Europa Games and Military History

Tag: Second World War (Page 2 of 3)

1944 July

July started with guarded optimism by the German High Command.  A single allied attack in Italy pushed into the German front line now about 60 miles north of Rome.  THe line buckled but didn’t break three cadred infantry divisions retreated back to the next line of defenses after being hit by two strong American corps.  The Luftwaffee managed to be present over the battlefield preventing the retreat from becoming a disaster and reserves were able to fill in the second line of fortifications in front of the American advance.

In France the fighting was mainly along the flanks with Allies leary of striking at the two SS Panzer corps that held the German Centerdug in about 60 miles north of Paris.  The British attacked westward into Normandy pushing back a German infantry which managed to retreat in good order.  On the eastern flank an American armored corps managed to push fifteen miles along the coast driving back the German defenders without breaking through.

In late July the German command felt their best opportunity for a counter attack was at hand.  Three German corps including several SS Panzer and Panzer Grenadier divisions hit the American III corps.  The Germans had called up every single-seat fighter their strategic air defense forces could spare to support the effort.  The result was a massive and inconclusive air battle that decreased, but did not stop intervention by large numbers of American P=47s.  The battle on the ground was a bloodbath with three American divisions and two SS Panzer divisions reduced to cadres.  The American survivors were pushed back 15 miles to shelter behind the lines of a newly formed American corps that was preparing to move up to the Front..

The Allies responded by hitting the Germans hard.  In the East the Americanspushed hard towards Boulogne driving the Germans back to the outskirts of the port, but  with significant infantry reserves in second line positions the German line bent without breaking.  Their repeated successes has made the American beachhead long, but precariously thin.  In the west the British continued to push toward Caen driving the Germans back to the outskirts of the port.  To the southwest of Caen the British landed a telling blow on the weakest spot in the German line crushing a hodgepodge consisting of a bicycle brigade, a brigade of eastern troops  and tow artillery units.  The result was a 15 mile gap in the German line that the British infantry pushed into.  The only piece of good fortune for the Germans is that no British armored divisions were in position to exploit the hole, but the German command is painfully aware a very large force of Allied armor is now in the beachhead and the rapid build up will get even faster now that Allied engineers have reopened Dieppe.

Now the question is can the Germans bring in enough reinforcements and replacements to patch and firm up their line before the next blow falls.  There is also an urgent need to pull the two weakened SS panzer divisions out of the line to be rebuilt, but it’s unclear if they can be spared from the front lines.

June 1944 – The Invasion begins

May had passed with a single sharp battle on the Mediterranean coast of Italy.  Two American corps with heavy support from Allied warships and air power went on the attack hoping to break the reformed German line. The Hermann Goering Division took heavy losses but successfully covered the withdrawal of the remaining German forces to the next line a few miles to the rear.

Clear skies and calm seas brought fear to the German headquarters outside of Paris.  A steady flow of newly arrived Panzer and Panzer grenadier divisions were placed in reserve positions inland from France’s North Coast.  Due to the massive disruption of the French rail network most of the newly arrived units were not able to make it all the way to their newly assigned positions.

At dawn on June 6 the first waves of paratroopers came in the troop carriers flying in dropping British and Polish paratroopers in a broad arc around Le Havre.  American paratroopers dropped further east blocking the routes the SS Panzers would need to take to respond to the landings.  The paratroop landings went far better than the Allied commanders expected with all the formations except a single British brigade coming down in goods orders and quickly securing their objectives.

At the western end of the invasion beaches disaster seemed to be unfolding as poorly suppressed coastal artillery caused horrendous casualties among the Canadian forces.  Only a single brigade of the Canadian division made it ashore intact, but crucially three brigades of British engineers came ashore right behind them.  Canadian and British forces aided by an attack from the inland side by British paratroops with massive air and naval support quickly penetrated Le Havre’s defenses.  In the confusion of demoralized eastern troops and shellshocked Kriegsmarine gunners the unthinkable happened, the order to blow the port never came.  General Montgomery preferred to ascribe the success to good generalship rather than good luck, but in any case  the Allies had something that had not bargained, an intact major port.

