Hearts of Iron: The Soviets

[bamcgee]

I haven't played in a while, but I remember that last time I became frustrated with the resource system. I couldn't figure out how to procure rubber without depleting every resource that I had on the open market. I created some vicious cycle where I (or the AI) sold oil to get rubber, then had to sell coal to get oil, etc.

Does anyone have any tips on how to manage this better? Open market sucks and the USSR had no colonies.

Great dynasty by the way, looking forward to reading more.

[klayman]

Managing resources:

-Don't trade oil for rubber in any circumstance. You start out (at least the big 5 countries do, I think) with a 3-1 oil to rubber conversion process anyway. In order to successfully make a trade on the market you would have to make a 3-1 or 4-1 trade. It's just better to convert it yourself.

-Starting as the USSR, you have a large oil resource, so you shouldn't worry too much about getting rubber. Trade some of your excess coal to fill your rubber needs, and by the time the war starts you should have enough rubber to last you for awhile.

-research heavily in industrial research to get the conversion techs. By the end of the research tree you can have a 1-1 oil to rubber and 1.5-1 coal to oil conversion techs (I might be wrong about that numbers, don't have the game in front of me).

-When a war starts, cancel your trades. They become useless since you still give up 4 times your resource but only get about 10%-15% back

-exception to the rule for war. Trades work like this. The higher the ratio and the longer they have been active gets the priority. Therefore a 3:1 rubber trade might be worth hanging onto, since after the war is over, your 3:1 rubber trade will bounce to the top of the priority list (assuming everybody else at 3:1 canceled their's)

-The numbers in the world trade screen indicate how much a resource is selling. If there is 9999 steal on the market, you should be able to get it a 1-1 trade. If there is only 1 of any resource, there is still a daily trade allowance.

600 Rubber
5 Steel
5 Coal
200 oil

That means that you will always be able to buy at least 600 rubber per day even if the world resource is at 1. Of course, everybody else will be competing for that rubber, so you'd likely have to trade 2400 resources away to get it all.

-Your resources are related to your industrial capacity. If you are having resource shortages, it's not a good idea to increase your IC, thus increasing your need for more resources. There are two ways around this:
1)Be in a state of perpetual IC increase. With each IC increase you lose 1/2 of the provinces IC or 5 IC, whichever is less. Constantly increasing most of your provinces could keep your IC down. In 5 years, however, it will hit a stagnate decline, and your IC will continue to increase (plus it will already be inflated from 5 years of increase). Unless you have researched the industry techs and conquered some territory, this will likely blow up in your face.
2)Not having resources prevents you from using that IC. If you find yourself with a dwindling resource pile and want to stockpile for the future, you can move more IC's in the unit construction, but not build anything. This will prevent those IC's from using the resources, and might allow you to build up a stockpile so you can run to your full IC.

-If you find you have a stockpile full (99999 units), you can ship your resources to some land not connected to your home province. USSR has two provinces you can do this in (Commodore and I forget the other one, it's close to the Japanese Mainland). At these places you can build up a 9999 resource stockpile. If you don't the extra resources would just go to waste. Some countries can't do this. A unified Germany cannot for instance, since all their provinces will be connected.

-Remember that having a full resource stockpile is not a requirement of the game. It just means that you can't run your economy at full force. Historically speaking, this is pretty accurate. If you desperately need to build certain units or research certain items, take the dissent hit in lowering your consumer goods and supplies. But you don't have to run 100%, 100% of the time. In fact for countries like Germany, I think it's impossible to do it (I haven't played Germany that much, however).

More help can be found on the Paradox fourms @ HOI- FAQ and The Resource FAQ

Hope that helps.

[bamcgee]

thanks, that's good stuff.

[klayman]

Sino-Japanese War
The Japanese failed to capitalize on the quick offensive in May and made no ground through the rest of the month. By late May they moved their invasion force even further south, invading Haikou. The Chinese however were able to hold off three invasion waves, and by early June the Japanese were forced to regroup. On June 4th Japanese ground forces successfully captured Datong, which now left the Communist Chinese forces exposed to Japanese attack.

The Japanese had extended themselves too far however, and the Soviets were quick to jump on the advantage. In early June, Rokossovsky’s 1st Armor Group was shuttled across Siberia by train, and on June 28th invaded Hailar behind the Japanese Supply lines. Around the same time, General Romanenko’s Chinese Expeditionary Force 1st Cavalry Group invaded Hohhot, just as they had 2 years ago and annihilated a small Japanese force there, capturing the province in the first week of June.

As news of the Russian tanks rolling behind them spread through the Japanese forces, their offensive on China quickly fell apart. Rokossovsky (whose name I’ve been spelling horribly wrong throughout this dynasty) easily marched through Hailar and Oroqen Zizhiqi by July 12th. By the 20th he had pushed as far south as Qiqihar eliminating the Japanese threat to the north and looked unstoppable against small Japanese forces. Rokossovsky was ordered from Qiqihar to push into Dantong to relieve the Chinese forces fighting there. Although the terrain proved difficult at times, the 1st Armor Group was successful in engaging a large Japanese garrison there, and captured the city on August 6th.

As Romanenko and the 1st Cavalry Group held Hohhot against a Japanese counter-attack, the Nationalist Chinese forces quickly mobilized to attack the now diminished Japanese front. Japan had diverted most of their troops into either an attack on Haikou, which they finally took by July 26, or further east to prevent the Soviets from gaining ground. By early August, the front was shattered and the Nationalist Forces liberated Beijing towards the end of the month.

