



I never fully appreciated until recently why Russian planners set the 2nd Ukrainian Front on an axis of attack that ran through Shpola. I guess I always thought that it had to do with the positioning of the 389 GE infantry division and their low establishment strength (which the Russians knew about). Attack through them and Shpola seemed like a reasonable deep objective for their follow-on forces.





What it really had to do with though, was the road net. Check this map out:





All the best roads run through Shpola. With ridges, rivers and steep balkas in between the Russians and their goal of encircling the Germans, they needed to control the highways. Control Shpola and you control the highways., at least on this side of the map.

This map is not yet done, because it is huge (68km x 68km).





Given the ebb and flow of the historical battle, this map will be the battleground for at least five scenarios that I am working on. They are:





- Day 1: Small scenario focused on the 389 GE Inf Div frontage (about 14km)





- Day 1: Small scenario covering 3rd Panzer's attempts to hold their real estate and stay joined with the 389 ID.





- Large scenario covering the Day 1 Soviet advance. (Prepare to command about 9 Soviet Corps). I have been playing this one for weeks and I still can't figure out to win as the Soviets despite their advantages.





- Large scenario covering the 14th Panzer Div counterattack.





- 11th Panzer Division "break-in" scenario covering their drive on the bridges west of Shpola in an attempt to reach the pocket.





- And possibly a few smaller ones.









I have the OOBs done for both armies. I have great sources for this info and scenario selection.





Now I just need to finish this massive, soul-sucking map...

I have read a lot about the Korsun Pocket and the Soviet operations there in recent weeks as I try to piece together an amazing Command Ops 2 scenario set for the battle.