DJ Bonebraker
a.k.a Laura
So.... Soviet Turkeystan? XD
A World at War
- Thread starter M60A3TTS
- Start date
.
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Week 26 1940 The naval action is the first between Turkey and Soviet Russia. The Red Navy loses a destroyer and sub, while sinking 4 Turkish destroyers.
Week 28 1940 A Turkish destroyer sinks a destroyer of the Black Sea Fleet
Week 29 1940 Germany renews hostilities in the north by declaring war on Sweden
Week 31 1940 Germanys allies declare war on Sweden
Week 32 1940
USSR
Approval rating 72% (2)
Population 57,576,000 (4)
GNP 2,366 million (3)
Domestic Production 2,276 megatons (1)
25106 gold +1405 gpt
Domestic Advisor
Top 12 city production- Shields produced
Chelyabinsk 161
Novosibirsk 110
Moscow 100
Stalingrad 92
Perm 92
Sverdlovsk 90
Gorki 87
Kharkov 65
Saratov 65
Irkutsk 65
Voronezh 55
Kujbysjev 47
The Red Army gains strength with
258 workers
32 tank units
60 Motor Rifle 39 units
238 rifle units
87 artillery batteries
The 7th Army is activated @ Leningrad
The 18th Army activated @ Smolensk
The Caucasus Front under General DG Pavlov assigned 7th 8th and 9th Motor Rifle Corps (6 units/corps) and the Caucasus Frontal Artillery Corps activated. 2nd and 4th Tank Corps (6 units/corps) are transferred from Southwest Front. A Right of Passage is negotiated with the Persian shah allowing for a flanking maneuver along the eastern edge of the Turks Caucasus Mountain fortress line.
Week 35 1940 France declares war on Yugoslavia. Japan makes peace with Thailand.
2 Red Navy destroyers have taken up observation stations near the channel. The air war between Germany and Great Britain is under way. JU-88s attack London, and kill some inhabitants. The Royal Air Force makes similar strikes on Amsterdam. The occasional Bismarck-class battleship makes an appearance, and the Royal Air Force seems content to doing light damage to it, but nothing more. The King George V class battleships do not choose to fight it out with the Kriegsmarine.
Week 36 1940 Norway-Denmark signs a peace treaty with the Axis
Week 37 1940 A British force of tanks and infantry have moved into Turkey which decides it needs fewer enemies. The Turkish sultan signs a peace treaty with the Allies.
Week 40 1940 It has been 14 weeks since hostilities began between Turkey and the USSR. The Red Army having succeeded in flanking the fortress line of the Turks begins its move against the first enemy city. Erzurum is battered by artillery and falls to the 7th Motorized Rifle Corps
Week 41 1940 Trabzon receives the same artillery pounding and falls to the 9th Motorized Rifle Corps
Week 42 1940 Samsun falls to 2nd Tank Corps. Japan demands gems which are given.
USSR
Approval rating 68% (4)
Population 64,342,000 (4)
GNP 2,503 million (3)
Domestic Production 2,305 megatons (1)
38578 gold +1452 gpt
Domestic Advisor
Top 12 city production- Shields produced
Chelyabinsk 168
Novosibirsk 117
Moscow 100
Stalingrad 97
Perm 92
Sverdlovsk 92
Gorki 87
Irkutsk 70
Kharkov 65
Krasnoyarsk 52
Voronezh 50
Kazan 48
The western front receives fresh units to defend the border with Germany.
10th Army activated at Brest-Litovsk
13th Army activated at Riga
22nd Army activated at Kiev
Week 44 1940 The Red Army continues to roll forward. The city of Ankara falls to 4th Tank Corps. The US demands furs which are given to avoid a conflict. Yugoslavia and France sign a peace treaty.
Week 45 1940 Switzerland declares war on Germany. Evidently there is some form of insanity in the place. Japan declares war on Thailand.
Week 46 1940 Adana falls 2nd Tank Corps. A week after the declaraion of war, Germany destroys Switzerland.
Week 49 1940 The Turkish campaign comes to an end as Istanbul falls to 7th Motorized Corps. The Turks are destroyed. The Red Army takes up strong defensive positions in Istanbul. The Red Banner Black Sea Fleet is now free to move into the Mediterranean if necessary.
Trabzon
Samsun
Ankara
Adana
Istanbul taken and the war over
Week 28 1940 A Turkish destroyer sinks a destroyer of the Black Sea Fleet
Week 29 1940 Germany renews hostilities in the north by declaring war on Sweden
Week 31 1940 Germanys allies declare war on Sweden
Week 32 1940
USSR
Approval rating 72% (2)
Population 57,576,000 (4)
GNP 2,366 million (3)
Domestic Production 2,276 megatons (1)
25106 gold +1405 gpt
Domestic Advisor
Top 12 city production- Shields produced
Chelyabinsk 161
Novosibirsk 110
Moscow 100
Stalingrad 92
Perm 92
Sverdlovsk 90
Gorki 87
Kharkov 65
Saratov 65
Irkutsk 65
Voronezh 55
Kujbysjev 47
The Red Army gains strength with
258 workers
32 tank units
60 Motor Rifle 39 units
238 rifle units
87 artillery batteries
The 7th Army is activated @ Leningrad
The 18th Army activated @ Smolensk
The Caucasus Front under General DG Pavlov assigned 7th 8th and 9th Motor Rifle Corps (6 units/corps) and the Caucasus Frontal Artillery Corps activated. 2nd and 4th Tank Corps (6 units/corps) are transferred from Southwest Front. A Right of Passage is negotiated with the Persian shah allowing for a flanking maneuver along the eastern edge of the Turks Caucasus Mountain fortress line.
Week 35 1940 France declares war on Yugoslavia. Japan makes peace with Thailand.
2 Red Navy destroyers have taken up observation stations near the channel. The air war between Germany and Great Britain is under way. JU-88s attack London, and kill some inhabitants. The Royal Air Force makes similar strikes on Amsterdam. The occasional Bismarck-class battleship makes an appearance, and the Royal Air Force seems content to doing light damage to it, but nothing more. The King George V class battleships do not choose to fight it out with the Kriegsmarine.
Week 36 1940 Norway-Denmark signs a peace treaty with the Axis
Week 37 1940 A British force of tanks and infantry have moved into Turkey which decides it needs fewer enemies. The Turkish sultan signs a peace treaty with the Allies.
Week 40 1940 It has been 14 weeks since hostilities began between Turkey and the USSR. The Red Army having succeeded in flanking the fortress line of the Turks begins its move against the first enemy city. Erzurum is battered by artillery and falls to the 7th Motorized Rifle Corps
Week 41 1940 Trabzon receives the same artillery pounding and falls to the 9th Motorized Rifle Corps
Week 42 1940 Samsun falls to 2nd Tank Corps. Japan demands gems which are given.
USSR
Approval rating 68% (4)
Population 64,342,000 (4)
GNP 2,503 million (3)
Domestic Production 2,305 megatons (1)
38578 gold +1452 gpt
Domestic Advisor
Top 12 city production- Shields produced
Chelyabinsk 168
Novosibirsk 117
Moscow 100
Stalingrad 97
Perm 92
Sverdlovsk 92
Gorki 87
Irkutsk 70
Kharkov 65
Krasnoyarsk 52
Voronezh 50
Kazan 48
The western front receives fresh units to defend the border with Germany.
10th Army activated at Brest-Litovsk
13th Army activated at Riga
22nd Army activated at Kiev
Week 44 1940 The Red Army continues to roll forward. The city of Ankara falls to 4th Tank Corps. The US demands furs which are given to avoid a conflict. Yugoslavia and France sign a peace treaty.
Week 45 1940 Switzerland declares war on Germany. Evidently there is some form of insanity in the place. Japan declares war on Thailand.
Week 46 1940 Adana falls 2nd Tank Corps. A week after the declaraion of war, Germany destroys Switzerland.
Week 49 1940 The Turkish campaign comes to an end as Istanbul falls to 7th Motorized Corps. The Turks are destroyed. The Red Army takes up strong defensive positions in Istanbul. The Red Banner Black Sea Fleet is now free to move into the Mediterranean if necessary.
Trabzon
Spoiler :
Samsun
Spoiler :
Ankara
Spoiler :
Adana
Spoiler :
Istanbul taken and the war over
Spoiler :
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Report of the Soviet-Turkish War 1940
The advance over the Turks was a simple matter of going around their fortifications and attacking their individual cities. Only Turkish infantry was defending, and the Soviet motor rifle and tank troops supported by artillery locally outnumbered the defenders at each point. The five corps assigned to the Caucasian Front received additional reinforcement of 10th Motor Rifle Corps and individual rifle units, which saw no significant action.
2nd and 4th Tank Corps performed well against the Turkish infantry as did the motorized troops.
Advance against the Turks
Middle Campaign
End Campaign
The advance over the Turks was a simple matter of going around their fortifications and attacking their individual cities. Only Turkish infantry was defending, and the Soviet motor rifle and tank troops supported by artillery locally outnumbered the defenders at each point. The five corps assigned to the Caucasian Front received additional reinforcement of 10th Motor Rifle Corps and individual rifle units, which saw no significant action.
2nd and 4th Tank Corps performed well against the Turkish infantry as did the motorized troops.
Advance against the Turks
Spoiler :
Middle Campaign
Spoiler :
End Campaign
Spoiler :
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
The Communist Chinese since the Fall of 1939 have gradually been pushed back, to where Mao now holds out in a single city.
1939
The Japanese advance to the west
Fall 1940 Communist Chinese enclave
1939
Spoiler :
The Japanese advance to the west
Spoiler :
Fall 1940 Communist Chinese enclave
Spoiler :
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Week 1 1941
Report of the state of the Leningrad Front
7th Army is defending Leningrad. 34th and 50th Armies defend the Finnish border to the port of Murmansk.
Report of the state of Northwest Front January 1941
The route of any potential advance by an enemy in the direction of Riga is defended by 8th Army in Liepaja and 13th Army fortified to the south of Riga itself. Mobile forces in support of these two armies are 8th and 12th Tank Corps. Air forces also in a supporting position consist of SB-2 and DB-3B units from 10th and 12th Bomber Corps based out of Pskov.
The route of advance in the direction of Minsk is defended by 6th and 18th Armies. Mobile forces supporting this sector consist of 3rd and 4th Motorized Rifle Corps, southeast of Liepaja. Also in support of this area is the Northwest Front Artillery Corps.
All forces are considered fully equipped and combat ready.
Report of the state of Southwest Front January 1941
The fortress of Brest-Litovsk is defended by 10th Army with 1st and 2nd Motorized Rifle Corps in position for immediate support in this area.
Any enemy advance through the Lutsk sector and continuing on to Kiev will be opposed by 12th Army at Lutsk and 22nd Army at Kiev. Supporting mobile forces are the 6th Motorized Rifle Corps and 9th Tank Corps. The Southwest Front Artillery Corps stationed at Kiev is in a position to support any threatened sector. 6th and 8th Bomber Corps are stationed at Dniepropetrovsk, Kharkov and Kiev and will support Front operations.
All forces are considered fully equipped and combat ready.
Report of the state of South Front January 1941
The Odessa sector is defended by 3rd and 21st Armies as well as South Front Corps Artillery. No mobile forces are assigned to this front, but air and mobile units may be released by Southwest Front under the appropriate circumstances.
The 3rd and 21st Armies are fully equipped and combat ready. Corps artillery is several batteries short of authorized levels.
Report of the state of Anatolia Front January 1941
24th Army has joined the mobile formations based in western and central Turkey. These mobile formations remain as they were at the conclusion of the Soviet-Turkish conflict: 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Motorized Rifle Corps and 2nd and 4th Tank Corps as well as Anatolia Front Artillery Corps. The motor rifle formations defend Istanbul, while the 2 tank corps remain in the center of the country acting as reserve forces.
All forces are considered fully equipped and combat ready.
Week 4 1941 Japan makes peace with Thailand.
Week 7 1941 A meeting takes place in Moscow with high-level commanders to discuss Operation Suvorov. Due to the highly sensitive nature, no details are available.
