Turn Report

Weather: Warm air moves north changing the Arctic to mud. In the south the first buds of spring arrive in the Crimea as the skies clear and the ground hardens (Clear).

The two Rumanian division trapped on the sandbar in the Crimea become U4. Both survive the Isolation elimination roll.

Army of Norway: No activity but at Konigsberg Transports are loaded with combat engineers and Res Pts to reinforce the defensive perimeter.

AGN: All forces fall back in front of the Soviet thrust from Riga. A Truck convoy supplying the left flak tries to escape south but is constantly Harried from above by the VVS which slows progress to a crawl.

The Axis decide to try and hold at Minsk and have strong Panzer forces to do so to the NW of the city.  The line south of the City relies as much on the Soviets’ lack of troops and supplies as much as their own resources to hold but the defenders welcome the arrival a rebuilt 5-7-6 to stiffen the line.

AGC: North of Kiev the flanking panzers either side of the hole in the line created by the demise of the engineering stack pull back and a light division joins them to fill the gap.

AGS: The Soviet bridgehead south of Cherkassy is unassailable so a ring of steel is thrown around it to contain the threat.

The Poltava pocket with no chance of rescue sits tight in defiance of the Soviet forces ranged around it. The German mobile forces with no hope of rescuing the trapped divisions pull back over the Dnieper. Only a solitary 10-10 pz gren remains hugging the East bank.

The Crimea sees the only Axis attacks this turn as 3TK and 9L infantry try to break out north. A rescue mission by a combined German and Hungarian relief force is launched down the road from Kherson to try to regain the narrow neck of the peninsular and a 2-6* Marine is eliminated.  However due to conflicting and confused orders 3TK and 9L infantry attack East towards the rail causeway. Fortunately, re-directed air cover arrives in time to assist the attack which retreats the 2-6* Marine defender allowing the German force to advance to the south end of the causeway. In exploitation 3TK drives over the causeway to the Fort and combat engineer securing the northern end of the causeway.

Air Combat: 22 points of air cover are provided to assist the attack of 3TK which leaves AGS short of DAS along the Dnieper, but it is considered a price worth paying to rescue the SS unit. The air bridge to Kharkov again ferries supplies to the city.

In the centre and north all air power is directed to DAS. Some interceptions are made by the VVS but without significant incident. In one encounter a pair of Yak 9s operating at extreme range only have fuel for one pass against a pair of unescorted Ju88As who survive the encounter without adverse effect.

Combat Report:

Attacks 2.
Losses Axis = 0. Soviet = 2.