Scenario 1The Americans have air-dropped to our west and a small force of the Red Army has appeared somehow to our east, across the Dnieper River. We are moving our forces to defend the city, but they have the initiative. We must hold our lines and wait for reinforcements.
Oberst Cramer, Commander of KievKiev: Thursday, Dec 13, 1945The morning of Thursday, December 13, 1945 did not start out how Oberst Cramer, Commander of the Wehrmacht forces holding Kiev wanted. Air raid alarms woke him well before daybreak. Soon, the sound of antiaircraft guns and the even louder sound of 500 lb bombs exploding told him that something big was coming.
In the Operations room of the October Palace, reports were coming in of not just the bombing, but of airdrops, glider landings, and other airborne operations to their west. Already, what appeared to be the Americans and British were mustering in force. Reports of survivors from Wehrmact units patrolling that area spoke of battles during the night and clearing of LZ’s.
Cramer cursed the SD and SS commanders who arrived two weeks earlier for requisitioning many of his all-too-few soldiers for menial digging and guard duties. Even the scum of the ROA had taken up positions and refused the Wehrmacht entry to a number of sites in the city.
As orders were being made to shift resources to the west, a bombshell greater than the payload of a Heinkel He 177 hit; the Soviets were on their doorstep to the east.
Cursing again, Cramer realized that this was a coordinated effort. He racked his brain for an understanding as to why they would attack what was, in all actuality, a deserted mound of rubble. Sure, the rail lines were still functioning and the bridges over the Dnieper were intact, but Kiev was no longer a main supply hub. Sitting at his once pristine, but now cluttered desk, his eyes spied an all but forgotten missive from higher command regarding some old folk story. As he re-read it, the realization that his earlier dismissal of the archaeologists who arrived soon after may have been hasty on his part. Cramer could not bring himself to be bothered with legends and myths at the time, so he left them to their own devices.
Over the next few hours, reports of heavy engagements and requests for reinforcements began filtering in. While supremely confident of his men’s abilities to hold off the invaders, he told himself that he must speak more with those archaeologists.
Aftermath06:00, December 13, 1945:
At the agreed upon time, American, British, and Soviet forces began their attack on Kiev. Hoping to press forward quickly, it was the Soviets who fired the first shots, hitting hard against the Wehrmacht and SD to the east of the Dnieper River. After 30 minutes of bloody fighting, the Soviets were pushed back, suffering horrendous casualties. Entire squads were lost as they broke upon the German defenses, killing any initiative they might have once possessed.
In the west, the American and British fared much better. As most of the cities defenders were to the east, preparing for the frontal assault of the approaching Red Army, the Allies came up against a less prepared German opposition. Pushing the German defenders aside, they took the Truck Factory as well as pushing deep into the city itself.
14:00, December 13, 1945:
The Germans were slow to get reinforcements in to bolster the western front, but after the initial push of the Allies, they were better prepared for what came next.
The drive into the heart of the city continued as the British came across a German force that was spread out, preparing defenses. Caught unaware, the Wehrmacht units held off as long as they could before falling back deeper into Kiev, close to the heart of the city itself.
To the north, German SD forces attempted to retake the Truck factory. After a bitter contest, pitting Detroit Engineering against German Flesh, the ARPA troops barely held off the assault, denying the Germans. None could claim any sort of victory though.
In the east, the Soviets mustered together and launched an assault on their hated brothers, the ROA. Once again, a bitter, bloody battle ensued with neither side giving any quarter. When the smoke cleared, the ROA were still standing their ground and the field was littered with the Soviet dead.
20:00, December 13, 1945:
As night fell upon the city, both sides began to dig in and secure their AO’s. In the cold darkness though, strange things hunted. The SS force initially pushed back by the British saw that their rush into the city extended their supply lines too much. Seeing an opportunity, they fell upon an American detachment that had just arrived to distribute supplies to the forward forces. Even with a well timed artillery support, the Americans were forced to pull back and concede the area.
That night, as the commanders of both sides reviewed their SITREPs, all believed that the worst was not over. There would be hard fighting and difficult decisions to be made. Archaeologists of both sides felt a sense of haste as bullets, bombs, and the cries of the wounded surround them. Each knows that finding the Coffin of Svyatogor would secure them a place in history, while finding nothing could be the end of them. While the Axis commanders could take heart with their showing in the east, the British strike into Kiev showed that they are still vulnerable. US and Brit commanders celebrated the capture of the Truck Factory. Their joy of reaching into the city was muted by the late attack of the Germans and that many of their brethren were now surrounded, cut off from help.
As the moon reached its zenith, howls echoed across the city.
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