Further East the Americans clamored ashore destroying, a German infantry division caught in between the landing zone and the 101st Airborne. British Canadian and American amphibious tanks clanked in land to reinforce the paratroopers followed by motorized artillery and more tanks.  By the second week in June the Allies were well established ashore having successfully captured three ports, although demolitions effectively destroyed the facilities at Dieppe before they fell to the Americans.  Two Mulberries were successfully emplaced between the captured ports.  Massive aerial harassment prevented the Germans from sufficiently massing to counterattack.  A counterattack on the Polish airhead at the western end of the Allied lodgement was cancelled at the last minute.  A Luftwaffe bomber force managed to breakthrough to bomb the eastern Mulberry.   The results were disappointing with only one of the three bomber groups managing to hit its target.

In the second half of June the Allies aggressively expanded the easterna and western flanks of their bridgehead. The American bridgehead was massively reinforced with armored forces and struck out to the west.  The Commander German garrison at Treport  felt confident that he could contain the Americans.  His corps sized force included an excellent Luftwaffe parachute division and a regular infantry division supported by several battalions in a fortified position.  The size and power of the American assault came as a shock, hundreds of aircraft pounded the German defenses while the heavy guns of the Allies navies poured heavy shells into the German positions.  Next came the tanks, three divisions worth striking along the coast while two divisions of American infantry with strong support from engineers attacked further inland.  The German position soon collapsed with the survivors of the two divisions staggering back eastward while their supporting units disappeared in the chaos.

At the other end of beachhead the British and the Poles attack Deauville supported by naval gunfire and numerous ground attack aircraft.  A Luftwaffe Parachute division and a static division awaited the assault.  Soone the defenders found themselves in full retreat.  When they finally regrouped 15 miles to the west the division commanders found most of their units were down to half strength.

At the beginning of July two SS Panzer corps were in position to assault the center of the Allied beachhead.  On the map and looking at the orders of battle the SS commanders felt confident they could breakthrough the American position and threaten to split the American and British positions from each other.  At the same time the Luftwaffe would  make an all out effort to destroy the eastern Mulberry.  Allied airpower would crush both these efforts.  The SS found themselves pinned down along their start line by relays of Allied fighter bombers, most units never even managed to start their attacks, those that did were so uncoordinated they were unable to budge the American defenders.  After 24 hours the exasperated SS commanders called off the assault and  went to reorganize their troops.

The Luftwaffe flew into disaster.  They found themselves confronted by a huge force of ALlied interceptors.  Most of the escorting fighters were shot down or damaged.  The situation for the bombers was even worse as they were hunted down by P-47s, Beaufighters and Mosquitos.  One German bomber after another went down.  Only three bomber groups managed to break through to begin their attacks.  Only one made it through the fire from the newly arrived Royal Marine Flak brigade to deliver a successful attack.  Once the assault had ended the Luftwaffe barracks in Lille and Paris were virtually empty, only a few shattered survivors staggered to their bunks or were driven away by the ambulances to the base hospitals.  The Luftwaffe in the West had gone all in and it had been crushed.

Now there was nothing left for the Germans to do but wait to see where the next blow would land. .

The official Soviet history of the Second World War

The first official history of the Second World War was published in the Soviet Union from 1960-64 and bore the title “История Великой Отечественной войны Советского Союза“ (History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union). The six volumes prepared by the editorial team around G. A. Deborin decribed the German attack on the USSR and the subsequent war until Germanys surrender in 1945. Although the work was translated in several languages, no English translation is available.

