He authored the first draft of the operational plan, Operation Draft East, for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, advocating what was later known as A-A line as the goal for the Wehrmacht to achieve, within nine to seventeen weeks.
This goal was a line from Arkhangelsk on the Arctic Sea through Gorky and Rostov to the port city of Astrakhan at the mouth of the Volga on the Caspian Sea. Marcks envisioned that the campaign, including the capture of Moscow and beyond, citing the need to "protect Germany against enemy bombers.
By all accounts and the materiel I read about him he appears to have been a competent military planner, but looking over the game map the time frame he envisioned seems impossible, even with Finland's support via troop movement etc it seems impossible.
Arkhangelsk has one rail line period based on game map, virtually no decent road system, same applies to Murmansk, now I guess there were small villages and settlements but by the game standard they don't rate big enough so how did the Germans think they were going to supply there forces.
looking at the map I see only a few potential places to set up depots and they will be very spaced.
Then there is the countryside itself its almost endless Forrest.
The Southern part of this plan is hard enough trying to reach the oilfields,the Northern sector will be a nightmare for Army Group North with no help from the Finns.
Fortunately a opportunity has presented itself with a new patch arriving and a new campaign format.
And being the ever optimistic enthusiast I am I say
CHALLENGE EXCEPTED GENERAL MARCKS