USSR
Approval rating 77% (2)
Population 75,471,000 (4)
GNP 2,883 million (3)
Domestic Production 2,872 megatons (1)
63675 gold +1504 gpt
Domestic Advisor
Top 12 city production- Shields produced
Chelyabinsk 168
Novosibirsk 117
Moscow 100
Sverdlovsk 100
Stalingrad 97
Dzag 92
Perm 87
Gorki 82
Saratov 77
Irkutsk 77
Kharkov 65
Tomsk 65
Military Status
Leningrad Front
7th Army
34th Army
50th Army
Northwest Front
6th Army
8th Army
13th Army
16th Army
3rd Motorized Rifle Corps
4th Motorized Rifle Corps
11th Motorized Rifle Corps
8th Tank Corps
12th Tank Corps
Southwest Front
10th Army
12th Army
22nd Army
1st Motorized Rifle Corps
2nd Motorized Rifle Corps
5th Motorized Rifle Corps
6th Motorized Rifle Corps
9th Tank Corps
South Front
3rd Army
21st Army
Anatolia (formerly Caucasus) Front
24th Army
7th Motorized Rifle Corps
8th Motorized Rifle Corps
9th Motorized Rifle Corps
10th Motorized Rifle Corps
2nd Tank Corps
4th Tank Corps
Trans-Siberian Front
30th Army
23rd Motorized Rifle Corps
33rd Motorized Rifle Corps
34th Motorized Rifle Corps
Manchurian Front
57th Army
3rd Tank Corps
7th Tank Corps
Week 11 1941 Learn Land 1940. Air 1940 in 21 turns. Rush buy KVs and T-34s with some cash.
Week 12 1941
31 T-34 units are making their way to the frontal areas.
12 KV-1 units are making their way to the frontal areas.
Week 15 1941
New armored units are introduced
6th Heavy Tank Corps (KV-1) Leningrad Front
11th Heavy Tank Corps (KV-1) Southwest Front
10th Tank Corps (T-34) Trans-Siberian Front
15th Tank Corps (T-34) Northwest Front
The Wehrmacht is building up its own forces along the frontier regions.
As a result, tensions are rising. The Soviet Foreign Minister warns that a buildup of German forces on the border could result in an accidental confrontation that could explode into a much wider area.
Meanwhile, top Soviet city production is sending increasing numbers of advanced tanks to the frontier areas.
Report of the state of the Leningrad Front
7th Army is defending Leningrad. 34th and 50th Armies defend the Finnish border to the port of Murmansk.
Report of the state of Northwest Front January 1941
Spoiler :
The route of any potential advance by an enemy in the direction of Riga is defended by 8th Army in Liepaja and 13th Army fortified to the south of Riga itself. Mobile forces in support of these two armies are 8th and 12th Tank Corps. Air forces also in a supporting position consist of SB-2 and DB-3B units from 10th and 12th Bomber Corps based out of Pskov.
The route of advance in the direction of Minsk is defended by 6th and 18th Armies. Mobile forces supporting this sector consist of 3rd and 4th Motorized Rifle Corps, southeast of Liepaja. Also in support of this area is the Northwest Front Artillery Corps.
All forces are considered fully equipped and combat ready.
Report of the state of Southwest Front January 1941
Spoiler :
The fortress of Brest-Litovsk is defended by 10th Army with 1st and 2nd Motorized Rifle Corps in position for immediate support in this area.
Any enemy advance through the Lutsk sector and continuing on to Kiev will be opposed by 12th Army at Lutsk and 22nd Army at Kiev. Supporting mobile forces are the 6th Motorized Rifle Corps and 9th Tank Corps. The Southwest Front Artillery Corps stationed at Kiev is in a position to support any threatened sector. 6th and 8th Bomber Corps are stationed at Dniepropetrovsk, Kharkov and Kiev and will support Front operations.
All forces are considered fully equipped and combat ready.
Report of the state of South Front January 1941
The Odessa sector is defended by 3rd and 21st Armies as well as South Front Corps Artillery. No mobile forces are assigned to this front, but air and mobile units may be released by Southwest Front under the appropriate circumstances.
The 3rd and 21st Armies are fully equipped and combat ready. Corps artillery is several batteries short of authorized levels.
Report of the state of Anatolia Front January 1941
24th Army has joined the mobile formations based in western and central Turkey. These mobile formations remain as they were at the conclusion of the Soviet-Turkish conflict: 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Motorized Rifle Corps and 2nd and 4th Tank Corps as well as Anatolia Front Artillery Corps. The motor rifle formations defend Istanbul, while the 2 tank corps remain in the center of the country acting as reserve forces.
All forces are considered fully equipped and combat ready.
Week 4 1941 Japan makes peace with Thailand.
Week 7 1941 A meeting takes place in Moscow with high-level commanders to discuss Operation Suvorov. Due to the highly sensitive nature, no details are available.
USSR
Approval rating 77% (2)
Population 75,471,000 (4)
GNP 2,883 million (3)
Domestic Production 2,872 megatons (1)
63675 gold +1504 gpt
Domestic Advisor
Top 12 city production- Shields produced
Chelyabinsk 168
Novosibirsk 117
Moscow 100
Sverdlovsk 100
Stalingrad 97
Dzag 92
Perm 87
Gorki 82
Saratov 77
Irkutsk 77
Kharkov 65
Tomsk 65
Military Status
Leningrad Front
7th Army
34th Army
50th Army
Northwest Front
6th Army
8th Army
13th Army
16th Army
3rd Motorized Rifle Corps
4th Motorized Rifle Corps
11th Motorized Rifle Corps
8th Tank Corps
12th Tank Corps
Southwest Front
10th Army
12th Army
22nd Army
1st Motorized Rifle Corps
2nd Motorized Rifle Corps
5th Motorized Rifle Corps
6th Motorized Rifle Corps
9th Tank Corps
South Front
3rd Army
21st Army
Anatolia (formerly Caucasus) Front
24th Army
7th Motorized Rifle Corps
8th Motorized Rifle Corps
9th Motorized Rifle Corps
10th Motorized Rifle Corps
2nd Tank Corps
4th Tank Corps
Trans-Siberian Front
30th Army
23rd Motorized Rifle Corps
33rd Motorized Rifle Corps
34th Motorized Rifle Corps
Manchurian Front
57th Army
3rd Tank Corps
7th Tank Corps
Week 11 1941 Learn Land 1940. Air 1940 in 21 turns. Rush buy KVs and T-34s with some cash.
Week 12 1941
31 T-34 units are making their way to the frontal areas.
12 KV-1 units are making their way to the frontal areas.
Week 15 1941
New armored units are introduced
6th Heavy Tank Corps (KV-1) Leningrad Front
11th Heavy Tank Corps (KV-1) Southwest Front
10th Tank Corps (T-34) Trans-Siberian Front
15th Tank Corps (T-34) Northwest Front
The Wehrmacht is building up its own forces along the frontier regions.
Spoiler :
As a result, tensions are rising. The Soviet Foreign Minister warns that a buildup of German forces on the border could result in an accidental confrontation that could explode into a much wider area.
Meanwhile, top Soviet city production is sending increasing numbers of advanced tanks to the frontier areas.
Spoiler :
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Week 20, 1941
The Germans and their allies are massing forces, and have crossed the border in a brazen act in defiance of the German-Soviet non-aggression treaty.
Comrade Stalin decides it is time to activate the Lucy spy ring. Spies are planted in Germany, Finland, Italy and Japan. All military leave has been cancelled and units have reported their combat readiness.
Intelligence Estimates of Enemy Forces
(Divisions/Corps based on in-game characterizations)
Germany
Wehrmacht
109 Panzer Regiments (36 divisions)
178 Motorized Infantry Regiments (66 divisions)
167 Infantry Regiments (56 divisions)
19 Security Regiment (6 divisions)
4 Slovak Infantry Regiments (1 division)
11 Hungarian Infantry Regiments (3 divisions)
20 Romanian Infantry Regiments (7 divisions)
11 Bulgarian Infantry Regiments (4 divisions)
1 Falschirmjager Regiment
1 Marine Regiment
1 Cavalry Regiment
45 Artillery and Heavy Artillery Regiments
14 88mm Flak Regiments
Waffen SS
1 SS Infantry Regiment
Luftwaffe (Air Forces)
24 Me-109E fighters
31 Me-109F fighters
12 Me-110 fighter-bombers
17 Ju-88 bombers
3 Ju-52 Tante Ju Transports
Kriegsmarine (Navy)
7 Bismarck-Class Battleships
4 1939 destroyers
2 Type VII U boat
1 Type IX U boat
1 light coastal flotilla
1 transport
Finland
Army
17 tank regiments (6 divisions)
3 light tank regiments (1 light tank division)
4 light infantry regiments (1 light infantry division)
71 Infantry regiments (24 infantry divisions)
9 artillery regiments
Air forces
3 bombers
0 fighters
Naval forces
8 heavy cruisers
2 coastal flotillas
1 transport
Italy
Army
29 cavalry regiments (10 cavalry divisions)
2 marine regiments (1 marine division)
1 paratrooper regiment
8 motorized infantry regiments (3 motorized infantry divisions)
61 infantry regiments (20 infantry divisions)
12 alpine mountain infantry regiments (4 alpine divisions)
4 heavy artillery regiments
Air forces
0 bombers
2 fighters
Naval forces
1 1939 destroyer
Japan
Army
46 tank regiments (15 tank divisions)
239 infantry regiments (80 infantry divisions)
3 parachute regiments (1 parachute division)
2 SNLF Marine regiments (1 SNLF Marine division)
1 Japanese Militia regiment
9 heavy artillery
Air forces
16 D3A Val dive-bombers
1 Ki-21 Sally bomber
43 Ki-27 Nate fighters
7 B5N Kate torpedo planes
Japanese Imperial Navy
45 Yamato-class battleships
1 Heavy cruiser
2 1939 destroyers
6 transports
State of Soviet Forces
Red Army
38 KV-1 tanks (6 heavy tank corps)
60 T-34 tanks (10 tank corps)
59 T-26 tanks (6 tank corps)
…about 22 tank corps
122 motor rifle regiments (20 motor rifle corps)
388 rifle regiments
20 cavalry regiments (7 cavalry divisions)
3 parachute regiments (1 parachute division)
1 marine regiment
46 flak regiments
199 artillery regiments
Red Army Air forces
20 DB-3B bombers
22 SB-2 bombers
43 I-16 fighters
20 I-15 fighters
Deployments and Organization
1st Air Army in support of Northwest Front
10th Bomber Corps @ Pskov DB-3B
12th Bomber Corps @ Pskov SB-2
1st Fighter Corps @ Liepaja/Riga with 6 I-16 squadrons
4th Fighter Corps @ Vilnius with 2 I-16 and 4 I-15 squadrons
2nd Air Army in support of Southwest Front
6th Bomber Corps @ Dnepropetrovsk/Kiev DB-3B
8th Bomber Corps @ Dnepropetrovsk/Kharkov SB-2
5th Fighter Corps @ Brest-Litovsk/Gomel with 6 I-16 squadrons
6th Fighter Corps @ Lutsk with 3 I-15 and 3 I-16 squadons
3rd Air Army
7th Fighter Corps @ Lwow with 3 I-16 and 3 I-15 fighter squadrons
8th Fighter Corps @ Odessa/Sevastopol with 4 I-16 and 2 I-15 squadrons
4th Air Army
3rd Fighter Corps @ Minsk with 6 I-16 squadrons
9th Fighter Corps @ Istanbul/Ankara with 3 I-15 and 3 I-16 squadrons
New arrived armored units
8th Heavy Tank Corps (KV-1) Northwest Front (retrofitted)
5th Tank Corps (mixed KV-1/T-34) Northwest Front
14th Tank Corps (mixed KV-1/T-34) Trans-Siberian Front
17th Tank Corps (T-26) Leningrad Front (re-deployed 12th Tank Corps from NW Front and re-designated)
35th Motorized Rifle Corps Manchurian Front
37th Motorized Rifle Corps Leningrad Front
44th Motorized Rifle Corps Manchurian Front
4th Tank Corps of the Anatolia Front retrofitted with T-34s
Special NKVD artillery battery "Nikita" has taken up firing positions opposite the Finnish Mannerheim Line. They are awaiting orders.
The Germans and their allies are massing forces, and have crossed the border in a brazen act in defiance of the German-Soviet non-aggression treaty.
Comrade Stalin decides it is time to activate the Lucy spy ring. Spies are planted in Germany, Finland, Italy and Japan. All military leave has been cancelled and units have reported their combat readiness.
