The disastrous 1942 campaign has terribly weakened Yugoslavia: Lower Bulgaria has been conquered by the British, hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been killed, wounded or taken prisoners, the crucial city of Budapest is lost, thousands of tanks and guns destroyed. With the nation on the brink of disaster, our comrades of the Second International came to our help: the Eire has started shipping tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles; the Zairian League is providing shipping and naval escorts to this stream of reinforcements, as well as entire shiploads of artillery guns and ammunition.
Meanwhile, the British have consolidated their holdings, building a railroad from Kirkwall to Varna that supplies their stronghold in the heart of Bulgaria. From there, their armies keep pushing toward Plovdiv and further north. With the entire front in constant risk of collapsing, it’s crucial the Irish troops are sent to the first line as soon as possible, but they are not ready yet.
Coordinating two different armies won’t be easy. Compromises must be found, and the coordination must be tested thoroughly. This small operation will be a test: The XXXII Pešadija Korpus has been ordered to attack two towns in a secondary front to draw away British troops from Varna. For the occasion, the Irish 7th Meichnithe Division has been sent to assist the attack. Unfortunately, they will respond directly to the Joint Operations’ Command, like us. Coordination will be atrocious, and the Irish commander is a renown hothead that will likely charge ahead hunting for glory. Keeping them alive will be hard, but necessary.
4/7/1943
The battle plan is straightforward: the Irish will surely attack toward Madhzarovo, so we have to do the same to avoid them being quickly isolated. A single Regiment of the 33rd Pešadija Division will hold its position to protect our supply route while the rest of the Korpus will follow the Irish.
5-8/7/1943
Madzharovo is defended by the British 41st Infantry Division and a Support Guns Regiment, but they can’t hope to hold for long, and by the 8th of July they are decimated and routed. The enemy’s 71st Motorized Division, however, rushes forward to stop our advance; extensive minefields force the 36th, 33rd and part of the 39th Pešadija Divisions to advance through the forests. A Regiment of the 37th Pešadija Division has tried to flank the British positions, but the river crossings are mined, too.
British bombers hit our artillery, but Irish Interceptors rush to our defense.
