'Odin' and Stalin's Secret Committee

[roverS3]

The 29th of January 1940, near Vologda, -10,3°C, 10am Moscow Time,

1ya Armiya seems to be regrouping, after the defeat in Vokhtozero, they have started to move into Käkisalmi, with 5 Divisions just hours away.
Vokhtozero was taken over by Finnish troops, as predictably 1ya Armiya's reinforcements didn't arrive in time, luckily the Finns called it a day, as the way to Petrozadovsk is wide open until said reinforcements, still 3 and 4 provinces away, arrive. (they could easily take a week to get there)

Viipuri 5
The Finns somehow seem to have had a different impression of the result of the last battle for Viipuri than we did. They seemed to think it was wise to probe it's defences once more, you never know, maybe Soviet High command had left only a single Division in place, or the Red Army was reeling from a Pyrrhic Victory? None of these were true, and as the Finnish Army launched another Attack at 12am on the 19th, from 3 directions, counting 29.974 soldiers, most of them still tired from the previous battle for Viipuri, it took them only 10 minutes and 89 casualties to realise their mistake. They were faced with 6 well organised and dug in Rifle Divisions, counting 59.972 men, 20 of whom were unlucky to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when the Finnish Attack hit. It was so short, we didn't even got to know who was actually leading the Attack (Probably Maj. General Valve)To sum things up:

Soviet Union:
Men sent into Battle: 402.268 (+59.972), ground combat casualties for finished battles: 2.548 (+20) men,
Planes sent into Battle: 3.200 (Air Battles only), 86 planes lost (41 Yak-4's, 17 SB-2's, 9 CAG's, 23 Su-2's, 5 I-16's)
Finland:
Men sent into Battle: 259.199 (+29.974), ground combat casualties for finished battles 5.306 (+89) men, Bombing Casualties: 8.234
Planes sent into Battle: 634 (Air Battles only), at least 1/3 planes lost.

No screenshot this time, as nothing has really changed, also no picture, as pictures of the real battle of Viipuri show way too much destruction for the in-game situation, and I'm not going to keep showing you the sights of Viipuri every time the Finns fire a gun at it...

Greetings,

'Odin'

 

[roverS3]

The 29th of January 1940, near Vologda, -10,3°C, 10am Moscow Time

Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten day period between the 20th and the 29th of January 1940,

by 'Odin'

Army:

No changes in Army Numbers for the last 10 days
Officers: 63.719 + / 73.190 needed / 87,060 %
​

Air Force:

No changes in the VVS, nor the Navy Air Fleet in the last ten days
​

Navy:

No changes in the navy for the last ten days
​

Politics / International:

No legislative changes for the last 10 days, nothing of note on the International scene
​

Industry:

Industry Numbers:

Working Industrial Capacity / available capacity: 232 / 313 (+5) Development of improved Industrial Production (Level 6), for now most of the increase has been allocated to Supplies and Consumer Goods
IC Usage: ( Allocated IC / Need )
Upgrades: 30,92 / 31,96
Reinforcement: 1,81 / 1,80
Supplies: 17,15 / 30,11
Production: 234,95 / 234,95
Consumer Goods: 28,17 / 28,17 (+0,54)​

Stockpiles:

Energy: 99.989 tonnes +
Metal: 78.293 tonnes -
Rares: 27.876 tonnes +
Crude: 77.320 barrels +
Supplies: 30.005 tonnes +
Fuel: 99.368 barrels +
Money: 1.910 -
​

Intelligence:

Spy numbers, spies in (active / added / lost / caught by us)
France (Tech Espionage / Counterespionage): 10 / 0 / 0 / 0

{ Germany (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 }
{ Japan (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ UK (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }​

Other: 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Total: 10 / 0 / 0 / 3​

Reserves: 4
Spy training leadership expenditure: 0,5
​

Research:

Now advances have been made to our machines and production schedules, which has improved our Industrial Production (Level 6)
Now researchers are looking into how to produce the same, but in less time, using less resources, thus improving the Efficiency (Level 6) of our Industry.
No changes to LS distribution
​

Statistics:

National Unity: 82,743 (+0,01)
Neutrality: 0,00 =
Dissent: 0,00 =
Manpower:

Available: 1.941.000 Men
To reinforce(need): 1.050 Men
To mobilise(need): See above
Monthly gain: 43.800 Men (1 fully mobilised Infx3, AT Division every 7,8 days)​

No changes in Party Popularity for the last ten days
Party Organisation:

- Communist Party: 61,9 (+0,1)
- Trotskyite: 12,60 (-0,1)
- Bukharinite: 7,70 (-0,1)

- Octobrist: 8,20 (-0,1)
- Trudoviks: 5,00 (-0,1)
- Social-Revolutionary: 0,00 =
- Kadets: 0,00 =

- Tsarists: 1,50 (-0,1)
- NTS: 2,50 (-0,1)
- POA: 0,00 =
​

Convoy Raiding:

No Finnish merchant activity detected in the Baltic in the last ten days
​

This Information is accurate on the morning of the 29th of January 1940, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.

'Odin'​

 

[Bullfilter]

and I'm not going to keep showing you the sights of Viipuri every time the Finns fire a gun at it...

I liked that

 

[roverS3]

I liked that

I was planning on making an exception for battles longer than 10 minutes... I too like that part, being an architecture student, so I'm sure you will get to see some more interesting places, when I'm in less of a rush to post an update...

