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Well the advances on the front are most welcome. Some more progress is hoped for before winter sets in again.
 
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In fairness I reckon the 'artel' industrial co-operatives probably count as semi-privately run; worker co-operatives, collectively owned by the members and outside the scope of GOSPLAN and the Five Year plans.

Somewhat surprisingly, given their reputations, Stalin was basically fine with them existing while it was Kruschev who ruthlessly crushed them and nationalised almost all of them, so at this point there is still a bit of 'non-state controlled' industry to seize (though it was mostly craft / light industrial stuff and in no way could it give an 8% IC boost, if anything production would drop when the workers lost motivation).

As always I doubt anyone in Paradox was aware of this, but it is not quite as ridiculous an event as it first seems.
Even if they're only accidentally right (this is after all one of those generic events that can occur under any government type), then a red-letter day for Paradox. :D
The last semi private relics of Lenin's NEP have been foud by his rightful successor and stamped out!

I am sure the workers, peasants and soldiers of the republic sleep a little easier at night now.
Sleeping soundly. Until the NKVD come knocking in the middle of the night, anyway. :eek:
great episode! it seems like the pieces set in motions in the past 2 months are now falling into place, especially in the north and center. I see no hope for the trapped divisions, but still maybe you can patrol for any transports to get them away?

it also seems like there's a new pocket forming just south of the current one. I think the momentum gained will continue for some time.

mongolia doesn't seem nice, and that's the only negative aspect in an otherwise great month.

2 heli evac techs not reaching to all land and air units respectively is strange. I mean, if foot infantry feels better when there's chance of medevac, mot or mech infantry would too? still, i think the morale boost will be great. radar guided missiles in addition to the medevac techs, we've gone all in to secret techs this month.

good job bringing 2 victory condition countries closer to comintern by all the spectrum of soft to medium power:)

i'm not going to comment on the malayan peninsula :D
Thank you! Things are starting to move along, even if this Far East campaign is proving a long, hard slog - without meaningful US involvement against Japan. Pockets are beginning to form - which is what we really need: to destroy Japanese units, as their MP is still far more than they need for replacements. Two different approaches to Turkey and Spain: one we're hoping to persuade to join, another perhaps a coup launch, but for both we need to build up Communist political power if we can. Malaya? As much an Allied disaster as their Philippines campaign is going well.
Yes, the Pacific has been reached again, and we already captured a port there as well. The partisans in Nikolaevsk will help by drawing Japanese troops away from the front, allowing the Red Army to grab more beachfront real estate. If the convoys are available, I'd suggest shipping some supplies to the Partisans so they will hold out just that little bit longer.

The only shaky area is Mongolia, but even there, I'm not overly worried, as Soviet forces stand a the ready to Japanese attackers of the temporary Mongolian capital. Both from the North and from the South. The main target has to be to grab as many Japanese-held ports as possible. Mongolia needs to be kept in the fight, nothing more, nothing less, until Japanese supply routes start running dry. Once that pocket has been digested, more forces will be freed up for a southward offensive to liberate Vladivostok.

I'm also glad to see the Soviet Union at the forefront of helicopter technology. Whomever said we don't care about reducing casualties is being proven wrong by our actions in this area.

The GRU is also making great strides. Considering the current political landscape, it does look likely that the Spanish Republic might well join the Comintern, either peacefully, or through a coup.

Communism will triumph in the end, with every passing day I'm more certain of that fact. (in game, not my RL opinion.)
That new port will soon come into its own. The partisans will, I'm afraid, be allowed to distract and die gallantly for the greater good, without risking any vulnerable Soviet shipping. :( The next month will determine whether Mongolia survives or is destroyed, as Japanese has been on the cusp of doing for many months. The liberation of Vladivostok will, if/when it comes, be a glorious day. My main concern is, given how hard it has been so far to start winning in the Far East, how will it be when we take on the advanced, numerous and industrially powerful French-led Allies (consisting these days of France, the UK, US, Germany, Italy and all the other smaller powers across the globe.
(Casualties incurred due to rushed testing, inadequate pilot training, poor metallurgical practices, non-existent quality control, drunk pilots, prototypes being rushed into production to meet 5 Year Plan targets and people being shot by the commissar for looking at the picture of Stalin funny are all excluded. Your statutory rights are not affected, because you do not have any.)
That just about sums up the ruling principle.
Well the advances on the front are most welcome. Some more progress is hoped for before winter sets in again.
We do need to get going and keep going. Once we have momentum, it must be mercilessly and savagely run with it.

All: Next update well into production, where I've now (you will see) have added a cover image for the AAR, and have further refined to summary map presentation and write-up in my everlasting pursuit of making things quicker (shorter) if not dirtier. :D
 
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Chapter 19 – September 1945
Chapter 19 – September 1945

1. Introduction and Command Arrangements

As August ended, battles continued in Ayan [61%], Silka [12%] – both Soviet attacks, and in Bomnaksk [-15%] a Japanese attack.

Game Note: At this point, I discovered that somehow the AI had taken over the Far East Theatre and Front commands. Not sure how, but there you go. It was the Pacific Red Banner Fleet moving of its own volition to the newly retaken port of Ulya.

The Theatre and Front HQs were placed back under control on 2 September and new objectives had to be allocated to the [AI] Army commanders, which was a useful opportunity to reassess these anyway.

Shestopalov’s 6th Army was allocated Okhotsk in the Far North, to encourage them to wrap up the northern pocket. They were also given Nikolayevsk na Amure (currently occupied by partisans) to give them a depth coastal objective.

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15th Army, commanded by General Ratnikov, was also assigned Nikolayevsk na Amure, plus Khabarovsk and Harbin, both depth [VP] objectives well to the south.

