"Uber Allen" A Third Reich Mod 1.08.2 AAR

[LimaTango]

Update:

April 1942

The Heer begins to consolidate forces in the Smolensk/Roslavl assembly area. The weather is gradually clearing with the snow in full retreat. After the snowmelt comes a sea of mud, so the Wehrmacht bides its time, resting, refitting and moving into their jump off positions for the Spring/Summer Campaign.

With the warm weather the Red Army wilts as well. The few battles instigated yield casualty rates more similar to those of late summer 1941, to the relief of the High Command.

The transport fleet in the Black Sea takes a licking by the Soviet remnants there. Four Axis air wings search for the surviving Russian ships daily and they continue to elude destruction.

The Red Air Force makes a rare sortie, losing one squadron in the dogfight. Lt. Generals Arnim and Kaul lead the Afrikakorps to another victory in south central Russia, the current border with German held Persia.

*****************************************
Chancellery April 14, 1942

“We are calling it ‘Operation Typhoon’.”

General Jodl continues: “Equipment is being upgraded and new trainees are filling the ranks of all the Heer formations. The same is true for our air wings and naval vessels. The Wehrmacht is stronger now than it was last June and even though the Red Army has been tempered as well, we have an audacious plan.

Per the Red Arrows our mobile forces, backed by infantry, will attack from Army Group Center initially via Kaluga and Tula, striking for Cherepovets. When this arm nears the objective, Army Group North will join in, meeting them in Cherepovets. As the Moscow pocket is reduced, battle-worthy forces will begin the second phase as shown in yellow, seeking for Archangelsk and the Stalingrad area.”

Goring: “We have air supremacy in the East. Three fighter wings, two TAC wings and two CAS wings are full strength and awaiting orders. Note that beginning in March, the two territories marked have been the subject of logistical strikes to limit their infrastructure to single digits.

In the West we have supremacy over the Fatherland. We do not contest the pinpricks along the French coastline but we seek out and punish bomber wings that come deeper into our lands.

As you know we moved one interceptor wing to the Casablanca area in preparation for proposed operations against Gibraltar and Ceuta. They are reorganizing from the move.”

Raeder: “We are maintaining pressure against the U.S. and Royal navies where they are encountered. We have not engaged any of the truly massive American fleets that we are most concerned about, but we are remaining vigilant.

Aside from some shore bombardment in the Archangelsk area there is little direct support that the Kriegsmarine can provide for this particular operation, but we remain ready to assist if called upon.”

Speer: “We will field the last two mechanized divisions later in April. I anticipate upgrading perhaps three more Mark III panzer divisions to Mark IV status. The only major upgrades on the horizon are the TAC wings when that research is complete. Otherwise ‘Typhoon’ will go forward with what we have in hand.

Oster: “The Abwehr continues to estimate approximately 250 Red Army divisions overall, perhaps as many as 220 of them on our Eastern Front.”

A.H.: The operation is approved. I want a daily update on force readiness and weather forecasts.

I hope that Stalin has slipped back into Moscow. I would very much like to meet him there.”
********************************************

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

Mid-April, 1942

An important bit of infrastructure is completed on the Eastern Front, just in time for the Spring Offensive.

Hermann Goring shakes his head in amazement. “How do they do it? Time and again the Allies find a way to fly fighters across entire continents with full organization and they happen to arrive right where our unprotected bombers are operating.”

[Author’s note: this is one of the AI activities that really irritates me.]

The Red Army launches a spoiling attack in Kaluga. They also begin shifting divisions southeast away from Moscow. The High Command expresses mixed feelings on this. The attack could be easier, but less productive.

In Central Africa, the French are now pressing the Italians, who are focused elsewhere. The Italians redress their lines and move some reinforcements to the front there.

************************************
Admiral Otto Kretschmer blanches as the lookout points out the mass of grey hulls approaching. They fill the horizon! He sees carrier aircraft buzzing overhead as well, through the gathering twilight. He activates the dive klaxon and shouts to the radio operator: “Send ‘VALKYRIE’ and our position in the clear! Then to our flotte ‘take out the escorts’.”

He turns to the officers and crew around him. “This will be a day to remember.”

On the surface, Vice Admiral Saalwachter’s 2BC + 2 DD flotte is engaged with two Royal Navy light cruisers when his radio room tells him of the emergency signal. “It’s a trap!” He shouts. “Hard right rudder! Flank speed! New course 133 degrees! Radio room, transmit the VALKYRIE call in the plain and GET CONFIRMATIONS!”

“Tell the gun mounts to keep targeting those cruisers while they are in range.”

Over the surface of the North Atlantic the frantic calls are received and repeated. Radio silence is ignored for this once and the wolfpacks surface and race to the East Biscaya Basin.

“The escort commander reports engaging several U-boats, sir. They are taking losses but feel that they have the subs on the run.”

“Very well, ensign. Continue recovering aircraft and maintain position and course.” The admiral feels the impacts as the Yorktown’s Dauntless Dive Bombers hit the arrestor wires after their fruitless search for targets. They would launch again come morning and hope for better results.”
*************************************

Thus a battle begins that soon pits four wolfpacks of six U-boats (though the first was down to three subs when the others arrived) each against a 24 ship U.S. Navy task force led by the carriers Yorktown, Enterprise, Wasp and escort carrier Belleau Wood.

Another massive American fleet, led by USS Saratoga and six battleships including New Mexico and West Virginia is spotted in the Med. The Italians run for port in all directions until this menace moves away.