 

[roverS3]

The 8th of February 1940, near Vologda, -9,9°C, 10am Moscow Time,

Report on the Finnish war for the ten days between 10am on the 29th of January, and 10am on the 8th of February,

1ya Armiya has cautiously started taking initiative again, and this means we are actually advancing (slowly) again. And this despite the behind the lines reshuffle.

Behind the lines reshuffle, bask in the glory of the AI sending Divisions out of their HQ's range, note also Maj. General Popov's 57 MSD resting far behind the front line in the top right of the screenshot.
​

Viipuri 6 & 7

The Finns seem to be very attached to Viipuri, as that's the only reason I can imagine for them to keep trying to take it back, finding the same six Soviet DIvision lying in wait again and again. On the 29th of January at 12am Maj. General Valve SK3 launched a cautious Attack on the city with 29.974 men from his own 4. DIvisioona (Infx4) and 5. DIvisioona (Infx3) in Hamina, Erilliset Pataljoona (Infx2) in Antrea, and 2. Er.RTPsto (Gar) in Lappeenranta. In Viipuri 59.965 men from six rifle Divisions, 54 SD, 122 SD, 31 SD, 191 SD, 70 SD, and 73 SD, were well dug in, ready for much worse than a cautious attack by half their numbers. In charge was Maj. General Chernyak SK2. The battle was over by 1pm as the Finns realised that the attack was futile, they left behind 73 dead, while 23 Russian Defenders were killed.

Viipuri train station built in 1913, picture from the late twenties, not much has changed since then, except the country it is in...
​

All of this didn't stop the Finnish Army from trying again exactly 24 hours later, with less men this time. The attack came only from Lappeenranta, with 5. DIvisioona taking the lead, followed by 2. Er.RTPsto, a total of 11.964 men, against the same six defending Divisions, now counting 59.994 men. Unsurprisingly this battle was over in minutes, with 19 Finns, and 8 Russians dead. Due to the short duration of these battles, they were over before any Bombers could reach the Area.

Käkisalmi 3 & 4

Another very short battle was fought over Käkisalmi, with the Finns trying to take advantage of the fact that our troops, which had just arrived there, weren't dug in yet. At 5pm on the 29th of January, a two Division attack was launched by the Finnish Army, from Antrea. 14.988 men from Erilliset Pataljoona (Infx2), and 13. DIvisioona (Infx3), charged into Käkisalmi, expecting an enemy still in the process of unpacking... On the Russian side were 49.999 Riflemen from 5 Rifle Divisions, 38 SD, 4 SD, 142 SD, 43 SD, and 78 SD. They may have been unpacking, but there were enough of them to make the Finns reconsider within minutes, with minimal losses of 8 Finns and 4 Russians.

The military hospital in Käkisalmi, now treating our wounded.
​

Of course the Finns were back for this one as well, the next attack on Käkisalmi came from Hitola. Maj. General Svanström, SK1 sent his Erilliset Pataljoona (2) (There are two different Finnish Divisions with the same name and Infx2 make-up) and all of it's 5.997 men into an Attack on Käkisalmi. Maj. General Kurasov SK3, in charge of 49.951 men from 4 Divisions (38 SD, 142 SD, 43 SD, and 78 SD), seems to have decided to give the Finns some hope by ordering an unnecessary Delaying Action, making it seem like the Finns were making some slow progress, somehow this fooled Maj. General Svanström into keeping up the pointless Attack for a full two hours before finally pulling back, 65 Finns and 12 Russians were left behind on the Battlefield. Maybe he though the 2nd battle of Antrea had exhausted the Russians, he couldn't have been more wrong...

Antrea 2

After Käkisalmi 3, Maj. General Kurasov SK3 was pretty confident in his troops and at 10pm on the 29th of January, he ordered an Attack on Antrea. 29.996 men in from three Rifle Divisions (38 SD, 4 SD, and 78 SD) went on the offensive. The Defence, lead by Maj. General Snellman SK2, WS, FB consisted of only his Erilliset Pataljoona (The original, Infx2) and it's 5.954 men. The next day, at 7am 13. Divisioona (Infx3) 8.462 men strong arrived in Antrea, this seems to be the most likely reason for Maj. General Kurasov to halt offensive operations, leaving 12 Russians and 36 Finns dead on the battlefiels. Was he just being cautious, his men still outnumbered the enemy two to one with air support, did he underestimate his men's capabilities, or are our soldiers really that bad?

The church of Antrea before the war, it is beautiful, the roof was blown off by a bomb from an Il-2 that missed its target.
​

I ShAK , having just taken delivery of 200 Ilyushin Il-2' Shturmoviks, flew 2 missions over Antrea, lead by it's trusted Air Maj. General Zhigarev SK3, TB. With 200 Il-2's and 100 La-5's, bombing 5.966 ground troops, no planes were lost, and 86 Finns were killed from the sky.

Hamina

After Viipuri 6, Maj. General Nikishin SK2 spotted an opportunity in Hamina, only 2 tired Garrison Regiments (RT1, and 1. ErRTPsto) were present with 5.985 men, and not dug in. Not wasting any time, Maj. General Nikishin Assaulted the Finns with just his own 122 SD and it's 10.000 men at noon on the 30th of January. Predictably the enemy didn't put up much of a Defence, and by midnight, the battle was over, for the price 11 Russians, and 69 Finns, Hamina was ours.

