FitE vs loveman1

[cantona]

Game is already in turn 19 but i will start the AAR now as its getting interesting. the first few posts will take the form of diary excerpts to bring you guys up to scratch on game events

Fire in the East

Excerpts from a Diary

Two full months into Operation Barbarossa and the Whermacht has swept all of Byelorussia, most of the Baltic States and the Ukraine under its feet. Since the 21st June the German army was pounding away at the Red Army in an incessant and overwhelming way. Its panzer and motorized formations flew across the border and smashed into the Western Military Districts without mercy. That first day was wrought with despair. Our defences withered in the face of German superiority. Our air force dropped out of the sky like clay pigeons or was shot up in its airfields like lame ducks. By the end of June the occupied part of Poland had been occupied and in the south, treacherous Romanian forces had retaken Bessarabia and had their eyes set on the Ukraine. The Germans had collected a plethora of satellite armies to aid in its invasion of the Rodina. Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians joined their German allies in participating in the raping of the sacred Motherland.

My unit, the 17th Rifle Division was held in reserve on that fateful day. Our platoon sergeant, Plasov (now lying somewhere in the Northern Pripet Marshes) a WW1 veteran, was surprised we had received no movement orders westwards. The political commissar attached to the division reassured us that the invasion was just rumours spread by capitalist Britain for us to join in the war. Hitler and Stalin had signed a treaty, Germany was our ally not our foe. Plasov started to laugh, not a wise thing to do with NKVD units stationed in town. What was even funnier was when Plasov’s laughing was supplemented by the drone of aircraft engines followed by the whistling of falling bombs, the crash of explosions, and the zip of machinegun bullets the cries of the wounded. Heinkels 111’s escorted by Me 110’s flew over our positions, a black cloud of death. We were stationed in Minsk, far away from any front, or so we thought. Most of the German aircraft headed east, towards the airfields outside the city. Several of them, however, directed their full attention to us. That’s how my baptism of fire happened, under the falling bombs of fascist aeroplanes. Our motor pool park was shattered and according to a corporal friend of mine attached to the divisional staff we had incurred 17% casualties when the ammo dump went up.

2 days later movement orders came, the surprise was they took us East, not West! As we entrained out of Minsk we heard explosions in the industrial areas. We immediately thought that fascist commandos had sabotaged our factories.

[cantona]

[font="times new roman"]30th June 1941[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Our move East was part of a revised defence plan issued by STAVKA. Codenamed Operation Bulwark it was a massive shift of the entire Western armies deeper into the Rodina. Many party diehards and NKVD united refused to obey the order, despite it having the highest authority in the land. Those poor men died where they stood. Heroic, stupid? Patriotic, rebellious? All irrelevant questions as they were swallowed up by the relentless march of the German Army. Though party propaganda stated that the Germans were having trouble, the sheer amount of territory lost was huge. They could hide the fact that for the moment we were running away with our tails between our legs. The only plus point was the obvious evidence of mass mobilisation, even if much of it consisted of workers cadres and inexperienced divisions whose soldiers had been literally taken from instruction colleges, given a rifle and told to march West.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Our air force had disappeared. Indeed having witnessed the raids on the Minsk airfields I wondered if we had any air force left. My elder brother was a bomber navigator stationed in the Baltic and it was with great relief that I received a letter from him saying he was ok but without any bird to fly. He was not at liberty to say where he was but I could read enough between the lines to deduce he was somewhere far to East. I immediately thought to myself that we have no exceptionally long ranged bombers! Our air force was probably licking its substantial wounds and building up its strength.[/font]

[cantona]

