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Gods this is a bloody war of attrition. The Axis still seem to be winning in N Africa and the ME although they have suffered some losses, both manpower and territory in the east. Albeit that the latter seems to be pulling back to more defensive lines so I suspect the Soviets will struggle for further progress.

Seems likely it's going to end up with a nuclear exchange as the leaders of both blocs are very close in the race. Which is likely to be very bad for Europe and possibly N America if Germany gets the range as I can see a hell of a lot of nukes being used.

With the German progress in the ME they are getting within a couple of provinces of Baku so I wonder if there would be a big attack against that. If the Axis were to obtain that then the Soviets are almost certainly going to be draining their oil reserves pretty damned rapidly, which could be crucial in a non-nuclear exchange.

Very interesting and looking forward to part 2 of 44.
 
Gods this is a bloody war of attrition. The Axis still seem to be winning in N Africa and the ME although they have suffered some losses, both manpower and territory in the east. Albeit that the latter seems to be pulling back to more defensive lines so I suspect the Soviets will struggle for further progress.

Seems likely it's going to end up with a nuclear exchange as the leaders of both blocs are very close in the race. Which is likely to be very bad for Europe and possibly N America if Germany gets the range as I can see a hell of a lot of nukes being used.

With the German progress in the ME they are getting within a couple of provinces of Baku so I wonder if there would be a big attack against that. If the Axis were to obtain that then the Soviets are almost certainly going to be draining their oil reserves pretty damned rapidly, which could be crucial in a non-nuclear exchange.

Very interesting and looking forward to part 2 of 44.
So many lives have been lost! However both the Axis and Allies appear to have abandoned North Africa (bar Egypt), and a stalemate looks to set in the Middle East. Perhaps as all sides lick their wounds, perhaps not ;)

Update to follow - the game host has kept his own saves with the in game history (which he removes before publicly uploading the save - otherwise all players could see a detailed history for his nation, the USSR!), and he's shared them with me, so my historical research has just become a lot easier :D
 
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20 August 1944 – February 1945

Having abandoned North Africa, the Allies were debating where to target next. Their minds had been quickly set. On 20 August 1944 they embarked on the ambitious Operation Overlord, targeting the Axis held-Brittany region. If successful, they might mark the end of Axis domination over Europe. If not, they might just lose their best troops as they fruitlessly throw them at the Atlantikwall.

American, British, and New Zealander all descended on Brest, Rennes and Lorient simultaneously. Marines, paratroopers and infantry attacked from the sea and air as the Breton troops defending the Atlantikwall quickly called for reinforcements. Their calls went unheeded as the Allied attacks disrupted any chance of reinforcements reaching them, as 15 Allied divisions faced off the 5 Breton units in Brest while another 29 attacked Rennes, holding off the 23 Axis divisions trying to reach Brest. Lorient also had over 450,000 men fighting over it as one US paratrooper caused havoc for the Axis reinforcements – it is believed multiple US paratroopers were cycled in and out throughout this long battle.

Throughout all these land battles, ferocious fights were also taking place at sea as the Kriegsmarine came to the aid of the Axis defenders. The Allied and German fleets battled in the Waddenzee with 12 German ships versus the Allies’ 55, on 22 August, which ended in with no casualties. The Allies navies pursued them as further German ships came to in defence, with 27 Allied warships battling 24 German in Helgoland Bight on the same day. Only one casualty was inflicted, a German light cruiser.

Another – far more epic – battle took place, again on 22 August, as 41 German ships – virtually their entire navy – faced off against 61 Allied ships under US command in the Waddenzee. However, once again, just one ship was lost, an Allied destroyer.

The U-boat fleet meanwhile was patrolling the English Channel but was decimated in the Mouth of the Thames as 7 out of the 14 German subs there were spotted by 64 Allied ships and promptly sunk within a days’ combat on 24 August.

This did not stop another attempt to frustrate the Allies’ landing attempts as 33 German ships attacked 26 Allied ships in the Western English Channel on 24 August, many of which were transport ships being used to assault Rennes & Brest. The battle lasted 2 days, and the Allies did lose a transport ship and light cruiser, but nothing more as their assaults continued. They had also managed to sink the German battlecruiser Moltke, heavy cruiser Friedrich Carl, a submarine and light cruiser.

A German light cruiser was sunk a day later in the Channel Approach. After that, US carriers launched strikes on the port of Brest as the Kriegsmarine still had 12 ships based there on 26 August, while it was still being amphibiously assaulted by American and British marines, alongside US paratroopers.

This battle had also crippled the German ships that managed to escape, which were only sunk a few days later as Allied carriers launched ferocious port strikes on Cherbourg. The Kriegsmarine flag flied no more over the heavy cruisers KM Deutschland, Blücher, Horst Wessel, Frithjof, Admiral Scheer, the battleship Hindenburg, battlecruiser Gneisenau, and 3 light cruisers.

Whatever was left of the German navy after that fled to the relatively safety of the Baltic sea as Copenhagen blocked off any enemy shipping in the area, and the Red Navy posed very little threat.

The Battle for Brest ended after 8 days of continuous amphibious assaults, the battles for Rennes and Lorient lasted until 6 September. They all ended in an epic Allied victory, with the US losing 13,402 and the UK 4,301 men, in just two days of combat – between 26 and 28 August 1944.

