AHC: Soviets match Russia's Napoleonic War record, march to Berlin 21 months after getting invaded

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
Napoleon invaded Russia on 24 June, 1812

He lost there and after 21 months Russian armies (with Allies) seized Paris.

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to have the Soviet Armies after the start of Barbarossa seizing Berlin in the same number of days/weeks/months.

That would mean Soviets in Berlin by March 29, 1943.

Let's make this happen.

As long as Barbarossa *does* start and starts on its historic schedule of June 22, 1941, you can select a pre-invasion PoD. However, double your points for a post-invasion PoD.
 
Hiter wakes up one morning and hits his head on the door. He hears bad news and has a wild fit and kills at least three of his generals before jumping out a window.

The German armies in Russia break down after reports of infighting and a power struggle forces them to pull back.

Then a British bomber luckily kills most of the Nazi higher ups and total chaos results.

The Soviets rebound and stretch their logistics beyond all limits and reach Berlin.
 

Deleted member 1487

Napoleon invaded Russia on 24 June, 1812

He lost there and after 21 months Russian armies (with Allies) seized Paris.

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to have the Soviet Armies after the start of Barbarossa seizing Berlin in the same number of days/weeks/months.

That would mean Soviets in Berlin by March 29, 1943.

Let's make this happen.

As long as Barbarossa *does* start and starts on its historic schedule of June 22, 1941, you can select a pre-invasion PoD. However, double your points for a post-invasion PoD.
Not super hard, have Stalin stop interfering in military matters earlier, letting the professionals run the 1941-42 Winter Counteroffensives as a limited operations to rip up elements of AG-Center. They could smash it up pretty good if they coordinated better and not tried to attack along the entire front. From there, just moderate operational objectives in 1942 and the front rolls back much more quickly with a lot less damage to the USSR.
 

Loghain

Banned
Not super hard, have Stalin stop interfering in military matters earlier, letting the professionals run the 1941-42 Winter Counteroffensives as a limited operations to rip up elements of AG-Center. They could smash it up pretty good if they coordinated better and not tried to attack along the entire front. From there, just moderate operational objectives in 1942 and the front rolls back much more quickly with a lot less damage to the USSR.

Perhaps have Stalin Withdraw his forces from Borders as to not provoke germans resulting in Germans fighting at longer supply lines ? then if he doesnt interfere it should be possible for Winter Counteroffensive to Maul Center pretty baddly and with limited objectives in 1942 be at the border in Third Quarter of 1942 leaving Half a year to get throught Germany satelites and Germany. not to mention British might well be able to invade italy in late 1942 if There are less forces in Africa due to butterflies.
 

Deleted member 1487

Perhaps have Stalin Withdraw his forces from Borders as to not provoke germans resulting in Germans fighting at longer supply lines ? then if he doesnt interfere it should be possible for Winter Counteroffensive to Maul Center pretty baddly and with limited objectives in 1942 be at the border in Third Quarter of 1942 leaving Half a year to get throught Germany satelites and Germany. not to mention British might well be able to invade italy in late 1942 if There are less forces in Africa due to butterflies.
Certainly wouldn't hurt.
 
SERIOUS ANSWER TO OP:

Stalin learns from Finland that his strategy of mindless counterattacks is idiotic. He adopts a strategy of withdrawal so as to counterattack when enemy supply lines are stretched.

USSR never foritifies their frontier and rather stays at the Stalin Line. Germany eventually breaks through and smells complete Soviet collapse. Instead of wasting new reserves and reserve armies in mindless counter offensives (like those in between august and september OTL) Stalin allows the Germans to go for the jugular. The Germans are bogged down in the mud in front of Leningrad, Moscow, and Rostov. Stalin counter-attacks with an army with much more armor and divisions, because he didn't waste them. AGC and half of AGS is shattered due to the length of their supply lines. Kharkov is liberated. Stalin then digs in for the winter and prepares for 1942.

Rommel gets lucky in Africa and routs the British, reaching the Suez Canal. This coupled with a lack of Russian counteroffensives gives Hitler a sort of euphoria, and he decides to go all in. He sends additional reserves to Africa and commits whatever divisions he has left to Case Blue. OTL forces that Stalin squandered in Rhezev are sitting back waiting for an offensive in the center. Russian forces in the south withdraw as they did IOTL) and do not commit themselves to battle. They stand in fight in Stalingrad and then, suddenly in October a massive counter offensive is thrown straight towards Rostov. Another offensive is done towards Riga, and another towards Smolensk. The entire army Wermacht is shattered. Wallies land in France concurrently. Soviets in Berlin by March as a coup kills Hitler.
 
