moif
Venezuela '39
1st May 1939.
Bolshevik forces, with assistance from clandestine Soviet Military assets, storm Venezuela's government buildings, the homes of several prominent land owners, and the offices of various international oil companies. The Military attempts to impose martial law, but popular demonstrations fill the streets of Caracas.
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3rd May 1939.
Against the back drop of the global economic depression, most of the international community reacts with dismay at the news of the Venezuelan Revolution especially the United States whose domestic oil companies call for an immediate intervention. The Soviet Union however openly applauds the revolutionaries and champions their cause at the League of Nations. Secretary General Avenol is called upon to mediate an immediate cease fire between the Revolutionaries and the Venezuelan Army.
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4th May 1939.
The various factions of the Venezuelan revolutionary forces unite into one single militia, known henceforth as Milicia Rojo. Astolfo Estévez is elected as military commander of the force and Otilio Gomez is elected as First Secretary of the Socialist Party of Venezuela.
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5th May 1939.
Unperturbed by the League of Nation's initial attempts at a peace deal, President Garner of the United States orders the activation and full mobilisation of the 1st Marine Division.
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16th May 1939.
The Venezuelan Army concedes central and eastern Venezuela to Milicia Rojo whose popular support in the eastern provinces far surpasses that in the western provinces. Commander of the Venezualan Armed Forces; General Salazar-Parin establishes Maracaibo as his base of operations
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18th May 1939.
Baron Von Schöenberg calls a Special Meeting of the High Council of the Brotherhood of the Black Cross. The Venezuelan Revolutionary forces have closed the border and shut down all supplies of oil to Neu Preussen. With their oil reserves barely adequate to last four months at full expenditure, the High Council agrees that a military intervention into Eastern Venezuela is their only viable option to reestablish their oil supply. Ritter Bruder Ganz is called upon to send the Ordenstaat's panzer forces into Venezuela.
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21 May 1939.
The first American military advisors arrive in Maracaibo where they are made welcome by General Salazar-Parin.
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24th May 1939.
Under Ganz's command, the 1st Neu Preussen Panzer Brigade crosses the border at Santa Elena de Uairén.
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Game 1: The Battle of Santa Elena
Palle vs Martin & Jan. 8 Oct. 2016.
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After an initial bombardment of the border crossing, elements of the 1st Neu Preussen Panzer Brigade cross into Venezuela and meet resistance from the local Army garrison which has been over taken by the Milicia Rojo.
Essentially, this was a trial game to see how well our Bayonet rule system adapted to the 10mm scale. Starting two hours late, and with constant interuptions as we debated how to necessiate changes to the rules, we didn't actually reach a conclusion, but the general conclusion was the Neo Prussians were far stronger than the Milicia Rojo and the fall of Santa Elena and its garrison were largely inevitable.
26th May 1939
Disturbed by the news from Santa Elena, Josef Stalin orders more military equipment and advisors to Venezuela in order to safeguard the communist revolution. The Soviet media reports the move, but refers only to humanitarian assistance and limited military involvement.
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29th May 1939
Astolfo Estévez arrives in El Dorado with several hundred men and two platoons of newly arrived Soviet tanks. He orders the bridge over Rio Cuyuni to be mined and sets about fortifiying the town against the anticipated Neo Prussian advance. Flying over the area, Neo Prussian aircraft photograph these preperations and the commander of the Neo Prussian force; Ritterbruder Ganz, slows his advance momentarily. Since the Chimantá massif blocks any attempt to out flank Estévez from the west, and the Guyanese border (and the impenetrable rainforest beyond) prevents any similar move to the east, Ganz is obliged to take the bridge at El Dorado or find another way to cross Rio Cuyuni. After a short deliberation, Ganz orders his panzer force to resume their way along the highway to El Dorado.
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1st June 1939
The first Neo Prussian tanks arrive at El Dorado. Astolfo Estévez gives the order and the bridge across Rio Cuyuni is destroyed, halting the Neo Prussian advance.
