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A Naval Gun on a armored vehicle? The Russians have invented the first proper Landship? H.Q. Wells would be proud. So would Admiral Bradley A. Fiske or the engineer Frank Shuman.

sm1FXlp.jpg

To be honest Frank's idea - that second image, does seem to fit Russian's early idea of what a tank should look like. The Tsar Tank! They even made one for testing.

kZEAQWM.jpg
 
A Naval Gun on a armored vehicle? The Russians have invented the first proper Landship? H.Q. Wells would be proud. So would Admiral Bradley A. Fiske or the engineer Frank Shuman.

sm1FXlp.jpg

To be honest Frank's idea - that second image, does seem to fit Russian's early idea of what a tank should look like. The Tsar Tank! They even made one for testing.

kZEAQWM.jpg

That's interesting... Do you mean to suggest that the idea to fit naval guns on tanks predates Communism and the Soviet Union? Better make sure this doesn't get out. I guess the next logical step will be a tank with a two gun naval turret, and then we can go full land destroyer with 2 front-facing two-gun turrets, and one for the rear... The one thing none of these will be called is 'Tsar tank'.

P.S. Of course an admiral brought up the idea of building land Destroyers... I guess he'd also argue that they should then fall under the navy's remit? Anything to gain the upper hand in inter-service rivalry...
 
That's interesting... Do you mean to suggest that the idea to fit naval guns on tanks predates Communism and the Soviet Union? Better make sure this doesn't get out. I guess the next logical step will be a tank with a two gun naval turret, and then we can go full land destroyer with 2 front-facing two-gun turrets, and one for the rear... The one thing none of these will be called is 'Tsar tank'.

P.S. Of course an admiral brought up the idea of building land Destroyers... I guess he'd also argue that they should then fall under the navy's remit? Anything to gain the upper hand in inter-service rivalry...

They need them for securing the harbours, you see. The enemy's harbours, that is. And don't forget the AA guns that thing will need.
 
P.S. Of course an admiral brought up the idea of building land Destroyers... I guess he'd also argue that they should then fall under the navy's remit? Anything to gain the upper hand in inter-service rivalry...
This reminds me of a Czech AAR I came across once (for HoI3 or perhaps an earlier entry in the series, I cannot recall) in which the tanks were classified as "Landships" and thereafter assigned to the purview of the Czech chief of the navy, who was in desperate need of some justification for his job title. Sadly, the AAR did not last long enough to explore the implications of this hilariously-convoluted command structure.
 
They need them for securing the harbours, you see. The enemy's harbours, that is. And don't forget the AA guns that thing will need.
Makes sense. Obviously there will be many AA guns, and who knows, maybe land Carriers to provide air cover through CAGs, as asking the Air Force to provide cover would definitely be beneath any self-respecting admiral...

This reminds me of a Czech AAR I came across once (for HoI3 or perhaps an earlier entry in the series, I cannot recall) in which the tanks were classified as "Landships" and thereafter assigned to the purview of the Czech chief of the navy, who was in desperate need of some justification for his job title. Sadly, the AAR did not last long enough to explore the implications of this hilariously-convoluted command structure.
There's some serious humorous potential there. Too bad the AAR didn't last longer...
 
"That's interesting... Do you mean to suggest that the idea to fit naval guns on tanks predates Communism and the Soviet Union? Better make sure this doesn't get out. I guess the next logical step will be a tank with a two gun naval turret, and then we can go full land destroyer with 2 front-facing two-gun turrets, and one for the rear."

Er...you mean this?

alg35004_5.jpg
 
Er...you mean this?
Well, yes! Exactly that, with the Soviet star and all. It's the wet dream of any self-respecting Red Navy Admiral. Maybe with a few massive land fleets, the Red Navy will finally get the respect and recognition it so clearly deserves.

Now, I should note that the Red Army actually has a few of those T-35s lying around somewhere, and they're absolute nightmares to operate or maintain. Even worse than their smaller brothers, the T-28s which were phased out after field trials proved that the single-turreted T-34s were a lot more effective. We sent one into battle in Finland, and the transmission broke before it got anywhere near it's objective. And this was 5 hours after it should have arrived. Clearly it's top speed was slightly overestimated in official documents. (I know it wasn't tested in combat in Finland, but 95% of them where lost to mechanical failures during Barbarossa, so it's safe to say that, had one been tested in harsh Finnish conditions, it would have broken down before it could get anywhere.
I'll keep this in mind, if things get desperate, I'm going to pull out all kinds of strange vehicles the Red Army has stored in Moscow. As I'm slowly finding out, the battle of Moscow contained almost every single weird prototype vehicle and regular obsolete vehicle the Soviets ever built in the 30s, and in the 1940s leading up to it, including, but not limited to the SU-100Y mentioned earlier, a single surviving T-35, which didn't have transmission problems on it's way to the battle (it was already in Moscow, the Germans had come towards it...), T-28s, T-26s, the A-20 interwar prototype for a new BT-model tank to follow the BT-5 (different from the BT-7), (almost) every single BT model that was ever created,...

