                                                                                              EAST FRONT BATTLE-SET 1.                                                                                                 SOURCES:                                                                            ASHES OF HONOUR - CHRISTIAN DE LA MAZIERE                              BATTLE GROUP! - JAMES LUCAS                                            HITLERS MOUNTAIN TROOPS - JAMES LUCAS                                  PURNELL'S HISTORY OF W.W.II VOLS. 1 TO 7.                              WAR MONTHLY MAGAZINE                                                   CLAWS OF STEEL (FICTION) - 'LEO KESSLER'
               THE W.W.2 DATABOOK - JOHN ELLIS
               THE WAFFEN SS - GEORGE H. STEIN
 1.BATTLE NOTES:                                                                        THE BATTLES IN THIS SET COMPRISE A SELECTION OF ENCOUNTERS WHICH I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO GAME ON COMPUTER AND SO WITH THE ADVENT OF EAST-FRONT I HAD NO EXCUSE NOT TO DO SO!               'BAPTISM OF FIRE' DEPICTS THE FIRST OFFENSIVE ACTIONS OF THE NEWLY RAISED SS KAMPFGRUPPE 'NORD' DURING THE FIRST WEEKS OF 'BARBAROSSA' AS IT ASSAULTS SOVIET VETERANS OF THE RUSSO-FINNISH WAR.THIS IS A TOUGH NUT TO CRACK FOR THE SS TROOPERS AS THEY FACE MINES AND FORTIFICATIONS AS WELL.        
 'GEBIRGSJAGERS AT VOLKHOV' HAS THE 100th GEBIRGSJAGER REGIMENT FENDING OFF A RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE DURING JUNE 1943 ON THE VOLKHOV FRONT.THIS TIME THE RUSSKIS HAVE IT TOUGH AS THEY MUST TRAVERSE A SWAMPY MORASS BEFORE DELIVERING THEIR ATTACK AGAINST CRACK MOUNTAIN TROOPS.         
 'CLAWS OF STEEL' IS A FICTIONAL SCENARIO CULLED FROM THE THIRD NOVEL IN THE 'SS WOTAN' SERIES DEALING WITH A BREAK-IN ATTACK ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE KURSK OFFENSIVE. TIGERS, FLAME-THROWER TANKS, NEBELWERFERS AND KUNO VON DODENBURG,THIS IS SERIOUS FUN!
 'TITO'S BIRTHDAY PARTY' I KNOW YUGOSLAVIA IS NOT THE RUSSIAN FRONT BUT  I HAD TO MAKE THIS ONE AS IT IS AN INTERESTING SCENARIO INVOLVING SS FALSCHIRMJAGERS, TITO'S ESCORT BATTALION AND RELIEVING TROOPS FIGHTING THEIR WAY THROUGH DURING OPERATION 'ROESSELSPRUNG' IN MAY 1944.         'GD KAMPFGRUPPE LANGKEIT' A MEETING ENGAGEMENT DURING JANUARY 1945 BETWEEN THE REINFORCED RESERVE BRIGADE OF THE 'GROSS-DEUTSCHLAND' DIVISION AND ELEMENTS OF A SOVIET MECHANIZED DIVISION ALONG THE ODER RIVER.
 'HELL IN POMERANIA' THE FRENCH VOLUNTEERS OF SS DIVISION 'CHARLEMAGNE' DEFENDING A TOWN NEAR THE BALTIC COAST DURING THE LAST WEEKS OF THE WAR
FACE THE FORWARD UNITS OF 1st BYELORUSSIAN FRONT.THE AXIS FORCES MUST DEFEND THE BRIDGES AT ALL COSTS!

 2.DESIGN NOTES:
                 EAST FRONT IS AN IMPRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENT BY TALONSOFT AND REFLECTS THEIR MORE 'SERIOUS' END OF WARGAMING, HOWEVER I MUST SAY THAT THE MANUAL SUPPLIED GIVES LITTLE INFORMATION WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSTANDING ALL THE INS AND OUTS OF THE SCENARIO BUILDER AND THE WAY IN WHICH THE AI OPERATES.HAVING SAID THAT, I MUST ADD THAT ONCE YOU DO GET AROUND IT, IT OFFERS LOTS! OF OPTIONS, ESPECIALLY REGARDING UNIT TYPES AND TERRAIN BUILDING.(ALTHOUGH I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME AXIS ALLIED UNITS AND I COULDN'T FIND ANY SOVIET MARINES.)
 MAPS ARE BASED ON THOSE FOUND IN THE SOURCES WHERE RELEVANT,AND ON A ROAD MAP OF EUROPE AS WELL AS AN OLD NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAP.ALL O.B'S ARE ALSO DERIVED FROM THE SOURCES AND THE REALISTIC NAMES OF COMMANDERS OF VARIOUS UNITS WHERE POSSIBLE.
 THE BATTLES ARE MEANT TO BE PLAYED FROM THE GERMAN SIDE AND AS SUCH THE COMPUTER PLAYS THE RUSSIANS, USUALLY IN A LOGICAL MANNER BUT SOMETIMES THE AI SENDS HQ UNITS WANDERING AROUND SOMEWHAT!
  
 3.END NOTE:
             WELL, IT WAS MANUALLY INTENSIVE AND INTERESTING AS WELL, I HAVE SOME IDEAS FOR A SECOND SET AND WILL GET AROUND TO IT EVENTUALLY. MEANWHILE THERE IS AN EXPANSION PACK AND WEST FRONT YET TO COME WHICH OFFER DIFFERENT FIELDS OF BATTLE.

                                   REGARDS, KARIM MARC HASANIC,
                                               SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.
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