• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
I note there seems some distressing lack of faith hereabouts in Comrade Stalin's Grand Plan to continue with total slaughter until everyone is dead apart from Comrade Stalin, Svetlana, and her pet marmot, Alan.
 
  • 2
  • 1Like
  • 1Haha
  • 1
Reactions:
I note there seems some distressing lack of faith hereabouts in Comrade Stalin's Grand Plan to continue with total slaughter until everyone is dead apart from Comrade Stalin, Svetlana, and her pet marmot, Alan.
I fear a cabal of Krylenko-ist inspired army wreckers, a new round of investigations and trials is the only possible response.
 
  • 4
Reactions:
Three days later, Soviet mountain troops were the first into Kabul. At midnight on , the last Axis country surrendered, officially ending the Second World War on 11 November 1946 - 28 years to the day after the end of the Great War.

And the Caucasus Theatre began to reorganise and give new objectives to its three armies. The small 4th Army, until that point a reserve 'holding' formation, was allocated three garrison divisions to allow a token defence along the Turkish border (Turkey remaining firmly neutral a mainly pro-Comintern for now). They would later receive a corps HQ to control them directly.
Only slightly less glorious than the Red Army are those men serving as the Red Speed Bumps. :p

There was also a warning that keeping the Army mobilised during peacetime would be ‘very costly’ – though how much was not clear. [Anyone recall what the impost is?]
@roverS3 has the most of it, aside from a caveat I'll add below.

The ‘new-old’ and gleamingly obsolete battleship Sovyetsky Soyuz was commissioned on 17 November into the Red Banner Pacific Fleet, giving each of the two Pacific battle fleets a battleship as flagship.
A mere Gangut-class? I am offended.

Mobilisation in peacetime costs you extra supplies, but also a lot of extra consumer goods as the amount of consumer goods required to avoid dissent is based on the number of Brigades, but non-mobilised reserve Brigades only count as 1/4 or 1/3 or 1/2, depending on your conscription laws. The cost of demobilising is manpower and IC as you wont get back the amount of manpower you take out of the army. So you'll have to invest extra manpower when remobilising. And then there is IC (representing weapons and equipment of the demobilising soldiers), which you also lose, as when you re-mobilise you have to reinforce all those units with new weapons, but depending on how long between you demobilise and remobilise, you will likely make that back in reduced supply production and consumer goods expenditure.
Mostly correct. However, you are not supposed to lose manpower when demobilizing as it is added back to the pool...however, because this is Paradox, this only works for a human player, and AIs which demobilize do not get their manpower back (a bug we sussed out some time ago in the HPP subforum).

There is something marvellously Soviet about this, the idea that due to an outbreak of Peace the country is forced to step down to merely running a "War Economy". The implication being that a conflict with Afghanistan was such an existential threat that the Politburo and Gosplan were running some kind of intense super-war economy which even they realised was not actually sustainable, as if such a thing could exist. Then there is just the Double-Talk delight of peace resulting in a country starting to run a War Economy. Really Paradox should have thought of a better name for the 'one step down from max' step on that particular Law.
I assume Paradox named their laws under the assumption that the player would stay at war for the entire game once joining WWII-proper. Mostly because that's what Germany players do and we all know who this game was made for after all.
 
  • 2
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Mobilisation in peacetime costs you extra supplies, but also a lot of extra consumer goods as the amount of consumer goods required to avoid dissent is based on the number of Brigades, but non-mobilised reserve Brigades only count as 1/4 or 1/3 or 1/2, depending on your conscription laws. The cost of demobilising is manpower and IC as you wont get back the amount of manpower you take out of the army. So you'll have to invest extra manpower when remobilising. And then there is IC (representing weapons and equipment of the demobilising soldiers), which you also lose, as when you re-mobilise you have to reinforce all those units with new weapons, but depending on how long between you demobilise and remobilise, you will likely make that back in reduced supply production and consumer goods expenditure.

Mostly correct. However, you are not supposed to lose manpower when demobilizing as it is added back to the pool...however, because this is Paradox, this only works for a human player, and AIs which demobilize do not get their manpower back (a bug we sussed out some time ago in the HPP subforum).
So, a quick technical follow up then: if I have a number of months of peace ahead, would it be worth de- and then re-mobilising? Let’s say I wait for jet engines to be introduced and the wings upgraded (Feb 47 + upgrade time), then demob? And another nuke or two finished. Of course, if I don’t wait and go early, then I wouldn’t bother.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions:
So, a quick technical follow up then: if I have a number of months of peace ahead, would it be worth de- and then re-mobilising? Let’s say I wait for jet engines to be introduced and the wings upgraded (Feb 47 + upgrade time), then demob? And another nuke or two finished. Of course, if I don’t wait and go early, then I wouldn’t bother.
In general if you are not at war for more than about a month or two, you should demobilize so that your IC can go to useful things like upgrades and building more things to shot people with. It takes around 2-3 to mobilize normally, maybe longer for the Soviets since you have so many troops, so try to mobilize a month or so before you plan to DoW the rest of the world.
 
  • 2
  • 1
Reactions:
would allies declare on us if we declare on let's say the saudis for the time being?
 
  • 1Like
Reactions:
would allies declare on us if we declare on let's say the saudis for the time being?
Given that we're a faction, they would automatically join another faction, and then yes, we would be in a war with the allies. I don't know if it would force them into the Allies (I'm pretty sure it would given that there are no axis powers available).
 
