Quick and Dirty 2: A Soviet Resurgence and WW3 (HOI3 - March 1944 start)

[Bullfilter]

Chapter 60: December 1948​

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1. South East Asia

The month started with the Allied defensive lines having been largely wiped out in both southern Burma and Malaya. Then the Soviet Far East Reserve (1 x ARMD, 1 x MTN, 8 x INT, 3 x HQ) finished its strategic redeployment to central Thailand at the start of 1 December and started feeding through to the front (most towards Burma, a few south to Malaya).

By 10 December, the Soviets had advanced on and attacked Singapore. But after a victory that night, they were unable to advance across the strait [Note: not sure why – no ships visible, just wouldn’t let me advance or attack again].

Rangoon was taken without opposition early on 16 December and other divisions kept pushing hard into the interior of Burma, as the VVS INT and CAS groups redeployed [reserve hops] into Rangoon large air base.

Burma as at 2300hr on 16 December 1948.

Malaya as at 2300hr on 16 December 1948.​

By 26 December, the Soviets were on the Indian Ocean Coast and driving along it towards India. After only a single small skirmish in the interior of Indo-China, the Allies had yet to re-establish any defensive line in Burma.

South East Asia as at 2300hr on 16 December 1948.

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2. Middle East

After the usual probes and air attacks on Bîr Gifgafa, a serious Allied attack on the garrison division in Sudr was making good progress by early 13 December, causing the Soviets to try to shuffle their regular divisions south to relieve them

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The battle for Sudr was lost by 2300hr on the 15th (Soviets 750/15,991; Allies 544/9,996 killed) after 19 SD arrived but was unable to reinforce in time, both the divisions retreating to Dahab.

The Allies occupied Sudr late on the 17th but were then counter-attacked immediately after. An hour later, the guerrillas in Hebron were defeated and the garrison division moved to occupy Hebron.

The second battle for Sudr was won on the 23rd (Soviets 1,095; Allies 1,353 killed) and it was retaken on the 26th.

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The same day, a serious Allied attack on Bîr Gifgafa was repelled (Soviets 240; Allies 876 killed). The Suez Line had been fully re-secured as 1948 ended.

Middle East as at 2300hr on 31 December 1948.

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3. Central Asia

Bushehr was occupied early on 5 December, surrounding the Allies now trapped in Behbehan. A hard fight ensued, with the Allied troops surrendering at 0700hr on 11 December (Soviets 1,599/15,995; Allies 1,162 killed, 17,089 prisoners taken). Each side gained territory across the front in the first half of the month.

Behbehan was liberated on the evening of 17 December, fully eliminating the Allied breakthrough on the Persian Gulf Coast. At that time, the other four divisions of reinforcements from the Far East were closing on Stalinabad from the north-east. Once they could join their comrades, it was hoped that further inroads could be made to fully liberate Afghanistan and eastern Iran.

But even without them, Kabul was retaken on the morning of 30 December after a battle for it was won on the 26th. Other than Behbehan, the heaviest battles of the month were Soviets attacks on Tokzar (14 December) and Qarokul (20 December), followed by the defence of Qarokul (26 December).

Both the VVS and Allied air forces were active during the month, causing similar casualties to the ground fighting. VVS effort concentrate don Feyzabad (5,700 killed) and Tokzar (1,100), while the Allies’ heaviest mission was on Qal 'eh ye Now (950).

Central Asia as at 2300hr on 31 December 1948.

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4. Romania-Bulgaria-Thrace

The month began with the continuing attack on Bucuresti, which was making fairly poor progress (12%) though with casualties partly moderated by a Soviet armour advantage. But as the chances of success receded, the Allies counter-attacked nearby, supply became difficult and other priorities became more important, it was discontinued at 2300hr on 3 December (Soviets 1,211/9,943; Allies 1,068/31,577 killed).

Early on 4 December, supply and fuel convoys were begun from Odessa into the Black Sea ports of Constanta, Varna and Burgas to aid the drive south towards Thrace.

More heavy Allied pressure led to a pull-out from the recently-seized Slobozia late on 9 December (Soviets 1,022; Allies 552 killed), but it would ultimately be held when reinforcing units pushed through to restart the defence.

By 12 December, the ferried supplies plus those coming across land from the north were beginning to have an effect, as the Soviet offensive south of Burgas linked up with the troops breaking out into Thrace through Istanbul.

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A Soviet attack on Ploiesti was beaten off by the Allies on 12 December and was not repeated. But another major milestone was reached when lead elements secured Gelibolu on 13 December, sealing off the Allies left in Turkey and trapping a small Allied force in Corlu.

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During the first half of December, the Soviets had made significant gains to the south, linking up with the Turkish Front but otherwise holding on the defensive with limited forces dug in on river lines north of Bucuresti. The single largest air target during the period was Giurgiu, south of Bucuresti, to disrupt their spoiling attacks on Calarasi and softening them up for an attack that was ultimately never made (14,494 casualties from 4-17 December).

Romania-Bulgaria-Thrace as at 2300hr on 16 December 1948.​

The stance on this front remained largely defensive for the rest of the month, with air support being largely redirected and only four more battles in total being fought in the sector in the second half of the month.

The largest of the battles in the sector for the month was the defence of Slobozia, won on 19 December (Soviets 1,345; Allies 3,398 killed).

Once one of the mountain divisions from the Soviet Turkish front was able to make it through to Gelibolu on 17 December and join the attack south across the strait on the mountains of Canakkale, the attack odds drastically improved, with victory coming on the 20th.

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After this the sector remained quiet, with Thasos and Momcilgrad being the only gains in this second half of the month. Ploiesti (7,605 air casualties from 17-21 December) was the only significant target hit in the second part of the month, in support of the failed attack there.

Romania-Bulgaria-Thrace as at 2300hr on 31 December 1948.

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5. Turkey

The first breakthrough came at Izmit, on the Sea of Marmara, on 2 December as more Soviet forces advanced to attack Üsküdar on the way to Istanbul.

Üsküdar fell at 0100hr on 5 December and the battle for Istanbul began just five hours later, four Soviet divisions attacking one weakened and disorganised German division. It soon fell and a breakout into the European portion of Turkey followed as they raced to link up with the Soviet advance through Bulgaria and advance towards Gelibolu, as covered previously.

Between then and 16 December, the main focus was then on racing along the Sea of Marmara towards Canakkale to cut off the whole Allied army in Turkey. There was a limited offensive south of Ankara, but otherwise the Allies were contained elsewhere in Turkey for now.

Turkey as at 2300hr on 16 December 1948.​

As mentioned previously, Soviet forces broke through Canakkale on 20 December from across the Marmara via Gelibolu and along its south coast, joining up and then sweeping south along the Aegean coast, reaching the key port (and VP city) of Izmir and winning a skirmish for it on the morning of 25 December, occupying it that night.

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As the race along the coast to deprive the Allies of their last supply ports continues, the Allies counter-attacked Iznik, which was only defeated on the 23rd after a tough fight (Soviets 1,164; Allies 951 killed), spoiling attacks and heavy air support on Bursa, which continued as the Soviets attacked in and also won there the same day (Soviets 801; Allies 319 killed, plus 8,868 air casualties), with 4,286 Allied casualties from air attacks in Domanic as well up until the end of the month.

A secondary offensive was resume in the south-eastern sector with an attack on Konya, which was won at 1600hr of the 26th (Soviets 1,356/32,986; Allies 1,848/16,921 killed). The aim there was to drive on the last Allied-held port of Antalya from both the east and west.

Turkey as at 2300hr on 31 December 1948.

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6. Slovakia-Hungary Sector

This sector remained relatively quiet for most of December, though the tempo did pick up a little in the second half of the month. The largest battle was early on in the defence of Humenne on 2 December (Soviets 427/14,724; Allies 1,098/6,155 killed).

Kosice was retaken on 19 December and then defended against a determined Allied counter-attack on the 20th. Only those two battles and another to take Chust on 29 December saw more than 1,000 total casualties on both sides as the sector took a back seat in fighting on the Western Front, though the Soviets were able to make some limited gains. The heaviest Soviet air missions were on Secovce (10,520 killed from 13-21 December) and then Banská Bystrica (9,747 killed from 25-31 December).

Slovakia-Hungary sector as at 2300hr on 31 December 1948.

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7. German-Czech Sector

A partisan outbreak began in East Prussia at Lötzen on 1 December. It would spread in coming days, with another partisan band appearing in Tilsit on 4 December but only drew a couple of rear-based Soviet divisions to eventually respond, with a parachute division being summoned from Helsinki.

On 3 December, a major and difficult defensive battle for recently occupied Leignitz was won (Soviets 3,521/65,890; Allies 603/48,725 killed), at some cost for the Soviets. Another heavy defence was won for Lauban on 6 December (Soviets 1,493; Allies 3,338 killed), before a big attack succeeded on Bautzen early on 9 December (Soviets 1,179/53,739; Allies 3,757/31,096 killed), which was occupied soon after.

