The Might of the Fatherland: A DWI Barbarossa AAR

[guillec87]

now that the pressure on the West seems to have fallen for a long time, maybe you can send some Korps to Norway... if you manage to capture those troops in the fjords then the West will be secured for at least a year and thus more forces could be sent Eastwards and help reconquering Finland and stabilizing the front... at least that's what I would do, risky, but 'aleas iacta est'

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

Baltic Inferno​

The 51st Jagerkorps is now attempting to push the Soviets back up through Finland. General Ringel has concluded that if he were able to push the Soviets back quick enough, that he may be able to force their armor into unfavorable ground in the forests of Central Finland. To accomplish this, the 28th, 5th, and 8th Jager divisions are to hook round the left, with the 4th Gebirgsjager moving up the middle. All current information leads us to believe that the Soviet forces are overextended and spread out, having sent their main strength to make a break through in Karelia.

In order to bolster this advance, OKH is willing to send more divisions to the Finnish front, specifically the 6th Gebirgsjager and Motorised Divison Großdeutschland. These divisions are busy mopping up pockets of resistance fighters in Poland and Lithuania, and will very soon be freed up for normal operations. Division Großdeutschland is by all intensive purposes the best, most well equipped division in the Heer. Over the winter the elite formation was expanded and equipped with additional ableitungs (battalions) of artillery, anti-tank guns and flak guns, as well as two Panzer IV and Stug III ableitungs. Even as a motorised division, they have as many panzers as most Panzer Divisions.

In Northern Russia, along the Leningrad front, things are becoming... complicated. Our enemy is slowly building up strength, Finnish informants have been sending regular reports telling of "a continuous flow of Soviet troops and vehicles." Indeed, our own scouts have made similar findings, evidence of an increasingly large tank force building around Lake Ladoga. Armee Detachment Student will most definitely need to fortify along the Neva River, and be reinforced by troops possibly from France. They have already lost Ostinovets and Tosno, and they mustn't give up any more land. Generalfeldmarschall von Leeb, commander of Army Group North, has decided to take a risk and transfer a two division kampgruppe from the Volkhov River Line to form a makeshift line along the Neva River with Armee Detachment Student. This is a gamble that could result in the destruction of most of the 9th Armee in the Leningrad Region, or hold off the Soviets long enough to establish a more proper line.

The minor operations by Army Groups Center and South are going excellently, as they have captured the towns of Chachersk and Uman, shortening our lines significantly and freeing up more divisions for the offensives. These battles were long and bloody, resulting in heavy casualties for both sides, a prelude to the carnage that will soon be wreaked. The Soviets still refuse to give up any ground, and their counterattacks are causing yet more casualties to our divisions, and their own. More than 10 thousand brave men from the XVI and XXII Korps have died in the past two weeks alone, with nearly the same number falling from the I and VII Armeekorps farther to the North. Heavy casualties in a long war that will leave more dead yet.

With the war in the West once again returned to it's quiet, disengaged state, Heeres Gruppe West may examine it's strength. After receiving considerable reinforcements through the winter, there are now three hundred thousand soldaten in the West, still only a tenth of those on the Ostfront. Nonetheless, this number reflects the troop strength necessary to fight off an invasion, but we have already beaten off everything the West has thrown at us. We especially do not need all 85k men of the 8th Armee in Western France, and we plan to transfer at least a korps, 20-30 thousand, to either of the Scandinavian fronts within a few weeks. Another korps of 30k will be transferred from the 16th Armee in Northern France. It is now the prevailing theory with most general officers in the West that invasions should be fought off by a strong inland reserve rather than on the beaches. Containment rather than prevention is the belief of most, but the the older, stubborn officers dispute this. The faction that emphasizes strong beach defenses is made up of uninnovative veterans from the Great War, many of which hold on the the belief that static warfare is still viable in the modern era. Let us hope none of them are able to influence the Fuhrer on this matter. For once he has set his mind to a belief, he seldom lets go.

