'39 Redux: Blitzkrieg [Trying the 1:1 Re-enactment of German Warfare - AAR]

[joeyBanana]

Hey guys,

as you can see im not posting very often around here...almost never But im playing HoI 3 since its release and played a little bit of EU, before HoI. So this is like the third or fourth game of HoI 3 im starting right now and, to make things interesting, i want to document my progress in this AAR. First time im playing on hard difficulty and first time im using the AIP. Im excited what will happen from now on.

The Setup:

Hearts of Iron 3, Version 1.2
Hard Difficulty
Germany
Starting date: 1936
The actual date is: 1. September, 1939 - 4:00 am

Mods used:

The AI Improvement Pack + MapMap Mod

The Rules

1. Try to reenact EVERY major german operation
2. IGNORE every difficulties which are obvious to common sense - I will stick to the same plans, that the OKW + OKH used
3. Use the same organization of the armed troops as in reality, down to Corps - Level [The corps will consist of my "favorite" Divisions]

"My Style"

I won't bombard you with tons of information which are obvious. Just giving short explanations for the movement of my armies or the actual situation. To illustrate the whole process, i will use the original plans and compare them to mine in Hearts of Iron 3, so you can actually see what happened in reality and whats happening in the game.

As always, the plan only survives 'till it meets the enemy, but i will try to stick to the Operations, which were used by the German High Command from '39 and later.

One last thing: I hope you can follow my explanations and my english will be acceptable for you guys. If you dont unterstand something or want to know anything additional, just ask. And im using the actual german descriptions of the army (e.g. Heeresgruppe Nord and so on).

A SITREP will follow after this post.

 

[Obermotz]

Looks interesting, we had not an awfull lot of 39 Ger AARs. I follow

 

[joeyBanana]

Fall Weiss: Invasion of Poland

I. Act - Fall Weiss: Invasion of Poland

The Situation:

As we all know, every peace initiative was damned to be futile. Germany was on its road to war. Now its the 1st September, 1939 and the Wehrmacht is fully mobilized and ready to complete Hitlers Dreams of his aggressive, foreign policy.

The political situation is a little bit inaccurate, but i think it won't disturb the major operations i will conduct in the following weeks. Here is a picture of Axis, Allies and Comintern:

The Western Front

Note: I moved the austrian army to reinforce the Siegfriedlinie. Ive got roughly ~ 15 Infantry Divisions and 2 Tanks, to keep Belgium out of the mainland. Its not as accurate as i hoped, but its the only way to keep the front as stable as possible. But the number of defending divisions on this front is almost the same as it was '39.

Also note, that Italy has joined the Axis and so an attack on the southern french border is likely.

We will see what will happen here, as i will do nothing but executing the famous "Sitzkrieg".


Poland

The High Command divided the Wehrmacht into two major, operational units: Heeresgruppe Nord and Heeresgruppe Süd. These Army Groups will try to cut deep into the flanks of Poland and reach Warsaw as fast as possible. It will ignore the region around Poznan in its initial attacks, instead using the "Blitzkrieg" - Tactic to gain a quick and decisive victory.

The original Plan for "Fall Weiss"

My Reenacment differs in one fact: I had to move the edges of the 10th and 14th a little bit, but i think it will not cause any problems with the following operations. Also you can see, i marked the whole Third Army, so you can see which units do belong to which HQ.

"My" Plan

So far, so good. The next post will show the detailed Operations and Goals, im trying to achieve due "Fall Weiss".

 

[Karelian]

AARs that aim for historical realism are always a nice find, I'll follow this one as well.

 

[joeyBanana]

Alright, the general situation ist clear. Time to get down to the real business.

Heeresgruppe Nord

Heeresgruppe Nord has three main Goals:

1. The City of Danzig
2. Torun
3. Warsaw

Sounds easy, we'll see what happen. Out of East Preussia, the 3rd Army will have a try to reach the Capital City of Poland as quickly as possible. It will use its three Corps, which consist of 3 Armoured, 3 Motorized and 9 Infantry Divisions, to launch an spearhead attack, directly aimed at Warsaw. Tanks and Motorized will lead the attack, while the Infantry takes care of defending the weaker flanks and keep East Preussia free of hostile forces.

The 4th Army is going for Danzig. The overwhelming forces will take the "Free City" in no time and the fire support coming from the Baltic Fleet, which started the war with its fire aimed on the so-called "Westerplatte", will do the rest. The fourth and fifth Corps, backed by the Seventh, will aim directly at Warsaw, ignoring Poznan and trying to cut off Northern Poland from its mainland. Torun will be a stepping stone on the way to Warsaw.

Some small infantry divisions will keep East Germany secure and act as the Garrison Troops at the German-Polish-Frontier.

