Chapter 48: 1-12 August 1948
Note: This month, all played through, broken up into three parts by period and then theatre. Starting in the East, then working west and finishing with the crucial German front.
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1. The Far East
In Indo-China, the recent maritime actions were continuing as August began, with Soviet subs and naval bombers still tangling with Allied – mainly British – surface fleets.
On 1 August, as the remaining Soviet main surface fleet sheltered in port at Quang Ngai, two sub squadrons had run into trouble with a Royal Navy task force, losing one flotilla and having another heavily damaged, with the 1st Sub Sqn forced to make a quick dash to Quang Ngai. But the Soviet NAV groups had also managed to inflict some fairly heavy damage on the British task force, from which the
HMS Temeraire seemed to have split off.
As that fight was in progress, another began to the south in Phan Rang Bay, where another Soviet sub squadron was badly mauled by a large British carrier battle group. By 0500hr the 29th Flotilla was lost and the 9th badly damaged and attempting to flee.
Given these problems, the 2nd Sub Sqn, between the other two sea battles in Vung Van Phong, was ordered to withdraw from its coastal position at 0500hr and head north-east to the Paracel Pass.
Just two hours later, a new element was added when two British STRAT wings started a logistical bombing of supply lines at Thai Binh, on the coast between Haiphong and Hanoi.
The British battleship task force and the
HMS Temeraire had moved south from the Annam Coast and were sighted in Vung Van Phong, with the VVS striking them that morning. Then, at 1100hr they were joined by the carrier task group from the south, after which the first group moved off and the next strike was against the carriers, finishing in the early afternoon. Damage and disorganisation began to inch up for the six VVS wings from this point.
At midday, a new pre-made air base and radar facility were deployed in Quang Ngai and began work-up to capacity. By 1600hr, five wings of INT from the west were inbound to Hanoi initially, while the new base was being set up.
The NAV wings, still based out of Haikou, were now starting to lose more strength and organisation, but we still sent out again to take on the British carrier group in Vung Van Phong. But they seemed to be doing little real damage.
The new INT wings were in Hanoi by 1800hr and were organised into two groups. Just an hour later, another RAF logistical raid, this time on Nam Dinh, began. This time though they were savaged by the newly arrived fighters.
NAV serviceability had been degraded further by the end of the day – strength between 85-90%, organisation 20-30%. The only routes authorised for convoys at this time were for supply runs: to Terme in northern Turkey (one convoy requirement), Quang Ngai (two) and Haiphong (three). There were only four convoys and five escorts left: these were split between Haiphong and Quang Ngai (two convoys each).
At that time, the breakout from Quang Ngai began, north along the coast to link up to Hanoi and south towards the border of ‘independent’ Indo-China (Vietnam). It ended a very busy day in the Far Eastern Theatre.
Early on the 2nd, orders were given to start upgrading the infrastructure in Mong Cai, so supplies could eventually be transported over land.
The NAV groups kept patrolling, but all they found on the early morning of 2 August was a lone Thai light cruiser: it was damaged but escaped. After this, all the NAV and INT wings in the Far East were rested for repairs.
At 0200hr on 3 August, a British Marine division under French orders was spotted in Hue, heading south along the coast towards Quang Ngai as Soviets units still advanced north to meet them. One of the British naval forces was spotted in the Gulf of Tonkin at the same time, but no strike was launched.
By 1600hr that evening, the British were in Da Nang and 188 SD in Chu Lai. The latter put in a quick reckless assault: even though the 3rd Marines counter-attacked, they did not seem up for a fight, handing the victory to the Soviets that night.
Things remained quiet for the next few days, until the 3rd Marines decided they wanted Da Nang after all, attacking the two Soviet divisions that now occupied it at 0200hr. A British carrier must have been nearby, as a CAG began ground strikes as the battle continued that afternoon.
As the battle for Da Nang continued, the Soviet 2nd Marines were five provinces to the north in Ha Tinh, advancing along the coast to establish the supply line from Hanoi.
