Tag: Fire in the East (Page 1 of 16)

Normally this report would have been penned at the first non-clear turn in B or C Weather Zones but because the game was near to conclusion it made more sense to run the game through to the end. Thus this report covers the period May I ’44 to Dec II ,44.

The action divides into 3 sectors (rather than the 4 fronts), Arctic, north of the Pripet and south of the marshes:

Eastern Front 1944 Northern Sector: General Soviet thrusts and Axis pockets

The Artic Front

Here the action is a slow and steady contraction of the German line from a wide arc cantered on Kautokeino and anchored on the Swedish border and the coast near Lakelva. Over the course of the next few months this moves back with the German forces attempting a phased retreat line to the strong mountainous position at the pinch point of the Swedish northern border and the Norwegian coast. Here there is a three hex wide range of mountains set behind a river. The Germans consider this impregnable and decide to make a last stand in front of Narvik the only remaining Victory Point city in this theatre. During the phased withdrawal the Soviets make two amphibious invasions to attempt to flank German forces. The first proves generally ineffective because the front advances ahead of the Marines invasion as the Germans leapfrogged back to their next position. The second amphibious invasion attempting to flank the mountain redoubt that the Germans have established is more successful. The highlight here is a surprise attack inland which captures the airfield at Bardfloss defended only by a positional flak unit. This proves a significant move but German forces remain resolute in their defence of the mountain position and reinforcements are drawn from the main front to bolster Narvik and counter-attack the Marines. There then follows a tit for tat exchange as reinforcement add to the German forces and Soviets bring theirs in by air and beachhead. Meanwhile the Soviets advancing on the main front have advanced beyond their supply head and there is no chance of Naval supply because there are no beaches in this mountainous area so intermittent cartage or air drop is the only supplies reaching the front. Generally therefore they are forced to fight at half strength. The main Soviet strength is the fleet and substantial air force transferred into the sector which significantly increases their striking power. In November/December just as the Soviets appear to be making progress against the German’s main defences the worsening weather with sea ice traps the fleet and prevents reinforcement of the beachhead other than through Bardfloss airfield which is limited and harassed by Luftwaffe fighters who have responded to the Soviet air build up by transferring into the Arctic. Because interception does not require the expenditure of resource points they prove a useful check to Soviet air power. The last turn of the game sees the Soviets breaking through the German mountainous position helped by the frozen river in the valley to the front but this is a short-lived victory. If the game were to extend into January ‘45 the Soviet beachhead with limited supplies would almost certainly succumb to the German attacks from Narvik direction before relief arrived. Narvik therefore remains in German hands at the end of the game gaining them a victory point.

The drive through Prussia and northern Poland

Compared to the cut and thrust of the Southern Front (see below) the action here comprises a gradual grind forward by the Soviet forces pushing the Axis ever closer to the Western map edge. This sector, however, is not without its drama and witnesses the last significant German counteroffensive of the war. I’m referring to the Bialystok battles in July and August 1944. At this point in this theatre the Soviets have enjoyed some localised success with pockets forming in Kaunas where primarily German units have been reduced and eliminated. A second major thrust is driving through towards Bialystok to the West and enjoys support from advancing infantry and artillery along the northern sides of the Prypet. Axis forces see an opportunity to deal the Soviets a telling blow. The Reds have advanced a Tank army forwards but infantry support is weak in the area. The Germans use their mobility to pull all available panzer and motorized support units from the front line thinning it somewhat but forming a potent counterattacking force. This force surrounds and attacks the Russian spearhead. The result is the elimination of a full Soviet mechanised stack and the isolation of a second stack. This would be a victory in itself but the week Russian response fails to break through to the beleaguered defenders and German forces take the bold decision to continue to engage the Soviets where previously they would have fallen back to a defensive posture. This follow-up attack results in the elimination of the second Russian armoured stack. The Axis consider whether or not they should press further East but learning the lessons of the Daugavpils operation six months earlier they decide not to press their luck. Nevertheless this operation has dealt a blow to Soviet ambitions on this axis resulting in the elimination of two armoured stacks and effectively reducing their armoured presence in this sector to an ineffective force. Indeed even by games end in December this sector remains the furthest West part of the German line such is the check to the advance. This victory though proves the be the last hurrah of German forces; never again will they be able to concentrate sufficient force to take on a major soviet thrust head -to-head. The closing stages of the Soviet thrusts across the Front continue to present the Axis forces with little other than single hit-and-run type engagements.

In the closing stages German units are ground down and pushed off the map edge with the ultimate finish line giving the Germans a tiny enclave at Danzig and an finger pointing towards Bialystok as the northern extent of the last bastion of German defence; Warsaw.

The Battle for Warsaw

The battles in the south of this sector to the west of the Prypet marshes centred around the former Polish capital. It becomes clear in the closing months of the war that Warsaw holds the key to ultimate Soviet victory providing collectively three victory points of city hexes. At the beginning of this final period the Axis held the Western Bug but continued Soviet pressure causes this line to crack. Soviet forces from the north (Belorussian Front) and South (Ukrainian Front) concentrate and in a joint operation finally penetrates the German line in multiple sectors. The scale of the victory increased by an ill-advised “No Retreat” directive from the Fuhrer which traps a number of Panzer forces although some do exfiltrate to freedom and aid the defence of Warsaw. But the front shifts to the gates of Warsaw where the final battle is joined.

