German Expansion only happened because of the coups, and the Pact of Steel isn't an alliance its just a non-agression pack that will expire January of 1940.
I don't have the will to make Ironheart II, so I don't want to rush the AAR and make something bad when I could return to the series another day and make it my best AAR ever. The Kaiser deserves justice. Also, this won't be in Realtime, but if you all want it to then that can be arranged.
I see you have been very active at the party councils this week, that sickle badge didn't come out of nowhere. Oh what a city Königsberg is, I know the propa- the officials always say how medieval style architecture promotes Capitalism or whatever, but mixed with Communism, it works out well. Never mind that, I know why you are here, and that is to get the latest update on the war thus far. You'll be pleased to say the least.
Ah, the drinks here really do hit the spot. Have a seat, any seat. Now I know you must be dying to hear the latest battle reports from the front, but I first have to give out a disclaimer: This stuff is all secret! If I get caught showing battle-reports, reports which may or may not be sour in taste, let's just say my days as a Communist Crusader are over. I'm sure that won't happen however, right?
And so, to the first week of this new and terrible war. Terrible for our enemies, terrific for the oppressed working class. This week many things happened, of which was the start of the Counter-Invasion of Poland, the Bombardment of Hungarian and Yugoslavian Cities, and the Soviet Shark swimming unnoticed in a continent at war. Here are the documents, don't worry about dates, they're all, and always will be, in order.
Fall Weiss/Battle of the Corridor (1-2):
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This week will be a hard-fought one, the campaign in Poland will be a testament to that fact. Have a look at it yourself, the top generals in Berlin are calling it Fall Weiss: The Counter-Invasion of Poland. Case White details a hypothetical, now real invasion scenario of Poland, being detailed into three phases.
Fall Weiss
A Phase: The German Army stationed in Pomerania will attack the Corridor to unite the isolated Eastern Prussia, being supported by the Swedish and German Air Forces. From Silesia and the Carpathian Mountains, the Nationale Volksarmee will begin a joint-assault on the Krakow Region of Southern Poland. All the while in East Prussia, the German Army equipped with Three Panzer Divisions will push southward to Warsaw.
B Phase: After taking full control of the Corridor, an encirclement will be attempted in the North around Warsaw with the Panzers and Motorized Divisions taking the lead, being supported by massive amounts of German Bombers. Battle tactic dubbed 'Blitzkrieg'. Officer's initiative is advised, should Warsaw be there for the taking, take it.
C Phase: Should Warsaw be taken and the Polish Army more or less obliterated, the German Army would no longer focus on the Polish Army itself but rather the nation's key cities. If they fell, then eventually the government would be forced to stand down the army and surrender Poland to the Fourth Internationale and the German Worker's Republic. A plan to garrison the newly acquired Soviet Border would need to be drafted immediately following such scenario.
I know, sounds far fetched, the German Army having to start from scratch again right? Surprisingly, that's in fact wrong. Led by Field Marshall Werner von Blomberg, Thirty-Seven Divisons of the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee) clashed with the Polish 25th Army stationed in the Corridor, the Poles being commanded by Field Marshall Kazimierz Sosnkowski. The Battle could by divided four different sub-battles: The Battle of Danzig, Battle of Poznan, Battle of Gdynia, and the Battle of Bydgoszcz.
The battle itself was a fierce one at that, at Poznan, the Polish Resistance crumbled around the country-side, the fighting became urban quick. Bydgoszcz was where the Polish were hit the hardest, if the Air Raids didn't get you, the Worker's Soldier would. A breakthrough was most possible in this area of the front. Meanwhile, Danzig was attacked but Polish Reinforcements stopped the fight from being mostly bloodless. Gdynia was more or less the same, just this time the Poles had to deal with being attacked from the right and left. Safe to say the Battle of the Corridor was becoming a bloody one at that, and it was only the 2nd!
Luftstreitkräfte and Flygvapnet Bomb Polish Army (1-2):
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Not much to look at here in this report, pretty straight forward. The Luftstreitkräfte has been hard at work for the past months, training new pilots for difficult scenarios, such as the one they found themselves in at the moment. It is no secret that the Fourth Internationale is for the time being outnumbered by the Allies's sheer numbers in the sky, but that doesn't mean we are outclassed. The Polish Air Force lies grounded in Danzig, the Luftstreitkräfte's Fighter/Interceptor Wings have complete control of Northern Poland.
