Panzer39's Plan-Z Scenario AAR: JerseyJohn vs. Panzer

[Panzer39]

HQ Manstien:

German soldiers continue their push North toward Riga. The encircled Russian army is destroyed just south of the city but the Whermact is unable to cross the Dvina.

HQ Model:

Field Marshal Model launches a pincer attack bypassing Soviet defensive positions. His Panzer arm encircles Kiev from the north while two infantry divisions encircle the city from the South. Two Soviet corps and a equal number of armies find themselves in a Pocket. The Luftwaffe finishes off the Soviet troops encircled the previous week after they succeeded in defending against the forces of Hungry.

HQ Rommel:

Having crossed the Carpathians, Rommel is able unleash the full might of the forces under his control. Odessa is fully encircled. However, the Soviet defenders make a heroic stand and despite suffering 90% casualties, by German calculations, manage to hold on to the city.

France:

German bombs and rockets again fall on London's port, bringing its production down to zero. Goering than launches the second phase of his plan by bombing London itself. Fierce anti-aircraft fire is felt as well as interdiction by French fighters under RAF control. Having recieved his first bloody nose since the start of the war, Goering vows to level the British capital.

The county formally known as France, formally known as Vichy, now just flying a white flag because someone else is sure to invade before its over:

With the Germans fully occupied in Russia, Italy was free to make her own policy in the MED. With this in mind Mussolini launched operation Roman liberation, the first of a planned three invasions(the last being planned against Germany if the Soviets got the upper hand) that would restore the Roman Empire to its fully glory. Since Germany was still far to strong Spain was chosen as the target. The Regina Marina bombarded Valencia and under the cover of the air force, three Italian corps landed and took the city. Having been assigned the duty of occupying Vichy, Italian forces under Balbo were already in a good position to strike. However, they met with heavy resistance crossing the Pyrenees and did not advance far into Northern Spain. Mussolini was troubled by this but nevertheless thought it was better to make slow progress than have German "help".

Norway:

Having completed his quest for the Eye of Odin, Himmler had boarded the Scharnhorst in Narvik to return to Germany in response to a summons by the Fuehrer. Obviously Doenitz wished to commend him for taking the initiative in the conquest of Norway and for retrieving such a valuable artifact for the Reich. Perhaps he would be made deputy Fuehrer before setting off to Egypt.

However, while loading what he recovered onto the ship, he got into a heated argument with Admiral Langsdorff over the worth of the artifacts. The debate continued after departure so in order to prove its power, Himmler had the Eye of Odin brought to him. Having gathered a small crowd on the bow of the Battlecruiser he proceeded to amuse the officers by chanting in an effort to call forth its energy. To everyone's surprise, after about fifteen minutes and the departure of more than a few on lookers, storm clouds started to gather and lightning began to flash on what before had been a fairly calm day. The Admiral, realizing that his ship did not take well to stormy seas ordered the men gathered back to their stations. However it was to late, the Scharnhorst collided with a giant wave that sent everyone on the bow tumbling to the deck and than scrambling to get inside. Himmler who had been knocked hard against the deck lost his grip on the now glowing blue eye which, caught by a strong gust of icy wind, was carried into the sea.

Raeder was distressed. Not only had he lost contact with his flag ship but weird weather conditions were being reported by all the reconnaissance flights over the North Sea. Apparently the ocean was literally turning to ice up there. Any plans of a German breakout were dashed. The ocean ways north of Bergen were freezing making it to risky to send ships through the North Sea to break out into the Atlantic. Thus from the Kreigsmarine's perspective the whole Norway operation was for naught.

The Scharnhorst frozen in place off the coast of Norway:

[JerseyJohn]

"Hello American, this is Edward R. Murrow bradcasting from London.

"Not content to play second fiddle in Doenitz orchestra, Benito Mussolini has begun orchestrating his own symphony of greed and plunder by invading former friend and ally, Francisco Franco of Spain. One wonders what the price of alliance with the Axis powers must be in this war. Stalin's Russia was an ally, as was Petain's Vichy France and now Franco's fascist Spain.

"But the wondering has stopped in at least two South American countries recently courted by the Rome-Berlin mobsters. Brazil and Argentina today signed treaties of Alliance with the United States of America today, strengthening both political and economic ties between the three nations. Venezuela, unable since the start of hostilities to ship it's oil to Germany, is expected to follow suite, followed by Uruguay and several other states.

Also in the region, United States marines have begun to garrison former French colonies in the Americas along with Danish Iceland. Pledging that all such occupied territories will be returned to their European homecountries upon the restoration of the rightful governemts of all invaded nations, President Roosevelt signed into a law a further act freezing all German, Italian and Japanese assets within the United States of America untill such time as said governments return to their rightful owners all invaded territories.

"This morning headline of the Times of Londonproclaims, jubiulently if perhaps a little early, Yanks almost aboard!.

"Meanwhile, German rockets and bombers continue to strike this city even while the bulk of that nation's forces stream toward Moscow.

"In heavy air fighting near Bergen, the R. A. F. is said to have destroyed a large Fascist air fleet with assistance by coastal shellings from the Royal Navy. Rumors abound of a British Expeditionary Force en-route to Norway even as I speak.