Going to have to stop the Purges!

Having an intact staff system in 1941 is going to massively improve the conduct of the Red Army

Not limited to the military but also those engineers and administrators in industry that for example resulted in the Russian Air industry being left behind - have those purges not happen and the Russian Airforce would very likely be in better shape or at least flying superior aircraft in 1941.
 

ATP45

Banned
Napoleon invaded Russia on 24 June, 1812

He lost there and after 21 months Russian armies (with Allies) seized Paris.

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to have the Soviet Armies after the start of Barbarossa seizing Berlin in the same number of days/weeks/months.

That would mean Soviets in Berlin by March 29, 1943.

Let's make this happen.

As long as Barbarossa *does* start and starts on its historic schedule of June 22, 1941, you can select a pre-invasion PoD. However, double your points for a post-invasion PoD.
In OTL soviets lost in 1941,becouse soldiers run without fight.One example - in Belorys Soviet ordered counter attack - 1200 efficient tanks/114 KW1,238 T.34/,6 infantry regiments,hundred guns.German repoted attack of less than 200 light tanks without infantry.Rest just run.Why? everybody hate communism.If Hitler give peasant land,than he would win.So,to beat german quickly? just said to peasants - no more kolchoz and NEP for everybody.Stalin would conqer Europe in 1942.
 

Deleted member 1487

In OTL soviets lost in 1941,becouse soldiers run without fight.One example - in Belorys Soviet ordered counter attack - 1200 efficient tanks/114 KW1,238 T.34/,6 infantry regiments,hundred guns.German repoted attack of less than 200 light tanks without infantry.Rest just run.Why? everybody hate communism.If Hitler give peasant land,than he would win.So,to beat german quickly? just said to peasants - no more kolchoz and NEP for everybody.Stalin would conqer Europe in 1942.
Its a LOT more complicated than that. Most of those tanks lacked their full equipment and fuel and were in various stages of disrepair. A huge part of the reason they lost was that the counterattack got only a limited fraction of their forces actually into combat where they quickly ran out of ammo, broke down, or ran out of fuel because supply services were a mess. Many of the troops near the border didn't even have enough equipment or supplies even if they actually distributed everything in depots. The Soviets were NOT ready to fight in 1941.
 
You have to prevent the Red Army purge at the very minimum, and get rid of Stalin. This before 1936.
Then the Nazis could be in for a nasty surprise. Like discovering the Soviets were expecting them with entire echelons of reserve armies and air fleets arrayed in depth behind a n elaborate wall of maskirovka, fake airfields, dummy fortifications and tanks, etc. Their attack, while mauling entire armies and reaching the Dvina-Dnepr line, collapses by winter. Soviet revenge is swift, massive and decisive. Despite anything that Nazi Germany can put into the field - the best armies, the best troops, the best commanders, the latest weapons - by summer 1942 the situation is so dire that Libya has to be evacuated (the Royal Navy fails in the attempt of interfering). The Weastern Allies ditch any attack on North Africa, not to mention Italy and the Mediterranean, and concentrate all forces in England for Roundup. On November 11th, 1942, they struck into Brittany with a British paratrooper division and seven Anglo-American abnd Canadian divisions, quickly taking Brest to secure a port. In the East things go down so quickly and clearly for the Nazis that Italy, having sent no reinforcements to the East in 1942 despite Germany's desperate urging, by Christmas overthrows Mussolini and signs a separate armistice with both the Western Allies and the Soviets (a sort of white peace "only" entailing the loss of colonies, Zara and Fiume, differently than in OTL), without having been invaded or even heavily bombed. The few German units still in Italy are overcome and interned; the Luftwaffe's terror bombing of Italian cities only causes a complete "renversement des alliances", very much Savoy-style. In the end it's Italian troops that occupy most of Austria (save Vienna and Graz) and southern Bavaria with Munich, finding surisingly little resistance and less hostility than expected. The Western Allies charge through a France in turmoil between Gaullists, Communists and die-hard Vichy Fascists. By the first days of March 1943 the Soviets are on the Oder, the Anglo-Americans on the Rhine and Italian troops have penetrated deep into Austria. General von tresckow manages to kill Hitler with a bomb, after which everything just collapses quickly. the Western Front is willingly opened by Wehrmacht commander whereas in the East ferocious fighting goes on up to the formal surrender of Germany on all fronts signed on April 20th, 1943 in Flensburg.
By summer the Soviets attack the Japanese in Manchuria, crushing them. In February a coup removes Tojo and Japan surrenders - avoiding direct military occupation, save for Okinawa, and losing all colonies and possessions.
 
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