'Odin' and Stalin's Secret Committee

[RustyHunter]

That was a really great conclusion to the spy drama, and everyone came out of it with their head (surprisingly)! It was really well written, and I enjoyed seeing Lyadov and XI's perspectives finally come together.

Socialist Norway is an interesting one, but you've done well explaining it.

I've enjoyed the discussion about the T-34, especially since I've always felt it was a bit overrated just because the gun and armor were good. There were a lot of quality/handling issues the Soviets never really solved that make it sound like a nightmare to actually fight in. It probably also contributes to the extreme losses of tanks the Soviets suffered throughout the war.

 

[El Pip]

I've enjoyed the discussion about the T-34, especially since I've always felt it was a bit overrated just because the gun and armor were good. There were a lot of quality/handling issues the Soviets never really solved that make it sound like a nightmare to actually fight in. It probably also contributes to the extreme losses of tanks the Soviets suffered throughout the war.

The T-34 is one of the classic examples of why the 'top trumps' style of weapons comparisons doesn't really work. It did have strong points apart from the gun and armour, like the fact it actually worked in the Russian winter, but as you say it was a nightmare to fight in.

There is a report of a PAK-36 gun team trying to kill one and firing off 23 shots before they finally damaged the turret ring and forced the T-34 to withdraw. This is stated as an example of the strength and durability of the T-34 which somewhat misses the point. What it actually shows is that the T-34 was so hard to fight and the crew had such poor visibilty and situational awareness they couldn't even find where they were being shot at from after two dozen shots, had such poor doctrine there was no infantry to support them and because of a lack of radio couldn't call in for reinforcements, air support or an artillery strike. Against something that could actually shoot back it would get massacred, and they duly did.

 

[RustyHunter]

The T-34 is one of the classic examples of why the 'top trumps' style of weapons comparisons doesn't really work. It did have strong points apart from the gun and armour, like the fact it actually worked in the Russian winter, but as you say it was a nightmare to fight in.

That is a very good point, and it was certainly a good enough tank for the Soviets to win, but I suspect the Soviets could have won with other tanks too.

There is a report of a PAK-36 gun team trying to kill one and firing off 23 shots before they finally damaged the turret ring and forced the T-34 to withdraw.

That is a great story, and it really illustrates the essence of the T-34.

Another one I enjoy is that drivers often used hammers to change gears because it would often get stuck otherwise.

 

[nuclearslurpee]

Of course, we were thoroughly disguised to fit in with the mix of factory workers, NKVD troops, apparatchiks, and Red Army and Red Navy officers. ‘Shest’ played the part of a riveter, and I was a welder. Our luggage was filled with alternative identities.

That last sentence is a rather artful way to strike an ominous tone, even if the following adventure was rather less...wet than the tone could have implied.

The Leningrad Philharmonic played Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony.

One wonders if this work would take on quite the heroic background air as it did in OTL, what with Leningrad not being under any great threat in this ATL.

“Not very well. They’re confused, screaming betrayal while at the same time warning the Soviet Union not to topple this Norwegian government. Some American politicians are arguing that Norwegians are now ruled by a Norwegian government, even going as far as to tout this arrangement as proof that the Soviet Union isn’t as ideologically rigid as it may seem, that this could be the prelude to a lasting normalisation of relations between the ‘democratic’ west and the Comintern.”

I like his optimism.

h, and the aeroplane crash that you were called about about ten minutes ago. That was General Markkur’s aeroplane, and yes, I was responsible for that too, even though the initial investigation will find a mechanical failure in the starboard engine’s fuel pump to be the cause of the accident.

Okay, treason is one thing and perhaps forgivable, but trying to off Markkur is too far. She must be executed at once!

I’m curious, ‘Shest’. Was General Markkur actually on board his plane when it crashed?”

“We haven’t identified all of the victims yet, but none of them was wearing a General’s uniform or fits his general build. Markkur’s Duesenberg also wasn’t spotted at the Airport after it was seen leaving the US consulate. My working theory is that he decided to drive himself to Moscow, either because he wanted to enjoy his automobile, or because he was afraid some kind of ‘accident’ would happen to his plane.”

...okay, fine. She can have a last meal first.

And yes, I'll admit, Markkur gets a bit of plot armour as I'm not ready to part with the character just yet, in remembrance to our old friend. I'm not saying I won't ever kill off the general, but if it happens it has to be a meaningful death.

No, no, no. This is Markkur we are talking about, a meaningful death is far beneath a character of his unique stature. What is required is some kind of utter nonsense involving a third-rate minor power and some overly large technological monstrosity which such a power should by no right have access to. Also at least three terrible puns.

Sorry to hear about your accident @roverS3 , a short break from writing while dealing with those issues sounds an excellent idea.

Be careful here, a "short break" in El Pip terms can be several years and be considered perfectly normal.

I must respectfully disagree with Odin and Shest, it was a terrible mistake letting Odinstatr go free as she is absolutely was guilty of treason even if she did her best to make up for it, which she botched as Markkur got away. Even if you believe her story, and frankly I am less than convinced, it is too risky to leave her alive as you can't ever really trust her again.

All I see is a lot of treason, and no one getting shot! This is no way to run a Soviet state.

The "ayes" have it, she must be executed. Makarov 9mms at the ready, gentlemen!

Indonesia Front:
The Dutch East-Indies are in big trouble now.

They'll be fine, it's almost time for Japan to suddenly stop being able to supply their troops so they just sit in place for the next two years and never seize enough land to lay claim to the DEI in the ensuing peace conference.

Better 58 that have a chance of doing something than 77 that only irritate your opponent! They’d be lucky to ever fire off 58 without getting brewed up anyway.

Makes sense to me, especially when the aim is to fight other armoured vehicles.

As El Pip has described, the original ammo loadout was likely intended for infantry support missions. Furthermore, doctrinally the Red Army was *TOTALLY NOT* thinking in terms of a Deep Operations concept, because the guy who came up with it got purged so clearly his ideas sucked. But if they had been using this terrible idea, they would have designed their mechanized units to be able to exploit behind the enemy lines and wreak a lot of havoc in the rear areas, a mission profile which one imagines would require a significant stock of ammunition and particularly the highly explosive sort which blows up enemy rearguards and supply dumps really nicely. Basically when you expect to win handily and crush the enemy, you plan to use a lot of ammunition, and once it turns out that you expect high losses suddenly you don't need as much and you have space for things like turret radios or tea kettles depending on your priorities.

 

[Bullfilter]

you have space for things like turret radios or tea kettles depending on your priorities.

It’s Russia, and if the crew got a vote (I know, it’s the USSR so they don’t) it would deffo be the kettle, every time! If you have a radio, it’s even easier to be ordered immediately to a glorious death. Which sucks, big time.

 

[roverS3]

That was a really great conclusion to the spy drama, and everyone came out of it with their head (surprisingly)! It was really well written, and I enjoyed seeing Lyadov and XI's perspectives finally come together.

Except for those Axis spies, and those OSS operators...

That last sentence is a rather artful way to strike an ominous tone, even if the following adventure was rather less...wet than the tone could have implied.

You have to be ready for any eventuality. If XI and Lyadov had not gotten on that train, a trip to to Leningrad, however dangerous that would have been, would probably have been necessary.

Okay, treason is one thing and perhaps forgivable, but trying to off Markkur is too far. She must be executed at once!

...okay, fine. She can have a last meal first.

Markkur has been a massive annoyance to the NKVD and the GRU since he arrived in the Soviet Union, I'm sure they wouldn't have minded if he had died in some kind of 'freak accident'. Her collusion with that same Markkur is much more of a reason for execution, at least in my opinion.

No, no, no. This is Markkur we are talking about, a meaningful death is far beneath a character of his unique stature. What is required is some kind of utter nonsense involving a third-rate minor power and some overly large technological monstrosity which such a power should by no right have access to. Also at least three terrible puns.

This does seem like fun, so I'll consider a more humorous and meaningless end to the dear General's life.

The "ayes" have it, she must be executed. Makarov 9mms at the ready, gentlemen!

I guess she can call herself lucky, for now, that the Soviet Union isn't some kind of decadent democracy...

Socialist Norway is an interesting one, but you've done well explaining it.

The return of the king is especially funny... Glad you appreciate the explanation.

One wonders if this work would take on quite the heroic background air as it did in OTL, what with Leningrad not being under any great threat in this ATL.

I suspect Shostakovich's 7th might not have actually been the same if Leningrad wasn't under great threat when he wrote it. Leningrad was his city through and through, he was born there, studied there, taught there, and wrote most of his music there. The music would have been different, and without the heroic background it would probably have ended up as just one amongst his Symphonies.

They'll be fine, it's almost time for Japan to suddenly stop being able to supply their troops so they just sit in place for the next two years and never seize enough land to lay claim to the DEI in the ensuing peace conference.

Yes, as much as we may hope for some more interesting and/or dynamic outcome, this is probably what will happen. I must note, however, that said inability to supply troops doesn't necessarily fall out of the sky, as one of the very few things the USN is actually doing against Japan is convoy raiding, and they are assisted by British and French submarines.

I've enjoyed the discussion about the T-34, especially since I've always felt it was a bit overrated just because the gun and armor were good. There were a lot of quality/handling issues the Soviets never really solved that make it sound like a nightmare to actually fight in. It probably also contributes to the extreme losses of tanks the Soviets suffered throughout the war.

The way the tanks were used also was very variable, sometimes as fire support for Infantry, sometimes entirely without Infantry support, all depending on the forces available. Early on in the war (before Lend-Lease from the US came through in a big way) there was also a shortage of trucks in Mechanised units, so Infantry couldn't keep up, except for those who rode on top of the tanks. Combine this with a lack of good doctrine (as the more forward thinking Generals were all purged and the guy who thought horses were the future of warfare kept his job) and you end up with tanks unsupported after a break-trough which then get picked off or chased away by enemy Infantry and Artillery. (much like the example below)

The T-34 is one of the classic examples of why the 'top trumps' style of weapons comparisons doesn't really work. It did have strong points apart from the gun and armour, like the fact it actually worked in the Russian winter, but as you say it was a nightmare to fight in.

There is a report of a PAK-36 gun team trying to kill one and firing off 23 shots before they finally damaged the turret ring and forced the T-34 to withdraw. This is stated as an example of the strength and durability of the T-34 which somewhat misses the point. What it actually shows is that the T-34 was so hard to fight and the crew had such poor visibilty and situational awareness they couldn't even find where they were being shot at from after two dozen shots, had such poor doctrine there was no infantry to support them and because of a lack of radio couldn't call in for reinforcements, air support or an artillery strike. Against something that could actually shoot back it would get massacred, and they duly did.

Those elusive soft factors like visibility, communications and crew comfort really can make all the difference on the battlefield. That's an interesting report, entirely believable and indicative of the flaws in the T-34 and in Soviet tank doctrine.

It’s Russia, and if the crew got a vote (I know, it’s the USSR so they don’t) it would deffo be the kettle, every time! If you have a radio, it’s even easier to be ordered immediately to a glorious death. Which sucks, big time.

Much easier to get away with pretending you didn't see some guy waving a flag 100 m away than with pretending you didn't hear the radio, even better if you get to drink tea while you pretend not to see the guy with the flag.

Be careful here, a "short break" in El Pip terms can be several years and be considered perfectly normal.