This led to the big attack being launched on Breslau at 0300hr on 10 December after an intense and continuing aerial bombardment (which eventually caused a massive 27,744 casualties from 1-16 December). The battle was only won at 0000hr on 16 December (Soviets 2,328/97,991; Allies 3,491/28,081 killed on the ground) and it was occupied three hours later.

Meanwhile, an attack on Potsdam was won at 0600hr on the 13th (Soviets 1,326/33,576; Allies 3,190/25,763 killed, 4,041 air casualties), and occupied an hour later setting up an attack on Berlin soon after, which began at 2300hr after a short air preparation. The victory was won at 1700hr on the 14th but it had not been occupied before the end of the 16th, after the SS-Verfügungstruppe occupied it and had to be defeated on the 15th.

The air battle (summarised in a little more detail later) was quite intense over this period, reaching peaks on 3 and 10 December. Other major Allied ground targets were Schwedt an der Oder (18,650) and Frankfurt an der Oder (10,365) in the battle for the Berlin bridgehead.

German-Czech sector as at 2300hr on 16 December 1948.​

Berlin was occupied once again on the afternoon of 17 December – and had largely recovered from its previous nuking by the Soviets, though its air base was still damaged from the last V2 strike. German national resolve was once again coming into question. Taking Dresden and Leipzig would damage it further.

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By 19 December, this had become a major focus of the Soviets in Germany as Berlin was secured and a new river line in front of Dresden was reached, where the Germans had consolidated a strong defence.

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The next large battle was begun for Brandenburg, west of Berlin, late on the 23rd, with over 110,000 men on both sides involved and won comparatively easily the next day against a substantially disorganised enemy.

Similarly, recent progress in in the Czech Republic led to a secondary drive on Praha and Kladno. If taken and they were forced to surrender, it would take the active Czech Air Force out of the air war and rip a large hole in the line further to the east.

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The offensive to extend the Berlin-Stettin bridgehead resulted in a victorious attack on Prenzlau on the night of 26 December (Soviets 1,779/53,123; Allies 2,145/22,905 killed, 7,311 air casualties).

The Soviet advances were achieved despite being hampered somewhat by deteriorating supply between Berlin and Dresden in late December.

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After another massive air preparation (23,110 casualties from 19-30 December) the big attack on Dresden began at 1700hr on 27 December after the initial bridgehead had been gained to its south in Pirna. The battle would be won by 0800hr on the 30th (Soviets 417/83,178; Allies 2,184 killed) and occupied at midday.

A speculative attack on Praha began on the afternoon of the 28th [48%] and continued as the year ended. And the partisan outbreak in East Prussia was liquidated on the morning of the 30th as the remaining provinces were pacified.

The final large battle in the sector was an attack on Zerbst, west of Berlin, won by the Soviets on the afternoon of the 31st (Soviets 1,812/31,020; Allies 3,672/54,266 killed). A heavy air mission on Torgau continued, already having caused 14,809 Allied casualties. Over the month, the Allied air forces had also managed to get some strikes in, notably causing more than a thousand casualties in Lübben (2,681), Launab (1,676), Finsterwalde (1,173) and Gottesburg (1,123).

German-Czech sector as at 2300hr on 31 December 1948.

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8. The Air War in the West

In general, air activity – bombings and interceptions by both sides – increased in December compared to the month before. VVS fighter groups regularly needed to be withdrawn, sometimes with critical damage, after dogfights with Allied counterparts, whether intercepting enemy formations or providing additional cover for escorted Soviet TAC and CAS groups.

For example by 4 December, not counting STRAT bombers or V2s, there were around 22 VVS wings in rear bases undergoing repairs (11 x INT, 5 x M/R, 2 x CAS, 4 x TAC) on the Western Front. This left about 25 wings (7 x INT, 5 x M/R, 5 x CAS, 8 x TAC) conducting missions at the front. It can be seen that the INT wings were bearing the heaviest burden as they were generally first in line for interceptions.

If anything, though largely repaired wings were rotated back to the front, during December aerial attrition was on balance greater than the number of returning wings. For example, one or more wings were withdrawn for repairs on 19, 20, 21 December (all fighters, mainly INT) and some TAC on 25 December. On 29 December, one of the TAC groups striking Dresden was badly enough damaged in a dogfight that the whole group had to be taken off line.

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The distribution of total air casualties in the West in all three sectors for both sides is shown below. As usual, there were ebbs and flows in the rate of effort.

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Similarly, the rate of aerial combat rose and fell, peaking on 3 and 10 December but staying fairly steadily active during the month, even as attrition took hold in the second half. Both sides took heavy damage. Most Allied raids were kept out or soon ended, but more got through than had recently been the case.

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9. Strategic Summaries, Research and Industry

Two new V2s were deployed in the west on 4 December, with a new INT wing (still the Yak-15 Feather) begun the same day.

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Overall, as we have seen in the earlier specific segments, the principal Soviet efforts by mid-December had been on the German-Czech sector and the combined drives from Bulgaria and Turkey towards Thrace and the cutting off of the Allied armies in Turkey.

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Given the load the VVS INT wings were bearing in the Western air war, when increased IC became available later in the month (mainly from lower upgrade costs) two more INT wings were commenced on 22 and 28 December.

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The production queue was receiving more IC than it had for many months as 1948 ended.

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Four advances were made during the month, while the freeing up of the Black Sea on 8 December and increased LS after taking Berlin allowed two extra projects to be commenced. For fairly obvious reasons, the focus largely remained on keeping (or getting) VVS aircraft types up to date.

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The total picture by the end of 1948, especially in the West and Turkey, was looking up for the Soviets, especially given the Far East reinforcements were yet to arrive. Even though there had been fewer Allied casualties in the West and on all fronts combined than the month before, there had been two major breakouts, especially in Turkey and astern Germany.

 

[diskoerekto]

A secondary offensive was resume in the south-eastern sector with an attack on Konya, which was won at 1600hr of the 26th (Soviets 1,356/32,986; Allies 1,848/16,921 killed). The aim there was to drive on the last Allied-held port of Antalya from both the east and west.

so many divisions in the HUGE pocket size of the central anatolia region!

The distribution of total air casualties in the West in all three sectors for both sides is shown below. As usual, there were ebbs and flows in the rate of effort.

air power is winning the war for comintern, great job

 

[nuclearslurpee]

By 26 December, the Soviets were on the Indian Ocean Coast and driving along it towards India. After only a single small skirmish in the interior of Indo-China, the Allies had yet to re-establish any defensive line in Burma.

Seems like this theater is wrapped up. The Allies don't have anything left to form a defense and the Soviets have troops and supplies in the region. Job well done.

But even without them, Kabul was retaken on the morning of 30 December after a battle for it was won on the 26th.

Perhaps releasing our ally to celebrate 1949?

But another major milestone was reached when lead elements secured Gelibolu on 13 December, sealing off the Allies left in Turkey and trapping a small Allied force in Corlu.

Vur ha!

Once one of the mountain divisions from the Soviet Turkish front was able to make it through to Gelibolu on 17 December and join the attack south across the strait on the mountains of Canakkale, the attack odds drastically improved, with victory coming on the 20th.

To the north of Canakkale, a Biga battle is yet to be fought.

After another massive air preparation (23,110 casualties from 19-30 December) the big attack on Dresden began at 1700hr on 27 December after the initial bridgehead had been gained to its south in Pirna.

Poor Dresden, even in ATL it cannot escape a grisly fate.

Seems like the Soviets are finally advancing on all fronts as troops are redistributed and the Allies driven to exhaustion. Reinforcements from the Far East will ensure that this war is wrapped up in 1949 for certain.

 

[RustyHunter]

By 10 December, the Soviets had advanced on and attacked Singapore. But after a victory that night, they were unable to advance across the strait [Note: not sure why – no ships visible, just wouldn’t let me advance or attack again].

Perhaps there were AI ships passing through the straits on the way to somewhere else? I've found the AI can be infuriatingly good at passing through just before my units were across, resetting their trip.

17,089 prisoners taken

An excellent haul that will help as your reinforcements arrive.

Early on 4 December, supply and fuel convoys were begun from Odessa into the Black Sea ports of Constanta, Varna and Burgas to aid the drive south towards Thrace.

By 12 December, the ferried supplies plus those coming across land from the north were beginning to have an effect, as the Soviet offensive south of Burgas linked up with the troops breaking out into Thrace through Istanbul.

I'm glad that recommendation worked! HOI3 can be very wonky with supply, so I was a little worried it would just break the system.

sealing off the Allies left in Turkey and trapping a small Allied force in Corlu

And that's a theater effectively wrapped up! It's going to take a long time to clear out all the trapped troops, but you can take your time breaking down the pocket into manageable bits and liquidate them at your convenience. Then the Balkans is in real trouble!

It also seems like you got a good haul of Balkan minors, Italians, and a few French and British, so I doubt anyone will be able to replace those divisions.

