[BnW, 1942 UK vs Yugo] 4 - Operation Beheading

[StuccoFresco]

SCENARIO 4

The die is cast: all the previous battles were but the necessary set-up for this one: the grandiose invasion of Budapest, the jewel of the south. With the Sofia-Budapest Lifeline cut at Vidin and enemy scrambling to supply its forces in Lower Bulgaria through the port, Budapest has become the keystone of the entire region. Taking it will mean victory, and the enemy knows it. The enemy thinks the attack through the eastern swamps is the main threat against the city, but our plans are much more ambitious: a naval landing directly west of the city.

It is a daring plan, made possible by the success of the Operation White Whale. The Australis Fleet will have to clear the way for the II Amphibious Army and its two Corps, survive the inevitable counterattack of all Yugoslavian naval forces in the area, and keep the supply convoys alive to feed the invasion.






20-21/8/1942
The plan is clear: use the Australis Fleet to escort the II Amphibious Army to the beaches between Dobrich and the village to the east. Heading directly toward Budapest is deemed too risky. The Fleet will sail ahead to intercept and deal with any threat that could hamper the landings, while the transports have been given the order to not stop for any reason. Speed is the key to success.

The first day sees the Fleet moving forward as planned, with a big concentration in the middle, but several problems arise shortly after: Yugoslavian Barracuda and Barracuda II Destroyers lash out at the flanks, while a Lignje submarine is spotted right in front of BB King Robert VII. The escort destroyers and some Unyielding Cruisers are sent to deal with the threats. Enemy Interceptor Wings fly over the fleet and spot our Carriers: immediately after, CAS Wings head straight for them. Fortunately I had already ordered the on-board Fighter Wings to take off and cover the ships, so the enemy assaults proved very costly.


22/8/1942
Yugoslavian Submarines and Destroyers unleash their torpedoes against BB King George VII and some Cruisers. Predictably, it’s the eastern flank of our formation that suffers the most attacks, but as a whole the fleet weathers the storm. Enemy CAS Wings redirect their attacks against the transport fleets, but with their Interceptors forced to go back to their airfields for lack of fuel, the slow unescorted CAS are bound to be fodder for our Fighters.

The intruding submarine that torpedoed King George VII is sunk, as well as a couple Destroyers. The other Yugoslavian ships are targeted and hit several times, but their agility saves them from a worse fate. Enemy CAS Wings are decimated.

[StuccoFresco]

Barracuda Class Destroyer
The Barracuda was the first Destroyer design of the new Yugoslavian Navy: a cheap ship meant for patrols and cruiser escort. They are quite fast and they have an awesome range thanks to a light 1300t hull, but the four 115mm single gun turrets are a bit lackluster.

The Navy Committee addressed the issue in 1935, adding two 600mm torpedo tubes that made the Barracuda a proper threat against bigger ships, in line with its “low cost, high threat” philosophy. The combat doctrine thus shifted: now Barracudas were supposed to rush in and torpedo enemy bigger ships, while Cruisers were supposed to screen them on the approach and deal with enemy Destroyers.

[StuccoFresco]

23/8/1942
CL Darwin and Whaleport are encircled by a Destroyer group and take heavy damage; after a three-hour long struggle, two torpedoes hit CWS Whaleport amidship sealing its fate: the ship sinks in ten minutes with a massive loss of lives. The surviving enemy CAS Wings retreat, but two of them have been completely wiped out in the aerial battles; CV Tasmania has suffered three direct hits and operates at reduced efficiency.

Our Naval Wings take advantage of the absence of enemy aircrafts and start attacking enemy Destroyers: an already badly damaged Barracuda is sunk, and another one is hit by a torpedo and on fire.

The forward destroyers spot some minefields; the transport flotillas approach the coast as the battleships and heavy cruisers engage the Yugoslavian coastal batteries. The heavy guns fire massive salvoes at the bunkers, almost razing the nearby towns and villages to the ground: enormous explosions bust open the reinforced concrete and scatter guns and crews around; the ground itself shakes and clouds of smoke and dust rise from it. With such a powerful cover fire, it seems the landings could go unopposed.