On August 15th, despite the relatively easy successes the 1st Armor Group was having in Northern China, Stalin recalled them from the CEF and ordered them back into Soviet controlled territory. This left the surprised Chinese forces open to a counter attack in which Japan took full advantage of, reclaiming Datong on the 17th. After several bloody battles against Chinese forces, the 1st Cavalry Group of the CEF arrived in Datong and ejected the invaders from the city once again. Historians have debated as to why Stalin pulled the 1st Armor Group out of China. Some believe that Stalin thought he had fulfilled his obligation to the Communist Chinese forces, had avenged the Russians defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, and therefore wanted their presence back on the Polish border, where they would be better served intimidating the Europeans. But others feel that Stalin knew that although the 1st Armor group enjoyed an early advantage in the northern plains, they would have a much more difficult time in the hilly and mountains terrain farther south, and he didn’t want the ‘Pride of the Red Army’ to suffer an embarrassing defeat. Either way, the CEF had accomplished their job and had brought a serious halt to the Japanese invasion.

Research
In early May the air force developed basic aerodynamics which would lead to more advanced small aircraft. Scientific research then focused on Industrial Research, developing New Synthetic Materials and Hydroforming theories in June. The New Synthetic Materials opened the door to new materials being developed for military use, while Hydroforming developed theories on better oil production and conversion from coal. These advancements were followed by more breakthroughs in electronics as a Basic Decimetric Radar was developed followed by a Cavity Magnetron which would lead to better and longer range radar. By July the armed forces had completed Early War Combat Testing opening up new doctrines for the armed forces to research, and towards the end of July had supplied all units with Basic Vehicle Radio Sets which established better communications.

On August 20th, the first T-60 tank division was formed, the 10th Tankovaya Diviziya, and placed in the 2nd Armor Group under the command of a young General named Georgi Zhukov.

(Historical note for those who care: Rokossovsky and Zhurkov have almost reversed roles in this game. By 1937 Rokossovsky was one of the officers purged out by Stalin (although he was reinstated by 1940, hence his non-removal in the game), and it was Zhurkov who made great gains as a Lt. General in the undeclared border wars against Japan in 1938-39.)

[illinifan999]

Is there a way to change your countries government to make an alternative history. For example, take over Canada. Make them a Facist govt. Ally with the Axis and have to have the US fight a war on almost three fronts?

[klayman]

Originally posted by illinifan999
Is there a way to change your countries government to make an alternative history. For example, take over Canada. Make them a Facist govt. Ally with the Axis and have to have the US fight a war on almost three fronts?

There isn't a way set in stone (unless you can mod government types), but if your dissent is greater than 60% you have a chance at a revolution. From there you can pick on of the other two types. And during war, you are likely to ally with the leader of the government type. Just be aware that it doesn't always happen.

I've never attempted it, so I can't say for sure, but you might start a civil war inside your country, which each side gaining an amount of provinces. Like I said, not sure if that is the case (it happens in the Spanish Civil war, but that event is scripted).

Edit: Easiest way to raise your dissent is to have no consumer goods.

[klayman]

Sino-Japanese War
With the removal of the 1st Armor Group from China, momentum swung back into the Japanese’s favor. The Communists simply lacked the manpower to hold on to the territory gained by the Soviets, and the Japanese offensive rekindled without fear of reprisal from the Russian armor. On September 1st, Japan re-occupied Hohhot, cutting the communist supply lines in the occupied territories of Hailar and Oroqen Zizhiqi. Mao Tse-tung pleaded to Stalin for the return of the 1st Armor Group to crush the invaders, but Stalin refused. Instead he commissioned the 1st Army (Armiya) out of Vladivostok under the command of General Gudymenko to cross the northern border into Hailar and support the Chinese Troops.

Romanenko, dug in around Dantong, resisted a Japanese counter-attack into the city in early September. The Japanese had now moved most of the Royal Air Force up north to support the invasion, and Romanenko found his command under heavy air attack. He also needed to reopen the supply lines to Hailar, and on September 2nd left Dantong to Communist defense and invaded Hohhot for the third time in 2 years.

As the Kwantung Army pushed north to reclaim lost territory, the Nationalists continued to push their offensive and on September 11th, liberated Tianjin. Except for Haikuo and Shanghai, the Japanese had made no ground against the Chinese in the now 11 month war, a far different scenario then originally envisioned.

The Kwantung pushed north and reclaimed Oroqen Zizhiqi from a small communist force on September 11th. The Communist forces without supplies for weeks were ill equipped to deal with the onslaught. The 1st Armiya also feeling the effects of the lack of supplies started to pull out of Hailar and move into the comforts and protection of Mongolia. Until the supply lines were reopened, there could be no help from the Soviets. Thankfully for the Communist troops in Hailar, the Romaneko’s 1st Cavalry Group was able to retake Hohhot on the 13th of September, and the Soviet and Communist troops were supplied in time to prevent the Kwantung’s invasion of Hailar.

Fresh supplies empowered Gudymenko’s courage, and he led the 1st Armiya back into Oroqen Zizhiqi on the 20th, easily overpowering the small Japanese force that was able to take the province from the Chinese. The Japanese Northern front was once again in shambles, and combined Soviet and Chinese forces pushed east at the start of the October.

In the south, the Japanese were having considerably more success. They successfully defended their landing beaches at Nantong from Nationalist Chinese counter-attack, and by early October, after weeks of air bombing, finally marched towards the Chinese capital of Nanjing.

Nanking Massacre
Japanese war planes began bombing Nanking concentrating their efforts on the downtown areas which were most densely populated by civilians. As Nanking came under attack the capital was again moved this time to Chungking. Knowing that Japanese troops were en route toward the city the people panicked and tried to flee. On 6th Oct 1938 Japanese ground forces reached Nanking where they were met with minimal resistance from overwhelmed and fatigued Chinese military units. With Japanese troops attacking the city from all angles the Chinese forces were routed. Fearing the consequences of surrender to the Japanese Chinese military men donned civilian clothing and retreated into the city. It was on this day that the six-week stretch of atrocities against the civilian population of Nanking began. The news of the massacre soon hit the world and significantly deteriorated Japan’s relations with the Democratic countries.

