AlbertN
Posts: 3693
Joined: 10/5/2010 From: Italy Status: offline
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May / June 1942 - Ostfront Hitler was rejoicing, the Dnepr was crossed smoothly, Von Rundstedt did an amazing job (not even using the O-Chit), and his pretorians, the SS elite forces, were spearheading toward Kharkov. But as the turn ended - and the Soviets popped new reinforcements and their reserves got liberated and action-ready, that did not suited well with Axis plans. Stalin clearly had other ideas for Kharkov, surely among them not its sudden fall to Axis hand. Four new Soviet units (1 plane) were produced in Kharkov to bolster the defences ... or better the forces to mount a massive counterattack. Zhukov (which HQ ability was -not- used) mustered all the Soviet tanks and tankettes in the zone around the SS (Which were attackable by 5 hexes!). The air battle saw the Soviets victorious, as per all their bombers delivered, and 2 units flipped for the Germans. They used all their fighters, so the Axis was free to give ground support. In the end the attack was a +10 Blitz against a 28 combat power. Hitler will need to create again his elite SS units, it seems. This was a major gamble for the Soviets. If the attack would have gone sour, about 14-15 units of them could have been flipped (or half of them), leaving them exposed in the plains of Ukraine to the German panzer retaliation. Even the air battle was a gamble, as the Soviets have only 2 fighters of poor quality (4 air factor). They'd have to fight against the odds (not by numbers) on enemy territory, losing pilots too. But this was a successful gamble for the Soviets. They did not used either the O-Chit, the HQ command nor the Anti-Air to shrink the Axis airplane intervention for ground support. Which means there is a plan to withdraw further. Though when the Axis impulse arrived the retaliation was brutal. Soviets left an amount of weak units as veil to hamper some the Axis movements, but nonetheless to attack the SS they massed armour in a zone and left many other spots without armoured protection. Germans struggle some due to their air actions which are extremely limiting, but they need both to advance, smash Soviets and try to pin as many of them as they can. Alas the bombing runs are not as efficient as Goering would have liked, and very few Soviets shall limp on the spot if the rest keeps their hasty retreat. A small garrison unit (1-1) is left to defend the Krim Istmus, which is overrun and German mechanized units arrive to attack Kerch, defended by a CAV unit (Which will be butchered). Sebastopol is seized, left unguarded. The Black Sea Soviet fleet - after the war opening bombing by the Italians - sails for other not too safe ports, but they do not have much else to go to! Von Rundstedt (not using HQ support) attacks with a mass of armoured forces a stack of infantries paired up with heavy artillery, trampling all over them. Other nests of Soviet resistance are quickly dispatched - and Gomel, Smolensk, and Dnepr-City fall all in Axis hands too.
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< Message edited by Cohen -- 10/3/2015 12:50:10 PM >
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