Blue Dawn, 1994

[James G]

Apr 23, 2020 21:11:24 GMT forcon said:

Interesting updates. One thing I recently learned is that the USMC has two reserve tank battalions - the 4th & 8th - so if my info is correct, there would be enough for each RCT in Crimea to have not only a tank company but a full battalion assigned.

Thanks.
Yep, I'm thinking there would be still as many USMC units. But there are other commitments for the well-extended Marines. They've been sent all over the world though with most unlikely to see action.
Have a look at this: alternate-timelines.proboards.com/thread/3175/test2?page=1&scrollTo=92465 

[stevep]

   James

   Good chapter on how assorted conspiracy theorists and institutional inertia, especially when it means a lot of people would have to admit they got it wrong, would hinder any further investigation into the assassination.  Its going to take a fair bit for enough people supporting the current consensus, including the new President, a lot of the intelligence establishment and the bulk of the US general population to admit they were wrong and start thinking, what do we do now?  Ultimately I can see Robb carrying the can for attacking the wrong Russia as it will be easier for most people to blame him as the man who made the ultimate decision than to take any responsibility themselves.

  I'm a bit puzzled by that last sentence however.  If their worried about being linked in with the crazies pushing assorted daft conspiracies then the last thing I would expect them to do would be to talk to even the most respected of the press, at least until their got a lot of evidence.  Not to mention it would presumably be a breach of national security.  Ditto, albeit to a lesser degree Congressman.

  Steve

[James G]

Apr 24, 2020 10:29:39 GMT stevep said:

   James

   Good chapter on how assorted conspiracy theorists and institutional inertia, especially when it means a lot of people would have to admit they got it wrong, would hinder any further investigation into the assassination.  Its going to take a fair bit for enough people supporting the current consensus, including the new President, a lot of the intelligence establishment and the bulk of the US general population to admit they were wrong and start thinking, what do we do now?  Ultimately I can see Robb carrying the can for attacking the wrong Russia as it will be easier for most people to blame him as the man who made the ultimate decision than to take any responsibility themselves.

  I'm a bit puzzled by that last sentence however.  If their worried about being linked in with the crazies pushing assorted daft conspiracies then the last thing I would expect them to do would be to talk to even the most respected of the press, at least until their got a lot of evidence.  Not to mention it would presumably be a breach of national security.  Ditto, albeit to a lesser degree Congressman.

  Steve

Thank you. I was thinking about it for some time, adding in ideas as to how crazy some things have been on the outside, yet also with that investigation too where everything went perfect.
'the buck stops here' should be how it is for the president. We will have to see.
My thinking at the end of that update was that leakers will go to the press / a congressman because they are worried. They're told something shocking and that is their response. Of course, it is wrong, but that is done.

[James G]

Part Four – Moscow-bound


54 – Reinforcements


Army National Guard units continue to arrive in Europe in strength. America’s part-time soldiers are on their way to join the fight raging now on the very borders of Russia. Significant numbers of national guardsmen are being deployed to Europe like they already have been to both Kuwait and South Korea too. Aircraft are flying them in to meet with equipment and stores being transferred by sea. Poland is where they are forming up, all under the re-established US VII Corps. The aim is for the Army National Guard to see action soon. VII Corps takes command of them once established in Poland though ahead of combat with Union forces, it is likely that much of the force will be broken off ahead of then rather than all fighting together. It’s a big force being assembled and will be too unwieldy on the frontlines: what’s being done now is for administrative purposes for supply & communications.

The 40th Infantry Division is today declared operational on Polish soil. They’ve come from California in the main though with attachments from many western states too. This is a heavy division full tanks, armoured vehicles and everything else to allow it to compete on the modern battlefield where an opponent is likely to be as well equipped. The national guardsmen have been undergoing training for the past couple of weeks while the sealift has taken place of their equipment. That training has taken place across California. The 40th Infantry Division is at full-strength in terms of personnel with no shortages at all in that regard. Their equipment arrives in Europe intact too. In many wartime scenarios through the years where the division has had a NATO role, there have been fears that submarine or air attacks would sink ships carrying all of that. Such a thing hasn’t happened. There has been no impediment by the Union of the movement of the 40th Infantry Division. Through Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Szczecin ships have unloaded with everything then moved by rail & road into Polish staging areas. The final airlift of personnel was made overnight and so now the 40th Infantry Division is ready. VII Corps orders the division to cross into Belarus and head towards the Minsk area. This will put it behind the frontlines but still pretty close to the action. Off those national guardsmen start moving.

The 29th & 35th Infantry Divisions are already entering Belarus while the 49th Armored Division is inside the Ukraine. These VII Corps units have not yet seen action and remain under corps control. Two more divisions are still in the process of forming up in Poland after trans-Atlantic transfer: within the next couple of days, the 28th & 42nd Infantry Divisions will be ready to begin moving. That’s half a dozen full-strength divisions, one of the main reasons while the VII Corps is regarded as too big to see action all as one with transfers certain soon enough. There are more Army National Guard units too either in Poland forming up or already moving. Several independent brigades and Cav’ regiments complete the huge combat force… to say nothing of all of the combat support and service support elements. Hundreds of thousands of national guardsmen are all over Europe with this transfer made of a large force to provide reinforcements to US Army regulars & reservists who are already seeing action against the Union. Aircraft and ships are still arriving with more, coming through Coalition countries and also NATO member states neutral in this conflict too.

Britain’s Territorial Army fields a full division of part-time soldiers who likewise today leave Poland. The 2nd Infantry Division begins crossing into Lithuania. There are smaller TA forces, non-combat units mostly, with other British I Corps elements yet this is a complete combat force designed to operate on its own. There is nowhere near the lavishness of heavy equipment here in comparison to what America’s Army National Guard is fielding. The 2nd Infantry Division is not being brought towards the frontlines of the war to go toe-to-toe with enemy tank divisions. At the same time, it is fighting that is foreseen for them, not low-risk security duties. The British have the intention of choosing a battlefield for the TA well and not making a mistake with its eventual employment. The move into Lithuania comes a day ahead of schedule. For more than a week, the 2nd Infantry Division has been in Poland yet where regular units of the I Corps went ahead into the fight first starting four days ago, these men have waited behind. This is a matter of transportation links to support their movement. The Poles yesterday captured first Klaipėda and then afterwards took Liepāja too. The port facilities at both fell into their hands completely intact. Such a thing now allows for the British to have better supply links and this means that the TA troops can come into Lithuania early. Those ports will soon be seeing ships making use of them, taking the pressure of land links which the 2nd Infantry Division can now move along.

