Well that is all very interesting goings on - I don't think I have ever seen Germany take the colonies before.
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Yeah as I said some weird s**t was going to happen
But it might be good, hopefully the Germans will be busy fighting the Tommies in the colonies instead of taking a fieldtrip to Moscow and Leningrad. It feel weird though that France was left alone, a bug? It felt very gamey tbh
But it is good that at least one of the goals (except getting Trotsky in) are accomplished. And now I have set the houserules that the Allies and USA cn only be made communist through war, so it was good France became communist before I try on UK and US. We'll see how good France will do during the third invasion I'll also be gone for a week from friday, so the next updates will problly come in 7-10 days time. But there will likely come one tommorow, with a treat! So stay put.
Chapter 10.
Chapter 10: If you cannot convince a Fascist, acquaint his head with the Pavement.
Preparing to liberate Latvia and all of the Baltics from themself.
The euphoria lasted into the first weeks of January. Trotsky and the Soviets openly questioned the legitimacy of the Latvian government. Agents had inflitrated the Latvian society, socialists and ethnic Russians alike was opposed to the rule of the Latvian government. The second week of January saw the Soviet Union openly proclaiming their ideas on Latvian independence. The question now was if the USSR would go to war against a Pact Nation and risk war with Germany, or if their threats was empty.
One down, three to go!
The threats proved to be true. The USSR demanded Latvia to become part of their Union. Before they had a chance to reply the Soviets had already amassed along its border. The 23rd the deadline had expired for the answer to the ultimatum. The Latvians submitted, not risking a war with the USSR and wanting to prevent a major war between the Pact and the USSR on their soil.
Fools, believed they could stand alone.
With newly gained territories in Latvia the Soviets was quick to move against Lithuania. Mass revolts was instigated in the major cities of Lithuania, the USSR demanded that Lithuania was to keep order, or the Red Army had to do it. Lithuania got the ultimatum on the 7th of February. Either become part of the Union peacefully, or let the Red Army restore order, a mere week later the Red Army invaded the young nation. The Lithuanian army stood down letting Soviet forces occupy the country. Yet another country had fell to the world revolution.
Hopefully the Japanese won't turn to Vladivostok.
On the other side of the globe the United Chinese Front fell to the Japanese aggression. The Chinese had relied upon Soviet supplies and volunteers before the fall of Stalin, but now the Soviets had been occupied with internal matters. As China fell with Communist China, the Japanese had secured mainland China and needed to expand to protect its newly acquired area. A Soviet member of the Politburo asked "Comrade Mao and his Communists fell to Fascism, will our Union share their fate?"
We want a piece of Poland too!
However the Soviets was not only questioning the independence of the Baltic states, but the areas Poland had taken during the Soviet-Polish War. The cause for liberation of the Ukranian and Belorussian territories in Poland was further fueled by the German occupation. The official doctrine of the Soviet Union was now that eastern Poland was a part of the USSR. The Soviet Union even went as far as to claim that Germany was unlawfully occupying Soviet territories and oppressing the Ukranian and Byelorussian peoples. Trotsky pledged to liberate the workers of Ukraine, Belarus and even Poland. The Red Army developed their doctrines following the reorganization of the military, preparing for war with Germany. War was all the more likely for every day that went by.
This is more like it.
The 29th of April the last Baltic state fell to the Red Army, while officially becoming voluntarily part of the Union. The same model was used as the preceding invasions, however this time around there was no mass uprisings in the urban centers of Estonia. Despite the best try of Trotskyists inflitrators and agents there was little support in the Estonian population for socialism and communism. Instead the Soviets forced their way in, deploying the Baltic Fleet to blockade all of Estonia when the ultimatum was sent the 22nd of April. A day later the borders was closed and several Soviet formations was sent to the borders. The 29th no answer was given, so the Red Army invaded Estonia. The Estonians was in panick, but gave in to the Soviet. The Pact and USSR had been close to an open conflict, but in the last moment the Estonians gave up. What once was three independent nations had been reduced to the Lithuanian, Latvian and Baltic SSRs. The West and the Pact regarded it as an unlawful occupation, Germany threatened with war, but stood down.
The Finnish army can't stand a chance against the Red Army!
Following successes in the Baltics, the USSR looked to the final state in the Baltic that had once been part of Russia: Finland. Despite it being in the end of April the climate was harsh. The entire Leningrad Front aligned along the common Finnish border, over 700.000 soldiers was ready to invade the proud people of Finland. The Finnish responded by mobilizing their troops, would the stubbornes of the Finnish people escalate in a conflict between the USSR and the Pact? Between Russia and Germany.
And we stand ready to invade them!
The official pretex for a Soviet invasion was that the USSR needed a bufferzone from Leningrad. However most saw through the Soviet demands, it was really about creating a northern front in case Germany occupied Norway, a major bufferzone and to reclaim all of the lost Russian territories. A crisis was set into motion as the Finnish didn't seem to budge. All over the nation men joined the armed forces, volunteers flowed in from Sweden and the morale was high. Most Finns said they didn't fear the Soviet aggressors, but would instead strike back twice as hard. The philosophy of Sisu what at its finest. Many pressed Trotsky and the Soviet leadership to back down, to retrack their ultimatum to annex Karjala. With the Balkans pacified, was the Baltics the new powderkeg?
That went easier than expected.
On the 11th hour Finland ceded to the demands of the Soviets. The Finnish government recognized the superiority of the USSR, and while the Germans guaranteed them through the Pact and Sweden sent thousands of volunteers they sucumbed. The Latvian and Estonian governments in exile urged Finland to not bow, but Finland saw the hypocrisy in this. They merely wanted someone else to do their fight. A war between Germany and USSR would ravage the Finnish country. Finland succumbed to Soviet demands. Officially this was a major victory to the Soviet Union, who proclaimed they chose the parth of diplomacy over force. However many of the Soviet generals and commissars was disappointed. One even said "we had the chance to bring socialism to all of Finland, and in turn all of Scandinavia. Instead we only got marshes and forests".
Peer pressure at its finest.
Still the recent Soviet moves against the Baltic nations and Finland had put a lot of pressure on Finland, Sweden and Norway. The social democratic parties (and governments in the case of Sweden and Norway) had been inflitrated by Trotskyists, meanwhile the communists parties was advocating for open revolution. Many was also afraid of a Soviet invasion, and instead wanted to submit to the USSR and become a bulwark against Nazism. Would the Nordic nations overthrow their governments and align with the USSR, share the same faith as Denmark or perhaps risk a British intervention? At the moment anything could happen.
Armored warfare is said to be the new kind of warfare.
Following the successes in the Baltics the Red Army reorganized their armored forces. The mechanized corps would be expanded, and several independent tank brigades with light, medium and heavy armor was introduced. It was planned that in the future the T-34 would replace most of the light tank formations. It was believed that in a war with Waffen-SS and the Panzerwaffen, they needed major and competent armored force of their own.
Now they will stay away from us for good!
With Japan effectively controlling all of China, except for Sinkiand and Mongolia, USSR needed to strengthen their far eastern borders. In case of a two front war it was hoped that the fortifications would hold or stall the Japanese Army. The USSR and Japan had a non-aggression pact, but many high ranking Soviets was doubtful if it would hold.
The Red Army is competent and ready.
The rehabilitation of the Soviet Armed Forces went remarkably good. The new officer corps was competent and new theories and doctrines was developed for the eventual war. The Red Army was confident, if war came with Germany they would win.
While Japan go to war against the imperialists, we should be safe behind our fortifications.
When the Far East Fortifications was finished the Japanese looked to abandon their plans to expand into Siberia and instead focused on European colonies. The Japanese would do a surprise attack against the Dutch and bombard the Dutch East Indies. This was followed up by an amphibious invasion. The war spread to the Pacific.
Why now?
Formally Germany declared war on the Netherlands as a form of assisstance to Japan. Still the growing communist movements in the Netherlands was a concern to Germany, the Netherlands also supplied the British with materials and if they joined the Allied war effort they might become an invasion spot. The German invasion was brutal. On the 14th of August most of the Netherlands fell to airborne troops, motorised divisions and armored divisions. On the 21st the Netherlands capitulated. It took Germany one week to occupy all of the Netherlands.
Couldn't you wait another year?
September saw a British and Commonwealth invasion of the coast of Croatia. This however was of little concern to the Soviets as their intelligence services reported that Germany was preparing for war. It was estimated that in 70 days it was very likely Germany would invade the USSR. Panick struck the workers's nation, but so did optimism. Would this be the moment to spread socialism to all of Europe? The final epic clash between giants and the emancipation of the workers? Others asked if the Red Army was prepared at all.
A last minute change before the war.
The reforms in the army continued, and the motorised rifle divisions was now outfitted with regiments of self propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns and tank destroyers.
But we were so close to spread the revolution..
The 14th of September Germany invaded Belgium. The Belgian government faced a serious risk of a communist takeover and saw to the west for aid. Mere three days before the German invasion they had joined the Allies. Germany obviously saw this as a major threat against them and invaded the nation as they did in 1914. However the British and Commonwealth nations had already arrived, they were detirmined that their British stoicism would prevent Belgium from suffering the faith of the rest of Europe.
Germans move their troops for an early invasion.
In the east the situation was becoming dire. The Soviet-German border had been virtually empty with German troops. Many believed the reports on Germans planning an invasion was simply warmongering. But Trotsky took no chances and ordered the Leningrad Front, Belarus Front and Ukraine Front to amass along the borders and prepare for an invasion. Reports then came of Germans streaming to their common border in the thousands for everyday. Some took this as a proof of the immiment German attack, others said it was a response to the Soviet provocations. The Germans viewed the Soviet annexation of the Baltics as an attack against the Pact, and with the recent Soviet buildup along their border the Germans had to believe they were about to attack. However these critics simply.. disapperead and the whole Soviet leadership was now in unity: Germany was about to attack.
We will build tanks and submarines, beat the Germans with their own weapons.
In September the T-34 was ready for production, following this a heavier tank was developed to bolster the Soviet armoed forces. It was believed this tank would be able to withstand the German Panzers. A new Chief of Navy was also chosen by Trotsky, one that focused more on submarine warfare rather than battleships. The Red Fleet recognized they simply couldn't rival the Kriegsmarine and Japanese Navy at the moment.
We're really only doing this to get more dockyards and factories.
Despite war with Germany becoming a likelyhood, Trotsky denounced the capitalist nations. Especially the United Kingdom and the United States. Trotsky and the Soviets made several papers, speeches etc and distrubuted it all over the USSR and the democracies of the world where they denounced the UK and the US and antogonized the workers there to rise up against their oppressors. Trotsky proved to be a dogmatic, where he could have gotten the support from the US and UK against their common enemies of Japan and Germany, he instead chose to confront and alienate them.
You fools!
The USSR then made the critical decision to demand Bessarabia. By first glance it looked as if they merely believed they could push the Romanians to give in to their demands like Finland and the Baltics. However Romania was in all but name under German occupation, it was unlikely Germany would allow the Romanians to give away the strategic location of Bessarabia to the USSR. It is more likely that the Soviets saw this as a reason to commence a preemptive strike against Germany. Romania refused the Soviet demands. Bells rang out all over the Soviet Union, children gave the Red Army soldiers flowers. Then the order was given.
So it begins..
All villages, cities and military garrisons had been ordered to gather around the local radios. It was a common sight of thousands of Soviet men and women to crowd around a small radio to listen to Trotsky make his speech. The exact details of the speech have been lost, but a few select words would be immortalized for all of history: "If you cannot convince a fascist, acquaint his head with the pavement". This was the codeword for the Red Army to invade Romania. The war had reached the Soviet Union and would set the vast plains of Mother Russia on fire.
Together for victory!
Hundreds of Soviet fighters and bombers took to the skies and into Romanian airspace. The Romanin oil refineries was bombed along with the German troops, the Romanian airforce lost the skies to the Soviet airforce in a matter of minutes. Soviets in the thousands assaulted the Dniester basin, but was pinned down by the German and Romanian defenders. The Soviets believed they would simply march over the river and take the contested area, instead the river was painted red in the blood of the Soviets. The Germans naturally declared war on the USSR saying their unlawful aggression against indepedent nations of the world and their threat to western society in the form of communism had to be stopped. The Soviets responded by bombarding the now Soviet-German borders for hours without end. When the fires of artillery stilled Soviet men, horses, truck, tractors and tanks alike drove toward East Prussia and Poland. The Soviets was certain the Germans was to attack them, if Germany really would have done so is unknown. Others believ it was again was not a fear of a German attack that led the USSR to invade Germany, but the ideological fanatiscism of Leon Trotsky. Still a fateful decision was made that would forever affect the course of history. The USSR and Germany was now at war.
Horrors on an unprecedented scale awaits.
Preparing to liberate Latvia and all of the Baltics from themself.