At 1000hr on 7 Aug, as the battle for and air strikes on Da Nang continued, a group of three VVS INT wings were sent from Hanoi to run air cover. They ran into one CAG that morning, doing some damage even though their operations were hampered by a chronic lack of supplies. When they reacted again that evening, a second British CAG joined in.
On their return to base after another interception the next morning, they tangled with the 2nd CAG in the Gulf of Tonkin – and discovered the British task force that had been sending them. Meanwhile, the 1st CAG was bombing Da Nang: radio intercepts indicated they claimed they had ‘damaged ships’ there; although there was neither a port or ships in the province.
Early on 8 August, one of the precious transports on the Vladivostok-Haiphong convoy route was sunk in the Hainan Strait. Later that day, two separate British task forces, including a carrier and four battleships, was sighted and attacked by the Haikou-based NAV groups in the Gulf of Tonkin, with INT air cover from Hanoi.
However, it seemed little damage was done – perhaps due to VVS overcrowding or superior British AA.
By that afternoon, only three transports were left for the Indo-China supply convoys. Supply, upgrades and reinforcements were demanding the bulk of Soviet production. The supply stockpile oscillated between 25-30,000 at that level of production. The fuel situation was a little stretched, but seemed to be holding.
At midnight on 9 August, victory was reported in the defence of Da Nang against the determined Allied assault.
The British carrier group led by the
HMS Furious was sighted again in the Annam Coast soon afterwards, with some damage being done to the destroyer escorts. Other Allied ships were sighted steaming north-east in the Gulf of Tonkin: by the time the NAV got there on the way back to Haikou at 0900hr, only the Dutch light cruiser
HrMs Java could be found, which was attacked for three hours and an unknown amount of damage caused.
Following up the victory at Da Nang, 133 SD attacked the 3rd Marines in Son Ha on the night of 10 August, gaining a victory 25 hours later, though at heavier cost than the defenders.
Hue was occupied by 188 SD from the south at 1500hr on 11 August and the link-up was completed the next day when the Soviet 2nd DMP (marines) took Dông Ha. Interestingly, a Japanese carrier fleet was patrolling off Quang Ngai by that time, though they were still in truce with the Allies so not a combatant.
Three hours later, 324 SD had crossed over into South Vietnam (Indo-China) at Cung Son and began driving for the port at Cam Ranh. There were reports of an Allied marine EF under Vietnamese command stationed in the capital (and sole VP city) Saigon.
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2. Central Asia and The Middle East
There was no combat (ground or air) reported in Central Asia during the twelve days to 12 August, as forces from Sinkiang gradually arrived in the north-east of the sector. The lead Soviet Far East forces heading across were still back in central Mongolia.
The Middle East (Suez Sector) was fairly quiet at this time. 19 SD re-occupied Bîr Gifgafa late on 4 August and began to cross the Suez Canal into Ismâ’ilîya, but presumed Allied naval action had halted the crossing from Români to Bûr Sa’îd and it was not re-tried.
By 6 August, the Egyptians were back in Bûr Sa’îd and it was they who tried to cross to Români, an attempt easily defeated by the evening of the 7th. By which time 19 SD was almost across themselves.
But for whatever reason, 19 SD never made it across and by late on 10 August it was decided to simply garrison the crossing points, with 149 SD ordered down to Sudr, where the British marines had slipped in the previous month.
3. Turkey
The month opened with the line consolidating in the south in front of Adana, as supplies came in and the weight of defending divisions in good defensive terrain allowed the line to stabilise.
But in the north, things were more difficult and the northern salient in Duragan remained under threat of encirclement, though most divisions had withdrawn by then to Amasya. 31 SD in Duragan was attempting to break out to Samsun as the Belgians retreated, winning a skirmish there at 1200hr on 1 August. However on the evening of 2 August, 31 SD ran out of supplies and was forced to halt in Duragan.
