Turn 20: 3-8 November 1941
No one foot of our land will be given to the enemy
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Motherland is calling you!
Strategische Lage im Osten
The current weather conditions in the USSR are causing significant problems to the Wehrmacht. For the last three weeks the constant rain has hampered all our efforts to advance and we have limited ourselves in containing the positions we are currently holding with minimal advances of tactical nature where possible. At the moment the Red Army is all but destroyed and the only thing that saved them from complete annihilation is the adverse weather. This situation will obviously not last too long and as soon as the ground gets a bit more solid we should be able to strike the final blow to the enemy. The alarming result of this lull in the action is that it allows the Soviets to resupply and substitute their shattered units across the entire frontline with fresh ones coming from the rear areas.
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With Moscow all but captured and Rostov-on-Don isolated the war in the East is practically won. Nevertheless OKW is convinced that the Soviets will refuse to stop fighting unless they are totally destroyed. With the current situation of the Wehrmacht it is not possible to complete this task in 1941, therefore a renewed summer offensive will probably be required. At the moment OKW is working hard in establishing a continuous and well-defended frontline for the coming winter and for this reason the majority of our units is set to rest and refit status.
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New Soviet T-34 Battle Tanks are transported to the front from the Ural Factories
Heeresgruppe Nord
In the Northern Sector there has been very little activity due to the adverse weather. The amount of mud has made even the slightest of movements impossible, so most of our units remained in their entrenched positions. Intelligence reports that the Leningrad Front is almost deprived of men and equipment but unfortunately we cannot take advantage of this. Nevertheless snowfall in a number of places has been reported so we expect to be in a position to resume limited offensive action very soon.
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X AK, II AK and XXIII AK have made some limited advances. XXIII AK especially has managed to push the enemy behind the Upper Volga and is within reach of securing the Rybinsk Reservoir. The Soviet Kalinin Front's 12th and 30th Armies have retreated behind the River in an attempt to protect the advances to Kalinin and Yaroslav. For the time being we have not made any attempt of forcing the issue with the enemy due to the weather but we can expect stiff resistance in this sector as soon as the weather improves.
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Vehicles of Füsilier-Bataillon 206 of 206.Inf.Div. are having hard time advancing towards Volga
Heeresgruppe Mitte
In this sector of the front the main points of action are in Ivanovo and Moscow. Along the western sector VIII AK and V AK have managed to achieve moderate advances pushing the enemy 30th and 4th Army further eastwards. XIII AK supported by XXXXII AK have managed to advance along the Klyazma eastern bank and after some heavy fighting with the Soviet 16th and 20th Armies 1.Kav.Div. captured Vladimir in the evening of 6 November.
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This advance and the capture of Vladimir is expected to destabilise the entire Soviet Western Front as it has all-but severe the link with the Bryansk Front and has put the 30th, 4th and 20th Armies in danger of being encircled by motorised forces. Unfortunately the current weather conditions do not allow for such an attempt but the enemy is in a truly precarious situation.
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Soviet troops captured in Vladimir are waiting to be evacuated to POW Camps
In the Moscow sector after a long preparatory artillery bombardment VI AK and LIII AK have assaulted the enemy in the densely populated Dimitrovsky District across the Moskva River. The assault managed to break the outer Soviet defences but the enemy has retreated into the city and continued to fight. Brutal street fighting took place but our training and use of heavy weapons eventually won the day but not before we suffered 1,494 casualties. At 23:30 on 8 November Major General Aleksandr Korobkov was captured in his command post and all resistance is virtually eliminated. During the 5 days of extreme street fighting the Soviets have lost more than 28,000 men, most of them captured usually when they run out of ammunition. The severe fighting has precluded us from continuing the advance further into the city but this is just temporary. The entire city is engulfed in flames and severe street fighting is taking place everywhere with the enemy taking heavy casualties. Just in the Dimitrovsky District intelligence indicates that we have managed to destroy or capture at least 5 Soviet Rifle Divisions.
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The Dimitrovsky District in Moscow under heavy attach from the Wehrmacht
Enemy units are trying to escape the encirclement and severe fighting is also taking place in the periphery of the city, with the enemy taking severe casualties and being forced to either surrender or return to their starting positions. A number of enemy tanks were abandoned in Putilkovo as soon as they came into contact with PAKs of 6.Inf.Div. as they were trying to escape the city. Further investigation and interviews with the prisoners indicated that the vehicles have no ammunition and fuel enough to carry them for 15km. This is clear indication that the enemy is low on supplies and no matter their resolve they will be forced to capitulate soon.
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Destroyed and abandoned enemy KV-1 Main Battle Tank in Putilkovo near Moscow
The majority of the enemy troops captured or killed have no weapons or ammunition left and they are all shell-shocked and starving. The situation is even worse for the civilians caught in the middle of the battle with scores of them being killed or injured.
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Underaged Soviet soldier is crawling towards the German lines to surrender in Putilkovo
Every building in the Northern Districts of Moscow (Putilkovo, Tushino, Dimitrovsky and Levoberezhny) has been defended by the Soviets and had to be cleared room by room by our troops. At the moment most of the houses in these areas are either completely destroyed or on fire and the huge civilian population present is making our operations more difficult and more dangerous.
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Buildings across the Yana Raynisa Boulevard in Tushino District on fire with civilians running for cover in the midst of heavy fighting
Heeresgruppe Süd
In the South the enemy is in full retreat and only the mud is stopping us from the complete elimination of the Soviet units. In the Ryazan Area VIII AK and XXXXIII AK have probed the enemy 11th, 3rd and 21st Armies but the mud has stopped us from making any advances.
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The enemy has managed to amass four armies (10th, 33rd, 40th and 13th) in a bulge around the city of Tambov. XXXV AK, XIII AK and XXXIV AK have attempted to check the enemy formations but lack of supplies and the total lack of roads have not allowed us to make any significant advances. III Pz.Kps attempted a penetration but the excessive amounts of mud posed an insurmountable challenge and the advance came to a halt fairly quickly.
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In the area defended by the Soviet Southwestern Front the lack of roads meant that only small tactical relocations were able and our forces remained at a safe distance from the enemy. Intelligence reports indicate that the enemy is reinforcing its positions in the area but without the ground being solid no attempt to disrupt their preparations can be made.
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In Rostov XXXIV AK has managed to isolate the city with 94.Inf.Div. capturing Bataysk. The enemy has tried to amass 10 Rifle Divisions in the region but for now the heavy rain and the ground conditions have stopped them from making any attempt to relieve the city of Rostov.
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Pioneers of Pionier-Bataillon 194 of 94.Inf.Div. engaged in close quarter fighting in the suburbs of Bataysk
Operational Summary
During last week we have suffered 11,905 casualties (4,602 killed, 46 captured and 7,256 disabled) and lost 134 Guns, 5 AFVs and 1 plane. The Soviets have suffered 50,824 casualties (12,970 dead, 34,979 captured and 2,857 disabled) and lost 938 Guns, 93 AFVs and 181 planes.
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Major Rudolf Witzig Hero of the Eben-Emael has been sent to advice our forces in capturing the fortified areas of Moscow
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I have started using the new Memories of the Rain Map and it is spectacular! I really love it [:)]