The next large battle was begun for Brandenburg, west of Berlin, late on the 23rd, with over 110,000 men on both sides involved and won comparatively easily the next day against a substantially disorganised enemy.

An excellent way to convey the scale of battles we're looking at now.

After another massive air preparation (23,110 casualties from 19-30 December) the big attack on Dresden began at 1700hr on 27 December after the initial bridgehead had been gained to its south in Pirna. The battle would be won by 0800hr on the 30th (Soviets 417/83,178; Allies 2,184 killed) and occupied at midday.

It continues to amaze me just how devastating aircraft can be. How much micromanaging are you doing? Obviously you're setting bombers to target key provinces, but are you directing the interceptors as well? I normally just set the interceptors to cover a region and adjust it as I advance, although I'm not very good at keeping on top of things.

 

[Bullfilter]

How much micromanaging are you doing? Obviously you're setting bombers to target key provinces, but are you directing the interceptors as well? I normally just set the interceptors to cover a region and adjust it as I advance, although I'm not very good at keeping on top of things.

Quick answer: the fighters are being intensely microed, with almost every mission changed. Mainly because by this time, with both INT and M/R usually escorting six bomber groups at once in the West, there are only one or two mixed groups of two fighter wings left for intercepting enemy bombing raids (which picked up quite a bit in December) or reinforcing our bomber groups when they are intercepted by large numbers of enemy fighters.

At some points there were briefly none available while I waited for those in reserve to repair to around 80%+ level. So fighters became a scarce and precious resource, and one it took a lot of careful management to retain. A few times, individual fighter wings were detached and extracted mid-battle when they had been reduced to 0% str and org, lucky not to be destroyed entirely.

 

[El Pip]

Air units will be allocated to AI control.

Quick answer: the fighters are being intensely microed, with almost every mission changed.

How things change.

Some more solid progress from the forces of darkness, as has been said once those redeployed forces start to make their presence felt in the West alongside the incredibly effective airpower then it is only a matter of time till the Red Flag flies everywhere.

The heaviest Soviet air missions were on [...] Banská Bystrica (9,747 killed from 25-31 December).

It's bad enough the Soviets are bombing the mystic and mighty forest fortress of Banská Bystrica and it's entirely absent mountains. But to do so on Christmas Day is a new low. I'm not surprised but I am disappointed.

 

[Bullfilter]

The next update nears, so over to comment feedback.

so many divisions in the HUGE pocket size of the central anatolia region!


air power is winning the war for comintern, great job

That Turkish pocket will prove a big factor, both removing a lot of Allied units and then releasing a whole bunch of battle-hardened Red Army divisions for the Balkan Front.

And yes, with the fighters and bombers and their doctrines all kept as up to date as possible, air power's proven a decisive factor. Though the resources are still limited and you still have to go in on the ground to do the job.

Seems like this theater is wrapped up. The Allies don't have anything left to form a defense and the Soviets have troops and supplies in the region. Job well done.

I'm expecting to start running into resistance eventually, perhaps as we near India, but now I have that big lump of additional Far East reserve forces on the way too, and India will no doubt prove to be a big campaign - if it needs to be fought to win the war.

Perhaps releasing our ally to celebrate 1949?

I actually did it near the end of December on a run that crashed and I had to replay a few days, so it is indeed imminent!

Vur ha!

To the north of Canakkale, a Biga battle is yet to be fought.

Yes and

Poor Dresden, even in ATL it cannot escape a grisly fate.

I thought the same myself. Bombed heavily then fought over ferociously.

Seems like the Soviets are finally advancing on all fronts as troops are redistributed and the Allies driven to exhaustion. Reinforcements from the Far East will ensure that this war is wrapped up in 1949 for certain.

I'm starting to think so. Progress is being made now even without those additional reinforcements: their gradual arrival should accelerate the process.

Perhaps there were AI ships passing through the straits on the way to somewhere else? I've found the AI can be infuriatingly good at passing through just before my units were across, resetting their trip.

I assumed so, as crossing would start and then be aborted and it was a backwater I wasn't able to keep too close an eye on.

An excellent haul that will help as your reinforcements arrive.

Agreed. Combined with the heavy air and ground casualties, the great Allied pool of forces is finally being whittled down.

I'm glad that recommendation worked! HOI3 can be very wonky with supply, so I was a little worried it would just break the system.

It seemed to work very well, thanks.

And that's a theater effectively wrapped up! It's going to take a long time to clear out all the trapped troops, but you can take your time breaking down the pocket into manageable bits and liquidate them at your convenience. Then the Balkans is in real trouble!

It also seems like you got a good haul of Balkan minors, Italians, and a few French and British, so I doubt anyone will be able to replace those divisions.

Yes, though I'm still pursuing it as a priority as my position in southern Romania and Bulgaria is actually pretty tenuous, so the influx of troops will be really welcome - and allow for a more general offensive there, as well.

An excellent way to convey the scale of battles we're looking at now.

Thanks.

It continues to amaze me just how devastating aircraft can be. How much micromanaging are you doing? Obviously you're setting bombers to target key provinces, but are you directing the interceptors as well? I normally just set the interceptors to cover a region and adjust it as I advance, although I'm not very good at keeping on top of things.

Per above, yes, especially with aircraft, special weapons and doctrine all pretty much up to late 1940s standards. It's only when you tally the casualties that you realise the effect.

How things change.

Some more solid progress from the forces of darkness, as has been said once those redeployed forces start to make their presence felt in the West alongside the incredibly effective airpower then it is only a matter of time till the Red Flag flies everywhere.

Haha, a fair cop but the game engine is to blame.

It's bad enough the Soviets are bombing the mystic and mighty forest fortress of Banská Bystrica and it's entirely absent mountains. But to do so on Christmas Day is a new low. I'm not surprised but I am disappointed.

The Slovaks continue to fight hard, hip flasks, sharpen pencils and snake-pits to the ready.

To All: next update out in the next few hours or day (depends whether I get to it tonight). With a lot happening and wanting to get to my other AARs too, I'll do a shorter, half-month update next.

 

[Bullfilter]

Chapter 61: 1 to 16 January 1949

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1. South East Asia

There was no real combat in Burma or the rest of South East Asia during the first half of the month as the Soviets slogged through jungle and mountains rather than against any Allied resistance. Singapore was finally able to be taken on 12 January once 2 DMP managed to slip across the narrow strait without interference.

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By the end of the 16th, Mandalay had been taken and on the coast, the Soviets were on the border of East Pakistan and driving on Chittagong.

South East Asia as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.

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2. Middle East

Sudr (14 Jan, Soviets 387; Allies 1,208 killed) and then Români (still in progress) were the two Allied air and ground targets during the period, against a Soviet Suez Line that had been reinforced in both locations by additional divisions. Allied air strikes tipped the casualty ration slightly in their favour during this time but the theatre remained a side-show for now.

Middle East as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.

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3. Central Asia

A few smaller battles were fought in Afghanistan during the period (including at Taimani, ending 13 Jan, Soviets 44; Allies 254 killed), but the two largest battles were in eastern Iran. However, the major event was the formal liberation of Afghanistan on 6 January 1949.

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The Soviets won attacks on Bandar e Lengeh (9 Jan, Soviets 334; Allies 948 killed) and Estabhan (15 Jan, Soviets 330; Allies 1,720 killed).

The air (to level 7) and radar (to level 4) facilities in Stalinabad were improved on 12 and 13 January respectively. This time, no further improvements were scheduled.

Slow steady progress to reclaim both Afghanistan and eastern Iran had been made, though the RAF was reasonably active in this sector and the VVS INT group was mainly undergoing repairs, leaving RAF bombers to hit Qal 'eh ye Now in particular on 13 January (923 killed), while the VVS CAS group killed 3,635 in support of the Taimani attack from 6-13 January.

Central Asia as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.

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4. Turkey

The encirclement of the Allied forces cut off in Turkey continued, often in the face of heavy resistance as the Soviets pushed forward in sometimes hastily arranged attacks or in difficult terrain. Beypazan was taken easily without a fight on 5 January after a heavy air preparation (5,314 killed from 1-4 Jan).

Of the more sizeable ground engagements, in the west on 7 January an attack on Salihi (Soviets 431; Allies 559 killed plus 2,973 air casualties) succeeded but an attack on Bozüyük (Soviets 1,505; Allies 290 killed plus 7,872 air casualties) had to be called off, despite heavy air support.

A key moment came on the night of 9 January, when 28 Tank Div secured the last Allied port in Turkey at Antalya as the walls continued to close in on the surrounded Allied forces.

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Later, the largest battle in the sector during the period was won in Eskisehir on 14 January (Soviets 378; Allies 1,482 killed) and then Civril on 16 January (Soviets 446; Allies 655 killed), neither with air support, which after 7 January was all diverted to the Romania-Bulgaria sector.

By the end of 16 January, the pressure was being kept up, with a new attack on Bozüyük progressing well, another to the south-east at Yalva as an Allied counter-attack on Afyon was being repulsed.