Contents:

Vol 1:  Подготовка и развязывание войны империалистическими державами. Events leading up to the war, the annexation of the baltic republics and the initial period of the Second World War (1 September 1939 until the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Vol 2:  Отражение советским народом вероломного нападения фашистской Германии на СССР. Создание условий для коренного перелома в войне (июнь 1941 г. — ноябрь 1942 г.) From the German invasion of the Soviet Union to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad (22 June 1941 to November 1942)

Vol 3: Коренной перелом в ходе Великой Отечественной войны (ноябрь 1942 г.— декабрь 1943 г.) From The Battle of Stalingrad to the Battle of Kursk, (November 43 to August 1943)

Vol 4: Изгнание врага из пределов Советского Союза и начало освобождения народов Европы от фашистского ига (1944 год) From the Battle of Kursk to the liberation of Belorussia (August 1943 to July 1944)

Vol 5: Победоносное окончание войны с фашистской Германией. Поражение империалистической Японии (1945 г.)  From the liberation of Belorussia to the defeat of Germany (July 1944 to May 1945)

Vol 6: Итоги Великой Отечественной войны Cost and consequences of the Second World War.

The historiography of the Second World War in the former USSR is more complex due to censorship and the heavy political influence that went into any official description of events. Additionally, official viewpoints on historical events and persons were bound to occasionally sudden chances, depending on political developments.

A very useful description of the works genesis, its contents and public perception of the war in the USSR during the sixties can be taken from Yan Mann’s dissertation “Contested Memory: Writing the Great Patriotic War’s Official History During Khrushchev’s Thaw“, Dissertation, Arizona State University, 2016.

 

The German Official History of the Second World War

First plans for an official German history of the Second World War were already drafted in the Fifties, however, most of the archival sources and documents that had survived the war had been looted by the Allies. From 1964 onward, the Allied governments started to bring back the archives shipped overseas, and in the Seventies work begun in ernest. Until 2008, 12 volumes totalling 12.000 pages were published.

The english translation was done by Clarendon Press under the title Germany and the Second World War from 1990 to 2018. Due to the relative new publishing dates, neither original nor translation are currently available in digital form under legal means.

Table of Contents:

Vol 1: The Build-up of German Aggression (Ursachen und Voraussetzungen der deutschen Kriegspolitik). Wilhelm Deist, Manfred Messerschmidt, Hans-Erich Volkmann, Wolfram Wette, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1979 (Reprint  1991), 764 S.

Vol 2: Germany’s Initial Conquests in Europe (Die Errichtung der Hegemonie auf dem europäischen Kontinent) Klaus A. Maier, Horst Rohde, Bernd Stegemann, Hans Umbreit, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1979 (Reprint 1991), 439 S.

Vol 3: The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942 (Der Mittelmeerraum und Südosteuropa – Von der »non belligeranza« Italiens bis zum Kriegseintritt der Vereinigten Staaten) , Gerhard Schreiber, Bernd Stegemann, Detlef Vogel:, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1984 (Reprint 1994 und 1996), XII, 735 S.

Vol 4: The Attack on the Soviet Union (Der Angriff auf die Sowjetunion), Horst Boog, Jürgen Förster, Joachim Hoffmann, Ernst Klink, Rolf-Dieter Müller, Gerd R. Ueberschär, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1983 (Reprint 1987 und 1993), XX, 1172 S.

Vol 5/1: Organization and Mobilization of the German Sphere of Power: Wartime Administration, Economy, and Manpower Resources 1939–1941 (Organisation und Mobilisierung des deutschen Machtbereichs – Vol 1: Kriegsverwaltung, Wirtschaft und personelle Ressourcen 1939 bis 1941), byBernhard R. Kroener, Rolf-Dieter Müller, Hans Umbreit, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1988 (Reprint 1992), XVIII, 1062 S.

Vol 5/2: Organization and Mobilization of the German Sphere of Power: Wartime Administration, Economy, and Manpower Resources 1942–1944/5 (Organisation und Mobilisierung des deutschen Machtbereichs – Vol 2: Kriegsverwaltung, Wirtschaft und personelle Ressourcen 1942 bis 1944/45), Bernhard R. Kroener, Rolf-Dieter Müller, Hans Umbreit, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1999, XIII, 1082 S.

