Location : Kotelnikovo 100kms south of Stalingrad.
With sixth army encircled at Stalingrad, a plan was made up to break the encirclement. The operation would be performed by 4th Panzer Army, but most of it's untis were trapped in the beleaguered city. Von Manstein had to wait untill fresh forces would become available. By the the beginning of December, sixth army was in desperate need of relief. The promised airlifting of all needed supplies did not materialise and the Soviets did a wonderfull job of exploiting their initial gains. On December 12th, von Hoth launched his 57th Panzer Korps forward. The objecitve was deceptively simple : reach Stalingrad! From the start all commanders where briefed of the seriousness of their operation. In front of them lay the units of 51st Army and two rivers to cross : Aksai and Myshkovka. Speed was of the essence! A breakthrough must be made before any mobile reinforcements would be able to interfere.

Location : south of Goroditsche
The first winter in Russia. With temperatures falling far below zero, the Soviets staged a series of all-out counterattacks aimed at retaking some of the lost territories while their enemies were still paralyzed by the cold! Ever since operation Barbarossa started, Italy, Germany's trusted allie, had taken part in the fighting. But now, after the hot summer months the changing weather began to have it's influence! Just like their more powerfull allies, the Italians were not prepared to face this new arctic weather! Still wearing their summer fatigues, the tanned Italian soldiers sought warmth wherever they found it. General Messe, the Corps commander, realised the sorry state his troops were in and sought to establish a defensive line and to wait for the weather to change. The portion of the line that the CSIR has to take over was luckily composed of of concrete buildings, instead of the Isbas (wooden buidlings) that they had learned to know so well. The thicker walls offered some warmth which would make up for their clothing! But from the gulf of Finland to the Azov sea, the Soviets set the front alight with massed attacks! Everywhere the German soldiers and their allies found that not only was their clothing inappropriate, but the guns and tanks failed to work because they were not intended to be used in such extreme weather conditions. The Soviets had no such problems! Their guns and tanks worked just fine and their infantry were better equipped with their winter-uniforms. So, the front was rudely awakened when the Russian bear kicked it hard! On the 24th December, as the Italians were still celebrating their Christmas dinners, hudled around a meagre campfire, the first Soviet probing atttacks began! After fending off this rather weak attacks, the Italians felt confident that even the Russian soldiers were unable to fight at -42°C. So, when one day later the real assault commenced, they were shocked beyond belief! From the area of Nikitino, the Soviet 135th Rifle Corps' troops emerged from the woods and attacked up and down the line. Wave after wave of Soviet soldiers attacked the weakly defended lines of the 3rd Celere division. And if that didn't scare them, the following cavalry and tanks surely did! Stavka had conceived the plan of breaking through the Italians' lines and attack the German 1st Panzerarmee from the rear by retaking Stalino. General Messe immediately recongnized the threat and sent out alarm calls to all directions. And even though every unit on the front was under attack and ready to fall back, 1st Panzerarmee sent all available reinforcements to the area. The first units to arrive were from the 10th Panzer Divison. But what could they do? Not only did half of their tanks failed to start, but even if they did, the small threads were not meant to drive through the soft snow. The Soviet KV's and T34's did have that problem, besides they were very confident that no Italian soldier would be able to stop them!!