The battle rages in East Biscaya Basin. Kretschmer’s wolfpack is decimated but does the job of battering the escorts, allowing the reinforcing flottes to win the positioning battle. They maneuver adroitly to stay in range through daylight and darkness and their torpedoes continue to score hits.

The Heer receives the last two mechanized divisions currently planned for production.

With the U-boats having success Grand Admiral Raeder makes a snap decision and orders the Bismarck group under Vice Admiral Marschall and Saalwachter’s detachment (who sank the RN cruisers) to the East Celtic Shelf in hopes of catching the Americans if they withdrew.

The gamble pays off, with the surviving American ships finally breaking contact with the U-boats only to sail into range of the Bismarck. An unknown amount of additional USN vessels have joined the fray, including escort carrier USS Cowpens, which replaces the Belleau Wood, which exploded and sank the night before.

**************************************
“Cease fire! Commence rescue operations and then take us back to port for repairs.” A elated but bone-tired Admiral Marschall surveys the grey Atlantic around him, littered with debris and burning and listing vessels. By his count maybe three lesser American ships managed to limp away in the confusion, but no more than that. “This will be a day to remember” he said to himself, unwittingly echoing the man who started the battle days earlier.
**************************************

German researchers tumble to the seemingly obvious fact that sloped armor is more resistant to penetration, and they vow to make up for lost time in fabricating a new tank prototype that incorporates this design improvement.

Another small engagement erupts in the East Celtic Shelf, possibly surviving USN vessels searching for lifeboats.

At the end of April, the Abwehr publishes its intelligence summary.

Research: Improved Static Anti Air Artillery/ Basic Electronic Computers
Basic Airborne Division/ Improved Mountain Division
Capital Night Combat/ Basic Naval Bomber

Italy provided a timely blueprint for Improved Mountain Division.


The encounter in the East Celtic Shelf blossoms into a full fledged sea battle, with the massive USN fleet from the Med, led by USS Saratoga. Battered U-boat packs from Brest attempt to delay the Americans until the Underseeboats from the Minch area can attempt to intervene.

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

May 6, 1942

The Kriegsmarine forces rush to the battle in East Celtic Shelf, eventually outnumbering the U.S. Navy ‘Saratoga’ fleet engaged there.

The Saratoga and the accompanying battleships suffer severe damage before escaping to the northwest. Some escorts are sunk, as well as a handful of the attacking U-boats.

Having sent the Saratoga Group to sweep the Med, the Americans send five transports through the opened path to assail the defenders of Fortress Crete. Two KM destroyers in Athens immediately sail to interdict the landing and Italian forces launch from their berths to assist.

At sea, the war-torn German Navy sends all ships to port for repair and reorganization. Grand Admiral Raeder receives praise from the Chancellor for repelling the initial American advances.

On land, Operation Typhoon kicks off with attacks on Kaluga and Tula, supported by air strikes.

The Panzerarmees enjoy success penetrating the Red Army’s initial defenses.

Far to the south, the restive French continue to spar with the Italians in Central Africa.

On May 9, the High Command bows to the shrinking manpower pool and curtails all reinforcements for units operating East of Konigsberg that are not on the high infrastructure lines. HQ units are exempt from this restriction.

The American transport fleet in the Ionian Sea continues to break contact and return to Crete, but is gradually being shot to pieces.

Typhoon rages on. The initial penetrations are enlarged as more of the Heer is fed into the breach.

General Rommel leads the assault on Noginsk, which is lightly held.

Noginsk falls and the advance continues. Army Group North remains active while transferring two corps east for their part of the pincer. In the south a concerted Russian effort dislodges two Hungarian corps, but the Russians are exhausted in the process.

The Americans lose over 13,000 men at Crete and the remainder rally for another attempt.

The southern pincer advances. A coastal fort is completed in Casablanca, where the RAF is pounding the Luftwaffe wing there around the clock.

The last of the fleet in the Ionian is brought to heel and sunk.

The Heer has nearly closed the ring around Moscow. Von Manstein races to Danilov to get positioning for the assault on Cherepovets.

On May 20th, STAVKA responds to the threat on Moscow and deploys the 30th Army in Kalinin, raising the readiness of the Red Army as a whole.

Speer reports the completion of the 1st and 2nd Marine divisions. [Author’s note, as a retired US Marine, I am excited to build my first ever Marine divisions in an AoD game.]

The Red Army counterattacks Army Group Center.

Stiffened by Lt. Gen. Gery von Schweppenberg’s Panzer corps, Army Group North finally swings into action against the Red Army troops in Vytegra.

With three Panzerarmees in place, the Heer moves on lightly defended Cherepovets.

To the south, von Bock redresses his lines in Ostrogozhsk, with some help from Army Group South’s sole mobile corps under Lt. Gen. Wunnenberg.

Army Group North now begins to push East to close the forming pocket.

STAVKA makes one more attempt to reverse the losses by standing up the 3rd Shock Army in Demyansk and in upping their readiness another notch.

May ends with the pincers less than a day from closing around the former Soviet capital.

An upbeat Hans Oster unveils the INTSUM from May.

Research: Improved Tactical Bomber/ Ship Assembly Line
Hunt & Destroy Group Doctrine/ Defensive Fighter Box Doctrine
Offensive Fighter Box Doctrine/ Carousel Bombardment Doctrine

Italy provided a blueprint for Improved Armored Railway Transport

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

June 1942

ON June 2nd, the linkup was made northeast of Moscow. Wehrmacht forces occupied Vytegra and Molotovsk, pocketing the Soviet Northern Front Armies, including the two raised in May. Army Group North continues to work to shrink the pocket, assaulting Toropets, Novgorod, Tikhvin and Mohaisk.