The 'short break' continues. Progress is slow and sporadic, as whether I work on the AAR is very much contingent on the progress I make on my Master's thesis, due in August. I am quite far along though, just not sure when I'll find the time for those final touches to the graphics.

 

[roverS3]

30th of October 1942, Vologda, 2,3°C, 6pm Moscow Time

In order to better frame the events of the Great Patriotic War, a new framework has been elaborated. Rather than one update every ten days covering all the fronts, the reports will be split along geographic lines but cover a thirty-day timeframe. Three reports have thus been written by ‘Dva’s team and put together by myself, all three cover the period between the 30th of September and the 30th of October 1942. This first one covers the Baltic and Byelorussian Military Districts.

Baltic Special Military District (PribOVO): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:

With most of the Red Army’s Tank units allocated to this area for months now and not much to show for it, things finally take a turn for the better as our tanks break through to Palanga, trapping tens of thousands of Axis troops to their North.

The Baltic Special Military District as it stood on the 30th of September 1942. Above are all the forces that will be thrown into battle during the next 30 days.

1st Baltic Front (PribOVO / Latvian SSR): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:
"Thank Stalin for the SU-122!" - MajGen. Barinov on the 8th October as reports of Tiger tanks getting blown up by 15. SAUP's self-propelled 122's start coming in after two days of slow and bloody local withdrawals in the face of 6 sPzD.

30th of September to 10th of October

16 SD was evicted from Valdermarpils (1) on the 2nd of October after nearly three days of fighting against both 10a DivAlp & 6 sPzD. (800/250 KIA). Dobele (2) was liberated on the 4th by 11 TD. Two successive German probing attacks from the south were easily shrugged off as reinforcements poured into Dobele. Follow-up attacks into Saldus (4) to the North (5th, 8th-10th) proved unsuccessful at dislocating Genlt. Praun’s 61 ID & 93 ID. (510/390 KIA) A push into Vainode (3) on the 6th encountered little resistance as our T-34’s routed a Bulgarian Cavalry Division in one afternoon. (3/140 KIA)

10th to 20th of October

A strong German attack on Vainode (3) by 233 PzGD & 183 ID under Genlt. Schulz forced 11 TD to withdraw after three days (8th-11th) of fighting (670/770 KIA). Another attempt was made to take Saldus (4) on the 12th. MajGen. Sergatskov pushed his 142 SD & 61 SD to exhaustion over the next two days (12th-14th) as German Infantry (61 & 93 ID) took full advantage of the dense forest, using ambushes and local counter attacks to devastating effect. 7 KavD charged into Saldus (3) on the 16th, facing now three Axis divisions alone, with predictable results. (2020/970/53 KIA). MajGen. Moskalenko’s attack on Vainode (3) proved just as stubborn and unsuccessful as 7 MSD & 6 SD fought tooth and nail for four nights and three days (12th-16th) in a futile effort to dislodge 233 PzGD & 87 ID.

The battle of Tukums (5) ended after seven days (4th-11th) of bitter fighting. By the end, MajGen. Petrushevskij and Maj.Gen. Barinov had lead four rifle divisions (61, 64, 90 SD, 76 GvSD) through the meat grinder in an effort to hold off Genlt. Angern’s 6 sPzD, backed up by 10a DivAlp. & 61 ID. (2450/1170/280 KIA) The next day, 64 SD routed an entirely disorganised 6 sPzD in Stende (6) on first contact. But, on the 14th, 206 SD arrived to block their advance, resulting in five days of heavy fighting (14th-19th) before the province was finally liberated.(1240/1410 KIA). On the 17th there was a victory in Valdemarpils (1) as 41 SD routed the already disorganised 10 DivAlp in a single day.

Bottom left: 16th of October 1942: Riflemen from 38 SD march through the village of Stoniškiai in the Taurage province. (2nd Baltic Front)

20th to 30th of October

A fresh 36 ID successfully evicted an exhausted 64 SD from Stende (6) on the 20th. Their success was short-lived as a three-division (17, 41, 61 SD) counter-attack dealt with the intruders in an afternoon (22nd) and even the arrival of the Bulgarian Cavalry wasn’t enough to save them (340/570/210 KIA). Two overly optimistic follow-up attacks (27th & 29th-30th) on Aslunga (7) by MajGen. Zaev’s 17 SD turned into bloody defeats as his riflemen faced three to four times their number, including the dreaded 233 PzGD (1510/290 KIA). 41 SD made short work of 10a DivAlp, which was recovering in Ventspils, taking the province in just over a day of fighting (26th-28th) (260/430 KIA).

Another failed attack on Saldus (4) by 102 SD on the 22nd prompted MajGen. Pokrovski to go for a two-pronged three-Division approach (61, 85, 102 SD). This proved even more successful than anticipated and 61 & 93 ID were routed in the middle of the night (26th-27th), in just four hours (870/770 KIA). Hungarian Genlt. Bakay tried his luck attacking Dobele (2) with 9 Gly. 6 Red Army Divisions were already on the way to the province and the Hungarians quickly saw their numerical disadvantage worsen from 1,5/1 to almost 16/1. It took them 16 hours (20th-21st) before they withdrew (40/680 KIA). After rolling peacefully into Vainode (3) on the 24th, left empty by a retreating 9 Gly, 15 TD found itself under fire from the North (87 ID) and the North-East (61 ID). After two uncertain days, 6 SD arrived, reinforcing the defence, the battle ending in victory on the 26th. Three days later a probe by 233 PzGD was easily shrugged off. (1120/1050 KIA)

2nd Baltic Front (PribOVO / Lithuanian SSR North of the Memel): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:
"Keep shooting, and at some point they'll run out of reinforcements."- MajGen Kondratchev on the 15th of October after four days of the grinding offensive to take Pogegen. In the event, his men stopped shooting before the enemy ran out of reinforcements.

Determined to close the gap to the Baltic, the 2nd Baltic Front put on the pressure. (see picture above)

MajGen. Kreizer’s 203 MSD & 7 KavD pushed into Plunge (1) on the 30th of September. Things started of well as they faced only Genlt. von Randow’s SSD ‘Reich’, but soon enough 16 ID & 183 ID reinforced the defenders, evening out the odds. A hard-fought victory was won on the 4th of October after three days and four nights of fighting. The province wasn’t liberated right-away, and on the 12th, 183 ID resurfaced attempting to block the advance of seven Red Army Divisions into Plunge (1), they folded in one afternoon. Three Axis probes (14th, 16th & 20th) into the province were easily repulsed with heavy, mostly Hungarian, casualties. (1660/1240/810 KIA)

With Plunge (1) secure, STAVKA was in a rush to close the gap to the Baltic and take Palanga (3). Initial Axis resistance was light, Hungarian, and easily swept aside (15th & 16th). 12 KavD was unable to exploit these victories, and on the 17th, heavier resistance was met in the shape of 4 ID & 14 Gly under the capable command of Genlt. Haase. The battle was decided six days later by the arrival of 6 sPzD, which finally forced MajGen. Boldin’s armoured cavalry to withdraw at midnight on the 23rd. Just one hour later, MajGen. Kirponos lead 163 MSD & 71 SD into Palanga (3), where 14 Gly had been replaced by 6 Gly. 235 SD joined in the next day and by the 27th, two days after 4 ID & 6 Gly had withdrawn, the Tigers finally broke under the pressure. With significant Axis forces now trapped to the north, SSD ‘Reich’ counter-attacked on the 29th, but was successfully held off after a day of fighting by 163 MSD & 235 SD. (2420/2610/1100 KIA)

In Rietavas (2), to the South, 12 TD swept aside 10 Gly with relative ease (6th-8th), only to forced back by a strong three Division (36 ID, 76 ID, 41 FD) German counter-attack (9th-10th). Another Red Army attack went in on the 15th under leadership of MajGen. Antonov A.I.. Facing of against 76 ID & 10 Gly, 82 MSD was outmatched initially, but STAVKA proved quite generous with reinforcements, sending in 43 SD, 8 TD, & 12 TD over the following days. Genlt. Straube was forced to withdraw on the 18th, after the Hungarians were routed. (1140/1940/210 KIA)

To secure the Southern flank of the advance towards the Baltic, 5 KavD & 4 GvTD charged into Pogegen (4) on the 11th. MajGen. Kondratchev’s force booked some early success against 36 ID & 31 TP, lead by Bulgarian General Valkov, but despite routing 36 ID in a day, the Hungarians held on long enough for a well-rested 5 sPzD to arrive and spoil the fun and even the odds. Unable to dislodge the Tigers in the end, our exhausted forces withdrew on the 16th, after six days of fighting. The very next day, despite a brief spoiling attack on Taurage (5), those same fearsome Tigers were pushed out in an afternoon by 38 SD, 5 sPzD being exhausted from the previous battle. It took until the 29th for Genlt. Jodl to mount a massive three-pronged offensive to retake those crucial woodlands. MajGen. Kurasov had his work cut out for him as his three divisions (38 SD, 198 MSD & 11 TD) faced off against six enemy formations spearheaded by more German Heavies. (2 sPzD, 36, 75, 88, 30 ID, 41 FD) Luckily, the Tigers, and two other divisions had to cross the river Memel, and the attack was held off as the enemy withdrew after just one day of bloody fighting. (2980/2700/1310 KIA)

Buoyed by previous victories, 1 GvTD charged into Memel on the 21st. Despite being outnumbered 6 to 1 by GenInf. von Esbeck’s forces (30, 88, 76 ID, 41 FD, 5 sPzD), most of which were admittedly somewhat worse for wear, MajGen. Shtern’s T-34’s pressed on for an entire day before calling it quits as the enemy held firm. (1120/530 KIA)

3rd Baltic Front (PribOVO / Lithuanian SSR South of the Memel): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:

A single short-lived cross-river attack on Alytus on the 20th was shrugged off by our forces. (140/120/3 KIA)

Baltic Military District (PribOVO): VVS report:

Enemy activity and aerial combat
The full might of the Luftwaffe’s bomber force was thrown, piecemeal, into the area to try and halt the Red Army’s push to the Baltic.

Over the 1st Baltic Front, Valdemàrpils (1) was first to get hit on the first of the month by the Ju-88’s Gen.d.Fl. Keller’s FK VII, Lt.GenAv. Rog’s VI IAK made short work of them. III IAK intercepted Genlt. Kitzinger’s 3. FD over Stende (6) on the 20th, easily dispersing the unescorted bombers. A second attempt on Valdemàrpils (1) by FK III was fought off by LtGenAv. Vorozheikin’s fighters on the 27th, who then followed the Ju-88s to Stende (6). That same day, in Tukums (4), a low-level attack by the Hs-129’s of 3. FD was easily dispersed by VI IAK. LtGenAv. Martynov’s transports were hit over Stende (6) by Gen.d.Fl. Klepke’s Bf-109G’s this morning, suffering rather heavy losses, mostly amongst the escorting La-7’s, before Vorozheikin’s Yakovlev’s swooped in to chase the JK I, seemingly the only substantial German fighter unit on the Ostfront, away.