Canadian troops are fighting with the Americans in Belarus and that includes almost the entire strength of peacetime professional army. Men with the Primary Reserve are been mobilised and are still in Poland, awaiting orders to move forward themselves. Two brigade-groups have been formed up with large sub-units built around battalions that have elements from many regional regiments nationwide. This is a light force, lighter than the British and especially the Americans too. That doesn’t mean that they won’t be seeing action though. They’ve come to Europe to fight like everyone else. It is only a matter of careful employment. These Canadians are under the command of the US VII Corps like those Army National Guard men but the expectation is that as the need arises they can be sent where needed to support Coalition force on the frontlines (in the right circumstances), on the flanks or in the rear. It is just a matter of waiting now for orders to come to them.


The Union Army has a trio of tank armies moving eastwards as the Western Front receives its own reinforcements. They have been removed from the Urals Front, fighting treason there, and are racing westwards to ‘save Moscow’.

Their movement across Western Russia continues in the face of Coalition air and missile activity to slow them down. Fixed bridges over the Volga River have been downed but traffic carries on making the crossing over that widest of waterways which provide a barrier to the redeployment of them. Temporary crossings are up along the Volga and other rivers. There is a lot to move. Across from the east to the west they go. These forces, most of which have already seen some action, were in the Urals when the war with the Coalition started. They were getting ready to finish off Primakov’s rebel forces out in the open ground of the West Siberian Plain when the recall order came several days back. The turn around has not been easy, even without that enemy attention. Roads are few, rail links are overloaded and the supply situation (which wouldn’t have gotten them to Novosibirsk despite Gromov’s belief) is pretty terrible.

The Union’s leader – acting more as a general he is than a politician he is meant to be now – has deemed this force the Group of Tank Armies. The individual designations for each of the trio reflects that. They are the Fifth Guards Tank Army, the Sixth Guards Tank Army and the Seventh Tank Army. Such an overall name is deceptive though. Post-1991 cutbacks and then civil war make neither what they were back in the later stages of the might that the Soviet Army once had. The Group of Tank Armies are impressive, that is of no doubt, but they aren’t what they once were… say five years ago. On paper, there should be twelve divisions with more than three thousand tanks. Gromov envisions that he can get them all between Moscow and the Coalition armies coming out of Belarus and the Ukraine where he should be able to field a force that matches theirs, though before the addition of American reinforcements. However, earlier combat losses (units of two of those tank armies saw action the other month ahead of being pulled out of the Urals), vehicle breakdowns on the way and still ongoing desertions have limited the true strength of the Group of Tank Armies. They are stretched back a long way too. Lead units are closing in on the Moscow area but other pieces of the force are still back in Bashkortostan & Tatarstan. Columns of tanks, armoured vehicles and trucks stretch all that way. They are mixed in all over the place with supply lines which cross each other while also being doubled back on themselves too. It is one holy mess.

This is the state of the Union’s reinforcements. They are being sent to turn the tide of war and save Moscow from being captured by the Americans. Its going to take quite something for them to do that while they are in such a sorry state. Maybe if Gromov is given another week, that could be possible. The time isn’t there though. More than that, his field commander at the Western Front headquarters has shown no sign yet of knowing how to properly employ the forces at his disposal, those which he has lost already, before he takes direct command of the Group of Tank Armies. The Battle for Moscow is coming with one side prepared for it and the other really not as Union tank armies look likely to be sent to their doom.

[stevep]

Apr 25, 2020 18:52:13 GMT James G said:

Apr 24, 2020 10:29:39 GMT stevep said:

   James

   Good chapter on how assorted conspiracy theorists and institutional inertia, especially when it means a lot of people would have to admit they got it wrong, would hinder any further investigation into the assassination.  Its going to take a fair bit for enough people supporting the current consensus, including the new President, a lot of the intelligence establishment and the bulk of the US general population to admit they were wrong and start thinking, what do we do now?  Ultimately I can see Robb carrying the can for attacking the wrong Russia as it will be easier for most people to blame him as the man who made the ultimate decision than to take any responsibility themselves.

  I'm a bit puzzled by that last sentence however.  If their worried about being linked in with the crazies pushing assorted daft conspiracies then the last thing I would expect them to do would be to talk to even the most respected of the press, at least until their got a lot of evidence.  Not to mention it would presumably be a breach of national security.  Ditto, albeit to a lesser degree Congressman.

  Steve

Thank you. I was thinking about it for some time, adding in ideas as to how crazy some things have been on the outside, yet also with that investigation too where everything went perfect.
'the buck stops here' should be how it is for the president. We will have to see.
My thinking at the end of that update was that leakers will go to the press / a congressman because they are worried. They're told something shocking and that is their response. Of course, it is wrong, but that is done.

  James G,

  Ok thanks for clarifying.  If they think both that their right and that their getting nowhere then it makes sense.

  Steve

[stevep]

Apr 25, 2020 18:52:32 GMT James G said:

Part Four – Moscow-bound


54 – Reinforcements


Army National Guard units continue to arrive in Europe in strength. America’s part-time soldiers are on their way to join the fight raging now on the very borders of Russia. Significant numbers of national guardsmen are being deployed to Europe like they already have been to both Kuwait and South Korea too. Aircraft are flying them in to meet with equipment and stores being transferred by sea. Poland is where they are forming up, all under the re-established US VII Corps. The aim is for the Army National Guard to see action soon. VII Corps takes command of them once established in Poland though ahead of combat with Union forces, it is likely that much of the force will be broken off ahead of then rather than all fighting together. It’s a big force being assembled and will be too unwieldy on the frontlines: what’s being done now is for administrative purposes for supply & communications.

The 40th Infantry Division is today declared operational on Polish soil. They’ve come from California in the main though with attachments from many western states too. This is a heavy division full tanks, armoured vehicles and everything else to allow it to compete on the modern battlefield where an opponent is likely to be as well equipped. The national guardsmen have been undergoing training for the past couple of weeks while the sealift has taken place of their equipment. That training has taken place across California. The 40th Infantry Division is at full-strength in terms of personnel with no shortages at all in that regard. Their equipment arrives in Europe intact too. In many wartime scenarios through the years where the division has had a NATO role, there have been fears that submarine or air attacks would sink ships carrying all of that. Such a thing hasn’t happened. There has been no impediment by the Union of the movement of the 40th Infantry Division. Through Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Szczecin ships have unloaded with everything then moved by rail & road into Polish staging areas. The final airlift of personnel was made overnight and so now the 40th Infantry Division is ready. VII Corps orders the division to cross into Belarus and head towards the Minsk area. This will put it behind the frontlines but still pretty close to the action. Off those national guardsmen start moving.

The 29th & 35th Infantry Divisions are already entering Belarus while the 49th Armored Division is inside the Ukraine. These VII Corps units have not yet seen action and remain under corps control. Two more divisions are still in the process of forming up in Poland after trans-Atlantic transfer: within the next couple of days, the 28th & 42nd Infantry Divisions will be ready to begin moving. That’s half a dozen full-strength divisions, one of the main reasons while the VII Corps is regarded as too big to see action all as one with transfers certain soon enough. There are more Army National Guard units too either in Poland forming up or already moving. Several independent brigades and Cav’ regiments complete the huge combat force… to say nothing of all of the combat support and service support elements. Hundreds of thousands of national guardsmen are all over Europe with this transfer made of a large force to provide reinforcements to US Army regulars & reservists who are already seeing action against the Union. Aircraft and ships are still arriving with more, coming through Coalition countries and also NATO member states neutral in this conflict too.