Obviously there is one crucial point we may have overlooked though... The Army doesn't have a long history and tradition with the operation of slow-moving, multi-turreted, vehicles, nor vehicles with several main guns. The Navy, having centuries of experience running vessels with many guns may have a much better time with this than a force emerging from infantry, cavalry and Artillery. Maybe if we hand them to the Navy, for them to be run like small Destroyers, the results will be improved dramatically?
 
15th of April 1942, 'Odinatsat', 'Odin', 'Shest', 'Devyat', A road-trip, an engine, and a new bunker.
The 15th of April 1942, Vologda, 2,3°C, 10 am Moscow Time,

After a considerable amount of asking around, a suitable engine presented itself for 'Odinatsat's automobile. There was one small snag, it would be delivered in Moskva on the 14th of April, at a secret NKGB location in Moscow's Eastern District, as had been arranged by 'Shest'. He didn't tell her, or me any details though, wanted it to be a surprise. She asked to borrow a lorry from the base to go and fetch the Engine. I told her to wait a few days, as 'Devyat' had invited me to join him in Moskva today, on the 16th.

We got up at 5am, as had become routine for 'Odinatsat'. Today there would be no target practice though. Everything was ready for our trip, we grabbed our packed breakfast and lunch from the kitchen and made our way to the hangar. There, a GAZ-MM lorry was waiting for us. Yesterday, the grumpy mechanic had done a thorough inspection to make sure it was in perfect working order, and a barrel of gasoline had been strapped to the bed.

GAZ_MM-min.png

The GAZ-MM, the latest model 1,5 ton GAZ lorry. Except for the engine, it's near identical to it's predecessor, the GAZ-AA. The engine fitted to the GAZ-MM, produced from 1940 onward, is the same 50 hp 3.3l 4 cylinder fitted to the original GAZ-M1. The original GAZ-AA had the 40 hp version from the GAZ-A. The GAZ-MM can reach a top speed of 70 km/h on paved roads.
'Odinatsat' had done her best to look like a young NKVD Yefreytor (private first class), and as expected, she really looked the part of a somewhat skinny twenty-something soldier. Her Mosin-Nagant completed the look, and I could tell she liked having her rifle close by. I dressed in a discreet suit, and made sure to carry all the documentation identifying me as Lieutenant of State Security (An NKGB rank equivalent to that of a Red Army Captain), including a Tokarev TT-30 semi-automatic pistol in a discreet shoulder-holster under my suit-jacket.

Our cover story was simple but effective. 'Odinatsat' played the part of the lorry driver, and I played that of a state security official responsible of overseeing some top secret transportation. Fit snugly within my inner coat pocket were a few very official letters from an NKGB Commissar of State Security Second Class (Equivalent to Lt. General) sent over by 'Shest' that would confirm it all. After all, it was imperative that no one finds out what we will be hauling back to Vologda.

With only a single barrel of gasoline and some light personal luggage, the lorry was carrying less than a tenth of it's maximum load. This probably saved us quite some hassle, as the gravel road from our compound to the Vologda-Jaroslavl main road was quite treacherous. In some places, the gravel was covered in ice, and 'Odinatsat' had to wrestle the lorry to make sure we didn't end up in a ditch. In other places, the mud was so fluid and deep that the gravel surface gave way under the weight of our wheels. In order to avoid getting stuck in muddy gravel we couldn't go too slowly, but to avoid losing control over icy patches we couldn't go too quickly. It took a lot of work and concentration to get to the main road. It took us over an hour to cover 25km, and I only had to get out to push three times.


Once we got on the asphalted, and ice-free, Vologda-Yaroslavl road, we could finally get up to speed. With 50hp on tap, 'Odinatsat' was able to average over 60 km/h without driving dangerously. Soon, at around 9am, we stopped on the side of the road to stretch our legs and have some breakfast, and to transfer gasoline from the barrel to the fuel tank. We had just passed through Prečistoe, and found ourselves in a wooded area to it's south.


Half way though our breakfast, an NKVD officer on a motorcycle stopped to ask us why we were stopped there. No other questions were asked, beyond my identification. He looked over my shoulder at 'Odinatsat', then quickly at me, I could tell he was getting nervous. As I went to pull out my documentation, he must have noticed my concealed Tokarev. He quickly decided that he wanted nothing to do with us and after a muttered 'never mind', he got back on his motorcycle, he drove off. When I turned around, I noticed that 'Odinatsat' had put her breakfast down on the GAZ-MM's bonnet. She was purposefully holding her Mosin-Nagant with both hands. The way she stood there, I could tell that she was ready, physically and mentally, to shoot to kill if necessary. I'm sure the officer had seen it too when he had looked at her over my shoulder, that's what had suddenly made him tense.

She had wanted to go on this road-trip, but now that we were on the road, she was on edge, in a state of hyper-vigilance, almost as if she was back in Poland, with danger lurking around every corner and in every encounter. The harmless encounter with the NKVD officer made her reflexes kick in. Once we could no longer hear the motorcycle, she put down the rifle. As we eating breakfast, she was quietly sobbing, shaking ever so slightly. I definitely made the right call, not letting her travel on her own just yet.