Events in Europe
The focus of the world clearly remained on Eastern Asia during the summer of 1938. By the fall however, attention started to drift back to Europe. Hitler’s Germany combined with Austrian lands continued to expand their influence. Although their initial request for Czechoslovakia to cede lands owed to them failed, they continued to press the issue. In early September, French and British representatives began to mediate the dispute. The Soviets offered the Czechoslovakians military support, but were rebuked. Instead, Prime Minister Chamberlain and France Premier Daladier accepted Hitler's demands for the Sudetenland in return for his promise not to claim any other European territory. With tensions appeased, Chamberlain returned home to the UK to claim the Munich Pact was “peace for our time”.

edit: removed some incorrect dates from the Nanking Massacre game text

[klayman]

Sino-Japanese War
The combined Soviet and Chinese offensive pushed into Qiqihar with the 1ya Armiya taking the province on October 15th. Romaneko’s 1st Cavalry Group pushed east from Hohhot into the mountains surrounding Linxi, and found themselves quickly outmatched by the fortified Kwantung army. After several days of fighting, a battered Romaneko limped back to Hohhot to reorganize. In late November, Gudeymenko’s 1ya Armiya tried to liberate Linxi, but despite outnumber the Japanese over 2 to 1, they met much the same fate, and the October offensive quickly turned into a stalemate.

In the South, the Japanese were having much more success against the Nationalist Chinese then they were against the combined Soviet and Communist Chinese forces. By October 20th, they had established beachheads on Kowloon and took control of the province, launching another front against the Chinese. By Late December they pushed north towards Nanjing and had captured Shaoguan and Shantou. They were also able to expand the front around Nanjing, capturing Huainar on October 18th, and Lianyungang on December 29th. All in all however, they unable to make very many gains throughout the year.

Research
With the Sino-Japanese war slowly drawing into a war of attrition, the Soviets turned more attention towards research. In the final three months of 1938, Soviet scientists developed a Anti-Tank Gun 40mm+ (which provided better attack against light tanks for the armed forces), Basic Fighter Development (leading to more advanced fighter planes), Catalytic Polymerization (which would allow Synthetic Rubber plants), Basic Artillery Pieces (allowing bigger and better artillery), and Basic Long Range Radio Sets (which would improve communications throughout the armed forces).

As well, the Soviets had also brought Communist China, Mongolia, and Tannu Tuva up to date in terms of technology by mid-December, and hopefully those three countries would soon be in the position to share technology back with the Soviets.

[klayman]

Chapter Four: The Road to War (1939)

Another round of Industrial improvements gained considerable benefits for the Soviets as their IC rose to 465.0 in 1939, a 12.7% increase. The success of the Northern Chinese forces had bolstered Soviet moral although reports of Germany's unchecked Armed Forces growth remained a concern. The Soviets no longer held the largest number of Armor divisions in the world, that was now in the Americans hands. The USSR had in fact slipped to third behind Germany as well, and they looked to 1939 to strengthen their numbers in that department.

1939 Almanac

Frustrated with the lack of success in organizing a communist coup in Spain, Stalin removed Foreign Minister Maksim Litvinov and replaced him with Andrey Vyshinsky (Cloak and dagger schemer).
Coup Nation:25 (30) DI +10% chance, Influence Nation: +10% chance, Puppet Regime: +6 (+3)DI, Assume Military Control: 2(3) DI

National Army Comparison
Soviets rank 1st, 92 Infantry divisions, 4 Cavalry Div, 3 Motorized Div, 10 Armor divisions, 9 Mountain Div, 114 Total divisions.
Top 5: Soviets (114), Germany (113), UK (102), Nationalist China (93), France (81)

National Navy Comparison
Soviets rank 6th, 3 Battleships, 4 Cruisers, 8 Destroyer Groups, 17 submarines flotillas, 6 transport flotilla.
Top 5: UK (115), USA(114), Japan(90), Italy(68), France (43)

National Air Force Comparison
Soviets rank 7th, 8 fighter squadrons, 4 tact bomber squadrons
Top 5: USA (43), Germany (36), UK (33), Japan (28), Italy (26)

Economic Information
Total IC: 465.0
Daily Production for:
Coal: 1322.0 units
Steel: 720.0 units
Rubber: 0.0 units
Oil: 238.0 units

Manpower: 341.0 units

[ShagVT]

How much flexibility do you have in changing world events here? For example, could you blitzkrieg Hitler instead of waiting for him to start the war?

[klayman]

Originally posted by ShagVT
How much flexibility do you have in changing world events here? For example, could you blitzkrieg Hitler instead of waiting for him to start the war?

There is quite a bit of flexibility. Yeah, I could blitz Hitler, but 1)I don't have direct access to Germany, so I'd have to do an invasion landing and 2) that would be suicide at this point

What I could do is ally with the Czechs and move through there, keeping Poland as a buffer against Germany. I could declare war on the Czechs and take their territory and then declare war on Germany from there, etc. The possibilities are numerous.

The Communist and Fascist countries have the ability to declare war on anybody at anytime, where the democracies have to have a 100% war entry support. The more you declare war though, the more the Allies will turn their aggression toward you.

[klayman]

The Calm of 39

Research
The first half of 1939 proved very fruitful for the Communist research machine. They opened the year with scientific advancement in 'Polyurethane', which increased IC efficiency throughout the USSR, and by the end of March they had developed a 'Tank Gun 40mm+' (obviously allowing bigger tank guns), completed 'Basic Heavy Bomber Prototype Tests' (allowing advancement with Strategic bombers and Air transports), and a 'Moving Target Indicator' (improving radar).