The euphoria lasted into the first weeks of January. Trotsky and the Soviets openly questioned the legitimacy of the Latvian government. Agents had inflitrated the Latvian society, socialists and ethnic Russians alike was opposed to the rule of the Latvian government. The second week of January saw the Soviet Union openly proclaiming their ideas on Latvian independence. The question now was if the USSR would go to war against a Pact Nation and risk war with Germany, or if their threats was empty.
One down, three to go!
The threats proved to be true. The USSR demanded Latvia to become part of their Union. Before they had a chance to reply the Soviets had already amassed along its border. The 23rd the deadline had expired for the answer to the ultimatum. The Latvians submitted, not risking a war with the USSR and wanting to prevent a major war between the Pact and the USSR on their soil.
Fools, believed they could stand alone.
With newly gained territories in Latvia the Soviets was quick to move against Lithuania. Mass revolts was instigated in the major cities of Lithuania, the USSR demanded that Lithuania was to keep order, or the Red Army had to do it. Lithuania got the ultimatum on the 7th of February. Either become part of the Union peacefully, or let the Red Army restore order, a mere week later the Red Army invaded the young nation. The Lithuanian army stood down letting Soviet forces occupy the country. Yet another country had fell to the world revolution.
Hopefully the Japanese won't turn to Vladivostok.
On the other side of the globe the United Chinese Front fell to the Japanese aggression. The Chinese had relied upon Soviet supplies and volunteers before the fall of Stalin, but now the Soviets had been occupied with internal matters. As China fell with Communist China, the Japanese had secured mainland China and needed to expand to protect its newly acquired area. A Soviet member of the Politburo asked "Comrade Mao and his Communists fell to Fascism, will our Union share their fate?"
We want a piece of Poland too!
However the Soviets was not only questioning the independence of the Baltic states, but the areas Poland had taken during the Soviet-Polish War. The cause for liberation of the Ukranian and Belorussian territories in Poland was further fueled by the German occupation. The official doctrine of the Soviet Union was now that eastern Poland was a part of the USSR. The Soviet Union even went as far as to claim that Germany was unlawfully occupying Soviet territories and oppressing the Ukranian and Byelorussian peoples. Trotsky pledged to liberate the workers of Ukraine, Belarus and even Poland. The Red Army developed their doctrines following the reorganization of the military, preparing for war with Germany. War was all the more likely for every day that went by.
This is more like it.
The 29th of April the last Baltic state fell to the Red Army, while officially becoming voluntarily part of the Union. The same model was used as the preceding invasions, however this time around there was no mass uprisings in the urban centers of Estonia. Despite the best try of Trotskyists inflitrators and agents there was little support in the Estonian population for socialism and communism. Instead the Soviets forced their way in, deploying the Baltic Fleet to blockade all of Estonia when the ultimatum was sent the 22nd of April. A day later the borders was closed and several Soviet formations was sent to the borders. The 29th no answer was given, so the Red Army invaded Estonia. The Estonians was in panick, but gave in to the Soviet. The Pact and USSR had been close to an open conflict, but in the last moment the Estonians gave up. What once was three independent nations had been reduced to the Lithuanian, Latvian and Baltic SSRs. The West and the Pact regarded it as an unlawful occupation, Germany threatened with war, but stood down.
The Finnish army can't stand a chance against the Red Army!
Following successes in the Baltics, the USSR looked to the final state in the Baltic that had once been part of Russia: Finland. Despite it being in the end of April the climate was harsh. The entire Leningrad Front aligned along the common Finnish border, over 700.000 soldiers was ready to invade the proud people of Finland. The Finnish responded by mobilizing their troops, would the stubbornes of the Finnish people escalate in a conflict between the USSR and the Pact? Between Russia and Germany.
And we stand ready to invade them!
The official pretex for a Soviet invasion was that the USSR needed a bufferzone from Leningrad. However most saw through the Soviet demands, it was really about creating a northern front in case Germany occupied Norway, a major bufferzone and to reclaim all of the lost Russian territories. A crisis was set into motion as the Finnish didn't seem to budge. All over the nation men joined the armed forces, volunteers flowed in from Sweden and the morale was high. Most Finns said they didn't fear the Soviet aggressors, but would instead strike back twice as hard. The philosophy of Sisu what at its finest. Many pressed Trotsky and the Soviet leadership to back down, to retrack their ultimatum to annex Karjala. With the Balkans pacified, was the Baltics the new powderkeg?
That went easier than expected.
On the 11th hour Finland ceded to the demands of the Soviets. The Finnish government recognized the superiority of the USSR, and while the Germans guaranteed them through the Pact and Sweden sent thousands of volunteers they sucumbed. The Latvian and Estonian governments in exile urged Finland to not bow, but Finland saw the hypocrisy in this. They merely wanted someone else to do their fight. A war between Germany and USSR would ravage the Finnish country. Finland succumbed to Soviet demands. Officially this was a major victory to the Soviet Union, who proclaimed they chose the parth of diplomacy over force. However many of the Soviet generals and commissars was disappointed. One even said "we had the chance to bring socialism to all of Finland, and in turn all of Scandinavia. Instead we only got marshes and forests".
Peer pressure at its finest.
Still the recent Soviet moves against the Baltic nations and Finland had put a lot of pressure on Finland, Sweden and Norway. The social democratic parties (and governments in the case of Sweden and Norway) had been inflitrated by Trotskyists, meanwhile the communists parties was advocating for open revolution. Many was also afraid of a Soviet invasion, and instead wanted to submit to the USSR and become a bulwark against Nazism. Would the Nordic nations overthrow their governments and align with the USSR, share the same faith as Denmark or perhaps risk a British intervention? At the moment anything could happen.
Armored warfare is said to be the new kind of warfare.
Following the successes in the Baltics the Red Army reorganized their armored forces. The mechanized corps would be expanded, and several independent tank brigades with light, medium and heavy armor was introduced. It was planned that in the future the T-34 would replace most of the light tank formations. It was believed that in a war with Waffen-SS and the Panzerwaffen, they needed major and competent armored force of their own.
Now they will stay away from us for good!
With Japan effectively controlling all of China, except for Sinkiand and Mongolia, USSR needed to strengthen their far eastern borders. In case of a two front war it was hoped that the fortifications would hold or stall the Japanese Army. The USSR and Japan had a non-aggression pact, but many high ranking Soviets was doubtful if it would hold.
The Red Army is competent and ready.
The rehabilitation of the Soviet Armed Forces went remarkably good. The new officer corps was competent and new theories and doctrines was developed for the eventual war. The Red Army was confident, if war came with Germany they would win.
While Japan go to war against the imperialists, we should be safe behind our fortifications.
When the Far East Fortifications was finished the Japanese looked to abandon their plans to expand into Siberia and instead focused on European colonies. The Japanese would do a surprise attack against the Dutch and bombard the Dutch East Indies. This was followed up by an amphibious invasion. The war spread to the Pacific.
Why now?
Formally Germany declared war on the Netherlands as a form of assisstance to Japan. Still the growing communist movements in the Netherlands was a concern to Germany, the Netherlands also supplied the British with materials and if they joined the Allied war effort they might become an invasion spot. The German invasion was brutal. On the 14th of August most of the Netherlands fell to airborne troops, motorised divisions and armored divisions. On the 21st the Netherlands capitulated. It took Germany one week to occupy all of the Netherlands.
Couldn't you wait another year?
September saw a British and Commonwealth invasion of the coast of Croatia. This however was of little concern to the Soviets as their intelligence services reported that Germany was preparing for war. It was estimated that in 70 days it was very likely Germany would invade the USSR. Panick struck the workers's nation, but so did optimism. Would this be the moment to spread socialism to all of Europe? The final epic clash between giants and the emancipation of the workers? Others asked if the Red Army was prepared at all.
A last minute change before the war.
The reforms in the army continued, and the motorised rifle divisions was now outfitted with regiments of self propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns and tank destroyers.
But we were so close to spread the revolution..
The 14th of September Germany invaded Belgium. The Belgian government faced a serious risk of a communist takeover and saw to the west for aid. Mere three days before the German invasion they had joined the Allies. Germany obviously saw this as a major threat against them and invaded the nation as they did in 1914. However the British and Commonwealth nations had already arrived, they were detirmined that their British stoicism would prevent Belgium from suffering the faith of the rest of Europe.
Germans move their troops for an early invasion.
In the east the situation was becoming dire. The Soviet-German border had been virtually empty with German troops. Many believed the reports on Germans planning an invasion was simply warmongering. But Trotsky took no chances and ordered the Leningrad Front, Belarus Front and Ukraine Front to amass along the borders and prepare for an invasion. Reports then came of Germans streaming to their common border in the thousands for everyday. Some took this as a proof of the immiment German attack, others said it was a response to the Soviet provocations. The Germans viewed the Soviet annexation of the Baltics as an attack against the Pact, and with the recent Soviet buildup along their border the Germans had to believe they were about to attack. However these critics simply.. disapperead and the whole Soviet leadership was now in unity: Germany was about to attack.
We will build tanks and submarines, beat the Germans with their own weapons.
In September the T-34 was ready for production, following this a heavier tank was developed to bolster the Soviet armoed forces. It was believed this tank would be able to withstand the German Panzers. A new Chief of Navy was also chosen by Trotsky, one that focused more on submarine warfare rather than battleships. The Red Fleet recognized they simply couldn't rival the Kriegsmarine and Japanese Navy at the moment.
We're really only doing this to get more dockyards and factories.
Despite war with Germany becoming a likelyhood, Trotsky denounced the capitalist nations. Especially the United Kingdom and the United States. Trotsky and the Soviets made several papers, speeches etc and distrubuted it all over the USSR and the democracies of the world where they denounced the UK and the US and antogonized the workers there to rise up against their oppressors. Trotsky proved to be a dogmatic, where he could have gotten the support from the US and UK against their common enemies of Japan and Germany, he instead chose to confront and alienate them.
You fools!
The USSR then made the critical decision to demand Bessarabia. By first glance it looked as if they merely believed they could push the Romanians to give in to their demands like Finland and the Baltics. However Romania was in all but name under German occupation, it was unlikely Germany would allow the Romanians to give away the strategic location of Bessarabia to the USSR. It is more likely that the Soviets saw this as a reason to commence a preemptive strike against Germany. Romania refused the Soviet demands. Bells rang out all over the Soviet Union, children gave the Red Army soldiers flowers. Then the order was given.
So it begins..
All villages, cities and military garrisons had been ordered to gather around the local radios. It was a common sight of thousands of Soviet men and women to crowd around a small radio to listen to Trotsky make his speech. The exact details of the speech have been lost, but a few select words would be immortalized for all of history: "If you cannot convince a fascist, acquaint his head with the pavement". This was the codeword for the Red Army to invade Romania. The war had reached the Soviet Union and would set the vast plains of Mother Russia on fire.
Together for victory!
Hundreds of Soviet fighters and bombers took to the skies and into Romanian airspace. The Romanin oil refineries was bombed along with the German troops, the Romanian airforce lost the skies to the Soviet airforce in a matter of minutes. Soviets in the thousands assaulted the Dniester basin, but was pinned down by the German and Romanian defenders. The Soviets believed they would simply march over the river and take the contested area, instead the river was painted red in the blood of the Soviets. The Germans naturally declared war on the USSR saying their unlawful aggression against indepedent nations of the world and their threat to western society in the form of communism had to be stopped. The Soviets responded by bombarding the now Soviet-German borders for hours without end. When the fires of artillery stilled Soviet men, horses, truck, tractors and tanks alike drove toward East Prussia and Poland. The Soviets was certain the Germans was to attack them, if Germany really would have done so is unknown. Others believ it was again was not a fear of a German attack that led the USSR to invade Germany, but the ideological fanatiscism of Leon Trotsky. Still a fateful decision was made that would forever affect the course of history. The USSR and Germany was now at war.
Horrors on an unprecedented scale awaits.
Last edited:
I feel this update should conclude with some dramatic music, something loud and orchestral, with a bloody great organ pounding out as well.
If you have some fitting music, feel free to add it
I have actually been thinking some times to add music.. but I feel it is mostly stereotypical songs that come up. But it will be interesting to see what happen next And now I'll take the weeklong leave, so y'all have to live in the suspense until then. Will the early (and close to winter) war be good or catastrophic for the USSR? Find out next week..
Seems like things are going better and better for the Trotskyists. May it continue.
The Revolution cannot be stopped! March for the Motherland, and crush those Fascist bastards under your boots, oh brave sons of Russia!
Let us hope it stay that way.. buut the army is undersupplied an early war in 1940? Let us hope for a devastating winter
That's the spirit!
We won't stop until all nations are painted red And I'll soon end my week long trial. So expect the next update during the weekend and perhaps Monday if I'm delayed.
Chapter 11.
Chapter 11: Operation Icebreaker.
We'll crush the fascists.
