Current and Finished Projects > Stories

"Hitler's Panzers East: World War II Reinterpreted" Possible Story Timeline

(1/7) > >>

GTX_Admin:
Folks,

A short story timeline that I have put together based upon the scenario postulated here.

1941:

June 22: Germany attacks Soviet Union as Operation Barbarossa begins.
June 26: Hungary and Slovakia declare war on the Soviet Union.
June 26: The Soviet Union bombs Helsinki. Finland pronounces a state of war between Finland and Soviet Union. Continuation war is started.
June 28: Albania declares war on the Soviet Union.
June 28: Huge German encirclement of 300,000 Red Army troops near Minsk and Bialystok.

July 1: German troops occupy Latvia's capital, Riga, on the way to Leningrad.
July 5: German troops reach the Dnieper River.
July 8: The German armies isolate Leningrad from the rest of Soviet Union.
July 9: Vitebsk is captured; this opens the battle of Smolensk, an important communications centre, considered by the German high command to be "the gateway to Moscow."
July 10: Guderian's Panzers take Minsk; the Germans advance farther into the Ukraine.
July 16: German Panzers under Guderian reach Smolensk, increasing the risk to Moscow.
July 21: The Luftwaffe strikes heavily at Moscow.
July 25: Neutral Iran occupied by Britain and the Soviet Union.
July 28: The Germans push against Smolensk, and in the meantime solidify their presence in the Baltic states.

August 5: German armies trap Red Army forces in Smolensk pocket and take 300,000 soldiers; Orel is taken.
August 6: Germans take Smolensk.
August 12:  Despite wavering, Hitler follows the advice of his Generals and orders a continuation of the original Barbarossa plan of Army Group Centre to seize Moscow.  ***Turning Point from Real World***
August 22: German forces close in on Leningrad; the citizens continue improvising fortifications.
August 25: British and Soviet troops invade Persia (Iran) to save the Abadan oilfields and the important railways and routes to Soviet Union for the supply of war material.
August 29: 3 Panzer Groups (under Generals Hoth, Guderian and Hoepner) converge on Moscow. Citizens panic as hastily arranged defences are prepared. Stalin and top Communist Party members evacuate to Saratov.
August 31:  Moscow falls despite last ditch defence attempts. 

September 6:  Last remaining pockets of Soviet troops in Moscow region captured/eliminated.  With key logistics/communications node of Moscow under German control, Soviet fronts in Kiev and Leningrad thrown into disarray. Killing of Commissars and subsequent surrenders to German forces becomes more common amongst Soviet troops.
September 8: Panzer Group Hoepner advance South aiming to link up with Army Group South
September 9: Now completely cutoff from all support Leningrad surrenders.
September 10: Panzer Group Guderian continues advance in SE direction towards Saratov. Panzer Group Hoth advances east towards Gorki and Kazan.
September 12: Gorki falls. Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112 captured intact with T-34s on assembly line.
September 12 – 19:  Large battle east of Kursk between remaining Soviet Ukranian front forces and Army Group South.
September 17: Kazan falls
September 23:  Army Group South eliminates Kursk pocket and continues eastward advance.
September 24 – October 10: German forces consolidate positions.  By October 10, German and allied forces command most Soviet territory up to the Volga river including the five most populous cities in the Soviet state (Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Gorki and Kharkov).

December 5:  Remaining Soviet forces (including divisions from Siberia) launch winter offensive to retake Moscow.
December 5 – 8:  German forces operating from well prepared positions absorb Soviet attacks and then cut off attacking forces.  Panic ensues in Soviet ranks.
December 7: Japan launches aerial attacks on Pearl Harbor, Guam and Wake Island; they invade Thailand and Malaya; Japan declares war on the United States and the United Kingdom.
December 8: Japan invades Malaya; the United States and the United Kingdom declare war on Japan;
December 10:  General Georgi Zhukov sends message to German forces asking for ceasefire and talks on ending conflict.  Stalin and aides arrested.  They are executed by the end of the day.
December 11: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States. The United States reciprocates and declares war on Germany and Italy.
December 13:  Remaining Soviet forces surrender unconditionally to Germany.  Communist party declared outlaw.
December 14: Civil war breaks out between forces loyal to General Zhukov and remaining Communist forces.
December 15: Allied troops push Rommel back at the Gazala line.
December 16: Rommel orders a withdrawal all the way to El Agheila, where he had begun in March. He awaits reinforcements of men and tanks.
December 20 - 24:  Large numbers of German troops return “Home for Christmas” from the East.

