Now this is gonna get interesting!





Turn 36, February 19th 1942


Losses this week again are on the low-ish side (for blizzard, that is) with ~56.000 casualties.

The Red Army mounted a mere four (!) attacks along the whole Eastern Front, all of them repulsed by my troops. Looks like the Soviets are as much in need of a pause as I am. And that's not the only good news: the army ready strength on the Eastern Front has increased by another 70.000 to 2.470.000 troops. (Serviceable) Tank strength hasn't changed and is still ~ 1.400, but there's a good reason why despite reinforcements from Germany it hasn't increased, more on that later...

Leningrad sector:
As in the previous weeks the front here remains calm. There's a Soviet build-up consisting of 10+ divisions in the Tikhvin area, but they are facing two Finnish divisions and a brigade in lvl 3 and 4 fortifications, which are basically Maginot-line/Sevastopol fortresses. So, while I'll keep an eye on the situation here, I don't get too nervous about it. Yet.



In the Vyzhnyvolochek-Kalinin area the fighting for the 1st time in weeks almost ceases. The fresh 83rd and 205th infantry divisions continue moving into the line while from the South two other divisions from Germany, the 208th and 330th are marching to the front from their railheads at Rzhev (not on this pic). 1st Panzerdivision, resting 50 miles behind the front, is already back to 129 tanks, and both 60th and SS-Totenkopf MotInf divisions are counting almost 10.000 men again. And with 36th MotInf division successfully disengaging I now have all mobile divisions in this sector withdrawn to refit. Well, all except two. But more on that later...




Kalinin sector:

Heated discussions about Operation Schneehase among front commanders, OKH and OKW lasted for several days. The reason was a serious blunder committed by the Red Army: a gap that had developed in the Povarovo area. Thus the plans for Operation Schneehase were born. While the Panzer Army commanders Hoth and Guderian suggested an immediate strike by their Panzerdivisions to cut off the Russian forces protruding south-west from the Kalinin area OKH argued to wait until the weather conditions improved. In the end Hoth and Guderian won the day with the argument that that would take another three weeks and god knows how many divisions the Soviets would put into the line in that time.

Just before dawn on February 19th the artillery of V and XVII corps north-west of Moscow hit the Russian divisions manning the shoulders of the Povarovo gap. In heavy fighing the defenders were pushed back, the gap widened. Then XXXIX Panzerkorps, led by 7th Panzerdivision, Rommel's famous Ghost Division from the campaign in France, smashed into the gap! 300+ tanks and 30.000 men, well rested after several weeks in reserve in Moscow, raced north, with 18th Panzerdivision finally reaching the Volga reservoir south-east of Kalinin after heavy fighting.

From the Kalinin area VI corps and LVII Panzerkorps commenced the attack by pushing back the Red Army against determined resistance. With the initial positions secured the battered 10th Panzerdivision launched itself from Kalinin against a Guards Cavalry division holding the last way out of the forming Kessel. Gallantly supported by everything the Luftwaffe could launch 10th Panzer broke through and met with 18th Panzer at the Volga reservoir. The attack from the North with the severely weakened divisions was indeed a great risk. But in the Kessel formed by this bold operation we have cut off 11 infantry brigades, 5 tank brigades, 7 infantry divisions, 7 cavalry divisions and one cavalry corps!




Now if we can keep this trap shut for just a week or two...

In the Moscow-Tula area the situation is basically unchanged. A counter-attack or two and that's it. The front is as stable as can be and I'm conserving strength for the spring offensive. Near Tula itself both the 20th Panzerdivision and the élite Großdeutschland MotInf regiment have been pulled out of the frontline.



The situation along the stretch from Voronezh to Voroshilovgrad is just the same: no major fighting, mobile divisions are resting and refitting. Waiting for spring...



In the Stalino area I have finally been able to disengage 20th Panzerdivision and pull it out of Voroshilovgrad. I've also been able to withdraw allmost all Panzer and MotInf divisions that were involved in the successful counter-attack to withraw to rest and refit. Only SS-Wiking is yet to be relieved, I hope to do so next week. I think I have pretty much blunted the Red Army offensive power in this area for the next couple of weeks. Especially the mobile Soviet formations have suffered considerable casualties.



On the Crimea again business as usual, no changes, therefore no pic.



It's been an interesting week. Operation Schneehase has the potential for a major, unexpected success and I'm slowly rebuilding my Panzerdivisions all along the front. It is a bit of a gamble pulling off such an operation in blizzard, but with the ability of the Red Army to put up large numbers of fresh formations in very short time I think it was a good idea.