D-Day-Brest.png


D-Day-Lorient.png


D-Day-Rennes.png


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Allied-airpower.png


North Africa

During Operation Overlord, the Allies also contested Egypt as Axis forces remained in force there. A preliminary battle took place for As Suways as 4 Allied divisions identified 39 Axis units there on 25 August. This dissuaded the Allies from another further attacks in this theatre.

Post D-Day

Having lost more than any nation, much of the German military and civilian leadership – against the strong will of their Head of State, decided to minimise further bloodshed as much of the Heer retreated to Berlin after the failed counterattack in Brittany. By 26 August, the Reich had lost 1,774,611 men, 2,891 fighter planes, 2,396 bombers, 32,655 trucks and 7,759 tanks by this point. The Kriegsmarine was also a shadow of what it once was, having lost 11 capital ships, 19 screens, 41 submarines and 4 transport flotillas.

Even after the decision to strategically withdraw from virtually all of the western German Reich, between 26 August and 14 October, the Heer lost 25 divisions. A total of 6 infantry, 6 motorised infantry, 3 armoured, 3 HQs and 7 garrison divisions perished in the face of the advancing Allied armies.

11 September 1944
name = "Evil Overlord (everyone):yep, cores are a problem"
name = "Viper (everyone):no, don't worry about cores"
name = "Viper (everyone):seriously. just push for Berlin"
name = "Viper (everyone):i can't stop you"
name = "Evil Overlord (everyone):we will... and you can't ¨¨,"
name = "Viper (everyone):you have 5x the divisions in a single stack in brittany than i have in all of europe except holding back the bolsheviks"
name = "Desev (everyone):yeah true, you wate a lot holding back bolsheviks"
name = "Desev (everyone):should spend it elsewhere"
name = "Desev (everyone):xd"
name = "Desev (everyone):waste"
name = "Viper (everyone):i assume all germany's forces disappear when i am defeated?"
name = "Desev (everyone):yes"
name = "Viper (everyone):eek:k"

The Allies quickly advanced, wining Nantes by 8 September and successfully holding off a German counterattack the next day. Avranches was next, with 40 Allied divisions routing 6 Axis units on 11 September. These were the last battles worthy of mention until that of Berlin as it appeared only garrison and minor forces stood in the way of the liberation of western Europe.

Paris fell 12 September 1944
Essen fell on 20 September 1944
Hamburg fell 25 September 1944
Toulon & Nice fell 26 September – Allies reach the Italian border
Munich fell 27 September 1944
Brussels fell 1 October 1944
Potsdam fell 2 October 1944 – on borders of Berlin
Copenhagen fell 6 October 1944
Oppeln fell 12 October 1944
Küstrin fell 14 October 1944 – Berlin encircled

However, the same could not be said for eastern Europe as the Heer stood strong behind the Ostwall, appearing to not send any units in support of their comrades in the west. Never-the-less, the Red Army attempted to advance, launching its first attack on 11 October. Cherkassy was their first target, with just 13 Soviet divisions facing off 48 Axis units. The attack was clearly going to fail and was called off the same day.

The western Allies had surrounded Berlin on 14 October as Küstrin fell that day. A grand total of 42 German divisions defended their capital as the Allies launched their attack on 17 October, with 81 – primarily American and British – divisions. After a month of intense fighting in the streets, suburbs and buildings of the Reich’s capital, it fell on 16 November 1944.

Berlin-falling.png


However, even after Berlin fell, the Reich persisted, leading to the slaughter of the Wehrmacht.

13 October 1944
name = "Viper (everyone):idk, should germany surrender here?"
name = "Viper (everyone):i haven't moved a unit in almost 2 ingame weeks"
name = "Desev (everyone):in russia would say not moved in months"

On 14 October 1944, after fighting honourably and vigorously for over four years leading a nation that was not his own, Viper resigned from the campaign as German mastery over Europe, and itself, was at an end.

Shortly after this change in leadership the Germans presented an incredible opportunity the Soviets did not miss… All Axis units defending Jelgava were ordered out of the province around 24 October – with reinforcements presumably due to arrive within a couple of hours. Stalin immediately ordered transport planes carrying paratroopers into the air, and they descended on Jelgava before any Axis troops could arrive. German forces immediately counter-attacked, only for a grand total of 144 Soviet divisions to rush into the province. All the Axis could do was delay them advancing further, as they forced the battle to last from 24 October until 6 November.

The Soviets tried attacking in other places to, targeting Kiev on 25 October to no avail, and Minsk on 10 November, again with no success. Jelgava was their only hope and was the key to them liberating eastern Europe from Axis rule as their advancing forces faced virtually no opposition.

This proceeded at great pace as Lithuania was annexed by the Red Army on 10 November. As the Soviets approached, the Polish rose up in Warsaw, and were successfully controlling the city by 12 November, however they joined the Allies when doing so, and were then surrounded by a wall of red as the Soviets controlled all neighbouring provinces.

The rest of the Ostwall stood as long as it could, but it could not prevent the inevitable, as 45 Soviet divisions spent five days overwhelming the bruised and battered 29 German divisions – who were likely starved of all supply and reinforcements – on 7 December. 64 Red Army units then defeated 41 Axis divisions defending Swieciany after 10 days of fighting, on 22 December.