In April, Scientist unlocked the possibilities of 'Improved Synthetic Oil Plants' (reducing the coal to oil conversion), 'Nylon' (synthetic fiber leading to advanced equipment), 'Basic SR Fighter Prototype Tests' (leading to advanced interceptors), and 'Frequency Modulation' (a theory that would advance radar and computers). The Air force also completed 'Early War Experience Analysis' broadening the doctrines available to the air force.

Through the Spring and Summer advancements continued to pour through the Soviet Scientific community with 'Divisional Defensive Organization' and 'Deep Area Defence’ doctrines. Both improved the organization and defence value of the armed forces. By mid May the 'Basic Corps Signal Command System' was developed providing more intelligence on the front lines for our troops, and the 'Field Artillery Gun 100mm+' added more punch to artillery brigades. In June, the Air force developed the 'Sheltered Airfields Organization' providing better organization and air defence for the Air force, while also finishing a new 'Basic Strategic Bomber', the Pe-8. By mid August the air force added a new 'Basic Interceptors' as well, the MiG-3.

The first ‘Submersible Tank’ rolled off the production lines in early July providing the Army with Armor support in a shore attack and the ‘Anti-Air Gun 30mm+’ added better air defence for ground units as well. Soviet scientists developed the 'Magnetic Drum Data Storage', paving the way for improved computers, and the 'Basic Electromechanical Encryption Devices' which allowed covert communications away from prying enemy eyes and ears.

On August 18, 1939 after various articles in newspapers and scientific journals, Soviet scientist stumbled upon the ‘Blitz Bombing Doctrine’ improving accuracy and organizing of tactical and dive bombers alike. Fresh from the accidental breakthrough, the Air force completed work on a new 'Basic Medium-Range Bomber Engine' to take advantage of the doctrine.

As summer came to a close and war immediately upon them, the Soviets developed 'Improved Synthetic Rubber Plants' reducing the amount of oil needed to convert to rubber, which would become an important factor in the coming months.

[klayman]

Sino-Japanese War
As a fierce 1939 winter rolled into China, both Japanese and Chinese offensive ground to a standstill. The Soviet forces of the CEF, still licking their wounds from the beating by the Kwangtung Army in Linxi, were dug in their respective positions and made no plans for any type of offensive in the coming months.

Japan managed a successful invasion of Bobai in South China in early January, but tsunamis and bad weather prevented any consolidation on the beachhead, and a Nationalist Chinese counter-attack drove them back into the Bobai Sea on January 23. A half hearted offensive into Guangzhou was also thrown back by Chinese defenses, and the Sino-Japanese War crawled to a halt until the spring.

On April 22, the Japanese reopened their offensives pushing north from Haikou into Zhanjiang, but were once again rebuffed by strong Nationalist Chinese forces. The Japanese would continue with 5 more offensives into Zhanjiang, but were constantly thrown back by Chinese forces throughout the summer of 1939. In May, bolstered by new Soviet doctrines shared with both Communist and Nationalist Chinese, the Nationalists launched a quick offensive to recapture Huainan, to which they were successful on May 14th, and Lianyungang. However, they suffered a horrible casualty rate in the Huainan attack, and a Japanese counter-offensive recaptured the city on the 26th. The Lianyungang offensive was eventually forced to retreat by May 28th, suffering great casualties against a fortified Japanese force.

After the May Chinese offensives, the Japanese quickly went on the counter-attack, and by early June had secured Xuzhou, pushing north from Nanjing. By mid July, the counter-attack had turned into a counter-offensive, and the Japanese claimed Qingdao (on June 12th), Hangzhou (June 22nd), Shaoguan (on July 14th), and Jinan (on July 24th). A counter attack by the Chinese had recaptured Nanjing in late June, but the momentum of battle was clearly in the Japanese favor. By early August they had recaptured Bobai and re-launched an invasion, this time successfully, into Guangzhou.

As summer grew to a close, the Japanese reinforced their gains, and their offensives slowed taking a back seat to the unfolding events in Europe.

[sachmo71]

Klayman, on the decription of the Mig-3...could it really cruise at 40,000 feet? That is awfully high for a piston engine. May 14,000? BTW, did you make that document yourself? Very nice work!

[klayman]

Originally posted by sachmo71
Klayman, on the decription of the Mig-3...could it really cruise at 40,000 feet? That is awfully high for a piston engine. May 14,000? BTW, did you make that document yourself? Very nice work!

The info was gathered from various sources off the internet, so I can't vouch for it's accuracy, but that's some of the information that I found. I'll try to double check today to make sure.

And thanks, it was more work than I thought it would be

[illinifan999]

Thanks for this dynasty. Using the US as my first real game, I've definatly gone for the military. I like the events and now have military access through Canada, Ireland, Phillipines, and Nationalist Spain. Made my first attack on german-occupied french soil and won it. However, the Japanese didn't do a Pearl Harbor and they haven't really entered the war yet in 1942. They took over China, but that's about it.

[sachmo71]

Klayman, maybe this tool will help you with the AAR.

http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=2068786#post2068786

It will extract the history log from your savegame, allowing you to pinpoint dates better without having to write things down as much. It's basically just a convert from an EUII history editor, but I've been toying with it a bit and it can really help filter down some of the info. Hopefully, Ederon will get some more of the filters working and get the program really humming with HOI, but as of now it works at least!