'Odinatsat' relaxed behind the wheel, driving seems to have a calming effect on her. With every uneventful kilometre we covered, she grew less anxious. To distract her somewhat, I asked her about her aeroplane mechanic pen-pal. This cheered her up quite a bit, there was good news on that front. In his latest letter, Sergei, that's his name, had announced that he was to be transferred to 73. IAD, based close to Moskva. They would be able to meet, 'Odinatsat' could even drive down there herself once she got the car in working order, and we can easily put her up in one of our many Moskva safe houses if she ever needs a place to stay for a few days.

YaroslavlKorostlBridge1-min.jpg

View of the 19th century Bridge over the Kotorosl. Beyond the Bridge the Kotorosl meanders towards the Volga. The 17th century St. John the Baptist Church is on the horizon, in the centre of the frame, just below the bridge.

But that was all in the future. Meanwhile, we were making good time, considering we were in a lorry. Thanks to relatively little traffic, the asphalt roadway, and 'Odinatsat's smooth driving, we arrived in Jaroslavl at 11am, with a small amount of fuel left in the tank. We halted on a man-made dam in the Kotorosl, after crossing a 19th century steel bridge. From the top of this earthen mound that jets out into the Kotorosl, we could see the confluence of the meandering Kotorosl and the Volga and the spires of the St. John the baptist church to the right of it. We still had about 300 km to go, so we didn't dither for too long.

Yar_quayLake-min.jpg

Lake Plescheyevo, view from the embankment in Pereslavl-Zalessky.
After Jaroslavl, the road, Russia's first highway, was straighter, wider, and smoother. We picked up speed, and after an hour and a half of driving at close to 70 km/h, we halted for lunch. We found a great spot to eat our packed lunches in Pereslavl-Zalessky, some 150 km from our destination. We found an unoccupied bench on the embankment, and ate our lunch overlooking Lake Pleshcheyevo. We weren't the only ones, as a few office workers had had the same idea, but they were packing up, and before we even finished half our lunch, we were the only ones there. The lake was glistening in the light of the midday sun, it was quite beautiful. After we finished eating, we just sat there, in silence, taking in the sun, and the view. After topping up the fuel tank, we finally left for the last leg to Moskva at 1:30pm.

CherkizovoStationWaterTower-min.jpg

The water tower at Cherkizovo Station, built in 1905-07, following a design by A. Pomerantsev in neo-gothic style. The station itself is a standard single story building, near identical to so many other Russian stations of the period.

We reached the rendez-vous point outside Cherkizovo Station shortly before 4pm, and just as we came to a halt 'Shest' walked up to us, and as he greeted us, he stepped onto the driver-side running board, and started directing 'Odinatsat' towards the NKVD location. It all looked like a series of run of the mill warehouses, except for the discreet NKVD guards. 'Shest' greeted the guard at the gate, he promptly waved us through. We were directed by 'Shest' to a three story building. At the rear of said building there is a shallow loading dock about one meter tall, covered by a sloped overhang. 'Shest' stepped off the running board, and guided 'Odinatsat' as she backed up the lorry so that the rear of the bed was pointing straight at the large door with the number '6' on it. 'Shest' had a key. Once the double doors opened, a relatively narrow but deep space was revealed. Much of it was filled with stacks of crates of various sizes and materials.

After moving a two crates of SVT-38s out of the way, we reached a large tarpaulin-covered crate. In an overly dramatic flurry, 'Shest' pulled off the tarpaulin, revealing a simple wooden crate, with 'M E R C U R Y - A Ford Motor Company Division' stamped on the side. At this point 'Odinatsat' was getting excited, and thus we quickly grabbed two crowbars and pried the top panel off the crate.


In the crate was a brand new engine, not just any engine, a v8 built in Detroit.'Shest' got a piece of paper from his pocket.

flathead_engine_complete1942-48-leftside-min.jpg

'This is Ford's 1941 3,9 litre (239 ci) flathead v8 engine, V8-19A, it is rated at 95 hp and 238 Nm, whatever that means. This is the most powerful Ford v8 engine you can buy in a customer car. They use it in the Mercury Eight car, a step up from the ford deluxe line-up. The NKVD has a bunch of M1s with slightly smaller 3,6l 85hp v8s and those are faster than just about anything on the road in the Soviet Union. I've heard from colleagues who've reached 150 km/h, properly impressive. The Ford Motor Company has a lot of business interests here in the Soviet Union, and it wasn't as hard as I would have expected to get my hands on an untraceable v8 for some 'top secret operation'. Some favours were called in, others were extended, nothing extravagant. Here's a diagram of what you're getting.'
'Odinatsat' was elated,

'This is definitely more than I was hoping for when you told me it was a ford v8. I was expecting a second-hand 65hp 3.6l v8, or maybe a more recent 85hp one like the ones you say are fitted to some NKVD cars. This engine looks brand new, and it's massive. Thank you for this. I'm sure this didn't come cheap. I can't wait to unleash it's full potential.'

'That's not all, I've got another surprise for you. Please follow me.'

'Shest' started walking towards a low building with a low pitched roof, some 15 m from the loading dock. He continued talking as we moved towards the single barn door on that side.

