OCS Case Blue - scenario 7.8

Novocherkassk and Voroshilovsgrad taken.

Two rails toward West from Likhosvkoy cut.

Donest crossed beyond Voroshilovsgrad.

Start of the retreat of the centre.

Small counter-attack in front of Rostov.

The 14^th Pz Div crushes the 14^th Tank Corps, opening the road for the D'aosta Div who tooks Milerovo by surprise. Rossoh is taken by the 29^th Mot, the 3^rd PzD surprises the 28^th Army HQ, the unguarded Kantemirovak airbase and the 38^th Army HQ in strategic mode! The trap is closed, encircling all troops between the Don and Rossoh: 9^th, 28^th, 37^th and 38^th Armies, with 14^th, 22^nd and 23^rd Tank corps! Violent fight in west-Rostov, without success, while the Westland regiment of the SS Wiking Div cross the Don behind Rostov and take control of the main road to the South.

Start of the retreat of the centre.

Small counter-attack in front of Rostov.

Calm down... only 6 SP. The 4^th Pz Group appears on the field of operations but due to lack on fuel, only the 24^th PzDiv moves by train to relieve the 23^rd facing Likhovskoy.

The 16^th Pz continues his move forward taking Tatsinskaya by the south with any losses, cutting the remnants of soviet armies retreating, followed by the 22^nd.

4 Inf Div and 6 Tank Bde more are lost while 24^th and 37^th Armies are routed, abandoning Likhovskoy in order to attempt a counter-attack with the 13^th Tank Corps on Tatsinskaya. But, while one of the brigades is stopped by the bombs of the He-111, the two others fall in a trap disposed by the gunners of 16^th Pz Div as their armoured comrades was taking the town...

Morozovsk is fortifying while the 63^th Army's HQ, cavalry and NKVD borders troops are entering the village to reinforce the 153^th Inf Div.

The D'Aosta Div pushes outside Milerovo on the road to Serafimovich, destroying the guard on the Kalitva river. The 16^th Pz Div stays around Tatsinskaya, as the 22^nd Pz Div crosses the Don at Tsimlyanskaya and the 13^th PzDiv finally takes Likhovskoy.

Consolidation

Offensive stopped by lack of fuel. Only the 14^th Pz Div and D'aosta are pushing to Serafimovitch and take Perelazoviskyi and Surovikino by surprise!

Even too far from the 35^th Italian army; lot of food has to be thrown to the front unit in order to keep them supplied...

Morozovsk is now cutted from the rear area ans the fortifications around Stalingrad are far from finished.

Failed counter-attacks on Surovikino and from Serafimovitch. The morale is low on the Soviet side...

Still no enough fuel. The rest of the 14^th Pz comes to rescue the forwarded tanks and Pangrenadieren in Surovikino, surrounded by a lots of Russian tanks.

The Italian are reinforcing in front of Serafimovitch.

Second counter-attack from the area of Stalingrad: the 28^th Tank Corps launch an attach on the artillery of the 14^th Panzer with somme success. The gap is then filled by the 141^th Inf Div.

The more important success is the arrival of the 24^th Tank Corps, who retake Surovikino and the airbase: the anti-tank and planes are routed by the arrival of the new tanks who continue their advance to fall on two German Inf Div in strategic move... The 14^th is once more isolated in Surovikino and more and more Russians are coming.

A precious but light link has been reestablished with the defenders of Morozovsk.

Double-move and limited flight!

The 24^th and 28^th Tank Corps continue their move beyond the Kurniak river and crushes the 35^th Italian army HQ and repulse the German 3^rd Pz Corps in disorder. The Italian are behead.

More, in the rear, on the road from Millerovo, the 22^nd Tank corps and the 5^th Cavalry Div crush some Italian infantry and dispersed the parc of wagons in charge of the supply of the forward troops. The elite Italian ski troops are able to stop the Russian horsemen and to protect the wagons. But the tanks are still there, cutting the road...

