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

[undercovergeek]

All he did was knock out Berlin. Germany isn't down for the count yet, and it's doubtful that the Allies will accept all this expansion by a fascist Italy. In effect he's dared every other country in the world (including Japan, the other Axis superpower) to crush him.

its more local than that - but it is a cunning plan by Hitler

[Staggerwing]

Don't tell me he sent Von Ribbentrop east with a box of chocolates... Or on a little cross channel boat ride...

[bob48]

Geek, Stagger.....someone has pinched your cheese as well.

[BanzaiCat]

I thought cheese got 'nicked.'

[undercovergeek]

the great cheese theft!!!!  ???

[bob48]

I thought cheese got 'nicked.'

Nicked, pinched, half-inched... its gone...........

[undercovergeek]

After Frankfurt fell in the first few days of June 1942, Mussolini flew out to meet with Pintor and Zingales. Calvi di Bergolo was savaging the north of Germany - he was tasked with chasing the northern defenders to the sea and then turning west across the border with Denmark, through Hamburg and on to the Dutch border. Further south on the French/Swiss border was Pintor and his elite infantry divisions. Capturing the new German capital was now his Corps' main objective - through Western Germany and all the way to the Belgian border, meeting up with Calvi di Bergolo's forces and securing the entire west of Germany - their flank now secured by the presence of New Poland.



Mussolini surveys the front with Pintor

Mussolini called for the maps - in France he had captured the South, built a corridor to Iberia (partially retaken by the Germans after the battle of Marseilles but operations were in progress to recapture this area) and secured the line.



French maps June 1942

Germany troubled Mussolini. He could see from the maps that approximately seventy percent of Germany belonged to him or had been retaken by the Poles, but intelligence told him he'd only faced thirty percent of Germany's forces. They could only be still locked in combat with the Russian forces to the east - a good few forces had attempted to come west to secure Berlin and the Polish centres of industry and these had been efficiently dispatched but common sense dictated the armoured legions of Hitler must be coming.



Maps of Germany in June 1942

The reason for summoning Zingales soon became clear - the presence of a neutral, unpassable New Poland presented Mussolini with a god sent opportunity - the entire Eastern Front, should they be on their way, could only come through Mussolini's 'front door' at Danzing - across the whole front only these four provinces were passable by Hitler and his forces. Zingales was to park his whole Corps in this area, dig in, fortify and watch the German forces destroy themselves trying to get in. The aircraft carrier Aquila was brought north from patrol duties with her entire escort in the Mediterranean to make sure no sea based invasions from Norway or Axis Finland were attempted.



The 'front door'

The last days of Germany were now drafted in military operations and ready to launch. Barbasseti di Prun's VIII army and Pintor's Ist Army were to head west for the new capital and possibly the capture of the Fuhrer himself. General Gambelli's corps would steer south and west to secure the industrial zones of the Rhineland and occupy the fortified provinces of the old Maginot line. Bastico's II Army and elements of Utili's VII army, including Messe and Zingales were to hold the door closed against the remainder of the German army.

Satisfied with his plans Mussolini returned to Rome - an ashen faced Ciano met him at the landing strip. Whilst securing Germany's destruction to the west and shutting them out in the east by slamming the front door in their face - Hitler promptly kicked in the back door and flooded through the undefended northern plains of Romania with his 'missing army'

[Steelgrave]

Amazing. I'm enjoying this more than half the alternative history novels I've read. And that's one of my favorite genre's. Great job!

[Martok]

Amazing. I'm enjoying this more than half the alternative history novels I've read. And that's one of my favorite genre's. Great job!

I can't second Steelie's words enough.  This AAR is very well done. 


Now let's see if Herr Schicklgruber's counterattack through Romania succeeds.. 

[JasonPratt]

All he did was knock out Berlin. Germany isn't down for the count yet, and it's doubtful that the Allies will accept all this expansion by a fascist Italy. In effect he's dared every other country in the world (including Japan, the other Axis superpower) to crush him.

its more local than that - but it is a cunning plan by Hitler

Indeed (as I read tonight). But the other is coming.

[undercovergeek]

It took Mussolini a moment or two to comprehend what he had just heard. For what seemed like an eternity he stared unblinkingly at Ciano.

'Romania, Duce............ Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Greece, our own eastern provinces, there is nothing in their way'

The majority of Italys force were in western Germany, almost to Belgium and the Netherlands. The lands around Danzig could not be abandoned - he would not give the Germans another avenue of attack.

