Current Strategic Map

Note the air modifier reduction to the allies only applies in Italy and only for next week...

Leningrad surrounded as Russia crumbles

In March bad weather in the east grounded the Russian air force, and much needed supplies reached Model’s exhausted armies in the east. Further south Russian forces were massing, but Model gambled that the best form of defence was attack, and sent his armies on the offensive once again. Thanks to some provident weather and good luck, the offensive in the east gained its own momentum and the Russian armies were sent reeling.

In the north around the city of Leningrad German grenadiers were able to tighten the noose on the city, linking up with the Fins on the Finnish-Russian border, despite the attentions of the Russian air force, which pounded the German lines incessantly once the weather improved. Their action near lake Ladoga however had severe implications when Model released his panzers further south.

While Leningrad was besieged, the Russians belatedly launching an armoured counter offensive which had little impact on the dug in Germans, the Panzers of Army group north caught the Russians unawares, smashing a huge hole in their lines to the north of Novgorod. Model’s experienced veteran Generals pounced, pinning the Russian defenders on the front lines while the Panzers expertly moved around to the rear. By the 19th March the trap was sprung and two Russian divisions were surrounded and annihilated in the north. Stalin, enraged, ordered the execution of several Generals, and Marshall Yeremenko narrowly escaped with his life.

By the end of March the German offensive had run out of steam half way between Novgorod and Borovichi, but Hitler was none-the-less delighted. Model meanwhile knew that his lines were thin and his supply lines overextended. He considered asking the fuehrer for permission to dig in and go on the defensive, but then decided against it.

Rome recaptured on see-saw Italian front

March 1944 was a month of mixed fortunes for the allies in Italy. Bad weather, bad luck and bad co-operation between the various allied forces meant that although the advance up the Italian peninsular continued, Rome was lost to the Axis once again.

With the British army having suffered serious casualties in February, the bulk of the fighting fell to the Americans in March, who planned a braod offensive, chiefly in the east, to straighten the line and shorten the front. With this in mind the US forces, led by the Airborne elements and armoured units, began moving slowly up the east coast of Italy. Kesselring fought a brilliant fighting withdrawal, making use of the boggy conditions of the Italian spring and forcing the Americans to take each town, village and farm at a heavy cost. Never-the-less the US forces advanced some fifty miles in March with "acceptable" losses.

In the west however the advance had stalled. Noticing this, and realising the main allied advance was occurring in the east, Kesselring sent in his Panzers on the plains of western Italy in a headlong dash for Rome. He didn't expect to take the city, but a series of events ensured the Italian capital was back in axis hands by the 27th of the month.

As the Panzers advanced they encountered an inexperienced American tank division, mauling it severely. General Mark Clark ordered in a second force of tanks, but these too faired poorly. The allied air support apparently got lost, despite receiving the correct co-ordinates, and singularly failed to intercept the Luftwaffe aircraft who dealt blow after blow to the American tanks. The weather played a part too. HEavy rain turned the roads into mud, but while the US Sherman tanks frequently found themselves becoming bogged down in the soft mud, the German Panthers, with their wide tracks and experienced crews, faired much better, and the Shermans paid the price.

Before long the second armoured division also had to retreat, unfortunately running into a cauldron of German fire, and those who escaped had to abandon their vehicles. Suddenly a German scout group found that the way to Rome lay undefended, and German Panzergrenadiers swept in to recapture the city. Hitler was delighted and the German propaganda machine made much of the city's recapture, awarding the Knights Cross to the commander of the Panzer Division which destroyed the Americans so utterly.

Current Strategic Map

Army Group North surrounds Leningrad

While the battles around Rome raged, the eastern front remained relatively quiet. As yet the Russians, who by now had overwhelming numbers along the length of the front, had not launched their latest offensive. This allowed German Army Group North, commanded by Walter Model, to capitalise on the failure thus far of the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive, which had faltered unexpectedly in January.

