06-1943 :
This is the end of Winter in Russia.
Frontlines were quite stable during the cold weather, due to heavy troops concentration
Western allies decide to invade France :
07-1943 :
5Pz urges to fill the gaps in the frontline
08-1943 :
Russian are beginning to take advantage but untill now, German panzers are able to fill the gaps, while Luftwaff fights in inferiority
09-1943 :
August was catastrophic for Wermacht .
2 germans armies were lost in South Ukrainia and allies are now in frontline
11-1943 :
winter is coming, but another month of good weather begins .
Spring 44 :
May 44 :
July 44 :
In Occidental med , British and US carriers based in Tunisia and Sicily blck Italian supply . Axis Army in North Africa will soon disappear.
In France , in May and June German armies were destroyed. Paris is liberated and only a very thin line is in front of 5 US armies .
bombing campaing against Reich's factories is depleting the economy. Supply is lacking to move troops and sustain Luftwaffe war efforts .
Army group south has ceased to exist . Rumania will soon surrender .
Sept 44 :
Mainland Germany is invaded by US armies while Ostfront is suffering heavy casualties due to frontal assaults and large out of supply pockets created .
German economy is collapsing, and Italy and remaining minor allies are close to surrender.
Germany surrender ....
some lessons learned :
- Don't underestimate power of US economy
- Don't underestimate weight of bombing campaign
- When russian army becomes unbeatable , Germans must be in position to fall back progressively .
By this time , declining available production will not be sufficient to both maintain air forces and move ground units .
Have to find the solution to put in place a front line relying on a low number of units, with progressive fall back movements.
- the impact of winning Gibraltar was very little . Possibly because Barbarossa should have been postponed one year to give a possibility to take Suez ?
- Russian forteresses looks un-takable : always in supply, garrisoned with full infantry that can be reinforced every turn ? how can they fall in ennemy hands ? Is there something I missed ?