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RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 8/10/2012 8:25:26 PM   
kaleun

 

Posts: 5145
Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		September 1st, 1943. 0430 AM.

It is still dark and a light fog covers the ground at Berlin’s Tempelhof airport. A Junkers trimotor JU-52 transport airplane warms its engines while, in the Terminal, three men conduct a rushed conference.

“This is the situation then,” Goebbels pauses for an instant, “Badoglio surrendered. We expected it since Mussolini’s exit, despite Badoglio’s assurances to Dr. Rudolf Rahn, our counselor of Legation. We are ready and the Wehrmacht forces that we moved into Italy have disarmed the Italian forces in the north and are doing the same in the south. Badoglio ordered the Italian forces to cease firing at the Americans and English, which they weren’t doing anyway, and also said that arms must speak in case Italy were attacked by any other power (doubtless meaning us) (1)

In any case, we were ready and now, let the allies be burdened by their new allies. It should all be ready by the time you arrive.”

“My plan is to convert all airframe, parts and engine factories that were making the MC 205 to MG 109G5/AS, the high altitude version, the Fiat engine plants will be converted to make the Daimler Benz 605 AS except for one that shall make BMW 801 D-2. Also the Reggiane factories will make the FW 190-A5. The engineers and plans are already in the plane. All the pertinent factories are north of the planned Gustav line so the Americans shouldn’t get there," Speer said.

“I shall see about redeploying my gruppen. We lost about 52 fighter groups that have gone over to the enemy. For the time being, our ground forces may have to depend much more on flak. I shall transfer as much as I can to them from the installations that we plan to abandon.”

“All right then, Mein Herren, auf wiedersehn.”

Goebbels watches as Galland and Speer board tri-engined transport, sees it taxi out on the darkened airfield and take off into the early dawn.



((1)from Goebbels diaries 1942-1943, Doubleday and Co, Garden City, 1948, NY)





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< Message edited by kaleun -- 8/10/2012 8:31:22 PM >

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 31
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 8/13/2012 11:06:04 PM   
kaleun

 

Posts: 5145
Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		September 1st 43

Dawn appears and all over France, Belgium and Holland, the crews wake up to a solid overcast. A cold rain drizzles from the scudding clouds. Pilots look up at the sky and at the command hutch at hundreds of airfields. No orders come in. They sit and drink ersatz coffee, and wait, and wait. Until, close to noon, a stand down order comes. No Luftwaffe pilot will die today.

In Italy, the enemy raids hit radar installations at the southern tip of Sardinia, as well as Cancello and 26th Panzer. In the dogfights that ensue, 4 Bf109 G-6 fall in flames from the sky, as well as a Spitfire V and a P38-H.

The night bombers raid Rome.

All over south Italy, antiaircraft guns, removed from airfields, are loaded into trains and trundled north. Not only light aircraft. In Tarento, 88mm flak batteries as well as balloons are also loaded into train cars that steam north under cover of darkness. Not a single airgroup moves today. There is not enough transport and the flak cannons take priority.



_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 32
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 8/15/2012 2:41:11 PM   
DavidFaust

 

Posts: 857
Joined: 9/4/2004
From: Australia
Status: offline 		Great read

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Post #: 33
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 8/20/2012 10:20:00 PM   
kaleun

 

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Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		September 2nd 1943

“I need to move the airgroups that flew today but I have no transport, they will be sitting ducks if the allies attack those airfields tomorrow; especially the FW190-Fs of 1SKG10 at St Breuc.”

“Galland, we’ve used all transport available to move flak out of the allies’ way down in Italy. The allies are advancing very fast and we cannot afford to let it fall into their hands.”

“Hell of a way to fight a war.”

Galland had scrambled the FW190Fs, as well as the 110G2 of ZG1 and a flight of FW190-A5 over the western peninsula of France to intercept raids that seemed to be heading towards the depth of the country, likely Nantes, outside of allied fighter cover. The enemy raids however made a hard turn east and attacked Cherbourg instead. The Luftwaffe fighters had to be recalled to their bases not only wasting aviation fuel but also revealing their positions to the allied intelligence services. North of Paris, the veteran 11JG26 with 36 FW190A-5 and the rookie JGR 103 with 31 Bf 109 G-6 had better luck and scored 21 kills between medium bombers and fighters at a cost of only 2 fighters lost. He looked at the sky, worried. If tomorrow brought good weather, the allies had a great chance at his heavier fighters over Brittany and there was precious little he could do about it.

