Rank and File: A clerk's war Germany 1936 (Semper Fi)

[Uriah]

Rank and File
A Clerk’s War​

1st June to 2nd June 1939


I’m not sure if sleeping in the office was a good idea. My unspoken hope had been that I would hear as soon as we had a victory against the French. Instead, I was among the first to hear, just after midnight, that the French had launched another massive attack, this time in Saarlouis. I actually managed to get a transcribed copy of General Muller’s initial frantic radio message. It is not hard to detect an edge of panic as he reports that his 10.Infanterie Division is under attack from at least four divisions, with apparently another in reserve. He is facing tanks and motorised units, and is outnumbered more than four to one (an estimated 44,000 men are ranged against him). He has the benefit of the fortifications of the Westwall, but these will only buy him a little time. It is quite clear from his message what he needs: reinforcements.

Battle of Saarlouis​

When we started to get the news from the east, anyone would think that OKH (or maybe even higher – the Fuhrer himself?) has demanded that the Polish campaign be speeded up. No less than four fresh attacks were launched on the first morning of June. But no, I think it is just coincidence. Possibly our units have just recovered from their exertions from the first wave of attacks and are ready to advance again.

1st Panzer Division is moving into Grudziadz across the Vistula, Rommel is taking his 73.Infanterie Infanterie into Rypin and von Hadeln’s 9.Infanterie Division has attacked Zywiec. The final attack (at 10AM) was the largest – three divisions, led by 1st Leichte Panzer, racing across the plains of Slupca, ran straight into another Polish unit trying to block their advance.

Battle of Grudziadz

Battle of Rypin

Battle of Zywiec

Second Battle of Slupca​

As news poured in of what seems to be an escalation of tempo against the Poles, we also heard (at noon) of concrete action to assist General’s Zaiser and Muller on the Westwall. VI Armeekorps has been detached from the Benelux Army and assigned to the Westwall Army. It may take a while for it to get moving, but help is on the way! The addition of four fresh infantry divisions should slow the French, even if they have sent at least ten divisions across the Maginot Line against us.

During all the excitement of advances and attacks, General Himmler had another victory, this time in Gniezno. While not seen as a leading tactician, he is certainly developing a reputation for getting the job done, and with minimal losses (176). The Poles lost 486 soldiers.

Not everything was going our way, but the Polish reaction was a pinprick. Pawlikowski’s bombers appeared again over Allenstein, but Bogatsch was quick off the mark and soon had two geschwader of Messerschmitts challenging them.

The other bad news was the loss of another tanker from Boston, sunk by the Danes of the Coast of Holland. While we have plenty of other ships, the news of unopposed convoy sinkings is having a very bad effect on public opinion, and Goebbels has said that it cannot be allowed to continue. If we cannot protect our shipping, we must seriously consider ordering our ships to return home, even if this means cancelling our trade deals for oil. (The Danes sank another tanker the following day – it can’t be long before Minister Schacht’s desire for oil imports is insufficient to withstand the combined arguments of Minister Raeder, concerned about shipping losses, and Minister Goebbels worried about public opinion.)

I did ask few people why we didn’t escort our ships as the British do, but it was pointed out to me that the British Navy had literally hundreds of small vessels suitable for the task, and bases around the world to supply and repair them. We do not have the same luxury.

Not much concern at the next item of news: the Danes attempting to recapture Slagelse. General Jahn indicated he would have no difficulty in repulsing Albrechtsen’s 1st Zealand Division and continuing west.

Second Battle of Slagelse​

At dusk we received the news we had been dreading to hear: Zaiser has ordered a retreat from Pirmasens. His losses are very high (1523 dead) and his 35.Infanterie has lost all semblance of organisation. We cannot expect them to be a viable force for some time. The Westwall has been breached – when I look at the Wehrmacht maps of western Germany there are not many troops to block a French advance.

A few hours later we had victory in Krynica, but this again was a bloody affair. Although we inflicted 3165 casualties, we lost 1373 of our men. According to the Chief of Staff, Fritz Bayerlein, we cannot sustain these losses in what are essentially small engagements.

Hanging around, waiting for news from the west, I didn’t even notice that it had passed midnight. I only looked at the office clock when we received word from our U-boats in Setubal Bay. Despite rain and overcast skies, they have had a major success, sinking three ships from a convoy on the Colombo-Plymouth route.