[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]7th July 1941[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Transferred to Divisional Staff and attached to Intelligence Company. I’m now privy to a lot of material. I will keep this diary secret as a lot of what I will write will probably earn me a stay at the NKVD Hilton. The Division has arrived at its designated defensive position in the vital Orsha-Vitbesk gap defending the approaches to Smolensk and Moscow itself.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Operation Bulwark was an outstanding success, especially in the South where Marshal Buddeny had managed to extract 90% of his forces intact. Though Odessa had fallen without a fight, its docks, ship repair facilities and its factories had been put out of commission. Indeed the most shameful thing was that Romanian forces had captured the Black Sea port. The Southern Front was well and truly entrenched behind the Dnepr River with enough reserves shore up its defence. In the North, the approaches to Leningrad had been secured but rumours had it that the Boss was not happy with the amount of land lost. If the stories were true he had sent Beira to Lenin’s city to make sure no more land was lost. Damn politicians getting involved in military affairs. It makes perfect sense to surrender that land, shorten our lines, extend his supply lines and let him waste his strength against our lines. Then we smash him, too much time spent at staff meetings I think. I’m off for a vodka or seven[/font]

[cantona]

[font="times new roman"]30th July 1941[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]21 today. I consider it an honour to defend the Soviet Union against the fascist hordes. Kiev has fallen, a dark day, but according to Major Yankov it was part of Bulwark. Those explosions I heard in Minsk now make sense. I asked the major about the facotires, especially the tank works in Kiev. He said “Yevgenny my boy, those tanks will soon be coming from the East”. I was amazed at that statement. How do you dismantle an whole factory and then build it all up again 1000 miles away?[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Long range recon patrols have identified several fascist formations to our West. The war has finally caught up with Yevgenny Boltchev and though the party frowns on it I pray to Almighty God to preserve me in the battles to come[/font]

[cantona]

13th August 1941

A friend of mine working in the signals company of the 213th Motorized Division, part of the 19th Mechanised Corps set us some very good news. His unit is stationed to the south of us, to the NE of Kiev. His unit was involved in local counterattacks in the area to check a crossing of the Dnepr by the 13th Fascist Panzer Division. It seemed that the recon elements of the Division has stuck their heads out too far and had been cut off by the 57th and 35th Tank Divisions, and surrounded. A regiment of armoured cars and one of motorcycle infantry, kradshutzen I think the Germans call them, had been surrounded and destroyed. We have been able to give the Germans a bloody nose for the first time. He sent me some pictures and part of a motorcycle chassis, a BMW he knows my love for bikes!, with the insignia of the defeated troops

[loveman2]

The red army has retired to a line parallel to the great Dnieper river , the whermacht have some tough decisions to make in the coming weeks. Army group noerth report the capture of Narva and begin to assault the Luga defence line. The panzers in the north are at the gates of Novgorod the golden city !!!

[cantona]

[font="times new roman"]27th August 1941 (AM)[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Its been a hard 3 days. Constant reports for help have flooded the lines from all sectors of the front. In the North Marshal Timoshenko’s Leningrad Front lost Kingisepp, a strongpoint of the Luga Line, In the centre our neighbour division, 392nd Rifles, took a pounding from the 7th Infantry, they had to withdraw and many a good Russian soldier lies dead on the field. A titanic battle rages around Chernigov. Elements of the 14th, 9th, 16th Panzer Divisions, 4th SS Wiking and LSSAH have tried to break through our front. We hold, barley but we hold onto the blood soaked soil of the Rodina with battle weary hands. South East of Kiev they Fascists have a slender bridgehead defended by the 172nd and 70th Infantry Regiments, according to NKVD security reports. God knows how those bastards got their information. The entire length of our line is begin assaulted by our enemy’s mobile and armoured strength. I thank almighty God, and I do so quietly!, that Operation Bulwark was so successful. Is there any way to stop these bloodthirsty savages. I hate them with all my soul, not in the way the Party tells us to hate them. I hate them as the rapists of the Motherland. Isn’t Europe enough? What madness drives these beasts?[/font]

[cantona]

27th August (PM)

The Boss has authorised local counterattacks that will employ the first of our reserves. In some circles it is whispered that the T 34 will be employed for the first time, as to what a T 34 is, someone of my level of intelligence clearing had no clue. Some new tank I expect. It’d better be a bloody good one if we are to stand any chance against the Germans

OperationRedStar

Two Tank Divisions and one Motorized Division were to attack the Kiev bridgehead supported by the massed guns of the South Western Front. Intel suggests that though the Germans will put up a good fight, they seem to have exhausted a lot of their strength crossing the Dnepr.

