Nikolai: Yup. All that's missing is the pointless bloodbaths, thankfully.
Migthy: Advancing in Italy? Not quite. That's the front that's most WWI like at the moment, actually.
LanMisa: Haha, well thank you. I'm actually a bit of a one-trick pony though- HoI/AoD/DH is the only Paradox game I'm not rubbish at- so no Ryuku world conquest I'm afraid. Long Live Carthage!
Gukpa: Why? The General Government is even worse than the Reichkomissariats! Also, last update I said the Wang Jingwei regime has about 43 IC. They actually have about 33.
Previously, on the AAR…
• 13 Soviet divisions, including 7 armored divisions, are trapped in Pola. We attack!
• Meanwhile, Guderian attempts to encircle another 12 Soviet divisions.
• Kesselring secures Army Group Italy’s position.
• The Americans launch an attack on Troyes. We respond with an attack on Chartres.
The Darkest Hour
April 1945
Week 2: Spring Awakening
Von Rundstedt’s HQ
The attack on Pola is going quite well! We expect victory soon. Not even the Soviet Union can shrug off the loss of seven armored divisions!
Manteuffel’s HQ
As expected, Patton ends the attack on Troyes.
Kesselring’s HQ
Sadly, we cannot advance into Cassino.
Jackboot will be put on hold until reinforcements arrive to tip the scales.
Von Runstedt’s HQ
At 19:00 hours, the intense fighting in Pola stopped, and von Rundstedt and von Manstein met with the Soviet commanders to accept their surrender.
A surrendering Russian tank crew, Pola 1945.
Heads will roll in the Kremlin tonight!
Manteuffel’s HQ
German troops are in good spirits upon hearing the news of Pola. Our attack on Chartres is going well, especially with the additional support of troops from Troyes.
In the South, another lone armor division is pushed out of Grenoble.
Army Group Danube
Banska Bystrica is retaken!
And lost.
Model’s HQ
We hold Plock! In France, the Americans withdraw from Le Creusot after a bloody (by the standards of the Western Front) battle.
Tito’s troops are now facing the full strength of Model’s army!
Guderian arrives in Lomza…
And Marshal Tito and his field army surrender!
They can be beaten.
Manteuffel’s HQ
High Command suspects if the Americans lose Chartres, they will be unable to maintain their position. Manteuffel will test this theory.
High Command’s suspicions seem correct- the Americans would be unable to hold if we were to launch a real offensive. In the meantime, it’s high time we push the Americans across the Seine.
Kesselring’s HQ
We hold Perugia… barely.
Model’s HQ
Another attack on Plock. Model will withdraw if need be, but High Command feels we hold the advantage… for the moment.
Manteuffel’s HQ
Let’s see how long it will take for the Allies to push us out. We can’t fool around too long though, some of our divisions are dangerously understrength!
General Dietl’s men will secure Le Havre by April 20th, as a birthday present for the Fuehrer.
Model’s HQ
The Russians are moving a lot of troops into Prussia… maybe they’ve learned not to underestimate us!
We’ll try and eject them. If we can’t, Model will withdraw from Plock and we’ll try again later.
Hitler’s Office
The Bolshevik fools have set up a puppet in Hungary! Bah! We’ll free them from Stalinist yoke soon. Then, they can live under Nazi yoke instead!
The extensive bunker system which will house our nuclear reactor, code name,
Project: Surtr is finished. The reactor will be up and running very, very soon. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
You better watch out, Joe; this will turn the tide. Then I’m coming for you, Harry, and your little Bulldog too!
-End Week-
-End Chapter-
• Everything’s going smoothly at the moment! Hopefully, by the end of 1945 the Allies will be out of Europe. Then, I can really take the fight to the Soviets!
• What’s everyone’s opinion on continued military control over Japan? I’m thinking I might hand control back after an invasion of India. After all, the Japanese won’t fight the Russians, so the only really important thing they could do, they won’t.
• Wow, let me say, it’s been a long haul. I just want to give a big “Thank you!” to all my readers, and a “THANK YOU!” to the commenters!
Well, Chapter 1 is finally over! It began with Germany in a hopeless position: understrength, under-supplied, and stuck between three powerful enemies; unlikely to last through 1945. It ends with the Axis in a tough spot, but with a very real chance at survival. In France, the Western Allies can be ejected as soon as we’re ready. Italy remains a stalemate, but one in our favor (the British have 70-80 divisions there! Germany has only 40.) On the Eastern Front, we remain on the defensive, but we’ve struck some major blows and shown Germany is still a threat. In the Orient, Japan is losing the Pacific War, but is winning the war in Asia proper (and they say “never start a land war in Asia!”), and is far from defeat. My hope is, by the end of Chapter 2, Germany will be ready to wage an offensive war in the East again, and by the end of Chapter 3, who knows?
For now though, I need to focus on school and other things. During the interlude, I will post some stuff though. I will definitely be doing a speech, and cabinet meetings for the USSR, Italy, Japan, the USA, and the UK. As I’ve mentioned before, feel free to provide ideas (or your own work! But I’ve given up on the idea pretty much). Chapter 2 will probably begin again in January, maybe later.