At this point the Soviets make a crucial decision, one that ultimately allows a victory level to slip from their grasp. They decide to aim for an Automatic Victory which requires the capture of all major city hexes on the map. In these closing stages they already own all the other city hexes (Danzig is not required) and decide to attempt a knockout blow. They realise somewhat late in the day that the Victory Conditions state that all cities must be held at the beginning of the turn and so it is not sufficient for them to capture these on December II. By now Axis forces are pressed into a small perimeter and are extremely strong in the area. They have already counter-attacked and eliminated a couple of individual tank Corps who advanced too far West and have extracted many units from a pocket in just North/East of the city. Similarly they have managed to exfiltrate a number of seemingly lost panzers from the south and all these forces fall back to form a formidable defence around Warsaw. It is a long shot but the Soviets decide in Dec I to concentrate for a cross river assault to the western bank at the same time launching an attack on the partial city hex to the East. In the event they gain neither of these hexes and subsequent attacks in December II similarly fail in their intent. With the benefit of hindsight they probably would have been better advised to concentrate on eliminating the eastern hex in December I which would have allowed them a more viable attack on Western hex in December II where they may just have seized the city; but this was not to be.

Southern Sector, Army Group South and the Ukraine

In contrast to the slow and steady advance in the North characterised by small scale encirclements by the Soviets such as at Kaunas and limited counter-attacks and extractions by the Axis. The action South of the Pripet involving Army Group South was a completely different affair. The final period of the war begins with the Soviets having a one hex lodgement on the West bank of the Dnieper and Axis-Allies and German forces holding the bend of the river Don from The Pripet around the great bend of the river to Dnepropetrovsk through to Kherson.

The opening stages witnessed the last Soviet paradrop of the war to secure the neck of the Crimean Peninsula; a joint operation with naval landings in support. More significantly this period involved swirling tank battles centred around Cherkassy as the Soviets attempted to expand their bridgehead.

First the Soviets would be ascendant gaining a number of hexes but German counter-attacks would push them back isolating spearheads and causing losses. Again the Soviets would bring more troops across the river again counter-attacking the German defender. This action continued to and fro for two months with each side becoming ascendant in rotation. Each time however the soviets gaining one or two extra hexes along the river. Ultimately however it was not south of Kiev that the decisive blow was made but north where a mistake in the German defensive perimeter allowed a single engineer regiment to be left manning a 16 mile section of front. A Soviet tank corps moving south to join the action at Cherkassy took advantage of the situation and gained a foothold across the river 30 miles north of Kiev. With no reserves in the area the Germans were unable to counter-attack this lodgement which slowly grew and expanded gaining traction with pressure from infantry units infiltrating South from the marshes. Thus German High Command had to deal with two significant lodgements across the Dnieper. It was clear at this point that the river could not be held and the far eastern section of the line around Dnepropetrovsk started to pull back harried by Soviets crossing behind them. It was now that the Soviets dealt the final blow to Army Group South by attacking North across the East-West running section of the river to the East of Kherson. Despite a heroic defence by the Hungarian and German defenders who initially repulsed the invaders with heavy losses the line finally cracked and Soviet forces poured North. This drive met the Cherkassy pincer west of Krivoy-Rog and pocketed a large section of Army Group South, primarily German and Hungarians. Indeed the bulk of the Hungarian army was encircled. Thus the scene was set for the annihilation of Army Group South. Kiev was encircled and the Soviets had powerful mobile forces to the north and south of the city while in the south Soviet tankers were pressing unopposed by any effective opposition directly west towards Odessa. Axis defensive phase lines behind the various rivers in the area were dismantled with ease. It was only when the Soviets were at the end of their supply lines and had reached the Bessarabia border and the Rumanian Home Defence Army that the headlong advance was paused. So great was the slaughter that by June when the Soviets resumed their move west the German line in front of Lvov comprised a few salvaged Panzer divisions without any significant infantry support.

The second half of the period saw the Soviet forces continuing to press forward. In front and around Lvov this advance now replicated the style of combat which had been continuing in Army Group North and AGC sectors small breakthroughs and small gains against a strengthening and concentrated defence. In the south however the headlong advance of the Soviet tankers continued into Rumania pausing slightly at the last effective Axis defensive line based around Galati. A botched amphibious landing was driven off by Axis submarines and local patrol boats and by the time the landings occurred the westward advance had carried them past the lodgement areas, thus the last significant amphibious invasion on the main front became something of an irrelevant sideshow. A reasonable fighting force of German armour had managed to extract itself into Rumania following the collapse of Army Group South swirling battles continued as the German forces tried to extract themselves and at the same time inhibit and damage the Soviet spearheads. With the bulk of the Rumanian Army eliminated the defence around Bucharest was pitifully inadequate to prevent the inevitable occupation of the city. Axis presence was eliminated south of the Hungarian border.

(As a political aside the Soviets decided to refuse Rumanian offers of peace calculating that a’s change of allegiance with the hand them Bucharest on a plate in the event Rumanian decided to stand fast with their German overlords and continued the fight to the bitter end. This decision cost the Soviets dearly because they continued to operate on extended supply lines to the western borders of Romania thus placing the majority of Steppe Front mobile assets out of supply in winter from where it was impossible to redeploy or exit the map.)

