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Well, you can increase their speed with mobile warfare, but that still only gives you 0,5 kph/upgrade, so 6 kph by 1944. So a 1944 HQ moves faster than cavalry, but that's about it.
I see potential then to simply mod (increase) the speed buff increments on the upgrade to simulate the required effect for Mech HQ speed ... or am I missing something there?
My point was actually the opposite, with human control of HQs you can actually make them fight whereas with AI control it's largely a waste of the officers/MP/IC you spent on the attached brigades.
The circumstances are quite different, but with Turkey in my game, it was a mixture of both these points. There are significantly fewer generals available for the divisions fielded, even after the advent of 5 brigade divisions, so putting spare slower divisions in HQs made some sense there (normally slower stuff like militia, inf, AA or AT that were left over from the front line divs).
The other aspect was having relatively thin concentrations of units for the frontage covered, in defence and now in attack/breakthrough. Essentially, the corps HQs became rather useful secondary defence and even attacking formations that could bolster front line efforts. They have proved rather useful and quite effective in that regard.
They have also performed a holding function on occasion, particularly while waiting for the 5 brigade reorg, or for brigades to be produced that would be amalgamated into new divisions once there were enough of them.
But I suspect most of these factors would not really apply so much when playing big majors, where there’s an abundance of leaders and industry to generate the big battalions. It’s the first time I’d ever bothered using HQs so, and I’d definitely do it again in another game if similar circumstances arose.
From my experience with submodding HPP, adjusting models and reconstructing OOBs and the like, it's rarely that one needs help so much as one needs time. The actual task is easy enough - look up all the hardware in the category of interest (e.g. armored cars), figure out which ones were the most-built and introduced in which years, and then pick those to fill each tech level. The problem tends to be, as just this description should imply, that this takes a tremendous amount of time even if all you're doing is copying information from various Wiki and WW2-nerd webpages into a spreadsheet.
Yes, time is the thing, for which the help is of course welcome. Similar with the famously zombie and poet-infested lists of ministers. But for assistance, my initial priority would be in play testing, anomaly/bug testing, play balancing, etc, for which I will indeed be inviting any interested parties to delve into should they wish, in whatever capacity and degree they may find interesting.
Which goes to say of course, I'd bet that our esteemable Aussie authAAR would appreciate the assistance (though I can't speak for him, of course), but be prepared to spend precious little of that assistance time being a sagacious expert on USSR hardware and entirely too much of that time Googling for production numbers of each sub-variant of a particular AC model... do I speak from experience? whistles innocently...
Haha, based on the above you could indeed be my press secretary! Regarding background ‘cosmetic’ research (minister and leader names, model and class numbers, etc) I might eventually get to those as well, perhaps starting with major powers (of which I’ve got about ten at present, in the ’pre-beta’ stage).
But until then, I’m just trying to go with what vanilla TFH provides or, for the new countries (dozens of them, currently) there are mass produced generic titles (General or Minister 1, 2 or 3, or A, B or C, etc), where invented names applicable to the country can be inserted at some later point. First, I want to construct the new world and then prove the playability. The naming stuff will be easier as it’s based on a widely divergent alt-history, with the departure point being sufficiently in the past that any name will do now, really.
Sorry for the digression, but as the subject was raised ... other readAARs, please forgive me.
I'd imagine that at this point, we are pretty well the "HoI3 family" supporting each other throughout all of the AARs here. Speaking of, check your inbox!
I'd say that HPP is like, say, Civ 4 ("A game is a series of interesting decisions") and BICE is like Dwarf Fortress with better graphics ("F**k you in extreme detail"). Both excellent mods/games but clearly catering to different tastes.
My point was actually the opposite, with human control of HQs you can actually make them fight whereas with AI control it's largely a waste of the officers/MP/IC you spent on the attached brigades. Granted, the hardening against enemy breakthroughs helps but the day I see an HoI3 AI effect a breakthrough against another AI, let alone a human, is the day El Pip updates Butterfly Effect twice in one day - it may have happened once upon a time, but it's not happening again.
I'm finding out more and more that the AI is bad at breakthroughs, even using mechanised formations. Hence the backpedalling on the size of the formations attached to HQ's...
I see potential then to simply mod (increase) the speed buff increments on the upgrade to simulate the required effect for Mech HQ speed ... or am I missing something there?
That would definitely be a simple way to deal with the issue. By doubling the speed increase per upgrade to +1, you can get an HQ which does 6 kph in 1940, and 8 kph in 1944. Of course you could go further, raising the increase to +1.5, which will give you 7 kph in 1940, and 10 kph in 1944, but that seems a bit too much, as the HQ would then be able to keep up with light armour and armoured cars.
The circumstances are quite different, but with Turkey in my game, it was a mixture of both these points. There are significantly fewer generals available for the divisions fielded, even after the advent of 5 brigade divisions, so putting spare slower divisions in HQs made some sense there (normally slower stuff like militia, inf, AA or AT that were left over from the front line divs).
The other aspect was having relatively thin concentrations of units for the frontage covered, in defence and now in attack/breakthrough. Essentially, the corps HQs became rather useful secondary defence and even attacking formations that could bolster front line efforts. They have proved rather useful and quite effective in that regard.
They have also performed a holding function on occasion, particularly while waiting for the 5 brigade reorg, or for brigades to be produced that would be amalgamated into new divisions once there were enough of them.
But I suspect most of these factors would not really apply so much when playing big majors, where there’s an abundance of leaders and industry to generate the big battalions. It’s the first time I’d ever bothered using HQs so, and I’d definitely do it again in another game if similar circumstances arose.
As you don't have enough leaders for your units as it stands, reducing the size of the command structure is a necessity, so a Turkey that's as successful as yours is pretty much forced to operate with units attached directly to it's HQ's. That doesn't really apply to the Soviet Union, as I've got more leaders than I know what to do with. Unless I only spam Militia or Infantry, I'll never run out, or so it seems. That said, there's still an argument to be made for spreading the benefits of the best leaders to the largest possible number of units.
Those poor, poor Slovaks. The A-304 was a fairly nasty bodge to try and turn an airliner into a bomber. It didn't work. The airframe was basically fine (weird upper turret not withstanding) but it was catastrophically slow. The Walter radials were to blame as they offensively low on power, hence the terrible speed and awful bomb load. And of course the Walter engines used BiBoLi, the instant fire risk liquid that the Czech's used instead of proper aviation fuel, I imagine a number of those A-304 casualties were nothing to do with the Soviets but were in fact cases of spontaneous combustion. In any event they only built less than two dozen in OTL, so the Soviets have managed to destroy 150% of total production of the aircraft, a fine achievement in anyone's book surely?
It was replaced by the A-300, because Aero and the Czechoslovakian Air Ministry sneer at conventional counting practices. Walter were told their engines were awful and the Czech treasury agreed to stump up the cash for some imports, the improved design stuck some proper Bristol Mercury IX engines on it and suddenly it was 100mph faster with triple the bomb load, which just goes to show the amazing difference a modern engine can make. Alas too much time had been wasted on the A-304 and sadly time had run out for Aero and indeed Czechoslovakia.
Thanks for this added insight into Czechoslovak Aircraft manufacturing. Vastly under-powered engines and sub-standard fuel will definitely ruin a good design, let alone a mediocre one. As for the numbers produced vs number in the game, it seems to me like several minor nations get way too many planes at the start. For example Hungary, with it's 3 wings CR.32 & CR.42's. (It fielded just 96 fighters at it's peak in 1941), but that's just one example.
From my experience with submodding HPP, adjusting models and reconstructing OOBs and the like, it's rarely that one needs help so much as one needs time. The actual task is easy enough - look up all the hardware in the category of interest (e.g. armored cars), figure out which ones were the most-built and introduced in which years, and then pick those to fill each tech level. The problem tends to be, as just this description should imply, that this takes a tremendous amount of time even if all you're doing is copying information from various Wiki and WW2-nerd webpages into a spreadsheet.
Yes, that's pretty much what I expected. I never meant to imply the task wasn't easy or required a special level of skill, just that we could share the load in case one of us decided to endeavour to fix all the model designations.
Which goes to say of course, I'd bet that our esteemable Aussie authAAR would appreciate the assistance (though I can't speak for him, of course), but be prepared to spend precious little of that assistance time being a sagacious expert on USSR hardware and entirely too much of that time Googling for production numbers of each sub-variant of a particular AC model... do I speak from experience? whistles innocently...
I already get to be a sagacious 'expert' on USSR hardware in my own AAR... And yes, I don't mind spending some time googling production figures for obscure sub-variants of vehicles, if that helps the end result.
Yes, time is the thing, for which the help is of course welcome. Similar with the famously zombie and poet-infested lists of ministers. But for assistance, my initial priority would be in play testing, anomaly/bug testing, play balancing, etc, for which I will indeed be inviting any interested parties to delve into should they wish, in whatever capacity and degree they may find interesting.
But until then, I’m just trying to go with what vanilla TFH provides or, for the new countries (dozens of them, currently) there are mass produced generic titles (General or Minister 1, 2 or 3, or A, B or C, etc), where invented names applicable to the country can be inserted at some later point. First, I want to construct the new world and then prove the playability. The naming stuff will be easier as it’s based on a widely divergent alt-history, with the departure point being sufficiently in the past that any name will do now, really.
I'd imagine that at this point, we are pretty well the "HoI3 family" supporting each other throughout all of the AARs here. Speaking of, check your inbox!
10th of September 1942, Vologda, -1,0°C, 6pm Moscow Time
Leningrad's peace and quiet was disrupted during these last 10 days, and whether she'll admit it or not, 'Odinatsat' was right at the middle of it all. 'Shest's reports grew quite lengthy, and he seems rather on edge lately, maybe you can see why.
3rd of September 1942,
An NKVD report from Copenhagen has retained my attention. A Diesel-powered Trawler named 'Ocean Senior' (28,6 x 6,3 x 3,2 m / 10 man crew) slipped into the port early this morning, at the time most of the day's returning fishermen arrive, in time to sell their catch on the fish market. The ship docked at the assigned spot in the fishing harbour. One of the crewmembers was seen securing the ship to the landing, though his face wasn't seen. After that, there was no movement at all around the ship. The crews of the other trawlers were all very busy making sure their fish got to market on time, but there was an eery lack of activity around 'Ocean Senior'.
The harbourmaster was quite busy with all of the returning ships, so it was only an hour after 'Ocean Senior's arrival that he got around to checking on the eerily quiet vessel. Fearing the worst, he enlisted the assistance of a passing police officer. They boarded the ship, and found all of the crew-spaces to be empty, there was something fishy going on. Looking down into the hold, they became alarmed. There wasn't a fish to be seen. Wondering what this trawler had been up to they made their way down. In the relative quiet of the hold, they could hear muffled groans and the shuffling of bodies against each other. Once their eyes got used to the relative darkness, they were faced with an unexpected spectacle.
There were two nets, each tied snugly to the walls of the hold, one on each side. The port side net contained the 10-man crew of the ship. Underneath the net, each crew member was hogtied with fishing rope. The net on the starboard side contained 6 German officers, all of them from the 78. Infanterie-Division, going by their patches. (At this point, the last known position of 78. ID was Kristiansand, so they must have been captured somwhere around there.)
At this point, the police officer pulled out his weapon, a Bergmann-Bayard M1910, and the harbourmaster ran to his telephone to call the Police for reinforcements, stressing the presence of Axis combattants. The police commissioner immediately notified city hall, and the local NKVD office, which notified MajGen. Fediuninski's XXXIII SK HQ.
Five minutes later, two patrol cars arrived on the scene, followed just a minute later by a car from the NKVD, and another three minutes later by a Red Army staff car (a GAZ-A), followed by a ZiS-5 lorry containing a squad of riflemen, and finally, the Politidirektør (Chief Constable (UK)) of the Copenhagen Police arrived on the scene.
Lt Colonel Yelchin and Politidirektør Ivan Peter Hudsen Stamm were both in charge. The former was responsible for the military matter of the POW's, and the latter for the police investigation and the crew. Stamm, who feared for his job ever since the Red Army had taken over in Kopenhagen, was in no position to refuse the help offered by the NKVD's new Copenhagen Office. Yelchin, likewise, wasn't about to stand in the way of the NKVD, even if they officially have only limited juridiction in the Danish SSR.
Before anyone was freed from the nets, a quick search of the hold was made by Copenhagen Police, under the watchful eye of an unnamed NKVD agent, Direktør Stamm, and LtCol. Yelchin. Meanwhile, 4 riflemen kept guard over the German officers, and a second NKVD officer, flanked by the Danish Police officer who was first on the scene, started asking the trawler's crew questions. The search had bearly begun, when one of the police officers motioned the three men in charge towards him.
On the ground, right in the middle of the hold was a small military insigna. The officer who found it only recognised it as Soviet, but the NKVD officer and Lt. Colonel Yelchin knew exactly what it was: A Soviet Navy Marines patch. Nothing else turned up in the search, and soon, the scene was cleared.
First, the fishermen were disentangled and allowed to climb out of the ship. They were asked to give a deposition at the Copenhagen Police HQ, and voluntarily embarked in four waiting police cars which would take them there, shortly followed Politidirektør Stamm and the two NKVD officers.
The German Officers followed, they were taken into custody by Lt.Col. Yelchin and his riflemen, with the senior officer, Oberst Meyer, formally surrendering to Lt.Col. Yelchin's. According to the NKVD report, Meyer rode in Yelchin's car, while the other Germans were packed into the back of the lorry.
The interrogations of the fishermen revealed more of the timeline, here are some quotes:
"We left Copenhagen on the 31st at about 1pm. It all happened very quickly, we were in the Kattegat. It started when I went to do a routine check on the engines. They jumped me, knocked me out cold before I could react."
- Ingvar Knudsen (Engineer)
"They were all wearing dark clothing, and had Balaclavas covering most of their faces. I believe there were five of them, though I can't be sure. I spotted one man at the front of the boat, thinking he was a crewmember, I didn't pay special attention to him. It was only when he turned around, shouldering his rifle and pointing it straight at the bridge in one swift motion, that I realised the gravity of the situation. It was one of those new Red Army rifles, semi-automatic (SVT-40). Myself and the captain instinctively dropped to the floor of the bridge, but no shots followed. Instead, both doors to the bridge were opened simultaneously, revealing two men with sub-machineguns. The weapons were different, the man on the port side carried the typical sub-machinegun of the VDV (PPSh-41), and the other sported the sub-machinegun bad guys use in those American Gangster movies, you know, Little Ceasar, Public Enemy (Thompson M1928). Their ruse had worked perfectly, we were already down, far from the ship's controls, and in a less than ideal position to fight our assailants. The man with the russian sub-machinegun handed us a navigation chart, and ordered us in french-accented Danish to follow that route. We were prisoners on our own bridge, and the rest of the crew was no-where to be seen."