Turkey as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.

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The West​

5. Romania-Bulgaria

The sector was fairly quiet until around 8 January, when the first reinforcements of the initial Far East redeployment began arriving in northern Romania. In coming days, the rest were sent either there or further to the south as the sector came under increasing pressure.

The Allies began an attack on the thin Soviet line in Silistria on the 8th and despite a stubborn defence and increasing defensive air strikes on Ruse, the battle was lost by 11 January (Soviets 1,140; Allies 1,119 killed plus 6,889 air casualties from 10-13 Jan).

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But simultaneously, the Soviets had enough local superiority to attack and take Ploiesti on 9 January (Soviets 384; Allies 1,008 killed plus 2,244 air casualties).

Another Allied attack to the north on Macin also succeeded, with an Allied victory on 13 January (Soviets 1,404; Allies 645 killed plus 12,760 air casualties in Topliceni from 10-16 Jan). A fresh Soviet division would slip in and hold Macin on 16 January.

A major Allied counter-attack on Ploiesti was finally defeated on 15 January (Soviets 1,633; Allies 3,143 killed).

The Allies had occupied Silistria on 11 January and were counter-attacked early on the 15th by the Red Army from the north and south and pounded from the air.

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As the period ended, the attack on Silistria had almost succeeded, another Allied counter attack on Ploiesti was being held while a spoiling attack on Buzau was making reasonable progress. The sector was mainly trying to hold its ground as the Far East reinforcements filtered in and the expected influx of forces from Turkey was awaited when that front was closed down.

Romania-Bulgaria as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.

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6. Slovakia-Hungary

There was relatively limited action and progress in this sector, as the last western corner of Slovakia was being slowly sealed of and some advances made in northern Hungary.

The most significant engagement in the sector was the battle for Kisvárda, won on 6 January (Soviets 2,347; Allies 2,963 killed).

Zilina was struck from the air from 1-8 and again on 12-14 January (8,657 casualties, meaning the ground battle to take it on the 14th was relatively easy (Soviets 151; Allies 774 killed).

Then on the 15th, the attack on Banská Bystrica succeeded (Soviets 329; Allies 1,673 killed). As the period ended, Soviet attacks were progressing well on Encs, Sárospatak and Rodna as a degree of pressure was kept up in this currently secondary sector.

Slovakia-Hungary as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.

******​

7. Czechoslovakia

A late report from the end of 31 December 1948 came in at midnight [ie the battle ended immediately when save resumed] that a major victory had been won in Céska Lipa.

​

With the advance guard of the Red Army already on the outskirts of Prague, this opened up another line of advance towards the Czech capital, which was now a major Soviet objective: taking it would knock them out of the war, remove their quite effective air force and a swag of divisions from the Allied front line.

But even as a major attack on Kladno was in progress, an opportunity was taken to attack Prague once Nymburk had been reinforced and this attack succeeded on 9 January (plus 9,408 air casualties), the city occupied at midday as another large attack was in progress against a big German troop concentration in Neisse.

​

After a difficult Soviet victory in Ratibor on the 6th and another skirmish the next day (Soviets 2,190; Allies 1,901 killed plus 17,341 air casualties), those German troops would be left badly exposed when the Czech capitulated at midnight. The Allies began trying to flee what was now neutral territory as the Soviets harried them in a hasty wide-front advance to make as much ground as they could, as quickly as possible.

​

A tough attack on Glatz (Soviets 1,910; Allies 1,783 killed) was won on 11 January and led to the Germans being surrounded and cut off in Neisse. That battle would take until the 15th to win (Soviets 2,077; Allies 3,895 plus 4,075 air casualties), after which an estimated 20,083 prisoners were taken.

The last and biggest engagement in the sector ended on 16 January, with a victory in Alternburg, just south of Dresden, and the Czech border (Soviets 2,479; Allies 4,982 killed plus 2,201 air casualties).

As the Czech forces made their way back to barracks, the Allies tried to extract themselves and the Soviets followed up as quickly as they could while the Allied line was so disorganised. In the chaos, the attack on Kladno still went on even as Soviet forces were in the province.

Czechoslovakia as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.

******​

8. Germany

As usual, the fighting in Germany was the heaviest of all and characterised by deliberate Soviet attacks with heavy air support, with frequent and sometimes heavy Allied counter-attacks. The first large battle decided was at Torgau early on 4 January, when the Dresden bridgehead won in December was expanded.

​

The Allies soon counter-attacked, but the battle – the largest by casualties in any sector for the period – would not end until the 13th in a big Soviet victory. The VVS pounded Chemnitz with defensive air strikes (4-9 January, 11,946 casualties) and also Dessau (9-15 Jan, 14,161 killed) in strikes that continued into support for a later attack there.

​

To the north, an Allied counter-attack on Prenzlau was defeated on 10 January (Soviets 1,117; Allies 2,020 killed) while an attack on Pritzwalk was won the next day (Soviets 1,057; Allies 2,123 killed). The latter was then subjected to a large and persistent Allied counter-attack that was beaten back with heavy enemy casualties on the 14th (Soviets 817; Allies 4,434 killed). Two further Allied attacks were defeated nearby on the same day at Neustrelitz (Soviets 1,432; Allies 1,307) and Prenzlau (Soviets 1,373; Allies 2,296 killed).

The rest of the period saw a series of smaller Soviet attacks succeed in Waren, Neubrandenburg and Wolgast and another defence of Pritzwalk on 15 January. An attack on the heavily bombed Dessau was victorious on the 16th.

As the 16 January ended, the Soviets had ground forward north-west of Berlin and expanded the Dresden bridgehead up to Dessau after heavily contested fighting against the Allies (mainly Germans) over the past sixteen days.

The bombing of Leipzig – the next major city objective in Germany – began that night and a heavy German counter-attack on the ‘spearhead’ at Pritzwalk was under way as the Soviets also pushed to try to retake Rostock, lost during the previous German counter-offensive.

Germany as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.

******​

9. The West – Summary and Air War

Increased tempo in the first half of January 1949 had seen a corresponding increase in casualties, especially on the Allied side. The breakthrough in Czechoslovakia in particular was likely to become very dangerous for the Allies as a lot of ground was being lost and they were unable to retain control of the Czech territory they had been occupying due to their Czech’s neutrality.

The loss of one of the Allies more competent partners and the continued very heavy casualties must be having a nasty effect on their seemingly prodigious manpower reserves, but it had not yet translated into any general collapse of their line.

The West and Turkey as at 2300hr on 16 January 1949.​

The air war had again become one-sided in the West in terms of casualties on the ground as the VVS tried to get every available bombing group into the air. They also managed to throttle most Allies raids during the first half of January, though this all came at some cost in readiness and aircraft attrition mounted and wings had to be taken off-line again. After slumping to around 5,350 on 9 January, the rate of effort gradually rebuilt again to around 9,300 by the 16th.

​

Air combat was at a slightly lower overall level than it had been in December, with the Allies less active in raids and interceptions, especially around the 10th when the Czech Air Force became neutral.

******​

10. Strategic, Research and Industry

A new TAC wing was deployed in the west at Suwalki on 3 January and began its work-up training. It was replaced in the production queue by yet another INT wing.

At 7 January, with the supply stockpile having shrunk to around 77,000, 20 IC of supply production was commenced after it had been zeroed for some time.

Two new INF brigades finished initial training on 16 January and deployed (one each) in the German sector, where they would eventually join 3- or 4-brigade divisions.

By the end of the 16th, supply had begun to grow again so its production was reduced back to zero for now. Upgrade and reinforcement costs had grown again though, meaning the production queue was again under-funded. There were six completed nukes in the stockpile.

​

Eight research projects had been completed (hence the increase in upgrade costs from some of them). Research to upgrade all Soviet medium tanks was started and the last item to upgrade INT to the next model was commenced on the 15th. Doctrine research also continued for both air and land capabilities.

​

And in terms of respective strategic objectives, the Comintern and Allies were on an even par for the first time since WW2 had begun over nine years ago, in 1939. And if Bratislava could be taken, another objective would be ‘ticked off’, while the liberation of Romania would make a twelfth. And with the reinforcements set to flow in once the Turkish campaign had been concluded, Greece too would come into Soviet sights.

 

[RustyHunter]

Singapore was finally able to be taken on 12 January once 2 DMP managed to slip across the narrow strait without interference.

I'm glad you finally slipped through!

However, the major event was the formal liberation of Afghanistan on 6 January 1949.

See, a Soviet dominated world isn't so bad!

This time, no further improvements were scheduled.

It looks like the front will be moving away from Stalinabad now, so that seems like a really good choice.

A key moment came on the night of 9 January, when 28 Tank Div secured the last Allied port in Turkey at Antalya as the walls continued to close in on the surrounded Allied forces.

It looks like that pocket should fall apart very soon, especially since I imagine many of their divisions are worn out and low on org.