24/8/1942
Just as I’m ready to approach the beaches, the Yugoslavian fleet stationed in Budapest is spotted by 41st Fighter Wing: six modern Kit-Ubica Heavy Cruisers screened by Destroyers. Most of the Australis Fleet’s cruisers are ordered to face the threat, while half the battleships are kept close to the landing zones to provide fire support. Since the AA cover on the enemy formation is pretty tight and enemy Interceptors are back on the scene, our Naval Wings return to their carriers. One of them has already been crippled by enemy attacks.

CWS Adelaide, Stonecradle and Cragstown sink another Destroyer that was trying to approach the CV Sussex, and heavily damage another one. Before the elusive Barracuda could flee the area, two Slayer-class Destroyers chase it and finish it off.

A Lignje submarine is spotted while recharging its batteries on the surface and promptly jumped upon by two Hunter destroyers that sink it in under an hour of chase.




25/8/1942
The Yugoslavian cruiser fleet approaches the landing area, so it’s time to engage it: three Slayer-class Destroyers target the leading Kit-Ubica and fire several torpedoes at it, scoring several hits. The Kirknell, an Implacable class cruiser, makes a risky move charging the Destroyer line that is threatening the landings, main batteries ablaze; the furious charge cripples one of the enemy ships, but the Kirknell is now threatened by several other with only a slightly damaged Hunter-class Destroyer at its side.

Other three Implacable-class cruisers (Perth, Sunhaven and Kirkwall) regroup south of the coastline, waiting for BB King Robert VII and three Unyielding class cruisers (Canberra, Solas and Tine) to link up and mount an organized counterattack.

Meanwhile, 18th Mechanized Division and 25° Ironsides land around Dobrich under covering fire from BBs King Charles I and King Roger III. The 31st Armored Division lands west of the village on the eastern side of the beaches, followed closely by 27° and 28°, alongside with a single Regiment of 33rd Mechanized Division. These landings were supported by BBs King Stephen and King Charles II. The decision to keep the battleships in landing support role may cost me more ship losses against the enemy cruiser fleet, but the land troops have the priority and suppressing the enemy infantry regiments guarding the beaches as well as the Yugoslavian coastal guns is more important.




26/8/1942
The Yugoslavian fleet hits hard and fast: my combined submarine-destroyer screen is quickly and decisively dealt with as the enemy Cruisers mow it down with their guns, opening a breach through which several Barracuda filters through and engage several transports and support ships, as well as torpedoing King Charles II. The Kirknell has survived the enemy fury but is now completely isolated in the middle of the enemy formation. The Yugoslavian 15th CAS Wing bombs 18th Mechanized Division’s landing ships, sinking two, but is promptly engaged by 40th and 42nd Fighter Wings as well as AA fire from two destroyers.

I immediately react by re-forming a destroyer screen further west, profiting from the successful landings that free up a lot of space along the coast. The damaged King Charles II withdraws and links up with King Charles I, King Roger III and King Robert VII battleships, escorted by the Kirkwall cruiser.

All Unyielding-class cruisers are ordered to engage enemy Destroyers and buy the Fleet more time. A couple enemy ships are sunk or heavily damaged, but their agility avoids bigger losses.

Our own Destroyers plan torpedo runs on enemy Heavy Cruisers now that their formation is opened, but they detect A LOT of deadly Hobotnica-class submarines while on the way and the decision is taken to focus them. Despite none being outright sunk, the destroyers’ depth charges heavily damaged three and hit another one: a respectable result given how little time the crews had to detect and engage the targets.

The carriers further navigate west to put nautical miles between them and the enemy ships, and launch their Naval Wings.