The snow had barely laid down along the German-Soviet border when thousands of Soviet soldiers crossed said borders. Expectations of a victory was great. The Germans was fatigued from their two years of war and the Red Army had prepared for war relentlessly. Maps had been distributed detailing German lands, SA offices and top officers had rehearsed for a war on German and Polish soil. The Soviet attack force composed of thousands of men and horses, hundreds of planes, tanks and trucks was named "Operation: Icebreaker". The idea was that the Soviet Union was to exploit conflict in Europe to spread their ideology to all of Europe, by the tip of their bayonets. But Icebreaker was meant to be iniated in July 1941. Reports on that Germany was preparing for an invasion was met with force. Icebreaker was put forward nearly nine months ahead of time. The Soviets invaded Germany through East Prussia, Poland and Romania. But the plan had its flaws. Soviet High Command didn't plan for a war on Soviet soil, where maps and excercises for a war on German soil was abundant, actual plans for a defensive war was scarce and maps of Soviet areas of operations was few. The Red Army wasn't prepared for a war of attrition either, relying overly much on Deep Operations and forced modern warfare. The Cult of Offensive and the dogmas of Trotsky soaked Operation Icebreaker. The plan was for the Red Army to storm the German lines and make the workers of Europe follow in the examples of Spain and France and join the Internationale. Thousands of Soviet forces crossed the borders and hundreds of airplanes flew over Germany, even bombing Berlin itself. The great war between Germany and Russia, Nazism and Communism, Hitler and Trotsky had begun.
We should be able to concentrate on one front only.
A contributing factor to the Soviet aggression was their Non-Aggression Pact signed in 1939 to conclude the border conflicts that the now deceased Zhukov had ended. Still uncertainty and mutual distrust lingered. The Soviets believed if Germany got enough time to prepare for war Japan would surely join in on a joint invasion. Meanwhile if the USSR managed to make a devastating blow to Nazi Germany it would dissuade the Japanese from entering the war. Still it was those who argued that Japan had now secured China and would focus on the USSR to create buffers to their expanded Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Then it was those who argued that if they focused on their common imperialist enemies - UK and US - an unholy pact could be created between the two nations to not wage war against eachother. It was, however, believed by most Soviet top officials that Japan would not wage war against the USSR and that a two front war was unlikely.
That's old news.
Early morning of the 21st the world learned of the Romanian situation. Not that an open conflict between Germany and USSR had begun, but that Romania had rejected the Soviet demands for Bessarabia and Bukovina. The western world was split in their views on the developing situation. Should they support the USSR in hopes of gaining an ally against Germany, or was this the machinations of the Red Menace? While commentators and debators argued what would happen, war had raged along the Soviet-Romanian border for an entire night and day. The Dniester Basin was contested by both sides of the conflict, and the overwhelming Soviet advance looked to go their own favor. Still in some areas the German and Romanian soldiers managed to fend off the invading Soviets. A Romanian soldier noted "the Reds's woke us all with terrible artillery fire. The whole sky opened up in flames and it was as if the very ground we stood on was torn apart. Meanwhile endless formations of planes flew past us and lit up the horizon. What followed was endless hordes of the barbarian hordes coming toward us over the river. We manned our weapons and fired upon them. They fell in the hundreds, if not thousands, but they kept coming. They poured on us the entire night, and still they haven't given up. Wave after wave, what a waste of human lives".
Russia is steamrolling Germany.
But the Soviet invasion was not limited to Romania. The Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS was caught in dissaray as the Soviet Union rolled into East Prussia and Poland. An attack from the east was simply not expected. Allegedly Hitler refused to believe in the reports and wouldn't be awoken for more nonsense of that sort. The Red Army was simply not prepared to fight an offensive war now he claimed. But they did. Throughout the night the Red Army made significant gains. What was north-eastern Poland, or western Belarus depending on the point of view, proved to house the stiffest resistance. Here the Germans had amassed several units near Minsk. This further proved the Soviet claims of a German attack. The Red Army hoped to catch the Germans in a pocket here and remove the bulk of their offensive forces. In the north of this bulk the Soviets didn't manage to break through the German lines, but it was a possibility for them to actually cut off this bulge. In the Ukraine the forces of both sides was spread out thin and the area was generally contested. However most surprisingly the region of East Prussia proved to be the least protected nd the Soviets made significant advances the first hours. Yet the war had lasted for only a few hours, everything could happen.
Air assaults behind enemy lines.
The following day the five Soviet airborne brigades was given the green light to make their jumps. Their primary targets was the German airfields near the frontline. This was in order to deprive the Luftwaffe of their airbases. This led to the Soviet Airforce gaining complete air supremacy.* Their secondary objective was to make advances to encircle the German forces on the defensive. It shouldn't be noted that these jumps was extremely risky, and only the boldest of soldiers could earn the jump wings. The Soviet paratroopers fouynd themself cut off deep behind enemy lines. However the plan was that if they were under attack they could be airlifted out of their airbases. Their advances to encircle the Germans also played the role of confusing German troops and to draw German troops away from the front and to the rear areas. Suffice to say the lightly armed airborne troops was given a lot of responsibility and would see some of the harshest fighting.
Belgium falls, but Spain joins.
About a week into the war President Diaz, now a self declared Trotskyist, announced in a declaration that the Republic of Spain would enter into the Internationale** with USSR, France, Tannu-Tuva and Mongolia. Still Spain wasn't called into the war, but it created a direct threat to Germany from the west and especially in their newly acquired colonies in Africa - which was already under attack by the British. After a month and a half of battle, with significant Commonwealth involvement, Belgium fell to Germany. Nazi Germany now controlled an area from Norway to Wallonia, only France needed to fall - again - for the Atlantic Wall toward Britain to take place.
Soviet forces fighting.
Throughout October the fighting continued. Today it might seem pointless, but for the soldiers of the time they were fighting for their homes, their country. In retroperspective it's easy to say it is easy to say both sides were driven by ideology. By two different opposing world views. But it was in reality about serving their country, and both sides fought bitterly for their land. October saw intense fighting with minimal gains of lands. An unnamed Soviet sergeant wrote in his diary "I have been shuffled among several battalions. All of them have been obliterated. Thousands of my brothers have fell to the German bullets and bombs, only a few centimeters of soil have been taken. But we keep on fighting. We keep on fighting for our Motherland and for out loved ones back home". The battles lasted through all of October with immense sacrifice on both sides.
The end justifies the means?
That sacrifice was especially tall for the Soviets. The Germans had lost nearly 40.000 soldiers, meanwhile the Soviet - military - casualities was almost 200.000. An enourmous amount for merely 11 days. In 11 days both sides had suffered 235.000 men in casualties. The Red Army made gainst in East Prussia nearing itself the ancient city of Königsberg and was near to close the bulge and two different locations, but was in the end stopped by the German forces. Through October the German forces had withstood the German onslaught and the Soviet invasion was put to a halt. Hell was upon the two opposing sides.
Street fights in Wilno.
One of the worst battles took place in the contested city of Wilno which the Soviets believed was part of Belarus and which the Germans had under their Polish General Government. The city had been near the borders of both sides and been under constant bombing from artillery and airplanes alike. The Soviets fought fanatically to claim the city, but the Germans who held the city was seasoned veterans from the war with the Little Entente and the Allies. Despite the Soviets refusing to give up the city, the opposition was too great. The streets of Wilno was riddled with ruins - and bodies. The Soviets had to give up their assault on the city by November and pull out their forces. The Red Army proved itself to not be invincible.
FFS!
Following the Soviet misconduct in Germany, the high command finally got the answer on whether or not the Japanese would attack or not. They did. The 31st of October the Soviet ambassador in Japan recieved the notice that a state of war was between the two nations. The Soviets responded quickly by ordering their Far East Front to invade Manchuria and Korea. The war had expanded to the far east.
The Germans are rolling into Ukraine.
The Germans and Romanians had also managed to break through the Dniester river and occupy the borderlands. What was to be a swift Soviet victory proved to be a possible gate for German advance. The battles around the river was especially fierce. Later a Soviet reconnaissance soldier recollected "we was stationed upon height 362. Our task was to observe the fascist advances from the west to the east. We saw several armored and mechanized formations move through the area. We listened in on the comms and heard that our battalion had sent an infantry platoon over the bridge to stall the fascist advance. The infantrists called up HQ to report several trucks had disembarked German infantrists. They called them up again no less than 30 minutes after it, no contact was established. We then observed several new formations of enemies in a battalion strength. We reported it in and HQ wanted us to take on an 8 hour march to better observe the bridge crossing. We then saw the Germans amassed preparing for an attack, we called in artillery fire to stall their advance. To stall them just enough for our forces to come to the bridge and keep them away. But they didn't. The fascist pigs forced their way over the bridge. We were cut off. Days later we linked up with remnants of our battalion. Apparently our entire battalion had been wiped out. Even members of the staff and logistics had taken to arms and fought the fascists. But to no success, they all perished". This was only one of the stories, to sum it up "Operation München", the joint German-Romanian operation to get into Ukraine, was a success. The Soviets was suddenly on the defensive.
Manchuria and Korea will be liberated by the Red Banner Armys!
Following the Japanese declaration of war the Soviets proceeded to invade the Japanese controlled areas. Following their victories in the Border Wars the Red Army was certain of victory. The first attack on Japanese forces in the area proved to hold up this theory. But the war in the west had proved that war could be elusive and change in a heartbeat.. Nevertheless the United States saw a common enemy in Japan and sent one division of "volunteers" to aid the Soviet war effort against the Germans and Japanese.
Desperate times require desperate measures.
Following the stalemate and the German incursions into Ukraine Soviet high command looked on methods to delay the inevitable German assault. Three airborne brigades was ordered to assault the cities of Danzig/Gdansk, Lwow and Brest Litovsk. The brigades attacking Danzig and Lwow managed to take control of their objectives. The brigade attacking Brest Litpvsk on the otherhands was not so lucky. They found themself dropped directly into German defenses and had to surrender mere hours after their drop. 6800 men perished in a matter of minutes. Still the drops into Danzig and Lwow was successfull. Their orders was to dig in and hold out until reinforcements came. General Purkayev however admitted that "they are sacrificed for a greater cause".
The Germans are getting ready for an invasion of their own.
Following almost a month of battle on the western Soviet front or eastern German front the Germans was ready to seize the initiative. German troops was amassing along the Soviet border, but was exhausted. Winter also stepped in making the sporadic German advances grind to a halt. The question was if the Germans or the Soviets would emerge as the strongest force following the winter.
It could've been worse?
The 19th of November German forces continued to advance into the USSR. They had to, however, pay for every inch of ground and seemingly couldn't count on sweeping victories as they had in '38 and '39. Despite mass Soviet desertion the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS faced severe opposition and the Soviets still controlled the air. But Germany was making significant gains into Ukraine - the bread bsket and industrial heartland of the USSR.
Soviet forces digging in, preparing for the worst.
The Red Army found itself on completely different situation than just a mere month earlier. Hundreds of thousands (!) had lost their lives in one month. Many more had lost their loved ones. The Red Army found itself suddenly on the defensive. In a nerve wracking situation. When would the German war machine attack? It seemed as if thousands had died, and was still dying, just to postpone what was to come. The Soviet attack had failed, it was only a matter of time before the Germans would retaliate-
Are they going a bridge too far this time?
With Germany busy on their eastern front, Britain and her dominions invaded the north of Netherlands in the hopes of getting into northern Germany. Heavy fighting ensued. The Allies ws already stretched out thin with forces in Asia, North Africa, Croatia and now the Netherlands. Was this the passage to Berlin?
The Japanese hold their ground..
The invasion of Manchuria proved, as with the invasion of Germany and Romania, to not be as easy as the Soviet Union had first thought. Several Japanese divisions was sent to their common borders, and even here the Soviets had to call off their attacks. The Japanese however didn't go on the offensive either and another phoney war happened in the Far East as it happened with France and Germany two years earlier.
Finally some good news!
In December the Germans managed to overextend themself outside of Daugavpils. Several divisions was trapped in the Daugavpils pocket. By the 4th only two German divisions remained. They would soon fall to the defending Soviet forces. A small, but needed, victory in the German onslaught.
The Wehrmacht advancing into Ukraine.
Meanwhile the Germans was making significant gains in Ukraine. Crossing from Romania and Poland the Whermacht was ready to take on Kiev. Many of the Ukranians again longed to be liberated. It only remained to be seen if the Germans was truly liberators or not...
New Year's Eve could have been celebrated in a better fashion..
The year turned to 1941. But it was not peaceful. As the Soviets went on the defensive the Germans went somewhat on the offensive. It was mostly probing, still the Germans had suffered around 320.000 casualties and the Soviet Union had suffered 666k (proving they're the devil) casualties. In December Germany had made enormous gains in Ukraine, but was stalled on the path to Leningrad and Moscow. And December made winter, and those who have read the tragedy of Napoleon know what happened then. Would history repeat itself?
The great trial of their time have just begun.
History or not, the soldiers was fighting the war now and then. Mere two months of war claimed over one million lives. Spain had also joined the war now, posing a threat against Germany in Africa and from France. This was only the prelude of what was to come. The fate of Europe and the world was to be decided here, among Soviet and Axis troops.