Britain’s Territorial Army fields a full division of part-time soldiers who likewise today leave Poland. The 2nd Infantry Division begins crossing into Lithuania. There are smaller TA forces, non-combat units mostly, with other British I Corps elements yet this is a complete combat force designed to operate on its own. There is nowhere near the lavishness of heavy equipment here in comparison to what America’s Army National Guard is fielding. The 2nd Infantry Division is not being brought towards the frontlines of the war to go toe-to-toe with enemy tank divisions. At the same time, it is fighting that is foreseen for them, not low-risk security duties. The British have the intention of choosing a battlefield for the TA well and not making a mistake with its eventual employment. The move into Lithuania comes a day ahead of schedule. For more than a week, the 2nd Infantry Division has been in Poland yet where regular units of the I Corps went ahead into the fight first starting four days ago, these men have waited behind. This is a matter of transportation links to support their movement. The Poles yesterday captured first Klaipėda and then afterwards took Liepāja too. The port facilities at both fell into their hands completely intact. Such a thing now allows for the British to have better supply links and this means that the TA troops can come into Lithuania early. Those ports will soon be seeing ships making use of them, taking the pressure of land links which the 2nd Infantry Division can now move along.

Canadian troops are fighting with the Americans in Belarus and that includes almost the entire strength of peacetime professional army. Men with the Primary Reserve are been mobilised and are still in Poland, awaiting orders to move forward themselves. Two brigade-groups have been formed up with large sub-units built around battalions that have elements from many regional regiments nationwide. This is a light force, lighter than the British and especially the Americans too. That doesn’t mean that they won’t be seeing action though. They’ve come to Europe to fight like everyone else. It is only a matter of careful employment. These Canadians are under the command of the US VII Corps like those Army National Guard men but the expectation is that as the need arises they can be sent where needed to support Coalition force on the frontlines (in the right circumstances), on the flanks or in the rear. It is just a matter of waiting now for orders to come to them.


The Union Army has a trio of tank armies moving eastwards as the Western Front receives its own reinforcements. They have been removed from the Urals Front, fighting treason there, and are racing westwards to ‘save Moscow’.

Their movement across Western Russia continues in the face of Coalition air and missile activity to slow them down. Fixed bridges over the Volga River have been downed but traffic carries on making the crossing over that widest of waterways which provide a barrier to the redeployment of them. Temporary crossings are up along the Volga and other rivers. There is a lot to move. Across from the east to the west they go. These forces, most of which have already seen some action, were in the Urals when the war with the Coalition started. They were getting ready to finish off Primakov’s rebel forces out in the open ground of the West Siberian Plain when the recall order came several days back. The turn around has not been easy, even without that enemy attention. Roads are few, rail links are overloaded and the supply situation (which wouldn’t have gotten them to Novosibirsk despite Gromov’s belief) is pretty terrible.

The Union’s leader – acting more as a general he is than a politician he is meant to be now – has deemed this force the Group of Tank Armies. The individual designations for each of the trio reflects that. They are the Fifth Guards Tank Army, the Sixth Guards Tank Army and the Seventh Tank Army. Such an overall name is deceptive though. Post-1991 cutbacks and then civil war make neither what they were back in the later stages of the might that the Soviet Army once had. The Group of Tank Armies are impressive, that is of no doubt, but they aren’t what they once were… say five years ago. On paper, there should be twelve divisions with more than three thousand tanks. Gromov envisions that he can get them all between Moscow and the Coalition armies coming out of Belarus and the Ukraine where he should be able to field a force that matches theirs, though before the addition of American reinforcements. However, earlier combat losses (units of two of those tank armies saw action the other month ahead of being pulled out of the Urals), vehicle breakdowns on the way and still ongoing desertions have limited the true strength of the Group of Tank Armies. They are stretched back a long way too. Lead units are closing in on the Moscow area but other pieces of the force are still back in Tatarstan. Columns of tanks, armoured vehicles and trucks stretch all that way. They are mixed in all over the place with supply lines which cross each other while also being doubled back on themselves too. It is one holy mess.

This is the state of the Union’s reinforcements. They are being sent to turn the tide of war and save Moscow from being captured by the Americans. Its going to take quite something for them to do that while they are in such a sorry state. Maybe if Gromov is given another week, that could be possible. The time isn’t there though. More than that, his field commander at the Western Front headquarters has shown no sign yet of knowing how to properly employ the forces at his disposal, those which he has lost already, before he takes direct command of the Group of Tank Armies. The Battle for Moscow is coming with one side prepared for it and the other really not as Union tank armies look likely to be sent to their doom.

  James G,

  Not quite clear whether your talking about the field commander or Gromov taking direct contril of this Group of Tanks Armies but the former is likely to be impractical trying to directly control such a larger force, especially spread out as it is.  The latter would be simply disastrous as Gromov isn't a military commander and already has made plenty of military mistakes.

  Thinking of an invading army advancing on Moscow has there been much done to moblise the public, building defences and assembling militia?  Not going to have much time but with comparisons being made with 1941 no doubt and the fact the Americans are clearly not stopping on the Russian border its an obvious thing to try and likely to get some positive support.

  Steve

[James G]

Apr 26, 2020 13:12:31 GMT stevep said:

Apr 25, 2020 18:52:32 GMT James G said:

Part Four – Moscow-bound


54 – Reinforcements


Army National Guard units continue to arrive in Europe in strength. America’s part-time soldiers are on their way to join the fight raging now on the very borders of Russia. Significant numbers of national guardsmen are being deployed to Europe like they already have been to both Kuwait and South Korea too. Aircraft are flying them in to meet with equipment and stores being transferred by sea. Poland is where they are forming up, all under the re-established US VII Corps. The aim is for the Army National Guard to see action soon. VII Corps takes command of them once established in Poland though ahead of combat with Union forces, it is likely that much of the force will be broken off ahead of then rather than all fighting together. It’s a big force being assembled and will be too unwieldy on the frontlines: what’s being done now is for administrative purposes for supply & communications.

The 40th Infantry Division is today declared operational on Polish soil. They’ve come from California in the main though with attachments from many western states too. This is a heavy division full tanks, armoured vehicles and everything else to allow it to compete on the modern battlefield where an opponent is likely to be as well equipped. The national guardsmen have been undergoing training for the past couple of weeks while the sealift has taken place of their equipment. That training has taken place across California. The 40th Infantry Division is at full-strength in terms of personnel with no shortages at all in that regard. Their equipment arrives in Europe intact too. In many wartime scenarios through the years where the division has had a NATO role, there have been fears that submarine or air attacks would sink ships carrying all of that. Such a thing hasn’t happened. There has been no impediment by the Union of the movement of the 40th Infantry Division. Through Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Szczecin ships have unloaded with everything then moved by rail & road into Polish staging areas. The final airlift of personnel was made overnight and so now the 40th Infantry Division is ready. VII Corps orders the division to cross into Belarus and head towards the Minsk area. This will put it behind the frontlines but still pretty close to the action. Off those national guardsmen start moving.