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Another update beckons, so here is some pre-release feedback comment, as is my wont ... ;)
Bulgaria looks vulnerable ...
It does. I'm hoping we might take and turn them quickly, but the heavy French and Allied presence in western Romania and Yugoslavia could be a problem - hoping a possible successful invasion wouldn't be cut off.
France has some really tough looking divisions...I only skimmed your France prologue to this, so what was your 'standard' inf division?
There wasn't really a standard one, but pretty much all would be five brigades each, and most standard 'leg' infantry probably 3 x INF, ARTY, AT if I recall correctly (the game itself was played around 4-5 years ago).
There is something marvellously Soviet about this, the idea that due to an outbreak of Peace the country is forced to step down to merely running a "War Economy". The implication being that a conflict with Afghanistan was such an existential threat that the Politburo and Gosplan were running some kind of intense super-war economy which even they realised was not actually sustainable, as if such a thing could exist. Then there is just the Double-Talk delight of peace resulting in a country starting to run a War Economy. Really Paradox should have thought of a better name for the 'one step down from max' step on that particular Law.
True enough. The next chapter will show the effect of the 'Not Actually at War Economy' and it isn't pretty for the Soviets. :eek:
it's gonna be difficult man, it's gonna be really difficult
I think you're right o_O
Do you doubt the collective comrade? The puny capitalist and proto-fascist feudalists will be wiped from the map in no time.
Any propaganda that suggest the USA could be a threat is capitalist misinformation, do you doubt it comrade? if so comrade Beria has an offer for you!
my resolution is steel with regards to our red army and our comrades in arms, but I have zero confidence in the generals, unfortunately! :D
I note there seems some distressing lack of faith hereabouts in Comrade Stalin's Grand Plan to continue with total slaughter until everyone is dead apart from Comrade Stalin, Svetlana, and her pet marmot, Alan.
I fear a cabal of Krylenko-ist inspired army wreckers, a new round of investigations and trials is the only possible response.
Such doubts, even if entirely valid, must of course be suppressed publicly, with extreme methods. But in the halls of the Kremlin, I think many were quite frank (and Stalin in expletive-laden fear) when things were at their worst in mid-1941.
Only slightly less glorious than the Red Army are those men serving as the Red Speed Bumps. :p

A mere Gangut-class? I am offended.

Mostly correct. However, you are not supposed to lose manpower when demobilizing as it is added back to the pool...however, because this is Paradox, this only works for a human player, and AIs which demobilize do not get their manpower back (a bug we sussed out some time ago in the HPP subforum).

I assume Paradox named their laws under the assumption that the player would stay at war for the entire game once joining WWII-proper. Mostly because that's what Germany players do and we all know who this game was made for after all.
Those are the last Dreadnaught with casemates floating?
Ganguts, I know - oh dear. :rolleyes: But one more (plus some air cover) might just be enough to keep an invasion fleet alive for long enough to land someone next time.
Mobilisation in peacetime costs you extra supplies, but also a lot of extra consumer goods as the amount of consumer goods required to avoid dissent is based on the number of Brigades, but non-mobilised reserve Brigades only count as 1/4 or 1/3 or 1/2, depending on your conscription laws. The cost of demobilising is manpower and IC as you wont get back the amount of manpower you take out of the army. So you'll have to invest extra manpower when remobilising. And then there is IC (representing weapons and equipment of the demobilising soldiers), which you also lose, as when you re-mobilise you have to reinforce all those units with new weapons, but depending on how long between you demobilise and remobilise, you will likely make that back in reduced supply production and consumer goods expenditure.

As to the Soviet Union's current situation, it's not great really. It is in your interest to declare war sooner rather than later as you're at a significant economic disadvantage, though you still have to make sure everything is in place for the first steps of the offensive, of course. Let's just say, you're going to need those nukes or a miracle to win ww3. Maybe the nukes are the miracle?

Looking forward to that next war, however soon it may come.
So, a quick technical follow up then: if I have a number of months of peace ahead, would it be worth de- and then re-mobilising? Let’s say I wait for jet engines to be introduced and the wings upgraded (Feb 47 + upgrade time), then demob? And another nuke or two finished. Of course, if I don’t wait and go early, then I wouldn’t bother.
In general if you are not at war for more than about a month or two, you should demobilize so that your IC can go to useful things like upgrades and building more things to shot people with. It takes around 2-3 to mobilize normally, maybe longer for the Soviets since you have so many troops, so try to mobilize a month or so before you plan to DoW the rest of the world.
You will see some of the mechanics played out in the next chapter ...

As to the Soviet situation, @roverS3 , the more I look at it and see the human-guided AI in action, well, the less optimistic I get. But still, it should provide for a spectacular conflagration when match meets fuse. :eek:
would allies declare on us if we declare on let's say the saudis for the time being?
Given that we're a faction, they would automatically join another faction, and then yes, we would be in a war with the allies. I don't know if it would force them into the Allies (I'm pretty sure it would given that there are no axis powers available).
I checked: Saudi independence is guaranteed by the UK anyway, so it would be war with the Allies.
 
