Briefing: December 1, 1942
Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate and Congress,
December has been a very fruitful month for Allied forces. A few Senators came to me privately ((nobody did, but work with me here
)) and asked to be brief on the operational level, not the tactical level. I have acquiesced to their requests, and shall endeavor to present a more complete picture of our actions in Europe and in the Pacific.
General MacArthur, Atlantic Commander, has authorized the creation of a new Army Group, the Mediterranean Command, based out of Alexandria, Egypt. It shall be composed of two corps, the 6th US Corps (Infantry) and an Armored Corps. It is commanded by General Taylor, who has been long overdue for this command. His objectives will be to provide another angle of attack against German forces in Greece and the Balkans.
Fighting began in the Pacific on November 1, shortly after our last briefing. Battles that day proved to be indecisive; although American naval forces drove the enemy out of their sector in every case, no Japanese ships were sunk. We ourselves lost a division destroyers, although most of the crews were evacuated safely to Eniwetok. In Northern Italy and Austria, American forces pressed on all fronts, hoping to solidify the deteriorating situation there. More and more positions are being taken by Americans, rather than Italians, who are eager but, as yet, poorly trained and inexperienced.
On November 2nd, IJN
Ise was sunk by American forces at the Battle of Ralik Plains. The
Ise was an old battleship, but a much needed boost to morale came from its destruction, after the bloody month of November. The following day, American forces sunk their first Japanese battle cruiser, the
Hiei. ((I didn't even recognize the icon when I saw it; battle cruisers are extremely rare in HOI3, as they should be.))
November 3rd saw the successful completion of the Battle of Mittersil, which began in the waning hours of October; casualties were roughly equal. IJN
Tone, a heavy cruiser, was added to the list of Japanese ships sunk by our boys in Navy Blue. Some Japanese destroyers and the battle cruiser
Haruna met a similar fate later that day.
Beginning November 4, American forces began pressing into Austria, mostly to relieve the pressure on Northern Italy. Units were under strict instructions not to advance too far north until American forces were ready to push as one. That day was an especially glorious one for American forces in the Pacific, as American ships in CTF 'Yorktown' sunk their first carrier, albeit a light one, the IJN
Hosho.
Another Japanese carrier, the
Shosho, was caught alone, with no escort, by CTF 'Yorktown' the next day. It was destroyed with all hands. Later that day, SAG 'Montana' escorted TRG 'Buffalo' to Los Angeles, carrying the 2nd Marine Corps.
On November 7, General Marshall, CO of First Army, called General Devers, CO of Southern Command, begging for reinforcements to continue the defense of Venice while attacking Trieste. Knowing that General Patton of Fourth Army was attacking Trieste, General Devers used his own initiative to alter First Army's orders to protect the American supply line. General Marshall was also authorized to expand farther north, if the opportunity presented itself, but given strict instruction to stay within Austria.
The rest of the first week of November was highlighted by bloody engagements in the Austrian and Italian Alps, the Germans winning at Osttirol while the Americans took Bolzano. By November 10, American forces had a secure foothold in the town of Lienz, despite multiple German attempts to dislodge them. The following day, 2nd USMC landed in Los Angeles, where they refueled and refitted; by the end of the day, they were on their way to Taranto, Italy. SAG 'Tennessee' was redeployed to Bergen, Norway, and attached to Atlantic Command, since no enemy ships are in the Mediterranean any longer.
November 13, 1942, marked the sinking of a Japanese fleet carrier, the
Ryujo. In a previous battle, Americans sunk yet another battle cruisers, making November of 1942 one of the worst months for the Japanese navy.
By November 15, American forces had reached as far as Innsbruck, Austria. Although going was slow, in part due to the terrain and in part due to fierce German resistance, American forces won more battles than they lost, for the first time with Italian support.
On November 17, General Vandegrift, 7th US Army Corps, fed up with the slow progress in Norway, took matters into his own hands instead of waiting for orders. ((I had to break my rule here, but it really was getting ridiculous that the AI wouldn't advance against German troops with no supplies.)) 3rd US Army Corps embarked on Norwegian rail toward Narvik.
While 7th US Army Corps advanced into southern Norway, routing hungry and stranded German forces with ease, the navy struck its own hammer blow in the Pacific, inflicting further damage on the quickly weakening IJN.
Progress continued briskly into Norway over the next four next days.
November 22 saw the first meeting of American and Hungarian troops at Klagenfurt; the 32nd Infantry division easily dispatched two Hungarian divisions and one German division of motorized troops. On the same day, with the Germans on the run, Atlantic Northern Command issued orders to take Lillehammer and Sarpsborg, eliminating the German presence in southern Norway.
November 24 marked the first day of significant progress against German-held Trieste, and just in time, as Italian forces in Albania had been eliminated, with the final patch of territory all but taken.
November 25 saw the loss of the first American ship since early November: the light cruiser
Atlanta. Still, while the cruiser was sunk, American forces chased off the Japanese. American radar reported the existence of a convoy so massive that CTF 'Alexandria' refused to engage; given how many casualties we have inflicted upon enemy shipping, how many more ships could there be?
On November 26, American forces successfully recaptured Trieste from the Germans; the Italian governor of the city was glad to return to his home.
The most notable operation in November began at the very end: Operation Souvalki, the reconquest of Greece. The 2nd US Marine Corps landed at Athens at noon on the 26th.
On November 28, at noon -- exactly 48 hours -- the German garrison in Athens surrendered; orders were sent to transfer Army Group 'Mediterranean' to Athens in order to secure the rest of Greece.
The month of November closed with a massive clash between CTF 'Alexandria' and a Japanese carrier task force.
Although these reports are unconfirmed, sources say that two destroyer divisions and the cruiser
Juneau have been sunk by Japanese carrier forces. That is all we know at present.
I close this briefing, as always, with maps for your perusal.
Leningrad and Moscow are circled; Leningrad is held by Germany
Techs researched: Anti-Tank Ammunition and Muzzle Velocity 5, Light Artillery 5, Anti-Aircraft Barrel and Ammunition 5, CAS Ground Crew Training 4, Artillery Carriage and Sights 7, Ground Attack Tactics 2, Medium Navigation Radar 1
Ships sunk: 1 x CV, 3 x CVL, 1 x BB, 3 x BC, 2 x CA,2 x DD (Japanese)
Ships lost: 2 x CL, 3 x DD (by Japan)
Convoys sunk (transports/escorts): 35/18 (Japanese)
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Novatheorem, as always, I will need new plans for the Pacific, unless you simply want to continue as is. 2nd USMC is available again, and the Atlantic Theater has no current plans for it; I can certainly send it back your way if you need it.
Senators, we have three matters to vote on.
1. What do you think of the new format? Do you want more maps (I'll try to include more in the future) or more battles?
2. What should our basic objective for 2nd Army/Army Group 'Mediterranean' be? We've got another six divisions the British owe us that I completely forgot about
(I requested them using the HOI3 Army Organizer; there really ought to be a way to get more than one unit at a time anyway in FTM).
3. What do we with do Greece? Liberate it or keep it under our control until the war ends?
PvtPrivate, I'd like you to offer your thoughts on question #2 specifically, but I'll take any suggestions. Either way, I'd like the Senate to vote on it. If new plans are required, you'll need to draw them up.
Therefore, vote
Maps or
Battles, what we should do with Army Group 'Mediterranean',and
Liberate now or
Liberate post-war.
I'll give you a full week to vote; I'll set the preliminary deadline for
next Thursday at 10 PM (-6 GMT). I'd like any and all plans on my desk by then as well.