Ostwall-defended-Dec-44.png


Reds-take-Ostwall.png


43 Axis divisions finally surrendered on 1 January 1945 after 8 days of holding back 68 Soviet divisions in the Battle for Orsha. Forty Axis divisions did the same in Mogilev on 6 January, 44 in Cherkassy on 14 January – having held out for 10 days. Another 21 in Zhoblin capitulated on 13 January. Further battles for Vyshgorod, Krivoy Rog, Zhoblin, Vyshgorod again, Krivoy Rog a second time, Kiev, and Dnepropetrovsk ended in inevitable Soviet victory. The final battle to take place between the Germans and the USSR took place on 29 January 1945 in the Austrian province of Graz.

The Kriegsmarine was no exception to this bloodbath, with its remnants being ruthlessly pursued into the Baltic by the US and British navies. Germany’s carriers Peter Strasser and Graf Zeppelin were attacked at port – in Danzig – and then sunk after they tried to make their escape as 74 Allied ships waited for them in Pomeranian Bay on 22 October.

Carrier-strike-Brest.png


Meanwhile the USA held their Presidential election on 8 November 1944, once again supporting the 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

A few days later, 3 German landing craft flotillas, 4 light cruisers and a destroyer were sunk on 11 November after two days of port strikes by US carriers on Danzig. 3 more landing craft units were sunk a day later as they tried to escape into the Gulf of Danzig. A day after that, Germany had to say goodbye to its First World War battlecruisers Schleswig-Holstein and Schlesien, alongside a light cruiser as they went down in the Courland Lagoon. The Allies lost just one destroyer in response.

Germany’s final solo naval battle took place on 18 November 1944 as 8 Allied ships found 5 German ships, sinking four of them as 3 more light cruisers and another destroyer was lost.

On this day, 18 November 1944, at 1800 hours, the German Reich finally surrendered to the Allies and Comintern. As part of the surrender, France released the “Federal Republic of Germany”, Luxembourg, and Czechoslovakia, all under their suzerainty. Three days later they formed Denmark. Even though Germany claimed to have surrendered, the war continued unabated.

On 25 November, the USSR annexed Byelorussia.

On 29 November, the USA had annexed Nationalist Spain, and a day later they reformed as their puppet state. The same happened to Portugal just a day after that.

On 5 December, the Hungarians surrendered to the Soviets, becoming their puppet state in order to achieve peace. A day later, the USSR formed the state of Austria under their suzerainty. The General Government of Poland met its’ end on the 9th to the Soviets. A day later Stalin commenced Operation Osoaviakhim, getting many experts, including Anselm Franz from Austria.

The Regia Marina said its final farewell on 19 December 1944 as 23 of its ships faced off just 12 Allied. It ended in decimation as heavy cruisers RN Bolzano, Trento, Alberto da Glussano, Gorizia, Pola, light carrier RN Aquila, 8 light cruisers and 6 (including 3 German) landing craft flotillas were sent to the bottom of the Gulf of Taranto. All this at no loss to the Allied navies.

Having lost so much itself and wanting to preserve what was left of its military, the Kingdom of Italy surrendered to Allied forces on 29 January 1945. It became a puppet of the United Kingdom and part of the Allied alliance from that date. Malta, Eritrea, Mauritania, Malawi, and Libya became puppets of the UK and US both as part of – and in celebration of – the surrender.

Italy-surrender.png


3,678,301 men at arms were killed between 6 January 1944 and 29 January 1945. 24,739 fighter planes and 9,116 bombers were downed in the same period. 38 capital ships, 125 screens, 24 submarines, 25 transport flotillas, 835 convoy & 78 escort fleets were sunk.

After this, it was simply a matter of time before the rump of the Axis was conquered by the Allies and Comintern.

On 30 January 1945, the USSR annexed Serbia.

France annexed Switzerland on 4 February. Bosnia fell to the Soviets two days later, and Slovenia the day after that. The Hellenic State 2 days after that. Albania a day later. Montenegro followed a couple of days later. Croatia the day after.

On the 8th the US took Cyprus.

Clarification on the numerous changes will be made in a following update

Europe-frontlines.png


Africa

With the collapse of the Axis in Europe, combined with them having abandoned all of North Africa bar Egypt in August, the Allies gained free reign in this theatre.

On 2 November the USA re-created Morocco, as their satellite state. A day later they did the same with Algeria and Tunisia.

On 29 January 1945, the UK created, once again, the puppet state of the East African Union.

The Axis forces in Egypt eventually caved as the Italian armies had abandoned them, and no nation could sustain them. On 1 February 1945 the UK re-created Egypt, making it a puppet state.

Pacific & Asia

1944 proved to be a relatively peaceful year for the Chinese at they only lost 8,006 men and 3 fighter planes between 6 January 1944 and 29 January 1945, and killed 2,691 enemy soldiers, downed 3 enemy bombers and - somehow – destroyed 64 trucks and 129 tanks at the same time, neither of which could have been Japanese.