A passing raid on Dobele, the next day was not detected in time, but once Genlt. Göring’s 1 FD, and Genmaj. Siburg’s StG. 2 had converged on Tukums (4), they were hit with the full force of VI IAK. Returning early on the 9th, the combined bomber force made up of Hs-129’s and Ju-88’s was intercepted two more times by LtGenAv. Astakhov’s fighters. The Ju-88’s of FK VI hit Vainode (5) that same day and were chased off by Rog’s Yak-7’s. Two days, later, Gen.d.Fl. Bülowius’s FK III was chased off by III IAK in Tukums (4), which then did the same to Gen.d.Fl. Kesselring’s FK IV over three battles on the 12th. Siburg’s Henschel’s returned on their own on the 18th, and were dispatched in short order by Vorozheikin’s Yakovlev’s. Some passing Li-2s got caught up in the fighting, but their La-7 escorts managed shield the transports while the Yak-7s went to town on the Germans.

Dobele (7) was hit again on the 22nd, but this time III IAK arrived in the nick of time to ruin Gen.d.Fl. Mahnke’s day.

To the South, over the 2nd Baltic Front, Siauliai (2) was the first target of FK IV, Gen.d.Fl. Kesselring’s bombers being chased off promptly by the Yak-7’s of II IAK on the 1st of October. Taurage (3) was hit four days later, by the Ju-88’s of FK V, here too LtGenAv. Astakhov’s fighters prevailed. Genlt. Sperrle’s experience was much the same as his FK I was decimated and forced to flee the same location (3) three days later. As the noose tightened on a significant chunk of Heeresgruppe Nord and the threat of encirclement became imminent, FK VII tried to slow things down by bombing our spearhead in Plunge (8) on the 27th. Rog’s Yakovlev’s were quick on the scene, decimating Gen.d.Fl. Keller’s bomber formations not once, but twice on the same day. As our forces reached the Baltic Palanga (9) on the 29th, the luftwaffe went all in, sending in FK I and FK III at the same time at sunrise. The pilots of VI IAK soon arrived to take advantage of this ‘target rich environment, but despite their enthusiasm, dogfights and German bombing operations continued throughout the day before both sides returned to base to lick their wounds.

VVS bombing operations
Despite the increased Luftwaffe activity, our own bombing operations continued nearly unimpeded.

Air support to the 1st Baltic Front was plentiful, with 24 ground attack missions over Stende (6) by LtGenAv. Zhigarev’s I ShAK (1st-8th & 10th), and LtGenAv. Golovanov’s I BAK (14th-18th). A few kilometres to the South, another 22 missions were flown over Saldus by LtGenAv. Goryunov’s V ShAK (4th-8th), I ShAK (12th-14th & 16th-17th), and II BAK (27th). A further 10 strikes on Vainode were delivered by II BAK (13th-14th), I ShAK (15th), and V ShAK (17th-18th). Aslunga was hit nine separate times by LtGenAv. Yakovlev’s II BAK (20th) and I ShAK (25th-26th & 29th-30th). Finally, a few passing strikes were flown over Ventspils on the 27th & 28th.

The 2nd Baltic Front saw similar levels of support, with a particular focus on Palanga (9). 24 missions were flown over the key province by I ShAK (9th, 11th, 19th-20th), II BAK (10th, 21st-24th), and V ShAK (25th-27th). A thorn in the side of our spearhead, German forces in Pogegen were hit with 12 ground attack missions by II BAK (11th) and V ShAK (12th-16th). Plunge (8), on the Northern flank of the spearhead saw 11 strikes, all by V ShAK (1st-3rd & 9th-11th). It was also there that, on the 10th, that JK I tried to intercept our Il-10’s as they were in the middle of a bombing run. Luckily the La-7 escorts managed to hold of the Messerschmitts, until LtGenAv. Astalhov’s Yakovlevs arrived a few minutes later to save the day. That was the only interruption of our bombing operations in the Baltic area of operations. Memel was also targeted a total of 9 times, by II BAK (9th & 29th-30th) and I ShAK (21st-22nd). There were also a few passing strikes on Rietavas on the 17th & 18th.

The lack of action didn’t preclude the VVS from taking some initiative over the 3rd Baltic Front. MajGenAv. Kalinin’s lumbering TB-3’s flew 15 logistical strikes over Labiau (1st-12th) and another 5 over Tilsit (13th, 15th-16th, 18th, & 20th) after which the crews were spent, the planes needed work done, and more importantly, the road and rail infrastructure in the targeted areas had been comprehensively wrecked, reducing supply, and opportunities to escape, for German troops to the North. A few ground attacks were also flow over Labiau on the 29th and 30th by V ShAK.

Byelorussian Special Military District (BOVO): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:

As units have been shifted to the north to complete that crucial encirclement, the line has become dangerously thin. Our forces are on the back foot, our attacks go nowhere while the Wehrmacht gains ground. Only the timely arrival of a fresh Motor Rifle Corps stems the tide before we loose the crucial Air Base in Zelva. Let us hope they can hold the line long enough for reinforcements to make their way South. The marshes and forests are sure to help with that.

The Byelorussian Special Military District as it stood on the 30th of September 1942. Above are all the forces that will be thrown into battle during the next 30 days.

1st Byelorussian Front (BOVO / Byelorussian SSR Neman/Memel bend): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:

Our forces in Mosty (1) on the 20th shrugged off a probing attack on the 20th. (10/120 KIA)

2nd Byelorussian Front (BOVO / Byelorussian SSR between the Neman & Prypyat): 2 AG & Arm AG / Moskva HQ:
"I have a message for the boche; No further! And you will deliver it for our motherland. Not with words, but with lead and steel. Slonim is where we make our stand." - MajGen. Maslennikov riling up his troops as reports of another German attack on Slonim reached him on the 20th of October.

30th of September to 10th of October

German forces walked into Wolkowysk (1) unopposed on the 1st of October, a probe by 57 MSD faltered after four hours (70/60 KIA). This was soon followed by an attack on Zelva (4) by 209 SD & 11 SS-PzGD ‘Nordland’ on the 2nd. Despite some heroic delaying actions by MajGen. Chuikov’s 57 MSD & 3 KavD, genlt. van Faber du Faur’s force was victorious two days later. The province was briefly retaken on the 6th as 3 Soviet divisions routed an exhausted 57 ID upon first contact. 135 MSD arrived in Zelva (4) on the 7th, and immediately came under fire from 10 SD & 11 SS-PzGD, forcing the motorised rifle Division to withdraw the next day (1340/870 KIA).

Just to the South, Rozana (5) didn’t fare much better as 6 KavD broke under the pressure from 15 & 10 ID (mot) on the 5th after two days of fighting having inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers. A brief probe into the province on the 7th went nowhere and was called off after two hours (410/770 KIA). In Swislocz (2), an exhausted 6 KavD was forced to withdraw after a single day of fighting. (1st) (210/150 KIA)

After three days of fighting, MajGen. Karpon’s two-pronged attack on Domonovo (3) with 135 MSD & 106 SD bore fruit as Genlt. Rommel’s 57 & 216 ID were routed on the 2nd. The success was short-lived as 135 MSD was counter-attacked by 8 PzD on the 4th before it could even start to dig in, the panzers prevailing on the 7th. A forceful probe by 206 & 156 SD later that day was called off after few hours with no progress (1920/2950 KIA). A gap in the Soviet line in Malkowicze (7) allowed a German Infantry Division to take the province unopposed.

3 TTGvD & 14 TTGvD pushed into Dywin (6) from the South on the 3rd. Genlt. Sachs’s 162 ID took full advantage of the river ? to hold off the IS-2s, Sappers, & Guards riflemen. Despite his overwhelming avantage in numbers and firepower, MajGen. Kravchenko was forced to call it quits on the 5th as his men had exhausted themselves in their repeated river-crossings (500/650 KIA).

10th to 30th of October

Following up on their successful offensive of the beginning of the month, the Wehrmacht launched an ambitious two-pronged attack into Slonim (8) on the 20th. Genlt. Erfurth was in for a nasty surprise as his 20, 33, & 10 ID ran headlong into MajGen. Maslennikov’s three fresh motorised rifle Divisions (36, 106, & 196 MSD), all expertly dug in in the dense forest. Three days of gruelling battle later, victory was ours. A second attempt on the 29th by Genlt. Raus’s 60 ID, and later also 10 ID, was bloodily beaten back the next day by the same Soviet force, now reinforced by 156 MSD (1860/3990 KIA).

The back and forth over Domonovo (3) continued as 206 SD & 156 SD pounced on 10 ID (mot) as soon as it arrived in the area on the 10th. Even the superior tactics of Genlt. Müller An. proved insufficient to hold of MajGen. Lyudnikov’s superior force and victory was ours after four days of heavy fighting. Once again, the Red Army proved unable to consolidate on this win as 156 SD faced strong attacks from three directions as soon as it arrived in the province on the 14th, being forced to withdraw once more the next day. Then, later on the 15th, 206 SD tried and failed to dislodge 214 ID from Domonovo (3). On the 19th, a fresh 185 MSD was thrown into battle to try and dislodge Genlt. von und zu Grote’s 214 ID, which it succeeded in doing three days later. MajGen. Grechko’s motorised riflemen were however too exhausted to move into the now empty province (2260/3150 KIA).

MajGen. Eremenko had his two divisions (15 MSD & 3 KavD) attack 211 ID in Malkowicze (7) on the 19th. Genlt. Eberle’s infantry, dug in in the marshes held for nearly four days before they were routed. (970/1120 KIA)

Baltic Military District (PribOVO): VVS report:

VVS bombing operations

With our forces spread thin on the ground, it was hoped that the VVS might slow the enemy offensive. Despite giving priority to the Baltic offensive, we managed, by quickly rotating otherwise idle air units in and out, to supply more than adequate air support over Byelorussia.

The major battleground of Domonovo saw 23 ground attack missions by I BAK (30th-2nd), LtGenAv. Rudenko’s IV ShAK (10th-13th & 16th), and V ShAK (19th-22nd). 9 missions were flown over Malkowicze by IV ShAK (3rd, 19th-20th, & 22nd), and I BAK (21st). Wolkowysk was also hit 9 times, by I BAK (3rd-4th), II BAK (5th), and IV ShAK (7th-9th). In Bereza the enemy was bombarded 7 times by IV ShAK (4th-7th). 6 Ground attacks were flown over Rozana by IV ShAK (14th & 24th) and I BAK (23rd & 30th). A few passing bombing runs were also flown over Dywin and Swislocz.

To really slow down the enemy bulge, MajGenAv. Reshetnikov’s 2 DBAD flew 17 logistical strikes over Kobryn, destroying the lifeline of the German advance to buy time for the Red Army to fill the gaps in the line.

Overview & summary (2nd AG - North):

The war north of the Pripyat was very much a tale of two halves as the bulk of our armoured and motorised forces managed to rather securely trap over 70.000 enemy combattants against the Baltic Sea in a grinding offensive against heavy enemy resistance. More enemy forces managed to get out than we might have hoped, but it is still a sizeable catch. In the meantime, a smaller scale Wehrmacht offensive pushed back the relatively thinly spread 2nd Byelorussian front and was eventually halted more by (partly VVS-induced) supply issues than by a strong and well-prepared defence.