Rescue operation to save the 3^rd Pz Corps. Despite the air bridge, most of the Italian are out of supply. The wagon route is reestablished with the German troops and the 24^th Pz Div came to punish with severity the Russian tanks on the road.

In front of Morozovsk, the 16^th and 13^th Pz Div are encircling the town. If the former has some success, their brothers are unable to enter the town.

Rest and rally: the Italian were for the most able to reach back the safe lines; in the 14^th Pz Div, only the I/36th Pz Rgmt was able to make it...

Stalingrad seems less easy to catch before autumn.

The glorious soldiers of the 24^th and 28^th Tank Corps went back behind the Iliukai river, forming a front with newly arrived infantry from Stalingrad and Serafimovitch.

Less news, and bad ones, from Morozovsk... The Russian army draws a first-line front along the Tsinla, the Chir and the Iliukai rivers and a second ine behind.

The first line is stronger and a few food and ammunition has been delivered to Morozovsk.

The 1^st Mountain and 76^th Inf Div are able to cross the Don river at some few kilometers east from Rostov, while on the West the swamps are taken to the Don flotilla's sailors opening the road to the crossing by the 298^th Inf Div and 5^th Rumanian Cav Brigade.

Failure of the 16^th Pz Div against Morozovsk...

Double move!

The German and Rumanian troops join on the road to Armavir, encircling totally Rostov.

Strong resistance in Morozovsk, finally taken by the 16^th Pz Div, after three new attempts and help from 13^th Pz Div and 125^th Inf Div.

Consolidation. Rostov is assieged.

Nothing special. The front are almost fixed.

Arrival of the 26^th Tank Corps south of Rostov to disperse the cossacks trying to push south.

Bloody retake of Bataysk by the 26^th Tank Corps and the 302^th Inf Div, permitting to reconnect the city of Rostov, whose western half has been taken by the Panzers of the SS Viking division after massive desertion of the defenders. The NKVD, alone, was crushed by surprise.

Rostov in once more encircled and elements of the SS Wiking Div are chasing the Russian out side. The 3^rd Mot Div just crossed the Don on the bridges of the 49^th Mountain Corps. The 60^th Mot Div keeps guarding the north side of the city.

At Tsimlanskaya, on the East, the 22^nd Pz Div bridgehead destroyed the fortified Soviet tank brigade, opening a second road to the South.

German HQ looks at the oil fields...

In order to reduce the pressure on Rostov and across the Don, the Soviet launches two limited offensive. First, the 6^th Army from Veshenskaya crosses the Don before the arrival of Rumanian to their riverside. Then, the 66^th Army from Serafimovitch attack. With more or less success, the two branches joined cutting two infantry divisions and the Croats from the rest of the Axis line. The Rumanian 6^th Army's HQ escaped due to the sacrifice of the cavalry.

The second offensive tried to cross the Tsinla. No progression but the Cossacks and German infantry vanished...

The SS Viking and 3^rd Mot Div crossed the Don and began to invade the south bank.

The 24^th Pz Div and D'Aosta Italian Div realigned their front in the north.

The Germans too are able to launch side operations to disorganize locally the enemy. The 48^th Pz Corps and 6^th Rumanian Army throwed the 3^rd Pz, 29^th Mot and 9^th Rumanian Cav Div on the little bridgehead of Kazanskaya to reduce the pressure on the east crossing at Veshenskaya and may cut the Soviet offensive.

Great success at first, the door is wide open and the Panzers are galloping north and are even able to get by surprise the Soviet 66^th Army's HQ at Kalach (not Kalatch on the Don!)

On the Chir, the front is realigned in force with the arrival of numerous Italian and counter-attacks from the 14^th and 24^th Pz Div.

Some panic on the north river of the Don. They are big holes and the rail station in Kalach that would receive the reinforcement of the 22^nd Tank Corps has be taken by the Germans.

Double move welcome to close the door on the Don.

The panzers in Kalach are now besieged by the 22^th and 1^st Tank Corps, waiting for some air or artillery support to launch an assault. The German relief will have hard time to join as the door on the Don at Kazanskaya is screened by 2 Inf Div (73th and 387^th) and the 38^th Inf divi of the Guard.