Minutes later, we heard that General Brand has moved back into Ruzomberok with his 3rd Gebirgsjagers. He has a slight edge on the Polish 20 Dywizjon Piechoty and is a far better leader than Dreszer, so there is hope for a quick, cheap victory.

Second Battle of Ruzomberok​

As if enough wasn’t happening, General Himmler met resistance as he advanced in Gniezno: he was attacked by Mackiewicz from Bydgoszcz. As is now usual, Himmler has assured Polen Army Nord he can handle the situation without assistance.

Second Battle of Gniezno​

I must have dozed off for a few hours, because the next I knew it was dawn. I saw a junior clerk wandering around (there is now a skeleton staff at the Kanzlei all night) and soon a cup of coffee had me operating at above 50% efficiency. The Luftwaffe reported that our planes were under attack in both the west and the east. Christiansen has four geschwader (including my brother’s “Schlageter”) over Metz, taking on Basset’s two air wings. There is more concern about Kalkus, who is chasing Udet’s Stukas over Rypin. Kalkus continued his attacks all day, and by 1PM Udet had sustained more than 10% losses. At that time OKH again ordered our Bf 109Gs to take on the Poles. Within hours the Gustavs were involved in the fight, but by then our Ju 87B losses were approaching 20%.

During the morning, a couple of successes were confirmed. Von Bohm-Bezning is mopping up in the forests of Chojnice, and von Hadeln is advancing into Zywiec having beaten 12 Dywijon Piechoty. Our casualties were 217 and 127 respectively; the Poles lost 736 and 166.

The Poles are definitely not finished, despite the succession of attacks we have launched. The long suffering 62.Infanterie Division is under attack again. General Felber has only 9146 men left, even though he has received replacements for some of his casualties. He had hardly got his men settled into Sensburg when Kruszewski sent two full divisions against him. East Prussia is definitely not the place to be for an infantryman.

Second Battle of Sensburg​

As the day drew to a close, bad news arrived from Denmark. The Danes have repulsed our assault, and we have taken very high casualties. As our troops dejectedly headed south, Benelux Army reported 2137 dead or missing. It was not much of a consolation that we inflicted 2688 on the Danes. We had thought the Danes would be completely outclassed and would crumple under pressure, but they are made of sterner stuff and have given us a lesson on holding territory. Admittedly they flung in every possible unit into the defence, but that does not explain our defeat. Luftwaffe officers are not slow to point out a possible explanation: lack of air support.

At least the dependable Himmler sent good news. He has brushed aside the resistance in Gniezno and is firmly in control of the province.

I had been wondering why we had no reports of 1 and 6 Taktischeluftflotte operating against the French. It has been several days since they were transferred from the Polish Front. News came in during the morning that both units were being transferred from Munchen to Frankfurt-am-Main. No-one seems to know why, but there is speculation that is may be that supply is better at Frankfurt.

No matter what the reason, there is no mention in the Luftwaffe bombing summary of any bombing raids against the French. (On the positive side, the French bombers have not returned since Christiansen’s interceptors taught them a lesson).

Bielso-Biala: Grauert with 4 x He 111: 143
Gniezno: Kesselring with 2 Ju 87B: 37, 62
Chojnice: Kitzinger with 2 x He 111: 138, 140, 84, 46
Zywiec: Grauert with 4 x He 111: 206, 155
Slupca: Lohr with 2 x Ju 87B: 64
Rypin: Udet with 2 x Ju 87B: 44
Bydgoszcz: Muller-Michiels with 2 x He 111: 113, 83
Slupca: Kesselring with 2 x He 111, 4 x Ju 87B: 119
Bydgoszcz: Kesselring with 2x He 111, 2 x Ju 87B: 124
Slupca: Kizinger with 2 x He 111, 2 x Ju 87B: 131
Bydgoszcz: Muller-Michiels with 2 x He 111: 44


Allenstein: Pawlikowski with 1 x tactical bomber dywijon: 37 (soon stopped by Lorzer’s fighters)

Fall Weiss at midnight 2nd June​

Still no news of movement by VI Armeekorps. General Kesselring, commander of the Westwall Army, is a highly skilled officer. Surely he must realise the urgency of the situation and get the troops heading south to block the French? A few soldiers with whom I have become friendly over the past weeks smiled at my naiveté. They explained that it is not simple to transfer command of a whole armeekorps and start it moving. Lines of command have to be set up, roads assigned, supply and transport organised etc. And that is in peacetime. When in combat, the commanders need to decide where the troops can be best used, often on the basis of little reliable information. I suppose I have a lot to learn about strategy.