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Cherniakhovskij was ordered to have 1st Army take Bukacaca (as usual), plus Mildigun in depth.

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Finally, 7th was directed to help the Mongolians secure their under-threat provisional capital of Uliastay, plus Ulaanbataar and the shared objective of Mildigun, to hopefully keep their left linked with 1st Army.

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The sharp-eyed among you will have spotted an elementary error that I only noticed as I put the chapter together later, and wondered why there was so little air support provided in the Northern and Central Sectors, then re-checked the screens to see what the stances were. Oops! The AI glitch had, of course, reset them all as well as the objectives – all to defensive across the board! I just didn't notice. :rolleyes: Perhaps I’m lucky the front went as well as it did this month, with all four army commanders imbued with such defensive spirit. The inflexible Soviet command structure strikes again. ;)

******

2. Northern Sector

The Soviets made excellent progress in the North during September, managing to shrink one pocket in the north, while completing the greatest defeat on the Japanese yet further south on the Pacific coast at Ayan, while ensuring the recently taken port of Ulya.

As the month started, a large and fiercely fought battle, begun on 31 August, continued in Ayan. The fighting would not finish until 7 September. But crucially, an Soviet probe to its south on Nemuy evicted the last hasty defence there on 4 September, securing the province late on the same day. This trapped at least three enemy divisions still fighting in Ayan, with another retreating there from the north.

hNAaQL.jpg

Victory came in Ayan on 7 September, with 2,338 enemy troops killed and an estimated 30,487 prisoners taken. The Soviets lost 1,977 in a week of hard fighting. Okhotsk was occupied without further fighting to shrink the pocket there further and ensure Ulya had breathing space. A heavy Japanese counter-attack on Nemuy lasted from 10 to 13 September, but was beaten back with heavy casualties (Soviet 554 v 972 Japanese casualties).

Ayan was liberated on 12 and Stanovoj Hrebet on 19 September without further fighting in that part of the sector for the rest of the month. Neither side launched any air missions in the sector that month, even though some Soviet aircraft were in range.

Z3tcQk.jpg

Operational summary, Far East – Northern Sector, September 1945.

******

3. Central Sector

Further south, a major Japanese attack on Bomnaksk that had started on 31 August continued until 3 September, ending in Soviet victory (Soviet 785 v 1,221 Japanese casualties). There would be two more significant Japanese attacks on the province during the month.

To the south of Bomnaksk, the Soviets were simultaneously attacking Silka, a focal point for activity for the rest of the month. The first Soviet attempt failed on 1 September. The Soviets then attacked Urusha the same day, winning a first battle there the next day. It was the first of seven battles or skirmishes in Urusha that month.

Meanwhile, the Japanese occupied Berezitovyy on 2 September after a victory there the month before. The Soviets immediately counter-attacked the occupiers and had won the battle later that day, retaking it three days later. Then Japanese reinforcements pulled into Urusha on 8 September, which the advancing Soviets defeated after a three day battle.

As the fighting for Urusha went on, the Japanese attacked Bomnaksk again on 9 September, beaten again after another two days of heavy combat (Soviet 481 v 859 Japanese casualties). But they attacked yet again on 14 September and finally won on the 16th, despite the exhausted Soviet defenders inflicting heavier casualties (Soviet 508 v 695 Japanese casualties). Bomnaksk was occupied by the Japanese on 23 September, which they still held by the end of the month.

But the Soviets now met with more success in Urusha and Silka. A final Japanese attempt to rush in reinforcements to defend Urusha was bloodily defeated between 17-to 19 September (Soviet 60 v 854 Japanese casualties), with the Soviets retaking it on 19 September. Three smaller Japanese attempts to take it back failed over the next few days, but the largest battle in the sector that month followed, stretching from 21 to 27 September. The Japanese were finally beaten back and the province held (Soviet 915 v 2,659 Japanese casualties).

Two more small battles and a skirmish between 15 and 25 September ended in Silka’s liberation on 25 September. A first Japanese counter-attack on 25-26 September failed, but a second stronger Japanese attack over 27-28 September succeeded, though the province remained in Soviet hands as the month ended.

The partisan rising in Nikolayevsk na Amure was snuffed out on 19 September. In the latter part of the month, the Soviets mounted a couple of probes south on Tahe, but these were soon discontinued when the odds proved unfavourable. As in the Northern Sector, no Soviet air support was provided on this front during the month.

sAjMtQ.jpg

Operational summary, Far East – Central Sector, September 1945.

******

4. Southern Sector

Despite the largely hesitant mindset of the army commanders in September, 1st Army finally began springing into action this month, joining 15th Army in a number of attacks. And unlike in the North and Centre, there was at least a degree of air support provided. A quick probe of Bukacaca on 1 September found no-one willing to fight for it, the enemy retreat no doubt encouraged by some heavy air strikes (1,303 ground casualties) by the VVS. It would be occupied by 1st and 15th Army units without further opposition on 11 September.

A tougher fight beginning in Aksenovo Zilovskoye on 8 September would prove to be the largest battle in the sector for the month, the Soviet attack succeeding a week later (Soviet 853 v 1,797 Japanese casualties, plus 438 from air raids). The Japanese inserted militia division on 16 September, which was defeated the next day, but the hilly province had not yet been occupied by the end of the month.

Soviet troops advancing into Goryachinsk after a previous victory struck fresh Japanese troops on 1 September and pulled back after a brief skirmish. But fresh Soviets troops made a full attack later that day, with heavy air support. They emerged victorious on 5 September (Soviet 966 v 1,363 Japanese casualties, plus 2,786 from air raids) but the province still had not been liberated by the end of the month – it seems the advancing units halted, for reasons unknown.

The next Soviet target was the much fought-over Mogocha, with success in an attack from 7-12 September (Soviet 353 v 1,420 Japanese casualties), followed by its liberation on 16 September.

