Part 8 - The Axis
Chapter 8.1 - February to March 1943
Chapter 8.1 - February to March 1943
On the 22nd of February the latest iteration of supply production is researched. As I want to get this technology up to date I continue on with the next level. I've also decided to put more emphasis on research and as my planes are all pretty old models I start work on updating their technology. The priority is to give them better attack values and better survivability so I research medium bombs and twin engine airframes for my tacs and single engine airframes and single engine aircraft armament for my interceptors.
The advance against the Dutch on the island of Java is going well with the battle of Malang having been convincingly won. On occupying Malang an attack is immediately launched on the port province of Soerabaja. The Dutch defenders aren't in great shape so this should also end in a victory for the for the divisions of III Állandó Hadsereg.
The fighting in Malaya however is not going so well for V Állandó Hadsereg as the British appear to have a decent sized force on the peninsula. I landed in the port of Kota Bharu in an attempt to get behind their lines but I immediately came under attack in a battle that I don't look like winning. This could mean trouble for the division there as there is nowhere for them to retreat to and my other forces can't force their way through to them despite the help being given by the air force.
On the 5th of March the air force gets a boost with the completion of two new interceptor squadrons. These will be used to bring the 1st and 2nd Interceptor Wings up to three squadrons each. As the 3rd and 4th Interceptor Wings are also in need of further squadrons, two more interceptor squadrons are added to the build queue.
Later on the same day, 9. tábori póthadosztály are finally defeated in Kota Bharu but thankfully for them the 1st Transport Fleet has arrived off shore to enable them to get away safely. Once aboard the ships this division will be shipped to Singapore to recuperate and also to guard the port and airfield there from any potential British landings.
I have decided to consolidate my position on the Malayan peninsula and have therefore cancelled most of the ongoing offensives there leaving only the battle for Gua Masung ongoing. The battle for Kediri is against the Dutch and despite the low percentage will soon be won whilst the battle for Skaidi is against Norwegian partisans and has now been ongoing for well over a year without much change.
On the 11th of March, Hungarian scientists announce three new breakthroughs, blitzkrieg, medium tank gun and civil defense. The first two projects are continued on to the next level whilst civil defense is now up to date and hence research in this area is ceased. With the Hungarian high command putting the finishing touches to plans for a new war, a full on push to research doctrines is announced and four land and two air doctrines replace civil defense in the research queue. These are operational level organisation, tactical command structure, schwerpunkt, central planning, naval strike tactics and tactical air command. This means that new officer training is now reduced to a bare minimum with only two new officers being trained per day.
With further advances in Malaya looking nigh on impossible with the troops available, V Állandó Hadsereg has withdrawn to defensive positions behind river barriers. By the 18th of March all of the divisions are in place and have started digging in. Also it is announced that the latest round of research into destroyer anti aircraft armament has been completed and that research will continue on to the next level.
The 25th of March is the date set for the start of the long awaited Operation Hadúr (army lord), the attack on the Axis powers. Before the new war is launched, it is probably a good idea to get an idea of the current situation.
The main target for Operation Hadúr is Germany and at the moment the German army is deep inside the Soviet Union. On the southern portion of the Eastern Front, German forces have reached the Hungarian border in the Caucasus, are on the shores of the Caspian Sea and have reached the southern end of the Urals.
The German advance has not been so impressive on the northern half of the front however. They have reached Moscow but have found it too hard to actually take the Soviet capital. The Soviets have managed to put up a strong front line stretching from Moscow to the Hungarian border in the Baltic, stopping any chance the Germans had of advancing towards Leningrad.
The Hungarian plan for Operation Hadúr is to sweep into Poland behind the German army, cutting off the large majority from the German heartland and then to capture as much of Germany as possible before they can properly react. Signals intercepts have revealed to Hungarian intelligence that very little of the German army is not currently on the Russian front.
As entering Soviet territory will simply mean that provinces are regained by the Soviets and Hungarian forces will be left out of supply, the Soviet frontier will be the front line. The five corps of 3. Hadtest have been given the job of holding this front line, XI and XII Állandó Hadseregs are already in position. XIII and XIV Állandó Hadseregs will have to advance into Poland and hold the old Polish, Soviet border whilst XV Állandó Hadsereg will travel through Poland and take up position defending the area of the former Baltic States. The two medium armoured corps, 4th and 5th Armoured Corps have been assigned the job of acting as a reserve for the infantry corps of 3. Hadtest and will first clear out any German forces behind them in Poland and East Prussia and then support 3. Hadtest from any German counterattacks. They will be aided in this role by the two corps of the 2nd Army Group's 5. Hadtest, XXI and XXII Állandó Hadseregs.