'Who do we have?'

'The marines Duce, just the marines - I and II Corps, and the III Corps of Utili's 7th Army', Ciano said in a hushed whisper, it was almost a sob - he wasnt an army man but he knew from the reports what was flooding into Romania - and the forces he had listed were no match for them. Here now were the heavy tanks, the super heavy tanks, the SS divisions and the elite fighting forces of Germany.

Arena and Balisti, both recipients of the Order of the White Eagle, personally pinned upon them by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, leader of New Poland, were sent south to intercept and halt the advance. So too were Lisi and his III Corps. It would be a week or more before they arrived, where to send them exactly would be Utili's problem - the front would be changing on a daily basis.

'Get me Stalin, or that idiot Litvinov, just................. just get me someone Russian' bellowed Mussolini getting into his staff car

From Uzhorod in the northwest near Turka, to Cetatea Alba across the bay from Odessa in the east, they came - the border towns all across the front fell.



Mussolini sat in the back of the car, angry at himself more than anyone else. He had pulled the forces from the borders and sent them West despite his advisors pleas - was he now no better than the German fool, ignoring the advice of those more learned and experienced than he?

If he closed his eyes he could only see Roman cities burning, desperate, pleading Italian citizens running from the flames and tanks and oncoming German revenge. He needed a plan, and a good one, he had 'gone it alone' so that his glory need not be shared, now the price of that isolation loomed large. He had the car turned around, he was going back to the western front, he needed a victory there immediately, a cleared flank and a path to the Eastern front opened as soon as possible

[Martok]

Damn.  I see what you mean now by the fecal matter hitting the rotating oscillator... 

[JasonPratt]

If only you had a giant weekend available to find a way to deal with this mess!  :D

Personally, I'd recommend pulling back troops from Germany. So what if that leaves another route back into central/western Europe? This is probably the majority of tough remaining German units already; and they aren't coming to reclaim their homeland, they're coming to ruin yours! They can always retake Germany after crushing you; you can always retake Germany after protecting your own areas.

[undercovergeek]

'It looks the entire German high command is here Major', General Umberto lowered his binoculars and squinted through the smoke and flames pouring from another destroyed German tank nearby.

Here on the outskirts of Hamburg, a bombed out ruin courtesy of the RAF, the northern forces that Calvi di Bergolo had been tasked with destroying were making a last, desperate stand. Eight divisions led by Oberkommando der Wehrmacht Willem Keitel himself were placed throughout the city. I and III corps of the I Motorised Army had surrounded the city, IV corps had been sent north to cut off any routes of retreat and to secure the Danish border. II corps had been sent into the city to capture or destroy the important port, wary of the numbers facing them II corps were confident - captured men had told of the lack of supplies, the disorganisation of the forces and the lack of will to fight. True enough when the assault commenced at dawn on the 10th June the defense folded almost immediately - there were few casualties but the prisoners taken included Keitel, and Jodl and twenty seven thousand fighting men.



With the prisoners still marching to the rear, II corps started to pack up. The order from Mussolini had been made clear, 'advance, advance, advance'. Within five days Bremen had fallen and all Northern forces had been pushed back to Willhelmshaven - there amongst the U-boat pens and shipping works they would be surrounded and destroyed. The north was clear - Calvi di Bergolo and his men were put on trains and sent south east as quickly as possible.



The bewildered, utterly dejected remains of Germany's western armies were marched to Hamburg -



Further South, Pintor and his men were heading west to the Nazi stronghold of Euskirchen. Defenses were stronger than expected and Pintor had to inform Mussolini that this would not be as speedy an operation as Calvi di Bergolo's. His main fear was that German troops would fall back and occupy the forts built by the French and there hold back the Italians until their Eastern front collapsed under Germany's new attack. A corps of General Roatta's alpine troops was ordered from the South to come north to the rear of the Germans and prevent such a withdrawal.



The west was going well, it was just a matter of mopping up the remainder of the forces and destroying Euskirchen brick by brick. There was no word from Russia, his agents had gone quiet, there was no intel coming from the Russian front at all - he needed to know if this was a full scale withdrawal from Russia and if the entire might of Hitlers Panzer divisions were coming.

A runner appeared at his door with a folded message. Bucharest was under attack - the garrison had sworn to stand until the last man

[Martok]

And the race is on!  Who will get to the finish line first?