'I switched cars with a colleague at the NKVD, he was more than happy to get my Zis-101 for the day, and I gave my driver the day off. Would you mind driving us to our rendez-vous with 'Devyat' at the Kremlin?'
Then he motioned for me to help him open the door. Clearly, 'Shest' was in a theatrical mood today. As the door was pulled open by myself and 'Shest', a GAZ-M1 was revealed. It wasn't just any M1, but a special NKVD V8 powered M1, black with a thin dark-red pinstripe along the side.

'Odinatsat' took us on a very spirited drive to the Kremlin. I sat in the back with 'Shest'. Other cars would jump out of the way for us, these cars, or more precisely the people that use them, really have a fearsome reputation. We got there in no time flat, screeching to a halt in front of a side entrance.

We were half an hour late. I could tell our lateness irritated the waiting 'Devyat', an avid proponent of precision and punctuality. His irritation abated quite quickly though, as he was visibly excited about what he was about to show us.


Somewhere, deep below the Kremlin, a new and very secret war room has been completed. In most ways it's quite similar to the war room on the surface, except for the lack of windows the crude concrete walls, the humid air, and the loud hum of the ventilation system. There's a massive map of the Soviet Union on the wall. A large table with comfortable chairs. Along another wall, a row of desks with telephones and radio transmitters on them is meant to allow the swiftest possible communication with the outside world. If it ever comes to a point where the Kremlin is being shelled and/or bombed, STAVKA's entire strategic command can be moved down here, and be up and running again in a couple of minutes. With sleeping quarters for all of the staff and commanders likely to be there, various communication lines to the outside, stores of canned food, a fresh water supply, and even tea making facilities, the General staff can stay down here, and run the war from this very space, for weeks if necessary.

All this new underground construction is top secret, of course, and only accessible through a series of secret passages and stairwells originating in the already guarded underground complex known as Stalin's bunker, as it contains his secondary office. Besides the rooms accessible to the general staff, an even more secret couple of rooms have been added for secret Committee members who might need to be close to the general staff without being seen, or simply need a place to hide from bombs or shells. It's really an extension from the thinking behind the hidden observation room next to Stalin's office.

To the map on the wall, counters were pinned, showing the position of every single Division in the Soviet Union, but also intelligence on foreign units around our borders. 'Odinatsat' halted to take a good look at it.

Meanwhile, 'Devyat' was droning on and on about the technical means that had been deployed to make this place a reality. It seems that it was quite an achievement, especially within the time frame. Techniques for the construction of all kinds of fortifications continue to steadily improve along with the skill of our Red Army Engineers and builders. 'Devyat' was over the moon, the bunker complex had been delivered ahead of schedule, and significant material savings had been made without reducing the resistance of the completed structure.

After what seemed like an hour, but was probably closer to five minutes, 'Devyat' was interrupted in his technical musings by 'Odinatsat'. She was all fired up as she launched into a short exposé, pointing at the map many times to reinforce her points:

Map42-04-18-min.jpg

The part of the map that caught 'Odinatsat's attention. Up to date on the 14th of April.

This will not do.

Look at this mess.

I've read all the reports. Yours, the Red Army's, etcetera... ('etcetera' in French) 'The primary objective of the Red Army expansion is to prepare for confrontation with Germany. The eradication of fascism as an ideology, especially on our doorstep, is a strategical imperative of the Soviet Union.' (mockingly citing from memory) The Litvinov-Von Neurath pact was meant to buy time for our armed forces to modernise and expand. Guesses were made as to when we would face the Germans. After the fall of France, most analysts estimated that Germany would attack in 1941, if it's troops were in position and it felt it could win.

Norway took a lot longer than anticipated for the Germans, we can thank the Royal Navy for that. But what have they been doing since Norway was wrapped up? They've moved so many troops to our border. If I had to guess that's most of their army. (pointing at German counters on the map) Why haven't they attacked yet?

The weather is nice, the mud in Poland gone now... unlike the mud in Vologda... If I was in charge of Germany, I'd have done so weeks ago. Unless...

(she stopped just long enough for me to open my mouth to respond, but not long enough for any words to actually come out)


I think they don't believe they can win. Our front line Generals seem to be confident they can hold back the Teutonic hordes, even with neither reserves nor tanks. I'd written this off as brazen overconfidence, and that's part of it, but looking at the sheer number of units on the map, it could have some theoretical merit. If our Army Group commanders believe our forces on the border can keep the Germans at bay, then I don't see why the Germans wouldn't come to the same conclusion, whatever the facts on the ground.

We still outnumber them on the border itself. (pointing at the many counters on the Soviet side of the border) After our successful campaign in Finland, I can't shake the feeling that even the Germans are overestimating our rifle divisions. If we want the Germans to attack, we need to lure them in even more. There are clearly still too many of our divisions on the border. I'd say pull at least 2 corps from the border, and pretend to send them to the Far East... see what happens. Maybe they won't be able to resist our moment of 'weakness'. Talk up the Soviet Union's fears of the Japanese Empire. Do all these things, maybe even lift the embargo to make them think we're afraid of them.

