T040: Third Reich 42-45 - Mike (Allies) vs Ken (Axis)

T040. 5 February 1943.

Eastern Front - Strategic Update
Operation Pickaxe, Operation Annoyance

Relying a bridge-bombing campaign was a mistake, mainly because I can't rely on the bridges actually getting knocked out at a sufficient rate. So I've decided to merge the two offensives into a coordinated pair or two operations--the original Pickaxe, and now Annoyance. Pickaxe will stay the same, launching on 12 Feb. I expect losses to be heavy, particularly after the initial wave of attacks. Operation Annoyance will launch the following turn, Feb. 19, and include the paratrooper divisions in an airborne assault cutting the main rail line to the center of the Axis defenses west of Rostov. The objective here will be to break the Axis line, push west toward Stalino, then turn north if the situation allows. There's a good chance, by launching two large-scale offensives so far apart on the front, the Axis will not be able to shift enough troops to meet both at the same time, allowing at least one to succeed and break the stalemate. I've been racking my brain to figure out what was missing for Pickaxe. It seemed destined to fail miserably like Tuning Fork in 1942. But adding now Annoyance gives me much more optimism about this winter offensive season.