- Björn Christiansen (Helmsman)
"When I woke up, my crewmates were still out for the count, we were all tied to the side of the hold. Christiansen and Captain Petersen were nowhere to be seen. There was one man with a big gun, wearing dark clothes watching over us. A second one appeared as the others woke up, to feed us soup, one by one. It wasn't easy, drinking soup from a bowl held by someone else, while the ship was rolling with the waves. The Norwegian sailor to my left headbutted the man serving his soup when he got too close, breaking his nose and burning his left hand with the spilled soup. The response was swift and brutal, the man buried the stock of his rifle in Bjarne's diaphragm. (The Norwegian on the crew) He also wasn't given any soup for a whole day."
- Alf Holm (sailor/fisherman)
"I tried to hoodwink them, to change course towards Sweden when they weren't looking, but the leader clearly knew what he was doing. As soon as we had deviated more than 10° from the truant's planned course, they stormed into the bridge. The leader, I assume, pinned me against the wall while his colleague was aiming his submachine-gun at my face. He yelled, in broken Danish, that he was disappointed, and that if he had to hurt someone to get what he wanted, he would. Towards the Norwegian Trench we went."
- Björn Christiansen (Helmsman)
"When I protested about the treatment of my helmsman, I got slapped in the face by a third man, and told that if we didn't shape up, we would be endangering not just ourselves, but everyone on board. All the while, the riflemen at the front of the boat kept his SVT aimed squarely at the bridge. There was no doubt in my mind he would start shooting at the first hint of violence we displayed towards our captors. Things calmed down after that event, as we did what we were told, holding on to the hope that our captor's promise to release us after three days would be held. They were very methodical, there was no unnecessary violence on their part, only what was necessary to keep us in line. They acted very much like soldiers, rather than pirates or criminals, everything they did was calculated to keep the mission on track, whatever that was."
- Erlend Petersen (Captain)
"During the second night, I felt the ship slow down, and once it was stationary, Petersen and Christiansen were brought down and tied up alongside us. We were then all fed soup, which made us very drowsy, and soon we were surely all asleep. When we woke up again, there were 6 German officers tied up across from us, and Captain Petersen was gone again."
- Gunnar Rasmussen (Sailor)
"They brought us back up for the return journey, myself and the captain. It was still night, the lights of a coastal town, Kristiansand I believe, could be seen in the distance. There was also the sound of Naval Artillery coming from the West, accompagnied by the occasional muzzle flash. It must have been between 2am and 3am, and the Naval Gunfire didn't seem to be to their liking. They defninitely didn't plan for it, that is.
On the way back, they made us take a different route, sailing rather close to the Danish coast. The Fredrikshavn Naval Base was of particular interest to our captors."
- Björn Christiansen (Helmsman)
"In the end, they timed it all prefectly, we got back at the perfect time, mixing in with all the other trawlers. As soon as we had docked, they sedated us and when we woke up, we had a police officer shining his flashlight in our faces...
It's hard to tell where they are from. They spoke broken french to each-other when they were within earshot of us. One of them spoke a few words of Danish, with a forced french accent. If their plan was to make us think they were french, they've failed, but they did succeed in making it very difficult to properly recognise their real mother tongue. Honestly, I'm just glad I got home in one piece along with the entire crew and the ship. This could have gone very wrong, very quickly."
- Erlend Petersen (Captain)
Who could have pulled off such a strange operation. Is the Soviet Navy Naval Infantry patch a ruse, or was this un unsanctioned operation by our Marines. We'll likely never know for sure. The timing also seemed much to coïncidental. From the timeline, it seems 'Ocean Senior' was off the coast of Kristiansand at the time a combined airborne and amphibious assault had been planned. This suggests inside knowledge, and would explain the fact that they were worried when instead of an amphibious assault, a Naval battle was heading their way. Due to stormy weather to the South, things didn't go to plan, and the Airborne troops ended up jumping over Stavanger, taking it nearly unopposed. (see below)
Viktor Leonov and his men had been doing reconnaissance and kidnapping raids around Kristiansand that same night. As they were still onboard the Red Banner Baltic Fleet on the 3rd, they were asked some questions by the embarked political officers. The results were disappointing. No one had seen the black-clad pirates/bandits during their raids, nor did they remember seeing the 'Ocean Senior'. When asked the slightly leading question of whether a bunch of Naval Infantry cadets could have pulled off such an operation, they all said it was quite unlikely, though some of them seemed a bit too adamant in their responses. It seems like the military establishment is quite willing to sweep this under the rug. No one had died, and they were getting some good intelligence on German positions in Norway from the 'free' POW's, most of whom turned out to be key personel in Genlt. Hell's staff. Why look a gift horse in the mouth?
I guess we'll see if those missing cadets suddenly turn up in the next couple of days. If they do, that would be fishy indeed.
7th of September 1942,
As I predicted, the 5 cadets who had gone missing from 'Odinatsat's class have turned up at the Naval Academy this morning. All five were taken into NKVD custody, and Maj. Goleniewsky will be 'invited' for an interview after her classes. I can't afford to go anywhere near Leningrad's NKVD HQ as Leningrad must be crawling with US spies, but I'm sure I'll get my hands on the transcripts.
It should be noted that cadet midshipman Voskresensky has a broken nose, and some freshly healed burns on his right hand. I'm having a hard time believing that would be a coïncidence.
8th of September 1942,
All 5 cadets maintained that they had eaten some bad fish, and somehow, this story was corroborated by an apologetic restaurant owner. A respected doctor was apparently consulted by the cadets, writing them notes justifying their absence, and giving exact times and dates of their consultations. Their disappearance was explained by the fact that they apparently had decided to get out of the city to recover.
This was corroborated by the uncle of one of the cadets, who apparently had them stay at his cabin on the Eastern bank of Lake Ladoga. Their only mistake had been to only mention they were ill as a reason for their absence, omitting their location. A cashier in an Olonets grocery store even indicated to have seen the five of them do their shopping with their uncle. The uncle also told a story about how cadet midshipman Voskresensky fell down the stairs and subsequently burned his hand while serving tea. I don't have to tell you these kinds of witness statements are easily faked, either by using look-alikes to fool the witness, or by bribing the witness in one way or another.
The cadets, being no match for a seasoned NKVD interrogator and Voskresensky's suspicious injuries, all confessed to the facts after a few hours. As they all continued to strongly deny Major Goleniewsky's involvment in their little rogue operation. It was thus time for her interrogation.
Considering her, overt and covert, war record and her rank, this interrogation started off with both her direct superior, Colonel of Naval Infantry Turgenev, and an NKVD Major of State Security (Colonel) Borisov (a codename), sitting across from her in an interrogation room at 'the Big House'.
Colonel Turgenev started off:
"I'm sourly disappointed Major. Even if you have nothing to do with your cadet's little escapade, it is your duty to keep them in line. The Naval Infantry may lose five perfectly good future officers due to your negligence in this regard. I fear these are grounds for demotion.
Of course, your situation is peculiar, as you are on loan to the Naval Infantry from the Red Army, and with some serious army backing might I add. The only way I can demote you would be to commission you into the Naval Infantry at the rank of Captain. Your cadets, you in fact, have put me in quite the pickle here. From what I've seen and heard, you are very capable and a good instructor, despite the fact you're sometimes a bit too lax on the discipline. Your war record also speaks for itself, where your competence on the battlefield is concerned.
It makes a lot of sense to keep you around the Naval Infantry, in a teaching role at first, and once you get back on your feet, on the front lines. With that being said, you've made it hard for me to justify commissioning you into the Naval Infantry to my superiors, who are quite strict on disciplinary transgressions. I expect a full written apology, and an explanation for the behaviour of your cadets, at the very least I need to be able to show you will learn from this and make sure it never happens again. You also need to come clean if you were in any way involved in planning their little operation. Bear in mind that, while it would make your case more difficult, a confession of your involvement could be a mitigating factor in the sanctioning of your cadets."
Major Goleniewsky sat back, maintaining eye contact with the Colonel, ignoring the NKVD man entirely. Perfectly calm, she let the silence hang, before starting her response:
"Let me start by attempting to explain the actions of my pupils. I teach based on my experience in the field, and I strongly believe that observing, or even participating in, real combat missions is a better way to learn for a young officer than to sit in a classroom or spend time at the firing range. My pupils, I fear may have taken this a little too much to heart, going outside official channels, and the law in an attempt to observe planned amphibious operations in the Kristiansand area.
How they came to know about these operations remains unclear, but I understand their motivation. Let me point out that I've asked you repeatedly to be allowed to take some of my pupils into the field to observe operations relevant to their future career. The Norwegian operation, while it was called off at the last moment, could have been a great teaching moment, if it had gone through, and me and my pupils had been allowed to observe. These bright pupils figured as much, and decided to go get that eudcation themselves. That's why I think they did it.
My goal is simple, to give those cadets the best possible preparation for the moment they are placed in charge of a platoon and thrown into battle. I will neither confirm nor deny my involvment in the planning of my cadet's little operation at this stage. As you clearly surmised, without evidence, my word has a profound impact on both my fate and that of my cadets.
Finally, I would like to request to join the Naval Infantry as an officer, at whatever rank you and your superiors see fit. The circumstances aren't the best for this conversation, but as you pointed out, we have no choice but to have it now."
Colonel Turgenev was taken aback by Maj. Goleniewsky's strong stance, and her refusal to confirm or deny her own involvment, but the Major of State Security was grinning ever so slightly. This was a well calculated response, he admired that. As the Naval Infantry Colonel was formulating a response, Goleniewsky turned to the NKVD man.
"Since I'm here, I have some information that might be of interest to you. You see, when you've worked in espionage, you tend notice some things that may seem entirely mundane to the layman, but are actually signs of espionage activity. I'm afraid Colonel Turgenev doesn't have a need to know what I'm offering here, it's a matter of national security."
The Major looked to the Colonel to see if he had something to say, but when no words came out of the latter's slightly puzzled face, he simply said:
"Colonel, if you wouldn't mind leaving us for a moment."
It didn't sound like an order, but Turgenev certainly knew better, and he quickly left the room. The last thing he needed was trouble with the NKVD.
As soon as the sound-proof door had slammed shut, and before 'Odinatsat' could say anything, Borisov spoke:
"Before we go any further, you should know that someone high up the foodchain has very generously proposed a solution for your current predicament. It says here that you would understand the message."
He took out a single sheet of paper, and read my ('Shest's) note:
"Six days from now, you can come to Moscow for a picknick, same deal as before. Maybe your cooking skills are best employed with us after all."
The first words indicates the sender ('Shest'). 'picknick' is code for training. 'cooking' is code for counter-espionage, to remind her that there is the expectation that she help uncover US spies in case she comes to Moscow to train partisans and commando's. So indeed, the same deal as was strongly recommended by 'Shest' before she went to the Naval Infantry.
"Understood. I'm disinclined to acquiesce to his request.
Now, let me tell you what I can offer the NKVD's Leningrad office if you help me sweep this whole mess under the rug."
"This better be spectacular."
"As much as I've been out of the spy game for a while, I couldn't help but notice that Leningrad is becoming a nest of foreign spies. I'm being followed by Americans, who no doubt think I'm still in the game. The men who follow me around are little fish, and capturing them won't give you much value. The men at the top of the OSS operations in the Soviet Union are untouchable, unless you want to cause an international incident that will create a rift with the USA. Considering the extent of their support for our war effort, this would be most unwise, I'm sure you'll agree."
"Yes, I agree, get to the point please."
"Well, sometimes, when you know you're being followed, you find a way turn the tables, especially if you've got help. I've been able to do just that. I won't disclose who helped me, but I can give you the adresses for three different OSS safe houses in Leningrad, as well and the cover identites of 6 of their members, including middle management. Of course, I will only disclose this information if you give me guarantess that this whole extracurricular excursion will have no real consequences for all those involved, and that may include me." - in the margins of the transcript, Borisov wrote she winked at him as she suggested she was involved. - "No demotions, no discharges from service for whatever reason, and no punishment of any kind."
"Those terms are a bit unrealistic Major Goleniewsky. I have to get approval from Commissioner Kubatin himself to make such a deal..."
She interrupted him: "I don't have to tell you that the intelligence I'm offering is time-sensitive. Every minute that goes by is a minute that the yanks could use to relocate, if so inclined. I'm sure that my presence here is already raising some red flags with them."
"I'll get your answer as soon as possible."
Despite being the interrogater, and of higher rank, the Major for State Security was very tense when he got out of the interrogation room. It took 5 long minutes, and one telephone call for Major of State Security Borisov to return with the Chief of the Leningrad NKVD's orders. Major Goleniewsky was quite relaxed when he returned.
"And. Do we have a deal?"
"Let's make this quick. The longer we wait, the higher the chance that your intel isn't actionable, as you yourself pointed out. If your intel proves not to be actionable, the deal falls through and you and your 5 cadets get a one way trip to Siberia. So, the clock is against you just as much as it is against us. I have a counter-offer from Commissioner Kubatin:
- You join the Naval Infantry at the rank of Captain, not Major.
- You will write a formal letter of apology for your involvement in the pupil's rogue operation, without specifying your role, however substantial it was.
- Your pupils are not discharged or demoted, but they will get a disciplinary punishment for a maximum duration of one month.
- As long as you remain in a teaching position in Leningrad, you will collaborate fully with the Leningrad NKVD to weed out foreign agents.
- Fail to live up to your end of the deal, and it's a one-way trip to Siberia for all involved."
At this point Goleniewsky tensed up ever so slightly:
"I cannot accept this deal. I'm not against cooperating with the NKVD, but if I do so, it will be on my terms, not yours and not Kubatin's. If I accept the Commisioner's deal as stated by you, I become a de facto prisoner of the NKVD. You might as well send me to Siberia and get it over with. I will allow the Leningrad NKVD to consult with me or to ask me for help in their counterespionage mission, as you clearly seem to miss a few things from time to time, but I cannot promise to cooperate in your operations."
"That sounds quite vague, it doesn't give us any guarantees, I need guarantees."
"Alright, what if I provide the Leningrad NKVD with a weekly report of all suspicious activity I've spotted during my normal activities?"
"I believe that would be acceptable, with the caveat that your intelligence is reliable. If we find out you've been feeding us stories, or omitting actionable information, it'll be a one-way trip to the Far East."
"That's acceptable to me. Show it to me in writing, and I'll share my intelligence."
In a big rush, the secret contract was written up. Meanwhile NKVD officers were preparing to kick down some doors, as soon as they were told which ones needed kicking down. The ensuing operation was a success, with the capture of 7 American spies, surprisingly one Axis-Finnish operative, plenty of illegal weapons, secret OSS documents, micro-films, and other paraphernalia. Major Goleniewsky's transfer was pushed through, and over all punishments for the Nowegian rogue operation were very light. All for reasons of national security.
9th of September 1942,
Today was the ceremony, Red Army Guards Major Goleniewsky was officially re-Commissioned as Naval Infantry Major Goleniewsky. It seems the intelligence the NKVD got from the raids was more valuable than expected, as was the result of the interrogation of the captive German Officers over in Copenhagen. Commisioner (3rd Rank) Kubanin was in such a good mood that he decided she would not be demoted after all. The consequences of all this on Goleniewsky's relationship with her superiors are hard to predict, but likely to be negative, though she likely curried quite some favour amongst the more adventurous of her inferiors, and more importantly with the Leningrad NKVD office. She may well find becoming Lt. Colonel near impossible without the support of her superiors, unless she transfers to the NKVD. Then again, I would not expect 'Odinatsat' to follow a conventional carreer path. Even with her leg in a cast, she's proven perfectly capable of causing trouble a thousand kilometres away.
