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Mid July brought no relief to 9 Army, again pushed out of its positions in two places. The interventions of the LW were not massive, as I had an abundance of fighters in the area but my Stukas were not positioned properly, hence mostly out of range. It may not have made a huge difference but 100+ bombers would have hindered the Russians a bit more.




If my memory is correct, the huge wedge in the centre became quiet, to such an extent that I thought that several key units were transferred elsewhere. One area of concern was the back door to Kiev as usual, with a narrow win for the Soviets who brushed aside 12 Pz and an infantry division.

The Melitopol area was certainly not quiet. We saw that, the week before, an attack in the swamps had been repulsed spectacularly, after which I brought a fresh infantry division. Indeed this bolstered the defence and the fortification level went back to 2, helping for the next round. Yet Q-Ball had planned for this contingency and was able to occupy the swamps, now that the defenders were weakened and the fortifications had been suppressed. 1 Guard XXX moved into the vacated hex and there was just no chance of regaining the lost ground at a reasonable cost.




Melitopol was also reoccupied by the Soviets, as I didn't even put any troops to hold it, and this looked a much more tempting target. Mackensen's armour, with support from XXXX PzK, first assaulted two Guards corps and a weak rifle division, which broke. Then due consideration was given to 14 Guards Cavalry XXX, which had been worn out in previous battles, Although in a level 3 fortification, it provided an inviting target and an opportunity to improve the morale of some German infantry. Finally 9 Pz and the Rumanian armour went against the rocket launchers that had been identified by air reconnaissance, behind 14 Guards Cav. Sadly there was also a cavalry division with them, plus another one which reacted and dampened the blow. This third victory in the area was nevertheless welcome. The odds in all three actions were surprisingly similar.




PS: I notice that I took no picture during a turn or two before the review of the whole front. It was at this stage that 3 decent Rumanian divisions were expelled of their level 3 fortifications in swamps. At least they did not rout and the attackers suffered twice their level of losses.

So we had left things mid-July with four areas of intense activity as there was no real battles elsewhere. From North to South, these areas were:

- the Velikye Luki front, defended by 9 Army, and the land bridge near Vitebsk, secured by 8 Army
- The centre wedge, pushing back 4 Army with probably the best Guards corps available to the Red Army
- The back door to Kiev
- The Melitopol area, with systematic counter attacks by large Pz reserves

This segment of the front flared up again at the end of July, with a Soviet surge against the extremity of the line, defended by a German ID, the Rumanian armour and another Rumanian unit. For once, the attackers were stopped with heavy losses to boot, thanks to the commitment of all available artillery by LII and Cavalry corps. An immediate thrust by GD, DR and two or three other units expelled the Russians from their small bridgehead, while TK, 22 Pz and some infantry pushed back some Guards cavalry.




8 and 9 Armies both took the initiative near Vitebsk as well, as enemy infantry was vulnerable in the open. A direct consequence of this action is that it took the breath out of the Russian offensive directly in front of Vitebsk, a lot of large units having to rest and gather CPs again, whereas the Pz divisions would only need a couple of turns to be at or near their prime.




Mid-July had seen the first step-back of 17 Army behind the Dnepr. Although painful, this decision did not entail any loss of VPs and very little as far as cities were concerned. Actually the only reason for having stayed that long was the air base and city of Kremenchug. Anyway one good reason to perform this move was to bring Russian infantry in the open and cause a level of losses, which is exactly what XXXXI PzK achieved with some support of XXIX corps.




A cavalry division was also caught unsupported at the beginning of August, presumably as it had captured a lot of no man's land territory and could not reach safety again. For a few weeks, nothing much happened there, with both sides re-establishing control during their turn while avoiding any form of vulnerable position.

OKH was relieved that Stavka did not stage any further assault on that week, which means that the action was limited to a customary sweep at troops in clear terrain with no fortifications to dampen the blow.

Things were different a few days later with a successful Russian attack near VL, in the centre and close to Kiev (under XXXIV corps). Most remarkable was to see 7 Pz pushed out despite being in the woods alongside a German and a Hungarian divisions and very well supported by Henrici.




You may spot a few units that look like Italians, and are indeed Italians! These are troops formerly deployed in Africa and rebuilt due to the very very large pool of infantry and supporting arms. A few German units have found their way on the map as well, the strongest one being 10 Pz which historically was never rebuilt. It came with low morale as I rushed it too soon and it would have to be seasoned.

Activity was quieter in the South mid-month, with two big skirmishes near Melitopol. I can only presume that the lone cavalry division was tasked with checking if the Dnepr line was defended in depth.

