Frieden in unserer Zeit? – A Germany AAR

[HecNev]

Chapter 4: Birth of an Alliance​

11th of February 1938 to 16th of November 1938​

20th of April 1938, Wehrmacht training grounds in Brandenburg
General Student meets General Guderian

General Student: “Heinz, I would like to ask for your support. I think if we could convince den Führer and Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch to start investing in Fallschirmjägerdivisionen, our tactical options would increase massively.”
General Guderian: “To be honest the idea has never really come to mind. Why would you like me to support you in this?”
General Student: “Well, your word is carrying huge weight after your successes in Spain. And I do believe that a strong force of Fallschirmjäger would be beneficial to your Blitzkrieg as well! A force of airborne infantry can land on the opposing side of strategically important rivers, making it easy for your Panzerwaffe to actually cross them. On top of that, both doctrines require air superiority to work to their greatest effect. And finally, the Luftwaffe already has the transport planes we would need to put such divisions to actual use.”
General Guderian: “Very well. You have my support. But I would like to ask you a favor in return. My aide-de-camp, Johann, has shown astounding skill in planning the logistics of military operations. I think it is time for him to go play on the big field. In the staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.”
General Student: “Deal. You must be really impressed with his skills.”
General Guderian: “He is very promising. In his spare time, he came up with an invasion plan on Czechoslovakia.”

General Student: “Impressive indeed.”


24th of May 1938, Reichsaußenministerium
Kurt and Gerhard are having lunch

Kurt: “It is truly amazing what kind of fight the Chinese are putting up against the Japanese army. To think that they actually managed to force Mengkukuo into surrender…”
Gerhard: “Indeed. You’d actually think that a country as advanced as Japan would wipe the floor with the Chinese. German military training or not.

Kurt: “The dice have yet to finish rolling. The Chinese have started pushing into Manchuria. But Japan is still ruling the seas, which allows it to supply its beachheads. If the Japanese can make a push up from Qingdao, most of the Chinese forces would be cut off in Manchuria and starving for supplies.”
Gerhard: “The progress of the war thus far has shown that the Japanese are not able to make any quick thrusts into China. Save for some naval invasions.”


7th of September 1938, Silesia neat the Czechoslovakian border
Johann and General Guderian inspect bunkers on the Sudetenline

General Guderian: “It is truly ironic; don’t you think?”
Johann: “What is, Herr General?”
General Guderian: “The Western Powers help us carve up Czechoslovakia while announcing an alliance to keep our expansion in check on the very same day.”
Johann: “It is indeed. Those bunkers in the forested terrain would have given us some serious trouble. That’s why, in the wargame, I suggested pincers from Vienna, where the terrain is more favorable and the defenses less deep.”
General Guderian: “I have seen your plans. I showed them first to General Student and then to Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch. Needless to say, he was impressed and wants you on the planning staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht. The change is coming into effect on January 1st, 1939.”
Johann: “I don’t know what to say, Herr General…”
General Guderian: “’Vielen Dank!’ ought to be sufficient. Now you don’t have to waste your talent planning the logistics and advances of a single Panzergruppe. Instead you can put your mind to work on the entire Wehrmacht. When you plan an assault, just remember me and give me an assault axis that yields some glory.”


16th of November 1938, German Embassy in Budapest
Gerhard and Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop just closed a deal

Von Ribbentrop: “Great work on the preparations and negotiations. Von Neurath was right about your skills.”
Gerhard: “Vielen Dank, mein Herr! But may I speak freely?”
Von Ribbentrop: “Go ahead, by all means.”
Gerhard: “Should we really be awarding territories to minor nations? Especially if we could easily occupy both ourselves?”
Von Ribbentrop: “You just answered your own question. We would have to occupy it ourselves. Meaning we would have to devote resources and manpower to it. If the Hungarians are willing to take back some of their old territories, why not? If we help them achieve it, we may very well gain valuable alliances.”
Gerhard: “What about the Munich Agreement?”

Von Ribbentrop: “The Munich Agreement and the deal we just made only proves Herr Goebbels’ propaganda that the Western democracies are weak pushovers, not fit for handling the questions of our time.”
Gerhard: “So we will eventually have to decide the great questions of our time with blood and iron…”

Von Ribbentrop: “Not iron. Steel."

 

[Hoyte]

Good update

 

[CaribbeanBlues]

This AAR is quite the refreshing change of pace from the usual 'DEUTSCHES REICH UEBER ALLES!!11!!' that one see everywhere. Inspired me to start my own similar game. I think it'd be most interesting if you try to stave off war as much as possible.

