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WOW, a new Yogi AAR. Let me get the popcorn....
Your "Where The Iron Crosses Grow" AAR was superb.
Your "Where The Iron Crosses Grow" AAR was superb.
A NEW AAR BY YOGI! i must bow to the master...your mastery of your "Where The Iron Crosses Grow" is an inspiartion to me....although i don't have HoI and HoI2 (at the moment 
) it did make me think, and that gave me a lot of ideas, so i wrote "Storm of Steel" for Vicky...i await your greatness!
) it did make me think, and that gave me a lot of ideas, so i wrote "Storm of Steel" for Vicky...i await your greatness!
Wow, I never thought there would be THIS much to do! Modding like crazy now but it will be a while. To whet your appetite, a few screenies:
Europe in 1936. Gray countries are German protectorates, Light Gray are Austro-Hungarian protectorates (Ukraine). Red are Comintern and Dark Orange (not Holland) are other left-wing countries, namely the Spanish Republic and the Communist Rebels of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia.
Here is the Government of the German Empire. Found a great new pic of Wilhelm II ca 1935. And a "surprise" candidate for Chief of the Luftwaffe...
Tech tree and units have been overhauled too. Few countries (if any, I'm not certain) will have any armoured division or the ability to build any at first (pending discovery of certain land doctrines). In the mean time, the infantry support tank (CS-tank) rules the battlefield...
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Europe in 1936. Gray countries are German protectorates, Light Gray are Austro-Hungarian protectorates (Ukraine). Red are Comintern and Dark Orange (not Holland) are other left-wing countries, namely the Spanish Republic and the Communist Rebels of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia.
Here is the Government of the German Empire. Found a great new pic of Wilhelm II ca 1935. And a "surprise" candidate for Chief of the Luftwaffe...
Tech tree and units have been overhauled too. Few countries (if any, I'm not certain) will have any armoured division or the ability to build any at first (pending discovery of certain land doctrines). In the mean time, the infantry support tank (CS-tank) rules the battlefield...
Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting!
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Looking good. You have given us much information with this map. For example, the red takeover of France must have been very smooth, since they still control their colonies which would only be possible if the Brits didn't intervien and the navy sided with the rebels. Also, I would suspect that the reds have regained the caucuses. The Turks would have taken the oil fields their right? Again looks great and can't wait until you start, not that you should feel rushed.
Cool! Looks like we're going to be thrown right into the action, considering the insurgents in A-H.
EDIT: Baltic Kingdom? I'm looking forward to the history on that one.
EDIT: Baltic Kingdom? I'm looking forward to the history on that one.
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Good looks like here some criticism:
You said it were Slavic Communists,right ? Well then shouldn't there be an Magyar nationalist group,because last time I checked Hungarian's were Magyar and not Slavic.or do you want to say that the Slavic Communists entered Hungarian ground and fight for this piece of ground ?
And another thing:
Why not give the Ottoman Empire the whole Arabian Peninsula and some Persian territory,because I think the Ottoman Empire,thinking themselves as protector of the Islam then she thought:why not create a new Arabian Empire ? And she still would be at war with Persia,as the war started only a few weeks.
You said it were Slavic Communists,right ? Well then shouldn't there be an Magyar nationalist group,because last time I checked Hungarian's were Magyar and not Slavic.or do you want to say that the Slavic Communists entered Hungarian ground and fight for this piece of ground ?
And another thing:
Why not give the Ottoman Empire the whole Arabian Peninsula and some Persian territory,because I think the Ottoman Empire,thinking themselves as protector of the Islam then she thought:why not create a new Arabian Empire ? And she still would be at war with Persia,as the war started only a few weeks.
Discovery1:I had forgot to edit the map regarding the Ottoman expansion in the Caucasus. They incorporated Armenia and Azerbadjian and made Georgia a puppet state.
cthulhu:Well, IRL the Baltic-German aristocracy tried to set up a "United Baltic Duchy" (Estonia and Latvia) as part of the German Empire, with the Duke of Mecklenburg as Duke. In the last moment they changed their mind and asked to be allowed to form a monarchy instead, as a German protectorate. I'm assuming they got their wish. IRL of course it all came to nothing with the German defeat.
Wilhelm VI: Well, I said the spread of Communism in the AH Empire was aided by panslavic nationalism - that does not mean it could not also spread to Hungary for other reasons. Also, the revolutionaries are Communist first and foremost - nationalism has just propaganda value for them. They're out to overthrow the Habsburg and impose communist regimes in all of the AH Empire, inluding Hungary. What the people might think about that does not interest them much. So while the Hungarian element of the Revolutionary armies might be minor, that will not stop them at the Hungarian border.
IRL there was a substantial Communist element in Hungary, there was even a short-lived Peoples Republic of Hungary in 1918 or 1919. Still, the Hungarians as one of the two priveliged nationalities of the AH Empire are going to be far more loyal to their King (Kaiser Otto I) than the Slavs (exceptuating the Poles in this scenario).
