They had exactly that, a few prototypes, several of them unarmed. The two designs were not ready for series production, they were more or less hand made, without the modifications needed to allow mass production.
Case Green- A WW2 Alternate History
- Thread starter FanOfHistory
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- 1938 german reich world war
Actually Hitler didn't have that sort of munition reserve (or actual small arms for that matter). That was WHY he needed Czechoslovakia, the Reich lacked the armament industry necessary to equip the Wehrmacht. Taking the Czech production facilities and its armories (Czech small arms used identical calibers as the Heer's) provided the Wehrmacht the equipment it needed to invade Poland.
Hitler, as evil and demented as he was, was also the master of the bluff. He got away with it time after time, starting with the re-militarization of the Rhineland all the way up to the invasion of Poland. Even then he managed to convince the British and French that he was prepared to defend the Reich's Western frontier in September of 1939. he wasn't, especially regarding his mobile forces, but the French, after a rather pitiful advance a few klicks into Germany, pulled back behind the Maginot Line and waited to refight WW I.
Unlike the Rhineland and Austria, for CZE I don't think Hitler was bluffing. Wikipedia makes two mentions of Hitler signing a directive for war against CZE in May 1938 (to begin October), which is well before the idea of Chamberlain going to Munich was even raised. Pretty good evidence that Hitler fully intended war with CZE. And if he fully intended war (getting the stuff for free was a nice bonus), and the Wehrmacht had five months of preparing for that war after getting orders to, then he must have thought that he was strong enough to pull it off (and unlike Wacht Am Rhein or Spring Awakening, there was no immediate risk to him if he doesn't attack that might prompt him into doing something stupid). All those factors combined make it likely that he had at least 3 mo worth of ammo.
Sure, later on he is going to miss the CZE weaponry and the growth of the Wehrmacht will be hurt, but during 1938 he is able to fight a short war. All of his arms factories must have been doing something since 1936 after all.
- BNC
@FanOfHistory a few months ago I started a thread about Germany invading CZE in a case similar to your TL and asking if Germany had a better chance at defeating France in a war beginning in 1938 compared to OTL's 1939 (considering the relative production levels of both countries and if France's rather poor mobilisation by 5/39 would be enough to offset the loss of the Czech captured stuff), with the idea being that Barbarossa was accepted as impossible, and that Germany could "win the war" by asking for Bohemia in a peace deal after taking Paris.
You might find some of the posts useful, so I'll leave you a link: https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...y-war-odds-really-worse-than-otl-1939.452038/
- BNC
You might find some of the posts useful, so I'll leave you a link: https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...y-war-odds-really-worse-than-otl-1939.452038/
- BNC
Chapters
FanOfHistory
Banned
October 12: The Germans start to reverse the damage done to the Skoda Works by the retreating Czechs in Pilsen. French troops reach the Saar river.
October 13: The Wehrmacht start to push into the remaining Czech lands, but now start facing much stiffer resistance than they were already facing.
October 14: The Germans continue to push towards Prague from the east, despite the tremendous losses they're taking.
General Hans Oster leaned back in his chair, stretching after another long day. On his desk were intelligence reports from the field and from reconnaissance airplanes. Without the war, there wouldn't be any such reports. At that, Oster frowned. Hitler was a madman, leading Germany to destruction. Hans Oster's trust in Hitler had ended after The Night of Long Knives, and now with the war going on it had turned into hatred. Sure Germany might kill Czechoslovakia, but it would probably lose the larger war. Had 20 years been enough for the people to forget what happened after the last war? Maybe they just wanted to believe. Whatever Hitler's faults, he was a great speaker and could rile up the crowds.
Hans picked up a naval report to distract himself from his troubles. A cruiser had fired some shells at a British destroyer and the British fired had back. Neither had hit, and a spurt of seawater drenched some sailors. He put the report back down, there was no use in trying to distract himself. The main thing on his mind was rebellion. Before the war, he and others had met and agreed to overthrow Hitler. Hans had been willing to let the war go on just a little bit to show the German people that they were losing, but with France stopping in the Saar, and Czechoslovakia cut in half, support for the coup was vanishing.
There was one thing that might bring it back. If the Wehrmacht took more casualties in taking Czechoslovakia than the people were willing to take, then maybe people would flock in support of the coup. Oster knew that it was a terrible thing to wish that people had to die for him to get his way, but that seemed like the only option he had. He nodded. One way or another, he'd rid Germany of that tyrant before they were ruined.
October 15: Slovakia joins the Axis. The Wehrmacht take the towns of Cholina and Sedlec. German troops from the west enter Prague, but are pushed out after heavy urban combat.
October 16: The French tanks and guns sent to Republican Spain shortly after the declaration of war finally arrive. The Panzer III and Panzer IV are finally put into production. By now, 1/4th of all German vehicles have been put out of action.
October 17: The Republican forces continue their push to reconnect their land.
Ferran Paya peered out of his foxhole, Lebel at the ready. He'd come far these past few days. With the French allowing arms to flow past the borders again, the Republican forces trapped in Catalonia were well-equipped to start an offensive to connect with the rest of the country. Ferran wouldn't have been surprised if the trapped forces were more equipped than the rest of the army. Sure, all the equipment was out-dated, but in this war, if a gun shot, then it would be used. Pretty soon, they'd be on the Ebro., That's what all his officers had told him. The artillery barrage started up again, the infamous French 75's hammering at the Nationalist line. Ferran had learned that they wouldn't do much damage to soldiers in holes, but the disheartening effect was major. Paya heard the rumble of an engine behind and he turned around. He whooped in joy as he saw the behemoth of a French tank, the Char B1. It was basically a moving pillbox. The French had only sent one, but it was putting in work.
The tank stopped and stood there, waiting for the artillery to stop. After about an hour it did and it got rolling again. Ferran waited until the B1 moved past him before getting out of his foxhole and following. The thing didn't move very fast, but it didn't have to in this occasion. The cannon started firing at the Nationalists, returning fire was weak. Paya looked around him and saw Republican soldiers running forward, with FT-17s supporting. Like the B1, France didn't send many of them, but any tank versus an enemy with no tanks was a good fight for the side with a tank. He heard noises above and cursed when he looked up. The German planes sent to Spain as part of the Condor Legion swooped down on the Republicans, strafing and bombing. Men screamed as bullets hit them and flew when a bomb exploded near them. Despite the greater European war breaking out, the planes hadn't left. The tanks must've, since Ferran had stopped seeing them in the field.