-----
*I've had air supremacy since the start of the war. Also been bombing Berling with Strtegic bonbers.
**Spain joined the Comitern. I'm just gonna call it the Interntionale from now on.
We'll crush the fascists.
The snow had barely laid down along the German-Soviet border when thousands of Soviet soldiers crossed said borders. Expectations of a victory was great. The Germans was fatigued from their two years of war and the Red Army had prepared for war relentlessly. Maps had been distributed detailing German lands, SA offices and top officers had rehearsed for a war on German and Polish soil. The Soviet attack force composed of thousands of men and horses, hundreds of planes, tanks and trucks was named "Operation: Icebreaker". The idea was that the Soviet Union was to exploit conflict in Europe to spread their ideology to all of Europe, by the tip of their bayonets. But Icebreaker was meant to be iniated in July 1941. Reports on that Germany was preparing for an invasion was met with force. Icebreaker was put forward nearly nine months ahead of time. The Soviets invaded Germany through East Prussia, Poland and Romania. But the plan had its flaws. Soviet High Command didn't plan for a war on Soviet soil, where maps and excercises for a war on German soil was abundant, actual plans for a defensive war was scarce and maps of Soviet areas of operations was few. The Red Army wasn't prepared for a war of attrition either, relying overly much on Deep Operations and forced modern warfare. The Cult of Offensive and the dogmas of Trotsky soaked Operation Icebreaker. The plan was for the Red Army to storm the German lines and make the workers of Europe follow in the examples of Spain and France and join the Internationale. Thousands of Soviet forces crossed the borders and hundreds of airplanes flew over Germany, even bombing Berlin itself. The great war between Germany and Russia, Nazism and Communism, Hitler and Trotsky had begun.
We should be able to concentrate on one front only.
A contributing factor to the Soviet aggression was their Non-Aggression Pact signed in 1939 to conclude the border conflicts that the now deceased Zhukov had ended. Still uncertainty and mutual distrust lingered. The Soviets believed if Germany got enough time to prepare for war Japan would surely join in on a joint invasion. Meanwhile if the USSR managed to make a devastating blow to Nazi Germany it would dissuade the Japanese from entering the war. Still it was those who argued that Japan had now secured China and would focus on the USSR to create buffers to their expanded Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Then it was those who argued that if they focused on their common imperialist enemies - UK and US - an unholy pact could be created between the two nations to not wage war against eachother. It was, however, believed by most Soviet top officials that Japan would not wage war against the USSR and that a two front war was unlikely.
That's old news.
Early morning of the 21st the world learned of the Romanian situation. Not that an open conflict between Germany and USSR had begun, but that Romania had rejected the Soviet demands for Bessarabia and Bukovina. The western world was split in their views on the developing situation. Should they support the USSR in hopes of gaining an ally against Germany, or was this the machinations of the Red Menace? While commentators and debators argued what would happen, war had raged along the Soviet-Romanian border for an entire night and day. The Dniester Basin was contested by both sides of the conflict, and the overwhelming Soviet advance looked to go their own favor. Still in some areas the German and Romanian soldiers managed to fend off the invading Soviets. A Romanian soldier noted "the Reds's woke us all with terrible artillery fire. The whole sky opened up in flames and it was as if the very ground we stood on was torn apart. Meanwhile endless formations of planes flew past us and lit up the horizon. What followed was endless hordes of the barbarian hordes coming toward us over the river. We manned our weapons and fired upon them. They fell in the hundreds, if not thousands, but they kept coming. They poured on us the entire night, and still they haven't given up. Wave after wave, what a waste of human lives".
Russia is steamrolling Germany.
But the Soviet invasion was not limited to Romania. The Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS was caught in dissaray as the Soviet Union rolled into East Prussia and Poland. An attack from the east was simply not expected. Allegedly Hitler refused to believe in the reports and wouldn't be awoken for more nonsense of that sort. The Red Army was simply not prepared to fight an offensive war now he claimed. But they did. Throughout the night the Red Army made significant gains. What was north-eastern Poland, or western Belarus depending on the point of view, proved to house the stiffest resistance. Here the Germans had amassed several units near Minsk. This further proved the Soviet claims of a German attack. The Red Army hoped to catch the Germans in a pocket here and remove the bulk of their offensive forces. In the north of this bulk the Soviets didn't manage to break through the German lines, but it was a possibility for them to actually cut off this bulge. In the Ukraine the forces of both sides was spread out thin and the area was generally contested. However most surprisingly the region of East Prussia proved to be the least protected nd the Soviets made significant advances the first hours. Yet the war had lasted for only a few hours, everything could happen.
Air assaults behind enemy lines.
The following day the five Soviet airborne brigades was given the green light to make their jumps. Their primary targets was the German airfields near the frontline. This was in order to deprive the Luftwaffe of their airbases. This led to the Soviet Airforce gaining complete air supremacy.* Their secondary objective was to make advances to encircle the German forces on the defensive. It shouldn't be noted that these jumps was extremely risky, and only the boldest of soldiers could earn the jump wings. The Soviet paratroopers fouynd themself cut off deep behind enemy lines. However the plan was that if they were under attack they could be airlifted out of their airbases. Their advances to encircle the Germans also played the role of confusing German troops and to draw German troops away from the front and to the rear areas. Suffice to say the lightly armed airborne troops was given a lot of responsibility and would see some of the harshest fighting.
Belgium falls, but Spain joins.
About a week into the war President Diaz, now a self declared Trotskyist, announced in a declaration that the Republic of Spain would enter into the Internationale** with USSR, France, Tannu-Tuva and Mongolia. Still Spain wasn't called into the war, but it created a direct threat to Germany from the west and especially in their newly acquired colonies in Africa - which was already under attack by the British. After a month and a half of battle, with significant Commonwealth involvement, Belgium fell to Germany. Nazi Germany now controlled an area from Norway to Wallonia, only France needed to fall - again - for the Atlantic Wall toward Britain to take place.
Soviet forces fighting.
Throughout October the fighting continued. Today it might seem pointless, but for the soldiers of the time they were fighting for their homes, their country. In retroperspective it's easy to say it is easy to say both sides were driven by ideology. By two different opposing world views. But it was in reality about serving their country, and both sides fought bitterly for their land. October saw intense fighting with minimal gains of lands. An unnamed Soviet sergeant wrote in his diary "I have been shuffled among several battalions. All of them have been obliterated. Thousands of my brothers have fell to the German bullets and bombs, only a few centimeters of soil have been taken. But we keep on fighting. We keep on fighting for our Motherland and for out loved ones back home". The battles lasted through all of October with immense sacrifice on both sides.
The end justifies the means?
That sacrifice was especially tall for the Soviets. The Germans had lost nearly 40.000 soldiers, meanwhile the Soviet - military - casualities was almost 200.000. An enourmous amount for merely 11 days. In 11 days both sides had suffered 235.000 men in casualties. The Red Army made gainst in East Prussia nearing itself the ancient city of Königsberg and was near to close the bulge and two different locations, but was in the end stopped by the German forces. Through October the German forces had withstood the German onslaught and the Soviet invasion was put to a halt. Hell was upon the two opposing sides.
Street fights in Wilno.
One of the worst battles took place in the contested city of Wilno which the Soviets believed was part of Belarus and which the Germans had under their Polish General Government. The city had been near the borders of both sides and been under constant bombing from artillery and airplanes alike. The Soviets fought fanatically to claim the city, but the Germans who held the city was seasoned veterans from the war with the Little Entente and the Allies. Despite the Soviets refusing to give up the city, the opposition was too great. The streets of Wilno was riddled with ruins - and bodies. The Soviets had to give up their assault on the city by November and pull out their forces. The Red Army proved itself to not be invincible.
FFS!
Following the Soviet misconduct in Germany, the high command finally got the answer on whether or not the Japanese would attack or not. They did. The 31st of October the Soviet ambassador in Japan recieved the notice that a state of war was between the two nations. The Soviets responded quickly by ordering their Far East Front to invade Manchuria and Korea. The war had expanded to the far east.
The Germans are rolling into Ukraine.
The Germans and Romanians had also managed to break through the Dniester river and occupy the borderlands. What was to be a swift Soviet victory proved to be a possible gate for German advance. The battles around the river was especially fierce. Later a Soviet reconnaissance soldier recollected "we was stationed upon height 362. Our task was to observe the fascist advances from the west to the east. We saw several armored and mechanized formations move through the area. We listened in on the comms and heard that our battalion had sent an infantry platoon over the bridge to stall the fascist advance. The infantrists called up HQ to report several trucks had disembarked German infantrists. They called them up again no less than 30 minutes after it, no contact was established. We then observed several new formations of enemies in a battalion strength. We reported it in and HQ wanted us to take on an 8 hour march to better observe the bridge crossing. We then saw the Germans amassed preparing for an attack, we called in artillery fire to stall their advance. To stall them just enough for our forces to come to the bridge and keep them away. But they didn't. The fascist pigs forced their way over the bridge. We were cut off. Days later we linked up with remnants of our battalion. Apparently our entire battalion had been wiped out. Even members of the staff and logistics had taken to arms and fought the fascists. But to no success, they all perished". This was only one of the stories, to sum it up "Operation München", the joint German-Romanian operation to get into Ukraine, was a success. The Soviets was suddenly on the defensive.
Manchuria and Korea will be liberated by the Red Banner Armys!
Following the Japanese declaration of war the Soviets proceeded to invade the Japanese controlled areas. Following their victories in the Border Wars the Red Army was certain of victory. The first attack on Japanese forces in the area proved to hold up this theory. But the war in the west had proved that war could be elusive and change in a heartbeat.. Nevertheless the United States saw a common enemy in Japan and sent one division of "volunteers" to aid the Soviet war effort against the Germans and Japanese.
Desperate times require desperate measures.
Following the stalemate and the German incursions into Ukraine Soviet high command looked on methods to delay the inevitable German assault. Three airborne brigades was ordered to assault the cities of Danzig/Gdansk, Lwow and Brest Litovsk. The brigades attacking Danzig and Lwow managed to take control of their objectives. The brigade attacking Brest Litpvsk on the otherhands was not so lucky. They found themself dropped directly into German defenses and had to surrender mere hours after their drop. 6800 men perished in a matter of minutes. Still the drops into Danzig and Lwow was successfull. Their orders was to dig in and hold out until reinforcements came. General Purkayev however admitted that "they are sacrificed for a greater cause".
The Germans are getting ready for an invasion of their own.
Following almost a month of battle on the western Soviet front or eastern German front the Germans was ready to seize the initiative. German troops was amassing along the Soviet border, but was exhausted. Winter also stepped in making the sporadic German advances grind to a halt. The question was if the Germans or the Soviets would emerge as the strongest force following the winter.
It could've been worse?
The 19th of November German forces continued to advance into the USSR. They had to, however, pay for every inch of ground and seemingly couldn't count on sweeping victories as they had in '38 and '39. Despite mass Soviet desertion the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS faced severe opposition and the Soviets still controlled the air. But Germany was making significant gains into Ukraine - the bread bsket and industrial heartland of the USSR.
Soviet forces digging in, preparing for the worst.
The Red Army found itself on completely different situation than just a mere month earlier. Hundreds of thousands (!) had lost their lives in one month. Many more had lost their loved ones. The Red Army found itself suddenly on the defensive. In a nerve wracking situation. When would the German war machine attack? It seemed as if thousands had died, and was still dying, just to postpone what was to come. The Soviet attack had failed, it was only a matter of time before the Germans would retaliate-
Are they going a bridge too far this time?
With Germany busy on their eastern front, Britain and her dominions invaded the north of Netherlands in the hopes of getting into northern Germany. Heavy fighting ensued. The Allies ws already stretched out thin with forces in Asia, North Africa, Croatia and now the Netherlands. Was this the passage to Berlin?
The Japanese hold their ground..
The invasion of Manchuria proved, as with the invasion of Germany and Romania, to not be as easy as the Soviet Union had first thought. Several Japanese divisions was sent to their common borders, and even here the Soviets had to call off their attacks. The Japanese however didn't go on the offensive either and another phoney war happened in the Far East as it happened with France and Germany two years earlier.
Finally some good news!
In December the Germans managed to overextend themself outside of Daugavpils. Several divisions was trapped in the Daugavpils pocket. By the 4th only two German divisions remained. They would soon fall to the defending Soviet forces. A small, but needed, victory in the German onslaught.
The Wehrmacht advancing into Ukraine.
Meanwhile the Germans was making significant gains in Ukraine. Crossing from Romania and Poland the Whermacht was ready to take on Kiev. Many of the Ukranians again longed to be liberated. It only remained to be seen if the Germans was truly liberators or not...
New Year's Eve could have been celebrated in a better fashion..
The year turned to 1941. But it was not peaceful. As the Soviets went on the defensive the Germans went somewhat on the offensive. It was mostly probing, still the Germans had suffered around 320.000 casualties and the Soviet Union had suffered 666k (proving they're the devil) casualties. In December Germany had made enormous gains in Ukraine, but was stalled on the path to Leningrad and Moscow. And December made winter, and those who have read the tragedy of Napoleon know what happened then. Would history repeat itself?
