The Soviet hordes are coming! Run! Great update LB, I hope you have time to update again soon.
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The Soviet hordes are coming! Run! Great update LB, I hope you have time to update again soon.
Stalin's army is coming, the march of the Red army has begun!
Definately looking forward to whatever shape the war takes after the collapse of the third Reich.
Definately looking forward to whatever shape the war takes after the collapse of the third Reich.
How long will it be before the French and Soviet Leadership meet each other to carve up the reich?...
Thanks for reading everyone.
The race is on! I am confident that France will save Europe from Communism. Hey, if the French can brake the evil shackles of Nazism, they can halt the Russian hordes, right?Sgt. Schultz said:About time the Reds went on the offensive. Better hurry up and take as many German and minor Axis provinces as you can.
The Soviet offensive is too little too late I suspect. However, the French Army will advance faster to ensure that the Soviets don't touch one inch of Europe proper (non-Soviet territory). Once Germany and the European Axis have been defeated and puppeted, I plan to rid Russia of Communism and the Soviet state. A pro-Paris, anti-Communist Fascist Russia, how does that sound?Semi-Lobster said:
All the details of post war Germany shall be coming soon. It should prove interesting. Of course, the Third Reich will be broken up - some countries that were ruthessly absorbed into the Reich will re-emerge once again.coz1 said:
I should have some spare time over the next few days, so I will post the next update either tomorrow or Tuesday.Regent Horthy said:
I assure you, the war shall become even more interesting after the defeat of the Third Reich.Machiavellian said:
The Reich will not be carved up, and France will certainly not plan anything with the USSR.Sir Humphrey said:
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The Fall of the Third Reich
The Red Giant Stumbles
The Soviet offensive on the Dniepr had successfully expelled the Germans from the Eastern bank of the river, liberating the major cities of Smolensk, Gomel and the Ukrainian capital, Kyev. In the north, the Soviets were able to overwhelm the Germans in Novogorod, pushing the frontline to the outskirts of Leningrad. The surprise offensive, which shattered the German frontline on the Eastern front, came as worrying news to the French High Command. A few days after Kyev fell to the Red Army, Premier Sanvea arrived in Berlin to attend a military briefing at the French Front Command at the former Air Ministry.
The generals assembled at the intelligence briefing all advocated a ‘lightening offensive’, in order to occupy as much of the Axis before the Red Army was able to gain momentum. General Degarde, the head of military intelligence played down the Army’s anxiety about the Soviet military. In his report, Degarde stated “the German forces on the Western bank of the Dniepr have sufficient supplies and ammunition stocks that will last for at least four weeks…. the troops are well equipped and hold strong defensive positions along the western bank of the river. After the initial Soviet assault, the Germans have regrouped and several divisions have been sent from the Western Front to reinforce the Dniepr line. It is highly probable that Army Group South will be able to hold the frontline for three or four weeks, depending on the thrust of the Red Army.” Moreover, Degarde revealed that the Soviet forces were considerably smaller than first estimated, and the so-called “Red Horde” did not adequately describe the Soviet Forces on the front, and was more of an overstatement than fact. The report explained that “less than two-thirds of the overall Soviet Army is on the Eastern Front. The Soviet Union is currently struggling to halt the swift advance of the Japanese in the Far East. That front is consuming extraordinary amounts of Soviet resources and manpower.” The report concluded by saying that “On the Eastern Front, the strength of the German forces has been underestimated, while the potency of the Soviet military has been grossly overestimated. The Soviet military machine is stretched to the limit on two vast fronts, and it will be between 4 –8 weeks before the Soviet Army can successfully break the German defence line in the East.” According to Degrade, the main and superseding reason for the initial Soviet success was the element of surprise.