  • 3Like
Reactions:
Chapter 34 – December 1946 to February 1947
Chapter 34 – December 1946 to February 1947

Introduction

With WW2 over after the defeat of Afghanistan on 11 November 1946, the Soviet Union reverted to peacetime conditions – albeit an armed peace. Nukes and other strategic weapons were being built while Soviet forces in the Caucasus Theatre reorganised themselves along the Iraqi and Pakistani borders. In Europe, the recent army reorganisation was largely complete, though some units were still shuffling into position.

jdOcfx.jpg

Recap: the peacetime economy as at 12 November 1946, with the removal of some wartime laws and the massive US lend-lease windfall and with the Red Army still mobilised.

******

December 1946

The decision was taken on 1 December 1946 to wait for the introduction of jet engines to the VVS (due in late February 1947) and the subsequent upgrade of all wings before launching a possible WW3. This would also, it was argued, allow units in Persia and Afghanistan in particular to reposition after the end of the last campaign of the war, as both Iraq and Pakistan were members of the Allies.

fBLEBb.jpg

Note: Demobilisation released 264,000 troops back into the manpower pool. It would take 534,600 to re-mobilise reserve formations. Even if there was some transfer cost in manpower, the vast Soviet reserves could cope with that easily. It was advised that demobilising would ‘reduce the strain on the economy’, but this was not necessarily apparent afterwards …

1DUmie.jpg

Note: there was no change in the consumer goods demand compared to mid-November.

The supply stockpile, which STAVKA wanted to see at 100% if possible when war was declared, had sunk to under 78,000 units. Supply production was increased to try to boost it. With upgrade costs, this left new production much reduced from its wartime heyday.

On 4 December, it was finally decided to change training laws to ensure the highest level of starting experience for any new formations, even if in took longer for them to train.

2lBiab.jpg

On 11 December another battery of heavy AA guns was added to the strategic air base of Brzesc Litewski (to level 2, production renewed for level 3).

On 12 December, four more SS-1 missiles were ordered (and put to the top of the queue) as the technology to improve their range was soon due.

m8cGSo.jpg

It was also noted that supply demand seemed to keep increasing, quicker than production was creating it. By 12 December the stockpile was down to a little over 71,000 and supply production was increased to 80 IC.

Four technical advances were made in December: one line of research was continued (NAV pilot training was still well behind contemporary standards) while three new lines were switched to.

tIMhCy.jpg


******

January 1947

As 1947 began, the redeployment in Persia and Afghanistan was partially complete.

8oHzOa.jpg

And the third Soviet nuke was completed (3.00 as at 1 Jan 47). But by 5 January, the supply situation had continued to worsen, the stockpile down to under 72,000. Supply production was increased to 100 IC (35.6% of the economy) to try to arrest the slide. The production project allocation fell to 72.6 IC.

The commanders in the Far East had assessed their objectives as given (Manchuria and Korea) and 16th Army in particular had created an extraordinary concentration of forces where the border adjoined both by 11 January.

XVTO2W.jpg

As long as they could be supplied – and were not embarrassingly cut off – they could well sweep all before them and quickly knock Manchukuo out of the war and liquidate Japanese occupation of Korea. And then the impact of China and other Allied expeditionary forces could be anticipated to strike later on.

Various production projects were completed and some continued during the month, as supply demand and upgrades requirements continued to whittle away at the amount of IC available for production.

  • On 2 January, new air base upgrades were finished in Kaunas (to level 4), Stanislawow (level 6) and Brzesc Litewski (level 5). Each was renewed to the next level and put to the top of the queue.
  • The same day, the RADAR installation at Brzesc Litewski (to level 6) and air base at Jaworow (to level 2) were completed, but neither was renewed.
  • On 5 January, RADAR installations were upgraded at Kaunas and Lwów (both level 6), with neither being renewed. That brought the RADAR coverage across the Western Front to a good level, both for observation of enemy forces in depth and also (hopefully?) to aid with air operations.
  • On 14 January, level 3 AA batteries were installed at Brzesc Litewski and the next level commenced.
  • 15 January saw the next four SS-1s were completed. The first, delivered earlier, was deployed near the front line in Suwalki, the rest held back for now.
Kre2fR.jpg

Supply continued to be a problem, as the stockpile steadily eroded (down to under 60,000 by 20 January), production increased and the build queue suffered. Now half of the economy was directed at producing supply (140 IC), with only 31.5 IC left for projects. This was still not enough, supply production increased to 150 IC on 25 January.

As the month drew to a close, the supply stockpile had slid below 50,000 despite all this. With the upgrade bill sitting at over 40 IC, all remaining production was sunk into supplies, halting all projects in the queue, just to keep it at around 140 IC.

TPbz9z.jpg

The increased upgrade bill had been caused by a series of technical advances that month, many of which led to implementation costs. As the Five Year Plan was forced to adjust to these new circumstances, research on new industrial production techniques was restarted on 3 January, supply production on 27 January and industrial efficiency on 30 January.

5lCfNo.jpg


******

February 1947

The Persian redeployment was substantially, but not wholly, completed by 1 February.

lHER7r.jpg

Diplomatically, it was noticed that while the three Chinese warlord states had too much neutrality to agree to join the Comintern, even though their alignment was beginning to get quite close. The threshold it had to be below was 25, and the Guangxi Clique was at 50.9, Xibei San Ma at 40.03 and Yunnan at 38.01. Either the UK or France tended to be their highest perceived threat, so trying to mount a spy mission to increase their perceived threat was likely to be prohibitively costly in spies. The Soviets were at a bit of a loss as to what more they could do themselves to shift these equations. [If anyone has any bright ideas that don’t involve tagging, cheats or save file editing, I’d be glad to hear them!]

