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Location: Somewhere in the skies above the Soviet Union
Time: The morning of 01 May 1942

On his plane heading back to Germany, Hitler could be found dozing off in his chair. He had just recently put a long and exhaustive meeting with his frontline commanders behind him, and was now getting his well deserved rest.
After all, plans of a new offensive the coming summer had been finalized and he was confident that this would be the year that the Soviet Union would fall.

Suddenly, a loud explosion and the sky was lit up orange. Then silence returned over the vast expanses of the Soviet Union.

All that the rescue workers later could find where the wreck of Hitler’s Focke-Wulf 200 Condor
and the unrecognizable remains of what was presumed to be Hitler and his entourage.

What had happened to the plane? Some attributed the crash to an unexpected attack by Soviet fighters. Others whispered about a conspiracy. All that was certain was that Hitler had finally lost his famed luck.
The big question was: Would the loss of providence also apply to Germany itself? Only time will tell.

While the fight for the leadership of Germany began, the frontline troops could only wait and see where their new political masters would send them...


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Players:
Axis: fiva55
Soviet: Jajusha

Experience: Both of us have played and finished several server based games against each other and other players as both Axis as Soviet. This will be the first 42 campaign game for the both of us, although Jajusha has experience with the 41 GC that I lack.

Settings:
Version 1.03
Full FOW
Non Random Weather
Normal difficulty


Strategic overview 6/27/1942

Turn 1

Order has been restored in Germany. Although no contact has been allowed with the homefront, rumors on the frontline is that Himmler has been arrested on the grounds of high-treason and executed. Several highranking officers have taken power.
For now the SS has been taken over by Reinhard Heydrich, who has formed an uneasy alliance with the army leadership. The new head of Germany is General Ludwig Beck.

Fall Blau, our planned strategic summer offensive, has been presumed leaked to the enemy.
After all, if Soviet intelligence has managed to discover the flightplan of our Führer, it can be assumed that they also know of our plans for the coming summer.

Therefore, some adjustment have been made to the original plan:

1) Army group South will still advance eastwards according to plan. The first defensive line looks thin and should be easily breached. Although enemy reinforcement can be expected to arrive soon in this area, this is to our advantage. Our hope is that our attack in this sector will attract significant amount of enemy reserves, allowing an easy advance of our main thrust.

• Every effort must me made to maximize damage with the allotted assault forces while minimizing our own. Wherever possible we will use deliberate assaults.
• The main goal is not to advance as far as possible but too shorten our lines in this sector, allowing us to reform our regiments into divisions and form a strong and coherent defensive line.
• We will stop our advance South when we encounter strong enemy resistance and fall back to a defensive position. Our hope is when this occurs, the main assault of our Summer offensive will be well under way.

The strategic goals of this year are to improve our position and shorten our lines. This should enable us free troops for a decisive offensive the coming year. Target of opportunity are Leningrad and Moscow.

Our Southern offensive has started well. In some sectors we have advanced as far as 70 miles within 2 weeks. Although we lack armour support, infantry with attached assault armor are proving that they can do the job. We estimate that Rostov will fall within a week.

Overview of our advance South

Meanwhile, a target of opportunity has arisen and we managed to surround and destroy 11 Soviet units, resulting in over 70.000 enemy casualties.

Pocket formed around Vladimirskoe, north of Smolenks.

Damnation, perhaps lady luck really left us when our Führer died. A month of planning, weeks of carefully assembling the forces and all our losses sustained by our diversionary attack in the South, all ruined because of a lucky Soviet recon plane....

Still, most of our armoured forces have arrived, and there is no need to camouflage our efforts now. Now is the time to trust the skill and courage of the German soldier!

German forces ready to break through Soviet reinforced lines

Codename: Operation Citadel

German OOB
4th Panzer Army
-8 panzer divisions
-5 motorized divisions
-3 infantry divisions

9th Army
-3 panzer divisions
-1 motorized dvision
-4 infantry divisions

Reserve
4th Panzer Army
-Wiking SS Motorized Division

4th Army
-1 panzerdivision

3rd Panzer Army
-1 panzerdivision

11th army
-6 infantry divisions

Plan
Having located a weak spot in the flank of the Velikie Luki salient, located near Rzev, plans had been drawn too carefully relocate the armour intended for the orginal Fall Blau to Rzhev. The spot chosen for the breakthrough was ideal tank country, and provided that the enemy didn't retreat or reinforce his defences prematurely, the entire salient could be trapped by driving straight through the Rzev corridor to the Valdai Hills. Therefore, every effort had to be made to fool the enemy into thinking that we had commited most of our armour elsewhere.