The rest of 1944 also proved relatively peaceful for the Japanese Empire until November 23 as Indian-led forces amphibiously attacked Saipan. The 6 Allied divisions beat off the 4 defending Japanese militia units by 2 December. Iwo Jima was then assaulted by – what is likely to be – the same force, as they beat off the two Japanese divisions there between 4 and 9 December. Bonin Islands shared the same fate, being attacked on Boxing Day and falling on 2 January 1945. Marcus Island thereafter, with the defenders lasting 3 days before being defeated on 8 January 1945.

The most decisive naval engagements in the Pacific this year came nears its end. During this Allied Island-Hopping campaign British carriers launched port strikes on 8 Japanese ships in Iwo Jima between 6 to 9 December. This fleet was then confronted in West Mariana Basin as it tried to make an escape, but the IJN had to say goodbye to its remaining carriers as Akagi, Shokaku, and two more also named Akagi were sunk, alongside their 4 screens – all light cruisers – a few weeks later. The Allied navies had lost the light carrier HMS Mars and heavy cruiser USS Houston in these battles.

Before years end another US submarine was sunk, this time in Abashiri Bay.

Having seen its key allies defeated in Europe, having lost so much itself and having been kicked off virtually the entire mainland of Asia bar Korea, Hong Kong and Hainan, the Empire of Japan surrendered on the same day as Italy. On 29 January 1945 Hirohito’s emissaries signed the peace deal, preserving what was left of his military and making his state acknowledge Chinese suzerainty over it.

Japan-surrenders.png


Korea-changed-hands.png


Throughout this time, the Allies and Comintern continued their expansion.

The USA released the hitherto never before seen Nauru state, becoming their suzerain on 3 November. On the same day, the Marshall Islands re-entered the scene, under US mastery.

On 8 November, the Comintern state of Tanna Tuva peacefully became a Soviet republic.

On 29 January 1945, East Timor, Guinea, Samoa, and Micronesia became puppet states of the UK and USA.

On 1 February 1945, the Comintern secured Korea, and China created the People’s Republic of Korea on the same day. Buoyed by this, and the Comintern dominance in Asia, Thailand voluntarily joined on the 6th, becoming a puppet state of Japan.

The ex-Japanese puppet of Taiwan was annexed on 15 February 1945 by India.

Again, further clarification on these dramatic changes will be made in a following update.

Hood.png


Nuclear Research Race

The rapid Allied advance meant all German research efforts were halted shortly after the D-Day landings. However, another competitor was taking Germany’s place as Europe and Asia was now perhaps more divided than it was before….

Nuke-race.png


Update on the New World Order and the rest of 1945 to follow.

Beginnings of a new conflict?

The British Empire, even before the Axis had been completely defeated, were openly sending spies to the Comintern, to the surprise and dismay of the Soviets. This is their take on what was going on…

Commie-propaganda.png


The Cost of the War(s)

Worlds-Inflicted-Losses.png


Worlds-Losses.png


Loss-numbers.png
 
Well that was sudden and dramatic. I was fearing a very long slog and/or a big nuclear exchange but Germany suddenly became a balloon that popped so quickly. Had it suffered too many losses somewhere or simply left the western theatre largely undefended behind a fortified but otherwise unsupported Atlantic Wall?

Anyway been a fascinating read. Many thanks.

Steve
 
Well that was sudden and dramatic. I was fearing a very long slog and/or a big nuclear exchange but Germany suddenly became a balloon that popped so quickly. Had it suffered too many losses somewhere or simply left the western theatre largely undefended behind a fortified but otherwise unsupported Atlantic Wall?
Most of its forces were on its eastern front and Egypt - Italian militia and supporting minor nations like Brittany, Flanders, Wallonia defended the Atlantic Wall. There were virtually no reserves there.
Anyway been a fascinating read. Many thanks.
Thank you! World War 2 may be over, but the excitement isn't ;)
 
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New World Order - February 1945

Following the defeat of the German, Italian and Japanese Empires, the world had been forever changed.

By 26 February 1945, this new state of affairs had mainly been solidified. The Arab Federation continued hopelessly fighting in parts of the Middle East, but otherwise the Second World War had come to an end.

While the war was presented as a war against tyranny and imperialism, both the Comintern and Allies had solidified their control of their newly "liberated" territory, with people questioning if they were truly free.

Regardless, the world was now divided into two camps. How this would pan out is yet to be seen.


well-scotland-you-can-either-have-independence-or-you-can-trade-it-all-in-for-whats-in-the-box.png


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New-and-stronger-allies.png


New-Europe-take-2.png


Pacific.png


State-of-the-World.png



New player order

Now World War 2 is over, the victorious leader El Duck has resigned, and now Jarski has taken up the Allied mantle under the overall command of the Evil Overlord.

The Comintern remain the same, with the addition of Mr_B0narpte having command of the now Communist Japan.

Player set up going forward:-

Allies
USA – Evil Overlord
UK & Italy – Jarski

Comintern
USSR – desev
Nationalist China – Liberty
Japan – Mr_B0narpte (intermittently, Liberty taking command when he is absent)
 
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Very interesting. The allies have done better in central Europe but the Soviets have all of Scandinavia and in Asia they and their allies are overwhelmingly dominant. The FRG could be a big factor for the allies, especially as it has both E Germany and the lands east of the Oder OTL while the Czech republic has some useful industrial muscle. However with the ME as a Soviet puppet along with much of SE Asia and Japan there are substantial counter-balances there. This would be a crazily different world to OTL.
 