[StuccoFresco]

Brewster Aeronautical T-5
Brewster Aeronautical (BA from now on) was a minor cockpit manufacturer in the late 30s that gradually increased its production capabilities thanks to the extensive subcontracts awarded by Supermarine and Avro-Havilland. Marlon Brewster, the owner, decided to try and carve a niche of the aeronautical market for himself, financing the production of a few prototypes.

While the Commonwealth Airforce never approved any of them, Brewster’s designs were successfully exported in the northern continent, granting the firm a steady income and encouragement to try more designs.

When the first Illustrious-class Carrier was being designed, Brewster decided to go all-in in the naval aviation business. Sending observer after observer to Armstrong Shipworks, Brewster was able to design a custom-made aircraft that was a perfect fit for the new ships. The T-5 is a torpedo bomber with excellent anti-ship capability and that can hold his own against a moderate enemy fighter presence thanks to his high maneuverability. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very fast and climbed relatively slowly, requiring a fighter escort to avoid high losses.

[StuccoFresco]

27/8/1942
Once again the enemy cruisers try to break through toward our support ships helping the landings. The Yugoslavian batteries sink more Destroyers and a torpedo attack cripples the Sunhaven cruiser. Overall, however, the defensive formation holds, and now III Amphibious Corps arrives to exploit the successful landings.

The enemy formation is vulnerable to a flank attack from the open sea, but first I recreate the defensive wall around my battleships: five of them are packed in front of the village east of Dobrich, and they unleash salvo after salvo on the Yugoslavian ships. The punishment is devastating: two Destroyers are sunk immediately and another crippled; a Kit-Ubica Heavy Cruiser suffers a direct 15in hit and is forced to disengage. The Unyielding flotillas focus on the Barracudas trying to cover the enemy cruisers’ southern flank and engage the enemy ships at mid range, sinking three and setting another two on fire: the rapid-fire 4in guns are perfect for Destroyers’ hunting. The Kirkwall and the damaged Sunhaven finish off another Destroyer who ate a battleship shell.

My Destroyers are still out hunting submarines: two damaged Hobotnicas are finished off, and another two engaged and heavily damaged. The Kirknell cruiser is miracolously still alive and decides to join the ASW operations, forcing a third submarine to surface and allowing my two Naval Wings to sink it. Enemy 15th CAS Wing decides to press on its attack on the landing ships instead of fleeing, and is further decimated by my Fighters.

On the ground, I Amphibious Corps suffered a supply shortage as I was forced to withdraw a Support Ship to escape the enemy pressure, and will stand its ground to reorganize and resupply. The Ironsides are in a better shape and finish off an enemy Infantry Regiment that had already been pushed back during the landings.

II Amphibious Corps completes the landings at Dobrich and its Ironsides Brigades immediately engage enemy 71st Motostrelci Division that was sent to attack the bridgeheads. The enemy unit is decimated by the onslaught of the “Demolisher” assaults and direct artillery fire, and tries to retreat while pursued by 18th Mechanized Division. 20th Mechanized Division advances and links the two landing zones.






28/8/1942
The naval battle is radiply shifting in our favor: the enemy southern flank has been overrun and the enemy Heavy Cruisers are stuck between my screens and the advancing force from the south. My battleships keep firing their massive guns safely from behind my lines. Only two Barracudas survive the day: the rest is ripped apart by my Cruisers’ guns, and the Yugoslavian Heavy Cruisers are suffering heavy hits.

Another CAS Wing (16th CAS) tries to attack the landing zones, but my concentrated Fighter forces make short work of them. Unfortunately, the CAS were unescorted because all enemy Interceptor Wings were busy shooting down an entire Naval Wing. Still a worthwhile trade-off.

The enemy 71st Motostrelci Division has almost lost two Regiments, but it’s still a threat, so 18th Mechanized Division will have to guard the western flank while the rest of the II Amphibious Corps moves northeast. In front of the I Amphibious Corps, 69th Motostrelci Division is engaged by 27° Ironsides and 31st Armored Division and is pushed back with heavy losses.

