-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Annexation. I might puppet later. I won't settle for the historical agreement though. I need those divisions south to repel the Germans when they come.
By the way, I've played the game up to June 1st of 1941. I'll catch up update-wise and then plunge into Barbarossa. I'm itching with anticipation.
Which brings me to this: I'm going on vacation begining Friday to visit Washignton D.C and the surounding area. I will not be back until Saturday/Sunday of next week. I'll finnish posting the updates to the the Finnish War (anyone catch that? ) before leaving. Hopefully Germany will start their invasion when I return.
By the way, I've played the game up to June 1st of 1941. I'll catch up update-wise and then plunge into Barbarossa. I'm itching with anticipation.
Which brings me to this: I'm going on vacation begining Friday to visit Washignton D.C and the surounding area. I will not be back until Saturday/Sunday of next week. I'll finnish posting the updates to the the Finnish War (anyone catch that?
) before leaving. Hopefully Germany will start their invasion when I return.
Prinz Wilhelm: Glad you enjoy it.
---------------------------------------
The Finnish line of defense was named the Mannerheim Line after General C.G. Mannerheim, a Finnish general of the White Army during the Russian Civil War. The line has been under construction since 1918, with periods of construction waning and waxing with the goings of the Finnish High Command. Using as many of the lakes as natural fortifications, the Fins used everything at their disposal to make the best defense possible. Where concrete couldn’t be used to make bunkers, heavy wooden logs and earth sufficed. Anti tank barriers weren’t made of shaped concrete blocks but rather strategically placed large stones. The Fins hoped that the line could hold off an enemy long enough so that a peace could be arranged.
On November 17th, the 1st Armored, 1st Infantry and 2nd Infantry corps launched an attack on the Finnish line of defense across the Karelian Isthmus. The terrain surrounding the defensive fortifications was swampy with patches of dense forest surrounded by lightly forested muddy areas, making movement difficult in the best conditions. Lake, rivers and streams hindered the Soviet advance even more. Tanks became invaluable in moving troops, when they weren’t bogged down themselves.
When the Soviets finally encountered the Finnish defenses they met heavy resistance.
-------------------------------------------------
04:00, Kerelia Isthmus, November 17th, 1939
“Ok, here is the plan.”
Borislav spread a piece of paper out on a table within the command tent. The wind from the previous night had died down and a faint glow on the horizon betrayed the arrival of the sun.
“We’re tasked with taking the strategic Hill 807.” Borislav paused and glanced up at Vlechko with an icy glare. The commissar had arrived precisely when the other squad leaders had, showing his knack for showing up when he was least expected, let alone wanted. Borislav continued, “B Company is going to be making the first assault. They’ll leave the cover of these trees here,” Borislav pointed to the wooded area in the bottom section of the crude map. “And begin their attack at 06:00-“
“But the map says 07:00.” Pointed out sergeant Pacho.
“Never mind that. The time has been changed.” Snapped Borislav.
Borislav continued, “They’ll blast a hole through the Fin’s tank barriers which will allow the tanks to get through.” He pointed to the 1st Troop, A Company. The 1st Troop was part of the 8th Infantry’s Light Tank Brigade attachment. “Once they begin to take fire, and they will, we’ll begin our attack through these woods, here.” The captain pointed to the woods on the western edges of the map. “This should give us enough cover to advance close enough to the hill without taking too much fire from the MGs up there. There’ll be some barbed wire we’ll have to get through so tell your men to have their clippers ready. 3rd squad will stay behind for mortar and heavy MG support.” Borislav paused and looked at the squad leaders. Nikolai of 2nd squad, Fedrolov of 1st, Pacho of 3rd and the little sergeant from Siberia, Delemir of 4th. “Any questions?”
“No sir.”
“Alright then, we move in 2 hours. Get your men together.”
“Yes, sir.”
The sergeants filed out of the command tent to be with their men. Borislav and Vlechko were left standing alone in the tent.
“Captain, I know you and I don’t get along but you must understand I’m here to protect the Rodina and make sure all of her soldiers are doing their duty. The Party must be able to trust its soldiers.” Said Vlechko. His eyes never met Borislav’s. They wandered around the tent.
“And I’m here to make sure the Rodina’s enemies don’t wake up the next morning. You do your job, I’ll do mine, Vlechko.” Replied Borislav coolly looking Vlechko straight in the eyes.
Vlechko smiled and saluted, “Agreed. For the Rodina!”
“For the Rodina.” Replied Borislav with a salute, but didn’t mean it. Vlechko turned and left the tent.
“I hope you step on a mine.”
-----------------------------------
05:57, Kerelia Isthmus, November 17th, 1939.
“There they go.”
“Good luck comrades.”
Nikolai stood up and looked east. The report of artillery and machine guns meant that B Company had begun their assault. It wouldn’t be long until it would be C Company’s turn.
“Alright comrades, ready yourselves.” Said Nikolai to the men of 2nd squad. They’d been idling in the woods south of Hill 807 and now they began to check weapons one last time. Extra ammo, grenades, a clean rifle, and a day’s rations. The checklist of a veteran. Nikolai thought about that for a second. It had been more than 3 years since Spain and yet he still remembered the little things of combat.
About 5 minutes later a runner came panting up to Nikolai. “You’re to begin your attack immediately! Anti-tank guns on the hill destroyed the tanks! Direct orders from Captain Borislav, sir!”
Nikolai thanked the runner and turned to his men, who already heard the message. “Our comrades in B Company need us now! Forward!”
“Keep together!” shouted Nikolai as 2nd Squad entered the woods. The Soviets made it through without incident and reached the line of barbed wire.
“Sergei, cut the lines. The rest of you, cover him. We’re entering the thick of things now comrades. Be alert!”
No sooner had Nikolai finished his sentence then Private Sergei blew into pieces. The anti-personnel mine sent little bits of the Soviet infantrymen flying in all directions. Nikolai could do nothing but stare into the pure white ground. “I killed him…”
“Comrade, we need to move now!”
Nikolai snapped out of it. “Right,” The explosion blew apart more than Sergei. The anti-personnel mine made a hole bigger than any of the Soviets could have clipped in the barbed wire. “Move through there.” Nikolai tried not to look down as he passed through the gap. Luckily the smell of cordite covered up whatever smell of Sergei was left. It was approximately 600 meters to Hill 807 from the gape in the wire.
Nikolai halted 2nd squad to wait up for 1st and 4th squad. Once they were all assembled they moved toward the hill in front of them. The bunker nearest to them was firing east, away from Nikolai, at B Company. Bursts of machine gun fire lit up the concrete enclosure and outlined the men inside. 1st, 2nd, and 4th squads trotted towards the hill. The snow was slowing the men down to a crawl. If the men inside the bunker glanced to their left it would be all over. Just 400 meters until they reached the hill.
Suddenly a 50mm mortar shell arced across the indigo sky and slammed into the hill, heaving earth at the heavens. Then another landed directly in back of the bunker. Another landed in a trench. 3rd squad had begun their mortar bombardment. Only 300 meters until they reached the hill.
“Quickly men, while the bastards have their heads down!”
Then Nikolai saw it happen. The assistant machine gunner tapped the gunner on the right side of his head. The gunner swung the heavy M32 machine gun around to bear on the helpless men of C Company.
“Shit.”
7.62mm rounds raced past Nikolai and the rest of 2nd squad as they ran in the only direction they could, forward. The men of C Company were slaughtered to the dull rhythm of a death by machine gun. Nikolai felt a pain shoot through his left leg then his right shoulder. He immediately fell into the snow face first and was enveloped in the white coldness.
----------------------
NEXT UPDATE
----------------------
The End of the War
---------------------------------------
[
Soviet attack on the Mannerheim Line November, 1939.
