Defending The Reich

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Eastern Front
Situation Report Feb 17th 1945 Turn 6
Army Group A


Lower Silesia

Despite the rapid advance in the central sector of the front by the enemy Josef Harpe ( Army Group A ) had been trying to maintain a controlled withdrawal without leaving any gaps in the line for enemy exploitation, but the Soviet attacks proved to strong with the southern wing of 9th Armee collapsing and routing leaving 4th Pz Armee's flank vulnerable, 1st Ukrainian Front struck Fritz Graeser's Army along its 90 mile front with devastating force some units held but the vast majority crumbled, in panic units fled towards the city Fortress of Breslau with enemy Mech and Tank formations in pursuit.

DR Army Group A 6.jpg (1.02 MiB) Viewed 60 times

Upper Silesia

On Graeser's left flank Friedrich Shulz 17th Armee had more or less managed a steady withdrawal his units remaining in cohesion along the line, but an attack by four Red armies towards Ostrava smashed through XI SS Pz Korps encircling the 320th Volks Grenadier Div and capturing the Yablunkov Pass and Moravian Gap the enemy then turning south to capture Zilina and threatening to link up with Soviet troops from the southern front and cut off 1st Hun Army, 1st Pz Armee and 8th Armee still struggling to retreat from The Carpathian Mountains.
The three armies under constant attack on three fronts and there escape route now in danger of being closed, there only chance of survival is a precariously held 30 mile opening for the pocketed armies to escape, the trapped troops must withdraw through The Sturec Pass with shattered units holding both flanks open the situation looks bleak as the weather worsens in Slovakia.

DR Army Group A 6a.jpg (1.05 MiB) Viewed 60 times

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Eastern Front
Situation Report Feb 17th 1945 Turn 6
Army Group South


In Slovakia 2nd Ukrainian Front's northern armies continue to drive back 8th Armee from its mountain positions and reducing there room to manoeuvre back towards to Moravia and lower Austria due to the fact that both 1st Hun Army and 1st Pz Armee are retreating in the same direction causing chaos as the three armies begin to be pocketed while trying to slip through the Mountain passes towards the town of Trencin, Soviet forces captured Zvolen and panic is spreading through the retreating units.

Four Soviet Armies ( 6th Guards Tank, 7th Guards, 40th, 52nd, and 53rd ) advancing northwest aiming to link up with 4th Ukrainian Front and trap our forces before they can escape out of the Carpathian region.

Further south 6th Armee lines were attacked, Intel indicates at least seven armies from the southern wing of 2nd Ukrainian Front assaulted along a 60 mile front and broke through in several places despite General Balcks Panzer's counterattacking, Red Army units were simply to strong to hold back and are now only 10 miles from Nitra. Austria and Slovakia could be overrun in less than two weeks unless High Command sends more reinforcements.

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In the Transdanube region the 3rd Hun Army and 2nd Pz Armee sector remains quiet as the bulk of the Red Army moved north and was committed to the battle in Slovakia, in fact the enemy virtually stripped the front line most 3rd Ukrainian Front units moved to support the drive towards Bratislava, 5th Shock and 26th Armies leaving three units to cover the entire sector.

III Pz Korps sector from 6th Armee on the northern flank of the Hungarians was also quiet with the unit only 60 miles from Budapest.

DR AGS 6a.jpg (950.3 KiB) Viewed 60 times

Retreating through The Carpathians.jpg (77.25 KiB) Viewed 60 times

The slow retreat through the mountains