On 16th March, 1945, the long awaited Soviet attack on Berlin began. This was the epitaph of the entire campaign in the East.It all had started some months ago, in January, when a carefully planned Soviet offensive rolled through the meagre German defenses and in less than two weeks pushed the frontlines back some hundred of miles. After sweeping through Poland, Stalin ordered 1st Byelorussian Front (Zhukov) and 1st Ukrainian front (Rokossovsky) to halt because farther north 2nd Byelorussian front had failed to keep up with the advance and the northern flank of Zhukov's forces were dangerously exposed. When eventually 2nd Byelorussian front finally reached the Oder, Stalin could start thinking about the final assault on Berlin. The weeks that preceded the offensive were used by the Germans to strengthen their fortifications and move up troops (wherever they found them!) Unbelievably, the Führer refused to admit that Berlin was the obvious target and directed the last potent German force, 6th SS Panzer Armee, south to relieve Budapest.On 16 April, Zhukov launched his forces forward, followed 4 days later by Rokossovsky's armies. While Zhukov aimed his main assault toward Berlin proper, Rokossovsky was tasked with making a sweeping move north and approach the city from the south. For 4 days, 1st Bielorussian front was bogged down in bloody fighting in front of the Seelow heights and west of Küstrin. When 1st Ukranian front then opened their offensive, the remaining German reserves were already sent north and the attack went smoothly after the first defensive lines had been breached.69th Army (Zhukov) and 3rd Guards Tank Army (Rokossovsky) were to meet near Zossen and trap the defending German 9th Army in a large pocket. After several days of hard fighting, the 9th Army commander, Busse, realised that all resistance had become futile. However, he knew the fate that awaited any captured Germans, so he decided to swing his front around and try to break-out from the impending encirclement. What remained of his forces were mere shadows of themselves, but thankfully for him he could count on the Königstiger of 502nd s.Panzer Abteilung to lead the way. So on the morning of 28th April, his forces were ready to begin their drive to the west.

With the words 'Panzer For', the German tigers took the lead for the very last time in the war.

Location 35 km east of Zhitomir.
The Soviet '43 winter offensive quickly tore huge gaps in the German lines. Through on of these gaps (15 km wide, south of Kiëv) The 8th Guards Mechanised Corps raced through regardless of what has happening on their flank, this was facilitated by the fact that only light snow had fallen so far nut still temperatures were falling far below zero!. Their aim was to reach the city of Zhitomir. If they could seize it's railroad junction, Armeegruppe Süd would be in serious peril. That same army group was having great difficulties plugging the many gaps in the line. With the bulk of their forces already engaged it was looking elsewhere for help. That help came in the form of the 20th Panzergrenadier division which was still in transit from Armee gruppe Nord. It was intended to help out army group center, but was diverted to Zhitomir and unloaded there with great haste. As soon as they were offloaded, the troops were split up in two kampfgruppen and headed towards Chernachov with orders to stop the Soviet steamroller. Unexpected help came in the form of an ad hoc battlegroup! West of Zhitomir the remains of 60th panzergrenadier division were being reorganised to form the 'Feldhernhalle' panzergrenadier division. It's commander quickly formed another kampfgruppe and followed 20th panzergrenadier in the fight.

Location Staszów, Poland.
A few weeks ago a last German counterattack to eliminate the Sandomierz bridgehead, further to the south, failed! As a result, the Soviets were able to launch a powerfull armoured attack from the area. The defending troops of Herman Göring panzer division were unable to contain this attack and had to fall back in fear of being cut off. With much of Armeegruppe 'Mitte' destroyed, German high command began diverting troops from other sectors to fill up the gaps and to hold the Soviet steamroller. Part of the reinforcements came in the form of 16th Panzer Division which was being refreshed in the area of Warzaw. It was rushed towards the little town of Staszów near the Vistula river. Since XXXXVIII Panzer Korps put great emphasis on containing the rush of 3rd Guards Tank Army to the north, it allocated the newly reformed Schwere Panzer Abteilung 501 (Königstigers) to the division. Unknowing to the Germans, the Soviets also put great effort in this attack and had likewise reinforced 6th Guards Tank Corps with the 71st Independent Heavy Tank Regiment (IS-2). But getting there was the Germans' first worry! With the Luftwaffe unable to wrestle control of the skies, the Soviet Iluyshins were preying on everything that moved on the ground! But speed was essential, so they continued on...