Westwall at midnight 2nd June​

I just wish that we got some positive news from the west: it is all very depressing at the moment.

 

[Forster]

You continue to provide excellent coverage. Looks like you have a serious problem developing in the West. How many days into the war are you now?

 

[Uriah]

You continue to provide excellent coverage. Looks like you have a serious problem developing in the West. How many days into the war are you now?

The war is now 18 days old. We set a time of 42 days to crush Poland.

I agree, it is not looking good in the West. Luckily my earlier diplomacy has meant that Belguim and Holland are still neutral, so I can free up some of the Army of Benelux to move south.

But fighting on three fronts (Poland, Denmark and France) was not in the original plan, and will severely test the Wehrmacht. We have always aimed for quality, not quantity, and this means we simply do not have enough units to cover every border province in strength.

I still feel confident we can hold the French to within a few provinces, and hopefully some of Heeresgruppe East can be released soon. We sense the Poles are about to crack. Think positive!

 

[Baltasar]

Quite a surprise with the Danes, I would have expected them to crumble under the might of the Sturm Marines.

And the French actually have been quite passive, a small advance like that shouldn't bother you too much.

 

[Uriah]

Quite a surprise with the Danes, I would have expected them to crumble under the might of the Sturm Marines.

And the French actually have been quite passive, a small advance like that shouldn't bother you too much.

The Sturm Marines are OK - it was the regular troops advancing north across the border who failed. It has to be acknowledged they ended up being quite outnumbered, and the AI didn't reinforce them. But I did say I would let the AI play without interference.

The French are manageable at the moment, as long as it doesn't get too bad. In fact, if I can inflict losses while they are not dug-in, it shouldn't be too bad.

Just to let everyone reading know, the AI WILL use Multi-Role Fighters. I transferred them to Westwall Army, it then split them into two single airwing formations but sent them to fight as part of larger bombing groups. I suspect it sees them as escorts, rather than bombers or interceptors. I will keep watching, though, as this will affect how I deploy them.

But I can live with them only accompanying bomber missions, to give either extra bombing or air defence as required.

 

[Uriah]

Rank and File
A Clerk’s War​

3rd June to 4th June 1939

Another night with little sleep. I did go home (stopping off to eat on the way), but found it difficult to relax, thinking of the developments in the west. My neighbours, in their ignorance, probably slept like babies. The only news they get is from the newspapers and radio, both rigidly controlled by the Party. But for some reason the bad news hits my desk quickly, and I find it difficult to forget the years of occupation after the last war. If the French cannot be stopped soon, this war could be over in weeks.

In addition, I was now starting to worry about my brothers (and to a lesser extent about my brother-in-law). Initially I had assumed that both would be fairly safe – Heinz in his tank and Ernst in his fighter. But I have followed the “Wunsdorf” regiment across Poland, and know it has been involved in several battles and has suffered losses. Was Heinz still safe? Or was he one of the numbers in the casualty lists that passed across my desk? Was he lying wounded in a field hospital, or a charred body in a burnt out tank? And Ernst. The “Schlageter” has been in the air many times in the past fortnight, first fighting the British strategic bombers and now the French. I know we have lost very few fighters, but there have been some. Is Ernst trapped in his shattered plane, buried in a field near Stuttgart?

I tossed and turned all night until just after dawn I decided I may as well return to work. Walking in the clear morning air, with the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky, my nightmares of the previous night seemed ridiculous. Maybe it was the food I ate last night. I made a mental note not to eat at that restaurant again.

The restaurant in Kopenicker Schloss: cheap, but perhaps the food did not agree with me​

Morale definitely seemed to have picked up at the Reichskanzlei. Even the normally sour-faced guards at the front door gave me a smile (after checking my pass thoroughly). I have noticed that junior staff and soldiers pick up the general feeling of the senior administration very quickly, so maybe things are not so bad today.

The first news looked better. The Poles are evacuating Slupca, allowing Neuling to continue east. Our losses are manageable, only 102, while they suffered 1122 casualties. A much better ratio. It shows what can be done with a good commander, plenty of tanks (and a three to one advantage in numbers!)

Even better news is that at last VI Armeekorps is on the move south. 6.Infanterie is heading to Bitburg, 16.Infanterie is railing to Saarlouis while 26.Infanterie is making its way there by road. 46.Infanterie is entrained for Saarbrucken. The main concern of the Heer transport officers is that Muller may not be able to hold the rail terminal long enough for the reinforcements to arrive.