Spoiler :
Intelligence Estimates of Enemy Forces
(Divisions/Corps based on in-game characterizations)
Germany
Wehrmacht
109 Panzer Regiments (36 divisions)
178 Motorized Infantry Regiments (66 divisions)
167 Infantry Regiments (56 divisions)
19 Security Regiment (6 divisions)
4 Slovak Infantry Regiments (1 division)
11 Hungarian Infantry Regiments (3 divisions)
20 Romanian Infantry Regiments (7 divisions)
11 Bulgarian Infantry Regiments (4 divisions)
1 Falschirmjager Regiment
1 Marine Regiment
1 Cavalry Regiment
45 Artillery and Heavy Artillery Regiments
14 88mm Flak Regiments
Waffen SS
1 SS Infantry Regiment
Luftwaffe (Air Forces)
24 Me-109E fighters
31 Me-109F fighters
12 Me-110 fighter-bombers
17 Ju-88 bombers
3 Ju-52 Tante Ju Transports
Kriegsmarine (Navy)
7 Bismarck-Class Battleships
4 1939 destroyers
2 Type VII U boat
1 Type IX U boat
1 light coastal flotilla
1 transport
Finland
Army
17 tank regiments (6 divisions)
3 light tank regiments (1 light tank division)
4 light infantry regiments (1 light infantry division)
71 Infantry regiments (24 infantry divisions)
9 artillery regiments
Air forces
3 bombers
0 fighters
Naval forces
8 heavy cruisers
2 coastal flotillas
1 transport
Italy
Army
29 cavalry regiments (10 cavalry divisions)
2 marine regiments (1 marine division)
1 paratrooper regiment
8 motorized infantry regiments (3 motorized infantry divisions)
61 infantry regiments (20 infantry divisions)
12 alpine mountain infantry regiments (4 alpine divisions)
4 heavy artillery regiments
Air forces
0 bombers
2 fighters
Naval forces
1 1939 destroyer
Japan
Army
46 tank regiments (15 tank divisions)
239 infantry regiments (80 infantry divisions)
3 parachute regiments (1 parachute division)
2 SNLF Marine regiments (1 SNLF Marine division)
1 Japanese Militia regiment
9 heavy artillery
Air forces
16 D3A Val dive-bombers
1 Ki-21 Sally bomber
43 Ki-27 Nate fighters
7 B5N Kate torpedo planes
Japanese Imperial Navy
45 Yamato-class battleships
1 Heavy cruiser
2 1939 destroyers
6 transports
State of Soviet Forces
Red Army
38 KV-1 tanks (6 heavy tank corps)
60 T-34 tanks (10 tank corps)
59 T-26 tanks (6 tank corps)
…about 22 tank corps
122 motor rifle regiments (20 motor rifle corps)
388 rifle regiments
20 cavalry regiments (7 cavalry divisions)
3 parachute regiments (1 parachute division)
1 marine regiment
46 flak regiments
199 artillery regiments
Red Army Air forces
20 DB-3B bombers
22 SB-2 bombers
43 I-16 fighters
20 I-15 fighters
Deployments and Organization
1st Air Army in support of Northwest Front
10th Bomber Corps @ Pskov DB-3B
12th Bomber Corps @ Pskov SB-2
1st Fighter Corps @ Liepaja/Riga with 6 I-16 squadrons
4th Fighter Corps @ Vilnius with 2 I-16 and 4 I-15 squadrons
2nd Air Army in support of Southwest Front
6th Bomber Corps @ Dnepropetrovsk/Kiev DB-3B
8th Bomber Corps @ Dnepropetrovsk/Kharkov SB-2
5th Fighter Corps @ Brest-Litovsk/Gomel with 6 I-16 squadrons
6th Fighter Corps @ Lutsk with 3 I-15 and 3 I-16 squadons
3rd Air Army
7th Fighter Corps @ Lwow with 3 I-16 and 3 I-15 fighter squadrons
8th Fighter Corps @ Odessa/Sevastopol with 4 I-16 and 2 I-15 squadrons
4th Air Army
3rd Fighter Corps @ Minsk with 6 I-16 squadrons
9th Fighter Corps @ Istanbul/Ankara with 3 I-15 and 3 I-16 squadrons
New arrived armored units
8th Heavy Tank Corps (KV-1) Northwest Front (retrofitted)
5th Tank Corps (mixed KV-1/T-34) Northwest Front
14th Tank Corps (mixed KV-1/T-34) Trans-Siberian Front
17th Tank Corps (T-26) Leningrad Front (re-deployed 12th Tank Corps from NW Front and re-designated)
35th Motorized Rifle Corps Manchurian Front
37th Motorized Rifle Corps Leningrad Front
44th Motorized Rifle Corps Manchurian Front
4th Tank Corps of the Anatolia Front retrofitted with T-34s
Special NKVD artillery battery "Nikita" has taken up firing positions opposite the Finnish Mannerheim Line. They are awaiting orders.
That should keep you busy, moving just a few units I must say.
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Week 21, 1941
Field exercise Ardent Partners had been designed to prove that the non-German forces from Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary could work effectively with the Wehrmacht under difficult field conditions. The participating units:
German 24th Corps, 9th Army
30th Motorized Infantry Division
Hungarian 4th Corps
Bulgarian 1st Infantry Division
Romanian 3rd Infantry Division
Orchówek, Eastern Poland. 3 km west of the German-Soviet boundary along the River Bug
May 22, 1941 14:00 hours
Colonel Max Rause, Chief of Staff of 24th Infantry Corps, was eager to see the exercise completed as quickly as possible. For him, it had been tempting fate and the fact that the orders came directly from Berlin made him no more comfortable.
The 74th Infantry Division of 24th Corps had by mid morning on the first day of the exercise began crossing the River Bug. Despite the fact that they were knowingly moving into Soviet territory, the orders had been similar to that of the same exercise from the previous month: construct pontoon bridges over the Bug, assist in get the remainder of the corps along with the 30th Motorized Division across and remain in position on the eastern bank of the river before withdrawing after 72 hours. Many were convinced that this was merely a rehearsal for a war that might begin in a matter of days or weeks. Nevertheless, they had been left unmolested by the Russian forces the month before when they had remained deliberately back some 15-20 kilometers from the river in order to avoid confrontation.
Some 12 kilometers south, Hungarian 4th Corps had an identical task. Their mission was to also bridge the river at two points, get the Bulgarian and Rumanian divisions across, and then link up with the 80th Infantry Division on their left in order to form a firm bridgehead. By late afternoon, the crossing by the 80th Infantry Division was almost complete. The 88mm flak batteries of the 28th Air Defense Regiment guarded the skies over the pontoon bridges as the infantry battalions raced across. Come morning, the 30th Motorized Division would then arrive to make the crossing over the Bug. Were this to be the real thing, each of their vehicles might instead be replaced a dozen panzers from armored spearheads racing to the east.
Later, the evening was a sleepless one for Rause. The Hungarian 5th Division throughout the night was reporting a great deal of unknown activity in the woods only 3000 meters from their position. What was happening here? The Russians should be nowhere near the Hungarians. At least that was what had been the case the last time.
May 23 07:40 hours
The 30th Motorized Division arrived on schedule at the bridges. But now they were ordered to delay moving across. The morning had also brought about a new development, a Soviet officer had delivered a message to the Hungarians that they were in violation of Soviet territory, and if they did not withdraw at once, their safety could not be guaranteed. Further, what had been a peaceful, empty woodline was now bristling with a new menace, T-26 tanks from what was identified as the Russian 9th Tank Corps.
A series of radio-telegram messages crossed the air that morning. The commanders of 24th Corps and 9th Army were all for terminating the exercise at once and withdrawing without delay. Large numbers of Russian tanks was not something the non-German troops were in any position to deal with. At noon came the reply. Hold position and complete crossing 30 Motorized. Remain in place for evening and withdraw next morning. Russian units as before not expected to interfere.
In compliance with their orders, the trucks and halftracks of 30th Motorized started crossing at noon. By 18:00 hours, the division had indeed completed their crossing. But now another threat emerged. KV-1 heavy tanks approached from the north, stopping only a few hundred meters from the positions of German infantry of the 74th Division.
May 23 21:30 hours
Colonel Rause was asked to make his way to the 134th Regiment, 74th Division headquarters without delay. Yet another Russian officer had arrived, and was demanding an explanation. Upon his arrival, he and his interpreter got right to business.
"Your Hungarian friends seem to have no interest in complying with our demands and hope that you have more sense. This exercise of yours is obviously an attempt to stir up trouble and is in complete disregard of our nonaggression treaty of two years ago. If you are now looking for an excuse to set off a war, you may well succeed. Shall my general use more forceful means to remove your presence from Soviet territory?"
Rause replied calmly. "No, of course not. We have counted on the very good nature of your people in a spirit of cooperation just as we did in the Polish campaign. We had not had any previous difficulties only a month before when your forces kept a respectful distance from ours. But now you are taking a more provocative series of actions combined with a far more belligerent tone. However, we understand your concerns and will respect your demands. Our troops will withdraw beginning at dawn. Do I have your assurance that our departure will not be interfered with?"
This response took a very ominuous tone. "You have our assurance that if by the end of tomorrow you are not completely gone from this side of the river, we will use all means necessary to end your presence here."
May 24 05:50 hours
At first light, all the pontoon bridges were full of troops headed west. The Axis forces were in no position to defend the ground they had held without reinforcement from the 9th Army. For the entire day, the withdrawal remained uncontested. As the final infantry units completed their crossing, by early evening it only remained for the bridges to be removed. The bridging units would need half a day to remove them, and attempting the work at night would prove hazardous. As a compromise, it was decided that the 209th Security Division would position itself at the crossing points on the west bank of the Bug and Colonel Rause would negotiate with the Russians for permission to send the needed engineers to the far bank to begin the disassembly in the morning.
May 24 22:45 hours River Bug
The kubelwagen command car reached the northernmost bridge, designated “Alfred”. Beside "Alfred" only a hundred meters south was "Bruno", a second crossing. Two other crossings existed further downstream for the partner units. The 24th Corps commander had communicated his desire for Colonel Rause to discuss some “minor details” over the previous days events. The Russian commander had agreed and directed them to meet his representative at this point.
A Wehrmacht captain greeted the colonel. "Herr Oberst, I am Hauptman Lemm, commander of the bridging unit. I take it you’ve come to negotiate the safe return of my equipment?" Rause nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, Lemm. That is what I came here for, to help come to an agreement. They should be waiting for me now."
The captain then replied, "You may not want to go over there now, Herr Oberst. Those heavy tanks the Russians brought with them? They’re just on the other side now. And before it got dark, we got a good look at what else they have with them. Artillery, and lots of it. You may want to grab a shovel and start digging like the rest of us."
"I wouldn’t worry too much about that, we have a peace treaty protecting us, remember? I’ll have a word with our Russian friends." Rause began to walk across the bridge. The activity on the far side was difficult to make out, but clearly a great number of men and vehicles were moving about. Halfway across, he was confronted by a group of Russian soldiers.
"I have a meeting with your official."
A Russian sergeant casualty replied. "He is not here, but we have been told you were coming. One moment, I will inform our officer." Two minutes later, the sergeant returned with the man.
"I am NKVD Major Gorchov. My colonel sends his apologies, but he has been called away for an unavoidable meeting. You wished to discuss removing this equipment of yours?"
Colonel Rause was quick to respond. "Yes, the components of this bridge we are standing on as well as the others are the property of the German army and therefore the German people and we would like them back. With your permission, we would like to send engineering teams in the morning to break them down."
Major Gorchov waited a moment before giving his answer. "Yes, well from our point of view, half of each of these bridges are the property of the people of the Soviet Union, seeing that half of your bridges rests on Soviet territory. However, we are open to negotiation. We will contact you tomorrow and perhaps we will come to an agreement on what to do about this matter."
Rause replied, "I do not understand. Perhaps? I am here now. You are here now. Why can we not decide these matters right here, right now?"
This time, the major’s reply was a terse one. "Colonel, you did not think it urgent to contact us about putting them here in the first place. We do not think it urgent to discuss their removal. The bridges will still be here in the morning, and I can assure you that we will still be here as well. And then in the future, one can only hope that your people will be more careful about building bridges in places they have no business being in. Do we have an understanding?"
"Very well, I will be back here, at 9 o’clock tomorrow if you find it more convenient."
Major Gorchov smiled. "Yes, I think it is safe to say that by that time we will have an answer for you."
Rause returned across the bridge where Lemm was waiting, cigarette in hand.
"Well, Herr Oberst? Were the Russians convinced by your persuasion? I need every single pontoon back, or the paperwork will take me weeks to fill out."
"No, they’re stalling. This doesn’t feel right." Rause looked back towards the river with an apprehensive look. He then looked back at Captain Lemm.