Looking forward to seeing you push Japan back. Remember to support fascism in N. China and also remember that China will more or less be completely unable to beat Japan completely; this is because they can't invade the mainland. So it is possible that Japan could eventually join the Allies and be an imperial pain in your side.

Also a quick note, are you germanophone by any chance? I like seeing the little pieces of flavour German words everywhere. Helps with immersion and to inspire me to continue to German myself

 

[guillec87]

a great uodate! I do hope the Panzergruppe G has the place of honor in the following war... btw, how many PzDiv and SchützenDivs has Guderian under his command?

 

[Nikolai]

Naval effort, eh? Well, you're probably strong enough on land anyways.

 

[HecNev]

This AAR is quite the refreshing change of pace from the usual 'DEUTSCHES REICH UEBER ALLES!!11!!' that one see everywhere. Inspired me to start my own similar game. I think it'd be most interesting if you try to stave off war as much as possible.

Looking forward to seeing you push Japan back. Remember to support fascism in N. China and also remember that China will more or less be completely unable to beat Japan completely; this is because they can't invade the mainland. So it is possible that Japan could eventually join the Allies and be an imperial pain in your side.

Also a quick note, are you germanophone by any chance? I like seeing the little pieces of flavour German words everywhere. Helps with immersion and to inspire me to continue to German myself

I will try to stay out of the war for as long as possible. So expect to see a lot of territorial 'exchanges' in Eastern Europe

So far Guderian is not partaking in any Volunteer Missions. The reason for this is the distance to China.
At the moment, the game immediately returns volunteer forces to the sender once that nation is at war.
So if I end up at war with japan or (more likely) the British, Guderian and his men should be cut off in China due to enemy naval superiority. Instead they would be teleported straight back to the Reich.

I'm a native German speaker. I'm glad you like the flavor, I was actually considering to take those out (I consider myself to be rather proficient in English and I always think it "sounds" weird to use German words in English text).

a great uodate! I do hope the Panzergruppe G has the place of honor in the following war... btw, how many PzDiv and SchützenDivs has Guderian under his command?

I don't remember how many it were in late '38. However, I played ahead until January 1940 and this is Guderian and his force now, the 1. Panzerarmee:

I intend to boost the division with a signal company as well as some more motorized infantry.
On a sidenote: it really sucks to have this placeholder in the equipment instead of a Panzer 35t or 38t...

Naval effort, eh? Well, you're probably strong enough on land anyways.

It ought to suffice to strongarm some Eastern European minors into awarding their territory to whom I please

The major reason for this choice is that, futher down the line, there are the National Foci which allow me to befriend the Scandinavians. If the original plan of supporting the Fascists there until they come into power like in the Netherlands doesn't work out, those might come in handy.

Apart from that, I like the idea of giving Plan Z a go (though on a smaller scale since I don't intend to build any dockyards at the moment).

 

[guillec87]

maybe another Panzer Batallion too... you will need the extra push in Barbarossa

 

[jonlucero]

Wonderful work! I like the style due to its pacing, I use the same for my AARs many, many years ago.

This AAR is quite the refreshing change of pace from the usual 'DEUTSCHES REICH UEBER ALLES!!11!!' that one see everywhere. Inspired me to start my own similar game. I think it'd be most interesting if you try to stave off war as much as possible.

Looking forward to seeing you push Japan back. Remember to support fascism in N. China and also remember that China will more or less be completely unable to beat Japan completely; this is because they can't invade the mainland. So it is possible that Japan could eventually join the Allies and be an imperial pain in your side.

Also a quick note, are you germanophone by any chance? I like seeing the little pieces of flavour German words everywhere. Helps with immersion and to inspire me to continue to German myself

Most AARs back a few years ago were written like this. Some were bound to a lot of artistry. In fact, there were guides on how to craft a well written AAR. If I get the motivation to search for those, I'll post them for you. These days it's a bit different with Let's Play videos, which is okay.

This has been very entertaining. Subbed!

 

[HecNev]

Chapter 5: Reunification​

16th of November 1938 to 1st of November 1939​

4th of January 1939, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht​

Von Falkenhausen has sent a letter to von Brauchitsch, requesting a “volunteer mission” in support of the Chinese Nationalists

Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “I know der Führer has publicly spoken in support of the Chinese, but there will be no volunteer mission. Von Falkenhausen can write as many letters as he wants to. And even with their capitol lost, the situation of the Chinese is not entirely hopeless. Admiral Raeder has assured me that we will not be able to retrieve our forces if war breaks out. And I will not gamble away any divisions. Not even infantry.”

