Turn 22, November 13th 1941


Finally, after weeks of stagnation during the Rasputitsa, the muddy season that stops all movement, the weather has turned cold, with mild frost enabling the mobile units to move once again.

We now have three to four weeks until the Russian winter hits us with full force, and I plan on using that time as well as possible. The main objective of this phase of the campaign will be to decimate the Red Army in order to destroy their ability to mount a serious counter offensive.

In the North our Finnish Allies start the offensive by pushing back the Red Army on a 100-mile front. Although the Soviet units are entrenched well, the Finns succeed in inflicting large casualties while suffering light-modest losses themselves. I can't stress enough how important it was to take Leningrad and get the Finns to join as "full" allies. The ability to use Finnish troops well south of the Finnland-USSR border freed about a dozen German divisions to deploy elsewhere. I am quite confident to hold the Leningrad front in the coming months.




Operation Westerwald

In the early morning hours the 32nd, 58th, 86th and 79th infantry divisions assault the Red Army positions south of the river Msta and tear a 30-mile gap into the Soviet front. L and XXII infantry corps widen the gap to the north and south and provide initial flank protection. With the Red Army lines breached the XL and XXXI Panzerkorps are unleashed and race forward, routing half a dozen Soviet divisions from the battlefield. 1st Panzerdivision enables the Corps to rapidly cross the Shlina river to the west of Vyshnyvolovheck by taking on and defeating no less than 5 armoured brigades, 6 infantry brigades and 2 infantry divisions. The leading Panzerdivisions, 2nd and 5th, with 335 thanks have penetrated more than 100 miles and have closed to within 20 miles of Kushinovo and the last railroad out of the Kessel.

200 miles south of the assault teams of XXXVIIth, L and XXII Corps the companies of V and VI corps commence their attack. 6th Infantry division assaults across the Volga and takes Rzhev against dogged Russian resistance, well supported by the Luftwaffe and corps artillery. With the river crossings secured the XXXXVII and LVI Panzerkorps move out and break into the Red Army lines. In heavy fighting the 10th, 12th, 17th and 19th Panzerdivisions, supported by 18th and 20th MotInf divisions fight 60 miles through heavy Russian resistance to a point only 30 miles from the leading tanks of 5th Panzer division. The giant pocket is almost closed, 80 brigades and 20 divisions are threatened with annihilation.



All along the front my divisions have resumed the offensive and have pushed the Red Army back. The idea is to use carefully planned deliberate attacks to inflict a maximum of damage with little casualties.



East of Orel and Kharkov the ferocious attack by 6th and 17th armies and XXIV Panzerkorps virtually destroy the Russian frontline on a 200-mile stretch! 3rd and 4th Panzerdivisions have reached Voronesz




In the Stalino-Rostov sector I've completed the extraction of XXXXVIIIth Panzerkorps while my infantry corps move into the line. Despite the logistical nightmare of the past weeks the five Panzerdivisions of III, XIV, XXXXVIII Panzerkorps still number around 100 tanks each. With the infantry divisions finally coming into the line I think I'm actually in a good position to retake Rostov and capture Voroshilovgrad. Meanwhile the three Romanian corps continue to advance up the Back Sea coast.



Last but not least: the Crimea.

71st infantry division and the 2nd Romanian Mountain brigade have defeated a a force of three Soviet brigades that landed in Yevpatoria on the western coast. 5.000 prisoners were taken.

Soviet units all along the front were pushed back and Simferopol fell to a combined attack by 22nd Luftlandedivision and 198th infantry division.





Red Army losses this week amount to 125.000, my own casualties are ~20.000.