Colonel Turgenev looked baffled, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Maj. General Bordanovisy looked very disappointed, and while his words to Major Goleniewsky were congratulatory, his posture and tone were stern and disapproving. What was this going to do to the discipline amongst the rank and file of the Naval Infantry? Were they all going to go out on mad voyages with the expectations that Goleniewsky would bail them out? A troubling thought indeed. Of course, he could always allow the observation of military operations by Naval Infantry cadets. But that would just set a bad precedent, wouldn't it, a Major dictating policy for the entire brigade through insubordination. At least, the whole thing was expertly swept under the rug by the NKVD, everyone involved having either disappeared or swiftly forgotten about any of the above-mentioned events. Plenty to ponder for the Maj. General.
There are things about the Copenhagen Highjacking of 1942 that may never be elucidated, unless those involved tell the whole truth, which is unlikely as that would imply revealing the identities of several co-conspirators, and breaking the NKVD's imposed silence. The irony is that, to get herself out of this mess, she's having to run her own counter-espionage operations, which was exactly what she didn't want to be doing at the NKVD. I still don't get it, does she plan all of this stuff out, or does she just make it up on the spot? High-jacking a fishing ship to observe an amphibious landing without the brass finding out? Did she come up with that, or did the cadets? Even for her, it seems a bit crazy, doesn't it?
I hope you're doing well 'Odin', and that you're not planning any crazy adventures yourself,
'Shest'
One thing is clear, 'Odinatsat' hasn't lost her edge, broken leg or not, and if she had been on that boat with the cadets, I'm sure no one would have been able to prove anything, they almost got away with it as it is. I'm actually looking forward to 'Shest's next report on her shenanigans, they serve as a nice distraction from the constant flow of casualty reports from the front.
Finland (Finnish SSR): NKGBF / Leningrad HQ:
"Look behind every tree, under every rock, I want every single one of those slippery bastards, dead or alive." - SrMajGB Belous as he sends his men into Lieksa to root out the last of the insurgents and foreign agents.
The Finnish insurgents proved more slippery than anticipated. After Tohmajärvi was liberated by our Mounted State Security Officers, without firing a shot, the rebels were cornered in Eno. In the ensuing operation to clear the area (1), on the 3rd and the 4th, SrMajGB. Belous' 2 NKGBFKB took close to 2.300 prisoners, only about a third of the estimated number of remaining rebels. When it became clear that the remaining ca. 4.800 enemies of the state had fled to Lieksa, to the North-West of Eno, chase was given by SrMajGB. Belous and his men. Eventually, on the 7th, contact was made once again, and this time the demoralised and hungry rebels could do no more. In three hours, over 4.700 prisoners were taken, including several Finnish Generals, of which Field Marshall Mannerheim held the highest rank. It is hoped that they will not escape again.
The first two static peace-keeping Brigades will be deployed later this month to secure industrial sites in the Finnish interior and to preventively look for possible insurgents. The lessons learned from the Finland SSR will be applied in all liberated territories.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action
Prisoners (of War)
Finnish Insurgents
11.286
35
7.053
Soviet Union
11.995
6
0
Norwegian Front (Norway): 8ya Armiya / Leningrad HQ:
"Gentlemen, you have fifteen minutes to remember the plan for an airborne assault on Stavanger. If you need a reminder of what the terrain looks like, I would suggest you use the windows. Break a leg!" - an eerily excited MajGen. Galanin I.V. announces, in the air, that the target of 1 VDD has changed.
The paratroopers of 1 VDD had been preparing for an airborne landing several days, with both Stavanger and Kristiansand as potential targets. Finally, at 11am on the 1st of September, the Li-2's of I. TrAK took off in the direction of the Southern tip of Norway. The Black Sea Fleet was waiting for them to launch it's own amphibious assault into Kristiansand. VADM Kuznetsov's Red Banner Baltic Fleet was positioned right off the coast of Stavanger to make sure the enemy transports, and the troops contained within, didn't go anywhere. The weather was dreadful off the coast, with fog, howling winds, and heavy rain making life difficult for the VVS. By 12:30pm, the transports were lost from sight by their escorting La-7's, losing radio contact not much later. This was not only a problem for their protection, but also for their navigation. While it was unlikely any enemy interceptors would attempt to intercept them with such poor visibility, the fact that the Lisunovs lack any kind of navigation radar proved a real issue. Due to the heavy precipitation, the radar operators, both in the air (two-seater La-7s with Air Search Radar), and onboard our ships (Destroyers and Light Cruisers), had a hard time locating the missing transports.
Chuvakov's Lisunov's were finally picked up again, on the radar screens of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet's Kiev-Class Destroyers. They had drifted from their course, popping out of the clouds at 2:30pm, only a couple of kilometers off the Norwegian coast, but 100km from Kristiansand. A quick radio conversation between MajGenAv. Chuvakov, on board the lead aeroplane, and VADM Kuznetsov revealed they had burned through two thirds of their fuel. As the transports were heavily loaded, the remaining fuel was barely enough to make it to Bergen in a straight line. What followed was a series of frantic radio exchanges, between VADM Kuznetsov, in charge of the Naval side of Operation Tundra Wolf, LtGen. Popov, V.S., in charge of Red Army Forces in Norway, MajGenAv. Chuvakov (I. TrAK), and MajGen. Galanin I.V., commander of 1 VDD.
The decision to execute an airborne assault on Stavanger was thus reached in a mere 5 minutes, just in time for I. TrAK to slightly adjust it's course so they would pass right over the city. Aerial reconnaisance gathered by the RBBF's Carrier-based planes revealed that the Axis troops believed to be in the harbour had all been embarked on transport ships, which had moved across the bay to Tau overnight, either to avoid the navy's bombers, or to be in a better position to attempt to run the blockade through the Boknafjörden. When the Paratroopers landed, they encountered just as little resistance as they did in Bergen, and a mere three hours was enough to secure all the essential infrastructure and chase the U-boats out of the harbour. By the time the enemy transports figured out what had happened it was too late, the VDV had taken over the coastal fortifications, and they had to make a run for it, straight past the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. (see RBBF & NF)
The next day, the Black Sea Fleet arrived in Stavanger, delivering 67 SD and 73 SD. They were immediately ordered to Sirdal and Egersund. If our forces moved quickly, they might get to Kristiansand before the enemy managed to bring in significant reinforcements. At least that was the plan.
On the 5th, 73 SD's advance was halted in Egersund (1), as it bumped into the enemy 78 ID, formerly the Kristiansand Garrison, which had been moving in the opposite direction. After a short skirmish, both sides started to dig in.
At midnight, Genlt. Hell's 78 SD attacked MajGen. Kriuchenkin's 73 SD again (1), and this time it wasn't a small skirmish. With the Red Banner Baltic Fleet providing shore bombardment, the fighting dragged on for 4 days. It was only two hours after 67 SD attacked the enemy's Northern flank (4), at 7am on the 10th, that the German forces withdrew, leaving behind over 1.000 of their comrades for 800 riflemen killed in action.
Some momentum was lost when Stavanger came under attack from the North-West (2) at 11am on the 6th. 96 ID, a binary Division led by Genlt. Borowietz was outnumbered, and outmatched, by MajGen. Bogdanov I.A.'s two triangular Divisions. The initial reckless assault was met by a determined Soviet counter-Attack, and when the Germans changed to a Shock attack, our paratroopers ambushed their spearheads again and again. At 9am on the 8th, the enemy stopped coming. Close to 900 German and fewer than 500 Soviet casualties were counted. 67 SD could finally move into Sirdal as 177 SD and 86 SD had arrived on the 7th. They hadn't joined in the defense, but had instead started to dig in behind the front.
As 67 SD arrived in Sirdal, they bumped into Genlt. Büchs W's 13 ID, the veteran triangular Division that had escaped through Sweden during the copenhagen campaign. There was only a brief skirmish (3) on the 9th at 8pm before both sides started to dig in. The ensuing pause then allowed 67 SD to assist in the second battle for Egersund (4) the next day. (see above)
In the Bergen area, 70 SD took the long approach to securing the surroundings. Moving to the East to secure Voss, then moving back towards the North-West to take Gulen, before being ordered back to Voss, and onwards along the coast to link up with the Stavanger Beachhead. This all happened under the authority of LtGen. Popov V.S. of XXIII SK, who seems to have failed at seeing the big picture. ColGen. Vlassov will be brought in, along with 8ya Armiya HQ, in the hopes that he will be able to better coordinate our forces in Southern Norway. In the meantime, all the units have recieved their individual objectives directly from ColGen. Bulganin of 1st Army Group, located in Oulu. With the partisans mopped up, he has the time to order around the 6 Divisions in Norway, at least until Vlassov gets there.
Things in the Stavanger area are getting a bit tense as the two enemy units which had been forced to flee in the transports managed to escape to Kristiansand, and now every Axis unit in Southern Norway was starting to show up there. For now, the Red Army does have a slight edge in numbers, and parity in the number of Divisions, counting only the units on the front line. There is however a good chance that 70 SD, coming down from Bergen, will be able to trap the two German Divisions to the North-East of Stavanger. Another advantage is that while the Stavanger beachhead is contained for now, any forces we land in Bergen will likely be able to roam free, allowing for an overland push towards Oslo, or a pincer movement towards Kristiansand. The downside here is that not that only a single Mountain Rifle Division is available to be rapidly deployed to Bergen for such an operation.
As the enemy Panzers have started to arrive in Mo i Rana, it was only a matter of time before they would be able to get supplies straight from Oslo once more, unless something was done about it. As no ground forces were spotted in Trondheim by our TB-3's, 2 VDD was sent in, having more than recuperated from their jump over, and subsequent capture of, Bergen on the 28th of August. The airborne assault on Trondheim, starting at 9pm on the 5th, was unopposed, unless you count two squads of fendgendarmerie armed with lugers as opposition. This provides us with a second Air Base in Norway, and physically cuts off the flow off supplies from Oslo to the Northern German Force.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action:
Prisoners (of war):
Italy
5.427
23
0
Germany
40.213
1.989
0
AXIS
45.650
2.012
0
Soviet Union
63.709
1.312
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
Germany
66
336 x Me-109 (Int)
35 x Me-109 (Ftr)
112 x Hs-129 (CAS)
31 x Hs-129 (CAS)
AXIS
372 KIA
66
Soviet Union
89 KIA
40
496 x Yak-7 (Int)
127 x La-7VM (CAG)
31 x Yak-7 (Int)
3 x La-7VM (CAG)
147 x TB-3 (Str)
128 x Il-10VM (CAG)
0 x TB-3 (Str)
3 x Il-10VM (CAG)
Shortly before the Airborne landing in Stavanger, over 300 Me-109's were intercepted by LtGenAv. Skripko's V IAK (496 x Yak-7) over the Eastern Norwegian Trench (1). Ltgen. Felmy's FK II lost a total of 35 aircraft, for 31 shot-down Yakovlevs, not a bad result, especially considering the bad weather.
Once the fighting started on land, the CAG's of 2 KPA and 8 KPA, under overall command of CaptAF 1st Class Falaleev, flew 9 missions over Farsund (6th to 10th, battle of Egersund (1) ), and a single mission over Evje (10th, ongoing battle of Sirdal (3)).
For the first time in the Norwegian campaign, German bombers attempted to disrupt our operations. Sturzkampfgeschwäder 4, consisting of 112 Henschel Hs-129's, started a ground attack on Stavanger at 11am on the 7th. Genmaj. Coeler's planes were intercepted one hour later by 1 KPA and 7 KPA (2), under the overall command of CaptAF 1st Class Zhavronkov. The Carrier-based 2 KPA and 8 KPA then joined in at 2pm, dragging out the dogfight until 5pm. 31 Henschels were downed, 4 La-7VM's were lost. 89 riflemen lost their lives on the ground.
Danish Front (DANF): XXXIII SK / Leningrad HQ:
Slagelse was the theatre of another attempt to cross the Great Belt Strait, at night this time. The two Italian binary Divisions under GenDiv. Calcagno found out that this wasn't any easier than by day. The battle lasted 7 hours starting at 7pm on the 31st of August, resulting in 600 enemy casualties for 9 of our own.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action:
Prisoners (of war):
Italy
11.866
600
0
Soviet Union
43.985
9
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
Germany
96
301 x Me-109 (Int)
96 x Me-109 (Ftr)
Soviet Union
89 KIA
24
465 x Yak-7 (Int)
64 x La-7VM (CAG)
0 x Yak-7 (Int)
8 x La-7VM (CAG
64 x Il-10VM (CAG)
8 x Il-10VM (CAG)
Following the aerial battle over the Eastern Norwegian Trench, the air units in Copenhagen were on high alert, and their vigilance was rewarded when CaptAF 1st Class Zhavronkov's 1 KPA and 7 KPA managed to intercept Genlt. Felmy's now 301 Me-109's over the city at 6pm on the 1st. They were soon joined by LtGenAv. Skripko's V IAK, adding 465 Yak-7's to the 128 Navy planes. To add insult to injury, the Anti-Air Artillery crews opened up on anything that wasn't Russian. Over the course of three hours, close to 100 Me-109's were shot down for the loss of 16 of the Navy's La-7VM's.
Baltic Fleet & Northern Fleet: (Baltic Sea, North Sea & Norwegian Coast) RBBF & NF / Leningrad HQ:
"Blistering Barnacles!" - followed shortly by - "Bomb the Bastards!" - VADM Kuznetsov as it became clear that all of the enemy submarines, some of their transports, and all of the troops on board, had slipped into Kristiansand right under his nose.
Following the surprising and successful Airborne Assault on Stavanger, a total of 15 troop transports, and 6 type VII u-boats had to get out of the fjörds and to a safe harbour. This would bring them right into the sights of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Konteradmiral von Heimburg was determined to try and save as much of the ships under his command as possible. He also had luck on his side as the stormfront which had diverted I TrAK was moving north. They all snuck out of the bay shortly before sunset. Looking to avoid losing one of his ships, Kuznetsov had his fleet at anchor out at sea, save for the Destroyers, which were partolling all over the area, looking for enemy ships and submarines on the run. The radar system on the Destroyers of 7. Flotiliya Esmintsev picked up the slow transports on their radar screens at 8pm. They immediately turned towards the contacts and notified the Vice-Admiral of the location of the bogeys. von Heimburg proved a crafty navigator, using the many small islands off the coast to hide ships from both visual and radar contact, and once hidden, he would alter their course. The Destroyer's searchlights had trouble finding their targets in the fog and heavy rain, and with none of the guns on the Destroyers being actually radar-guided, hitting anything based on the radar information alone proved quite tricky. Making things trickier still was the fact that submarines kept getting detected by sonar in unexpected places, leading the Destroyers to have to both protect the main fleets from the submarines and hunt down the elusive transport ships.