The Bulgarians make a rare combat contribution, coming ashore under fire at Corsica. Once the British were eliminated Vichy France landed a new Mountain division to recapture and garrison the island.

A lone German division outmarches its Hungarian counterparts and is badly mauled in Novgorod. The Red Army ordered the defenders in Mohaisk to fight to the death and almost 60,000 Soviet soldiers fall in that stand.

The High Command orders the attack on Moscow to go in, even though it is not yet surrounded. A division of paratroops joins the fray after a few hours, working to clear fortifications for the assault force.

The defenders return fire when they can, but their bunkers and trenches are being breached, and the firepower coming in begins to unman them.

Field Marshal Vlassov achieves a second encirclement, displaying a keen knowledge of his former comrades’ weakest points.

At sea, a pair of American destroyers are sent to the bottom in the Med.

*************************************
The call reaches the Chancellery the morning of June 8. Martin Bormann conveys the message to the Chancellor personally. “Mein Fuehrer, Army Group Center reports that the defense of Moscow has collapsed. His troops are moving in to the city and he is sending an aerial messenger here with a photograph of 7 Flieger-Division veterans waving our flag from the roof of the Kremlin.”

Hitler raises a fist in triumph. “It is done!

Truthfully Martin I thought that they would collapse long ago, when our spearheads cut through them like a scythe through wheat last summer. Their troops and Stalin himself are more fanatical and obstinate than I gave them credit for. Ah, this is a fine day.”
**************************************

The trapped Russians fight on, hoping for a relief force to break the tightening ring around them.

Army Group North begins maneuvering nine divisions to assault Archangelsk in a few days.

A very forward thinking Interior Ministry official proposes a great deal of construction in and around the Ploesti oil fields. Though it seems like overkill, the overall project is approved “just in case”. The additional infrastructure in Ploesti will be welcome at any rate.

June 26, the Moscow pocket is closed. A few divisions are being mopped up but the focus shifts to phase two, the assaults on Archangelsk and Stalingrad.

The dwindling Red Air Force attempts to interfere and meets with a vigorous response by Milch’s fighter wing. Far away, the Soviets make a half-hearted attempt on the border of Persia.

In the far north, General von Kluge leads the assault on Archangelsk with six divisions, beginning well with an immediate encirclement. He is quickly joined by Lt. Gen. Geyr von Schweppenburg’s armored corps.

The battle is short and sharp, with no quarter asked for or given. The last Soviet Atlantic port is taken.

The High Command is contemplating future actions. They order both Marine divisions, both northern Paratroop divisions, one air transport and Army Group North’s fighter wing to Genoa, Italy to rest and refit.

*********************************
Ribbentrop: “Though it seems incredible, there is as yet no new word from the Soviet ambassador regarding any change in the state of affairs between the Axis and Comintern alliances.

On a side note, we traded a great deal of metal ore to our neutral neighbors, bolstering our rare materials stocks again.

Hans Oster presents the monthly reports gathered by the Abwehr.

“Gentlemen, I apologize that the June INTSUM reports are a bit late. We had a cable from General von Kluge that was garbled and the re-sending took some time. Here now are the usual summaries.

According to our best estimates, the Soviets have suffered over five million casualties to date.

The next slide is more telling. As you recall, the Soviets fielded two new armies early in Operation Typhoon, so that at the beginning of June we estimated their force structure at:

Infantry- 252 divisions
Armor- 29 divisions
Fighters- 20 squadrons
Bombers- 22 squadrons

Now, on this slide is our latest estimate.

Operation Typhoon appears to have resulted in the destruction of 102 infantry and 19 armored divisions. In fact one more of each are being mopped up soon in Demyansk. In addition, 5 fighter and 6 bomber squadrons have been destroyed in the air and on the ground.

The result is that the Heer alone now has numerical equality with the Red Army, a new state of affairs.”

Speer: “Here are the production plans. I should add that in June there was some interest in requiring compulsory work service among French workers, which I declined to institute.”
***************************************

Research: Advanced Decryption Devices/ Advanced Decimetric Radar Warning Sites
Turbojet Engine/ Flying Bomb Development
Improved Mountain Division/ Electro Submarine

 

[MagooNZ]

@MagooNZ When did all this nuke-dropping take place? I have never experienced an atomic attack.

Lucky you LimaTango (I should say good skill, not luck), I have just about come to the conclusion that everyone playing (losing) TRM must get hit by USA nukes. I am trying to analyse and write this one up, will start a new thread to discuss.

PS. Your success in Russia with such a small army is amazing. Just read from April 42 onwards. I have gained a lot of ideas from this AAR. Did you receive the 2.5k of each resource for Moscow capture? I recall that your initial centre river free push NE to encircle Moscow is across mostly low infrastructure?, so more difficult to do
I noted June 42 only just started researching ship assembly line but currently have double speed construction of subs, something went wrong there. Very high stockpile levels of resources, I would also view more than 200 manpower as also still quite high.
this comment caught my eye: "On May 9, the High Command bows to the shrinking manpower pool and curtails all reinforcements for units operating East of Konigsberg that are not on the high infrastructure lines. HQ units are exempt from this restriction." It was east, not west, meaning Russia. Must mean more efficient manpower replacement, but could have more losses if understrength divs are caught in battle. Something to ponder.