Then on the morning of the 3rd Corum was lost to the Bulgarians, who then pushed forward quickly to attack Turhal. 16 Tank Div was in no position to contest and withdrew immediately. 32 SD was on its way to Turhal from Amasya and arrived before the Bulgarians on the 5th, but they too withdrew by that afternoon. All this further exposed and endangered the Red Army divisions still in the Duragan-Amaysa salient.
Meanwhile, the first of the northern reinforcements had arrived in Batumi at 2000hr on 3 August and were sent to reinforce the northern sector towards Turhal. More would arrived steadily in the coming days to continue their rail trips to where they were most needed – in the north and centre sectors.
Kaynar was then lost on the 5th while 135 SD was too weak to try to hold Amasya and withdrew on contact. 31 SD had resupplied and was once more heading for Samsun, but was now in a race to get there before Allied units pushing from Sinop got there.
Then on the morning of the 7th, Turhal fell to Bulgarians and that afternoon the VVS started bombing Kaynar, hoping to degrade the Allied advance. But they were met with rare opposition in Turkey when a group of three Luftwaffe INT wings struck them. More INT was called up to support the bomber group. The position in the north was getting shakier by the day: those reinforcements were desperately needed to solidify the line.
Meanwhile, one of France’s premier armoured divisions launched an attack in the south on Camardi on 6 August, with Greek air support starting on the 7th. But the defenders had sufficient supplies, superior numbers and were dug in on terrain unfavourable to the attackers. And the Soviet armour and the specialist AT brigade of the infantry division were a match for the French armour.
VVS INT responded from Sevastopol and damaged the Greek TAC, though the RAF then sent in three INT wings to even the score. The battle for Camardi would not end quickly and would prove a key test of the re-formed line in the southern sector.
But a cross-river probe by Belgian infantry against 198 MRD in Hasbek found the Soviets out of supply and organisation and unable to resist: they withdrew without a fight at 0100 on 8 August.
In the north, Amaysa fell to the Allies at 0700hr on 9 August, cutting off 31 SD in Duragan, though Samsum was still not occupied by an Allied unit and 31 SD was due to arrive there at midday. Belgian and Austrian troops in Sinop then launched a holding attack on Duragan at 0800hr. But this meant they had broken off their advance on Samsum: although in a good defensive position 31 SD quickly broke off (Soviets 8/7,998; Allies 26/15,995) and kept heading to Samsum.
At 1100hr a solid defensive victory was claimed in Camardi (Soviets 532/15,276; France 1,678/12,315 killed). Then at midday, 31 SD pulled into Samsun in good order, reclaiming it for the Comintern while they began digging in to see if they could hold it.
Hasbek fell at 2100hr on the 9th, giving the Allies a bridgehead over the river line the Soviets were trying to hold north of Camardi. The Red Army wanted it back, so the partly recovered 69 MRD was sent up from reserve in Adana to position for a later counter-attack.
By late that night, Tokat was under attack as the Allies tried to extend their knife-thrust into the middle of the Soviet defence of Turkey. A few hours later, 31 SD were under attack in Samsun. Both battles would be tough, but initial reports offered some encouragement.
The overall supply situation in Turkey still remained patchy: good enough in the north and south, but poor in the centre.
By 1200hr on 11 August, the Allies had reinforced their attack on 31 SD in Samsun, which was now going in their favour
[64%]. In response, the partly-recovered 135 SD was ordered up from Terme to reinforce their comrades. The battle would remain in progress as 12 August drew to a close.
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4. Poland
The Allies occupied Sieradz, just west of Lódz, early on 1 August after a successful attack at the end of July. But the German division that took it was unable to beat off a quick Soviet counter attack by three divisions, which was won at 1300hr the same afternoon (Soviets 205/23,724; Germany 745/8,866 killed). It was retaken just an hour later.
Next came a continuation of the Soviet offensive that aimed to encircle a large group of Allied divisions in front of Brzesc Litewski. The attack on Bigoraj launched at 0900hr on 2 August and was won by 2200hr that night, with the Allies suffering minor supply problems. It was taken at 1000hr the next day, with a quick probe by would-be French reinforcements brushed off.