To the north the Hungarians had, with German support, made a reasonable defence of their borders but as Soviet infantry in the latter half of the year slowly built up and forced the mountain passes the war ended with a small enclave of Hungarian and German forces occupying the western part of Hungary.

Victory Assessment

It became clear some months of game time ago that the game was inevitably leading to a substantial Soviet Victory of some degree or another, although the exact scale of that was not apparent till the last few turns were played out.

The Axis were aided by the Soviet’s failure to appreciate some of the nuances of the Victory Conditions. Firstly that Soviets exiting the map need to be supplied. This is nowhere mentioned in the Victory Condition rules but in the Exiting The Map rules so was not appreciated until the Soviets had over committed in Rumania where changing weather stranded a large tank army which could not exit the map to gain the victory shift and was moribund out of supply in mud and could not reposition to northern Hungary where they may been able to bludgeon through the mountains and exit there.

Secondly the Automatic Victory Conditions have to be achieved at the start of a turn, not by an end game assessment. Consequently this needs to be achieved at the start of Sov Dec II turn.

Thus in Nov the Soviets had to make a decision; Do they play towards a standard Decisive Victory by capturing 2 more city points (Warsaw West because Narvik was unassailable) or go for an Automatic win by capturing the whole of the city and thus controlling all major city hexes. In the end they decide upon the very low odds chance of an Automatic by making 4 low odds city assaults against a well dug in defender. This failed and effectively robbed themselves of the chance of a Decisive victory by gaining Warsaw East on Dec I and having a better chance against Warsaw West in Dec II.

At game end the Axis held 4 points worth of cities (Narvik and All of Warsaw) which translates as a Substantive victory for the soviets. They also had Force Ratio shift for Military Superiority well in excess of the requires 3:1 with a whopping 6.7:1. This gave them a Substantive +1 victory (Decisive)

As an aside I wonder how players rank the victory levels between city points and shifts. I have taken it to be that a victory level is the same no matter how achieved but at the top of the table it is possible to shift up to 2 further levels. Therefore the levels seem to me to be: Marginal, Substantive, Decisive, (either by pure city points, shifts or a combination of both) Decisive +1, Decisive +2, Automatic.

I feel the situation on the ground warranted a better than Decisive for the Soviets. With so few Axis surviving in such a small area a better organised Soviets could have achieved Decisive + 1 by gaining a shift by exiting the map. That is not to belittle the spirited defence of the city by the battered and decimated Axis forces that denied the Soviets the coveted Automatic Victory and held them to a Decisive Victory.

Game Overview June I 41 – Dec II 44

The initial Axis strategy was a for a direct lunge towards Moscow and did not include any moves towards Leningrad. The southern area of the Ukraine east of the Dnieper River was to be taken by default but there was no strategic objective other than a view that Rostov was to be taken at some point to anchor the southern flank. The Axis were able to briefly isolate Moscow in the initial attack which was out of supply for one turn before the rains and increasing Soviet resistance forced a retreat of the German mobile forces west of the Moscow/Tula line. In the winter the Soviets took advantage of the retreat to fortify the Moscow-Tula defences and this line was never subsequently breached by German forces. It formed a dumbbell shaped bulwark against further advances East in the sector. To the north of Moscow the stop line was the Volga canal.

The Soviet Winter counteroffensive had the grand aim of reaching Smolensk from south of Tula and from the overhang of the Axis lines along the Pskov/Dno line. The northern drive made good initial headway against a thin German infantry line but ran out of steam north of Vitebsk. The lager drive east from south of Tula also made initial gains capturing Kursk and reaching a hastily fortified line north around Kharkov but was halted by Axis resistance and the end of the winter. The combined offensive caused damage to the Axis but within a few months of clear weather the Front line was pushed back towards the initial start line.

Exploiting weakness in the Soviet defences around Kalinin the Germans pressed through and strove towards the Vologda in an operation code named “Meat Grinder”. This was seen as vital strategic crossroad occupation of which would place all of Leningrad and Arctic Front forces out of supply and would facilitate the eventual destruction of the northern third of Soviet troops and free Finish forces to participate on the main front to a greater degree.

Frustratingly German forces were unable to reach the ultimate prize of Vologda although came within 32 miles of their objective and for two non-consecutive turns Leningrad and all forces in the north were placed at U-1.

This drive to the north was complimented by a secondary 1942 offensive towards Rostov the aim of which was the capture of the city and the bend of the Don River. This was never intended to be an attempt at a conquest of Stalingrad or the Caucasus. Indeed this drive was intended to draw Soviet Tank reserves and forces away from the main attack in the north. This southern offensive code named as Fishhook as it was to hook around the Soviet defences along the Stailno line towards Rostov. Initial battles caused large losses on the Soviet defenders and pockets were formed but after an initial engagement much of the Soviet armour was withdrawn East.

Fishhook achieved its objectives capturing Rostov and the bend of the river which was subsequently occupied by Rumanian and Hungarian forces and which with German support formed a good bulwark for the next 18 months against Soviet forces. However an ill judged and half-hearted attempt to sever the rail line south of Stalingrad and a move to encircle Rostov south of the Don drew German forces too deep into Soviet territory and embroiled them in battles which bogged them down in the south. The severely hampered their ability to disengage and undermined the aim of the offensive that was to tie up more Soviet tanks than Axis panzers who were therefore not able to provide the extra push needed to secure the northern objective of Meatgrinder. To that degree the operation failed and was a classic case of the unwise strategy of having two divergent objectives.