For a minute, the attack faltered, but then it started up again. Ferran leaped into the Nationalist trench line. He bayoneted a soldier, pulled out the Lebel and bayoneted another before he had the chance to shot. This time, the bayonet got stuck in the enemy's body. Ferran took out his entrenching tool and caved in the man's skull. He then saw that the enemy was carrying a Mauser. Paya took the gun and raided the dead body for ammo. He then continued pushing south with the rest of the army.
October 18: The Wehrmacht continues to push towards Prague from the North and East. The Republican attack continues to push back the Nationalists. The first British soldiers start arriving in France.
October 19: The Republicans finally manage to connect their lands again. It's a narrow corridor, but its there. The Wehrmacht reaches the town of Borusov
October 20: The Nationalists counter-attack the Republican corridor. They even break it at one point, but fierce Republican attacks force them back. Gruna falls to the Germans. The German General Staff comes up with an idea to use the newly formed Fallschirmjager Division to help in the capitulation of Czechoslovakia.
Marek Rezek set his rifle on the windowsill of the house he was in. In the chaos and confusion of the German invasion and then the encirclement of Bohemia and Moravia, he had lost his submachine gun and he had no idea what happened to his unit. He and Artur had managed to form an improvised unit with other men and the remnants of a light tank battalion. He'd taken his new gun off of a dead comrade. Now Marek had a reason to happy. It was Czechs fighting their homeland. No traitorous Slovaks simply surrendering and letting the Germans walk in. No traitorous Germans wrecking havoc behind the lines and messing up things. Just Czechs fighting for themselves. "Hey Sarge. Got a smoke," asked Jakub Holub, a Slovak. Nothing in this war was simple. Jakub couldn't stomach surrendering to the Germans or fighting for the new state of Slovakia. That wasn't because he had any special feeling towards Czechoslovakia, Jakub was a Communist.
"Jakub, I don't have extra ammo for my rifle, how the hell will I get a cigarette out of nowhere," Marek shot back.
"Well alright, Sarge. I think I'll be fine killing Germans." Jakub said, and then turned to face out of his window. Rezek followed suit. The tanks were hidden in houses, ready to fire at any German tanks. The Germans had stopped at the outskirts of Borusov two days ago and hadn't stirred. They were stirring now, getting ready for another attack. Rezek tensed himself for the artillery barrage. As if cue,the Germans started shelling Borusov. Marek ducked under the window to avoid shrapnel. Shell fell in and around the town, exploding and wrecking everything. Marek heard a bigger boom. That had to be one the tanks taking a direct hit from a shell. Hiding the tanks in houses protected them from a lot of things, but it also immobilized them and made them susceptible to shells. The barrage went on for around two hours, then stopped. Marek immediately popped up to shot at Germans. What he saw was tanks. The German tanks were pushing forward to spearhead their push. Marek ignored them and moved his gun to fire at the soldiers. Machine guns started hammering, adding their racket into the battle. Marek let himself get lost in the familiar sounds of battle, rifle cracking. He heard the sound of a shell punching through armor, a sound he'd intimately become familiar with these past days. The lead German tank skewed to a stop. The Czech tank fired again, knocking out another German tank. Then Marek saw something that made him curse out in anger. A bunch of Germans were pushing an AT gun into place. Marek turned to fire at them, but his first bullet hit the shield, and his second one missed. The gun fired, knocking out the Czech tank. The AT gun turned a bit and knocked out another Czech tank.
Marek squeezed the trigger and heard a click. He was out of ammo, and the Germans were getting dangerously close. Marek took out his pistol and got ready for close combat, but then he heard a sound which made him cheer. For the first time since the war began, they had reinforcements. The troops didn't seem green either, they moved like veterans. The Germans, now outnumbered and facing fresh troops, decided to retreat. Retreating didn't mean leaving, as the shells started up again. Marek didn't care; now they had fresh men to hold Borusov. Everything was fine for another hour, but then Artur burst into the house, yelling, "We have to go back. The Germans have broken through in the south near Gruna."
"Really?" Marek and Jakub asked at the same time. Artur nodded vigorously and then ran out. Marek and Jakub followed. All at once, Marek wanted to to return to the house. He felt like a turtle out of his shell. The shells started falling on the retreating Czechs. Now out in the open, men fell in droves. A shell exploded behind Marek, the burst blowing him forward. When he landed, he screamed in pain. Shrapnel had lodged in his back and side. Blood poured out of his body, and Marek tried futility to stop it with his hands. The world was going black. The Czechs retreated out of Borusov, but Marek wouldn't retreat or do anything ever again
October 13: The Wehrmacht start to push into the remaining Czech lands, but now start facing much stiffer resistance than they were already facing.
October 14: The Germans continue to push towards Prague from the east, despite the tremendous losses they're taking.
General Hans Oster leaned back in his chair, stretching after another long day. On his desk were intelligence reports from the field and from reconnaissance airplanes. Without the war, there wouldn't be any such reports. At that, Oster frowned. Hitler was a madman, leading Germany to destruction. Hans Oster's trust in Hitler had ended after The Night of Long Knives, and now with the war going on it had turned into hatred. Sure Germany might kill Czechoslovakia, but it would probably lose the larger war. Had 20 years been enough for the people to forget what happened after the last war? Maybe they just wanted to believe. Whatever Hitler's faults, he was a great speaker and could rile up the crowds.
Hans picked up a naval report to distract himself from his troubles. A cruiser had fired some shells at a British destroyer and the British fired had back. Neither had hit, and a spurt of seawater drenched some sailors. He put the report back down, there was no use in trying to distract himself. The main thing on his mind was rebellion. Before the war, he and others had met and agreed to overthrow Hitler. Hans had been willing to let the war go on just a little bit to show the German people that they were losing, but with France stopping in the Saar, and Czechoslovakia cut in half, support for the coup was vanishing.
