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 As the summer season winds down, we're dealing with what may be the last time the Germans will touch Soviet soil.  With Zhitomir bypassed, one of our battle groups is on the road to Rowne and Brody, and should have enough supplies to capture both. Our other core group is circling around through Vinnitsa and will make its way to Zhitomir, while the rest of the auxiliary will converge on Olevsk. Allied Turn: September 9, 1944 Clear(Dry)  The bombers reach Rowne ahead of our first few tanks. Surprisingly, there is a lack of heavy flak here as well, and they are free to bomb the units holding the bridge.  Olevsk, however, is much more strongly defended than we expected. We'll need to capture Zhitomir in the next few days to reach this point in time to impress Uncle Joe.  There are still no ranged anti-air units, but the one unit that is here is a deadly kind: Wirbelwind. This is one of the best anti-air units the Germans have, and is decently capable of fighting ground units too.  Time is of the essence now. The BT-7 rushes Berichev and nearly destroys the guns there (the Sturmoviks helped too, of course). To the south, Vinnitsa is captured by infantry assault and the armor moves up the road.  We also rush into Zhitomir with whatever's available. These units aren't expected to take the town, and may not even survive long, but they can be hoped to start breaking the enemy's entrenched position. Axis Turn: September 9, 1944  Olevsk responds to our approach.  The foray at Zhitomir draws the attention we wanted it to.  Even the Jagdpanther joins in, and the T-34 just barely makes it out alive. Allied Turn: September 10, 1944 Clear(Dry)  We make a push at the river line in preparation for getting across to attack Rowne.  The handful of troops at Zhitomir need to hold on for just one more day before the main force arrives. Axis Turn: September 10, 1944  The Germans don't give chase at Zhitomir, but neither do they pull fully back into the town. They must have a pretty fair idea of what's coming after the fall of Vinnitsa.  Rowne, on the other hand, pulls its defense together, allowing our troops to cross unmolested. Allied Turn: September 11, 1944 Clear(Dry)  With the town trying to keep its troops in close, they aren't able to use their tanks effectively, and ours run circles around them. The town is almost cleared of defenders in just one day.  To the north, we have a stable force but it's not likely to be sufficient to capture Olevsk. Axis Turn: September 11, 1944  With luck, they'll receive support once we take Zhitomir. Today was spent preparing for attack by sending in massive bombing raids.  The infantry at Olevsk take a pounding, from both tanks and artillery. Allied Turn: September 12, 1944 Clear(Dry)  The troops can't spend too much time mopping up at Rowne, although capturing the airfield will be necessary. Most of the troops need to get on the way to Brody.  Getting whatever can make it to Olevsk before the week is out is our top priority. Sweeping through Zhitomir almost feels like an afterthought as the men are focused on just moving north. Axis Turn: September 12, 1944  The airborne troops do us a favor, sort of, by abandoning their position on the airfield for the more defensible fortifications in the town.  The Russian soldiers at Olevsk are fading fast. Unless we can get something in here right away, this might be an incomplete victory. Allied Turn: September 13, 1944 Clear(Dry)  A convoy is approaching, but still more than a day away.  The roadblock AT is handled, but Brody is not going to be walk in the park. We can't encircle them so easily. Axis Turn: September 13, 1944  The Germans make a quick charge with the Panthers, but it fails in the face of heavy artillery. They end up retreating from the southwest side of town. Allied Turn: September 14, 1944 Clear(Dry)  A few scouts determine that they've moved the Panther into the swamp. Even with the losses they took, this is questionable. We aren't likely to attack from the north, and the best terrain for the tanks is back near the roads where they were.  We make no pause before attacking Brody. The hope is to disrupt the defenders with a sudden flurry of combat, and it works to dislodge and weaken several units. Axis Turn: September 14, 1944  Seeming to realize the folly of putting a tank in a swamp, the German commander shifts the Panther back, and goes after one of our own tanks, although it too is there as a diversion from the attack coming up the road. Allied Turn: September 15, 1944 Overcast(Dry)  We've somehow tricked the Germans into putting their best units at their rear, and their weakest facing us. We may be able to take Olevsk!  It is far from our airfields, but we coordinate one big raid today. The confidence of the troops on the ground is boosted greatly.  Brody still has quite a few defenders, but we drive an armored wedge to keep them away from the town itself. Axis Turn: September 15, 1944  The units at Olevsk almost seem to be giving up once they realize how much we're throwing at them. They send their tanks off hunting farther into the marshland. Allied Turn: September 16, 1944 Clear(Dry) **LAST TURN**  Intense shelling reduces Brody nearly to ruins.  The tanks strip away most of the defending guns surrounding the town.  The 12th Engineers do the job of finishing off the airborne troops.  It doesn't take all that long to weaken the already softened-up infantry holding Olevsk.  Capturing it means we have all but wiped out the last German offensive on this front. We've managed to restore Stavka's trust in us. Our core is now considered the elite army of the Soviet Union. Ending prestige: 3712 Result: Major Victory (2450 prestige awarded) 
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