On balance, it was a good month. Clearing the Baltic pocket will free up sizeable forces to claw back our losses in Byelorussia and to prepare the next offensive. Up next is our report on the main front south of the Pripyat and the Hungarian front. (Kiev Special Military District & Odessa Military District)

As always, your input is valued, be it on military strategy or on the way events are reported,

Greetings,

'Odin'

OOC: I have graduated with a Masters in Architecture in September. This changes things, and I needed some time to figure out what my next step would be and how to take it exactly. Now that my ducks are mostly aligned and I'm sending out resumés and portfolios, I finally found the time and energy to get back into 'Odin' and finish what I started with the new, and now that it is set up, less time-intensive, reporting system for the GPW. I'm planning to release these three reports about a week apart, to allow for some discussion and to keep the amount of reading to be done to a somewhat reasonable level (I know, not necessarily my strong suit). After that, I'll probably get back into some narrative.
P.S. Looks like the HOI3 sub-forum has been pretty dead these last few months. The good news is that means I have less to catch up on than expected. I hope you're all well and wish you all a great end of the year.

 

[Bullfilter]

Great to see the return of the AAR.

graduated with a Masters in Architecture in September

Excellent, congratulations! How exciting.

new, and now that it is set up, less time-intensive, reporting system

Wise approach.

Looks like the HOI3 sub-forum has been pretty dead these last few months

Yes, it’s been a bit quiet. I’m still some way off starting a new HOI3 AAR myself as slowly TT goes through the last of its epilogue phase. RL intervened to slow down work on my new mod too.

The war north of the Pripyat … managed to rather securely trap over 70.000 enemy combattants against the Baltic Sea

Tough fighting with fair results, albeit an enemy push back. But it’s good (for the story) that the enemy is putting up a good fight. But they will crack in time.

More enemy forces managed to get out than we might have hoped, but it is still a sizeable catch.

It is. Eventually, they are going lose the resilience to survive all these losses, while the USSR will not.

 

[Wraith11B]

Squeaking in before the end of the year to hit for the YAYAs, eh?

Good update! Love the format.

 

[Eurasia]

Germany isn't going to be able to handle so many losses and soon the lines will be too thin. And then they will crack.

 

[serutan]

Is there a risk of the Krieigsmarine rescuing some of the troops in the Baltic pocket?

And yes, the HOI3 forum has been quiet, especially after Eurasia went off to Vicky3 to see if it could ruin his save files as thoroughly as HOI3.

 

[roverS3]

Wise approach.

Good update! Love the format.

I'm glad to be back, and even more so to have the return and the new format be so well recieved.

Tough fighting with fair results, albeit an enemy push back. But it’s good (for the story) that the enemy is putting up a good fight. But they will crack in time.

I'm still using Army and Army Group level AI to fight the war, which keeps things somewhat close against the enemy AI's. I agree that having some setbacks is good for the story, but realistically it looks unlikely that the Soviet Union will lose the war at this point.

It is. Eventually, they are going lose the resilience to survive all these losses, while the USSR will not.

Germany isn't going to be able to handle so many losses and soon the lines will be too thin. And then they will crack.

A war of attrition does favour the Red Army. The vastly disproportionate amount of air support the VVS delivers speeds things up, as does taking prisoners.

Is there a risk of the Krieigsmarine rescuing some of the troops in the Baltic pocket?

There is a risk, though it is rather small. Lots of German transports and landing craft have been sunk already, so it is unlikely that the Kriegsmarine has many transports available. There are Red Navy submarines patrolling along the entire German Baltic coast, so we would see the transports coming. Incidentally these subs will also sink most convoys the Germans might try to use to keep the pocket supplied through Liepaja. Finally, the battle for Liepaja is ongoing, and currently in our favour, and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet is on it's way back into the Baltic, (more details to follow in the third of the three GPW updates which covers naval action and Norway) so the window for the Kriegsmarine to act is closing rapidly.

Squeaking in before the end of the year to hit for the YAYAs, eh?

It does seem to be that way, even if it wasn't my primary intention, it's a nice bonus...

And yes, the HOI3 forum has been quiet, especially after Eurasia went off to Vicky3 to see if it could ruin his save files as thoroughly as HOI3.

@Eurasia has made me paranoid about my save files. I have the saves for 'Odin' on three different devices, and even if the latest one is corrupted, the one before that is 5 in-game days away... I do hope Vicky 3 treats him better...

Yes, it’s been a bit quiet. I’m still some way off starting a new HOI3 AAR myself as slowly TT goes through the last of its epilogue phase. RL intervened to slow down work on my new mod too.

I look forward to your next endeavours, but there's no rush, take all the time you need.

 

[El Pip]

A triumphant return for both the writer and the Soviets!

have graduated with a Masters in Architecture in September.

Congratulations indeed and good that you took the time after achieving this to have a think about what to do next. Best of luck with your applications.0

"Keep shooting, and at some point they'll run out of reinforcements."- MajGen Kondratchev on the 15th of October after four days of the grinding offensive to take Pogegen. In the event, his men stopped shooting before the enemy ran out of reinforcements.

I do love these little vignettes, especially the dry as dust last sentence. Wonderful stuff.

 

[roverS3]

30th of October 1942, Vologda, 2,3°C, 6pm Moscow Time

The second part of this report covers the Southern part of the main front, covering Ukraine and it's four fronts covering three countries and two military districts.

Kiyv Special Military District (KOVO): 3 AG & Arm AG / Brjansk HQ:

This area turned into a bloody stalemate as any beachhead or breakthrough is mercilessly crushed an neither side seems to be able to hold on to any gains. As the Red Army forces in this area are slow and mostly geared towards the defence this isn’t surprising.

The Kyiv Special Military District as it stood on the 30th of September 1942. Above are all the forces that will be thrown into battle during the next 30 days.

The territorial losses of the 2nd Byelorussian front are starting to dangerously stretch the 1st Ukraine front’s North-facing front line though the Pripyat river and surrounding forests and marshes do provide a significant defensive terrain advantage.

1st Ukrainian Front (KOVO / Ukrainian SSR between the Prypyat & Western Bug): 3 AG & Arm AG / Brjansk HQ:
"We will strike in the middle of the night and push them out of Kowel once and for all. Make the motherland proud and show them our hospitality. Let's give them the hundred-fifty-two millimeter fireworks they deserve!" - MajGen. Ptuhin on the 11th riling up his officers at the start of the 10th battle of Kowel.
Despite a resounding victory by his forces, thanks in part to a 4-1 advantage in both men and artillery, the area was since lost again to an even larger Axis force.

30th of September to 20th of October

A two-pronged offensive was launched on the 11th of October to liberate Kowel (6). With 75, 10, & 87 SD under his command GenMaj. Ptuhin was well equipped to take on Genlt. von Knobelsdorff’s 45 & 62 ID. It still took two days before the enemy was forced to withdraw. A Hungarian counter-attack was easily shrugged off on the 20th. (1100/1610/250 KIA)
On the 5th, 54 & 48 SD could take no more and Switaz (2) was lost to the Axis. Under attack from three directions, MajGen. Cheryak’s riflemen had held off Genlt. Guderians larger multinational force (3 ID, 16 ID (mot), 1 GbjD, 21a DF) for five days. Two weeks later, MajGen. Baranov V.I. lead a massive three-pronged six-divisions offensive to retake it from 16 ID (mot) & 21a DF. Genlt. von Massow’s force held on for just two days before withdrawing in turn. (2500/2560/930 KIA)

In an impressive display of what some would call overkill, five rifle Divisions simultaneously charged into Zamosc (1), from three directions, late on the 30th of September, 20 ID (mot) had no real answer for our near 7 to 1 numerical superiority, withdrawing after just one day of delaying actions. It would take until the 16th for 223 ID to attack the province, then held by only 122 SD, in turn. After two days of struggle, our riflemen were forced to retreat. For unknown reasons, German forces did not occupy Zamosc (1), allowing 14 SD to simply march in unopposed. (550/640 KIA)
In an attempt to exploit the victory in Zamosc (1), 181 SD pushed on into Chelm (3), forcing the Bulgarians of 15-ta PD to withdraw on the 7th after less than two days of battle. Arriving in the province on the 11th, 181 SD was immediately under fire from across the river. With little regard for casualties, Hungarian Genlt. Ternegg pushed his division (2 TP) to keep up the pressure, only withdrawing, after three days, when all of his men were either dead, wounded, or absolutely exhausted. There was no rest, however for MajGen. Obukhov’s riflemen as they were attacked once more the very next day by 3 PzD & 9a DivAlp. Attacking from the West, the Panzer III’s of Genlt. von Manstein’s division were not hindered by any rivers. 181 SD was simply outmatched in every possible respect. They held for three days and four nights before withdrawing on the 18th. (1350/460/460/1210/580 KIA)

MajGen. Bondarev lead a two-pronged offensive into Bilgoraj (4) with 169 SD & 10 TTGvD. The opposing Hungarian-German force (33 TP & 143 ID) under the command of Hungarian Gen. Litay had no real answer for our IS-2’s and guards riflemen. Victory was ours on the 7th after less than two days of fighting, or so it seemed. One hour later, 169 SD reported renewed resistance from 143 ID, and it took another three nights and two days before they were forced to withdraw once again. On the 10th, 16-ta PD had made it’s way into Bilgoraj (4) leading to another two-day battle wherein 104 SD routed the Bulgarians. When 104 SD finally arrived on the 13th, MajGen. Tiulenev’s riflemen were immediately attack from three sides by a massive force under Genlt. Strauss. (6, 5, 9 ID, 16 PzGD, 33 TP). Even the fact that all but two of the enemy Divisions were attacking across the river ? could’t save our riflemen from a crushing defeat. They withdrew after just half a day of intense fighting. (2210/1360/660/180 KIA)

The attack on Krasnystaw (5) by 169 SD pitted our riflemen against 8 TP. What was expected to be an easy win turned into four days of intense fighting before the stubborn Hungarians finally withdrew on the 9th. 169 SD, still somewhat disorganised, came under fire from 223 ID as soon as they arrived in Krasnystaw (5), forcing them to retreat after just half a day of delaying actions. (870/250/1190 KIA)

20th to 30th of October

75 SD arrived in Switaz (2) on the 21st only to be faced with a German four-division (3, 46, 28, 221 ID) offensive which forced them to withdraw the next day. When GenMaj. Rodimtsev’s 72 GvSD made another attempt to liberate the area on the 24th, they found all four of Genlt. Guderian’s divisions had already arrived. It took another day for our him realise the futility of the attack and to order the retreat. A third attack on Switaz (2), by GenMaj. Baranov V.I.’s 113 SD met with much the same fate on the 28th. (3080/840 KIA)

On the 25th, it became clear that Genlt. Guderian had been holding back, as he launched a two-pronged seven-division (3, 28, 46, 21, 228 ID, 4 & 14 PzD) offensive to take Kowel (6). Outnumbered nearly 6 to 1, MajGen. Missan’s 87 SD stubbornly held on for an entire day before breaking under the pressure. MajGen. Kozlov sent in his 179 SD in the hope that they might arrive before the enemy had been able to dig in. Even though this was the case, 4 PzD arrived before them, starting another battle. STAVKA poured in reinforcements as 62 & 10 SD would eventually join the attack, but it was not to be. After 28 ID also reinforced the enemy lines, the battle turned decisively in Germany’s favour and our riflemen were withdrawn on the 30th. (2250/1200 KIA)