Historical; location : 45 km northeast of Warzaw, Poland. In the last days of Operation Bagration, the destruction of army group Center, STAVKA wanted to exploit the operation to it's fullest. With huge gaps in the front, Soviet forces were streaming through and heading west as fast as they could. STAVKA was aware that the operational supplies were attaining critical levels, but still it wanted to reach Warzaw before the front stabilised again. While other forces were attacking the Polish capital from the east, a secondary attack was aimed at getting to it from the north. Initially this attack was done by the 35th Guards Rifle Corps of the 5th Guards army. But when this reported that the germans were streaming back to the Neman river, the 5th Guards Tank Army was directed to this sector and ordered to secure a bridgehead over the Neman in the vicinity of Wyszkow. But the initial reports were not entirely true! Generalleutnant Richert, commander of what remained of the 35th Volksgrenadier division decided that his troops would not survive in a mobile battle.He had ordered his weak kampfgruppe to head for Lochov and there follow the highway back to the west. When he arrived in the city he found the warehouses still filled (Lochov was a supply center for army group center.) He took over command of the city garrison : security troops and administrative personnel and formed a defensive perimeter around the city. The last of the troops to reach the city were the StuG's of a Sturmartillerie Brigade. Meanwhile his cries for help had not gone unnoticed! Two powerfull SS Panzer divisions, Totenkopf and Wiking were directed to Wyszkow once it became clear that the drive for Warzaw had stalled. Since the Red Army Air Force had control of the skies, both commanders knew not what to expect. With their forces moving up in column they feared more the occasional airstrike than an armoured attack. But their orders were simple : relieve Richert's troops, then fall back across the Neman and put up (another) defensive line. The first to reach the scene were two kampfgruppen of SS "Totenkopf" Panzer Division. They were to secure the highway to enable General Richter to extricate his troops. While the city was almost entirely encircled by troops of the 35th Guards Rifle Corps, two reinforced tank brigades of 3. Guards Tank Corps were completing the encirclement to the west.

Location : West of Küstrin, Germany.
The end for the third Reich is near! The final assault on Berlin is about to begin. On the eastern side of the river, some two million Soviet troops are awaiting the order to collect the last prize : Berlin! During the previous weeks, the 1st Bielo-Russian Front has gained a small bridgehead on the western bank of the Oder river. This bridgehead is an obvious jump-off point for the oncoming assault. But it serves two purposes! The second being part of the encircling of Küstrin. Inside this 'fortress' some 15.000 German troops are trapped and are slowly being pushed back into a shrinking perimiter. Inside the pocket the situation is rapidly becoming desperate as food, water and ammunition is falling short. Untill now, the encircled troops had been forbidden to break-out as the Soviets had to take the city before they could launch their final assault. German high command however that the purpose was served (some 8 rifle divisions had been engaged on the outer perimter) and the remaining troops would serve as a welcome addition to the defenders of Berlin. Plans were made and troops were moved in position to relieve the fortress and free the encircled troops. The XII SS Armee Korps (responsible for this sector) was allotted two powerfull battlegroups of the 25th Panzergrenadier division and the 11th SS Panzergrenadier division 'Nordland'. Together with the remaining troops of 9th Fallschirmjäger division (the rest was either engaged in Küstrin or Breslau) they would attack in the night of 26/27 March and first mop up the bridgehead, then drive on to free the defenders of Küstrin. To minimize losses to the preciosu armour a night attack had been opted. Things were however becoming urgent! Not only because the Fortress Küstrin was in trouble, but also because the Soviets had finished building three pontoon bridges over the Oder two days ago. There was a big possibility that heavier equipment was being shipped over the river to strengthen the bridgehead. The Soviet defenders belonged to the 88th Guards Rifle division (28th Guards Rifle Corps). The Guards infantrymen had been ordered to dig in and repulse any attempt to eliminate the bridgehead. To this end, an entire artillery division was placed under it's command and numerous heavy anti-tank guns had been attributed. The germans on the other side of the river knew of the relief attempt and anxiously awaited the codeword 'Sonnenblum', this would mean that the relief force had reached the river and they had that the break-out would begin.