There was one thing that might bring it back. If the Wehrmacht took more casualties in taking Czechoslovakia than the people were willing to take, then maybe people would flock in support of the coup. Oster knew that it was a terrible thing to wish that people had to die for him to get his way, but that seemed like the only option he had. He nodded. One way or another, he'd rid Germany of that tyrant before they were ruined.
October 15: Slovakia joins the Axis. The Wehrmacht take the towns of Cholina and Sedlec. German troops from the west enter Prague, but are pushed out after heavy urban combat.
October 16: The French tanks and guns sent to Republican Spain shortly after the declaration of war finally arrive. The Panzer III and Panzer IV are finally put into production. By now, 1/4th of all German vehicles have been put out of action.
October 17: The Republican forces continue their push to reconnect their land.
Ferran Paya peered out of his foxhole, Lebel at the ready. He'd come far these past few days. With the French allowing arms to flow past the borders again, the Republican forces trapped in Catalonia were well-equipped to start an offensive to connect with the rest of the country. Ferran wouldn't have been surprised if the trapped forces were more equipped than the rest of the army. Sure, all the equipment was out-dated, but in this war, if a gun shot, then it would be used. Pretty soon, they'd be on the Ebro., That's what all his officers had told him. The artillery barrage started up again, the infamous French 75's hammering at the Nationalist line. Ferran had learned that they wouldn't do much damage to soldiers in holes, but the disheartening effect was major. Paya heard the rumble of an engine behind and he turned around. He whooped in joy as he saw the behemoth of a French tank, the Char B1. It was basically a moving pillbox. The French had only sent one, but it was putting in work.
The tank stopped and stood there, waiting for the artillery to stop. After about an hour it did and it got rolling again. Ferran waited until the B1 moved past him before getting out of his foxhole and following. The thing didn't move very fast, but it didn't have to in this occasion. The cannon started firing at the Nationalists, returning fire was weak. Paya looked around him and saw Republican soldiers running forward, with FT-17s supporting. Like the B1, France didn't send many of them, but any tank versus an enemy with no tanks was a good fight for the side with a tank. He heard noises above and cursed when he looked up. The German planes sent to Spain as part of the Condor Legion swooped down on the Republicans, strafing and bombing. Men screamed as bullets hit them and flew when a bomb exploded near them. Despite the greater European war breaking out, the planes hadn't left. The tanks must've, since Ferran had stopped seeing them in the field.
For a minute, the attack faltered, but then it started up again. Ferran leaped into the Nationalist trench line. He bayoneted a soldier, pulled out the Lebel and bayoneted another before he had the chance to shot. This time, the bayonet got stuck in the enemy's body. Ferran took out his entrenching tool and caved in the man's skull. He then saw that the enemy was carrying a Mauser. Paya took the gun and raided the dead body for ammo. He then continued pushing south with the rest of the army.
October 18: The Wehrmacht continues to push towards Prague from the North and East. The Republican attack continues to push back the Nationalists. The first British soldiers start arriving in France.
October 19: The Republicans finally manage to connect their lands again. It's a narrow corridor, but its there. The Wehrmacht reaches the town of Borusov
October 20: The Nationalists counter-attack the Republican corridor. They even break it at one point, but fierce Republican attacks force them back. Gruna falls to the Germans. The German General Staff comes up with an idea to use the newly formed Fallschirmjager Division to help in the capitulation of Czechoslovakia.
Marek Rezek set his rifle on the windowsill of the house he was in. In the chaos and confusion of the German invasion and then the encirclement of Bohemia and Moravia, he had lost his submachine gun and he had no idea what happened to his unit. He and Artur had managed to form an improvised unit with other men and the remnants of a light tank battalion. He'd taken his new gun off of a dead comrade. Now Marek had a reason to happy. It was Czechs fighting their homeland. No traitorous Slovaks simply surrendering and letting the Germans walk in. No traitorous Germans wrecking havoc behind the lines and messing up things. Just Czechs fighting for themselves. "Hey Sarge. Got a smoke," asked Jakub Holub, a Slovak. Nothing in this war was simple. Jakub couldn't stomach surrendering to the Germans or fighting for the new state of Slovakia. That wasn't because he had any special feeling towards Czechoslovakia, Jakub was a Communist.
"Jakub, I don't have extra ammo for my rifle, how the hell will I get a cigarette out of nowhere," Marek shot back.
"Well alright, Sarge. I think I'll be fine killing Germans." Jakub said, and then turned to face out of his window. Rezek followed suit. The tanks were hidden in houses, ready to fire at any German tanks. The Germans had stopped at the outskirts of Borusov two days ago and hadn't stirred. They were stirring now, getting ready for another attack. Rezek tensed himself for the artillery barrage. As if cue,the Germans started shelling Borusov. Marek ducked under the window to avoid shrapnel. Shell fell in and around the town, exploding and wrecking everything. Marek heard a bigger boom. That had to be one the tanks taking a direct hit from a shell. Hiding the tanks in houses protected them from a lot of things, but it also immobilized them and made them susceptible to shells. The barrage went on for around two hours, then stopped. Marek immediately popped up to shot at Germans. What he saw was tanks. The German tanks were pushing forward to spearhead their push. Marek ignored them and moved his gun to fire at the soldiers. Machine guns started hammering, adding their racket into the battle. Marek let himself get lost in the familiar sounds of battle, rifle cracking. He heard the sound of a shell punching through armor, a sound he'd intimately become familiar with these past days. The lead German tank skewed to a stop. The Czech tank fired again, knocking out another German tank. Then Marek saw something that made him curse out in anger. A bunch of Germans were pushing an AT gun into place. Marek turned to fire at them, but his first bullet hit the shield, and his second one missed. The gun fired, knocking out the Czech tank. The AT gun turned a bit and knocked out another Czech tank.
Marek squeezed the trigger and heard a click. He was out of ammo, and the Germans were getting dangerously close. Marek took out his pistol and got ready for close combat, but then he heard a sound which made him cheer. For the first time since the war began, they had reinforcements. The troops didn't seem green either, they moved like veterans. The Germans, now outnumbered and facing fresh troops, decided to retreat. Retreating didn't mean leaving, as the shells started up again. Marek didn't care; now they had fresh men to hold Borusov. Everything was fine for another hour, but then Artur burst into the house, yelling, "We have to go back. The Germans have broken through in the south near Gruna."