After two days of battle 14 SD was forced out of Zamosc (1) by 11 Gly, on the 21st. The arrival of 16 PzGD in the province, on the 22nd, prompted a strong two-pronged counter attack from MajGen. Dement’ev. Under pressure from 23, 169 SD & 10 TTGvD, Genlt. Röttinger’s Panzer-Grenadiers withdrew from Zamosc (1) after two days of fighting. The back and forth continued as 23 SD came under heavy fire when it arrived in the contested province on the 25th, holding on just a single day before yielding to 5, 9, 182 ID. A feat that was repeated by 169 SD on the 27th, with similar results. (2910/2250/610 KIA)

2nd Ukrainian Front (KOVO / Ukrainian SSR between the Western Bug & Dniestr): 3 AG / Brjansk HQ:


30th of September to 10th of October

Axis forces marched unopposed into Humenne (2) on the 5th, and Jaworow (3) on the 9th. A weakness in the Axis line was spotted as Gorlice (1) was held by a single Hungarian Division. 13 & 189 SD were sent into a two-pronged attack over the river San. For four days The riflemen whittled down 30 TP until the latter withdrew in tatters on the 5th. (410/720 KIA)

10th to 30th of October

Rawa Ruska (6) came under attack on the 22nd. 4 sPzD was attacking across the river ?, making the Tigers easy prey for the IS-2’s of 10 TTGvD, and the 100mm Anti-Tank guns of 23 SD. The enemy withdrew that evening (130/480 KIA). Under the command of MajGen. Dement’ev. six rifle divisions (23, 42, 139, 11, 13, 45 SD) descended onto 95 ID in Jaworow (3), striking simultaneously from the North and the South on the 9th. Genlt. Böttcher was forced to sound the retreat by lunchtime, having lost nearly a sixth of his division (170/1340 KIA). A series of short-lived probes into Jaroslaw (4) followed. (13th, 16th, 21st, 23rd & 27th) (390/120 KIA)

Anxious to make up for their mistake, the Wehrmacht organised a vast couter-offensive into Gorlice (1), and when 189 SD arrived there on the 9th, it faced simultaneous attacks from four direction. Outnumbered 3 to 1 by Genlt. Dietrich’s multi-national force (8, 21 ID & 1 PzD, 9 TP & 8 Fly), MajGen. Korshilov’s riflemen managed to delay the inevitable for two days before their withdrawal was ordered. After this defeat, the defences in Gorlice (1) were probed three more times (16th, 21st, & 24th) with consistently disappointing results. (1400/230/210/2/2 KIA)

Two enemy probes into Sanok (5) (20th & 21st) were followed by a serious attack on the 23rd. It took nearly 2 days before 4 PzD was withdrawn from it’s assault across the river San. Another attempt by 36 ID (mot) failed after a single day on the 26th, and a final enemy probe that same day lasted less than an hour. (220/900/610 KIA)

Kyiv Special Military District (KOVO / Ukraine SSR North of Dniestr river): VVS report:

Enemy activity and aerial combat
With the Luftwaffe concentrating their forces more to the North, the VVS faced a smaller number of mostly less advanced aircraft from Slovakia, Hungary, and even Italy in support of Heeresgruppe Sud.

The Slovak Air Force returned on the 1st with Gen. I tr. (genlt.) Reznak’s A.304’s attempting to strike our troops in Switaz (1). They were intercepted before reaching their target, and lost nearly half their number before they managed to break contact with LtGenAv. Rychagov’s Yakovlev’s. They proved slightly more successful in Zamosc (4) on the 25th, where Reznak’s I BP managed to bomb our troops before losing over a third of their number to the same fighters of IV IAK.

On the 9th, over Grybow (2), IV IAK came to blows with Hungarian CR.42 biplanes, taking down ten of them before parting ways and heading on to Gorlice (3), where Gen.d.A.A. Briganti’s 4 DBT was closing in on our force. Over a third of the Italian CANT Z1007s was downed before they fled with their tails between their legs.

VVS bombing operations
The area east of the Bug river, to the South of Brzesc Litewski saw a lot of bombardment starting with 13 missions over Maloryta by LtGenAv. Rudenko’s IV ShAK (1st-3rd, 16th-18th) and LtGenAv. Golovanov’s I BAK (12th-13th & 22nd). Kowel, more to the East, saw 11 strikes by MarshallAv. Novikov’s II ShAK (11th), LtGenAv. Kutakhov’s III ShAK, I BAK (12th-13th), and IV ShAK (28th-30th). A few kilometres to the South, 8 missions were flown over Switaz (1) by IV ShAK (25th), and II ShAK (26th-28th). Rudenko’s first run on the 25th was intercepted by the remnants of genmaj. Fisser’s JG 4, which were in turn chased away by LtGenAv. Rychagov’s Yakovlevs after close to half of the Messerschmitts had been shot down. As German troops briefly crossed the Sluch River, they were hit by a few passing air raids by II BAK.

Further to the South-West, the 1st Ukrainian Front saw plenty of air support, starting with 10 missions over Chelm by II ShAK (1st-5th). This was followed, a bit further to the West, by 11 strikes over Kransnystaw by LtGenAv. Yakovlev’s (6th-7th & 16th-17th) and I BAK (19th-20th). A few kilometres to the South, another 11 ground attacks were flown over Bilgoraj to the by II ShAK (6th-8th), III ShAK (25th), and I BAK (27th-28th). Zamosc (4), right on the Western bank of the Bug saw 10 missions after the province was lost by III ShAK (23rd-24th & 26th) and II ShAK (23rd-24th).

Over the 2nd Ukrainian Front, 12 missions were flown over Gorlice (3) by III ShAK (1st-3rd & 14th-16th). 7 strikes on the enemy in Wlodawa by II ShAK (15th-18th). A few passing bombing runs were flown over Jaroslaw (13th-14th). Slovakia was hit with 8 ground attacks on Humenne by III ShAK (7th-8th) and II ShAK (9th-10th).

Odessa Military District (OdVO): 3 AG & 4th Army / Odessa HQ:

The hoped for encirclement of the Hungarians facing the 4th Ukrainian Front hasn’t materialised due to the combination of a (relative) lack of fresh troops and heavy targeted Axis counter-attacks. The line is being shortened, however, and while some of our previous gains have been lost, many Hungarian units have come out of this month dangerously weakened. We’ll have to see whether our commanders will be able to press home our advantage next month and continue to roll up the Hungarian front line from East to West.

The Odessa Military District as it stood on the 30th of September 1942. Above are all the forces that will be thrown into battle during the next 30 days.

3rd Ukrainian Front (OdVO / Hungarian Border West of Skole) 3 AG & 4 AG / Odessa HQ:
"This is like the great war all over again. They just keep coming, wave after wave, and we keep mowing them down." - General Erastov as he looks over the wooded Dniestr valley in Uzhorod on the 8th of October. Every few minutes a tree is set alight or thrown up into the air by a mine, a booby trap, a grenade, or an artillery shell. The trees made seeing what was going on difficult, but the explosions weren't coming closer, indicating no real enemy progress over the last three days despite heavy German casualties. Erastov's attack on Svalava earlier in the week hadn't been much more subtle, but of course the Colonels in the room avoided bringing that up.

30th of September to 10th of October

After a few quiet days, Uzhorod (1) came under attack by 12 ID & 2 Gly on the 3rd. 154 & 182 SD were dug in and ready, forcing the enemy to withdraw that evening. A second Axis attack by 12 ID & 2 Pesi Divize started on the 5th under the command of Genlt. Böhme. Having just been given a third division (183 SD) to defend the area, MajGen. Erastov had the upper hand from the start. The German-Slovak force took a heavy beating before retreating on the 8th after nearly three days of combat. (580/1850/250/430 KIA)

When 184 SD counter-attacked into Sop (2) on the 3rd, they faced nearly three times their number (16 Gly, ‘Szent Laszlo’ Ply, 6 TP, & 36 ID (mot)). MajGen. Erastov was forced to call off the attack two days later to defend Uzhorod (1) despite having routed half of the defending force already. (760/10/630 KIA)

Having just walked into Svalava (4) unopposed, MajGen. Vinogradov lead his 27 SD into a determined attack on Mukacevo (3) on the 3rd. They faced three Divisions (231, 12 ID & 2 Gly) under the command of Genlt Conrath. Despite their numerical disadvantage our riflemen pressed on for two days before withdrawing. A Hungarian counter-attack on Svalava (4) easily swept aside the battered 27 SD the next day (6th). 159 SD started moving into the area to plug the gap, but their advance was cut off by 37 TP on the 7th. A three day battle ensued after which Svalava (4)was liberated once again on the 10th. (1320/480/1320 KIA)

10th to 30th of October

On the 13th, a three-pronged attack spearheaded by Genlt. Schmidt R.’s 1 PzD, with 28 & 34 TP in tow, hit Uzhorod (1). 182 SD took full advantage of the river San to hold of the Panzers, but succumbed to the weight of the enemy numbers after three days of stubborn resistance. As soon as 1 PzD arrived in Uzhorod (1), the tired tank crews were charged down by 56 & 184 SD. Genlt. Schmidt was forced to withdraw two days later, before any Axis reinforcements had arrived. MajGen. Novikov V.V. pressed on and when the two Hungarian Divisions blocked 56 SD’s path on the 19th, he ordered another attack. This proved to be one battle too much for the brave but tired riflemen and the advance petered out after just one day. A further attack on Uzhorod (1) started on the 20th with 176 & 183 SD, but the Hungarians held them off until the whole thing was called off after just one day. (2130/910/1110 KIA)

In Drohobycz (5), 56 & 141 SD were attacked on the 26th by 2 Gly & 1 Pesi Divize. The Hungarians withdrew on the 27th, leaving Genlt. Kubela to lead his division in a heroic last ditch attempt to dislodge our forces, all to no avail as he was forced to withdraw his spent forces one day later. A Hungarian short-lived probe was easily shrugged off on the 29th. (180/320/810 KIA)

A Bulgarian attack on Svalava (4) by 8-ta PD was easily beaten back by 159 SD on the 17th. This emboldened MajGen. Novoselski, and he ordered an all out counter-attack on Mukacevo (3) the next day. Genlt. Lakatos’s five division defensive force (‘Szent Laszlo’ Ply, 12, 14, 24, & 28 Gly) looked impressive on paper, but most of his units were disorganised from previous combat. On the 20th, with three of the enemy Divisions already routed, the riflemen were withdrawn as they were on their last legs. A Hungarian counter-attack by 7 TP that same day proceeded to push 159 SD out of Svalava (4) after just one day of fighting. A final attack by 143 SD failed to make much progress against 1 & 20 Gly, and was called off after one day on the 30th. (1100/1700/780 KIA)

4th Ukrainian Front (OdVO / Hungarian Border East of Dolina) 3 AG & 4 AG / Odessa HQ:

Rachov (1) was liberated on the 3rd of October following a brief skirmish with the remnants of 32 TP. (10/30 KIA)

MajGen. Morgunov launched his 141 SD into a very optimistic attack on Chust (2) on the 3rd. Facing off against 10-ta PD, 4 & 5 TP, our riflemen pressed on. After three days, the attack was reinforced by 55 SD, with 141 SD withdrawing on the 7th, just as 7 TP reinforced Genlt. Vatev’s defence. Now with a disadvantage close to 3 to 1 things weren’t looking good for us, and on the 11th, after 5 TP had been routed, the operation was called off entirely. Five days later, 143 SD charged into the province, finding a more even fight with 7 & 32 TP. After three days, the Hungarians pulled out of Chust (2) on the 19th. It is not clear why 143 SD hasn’t moved to liberate the area. (2250/1320/990 KIA)

Kyiv Special Military District (KOVO / Ukraine SSR North of Dniestr river): VVS report:

Enemy activity and aerial combat
Here, the Luftwaffe was entirely absent, while more Italian bombers have appeared to reinforce the Hungarians. Of course, what they really need is modern fighters to protect those bombers so they might actually influence the fighting on the ground, lucky for the VVS they continue to operate with near-impunity, especially in this area of the front.

