Narrative
Again the Soviets are reminded that the German forces are as slippery as an eel when it comes to trapping them in any net as the northern and part of the central pocket breakout to freedom. However the freedom for some is short lived as the Soviet Steamroller threatens to crush them or sweep them off the map. The German line is now pressed against the western map edge and this turn sees the defence fracture as the Soviets reach the west edge in two more places.
Turn Report
Arctic Front: (1 attack) Supply difficulties hamper the Soviet forces but more troops are landed on the beach lodgement between the MLR and the Narvik defenders. All Soviet airpower is directed to softening up the increased Luftwaffe presence but the airbase attacks result in not a single effective hit. Deprived of airpower no other attacks are possible but the Navy provides massive gun support to an attack on Hammerfest from the Soviet lodgement on the southern end of the island and the garrison finaly surrenders. This is the German last outpost east of the MLR.
Belorussian Front:
(8 attacks). The relentless push along the coast continues and the river-line is crossed in front of Danzig. Parallel attacks spaced along the front to the south reach the Map edge at Hex 2832.
The slower units from the northern pocket and the deliberate spoiling force left in their wake are all eliminated but limit the Soviet advance north of Warsaw. A particular failing is a 5:1(-1) attack against fortified hex North West of the city which resists a massive armoured assault and will not be dislodged (NE).
South of the city however another crossing is made of the Vistula widening the bridgehead and closing the gap between the western bank forces and the southern suburbs of the city.
Ukraine Front:
(4 attacks). More of the same here as the forces press the beleaguered defenders. The Western map is reached at point 4733 by attackers pushing in from the Lvow and Lublin directions. With the map edge already reached in northern Hungary this traps a group in a one hex deep 80-mile-wide section of front without a rail line and so no means of escape.
Steppe Front:
(4 Attacks). With much of the Soviet forces in supply difficulties a mixed set of results from a few low odds attacks pushes a couple more hexes into the interior plains and widens the West edge lodgement in the northern tip of the country. The out of supply Soviet tank forces in the extreme south can do little but slowly move north into the remaining part of Nazi controlled Rumania but are still many miles from any Axis forces with which to engage.
Air Combat:
A few air support missions draw a massed German response and cost a few aircraft but all achieve their aim of bumping the odds to favourable columns. Only one DAS mission is needed in which a Tu25s is lost to German interception. With very little lateral movement possible anyway the Soviets decide not to expose their aircraft to unnecessary interception and carry out a large re-organisation operation transferring aircraft to optimal airfields for the final month’s push.
Combat Report
Attacks = 17
Losses: Soviet = 10, Air= 4.
Axis: Forts = 4, FAs = 1, German = 67