Turn 32, January 22nd 1942


This week saw some kind of lull in the fighting, with the Red Army only mounting 14 major attacks, half of them getting repulsed by the German forces.

German casualties were around 62.000.


Up North in the Leningrad sector situation is unchanged, with not combat initiated by both sides.


In the Vyzhnyvolochek-Kalinin sector the Red Army's attacks got squarely repulsed, while in return several concentrated German counter-attacks hit the Soviet formations hard.

North of Torzhok an attack by 2nd and 5th Panzer, 269th infantry divisions, SS-Polizei division and the 1st SS motorized brigade pushed back the 4th Guards Cavalry Corps and routed a rifle division.

20 miles East 9th and 12th Panzerdivisions spearheaded an attack of 12th, 161st and 256th infantry divisions and, supported by a massive Luftwaffe attack, severely mauled two cavalry divisions and a rifle brigade.

The reserve 132th infantry division has finally arrived at the front and will strengthen the western part of that line, reinforcing the divisions of L and XXXVIII corps.

The brutal defensive battles in this area have taken a heavy toll on my divisions though. Average strength of the 8 PzDivs in this area is ~7.500 men and 42 tanks, with around 40% of the latter actually ready for action. That's roughly two Panzer companies per division... And many of the infantry divisions in this sector are pretty much reduced to regimental strength.

Holding the line has cost me dearly here.


Red tank icon: Soviet attack, black tank icon: German attack




In the Moscow sector only minor fighting happened this week.

I counter-attacked several Red Army concentrations with massive force, inflicting heavy casualties. My divisions in that sector are still in fairly decent shape, with many of the infantry divisions at around 70-80% strength. 7th and 18th Panzerdivisions, in reserve in Moscow, are basically at full strength.

Pretty much all my divisions are in lvl 2 or 3 fortifications, making attacks on them very costly.



In the Orel sector the week began with a venerable crisis when 20th Panzerdivision was savagely attacked by a cavalry corps, 2 rifle divisions and 4 tank brigades. The division, despite excellent Luftwaffe support, suffered a serious defeat, losing 71 of its 150 tanks.

Fearing a Red Army breakthrough towards Orel, I throw everything at hand at the flanks of the Russian spearhead. From the South the infantry of XII corps and the 2nd SS motorized brigade attack, from the North the battered 20th Panzerdivision and the 56th infantry division move in. And finally, I order the elite motorized infantry regiment Großdeutschland from Kaluga to join the attack.

After heavy fighting Großdeutschland breaks through the Soviet lines, cutting off the leading formations, a tank brigade and a cavalry corps south-west of Tula!

Now they need to hold off the inevitable Soviet attacks...



In the Stalino-Rostov sector the Soviet offensive still slowly grinds west, with heavy casualties on both sides. And while my armoured formations exact a severe toll on the Red Army the Hungarian and Romanian infantry divisions suffer badly. I desperately need half a dozen German infantry divisions in this sector, but I have none to spare. Voroshilovgrad still holds out but my forces here get weaker every day.




On the Crimea an attack by 4 Romanian and 2 German divisions have routed 2 tank brigades and a naval infantry brigade, and a few reinforcements finally arrive.




All in all, business as usual. Still no major soviet breakthroughs, but the state of many of my divisions is deeply worrying. After 7 weeks of Blizzard my front line in several sectors is close to collapsing. I can only hope that the Red Army soon runs out of steam.