 

[clist123abc]

Now that you have Marines built and supremacy are you planning to ease operations in the East and do a Seelowe before the US floods the Atlantic with its Navy and bombers?

What's your criteria for officer selection? Do you choose based on history or traits?

 

[LimaTango]

@ MagooNZ Thank you. I think that maybe the answer on the absence of USA nuclear attacks is that I have not played past 1943 in any of my TRM games. Can they drop nukes before 1944?

This is the biggest army I have fielded to date in TRM, as I knew that Gringo had made it harder with both updates since I played it before.

Yes, I received the 2.5K of resources for capturing Moscow, but the rest was all moved out to the new capital, which is a good incentive for driving on!

The push up from the center to Moscow does go through low infrastructure provinces, but the offset is that the Heer doesn’t face the masses of dug in troops in the forests of Toropets. When I linked up with Cherepovets I start drawing supplies across from Leningrad and so the penetration forces get resupplied before then face any supply or oil shortages.

On the Ship Assembly tech delay, those construction techs take so dang long that I just set it aside as I was only building my last 4 surface ships and the inexpensive U-boats at the time and I wanted air doctrines for the launch of Barbarossa. Now I am going back and doing more industrial techs (computing, crypto, rocket, turbojet, etc.). I doubled up the sub speed when I lost nine in a week fighting it out with the U.S. Navy Carrier Task Forces.

I think that I definitely have too many resources but I haven’t played the game very many times and I haven’t found the most appropriate target on that aspect yet.

I completely agree with your comments about reinforcements on the Eastern front and higher battle losses. Most of my fighting is done by the mobile forces and they are regularly rotated back and fully refitted for duty. My infantry corps are rotated out if they get down to less than 260-270 strength, so they do not tend be run into the ground. Right now most units have good strength and increasing organization as I am able to station them on high infra provinces.

@ clist123abc Operations in the East are easing some now and will step down a lot once Stalingrad falls. Troops are already headed to Ceuta and the infantry refitting in Konigsberg will be heading to the Atlantic Wall for use against England later in the year.

As far as my criteria for officer selection, that is the most asked question so far so I am really going to go all out on the answer this time.

My main officer criteria is traits, then skill level, all brushed with what history I know. Here is an overview of the Wehrmacht leaders.

Luftwaffe: In Poland and Norway and Africa I often use wings of two CAS/TAC squadrons to build up skill levels. For all serious fighting it is wings of four non-mixed squadrons.

INT wings always Superior Tactician of skill 4+.
TAC wings always Carpet Bomber skill 4+
CAS wings always Tank Buster skill 4+, except when used against shipping, then Fleet Destroyer.
FTR wings always Superior Tactician, skill 4+ and all leaders which are both Superior Tactician and Tank Buster are used for FTR.
NAV wings always Fleet Destroyer skill 4+

When defending Fortress Europe I do promote a few of the INT generals to full Air Marshal in case two wings happen to stack for a battle, otherwise I leave them all as Air Generals.

Kriegsmarine:

U-boat fleets always Sea Wolf. Generally 4-9 units.
SAG’s always Superior Tactician and those with another trait in addition are always preferred (Raeder, Ciliax). Generally 4-12 units.
ASW always Spotter. 1-3 units.
Transport fleets use either Blockade Runner or Superior Tactician. Generally 3-4 transports with 1-2 DD escorts.

I promote to Vice Admiral around skill level 5 and to Admiral and Grand Admiral as needed for large fleet battles.

Heer: For Poland I promote von Leeb, von Rundstedt, von Bock and Guderian to General. For France I may add Rommel and Paulus. I reserve Generals Jodl and Keital for staff work and I don’t use Eicke because of his war crimes. I do not promote Germans to Field Marshal but I sometimes do so for Axis Minor leaders to avoid over-stacking. I admitted in one of my first posts that I don’t know what leader went with a specific unit so I just try to get the biggest names at the top in most cases.

Mobile forces (ARM+MOT/MECH) are all commanded by Panzer Leader/Offensive Specialist. 3 division corps are led by Lt. Generals. Rommel and von Manstein are made Generals for Barbarossa and have 4-6 division armies. As more MOT/MECH are produced Guderian and General Hausser get bumped up from a corps to an army. The only exception here is the Afrikakorps where Lt. Gen. von Arnim leads the ARM and Kaul leads the 2 x MOT.

Infantry is always corps of three divisions led by Lt. Gen. (or Generals von Leeb, von Bock, von Rundstedt or Field Marshals von Falkenhausen or Vlassov). I use Offensive Specialists in general but some multi trait leaders like Model, Busch, von Weichs are used as well. Any leader with Offensive + Defensive traits definitely gets used. I use good trait/low skill leaders for cavalry as they gain experience rapidly in those corps. In the winter I trade in Winter Specialists on several of the corps until the snow melts.

HQ units are all led by upjumped Trickster Generals and maneuvered as a separate entity. I only use them in an attack to gain another angle of attack or to avoid an over-stack situation.

Garrisons are used singly and led by Major or Lt. Generals of either generic skill 3 or if on a beach perhaps skill 2 Defensive Specialist. GAR are always set on VoV setting. I occasionally use one GAR+ENG in a stack on the border with France 1939-40 or Russia 1941-43 so that the stacked divisions don’t suffer attrition due to enemy proximity.

Mountain divisions are used in corps of 3, led by Lt. Gen. Student, Dietl, and Ringel.

Paratroops are used singly led by Commando + Offensive Specialists when possible.