Hamina, in the 1930's, a small town with mostly Log houses, very picturesque, much of it was in flames due to II BAK's bombardments, but it is now, at least, in Soviet hands.
​

II BAK delivered 2 bombing missions over Hamina, lead by Air Maj. General Yakovlev SK3, TB and still using their 200 SB-2's ('Chteyre' tells me the VVS is refurbishing some mothballed Ilyushin DB-3's as a stop-gap measure until enough Yak-4's are available). Out of 5.966 Finns, 55 were killed, no Aeroplanes were lost.

Hamina 2 & Lappeenranta

When Maj. General Nikishin SK2 arrived in Hamina on the 5th of February, his 10.000 man 122 SD, was quickly on the receiving end of an Assault. At noon, his men were face to face with the 8.997 man 5. Divisioona (Infx3), lead by Maj. General Arajuuri SK2, attacking from Lappeenranta. After 12 hours of well executed Elastic Defence, the battle was over at midnight, with 41 dead Finns, and 43 dead Russians. The battle probably ended because of the battle of Lappeenranta...

In peacetime, this was an Elementary school, in wartime it was the HQ of 5. DIvisioona, until it was one of II BAK's primary targets in Lappeenranta.
​

At 10pm on the 5th of February, Maj. General Frenkel SK3 decided to help out the Russians under Assault in Hamina. With his own 70 SD, and 73 SD, totalling 20.000 men he ordered an Assault on Lappeenranta. Defending the province were 13. Divisioona, already engaged in Hamina, and two Garrison Regiments (RT3, 2. ErRTPsto), a total of 14.789 men. Maj. General Arajuuri SK2, was also in charge of this battle, and only to hours in he would pull his division out of Hamina, to fully concentrate on the defence of Lappeenranta. Three hours later, at 3am on the 6th of February, Maj. General Frenkel called it a day and ended the Assault. 36 Russians and 95 Finns were killed in action.

During all of this II BAK, still lead by Air Maj. General Yakovlev SK3, TB, flew 3 bombing missions over Lappeenranta, still using it's 200 SB2's, killing 226 out of 14.991 Finnish soldiers, while losing not a single Aeroplane.

After this the front was quiet for another two days.

Overview of Finland on the 8th of February, note the recently gained coastal province of Hamina, west of Viipuri.​

To sum things up:
Soviet Union:
Men sent into Battle: 692.173 (+289.905), ground combat casualties for finished battles: 2.695 (+147) men,
Planes sent into Battle: 3.200 (Air Battles only), 86 planes lost (41 Yak-4's, 17 SB-2's, 9 CAG's, 23 Su-2's, 5 I-16's)
Finland:
Men sent into Battle: 366.313 (+107.114), ground combat casualties for finished battles 5.712 (+406) men, Bombing Casualties: 8.601 (+367)
Planes sent into Battle: 634 (Air Battles only), at least 1/3 planes lost.

Until next time,

Greetings,

'Odin'

​

 

[Eurasia]

Looks like the war is turning worse for the Fins. I think they lost, what, about seven soldiers for each Russian soldier in this time period? At this rate they will not have any soldiers l

 

[roverS3]

The 8th of February 1940, near Vologda, -9,9°C, 10am Moscow Time

Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten day period between the 29th of January and the 8th of February 1940,

by 'Odin'

Army:

No changes in Army Numbers for the last 10 days
Officers: 63.968 + / 73.190 needed / 87,400 %
​

Air Force:

No changes in the VVS, nor the Navy Air Fleet in the last ten days
​

Navy:

No changes in the navy for the last ten days
​

Politics / International:

No legislative changes for the last 10 days, nothing of note on the International scene
​

Industry:

Some Command bunkers were completed in Leningrad ('Level 3'), and some fortified concrete trenches ('Level 2') were completed in Dubrouna.
Construction has started on some specialised heavy AT-gun bunkers ('Level 5') in Moskva, and some fortified concrete trenches in Haradok ('Level 2').
Industry Numbers:

Working Industrial Capacity / available capacity: 232 / 313 (+5)
IC Usage: ( Allocated IC / Need )

Upgrades: 31,12 / 51,32
Reinforcement: 0,72 / 0,72
Supplies: 17,15 / 30,23
Production: 235,85 / 235,85
Consumer Goods: 28,17 / 28,17​

Stockpiles:

Energy: 99.980 tonnes -
Metal: 78.279 tonnes -
Rares: 27.937 tonnes +
Crude: 78.298 barrels -
Supplies: 29.574 tonnes -
Fuel: 99.810 barrels +
Money: 1.904 -
​

Intelligence:

Spy numbers, spies in (active / added / lost / caught by us)

France (Tech Espionage / Counterespionage): 10 / 1 / 1 / 0

{ Germany (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ Japan (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ UK (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }​

Other: 0 / 0 / 0 / 1
Total: 10 / 1 / 1 / 1
Reserves: 4
Spy training leadership expenditure: 0,5
​

Research:

Better Light Artillery (Level 4) has finished development, the new 76.2mm Pushka obr. 1936 guns will soon be introduced into all of our Rifle (Infantry) Divisions, production has already started.

