Sorry for the delay, but I havent got time to play until today! Update will be probably tomorrow morning!
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Isn't it possible to launch a strike at the base of the soviet salient, to cut off their divisions? With grouped CAS it should be doable.
It is not a bad plan and I have tried something similar beofre,but the main issue is my total lack of Air supperiority. My CAS can only act from time to time, since are downed by the USSR pretty fast.
Chapter XXIV: Into the East (IV)
In the summer of 1943, Germany was not the only world power whose future was compromised. In Asia, the Japanese offensive against the regime of Chiang Kai-shek was paralyzed after the capture of Nanjing, and Japanese soldiers were unable to adapt to the guerrilla warfare that the Chinese carried out without interruption in the mountainous terrain surrounding the main cities of China. The only relief for the Japanese regime would be the successful coup staged in Indochina, who abandoned their former French masters and joined the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere". Together with the more than probable participation of Siam in the war against the Chinese and the Allies, this event would allow Japanese to open a second front in southern China, but it was yet to be seen if it was not too late to change the sign of the war.
Japan took control of Indochina and was planning another coup in Siam
Back in Europe, the troops led by General Adam triumphed at the Battle of Lwow, and the armored spearhead led by Hausser gained control of the city and repelled the counterattack led by Zhukov. Within days, more than 60 German divisions would reach the former Polish city, and thousands of transport trucks and trains supplied the Wehrmacht in preparation of the next step towards Tarnopol. For the first time in a long time, the German forward units were able to hold control of a captured city without infantry support, and the High Command began to glimpse hopes of locking up the southern Soviet armies led by Pavlov.
Paul Hausser (right) was awarded with the Oak Leaves for his heroic defence of Lwow
Similarly, an offensive in Czechoslovakia managed to lock up more than 50,000 Soviet soldiers in Brno, forcing them to surrender at the hands of Marshal Paulus. Unfortunately, his troops were too exhausted to safely reach the area, and had to halt without being able to capture the Czech city. Throughout the month, Czechoslovakia and eastern Austria were the scene of bloody but indecisive skirmishe , in which several cities switched sides constantly without a clear winner. Except in those cases in which it was imperative to capture a keypoint, the OKH decided to postpone all offensive operations, waiting for the German penetration in Ukraine in order to isolate and cut the supply lines of the Russian troops stationed in Prague and its surroundings.
Brno was the scenario of more than 4 battles in a week
Worse news came from the Northern Front, where von Blomberg faced his first loss in all the war against the countless hordes of Marshal Rybalko. Unfortunately this failure meant not only the suspension of most offensive actions in the north, but also the death of more than 80,000 Germans in the battle for Białystok. Indecision to redistribute enough reserve divisions in the nearby provinces even caused a deep operations attempt led by a combined force commanded by Rokossovsky, who before the astonished eyes of the High Command entered the core of Germany and captured the city of Frankfurt an der Oder for a few hours. Luckily for the Reich, Lieutenant General von Reichenau reacted in time and prevented the arrival of more reinforcements to the sector, eventually forcing Rokossovsky to retire and stopping the Societ advance into Germany. However, the Abwehr informed a few days later about the disappearance of Thalmann, Ulbricht and other German communist leaders; had they been made prisoners by the NKVD, or Germany would have confront a new Dolchstosslegende?
Crew of a Soviet SU-76 in Frankfurt (Oder)
Romania could not stop the Soviets anymore and was forced to surrender
Events were happening quite fast , and so Chancellor Vogel decided to provide further funds to state investigators and for the construction of the nuclear reactor designed by Albert Einstein. Many of these technological efforts aimed at the Luftwaffe, who received new models of fighters and interceptors and started to test the new Strafing Doctrine under the auspices of Sperrle. Meanwhile, Konrad Zuse perfected the indecipherable Enigma machine, making very difficult for the Allies to guess the next step in both the Eastern and Western movements. The Wehrmacht also improved the efficiency of the logistical distribution system and began the construction of the a new model of self-propelled artillery. Finally, new defensive garrisons weresent to the French coast armed with powerful artillery pieces and some Flak-88 , allowing the redeployment of more infantry divisions to the eastern front.
Design for the new FW109-D9
Paul Hausser or Jean-Luc Picard?