By 9pm, there had been some brief moments of visual contact with several of the transports, they were of course followed by a flurry of gunfire and torpedo launches. Even the big Gangut-Class battleships were taking potshots with their 12" guns based on information they got over the radio from the Destroyers. But every time a submarine would spoil the party, distracting the Destroyer crews just long enough for them to loose sight of the transports once again. The Carrier planes were even more severely hampered by the weather, many pilots struggling to keep their planes in the air, let alone going in for attacks on targets they couldn't see. The extent of the damage done was a mistery as the RBBF moved to overtake the fleeing transports to intercept them near their expected destination, Kristiansand. They did catch the transports before they slipped into port, opening up at close range. Krasnyi Kavkaz got the honour of sinking the last ship of 13. Truppentransportflotille, and Parizhskaya Kommuna sunk the final transport of 13. TTF.
Despite the elimination of 2 transport flotilla's, the running action could hardly be called a victory. Again, the lack of night fighting experience in the Red Navy along with the lack of modern fire direction and the lack of radar-guided barrels, lead to 12. TTF being able to slip into port and unload the troops onboard it's lightly damaged transports. Moreover, in the morning, when the weather had cleared up, lifeboats were spotted on the beach near Kristiansand, suggesting that any survivors from the sunk vessels had made it to land, ready to fight another day. The submarines of 30. Unterseebootsflotille managed to avoid the second part of the battle entirely, and it looks as if they managed to sneak into Kristiansand without taking any damage on top of the hits they took from previous port strikes on Stavanger.
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
Germany
3.018 Naval Base Infrastructure
231 KM personnel KIA
1,781 Infrastructure
134.648 t of Supplies
21.157 m^3 of Fuel
0
0
0
0
0
Soviet Union
0
1
127 x La-7VM (CAG)
1 x La-7VM (CAG)
147 x TB-3 (Str)
128 x Il-10VM (CAG)
0 x TB-3 (Str)
0 x Il-10VM (CAG)
he RBBF's CAG's, 8 KPA and 2 KPA, flew a total of three missions over Stavanger on the 31st of August and the 1st of September in an attempt to sink the enemy transports and submarines located there. The result was less than convincing, with a bit of damage done to the Naval Base, and no enemy naval units taken out of the equation before our impromptu airborne assault on the area.
After the naval battles in the Boknafjörden and the Eastern Norwegian Trench, the RBBF's CAG's flew two port strike missions over Kristiansand in an attempt to finish the enemy units that had managed to flee into it's harbour. The docks were heavily damaged, but neither the remaining transport ship, nor the three remaining U-boots were sunk, though all 4 vessels were hit repeatedly. They will all need significant work before they can go back out to sea. To let the CAG's recuperate, the mission was called off.
MajGenAv. Reshetnikov's 2 DBAD flew 11 logistical strikes over Mo i Rana (1st to 5th), gradually rebuilding it's strength and organisation, before being replaced by a battered 1 DBAD. LtGenAv. Kalinin's Tupolevs flew a single logistical strike on Mo i Rana on the 8th.
Main Front Overview:
The arrows indicate changes in the front over the last 10 days.
The vignettes: bottom right: a Pzkpfw. IV F2 moving towards the front / top left: A pair of T-34/76's on the offensive.
1st Baltic Front (1st BALT F. / Latvian SSR): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:
"Industry is the beating heart of the Motherland. When the enemy took the factories in Jelgava, they were hurting the very soul of the proletariat. Your job is to liberate Jelgava, to give back that glorious industrial complex to the people. For the Proletariat! for the Soviet Union! For comrade Stalin!" - MajGen. Pokrovski gets emotional about liberating the factories in Jelgava. (6)
Things started off nicely with an offensive victory in Dobele (1) at 1pm on the 2nd. In just 23 hours, MajGen Konovov's 11 TD and 78 SD routed a multi-national force under the command of GenInf. (LtGen.) Lutz of XIII. Armeekorps.
Two days later, at 5pm on the 4th, MajGen. Konovov's own tank Division faced a counter-attack in Dobele (2) by a binary Hungarian Division, General Valkov (Bul) was coördinating the assault himself. It was easily shrugged off, and holstilities ended at 10am the next day.
A more serious enemy offensive took place the next day, as 2 German Infantry Divisions and one Bulgarian one charged into Dobele (5) at 11am. 5 hours in, Genlt. von Pappenheim had to halt his shock attack to face an incoming attack on Jelgava (6). This left the Bulgarians, under Genlt. Russev to fight on alone, before they too had to throw in the towel at 4pm on the 7th.
Casualties from the fighting in Dobele were quite one-sided, 1.500 Axis losses for just over 300 of ours.
At 1pm on the 6th, MajGen. Prokorovski struck MajGen. von Pappenheim's 4-Division multi-national force in Jelgava (6) while most of them were engaged in the ongoing battle for Dobele (5). 85 SD, 16 SD, and 80 SD were joined by 89 SD, and 218 SD the next morning. Despite having caught the enemy out of their defensive positions, it wasn't a walkover, as it still took until 10am on the 8th for our forces to emerge victorious. A key Industrial Complex has been liberated at the cost of close to 1.100 Soviet lives, but the enemy had paid dearly, with close to 1.650 German and over 350 Bulgarian dead bodies rotting away in the surrounding forests.
MajGen. Horujenko tried his luck at retaking Riga (3) at 11am on the 6th, but soon found out that 1 sPzD had now been joined by 197 ID, and called it off within the hour.
Later that same day, 197 ID charged into Bauska (4), which was guarded by 4 Rifle Divisions under MajGen. Gerasimov M.N.. Genlt. Kleemann was clearly a more stubborn man than Horujenko, as the hopeless attack was maintained for 5 full hours before he called it off, too late for 600 German and 30 Soviet riflemen.
Following the example of Genlt. Kleemann, but with King Tigers, Genlt. von Thoma ordered his 1 sPzD to attack Bauska (4) at 4am on the 8th. The German heavies managed to do more damage than the Infantry that preceded them, but they too weren't up to the task of dislodging 4 dug-in Rifle Divisions from their forest. 6 hours after the battle started, the big teutonic cats turned tails and returned to the relative safety of Riga. about 250 Soviet casualties were counted for close to 600 dead on the German side, mostly amongst the Panzer-Grenadiers.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action:
Prisoners (of war):
Hungary
12.919
338
0
Bulgaria
27.939
728
0
Germany
73.231
3.623
0
AXIS
114.089
4.689
0
Soviet Union
230.201
1.733
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
Germany
404
79 x FW-190 (Ftr)
34 x FW-190 (Ftr)
347 x Ju-88 (Tac)
196 x Hs-129 (CAS)
73 x Ju-88 (Tac)
78 x Hs-129 (CAS)
AXIS
545 KIA
404
Soviet Union
300 KIA
43
863 x Yak-7 (Int)
124 x La-7 (Ftr)
29 x Yak-7 (Int)
0 x La-7 (Ftr)
248 x Il-10 (CAS)
7 x Il-10 (CAS)
Bauska was the focus of luftwaffe attention, three different units made an attempt to bomb the area. Genmaj. Göring's 1 FD on the 6th, Genlt. Sperrle's FK I on the 7th, and Genmaj. Kitzinger's 3 FD on the 8th of September. All three were intercepted, the first two by LtGenAv. Eremin's VII IAK, and the thrird by LtGenAv. Rog's VI IAK. Only FK I got to it's target, causing 300 casualties on the ground. Neither unit was seen again after being decimated, or worse in the case of 3 FD, by our Yak-7's.
MajGenAv. Zhigarev's Il-10's flew 2 ground attack missions over Jelgava on the 7th, and 2 more the next day over Riga.
2nd Baltic Front (2nd BALT F. / Lithuanian SSR North of the Memel): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:
"I know it has been a long battle and you are tired and weary, but more reinforcements are on the way. We are the westernmost force of the Red Army on the Western Front. It may not feel like it, but every hour we hold our ground here, we get closer to a decisive encirclement. We must hold the line." - MajGen. Berzarin on the 1st of September during the battle of Taurage. Despite his powerful words, his division, 12 TD pulled out of Taurage that very evening, and the battle was lost the following day.
After two days of fighting, the defensive battle for Siauliai (1) was won at 8am on the 1ts, by MajGen. Kreizer's forces. Despite using superior shock tactics to negate the Red Army's delaying efforts, Genlt. Heinemann simply didn't have the numbers in 31 ID to break 7 KavD and 203 MSD.
An effort by MajGen. Levandovski's 7 KavD to take Plunge (3) was called off after 5 hours at midnight on the 3rd.
Four hours later, Siauliai (5) was struck again, this time by Genlt. von Axthelm's 16 ID, which found itself even more heavily outnumbered than 31 ID had been due to the arrival of two more rifle divisions in the province. After 5 hours of fighting, the enemy withdrew at 9am.
MajGen. Tamruchi decided to have another crack at Plunge (3) at 2pm the next day, this time with two rifle divisions. It looked like they could succeed as they were facing 2 German Infantry Divisions lead by General Valkov (BUL), but the attack was called off at noon the next day.
The death toll was in our favour, with fewer than 800 Soviet casualties for close to 1.600 of the enemy in the Plunge-Siauliai area.
Further south, Taurage was lost at 2pm on the 2nd after a 4-day meatgrinder. What had started on the 29th of August as an isolated attack on 16 KavD by a Hungarian Infantry unit slowly grew in size as both sides poored in reinforcements. 4 PzD joined that same evening, 12 TD the next morning, 73 ID and 16 ID in the afternoon, and finally 83 ID struck from the East in the evening of the 31st, shortly followed by the arrival of 17 SD on our side. Over the course of the battle over 45.000 axis troops attacked close to 32.000 Soviet defenders from four sides. When 17 SD finally withdrew, the scope of the losses became clear. Close to 3.000 soviet soldiers had lost their lives, for a little over 1.300 of the enemy.
MajGen. Kurasov's forces had been marching towards Taurage to reinforce the defence, but when the line broke and riflemen streamed past in the opposite direction, they kept marching, hoping to arrive in Taurage as quickly as possible, hopefully before the enemy occupied the area. However, no matter how fast they marched, 4 PzD was faster than the riflemen of 38 SD and 105 SD, and another battle for Taurage started as soon as the first panzers were spotted at 3am. While powerful on paper, Genlt. Hammer's division had been decimated during the previous battle, and the tank crews were exhausted. The well-rested riflemen, with superior numbers on their side, backed up by 152mm Artillery and 100mm AT guns, were able to keep up the pressure, slowly grinding away at whatever organisation the German unit had left. 4 PzD broke at 8am on the 4th, after two more days of fighting, and crucially before any other Axis unit had made it into Taurage. Close to 800 Germans and fewer than 360 Soviets were killed in action.
11 Gly, a binary Hungarian Division tried it's luck on the 7th, striking MajGen. Kurasov's 2 divisions at 4am. The Hungarian Genlt. Revy was in over his head, facing a better equiped, better lead, and more numerous force. By 10am, he was forced to throw in the towel, having lost close to 200 men for fewer than 20 of ours.
Also on the 7th, MajGen. Reiter launched a massive mechanised offensive to evict the Axis form Jurbarkas. 4 tank divisions, of which one guards tank division, and 2 rifle divisions struck 2 German Infantry Divisions and the Commando Superiore Forze Armata Africa Settentrionale (ITA) at 1am. A mere 13 hours later, it was all over and Genlt. Wünnenberg's force was on the run. Close to 1.300 Axis casualties and around 300 Soviet casualties were counted.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action:
Prisoners (of war):
Italy
8.982
506
0
Hungary
11.884
714
0
Germany
124.872
3.929
0
AXIS
148.738
5.149
0
Soviet Union
237.524
4.458
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
Germany
289
245 x FW-190 (Ftr)
129 x FW-190 (Ftr)
538 x Ju-88 (Tac)
40 x Ju-88 (Tac)
AXIS
2.128 KIA
Soviet Union
61 KIA
110
734 x Yak-7 (Int)
495 x La-7 (Ftr)
67 x Yak-7 (Int)
9 x La-7 (Ftr)
740 x Il-10 (CAS)
201 x Yak-4 (Tac)
16 x Il-10 (CAS)
1 x Yak-4 (Tac)
A massive dogfight broke out over Taurage (1) on the 5th. Genlt. Bülowius' FK III had just started bombing our troops there, when it was intercepted by LtGenAv. Eremin's VII IAK at 6am. Just as it looked like the dogfight was coming to an end, Genlt. Keller's FK VII joined the fight, almost simultaneously with LtGenAv. Vorozheikin's III IAK, which had been chasing Keller's unit after a dogfight over Tilsit (see below). For three more hours, now over 700 Yak-7's, over 150 FW-190's, and over 250 Ju-88 danced over Taurage. When they finally went their separate ways, 32 Yak-7's had been lost, but 75 FW-190's and 34 Ju-88's had been shot down.
To add insult to injury, FK III, the hardest hit of the enemy units, broke away in the same direction as III IAK, resluting in a 1pm follow-up battle over Siauliai (2), where another 21 Yakolevs, 20 Focke-Wulfs and 3 Junkers were taken out of the sky.
It took until the 8th for another enemy attempt at bombing our lines. This time, Genlt. Kesselring had set his eyes, and his FK IV, on Joniskis. MajGen. Eremin's Yak-7's intercepted the bombers before they reached their target, the ensuing dogfight resulting in the loss of 14 Yak-7's, for 34 FW-190's and 3 Ju-88's.
The VVS was more successful in it's bombing missions.
LtGenAv. Goryunov's V ShAK flew 4 ground attack missions over Pogegen (1st & 2nd / Battle of Taurage), followed by 3 missions over Taurage (2nd & 3rd)
I ShAK was even more active. LtGenAv. Zhigarev's Il-10's flew 4 missions over Jurbarkas (1st & 2nd / Battle of Taurage), returning a few days later to bomb Taurage 3 times on the 4th, following up with 2 more missions over Plunge on the 6th (Battle of Siauliai)
The Ilyushin's of LtGenAv. Rudenko's IV ShAK made a short appearance, bombing the enemy once in Plunge on the 4th.
In support of a battle that just started, LtGenAv. Yakovlev's II BAK flew a single mission over Pogegen this morning. (10th)
3rd Baltic Front (3rd BALT F. / Lithuanian SSR South of the Memel): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:
Genlt. von Schobert launched a 4-division attack across the river Memel into Alytus (1) at 7pm on the 31st of August. MajGen. Romanenko P.L.'s defensive force, consisting of 4 Divisions, with three regiments' worth of T-34's amongst them, easily shrugged it off. The enemy withdrew 4 hours into the fight, leaving behind over 200 dead, for fewer than 100 of our own.
Two hours later, 2 GvTD briefly probed the enemy defences in Merech (2), finding that it can be difficult to cross a river in a tank while under fire from over three times your number.