I mentioned a quieter mid-month, but that was for the German turn actually. A lot happened in many places along the line.

The VL front saw another Russian push. It is difficult to imagine better support than the one provided by Kreysing, in charge of VI corps, yet it was to no avail. Fortunately, reserves were abundant and enabled to strike the force that had infiltrated the German line.




Henrici's troops are pushed again, as can be seen top left on the map and bottom right for the battle report.

Around Kiev, an important forest position is taken in two stages by the Russians. Reinhardt had left the Dnepr bridgehead in order to bolster the defence here and his XXXXI PzK manages to offer some breathing space.




For Rommel, it is BAU near Melitopol. Apart from stacking three fresh Guards corps, I don't see how to withstand such an armoured thrust when not protected by fortifications.

A quick look at losses shows the Germans over 2m men, with the Russians at nearly 10m.




I have had fewer opportunities to catch the Russians in the open over the past weeks compared to June. The ratio remains favourable though.

Everybody is restocking near VL. One aspect I didn't mention is constant LW activity to look for abnormal concentrations between one and four / five hexes behind the front line. It costs dearly in terms of recon planes but is the only solution to avoid really bad surprises, as a lot of Q-Balls strong assets are not identified on the front, so can be ready to surge forward at any time.

Where there is little doubt about the direction of the offensive is in the centre. Grechko sent six Guards corps to storm a heavily defended hex, strongly supported by Henrici. If you take a close look, you will notice that 12 Guards contributed 861 points to this battle! Even if the losses are still unbalanced, some of the German divisions are starting to become low on morale and need to be replaced with fresh troops. A few of the worn out units are sent to segments of the front where they stand a chance of regaining morale. Sadly, a further complication is that the TOE of German infantry starts to drop, which is partly offset by stronger antitank capabilities and maybe firepower. Yet as I still have a large pool of men, I am not in a rush for this transition to happen. A lot of units will temporarily be well above their 100% TOE for the coming months, before attrition or lost battles bring them in line with TOE.




9 ID was visible on the previous Melitopol picture, and is seen arriving here under the colours of 4 Army. A few Italians are also fighting rearguard action under Hungarian leadership.


Near Kiev, an Italian division is brushed aside, having played its role, then Reinhardt strikes again to slow down the tide. You can see that several Rumanian divisions are integrated in 4 PzA, in the same way as Hungarians are attached to German corps of the 4 Army.

Grechko continues to flog his men so they do not let the Axis dig in to level 3 fortifications. At this stage, my only hope is that supply runs low and fatigue starts to tell for the massive wedge that dismantles everything in its path.

I mentioned the multiple air recon missions recently. They cost dearly in terms of planes, and during last winter had failed to spot the large gatherings of Russians opposite the Hungarian line. This time, a stroke of luck defused one offensive: pilots came back from a couple of missions near Staraya Russa indicating 3 units in each hex that they flew over. What is more, there were 3 units as well just behind each. So... The first decision was to send 6 Pz by rail from Vitebsk. It had just enough MPs to detrain, hence being operational the following week. A second decision consisted in sending an infantry division. A third one to concentrate artillery with local HQs.

And here we go at the end of August, with three successful attacks of which one nearly failed. This is not exactly an auspicious start for the Germans, but not an easy stroll for the Russians either. Without the reinforcements of the previous week, it would have been difficult to break that momentum. Well, it was not broken but LVI PzK repulsed the combined arms of 10 Guards Army with severe losses considering that Guards units generally withdraw in good order.




The Russian success near VL was even more marginal against Kreysing's VI corps. Reserves were assembled and thrown into an immediate counter attack with 5 divisions, including 19 Pz (part of X corps). I thought there was quite some comfort in the odds. Yet either due to XXXVIII corps leadership being good, not outstanding, or lack of judgement over the staying power of Guards infantry that has not been worn out, the result was a mixed bag and a real retrospective scare. I accept to miss opportunities, but do not want to run the risk of a repulse. Of course, the primary aim of this battle was to force the Soviets to stop their attacks, so from this perspective it was a success.




Once again the Pz divisions were thrown on the advancing enemy near Kiev, with a decent level of success. Italian paratroopers were told to slow down the Russians in the shrinking bridgehead over the Dnepr.

After the indecisive action of the previous week, more indecisive fighting took place near Staraya Russa. II corps had to yield, which was not ideal although it should have been expected. The silver lining to this situation was that several Russian units had attacked twice, hence were low on CPPs and fatigue must have started to increase. I also assumed a level of disruption to land two blows that would take three Guards corps and a few others out of action for a while.