Marines are new for me. When they are put to use I envision transferring Student and Dietl over to lead them.

Here are the leader screens sorted by those in use.

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

July 1942

The drive to the northeast results in the capture of Archangelsk and the severing of the Arctic lifeline to the USA.

General von Manstein’s depleted Panzerarmee makes a few strides towards the next objective of Stalingrad, holding the line while the bulk of the mobile forces regroup in Konigsberg and Lublin.

German researchers unlock the approach to a Practical Turbojet. Limited fighting continues southeast.

The Red Army strikes at thinly held Babol and cracks the Iraq corps holding the line there. Italian and Romanian units are sent to shore up the defenses.

The drive on Stalingrad begins to pick up some momentum as more forces return to the front lines.

STAVKA throws more reserve formations into the line to blunt the German advance.

Army Group Center plows under the new Russian army, inflicting 23,000 casualties. STAVKA manages to rally new conscripts and sets them to building more defenses on the outskirts of Stalingrad itself.

Army Group South troops locate STAVKA’s mobile HQ and immediately take it under fire, hoping to disrupt them in their relentless drive to field fresh forces.

General Rommel is back at the fighting front, carrying the war deep into the Soviet Union.

Just as the welcome news of a paratrooper division being upgraded comes in, the Red Army fields a vast unsuspected army east of Stalingrad. SIGINT reveals the Red Army’s Operation Uranus underway. Rommel and von Manstein brace for impact.

Advanced prototype tanks roar towards the Heer’s hasty defenses. The sole German equivalent division returns fire.

And the tankers and Panzergrenadiers throw them back! The ring around Stalin’s city continues to contract.

More Red Army armor deploys southwest of the city.

At the close of July, the Abwehr reports to the gathered ministers and chiefs of staff.

 

[panzergenerals]

Nice AAR. U do a good job in USSR.

Do u really need the forces from u fellow axis members ? I think u play good and u don't need them. It makes the TRM game even more challenging not to control or use Expeditionary forces. It makes the battle in north africa more fun with the only 4 divisions u have there

On the other hand u will need to build a bigger land army as Germany as u did now. Otherwise u will beat like hell

Good luck with u AAR.

 

[LimaTango]

@panzergenerals Thank you for the comments.

I agree that TRM is even more of a challenge without the Axis Minor forces. In fact the first time I played it on 1.08 I did not MC Italy or Japan. The game was more difficult, lasting until Spring 1943, but it drove me nuts, having random Italian and Japanese planes and ships and troops moving around Germany all the time.

Now I don't ally with Japan and I MC all my allies. I use them to hold the lines and rarely to support an attack, which I believe is fairly historical. I don't sacrifice them heedlessly or take gamey advantage of them (in my opinion). I guess it is just my style at this point, but perhaps I'll give it a try in a future game.

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

August 2, 1942

Generals Hausser and Rommel continue driving east-southeast, working to isolate the bastion of Stalingrad.

The U.S. Navy makes fresh plans and sends a fleet of 18 ASW craft on a sweep through the wolfpacks’ patrol area off the coast of Portsmouth. The first pack to encounter them is utterly destroyed, all six U-boats sent to the bottom, though they damaged many of their foes.

More U-boats arrived and were battered in turn but at last the Bismarck group made up the distance, starting a punishing pursuit across three sea zones in a quest to revenge the crews of so many submarines.

Vengeance is achieved, as the last of the American warships are pounded into burning wrecks, sinking one by one into the briny deep.

On land, the Soviets raise another army in Kuybyshev, which is used to cover their government’s retreat.

Lt. Gen von Kleist takes Uralsk and digs in, hoping to ambush and eliminate the stack of divisions fleeing in that direction.

With the encirclement complete, the siege of Stalingrad begins…

The Fallschirmjagers are not used, having been previously sent west, but 33 divisions ring the 15 defending the city.

The last of the Russian formations in Stalingrad surrenders on August 16th. Three Panzerarmees under von Mansein, Rommel and Hausser begin to drive east in pursuit of the Soviet government, now located in Sverdlovsk.

The Red Army south of Stalingrad is pocketed and the Wehrmacht forces begin working to reduce it immediately.

***************************************
“No, sir, we have no indication of any subterfuge. It appears to be a systemic collapse of effective resistance. Radio intercepts are increasingly panicked and disjointed. We know that much of STAVKA is under siege in the Grozny pocket. Units northwest of Stalingrad are not being reinforced and in fact we are driving them back along that front as well.”

Jodl continues: “We have very few intelligence assets this deep into the Soviet Union, but we do have a confirmed report of trains laden with goods leaving Kuybyshev and making round-the-clock runs to Sverdlovsk as fast as they can be turned around. Beyond that area the rail trackage won’t support further rapid displacement of Soviet personnel and assets.”

A.H.: “So if we can arrive quickly in Sverdlovsk…”

Jodl: “I believe that they must capitulate at that point. The Red Army will be de facto eliminated as a field force, reduced to harassment attacks only. We will also be amidst Russia’s last oil rich areas, their rare materials sources and their surviving industrial centers.”

A.H.: “Even that lunatic Stalin must see reason at some point. Push them, General. Push them hard!

Now, tell me of this other operation. I would like to proceed, even with the losses the Kriegsmarine has suffered of late.”
***************************************

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

August 20, 1942

The Heer’s ranks are swollen by thousands of HIWI volunteers. Though some complain that they are not up to standard they seem to train up well enough.