Despite this Meatgrider came so very close to securing its objectives. However it would be unfair to place the entire failure on poor Axis strategy. Soviet defences proved resolute and in particular an early decision to give no ground north of Moscow proved to be a key element of the successful defence. The fortified line running north along the East bank of the Volga canal system was breached just north of the city and a small German force advanced. However no fort was voluntarily abandoned and this German force was cut off. It battled East and did link with comrades further north but yet more panzers were tied up for no effective gain. Indeed the Soviet counterblow when it came exploited the weakness in the German line following the turmoil of this secondary action and hoarded armour struck northwest across the canal and eventually sealed the fate of the German northern forces.

In the retreat that followed the German swerpunkt lost most of its artillery, a blow from which the German forces never fully recovered. Soviet forces were pressing down from the north simultaneously, squeezing the Axis from north and south. Eventually the Soviets were paused slightly at the original German jump off point at Kalinin.

During this period Soviet forces were less active in the south and were consciously hoarding their strength for a fair-weather offensive in 1943 designed to replicate in essence their failed winter 41 offensive. In the south Axis forces still holding the bend of the Don launched an offensive diving between Stalingrad and Voronezh This ran out of steam and good weather before cutting off the south from the north but did gain the Axis ownership of Voronezh. This was a pyric victory because just as the Germans gained ownership the Soviets launched their 1943 summer Offensive.

Throughout the winter and despite Axis pressure at Voronezh the Soviets had carefully hoarded tank and mechanised strength including all the upgraded tank units and specifically the Guards Tank and most artillery corps.

The attack when launched gained the Soviets the Strategic initiative that carried them ultimately to the gates of Warsaw.

The initial attacks hit a strong fortified Axis line behind rivers for much of its length south of Moscow and then across open steppe to the newly conquered Voronezh and then along the Don. North of Moscow the line extends from Kalinin then east/West to Pskov and Narva. During the period above the Axis hold on Moscow itself has slipped from 5 hexes to 2.

After a few turns of resistance the river line south of Moscow was breached in a number of places and then followed many turns of Panzer groups acting as fire brigades attacking and holding any bridgeheads west of the river. Inevitably the infantry support was stripped away and the German forces were increasingly unable to form sufficient reserves to continue this defence as more and more mobile units are pulled into the front line. South of Tula a large bulge developed extending to Kursk and running East/West to Voronezh. This sector saw swirling tank battled across the steppe as first the Soviets, then the Axis achieve breakthroughs, penetrations and destruction of enemy assets. Inevitably the Axis line became more and more stretched as the Soviets pushed west until the line snapped at the junction of AGC and AGS. West of Kursk the gap opened up and Soviets poured through. Trying to maintain a good defence around Kharkov the Axis were slow to react. The dilemma for AGS was when to evacuate the Don river defence line. The effective ¼ erring of the generally weak Soviets on the front was kept in check by the Minor Axis with a leavening of German divisions but once the Don was evacuated the Soviet hoards poured over the river and were able to snipe away at the retreating Axis, first the Donets line then the Stalino line were breached and the bulk of Axis Allied forces destroyed in the retreat West. The winter weather prevented a speedy retreat and kept the forces in contact with the advancing Soviets. Sufficient forces survive to form a new defence at the Dnieper.

To the north the advance from Kursk has taken the Soviets over the Dnepr at Cherkassy where a bridged was established.

Meanwhile in the north the advance directly West from Moscow traps a large number of units south of Smolensk but AGC manages to exfiltrate most of its major assets. Nevertheless a large advance is made by the Soviets across the plains south of Smolensk. The northern Soviet prong of the attack was stalled for a long time just north of Vitebsk but the city finally falls and the two drives merge around Orsha by which time Riga has fallen and the Germans hold the river line from the coast to the Vitebsk.

The last significant Axis territory grab is now played out around Daugavpils where German forces mount a counter offensive aimed at cutting of the Soviet forces at Riga and driving to Narva. Airborne troops and armoured thrusts just fail to close the gap and having learned from 3 years of total war the Soviet response is quick a decisive. Within 2 months German units are back at their jump of points. The eastern “Battle of the Bulge” is over.

The final phase sees a constant and inevitable advance of Soviet forces to the Western map edge. Some highlights relive the pressure for the German forces such as the counterattack at Bialystok

But the relentless Western advance of the Soviets can only be temporally halted in places, barely slowed and certainly not stopped.

Meanwhile back in the south swirling tank battles destroy the cream of the Wehrmacht around Cherkassy and Kiev. The resultant collapse and annihilation of AGS brings the Soviets rapidly to the Rumanian boarders and Lvov. Here a temporary pause of a month is or so allows some regrouping as the Soviets outrun supplies and the Axis can concentrate to man the foreshortened front but soon the assaults continue apace until the fall of Bucharest and the assaults on Warsaw. The war in the East ends with the Axis having a shallow toe hold along the Western map edge.