The original plan called for 11th Army to open a gap in the Soviet lines with help of elements of 9th Army, thus allowing 4th Panzer Army to drive straight to 16th Army, located on the other side on the Valdai Hills. After the salient had been trapped, it could be piecemeal destroyed by 16th army and 9th army. 4th Panzer Army could either strike south towards Moscow, or north toward the Fins, depending on the situation.

Unfortunately, Soviet intelligence got lucky and discovered our massing of troops before the entire force was assembled. Although most of the mobile forces have arrived, 11th army, which had been chosen to make the breakthrough, was still 1 week away.

The Soviet defensive line has been reinforced by their guard units, and considerable more effort has to be made to break through while having 6 less infantry divisions of 11th army to do so. The plan has now been slightly adjusted, using our reserves and part of 4th Panzer Army to make the breakthrough, allowing the rest of 4th Panzer Army to drive to the Valdai Hills.

Infantry of 9th army are preparing to clear the way for 4th Panzer Army

Wow - that'd be a nice pocket if you pull this off; good luck!

Our forces executed the plan perfectly. The salient has been closed off and one our our spearhead panzerdivision is within 70 miles of Moscow. The next few weeks will see if it will fall.

Meanwhile, 11th Army has finally arrived and will be used to secure the pocket. With the elimination of this pocket, large parts of 9th Army and 16th Army will be freed up for further offensives. The future looks bright indeed!

Recon shows that the enemy has heavily reinforced the sector of Army group South, although the most southern part is suspiciously weak. Perhaps they are trying to lure us in and cut us off?

It doesn't matter. Our main offensive has started and there is no more need for our forces in the southern sector to suffer more losses for little gain. Army group South will consolidate their position and remain defensive for now.

Still, it seems that part of the plan has succeeded. The enemy has moved a a substantial amount of troops to the southern sector, allowing our troops of Army group Center to advance a bit easier.

Wow.. talk about being taken off balance.

The one thing I think Germans get taken by surprise by perhaps is the mobility of the Russian tank corps. You leave gaps in lines, the tank corps are far better than the brigades/cav divisions of 1941. They are weak combat units however, but still.

Be interesting to see how this plays out.

Indeed, beginning this turn I encountered several of them, trying to infiltrate my lines. I managed to beat them back, but at the cost of much needed movement points of my mobile units.

Desperate to help their comrades, Soviet troops stormed the Valdai Hills and managed to drive off our troops for a short time and open a supply line.

There success however was short lived, and within hours counter attacks by the 4th Panzer Army managed to close the gap again

Soviet artillery fires on German positions on the hill in preparation for their charge

Soviet reinforcement arrive in mass, trying to open the encirclement. For now, we decide to abandon our drive to Moscow in favour of establishing defensive lines along the Shlina and Tveritsa rivers.



Meanwhile, in the south, Soviet troops are probing our defensive lines, trying to find a weak spot.
Massive troop concentrations have been discovered by our recon planes, but Felmarschall Fedor von Bock of Army group South assures us that thanks to our timely withdrawel to defensive positions, we should be able to hold as long as Army group Center keeps up the pressure.

The pockets holds! Already more then 10 enemy divisions have surrendered before the inevitable.

Meanwhile, the Soviets desperately try to reinforce their defences around Moscow.

Several captured Soviet units have posters on them:

According to our translators, the poster proclaims: "We will defend Moscow!"

And for now, they may keep Moscow.

4th Panzer Army has been redirected and is now heading towards Leningrad to link up with 18th Army.

Very good job on seizing oppurtunities - it appears you are always 1 step ahead of your opponent.

That's the only way to have a chance. The Soviet troops in the 42 campaign have a pretty good defensive value and the Soviet player has enough reserves to almost instantly reinforce threatened area's.

Only by keeping them guessing your axis of attack can you prevent them from throwing a carpet of troops before you.

After almost continuously campaigning, the troops of 4th Panzer Army are beginning to show signs of fatigue. But morale is still high and the promise of a great victory urges us on.

Due to constant battle troops of 4th Panzer Army don't even have time to shave

Spearheads of 4th Panzer Army have advanced over 70 miles towards 18th Army. Although they encountered several dug in troops, most of the enemy reserves are are still around Moscow.

Meanwhile, the encircled Soviet troops left behind are slowly but certainly being forced to surrender.