Awesome MP game, Mr. Bonaparte. I hope you can update this game soon :) I never played AoD, just Darkest Hour, but after reading this I think I'm tempted to give it a try. Keep it up!
 
Awesome MP game, Mr. Bonaparte. I hope you can update this game soon :) I never played AoD, just Darkest Hour, but after reading this I think I'm tempted to give it a try. Keep it up!
Thank you Eonex :D

We've now finished the campaign and have begun another. I'll be able to set some time aside next week and write the final updates for what really has been one of our most incredible online campaigns (and we've played quite a few!)

AoD is a great game, I highly recommend it. It's bit of a learning curve (as DH is for me), but totally worth it. IMO AoD gives players much more flexibility with their strategy, and the logistical system has a lot more depth.
 
26 February to 31 December 1945


On 26 February 1945, the USSR declared war on Turkey. 3 hours later it was invited into the Allies’ alliance, creating a third World War, before the second had even finished!

name = "Evil Overlord (everyone):how rude"

To add to the madness, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela declared war on both Germany and Japan on 27 February. They did not appear to realise Japan was now part of the Comintern. Or perhaps they did, as just a few days later they confirmed their allegiance by joining the Allies.

This war virtually engulfed the entire world and was of unimaginable proportions, and therefor the history books will try and focus on the most important elements of it. Readers are encouraged to ask any questions, and make any comments, and historians will endeavour to provide as much information as possible to any enquiries. Alongside time division, this part of AoD history will be divided up into areas, with the European campaign also including Turkey for simplicity.

Hopefully pictures tell a thousand words….


European Campaign

Throughout all the chaos, the German Reich itself was finally annexed on 2 March 1945 by the USSR. Immediately after, the German Democratic Republic was formed under Soviet suzerainty. This was because the Soviets had immediately advanced into Germany and fierce battles ensued for Hannover, Nuremberg, Göttingen, Regensburg, Dresden, and many other European towns & cities.

The USSR annexed Denmark on 13 March, however their new puppet regime in Copenhagen was short lived as the Allies recaptured all the Danish lands by early June.

20-March-Allies-in-Athens-naval-victory.png


10-April-frontline-Europe.png


Eventually, after this invasion ignited the Third World War, Turkey was annexed on 3 June. The USSR reforms the Ottoman Empire shortly after.

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While there was much fighting between June and August in central Europe, there was a virtual stalemate as both sides failed in their offensives. However, it is worth noting, the Allies launched a successful attack on Scandinavia, annexing Norway on 21 August.

3-June-frontline-Europe.png


16-June-Europe-endless-fighting.png


9-July-Cyprus-formed.png


16-July-Czech-formed.png


The world was changed dramatically on 2 September 1945 as US bombers reached Moscow and dropped the first ever nuclear bomb on the Soviet capital. The city was completely devastated, and it caused much dissent among the Soviet populace as war weariness was now at an all-time high. Its military industrial output plummeted, and supply lines everywhere were stretched.

2-Sep-Moscow-gets-nuked.png


11-Sep-frontline-Europe.png


13-Sep-US-carrier-attack-Baltic.png


The Allies, apparently preparing their forces throughout this time, decide to launch a major offensive in late-September, with the aim of encircling Comintern forces in the Czech portion of Czechoslovakia.

They were incredibly close to doing so, but the Communist forces were able to escape via Hollabrunn by the skin of their teeth. However, they had taken very heavy casualties in the process.

Oct-Allies-assault-on-Czechs.png


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The Allies assault on Sweden ended in complete success on 28 October as they annexed the Soviet puppet, and continued their assault, threatening Finland.

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The Soviets, perhaps in response to the nuclear attack, called upon their Asian allies to provide any and all assistance they could, with Japan providing the vast majority as Chinese forces were not allowed into Europe under international law. Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and others also sent what they could. What was happening in Asia at the time will be covered in another update…


They had also managed to expedite their own nuclear research and responded in kind to the attack on Moscow with perhaps an even more devastating bombing of Bratislava, which hosted much of the Allies’ armies in central Europe, on 16 December 1945. General Patton, commanding the forces there, appeared to not know how to respond, ordering his radioactive and vastly depleted armoured divisions to fight to the death, gravely exacerbating the situation for his troops.

The Soviets launched a major counter-offensive after this, swiftly taking Bratislava and threatening a complete collapse of Allied lines…

16-Dec-Soviet-nuke-Bratis.png


16-Dec-US-forces-fight-to-the-death.png


19-Dec-Battle-for-Linz-Europe.png


24-Dec-Battle-for-Linz-Europe.png


6-Jan-46-frontline-Europe.png


Losses between 03.03.1945 & 26.11.1945 totalled 1,422,100 men & women, 1,522 fighter planes, 1,198 bombers, 28,419 trucks & 27,381 tanks for the USSR.

For the USA it was 704,795 troops, 2,473 fighters, 2,597 bombers, 13,260 trucks & 14,644 tanks. The UK lost 331,955 men, 1,792 fighters, 2,017 bombers, 6,526 trucks & 4,813 tanks in the same period.