[cantona]

Operation Rushing River


A total of 4 Divisions will throw the Fascist toehold on the Luga with a view of establishing the line of yesterday morning. Prisoners from the bridgehead suggest the 36th Motorized Infantry Division commanded by Gen.Maj. Otto Ottenbacher hold the bridgehead.

[loveman2]

The luftwaffe go into action in the north and begin to pound the russian ariforce with reckless abandonment !!!

army group centre continues to break the russain lines . Halder notes the whermacht losses with growing unease.

[cantona]

[font="times new roman"]31st August 1941[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]The last day of August and soon we shall start to the feel the chill winds from the North and East. The winds that herald the coming of the snows of winter. The past 3 days have been critical. Both operations were resounding failures as air support did not materialise and this now meant a rethink of strategy. In the North fresh Fascist troops have almost succeeded in penetration Timoshenko’s defences. According to the report on Commissar Saitchev’s desk, he was passed out on vodka so I risked a look. The Boss had agreed to shift the lines to a more favourable disposition around the city that gave birth to our glorious proletariat revolution. [/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Around the forward positions of our division fierce fighting had erupted as the Germans pressed hard, but it was the fighting around Orsha that was worrying the General. If they broke through here a second Bulwark would have to be carried out, this time under direct contact with the enemy. There was talk of STAVKA releasing the general reserve to counter this possibility.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]The eastern approaches of Kiev were also being heavily contested according to the latest reports from Marshal Buddeny’s office. One piece of news raised our morale considerably. An artillery lieutenant had been awarded the order of Hero of the Soviet Union. He had taken command of his artillery regiment as the only officer left alive and kept steady fire on the enemies’ regiments trying to break out of Kiev. If the Party hadn’t been so ruthless in its purging of the army we might have had more officers of this calibre leading us.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]I also read a staggering note the General passed over to me. To date we had lost over 3,000 aircraft. My jaw dropped to the ground. No wonder those Fascist sky pirates seemed to be everywhere. The only thing we had to put in the air were balloons and kites.[/font]
[font="times new roman"]The front calls and I must tend to my duties. I shall return later if the grace of God allows.[/font]
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[cantona]

[font="times new roman"]31st August 1941 (1500 Hrs)[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]I’ve just returned form the front and cant find my diary. A courier has summoned my to the Generals OP where the Commissar and the General himself are waiting for me. Has the diary been discovered? Will I see my Mother again? I pray to the Virgin Mary to preserve me.[/font]

[cantona]

31st August 1941 (2345 Hrs)

Found the damn thing down the side of my foot locker. I walked into the Generals tent sweat pouring out of every pore. Commissar Saitchev was there looking as sour as ever. I could only think that they had found it, read it and it was Kolyma for me. I almost collapsed with relief when I heard the General praise my work and of the Commissar verifying I had been a member of the Young Communists in Orel, my hometown, and a fully paid up party member. The next thing my unbelieving ears heard was the General congratulating me on my promotion to sergeant and my posting to Moscow to attend an Intelligence course run by the Army High Command and the NKVD. Saitchev ratified this and I couldn’t still believe it when the General was handing me a glass of vodka and we were toasting the Motherland, Stalin and Victory.

I am to pack my bags and entrain east first thing tomorrow morning. Well entrain until the bloody Luftwaffe decides to bomb the crap out of the train I’m travelling in. But there is some paper work that needs seeing to before I leave.

The latest situation reports place the German thrust at Orsha at the following points.

[cantona]

The figures for air losses to date. Sad and damming reading.

[cantona]

September 3rd 1941

It is cold in Moscow at night. I walked Red Square early this evening. I saw Lenin’s tomb and the impressive array of electronic defence the capital can put up should the Luftwaffe decide to bomb Moscow. The lectures I have attended so far have been very good. Intelligence gathering, counter intelligence and intelligence interception proved to be very useful and I hope to employ these newly learned theories in the field. Our NKVD instructor on the use of torture to extract information adopted a very enthusiastic approach to his lecturing and more than one of us felt he took some perverse pleasure form his work.

