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Shattering Storm

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Shattering Storm​

Please open this first Spoiler if you are new. If you want to browse quickly through the AAR so that you can follow its progress or to understand what is happenign then continue to open other spoilers in subsequent posts in the other OSPs (explained inside) otherwise don't. All OGP spoilers are meant to be opened and will mostly just contain large pictures.

What: AfterAction Report in the form of a light novel with some pictures and hopefully many screenshots found under spoiler tags.
When: 1944 (1945 scenario), winter. WW2
Why?: An attempt to beat the impossible and if not at least to change history.
PS: Please do PM me or write here about how I can improve my writing!

Chapter 1:
Shattering Storm​
 - Introduction

Chapter 2:
Breakthrough​
 - Ardennes Offensive

Chapter 3:
The sun sets in the west though it rises in the east​
- France

Chapter 4:
In German France You surrender​
 - Planning

Chapter 5:
Dark Thrust -- Morning Light​
The USSR

The AAR will mostly follow the pattern of One-Story-Post (OSP) and One-Game-Post (OGP).
While most attention will be payed to the OSPs the OGPs will include all those screenies many of you including myself like and also a few extra details from time to time.



Our story is set at the backdrop of winter and despair. There is little to celebrate for the German people and the German nation as the holidays draw nearer. It is a most frigid winter, so different from the winters of past seasons. The trams rarely work, the shops are empty and what little festivites can be organised are under constant threat of air bombardment. For others in Europe it is as bad if not worse. The Dutch Food Crisis is being labeled a famine in the newspapers, hundreds are dying each day not from bombs or bullets but from a mix of freezing temperature and rations approaching starvation levels.

Food and supplies have instead been siphoned to the German army which stands poised for one last strike before collapsing from exhaustion.
It is to drive a wedge into the western lines occupying liberated Belgium, capture and destroy the forces there and strike against the supply depot of Brest while linking up with the remnants of Army Group Bs southern formations as they attempt to pierce the northern shroud of the alps.

carter1.gif



To manage this their last offensive the front on the east and its soldiers will have to struggle and resist the onslaught of the great Red Army as the ubermensch their propaganda paints them to be. Although it will indeed be a bitter fight this winter will provide a eary ironic twist. As they are pushed back into firmer, more familiar soil the soldiers of what is left of the Third Reich will find themselves in a race against time. If they can hold long enough for winter and frost to embrace them - and their foes - then they might survive one more year and it will be the Russians who will get stuck in their tracks.


- "Father!" The boy screamed. - "Theres a rumble there in the forest! The trees a shaking but it seems to be coming from the east."
- "Quick son, get back in!" The father replied, droping the timber he had just collected. - "But what could it be.." he mumbled for himself.

As both of them ran towards their cabin a faint sound of logs crumbling and falling to the earth could be heard.

As they neared the door, running as fast as they could the sounds kept getting louder and louder.

- "It must be the allies! They are launching a new offensive." The boy exclaimed.
- "Hah, yes, you're right my boy. And I was worried...nevermind. We'll have to get back and pick up the wood and tools we left." He replied
- "Of course, I will! You go in and rest father. I'll get them, it's no problem".

As they boy ran off the father took off his coat and sat down at the kitchen table, turning on the radio, trying to hear if the Radio Londres, the french resistance radio broadcaster, was mentioning anything about an allied offensive or warnings to stay in-doors.

- "And now, Edith Piaf with C'est la Moindre des Choses" It replied.

- "Aah...Well it must be minor then." he said as he poured himself a glass of whiskey staring out the window looking for Jean (his son).


AAR closed until further notice!
 
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I wish you good luck !
The war is not lost yet!
 
Breakthrough​


Spoilers are spoilers and descriptive of the post in the entire. Stay out :)
December 30th.
Western Front in total collapse.

It had passed 1 hour since he had sent him out in the cold to pick back up the tools and wood for the cabin and Jean still hadn't returned.
Of course it was Jean himself who insisted to go back but a father could feel nothing but guilt and this was how he perceived what had transpired.
The glass of whiskey was still full. Of course it had been refilled several times already since but he did not pay attention to this more than any of us would in a situation like this.

