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An excellent update! The news of a new Rifle division are most welcome, as is the deployment of a new generation of AA guns.
 
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That's quite interesting, I might read/skim some of those free war diaries, especially Wehrmacht ones from the Eastern Front. I can read Dutch, French, English, and German. You have graciously offered to translate Finnish. Russian might be more tricky, on the other hand...

The Russian might not be tricky at all as Red Army soldiers were forbidden to keep diaries (per Ivan's War). I got
the impression there were very, very few likely due to the punishment for getting caught with one being rather more grim than KP duty.
 
To get these kinds of effects, and to possibly tinker with colour balances etc. I tend to use Gimp, which is freely available image treatment software.
Good choice. Over many years, I seen Gimp is the choice of a serious Graphic-modders in HoMM. In my case, the 'basic' Paint is easy to use and didn't require too much time to invest but there are issues with auto-blend. i.e. I never use the brush for HoI3 and always use the pencil.

Btw, for those that do use Paint; if you have ever seen the white lines at the edge of your effort, only after you posted the image, like I too often did because I forgot to zoom way-in before finishing? Recently, I started making sure I did one easy step to auto-eliminate that; when you select "New" first reduce the new box size to be much smaller than the frame you wish to copy, paste and save and that white background is auto-eliminated.:)
 
"Now with a Soviet Carrier, based on 'borrowed' French and British Blueprints"

:DAnd maybe read us?:p
Touché. I just hope no french spies are reading 'Odin's reports...

An excellent update! The news of a new Rifle division are most welcome, as is the deployment of a new generation of AA guns.
Every little bit counts...

The Russian might not be tricky at all as Red Army soldiers were forbidden to keep diaries (per Ivan's War). I got
the impression there were very, very few likely due to the punishment for getting caught with one being rather more grim than KP duty.
Good to know, thanks for the info, that solves that...:( no glorious tales of Russian Heroism told by the heroes themselves...

Good choice. Over many years, I seen Gimp is the choice of a serious Graphic-modders in HoMM. In my case, the 'basic' Paint is easy to use and didn't require too much time to invest but there are issues with auto-blend. i.e. I never use the brush for HoI3 and always use the pencil.
I learned to use Gimp in the context of my studies, and have been using it ever since. I've actually never used paint for anything remotely serious, mostly because I only switched from Apple to PC about a year ago, and I already pretty much mastered Gimp at the time.

The tempo of updates will probably slow down a bit until the week before Easter, you can't say you haven't been warned...
 
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The Russian might not be tricky at all as Red Army soldiers were forbidden to keep diaries (per Ivan's War). I got
the impression there were very, very few likely due to the punishment for getting caught with one being rather more grim than KP duty.

There are later accounts, though, that could be useful. But are there really no war diaries? (A war diary is very different from a regular soldier's diary and details the actions and orders of a unit during a conflict.) I was under the impression there was a large collection of those held in the Russian national archives, although whether they are accessible to the public or not, even if those diaries are there, is something I don't know.
 
There are later accounts, though, that could be useful. But are there really no war diaries? (A war diary is very different from a regular soldier's diary and details the actions and orders of a unit during a conflict.) I was under the impression there was a large collection of those held in the Russian national archives, although whether they are accessible to the public or not, even if those diaries are there, is something I don't know.
Interesting... I'm currently reading "Russia at War" by Alexander Werth, which I picked up second hand some time ago. While the book is dated, the author actually spent a considerable amount of time in the Soviet Union during the war, he spoke with quite a few officers and Generals. And the book thus retells the war from the perspective of the Soviet Union. So I'll surely take some inspiration from there... once the war is there...
 
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There are later accounts, though, that could be useful. But are there really no war diaries? (A war diary is very different from a regular soldier's diary and details the actions and orders of a unit during a conflict.) I was under the impression there was a large collection of those held in the Russian national archives, although whether they are accessible to the public or not, even if those diaries are there, is something I don't know.

Sorry, I thought you meant personal diaries. Yes, there are war diaries and Westerners have had access to some of them, but I'm pretty sure there are some that have remained classified to this day.
 
1st of March 1941, 'Odin', Partisans in Finland
The 1st of March 1941, Vologda, -10,7°C, 3am Moscow Time,

I was called out of bed by 'Sem':

"There are some mildly alarming reports from Finland, a convoy of lorries carrying supplies didn't arrive at it's intended destination of Oulu. One of the lorries returned to Leningrad with stories about a roadblock with an improvised Finnish flag, the others were presumably lost to Finnish Partisans in the province of Kiuruvesi. The navy has immediately scrambled 200 Carrier-Based Aeroplanes from Leningrad to bomb the province and conduct reconnaissance. We don't know much yet, but it seems some Partisans have taken over the province."