The month was fairly uneventful, with no IC available for production possible for most of it; the regular apprehension of spies and technical advances were the main ‘entertainment’.

One useful event came on 25 February that would provide a useful economic boost for next three months: someone had managed to find some remnant private sector to nationalise!

GWf1Fe.jpg

The much awaited completion of operation jet engines came on 26 February. The upgrades (costing almost 30 IC) started rolling out immediately: some future research would have to be directed to improving fuel tanks again, with drop tanks already introduced. But the Soviets were more interested in better performance at closer ranges in Europe, so were willing to wear that drawback for now.

ngCfVn.jpg

Four other technical advances were made during the month, with more changes to improve ballistic missile ranges sought and the next generation of computing machines put under development to further enhance research efficiency on 23 February.

TyDIzj.jpg

The espionage battle had continued to de-escalate post-war, with only 40 Allies agents neutralised over the last three months. Japan, Germany and the UK had been by far the most active, accounting for almost half the numbers caught between them.

CP17vv.jpg

The missions in Spain and Turkey had gone well enough, with all agents in Spain now working on boosting the local Communists. This, and perhaps an easing off in the efforts of Allies agents of influence, had seen the Party there become more popular than ever. After an initial dip, and with only one third of effort currently directed at influence in Turkey, even that had seen an increase in Communist popularity, after an initial dip in December.

Nuke production had ticked up to 80% of a fourth weapon as March began. Otherwise, supplies continued to run down now upgrades were taking so much IC and the amount directed to supply production had to be decreased. Also, consumer price costs had increased again, putting further downward pressure on military-directed production.

eEEuYJ.jpg

During this time, any foreign trade deal where supplies had been offered for cash had been taken up, whether from neutral or Allied powers (not all are shown on the graphic). The Soviet Trade Minister had sought out deals with the US and others with large supply surplus production, but had not found any takers.

In Western Europe, the Foreign Ministry made an assessment of the national unity of five of the front line Allied members/puppets facing the Soviets in an initial onslaught. If nukes and the occupation of some key German cities could see them knocked out of the war and turned to the Comintern without having to destroy their army, it would be a massive bonus. And perhaps the only slender hope the Comintern had of winning a conflict.

9MASvp.jpg

The Persia/Afghanistan redeployment was nearing completion: both fronts may prove problematic against the Allies in a future conflict, but the main efforts had to remain directed at Europe first and Far East Asia second.

jaVeXo.jpg

There, the national unity of both Pakistan and Iraq was assessed as reasonably solid; and of course a swathe of other decolonised Allies puppet states sat behind them.

HqtToB.jpg

In the Far East, the national unity of Manchukuo and Japan remained very shaky: not too much would be needed to push them into surrender, Mengkukuo less so (but it was weak and exposed).

eP3TgZ.jpg

The nightmare of trying to gain victory over an Allied-supported China (even if the warlord states could be lured into the Comintern) was not even contemplated as yet: first things first.
 
  • 5Like
Reactions:
The commanders in the Far East had assessed their objectives as given (Manchuria and Korea) and 16th Army in particular had created an extraordinary concentration of forces where the border adjoined both by 11 January.
:eek:

Don't forget, when the strategic rocket engine level 1 is completed in April, you can start air to air missiles in secret tech tab which is like an extra level of armament research

Depending on what is in an update, my hope level for the future fluctuates a lot. This one was warmer than the previous one :D
 
  • 3Like
  • 1
Reactions:
Unfortunately, I think the best way would be to force a DOW on one of the minor states, but since you're a faction member, you're forcing that nation into the Allies and then it's game on.
 
  • 1
  • 1Like
Reactions:
The Red Army really is hogging all the borscht isn't it?
 
  • 2
  • 1Like
Reactions:
I am calling it ahead of the next conflict starting. I think Europe will be easy but South East Asia is going to be a B*tch. Just saying.
 
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
On 4 December, it was finally decided to change training laws to ensure the highest level of starting experience for any new formations, even if in took longer for them to train.
We warned you a purge of the Army leadership was required, but maybe it is too late. It is clear the army is already full of Trotsykite devationalist traitors spreading their disgusting so-called 'ideas'. Training the men of the Red Army?! Next thing someone will suggest we end Human Wave tactics, properly equip our troops or try and build tanks out of actual armour rather than "steel" (or whatever vaguely shiny material comes out of the factory). Where will it end?

All a Soviet peasant platoon needs is one gun shared between three men and a couple of rounds each. It's not like any of them will survive long enough to fire more than that.

The Persia/Afghanistan redeployment was nearing completion:
As the month drew to a close, the supply stockpile had slid below 50,000 despite all this. With the upgrade bill sitting at over 40 IC, all remaining production was sunk into supplies, halting all projects in the queue, just to keep it at around 140 IC.
Far be it from me to question the wisdom of STAVKA, but is it possible these two facts are related? Are the factories producing huge amounts of supplies and just pouring them into the Supply Networks desperately trying to get supplies out to the far borders of Persia.

Also, consumer price costs had increased again, putting further downward pressure on military-directed production.
Someone at GOSPLAN needs a 9mm re-education, looks like a bad case of Malenkov-ite industrial deviationist treason.