Vol 6: The Global War (Der globale Krieg – Die Ausweitung zum Weltkrieg und der Wechsel der Initiative 1941 bis 1943), Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1990 (Reprint 1993), XX, 1184 S

Vol 7: The Strategic Air War in Europe and the War in the West and East Asia 1943–1944/5 (Das Deutsche Reich in der Defensive – Strategischer Luftkrieg in Europa, Krieg im Westen und in Ostasien 1943 bis 1944/45), Horst Boog, Gerhard Krebs, Detlef Vogel, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 2001, XVI, 831 S. ISBN 978-3-421-05507-1.

Vol 8: The Eastern Front 1943-1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts (Die Ostfront 1943/44 – Der Krieg im Osten und an den Nebenfronten), Karl-Heinz Frieser, Klaus Schmider, Klaus Schönherr, Gerhard Schreiber, Krisztián Ungváry, Bernd Wegner, edited by Karl-Heinz Frieser, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 2007, XVI, 1320 S.

Vol 9/1: German Wartime Society 1939–1945: Politicization, Disintegration, and the Struggle for Survival (Die deutsche Kriegsgesellschaft 1939 bis 1945 – Erster Halbband: Politisierung, Vernichtung, Überleben), Ralf Blank u. a., edited by Jörg Echternkamp, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 2004, XIV,

Vol 9/2: German Wartime Society 1939–1945: Exploitation, Interpretations, Exclusion (Die deutsche Kriegsgesellschaft 1939 bis 1945 – Zweiter Halbband: Ausbeutung, Deutungen, Ausgrenzung), Bernhard Chiari u. a., edited by Jörg Echternkamp, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 2005, XIV, 1112 S.

Vol 10/1: The Collapse of Germany 1945 and the Results of the Second World War: The Destruction of the Wehrmacht (Der Zusammenbruch des Deutschen Reiches 1945 und die Folgen des Zweiten Weltkrieges – Teilbd. 1: Die militärische Niederwerfung der Wehrmacht), edited by Rolf-Dieter Müller, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 2008, 947 S.

Vol 10/2: The Collapse of Germany 1945 and the Results of the Second World War: The Resolution of the Wehrmacht and the Consequences of the War (Der Zusammenbruch des Deutschen Reiches 1945 und die Folgen des Zweiten Weltkrieges – Teilbd. 2: Die Auflösung der Wehrmacht und die Auswirkungen des Krieges), edited by Rolf-Dieter Müller, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 2008, 797 S.

The Official History of Canada in the Second World War

Land Campaigns

Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol I Six Years of War, Stacey, C.P, 1955

Official history of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol II The Canadians in Italy, 1943-1945, Nicholson, G.W.L, 1956

Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol III The Victory Campaign: The Operations in Northwest Europe, 1944-45, Stacey, C.P., 1960

Arms, Men and Governments: The War Policies of Canada, 1939-1945, Stacey, C.P., 1970

Other

The Canadian Army, 1939-1945 : An Official Historical Summary,Stacey, C.P., 1948

A History of Canadian Naval Aviation, 1918-1962, Kealey, J.D.F., Russell, E.C.1965

The Naval Service of Canada : Its Official History. Vol 2, Activities on Shore During the Second World War., Tucker, Gilbert, 1952

Official History of the Canadian Medical Services, 1939-1945, Vol 1 Organization and Campaigns, Feasby, W.R., 1956

Official History of the Canadian Medical Services, 1939-1945, Vol 2 Clinical Subjects, Feasby, W.R., 1953

The R.C.A.F. Overseas, Volume 1: The First Four Years,  Historical Section of the RoyalCanadian Air Force, 1944

The R.C.A.F. Overseas, Volume 2: The Fifth Year,  Historical Section of the RoyalCanadian Air Force, 1945

The R.C.A.F. Overseas, Volume 3: The Sixth Year,  Historical Section of the RoyalCanadian Air Force, 1949

Pasaran?