The surprise appearance on the 4th of IV Squad Aerea over Uzhorod (1), under the command of Marsc.d.A. Balbo (rumours of his death have been greatly exaggerated) resulted in disaster for the Italians as the CANT Z1007 bombers were mercilessly torn to shreds by LtGenAv. Rychagov’s IV IAK long before they could reach their intended targets. Over a third of the enemy planes was shot down for just 4 Yak-7’s. Three days later Hungarian Junkers of Vezérönagy Hellebronth did little better against our Yakovlevs also losing a third of their strength over Uzhorod (1). Another attempt on the 27th had a similar result.

Not to be outdone, Altaboirnagy Rapaich and Vezérönagy Orosz, tried to disrupt our operations in Drohobycz (2), the former on the 17th with his Ju-86s, losing over a quarter of his force, and the latter on the 19th, losing three quarters of his Stuka’s. Rychagov’s fighters were having a field day with only a single airframe lost.

VVS bombing operations

The 3rd Ukrainian Front’s attempts to trap part of the Hungarian border forces against the Romanian border were supported by the VVS, first with 11 ground attacks on Mukacevo by III ShAK (4th-6th) and later by II ShAK (19th-20th & 22nd). This was followed by 13 missions over Svalava, to the North_East, by II BAK (8th), III ShAK (9th-10th), I BAK (24th-26th), and II ShAK (30th). Later on, to the West, 10 strikes were flown over Uzhorod (1) by III ShAK (17th-21st & 27th). On the 21st, our operations were briefly interrupted (1) by hundreds of Hungarian CR.42’s, LTGenAv. Rychagov’s IV IAK arrived too late to save the bomber formations, but just in time to enact bloody revenge by downing twice as many planes as the enemy had managed. There were also a few passing attacks on Sop on the 4th. A few logistical strikes were flown over Sop (3) by LtGenAv. Reshetnikov’s 2 DBAD starting on the 16th, until the Tupolevs were intercepted by Altaboirnagy Rakosi’s biplanes on the 19th (3), they were quickly chased away by Yak-7’s from IV IAK.

The 4th Ukrainian Front was supported by 14 strikes over Chust by I BAK (5th-11th).

Overview & summary (3rd & 4th AG - South):

Despite losing some of the more tenuous gains of last month, the line in the South remains quite stable. There have been some small gains by both sides, but it remains to be seen whether these too will wither away once the next round of counter-attacks start going. There is some optimism about reports that the Hungarians are starting to break, but as of yet we haven't seen definitive proof that they are failing across the line, outside of a few seemingly isolated incidents.

In the air, the VVS' dominance is even stronger than in the North, and the arrival of Italian bombers on the scene only gave our fighter pilots more targets to shoot at and paint on the sides of their Yak's.

The main take-away here is that the concentration of our offensive armoured forces up North hasn't lead to a collapse along the rest of the front. If we didn't manage to encircle a few Hungarian Divisions, the operation to do so drew in forces which might have wreaked more damage further north, were our own line was thinner.

Now that the main front has been covered for this latest period, the next report will take you to Scandinavia and the high seas, before concluding with a brief general overview.

Greetings,

'Odin'

 

[Bullfilter]

The dour fighting continues, where it seems the fight to gain anything is usually hard enough that the gain cannot be held. A familiar phase of such huge wars, before one side or the other becomes too hollowed out to sustain it any longer.

This area turned into a bloody stalemate as any beachhead or breakthrough is mercilessly crushed an neither side seems to be able to hold on to any gains.

A motif for many a battle at the moment.

Despite a resounding victory by his forces, thanks in part to a 4-1 advantage in both men and artillery, the area was since lost again to an even larger Axis force.

There’s always a bigger fish!

"This is like the great war all over again. They just keep coming, wave after wave, and we keep mowing them down." - General Erastov as he looks over the wooded Dniestr valley

Erastov's attack on Svalava earlier in the week hadn't been much more subtle, but of course the Colonels in the room avoided bringing that up.

Both the action and the irony of the observations conjure up that tragic conflict.

56 & 141 SD were attacked on the 26th by 2 Gly & 1 Pesi Divize

The Hungarians withdrew on the 27th, leaving Genlt. Kubela to lead his division in a heroic last ditch attempt to dislodge our forces, all to no avail as he was forced to withdraw his spent forces one day later.

Kubela, sharpened pencil in one hand and emptied hip flask in the other, prepared a drunken report to send back to Tiso and Tuka in the Command Hovel back in Bratislava. He will probably blame Czech <spit> fifth columnists for undermining Hungarian resolve.

 

[serutan]

Kubela, sharpened pencil in one hand and emptied hip flask in the other, prepared a drunken report to send back to Tiso and Tuka in the Command Hovel back in Bratislava. He will probably blame Czech <spit> fifth columnists for undermining Hungarian resolve.

If Slovaks are that fond of the sauce, it is little wonder the Czechs are sending in, um, fifth columnists.

 

[Bullfilter]

If Slovaks are that fond of the sauce, it is little wonder the Czechs are sending in, um, fifth columnits.

Well, according to @El Pip they are and I cite him as the definitive source on everything WW2 Slovakian! <pop - glug glug glug>

 

[El Pip]

As the summary says, mixed news from this front. Though to an extent if this front can be kept 'quiet' while massive progress is made elsewhere than that probably counts as an overall strategic win. And now onto more important things, the Slovak parts.

The Slovak Air Force returned on the 1st with Gen. I tr. (genlt.) Reznak’s A.304’s attempting to strike our troops in Switaz (1). They were intercepted before reaching their target, and lost nearly half their number before they managed to break contact with LtGenAv. Rychagov’s Yakovlev’s.

The table says the Slovaks lost 78 out of 95 aircraft deployed, I accept that is nearly half but it is a lot nearer to three quarters!

On the one hand it is not surprising a failed airliner makes a terrible CAS aircraft. On the other hand the Slovaks only built 19 of the things in OTL (and one of those was for Bulgaria) so they have somehow built at least 5 times as many. This implies they have some kind of aircraft industry in the country, which is nice. Though admittedly they are going to lose it all to the invading Soviets which is less nice, but of course this is Slovakia were even the silver lining to the dark clouds are mostly made of more dark cloud.

Well, according to @El Pip they are and I cite him as the definitive source on everything WW2 Slovakian! <pop - glug glug glug>

This is a 100% true T&T fact.

Kubela in particular drinks because he misspelt his name on the Army application form and should be Kubala . However under Slovak bureaucracy such things are written in stone, not out of any strict rules but because they haven't invented paper and so literally have to carve all their records into stone.

 

[roverS3]

A triumphant return for both the writer and the Soviets!

The triumphalism of any return is directly proportional to the duration of the returnee's absence, contingent of course on the quality of the work not dropping too much... Quite the compliment indeed from the likely champion in triumphal returns, so it pleases me to be able to stand in such impressive company.

Congratulations indeed and good that you took the time after achieving this to have a think about what to do next. Best of luck with your applications.

Not too much luck yet. I'm gradually widening my net so I might score some elusive job interviews...

I do love these little vignettes, especially the dry as dust last sentence. Wonderful stuff.

I do like writing them, even if they aren't in any way inspired by the real life character of the Generals in question they give a less statistics- and map-driven view of the war. In a way I'm putting quotes to the AI's often pointless or strange decisions...

As the summary says, mixed news from this front. Though to an extent if this front can be kept 'quiet' while massive progress is made elsewhere then that probably counts as an overall strategic win.

Yes. In the grand scale we've still come out ahead. But if a front is just hanging on, it is vulnerable to an increased enemy concentration of force, which is what happened, to an extent in Byelorussia. The question is really how we can win faster, and with less bloodshed. All while using the AI to do most of the work, and avoiding excessively gamey tactics.

The dour fighting continues, where it seems the fight to gain anything is usually hard enough that the gain cannot be held. A familiar phase of such huge wars, before one side or the other becomes too hollowed out to sustain it any longer.

Let's hope we can achieve victory without having to entirely hollow out the German manpower pool as that would mean a proportionate number of casualties on our side...

A motif for many a battle at the moment.

Both the action and the irony of the observations conjure up that tragic conflict.

For all the talk of manoeuvre warfare much of the front sees Infantry fighting infantry with artillery support and trench systems. Sure, the air support is a bit more effective and the weapons are a bit better, but in the end it's a bitter grinding struggle in which each kilometer of land temporarily gained is paid for in blood. Very reminiscent of the great war indeed, and even of the current conflict in Ukraine in some ways.

There’s always a bigger fish!

Indeed.

And now, in the words of El Pip...

onto more important things, the Slovak parts.

The table says the Slovaks lost 78 out of 95 aircraft deployed, I accept that is nearly half but it is a lot nearer to three quarters!

On the one hand it is not surprising a failed airliner makes a terrible CAS aircraft. On the other hand the Slovaks only built 19 of the things in OTL (and one of those was for Bulgaria) so they have somehow built at least 5 times as many. This implies they have some kind of aircraft industry in the country, which is nice. Though admittedly they are going to lose it all to the invading Soviets which is less nice, but of course this is Slovakia were even the silver lining to the dark clouds are mostly made of more dark cloud.

The 78 aircraft lost is due to two separate engagements. In the first of those engagements, they did lose 44 of 95 planes, or nearly half. They've lost a total of 167 A.304s since the start of the war, so by this stage they've built more than ten times the historical number... Slovakia having an actual aircraft industry, rather than 19 planes built in a shed, does seem to be a surprising twist of this ATL. It's even more impressive when you consider they started the war with 112 planes, and have already delivered more than 80 new airframes to replace losses, all in a few months.

Kubela, sharpened pencil in one hand and emptied hip flask in the other, prepared a drunken report to send back to Tiso and Tuka in the Command Hovel back in Bratislava. He will probably blame Czech <spit> fifth columnists for undermining Hungarian resolve.

Czechs undermining Hungarian resolve is definitely an interesting picture. Whatever they did, Stalin is sure glad for them to keep doing it...

If Slovaks are that fond of the sauce, it is little wonder the Czechs are sending in, um, fifth columnists.

Well, according to @El Pip they are and I cite him as the definitive source on everything WW2 Slovakian! <pop - glug glug glug>

This is a 100% true T&T fact.

Kubela in particular drinks because he misspelt his name on the Army application form and should be Kubala . However under Slovak bureaucracy such things are written in stone, not out of any strict rules but because they haven't invented paper and so literally have to carve all their records into stone.