With plentiful stockpiles in the Fatherland, the Ukraine region is allowed to keep it’s harvest. Their contributions to the Reich are winning them acclaim and there is some talk of recognizing them as a allied nation.

The Red Army still contests every piece of ground, but the Wehrmacht rolls on, devouring Russian provinces.

The assault goes in on Ceuta, with two Fallschirmjager divisions jumping in together.

The U.S. Navy reappears in the Med with some battered ships on a short cruise. Italian naval bombers pounded them a few times but the wolfpack in the area could not catch up to them.

The British are eliminated in Ceuta. A port and airstrip are quickly placed there, under the administration of Vichy France.

The last of the Red Army’s reserves are committed to the defense of Sverdlovsk, as the German attack goes in.

Rommel’s Panzerarmee joins the assault as von Manstein encircles a portion of the defense.

The mobile forces overwhelm the defenses in Sverdlovsk, and the terrified Soviet government scatters in all directions. Abandoned raw materials and war stocks litter the railhead and warehouse district. General von Manstein advances while Rommel wheels and drives southwest, having received new orders.

Elsewhere, all Luftwaffe and many allied air wings begin shifting west, making careful jumps to the French coastline. Some mobile corps and mountain divisions begin movement to Abadan for service in India. Others are redeployed west to France, joining the air wings and naval assets gathering there.

A Latvian division forms, hoping to share in the spoils of war.

The Bismarck group makes a short cruise, clearing the way for some naval repositioning. A vulnerable transport group needs to move around the British Isles. The way is now clear.

The partisans are suppressed in Toropets, but the news flashed back to Berlin is that Sverdlovsk is taken! Elements of the Politburo attempt to establish a working group in Kurgan and General Hausser immediately launches an assault to break them up.

With the disintegration of the Soviet High Command, the focus continues to shift to United Kingdom zones of control. With Hitler’s approval, the Ukraine is liberated and her citizens immediately embrace the Reich. Kargun falls and the Soviets seek another refuge for the remnants of their government. Stalin’s location is unknown.

The Abwehr prepares a brief report recapping the Wehrmacht’s sweep to the south and east.

***************************************
“Our estimate of the Red Army force structure on July 2 was about 160 field divisions. We are fairly certain that these were augmented by at least 44 divisions in armies deployed against our advance. There is no telling how many divisions were constructed and fielded from July 2 until September 2, but we can be sure that there were a few. In any case our new estimate of Soviet ground forces is 140 divisions, suggesting that the Wehrmacht eliminated about 64 in their most recent campaign.

In fact, that underestimates their losses as eleven more divisions are trapped in the closed Grozny pocket and are doomed to die within the next week or so.”
****************************************

The Italians begin to respond to an English landing in the Horn of Africa.

*********************************
Ribbentrop delivers the cable from the Soviet embassy with a flourish. “Mein Fuehrer, it is from Stalin. It is a plea for peace, on our terms.”

Hitler digests the content of the cable, all smiles this once. “Summon the chiefs of staff. I must have their input on whether to accept this proposal or to carry on.”

Later that day, the German response is sent, accepting what for Stalin and the Soviet Union, must be a very bitter peace.
*********************************

Author’s note: Mission accomplished! It took almost fifteen months and cost nearly a million German lives, but the Soviet Union is no longer a threat to the Fatherland or the greater Reich.

Operations against the duplicitous Churchill and his Commonwealth allies will be undertaken as soon as practicable.

 

[Titan79]

Incredibly swift progress, you almost made it look like a walk in the park (although a very big park like the USSR).

Congratulations! And now after that stubborn cigar smoker in London...

 

[MagooNZ]

LimaTango, in my TRM 1.08 game, I recall the earliest USA nuke attack came in 2nd half 1944, about 1 year ahead of historical. This fits with no nuke's used in 1943. I have noticed that the capture of Sverdlovsk is un-necessary for the Bitter Peace event; only Leningrad, Moscow, Baku? & Stalingrad needed. But taking Sverdlovsk will give GER resources that one doesn't otherwise receive. Not sure if allied with JAP, one also needs Vladivostok? I should look up the event

 

[LimaTango]

@ Titan79 Things went well, but I love the mod because I constantly feel under pressure, with time firmly against me. Yes, that perpetual thorn in Germany's left flank must be dealt with sharply.

@ MagooNZ Thanks for responding. That is good news about the nukes, for sure.

Regarding the capture of Sverdlovsk, I am going to respectfully disagree as I had that exact situation in my first game and posted of it to Gringo, who made it clear what was needed. These are posts #942, 943 and 944 on the "THIRD REICH AoD MOD" thread. Of course, I am not skilled in looking up actual events, so it could have been changed since 1.08.

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

Sept. 12, 1942

As Stalin’s once mighty Red Army begins to implode in the wake of the defeat, the Wehrmacht High Command makes haste to redeploy forces for ongoing operations against the United Kingdom and her allies.

The air wars go on, but the R.A.F. is aware of numerous wings base-hopping in their direction.

Japanese fortunes suffer a blow when Siam bows out of the war.

Speer organizes more reinforcements. Marines form up and take a place in Cherbourg, joining two other Marine divisions under General Student.

The Australian Navy penetrates the Med for some purpose and lose their fleet in the attempt. Meanwhile the buildup in western India continues.

The Abwehr provides the end of month reports, noting the comparative calm for this one month.

Research: Advanced Decryption Devices/ Infiltration Bombardment Doctrine

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

October, 1942

The first of the fighter wings from the Eastern Front joins the struggle against the Western Allies over the Channel, with telling effect.

