2025 Quarter Two Update and Orel ’43 Expansion Pack

Introduction

This expansion pack for WDS Orel '43 continues the campaign initiated by the Soviets in the Orel salient, known as Operation Kutuzov. The operation, which commenced on July 12, 1943, resulted from the strategic plan devised by STAVKA to counter the German offensive operation during the summer of 1943, codenamed Zitadelle. STAVKA structured its response in two distinct phases. The first phase of a defensive nature occurred during the German offensive in the Kursk salient. In this phase, the Central Front under Rokossovski's command aimed to exhaust the 9th Army of General Model, which was advancing from the north of the Kursk salient to break through to the south and meet the 4th Panzer Army moving northward. The offensive began on July 5, 1943, and involved intense and costly fighting along Soviet defensive lines. Following this initial phase, STAVKA planned an offensive involving the Western, Bryansk, and Central Fronts in the Orel salient. This offensive, part of the larger Battle of Kursk, aimed to destroy the 2nd Panzer Army and the 9th Army, which was engaged in fighting to the south with the goal of reaching Kursk. This phase of the Battle of Kursk commenced on July 12, 1943.

Following two months of intense combat in the Orel salient and a strategic, well-executed retreat by Model to the pre-established German positions known as the Hagen Line, Soviet forces reached the final significant obstacles before Bryansk: the cities of Karachev and Khotynets. Both locations had been heavily fortified by the German Army and were occupied by units of the 9th Army. Situated along the main communication routes between Bryansk and Orel, these towns had to be captured by force to enable any substantial offensive toward Bryansk. After the fall of Orel a few weeks earlier, Bryansk had become the primary logistical and communication hub for the German forces, distributing supplies and reinforcements across the

 

After intense fighting at Khotynets and subsequently at Karachev, both towns were liberated by the Red Army. The 9th Army commenced a strategic withdrawal to the Hagen Line positions, which were located nearby. This allowed Model to organize a defensive stance with some shelter for his exhausted and depleted troops. Having secured Karachev and Khotynets, STAVKA began planning the next phase at the former Orel salient, assigning the Bryansk Front and its commander, General Popov, to undertake this challenging operation.

Figure 1 Strategic situation map September 1, 1943

Scenario Design Notes

During the design phase of WDS Orel ’43, the possibility of including the Bryansk Offensive operation was considered. However, the decision was made to concentrate on operations within the Orel salient. These operations concluded with the Soviet forces liberating the fortified towns of Karachev and Khotynets, which represented the final obstacles before advancing towards Bryansk.

With the initiation of the WDS Smolensk ’43 project, the potential inclusion of the Bryansk operation was again evaluated. This was due to the strategic decision during the Suvorov operation to attack Roslavl instead of directly assaulting Smolensk. Nonetheless, it was determined that the offensive towards Bryansk would not be part of WDS Smolensk ’43, as the subsequent operation against Roslavl held significant strategic importance and was considered a separate component of the Smolensk Offensive Operation.

After completing WDS Smolensk '43, I perceived a gap in the narrative between the events depicted in WDS Orel '43 and WDS Smolensk '43. This prompted me to develop an expansion that would cover the Bryansk Offensive Operation. The initial decision involved selecting the appropriate game context for this addition. The battles in the Bryansk region logically fit between the operations in Orel and Smolensk. After careful consideration, I concluded that placing them within WDS Orel '43 was most appropriate, as it directly continues the operations in the Orel salient during Operation Kutuzov. Nonetheless, the Bryansk operations are linked to the events in WDS Smolensk '43, particularly the mid-September 1943 Roslavl operation, which was decisive for Model's 9th Army, as it aimed to establish a defense supported by the Desna River.

Once the location for the Bryansk operations was determined, I began developing the content for the upcoming expansion, officially titled the Bryansk Offensive Operation in Soviet historiography. This was a prolonged engagement, beginning on September 1, 1943, and concluding on October 1, 1943. During research, I discovered that the operation can be divided into two distinct phases. The first involved encirclement tactics aimed at surrounding Bryansk, avoiding costly direct assaults on the city itself. The second phase focused on fighting along the Desna River, where intense battles occurred between the exhausted German units of the 9th Army and the worn-out Soviet forces of the Bryansk Front. These battles involved attempts to defend or assault the German defensive line on the river's west bank and efforts to eliminate Soviet bridgeheads.

After designing and structuring the scenarios to depict these battles, I concluded that to accurately represent the entire operation and honor the events of September 1943, the expansion should be divided into two parts. The first part, available to WDS Orel '43 players today, covers the Bryansk Front's efforts to encircle and liberate the city. A second expansion will be developed in the future to depict the fighting along the Desna River. This journey is ongoing, and I look forward to sharing the continuation of this fascinating campaign soon.

The purpose of this expansion pack is to fill a gap in our offerings, providing players with a detailed exploration of the period between WDS Orel '43 and WDS Smolensk '43. While the operations prior to Bryansk are covered in WDS Orel '43 and those following in WDS Smolensk '43, this expansion introduces a lesser-known campaign that is often overlooked in historical literature. It offers additional insights into the significant events of 1943 on the Eastern Front, a year marked by the Wehrmacht's military peak and the Soviet Union's growing mastery of modern warfare following difficult earlier years. The Bryansk operation further enhances our understanding of the summer of 1943 and its impact on the broader conflict. After the major campaigns depicted in WDS Kursk '43, WDS Orel '43, WDS Rumyantsev '43, WDS Smolensk '43, and WDS Kiev '43, along with this new expansion, we gain a comprehensive view of the intense battles fought during the summer and autumn of 1943. These campaigns highlight the vast scale of the Eastern Front, involving extensive forces and resources from both sides.