Hoping to keep up the momentum from the victory in Jurbarkas (see above), 120 SD probed the defences across the Memel in Kybartai (3). MajGen. Dratvin wisely decided not to launch a full-on attack.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action:
Prisoners (of war):
Italy
8.551
1
0
Germany
88.842
244
0
AXIS
97.393
245
0
Soviet Union
65.966
141
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
Germany
3,585 Infrastructure
204.240 t of Supplies
6.894 m^3 of Fuel
319
52 x Me-109 (Int)
154 x FW-190 (Ftr)
40 x Me-109 (Int)
27 x FW-190 (Ftr)
367 x Ju-88 (Tac)
63 x Ju-88 (Tac)
Soviet Union
0
152
1.240 x Yak-7 (Int)
56 x Yak-7 (Int)
81 x TB-3 (Str)
12 x TB-3 (Str)
Genlt. Keller's FK VII was intercepted over Tilsit (1), in the early hours of the 1st of September, by LtGenAv. Vorozheikin's III IAK. Despite the darkness, 18 FW-190's and 15 Ju-88's were shot down, for a loss of just 10 Yak-7's. Both units then got embroiled in the dogfighting over Taurage (see above).
On the 4th, LtGenAv. Eremin's VII IAK was intercepted over Kaisiadorys (2) by Genmaj. Fisser's JG 4, which consisted of just 52 Me-109s (full strength would be 112). A brave move, considering Eremin had 372 Yak-7's under his command. 40 German fighters were shot down, and 16 Yak-7's were lost. Once again, JG 4 managed to escape it's anihilation, but it was definitely a close call.
Returning from a failed mission over Joniskis, Genlt. Kesselring's FK IV was intercepted again over Wehlau (3) by LtGenAv. Eremin's Yakolev's, this resulted in a further 9 FW-190's and 48 Ju-88's being shot down for a loss of 30 Yak-7's.
LtGenAv. Kalinin's 1 DBAD flew a total of 11 logistical bombing missions over Cranz (1st to 5th)
On the 5th, as they finished their bombing run at noon, they were intercepeted by Genlt. Kelpke's JK I. The 496 Yak-7's of LtGenAv. Rog's III IAK came too late to save 12 of the 81 TB-3's, but they did take down 45 Me-109s in the process of chasing away Klepke's Jagdkorps, taking no losses of their own. 1 DBAD was relocated to Norway to recuperate and do some logistical bombing to support operation Tundra Wolf, relieving MajGenAv. Reshetnikov's 2 DBAD.
1st Byelorussian Front (1st Byel. F. / Byelorussian SSR Nyoman/Memel bend): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:
In a serious overestimation of 3 PzD's capablities, Genlt. von Manstein launched an attack into Mosty (1), at 7pm on the 31st. The lightly armoured Panzer III's were up against 32 KavD, 103 MSD and 202 MSD, all dug in on the North-Eastern bank of the Memel. MajGen Zakharov, despite being significantly less experienced, managed to counter von Manstein's cross-river blitz attack with an elastic defence, which consisted of letting a few enemy vehicles create a beachhead on his side of the river before pushing them back into the river with overwhelming numbers and superior firepower. The risky tactic paid off, and despite the stubbornness of the German commander, 3 PzD was spent by 6pm on the 4th. Close to 1.400 Germans were killed, all from one division, and only just over half as many Soviet defenders spread across 3 divisions.
Following this success, Sokolka was probed twice. Once by 202 MSD immediately after the battle of Mosty (1), and a second time the next day by 103 MSD. Both attacks resulted in over 100 casualties on our side, for around 10 of the enemy. It looks like the South-Western bank was held just has strongly as the North-Eastern.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action:
Prisoners (of war):
Germany
75.921
1.393
0
Soviet Union
53.642
927
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
AXIS
1.954 KIA
0
0
0
0
Soviet Union
0 KIA
15
124 x La-7 (Ftr)
3 x La-7 (Ftr)
201 x Yak-4 (Tac)
6 x Yak-4 (Tac)
The Yak-4's of LtGenAv. Yakovlev's II BAK flew 11 ground attack missions over Sokolka (31st to 5th / Battle of Mosty / Battle of Wolkowysk).
2nd Byelorussian Front (2nd Byel. F. / Byelorussian SSR between the Nyoman & Prypyat): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:
"Today we face the famed gebirgsjäger, trained to fight in the mountains, they're tough, and great climbers. This is our forest though, isn't it. Behind every tree they will find a rifleman ready to shoot them in the face, behind every bush, a self-propelled gun ready to blow an entire squad to smithereens. And if any of them even think about climbing into a tree, our sappers will blow it sky high. We will make them regret ever coming down from their mountains!" - MajGen. Poluektov as Genlt. Hube's gebirgsjäger start filtering into his forest, in Wolkowysk (2). It would take a much larger force to push his motorised riflemen out of their forest a week later.
Domonovo (1) was lost to the enemy at midnight on the 31st after just 24 hours of fighting. In the end, 3 KavD was significantly more exhausted from previouos fighting than 2 PzD.
The loss also presented an opportunity as taking Swislocz would encircle the German spearhead. Once the battle of Wolkowysk (2) was concluded favourably, MajGen. Ivanov V.D. launched a 5-Division, three-pronged attack into the province (3 & 4). With only two German Infantry Divisions to oppose over three times their number spearheaded by Armoured Cavalry, de Genlt. l'Homme de la Courbière was in quite the predicament.
He needn't have worried, as the start of a powerful offensive on Wolkowysk (5) was enough for Ivanov to stop the entire offensive at 6pm. This can only be seen as a serious mistake, as even without the units attacking from Wolkowysk, he still had a numerical and firepower advantage. When a German Panzer-Division can be encircled, it isn't the time to be overly cautious.
MajGen. Chibisov tried to take Swislocz with just two armoured cavalry divisions on the 5th. Despite taking casualties, they were doing rather well, and the enemy forces were starting to become disorganised. Any chance of success was cut short, however, by an attack on Bereza, which forced Chibisov to abandon the attack at noon. In total, the Red Army suffered about 800 casualties and the Wehrmacht 900 casualties in the fighting for Swislocz and Domonovo.
The battle for Wolkowysk (2) ended in victory at 1pm on the 3rd. It had started on the 29th of August with Genlt. Hube's 1 GbjD attacking 57 MSD. As the fight dragged on, both sides brought in reinforcements. MajGen. Poluektov's defence was shored up on the 30th by the arrival of 129 MSD, Hube's attack got a boost the next day as 28 ID joined the offensive, and 135 MSD arrived on the 2nd of September. Casualties were high on both sides, but decidedly in our favour, with just over 1.300 Soviets and close to 2.700 Germans dead.
At 4pm, another battle for Wolkowysk errupted (5). Genlt. van Faber du Faur's four-division, three-pronged attack was a very serious threat, moreover both 57 MSD and 129 MSD were caught out of position as they were attacking Swislocz (3&4), leaving only 135 MSD properly dug in. Matters weren't helped when, on the 4th, MajGen. Poluektov committed a tactical blunder by countering a German assault with masterfully executed delaying tactics, which proved entirely ineffective. The defence fell apart on the 5th, as 57 MSD broke at 8am, 135 MSD was routed at 10pm, and MajGen. Fediunkin then used his better judgement and pulled out his 129 MSD at midnight. Over 1.100 Germans lost their lives, but they inflicted over 1.450 casualties on our forces.
Bereza came under attack at 11am on the 6th, by 215 ID and 50 ID, lead by Genlt. Herzog. Despite the somewhat battered state of 9 KavD, MajGen. Shumilov was cautiously optimistic about his chances as his own 81 MSD was as well dug in as it would ever be, though they were also not very well organised. To compensate for this, he ordered vigorous counter-attacks on the 8th, effectively negating the impact of enemy assaults. At 11pm that very day, 57 ID joined the battle, sealing the fate of the battle-weary defenders. Despite their best efforts, the added pressure from the fresh enemy division proved too much, and by 3pm on the 9th, the battle turned into a rout. Over 1.600 Soviet and just over 1.200 German servicemen were killed in action.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action
Prisoners of War
Germany
118.731
6.309
0
Soviet Union
164.626
4.804
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
AXIS
4.456 KIA
0
0
0
0
Soviet Union
0 KIA
63
372 x La-7 (Ftr)
11 x La-7 (Ftr)
201 x Yak-4 (Tac)
495 x Il-10 (CAS)
2 x Yak-4 (Tac)
24 x Il-10 (CAS)
LtGenAv. Zhigarev's I ShAK flew 2 missions over Swislocz on the 31st, returning for another ground attack on the 9th (Battle of Wolkowysk)
The Il-10's of V ShAK were much busier, flying 5 missions over Narew (4th to 6th / Battle of Wolkowysk), followed by 6 missions over Swislocz and 3 over Dywin (7h to 9th / Battles of Wolkowysk and Bereza). Today, LtGenAv. Goryunov's assault bombers flew 2 missions over Wolkowysk (10th / ongoing battle of Zelva)
I BAK, LtGenAv. Golovanov's unit, flew 4 missions over Swislocz (5th & 6th / Battle of Wolkowysk)
1st Ukrainian Front (1st Ukr. F. / Ukrainian SSR between the Prypyat & Western Bug): 3 AG & Arm AG / Brjansk HQ:
"We may face over two times our number, we may be exhausted, but we are still guards. We will throw the enemy back across the Bug river, or we will die trying." - MajGen Rotmistrov before the attack on Luboml by his 72nd Guards Rifle Division. As it turned out they were ordered to withdraw two days later, but that doesn't take anything away from their enthousiasm. Or at least, STAVKA hopes it doesn't.
Exploiting a gap in 3rd Army Group's line, GenDiv. Fautili's 9a DAlp simply walked into Rozyszcze. When they arrived, at midnight on the 31st of August, they were immediately attacked (1) from the South by 122 SD and from the East, by 54 SD. MajGen. Chernyak's offensive to take back the province proved a success as the Alpini withdrew at 7pm on the 1st, leaving behind over 400 bodies, for fewer than 100 dead riflemen.
Before our forces could occupy the province, 20 ID (mot) arrived at 6pm on the 2nd, prompting another offensive to liberate the area (1&3). This second attack was twice the size of the previous one, with 5 SD and 14 TTGvD charging in from the north, supplementing the Northwards and Westwards thrusts of 122 SD, and 54 SD. By 5am the next day, Genlt. Reinhardt withdrew his division. Causalties were similar: Over 400 Germans for fewer than 100 Soviets.
Genlt. Brämer's 30 ID made a feeble attempt, at 7pm on the 4th, to oust MajGen Chernyak's men from Rozyszcze (5). 54 SD had arrived first, but it held until 5 SD, and later 14 TTGvD could reinforce on the 6th. They forced a withdrawal by 6pm that same day, losing fewer than 400, and killing over 850 in the process.
Looking to capitalise on the weakness of enemy forces in Kowel, MajGen. Zhmachenko launched his own offensive into Kowel (6) at 10pm that same day, using his own 5 SD, bolstered by the IS-2/130's and guards riflemen of 14 TTGvD. Genlt. Brämer's two exhausted and disorganised divisions were routed by 3pm, with another 300 German casualties and fewer than 200 Soviet ones.
Things further South started out in promising way. MajGen. Baranov V.I.'s three-Division offensive to take back Luboml (2) from 13 PzD, starting at 9am on the 1st, was in our favour from the start. It ended in a clear victory for the Red Army, with Genlt. Gräser F.H.'s Pz.IV's retreating at 1pm the next day. Close to 1.100 enemies were killed for just over 400 of our own.
113 SD, Baranov's own division was the first one to get to Luboml at 3pm on the 2nd. They were immediately attacked by 2 enemy divisions (4), with a third joining the fight later the same evening. 2 of Genlt. von Beyer's three divisions were attacking from the same side of the Bug river. LtGen. Frolov decided to hold back both 169 SD and 130 SD, moving them to Poryck to secure Baranov's retreat instead. Hung out to dry, and with no reinforcements forthcoming, 113 SD held on until 5 am on the 4th, when it withdrew, thoroughly disorganised, to Poryck.
Poryck had itself come under attack (8) by Genlt. Dietrich's 21 SD. Clearly outclassed by his German counterpart, MajGen Petin did have more than twice as many men available, with both 130 SD and 169 SD under his command.
Hoping to hit 21 ID in the flank while it was distracted and take the area, 72 GvSD was sent into Luboml (7) at 8pm on the 7th. MajGen. Rotmistrov's guards riflemen found three full-strength Infantry Divisions, of which only 21 ID was distracted. Of course, they tried to dislodge them anyway, but after 2 days of fighting it was clear Genlt. von Beyer's men had the upper hand and the guards relented.
The battle for Poryck finally ended in victory at 9am on the 10th, after two days and three nights of fighting.
Taken together, those last two battles resulted in close to 1.400 Red Army losses, and close to 1.200 for Wehrmacht.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action
Prisoners of War
Italy
8.378
415
0
Germany
101.431
4.250
0
AXIS
109.809
4.665
0
Soviet Union
197.009
3.614
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
AXIS
1.427 KIA
0
Soviet Union
0 KIA
6
248 x La-7 (Ftr)
0 x La-7 (Ftr)
201 x Yak-4 (Tac)
248 x Il-10 (CAS)
1 x Yak-4 (Tac)
2 x Il-10 (CAS)
The assault bombers of MarshallAv. Novikov's II ShAK flew 2 bombing missions over Luboml (2nd of September), followed by 2 ground attack runs over Switaz (3rd / Battle of Luboml), and 2 missions over Kowel (5th). They returned on the 8th and the 9th of the month to fly a further 4 missions over Luboml (Battle of Poryck).
LtGenAv. Golovanov's I BAK flew 2 missions over Kowel on the 7th of September.
2nd Ukrainian Front (2nd Ukr. F. / Ukrainian SSR between the Western Bug & Dniestr): 3 AG / Brjansk HQ:
"Gentlemen. We will use their own tactics against them. Every time they punch a hole in our line, we'll hit the spearhead with all we've got. The main objective is to isolate and destroy as many king tigers as possible. You will form independent platoons of guards riflemen backed up by SU-100s to hunt and kill me some tigers. Your job is to coördinate the hunt, Major General Badanov."
- MajGen (acting LtGen) Tiulenev to MajGen Badanov of 77 GvSD as he lays out his plan to defend Zolkiew (1) from a big Axis offensive.
Zolkiew (1) was lost at 7pm on the 31st, to a 5-division German-Bulgairan force spearheaded by Genlt. Raus' 6 sPzD. MajGen. Tiulenev did what he could with his three rifle divisions, including 77 GvSD, successfully countering the enemy breakthroughs with backhand blows, hard-hitting counter-attacks executed by guards riflemen backed up by SU-100 tank destroyers. While the tactic was effective, it did push the already battle-weary guards riflemen to the brink, and they wer forced to withdraw at 2am on the 31st. This lead to Tiulenev having to pull some regular riflemen from his thinning front line to continue the counter-attacks. Under the sheer weight of enemy numbers, the line broke entirely at 7pm that same day, 24 hours after the start of the battle. Close to 1.200 riflemen were lost for about 150 Bulgarians and 220 Germans.
