Weather: The chill Siberian wind mixes with hotter air moving in from Turkey and Clears the south but turning the light snow covering in the Crimea to a muddy slush. Elsewhere low temperatures and snow persist.

Army of Norway: The Axis start to dig in and fortify the flanks of the coastal road at Lakselv. At the south end the isolated 3-8 mtn reg pulls back north out of isolation.

AGN: A newly arrived 5-6 inf moves into the line near Riga as mobile reserves and a rocket regiment add to the defence in an effort to contain the Soviet drive. At the East of the front despite harassment from the air the line pulls back 16 miles to shorted and reinforce the defence.

AGC:  Mogilev and Gomel are evacuated as troops move out of exposed redoubts. South of Gomel armour and infantry divisions form up in front of the advancing Soviet Tank Corps’ to bar the way West and give time for the units of AGS to cross the Dnieper.

AGS: As per the Fuhrerdirective Kharkov is reinforced and ordered to hold. Otherwise orders are given for a general evacuation and troops which have held fast on the Kharkov line for months move back west with only a light screen remaining to stall any pursuit.

Further south the action is repeated at Stalino but south of the city a slow-moving group along the Azov Sea coast runs the risk of encirclement.

Rostov is supplied by air as it faces its second turn of isolation.

In the Crimea SS 3TK breaks out of encirclement but it takes the full weight of the SS armour, two Rumanian division also trapped with it, and the engineer regiment and eastern forces outside the pocket to eliminate the 2-6* Marine barring the way West. The marine has both naval and air support and so every JU88a in range flies to aid the attack. The 4:1 is fortunate to get a high roll and eliminates the Marines. Confident that the Soviet Supply difficulties that came with the warming weather will allow the Rumanians to hold the isthmus fort unaided the SS exploits to contain the Soviet landings to their south and west.

Air Combat: The single Axis attack requires the support of all the long-range bombers in the south. The JU87 force concentrates on DAS across the whole battlefield and in the north long-range bombers are also instructed to support the troops on the ground.

A FW190 protects the JU52s suppling Rostov from interference by downing a P39N. A second P39N does penetrate the screen but runs for home in disgrace after a desultory burst of MG fire fails to inflict any damage on the stream of JU52s.

Meanwhile at the other end of the line near Riga an interception mission is sent packing when a pair of Ju87Ds and their Me109G escort on a DAS mission eliminate a Hurricane 10 and Pe39N.

Combat Report

Attacks = 1
Losses; Axis = 0 but numerous forts evacuated. Air = 0.
Soviet = 2.  Air = 3.