The Finnish line of defense was named the Mannerheim Line after General C.G. Mannerheim, a Finnish general of the White Army during the Russian Civil War. The line has been under construction since 1918, with periods of construction waning and waxing with the goings of the Finnish High Command. Using as many of the lakes as natural fortifications, the Fins used everything at their disposal to make the best defense possible. Where concrete couldn’t be used to make bunkers, heavy wooden logs and earth sufficed. Anti tank barriers weren’t made of shaped concrete blocks but rather strategically placed large stones. The Fins hoped that the line could hold off an enemy long enough so that a peace could be arranged.
On November 17th, the 1st Armored, 1st Infantry and 2nd Infantry corps launched an attack on the Finnish line of defense across the Karelian Isthmus. The terrain surrounding the defensive fortifications was swampy with patches of dense forest surrounded by lightly forested muddy areas, making movement difficult in the best conditions. Lake, rivers and streams hindered the Soviet advance even more. Tanks became invaluable in moving troops, when they weren’t bogged down themselves.
When the Soviets finally encountered the Finnish defenses they met heavy resistance.
-------------------------------------------------
04:00, Kerelia Isthmus, November 17th, 1939
“Ok, here is the plan.”
Borislav spread a piece of paper out on a table within the command tent. The wind from the previous night had died down and a faint glow on the horizon betrayed the arrival of the sun.
“We’re tasked with taking the strategic Hill 807.” Borislav paused and glanced up at Vlechko with an icy glare. The commissar had arrived precisely when the other squad leaders had, showing his knack for showing up when he was least expected, let alone wanted. Borislav continued, “B Company is going to be making the first assault. They’ll leave the cover of these trees here,” Borislav pointed to the wooded area in the bottom section of the crude map. “And begin their attack at 06:00-“
“But the map says 07:00.” Pointed out sergeant Pacho.
“Never mind that. The time has been changed.” Snapped Borislav.
Borislav continued, “They’ll blast a hole through the Fin’s tank barriers which will allow the tanks to get through.” He pointed to the 1st Troop, A Company. The 1st Troop was part of the 8th Infantry’s Light Tank Brigade attachment. “Once they begin to take fire, and they will, we’ll begin our attack through these woods, here.” The captain pointed to the woods on the western edges of the map. “This should give us enough cover to advance close enough to the hill without taking too much fire from the MGs up there. There’ll be some barbed wire we’ll have to get through so tell your men to have their clippers ready. 3rd squad will stay behind for mortar and heavy MG support.” Borislav paused and looked at the squad leaders. Nikolai of 2nd squad, Fedrolov of 1st, Pacho of 3rd and the little sergeant from Siberia, Delemir of 4th. “Any questions?”
“No sir.”
“Alright then, we move in 2 hours. Get your men together.”
“Yes, sir.”
The sergeants filed out of the command tent to be with their men. Borislav and Vlechko were left standing alone in the tent.
“Captain, I know you and I don’t get along but you must understand I’m here to protect the Rodina and make sure all of her soldiers are doing their duty. The Party must be able to trust its soldiers.” Said Vlechko. His eyes never met Borislav’s. They wandered around the tent.
“And I’m here to make sure the Rodina’s enemies don’t wake up the next morning. You do your job, I’ll do mine, Vlechko.” Replied Borislav coolly looking Vlechko straight in the eyes.
Vlechko smiled and saluted, “Agreed. For the Rodina!”
“For the Rodina.” Replied Borislav with a salute, but didn’t mean it. Vlechko turned and left the tent.
“I hope you step on a mine.”
-----------------------------------
05:57, Kerelia Isthmus, November 17th, 1939.
“There they go.”
“Good luck comrades.”
Nikolai stood up and looked east. The report of artillery and machine guns meant that B Company had begun their assault. It wouldn’t be long until it would be C Company’s turn.
“Alright comrades, ready yourselves.” Said Nikolai to the men of 2nd squad. They’d been idling in the woods south of Hill 807 and now they began to check weapons one last time. Extra ammo, grenades, a clean rifle, and a day’s rations. The checklist of a veteran. Nikolai thought about that for a second. It had been more than 3 years since Spain and yet he still remembered the little things of combat.
About 5 minutes later a runner came panting up to Nikolai. “You’re to begin your attack immediately! Anti-tank guns on the hill destroyed the tanks! Direct orders from Captain Borislav, sir!”
Nikolai thanked the runner and turned to his men, who already heard the message. “Our comrades in B Company need us now! Forward!”
Sergeant Nikolai Vladislav leads 2nd Squad on the Assault on Hill 807
“Keep together!” shouted Nikolai as 2nd Squad entered the woods. The Soviets made it through without incident and reached the line of barbed wire.
“Sergei, cut the lines. The rest of you, cover him. We’re entering the thick of things now comrades. Be alert!”
No sooner had Nikolai finished his sentence then Private Sergei blew into pieces. The anti-personnel mine sent little bits of the Soviet infantrymen flying in all directions. Nikolai could do nothing but stare into the pure white ground. “I killed him…”
“Comrade, we need to move now!”
Nikolai snapped out of it. “Right,” The explosion blew apart more than Sergei. The anti-personnel mine made a hole bigger than any of the Soviets could have clipped in the barbed wire. “Move through there.” Nikolai tried not to look down as he passed through the gap. Luckily the smell of cordite covered up whatever smell of Sergei was left. It was approximately 600 meters to Hill 807 from the gape in the wire.
Nikolai halted 2nd squad to wait up for 1st and 4th squad. Once they were all assembled they moved toward the hill in front of them. The bunker nearest to them was firing east, away from Nikolai, at B Company. Bursts of machine gun fire lit up the concrete enclosure and outlined the men inside. 1st, 2nd, and 4th squads trotted towards the hill. The snow was slowing the men down to a crawl. If the men inside the bunker glanced to their left it would be all over. Just 400 meters until they reached the hill.
C Company charges up Hill 807 into heavy Finnish machine gun fire.
Suddenly a 50mm mortar shell arced across the indigo sky and slammed into the hill, heaving earth at the heavens. Then another landed directly in back of the bunker. Another landed in a trench. 3rd squad had begun their mortar bombardment. Only 300 meters until they reached the hill.
“Quickly men, while the bastards have their heads down!”
Then Nikolai saw it happen. The assistant machine gunner tapped the gunner on the right side of his head. The gunner swung the heavy M32 machine gun around to bear on the helpless men of C Company.
“Shit.”
7.62mm rounds raced past Nikolai and the rest of 2nd squad as they ran in the only direction they could, forward. The men of C Company were slaughtered to the dull rhythm of a death by machine gun. Nikolai felt a pain shoot through his left leg then his right shoulder. He immediately fell into the snow face first and was enveloped in the white coldness.
----------------------
NEXT UPDATE
----------------------
The End of the War
:rofl: thats not very nice...Windowmaker said:
excellent! 1 more country to fall to the forces of communism!
The End of the War
The Fins didn’t go quietly into the night as Stalin had hoped.
Soviet forces struggled to break through the Mannerheim Line in November but by early December the brittle Finnish defenses were broken. As soon as the Soviets cleared the Mannerheim Line (dubbed the M-Line) the 1st Infantry Corps made a rushed attempt on Helsinki that was quickly stopped, forcing Timoshenko to wait for reinforcements. Once the 1st Armored and 2nd Infantry arrived the capital succumbed on January 2nd.
The situation in the north was drastically different. The 23rd Army Corps initial attack on Joensuu was a success; the Fins were beaten back. As the 23rd advanced, however, they came under increasing attack by guerillas Elements from the 1st Specialized Infantry Corps helped the 23rd to track down the guerillas. It took the Soviets that better part of two months to finally secure the province from the enemy.
The green 4th Infantry Corps completely and utterly failed in its attack on Finnish positions in Kajaani The plan to cut the country in half was scrapped and the 4th sat out the rest of the war licking its wounds. Because of this the 5th Infantry in Murmansk was unable to successfully carry out its offensive. The entire northern front of the war was frozen, much like the terrain the Soviets fought on.