Figure 2 Bryansk Offensive Operation, and subsequent operations

The Campaign and Operational Phases Scenarios

The Bryansk Offensive Operation comprises 25 scenarios focusing on the initial phase of military actions against this strategically significant city, a key hub for communications and logistics. This expansion details the combat operations of the Bryansk Front under General Popov against the left flank of the 9th Army, commanded by General Model, which was tasked with defending the approaches to Bryansk from the east. Future expansions will include additional scenarios depicting the fighting along the Desna River during the latter half of September.

The scenarios in this first phase depict the efforts to encircle Bryansk from the north and south by Popov's forces. The breakthrough battles commence on September 1 and conclude on September 17 with the city's liberation. Additionally, a Grand Campaign scenario is available, allowing players to simulate the entire campaign from September 1 to October 1, 1943, encompassing all operations within this period.

#43_0901_01_Bryansk_Offensive_Operation

This scenario enables players to engage with the complete Bryansk campaign, which spans from September 1st to October 1st, 1943, covering 296 turns. It depicts the breakthrough and encirclement battles conducted by the Bryansk Front to seize the city from both the south and north. The movements are not synchronized; General Popov, commanding the Bryansk Front, planned two separate operations that would eventually converge on the same objective: capturing Bryansk, a vital logistics and communications hub. The southern forces initiated their offensive on September 1, 1943, followed by the northern forces several days later. The Soviet player must consider this timing to effectively coordinate their strategy. Historically, the Red Army liberated Bryansk on September 17, 1943.

 

#43_0901_03_Bryansk_Offensive_Operation_First_Phase

This scenario, like #43_0901_01_Bryansk_Offensive_Operation, details the events from the initial fighting to break through and encircle the city, leading to its liberation on September 17, 1943. The first phase of the Bryansk Offensive Operation, which encompasses the fighting during roughly the first half of September 1943, has been defined in this manner because a campaign scenario will be provided in the upcoming second expansion pack, focusing on the fighting along the Desna River during the second phase of the operation.

 

#43_0901_06_Bryansk_Front_South

This scenario describes the fighting on the southern wing of the Bryansk Front. This wing of the Bryansk Front was composed of the 11th Guards Army, the 63rd Army, the 4th Tank Army, and the 48th Army of the Central Front. The operation, launched on September 1, 1943, aimed to pierce the defensive lines of the German 9th Army south of Bryansk. General Popov, commanding the Bryansk Front, sought to advance toward the Desna River and envelop the city from the south and east. By threatening encirclement, Popov hoped to compel the Germans to withdraw without a fight, sparing his battle-weary forces from the high casualties of direct urban warfare.

#43_0907_01_Bryansk_Front_North

This account details the combat operations on the northern flank of the Bryansk Front, which included the 50th Army, 3rd Army, 11th Army, and the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, supported by the 10th Army of the Western Front. The breakout operations commenced on September 7, 1943, following the breach of German defensive lines.

The principal objective assigned to these formations was to force a crossing of two formidable natural obstacles—the Bolva and Desna Rivers—and then, in concert with the southern spearheads of the Bryansk Front, complete the encirclement of Bryansk from the north. It was the 11th Army, driving forward through determined resistance, that ultimately liberated the city on September 17, 1943, marking a key strategic victory in the campaign to reclaim central Russia.

 

Optional Rules

Below are the suggested optional rules for Bryansk expansion pack for WDS Orel ’43, a detailed description can also be found in the briefing for each scenario.

 

Order of Battle Notes

The Soviet Order of Battle

The Bryansk Campaign took place after the events of Operation Kutuzov, so the work done in WDS Orel '43 was used to compile the Soviet Order of Battle. Research focused primarily on the Bryansk Front during September and October 1943. Research also covered the 10th Army of the Western Front and the 48th Army of the Central Front during the same period.

 

 

 

As in WDS Orel ‘43, the Soviet order of Battle has been made based on the publication “Boyevoy Sostav Sovetskoy Armii - Combat Strength of the Soviet Army (BSSA). This series of books lists month by month the composition of the Soviet armies that participated in the Second World War at an incredible level of detail, even at the battalion level, so it is mandatory to review to begin any order of battle on the soviet side. In the case of the Bryansk Offensive Operation, the status of the  Bryansk, Western, and Central Fronts was reviewed for the months of September and October, 1943. These lists not only detail the land units but also the air units that supported ground operations.

Figure 3 Bryansk Front, September 1, 1943

To accurately reconstruct the Soviet order of battle for the Bryansk Front with both depth and historical precision, the data available in the “Boyevoy Sostav Obshchevoyskovykh Armiy - Combat Strength of the Combined Armies (BSOA)” proves invaluable. This source, which provides a ten-day interval breakdown of the composition of Soviet armies, offers the granular detail necessary for properly configuring the organizational structure of the forces engaged in the campaign. Moreover, considering the substantial losses sustained by the Bryansk Front during Operation Kutuzov, such documentation is essential to prevent inaccuracies in the representation of its evolving order of battle.

Figure 4 11th Guards Army, September 20th and October 1st, 10th, 1943

In the case of the Bryansk Front, this type of composition was consulted for the 50th Army, the 3rd Army, the 11th Army, the 11th Guards Army, the 4th Tank Army, and the 63rd Army. The same method was used for the 10th Army of the Western Front and the 48th Army of the Central Front.

