Hearts of Iron: The Soviets

[klayman]

The Winter War
Hampered by the poor weather and strong Finnish resistance, Soviet offensives slowed into December. The beating that Tuckhachevsky took in Sortavala proved the Soviets would not have their ‘blitzkrieg’ that Stalin desperately wanted. Instead they choose battles they knew they could win. The Red Banner Baltic Fleet, under Grand Admiral Viktorov, secured the waters off Mariehamn in preparation for a Soviet invasion. There they came under attack from the Finnish fleet on December 8th in Aelands Hav. The Soviet fleet, with the Battleships Gamgut and Marat easily chased the Finns back into the Mariehamn port. Upon securing the island, the Moscova Defense Corps managed to capture the badly damaged cruisers Vainamoinen and Illmarinen on December 10th, along with 2 destroyer flotillas and a submarine flotilla as well.

Blucher found a weakness in the Finnish front, and invaded Mikkeli with the 10ya Armiya and the 1st Armor group. The Finns were able to re-enforce their garrisons before Blucher could arrive in Mikkeli, doubling the size of the force he thought he was up against. Still, the Soviets outnumbered the Finns nearly 4-1 in troops, and after several days of intense Finnish defense, Mikkeli fell to Blucher on December 22nd. Blucher dug in and secured the province while waiting for Tuchachevsky to mobilize towards Mikkeli in preparation for an offensive into Helsinki.

In the north the Western Air Command was upgraded with two more SB-2 Tactical Bomber squadrons, and launched a month of constant bombing raids into Finland, concentrating on Petsamo in preparation for an invasion by the 7ya Armiya in mid January.

Research
In December Soviet scientists developed ‘Improved Electromagnetic Computers’ which decreased both research costs and time and the Army developed ‘120mm+ Howitzer’ increasing the attack capabilities of the infantry.

Germany’s Western Front
By November 30th, Belgium was occupied by German forces, after the last of Belgian resistance fell in Antwerpen, leaving their forces to scramble across the border in preparation for the defense of France. The forests around Chaumont helped slow the German offensive into France, and the German forces were repulsed back into Belgium the next day. By December 12th, however, the German offensive around the Ardennes Forest had captured almost every French province east from Seine River, and threatened Paris. Reims fell on the 27th, and as the French mobilized their forces in defense of her capital, Lyon fell to the Italians on the 29th. Only the intervention of Yugoslavia would prevent the fall of Paris in December.

The Yugoslavian Struggle
Yugoslavia struggled to remain neutral through the beginning months of the war; however on December 6th they succumbed to German pressure and signed the Tripartite Pact, aligning them with the Axis Powers. Three days later, however, an anti-axis military coup overthrew the government, claiming the throne and declaring war against their former allies. German forces were forced to divert forces from the French front which caused a disastrous push into Paris to crumble to fierce French resistance. Italian forces were forced to mobilize east as well after pushing into Lyon in the south of France. As both Axis superpowers diverted attention to the upstart Yugoslavians, France was able to collect her breath and reinforce positions south of the Seine River.

While the Yugoslavs were not able to mount an offensive against the Germans, they were able to invade Italian controlled Albania, freeing Tirane. By January, however, the Yugoslavians had lost Ljubljana to a combined German-Italian force, and were in a fierce defensive struggle against the German/Italians from the West and Hungarians and Bulgarians from the East.

African War
Although the Italian navy was able to score some successful victories against the Royal Navy, the British continued to roll over the Italian armies in northern Africa, taking Aujilla on December 9th. With Yugoslavia joining the Allies, the Italians and Germans were forced to pull forces back to protect their boarders, leaving no reinforcements for the African divisions. Five days later Bengazhi fell to the Allies, leaving the Axis with only 1 port in Africa at Tripoli. Having lost almost all her empire to combined French, British, and Yugoslavian invasions while the Germans were invincibly annexing provinces from those same nations, the Italians suffered even greater embarrassment when the UK successfully invaded Sicily on December 26th, capturing Siracusa.

Sino-Japanese War
The Japanese forces moved quickly to reclaim Tainjin, before winter set in putting a halt to all offenses during December. A Nationalist Chinese counter-attack failed to stop the offensive, and in mid December they reclaimed the province that the Nationalist forces had liberated months before. The Chinese were now completely land locked by Japanese occupation.

[klayman]

Chapter Five: The Patriotic War (1940)

By 1940, the Soviet industry was fully committed to war, and no infrastructure or new industry projects were initiated. However, territorial claims on Poland and Romania as well as occupation of Finland had increased their IC to 490. Although they had not achieved the quick victory over Finland that Stalin wanted, the Red Army had secured notable victories in 1939, both in Finland and China. The Germans had quickly shown the world the "new mobilized war", and the Soviets reaffirmed their commitment to building up their Armor divisions and strengthening their infantry for the coming year. The Germans had also surpassed the Soviets in Army Size in 1939, although the Soviets had a larger armor force.

1940 Almanac

Stalin made one minister change, replacing Minister of Security Genrikh Yagoda with Sergej Uritskiy (Crime Fighter) to deal with the growing dissension within the USSR.
Dissent -3%

National Army Comparison
Soviets rank 2nd, 102 Infantry divisions, 4 Cavalry Div, 3 Motorized Div, 19 Armor divisions, 11 Mountain Div, 139 Total divisions.
Top 5: Germany (165), Soviets (139), France (127), UK (116), USA (111)

National Navy Comparison
Soviets rank 5th, 3 Battleships, 6 Cruisers, 10 Destroyer Groups, 18 submarines flotillas, 6 transport flotilla.
Top 5: USA(114), UK (113), Japan(93), Italy(49), Soviets (43)

National Air Force Comparison
Soviets rank 7th, 8 fighter squadrons, 4 tact bomber squadrons
Top 5: USA (62), Japan (35), Germany (34), UK (34), Italy (27)

Economic Information
Total IC: 490.0
Daily Production for:
Coal: 1337.0 units
Steel: 725.0 units
Rubber: 0.0 units
Oil: 246.0 units

Manpower: 348.0 units

[Lokugh]

Has anyone else found airpower to be all that important in this game? Beyond a few fighter squadrons for home defense, I've not seen the airpower be of much use.

Lokugh

[klayman]

I think airpower was all too powerful when the original version was released, but they have got it right about now. Tactical bombers and dive bombers are great for military support. Start bombing a couple of weeks before your attack, and the target will be soft by the time your forces get there. I also believe that navy bombers and dive bombers can score critical hits on ships, so they're very useful in naval combat (don't quote me on that though). Strategic bombers are useless IMO, due to their high cost and their low defense. Still a combined strategic bombing campaign could bring a smaller nation to it's knees.

[klayman]

The Winter War

The Petsamo Disaster
After a month long bombing campaign against Finnish defenses in Petsamo, the 7ya Armiya marched into Petsamo on January 16th. Expecting to find only the scattered remains of the Finnish forces, they were instead meet by an intense winter storm and sizeable Finnish resistance. The Finnish forces were battered from the constant bombs, but were still organized enough to put up a difficult defense, and along with the poor weather had caused enough damage to the Soviet planes, that the bombing raids had stopped a couple of days leading up to the invasion.

General Apanasenko’s troops were not adequately prepared for the battle. While the Finns were scattered and suffered heavy casualties in the bombing raids, they had superior winter training and equipment. With the SB-2’s on the ground, the Finns gained the upper hand on the invading army, although they were outnumbered over 2-1, and Apanasenko found his army devastated in the opening days of the invasion by the weather as much as the Finns. Apanasenko made a desperate plea for the bombing campaign to continue on January 18th, to which it did, but it was not enough to save the invasion and on January 20th, Apanasenko limped home with barely 1/6th of his army intact.

The Invasion of Helsinki
The crux of the Finnish army centered their defenses around Helsinki, with enough anti aircraft batteries that a bombing campaign was useless, never mind suicidal for the Soviet pilots. Blucher had absorbed Zhukov’s 2nd Armor Group into the 1st Northern Army in preparation for the advance on Helsinki. Still pockets of Finnish resistance remained scattered throughout the country, and Blucher was concerned about his supply lines if he continued to advance towards Helsinki. The disaster in Petsamo showed the Field Marshall that even with sizeable odds in the Soviets favor, the Finns were proving difficult to handle. A repeat of the Petsamo invasion could spell total collapse for the Red Army.