On 8 September, advancing Soviet medium armour encountered a few Japanese units attempting to reinforce and then counter-attack Vershino Darasunskiy after it was occupied on 8 September, but these were easily brushed off.

A series of skirmishes and probes in Romanovka, Aksenovo Zilovskoya and Telemba followed between 16 to 25 September, but none of these were significant. A renewed Soviet attack on Telemba began on 30 September and continued as the month drew to close.

kyONzw.jpg

Operational summary, Far East – Southern Sector, September 1945.

******

5. Mongolian Sector

As the month began, there were grave fears for Uliastay: the Mongolian defenders were in retreat after being beaten there in late August and if the Japanese could take and hold it, Mongolia would capitulate.

The first combat event of the month came not on the ground, but in the air. A wing of Japanese CAS were intercepted over Khantai at 0200hr on 1 September. It seems they were trying to bomb the Soviet troops attacking Khadasan, but two wings of Irkutsk-based interceptors mauled them and sent them on their way. It would be the only Japanese air sortie in any of the Far East sectors for the whole of September.

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The Khadasan attack ended up being the major combat action in the sector that month, finishing in a bloody Soviet victory by the 5th (Soviet 834 v 510 Japanese casualties, plus 1,063 from air raids).

Then on 2 September 7th Army soon came to the rescue of Uliastay: a double attack from Ider and Tzag on Taryacin soon had the Japanese there in retreat after a brief skirmish. The immediate threat to the provisional Mongolian capital was over before the day had ended.

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There was little more fighting but much movement in the sector for the next few weeks, with province after province liberated, most without further ground fighting: Selenga Burin, Taryacin, Khadasan and Uber Khangaiin fell between 3-12 September. Japanese resistance in Mongolia seemed to be suddenly melting away.

Uliastay was now well in the rear and enemy-occupied Ulaanbataar itself now on the front lines. By 13 September, Uliastay was removed as a defensive objective for 7th Army as they continued to press forward across the sector.

hF8GEq.jpg

Tsetserlig was struck hard from the air between 13-15 September (1,157 Japanese casualties) and was abandoned without a fight, being liberated on 26 September. Finally, the Soviets won a skirmish (with heavy air support – 683 casualties) then a short battle for Serguleng as the month drew to a close. They were advancing on it as 30 September ended – which would put pressure on Ulaanbataar from three directions if it could be secured.

XdKos3.jpg

Operational summary, Far East – Mongolian Sector, September 1945.

******

6. Naval Operations

As mentioned previously, the [temporarily AI] Theatre Commander ordered the whole Pacific Fleet from their isolated base in Kamchatka to the newly liberated port of Ulya on 1 September. But this was a wise move, so the orders stood and none of the units were attacked during the transit.

The new Soviet marine division was soon put on trains and began the long journey to join up with the Pacific Transport Fleet in Ulya.

NEnlhc.jpg

By 7 September, the last fleet units had all re-based in Ulya and the supply convoy – which the Japanese had been preying on sporadically in recent months – was no longer in operation.

******

7. Intelligence

September would prove a tough month for Soviet agents on foreign missions. But initially, with Japanese domestic spy strength at only two, one third of the Soviet agents on counter-espionage duty we sent back to disrupt national unity – the main purpose of having them there in the first place. Then Japan in particular started apprehending Soviet spies on what proved to be a regular basis, so by 13 September the Soviet agents were all sent back to hunting the Kempeitai.

The Japanese Kempeitai started and finished the month with three teams, neither adding or losing any, with a grim four Soviet agents lost. Japanese national unity had decreased by just 0.1% to 64.5%.

Manchukuo started the month with two teams at home and finished with none, with none added during the month. Manchurian national unity had decreased by 0.9% from 66.7 to 65.8%.

Turkey had two spy teams at the start of the month, losing three to Soviet action and adding two to have one by month’s end. They had neutralised one Soviet agent. On 29 September, the Soviet main mission finally began, with the first step being building the power of the Communist Party in Turkey, which was at 7% at the end of the month.

TlYOR8.jpg

In Spain, the locals started and ended with seven teams, losing and adding none and capturing two Soviet agents during the month. It would clearly take some time to wear down the Spanish Republican local secret police, before the local Communists could be boosted there too.

A bumper 35 enemy agents were neutralised in September compared to 24 in August. The French, Germans, Turks and British all had three agents neutralised, the rest one or two each.

The Soviets had lost eight and produced five new teams in September, leaving them with a reserve of four on 30 September.

******

8. Production and Supply

With supply demand increasing and the stockpile depleting (down to 45,000 by 5 September), supply production was increased by 10 to 120 IC (29.27% of 410 total IC).

Then, on 10 September, welcome news came out of the blue – the red, white and blue, to be precise. US Lend-Lease suddenly increased by about 45-50 IC: 116 out of their 604.8 total IC. This allowed the production queue to be brought to 100% capacity, and supply production boosted to 145 IC. The capitalists must have been impressed by the Soviet’s great fight against the Japanese – a foe they themselves seemed to be doing little to fight directly.

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Then, after another wing of new NAV was deployed on 10 September – this time to the airfield in Ulya, Stalin himself announced that the Soviets had achieved the milestone of 75 wings in the VVS, meaning they would gain the advantage of having a ‘Great Air Force’.

fVMFEp.jpg

With the rate of advance, supply demand kept rising, with supply production upped to 155 IC, leaving the production queue about 12 IC short of full production.

Five radar station improvements finished between 21-23 September. The four on the Western border all continued to be improved, but Irkutsk – which might soon be out of range of the front and where the Japanese air threat was minimal – was left at Level 2.