Johann: “So there will be no reallocation of supply and equipment?”
Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “There will be, but not towards China. Der Führer has decided to keep a focus on the Resttschechei, while slowly preparing a buildup along the Yugoslavian and Polish borders.”
Johann: “To what amount? Are we to plan a full-scale invasion or just a build-up that will scare them into accepting diplomatic proposals?”
Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “The Wehrmacht is not strong enough to threaten Yugoslavia, Poland and the Resttschechei with an invasion at the same time. In the current political situation, this would mean outright war with the French and the English, after all. And we have no guarantee that they will sit idle while we invade our Eastern neighbours. The old Austrian army is to start setting up positions along the Yugoslavian border. Any divisions that finish training will go to the Polish border. After the Czechs are dealt with, we will distribute the rest of the Wehrmacht as necessary.”
Johann: “Jawohl Herr General.”


5th of April 1939, Reichsaußenministerium
Kurt and Gerhard react to the annexation of Czechoslovakia

Kurt: “It was foreseeable, but I know what this means for us…”
Gerhard: “Overtime trying to smooth things over with the French and the British…”
Kurt: “They surely won’t believe that we annexed Böhmen out of the goodness of our hearts in order to protect the ‘oppressed’ Slovakians.”
Gerhard: “Definitely. I think this is an indicator of the opposition we have to expect regarding our further claims in Slovenia and Danzig.”
Kurt: “You’d expect that the British would wake up now and start guaranteeing the independence of Yugoslavia and Poland.”
Gerhard: “That might just happen. Reichsaußenminister von Ribbentrop has asked me to support the preparation of a conference regarding Slovenia.”
Kurt: “Enjoy! I must have made quite the impression with the Abwehr. My next assignment is in Poland.”


14th of June 1939, a German airplane somewhere above the North Sea
Gerhard and von Ribbentrop debate the next step after annexing Slovenia

Von Ribbentrop: “And yet again, the Western democracies do not dare to defend the treaty which they imposed on us.”
Gerhard: “Indeed, mein Herr. This makes it almost seem easy, if I may say so.”
Von Ribbentrop: “We must still be careful. Yet, we are having an advantage and we must press it forward. The countries in Eastern Europe now think that those who gave them independence are actually willing to defend that gift.”
Gerhard: “So what are our next steps?”
Von Ribbentrop: “Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch has informed me that the Wehrmacht has almost completed its build-up along the Polish border. Only the forces in Ostpreußen need to get into position.”

Gerhard: “Shall I prepare documents for the annexation of Poland?”
Von Ribbentrop: “No. Not yet, at least. We will suggest them an offer they can’t refuse. The Slovakians have served their purpose as an excuse for the annexation of Böhmen und Mähren. Now we will offer them to the Polish. In exchange for Danzig.”


14th of August 1939, an empty tavern in the outskirts of Kattowitz
Kurt is waiting for a contact

X: “Glad to see someone who knows what a good beer is.”
Kurt: “Edelweiß, I presume?”
Edelweiß: “You presume correctly. You were very fast. Did you not want to celebrate your recent success?”

Kurt: “You’re an ethnic German. You should know we never stop working. But I have to be honest: I didn't expect a woman.”
Edelweiß: “That's why I'm perfect for the job. So what is next?”
Kurt: “In Danzig, we have been causing unrest among the German population. Here in Kattowitz, we have a different goal. The Reich would like to extend its hands to the Polish Fascists and help them gain influence.”

Edelweiß: “To what goal?”
Kurt: “Once the Polish Fascists are strong enough, we hope to stage a coup in Poland. You know that already. And if you didn’t, you should have guessed it by now.”
Edelweiß: “Indeed, I should have. So how do you want to proceed?”


1st of November 1939, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Johann has created a masterful trick

Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “Excellent use of circumstance, Johann.”
Johann: “Vielen Dank, Herr Feldmarschall. I actually got the idea from one of the conversations between General Guderian and General Student. General Student talked about using large transport planes to drag paragliders. So all we needed was an old reconnaissance plane to be dragged near Belgrade and have it dropped there. The idea didn't even require a state-of-the-art plane, so no new technology is falling into enemy hands.”
Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “Still, I am to extend you congratulations from von Ribbentrop. He said you couldn’t even call it negotiation anymore. Instead, the Yugoslavians thought they were facing a full-scale invasion after being abandoned by the Western democracies during the London Conference.”

 

[jonlucero]

that was a refreshing take on Poland. This here is a mildly content Germany. I wonder how the soviets are taking all these.

 

[Tom D.]