"I want you to prepare to demolish our portion of the bridges at once."
Lemm looked uneasy. "Herr Oberst, I would prefer to at least return with one half of my equipment. That is better than none at all. But if you feel that will not happen, my question is to demolish them with what? We brought no explosives."
"You’re an engineer unit and you don’t have demolition charges?"
"No, not for this exercise. In wartime we would for clearing obstacles and such, but we knew from the last time they wouldn’t be required. I can get some explosives here in the late morning."
"Well get on that immediately. I’m going to talk to them again at 9. If by 9:30 we don’t have an understanding, you will have to be prepared to move ahead with some form of disassembly or destruction. I’ll clear all this with the boss and be back again in a few hours."
Field exercise Ardent Partners had been designed to prove that the non-German forces from Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary could work effectively with the Wehrmacht under difficult field conditions. The participating units:
German 24th Corps, 9th Army
- 74th Infantry Division
- 80th Infantry Division
- 209th Security Division
- 28th Heavy Air Defense Regiment (88mm)
30th Motorized Infantry Division
Hungarian 4th Corps
- 5th Infantry Division
- 7th Infantry Division
Bulgarian 1st Infantry Division
Romanian 3rd Infantry Division
Orchówek, Eastern Poland. 3 km west of the German-Soviet boundary along the River Bug
May 22, 1941 14:00 hours
Colonel Max Rause, Chief of Staff of 24th Infantry Corps, was eager to see the exercise completed as quickly as possible. For him, it had been tempting fate and the fact that the orders came directly from Berlin made him no more comfortable.
The 74th Infantry Division of 24th Corps had by mid morning on the first day of the exercise began crossing the River Bug. Despite the fact that they were knowingly moving into Soviet territory, the orders had been similar to that of the same exercise from the previous month: construct pontoon bridges over the Bug, assist in get the remainder of the corps along with the 30th Motorized Division across and remain in position on the eastern bank of the river before withdrawing after 72 hours. Many were convinced that this was merely a rehearsal for a war that might begin in a matter of days or weeks. Nevertheless, they had been left unmolested by the Russian forces the month before when they had remained deliberately back some 15-20 kilometers from the river in order to avoid confrontation.
Some 12 kilometers south, Hungarian 4th Corps had an identical task. Their mission was to also bridge the river at two points, get the Bulgarian and Rumanian divisions across, and then link up with the 80th Infantry Division on their left in order to form a firm bridgehead. By late afternoon, the crossing by the 80th Infantry Division was almost complete. The 88mm flak batteries of the 28th Air Defense Regiment guarded the skies over the pontoon bridges as the infantry battalions raced across. Come morning, the 30th Motorized Division would then arrive to make the crossing over the Bug. Were this to be the real thing, each of their vehicles might instead be replaced a dozen panzers from armored spearheads racing to the east.
Later, the evening was a sleepless one for Rause. The Hungarian 5th Division throughout the night was reporting a great deal of unknown activity in the woods only 3000 meters from their position. What was happening here? The Russians should be nowhere near the Hungarians. At least that was what had been the case the last time.
May 23 07:40 hours
The 30th Motorized Division arrived on schedule at the bridges. But now they were ordered to delay moving across. The morning had also brought about a new development, a Soviet officer had delivered a message to the Hungarians that they were in violation of Soviet territory, and if they did not withdraw at once, their safety could not be guaranteed. Further, what had been a peaceful, empty woodline was now bristling with a new menace, T-26 tanks from what was identified as the Russian 9th Tank Corps.
A series of radio-telegram messages crossed the air that morning. The commanders of 24th Corps and 9th Army were all for terminating the exercise at once and withdrawing without delay. Large numbers of Russian tanks was not something the non-German troops were in any position to deal with. At noon came the reply. Hold position and complete crossing 30 Motorized. Remain in place for evening and withdraw next morning. Russian units as before not expected to interfere.
In compliance with their orders, the trucks and halftracks of 30th Motorized started crossing at noon. By 18:00 hours, the division had indeed completed their crossing. But now another threat emerged. KV-1 heavy tanks approached from the north, stopping only a few hundred meters from the positions of German infantry of the 74th Division.
May 23 21:30 hours
Colonel Rause was asked to make his way to the 134th Regiment, 74th Division headquarters without delay. Yet another Russian officer had arrived, and was demanding an explanation. Upon his arrival, he and his interpreter got right to business.
"Your Hungarian friends seem to have no interest in complying with our demands and hope that you have more sense. This exercise of yours is obviously an attempt to stir up trouble and is in complete disregard of our nonaggression treaty of two years ago. If you are now looking for an excuse to set off a war, you may well succeed. Shall my general use more forceful means to remove your presence from Soviet territory?"
Rause replied calmly. "No, of course not. We have counted on the very good nature of your people in a spirit of cooperation just as we did in the Polish campaign. We had not had any previous difficulties only a month before when your forces kept a respectful distance from ours. But now you are taking a more provocative series of actions combined with a far more belligerent tone. However, we understand your concerns and will respect your demands. Our troops will withdraw beginning at dawn. Do I have your assurance that our departure will not be interfered with?"
This response took a very ominuous tone. "You have our assurance that if by the end of tomorrow you are not completely gone from this side of the river, we will use all means necessary to end your presence here."
May 24 05:50 hours
At first light, all the pontoon bridges were full of troops headed west. The Axis forces were in no position to defend the ground they had held without reinforcement from the 9th Army. For the entire day, the withdrawal remained uncontested. As the final infantry units completed their crossing, by early evening it only remained for the bridges to be removed. The bridging units would need half a day to remove them, and attempting the work at night would prove hazardous. As a compromise, it was decided that the 209th Security Division would position itself at the crossing points on the west bank of the Bug and Colonel Rause would negotiate with the Russians for permission to send the needed engineers to the far bank to begin the disassembly in the morning.
May 24 22:45 hours River Bug
The kubelwagen command car reached the northernmost bridge, designated “Alfred”. Beside "Alfred" only a hundred meters south was "Bruno", a second crossing. Two other crossings existed further downstream for the partner units. The 24th Corps commander had communicated his desire for Colonel Rause to discuss some “minor details” over the previous days events. The Russian commander had agreed and directed them to meet his representative at this point.
A Wehrmacht captain greeted the colonel. "Herr Oberst, I am Hauptman Lemm, commander of the bridging unit. I take it you’ve come to negotiate the safe return of my equipment?" Rause nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, Lemm. That is what I came here for, to help come to an agreement. They should be waiting for me now."
The captain then replied, "You may not want to go over there now, Herr Oberst. Those heavy tanks the Russians brought with them? They’re just on the other side now. And before it got dark, we got a good look at what else they have with them. Artillery, and lots of it. You may want to grab a shovel and start digging like the rest of us."
"I wouldn’t worry too much about that, we have a peace treaty protecting us, remember? I’ll have a word with our Russian friends." Rause began to walk across the bridge. The activity on the far side was difficult to make out, but clearly a great number of men and vehicles were moving about. Halfway across, he was confronted by a group of Russian soldiers.
"I have a meeting with your official."
A Russian sergeant casualty replied. "He is not here, but we have been told you were coming. One moment, I will inform our officer." Two minutes later, the sergeant returned with the man.
"I am NKVD Major Gorchov. My colonel sends his apologies, but he has been called away for an unavoidable meeting. You wished to discuss removing this equipment of yours?"
Colonel Rause was quick to respond. "Yes, the components of this bridge we are standing on as well as the others are the property of the German army and therefore the German people and we would like them back. With your permission, we would like to send engineering teams in the morning to break them down."
Major Gorchov waited a moment before giving his answer. "Yes, well from our point of view, half of each of these bridges are the property of the people of the Soviet Union, seeing that half of your bridges rests on Soviet territory. However, we are open to negotiation. We will contact you tomorrow and perhaps we will come to an agreement on what to do about this matter."
Rause replied, "I do not understand. Perhaps? I am here now. You are here now. Why can we not decide these matters right here, right now?"
This time, the major’s reply was a terse one. "Colonel, you did not think it urgent to contact us about putting them here in the first place. We do not think it urgent to discuss their removal. The bridges will still be here in the morning, and I can assure you that we will still be here as well. And then in the future, one can only hope that your people will be more careful about building bridges in places they have no business being in. Do we have an understanding?"
"Very well, I will be back here, at 9 o’clock tomorrow if you find it more convenient."
Major Gorchov smiled. "Yes, I think it is safe to say that by that time we will have an answer for you."
Rause returned across the bridge where Lemm was waiting, cigarette in hand.
"Well, Herr Oberst? Were the Russians convinced by your persuasion? I need every single pontoon back, or the paperwork will take me weeks to fill out."
"No, they’re stalling. This doesn’t feel right." Rause looked back towards the river with an apprehensive look. He then looked back at Captain Lemm.
"I want you to prepare to demolish our portion of the bridges at once."
Lemm looked uneasy. "Herr Oberst, I would prefer to at least return with one half of my equipment. That is better than none at all. But if you feel that will not happen, my question is to demolish them with what? We brought no explosives."
"You’re an engineer unit and you don’t have demolition charges?"
"No, not for this exercise. In wartime we would for clearing obstacles and such, but we knew from the last time they wouldn’t be required. I can get some explosives here in the late morning."
"Well get on that immediately. I’m going to talk to them again at 9. If by 9:30 we don’t have an understanding, you will have to be prepared to move ahead with some form of disassembly or destruction. I’ll clear all this with the boss and be back again in a few hours."
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Orchowek, Eastern Poland. May 25 03:55 hours
On his return to the 74th Division HQ, Colonel Rause spoke to the division commander about the prospect of destroying the bridges over the Bug.
I agree with your assessment, Colonel, but if we are going to destroy them, we'll need to get the approval from corps since they are in charge of the exercise, and the Hungarians. I'm sorry you won't be getting any sleep tonight, in fact I don't think you've slept in three or four days. Get over to their headquarters at Okuninka immediately and inform General Franks of what we know to be the situation. Tell him exactly how your conversation went and that I concur with you that the bridges must be prepared for demolition if the Russians refuse to cooperate without delay.
Within the hour, he arrived at the 24th Infantry Corps headquarters. Colonel Rause expected there to be a minimum of activity. He thought to himself, the general isnt going to be happy I have to wake him up with this news.
Much to his surprise, upon entering the briefing room, the activity was as intense as the Russian side of the Bug. General Franks commanding the 24th Corps was not only awake, but busy directing activities. "Rause, good to see you. Were trying to confirm a report that came through a little over half an hour ago. Berlin is saying that the Russians have fired on the Mannerheim Line. If that is true, then our alliance with Finland will "
At that moment, a loud rumble could be heard off to the east.
The general's face then took on a grim demeanor, and said slowly. "So Rause, it has begun. Our two years of peace with Soviet Russia has served its purpose. Now theyre coming after us."
He then turned and announced to the soldiers. "On your toes, men. Things are about to become hectic. I want you all to listen carefully. We must know from each of our units what precisely is the level of enemy activity if we are going to get a clear picture of what is happening! Colonel Loche, advise army headquarters at once and alert all divisional commands to report their situation and prepare for immediate action."
Two minutes later, a phone rang which was answered by an NCO on the Operations staff..
"Yes? Stand by. Its the 209th, Herr General. The Russians are storming the bridges and they are requesting immediate assistance.
"Very well, contact someone at 30th Motorized and tell them to prepare for action. We must contain this situation without delay. Colonel Rause, I know you need to get back to your division, but there is a critical task that needs doing and I can't spare anyone at the moment. I want you to personally get hold of General Gymesi of Hungarian 4th Corps and find out what his position looks like. Tell him that I want all the divisional commanders here for a meeting at 08:30 to discuss action plans. We will see how well our southern European allies handle the real thing."
May 25 08:35 hours
Colonel Hermann Loche, operations officer for the 24th Corps began the briefing.
"First to report on the strategic situation, while it is still has been only a few hours, it appears that the Red Army has declared war on the 24th Corps. Although the eastern front spans a distance of over a thousand miles, we are the only ones currently engaged in combat. The High Command is not certain if this is some sort of large-scale punitive action, but the magnitude is clear enough and with the reported shelling by some undetermined artillery on Finland, we are told a formal declaration of war will be announced to our people within hours."