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By this time, ‘stored’ new facilities included one air base and two radar stations, which could be placed wherever needed in the future.

To finish the month, a new production project was begun: with submarine hull designs upgraded in late September (albeit only to 1934 standards) to match engine design, a new flotilla of Series V-bis subs was begun. These would be better than the current base Soviet model, but was really just to keep practical experience bubbling along for the future.

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******

9. Research

In a quieter month for research discoveries, fighter ground crew training (still pretty primitive compared to world standards) was improved and research continued on 18 September.

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Then two related projects matured and were continued on 21 September to improve the submarine arm (and led to the production of the new flotilla mentioned above).

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******

10. Theatre Summaries

The Far Eastern Theatre saw major Soviet gains across the board, despite the [accidental] defensive orders imposed on the four front line army commanders. The northern pocket of Japanese troops was increasingly isolated, but the crowning battlefield victory was the great defeat and capture of Japanese troops in Ayan. Mongolia, previously the weak spot at the end of August, had seen the greatest gains in September, with their old capital of Ulaanbataar now under threat from advancing 7th Army formations.

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Total confirmed Soviet losses in land combat were down by around 1,267 compared to August at 10,880, with none lost to Japanese aircraft.

The Japanese and their puppets lost 17,629 men (2,595 fewer than in August) in ground combat and 10,560 to air strikes (2,598 fewer than July, with Soviet air tempo again down significantly). Total Japanese/Axis casualties were therefore 25,911, or 4,873 fewer than in August. But they had lost at least 30,487 men as POWs in Ayan, making it a tough month for the Fascists.

******

In South East Asia, the Allied conquest of the Philippines proceeded apace, while little changed in Malaya and nothing elsewhere.

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Allied mismanagement of the situation in Malaya showed no sign of being turned around. Just three or four divisions properly applied would have closed it out. But it was not to be.

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While in the Philippines, a large invasion force faced no opposition.

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In Australia, the Allies (under Australian command) had gone back on the offensive on all fronts.

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And even the US had acted, retaking Midway Island – though they seemed not to have a garrison there.

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First of all, GREAT HEADER IMAGE

Great month to be an anti-fascist! That reorganization of the armies was a necessary thing to be done with fresh objectives, and with the stance back to offensive, next month can be even better than this one! The Japanese seem to be finally broken and they'll need to fall back and regroup a bit to be able to offer resistance.

I'm anxious to see a communist Turkey :)

Certain tech branches has been neglected for so long that, even after researching this much they're still nearly a decade obsolete.

In Australia, both fronts are about to join, good news :)
 
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Ahh, this is the sort of month we have been waiting for. Advance on all fronts, and some quite substantial all things considered. We will move into winter in a far better position than we were. What opportunties the next year will bring ... one can hardly wait.
 
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Then, on 10 September, welcome news came out of the blue – the red, white and blue, to be precise. US Lend-Lease suddenly increased by about 45-50 IC: 116 out of their 604.8 total IC. This allowed the production queue to be brought to 100% capacity, and supply production boosted to 145 IC. The capitalists must have been impressed by the Soviet’s great fight against the Japanese – a foe they themselves seemed to be doing little to fight directly. .

Heh. That reminds me of the IRL historian who said "Victory over Germany was bought with Russian blood and paid for with Spam"
 
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Despite the confused orders, this was a great month for the Soviet Union. Up next is the month of the revolution. (or it used to be, at least) Surely the Red Army will put in their best effort then, and the results will be even better. Especially if that Great Red Air Force starts pulling it's weight again. The capture of tens of thousands of prisoners in the Northern pocket would be a great bonus to the festivities. I'm sure Stalin is piling on the pressure for the pocket to be consumed by the 7th of November. If possible, a few select prisoners could even be paraded in front of the crowds to show just how much the Soviet Union is winning this war to liberate Asia's proletariat.
 
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The sharp-eyed among you will have spotted an elementary error that I only noticed as I put the chapter together later, and wondered why there was so little air support provided in the Northern and Central Sectors, then re-checked the screens to see what the stances were. Oops! The AI glitch had, of course, reset them all as well as the objectives – all to defensive across the board! I just didn't notice. :rolleyes: Perhaps I’m lucky the front went as well as it did this month, with all four army commanders imbued with such defensive spirit. The inflexible Soviet command structure strikes again. ;)

One might wonder--in fact, I'd imagine that this is absolutely the case--that since the AI can't "remember" plans it made from previous saves (indeed, I wonder sometimes if it will reset itself sometimes), that they just randomly will reset to the default every so often which causes the major issues with how the Naval, Air and Army AIs function in this game... *shrug*
 
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One might wonder--in fact, I'd imagine that this is absolutely the case--that since the AI can't "remember" plans it made from previous saves (indeed, I wonder sometimes if it will reset itself sometimes), that they just randomly will reset to the default every so often which causes the major issues with how the Naval, Air and Army AIs function in this game... *shrug*

I think I recall MacGowan having to deal with a similar problem in his alternate World War II AAR in Darkest Hour. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the same limitations applied to HoI3 as well.
 
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One might wonder--in fact, I'd imagine that this is absolutely the case--that since the AI can't "remember" plans it made from previous saves (indeed, I wonder sometimes if it will reset itself sometimes), that they just randomly will reset to the default every so often which causes the major issues with how the Naval, Air and Army AIs function in this game... *shrug*
I do know that the normal AI country code forces the AI to re-make its plans every time the game loads up, and only then. Which sometimes leads to odd instances where the ability of the AI to fight depends on the timing of saves and loads, i.e. too frequently or too rarely leads to suboptimal AI planning. I suppose it's not a stretch to assume that the same might (mistakenly, as is Paradox tradition) be applied to player-owned, AI-controlled units.
 