With the advance guard of the Red Army already on the outskirts of Prague, this opened up another line of advance towards the Czech capital, which was now a major Soviet objective: taking it would knock them out of the war, remove their quite effective air force and a swag of divisions from the Allied front line.

The Allies began trying to flee what was now neutral territory as the Soviets harried them in a hasty wide-front advance to make as much ground as they could, as quickly as possible.

That should be a huge help as you've just ripped a huge new hole in their front lines that should be hard to fill.

And in terms of respective strategic objectives, the Comintern and Allies were on an even par for the first time since WW2 had begun over nine years ago, in 1939. And if Bratislava could be taken, another objective would be ‘ticked off’, while the liberation of Romania would make a twelfth. And with the reinforcements set to flow in once the Turkish campaign had been concluded, Greece too would come into Soviet sights.

It looks like global Soviet victory is within sight. Do you plan to wrap this AAR up once you get enough victory conditions? I can't see you invading the UK to knock them out anytime soon, unless you've taken enough of their VPs in Asia/Middle East to nuke them into submission?

 

[nuclearslurpee]

With a lot happening and wanting to get to my other AARs too, I'll do a shorter, half-month update next.

And here we go again.

Good advances across the front. Not a lot of need for complex operations here, the Allies are not strong anywhere so we can advance everywhere. I think the Allies will form a line at the Czech border but will not be able to hold it in force along such a length - or the Soviets could vacate the Czech lands and concentrate more forces into Germany and Hungary, letting neutrality secure that part of the line.

It looks like global Soviet victory is within sight. Do you plan to wrap this AAR up once you get enough victory conditions? I can't see you invading the UK to knock them out anytime soon, unless you've taken enough of their VPs in Asia/Middle East to nuke them into submission?

The UK needs a good nuking anyways, to teach those uppity twits a lesson.

 

[diskoerekto]

this time they're broken for good I guess, and without the use of further atomics!

 

[roverS3]

Looks like the dominoes are falling in a big way. Turkey and Afghanistan are back, Slovakia has fallen, Singapore is ours, Berlin has been taken, probably for good now,... With this momentum, the Red Army can just keep knocking out the Balkan countries one by one. Liberate Romania, then Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Yugoslavia, and then on to Austria and Italy. Only the North Africa front is frozen in place. Maybe the Soviet Union should allocate a corps of Naval Infantry and a few bombers to the area to get things moving there too and really make the British panic?

 

[Bullfilter]

Thanks all for the comments! As I move to write up the next momentous chapter, here is the feedback for the recent comments:

I'm glad you finally slipped through!

Yes, kept trying until they made it. A loose end tied up.

See, a Soviet dominated world isn't so bad!

A harsh and pitiless one ... it will all end up a desert we call peace.

It looks like the front will be moving away from Stalinabad now, so that seems like a really good choice.

Yes, and it was by now quite built up and some of the excess Allied air units had moved off, while I could again use the satellite base at Cheshme for repairing a wing or two within reserve-hopping range.

It looks like that pocket should fall apart very soon, especially since I imagine many of their divisions are worn out and low on org.

A bit more pounding a clearing out to be done, but they are surely doomed now.

That should be a huge help as you've just ripped a huge new hole in their front lines that should be hard to fill.

Exactly. Though they are furiously pouring back to their new Czech frontier and the terrain gets quite difficult after that.

It looks like global Soviet victory is within sight. Do you plan to wrap this AAR up once you get enough victory conditions? I can't see you invading the UK to knock them out anytime soon, unless you've taken enough of their VPs in Asia/Middle East to nuke them into submission?

It does. I'm not quite sure yet ... as a baseline, the 12 VC New World Order (as it was for the French in Q&D1) is the primary objective. Secondarily, I think Stalin is going to want full revenge on Germany and to dominate the Balkans. But beyond that, France, the UK and the rest of Western Europe is probably overkill.

Asia is basically mainly sewn up. An the Indian sub-continent ... better non-aligned and sorting it out themselves, than a long campaign followed by a fractious attempt to dominate hundreds of millions of antithetical subjects.

And here we go again.

I like the idea of the shorter chapters now, with these 15 day ones now a lot shorter than the previous ten-day versions. And a lot happened in the second half of the month that I wanted to keep separate. Also allowed me to get back to Poles Apart and my CK2 AAR more quickly. That's my excuse anyway, and I'm sticking to it.

Good advances across the front. Not a lot of need for complex operations here, the Allies are not strong anywhere so we can advance everywhere. I think the Allies will form a line at the Czech border but will not be able to hold it in force along such a length - or the Soviets could vacate the Czech lands and concentrate more forces into Germany and Hungary, letting neutrality secure that part of the line.

I think their backs now are finally at breaking point. Air power on the Western Front and the big encirclement in Turkey are the killer blows, I think. In the end, the Turkish campaign was initially a tactical blunder that has turned into a strategic master stroke. And all this with only the first few divisions of the Far East returnees in the West and Central Asia.

The UK needs a good nuking anyways, to teach those uppity twits a lesson.

It may not come to that ...

this time they're broken for good I guess, and without the use of further atomics!

Yes, it seems so.

Looks like the dominoes are falling in a big way. Turkey and Afghanistan are back, Slovakia has fallen, Singapore is ours, Berlin has been taken, probably for good now,... With this momentum, the Red Army can just keep knocking out the Balkan countries one by one. Liberate Romania, then Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Yugoslavia, and then on to Austria and Italy. Only the North Africa front is frozen in place. Maybe the Soviet Union should allocate a corps of Naval Infantry and a few bombers to the area to get things moving there too and really make the British panic?

After so much heavy fighting, the tide is running faster now. Not that the Allies have stopped fighting hard. Though the objective will be new world order rather than global domination, so it will end a bit sooner rather than very much later. After which I'll get my head back into my HOI3 mod and that will probably be my next AAR (an intro/demo piece on the mod), while I let the CK2 and HOI4 ones run on the side. Even though I did have a couple of different HOI3 ideas ... I must keep things workable!

 

[Bullfilter]

Chapter 62: 17 to 31 January 1949

******​

1. Burma and East Pakistan

The Soviet Marines pushing along the coast finally ran into opposition at Rangamati in East Pakistan, which was overcome on 25 January, after a few raids by British CAGs on the attackers in Chakaria that were intercepted by VVS fighters based in Rangoon.

​

The largest battle in the sector for the period came with the attack on the (non-VP) Pakistani port of Chittagong. This lasted from the morning of 27 January through to the afternoon of the 31st. The Soviet marines were victorious after a stiff fight, but Chittagong was not occupied before the month ended.

​

As January 1949 ended, the follow-on Soviet forces were strung out well behind the coastal spearhead, while the advance group in Mandalay stayed put for now, as the supply lines to it and the relocated CAS group were secured.

Burma-East Pakistan as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

[NB: In all the summary maps, the yellow line represents positions as at the end of 16 January, solid arrows are gains made since then. Casualty figures are for the entire month.]

******​

2. Middle East

The main battle for the period was at Români, where an Allied crossing attempt was very heavily defeated on 19 January (Soviets 9, Allies 1,292 killed). After that, Soviet Suez Line was probed three times at Bîr Gifgafa from 26-30 January while both were periodically struck from the air during the attacks.

The Suez Line as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

******​

3. Central Asia

There was a steady succession of Soviet attacks across the front from 21-31 January, both in eastern Iran as the limited counter-offensive there took shape and to the north, as the liberation of Afghanistan slowly unfolded.

The major Soviet attacks were fought at Shindand (23 Jan; Soviets 548, Allies 1,143 killed), Ghazni (23 Jan; Soviets 578, Allies 982 killed), Bandar ‘e Abbas (the only Soviet loss, 25 Jan; Soviets 609, Allies 843 killed), Korugh (30 Jan; Soviets 843; Allies 1,122 killed), Nehbandan (31 Jan; Soviets 432, Allies 1,443 killed) and the largest at Farah (31 Jan; Soviets 616, Allies 1,741 killed).

The largest Allied air strikes were on Bandar e Lengeh (20 Jan, 827 killed), Bamian (21 Jan, 926 killed) and Delaram (30 Jan, 677 killed). For the VVS, Tarin Kowt had been struck during an earlier attack (16-19 Jan, 1,733 killed) and then finishing with a large and continuing preparation on Ishkashim (26-31 Jan, 4,019 killed) in eastern Afghanistan. The VVS intercepted Allied raids on 21, 23 and 31 January.

The month ended with a second attack on Bandar ‘e Abbas starting at 1900hr on 30 January. It made better progress than the first one had and continued as the month ended.

Central Asia as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

******​

4. Turkey

The Allied armies trapped in Turkey were clearly doomed as the month began but were determined to fight it out until the end. Amid a range of smaller battles and skirmishes, the Battle for Yalva was one of the last major engagements in the sector as the pocket was constricted.

​

Basmaki had to be attacked three times from 20-25 January as retreating Allied troops fell back into it, each mounting a rear-guard action.

By the morning of 21 January, the Allies had been compressed into two last small pockets as the end approached.