The new 76.2mm Light Gun for our Rifle Regiments, not particularly impressive, but we will have a lot of them...​

Now the Red Army small arms designers are looking at improved Infantry Support Weapons (Level 4).
A new and improved Mechanical Computing Machine (Level 2) has finished development and made available to all of our researchers, increasing the efficiency of all our research projects.
Now our engineers are calculating ways to improve Supply Throughput through better Organisation (Level 3).
Improvements in Fighter Ground Control (Level 2) should make coordination between our Fighter Crews and radar stations on the ground much easier.
Devising better Interception Tactics (Level 4) is next on the list.
No changes to LS distribution
​

Statistics:

National Unity: 82,753 (+0,01)
Neutrality: 0,00 =
Dissent: 0,00 =
Manpower:

Available: 1.954.000 Men
To reinforce(need): 550 Men
To mobilise(need): See above
Monthly gain: 43.800 Men (1 fully mobilised Infx3, AT Division every 7,8 days)​

Party Popularity

- Communist Party: 53 (-1)
- Trotskyite: 10 (-6)
- Bukharinite: 2 (-1)

- Octobrist: 8 (+3)
- Social-Revolutionary: 10 (+1)
- Trudoviks: 4 (+2)
- Kadets: 1 =

- Tsarists: 3 (+1)
- NTS: 4 (+1)
- POA: 6 (+1)
The political situation is moving in a worrying direction, with the ever decreasing popularity of the various forms of Socialism, the rise of the Social-Revolutionary movement to the point where people feel like they should have a representative in government. Despite the Party's slim majority, our government is now fractured again...​

Party Organisation:

- Communist Party: 62,5 (+0,6)
- Trotskyite: 12,50 (-0,1)
- Bukharinite: 7,60 (-0,1)

- Octobrist: 8,10 (-0,1)
- Trudoviks: 4,90 (-0,1)
- Social-Revolutionary: 0,00 =
- Kadets: 0,00 =

- Tsarists: 1,40 (-0,1)
- NTS: 2,40 (-0,1)
- POA: 0,00 =
​

Convoy Raiding:

We sank 2 Finnish merchant vessels in the last ten days
​

This Information is accurate on the morning of the 8th of February 1940, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.

'Odin'​

 

[Bullfilter]

Slow but steady progress in Finland. That train station in Viipuri looked quite large, modern and attractive for its time. Pity all these structures must be damaged, but the Finns must be taught the benefits of admission into the Workers' Paradise ... whatever they may be!

 

[markkur]

"bask in the glory of the AI sending Divisions out of their HQ's range"

Yes, it is so rewarding to see your "perfect OOB" become a large swath of red cross-stich-woven fabric.<L>

 

[Eurasia]

One of the merits of the chain-of-command is the AIs, via their link to the Theatre HQ, know what the other AIs are doing. Which gives them a lot of information about the general picture of the war. They know what is happening on their flanks and on the other side of the battlefield. They know about the enemy forces the WHOLE front faces, how many planes are attacking, and so on. Makes them happy and secure in their position on the front. They are the Borg.

One of the flaws of the chain-of-command is the AIs, via their link to the Theatre HQ, know what the other AIs are doing. They know when another AI needs help. Or they think it needs help and will send them reinforcements. They are the Borg.

One way to solve the range issue is allow them to change their OOB. It allows Divisions to be switched between HQ units. But this only really works on a Theatre level AI. And screws up the OOB. Totally screws it up. I should know.

 

[roverS3]

One way to solve the range issue is allow them to change their OOB. It allows Divisions to be switched between HQ units. But this only really works on a Theatre level AI. And screws up the OOB. Totally screws it up. I should know.

I manually rearrange the OOB to have the least possible units out of range, if the AI sends 5 Divs to the same out of range spot from 4 different corps, I move things around to put them all in the same corps, the AI usually catches on and moves the Corps to within range. I agree, letting the AI reorganise the OOB is a recipe for disaster.

Slow but steady progress in Finland. That train station in Viipuri looked quite large, modern and attractive for its time. Pity all these structures must be damaged, but the Finns must be taught the benefits of admission into the Workers' Paradise ... whatever they may be!

Viipuri must be pretty pristine actually, as only 3.000 men were defending it when it was first taken by overwhelming numbers. So only a small part of the buildings must have been damaged in the initial battle by targeted naval Artillery and Air-Ground Strikes. Once the city was in our hands, the Finns only ever got close to recapturing it once, with pure infantry, so some mortars, but nothing bigger. All the subsequent attacks didn't get far and stalled in the woods outside the town itself. Other provinces have gotten a lot more shells and bombs rained on them... Compared to the large scale bombardments and the siege that happened in real life, this alternate version of events leaves Viipuri in much better shape... The benefits of admission is that you are safer within than outside the workers paradise, as it is ever expanding, then again, you can be called up to fight in the people's Red Army...