At 7pm on the 5th, hoping to press home the wehrmacht's advantage, Genlt. von Roques of 3 ID (mot), backed up by 6 sPzD, ordered an attack on Krasne (6). The battered 77 GvSD, backed up by 49 SD lacked the organisation to put up much of a fight. After 12 hours, they were spent. At 6pm the next day, 62 SD briefly moved into the path of Genlt. von Roques' forces (6), only to quickly withdraw. Over 200 Soviet casualties were counted, for just over 100 German ones.
Further to the south, MajGen. Trofimenko launched his own large-scale offensive to retake Jaworow (3) at 10pm on the 31st of August. 5 divisions attacking from three directions, spearheaded by 10 TTGvD's IS-2/130's. All to dislodge Genlt. von Cochenhausen's 4 sPzD. King tigers or no king tigers, he was forced to pull out at 7pm the next day. Close to 900 Germans and just over 200 Soviets died in the battle.
At 9am the 5th of september, the wehrmacht launched a powerful offensive into Lwow (7), or at least that's what it looked like. MajGen. Obukhov, having only his own 181 SD to defend the city must have been worried seeing 4 Axis divisions spearheaded by 6 sPzD bear down on him from two directions. MajGen. Trofinmenko's attack on Przemysl (8) prompted the Germans to withdraw their forces within the hour, which left 181 SD facing only a single Bulgarian infantry division, until they too withdrew at 6pm on the 6th. Fewer than 120 Soviet casualties were counted for 20 German and over 600 Bulgarian ones.
The 10am spoiling attack on Przemysl (8), by MajGen. Trofimenko's 14 SD quickly achieved it's primary goal of disrupting the enemy attack on Lwow (7). The province turned out to be relatively lightly manned, by a German, a Hungarian, and a Bulgarian Infantry Division under the command of Genlt. Raus (Ger). Despite facing twice as many men, 14 SD was ordered to press home the attack. They were helped in this by the Bulgarians, who continued attacking Lwow, and the fact that the Hungarian unit had no heavy support weapons what so ever. By 4am the next day, the Hungarian 9 Gly was routed, followed that evening by the Bulgarian 2-ra PD. To add insult to injury, at 6pm on the 7th, 181 SD reinforced the offensive, giving Trofimenko a near 3-1 numerical advantage and a 2-1 firepower advantage over Raus' 60 ID. Victory was ours at 3am the following night. Close to 900 of our Trofimenko's men were killed in action, for over 600 Germans, close to 200 Bulgarians, and about 60 Hungarians.
In the evening of the 5th, MajGen. Panfilov had 139 SD and 10 TTGvD probe enemy defences in Jaroslaw (5), across the river San. In just two hours, close to 250 Red Army personnel were lost for about 50 of the enemy.
Turka (2) was attacked from across the river San at 7pm on the 31st of August, by Genlt. Hollidt's 223 ID and the Bulgarian 3-ta PD lead by Genlt. Lukash. With 4 rifle divisions to defend the area, MajGen. Mitrofanov wasn't too worried. The Germans pulled out by 1am, but the Bulgarians continued alone until 10am. Casualties were one-sided, with fewer than 40 dead on our side, for over 100 Germans, and close to 450 Bulgarians.
At 2pm the next day, a short probe by 183 SD into Gorlice (4), cost us a further 110 lives for fewer than 10 of the enemy.
With the situation worsening for our forces in Uzhorod (see below), abother attempt was made at Gorlice (4&9). This time, 189 SD and 183 SD attacked together. But, after one hour, the operation was called off. The casualty ratio was atrocious, we lost 70 of ours for 12 of the enemy.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action
Prisoners of War
Hungary
5.996
59
0
Bulgaria
77.824
1.445
0
Germany
165.002
2.009
0
AXIS
248.822
3.513
0
Soviet Union
247.052
3.082
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
Hungary
76
0
0
186 x Ju-86 (Tac)
38 x Ju-86 (Tac)
AXIS
2.901 KIA
76
Soviet Union
0 KIA
70
372 x Yak-7 (Int)
248 x La-7 (Ftr)
0 x Yak-7 (Int)
14 x La-7 (Ftr)
201 x Yak-4 (Tac)
248 x Il-10 (CAS)
4 x Yak-4 (Tac)
24 x Il-10 (CAS)
A bombing attempt by Hungarian Genlt. Rapaich's Ju-86 bombers was thwarted over Turka, at 10pm on the 31st, by LtGenAv. Rychagov's IV IAK-PVO. The ensuing clash resulted in 38 downed Ju-86s and no losses for the VVS.
MarshallAv. Novikov's I ShAK flew 2 ground attack missions over Jaworow on the 1st of September. Then after some missions further North, his Il-10's returned for 4 missions over Przemysl (6th & 7th). Today, 2 missions were flown over Rawa Ruska (10th).
II ShAK flew 4 missions over Humenne (9th & 10th / Battle of Uzhorod), this marked the first time that the VVS has bombed Slovakia.
The Ilyushin's of LtGenAv. Rudenko's IV ShAK bombed Krasne 5 times in two days (9th & 10th)
LtGenAv. Zhigarev's Il-10's performed 4 ground attacks over Gorlice (9th & 10th / Battle of Uzhorod), taking over from LtGenAv. Yakovlev's II BAK, which bombed the province twice on the 8th.
3rd Ukrainian Front (3rd UF. / Hungarian Border West of Skole) 3 AG & 4 AG / Odessa HQ:
"For six days and six nights, you have kept up the pressure on the enemy, and now our perseverance has paid off. Other units have come and gone, lending us a hand, but we have seen this through all the way. I'm so proud of the 48th Rifle Division. Others will follow up on our victory, and you will get some much-needed and much-deserved rest. It is men like you who will win this war and save the people of the Soviet Union from from the Teutonic hordes. Go now, and sleep well in the knowledge that your comrades did not die in vain." - MajGen. Mitrofanov to his own 48 SD after their exceptionally bloody victory in Uzhorod (2). No enthousiastic applause followed from the exhausted survivors, only a sollemn salute to the commander who had just lead them through hell and back.
A three-division Hungarian attack on Drohobycz (1) was called off at 10pm on the 31st of August, three hours after it started.
The long-lasting battle of Uzhorod (2) ended in victory at 10pm on the 1st of September. The battle had started at 10pm on the 24th, with a 2-division attack on three Hungarian infantry divisions and a battered 8 PzD. Genlt. Kirchner had to withdraw his panzers at 10 am the next day, leaving Genlt. Miklos in charge. At 10am on the 26th, Mitrofanov's offensive was reinforced by 180 SD, giving him a clear numerical advantage over the stubborn Hungarians. But even stubborn soldiers can be routed, and at 1pm on the 28th, 29 TP pulled out, followed one day later by 6 TP. Genlt. Miklos's 3 TP held out on it's own,long enough for 16 Gly to join in at midnight on the 30th, but by 10am, they had to pull out, leaving Genlt. Veress in charge. That evening, at 7pm, 159 SD reinforced our attack further still, briefly giving Mitrofanov a 5-1 advantage in numbers, until Genlt. Hänicke's 36 ID (mot) joined one hour later. 10 SD withdrew from the operation at 10am the next day for some much-needed R&R, but the other three rifle divisions kept up the pressure, and at 4am on the 1st of September, 16 Gly was routed, followed at 10pm by 36 ID (mot). The cost of this victory was eyewatering, over 4.000 Soviet riflemen lost their lives, but they enemy paid an ever steeper price in defeat, losing close to 2.800 German and over 5.600 Hungarian servicemen.
A Hungarian probe into Uzhorod was easily shrugged off by 180 SD at 3pm on the 2nd.
MajGen. Sofronov had his 180 SD charge into Mukacevo (6) at 4am on the 7th. The province was guarded by a single battered division, and by 3pm, it was routed. At 10pm, Sofronov's riflemen made it into Mukacevo, they easily shrugged off a probe by 24 Gly (7), which had been retreating from Svalava. Just over 130 Soviet and about 200 Hungarian casualties were counterd. The entire Hungarian front line had been cut off from the rest of Hungary. If this position could be held, most of the Hungarian Army would be forced to surrender eventually.
Of course, the Axis could not let that happen, and at 11pm on the 7th, 223 ID charged into Uzhorod (9). MajGen. Novoselski wasn't overly worried about Genlt. Hollidt's single-division push. However, due to all the heavy fighting, 4ya Armiya was running low on reserves in the immediate vicinity, and when 8 ID attacked 159 SD's western flank at 9pm the next day, no reinforcements could be sent in to shore up the defence. On the 9th, 4 PzD joined in at 3pm. It was now only a matter of time before 159 SD could take no more.
Meanwhile, Mukacevo was attacked by two Hungarian divisions (8) at 1am on the 9th. The odds were about even for MajGen. Sofronov's 180 SD, but as the battle for Svalava (4) had been lost, and Uzhorod (9) was in real trouble, he had to think about his units survival. At 11pm, a tactical retreat towards Uzhorod was ordered, and at noon the next day, the battle of Uzhorod (9) was lost. 180 SD now has a leg up in the race to secure the vacated province that is it's only lifeline to the rest of 4ya Armiya. Over 800 Soviets, close to 300 Hungarians, and close to 900 Germans died in the fighting.
Svalava (4) was attacked at 10pm on the 31st of August by 2 rifle divisions under the command of MajGen. Vinogradov. With the advantage of good defensive terrain and superior numbers, it looked like Genlt. Naday would win this one. At 7am, on the 2nd, there was some hope that we could win as 56 SD reinforced the attack, evening the odds. At this point, MajGen. Vinogradov made a tactical mistake, he impatiently pushed for a shock attack, but the Hungarians had prepared the ground and ambushed our forward elements again and again. The men of 27 SD could soon take no more, and they pulled out at 2pm the next day, leaving MajGen. Lvov in charge. At 1pm on the 4th, it was all over, nothing had been gained, but over 2.500 Soviet riflemen had been lost, for fewer than 1.500 Hungarian ones.
In an effort to secure the south-eastern flank of the breakthrough in Uzhorod, another attack on Svalava (4&5) started at 10am on the 5th, with MajGen. Panin's 176 SD attacking from Skole, and 159 SD from Uzhorod. Genlt. Naday's forces were not as well organised as they had been on the 31st, but they were still more numerous than ours. 2 days in, Panin had to pull out his battered division, leaving MajGen. Novoselski in charge of a faltering offensive, which he halted two hours later. Another 1.300 casualties were suffered by the Red Army, for fewer than 650 enemy losses.
With the pressure on Uzhorod increasing, another attempt was made to take Svalava (4) at noon on the 8th. MajGen. Krutikov faced even worse odds than those that came before him, having only his own 42 SD to oust now 5 Hungarian divisions under Genlt. Stomm. The attack was called off when Mukacevo (8) was lost at 11pm on the 9th. Almost 1.400 Soviets had died, killing barely over 250 Hungarians.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action
Prisoners of War
Germany
35.801
3.648
0
Hungary
204.319
8.577
0
AXIS
240.120
12.225
0
Soviet Union
174.963
10.212
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
Hungary
2,231 Infrastructure
70.437 t of Supplies
30
358 x CR.42 (Int)
30 x CR.42 (Int)
0
0
AXIS
2.291 KIA
30
Soviet Union
0 KIA
92
372 x Yak-7 (Int)
372 x La-7 (Ftr)
1 x Yak-7 (Int)
25 x La-7 (Ftr)
80 x TB-3 (Str)
402 x Yak-4 (Tac)
247 x Il-10 (CAS)
2 x TB-3 (Str)
12 x Yak-4 (Tac)
13 x Il-10 (CAS)
At 2pm on the 5th, LtGenAv. Rudenko's IV ShAK was intercepted, above Svalava, by over 350 CR.42 biplanes of the Royal Hungarian Air Force. IV IAK-PVO was late to the party, arriving at 4pm. Genlt. Rakosi's pilots proved their bravery and skill once again, downing 19 La-7's, 13 Il-10's, and one Yak-7. In return, just 30 biplanes were shot out of the sky by our own modern interceptors.
Before being intercepted, Rudenko's assault aviation corps flew 2 missions over Svalava.
LtGenAv. Golovanov's I BAK bombed Uzhorod once on the 31st, and Svalava a total of 8 times. (31st of Aug to 4th & 8th of Sep)
II BAK also performed 2 ground attacks over Svalava on the 6th.
After the battle of Mukacevo was lost, MajGenAv. Reshetnikov's TB-3's were sent in to fly logistical strikes in the province of Sop in an attempt to reduce the flow of supplies to the Hungarian border to a trickle. If Uzhorod is held, things should then get significantly easier for 4ya Armiya.
4th Ukrainian Front (4th Ukr. F. / Hungarian Border East of Dolina) 3 AG & 4 AG / Odessa HQ:
"Do not despair, we will take those mountains eventually. Every time our riflemen go up there, they send thousands of Hungarian soldiers running, but every time, more Hungarians attack our flank, and a new bunch of Hungarians sneaks in there. One day, soon, there will be no soldier in the entire Hungarian Army who hasn't seen a determined, fearless, Red Army offensive into Rachov, who hasn't seen the blooddrenched mountain passes and the hastily dug graves lining the roads. We will be back, and we will prevail!" - MajGen. Schlemin on the 8th, attempting to lift his men's spirits after another bloody defeat in Rachov (1).
The 2-division offensive into Rachov (1), having started at 8am on the 28th of August, ended with the withdrawal of Red Army forces at 9pm on the 31st. It had looked like an easy victory for MajGen. Larichev, who faced only Genlt. Algya-Pap's 4 TP, and the enemy unit was close to breaking after Larichev had outfoxed his opponent by countering delaying tactics with shock attacks. However, after a big spoiling attack on Stanislawow (2) started at 7pm, he decided to focus on the defensive.
At 10pm, MajGen. Pavelkin used his own 55 SD in a spoiling attack on Ternegg K.'s forces in Volove (3), who were, at that moment attacking Stanislawow (2). By midnight, the battle of Stanislawow (2) was over, and with little chance at dislodging more than three times their number in mountainous terrain, the battle of Volove was stopped at 3am. Over 700 soviet and close to 900 Hungarian casualties were counted.
At 4am, MajGen. Schlemin's 51 SD and 141 SD took a crack at Rachov (1), which now held 2 more divisions than before. This time, the battle lasted a lot longer, with 10-ta PD reinforcing the defence at 2pm on the 7th, 141 SD bowing out three hours later, and both 4 TP and the 'Szent Laszlo' division getting routed at 10pm. Despite the weakened resistance, 51 SD started to fall apart, and at midnight the offensive was halted. It was costly, with over 1.900 Soviets, close to 1.300 Hungarians, and fewer than 30 Bulgarians, losing their lives.
This was followed by two enemy probes into Stanislawow (2), and one Red Army probe into Volove (3), all before noon, when MajGen. Larichev launched another attack on Rachov (1). GenInf Lukachich had only his 5th Corps HQ and 31 TP to defend the area, so victory seemed likely. Once again, a spoiling attack on Stanislawow (2) at 4am on the 9th put an end to the offensive, both battles were halted two hours later.
