Ironfall

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Now we are deep into 1943, and there is a great deal going on, over many fronts. Hitler’s gambles in Syria, Iraq and the Caucasus, have paid him good dividends. Fedorov’s ploy of leaking that strategic map of present and future oil developments ended up causing a good many headaches for the British, and as we shall soon see, for Ivan Volkov as well. Yet, at the same time, the Germans have placed a number of divisions in Syria, and with no clear objective other than to stand as a holding force to prevent the British from flanking Guderian’s startling drive into Iraq.

That is about to change, and our Desert Fox returns to see to the planning and execution of Operation Eisenfall, Ironfall. But Rommel cannot attack with Kubler’s Mountain Divisions. He must have panzers, and this sees the transfer of strong forces to his command that will soon be missed on the Ostfront.

At the same time, Manstein’s operation Edelweiss has been much larger than the original forces allocated to that attack, and the General now believes those troops will soon be returned to his main front along the Don. Only then can he contemplate any new offensive for the Spring and Summer of 1943, but the Soviets have ideas of their own.

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