"As to our own situation, the enemy saturated our front with a massive artillery bombardment for nearly three hours, focusing on our northern area. Our own infantry was particularly hard hit, suffering casualties of over seventy percent and virtually every unit has casualties to varying degrees with the exception of the Rumanian 3rd. We have lost control over the river crossing points both north and south. This means that the enemy now has full use of our four bridges and appear to be making the most of it."
"Our southern position is of the most immediate concern. The Bulgarian 1st Division status is unknown. We believe their divisional headquarters took a direct hit from an artillery shell in the opening minutes of bombardment and killed their commander and his staff. We are trying to communicate directly with their regimental commanders, but communications is difficult with them even under ideal conditions. Rumanian 3rd Division is refusing to fight without confirmation from Bucharest since they were not attacked. They are expecting approval in a few hours. This leaves us with only two divisions in the area. Hungarian 4th Corps is engaged now, but their ammunition supply was deliberately limited for this training exercise to begin with, and without assistance, their ability to hold can only be measured in hours."
"In the northern sector, the 74th holds the left flank and the 80th the right, but they too were badly mauled in the bombardment. The 209th Security is between the 80th and Hungarian 5th, but they have no heavy weapons. To make matters worse, the 30th Motorized took major damage from the Russian artillery fire, along with our air defense regiment. Those two units have been effectively crippled, leaving us without any sort of mobile reserve."
General Franks then rose to speak.
"You must all be wondering at this point how soon we can expect assistance. I spoke to General Strauss and he has been ordered to hold all 9th Army units in position for 24 hours while the general situation is clarified. He is appealing this decision at this very moment, but for the present, incredible as it may seem, we are on our own."
General Gymesi, the Hungarian corps commander replied in an agitated fashion. "Twenty-four hours? We will be fortunate if this battle goes on for another twelve. We have little means to combat an entire Russian tank corps, and as your own officer has said, we will have consumed all our ammunition before days end. What will we fight with then?"
"You must so what you can for the present. There is still the possibility that the Russians will withdraw back across the Bug if we fight back with everything we have. In six hours each commander will report their latest status and then we will determine what adjustments need to be made. By that time too, we may have word on assistance from our army headquarters."
3km south of Wlodawa, Poland May 25 15:00 hours
Colonel Rauses command car made its way around the shell holes which the Russian artillery had made plentiful. The situation had clearly reached a critical juncture. Neither the 134th or 135th regiments were responding to calls over the division radio net. Some 45 minutes prior, both units reported that Soviet armor was advancing on their positions. Rause had been ordered to ascertain what was happening. What he saw was German infantry running away from the general direction of the battlefield. Turning on a bend in the road, he and his driver ran into an unexpected face. It was Captain Lemm, stumbling along the side of the road.
"Lemm, Im amazed but relieved to see you. What the devil is going on? I am trying to find anyone who can tell me what the state of our infantry regiments are in."
"Herr Oberst, the Russians can tell you, and if you go forward another couple hundred meters you can ask them. As far as I know, our positions are overrun. If we had infantry there, they are gone now. And if I were you, Id get the hell out of here, just like Im trying to do. Their heavy tanks are murdering everyone in their path."
Colonel Rause thought for a moment. "I think youre right. I see no evidence of any sort of defense. Get in Lemm, and well head back to the rear."
Just then, three tanks appeared amidst several trees and moved straight in their direction.
"Russian panzers!"
The driver slammed on the gas pedal, gripping the wheel hard to the left to get turned around. A burst of machine gun fire rapidly approached the car.
"Move this thing before were all dead!" cried Lemm. Those were his last words as a 76mm tank round crashed just short of the Kubelwagen, sending it careening against a tree. The driver was killed instantly. Colonel Rause and Captain Lemm were thrown from the vehicle as a result of the impact. Another burst of machine gun fire tore into Lemms body, leaving only the colonel alive. Staggering to his feet, the colonel tried to find any sort of cover, but could see none he would be able to reach before being gunned down. From a second direction a group of three tanks let loose machine gun fire. His position was hopeless. Raising both hands in the air, he indicated his willingness to surrender but expected to be cut down in a moment. One of the KV-1s stopped only a few yards in front of him, when a turret hatch popped open and the platoon leader signaled Rause to come towards them. With that, Max Rause, Chief of Staff 74th Infantry Division, 24th Infantry Corps, 9th Army went into captivity, a prisoner of war.
Okuninka, Eastern Poland. May 25 16:55 hours
"Send this message right away."
Okuninka, Eastern Poland. May 25 19:10 hours
The operations officer for 24th Infantry Corps at long last had a response.
"Herr General, a message from General Strauss."
General Franks look stunned, muttering to himself. "What do they think will be left to link up with by then?"
On his return to the 74th Division HQ, Colonel Rause spoke to the division commander about the prospect of destroying the bridges over the Bug.
I agree with your assessment, Colonel, but if we are going to destroy them, we'll need to get the approval from corps since they are in charge of the exercise, and the Hungarians. I'm sorry you won't be getting any sleep tonight, in fact I don't think you've slept in three or four days. Get over to their headquarters at Okuninka immediately and inform General Franks of what we know to be the situation. Tell him exactly how your conversation went and that I concur with you that the bridges must be prepared for demolition if the Russians refuse to cooperate without delay.
Within the hour, he arrived at the 24th Infantry Corps headquarters. Colonel Rause expected there to be a minimum of activity. He thought to himself, the general isnt going to be happy I have to wake him up with this news.
Much to his surprise, upon entering the briefing room, the activity was as intense as the Russian side of the Bug. General Franks commanding the 24th Corps was not only awake, but busy directing activities. "Rause, good to see you. Were trying to confirm a report that came through a little over half an hour ago. Berlin is saying that the Russians have fired on the Mannerheim Line. If that is true, then our alliance with Finland will "
At that moment, a loud rumble could be heard off to the east.
The general's face then took on a grim demeanor, and said slowly. "So Rause, it has begun. Our two years of peace with Soviet Russia has served its purpose. Now theyre coming after us."
He then turned and announced to the soldiers. "On your toes, men. Things are about to become hectic. I want you all to listen carefully. We must know from each of our units what precisely is the level of enemy activity if we are going to get a clear picture of what is happening! Colonel Loche, advise army headquarters at once and alert all divisional commands to report their situation and prepare for immediate action."
Two minutes later, a phone rang which was answered by an NCO on the Operations staff..
"Yes? Stand by. Its the 209th, Herr General. The Russians are storming the bridges and they are requesting immediate assistance.
"Very well, contact someone at 30th Motorized and tell them to prepare for action. We must contain this situation without delay. Colonel Rause, I know you need to get back to your division, but there is a critical task that needs doing and I can't spare anyone at the moment. I want you to personally get hold of General Gymesi of Hungarian 4th Corps and find out what his position looks like. Tell him that I want all the divisional commanders here for a meeting at 08:30 to discuss action plans. We will see how well our southern European allies handle the real thing."
May 25 08:35 hours
Colonel Hermann Loche, operations officer for the 24th Corps began the briefing.
"First to report on the strategic situation, while it is still has been only a few hours, it appears that the Red Army has declared war on the 24th Corps. Although the eastern front spans a distance of over a thousand miles, we are the only ones currently engaged in combat. The High Command is not certain if this is some sort of large-scale punitive action, but the magnitude is clear enough and with the reported shelling by some undetermined artillery on Finland, we are told a formal declaration of war will be announced to our people within hours."
"As to our own situation, the enemy saturated our front with a massive artillery bombardment for nearly three hours, focusing on our northern area. Our own infantry was particularly hard hit, suffering casualties of over seventy percent and virtually every unit has casualties to varying degrees with the exception of the Rumanian 3rd. We have lost control over the river crossing points both north and south. This means that the enemy now has full use of our four bridges and appear to be making the most of it."
"Our southern position is of the most immediate concern. The Bulgarian 1st Division status is unknown. We believe their divisional headquarters took a direct hit from an artillery shell in the opening minutes of bombardment and killed their commander and his staff. We are trying to communicate directly with their regimental commanders, but communications is difficult with them even under ideal conditions. Rumanian 3rd Division is refusing to fight without confirmation from Bucharest since they were not attacked. They are expecting approval in a few hours. This leaves us with only two divisions in the area. Hungarian 4th Corps is engaged now, but their ammunition supply was deliberately limited for this training exercise to begin with, and without assistance, their ability to hold can only be measured in hours."
"In the northern sector, the 74th holds the left flank and the 80th the right, but they too were badly mauled in the bombardment. The 209th Security is between the 80th and Hungarian 5th, but they have no heavy weapons. To make matters worse, the 30th Motorized took major damage from the Russian artillery fire, along with our air defense regiment. Those two units have been effectively crippled, leaving us without any sort of mobile reserve."
General Franks then rose to speak.
"You must all be wondering at this point how soon we can expect assistance. I spoke to General Strauss and he has been ordered to hold all 9th Army units in position for 24 hours while the general situation is clarified. He is appealing this decision at this very moment, but for the present, incredible as it may seem, we are on our own."
General Gymesi, the Hungarian corps commander replied in an agitated fashion. "Twenty-four hours? We will be fortunate if this battle goes on for another twelve. We have little means to combat an entire Russian tank corps, and as your own officer has said, we will have consumed all our ammunition before days end. What will we fight with then?"
"You must so what you can for the present. There is still the possibility that the Russians will withdraw back across the Bug if we fight back with everything we have. In six hours each commander will report their latest status and then we will determine what adjustments need to be made. By that time too, we may have word on assistance from our army headquarters."
3km south of Wlodawa, Poland May 25 15:00 hours
Colonel Rauses command car made its way around the shell holes which the Russian artillery had made plentiful. The situation had clearly reached a critical juncture. Neither the 134th or 135th regiments were responding to calls over the division radio net. Some 45 minutes prior, both units reported that Soviet armor was advancing on their positions. Rause had been ordered to ascertain what was happening. What he saw was German infantry running away from the general direction of the battlefield. Turning on a bend in the road, he and his driver ran into an unexpected face. It was Captain Lemm, stumbling along the side of the road.
"Lemm, Im amazed but relieved to see you. What the devil is going on? I am trying to find anyone who can tell me what the state of our infantry regiments are in."
"Herr Oberst, the Russians can tell you, and if you go forward another couple hundred meters you can ask them. As far as I know, our positions are overrun. If we had infantry there, they are gone now. And if I were you, Id get the hell out of here, just like Im trying to do. Their heavy tanks are murdering everyone in their path."
Colonel Rause thought for a moment. "I think youre right. I see no evidence of any sort of defense. Get in Lemm, and well head back to the rear."
Just then, three tanks appeared amidst several trees and moved straight in their direction.
"Russian panzers!"
The driver slammed on the gas pedal, gripping the wheel hard to the left to get turned around. A burst of machine gun fire rapidly approached the car.
"Move this thing before were all dead!" cried Lemm. Those were his last words as a 76mm tank round crashed just short of the Kubelwagen, sending it careening against a tree. The driver was killed instantly. Colonel Rause and Captain Lemm were thrown from the vehicle as a result of the impact. Another burst of machine gun fire tore into Lemms body, leaving only the colonel alive. Staggering to his feet, the colonel tried to find any sort of cover, but could see none he would be able to reach before being gunned down. From a second direction a group of three tanks let loose machine gun fire. His position was hopeless. Raising both hands in the air, he indicated his willingness to surrender but expected to be cut down in a moment. One of the KV-1s stopped only a few yards in front of him, when a turret hatch popped open and the platoon leader signaled Rause to come towards them. With that, Max Rause, Chief of Staff 74th Infantry Division, 24th Infantry Corps, 9th Army went into captivity, a prisoner of war.
Okuninka, Eastern Poland. May 25 16:55 hours
"Send this message right away."
Spoiler :
Okuninka, Eastern Poland. May 25 19:10 hours
The operations officer for 24th Infantry Corps at long last had a response.
"Herr General, a message from General Strauss."
Spoiler :
General Franks look stunned, muttering to himself. "What do they think will be left to link up with by then?"
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Sobibor-Dubnik, Eastern Poland May 26 04:00 hours
Lieutnant Paul Werner, reconnaissance platoon leader, radio codename Antelope, stood in his SdKfz-231 (8 rad) as it moved cautiously along to the road to the north in the darkness. Three other vehicles from the platoon, spaced fifty or so meters apart followed behind. The occasional straggler which had escaped the Russian attacks were very few. Where are the Russians now? And when we run into their tanks, we’d better be fast enough to disengage because this 20mm pea-shooter won’t do much to a medium or heavy tank. Fifteen minutes passed and still no contact. It was time to check in with his company commander to report.