 

[guillec87]

yeah, leave the Panzer Korps Reserve and send at least 100.000 men to Norway and Finland

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

yeah, leave the Panzer Korps Reserve and send at least 100.000 men to Norway and Finland

The "Panzerkorps Reserve" is unfortunately a mish mash of a few regiments and brigades, assembled in Eastern France to form the cadre for some new divisions, hardly strong enough yet. Also 100,000? You would leave 200,000 men to defend 2000 miles/kilometers of coastline? We can only send a few dozen thousand.

 

[guillec87]

The "Panzerkorps Reserve" is unfortunately a mish mash of a few regiments and brigades, assembled in Eastern France to form the cadre for some new divisions, hardly strong enough yet. Also 100,000? You would leave 200,000 men to defend 2000 miles/kilometers of coastline? We can only send a few dozen thousand.

The Allies have no more troops for the time being... kick the Brits out of Norway and stabilize Finland.... I think you can do it in less than 8 months... only those who risk, win

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

The Spring Rasputitsa​

It appears that the Red Army will not cease in it's efforts to bleed our army dry. Actions involving multiple divisions are constant along Heeres Gruppe Mitte's sector, and these battles seem to serve no purpose other than weakening our ability to launch offensives. It is possible that these are probing attacks as a prelude to a Soviet counteroffensive before Moscow, but the sporadic and even random nature of these attacks makes that option unlikely. The location alone is enough to make the General Staff not lose sleep, for the Smolensk salient is one of the few regions on the front lines where we have any considerable reserves. Any Red Army breakthrough could easily be obliterated by the considerable might of the Italian 8th Army and the 3rd and 4th Panzerarmees.

Now, if the Soviets were to attack say... the front around Leningrad, it could result in a military disaster of proportion not yet seen in the German Army. With this thought in mind, Finnish reports of Soviet troop movements to the South and West of Lake Ladoga is cause for Field Marshal von Leeb to worry. It appears that at least three corps are in the process of being transferred to the Finnish front, including at least 5 armored divisions equipped with the outdated but still dangerous BT-7 tanks. When these divisions bolster those already in Finland, the 51st Jagerkorps will have a hell of a time launching it's offensive, or even holding the line for that matter.

The BT series, while lightly armed and armored, can still be a threat when massed​

Even without the Soviet reinforcements, the 51st and it's Gebirgstruppen are having a rough go of it. Casualties are mounting and supply is breaking down in the thick forests and deep mud. The especially long rasputitsa, "sea of mud", this spring is hindering man, beast, and machine alike. A report from Leutnant Hans Eichloff sums the situation up excellently:

"On the march, our men slog through mud many centimeters deep. They first lose one boot, then another, and before long they are covered in brown sludge. In combat it is common for the soldiers to go on like this for many days, awash in a foul smelling mixture of muck, his own sweat, and often the blood of his comrades and enemies. Trench foot is near universal in the infantry ranks, enlisted men and officers alike suffer in these terrible conditions, such that hasn't been seen since the Great War. The horses suffer as much as their human masters, towing artillery pieces and supply trains through the mud they are crippled and shot as food. It seems that nearly every day we lose a horse or two, it's gotten to the point where the artillery crews have had to leave their pieces behind because they can't move them any longer. It is madness that men have to fight in these conditions, and I eagerly await the day our glorious Fuhrer pulls my platoon off the line before we are all driven from sanity to become rabid beasts."

With this slow, agonizing fighting becoming the standard in the Finnish theatre of operations, our divisions have become spread out and unable to support one another. The result of this was the loss, however temporary, of the Finnish capital to the 198th Motorised Division, whose leading elements swiftly overran the unprepared Finnish forces. However, with fire support from the Baltic Fleet and what remains of our korps level artillerie, the 4th Gebirgsdivision and it's Finnish auxiliaries managed to swiftly liberate Helsinki. The attack was specially coordinated with the fleet, so that the elite division Grossdeutschland division was landed and immediately put into action with it's panzers spearheading the drive through the city. After this setback, and the withdrawal of the battered Jager divisions away from the line temporarily, we are once again put on the defensive. With the men of the XL. Jagerkorps breaking down physically and mentally, and the Soviets being reinforced by seemingly endless reserve divisions, the liberation of Finland is unforeseeable as of now.