Figure 5 63rd Army, September 10th, 20th and October 1st, 1943

The German Order of Battle

The reconstruction of the German order of battle during the Bryansk offensive operation builds upon the ongoing research conducted for WDS Orel '43 and WDS Smolensk '43. In particular, the latter provides essential context, as its scenarios detailing operations in the Smolensk–Roslavl sector during the latter half of September closely precede and overlap with the concluding phases of the Bryansk campaign. This geographic and operational continuity underscores the strategic interdependence of the two offensives. For the German forces in the Bryansk sector, the research centers on the 9th Army under General Model. Positioned just east of Bryansk, this formation was tasked with defending the city’s approaches from both the northeast and southeast, forming a critical component of the Wehrmacht’s defensive posture in the region.

 General Model commanded a sizeable force, though many of his divisions were understrength and depleted. The 9. Armee had been steadily weakened by the redeployment of several formations to bolster German defenses both in the Smolensk sector and in Manstein’s Heeresgruppe Süd further south. To manage the extended front, Model established a powerful Kampfgruppe under General Harpe, comprising XII. Armee-Korps and Gruppe Greiner, along with several infantry divisions. This effectively split the 9. Armee’s operational focus into two primary sectors. Harpe’s force was tasked with defending the approaches to Roslavl, situated just north of Bryansk, and thus was not fully available to support Bryansk’s defense. Nevertheless, Model was able to draw limited reinforcements from Harpe’s command. This formation was the subject of detailed research for WDS Smolensk '43, as the Roslavl offensive—launched in the latter half of September 1943—is a key feature of that scenario.

Figure 6 Schematische Kriegsgliderung, 5.9.1943

Therefore, the research focused on the rest of the 9 .Armee: the XXIII, XXXV, LV  .ArmeeKorps, and the XXXXVI. PanzerKorps. Additionally, all the sub-units that were part of the 9 .Armee, some as large as the Koruck 532 or the 12. Flak Division. As previously noted, this research—grounded in primary German sources held at both the U.S. National Archives (NARA) and the Bundesarchiv—was essential in establishing, with the highest degree of historical accuracy, not only the order of battle but also the precise deployment of units during the Bryansk offensive. Building upon the foundational work completed for WDS Orel '43 and WDS Smolensk '43, this effort reached a successful conclusion, ensuring an authentic and rigorously documented representation of the campaign.

Figure 7 Truppeneintelung AOK.9 18.8.1943

The 2. Armee was also investigated. This army, under the command of General Weiss, was deployed just south of the 9 .Armee. The XX .ArmeeKorps protected the southern flank of Model's army in cooperation with the XXXV .ArmeeKorps. The XX .ArmeeKorps had some interesting and unknown defensive operations during the Bryansk operation, so its study was also carried out in German sources to determine its composition and performance. The XX .ArmeeKorps, along with the rest of the 2 .Armee, would shine with its own light a little later during the Chernigov-Pripyat offensive operation in the second half of September.

The methodology used to research the various large and small German units that make up the order of battle is the same as that used so far in the rest of the different games I have made. In the first phase, an initial order of battle is determined for the large units

Figure 8 Gliderung der Sichstruppen AOK.2 and AOK.9 1.9.1943

at the army level, in this case, the 9 .Armee and 2. Armee. Once this composition has been accurately determined, the details are lowered or deepened as desired, starting with the army corps and rearguard units, in this case, the Koruck.532 or the 12. Flak Division. In the third and fourth phases, the details are lowered from the division level to the battalion or even the Kampfgruppe. The fact that this is a free expansion has in no way diminished the historical rigor of the research or the maximum degree of quality of its orders of battle, as we wish to offer our players the best possible experience in recreating the Bryansk Offensive Operation.

 

Map Notes

Although a map of the Bryansk region is available in WDS Orel ’43, we found that we didn’t have the entire map we needed to recreate the theater of operations of the Bryansk Offensive Operation. From the map available in WDS Orel ’43, a southern extension was added using part of the map available in WDS Moscow ’42. However, a large area to the west had to be mapped, so we had to extend the entire area south of Bryansk along the Desna River by means of a new creation. For this task, we were very fortunate to have the help of David Michas. David offered to map the Pochep-Trubchevsk area and truly did a superb job. I can never fully thank David for his great work, he really made the expansion possible, thank you very much, David!

The new Bryansk map, specially created for this expansion pack, measures 251x207 km, faithfully depicting the theater of operations in the Bryansk region, with such important towns as Kirov, Lyudinovo, Dyatkovo, Bryansk, Pochep, and Trubchevsk. The terrain posed significant challenges for offensive operations. In addition to extensive marshlands scattered throughout the region, the north–south-flowing rivers—most notably the Desna—presented formidable natural barriers to any advancing force. In addition, the Germans had had time to create a defensive line, the Hagen Line, where Model's tired troops could rely on for defense.

Figure 9 Bryansk Area of Operations

The Bryansk Offensive Operation, A Brief Synopsis

Between July 31 and August 5, Bryansk Front forces were involved in the battle for the city of Orel. Once this battle was concluded, the Bryansk Front began pursuing the retreating German forces westward along the paved road between Orel and Bryansk. Halfway between the two cities were the towns of Khotynets and Karachev. These two important towns had been fortified by the German army, as they defended the approaches to Bryansk; both towns had to be cleared before advancing toward this important city. Bryansk was a critical communications and logistical hub for the region. The city was situated along the Desna River, which flowed north to south through the entire operational theater. Several smaller rivers and streams ran roughly parallel to the Desna, compounding the difficulties for any force advancing from the east. Moreover, the terrain favored the defender: broad swampy expanses dotted the area, further restricting mobility and complicating offensive planning.