The Spanish Civil War ended in the Summer of 1939 with the defeat of the Republic and the takeover of fascist dictator “Generalissimus” Franco. Mass executions and an exodus followed, as hundreds of thousands of republican, communist, anarchist or democratic Spanish tried to flee to neighbouring countries. Only months later the Second World War broke out, engulfing most of Europe. For many of the exiled this meant taking up arms against fascism again, and Spanish soldiers fought against Germany and her allies on all fronts of the war. For them, the end of the war ment more uncertainty, since returning home was not an option they had, Franco remaining as the last fascist dictator in Europe, having successfully and skillfully maintained neutrality throughout the war.

Adding to the articles provided by Carlos Pèrez, the following two essays capture the fate of Spanish soldiers on both fronts of the Second World War, more than repaying the assistance both factions had during the Civil War.

Spaniards in World War II Part 1: Fighting for the Third Reich

Spaniards in World War II Part 2: Fighting against the Third Reich

Addtionally, Carlos research resulted in an inofficial Grand Europa OB for the Spanish Axis contingent.

Spanish Bombs on the Costa Brava…

The second round of updates provided by Carlos Pérez is going online today: An essay on the history of the Spanish Air Force in World War Two, and the resulting suggestion for a Grand Europa OB for the Spanish Air Forces.

On a random side note, how do you call a linklist that exclusively links to online versions of books? Its a form we’ve used a lot on this website, and both “linklist” as well as “bibliograpy” seems insufficient. A linklist or bookmarks refers to websites, whereas a bibliography is a list of books. These lists are a mixture of the two, pointing the reader to digitalized verions of paper books available online. Confusing.

 

The Belgian Army in 1940

For this Link credit goes to Peter Page from the fantastic Yahoo group “TO&E”, which is to my knowledge the best place in the internet to search and inquire sources and information about the organisation, structure and the equipment of any modern army (“modern” being used here in the classic sense of “after the medival ages”). The TO/E group not only shares news and updates about armies around the world, but also is able to point you towards archival records and rare books available only in selected libraries.

In this case, someone pointed out a small treasure trove of digitalized documents, regulations and TO/E information mostily about the Belgian Army between the wars and up to 1940. The website is heavy on equipment and weapons and their history, but together with a small but carefully selected collection of images the authors manage to create a solid picture of the state of the Belgian Army up to the Second World War. Google Translate is only marginally helpful, since the website seems rather old and still uses frames, but the content makes it well worth a visit!

URL:  www.abbl1940.be

 

Official History of Japan in the Second World War

The transcribed name of the official Japanese history of the Second World War is “Senshi Sosho”. Its a monumental work, covering virtually all aspects of the war except the Japanese war crimes. The Senshi Sosho totals 102 volumes that consist of 34 volumes on the Imperial General Headquarters, 37 volumes on the Army, 21 volumes on the Navy, nine volumes on the aerial war the Army and one volume of chronology. Each volume has 600 pages on the average.

Sadly, so far only excerpts and one volume have been translated, for example an excerpt from volumes 14 and 28 found here.

List of Volumes:

