All Alone: A Lithuanian AAR

Belgiumruler said:

To AARms!

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Thanks for encouragement I am in a middle of writing my next update, but it is very unlikely it's done earlier than Sunday night.

Anthnytdwg said:

I have thoroughly enjoyed this AAR, quite riveting. This is honestly the first one that I've been interested enough to follow the whole way through...keep it up. May the brave men find their way back home.

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Thanks, Anthnytdwg, and welcome! I am really glad you like it.

On a side note, I would like to ask all you guys for an advice on a decent movie about Allied invasion of Italy (regardless of age or genre). So not to derail this thread, all PM's would be welcome. After watching 'Patton' before landing in Sicily, I feel that it would help me visualise things better.

Thank you in advance

SPIRTO76 said:

Hey I'm back, I had some stuff to do and I am thoroughly caught up with this AAR. Your writing style really captures the sheer stupidity the AI has for taking key strategic vps and all keep up the good work.

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Welcome back, SPIRTO76

The AI is not that bad, actually, they are just very reluctant to fight when out of supplies..

Update in few minutes!

Egyptian Vacation. December, 1942

While we were still engaged in the trenches around Palermo that November, the bulk of British invasion force was moving east for a bigger goal than the island of Sicily - the invasion of Italy!

As I learned much later after the war, when speaking with my mates from 7th British Army, their landing in Catania on November 2 was a regrouping manoeuvre, while assisting us with stubborn Italian defences was merely a side benefit.

The invasion plan was called Operation 'Avalanche'. Main thrust of which was supposed to be directed towards bay of Salerno and, then, to Naples, securing both ports for further invasion under constant bomber and fighter cover.


In the meantime, 13th Corps of the 7th Army, led by Lt.Gen. Fortune should have breached Italian defences at Reggio di Calabria and support the landings at Salerno by marching nearly 400 kilometres from the 'toe' of Italy and keeping the Italians occupied along the way.

All plans are prone to change, however. While troops were sitting in Catania harbour and waiting for the transport flotillas to be assembled, foolish Italian attack on our troops in Messina has left them open for the attack by 6th Armoured division of Gen. Ebbels, disrupting first the timing of the operation, and, when Italians took-off for a retreat north without even looking back, the landings became no longer feasible, as concentration of Italian troops around the target harbours increased significantly. Apparently, two divisions of German Fallschirmjägers arrived there at the same time as well.


The revised Operation 'Avalanche' was divided now into three main stages:

I. British Armoured divisions, acting under operation 'Baytown', have already crossed the straits of Messina and were taking a lengthy trek across Calabria along two coastal roads - northern and southern, with the rest of British forces following suit.

II. Capturing harbour installations and airfields in the regions of Salerno-Naples and Taranto-Bari by a two-pronged attack.

III. Capturing Rome and Pescara by advancing along the coastlines, using the mobility of armoured and motorized troops to surround the Italians in the Apennine mountains.

None of that was of our concern at that moment. After reaching Messina, we boarded our (t)rusty transport ships and headed for Alexandria - our home-base for operations in the Med.

SPIRTO76 said:

Yeah I would imagine that some of those Lithuanians have never even had a sun burn before.

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Well, you can get a sunburn in Lithuania too Besides, most of the guys have survived Libyan desert, so there are no things new there as well, except perhaps for a sufficient time to relax

Update in few mins.

Christmas Are Coming. Late December, 1942

We were eagerly following the news from the frontlines all over the world - Persia finally surrendered to Anglo-Soviet occupation forces, and the country was split with whole southern part now a part of British Empire, opening a land connection from Iraq to India, while Tehran and most of northern territories went to Russians.

Soviet and Indian troops meet at Tabriz. End of November, 1942.​

At the same time the Americans have initiated operation 'Torch' by landing in Casablanca, but handed the command to the British (St. John's HQ and Gen.Masservy). It was understandable, as such vast swaths of land could not be left to barely breathing Vichy France, which did not even have any divisions to defend with, after a humiliating loss in Syria exactly one year ago.

It was clear that Allied command thought this to be an operation of tertiary importance, now that the mainland Italy was invaded. Early December, 1942​

There were some changes among our high rank personnel at the beginning of December. Gen. Rastikis, which has been commanding our forces on an operational level since the beginning of the war, was demoted to a divisional commander of our most understrength 1st volunteer division 'For Freedom'.

His place was taken by Gen.Vitkauskas, which gained trust of our supreme commander Gen.Liatukas during Sicily campaign by commanding the very same division. This was quite an odd move, since Gen.Rastikis was loved among the troops, while Vitkauskas was renowned for pushing his troops from one bloodbath into another.

It was even more surprising, as Vitkauskas was one of the few highest officers advocating the surrender to the Soviets in June, 1940. Most men in my squad thought it was something to do with the ego battle at Palermo between Liatukas, Rastikis and British commander, but nothing was certain of course, and talks remained just that - talks.