 

After fierce fighting, the town of Khotynets was liberated by the Red Army on August 10, 1943, and the city of Karachev on August 15. Following this, the Germans began a difficult but effective retreat to the already prepared positions on the Hagen Line. Thus, the last obstacles before the Red Army began its advance toward Bryansk were cleared. While this was happening in the center of the Bryansk Front, the northern and southern wings of the Front were also advancing, putting pressure on the German units of the 9 .Armee.  On the northern wing, the Soviet 50th Army—recently transferred from the Western Front to reinforce the Bryansk Front—advanced in coordination with the 3rd and 11th Armies, supported by the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps. These forces were pressing westward against exhausted German units positioned east of the Bolva River, a north–south-flowing tributary of the Desna. The Bolva provided a natural defensive line, which the Germans sought to use as a stabilizing anchor in the face of the Soviet offensive. In the south, the 11th Guards Army and the 63rd Army pursued the German units of Model's army that gradually, in a skillful retreat, headed towards the Hagen line. This defensive line was supported along the course of the Desna River.

After the end of the battle for Khotynets and Karachev the commander of the Bryansk Front, General Popov, planned the next step: the capture of the city of Bryansk. This city provided the German army with a logistics and communications hub that served the entire region. Furthermore, Popov suspected that the 9 .Armee wanted to organize a prolonged defense of the Bryansk area behind the defenses built on the Desna River. This defensive line relied on the opportunities offered by the cities of Bryansk and Roslavl to fuel the defense. General Popov devised a major encirclement battle to remove the possibility of a direct attack on Bryansk. This plan offered the Russian commander to avoid the always hard and costly urban warfare for the city. For this he planned the attack on the city in two phases. The first phase would begin on September 1, 1943 and would be carried out by the southern wing of the Bryansk Front. For this, he would use the 11th Guards Army and the 63rd Army, with the support of the 48th Army of the Central Front, to pierce the German defenses. In a second echelon was the 4th Tank Army which would be used to exploit the advance after the projected breaks. The objective was to reach the Desna River at Vygonochi and Trubschev, cross it, and encircle the city of Bryansk from the south. The intention was to deny the Germans the Desna River as a line of defense and force the German army to evacuate the city of Bryansk, thus avoiding direct combat for the city. The second phase of the attack towards Bryansk would begin on September 7, 1943 The northern wing of the Bryansk Front with the 50th Army, the 3rd Army, the 11th Army, with the support of the 10th Army of the Western Front, and the help of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, would attack the German positions east of the Bolva River with the aim of liberating the cities of Lyudinovo, Dyatkovo and Fokino. Then they had to cross the Bolva River and then head towards the Desna River with the intention of crossing it and surrounding the city of Bryansk from the north in cooperation with the southern wing of the Bryansk Front. In this case, they also sought to help the Western Front in its offensive towards Roslavl that was to begin the second half of September.

General Model's 9 .Armee planned a defensive battle, delaying the Soviet advance as much as possible to withdraw in an orderly manner behind the Desna River. The Hagen Line rested on this large waterway; although it had been conceived quite some time before, it was only put into operation after the start of the battle for the Orel salient. As German setbacks in that region continued to occur, work on it intensified. Although by September it was far from being a solid line, it at least offered shelter and defensive positions to the tired German divisions that had already been fighting for two months of a skillful, but difficult, retreat from Orel. To defend the Bryansk area, General Model had four army corps at his disposal, with Gruppe Harpe defending the Roslavl area north of Bryansk. The LV .ArmeeKorps defended the Kirov and Lyudinovo sector, the XXIII .ArmeeKorps defended the Dyatkovo and Fokino sectors, the XXXXVI.PanzerKorps defended the center of the front including the city of Bryansk, and the XXXV .ArmeeKorps protected the south of the German line in cooperation with the XX .ArmeeKorps of the 2 .Armee.

On September 1, 1943, the Soviet offensive began with significant advances despite heavy losses. The Soviet armies of the southern wing of the Bryansk Front approached the Desna River, gaining two bridgeheads at Vygovichi and Tubschev. On September 7, 1943, the northern wing began its attack, liberating the towns of Lyudinovo,

Dyatkovo, and Fokino, where they crossed the Bolva River and headed to the Desna. They reached Dubrovka and established a bridgehead across the Desna. Model then ordered the evacuation of Bryansk, which was liberated on September 17, 1943. From here, a battle began on the Desna River where the Germans sought to eliminate the Soviet bridgeheads and restore the situation. These battles will be covered in the second expansion package for WDS Orel '43.

List Of Scenarios

#43_0901_01_Bryansk_Offensive_Operation, 296 Turns

Date: September 1st, 1943  - Size Campaign  - Location: Bryansk

Intended for play as Soviet vs AI and Axis vs Soviet

Designer Notes: This scenario describes the operations of Popov's Bryansk Front against the German 9 .Armee to liberate the city of Bryansk.