We can't remain a passive bystander, we can't keep the Red Army mobilised forever without fighting a major, or even a minor war. Make the border look really weak, and then, not if, but when they fall for it, we can beat them back all the way to Berlin. I firmly believe we can succeed, but we need to get the ball rolling soon. It would be a shame if most of the spoils of this global war go to British and American Capitalist Imperialists because we've arrived too late. The Americans are gearing up, the British are getting stronger day by day. It would be even worse if the Axis were to win against the Allies before we intervene.

Not only should we be the ones to deal the biggest blow to the Axis in Europe, we have to come out of this in a good position. When, not if, the Germans get crushed, the world may well be split between capitalists and communists. The Communists need to win more and better. And we need to win soon. Neutrality is not an option.

If the Germans continue to be cowards, we will have to attack them eventually. It's that, or we wait until the USA's military-industrial complex starts paying dividends and the Allies take over Europe. Our window to act decisively is closing. According to the latest intelligence, the Americans can outproduce us when fully geared up for war. We've taken a head start, let's not loose it.

Yes. I know. I have personal reasons to want a war with Germany, but that doesn't take away the merit of my argument. Of course I'd love to get some revenge, but it's about much more than that. I tried to stay out of it, have some fun, build a car, meet new people. You tried your best to keep me out of meetings not directly related to intelligence. I feel like you've become complacent, continuing to strengthen the Soviet Union against an attack that may never come if things stay as they are. Decisive action is needed, not just incremental improvements.

We need to make the Germans believe that we're distracted, that the Red Army is weak, and mostly deployed to the Far East, that the border is guarded by gangs of untrained peasants with smooth-bore muskets, and that Germany annexing the Soviet Union is not only likely, but guaranteed. Once they declare war, they'll have to face the music, and no one will feel bad for them. They'll have brought it on themselves. Maybe the Americans will even decide to help us fight the Germans, like they are doing with the British right now. Imagine that, capitalists paying for us to win the war for them so they don't have to!”
At this point she was really getting worked up, she was looking at us as if we were blind and complacent, and maybe we are those things to an extent. 'Shest' was looking at her as if she was crazy. 'Devyat' had this look that said 'I don't care much about these devious strategies, I'm just an engineer.' 'Odinatsat' was getting emotional, and wisely cut short her rant:

There, I've said what you needed to hear. Just consider it, that's all I'm asking for.
It's been along day, we better get going, I need a drink, and some sleep.”
The rest of the night was rather uneventful. Between the four of us, we emptied a bottle of vodka in the safe house, before all going to bed. We woke up with a hangover, and that's how we drove back, all the way to Vologda, with the new Engine tightly secured on the bed of the GAZ-MM.

What do you think about 'Odinatsat's assessment of the situation? Should we pull units from the front to tempt the Germans into an attack, or should we continue to play it safe? She was making a lot of sense, though we do have to worry about her personal motivation, as well as the possible influence of US intelligence. 'Shest' had this to say:

We're unable to verify what was said exactly that day in the American Residence in Stockholm, and even what she's told us is enough to make us just a little suspicious. This is hard to admit, as I really like 'Odinatsat', but there is an outside chance that she's compromised in some way. That said, she may still have a point, compromised or not. I'd rather play in the shadows, military strategy really isn't my strongest point.”
It's definitely not as straightforward as we would like. I'm off to bed now, after two days on the road, I'm exhausted. The drinking didn't help either. It's been a while since I was a young man.

Greetings,

'Odin'
 
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A very welcome return! As I’ve argued before, I agree with Odinatsat on this matter. I’d stage a fall back to some strategically located depth positions. In a technical sense, I’m not sure how far is far enough, but there is that mouseover hint on the pact status that indicates the relative percentages on the border, IIRC, so perhaps it would be a matter of just marching back until it changes? I haven’t ever done one of these ‘in reverse’, trying to tempt them to attack.

On the story, I enjoyed the read as always. You have a very engaging style, mixing the personal with the technical in an interesting way. Like an official diary entry but with flavour. ;) I hope you have the time to keep things going along, but of course at a manageable pace as RL permits. :)
 
A very welcome return!
As always, I'm glad to be back!

As I’ve argued before, I agree with Odinatsat on this matter. I’d stage a fall back to some strategically located depth positions. In a technical sense, I’m not sure how far is far enough, but there is that mouseover hint on the pact status that indicates the relative percentages on the border, IIRC, so perhaps it would be a matter of just marching back until it changes? I haven’t ever done one of these ‘in reverse’, trying to tempt them to attack.
I've also been thinking about a partial withdrawal from the border, this was reinforced by your suggestion to do exactly that. I believe 'Odinatsat' was the perfect person to bring this up in the ATL, considering her history.
There is nowhere I can see the percentages on the border, the mouseover only says that the pact may be broken now, and that it expires on the 6th of May 1943. That said, I tagged to Germany, with my blinders on of course, and found that they can declare war on the Soviet Union and break the NA pact whenever they want. In theory, it's only what they can see that counts, but I'm not sure if it really works that way... If I were to pull back, I'd probably send the corps pulled from the line to cities further from the front that don't have a dedicated Rifle corps yet, increasing the depth of our defences. Maybe we should also pull back the Armoured Army Group, placing it behind the first fortified line, so to the East of of Homel & Smolensk. This should also save on supplies as they would be closer to Moskva.