Forces engaged in battle:
Forces killed in action
Prisoners of War
Bulgaria
7.447
26
0
Hungary
197.056
2.439
0
AXIS
204.503
2.465
0
Soviet Union
184.509
2.849
0
Air to ground damage
KIA air crew
Fighters deployed
Fighters lost
Bombers deployed
Bombers lost
AXIS
2.323 KIA
0
0
0
0
Soviet Union
0 KIA
65
124 x La-7 (Ftr)
11 x La-7 (Ftr)
248 x Il-10 (CAS)
27 x Il-10 (CAS)
LtGenAv. Kuthakov's III ShAK flew 16 missions in support of the various battles for Rachov. (1st to 8th).
Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea, Aegean Sea & Mediterranean Sea) BSF / Odessa HQ:
The Aegean was calm these past 10 days, no more torpedo attacks were suffered. Having relocated to the Adriatic IV FP found plenty of Italian convoys to sink.
Totals losses:
Last 10 days
Engaged in Battle
Killed in battle
Killed by bombs
Air Crew KIA
KIA at sea
Total KIA
Prisoners of War
Slovakia
0
0
/
0
0
0
0
Bulgaria
113.210
2.199
/
0
0
2.199
0
Hungary
432.174
12.127
/
106
0
12.233
0
Italy
43.204
1.545
/
0
0
1.545
0
Germany
827.044
27.394
/
1.255
623
29.272
0
AXIS
1.415.632
43.265
16.572
1.361
623
61.821
0
Soviet Union
1.663.186
33.141
360
899
136
34.536
0
GPW (80 days)
Engaged in Battle
Killed in battle
Killed by bombs
Air Crew KIA
KIA at sea
Total KIA
Prisoners of War
Slovakia
43.839
2.912
/
209
0
3.121
0
Bulgaria
241.189
8.140
/
33
310
8.483
0
Hungary
2.005.626
30.526
/
992
0
31.518
0
Italy
115.884
4.890
/
573
1.003
6.466
0
Germany
5.423.543
178.795
/
6.337
7.058
192.190
18.294
AXIS
7.830.081
225.263
113.847
8.142
7.748
355.623
18.294
Soviet Union
10.133.939
188.727
2.262
5.663
1.267
198.057
57.778
Aeroplane losses:
GPW (80 days)
Fighters
Small Bombers
Medium Bombers
Large Bombers
Transports
Slovakia
/
69 x A.304
/
/
/
Bulgaria
33 x He-51B
/
/
/
/
Hungary
224 x CR.32/CR.42
249 x Ju-87B-2
308 x Ju-86K-2
/
/
Italy
/
/
53 x SM.79-III
41 x CZ.1007bis
/
11 x SM.75bis
Germany
978 x FW-190A-3
726 x Me-109G-5
159 x Hs-129B-2
1.159 x Ju-88A-4
45 x Ju-290
8 x Me-232D-1
AXIS
983 x Int, 978 x Ftr
477 x CAS
1.508 x Tac, 53 x Nav
45 x Nav
19 x Tra
Soviet Union
939 x Yak-7
920 x La-7
250 x La-7VM
941 x Il-10
249 x Il-10VM
434 x Yak-4
61 x TB-3
47 x Li-2
This last 10-day period was the most intense yet. More men were sent into battle, more battles were fought, more casualties were suffered than ever before in this Great Patriotic War.
Operation Tundra Wolf has now gathered steam as most Axis forces in Southern Norway have congregated in an attempt to push our troops in the Stavanger area back into the sea. The line is holding, for now, and more reinforcements are on the way by sea. Trondheim was secured to make sure as little supplies as possible make it to the Panzers further north. It's now a race against time for the Red Army to contain and crush Axis forces in the South before the Panzers make it to Trondheim. (OOC: There is still no AI in the Norway operation. Once the entire Rifle Corps is together in the Stavanger Area, I will hand it over to the AI for a push towards Kristiansand.)
The spearhead in the Baltics managed to weather heavy counter-attacks, and consolidated it's Southern flank, but it didn't manage to drive any closer to the Baltic. Enemy forces are starting to slip through the gap to avoid the coming encirclement. It is now estimated that the Baltic coast will be reached at Memel, or just North of it, in two weeks time.
The central part of the front is holding, for now, but the line remains thin, and pressure is mounting. Of course, there are still some reserves behind the current lines.
In the South, things became very bloody, with a bloody back and forth on the 2nd Ukrainian Front, and an even bloodier campaign on the Hungarian border. 4ya Armiya had been sent orders to be more agressive, and it delivered, managing to briefly encircle all of the Hungarian border forces. Sadly, German reinforcements attacking form Slovakia have forced the spearhead back, and with few reserves at hand, it looks like it won't be re-established anytime soon. Hungarian Border forces were severely weakened in the process, however, so we may still get some territorial gains out of it.
As always, your input is valued,
Greetings,
'Odin'
OOC: Despite putting some measures in place to restrain the length of the battle reports, these last ten game-days have been so intense that this is the longest GPW update yet, not to mention the longer than usual narrative part at the top. Due to familial issues, and having to concentrate on my studies I wasn't able to complete it before today, despite the fact that more than half of it was ready before my academic year even started. The good news is that you now probably have more than a month to skim or read it before the next instalment is due.
I didn't want to tempt fate by adding even more images to the update above, so here are the images that go with the narrative:
'Ocean Senior' is a Norwegian diesel powered trawler built in 1935. In the top left corner: The patch of the Red Navy's Naval Infantry.
Ivan Peter Hudsen Stamm was chief of the Copenhagen Police from 1938 to 1945. His splendid pre-war record was tainted by years of collaboration with the German occupier. (as opposed to several of his colleagues, but we can't speak about their fate on the forum.) Despite having significant support from his (remaining) police force, and his adeptness at political manoeuvring, he was let go by the government after the liberation of Denmark. He finished his career as a clark in a Copenhagen tobacco shop.
'Bolshoy Dom', or 'the Big House', located at Litejnyi prospekt 4, in the centre of Leningrad, was built in 1931-1932, specifically for the needs of the Soviet Secret Police. There are persistent rumours that there is a large number of secret underground floors under the building, leading some to call it the 'tallest building in Leningrad' (this seems to be a recurring theme amongst NKVD buildings). The modernist/constructivist architecture of the building contrasts with and predates the Stalinist neo-classisism of the NKVD's Moscow Headquarters. It was designed by three Constructivist Architects: Alexander Gegello, Andrey Ol, and Noi Trotsky. The large glass windows stand in stark contrast with the secrecy of it's occupants. Today it is the FSB's Leningrad HQ, having been continuously in use by some kind of secret police force since it's construction.
Of the architects, Gegello and Trotsky started their careers under the Communist regime, both being part of the up and coming constructivist movement of the 20's and 30's. Trotsky was the most internationally known and outspoken constructivist of the three, continuing to teach modernist and constructivist architecture and write papers in defense of the movement after it had fallen out of favour with the leadership. Being of Jewish descent as well, he found himself in NKVD custody several times under Stalin. The fact that he died in 1940, at age 45, from 'illness', following a stay in the NKVD's Kresty Prison in Leningrad, is rather ironic. Both Gegello and Ol were less outspoken about the merits of constructivism. Ol's early (pre-revolution) work was of the St Petersburg Art Nouveau style, and both of them adapted in time to the new stalinist architectural doctrines of the late 1930's and beyond, they both lived beyond 70 years of age.
Our Comrades in the Glorious Soviet Air Army seems to be doing well. In fact it looks like the Germans don't have enough aircraft to cover all the front. Am I mistaken?
All 5 cadets maintained that they had eaten some bad fish, and somehow, this story was corroborated by an apologetic restaurant owner. A respected doctor was apparently consulted by the cadets, writing them notes justifying their absence, and giving exact times and dates of their consultations. Their disappearance was explained by the fact that they apparently had decided to get out of the city to recover.
Fish again? Touché! Whenever guys tried these excuses when I was a cadet, it never worked. There used to be a saying about the military disciplinary system, when the hearing began: “march in the guilty bastard!”
I don't have to tell you these kinds of witness statements are easily faked, either by using look-alikes to fool the witness, or by bribing the witness in one way or another.
Best to fess up once the facts are in. Lying too much (at all, really) reflects on integrity, not good in a trainee officer. One could stuff up and be punished, but if your word was not to be trusted you’d be out the door before you could say “punishment battalion”.
A contract with the NKVD? <raises eyebrow> I think the good old combination of naked and mutual self interest plus shadowy high profile backers will prove more reliable safeguards.
The irony is that, to get herself out of this mess, she's having to run her own counter-espionage operations, which was exactly what she didn't want to be doing at the NKVD.
Ah, I was beginning to be afraid that Comrade Odin had "decided" to take up gold mining in Siberia.
If reserves can be scraped up those narrow German thrusts are just begging to be turned into encirclements.
The airborne assault on Trondheim, starting at 9pm on the 5th, was unopposed, unless you count two squads of fendgendarmerie armed with lugers as opposition. This provides us with a second Air Base in Norway, and physically cuts off the flow off supplies from Oslo to the Northern German Force.
"Blistering Barnacles!" - followed shortly by - "Bomb the Bastards!" - VADM Kuznetsov as it became clear that all of the enemy submarines, some of their transports, and all of the troops on board, had slipped into Kristiansand right under his nose.
Also on the 7th, MajGen. Reiter launched a massive mechanised offensive to evict the Axis form Jurbarkas. 4 tank divisions, of which one guards tank division, and 2 rifle divisions struck 2 German Infantry Divisions and the Commando Superiore Forze Armata Africa Settentrionale (ITA) at 1am. A mere 13 hours later, it was all over and Genlt. Wünnenberg's force was on the run. Close to 1.300 Axis casualties and around 300 Soviet casualties were counted.
Under the sheer weight of enemy numbers, the line broke entirely at 7pm that same day, 24 hours after the start of the battle. Close to 1.200 riflemen were lost for about 150 Bulgarians and 220 Germans.
The cost of this victory was eyewatering, over 4.000 Soviet riflemen lost their lives, but they enemy paid an ever steeper price in defeat, losing close to 2.800 German and over 5.600 Hungarian servicemen.
This last 10-day period was the most intense yet. More men were sent into battle, more battles were fought, more casualties were suffered than ever before in this Great Patriotic War.
To be fair to them, the lend-lease deal really opened the floodgates for American diplomats, businessmen, and military attaché's. Despite this, they do seem to have dropped the ball somewhat, in which case 'Odinatsat's intelligence might well save the local leadership from a posting to the far east.
Fish again? Touché! Whenever guys tried these excuses when I was a cadet, it never worked. There used to be a saying about the military disciplinary system, when the hearing began: “march in the guilty bastard!”
Best to fess up once the facts are in. Lying too much (at all, really) reflects on integrity, not good in a trainee officer. One could stuff up and be punished, but if your word was not to be trusted you’d be out the door before you could say “punishment battalion”.
Makes sense, there's no time to start second guessing every report from the front, you need reliable people to report truthfully, no matter how bad the situation.
A contract with the NKVD? <raises eyebrow> I think the good old combination of naked and mutual self interest plus shadowy high profile backers will prove more reliable safeguards.
The national interest is no justification for going outside the chain of command in such a brash manner. As I'm sure Goleniewsky is aware, actions do have consequences.
Our Comrades in the Glorious Soviet Air Army seems to be doing well. In fact it looks like the Germans don't have enough aircraft to cover all the front. Am I mistaken?
Indeed. The VVS dominates the skies over the front. For every single enemy wing that appears over the front there is a fresh Fighter Aviation Division available to intercept it. The reverse cannot be said. The Luftwaffe did bring in more Tactical bombers, but it's of little use when they get more than decimated every time they attempt a bombing run on our positions. The German shortfall is really a problem of Interceptors. They just don't have enough Me-109's to defend from both the RAF and the VVS. We keep rotating wings in and out, but the Luftwaffe clearly cannot do that with it's fighter wings, resulting in sometimes desperate attempts by understrength fighter units to disrupt the VVS's operations. These are then easily shrugged off.
Yes. It looks like both sides are pretty closely matched. There'll have to be a serious shift,like the Baltic encirclement getting wrapped up, or a front in the Balkans or Denmark, to really move the needle. Unless, of course, we just kept going like this until the Axis runs out of manpower.
We're still in the later stages of a second lockdown. We've passed the peak of the second wave, but the government is weary of an uptick due to Christmas festivities. Skiing holidays are also off the table. (not that they were on the table for me this year anyway.) While our new government's response hasn't been the best and/or quickest in Europe, they managed to keep the hospitals from getting overcrowded, just as the previous one did in the first wave.
Oh, and we had the most delightful scandal, well delightful isn't the right word. A Hungarian MEP, high ranking member of the Christian Nationalist Fidesz party of Viktor Orban was caught sneaking out of an illegal party he was having with 24 other men in various stages of undress. (Some have gone as far as to describe it as a homosexual orgy). He was not only violating the Brussels lockdown restrictions, but also the 'moral code' of his staunchly anti-lgbt party, and drug laws, as he was carrying around a bunch of ecstasy in his backpack. He resigned the next day.
The Soviet Navy is something quite interesting. It's very much the junior service, and with Barbarossa happening mostly on land, it's often disregarded. I for one find the idea of this massive superpower fielding a small navy of mostly old ships to be rather fascinating. Most of the ships were hopelessly behind the curve technology-wise, but they were useful. Escorting (or raiding) convoys, providing shore bombardment, moving troops around, a few small amphibious operations, and even a bunch of daring commando raids.
As long as the red navy in 'Odin's universe remains relatively small, I will continue to narrate it's engagements as a particular point of interest. I might look into the Soviet Navy's ww2 history in more detail to add some more realism to it all.
As for the navy we have now. I wasn't sure what kind of navy I wanted to build, on a small budget, at the start of the game. I built a few Destroyers as that tech was most up to date in 1936-1937, and any fleet can use some fast screens, but I didn't commit to any capital ship types as I didn't have the Leadership to really research them. So, when I started the technology espionage missions earlier in the game, I was hoping for naval blueprints. At some point, with neutrality lowering and war looming, I had to pull out as the LS investment to maintain a presence stopped being worth it in my eyes. I got myself British CAG, French CVL, and French CA Main Armament. The third and final Kyiv-class Carrier will be delivered in November.
After that, I'm thinking I want another CVL to give the Black Sea Fleet some Air Power before going for another batch of 3 CV's towards a second CTF. In the meantime, we need more DD's, and our hopes to get Licenses for the Swedish Öland-class have been foiled for now, but we'll be back, because developing truly modern DDs is less fun than trying to get the Swedes to like us. In the meantime we'll probably still build a few DD's to keep the practical knowledge up and potentially replace losses. I also want to start building CA's to escort transport fleets and provide shore bombardment in more places. We're developing Landing Craft, so in early 1943 we can start building those.
Dark days, dark days indeed. If anyone in Bratislava had any choice in the matter they would be regretting their decision to side the with Germany. But as they got forced into it I doubt they are wasting any time on regret, not when they have so much panicking to do, in between making plans to flee the country obviously.
The Soviet Navy pre-WW2 was a string of cockups so I'd imagine the early part of the war would be broadly similar. The main problem was ambition constantly outrunning ability and a mistrust of any foreign advisor/partner who warned things were complicated. The Soviets thought this was the foreign partner trying to keep the complex (and expensive) work done by them, so tried to do it themselves and ended up mucking it up because it was, in fact, complicated.