On October 15, the combined fighter/interceptor wings of Germany, Italy and Vichy France begin combat patrols over the entire English Channel. The R.A.F. can not or will not respond.

On October 19, Goring sends the CAS wings to conduct port strikes from Dover to Plymouth. The only vessels are in Plymouth, so the wings focus there. 5 RN ships are sunk in the first strike and the rest face three wings the next day.

General Montgomery is spotted in Bombay, but is quickly run off by Lt. Gen. Hopner.

General Rommel begins another drive, this time the Heer is striving to clear India of UK and US expeditionary forces.

October Research: Defensive Fighter Box/ Multialtitude Air Group Doctrine
Carousel Bombardment Doctrine/ Navy-Air Force Coordination


D-Day arrives October 29, 1942. Twenty bomber wings target the garrison of Portsmouth. Four Marine divisions debark and struggle shoreward through the cold Atlantic, firing as they come.

U-boats block the east and west Channel entrances. Fighters roam inland over the coast. The Bismarck group provides fire support, blasting at the British fortifications.

Two Fallschirmjager divisions stand by their planes, awaiting the call. A motorized and an infantry corps are loaded aboard ship waiting for the smallest of breaches to roar ashore.

The India front becomes a rout as the defense begins to fall apart.

Pre-dawn on November 2nd, the 4th Marine division reports that the beach is cleared. Four hours later, transports roar overhead, and the paratroops hit the silk, quickly seizing the port. The Marines and six other divisions dart into port to relieve the besieged air assault troops and a real beachhead is formed.

When the initial British counterattack is repulsed, the beachhead is enlarged with attacks on Dover and Bristol.

Some rear echelon staff officer seeking attention organizes three impotent Luftwaffe ground divisions. They are posted near Berlin and slated to be immediately broken up when replacements are needed in the field. The staff officer is sent north to count icebergs.

The British fanatically defend their homeland, fighting literally to the last man in every case. The butcher’s bill is staggering, but the Heer pushes on, now targeting Glascow as the English government flees north from London.

The U.S. fields new bomber wings as the Luftwaffe wonders where they can be based? The landing force expands north into the industrial heart of England.

The German columns roll over India, focusing on the strongpoint at Calcutta, as the Italians mop up the Commonwealth landing force in the Horn of Africa.

On November 15, German soldiers march into London, taking station on Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, among others. The buildings have suffered little, as the feared Blitz had never actually come to pass. Fearful Londoners hope that the occupiers will behave with decorum.

Winston Churchill grudgingly cedes bases and other assets to the Western Allies, hoping to further their war effort.

General von Falkenhorst is a terror in an urban fight, it seems. At sea, Grand Admiral Raeder readies forces for the inevitable sortie of ships from Sheffield.

A series of coups creates Gran Columbia in South America. Ribbentrop begins communicating with them but there is no apparent impact for the Reich.

Sheffield falls and 35 vessels flee the port as German troops fan out among the quays. Six U-boats are overwhelmed quickly but the other twelve remaining east of the British Isles join in, even as the Tirpitz Group approaches from Amsterdam.

HMS Hood and Queen Elizabeth are sunk, along with others. The survivors dart into the nearest harbor at Sunderland and shelter there briefly, until the Luftwaffe locates them.

The attack on Calcutta finally goes in, led by Rommel. At sea the last of the British Channel fleet is pummeled off the coast and eradicated. Naval bombers have located another fleet sheltering in Scapa Flow, including damaged RN battleships Revenge, Royal Oak, Malaya, Warspite and Prince of Wales. Air assets are moved north to begin engaging them at anchor.

 

[LimaTango]

Hans Oster apologizes for the lack of October reports, offering no excuses for the lapse. He does release those for November.

He makes just one comment: “Gentlemen, the sea may soon be devoid of shipping.”

Research: Flying Bomb Development/ Isotope Separation Facility
Basic Electronic Computers/ Practical Turbojet Engine

Interesting events granted blueprints for Advanced CAS Aircraft, Air Reserve Doctrine, and Advanced Fighter

 

[MagooNZ]

No worries LimaTango. I was mistaken for your game. JAP was not at war with SOV, so you needed to take Sverdlovsk.

In a parallel game that I have been running, I military controlled JAP and took Vladivostok. In order to trigger the Bitter peace I didn't need to take Sverdlovsk.

I was wondering how Gringo could achieve bitter peace in 1942, with so far to go, & I thought I had the answer, no need to go to Sverdlovsk, but you have got there anyhow.

 

[LimaTango]

Update:

December 7, 1942

The advances continue. Calcutta falls in a terrible bloodbath for the defenders, as is the case in Edinburgh.

In the Gulf of Morocco, the USS Hornet CTF meets up with Otto Kurchner’s wolfpack. They exchange blows for over a day when the Americans finally break off and make port in Gibraltar.

Glascow, the last line of defense for the Home Isles, is crumbling. Eight infantry divisions and three garrisons literally fight to the last man attempting to hold back General Guderian.

When it’s over, the English dead lie in heaps along the battlements. Guderian puts his corps in laager for the moment but waves other fresh corps forward into the craggy terrain of Scotland.

Several bomber squadrons begin to target the battered ships sheltering in Scapa Flow. Royal Navy battleships Valiant, Revenge, Royal Oak, Malaya, Warspite and Prince of Wales are anchored there, with a dozen lesser warships.