He is receiving assistance now. Our bombers are over Cattenom, but this has also brought some depressing information. The bomber observers report streams of French troops moving across the province, all moving east. Still, our bombers should make sure not all of them cross the border.

Our bombers over Cattenom. There is no shortage of targets.​

The Army of Osterriech in the south of Poland has finally sorted out its supply issues and Friedrich-Willich’s 2nd Gebirgsjagers is attacking 17 Dywizjon Piechoty in Zory. Already bombers are over the Polish positions, and we expect quick results.

The Battle of Zory​

The first bad news during the day came at noon – Heller has once again re-organised his 2 and 6 Dywizjon Bombowy and is operating over Sensburg.

Much more significant was a report from General de Angelis an hour later. 13 and 60.infanterie (motorised) from Ostrow Wielkopolski and 2.Infanterie (motorised) from Ostreszow are attacking a massive column of retreating Poles in the province of Kalisz. We estimate more than 45,000 Poles, the remnants of 18 regiments, are under attack. There are so many that they cannot all defend themselves.

The Battle of Kalisz​

Further good news came in at 3PM. The ever reliable Commander Bogatsch has met Heller’s bombers head on over Sensburg and is giving them some punishment.

We did hear of another tanker loss during the afternoon, but that was just before the news that our marines have captured Slagelse for the loss of only 55 men, and killed 269 Danes in the process.

Overall, sentiment was high until 5PM. I happened to be in the secretariat of the Chief of the Army (reviewing copy procedures) when a grim telegraph officer passed a note to the ranking officer. There was no need for secrecy, the news would be over the building soon. Muller has been forced out of Saarlouis leaving 1454 men behind. The French are streaming into the Reich, having taken the second province in as many days for only 681 casualties.

A victory by the Gebirgsjagers in Zory (it only took them 14 hours to throw the Poles out) did not dispel the gloom that affected the whole building. Even the additional information that only 79 mountain troops were lost could not cheer up the army officers – the only comment was that the Poles only lost 88. This morning’s confidence vanished like mist under strong sunlight.

Hermann Goering is reacting quickly. Immediately he ordered a Stukakorps to transfer from the Army of Polen Sud to the Westwall Army. They were in the air within an hour, heading for their new base at Bitburg. In what is felt by most officers here to be a token gesture, General Haase has launched an attempt to retake the province. His 26.Infanterie Division is attacking the French Premiere Legere Division, but we know that more French units are moving up, and he stands no chance.

Second Battle of Saarlouis​

More bad news arrived at 8PM. We have been defeated in Rypin, although losses are light (195 men). Regardless of losses, the Poles retain the province for a cost of only 516 dead. General Rommel has found that leading infantry can be more difficult than he thought!

Von Kluge, commander of the 1st Gebirgsjagerkorps has been motivating his generals. At 10PM General Hell sent his 6th Gebirgsjagers into Rabka-Zdroj. There is a move to accelerate progress in the south of Poland, perhaps to offset the slow progress in the north, where we are continuously finding fresh Polish units blocking our advance, and even counter-attacking.

Battle of Rabka-Zdroj​

That was the last significant news of the day, and I made a determined bid to get rid of my gloomy thoughts. A visit to the Kino to see Charlott Daudert in her recently released movie “Die kluge Schwiegermutter” worked wonders. For the whole evening I didn’t think of the war, just laughed along with the rest of the audience. (I have to admit a weakness for the lovely Charlott – one of my treasured possessions is a signed photograph I obtained when some tickets to a special premiere somehow ended up in my possession. They were intended for a senior official in the Department of the Interior, but he will never know.)

My autographed photo of Charlott Daudert: sometimes I see a strong resemblance to my secretary Gisela.​

I had successfully removed my personal worries from my mind, but the first piece of news the next day reignited my concerns. Von Manstein, in what seems to me to be madness, has taken his 3rd Leichte Panzer (including my brother) up against nearly 30,000 Poles in Bydgoszcz. Most of these are recovering from recent defeats, but it is still a risky operation. There is nothing I can do from here, however, except trust in von Manstein’s skill and our soldiers’ ability to keep Mackiewicz’s men on the run (and my brother safe from harm).