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"Gentlemen. Do not be dismayed by this set back. In any time of conflict, such things are inevitable and it is the natural duty of the soldier, if not indeed his very nature, to over come such trifles with intelligence and cunning. As you may know, local support in this region is very good. Our intelligence officer estimates that less than ten percent of the population here support the communist cause and roughly thirty percent support the previous government. The remaing sixty percent belong to indigenous tribal groups who have shown great interest in our cause and the benefits we might bring to them. They have lived for generations under the corruption and indifference of their leaders and they have seen what has taken place in Roraima and Neo Prussia and the benefits and prosperity our leadership has brought to their cousins south of the border. So do not despair. We shall cross the river, regardless of this lost bridge.
Aerial surveillance has shown several large river boats to the west of our foremost position and I have sent pioneers to establish their state and whether or not we can use them to transport our tanks across. If this proves possible, then Kapitan Schütz will cross over and quickly take his elite first platoon north to provide ground support to the paratroopers in the operation against the communist headquarters and which has been given the designation, 'Operation Barcarolle'. Whilst the enemy is distracted by this unexpected attack to his rear, the rest of first company will be crossing the river and forming up. Schütz's mission will be risky. We do not know what strength the enemy has kept in reserve, but Captain Mayer has promised air support from two of the squadron's finest pilots and the paratroopers will be armed with rocket guns.
Gentlemen. It is vital we maintain our composure. As you all know, our primary strength lies in our training and our technological superiority to the enemy. With his inferior Russian materiel, his only real strength lies in numbers. You may argue, and with good reason, that his numbers are comprised mostly of an unformed and poorly trained rabble, but do not underestimate this strength. He can afford to throw away entire companies of men. We cannot!"
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- Ritterbruder Hermann Ernst Ganz. Addressing his officers at Santa Elena de Uairén. 2 June 1939.
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3rd June 1939
Elements of the 1st Panzer Battalion and 3rd Panzer Support Battalion of Ganz's 1 Neu Prussien Armoured Brigade cross the Rio Cuyuni and reach the regional headquarters of the Milicia Rojo. Here, with minimal losses they inflict a decisive defeat against the communist armoured force which had been sent to stop the Neu Prussien advance. Astolfo Estévez is not present at the battle however and escapes north to Guayana City.
Game 2: Operation Barcarolle
Jan vs Peter & Magne. 12 Mar. 2017.
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Picking up the story, Peter and Magne played Kapitan Schütz's advance against the Milicia Rojo headquarters which were in a small village to the west of El Dorado. Schütz (Peter) positioned his long range Jagdpanzer-35 tank destroyers (Magne) on a hill facing the enemy across a shallow valley and his main force on the road into the village. The communists positioned their fast BT-5 tanks and BT-7A artillery in the wooded valley and backed these up with a company of light T-26 tanks. The Neo Prussian attack quickly annhilated these forward units, with little losses to themselves. Two He-51's also performed an attack against the village, with one aircraft being shot down by a Milicia Rojo AA unit firing a quad Maxim gun from the back of a truck. The communists sent more T-26's into the battle, but whilst these held up the Neo Prussian advace on the road, they quickly fell victim to the lethal Jagdpanzer-35s. As their losses mounted to very little gain, the communists finally sent in a heavy platoon of two KV-1 tanks. These proved impossible to destroy for the Neo Prussians, but their entry into the battle did nothing to prevent the near total rout of the Milicia Rojo armoured force at the hands of the Neo Prussians and the game ended with the Prussians defeating two thirds of their opponents for the loss of only two tanks and one aircraft.
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Milicia Rojo defending their headquaters
On its bomb run, a Neu Prussien He-51 is shot down by a Milicia Rojo AA battery
The aftermath of the air attack
The KV-1 heavy tank platoon enters the battle, but it is too little, too late
4th June 1939
With the capture of El Dorado, Ritterbruder Ganz sends back a detailed dispatch to Baron Von Schöenberg. Foremost in the various details of his report are several accounts of the new Kv-1 heavy tanks which the Milicia Rojo employed during the defence of El Dorado and which proved utterly impervious to the 37mm main guns of the Neu Prussien tanks. Ganz requests the immediate dispatch of prototype anti tank rocket weapons currently under development at JAMO. Schöenberg passes the matter to Doktor Theo Wolfenbüttel of the Advanced Weapons Research Unit who immediately orders four half-tracked anti-tank vehicles to be prepared for front line duty.