"In Russia, Kiev, capital of the Ukraine, was surrounded by German forces and feared lost. But word received today tells of a very different story. It tells of the defenders rallying to strike eastward, cutting a path to the rest of the Soviet Union and leaving the wreckage of an entire German Panzer Group wrecked in it's path. If this is true it would, indeed, be the greatest Allied victory in the war to date. Elsewhere in Russia, Leningrad on the Baltic was attacked by the Finns and Odessa on the Black Sea was attacked and surrounded by overwhelming Axis forces but continues a determined and brave resistance.

"This is Edward R. Murrow broadcasting from London, wishing you Good Night, and Good Luck."

"In other action, Spanish forces have begun a fighting retreat toward Madrid while the British army with assistance from the Royal Navy's Eastern Mediterrannean, has once more begun offensive operations against the Libyan harbor of Tobruck. Unconfirmed reports speak of a tactical victory over Italian units east of the Italian held city. Reports of renewed partisan activity in Northern Yugoslavia, this time near the Italian city of Trieste.

"If there is such a thing as a light hearted story in this most terrible of mankind's conflicts it came from the Royal Navy this morning. The destroyer Glowworm, on reconnaisance in the North Sea, reported it's progress to be impaired by a sheet of ice extending some two hundred miles in the center of which was held the German Battle Cruiser Scharnhorst. This reported event occuring during mid-July in waters which are ice free even during the thros of the Arctic Winter. The story was verified by all members of the crew, both officers and enlisted men. Not surprisingly, rumors abound that H. M. S. Glowworm will shortly be reassigned to a more temparate climate.

"This is Edward R. Murrow broadcasting from London, wishing you Good Night, and Good Luck."

[ August 01, 2003, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[Panzer39]

HQ Manstein:

German forces continue their drive northward but encounter heavy Soviet resistance. An attack on Riga is put off in order to bring up reinforcements. A smaller force is diverted to take the city of Minsk. With luftwaffe support, a soviet corps is destroyed on the approach.

HQ Model:

Disheartened by the destruction of an entire Panzer arm and the subsequent break out of the Russian armies encircled, Model's army group takes up position south of the city. Probing attacks are made on the Kiev defenders but the city holds.

HQ Rommel:

Odessa falls but the Soviets fight to the last man. Such resistance was not expected and Rommel worries if it is a sign of events to come. The forces under his command push toward the Dnieper.

Spain:

Italian troops push deeper into Spain under the cover of their own airforce. Madrid is assaulted but little gain is made in taking the Capital. Intelligence reports that a French General has landed in Gibraltar.

Channel coast:

Goering goes on an art hunting expedition in Paris while the Luftwaffe readies for another bombing blitz on London. Rockets are again fired at the London Port but no success is reported.

Norway:

A reconascase squadron flying out of Bergen is destroyed only after they were able to report the location of what appeared to be the entire Royal Navy docked at Scapa Flow.

Berlin:

Events were spiraling out of control. Italy had jeopardized Axis control of Europe by invading Spain and bringing the USA closer to the conflict. Worse, Franco had been on the verge of joining the Axis. Hopefully, Mussolini knew what he could handle and would have the operation wrapped up quickly.

Progress in Russia was moving forward but not as fast as originally hoped for. With the campain season half over, there was a little cause for worry.

What was happening in the North Sea was anyone's guess. Doenitz had recieved a report from Raeder that was too incredible to believe. A rescue operation had been dispatched by the Kriegsmarine to break the Scharnhorst free of the ice she was entrapped in. Himmler would have a lot to answer for if he ever made it back to Berlin.

[disorder]

good reading! thanks

[JerseyJohn]

disorder -- Thanks, very pleased you're enjoying it.

The War

For the first time in modern history the Gibraltar's big guns and massive defenses are tested by an adversary as elements of the Italian Navy savagely bombard the great bastion.

Meanwhile, further north, Spanish infantrymen dug in along the mountanous terrain north of Madrid, rest during a lull in the fighting.

Elsewhere Axis troops occupy the remains of bombed out Odessa.

Amid public outcry -- after the South American episodes -- to join the war against Germany and Italy, the United States is finally driven into the fray when German U-boats attack several freighters off the Florida coastline and are in turn attacked by elements of the U. S. Army Air Force.

The Japanese Empire, deviously hoping to benefit from America's committment to the War in Europe, launches a devastating surprise attack against the U. S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor, plunging the Unitied States into a global war.

The attack is accompanied by the formal annexation of Indochina by the Japanese Government and further attacks against American, British and Dutch territory in the Pacific and Asia.

Meanwhile, in Great Britain, mystic Alistaire Crowley, the only man in the entire country who understands the significance of the North Sea ice sheet, ponders the consequences of Germany's possessing the Eye of Odin.

[ August 02, 2003, 11:17 AM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[JerseyJohn]

END OF PART ONE !!

In the interests of keeping the story in well defined and manageable sections, Panzer39 and myself have agreed to stop the narrative here and pick it up in a new thread.

Our appreciation to those who have been following the action and story.