[klayman]

illinifan: Glad you are enjoying the game. I usually enjoy playing the US as well. They are the only country that can realistically complete the research tree.

sachmo: Thanks. I tried that tool when I first tried HoI but it didn't work for it then. What I usually do is have Word open and have 3 headers (Research, Europe Events, Far Events) and write down notes as they happen and then rewrite it for posting. Usually it works well, just this time I got so engrossed in playing, it was Sept 1939 and 10 months had gone by without a single note being taken by me. So I already parsed the history log on my own, just took awhile to do.

Btw, Europe Events should be up by tonight or tomorrow, and then I can back to playing.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Just wanted to let you know I'm still here and still reading daily. Enjoying it very much, and am looking forward to firing up this game if I ever finish current dynasties.

Great job!

[sabotai]

Since we're all doing it, I'll also give this dynasty a shout out! Loving it so far. I'm sold on the game, I just have to find the money and time to go buy it.

[klayman]

Thanks for the replies

Events in Europe
Chamberlain’s “peace in our time” lasted until March of 1939, when the Munich Treaty fell apart. On March 15, under the guise of protecting the minority Slovakians in Czechoslovakia, German troops occupied Bohemia and Moravia, and made them a “protectorate” of the German Reich, all as Germany was prodding the Slovaks to declare their own independent republic, a clerico-fascist state headed by a Roman Catholic priest, Father Jozef Tiso, that became a puppet and military ally of the Reich. Ruthenia was returned to Hungary, and the end of Czechoslovakia was complete.

Days later, all hell broke lose as German troops looked poised to march into Lithuania. After days of intense negotiations, Lithuania ceded the former German territory Memel back to Germany on March 24th. Seizing on this opportunity of bullish tactics, Italy delivered Tiranë an ultimatum on March 25 demanding that it accede to Italy's occupation of Albania. Zog refused to accept money in exchange for countenancing a full Italian takeover and colonization of Albania and on April 14 Mussolini's troops invaded Albania. Despite some stubborn resistance the Italians made short work of the Albanians. Unwilling to become an Italian puppet King Zog his wife Queen Geraldine Apponyi and their infant son Skander fled to Greece and eventually to London. On April 15 the Albanian parliament voted to unite the country with Italy. Victor Emmanuel III took the Albanian crown and the Italians set up a fascist government under Shefqet Verlaci and soon absorbed Albania's military and diplomatic service into Italy's.

By now it was obvious to the Western leaders what the Soviets had been preaching for years; that Hitler would not be stopped by appeasement. Chamberlain sorrowfully announced his failure and openly offered protection of Polish independence. On March 30th, Poland officially became a member of the Allied States which included the UK, Iraq, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen and Oman. Any attack on Poland by Germany would now mean war, but Hitler still had one more card up his sleeve.

While tensions grew over the preceding months, secret behind closed door meetings were concluded, and on August 24, the world stood in shock as the Soviets and Germany announced a non-aggression pact. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (read the text) provided 10 years of peaceful coexistence between Germany and the Soviet Union. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, however, was that the pact secretly established both German and Soviet spheres of influence in Eastern Europe.

Now was the time for Hitler to make another bold move. Without the possibility of Soviet retaliation, Hitler was confident that the Western Powers would not interfere with his claims on Poland. He began amassing troops along the border and on August 30th demanded Danzig from Polish control. With the backing of the Western Allies, Poland refused, and with that refusal, Germany declared war on Poland. Twenty four hours later, the Allies declared war on Germany and its ally Slovakia, and 21 years after the Great War, Europe was at war again.

[sachmo71]

Klayman, just so you know, the tool which I mentioned above didn't work with HOI, but the author has converted so that it does. I have to use it, because if I ALT+TAB out of HOI, my screen get's screwed up when I tab back to it.

Also...have you thought about using counters instead of unit pictures?

[klayman]

I got to admit I like the sprites for the unit graphics. It's not very 'hard-core wargamer-like' of me, but oh well. I can switch to the counters if you would rather see them in the maps.

For awhile I played with counters on, but I missed seeing my battleships fire a salvo, tanks moving across the dessert, etc. Little things, I know, but they added more to my enjoyment of the game.

That's weird your screen messes up on alt+tab. I've never had a problem with it.

[sabotai]

klay, could you (or anyone else) post a screen shot with the counters. I'm just curious as to what it looks like.

[klayman]

sure. Here's the eastern front with counters.

[klayman]

The Blitzkrieg of Poland
Although the Poles had a strong force, over 45 divisions strong, they faltered in tactical preparation for the war. Hamstrung by continuing European pressure into delaying any meaningful army mobilization that might have been considered provocative to the Germans, they relied on a rigid defense of the whole frontier. The lightning quick movement of the German Panzerkorps and Luftwaffe combined to prevent any mobilization along the Polish front, to which the Poles could never realistically have defended anyway. By September 8, 1939, the Luftwaffe had crippled the Polish air force, cumulating in a large air battle above Cieszyn. The Germans deployed two armies against Poland, the first taking the Northern front, while the 2nd pushed eastwards toward Krakow. By September 3, the Northern front had collapsed back to the Wisla River, with Poznan and Bydgoszcz securely in German hands, and cutting off a sizeable Polish force defending Danzig, who could only hold out for 5 more days before falling to the German onslaught. By the 11th, the entire Polish Navy had been defeated just outside the port of Danzig.

The 2nd German Army met considerably more opposition than the Northern front had experienced, but with the destruction of the Polish air force on September 8th, the Germans and Slovakians, with air superiority behind them, pushed into Cieszyn, securing the province on the 11th. By the 19th, they had plowed through Czestochowa and captured the old Polish capital of Krakow.