1 Advance into Malaya. (1966)
2 Occupation of Philippines. (1966)
3 Occupation of Dutch East Indies. (1967)
4 Ichi-go Operation (pt. 1): Campaign in Honan (China). (1968)
5 Occupation of.Burma. (1967)
6 Army Operations in Central Pacific (pt. 1): Before the Loss of the Mariana Islands. (1967)
7 Tobu Nyuginia homen rikugun koku sakusen: Army Air Operations on the Eastern New Guinea Front. (1967)
8 Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial HQ (pt. 1): To August 1942. (1967)
9 Industrial Mobilization of War Supply Production (1): Program. (1967)
10 Hawai sakusen: Hawaii Operation. (1967)
11 Army Operations in Okinawa Area. (1968)
12 Marianas oki kaisen: Sea Battles off the Marianas. (1968)
13 Army Operations in Central Pacific (pt. 2): Peleliu, Anguar and Iwo-Jima. (1967)
14 Minami Taiheiyo rikugun sakusen: Pooruto Moresubi – Ga shima shoki sakusen (pt. 1): Army Operations in the South Pacific: Port Moresby to the First Phase of Guadalcanal (pt. 1). (1968)
15 Imphal Operation: Defense of Burma. (1968)
16 Ichi-go Operation (pt. 2): Campaign in Hunan (China). (1967)
17 Okinawa homen kaigun sakusen: Okinawa Area Naval Operations. (1968).
18 Hokushi no chiansen (pt.1): The security fights in North China
19 Hondo boku sakusen: Homeland Air Defense Operations. (1969)
20 Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial HQ (pt. 2): To August 1942. (1969)
21 Army Operations in Northern Pacific Area (pt. 1): Loss of Attu. (1968)
22 Seibu Nyugineya homan rikugun koku sakusen: Army Air Force Operations on the Western New Guinea Front. (1969)
23 Army Operations North of Australia. (1969)
24 Philippines-Marei hoomen kaigun shinkoo sakusen: Philippines-Malay Area Naval Attack Operations. (1969)
25 The Irrawaddy Campaign: Collapse of the Defense of Burma. (1969)
26 N.E.I.-Bengaru wan hoomen kaigun shinkoo sakusen: N.E.I.-Bengal Bay Area Naval Attack Operations. (1969)
27 Kwantung Army (pt. 1): Military Disposition Against USSR and Nomonhan Incident. (1969)
28 Minami taiheiyoo rikugun sakusen: Gadarukanaru – Buna sakusen (pt. 2): Army Operations in the South Pacific: Guadalcanal – Buna Operations (pt. 2). (1968)
29 Hokutoo hoomen kaigun sakusen: Northeast Area Naval Operations. (1969)
30 Ichi-go Operation (pt. 3): Campaign in Kwangsi (China)
31 Kaigun Gunsembi (pt. 1): The Navy’s Armaments Program (pt. 1): Up to November 1941. (1969)
32 Defeat on Burma Front and Defense of Indo-China Peninsula. (1969)
33 Industrial Mobilization of War Supply Production (pt. 2): Execution. (1970)
34 The Army Air Force’s Drive to South Pacific Area. (1970)
35 Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial HQ (pt. 3): To August 1942. (1970)
36 Army Air Operations in Okinawa, Formosa and Iwo-Jima. (1970)
37 Kaigun Sho-Go sakusen (pt. 1): Taiwan oki kokusen made: Naval Sho-Go Operations (pt. 1): Up to Air Battle off Taiwan. (1970)
38 Chuubu taiheiyoo hoomen kaigun sakusen (pt. 1): Central Pacific Naval Operations (pt. 1): Before May 1942. (1970)
39 Daihonei kaigunbu – rengoo kantai (pt. 4): Imperial General Headquarters – Combined Fleet (pt. 4). (1970).
40 Minami Taiheiyo rikugun sakusen: Munda Saramoa (pt. 3): Army Operations in the South Pacific: Munda Salamaua (pt. 3). (1970)
41 Shogo rikugun sakusen: Reite kessen (pt. 1): Sho-go Ground Operations: The Decisive Battle of Leyte (1). (1971)
42 Operations by China Expeditionary HQ in 1945 (1): To March 1945. (1971)
43 Midooei kaisen: Midway Sea Battle. (1971)
44 Operations in the Northern Pacific (2): Kuriles, Sakhalin and Hokkaido. (1971)
45 Conduct of Navy Operations by Imperial HQ and Combined Fleet HQ (1): Before Outbreak of Pacific War. (1971)
46 Kaijo boei sen: Surface Defensive Actions. (1971)
Also translated as The Maritime Protection War, and Naval Operations for Convoy Escort.
47 Assault on Hong Kong and Chang Sha (1941). (1971)
48 Sho-go Army Air Operations in Philippines. (1971)