Blucher requested more divisions from Moscow, including adding another Armiya to the war to protect his flank. Stalin was furious. He had already committed more bombers from the East, and even a few newly created divisions that he had wanted elsewhere, and refused Blucher’s request. Stalin wanted the war over and not by throwing the entire Red Army at the ‘pathetic’ Finns; he wanted it done by superior weapons and techniques. Unfortunately for Blucher, it was the Finns that held the superior weapons and techniques.

Blucher once again proved too crafty for the Finns though, despite his difficulties. Blucher moved the 10ya Armiya and the 2nd Armor Group towards Helsinki from Mikkeli while the 5ya Armiya under General Eremenko moved towards Helsinki from the south of Viipuri. Had the Finns attacked south from Juensuu or Sortavala, they would have easily overrun the Soviet supply lines, and the Helsinki invasion would have stopped dead in its tracks. However Blucher made Tukhachevsky mobilize towards Sortavala in a feint maneuver while the 1st Armor group mobilized towards the East of Sortavala. Instead of attacking the Soviet weak spots, the Finns mobilized in preparation for the attack on Sortavala, which would never come. On January 26th, Tukhachevsky pulled his 3ya Armiya back just as Blucher was entering Helsinki, and the Finns had lost the advantage.

The swift pincher-like attack closed in on the strong Finnish defenses around the city, and by the end of the 1st day of fighting, the Finns were forced to pull back into the city. They were seriously outnumbered by the Soviet forces, and the terrain and weather offered no advantages as it had in previous encounters. Zhukov’s 2nd Armor Group with the T-60’s plowed through Finnish defenses and on January 28th, captured the city and government, followed closely by the 10ya and 5ya Armiyas. Of the 6 divisions that defended the city, only 2 remained at 1/3 strength. The Soviets finally had their decisive victory.

In light of the destruction and fleeing Finnish forces, the Finnish government capitulated on January 30th.

Effects of the War
A pro-Soviet government was established in Helsinki and it joined the Cominterm as a puppet regime. The Soviets had annexed the provinces they originally requested at the beginning of the war, namely Petsamo, Viipuri and Sortavala. Mikkili and Helsinki were returned to Finnish control.

The 3 month war had shown the Soviets the weaknesses in their Red Army; that the separate armor divisions continued to prove their value, although their effectiveness was lost in the rough weather and terrain; that the Soviet Armies needed effective winter training; and that the air force was in a serious need of upgrading. However, they had won the war, and by mid February had assumed military control of the Finnish forces. Stalin no longer needed to worry about an offensive through Finland in the north.

[sachmo71]

Great read, Klayman. Just wanted to let you know!

[The Afoci]

This got me to buy the game. Now if I could figure the damn thing out. Oh well.

[klayman]

Originally posted by sachmo71
Great read, Klayman. Just wanted to let you know!

Thanks Sach.

Originally posted by The Afoci
This got me to buy the game. Now if I could figure the damn thing out. Oh well.

Feel free to ask any questions. You can also check out the Paradox HoI-FAQ to answer many questions.

[klayman]

Research
Following the war, the Soviets embarked on several technological breakthroughs. In January the air force completed 'Early War Combat Testing' allowing advancement on new air warfare doctrines, while the armed forces developed 'Combat Medical Service', modernizing medical services to the front lines. By February of 1940, the Soviets had developed 'Assault Guns & Tank Destroyers' (allowing for more advanced tanks), 'Improved Decimetric Radar' (further advancing radar), 'Basic Aviation and Anti-Air Radar' (combining air warfare and radar), and 'Basic Tank Gun Ammunition' (specifically designed armor piercing ammunition).

Invasion of France

South of France
As the Italians had watched their empire crumble in the late winter months of 1939, they pushed west against the French to exact their revenge. The French army was seriously depleted in the south, as by January 1940, their main concern had been the defense of Paris. The Italian Mountain troops were able to push through the Maritime Alps as far as the Rhone River, taking Lyon on December 29th, and Marseilles, Toulon, and Grenoble in early January. However, once past the Alps, the Italians faired as poorly as they did in the African desert, and a French counter-offensive had pushed the Italians back to the Alps, retaking Marseilles and Lyon by mid February.

North of France
The Germans had reached the Seine River by December 1939, but found taking Paris to be a whole other matter. The need to divert troops to the Yugoslavian uprising, caused a poorly manned offensive into Paris to be crushed by superior French forces in late December. The German offensive reorganized, and another attempt was made on Paris in late February, but it proved just as ineffective in the late winter. The only territorial gains the Germans were able to accomplish through the first three months of 1940 was capturing Chaumont. The early success of the German’s offensive around the Ardennes had come to an abrupt halt.

[klayman]

Yugoslavia vs the Axis Powers
By late January, the Yugoslavs had pushed the Italians out of Albania, capturing Vlore on January 22. The Germans had redirected their air force into the defense against British bombing, and as such the Yugoslavians and French forces were able to achieve air superiority over the weakened Italian air force, scoring several key victories. However, by early February, the armed forces redirected from the French front began securing territory against the Yugoslavs, capturing Rijeka, Zagreb, and Osijek by February 1st. The Yugoslavs prevented an offensive into Split and held back the Hungarians at Beograd in early February, but a combined German/Italian forced pushed south capturing Banja Luka and Split by the end of the month.

The End of the African War
By January the British had the Italians on the run, making their last stand at Tripoli. Days before, the UK forces ran over Makale, the last remaining Ethiopian province in Italy’s possession. On January 14th, the British removed the remaining pieces of the Italian army, destroying several Italian divisions in Tripoli. With the African War over, the British forces looked to an invasion of Italy itself.

[klayman]

The Italian conflict
With half of Sicily already secured, the UK made an amphibious assault on the beaches of Napoli on February 4th. The invasion was a complete disaster, throwing the British back into the Mediterranean Sea and seriously jeopardizing the gains they had made. The Italians launched a quick counter attack against Siracusa, poor only in it’s execution and were thrown back, however reorganized and by the end of February were able to mount a successful operation to reclaim Sicily from the British.

The end of Latvia and Estonia
After the Winter war, the 2 northern armies were dispersed along the Polish/USSR border, with a majority of the forces in the northern Baltic region. After several border clashes (instigated by the Soviets), the Soviets mobilized against Latvia and Estonia, claiming the two nations had set up a secret anti-Soviet military alliance. After tense negotiations both governments of the Baltic provinces resigned, and the Soviets annexed them into the USSR. On February 19th, 1940, the Soviets held national elections in both countries where each had only one Soviet sponsored candidate running, and as such each became constituent republics of the USSR.

Sino-Japanese War
Although the Kwantung Army was stopped in the north by Communist Chinese and Soviet forces, the Japanese forces in the south of China continued to score success after success against the Nationalist forces. On January 24th, they pushed north capturing Zhengzhou, and by early March had captured Hengyang and Guilin from Nationalist forces. As the winter ground thawed, the Japanese forces began mobilizing West in an attempt to remove the Nationalist from China.

[klayman]

By March 1940, the prospects of winning the war were shaky at best for the Axis Powers. The Kriegsmarine had been eliminated by the Royal Navy, and the Luftwaffe was too busy defending Germany from British and French bombing to poise any offensive threat. The German invasion of France had stalled at the gates of Paris, as the French threw in everything they had to stop the German war machine. The Italians had watched their empire crumble in a few short months of war, and were now occupied with the sole purpose of keeping Allied troops from landing in Italy.

The Soviets, secure in their non-aggression pact with Germany, remained indifferent to the European War. Stalin had no love for Nazi Germany, but he also didn’t want the Allied powers combining to defeat the Germans as well, knowing that he would more than likely be their next target.

By the summer of 1940, however, that would all change…

[sachmo71]

storm clouds on the horizion...