This allows for the aerial bombardment of major Polish Army Encampments, Positions, and Soldiers during battle. Working directly with the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) the Fourth Internationale focused directly on the Corridor. The Plan was to destroy the Polish 25th Army, and thus far around 400 Poles, not including 157 of their precious horses or a lone Polish Tank, were all now casualties of war. Further raids on Northern Poland have been limited in scale however due to the fighting entering many cities throughout Poland, and the Worker's would not start a trend of bombing civilians into oblivion.
Battle of Krakow (1-2):
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Note: Battle Icons indicate Battles (duh)
Away down south along the Carpathians, another battle was started (it should be noted that thus far everything has taken place from 1-2 of October) the NVA and Hungarian Red Army conducted an order of battle around the Krakow Area of Poland. The Hungarians alone attacked Krakow itself while their German Allies (led by Gerd von Rundstedt) attacked the Poles at Czestochowa and Katowice. This push north was dubbed Unternehmen Leignatz. We plan on taking Krakow by the end of next week.
Battle of East Prussia (1-2):
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Truly a real battle if I ever saw one. The NVA in East Prussia in accordance with Fall Weiss pressed downwards to Warsaw. As you will see later, it became a sort of game between the German Commanders: Who Could Capture Warsaw First? Manstein, Bloomberg, or Rundstedt. The Battle of East Prussia wasn't actually fought on Prussian Soil, rather it was actually an offensive battle, but our Manstein loves romanticizing himself. In fact I'm starting to wonder if he's been to any party meetings...
Unternehmen Roter Adler (3):
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Note: Hammer and Compass Icons indicate 4th Internationale Victory
There's two words that describe this man, and those are Officer's Initiative. General Erich von dem Bach Zelewski. Officially apart Bloomberg's Army, his Motorized Unit managed to take Bydgoszcz and cut right through Polish Lines. While Bloomberg ordered him to aid with the smaller Battle of Gdynia, Zelewski decided to go all the way to Warsaw. He called his plan Operation Red Eagle, the 2. Motorized-Division's race for Warsaw.
You see, most of the Polish Army was fighting on the border, and if they weren't then they were safeguarding their Soviet border, that meant Warsaw was at best guarded by a brigade or two. It was ample time to take the city without having to destroy it in the process. The plan calls for the capture of Wloclawek, following that the Polish Capital itself. Zelewski better succeed, or else the only thing he'll have command of is a AA Gun in Hamburg.
Romania Declares War on Fourth Internationale (3):
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Ah, this report caught me off-guard too, but I guess we should have seen it coming. The Fascist Government leading 'Greater Romania' joined the Allies at 14:00 Hours on the 3rd, bastards every one of them. Our spy network in the country has revealed that large amounts of the Romanian Army are being sent to Poland, the REF (Romanian Expeditionary Force) if you will. I know the situation sounds bleak, but keep reading, let's just say that those Romanians won't be returning home. Plans for an Invasion of Reactionary Romania are being drafted as we speak.
Polish 25th Army Surrenders with Poznan (3-4):
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Now this one puts a smile on my face. Four days into the war and already the an entire Polish Army is encircled and destroyed. The Battle of the Corridor ended after three NVA Divisions took the town of Czestochowa from the Poles, and since Bydgoszcz had already been captured as well, the stage was set for the complete annihilation of the Polish 25th Army. Their remnants surrendered with both Poznan and Gdynia, even their leader, Kazimierz Sosnkowski, was detained by German Forces in his HQ in Poznan. The Corridor has been won, now the rest of Poland must follow suit.
Stalin Invades Estonia and Latvia (4):
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Remember when I told you about certain Soviet Shark earlier? Well, here's what I meant. On the 4th of October at exactly 01:00 Hours, the Soviets invaded the sovereign nations of Estonia and Latvia. As citizens were sleeping, they were woken up hastily by the terrifying sounds of a massive artillery barrage conducted all cross the border, from Narva to Voru. The Estonians are expected to last at best about a month, the same goes for Latvia. Should either Tallinn or Riga fall, it's over for both nations. And it's not like there's someone out there to save them, the West would much rather subjugate all of a Free Europe then save actual democracies, that is if they even care about that anymore.