49 Nantoo hoomen kaigun sakusen: Southeast Area Naval Actions Until Guadalcanal Reinforcement. (1971)
50 Hokushi no chiansen (pt.2): The security fights in North China
51 Plan and Preparation for Defense of Japan’s Homeland (1): Defense of Kanto District. (1971)
52 Armament and Employment of Army Air Force (1): To the Initial Phase of 1934. (1971)
53 Army Air Operations in Manchuria. (1972)
54 Nansei homen kaigun sakusen: Dai Ni-Dan sakusen irai: Southwestern Area Naval Operations: From Second Phase Operations Onwards. (1972)
55 Operations by China Expeditionary HQ in 1942 and 1943. (1972)
56 Kaigun Sho-go sakusen Fuirippin oki kaisen (1): SHO-Go Naval Operations: The Naval Battle of the Philippine Sea (1). (1970)
57 Hondo kessen jumbi: Kyushu no boei (2): Preparations for the Decisive Battle of the Homeland: Defense of Kyushu (2). (1972)
58 Minami Taiheiyo rikugun sakusen: Fuinshehaahen-Tsurubu-Tarokina (4): Army Operations in South Pacific: Finschhafen-Tsurubu-Tarokina (4). (1973)
59 Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial HQ (4): To August 1942. (1972)
60 Sho-go rikugun sakusen: Ruson kessen (2): Sho-Go ground operations: The Decisive Battle of Luzon (2). (1972)
61 Offensive of Third Army Air Force in Burma and Dutch East Indies. (1972)
62 Chuubu taiheiyoo hoomen kaigun sakusen (2): Central Pacific Area Naval Operations (2) (after June 1942). 1973)
63 Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial HQ (5): August to December 1942. (1973)
64 Operations by China Expeditionary HQ in 1945 (2): March 1945 to the End of the War. (1973)
65 Army Branch of IGHQ: Circumstances Surrounding the Outbreak of Greater East Asian War (1). (1973)
66 Daihonei rikugunbu (6): Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial Headquarters (6): Before June 1943. (1973)
67 Daihonei rikugunbu (7): Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial Headquarters (7): From December 1943 to July 1944. (1973)
68 Army Branch of IGHQ: Circumstances Surrounding the Outbreak of Greater East Asian War (2). (1973)
69 Army Branch of IGHQ: Circumstances Surrounding the Outbreak of Greater East Asian War (3). (1973)
70 Army Branch of IGHQ: Circumstances Surrounding the Outbreak of Greater East Asian War (4). (1974)
71 Conduct of Navy Operations by Imperial HQ and Combined Fleet HQ (5): Middle Part of Third Phase Operation. (1974)
72 Naval Operations in China Area (1): Before April 1938. (1974)
73 Kwantung Army (2): Prewar Preparation Against USSR and Defense at End of War. (1974)
74 Offensive Operations of Army Air Force in China. (1974)
75 Daihon’ei rikugunbu: Showa 19 nen 7 gatsu made (8): Imperial General HQ: to July 1944 (8). (1974)
76 Army Branch of IGHQ: Circumstances Surrounding the Outbreak of Greater East Asian War (5). (1974)
77 Conduct of Navy Operations by Imperial HQ and Combined Fleet HQ (3): Before February 1943. (1974)
78 Armament and Employment of Army Air Force (2): 1934 to Beginning of 1942. (1974) This volume was co-authored by Masao MATSUDA and Makoto IKUTA – the two volumes give a comprehensive overview of the organizational development of the JAAF, its administrative system, its structure and its relationship to government agencies and schools in both peacetime and wartime. JAAF doctrine, tactics and planning are examined and then related to wartime operations.
79 Naval Operations in China Area (2): After 1938. (1975)
80 Conduct of Navy Operations by Imperial HQ and Combined Fleet HQ (2): Before June 1942, (1975)
81 Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial HQ (9): Before January 1945. (1975)
82 Conduct of Army Operations by Imperial Headquarters (10): Before August 1945. (1975)
83 Nantoo hoomen kaigun sakusen: Southeast Area Naval Operations Until Guadalcanal Evacuation. (1975)
84 Minami Taiheiyo rikugun sakusen: Aitape-Puriaka-Rabaaru (5): Army Operations in the South Pacific: Aitape-Empress Augusta Bay-Rabaul (5). (1973)