If there are any problems of priorities then the downward pressure should be applied to the consumers, by a KGB boot on the back if necessary. What does it benefit the proletariat if they have a new (mostly, almost) working toaster if the Red Army lacks the Tanks they need to defend the Motherland? (Said tanks also mostly, sort of, almost, work)

Diplomatically, it was noticed that while the three Chinese warlord states had too much neutrality to agree to join the Comintern,
It is a mystery why those states are not keen to enter the loving embrace of Stalin and the Motherland. Surely their leaders would be honoured to lose all their powers and positions and see their countries used as front line buffer states between us and the Chinese and Japanese hordes? I shall task the chief ideologue to investigate, but I suspect the answer will be false consciousness and cultural hegemony. It usually is.
 
  • 2Like
  • 2Haha
  • 2
Reactions:
The decision was taken on 1 December 1946 to wait for the introduction of jet engines to the VVS (due in late February 1947) and the subsequent upgrade of all wings before launching a possible WW3.
So we're looking at a May date for the invasion, then? Sounds about right.

Note: Demobilisation released 264,000 troops back into the manpower pool. It would take 534,600 to re-mobilise reserve formations. Even if there was some transfer cost in manpower, the vast Soviet reserves could cope with that easily.
Hmm, let me check a thing...

...aha! In the defines.lua file, we have
Code:
    DEMOBILIZATION_FACTOR = 0.5, -- The amount of manpower you get back from units when demobilizing.
so in vanilla HoI3 you only get back half of your manpower when demobilizing. Of course the AI is bugged and gets zero either way, but still.

I guess HPP changed this to 1.0 to gain all manpower back which makes more sense after all, half your army doesn't disappear just because you've finished killing Finns.

Diplomatically, it was noticed that while the three Chinese warlord states had too much neutrality to agree to join the Comintern, even though their alignment was beginning to get quite close. The threshold it had to be below was 25, and the Guangxi Clique was at 50.9, Xibei San Ma at 40.03 and Yunnan at 38.01. Either the UK or France tended to be their highest perceived threat, so trying to mount a spy mission to increase their perceived threat was likely to be prohibitively costly in spies. The Soviets were at a bit of a loss as to what more they could do themselves to shift these equations. [If anyone has any bright ideas that don’t involve tagging, cheats or save file editing, I’d be glad to hear them!]
I'd say just leave them be, if they're too far to join the Allies they won't be a threat and that's the best we can hope for.

In Western Europe, the Foreign Ministry made an assessment of the national unity of five of the front line Allied members/puppets facing the Soviets in an initial onslaught. If nukes and the occupation of some key German cities could see them knocked out of the war and turned to the Comintern without having to destroy their army, it would be a massive bonus. And perhaps the only slender hope the Comintern had of winning a conflict.
If we want to benefit from puppeting the Germans, we'll need to hold their East Prussia forces in place instead of liquidating that pocket, which could prove challenging but doable.
 
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Massive far-away redeployments will suck supplies into the system like little else, so if anything, not demobilising would have led to an even higher spike. I'm not sure why Consumer goods demand hasn't gone down at all. Maybe they changed that from a previous version of the game, or there's something I'm missing here.

It will be a nasty surprise for the Allies when the war starts to suddenly be faced with not only nukes, but thousands of modern jet-powered planes. Of course, they might already know about the development of Jet Engines in the USSR through espionage, but will they be aware that the entire VVS was retrained and re-equipped in record-time? I wouldn't be so sure. After the initial shock, they will still have the advantage, but I'd like to see the looks on their faces when they realise just how far the USSR got in it's deployment of these new weapons.
 
  • 2
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
The next chapter is almost ready to go, so let's limber up with some comment feedback to get the revolutionary blood circulating with some vigour!
Don't forget, when the strategic rocket engine level 1 is completed in April, you can start air to air missiles in secret tech tab which is like an extra level of armament research
Not forgotten and thanks for the reminder - watch and shoot! ;)
Depending on what is in an update, my hope level for the future fluctuates a lot. This one was warmer than the previous one :D
As does mine. You may find some of the background in the next update fairly interesting in that regard. I really can't make my mind up whether we have a fighting chance or will just get creamed, sooner or later. :confused:
Unfortunately, I think the best way would be to force a DOW on one of the minor states, but since you're a faction member, you're forcing that nation into the Allies and then it's game on.
Yes, the obvious candidates just bring on war early and gives them the advantage of wartime economies too. But to have kept Afghanistan going artificially long just to keep the people on wartime rationing would have been unrealistic, wouldn't it? Oh, er, wait ... :D
The Red Army really is hogging all the borscht isn't it?
And the vodka. We'll have to find some way of getting them on a diet ...
I am calling it ahead of the next conflict starting. I think Europe will be easy but South East Asia is going to be a B*tch. Just saying.
Amen. I'd be pleased if we ever got as far as SEA. China will be a very nasty proposition, for which we really need Japan, probably.
We warned you a purge of the Army leadership was required, but maybe it is too late. It is clear the army is already full of Trotsykite devationalist traitors spreading their disgusting so-called 'ideas'. Training the men of the Red Army?! Next thing someone will suggest we end Human Wave tactics, properly equip our troops or try and build tanks out of actual armour rather than "steel" (or whatever vaguely shiny material comes out of the factory). Where will it end?
Never too late for a purge! :D Trotskyists are everywhere - the counter-revolutionary dogs! It will probaly end with cats and dogs living together as it rains frogs!
All a Soviet peasant platoon needs is one gun shared between three men and a couple of rounds each. It's not like any of them will survive long enough to fire more than that.
Unless fighting Germans, French (in this ATL) and British troops in Europe. After our worrying experience in the Far East, a little more heft may be required to take them on. :eek:
Far be it from me to question the wisdom of STAVKA, but is it possible these two facts are related? Are the factories producing huge amounts of supplies and just pouring them into the Supply Networks desperately trying to get supplies out to the far borders of Persia.
Could be, but I know about as much about the HOI3 supply system as those GOSPLAN guys do about running an economy. o_O
Someone at GOSPLAN needs a 9mm re-education, looks like a bad case of Malenkov-ite industrial deviationist treason.