1942:

January2:  Hitler orders Grossadmiral Erich Raeder to accelerate the Kriegsmarine’s Plan Z with especial emphasis to be given to the new battleships, and aircraft carriers to counter the USN and RN.
January 6: In his State of the Union speech, President Roosevelt promises more aid to Britain, including planes and troops, however also declares that this must be measured to ensure American forces aren’t compromised.
January 19: Japanese forces take prisoner large numbers of British troops north of Singapore.
January 21: Rommel begins a surprising counter-offensive at El Agheila; his troops, with new reinforcements and tanks, capture Agedabia, then push north to Beda Fomm.
January 27: The British withdraw all troops back into Singapore.
January 29: Rommel enters Benghazi, Libya in his drive east. For the next few months, the two sides will rest and rearm.
January 31: The last organised Allied forces leave Malaya, ending the 54-day battle.

February 1: Rommel's forces reach El Gazala, Libya, near the border with Libya; during a "Winter lull" he will remain there.
February 9: British troops are now in full retreat into Singapore for a final defence;  Top United States military leaders hold their first formal meeting to discuss American military strategy in the war – although not made public, their recommendation is to focus on the Pacific war against Japan and to simply contain the War in Europe if possible (privately, many believe the war is already decided there);
February 15: Singapore surrenders to Japanese forces; this is arguably the most devastating loss in British military history.
February 20: Japanese troops cross the important Salween River in Burma; Japanese also invade Bali and Timor by a combined use of paratroops and amphibious troops.

March 6: Rangoon falls to the Japanese.
March 8; The Japanese land at Lae and Salamaua, on Huon Bay, New Guinea, beginning their move toward Port Moresby, New Guinea, and then Australia. Reports of German troops in Turkey.

April 5: The Japanese Navy attacks Colombo in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Royal Navy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.
April 6: Japanese naval forces are observed on the Indian Ocean; they put troops ashore in the Solomon Islands.
April 7:  Turkey officially joins the Axis and welcomes German troops (these have been already entering the country since early March)
April 10:  Turkey acquires first modern combat aircraft from Germany: Bf-109Fs and Bf-110s along with Ju-88As. 

May 1: Rommel readies for a new offensive.  New reinforcements fresh from the War in the East are sent to strengthen Panzerarmee Afrika.  Luftflotte 2 is also strengthened.
May 26: Operation Aida launched – this involves Rommel attacking at the Gazala line (west of Tobruk), whilst Generals Guderian (Fifth Panzer Army), Hoth (Fourth Panzer Army) and Paulus (Sixth Army) and supported by Luftflotte 4 & 6 begin concurrent operations from Southern Russia and Turkey.  Turkish troops also involved.
May 30: British and Commonwealth forces in Africa and Middle East in general retreat on all fronts against massive German/Axis offensive; Churchill orders preparation to evacuate forces in Egypt and to mine the Suez;

June 4:  Egyptian officers under Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat launch uprising against British forces in Egypt;
June 5:  German and Turkish forces capture Jerusalem.
June 6: German, Italian enter Cairo.
June 10:  Historic meeting up of Rommel and Guderian at Beersheba – Axis forces now control entire Mediterranean except for Gibraltar and Malta.
June 14:  Germany offers Great Britain a possible ceasefire - following losses in Middle East and Pacific/Asia this is now considered seriously.
June 16:  Following days of debate, British Parliament agrees to German offer of Ceasefire.  Winston Churchill immediately tenders resignation.
June 17:  War in Europe officially declared over.

MaxHeadroom:
Ooops!

Thank god, it never happens this way.

Max

PR19_Kit:

--- Quote from: MaxHeadroom on November 16, 2013, 04:17:43 AM ---Ooops!

Thank god, it never happens this way.

Max

--- End quote ---

Dead right there!

Empty Handed:
Oh dear ...... must not launch tirade.......

East of Suez..... I have no problem with your scenario but in North Africa I got a big one. How are Rommel's Panzers going to move much less kick Britain out of Egypt without petrol. See there's this little thing called the Royal Navy that was pretty effective at stopping shipments of little things like reinforcements and supplies. The RN's Mediterranean story is one of losses yes but of carrying the day regardless. I'm not sure that can be just butterflied away!

I'm not even remotely concerned with the Axis forces to the east as they have to ford the Suez..... good luck with that! I'd just sit a Royal Sovereign in the canal and plink tanks with 15inchers for a few days......  >:D

As ever, feel free to ignore everything I say, I'm very much a believer of "your scenario, your rules".

GTX_Admin:
The theory underlying this is that by knocking Russia out of the war in '41 Germany is no longer committing vast forces and resources there.  This allows them to put greater focus on the Southern front, including air and naval forces.  Similarly they would have been better able to defend against any British incursions in Western Europe thus ensuring less impact upon home industries.  Combine this with the potential resources available from the Eastern conquered territories.  Finally, the threat of a grand pincer movement which would be a concern to the Allied forces in Eygpt etc.  Remember that even in the real world situation, the British were getting ready to evacuate when Rommel was at the border.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page