 

[roverS3]

The 18th of February 1940, near Vologda, -9,9°C, 10am Moscow Time,

Report on the Finnish war for the ten days between 10am on the 8th, and 10am on the 18th of February,

In these last 10 days 1ya Armiya tries to preserve and exploit the breakthrough at Hamina, good to see the Red Army take initiative again...​

Hamina 3 & 4

The Finnish Army was not about to give up on Hamina, while only 122 SD (Infx3, AT) was present. On the 9th of Februrary, at 1pm Maj. General Blick SK3 launched another Attack on the province from his base in Lappeenranta. 11.992 Finns, from 23. Divisioona (Infx3), and 2. Er.RTPsto (Gar) charged at 9.992 dug in, and slightly tired, Defending Russian riflemen in the woods of Hamina.
Maj. General Nikishin SK2 knew his men wouldn't be able to hold back the Finns indefinitely, so as the Finns launched an Assault on the 10th, he ordered Delaying Tactics, he had just received news that two Russian Rifle Divisions had started to march towards Hamina from Viipuri. holding off the enemy until they arrived was now the goal.
On the 11th the Finns went back to Attacking, while the Russians slowed things down with an Elastic Defence.
On the 13th came more bad news as the Finnish Attack was reinforced with the 8.995 men of 5. Divisioona at 6pm, in response Maj. General Nikishin, now SK3, ordered his men to disperse and set up Ambushes, hoping to split up the Finnish troops ans catch small groups unawares...
On the 14th he went back to Delaying the Finnish Attack, and by 2pm the Russian Riflemen, outnumbered and tired, started to break rank and run towards the safety of Viipuri.
This disorganised retreat, and the intense battle it followed claimed 661 Russian and 827 Finnish lives in the end.

Soldiers of 122 SD defending Hamina, several days in, facing more than twice their numbers, they are becoming increasingly desperate for reinforcements
​

Only 10 hours later, at midnight, Russian Reinforcements arrived in Hamina. 8 SD and 23 SD , 19.985 fresh men exchanged a few shots with the 11.160 tired and surprised Finns, but the Finns quickly retreated in the face of numerical superiority and their own exhaustion. Another 8 Finns and 2 Russians died in these confused nightly skirmishes.

Kotka & Hamina 5

Hoping to exploit the recent win in Hamina, Maj. General Dement'ev SK2, FB, had ordered his 23 SD to take possession of the plains in Kotka as quickly as possible, as this province was devoid of Finns for the moment. However, at 2am on the 17th, hours before 23 SD's 10.000 men reached their assigned positions in Kotka, 4. Divisioona (Infx4) walked in right in front of them from the north, placing 11.997 Finns between them and their objectives. A short battle ensued with the Russians mounting a rapid Assault in the hopes of catching the Finns before they could organise a coherent defensive strategy. Maj. General Valve SK3 was ready for this and his troops were quickly Defending against all angles of attack. Only an hour, at 3am later Maj. General Dement'ev SK2, FB withdrew his men to Hamina, knowing he would not be able to win this one. 9 Russians and 1 Fin died in the short struggle for Kotka.

Forward scouts of 23 SD took this picture of a brand new Worker's Housing unit (by Alvar Aalto) near the Kotka wood pulp mill, only minutes before coming face to face with 4. Divisioona. ( Maybe this will show our Secretary General that Contemporary architecture styles, like Modernism and Constructivism, are perfectly suited for the proletariat. I do hope he will abandon his preferred Socialist Classicism ('Collumns for the people') in favour of something more forward looking...maybe get some promising Finns on board... what would have happened to Alvar Aalto if the USSR had taken over Finland after the winter war, would he have been allowed to go to teach at MIT in 1941?...)
​

At 4am on the 17th, Hamina was under Attack from Lappeenranta again. This time only Maj. General Arajuuri SK2 and his 8.609 man 5. Divisioona (Infx3), charged into the coastal province. With 8 SD dug in, and 23 SD just returned from Kotka, Maj. General Dement'ev SK2, FB had 19.990 men at his disposal, he ordered and Elastic Defence, and by noon the Finns were retreating, 24 Russian, and 69 Finnish casualties were counted.

Bombing Lappeenranta

During all of this the VVS was bombing Lappeenranta, almost without interruption:µ
II BAK flew 10 missions starting on the 9th of February at 2pm, and lead by Air Lt. General Yakovlev SK3, TB. The first 6 were flown with 200 SB-2's, and the following 4 with 100 SB-2's and 100 Ilyushin DB-3's (these were mothballed after I BAK got i's Yak-4's and are now being refurbished as a stop gap measure for II BAK until enough Yak-4's are delivered...)

On the 11th, at 8pm, the now 99 SB-2's and 99 DB-3's were intercepted by Lentorykmentti 1, now counting it's full complement of 100 Gloster Gladiators, at 9pm I IAK arrived with it's 400 LaGG-3's and decimated the Finnish planes before Air Maj. General Sarko SK3 called a retreat at midnight.
The Finnish Intercept had almost no effect, with only 2 Bombers lost in the Air Battle and 5 others during previous bombing runs, II BAK returned to Leningrad for rest, having killed 612 out of 23.987 Finns on the ground.

One of the 2 DB-3's downed over Lappeenranta, this picture was found on one of the casualties of 5. Divisioona in Hamina, after the 5th battle of Hamina.
​

I BAK replaced II BAK in the skies above Lappeenranta, flying 16 missions between 6am on the 12th and 3am on the 16th. Lead by Air Lt. General Golovanov SK3, CB, the 200 Yak-4's caused another 1.243 casualties among 23.355 Finns on the ground, losing 10 Aeroplanes in the process.

After a short lull in the fighting on the ground, it was now I ShAK's turn to wreak havoc over Lappeenranta, with his 200 Il-2's and 100 La-5's, Air Lt. General Zhigarev SK3, TB, caused another 90 Finnish Casualties, losing only 1 Aeroplane, in two brief missions.