The Polish now in disarray, had seen their country demolished in a matter of 19 days, and began to fall back into a defensive position and wait for help from the West which would never materialize. The French promised Poland to open up an offensive on the western front that never came, and although the British were enjoying limited success at sea against the Germans, two failed landings at Hamburg (one by Canadian troops, this alternate history’s version of Dieppe?) proved too costly to pursue. On September 17th, German foreign minister Ribbentrop offered the Soviets to engage the Polish from the east. The declaration of Hungary joining the Nazi alliance on the 19th, prompted concern from Stalin, and he declined to engage the Polish forces unless France mounted an offensive in the West. Why he chose not to invade Poland is debated, with many thinking that Stalin, knowing his forces were not yet ready for a full invasion, did not want to show any kind of military weakness to the Germans. But recently released documents show that Stalin was concerned about the Germans not honoring the non-aggression pact and turning on the Soviets in Poland. Stalin didn’t want his forces, weakened by invasion to be caught between Germany and Hungary were those weakness could be exploited. Instead he “let the Germans do the dirty work” for him. Instead Stalin mobilized the 9th and 4th armies south and pressured Romania into ceding all territory to the Siret River, including the cities of Beltsy and Chisinau.

The Northern Front split into 3 spearheads into Torun, Lodz, and Radom, each securing the cities by the 20th and by the 23rd had laid siege to Warszawa, the Polish capital. By October 4th, Germans had advanced as far east as Ostroleka and Lublin and in the south into Przemysi. The southern advance pushed into Sandomierz on the 8th and the Poles made their last stand, throwing a massive counter-attack into Sandomierz on the 10th. The Germans withstood the Polish counter-attack, however, and although the Southern offensive had slowed, Polish resistance was broken. On October 12th the Northern Offensive marched into Brzescnad Bugiem, and the next day, the Poles surrendered.

Despite Stalin’s fears, Hitler was good to his word, and the left the eastern Polish provinces to the Soviets, after expelling most of the non-German population to the eastern provinces from the occupied territories. The Soviets quickly mobilized their forces to secure their new expanded borders.

[klayman]

The Air War
Although the Allies failed to mobilize an offensive into Germany during the invasion, they were able to mount a successful air campaign against Germany cities early in the war. The French and British suffered heavy losses in the opening days of the war, but as German attention shifted eastward, the British were able to secure some success at strategic bombing raids on German industry. The first such raid occurred over Essen on September 20th, and the raids continued into the following months.

The War at Sea
The German u-boats and kriegsmarine scored early victories against allied shipping at the start of the war, but as the Allies slowly mobilized, they were able to limit the effectiveness of the Kriegsmarine. After several battles in the English Channel, a combined French and British fleet scored a major naval victory, and forced the German navy back into the Baltic Sea by November.

Soviet Research
By September the Army had developed a ‘Basic Army Signal Command System, which improved the Army’s ability to track the enemy. In October, Soviet scientists developed the ‘Maneuver Artillery Doctrine’, increasing the organization, attack, and defense of all ground units, the ‘Cavity Magnetron Device’ which lead to further advancement in radar, ‘Special Warfare Equipment’ allowing specialized units like paratroopers and marines, and the ‘Home Chain Doctrine’ which increased fighter organization as well as flak power.

The Sino-Japanese War
As September rolled around, the Japanese offensive resumed and they scored quick victories over the Nationalist Chinese forces in the south retaking Nanjing on the 2nd. An offensive in the south pushed north into Nanchang on the 27th; joining the Japanese two separate beachheads, and surrounding a large chunk of the Nationalist Chinese Army. As the Northern forces continued to pound the surrounded forces taking Ningbo on the 27th, the Southern forces continued westward deep into Chinese territory capturing Liuzhou on Oct 8th, Zhanjiang on the 10th, and Jiangmen on the 12th with relative ease.

The surrounded Nationalist forces continued to hold on against a ferocious Japanese attack, but finally lost Xiamen on the 20th to Japanese forces, almost completely securing the entire east coast of China for the Japanese. In the far North, the Communist and Soviet forces continued to stare down well fortified Japanese positions in Linxi.

On November 1th, the Chinese launched a joint counter attack, with Nationalist forces moving against Tianjin and Ningbo, while Communist Chinese and Soviet forces (both the 1st Army and 1st Cavalry Group) invaded Linxi. The Japanese were caught off guard, and the Communist forces were able to push through Linxi, while the Nationalist reclaimed Tianjin threatening the Korea peninsula. The counter-attack into Ningbo was thrown back however, and the Nationalist forces remained surrounded and besieged by Japanese invaders.

[sachmo71]

Originally posted by klayman
The Blitzkrieg of Poland

On October 12th the Northern Offensive marched into Brzescnad Bugiem, and the next day, the Poles surrendered.

Stupid computer. This is how you blitz Poland...

0:00 August 30, 1939 : Poland went with Then it is War in Danzig or War.
0:00 August 30, 1939 : Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia declared war upon Poland, United Kingdom, Iraq, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen and Oman.
7:00 August 30, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in the skies above Poznan.
13:00 September 1, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Poznan.
18:00 September 1, 1939 : We are attacked by hostile airplanes of Poland above Czestochowa.
20:00 September 1, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in the skies above Czestochowa.
14:00 September 2, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Czestochowa.
14:00 September 2, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Czestochowa.
8:00 September 3, 1939 : We are attacked by hostile armies of Poland in Poznan.
6:00 September 4, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Krakow.
11:00 September 4, 1939 : We are attacked by hostile armies of Poland in Radom.
12:00 September 4, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Radom.
0:00 September 5, 1939 : We are attacked by hostile armies of Poland in Czestochowa.
1:00 September 5, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Czestochowa.
6:00 September 5, 1939 : We have lost control over Poznan to Poland.
6:00 September 5, 1939 : We lost a battle against Poland in Poznan.
9:00 September 5, 1939 : We are attacked by hostile armies of Poland in Warszawa.
12:00 September 5, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Warszawa.
22:00 September 5, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Danzig.
2:00 September 6, 1939 : We are attacked by hostile armies of Poland in Krakow.
6:00 September 6, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Krakow.
11:00 September 6, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Poznan.
11:00 September 6, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Poznan.
4:00 September 7, 1939 : We are attacked by hostile armies of Poland in Warszawa.
4:00 September 7, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Warszawa.
13:00 September 7, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Poznan.
17:00 September 7, 1939 : We are attacked by hostile armies of Poland in Lublin.
6:00 September 8, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Lublin.
18:00 September 8, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Sandomierz.
0:00 September 10, 1939 : We have lost control over Troppau to Poland.
4:00 September 12, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Bydgoszcz.
4:00 September 12, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Bydgoszcz.
12:00 September 12, 1939 : We won a battle against Poland in Lwow.
12:00 September 12, 1939 : Poland are now part of our nation!