This seems very interesting. Hopefully there will be one European Germany on the end of the campaign. Subbed.

 

[Hoyte]

Good update

 

[Nikolai]

Interesting approach to Poland.

 

[guillec87]

well done in the East... if you can form a Fascist Poland, then the War against the Reds will be a lot easier... I hope HoI4 has some events regarding a German-Polish Invasion of Russia

 

[jonlucero]

This seems very interesting. Hopefully there will be one European Germany on the end of the campaign. Subbed.

Plot Twist! Poland invades Germany and then invades the world! Poland can into space!

 

[HecNev]

Chapter 6: Escalation​

2nd of November 1939 to 7th of September 1940​

21st of March 1940, Reichsaußenministerium
Johann and Gerhard meet over lunch

Johann: “Gerhard, it’s been way too long. It’s really sad that Kurt is still out on his assignment.”
Gerhard: “It is. But things are still not bound to get boring.”

Johann: “You mean our business in Yugoslavia?”
Gerhard: “Were you involved in the planning?”
Johann: “Actually not. To be honest, there wasn’t much planning at all. Yugoslavia has already lost its most valuable territories to us or its neighbors so there was almost nothing left to actually help them mount a defense. It was just like Prague. We sent in some tanks and before they knew it, they had a fascist government. You guys did some really nice work getting the Croatians on our side.”
Gerhard: “That wasn’t very difficult. They always felt second to the ruling Serbians. So we only ever had to promise them their own state. Even if it meant to accept our sovereignty over their foreign policy.”


30th of May 1940, Kattowitz
Kurt and Edelweiß review the state of their mission when they are interrupted

Kurt: “The Danish just switched their government via impeachment. If only things could be so easy on our mission…”
Edelweiß: “Well it will only be a few months now. We are slowly getting our supplies in place. None of my sources in Warsaw has stated that the government is aware of our plans.”

The door opens, another contact person from the Abwehr enters

Contact: “The assignment is off. Der Führer has just brought Poland into an alliance with the Reich. Staging a coup now would only destabilize our eastern flank now.”

Kurt: “What? That is a sudden turn of events. What are we to do now?”
Edelweiß: “What about the German territories that are still part of Poland?”
Contact: “They will remain Polish for now. Their liberation will have to take place at a later date. But that is none of your concern. You are to board the next train to Berlin. There is a new assignment for the both of you.”


8th of August 1940, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Johann and Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch review the increasing world tension

Johann: “Looks like our trade relations with the Americas just became a lot safer. The USA just announced that they will protect the peace on the continent.”

Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “Compared to the other news, that is of little importance. The Abwehr and the Reichsaußenministerium have put in massive effort into turning the Dutch government into something more friendly to our cause. We are receiving all our rubber from the Dutch East Indies. If Japan is destabilizing the area, we could lose those resources much sooner than expected.”

Johann: “Our motorized divisions currently have all the necessary trucks and then some. The crucial point would be the newly designed interceptor planes that the Luftwaffe is currently building. Also, we are bound to run out of trucks at some point.”

Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “Luckily, that point is still far away. Reichsaußenminister von Ribbentrop found a new way to pressure some Balkan country into obliging our will. Let’s hope this doesn’t put us at odds with Mussolini and the British.”


7th of September 1940, a quiet suburb in London
Kurt and Edelweiß hear about the war

Radio: “The British Embassy in Tokyo has received an official declaration of war by the Empire of Japan. The same moment, joint forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy have started assaulting the Crown Colony of Hong Kong. The United Kingdom is at war!”

Kurt: “Damnit. That made our job a lot more difficult now. The British will be more suspicious of espionage now.”
Edelweiß: “Maybe. But I doubt we’ll be on their priority list. After all, we’re a married couple that fled the Reich because someone allegedly started printing propaganda for the wrong kind of government.”
Kurt: “I dread the day they ask us to have children to make the charade more believable. They’d blame me for anything just like you do.”
Edelweiß: “Well, sweetheart, isn’t that the sole purpose of a good marriage?”

 

[guillec87]

hohoho, children? it's getting started to look like 'THe AMericans'

 

[Tom D.]

That Japanese declaration of war was unexpected, but it won't bring much trouble for the Reich. If they clash with British Ray they may get weakened.

 

[HecNev]

Chapter 7: The Eve of War​

8th of September 1940 to 3rd of February 1941​

19th of October 1940, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
General Guderian meets Johann in Berlin

General Guderian: “Johann, you have become quite the torturer. You always have me and my men move into position at some poor bastard’s border and then the diplomats reap all the glory.”
Johann: “Knowing you, Herr General, you would only want your cunning to be tested against a worthy foe. Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch will therefore send you and your men on a more challenging mission. Soon. Until then, it will have to be a enough that we almost managed to get into a war with Italy. And the Alps are not a nice place for war.”
General Guderian: “Will we be sending volunteers to China now that the Japanese have attacked Britain? Hong Kong has just fallen, after all.”