More to follow, below are some of the most epic battles in Europe in this period.

Ljubana – Soviet defence & victory, 30 Comintern vs 40 Allied divisions – 30 Feb to 7 March 1945
Warsaw – Soviet attack & victory, 55 Comintern v 8 Polish – 3 to 10 March 1945
Frankfurt-am-main – Allied attack & victory, 51 Allied v 25 Comintern – 15 to 30 March 1945
Nuremberg – Allied attack & victory, 125 Allied v 70 Comintern – 15 March to 7 April
Suez – Soviet attack & victory, 43 Comintern v 25 Allied – 17 to 26 March
Hannover – Soviet defence & victory, 52 Comintern v 30 Allied, 19 March to 6 April
Port Said – Soviet attack & victory, 26 Comintern v 21 Allied – 26 to 29 March
Athens (mainly as it would have been repelling invaders from an amphibious assault) – Soviet attack & victory, 15 Comintern v 5 Allied – 28 March to 1 April
As Suways, Soviet attack & victory, 26 Comintern v 23 Allied – 30 March to 4 April
Göttingen, Allied attack & victory, 51 Allied v 27 Comintern, 5 to 12 April
Hannover – Allied attack & victory, 55 Comintern v 52 Allied – 7 to 11 April
Regensburg – Soviet defence & victory, 28 Comintern v 72 Allied – 8 to 27 April
Dresden – Allied attack & victory, 66 Comintern v 42 Allied, 8 to 24 April
Rostock – Allied attack & victory, 72 Comintern v 127 Allied – 21 April to 27 May
Regensburg – Soviet defence & victory, 47 Comintern v 91 Allied – 28 April to 6 May
Copenhagen – Allied attack & victory, 44 Comintern v 42 Allied – 1 to 25 May
Cottbus – Soviet defence & victory, 57 Comintern v 34 Allied – 1 to 28 May
Lljubljana – Allied attack & victory – 43 Comintern v 53 Allied – 24 May to 8 June
Rijeka – Allied attack & victory, 45 Comintern v 62 Allied, 25 May to 16 June
Rostock – Allied attack & victory, 86 Comintern v 124 Allied – 27 May to 2 June
Stralsund – Allied attack & victory, 21 Comintern v 105 Allied – 5 June (same day end)
Cottbus – Allied attack & victory, 95 Comintern v 51 Allied, 5 to 13 June
Stettin – Soviet defence & victory, 66 Comintern v 99 Allied – 6 to 16 June
Klagenfurt – Soviet defence & victory, 57 Comintern v 36 Allied – 11 to 22 June
Ústí – Soviet defence & victory, 50 Comintern to 31 Allied – 15 to 18 June
Küstrin – Soviet defence & victory, 71 Comintern to 157 Allied, 17 to 21 June

Cottbus – Allied defence & victory, 55 Comintern v 97 Allied – 17 to 19 August
Malmo – Allied defence & victory, 29 Comintern v 21 Allied – 20 to 22 August
Lulea – Allied attack & victory, 40 Comintern v 38 Allied – 5 to 18 September
Kiruna – Soviet defence & victory, 22 Comintern v 42 Allied – 19 September to 1 October
Breslau – Allied attack & victory, 38 Comintern v 48 Allied – 24 September to 20 October
Liberec – Allied attack & victory, 19 Comintern v 27 Allied – 26 to 30 September
Vienna – Allied defence & victory, 25 Comintern v 15 Allied - 27 September to 5 October
Strakonice – Allied attack & victory, 42 Comintern v 35 Allied, 6 to 13 October
Tábor – Allied attack & victory, 46 Soviet v 34 Allied – 7 to 21 October
Maribor – Allied attack & victory, 45 Comintern v 43 Allied, 9 to 12 October
Bjelovar – Allied attack & victory, 45 Comintern v 30 Allied – 12 to 19 October
Győr – Soviet defence & victory, 52 Comintern v 37 Allied - 19 October to 3 November
Tornio – Allied attack & victory, 29 Comintern v 45 Allied - 15 to 25 November
Bratislava – Allied defence & victory, 95 Comintern v 88 Allied, 28 November to 2 December
Győr – Soviet defence & victory, 81 Comintern v 53 Allied, 30 November to 7 December
Rovaniemi – Soviet defence & victory, 18 Comintern v 31 Allied, 6 to 17 December

Soviet nuke dropped 16 December 1945
Bratislava – Soviet attack & victory, 104 Comintern v 82 Allied – 12 to 16 December
Hollabrunn – Soviet attack & victory, 52 Comintern v 72 Allied – 16 December (same day end)
Brno – Soviet attack & victory, 69 Comintern v 24 Allied – 16 to 28 December
There are harrying allied counter attacks after this, but Soviets were unstoppable
Murmansk (amphibious assault) – Soviet defence, ongoing, 4 Comintern v 6 Allied, 17 December to ongoing
Graz – Soviet defence & victory, 21 Comintern v 29 Allied, 20 December to 1 January 1946
 
Mr B

Well that got very bloody very quickly. Given the crippling losses that a nuclear strike on a capital has on a nation rather surprised that the Soviets have held up as much as they have but how much do both sides still have in the tank. The Soviet nuclear strike was operational rather than strategic but did a hell of a lot of damage to the US forces and sounds like Patton went V or V with what was left of his forces, which you seem to imply was a mistake?