The battered, but still whole, buildings of Helsinki. The city sustained only light damage in the few days it was occupied, a far cry from the destruction seen in many Russian cities.

In the Norweigan theatre of operations the 12th Armee finds itself in a similar situation, as they have been pushed back to the city of Oslo. In Norway the infrastructure is just as bad, if not worse, and the sparseness of roads is proving to be a problem for the divisions stationed here. Originally tasked with suppressing a large scale uprising in central and northern Norway, the 12th Army was caught off guard and thusly unprepared when the British launched their offensive. The forces here had been advancing on a wide front to retake land with as much haste as possible, and when the leading elements of the L. Armeekorps were struck by the British vanguard they were devastated. A large scale retreat occurred, but a lack of proper roads combined with sabotage and air attacks clogged the way back to Oslo. Three weeks later and Admirals Saalwachter and Marschall find most of their forces conducting a fighting withdrawal through the Scandinavian Mountains and only a token force defending their headquarters and base of operations in Oslo. This motley force of one infantry division, a special mountain pioneer battalion, and a few HQ sections has to contend with two armored divisions, an infantry division, and a parachute brigade. Reinforcements will not come for some time, so let us hope that their defenses are well prepared.

North Africa is one of the few areas we, or our allies, can report success as of now. This is the only front that our men aren't locked in a brutal dance of death with their adversaries. The Italians are showing themselves to be rather skilled fighters, routing the British and Iraqis in every battle. The Italian divisions from Libya have now captured the city of Alexandria, nearly surrounded Cairo, and are just miles away from the Suez Canal and Red Sea. If they were to capture the canal before the British Navy can evacuate they would force the Mediterranean Fleet to make a mad dash through the Southern Mediterranean while being harassed by the Italian, Bulgarian, Romanian, and now Yugoslavian Navies. Either this option, or attempting to do the same through the canal itself while being harassed by submarines and land based artillery. The British ships would then be in the territory of the feared Imperial Japanese Navy along the route to South Africa or the besieged India.

One can see the difficulty in evacuating a fleet through a narrow channel such as this, and the risk posed by even field howitzers to the metal behemoths.

 

[guillec87]

great! at least the Italians are doing ok in NA.... again, I beg you to send troops to Norway and destroy the Brits there

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

I have troops enroute, and I should be able to touch more on that theater in the next update or two. I'd like to get my updates to a more consistent rate as well, but no promises.

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

Bloody Krasnyy​

As part of the Soviet operation against the Smolensk Salient, a series of attacks have been executed along 6th Armee's flank. These attacks have so far been directed to the area west of Smolensk around the small town of Krasnyy, an area defended by the XI. Armeekorps under General Halder. After losing over 3000 men in an engagement on the 31st of May, the korps was engaged again in the early hours of June 2nd by fresh Soviet divisions. After 3 days the 31st Infanterie and 9th Sturm divisions were forced back, but managed to hold their positions long enough to allow the 1st SS-Korps to bring it's divisions forth.

The Soviet attackers would normally be no match for these elite troops, the best of the best German soldiers, but the Wiking and Das Reich divisions ran straight into the Soviet advance. Their leading units were decimated in the subsequent firefight, advancing piecemeal into withering Russian fire. These divisions would have been lost in their entirety in futile counterattacks if not for the corps commander. In a coordinated assault led by the korps commander himself, Ernst Fessmann, the 1st SS Leibstandarte fronted an awe inspiring countermove. Smashing into the Soviet vanguard with it's attached panzer ableitung, they routed the 323rd Rifle Division and formed a wedge between the 379th and 352nd. In the ensuing fray caused by the mixing of German and Soviet divisions, the Leibstandarte division racked up a killcount of 3000 killed or wounded, while suffering a similar amount as well.