But Finland couldn’t hope to hold out against the Soviets for long. Once Helsinki fell on January 2nd the Finnish Army was reduced to constantly fighting rear guard actions and frequently used guerilla tactics to slow the Soviets down. While the unorthodox tactics slowed the Soviets down, they did not stop them and by January 10th the Fins had had enough. The Winter War was over.
“You’re lucky to be alive, comrade.”
Nikolai cautiously opened one eye. He was lying in the white-washed ward of a hospital somewhere.
“Where am I?” mumbled Nikolai. “And who are you?”
“It’s Alexei, comrade and you’re in Moscow. The War is over. Finland surrendered a few hours ago.” Alexei smiled at his friend.
All Nikolai could manage was a “Glad to hear.”
“You’ve been slipping in and out of consciousness for weeks. I think I remember the medic saying you had something like 10 rounds in you. Luckily, none of them hit anything important.”
“Right.” Nikolai raised himself onto his elbows, wincing.
He eyed over his body. Five rounds had entered his left thigh, one in his upper left chest; one had passed through his left part of his hip, another in his right foot and two in his right arm, just above the elbow.
“You’re lucky you didn’t loose anything.”
“Yeah.” Replied Nikolai faintly as he realized that anyone of those bullets could have hit a bone and shattered it, rendering his army or leg useless, or worse.
“Tell me what happened.”
Suddenly Alexei wasn’t smiling anymore. He took a seat on a chair next to Nikolai.
“First, how much do you remember?”
“I remember getting hit, after that, I don’t know.”
“Alright….I’m not going to sweeten it up for you Nikolai…2nd squad was decimated. You, Sasha and I are the only ones that made it out. The machine gun cut down most of C Company...I…lost a lot of good friends that day Niki.
I was hit in my left hand,” Alexei raised his hand to show Nikolai the small round scar in the center of his palm. “And Sasha didn’t have a scratch. The rest…” Alexei paused for a moment. He’s eyes wandered to the cement floor as he spoke.
“I found out later that B Company didn’t have enough explosive to blow more than one hole in the anti-tank barrier. When the T-26s started to go through the Finns blew up the first one and that was the end of our tank support. B Company tried to continue the attack but it was pointless. By the time we went in they had already retreated.” Alexei paused again. Then looked up at Nikolai.
“Then come to find that whole attack was pointless, the hole damn thing! A few hours after everything, some Sturmnoviks flew in and turned the whole hill upside down!” Alexei was getting excited now.
“Calm down comrade.” Said Nikolai.
After a few moments Alexei continued. “Anyway, after the attack our regiment was taken to the rear to be refitted and by the time we saw the front again the war had ended. We were shipped back to Leningrad then here.” There was a long pause.
Alexei sighed. “Glad you made it out OK Niki.”
“Me too.”
------------------------------------
This will be my last update until sometime later next week. I hope you've enjoyed this AAR thusfar as much as I have enjoyed writing it! BTW, I enjoy your feedback! Keep it coming! Just one more sentence with an explamation point! Yay!
The Fins didn’t go quietly into the night as Stalin had hoped.
Soviet forces struggled to break through the Mannerheim Line in November but by early December the brittle Finnish defenses were broken. As soon as the Soviets cleared the Mannerheim Line (dubbed the M-Line) the 1st Infantry Corps made a rushed attempt on Helsinki that was quickly stopped, forcing Timoshenko to wait for reinforcements. Once the 1st Armored and 2nd Infantry arrived the capital succumbed on January 2nd.
The situation in the north was drastically different. The 23rd Army Corps initial attack on Joensuu was a success; the Fins were beaten back. As the 23rd advanced, however, they came under increasing attack by guerillas Elements from the 1st Specialized Infantry Corps helped the 23rd to track down the guerillas. It took the Soviets that better part of two months to finally secure the province from the enemy.
The green 4th Infantry Corps completely and utterly failed in its attack on Finnish positions in Kajaani The plan to cut the country in half was scrapped and the 4th sat out the rest of the war licking its wounds. Because of this the 5th Infantry in Murmansk was unable to successfully carry out its offensive. The entire northern front of the war was frozen, much like the terrain the Soviets fought on.
But Finland couldn’t hope to hold out against the Soviets for long. Once Helsinki fell on January 2nd the Finnish Army was reduced to constantly fighting rear guard actions and frequently used guerilla tactics to slow the Soviets down. While the unorthodox tactics slowed the Soviets down, they did not stop them and by January 10th the Fins had had enough. The Winter War was over.
The Red Army by the end of the Winter War, Jan. 10th, 1939.
“You’re lucky to be alive, comrade.”
Nikolai cautiously opened one eye. He was lying in the white-washed ward of a hospital somewhere.
“Where am I?” mumbled Nikolai. “And who are you?”
“It’s Alexei, comrade and you’re in Moscow. The War is over. Finland surrendered a few hours ago.” Alexei smiled at his friend.
All Nikolai could manage was a “Glad to hear.”
“You’ve been slipping in and out of consciousness for weeks. I think I remember the medic saying you had something like 10 rounds in you. Luckily, none of them hit anything important.”
“Right.” Nikolai raised himself onto his elbows, wincing.
He eyed over his body. Five rounds had entered his left thigh, one in his upper left chest; one had passed through his left part of his hip, another in his right foot and two in his right arm, just above the elbow.
“You’re lucky you didn’t loose anything.”
“Yeah.” Replied Nikolai faintly as he realized that anyone of those bullets could have hit a bone and shattered it, rendering his army or leg useless, or worse.
“Tell me what happened.”
Suddenly Alexei wasn’t smiling anymore. He took a seat on a chair next to Nikolai.
“First, how much do you remember?”
“I remember getting hit, after that, I don’t know.”
“Alright….I’m not going to sweeten it up for you Nikolai…2nd squad was decimated. You, Sasha and I are the only ones that made it out. The machine gun cut down most of C Company...I…lost a lot of good friends that day Niki.
I was hit in my left hand,” Alexei raised his hand to show Nikolai the small round scar in the center of his palm. “And Sasha didn’t have a scratch. The rest…” Alexei paused for a moment. He’s eyes wandered to the cement floor as he spoke.
“I found out later that B Company didn’t have enough explosive to blow more than one hole in the anti-tank barrier. When the T-26s started to go through the Finns blew up the first one and that was the end of our tank support. B Company tried to continue the attack but it was pointless. By the time we went in they had already retreated.” Alexei paused again. Then looked up at Nikolai.
“Then come to find that whole attack was pointless, the hole damn thing! A few hours after everything, some Sturmnoviks flew in and turned the whole hill upside down!” Alexei was getting excited now.
“Calm down comrade.” Said Nikolai.
After a few moments Alexei continued. “Anyway, after the attack our regiment was taken to the rear to be refitted and by the time we saw the front again the war had ended. We were shipped back to Leningrad then here.” There was a long pause.
Alexei sighed. “Glad you made it out OK Niki.”
“Me too.”
------------------------------------
This will be my last update until sometime later next week. I hope you've enjoyed this AAR thusfar as much as I have enjoyed writing it! BTW, I enjoy your feedback! Keep it coming! Just one more sentence with an explamation point! Yay!
Anatomy of the Red Army: 1941
The Red Army had been shaped from experiences in the past. During the Russian Civil War the Red Army had learned to value motorized infantry. In Spain, the SEF taught the Soviets about combined arms warfare and pointed out the need for better use of tanks and air support. Finland brought all the concepts from the past two wars into one and served to cement Soviet offensive tactics firmly in the school of Deep Battle.