- "Jean!" He screamed out of the window. - "Jean! Come back if you can hear me!" Again.
"Darnit, I'll go out and look. Pray he don't come back while I am gone and go looking for me". He thought for himself as his mind dispersed in a thousand directions. "What could've happened? Could it be the germans after all? Have they hurt my Jean? Has he fallen? There are wolfs..."


Elsewhere Jean had blood all over his hands and tears in his eyes.
- "I must stop the bleeding and that's soon, soon!"
Twitching and turning he just barely managed to stop it using a piece of cloth he had ripped away from his shirt.
- "There, you'll be okay until your master finds you" he whispered to the german shephard he just rescued from an old trap.

He washed off his hands in the snow, picked up the wood and stood up to walk back home.
Many of his neighbours were hunters and they had much love for this race of dog. But he could not recognise it as any of theirs and he had seen them many times. Peering down at the dog again he thought "I can't live this poor muck here alone.". Again the labour of their day had to wait. Putting the wood down he picked up the dog, gently taking the front legs including the wounded one up and over his back, thus letting its body rest on his shoulders.

-"Alright you, let's go home!"


The Germans were now pouring through the allied lines. By December 20th Liege had fallen and by the 25h Brussles was taken in the form of an open city. Remnants of the allied armies were caught in several county-sized pockets and fortunes seemed to slowly but steadily reverting. The commanders of the Western legions that had seen nothing but victory for months were now seeing defeat after defeat.

Morale, once in a grim state of affairs was now rising among the soldiers of the wehrmacht. No longer did they curse their leaders, in fact they did not mention them at all in the fireside chats and in the tents. They thought and spoke only about how perhaps if they acheive a few more victories then peace can be established and the country saved. They spoke of their families back in Germany, of how many daughters and sons they had and about the letters they got for christmas.

Although the newsreels and papers often alluded to their victories this was of little comfort for the men in the east. Few germans knew of their plight except for those that received their blood and dust stained letters.



[video=youtube;dfC4V3P1rs4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfC4V3P1rs4[/video]
 
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Well this is the last of todays posts.
A static front is no fun! So here comes some action.
As oil runs out a few of the offensives are financed by bulk purchases from Spain and Venezuela among others.
The "High Command" has ordered fortress areas to be formed. The Colmar Pocket, the city of Köningsberg and Budapest as such areas. Some 15 divisions have been evacuated from the pocket to Dresden and Köningsberg. The Soviet front in Norway is also collapsing.

Offensive in the West

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Defense of North East

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Defense of East

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Production

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This is awesome !
You already got to Paris ... too bad about the Eastern front .. Konigsberg and Budapest encircled ..
 
All I ever did in this scenario was immediately abandon the Western front in favor of stopping the Soviets whereever possible. 'twas perhaps not fair to leave Poland split so unsightly - but at least Germany was safe from...

"Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten."
 
I love 1944 AAR-s. A request: please do not stop after you deal with the Soviets/British. The Americans need a visit as well.
 
Can you post screens without spoilers?As all AAR authors,with big resolution screens


>Russiche infantry div
hell yeah.RONA ss div i guess?
 
Heyho.

How do I make the screenshots bigger? I know I can use an utility program but the standard F11 screenshot is 800x600.

The graphics are just the NWO2 graphics, there may be some remnants of other mods in there as well but I think it's mostly NWO2 graphics :). I've never before attempted to beat this scenario full out so we'll see how it goes. A tip for those playing is to re-structure the generals commanding various forces immediately and work to get combined arms bonus through strategic retreats which mold those unit compositions.

edit: Strike that tip, DH 1.3 doesn't have combined arms, lol :) Partly because it seems the AI is programmet to divide its armies completely for greater flexibility.

Currently the hardest part is re-enforcing my army. I have the manpower but not the IC. The enemy in the east is suffering immensly with quadruple or more the casualties. But they can handle it.
 
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I am afraid that does not work and it is exacly what is being done in the spoilers :-/
But inside the settings of imageshack there apparently is a re-size option!

America​

r7iu.png


One of our small hurdles as a teaser for the upcoming update! :)

I will have to put this bigboys in a spoiler though, that's for sure.
Edit: It seems that all images are resized to below 800x so this is the largest I can have :)
 
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The sun sets in the west though it rises in the east​



January 27th.
France is re-established.
Americans crippled.
German Eastern front cracking.

