Europe Post 1918

[chris N]

The War in the Fae east was not going exactly as the soviets had planned. Zhukov decided to try to hold in the Center and attempt to gain more land in the under inhabited North. Then he believed that he could launch a massive offensive at the center and from the north down, but the Japanese-Siberians launched a counter offensive that saw the Soviets pushed back in the center. In the north small Siberian forces were beginning to have some effect on the soviets now that they hd pushed so far beyond their lines.

[chris N]

It was clearly becoming evident that for every blow that Zhukov managed to land the enemy counter punched with two. Zhukov was gaining land in the unpopulated north and finding that his enemy was conducting hit and run attacks on his supply lines. The further his forces moved to the east the more vulnerable they to the attacks.
Thus The soviet Marshal gathered up everything he had for a massive thrust to the center but first he launched a probing attack into Japanese occupied Mongolia. He asked for some of the new T-34 tanks and especially more of the heavier tanks.

[chris N]

Zhukov delivered a blow at Mongolia hoping to draw the Japanese reserves away and then launched an all out hit at the center.
For nearly a month the battle raged with the Red Army pushing the Japanese back. But the Tiger of the North was not forcing his troops to stand and fight until they were eliminated but only long enough that they could withdraw to the next defensive line. He wanted to wear the Russian bear out.
Zhukov had already decided that he would push just a little bit more than with draw to his defensive line.
Notice that while the Red Army made gains they were not that big. Stalin was not sending enough replacements to continue the push as he feared an attack in the west.

[chris N]

Zhukov now made plans to launch another offensive into Japanese controlled Mongolia , which would force the Japanese to send their reserves to the south. He would then launch a small offensive to the North and then the Hammer blow to the center. Hopefully this would result in the Red Army regaining a lot of territory and then perhaps a peace agreement could be made. Below is the result of the Soviet third summer offensive and the Allied counter attack.

[chris N]

July 1940 Japan's strategist has decided that the bulge in the line needed to be dealt with. He has appealed for additional tanks , artillery and air power. Replacements had arrived and he knew that he must launch the counter blow within 7 days if he was going to catch Zhukov off guard. First in Mongolia he struck hard at the soviets. He had to convince them that he was attempting a major blow there. To do that he allowed four Independent Tank Battalions to be used with the Cavalry and 2 Motorized Infantry Brigades.
To attack the Bulge he was delivering a blow from he south using 2 tank divisions , 2 Motorized Infantry divisions 2 anti tank Brigades and 5 Infantry Divisions. To the North The Japanese Commander deployed another force of Equal size. In the Center a mixed force would keep the Soviets pinned in position. The Siberian Army deployed its entire armored force of 3 Brigades .
Zhukov had had his forces begin to did in. He had begun to prepare for the Japanese counter blow. The Japanese gained control of the Air and proceeded to pound the Soviet positions. The Japanese through everything into the battle.

[Richter von Manthofen]

Japanese Kursk?

[chris N]

Yes it would appear so. I did not plan for this to happen but it just seemed to come about. Some differences between the two Japan has seized total control of the air. The Japanese also have a lot more troops. Still one will see. The Tiger has proven to be a master at fighting the Soviets.
There are a number of differences: 1) The allies have a clear superiority in Manpower and Artillery, 2) the Japanese have gained control of the Air and thus will be able to provide support, 3) with Shorter lines of communications the Allied forces have rebuilt the ammunition supplies and 4) Japan had deployed its newest tanks to the battlefield.
The Red Army forces have not had the time to really build up a defense in depth line. Tank wise Japan and the Siberians have the advantage in Numbers. Most of the Red Army tanks are still the Older BT-5 and T-26 but the newer Bt-&s are also there in large numbers. The Soviets have also used the Giant T-28 and the KV-1 and KV-2. But only 30 T-34s have joined the Red Army in the Far East.

[chris N]

The pounding was unbelievable. the Japanese fired everything that they had at the soviets. Japanese dive bombers hit targets to help break the resistance of the Red army.

[Shtudmuffin]

Personally, I hope the Soviets win this battle but lose the war. The Soviets are just too numerous to be defeated by Japan even when the enemy is bolstered by white forces in exile. Plus, ground & armored warfare are the Soviets' specialties-Japan, no matter how much things have changed with them & armored warfare, are still more of a maritime power. On the other hand, I've always liked the idea of an independent Siberian state.

[chris N]

The Soviet Union on this time line lack the resources that they had in our time line. The Ukraine is an independent entity and almost all of white Russia is also in Polish hands. Thus the country lacks a population that is as large. Stalin is increasing showing his paranoia . He see a threat from the west so he is failing to send Zhukov the weapons and resources that he needs to smash the Japanese/ Siberian Forces once and for all.