Seriously though, this is turning into quite the war! Interesting to see the Eastern front develop as it has. Could you post a more zoomed-out view of the front when you get a chance? Not sure exactly how far of a spearhead/salient the Frankfurt-Oder attack was.
Seriously though, this is turning into quite the war! Interesting to see the Eastern front develop as it has. Could you post a more zoomed-out view of the front when you get a chance? Not sure exactly how far of a spearhead/salient the Frankfurt-Oder attack was.
It´s so far that I am starting to think it would be easier to land at Arkhangelsk and arrive to the capital from there!
It is true that he has some resemblance! I chose this picture because I want to be respectful with the history so far, and it was difficult to find a portrait of Hausser without the SS skull in the uniform.
Here are the screenshots; unfortunately I saved over the game once I closed the pocket, but I´ll make a rudimentary recreation with paint in the 4th picture posted below (I am drawing it from memory, so perhaps I mistook one province for another)
Well, you have the advantage of the Baltic states being neutral, you should be able to close some pockets against their borders... and the Black Sea, too. The Soviets are making the same mistake the Nazis did, advance at all costs, taking territory you can afford to lose in exchange for troops they can not afford to lose. Go show them why that's a bad idea!
Great, thanks. Really helps to see the whole picture. The Cardassian's right regarding Baltic states and the Black Sea; launch a massive offensive in the south to push them back to the Black Sea and hold that line.
Yes, that is my current long term plan, but it is quite difficult since my TC is quite high and I am finding about 30+ divisions stacks in each province. I hope that after capturing Lwow all will be a little easier, but Im not facing the feeble 1941 soviets...
Hahahaha, that commentary made my first smile of the day!
Yes, but they fought bravely and deserve our recognition. they held the Soviets almost a year!
Chapter XXV: Morgenröte (I)
After the great victory of the troops led by Hausser and von Blomberg in Lwow, High Command saw a clear opportunity to carry out, once and for all, a reinforced offensive through Ukraine that would isolate almost half of the Red Army both in Romania and in the occupied areas of Bohemia and Austria. To achieve this ambitious goal, it was necessary to concentrate as much mobile units as possible in Lwow, as well as the most advanced units of the Luftwaffe in the nearby Siedlce airport. With such order of battle, the German troops could strike quickly and without compassion, opening a gap in the Soviet front and limiting their ability to fight back or to send reinforcements to the area.
Initial plans for Unternehmen Zitadelle
Operation Citadel had been planned months ago by Von Manstein, who would be granted with full powers to organize the offensive and priority in the supply and acquisition of new material. Besides sending reinforcements to a lot of divisions present in Lwow, Manstein could also introduce the new jewel of the Wehrmacht: the Tiger tank, a seemingly indestructible steel beast, able to resist the fire of the Soviet heavy tanks and provided with a wide maneuverability never seen before. Similarly, the new Panther tanks also began arriving into the province, and while they were not as advanced as the Tiger, OKH was sure that this model would easily defeat the T-34 that the Russians had deployed widely in the eastern front. Infantry troops also received new pieces of artillery and of the Flak -88 cannons, plus a generous quantity of supplies and ammunition to maintain a long and unremitting offensive.
The Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E and the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther
On July the 2nd, a series of coordinated attacks against the provinces that bordered Tarnopol was released as a prologue to the great offensive against the Polish city, trying to divert attention from the main objective of Citadel´s plan. While the first movements were favorable for the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe did not find any serious opposition, OKH would end up watching in horror as the Junkers lost one after another air battle in the area, leaving the skies free for the Soviet bombers that started to harass with impunity German soldiers and tanks . On land, the German offensive was answered with an amazing and concentrated artillery barrage by the Russians, who managed to hinder, and in some cases to stop, the advance of the Wehrmacht.
The first stage of Manstein´s plan consisted in a series of diversive attacks
The Soviet successful defense of most of these provinces also meant that very few Red Army divisions were withdrawn from Tarnopol and its vicinities, which put at grave risk the success of Operation Citadel due to the enormous concentration of Soviet units in the zone. However, canceling the offensive at this point could have tragic results, and so Von Manstein gave the order to continue with the pre- established plan and launched the final attack at the dawn of July the 4th. Thus, and while our enemies across the Atlantic celebrated its independence from those who were now his ally , at 6 am the Battle of Tarnopol began, conceived by Manstein as “a beacon that would light the entire world ".