[klayman]

Nice. Version 1.01 I assume?

[JeffNights]

As anybody ever played the Big Campaign as Poland, i know it looks hopeless...aas i dont have HOi but it seems a skilled player could last longer than the real polish forces did....if not, i throw the challenge out there!

[klayman]

I haven't. Played as France once and held back the Germans, but that was back in the days of the poor AI. I would say that it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, though, and a skilled player could certainly hold out longer than the Polish actually did. Luxemburg...now there's a challenge

[sabotai]

I just picked up HOI for $20 at BestBuy. I'm going to give it a try in a few minutes. If it's not as good as I want it to be, I'm blaming you klayman!

[klayman]

[damnMikeBrown]

BestBuy eh? This game and Midevil Total War have been on my "I want" list since they came out. . .

[Lokugh]

Originally posted by klayman
There is quite a bit of flexibility. Yeah, I could blitz Hitler, but 1)I don't have direct access to Germany, so I'd have to do an invasion landing and 2) that would be suicide at this point

What I could do is ally with the Czechs and move through there, keeping Poland as a buffer against Germany. I could declare war on the Czechs and take their territory and then declare war on Germany from there, etc. The possibilities are numerous.

The Communist and Fascist countries have the ability to declare war on anybody at anytime, where the democracies have to have a 100% war entry support. The more you declare war though, the more the Allies will turn their aggression toward you.

And of course, using the editor, you can radically change things. I made Yugoslavia a superpower (in industry and resources), and added them to the Alliance. I had to build a tech base and army from scratch, but by December 1940, Yugoslavia owned Romania, Albania, Bulgaria and Czechoslvakia, and had helped the allies set up puppet regimes in Italy and Germany. Japan foolishly declared war on the US at this point, and we were gearing up our navy to go to invade China (which was owned by Japan) when I decided to go to bed last night...

David

[sabotai]

"This game and Midevil Total War have been on my "I want" list since they came out. . ."

Both are excellent games. (Total War is anyway, for me the jury is still out on HOI, but I've been having a lot of fun so far)

[klayman]

Originally posted by sabotai
"This game and Midevil Total War have been on my "I want" list since they came out. . ."

Both are excellent games. (Total War is anyway, for me the jury is still out on HOI, but I've been having a lot of fun so far)

So I don't owe you $20 then?

[klayman]

Btw, I'll be getting back to this tonight or tomorrow. Just polishing off some homework.

[sabotai]

Originally posted by klayman
So I don't owe you $20 then?

[klayman]

The Short Phony War
Bulgaria joined the Nazi Alliance on September 25th, followed by Italy in October to form a Berlin-Rome Axis. The UK continued to provide a naval blockade upon German shipping, while the French stared down Germany opposition from the safety of the Maginot line. Hitler wanted another blitzkrieg of France to follow Poland’s defeat, but his generals persuaded him out of launching an immediate attack. For the first month after the end of Polish resistance, the only nation that made any offensive moves was in fact Italy, who successfully invaded Grenoble on November 6th, 10 days after joining the Axis powers. A week later Germany began plans to invade France by flanking the Maginot Line and invading Belgium and pushing through the Ardennes. On November 12, Germany declared war on Belgium and Luxemburg.

The Winter War
Stalin was impressed with the Germans relatively easy annexation of Poland, and wished for a blitzkrieg of his own to impress other nations of the Red Army’s might. That didn’t come when Romania happily ceded territory to the advancing Red Army. The next target was Finland. Stalin demanded territory from the Finns to prevent a possible Nazi attack through the same territory. Finland was less then cooperative with the Soviet Government, and on November 14, Soviet troops began their invasion of Finland.

[klayman]

Russo-Finnish War OOB (Soviets) @ Nov 14, 1939
1st Northern Army under Field Marshal Blucher at Leningrad, including
- 1st Armor Group with 8 divisions (8 Armor (T-26)) under General Rokossovksy
- 10ya Armiya with 9 divisions (2 Infantry-A, 6 Infantry, and 1 Motorized Infantry-AT) under direct command of Blucher
- 5ya Armiya with 9 divisions (1 Infantry-A, 7 Infantry, and 1 Motorized Infantry) under General Eremenko
- Leningrad Air Command with 2 Squadrons (2 I-26 Fighters) under Air General Khudyakov

2nd Northern Army under Field Marshal Tukachevsky at Petrozavodsk, including
- 3ya Armiya with 9 divisions (1 Infantry-A, 7 Infantry, 1 Motorized Infantry-AT) under direct command of Tukachevsky
- 2nd Armor Group with 8 divisions (8 Armor (T-60)) under General Zhukov
- 7ya Armiya with 6 divisions (1 Infantry-A, 5 Infantry) under General Apanasenko) stationed in Murmansk
- Moscova Defense Corps with 3 divisions (1 Infantry-AA, 1 Infantry-A, 1 Infantry) under Lt. General Artemenko stationed in Moscow
- Western Air Command with 4 Squadrons (2 I-26 Fighters, 2 SB-2 Tactical Bombers) under Air Marshal Golovanov stationed in Murmansk