"Really?" Marek and Jakub asked at the same time. Artur nodded vigorously and then ran out. Marek and Jakub followed. All at once, Marek wanted to to return to the house. He felt like a turtle out of his shell. The shells started falling on the retreating Czechs. Now out in the open, men fell in droves. A shell exploded behind Marek, the burst blowing him forward. When he landed, he screamed in pain. Shrapnel had lodged in his back and side. Blood poured out of his body, and Marek tried futility to stop it with his hands. The world was going black. The Czechs retreated out of Borusov, but Marek wouldn't retreat or do anything ever again
Good chapter, really enjoyed it.
Oster is taking a gamble and it likely won’t pay off. If the SS even think he’s going to do something against the Führer then Oster will become quickly acquainted with a bullet or a camp.
I give Czechoslovakia another week, max two. By November 1st the war in Czechoslovakia will be over. But with Germany down 1/4 of their vehicles and likely having spent much of their fuel and ammo to knock Czechoslovakia out it will take months to even think about attacking France with any possible degree of success.
But the Entente may not expect an attack for months on the Western Front (mid-1940) so a blitzkrieg into the Low Countries in the midst of the ‘38-‘39 winter will surprise the Entente (essentially Battle of the Bulge like offensive but in 1938). The Germans will take the Netherlands and Luxembourg with ease but will likely stall in Belgium. Then they would have to stop their offensive since it’ll run out of steam. Then they can recover and replenish their forces, performing maintenance on vehicles and such as they have pushed their forces to exhaustion and need time to recover.
How’s the diplomatic situation with Poland? Are they leaning towards the Axis or remaining neutral?
Oster is taking a gamble and it likely won’t pay off. If the SS even think he’s going to do something against the Führer then Oster will become quickly acquainted with a bullet or a camp.
I give Czechoslovakia another week, max two. By November 1st the war in Czechoslovakia will be over. But with Germany down 1/4 of their vehicles and likely having spent much of their fuel and ammo to knock Czechoslovakia out it will take months to even think about attacking France with any possible degree of success.
But the Entente may not expect an attack for months on the Western Front (mid-1940) so a blitzkrieg into the Low Countries in the midst of the ‘38-‘39 winter will surprise the Entente (essentially Battle of the Bulge like offensive but in 1938). The Germans will take the Netherlands and Luxembourg with ease but will likely stall in Belgium. Then they would have to stop their offensive since it’ll run out of steam. Then they can recover and replenish their forces, performing maintenance on vehicles and such as they have pushed their forces to exhaustion and need time to recover.
How’s the diplomatic situation with Poland? Are they leaning towards the Axis or remaining neutral?
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The US mid-terms elections are coming up and I imagine candidates for both parties are claiming to be in favor of neutrality, as is, for now, FDR.
Hitler would probably like all those trained pilots of the Condor division back from Spain, but keeping the division in Spain is probably more strategic, but what about resupplying it now that the greater war has broken out?
Hitler would probably like all those trained pilots of the Condor division back from Spain, but keeping the division in Spain is probably more strategic, but what about resupplying it now that the greater war has broken out?
FanOfHistory
Banned
As of now, they're neutral. Poland may have taken the Zaozlie region from Czechoslovakia, but have no interest in joining the larger war and letting hundreds of thousands of their men die in war.
FanOfHistory
Banned
As of now, the Germans use Italian ships, since Italy is still neutral, to resupply the Condor Legion. But with the Mediterranean cut off from the Nationalists, and the upcoming escalation of the war, resupplying the Legion is going to get very difficult
Chapters
FanOfHistory
Banned
October 21: Now that the Nationalists have been encircled by the Republicans, the Republicans begin to attack the pocket. Borusov falls to the Germans.
October 22: The Germans enter Prague again, this time from the both the north and west. They aren't pushed this time and are engaged in street to street urban combat with the Czechs The Germans continue to push towards Prague from the East, and start to attack from the north and south to cut off the remainder of the Czech army.
October 23: Tabor falls to the Germans, and the Wehrmacht reaches the outskirts of Pardubice. The first dogfight happens over the Western Front, with an Arado Ar 68 shooting down a Bleriot-SPAD S.510.
Klaus Maurer marched along with the rest of his division towards the front. He had plenty of rest and sleep in the rear. After the fighting all way till the encirclement, he deserved it. Klaus heard the thunder of artillery as he trudged to the front. He turned to face Hans Mahler and said, "Back into the fire huh."
"Yep, we have a job to do." Mahler answered.
"Well, we're pretty good at our job." Klaus said. Hans nodded and turned forward. Klaus did the same. Talking was a good distraction, but the gravity of the war never went away. Every time they went to battle was a chance for their luck to run out. After more marching, Klaus saw the German artillery, meaning that they were at the rear of the front. 105s and 150s pounded away at the Czech lines. The division dispersed as they entered the trenches. Klaus saw the wave of men who they were replacing exit out of the trench line. Klaus found a dugout and made himself at home. Now there was nothing left to do but wait. After a while, an corporal came to his dugout and explained, "We're moving in 30 minutes. The main axis of our attack will meet up with the other pincer and cut off Pardubice. After that, we'll move south and meet up with the southern pincer."
"Just like old times." Klaus said. The corporal grunted as a form of response and then moved further down the line. The 30 minutes seemed to stretch forever, allowing Klaus to have plenty of unpleasant thoughts about what could happen to him in the upcoming assault. As the barrage wound down, the panzers rolled to the front. The corporal cocked his MP 38. A shrill whistle cut the silence brought by the end of the artillery barrage. Klaus scampered up the ladder and into the din of war. Men moved in small groups, stopping and shooting. Machine gun bullets bounced off panzer armor. Klaus dived into a shell hole for cover. One by one, the Czech machine guns were being put out of action. All of a sudden, he heard the sound of a tank being killed. After everything, the Czechs still had some teeth in them. Klaus grabbed a hand grenade, and chucked it towards the Czech lines. He heard a man scream, meaning that his grenade did something.