A bit surprised that there haven't been more allied nukes but possibly they have, however in other theatres. What's happening in Asia with China, Japan and other areas under Soviet leadership could make it very hairy for the allies there, even with Indian manpower as a counter-part so possibly such capacity is being used elsewhere.

I was also surprised that Stalin moved but assuming he could make enough progress and hold out until his own nukes were ready although the last I remember they were some way behind the US programme. Its a gamble that may yet hold off.

Shows the oddities of the game that you have the USSR reestablishing the Ottoman Empire. ;)

Looking forward to seeing how things develop.

Steve
 
Well that got very bloody very quickly. Given the crippling losses that a nuclear strike on a capital has on a nation rather surprised that the Soviets have held up as much as they have but how much do both sides still have in the tank. The Soviet nuclear strike was operational rather than strategic but did a hell of a lot of damage to the US forces and sounds like Patton went V or V with what was left of his forces, which you seem to imply was a mistake?
Yeah, it's been far bloodier then WW2 was in Europe!

Maybe I shouldn't have been so opinionated, but I did think at the time (and perhaps maybe with hindsight, don't want to give the game away!) that it was silly. Nukes instantly remove at least 30% STR of all units in the target province, and all the ORG, so it'd be best in 99 out of 100 scenarios to just retreat those units ASAP, especially the high value ARM & MEC. But perhaps the Allies had their reasons ;)

The USSR has been an epic beast, but perhaps the relatively quiet Eastern front in WW2 has helped ready them for this moment.

A bit surprised that there haven't been more allied nukes but possibly they have, however in other theatres. What's happening in Asia with China, Japan and other areas under Soviet leadership could make it very hairy for the allies there, even with Indian manpower as a counter-part so possibly such capacity is being used elsewhere.
Update to follow, but not for a few weeks now as I'll be on holiday next week, and the week after :D

Shows the oddities of the game that you have the USSR reestablishing the Ottoman Empire. ;)
Indeed, the main reason is that they could not release the Arab Federation as the USSR did not hold all of Egypt, but the Ottoman Empire offers much more then just releasing Turkey.
 
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Yeah, it's been far bloodier then WW2 was in Europe!

Maybe I shouldn't have been so opinionated, but I did think at the time (and perhaps maybe with hindsight, don't want to give the game away!) that it was silly. Nukes instantly remove at least 30% STR of all units in the target province, and all the ORG, so it'd be best in 99 out of 100 scenarios to just retreat those units ASAP, especially the high value ARM & MEC. But perhaps the Allies had their reasons ;)

The USSR has been an epic beast, but perhaps the relatively quiet Eastern front in WW2 has helped ready them for this moment.


Update to follow, but not for a few weeks now as I'll be on holiday next week, and the week after :D


Indeed, the main reason is that they could not release the Arab Federation as the USSR did not hold all of Egypt, but the Ottoman Empire offers much more then just releasing Turkey.

Have a good holiday. :)
 
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World War 3 in Asia in 1945

I believe pictures tell a thousand words....

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3-April-sunk-TPs.png

4-attack-into-Malaysia.png

5-attack-into-Burma.png

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6-Burma-annexed.png

7-advance-into-INdia.png

8-US-bombing-campaign.png

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10-Burma-puppet.png

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12-further-success.png

13-India-threatened-on-both-flanks.png

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15-china-annexes.png

16-azad-hinds.png

17-pakistan.png

18-frontlines.png

19-tokyo-nuked.png



But if anyone has any questions, queries or comments, let me know :D
 
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World War 3 in Asia in 1945

I believe pictures tell a thousand words....

1-March-naval-combat.png

2-March-sinking-of-Hood.png

3-April-sunk-TPs.png

4-attack-into-Malaysia.png

5-attack-into-Burma.png

5-1-karchi-held.png

6-Burma-annexed.png

7-advance-into-INdia.png

8-US-bombing-campaign.png

9-advance-into-India-2.png

10-Burma-puppet.png

11-america-defends-India.png

12-further-success.png

13-India-threatened-on-both-flanks.png

14-cut-off-tibet.png

15-china-annexes.png

16-azad-hinds.png

17-pakistan.png

18-frontlines.png

19-tokyo-nuked.png



But if anyone has any questions, queries or comments, let me know :D

Well that sounds like things are going very badly in Asia. The loss of India means a lot of manpower potential switches sides as well as resources and the greater isolation of allied positions in Europe and Africa from those in Australia and related areas. Hopefully the technological lead will enable the allies to come out on top but it looks like its going to be very bloody. Possibly when the Chinese capital is nuked - rather surprised that wasn't a target ahead of Tokyo - it might help turn the tide with the impact on supply efficiency.
 
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It felt like it was all to play for by the end of 1945, the nuking of Bratislava alongside the securing of all of mainland Eurasia for the Comintern felt like they had rekindled the strategic balance after initial Allied success. The nuking of Tokyo also came as a surprise to me, and I was Japan! Chongqing would've been a juicier target, but there was an ongoing air war as they were strategic bombing China for parts of 1945, so perhaps that deterred them. For me I thought they'd target another Soviet city, or even respond to Bratislava and target a stack of Red Army units.
 
