin will be too pleased to hear the King is now running a state that is socialist in name only!
- 4
- 1
It was indeed a shameful display of laxism for a totalitarian Soviet State.
Is it really a Soviet negotiation if vodka isn't consumed in large amounts? I would have expected nothing less.
Stalin will indeed be quite upset about all of this (even with the potential caveats outlined in my response to El Pip above)...
- 2
26th of October 1942, 'Odin', 10-day report #212
The 26th of October 1942, Vologda, 1,3°C, 10 am Moscow Time,
Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten-day period between the 17th and the 26th of October 1942,
by 'Odin'
Army:
No changes to army numbers
Navy:
5 new large troop transport ships have been delivered in Leningrad. 3. Transportnaya Flotiliya has joined the Black Sea fleet along with 2. TF and 4. TF. They will soon start the journey to Sevastopol.
Navy Numbers (Flotillas / Ships)
Air Force:
Politics / International:
The Norway Situation
Industry:
Intelligence:
Research:
Statistics:
This Information is accurate on the morning of the 26th of October 1942, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.
'Odin'
OOC:
Don't forget to vote in the Q1 2022 ACAs voting ends tomorrow 20:00 CET.
Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten-day period between the 17th and the 26th of October 1942,
by 'Odin'
Army:
No changes to army numbers
Officers: 109.640 + / 115.020 needed / 0 POW / 157 KIA / 95,323 % +
Active Leaders: 294 / 2 POW / 202 more available
No changes to Army Leadership
Navy:
5 new large troop transport ships have been delivered in Leningrad. 3. Transportnaya Flotiliya has joined the Black Sea fleet along with 2. TF and 4. TF. They will soon start the journey to Sevastopol.
Navy Numbers (Flotillas / Ships)
Transports: 4 / 20
AG-boat Class (I): 11 / 55
Series II Class(II): 9 / 45
Series V-bis Class(III): 3 / 15
Submarines: 23 / 115
Norvik-Class (I) : 3 / 15
Gnevnyi-Class (II): 2 / 10
Kiev-Class (IV): 1 / 5
Sevastopol-Class (IV+): 6 / 30
Destroyers: 11 / 55
Light Cruisers / Profitern-Class (I): 3
Escorts: 14 / 58
Battleships / Gangut-Class (I): 3
Escort Carriers / Moskva-Class (I): 2
Fleet Carriers / Kyiv-Class (I): 2
Capitals: 7
Total combat ships: 21 / 65
Total Navy: 48 / 200
Leaders: 13/ 21 Reserve
The Voroshilov, a new Kirov-Class Cruiser was laid down in Leningrad, it will take at least a year to complete.
Construction has also started on five new Destroyers of the Sevastopol-Class, these will be built in Mykolaiv.
As part of the Lend-Lease programme, the US are building us 10 Liberty ships to provide a bit more reserve freighter capacity to our merchant navy, as there have been a few attacks on lend-lease shipping in recent days.
Air Force:
No changes to the Air Force or the Navy Air Fleet in the last 10 days.
Politics / International:
The Norway Situation
A file on the new Norwegian government was sent over by 'Tri':
As you can see there is a distinct lack of Socialists in this Socialist Government made up entirely of (former) social democrats, with (King) Haakon as it's ceremonial head of state. The GRU and the NKVD will continue to monitor this situation closely to ensure unwavering loyalty to the Comintern from it's newest, somewhat awkward, member. If that doesn't work, the Red Army and Red Navy will maintain large bases throughout Norway in the name of friendly military coöperation. (and potential special de-nazification operations... sic.)
Battle of Britain & the AtlanticThe convoy war is going very much in Britain's favour, with Germany losing a bunch of brand new freighters which tried to run the gauntlet of the Royal Navy to South America. Meanwhile British merchant losses were insignificant in comparison. (based on national unity impact as this seems to be more reliable than the indicators on the map after tagging to Britain)
British Strategic Bomber Command's efforts to bomb German industrial centres turned into abject failure as they faced heavy resistance from the Luftwaffe, first as they transited over the Benelux, then over the intended targets Kassel and Leipzig, and finally over the Benelux again on their way back. The Halifax bombers did not get through this time, suffering heavy losses in the air and being forced to drop their bombs early, doing no significant damage on the ground.
Greece
British forces have been pushed back on the Peloponesse with Axis forces pushing them out of the Mountains around Tripolis. Intelligence from I. Avianosets Flote and from our radar station on Mythinléné reveals that a Royal Marines Division seems to be holding in Amfissa. It doesn't look like the British have brought in any additional reinforcements beyond the Motorised Division spotted some time ago which is now being pushed back on the Peloponesse. Meanwhile, a German and a Hungarian Infantry Division seem to be re-deploying away from the British Beachhead. As there are no active insurgencies in Yugoslavia STAVKA believes they are most likely on their way to reinforce the Axis' Eastern front, possibly to defend Hungary.