Klaus slung his Kar98K and pulled out his shovel. He ran and then jumped into the enemy trenches. Klaus immediately struck a man in the back of his head, and turned around to smash another man in the face. The man crumpled, dropping his rifle. Klaus jammed his shovel in the dirt to clean off the blood. He put his shovel back and then unslung his rifle. He carefully worked his way through the trench line, finger on the trigger, ready to shoot at anything that moved. Bullets slapped the dirt above him, and Klaus dropped to the floor. A couple of brave(or stupid, the way Klaus looked at it) Czechs manning a machine gun shot back at the Germans to slow them down. They didn't last long, as shown when infantry swung around them and shot them dead. The silence that descended upon the battlefield was broken by the screams of wounded men. In less than a month of a fighting, Klaus had heard more screams than he could count. Those screams would haunt him for all his days. Klaus shook his head and then continued moving forward.
October 24: Pardubice is encircled. Svitavy and Jihlava falls to the Germans. The Republicans continue to decrease the size of the Nationalist pocket.
October 25: Vendoli, Chrudim, and Pohled fall to the Germans. The northern wing of the the German pincer swings west to meet up with the predetermined paratroop drop. For a while, the Germans have been using their mobile war tactics to outmaneuver the Czechs. Not quite blitzkrieg, but close enough. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, and the Germans have to fight through the Czech positions. This time, it works spectacularly, and the Germans take Sobetuchy, Stolany, Uhercice, Vapenny Podol, and Prachovice in by the end of the day.
October 26: The southern pincer takes Chotebor and then swings west to meet up with the northern pincer. They also take Viska, Nejepin, Malec, Uhelna Pribram, Borek, Kraborovice, and reach the outskirts of Bestvina by the end of the day. The Nationalist pocket continues to shrink, and the Republicans send their tanks to reduce the Nationalist bulge south of Madrid.
The hum of the Ju 52's tri-motors vibrated the plane. Helmut Kott sat in his seat, trying not to let his fear show. He was a part of 18 men who filled the plane. The plane, along with 100 others were transporting the 1st Fallschirm-Jager-Division with all its equipment over the gap between the two Germans pincers. His plane and 10 others were going to drop them behind the front lines. Helmut would be in the thick of the fighting. He envied the other paratroopers who would be dropped further down the gap, they wouldn't have to face much resistance. A man stood in front of them and explained, "Men, it's time. To the side doors." Helmut and the rest of the men obeyed. He was 6th in line. The man opened a side door. A gust of cold air filled the plane. It was still early in the morning. The cold seeped into Helmut, freezing him to the bone.
One by one, the men exited the plane. Subconsciously, Helmut moved closer to the door, his feet moving against their will. At last he stood by the door. "Good luck," the man said to him, and put his hand on his shoulder, as if to shove him out. Helmut looked out the door, gulped, and fell forward. He let out a long and emotional "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" Wind ripped at his eyes, ears and hair. He staggered in the air, struggling to bring himself to rights. This was nothing like training. Helmut saw the shape of open parachutes below him. He shook his head to clear his mind. Time was coming to open the parachute. Three....Two....NOW! Helmut yanked the ripcord, opening up the parachute. The sudden change in speed his head body jerk and the world went gray for a second. When he came to, he was floating to the ground. If he tried, Helmut could imagine that he wasn't just dropping into a war zone and that he was taking a leisurely paratroop. Wind pushed him around. Helmut prayed that he wouldn't be snagged in a tree and get stuck. He looked towards Bestvina, where the German push had stalled out yesterday. If luck held, the Czechs wouldn't expect an attack from the air. Then Helmut saw flashes from the German line. Artillery, no doubt covering for the paratroopers, pounded the Czech lines. The Czechs had no real answer. The massive cannons from the Skoda works, the same cannons that would've destroyed any push in the last war, were all destroyed or broken by Stukas and older Henschel 123's.
The ground rushed up underneath him. Helmut crouched brought his knees up and braced himself. He hit the ground and then rolled a bit, the parachute wrapping around him. When he stopped, he realized that he was stuck. Luckily, another paratrooper came up to him and used a bayonet to cut him free. "Thank you," Helmut said.
"Don't worry about it," the man said, "You'd do the same for me."
"Of course," Helmut agreed. Helmut stood up, and then walked towards the crate where the weapons where. The crate, among with other things, had been dropped from the bomb bay doors of the Ju 52. A crack at the bottom told him that the parachute hadn't quite done its job. Helmut pulled out a Kar98 and some ammo to go with it. The German artillery barrage stopped. A sergeant yelled, "Come on boys, let's give them a hand." The men yelled in joy as they got the chance to be killed or wounded. Helmut ran towards Bestvina. Everything went perfectly for the first hundred yards. Helmut ran like a man possessed. The quicker they got there, the less chance there was of him being killed. All of a sudden, bullets started whizzing past him. Czechs appeared out of hastily dug foxholes to shoot at them. The bullets were a nuisance, but nothing more. There were no machine guns to liquefy the paratroopers, and the more men shooting at Helmut meant less men available to stop the main push. Helmut dropped to the ground and began to shoot back. Other men were doing the same thing.
Helmut stopped shooting to take out his shovel and dig in. The little firefight went on for a while, and when Helmut looked back up again, he saw more and more Czechs coming forward. That could only mean that the Germans broke through on the other side. Pretty soon, they'd be outnumbered. "HOLD!" the sergeant yelled. Other men yelled the same thing. Helmut ducked down to put a fresh clip in his gun, and then popped back up to shoot at the Czechs. The Czechs, facing fire from two sides, decided to try and break through the side with the least deadly fire. That didn't do them any good, as they broke cover and got mowed down by machine guns from Bestvina. Some lucky ones did get into the Fallschirmjager foxholes, but those never got out. The Czechs, now realizing that there was no escape, began to throw down their guns and raised their hands.
Helmut rushed out of his foxhole, Kar98 at then ready. The Czechs didn't try anything. He went up to a colonel that was walking up towards the paratroopers. "Excellent work boys," the colonel said, "We've got a lot of them trapped now. You and your men and some of mine will accompany to the rear."