Heeresgruppe Süd

The Goals:

1. Securing Lodz
2. Close in on Warsaw and cut the polish troops.
3. Providing cover for the 10th Army, which is the crucial one

Herresgruppe Süd is bigger than Nord and consists of three Armies. The 8th Army consists of two Corps, which are heading towards the area around Lodz, and, furthermore, provide cover on the left flank for the 10th Army.

The 10th will head for Lodz, but then go around the city and try to reach Warsaw to meet with the 3rd Army and cut Poland in half. This will be the most crucial part of the mission, because it depends on swiftness and the success of the flanking armies.

The 14th take care of the weak southern front. I'll expect very little resistance here, although the reserves could easily mount a defense and slow down the whole Operation of Heeresgruppe Süd. The main goal is to secure the city of Cracow and, furthermore, provide cover for the 10th Army.

Role of the Luftwaffe and Reichsmarine

The Luftwaffe is well equipped and got enough planes on the border, to gain air superiority in a few days. The Stukas are aimed directly at any hostile troops while the tactical bombers will try to keep any polish airplane grounded...forever, by attacking the airfields.

The Reichsmarine will only have a small role, by providing fire support and help the 4th Army, conquering Danzig.

Note: As Hungary and Romania are in the Axis right now, we could see a different outcome on the southern front. But i dont expect anything critical, except some cover for the 14th.

Now everythings clear, the Wehrmacht ist ready to strike. Lets have a look how this Operation will work in the game.

 

[joeyBanana]

Case Closed !

(Dunno the exact rules, i hope this Double Posting will be alright ?!)

"Seit 5:45 Uhr wird nunmehr zurückgeschossen..."

I'll give you the picture of the development. First off, i was happy that my fellow axis did not join my effort to defeat Poland, since the Danzig or War - Event prevented any foolish actions.

4 Days since "Fall Weiss"

The Battle of Danzig

EDIT: My bad...the fighting around the city was solved at the 7th of September, so im 2 days "historically" ahead. Poor Danzig.

7 Days since "Fall Weiss"

As you can see, the progress of Heeresgruppe Süd was tremendous. The 10th Army nearly achieved its goal and is reaching out for Warsaw, to begin the siege of the town. Historically, the battle began on 8th September, so im very close right here. I ordered my troops to stop South of Warsaw, to catch some breath und wait for secure flanks. Although i could mount an attack rightaway, i want some backup from the 14th Army or more progress in East Preussia.

Krakau and Lodz are open for the armoured spearheads. Torun is almost done and the dangerous situation for Poland around Poznan is growing desperate. The first pocket of "Fall Weiss" is about to emerge. Lets see how many provinces i can get in there. The big cities of Poland are almost no match for the fast Corps I'm employing here. You can see, that the AI is trying to figure out what is happening, not knowing where to pull back, where to establish a defensive line. Great simulation of "Blitzkrieg" right here.

Here you can have a nice comparison between my progress and the progress like it was in '39. The map in Hearts of Iron 3 is great, but it cannot reproduce the exact and "realistic" movements and positions of every unit. But with a little bit of fantasy, you can see that my "Fall Weiss", can be compared to the historical one.

Like '39, the progress in Southern Poland is exceptional and the effort of the 14th Army near Danzig is slowly showing success, in closing the pocket around Poznan. On this historical map, you can see the advance from 1st to 14th September.

Except the success on all fronts, the 3rd Army in East Preussia is making little progress. Since Day One, it is still fighting with the fierce defendants at the northern border. This will be the biggest problem, because the AI decided to keep its northern border protected by more divisions, than any other one. Although, you can see the impact of the "Blitzkrieg": Troops are routing, pulling back, going to other provinces, just not knowing whats the right thing to do.

Conclusion and Outlook

The first 7 days were a big success for "this" Wehrmacht. I followed the rules and plans, that were conducted '39 and made a big chunk of progress. As you can see, i have got the full air superiority. Although the Polish Airforce still exists, its almost useless, due to the Blitzing im doing here.

The Western Front kept quiet, nothing really happened...as historically correct. So im pretty pleased, that everything worked out just fine. Its interesting to see, that the game really comes up with reality, when you are using the exact plans and strategies. Its correct that my Corps are bigger and therefore "stronger"...but: My attacks are almost performed just by two or three Divisions at a time, the Infantry is merely clearing up the pockets or securing the flanks, like it did in reality. So i think we can judge that advantage in numbers as "historically correct" or not really important.

The only problem are the Brits, which are beginning with some strategic bombings and attacks on my crucial convoys, which deliver me substanstial resources like oil. Its a shame that i have to wait almost a year, until I get a grip on the ports in northern France.

It will be interesting to see, how long it will take to defeat Poland, compared to the historic date of 27th September, when almost every major combat actions were seized.

 

[joeyBanana]

The developing situation is looking good for the Wehrmacht: Warsaw is in reach, the big cities almost conquered and the Polish Army does not know whats happening. Its time to deliver the final blow and finish off the enemy.

