Note: The realization of Sea Ice rule came after the Narrative Introduction to this player turn was written. I thought I would keep it anyway even though it no longer relates directly to a current in- game action and so “In a universe far, far away …“
Narrative
Ilyich Potemkin Vassilevski treated himself to a short respite from his forward watch station on the top of the flagship Archangelsk. He lowered his binoculars from his tired eyes and let them hang around his neck. He patted his hands together, vigorously rubbed them and then placed them into his arm pits clenching them tightly for added warmth. He had been in the Arctic on patrol for many years in the Soviet Navy and had seen at first hand the debilitating effects of frostbite on human tissue. It was an insidious despoiler of flesh and a constant threat to the extremities.
As might be discerned from his name, which had been a source of embarrassment to him and amusement to the school bullies; his father had been both a proud member of the Communist Party and a naval man in equal measure and Ilyich had naturally followed in his father’s footsteps.
The hoarfrost on his fur-lined hood was white and rigid circling his face and giving the impression he was being consumed by some giant shark. His breath hung white in the air for a second before dispersing – it was a cold night. Having gained the tiniest of circulation in his fingers he once again placed the binoculars to his eyes and scanned the horizon. Their mission was without doubt one of the most dangerous they had undertaken; and he had been with the ship since its commissioning into the Soviet navy three and a half months ago at the Polyarny yard, Murmansk.
They had entered the fjord in the middle of the night, engines at minimum revolutions, moving slowly and silently. His comrade’s whispers of depth soundings a constant background as they navigated the dangerous waters. As morning approached the inky blackness resolved itself to reveal dark, still waters entombed by sheer mountains either side rising thousands of feet above them.
Something caught his eye; he centred his view upon the intrusion into the blackness and strained to resolve an image. There! a flicker of light on the mountains high above and in front of him. It was quickly extinguished under his gaze. He imagined some enemy squaddie was now feeling the wrath of his superior, daring to show a light while attempting to gain some warm as a defence against the chill morning air.
Approaching their station the engines were cut and they slowly glided to a halt. They dropped anchor. Although heavily muffled and handled with great care every clank of every chain link seemed to Ilyich to be deafeningly loud and likely to bring death and destruction down upon them at any moment. The anchors slipping through the icy waters sent ripples spreading out in ever widening circles until they reached the shore and then reflected back towards the boat where they lapped against the steel hull.
They had left a picket line behind them at the mouth of the fjord that should catch any enemy submarine attempting to enter the fjord and he hoped that there were not any already in the fjord and that the patrol boats that had been sent in earlier had not missed one lurking in the in the inky blackness.
Ilyich’s eyes were not the only of his senses straining into the darkness. His ears were turned to detect the sound of aircraft overhead but so far it appeared they had evaded detection.
Then, he heard a drone in the murky greyness of the approaching dawn. Immediately his binoculars and those of comrades at the other watch stations along the length of the ship were trained towards the same spot in the sky. The aircraft passed without incident moving East to West. A friendly on patrol? or an enemy returning from a night mission; too tired or too eager to return home and not paying much attention to the fjord below. Either way it did not deviate from its course. It appeared they were safe, for the moment.
Ilyich checked his watch; any moment now. Then at the appointed time three flares arched into the sky from the base of the mountains directly ahead of them. This was their queue. Illich pressed his hands over his ears and opened his mouth. In that second the mighty guns from the ship roared into life the sound echoing and reverberating around the fjord; growing in intensity, curving inwards and around the ship to almost intolerable levels of sound and fury.
The flash from the gun muzzles lit up their position like a Roman candle. This was the most dangerous time, only a deaf and blind observer would be unaware of their presence in the Fjord. Any moment now he feared to see, in the early morning light, waves of enemy aircraft bearing down on their position. He knew they would have little defence against an attack in the narrow fjord. They could not manoeuvre even if at speed but they were anchored and would be a sitting duck; trapped and practically helpless. But either due to surprise, the enemy’s lack of fuel or confusion, the skies remained clear.
Ilyich was gratified to see the peaks of the mountain above them explode in a cacophony of fire and destruction. Trees and rocks crashed down into the fjord ahead of them sending waves racing towards the ship, but they were to far away for any debris to hit them. The cannons spewed their rain of fire for 10 more minutes until falling silent. As the echo died even from this distance Illich heard the cry of many Russian voices as they surged forward to cross the frozen river and climb the pine clad slopes in front of them. The attack had begun and the chance of success was considerably enhanced by the pounding they had given the enemy.
Now they must make steam and reach open water as soon as possible.
Anchors up! Full steam ahead!
Turn Report
Arctic Front: (1 attack) Air cover and frozen rivers allow the Soviets to have another crack at the Axis MLR at the pinch point which has proved so resilient in fending off previous attacks. This time however it breaks under pressure and the Soviets charge up the slopes to take the high ground. This central push allows them to dominate the mountain ridge and split the German forces. The Axis will have no option to withdraw in the new year and allow the Soviets to link up with the Bardufoss enclave and then move on to Narvik.
The last Turn in Norway, Dec II Soviet Attacks
Belorussian Front:
(8 attacks). Attacks further reduce Axis presence in the north as more hexes are taken and more Western map edges “liberated”. 16-10 HG is reduced by direct assault and a second panzer xx suffers the same fate.
The Soviet attempt for glory and Automatic Victory last turn now comes back to haunt them because they gained no further frontage to the twin city hexes of Warsaw and are now confronted with the same limited avenues of assault but against a fully prepared and reinforced enemy. Again air power is massed against the city and large air formations suffer massive losses but fail to nudge the odds into a safe ratio. The two attacks are nevertheless run again against the East and West city hexes but at 1.5:1 and 1:1(-1) results are predictably ineffective. 9th army attempting to assault the Western hex over the river from the south is thrown back although mobile units soon recover and retake lost ground. A prepared assault against the eastern hex also ends in failure with a largely ineffective artillery bombardment failing to dislodge or dispirit the well ensconced defenders.
Ukrainian Front;
(7 attacks) To the south of Warsaw attacks continue against the group of units clinging to a two, and is some cases, one hex strip along the western map edge.
The rump in Slovakia is eliminated.
The Eastern Front at the end of December 1944
Steppe Front:
(5 attacks). The Hungarians come under increasing pressure as supply reaches the front and attacks rip into the Hungarian lines eliminating three divisions.
In the remaining bit of Rumania the advancing Tanks from the south do not attack but build up against the defending divisions and envelop them, ending the game with a two hex ZOC pocket along the southern flank.
The end of the dream of a Greater Hungary: Soviets on the pains, Dec II 1944
Air Combat: Massive battles over Warsaw prove the supremacy of the Focke Wolfe as an airframe. In all its variants it confronts the vast array of Soviet fighters and bombers. 14 Escorts attack 12 bypassing fighters. Only one is aborted.
The bombing stream however suffers 5 kills, 5 Aborts and a Return yet fails to inflict any damage on the German attackers.
Flack over the city Aborts another unit and returns two more. With only 8.5 effective points delivered the attack remains a paltry 1:1 (-1).
Combat Report
Attacks = 20
Losses:
Soviets = 15, Air = 7
Axis: Forts = 3. German = 68, FA = 1, Air = 0
ET = 2; Hungarian = 12
Total = 82.
Loss Ratio; Dec I ‘ 44 Axis/Sov = 82/21 = 3.9
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