Mediterranean/African Theatre
Kriegsmarine
The entirety of the Kriegsmarine have reached North Africa and are currently battling the British fleet based around Gibraltar. Even with their significantly smaller forces, the British are managing to effectively block a breakthrough between the narrow straights. However it is costing them dearly and it will only be a matter of time before we defeat the remaining forces and enter the Mediterranean. Taking advantage of our strong fleet presence, we have transported troops from England and landed them on the North West tip of Africa, only to find it abandoned by the Americans. Apparently after committing the majority of their forces in the drive to Tunis only to see them finally destroyed, the remaining American commanders have seen the futility of this endeavor and have re-embarked back to America.
Africa Corps
To the West, the forces under Rommel have beaten the final American drive on Tunis and destroyed all the opposing forces. The majority of our troops are relocating to the Egypt front, whilst the remainder are capturing the former Vichy French cities that have now been abandoned by the Americans.
To the East, our Paratroopers, combined with 2 infantry units which flanked around to the South, have surprised the Allied artillery defending El Alamein. This allowed our main forces to attack the heavily entrenched Commonwealth troops directly. Whilst we suffered significant losses, we were able to finally break and destroy the defenders. Our troops are now pouring through and will target Alexandria and Cairo, before crossing the Suez Canal and making the final drive on the oil fields of the Middle East. This should provide the knockout blow to finally take the Western Allies out of the war.
Surprising the artillery from behind we were able to destroy it, allowing our main forces to attack the El Alamein defenders head on. Although heavily entrenched, the defenders were unable to resist for long without artillery support.
European Theatre
Army Group North
Taking advantage of the frozen rivers, our forces are advancing on Novgorod and will soon capture it. We will then pivot South and advance down the Eastern side of the Volga to envelop and destroy the major cities currently under attack from army group centre.
Army Group Center
We have successfully crushed all Russian resistance up to the Volga. However with winter ending, there was a significant renewal of Russian air activity which has hindered our ground forces. It seems that the Russians used the bad weather to mass produce advanced fighters and bombers in their factories further East. Whilst the Luftwaffe is sufficient to deal with this threat, it has pushed back our timetable by around 2 months and led to numerous casualties. The Russians also seem to have stepped up production of various armoured units, which have massed to the East of the Volga. As Spring has now come and the rivers have thawed, these units have no means to engage us. However once we break through the cities lying on the Volga, they will have to be dealt with. As in prior years, it is expected that the Luftwaffe will be the main force to deal with these heavily armoured units.
The Russians have amassed a strong armoured reserve to the East of the Volga. However with no way to cross, they are not an immediate threat as long as we continue to engage the cities lying on the river. As we have won the air war, the Luftwaffe are able to target these armoured units with little fear of retaliation.
Army Group South
Our attack on Stalingrad continues. Our troops have entered the city, however the battle is fierce and the capture of each house and street comes at a heavy cost. With air supremacy achieved, we expect that the added weight of the Luftwaffe’s heavy bombers should tip the balance in our favor and lead to the fall of the city shortly.
Further south, our forces have reached the ??? river and are concentrating around the 2 main crossing points. Once we have received sufficient reserves we will make a push across the river in the direction of the Russian oil fields.
Synopsis
Our forces are progressing well and the war will be won before the year is out. The only major discernible threat is the strong Russian armour that is massing on the East banks of the Volga. However with no way for them to cross, we should be able to take all cities on the Volga before having to deal with this threat. And whilst the Russian airforce was very strong in early Spring, it has mostly been destroyed by our superior air forces (although at a heavy cost to our own forces). Therefore the Luftwaffe should be able to cause considerable damage to the Russian armour before we engage it with ground forces.
The blue line shows the river Volga. We are attacking many of the Russian cities lying on the river. Whilst strong Russian armour lies beyond it, they have no way to cross without exposing themselves and are therefore not an immediate threat. The green arrows show the major routes of attack. Note in the South-West the Kriegsmarine are massed around the strait of Gibraltar, which is being defended by British capital ships, destroyers, submarines and a small air contingent.