The Degarde Report proved to be highly accurate, as the second phase of the Soviet Spring offensive proved. On the 5th of March, the First Byelorussian Front attempted to cross the Dniepr just south of Smolensk. With Mogiljov in sight, the large force clumsily through itself at the river. The Soviet troops tried desperately in vain to capture the few bridges on the river. The Red Army was unable to force the Germans from the bridges, and river crossings by boat were impossible as the Germans machine-gunned anything that floated on the river. On the morning of the 7th, the Germans unleashed a devastating bombardment along the Eastern bank of the Dniepr, causing widespread havoc and destruction amongst the Soviet troops. The First Byelorussian Front, a large ramshackle force mainly made up of poorly trained and armed peasant divisions and antique tanks was simply unable to force the small, but well equipped and trained Germans from the bridges and defence positions on the western bank of the Dniepr.
In the south near Kyev, the Ukrainian Guards Army, another poorly trained and decrepit force, attempted to cross the river at Zjitomr, only to be repelled by a small force of SS Panzergrandier and heavy artillery divisions. The Soviet Spring offensive had lost steam already, and the Red Giant stumbled. The superiority of Russian numbers had failed against superior German weaponry and training. The German Army had secured some breathing space in the East. General von Kuchler, the commander of the Baltic Army Group which stretched from Denmark to East Prussia was able to successfully persuade Hitler to divert forces from his own army group on the western front to the east. In an official memorandum sent to Hitler, Kucher wrote, “It is utterly humiliating to have the French tread on the sacred soil of our fatherland. However, French occupation is a godsend compared to what we should expect from Russian occupation. Therefore, our first priority needs to be the stability of the Eastern Front.” In his dairy, he was a little more revealing. “We have only one priority at this late stage in the war: to ensure that not one inch of German territory is occupied by a Bolshevik. Therefore we must reinforce the Eastern Front to the best of our abilities and only put up a half-hearted fight on the Western Front. This war is lost, but we have to make sure that the French are the only victors.”
The Red Giant Stumbles
The Soviet offensive on the Dniepr had successfully expelled the Germans from the Eastern bank of the river, liberating the major cities of Smolensk, Gomel and the Ukrainian capital, Kyev. In the north, the Soviets were able to overwhelm the Germans in Novogorod, pushing the frontline to the outskirts of Leningrad. The surprise offensive, which shattered the German frontline on the Eastern front, came as worrying news to the French High Command. A few days after Kyev fell to the Red Army, Premier Sanvea arrived in Berlin to attend a military briefing at the French Front Command at the former Air Ministry.
The generals assembled at the intelligence briefing all advocated a ‘lightening offensive’, in order to occupy as much of the Axis before the Red Army was able to gain momentum. General Degarde, the head of military intelligence played down the Army’s anxiety about the Soviet military. In his report, Degarde stated “the German forces on the Western bank of the Dniepr have sufficient supplies and ammunition stocks that will last for at least four weeks…. the troops are well equipped and hold strong defensive positions along the western bank of the river. After the initial Soviet assault, the Germans have regrouped and several divisions have been sent from the Western Front to reinforce the Dniepr line. It is highly probable that Army Group South will be able to hold the frontline for three or four weeks, depending on the thrust of the Red Army.” Moreover, Degarde revealed that the Soviet forces were considerably smaller than first estimated, and the so-called “Red Horde” did not adequately describe the Soviet Forces on the front, and was more of an overstatement than fact. The report explained that “less than two-thirds of the overall Soviet Army is on the Eastern Front. The Soviet Union is currently struggling to halt the swift advance of the Japanese in the Far East. That front is consuming extraordinary amounts of Soviet resources and manpower.” The report concluded by saying that “On the Eastern Front, the strength of the German forces has been underestimated, while the potency of the Soviet military has been grossly overestimated. The Soviet military machine is stretched to the limit on two vast fronts, and it will be between 4 –8 weeks before the Soviet Army can successfully break the German defence line in the East.” According to Degrade, the main and superseding reason for the initial Soviet success was the element of surprise.