The aim was to eventually drive a wedge all the way via Lublin to Deblin, joining with the Soviet troops in Praga to cut off Luków, Wlodawa and Biala Podlaska.
A separate major attack in north-west Poland early on 5 August aimed to gain a bridgehead into Poznan, with six Soviet divisions attacking a lone French infantry division.
And a defensive victory was won in Zamosc (below Chelm) at 0700hr the same day (Soviets 607/16,998, Allies 1,965/16,964 killed), with the help of defensive VVS strikes on Krasnystaw. On 6 August, the strike north-west of Lwów was expanded with an attack on Jaroslaw, with victory and occupation coming a day later, at 0600hr on the 7th. A complementary attack was soon also launched on Krasnystaw from Bilgoraj and Chelm.
Victory came in the attack on Poznan at 1600hr on the 6th (Soviets 258/53,626; France 1,089/3,788 killed). It was occupied by 29 MRD an hour later, but they soon came under French counter-attack
[initial -39% progress] as more Soviet divisions tried to get across the river to reinforce them.
This was followed by the routing of the Allied troops defending Krasnystaw at 1900hr (Soviets 74/29,685; Allies 1,342/23,177 killed), where poor supply probably contributed to their flimsy opposition.
With Jaroslaw secured, the next attack in the salient came on Lezajsk at 0500hr on 8 August, with three Soviet divisions attacking a single French mech division. It was fully supplied and dug in, at around 75% strength and 90% organisation, but had no commanding general
[92% progress].
Krasnystaw was secured at 1800hr on the 8th and Lezajsk at 0600 on the 9th. Next came an attack on Chelm, to shorten the line and herd the last French division holding it north to the swamps of Wlodawa. The victory was won by 0900hr on 9 August and Chelm was occupied an hour later.
The defence of Poznan was won at 1400hr on the 9th after the reinforcements duly arrived (Soviets 683/53,681; Allies 2,318/12,279 killed). Four divisions then pushed west against Opalenica an hour later, hoping to expand the bridgehead to assist the German offensive, where Allied counter-attacks were starting to bite into its southern flank. It may also distract the enemy from countering the drive from Lwów. Four Soviet divisions met three well-established French and German divisions in a stiff battle
[64% initial progress] that would still be going at the end of 12 August.
But the main effort in Poland remained in the Lwów-Lublin offensive, with a Soviet attack on the fort city kicking off at 0400 on 11 August. The Red Army found the defenders out of supply and badly disorganised: resistance only lasted three hours.
At 0100hr on 12 August, the Allies trapped in Wlodawa made a strong but somewhat misdirected breakout attack on Chelm, which was held with similar numbers. Meanwhile, 2 Tank Div was the first into Lublin at 0600hr, soon followed by more divisions ready to attack. The final closing assault on Deblin from Lublin and Praga began at 0700hr and met with good early success, with the enemy’s ‘backhand blow’ outweighed by their chronic lack of supplies.
This was followed up with a supplementary attack on Krasnik to widen the breakthrough, with the Soviets victorious after seven hours of fighting at 1600hr. By the end of the day, the fighting would still rage in Chelm and Deblin.
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5. Germany: 1-5 August
The Soviet offensive into the north German plain and drive on Berlin was poised to break out of the forests north of Berlin as August began. But the Allies – led by increasing amounts of German divisions apparently returning from duties to the south – we upping the ante in the air and on the ground on the southern flank of the salient.
The first notable event on the morning of 1 August was a Soviet victory in their attack on Frankfurt an der Oder. The key approach to Berlin would be occupied at the end of the following day. Next came a defensive Soviet victory in Prenzlau, pushing back a determined Allied counter-attack early on the 2nd.
A smaller Allied counter-attack on Wolgast was defeated first up on 3 August. At that time, the Luftwaffe was bombing Lübben and Kustrin, while VVS interceptors reacted to try to suppress them. Allied attacks on Lübben and Landsberg persisted, though both were being strongly resisted for now. An hour later, two VVS INT engaged a new ground attack by two well-rested German TAC on Landsberg.