III Amphibious Corps is still navigating, but I am starting to consider the risky option of landing much, MUCH closer to Budapest: if I manage to wipe out the entire enemy’s naval force, why shouldn’t I? Of course Budapest is defended by several Coastal Batteries, whose exact position we don’t know, but the prize is worth the risk in my opinion…




29/8/1942
As predicted, as the last Barracuda is sunk, the enemy Heavy Cruisers have nowhere to go and lose maneuvering space. Their attempt to brute force through my lines fail as they eat 15in after 15in and they find themselves in the crossfire as soon as my own Cruisers attack them from the south. Cornered and hopeless, the Yugoslavian ships are sunk one by one by overwhelming cannon fire. Only two survive the day.

Part of the fleet is sent east to scout the waters in advance of the III Amphibious Corps, and spots the fleeing enemy Hobotnica submarines. Another two are sunk and one is damaged by my last Naval Wing.

The enemy aviation is out in force, but there are two Wings equipped with old CAI-1, which suffer a lot of losses. With the landing areas cleared by enemy threats, the combat engineers of the II Amphibious Army rapidly build two provisional airfields, and three Bomber Wings, each with a Fighter escort wing, are flown in from Ostrvo Taige. The Bombers immediately take off to bomb the retreating 69th and 71st Motostrelci Divisions, dispersing two decimated Regiments.




30/8/1942
The hunt continues: another submarine is sunk by my Destroyers, and another one further damaged. Another one is spotted right in the path of III Amphibious Corps and engaged by the Adelaide Cruiser, but survives the attack with minor damage. The two surviving enemy Cruisers are sunk by the battleships, and the entire fleet moves east: the objective is to shell Budapest and cover the eventual III Amphibious Corps’ landing.

Enemy XXXI Pesadija Korpus’ HQ is located in the woods NE of Dobrich and engaged by 21st Mechanized Division before being finished off by my Bomber Wings. The enemy doesn’t seem to be able to threaten the landing zones, so most of I and II Amphibious Corps start to move north toward Shumen.

[StuccoFresco]

Ajkula Class Cruiser
The first Yugoslavian Cruisers were the remains of the Croatian Navy that didn’t flee in time before the occupation of the ports, or whose crew didn’t defect to the Communist rebels. The Croatian Navy believed in standardization: aside from simple patrol frigates, their Cruisers were supposed to be as multipurpose as possible, covering every single possible role.

This forced the Croatian shipyards to design ships that were fast enough to chase destroyers, but also well armored to tank Cruiser-level firepower, and also capable of damaging much heavier battleships. Several Cruiser classes were introduced from 1912 to 1933, following the flow of technological advancements.

The last ones were examined by the new War Committee and used as the base for the first Yugoslavian design: the Ajkula (Shark). It was a success: the ship was indeed fast, well protected, and packed a mean punch. Its 8000t hull had a 60mm armored belt, three triple 152mm turrets, and two 550mm torpedo launchers. It could do everything, but space aboard was scarce and limited the coverage of the 20mm AA batteries.

With the constant naval escalation, the birth of naval aviation, and the appearance of heavier and heavier Battleships, the War Committee started work on a successor class in 1937. Despite this, the Ajkula was still considered a powerful ship and never retired from service for many years.

[StuccoFresco]

31/8/1942
Panic strikes the landing forces as two enemy submarines are spotted on the surface right next to the coast, but a quick reaction from my destroyers led by the Sunhaven and an Unyielding-class cruiser sink both the enemy vessels. The submarine previously spotted in front of III Amphibious Corps is nowhere to be seen despite several sonar sweeps and intense patrolling. The Corps keep sailing northeast together with the rest of the Fleet.