If there are any problems of priorities then the downward pressure should be applied to the consumers, by a KGB boot on the back if necessary. What does it benefit the proletariat if they have a new (mostly, almost) working toaster if the Red Army lacks the Tanks they need to defend the Motherland? (Said tanks also mostly, sort of, almost, work)
If only I could have figured out a way in game to deliver the proverbial boot to the virtual neck, it would have been deployed pronto. ;)
It is a mystery why those states are not keen to enter the loving embrace of Stalin and the Motherland. Surely their leaders would be honoured to lose all their powers and positions and see their countries used as front line buffer states between us and the Chinese and Japanese hordes? I shall task the chief ideologue to investigate, but I suspect the answer will be false consciousness and cultural hegemony. It usually is.
They reject our loving arms ... at least they are now not in danger of falling into another's. And if we could get them to join later, it could provide China with a timely distraction. And maybe their alignment will force the Chinese to keep some troops on their borders, at least.
So we're looking at a May date for the invasion, then? Sounds about right.
We'll see how that timing works out soon. But rest assured, when the time seems right Stalin isn't going to wait around. This shebang needs some closure and the experiment to be completed.
Hmm, let me check a thing...

...aha! In the defines.lua file, we have
Code:
DEMOBILIZATION_FACTOR = 0.5, -- The amount of manpower you get back from units when demobilizing.
so in vanilla HoI3 you only get back half of your manpower when demobilizing. Of course the AI is bugged and gets zero either way, but still.

I guess HPP changed this to 1.0 to gain all manpower back which makes more sense after all, half your army doesn't disappear just because you've finished killing Finns.
Thanks for the research. Given the vast stocks of Soviet manpower, and the relatively small amount of reserve units, the loss is not to be worried about in those terms. Will just need to re-mobilise in time.
I'd say just leave them be, if they're too far to join the Allies they won't be a threat and that's the best we can hope for.
Seems so. I really would like them in as distractions, but couldn't afford (or at least don't want to pay for) the vast LS bill to establish and maintain spy rings in the relevant major Allied powers to try inching their threat levels up the amount that would be required. We can take another look later, if/when the balloon goes up.
If we want to benefit from puppeting the Germans, we'll need to hold their East Prussia forces in place instead of liquidating that pocket, which could prove challenging but doable.
Exactly. Containing them may well be enough, while we take enough VPs and deliver nukes to take them out of the Allies and force them into our camp.
Massive far-away redeployments will suck supplies into the system like little else, so if anything, not demobilising would have led to an even higher spike. I'm not sure why Consumer goods demand hasn't gone down at all. Maybe they changed that from a previous version of the game, or there's something I'm missing here.
True, though most of those movements had largely completed and still the supplies leached away. But there will be more lived experience in the next chapter, in which there is a fair focus on supplies and the impact on the rest of the in-game economy.
It will be a nasty surprise for the Allies when the war starts to suddenly be faced with not only nukes, but thousands of modern jet-powered planes. Of course, they might already know about the development of Jet Engines in the USSR through espionage, but will they be aware that the entire VVS was retrained and re-equipped in record-time? I wouldn't be so sure. After the initial shock, they will still have the advantage, but I'd like to see the looks on their faces when they realise just how far the USSR got in it's deployment of these new weapons.
This is my hope. You will see what the Soviets assess relevant Allied air capabilities to be as well in the next chapter, including some broad tagging-for-info that would I judge be fair enough for a peacetime situation (and more interesting for the readAARs, too).

As ever, thanks for the comments and support. Just need to find a little time to upload and publish the next episode, which is done. :)
 
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Chapter 35 – March to May 1947
Chapter 35 – March to May 1947

Introduction

Stalin waits for the conversion of the VVS to jet-powered aircraft before contemplating a new war against the Allies to ‘properly’ establish a new world order based on a Communist revival. He also has an eye on the dwindling supply stockpile – a large concern given experience in the Far East (which will again be an active war zone) and the anticipation of widespread operations in Europe and Central Asia.

******

March 1947

As March began, a sample of front-line VVS wings on the Western Front showed the upgrade process was in its early days.

GHi664.jpg

NB: we've given up complaining about all CAS aircraft looking like Stukas! :rolleyes:
A change was made to dispositions in the Baltic Theatre, with the 18th Army no longer tasked to blast through to Königsberg. Instead, while most of the Theatre’s armies would hold on the defensive, the 18th was allocated now objectives in northern Poland, designed to strengthen the proposed encirclement operation aiming to cut off the mainly German and French forces in east Prussia if at all possible. It would take some days for the army’s formations to switch south to their new starting positions.

DibWog.jpg

A Soviet spy was neutralised in Turkey on 7 March, causing the counter-espionage effort there to be raised to 50/50 with Communist party support. The Turks had one spy in the field at that time.