If they can't even spell the General's name right on the stone records, that points to more salient issues than a few Czech fifth columnists and inebriated generals. Of course, it is not entirely impossible that those responsible for carving his name in stone might also have been 'on the sauce' when they were doing so and thus mistook the 'a' for an 'e'. So maybe they're all incompetent because they drink too much to deal with the incompetence of the others who also drink too much...

I've now played ahead to the 29th of November, and there let's just say I've had to change my plans a little due to a few surprises... no spoilers. Norway, Navy, and general summary up to the 30th of October will be posted during the coming week, unless I find a job very quickly and don't have time to polish it before the weekend.

 

[roverS3]

30th of October 1942, Vologda, 2,3°C, 6pm Moscow Time

The third part of this report covers the secondary fronts in Scandinavia and the Navy's activities, and gives a general overview of the war in the period between the 30th of September and the 30th of October.

Leningrad Military District (LVO): 1 AG / Leningrad HQ:

With a pocket forming around a corps-sized Axis force in the South of Norway, things were looking promising at the start of the month. Offensive operations to the north would find the worsening weather a serious hindrance to combat operations, and especially to fast movement. The use of Paratroopers in the Narvik Area (3rd Norwegian Front) helped a little, but the weather is only getting worse, and soon the VDV will be needed elsewhere.

The Leningrad Military District's active fronts as they were on the 30th of September 1942. Above are all the forces that will be thrown into battle during the next 30 days.

1st Norwegian Front (LVO / Southern Norway / Oslo-Bergen): 8ya Armiya / Leningrad HQ:

On the 2nd of October, Genlt. Hell called off the attack on Rollag (2). MajGen. Anisimov’s 112 GSD had won the day after five days of fighting with 13 & 78 ID. Bo (1) was liberated by 177 SD on the 30th of September after a brief skirmish forcing 13 ID out of the provinces, and the attack on Rollag (2).MajGen. Efremov’s 177 SD pushed on into Kongsberg (6) on the 4th, routing 78 ID by nightfall, and overrunning and capturing GenInf. Brandt F.W.’s 9. Armee HQ as they liberated the area on the 6th.
(930/1920 KIA - 0/1000 POW)

128 GSD prevailed in Honefoss (3) on the 3rd after beating off repeated shock attacks by Genlt. von Vietinghoff-Scheel’s 27 ID for four and a half days. Drammen (5) was then taken on the 4th after a brief skirmish between 1 VDD & 128 GSD and the battered 27 ID (650/780 KIA). Along the coast, 15a DF was swept aside in half a day by 70 & 86 SD in Brevik (4) on the 4th.

Tonsberg (7) proved a tough nut to crack. 128 GSD went in on the 6th, facing 13 & 78 ID. They had to call it quits the next due to a lack of progress, the mountaineers being somewhat out of their element on the coastal plains. On the 9th, a short-lived probe by 70 & 177 SD was called off within the hour, revealing that the number of defenders had doubled. This prompted 15a DF to move into Skien (8), where it was attacked on the 12th by 70 SD which had already been advancing unopposed into that province. The Italians started withdrawing towards Tonsberg (7) on the 15th, with 70 SD on their heels before being forced to surrender on the 17th. This Axis surrender followed a major offensive organised by MajGen. Briukov in Tonsberg (7). 2 VDD performed an Airborne Assault on the 13th, reinforced hours later by an overland push by 177 SD, and on the 16th by 70 SD. Genlt. Hell’s three divisions were fighting for their very existence, and they put up one hell of a fight. 13 ID was the first to surrender on the 15th, followed by 27 ID the next day, and finally 78 ID in the morning of the 17th. (1790/1960/150 KIA - 0/20180/4440 POW)

MajGen. Batunia took his XXXIV GSK HQ on a tour of the Swedish border area. They moved North until the roads became too bad for their staff cars, then turned Westward into Koppang (9), where they crossed the river Glomma and a the reconnaissance platoon found the road and railroad to Trondheim blocked by a Gebirgsjägerdivsision. The headquarters not being equipped for a fight, made it's way Southwards along the Oslo-Trondheim railway, all the way to Hamar (11).

After the battle of Rollag (2), 112 GSD was pulled off the line and sent Westwards to clear the Bergen-Oslo Railroad in Geilo (10) before turning Northwards to go deal with the German Mountaineers near Trondheim and establish a Trondheim-Oslo land connection. Scaling the frozen mountains, they first reached Tyin (12), and then Lom (13). 128 GSD was also pulled off the line after it’s failure in Tonsberg (7) on the 7th. After making their way back to Oslo, they were ordered to clear the territory just north of the Norwegian capital. They arrived in Dokka (14) today, after clearing four provinces.

2nd Norwegian Front (LVO / Central Norway / Trondheim): 8ya Armiya / Leningrad HQ:

The first order of business for XXIII SK was to push to the Swedish border, this was achieved on the 9th when the SU-100 Tank Destroyers of 26 SAUP, which had been sent ahead of the Infantry, rolled into Roros (1). This also sealed off the German held Areas South of Trondheim from the Swedish border. XXIII SK HQ moved southward, through Ulsborg (2), and into Dombas before turning back as it’s path was blocked by German Mountaineers.

After moving North into Hell (3), 86 SD engaged 12 PzD & VIII Armeekorps in Sulstua (4). Despite a lack of supplies, GenOb. von Brauschitsch organised multiple hard-hitting counter-attacks, and it was only when the enemy switched to regular delaying tactics that MajGen Primakov T.S. gained the upper hand by ordering an all-out Assault. It took an entire week to force a German withdrawal on the 21st. Due to the freezing weather, 86 SD has yet to liberate the area. Meanwhile, 67 SD cleared the area along the Swedish border up to Meraker (6), and 73 SD moved up along the coast into Steinkjer (7)

3rd Norwegian Front (LVO / Northern Norway / Narvik): 8ya Armiya / Leningrad HQ:

5th to 20th of October

1 VDD parachuted into Narvik (1) on the 5th of October, encountering no resistance beyond a squad of Feldgendarmerie and a few Kriegsmarine officers.

The 14th saw American Commando’s and some locals trained and armed by said commando’s took control of Bodo (2). A forested area on the coast. The next day they started to move towards Sorfold (3), a natural chokepoint on the road between Narvik and Trondheim. This stoked worries that the Norwegian SSR could end up cut in two by an Allied enclave, and more immediate worries that connecting the 2nd and 3rd Norwegian fronts over land could become impossible. In response, 1 VDD was split in two with 3 VDP staying in Narvik and the two other Regiments boarding their Lisunovs once again. Upon landing in Sorfold (3) on the 17th, 6,000 burly paratroopers easily dissuaded the 3,000 or so OSS-trained Commando’s from pushing towards the Swedish border.

Meanwhile, the mountain riflemen of 46 GSD were dropped in Narvik (1) by the Baltic Fleet on the 15th. They immediately marched into Bonnes (4), facing only token resistance from some German officers who must have gotten lost.

20th to 30th of October

On it’s way back to Narvik, 1 VDD marched into Hamaroy (5), in effect trapping the US-trained commando’s in Bodo (2). Meanwhile, 3 VDP walked into Ballangen (6) establishing a supply line between Narvik and 1 VDD before quickly turning back to Garrison the port.

Our mountaineers continued clearing territory to the North of Narvik (1) despite temperatures close to -20°C, walking into Andselv (7). 46 GSD has now also been split as 511 GSP will be turning westward to clear the Fjords, while the bulk of the division continues towards the Air Base in Tromso.

Danish Front (LVO / Zealand / Copenhagen): XXXIII SK / Leningrad HQ:

Four Axis attacks across the Great Belt Strait on our forces in Slagelse, the longest of which lasted all of six hours resulted in vastly disproportionate casualties. (18/1.210 KIA)

Overview & summary LVO (1st AG - Scandinavia):

Southern Norway has been cleared, and all of Norway's major harbours are firmly in Comintern hands. The first units have been pulled out of Norway by Navy while remaining forces continue mopping up, slowed more by frostbite, white fog, and snowstorms, than by enemy opposition. The nascent Norwegian government continues to be dependent on the Red Army to clear the socialist republic of German forces.

Red Banner Baltic Fleet & VVS operations (KBF - Scandinavia):

Enemy air operations & aerial combat
Oberst Ritter's SaG 129 was intercepted by our Fighters over the Öresund (1) on the 12th. Our Yakovlevs made short work of the Ju-290s downing a third of their number before they could disengage. This made GenLtAv. Skripko somewhat overconfident, and when German fighters were detected over Stettin (2), that evening, V IAK was there to bring the fight to GendFl. Milch's Messerschmitts. This aerial battle lead to relatively equal losses. However, our squadrons proved to have been more thoroughly disorganised when JK IV returned the favour over Copenhagen (3) the next morning, twice, resulting in over one-hundred Yak-7s shot down for 75 Me-109's, and this despite the La-7VM's of 2 & 8 KPA helping out. Two Fighter Divisions had to be sent back to Leningrad to reorganise and repair leaving V IAK on slightly less than half strength.

Ritter's naval bombers were intercepted over the Ölandsund (4) on the 27th, this time by 7 KPA, which was soon joined by the half-strength V IAK. A follow-up battle over the Eastern Baltic only compounded the damage for the Luftwaffe, with a total of 17 Ju-290s downed for just 5 of our fighters. Having once again failed to intercept our fighters when they were hunting naval bombers, the Luftwaffe sent in Genlt. Fiebig's JK V to take revenge over Copenhagen on the 28th. The three hundred or so Messerschmitt's were met by a mix of La-7VMs from 2 KPA, 7 KPA, and Yak-7's V IAK also totalling about three hundred. Both sides lost over 50 planes during the battle and LtGenAv. Skripko's V IAK will have to be relieved soon if we want to continue to contest the sky around and over Copenhagen.

Despite the cost, continuing agressive air patrols out of Copenhagen serves the additional purpose of keeping several Jagdkorps busy and far from the VVS's many bombing operations on the main front, not to mention it also adds a layer of protection to the RBBF beyond what it's own CAP can provide.

Enemy naval operations

Our vital Lend-Lease convoys from Boston were targeted by two Axis submarine-attacks at the Western Norwegian trench in the final week of October. The Red Banner Baltic Fleet has now been tasked with escorting the convoys, joining up with them near the Faroe Islands, and bringing them in all the way to Leningrad. We hope to sink a few submarines but will settle for dissuading further attacks for now.

VMF Naval operations
The convoy raiding areas of our submarines have been shifted towards the west as Riga is firmly in our hands once again. VII FP covers the crucial area between Bornholm and Liepaja, ready to spot, harass, and discourage, any German attempts to resupply or evacuate the Pocket around Liepaja. IX FP covers the area around Zealand, between Bornholm and Göteborg, over Copenhagen. II FP covers Fredrikshavn and the Southern tip of Norway. V FP covers the German North Sea coast and the Northern part of the Dutch coastline. Of course, in the Baltic our Submarines benefit from the availability of some serious air cover, but not in the North Sea. It remains to be seen whether German SaG will manage to take advantage of this gap in our air cover, or whether they'll continue to throw planes away in the Baltic. In total, four German Freighters were sunk in the Baltic, none were on their way to Liepaja.