​

The last major action was (fittingly) concluded at Inönü on 23 January but mopping up and small skirmishes would continue for the next couple of days.

​

By the morning of 27 January, the last Allied divisions in Turkey had surrendered. That afternoon, the strategic redeployment of most of the Soviet forces in Turkey to the Bulgarian sector was under way.

​

Captured Allied documents revealed that as at 1 January 1949, there had been around 82,000 troops left in Turkey.

​

VVS air support had been permanently shifted away from the sector after 7 January, redirected to the Romanian-Bulgarian front. Taking combat and air casualties into account (though not general attrition), an estimated 54,451 Allied prisoners were taken during the month by the time Turkey had been fully liberated.

Turkey as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

******​

5. Southern Romania, Bulgarian and Greece

The Soviets remained on the defensive in this sector for most of the period, with some active Allied attacks pressing the still thin line. Silistria was reoccupied early on 17 January after an earlier successful Soviet counter-attack. The same day, a defensive victory was won in Ploiesti (Soviets 131, Allies 1,555 killed).

The next major action was the successful defence of Sliven in Bulgaria on 26 January (Soviets 877, Allies 1,786 killed) and Calarasi (east of Bucuresti) the same day (Soviets 267, Allies 1,116 killed).

Sliven would be defended (expensively) again on 29 January after heavy defensive air support and spoiling attacks (Soviets 1,428, Allies 915 killed). Calarasi would have to be defended twice more on 31 January (total of Soviets 386, Allies 1,525 killed) as would Ploiesti ((Soviets 171, Allies 1,165 killed). There were no active ground battles in progress as the month ended.

Mainly defensive VVS air support helped to hold the line until the reinforcements from Turkey could arrive, with major targets being Bucuresti (17-19 Jan, 4,829 killed), Giurgiu (19-27 Jan, 12,070), Tarnovo (27-31 Jan, 5,921), Stara Zagora (28-31 Jan, 7,723) and Targoviste (29-31 Jan, 3,520).

Southern Romania, Bulgaria and Greece as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

******​

6. Slovakia, Hungary and Northern Romania

The largest ground battle in the sector (and on the whole Western Front for the 15-day period) was won at Sarospatak on 17 January, on what remained an active but still secondary front.

​

By 27 January, the Soviet rate of effort had increased. A battle had been fought and won for Handlova in central Slovakia (21 Jan; Soviets 92, Allies 1,927 killed) and then importantly and Tokaj (26 Jan; Soviets 1,350, Allies 2,742 killed) as the Red Army pressed forward towards Debrecen and Cluj.

​

Further to the west, steady progress had been made in a series of smaller battles in western Slovakia. By 29 January, only Bratislava remained in Allied hands and an attack began at 1600hr that day (progress towards neighbouring Austria will be covered in the next section). Victory was won by the afternoon of 30 January.

​

The race to Bratislava was over by 1600hr the same day -in time for negotiations for Slovakia’s capitulation to be concluded by midnight.

​

By that time, an initial attack on Debrecen had failed, while a Red Army spearhead gathered strength to attack Budapest from the north. They were ready by midday on the 31st, with the initial breakthrough attempt making good progress against one fairly strong and another exhausted Allied division.

​

To the east, the recently arrived Far East reinforcements were used to begin a secondary offensive against thinning Allied defences in northern Romania. Good progress had been made there too by the end of the month, with Iasi being taken, while the Allies counter-attacked strongly from Debrecen towards Miskolc and the attack on Budapest continued.

Most VVS air effort had been applied in other sectors, with the heaviest strikes occurring in northern Romania at Botosani in support of that offensive (20-22 Jan, 3,320 killed).

Slovakia, Hungary and Northern Romania as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

******​

7. Czechoslovakia and Austria

The early days of the period from 17-19 January were spent chasing the Allies out of now neutral Czechoslovakia, with only smaller battles and skirmishes occurring as the Red Army occasionally caught up with retreating Allied units. By the start of 20 January, the advance was still comparatively shallow.

​

The pace picked up quite rapidly from then, such that five days later Vienna fell to the Soviets after they had closed up to and crossed the southern Czech border, but Allied resistance did grow from that point, especially on the German side of the border to the north-west.

​

There, many German divisions were arrayed, though many seemed to be shifting north to deal with the growing breakout in north Germany. Minor resistance was encountered early on 26 January when the Soviets probed across the border to Rohrbach, where it intersected with Germany and Austria.

​

By the 27th, Rohrbach had not yet been occupied and the Soviets had not closed up to the German border. A stiff fight continued in Zwettl, including air combat as the Soviet used bombing to try to force a difficult ground fight to better secure Vienna.

​

While Rohrbach was later secured, a defensive battle to hold it was lost at 1700hr on 30 January after a strong German counter-attack (Soviets 870, Germany 613 killed).

The month ended with the Soviets retreating from Rohrbach, but having taken Zwettl and making good progress in an attack on Gänserndorf nearer to Vienna.

Czechoslovakia and Austria as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

******​

8. Germany

The first major engagement of the period was a Soviet defence of Pritzwalk against a determined Allied attack on 17 January (Soviets 1,499, Allies 2,445 killed). On the southern end of the sector, the Soviets won their attack on Chemnitz on the 19th (5,846 air casualties from 15-20 January in addition to the ground combat). Leipzig was taken just an hour later.

​

On the Baltic coast, Rostock was taken once more, cutting of a number of Allied divisions in Stralsund and others retreating from Greifswald.

​

Meanwhile, heavy air strikes were launched on Stendal to blunt a determined Allied attack on Zerbst won on 21 January (Soviets 446, Allies 1,167 killed). The VVS air missions would continue from 19-25 January, killing 11,525 Allied troops.

A major victory was won defending Dessau early on 24 January (Soviets 1,262, Allies 4,245) as they refused to give ground easily in the first week of the period. The following day, the troops cut off in Stralsund were defeated (Soviets 913, Allies 1,134 killed) with at least another 11,200 prisoners taken.

By 27 January, the dam wall had largely broken as the front dissolved into a series of smaller battles and a Soviet pursuit of exhausted mainly Germany troops, aiming next for Hannover and Hamburg. A battle in Zwickau that day saw another Soviet attacking victory, the last sizeable ground battle in Germany before the end of the month (Soviets 713, Allies 2,122 killed).

​

Soviet troops had rushed to the outskirts of Kiel, Hamburg and Hannover by the time the month ended, though heavier fighting persisted in the south of the sector, including in Aue, where surrounded Allied troops had just surrendered (number unknown), though air raids from 21-31 January alone caused 9,753 casualties.

Germany as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

Western Front and Turkey overall position as at 2300hr on 31 January 1949.

******​

9. Air War in the West

As usual, the largest Soviet bombing and dog-fighting came on the Western Front. As targets reduced somewhat from 21 January as the fight became more mobile, the VVS rate of effort dropped off somewhat, before rebounding somewhat from 26 January as more raids hit the Allies in Romania and Bulgaria and some air units were rested. Allied damage remained minimal, especially in the second half the month.

After a relatively quiet period from 17-22 January, aerial combat ramped up again before falling off again on the 31st, coinciding with a decrease in Soviet and Allied air raid attempts over Germany.

******​

10. Strategic, Research and Industry

Another new INT wing was deployed on the Western Front on 18 January and two engineer brigades in occupied Slovakia on 25 January, which would be integrated into existing divisions once largely organised. The released IC was used to offset the deficits in the production queue.

By the end of the month, there was almost enough to fully fund the queue again, after other expenditure was accounted for. More than six nukes were in the stockpile and it would soon be seven.

​

Four projects were completed from 19-31 July, while the attaining of veteran air force status on the 19th allowed a 31st project to be added to the list: the last component of the planned upgrade of Soviet medium tanks to the next model.

​

The large swag of prisoners taken in Turkey in particular increased total Allied casualties on all fronts in the month to very nearly 500,000 men. By contrast, the Soviets lost fewer than 87,000. Of the 244 battles fought on all fronts during the month, the Soviets only lost nine, while they attacked twice as frequently as the Allies had. This really did reflect the swing of the initiative to the Comintern on most fronts.

​

For the first time, the Comintern now controlled more overall victory objectives than the Allies, after the balance had been heavily in the other direction for so long. Czechoslovakia had been added to the Soviet column during January 1949, tipping the balance over. The acquisition of one of Romania, Greece or Munich would make a Soviet boast of their own New World Order credible, at last.

 

[Wraith11B]

Three objectives seem to be well within reach (Munich, Greece and Romania). It shan't be long before the Reds take down Europe!

 

[RustyHunter]

​

By the morning of 27 January, the last Allied divisions in Turkey had surrendered. That afternoon, the strategic redeployment of most of the Soviet forces in Turkey to the Bulgarian sector was under way.

That frees up a lot of divisions to swamp the Balkans.

Captured Allied documents revealed that as at 1 January 1949, there had been around 82,000 troops left in Turkey.

