The Rout of NORTHAG
With British Army of the Rhine virtually destroyed, Dutch I Corps refusing to fight and Soviet units West of the Weser, NATO's North Army Group began to rout.
The two minus German Division defending Hamburg avoided encirclement by retreating through the 30 km corridor between North Sea and Soviet advanced divisions. After escaping, they regrouped around Bremen and Oldenburg.
The defense of Germany's biggest city is left to a mixed force of Danish troops and local German reservists.
The 50 km front between Oldenburg and the MittelLandKanal is left practically unguarded, leaving Warsaw Pact a possible exploitation route to reach the river Ems.
The defense of Germany's biggest city is left to a mixed force of Danish troops and local German reservists.
The 50 km front between Oldenburg and the MittelLandKanal is left practically unguarded, leaving Warsaw Pact a possible exploitation route to reach the river Ems.
In an attempt to stabilize the situation, German 12th Armored Division moved from CENTAG to an area West of the Ruhr. At the same time French I Corps moved 30 km North, probably to be used as main front line in the next days.
CENTAG Stripped
With the departure of German 12th Armored Division, US V Corps extended its area of responsibility further North. Also, Soviet HUMINT sources suggest that US 3rd Armored Division is regrouping around Wetzlar and assuming an offensive posture.
SOUTHAG
Despite the fall of Munich and Nuremberg, overall situation in South Germany is not too good for Warsaw Pact. With the arrival of French II corps, Czechoslovakian and Hungarian armies will have a hard time trying to break NATO front line.
NATO Air Raids
Starting with D+5, NATO air strategy moved to the offensive.
Wild Weasel raids in Czechoslovakia opened up three flak-free zone, used by the tactical fighter-bombers for attacking Bratislava and Zatec airports. Both airports were heavily damaged, along with several SAM sites defending the area.
Overall Situation At D+5, 23:00 Zulu Time
Looking grim for NATO! This is similar to what happened in the game I did, where my opponent's northern flank cracked (though under different circumstances).
ReplyDeleteThe key will be what the Netherlands does when Pact forces cross into their territory.
Yes, a Dutch surrender would probably bring NATO on the verge of collapse. On the other hand, should they not surrender NORTHAG will add a fresh Corps to its forces.
DeleteThe other two big variables now are:
1. Impact of NATO supply interdiction on WP combat capabilities
2. What CENTAG plans to do in the next four days
We'll probably have the answers in September, we're now entering a Holiday ceasefire :)
If the Dutch hold out, you can build a line along the Rhein-Maas like in the Sir John Hackett Third World War novel from back in the late 70s/early 80s.
DeleteOtherwise, things will get quite fluid as the Pact tries to hook around the open northern flank, with an ever increasing chance of NATO getting WMD release (if you're using those rules. I tended not to in my games, apart from chemicals).
No nuclear release in our game, NATO will have to to bust the Dutch dams to stop the Glorious Inevitable Advance of the Socialist Armies
Delete