                           *                                                                             GOTTERDAMMERUNG - THE BATTLE OF THE BERLIN 'CITADEL' - 30th April 1945.                                                                                                                            SOURCES: THE FALL OF BERLIN - ANTHONY READ AND DAVID FISHER.                                         THE BERLIN BUNKER - JAMES P. O'DONNELL.                                                     THE DECLINE AND FALL                                                                        OF NAZI GERMANY AND                                                                          IMPERIAL JAPAN  - HANS DOLLINGER.                                                          VOL. 6 PURNELLS HISTORY OF W.W.2.                                                                                                                           HISTORICAL NOTES: AFTER THE SOVIETS BREACHED THE ODER AND CARRIED THE SEELOWE HEIGHTS THEY BEHELD BERLIN IN THEIR GRASP AND KNEW THAT THE 'FASCIST ARCH-ENEMY OF THE MOTHERLAND' HIMSELF WAS IN THE CITY AND THAT WITH HIS DEMISE THEY WOULD REALIZE THE VICTORY THEY HAD FOUGHT FOR SO LONG.BUT FIRST THE OUTER DEFENCE LINES WOULD HAVE TO BE DEALT WITH AND STALIN ORDERS MARSHAL'S ZHUKOV AND KONIEV TO PROCEED WTH THEIR RESPECTIVE FORCES AND BEGIN THE ASSAULT ON THE 'HEART OF THE NAZI BEAST'.                                                    BY APRIL 26th THEY HAVE SURROUNDED THE CITY PROPER AND COMMENCED A SLOGGING MATCH OVER AREAS LIKE TEMPELHOF AND MOABIT.ON THE 29th, UNITS OF THE 150th AND 171st RIFLE DIVISIONS STORMED THE MOLTKE BRIDGE AND IN A BLOODY FIGHT SECURED THE SOUTH BANK OF THE SPREE WITH A SMALL BRIDGEHEAD. THESE UNITS HAD PIERCED THE SO CALLED 'CITADEL' DEFENCE AREA OF INNER BERLIN SITUATED BETWEEN THE SPREE RIVER AND THE LANDWEHR CANAL. HERE WERE THE STATE BUILDINGS, INCLUDING GESTAPO HEADQUARTERS,THE REICHSTAG AND OF COURSE THE REICH CHANCELLERY. THE CITADEL WAS DEFENDED BY THE BADLY BATTERED DIVISIONS OF LVI PANZER CORPS ALONG WITH VOLKSTURM AND SS TROOPS. ON THE 30th OF APRIL THE FINAL BATTLE BEGAN WITH A CONCERTED ATTACK FROM NORTH AND SOUTH, THE SCENARIO BEGINS AT THAT POINT.                                                                                                                                        DESIGN NOTES: THIS SCENARIO IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF 'MY GOD I CREATED A MONSTER' IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DIVISIONAL SCALE SCENARIO OF JUST THE NORTHERN SECTOR I.E. THE BATTLE FOR THE MOLTKE BRIDGE AND THE REICHSTAG BUT IT JUST KEPT GETTING BIGGER UNTIL IT ENDED UP A CORPS LEVEL SCENARIO AND I'D ALREADY PUT SO MUCH INTO IT, SO, WELL YOU GET THE IDEA.          THE MAPS FOR BERLIN ARE NUMEROUS, SO DEPICTING THE BATTLEFIELD WAS NOT TOO HARD WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS OF THE SCENARIO BUILDER WHICH IS GRAPHICALLY MORE ADEPT AT PORTRAYING SOVIET RURAL EXPANSES RATHER THAN ONE OF THE MAJOR CITIES OF EUROPE.ALL THE MOST IMPORTANT LOCATIONS ARE IDENTIFIED AND SHOULD BE IN THE RIGHT SPOT.                                     ORDERS OF BATTLE ARE CORRECT FOR THE GERMANS AND CORRECT FOR THE RUSSIAN 79th CORPS BUT A LITTLE HYPOTHETICAL FOR 2nd GUARDS TANK CORPS WHICH IS NOT MENTIONED MUCH IN THE SOURCES BUT ACCORDING TO THE MAPS IS THE CORPS WHICH ATTACKED IN THIS AREA. UNIT DENSITY IS HIGH DUE TO THE RELATIVELY SMALL AREA OF THE MAP BUT AGAIN THE SOURCES ALL INDICATE THIS TO BE CORRECT.   THE SCENARIO IS MEANT TO BE PLAYED FROM THE RUSSIAN SIDE IF PLAYING AGAINST THE AI. YOU CAN PLAY FROM THE GERMAN SIDE BUT THE AI IS A BIT SLUGGISH IN THE ATTACK.THE RUSSIANS PROBABLY HAD MORE ARTILLERY THAN I HAVE GIVEN THEM BUT FROM THE ANGLE OF PLAY BALANCE THIS IS A GOOD THING AND THEY STLL HAVE PLENTY.                                                       
  *                                                                                           GOTTERDAMMERUNG - LITERALLY THE 'TWILIGHT OF THE GODS' WHICH RELATES TO WAGNERIAN OPERA WHICH HAD SO ENTRANCED HITLER AND THE NAZIS AND WHICH DESCRIBES SO APTLY THE DOOMSDAY FEELING OF THIS BATTLE.                                                                                                                                                                                                 KARIM MARC HASANIC,                                                                            SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.                                                                      