This kind of logic doesn't always work, as demonstrated near VL which I expected to be quieter and where VI corps had to withdraw against nearly 300,000 men.




Mid-September saw a further reduction of the Kiev bridgehead, not without another strike against ordinary troops that break easily. The Italians were about to go due to the capitulation of the country, a regrettable event. I would feel so much more comfortable with 3 Alpini divisions under the leadership of Messe or attached to German corps. I must have had over 200,000 men in the Italian pool so otherwise they could have gone on for a while.

Despite all my efforts to wear out the Russians, Q-Ball was able to strike the line NW of Kiev, forcing a small step-back that was also a reflection of the bridgehead shrinking to virtually nothing. An opportunistic strike required the 1SS PzD to travel a bit, but it is not necessarily bad to inflict such losses. I do not comment the three victories against the Italian rearguard just above that. I was in two minds as to whether I should avoid rifle divisions to farm easy victories, but there was also value in this delaying action.




The Melitopol front had been quiet for a couple of weeks, which enabled 1st PzA to refit to its optimal level.




This picture was taken before air recon, which showed 3 units just behind the light brown, unoccupied hexes. So XXXX PzK was again sent forward and performed almost perfectly. I say almost because there was one (maybe two?) Pz unit(s) in reserve just behind, which didn't join the fight. Anyway I couldn't complain about the outcome.

Poor weather started to hinder operations and there was a slowdown for a couple of weeks. It is actually the Axis that was most active, although often on a purely tactical basis.

Near Staraya Russa, the woods that had been recaptured were left void of troops. It may not have been a judicious idea but I hesitated in sending two divisions, possibly more, who would only achieve level 1 fortifications. With luck, I would be able to come in just before heavy mud.

Q-Ball didn't oblige and advanced in this space, triggering an immediate attack. As I was not sure of heavy mud the following turn, I did not occupy that hex, again, and definitely lost it the following week once the Russian infantry was able to dig trenches.




The Vitebsk front was ignited again as I wanted to avoid reserves remaining idle if there was no immediate danger. A number of units also required wins to enhance their morale. Hube took advantage of some dry ground to conduct an assault against two fairly unsupported divisions who broke despite level 3 fortifications.




The same scenario unfolded the following week against the neighbouring segment of the front. Average or good roads reduced the penalties for the attackers. The further I could keep the Russians from the defensive line, the better. The morale of several divisions improved materially as well in these two attacks and the subsequent ones: 4SS PzGr moved from 75 to 82, with a raft of other units attaining respectable or strong morale levels.

In between these two Vitebsk episodes, the Russians managed to repulse two divisions near Kiev. The light mud made it more difficult but it was a marginal defeat for the Germans nevertheless. One of the divisions that retreated was the 334 ID, rebuilt from Afrika with a morale of 70. Sadly it would be disbanded 4 or 5 weeks later.




The attack on the Southernmost part of the line, Crimea excepted, had turned into a bloody repulse for the Soviet during the Summer. A carefully planned assault did the job mid-October. Much as I regretted losing this heavily defended position, there was a hefty price to pay for this success both in the assault itself and with having a lone Guards cavalry corps in the open, probably unable to withdraw sufficiently. Two PzD and an ID stormed the Melitopol area, provoking a rare rout of the Guards unit. The attacking divisions were again chosen on mixed considerations about fatigue / CPP and the need to improve morale. 80 for a PzD is good yet can still go up.




Finally heavy mud set on the map. All of it? Not quite, a stretch was still under light rain, which authorised a couple of thrusts, even if with reduced clout. The Russians had taken advantage of the poor weather to close the gap with my defensive line. They were thrown out in two places, with the same kind of outcomes (only one shows up here). Comfortable odds and unbalanced losses but nothing of the kind that was achieved previously. Still it is not bad to wear out the enemy before the rain turns the ground into a morass, during which time everybody has time to stockpile and recover CPPs.




And that was it for the Summer campaign, which came to an end much to my relief as it was touch and go a number of times. Reserve rotation and a little bit of anticipation were critical in coming to this point with a line that is creaking but is not broken. I had wanted to keep the victory point cities (Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporoje) at least until there were no longer bonus victory points for their recapture, so this worked well. I was hoping to offer even stronger resistance in the Melitopol region but had to wait for the enemy heavy assets to show up before redeploying a couple of divisions. Around June, GD, DR, TK and 5 Pz were all pretty centrally positioned not far from Dnepropetrovsk, in order to intervene where required. Likewise the situation near Vitebsk was satisfactory.

Of course 4 Army was under terrible pressure, yet it was not broken and so far had always been able to benefit from a combination of decent or good terrain with strong fortifications.