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1946

As the radioactive dust settled over Moscow, Bratislava, and Tokyo the world looked in tatters. A world congress is convened, and it is agreed the conflict will be decided by the end of the year. Whichever alliance has the most victory points will be declared the victor. The Allies start with a clear lead, but with their army in Europe in tatters, let the games begin…

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Millions of lives were lost in 1945 alone, already after a previous global conflict that had lasted over half a decade. The geopolitical landscapes of Europe and Asia had dramatically shifted, with Europe remaining the world’s battlefield as the forces of the Communist International now vied to take the continent from the Allies.

Asia now lay firmly in the hands of the Comintern, with the Allies only have scatterings of overseas holdings such as Taiwan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. The Communists could now utilise the manpower of China, India and Japan in their fight. Even the Allies’ industrial superiority could now come into question with so many nations now flying the hammer and sickle.


Battles of Germany & Denmark


Following the nuclear attack on Bratislava and a significant portion of the US army, the Red Army and all its allies pushed on. General Gort’s British forces could not hold Berlin long as the overwhelming numbers of the Comintern forces immediately showed, with him quickly ordering the retreat for his severely depleted units. Patton and virtually all Allied forces retreated to the relative safety of Copenhagen, with it only being flanked by two provinces.


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The British also successfully held Gibraltar as Spain and Portugal fell to the USSR.

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This meant the virtual abandonment of Italy by the British and Americans, as Italian forces put up a brave but ultimately fruitless resistance to Comintern forces. As the dust settled, the Kingdom of Italy retained just Sicily and Sardinia.


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On 25 August 1946 the USSR ends its suzerainty over the DDR, perhaps in order to allow the Germans to share their scientific discoveries with the rest of the Comintern alongside acknowledging their greater importance in the alliance.


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Asian Campaign


The Allies continued to dominate the seas, scoring multiple victories across the Pacific, to the dismay of the Chinese and Soviet admirals.

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Battle of Japan


However, all was not lost for the Allies as they launched a major campaign to take Japan.

After taking the island of Kyushu by mid-May 1946, the Allies made many attempts to land in the Honshu and Hokkaido islands, but none were successful until the Battles of Akita and Sendai, ending in US & Brazilian victory on 13 & 15 August 1946 respectively. From there the end of Communist Japan was in sight, with Tokyo falling on 21 August and the Battle for Japan ending in complete Allied victory on 19 November 1946 with the Battle of Asahikawa. With near control of the seas, the Comintern evacuation of Japan was severely hampered and – out of a force of over 50 divisions - an estimated 27 Chinese infantry divisions surrendered in Japan.


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Ending with a bang, and another

In September 1946 the Allies reinforced their momentum in Asia as the US strategic bomber fleet eyed up the Chinese capital of Chongqing. Through sheer weight of bombers, they flew through the Comintern’s air defences, dealing a significant dent to the Republic of China.


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However, this was not left unanswered by the Comintern as the Soviets devised a very risky yet highly successful response - the nuclear bombing of New York in November 1946. It dealt a serious blow to the US military industrial complex, alongside creating nationwide war weariness as the Soviet air force brought the war home to them. It all came about as Bermuda, a British colony, was left undefended, with the Soviet High Command exploiting the situation to its full potential, even sending an infantry division on a suicide mission to raid the radioactive city straight after the strategic bombers make their escape.


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So, who won?

With such dramatic conquests throughout 1946, despite losing a major partner in Japan, the Comintern managed to dash across the finishing line well ahead of the Allies, being declared the winner of the most dramatic World War 3 AoD campaign I have ever seen!


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What was the cost?


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A big congratulations to Desev and Emperor Liberty for their management of their countries and the Comintern, their win was well deserved and epically fought.

A big thank you undoubtedly also goes to Evil Overlord and Lord Jarski for handling an incredible campaign, both as the Allies and Axis (respectively).

Last but not least, many thanks to El Duck, Viper, Feuerschwanz and Gogopher for their major parts in World War 2. Viper did especially well to receive the call to Germany and pick up from the pickle I’d left the Reich in! Him and Jarski performed extremely well in their handling of the Axis, fighting an epic struggle from 1940 to 1944. Feuerschwanz was also a very entertaining Japan and a great sport given all the extremely difficult challenges the nation faced. Kudos also to Duck for his - & EO’s - strong defence of France, bleeding me dry there, and managing the dramatic struggle onwards to eventual victory in World War 2.

Thanks also to all the people who’ve taken the time to read my AAR, I’ve enjoyed it. This has been one of the most epic campaigns I’ve ever played.


If anyone has got the itch to play AoD online, please message me or comment below, and you’ll be more then welcome to join us, in this campaign or the next!
 
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Well that was bloody and I must admit I was expecting an allied victory, as I assumed they would have markedly more nukes to pound capitals and other key centres. Did they just loss too much strength fighting the Germans or were there other problems. Of course with the communists having China they had a considerable additional manpower source and once the allies lost India even more of an edge but surprised given their lower tech levels that they were able to match the allies pretty much bomb for bomb.