[klayman]

Germany’s Western Front
Luxemburg had little choice but to capitulate to the German war machine on November 13th. Belgium on the other withstood a strong German offensive into Bruxelles, slowing down the German army as they were forced to reorganize. Several days of intensive bombing by the Luftwaffe followed, and a bloody battle in Arlon proved disastrous for the Belgium Army, as the city fell on the 18th. Despite that set back, the Belgians held on, once again repulsing an initial German invasion into Bruxells on the 24th, although the city would fall 4 days later to another wave of German invasions.

The Winter War
Although Stalin wanted a quick blitzkrieg to call his own, his Generals knew that was unlikely. First, the Soviets had not yet upgraded their pre-war aircraft, and the Fins had a solid line of Anti-air guns across the border. Second, the weather and terrain would prove difficult for their armor divisions to penetrate against even dug-in moderate Finnish defensive units. They had to pick their battles carefully. FM Blucher made a daring move in the opening days of the campaign. While he waited for the full mobilization of his armed forces to arrive in Leningrad, he marched the 10ya Armiya in a feint maneuver towards the heavily fortified province of Viipuri, whilst moving Rokossovksy’s 1st Armor Group north into Petrozavodsk. This forced the Finns to divert forces from Sortavala and Joensuu to protect Viipuri, which the 2nd Northern Army took full advantage off, invading Sortavala on the 26th. Poor weather prevented the Soviets from launching an attack in the Northern part of Finland, and the pre-war bombers proved very faulty in the freezing conditions.

Blucher’s brilliant feint proved successful, as the Finns reshuffled their front against the supposed threat. As Blucher re-mobilized back to Leningrad preventing the Finns from seeing the full extent of his army, the Finns launched a counter attack that proved disastrous. One division of Finnish regulars under Lt. General Talvela where systematically wiped out by the full force of 10ya Armiya on the 18th, and Blucher launched a counter offensive back into Viipuri the next day. The Finns, not recognizing the full threat from the mobilizing forces in Leningrad, had moved to strengthen the capital of Helsinki fearing a Soviet Naval Invasion, and the strategically important province of Viipuri fell to Soviet control on the 20th.

Tukhachevsky’s invasion into Sortavala did not meet the same success. Due to some clerical errors, Tukhachevsky’s 3ya Armiya arrived in Sortavala hours ahead of their Armor support, and against a must bigger force than the Soviet intelligence had foreseen. He suffered heavy casualties in the opening hours of the battle, until Zhukov’s 2nd Armor Group caught up and engaged the enemy. Still outnumbering the Finns over 3 to 1, the Finns were able to inflict high casualties on the Soviets, and Rokovssovsky’s 1st Armor group needed to be diverted to Sortavala to help out. But Rokovssovsky would not arrive in time, and suffering almost a 80% causality rate, Tukhachevsky was forced to retreat on the 29th of November.

Research
The ‘Basic Medium Bomber Airframe’ was developed in November, which opened the door for improved tactical bombers, that the Winter war was showing the Soviets badly needed.

African War
The Italians for all their accomplishments in defeating the British in the Mediterranean at sea and at air were beaten back by the British forces in Libya, losing Bardiyah, Al Jaghbub, and Bir El Hakim in late November. The British also began threatening other Italian African possessions, taking Obbia on the November 25th, and launching raids into Ethiopia, capturing Asmara on the 27th. Italy’s empire was quickly crumbling, much to the chagrin of Hitler.

Sino-Japanese War
The isolated Nationalist force along the eastern shore was slowly being starved out of existence. Cut off they lost Hangzhou on November 20th, and the rest of the force in Wenzhou surrendered 2 days later, leaving the entire Eastern Chinese Coast in Japanese hands.

Despite poor weather with the coming winter in China, the Japanese pushed west from the south into Nanning on November 27th, threatening the new Chinese capital of Kunming. Unless the Soviets or Communist Chinese put together a much more aggressive offensive, it was feared that the Nationalist would not be able to hold out past the comming Summer.

[klayman]

Just a format question for anybody still reading. There is obviously a ton of stuff going on at the same time right now. Would you prefer that I a) give it in short blurbs like the last post that addresses all the theaters of war at about a month a time, or would you prefer that I b) made longer posts for each theater covering more time. The differences are that with a) I can make quicker posts, but the information is all disjointed and jumping around the place, and with b) the information on specific theaters is more compact and easier to follow (plus it's easier to determine what pictures are important for the information conveyed), but I'd have to play (and write) more, so the posts would not be as regular.

It's really up to you guys, as I've got a pretty good system down right now between separating notes. Either way I still use the same system, it's just a matter of how often I would post that info.

[sachmo71]

Hey Klayman, do you want me to send you that utility that extracts history logs? It might help organize the information and save you some time...

[klayman]

Thanks sach, I got it already. I still like taking notes cause they convey my ideas at the time, like sometimes why I might of been researching a particular item at that particular time, or the feel of how a battle is going, etc.

[sachmo71]

Well, I can follow the writeups either way, but I think if you group things together it feel "neater", or something.

[Godzilla Blitz]

I like the "a" format, with detailed writeups for things relating directly to Russia, much like the last post on 10/8.

[ShagVT]

Agreed.

[scooper]

Yup, ditto.

[klayman]

Sorry for the lack of updates. Real life and hockey got in the way.