41-03-01PartisansKiuruvesi-min.jpeg

Partisans, in the freezing forest, deep in the heart of Finland.
I soon rushed to the 'war room', 'Dva' and 'Piat' came in seconds later, to make sure our response would be adequate

"I TrAD and two Airborne Divisions are rebasing to Leningrad as we speak. It seems some people high up in the Army know what they are doing. The Army is planning to effectuate an Airborne Assault in order to demonstrate to the Finns that the Red Army is able to react quickly and quash any insurrection in a matter of days, no matter the weather, or how far into the middle of nowhere it happens. I do have one problem with this approach. Let us consider the worst case scenario, a two Division Airborne Assault is executed, and the rebels are easily dealt with, but, this is just the start of a more widespread insurrection. Now we find ourselves with all of our Paratroopers in the middle of nowhere, being frantically redeployed to the nearest Air Base, hundreds of kilometers away, in the freezing cold, with likely snowfall slowing them down. Now, because it takes so long, and supply lines are cut, there isn't enough fuel in Oulu to fly out immediately for another mission. We would have to redeploy mobile reserves, which will be hampered by weather conditions, and will take weeks to get to Finland, during which time the rebellion could grow substantially. I'd say that unless we find a way to get those Paratroopers out of there quickly and reliably, regardless of weather or local supply, we should hold them back, ready to strike from Leningrad."
Now, 'Piat' took over:

"The Baltic Fleet is taking this as an opportunity to train for Carrier-based Ground Attacks, they have started sailing towards the Inner Gulf of Bothnia so the CAGs have a shorter flight to and from the target area. I think we can hit two birds with one stone here and get the Baltic fleet to pick up the Paratroopers once they are done. In contrast with our Transport Aeroplanes, our transport ships have a long range. They can thus carry enough fuel to go to Oulu and back. We only have enough Navy Transports to carry a single Airborne Division though, but one Division is certainly enough to deal with some rebels that have no where to go."
'Dva' now replied:

"That seems like a decent enough plan, instead of having to rebase the Li-2's again, we just send ships to pick up the soldiers. Sending in only one Division gives us some breathing room, as another is available in case another uprising happens... I really didn't expect we would have to deal with armed rebellion, considering how lenient and soft we've been on the Finns, giving them job opportunities, letting them run local government and their own local police force. The Soviet Union isn't even squeezing Finnish factories and mines to the same extent as we are squeezing those within our own territory... All right, I'll get the Army to send only a single Division, and 'Piat' you'll get the Baltic Fleet to take transports with it to pick up the Paratroopers once they get to Oulu."

TB-3_paratroops-min.jpg

Paratroopers board their planes in Moskva, after a stopover in Leningrad, they will be dropped right on top of the rebels within two days...
It seems those two figured this one out quite well, I agreed with the proposed course of action, and confirmed that I would be recommending it to Comrade Secretary General, when he would undoubtedly call once he awakened and heard about the insurgency. In any way, the Army is already planning for an Airborne Assault, so with the go ahead from the very top, this matter, and the partisans, will be dispatched quickly and efficiently, well as efficiently as they can be in a frozen forest in the middle of nowhere...

I would like to emphasise that we need to consider alternatives to using Airborne units to deal with Partisans in Finland, as in wartime, we'll probably have better uses for our Paratroopers than hunting Partisans far away from the front. I don't know which shape that would take, maybe a small mobile peacekeeping force. A couple of these Divisions could be enough to keep the peace. I'll ask our ex-Generals what they think, and would also like to know what our external members would suggest...

So what do you think would be the most cost-effective peacekeeping solution for Finland? I'd love to hear your proposals...

Greetings,

'Odin'
 
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Do you have any old cavalry units left, or have they all been converted? Relatively quick, but don’t need fuel. Few divisions of two brigades each distributed centrally may be enough. Paratroopers do seem a bit like overkill.
 
Do you have any old cavalry units left, or have they all been converted? Relatively quick, but don’t need fuel. Few divisions of two brigades each distributed centrally may be enough. Paratroopers do seem a bit like overkill.
No... 5th of March, 'Odin', 10-day report #6, and the end of horses on the front line, all Cavalry Units were converted, most to L Arm, Motx2, AC, long ago.
We can always train new Cavalry Divisons, they are cheap, and our Mobile Unit Practical is quite good from building up all those Motorised and Tank Divisions...
I do have to say that Paratroopers are by far the fastest way to get rid of Partisans, but that can only really be justified in peacetime and with ample fuel reserves... At least the Finns should get the message...
The Red Army is happy to use the Paratroopers here, as it gives them valuable experience, and the same is true of the CAGs used to bomb the province, to little real effect, it's actually a bit of a military exercise... they all get to practice on a real enemy, while the risk of losing the war is non-existant...
 