Battle of Bydgoszcz​

Haase’s retreat from Saarlouis was enough to clear my mind of such minor problems. How could I think of such things when the whole Reich was threatened? No-one had really thought that one division could evict the French, but the speed of the defeat was a shock. In just over half a day we gave up the attack, at a cost of 93 dead. Apparently several reinforcing divisions were enough to decide General Haase that there was nothing to be gained from further combat. French losses were only 75, and the door to the Ruhr is open. Can VI Armeekorps close it before the French move through?

Westwall at the end of 4th June​

The rest of the day went quickly, as though I were in a daze. Nothing seemed to matter except the critical situation in the west. General Hell’s victory in Rabka-Zdroj could not even raise a small cheer in the Reichskanzlei. Everyone is looking at the Westwall Army, and trying to determine what will happen next. Another victory for the French could signal the beginning of a complete collapse.

I was so dispirited I merely glanced at the Luftwaffe’s bombing summary, although I did note that it was much shorter than the past few days. Perhaps the repair crews are taking advantage of the slight lull in fighting in Poland to patch up our bombers.

Ruzomberok: Keller with 2 x He 111: 94, 114, 129, 47
Cattenom: Sperrle with 2 x He 111: 74
Zory: Gruaert with 2 x He 111: 94, 134, 67
Cattenom: Wolff with 2 x He 111: 145
Grudziadz: Kitzinger with 2 x He 111: 124
Cattenom: Sperrle with 4 x He 111: 151, 186
Kalisz: Kesselring with 4 x Ju 87B: 111
Grudziadz: Kitzinger with 4 x He 111: 201, 72
Kalisz: Kesselring with 2 x Ju 87B: 39
Rabka-Zdroj: Grauert with 2 x He 111: 79
Bydgoszcz: Kesselring with 2 x Ju 87B: 47
Kalisz: Kitzinger with 2 x He 111: 89
Grudziadz: Muller-Michiels with 2 x He 111: 79
Rabka-Zdroj: Keller with 4 x He 111: 81

Sensburg: Heller with 2 x Tactical bombers: 47

Fall Weiss at end of 4th June (we have trapped 20 Dywizjon Piechoty at Ruzomberok – it will not escape)​

After I had dealt with the bombing summary, I returned to thoughts of the lull in fighting in the east. Our men need to reorganise after the string of victories – they cannot simply start another attack within hours of the last. Surely the French will be in a similar position? Do we have a day or so to block the holes in our lines? As I walked to the Bahnhof I desperately wanted to believe it.

 

[sneakey pete]

The west looks very bad. Are you planning on still leaving the AI to deal with it, or stepping in?

 

[Uriah]

The west looks very bad. Are you planning on still leaving the AI to deal with it, or stepping in?

No, I will let the AI handle it. All I will do is transfer more troops to the Westwall Army. For some reason it is reinforcing the southermost provinces in preference to the north which is under attack. Perhaps it thinks the north is a ploy?

I want to see how good the AI is so am very reluctant to intervene until absolutely critical. There are units moving towards the French attackers, so I'll wait and see.

 

[Forster]

That looks rather ugly. Let's hope the ai starts to focus on the western problem or you could see the French eating sauerkraut in Berlin. You attack on Poland seems to be moving very slowly. Have you got the Italians in to the war yet? Are they attacking at all. How about Nat Spain? Are your allies doing anything to draw off French strength?
Has der Furher popped his cork yet?

 

[Baltasar]

I just hope the Polish forces start to crumble under the constant attacks, you really need to get that operation done soon.

Curiously enough, the Hungarians don't seem to do anything but shuffling their troops instead of attacking undefended Polish provinces. They actually could be a great help, attacking Poland from the south.

 

[Uriah]

That looks rather ugly. Let's hope the ai starts to focus on the western problem or you could see the French eating sauerkraut in Berlin. You attack on Poland seems to be moving very slowly. Have you got the Italians in to the war yet? Are they attacking at all. How about Nat Spain? Are your allies doing anything to draw off French strength?
Has der Furher popped his cork yet?

I just hope the Polish forces start to crumble under the constant attacks, you really need to get that operation done soon.

Curiously enough, the Hungarians don't seem to do anything but shuffling their troops instead of attacking undefended Polish provinces. They actually could be a great help, attacking Poland from the south.

I have kept this as a limited war and haven't invited anyone else yet. The main reason is I am a bit nervous about either the Hungarians beating me to Warsaw or the Italians beating me to Paris. As I see it, if they did, I run the risk of having Poland and/or France surrender to them, rather than me. I intend to invite the Hungarinas very soon, but not to invote the Italians until I am ready to hit France hard.