[klayman]

The End of Yugoslavia
The Yugoslavs had put up a brave and unexpected defense of their country. They withstood both the Hungarians and Bulgarians from the East, but by March had felt the full wrath of the German Army placed upon them. On the March 13th, the Germans took Sarajevo, the Yugoslav capital, and the Yugoslav Army moved into a state of perpetual retreat. By the end of the month, Kraljevo, Nis, and Novi Pasar had also fallen to German control, and it looked certain that the Yugoslavian Army would not hold out past April. The Yugoslavians mounted an all or nothing defense in Podogrica, and withstood the Germans for several weeks of intense fighting, but by April 19th, the Germans proved victorious, and by May 3rd, had liberated Italian Albania from the Yugoslavs, annexing Yugoslavia into Germany.

A week later, Hitler gave Croatia their Independence in accordance to the Croatians policing the Serbs and Chetniks in the former Yugoslavia, and on May 8th, Croatia joined the Axis Powers, joining Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Italy.

The Fall of France
By early March, the French counter-offensive on Italy had run out of steam as reinforcements were continually shuffled to the defense of Paris. When the Italians broke the Southern Front again, re-taking Marseilles on March 22nd, there were no reserves to throw the Italians back into the Alps as happened in 1939. By late April the Italians had pushed through Nimes, Montpellier, and Rodez, and were threatening Toulouse.

In the north the Germans continued to lay siege outside of Paris, unable to break the French Defenses. In late March, a southern offensive secured Troyes, and by May the Germans had taken Nancy and Dijon, cutting off a sizeable French force still patrolling the Maginot line. On May 21st, the French won a decisive battle in Saint Etienne, stopping the German offensive southward, but the Germans turned north, and on June 4th took Auxerre. After over a bloody week of fighting, the northern push marched through Paris on June 14th.

Paul Renaud resigned after the fall of France’s beloved capital, and Henri Petain, the French hero of the Great War, replaced him. On June 17th, Petain sued Germany for an armistice to prevent further destruction to France. The price was heavy, as the German’s occupied all of Northern France, and Petain’s government set up with Vichy the capital of unoccupied France. The Vichy France government followed a principle of cooperation with the Germans and joined the Axis Powers, although Italy refused to return the territory they had captured in the south.

[klayman]

The Italians
The Italians had evicted the British from Sicily in late February of 1940, but with the Italians thoughts on the spoils of French territory, the British were able to secure Siracusa once again in late March, much to the disgust of Mussolini. As the war in France came to a close, Mussolini could devote his full attention to Sicily, but constant invasion attempts in Taranto and Roma by Commonwealth forces based in Africa prevented reinforcements from arriving on the island, and by late August, the British had captured Messina, securing the entire island.
Mussolini’s failure in Africa quickly became a problem for Vichy France as well. Not only were the Commonwealth countries basing their attacks on Italy from Africa, they were now free to move into French African territories in order to liberate them, with little or no resistance.


Sino-Japanese War
What was once thought as a quick victory for Japanese forces was coming around to its 4th year of conflict. The Kwantung could not penetrate the mostly Soviet forces in the Communist held northern China, while the southern army’s advance on the Nationalist forces was turning out to be a slow and laborious affair. In March, Stalin ordered the Soviet forces on the move in an attempt to break the standoff. Mao objected, insisting that they had the upper hand in the battle of attrition, but Stalin won out and the Soviet forces invaded a weakly defended Zhangjiakou on March 14th. By the 22nd the quick attack turned east, and Jinzhou had fallen to the Soviet offensive, and China was connected to the sea once again. Throughout April, the Soviet forces came under heavy counter attack as the Japanese tried to retake the port unsuccessfully. The Kwantung army was no match for the superior Red Army.

However, on May 17th, things got suddenly complicated for Stalin and his dreams of a communist Chinese ally. The US threatened the Japanese with an oil embargo unless they withdrew from China. The Japanese refused to withdraw, and President Landon called for a “quarantine against the disease of international aggression.” The Japanese turned to Europe for relief, and found a sympathetic ear in the form of Nazi Germany. A couple of weeks later Japan and Manchukuo joined the Axis and declared war on the Allies.

Stalin was furious. He did not want to see the countries on his opposite borders forming an alliance of any kind, and Landon had forced their hands together. The full might of the Red Army could have expelled the Japanese from China, but that was no longer possible without involving the Germans. By June 18th, the Japanese had coerced Siam into joining the Axis powers as well and had invaded Vietnam.

With the Japanese now concerned with the British in the Far East, the Soviets took advantage, using their Communist Chinese forces to invade Manchukuo. By late August, the 1st Army and the CEF had pushed into Harbin, capturing the Manchukuo capital of Changchun in the process. The Red Army had easily rolled over Manchukuo defenses, but a lack of support by the Communist Chinese forces, forced the Red Army back to cover its supply lines. Gudymenko split his 1st army to cover the territory, while the CEF under Romanenko continued to push forward. It was to prove to be a fatal error. The Kwantung, reinforced and reorganized pushed forward on Soviet weak spots, nearly destroying half of the 1st Army. A forced retreat to Jinzhou came under constant attack, and Gudymenko launched an ill advised counter attack to relieve the pressure, but it only added to the 1st Army’s casualties. By August, Manchukuo forces had recaptured the territory gained by the CEF, and the Japanese forces were threatening the 1st Army in Jinzhou.

In September, Stalin ordered the Soviet forces back into the USSR. The lack of support by the Chinese forces left him little choice as he needed to defend his northern borders against Japanese aggression. He had fulfilled his objectives in the Sino-Japanese conflict, and had managed to turn an estimated 1 year Japanese victory into a 4 year standoff. There was little doubt that this move signaled the end of China however.

With the withdrawal of the Soviet forces, the Japanese were free to roam against the Chinese forces. By October they had reclaimed Zhanjiakou and Junzhou, and had launched a successful invasion of Hong Kong. Only the coming winter stalled their invasion further.

[klayman]

By July of 1940, the words “Operation: Barbarossa” were being mentioned around the military circles of the Red Army. Barbarossa was a supposed invasion of the USSR by German forces. Stalin dismissed the intelligence reports as rubbish, refusing to believe that the Germans would turn their attention on the Soviet Union. The Germans had reinforced their front, increasing their army strength in some areas over 4 times the size, while the Soviets armies along the front remained static. The military commanders pleaded with Stalin to move the reserves up to the front lines, but he declined saying there was nothing to worry about from the Germans.

Under German influence, Bolivia (?) joined the Axis powers on July 26. Four days later, the Axis powers declared war on the Netherlands. The massive German armies along the Soviet border dispersed and Stalin looked to be correct.

Netherlands
The Dutch had little chance once the Germans had turned their attention towards them. After serious damage inflected by the Luftwaffe, the German armies ran through the Netherlands in a matter of 18 days, capturing Amsterdam on August 18th. The Dutch government continued to run their territories in exile.

Denmark and Norway
On October 13, the German army turned its attention towards Denmark and Norway. The Danish forces lasted 13 days before capitulating and allowing the Germans to annex Denmark.

The invasion of Norway took longer, since the Royal Navy impeded the Germans advance. But by November 29th, they had established a beachhead on Mo i Rana, and by January had captured Roros, Narvik, Alesund, and Hammerfest.

1940 Presidential Election
The dominant issues were the war in Europe and the US economy. The President had abandoned parts of the New Deal programs but the US economy was improving. Smith started out attacking the administration for abandoning the New Deal and hiding budget deficits by fiscal means but as the campaign went on Smith was more and more pressed and suggested new large New Deal programs. President Landon remained aloof ignoring his opponents until Smith blundered into suggesting that the majority of the American wanted higher taxes. Then he attacked the Democratic Party for trying to implement socialist policies and pledged to keep the United States out of the World War. Landon (Popular Vote: 25775345/Electoral Vote 389). Smith (Popular Vote: 14747221/Electoral Vote 142)

[klayman]

Research (1940)
In March, the Soviets developed new doctrines ‘Combined Arms Warfare Doctrine’ (increasing the armed forces organization, especially motorized and armor divisions) and ‘Combat Training Team Doctrine’ (providing better coordination for fighter squadrons). They also applied ‘Arctic Warfare Equipment’ (increase winter attack/defense) to the infantry, lessons learned from the Winter War. By April a more advanced tank was in the works with the development of ‘Improved Gear’, ‘Improved Suspension’, and ‘Improved Engine’. The Army had also applied ‘Desert Operations Equipment’ (increasing desert movement) to their armor divisions. The air force developed the ‘Airborne Warfare’ theory, allowing for innovative uses of combined air and land forces.

