(Authors note): This will probably be my last "Describing massive operations in annoying verbose detail" chapter, and I just wanna say these are my favorite to make.
In the late evening hours of August 27th, 1945, the final go-ahead signal was given for Operation Runningback to begin. nearly 3,600 transport and tug aircraft, covered by 1,100 fighters, of which a third were jets, took off from Germany and the Low Countries. To cover what would be by the largest airborne operation in history, 900 bombers of various type and nationality would bomb cities in the Balkans and Baltic. The few BT night fighters were rapidly overwhelmed, and many daytime fighters took off to escape the fight and were picked off. So clear was the airspace through which the armada of transports flew through, that only three were lost in transport, all to mechanical problems.
The better part of four American, one British, and nearly a division worth of Polish and French airborne units were dropping in Northeast Germany, 36,000 men, and nearly 100 locust airborne tanks were arriving, the winds were calm and steady as predicted, the cloud cover space. With so little enemy opposition, the pilots were mostly able to find their drop zones, and the paratroopers were free to jump. Infantry forces reached the ground with twice the accuracy as Normandy, and 98% intact, as did all but two tanks.
A number of small or disused airports were siezed in the first 12 hours, and 200 more heavy transports dropped more supplies, as well as the last regiment of paratroopers. This so called "First Air-Grenadier Regiment" was a new British innovation. Heavily armed with anti-tank weapons and even light artilery, the united was expected to fight as well as a regular infantry regiment. The Number of BT soldiers in the total drop area was 26,000, but 90% of these troops were just military police, and many of the rest were technical personel or walking wounded.
By morning, 21 airfields had been overrun, with 1,500 enemy aircraft being destroyed, with some being flown back to friendly lines. Most Russian positions were either driven away, captured, or wiped out in coordinated attacks. 200 German partisans, acting on secret orders from TAAT, mounted sneak attacks on several local HQ and communication centers, scattering the enemy further. By noon, 400 more aircraft had landed and left, which also evacuated the 800 wounded. The first objective was to consolidate and capture Prenzlau, which was achieved by evening of the 28th.
The second objective was to both hold agaist the expected surge of Soviets from Berlin, and to attempt to take the Baltic coast at Sczcecin. This would cut off the rail supplies of millions of BT soldiers, and hopefully force Zhukov to send forces away from Leipzig, which was still holding. Many soldiers still considered this a suicide mission, as even if they did succeed they'd have to hold out against the horde of Russians retreating East. While TAAT did have every intention of evacuating the units they'd landed, they acknowledged that caualties would be "Severe".
Zhukov didn't pull anyone from Leipzig, but did pull their reinforcements, as well as any troops he could find, to try and take out the paratroopers. Meanwhile the night of the 28th, 4,000 regular troops were landed by airstrip, who also brought a large surplus of ammo. The early attacks were repulsed, but losses mounted. More partisans began attacks, tying down more Soviet units. However as the rail supply situation took effect, the Red Army retreated from exposed positions, even beginning to pull out of Lübeck. In Leipzig, heavy air attacks finally forced the tattered units there to rout, and the ruins of the city were secure by the 30th.
Over the next few days, the situation of the soviet position was whittled down, casualties mouted. The paratroopers were on the verge of collapse, and they were poised to be crushed by Soviet armor. Still with the threat of the whole Northern Front collapsing, Stalin requested a meeting with Zhukov on the 2nd of September, the same day Finland joined TAAT, and Yugoslavia turned coat...