This afternoon I was introduced to a new word ‘Partizan’. A withered old Major with a very heavy Baltic accent and absolutely no teeth, which he proved by removing his false dentures, gave a very stirring talk about guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. We were told of top secret operations that were currently being carried out in the rear of the German frontline. He put a specific emphasis on ‘secret’; he also nudged his shoulders in the direction of the NKVD guards that ringed the lecture theatre. He also told us that the false dentures were the payment of the NKVD for his services. I later learnt that the original set were also taken out by the NKVD for his services to Latvian guerrillas in 1940. The Major certainly knew his stuff, showing us how to blow up bridges, tear up railway tracks, cut communication cables, survive off the land and how to disappear in an area of wilderness. I was fascinated by this form of warfare and I spoke at length to the Major, Yankauskas, at the conclusion of his talk.

I took a lot of notes and paid special interest in the make up and T&E of such a unit.

[TOCarroll]

You write a KILLER AAR, Cantona. Keep up the good work.
 
NOTE: "...even if you have to retreat to the Urals you will still win..." Bulgarian Ambassador to Stalin June 23, 1941 (According to Anthony Bevors "Stalingrad").
 
Tom OC

[cantona]

thanks for the support TOCarroll

[cantona]

[font="times new roman"]10th September 1941[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]The air is now starting to get cold in the evenings. My training course in Moscow ended and I was looking forward to rejoining my comrades of the 17th.  However this was not to be. A Captain of the Tank Corps had summoned me to his office and I reported as ordered. After a quick interview I was told that my transfer from the 17th Rifles to the 4th Tank Brigade had been completed. I was shocked. I started to protest saying I was a foot slogger, and more of a pen pusher of late. The Captain waved my protests off saying my membership of the Young Communists Driving School in Orel meant I was well suited to the newly formed unit. He also old me that my new rank was to be 2nd Lieutenant, initially to be attached to the Brigades staff company. My whole career had taken a complete shift.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]The Captain also explained the logic behind the creation of such armoured brigades. He said that the pre-war mechanized corps had proved too large and unwieldy in combat. STAVKA therefore authorized the creation of smaller units on the scale of the Fascist Panzergruppen. 3 tank and one motorized rifle brigade would form a Tank Corps. The 4th Tank Brigade had the honour of being the primary unit of the 1st Tank Corps and he also added I should consider myself part of an elite unit.  His last request was that when on arrival on the unit, currently in Voronezh, I had to report to Chief of Staff. He also mentioned new mobile tactics that sounded surprisingly close to the tactics employed by the Germans.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]I left Moscow early this morning and I write in a troop train travelling South East. I shall soon join my new unit. I might even as to visit Mother seeing as Orel is not that far.[/font]

[loveman2]

Army group north has taken Novgorod and the red army's fron line is beginning to break under constant attack . In the south the Rumanian army is at the gates of the perekop isthmus !!!!

[cantona]

[font="times new roman"]14th September 1941[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]The news from the front is not good. Though the Germans have exerted great pressure on our front line there breakthroughs have been contained with success. Masses of tanks are rolling off the assembly lines of the factories in the Urals. We fight with bullets and shells, the assembly workers with their tools and in their forges. I am settling well into my unit and have enjoyed driving the T 34 tank in training. My posting seems to have been well timed as my old 17th was mauled in an attack by the Fascist 137th Infantry. According to the casualty list I have lost a lot of old comrades in arms.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]The worst news came from the North where the Waffen SS Divisions spearheaded a breakthrough the entire length of the Luga line. Novgorod fell to the SS Polizei and SS Totenkopf began an outflanking movement to the NW of Batestkiy, with the 6th Panzer driving through said village. With Lavrenty Beria personally at the Leningrad Corps HQ things would be difficult and sticky for my comrades in the North. As for my unit, the steppes around Voronezh our becoming our second home as we traverse them with our tanks daily.[/font]