The Cragstown and Tine Cruisers are at the forefront of the advance: the damage suffered in the previous battles have only impacted their attack capabilities, with many of their turrets damaged beyond repairs, but their engines are still working at full power so they are the first to reach the minefields in front of Budapest together with some Destroyer escort. A Coastal Gun battery is spotted defending the town of Pecs, west of Budapest.

18th Mechanized Division is still hunting down the battered enemy 71st Motostrelci Division northwest of Dobrich, and 21st Mechanized Division is mopping up 69th Motostrelci Division northeast of the town. The rest of my ground forces approach Shumen.


1/9/1942
Enemy Coastal Guns at Haskovo fire at one of my Destroyers, inflicting heavy damage with a 180mm direct hit. The mouth of the Danube seems to be well defended…

The remains of enemy 69th Motostrelci Division is finally forced to surrender, freeing 21st Mechanized Division. Shumen is occupied without a fight and my forces start turning east toward Miskolc. The city holds a concrete bridge over the Danube and is an important objective. Enemy 80th Motostrelci Division is spotted moving to reinforce the city. Aerial reconnaissance by 41st Fighter Wing spots 124th Pesadija Division, 20th Mehanizovane Division, 37° and 38° Huszàr Brigades defending the city, supported by three Podzdravaju Regiments; definitely a tough nut to crack.




2/9/1942
Disaster strikes as an undetected Regiment of 71st Motostrelci sneaks up past 18th Mechanized lines and retakes Dobrich, disrupting the supply flow for the entire II Amphibious Army. Operations slow down as the leading elements start to run low on fuel, and the leading company of 27° Ironsides is ambushed by a Regiment of 80th Motostrelci as it enters a village.

The Fleet approaches Budapest and Pecs, preparing for shore bombardments. III Amphibious Corps starts moving toward the coast.


3/9/1942
Dobrich is retaken and 71st Motostrelci surrenders. II Amphibious Army has resumed the march, but at reduced pace; a Regiment of 80th Motostrelci is surrounded in a villace NW of Miskolc while the rest of the Division takes position in front of the city. Aerial reconnaissance reports that the town of Szeged, further north, seems defended only by 123rd Pesadija Division and would thus be a valid alternative for crossing the Danube.

The entire Cruiser and Battleship force of the Australis Fleet approaches Pecs and Budapest and lays down a withering barrage of gunfire that annihilates several coastal guns. Pecs and the southwesternmost borough of Budapest are almost leveled by the shellings, causing hundreds of civilian victims. The survivors flee the targeted areas.


4/9/1942
An enemy Tenkovske Regiment equipped with older ZMT-40 tanks is spotted north of Shumen; a Regiment of 31st Armored Division tries to engage, but is surprised by the amount of AT guns fielded by the enemy, and suffers considerable losses before realizing an Podzdravaju Regiment is supporting the enemy armor. The 20th Mechanized Division is sent to help.

28° Ironsides engage the enemy 80th Motostrelci Division in front of Miskolc; the encircled enemy Regiment surrenders.

III Amphibious Corps approaches the beaches between Pecs and Budapest as the battleships keep firing on ground targets. Our Bomber Wings attack enemy 81st Motostrelci Division as it moves toward Szeged; it seems the enemy realized the town was lightly defended and promptly reinforced it.


5/9/1942
63rd Bomber Wing is attacked by the Yugoslavian 61st and 62nd Interceptor Wings and almost wiped out. The enemy Huszàrs charge my lines in front of Miskolc and inflict a sound defeat to 28° Ironsides Brigade, forcing it to retreat together with an Artillery Regiment. To face the enemy and its large numbers of modern light tanks I have to pull up two Support Regiment and form a defensive perimeter.

My forces keep pushing enemy units toward Pernik, but we lack support and the enemy gives up ground easily instead of accepting too many losses. Enemy 26th Tenkovske Division is roaming in this area, threatening a flanking move on my forces near Miskolc.

III Amphibious Corps lands around Pecs as the battleships starts targeting nearby 121st Pesadija Division.