Difficult to supply the avant-guard in Kalach, now surrounded by Soviet tanks. The door through the Don has been reopened but it is still too far.

In Rostov an infantry all-out assault reduced the defences: only the HQ of the 4^th Tank Corps still remains...

Violent German assault on the outpost of Pavlovsk: the 62^th and 305^th Inf Div attack the Soviet position. Heavy Soviet losses but the position stays. Then the 23^rd Pz Div attack as a second wave in vain too...

The SS Viking, 3^rd and 60^th Mot Div keeps moving south crushing the Soviet in front of them. The Steppes Don are so big...

The remnants of the 3^rd Pz and 29^th Mot Div were able to escape and to cross back the Don to seek cover. This opportunity attack was a bad idea.

The last defenders of Rostov fall.

Kalach is taken and the German tanks there are all destroyed.

From now, if nothing changes until May, 1943 (!), the German should win the campaign... Do the Russian will let nothing change? Should we go a little further and, as the weather is still good, either destroy more Soviets, either take the oil fields, or both? I think the important thing from now is to avoid losses and for the next offensives, to make sure to be able to keep an objective before to try to take it!

If nothing change until May, 1943, the German wins. We have to assess them losses by continual friction and avoid big encirclement, and to keep oil fields and Stalingrad out of their hands. Then, in winter, we will be able to counter-attack to shift the result in taking Rostov and either Kharkov or Sebastopol.

The SS Viking Div pushed far into the South, attempting without success to take the city of Armavir by surprise.

The 60^th Mot Div fail to take the town of Pechanokopskoye, near Sal'sk but cut the railroad there: they are no more rail link between Stalingrad and the Kuban.

The 3^th Mot Div screens the city oy Yeysk, sending a delegation to surrender it.

With the Kuban cut from Stalingrad, it is not the time to regret to miss sending supply there before...

Trucks are sent to Astrakhan in order to have a very long journey from the city to the troops defending the oil fields.

The 63^th Cav Div launched an audacious raid in the rear of the forward elements of the SS Viking Div.

Lot of troops are arriving by train at Sal'sk, and the defences around are organizing themself quickly.

The SS Viking takes Armavir! The 3^rd Mot Div takes Korenovskaya, last step before Krasnodar!

More and more reinforcements and supply are arriving in Sal'sk where the 5^th Tank Army is formed. The 1^st and 21^st Tank Corps are at the railway station. From Sal'sk and Pechanokopskoye, units leaded by the remnants of the 4^th Guard Cav Corps are slowly encircling the German Panzergrenadieren, supported by long-range very efficient bombers flying from Stalingrad.

The 3^rd Mot Div helps their comrades of the 60^th to deal with the waves of Soviets coming from Sal'sk. The SS Viking enlarge his spearhead.

The 5^th Tank Army continues to press the German and destroy the forces facing them West of Sal'sk. The road to oil field is clearly menaced.

It looks like the Germans will be unable to go further neither eastward nor southward and that their must prepare to defend themselves strategically from now until May, 1943...

Violent struggle in front of Sal'sk. The Stukas and He 111 with very precise bombings clear the path for the Panzers of the 60^th and 16^th Mot Div. The 16^th Pz Div arrives by train as the 29^th Mot Div join the front. The idea is to cut Sal'sk from Stalingrad the next week.

In the same time, the 3^rd Mot Div run to Krasnodar and takes the airport where a first squadron of Croats pilots lands their Messerschmitt 109g. The fight for the center of city is not yet finished.

Arrival of the 1^st Tank Corps at Sal'sk.

The battle develops around Sal'sk, cut from Stalingrad by the 16^th Pz Div.

One more step into Kranodar, on the western side of the city with a very precise support from the Luftwaffe.

Failed attempt from the 1^st Tanl Corps to repulse the 16^th Pz Div behind Sal'sk. The forward defence gathered around the town.

The South is awakening.

(I discovered very late the South box...)

Failure to take the centre of Krasnodar, despite the fact that they were only a few defenders there. Even the NKVD were gone behind the river...