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Not sure what it was - I don’t think it was an accidental unpause and then re-save whilst tagged to France to get screenshots for Allied positions in SEA and Australia for the monthly reports, but I guess it could have been. :confused: There was that thing on the Persian front before when the su ordinate AI command kept deleting all its objectives on reload, though it hadn’t been happ in the Far East. Just one more thing I’ll have to check on each reboot.
 
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Not sure what it was - I don’t think it was an accidental unpause and then re-save whilst tagged to France to get screenshots for Allied positions in SEA and Australia for the monthly reports, but I guess it could have been. :confused:
I suspect it was that. Unpause while tagged to a different country and all bets are off, you were lucky you didn't tag back into a game of CK2. Just getting the AI scrambled is Paradox letting you off lightly.
DYAEiOu.gif


The proletariat continue to advance (except where they don't) and Japan is being pushed back. Keep up this progress during the autumn and then, when General Winter has joined our ranks, unleash the Siberian troops and drive the fascist into sea. To achieve anything less would be clear evidence of wrecking and sabotage and proof the Red Army needs another purge.
 
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Just caught back up. Lots of nice advances this month. I wonder if the Japanese are running into supply issues as well. Your advances the last two months have cut their portion of the trans-siberian rail line so their western section may be seeing problems related to adjusting supply routes.

On a slightly delayed note the comments on the Russians cutting ships into sections and shipping them into Vladivostok for reassembly and launch made me think that is not anything really new (except for the shipping distance). During the American revolution the British dissambled a ship sloop in Quebec and hauled up to Lake Champlain where it was reassembled and used in the battles to clear the lake. I guess ideas like that may seem new but have been done before.
 
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After a bit of a break updating other AARs, it's time to show a little love again for the long War in the Far East. I'll be playing the next month soon. First, some feedback on past comments (for which, thanks to you all):
First of all, GREAT HEADER IMAGE

Great month to be an anti-fascist! That reorganization of the armies was a necessary thing to be done with fresh objectives, and with the stance back to offensive, next month can be even better than this one! The Japanese seem to be finally broken and they'll need to fall back and regroup a bit to be able to offer resistance.

I'm anxious to see a communist Turkey :)

Certain tech branches has been neglected for so long that, even after researching this much they're still nearly a decade obsolete.

In Australia, both fronts are about to join, good news :)
Thanks re the cover image - thought I should finally get around to them and I experimented on this one first. The scaling issues involved are a rather confusing balance of widths, formats etc.

Spain and Turkey are really experiments for me, as I haven't messed much with those parts of the espionage mechanics much before. Should be interesting.

The general situation and tech progress are both slowly turning around - it takes a lot of time and effort to remedy all those past problems of an almost-losing Soviet AI leadership!
Ahh, this is the sort of month we have been waiting for. Advance on all fronts, and some quite substantial all things considered. We will move into winter in a far better position than we were. What opportunties the next year will bring ... one can hardly wait.
It is - I'm hoping my AI commanders can keep up the momentum now. There is still so far to go before we can take down the Japanese, let along go all 'Unthinkable' on the West in Europe. Having a decent stockpile of nukes will be part of it - the Germans had better get ready for some serious revenge pain! :eek: The horror!
Great army, great air force, great navy should be next on the list! The proletariat need to be liberated all over the globe, not just in Eurasia.
The Great Navy could be a long time coming - lots of subs and a modest amphibious capability are the current limited objectives. We'll see about the future. Rockets, aircraft, nukes and STRAT are the current reasearch and production priorities.
Heh. That reminds me of the IRL historian who said "Victory over Germany was bought with Russian blood and paid for with Spam"
Like it! :D
Despite the confused orders, this was a great month for the Soviet Union. Up next is the month of the revolution. (or it used to be, at least) Surely the Red Army will put in their best effort then, and the results will be even better. Especially if that Great Red Air Force starts pulling it's weight again. The capture of tens of thousands of prisoners in the Northern pocket would be a great bonus to the festivities. I'm sure Stalin is piling on the pressure for the pocket to be consumed by the 7th of November. If possible, a few select prisoners could even be paraded in front of the crowds to show just how much the Soviet Union is winning this war to liberate Asia's proletariat.
I'm looking forward to see how the AI generals go this month when properly filled with revolutionary zeal again! And now I can start to build up a proper, supplied Pacific Coast base again.
Excellent progress so far. Even the long-dormant southern sector appears to finally be awakening from its slumber.
The south was a very pleasant surprise last month - the problem sector ended up being a success story.
One might wonder--in fact, I'd imagine that this is absolutely the case--that since the AI can't "remember" plans it made from previous saves (indeed, I wonder sometimes if it will reset itself sometimes), that they just randomly will reset to the default every so often which causes the major issues with how the Naval, Air and Army AIs function in this game... *shrug*
I think I recall MacGowan having to deal with a similar problem in his alternate World War II AAR in Darkest Hour. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the same limitations applied to HoI3 as well.
I do know that the normal AI country code forces the AI to re-make its plans every time the game loads up, and only then. Which sometimes leads to odd instances where the ability of the AI to fight depends on the timing of saves and loads, i.e. too frequently or too rarely leads to suboptimal AI planning. I suppose it's not a stretch to assume that the same might (mistakenly, as is Paradox tradition) be applied to player-owned, AI-controlled units.
Not sure what it was - I don’t think it was an accidental unpause and then re-save whilst tagged to France to get screenshots for Allied positions in SEA and Australia for the monthly reports, but I guess it could have been. :confused: There was that thing on the Persian front before when the su ordinate AI command kept deleting all its objectives on reload, though it hadn’t been happ in the Far East. Just one more thing I’ll have to check on each reboot.
I suspect it was that. Unpause while tagged to a different country and all bets are off, you were lucky you didn't tag back into a game of CK2. Just getting the AI scrambled is Paradox letting you off lightly.
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The proletariat continue to advance (except where they don't) and Japan is being pushed back. Keep up this progress during the autumn and then, when General Winter has joined our ranks, unleash the Siberian troops and drive the fascist into sea. To achieve anything less would be clear evidence of wrecking and sabotage and proof the Red Army needs another purge.
Possibly some or all of the above. I'd been very careful about not un-pausing then saving while tagged when doing all those end of month reports, but no system is foolproof. :oops: As to the front, I really want to get Japan taken down and out, as time drags on and the poor oppressed proletariat of Europe cries out for liberation by their Soviet saviours. Ahem.
Just caught back up. Lots of nice advances this month. I wonder if the Japanese are running into supply issues as well. Your advances the last two months have cut their portion of the trans-siberian rail line so their western section may be seeing problems related to adjusting supply routes.