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6th June 1939
Inspired by Venezuela, and secretly backed by the Soviet leadership, Communist Party leader Jose Fallacia calls for change and his revolutionaries initiate an uprising in Columbia. Thousands take to the street in Bogotá, many of whom are armed. Taken by surprise, the politicians are unable to provide a coherent response and many flee the city. The Columbian Army, left without orders, is unable to respond with any semblence of unity and over the next few days it fractures along regional lines with the bulk of the southern provinces aligning with the Communists and the (better equipped) northern regions siding with the president, Eduardo Santos.
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7th June 1939
Ritterbruder Ganz and the Neu Prussien field commanders meet at El Dorado and issue orders for the continued advance of all air and ground forces in the campaign. The new objective is to reach the Orinoco River and consolidate full control over the entire region south of the river.
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8th June 1939
In London, British Movietone News shows filmed footage from Merida where Anarchist militia fighters have executed one hundred and twenty nine local land owners and nationalist supporters. Over the next few days and weeks, the news reel is seen in all of Europe's major cities, as well as the United States, Canada and Australia. As the weeks go by, the scale and escalation of the conflict in Venezuela becomes apparent to most people. Calls for peace begin immediately, led by Ecuador, Panama and Mexico. In Germany, the news that a German religious organisation has engaged in outright war against a Communist Revolution causes much excitement, with factions for and against forming rapidly.
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11th June 1939
Nationalist Militia fighters, loyal to General Salazar-Parin enter Merida and over the course of the next few days, execute over a thousand civilians. Any one even suspected of communist sympathies is shot and their bodies are stacked and burned in open pits.
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The first Neo Prussian bombers arrive at Guayana City and attack primary targets, including the Santa Carlos airstrip and the city barracks.
To CMC Holcomb
From MajGen Herstal USMC
First ground units USMCEF arrived Maracaibo. Local conditions as described by initial reports. Venezualen Army depleted to 40% manpower. Limited logistical infrastructure. No armoured vehicles or air cover. Request immediate fleet air reinforcement.
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To MajGen Herstal
From CMC Holcomb
Request granted. USS Hunter under orders. ETA 1 July.
12th June 1939
The Secretary General of the League of Nations, Joseph Louis Anne Avenol meets with a delegation from Mexico and Panama. Together they give an interview to the BBC Empire Service calling for an immediate ceasefire. When asked if there is any international movement to intervene in the Venezuelan conflict, or any mandate from the members of the League, Avenol is obliged to admit there is not. In Mexico, the meeting is dismissed as fruitless, and President Cárdenas tells Mexican journalists that Mexico cannot and will not interene.
In Panama, the meeting leads to a growing sense of socialist fervour and several demonstrations quickly follow, leaving Panama City in a state of revolutionary excitement.
14th June 1939
In the first dogfight of the war, Lt Kurt Hernanda of Jagdstaffel 1, flying a Heinkel He-51 shoots down and kills Lt Juan Carlos Hernandez in a Venezuelan Dewoitine D.500 over Guayana City. Otilio Gomez laments the loss of the slain pilot and posthumously awards him, as the first ever recipient, the Gold And Red Star Medal Of The People's Republic of Venezuela.
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16th June 1939
Ritterbruder Ganz orders Jagdstaffel 1 to gain full air superiority over Guayana City and Jagdstaffel 2 deploys four Heinkel He-51 fighters and four Bücker Bü-131 into the theatre of operations to assist.
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17th June 1939
On his first mission of the day, Lt Kurt Hernanda shoots down a Venezuelan Lockheed Model 10 Electra transport plane over Guayana City, killing three crew members and four Soviet advisors. Later in the same day, Hernanda shoots down a newly arrived Polikarpov R-5 flown by Sgt Yuri Zakorski of the Soviet Military Assistance Unit. Although his gunner is killed, Zakorski survives the fight and is heralded as a hero by the Venezuelan communists.
Game 3: The Battle of Guayana City
Palle & Martin Vs Jan. 27May. 2017.
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19th June 1939.
Led by the elite first platoon under Kapitan Schütz, the first units of the Neo Prussien advance arrive at the outskirts of Guayana City. Here they meet the last armoured units of the Milicia Rojo south of the Orinoco River. As Guayana City holds the largest arsenal in Bolivar State, the Venezuelan Bolsheviks put up a stiff fight to prevent its loss. Backed by their Soviet 'advisors', they throw every remaining armoured vehicle they have in the region to its defence.