"Driver halt. Deer, this is Antelope."
The reply was quick in coming. "Antelope, this is Deer. Go ahead."
"Deer, no contact. Am thousand meters from river." Werner wondered if his good friend Heinz Wilder of 2nd platoon had learned anything as he approached the area.
"Any word from Bison?"
"Negative, Antelope. Bison reported an hour ago from Okuninka. No sign of Fox (General Franks or his HQ) Bear may have departed but cannot confirm. Proceed with great caution."
"Deer, this is Antelope. Confirm and will proceed. Out."
May 26 04:37 hours
"Antelope, this is Deer."
Werner was quick to reply. Perhaps an answer at last. "Antelope here. Go ahead".
"Bison has reported that the Fox has been found safe."
Thank goodness, that is something, thought Werner.
"Affirmative. No sign of Bear. Does Fox know where Bear is, over?"
There was no immediate response this time, and the lieutenant was becoming uneasy.
"Negative, Antelope. Fox had no information but that Bear may have finished his meal and returned to his cave."
Back across the Bug? He could only hope that was the case.
And now another question for Werner. "Antelope, how far are you from the known crossing point and what is your visibility? Over."
"Deer, we are two kilometers from objective. Visibility about one hundred meters."
"Affirmative, Antelope. Hold in place for a bit. Bear has big teeth and we want no surprises. Continue in 30 minutes. Your ability to see picture will be much clearer then."
The platoon leader was quite content to follow these instructions. No need to come across a big animal at close range. He could though make out engine noises in the distance, not too far off and it had to be at the pontoon bridges. They were there all right. The question was, how would contact with them be made? If they are poised to break out, it would be time to get out in top gear. Still, he didn’t really know.
His watch indicated 5:05 when two distinct sounds could be heard. Explosions, clearly. Now what was Bear up to? It was time to find out.
"Driver advance!" The scout vehicle began making its way forward once again. And again the remainder of the platoon followed a safe distance behind. Fifteen minutes later, he had maneuvered off road and was now a thousand meters from reaching the bridges. They said a tank corps had been though here. With no signs of the enemy, they must have gone back across the river. Again a radio message came through.
"Antelope, this is Deer."
"This is Antelope. Go ahead."
"Antelope, Bison reports they are within sight of Alfred and Bruno (two northern crossing points). The brothers have been blown up and Bear is on the far side. Do you see Carl and Dietrich (two southern crossing points)? "
"Negative, Deer. But heard two bangs that indicate it may be the case. Can confirm in about five. Over."
"Affirmative, Antelope. Go ahead. Out."
It was now 05:15 and after a long night of uncertainty, Leutnant Werner was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Deer, this is Antelope. Confirmed that Carl and Dietrich are gone. Bear is back in his cave. Request further instructions over."
Again, it took some time before a response came back.
"Good work Antelope. You and Bison have earned a rest but not a long one. Friendly forces are coming up now from your rear to recover what is left of the corps. We don’t expect to find much. Continue to keep the far side under observation. Will work to get a fresh set of eyes in place so you can come home soon. Deer out."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Situation on the River Bug May 22-26
May 22 14:00 hours
May 23 21:30 hours
May 25 12:00 hours
May 25 16:00 hours
Lieutnant Paul Werner, reconnaissance platoon leader, radio codename Antelope, stood in his SdKfz-231 (8 rad) as it moved cautiously along to the road to the north in the darkness. Three other vehicles from the platoon, spaced fifty or so meters apart followed behind. The occasional straggler which had escaped the Russian attacks were very few. Where are the Russians now? And when we run into their tanks, we’d better be fast enough to disengage because this 20mm pea-shooter won’t do much to a medium or heavy tank. Fifteen minutes passed and still no contact. It was time to check in with his company commander to report.
"Driver halt. Deer, this is Antelope."
The reply was quick in coming. "Antelope, this is Deer. Go ahead."
"Deer, no contact. Am thousand meters from river." Werner wondered if his good friend Heinz Wilder of 2nd platoon had learned anything as he approached the area.
"Any word from Bison?"
"Negative, Antelope. Bison reported an hour ago from Okuninka. No sign of Fox (General Franks or his HQ) Bear may have departed but cannot confirm. Proceed with great caution."
"Deer, this is Antelope. Confirm and will proceed. Out."
May 26 04:37 hours
"Antelope, this is Deer."
Werner was quick to reply. Perhaps an answer at last. "Antelope here. Go ahead".
"Bison has reported that the Fox has been found safe."
Thank goodness, that is something, thought Werner.
"Affirmative. No sign of Bear. Does Fox know where Bear is, over?"
There was no immediate response this time, and the lieutenant was becoming uneasy.
"Negative, Antelope. Fox had no information but that Bear may have finished his meal and returned to his cave."
Back across the Bug? He could only hope that was the case.
And now another question for Werner. "Antelope, how far are you from the known crossing point and what is your visibility? Over."
"Deer, we are two kilometers from objective. Visibility about one hundred meters."
"Affirmative, Antelope. Hold in place for a bit. Bear has big teeth and we want no surprises. Continue in 30 minutes. Your ability to see picture will be much clearer then."
The platoon leader was quite content to follow these instructions. No need to come across a big animal at close range. He could though make out engine noises in the distance, not too far off and it had to be at the pontoon bridges. They were there all right. The question was, how would contact with them be made? If they are poised to break out, it would be time to get out in top gear. Still, he didn’t really know.
His watch indicated 5:05 when two distinct sounds could be heard. Explosions, clearly. Now what was Bear up to? It was time to find out.
"Driver advance!" The scout vehicle began making its way forward once again. And again the remainder of the platoon followed a safe distance behind. Fifteen minutes later, he had maneuvered off road and was now a thousand meters from reaching the bridges. They said a tank corps had been though here. With no signs of the enemy, they must have gone back across the river. Again a radio message came through.
"Antelope, this is Deer."
"This is Antelope. Go ahead."
"Antelope, Bison reports they are within sight of Alfred and Bruno (two northern crossing points). The brothers have been blown up and Bear is on the far side. Do you see Carl and Dietrich (two southern crossing points)? "
"Negative, Deer. But heard two bangs that indicate it may be the case. Can confirm in about five. Over."
"Affirmative, Antelope. Go ahead. Out."
It was now 05:15 and after a long night of uncertainty, Leutnant Werner was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Deer, this is Antelope. Confirmed that Carl and Dietrich are gone. Bear is back in his cave. Request further instructions over."
Again, it took some time before a response came back.
"Good work Antelope. You and Bison have earned a rest but not a long one. Friendly forces are coming up now from your rear to recover what is left of the corps. We don’t expect to find much. Continue to keep the far side under observation. Will work to get a fresh set of eyes in place so you can come home soon. Deer out."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Situation on the River Bug May 22-26
May 22 14:00 hours
Spoiler :
May 23 21:30 hours
Spoiler :
May 25 12:00 hours
Spoiler :
May 25 16:00 hours
Spoiler :
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Fuhrer Headquarters on the Eastern Front
Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair) Rastenburg, East Prussia
May 28, 1941
Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) briefed the Fuhrer on the general situation on the Eastern Front. The assessment of the General Staff was that an attack on the USSR faced extremely unfavorable conditions.
The two main lines of advance north of the Pripet Marshes are well protected by fortifications, extensive minefields and large troop formations. An advance on either Riga or Minsk involves fighting through at least two Russian field armies before fighting their mobile and armored forces consisting of two additional armies. Additionally, friendly air and artillery support would only be marginal, as the Luftwaffe has been severely depleted in numbers of bomber aircraft over England.
An advance by means of an attack in the south will mean fighting through difficult terrain in the vicinity of Lutsk and Lwow. In addition, the line of advance would not take a direct path towards Moscow, which is deemed necessary to capture if the USSR is to be subdued.
The Fuhrer queried Field Marshal von Brauchitsch at length about the prospect of an attack of the bulk of the panzer forces at Minsk. Would an attack by 3 of the 4 operational Panzergruppen result in a conclusive victory? The field marshal asked General Guderian to outline the assessment of such a commitment, as this question had been under study for several weeks. The conclusion as outlined by the general based on significant study of the question was that such an operation would not achieve the necessary results. The area in front of Minsk had been fully prepared for a defensive battle by the Russians. Each PanzerGruppe would need at least a 30-40 kilometer frontage, and the terrain and placement of Russian units meant that only one PanzerGruppe could advance against Minsk at any given time. The result would be a series of difficult attacks, each of which could be blunted by the Russian defenses in turn. It would amount to a piecemeal operation which if it failed, would consume two-thirds of all mobile forces in the German Army.
The Fuhrer then asked for an assessment from the Abwehr (Intelligence Services) on the deployment of Soviet forces beyond Minsk and in the general direction of Moscow. The opinion was that there were no significant Russian reserves positioned in the area. As a result, it could be concluded that a decisive victory at Minsk would leave the Russian forces with an urgent need to withdraw and redeploy across the entire eastern front which could in itself swing the momentum of the general offensive in favor of Germany.
The next round of questions dealt with the assessment of Soviet military production relative to Germany and her European allies over the next 12-18 months if Germany chose to remain on the defensive. The responses varied in terms of equipment and manpower estimates, but the consensus was that the Soviet Union would continue to outpace the Axis powers, and Soviet offensives in the Far East would gain additional manufacturing centers from Japan.
The Fuhrer then spoke. “So, we have the imperative for immediate attack, as well of the prospect of breaking the Bolshevik resistance if we can bring about decisive victory at Minsk. I have every confidence that the German soldier can accomplish what he has in Poland, in Denmark, in Belgium and Holland, and in France. He has proven victorious in each of these past battles and will be victorious at Minsk. Issue the necessary orders.”
General Guderian protested vehemently. “This operation will be nothing different from the last war when one would blow a whistle and our infantry charged into no-mans land only to be slaughtered in their thousands. Such an attack will cripple the army within weeks and will leave the Soviets with the initiative on the Eastern Front permanently. Stalin wants us to attack at Minsk. He is counting on such a move. Why must we walk into a trap of his choosing?”
The Fuhrer scoffed “You have such little confidence in our brave soldiers, Herr General. Stalin is supremely over-confident. His infantry that block our path will be facing an onslaught never before seen in the history of war. A trap it may well be, but it is in fact a trap that will destroy the Russian armies and give us a clear path to Moscow. I have given the order and I expect the General Staff to carry it out.”
Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair) Rastenburg, East Prussia
May 28, 1941
Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) briefed the Fuhrer on the general situation on the Eastern Front. The assessment of the General Staff was that an attack on the USSR faced extremely unfavorable conditions.
The two main lines of advance north of the Pripet Marshes are well protected by fortifications, extensive minefields and large troop formations. An advance on either Riga or Minsk involves fighting through at least two Russian field armies before fighting their mobile and armored forces consisting of two additional armies. Additionally, friendly air and artillery support would only be marginal, as the Luftwaffe has been severely depleted in numbers of bomber aircraft over England.
An advance by means of an attack in the south will mean fighting through difficult terrain in the vicinity of Lutsk and Lwow. In addition, the line of advance would not take a direct path towards Moscow, which is deemed necessary to capture if the USSR is to be subdued.
The Fuhrer queried Field Marshal von Brauchitsch at length about the prospect of an attack of the bulk of the panzer forces at Minsk. Would an attack by 3 of the 4 operational Panzergruppen result in a conclusive victory? The field marshal asked General Guderian to outline the assessment of such a commitment, as this question had been under study for several weeks. The conclusion as outlined by the general based on significant study of the question was that such an operation would not achieve the necessary results. The area in front of Minsk had been fully prepared for a defensive battle by the Russians. Each PanzerGruppe would need at least a 30-40 kilometer frontage, and the terrain and placement of Russian units meant that only one PanzerGruppe could advance against Minsk at any given time. The result would be a series of difficult attacks, each of which could be blunted by the Russian defenses in turn. It would amount to a piecemeal operation which if it failed, would consume two-thirds of all mobile forces in the German Army.
The Fuhrer then asked for an assessment from the Abwehr (Intelligence Services) on the deployment of Soviet forces beyond Minsk and in the general direction of Moscow. The opinion was that there were no significant Russian reserves positioned in the area. As a result, it could be concluded that a decisive victory at Minsk would leave the Russian forces with an urgent need to withdraw and redeploy across the entire eastern front which could in itself swing the momentum of the general offensive in favor of Germany.
