TO THE GATES OF WARSAW: Operation Bagration 1944

On June 22nd 1944 the Soviets launched Operation BAGRATION a massive offensive to destroy German Army Group Center and drive the Red Army through Byelorussia and into eastern Poland. The Wehrmachts OKH underestimated the threat posed by the Soviet forces facing Army Group Center and had redeployed much of it's tanks and artillery to the Southern front in the Ukraine where the German high command expected the next major Soviet attack. The failure to understand Soviet strategic plans in June 1944 was the second major intelligence failure for the Germans that year. The first being the conculsion that the major Allied cross channel invasion would come at Pas-de-Calais rather than Normandy.

The Soviets achieved strategic surprise. The German Army lost some 17 divisions completely destroyed and some 300,000 men lost in the fighting. Soviet losses were also high losing 178,507 troops on all four fronts. By August 19th after 5 weeks of fighting the Red Army was at the outskirts of Warsaw. The destruction of Army Group Center was one of the German Armies worst defeats of World War 2 rivaling the loss at Stalingrad in 1943.

The fighter and ground attack units of Luftflotte 6 were heavily outnumbered by the 6th and 16th Air Armies of the VVS. In addition to their numerical superiority the VVS regiments were gradually being equipped with an ever larger number of improved aircraft  that narrowed the gap with the performance advantages of German machines. 

 

This FSO recreates the fighting of the opposing air fleets of Hitler and Stalin during the campaign.

Country Percentages:

Axis 48%
Allied 52%

Field Assignments:

Axis Bishop
Allies Knight
CM Rook
 
OOB:
 
Axis (Luftwaffe):

Fw 190A-8 (max 24)

Bf 109G-6 (min 20)
Bf 109G-14

Soviet (VVS):

Yak-3 (max 24)
Yak-9T (min 20)
LA-5
P-39Q
Tu-2 (min 20)  
IL-2 Sturmovik

Special Rules and Ordnance Restrictions:

* All aircraft must be used by a minimum of 12 *players*.
* The AXIS have no attack objectives in this setup.
* Formations are enabled for bombers.

* Bombers are limited to 20,000 feet.

* P-39 has gondolas disabled.

* ALL AIRCRAFT ARE TO BE LANDED AND THE PLAYERS TOWERED OUT BY FRAME END OR WILL BE CONSIDERED SHOT DOWN AND THE CREWS KIA.

Scoring:

Aircraft Pts
------------

Bomber = 10 pts

Attack = 10 pts

Fighter = 5 pts

Landing Bonus = 2 pts

Target Pts
----------
Gun = 0.5 pts
Hangar = 25 pts
All Other = 3 pts

Arena Settings:

- Black Sea terrain
- Fuel burn 1.0
- Icons friendly 3k/enemy 3k
- 0.3 Ack
- Fighter and Bomber warning range 42,000 (about 8 miles)
- Tower range set to 42,000 (for display only to match the above setting)
- Haze/fog full visibility (17 miles)
- Radar off
- Enemy collisions on
- Friendly collisions off
- Killshooter off
- Time: 15:00 ( 3PM ) Game Clock
- Formations: On
- Formation Autopilot: On
- Bomber calibration: Automatic
- Wind: 0K-2K NO WIND
           2K-18K E TO W - Speed 5
           18K-24K SE TO NW - Speed 10
           24K+ SE TO NW - Speed 15
         
Designer's Notes:

 

*The P-39Q in Russian service typically had the .50 caliber underwing guns removed. 

 

Design by Warloc