The great trial of their time have just begun.
History or not, the soldiers was fighting the war now and then. Mere two months of war claimed over one million lives. Spain had also joined the war now, posing a threat against Germany in Africa and from France. This was only the prelude of what was to come. The fate of Europe and the world was to be decided here, among Soviet and Axis troops.
-----
*I've had air supremacy since the start of the war. Also been bombing Berling with Strtegic bonbers.
**Spain joined the Comitern. I'm just gonna call it the Interntionale from now on.
Last edited:
I have to say that shot of the early stages of the war with all those battleplans - that was glorious
Sounds like it is a real fight.
Sounds like it is a real fight.
I have to say that shot of the early stages of the war with all those battleplans - that was glorious
Sounds like it is a real fight.
Glad you liked it. Just looked messy on the screenshots!
But yeah it is a real fight, we'll see if the Germans manage to advance or are worn out!
French Communist Revolution.
Communist Revolutions: Vive la révolution!
Election poster for the French Popular Front.
"People who are hungry, people who are out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made" was once said by FDR. This proved to be true in France who still suffered from the effects of the Great Depression: unemployment and political instability. A series of events led up the December Revolution of 1939. One of the direct causes that led to the new and radical regime was the French Popular Front - similar to the one in Spain and encouraged by the Comintern and USSR. Following the fascist threats in central and southern Europe the official Comintern doctrine shifted focus from calling the moderate left and social democrats for "social-fascists" to instead cooperate with the established parties. Faced with the threat of Hitler, economic depression, a weak parliament, financial scandals and the rise of violent far right leagues - which pulled off an unsuccessful coup d'etat in 1934. In response the future leader of the French Commune Maurice Thorez aired the idea of a Popular Front, with directions from the Comintern, already in 1934. During the election of 1936 the SFIO (social democrats) and Radical Party (social liberals) would run together supported by the French Communist Party (PCF).
They was popular enough to emerge victorious.
Following the election the Popular Front secured the majority. The Socialists also became the greatest party in the French parliament succeeding the Radical Party who had dominated the Third Republic. André Léon Blum would become the first Socialist Prime Minister of France - and the first Jewish one. Expectations was high for the Popular Front and the workers of France was anxious for labour reforms.
The Stalinist puppets, soon to embrace the enlightenment of Trotskyism.
But to better understand the Popular Front, and the later French Commune, one might look on the parties itself. The PCF was a somewhat marginalized fringe party. In short they split from the SFIO in 1920 as they were the left wing of the party seeking more radical approaches to a socialist government. PCF soon found itself absorbed by the Comintern and was in turn dictated by the Soviet Union. These dictations proved themself when Thorez became General Secretary. In the 1920s the PCF sought to cooperate with the other parties in the parliament. However Thorez followed the Stalinist line of "social-fascism". Basically that social-democrats of the Second International was betraying socialism by collaborating with democratic parties and in turn enabling fascism. However Stalin and the Comintern soon turned around as they saw that fascism was on the rise anyway. By the instruction of the Comintern Thorez took a sharp turn and went back to the policy of cooperating with the other parties. Thus they laid the foundation for the Popular Front. The PCF also had strong contacts with radical unionists and promoted several strikes and opposed colonialism. The strikes would later on play a vital role for the future revolution.
The Socialists was a prime target to be inflitrated by Trotskyists and bring real socialism to France...
The French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) was the social democratic party of France. Tracing it roots all the way back to Marx's son in law the party had a rich story of promoting socialism, Marxism and social democracy. In many way they were a big tent party on the left. However after joining the Second International many of the far left parties saw them as bourgeois disguised as reds. This led to, as mentioned earlier, to the split between the SFIO and PCF. However following the failed fascist coup the left of France believed there was a nationwide right wing conspiracy to overthrow the Republic. Together with the PCF and the Radical Party they formed the Popular Front. The Socialists managed to become the biggest party. However most importantly this also saw the entry of Trotskyists. In 1934 under the advise of Trotsky the Bolshevik-Leninists would enter the SFIO. This was named by Trotsky as the "French Turn" and would later on lead to the Entryism doctrine. The Trotskyists would remain in the SFIO and radicalised them to the left and was especially bolstered by the return of Trotsky. Soon there was little difference between the PCF and SFIO as the former joined the Fourth International and the latter was in practice led by Trotskyists. The seeds for revolution was sawn.*
The leader of the Socialists. A Marxist and a Democratic Reformer.
The first Socialist Prime Minister of France was Léon Blum. He was a unique figure as he opposed entering the Comintern saying there's no such thing as a "good dictatorship" meanwhile he wanted a Socialist State. He was also critical of the class based conflict model of Marxism instead believing that a well educated elite should lead the nation to "to define, protect, and guarantee the condition of the working class". He also differed from the PCF stance on colonialism stating that "the right and even the duty of superior races to attract those who have not arrived at the same degree of culture and to call them to the progress realised thanks to the efforts of sciences and industry ... We have too much love for our country to disavow the expansion of its thought, of the French civilisation". Despite his differences with PCF and the Radicals he managed to get through several reforms. The PCF and many of the workingmen was not pleased and hoped for greater reforms. Blum was unable to provide them that as he had to juggle between the needs of the PCF, SFIO and the Radicals. He also refused to send support to the Republicans in Spain due to the Radicals fearing a civil war at home, this not only angered the PCF but also the growing Trotskyist elements in his own party. Despite his good intentions and sweeping reforms the left and right of the Popular Front was not satisfied and Blum realized he was incapable of leading a stable government. As such he resigned in April of 1938. The communists of the Popular Front cheered and hoped to gain more power. Instead a candidate from the Radical Party was elected Prime Minister infuriating the PCF and Trotskyists. When Blum resigned as Prime Minister he was also replaced by Trotskyist elements in the party. They declared "The Fourth International is growing stronger. It's time to show that our interests can be aligned" signalled a sharp leftist turn in the SFIO.
Prime minister Camille Chautemps of the not so radical Radical Party.
The man to replace Blum was Chautemps. He tried to balance the needs of his own party and the interests of the radicalised French left. Despite pursuing nationalization and improving the situation for women, many believed it was simply not enough. Chautemps found himself under immense pressure and soon he expelled the Socialists from the government. The final straw was when the PCF and SFIO made a joint declaration following the return of Trotsky "The goal is clear. Equality for all. We don't want capitalists interests in French politics". The SFIO was now openly a member of the Fourth International and was under the illusion that Trotsky would restore democratic socialism to the USSR. Chautemps resigned and the Popular Front was dissolved. The Radical Party would now lead a miniority government with Daladier as the PM.
Strikes are a powerful weapon, especially during rearmament.
Despite the fall of Blum he managed to make several vital reforms. Among them was the Matignon Agreements which gave the French workers several new rights such as shorter work days, paid vacation etc. but most importantly the right to strike. The latter proved to crucial for the future developments. The many strikes and lockdowns the next year led to several government concessions and strenghtened the unions. Following the Entryism strategy of the now Trotskyist USSR several of the unions was radicalised and arms flowed from the Spanish Republic. With these guns several veterans from the civil war and NKVD agents inflitrated the unions as well and provoked many strikes crippling the economy of a France that was at war. This led to the French government being seen as incapable and increased the popularity among the PCF and SFIO. It was only a matter of time before one of these strikes turned into a violent one.**
Daladier, the last moderate (and democratic) Prime Minister of France.
Daladier was despite his best intentions in an impossible situation. The war with Germany was caused by the hardline of the PCF and SFIO forcing Chautemps to go to war. However the war soon proved to be highly unpopular. The French left capitalized on this. They openly went against the war and led anti-war demonstrations and strikes. Daladier tried his best but one of the reasons why the French army failed to hold out against the Germans was the high desertion rates not only among the soldiers but also in the arms industry. This led to shortages in the French army, but worse many of the deserters defected to newly formed workers's councils and militias. Revolution was looming.
Parisian barricades in 1871. A not so unusual phenomena.
And revolution came in December 1939. The peace installed on France was harsh, not only hurting the national pride but being under severe economic restrictions. This led to another economic depression in France and the government had no choice but to roll back many of the reforms introduced by Léon Blum. Moreover Germany, being against both socialism and communism, demanded the Daladier government to ban all of the leftist parties. This naturally enraged the workers and violent strikes and uprisings all over France was now a common sight. Matters was made only worse when France again went to war. With their southern border unprotected French rebels, NKVD agents and the revived International Brigades streamed to France in the thousands de-facto setting up their own provincial government in the south. They looked to the successes in Spain and back to the Parisian Commune of 1871. The time had come for revolution.
The workers rise up in Paris, against Fascism and Capitalism, and for the Bolsheviks.
Following the revolt in Paris and the establishment of the Second Parisian Commune the SFIO and PCF (and other smaller leftist parties) merged together to form the Commune's Party of Socialist Unification. They quickly took control of all of southern France with thousands of seasoned soldiers and rebels working as the Vanguard and stripped the Daladier government of all power. They proclaimed the Third Republic had come to an end and been replaced by the Commune of the French Workers. The situation was chaotic and many believed that Nazi Germany would proceed to wage war on the new French government. However on the 11th hour the Germans stood down and started to negotiate with the French Commune - under the threat of Spanish and Soviet intervention. The Commune agreed renounced all claims and Alsace-Lorraine and their colonies. Peace was secured and the new radical government was ready to transform Spain.
Maurice Thorez the true liberator of the French workers.
Maurice Thorez was elected as the General Secretary of the Commune's Party of Socialist Unification and became in effect the new leader of France. The CPSU formally existed alongside the other parties in another Popular Front, but in reality the communists had total power. Several radical reforms was implemented to improve the condition of the workers, but most importantly to undertake a rapid expansion of their industry to prepare for the inevitable war with their arch enemy and the enemies of the revolution. With the help of the NKVD several so called fifth columnists was purged and France experienced yet another revolutionary terror government. True equality, fraternity and liberty was promised. During new year's eve Thorez gave a speech outlying the new course France was to take. The most infamous part of that speech was "the fat bankers and the powerhungry demagogues are strengthening their bloody grip upon the world. With each passing day we see free men enslaved and the world plunged further into crisis, created by the greed of the individual (...) French and Internationalist ideals are needed more than ever! Humanity needs us, and we need humanity!"
What's so bad about the USSR controlling France?
France was now firmly under the sphere of USSR and many saw the Popular Front and the Commune as nothing but a puppet of the USSR fearing that the revolution would spread from Spain and France and further into Europe. Soon France would make a formal alliance with the Soviet Union declaring "Our ties with the Internationale has grown stronger and it's time to dedicate ourselves fully to their cause!"
-----
*In reality the Trotskyists abonded this idea following the creation of the Popular Front. In this timeline however they took power in the SFIO making it another communist party.
**It look like as France chose the options for the strikes that increased communist support. Good for us!
The quotes are from the Communist focuses for France. I will make an update for future (if any) communist revolutions and their backrounds to give more immersion in the narrative. But for the gameplay itself they are non-essential so it is not necessairy to read the Communist Revolutions entries. Hopefully you'll find it interesting and create a more living story.
Election poster for the French Popular Front.
"People who are hungry, people who are out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made" was once said by FDR. This proved to be true in France who still suffered from the effects of the Great Depression: unemployment and political instability. A series of events led up the December Revolution of 1939. One of the direct causes that led to the new and radical regime was the French Popular Front - similar to the one in Spain and encouraged by the Comintern and USSR. Following the fascist threats in central and southern Europe the official Comintern doctrine shifted focus from calling the moderate left and social democrats for "social-fascists" to instead cooperate with the established parties. Faced with the threat of Hitler, economic depression, a weak parliament, financial scandals and the rise of violent far right leagues - which pulled off an unsuccessful coup d'etat in 1934. In response the future leader of the French Commune Maurice Thorez aired the idea of a Popular Front, with directions from the Comintern, already in 1934. During the election of 1936 the SFIO (social democrats) and Radical Party (social liberals) would run together supported by the French Communist Party (PCF).
They was popular enough to emerge victorious.
Following the election the Popular Front secured the majority. The Socialists also became the greatest party in the French parliament succeeding the Radical Party who had dominated the Third Republic. André Léon Blum would become the first Socialist Prime Minister of France - and the first Jewish one. Expectations was high for the Popular Front and the workers of France was anxious for labour reforms.
The Stalinist puppets, soon to embrace the enlightenment of Trotskyism.