I. SS Motorised Korps suffered catastrophic casualties in the 1st and 2nd Battles of Krasnyy. Upwards of 10,000 men from the SS Korps alone were killed or wounded in the brutal fighting west of Smolensk, including disproportionately heavy casualties in the support battalions of the Das Reich and Wiking divisions. These were decimated in a desperate struggle to defend Korps HQ from a breakthrough from the Soviet 323rd Rifle Division, with a number of them suffering 50-60% casualties in the brutal hand to hand battle that ensued. Despite a seeming superiority in numbers, men, and equipment; we lost an extremely high number of men, comparatively much more than the Soviets. This level of attrition may warrant a partial overhaul of the seemingly ill-equipped SS divisions. Hitler will not allow his personal guard to lose so many men compared to the Bolshevik dogs.

Due to a devastating surprise attack from the 28th Mechanized Corps, our offensive operations in Finland have turned into desperate defensive efforts. As noted by Leutnant Eichloff, the XL. Korps is running out of artillery. With only 36 pieces per division, and increasing inability to transport them, the situation is becoming very perilous. Things are very dangerous when one considers the rarity and even lack of anti-tank in the Jager and Gebirgsjager divisions, of course meant to fight in mountainous and heavily forested terrain. As a result of this purpose, the divisions are expected to fight any tanks they encounter with their 75mm multipurpose Gebirgsgeschütz 36 (Mountain Gun 1936).

Unfortunately the loss of nearly half of the divisional artillery in the 51st Jagerkorps has left our men with a terrible conundrum. With limited AT and a Red Army force comprised of mostly armored divisions, what can they do. Now, with the 5th and 8th Jager divisions now cut of in Turku, and the Grossdeutschland divisions only having one battalion of tanks and another of StuG armored assault guns, General Ringel is running out of options. The 2 separated Jager divisions are the ones that lost the most howitzers in last week's rout, and are quickly resorting to improvised forms of anti-tank, such as using flaming bottles of alcohol "molotov cocktails" and greased tnt to destroy tracks. In Helsinki the 51st is preparing once again to defend the Finnish capital from besieging Red Army force. To assist, OKH has thrown in any and all free forces in the Baltic to hold the city. The 6th Gebirgsjager and the Marine Special Landing Battalion have been brought in to bolster the sleepless and unwashed defenders. OKH fears that this siege won't be as bloodless as the last, and will result in thousands of civilian casualties and many buildings reduced to rubble. There has even been discussion of evacuation from Finland, let us hope it does not come to that...

 

[sebas379]

Less than 400 manpower left, no sweeping breakthroughs that surround hundreds of thousands of soviets and indeed it appears the enemy is seizing the initiative.

I know you have set things up to be as accurate as hoi allows, but perhaps it is time to play the axis trump card and bring the Empire of Japan into the war. At the rate you are losing men here i am not sure you can get to moscow before your reserves run dry.

Although, the front at krasny seems pretty lightly manned by the enemy. Perhaps a kreakthrough and encirclement there is possible.

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

Less than 400 manpower left, no sweeping breakthroughs that surround hundreds of thousands of soviets and indeed it appears the enemy is seizing the initiative.

I know you have set things up to be as accurate as hoi allows, but perhaps it is time to play the axis trump card and bring the Empire of Japan into the war. At the rate you are losing men here i am not sure you can get to moscow before your reserves run dry.

Although, the front at krasny seems pretty lightly manned by the enemy. Perhaps a breakthrough and encirclement there is possible.

The initiative is only shifting because I am playing my cards passively. The summer offensives will commence as soon as the 6 Infantry divisions in training are ready to go. Once these are part of Army Group South the offensive will begin, hopefully wiping out the Soviet presence in Ukraine. If executed correctly, the entire front should be destabilized, clearing the way for the advance on Moscow.

Here's the thing, the Glorious Japanese Empire is in the war, but they are utterly useless in helping against the Soviets. I think I may make an update on the state of the various axis nations.

Now, as to launching an offensive in the Krasny area, it is too risky. You see, during the winter I force fired a number of Soviet manpower events, and I built them a mobile force of 30 some-odd motorized and armored divisions. I have no idea where they placed these, but I have a strong inclination to believe that they placed them in front of Moscow. I am afraid that if I were to launch even a minor localized offensive, then I would be slammed with a counter-attack by these divisions. Or the Red Army could launch an offensive of it's own against the Northern Flank of Army Group Center, probably my most thinly manned sector on the entire Eastern Front. I'm afraid I just can't risk commiting my mobile reserve to any sort of attack.