To sum things up:
Soviet Union:
Men sent into Battle: 752.140 (+59.967), ground combat casualties for finished battles: 3.391 (+696) men,
Planes sent into Battle: 3.798 (+598) (Air Battles only), 104(+18) planes lost (51(+10) Yak-4's, 2(+2) DB-3's, 22(+5) SB-2's, 9 CAG's, 1(+1) Il-2, 23 Su-2's, 5 I-16's)
Finland:
Men sent into Battle: 419.066 (+52.753), ground combat casualties for finished battles 6.617 (+905) men, Bombing Casualties: 10.589 (+1.988)
Planes sent into Battle: 734 (+100) (Air Battles only), at least 1/3 planes lost.

Finland at 10am on the 18th of February
​

Will 1ya Armiya press on, or will it reorganise again? Only time will tell...

Greetings,

'Odin'​

 

[Eurasia]

The overall numbers are good for this last report but if you take out the air support the numbers, while still okay, suggest either the Finns are getting second wind or the Soviet forces are running out of steam. OR the Soviet Commanders are making mistakes. That worries me.

 

[roverS3]

The 18th of February 1940, near Vologda, -9,9°C, 10am Moscow Time

Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten day period between the 9th and the 18th of February 1940,

by 'Odin'

Army:

A new Motx2, Eng unit has been deployed directly to Lt. General Kulik's XXVIII MSK, 2ya Tankovaya Armiya, Armoured Army Group, STAVKA.
Army numbers (Brigades/Personnel) Reserves included (these numbers don't include regiments being upgraded):

Front line troops: 527 / 1.581.000
Support troops: 149 / 149.000
Total fighting troops: 676 / 1.730.000
Headquarters: 52 / 26.000
Total Army Personnel: 728 / 1.756.000
Officers: 64.213 + / 73.490 needed / 87,377 %
Active Leaders: 213 / 135 Reserve
​

Air Force:

Another 100 MiG-3's and Su-2's modified for carrier operations, forming 4 KPA have been delivered to the Navy Air Fleet's I KPAF (Air flotilla consisting of 2 KPA's, in this case 3 KPA and 4 KPA, lead by an Air Rear Admiral, previously Air Commander Vershinin SK3 was promoted to take command of the larger unit meant to serve on board the Kyiv.
Airplane Numbers (Wings/Planes):

Interceptors: 17 / 1700
Multi-Role Fighters: 1 / 100
Close Air Support: 2 / 200
Carrier Air Groups: 4 / 400

Single Engined: 24 / 2.400​

Tactical Bomber: 4 / 400
Total Bombers: 6 / 600

Total VVS: 24 / 2.400
Total Navy: 4 / 400
Total Airplanes: 28 / 2.800​

Active Leaders: 11 / 19 Reserve
Production continues, on another 100 navy planes, these will be more modern modified LaGG-3's and Il-2's.
​

Navy:

No changes in the navy for the last ten days
​

Politics / International:

No legislative changes for the last 10 days, nothing of note on the International scene
​

Industry:

Industry Numbers:

Working Industrial Capacity / available capacity: 232 / 313 (+5)
IC Usage: ( Allocated IC / Need )

Upgrades: 39,65 / 48,70
Reinforcement: 0,95 / 0,94
Supplies: 17,15 / 30,11
Production: 227,09 / 227,09
Consumer Goods: 28,17 / 28,17​

Stockpiles:

Energy: 99.891 tonnes -
Metal: 78.267 tonnes -
Rares: 27.999 tonnes +
Crude: 79.275 barrels +
Supplies: 29.300 tonnes -
Fuel: Maximum barrels +
Money: 1.901 -
​

Intelligence:

Spy numbers, spies in (active / added / lost / caught by us)

France (Tech Espionage / Counterespionage): 10 / 0 / 0 / 0

{ Germany (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 }
{ Japan (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ UK (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }​

Other: 0 / 0 / 0 / 1
Total: 10 / 0 / 0 / 2
Reserves: 5
Spy training leadership expenditure: 0,5
​

Research:

No completed Research ppojects, no new ones started in the last 10 days
No changes to LS distribution
​

Statistics:

National Unity: 82,763 (+0,01)
Neutrality: 0,00 =
Dissent: 0,00 =
Manpower:

Available: 1.966.000 Men
To reinforce(need): 1.590 Men
To mobilise(need): See above
Monthly gain: 43.800 Men (1 fully mobilised Infx3, AT Division every 7,8 days)​

No changes to Party Popularity
Party Organisation:

- Communist Party: 62,9 (+0,4)
- Trotskyite: 12,50 =
- Bukharinite: 7,60 =

- Octobrist: 8,10 =
- Trudoviks: 4,90 =
- Social-Revolutionary: 0,00 =
- Kadets: 0,00 =

- Tsarists: 1,40 =
- NTS: 2,40 =
- POA: 0,00 =
​

Convoy Raiding:

No Finnish merchant vessels detected in the last ten days
​

This Information is accurate on the morning of the 18th of February 1940, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.

'Odin'​

 

[roverS3]

The overall numbers are good for this last report but if you take out the air support the numbers, while still okay, suggest either the Finns are getting second wind or the Soviet forces are running out of steam. OR the Soviet Commanders are making mistakes. That worries me.

It's mostly one big mistake, 1ya Armiya didn't send fresh reinforcements, available in Viipuri and just behind the front, to Hamina after Hamina 2. Reinforcements only started moving towards Hamina on the 10th of February, one day into Hamina 3, in which 122 SD faced superior numbers for almomst a week, and double it's numbers for 2 days before breaking under the pressure. If 1ya Armiya had started moving reinforcements (23 SD and 8 SD for example) into Hamina on the 5th or the 6th, right after Hamina 2 and Lappeenranta 1, they would have arrived by the 11th or the 12th, and Hamina 3 would have been a lot shorter and more one-sided, and with much lower casualty numbers on our side.