The chances to take both or even one oil field before the mud and to keep it with a very extended front are fading...

The NKVD is back in Krasnodar, some tanks are waiting in support south of the city... Around, the lines are mooving: the Russian abandon Timashevskaya air base in order to avoir to be out of supply. But, in the east, from Maikop, the newly formed 58^th Army pushes and takes back Ust-Labinskaya, followed by the 2^nd Tank Corps.

The Kuban is too big for the overstretched German army!

New failures in front of Krasnodar and Sal'sk.

The 2^th Tank Corps pushes back the Germans before Krasnodar. The city would probably be saved, finally.

In Sal'sk, the evacuation process began: protected by the 1^st Tank Corps, the troops are leaving to form a new stronghold in south.

The Soviet tank counter-attack near Krasnodar is repulsed by the arrival of the 16^th Mot Div. The SS Viking regroup to take the city, and even launch a deep reco toward Kerck strait, cutting the supply of Soviet troops behind.

Sal'sk is besieged and cut from the Soviet Tank Army, retreating to find some cover.

Meanwhile, the officers and soldiers of the 126^th Inf Div do not want to wait for the fall of the townto continue marching “nach Osten”: they cross at night the Manych river, with the support of the artillery of the 16^th Pz Div – the very same heroes who ambushed the Soviet tank at Tatsinskaya! A new bridgehead is setting up.

The German bridgehead on the Manych has been totally destroyed! The troops in Sal'sk received enough supply by air to stand.

Yeysk is finally take, due to starvation of the garrison.

Krasnodar is taken too, wit heavy losses by the 3^rd Mot Div. The SS Viking launched a successful raid to the coast, taking by surprise Tuapse and the supply depot there.

Consolidation of the prots on Black Sea and around the Maikop oil fileds.

The 5^th Tank Army continue his retreat from Sal'sk crushing the Panzergrenadieren on the road.

The 3^rd Fallshirmjäger regiment of the 7^th Div has been successfully dropped on the south oild field of Maïkop, quickly joined by the tanks of the 5^th SS Panzer Regiment of the SS Viking. The 3^rd Mot Div is not far, coming from Krasnodar through the woods to cut the 58^th Army in Labinskaya.

The Kerch straits Soviet defenders are now cut from ground supply, only linked by the port of Tammam', but the assault guns of the 245^th batallion are in light of sight, followed by the paratroopers. The hope to get the Maikop oil fields before the coming mud start to slowly come back...

The Kerch straits garrison are regrouping in Tamman.

The defences are reorganizing around Maikop.

Maikop is taken by the elite troops of the 7^th FJ Div.

Stavropol' is surrounded.

The paras are progressing to the Kerch straits.

Evacuation of the Maikop area.

Maybe the last sunny days of the summer, it's time to prepare for the Soviet massive counter-attack, probably after the mud and probably just after...

Continuation of the evacuation of the Maikop area. The reinforcement are taking position slowly before the winter offensive. Finally, Stalingrad has been safe all the the summer long

Time to break the Damocles sword of the Soviet double move to come: the Soviet plays first.

The relief are coming to help Maikop garrison to resist and even to rescue Stavropol'.

There is a very big hole between the north and South German armies, just in front of Rostov. It will be a pain to defend... and a pain to retreat quickly all the south troops in case of Russian attack there... and Russian troops are just coming.

The Kerch straits is now German from both side... at the very moment where the German thinks to evacuate the South to avoid to be cut in front of Rostov...

The reinforcements are reinforcing the defence in the area of Maikop. The Germans are still unable to get the floof od oil form the oil fields.

The troops are gathering in front of Rostov menacing in three direction: the road to Maikop, the road to Milerovo, the main road to Tsimlanskaya.

Novorossirsk finally taken, where the German find a lot of supplies...

Around Maikop, the Russia are still there and reinforcement are coming.

Facing Rostov, a first curtain of troops build a thin defence line. It looks like retreating from the South – Maikop, Krasnodar and Novorossirks is a serious option. Sad...