By midday on the 3rd, a new attack on Neubrandenburg had succeeded, as the Soviets tried to maintain westward momentum. A defensive victory in Lübben that night also gave some breathing space.
At midnight, the first of a persistent series of Allied attacks on Berlin began, defeated later on the morning of 4 August.
Küstrin had been held and Luftwaffe air raids temporarily suppressed, but Landsberg remained under attack. But a dogfight between three German and two VVS INT over Küstrin at 0300hr on the 4th showed the enemy air forces were still active as the Soviet front line in northern Germany extended west.
A large attack by six Soviet divisions from Frankfurt and Lübben at 2000hr on the 4th quickly overwhelmed the single defending German division after just a hour of fighting (Soviets 10/57,707; Germany 95/7,995 killed). Supporting VVS air strikes (1 x M/R, 2 x CAS) were contested by strong Luftwaffe resistance (3 x INT).
But even before Berlin was occupied, Lübben once more came under an even heavier Allied attack of mainly full-strength German plus some Italian divisions. Though four strong Soviet divisions held Lübben and counter-attacked effectively, early signs were not good. But on the positive side, Neubrandenburg was occupied as Lübben came under attack, then the nuclear-ruined Berlin was taken at midnight.
But this only brought the Germans just over half-way to capitulation, with the capital moved to safety in the west at Dusseldorf.
As Berlin was being occupied at midnight on 5 August, supply problems in Prenzlau delayed the Soviet advance that now pressed towards Rostock against thin to non-existent Allied resistance. An hour later, a defensive VVS raid (2 x CAS with an INT and M/R escort) on Finsterwalde in support of the defence of Lübben was intercepted by three under-strength Luftwaffe INT wings. A separate defensive VVS raid on Cottbus (also supporting Lübben) starting at 0200hr was met by another three Luftwaffe INT. Persistent offensive and defensive Allied air action was also hampering Soviet progress somewhat by this time.
Supply was alright in Frankfurt however, with three divisions attacking a single German division in Neustrelitz at 0100hr on the 5th. And a separate attack by one tank division from Frankfurt on Danish infantry holding Neuruppin at 0600hr succeeded after six hours of fighting (Soviets 32/7,304; Denmark 146/7,504 killed).
After one of their escorts was almost wiped out (12% strength) and other wings damaged, one of the VVS CAS groups supporting Lübben had to be withdrawn for repairs at 0900hr. But progress continued with Soviet victory in Neustrelitz at 2100hr (Soviets 213/26,000; Germany 1,235/8,997 killed). A few hours later, a new attack from Berlin on Potsdam
[82%] was begun, as the Soviets tried to throw a cordon around the former German capital.
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5b. Germany: 6-12 August
The fierce defence of Lübben continued into 6 August, when the odds there were improved
[-53%] with a spoiling attack on Cottbus by two Soviet divisions in Küstrin at 0900hr
[30%] against eight Allied divisions from Germany (three), Greece (one) and Italy (two).
The Soviets had taken Neuruppin by 1800hr and quickly pushed forward against Brandenburg, the breakthrough made by 2200hr after flimsy opposition by exhausted and unsupplied Allied defenders. The odds were deteriorating again in the Allied attacks on Lübben and Landsberg as the spoiling attack on Cottbus was continued against poor odds.
To the north, the Allies had brought up some fresh units and were attacking the recently occupied Neubrandenburg from Waren in what was essentially a holding action.
But still the Soviets ground forward, taking Potsdam at 0100hr on 7 August to secure the southern approach to Berlin. On the Baltic coast, Greifswald was secured at 0700hr and 119 SD pushed on towards Stralsund against weak Allied opposition. A Soviet attack on Neubrandenburg was won at 0900hr (Soviets 319/17,901; France 759/7,925) to keep the momentum going.
The afternoon and evening 8 August proved to be a busy and important day of combat in northern Germany, with the pattern of fighting for coming days forming. The Allies were attacking all cross the southern flank of the advance and the Soviets were attempting to retake Landsberg, where another expensive battle had been lost at 1300hr. That night, Lübben fell after a very bloody battle to keep it was lost (combined 11,500 casualties on both sides, not including from air raids).