 

[roverS3]

The 28th of February 1940, near Vologda, -9,9°C, 10am Moscow Time,

Report on the Finnish war for the ten days between 10am on the 18th, and 10am on the 28th of February,

Not much has happened during these ten days, as 1ya Armiya decided to reshuffle it's troops on the southern front, this meant only two battles were fought, but both were very much in our favour...

Salmi

North of lake Ladoga, the weather was even colder than in the south, with temperatures below and close to -10°C most of the time. The Secret Committee, and especially ex-General Eideman WS, LW believes that this is the main reason for the lack of Soviet action in this sector. Especially considering the effects of the enduring cold on the Red Army's trucks.
But the cold doesn't stop some of our commanders from trying. On the 18th at 11am Maj. General Eremenko SK3, launched a large scale probing Attack into the Forests of Salmi from his base in Vidlica, just north of Lake Ladoga. For this he used both his own 15 MSD (Motx3, Eng), and Maj. General Remezov F.N.'s 81 MSD (Motx3, Eng), a total of 19.992 men. Defending Salmi, was a single Finnish Division, 22. DIvisioona (Infx3), 8.609 men, lead by Maj. General Airo SK2. An hour later the offensive was stopped, why isn't exactly clear from hundreds of miles away, but we think it may have something to do with the cold weather, or maybe they just stopped for lunch... The offensive was successful while it lasted, with 15 Finnish Casualties for 8 Russians killed in action.

A wooden bridge over one of the small rivers in Salmi, note the Finns moving up towards the front.
​

II BAK flew a single mission over Salmi, losing no planes, and killing another 77 Finnish soldiers.

Hamina 6

After losing a lot of men, and nearly losing Hamina in Hamina 4 & 5, General of 1ya Armiya seems to have learned his lesson. (this one at least) and when the Finns attacked Hamina again on the 26th of February, 58.988 Russians were waiting for them. The Finnish Attack at 11am consisted of 23.990 men: 4. DIvisioona (Infx4) attacking from Kotka, and Erilliset Pataljoona (3) (Infx2), and Erilliset Pataljoona (2) (Infx2), attacking from Lappeenranta, lead, not by Maj. General Valve SK3 (of 4. Div), but by Maj. General Vihma SK1. On the soviet side Maj. General Trofimenko SK3, having more than twice as many men, ordered Ambushes to be set up throughout the woods. With 5 Rifle Divisions (142 SD, 8 SD, 23 SD, 75 SD, 67 SD), and one Mountain Rifle Division 138 GSD (Mtnx3), the Finns couldn't move a km without being ambushed. On the 27th, the Finns went for an all out Assault, hoping they could use speed and violence to avoid being ambushed, in a master stroke, Maj. General Trofimenko ordered a sudden full scale Counter-Attack, completely negating any advantage the Finns could have hoped to gain with their Assault. This was the final straw, and at 6pm on the 27th the Finns retreated. Our advantage in numbers, and clever tactics of Maj. General Trofimenko, resulted in 842 Finnish, and only 195 Soviet Casualties.

Left to right, the flag tower, only remaining part of an older Bastion, and the cooperative building in Hamina, couldn't find who designed this one, but the tower on the left is still there, and the picture is dated pre-1940.
​

The VVS also flew in support of Hamina 6,
I BAK, lead by Air Lt. General Golovanov SK3, CB, flew 5 bombing missions over Kotka, with it's 200 Yak-4's, it managed to kill 376 Finns on the ground, while losing only 2 Aeroplanes.
I ShAK, lead by Air Lt. General Zhigarev SK3, TB, flew 5 bombing missions over Lappeenranta, with it's 200 Il-2's and it's 100 La-5's, it would end up causing 190 Finnish casualties on the ground, despite being intercepted on the first mission, by a Lentorykmentti 1 in good shape.

On the 26th at 6pm Lentorykmentti 1, now consisting of 97 Gloster Gladiators, and still lead by Air Maj. General Sarko SK3, intercepted I ShAK over Lappeenranta, this was the first real test of the use of 100 Multi-Role Fighterd (La-5) Fighters to cover the 200 CAS Aircraft. The La-5's did their job, and within the hour before I IAD arrived 8 La-5's and no Il-2's were lost. By 7pm I IAD arrived and shredded the Finnish biplanes with it's 400 LaGG-3's, and by 8pm it was all over with no lost interceptors, and many downed Gladiators. The main success of this battle was that I ShAK could continue it's bombing runs with the same efficiency as before, as no bombers suffered severe damage during the battle, and in the rest of the bombing campaign only 3 were shot down.

To sum things up:
Soviet Union:
Men sent into Battle: 831.120 (+78.980), ground combat casualties for finished battles: 3.594 (+203) men,
Planes sent into Battle: 4.498 (+700) (Air Battles only), 117(+13) planes lost (53(+2) Yak-4's, 2 DB-3's, 22 SB-2's, 9 CAG's, 4(+3) Il-2, 8(+8) La-5's, 23 Su-2's, 5 I-16's)
Finland:
Men sent into Battle: 452.052 (+32.986), ground combat casualties for finished battles 7.474 (+857) men, Bombing Casualties: 11.232 (+643)
Planes sent into Battle: 831 (+97) (Air Battles only), at least 1/3 planes lost.