Meanwhile, the troops of 4. Hadtest have the job of conquering as much German territory as possible. XVI and XVII Állandó Hadseregs will attack north and north west from their start lines in the Hungarian part of Poland and between them will isolate and eventually capture the German capital Berlin.
Further to the west, 4. Hadtest will be aided by the three remaining corps of the armoured army, 1. Páncélo Hadtest. the medium tanks of the 3rd Armoured Corps will strike north eastwards from former Czechoslovakia heading to the west of Berlin, the light armour of the 1st Armoured Corps will head northwards towards Denmark and Wilhelmshafen whilst the other light armoured corps, the 2nd Armoured Corps, will start in Switzerland and will strike into German held France. These armoured corps will be followed up by two of the remaining infantry corps of 4. Hadtest, XVIII and XIX Állandó Hadseregs.
Meanwhile, the corps of 2. Hadtest have the job of keeping an eye on the minor Axis nations, specifically Italy and Portugal. As a result four of these corps, VI, VII, VIII and IX Állandó Hadseregs, are stationed on the Italian border. Their orders are to hold the line but also look for any opportunities to advance. It is not a problem if they are unable to advance against the Italians as their main job is just to stop the Italians coming to Germany's aid. Once Germany is dealt with, more forces can be brought to the Italian front to overwhelm them.
The final corps of 4. Hadtest, XX Állandó Hadsereg, is in France and has been given the job of taking as much of western France as possible. They have to be wary of any German attempts to capture Hungarian territory in the area but it is believed that the German presence in France is minimal. There is one question that is bothering the Hungarian planners however and that is the presence of divisions from Manchukuo in and around Metz.
The final corps of 2. Hadtest, X Állandó Hadsereg, has been tasked with the invasion of Portugal, or at least to contain them and stop any attempt by the Portuguese to take Hungarian territory in Spain. The size of the Portuguese army is largely unknown but it is hoped that they will not be able to cause too much of a problem before Germany is defeated.
Finally, there is the five corps of 1. Hadtest. With three of these corps busy in Malaya, Burma and the Dutch East Indies, this leaves only I and II Állandó Hadseregs. These are currently stationed in Africa and their job is to contain and if possible eliminate any enemy forces in Portuguese Mozambique and Angola and also Italian Ethiopia. This leaves a small Portuguese force in Guinea-Bissau which is currently uncovered by Hungarian troops but again it is hoped that they will not be able to do too much damage before forces can be reassigned to deal with them.
The Hungarian army currently numbers a total of 642 brigades of various sorts however not all of these are part of the two combat army groups, General Headquarters and the 2nd Army Group. The first of these two army groups is the only full one and contains four infantry armies and the armoured army. Each infantry army consists of five corps each of six divisions giving a total of 31 divisions per army when the army HQ division is included. The armoured army also has five corps of six divisions, the first two corps have 5 light armoured divisions and an infantry division whilst the remaining three have 5 medium armoured divisions and an infantry division. This gives the army a total 6 infantry divisions (including the army HQ division), 10 light armour and 15 medium armour. This gives the General Headquarters army group a total of 131 infantry divisions, 10 light armour and 15 medium armour.
In contrast the 2nd Army Group is still a work in progress with just the one army of two corps each of six infantry divisions. Including the HQs this gives the group a total of 14 infantry divisions.
The first target for Operation Hadúr is the defeat of Germany. This aim appears to have been very much aided by the help of the Royal Air Force and their strategic bombing campaign over Germany. As a result, Germany's national unity is very low, only 46.4%, which should result in what is hoped will be a quick Hungarian victory. There is a slight drawback to this however and that is that once the German's have surrendered, the RAF is likely to switch their bombing campaign to Hungary. This will have to be dealt with when it occurs and it is believed that although the Hungarian air force will not be able to defeat the Allied bombers, they will at least be able to challenge them and therefore negate any negative effects that the bombers may have on Hungarian national unity.
Of final note, there are very few unaligned nations left in the world. Other than nationalist China and her allies there are only Saudi Arabia, Australia, Peru and Uruguay left as well as of course Hungary. It is rather curious that Australia, a member of the British Commonwealth, is in this list but it appears that Australia have no liking for the Allies, as they are currently right at the bottom of the diplomatic triangle between the Axis and the Comintern. Meanwhile, Hungary is almost in the middle of the triangle despite the efforts of the Germans to attract it towards the Axis.