Scenario Briefing: Following the fighting and liberation of the towns of Khotynets and Karachev by the Bryansk Front, the last major obstacles preventing the liberation of Bryansk were eliminated, as both cities had been fortified by the Germans. Popov, the commander of the Bryansk Front had five armies with which to attempt the liberation of the city, since it was a logistics and communications node of the first order, these armies, the 3rd, 11th, 11th Guards 63rd and 4rt Tank Army, were soon reinforced by the 50th Army that belonged to the Western Front, with them, Popov planned not a direct attack but an operation to encircle the city of Bryansk executed at two different times, the southern wing with the 11th Guards, 63rd and the 4th Tank Armies Army would attack on September 1st with the objective of surrounding Bryansk, reaching and crossing the Desna River, once this maneuver was executed, on September 7th the northern wing with the 50th, 3rd and 11th Armies would surround the city to also reach and cross the Desna, Popov hoped in this way to avoid a costly and bloody frontal attack and that the city was evacuated by the German army and thus prevent the possible destruction of its facilities. To defend the Bryansk region, Heeresgruppe Mitte had the 9 .Armee under General Model, this army that had fought without rest since July 7th, 1943 in the Zitadelle operation and the Orel salient had in the area the LV. ArmeeKorps, XXIII .ArmeeKorps, XXXXVI.PanzerKorps and the XXXV .ArmeeKorps that grouped sixteen infantry divisions, another group, Gruppe Harpe, defended the Roslavl area north of Bryansk. Model planned a very flexible battle, the intention was to wear down the already worn-out Soviet units to ultimately retreat behind the Desna River, for this, he had the Hagen line, fortifications built during the long retreat from the Orel salient during the months of July and August and also ordered to prepare defensive positions behind the Desna River.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

#43_0901_03: Bryansk Offensive Operation (First Phase), 158 turns

Date: September 1st, 1943  - Size Campaign  - Location: Bryansk

Intended for play as Soviet vs AI and Axis vs AI and HTH

Designer Notes: This shorter version of the campaign scenario ends on September 17th, 1943 when the Red Army liberated the city of Bryansk.

Scenario Briefing: Following the fighting and liberation of the towns of Khotynets and Karachev by the Bryansk Front, the last major obstacles preventing the liberation of Bryansk were eliminated, as both cities had been fortified by the Germans. Popov, the commander of the Bryansk Front had five armies with which to attempt the liberation of the city, since it was a logistics and communications node of the first order, these armies, the 3rd, 11th, 11th Guards 63rd and 4rt Tank Army, were soon reinforced by the 50th Army that belonged to the Western Front, with them, Popov planned not a direct attack but an operation to encircle the city of Bryansk executed at two different times, the southern wing with the 11th Guards, 63rd and the 4th Tank Armies Army would attack on September 1st with the objective of surrounding Bryansk, reaching and crossing the Desna River, once this maneuver was executed, on September 7th the northern wing with the 50th, 3rd and 11th Armies would surround the city to also reach and cross the Desna, Popov hoped in this way to avoid a costly and bloody frontal attack and that the city was evacuated by the German army and thus prevent the possible destruction of its facilities. To defend the Bryansk region, Heeresgruppe Mitte had the 9 .Armee under General Model, this army that had fought without rest since July 7th, 1943 in the Zitadelle operation and the Orel salient had in the area the LV. ArmeeKorps, XXIII .ArmeeKorps, XXXXVI.PanzerKorps and the XXXV .ArmeeKorps that grouped sixteen infantry divisions, another group, Gruppe Harpe, defended the Roslavl area north of Bryansk. Model planned a very flexible battle, the intention was to wear down the already worn-out Soviet units to ultimately retreat behind the Desna River, for this, he had the Hagen line, fortifications built during the long retreat from the Orel salient during the months of July and August and also ordered to prepare defensive positions behind the Desna River.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

#43_0901_06: The Southern Offensive, 48 Turns

Date: September 1st, 1943  - Size Medium  - Location: South of Bryansk

Intended for play as Soviet vs AI and Axis vs AI

Designer Notes: This scenario describes the operations of the southern wing of the Bryansk Front.

Scenario Briefing: The right wing of the Bryansk Front was deployed just south of the city. It consisted of Bagramyan's 11th Guards Army, Kolpakchi's 63rd Army, and Badanov's 4th Tank Army, a little further south, the 48th Army of the Central Front protected the flank. The armies of this sector of the Bryansk Front were greatly weakened after more than two months of fighting in the Orel salient and the struggle for the fortified sectors of Karachev and Khotynets, the keys to Bryansk. The plan of Popov, commander of the Bryansk Front, was to break through the German front just south of Bryansk, ignoring a direct advance on the city, outflanking it and crossing the Desna River at Vygonochie and Trubchevsk while waiting for attacks north of Bryansk that would seal the fate of this important city and major communications hub. The German army, after more than two months of fighting and a difficult retreat towards the Hagen Line launched by a brilliant Model, did not have solid positions in this sector, even so, it had to protect the accesses from the south towards the city of Bryansk, for this, Model had a weakened 9 .Armee that consisted only of infantry units with little armored support, although behind it, it had the fortifications of the Hagen Line built to date.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

#43_0901_08: Navlya, 18 Turns

Date: September 1st, 1943  - Size Small  - Location: Navlya

Intended for play as Soviet vs AI and Axis vs AI

Designer Notes: This scenario describes the operations of the 11th Guards Army in the early stages of the Bryansk operation.