But to better understand the Popular Front, and the later French Commune, one might look on the parties itself. The PCF was a somewhat marginalized fringe party. In short they split from the SFIO in 1920 as they were the left wing of the party seeking more radical approaches to a socialist government. PCF soon found itself absorbed by the Comintern and was in turn dictated by the Soviet Union. These dictations proved themself when Thorez became General Secretary. In the 1920s the PCF sought to cooperate with the other parties in the parliament. However Thorez followed the Stalinist line of "social-fascism". Basically that social-democrats of the Second International was betraying socialism by collaborating with democratic parties and in turn enabling fascism. However Stalin and the Comintern soon turned around as they saw that fascism was on the rise anyway. By the instruction of the Comintern Thorez took a sharp turn and went back to the policy of cooperating with the other parties. Thus they laid the foundation for the Popular Front. The PCF also had strong contacts with radical unionists and promoted several strikes and opposed colonialism. The strikes would later on play a vital role for the future revolution.
The Socialists was a prime target to be inflitrated by Trotskyists and bring real socialism to France...
The French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) was the social democratic party of France. Tracing it roots all the way back to Marx's son in law the party had a rich story of promoting socialism, Marxism and social democracy. In many way they were a big tent party on the left. However after joining the Second International many of the far left parties saw them as bourgeois disguised as reds. This led to, as mentioned earlier, to the split between the SFIO and PCF. However following the failed fascist coup the left of France believed there was a nationwide right wing conspiracy to overthrow the Republic. Together with the PCF and the Radical Party they formed the Popular Front. The Socialists managed to become the biggest party. However most importantly this also saw the entry of Trotskyists. In 1934 under the advise of Trotsky the Bolshevik-Leninists would enter the SFIO. This was named by Trotsky as the "French Turn" and would later on lead to the Entryism doctrine. The Trotskyists would remain in the SFIO and radicalised them to the left and was especially bolstered by the return of Trotsky. Soon there was little difference between the PCF and SFIO as the former joined the Fourth International and the latter was in practice led by Trotskyists. The seeds for revolution was sawn.*
The leader of the Socialists. A Marxist and a Democratic Reformer.
The first Socialist Prime Minister of France was Léon Blum. He was a unique figure as he opposed entering the Comintern saying there's no such thing as a "good dictatorship" meanwhile he wanted a Socialist State. He was also critical of the class based conflict model of Marxism instead believing that a well educated elite should lead the nation to "to define, protect, and guarantee the condition of the working class". He also differed from the PCF stance on colonialism stating that "the right and even the duty of superior races to attract those who have not arrived at the same degree of culture and to call them to the progress realised thanks to the efforts of sciences and industry ... We have too much love for our country to disavow the expansion of its thought, of the French civilisation". Despite his differences with PCF and the Radicals he managed to get through several reforms. The PCF and many of the workingmen was not pleased and hoped for greater reforms. Blum was unable to provide them that as he had to juggle between the needs of the PCF, SFIO and the Radicals. He also refused to send support to the Republicans in Spain due to the Radicals fearing a civil war at home, this not only angered the PCF but also the growing Trotskyist elements in his own party. Despite his good intentions and sweeping reforms the left and right of the Popular Front was not satisfied and Blum realized he was incapable of leading a stable government. As such he resigned in April of 1938. The communists of the Popular Front cheered and hoped to gain more power. Instead a candidate from the Radical Party was elected Prime Minister infuriating the PCF and Trotskyists. When Blum resigned as Prime Minister he was also replaced by Trotskyist elements in the party. They declared "The Fourth International is growing stronger. It's time to show that our interests can be aligned" signalled a sharp leftist turn in the SFIO.
Prime minister Camille Chautemps of the not so radical Radical Party.
The man to replace Blum was Chautemps. He tried to balance the needs of his own party and the interests of the radicalised French left. Despite pursuing nationalization and improving the situation for women, many believed it was simply not enough. Chautemps found himself under immense pressure and soon he expelled the Socialists from the government. The final straw was when the PCF and SFIO made a joint declaration following the return of Trotsky "The goal is clear. Equality for all. We don't want capitalists interests in French politics". The SFIO was now openly a member of the Fourth International and was under the illusion that Trotsky would restore democratic socialism to the USSR. Chautemps resigned and the Popular Front was dissolved. The Radical Party would now lead a miniority government with Daladier as the PM.
Strikes are a powerful weapon, especially during rearmament.
Despite the fall of Blum he managed to make several vital reforms. Among them was the Matignon Agreements which gave the French workers several new rights such as shorter work days, paid vacation etc. but most importantly the right to strike. The latter proved to crucial for the future developments. The many strikes and lockdowns the next year led to several government concessions and strenghtened the unions. Following the Entryism strategy of the now Trotskyist USSR several of the unions was radicalised and arms flowed from the Spanish Republic. With these guns several veterans from the civil war and NKVD agents inflitrated the unions as well and provoked many strikes crippling the economy of a France that was at war. This led to the French government being seen as incapable and increased the popularity among the PCF and SFIO. It was only a matter of time before one of these strikes turned into a violent one.**
Daladier, the last moderate (and democratic) Prime Minister of France.
Daladier was despite his best intentions in an impossible situation. The war with Germany was caused by the hardline of the PCF and SFIO forcing Chautemps to go to war. However the war soon proved to be highly unpopular. The French left capitalized on this. They openly went against the war and led anti-war demonstrations and strikes. Daladier tried his best but one of the reasons why the French army failed to hold out against the Germans was the high desertion rates not only among the soldiers but also in the arms industry. This led to shortages in the French army, but worse many of the deserters defected to newly formed workers's councils and militias. Revolution was looming.
Parisian barricades in 1871. A not so unusual phenomena.
And revolution came in December 1939. The peace installed on France was harsh, not only hurting the national pride but being under severe economic restrictions. This led to another economic depression in France and the government had no choice but to roll back many of the reforms introduced by Léon Blum. Moreover Germany, being against both socialism and communism, demanded the Daladier government to ban all of the leftist parties. This naturally enraged the workers and violent strikes and uprisings all over France was now a common sight. Matters was made only worse when France again went to war. With their southern border unprotected French rebels, NKVD agents and the revived International Brigades streamed to France in the thousands de-facto setting up their own provincial government in the south. They looked to the successes in Spain and back to the Parisian Commune of 1871. The time had come for revolution.
The workers rise up in Paris, against Fascism and Capitalism, and for the Bolsheviks.
Following the revolt in Paris and the establishment of the Second Parisian Commune the SFIO and PCF (and other smaller leftist parties) merged together to form the Commune's Party of Socialist Unification. They quickly took control of all of southern France with thousands of seasoned soldiers and rebels working as the Vanguard and stripped the Daladier government of all power. They proclaimed the Third Republic had come to an end and been replaced by the Commune of the French Workers. The situation was chaotic and many believed that Nazi Germany would proceed to wage war on the new French government. However on the 11th hour the Germans stood down and started to negotiate with the French Commune - under the threat of Spanish and Soviet intervention. The Commune agreed renounced all claims and Alsace-Lorraine and their colonies. Peace was secured and the new radical government was ready to transform Spain.
Maurice Thorez the true liberator of the French workers.
Maurice Thorez was elected as the General Secretary of the Commune's Party of Socialist Unification and became in effect the new leader of France. The CPSU formally existed alongside the other parties in another Popular Front, but in reality the communists had total power. Several radical reforms was implemented to improve the condition of the workers, but most importantly to undertake a rapid expansion of their industry to prepare for the inevitable war with their arch enemy and the enemies of the revolution. With the help of the NKVD several so called fifth columnists was purged and France experienced yet another revolutionary terror government. True equality, fraternity and liberty was promised. During new year's eve Thorez gave a speech outlying the new course France was to take. The most infamous part of that speech was "the fat bankers and the powerhungry demagogues are strengthening their bloody grip upon the world. With each passing day we see free men enslaved and the world plunged further into crisis, created by the greed of the individual (...) French and Internationalist ideals are needed more than ever! Humanity needs us, and we need humanity!"
What's so bad about the USSR controlling France?
France was now firmly under the sphere of USSR and many saw the Popular Front and the Commune as nothing but a puppet of the USSR fearing that the revolution would spread from Spain and France and further into Europe. Soon France would make a formal alliance with the Soviet Union declaring "Our ties with the Internationale has grown stronger and it's time to dedicate ourselves fully to their cause!"
-----
*In reality the Trotskyists abonded this idea following the creation of the Popular Front. In this timeline however they took power in the SFIO making it another communist party.
**It look like as France chose the options for the strikes that increased communist support. Good for us!
The quotes are from the Communist focuses for France. I will make an update for future (if any) communist revolutions and their backrounds to give more immersion in the narrative. But for the gameplay itself they are non-essential so it is not necessairy to read the Communist Revolutions entries. Hopefully you'll find it interesting and create a more living story.
- 1
So France, are you committed to the Revolutionary cause, or is this just a flirtatious dalliance?
Chapter 12.
Chapter 12: You only have to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.
Trotsky being occupied with other stuff.
Trotsky was in the Winter Palace in Leningrad as the new year fell over the Soviet Union - along with German bombs. Trotsky was with the five marshals of the Soviet Union to find out what they were to do next. Most of them were at a loss of what to do, the only one who had real plans was Tukhachevsky, but all he wanted was to go on the attack, attack and attack. Trotsky overruled such notions for now. Instead the orders was "hold the line, no matter what. Fight to death if needed". Operation: Icebreaker had failed to secure its goald of taking Bessarabia, Soviet claimed Poland and East-Prussia. Instead thousands of men had fell to the German generals and general winter. Out of the five airborne brigades that was at the onset of the war, only one remained from the foolish and overly aggressive Soviet plans. At least some of the goals had been met. The Wilno Bulge had been closed with large parts of Byelorussian Poland under Soviet occupation. Nevertheless the situation was dire.
Sorry, I couldn't resist it.
It was under these circumstances that Hitler declared "You only have to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down". Already as he took power he had promised the German General Staff to invade the USSR and eradicate Communism - to cheering from the generals. The Germans now believed that this was their time, their time to launch Operation: Barbarossa. Named after a crusading Holy Roman Emperor the Third Reich would now embark on a Crusade against Bolshevism, s the First Reich did against heathens.
The Germans burn their way through Ukraine.
Ukraine would be the prime focus of the German attack on the Soviet Union. It was either snowy or muddy, conditions that did not favor the infantrist nor the panzer. The Germans wanted to wait until the winter went away, yet they managed to make major gains with their Romanian allies in Ukraine. By the first of January they had reached the outskirts of Kiev. Thousands had died for the Ukranian capital, and thousands more would die. If Ukraine was lost the breadbasket and industrial heartland of the USSR was lost and her oilfields open for the taking.
Our brave men will break out - or be trialed for treason.
On the Ukranian Front a whopping number of six Rifle Divisions, translated into around 73 800 soldiers, found themself encircled in what would be known as the Vinnytsia Pocket. Following the confusion of the German rapid and aggressive attacks and the orders to hold at every cost these divisions found themself cut off from the main force during the Battle of Kiev. These soldiers was ordered to break out of their kettle no matter what. It was also ordered that those who surrendered would be labeled as traitors and treated accordingly. The breakthrough of the encirclement was ordered to be conducted during the night with the majority of the forces pressing forward and firing at every direction to spread confusion. In the first few days they were successfull managing to take the airport. This made it possible to be supplied. However on the 11th they attacked a well fortified German position. "We'd dug down with our artillery, heavy machine guns and assault guns fixed upon the Soviets. They came on us wave after wave, but we sawed them down". The breakthrough had met its first obstacle.
So close, but still so far away.
But it didn't dissuade the frenzied Soviets from breaking out. They attacked forward in full force, but this proved to be their bane. They failed to secure their rear and in turn their only source of supplies; the airport. This resulted in the Wehrmacht attacking the undersupplied divisions from the rear, taking them out one by one. A military historian later wrote "the Soviets trapped in the Vinnytsia Pocket was under constant bombardment and feint attacks. Not a moment of rest, not a minute of sleep nor any chance for a meal was granted as they were herded by the Germans to their doom. Over 70 000 men was trapped in a small location, sharing sick ridden trenches with the dead and the alive alike. They didn't know if it was German lead or the rats would claim their lives first". The conditions was horrid and hazardous. Only a few kilometers separated the pocket and the front. By the 19th Aleksandr Vasilevsky ordered an assault hoping to punch through the tiny line and relieve the men cornered in Vinnytsia.
It's treason then.
But the attack failed. Mere five days into the attack the Germans repulsed the Soviet thrust. Vasilevsky noted to himself "not a day go by where I don't think of how I failed these young men. It will forever haunt me". The German opposition was too stiff having anticipated the Soviet relief attack. Several killzones was created and the well fortified areas, reminiscent of the western front during the Great War, and the heavy snowfall proved too much for the attackers. Those who were holed up in Vinnytsia was left to their own. Early morning of February the 3rd the soldiers nerves was torn apart, others had starved to death, succumbed to sickness or gone mental due to the German shelling. In a swift German offensive what remained of the six divisions surrendered or perished. Those who surrendered was labeled as traitors and Nazis by the Red Army, in reality they had done their duty in tenfolds in a hopeless situation. The road to Kiev laid open.
At least the Americans are good for something.