During May, Soviet scientists developed ‘Penicillin, DDT and Mepacrine’ (increasing commando organization), ‘Blood Transfusions’ (increasing the armed forces organization), ‘Infantry Gun 100mm+’ (leading to bigger infantry guns), ‘Medium Mortar’ (increasing infantry ground defense), ‘Improved Decimetric Radar Warning Sites’ (decreasing surprise chance), and a ‘Basic Medium-Range Bomber Prototype Tests’ (leading to more advanced tactical and navy bombers).

In June the ‘Motorized Logistics Organization’ (increased organization) doctrine was applied, as well as ‘Basic Decimetric Anti-Air Artillery Radar’ (increased flak power) and ‘Basic Decimetric Airborne Interceptor Radar’ (increased fighter night attack and detection) being used. The plans for a ‘Basic Short-Range Bomber Engine’ were completed as well as the use of a ‘Anti-Air Gun 70mm+’ (increasing infantry’s air attack and flak power).

In the summer months of July and August, Soviet scientists developed ‘Commando Warfare Equipment’ (increasing commando organization), a ‘Field Artillery Gun 150mm+’ (increasing artillery brigades attack value), ‘Improved Man Portable Radio Sets’ and the ‘Carpet Bombing Doctrine’ (increasing bombers organization). As well the first flights of the ‘Basic Air Transport’ (Lisunov Li-2) and the ‘Basic Tactical Bomber’ (Ilyushin Il-4) took place in August.

By the fall, the now friendly government of Finland had shared their ‘Corps Long-Range Reconnaissance Doctrine’ (increased infantry organization) and ‘Naval Battleship Gun 350mm+’ technologies with us. Soviets scientists also uncovered ‘Front-Line Medical Station’ (increasing defense and organization), ‘Basic Ordinance and Equipment’ (leading to advancements in heavy aircraft), ‘Basic Medium Tank Prototype Tests’, ‘Improved Vehicle Radio Sets’, and ‘Forward Area Logistics Organization’ (increasing attack and organization).

In November, the ‘Basic Light Bomber Prototype Tests’ (leading to torpedo and dive bombers) took place while scientists developed ‘Improved Long-Range Radio Sets’, ‘Improved Fighter Engines’, ‘Advanced Light Tank Prototype Tests’ and ‘Self-Propelled Artillery’.

Closing out the year, the Soviets developed ‘Basic Radio Navigation’, ‘Dive-Drop Bomb Shells’, ‘Light Tank Destroyer (30+mm), ‘Paratrooper Warfare Equipment’ and ‘Basic Medium Tank (40+mm)’ (T-28)

Note: The game uses BT5/BT7 model designation for the medium tank, but the BT5/BT7 models were more or less light tanks, and the T-28 is more or less the predecessor of the T-35 which would be next in line. So I'm using the T-28 instead. My game, my rules

[sachmo71]

T-28...sweet!

[klayman]

Originally posted by sachmo71
T-28...sweet!

Glad you agree Comrade Sachmo

[klayman]

Chapter Six: The Patriotic War (1941)

As tensions grew between seemingly the entire world, the Soviets continued to gear for war. Through territorial conquests and claims, their IC climbed to a monstrous high of 533.0. They had spent the better part of 1940 removing the dissent in the population caused by the Winter War, and now that it was stabilized pushed the industrial base even more toward war manufacturing and research.

By late 1940, the Soviets had addressed the short comings revealed in the Winter War. All their fighter squadrons had been upgraded to the new MiG-3 models, and by January the first of the IL-4 Tactical Bombers were rolling off the production lines to replace the outdated SB-2's. The last T-60's were produced in November of 1940, and the assembly lines were being retooled for T-28 production. Despite the lull in armor production, the Soviets still commanded the 2nd largest Armor force in the world (2nd to the Americans).

1941 Almanac

Stalin placed Litvinov back in charge of the Foreign Ministery in an effort to offer more communication between the Comintern

National Army Comparison
Soviets rank 2nd, 137 Infantry divisions, 4 Cavalry Div, 10 Motorized Div, 26 Armor divisions, 11 Mountain Div, 188 Total divisions.
Top 5: Germany (193), Soviets (188), USA (147), Italy (110), Japan (109)

National Navy Comparison
Soviets rank 5th, 3 Battleships, 6 Cruisers, 10 Destroyer Groups, 18 submarines flotillas, 6 transport flotilla.
Top 5: USA(119), Japan(99), UK (81), Italy(44), Soviets (43)

National Air Force Comparison
Soviets rank 7th, 11 fighter squadrons, 3 tact bomber squadrons
Top 5: USA (78), Germany (46), Japan (44), UK (34), Italy (26)

Economic Information
Total IC: 533.0
Daily Production for:
Coal: 1427.0 units
Steel: 775.0 units
Rubber: 0.0 units
Oil: 246.0 units

Manpower: 371.0 units

[klayman]

Through the opening months of 1941, tensions remained high on the Soviets western border. The Germans continued to amass troops along the border, doubling and in some cases tripling their size from what it was just a year ago. Stalin refused to believe that the Germans would launch an attack, but constant prodding by the Generals convinced him to at least bring the Armies up to full strength. Straight through until April, the Soviets matched the Germans in buildup; man for man, tank for tank. Worrying about provoking the Germans seemed pointless when the Soviets were looking across the border at 20 Panzer Divisions.

As the fears of a German invasion increased, Stalin started throwing the weight of the Red Army around, first claiming Kars from Turkey in January, and then all of Lithuania in March.

The War in Norway got off to a great start, but soon ran out of steam and slowed in the winter months. The Germans got to the gates of Oslo, but couldn’t penetrate the city’s defenses, and instead laid siege for the winter. To the north, the Soviets were secretly supplying the Norwegians with technology and supplies through Finland, and it was enough for the Norwegians to hold on to the northern territory of Vardo through the winter. The German invasion had reignited fears of a northern invasion of the USSR through Finland, and accordingly Stalin reorganized the Finnish Army to protect Soviet interests.

In southern Spain, the Germans launched a successful invasion of Gibraltar in early January, capturing the strategic gateway to the Mediterranean. Another invasion at British held Benghazi, in an attempt to regain a foothold for the Axis powers in Africa, was not as successful, and the British continued to hold Northern Africa with little problem.

In the Far East, the Japanese relied on German Strategic Bombers to pound the Nationalist Chinese into submission. The Japanese already had the Nationalists on the run, but supplies of Soviet made anti-air craft guns found their way through Mongolia and Communist China into the hands of the Nationalists, and the bombing runs became increasing more difficult for the Germans. Despite the Nationalists stubborn attitude, their army was for all purposes defeated, and only the rough terrain of the Chinese interior was slowing down the Japanese offensives.

Japan meanwhile had its hands full with the British in the Far East. Although they had securing Hong Kong late in 1940, they were not able to secure ports in Singapore, and the UK moved against Siam in early January. While the British were dealing with the Japanese coming from the north, and the Siamese coming from the east in Burma, the Japanese marines were able to land in India, and by March had taken the Indian capital of Bombay. They were able to secure parts of New Guinea from the Dutch, and made an invasion attempt on Australia in late March that was not successful. The Japanese invasions pushed the US to pass the Lend-Lease bill, providing American munitions and supplies to British forces. The first shipment arrived in the UK on March 12, 1941.

[klayman]

Research
By January, the Red Army had developed ‘Paratrooper Warfare Equipment’, (increasing Paratrooper organization), ‘Improved Infantry Weapons’ (opening up new infantry advances), ‘Air-Land Battle Doctrine’ (increasing the org of fighters, dive bombers, and tactical bombers) and completed tests on ‘Basic Dive Bomber’ (IL-2).