Scenario Briefing: The most powerful unit of the Bryansk Front was the 11th Guards Army under the command of Ivan Bagramyan, this unit was to lead the attack on the southern wing of the Front, its mission was to penetrate the German defensive lines and head towards the Desna River where it would cross and form a bridgehead at Vygonochy, the plan was to surround the city of Bryansk from the south to avoid the always costly urban combat. For this mission, Bagramyan had the 36th Guards Rifle Corps on his right wing, the 16th Guards Rifle Corps in the center and the 8th Guards Rifle Corps on the left wing, as an operational reserve he had the 1st Tank Corps, this armored unit had to exploit the break in the German front by the infantry units. Despite the potential of the 11th Guards Army, this army had suffered severe losses in the preceding fighting for the towns of Karachev and Khotinets, yet it was the most powerful unit available to the Bryansk Front commander and the one chosen to spearhead the attack on the southern wing of the Front. To defend this sector, Model, the commander of the 9 .Armee, had few resources and they were also greatly weakened after the intense fighting in the Orel salient during the months of July and August. However, the skillful defense and withdrawal of the salient towards the Hagen Line made the defense of the front south of Bryansk feasible.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

 #43_0901_10: Lokot’, 22 Turns

Date: September 1st, 1943  - Size Campaign  - Location: Bryansk

Intended for play as Soviet vs AI and Axis vs AI

Designer Notes: This scenario describes the operations of the 63rd Army at the beginning of the Bryansk operation.

Scenario Briefing: The 63rd Army was the southernmost army of the Bryansk Front, this army, deployed south of the 11th Guards Army, had to break through the German defenses in a sector defended by General Rendulic's XXXV .ArmeeKorps, this corps, greatly weakened during the fighting in July and August, had defended itself brilliantly through the Orel salient and, after the German withdrawal towards the Hagen Line, was now occupying the German defenses against the 63rd Army. This army, under the command of Kolpakchi, had eight Rifle Divisions, five in the front line and three in a second echelon, although with little armored support. The 63rd Army was to pierce the German defenses and head towards the town of Lokot', an important communications node with the city of Bryansk, once this town was occupied, the 63rd Army was to advance towards the Desna River where it had to cross it at the city of Trubchevsk.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

#43_0901_13: Rodogoshch, 26 Turns

Date: September 1st, 1943  - Size Small  - Location: Rodogoshch

Intended for play as Soviet vs AI and Axis vs AI

Designer Notes: This scenario describes the operations of the Central Front's 48th Army in support of the Bryansk Front's offensive against the 9 .Armee.

Scenario Briefing: The 48th Army was part of the Central Front, this army, under Romanenko's command, was located just south of the Bryansk Front, more specifically in the extension of the positions of the 63rd Army. The mission of the 48th Army was to protect the flank of the 63rd Army in its advance first towards Lokot and then towards the Desna River, for this, Romanenko had the 42nd Rifle Corps and its two divisions, the 307th and 399th Rifle Divisions on the northern wing of the 48th Army along with two rifle divisions further south of the 42nd Rifle Corps. These units had the mission of penetrating the defenses of the XX .ArmeeKorps of the 2 .Armee, cut the lines of communications heading north and support the advance of the 63rd Army. 

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

#43_0907_01_Bryansk_Front_North, 108 Turns

Date: September 7th, 1943  - Size Large  - Location: Bryansk Region

Intended for play as Soviet vs. AI and Axis vs. AI

Designer Notes: This scenario describes the operations of the Bryansk Front north of the city of Bryansk by the 50th, 3rd, and 11th Armies, unlike the operations in the south, these began on September 7th, 1943.

Scenario Briefing: The offensive on the northern wing of the Bryansk Front began a week after operations began on the southern wing. For this large sector of the Bryansk Front, its commander, General Popov, deployed three armies: Boldin's 50th Army, Gorbatov's 3rd Army, and Fediuninsky's 11th Army, the latter with its 25th Rifle Corps in front of the approaches to Bryansk. Behind these three armies, Popov deployed the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps to exploit anticipated breakthroughs in the German front. To defend this sector of the front, General Model's 9 .Armee had three army corps: the LV .ArmeeKorps, the XXIII .ArmeeKorps and the XXXVI.PanzerKorps, with nine infantry divisions in line plus another in reserve in the rear, behind the Desna River. The 9 .Armee had suffered many losses during the months of July and August, this army had fought tirelessly in the Orel salient and the skillful retreat towards the Hagen line, despite the outcome of the preceding operations, Model was confident of defending Bryansk and if this was not possible, to withdraw and defend the Desna River in another calculated retreat. Popov's armies also had many problems, the fighting during Operation Kutuzov in the Orel region caused heavy losses to his units, these were very weakened as a result of the operations during the preceding two months, the planning of the Bryansk Front offensive eliminated any possibility of a frontal attack on the city of Bryansk to avoid the always costly urban combat and opted to surround the city from the north with its most powerful units, the 50th Army, the 3rd Army and the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, also supported by the 53rd Rifle Corps of the 11th Army, in this way, Popov hoped that in this way, the city would be liberated with the lowest possible cost.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

#43_0907_03_Lyudinovo, 18 Turns

Date: September 7th, 1943  - Size Small  - Location: Lyudinovo

Intended for play as Soviet vs. AI and Axis vs. AI

Designer Notes: This scenario describes the first two days of the 50th Army's offensive.