The first step to re-organizing the Red Army was to clean out the cabinet ministers. Kiril Meretskov replaced Boris Shaposhnikov as Chief of Staff. Semen Timoshenko, hero of the Spanish Civil War and recently promoted to Front Commander, replaced Kilmet Voroshilov as Chief of the Army. Finally, Andriy Panfilov replaced Ivan Proskurov as Chief of Intelligence.
The structure of a Red Army infantry Division in early 1941.
Each Infantry Division would consist of 10,050 riflemen and an artillery regiment along with an Anti-tank battalion. The riflemen would be divided into 3 infantry regiments of roughly 3,350 soldiers each. Each regiment would contain 3 rifle battalions and 3 support battalions. The support battalions would consist of one 45mm artillery battery, one 76mm artillery battery and one 120mm mortar platoon. Each rifle battalion would be subsequently split up into 5 companies consisting of 3 infantry companies, one heavy machinegun company and one mortar company. Each rifle company would be split into 3 platoons consisting of 4 squads of 10 riflemen; each squad contained 7 riflemen, a light machine gun and a mortar team.
After more war games and review of after action reports the new Red Army Armored Corps was introduced, based heavily on the success of the famous 1st Armored Corps.
A 1941 Red Army Armored Corps consisted of one tank division and two motorized divisions. The motorized divisions were the same as regular rifle divisions except in mode of transport; motorized divisions moved by truck while regular riflemen walked. To keep up with the faster moving infantry the motorized division’s artillery was self-propelled. The Corps had two supply companies attached to it to make sure the tanks were topped of on fuel and ammunition. The tank divisions were organized into 3 regiments of 33 tanks each. Each regiment was divided into 3 battalions of 11 tanks each. The extra tank was put into a random regiment.
Even the upper echelons of the Red Army changed. The Army was organized into 3 different levels of command subordinate to STAVKA).There was the Commander of the Red Army, the Commisariat of Defense. He and his staff formed STAVKA. Next in commander were the Front commanders. Fronts were equivalent to a Western Army Group but were more rigid in their deployment and had strict boundaries as to where the Front could operate. Within each front were a number of Armies, consisting of 3 Corps of 3 divisions each for a total of 9 divisions. These Armies were subordinate to their respective Front Commander.
The end result was a much more organized Red Army ready to face the enemies of the Soviet Union. This re-organized Red Army was placed on the Western border with Germany in the spring of 1941 in accordance to the Defense Plan of 1941 (DP41). The Red Army positioned itself in three echelons of defense. Infantry made up the very front echelon while a mix of armor and infantry composed the second and primarily armor made up the third. The Red Air Force (POV) operated out of bases behind the 3rd echelon and was designated to a support role: tactical bombers and close air support would pummel the enemy while interceptors cleared the sky of enemy aircraft.
The Red Army deployed in DP41 formation, spring of 1941.
The first echelon’s role was to absorb the initial shock of the enemy’s attack. They were thinly manned up front and kept a majority of their forces in the rear, ready to re-enforce weak areas. The second echelon was there to plug the holes in the first echelon. Armor would launch counter attacks where possible. The 3rd echelon was for the counter-offensive that would follow once the enemy was bogged down in the first two echelons.
The Pripet Marshes divided the Western Front into two halves. The Northern Front was where the Red Army concentrated most of its manpower simply because it was the quickest way to Moscow from the west. The Southern Front was sparsely populated compared to the Northern Front but guarded the resource-rich Ukraine. STAVKA gambled that any future attack would be directed north of the Pripet Marshes at Moscow.
--------------------
NEXT UPDATE
--------------------
Coming of the Storm
---------------------------------------
It's great to be back. Here's an update explaining my defense plans for the coming war. Hopefully I'll be able to hold the German war machine back long enough to mount an effective counterattack. I should have the first update of Operation Barbarosa today or tomorrow.
one of your best updates! love the graphics.. but some of the pictures are a little to small imo
How many tanks are in a full division???
I was thinking about 200-250...not 100 like in yours??
I was thinking about 200-250...not 100 like in yours??
Coming of the Storm
General Hoth: On average Soviet divisions were smaller than their Western counterparts. The Red Army found that their inexperienced commanders could better control a smaller group of soldiers so instead of having large formations they deployed lots of smaller ones.
About the picture sizes, I'm having trouble keeping the images under 1mb and still be able to be large. Any suggestions would be helpful! (BTW, The images are Bitmaps, if that helps.)
------------------------------------
Nikolai Vladislav survived his wounds and was promoted to Lieutenant. However, because of his wounds he was denied the chance to rejoin the 8th Infantry Division in a combat role. Instead, he was training raw recruits at the conscription center in Leningrad.
Leningrad Conscription Center, May, 1941.
“Name.”
“Grygori Konolev.”
“Date and place of birth.”
“1921, Poltava, Ukraine.”
“You’ll be in the infantry. Step over there to Captain Popov and he’ll get you your uniform.”
“Next”
Sitting at a desk, Nikolai looked up into the face of a young man, a boy really. Probably no younger than 18, maybe 17.
“Name.”
“Dimitri Pakoslav, 1922, Kiev, Ukraine.”
Nikolai again looked up into the face of the boy, who was desperately trying not to smile.
“Thank you comrade. You’ll be going into the infantry. Go over to Captain Popov to receive your uniform.” Nikolai said.
146 more Dimitris’ and Grygoris’ later Nikolai stood in the parade ground of the Leningrad conscription center. He limped along the line of conscripts and shook his head. Young boys off to fight a man’s war. He snapped out of that train of thought.
“Welcome to the Red Army comrades! You are now defenders of the Rodina. Should the need arise you will give your life in the defense of it. Is this clear?” barked Nikolai.
“Yes!” replied the recruits.
“I said is it clear?!” snapped Nikolai, dissatisfied with the volume.
“Yes!” was the reply, this time much louder.
“Good. First, you will learn how to march like a proper soldier.”
-----------------------------------------
June 22nd, 1941, Suwalki Province, 1st Guards Infantry Corps Headquarters
“You’re to take command of 2nd Platoon, C Company, 3rd Regiment in the 8th Infantry Division. Most of the men in the 8th are replacements now Nikolai. The Fascists have advanced north of here-“Captain Borislav was cut off as a messenger burst into the command tent.
“Comrade, sir! German forces have been sighted crossing the border! Our initial outposts have been over run!” shouted the man.
“Thank you comrade. We must mobilize quickly if we are to make a proper defense! Nikolai, attend to your men.”
“Yes Comrade.” Said Nikolai. He gave a salute to and quickly exited the tent.
The headquarters area was in absolute chaos. No one seemed to know what was going on and officers were racing all around trying as best they could to mobilize 10,050 men as quickly as they could.
Nikolai had been with the new replacements from the Leningrad conscription center when the Germans declared war. The new conscripts had, as fate would have it, been assigned to his old division, the 8th Infantry. A lack of experienced officers prompted his recent promotion to a field command. Nikolai was glad to be back in the action again; training recruits was dull work for a man who’d seen two wars already and was itching to get back into the fight.
A few hours later the 8th Infantry loaded into trucks or hitched a ride on the new T-34B medium tank. They were headed to the 8th’s defensive sector. It was midmorning by the time the Stukas found them. Swooping out of the sky, the dive bombers picked off the troop transports effortlessly. The weak armor on the top of the T-34B stood no chance; burnt chassis littered the roadside.
“Keep your heads down comrades!” shouted Nikolai to the men in his truck. His platoon was spread out over 3 trucks and a T-34. He was in the middle of the 3 trucks and the T-34 was in the rear. 2nd platoon was made up of mostly conscripts but Nikolai recognized a few veterans, men who didn’t duck at the sound of bombs going off around them or Stukas swooping so low you could see the color of the pilot’s eyes.
Suddenly, as the convoy reached the top of a ridge, the lead truck exploded into a ball of flame. The men inside jumped out and flailed around, engulfed in fire. It didn’t take long for them to fall on the ground. Nikolai’s truck came to a screeching stop.
