SS Totenkopf - "Fire Brigade" (M44 Campaign)

[von Nev]

Turn 27 - Suslovka Now Forever in Soviet Hands

Suslovka was finally abandoned this turn. My Panthers retreated some 7 km's out of the village which is actually out of the picture by some 4 km's. A lot of blood was spilled in that village but I think I accomplished the best I could. I delayed the Russian advance for some two days by holding that village. That is quite a feat since if you remember the Russian starting point for the offensive was just 6 km's to the east. I expect that at this point that Totenkopf will rapidly retreat to the north west and leave the primary defense to the 28th Jager Division that is dug in behind it (yellow line is the next defense). Most of Totenkopf is rushing northwest as it is. The remaining units are the Panther companies that are right now playing rear-guard to ward off Russian armor as the remaining German infantry retreat



Up north trouble is still brewing. As the previous turn suggested, I had to pull the Tiger battalion out of the lines since it was low of fuel, C morale (actually almost D morale), high fatigue at 180 and lost 60% of its vehicles. Luckily the disrupted company recovered allowing all the Tiger units to be recombined into a single unit to get the maximum recovery. I absolutely cannot lose this unit so it will stay safely behind the lines to refit. The loss of the Tiger company leaves me in a bind. I do not have any armor up there now to fight off the Russian tanks however elements of the SS PzG battalions are arriving to bolster the defense but they are still very much at risk to the withering fire of the Russian armor. I will have to do the best I can to hold the line until the Panther companies from the south can get north.