The Arctic campaign follows a similar pace with the Finns deciding not to retake the Karelian isthmus but driving East, a decision they will later regret as the Soviets slice north to block the retreat of their eastern troops. Ever so briefly they cut the Murmansk line at the same time as Meatgrinder reaches its zenith but are then driven back by Soviet reinforcements. The Soviets decide to excise the boil and assign a number of Tank corps to a 1943 offensive into Finland which the Fins and the single panzer division in theatre are powerless to resist. In the far north German forces enjoy early successes against Murmansk and take the city but with the Finish collapse in the south and early surrender are soon harried across a wide front and forced to withdraw. The Kautokeino line holds for many months but Soviet build up is relentless and with few troops to spare Axis resistance is barely sufficient. However a withdrawal to the pinch point at the Swedish/Norwegian border holds the Soviets to the end of the game denying them the prize of Narvik.

Supporting Documentation

For those interested in such matters I have filed a spreadsheet containing the battle and loss statistics for the game. I also include a few play aids I have developed to speed/aid game play.

These comprise;

• A general crib sheet coding various rules in table form.
• A Reinforcement and Replacement sheet for each side enabling paper recording of replacements, A Rail capacities and Air force levels Chart (I find counters on the tracks can get knocked or mixed up and paper recording a more robust method)
• I also include a “Upgrade and missed OB events chart.” As presented, this is simply a grid where players can record missed conversion events and especially keep track of permissible upgrades/conversions, their cost etc. (I have dallied with the idea of typing out all such events with a check box sheet(s) but this remains a future project)

Final Commentary.

It has some months since the final dice roll and the almost daily ritual of going upstairs to the games room and playing a part or whole player turn in an evening. The game was started in April 2018 so has been a part of my life ever since with few weeks passing without a turn being played or a report written. It is certainly a very good discipline to play; knowing there is report to write and hoping there is an audience to read. I trust it has been interesting to those who have followed this AAR and that there have not been too many rules infractions. To this I am indebted to the number of you who have posted words of encouragement and have corrected me where things have gone awry. I trust therefore the play through has been an accurate reflection of a game played as designed and that few if any distortions have occurred due to rules violations. That is not to say tactics and strategies have been optimal, far from it, and there have been blunders and lost opportunities on both sides. Such are the fortunes of war.

Finally I would like to thank the designers and developers who have produced such a fine game system as Europa. FITE/SE remains my favourite East Front game, unsurpassed in elegance and flexibility. A basic system loaded with well researched detail and a just the right amount of chrome that does not subvert the basic system beneath an impenetrable morass of exceptions, special rules and complications. Europa manages to achieve its aims by game design not weight of rules. One such example is the absence of Reserve Rules. An East Front game without reserves? But play the game and you will soon find that a player who does not have a reserve to plug gaps in the defence or exploit a breakthrough will fare far worse than the player who does, no special rules just elegant design.

Thank you.

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

Last Axis turn but no end turn tactics allowed! Forces do however recognise the importance of Warsaw as a central anchor and rallying point for the defence and reinforce the city and adjacent hexes.

Weather: Snow falls in C bringing back some mobility to the main front. However Supply lines are still too stretched in the south to change the overall force dynamic in southern Hungary/Rumania.

Army of Norway:
No significant action awaiting Soviet attacks

AGN:
The last East Prussian hex receives its FA but this is not manned as the remaining forces fall back into the hex immediately East of Danzig to bar entry to the city and the Hel peninsular.

AGC:
Warsaw is packed with replacement infantry and any panzers that can reach it and adjacent hexes are reinforced. In the marrow strip of land to the south forces contract north, abandoning a fort to shorten the line. The impertinent 3-2-8 Tk brigade is eliminated.

In a separate action 4 x 4-6-6 infantry trapped in Slovakia mass against a lone cavalry XX who had reached the Western map edge – it is eliminated.

AGS:
Hungarian forces fall back into the interior as the Soviets advance Westward. From the south Soviet Armour moving up from Rumania is threatening the flanks but is so far held in check more by supply and weather rather than the two division defensive screen of Axis forces.

Air Combat:
Not much action as most Axis planes conduct DAS missions and Soviet fighters conserve their strength for the planned assault on Warsaw.

Combat Report: 2 attacks;
Losses: Soviets = 6, Air = 1

Rewrite of Arctic Front Dec I.

Reset due to realization that Sea Ice prevents all Naval activity.

Axis Dec I 1944

Army of Norway: A scarce REs Pt is expended to allow DAS over the battlefield. No attacks all forces hold their ground and await for a Soviet attack.

Soviet Dec I 1944

Arctic Front: (1 Attack)
The Soviet forces are checked by the German reinforcements and have even been forced to give up some ground. All amphibious options are blocked by troops, coastal batteries or Kriegsmarine patrol boats and subs around Narvik and increasingly dense pack ice which makes navigation impossible and confines the ships and transports to port. The Soviets therefore decide to attack west from the Bardufoss enclave to try to aid the deadlock on the main front and allow artillery and fresh troops to move up and break the Narvik defences in the new year. Accordingly the only attack is made East along the cost where supplies ferried into Bardufoss by air and GS is critical to achieving the necessary odds. A 2-6 SS infantry cadre is eliminated and the advance brings the Soviets closer to the rear of the German MLR that will be at risk of being attacked from front and rear.

Narrative

Kiev, Temporary Command HQ, Western Forces 3rd Dec 1944.

The 4 men known to each other by reputation or from many conferences before surveyed the map table in front of them.

“The Boss” began the conversation; “So, tell me gentlemen how do you propose to secure victory for us? What are your plans for the capture of Warsaw”?