If I am wrong, could you let me know? The printed manuals etc are not very clear, and to be honest, the commentary on the forum is not not very relaibel: people are using mods and not mentioning it so it is not clear how vanilla would work.

But anyway, I am confident that I will prevail. The Pole don't have many units left that have any organisation and we are moving a lot quicker. I am not too worried about the French: I have allocated 9 extra divisions to the Westwall, and it should be enuogh to hold a week or so. As soon as I see Poland crumbling I will detach a couple of Armeekorps from the East.

Have faith! Feel the Force!

 

[Forster]

I believe I saw a complaint by an Italian player that he conquered most of France and Germany got it all.
I wouldn't call Hungary for the same reason. They keep what they take. But if Nat Sp is in your faction, they don't seem to drive that far into France and they do create a nice diversion.

 

[Uriah]

I believe I saw a complaint by an Italian player that he conquered most of France and Germany got it all.
I wouldn't call Hungary for the same reason. They keep what they take. But if Nat Sp is in your faction, they don't seem to drive that far into France and they do create a nice diversion.

I have seen several complaints by players that the country that took the capital took the whole country. There is no way a conquered country is "shared". And I want it all!

Unfortunately General Franco is no more. He was executed after his unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Republican government.

 

[Uriah]

Rank and File
A Clerk’s War​

5th June to 6th June 1939

This summer will be one to remember, not just for the political and military events, but also for the wonderful weather. For weeks now the whole of Europe has been enjoying clear skies and warm conditions, with any wind a pleasant breeze. Of course, the Wehrmacht (particularly the Luftwaffe) has taken full advantage of this. One little recognised benefit is that it has help keep our front line units well supplied: the good road conditions and lack of rain have made it much easier to keep up with the advance.

As a result, we can mount many simultaneous attacks. At 7AM, two more commenced. 4th Leichte Panzer and 29.Infanterie under von Eimannsberger moved up to assault Przezdziecki’s 35 Dywizjion Piechoty (Rez) in the forests of Namyslow. The combination of assault and sheer weight of numbers and equipment will hopefully quickly overrun the Poles. In Denmark, Bottcher’s two marine divisions should have no difficulty evicting Albrechtsen from Odense. While on paper the 1st Zealand and 1st Infantry Divisions appear fairly strong, in reality they are shattered formations, barely able to defend themselves.

Battle of Namyslow

Battle of Odense​

Most of the day was routine. Another tanker was lost off the coast of Holland (those Danes are very active in the Nordsee). Bogatsch continued to harass the Polish bombers over Torun. Our bombers continued to pummel the Polish ground forces.

At 6PM, another victory, but this time more significant than most to date. Dreszner’s 20 Dywizjon Piechoty surrendered on masse in Ruzomberok. Completely isolated, and having lost 493 men, more than 8000 Poles laid down their arms. Our gebirgsjagers lost only 306 men.

At 10PM, von Brauchitsch crossed the Vistula to attack Krakow. He has just one division (24th) and is up against two Polish divisions, but the Poles under General Bor-Komorowski are already attempting to delay our advance. Our military analysts are not sure why – there are no reinforcements available to assist in the defence, while we have plenty of units who can assist.

Battle of Krakow​

Also at 10PM, another indication that OB West is taking the French incursion seriously. XII Armeekorps has been transferred from Benelux Army to Westwall Army. This time units started moving south immediately. With another five divisions (4 with artillery regiments) to take on the French, I started to feel a little more relaxed. So a good night’s sleep at home.

While I slept peacefully for the first time in few days, OB East increased the pressure. Cehak’s 15th Infantry in Katowice was attacked by Bergmann’s 14.Infanterie Division. General Bergmann is gaining a lot of experience, having been in nearly constant action since 16th May.

An interesting document passed through my hands during the day. The Cabinet had asked Minister Frick for an evaluation of the political situation in Poland. With the French attacks in the West raising concern, the Cabinet wanted an indication as to whether the Polish government may be close to surrender. After all, while the Polish Army has performed well in the north, in the west and south it is being comprehensively beaten, and losses from our uninterrupted bombing are in the thousands. Several cities have already fallen and more are under threat. Can we expect an approach to begin peace talks?