Johann: “Not quite, Herr General. Asia is still off limits to us because of the Japanese naval supremacy. Due to our friendship with the Dutch, we have access to various ports in the area. But if the British decide they don’t want us to mess with the conflict there, our men and our fleet would be trapped in Asia. So der Führer has decided we will limit our help to selling old equipment to the Chinese. We will have the British wage the naval warfae for us.”
General Guderian: “Where then?”
Johann: “From what I have gathered as your study, France is a perfect training ground for tanks.”
General Guderian: “Fighting against the largest army in all of Europe. I have to admit I’m intrigued.”


22nd of November 1940, Reichsaußenministerium
Reichsaußenminister von Ribbentrop is giving the morning briefing in person

Von Ribbentrop: “Guten Morgen, meine Herren! I am in the unfortunate position to tell you that, as of today, das Deutsche Reich is at war with the Empire of Japan. As you all probably know, the Dutch East Indies are home to numerous resources which our industry requires. This is also why der Führer decided to guarantee the independence of the Dutch Rijk. So Japan has dragged us into a war for those resources. In light of the increasing tension and threat on the globe, we must change our foreign policy.”

Von Ribbentrop: "We will pursue closer cooperation with our neighbours in the near future. The Dutch Rijk and Italy are now formally our allies. The latter is finally putting our small rivalry over the Balkans to a rest. We are now working with the Italians to improve naval doctrine and we might honestly be able to learn a thing or two from them on combat in mountainous terrain. More importantly, der Führer and me have managed to negotiate a Non-Aggression Pact with India. Maybe this can be expanded towards a promise of full independence and thus a strong ally in Asia. The Chinese have decided to not include any foreign powers in their struggle against the Japanese. Also we are cooperating closely with the Wehrmacht to further enhance our options in the future.”


2nd of February 1941, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Johann and Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch review the current state of the Wehrmacht

Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “How are our updates progressing, Johann? We are still in dire need of some military factories.”
Johann: “With the current pace of events and the directions given by our Führer, we will not be able to fully equip our infantry divisions with the latest infantry and artillery equipment. Our Panzer Divisions are fully equipped with Panzer III models; the new Panzer IV will take some time until it is deployed. The engineers at MAN have made some last minute improvements to the main gun as well as general reliability. However, it will not be enough to have a major impact on our campaigns in the near future. Generally speaking, i only think that we can increase our military production to sufficient levels by severe expansion of our borders.”

Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “That was to be expected. I had a conversion with Ritter von Greim regarding the state of the Luftwaffe. He assured me that the new FW 190 A Abfangjäger models are superior to anything the Allies can currently put against us. So we should be able to let our forces operate under full air superiority and the resulting support.”
Johann: “Herr Feldmarschall, are you sure it is the right time to dare such an undertaking?”
Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch: “We will have to hope for the best. Personally, I think there are three major issues that could seriously impact our road to victory or defeat: the ability of the Royal Navy to interdict our resource shipping from the East Indies, the amount of British troops supporting their allies on the continent and, finally, how the USA and the Bolsheviks react to our expansionism. Both have just recovered from major military or economic crisis. They are the real wildcard. The rest we should be able to handle.”


2nd of February 1941, Outskirts of London
Kurt talks to a neighbor

Neighbor: “It’s really frustrating, you know. Your country is at war and some poor bastards from the navy are doing all the fighting while you yourself get drafted and then they have you sit at home all the time.”
Kurt: “Sounds better than getting shot at on some island in the middle of nowhere. From what the news is saying, the Chinese have managed to ground the Japanese advance to a stalemate.”
Neighbor: “Maybe. But then I don’t understand why the government is outfitting so many divisions and then has them just sitting around. There are no intentions of shipping us to India, Egypt or France to scare that Hitler-fellow a little bit.”
Kurt: “That does indeed sound strange. I mean you cannot accuse Prime Minister Lord Halifax of warmongering unlike that bastard Churchill. And it’s not like anyone is actually able to cross the channel and reach us here.”
Neighbor: "You're really lucky you already served your time in India. Must have been nice there."
Kurt: "The weather was better, at least..."

 

[Tom D.]

Funny that the British Raj signed a non-aggression pact. If you declare war on the Allies it won't have much use, unless you're planning something else?