6/9/1942
Yugoslavian 126th Pesadija and 26th Tenkovske push against my northern flank near Miskolc, so I decide to retreat my forces south instead of aiming for Pernik. My advance on Miskolc has stopped, but I managed to push back a couple counterattacks from the enemy forces: the Huszàrs charged my lines but were met by our own new AT guns, suffering high losses.

Today the 21th Mechanized Division pushed back two enemy Motostrelci Regiments, exposing an enemy Podzdravaju Regiment. 26° Ironsides is exhausted after two hard fights against the enemy’s northern flank and is relieved by 27° Ironsides. 28° Ironsides is reorganizing and receiving reinforcements.

In the landing zones of III Amphibious Corps, the 32nd Armored Division has pushed forward from the beaches against enemy 121st Pesadija Division with the help of 32° Ironsides Brigade. The bombardments from our battleships go on, and now two Artillery Regiments have landed as well.

[StuccoFresco]

Unyielding Class Light Cruiser
The Commonwealth Navy’s 30s doctrine relied heavily on Battleships for surface supremacy and to annihilate enemy Cruisers, while the Destroyers were designed to be superior against their foreign equivalents. This left the Cruiser class in a seemingly non-essential role in battle, pushing the Admiralty toward cheap, fast and reliable designs that were to be used as battleship escorts and high-seas patrol.

The Unyielding Class had a 7000t hull, a cruise speed of 35kn, and a main armament of 4 twin 5,5in turrets as well as two rapid-fire 4in turrets. The armament was very effective against destroyers, making for excellent patrol ships against corsairs and battleship escorts, but hardly enough to confront heavier Cruisers. The lack of sonar also hampered their effectiveness in an era when submarine warfare was steadily rising in importance.

This class served well for a decade, but losses were high and by 1938 work on more protected and modern designs had already started.

[StuccoFresco]

7/9/1942
The decision to stop the advance on Miskolc to reorganize paid off: another round of Yugoslavian counter attacks is repulsed and after a couple hours of artillery fire I’m able to push back their entire line. 31st Armored Division and 28° Ironsides resume their attack and decimate 37° Huszàr Brigade. A Regiment of the enemy’s 26th Tenkovske Division that was threatening my northern flank is surrounded and destroyed.

Enemy forces are moving through Pernik toward Szeged: this time it’s 17th Mehanizovane that is spotted by aerial recon. IX Oklopni Korpus’ HQ is spotted as well, so the window of opportunity to take Szeged appears to have closed.

III Amphibious Corps is stalling near Budapest: the enemy is suffering heavy losses but there is considerable chaos on the beaches as too many units compete for supplies and deployment space. The battleships, however, keep shelling every enemy unit that tries to interfere, and soon enough the Corps manages to free a sizable area for the second wave of landings. Unit proficiency is quite low.




8/8/1942
Heavy fighting resumes around Miskolc as I keep pounding at the enemy defenses: 38° Huszàr Brigade surrenders after a bloody battle against the 31st Armored Division, and 26° and 28° Ironsides Brigades crush a Regiment of the Yugoslavian 20th Mehanizovane Division as well as an Artiljerija Regiment and the HQ of VI Konjica Korpus. With the help of an armored Regiment from the 31th Armored Division, 20th and 33rd Mechanized Divisions strike out from our position south of Pernik and disperse the enemy Pesadija and Motostrelci Regiment in front of them.

West of Budapest, half of the III Amphibious Corps is too disorganized to push further. I need to rest my units before launching a decisive attack on the city.




9/8/1942
The 32nd Armored Division resumes the attack at Budapest, wiping out what was left of 121st Pesadija Division as the rest of III Amphibious Korpus is still reorganizing. I have now three Artillery Regiments on the beaches, as well as five Battleships close to the shore; they should make taking the city easier. The Strongpoint between the docks is bombarded by so many 15in batteries that the resulting dust cloud makes flight over the city difficult; the radar stations are almost razed to the ground too.