85 Hondo homen kaigun sakusen: Homeland Area Naval Operations. (1975)
86 Army Operations in the China Incident (1): Before January 1938. (1975)
87 Development, Production, and Supply of Army Aviation Weapons. (1975)
88 War Preparations of Imperial Navy (2): After Outbreak of Pacific War. (1975)
89 Army Operations in the China Incident (2): Before September 1939. (1976)
90 Army Operations in the China Incident (3): Before December 1941. (1975)
(Note: volume number in question).
91 Conduct of Navy Operations by Imperial HQ and Combined Fleet HQ (6): Final Part of Third Phase Operation. (1975)
92 Army Operations in Southern Theater: Defense of Malaya and Dutch East Indies. (1976)
93 Conduct of Navy Operations by Imperial HQ and Combined Fleet HQ (7): Ending the Pacific War. (1976)
94 Armament and Employment of Army Air Force (3): 1942 Until the End of the War. (1974). This is the second volume co-authored by Masao MATSUDA and Makoto IKUTA – the two volumes give a comprehensive overview of the organizational development of the JAAF, its administrative system, its structure and its relationship to government agencies and schools in both peacetime and wartime. JAAF doctrine, tactics and planning are examined and then related to wartime operations.
95 History of the Naval Aviation Corps. (1976) Authored by Hiroshi TSUNODA, Gentaro MORIYAMA and Hideo MINEMATSU – covers the aircraft, armament, technology, training and operations of the JNAF with special emphasis on its role at the beginning of the Pacific War and the causes behind its subsequent rapid decline.
96 Nanto homen kaigun sakusen (3): Gato Tesshu-Go: Southeastern Area Naval Operations (3): After Withdrawal from Guadalcanal. (1976)
97 Construction and Use of Bases for the Army Air Force’s Operations. (1979) Co-authored by Takeshi KISHI and Shichiro TAKASE – covers the construction of airfields, logistics, maintenance, air transport, intelligence, and communications activities of the JAAF during the Great East Asia War.
98 Sensuikan shi: History of Submarines. (1979)
99 The Army’s Armaments and War Preparations. (1979)
100 Daihonei Kaigumbu: Daitoa Senso Kaisen Keii (1): Imperial General HQ, Naval Section: Circumstances of the Outbreak of the Greater East Asian War (1). (1979)
101 Daihonei Kaigumbu: Daitoa Senso Kaisen Keii (2): Imperial General HQ, Naval Section: Circumstances of the Outbreak of the Greater East Asian War (2). (1979)
102 A Chronological Table of the Army and Navy. (1979)

 

Grognard.com

The oldest gamer site on the web

For a long time Grognard.com was the place to look if you wanted to know anything about strategy games. Anything, from MS-DOS based programms to generate hex-maps to long lists of scanned counter sheets for nearly any strategy game available, Grognard.com delivered. During the Nineties and beyond Grognard was the central hub for gamers online.

It was the rise of online communities and the infabous user generated content that broke Grognard’s monopoly. The site failed to update functionality and embrace the hordes of interested geeks that wanted to contribute, and other platforms that included messaging and, most of all, forums and wiki-style contribution possibilities overtook the veteran site in terms of attractivenes and content offered. Of course it did not help that Grognard basically is still online in the design they devised in the mid-Nineties.

However, the wealth of special-interest-links and downloadable material still makes a visit worthwhile. Grognard.com may be more of an archive of developments of the past these days, but still it presents a vast amount of information on even the most obscure games of the past twenty or thirty years. So we wish the old guard the best and hope they will be around for a long time to teach youngsters about the way of cardboard wars.

Date: January 16th, 2013

URL: http://www.grognard.com

Tags: echo $keywords;

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