The 29th & 35th Infantry Divisions are already entering Belarus while the 49th Armored Division is inside the Ukraine. These VII Corps units have not yet seen action and remain under corps control. Two more divisions are still in the process of forming up in Poland after trans-Atlantic transfer: within the next couple of days, the 28th & 42nd Infantry Divisions will be ready to begin moving. That’s half a dozen full-strength divisions, one of the main reasons while the VII Corps is regarded as too big to see action all as one with transfers certain soon enough. There are more Army National Guard units too either in Poland forming up or already moving. Several independent brigades and Cav’ regiments complete the huge combat force… to say nothing of all of the combat support and service support elements. Hundreds of thousands of national guardsmen are all over Europe with this transfer made of a large force to provide reinforcements to US Army regulars & reservists who are already seeing action against the Union. Aircraft and ships are still arriving with more, coming through Coalition countries and also NATO member states neutral in this conflict too.

Britain’s Territorial Army fields a full division of part-time soldiers who likewise today leave Poland. The 2nd Infantry Division begins crossing into Lithuania. There are smaller TA forces, non-combat units mostly, with other British I Corps elements yet this is a complete combat force designed to operate on its own. There is nowhere near the lavishness of heavy equipment here in comparison to what America’s Army National Guard is fielding. The 2nd Infantry Division is not being brought towards the frontlines of the war to go toe-to-toe with enemy tank divisions. At the same time, it is fighting that is foreseen for them, not low-risk security duties. The British have the intention of choosing a battlefield for the TA well and not making a mistake with its eventual employment. The move into Lithuania comes a day ahead of schedule. For more than a week, the 2nd Infantry Division has been in Poland yet where regular units of the I Corps went ahead into the fight first starting four days ago, these men have waited behind. This is a matter of transportation links to support their movement. The Poles yesterday captured first Klaipėda and then afterwards took Liepāja too. The port facilities at both fell into their hands completely intact. Such a thing now allows for the British to have better supply links and this means that the TA troops can come into Lithuania early. Those ports will soon be seeing ships making use of them, taking the pressure of land links which the 2nd Infantry Division can now move along.

Canadian troops are fighting with the Americans in Belarus and that includes almost the entire strength of peacetime professional army. Men with the Primary Reserve are been mobilised and are still in Poland, awaiting orders to move forward themselves. Two brigade-groups have been formed up with large sub-units built around battalions that have elements from many regional regiments nationwide. This is a light force, lighter than the British and especially the Americans too. That doesn’t mean that they won’t be seeing action though. They’ve come to Europe to fight like everyone else. It is only a matter of careful employment. These Canadians are under the command of the US VII Corps like those Army National Guard men but the expectation is that as the need arises they can be sent where needed to support Coalition force on the frontlines (in the right circumstances), on the flanks or in the rear. It is just a matter of waiting now for orders to come to them.


The Union Army has a trio of tank armies moving eastwards as the Western Front receives its own reinforcements. They have been removed from the Urals Front, fighting treason there, and are racing westwards to ‘save Moscow’.

Their movement across Western Russia continues in the face of Coalition air and missile activity to slow them down. Fixed bridges over the Volga River have been downed but traffic carries on making the crossing over that widest of waterways which provide a barrier to the redeployment of them. Temporary crossings are up along the Volga and other rivers. There is a lot to move. Across from the east to the west they go. These forces, most of which have already seen some action, were in the Urals when the war with the Coalition started. They were getting ready to finish off Primakov’s rebel forces out in the open ground of the West Siberian Plain when the recall order came several days back. The turn around has not been easy, even without that enemy attention. Roads are few, rail links are overloaded and the supply situation (which wouldn’t have gotten them to Novosibirsk despite Gromov’s belief) is pretty terrible.

The Union’s leader – acting more as a general he is than a politician he is meant to be now – has deemed this force the Group of Tank Armies. The individual designations for each of the trio reflects that. They are the Fifth Guards Tank Army, the Sixth Guards Tank Army and the Seventh Tank Army. Such an overall name is deceptive though. Post-1991 cutbacks and then civil war make neither what they were back in the later stages of the might that the Soviet Army once had. The Group of Tank Armies are impressive, that is of no doubt, but they aren’t what they once were… say five years ago. On paper, there should be twelve divisions with more than three thousand tanks. Gromov envisions that he can get them all between Moscow and the Coalition armies coming out of Belarus and the Ukraine where he should be able to field a force that matches theirs, though before the addition of American reinforcements. However, earlier combat losses (units of two of those tank armies saw action the other month ahead of being pulled out of the Urals), vehicle breakdowns on the way and still ongoing desertions have limited the true strength of the Group of Tank Armies. They are stretched back a long way too. Lead units are closing in on the Moscow area but other pieces of the force are still back in Tatarstan. Columns of tanks, armoured vehicles and trucks stretch all that way. They are mixed in all over the place with supply lines which cross each other while also being doubled back on themselves too. It is one holy mess.

This is the state of the Union’s reinforcements. They are being sent to turn the tide of war and save Moscow from being captured by the Americans. Its going to take quite something for them to do that while they are in such a sorry state. Maybe if Gromov is given another week, that could be possible. The time isn’t there though. More than that, his field commander at the Western Front headquarters has shown no sign yet of knowing how to properly employ the forces at his disposal, those which he has lost already, before he takes direct command of the Group of Tank Armies. The Battle for Moscow is coming with one side prepared for it and the other really not as Union tank armies look likely to be sent to their doom.

  James G ,

  Not quite clear whether your talking about the field commander or Gromov taking direct contril of this Group of Tanks Armies but the former is likely to be impractical trying to directly control such a larger force, especially spread out as it is.  The latter would be simply disastrous as Gromov isn't a military commander and already has made plenty of military mistakes.

  Thinking of an invading army advancing on Moscow has there been much done to moblise the public, building defences and assembling militia?  Not going to have much time but with comparisons being made with 1941 no doubt and the fact the Americans are clearly not stopping on the Russian border its an obvious thing to try and likely to get some positive support.

  Steve

It's the field commander. Western Front HQ has kept on sending units piece-by-piece at a time towards Coalition units to their doom. In the Kola and the Crimea, there have been withdrawals and digging-in in strength far back.

