Letters from Stalin's City

[Lt. Ketch]

Background: I'm curretly test driving a 10 mission campaign from Sept 1942 to Feb 1943 on the Eastern Front. This has (and hopefully continue) placed my first four battles in Stalingrad. The map size is 20X30, my force will be described below. After I finish I intend to construct a much larger campaign based on a similar ideal, but with particlar preferences that will suit the situation. The basis for this experimental campaign and the forthcomming larger one is on two main ideas, the first is the phrase "knife fight in a phone booth" (which I have found and used multiple times in the forum) and second is a soviet commander seperated from support and friendly lines trying to survive and fight the fascists in the City of Stalin.

Son,

I hope this letter finds you, whether you are in good health or not. I simply pray that it finds you. As you know, I was redeployed to the southern front while you remained fighting the Japanesse in the east. We were rushed to Stalingrad to stage for the defence of the Rostov Oblasst, but sadely the Germans beat us there. I had just taken command of my rifle company and were on the train out of Stalingrad when our locomotive was hit by Stuckas. I ordered my men out and to take cover in the buildings nearby. Sadly, we were the only survivers as the stuckas bombed and strafed the remaining troops. We have sinced learned that during the raid on our train, the German war machine has moved up and cut us off from our lines. I am currently in command of a rifle company with 3 platoons, a duel Maxim gun and a 50 mm mortar team.

We set off to try to reunite with our lines. As we were entering one neighborhood a local who has been hiding in the basement told us of a german force in the area, equal in size. This information was bought at the price of one of my luitenit's dinner. The officer shared it willingly, knowing that good information is worth it's weight in gold. We decided that we could not go around and must go through this force. We employed a gradually advancing defensive starategy, with each platoon moving in groups of two, often occuping the same building or cover, moving up to a cross road and upon engaging the enemy, covering down and holding the posisition until their comrades could flack and surpress. Our mortar team and Maxim guns also provided direct fire against german squads attempting to flank our troops. I am disapointed in one of my luiteniets who, after taking some fire left the battle, but returned afterwards. He should have been shot, but I need him and his men to return to lines. I am commending the men of Sargent Gustav and Sargent Kunizt. Sarg Gustav engaged a german squad started them so badly that the enemy fled right into the guns of Sarg Kunizt. When Kunizt's men fired, they ran back into Gustav. The germans made that curcit about 6 times and were elimanated in a matter of minutes. Our loses in this action were about 1 in 5. Too high, but necessary to rejoin our lines.

After clearing the neighborhood, we were able to find supplies and ammunition in the Germans camp. We also had the happy occurance of freeing enough soviet comrades to replace our loses in the ranks. In addition to the troops replenishing our fighting strengh a sniper, who had be cut off from his station, joined us. We proceeded again towards our lines, but after sending out a scout, found that another german company was between us and our goal. Again, we employed the house to house defensive advance. Our loses this time were closer to 1 in 6 or 7. I'm very gratefull for the sniper who, with the help of Lt. Cournal Krasnov, our Maxim and Mortar teams were able to keep an entire german platoon at bay, despite heavy mortar bombardment, until One of our own platoons were able to flank them and relieve the pressure. Again, we were able to find supplies and men amongh the german camp and surounding area to replenish our loses.

Son, Next I'll tell you of the good and bad luck that we had the just recently. As we proceeded through the wreckage we came across the remains of a failed counter attack. Our Soviet comrades had tried to break out of the pocket that the germans are forcing them into. All that was left of the force was the artillary spotter. He being a stalwart soldier, he requested that we aid in releaving the presure of the pocket, even though the Germans had not only repelled the assualt but had pushed even further into the city. He was still in contact with a 107mm battery and could provide us with the artillary supported needed to attack the reserves and fortifications left by the germans. As we were dicussing this, a scout reported that a platoon of marians that had been fighting its way inland said that they would join us, knowing that strength in numbers was the only way to return to the lines. We agreed to the assult, hoping to weaken the forward elements by destroying the reserves and supplies, allowing us to punch through and return to the river. The assualt on the defenses was basic. The line was to advance through the neighborhood. The marians and the snipter would take the north flank and the spotter would provide artillary support for the south flank. Our Maxim and Mortar teams would support the middle by shotting anything that tried to navagate the main road. While things did not go accourding to plan, we were victorious. The north and south platoons were able to navage the flanks and penitrate in to the reserves area, past the mine fields and forward elements, the sniper singlehandedly taking destroying a 81mm mortar with one shot and killing the crew with two more (if I can find some Vodka, it's his!). The other platoons, after discovering that the germans were embedded deep in the buildings between blocks decided to lead a charge down the center road after we shelled the ever loving tar out of them. After regrouping and proceeding several minutes of shelling by both our mortar team and the spotters 107mms. Two full platoons launched themselves through the gap, routing the squads left defending the road. Miracle of Miracles we didn't lose any men to the mined terrain. Once through, the men were pinned down for a few minutes by an AAMG that the germans had positioned unseen on the road. Or Maxim and all squads returned fire untill it was destroyed. Two more German squads were routed from the gap, but we lost a squad when they followed too close to the retreating germans who suddely turned and killed many of them and dispersed the rest. While the gap was being charged, the south platoon discovered that the germans had constructed fortification in their own rear area. Luckly, the men approched them from behind and after many, many, many assualts with handgernades, were able to destroy both of them. No men were lost in these assults. We did suffer heavy causlties, however when a the marians stumbled into a heavly armed squad dug in a supply building. We lost at least 10 men to that position, but were able to ambush them when they came to reclaim the other supply stores. We also lost too many men to the reserves commanding officer's staff, despite many attempts to kill or capture them. The dead by the hands of those radio oppurators was at least 12. However, we were able to eleminate the forward elements that we bypassed by setting up a defence immediatly after coming through the gap. Three platoons were able to ambush and destroy the germans as them came back to report in. Over all, too many lost to my liking, but the supplies gained will help in the return.

As I write this, we are preparing agian to advance on the germans that lie between us and our comrades. I again pray that you will recieve this somehow. Someday. If you do, and I am dead, know that I have done my all to preserve the lives of my men and reunite them with their comrades.