On a slightly delayed note the comments on the Russians cutting ships into sections and shipping them into Vladivostok for reassembly and launch made me think that is not anything really new (except for the shipping distance). During the American revolution the British dissambled a ship sloop in Quebec and hauled up to Lake Champlain where it was reassembled and used in the battles to clear the lake. I guess ideas like that may seem new but have been done before.
Welcome back! The Japanese could be running into supply problems (I do check the battle readouts for that as I go along). They certainly are in that pocket, not so sure about the rest of the front. I can hope so!

I'll be cutting up more ships now and sending them across to the recaptured port of Ulya on the Pacific Coast now that I can. ;) I like that example of the use in Quebec. Still, the Soviet example does involve having to send them quite a long way further, I suppose! Both impressive for their time.
 
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Chapter 20 – October 1945
Chapter 20 – October 1945

AuthAAR’s Notes: Given we’re now past the end date of WW2 in OTL and this still has some way to go, I’m going to keep trimming and streamlining the presentation to keep things moving along more quickly. In game terms, I’m giving myself until no later than the day of Stalin’s OTL death to either get my win (12 objectives), or it stops then and we see how we have done. Which gives plenty of time yet, of course. I hope I don’t need it all!

Basically, the combat descriptions will be trimmed down further, as I now think the summary maps give most of the information needed to get the sweep, sequence and size of engagements by sector and across the front. I’ll just briefly note the biggest battles each month by sector. The focus of the rest remains on the ‘sinews of war’ and strategic aspects that I control as the player.


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1. Introduction and Command Arrangements

As September ended, the only continuing battle was a Soviet attack on Telemba (Central Sector in this update) [69% progress].

In overall terms, at midnight on 1 November the orders to all four of the Eastern armies were to adopt an attacking ground stance and go on the air offensive, countermanding the mistakenly defensive orders that had prevailed the previous month.

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2. Northern Sector

This was the busiest sector for the month, with a major Soviet advance along the Pacific Coast and its hinterland. After the battle for Bomnaksk was fought and won on 1 October, the advance continued with determination, pushing through to Fevral’sk, Gulian and Tugur by the end of the month. Air support had been active but generally not heavy during this time. Skovorodino was taken late in the month after one failed attempt earlier in the month, but the Japanese were still counter-attacking as the month ended.

Interestingly, in this sector Japan won three of the four largest battles, but the Soviets managed to win most of the rest, sometimes taking a few attempts to prevail. The first Soviet attack on Skovorodino (8-13 October) cost 1,454 Soviet attackers and 1,452 Japanese defenders. The first battle for Torom (11-15 October) saw 1,461 Soviet and 1,114 Japanese soldiers killed, but a later attack was successful against the weakened defenders.

The Soviets won at the first attempt in Fevral’sk (22-26 October), losing only 763 men to 1,692 of the enemy, even if it took a subsequent attack to dislodge a fresh Japanese lodgement from 26-27 October. Finally, the biggest battle of the month was for Zeya, between 24-28 October, where 1,809 Soviet soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice, taking 1,569 of the enemy with them. But a renewed attack was in progress as the month ended.

By 23 October, the forward air base at Tyndinskiy housed 11 Soviet air wings (4 x CAS, 4 x INT, 1 x MR, 2 x TAC), even though (after an upgrade during the month) it only had the facilities to repair 2.43 wings at a time, but at least it meant the men in this sector were getting regular air support again.

Up in the Far North, as the month was drawing to a close there was only one Japanese division left in the pocket. Noticing that no-one was attacking it, 6th Army had its objectives updated, deleting the now liberated Okhotsk and substituting Magadan.

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General Shestapalov responded quickly to his orders: an attack began just two hours later, with the enemy driven off later that day after a short skirmish.

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Operational summary, Far East – Northern Sector (not including the Magadan Pocket), October 1945.

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3. Central Sector

This sector saw less fighting than in the North, but some large actions were fought and an initial salient into the Japanese lines had been significantly expanded as October drew to a close.

First, the orders of 1st Army were amended, as Bukacaca had finally been secured in September. It was replaced with a depth objective well beyond the now intermediate objective of Mildigun. If 1st Army continued to show initiative, it may get a corps reassigned from 7th or 15th Army (which it shared the sector with) in November to give it the strength to achieve larger gains.

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And indeed, by 28 October, 1st Army units had advanced to the border of Mildigun, brushed away its defenders and were advancing on it as the month ended. In this sector, the only battles lost were a couple of skirmishes. The main focus of fighting had been over Telemba, which took two successful attacks to secure, followed by a defence against a sustained Japanese counter-attack. That ended up being the heaviest battle of the month in the Centre, lasting from 13-17 October, with only 187 Soviet defenders lost against 1,096 Japanese attackers, while the VVS struck the attackers in Olovyarmaya with four days of raids killing 2,021 enemy troops.