We're into the fifth day now of the invasion. At the start, it was thought this was a 'liberation' of the western republics. That has been seen to be foolish and so the internal propaganda will really get going. The Union is still in a poor state though to do that. Civil war, desertions and now American air & missile strikes to distrupt everything in terms of internal communications will dampen the spreading of such a message. Reservists will fight for Russia less so than the Union. All efforts will be too late though.

[James G]

55 – Delta One Nine


D Squadron from 22 SAS currently has six patrols out in Estonia. Detachments of Special Air Service commandos are on various missions within this nation towards which the British Army is on course to soon liberate. One of those patrols is Delta One Nine. They are eight men sent up to the northern reaches of Estonia, between Tallinn and the Russian border, on an observation – Obbo – mission. Their task is not to raise hell nor make a targeted attack against a high priority target but rather conduct strategic reconnaissance deep in the enemy rear. Delta One Nine arrived in Estonia three days ago after a helicopter insertion… and then a nice long walk. They are well-aware that they are in enemy territory. Population transfers post-WW2 made this a majority Russian area (ethnic Russians in, Estonians out: Stalin wanted that) but even then they cannot consider any Estonians they encounter to be friendly. Independence was short for Estonia and the occupation has been long with collaborators active. Other SAS teams are working with locals where they are, in better scenarios, but this mission is all about staying unseen.

The patrol is led by a sergeant with another as his second-in-command. They are long-serving SAS men. Five more men are a mix of soldiers who began their career elsewhere in the British Army too and likewise have spent much time with 22 SAS through the years. The final man is an Australian. He’s on a cross-posting from the Australian SAS, one arranged before the war, and with his home country part of the Coalition (and having troops in Saudi to deter Saddam), he’s found himself in Estonia with these British commandos. Delta One Nine is far away from any help. Friendly lines are still a long way off and if something goes wrong, there’s no hope of rescue. They know that too. That’s why they’ve been very careful in staying out of sight as per their mission orders. Woodland in the countryside is where they have been hiding though with surveillance undertaken away where they’ve camped.

It is the highway running near to the Gulf of Finland shoreline which Delta One Nine is watching. That is a main supply route for Union forces where it connects the Leningrad area with the Estonian capital. Fixed crossings over the Narva River on the border are down after Coalition air strikes but there are pontoon bridges in use. Traffic along the route is monitored. Communications are sent out detailing the movement down the highway. However, there SAS patrol isn’t providing a running commentary of every truck and staff car moving. They are collecting data and sending it out in bulk at selected times. That data is more about numbers. It concerns contents of spotted convoys and the state that they are in. Note is taken of organisation and the method of the movement employed by Union forces to avoid air attacks coming from above. Delta One Nine has been risked in such a dangerous environment for this task because it is important to know how this highway is being used. They are unaware of the situation far away to their south where the British Army has inflicted defeat upon Union forces yet they have seen the recent changes in traffic patterns. Today, they note again how convoys running eastwards, presumably out of Estonia back into Russia is different from before. That could have something to do with Coalition air strikes but there is a chance too that it could mean something else.

Late in the morning, the patrol commander reports in. This is dangerous. Half of the team has moved to a selected broadcast position where there is much use made of terrain to mask their outgoing signals. Union electronic warfare efforts to find them and thus direct troops towards on their direction is the primary concern. A random passing patrol is another worry though. Avoiding contact means just that but, if they have to, Delta One Nine will eliminate enemy units. There have been close calls before where despite their scouting efforts, Union military patrols have been active during broadcasts. There are a lot of rear-area enemy forces inside Estonia, especially in the north-eastern part of the small country near to the Russian border. No threat is seen today though. That traffic on the highway has been witnessed to include many men presumably leaving Estonia. It looks like a major Union pull-out on some scale, even if it is only this particular area. That means there is less opposition to run into… hopefully.

The broadcast is made. The report of trucks and requisitioned civilian vehicles moving east goes out. The Obbo has also seen engineering, signals & electronic warfare vehicles moving too. They have been recognised for what they are and note taken of them surely redeploying like all of those trucks carrying men and gear. The important information is out and with those who will make use of it will decide how to. Delta One Nine is subsequently instructed to continue their Obbo. The broadcast team departs from where they have made contact with the outside world to link-up with the rest of the patrol. Just as they begin to move, their eyes are drawn skywards upon hearing the roar of jet engines. There’s a plane somewhere above, very close too. Coming out of the sun, the Australian SAS trooper sees it.

It’s close, it’s low, it’s upside down, it’s trailing smoke… and it’s coming down.

The Tornado GR1 slams into the ground three miles away to the north. There’s an open field where it hits and a massive explosion tears across there. Smoke is rising at once to indicate to anyone else watching where exactly the wreckage is. The SAS men go in the other direction. They weren’t planning to cut across that field but their route to link up with the rest of the team would take them nearby. That is no longer the case. They divert around it, making a loop and staying well clear of the highway. If someone comes to investigate the crash site, they’ll likely come from that direction. No one saw any parachutes from the Tornado though the Australian with them says that he is certain the canopy was off from the cockpit. That means that there are two aircrew out there somewhere…

Back with the rest of the patrol team, Delta One Nine’s second-in-command reports to the ‘boss’ that he saw the Tornado too. In addition, the aircrew were likewise seen floating down below their parachutes. Landing sites for the pilot and the navigator were observed though track was quickly lost of them: the SAS weren’t in a position to see where those RAF men went and neither did they break cover to go and have a look either. The whole team begins moving. They see a helicopter soon enough, a Union Army Mil-8 Hip hovering near to that crash site. There will be eyes looking down from above who will be just as pleased to see eight commandos as they would two aircrew. Delta One Nine continues to stay out of sight and avoid observative from the helicopter. They soon get an unwelcome surprise though. Spotted by the point man out ahead of the rest of the patrol, there is one of the aircrew up ahead. He’s a friendly, of that there is no doubt, but they are not here in Estonia to rescue downed pilots or navigators. A hiding place found by that man is not one that the SAS would have chosen. They can see him some distance off and surely any Union search team would do so too should they be on the ground and not above. He’s doomed to capture or death if he stays there.

The patrol commander makes the decision to make contact. He goes forward with just one of his guys, a former Para, while leaving everyone else back on overwatch. The sergeant makes careful contact, giving warning of his approach so as to avoid the surely on edge RAF man from opening fire on them in a panic. Surprise comes from having someone sneak up behind him and tell him that a friendly is here. He is firmly instructed not to turn around. Go that way, he is told, deeper into the woods and do not look back at me. He asks about his navigator (he’s the pilot) and who he’s talking too: is it the SAS? Keep on walking and hide better, the message is repeated. There is no revealing of who he is talking too and no knowledge to give him that a second SAS commando has a gun on him from an unseen spot less he not be who he looks like. Nothing is said to him about his navigator because there is nothing to say. Off the pilots walks. He does as instructed and doesn’t look behind him too at the man who has just saved his life. He did say thank you though.