Furious counter-attack from the 4^th Motorized Corps and the 58^th Army East of Maikop.

In the same time, the Manych is easily crossed by the 51^st Army, sending the 16^th Tank Corps toward Mechetinskaya. The road to Sal'sk will be cut soon and the Panzer there will have to go back quickly, as all the troops south of Don!

I do not think the German can win, from now.

Alarm! The 16^th z and 29^th Mot Div comes back fron around Sal'sk and try to close the door through the Manych, in vain.

On this other side of the Don Steppes, the 22^nd Pz goes south to cut the rail from Stalingrad, and even destroy an infantry division in strategic mode and capture a depot. The roads to Stalingrad and Elitsa are cut.

The 13^th Panzer failed to repulse an incursion near Mechetinskaya.

Unfortunately, Maikop is finally evacuated, at the very moment when the oil engineers were able to begin to pump the precious resource... A counter attack is launched by the 16^th Mot and the SS Viking Div on the rear of the Soviet tanks.

More reinforcements are crossing the Kerch straits to establish a solid beach head and keep Novorossirsk, Tuapse and Krasnodar.

The whole strategic situation is openly changed: the roles are reversed. The coming mud can bring some other changes.

The coming month is very important, before the arrival of new Panzer divisions around the November, 22^th. Will hte German be able to resist?

Fortunately, the weather is dry and the Soviet have the initiative, avoiding a double German move who potentially could have stopped the coming assault on the Manych and the road to Rostov.

The Manych door stays open. The 4^th Mot Div continues his advance northward. Everything is ok.

The retreat from Maikop continues, with some less disorder.

The fight in front of Rostov, to block the Manych crossing, continues too. On the other side, the 22^th Pz retreated, unable to cut safely the rail from Stalingrad, retreat to cover the rest of the army.

First mud! Pretty late but it announces the coming autumn and winter.

Crossing of the Manych temporary stopped by the mud (and the Germans).

The 4^th Mot Div continues slowly its advance.

The door is almost closed on the Manych.

The 16^th Pz finish the job to close the Manych crossing. The 79^th Mot Inf Rgmt cross itself the river to detroy the Russian artillery deployed behind and to cut the supply.

The mud gave some rest to the German and permit them to face the future with more confidence.

The Stalingrad airport received the visit of He 111 and Stukas that almost annhilited it and destroyed all the long-range bombers there. Only the transport aircraft has been saved from the fire.

The progression on the Armavir-Rostov road continues slowly.

The battle for the Manych crossing seems to end with a draw as a result, taht means a little strategic victory for the German as their are not more menaed by an encirclement of the South.

New bombing of Stalingrad. The planes are safe but the newly hastly built facilities were not solid enough.

As the sky is still clear, the frost begin to bite in the North...

The Hungarish soldiers are crossing the Don around the swamp in order to establish a front to avoid a surprise through the Manych River.

New facilities has been built in North to protect the LR bombers, but the fighters was not yet deployed and the Stukas sent already some bombs on them.

Slow advance of the 4^th Mot Div toward Rostov.

Assault on the German tanks south of Tsimlanskaya by the 17^th and 22^th Tank Corps.

Surprise attack on the just arrived Italian in Tikhoretsk by the 4^th Mot Div, supported by independent tank brigades.

Difficulties to escape for the tanks of the 22^th Pz.

Preparation for the winter offensive: cold in north, light mud in south.

With more or less success the 17^th and 22^nd Tank Corps cleared the path of German tanks.

The German are slowly coming back to Maikop...

Maikop is back in German hands and the rail to Rostov is under threat from the SS Viking.

Limited attack, as prelude, mainly successful...

Failed attack of the Hungarish, stopped by a terrible Russian artillery barrage.

Counter-attack on the limited Soviet attack.

Invasion of Maikop almost done; the oil engineers are coming back to extract the oil

Massive assault!

A large hole is open in th German lines. The 1^st, 24^th Tank corps and 1^st Guard Mot Div are going up to Morozevsk.

In North, the tanks fail to make the hole.

