By October 1941 the situation on the Eastern Front was catastrophic for the Red Army. Leningrad was sieged. German forces launched offensive towards Moscow, called operation Typhoon. In the south, more than 600 thousand soldiers and officers of the South-Western Front got encircled near Kiev. Fearing a repeat of the Kiev catastrophe the Supreme Command ordered the South-Western Front to move 80 to 200 kilometers to the east between October 17 and 30 and to leave Kharkov, Belgorod and Donetsk industrial region. Battered troops of the 38 A, carrying out the order, are making a fighting retreat under pressure of the Wehrmacht's 6 A and 17 A. Among them: 169 RD, 199 RD and 14 TBde which has lost more than 50% of personnel and most of its heavy weapons in previous battles.
Six operations of 4-12 turns for each of the sides (fst.Bulakhi, Ryabuhino, Krasnaya Polyana, October 19-25, 1941).
Precisely recreated area of over 190 sq. km south-west and south of Kharkov city.
Historical organizational structure of units at the time of the offensive.
1) Added 106 mm HESH shell for the M40 recoilless gun. 2) The algorithm for generating a fragmentation field for HESH/HEP shells that hit the armor has been adjusted. 3) Added T-34 mod 1941, produced in summer-autumn 1941, factory #183. 4) Added textures for Tiger and PzIV tanks of higher resolution. 5) Changed the algorithm for breaking the fuse when a projectile hits an obstacle. 6) Added order of battle mode in an operation (for some operations). 7) Changed the battlefield in the Croatian Legion DLC. 8) Operations with battle groups in the Croatian Legion DLC have been converted to a hexagonal grid.
Update 09/13/2020
1) Fixed a bug with the ATGM remaining in the air after loading into the BMP1. 2) Corrected the display of the number of shells for duplicate weapon types (mostly smoke grenade launchers) for vehicles. 3) Changed the battlefield in The Day of the Olifant and Operation Moduler DLCs. 4) Operations in the Operation Moduler DLC are converted to a hexagonal grid. 5) The placement of units is not blocked for platoons included in the battlegroup in which there is a battle-ready reconnaissance platoon. 6) Added indication for operation's features: platoons, grid type, size (will be updated as the DLC updates). 7) Added the ability to sort operations in the list by DLC instead of campaigns.
Update 08/19/2020
1) Changed the algorithm for detonating ammunition in vehicles. 2) Added automatic retreat for AI in the operational phase without starting a battle. 3) Changed the movement system on the operational map: movement speed depends on the time of day and weather. 4) Restrictions of movement modifiers take into account the presence of troops in/on vehicles. 5) Adjusted the algorithm for throwing smoke grenades during shelling. 6) Added the ability to select camouflage for Close Engagement mode.
New expansion Graviteam Tactics: Dark Forest
53A units conduct stubborn fighting against the German 11AC units west of Kharkov. 299RD assaults vlg.Polevoe defended by the German 3TD. 84RD attacks positions of 168ID in Semenovka and conducted a raid with forward group of 41RR in the direction of ht.208.6. As a result, an exposed seam between 3TD and 168ID units was revealed in the forest south of vlg.Polevoe. 252RD supported by tanks of 61 gds det brt TR and 148TR, was ordered to concentrate on the n.e. outskirts of vlg.Dergachi and launch an attack between 299RD and 84RD with forces of 924RR and 928RR in the direction of ht.208.6 - Forester's house - sub.farm.
Two operations of 12 turns for each of the parties (forest southern of Semenovka and Polevoe, August 16-17, 1943).
Precisely recreated area of over 48 sq. km west of Kharkov city.
Historical organizational structure of units at the time of the offensive.
1) Added antenna bender to the PzIV ausf.G tank. 2) Added modifications to the PzIV ausf.G tank with welded armored screens of different types. 3) Added modifications of the PzIV ausf.G tank with side screens, L/48 gun and welded armored screens of different types. 4) Updated the battlefield in the DLC Tielieketi Incident. 5) Operational AI began to use the same system of indirect orders as the player. 6) Platoons with new modifications of the PzIV ausf.G tank have been added to the quick battle editor. 7) Added an indicator for blocking of night battles. 8) Minor changes in DLC Fateful Strike, Against the Tide, Final Offensive. 9) Added automatic recovery of platoons.
Update 07/17/2020
1) Added the ability to throw grenades from hatches for some armored vehicles (Stug3, SU-152, Mk2/Mk3). 2) The ammo save modifier is stored in savegame. 3) Fixed a number of minor bugs.
Update 06/23/2020
1) Added indication of the ammo for offmap artillery in the platoon table. 2) The algorithm for calculating the total% ammo for offmap artillery has been changed. 3) Added modification of the PzIV F2 (G) tank. 4) Changed and expanded operations in the Against the Tide DLC. 5) Fixed a bug with the lack of speed indication for units in which there is only one soldier. 6) Added winter camouflage for the M-30 howitzer. 7) Added summer camouflage for PzIV ausf.G tanks.
Update 06/01/2020
1) The mobility of the battle group is calculated for all platoons together, not individually for each platoon. 2) Units from disbanded platoons and suitable reserves can replenish the main part of platoons. 3) Added I-152 aircraft. 4) Changed and expanded operations in the Fateful Strike DLC. 5) The position in the battle is remembered for units from platoons that did not move in the operational phase (including to/from the reserve). 6) Revised the algorithm for moving BGs/platoons with indirect control mode in the operational phase: -the march order is automatically canceled if it is impossible to execute or in a contact with an enemy for non-combat and “weak” units; -the march order is automatically replaced by an attack, for combat units in a contact with an enemy; -movement is carried out so that each BG/platoon move approaches its destination; - during march order, BGs/platoons try to avoid contact with the enemy.
Update 05/11/2020
1) The algorithm of the squad and crew experience calculating when replenishing personnel was changed. 2) Groups of spotters in the operational phase are marked as having poor parameters, when the ammunition from the battery to which they are linked is exhausted, and they can be disbanded. 3) Changed user manual. 4) Added fixed locations for the Gubarevo battlefield in Close Engagement mode. 5) A number of minor errors have been fixed.