As the month ended, the Japanese won a battle to retake Ust’ Karsk, but had not yet reoccupied it.

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Operational summary, Far East – Central Sector, October 1945.

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4. Southern Sector

Results in the South were more mixed than the month before, but still positive on balance. Although sometimes limited by supply issues in Irkutsk, the VVS wings based there delivered some heavy air support at times, even it failed to prevent two major Japanese victories in Selenga Burin and Serguleng.

The two most significant battles in the sector during the month were both defensive defeats for the Soviets. In Selenga Burin (1-5 October), the Soviets lost 920 men to ground combat, while the Japanese lost 829, though air strikes took a heavy toll on attacking enemy troops in both Altan Bulak (2,883) and Petrovsk Zabaykal'skiy (2,341). But the Soviet defenders were outnumbered throughout and were out of supply until 2 October, which had hampered their defence (see more on supply in Section 7 below).

After the battle for Selenga Burin was lost on 5 October, it was added to 7th Army’s objective list but no Soviet counter-attack materialised after it was occupied by the enemy on 14 October.

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Serguleng had been taken from the Japanese on 16 October after a victory there in September. A first Japanese counter-attack from Selenga Burin and Ulaanbataar was beaten off from 16-18 October. But a second attack (21-25 October), despite even heavier defensive air support, forced the Soviets out. There were ground combat losses of 1,066 Soviet and 1,157 Japanese troops, plus another enemy 2,780 killed in air raids on troops attacking from Selenga Burin and 745 in Ulaanbataar.

Serguleng remained in Japanese hands by the end of the month though the Japanese forces reoccupying it were defeated as they arrived on 29 October, so the province may change hands yet again in early November. Gains were made by Soviet and Comintern forces to the south, in Muren and Santu.

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Operational summary, Far East – Southern Sector, October 1945.

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5. Finland

On 21 October, another widespread revolt broke out in Finland, affected eight provinces initially and spreading rapidly in the next few days, until responding Soviet units started to roll back these early gains.

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Based on previous expert advice, a theatre boundary change made since the last revolt meant only Archangelsk Theatre troops would be affected, rather than the unnecessary mass depopulation of the German-Polish sector that had occurred the last time.

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By 1000hr on 21 October, the Theatre Commander Marshal Karmanov had been ordered to adopt an attacking stance (perhaps imitating the action of a tiger? ;) ) to crush the rebellion. After two days of the rebels rapidly fanning out into the central Finnish countryside, the entire northern garrison along the Swedish and Norwegian borders was in trucks heading south as fast as they could make it, while two nearby divisions in the south marched to action.

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The cancer of counter-revolution had spread widely by 26 October, when Soviet forces first engaged the Finns in the south at Juva, then on 28 October in Lahti and by 31 October at Kuopio, with the first of the northern forces arriving and attacking. All these ‘battles’ were little more than skirmishes against guerrilla brigades, typically costing a dozen of fewer Soviet casualties for around 130 Finns.

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Operational summary, Finland, 21-31 October 1945.

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6. Espionage

The spy war hotted up considerably in October. In Spain, the Republic’s counter-espionage forces remained strong and active, but the Soviets decided to ‘test the waters’ on 4 October by devoting a quarter of their effort to supporting the local Communist Party.

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But with one of the Soviet teams being neutralised on 6 October and Spanish domestic spy strength still at seven teams, this brief experiment was discontinued for the time being.

In Turkey though, local counter-espionage was minimal (one team) and on 12 October all Soviet efforts were directed into supporting the local Communists, who started from a low base of only 7% popularity. But with heavier losses elsewhere, especially in Japan, and reserve teams down to just two to cover four active missions, spy training was increased from 1.2 to 1.5 leadership, with a small amount shaved from diplomacy and the rest from officer training (officers currently at reasonably healthy 117%).

But the losses mounted: by 16 October the reserve was down to one team and the spy effort was doubled to 3.0 LS, with 1 LS coming from the deferral of one research project (now only 21 out of 22 supported), the rest taken from officer training.

On 17 October, a team was lost in Turkey, so the effort there was dialled back to 50% each on counter-espionage and Communist Party support. Another research project was put on hold on 18 October as losses mounted and the reserve hovered on just one team, boosting spy training to 4.0 LS.

Then on 22 October the Manchurians captured a Soviet team, so the effort there was also adjusted from 100% on disrupting national unity to a 50/50 mix with counter-espionage. But despite these losses, the new training focus had taken effect, with the reserve up to three teams.

The reserve was up to five and another Japanese team had been captured by 29 October (leaving them with two after a brutal month of tit-for-tat killings), so a 50/50 split between counter-espionage and national unity disruption was resumed.

The Japanese Kempeitai started the month with three teams and finished with two, adding three but losing four to Soviet action, but the Soviets lost three teams of their own achieving this. Japanese national unity remained steady at 64.5%, as Soviet disruption only resumed as the month was ending.

Manchukuo started the month with no teams at home and finished with two, adding two and losing none, while eliminating two Soviet teams. Manchurian national unity had however decreased by 0.8% from 65.8% to 65.0%.

Turkey started and finished with one team, adding and losing one during the month, while neutralising two Soviet agents. But the Communist Party in Turkey had been boosted from 7% to 10% popularity by the end of the month.

In Spain, the locals started with seven teams, losing two and adding one to finish with six, eliminating three Soviet teams along the way. Local Communist Party popularity had not yet budged, remaining at 12%.

At home and abroad, 33 enemy agents were neutralised in October, compared to 35 in September. As mentioned above the Japanese had lost four (though these were all presumed to have been in Japan), with the British and Germans losing three each, Spain two (in Spain), the rest one each.

