Part 126: Hearts of Iron II: Chapter 23 - The Battle for the Atlantic: Jan - May 1942

January 1942 - May 1942: The Battle for the Atlantic

1942 begins with the completion of Germany's prototype nuclear reactor in Breslau, not too far from the rocket testing site in Poznan where the V1 flying bombs are being tested.



With manpower critically short, industry is geared towards the low-manpower airforce, with plans for a new strategic air fleet.


The Mazulans continue to try and slip through our net. Some ships make it, but others are intercepted and routed or sunk.




The offensive into Greece continues, the depleted and demoralized Union armies offering little resistance, fleeing in the wake of the German advance.


Seven Union divisions make the rather poor decision of Corfu as their retreat avenue, and are surrounded and captured.


Development of the V1 series of flying bomb finishes in Poznan, and production immediately begins of these low-manpower 'super weapons', which their inventors claim can win the war for Germany all by themselves.



An Iberian fleet shows up outside the coast of Ireland in February, attacking Raeder's Atlantic fleet and sinking the heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee before withdrawing.



The last pockets of resistance in Greece fall in mid-February, though some Union divisions saved themselves by retreating over the Cyclades, which the Union fleet are blockading to prevent German pursuit.


A large fleet of Iberian submarines is detected outside the coast of Occitania and intercepted by the American Fleet, which sinks numerous submarines before they can slip away.


Iberia responds by sending its fleet into Irish waters once more, engaging German ships in a long-range battle that ends with several sunk capital ships on both sides.


The Baltic Fleet pursues the Iberians, but are forced to retreat when the Waldemar VII suffers critical damage from Iberian torpedo bombers, the end result being more losses on both sides.


The German intelligence bureau has been attempting to secretly fund a coup in Finland for some time, but despite pumping in massive amounts of money to bribe the Finnish army, their attempts have thus far been in vain.


Another attempt by Lithuanian Navy to leave the Black Sea ends in disaster and several sunk ships as they are intecepted by the entire Union navy - over fifty capital ships and an even greater number of screens.


The fighting in the Atlantic has taken its toll, and several of the worst damaged capital ships are recalled to the Rostock shipyards for repairs, among them the flagship Waldemar VII, whose oversized guns proved rather useless against carrier air squadrons.


The secret projects in German Poland continue to meet with success, developing a prototype for a flying rocket delivery system and the development of a new generation of experimental nuclear reactors.



The Iberians make another failed bid for Perpignan, and Germany exploits the situation by attacking and taking the mountainous province of Pau, shifting the border a bit further south.



The first of the new V1 rockets stand ready and are shipped to Bordeaux to be used against the Iberians.


V1 rockets begin to rain down on Iberia, indiscriminately destroying infrastructure and civilian homes in Tarragona, Barcelona and Saragossa.



As April turns to May, another breakthrough occurs with the development of a prototype for a strategic rocket capable of intercontinental strikes, theoretically able to deliver an unmanned rocket all the way in distant Mazula.


Fronts are more or less unchanged in iberia, except for the capture of Pau.


The Union has been redeploying huge numbers of troops to Anatolia, and while Scandinavia's attempt to go for Ankara with a single division is brave, it's probably not going to end so well given that there are at least fifty enemy divisions in the area.


The Caucasus is calm, both sides too well dug-in for any real advancement.


The Union redeployment has had a spectacular effect on their war in India, effectively reversing a year of advancement as the Byzantines have all but retaken their original borders. All-in-all, things are not looking so well for the Union at this time.


Japan continues to make minor advances on Russia, who seems to have run out of steam at last.


Egypt is doing badly. The North Africans are standing at the doorstep to Alexandria, Ljansitar has gobbled up Somalia and the Arabs are massing by Suez. The only thing keeping them alive is the eight or so Austrian and Italian expeditionary divisions I sent there.


Finally, the manpower situation is still far from great, but with the disbandement of parts of the American navy and four months of relative calm, things are looking much better. The only real losses have been to the navy, and we've given as good as we've gotten there.


Things are looking good.