But to the north, the Soviets were advancing into Stralsund and Waren, though lack of supplies had halted the advance on Brandenburg. Reports indicated the Germans were repatriating more units north from southern Europe and Turkey to aid the defence of their homeland, while other Allied forces took up more of the effort on those fronts.
The defence of Küstrin was won at 2100hr on the 8th (Soviets 554/24,155; Allies 1,255/31,308 killed) as yet another German probe from the recently lost Lübben on Berlin began by the 11th SS-P.Gr Div against a single Soviet infantry division.
119 SD took Stralsund at 0300hr on 9 August and immediately attacked Rostock, finding the full-strength though leaderless SS-Verfügungstruppe defending it
[51% initial progress]. At midday, the defence of Potsdam was won (Soviets 548/23,698; Germany 1,337/7,081 killed) as the attack on Berlin persisted
[-13%].
At 1300hr, the now freed divisions in Potsdam launched a spoiling attack on Lübben from the west
[61%], which quickly ended the latest German attack on Berlin (Soviets 166/7,745; Germany 253/7,380 killed) at 1400hr. To the east, the Soviets also won a defence of Kreuz (Soviets 206/36,933; Germany 1,064/8,490 killed).
But an hour later, the Allies renewed their attempt to take Küstrin
[-23%], while still defending Landsberg
[61%] from the Soviet attempt to retake the bridgehead.
That evening, Waren was occupied by the Soviets, giving them more leverage against Rostock, where the Soviet attack remained evenly balanced
[47% progress]. The Soviet efforts against both Landsberg
[54%] and Lübben
[50%] were beginning to slow.
On 10 August, the attack on Lübben was called off at 0600hr – and just in time, with the Allies attacking Potsdam strongly just two hours later. In the north, victories in both Pritwalk and the [VP] city of Rostock were won at 0700hr, followed by another defeated probe against Berlin.
Brandenburg had been re-occupied by German defenders while the Sovuet advance has stalled from lack of supplies, but 10 Tank Div was able to attack again at 0800hr, winning a sharp engagement by 1500hr.
Pritzwalk would be liberated at 0400hr on 11 August and Rostock later that morning, though this only had a minor effect on the Germans’ will to resist. Another probe on Berlin by the SS at 1000hr was repelled by midnight, while Brandenburg was safely occupied that afternoon. The fighting went on in Potsdam, Küstrin and Landsberg, where some Soviet reinforcements had again tipped the odds slightly in their favour.
Supply again proved a problem for the advancing Soviets, with 15 Tank Div running out in Pritzwalk as a strong German shock attack at 1000hr rattled them badly. But their comrades were advancing on Güstrow from Waren in force, while 119 SD performed the same shock action trick on the unsupplied French defending Wismar two hours later.
There were no more significant changes to report on the German front by the end of the day.
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6. Intelligence, Diplomacy, Production and Research: 1-12 August
By 11 August, there were 19 covert ops teams established in Spain, where the local Communist Party had 29% support. A Soviet spy had just been neutralised, with the Republicans fielding five counter-intelligence teams.
That evening, Panama joined the Allies. They would provide little military support, but would further secured Allied interests around the Panama Canal.
On 12 August, two new V2 batteries were deployed for work-up, one in Stettin and the other in Rogozno, though the Allies seemed to have too many bases hidden in the rear with too many aircraft for the small amount of fully ready V2s currently held to make much difference to Allied availability at this time.
Six research projects were completed in the first twelve days of the month, with research focus remaining on improving NAV effectiveness, hardening the STRAT bombers for possible future nuclear missions and extending the range of the V2s.
And the occupation of Berlin on 5 August had brought an influx of scientific effort that had allowed an additional new research project to be started – aimed at extending the range of VVS TAC and NAV bombers.
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NB: All of August has been played through, but in answering any comments I will not spoil future events, even though I know how things go.