Location Staszów, Poland.
A few weeks ago a last German counterattack to eliminate the Sandomierz bridgehead, further to the south, failed! As a result, the Soviets were able to launch a powerfull armoured attack from the area. The defending troops of Herman Göring panzer division were unable to contain this attack and had to fall back in fear of being cut off. With much of Armeegruppe 'Mitte' destroyed, German high command began diverting troops from other sectors to fill up the gaps and to hold the Soviet steamroller. Part of the reinforcements came in the form of 16th Panzer Division which was being refreshed in the area of Warzaw. It was rushed towards the little town of Staszów near the Vistula river. Since XXXXVIII Panzer Korps put great emphasis on containing the rush of 3rd Guards Tank Army to the north, it allocated the newly reformed Schwere Panzer Abteilung 501 (Königstigers) to the division. Unknowing to the Germans, the Soviets also put great effort in this attack and had likewise reinforced 6th Guards Tank Corps with the 71st Independent Heavy Tank Regiment (IS-2). But getting there was the Germans' first worry! With the Luftwaffe unable to wrestle control of the skies, the Soviet Iluyshins were preying on everything that moved on the ground! But speed was essential, so they continued on...

Location : southwest of Caen, Normandy.
Montgomery's big push south to reach the more favourable terrain south of Caen is now in it's second day! Yesterday, after a heavy artillery bombardment and bomber raid, three armoured divisions crossed their starting line and headed south! The German outposts offered little resistance, shocked and dazzled the men in their foxholes did not stand a chance against the combined striking powers of the British tanks. But the farther south they went, the stiffer the resistance got!! The badly battered 21st Panzer did not succeed in stopping the onslaught, but it seriously hampered the advance, buying time to move up reinforcements. Those came in the form of battlegroups of 1st and 12th SS. But just like 21st Panzer, it was very weak in armour after the heavy fighting since the allied landing! I SS Panzer Korps decided to make a stand just in front of Bourgébus ridge and directed all available forces towards the hot spot. On the other side, the British had their own problems to solve! The massive traffic jams in the rear, hampered the infantry greatly! The tanks were able to get through, but without infantry they could not hold any ground they conquered! So on this day , the fight would continue. The 7th, 11th and Guards armoured were again heading south. The tanks were rolling and the infantry was trying hard to get there in time...

After the break-out from the Normandy bridgehead, the allies raced northward without meeting a lot of oppositon. Eisenhower's strategy for a 'broad front' quickly ate up the meagre supplies that were still being offloaded on the invasion beaches. Inevitably the whole offensive had to be halted for lack of supplies. At that moment Patton's third army was making it's way to Aachen, the French first Army was fighting near the Swiss border and the Montgomery's 21st army group was nearing the Dutch border. There were still supplies getting through, but the allied supreme commander had to allocate them to those troops that stood the best chance of making the best gains! At that moment, Montgomery presented a very bold plan : Market-Garden. It was to be a combined air-ground assault that would hopefully end the war quickly!The plan was as bold as it was simple : 1st Allied Airborne Corps would seize three major river crossings from Eindhoven to Arnhem, a distance of 120km. Then the reinforced XXX Corps would use these bridgeheads to cross the Rhine and gain a foothold just northwest of the Ruhr. From there an envelopping attack, in combination with 3rd US army would encircle the Ruhr and end the war quickly. History has however proved once more that no plan survives the first contact with the enemy! In early september, the German army was pulling back in dissarray toward the Westwall. One could no longer talk of divisions and corps, but groups of stragglers and left-overs from the once proud divisions. To change this situation and to save the Westfront, Hitler appointed fieldmarshall Model as commander of OB West. Quickly he started to assemble all troops in his command and tried desperately to form some sort of defensive line. Both 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions were grouped near Arnhem in preparation for rest and refitting and the last remaining reserve formations were put in the line in preparation for the expected assault by the British.When the first of the allied paratroopers started descending from the skies, the germans were caught by surprise, not by the fact that airborne troops were involved , but by the scope of the forces involved! The commander of II SS Panzer Korps, Bittrich, quickly realised that the bridges at Arnhem and Nijmegen would be the pivotal points for the whole operation and ordered both of his divisions (re-grouped into battlegroups) to take control of these two cities (and their bridges). Meanwhile other forces put pressure on the 'Arnheim Salient' which was quickly forming.In the end the combination of bad weather over England, the presence of strong forces near the dropzones, lack of communication and the single road leading to Arnhem resulted in the annihilation of 1st British Airborne Division and the prolongation of the war...