Given later events the Soviet-Italian naval deals of the mid 1930s stand out as a bit odd, but then both sides were a bit desperate and were happy to sacrifice ideology in exchange for solving short term problems.
Cutting your statement at that point makes it applicable across the board - the ambition / ability issue cost the Red Army dear in both 1941 and 1942, and even occasionally in 1943 (Belorussia) and 1944 (Budapest). Not to mention ignoring both foreign and domestic warnings about German plans in '41 and '42.
Dark days, dark days indeed. If anyone in Bratislava had any choice in the matter they would be regretting their decision to side the with Germany. But as they got forced into it I doubt they are wasting any time on regret, not when they have so much panicking to do, in between making plans to flee the country obviously.
Slovakia's contribution to the war is small, but it is there, thank you for emphasizing that fact. It does look like the race to Bratislava will be a bit less exciting here than in Inevitable Defeat. Unless the Allies pull off an Italian landing in early to mid 1943 and the Soviet Balkan front (Likely to be created by the end of 1942) bogs down without creating an opening for the Ukrainian fronts.
The Soviet Navy pre-WW2 was a string of cockups so I'd imagine the early part of the war would be broadly similar. The main problem was ambition constantly outrunning ability and a mistrust of any foreign advisor/partner who warned things were complicated. The Soviets thought this was the foreign partner trying to keep the complex (and expensive) work done by them, so tried to do it themselves and ended up mucking it up because it was, in fact, complicated.
Yes, the pre-war Red Navy was quite the mess. Mistrust being an issue in the Soviet Union is quite the understatement, and the vast majority of the Russian Navy's officers being on the side of the Czar in the civil war, it's not surprising that they did a lot of fumbling about. The whole ww1 wartime naval construction programme had been put on hold in 1917, and once the civil war was over, they went back and forth on what to do with the hulls that had been laid down for ships that would now inevitably be obsolete by the time they were finished. Mostly they just sat there, rusting, taking up dock space, before they eventually got scrapped years later. The Russian Navy already wasn't the greatest under the Czar, but the pre-ww2 Soviets were even worse, building fewer ships, of comparatively worse designs. At least that's my understanding based on limited research. Stalin's plans for the Red Navy were just impossible to execute by the 1930's Soviet Naval Yards, and definitely not with the limited resources they were provided.
Cutting your statement at that point makes it applicable across the board - the ambition / ability issue cost the Red Army dear in both 1941 and 1942, and even occasionally in 1943 (Belorussia) and 1944 (Budapest). Not to mention ignoring both foreign and domestic warnings about German plans in '41 and '42.
It's almost like people weren't always speaking truth to power and the decision makers got an overinflated sense of their armed forces' capabilities, almost. No idea why that would be, clearly the Soviet Union is the best nation on earth. Let's try not to reproduce these failures in-game, though with the AI in charge of many things, you never know what will happen.
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16th of September 1942, 'Odin', 10-day report #208
The 16th of September 1942, Vologda, 1,1°C, 10 am Moscow Time,
Report on the state of the Soviet Union for the ten-day period between the 7th and the 16th of September 1942,
by 'Odin'
Army: 2 Diviziya Opolcheniya (Garx3) has been deployed to Minsk.
A new Artillery Regiment, 139 AP has been deployed to 74 SD, XIX. SK, 4ya Armiya, 4th AG, Odessa HQ. It was the last rifle division on any active front to lack such a Regiment.
The first of the new peacekeeping brigades, 1. NKGBF Mitrochevskaya Brigada (Gar, Pol), has been deployed to Tampere, where it will make sure factories and coal mines remain unaffected by future insurrections.
180 SD (VI SK, 4ya Armiya, 4th AG, Odessa HQ) was forced to surrender to German and Hungarian forces in Uzhorod on the 12th of September. (see GPW update to come) Army numbers (Brigades/Personnel) Reserves included (these numbers don't include regiments being upgraded):
Due to a heightened demand for upgrades, no new production was started.
Army Leadership:
MajGen Sofronov was captured by Hungarian forces, along with his 180 SD, VI SK, 4ya Armiya, 4th AG, Odessa HQ. He has the dubious honour of being the most experienced commander to find himself in enemy captivity.
Brought back from pre-war retirement, MajGen Smirnov (SK2) was placed in charge of the new 2 DOp. (Garx3)
A freshly commissioned Major of State Security Zhyrdov (SK1, LW) was placed in charge of 1. NKGBFMB (Gar, Pol).
Air Force:
No change in VVS numbers, nor Navy Air Fleet numbers for the last 10 days.
No changes to VVS or Navy Air Fleet leadership.
Navy:
No changes to the Navy for the last 10 days.
Politics / International: France has accepted an offer of transit rights made by Nationalist China. While French Indochina does border Nationalist China, it's unclear where French troops would transfer to.
The USA has started influencing the government of Sweden towards the Allies. This is terrible news for the navy's hope that it could one day get it's hands on some Öland-class Destroyers. It's even worse news for the diplomatic service which was hoping to get Sweden into the Comintern. A quick assessment by 'Tri' has indicated that the Swedish government and populace are ideologically more inclined towards the Allies, and with active US support, there is little we can do to stop Sweden from joining the Allies. We can only hope that the Diplomatic Service shifts it's attention elsewhere before the deal can be sealed.
Battle of Britain:
The Luftwaffe returned to British skies, bombing Portsmouth 6 times, and Dover 18 times. There were even more attempts, as is shown by the 33 aerial battles over the former, and 64 aerial battles over the latter.
This didn't preclude the RAF form being active over the continent. Intercepting the Luftwaffe over their own Air Bases, aerial battles were fought over Rheims (54), Nantes (24), and Lille (12). Furthermore, an RAF unit in transit was intercepted over Autun.
Strategic bombing operations also met with resistance. The RAF's Halifaxes hitting Leipzig 3 times, despite being intercepted over Korbach 6 times, and 3 times over Leipzig itself. Attempts to bomb Austria were less successful, as the Heavy Bombers were intercepted 18 times right before they reached Salzburg, they were unable to bomb their target once.
Battle of the Atlantic:
The convoy war continues, heavily in favour of the Allies, with 141 Axis convoys sunk for just 12 Allied ones. Will the Axis ever run ot of convoys? Are they spending unholy amounts of resources to keep a lifeline of trade open through an Atlantic dominated by Allied Navies.
France:
Two new US-sponsored uprisings took place.
The first, starting some days ago in St. Amand Montrond, made it's way all the way to Moulins, on the outskirts of Vichy before it got some pushback.
The second just started in Cholet, to the South-East of Nantes.
Yugoslavia
The US-sponsored Zvornik uprising has taken hold of Sabac, just 56 km from Beograd, but Axis forces are close by to snuff it out. A second uprising around Perusic, further to the West, was less fortunate as it is about to be overrun entirely.
Athens - Greece:
United Kingdom (Surrender Progress / NU): 4,9 / 87,0 =
Italy (Surrender Progress / NU): 5,9 / 79,2 =
The British remain in control of the Greek capital, and Italian forces have pulled out of Nafplio after the RAF based Bristol Beaufighters in Athina and bombed the Light Tank Division 36 times.
A single attempt by the Regia Aeronautica to intecept the bombers over Athina and it's heavy AA emplacements did little to dissuade the RAF.
North Africa Front:
The front is frozen, as the British seem to be unable, or unwilling, to supply their troops. The British Merchant navy has neglected to send convoys to Tobruk, and thus the 1st Army is stuck having to get supplies through the desert from El Iskandarîya. This is made worse by the fact that the infrastructure just to the East of Tobruch is still damaged from previous fighting. Our analysts assume that the Italians haven't taken advantage of this because they suffer from similar shortages of supplies.
Despite inactivity on the ground, both Air Forces bombed troops at the front, before both sides withdrew all their forces from it. 24 Ground attacks on Ra's at Tin were flown by the Regia Aeronautica, and 30 missions on El Mechili were flown by the British.
The Naval Coastal Command flew another 15 missions over Reggio di Calabria, and 30 naval strikes on ships passing through the Straits of Messina, all without sinking any naval units. They then rebased to Athina and started port strikes on Varna, where the Bulgarian Fleet is located. They've flown 2 successful missions and have been intercepted once.
The Malta-based Heavy Bombers continued to be active. After missions into Bulgarian-held Greece were foiled time and again, with 19 Aerial battles in and around Salonica, they returned to bombing Italy, hitting Rome 4 times, before shifting their attention to Pecs, Hungary, at the very edge of the Halifaxes' range. They bombed the place 3 times in total, and were intercepted every time, but after they dropped their bombs.
The convoy war intensified in the Med. Besides Soviet efforts in the Aegean and the Adriatic, the Royal Navy sank a total of 129 Axis freighters, losing just 6 of it's own.
South East Asia:
United States of America (Surrender Progress / NU): 8,5 / 84,9 - (likely foreign spies)
United Kingdom (Surrender Progress / NU): 4,9 / 87,0 =
Japan (Surrender Progress / NU): 0,00 / 70,1
Netherlands, France (Government in Exile)
Indonesian Front:
Having to deal with the Mountainous terrain, the Japanese Division has yet to take control of another province of Dutch Java.
Malay Front:
The Far Eastern Theatre Command HQ was captured by the IJA as it's forces cut off the HQ's lifeline to Singapore by taking most of the Eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula. Japanese forces have also overrun the Singapore Garrison, which had unwisely ventured north in an attempt to save Kuaka Lumpur. They are now 80km from Singapore, which is defended only by the brand new understrength 'Singapore HQ' which was hastily assembled to take over from the Far Eastern Theatre HQ. Unless the Allies ship in reinforcements within the next week, the UK will lose the city and all it represents.
Japanese Carrier-based aviation isn't making matters easier, bombing the city 24 times, and launching naval strikes on ships exiting the port 64 times. They were intercepted only 3 times by British CAGs.
At least, war on the seas turned in favour of the Allies, sinking 145 Axis convoys for a loss of 67. Moreover, in a series of running battles around the Singapore strait, British Battleships sent 2 Japanese Destroyer Flotilla's to the bottom, losing no surface units of their own. HMS King George V sank the final ship of 5. Kuchikukantai, and HMS Revenge finished off 9 Kuchikukantai. Both Destroyer Flotilla's were made up of old Minekaze-class ships.
Pacific Front:
150 Axis convoys were sunk for 98 Allied merchant vessels. Most of the action took place in the area between the Marshall Islands, Hawai, Johnston Island, Palmyra, Phoenix Island, and the Gilbert & Ellice Islands (Kiribati).
Industry:
236 + / 430 + / 568 + Factories inTrondheim (1 IC) have started producing supplies (mostly canned fish, and fish oil products, including Glycerine) for the Red Army forces in Norway. Jelgava's Industrial complex (1 IC), has also started limited production after most of the debris was cleared and some of the battle damage repaired.
Lend-Lease aid was decreased a little to an average of 137 IC/day over the last 10 days. Aid was delivered every day with no interruptions for a total of 1.372 ICdays.
IC Usage: ( Allocated IC / Need )
Upgrades: 101,92 / 106,53 +
Reinforcement: 48,00 / 48,07 + The need for reinforcements varies wildly but remains over 20 IC.
Supplies: 70,00 / 59,28 = The supply stockpile has remained stable and there were no major supply issues, so the production and purchase of supplies has remained constant.
Production: 314,00 / 316,53 - With 315 units still waiting for the latest equipment and no increase in Lend-Lease aid to match, production spending was cut down.
Consumer Goods: 34,08 / 34,08 +
Stockpiles:
Energy: Maximum tonnes +
Metal: 97.712 tonnes -
Rares: 49.123 tonnes +
Crude: 94.484 cubic metres +
Supplies: 36.729 tonnes +
Fuel: 99.984 barrels +
Money: 1.377 +
Intelligence:
Spy numbers, spies in (active / added / lost / caught by us)
France (Supporting our Party / Covert Operations): 5 / 0 / 0 / 0
{ Germany (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ Japan (/): 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
{ UK (/) : 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 }
Other: 0 / 0 / 0 / 2
Total: 5 / 0 / 0 / 2
Reserves: 9
Spy training leadership expenditure: 1,09 + (a new spy every 6 days)
A spy from Finland, and a spy from Hungary were caught in the Soviet Union.
A reserve of trained spies continues to build up towards a GRU operation into Sweden. Some of the new recruits are Communist Norwegians, who are less likely to rouse suspicions in Sweden than Russians or Finns, especially as many pro-Axis Norwegians are likely to flood across the long Norwegian-Swedish border to escape the NKVD, and they might slip in amongst the crowd.
Research: A new version of the Lisunov Li-2, the Li-2D is ready for production. The main changes are to do with the cargo hold (Level 1).
The sound-deadening on the inside, a hold-over from the pre-war passenger version, was stripped out, the floor was reinforced, a second cargo door was added on the left hand side (opposite that on the right hand side), tiedowns for cargo were added, and rudimentary jumpseats were provided for paratroopers to sit on. All in all, the modification allow the Li-2D to carry 200 kg of extra cargo, bringing it's total capacity to 3.300 kg. This corresponds to 21 (+1) paratroopers with old equipment, or 27 (+2) paratroopers with lighter specialised Airborne Warfare Equipment. Thanks to these improvements, a single Transport Aviation Regiment can land 4 full Regiments of Paratroopers over the standard three runs (with some of the troops in gliders on the first run).
A Lisunov Li-2D, built specifically for the Soviet Military. It should be noted HOI3 actually gives you the model designation Lisunov Li-2V, the high altitude reconnaissance variant, as the level 1 transport plane, where the standard Li-2 is the level 0 transport plane.
As new, thirstier, aero engines are already in development, the next project is to improve the fuel tanks (Level 3) of our small aeroplanes. Leadership distribution:
Research: 20,80 (+0,13)
Espionage: 1,09 (+0,06)
Diplomacy: 0,19 (-0,02)
Officers: 12,00 = (72 Officers/day)
Total: 34,08 (+0,16) Researchers and Diplomaits from Jelgava have been able to resume their activities, now that Jelgava is firmly back in our hands.
Statistics:
National Unity: 83,223 =
Neutrality: 0,00 =
Dissent: 0,00 =
Manpower:
Available: 2.201.000 (-27.000) Reinforcing new reserve units and replacing casualties takes it's toll, but it's a cost we can bear for some time to come.
Men To reinforce(need): 18.300
Men To mobilise(need): See above
Monthly gain: 71.200 Men + (1 fully mobilised Infx3, Art, AT Division every 5,33 days)
No changes in Party Popularity and Party Organisation
This Information is accurate on the morning of the 16th of September 1942, I hope it serves you well in fine-tuning your possible suggestions.
It sounds like Germany has been contained but that Japan still is expanding its territory in mainland Asia. And the Middle East is still in the air. Which is good - let the Italians burn up men and equipment butting heads against the Brits.
I wish Allies were a tad more active in the Pacific. But what happens there, in the end, does not really matter much. Europe is the main course.
More below.