As explained, i will continue the "real" Operations, as they proved highly successful.

The Battle of Cracow

The attack on Cracow had begun 7 days after the invasion started and, on 8th September, the city was mine. It was an easy task to take the city. The Armoured divisions, leading the attack, easily defeated the remaining defenders and drove them out of the city. With the capturing of Cracow, Southern Poland lost its last, big fortress and point of effective defense.

14 Days since "Fall Weiss"

Here we go, 14 Days since the invasion of Poland. As you can see, the divisions south of Warsaw are still waiting. Although this delayed the attack on Warsaw, i could get another couple of Motorized and Armoured divisions right in front of the city. Meanwhile Guderian managed to lead a fierce attack in East Preussia and therefore giving me the opportunity, to commence the attack on the capital city from two sides. With the capture of Warsaw, i would close a massive pocket, although there are a couple of weak spots. Especially the flanks of the 10th Army are weak and vulnerable, but the infantry is doing great and closes in to reconnect to the spearheads.

The 14th Army in the South-East is having no problems, and can march directly North to connect with East Preussia, cut of Warsaw from East Poland and supporting the attack on the Capital City from behind. The attack on Lodz has been started a couple of hours ago and is also making good progress. With both Lodz and Warsaw besieged, Poland will collapse in a couple of days.

The Battle of Warsaw

Here is a close-up look of the situation around Warsaw:

I've got strong forces North and South of the city, so an attack from both sides will be the reasonable result. I massed a lot of mobile units there, so i can mount an attack with Tanks and Motorized, leaving the Infantry behind to cover my flanks.

The attack commenced 11 o'clock, 14th September 1939. The main force of the Polish Army is scattered around, leaving Warsaw almost defenseless. The attack with seven of my best motorized and armoured divisions will be devastating and you don't have to be a magician, to know that this battle will soon be over...

Just 4 hours later, Warsaw was done and the capital city mine. Poland is defeated, its remaining armies caught up in a pocket reaching from East Germany to Warsaw.

18th September

I want to show you this date and screenshot, because its a prime example of the results of a fast and rapid "Blitzkrieg" - Attack. It also shows the situation of several Armies in Poland '39, which were caught up in pockets like this, all around the country.

Notice the large pocket at the Poznan area, where my frontier guards just commenced with an attack to clean up the remaining forces. As i told you before, i closed the pocket with the capturing of Warsaw and 4 days later i furthermore divided the big one into two smaller pockets. Especially in the "Poznan"-Pocket, you can see that im almost only using Infantry divisions to clean up the mess, like it was done historically. The "Warsaw"-Pocket is almost no danger. The remaining forces there are consisting of Headquarters and a couple of Infantry Units, routed and feared by the strong attacks, lead by the armoured spearheads. In this situation, defeat is imminent.

I also stabilized Southern Poland and established a defensive line, consisting of Infantry divisions which cover the right flank of the 14th Army and prevent enemy forces from joining the battle.


20th September, 19 days after "Fall Weiss"

Finally...I finished the invasion of Poland approx. 7 days ahead of the real Wehrmacht. The difference here was the fast capture of Warsaw, which established a big pocket. The slow Polish Army could not react properly and thus got smashed from all sides.

Conclusion and Outlook

Next part of this AAR will be the Operation "Weserübung-Süd", the invasion of Denmark. The Wehrmacht did this in just one day and i'm almost sure, that i won't achieve this goal.

Anyway, the first campaign made me curious to see where this game will lead me to. As mentioned in the rules, i will follow the real dates and start the attack on Denmark in April of 1940, so there will be a lot of spare time to optimize my economy and follow the global development.

If something interesting is happening, i will deliver an update of the situation.

I hope you like this "analytical" kind of AAR and I wonder how long i can stick to this style. I think the UDSSR will be the turning point, if there is not anything crazy happening and i have to leave the "historical" way of playing before Barbarossa. Anyway, i will still stick to the "Wehrmacht"-Way of thinking and conducting Operations which fit to their scheme...Blitzing and Megalomaniac.

 

[unmerged(172097)]

This seems very challenging, good luck to you.

 

[unmerged(75409)]

nice map!!! looks a lot better than the Paradox one.

and congrats on the Feldzug

 

[Insentient]

This is an interesting style and idea. Keep up the "historical" good work.

 

[Sir Kenny]

Quite unique i have to say.

Keep it up! I long for another update.

 

[Myth]

Good stuff, looking forward to more.

 

[joeyBanana]

Hey guys,

i will update in no-time, just stay tuned

 

[FlorisDeVijfde]

Nice that you try to re-enact the exact course of history. Good work in Poland.

 

[Enewald]

Looking awesome!
Moar!

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

I also want moar!