The Degarde Report proved to be highly accurate, as the second phase of the Soviet Spring offensive proved. On the 5th of March, the First Byelorussian Front attempted to cross the Dniepr just south of Smolensk. With Mogiljov in sight, the large force clumsily through itself at the river. The Soviet troops tried desperately in vain to capture the few bridges on the river. The Red Army was unable to force the Germans from the bridges, and river crossings by boat were impossible as the Germans machine-gunned anything that floated on the river. On the morning of the 7th, the Germans unleashed a devastating bombardment along the Eastern bank of the Dniepr, causing widespread havoc and destruction amongst the Soviet troops. The First Byelorussian Front, a large ramshackle force mainly made up of poorly trained and armed peasant divisions and antique tanks was simply unable to force the small, but well equipped and trained Germans from the bridges and defence positions on the western bank of the Dniepr.
In the south near Kyev, the Ukrainian Guards Army, another poorly trained and decrepit force, attempted to cross the river at Zjitomr, only to be repelled by a small force of SS Panzergrandier and heavy artillery divisions. The Soviet Spring offensive had lost steam already, and the Red Giant stumbled. The superiority of Russian numbers had failed against superior German weaponry and training. The German Army had secured some breathing space in the East. General von Kuchler, the commander of the Baltic Army Group which stretched from Denmark to East Prussia was able to successfully persuade Hitler to divert forces from his own army group on the western front to the east. In an official memorandum sent to Hitler, Kucher wrote, “It is utterly humiliating to have the French tread on the sacred soil of our fatherland. However, French occupation is a godsend compared to what we should expect from Russian occupation. Therefore, our first priority needs to be the stability of the Eastern Front.” In his dairy, he was a little more revealing. “We have only one priority at this late stage in the war: to ensure that not one inch of German territory is occupied by a Bolshevik. Therefore we must reinforce the Eastern Front to the best of our abilities and only put up a half-hearted fight on the Western Front. This war is lost, but we have to make sure that the French are the only victors.”
Hurray for France! ........Hurray Germany? Well as long as I'm cheering it's good! another great update LB! How many more VP's do you need?
I have just caught up reading the last few updates, and once again I have to say this is an excellent AAR. Great work LB!
I hope you (have time to) update again soon.
I hope you (have time to) update again soon.
Thankyou for the kind words gentlemen.
I don't need many more VPs to puppet Germany, but I'll probably occupy the entire Reich before I puppet them anyway.
Of course, I will include it in the next update.
I probably wont have the time to update this week unforunately, but I am quite sure that I'll have the time towards the end of next week (hopefully!).
Semi-Lobster said:
I don't need many more VPs to puppet Germany, but I'll probably occupy the entire Reich before I puppet them anyway.
Vincent Julien said:
Of course, I will include it in the next update.
I probably wont have the time to update this week unforunately, but I am quite sure that I'll have the time towards the end of next week (hopefully!).
elbasto said:
If I wasn't writing an AAR for this game, I probably would annex Germany. However, for the purposes of the AAR, I am not setting out to conquer Europe. Instead, a series of pro-Paris Fascist puppet governments are going to be established in all Axis nations. I suppose you could call it the "Napoleonic approach" to conquest.
It's good to know the German's are already working for you, even before you puppet them. Better Dead Than Red!!
So your going for the Napoleonic approach. Are you going to make the new French frontier along the Rhine river, like Napoleon wanted as well? You'd have to edit your save file to do that though. Just a little bit of expansion to appease your readers, please?
Hows it going on the Italian Front? Did you finish them off or just holding at the neck of the peninsular? What about Hungary? I assume since you took Austria you have a direct border with them now.
Hows it going on the Italian Front? Did you finish them off or just holding at the neck of the peninsular? What about Hungary? I assume since you took Austria you have a direct border with them now.
Pud237 said:
Okay, maybe a little bit of expansion.
As for the Italy, I haven't invaded them yet as the bulk of my force is tied up in Germany. At the moment, I'm just holding them back at the neck of the peninsular. Concerning Hungary, I do have a direct border with them, and I will be invading the Magyar homeland very soon.
elbasto said:
I don't think they do, but I'm not entirely sure about the tech situation regarding puppets.
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I will have the next update ready on Sunday.