 

[guillec87]

I am surprised about that cassualties sustained by the SS... are they not equiped properly?

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

I assure you they were equipped excellently, I have no idea how they were shredded like that.

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

Fall of Turku and the 3rd Siege of Helsinki​

The rapid counter-operation by the 28th Mechanized Corps captured in a day, land the LI. Korps took a month and a half to capture. The three Soviet armored divisions that burst out of the central Finnish forest moved with at such a rapid pace that our tired divisions were quickly overrun. The 28th Jager and 4th Gebirgsjager divisions were lucky enough to fall back to Helsinki in fairly good order, but the 6th and 8th Jagers were not so fortunate. In the disorganized rout that followed the Soviet attack the 6th was overrun, cut off, and fragmented into unsustainable pockets. The 8th meanwhile was forced into the same situation faced by the Italian Corpo Celere (Fast Corps) a month ago. Trapped in the port city of Turku, surrounded by Soviets, and under constant bombardment. The exhausted, under equipped, scarcely supplied division held for 3 days before finally capitulating to the Soviet commander Semenchenko. Now we can expect the full weight of the Soviet 15th Army to be committed to the suppression of Helsinki and the subjugation of Finland.

In the Norway the 12th Armee has now begun a general counter-offensive to drive the British forces North in the same manner our's were driven South. Their armored divisions had the advantage of being on the offensive against a routing enemy, thus allowing their tanks and other heavy equipment to be brought carefully through the mountains. If, or rather when our men force their's back. With six regular Infanterie Divisions now under the 12. Armee, and 4 static divisions, the strength of the opposing armies is near equivalent, answering the pleading of a number of staff officers in Norway and Berlin.

Despite a brief counter-move by Motorized Division Grossdeutschland that managed to regain some ground, it's position quickly became untenable, and it's men had to hightail it back to the capital. They would have been cut off entirely if not for the extraordinary efforts of the 4th and 6th Mountain divisions, who held a narrow corridor for the elite unit to pull back through. Now however, we have no breathing room, the Russians have our forces surrounded and have an advantage in men, tanks, and equipment. The previously mentioned loss of artillery is greatly impacting all combat efforts, and we have been forced to use antiqued Finnish surplus guns. Field Marshal Mannerheim and General der Gebirgstruppe Riegel have estimated that they will be able to hold for a week max, but the order to evacuate is all that is needed for the Kriegsmarine to act. Plans have already been drawn up to ferry the 51st Korps across the 70km of the Gulf of Finland to the Estonian capital of Talinn. From there they will most likely be transferred to Leningrad to assist in defending the area against the inevitable Soviet offensive through Karelia.

These pieces are field artillery from 1887, more than half a century old, but now relied upon.

STAVKA keeps funneling men into what has been dubbed "The Krasnyy meat grinder". The 3rd Battle of Krasnyy appears to be nearly as bloody as it's predecessors, as the already mangled Leibstandarte struggles to hold the now ruined village. This time the divisions in this sector have taken every precaution and established a fortified position so strong and deep that no Bolshevik could hope to break through. With it's panzers and assault guns dug in as static fire support sources, the 1st SS division has dug it's heels into the mud and determined to beat back their opponents or die in the process. With this fighting spirit they were able to hold the rubble and fight off the Red Army once more. Hitler, upon hearing of the exploits of his namesake personal guard division, ordered they be pulled off the line and expanded into a panzergrenadier division and given a full regiment of panzers. Previously possessing only a battalion, the division will now possess more armored vehicles than most panzer divisions. As well as being expanded, the division and the men of the XI. Armeekorps are to be awarded with a special commemorative arm shield medal for their part in the battles of Krasnyy. These unique awards are only issued to soldiers participating in particularly prolonged and/or difficult battles such as Krasnyy. Cast in iron with the year, location and battlecry "Sieg oder Tod" (Victory or Death) carved under an imperial eagle, they will commemorate the struggles endured by these brave soldiers.