Helmut nodded in agreement, and then turned to a Czech and gestured with his gun. The man understood and trudged into captivity. The others followed, being guarded by Landsers and Fallschirmjagers. Helmut was glad that he had to do no more fighting, and more importantly, he'd come unscathed from his first fight. Being alive mattered more than everything.
October 27: The Germans do a paratroop drop over the pincer gap. It has mixed results, with some drops succeeding, and others failing. Enough have worked so that the Germans have pockets of men spread all around the gap. The forest they have to fight through hinders them, but the Germans keep pushing. Over in the East, the Japanese take the city of Wuhan away from the Chinese.
October 28: The Germans meet up in the town of Sec, cutting of the bulk of the Czech army. A German U-boat sinks a Russian destroyer in the Baltic. The Russian Fleet, never as important as the army, is put on high alert and told to be more careful so they don't lose more ships.
October 29: The government in Prague, now vulnerable from the east, and already losing parts of the city in the west, agree to a surrender.
October 30: All over the country, the surrender of Prague is broadcasted. The remaining Czech soldiers in the field put down their arms and surrender. Some die-hards still continue fighting, but they are dealt with by the end of the day.
The War in Czechoslovakia is over.
October 22: The Germans enter Prague again, this time from the both the north and west. They aren't pushed this time and are engaged in street to street urban combat with the Czechs The Germans continue to push towards Prague from the East, and start to attack from the north and south to cut off the remainder of the Czech army.
October 23: Tabor falls to the Germans, and the Wehrmacht reaches the outskirts of Pardubice. The first dogfight happens over the Western Front, with an Arado Ar 68 shooting down a Bleriot-SPAD S.510.
Klaus Maurer marched along with the rest of his division towards the front. He had plenty of rest and sleep in the rear. After the fighting all way till the encirclement, he deserved it. Klaus heard the thunder of artillery as he trudged to the front. He turned to face Hans Mahler and said, "Back into the fire huh."
"Yep, we have a job to do." Mahler answered.
"Well, we're pretty good at our job." Klaus said. Hans nodded and turned forward. Klaus did the same. Talking was a good distraction, but the gravity of the war never went away. Every time they went to battle was a chance for their luck to run out. After more marching, Klaus saw the German artillery, meaning that they were at the rear of the front. 105s and 150s pounded away at the Czech lines. The division dispersed as they entered the trenches. Klaus saw the wave of men who they were replacing exit out of the trench line. Klaus found a dugout and made himself at home. Now there was nothing left to do but wait. After a while, an corporal came to his dugout and explained, "We're moving in 30 minutes. The main axis of our attack will meet up with the other pincer and cut off Pardubice. After that, we'll move south and meet up with the southern pincer."
"Just like old times." Klaus said. The corporal grunted as a form of response and then moved further down the line. The 30 minutes seemed to stretch forever, allowing Klaus to have plenty of unpleasant thoughts about what could happen to him in the upcoming assault. As the barrage wound down, the panzers rolled to the front. The corporal cocked his MP 38. A shrill whistle cut the silence brought by the end of the artillery barrage. Klaus scampered up the ladder and into the din of war. Men moved in small groups, stopping and shooting. Machine gun bullets bounced off panzer armor. Klaus dived into a shell hole for cover. One by one, the Czech machine guns were being put out of action. All of a sudden, he heard the sound of a tank being killed. After everything, the Czechs still had some teeth in them. Klaus grabbed a hand grenade, and chucked it towards the Czech lines. He heard a man scream, meaning that his grenade did something.
Klaus slung his Kar98K and pulled out his shovel. He ran and then jumped into the enemy trenches. Klaus immediately struck a man in the back of his head, and turned around to smash another man in the face. The man crumpled, dropping his rifle. Klaus jammed his shovel in the dirt to clean off the blood. He put his shovel back and then unslung his rifle. He carefully worked his way through the trench line, finger on the trigger, ready to shoot at anything that moved. Bullets slapped the dirt above him, and Klaus dropped to the floor. A couple of brave(or stupid, the way Klaus looked at it) Czechs manning a machine gun shot back at the Germans to slow them down. They didn't last long, as shown when infantry swung around them and shot them dead. The silence that descended upon the battlefield was broken by the screams of wounded men. In less than a month of a fighting, Klaus had heard more screams than he could count. Those screams would haunt him for all his days. Klaus shook his head and then continued moving forward.
October 24: Pardubice is encircled. Svitavy and Jihlava falls to the Germans. The Republicans continue to decrease the size of the Nationalist pocket.
October 25: Vendoli, Chrudim, and Pohled fall to the Germans. The northern wing of the the German pincer swings west to meet up with the predetermined paratroop drop. For a while, the Germans have been using their mobile war tactics to outmaneuver the Czechs. Not quite blitzkrieg, but close enough. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, and the Germans have to fight through the Czech positions. This time, it works spectacularly, and the Germans take Sobetuchy, Stolany, Uhercice, Vapenny Podol, and Prachovice in by the end of the day.
October 26: The southern pincer takes Chotebor and then swings west to meet up with the northern pincer. They also take Viska, Nejepin, Malec, Uhelna Pribram, Borek, Kraborovice, and reach the outskirts of Bestvina by the end of the day. The Nationalist pocket continues to shrink, and the Republicans send their tanks to reduce the Nationalist bulge south of Madrid.
The hum of the Ju 52's tri-motors vibrated the plane. Helmut Kott sat in his seat, trying not to let his fear show. He was a part of 18 men who filled the plane. The plane, along with 100 others were transporting the 1st Fallschirm-Jager-Division with all its equipment over the gap between the two Germans pincers. His plane and 10 others were going to drop them behind the front lines. Helmut would be in the thick of the fighting. He envied the other paratroopers who would be dropped further down the gap, they wouldn't have to face much resistance. A man stood in front of them and explained, "Men, it's time. To the side doors." Helmut and the rest of the men obeyed. He was 6th in line. The man opened a side door. A gust of cold air filled the plane. It was still early in the morning. The cold seeped into Helmut, freezing him to the bone.
