Battle for Munich

Combatants| * The Imperium
	+ 3rd Imperial Storm Division
	+ 4th Imperial Storm Division
	+ 6th Imperial Storm Division
	+ 7th Imperial Storm Division
	+ 18th Imperial Guards Division (Second Force)
	+ Waffen-SS
	+ Munich Militia

Commanders| * General Horst Boesch (Imperial Storm Corps)
* General Friedrich Fromm (Imperial Army)
* Air Marshall Johannes Steinhoff (Imperial Air Force)
* Oberkommando München

Strength| 40,000 Imperial Stormtroopers

Casualties| Heavy

* est. 15,000 - 20,000 Stormtroopers
* 3,565 Guardsmen

* est. 49,000 Fighters
* Nazi Underground South Command

Over 100,000 Civilian Deaths

The **Battle for Munich** was a Great Battle fought by The Imperial Forces (Largely from the Imperial Storm Corps) and the Nazi Underground from the 12th of August 1953 to the 2nd of September 1953 during The Grand Imperial Offensive. The Battle is highly regarded as The Imperium's "**Most Bloody Battle**" due to the high casualties sustained on either side.

4 Imperial Storm Divisions and One Imperial Guards Division would make up the 50,000 Assault Force facing off against roughly 50,000 Nazi and SS Fighters. The Battle would be a resounding Imperial Victory and would see the end of Nazi Control in Southern Imperius and Himmler's retreat into hiding which would help the Imperial Army win the Nazi Insurrections.

## History

### Prelude

After the Second Nazi Uprisings from the 20th September 1945 to the 19th April 1950, The Imperial Army needed to counter attack and launched the Grand Imperial Offensive with the Liberation of Nuremberg on the 17th November 1950. Nuremberg saw a complete decimation of the weakened and stretched Nazi Defenders and the Imperial Forces moved onto Stuttgart. On the 1st January 1951, Stuttgart was Sieged and the Nazis destroyed. The Imperial Army had dropped and form of compassion or respect for Civilians and now were set on destroying Nazism. The Offensive was a one-sided massacre for The Nazis. In Nuremberg and Stuttgart alone, 70,000 Militia Fighters were killed.

After this, the Imperial Charge turned North to Hamburg and the Northern Cities which had fallen. This was a sigh of relief for the Munich Occupiers who fortified their positions and conscripted more men as Militia Forces. Munich had been controlled by the Underground since 1940 and had become the De-facto Capital of the Underground, with Himmler living and largely commanding the City Garrisons.

On the 10th August 1953, Underground Fighters located an Imperial Assault Force heading toward Munich and warned the Waffen-SS in Munich who informed Himmler.

### Battle

The 7th Imperial Storm Division led the vanguard of the assault followed by the 3 Other ISD's. General Boesch, a leading Officer in the Storm Corps, refused to siege Munich and decided to full frontally assault the city. The 7ISD took a lot of casualties in the first assault and would be repelled before the 3rd,4th and 6th could join the fight.

The Imperial Forces then attempted a Second Assault on the 16th August which saw Imperial Stormtroopers breach in several sectors of the Outer Defences but failed to take the full defensive line. During the attempts to capture the Outer Defences, Nazi Militia Forces continued to assault the Imperial Forces who had already occupied key defensive positions in the Outer Line. By now, some 8,500 Stormtroopers had been killed and 10,000 NU Fighters.

The 3rd Assault came on the 18th August to retake the rest of the Outer Defence and encircle Munich. The NU Defenders on the Outer Line were beginning to tire and on the 17th of August some Forces were withdrawn to inner defensive positions. The 6th ISD managed to defeat the last remaining NU Defence in the Early Hours of the 19th. Munich had been surrounded.

On the 20th, General Friedrich Fromm of the Imperial 4th Army contacted General Boesch to inform him that the 18th Imperial Guards Division and himself will be arriving to assist in the Capture of Munich. Boesch was said to be angry at the fact the Imperial Army were trying to take away the Glory of the Victory but was grateful for the support of the 18th Guards who could bolster the thin ISD Line around Munich.

Boesch and Fromm met on the 21st of August to discuss a final assault to capture the Centre of Munich. They enlisted the assistance of the local 181st Strategic Bomber Wing of The Imperial Airforce to bomb Munich to weaken the defence of the city. On the 22nd, Operation Eagle Rain began and 100 Ju-287 Jet Bombers began bombing Munich. Op ER would last from the 22nd to 30th of August and around 22,304 NU Fighters would be killed and around 60,000 Civilians would be killed.

After the Bombing Campaign, the final push began on the 31st of August. The 36,000 strong Imperial Force faced up against the remaining 17,000 NU Fighters. Himmler ordered the "Death before Retreat" Order and was determined to repel the attack. The Imperial Wave crashed into the Weak NU Defences and overwhelmed the NU Fighters who had to retreat after retreat. The Resistance was over and Munich was crushed.

In the Nazi Central Command Base, Himmler and 1,000 SS Guards extracted from the City and were forced into hiding. Himmler didn't want to leave Munich but his officers convinced him they could reach Warsaw and continue the War.

On the 2nd of September, The Imperial Flag was finally raised above Munich and the Battle was over.

## Aftermath

The Battle of Munich was a slaughter for either side. Around 23,000 Imperial Men died with most of these being Imperial Stormtroopers and 49,000 NU Fighters would be killed, 98% of their Men who fought. The worst loss was suffered by the Innocent Civilians of Munich. The True Number of these deaths is unknown but estimated as over 100,000. Munich would be remembered as The Imperium's "**Most Bloody Battle**".

Despite the Casualties, The Battle of Munich was an Imperial Victory. Munich was the Political Capital of The Underground and it's loss was a Great Moral Defeat for The Nazi Underground as well as a Great Moral Boost for the Imperial Army who now had to only focus on the Eastern Resistance. Munich was seen as the Hub of the Underground as well due to the fact that most supplies that the NU Fighters receive would have come from Munich. This loss of Supply Chains significantly weakened the NU Fighters in Poland.

The Fall of Munich also meant the Imperium had achieved complete control of Southern Imperius, paving the way for the end of the war.