For the Neo Prussiens, Guayana City, and the Orinoco River represent the last significant obstacles to reaching the Venezuelan oil fields. If they can take the city, then they can begin to dominate the river, and eventually launch an assault on the oil fields themselves.
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The game began with the Neu Prussiens in advanced positions. This was due to time constraints, partly from having to play with quite a few new rules, and partly because we didn't have the whole day at our disposal.
The battle saw a victory for the Neu Prussien's but not with out losses, most significantly, that of a second He-51, brought down by flak. Else where, the long barrelled Jagdpanzer 35's did some considerable damage to the lightly armoured Bt-5s, T-26s and Ba-6 armoured cars, but suffered heavy losses from counter fire. Perhaps, most effective in this game were the Neu Prussien Mortars which managed to take down one of the Kv-1s, presumably by damaging the engine. The second Kv-1 survived the battle, but was abandoned by its crew, who were unable to scuttle it in their haste to retreat.
The battle has begun and the Communists are quickly losing their light armour on the right flank.
The Milicia Rojo right flank
The Neu Prussien mortar position, guarded by Kapitan Schmidt.
The centre of the battlefield, with the Neu Prussien second platoon engaging a Milicia Rojo ZiS-30 and a platoon of T-26s.
The Neu Prussien right flank, with the experimental rocket launching tank destroyer.
The second He-51 downed by communist flak.
20th June 1939
After a chaotic retreat across the Orinoco, the Milicia Rojo discover the loss of their senior most Soviet advisors, and immediately send telegrams to Moscow. Josef Stalin reacts immediately by ordering General Aram Konstantinovich Balakirev, formerly of the 1st Zaporozhye Red Cossack Cavalry Division, to fly to Venezuela and take control of the situation. With him, Balakirev brings several experienced field commanders and General Viktor Mosolov of the NKVD.
From the office of Premier of the Soviet Union
To Comrade General Balakirev. Order Nr 45909.
It is the utmost requirement of the People of the Soviet Union that you take full control of the situation in Venezuela and impose the socialist will of the Venezuelan people. To this end you will remove any and all obstacles by which ever means are necessary. Comrade General Mosolov has been ordered to assist you in this matter and you will concentrate on your mission to acheive military control of the country andleave any internal politica matters to him. If he requires any assistance, you will accomidate him in any way you can, provided this does not jeopardise your primary mission.
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Comrade General. You should know that your enemy is of a particularly insiduous character. We have had dealings with these religious fanatics before, and know full well what they are capable of. Do not underestimate their military capabilities. In the recent battle, we have learned that two of our latest heavy tanks were lost and one was possibly captured intact. Our agents also inform us that the enemy has developed rocket weapons of a type unknown to us, but possibly powerful enough to defeat any tank on the battlefield. Given this information, as well as recent losses to enemy aircraft, I am sending you more heavy tanks, as well as aircraft with which to defeat the enemy.
I.S. 20/7/1939
21st June 1939
After mopping up the last pockets of communist resistance, Ritterbruder Ganz's forces take full control of Guayana City and begin to set up defensive positions along the river, and anti-air defences around the city center and the arsenal.
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23rd June 1939
Jagdstaffel 1 relocates to Guayana City and begins to fly combat air patrols along the river and the city of Ciudad Bolivar.
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24th June 1939
In Berlin, Ritterbruder Meyerbeer successfully negotiates an arms deal which will allow technical scientists from the German Wehrmacht, and several leading arms manufacturers, to travel to Rorainópolis and examine the Kv-1 heavy tanks captured at Guayana City. In return, Germany agrees to sell twenty two Heinkel He-51s, twenty six Henschel Hs-123s and four Junkers Ju-52s to the Neu Prussiens, all at a moderately low price.
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25th June 1939
Lt Kurt Hernanda claims his fourth kill of the campaign when he shoots down a Curtiss Falcon over Palmarita. It later becomes apparent that the Falcon belonged to the Columbian Revolutionaries who, despite still being engaged in their own internal conflict, have already begun to send volunteers to fight in Venezuela in a growing international socialist brigade.