Stalin’s agents sought commonly available information on the key Allied air forces in Europe to ascertain whether they were converting to jet engines and, if so, how far they seemed to have progressed.

qvnqva.jpg

The Germans had switched to jet propulsion, but their conversion was patchy as yet. Some wings were fully converted, while others were at various stages. Later analysis determined this was due to industrial shortages preventing full upgrades programs. Neither the French Air force nor the RAF had begun to adopt jet propulsion as yet.

By 19 March, VVS interceptors (which seemed to be converting the quickest) were at around 38% conversion.

Over March, three research projects were concluded. The range of the strategic bombers would be increased, but given recent and expected demands, supply transportation replaced it. An eye was on the introduction of air-to-air missiles for the fighter arm, but further rocket engine research (then in progress) was needed to begin that project. The rest of the research (completed and new) was in land doctrines designed to improve the combat efficiency of the Red Army in a coming conflict.

TzCsVZ.jpg

During March, upgrade costs (largely driven by the jet engine introduction) reached new heights. With Stalin adamant that consumer goods must be maintained to the people to prevent dissent, what was left went into supply production. None was available for production projects, while even that level of supply production could only keep the supply stockpile fluctuating around the 50% capacity mark by mid-month.

2ECTRp.jpg


******

April 1947

A Soviet spy was neutralised in Spain on 4 April, causing the counter-espionage effort there to be re-raised to 1/3, the rest still going into Communist party support (which had been at 100% of late). The Spaniards had one spy in the field at that time.

Another general survey of peacetime Western political and industrial conditions was made in mid-April. The French Government was now headed by President Daniel Mayer, with old Léon Blum back as Prime Minister. De Gaulle’s winning of the Second World War had not been enough to keep him in office.

k7gXOk.jpg

The three leading Allied economies were also surveyed. France maintained a healthy production schedule, will full supply and fuel stockpiles. The US economy was huge, of course, and their supply and fuel situations were easily managed. The British had plenty of fuel but had virtually no supply stockpile, with supply production seemingly still badly underfunded, their upgrade program also being underfunded.

yVnyIM.jpg

The three main former-Axis countries all seemed to have chronic supply and fuel shortages, especially Germany and Italy. This was something the Soviets hoped to take advantage of in the future. The Germans technical developments had, with their loss in the previous war, obviously completely outstripped their ability to upgrade equipment for formations, explaining the slow rate of jet engine conversions for wings that still required them. Japanese fuel supplies were healthier, but supply holdings were still very low. Both the Japanese and German economies were both being held back by a lack of rare materials, while Italian energy holdings were also near zero.

A5xtjD.jpg

A diplomatic assessment soon after revealed that both Xibei San Ma and Yunnan were now closely enough aligned to the Comintern to join it, if their neutrality hadn’t been too high [the calculations for which I can’t seem to reconcile with the threat figures shown]. The Guangxi Clique was moving in the same direction, while Spain and Turkey still seemed stuck in their holding pattern.

DtzAMJ.jpg

By 23 April, some of the VVS Yak-15 INT wings had completed jet conversion, with one MiG-15 M/R FTR wing sampled at 89.6%, a Tu-4 STRAT wing at only 44.8% and a Tu-2 TAC wing at 56%.

A Turkish spy was finally neutralised on 29 April, but by then three Soviet teams had been neutralised by them since the beginning of March.

Four tech advances were made in April, with naval effort being redirected to air force training, while civil defence was again to be upgraded in anticipation of coming battle casualties. The first improvement of rocket engines for the V2s (SS-1s) allowed a2a missiles to be researched.

25jiGZ.jpg

By early April, the upgrade bill had reduced markedly, but so had the supply stockpile, despite a steady increase in IC allocated to producing it. By mid-April, the supply stockpile had still dwindled but had stabilised at just under 40,000, as upgrade costs continued to reduce. Improved industrial production had increased total output to just over 300 IC.

WCVMst.jpg


******

May 1947

Production was resumed in a minor way on 1 May, allowing the three main front-line air bases in the West to resume their upgrade programs as the major upgrade program headed further towards completion.

ab3CR2.jpg

By 16 May, most MiG-15 FTR wings had completed conversion, but the Tu-2 TAC wings were around 79%.

Then on 19 May, the Guangxi Clique joined the other two warlord states in being close enough to join the Comintern but too neutral for any offer to be accepted.

On 20 May, a fifth Soviet spy was captured in Turkey since 1 March, with their domestic spy strength now up to three. Soviet counter-espionage was increased to 100% of the mission. At the same time, the small amount of leadership dedicated to spy training was increased from 0.34 to 0.5, as the reserve had shrunk to just three spies.

An intelligence assessment of Germany (the principal initial land opponent in the west and key target to knock out of the war early) showed their rare material (0), supply (28) and fuel (6) stockpiles empty or almost so. Their manpower stood at 1,530,000, officer ratio at 138% and national unity sitting on 65%.

By 31 May, most medium bombers (TAC and NAV) in both the West and Far East had been converted to jet aircraft, while light aircraft (INT, FTR and CAS) had completed it. The STRAT wings however were lagging further behind – though that would not stay Stalin’s hand so long as the main combat and combat support wings were done.

EAr8s7.jpg

Intel reports on the Luftwaffe indicated that the wings based nearer to Prussia were further behind in their conversions: in Königsberg the Me-262 FTRs were at around 40% and the Ar-234B TAC 26.4%. In Stettin though the TAC were fully converted, as were the Focke-Wulf Ta-183 INT in Hanover. And of course those aircraft not in range when a war broke out could soon be rebased further east.