RAF Bristol Beaufighters based out of Athens continue to bomb Italian forces occasionally, though it's not clear how much effect this is having.
Halifaxes based out of Athens also managed to bomb Rome several times without being intercepted, though they did get hit several times during a bombing raid on Pecs in Hungary.
North Africa & Med
The Italian offensive seems to have fizzled out (again). Crucially Tobruch and the corridor linking it to Egypt have held.
No major naval engagements and no naval losses in this theatre. No Italian convoys seem to have been sunk, but the Regia Marina did manage to sink at least one British freighter just north of the Gulf of Tunis. A task force with at least one Carrier and one Battleship has been sent out by the Royal Navy.
Neither Air Force has contributed much to the fight in Libya.
South East AsiaNo major naval engagements and no naval losses in this theatre. The convoy war slowed down significantly as the Allies have lost ports to ship supplies into and to base ships out of.
Indonesia Front:The Dutch East-Indies are in big trouble now.
West Sumatra & Malay peninsula
Special Naval Landing Forces have taken hold of the port of Medan after a brief firefight with the local colonial police-force. They soon secured the surrounding area as well with it's mines and factories, which will now no doubt be pressed into supporting the Japanese war effort.
Little seems to have changed on the Malay peninsula, with Singapore somehow still in British hands despite getting the full attention of the entire Japanese force on the Peninsula. Siam, or Thailand, continues to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, granting Military Access to the United Kingdom but currently being influenced by Japanese diplomats.
Java & East Sumatra
The Japanese have accelerated their advance on Java, now moving Eastward on both coasts at the same time. On the Southern one, they have captured the key Industrial city of Tjilatjap and the mineral-rich next-door province of Djokarta. To the North, they have reached the outskirts of Semarang, a resource-rich province with a high density of rubber plantations, mines and factories. It also functions as the current capital of the Netherlands.
Other Japanese forces have finished taking posession of the jungle-covered island of Bangka.
No changes on Borneo, wher attrition continues to take it's toll on the SNLF forces, trapped and out of supplies, in the jungles south of Tarakan.
Celebes
Japanese forces have landed in the strategic port city of Makassar, taking it largely unopposed.
French Indochina, including the capital in exile, Hanoi, continues to evade Japanese attention, for now.
Pacific Front:No major naval engagements and no naval losses in this theatre. No significant convoy losses on either side.
Industry:
237 - / 432 - / 528 - (base IC / domestic IC / total available IC incl. LL)
Factories in the liberated parts of Norway are no longer counted within the industrial calculations of the Soviet Union. The Norwegian government is using them to produce supplies and ammunition for our troops and their own partisans and Militia.
The first stage of construction on the Mythiléné Naval Air Station (Level 1) has been completed, it will soon be fully operational. Meanwhile work continues with the aim to expand facilities and pave the runway to allow more and larger planes to operate from the island. (level 2)
Additional bunkers, fortified trenches and tunnels are ready for use in Leningrad (level 6).
Lend-Lease from the USA was again slightly reduced, with deliveries now hovering around 97 IC instead of the previous 103-104 IC. The average was brought down to 101 IC over 10 days, for a total of 1.011 ICdays, or 19% of total production. Two freighters have been sunk by U-boats on their way to Leningrad, accounting for only a part of the reduction in deliveries.
IC Usage: ( Allocated IC / Need )
Upgrades: 12,00 / 40,02 - Improvements in tank design have lead to more spending here as tank units receive new models and refits to existing tanks.
Reinforcement: 35,00 / 35,07 - The need for reinforcements varies wildly but remains over 20 IC.
Supplies: 60,00 / 57,02 - The need for supplies was reduced as it is now the Norwegian's government who is responsible for supplying our forces in Norway.
Production: 389,3 / 402,05 - A small decrease as efforts start tobe redirected towards upgrading existing tank forces.
Consumer Goods: 31,68 / 31,68 - The reduction in demand reflects the reduction in Lend-Lease and the transfer of Norwegian industry to the new Norwegian government.
Stockpiles:
Energy: Maximum tonnes +
Metal: 96.572 tonnes -
Rares: 49.282 tonnes +
Crude: 99.291 cubic metres +
Supplies: 49.603 tonnes +
Fuel: 99.574 barrels -
Money: 1.355 =
Intelligence:
Spy numbers, spies in (active / added / lost / caught by us)
France (Supporting our Party / Covert Operations): 5 / 0 / 0 / 0
{ Germany (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ Japan (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ UK (/) : 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
Sweden (Support our Party): 10 / 1 / 2 / 0
Other: 0 / 0 / 0 / 1
Total: 15 / 2 / 2 / 1
Reserves: 2
Spy training leadership expenditure: 0,88 - (a new spy every 8 days)
A spy from the USA was caught in the Soviet Union (see latest narrative). Two of our spies in Sweden were caught, they have already been replaced by reserve operatives.
This part of the report comes from 'Desyat' who has just returned from Sweden to stand in for 'Shest' who has not been in touch for the last two days.
Research:
A new design for a Medium Tank Gun (Level 4) has been delivered, the new 85mm ZiS-S-53 will give the new T-34-85's more punch than their predecessors. At the same time, the overall Reliablity (Level 4) of our Medium Tanks has been improved.
Due to the increasing presence of Tiger, Panther, and PzIV tanks on the battlefield, the 76.2mm F-34 gun of the T-34 was found lacking. Work soon started on adapting the 1939 52-K 85mm AA gun into a tank gun variant. The first iteration, the D-5, saw some initial success on the battlefield in the SU-85 tank destroyer. When it came to integrating the D-5 into the new and enlarged T-34 turret, things became trickier. With a lot of creativity and wrangling, they managed to sort-of fit a new version of the D-5, the D-5T, but field tests proved that this was unwieldy and negatively affected the gun's performance, specifically the firing rate. At the same time, Grabin's team at Joseph Stalin Factory No.92 in Gorky was working on another 85mm tank gun design, also based on the 52-K. Initially called the ZiS-53, this gun performed significantly better than the D-5T. However, in their haste to bring 85mm tanks to the front, mass production had already started on the T-34/85 with the ill-fitting D-5T which had been ready before the other two designs in contention. Following this, Grabin was promoted to the Central Artillery Design Bureau. His designs were handed over to A. Savin, a 23 years old engineer, who demonstrated competence beyond his years. It is Savin's team which then ironed out all the kinks of the ZiS-53 and to integrate it into the T-34 turret. The letter 'S' for 'Savin' was added to the gun's designation in recognition making it the ZiS-S-53.
The T-34/85 fitted with the S-53 85mm gun was a very different beast from earlier T-34's. A larger turret ring (1.600 mm instead of 1.425 mm) allowed for a larger three-man turret with a radio and commander's cupola. This increased the crew size from four (driver, radio/MG, loader, commander/gunner) to five (driver, radio/MG, loader, gunner, commander), and made for a better division of labour as the tank commander could now concentrate on commanding the tank instead of having to also moonlight as a gunner. This added firepower and internal space does come at a price. The armour on this new turret is less sloped, though there are plans to increase it's thickness to 95mm. The T-34/85 presents a larger target. Only 58 85mm rounds can be carried compared to the 77 72,6mm rounds of the regular T-34. The weight is also increased by about four tonnes to ca. 35 tonnes slightly reducing the tank's performance.
This has been followed up with new projects to improve our Heavy Tank's Armour (Level 3) and Reliability (Level 3).
The Red Army's Operational Level Command Structure (Level 4) has been improved, helping our armies to move more quickly on the offensive. Our theorists are now continuing their efforts by working on Mobile Warfare (Level 5), aiming to speed up the movement of our HQ's, and to improve the Red Army's general grasp of Breakthrough tactics.
Leadership distribution:Research: 21 =
Espionage: 0,88 (-0,5)
Diplomacy: 0,10 =
Officers: 12,50 (= 75 Officers/day)
Total: 34,48 (-0,5)
Norwegian scientists and diplomats in liberated areas are now on the payroll of the Federal Socialist Republic of Norway.
Statistics:
National Unity: 83,193 - The loss of several freighters filled with Lend-Lease aid just North of Scotland has somewhat dampened National Unity. The Red Banner Baltic Fleet is on the hunt for the, likely German, perpetrators.
Neutrality: 0,00 =
Dissent: 0,00 =
Manpower:
Available: 2.059.000 (-20.000) Most of this reduction is due to the fact that Norwegians are now no longer eligible to serve in the Soviet Union's armed forces. They can now either join irregular forces in Norway or wait a bit for Norway to start building a new Army. Our police forces in training that were meant to help quell insurgencies and foreign agents will be placed in reserve to be reassigned elsewhere once they finish training.
Men To reinforce(need): 6.780 -
Men To mobilise(need): See above
Monthly gain: 72.000 Men - (1 fully mobilised Infx3, Art, AT Division every 5,27 days)
No changes in Party Popularity and Party Organisation
This Information is accurate on the morning of the 26th of October 1942, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.
'Odin'
OOC:
Don't forget to vote in the Q1 2022 ACAs voting ends tomorrow 20:00 CET.
- 4
- 1
Typical lack of invasion follow up. At least a corps strength lodgement plus reinforcement was needed.
Hope nothing has happened to him. Unless it was the episode with 11.
Having done this once upon a time (ie commanded a tank) you really can’t efficiently do both at once. Even more so if you are a platoon leader. But they should have been able to do all of it with four people (not sure of the internal T34 layout as to why you couldn’t have a loader/operator). No wonder they were getting so many destroyed!
Better 58 that have a chance of doing something than 77 that only irritate your opponent! They’d be lucky to ever fire off 58 without getting brewed up anyway.
- 3
- 1
It will do so rather slowly for the next month or two, but it will continue. I don't know what my schedule will look like starting in September but it's likely to be rather busy, so don't expect weekly updates anytime soon... I've started working (a little) on the graphics for the new GPW reporting format. That will probably be the next update or three. I can't really put a date on that right now, but progress is being made.
This is what STAVKA is hoping for actually. As preparations continue for the liberation of the Balkans and Greece, we would rather avoid the complications of ending the war with a Communist Northern Greece and a Capitalist Imperialist Southern Greece. The port & Air Base in Athens will also help to ship in sufficient supplies and reinforcements and to provide air support to the new front.
It's definitely unlike him to vanish in such an unannounced way.
Thanks for sharing your real life experience to emphasise how important this change to the crew is. The internal layout of the T-34 has the driver and the front MG gunner/radio operator sitting in the hull in front of the turret with the commander, gunner (or both) and loader in the turret. The driver sits on the left and he has a hatch right in front of him which is opened when not in combat. The MG gunner on the right has a forward-facing hull mounted MG in front of him, as you can see on this frontal cutaway of a T-34 model 1942 (not the -85):
In the -85 variant there is a radio in the turret so they could have a loader/operator, but then they still need someone to man the front MG (DP-27). They did often have a coaxial LMG (Usually a 7,62mm DP-27) mounted on top of the turret though I have seen pictures of T-34s in action without an MG on top and some even had a 12,7mm DShK. Post-war Chinese variants had both a DShK and a DP-27 on top of the turret as standard, but they did not do away with the hull-mounted MG.
Makes sense to me, especially when the aim is to fight other armoured vehicles.
- 3
Solid enough progress and a reminder that despite all of Odinstat's treasonous hijinks the war continues.
Of course killing tanks was still an important part of their role, so the 85mm upgrade had to happen to deal with up-armoured Germans. But I believe the loads out remained mostly HE even after the change as that was mostly what was needed and, as Bullfilter says, in reality in a tank-vs-tank battle you are not going to have the time to fire off that many AP rounds before you've either won or lost!
Slightly ominous from Shest there. I wonder if this may be explored further in any future narrative chapters?
That last part is the crux of it. As I understand it the original T-34 was supposed to do a range of jobs, it was the replacement for the BT-series fast tanks and the T-26 and T-28 infantry tanks. So it's theoretical doctrinal job was supporting the infantry as well as fighting other tanks, indeed the former was seen as more important from what I can see. From a quick search it looks like the typical load was supposed to be 55 HE shells and only 20 Armour Piercing ones, so at least in theory the main aim was lobbing HE at enemy machine gun nests, strong points and any other non-tank target the infantry was struggling with. And of course shooting up enemy AT-guns and similar before they could shoot back.
Of course killing tanks was still an important part of their role, so the 85mm upgrade had to happen to deal with up-armoured Germans. But I believe the loads out remained mostly HE even after the change as that was mostly what was needed and, as Bullfilter says, in reality in a tank-vs-tank battle you are not going to have the time to fire off that many AP rounds before you've either won or lost!
- 3
- 2
- 1
Interesting info. My own view is having to provide an extra crewman to every tank in the inventory is hardly justified by having a hull mounted MG. A coax MG should be sufficient and one mounted on a turret ring if necessary, it’s really all about servicing the main armament. If you’re worried about infantry, give the extra man and MG saved to the panzer grenadiers who should be accompanying the tanks.
- 2
- 2
I always wondered why a dedicated radioman in a tank was necessary: the person who needs to be on the platoon/company net is the commander, whereas that position is otherwise unnecessary, as Bullfilter points out. Heck, eliminate that position in four tanks, and you can have a whole extra tank in the platoon!
- 2
- 1
Perhaps
You're not going to run into enemy tanks every day, but when you do you need to be able to do something about it, and fast...
To be fair the T-34-85 did allow for the Commander to have his own radio in the turret, potentially rendering the 'radio operator' into a humble Machine-Gunner. While the T-34 is sub-optimal in it's number of crew, it still is a marked improvement over what came before it:
The BT-7 had just three crew members: Driver, loader, commander/gunner. The majority of BT-7s did not have a radio when they left the factory. It did have a real coaxial MG right next to the main gun, a feature that didn't make it to the T-34, probably because it wouldn't fit next to the 75mm main gun.
The T-28 had 3 turrets, 4 MGs, and 6 crew members. I suspect that going from 4 MGs to 1 externally mounted MG was too big a step for those who were used to tanks bristling with MGs.
The standard T-34 had more firepower, thicker armour that was sloped (as opposed to the T-28's), etc. They probably gave the radio to the front MG gunner because the turret was too cramped for the radio to fit in it. The fact that they thought to fit a radio in the new turret of the -85 tells me that they learned through experience that it would be desirable for the commander to have his own radio rather than having him yell his instructions at the radio operator sitting in front and below him. The T-55, which was designed based on the lessons of ww2, goes back to a 4 man crew, this time in the 'right' positions (commander, gunner, loader, driver).
Finally, I would expect an MG gunner not to require very much training, so once the radio was handed over to the commander, that 5th man was easily replaceable, and men were cheap in the Soviet Union. (the limit on the number of tanks was not manpower but production capacity) I would say that Bullfilter's suggestion of throwing the front MG gunner out of the tank with his MG and putting him in the Panzer-grenadiers is more likely than (re)training 4 MG gunners to man a whole new tank. Wartime Soviet tank crews received shockingly little training as it was, imagine if they would have had to train 25% more tank commanders, gunners, loaders, and drivers. There is also the open question of whether T-34-85s ever rode into battle with just 4 crew members when one of the crew was out of action for some reason, which would definitely have been possible.
- 3
- 1
You are misunderstanding Soviet technology comrade. The mighty Soviet Union does not use the pitiful small radios of the decadent West, the radio of the T-34 is a large, strong bulky item that requires massive training and both hands to use, only a true Stakhanovite New Soviet Man can use such an item!
This is not a western perspective, but what the Soviets thought themselves. They had the radio in the turret in the A-34 (basically the T-34 prototype) and because the radio was so crude and hard to use it didn't work, so they moved it down to the hull for the T-34. As they developed better and smaller radios (copied from the ones on lend-lease tanks I believe) they could move it back up into the turret for the T-34/85.
Though on the wider point, by mid 1943 the People's Commissar of Tank Production is complaining only 50% of tanks have radios and has a 'plan' to fix it - which is fitting British No.19 radios as the Soviets just can't build enough themselves. There are also a lot of sources that state many units just had radios for the platoon and company commanders at the start of the war, with the rest 'fitted for but not with' radios.
This does raise the question what a radio operator does when his tank has no radio? The answer of course is "He operates the semaphore flags", which the tank was fitted with and instructions for which remained in the Red Army field manual until late 1944.
- 3
- 2
Semaphore flags on the then-modern battlefield: hang on, we need to stop the tank so Ivan can jump out and wave his arms a bit... Suuuuuure no problem, don't mind becoming a target for literally every infantryman on the field...
- 1
The Americans keep reducing the LL allocation. I wonder if that has anything to do with any exploding aircraft and boats or the mysteriously disappearing spy of theirs.... nah, probably just a coincidence.
The T-34-85 is a nice improvement, especially the three-man turret is a big increase in effectiveness. 85 mm rounds deliver a nice punch too, definitely a good step-up from the old 76 mm. The longer barrel really helps in engaging tanks, and will be much needed against the German heavies.
I do hope there is an innocent explanation to Shest disappearing in the midst of all this excitement and treason...
The T-34-85 is a nice improvement, especially the three-man turret is a big increase in effectiveness. 85 mm rounds deliver a nice punch too, definitely a good step-up from the old 76 mm. The longer barrel really helps in engaging tanks, and will be much needed against the German heavies.
I do hope there is an innocent explanation to Shest disappearing in the midst of all this excitement and treason...
- 2
No British radios in TTL because those Limeys don't want to give us Lend-Lease aid.
Imagine getting recruited to serve as a radio operator and the majority of your three weeks of training is about waving flags around... and then you get sent to the front in a cramped T-34 with no radio. A true 'guess I'll just die' moment.
Probably. There is the issue that the US is providing Lend-Lease to the British as well, and one wonders how they decide who gets how much aid.
Wait and see...
- 2