In February they continued advancement in the air force, developing ‘Basic Medium Range Fighter Engines’ and ‘Basic Long Range Fighter Engines’ while also adding the ‘Tank Gun 50mm+’, ‘Improved Tank Gun Ammunition’ (increasing Armor attack values), ‘Multi-Barreled Anti-Air Guns’ (increasing air attack and flak power), and a ‘Anti-tank Gun 70mm+’.

The ‘Light Tank Destroyer (40mm+)’ was produced in March along with ‘Basic Electromechanical Decryption Machines’, ‘Bulldozer’ (increasing the defense of engineers), ‘Anti-Air Gun 80mm+’ (increasing flak power), ‘Basic Submachinegun’ (increasing infantry attack and defense values), and ‘Basic Magnetic AT Mines’ (increasing infantry defense values).

On April 3, 1941 the Germans broke the non-aggression treaty and declared war on the Soviet Union and her allies. The rest of the Axis powers quickly followed suit, and for the second time in the century, the world found itself at war.

[klayman]

Soviet OOB
Western Front

Army Group North
Under command of Field Marshal Tukhachevsky

- 3rd Army : Field Marshal Tukhachevsky: at Liepaja
            - 8 Infantry Divisions (1 A)
            - 1 Motorized Infantry Division (1 AA)
            - HQ

- 5th Army : General Eremenko : at Liepaja
            - 8 Infantry Divisions (1 A)
            - 1 Motorized Infantry Division

- Finnish 3rd Corps : Lt. General Heinrichs : at Riga
            - 3 Infantry Divisions (2 A)

- Leningrad Army : General Vatutin : at Tallinn
            - 5 Infantry Divisions (2 E, 1 AT)

- Finnish 2nd Army : General Talvela : at Helsinki
            - 3 Infantry Divisions (2 A, 1 AT)
            - 1 Motorized Infantry Division (1 A)
            - 1 Milita Division

- Turku Garrison : Lt. General Ohquist : at Turku
            - 1 Infantry Division (1 A)

- Mariehamn Garrison : Lt. General Sillasvuo : Mariehamn
            - 2 Infantry Divisions (1 AA)

- Finnish 1st Army :  Field Marshal Mannerheim : at Rovaniemi
            - 10 Infantry Divisions (4 A, 2 AA)
            - 1 Motorized Division
            - HQ

Support
- Finnish Fighter Command : Lt. General Lorentz : based in Rovaniemi
            - 3 Fighter Squadrons (I-16)

- Arctic Fleet : Vice Admiral Oktyabrskij : based in Murmansk
            - 1 Submarine Flotilla (Medium Range)
            - 1 Submarine Flotilla (Costal)

- Red Banner Fleet : Grand Admiral Viktorov : based in Leningrad
            - BB Marat ('Petropavlovsk' class)
            - BB Gangut ('Petropavlosk' class)
            - 2 Destroyer Flotillas ('Leningrad' class)
            - 5 Submarine Flotillas (Costal)

- Baltic Transport Fleet : Vice Admiral Nikolaev : based in Leningrad
            - 2 Transport Flotillas

- Finnish Red Guard : Admrial Galler : based in Turku
            - Cruiser Vainamoien ('KrasniKrim' class)
            - Cruiser Ilmarinen ('KrasniKrim' class)
            - 1 Destroyer Flotilla ('Leningrad' class)
            - 1 Submarine Flotilla (costal)

information in brackets is
a) the number of brigades attached (A-Artillery, AA-Anti-Aircraft, AT-Anti-Tank, E-Engineer) or
b) class or model of division/flotilla

[sachmo71]

Crush those facist bastards into dust!

[Godzilla Blitz]

On April 3, 1941 the Germans broke the non-aggression treaty and declared war on the Soviet Union and her allies. The rest of the Axis powers quickly followed suit, and for the second time in the century, the world found itself at war.

Give 'em hell, Klayman!

[klayman]

Don't expect any quick victories. F!@#'n Germans declaring war early, they've caught me about 2 months behind where I wanted to be. Not to mention, my entire transport fleet was in the water shuffling troops around, and just got back to port days before. A week or two earlier, and things could have been very bad. Er...not that I knew they would declare war or anything

[klayman]

Soviet OOB
Western Front

Army Group South
Under command of Field Marshal Shaposhinikov

- 6th Army : Field Marshal Shaposhnikov : at Rowne
            - 9 Infantry Divisions (1 A)
            - HQ

- 4th Army : Field Marshal Egorov : at Lwow
            - 11 Infantry Divisions (1 A)
            - HQ

- 1st Armor Group : General Rokossovsky : at Lwow
            - 8 Armor Divisions (T-26)

- 14th Army : General Batiuna : at Beltsy
            - 9 Infantry Divisions (1 AT)

- 9th Army : Field Marshal Budennij : at Chisinau
            - 12 Infantry Divisions

- 2nd Motorized Corps : Lt. General Batov : at Kiev
            - 3 Motorized Divisions

Support
- Black Sea Transport Fleet : Admiral Kucherov : based in Sevestapol
            - 4 Transport Flotillas

- Black Sea Wolfpack : Admiral Marinesko : based in Sevestapol
            - 4 Submarine Flotillas (Costal)

- Black Sea Fleet : Grand Admiral Kuznetsov : based in Valencia
            - BB Parishaskaya ('Petropavlovsk' class)
            - Cruiser Profintern ('KrasniKrim' class)
            - Cruiser Komintern ('KrasniKrim' class)
            - Cruiser Chrvonaya Ukraina ('KrasniKrim' class)
            - Cruiser Krasni Kavkaz ('KrasniKrim' class)
            - 2 Destroyer Flotillas ('Leningrad' class)

[klayman]

Soviet OOB
Western Front

Army Group Central
Under command of Field Marshal Blucher

- 10th Army : Field Marshal Blucher: at Davgaupils
            - 11 Infantry Divisions (2 A)
            - 1 Motorized Infantry Division (1 AA)
            - HQ

- 3rd Armor Group : General Bogdanov : at Davgaupils
            - 8 Armor Divisions (T-60)
 
- 1st Motorized Corps : Lt. General Baranov : at Davgaupils
            - 3 Motorized Infantry Divisions

- 2nd Armor Group : General Zhukov : at Siauliai
            - 8 Armor Divisions (T-60)

- 1st Infantry Corps : Lt. General Batitskij : at Siauliai
            - 3 Infantry Divisions 
            
- 8th Army : General Chuikov : at Grodno
            - 9 Infantry Division (1 A, 1E)

- 11th Army : Field Marshal Voroshilov : at Bialystok
            - 12 Infantry Divisions (2 A)
            - HQ

- 13th Army : Field Marshal Timoshenko : at Brzesc nad Bugiem
            - 12 Infantry Divisions (1 A)
            - HQ

- 7th Army : General Apanasenko : at Zjitomir
            - 8 Infantry Divisions (2 A)
            - 1 Motorized Infantry Division

Support
- Western Bomber Command : Air Marshal Golovanov : based in Minsk
            - 2 Tactical Bomber Squadrons (SB-2)
            - 2 Tactical Bomber Squadrons (IL-4)

- Western Figther Command : Lt. General Savitskij : based in Minsk
            - 2 Fighter Squadrons (MiG-3)

- Leningrad Fighter Command : Air General Khudyakov : based in Wilno
            - 3 Fighter Squadrons (MiG-3)

[klayman]

Soviet OOB
Eastern Front

Army Group East
Under command of Field Marshal Romanenko

- 1st Army : Field Marshal Romanenko : at Blagovesjtjensk
            - 7 Infantry Divisions (2 A)
            - 4 Cavarly Divisions
            - 1 Armor Division (Renault FT-17)
            - HQ

- 2nd Infantry Corps : Lt. General Biriuzov : at Blagovesjtjensk
            - 1 Infantry Division 

- 3rd Infantry Corps : Mj. General Dukhov : at Birobidzjan
            - 1 Infantry Division 