The commander of Ukraine Front spoke up first. “Clearly I will take the lead in this matter. My forces are already occupying a sizable portion of the west bank of the Vistula and are driving northwards towards the western suburbs. The enemy are strong but we are confident we will be in a position to isolate the city within the month. In the meantime we have occupied the eastern and southern suburbs on the east bank of the river and with our artillery corps and assault engineers we will be able to take the eastern half by the middle of December.

Leaning over the map the commander of the Byelorussian front interjects “I think your ambition exceeds your abilities my friend. You will not be able to take the city without my help.”

He continued “Already, Boss, we have secured the northern approaches and will have cleared the eastern bank north of the city by mid-December. We will then be able to give the necessary assistance to my college to the south; the help he will assuredly need to take the western part of the city. I am confident we will have taken the city by direct assault by the end of the year” He relaxed and moved back from the map confident he had “The Boss”’s favour.

Joseph paused for a moment before exploding in rage. “Incompetent nincompoops! I should have you sent to the Gulags for your failure to observe the basic rules of Warmongering”

“Let me, instead, introduce you to my good, and trusted friend Mr Beria, you know the fellow, he runs the re-education camps for our troops. I am sure he would be honoured to have such noteworthy guests as yourselves under his care.”

Lavrentiy will you please read the Articles of War to remind these fools of its contents.”

“My pleasure, Boss. “Gentlemen please turn to page 33 of your briefing packs, I refer you to Article 37 subsection D, and I quote ““If a player owns all non-neutral major cities on the map at the START of his player turn, the game ends at that point. The player has won an automatic decisive Victory””

Stalin continues “At the START gentlemen, at the START, not at the end or sometime in the future. You MUST control all of Warsaw by the middle of the month and hold it till the end of the year.”

“I suggest now that you use the next weeks wisely and accelerate your plans to capture the city. I do not take kindly to failure.”

“Dismissed!!”.

Turn Report

Arctic Front: (1 Attack) The Soviet forces are checked by the German reinforcements and have even been forced to give up some ground. All amphibious options are blocked by troops, coastal batteries or Kriegsmarine patrol boats and subs around Narvik. They therefore decide to attack west from the Bardfloss enclave to try to aid the deadlock on the main front and allow artillery and fresh troops to move up and break the Narvik defences in the new year. Accordingly the only attack is made East along the cost where Naval Gunfire support is critical to achieving the necessary odds. A 2-6 SS infantry cadre is eliminated and the advance brings the Soviets closer to the rear of the German MLR that will be at risk of being attacked from front and rear.

Belorussian Front:
(6 attacks) The 3rd Army which has been driving west along the coast all the way from Konigsberg now hits too much resistance from the defending German forces for a one hex assault so turns inland and clears out an adjacent hex to its south. Another containing a FA falls to an adjacent assault and an 80 mile stretch of front is now at the map edge.

Soviet forces start to put the squeeze on strong German forces comprising a 4-hex row of adjacent Panzers in a small bulge north of Warsaw by attacking south along the map edge and by also driving east just north of the river confluence by Warsaw. This latter advance takes them to within one hex of the map edge preventing help for the city from the north.

A 3 hex assault is now made into the Eastern part of Warsaw but bereft of air cover which has been directed to the West bank. The attack is at 1.5:1 with engineers removing any die roll modifier. The result is an NE.

Ukraine Front:
(6 Attacks) With the fear of imprisonment or at the very least “The Boss’s” wrath falling down upon him commander of Ukraine Front attempts a high risk, one hex, assault into the western Warsaw city hex. Over the river from a ZOC’d hex even with artillery and engineers the attack is potentially suicidal at 1.5:1 (-1). Air support is called for. This results in one of the largest concentrations of airpower in the war as both sides realise the importance of the attack. (see Air Combat). The result when the skies and dust have cleared is an NE.

This seals the fate of Soviets ambitions at achieving an Automatic Victory. A small crumb of comfort for the remaining battered and beleaguered Axis forces.

Elsewhere on this Front the Soviets continue to enlarge their holdings on the western bank of the Vistula and try to push north. A breakthrough in the centre allows a 3-2-8 Tk Brigade an Exploitation opportunity to eliminate a Res Pt and Truck unit. But overextended and caught in muddy ground the unit is not expected to survive for long.

At the southern end of the line the isolated group of German and Hungarian units pressed against the map edge in Slovakia are halved in number and extent.

Steppe Front:
(2 Attacks) Still hampered by supply difficulties as the Hungarians and AGS units fall back into the interior only 2 attacks are launched but the two are well co-ordinated along the Cluj railroad and eliminate in its entirety a 4-6-6 German infantry unit.

Soviet armour slowly moving north from the Rumanian plain crosses the mountain passes into the remaining tongue of northern Rumanian. This brings them in contact with the only extant Rumanian unit; the 6-10 Mot xx.

Air Combat:
The citizens of Warsaw are reminded of the terrifying days of September ‘39 as the skies darken with the masses of aircraft overhead, this time flying in from the East. Every Bomber, Assault bomber and 2 point Tactical Fighter Bomber in range converges on the airspace of the Warsaw western hex. LIkewise every Axis interceptor in range rises in response.

In total the Soviets fly 22 bombing sorties with 14 escorts, while the Axis field 16 interceptors.

As the Soviets fly in they are first met by patrol attacks based in the packed Warsaw airbases and 6 assault units are Returned.

The survivors are met by a wall of interceptors.