By mid-December we were on our usual routine drill schedule, when news came - we will have to help Brits in Italy, again. Apparently, they were still slugging across the minefields and blocked mountain roads of Calabria, for three weeks now, without a significant breakthrough. Italian elite Alpini and Armoured divisions were trying to make their life miserable, day after day, and British tanks were sometimes more of a hindrance than a real asset on narrow mountain paths.

It took us another three weeks to prepare for the next operation properly, while the planning went at least two weeks longer than that, and a week before Christmas we were sailing again.

Operation 'Slapstick' intended a combat landing at or close to Bari, securing the harbour facilities, linking up with the advancing British, and, as secondary target - encircling Italians in Taranto and capturing the city with its port and airfields.

Operation 'Boardman' was developed as supportive feign attack on Kalamata, to give the impression to defending Axis commanders that a parallel invasion of Greece is undertaken.

tate43 said:

Finnish division probably doesn't act operate properly in Italy . Good update!

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I have a feeling that they will have their chance further north yet, besides, it's winter already

La Dolce Vita. December, 1942 - January, 1943

The attack has started according to the plan on December 21, with our diversionary group sailing for the shores of the Peloponnese, but that was about it. They were not able to sail into the bay of Kalamata due to a storm coming from the west, so it was decided instead to try and force a landing at Argos - dangerously close to German garrison of Athens. Another peril was waiting at sea - we had no information on the location of RM 'Pola' - the sole remaining heavy cruiser of Regia Marina, and its escorts - it was rumoured that it might be undergoing repairs in some shipyard of Adriatic - mere days of sailing at full steam from our landing site.


Despite deceiving the Italian navy, our own landing at Bari was not possible as well - British contacts on land informed that the harbour is strongly defended by Italian infantry division 'Brenna'. Thus, it was decided to switch to our secondary landing site at Barletta, further north. The landing itself was timed for Christmas Eve, and first crafts reached the shore at 3 AM, December 25, still undetected, as there were only a handful of guard at the harbour to neutralize.

In the morning, though, Italians came in force - our transport fleet was attacked by Yugoslavian bombers, while narrow bridgehead along the shore has become a target for Italian airforce - 133 men were lost just in the first wave, with 300 more lost in 2 days. 11th Inf. division 'Brennero' attacked from the direction of Bari, but they already were too late and too few, in order to dislodge us from the positions.

Attack from Bari was beaten-off by the next morning with a loss of 700 Italians against 100 of ours. December 26, 1942​

Within few hours, our 3rd Volunteer division were sent to pursue them and secure, if possible, the harbour of Bari. By morning of December 27 forward scouts of our own division made contact and linked-up with British 1st Armoured, effectively sealing the sack around Taranto.

Defensive line of Mt.Gargano and airfields scattered around Foggia - our next operational targets. December 27, 1942​

For the next 4 days, we were subject to desperate, ferocious but uncoordinated attacks from Potenza by Mot. Div. 'Eugenio di Savoia' and Inf. Div. 'Calabria', both attacks ending in almost a slaughter of Italian soldiers - 1594 were left wounded or dead, while we have lost 362.

Or so we thought.

Ikarases said:

That's... scary!

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Belgiumruler said:

poor Ikar is afriad

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I think Ikarases is caring, not afraid

Zorro said:

Nice update!

Thanks!

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Surt said:

That's an unique point of view, I don't remember any other AAR that played as GIE.

Anyway I think you need to upgrade your divisions. Maybe with some licence build tank destroyers to beef up your all inf divisions.

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Welcome, Surt! I was already thinking about that but tank destroyers would be hard to get with 5 IC and 0 MP (I am constantly reinforcing to keep my forces afloat). I was thinking scrapping one or both of my 2 reserve militia regiments for MP, and build some licensed artillery at least..

johho888 said:

What is happening on the eastern front? If you are to liberate Lithuania before the Sovjets get there...

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Well, Eastern front stretches from Arkhangelsk (Leningrad has fallen already a year ago) to Smolensk and Crimea, and it has been like that for more than 6 months already, so it's pretty stable, I am only wondering only what will happen once the snow is gone in few months..

As for Far-Eastern front (Soviets - Japanese), it's not that 'Far' anymore, as Communist Sinkiang, Tannu Tuva and Mongolia have already fallen, with half of Siberia in the hands of Japanese. I will perhaps provide you with a world map in my next update

johho888 said:

I thought you were just making a Lithuanian aircraft industry up (sorry) but while spending part of my vacations in Lithuania I stumbeled upon this picture in a museum.



I guess none of the aircraft made it through WWII? (or at least they didn't end up in the museum in Kaunas)

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As far as I was able to find, all still flyable crafts were taken by the Soviets (and some - previously exported to Latvia - by German Luftwaffe), and none of those survived. There were some plans to rebuild some of them - in particular the latest fighter-bomber ANBO-VIII, but I think nothing is happening at the moment.

The only surviving plane in a museum (not flying though) is ANBO-I from 1920's, the very first in the series. Not sure whether it is being currently displayed though.