- 4th Infantry Corps : Mj. General Fediuninski : at Chabarovsk
            - 1 Infantry Division (1 A)

- 5th Infantry Corps : Mj. General Fomenko : at Dalneretjensk
            - 1 Infantry Division 

- Ocha Garrison : Mj. General Babadzhanian : at Ocha
            - 1 Infantry Division

- Kamtjatskij Garrison : Mj. General Chernoburov : at Kamtjatskij
            - 1 Infantry Divisions 

- 2nd Army : Field Marshal Kulik : at Vladivostok
            - 12 Infantry Divisions (1 A) 
            - HQ

- 1st Mountain Infantry Group : General Opadchy : at Nachodka
            - 8 Mountain Infantry Divisions 

- Mongolian Army : General Choibalsan : at Choybalsan
            - 2 Infantry Divisions
            - 1 Cavarly Division
            - 2 Militia Divisions

Support
- Far East Bomber Command : Lt. General Vladimiroch : based in Tynda
            - 2 Tactical Bomber Squadrons (IL-4)

- Far East Figther Command : Air General Rydnagov : based in Vladivostok
            - 5 Fighter Squadrons (MiG-3)

- Pacific Fleet : Grand Admiral Isakov : based in Vladivostok
            - 6 Submarine Flotillas (Costal)

[Lokugh]

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?

I just noticed this question. The answer to your question is Yes. You can change your government with the editor.

I've only found two bugs with the editor:

1. If you give yourself technologies that have a specific benefit (like 40mm tank gun, which allows building tanks with 40mm main guns or some of the warfare doctrines that have organizational bonuses) you do not get that benefit. You do get to build later techs, though. This is not a big deal with some techs, but with those that give org bonuses (which are VERY important), it is a problem.

2. I have not found a way to give territory (like making a scenario where the Germans won WWI and thus own all of France in 1936...something like that).

But, you can change governments, change dissent, resources, industry, you can even add military forces. Er, but trust me on this, Canada sucks (in the game). I invaded it once, and it just is not a fun place to be (lack of infrastructure, especially in the north, is a real problem).

Now, a question for Klayman: Your Army Group North. Is than an actual unit, or are you just stacking all those? I've not been able to figure out how to group groups together, which means the largest unit I can organize is a 12 division force under a Field Marshal (yeah, I know I could add more units, but they have that command rating of 12 units).

David

[Lokugh]

(oops, sorry for the double post)

[klayman]

Originally posted by Lokugh

Now, a question for Klayman: Your Army Group North. Is than an actual unit, or are you just stacking all those? I've not been able to figure out how to group groups together, which means the largest unit I can organize is a 12 division force under a Field Marshal (yeah, I know I could add more units, but they have that command rating of 12 units).

David

Just a dynasty reference and flavor. The actual Group is spread out among several provinces with no single stack having more than 12 units, as are all the Army Groups.

[Calis]

Great dynasty! Just happened to check it out, I'm horribly about checking out the dynasty board...but I'm caught up now.

Man, now I want to go home and re-install HoI, I haven't played it since pre-1.05 patch, sounds like it's been fixed up real nicely.

Off topic here, and don' mean to change gears, but this seems like a good place to ask. Has anyone here played Strategic Command that Battlefront put out? I've been reading a bit about it lately and have heard good things, but I'm curious if anyone here has played it and what they thought? It seems to definitely focus in more on the actual combat, but still on a grand scale.

Anywho, great work with this. I have an urge to play through the campaign with Poland now, that sounds like fun....work needs to end!

[sachmo71]

I bought Strategic Command and played it a couple of times. I didn't like it as much as I did Clash of Steel, but I too have heard that they have made many improvements with patches. Maybe I'll give it another shot.

[klayman]

Thanks for the replies.


The Soviets main concern was an attack through the north were most of the German forces lay. A break through the northern front would lead directly to Leningrad and soon after Moscow, so the Soviets countered with the bulk of their forces there. The weakest line in the front was in the south, were the Soviets had succeeded in temporarily keeping the Romanians out of the war. Without the Romanian troops aiding them, the Germans would not be able to sustain the front and drive into the plentiful resources of the south Ural Mountain areas. Army Group Center main purpose was to shift forces in accordance with the German attack and to support whichever Army Group came under attack. Had the Army Group Center come under attack, they were to fall back to the Dniepr River, giving up the marshlands, and counter attacking behind the German lines. Stalin was also obsessed with capturing territory in the Far East, despite his generals protests, had partitioned a large amount of forces for the campaign. In that regard, the Far East was very secure from Japanese invasion, and the Communist Chinese provided a large buffer for the Soviet Union. No longer fearing getting sucked into a war against the Japanese now that the Soviets were at war with them, the Soviets finally offered the Communist Chinese into the Comintern, to which the Chinese accepted.

The first shots of the war would not be by Japanese or German aggressors, it was actually the Soviets who launched a bombing campaign into Manchukuo controlled Nenjiang with the Far East Bomber Command. Two weeks later, the 1st Army under newly promoted Field Marshal Romanenko invaded and conquered the Manchurian troops.

Occupation of Memel
Up against the bulk of the Red Army in the north, the Germans sought to push through the less defended southern front, even without Romania in the fold. It would prove to be a mistake for the northern front. As the Germans reshuffled their forces, mass tie ups and delays along the railway lines in Poland led to confusion along the front, and for several days, Memel was left vastly under garrisoned by the Germans. Field Marshal Tukhachevsky took quick advantage of this error, and moved the 3rd and 5th armies into Memel along with the 3rd Armor Group from AGC, seizing the German province in the opening week of the war. The Germans made a quick counter-attack that prevented the offensive from proceeding past Memel, but the damage had already been done, and the Soviets grabbed the first victory of the war.

Hammerfest Invasion
The Finnish 1st Army under Mannerheim moved quickly into German occupied Norway, entering Hammerfest on the 18th of April. They came up against a small, but technologically superior German defense, and after several days of fighting were forced back into Finland.

The Air War over Europe
The first German-Soviet Air battle of the war took place in the early morning of April 5th, when MiG-3s from the Leningrad Fighter Command engaged German BF-110G2s over the forests of Siauliai. The MiG-3s, outnumbering the German fighters over 3-1, effectively threw back the Luftwaffe. More damage was done to the German fighter command, when 3 squadrons of BF-110G2s were intercepted above Siauliai only days later. With most of the Luftwaffe in Norway, that left the Ju-88’s without any fighter escorts, and the MiG-3s scored victory after victory in the opening months of the war, destroying several squadrons of Ju-88’s. Only one squadron made it through the defense cover of anti-air guns and MiG-3s to bomb Stalingrad, and was destroyed on its way back to Germany.

While the MiG-3s were proving the superior air fighter over Europe, the IL-4s were suffering horrible losses against German anti-air fire. The Western Bombing Command was almost decimated in its first mission; disrupting German maneuvers in Poland. As a result, although the Soviets enjoyed air superiority for the opening month of the war, they could do very little with it. At the invasion of Lwow, the Western Bombing Command was called to bomb the invading German Army, and suffered over 80% losses against anti-air brigades, forcing it out of the Western Air Theater for many months.

The Battle of Seishin
The Japanese had garrisoned a large force in the mountains of Seishin, threatening Vladivostok. The Soviets move quickly in the opening months of the war to attack the Japanese position there. The Far East Fighter Command protected Vladivostok from Japanese bombing and as the 2nd Army and 1st Mountain Infantry Group invaded Seishin, the Far East Fighter command intercepted several Japanese attempts to disrupt the army’s movements. The MiG-3s proved successful in every encounter, and in mid April went on the offensive, attacking JIAF bases in Kanko. By April 21st, the JIAF had lost 8 full squadrons (6 Ki-30 Dive bombers, and 2 Ki-43 Fighters) while the Soviets had suffered minimal MiG-3 losses.

With the air superiority gained by Air General Rydnagov, the Far East Bomber Command was able to make a crucial intervention in the land battle for Seishin. While the 1st Mountain Infantry Group had suffered minimal losses against the JPA, the 2nd Army was unprepaired for the rough terrain and suffered heavy losses. The timely round-the-clock bombing raids by the IL-4s weakened the Japanese position in the mountains, and the Japanese were forced to retreat against the Soviets superior numbers.