If a big withdrawal operation were to happen, it does need a name, so I'm open to suggestions for a name that just screams: "We're very afraid of the Japanese and we're redeploying most of our army to the Far East! This is definitely not a trap!"

On the story, I enjoyed the read as always. You have a very engaging style, mixing the personal with the technical in an interesting way. Like an official diary entry but with flavour. ;)
The format of this AAR is pretty much that of a semi-official diary, so I certainly haven't gone wrong there... I'm glad my style, and it's mix of personal and technical elements, is engaging and flavourful to you. This is a nice compliment, I'll endeavour to continue to live up to it.

I hope you have the time to keep things going along, but of course at a manageable pace as RL permits. :)
This semester was very chaotic and hard to manage both emotionally, and where time-management and planning is concerned. I have two months of vacation now, during which I will be writing and playing more. I also need to figure out a better plan for next year, and a better plan for where I'm going with my life in general. Taking into account all the new variables in it, now that the dust seems to have settled. Most of it anyway.

I need to make some sacrifices, I've already started to do so. This AAR isn't one of them, it's actually the most manageable, time-wise, and emotionally, of all my activities. I write and play when I find the time, and/or when I feel an emotional need to do so, there are no deadlines, little pressure, and I pretty much do what I want with it, within the stylistic boundaries I've set myself for the sake of coherence. If I ever feel like writing outside these boundaries, I might do like El Pip and start a secondary comedy AAR filled with silliness and banter, though if I do so, I might play and write in advance rather than in real time, allowing for more regular updates, and foreshadowing.

Thank you for your support,

RoverS3
 
Glad to see the story continue! Don't worry too much about life... it has a way of sorting itself out. And the most loyal readers will always remain!
 
19th of April 1942, 'Odin', 10-day report #193
The 19th of April 1942, Vologda, 1,7°C, 10 am Moscow Time,

Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten-day period between the 20th and the 19th of April 1942,

by 'Odin'
Army:
7 more Artillery Regiments have been deployed to the Western border. 107 AP, 109 AP, 120 AP, 122 AP, 125 AP, 127 AP, and 124 AP were deployed to 34 SD, 3 SD, 85 SD, 217 SD, 13 SD, 159 SD, and 48 SD respectively.
A new Tank Division, 13 Tankovaya Diviziya (Arm, Motx2, TD, Eng), has been deployed to Lt. General Bogdanov S.I.'s III TK, 2ya Tankovaya Armiya, Armoured AG, STAVKA.

Army numbers (Brigades/Personnel) Reserves included (these numbers don't include regiments being upgraded):
Front line troops: 692 / 2.076.000
Support troops: 348 / 348.000
Total fighting troops: 1.040 / 2.424.000
Headquarters: 64 / 64.000
Total Army Personnel: 1.104 / 2.488.000
Officers: 102.529 + / 109.710 needed / 93,454 %
Active Leaders: 281 / 215 more available
Production of 152mm and 122mm guns continues, 3 more Artillery Regiments started training.
Production and training of our third Heavy Tank Guards Division (10. TTGvD) has been restarted after being on hold for nearly 7 months. IS-2s are taking the place of T-34s on Kharkov production lines.
Army Leadership
New Maj. General Ivashenko SK2, OD has been placed in command of 13 Tankovaya Diviziya, III TK, 2ya Tankovaya Armiya, Armoured AG, STAVKA.
Air Force:
No changes to the VVS, nor to the Navy Air Fleet for the last 10 days.​

Navy:
No changes to the Navy for the last 10 days.
Politics / International:
ChinaRevolt42-04-19-min.jpeg

Nantong is, once more, firmly in control of the Japanese Empire, it is not clear what happened to the Chinese rebels.

Battle Of Britain
The RAF has resumed it's Strategic bombing campaign over Germany, with two missions over Dortmund, and a single one over Dusseldorf. The first two missions were unopposed, but the one over Dusseldorf was intercepted by the Luftwaffe. Our spies embedded in French territory report on two more Aerial Battles, one to the north-east of Strasbourg, and the other over Ijselmeer in the occupied Netherlands.
The war of the Atlantic flared up again, with 4 Allied convoys sunk to the west of the British Isles. The Royal Navy has managed to take it's revenge, mostly by sinking 5 Axis convoys in the same area, and another 4 off the coast of Portugal.
North Africa Front:
United Kingdom (Surrender Progress / NU): 1,9 / 87,6
Italy (Surrender Progress / NU): 0,00 / 79,3
BNAF42-04-19-min.jpeg