In Berlin, Speer called up the Gauleiter. “Goebbels, what in Teufel is happening with the trains? Galland needs to move his gruppen around France and I need to move flak from southern Italy, and what answer do I get? That the trains are being used by Eichmann. What does he need all those trains for anyway?”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“I don’t want to talk to him, he, and Bormann give me the creeps.”

“I understand, they are not very pleasant. In any case, we’ve captured a great photograph from one of the B17s downed by Flak north of Paris. It is a picture of the bombs falling in Paris, around the Hispano Suiza engine factory.”

“Yes, it was totaled; as if we had enough engine factories.”

“It’s all right,” the Propaganda minister’s voice was excited, “the photograph will be on the Voelkischer Beobachter” and all over the neutral press by tomorrow. Let the world know how Eisenhower treats his allies. I also have pictures of the ruins in Rome to let everyone see how the allies respect an open city.”

“By the way,” Goebbels asked, “what was yesterday’s score?”

Speer did not like to refer to the aircraft losses as a score; neither did Galland or even Goebbels for that matter. There were, after all, young men in the cockpits of those machines, but there was no good way to refer to it. The butcher’s bill they used to call it in the Royal Navy.

“21 enemy machines over France at a cost of ours. In Italy, nineteen of theirs and nineteen of ours, 14 of them 190Fs. At night, they lost seven and forty damaged. Hajo Hermann released a flight of wild boars over Wilmhemshaven despite the lack of a moon. They sighted two enemy aircraft and attacked and damaged one. Surprisingly, they all landed without losses.”

“Sehr Gut.”






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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 34
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 8/28/2012 9:27:55 PM   
kaleun

 

Posts: 5145
Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		September 3rd

Adolf Galland crumples the report in his hand, his jaw clenched. All color drained from his faces as he fights to control his anger.

“Six groups lost! How could it happen?”

“The allies broke through and advanced much faster than we thought sir. The groups at Foggia were to have moved last night but the allies reached the airfields before we could move them out. The pilots were saved sir."

He looks out of the window at the light of dawn arising on the east. It had been a bad day. The zerstorer and FW190-F groups in the Cherbourg peninsula as well as the 190A5s from Chartres scrambled to intercept what was, in the end, a diversion by B24s that attacked an infantry formation in the coast. The location of the groups however confirmed to enemy intelligence.

Other enemy formations had attacked Steenjewik airfield where a Bf109 group suffered heavy losses on the ground. The B26s got mauled by light flak but many aircraft were lost. The pilots were unhappy that the group did not scramble to fight but, right on schedule, the Mustangs arrived to strafe the field and shoot at any fighter attempting to land. That’s why he did not scramble the fighters. Despite the damage to the airfield it was good to be proven right.

The heavies came soon after, heading East, past Steenjewik, bound for the submarine factories at Bremerhaven. That’s when he hit them with all he had, as soon as most of their escorts had returned to England. All except the new ones, the twin engined ones, P38s. In the end, the enemy lost 34 airplanes while the Luftwaffe lost 41. A victory for them, it seemed.

He snorted. Italy had been a victory in the air for Germany 4/8, but that was not counting the groups lost on the ground to the allied advance.

The night was not much better. 46 bombers damaged by flak and two destroyed. Me 110s sighted 6 and attacked three times but only damaged one and two of the night fighters took damage from the 303 machineguns that defended the British bombers. Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven were the targets.

And still no hope of transport for his groups.

Maybe tomorrow the weather would be bad.

Maybe.


_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 35
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 9/3/2012 11:13:21 PM   
kaleun

 

Posts: 5145
Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		9/4/43

Berlin Tempelhof.

The honor guard stands at attention. Hauptmann Walter Milius, 1NJG 3 stands three steps ahead of them as the orders are read. The Reichmarschall, flanked by Generalleutnant Galland and Generalleutnant Josef Kammhuber approach him, salute him and watch as Goering pins the Iron cross on his chest. The Nachtjagd newest ace salutes smartly. Five British flags painted on the cowling of his Ju 88C for five bombers he downed over the night skies of the Reich. The UFA camera crew doesn’t miss a single detail for this week’s newsreel; only one photographer snaps pictures for both Signals and the Voelkischer Beobachter; the persistent attacks on chemical factories require economies to be made, even by Goebbel’s propaganda machine.

Dr. Goebbels is, however quite happy. The flak batteries and night fighters scored 54 losses on the RAF bombers, 8 of them fell to night fighters while 46 were destroyed by the flak batteries. He knows how to spin this. In total, the allies lost 66 machines at a cost of only 4 allied fighters, 2 FW190F over the Brest peninsula and 2 ME110 shot by intruders while landing at Venlo.