The British would have objected strongly to any Ottoman expansion in Arabia. Also, what is this with a war with Persia? Turkey and Persia are not (and have not been) at war.
cthulhu:Well, IRL the Baltic-German aristocracy tried to set up a "United Baltic Duchy" (Estonia and Latvia) as part of the German Empire, with the Duke of Mecklenburg as Duke. In the last moment they changed their mind and asked to be allowed to form a monarchy instead, as a German protectorate. I'm assuming they got their wish. IRL of course it all came to nothing with the German defeat.
Wilhelm VI: Well, I said the spread of Communism in the AH Empire was aided by panslavic nationalism - that does not mean it could not also spread to Hungary for other reasons. Also, the revolutionaries are Communist first and foremost - nationalism has just propaganda value for them. They're out to overthrow the Habsburg and impose communist regimes in all of the AH Empire, inluding Hungary. What the people might think about that does not interest them much. So while the Hungarian element of the Revolutionary armies might be minor, that will not stop them at the Hungarian border.
IRL there was a substantial Communist element in Hungary, there was even a short-lived Peoples Republic of Hungary in 1918 or 1919. Still, the Hungarians as one of the two priveliged nationalities of the AH Empire are going to be far more loyal to their King (Kaiser Otto I) than the Slavs (exceptuating the Poles in this scenario).
The British would have objected strongly to any Ottoman expansion in Arabia. Also, what is this with a war with Persia? Turkey and Persia are not (and have not been) at war.
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Gonna have to watch this one closely! Of course, it couldn't have been called Red Tide because of someone else's similarly named AAR y'know..
I like the new Europe!
Of course, it couldn't have been called Red Tide because of someone else's similarly named AAR y'know.. I like the new Europe!
I still am wondering about the French colonies? Wouldnt Germany have acquired them in the peace settlement and any surviving colonies would have been secured by Britain and the United States due to the prevention of the spread of communism especially since a Great Depression may not have happened and Rossevelt would not have been able to be elected on his pseudo-socialist ticket.
All shall be explained in due time. Suffice to say that Germany took some (the best) of the French colonies, and the reminder are (for now) under the tutelage of the French Communist Party, which considers itself well sent to educate the savages in Socialism before they're (eventually, one day in a far, far, future) given their independence.
BTW, I updated the map with the corrections done so far (mainly, the Turkish conquests in the Caucasus, the border changes imposed on Romania at the peace of Bucharest and of course, the little fact that Romania also fell to Comintern at some point between the end of the Great War and 1936...
BTW, I updated the map with the corrections done so far (mainly, the Turkish conquests in the Caucasus, the border changes imposed on Romania at the peace of Bucharest and of course, the little fact that Romania also fell to Comintern at some point between the end of the Great War and 1936...
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The first top class HOI2 AAR starts here, then. This should be an extremely interesting back story. Certainly the presence of an unbloodied British Empire should change the balance somewhat. Particularly if they were bankrolling one of the warring states.
Interesting setup!!!
I guess that in this world it´s the French and Russians who chafe at an unjust peace and plot to restore their former glory? And perhaps are trying out new innovative doctrines as Germany would grow complacent in victory?
I guess that in this world it´s the French and Russians who chafe at an unjust peace and plot to restore their former glory? And perhaps are trying out new innovative doctrines as Germany would grow complacent in victory?
Britain having avoided the great war could have definately given them some added manpower and strength. I do wonder what they were meddling in during all this. This should definately prove to be an interesting AAR. I wonder if you will be giving any unlikely countries the chance to come up with the innovative WWII attack doctrines that countries like Nazi Germany developed. Well at least Poland will be spared a blitzkrieg, what with being a german puppet and all.
Well Britain did have Lidell-Hart so the genesis for the doctrine is there - I imagine splendid isolation is not looking all that successful now that Britain is without any viable allies on Europe, except for rival mega-Germany. It will be interesting to see how Yogi handles the UK-Imperial Germany dynamic - how well does the Kriegsmarine stack up against the Royal Navy in this timeline? I'll be watching this one, intriguing start Yogi .
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Prelude – The Advisors
Prague, January 1st, 1936
In their imagination, the entire towering mass of Hradcany Castle shuddered ever so slightly with each and every one detonation of the Red Army artillery, even though it was still only pounding the outskirts of the city, where the battered 7. Infanteriedivision of the Austrian Army had dug in. As for the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Army and the Royal Hungarian Army, they had all but dissolved along ethnic lines during the last few months, leaving the Austrian Army the last loyal element out of the chaotic but charmingly quaint hodgepodge of armed formations that had been the armed forces of the Habsburg Emperors in Vienna. Never since the days of Napoleon had their Empire been in such dire straits.
The two men were walking through the stately corridors of the castle at a brisk pace, with the measured and self-assured step of professional high-ranking officers. They wore the new Feldgrau uniforms of the Imperial army, with visored caps instead of the venerable old pickelhaube and gold trim rank insignia which indicated they were a Generalmajor and an Oberst of the Imperial General Staff, the OHL (Oberste Heeresleitung). They were both in their mid- to late forties, although few would have guessed that the Generalmajor was actually the younger, by three years. They hurried on, unmindful of the distant shelling, because they had been summoned by the Kaiser. Not their Kaiser, to be sure, but a Kaiser nonetheless, and one they had been ordered to advise to the best of their abilities.