“Out of the truck comrades! Quick!” barked Nikolai.
The men in his truck jumped off as quick as they could. There wasn’t even so much as a pebble to hide behind. The ridge was bare, nothing but tall grass. “Not good.” Thought Nikolai.
“You there, go up front and see what is the matter.” Snapped Nikolai to a private near him. “Where are my sergeants!” shouted Nikolai into the chaos. The rest of the division was deploying with them along the ridgeline. 10,050 men all out in the open, racing up over the ridge without the slightest idea as to what is on the other side.
“Reporting, comrade.”
“Alexei?”
“Niki! I thought you were still in Leningrad!”
“I’ve been promoted. Take your squad and deploy in front of us here, along the ridgeline. See if you can’t dig in.”
Another man ran up to Nikolai and Alexei.
“Sergeant Pacho, reporting Comrade!”
“Sergeant, I want you to take your squad and deploy to the left of Sergeant Alexei over here. Dig in as best you can.”
“Yes, comrade, sir!” replied Pacho and saluted before running off.
As soon as Pacho left another man came running up to Nikolai. This one wasn’t a sergeant.
“Comrade, sir, my sergeant was killed by a dive bomber. I’m corporal Kenshenko. I fought in Finland, comrade sir, so I feel I’m the best to lead my squad. The rest are conscripts.”
“Right then. You will deploy to the right of Alexei over there.” Said Nikolai, pointing to the right of Alexei’s squad, who had begun digging in.
‘That’s only three, where is my forth squad?’ thought Nikolai. Then he remembered the exploding truck. ‘Damn.’
-------------------------------------------------
On June 22nd, 1941, Germany declared war on the Soviet Union. Within hours the borders in Sedalia, Lvov, Powel, and Suwalki provinces are overwhelmed by the Wehrmacht. Putting the Defense Plan 1941 into action the 1st and 24th Armies of the Leningrad Front counterattack German forces in Memel but fail utterly. Soon SS-Panzer Divisions break through the faltering 1st and 24th and enter Jelgava, surrounding the 24th Army in the process. At Siauliau the 1st Guards Infantry Corps along with 17th Army and 9th Armored Corps are driven back only to launch a counter attack which results in a see-saw battle for the next few days.
Within the first days of fighting the 24th Army is cut off and surrounded.
In the center the Germans attack Komel and Lvov, shattering the 14th and 26th Armies. The 8th Armored Corps rushed in to dull the German advance and succeed, driving the forward elements back in Lvov.
Initial German advanced against the Central Front
By the end of the month though the Leningrad Front conducts a counterattack with all available forces and beats the Germans back after heavy fighting in Suwalki and Kongsberg. The veteran 1st Guard Infantry Corps proved invaluable in bolstering the Front’s offensive operations. The Germans launched a counterattack of their own however and took Bielsyak after only 5 hours of fighting.
Leningrad and Central Front’s locations after the July 4th Offensive. Germans are beginning to occupy Bielysak. The Province will change hands numerous times in the coming weeks.
For most of August the Red Army trades territories with the Wehrmacht. The Germans would punch through a portion of the Soviet Line only to be swarmed by Soviet reserves. The Red Army doctrine of plugging holes with highly mobile armored corps works very well against the Wehrmacht and prevents the Germans from encircling large numbers of Red Army forces. By the beginning of September a stalemate has ensued. Neither side has a clear advantage over the other and battles in Suwalki, Bielsylak and Komel are fierce. Finally, the POV (Red Air Force) is in position in newly built bases closer to the front and the Red Army launches an offensive.
By the end of September the Leningrad and Central Fronts had advanced as far as Ebbing in the north and Lodz in the south. On September 25th Romania crumbled to the Southern Front’s onslaught and was annexed into the Soviet Union. With their southern front collapsing the Germans are forced to send troops down into the Balkans to hold the line. This lends itself perfectly for a major Soviet offensive that could end the war before Christmas.
General Hoth: On average Soviet divisions were smaller than their Western counterparts. The Red Army found that their inexperienced commanders could better control a smaller group of soldiers so instead of having large formations they deployed lots of smaller ones.
About the picture sizes, I'm having trouble keeping the images under 1mb and still be able to be large. Any suggestions would be helpful! (BTW, The images are Bitmaps, if that helps.)
------------------------------------
Nikolai Vladislav survived his wounds and was promoted to Lieutenant. However, because of his wounds he was denied the chance to rejoin the 8th Infantry Division in a combat role. Instead, he was training raw recruits at the conscription center in Leningrad.
Leningrad Conscription Center, May, 1941.
“Name.”
“Grygori Konolev.”
“Date and place of birth.”
“1921, Poltava, Ukraine.”
“You’ll be in the infantry. Step over there to Captain Popov and he’ll get you your uniform.”
“Next”
Sitting at a desk, Nikolai looked up into the face of a young man, a boy really. Probably no younger than 18, maybe 17.
“Name.”
“Dimitri Pakoslav, 1922, Kiev, Ukraine.”
Nikolai again looked up into the face of the boy, who was desperately trying not to smile.
“Thank you comrade. You’ll be going into the infantry. Go over to Captain Popov to receive your uniform.” Nikolai said.
146 more Dimitris’ and Grygoris’ later Nikolai stood in the parade ground of the Leningrad conscription center. He limped along the line of conscripts and shook his head. Young boys off to fight a man’s war. He snapped out of that train of thought.
“Welcome to the Red Army comrades! You are now defenders of the Rodina. Should the need arise you will give your life in the defense of it. Is this clear?” barked Nikolai.
“Yes!” replied the recruits.
“I said is it clear?!” snapped Nikolai, dissatisfied with the volume.
“Yes!” was the reply, this time much louder.
“Good. First, you will learn how to march like a proper soldier.”
-----------------------------------------
June 22nd, 1941, Suwalki Province, 1st Guards Infantry Corps Headquarters
“You’re to take command of 2nd Platoon, C Company, 3rd Regiment in the 8th Infantry Division. Most of the men in the 8th are replacements now Nikolai. The Fascists have advanced north of here-“Captain Borislav was cut off as a messenger burst into the command tent.
“Comrade, sir! German forces have been sighted crossing the border! Our initial outposts have been over run!” shouted the man.
“Thank you comrade. We must mobilize quickly if we are to make a proper defense! Nikolai, attend to your men.”
“Yes Comrade.” Said Nikolai. He gave a salute to and quickly exited the tent.
The headquarters area was in absolute chaos. No one seemed to know what was going on and officers were racing all around trying as best they could to mobilize 10,050 men as quickly as they could.
Nikolai had been with the new replacements from the Leningrad conscription center when the Germans declared war. The new conscripts had, as fate would have it, been assigned to his old division, the 8th Infantry. A lack of experienced officers prompted his recent promotion to a field command. Nikolai was glad to be back in the action again; training recruits was dull work for a man who’d seen two wars already and was itching to get back into the fight.
A few hours later the 8th Infantry loaded into trucks or hitched a ride on the new T-34B medium tank. They were headed to the 8th’s defensive sector. It was midmorning by the time the Stukas found them. Swooping out of the sky, the dive bombers picked off the troop transports effortlessly. The weak armor on the top of the T-34B stood no chance; burnt chassis littered the roadside.
“Keep your heads down comrades!” shouted Nikolai to the men in his truck. His platoon was spread out over 3 trucks and a T-34. He was in the middle of the 3 trucks and the T-34 was in the rear. 2nd platoon was made up of mostly conscripts but Nikolai recognized a few veterans, men who didn’t duck at the sound of bombs going off around them or Stukas swooping so low you could see the color of the pilot’s eyes.