German armored units advancing into Tarnopol
But this battle would not be the one envisioned by the OKH ... as soon as they entered enemy airspace, the German Stukas were intercepted and practically annihilated by Soviet fighters, leaving the way clear for the fearsome Sturmoviks that restlessly bombed the German combatants. Without waiting for the Germans to arrive to the frontlines, and completely surprising the German leaders, Marshal Zhukov decided to strike first and threw all his tanks against the German spearhead, thus starting the biggest armored engagement in history. Although the German tanks were able to demonstrate its superiority and even managed to destroy the KV -1 and T-70 units deployed in the battle, Zhukov 's plan worked and the German tanks had to stop and regroup in order to avoid overextending their lines. More than 3,000 Russian tanks were destroyed or captured, but such sacrifice turned the ongoing battle in a series of melee skirmishes , with very high casualties on both sides in the conflict. When such dark news came to headquarters, OKH decided to issue a general and ordered retreat, trying to prevent that the failed advance on Tarnopol became an unprecedented slaughter. The Battle of Tarnopol meant the closure of Operation Citadel, and caused the loss of over 50,000 German soldiers, 200 tanks and numerous aircraft.
After the failure of Operation Citadel, OKH moved more than 50 divisions to the west
With practically to time for recovery, Marshal Zhukov decided to seize the opportunity to destroy the German Army, and a Soviet counteroffensive began with attacks on the provinces of Przemysl, Torun and Lwow . Such action was clearly aimed at encircling the German Army group recently used in Operation Citadel, but luckily for the Reich many of them still had the strength to fight back and rejected the Soviet attack. Without wasting any time, OKH decided to leave Lwow and relocate to the divisions in the north of Poland, where the Red Army led by Konstantin Rokossovsky tried to capture Warsaw in order to force a breakthrough behind the German lines; almost at the same time, in Przemysl and Torun the German divisions retreated to nearby towns where they would be reinforced and resupplied.
Blomberg defeated the Soviet counter-offensive, thus ensuring the chance to retreat
Some days later, new Soviet divisions reached the Western Front and forced the Wehrmacht to retreat into Salzburg, where new units would be sent to contain the Soviet advance and avoid the capture of the nuclear reactor in Munich or a Red march towards Berlin. But OKH had no illusions: the tide of war was changing, and the Reich was no longer carrying the initiative in this conflict. The Red Giant grew stronger day after day, and Berlin did not seem as distant as Moscow...
Front status, August 1943
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Not sure if I am allowed to post this video or not but here. I think you need to hear this Nacho.
[video=youtube;3WSe9ugpXIw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WSe9ugpXIw[/video]
Warning: If ye be too young to hear bad words to ye virgins ears, turn away from this dark video.
[video=youtube;3WSe9ugpXIw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WSe9ugpXIw[/video]
Warning: If ye be too young to hear bad words to ye virgins ears, turn away from this dark video.
Those are some huge encirclement opportunities if you manage to recover the offensive.
Little detail: I've never anyone say "sign" of war, you probably meant tide.
Good luck.
Little detail: I've never anyone say "sign" of war, you probably meant tide.
Good luck.
Yeah no kidding Nein; that northern front looks ripe for a good encirclement. Look at that little stack of Soviets with too much larger stacks of Germans to the north and south. That's a vulnerable salient if I've ever seen one.
Indeed I am, Dr. Stein...:laugh:
It´s almost impossible, at least for my skills...no chance for air supperiority and huge enemy stacks with doctrines that are not as bad as before. I will keep trying, but I am seriously running out of ideas...and a little tired too! The main problem is that those provinces with smaller stacks are mountains or harsh terrains, so when my troops arrive there they have almost no organization, and my TC is almost full, thus making any strategic redeployment way too slow...
Thanks for the correction, I just thought it meant the same as in Spanish and would have not realized about that otherwise. Ofc, it is changed now.
Wait, what? I've never heard anything like "el signo de la guerra".
Anyways, those encirclements are do or die, you have no other choice.
Anyways, those encirclements are do or die, you have no other choice.
Yes, in Spanish it means exactly that, a change in the evolution of a war...just google " cambio signo guerra" and you will see how it is a very usual expression. As for the encirclements you are right, it´s now or never.
Also I want the oppinion of all of you about an issue: would you like a small intermission update explaining the situation of the KDP, or do you prefer to leave that after the war is over?