Even Galland smiles, a little. He was finally able to move the FW190F group out of St Breuc, where the British had attacked yesterday morning, only to find the fighters awaiting the typhoons and with the help of the Fw190As pouncing on them. However, he finally moved them out, to a different, better protected airfield. He did not get enough transport to move light flak into the, now vacant field, but if the allied bombers come calling again they can plow up the runway, but the planes will be safe, elsewhere. Even one of those pesky, fast reconnaissance machines, a Spitfire PRX1 fell to a ME109 G6.

In Italy, a group of ME106G-6R6 moved out of Corsica to the mainland. The rest of the night, workers frantically loaded AA guns into trucks and trains, getting them out of harm’s way.

Galland looks up at the sky and prays for rain.


_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 36
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 9/4/2012 8:21:59 PM   
7th Somersets

 

Posts: 282
Joined: 5/25/2006
Status: offline 		Great to see you back... looking forward to the next episode.

I hope that Galland's wish doesn't come true! ;)

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Post #: 37
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 9/6/2012 5:34:17 PM   
kaleun

 

Posts: 5145
Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		This game moves very slowly. My opponent finds it more labor intensive to play the allied side. (We are playing a mirror game) I find it faster to play the allies.
Thanks for reading, and posting.

_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 38
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 9/22/2012 3:47:53 PM   
kaleun

 

Posts: 5145
Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		September 5th 1943

The report on the Voelkischer Beobachter reads simply: Yesterday enemy bombers attacked targets in Holland. There was only light damage. A total of 13 enemy machines were destroyed at a cost of only two German fighters. Enemy night bombers attacked targets near Bremen. 10 bombers were destroyed by flak and night fighters. 65 British bombers were damaged by the flak batteries.

Speer knows the full story. The chemical factories were destroyed; the Bremen bombers hit not only the city but also the Deutsche Schiff U-Boat factory. They paid a price, and the German air losses were negligible but the total industry output damage factor rises up a notch to 5. He phones orders all around and, all over the Reich, trucks move gaunt men in striped, threadbare uniforms, to repair, rebuild and reconstruct. It will be worse when winter comes and the old, worn uniforms provide no comfort against the cold and wind. That is not his concern. Production is.

Galland and Goebbels are pleased. The former because transport became available and he was able to move some of the airgroups out of the exposed airfields in the Brest peninsula. He would need to move them again soon, when the enemy found out where they went but, until then, they were safe. The latter because he, too, was able to move some heavy flak into the U-boat factories, at least into some of them.



_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

(in reply to kaleun)
Post #: 39
RE: Gotterdammerung. This is a DBall free thread! - 9/26/2012 10:05:50 PM   
kaleun

 

Posts: 5145
Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		Sept 6 1943

The Voelkisher Beobachter announces that yesterday was a calm day over the Reich and only fighting occurred in Italy where the enemy suffered 3 losses to our one. Flak batteries continue to be pulled out of the front line targets but the front has stabilized enough that transport is available for flak deployment. Goebbels moves heavy flak batteries into sub factories around Bremen and into city objectives. It requires a careful hand to move in batteries letting the citizenry know about it so they feel reassured, while trying to keep it hidden from the enemy reconnaissance aircraft and spies. In any case, bad weather over the UK grounded recon. Maybe when the bombers come they’ll be in for a surprise.

Kammhuber converts II NJ4 at St Dizier from Dornier 217 J2 to the newer N-2 model with the upward firing Shragemusik cannon. The I NJG 1 also swaps its Me 110-G4 for JU 88 C-6 also equipped with the new cannon.

Sept 7th 1943

97% cloud over UK grounds the RAF and USAAF. Weather is better over France but the pilots and crews enjoy a second day off in a row. Not so the mechanics who use the respite to repair and service more airplanes.
The Me 109G-6 stationed at Asch move back near Bremen and are replaced with a rested 109G-5 group from the rear.
A large 109G-6 group also transits from northern Denmark to Nivelles.

Flak moves around, mostly into railyards in Italy, light flak into the Hermann Goering Panzer division that has reached its position on the Gustav line, and into the U-Boat battery factory in Essen where 10 88mm flak batteries arrive overnight.

A heavy flak train moves from Cologne to the East coast of Italy under cover of darkness. The rail supply line to the Gustav line must be protected at all costs.

Only one loss reported from yesterday’s desultory action in Italy: a single 109G-6 destroyed on landing. The pilot was wounded but will be back fighting soon. The enemy lost three aircraft to air to air combat.



_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 40
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