Soldiers of the Leibstandarte division fighting in the village of Krasnyy

Panzer IV G of the LSSAH panzer ableitung dug in around Krasnyy

 

[sebas379]

You really could not afford those losses in Finland. I'm becoming more and more sceptical about your chances with the increasing Soviet counterattacks and the speed at which your manpower pool is draining. I've been sceptical about this invasion from day 1 with the gruesome clashes on the border, but at this point I'm betting my money on the Heer being bled dry in 1943 and a total collapse of the Axis'eastern front by 1944.

Very curious to see your plan on getting out of the hole you dug yourself into, or at least the plan for holding the line.
Any idea what the western Allies, especially the US and UK, are up to?

 

[guillec87]

I agree with Sebas, start building fortifications along the rivers and cross your fingers... 2 divisions lost is way to much... time to abandon Finland for the time being

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

Axis and Allies​

I wanted to just make a little side update to give you guys an idea of what I'm up against, and what's on my side. Give some troop numbers, show some pictures on who owns what and so forth.

Japan: My strongest ally has the largest army in the world, six and a half million men, larger than the Soviet and German armies combined. However, at least 50% of their divisions are static garrison divisions, probably closer to 60% or 70%. For a prime example of this, the Balikpapan theater has 4.3 million men, but I didn't see any more than 15 divisions (around 180k men) that were mainline. That is probably too generous though. Granted, that means the Americans will have a hard time taking any islands, but it also means the Soviets can keep their strength in the west. When you add in their puppet states who combine to have a little over 800 thousand men, and the Japanese troops in Eastern/Northern China, you get about 1.3 million men, but probably just under a million face the Soviets. The IJN is one of the larger navies in the world, but still dwarfed by the USN and somewhat the RN. While still possessing a large number of capital line ships

There's a further 180k in India, opposed to 70k British, and maybe 30k Nepalese and Tibetans. The Japanese Empire has captured the entire Southern half of India, most of Indonesia, most of New Guinea, Wake Island, and some fragments of the USSR's Far East.

The IJN is one of the larger navies in the world, but still dwarfed by the USN and somewhat the RN. It still possesses a large number of capital line ships: Schlachtschiffs (Battleships), Schlachtkreuzers (Battlekreuzers), Schwerer Kreuzers (Heavy Cruisers), and even a Superschweres Schlachtschiff (Super Heavy Battleship). Last time I checked before this though, they had more like 8 Battleships and maybe twice as many cruisers, so I would assume they've been in a few slugfests with the American, Australian, and British navies. They appear to have lost all but one Flugzeugrager (Aircraft Carrier) and most of their Zerstorers (Destroyers) and Leichter Kreuzers (Light Cruisers), this of course is very dangerous to the safety of the rest of the fleet.

Italy: My second most powerful ally, 288 thousand men in Italy and Dalmatia, 346k in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean, 260k in North Africa, 160k in East Africa, and a further 200k under German command. This totals around 1.2 million, and unlike the Japanese, there is an even balance between static and line divisions. Their army has successfully captured all of British North and East Africa, and is seemingly prepared to cross the Suez into British Middle East and Iraq. If more troops are needed in the East, Italy will be the first to be drawn from.

Axis Minors: I can also draw yet more troops from my smaller Axis members. Currently, the only ones with sizable forces not under my command are Hungary and Yugoslavia, but Romania has a surplus of manpower and can be drawn from in the future. Yugoslavia has around 150k under equipped troops sitting in their country, and these could very well be used to plug gaps in the line soon. Hungary is the most powerful of all the smaller axis nations, possessing a massive air force and a 400 thousand plus man army. As soon as the game decides to give them back their expeditionary forces for reorganization I can utilize their troops alongside the Yugoslavs and Romanians in Operation Tatar. After these two big suckers we have Romania and Bulgaria. Romania has 40 thousand men left in their country, with around 100 thousand more along the Dniester, with 240 manpower left they can feasibly make more divisions to help in the war effort. Bulgaria on the other hand has 150 thousand men about to march into Turkey and then to the Caucasus, 20-30 thousand in their country, and zip manpower. These two nations are also rather poor when it comes to men and equipment quality, resulting in piss poor fighting ability unless sent en masse. Finland is done, we know this, 3 divisions will be evacuated with my men, but they are finished besides that. Slovakia, two anti-partisan divisons; Denmark, HAHA; Indochina, lol; Iceland, also funny; Belgium on the other hand... Belgium has 100 thousand men in Central Africa fighting the British and South Africans, and are being very successful, they can work with the Italians and let me focus elsewhere.