Scenario Briefing: The 50th Army was originally part of the Western Front and took part in the Suvorov Operation, the offensive towards Smolensk, in August, from its positions south of Kirov. During the planning of the offensive towards Bryansk by the commander of the Bryansk Front, General Popov, it was decided to transfer the 50th Army from the Western Front to the Bryansk Front in order to strengthen the latter. Popov planned to use the 50th Army to break through the German defenses south of Kirov, under the command of the LV .ArmeeKorps. This large unit protected the town of Lyudinovo, on the east bank of the Bolva River, with two of its infantry divisions, the 339th and the 110th, the latter greatly weakened after the fighting in the Orel Salient. The entire force of the 50th Army would fall on this sector. Its commander, General Boldin, placed three of his rifle divisions in the front line, leaving another five in the second and third lines to exploit the break in the German front. In addition, the 50th Army had a tank brigade and five armored battalions. The first major Soviet objective in this sector was the town of Lyudinovo and to prevent the LV .ArmeeKorps from withdrawing across the Bolva.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

#43_0907_08_Baliugin, 12 Turns

Date: September 7th, 1943  - Size Small  - Location: NE Bryansk

Intended for play as Soviet vs. AI and Axis vs. AI

Designer Notes: This scenario is extremely difficult, describing the great difficulties faced by the commander of the 273rd Rifle Division, Baliugin, in overcoming the German defenses.

Scenario Briefing: The 273rd Rifle Division was part of the 53rd Rifle Corps of the 11th Army, this division, quartered in the southernmost area of this Rifle Corps, the 273rd Rifle Division had the mission of breaking through the defenses of General Praun's 129.Infanterie Division and support the attack of the rest of the divisions of the 53rd Rifle Corps on their way to the Bolva River. The commander of the 53rd Rifle Corps, Gartsev, could not offer Baliugin all the necessary resources for his mission, so the commander of the 273rd Rifle Division had to make do with what he had to plan offensive operations in his sector, a sector that also benefited the defender, since it was located in an area of marshes and forests with few communication routes. In addition, the 129.Infanterie Division had been able to erect some very good defensive positions.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

#43_0908_01_Bettitsa, 18 Turns

Date: September 8th, 1943  - Size Small  - Location: Kirov

Intended for play as Soviet vs. AI and Axis vs. AI

Designer Notes: This scenario describes the operations of the 10th Army of the Western Front.

Scenario Briefing: The 10th Army was not part of the Bryansk Front, this army was attached to the Western Front, however, having as a neighbor the 50th Army of the Bryansk Front that protected the city of Kirov and was deployed to the east of the 10th Army, it was assigned the mission of protecting the flank of the 50th Army and initiating support operations that would facilitate the Bryansk Front units crossing the Bolva River and subsequently encircle the city of Bryansk from the north. To this end, the commander of the 10th Army, General Vasily Popov, planned a series of advances in the western positions of the LV .ArmeeKorps, for this, he had three rifle divisions in first echelon and a fourth rifle division in a second echelon to support the break through the German defensive lines. The objective of the 10th Army's offensive, which began one day after the northern wing of the Bryansk Front had begun its offensive, was to pressure the LV .ArmeeKorps so that it could not send reinforcements to the units fighting beyond the Bolva River and thus make the 50th Army's mission of capturing Lyudinovo and crossing the Bolva much easier, thereby denying the LV .ArmeeKorps the possibility of using the river as a defensive line.

Recommended Rules: (Default)

Alternative Assault Resolution, Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Virtual Supply Trucks, Low Visibility Air Effects, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Counterbattery Fire, Night Fatigue, Programmed Weather, Limited Air Recon.

Appendix

Selected Bibliography, Articles and Books

7th Panzer Division: The Ghost Division, 1939-1945 – Tankwaffe Publishers

9th Panzer Division 1940-1943-Marek Kruk

9th Panzer Division 1941-1945-Marek Kruk

Air War Over Kursk: Turning Point in the East - Dmitriy B. Khazanov

Armored Bears: The German 3rd Panzer Division in World War II (Volume 2) - Veterans of 3rd Panzer division

Battle Orders: Panzer Divisions: The Eastern Front 1941–43 - Pier Paolo Battistelli

Citadel, Prokhorovka and Kharkov: The armoured losses of the II SS Panzer Korps Sonderverbände during the battle of Kursk, July-August 1943-Ben Wheatley

Das Reich: The Military Role of the 2nd SS Division - James Sidney Lucas

Decision in the Ukraine: German Panzer Operations on the Eastern Front, Summer 1943 -George M. Nipe

Die Geshichte der deutschen Kavallerie - Klaus Christian Richter - Motorbuch Verlag

Die Boeselagerschen Reiter, Das Kavallerie-Regiment Mitte und die aus ihm hervorgegangene 3. Kavallerie-Brigade/Division - Hans Joachim Witte and Peter Offerman - Schild Verlag

Did Vatutin Err When Planning the Defense of the Voronezh Front While Preparing for the Battle of Kursk-Valerii Zamulin

Drive to the Dnieper: The Soviet 1943 Summer Campaign - Steve Robert Waddell

From the Don to the Dnepr: Soviet Offensive Operations, December 1942 – August 1943 - David M. Glantz

German Military Symbols – Military Intelligence Division War Departament

German Order of Battle vol 1 panzer and Panzegrenadier Divisions – G.F. Nafziger

German Order of Battle vol 2 Waffen SS - Luftwaffe - Mountain and Naval divisions – G.F Nafziger

German Order of Battle vol 3 Artillery independient Bn, Railroad, Coastal flak – G.F Nafziger

German Order of Battle Vol 4 German infantry divisions 1-299 – G.F Nafziger

German Order of Battle Vol 5 German infantry divisions 300-999  Named and Corps Detachment- G.F Nafziger

