HOI III (Their Finest Hour) AAR - Going it alone

[Keunert]

could you say a word about the supply mechanics pls? what are they living from, Germanies Ostdivisionen?

[MetalDog]

If I understand it, Keunert, as long as there is an unbroken line of territory you own from your capitol to your troops, they are in supply.

[Keunert]

that's no more the case for germany. do they get immobilized after some time?

[undercovergeek]

I was having this discussion with the Italian logistics minister, bawb the other night - I'm unsure on the supply rules but there is no supply line from German occupied Russia to Germany.... but Germany has Minsk, Kharkov, Kiev, Leningrad, Bucharest and many other towns - I know supplies can be drawn from captured ports but that is still shipping supplies in from the home resource centres.... you know what keunert you maybe on to something.... they may be completely out of supplies

[Keunert]

you just let them run dry on the empty fields of Romania!
that's a brilliant strategy indeed! you get all their equipment and will then crush Russia!

[bob48]

Duce.
It strikes me (again referring to our conversation) that non of those cities will be capable of producing heavy tanks. I stick by my 'exchange ground for time and bleed 'em with your superior AT units' theory. How long before his elite units are mere shadows of their former selves?

Respectfully,

Roberto.

[eyebiter]

.

[undercovergeek]

The Germans would not let up their pressure. On the 12th of June they assaulted Bucharest, and sacrificed over twelve hundred soldiers to destroy the garrison of nearly four hundred and fifty Italian defenders. Right across the front the Germans won all the minor skirmishes with the small divisions that had been established to defend important locations across the New Empire - these divisions were thrown mercilessly in front of the oncoming SS as a speed bump, something, anything to slow them down to allow the marines to catch up. Damage was also being done operationally by the Germans, they simply destroyed all logistics infrastructure as they advanced, no bridge, no road nor rail junction in Romania would be left undestroyed by the end of the month.



Four days later, for the second time in two years, the vital oilfields of Ploesti were taken without bloodshed or damage, and  three days after that the vital port of Constanta fell - supplies into the area that would have sustained the marines were cut off. Hitler then decided to switch fronts and start the advance on the old countries of Hungary and Bulgaria, re-designating the panzer groups as whole panzer armies for the occasion, such were the number of armoured divisions now in the area. Operation Typhoon, which was set in motion on 21 June, saw the 2nd Panzer Army rush along the paved road from Tolbuchin to Varna with Sofia as its destination, while the 4th Panzer Army and 3rd Panzer armies headed for Budapest and the Hungarian plains.



There is a ridge of hills that runs through Ramnicu Valcea in the west of the old country of Romania. On a ridge, high up on one of those hills, looking down into the valley of Pitesti stands General Arena, hero of Poland. In his binoculars is the unprotected rear of the German advance, behind him stand 8 undefeated, elite Marine divisions and behind them stands Messe and his armoured divisions. This would be Arena's war on the Germans...........

To the west the Italian forces take a collective breath - the Northern regions have been swept clear of German defenders, the southern forces are rolling through the Rhineland. Pintor readjusts his line of advance, and Calvi di Bergolo stands ready - the path to Euskirchen is clear

[Martok]

Them there panzers are about to be de-pantsed.  This should be good! 

[undercovergeek]

On 25 June, two divisions of Arena's I marine corps were ordered to strike eastwards to provide a screen for the II Corps' main attack further south, supported by Messe's armoured corps. Simultaneously, the two other divisions of I corps (first and second) were ordered to head southwest to disrupt continuing German efforts to advance on Hungary. Between 25–28 June, the II Marine Corps cut through the 2nd Panzer Army's flank, completely stalling the German advance through southern Romania and the Bulgarian border, and successfully surrounded and destroyed a number of German units south of the river in the region.



Messe's tanks race east to support the marine's advance

The first and second divisions of I Marine Corps, now with support from one of Messe's armoured divisions continued their advance in a southwestern direction, these two divisions successfully cut the supply lines to the German spearheads, and swung east to meet the Third Panzer Army head on. On 25 June, alarmed by the success of the Italian counterattack, Hitler ordered the Fourth Panzer army to shift its front from the Hungarian/Romanian border and support the Third Panzer army - now out of supply.

Marines began to engage German units southwest of Pitesti, performing a holding action to wait for the remains of Messe's corps and the third and fourth marine divisions coming south from providing a screen earlier. By 1 July, the Germans had pulled two armoured divisions off the front and back towards Russia - either a Russian counter attack was under way or lack of fuel and supplies was beginning to take effect. Between 1 and 2 July, the reformed I Marine Corps with one armoured division by their side continued to attack the spearhead of the Third Panzer Army with great success, intelligence suggested the army was out of fuel. Further east the II Marine Corps with three armoured divisions broke through the thinly stretched German lines and drove back into Bucharest. To the east Ploesti and the abandoned port of Constanta.