I agree with @Bullfilter in that cavalry is the way to go. MPs are more effective in reducing revolt risk, but not enough IMO to outweigh the benefits in speed that cavalry units bring in the woodlands of Finland. Three binary cavalry divisions should be able to handle it easily, two might be enough if you can accept longer reaction times.
 
My first thought too. It's handy to pick a L-0 Commando and try to get to L-2. :)
Well, in this case it's a SK2 Cdo who will gain some xp and is going to get some progress towards Ranger and Winter Specialist, both desirable traits... We'll keep sending lower-skilled leaders on partisan-duty in Finland so they can learn a thing or two... Whether in the context of Paratroopers, or Mounted Military Police (Cavalry).

I agree with @Bullfilter in that cavalry is the way to go. MPs are more effective in reducing revolt risk, but not enough IMO to outweigh the benefits in speed that cavalry units bring in the woodlands of Finland. Three binary cavalry divisions should be able to handle it easily, two might be enough if you can accept longer reaction times.
Well, that could easily fit in the production queue, the first binary Division will start training as soon as possible... One thing, we can't call them Cavalry as they need to be perceived as a police force on horses (and steroids), rather than Red Army Units. Also, Stalin pledged never to have horses on the front lines again, 'Cavalry' is now used to denominate rapid exploitation Divisions based around L Arm... So to avoid confusion and the comrade Secretary General being perceived to be backtracking, 'Mounted Military Police', or some other name has to be used...
 
Well, that could easily fit in the production queue, the first binary Division will start training as soon as possible... One thing, we can't call them Cavalry as they need to be perceived as a police force on horses (and steroids), rather than Red Army Units. Also, Stalin pledged never to have horses on the front lines again, 'Cavalry' is now used to denominate rapid exploitation Divisions based around L Arm... So to avoid confusion and the comrade Secretary General being perceived to be backtracking, 'Mounted Military Police', or some other name has to be used...

I can't remember if there is an NKVD in TTL, but that would be my go-to. Mounted NKVD, if you want to distinguish between mounted troops and militia+MP. Or you could cook up some fancier name, like "Mounted Security troops of the People's Commissariat for State Security" (also not too far from reality) or "Mounted Security Comrades of the ̶M̶i̶n̶i̶s̶t̶r̶y̶ Commissariat of Internal Affairs and Repression", which I think has a very nice ring to it. :cool:
 
Game question - is the AI still in control of the paratroops or are you? I never saw the AI use paratroops properly.
 
I can't remember if there is an NKVD in TTL, but that would be my go-to. Mounted NKVD, if you want to distinguish between mounted troops and militia+MP. Or you could cook up some fancier name, like "Mounted Security troops of the People's Commissariat for State Security" (also not too far from reality) or "Mounted Security Comrades of the ̶M̶i̶n̶i̶s̶t̶r̶y̶ Commissariat of Internal Affairs and Repression", which I think has a very nice ring to it. :cool:
Interesting concept, I'll figure out the right acronym for some kind of Mounted, Finnish NKVD units...

Game question - is the AI still in control of the paratroops or are you? I never saw the AI use paratroops properly.
I am in control of the Paratroopers, and the Navy, as there was currently no AI running operations in Finland... (Operations is a big word, it's more like Garrisons sitting in strategic Ports and Air Bases...)
I didn't think Partisans would be much of a problem to be completely honest, but this is a good reminder that low revolt risk does not equal no revolt risk... With a collaboration government in place, and no Ministers that give Partisans a boost, I thought Finland would remain calm for a long time... Now that we will be training Mounted Finnish NKVD-style units, I'll might as well give them an HQ, and have the AI run anti-partisan operations in Finland... I'll figure out how to get that to work through the AI.
 
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I didn't think Partisans would be much of a problem to be completely honest, but this is a good reminder that low revolt risk does not equal no revolt risk... With a collaboration government in place, and no Ministers that give Partisans a boost, I thought Finland would remain calm for a long time... Now that we will be training Mounted Finnish NKVD-style units, I'll might as well give them an HQ, and have the AI run anti-partisan operations in Finland... I'll figure out how to get that to work through the AI.

Funny enough a AI HQ with a few fast units assigned to it is not bad at handling revolts if the area given to it is somewhat small.
 
Pity they can’t be called Cossacks ;)
 
Funny enough a AI HQ with a few fast units assigned to it is not bad at handling revolts if the area given to it is somewhat small.
Seeing you seem to have some experience with this. How did you organise this? what setting did you put the AI too? What level of HQ did you use? Did you create a separate Theatre for Anti-Partisan operations in order to make sure the Anti-Partisan troops remain within a certain territory?

Pity they can’t be called Cossacks ;)
That might be just a tad too reminiscent of the time of the Tsars...