The mixture of mud and melting snow made it difficult to walk but Jean pressed on as the sounds kept getting louder and louder.
The dog started to bark, seemingly just as worried as the boy. - "Quiet, sshhh, sshhh" but the dog wouldn't stop. -"Merde.." he proclaimed as the first silhouttes appeared in the distance.

Unmistakable. They were men in helmets and on steel machines, around them a thunder unlike anything the natural order could produce. Swallows escaping their thrust, deer fleeing under their brunt. Jean fell to the ground.

- "They're coming from the east" he thought to himself. - "But how?"
- "Woff! Woff!" the dog barked ever more aggitated.

Looking up from the small howe he was in a rifle pointed straight down.

- "Halt!" The soldier proclaimed.
- "Halt? He's German" Jean thought as he tried to rise up his hands without disturbing the dog.
- "This dog, is he yorus?! What's wrong with it?" The soldier asked in broken french mixed with german.
- "No. I saw him injured just half a hour ago. I didn't recognise him. Please let me go, I am just a timbermans son"
- "Wait here!" The soldier said turning his head back to his group. "Albert! Sir, come over here! Look..."
- "What is it now...You know we are in a rush...." Albert replied walking towards his comrade in arms. "What?"
- "Look!"
- "Woff! Woff! Auuf!" the dog barked as it swiped around with its tail.
- "Adi! Adi it's you! You were bleeding!....Thank you, thank you so much" Albert said to the Jean with a great big smile on his face as he picked up his dog. "Come aboard...Come we will take you to your home. It's not safe for you to wander these woods now. There is a big battle going on!"

Jean considered his options. There wasn't much he could do else than obey the commanders request. Declining would not only be rude but also risky considering the probabilities of getting shot by other german or possible allied soldiers wandering the woods.

- "Sure...I guess! It's just over there." He pointed to the south west. "A couple of minutes down this track". Adding as he jumped on the jeep which immediately took off.

All this time though his father had been tracking the commotion. An experienced hunter himself he knew how to hide and track. He had picked up a trail of blood drops and thinking it was his sons followed them and the accompanying footprints to a pair of tracks and wheel markings.


The German army was by the early days of January smashing the remnants of the allied armies in Belgium and advancing into France itself. News came to the citizens of Europe that Poland had rebelled and that the Polish 1st Army of the Soviet Union had joined their rebellion after crashing through the frontlines in direct violaton of STAVKA regulations. The Polish army and homegovernment cnosisting of AK and AL commanders now commanded 11 divisions. At the same time a French government led by the exiled Philippe Petain was being reformed in Paris and slowly repairing industry and commerce. Elsewhere the front was quiet but as strong waves continously breaking on a glass wall cracks could be heard. Leaks were becoming ever harder to plug. The battle had just begun.

Flag_of_Philippe_P%C3%A9tain,_Chief_of_State_of_Vichy_France.svg


 
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On a general note I think that I will continue using Spoilers unless more people object to them. I'll gladly indulge you and remove them all if that's how everyone feels but I think that in the context of the storyline they spoil the surprise a little to easy.

As mentioned manpower losses are a problem. Instead of bashing the western lines to end the encirclements as fast as possible I am instead trying to starve them as to save my own manpower. In Russia a desperate attack -> counter-attack defense is being fought and the front has remained without major changes for almost 30 days now.

Oh yeah. After Mussolini complained that his Republic of Salo didn't have any power to fix the disastrous economic situation due to German occupation we decided to release the nations from its obligations to us and thus it is no longer a puppet. The Social Republic of Italy is thus born!


I wonder what our friends would have to say about this secret deal?

82sa.png

Welcome again, France. Glad you could join the party.
Also, please. It's our job to fly to the moon and fight again in 70 years! Not yours.
Stop making rockets!

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North-East.

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East and South

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A little bonus. Front density, credits to Darkest Hour Companion!

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PS: Do disregard the fact that Wallonia and Flanders are slightly visible. I refrained from forming them in a subsequent reload of a save from January the 24th but that one doesn't include France which is still in game. Everything else is basically the same! So Dissent is about 6.90% not 11%+ :)
 
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