Southern Offensive
The Germans had reorganized their front for a massive southern invasion at the beginning of the month. This led to the loss of Memel, but the Soviets were slow to match the Germans reorganization, and on April 10th Lwow was invaded by the German Army. The 4th Army and 1st Armor Group held the defenses while Field Marshal Shaposhnikov moved the 14th Army north from Beltsy to assist. After over a week of heavy fighting, the Western Bombing Command was called in for strikes against German held positions, but the superior German anti-air craft guns inflicted heavy casualties upon the bomber group, and it was ineffective at stopping the offensive. By April 18th, Shaposhinikov ordered the 4th Army and 1st Armor Group to retreat, and called for reinforcements from Army Group Center to help plug the now serious hole in the Soviet Front…

[klayman]

An update.

I'm just finishing off midterms this week. I've played through the end the year and should have a writeup soon.

[klayman]

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've just been under a pile of homework and midterms lately and when I had some free time last weekend I couldn't connect to the board. I should have some free time this weekend to post some updates though.

[sachmo71]

Bizzump. Hope midterms went well, but it's time to tell a story.

[klayman]

Sorry Sach. I haven't been able to get caught up yet. Hopefully next week shall be better. In the meantime, it's not much, but here's the start of the writeup...

With the fall of Lwow, the Soviet Generals pushed the panic button with Stalin, convincing him of the deadly serious threat the Germans had now created. In the resulting chaos, Stalin ordered the industrial base of the Soviet Union moved to the Urals and Siberia. That which could not be used was intentionally laid to waste.

Romania enters the War
As the Soviets scrambled to solidify the front against the Germans, the Romanians seized the opportunity to reclaim their lost territory, joining the Axis powers on April 25th, and declaring war on the Soviets the very same day. The front now stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, a front that the Soviets could not possibly maintain.

By the end of April, the Soviets had abandoned Chisinau to Romanian forces, and fled Beltsy on May 1st after a German invasion of the province, slowly falling back to the Dniepr River.

The Battle of Norway
A shift in Soviet tactics changed the fortunes of war against the Germans in Norway. While the Allies were unable to gain a foothold in the country and the Finns had been beaten back at Hammerfest, the Norwegians kept up a stoic defensive of their country. The Germans had been unable to capture Oslo, and now found reinforcements being shipped to the Soviet front instead. The Germans continued to battle the terrain and weather in the north as well, where a sizable chunk of the Norwegian armed forces remained.

The Arctic Fleet under Vice Admiral Oktyabrskij patrolled the Norwegian ports in the beginning of April, and laid to waste any German shipping they encountered. By the end of the month, Oktyabrskij’s subs had done serious damage to the German transport fleet, and the German offensives in Norway slowed as the German supplies became scarce. A German invasion of Oslo failed miserably against the fortified and well supplied Norwegians in early May, and any plans of a further attempt on the Norwegian capital were put on hold indefinitely.

The Norwegians were now optimistic in their battle for freedom as the German armies slowly starved to death in the battlefields of Norway. In was all just a matter of time. However, it would be all for nothing if the Germans were able to continue to push through Eastern Europe claiming Soviet land, and unfortunately for the Norwegians, that was exactly what was happening. As the May rains began to fall, paving the way for summer, the Germans mobilized for an offensive push into the very heart of the Soviet Union, and the Soviets looked incapable of stopping them...

[sachmo71]

DID THEY STOP THEM?!?!?!

[sabotai]

A game event occured where aliens take over the world and the humans are all enslaved.

[klayman]

Sorry for the lack of updates

Soviet Research
With the war now in full flight, Soviet interests shifted more to manufacturing instead of research. Through April and May of 1941 they did make some significant breakthroughs, however. The 'Portable Military Bridge' improved attacks across rivers, while the Communist Chinese shared 'Desert Warfare Equipment' with us improving organization in desert environments. 'Modular Assembly Construction' led to new construction techniques and theories and the 'Resonance Magnetron' was the first step in long range radar, while the 'Tank Gun 70mm+' and 'Self-Propelled Artillery' provided more punch on the battlefront.

The Liberation and Occupation of Norway
With the Germans unable to relieve the naval blockade of Soviet subs off the coast of Norway, the German invasion force quickly fell apart. By May 5th, the Norwegians had secured southern Norway by liberating Kristiansand and Bergen. The Germans were able to reorganize and throw back the Norwegian offensive at Hamar on May 10, but from that point on it was just a waiting game for the Norwegians. On July 18th, a reorganized Finnish 1st Army crossed the Norwegian border once again at Hammerfest, exactly 3 months to the day of their first failed invasion, and by the 25th had occupied the province with minimal losses. They spent the next two weeks chasing the remnants of the German invasion force through Narvik and into Mo i Rana, where the Germans ran into the southern Norwegian forces. By August 10th, the last of the German forces capitulated.

The Finns for all their help, quickly turned would be conquerors of their own. With the Germans removed from the Norwegian soil, the Finns refused to concede the provinces they occupied, namely Hammerfest, Narvik and Mo I Rana. The Allies and Norway protested, but the Finns held the upper hand with a fully mobilized army against Norway’s battered and depleted forces. Eventually the Allies conceded that the Finns would occupy those provinces through the conclusion of the war. Especially important were the steel mills at Narvik that would now supply the Communist war machine through Finland.

The Manchukuo Invasion
The victory at Seishin had further demoralized the Japanese forces. Although they had scored several convincing victories against the Nationalist Chinese in the south of China, the Japanese were unable to advance against Soviet backed Communist China, and the defeat against Soviet troops in Seishin only increased Japanese concerns about the Red Army.

Despite the western front being in shambles, the Far East was very secure, thanks to Stalin’s own intervention in supply troops to the Far East despite his General’s misgivings. The battle plan for the Far East called for the quick elimination of Manchukuo, and towards the end of April the Soviet forces mobilized and crossed the border. The 1st Mountain Infantry Group under General Opadchy invaded Tonghua, capturing the province on April 30th, while the 4th and 5th Infantry Corps met little resistance in Jiamusi, claiming the province on the same day.

The quick success against the poor equipped Manchukuo troops encourage the Soviets to continue to push east, and by May 13th, the Soviets had pushed as far east as Jixi, threatening the Manchukuo capital of Changchun. The Japanese, unable to relieve or support Manchukuo tried to shift the focus of Soviet intentions by invading Ocha on the next day. The Japanese were able to overrun the small garrison there, capturing a large supply of Soviet coal and steel stores. The Soviets remained focused however, and by the end of June, Romanenko’s forces had closed from the north, easily taking Nenjiang, Hegang, and Harbin, placing them on the footsteps of Changchun. Despite reinforcement from Japan by way of Korea, Manchukuo were not able to withstand the entire Army Group East as it marched through the capital of Changchun on July 11th, liberating Manchuria from Japanese oppression.

Due to secret agreements between Mao Tse-tung and Stalin, Manchuria became part of Communist China, although the Chinese did not enter the battle at any point. This allowed the Soviets to concentrate on pushing southwards into Korea instead of worrying about occupying Manchuria (which was now up to the Communist Chinese forces).

[sachmo71]

YAY!

[klayman]

Soviet Research
Through the summer of 1941, Soviet research continued to roll on, although it concentrate more on improvements to troops and equipment after the losses suffered on the Western Front against the Germans. The airforce was upgraded with 'Basic MR Fighter Prototype Tests' and 'Basic LR Fighter Prototype Tests' in early June as well as 'Gliders' which led the way to paratroopers. 'Amphibious Crossing Equipment' further increased the river attack capabilities of the Red Army while the 'Improved Battlefield C3I' theory would provide breakthroughs in communication and battlefield intelligence. By July, 'Improved Decimetric Anti-Air Artillery Radar' helped identify enemy aircraft, increasing flak power and the ‘Basic Tube-Launched Rocket' provided simple attacks against armoured vehicles. The 'Late War Experience Analysis' Land Doctrine would provide advanced applications for ground forces, 'Improved Decimetric Airborne Fighter Radar' provided better air detection and night fighting for aircraft, and the 'Advanced Light Tank (70+mm)' (Model T-70’s) replaced the T-60’s in the production plants.