He was waiting for them in the map room – a stuffy place filled with polished oak shelves and dark wall panels. Austrian general-officers in garish uniforms, tabbed and sleeved in the most varied colours, were forming a circle around the map table. White-jacketed lackeys, looking for the entire world like waiters, circulated like satellites around the group, offering refreshments and taking away the empty glasses. To the Germans, they were as out of place in a war room as a ballet troupe. But the Austrians did things differently.
The Kaiser, in a white-and-gold Field Marshall’s uniform stood hunched over the large scale map of his Empire (or rather, what had been his Empire), his whole demeanour indicating weariness, sadness, if not outright despair. He was twenty-six. Seeing the officers sent by his Hohenzollern ally, the Kaiser rose, calling for attention.
‘Gentlemen!’ Otto I shouted, commanding the silence of his mob of walrus-moustached and grizzled old warriors. ‘Let me introduce Major-General Erwin Rommel and his aide, Colonel Heinz Guderian of the German Imperial General Staff! They have been sent by our old friend, Kaiser Wilhelm, to assist us in any way they can – I’m sure all of you have heard of General Rommel’s heroics at Caporetto back in 1917, and I’m assured Colonel Guderian is a very gifted operational thinker. Welcome, Gentlemen, and please take your place at our table!’
There were not many friendly stares as the circle of glittering uniforms parted to make room for the grey Germans. Would these juniors presume to advice the Generals and Field Marshals of the Empire of Austria?
They would. Rommel studied the map for a few moments, then spoke to the Kaiser.
‘Your Highness, your situation is very difficult indeed. What is the state of these divisions?’
‘Battered, battle-weary, hungry and exhausted!’ exploded one particularly fierce-looking old boar of a General. ‘Any thing else you need to know?’
The Emperor made a placating gesture. ‘General, please… Our divisions have been in constant action for the last three months, against a foe three or four times stronger. They have been pushed back across the Empire, most of them have had to fight their way out of encirclement on more than one occasion because elements of the Imperial Army went over to the enemy. Most are down around 30% from establishment strength and running low on provisions.’
‘They’re experienced then.’ Guderian said with a nod of apparent satisfaction.
‘I guess you could say that,’ Rommel conceded. ’30% is not bad, considering the adverse circumstances. And are they holding?’
Otto I nodded. ‘For the moment yes. Our retreat has led us to areas that are either still loyal to the Empire – like Austria proper, the Sudeten or the Budapest area, or are easily defendable because of rivers, mountains and other natural obstacles. And the enemy has advanced so quickly his supply system is in complete disarray, so for the moment we have a respite.’
Rommel nodded. ‘I see. And when the respite is over, can you hold?’
There was generalized murmur across the table. The young Kaiser ferried the question over to the Chief of his General Staff. ‘Well, Field Marshall von Zweienstamm, can we hold?’
The balding Field Marshall considered the question for a bare instant before answering. ‘No, Highness, we can not. Our troops are spread too thin – there is no cohesion to our line. We have single divisions holding entire provinces, and the enemy is just too numerous. When they resume the offensive, we will be cut to pieces and crushed piecemeal.’
The Emperor looked at the German advisors with a sad smile on his lips. ‘Well, there you have it. What advice can you offer in a situation like this?’
Guderian seemed to fail to grasp the rhetoric nature of the question. ‘Well, you’d think that would be obvious? If you really are too weak to defend…’
‘We are!’ the Kaiser exclaimed with just a hint of irritation. At some level, he suspected the Germans got a kick out of his plight.
‘…well, in that case, Highness, you must attack. It’s simple logic; at this point in time you’re not being slaughtered, at some point in the near future you will almost certainly be, so clearly your situation grows gradually worse for each moment of delay. Also, only by choosing the time and place for battle can you, at least locally, reverse your numerical handicap. Attack I say, the sooner the better!’
There was an explosion of laughter from the assembled Austrian officers. ‘Is this the wisdom of the German General Staff? When too weak to defend, ATTACK! What a joke!’
Rommel smiled. ‘Colonel Guderian is quite serious, Gentlemen, and he is also absolutely right. Your only hope at this point lies with swift offensive action.’
‘Outrageous!’
Rommel nodded. ‘No, it’s not. When he talks Panzers, then Colonel Guderian easily gets outrageous, but –thankfully- we’re dealing with infantry here and this is common sense. If a continued defence means certain defeat, then offence is the only viable option.’
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Excellent. A superb update yogi. The dying AH empire has its armies mauled and pushed back to the very heart of the empire, and then launches a last offensive to buy them time. Can't to see whether or not the it works, although now I suspect is the only time the empire might possibly have a shot while the reds have out run their supplies and are exhausted from their rapid advance.
But if GB wasn't in the war, then would LH have developed his ideas on tank warfare? I suppose so, since the frogs have the jerries probably would have developed them just like in rl.
But if GB wasn't in the war, then would LH have developed his ideas on tank warfare? I suppose so, since the frogs have the jerries probably would have developed them just like in rl.