"Foreign Intervention!"
The German Civil War is spiraling out of control. Friend is foe, brother fights brother, and Germans are spilling their own blood as the nations of Europe circle above, waiting like vultures.
In West Pomerania, Communist Forces stormed into Freikorps held territory following 5 days of artillery barrages and naval shelling via the German Navy in the waters near West Pomerania. The casualties were immense, not for the intended military combatants though, instead the Germans made quite a mess of the civilian population... Nevertheless, the offensive that followed was huge, with Communist troops finding and attacking many Freikorps held positions deep in the territory. The Germans were quite surprised however. This was not the rabble that they expected to encounter. Following the formation of both the GiG and the Freikorps as true factions, many rushed to both to fight for their respective causes. Communists disillusioned by the brutality of the Communist factions, old nobility and military men who were not supportive of the current regime, even refugees and commoners who decided to flee the "Red Terror" have taken up arms or at least joined the efforts of the Freikorps. This is all not including those who first created the Freikorps, including the original bands of rebels. The situation was compounded by a new situation developing in the Communist German Army: Desertion. The German Army, following Communist takeover and reform, is slowly losing it's distinct "Prussianness". The previously harsh and oftentimes cruel discipline of the previous Army was replaced with a more lax, socialist approach. Opportunistic soldiers desert at the nearest chance, whether because they have become disillusioned with the Communist cause, have been captured or converted by other factions, or even simply escape back to their homes and families. Desertion is now a big problem within the German Army. A problem seen best in the recent action against the Freikorps. The offensive was spread out over the entire front, 2 provinces wide. Communist troops poured into the region, quickly taking hamlets and villages, though many proved to be of little use having been destroyed. The Freikorps put up major resistance, although being "rebels" they turned out to be quite organized, even more organized than the actual German Army at some engagements! Though the Freikorps were eventually forced into a fighting retreat, the Germans were unable to capitalize on it before the month was over. The offensive remains ongoing, and we shall see the exact extent of it as it progresses into the next month. The Communist forces took a whopping 77 thousand casualties, a significant amount attributed to desertion, soldiers going missing, and those who were captured by Freikorps forces. The Freikorps took roughly 80 thousand casualties, however how many of which were civilian and how many were military casualties is hard to tell.
Another interesting development occurred in the Freikorps front. Many captured troops and captured equipment, after close inspection, were found to be foreign made! (Or at the very least not German army issue.) What this means nobody knows for sure. Perhaps the Freikorps are being armed by someone?
Meanwhile in the west, the Communist forces have attained a great victory against the Kingdom of Germany, though the circumstances are controversial and involve the nearby Kingdom of Denmark! The Kingdom of Denmark, apparently not wanting to see their countrymen killed in what would appear to be a pointless defense, began to recall many of the troops of the foreign legion of Germany. Telegrams, letters and other means of communication poured into the city of Hamburg, warning of a large Communist German attack. The Danish contingent of the Anti-Communist troops were implored to retreat back to Denmark and save their lives. Leaflets dropped by zeppelin over the city further added to the doubts of the Danish volunteers. After tense discussion, the Danish contingent of the Anti-Communist Army lay down their arms and left the city, quickly retreating to Denmark. The Danish volunteers had abandoned the cause!
The situation grew worse for the German Royal faction, as the tell tale signs of a military offensive began to appear. Despite large numbers of defectors, deserters, refugees, and political dissidents all converging on Hamburg, the Kingdom of Germany found itself scrambling for troops everywhere and anywhere. Scores of deserters, militia, bands of students and workers, and even simple peasant farmers were armed and began hastily making defense works of the city. However, they were too late. Following the Danish retreat, the city was bombarded by German artillery for 2 days and 2 nights. Hundreds, if not thousands of civilians perished in the storm of shells. The attack soon followed, with Communist infantry storming the city, aided by newfangled armored vehicles and even prototype German tanks! Resistance was quickly crushed, and the defenders easily dispersed. The city and the region has fallen back into the hands of Communist Germany! The Communist forces took only 20 thousand casualties while the defenders of Hamburg took roughly 50 thousand casualties. How many of those were civilians is unclear.
The cabinet and "king" of Germany were not found however. Some say they escaped the city by boat, while others say they escaped on land. Others say that they escaped into the country side where they hide with conspirators or those sympathetic to their cause. The hunt continues.
Not all engagements are Communist victories however. On the Eastern Front, a series of Russian offensives shook the Communist front lines, threatening to crumple the entire front. In West Prussia, a huge artillery duel took place, killing men by the hundreds as a monsoon of shells fell upon the battlefield. For 15 days and 15 nights, Russian and German artillery battered each others' front lines, the poor sods on the ground helplessly awaiting the end of the artillery duel. Following 2 weeks of constant bombardment, the guns fell silent. Dead silent. Men from both sides felt a glimmer of hope arise. Why have the guns stopped? Is this it? A ceasefire must have been called. The war must be over!
The war, unfortunately, was not over. Merely the prelude to a massive offensive had ended. The Russians quickly composed themselves and launched a massive offensive and the entire front, pushing with great elan. Teams of Storm troopers made short work of the Communist defenses, blowing small gaps into the trench lines that were quickly exploited. Flamethrowers, now a common sight on the battlefields of Europe, burned men alive in their fortifications as the battle progressed. The Germans found themselves being overwhelmed at many points. However time was not on the side of the Russians, who were unable to capitalize on their gains by the month's end. A few kilometres were gained, at a very high cost. The Russian Army took 59 thousand casualties while the German Army took roughly 65 thousand casualties.
Further south, another Russian offensive was tearing apart the German front lines, also equally troubled by time constraints. Following yet another 15 day long artillery bombardment, the Russian Army rushed forward with great elan. Despite dirty mountain combat, the Russians managed to overwhelm the German frontline at many key points. Fortunately for the Germans, time was also not on the side of the Russians. The offensive was a minor success, with the Russians taking 89 thousand casualties and the Germans taking 119 thousand casualties, many from desertion or capture on both sides. All for a few kilometres of land.
A potentially disastrous diplomatic situation has occurred in the Baltic Sea. Following the movement of German ships from the Skaggerak to the Baltic Sea in preparation for the bombardment of West Pomerania, Communist Ships found themselves exceptionally close to the trade lanes of the Baltic Sea. Indeed, some minor but tense encounters between German ships and foreign trade vessels were reported. However, on May 9th a major incident occurred: a Swedish merchant ship travelling through the Baltic Sea was stopped by Communist ships. Following failure to comply with German orders to halt, the Swedish ship was noted to have increased speed and began fleeing. The German formation gave chase, and in an attempt to stop the fleeing vessel fired a warning shot over the deck of the Swedish vessel. What happened next remains a mystery. Some say orders were confused, or that it was the fault of overzealous sailors looking for a fight. Whatever the case might have been, the Swedish ship was struck by scattered and sporadic fire from German guns. Before the confusion could be cleared and the firing stopped, the Swedish ship, with a mighty roar, spectacularly blew up! An shell must have hit its mark dead on, as a small explosion was followed by the utter and total destruction of this poor merchant vessel. The circumstances remain unclear as to how this situation happened. One thing is clear though: this incident marks a great stain on already tense Swedish-German relations. With an increasing amount of Swedish naval activity in the region, this small event might be the catalyst for Sweden's entry into the German Civil War...
The final bit of news to come from the German Civil War comes from the Western coast of Germany. Despite the presence of a large number of German ships in the area, British ships continue to congregate and loiter in the region. A drastic increase in naval activity in the area has been noted by German intelligence. Whether this is just British intimidation or sign of a possible military intervention remains unknown.