One by one, the men exited the plane. Subconsciously, Helmut moved closer to the door, his feet moving against their will. At last he stood by the door. "Good luck," the man said to him, and put his hand on his shoulder, as if to shove him out. Helmut looked out the door, gulped, and fell forward. He let out a long and emotional "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" Wind ripped at his eyes, ears and hair. He staggered in the air, struggling to bring himself to rights. This was nothing like training. Helmut saw the shape of open parachutes below him. He shook his head to clear his mind. Time was coming to open the parachute. Three....Two....NOW! Helmut yanked the ripcord, opening up the parachute. The sudden change in speed his head body jerk and the world went gray for a second. When he came to, he was floating to the ground. If he tried, Helmut could imagine that he wasn't just dropping into a war zone and that he was taking a leisurely paratroop. Wind pushed him around. Helmut prayed that he wouldn't be snagged in a tree and get stuck. He looked towards Bestvina, where the German push had stalled out yesterday. If luck held, the Czechs wouldn't expect an attack from the air. Then Helmut saw flashes from the German line. Artillery, no doubt covering for the paratroopers, pounded the Czech lines. The Czechs had no real answer. The massive cannons from the Skoda works, the same cannons that would've destroyed any push in the last war, were all destroyed or broken by Stukas and older Henschel 123's.
The ground rushed up underneath him. Helmut crouched brought his knees up and braced himself. He hit the ground and then rolled a bit, the parachute wrapping around him. When he stopped, he realized that he was stuck. Luckily, another paratrooper came up to him and used a bayonet to cut him free. "Thank you," Helmut said.
"Don't worry about it," the man said, "You'd do the same for me."
"Of course," Helmut agreed. Helmut stood up, and then walked towards the crate where the weapons where. The crate, among with other things, had been dropped from the bomb bay doors of the Ju 52. A crack at the bottom told him that the parachute hadn't quite done its job. Helmut pulled out a Kar98 and some ammo to go with it. The German artillery barrage stopped. A sergeant yelled, "Come on boys, let's give them a hand." The men yelled in joy as they got the chance to be killed or wounded. Helmut ran towards Bestvina. Everything went perfectly for the first hundred yards. Helmut ran like a man possessed. The quicker they got there, the less chance there was of him being killed. All of a sudden, bullets started whizzing past him. Czechs appeared out of hastily dug foxholes to shoot at them. The bullets were a nuisance, but nothing more. There were no machine guns to liquefy the paratroopers, and the more men shooting at Helmut meant less men available to stop the main push. Helmut dropped to the ground and began to shoot back. Other men were doing the same thing.
Helmut stopped shooting to take out his shovel and dig in. The little firefight went on for a while, and when Helmut looked back up again, he saw more and more Czechs coming forward. That could only mean that the Germans broke through on the other side. Pretty soon, they'd be outnumbered. "HOLD!" the sergeant yelled. Other men yelled the same thing. Helmut ducked down to put a fresh clip in his gun, and then popped back up to shoot at the Czechs. The Czechs, facing fire from two sides, decided to try and break through the side with the least deadly fire. That didn't do them any good, as they broke cover and got mowed down by machine guns from Bestvina. Some lucky ones did get into the Fallschirmjager foxholes, but those never got out. The Czechs, now realizing that there was no escape, began to throw down their guns and raised their hands.
Helmut rushed out of his foxhole, Kar98 at then ready. The Czechs didn't try anything. He went up to a colonel that was walking up towards the paratroopers. "Excellent work boys," the colonel said, "We've got a lot of them trapped now. You and your men and some of mine will accompany to the rear."
Helmut nodded in agreement, and then turned to a Czech and gestured with his gun. The man understood and trudged into captivity. The others followed, being guarded by Landsers and Fallschirmjagers. Helmut was glad that he had to do no more fighting, and more importantly, he'd come unscathed from his first fight. Being alive mattered more than everything.
October 27: The Germans do a paratroop drop over the pincer gap. It has mixed results, with some drops succeeding, and others failing. Enough have worked so that the Germans have pockets of men spread all around the gap. The forest they have to fight through hinders them, but the Germans keep pushing. Over in the East, the Japanese take the city of Wuhan away from the Chinese.
October 28: The Germans meet up in the town of Sec, cutting of the bulk of the Czech army. A German U-boat sinks a Russian destroyer in the Baltic. The Russian Fleet, never as important as the army, is put on high alert and told to be more careful so they don't lose more ships.
October 29: The government in Prague, now vulnerable from the east, and already losing parts of the city in the west, agree to a surrender.
October 30: All over the country, the surrender of Prague is broadcasted. The remaining Czech soldiers in the field put down their arms and surrender. Some die-hards still continue fighting, but they are dealt with by the end of the day.
The War in Czechoslovakia is over.
Eager to see how the war develops as well who will join the various political-military alliances.
Czechoslovakia gave the good fight but they wouldn’t never have won or fought the Germans to a stalemate but the Germans did use a lot of their munitions and fuel for the Czech campaign and I’m sure lost some tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles.
Czechoslovakia gave the good fight but they wouldn’t never have won or fought the Germans to a stalemate but the Germans did use a lot of their munitions and fuel for the Czech campaign and I’m sure lost some tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles.
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Whats going on with Chamberlain and his government. In this scenario I'm guessing Churchill is not in the government, and that Chamberlain is not as discredited and as weak as he was in OTL.
Aftermath 1
FanOfHistory
Banned
Germany
24,000 dead
58,000 wounded
47% of all German vehicles knocked out
150 aircraft destroyed
The Germans may have taken Czechoslovakia, but they shredded their mobile forces. The Czech campaign also taught the Germans a few hard lessons about combined arms warfare. In any case, the German army wouldn't be ready for any attack in the west for a while.
Czechoslovakia
40,000 dead
540,000 prisoners of war taken by the end of the war.
200,000 Czechs citizens manage to escape to Poland, half of them soldiers. The Poles, not expecting that many refugees to flood the border, hold them in interment camps which are in terrible conditions. Disease and starvation is widespread through the camps.
At the time of the surrender, Czech tankers sabotage and destroy their vehicles to avoid them falling into German hands. The Germans only manage to take 20 undamaged Czech tanks
The Czech air-force, though putting up a tenacious resistance, is completely destroyed.
Czechoslovakia put up a stiff resistance and hurt the German army. Despite everything, they were outnumbered in all capacity. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, foreign-fueled dissent inside their country. Their country have fallen, but Czechs have managed ti escape the German onslaught and have plans to head west to continue the war.