A downcast set of UK diplomats arrive in Glascow under flag of truce and attempt to negotiate a peace. Hitler replies through Ribbentrop that any surrender must be unconditional and the stiff-necked Brits refuse. The war continues.

The United States sent some reinforcements to Scotland that are intercepted and sunk in the Minch. Meanwhile in Somaliland three more English divisions are brought to bay and eliminated.

The Marine divisions are in action again, coming ashore in Iceland under the guns of the Bismarck and Tirpitz groups.

The Marines complete their conquest. As Scapa Flow is overrun, the remnants of the British Home Fleet must take to sea, where two wolfpacks lie in wait.

With the docks at Reykjavik taken, the USS Saratoga must limp back out to sea. The battleship groups send out some punishing salvoes, but the Americans slip away, though worse for wear.

The Home Fleet fights through two sea zones then darts into Aberdeen, where they are soon re-targeted by the Luftwaffe. General Rommel fights his way into Rangoon in the Far East.

The last of the Home Fleet is sunk at their moorings, shortly before undefended Aberdeen is invested, completing Operation Sealowe.

Italian infantry storms and takes Columbo off the Indian coast.

Iceland is captured and Nepal is annexed. The High Command pauses, awaiting fresh orders from the Chancellor.

Research: Advanced Decimetric Radar Warning Sites/ Improved Marine Divisiion
Improved Naval Bomber/ Advanced Naval Bomber
Ship Assembly Line/ Advanced Battle Cruiser

**************************************
Author’s Notes:

And that is the end of this after action report. Continuing from this point to me feels like killing baby seals and I would like to embark on a new challenge (Germany 1944 campaign) so I will wrap it up here. For the record, If I played on, this would be the plan:

1. The Marines will island hop to Greenland and then Labrador before moving to Casablanca for use against Gibraltar.
2. The Luftwaffe will patrol from Iceland but the CAS, TAC and Naval wings will move to North Africa and sink the remains of the Royal Navy huddling at Gibraltar.
3. The Heer will continue down through Malaysia to Singapore and will open a direct land connection to Japan for trade.
4. The mountain and cavalry divisions will redeploy to southeast Asia and war will be declared on Yunnan, to break the deadlock between China and Japan.
5. As dissent is paid down, India, Belarus and Great Britain will be liberated.
6. Once Gibraltar is taken, Vichy France and Italy will be supported cleaning the French and American allies out of Africa.
7. Then peace will be made with the Allies and the world will have two superpowers going forward. We know how that all goes.

The Abwehr prepares some final reports for review.

Like any good military man, I feel compelled to post up some “Lessons Learned” in this play-through of the Third Reich Mod 1.08.2. Basically I was happy with the force build, research, strategy and results, but there are some things that I will do differently when I play again.

1. The naval build was in general an ongoing set of 6 subs, 2 BC, 2 DD and 1 transport, which costs about 23.5 IC to run continuously. Next time I will tweak this to 8 subs, 2 BC, 1 CL and 1 DD. The extra subs will be good to fill in losses and the CL will have more stamina than the DD. The allies don’t send a lot of subs so not so many DD are needed.
2. The Marines were very potent and useful, I felt. Ooh rah! Next time I will work 6 divisions of these into the early build plan.
3. The CAS 2 wings were very effective. I will try to get the third wing of four completed in time for Barbarossa next time.
4. I have read that it is most economical to immediately disband the three early light panzers that Germany starts with. I may not be able to go that far but I will definitely not be upgrading them all the way to Mark IV’s again in future. That took too much IC and time. Instead when I get the Mark III tech I will have two lines of tank production. I think it will be more effective all around.
5. In order to pay for the points above, I will not move toward Free Markets from Central Planning next time. Upgrades may cost a little more but the 10% or so additional IC can make the shopping list above work out.
6. I will also target having 30,000 of a resource as “good enough”. I stockpiled so much that I couldn’t even give it away to my allies, who needed just a fraction of it.
7. Trading two transports to Romania worked well, but the two garrisons traded to Finland to help them avoid attrition both died of starvation as Finland would not (or could not) reinforce them, so that was two garrisons wasted. I won’t do that again. The one traded to Romania worked fine.
8. Placing six AA guns and a radar in Aachen seemed to help with the many air battles held there. That I will repeat.
9. I did not know that Bitter Peace gave -30 dissent. Next time in addition to Ukraine I will liberate Belarus (and maybe some others like Georgia) after taking Sverdlovsk. India also if possible.
10. The Battle of the Atlantic was mostly a flop. I will still do it all again in the future, for flavor and for effect, but I just could not sink enough transports to make any impact on the UK whatsoever. I have gone back and opened a save game and they have tons of resources right up to me invading England. I think that the dissent hits for me having active patrols in certain sea zones absolutely impacted the UK, but that’s about it. I put forth a lot of time and effort managing wolfpacks and SAG’s around as seen in several screen shots, hoping to starve out the English. Maybe it just needed to go on longer and this effect would have been more pronounced in 1943? At the end of this game, the UK still had 933 convoys (no escorts though) with 350 unused, so I still had a considerable way to go.


To paraphrase George C. Scott in “Patton”:

“Gringo, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!”

Seriously, thank you Gringoesteban for the immense body of work in putting together and updating the Third Reich Mod. It is always a blast to play.

If anyone wants to see or discuss anything from the AAR, I have saves from most months and can look back. I may be on and off the boards while I contemplate a Germany ’44 AAR next, so you can always email me directly at enzorsp@gmail.com

Thanks for reading and playing along. It was a hoot!