Delta One Nine makes fast time out of the area. They go to ground within the hour, once they’ve covered a significant distance and watch to see if anyone has followed. Another helicopter is heard but it comes nowhere near them. There is an ongoing pull-out from Estonia but that is clear now to not mean everyone. The Union is here hunting downed Coalition aircrews as they divert men to do that rather than send them to the frontlines or back to Russia. Further movement is made, getting even more clear of the area near to that crash site. That pilot, and his navigator too wherever he is, are left far behind. There was never the option of Delta One Nine taking either with them. More was done for the one which they came across than should have been, but he only spoke with the patrol leader and didn’t see his face: if caught, and he might be, it will mean that the Union forces know that there is a good chance that the SAS have been in the area. He should have been left all alone but the patrol leader made the decision and is willing to accept the consequences.

By the afternoon, now very far away from that crash site, a new hiding spot is found. Delta One Nine is close to the highway but not too close. They have good access to continue their Obbo and also two different escape routes should someone come looking for them. There is more traffic to take note of as a further convoy makes the trip running eastwards. They wait to see what will happen. An air strike is something that the second-in-command states is very possible to likely be coming. He’s correct too. A good few more hours pass as the day gets much later. A lot of aircraft are then heard though many more of those involved aren’t. No attacking jets are seen. Bombs and rockets from aircraft up above somewhere crash into traffic on the highway along a stretch many miles long. It is a huge attack, one made due to their Obbo. Hundreds of Union soldiers are surely killed and the route out of Estonia thoroughly blocked for any more traffic for some time. As to Delta One Nine, they emerge from all of the explosions fine. They’ve sheltered in cover and move on once it gets dark. There’ll be more traffic patterns to spot and surely more convoys to witness being blown to pieces. As to those aircrew, fellow Britons, the SAS can only hope the best for them. The British Army is sure to be here soon and if they’ve hid well enough, they’ll be rescued then.

They just couldn’t join with this patrol.

[James G]

56 – Into Russia


American troops advance into Russia and towards Smolensk. The US V Corps moves out of Belarus heading west. The Dnepr River (which goes all the way to the Black Sea through the Ukraine) and Highway-1 both run through the area where the V Corps sweeps aside limited opposition to their advance. There are Union Army rear-area troops alongside reserve rifle units present. None of them provide any great deal of difficulty. This is the fifth day for the V Corps during its invasion of the Union and by now they are confirmed veterans. The enemy has been met and overcome before and is so again today. 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment elements are outside Smolensk within a few hours. They’ve led the way for heavier units to follow them through the ineffective defence thrown up to try and stop them. 2nd Cav’ tanks and helicopters continue to operate past Smolensk too. The corps’ daily objective is that town on the way to Moscow but with plentiful daylight to operate in as well as relatively easy going, they move onwards. There are hills and woodland east of the small city where more opposition is encountered. Again it is weak, but those Union forces there are an enemy to fight and one with Smolensk in their sights. The 1st Armored Division follows the 2nd Cav’ into that. Meanwhile, into the outskirts of Smolensk comes the 1st Infantry Division. They aren’t intending to enter an urban fight and instead concentrate on objectives close to the very heart of Smolensk. The small Smolensk South Airport and crossing points over the Dnepr where the bridges are downed but the roads are still there are taken by Big Red One detachments. One of the division’s brigades is active on the other side of the city and enters Smolensk North Airport. This is a dual-use military & civilian facility. It’s been bombed several times and likewise the a-joining aviation plant for the manufacture of specialist aircraft as well as cruise missiles has been hit. A little fighting is had but the objectives are seized. With permission from above, Big Red One tanks and infantry move down into the northern side of Smolensk on the near side of where the river goes through the middle. These are industrial areas with less housing than elsewhere. Some sniping comes but that is it. Closer to the river, where the rest of the city is on the other side, there is heavy machine gun fire and the launching of RPGs which see a stop to any further push for the time being. There’s a trio of road bridges downed or damaged to make an easy crossing impossible and all covered by defenders with well-sited weapons. No one is going across there, not today anyway: the defences are open from the rear but will be pounded into submission through the night rather than stormed in a sure-to-be costly attack.

With the 3rd Infantry Division still back in Belarus, the Canadians have come into Russia too with the V Corps. They clear the course of Highway-1 where it loops around Smolensk. There are many wrecks of vehicle convoys that are encountered on and near to that major road which remains important due to its quality and how it runs all the way back to Poland. Canadian soldiers fight small-scale battles with an enemy which they outclass and outnumber. They bring their tanks – old Leopard-1s – into the fight with those crewed by men from the Royal Canadian Dragoons seeing action. It isn’t other tanks which they fight but instead the firepower which they bring, plus their physical presence on the battlefield too, that is employed to support infantry units in clearing away defenders dug into improvised firing positions. This is the second fight for the 1st Canadian Division (the other one being outside Minsk a few days ago) and is no walkover. They win but do suffer casualties. As to Union efforts to keep the road running towards Moscow blocked for the later use of Coalition supply, that fails. Before the end of the day, the Canadians link up with the furthest V Corps elements to the east of Smolensk.

Some distance away to the north, British troops go into Russia from out of Latvia. The 1st Armoured Division leads the way in striking northeast when going over the border. Unlike the Americans (and Canadians) the direction of travel for neither this division nor the British I Corps as a whole isn’t Moscow but instead towards Leningrad eventually. It’s a long way to that historic city, much further up Highway-20 than the British have already gone. The town of Ostrov is the initial objective for the 1st Armoured Division with the aim being to get there before the end of the day. It is not easy going once inside Russia for the British. They meet with reserve units and paramilitary detachments – Interior Ministry men and even border guards trucked down from the Finnish frontier – who refuse to fight out in the open. Ambushes are sprung and delays inflicted. Using air support in skies which are clear of the Union Air Force, the British blast their way forward once they understand just what is between them and Ostrov. This isn’t a highly-populated area where such things would want to be avoided. Strong artillery support is also employed to clear the way forward and engineers come up to overcome mines and ford anti-tank ditches. They close up upon Ostrov with a trio of brigades involved in the attack: one on the flank, one up front as the main attack and the third in behind the second. Good progress is made before the 1st Armoured Division is then slowed right down when they meet tanks near to the town. The Desert Rats, the brigade on the flank going towards Ostrov Airbase, is taken under fire by old but up-armoured T-62s shooting on the move. This is a reserve unit with a battalion of T-62s led by a commander who knows what he is doing. He makes use of cover and camouflage to avoid all detection from above – the RAF and the Army Air Corps with their helicopters too – to smash through lighter armoured scouts and slam into the British flank.