Italian armoured divisions provide much needed pace to the race for Ploesti

By 5 July, the attacking I Marine Corps had been badly mauled, but it had completely stopped with the aid of dwindling supplies, the Third and Fourth Panzer armies. Scouts at the rear of these armies reported operations in place for withdrawing from the front. Taking advantage of the the stalling Panzer advance the marines were able to destroy isolated divisions, creating large gaps in the enemy lines leading to uncoordinated and piecemeal counter attacks from the Germans that were ineffective. Between 6 - 8 July, the Fourth Panzer Army, including the SS Panzer Corps, were pushed back 140 kilometers and repositioned only about 90 kilometers south of the occupied Russian border. The Third Panzer army had effectively been abandoned, out of supply and out of fuel it was defenceless in the heart of Romania.

In the west of Germany, in the early morning of 28 June, Pintor launched a two-prong attack into Euskirchen. General Roatta's divisions, advancing from the Northwest, split up into two columns advancing towards northern Euskirchen on either side of the Stuttgart-Antwerp railroad. Elements of the eighth division, on the right side of the railroad, attacked the city's industrial district, meeting heavy resistance and advancing only to the northern railway yard by the end of the day. On the opposite side of the railroad, parts of the 9th Division struck at the commercial sector to the northeast of the city, meeting a Tiger-led German counterattack which drove part of the 9th division back out of the city.



Tigers lead the counter attack in the northeast of the city

Only with aerial support from tactical bombers and the massed artillery of Pintors supporting divisions were the Italian infantry able to battle their way into the city. A flanking attack from the rear finally allowed the Italians to achieve a foothold in the northern area of the city. Simultaneously, the I Motorised division from Calvi di Bergolo's forces attacked down the main road from Cologne, fighting an immediate counterattack coming on their left flank. Fighting their way past Tigers, this Italian contingent was able to lodge itself into Euskirchen's northeastern suburbs. From the north, another contingent of Calvi di Bergolo's motorised infantry and self-propelled guns attempted to take control of the road exits to Aachen and Blankenheim to try and prevent an attempted breakout. This attack penetrated deeper into the outskirts of Euskirchen, but low on fuel the self propelled artillery was forced to entrench itself and turn to the defensive.



The old court building in Euskirchen, now Hitlers headquarters

Pintor's tenth division attacked on the same day, along the west side of Euskirchen. After penetrating into the city's old town area, the advance was stopped by a deep anti-tank ditch, lined with German defenders, including anti-tank guns. A German counterattack was repulsed after a bloody firefight. A detachment of the tenth fought its way to the southern approaches of the city, finally cutting off the road to Blankenheim. On the night of 04–05 July, a breakthrough element crossed the anti-tank ditch, taking the German defenders by surprise, and opening a path for motorised troops and artillery to cross. This allowed the tenth to advance to the city's main railway station, which would be the farthest this division would advance into the city.

On 6 July, the eighth division made progress into the city's centre, breaking through the staunch German defenses in the northern suburbs and began a house to house fight towards the centre. By the end of the day, the division had reached a position just two blocks north of Nazi headquarters in the town square. The I Motorised Division was able to surround the square, after taking heavy casualties from German snipers and other defenders, by evening. That night, I division's third battalion, under the command of Guillardo Mancini linked up with the second battalion in the town square square and attacked towards the court building. Meanwhile, the division's left wing reached the junction of the high street and market street exit roads and went on the defensive, fighting off a number of German counterattacks.

The next day, Mancini's battalion struck towards the headquarters building and the surrounding block. In a bid to trap the city's defenders in the center, the 1st Battalion re-entered the city using the Aachen exit road. As Pintor surveyed the town square and the court building a messenger appeared on a stolen German motorcycle - there were unsubstantiated rumours that Hitler had either committed suicide or had been assassinated by his bodyguards..........

[BanzaiCat]

Arrivaderci, Herr Mustache!

[Martok]

Damn.  Looks like the "Thousand Year Reich" has already reached its death throes. 

[MetalDog]

Excellently done, Geek!!!  I say again, well written and add kudos for the strategy and tactics.

[bob48]

^Agree with you MD. And first class entertainment as well.

[JasonPratt]

Damn.  Looks like the "Thousand Year Reich" has already reached its death throes.

Wasn't that supposed to be the resurgence of the Holy Roman Empire anyway?

I'd say that's going pretty well so far. :)

(Also, now THAT'S Italian.  ;D )