The Axis offensive continues with German heavies taking back Bardia for their Italian allies. Now that all of Libya is back in Italian hands, the advance is starting to move into Egypt. British resistance is bound to be limited, with two Infantry Divisions and a single exhausted Royal Marines Division facing German and Italian armoured and mobile formations. Bets are open as to when exactly the Axis will reach El Iskandarîya once more.
The RAF did bomb Italian ground forces in Ridotta Capuzzo three times about a week ago, but the Tactical bombers which executed the strikes have since been rebased elsewhere, leaving the RAF without the ability to provide air support to the front line. Until the front line moves to within range of Short Range bombers based in El Iskandarîya.
The Naval Bombers of No.15 and No.16 RN 'Naval Coastal Command' based in Malta intensified their strikes on the Naval Base at Reggio di Calabriathe Naval Base at Reggio di Calabria. In a further 7 bombing missions, they managed to sink 10. Flottiglia Torpediniere, 11. Flottiglia Torpediniere, and 61. Flottiglia Torpediniere. With most of the Royal Navy licking it's wounds in SE Asia or chasing German convoys and submarines in the Atlantic, the Naval Command seems to have successfully taken the reins in the Mediterranean.
RAF Strategic Bomber Command struck once more at Roma, with 3 unhindered bombing missions over the Italian capital. However, when the Halifaxes ventured further north towards Firenze, they were intercepted twice, losing over half of their planes, and had to retreat to Malta. For some reason the Regio Aeronautico deems the defence of Firenze more important than that of Rome...
No naval encounters.

1 British convoy was sunk by the Italians off the coast of Sardegna.
South East Asia Front
United States of America (Surrender Progress / NU): 8,5 / 85,8
United Kingdom (Surrender Progress / NU): 1,9 / 77,6
Philippines (Surrender Progress / NU): 74,2 / 74,9
Japan (Surrender Progress / NU): 0,00 / 70,3

Still Nothing in the Philippines.
The Convoy war intensified once more, with 20 allied convoys lost to the IJN, and 12 IJN convoys sent to the bottom by various allied fleets.
There has been no naval action in the area, probably because the Royal Navy is still licking it's wounds and reorganising in the area after the previous disastrous naval campaign that culminated in the loss of HMS Hood.
Pacific Front
All quiet here, there continues to be no US involvement in the war save for massive amounts of lend-lease to the UK.

Industry:
Fortifications in Moskva including an underground fortified command centre (Level 9) have been completed.
Work has started on the next level of fortifications in Leningrad, including a network of underground tunnels linking the main bunkers. (Level 5)

Working Industrial Capacity / available capacity: 240 / 330 (+6)
IC Usage: ( Allocated IC / Need )
Upgrades: 52,30 / 60,26
Reinforcement: 4,40 / 13,03
Supplies: 31,00 / 49,20
Production: 212,60 / 219,55 (A single Mountain Rifle Divisions and the Chinese MP remain unfunded)
Consumer Goods: 29,70 / 29,70
Stockpiles:
Energy: Maximum tonnes +
Metal: Maximum tonnes +
Rares: 47.293 tonnes +
Crude: Maximum barrels +
Supplies: 35.351 tonnes -
Fuel: Maximum barrels +
Money: 1.592 -​

Intelligence:
Spy numbers, spies in (active / added / lost / caught by us)
France (Supporting our Party / Counterespionage): 5 / 0 / 0 / 0
{ Germany (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ Japan (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 }
{ UK (/) : 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }​
Other: 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total: 5 / 0 / 0 / 1
Reserves: 3
Spy training leadership expenditure: 0,17 (a new spy every 40 days)
A Japanese spy was caught in the Soviet Union, it's not clear what he was doing here.
Research:
New developments in machines and in worker training have now been implemented, leading to an increase in Industrial Production (Level 7) within our existing factories.
Our Industrial engineers continue their work, now focusing their efforts on Industrial Efficiency (Level 7), the aim is to reduce waste and streamline production to make the products of our industry cheaper and easier to produce.
VVS theorists have improved their grasp on Battlefield Interdiction Tactics (Level 3), this means that our bombers will be more effective at targeting enemy troops waiting to go into battle, and more likely to focus on these reserves.
Funding from this project was reallocated to Mikulin's design bureau in order to develop a new Aero Engine (Level 3) for our aeroplanes.
Our naval researchers and engineers have finally delivered a new Destroyer Engine (Level 4) design. The 66.000 PS turbines will give our new Destroyers a higher top speed and longer operating range. Though they will still be slower than the Swedish Göteborg-Class.
Work has now started on the designs for a new Aircraft Carrier Engine (Level 1), that should allow our next class of Carriers to match the range of the new Destroyer designs, as well as giving them a slight increase in speed.
Statistics:
National Unity: 83,241 =
Neutrality: 0,00 =
Dissent: 0,00 =
Manpower:
Available: 2.230.000
Men To reinforce(need): 7.350
Men To mobilise(need): See above
Monthly gain: 48.200 Men (1 fully mobilised Infx3, AT Division every 7 days)​
No changes in Party Popularity for the last 10 days.
No changes in Party Organisation for the last 10 days.
This Information is accurate on the morning of the 19th of April 1942, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.

'Odin'​
 
Glad to see the story continue! Don't worry too much about life... it has a way of sorting itself out. And the most loyal readers will always remain!
What would I do without my most loyal readers' encouragement and advice? ;)

I'd recommend "Comintern Great Wall" as a possible name for the far east defensive line.
Interesting suggestion, I might use it, though it does have a few downsides. The 'great wall' part does hint at fortifications, not necessarily at large numbers. Also, the Great wall of China didn't stop the Mongols... so maybe that's not the kind of precedent we want to associate the Soviet Union with.
 