Ghost Division: The 11th "Gespenster" Panzer Division and the German Armored Force in World War II - A. Harding Ganz

Grossdeutschland - Guderian's Eastern Front Elite-Michael Sharpe and Brian L. Davis

Kavallerie der Wehrmacht - Klaus Christian Richter - Podzun-Pallas

Kursk 1943: The Greatest Battle of the Second World War - Roman Töppel

Kursk 1943: The Southern Front - Robert Forczyk

Kursk: The Air Battle: July 1943 - Christer Bergstrom

 Kursk: The German View - Steven H. Newton

Mine and Countermine Operations in the Battle of Kursk-Andrew Remson and Debbie Anderson

Panzerkorps Grossdeutschland, Vol. 2-Helmuth Spaeter

Red Army Handbook, 1939-1945-Steven J. Zaloga and Leland S. Ness

Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Western Ukraine, 1943-44 - Prit Buttar

Soviet Defensive Tactics at Kursk, July 1943 (CSI Report No. 11) - Colonel David M. Glantz

Soviet Order of Battle WWII: Vol. 1 "The Deadly Beginning"

Soviet Tank, Mechanized, Motorized Divisions and Tank Brigades of 1940-1942 - Charles C. Sharp

Soviet Order of Battle WWII: Vol. 2 “School Of Battle” Soviet Tank Corps and Tank Brigades January 1942 to 1945 - Charles C. Sharp

Soviet Order of Battle WWII: Vol. 3 “Red Storm” Soviet Mechanized Corps and Guards Armored Units 1942-1945 - Charles C. Sharp

Soviet Order of Battle WWII: Vol. 6 "Red Thunder" Soviet Artillery Corps, Divisions and Brigades 1941-1945 - Charles C. Sharp

Spearhead: Grossdeutschland: Guderian's Eastern Front Elite - Michael Sharpe & Brian L. Davis

SS-Das Reich: The History of the Second SS Division, 1941-1945 - Gregory L. Mattson

Smolensk 1943 – Robert Forczyk – Osprey Publishing

Smolensk Offensive Operation (1943) - M., Military Publishing, 1975 – V.P Istomin

Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East - Earl F. Ziemke

Surviving Prokhorovka: German armoured longevity on the Eastern Front in 1943–1944 (Journal of Intelligence History Vol. 21, 2022 - Issue 1) - Ben Wheatley

The Battle of Kursk - David M.Glantz & Jonathan House

The Battle for Kursk 1943: The Soviet General Staff Study (Cass Series on the Soviet Study of War, No. 10) - David M. Glantz & Harold S. Orenstein

The Battle of Kursk: The Red Army’s Defensive Operations and Counter-Offensive, July-August 1943 - Richard W. Harrison

The Forgotten Battle of the Kursk Salient: 7th Guards Army’s Stand Against Army Detachment Kempf - Valeriy Zamulin

The History of the Panzerkorps Grossdeutschland, Vol. 2 - Helmuth Spaeter

The Red Army Handbook 1939-1945 - Steven J. Zaloga & Leland S. Ness

Tigers of the Death's Head: SS Totenkopf Division's Tiger Company - Ian Michael Wood

Viking Panzers: The German SS 5th Tank Regiment in the East in World War II - Ewan Klapdor

Zitadelle: The German Offensive Against the Kursk Salient 4-17 July 1943 - Mark Healy

NARA Rolls

T311 R220

T314  R656

T314 R689

T314 R689

T314 R865

T314 R1090

T314 R1091

T315 R1855

T315 R1856

Russian Army Staff Documents

Boyevoy Sostav Sovetskoy Armii - Combat Strength of the Soviet Army (BSSA), September through October 1943 - Voroshilov Academy of the General Staff

Boyevoy Sostav Obshchevoyskovykh Armiy - Combat Strength of the Combined Armies (BSOA), 1 st - 10th - 20th September through October 1943 - Military Historical Department of the Military Scientific Directorate of the General Staff

Websites

Axis History Factbook     http://www.axishistory.com/                                                         

Combat Operations of the Red Army in WWII     http://bdsa.ru/

Feldgrau: German Armed Forces Research     http://www.feldgrau.com/                   

Generals of WWII     http://www.generals.dk/                                                             

German Documents in Russia

Infanterie-Divisionen     http://www.diedeutschewehrmacht.de/infanterie%20division.htm

Lexicon der Wehrmacht     http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/                                       

Orders of Battle and Organisations     http://niehorster.org/

Following are a few screenshots that showcase the new scenarios included in the expansion.

Version 4.05.3 supplants the version 4.05.2 that was released with Panzer Campaigns: Poland '39. A range of fixes and additional enhancements are included in the latest version.

Please note that we are providing a patch to upgrade from version 4.04 or later to version 4.05.3; however, full 4.05.3 installation build is available in case you prefer to do a full install. You may remember that version 4.04 was a full-installation-only build. The 4.05.3 patch will only work with a version 4.04, or later installations. If you already own a copy of Orel '43, the latest full 4.05.3 game build is now available in your Store Account on the WDS website. If you choose to not patch and use the full installer, you will have to uninstall any existing version and then install the latest to be up to date. One other consideration, we have changed or removed many sound files under the Media directory, and a full installation will ensure you are not left with any superfluous files.

Thank you again for the ongoing support, we will continue to try and keep communicating and interacting via our forum, Facebook, and other platforms.

Another big quarter ahead!