24,000 dead
58,000 wounded
47% of all German vehicles knocked out
150 aircraft destroyed
The Germans may have taken Czechoslovakia, but they shredded their mobile forces. The Czech campaign also taught the Germans a few hard lessons about combined arms warfare. In any case, the German army wouldn't be ready for any attack in the west for a while.
Czechoslovakia
40,000 dead
540,000 prisoners of war taken by the end of the war.
200,000 Czechs citizens manage to escape to Poland, half of them soldiers. The Poles, not expecting that many refugees to flood the border, hold them in interment camps which are in terrible conditions. Disease and starvation is widespread through the camps.
At the time of the surrender, Czech tankers sabotage and destroy their vehicles to avoid them falling into German hands. The Germans only manage to take 20 undamaged Czech tanks
The Czech air-force, though putting up a tenacious resistance, is completely destroyed.
Czechoslovakia put up a stiff resistance and hurt the German army. Despite everything, they were outnumbered in all capacity. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, foreign-fueled dissent inside their country. Their country have fallen, but Czechs have managed ti escape the German onslaught and have plans to head west to continue the war.
Open Green Fields
Banned
There is a chance that the German military does a coup against Hitler
I do no agree with FanOfHistory numbers above my post. I think that the Germans would have lost far more and possibly even been beaten.
But that aside, after the occupation in the original time line Germany got this
"Czech arms plants began to churn out weapons for the Wehrmacht, and by occupying Czechoslovakia, Germany acquired 1,502 aircraft, 469 tanks, 500 antiaircraft guns, 43,000 machine guns, a million rifles, three million rounds of artillery ammunition, and a billion rifle rounds. In theory this was enough to equip 30 German divisions, though in practice the Germans sold much weaponry to countries such as Romania, further enriching themselves."
"Hitler acquired $28.3 million in gold when he overran Czechoslovakia. Economically, in combination with the March 1938 annexation of Austria, the absorption of Czech industry raised Germany’s percentage of world industrial production to 15 percent, equal to that of the United States. Militarily, Germany also acquired two major arms complexes, particularly the world-renowned Skoda Works."
https://www.historynet.com/britain-france-not-appeased-hitler-1938.htm
Without all of that the invasion of Poland becomes much harder, and so does the invasion of France.
These things are from the same link
"But what if the British and French had held firm at Munich? Two basic responses were possible. The less interesting answer is that Hitler actually preferred a war over Czechoslovakia to a diplomatic settlement, that the Germans had a detailed plan—Case Green—for such a war, and that if Chamberlain and Daladier had rebuffed Hitler, he would probably have executed that plan. But this prospect terrified Hitler’s senior generals, who believed that Germany was not yet ready for a major war. In all probability they were correct. The Czech army alone could have fielded 19 active and 11 reserve divisions against 37 active German divisions. Assuming that the British and French launched a full-scale assault against German defenses along the Siegfried Line, which in 1938 barely existed, the result would have been a prompt defeat for Germany. Even a more limited military response by the Western Allies would have resulted in a war of attrition that Germany would have eventually lost. To military historians this result is practically self-evident, which is why it is less interesting.
The more interesting answer centers on what would have occurred if Hitler had held off on executing Case Green: more interesting because good counterfactuals illuminate aspects of a historical event that might otherwise be overlooked. In this scenario, Hitler would have continued to rearm, wary of launching Case Green until the Wehrmacht could defend western Germany successfully while overrunning Czechoslovakia. The problem, Hitler would have discovered, was that Germany lacked the financial, economic, and military resources to rearm to the level that it historically reached by September 1939 (the campaign in Poland) and May 1940 (the invasion of the Low Countries and France)."
I do no agree with FanOfHistory numbers above my post. I think that the Germans would have lost far more and possibly even been beaten.
But that aside, after the occupation in the original time line Germany got this
"Czech arms plants began to churn out weapons for the Wehrmacht, and by occupying Czechoslovakia, Germany acquired 1,502 aircraft, 469 tanks, 500 antiaircraft guns, 43,000 machine guns, a million rifles, three million rounds of artillery ammunition, and a billion rifle rounds. In theory this was enough to equip 30 German divisions, though in practice the Germans sold much weaponry to countries such as Romania, further enriching themselves."
"Hitler acquired $28.3 million in gold when he overran Czechoslovakia. Economically, in combination with the March 1938 annexation of Austria, the absorption of Czech industry raised Germany’s percentage of world industrial production to 15 percent, equal to that of the United States. Militarily, Germany also acquired two major arms complexes, particularly the world-renowned Skoda Works."
https://www.historynet.com/britain-france-not-appeased-hitler-1938.htm
Without all of that the invasion of Poland becomes much harder, and so does the invasion of France.
These things are from the same link
"But what if the British and French had held firm at Munich? Two basic responses were possible. The less interesting answer is that Hitler actually preferred a war over Czechoslovakia to a diplomatic settlement, that the Germans had a detailed plan—Case Green—for such a war, and that if Chamberlain and Daladier had rebuffed Hitler, he would probably have executed that plan. But this prospect terrified Hitler’s senior generals, who believed that Germany was not yet ready for a major war. In all probability they were correct. The Czech army alone could have fielded 19 active and 11 reserve divisions against 37 active German divisions. Assuming that the British and French launched a full-scale assault against German defenses along the Siegfried Line, which in 1938 barely existed, the result would have been a prompt defeat for Germany. Even a more limited military response by the Western Allies would have resulted in a war of attrition that Germany would have eventually lost. To military historians this result is practically self-evident, which is why it is less interesting.
The more interesting answer centers on what would have occurred if Hitler had held off on executing Case Green: more interesting because good counterfactuals illuminate aspects of a historical event that might otherwise be overlooked. In this scenario, Hitler would have continued to rearm, wary of launching Case Green until the Wehrmacht could defend western Germany successfully while overrunning Czechoslovakia. The problem, Hitler would have discovered, was that Germany lacked the financial, economic, and military resources to rearm to the level that it historically reached by September 1939 (the campaign in Poland) and May 1940 (the invasion of the Low Countries and France)."