Two Capitals Under Fire (4):
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The historical capitals of Poland (Krakow and Warsaw) both came under attack this week as two seperate battles were waged for more Polish Soil. The Nationale Vollksarmee attacked Sosnowiec in order to aid their Hungarian Comrades in the south in the Battle of Krakow. At Katowice the Poles stood their ground gallantly against a superior foe (they would not surrender in the first week). Rundstedt has to be careful with Sosnowiec, the Poles are using their own tanks, Germany's are mostly in East Prussia.
Warsaw on the other hand was a different story. Zelewski finally reached the Polish Capital, only to see Polish Troops as well. On the bright side however was that these troops were disorganized, made of conscripts, and were heading north. The Battle of Warsaw wasn't really that, more like the Skirmish of Warsaw. Either way, what happens next will decide the fate of the campaign no doubt.
Warsaw Surrenders in Under 120 Hours (4-5):
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You heard right friend, the Polish Capital has been occupied in under 120 Hours (Five Days!). Our troops are currently still moving into the captured areas, but the first brigade of troops arrived in Warsaw after Zelewski successfully ousted the Polish Defenders. It's no surprise that after his amazing feat, the man has been selected for a promotion to the rank of Field Marshall. With Warsaw in our hands, the Poles will surely have lost any morale they still held onto.
Hundreds of Allied Planes Captured in Danzig/Manstein on the Prowl (5):
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This report is very juicy if I do say so myself. For starters, the last of the Polish Forces within the Corridor were finally captured with the surrender of Danzig at 08:00 Hours on the 6th. In addition to this victory, Field Marshall Manstein went on the offensive east after winning the Battle of East Prussia, German Troops are moving into secure Torun and Plock as time goes by.
More good news came just an hour later. Danzig was already blockaded by the Nationale Volksmarine in the Baltic, and as said earlier, the Polish Planes were all grounded in Danzig. What we didn't know was that it wasn't just Polish Planes that were grounded, but planes from a plethora of Allied Nations (Egypt, Canada, Romania). A total of 698 Planes were captured in Danzig, along with 749 Enemy Pilots!
British Try To Help Poland/Romanians Encircled/Battle of Bialystok/Swedish Wolfpacks (6):
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Now this is meaty report. On the sixth the British decided to send a small transport fleet to Poland, their destination being either Danzig or this city! Had the Volksmarine not intervened, you and I might be in Britain right now, haha! God bles- er- a massive thanks to Germany's Sailors. Speaking of the sea, the Swedish Navy has rebased numerous amounts of Submarines into North German Ports such as Hamburg and Bremen. The Swedes have developed a tactic known as the Wolfpack, a careful but effective new way to exploit Submarine Warfare. Germany's Submarine Captains can learn from the Swedish Model.
On the land, there was a different report. New Warsaw, the German Blitz had been 'too fast'. Three Rogue Romanian Divisions have been stranded in the middle of nowhere and are in the process of being destroyed. At Bialystok, Erich von Manstein began his attack on the Romanian and Polish Positions near Eastern East Prussia. He's trying to make it out as a Second Tannenberg, but once again, we're the ones attacking.
Romanian Expeditionary Force Destroyed/Fascists Bomb Cities/Swedes Sunk (7):
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Closing out this week's report is news of the entire REF being destroyed in one foul swoop. The Romanians have been completely decimated, most of their units have surrendered to the Nationale Volksarmee in face of utter devastion. With no supplies or anywhere safe to retreat, the REF completely surrendered at Plock and Wloclawek. Safe to say the Poles are on their own now.
Obviously, the Swedes could still learn a thing or two from those who are masters of the underwater. Two Swedish Submarine Divisions were destroyed trying to hunt down convoys around the Orkney Islands, 360 Swedes now find their resting place at the bottom of the North Sea.
Finally, an ugly report came from both the Hungarian Socialist Republic and Yugoslavian Socialist Republic. The Fascist Spanish, Australian, and Romanian Air Forces have begun to bomb civilian populations in retaliation for the Disaster at Danzig. At least now they are showing their true colors to the world, even if most of the world's governments will side with them in fear. But the people know, and it was the Capitalist-Fascists that started this war, and should we lose, our ideals will forever live on in the people.
For the Worker, For the Internationale, and For Freedom!