Location : Northern coastline of Crete.
With the withdrawal of the Commonwealth troops off the Greek mainland, the German HQ still wanted to get control of the eastern Meditaranean. The bulk of the allied troops that escaped unharmed were brought over to Crete and placed under the command of general Freyberg.He knew his forces were weak, lacking heavy equipment and supplies so he decided to divide his troops in four separate groups. Each group had the responsability to defend possible leanding beaches and to prepare for an airborne invasion. On May 20, the Germans came. The complete 7 Flieger division, reinforced by the Luftlande Sturm regiment started falling from the sky. The German intelligence service estimated that some 30,000 allied troops were on the island, when in reality it was nearly double that number. As a result, the losses among the Fallschirmjäger were horrendous and precluded their use in any further major airlanding.

Location : Sicily, 15 km south of Catania.
The allied landings on Sicily had been successful. In a matter of hours British, American and Free French forces were moving inland. While Patton's army was taking on the middle of the island, Montgomery's troops were advancing along the eastern side of the island. So far resistance had been fierce at some points, but nearly symbolic in others. Allied high command wanted to seize the island as soon as possible and to do that, the straits of Messina had to be closed as soon as possible. Montgomery's troops were in a good position to reach the straits first as they had less ground to cover. But Monty wanted to be sure that nothing would stand in his way and devised an elaborate plan to ensure a swift advance to his first objective, Catania. For this he ordered the first parachute brigade to secure the bridge over the Simeto river, Ponte di Primasole. Further south, the reinforced N°3 commando would seize and hold the bridge over the Lentini river near Malati (Ponte di Malati). With those bridges secure, the 50th Infantry Division would advance to Catania. He had all reason to believe that his plan would work, but just like at Arnhem, he didn't take in account the German resourcefulness. 50th Infantry was facing a battlegroup of 15th Panzergrenadier division, Kampfgruppe "Schmalz", this was a veteran formation and was awaiting the British behind well prepared positions. Their rear area was covered by some Italian garrison units. Initially the first phase of the operation went went only partially as planned : first parachute secured the Primasole, bridge but N°3 Commando's landing was delayed because of worsening weather. When news of the airborne landings reached Hauptmann Schimdt in Catania he formed a kampfgruppe and immediatly set out to recapture the bridge. Schmidt's force was the vanguard of more German reinforcements in the form of 3rd and 4th Fallschrmjäger regiments. They had been called up from southern France when the the first allied landigns began. Soon the British paratroopers were reeling under the pressure and put up and all-round defence of the bridge. Every hour their situation became more and more tenuous as more German paratroopers were trying to retake the bridge.

Location : Saint-Vith, Belgium.
Four days now into the Ardennes Offensive, the german timetable set for reaching the Meuse river is in shatters!! While Kampfgruppe Peiper is still fighting hard to bash it's way forward, the two key towns of Bastogne and Saint-Vith still remain in allied hands. Saint-Vith, held by battlegroups of 7th and 9th Armoured divisions, has been under attack for two days now by the 18th Volksgrenadier division. Lacking any armour support, the volksgrenadiere have been trying to reach Saint-Vith via the main highway. But in two days of fighting, they only managed to push back a blocking force, Task Force Fuller, that had taken up positions on the Prümerberg heights. The German corps commander became impatient at the lack of progress on his front! Further north, units of the 1st SS Panzer division had already moved through Recht and Poteau, but still his troops were unable to support them! But this would soon change! The powerfull Führer Begleit Brigade has been released from operational reserve and was moving up to support the grenadiers. And as a matter of coincidence, a combat group of 9th SS Panzer Division, Kampfgruppe Telkamp, used a secondary road to avoid it's assigned, clogged, rollbahn and found itself also heading for Saint-Vith. Allied high command was not intending to hold on to Saint-Vith forever! Instead it was determined to hold the town untill all troops in the area had retreated safely back to Vielsalm. So the infantry and tank of 7th and 9th Armored made a stand, a stand in the woods.

With special thanks to Don Fox