The next round of questions dealt with the assessment of Soviet military production relative to Germany and her European allies over the next 12-18 months if Germany chose to remain on the defensive. The responses varied in terms of equipment and manpower estimates, but the consensus was that the Soviet Union would continue to outpace the Axis powers, and Soviet offensives in the Far East would gain additional manufacturing centers from Japan.
The Fuhrer then spoke. “So, we have the imperative for immediate attack, as well of the prospect of breaking the Bolshevik resistance if we can bring about decisive victory at Minsk. I have every confidence that the German soldier can accomplish what he has in Poland, in Denmark, in Belgium and Holland, and in France. He has proven victorious in each of these past battles and will be victorious at Minsk. Issue the necessary orders.”
General Guderian protested vehemently. “This operation will be nothing different from the last war when one would blow a whistle and our infantry charged into no-mans land only to be slaughtered in their thousands. Such an attack will cripple the army within weeks and will leave the Soviets with the initiative on the Eastern Front permanently. Stalin wants us to attack at Minsk. He is counting on such a move. Why must we walk into a trap of his choosing?”
The Fuhrer scoffed “You have such little confidence in our brave soldiers, Herr General. Stalin is supremely over-confident. His infantry that block our path will be facing an onslaught never before seen in the history of war. A trap it may well be, but it is in fact a trap that will destroy the Russian armies and give us a clear path to Moscow. I have given the order and I expect the General Staff to carry it out.”
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Week 20, 1941
Black Sea naval engagement-
Soviet losses- 3 coastal subs, 1 seagoing sub
Axis losses- 3 1939 destroyer 2 coastal flotillas
Organizational actions:
15th and 33rd Armies activated on Southwest Front
18th Army activated on Northwest Front
27th Army activated on Anatolia Front
26th Army released from Reserve Front to Southwest Front by Stavka
52nd Army activated on Reserve Front at Smolensk
Finland attacks a number of border guard outposts, destroying a few defense strength 3 immobile units.
On the western front, the Luftwaffe bombs airfields at Dnepropetrovsk where 6th and
8th Bomber Corps are situated.
Battle of Minsk
Weeks 20-24 1941
Order of Battle
Week 21, 1941
On the Northwest Front, 15th Tank Corps near Liepaja destroys 3 motorized infantry regiments from Army Group North.
At Minsk, Guderian's PanzerGruppe 2 leads the attack. Soviet forces unleash a barrage of air and artillery attacks as the mobile forces in their prepared positions do devestating damage. 3rd Motor Rifle Corps destroys 2 panzer regiments from 11th Panzer Division. 16th Tank Corps destroys 6 panzer and 4 motorized infantry regiments, eliminating LVII Panzer Corps. 4th Motor Rifle Corps eliminate 2 panzer regiments from the 18th Panzer Division. 5th Tank Corps loses 3 T-34 brigades, but it destroys the last panzer regiment of 18th Panzer Division and motor infantry regiment.
As planned, the Soviet mobile forces then withdraw to allow the infantry to absorb the brunt of the German assaults.
German attacks aimed primarily at units across the Northwest Front eliminate 23 Russian infantry. The price of these attacks is heavy for the PanzerGruppe as minefield and anti-tank obstacles take their toll. German tanks hammers away at the fortifications in front of Minsk, and through sheer weight of numbers succeed in wiping out the Soviet 18th Army in their fortifications. It is a terribly costly, if not temporary victory as XXIV and XLI Panzer Corps lose all of their 4 panzer divisions. (12 Panzer III-e regiments are lost).
After the first weeks fighting, PanzerGruppe 2 lost all tank regiments except for one from 11th Panzer Division. The three remaining motorized divisions were left with 8 regiments between them. These units were ordered to await the arrival of PanzerGruppe 3 before resuming the assault, but unknown to them, the Soviet 5th Tank Corps was preparing to unleash an attack on them soon.
Black Sea naval engagement-
Soviet losses- 3 coastal subs, 1 seagoing sub
Axis losses- 3 1939 destroyer 2 coastal flotillas
Organizational actions:
15th and 33rd Armies activated on Southwest Front
18th Army activated on Northwest Front
27th Army activated on Anatolia Front
26th Army released from Reserve Front to Southwest Front by Stavka
52nd Army activated on Reserve Front at Smolensk
Finland attacks a number of border guard outposts, destroying a few defense strength 3 immobile units.
On the western front, the Luftwaffe bombs airfields at Dnepropetrovsk where 6th and
8th Bomber Corps are situated.
Battle of Minsk
Weeks 20-24 1941
Order of Battle
Spoiler :
Week 21, 1941
On the Northwest Front, 15th Tank Corps near Liepaja destroys 3 motorized infantry regiments from Army Group North.
At Minsk, Guderian's PanzerGruppe 2 leads the attack. Soviet forces unleash a barrage of air and artillery attacks as the mobile forces in their prepared positions do devestating damage. 3rd Motor Rifle Corps destroys 2 panzer regiments from 11th Panzer Division. 16th Tank Corps destroys 6 panzer and 4 motorized infantry regiments, eliminating LVII Panzer Corps. 4th Motor Rifle Corps eliminate 2 panzer regiments from the 18th Panzer Division. 5th Tank Corps loses 3 T-34 brigades, but it destroys the last panzer regiment of 18th Panzer Division and motor infantry regiment.
As planned, the Soviet mobile forces then withdraw to allow the infantry to absorb the brunt of the German assaults.
German attacks aimed primarily at units across the Northwest Front eliminate 23 Russian infantry. The price of these attacks is heavy for the PanzerGruppe as minefield and anti-tank obstacles take their toll. German tanks hammers away at the fortifications in front of Minsk, and through sheer weight of numbers succeed in wiping out the Soviet 18th Army in their fortifications. It is a terribly costly, if not temporary victory as XXIV and XLI Panzer Corps lose all of their 4 panzer divisions. (12 Panzer III-e regiments are lost).
After the first weeks fighting, PanzerGruppe 2 lost all tank regiments except for one from 11th Panzer Division. The three remaining motorized divisions were left with 8 regiments between them. These units were ordered to await the arrival of PanzerGruppe 3 before resuming the assault, but unknown to them, the Soviet 5th Tank Corps was preparing to unleash an attack on them soon.
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Battle of Minsk
Week 22, 1941
After the first week of fighting in the Minsk sector, the Germans knew they had suffered extremely heavy casualties, which if they continued into the second week might bring the offensive to a grinding halt.
Soviet resistance at the Stalin Line had been fierce, but nevertheless casualties had been significant on their side as well. 18th Army had been utterly destroyed, and other attacks in the area of Liepaja and Vilnius further reduced the number of infantry available. There were however, two shortcomings in the intelligence picture on the part of the Germans that factored into the ongoing battle.
52nd Army had been stationed at Smolensk as part of Reserve Front. It was subsequently released to Nortwest Front and ordered to reinforce the Minsk defenses just prior to the commencement of the battle. Their timely arrival at Minsk came on the heels of the loss of 18th Army. As a result, the commander of Northwest Front, General Kuznetsov, was able to make good his losses by stationing the 52nd Army west of Minsk, while putting the 6th Army in a position to the southwest.
12th Tank Corps equipped with the T-26 was the other significant intelligence lapse. Although identified by German intelligence as a corps in that sector, what was not identified was in fact, it was closer to an army than a corps. It was almost twice the size of the standard tank corps. It was so large that the corps was divided into two groups, A&B, and were in the position to deliver a crushing blow to any enemy force that survived the artillery and air attacks that could be delivered in the sector.
As the second week of battle began, what remained of Guderian's PanzerGruppe 2 had collected itself on the right flank of the German position. The 24th and 32nd Motorized Divisions were awaiting the arrival of General Hoth's XLVII Panzer Corps.
Intense artillery shelling and air attacks greeted the arrival of the newest panzer formations, and the situation was made worse for the attackers, as the ground was badly torn up from craters and shell holes. The large number of burned out vehicles and dead from PanzerGruppe 2 did nothing for German morale. Frantic calls for help were now going out to XLVII Panzer Corps. The two motorized divisions reported themselves under attack by large numbers of T-34 tanks from Soviet 5th Tank Corps. The lead division from XLVII Panzer Corps was the 16th Motorized Division. That division eventually came under attack from the 5th Tank Corps which had finished off what remained of the other two motorized divisions. After destroying one regiment of the 16th, the 5th Tank Army reversed direction, and returned to the safety of their own lines. Their count in the battle: 7 motorized rifle regiments.
On the left flank of the 16th Motorized was 1st Panzer Division. As they approached the Soviet lines, they were set upon by two attacking forces, 3rd Motorized Rifle Corps and KV-1's from a tank brigade belonging to the 8th Heavy Tank Corps. 3rd Motorized annihilated one panzer regiment while the KV-1's took out the thinner skinned Panzer III-E's from the remaining two regiments. That accomplished, the 1st Panzer Division was gone and only the 9th Panzer Division remained from XLVII Panzer Corps.
XLII and XLVI Panzer Corps occupied the left and center positions of PanzerGruppe 3. XLII Panzer Corps found it impossible to advance in anything but down a narrow frontage due to heavy anti-tank obstacles and the Perosovets minefield on their far left.
8th Panzer Division was in the lead, followed by 34th Motorized and 7th Panzer Divisions in trail. 8th Panzer began to come under fire from artillery and anti-tank gun fire. At the same time, word was then coming in from XLVI Panzer Corps that they were on the receiving massive of a massive artillery bombardment. In fact they were under fire from every available Soviet artillery regiment that was within range. 21st Panzer and 36th Motorized divisions were the first to report the barrage lifting, but now they were under attack by large numbers of tanks and infantry. More KV-1's from 8th Heavy Tank Corps crushed the 36th Motorized Divison.
This left 8th and 21st Panzer to face the largest tank corps in the Red Army. Group B from 12th Corps destroyed the three regiments of 8th Panzer in short order. 21st Panzer, down to a fraction of its strength due to artillery fire was overrun by Group A. Within hours, Group A had continued their advance and proceeded to overrun the 22nd Panzer Division which had found itself in a similar state. XLVI Panzer Corps was gone.
Behind what had been XLVI Panzer Corps was the XVI Panzer Corps. It was the operational reserve of PanzerGruppe 3. General Hoth ordered it forward in an attempt to stabilize the situation. 13th and 17th Panzer moved along side one another, with 31st Motorized in a trailing position. A final artillery strike was called on the panzers with the hope that this would be the deciding blow in the battle for Minsk.
The Soviet artillerists found their mark one after another. In hours, masses of burned out tanks littered the battlefield. It was time for 12th Tank Corps to close for the kill. Outnumbering their opponent by nearly 5-1, the T-26 tanks shattered the combined six panzer regiments which fielded approximately sixty tanks among them.
With only four operational divisions remaining in PanzerGruppe 3, General Hoth ordered his units to hold their positions. Perhaps if any sense of reason prevailed back at the Wolf's Lair, he might yet save something from the burning and blood-soaked fields in front of Minsk.
The answer was not long in coming. Regroup on the left and Army Detachment Wohler will take up positions on the right. The attack will then resume.
General Hoth considered this was the end. One more attack and no matter many Russians we kill, they will kill enough of us to put an end to this command. Still, he followed his orders. 9th Panzer joined 31st Motorized Division to form what remained of XVI Panzer Corps. 7th Panzer, Rommel's old command, and 34th Motorized remained on the far left.
48 hours later, the attack drove into the Stalin Line. Soviet artillery was now silent as they had expended much of their ammunition and were in the process of rearming. The 1st Air Army too was on the ground, resupplying. PanzerGruppe 3 and Army Detachment Wohler assaulted the newly arrived 6th Army which had been stationed in Minsk. Now it was time for this army to take on the panzers. 6th Army was almost totally destroyed in their fortifications, but again the cost to the Wehrmacht was enormous. The last two panzer divisions of PanzerGruppe 3 were lost in the attacks, along with two regiments from Detachment Wohler's 3rd Panzer Division.
Twenty-four panzer regiments, a total of eight divisions had been consumed in a week in the Battle for Minsk. And at Liepaja, almost three more panzer divisions lost by Army Group North in the week. How could anyone be convinced that further attacks at Minsk would gain any benefit?
Week 22, 1941
After the first week of fighting in the Minsk sector, the Germans knew they had suffered extremely heavy casualties, which if they continued into the second week might bring the offensive to a grinding halt.
Soviet resistance at the Stalin Line had been fierce, but nevertheless casualties had been significant on their side as well. 18th Army had been utterly destroyed, and other attacks in the area of Liepaja and Vilnius further reduced the number of infantry available. There were however, two shortcomings in the intelligence picture on the part of the Germans that factored into the ongoing battle.