From North to South, variable results of the Rusian offensive.

At Boguchar, everything is stopped. Not enough troops to exploit the first, difficult, assault.

After Mrozovsk, the tanks of the 1^st Guards Mot Corps and 24^th Tank Corps take Tatsinskaya esily and join the ones from the 1^st Tank Corps.

The German in Tsimlanskaya are cut from the rear by the action of the 13^th Mot Corps who repulsed easily the Hungarian from Zstvcia.

Mechetinskaya is taken by a brutal assault by the colum from Sal'sk. The German paratroopers and remnants of 16^th Pz and 29^th Mot Div will have to gather quickly and retreat toward Rostov.

Epic failure of the 5^th Tank Army in front of Pavloskaya, while the entire 4^th Mot Corps is running South to face the SS menacing to cut the rail, while they retook Maikop.

First delivery of oil from Maikop. Slow retreat toward Rostov after the continuation of the Russian offensive.

In South the Viking SS Divisionand the 14^th Pz Corps cut the railroad and still repulse the Russian, protecting Maikop.

Continuation of the offensive.

The retreat gives the German some more solid positions to defend. The fresh 6^th PzDiv, arriving directy from Normandy, is ready to fight with their Italian comrades of the D'Aosta Division.

The 1^st Panzerkorps was able to exit the trap and the 3^rd PzDiv and infantry of the 40^th Panzerkorps destroyed two Guards units and tried even to retake Boguchar.

Not sure the Soviet will be able to break through the German defences...

The South begins to enter Winter from now. No more mud...

The rail is reestablished between Stalingrad and the Rostov-Armavir road.

The SS are bypassed and feel alone in the steppes.

Violent fight to try to trap the German.

Facing Rostov, a quick move from the left of the Tuapse Operation Group overthrows the paratroopers and almost join the bridges of Rostov destroying the Police SS guarding the track in the middle of the swamps.

0

Reinforcement of the defence. Arrival of the 11^th PzDiv, kept in strategic reserver in Rostov. Some counter-attacks from paratroopers and 16^th PzDiv and 29^th I.D. (mot) cut in pieces the forward Russian elements in front of Rostov. The second wave, formed from raw conscripts will hesitate before advancing into the mud...

First attempt to cross the Donets. The 51^st and, 36^th and 40^th Guards Div establish two bridgeheads on the western side.

With the coming deep frost – facilitating the crossing of major rivers – it's time to push forward with a double-move to exploit the bridgeheads on the Donest.

The German are now solidly trapped and should try to escape through the frozen swamps. The T-34s of the 22^th Tank Corps took the road to Rostov only to be stopped by an epic surprise from ad-hoc formations around the 4^th Panzerarmee.

Taking Ostroghovsk as a target, the 65^th Army launched an offensive. The city stands but more and more tanks and infantry are surrounding the German and Hungarisch lines.

The deep frost does not stop the fighting will of the Germans. They counter-attack with success in many places. North: the 23^rd PzDiv goes up to Svoboda, disconnecting from the Don river lots a Russians advancing, At Ostrogozhsk, they build a temporary defence line to supply the most advanced outposts.

At Morozovsk, the Alpin Italien Corps with troops of the 3^rd Panzerarmee and remnants of the 14^th PzDiv take the town, and pursue up to the Tsinla, with two small bridgehead on it, even on the Nizhne-Chrisrskaya road!

On the Donets, the 6^th PzDiv launches a violent attack to crush the HQ.

In the same time, the 11^th PzDiv just arrived at Rostov, stops the progressions of the Russians and help the 1^st Panzerarmee to escape from the trap through the frozen marshes.

Around Maikop, the Viking SS-Division regroups, waiting for the Soviet assault that potentially can disconnect the Maikop oilfields.

The roads to Sebastopol, Rostov and Kharkov seem difficult to follow for the Russians...

Bad news. The German counter-attacks are very dangerous for the continuation of the offensive and even for the survival of the main part o the Soviet army!

In Svoboda, the 6^th Mot Div found itself trapped as soon as they jump out of the train by the tanks of the 23^th PzDiv that crossed the Don and are installed on the rail bridge. The whole offensive of the 65^th Army is threatened and all the three tank brigades of the newly arrived and fresh 25^th Tank corps are lost around Ostrogorrvsk! A courageous attempt to breakthrough, conducted by the 389^th Inf Div and a Guards tank brigade is repulsed by the Germans. Finally, a path of supply and ammo will be establish around the German tanks. From that, the Soviet artillery will disperse the tank and support a counter-attack, liberating Sloboda and destroying lots of German tanks.

In the center, quick retreat from the 46^th Army toward Tsimlanskaya, reducing the bridgehead on the Donets. Tatsinskaya is not abandoned but seems threatened.

The newly created 2^nd Guards Army, try to establish a front east of Morozovsk, gathering some tanks from other parts of the front.

On the Maikop front, a attempt from the 4^th Mot Div is bloodily repulsed. But Maikop is now cut...

Maikop is now connected to the Tuapse port on the Black Sea! At the very moment the Russians cut it from Rostov!

The Italian Alpini Corps continues his march south; the 24^th PzDiv rushes forward to capture the Soviet supply depot of the 46^th Soviet Army. The garrison have destroy the content just before the arrival of the German Panzer. But the Soviet are now trapped.

The tables are turning in favor of the Axis. The Alpini Corps secured the trap at Tsimlanskaya and push to Oblivskaya.

In the same time, the 6^th PzDiv took the Tatsimskaya airbase, destroying on the tarmac half of the Russian planes there, and opening the road to the 27^th PzDiv. The link is established with the Alpini Corps.

South of the Don, the warmth and the mud does not stop the paratroopers of the 7^th FallschirmJäger Div and remnants of the 60^th Mot Infantry Division to destroy the Soviet left wing, as the tanks of the 17^th PzDiv are jumping out of the train behind them.

Not sure the Russian will be able to have any chance to retake Rostov...

The 46^th Army does not exist anymore... After the destruction of his HQ, the entire army collapses in an attempt to go back to their lines. 10 Inf Div, 2 tank brigades, 4 artillery brigades and the fierce railroad engineers, so proud to proove the advance of the Red Army in the rail gauge! And the others are still trying to escape, unaware that the next bridges are already occupied by Italians and that the safetly lines they hope to reach does not exist anymore... The road to Stalingrad is now mostly open, even if the newly formed 5^th Mot Corps just arrived ot fill alone the gap.

In the meantime, their brothers of the 6^th Mot Div, with the 65^th Army, are victoriously exiting from Svoboda, making holes in the German and Hungarish lines.

Looks like the Soviet has no more hope of victory at all...

Run!

It's time to pursue the retreating Russian, to destroy most of them berfore they can regroup.

Light mud one more time in South... It should slow the German down.

The 65^th Army's offensive keep moving around Ostrogorsk, crushing the 7^th Hungarish Corps's HQ. The 4^th Mot Div fail to take Rosso.

Between Krasnodar and Maikop, the little town of Ust-Labinskaya finally fall into the hands of the 5^th Tank Army and the newly fromed 3^rd Guards Mot Div (from 4^th Mot Div) cross the river heading for Maikop.

Facing the center, the Russians achieve to regroup.

0

The odds are turning in favor of Axis side. The north Soviet offensive should be stopped now.

In center, a rapid move from the 11^th PzDiv surrounded the retreating 3^rd Guards Army with elements as far the railroad Stalingrad-Sal'sk.

The second battle of Sal'sk is on the verge to begin as the 16^th and 17^th PzDiv are advancing, despite two epic fails against the first Russian lines west of the town.

In South, the Soviet colum menacing to encircle Maikop has been attacked in his reat by the remnants of the 3^rd Mot Div. The HQ is scattered...

Relaunch of the north offensive with the capture of Valuyki, encircling the 8^th Panzerkorps.

The 3^rd Guards Army manage to escape in direction of Saal'sk.

The 37^th Army escapes too and the 18^th Tank Corps restaure the connection of the column by-passing Maikop.