The tank shells fired destroy Scimitars & Scorpions but not Challenger-2s. The British tanks are better protected. Their crews return fire, likewise manoeuvring about with skill over an ever-extending battlefield. No dismounts are with the Union tankers to give them support they need to stop the Desert Rats from turning their full might towards them. The British do have them present, men who find that their MILAN missiles but also their LAW-80 man-portable rocket-launchers make short work of what T-62s the Challenger-2s they fight alongside haven’t get got to yet. That tank battalion is destroyed with fleeing survivors blown up when Harrier GR7s show up to get the last of them. The Desert Rats move on soon enough and manage to reach that airbase. It is a big facility, one operated by the Union Navy’s air arm before being blasted in a few days ago by waves of air-launched cruise missiles fired by American B-52s and then RAF Tornado GR1s on low-level bomb runs. As to the rest of the 1st Armoured Division, the 4th Armoured Brigade isn’t needed to provide support to the 20th Armoured Brigade when the latter take Ostrov and also go over the small river which runs through here. Ostrov is almost completely undefended. Royal Engineers come up to get crossings erected over the Velikaya River and the other side is reached soon enough. British troops inside Ostrov know they are unwelcome here. This is a Russian town and they are invaders. There is a watch on for resistance coming from terrorist-like attacks but none is observed today. Their eyes are also looking north too. The next stop up Highway-20 – the 1st Armoured Division is following the course of that road but not directly tied to it – is Pskov. The British are going there tomorrow.

On the other flank to where the Americans have gone into Russia reaching Smolensk, there are more US Army units coming out of Belarus and the Ukraine too likewise crossing over these internal Union borders. The US XVIII Airborne Corps reaches as far forward as Roslavl’. This town is the objective for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and they lead 24th Infantry Division troops here. Both the 82nd & 101st Airborne Divisions remain back in Belarus though that isn’t going to be anything long term. They’ll be brought into play soon enough though at the moment the XVIII Corps is advancing via ground assault with its tanks and infantry carriers. The movement out of Belarus here into this border region of Russia where Roslavl’ is located comes without any real opposition. Nothing of substance was expected though there was a guard on for surprises. Only very close to Roslavl’ is there resistance. Anti-tank guns, minefields and a mass of riflemen are met. The 11th Cav’, the famous Blackhorse, establishes contact and protects the flanks while the 24th Infantry Division sends a brigade into the attack. Roslavl’ isn’t urbanised and is well suited to the attack launched against it by the Americans here to root out defenders placed to try and stop passage onwards. OH-58 Kiowa and AH-64 Apache helicopters aid those fighting on the ground. Their presence is invaluable in spotting opposition and helping tanks and infantry from clearing away defenders. One of the Kiowas is brought down and an Apache badly shot up yet that is as much anti-air opposition as it is. Return fire from above makes those on the ground pay for not being able to deal with the helicopters operating over a wide area of ground that the 24th Infantry Division fights for and soon wins. Roslavl’ falls and the way to Moscow is opened up here too.

US III Corps units come out of the northeastern corner of the Ukraine into Russia. Moscow-bound like the V & XVIII Corps, the III Corps has a long way to go first. A big leap forward is made today though, overcoming the slow progress of yesterday. The day’s start-lines begin back in the Ukraine yet the border is gone over and then a charge made forward. The 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is out ahead. They lead a wide frontage attack that the III Corps makes with the 1st Cavalry, 2nd Armored and 4th Infantry Divisions make. There is a brigade of that latter division still back in the Ukraine, subduing the last resistance in Kiev as the Ukrainian capital falls, yet there still are large numbers of American forces entering Russia here. Air cover supports their attack with A-10 Thunderbolts and F-16 Fighting Falcons heavily-involved in supporting air strikes. The Union Air Force shows up as well. In a bad way, they’ve mainly been active at night yet they are flying in daylight now trying to stop the III Corps. That fails. Losses incur on both sides but it is still a generally one-sided fight overall. Very few air attacks get through and those that do manage to don’t impede the ground advance. Eventually, the III Corps gets as far as Bryansk and Orel. These towns are deep inside Russia. The 2nd Armored Division meets tanks around Orel but they are old T-62s from a reserve unit (just like what the British faced near Ostrov) and there is no real contest. The Union Army has its real tank strength elsewhere and not in the way of the III Corps yet. Taking Bryansk and Orel open up more transport links for use by supporting logistics routes too: the value is as much as Smolensk is in that regard. Russian territory, the Rodina itself is falling to the invaders and that isn’t being stopped here just like it isn’t elsewhere.

[stevep]

   James G ,

   Well Gromov's red line has been clearly crossed so the question is how does he react?  If he does nothing he knows he's dead - unless the big reveal comes very soon and the US admits it was fooled but since he doesn't know about that it won't be a factor in his calculation.  Especially since he knows he's innocent so he probably suspect Washington is is willing to support him being framed..

   Steve

[James G]

Apr 28, 2020 9:53:06 GMT stevep said:

   James G ,

   Well Gromov's red line has been clearly crossed so the question is how does he react?  If he does nothing he knows he's dead - unless the big reveal comes very soon and the US admits it was fooled but since he doesn't know about that it won't be a factor in his calculation.  Especially since he knows he's innocent so he probably suspect Washington is is willing to support him being framed..

   Steve

His challenge has been met and answered with a "we don't believe you".
How does the Union react? We shall see soon enough (once I figure out how).
There is no idea in Gromov that the US is close to finding out something is seriously wrong. The idea surely put to by advisers/spooks/generals is certainly that: that the Americans want this war and are aware of the Union's innocence.

[James G]

57 – Liberation


The rest of Latvia today falls into Coalition hands. Liberation comes to this nation held captive for so long by a hostile foreign force. In a few places, among certain citizens of Latvia, it isn’t exactly welcome as they have not themselves regarded Union occupation as a bad thing. They are the exception though. The vast majority of Latvians welcome the ridding of their country of Moscow’s rule. A good proportion of those who wouldn’t be welcoming have left or are trying too as well: this makes liberation easier. In Riga, where Polish troops took the capital yesterday without a fight, there are representatives of the Latvian government-in-exile who arrive. There is a big show made of this. A handful of soldiers in Latvian uniform are filmed at the airport. Determined Coalition propaganda efforts are done to make the point clear that this is a real liberation occurring where it is welcomed: when the Union retook the Baltics they pretended that theirs was a liberation too. Elsewhere through Latvia, there are Latvian politicians – caught abroad back in early 1992 when the country’s short independence was terminated – who arrive with Coalition forces as well. Their numbers are few with their presence being generally symbolic, but they are here to begin the process of re-establishing national sovereignty. Their fellow countrymen & women are invited to join them in doing so. That invitation is taken by some Latvians as an excuse to commit selected atrocities. Collaborators, real and imagined ones, have injustices inflicted upon them. They’re forced from their homes, assaulted and even killed. In ethnic Russian areas, these people are seen as non-Latvians by their fellow citizens. Violence happens to them too yet they can fight back. British and Polish troops intervene in places. They have other things to do but there are interventions made against some of the most outrageous incidents witnessed and especially against Moscow-backed local militia manned by Russians. The interventions only occur where the need for that is seen though. Not every village, town and region of the cities can be covered by Coalition soldiers who can act to put a stop to violent events connected to the liberation. They still have fighting to do themselves in forcing the last Union forces to defeat.