Operation “The East is Red”? Or maybe “The Sun Sets in the East”?:D “Eastern Revenge”? “Tojo No-no”? OK, now I’m getting plain silly, sorry. :rolleyes:
 
Perhaps a more subtle take would be "Operation Genghis Khan" or "Operation Temujin"? On the surface, a typical aggressive-sounding military operation evoking power and fearsome hordes. Beneath the surface, implying the East rather evidently. Mongolia is also a Comintern puppet, perhaps this suggests an offensive action from there against Manchuria and Inner Mongolia/Mengkukuo. Certainly with the (historical) border clashes between Japan and the USSR, an offensive action to resolve the situation once and for all is not out of the question.

“Tojo No-no”?
Oh, never mind me, this one is clearly the best! :D
 
"The East Is Red" IS a Chinese Communist song....and the modern lyrics were produced in 1942 if the web is telling me the truth. So it would be a likely title for an Operation in China. Having two meanings. One about protecting the USSR against the Japanese. And Two the liberation of "Occupied China".
 
Operation “The East is Red”? Or maybe “The Sun Sets in the East”?:D “Eastern Revenge”? “Tojo No-no”? OK, now I’m getting plain silly, sorry. :rolleyes:

 
Operation “The East is Red”? Or maybe “The Sun Sets in the East”?:D “Eastern Revenge”? “Tojo No-no”? OK, now I’m getting plain silly, sorry. :rolleyes:
"The Sun Sets in the East", interesting, this opens up a whole list of plays on the sun. Maybe operation "Parasol" to protect from the rising sun... (a 'Parasol', as opposed to a 'Parapluie', is an umbrella that protects from the sun rather than from rain. The word 'Parasol' is also used in Russian, so this could work.) Maybe operation sunscreen, or operation "morning shade".
"Eastern Revenge", I guess that would be revenge for the Russo-Japanese War? It could work, though it might be so agressive as to push the Japanese to launch a preemptive attack.
"Tojo No-no" is definitely silly, but is it too silly? @Wraith11B is right, it is. It's still funny though.:D

Perhaps a more subtle take would be "Operation Genghis Khan" or "Operation Temujin"? On the surface, a typical aggressive-sounding military operation evoking power and fearsome hordes. Beneath the surface, implying the East rather evidently. Mongolia is also a Comintern puppet, perhaps this suggests an offensive action from there against Manchuria and Inner Mongolia/Mengkukuo. Certainly with the (historical) border clashes between Japan and the USSR, an offensive action to resolve the situation once and for all is not out of the question.
Referencing the mongol invasion of China could do the trick, and you're right, the Mongols are on our side, so it's not that much of a stretch. The implication that the Mongols will be doing the heavy lifting could be a problem though.

"The East Is Red" IS a Chinese Communist song....and the modern lyrics were produced in 1942 if the web is telling me the truth. So it would be a likely title for an Operation in China. Having two meanings. One about protecting the USSR against the Japanese. And Two the liberation of "Occupied China".
So, what you're saying is that 'The East is Red' is a song of the Chinese Communists, those same Communists who rejected our advances for them to join the Comintern. This means that they are false communists as real communists would want to join the Comintern. I'm afraid we won't be able to use that one, unless the Communist Chinese change their mind and decide to be the real deal and join the Comintern...

This is great, lot's of ideas flying around, don't hesitate to give your feedback on mine and other suggestions. I'll probably make my decision tomorrow.
 
Oh damn, I'm seriously late to the party. How embarrassing.

A beast of an engine for 11. I think that will even get a reaction out of the grumpy mechanic on base. That being said, Shest makes a convincing point. It's fairly obvious she's heavily traumatized or an extremely good actor, but in the end which one she is will matter little. The fact is she's been in both German and American custody, and could theoretically be compromised by either one. I'm not sure keeping her on base is the best course of action, either; if she happens to be compromised, she could do incredible damage by staging the assassination of multiple members of the Committee or intercepting communications. In the worst-case scenario, the Germans have one or two divisions in the rear per each on the line and are waiting for our bulk to be withdrawn to attack, at which point she would attempt to disrupt our chain of command as much as possible to prevent an effective response. I don't necessarily believe this to be the case, but it is the worst-case scenario short of the entire Committee being assassinated.

Either way, two options are open to us. Either feigning weakness and pulling the bulk of our forces back from the border to form a defense in depth and hope the enemy takes the bait, or launch our own offensive. I don't think whether 11 is compromised or not really has an effect on this, beyond the precautions regarding her we might be wise to take. Now, as has been discussed many times before, the Germans attacking would be the optimal outcome. To do that, we need to make them believe our troops are going to be engaged in the East - leak information of something called Operation Sun-Eater or something equally striking, and they'll be convinced we're going to hit Japan. Pull all high-value troops, such as armour, guards and motorized units, as well as the more veteran divisions, off the front line. The Japanese should be shitting their pants and calling the Germans to hit us. If that doesn't work, we'll have to start things ourselves.