Soviet Escorts fly in unopposed to engage them and down 2, Abort a third and Return another.

The 12 surviving Interceptors tear into the bombing stream and wreak complete havoc on the defenders

They Eliminate 4, Abort 6 and Return 2 all for the loss of only one Fighter.

The surviving bombers now meet the city defenders’ Flak but here their luck changes as the guns fail to score a hit.

Of over 70 initial bombing factors only 7.5 effective points are delivered.

But this is just enough to raise the odds from 1:1(-1) to 1.5:1(-1). The airmen return to base battered and bruised but comforted in the knowledge that they have considerably increased the chances of victory on the ground.

What they do not know at this stage is that their sacrifice has been in vein because an NE is to be rolled.

Combat Report

Attacks = 15 ( 3 Auto kills)

Losses:
Soviet = 3, Air = 9.
Axis: Forts = 2, Lost airfields = 1, Res Points =1;
Germans: FAs x2, Truck = 1, Un-isolated =34, Air = 4 plus 2 on ground.
Hungarians = 1
Total = 35

Loss Ratio: Dec I ‘ 44: Axis/Sov = 35/3 = 11.67

Weather: Snow in Arctic and B, Mud in C, Clear in G.

Axis forces take an entirely defensive posture with no attacks at all. Thy are tempted to try and relink the orphan section of front around Slovakia but this risks an exchange and requires quite a bit of air support for little advantage. Instead units move to support the defence of Warsaw the eastern hex of which becomes the most heavily defended city since Moscow. Other than the Rumanian Mot xx all other units evacuated from Rumania re-enter the map in Poland to defend the centre of the line.

Army of Norway:
An arriving Mtn XX takes up residency in Narvik and the previous defender moves forward to defend against the marine landings. A scarce REs Pt is expended to allow DAS over the battlefield.

AGN:
Units by the coast pull back into the Danzig corridor to defend the Hel peninsular which in total has a 10 aircraft capacity and is vital to the defence of the north.

AGC:
Arriving units rail straight in Warsaw and powerful Panzer units shuffle closer to the city to prevent any flanking move by Soviet units.

AGS:
Hungarian units shorten the line to strengthen the defence of rail lines West. In the south the Rumanian Mot xx moving north off map re-appears in the northern portion of Rumania to defend its homeland against the Soviet Tanks moving on map from the south who threaten to turn the southern flank. This allows 2 German infantry divisions to rail off map and head north.

Air Combat:

The Soviet re-organization and forward deployment operation enacted last turn allows a far more spirited response to German DAS this turn and a total of 13 (out of a possible 25) DAS missions are intercepted.

After the skies clear the tally of losses is as follows;

Soviet Fighters; = 3xE, 3xA
German Fighters; = 0
German Bombers/Assault/FBs = 1xE, 3xA, 4xR

Combat Report:
Attacks=0
Losses: Axis; Air=1
Soviet; Air=3

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.

Frontline during 1944 NOV II Soviet Turn.

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

Weather: Snow to Arctic, Mud in B&C, Frost in D, Clear in G.

Axis forces have not given up on their comrades trapped NE of Warsaw and launch a second breakout attempt aided by more arriving troops. In the centre replacement infantry move into Warsaw reinforcing the massive garrison unit. They may be down but the Axis are not yet out.

Army of Norway:
A precious Res Pt is spared and shipped north and troops manoeuvre to prepare for a further attack against the Marines next turn. The centre of the main line is reinforced and a further Luftwaffe fighter arrives to ward off the Soviet GS which they rely on for successful attacks.

AGN:
All available units and aircraft concentrate both inside and outside the pocket NW of Warsaw to breakout the trapped units. The breakout force is fully stacked with a cadre remaining behind to man a fort at the eastern end of the pocket which will be useful to split the Soviet tide much as a groin in a breakwater limits the power of the waves.

They hit a 12-8 Gds Mech/2-1-8 eng tk/1-2-6 AA and this time are more successful than last turn. At 5:1 (-2) with GS they manage to DR the defender who is cadred in the retreat. The trapped units advance to safety and mobile units pour through the breach in exploitation. This will add considerably to the Axis ability to resist in this area.

Outside Warsaw a lone 2-6 Gds cadre has reached the eastern suburbs but its artillery support has failed to keep pace due to the dreadful ground conditions and so it is now exposed to attack. A sally by the Warsaw garrison and a newly arrived 5-8 Jager division wipe out the puny defenders and allow the light infantry to advance and occupy the hex direct to the East of the city. This is a suicide mission but will delay the inevitable attack against the city by at least two weeks.

AGC:
In the centre a trapped 14-10 pz unit aided by GS risks a 4:1 attack against a 5-6 guards infantry and is rewarded with a DH allowing the Panzer unit to advance and then, in exploitation, reach the SE outskirts of Warsaw and supply further limiting Soviet access to the city.

The bridgehead over the Vistula is too powerful to attack so the defensive ring around the bridgehead is reinforced to try to limit any advance.

AGS:
Hungarian forces grudgingly give up ground to maintain a coherent front. A 3-5 Hungarian Security division is rebuilt and moves to contain the Soviet tankers north of Stu Mare.

In Rumania with nothing to defend the remaining troops (14-10pz xx, 2×7-8pz cadres and the sole remaining Rumanian unit a 6-10 Mot xx) exit the map and begin to rail north.