Closing out August, Soviet scientists developed 'Sloped Armour' paving the way for modernized tanks, while Communist China shared 'Jungle Warfare Equipment' with us, improving our organization in jungle environments. 'Improved Short Range Fighter Engines' opened the door on new fighter models, while the 'Light Assault Gun (30+mm)' added some offensive punch to motorized units.

Lend-Lease
The Americans continued their passive aggression by supply the German enemies with supplies and equipment. On April 29th, the US included the Soviet Union along with the UK in their shipments, providing much needed supplies and manpower to the Communist struggle. In October the USA would send their second of Lend-Lease shipments to the Soviets.

The Rock
At the height of their naval strength, the Germans were able to take Gibraltar from British hands. Now that their fleet had been decimated in the war against the UK, they found it difficult at best to keep those forces in supply. Cut off from the father land from Republican Spain, the remaining forces of the Spanish Expeditionary Force invaded the fortress stronghold in late May. They met strong opposition from the 2 German divisions heavily entrenched there, and were pushed back into the safety of Spain. While the Soviet forces could regroup and reinforce, the Germans could not, thanks to a Soviet blockade and lack of naval resources by Germany. The Second battle for Gibraltar took place on July 19, and was a decidedly one-sided affair in the Soviets favor.

Western Front
The Soviets employed a systematic retreat when met with German aggression on the Western Front through out the early months of 1941. While the Soviets reorganized the front to protect the hole that the invasion of Lwow had caused, the Germans invaded the Polish marshlands in Bialystok and Brzesc nad Bugiem in late May. The Soviets engaged the Germans, slowed their advance, and then retreated further into the Soviet Union. The Soviets were hoping to exhaust the limited manpower of the Germans by stretching the front over as many provinces as possible. By July 1941, this strategy looked largely ineffective. The Germans had continued to push eastward, taking Pinsk on June 28 and Rowne on July 6. By the end of July, Zjitomir had fallen to the German offensive with little German losses. Stalin abandoned this strategy, and ordered his generals to stand fast in early August. In the south however, where the Soviets were weaker, they were unable to match the Germans in manpower build up and lost Kotovsk (Aug 5), Vinnytsa (Aug 8), and Mozyr (Aug 14) in the early weeks of the month, without really engaging the enemy. That was about to suddenly change however…

[klayman]

Originally posted by sachmo71
YAY!

Sorry.

[RawIsDan]

I couldn't get into HOI but I do like reading this report. Always loved reading and watching the History channel on WWII.

[klayman]

The Battle of Minsk

Minsk was the ideological focal point of the Russian revolution, and was an important railway hub to the western Soviet Union. Therefore it was of strategic and symbolic importance to the Soviet Union. Most of the Army Group Central had retreated to Minsk and the surrounding areas, and as a result was one of the strongest concentrations along the German front. On August 18th, the Soviets had expected the Germans to continue to move south into Odessa area, or concentrate north along Memel, so they were caught off guard when a heavy German force moved into the province at 1:00pm. Field Marshall Blucher had command of the defenses with the 10th Army. With him he had the 3rd Armor Group under General Bogdanov consisting of top of the line T-60 Soviet Tanks. The Soviets felt confident they could handle the small Germany army led by Kesselring that crossed the border, and were wondering if the attack was a feint while the Germans concentrated on another target. By 1:30, Blucher engaged Kesselring’s Infantry 40km outside the city and pushed the Germans back 10km in under an hour and looked secure in repelling the German invasion. By 4:00 however, all hell had broke loose for the Soviets, and Blucher was feverishly rushing back into the city. German panzer units under Von Rundstedt had been delayed by poor weather, and joined the battle late while Blucher was pushing forward. The reinforcements cut through the Soviet ranks, and Blucher was forced to call in reinforcements of his own as he retreated towards the city.

By the next day the Germans had pushed the Soviets back into Minsk, and began a siege of the city with heavy bombardment. Blucher held the city gates from German invasion, but took heavy casualties on the 19th. The next morning he was relieved with the 8th Army, and the 1st Motorized Corps and 1st Infantry Corps from the Army Group North. The Germans had amassed an invasion force of 29 divisions by August 20th, while the Soviets defenses numbered 35 divisions. Blucher was able to relieve the siege on by the afternoon, forcing the Germans back until they were reinforced with 11 more Panzer divisions from Grondo. The tide had once again turned to the German favor, and they begin inflicting heavy casualties on the Soviets, pushing them back into the city. At 11:00pm on August 21, Zhukov’s 2nd Armor Group arrived along with the 11th Army. The Soviets had thrown everything they could at stopping the Germans at Minsk…if Minsk fell so would the Soviet Union.

In the morning of the 22nd, Zhukov led the breakout from the city. The reinforced Soviet divisions (now numbering 55 divisions strong) took the Germans by surprise, and Zhukov broke their ranks. By the end of the day, the Germans were in full retreat from Minsk, suffering their first tactical defeat of the war. Although a majority of the German divisions were destroyed (over 20 units wiped off the map), the victory was severely costly for the Red Army. They had lost over 75% of the Army Group Central’s manpower, and although almost all the divisions remained intact (although understaffed), they were depleted and in no shape to hold the center front. They had succeeded in stopping the German advance and had taken a sizeable chunk out of the German army in the process, but it wasn’t nearly enough, and on August 27th, the Soviets began a full retreat.

[klayman]

Originally posted by RawIsDan
I couldn't get into HOI but I do like reading this report. Always loved reading and watching the History channel on WWII.

Thanks...it was a lot better with the pictures

[klayman]

Odessa
The expected invasion in the south would eventually come in the form of a Romanian invasion of Odessa. The Romanians had taken advantage of the Soviets in full retreat, and as the Romanian forces crossed the border, the Soviets fell back to the Dniepr River to reorganize conceding Odessa to the Romanians.

Far East
While the western front lay in shambles, the Japanese launched a surprise invasion on Vladivostok on July 25, catching the Soviets unprepared behind their lines. They would only be able to hold it for 8 days however, as a vicious counter attack by the Soviets expelled the Japanese invasion force, slaughtering many of them on the beaches of Vladivostok as they tried to retreat. The Vladivostok battle decidedly put the Soviets in control on the Eastern Front. On August 14th, the Soviets successfully invaded Kanko, followed by the capture of Kange on the 20th. The occupation of Sinuiju on September 2 cut Korea in half as the Japanese stronghold began to crumble.

[klayman]

Soviet Research
'Airborne Glider Training' was developed at the start of September which was another step in developing paratroopers. The 'Resonance Magnetron Device' provided advancements in radar while 'Improved Equipment and Ordinance' provided new artillery applications.

October saw the development of 'Improved Bomber Engine and Airframe Design', 'Radar Scout Doctrine' improving small aircraft organization, 'Centimetric Radar' which provided superior long range radar, 'Improved Tube-Launched Rocket', 'Improved Halftrack Troop Carrier', and 'Basic Signal Interception and Jamming Units' increasing our battlefield intelligence.

In November Soviet scientists developed 'Corps LR Recon Battalion', which improved knowledge of enemy forces, while 'Advanced Welding Techniques' improved ship building techniques. 'Paratroopers' provided a new division of the Infantry and 'Improved Divisional Signal Command System', 'Improved Corps Signal Command System', and 'Improved Army Signal Command System' improved our battlefield intelligence and defense efficiency. 'Improved Logistics' opened new supply applications, while 'Advanced Man Portable Radio Sets' increased field communication.
'Improved Optical Sights' increased armor attack values, 'Vehicle Radio Intercoms' increased armor defense values, and 'Advanced Tank Gun Ammunition' provided more attack for tanks as well.

December advancements included the 'Field Artillery Gun 170mm+' increase artillery brigades attack values, and 'Improved Amphibious Tank' which increased armor shore attack efficiency.