While still holding onto Riga, Polish attention is mainly directed westwards away from there. The Courland Peninsula area is full of Union troops who fell back in retreat out of Lithuania. The Polish 5th Mechanised Division heads northwards along the coast through the day, up from their forwardmost point of Liepāja reached yesterday to Ventspils and beyond. There is a little fighting but nothing significant. It is easy going, only slowed now by the number of POWs being taken and their own logisitical issues. On their flank, half of the 2nd Mechanised Division comes out of Riga to link up with their sister division. They likewise encounter no oppoistion of note and also take many POWs. Among those prisoners, the Poles run into men on the shoreline of Gulf of Riga who are seeking an escape by boat. Small watercraft are used with an aim for those here to try and reach Estonia. There are Coalition warships in that stretch of water, with eyes looking upwards towards any possible airborne threat rather than anything on or below the surface. No enemy air attack comes though and they help with stopping the escape attempts made. Before the end of the day, the Poles have won complete control of the entirety of the western half of Latvia. All the hard work done before in major combat operations now pays off with this wrap up to complete their job here in Latvia for good. They are freed up for further combat operations elsewhere, even out of the Baltics if need be.

The British I Corps sends its 1st Armoured Division off into Russia but the 3rd Mechanised Division remains in Latvia. Northern Latvia is out ahead of them as they advance away from the Daugava River in that direction. They make excellent process, reaching the Estonian border with ease. There is no one in their way capable of putting up any real fight. Scattered groups of Union Army rear-area troops still retreating northwards without any order to that withdrawal are run through. The 3rd Mechanised Division is a large and fully-capable force. With mobility and firepower, there is nowhere here that they can’t advance to today. Firefights are had with some opponents who refuse to accept the inevatiable. Those are isolated incidents though. Elsewhere, the British find that they are meeting with enemy units who wish to surrender. Many of them give up at once upon first sight of the British Army yet others are fast to destroy any sensitive radio equipment and blow up any ammunition they have rather than see it fall into British hands intact. They are doing their duty as best they can. In Valmiera, a crossroads town in the very north, an engineering major manages to destroy much of his equipment before his men becomes prisoners and does so with a fantastic set of explosions which result in the killing of many of his own men: it is done too fast and without enough care. British troops arrive to find devasastion here yet none of that stops them from getting to where they want to be: ready to go into Estonia starting tomorrow. They are spread across the border area with intelligence that affirms that there is no opposition before Tallinn.

Outside of Latvia, Kaliningrad finally falls. The city’s defenders only give in towards the end of the war’s fifth day when they are almost out of ammunition. Another Polish attack is beat off ahead of the surrender made and it is one which fighting agains sees that use of almost all of the remaining bullets and shells left. When the Poles come again, still determined to win this fight here, the 1st Guards Motor Rifle Division can no longer put up a fight. There is contact made with both the 4th & 16th Mechanised Divisions with the commander from the latter under instructions from the Polish III Corps to take the lead in talking with Union representatives seeking an end to the fighting. Terms are agreed. They are reasonable, better than the defenders expected to receive yet nothing that the Poles nor their Coalition allies would consider especially generous. They will treat Union wounded and ensure that the POWs they take receive water, food & shelter. Minefields laid and unexploded ordnance which the Union forces know about are to be pointed out too. There are also extra rations to be given to POWs who volunteer – really volunteer too – for grave digging duties. At three o’clock on the afternoon of August 5th, the last shots are fired in Kaliningrad. The battle here comes to a close. Polish forces come forward and take the surrender of their enemies, rounding up men in the uniforms of the Union Air Force and Union Navy too. It has cost the Poles a lot to achieve this victory but it is one won and eliminates the last Union resistance south of Estonia. What have the Polish won control of? A ruined city full of unfriendly civilians who won’t be welcoming them. In Washington and London, the future situation with Kaliningrad, the city as well as the oblast, is something they have yet to decide upon. This isn’t a matter of territorial changes or anything like that but what to do with the establishment of temporary rule there over those civilians which there isn’t a government-in-exile to put in place.

British troops are leaving Vilnius after yesterday’s final victory here. Meanwhile, the Lithuanian government-in-exile is moving down from its temporary base earlier established in Kaunas and arrive with fanfare in the city. They find much destruction done which has been inflicted during the fighting here concentrated around the historic heart of Vilnius. Union paratroopers are gone but they’ve left behind their defences which the British 6th Airborne Division had to blast them out of. It is not a pretty sight for those arriving here as well as the city’s residents too. As to those who won Vilnius, both the 5th Airborne and 24th Airmobile Brigade have seen fighting here alongside divisional elements. The 6th Airborne Division’s 19th Light Brigade hasn’t been involved and remained elsewhere in southern Lithuania throughout. Orders from the British I Corps are for the whole division to be prepared to soon see action once again. There are two options for where that might be: either in Estonia or near to Leningrad. The pull-out from Vilnius sees battle-scared units head back in the direction of Kaunas. Long columns of men move in trucks to join others airlifted out in helicopters to make the short trip up to Lithuania’s second city. There are prepared airheads to support further divisional operations from Kaunas, not Vilnius. Hundreds of casualties have been taken by teh British. There are replacements waiting to join the 6th Airborne Division with reservists and TA soldiers ready. They will join with a division which has won a great victory in liberating Lithuania’s capital but has sure paid a heavy price for that. Thoughts turn to the next fight because everyone knows that this is all not yet anywhere near over.

[lordroel]

Apr 28, 2020 18:45:06 GMT James G said:

57 – Liberation


The rest of Latvia today falls into Coalition hands.

I think three times in a century is enough for the people of Latvia.

[James G]

Apr 28, 2020 19:31:21 GMT lordroel said:

Apr 28, 2020 18:45:06 GMT James G said:

57 – Liberation


The rest of Latvia today falls into Coalition hands.

I think three times in a century is enough for the people of Latvia.

Let's see...
Independence, 1918
Soviet invasion, 1940
Nazi invasion, 1941
Soviet 'liberation', 1944
Re-independence, 1991
Union invasion, 1992
Coalition invasion & freedom, 1994
Bad times.
(same too for Estonia and Lithuania)

[lordroel]

Apr 28, 2020 19:57:54 GMT James G said:

Apr 28, 2020 19:31:21 GMT lordroel said:

I think three times in a century is enough for the people of Latvia.

Let's see...
Independence, 1918
Soviet invasion, 1940
Nazi invasion, 1941
Soviet 'liberation', 1944
Re-independence, 1991
Union invasion, 1992
Coalition invasion & freedom, 1994
Bad times.
(same too for Estonia and Lithuania)

A forget those, yep the Baltic's have seen a lot, three World Wars in a century.