Britain, America, Canada: The Western Allies have been repeatedly crushed by Army Group West, with each losing large forces in the process. Canada only has one division left overseas, and America still seems unwilling to come out from their isolation. America has around a million men, but any offensive action by them is unforeseeable until their new fleet is assembled. Six new Battleships, eight new Carriers, and a massive carrier borne air fleet. When this is put together with their already formidable fleet, which includes 249 destroyers, no one could dream of shutting them down. Britain is the odd duck of these three, possessing an inadequate army and ever shrinking fleet to defend and ever shrinking empire, an empire that one can already see the sun slowly setting on. Great Britain cannot hold India, New Guinea, or the Middle East. Their offensive in Norway is being brought to a halt thanks to reinforcements from France, and they don't possess enough extra men to invade France again. All they can hope to do is defeat the 12th Armee in Norway and then move on to Mainland Europe from there.

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

Also, all readers, looking for feedback on the AAR itself.

Any issues you guys might have, ideas, tips etc. Anything I should change or adjust about my writing style? Pictures? Formatting? More POV pieces? More statistics? More in-game photos? More historical photos?

Please, give me some feedback, I want to know how to make this more interesting and enjoyable for all of you.

 

[sebas379]

The statistics update is something I love because it gives a good solid overview of the situation. If you'd consider putting one of these in every now and then (once, maaaaaaaybe twice a year is more than enough) I'd be very happy.

I enjoy your writing a lot, it transfers the feeling of a true slugfest of a war very well. Your writing style is very similar to my own, so naturally I like it. You use a bit more ingame images than I tend to do, but that is no bad thing at all. A picture says more than a thousand words sometimes. Love the occasional historical photo for flavour. I cannot think of something I dislke to be honest

edit: maybe a quick look at other fronts on a slightly more regular scale? A few words on how Italy and Japan are doing in their respective theatres so we keep in touch with their state of operations. It would be great to see if Japan is taking out the US Pacific bases and harrassing the Lend-Lease convoys from the USA to the USSR to any effect. If they are, you do not have to worry too much about a US attack in Europe, but if they are not...

Which brought this note to mind: If they can take Vladiwostok and you can harass the route to Archangelsk, the USSR can get into a lot of trouble.

 

[ErwinRommel7Pzr]

The statistics update is something I love because it gives a good solid overview of the situation. If you'd consider putting one of these in every now and then (once, maaaaaaaybe twice a year is more than enough) I'd be very happy.

I enjoy your writing a lot, it transfers the feeling of a true slugfest of a war very well. Your writing style is very similar to my own, so naturally I like it. You use a bit more ingame images than I tend to do, but that is no bad thing at all. A picture says more than a thousand words sometimes. Love the occasional historical photo for flavour. I cannot think of something I dislke to be honest

Well thank you. That world update was long needed and as a result bloody colossal. I would do stat updates every time if there was a casualty counter. Now I can either make estimations or kill myself by writing down the result of every battle.

edit: maybe a quick look at other fronts on a slightly more regular scale? A few words on how Italy and Japan are doing in their respective theatres so we keep in touch with their state of operations. It would be great to see if Japan is taking out the US Pacific bases and harrassing the Lend-Lease convoys from the USA to the USSR to any effect. If they are, you do not have to worry too much about a US attack in Europe, but if they are not...

Which brought this note to mind: If they can take Vladiwostok and you can harass the route to Archangelsk, the USSR can get into a lot of trouble.

The problem with Japan is they are extremely reluctant to take anything from the Americans, we shall see I suppose though.