Suddenly, as the convoy reached the top of a ridge, the lead truck exploded into a ball of flame. The men inside jumped out and flailed around, engulfed in fire. It didn’t take long for them to fall on the ground. Nikolai’s truck came to a screeching stop.
The 8th Infantry Division race up a ridge in Suwalki to defend against the German invaders on June 22nd, 1941.
“Out of the truck comrades! Quick!” barked Nikolai.
The men in his truck jumped off as quick as they could. There wasn’t even so much as a pebble to hide behind. The ridge was bare, nothing but tall grass. “Not good.” Thought Nikolai.
“You there, go up front and see what is the matter.” Snapped Nikolai to a private near him. “Where are my sergeants!” shouted Nikolai into the chaos. The rest of the division was deploying with them along the ridgeline. 10,050 men all out in the open, racing up over the ridge without the slightest idea as to what is on the other side.
“Reporting, comrade.”
“Alexei?”
“Niki! I thought you were still in Leningrad!”
“I’ve been promoted. Take your squad and deploy in front of us here, along the ridgeline. See if you can’t dig in.”
Another man ran up to Nikolai and Alexei.
“Sergeant Pacho, reporting Comrade!”
“Sergeant, I want you to take your squad and deploy to the left of Sergeant Alexei over here. Dig in as best you can.”
“Yes, comrade, sir!” replied Pacho and saluted before running off.
As soon as Pacho left another man came running up to Nikolai. This one wasn’t a sergeant.
“Comrade, sir, my sergeant was killed by a dive bomber. I’m corporal Kenshenko. I fought in Finland, comrade sir, so I feel I’m the best to lead my squad. The rest are conscripts.”
“Right then. You will deploy to the right of Alexei over there.” Said Nikolai, pointing to the right of Alexei’s squad, who had begun digging in.
‘That’s only three, where is my forth squad?’ thought Nikolai. Then he remembered the exploding truck. ‘Damn.’
Men of 2nd Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment 8th Infantry Division take cover in hastily dug trenches
-------------------------------------------------
On June 22nd, 1941, Germany declared war on the Soviet Union. Within hours the borders in Sedalia, Lvov, Powel, and Suwalki provinces are overwhelmed by the Wehrmacht. Putting the Defense Plan 1941 into action the 1st and 24th Armies of the Leningrad Front counterattack German forces in Memel but fail utterly. Soon SS-Panzer Divisions break through the faltering 1st and 24th and enter Jelgava, surrounding the 24th Army in the process. At Siauliau the 1st Guards Infantry Corps along with 17th Army and 9th Armored Corps are driven back only to launch a counter attack which results in a see-saw battle for the next few days.
Within the first days of fighting the 24th Army is cut off and surrounded.
In the center the Germans attack Komel and Lvov, shattering the 14th and 26th Armies. The 8th Armored Corps rushed in to dull the German advance and succeed, driving the forward elements back in Lvov.
Initial German advanced against the Central Front
By the end of the month though the Leningrad Front conducts a counterattack with all available forces and beats the Germans back after heavy fighting in Suwalki and Kongsberg. The veteran 1st Guard Infantry Corps proved invaluable in bolstering the Front’s offensive operations. The Germans launched a counterattack of their own however and took Bielsyak after only 5 hours of fighting.
Leningrad and Central Front’s locations after the July 4th Offensive. Germans are beginning to occupy Bielysak. The Province will change hands numerous times in the coming weeks.
For most of August the Red Army trades territories with the Wehrmacht. The Germans would punch through a portion of the Soviet Line only to be swarmed by Soviet reserves. The Red Army doctrine of plugging holes with highly mobile armored corps works very well against the Wehrmacht and prevents the Germans from encircling large numbers of Red Army forces. By the beginning of September a stalemate has ensued. Neither side has a clear advantage over the other and battles in Suwalki, Bielsylak and Komel are fierce. Finally, the POV (Red Air Force) is in position in newly built bases closer to the front and the Red Army launches an offensive.
By this time the Northern and Leningrad Fronts have launched an offensive.
By the end of September the Leningrad and Central Fronts had advanced as far as Ebbing in the north and Lodz in the south. On September 25th Romania crumbled to the Southern Front’s onslaught and was annexed into the Soviet Union. With their southern front collapsing the Germans are forced to send troops down into the Balkans to hold the line. This lends itself perfectly for a major Soviet offensive that could end the war before Christmas.
The Red Army advances into Poland and annexes Romania to the south. Can the Germans be defeated before Christmas?
Operation Green Door
“Steady comrades…steady.” Nikolai crouched low in the shallow trench. The men of 2nd Platoon were all around him. They were fresh conscripts. Only a month before they were lined up in the Leningrad conscription center parade ground learning how to march and now they were on the front lines of the war against the Wehrmacht, arguably the best army in the world.
Suddenly German artillery shells began to fall all around Nikolai’s position. The shrieks of the incoming shells were deafening. Earth was shoved up into the sky in huge plumes only to fall back down again, shaking the very ground. Then the Stukas came. Swooping in on their familiar 90 degree angle dives they dropped bombs with pinpoint accuracy. The T-34 that the platoon had used to ride to the ridge was hit with a 700kg bomb on the top of the turret and was instantly blow to pieces. The ammunition in the tank exploded sending shells streaming through the air like a firework show.
“Take cover comrades! Keep your head down!” shouted Nikolai to his men over the sounds of battle.
Nikolai and his men were helpless. All they could do was wait it out. Then it all stopped. There was an eerie silence as the men of 2nd platoon listened. A low rumble filled the air. Nikolai put his head to the ground to listen. The ground shook with what was coming. Then the signature squeaky wheel. Hundreds of them. All coming directly towards Nikolai and his platoon on the ridge.
Nikolai looked right. The Company’s lone 37mm anti-tank gun was manned not too far from 2nd platoon’s position. It had come under fire from the artillery but made it out intact. The lone gun would become invaluable for what was coming.
Nikolai pictured the platoon’s position in his head, trying to remember where the other elements of the company were.
Through the smoke Nikolai saw the German infantry and tanks advance. He judged them to be about company strength. 2, maybe 3 infantry and at least a company of tanks. This was going to be tough.
“Fire!”
The platoon opened up with everything they had. Mortars, heavy and light machine guns, rifles and the company’s battery of light artillery, compliments of division command, gave the approaching Germans good reason to keep their heads down.
“Steady aim, comrades!” barked Nikolai over the sound of battle, keeping low and watching his men fire and load their rifles carefully. Some of these conscripts didn’t even pass marksmanship training before they were sent to the front. He came across one conscript in particular and stooped to his side in the narrow trench.
“Comrade!” shouted Nikolai into the poor soldier’s ear, “You have to pull the trigger!” Nikolai pointed to the ground; it was littered with unspent cartridges. The conscript was so terrified he had just kept racking off shells but never pulled the trigger. The conscript looked at Nikolai with eyes as big as dinner plates and nodded, and then added his report to the others of 2nd Platoon as they tried to pick off the Germans huddled behind the approaching tanks.
The German tanks, mostly Panzer III’s began firing into the prepared Soviet positions. The lone 37mm AT gun to the right of Nikolai’s position fired off 2 rounds which harmlessly bounced off the enemy tanks armor before being blown to pieces. Nikolai ducked as the gun’s ammunition, which was carelessly kept close by, exploded.
“Hold your ground comrades!” Shouted Nikolai. He could sense the conscripts were about to run. If they got up out of the trench they would be cut down by the approaching tanks mounted machine guns. Nikolai looked to the rear of him and saw a platoon of approaching T-34s. Because of the ridge the Germans hadn’t seen them.
“Perfect.” Nikolai said to himself.
When the tanks were within a few hundred yards the fire intensified ten fold. Nikolai swore he could see the lead in the air there was so much of it. Suddenly, a conscript down the line jumped out of the trench and began running to the rear. Nikolai couldn’t hear the shots that killed him over the drone of so many machine guns.