Air Combat. The Luftwaffe assemble the largest concentration of air power for perhaps the last 6 months to aid the breakout attempt in the AGN sector and a Mission force of 15 bombers carpet bomb the defenders. Two are Patrol Attacked away, one is removed by combat and another two by AA fire but in total 21 effective points are delivered bumping the odds to 5:1. The two other Axis attacks are also well supported. The Luftwaffe is present in extreme concentration and the short range and pitiful patrol attack range of the Soviet fighters means that their response is muted. One notable event is that the Me262 is Returned by a Patrol Attack and plays no part in any combats this player-turn.

Combat Report:
Attacks = 3.
Losses; Axis; Air = 1; Soviets; = 23, Air = 3.

Narrative

“The Undiscovered Country”
Soviet forces in Rumania report a baffling and frightening phenomenon. Tankers are perplexed when they encounter a strange energy barrier a few miles west of the Dambovija River. The news is passed up the line. The fledgling Soviet Atomic Research Establishment has learned of Nazi Heavy Water experiments and surmises this is an, as yet, unknown Nazi Superweapon. Tankers report that their out of supply condition means they cannot move further west. At other points along the front advanced units report meeting similar phenomena but in places progress would seem possible because the barrier offers only light resistance. However STAVKA orders that no unit should move west of the line until a full assessment can be made. Steppe Front mobile units are therefore ordered to swing North and push up into Hungary as soon as they have dispatched the few remaining pockets of resistance in Rumania.”

The mud and consequential deteriorated supply condition now ensure that no matter how well their forces perform Map Exit from Rumania is now impossible due to lack of supply and there are insufficient supplied forces in Hungary.

With only four turns left and a force ratio of 3:1 assured but no map exit shift possible the Soviets are now battling to reduce the Axis city point count to improve the Victory level in their favour. Narvik appears out of their grasp, Danzig per errata is not included so only Warsaw remains as a potential prize.

With the mud hampering their operations as much as the Axis the advance mech and armour units are obliged to hold the line as the slower infantry try and push past the isolated pockets of Axis resistance. The pockets interlink in the centre and progress is slow with weak points between the Soviet advanced guard and the main body of troops.

Not withstanding the above the Soviets are able to increase the number of attacks to 26 this turn.

Arctic Front: (1 attack). The Soviets launch a 4:1-(-1) attack from Bardufoss against the line in front of Narvik but the marines are unable to make progress (NE).

Turn Report

Belorussian Front:
(9 attacks); Pushing along the coast the Soviets continue their steady, relentless advance cadreing a 6-8 Mtn and eliminating a bypassed FA. They also gain another advance at the furthest point West moving to within one hex of the map edge and cutting off from the south, temporarily, the forces defending Danzig. Of the next 5 attacks however no less than 3 result in NEs. Crucially however they do manage to eliminate a stack in the corridor linking the large pocket NE of Warsaw with the city. Attacks against the two isolated Panzer Divisions in separate pockets are mixed with one elimination and another NE.

Ukraine Front:
(8 attacks); The main aim here is to widen the bridgehead over the Vistula and use this as a springboard for a move north to Warsaw. At the same time this will sever communications to the powerful Panzer units falling back north from the Lvow sector. As a precursor a 16-10 isolated panzer unit is eliminated north of Lublin and the 4-6-6 infantry unit defending the city is also removed from active service. At the southern end of the line the push north from Lvow hits the fort line again but 2 more NEs dampen the Soviets’ ambitions and only one completed fort is eliminated.

Steppe Front:
(8 attacks); Most of the Hungarian front is now active with a lone Tank Corps complimenting a cavalry/Infantry advance in the north of the country. The Corps reaches the western limit of possible advance and turns directly south having cut off Hungary and the south from Germany/Poland to the north. However its U1 supply condition and the weather prevent any significant advance or roll up of the Hungarian line.

Along the mountain ridge the steady Soviet attacks and infiltrations push the Hungarian and German defenders off the ridge and they now cling precariously onto the Western slopes. The fort on the road to Stu Mare is eliminated and Soviet forces advance along towards the city.

In an unopposed move a Cavalry xx captures Pleven, the last remaining on-map Axis owned city in Bulgaria.

In Rumania Basov is taken and with it the last airfield in Rumania. A returning Ju87 ditches in friendly territory to avoid capture. The last vestiges of resistance are quelled with two auto attacks eliminating a pocket miraculously clinging on SE of Bucharesti and the southern tip of the defending line West of the Dambovija river. Only three occupied hexes remain on the southern plain, a 6-10 Rum mot XX, a pair of 7-8 pz cadres and a 14-10 pz xx all clustered around the railroad West.

Air Combat:
While battles rage across the front on the ground it is no less active overhead. GS, Harassment and DAS missions are all patrolled and intercepted and the FW190 in its various marques reigns supreme. 7 Soviet units are lost but a Spit 9 interceptor brings down a Fw190a with a snakes eyes roll.

Combat Report

Attacks = 26
Losses: Soviet = 21, Air = 7.
Axis; Forts = 5 (incl 1 half built); German: FAs =2, Pos AA = 1, Isolated = 20, Un-isolated = 62, Air = 3
Eastern = 2, Hungarian = 7, Rumanian Isolated = 3, Un-isolated = 2, Air =1 (crash landed).
Axis Total = 96

Combat Ratio: Nov I ’44 Axis/Soviet = 96/21 = 4.57:1