52nd Army had been stationed at Smolensk as part of Reserve Front. It was subsequently released to Nortwest Front and ordered to reinforce the Minsk defenses just prior to the commencement of the battle. Their timely arrival at Minsk came on the heels of the loss of 18th Army. As a result, the commander of Northwest Front, General Kuznetsov, was able to make good his losses by stationing the 52nd Army west of Minsk, while putting the 6th Army in a position to the southwest.
12th Tank Corps equipped with the T-26 was the other significant intelligence lapse. Although identified by German intelligence as a corps in that sector, what was not identified was in fact, it was closer to an army than a corps. It was almost twice the size of the standard tank corps. It was so large that the corps was divided into two groups, A&B, and were in the position to deliver a crushing blow to any enemy force that survived the artillery and air attacks that could be delivered in the sector.
As the second week of battle began, what remained of Guderian's PanzerGruppe 2 had collected itself on the right flank of the German position. The 24th and 32nd Motorized Divisions were awaiting the arrival of General Hoth's XLVII Panzer Corps.
Intense artillery shelling and air attacks greeted the arrival of the newest panzer formations, and the situation was made worse for the attackers, as the ground was badly torn up from craters and shell holes. The large number of burned out vehicles and dead from PanzerGruppe 2 did nothing for German morale. Frantic calls for help were now going out to XLVII Panzer Corps. The two motorized divisions reported themselves under attack by large numbers of T-34 tanks from Soviet 5th Tank Corps. The lead division from XLVII Panzer Corps was the 16th Motorized Division. That division eventually came under attack from the 5th Tank Corps which had finished off what remained of the other two motorized divisions. After destroying one regiment of the 16th, the 5th Tank Army reversed direction, and returned to the safety of their own lines. Their count in the battle: 7 motorized rifle regiments.
On the left flank of the 16th Motorized was 1st Panzer Division. As they approached the Soviet lines, they were set upon by two attacking forces, 3rd Motorized Rifle Corps and KV-1's from a tank brigade belonging to the 8th Heavy Tank Corps. 3rd Motorized annihilated one panzer regiment while the KV-1's took out the thinner skinned Panzer III-E's from the remaining two regiments. That accomplished, the 1st Panzer Division was gone and only the 9th Panzer Division remained from XLVII Panzer Corps.
XLII and XLVI Panzer Corps occupied the left and center positions of PanzerGruppe 3. XLII Panzer Corps found it impossible to advance in anything but down a narrow frontage due to heavy anti-tank obstacles and the Perosovets minefield on their far left.
8th Panzer Division was in the lead, followed by 34th Motorized and 7th Panzer Divisions in trail. 8th Panzer began to come under fire from artillery and anti-tank gun fire. At the same time, word was then coming in from XLVI Panzer Corps that they were on the receiving massive of a massive artillery bombardment. In fact they were under fire from every available Soviet artillery regiment that was within range. 21st Panzer and 36th Motorized divisions were the first to report the barrage lifting, but now they were under attack by large numbers of tanks and infantry. More KV-1's from 8th Heavy Tank Corps crushed the 36th Motorized Divison.
This left 8th and 21st Panzer to face the largest tank corps in the Red Army. Group B from 12th Corps destroyed the three regiments of 8th Panzer in short order. 21st Panzer, down to a fraction of its strength due to artillery fire was overrun by Group A. Within hours, Group A had continued their advance and proceeded to overrun the 22nd Panzer Division which had found itself in a similar state. XLVI Panzer Corps was gone.
Behind what had been XLVI Panzer Corps was the XVI Panzer Corps. It was the operational reserve of PanzerGruppe 3. General Hoth ordered it forward in an attempt to stabilize the situation. 13th and 17th Panzer moved along side one another, with 31st Motorized in a trailing position. A final artillery strike was called on the panzers with the hope that this would be the deciding blow in the battle for Minsk.
The Soviet artillerists found their mark one after another. In hours, masses of burned out tanks littered the battlefield. It was time for 12th Tank Corps to close for the kill. Outnumbering their opponent by nearly 5-1, the T-26 tanks shattered the combined six panzer regiments which fielded approximately sixty tanks among them.
With only four operational divisions remaining in PanzerGruppe 3, General Hoth ordered his units to hold their positions. Perhaps if any sense of reason prevailed back at the Wolf's Lair, he might yet save something from the burning and blood-soaked fields in front of Minsk.
The answer was not long in coming. Regroup on the left and Army Detachment Wohler will take up positions on the right. The attack will then resume.
General Hoth considered this was the end. One more attack and no matter many Russians we kill, they will kill enough of us to put an end to this command. Still, he followed his orders. 9th Panzer joined 31st Motorized Division to form what remained of XVI Panzer Corps. 7th Panzer, Rommel's old command, and 34th Motorized remained on the far left.
48 hours later, the attack drove into the Stalin Line. Soviet artillery was now silent as they had expended much of their ammunition and were in the process of rearming. The 1st Air Army too was on the ground, resupplying. PanzerGruppe 3 and Army Detachment Wohler assaulted the newly arrived 6th Army which had been stationed in Minsk. Now it was time for this army to take on the panzers. 6th Army was almost totally destroyed in their fortifications, but again the cost to the Wehrmacht was enormous. The last two panzer divisions of PanzerGruppe 3 were lost in the attacks, along with two regiments from Detachment Wohler's 3rd Panzer Division.
Twenty-four panzer regiments, a total of eight divisions had been consumed in a week in the Battle for Minsk. And at Liepaja, almost three more panzer divisions lost by Army Group North in the week. How could anyone be convinced that further attacks at Minsk would gain any benefit?
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Battle of Minsk
Week 23, 1941
5th Tank Corps destroys 6 infantry regiments from 12th and 14th motorized divisions and all regiments of the 23rd Panzer Division from Army Detachment Wohler. The last unit of of PanzerGruppe 3, the 31st Motorized Infantry division, is also destroyed by 5th Tank Corps.
Responding to the news of the debacle, Hitler sacks the German Chief of the General Staff, von Brauchitsch and replaces him with General Zeitzler. For his part, Zeitzler is ready to withdraw all remaining reserves, but is overruled. He is ordered to commit von Kleist's and Hoeppner's PanzerGruppe 1 and 4 in an all-or-nothing gamble to finally break the Soviet positions along Kuznetsov's Northwest Front.
PanzerGruppe 1 is met by 8th Heavy Tank Corps which destroys an 88mm AA regiment, 7 panzer regiments of XXI Panzer Corps and a motor infantry regiment
Soviet 11th Motor Rifle Corps proceeds to engage a force of 25 Italian cavalry units that attempt to aid the advance on Minsk. They destroy 14 units and the remaining 11 are destroyed by assorted Soviet armor units in the vicinity.
The defenders of Minsk finally see some relief as concentrated attacks temporarily take place north of their positions by 1st and 4th PanzerGruppen. The Wehrmacht loses 6 more panzer regiments, but destroy 4 T-34 regiments.
A total of 19 panzer regiments have been lost this week
Week 24, 1941
The Minsk defenses of the Stalin Line once again see action. PanzerGruppe 1 is consumed in the firestorm of artillery and air attacks, followed by attacks from the powerful Russian mobile formations.
15th Tank Corps destroys 4 panzer regiments and 3 motorized infantry regiments.
8th Heavy Tank Corps destroys 6 panzer regiments and motor rifle units.
4 infantry, 2 motorized infantry and a panzer regiment are destroyed near Gomel.
A last-ditch German assault on Liepaja by PanzerGruppe 4 commanded by Erich Hoepner decimates much of 16th Army, but the city holds.
At least 11 panzer regiments lost by Germany this week, and the initiative lost on the Eastern Front.
Week 21 Situation Map
Week 22 Situation Map
Week 23 Situation Map
Week 23, 1941
5th Tank Corps destroys 6 infantry regiments from 12th and 14th motorized divisions and all regiments of the 23rd Panzer Division from Army Detachment Wohler. The last unit of of PanzerGruppe 3, the 31st Motorized Infantry division, is also destroyed by 5th Tank Corps.
Responding to the news of the debacle, Hitler sacks the German Chief of the General Staff, von Brauchitsch and replaces him with General Zeitzler. For his part, Zeitzler is ready to withdraw all remaining reserves, but is overruled. He is ordered to commit von Kleist's and Hoeppner's PanzerGruppe 1 and 4 in an all-or-nothing gamble to finally break the Soviet positions along Kuznetsov's Northwest Front.
PanzerGruppe 1 is met by 8th Heavy Tank Corps which destroys an 88mm AA regiment, 7 panzer regiments of XXI Panzer Corps and a motor infantry regiment
Soviet 11th Motor Rifle Corps proceeds to engage a force of 25 Italian cavalry units that attempt to aid the advance on Minsk. They destroy 14 units and the remaining 11 are destroyed by assorted Soviet armor units in the vicinity.
The defenders of Minsk finally see some relief as concentrated attacks temporarily take place north of their positions by 1st and 4th PanzerGruppen. The Wehrmacht loses 6 more panzer regiments, but destroy 4 T-34 regiments.
A total of 19 panzer regiments have been lost this week
Week 24, 1941
The Minsk defenses of the Stalin Line once again see action. PanzerGruppe 1 is consumed in the firestorm of artillery and air attacks, followed by attacks from the powerful Russian mobile formations.
15th Tank Corps destroys 4 panzer regiments and 3 motorized infantry regiments.
8th Heavy Tank Corps destroys 6 panzer regiments and motor rifle units.
4 infantry, 2 motorized infantry and a panzer regiment are destroyed near Gomel.
A last-ditch German assault on Liepaja by PanzerGruppe 4 commanded by Erich Hoepner decimates much of 16th Army, but the city holds.
At least 11 panzer regiments lost by Germany this week, and the initiative lost on the Eastern Front.
Week 21 Situation Map
Spoiler :
Week 22 Situation Map
Spoiler :
Week 23 Situation Map
Spoiler :
M60A3TTS
Ex-treadhead
Other activity from Weeks 21-24
Week 21
T-34s capture Japanese-held Fushun.
Japanese losses are 3 infantry and 1 tank
14th Tank Corps captures Kalgan
Soviet losses are 1 T-34 belonging to 10th Tank Corps
Japanese losses are 1 heavy artillery and 4 infantry
On the Leningrad Front, 3 T-26 units from 17th Tank Corps destroy 3 Finnish tank units.
37th Motor Rifle Corps destroys a Finnish tank unit. A T-34 unit destroys another.
Week 22
Trans-Siberian Front reports 8 Chi-Ha Type 97 tank units destroyed by 10th and 14th Tank Corps
Leningrad Front reports 6th Heavy Tank Corps destroys 2 Finnish tank units, 2 light tank units and 6 infantry units. 17th Tank Corps destroys 1 infantry unit.
The Finns successfully destroy a KV-1 unit but are making only modest advances.
Week 23
Manchurian Front reports 3rd Tank Corps has taken Pyonyang at the cost of one T-34 unit. Three Japanese infantry and a heavy artillery are destroyed.
Week 24
No reports from other fronts.
Week 21
T-34s capture Japanese-held Fushun.
Spoiler :
Japanese losses are 3 infantry and 1 tank
14th Tank Corps captures Kalgan
Spoiler :
Soviet losses are 1 T-34 belonging to 10th Tank Corps
Japanese losses are 1 heavy artillery and 4 infantry
On the Leningrad Front, 3 T-26 units from 17th Tank Corps destroy 3 Finnish tank units.
37th Motor Rifle Corps destroys a Finnish tank unit. A T-34 unit destroys another.
Week 22
Trans-Siberian Front reports 8 Chi-Ha Type 97 tank units destroyed by 10th and 14th Tank Corps
Leningrad Front reports 6th Heavy Tank Corps destroys 2 Finnish tank units, 2 light tank units and 6 infantry units. 17th Tank Corps destroys 1 infantry unit.
The Finns successfully destroy a KV-1 unit but are making only modest advances.
Week 23
Manchurian Front reports 3rd Tank Corps has taken Pyonyang at the cost of one T-34 unit. Three Japanese infantry and a heavy artillery are destroyed.
Spoiler :
Week 24
No reports from other fronts.
Well how are you enjoying the scenario so far? Would you suggest I put it on my to do list, after I have taken a long enough break from world maps? Domination or Conquest takes a lot of time on these puppies.
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