Polish Foreign Minister Josef Beck addressing the Sejm, urging resistance. Our reports are that the Polish government has united the population behind its decision to keep fighting.​

The report was not promising. The Poles have maintained an impressive level of unity (apparently more than 90% of Poles are committed to their government’s policy), and Minister Frick believes it is unlikely that they will surrender before we capture more significant cultural, economic and military targets. The Fuhrer claimed he was not surprised – he had expected the Poles to fight on. However, he acknowledged that we need to drive deeper into the Polish heartland to force them to the negotiation table. Obviously we need to concentrate on Warsaw (everyone agreed that while they held the capital it was unlikely the Poles would surrender). However, as a result of the meeting, General von Blomberg was directed to order Osterreich Army to alter its objective. It is now to direct its attacks towards the capture of the important centre of Lwow.

Speeding up victory in Poland achieved even greater importance later that morning. Another of our provinces is under attack. This time it is St Wendel, held only by Zaiser’s 35.Infanterie, which is nowhere near recovery after its defeat last week. Only two French infantry divisions are involved, and our logistics experts believe that the sheer numbers of French troops at the front are causing supply problems. Even if this is true, it does not affect the Armee de l’Air, as Jauneaud’s bombers appeared above St Wendel within hours.

Battle of St Wendel​

Bottcher has made short work of the Danes and Odense is now ours. As is now customary with the Sturm Marines, losses were low on both sides: we lost 167 men, the Danes 243. Although we were defeated on the southern border, it looks as though the marines will conquer Denmark from within!

During the day I saw a succession of increasingly frantic messages from General Zaiser requesting reinforcements, but also asking the Luftwaffe to drive off the French bombers dominating the air over the battlefield. News of the arrival of Waber with 3 geschwader of Messerschmitts came almost simultaneously with that of Zaiser’s retreat. Although he only lost 120 men in combat, his already demoralised men could take no more. The French have seized a third province for the loss of 93 soldiers.

Westwall: end of 6th June​

As if that wasn’t enough, we also heard that afternoon that the Poles have defeated us in Sensburg and Felber is retreating yet again, leaving another 928 men behind. At least they put up a decent defence: it cost the Poles 909 casualties to take the province.

Victories in Grudziadz and Kalisz did little to raise spirits. Grudziadz in particular was a costly win. We lost 1028 men in defeating the Poles, who lost 921. The casualty ration was better in Kalisz: 443 to 1719, but still our losses are mounting.

Bombing Summary

Luftwaffe

Bydgoszcz: Kesselring with 2 x Ju 87B: 54, 51, 51, 37, 69, 75, 85, 41
Kalisz: Kitzinger with 2 x He 111: 81, 97, 101, 88, 77, 99, 103
Grudziadz: Muller-Michiels with 2 x He 111: 100, 105, 102, 123, 121
Ruzomberok: Keller with 2 x He 111: 147, 163, 93
Krakow: Grauert with 2 x He 111: 146, 121, 138, 97
Pirmasens: Lohr with 2 x Ju 87B: 61
Pirmasens: Sperrle with 2 x He 111, 2x Ju 87B: 124, 141

Armee de l’Air

St Wendel: Jaunneaud with 2 x TAC: 93, 92

I decided to stay at work as there seemed to be a lot happening, so I was busy reviewing the Luftwaffe summary when I heard at 11PM that General Guderian has taken heed of the high level directions to drive the Poles out of their cities. He launched a night attack on Torun, held by General Zegota-Januszajitis with only one division. Although Guderian will not be able to get the best out of his tanks in the city and surrounding forests, his initial reports look promising. It seemed a good time to lay down on my primitive bed, having something positive to think about as I drifted off to sleep.

Battle of Torun

Fall Weiss: end of 6th June​

 

[Baltasar]

The Luftwaffe surely does make itself a name over Poland, inflicting ever mounting losses on the enemy formations. I'm especially surprised about the effectiveness of the He-111 compared to the Stukas, although the latter ones will probably be more usefull against harder targets, eg tanks.

The French are also surprisingly annoying. While I have little doubt that the two additional corps will prove sufficient to stop the French, they're starting to become a real threat, having overrund the Westwall in the north. Not to mention that two of your divisions are threatend with encirclement.

 

[unmerged(34917)]

Is the Wehrmacht still on AI control? Otherwise it might speed things up if you do it yourselve. It seems slow going in Poland and you are suffering in the West.

 

[Jrog]

just wanted to speak up and say I've been following and this is one of my favorite AAR's

great perspective using the clerk's war angle

 

[Uriah]

The Luftwaffe surely does make itself a name over Poland, inflicting ever mounting losses on the enemy formations. I'm especially surprised about the effectiveness of the He-111 compared to the Stukas, although the latter ones will probably be more usefull against harder targets, eg tanks.

