Operation Grosse Drücken

Side : Axis # of missions : 19

Author : JayJ

In the summer of 1944 the war on the Eastern front had bogged down to a stalemate. The Wehrmacht had already once tried unsuccessfully to capture the Russian capital of Moscow. The first attempt on June 22, 1941 was nearly successful until the harsh Russian winter had set in stalling the advance. Plagued by fatigue, dwindling supplies, and critically low on ammunition and fuel, the freezing German troops were forced to halt their attack until spring, when hopefully the assault would continue. The Wehrmact withdrew their troops from around Moscow until favorable weather appeared so the offensive could continue. This withdrawal presented a golden opportunity to deal the Germans a knockout blow by the Russian forces and drive them away from Moscow but was never exploited, much to the incredulous disappointment of the British and (secretly) the Americans. Over 1,000 Soviet aircraft, most of them totally outdated were destroyed within the first few days of Operation Barbarossa. Russian troop and equipment losses to elite Ju-87 "Stuka" dive- bomber units and Luftwaffe attack bombers were astronomical thanks to the total air superiority enjoyed by the Germans and the tactics of German Blitzkrieg. In December, Churchill begged Stalin for a counter-offensive but Stalin refused citing crippling losses to his war machine due to the German blitz and stated that the Anglo-American lend lease to Russia was basically ineffective. It couldn't be helped. German submarines were inflicting tremendous losses to Allied shipping due to increased U-boat production heatedly fought for by Admiral Karl Dönitz. The Wolfpacks were running convoy raids practically unchecked in the Atlantic as the U-boats sunk thousands of tons of badly needed equipment destined for Russia. Regardless of the breakdown of the supply line from Western nations, Russia still had a huge amount of resources to draw from. Why Stalin refused to commit them to the defense of the "sacred soil" of Moscow remains a mystery. Though the V-2 rockets were not extremely accurate, the warhead in the nose cone of the massive rocket guaranteed that a close proximity hit would still cause tremendous damage. Though it has never been proven, it is said that the Nazi's also tipped some of these rockets with mustard gas as well as other chemicals, guaranteed to cause untold human casualties even if the explosives failed to cause them. Regardless, the attacks were effective in slowing production down to a mere trickle of what it was before the massive V-2 attacks. After nearly four months of these bombings, about 50 percent of the total factory output had been knocked out, even with great efforts by American daylight bombers to knock out the static V-2 emplacements. The sites were too numerous and most were heavily defended by thick belts of anti-aircraft guns. At any rate, it didn't matter. Hitler viewed any V-2 site losses as irrelevant, so convinced of his belief of the sanctity of Moscow to the Russians. Capturing the city was paramount regardless of the cost in material and men. The Eastern front was nearly static for two more years. In July 1944, even with the Allies now on German-occupied soil, five German divisions containing troops and tanks assaulted the city after a ten day long artillery bombardment. Moscow was practically reduced to smoldering rubble. The Germans poured into the city right into the waiting arms of the equivalent of seven Russian divisions. Losses were horrendous on both sides. The Germans fought the Russian defenders for literally every yard of rubble strewn city block. The momentum of the bloody battle swung back and forth between the two contestants neither army claiming a foothold for very long. The Russians rushed reinforcements to the great city but they were under strength and mostly inexperienced. In the air the battle was nearly a stalemate, but clearly the Luftwaffe had the qualitative superiority and it was only a matter of time until they would claim victory. The Russian factories by now were only producing one fourth of their total output. The next generation of Russian tanks, aircraft and equipment, which could have swung the tide of the battle, was committed at a piecemeal pace. Still, the Germans still suffered terribly at the hands of these under-strength troops, who often sacrificed themselves in suicide charges against German positions. Hitler was obsessed with capturing Moscow convinced that if it fell the Russians would not continue the fight. He planned to wait until his V-weapon projects were in full swing before once again assaulting the city. With the spring thaw of 1942, the Germans once again resumed their offensive Stalingrad and the critical Caucus oil fields were also primary targets as well. After making significant advances, the Germans were eventually pushed back by Russian counter-offensives. It was at this time the German rocket wonder weapons were unleashed. Coming nearly one year earlier than expected, scores of advanced V-1 and V-2 rockets were launched against Russian factories beyond the Urals. For three months the armies fought. Moscow was becoming a city of death both for the defenders and the attackers. Even with Russia's seemingly endless supply of men, the Germans slowly began to make significant progress. The V-2 attacks began showing their deadly effectiveness as Russian supplies of tanks, planes, and ammunition began to dwindle. Finally, on October 30, 1944 the final Russian resistances began to withdraw and the city of Moscow was declared open. German troops, battered and near total exhaustion claimed the city for the Fatherland. A few days after the fall of Moscow, Russian delegates met with German representatives and agreed to a temporary cease-fire. The agreement between the Nazi's and the Communists, two theologies totally opposite from one another, came as a great shock to the western Allies. Once again two great enemies had come to an agreement.