Turn 59, July 30th 1942

In the Northern sector of the front German forces continue to mop up cut-off Red Army forces. Another 100.000 casualties for the USSR with minimal losses on our side. The infantry corps march East, some having to cover up to 250 miles to catch up once again with the Panzer and Motorized divisions. Only the notion that victory is close at hand keeps the weary Landsers on their feet as they continue to march along dusty roads day by day.



In the central sector the last remnants of the trapped Russian forces are destroyed, another 75.000 casualties for the Red Army. The Soviets try to cut-off my forward forces in the Gorky area by a brave counter-attack across the Volga, but infantry divisions of XII and XXVIII Korps, gallantly supported by II Fliegerkorps, smash these attacks, routing half a dozen enemy divisions of the field.



All along the front from Arzamas to Saratov my infantry corps move East, their advance only limited by their soldiers' will to march on. West of Penza a strong Soviet force consisting of a tank corps and several infantry corps tried to halt the onslaught, but XI, XXIV and XLII Korps literally cut those forces to pieces. More than 30.000 Red Army soldiers killed or captured, against less than 1.000 German casualties. The front line here is not only breached, it has for all means ceased to exist.



The Stalingrad area sees the destruction of the forces cut off last week, another 125.000 Red Army casualties. Red Army operational (ready) strength has dropped to 2.9 million men. Total Soviet losses have exceeded 9 million men.



Down South the forces of Operation Windhund are handicapped by a serious shortage of fuel. The divisions have been on a constant advance since the start of the offensive on May 21, covering more than 800 miles in the three months since their break-out from the Kerch peninsula. The Red Army tried a desperate defence at Derbent, a natural bottleneck between the Caucasus mountain ridges and the Caspian Sea with 6 rifle divisions, but the assault by 100.000 soldiers of the crack I and XXX Korps, commanded by Field Marshall Model of 11th Army blasted through these defences in no time! So powerful was the frontal attack that all six defending rifle divisions surrendered, something that so far has been limited to cut-off formations.

With the road to Baku cleared, 2 Panzer and 2 MotInf divisions are waiting for the precious fuel to commence that last attack of the war against Russia.



I'm currently at 287 victory points, the capture of Baku will yield another 3 VPs, and the game will end with a total German victory at 290 VPs.

We're almost there!