“Stay put! Do not retreat!”
The order fell on deaf ears. All around him, men began leaping up and out of the trench, making a dash for the rear only to be cut down by a German tank-mounted machinegun. Suddenly a tank rolled over the trench about 30 meters to the left of Nikolai. Then another 10 meters to the left. The conscripts who had stayed were petrified. They just laid there on the bottom of the trench, clutching their rifles. Some began digging a hole to crawl into.
Suddenly a tank rolled directly over Nikolai’s head. Startled, he looked up. The engine exhaust and deafening engine overwhelmed him. He scampered down the trench some more, away from the tank. Then he heard an explosion. The tank that just rolled past him fired its main gun. Nikolai dived into the bottom of the trench at the recoil.
“Surprise, surprise, fascist bastards.”
---------------------------------------------
“HE round, load now!” Shouted Dimitry Pavlov, commander of T-34 158, 1st platoon, 43rd Armored Brigade.
Somewhere within the depths of the little tank, a man shouted, “Ready!”
“Firing!”
Dimitry fired the T-34’s main 76.2mm gun and then struggled to look through the poor visibility sights as the recoil rocked the tank. The noise was deafening, even though Dimitry wore a leather helmet with special ear flaps to help reduce the noise.
The driver sat directly below him, so Dimitry used his feet to tell him where to go. Dimitry tapped both of his feet on the driver’s shoulders, the signal to go forward. The intensity of the tapping signaled how fast the driver was to go.
As the tank lurched forward it cleared a cloud of smoke, revealing the landscape ahead.
The tank Dimitry aimed at was in flames. Dimitry quickly scanned the landscape for another target. It didn’t take long. German Panzer III’s were pouring over the ridge, overrunning the poor infantry in the trenches. Rotating the turret himself, Dimitry carefully took aim at another Panzer III as it crested the ridge. Hopefully by the time his tank fired the soft under armor would be exposed.
“HE round, load now!”
A few seconds later the reply came. “Ready!”
Dimitry waited for the panzer to crest the ridge and expose the under armor.
“Firing!” shouted Dimitry as loud as he could. Dimitry shoved his eyes up to the sight’s eyepiece, hoping for a ball of flame. There was none. The round had gone to the left and instead knocked out the panzer’s treads. The Panzer was immobile but could still fire its gun. Dimitry saw the Panzer’s gun flash.
The German round struck the little T-34 with tremendous force. The metallic clang made Dimitry wince but the round glanced off the sloped armor harmlessly. Dimitry was determined not to let the Panzer fire again.
“HE round, load now!”
The reply telling him the round was loaded came back a few moments later. Dimitry rotated the turret to the right a bit and then pushed both his feet on the driver’s shoulders. The tank came to a quick stop.
“Firing!” The T-34 shook with the recoil of the discharging main gun. As soon as the gun fired Dimitry tapped both his feet on the driver’s shoulders and the tank jerked forward. As Dimitry looked through his narrow window to the outside world he saw the burning wreckage of the German panzer.
-------------------------------------------
In September of 1941 STAVKA thought they had the Wehrmacht on the ropes. The spirited defenses at Suwalki and Bielyak and the counteroffensives of August convinced the Soviet high command that the end was near for the German army. The STAVKA named their plan to end the war Operation Greed Door (OGD). The focus of OGD was the encirclement of Wehrmacht forces around the Warsaw region, pushing them into the city and then annihilating them.
15 armies from the Leningrad, Central and Kiev Fronts would participate. The veteran 1st Guards Armored Corps, 2nd, 8th, 3rd, and 5th Armored Corps, 9th and 10th armies, and 1st Specialized Infantry Corps would form the southern thrust. The northern thrust contained the 8th, 9th and 6th Armored Corps, and the 1st, 18th and 3rd armies. The southern thrust contained the largest formation of armor the Red Army had ever seen.
On the morning of September 25th, 1941, Operation Green Door was underway. The first few engagements seemed promising. The northern thrust made quick gains and in just 3 days had advanced deep into German territory.
However, the attack stalled when the 2nd Armored Division failed to break through the German defenses in Zamosc. The southern thrust launched its attack prematurely and succeed in taking Lublin from the Germans, creating a brief encirclement of Wehrmacht forces around Warsaw. STAVKA ordered an attack on the encircled Germans but it was repulsed. The Northern Thrust proved too weak to hold onto its gains and by the beginning of October Operation Green Door was scrapped. STAVKA’s plan to end the war before Christmas resulted in a minor territorial gain but failed to achieve it’s over all goal of encircling the Germans around Warsaw and ending the war.
After the failure of Operation Green Door STAVKA ordered the Southern Front to prepare for an offensive in Romania to recover territory lost to the Hungarians following the annexation of Romania in September.
Southern Front’s 4th Armored Corps, 13th Infantry Corps, and 11th, 12th and 27th armies advanced almost unopposed to recover the lost territory. It was much needed success for STAVKA after a very embarrassing failure.
After almost a solid month of fighting the Northern front remained almost the same compared huge territorial gains in the South. Red Army’s Southern Front threatens the Axis countries of Slovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Serbia.
--------------
NEXT UPDATE
--------------
Fortress Radom
-----------------------------------------
Operation Green Door was very frustrating. When the war first started I was fighting '39 infantry. Around the time of Operation Green Door the Germans had upgraded most of their infantry to '41, on par with mine. It's tough fighting org 71 infantry when the best infantry you have is org 36, not to mention I'm almost ALWAYS fighting over a river. Almost every province in Poland is bordering a river.I was cocky in September and October and thought I could end it quick. I was totally wrong. Its going to be a long, long road to Berlin; and the road is going to be very bloody.
Hope you enjoyed, and as always, feed back is appreciated!
“Steady comrades…steady.” Nikolai crouched low in the shallow trench. The men of 2nd Platoon were all around him. They were fresh conscripts. Only a month before they were lined up in the Leningrad conscription center parade ground learning how to march and now they were on the front lines of the war against the Wehrmacht, arguably the best army in the world.
Suddenly German artillery shells began to fall all around Nikolai’s position. The shrieks of the incoming shells were deafening. Earth was shoved up into the sky in huge plumes only to fall back down again, shaking the very ground. Then the Stukas came. Swooping in on their familiar 90 degree angle dives they dropped bombs with pinpoint accuracy. The T-34 that the platoon had used to ride to the ridge was hit with a 700kg bomb on the top of the turret and was instantly blow to pieces. The ammunition in the tank exploded sending shells streaming through the air like a firework show.
“Take cover comrades! Keep your head down!” shouted Nikolai to his men over the sounds of battle.
Nikolai and his men were helpless. All they could do was wait it out. Then it all stopped. There was an eerie silence as the men of 2nd platoon listened. A low rumble filled the air. Nikolai put his head to the ground to listen. The ground shook with what was coming. Then the signature squeaky wheel. Hundreds of them. All coming directly towards Nikolai and his platoon on the ridge.
Nikolai looked right. The Company’s lone 37mm anti-tank gun was manned not too far from 2nd platoon’s position. It had come under fire from the artillery but made it out intact. The lone gun would become invaluable for what was coming.
Nikolai pictured the platoon’s position in his head, trying to remember where the other elements of the company were.
Through the smoke Nikolai saw the German infantry and tanks advance. He judged them to be about company strength. 2, maybe 3 infantry and at least a company of tanks. This was going to be tough.
“Fire!”
The platoon opened up with everything they had. Mortars, heavy and light machine guns, rifles and the company’s battery of light artillery, compliments of division command, gave the approaching Germans good reason to keep their heads down.
“Steady aim, comrades!” barked Nikolai over the sound of battle, keeping low and watching his men fire and load their rifles carefully. Some of these conscripts didn’t even pass marksmanship training before they were sent to the front. He came across one conscript in particular and stooped to his side in the narrow trench.