The French are also surprisingly annoying. While I have little doubt that the two additional corps will prove sufficient to stop the French, they're starting to become a real threat, having overrund the Westwall in the north. Not to mention that two of your divisions are threatend with encirclement.

Nut sure how many casualties inflicted by the bombers, but must be in tens of thousands. (If feeling sufficiently energetic, amy add it up at end of Fal Weiss) And they also cause massive org. loss. I struggle to understand all the posts I have seen saying that they are useless.

What I find interesting is the massive difference in effect between day and night. If you look at the figures I provide you can see them going up and down as time passes. The Stukas are a lot less effective against infantry: we'll see how they go against armour. But as far as I can see the other big determinants of casualties are terrain and dug-in status. Units fleeing battle take horrific casualties. The last bombing run on a victory province is roughly 25% higher than normal.

I am sure the bombers have saved me thousands of casualties, and that is the main reason I built so many. Germany always suffers from manpower shortages in a long war,and anything that cuts casualties is a good thing. That's why I have an extra regiment (usually art) on every division.

The French AI has seen a weakness and is exploiting it. I am not really too concerned - I am sure the Westwall AI can stop it before it gets too bad ie it threatens a production/manpower/leadership province. As for the "trapped" divisions, if you look at the Westwall map above, you can see a green arrow heading north east: one division is moving into St Wendel already. And from memory one of the reinforcing divisions will arrrive there in days. So the French don't have it yet!

Is the Wehrmacht still on AI control? Otherwise it might speed things up if you do it yourselve. It seems slow going in Poland and you are suffering in the West.

Everything is still under AI control. (Bar the units I initially said I would control, the mian ones being the navy and the marines. The Gustavs which I took off AI as they weren't doing anything are now back under AI and working). Poland has been slow, but that is mainly because the Poles had a lot of fresh units they kept throwing into battle. The German AI seems to have expected this and has "soaked up" the Poles and then counter-attacked after they have been used up. In the south and west they are all pretty exhausted and progress now should be restricted by "post attack syndrome" and supply issues. I think we are still on timetable for a six week campaign. (About half way at the moment).

The French are a nuisance: I am sure we can hold them and I hope punish them for leaving the safety of their level 10 fortifications. If lucky, we will hit them so hard we can follow them back into France.

I am really serious about sticking with the AI. If I take over every time I thnk I can do better it pretty much defeats the purpose. I was very annoyed that as the French broke through inthe north the AI persisted in reinforcing the south, but I can now see an underlying strategy.

In Poland the AI attacked in a few places initially, and when reinforcements were commited to those initial attacks, large assaults started elsewhere. Maybe the Westwall AI is concerned that the French might sieze the lower provinces as well (a massive pincer attack). Given the apparent number of troops the French have available, this was easily possible.

Anyway, if I lose, I can just blame the generals. But I don't think I will lose yet.

just wanted to speak up and say I've been following and this is one of my favorite AAR's

great perspective using the clerk's war angle

Thanks Jrog. From the number of hits I know I must have a few dedicated readers and it is good to hear from them. I notice you are new to the forum, so welcome. I hope you are learning from my mistakes in the game!

 

[Forster]

Haven't seen any major mistakes yet? The tension really makes your story telling grow on people. What do you do in real life? Write? We know it not drinking beer. (What kind of an Aussie doesn't drink beer?)

 

[Uriah]

Haven't seen any major mistakes yet? The tension really makes your story telling grow on people. What do you do in real life? Write? We know it not drinking beer. (What kind of an Aussie doesn't drink beer?)

I am sure there are more experienced players who would read this AAR and be amused at some of my decisions.

As for the tension, I am deliberately only playing a few days ahead, so when I write, I really don't know what is going to happen. The most I have ever got ahead is a week, normally only about 3 days.

My RL is not as exciting as writing (though it involves a lot of writing!). I'm a director in a large business consulting firm, though I am currently on leave (which is why I can do nearly daily updates). I am a qualified accountant (though I haven't done any accounting for 20 years so don't ask for advice!) Probably explains the interest in detail and the knowledge of office procedures.

Definitely Australian: I was in a supermarket in Pittsburgh last year and when I said something to the young girl at the checkout she went and got her friends to listen to my accent. It was very unusual for me to be considered exotic! I got used to people asking me to say "bloke", "mate" and "g'day".