Another major victory!

Further to the west, steady progress had been made in a series of smaller battles in western Slovakia. By 29 January, only Bratislava remained in Allied hands and an attack began at 1600hr that day (progress towards neighbouring Austria will be covered in the next section). Victory was won by the afternoon of 30 January.

And the race is over! It looks like the Slovaks took quite staggering losses up to this point.

The large swag of prisoners taken in Turkey in particular increased total Allied casualties on all fronts in the month to very nearly 500,000 men. By contrast, the Soviets lost fewer than 87,000.

Those are some incredible losses for the Allies, and you can really see it on some of their divisions.

The acquisition of one of Romania, Greece or Munich would make a Soviet boast of their own New World Order credible, at last.

It looks like the end is in sight. I'm guessing Romania will be the next to fall, although maybe you can break through to Athens first. I don't blame you for calling it once the 12 objectives are achieved.

I'm sure you've said before, but what is your mod going to do?

 

[Bullfilter]

Next chapter ready to go, so feedback follows for my intrepid commentAARs for the last one.

Three objectives seem to be well within reach (Munich, Greece and Romania). It shan't be long before the Reds take down Europe!

They are - not sure yet whether I'll go for all three or just one or two.

That frees up a lot of divisions to swamp the Balkans.

That's the idea - it should accelerate the momentum.

Another major victory!

A big one indeed.

And the race is over! It looks like the Slovaks took quite staggering losses up to this point.

Hip flasks brandished in salute! Bratislava was the last province to fall.

Those are some incredible losses for the Allies, and you can really see it on some of their divisions.

Yes, the pounding has really softened them up a lot.

I'm sure you've said before, but what is your mod going to do?

It's set in 1936, but basically with the world map at in was in the mid-18th century, just before the Seven Years War. Constitutional Democracies vs Autocracies, with Socialist countries on 'the side'. So, for example, the US is largely in the hands of France and England, but as freed colonies (puppet states) with native states in the west. Poland is still a thing. Australia has not been settled by England, nor New Zealand, so they are indigenous countries. Russian Empire not yet complete, Germany not united, Austria a major power, Qing Empire in the east, etc. Bigger focus on diplomacy and event chains. Tech largely averaged out in all countries, probably up to slightly after WW1 levels as there has not been enough warfare in past centuries to advance it.

 

[Bullfilter]

Chapter 63: 1 to 14 February 1949​

1. Asia

Before the 1st Marines could occupy Chittagong after their victory in January, a Bhutanese division arrived to contest it. This battle was finally won late on 8 February and it was occupied straight afterward. The rest of the Soviet units were taking a long time to make their way up the coast and inland, as Indian divisions began to gather.

​

From 4 February, British STRAT bombers launched a concerted logistic bombing campaign in northern Malaya and southern Thailand and Burma, apparently trying to create infrastructure blockages, though it was unclear how much this impeded Soviet supply provision to the front.

​

Due to earlier engagements over Kaladan on 3 February which were met by up to six RAF INT wings, the VVS was in no position to contest them. By the end of the first two weeks of February they had conducted 21 such raids in four locations.

​

Only limited Soviet progress was made in the sector due to slow movement in the difficult terrain and increasing Allied resistance. A short probe on Chakaria on the 13th was quickly repulsed, while battles continued south of Mandalay at Monywa and Kyaukse, the latter supported by RAF CAG ground strikes.

Burma and East Pakistan as at 2300hr on 14 February 1949.

******​

2. Middle East

Only one sizeable battle was fought during the period, at Români, ending in a costly Allied defeat on 7 February (Soviets three, Allies 624 killed). Two smaller skirmishes at Bîr Gifgafa were over quickly and for once the Allies launched no air raids during the period.

Suez Line as at 2300hr on 14 February 1949.

******​

3. Central Asia

The front was quite active during the first two weeks of February, with the Soviets pressing the attack in eastern Iran and Afghanistan. Of the four larger battles, the attack on the regional centre of Bandar ‘e Abbas was won on 1 February (Soviets 215, Allies 708 killed) and it was liberated on the 6th.

​

During that time, an Allied spoiling attack on Sirjan, to its north, had been repelled on the 3rd (Soviets 333, Allies 1,143 killed) in the largest ground battle in the sector during the first half of February.

The battles for Kandahar (Soviets 340, Allies 438 killed) was won on 4 February and for Zaranj (Soviets 35, Allies 1,002 killed) on the 7th. Air preparation by the VVS CAS based in Stalinabad helped win skirmishes for Ishkashim (1-3 Feb, 1,777 air casualties) and Jalalabad (3-6 Feb, 2,366 air casualties).

As the 14th ended, one Allied attack was being made on Kandahar, but otherwise the Soviets had now liberated much of eastern Iran and Afghanistan.

Central Asia as at 2300hr on 14 February 1949.

******​

4. Central Europe and the Balkans

In this phase of the war, where in this sector the Red Army was starting to pursue and harry the Allies along most of the front, battles were generally shorter and less sanguinary than they had typically been for most of the War in Europe so far. For descriptive purposes, only battles with total casualties of around 1,900 men or more or for significant points of interest will be singled out for mention.

Tasnad in Hungary was the first such engagement, ending in Soviet victory on 1 February (Soviets 844. Allies 1,075 killed). The Soviets attacked Bucharest on the morning of 2 February and had won by that evening. It was liberated the next morning and with that, the Romanian government was returned from exile.

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Following this, the battle for Budapest was won on 3 February (Soviets 967, Allies 1,507 killed plus 3,153 air casualties). The city would be occupied the following morning, but it was not yet enough to force a Hungarian surrender.

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The VVS would strike Debrecen to the east from 1-5 February, causing 4,846 casualties, but the first battle to take it would ultimately be lost on 4 February (Soviets 822, Allies 652 killed). It would eventually be taken after a shorter fight three days later.

At the same time, reconnaissance reported the discovery of two level one nuclear reactors that the French had built in occupied north-west Romania at Arad and Timisoara. Why they had been built there, rather than in the safety of France proper, was a complete mystery to the Soviets.

​

One day later, Cluj was occupied by advancing Red Army units. The occupation of this now Hungarian city would be enough to tip them over the edge into capitulation by the end of the day.

​

Once more, this would tear another chunk out of the failing Allied defence of Central Europe, though many units would remain in play as they tried to escape. Other Allied EFs still under Hungarian command would take some time to be ‘disentangled’ from the now neutral (though Comintern-aligned) Hungarian chain of command after they capitulated at midnight.

Hungary, the latest Allied country to fall under Comintern control as Central Europe and the Balkans gradually turned ‘Red’.​

Later that day, the Soviets had a victory in the east of Romania at Bârlad (Soviets 689, Allies 1,182 killed plus 4,369 air casualties from 3-6 Feb) that would soon see that whole sector falling under the Soviet Steamroller.

The key centre of Plovdiv in Bulgaria fell early the following morning, making it the latest Eastern European country to succumb to the Soviet advance.

​

The terms of capitulation were concluded at midnight, though a number of mainly French and British units remained in the east of the country as the Bulgarian army began returning to barracks.

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Progress was also being made in Austria, as the Soviets fought their way out from Vienna against often heavy resistance. They did win a decisive victory in Linz on 9 February (Soviets 68, Allies 2,004 killed) when the Allies unwisely tried to counter-attack there. Earlier, the only Allied air raid to cause casualties on the Western Front during the whole reporting period had caused 124 casualties to the Soviet defenders on the 7th. The next objective was the key (VC) town of Graz, to the south of Vienna.

Cimpeni , just south-west of Cluj over the border in north-western Romania, fell to the Soviets at 0800hr on the 10th. This meant Romania was counted as being substantially liberated – the 12th of the Comintern’s 15 overall war objectives. But it was not yet enough for Stalin’s purposes. He wanted more before he would be ready to offer peace terms to the Allies.

Though Hungary had surrendered, the fighting still went on between the Soviets and Allies on its territory. Later on the 10th, the Soviets won an attack on Székesfehérvár (Soviets 687, Allies 1,204 killed) as they continued to harry the Allies’s retreat.

Early on 13 February Graz fell to Soviet armour after a series of smaller battles to its north over the last few days. Austria, its capital temporarily relocated to Salzburg, was the next Allied country to seek terms from the Soviets.

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As the negotiators worked out the terms of capitulation, the Soviets won another victory at Békés, just south of Debrecen that afternoon (Soviets 718, Allies 1,198 killed) – the last sizeable engagement in the sector for the two-week period.

In a now familiar theme, Austria surrendered at midnight while largely French and German divisions still screened the west of the now neutral Comintern-aligned country.

​

As the 14th came to a close, eight battles continued in the sector (including one of those ‘internal battles’ where both opponents occupied the same province, in Budapest, due to the confused situation after Austria’s surrender). More of Romania had been liberated and the Red Army had broken into Greece and now approached Salonica. Much of Hungary had been occupied, less of Austria and part of Bulgaria. The first Soviet division had crossed into the north of Yugoslavia.