Submarine dispositions in the Far East were also reviewed. All the subs were now designated as Level VI ‘Romeo’ class boats, but the engines and hulls of the oldest five surviving flotillas were still of the old type, so only retained an operational range of 800km. They were rebased from Petropavlovsk Kamcackij to Innokentevsky to be closer to possible interdiction targets in and around Japan.

fKyxbE.jpg

The longer range squadron remained behind and awaited the resumption of sub building to take up again – which it would soon. The squadron’s range was currently limited to 1,700km, though the two newer flotillas had an extended range of 2,600km.

DEl3JJ.jpg

At this time, Marshal Georgiy Zhukov was made Armament Minister, even as supply demand was finally almost zeroed out. Stalin should probably have done it a bit earlier, but his predecessor had been assisting jet and nuclear research. However, as those branches were now established to the Soviets’ satisfaction and supply demand was bound to escalate once war came again, Zhukov should be able to assist in that regard once mass movements were once more afoot.

kFsph9.jpg

It had been a bumper month for technical advances, with eight made across a range of disciplines. A few were maintained: NAV pilot training and fighter ground control were both well behind contemporary standards, while supply production could always do with boosting. But otherwise, naval research was suspended, with emphasis going further to land doctrines and VVS-related topics.

X9Y70K.jpg

The resumption of production earlier in the month saw the three busy front-line air bases on the Western Front improved as May drew to a close.

bplbjM.jpg

With little movement along the borders, better processes and a lot of supplies being returned to the stockpile, as the month continued that stockpile grew rapidly, so that by the end of the month it was at 100% capacity.

4apKlJ.jpg

With the upgrade bill also declining, this meant a commensurate ramping up during the month of the production queue. As noted before, it was raised to 7 IC on 1 May, then to 10 on 3 May, 20 on 14 May, 25 on the 17th, 50 on the 29th (despite the end of nationalisation bonus bringing total IC back from 302 to 286) and 122.34 IC on 31 May.

The general resource and industry allocations as at 1 and 14 May are shown below.

hm8JZs.jpg

And by midnight on 1 June, the entire spare IC amount could be devoted to production. Five nukes had been completed and the supply stockpile was full.

nu9ecv.jpg

The intelligence summary showed it had been a rather rough three months for the NKVD overseas, while at home the total enemy neutralisations were declining, and increasingly were coming from the major Allied powers, led by the UK, Germany, Italy and Japan. But Communist Party strength in Turkey and Spain had never been higher. [Question: How much do you need before a coup attempt, for example, would have any chance of working if the covert ops points were available? I’m unfamiliar with the mechanic.]

V2p5xf.jpg


******

Current Dispositions – Western Front

With the 18th Army now repositioned, Plan Mercury saw a strong drive along the Polish-Prussian border towards Torun and then up to Danzig in a large envelopments of the main German-Allied army deployed in East Prussia. Orders and objectives would be refined before any hostilities opened, but the concept of operations called for the Soviet forces on the Prussian border to hold and defend while the encirclement was executed. Some limited attacks could be necessary if holding the enemy in place became necessary, or they began a wholesale retreat that might be exploited. A complementary drive across central Poland to Lodz and Warsaw was also part of the plan.

rzMi0I.jpg

Plan Mercury.

The Slovakian-Hungarian sector was more heavily defended than Poland by the Allies and may require a defensive setting to start with.

qJMeRI.jpg

Romania was the usual border-gory chaos it had been since 1944. Both sides had exposed units and risks and no outcome here could be easily predicted. An invasion of lightly defended Bulgaria was still being contemplated, but elsewhere consolidation and defence would probably be required.

7CeLGN.jpg

The Middle East- Central Asian theatre had been reviewed previously and was likely to end up being a backwater, secondary sector until the progress of the main fighting anticipated in Europe and the Far East was clearer. The same applied to the Archangelsk Theatre.

The Far East saw the heaviest concentration of Soviet forces in and around Vladivostok, where most naval and air assets were also concentrated. The hope here was for a quick knock-out and puppeting of Manchuria before heavy Chinese forces could deploy. The rest of the Soviet forces were supplementing Mongolia’s defence against the now French puppet states of Manchuria and Mengukuo.

QLQBaH.jpg

Ultimately, it was hoped Japan could be defeated and brought into the Comintern as a puppet state, as had been the intention during the recent Second World War.

A noticeable build-up of Japanese forces had been notices on the short border with their Korean holding. The main question was could the massive grouping of Soviet forces in the Vladivostok sector drive through the thin Allied screen to knock Manchuria out of the war quickly, before Chinese forces poured through, while also holding the Japanese off on the Korean border.

Lpqkhq.jpg

Khabarovsk itself was now very lightly held. It may be necessary for a corps to be detached and allocated under Theatre HQ (ie human) control to establish a basic screen in this area, so another cutting-off of the main armies around Vladivostok did not occur, as had happened disastrously to the Japanese in WW2.

OEC8fQ.jpg

Things were drawing close the point now where Stalin would need to decide whether to pull the trigger or pull back from the brink. His first call would be when to re-mobilise the reserve units. His finger hovered over the figurative red button …
 
Last edited:
  • 3Like
Reactions:
Stalin... actually caring... about the need for Consumer Goods? Or dissent? Dose that with 9mm Makarov!
 
  • 2Like
  • 1Haha
Reactions: