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January 29th, 1943. The final death rattles of the German 6th Army can still be faintly heard in the frigid winds blowing over the frozen steppes. The distance between Stalingrad and the retreating southern wing of OKH increases daily. The Hungarian, Italian and Rumanian Armies have been reduced to fleeing mobs...afflicted by what Hoth described as "indescribable tank panic." Stalwart German units, stretched way too thin, are trying to vainly to stem the rout caused by the vengeful Soviets. The end, so it seems, is near. Stalin and Stavka are certain that one final push is all that is need to end the war. Filled with dreams of glory, they exhort their field commanders to push tired, undersupplied troops to make one more super effort for Rodina. Operation Star calls for the Voronezh Front to capture Kharkov. Operation Gallop prods the Southwestern Front to capture the bridges over the Dnepr, thus cutting off the entire 1st and 4th Panzerarmies, thereby amputating the entire southern wing of the German Army. Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein has other ideas. The SS-Panzer Corps will be formed. SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Paul Hausser will defy a direct order from Hitler and abandon Kharkov, and in the days to follow, the exhausted, overly ambitious, over-extended Russians will suffer their final humiliation in the blood-drenched snow between the Dnepr and the Donetz Rivers. House Rules and Comments: 1. Use artillery setup, night fatigue, virtual supply trucks, and locking ZOC "OFF." Use programmed weather - a must. No aerial attacks on fixed units until they are released. 2. The PDT file has been edited to account for historical conditions. The Russians are poorly supplied but get frequent replacements. As the Russian advances he will be able to capture supplies, and he must act quickly. The Germans are better-supplied but get few replacements. Given the awful weather, it is hard to dig-in and entrench. 3. By February 20th. 1943 the Luftwaffe is at it's peak, and for the last time in Russia, rules the air. The Russian better move quickly. 4.You must play with Locking ZOC OFF. If you read about these campaigns, you will be amazed to learn of whole German divisions which were surrounded but managed to keep on retreating in a coherent fashion. I can guarantee that if the Soviet spends too much time reducing scattered Axis units, that he is doomed. Keep the strategic picture in focus; get to the Dnepr and Krasnograd and cut off the Axis supplies. Also, when the Axis had reversed the tables and whole Soviet armies were cutoff, many men escaped to fight again because the Axis had too few men to contain them all. 5.Fixed units may not entrench. They are detraining and forming up after a long trip from Germany. They are not just sitting around building breastworks and trenches. Also, please no aerial attacks allowed on these units until they are released. 6.A word to the wise: do not play too close to the map edges. Units appear with high protection values (5). For historical continuity they must be allowed to appear, and do so at the proper moments; retreating Axis troops appear and followed by Soviet pursuers in the North. Soviet units also appear along the South edge as the "off board" formations advance into place. Axis reinforcements appear in the West and South. 7. Hitler will visit the Front at Dnepropetrovsk and try to meddle. He will hang around for a few days...if he is captured the campaign is over, the war is over and the Soviets win a major victory. 8. Because of constraints of the map, I have bent history a bit, and here are the details. Hitler really visited Zaporozh'ye, not Dnepropetrovsk. Further, the Soviet 38th Army and German 2nd Army were really engaged a bit off the map to the Northwest, but not by much. I added them so that the final battle of Kharkov and Belgorod will be more exciting. 9. The OOB is not perfectly historically correct but much research has been done and the major units are there. There are holes and few stretches of the imagination, especially in regards to Soviet artillery formations and the air OOB. Any help filling in the holes will be greatly appreciated. Much thanks to Color for OOB editing, Volcano for all sorts of advice and allowing us to use his great artwork, Richard Bancroft and Richard Warren for OOB suggetions, and John Tiller for creating these games, his encouragement and allowing us to mix and match the Icons of the PzC series. I also was inspired by Laurent Favre's "Manstein's Last Victory" scenario in TOAW-CW. In the end I hope that this campaign will benefit from the continued input of many of the list members, and time will see upgrades based on your collective input. As commander of either side, you may now wield the "Flashing Sword of Retribution." Enjoy!

Large Scenario 421 turns, Designer Marquo

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