But the war did not only take place by the front. The development of industries in European Russia, Ukraine and Belarus was abandoned, instead the Ural mountains and the areas beyond was developed. Many workers were simply moved to the east and had to at the best live in makeshift tents in the severe Siberian winter. The USA also decided to extend the Lend Lease Act to the USSR. They had first been reluctant due to the increasingly aggressive Soviet foreign policy. However it was believed that if the Nazis won over the Communists, the liberal-democracies and the US itself would fall. A modest amount of various support equipment was first sent to the USSR to their port of Murmansk. Several new armies was also set up to bolster the Red Army, namely from the 18th Army to the 24th where all but the latter going to the western front*.
The Pride of the Red Fleet Arkhangelsk, now we can't be beaten on the seven seas.
The first of the "Project 21" battleships was laid down and attached to the Baltic Fleet. The first of this top of the line battleship would be named "Arkhangelsk" and as such the entire class was now named the "Arkhangelsk Class". Three more Arkhangelsk Class battleships was still under construction, and so were four of the Project 23 - the mighty Sovetsky Soyuz-class superbattleships.
Improvements are needed.
Other advances was made by outfitting the Soviet soldiers with new weapons and kit. The PPSh-40 had been rushed into production following the war with Germany, but it was expensive to produce. The PPSH-41 was an overall improvement and a needed addition for close quarter combat. Still it wouldn't surpass the older production lines and rifles, but new production lines was planned for this weapon. A new fighter was being developed aswell the LaGG-3. The Soviet only managed to obtain air superiority through vast numbers, but needed to build a new fighter plane. Despite the LaGG-3 being the most modern fighter the Soviets would obtain in '41 it was still surpassed by the Bf-109**.
We will hold!
Back to the to the actual combat. The Japanese was gaining the upperhand on the Far Eastern Front. By mid January the two Far Eastern Fleets had been ordered to sink convoys (submarines) and escort merchant ships (destroyers) following the successes of the Soviet submarines in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea - sinking several tons of German and Romanian convoys. By the end of January the Far Eastern fleet suffered major losses when they clashed with the Imperial Navy. Despite sinking six heavy cruisers and four destroyers, 22 submarines was lost. This was the majority of the far eastern submarine fleet and the Soviets learned first hand from the destructive force of the aircraft carriers. The Japanese had virtually won the seas, but they hadn't managed to take much Soviet lands and most importantly Vladivostok despite their repeated attempts. However the Japanese and Chinese forces was increasing substantially. Sinkiang was admitted into the Internationale after heavy debates among the Politburo if they should be admitted into the Union, by force of course, or becoming an official ally of the Soviet Union. Mongolia and Tannu-Tuva was also called into the war. The Soviets hoped for a relief from their percieved backward neighbours.***
It appear as if the Japanese are a first rate sea power.
The Far East Fleet wouldn't be given the chance to recover from their losses in late January as by the onset of February the entire submarine fleet was destroyed save for one lone sub. The Far Eastern Front was now on their own, they couldn't count on relief from the sea.
They did go for a bridge too far.
But the Soviets was not the only ones facing defeats. The Commonwealth force that had invaded by the end of November and shocked through most the Netherlands was now pushed back into the sea by mid February. The Allies had heeded Trotsky's call to create a second front, but they were repulsed. An amphibious assault proved to be premature this early in the war. The Soviet Union was on their own.
The Germans and Romanians are unstoppable.
With the loss of the six divisions the German and Romanian armies blitzed through the winter snow taking the Red Army by surprise. Immense gains were made in a relative short period of time. The Soviets was unprepared, believing the Axis would overwinter, and the lines collapsed completely. Several senior Red Army officers committed suicide being shameful for their defeats - or afraid of the reactions. Between Kiev and Crimea the Soviet front had collapsed entirely leaving a major gap, the Germans was also closing in on Sevastopol which was defended by no other than the citizens. If that vital port fell then the Black Sea Fleet - who was harassing the small Romanian navy and Axis supply ships - would lose its homeport and the Red Army would be down to only one port to supply Ukraine in the Black Sea; Rostov. Was Ukraine going to fall?
Push forward comrades.
By the end of February Tukhachevsky got his request granted: to go on the Offensive. The Volkoh and Leningrad Fronts would go on the offensive supported by Rokossovsky. It was to be a smaller scale intrusion before the planned March Offensive. For now the goal was only to evaluate the German defenses and hopefully divert forces from the Ukraine and the main axis of advance during the upcoming March Offensive.
Vladivostok can't be that important? Am I right?
March didn't bring any good news for the Soviet Union. The combined offensive of the Turkestan Front and the allies of Sinkiang and Mongolia were not getting forward as quickly as first anticipated. But worse was the loss of Vladivostok. Vladivostok was the very life ore of the Soviet Far East. It had now fallen to the Japanese, who were simultaneously making advances in the north, putting the entire Far Eastern Front at the risk of being encircled. If so all depended on Mongolia, Sinkiang, Tannu-Tuva and the Turkestan Front to prevent all of Siberia from falling. But Trotsky took it calmy saying, in private of course: "the vast stepped of Siberia will consume them. Its inhospitable climate will force away the invaders. And in the end we have no use of the Far East. Other than being a buffer to the true battle, the one against the Teutons".
The Permament Revolution lives on.
But in complete darkness just a small spark of light might illuminate the room. By the 13th of February the underground Hungarian Communist Party took power. It was surprisingly quick and relatively peaceful. The Soviets of Hungary took control of the major urban areas, menwhile peasant militias took control over the countryside. In Budapest the residency of Horthy, the Parliament and other government buildings was stormed. Little fighting took place as most of the Hungarian Army and Police had already defected to the Soviets. Horthy was assassinated and his body paraded through the streets of Budapest. The Hungarian People's Republic had been founded. Meanwhile the situation in Finland intolerable. Open communist agitation was commonplace with society becoming majorly polarized. A civil war was looming in the shadows. It was not a matter of if it would happen, but when. And the chaos was spreading across the border to their western neighbour..
Where we failed in October, we will succeed in March! Hopefully
Then by late night of the 13th of March the Belorussian Fronts joined in on the March Offensive. It would remain to be seen if the Soviets could succeed where they had failed, or if they had to revert to defend Ukraine from the ever advancing Germans. The winter was bitter and severe, and so were the fighting. A Soviet soldier admitted "I remember I killed a human. It was awful, it turned my stomach around. I then promised I would never kill another fellow human being again. After that I killed countless of Germans. Barbarians, Huns, Nazis, Fascists and so on. By that time I had become so desensitized, so emotionally maimed that our enemies was no longer living humans as us".
The Revolution welcomes your aid.
Three days into the March Offensive the ace upon the sleeves of the Soviets was used. France and Hungary was called into the war. Along the French-Axis borders thousands of French and Spanish soldiers, along with volunteers, pushed into Italy, Germany and the Low Countries. Germany was now facing a western front, a much more potent one than the failed Allied invasion of Holland. Hungary, filled with ideological fervour (and hoping to regain their lost territories) joined in. A central Soviet commissar admitted "Hungary, and to a lesser extent France, is nothing but a tripwire. Their part is to distract the Germans, to let them amass troops to their common border and allocate their vast war machinery away from our border, and away from our offensive. It's cynical, but it is necessary. And our Magyar workers, our brothers, are ready to do their part".
Panzergruppe Guderian push further into Ukraine.
Despite the introduction of France and Hungary the German-Romanian Army Group South blitzed their way into Ukraine and rolled over the Soviet lines. Despite the many attempts to reorganize the defense, entire divisions was lost in the Ukraine. It was typical for several divisions, thousands of men and weapons, dying or surrendering, only to be replaced by fresh divisions only to suffer the same fate. The Ukranian Front saw many of the most innovative German generals, such as Guderian who were a major factor for their impressive feats.
This is getting out of hand.
On the 22nd of March Kiev itself was taken by the advancing German troops. The city itself was left in ruins and panick spread among the Soviet leadership. If they lost Ukraine they would lose their economic foundation. And a house can't stand without a proper foundation. Kiev itself had fallen, but the Battle of Kiev was far from over. But the Soviet defenses had again collapsed with the Germans managing to create a major hole in their defenses.
We're actually making some gains in the north
The northern part of the Front saw mixed results. The various fronts and armies had managed to almost get to their destined targets for the March Offensive. While the forces just on the border of Königsberg had been pushed back to Memel, the other fronts saw minor successes - at the cost of several divisions.
The Germans are stalled - for now.
The three offensive, (March Offensive, French-Spanish Invasio and German invasion of Hungary) combined with the muddy, yet frosty, spring weather managed to achieve its primary goal: to temporarily stll the German invasion. And they did. The relentless assault across Ukraine lost much of its potency as entire armies had to be directed to the new threats. The question was for how long this tripwire would work, and if the Germans would rebound with full force.
The Red Army welcome any pockets it can create.
The Red Army had suffered many encirclements throughout the war with Germany and Romania. Now they managed to create one of their own. It was not as major as the ones the Germans orchestrated but it was a huge victory for the Soviet morale. It showed that the Germans was not invincible. Despite it "only" being one division the Soviet propaganda machinery blew it out of proportions, claiming an entire army was trapped and perished. That was a farcry from the truth and the March Offensive had grinded to a halt, while Crimea and Kiev had fallen to the Axis. Despite the hundreds of thousands of men who had perished since the end of October, the war had just begun. The suffering was far from over..
Red Finland is the best Finland.
Then right by the end of February Finland found itself plunged into civil war. The polarized society had for months just waited for open hostilities. The final straw came when a letter from Germany was revealed they wanted Finland to partake in the war, promising them territorial gains. The Red Guards then took the situation to openly rebel. Whether or not the letter to the Finnish was true, and if the government was to act on it, it was enough to detter the allies from intervening. White Finland then looked to Sweden, but they too were too polarized. Choosing a side in this conflict might spark a civil war of their own. The Second Finnish Civil War had begun, between the Democratic Republic of Finland and the Republic of Finland; Red and White Finland.
Romanians assaulting Ukraine, will the tables be turned around?
-----
*The armies are based upon these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Army_(Soviet_Union) They are just merged into another existing ingame army or "front" as I call them. From 18-24 are currently in recruitment (many having been finished and lost in battle).
**In game this fighter (1940 model) is better than the German bf-109 (1936 model), not so much in reality. So in game I'll get a better plane, roleplay I won't.
***I was planning on going down the focuses on invading and annexing Sinkiang. But I didn't have enough troops for it and it would be better with their troops fighting Japan instead of me, and I can't choose that focus if I'm in an offensive war.
Trotsky being occupied with other stuff.
Trotsky was in the Winter Palace in Leningrad as the new year fell over the Soviet Union - along with German bombs. Trotsky was with the five marshals of the Soviet Union to find out what they were to do next. Most of them were at a loss of what to do, the only one who had real plans was Tukhachevsky, but all he wanted was to go on the attack, attack and attack. Trotsky overruled such notions for now. Instead the orders was "hold the line, no matter what. Fight to death if needed". Operation: Icebreaker had failed to secure its goald of taking Bessarabia, Soviet claimed Poland and East-Prussia. Instead thousands of men had fell to the German generals and general winter. Out of the five airborne brigades that was at the onset of the war, only one remained from the foolish and overly aggressive Soviet plans. At least some of the goals had been met. The Wilno Bulge had been closed with large parts of Byelorussian Poland under Soviet occupation. Nevertheless the situation was dire.
Sorry, I couldn't resist it.
It was under these circumstances that Hitler declared "You only have to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down". Already as he took power he had promised the German General Staff to invade the USSR and eradicate Communism - to cheering from the generals. The Germans now believed that this was their time, their time to launch Operation: Barbarossa. Named after a crusading Holy Roman Emperor the Third Reich would now embark on a Crusade against Bolshevism, s the First Reich did against heathens.
The Germans burn their way through Ukraine.
Ukraine would be the prime focus of the German attack on the Soviet Union. It was either snowy or muddy, conditions that did not favor the infantrist nor the panzer. The Germans wanted to wait until the winter went away, yet they managed to make major gains with their Romanian allies in Ukraine. By the first of January they had reached the outskirts of Kiev. Thousands had died for the Ukranian capital, and thousands more would die. If Ukraine was lost the breadbasket and industrial heartland of the USSR was lost and her oilfields open for the taking.
Our brave men will break out - or be trialed for treason.
On the Ukranian Front a whopping number of six Rifle Divisions, translated into around 73 800 soldiers, found themself encircled in what would be known as the Vinnytsia Pocket. Following the confusion of the German rapid and aggressive attacks and the orders to hold at every cost these divisions found themself cut off from the main force during the Battle of Kiev. These soldiers was ordered to break out of their kettle no matter what. It was also ordered that those who surrendered would be labeled as traitors and treated accordingly. The breakthrough of the encirclement was ordered to be conducted during the night with the majority of the forces pressing forward and firing at every direction to spread confusion. In the first few days they were successfull managing to take the airport. This made it possible to be supplied. However on the 11th they attacked a well fortified German position. "We'd dug down with our artillery, heavy machine guns and assault guns fixed upon the Soviets. They came on us wave after wave, but we sawed them down". The breakthrough had met its first obstacle.