26°, 27° and 28° Ironsides Brigades resume the advance on Miskolc, inflicting grievous losses at the defenders and preventing them from going to save Budapest. The battle is bloody and there isn’t any evidence of a Yugoslavian collapse yet. SE of the city, an armored probing attack of the enemy has been pushed back by several detached Mechanized Regiments.

South of Pernik, my offensive is in full steam and has dispersed the enemy units, creating a solid chance for a breakthrough.


10/9/1942
Miskolc’s defensive line starts to buckle under the weight of my Ironsides Brigades. 26° Ironsides reaches the city’s outskirts after pushing 124th Pesadija Division over the river despite AT support coming from a Podzdravaju Regiment nearby. The enemy counterattack on the left flank has been driven back, and Pernik is conquered.

III Amphibious Corps enters Budapest’s western outskirts despite heavy enemy resistance. The Yugoslavians plan on wearing my troops down with urban warfare, but the amount of heavy guns I have in the area will just turn their strongholds into rubble.

[StuccoFresco]

11/9/1942
The I and II Amphibious Corps have formed a coherent frontline in front of Szeged and Miskolc. The former is still heavily defended and my forces will only approach the enemy lines to prevent them from diverting troops elsewhere; the latter is still under heavy attack. Today the Ironsides have gained more ground and launched the first assault on the city proper. The enemy defenses are starting to crumble as their AT support is ground down and the infantry is constantly shelled by artillery and assault guns. The Ironsides’ SMG-armed troops are devastating in close combat and they don’t fear urban warfare.

Budapest is in trouble: III Amphibious Corps has broken through the defensive lines and occupied the bridges over the Danube.






12/9/1942
Budapest falls! Soldiers of 118th Infantry Division strike deep into the governative block after heavy shelling from three Artillery Regiments and 32nd Armored Division’s breakthrough in the northern outskirts. Most of the enemy infantry in the city surrenders. The battleships start targeting the city’s eastern coastal batteries, which are also engaged on land by a Regiment of 50th Motorized Division.

The attack on Miskolc goes on, but losses are very high and every unit on the front is close to 50% of the nominal strength. Given that there is no chance to take the other cities on the Danube, there is little reason to sacrifice so many lives for Miskolc. I thus decide to call off the attack: tomorrow I’ll withdraw my units into a more defensive position NW of the city.


13/9/1942
As expected, the fall of Budapest puts all remaining Yugoslavian forces out of supplies (the other big logistic center was in Pernik) and in disarray. Hasty counterattacks are launched on the Miskolc-Szeged line, and force me to reorganize my lines. 32nd Armored Division moves from Budapest toward Miskolc to exploit the chaos. The airfields at Budapest are conquered and by the evening any organized resistance ceases in the city..


14/9/1942
The rapid collapse of Yugoslavian units in the region makes me reconsider taking Miskolc, so I launch a combined attack by 31st and 32nd Armored Division, 50th Motorized Division and 26° and 27° Ironsides to take the city and link up III Amphibious Corps with the rest of my forces. The crumbling Yugoslavian forces around the city can’t even slow me down and by the end of the day three enemy Regiments have been wiped out and the II Amphibious Army has formed a single front.

Enemy 39° Huszàr Brigade tries to attack from Szeged, but it’s attacked by my Bomber Wings and supply shortages stops it dead in its tracks.




15/9/1942 to 18/9/1942
Enemy units launch isolated counterattacks at my lines around Pernik and Miskolc, but are easily pushed back due to lack of ammo and supplies. Some infantry Regiment tries to attack Budapest from the east, but it suffers the same fate.

The battle ends with Budapest and Miskolc safely in my hands. The enemy troops in the area are forced to retreat and reorganize to avoid being wiped out or dissolve because of lack of basic supplies. Operation Beheading has been a success!

[StuccoFresco]

[up, so my obsession for scenario order is satisfied]