Imperial Japan also made a critical change throwing its resource into the army. By not adding more battleships and carriers it has been able to build an army which is more in line with those of Europe. It is more mobile, has better tanks and more powerful artillery. The Tiger's attack on the Russian bulge is a brilliant gamble. He has acted fast and in doing so has prevented the Russians from building a massive defensive line. He controls the sky and his force outnumber the Soviets.
But he too knows that Japan can not continue to fight a war that could last 5 years. His goal is to beat the Soviets bad enough that they would be willing to acknowledge a separate Siberian Kingdom and the Loss of Mongolia. The Japanese Marshal wants to re-establish a river Defense Line and make that the permanent border.
If the Ukraine and the Polish-Lithuanian Union were to enter the war then he might be able to go further and bring an end to the Soviet State.

[chris N]

July 1940 the Kingdom of the Ukraine and the Polish-Lithuanian Union both ordered a mobilization of reserves. Both countries wanted to be ready in case Stalin struck at them. They also would like to recover territory lost in the most recent conflict with the Soviet State.
At the other end of the Soviet Empire Marshal Zhukov was attempting to carry out a miracle. He had nor had time to built the defense in depth line that he had wanted to. He ordered a pull back of the troops in the far north so that he might be able to use them to contain the Japanese.
The Japanese Tiger appears to have gotten the better of the Soviet Bear. See map below.

[chris N]

Finally after two months of some of the heaviest fighting that had been seen during the course of the war the Japanese and Siberian thrust had met. The Soviets had suffered a major defeat . The Siberians were still cleaning up the battlefield. They were salvaging captured Soviet tanks and other weapons.
Japan's tiger had scored another victory over the Bear but he too was well aware that the Japanese army had paid a price for the victory. His armored and Mechanized forces would need new tanks and replacements
and he would need better weapons. He recommended a peace agreement that would allow Japan to pull forces out of Siberia to a great degree without worrying about a Soviet offensive.

[Shtudmuffin]

How are the Siberians capturing so much equipment? Rarely in warfare around this time period is so much captured equipment available after battles. Though I believe it's possible to find abandoned and still intact enemy equipment in any case, there should not be enough to leave the battle's victor still searching for scraps like vultures.

[chris N]

Most of the captured equipment was small arms put there were some artillery pieces, trucks and tanks that had either been abandoned for a variety of reasons, or had been damaged or just left. Almost all of the Soviet equipment was turned over to the Siberians.
The Soviets had also seen the capture of nearly 40,000 troops by their enemy and nearly 100,000 dead laid on the battle field. That total was expected to grow.
Below a victorious Japanese tank commander.

[Richter von Manthofen]

Modern equipment of this time usually was easily to damage enough to be left on the battlefield.

A tank with damage to the tracks would be abandoned uif you retreat, but salvaged if you advance...

"dumps" of all variety might be taken over, if the retreating side fails to blow it up.

So I definitely can imagine that equipment can be taken inlarge numbers.

[chris N]

The Siberian Military was carefully sweeping the battlefield for everything that it could gather. It was surprising the amount of equipment that was salvageable. Even some of the damaged tanks could be repaired if they stripped a lot of them to make it work.
Two monster T-28 were found . other than a lack of fuel they both looked interesting.
But it was an entirely new tank that was found on the battlefield that drew the interest of the Japanese and of the Siberians. It was unlike any tank that either had seen. It had taken a lot of damage. The Japanese had it removed to the rear where engineers took all kings of pictures and drawings. It wasn't until latter that Siberian Intelligence was able to provide further information when they discovered that among their prisoners was a crew member that had severed on such a tank. It was referred to as the T-34 and if they had had a lot more of them he might have been the one asking questions.

[chris N]

Japan was rather tired from the bloody war and no further offensive was planned to push further to the west. Meanwhile there was growing tensions between the Soviet Union and its two recent adversaries .

[Richter von Manthofen]

I would think if Russia has to fight a new war in the WEST, Japan could push ahead, but fighting alone - it would be wise to hold out and look for a peace with the border being the current frontline.

Go Japan GO!

BTW I think the Japanese should leak info about the T34 to the Ukraine and Poland... If Russia takes out those nations it might want a rematch soon. If those nations are "winning" or just "Surviving" Russia might be in no shape for another round in the East soon.

I also thionk Japan will make a own version of the T-34 (Japanese Panther! )

[chris N]

Stalin was disgusted by the news of the war in the East. His diplomats were trying to secure a peace with Japan. It was felt that it was likely that there would be a conflict in the West with two nations that Stalin hated.
The Red Army in the West had been receiving more of the T-34s. Estimates were that there were around 120 with the Army and another 45 were arriving every month to the Western Units. Many more of the BT-7 tanks were rolling off the assembly line as well as the old reliable T-26 new model.
Stalin was still expanding the Red Army in the West. He greatly feared that war would break out in the west before he had enough troops to punish his enemies. This was the reason that replacements and reinforcements to Marshal Zhukov slowed to a trickle..
Soviet Intelligence learned that the Ukraine had called up all of its reservist and had ordered the call up of the next class of conscripts.

[chris N]

The Polish-Lithuanian Union also called up reservist and the border defenses were strengthen. Polish Intelligence had been aware of the Soviet Military build up in the west. The Japanese military atache to Germany pasted a secret report on the Soviet Union's military. Among the items mention was the Soviets having a new medium tank of impressive capacity.
Below Polish Cavalry Unit moves to the border.