So close, but still so far away.
But it didn't dissuade the frenzied Soviets from breaking out. They attacked forward in full force, but this proved to be their bane. They failed to secure their rear and in turn their only source of supplies; the airport. This resulted in the Wehrmacht attacking the undersupplied divisions from the rear, taking them out one by one. A military historian later wrote "the Soviets trapped in the Vinnytsia Pocket was under constant bombardment and feint attacks. Not a moment of rest, not a minute of sleep nor any chance for a meal was granted as they were herded by the Germans to their doom. Over 70 000 men was trapped in a small location, sharing sick ridden trenches with the dead and the alive alike. They didn't know if it was German lead or the rats would claim their lives first". The conditions was horrid and hazardous. Only a few kilometers separated the pocket and the front. By the 19th Aleksandr Vasilevsky ordered an assault hoping to punch through the tiny line and relieve the men cornered in Vinnytsia.
It's treason then.
But the attack failed. Mere five days into the attack the Germans repulsed the Soviet thrust. Vasilevsky noted to himself "not a day go by where I don't think of how I failed these young men. It will forever haunt me". The German opposition was too stiff having anticipated the Soviet relief attack. Several killzones was created and the well fortified areas, reminiscent of the western front during the Great War, and the heavy snowfall proved too much for the attackers. Those who were holed up in Vinnytsia was left to their own. Early morning of February the 3rd the soldiers nerves was torn apart, others had starved to death, succumbed to sickness or gone mental due to the German shelling. In a swift German offensive what remained of the six divisions surrendered or perished. Those who surrendered was labeled as traitors and Nazis by the Red Army, in reality they had done their duty in tenfolds in a hopeless situation. The road to Kiev laid open.
At least the Americans are good for something.
But the war did not only take place by the front. The development of industries in European Russia, Ukraine and Belarus was abandoned, instead the Ural mountains and the areas beyond was developed. Many workers were simply moved to the east and had to at the best live in makeshift tents in the severe Siberian winter. The USA also decided to extend the Lend Lease Act to the USSR. They had first been reluctant due to the increasingly aggressive Soviet foreign policy. However it was believed that if the Nazis won over the Communists, the liberal-democracies and the US itself would fall. A modest amount of various support equipment was first sent to the USSR to their port of Murmansk. Several new armies was also set up to bolster the Red Army, namely from the 18th Army to the 24th where all but the latter going to the western front*.
The Pride of the Red Fleet Arkhangelsk, now we can't be beaten on the seven seas.
The first of the "Project 21" battleships was laid down and attached to the Baltic Fleet. The first of this top of the line battleship would be named "Arkhangelsk" and as such the entire class was now named the "Arkhangelsk Class". Three more Arkhangelsk Class battleships was still under construction, and so were four of the Project 23 - the mighty Sovetsky Soyuz-class superbattleships.
Improvements are needed.
Other advances was made by outfitting the Soviet soldiers with new weapons and kit. The PPSh-40 had been rushed into production following the war with Germany, but it was expensive to produce. The PPSH-41 was an overall improvement and a needed addition for close quarter combat. Still it wouldn't surpass the older production lines and rifles, but new production lines was planned for this weapon. A new fighter was being developed aswell the LaGG-3. The Soviet only managed to obtain air superiority through vast numbers, but needed to build a new fighter plane. Despite the LaGG-3 being the most modern fighter the Soviets would obtain in '41 it was still surpassed by the Bf-109**.
We will hold!
Back to the to the actual combat. The Japanese was gaining the upperhand on the Far Eastern Front. By mid January the two Far Eastern Fleets had been ordered to sink convoys (submarines) and escort merchant ships (destroyers) following the successes of the Soviet submarines in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea - sinking several tons of German and Romanian convoys. By the end of January the Far Eastern fleet suffered major losses when they clashed with the Imperial Navy. Despite sinking six heavy cruisers and four destroyers, 22 submarines was lost. This was the majority of the far eastern submarine fleet and the Soviets learned first hand from the destructive force of the aircraft carriers. The Japanese had virtually won the seas, but they hadn't managed to take much Soviet lands and most importantly Vladivostok despite their repeated attempts. However the Japanese and Chinese forces was increasing substantially. Sinkiang was admitted into the Internationale after heavy debates among the Politburo if they should be admitted into the Union, by force of course, or becoming an official ally of the Soviet Union. Mongolia and Tannu-Tuva was also called into the war. The Soviets hoped for a relief from their percieved backward neighbours.***
It appear as if the Japanese are a first rate sea power.
The Far East Fleet wouldn't be given the chance to recover from their losses in late January as by the onset of February the entire submarine fleet was destroyed save for one lone sub. The Far Eastern Front was now on their own, they couldn't count on relief from the sea.
They did go for a bridge too far.
But the Soviets was not the only ones facing defeats. The Commonwealth force that had invaded by the end of November and shocked through most the Netherlands was now pushed back into the sea by mid February. The Allies had heeded Trotsky's call to create a second front, but they were repulsed. An amphibious assault proved to be premature this early in the war. The Soviet Union was on their own.
The Germans and Romanians are unstoppable.
With the loss of the six divisions the German and Romanian armies blitzed through the winter snow taking the Red Army by surprise. Immense gains were made in a relative short period of time. The Soviets was unprepared, believing the Axis would overwinter, and the lines collapsed completely. Several senior Red Army officers committed suicide being shameful for their defeats - or afraid of the reactions. Between Kiev and Crimea the Soviet front had collapsed entirely leaving a major gap, the Germans was also closing in on Sevastopol which was defended by no other than the citizens. If that vital port fell then the Black Sea Fleet - who was harassing the small Romanian navy and Axis supply ships - would lose its homeport and the Red Army would be down to only one port to supply Ukraine in the Black Sea; Rostov. Was Ukraine going to fall?
Push forward comrades.
By the end of February Tukhachevsky got his request granted: to go on the Offensive. The Volkoh and Leningrad Fronts would go on the offensive supported by Rokossovsky. It was to be a smaller scale intrusion before the planned March Offensive. For now the goal was only to evaluate the German defenses and hopefully divert forces from the Ukraine and the main axis of advance during the upcoming March Offensive.
Vladivostok can't be that important? Am I right?
March didn't bring any good news for the Soviet Union. The combined offensive of the Turkestan Front and the allies of Sinkiang and Mongolia were not getting forward as quickly as first anticipated. But worse was the loss of Vladivostok. Vladivostok was the very life ore of the Soviet Far East. It had now fallen to the Japanese, who were simultaneously making advances in the north, putting the entire Far Eastern Front at the risk of being encircled. If so all depended on Mongolia, Sinkiang, Tannu-Tuva and the Turkestan Front to prevent all of Siberia from falling. But Trotsky took it calmy saying, in private of course: "the vast stepped of Siberia will consume them. Its inhospitable climate will force away the invaders. And in the end we have no use of the Far East. Other than being a buffer to the true battle, the one against the Teutons".
The Permament Revolution lives on.
But in complete darkness just a small spark of light might illuminate the room. By the 13th of February the underground Hungarian Communist Party took power. It was surprisingly quick and relatively peaceful. The Soviets of Hungary took control of the major urban areas, menwhile peasant militias took control over the countryside. In Budapest the residency of Horthy, the Parliament and other government buildings was stormed. Little fighting took place as most of the Hungarian Army and Police had already defected to the Soviets. Horthy was assassinated and his body paraded through the streets of Budapest. The Hungarian People's Republic had been founded. Meanwhile the situation in Finland intolerable. Open communist agitation was commonplace with society becoming majorly polarized. A civil war was looming in the shadows. It was not a matter of if it would happen, but when. And the chaos was spreading across the border to their western neighbour..
Where we failed in October, we will succeed in March! Hopefully
Then by late night of the 13th of March the Belorussian Fronts joined in on the March Offensive. It would remain to be seen if the Soviets could succeed where they had failed, or if they had to revert to defend Ukraine from the ever advancing Germans. The winter was bitter and severe, and so were the fighting. A Soviet soldier admitted "I remember I killed a human. It was awful, it turned my stomach around. I then promised I would never kill another fellow human being again. After that I killed countless of Germans. Barbarians, Huns, Nazis, Fascists and so on. By that time I had become so desensitized, so emotionally maimed that our enemies was no longer living humans as us".
The Revolution welcomes your aid.
Three days into the March Offensive the ace upon the sleeves of the Soviets was used. France and Hungary was called into the war. Along the French-Axis borders thousands of French and Spanish soldiers, along with volunteers, pushed into Italy, Germany and the Low Countries. Germany was now facing a western front, a much more potent one than the failed Allied invasion of Holland. Hungary, filled with ideological fervour (and hoping to regain their lost territories) joined in. A central Soviet commissar admitted "Hungary, and to a lesser extent France, is nothing but a tripwire. Their part is to distract the Germans, to let them amass troops to their common border and allocate their vast war machinery away from our border, and away from our offensive. It's cynical, but it is necessary. And our Magyar workers, our brothers, are ready to do their part".
Panzergruppe Guderian push further into Ukraine.
Despite the introduction of France and Hungary the German-Romanian Army Group South blitzed their way into Ukraine and rolled over the Soviet lines. Despite the many attempts to reorganize the defense, entire divisions was lost in the Ukraine. It was typical for several divisions, thousands of men and weapons, dying or surrendering, only to be replaced by fresh divisions only to suffer the same fate. The Ukranian Front saw many of the most innovative German generals, such as Guderian who were a major factor for their impressive feats.
This is getting out of hand.
On the 22nd of March Kiev itself was taken by the advancing German troops. The city itself was left in ruins and panick spread among the Soviet leadership. If they lost Ukraine they would lose their economic foundation. And a house can't stand without a proper foundation. Kiev itself had fallen, but the Battle of Kiev was far from over. But the Soviet defenses had again collapsed with the Germans managing to create a major hole in their defenses.
We're actually making some gains in the north
The northern part of the Front saw mixed results. The various fronts and armies had managed to almost get to their destined targets for the March Offensive. While the forces just on the border of Königsberg had been pushed back to Memel, the other fronts saw minor successes - at the cost of several divisions.
The Germans are stalled - for now.
The three offensive, (March Offensive, French-Spanish Invasio and German invasion of Hungary) combined with the muddy, yet frosty, spring weather managed to achieve its primary goal: to temporarily stll the German invasion. And they did. The relentless assault across Ukraine lost much of its potency as entire armies had to be directed to the new threats. The question was for how long this tripwire would work, and if the Germans would rebound with full force.
The Red Army welcome any pockets it can create.
The Red Army had suffered many encirclements throughout the war with Germany and Romania. Now they managed to create one of their own. It was not as major as the ones the Germans orchestrated but it was a huge victory for the Soviet morale. It showed that the Germans was not invincible. Despite it "only" being one division the Soviet propaganda machinery blew it out of proportions, claiming an entire army was trapped and perished. That was a farcry from the truth and the March Offensive had grinded to a halt, while Crimea and Kiev had fallen to the Axis. Despite the hundreds of thousands of men who had perished since the end of October, the war had just begun. The suffering was far from over..
Red Finland is the best Finland.
Then right by the end of February Finland found itself plunged into civil war. The polarized society had for months just waited for open hostilities. The final straw came when a letter from Germany was revealed they wanted Finland to partake in the war, promising them territorial gains. The Red Guards then took the situation to openly rebel. Whether or not the letter to the Finnish was true, and if the government was to act on it, it was enough to detter the allies from intervening. White Finland then looked to Sweden, but they too were too polarized. Choosing a side in this conflict might spark a civil war of their own. The Second Finnish Civil War had begun, between the Democratic Republic of Finland and the Republic of Finland; Red and White Finland.
Romanians assaulting Ukraine, will the tables be turned around?
-----
*The armies are based upon these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Army_(Soviet_Union) They are just merged into another existing ingame army or "front" as I call them. From 18-24 are currently in recruitment (many having been finished and lost in battle).
**In game this fighter (1940 model) is better than the German bf-109 (1936 model), not so much in reality. So in game I'll get a better plane, roleplay I won't.
***I was planning on going down the focuses on invading and annexing Sinkiang. But I didn't have enough troops for it and it would be better with their troops fighting Japan instead of me, and I can't choose that focus if I'm in an offensive war.
Oh my sounds like so much is going on in the world and along the front. Some really tough fighting - if France wasn't now in the game things would look very bleak indeed.
Hopefully they will be better at not surrendering this time around. But yes anything can happen, the battlefield have proven to be very flexible and unpredicteble, it was fun time trying to contain the German-Romanian offensive into Ukraine, it was a real challenge but I had to do my emergency solution to bring France into the war. If it haven't been obvious until now, part of the reason why I didn't wit for Germany to attack me was so that I could choose when to call in my allies..
Also expect an update about the Revolution in Hungary later this week, and perhaps also another update of the war. I've also decided that I'll cover 3 months at a time, let me know if some of you believe it is too short or too long..