Finland on the28th of February, 10am.
​

Well that's it for now,

Greetings,

'Odin'

​

 

[Eurasia]

Much better. Even without the planes that is four Finnish soldiers for every Soviet soldier. I assume our troops have winter gear. I am kind of surprised that the Fins still have aircraft after all of this. And the fuel to put them into the air. I assume all oil or/and fuel is imported?

 

[markkur]

What will it take to trigger the concession? You have what you want, do you have to get back your own turf now for the ending?

 

[roverS3]

I am kind of surprised that the Fins still have aircraft after all of this. And the fuel to put them into the air. I assume all oil or/and fuel is imported?

I am surprised as well at the speed at which they manage to replace their downed planes. Fuel could be coming from Norway or through Sweden...or they could just have a sizeable stockpile of it, as their planes are the only fuel consuming unit I have seen them use in the entire war (except for their now insignificant navy)

I assume our troops have winter gear.

Yes, our troops have the appropriate Winter Gear, as opposed to the Finns who consistently take 5% extra weather penalty...

What will it take to trigger the concession? You have what you want, do you have to get back your own turf now for the ending?

I honestly don't know if we can just ask for a concession, we went to war following the 'Finnish Winter War' event, and I can't see any other events in the list that would give me the concessions. I thus assume that we need to force a full surrender, and then choose between annexation or just the asked-for concessions. If we go through the lengths of forcing a full surrender, we might as well annex them, and not have a northern Axis border (Finland is already in the Axis), or a much shorter one (if Sweden Joins the Axis...).

 

[roverS3]

The 28th of February 1940, near Vologda, -9,9°C, 10am Moscow Time

Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten day period between the 19th and the 28th of February 1940,

by 'Odin'

Army:

5 new Art regiments have been deployed directly to 157 SD, 136 SD, 39 SD? 21 SD, and 20 SD of the Far East Theatre
Army numbers (Brigades/Personnel) Reserves included (these numbers don't include regiments being upgraded):

Front line troops: 527 / 1.581.000
Support troops: 154 / 154.000

Total fighting troops: 681 / 1.735.000​

Headquarters: 52 / 26.000

Total Army Personnel: 733 / 1.761.000​

Officers: 64.462 + / 73.990 needed / 87,123 %
Active Leaders: 213 / 135 Reserve
Production has started on another 5 Art Regiments, after which all Rifle Divisions will be equipped with either an AT (Western Front) or an Art (Far East) Regiment.
​

Air Force:

No changes to the Air Force, nor the Navy Air Fleet for the last 10 days
​

Navy:

No changes in the navy for the last ten days
​

Politics / International:

Norway has accepted Military Access from Finland
Finland has accepted Military Access from Norway
No legislative changes for the last 10 days
​

Industry:

Industry Numbers:

Working Industrial Capacity / available capacity: 232 / 313
IC Usage: ( Allocated IC / Need )

Upgrades: 35,88 / 46,87
Reinforcement: 4,97 / 4,97
Supplies: 17,15 / 30,56
Production: 226,83 / 226,83
Consumer Goods: 28,17 / 28,17​

Stockpiles:

Energy: 99.822 tonnes -
Metal: 78.253 tonnes -
Rares: 28.060 tonnes +
Crude: 80.253 barrels +
Supplies: 29.127 tonnes -
Fuel: 99.986 barrels +
Money: 1.973 +
​

Intelligence:

Spy numbers, spies in (active / added / lost / caught by us)

France (Tech Espionage / Counterespionage): 10 / 1 / 1 / 0

{ Germany (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 }
{ Japan (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ UK (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }​

Other: 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Total: 10 / 1 / 1 / 2​

Reserves: 4
Spy training leadership expenditure: 0,5
​

Research:

Infantry Warfare (Level 2) tactics have been improved to the point where all our Riflemen now have significantly better organisation.
Our Military tacticians are now looking into Spearhead Doctrine, a tactic allowing our tank regiments to take up less space on the front line, thus allowing more units to join the battle.
The Training (Level 3) of our CAS Pilots has been improved, our Shturmoviks will now be more organised, meaning they will be able to sustain intensive bombing missions for longer.
The VVS is now writing a better manual for Fighter Ground Crew Training (Level 4), meaning our fighter crews will have better morale, knowing their plane is less likely to fall apart after a hasty field repair...
No changes to LS distribution
​

Statistics:

National Unity: 82,773 (+0,01)
Neutrality: 0,00 =
Dissent: 0,00 =
Manpower:

Available: 1.973.000 Men
To reinforce(need): 2.770 Men
To mobilise(need): See above
Monthly gain: 43.800 Men (1 fully mobilised Infx3, AT Division every 7,8 days)​

No changes to Party Popularity
Party Organisation:

- Communist Party: 63 (+0,1)
- Trotskyite: 12,50 =
- Bukharinite: 7,60 =

- Octobrist: 8,10 =
- Trudoviks: 4,90 =
- Social-Revolutionary: 0,00 =
- Kadets: 0,00 =

- Tsarists: 1,40 =
- NTS: 2,40 =
- POA: 0,00 =
​

Convoy Raiding:

No Finnish merchant vessels detected in the last ten days
​

This Information is accurate on the morning of the 28th of February 1940, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.

'Odin'​