Central Europe and the Balkans as at 2300hr on 14 February 1949.

******​

5. Germany

Though the Soviet breakout into Germany continued to make progress, with speculative attacks mounted all along the front to retain momentum, resistance was sometimes strong as more German units continued to pass back into Germany from the south-east.

The first major gain of the month came with the occupation of Kiel early on the morning of 1 February.

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As the grim fight for Hannover continued, the next major objective to be gained was Hamburg. The battle for it extended from 1100he on 3 February to 2100hr on the 4th, before ending in a Soviet victory (Soviets 516, Allies 917 killed plus 1,240 air casualties). It was occupied on the morning of the 5th.

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A Soviet attack on Eisenach was defeated on 4 February (Soviets 896; Allies 1,193 killed). Then more units had been thrown into the attack on Hannover, which ended in a Soviet victory later on 5 February after the bloodiest ground battle in the sector for the reporting period (Soviets 977, Allies 2,197 killed). The city was occupied the next morning.

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The Soviets kept trying to push forward all along the line in the following days, fighting many smaller battles and winning most. A larger battle at Plauen was won on the 8th (Soviets 167, Allies 1,711 killed) until an expensive attack on Sonneberg was won on the 10th (Soviets 1,483, Allies 1,090 killed) after a couple of earlier attempts had failed.

But a probe on Bremen came up against stronger resistance and it would prove a tough nut to crack, holding out until the end of the period after one or two more attempts to take it.

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As the Soviets closed up, they also tried to get across the river south of Bremen at Minden, but this also failed expensively by the 13th (Soviets 1,640, Allies 398 killed) as did another larger attack on Bremen (Soviets 638, Allies 139 killed plus 790 air casualties).

Major air missions supporting attacks or defensive battles in Germany intensified in the second week of the month as Allied ground resistance increased, with Hof (8-11 Feb; 6,027 killed), Cuxhaven (10-12 Feb; 3,839 killed) and Suhl (11-13 Feb; 3,839 killed) being the largest targets.

Much of the heavier combat was fought out in the southern sector and then in the north, from Hannover, to Hamburg and Bremen.

Germany as at 2300hr on 14 February 1949. ​

Stalin remained determined to defeat the Germans before proposing a general peace to the Allies, to gain vengeance for WW2 (where only the French attack on Germany had prevented them from dealing the Soviets an even worse blow than they had). Overall on the Western Front, there had still been many battles during the period, but far fewer casualties than in the comparable period in January.

The Western Front as at 2300hr on 14 February 1949. ​

Air casualties inflicted on the Allies ebbed and flowed during the first half of February, partly due to the mobility of the warfare, also after some more air battles on the 7th. But a refocus on ensuring targets were being properly delineated and the return of some repaired wings saw casualties increased significantly on the 14th.

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5. Strategic, Diplomacy, Research and Industry

On 6 February, supply production had to be increased to 50 IC as the stockpile fell below 60,000. This was increased again two days later to 70 IC (19.37% of all IC) when the stockpile continued to fall. By the 14th this had to be raised again to 100 IC as the stockpile neared 50,000 and was et to fall by another 5,700.

As mentioned above, the capture of Cimpeni on led to the Comintern achieving 12 victory conditions by 11 February.

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A new infantry division was deployed to Kiel on 12 February and began organising, but no new production was begun during the two week period as the production queue fell further into deficit due to higher supply, reinforcement and upgrade costs.

On 14 February, Honduras joined the Allies: hardly a decisive development.

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It was noticed at that time that Japan was no longer bound by its truce with the Allies, but had not joined in the war and could not be called into it by the Soviets [I think this has come up before – does someone else need to attack us? I’d thought Honduras joining in might have triggered it, or maybe it will happen at midnight?]

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The production queue had been heavily affected by increased IC demands by the end of 14 February.

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Four research projects were completed, while an extra one was added on 5 February following the advance in education the day before.

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The developments in Europe had seen five new (or returned) governments installed within the space of just a few hectic days.

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Overall, the USSR continued to maintain a general advance on most fronts, as casualties on both sides decreased due to the more fluid action and there were no large encirclements.

 

[RustyHunter]

Constitutional Democracies vs Autocracies, with Socialist countries on 'the side'. So, for example, the US is largely in the hands of France and England, but as freed colonies (puppet states) with native states in the west. Poland is still a thing. Austrialia has not been settled, nor New Zealand. Russian Empire not yet complete, Germany not united, Austria a major power, Qing Empire in the east, etc. Bigger focus on diplomacy and event chains. Tech largely averaged out in all countries, probably up to slightly after WW1 levels as there has not been enough warfare in past centuries to advance it.

That sounds really interesting! It should be fun to really change the rules and shake-up the alliances from the WWII we're used to.

From 4 February, British STRAT bombers launched a concerted logistic bombing campaign in northern Malaya and southern Thailand and Burma, apparently trying to create infrastructure blockages, though it was unclear how much this impeded Soviet supply provision to the front.

Nice to see the British trying to do something with them, and it's probably the right idea, even if it won't be extremely effective.

It was liberated the next morning and with that, the Romanian government was returned from exile.

Nice to see them returned home, even if it's not to the country made whole yet.

At the same time, reconnaissance reported the discovery of two level one nuclear reactors that the French had built in occupied north-west Romania at Arad and Timisoara. Why they had been built there, rather than in the safety of France proper, was a complete mystery to the Soviets.

An interesting move by the AI, although I imagine the Romanians will appreciate the investment.

It's quite impressive just how quickly the Allies fell apart, so well done! It looks like victory is certainly in sight, and I imagine you can take both Greece and Munich quickly, securing 14 of 15 objectives.

 

[El Pip]

There has been a slight delay as I remain somewhat traumatised by the fall of Czechoslovakia. Obviously delighted to see the Czechs (*spit*) brought low, but at such terrible cost to Slovakia.

I shall take refuge in mocking Paradox and their catastrophic research.

Elias Kohn was a Bohemian Jew who emigrated to Argentina in the 1890s and died in 1938. I can say this with such precision as I found the photograph Paradox used. Though as always how they found that photo remains a mystery, surely it must have been more work than proper research?

Theodor Escherich was German-Austrian paediatrician who discovered E-coli and died in 1911. Paradox just stole his 'h' and used his photo.

Bohumil Štěpánek was at least Czech, but he was a screenwriter, playwright and translator of Shakespeare.

Svoboda was a foul Czech traitor who turns up as a Slovak general for T&T to use, I say foul traitor as he was fanatically communist. Definitely not allowed any power in the immediate post-war, indeed I think at this point he was in prison, stripped of rank and being advised to commit suicide to save his image. Still he got rehabilitated and then Moscow made him puppet President during the Prague Spring.... yet he still kept being really pro-communism, which is really baffling given his life story.

Klement Gottwald was General Secretary and Chairman of the Czech Communist Party, Prime Minister in 46 to 48, President after Benes in 48 to 53. So naturally Paradox put a complete random in his job and made Klement head of the Navy. What else would they do?

Jan Prokop was a Technical Officer (Transport) with 303Sqn in the RAF. He also somehow managed to shot down a German bomber while in France, making him one of the few aircraft mechanics with a confirmed kill. View on 'Vertical Envelopment' are less clear.


The most damning one is Vladimír Clementis who actually was Czech Foreign Minister from 1948 to 50. This is maddening as it shows Paradox did know that Czechoslovakia was a Soviet puppet after WW2 but decided to just use random people instead for the other jobs despite their being actual historical figures they could use. Vladimír did not have a happy time in office, he was a deviationist Bourgeois Nationalist (I think code for didn't do what Moscow told him instantly and without question) so was sentenced to death for his part in the Trotskyite-Titoite-Zionist conspiracy to... do whatever it was that lot were accused of. It was a Soviet puppet state so details like that were not particularly relevant.


But then I saw that Slovakia was resurrected and, in a true mark of it's gift for international inconvenience hasn't got any Soviet ministers. Sure no-one in Moscow would notice or even be aware of the new puppet, but they'd be briefly and mildly annoyed if they ever found out and that's all Slovakia can ever hope for.

Wonderful to see the actually fascist Catlos keep his job, presumably he is doing this job from his prison cell?

Daniel Ertl was an actual communist, full on member of the party and had a post-war career. He should be deep red.

Jan Srobar Vavro, another actual communist who served in the post-war communist government. Was at least Slovakian I suppose.

Jozef Kubin was a Czech (*spit*) writer with no Slovak connections at all, didn't even write about boats, aircraft of foreign affairs.

Julian Pauliny is still fooling no-one by hiding his 'J', he remains Czech and really should be in exile with Benes.

Edouard Urx was actually a Communist writer and remains dead at this point.

Eduard Bass-Schmidt was an actor, singer and comedian, so some might say well qualified for being Slovak Armaments minister as their industry is a joke.


I'm not going to do the rest, but Comrade Boris Coburg is a fun little detail I must admit.