VMF Bombing operations

Following the Naval Battles in the Skagerrack, and with the RBBF parked off shore to intercept any escape attempts, they continued port strikes on Fredrikshavn. Over eleven missions spread over seven days, with over two-hundred-fifty planes, the harbour and the battered Kriegsmarine forces were reduced to rubble and scrap metal. Tirpitz, six Destroyers and a troop transport ship were all sent to the bottom. Combined with German naval losses to the Royal Navy, this gives us pretty much free reign in the Baltic and the North Atlantic, at least until new German capital ships are delivered. No further German ships have been spotted in any of their remaining Baltic ports.

Despite the intense use of their air assets to destroy the Kriegsmarine's pride and joy in it's port, the Navy also contributed to the land campaign, even if the Navy's crews and aeroplanes are less suited to ground attack operations and thus do far less damage than their VVS counterparts. Aside from two brief missions over Tonsberg on the 8th, most of their attention was on Sulstua where 12 PzD was giving the Red Army some trouble. 13 missions were flown there by 8 & 9 KPA from the 15th until the 21st resulting in fewer than 700 enemy casualties, though the impact on morale and organisation should not be discounted.

Black Sea Fleet operations (CF - Aegean):

Enemy air operations & aerial combat
The SM.79 naval bombers of Commando Aeronautico 'Egeo', commanded by GenSA. di Ferromanaged to catch I Avianosets Flote by surprise by flying in under the radar, in the Northern Aegean Sea (1) on the 11th. The combat air patrol reacted quickly, and both carriers scrambled all of their fighters. This forced the second wave of Italian bombers to break off and drop their ordnance prematurely. Two destroyers were hit by a torpedo in no-vital areas, and there was some minor strafing damage on a few other ships. In total around two-hundred-twenty sailors lost their lives and no ships were lost, with two Destroyers limping to Mythiléné for repairs.

On the 18th, the ever overconfident Bulgarian Air Force decided to send in just over one-hundred He-51 biplanes to try and disrupt our Carrier Fleet's CAP in the Central Aegean (2). The radars on our Destroyers picked up the incoming 'threat' twenty minutes before they got there, allowing all of the Al-7VM fighters to be sent up in time to give 6-ti IP a warm welcome. After just one hour, with seventeen biplanes shot down for three of our fighters, the Heinkels broke off the engagement, and with the Italian Naval Bombers in mind, RADM Golovko ordered Capt.1RAv. Vershinin not to pursue.

VMF Naval operations
With the flagship Black Sea Fleet ferrying troops around Norway, and now from Norway to Sevastopol, I Avianosets Flote was on patrol in the Aegean. Our ongoing shift to Carriers as our principal capital ships was mostly predicated on a combination of rather fringe theories and the sudden availability of British and French Carrier blueprints. In the Baltic, we have now seen the damage aeroplanes can do to ships when the Carriers can hinde behind Battleships, or the enemy is in port. There were still some serious questions: Will our Carriers be able to stay outside shooting range of enemy Battleships when there aren't any other capital ships to take the heat? Will our carrier-based bombers and torpedo-bombers be able to hit and damage fast-moving enemy ships?

Both questions would be somewhat answered during these past thirty days in a series of engagements in the Central Aegean Sea and amongst the Dodécanèse islands. It started of relatively small, as on the 1st of October, at 10am, the alarm was sounded as radar operators spotted a large cruiser with five smaller escorts, either small cruisers or large destroyers entering the Aegean to the East of Kreta less than 100 km away. Kyiv and Minsk turned into the wind, and all but one of the six destroyer squadrons fanned out and sped off into the distance to patrol the area the enemy vessels would have to traverse in order to get into gun range of the Carriers. All of the planes were scrambled, and soon only a small CAP remained to provide a little protection against Italian bombers. Visual contact was made at 11am by a flight of La-7VM's which spotted the Bolzano-class Cruiser RN Carlo Alberto, escorted by a flotilla of five modern Destroyers: One Maestrale-class vessel, and four of either the Freccia-class or the Folgore-class One of the Destroyers was listing rather heavily. The rest of the planes of I & II KPA were led in towards the target, and the air attack commenced fifteen minutes later. At 1205, the lead ship of 9 Flotiliya Esmintsev spotted one of the Italian Destroyers, this started a game of cat and mouse, where our destroyers opened fire at long range, and swarmed the enemy destroyers right up to the edge of the estimated gun range of the Carlo Alberto, which would then attempt to fire one of it's main guns at one of our Destroyers, which then had plenty of time to get out of the way. With 30 Sevastopol-class destroyers, RADM Golovko could easily keep the pressure on the Italians to stick (relatively) close to their flagship while wave after wave of Il-10VM torpedo-bombers and dive bombers came in to drop their deadly payload. Under, pressure, A.D. (RADM (upper)) Thaon di Revel ordered his force to disengage and split up, with the Destroyers fleeing to the Naval Base on Leros and his own cruiser fleeing towards Rodi. A second round of aerial attacks started at 3pm for good measure, while the Italians managed to disengage from our Destroyers by 4pm under the cover of a thick smokescreen. The Italians likely had better charts of the shallow waters around the islands, and thus, with their visibility impaired, our Destroyers kept their distance while our planes kept hounding the enemy ships all the way into the port. The damage was disproportionate. One of our destroyers had lost a turret to a lucky 120mm hit by one of the enemy destroyers, meanwhile, the Maestrale-class Destroyer was sunk with all hands by two successive aerial torpedo hits, the already damaged Freccia-class destroyer was finished off by several well-aimed bombs and the Carlo Alberto had a hole in it's deck forward of the front turret, and lost part of it's rear funnel to a torpedo and a bomb from a dive bomber respectively.

The next engagement came only on the 18th as the battleships Littorio and Caio Duilio were detected in the Central Aegean, along with an escort of two small Destroyers and four torpedo boats. The planes went in at 11am, and our own Destroyers made visual contact on hour later. Being much faster than the old Destroyers of 25a Flottiglia Torpediniere, they managed to stay well out of range this time. A.S. (VADM) Campioni called the withdrawal as soon as the first bombs started falling. Thanks to the rainy weather, our planes were less effective, and Littorio escaped in the direction of Rodi entirely unscathed. Caio Duilio suffered some relatively light damage as the aft superstructure had snapped in half and the rear super-firing twin turret was sitting at a weird angle with one barrel missing, but she had miraculously avoided all of our torpedo's and also fled to Rodi. One of the two Curatone-class Destroyers wasn't so lucky, being split in half by an aerial torpedo after a hit from a 250kg bomb had already damaged her deck almost perfectly above the torpedo's impact. One spica-class torpedo-boat had lost it's rear turret and most of it's funnel and she was slowly taking on water from the rear as her stern dropped lower and lower in the water. The second undamaged Curatone-class destroyer was spotted towing her to the relative safety of Leros, escorted by three other torpedo-boats.

On the 25th, the Giulio Cesare was spotted escorting a group of transport ships. The Air Groups were scrambled, and at 7pm, they went in for their first run. In the evening twilight, the ships were harder to spot, and as our planes got close, the Italians wisely blacked out all of their lights. With no Destroyers or Cruisers in (radar)sight, our Destroyers went in closer to try and catch the Cesare in the darkness and the rain. Torpedoes were dropped, and guns were fired on both sides, the second bombing run was called off to avoid hitting our own destroyers. Only in the morning could the damage be assessed. A reconnaisance plane found the Cesare in Leros, listing slightly to starboard, where it seems it had taken a torpedo hit, but it was far from fatal. On our side, one Destroyer of 10 Flotiliya Esmintsev had a hole in the main funnel.

On a second patrol, still on the 26th, 12 Squadrone Transporti, obscured from I AF's radars by the surrounding islands, was spotted. All the transports had made it out unscathed. It was entirely possible that they carried Italian troops to reinforce their defences on one of the Aegean Island. The first squadron of torpedo bombers went in at sundown, the transports, caught by total surprise, took about two minutes to extinguish all of their lights. Without AA-Artillery to worry about, our bombers waited until the very last moment to drop their torpedo's, sinking two of the five liners in quick succession, and heavily damaging a third before they had to go back and rearm. Once again, the transport slipped away into the night, likely towards Rodi.

RADM Golovko ordered more reconnaissance flights on the 27th to locate the sneaky transports as his fleet steamed in the direction of their last known location. One of his Destroyer Flotilla's reacquired two of the transports at 3am. One was undamaged, towing a heavily damaged liner. As soon as they spotted the destroyers, they cut the towing line, and went full steam ahead with all of their lights out. A volley of torpedo's at point blank range finished off the stricken ship, and a volley of 130mm high-explosive only managed to set a fire on the stern of the fleeing ship before it turned inbetween two small rocky outcrops. Having unreliable charts, the Destroyers were called off for the night. In an attempt to drop some torpedoes on what they thought was the third transport, but turned out to be a small village on the island of Tilos, two Il-10VM flew into the side of the Island. At 1pm, the two transports were found once again. This time by aircraft, and despite the stormy weather, an attempt was made to finish them off. This half-succeeded, and one of the remaining ships went down, with the final liner suffering what appeared to be superficial damage, before the strom became too bad to send up another wave of bombers.

What is clear now, is that a Carrier Fleet with a vastly superior number of fast destroyers can keep an Italian task force out of gun range of it's Carriers. Of course, none of these task forces were full sized fleets, and it remains an open question whether this would be possible against a large fleet with similar numbers of Destroyers, and multiple fast capital ships. It also seems that our pilots are not very good at hitting targets at night, even though their planes are equipped with surface search radar. Even in relatively clear weather, the amount of attack waves needed to just damage a well-armoured Battleship or Cruiser is high, and the accuracy of both torpedo drops and dive bombers is far from ideal. On the other hands, losses to AA-Artillery have been much lower than expected, with less than 5% losses spread over multiple attack runs. Attacks on the German fleet in the Skagggerak last month had a loss rate of just over 6% against a larger number of ships, so this isn't due to uniquely bad Italian AA.

RADM Golovko has proposed to start using his bombers to whittle down the damaged vessels which he believes he will find in Leros and Rodi Naval Bases, once the weather calms down a bit. This seems like a reasonable enough plan and will allow us to also ascertain how well the islands are guarded. 'Chteyre' has emitted concerns that the Air Base in Rodi might be used to target our troops in case we put our operation to open a new front in the Balkans into action. Of course, the Naval Bombers based in that Air Base are also a significant threat to any landing fleet.

Meanwhile, IV FP is raiding convoys bound for Cyprus, sinking one Italian freighter.

General overview and total losses:

Except for the bulge in Byelorussia, all other fronts are progressing mostly in our favour. The big victories are to be found in Norway and in the Baltic States, where significant numbers of enemy forces have been cut off from reinforcements and resupply, some of them have already been captured, others will surely follow in the coming weeks. In Ukraine things haven't moved much, but Lwow remains firmly behind the front line. Hungary could have been another huge success, if everything had gone just right, but it rarely goes that way. We'll have to be satisfied with shortening the front, and inflicting a lot of damage.
At sea, the Red Navy continues to use it's growing fleet of modern aeroplanes and less modern Carriers to even the odds with larger navies with modern Battleships like the Regia Marina and the Kriegsmarine. Preparations for an invasion of Bulgaria and Northern Greece continue, but first the Italian Aegean Islands need to be dealt with lest they become a thorn in the rear of our invasion force. For now, one mountain rifle corps and one regular rifle corps are ready for action in Black sea ports, really only enough for the first wave of the operation.

As always, your input is valued,

Greetings,

'Odin'