Model, having seen off the Russian offensive, now pushed his Panzer Divisions further east, facing determined resistance from the Red Army. Hundreds of modern T-34/85 and KV-85 tanks were destroyed as Model’s Panthers and Panzer IVs swept eastward. The Russians were hampered by unexpectedly mild weather, which caused extensive fog and low cloud – the reason cited for the Russian Air force’s complete failure to have a decisive impact on the crucial battles.

By the end of the month the Germans had once again surrounded Leningrad, restarting the siege which had been lifted by the Russians in 1943. However, the Wehrmacht had almost run out of fuel and their supplies were unable to keep up with the advance, thanks to the ongoing bombing campaign being kept up by the allies. Even German generals were now wondering how long this success in the east could continue.

Italian Front, Feb 1944

February 1944 began with the expected counter-attack by German forces on the Italian capital. The allies expected this, so planned an operation of their own to continue their advance north across the country. The British, with their heavy artillery now dug in and concealed in the rubble of the ancient city, would repulse any German attack while the Americans drove north along the coast, while simultaneously dropping airborne troops near Rieti and north of Viterbo. This, the allies hoped, would surround the Germans and allow a swift advance to the Gothic Line.

The Germans began their drive on the city, with Kesselring employing his best troops, including two Panzer Divisions. Hampered by the rubble strewn narrow streets, the British found it difficult to commit their reserves where they were most needed, and the troops on the front line suffered badly as the Panzer divisions rolled towards Rome. Casualties soon mounted, with the British 53rd division suffering particularly badly. Facing an all out attack on Rome the Americans hastily began their operation to salvage the situation.

The American forces driving along the coast found the going relatively easy, with Tarquinia and Viterbo falling relatively easily, before a German counter attack checked their advance on the 18th of February, forcing the Americans to dig in along a line from the coast to Lake Bolsena. Meanwhile the airborne troops dropping inland soon found themselves in difficulty. They initially met with success, cutting the supply lines serving the German attack on Rome. However this was to lead to their demise.

With the British having been seriously mauled and Kesselring unwilling to commit Panzers to the streets of Rome itself, he turned the attack around and, with troops also advancing from the north, annihilated the airborne units near Rieta in just three days. The allies had made small gains, but Rome was still in danger and the casualties, particularly among the US airborne units, had been cripplingly high.

Current Strategic Map

Axis stop Russians in the east

While the western allies made a critical gain in the Mediterranean, despite heavy losses in the shambles at Corsica, the red army found things tougher in the east. Stalin was still discussing the best plan to advance into Germany with his top generals, allowing German Army Group North to take advantage, making modest advances towards Leningrad. The costs were high on both sides however, and the German generals were still bracing themselves for the inevitable onslaught of Mother Russia.

Italy, January 1944

Gustav Line broken – Rome falls

In late January 1944 a daring set of attacks by the allies in Italy began. In the mountains, in the Liri Valley, the British, led by the 49th (West Riding) division, made good use of foggy weather and some appalling German gunnery near Casino, to make a determined push right, over the mountain passes and down into the Sangro valley. The British, supported by Churchill Crocodiles and overwhelming superiority in artillery, found the going much easier than expected. A full breakthrough was only checked when Kesselring redirected forces from the Adolf Hitler line east to defend Ortona. The British had been stopped.

However, at the same time the allies landed a significant force, numbering some three divisions, on Corsica, in an attempt to establish a launchpad for the invasion of Northern Italy. This, it was argued would prevent a long bloody slog up the spine of the country. The plan received luke warm support from the Americans, but went ahead. Unfortunately two SS panzer divisions were refitting in the comparative quiet of the Corsican vineyards and the landing force, after several intense battles, were forced to abandon the assault.

Hitler was pleased by the allied failure on Corsica, but had little time to enjoy the victory. While Kesselring had been distracted by the “Corsican affair” and the British push towards Ortona, the American force in Italy, with the Airborne in the vanguard, made a daring rush past the now weakened German positions at Casino. The rush tool the Germans completely by surprise, and suddenly, on the 21st January, Rome lay undefended. Before Kesselring could react, the Americans stormed into the ancient city.

In Berlin Hitler flew into a rage and ordered that the ancient Roman city must be reduced to rubble and every allied soldier removed from its boundaries, at any cost.