“Comrade!” shouted Nikolai into the poor soldier’s ear, “You have to pull the trigger!” Nikolai pointed to the ground; it was littered with unspent cartridges. The conscript was so terrified he had just kept racking off shells but never pulled the trigger. The conscript looked at Nikolai with eyes as big as dinner plates and nodded, and then added his report to the others of 2nd Platoon as they tried to pick off the Germans huddled behind the approaching tanks.
The German tanks, mostly Panzer III’s began firing into the prepared Soviet positions. The lone 37mm AT gun to the right of Nikolai’s position fired off 2 rounds which harmlessly bounced off the enemy tanks armor before being blown to pieces. Nikolai ducked as the gun’s ammunition, which was carelessly kept close by, exploded.
“Hold your ground comrades!” Shouted Nikolai. He could sense the conscripts were about to run. If they got up out of the trench they would be cut down by the approaching tanks mounted machine guns. Nikolai looked to the rear of him and saw a platoon of approaching T-34s. Because of the ridge the Germans hadn’t seen them.
“Perfect.” Nikolai said to himself.
When the tanks were within a few hundred yards the fire intensified ten fold. Nikolai swore he could see the lead in the air there was so much of it. Suddenly, a conscript down the line jumped out of the trench and began running to the rear. Nikolai couldn’t hear the shots that killed him over the drone of so many machine guns.
“Stay put! Do not retreat!”
The order fell on deaf ears. All around him, men began leaping up and out of the trench, making a dash for the rear only to be cut down by a German tank-mounted machinegun. Suddenly a tank rolled over the trench about 30 meters to the left of Nikolai. Then another 10 meters to the left. The conscripts who had stayed were petrified. They just laid there on the bottom of the trench, clutching their rifles. Some began digging a hole to crawl into.
Suddenly a tank rolled directly over Nikolai’s head. Startled, he looked up. The engine exhaust and deafening engine overwhelmed him. He scampered down the trench some more, away from the tank. Then he heard an explosion. The tank that just rolled past him fired its main gun. Nikolai dived into the bottom of the trench at the recoil.
“Surprise, surprise, fascist bastards.”
---------------------------------------------
“HE round, load now!” Shouted Dimitry Pavlov, commander of T-34 158, 1st platoon, 43rd Armored Brigade.
Somewhere within the depths of the little tank, a man shouted, “Ready!”
“Firing!”
Dimitry fired the T-34’s main 76.2mm gun and then struggled to look through the poor visibility sights as the recoil rocked the tank. The noise was deafening, even though Dimitry wore a leather helmet with special ear flaps to help reduce the noise.
The driver sat directly below him, so Dimitry used his feet to tell him where to go. Dimitry tapped both of his feet on the driver’s shoulders, the signal to go forward. The intensity of the tapping signaled how fast the driver was to go.
As the tank lurched forward it cleared a cloud of smoke, revealing the landscape ahead.
The tank Dimitry aimed at was in flames. Dimitry quickly scanned the landscape for another target. It didn’t take long. German Panzer III’s were pouring over the ridge, overrunning the poor infantry in the trenches. Rotating the turret himself, Dimitry carefully took aim at another Panzer III as it crested the ridge. Hopefully by the time his tank fired the soft under armor would be exposed.
“HE round, load now!”
A few seconds later the reply came. “Ready!”
Dimitry waited for the panzer to crest the ridge and expose the under armor.
“Firing!” shouted Dimitry as loud as he could. Dimitry shoved his eyes up to the sight’s eyepiece, hoping for a ball of flame. There was none. The round had gone to the left and instead knocked out the panzer’s treads. The Panzer was immobile but could still fire its gun. Dimitry saw the Panzer’s gun flash.
The German round struck the little T-34 with tremendous force. The metallic clang made Dimitry wince but the round glanced off the sloped armor harmlessly. Dimitry was determined not to let the Panzer fire again.
“HE round, load now!”
The reply telling him the round was loaded came back a few moments later. Dimitry rotated the turret to the right a bit and then pushed both his feet on the driver’s shoulders. The tank came to a quick stop.
“Firing!” The T-34 shook with the recoil of the discharging main gun. As soon as the gun fired Dimitry tapped both his feet on the driver’s shoulders and the tank jerked forward. As Dimitry looked through his narrow window to the outside world he saw the burning wreckage of the German panzer.
-------------------------------------------
In September of 1941 STAVKA thought they had the Wehrmacht on the ropes. The spirited defenses at Suwalki and Bielyak and the counteroffensives of August convinced the Soviet high command that the end was near for the German army. The STAVKA named their plan to end the war Operation Greed Door (OGD). The focus of OGD was the encirclement of Wehrmacht forces around the Warsaw region, pushing them into the city and then annihilating them.
15 armies from the Leningrad, Central and Kiev Fronts would participate. The veteran 1st Guards Armored Corps, 2nd, 8th, 3rd, and 5th Armored Corps, 9th and 10th armies, and 1st Specialized Infantry Corps would form the southern thrust. The northern thrust contained the 8th, 9th and 6th Armored Corps, and the 1st, 18th and 3rd armies. The southern thrust contained the largest formation of armor the Red Army had ever seen.
On the morning of September 25th, 1941, Operation Green Door was underway. The first few engagements seemed promising. The northern thrust made quick gains and in just 3 days had advanced deep into German territory.
However, the attack stalled when the 2nd Armored Division failed to break through the German defenses in Zamosc. The southern thrust launched its attack prematurely and succeed in taking Lublin from the Germans, creating a brief encirclement of Wehrmacht forces around Warsaw. STAVKA ordered an attack on the encircled Germans but it was repulsed. The Northern Thrust proved too weak to hold onto its gains and by the beginning of October Operation Green Door was scrapped. STAVKA’s plan to end the war before Christmas resulted in a minor territorial gain but failed to achieve it’s over all goal of encircling the Germans around Warsaw and ending the war.
After the failure of Operation Green Door STAVKA ordered the Southern Front to prepare for an offensive in Romania to recover territory lost to the Hungarians following the annexation of Romania in September.
Southern Front’s 4th Armored Corps, 13th Infantry Corps, and 11th, 12th and 27th armies advanced almost unopposed to recover the lost territory. It was much needed success for STAVKA after a very embarrassing failure.
After almost a solid month of fighting the Northern front remained almost the same compared huge territorial gains in the South. Red Army’s Southern Front threatens the Axis countries of Slovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Serbia.
--------------
NEXT UPDATE
--------------
Fortress Radom
-----------------------------------------
Operation Green Door was very frustrating. When the war first started I was fighting '39 infantry. Around the time of Operation Green Door the Germans had upgraded most of their infantry to '41, on par with mine. It's tough fighting org 71 infantry when the best infantry you have is org 36, not to mention I'm almost ALWAYS fighting over a river. Almost every province in Poland is bordering a river.I was cocky in September and October and thought I could end it quick. I was totally wrong. Its going to be a long, long road to Berlin; and the road is going to be very bloody.
Hope you enjoyed, and as always, feed back is appreciated!
brilliant work here, i will keep reading this,
a idea could be developed from this like a Co-operative AAR.
the Player announces the country's direction and actions (conferring with the other players?).
While the other Players and newbies like mySelf Could develop our writing talents more by Posting as politicians and Troops, following and reacting to these actions.
By posting about Street fighting and/or parliamentary Debates...
a idea could be developed from this like a Co-operative AAR.
the Player announces the country's direction and actions (conferring with the other players?).
While the other Players and newbies like mySelf Could develop our writing talents more by Posting as politicians and Troops, following and reacting to these actions.
By posting about Street fighting and/or parliamentary Debates...
Sir Monty said:
There is some Co-operative AAR, but nothing like you describe it.. I say go for it and make this co-AAR maybe I will join