The Soviets had lost ten agents and but produced thirteen five new teams in September, leaving them with a reserve of seven by 31 October. With a more comfortable buffer re-established, one of the deferred research projects would likely be restarted, in part of full.

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7. Production and Supply

The air base in Jakutsk received its final upgrade on 4 October: the front was moving further forward, so the saved IC was rolled into ‘consolidated revenue’ for now.

As noted earlier, supply was still problematic on parts of the front, with the defence of Selenga Burin still being affected by 4 October, though marginal supply had been restored. Part of the problem there was caused by low infrastructure. Also, the routing of supplies was a bit confusing: logisticians declared their supply route back to Moscow was 135 nodes away, while Ulan Ude (directly north of it, albeit on the Trans-Siberian Railway, so with much better infrastructure) was supposedly only 126 distant. Supply in the Vershino Darasunsky salient was still also difficult, though fuel was plentiful. This would improve during the month. [NB: I'm not sure what the difference, if any, is between a 'node' and a 'province' in this context.]

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On 10 October, US Lend-Lease was reduced to 93 IC (down almost 30 from its earlier peak), a rate that would continue for the rest of the month, keeping the introduction of new production projects suppressed.

The air base at Tyndinsky – the new front-line centre for the VVS in the Northern Sector – got its level three expansion on 15 October, with improvements continued at the crowded facility.

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All the massive new infrastructure projects for the TSR and the Far East Front were completed on 20-21 October. It would take a while for them to reach full efficiency. With high supply demand (around 135 IC average), Lend-Lease reduced and the upgrade bill climbing (back up to 37.47 IC), only two new infrastructure projects were started, to start improving the TSR beyond Irkutsk as land was securely liberated.

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Some of the freed IC was put into raising a second full marine division.

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And a few days later, another wing of strategic bombers was ordered.

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Though more research gains meant the upgrade bill climbed even higher by 27 October (to 50.66 IC), though supply production had been reduced to around 110 IC, meaning the bomber production would not always been at 100% capacity as variable demands fluctuated.

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8. Research and Leadership

With another improvement being implanted for the artillery brigades, focus was put into bringing heavy tank engine technology closer to world standards – the French in particular were known to have focussed on their heavy armour, while of course the Germans were famous for it.

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On 14 October, the strategic bomber arm got improved bombs, with the effort there switching to introducing the first large air search radar for the VVS.

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The next day, land doctrine for the special forces was improved and research in that priority ‘niche’ area was continued.

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Medium tank reliability was researched on 18 October and while it was planned to continue, as noted above spy losses abroad were impacting heavily at that point, so it and special forces research were put on temporary hold, with large air search radar elevated above them in priority.

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The next breakthrough was on 26 October, with small navigation radar researched and also elevated to continue above the two suspended projects.

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9. Theatre Summaries

The Far Eastern Theatre saw major Soviet gains on the Pacific side of the front, fair gains in the centre and modest net gains in the south.

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The Soviet army remained close to encroaching on northern Manchuria, but had not crossed into it yet. The Japanese still maintained a continuous front line, even if the coastal sector was back-pedalling significantly. A small encirclement might be possible east of Lake Baikal.

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Total confirmed Soviet losses in land combat were very similar (down just slightly) compared to September at 10,686, with none lost to Japanese aircraft.

The Japanese and their puppets lost 17,921 men (a couple of hundred more fewer than in September) in ground combat. But losses from Soviet air strikes were up significantly to 18,747 (8,187 more than in September). Total Axis casualties (including a few hundred in Finland again) were therefore 36,668, or 10,757 more than in September (though with no repeat of the massive POW haul in Ayan last month).

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The Finnish revolt had seized a large swathe of the hinterland, but the containment operation had now begun a week or so after the initial rising. Next would come its destruction. And maybe a few MP units might be needed to keep a lid on things in the future.

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In South East Asia, the Allied conquest of the Philippines had been completed, but Singapore had been lost again. Nothing much had changed elsewhere.

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The Allies were currently relying on the Thais in Malaya, but their criminally negligent failure to garrison Singapore had led to its loss.

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The considerable French-commanded forces now in the southern Philippines were in the process of relocating, but time would tell how many were left as a garrison and where the others would end up. Perhaps some back to Malaya, others to new adventures.

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The Japanese defences had collapsed in Australia by mid-month. Some remnants were now pocketed, the rest heading towards Adelaide [which, in-game, inexplicably does not include a port – though that is good for the Allies now]. Canberra had been retaken in the first half of the month and re-established as the capital.

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Midway Island now seemed at last to be properly defended, with three garrison divisions, fighters and bombers.

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Australia is almost liberated! Time to celebrate?

The news from the East continues to be good - but winter will surely soon start to bite.
 
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Good gains continue this month, even though there's been some lost battles. I think the gains will speed up each passing month! Thanks for the nice episode!

[NB: I'm not sure what the difference, if any, is between a 'node' and a 'province' in this context.]
I'm not sure but I think a node is a province with more than 10% infra?

A small encirclement might be possible east of Lake Baikal.
One such opportunity can also happen around the Pacific coast

The Japanese defences had collapsed in Australia by mid-month. Some remnants were now pocketed, the rest heading towards Adelaide [which, in-game, inexplicably does not include a port – though that is good for the Allies now]. Canberra had been retaken in the first half of the month and re-established as the capital.
It seems all will be POWs, good result!

Turkey started and finished with one team, adding and losing one during the month, while neutralising two Soviet agents. But the Communist Party in Turkey had been boosted from 7% to 10% popularity by the end of the month.
Fast increase! Nazım Hikmet, Pertev Naili Boratav et al are coming to rule :D

I wish Paradox put Hikmet the Doctor as a minister as well, dashing looks and interesting character
EYJ1DlwXsAEIqEM
 
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Any plans for a Cold War after this?