The upcoming major update will introduce a new historical battlefield, where the forces of Germany and the USSR clashed after the Battle for Moscow had turned the tables of the war — and a brutal bloodbath for each small piece of Soviet land began.
Rzhev
Having withstood the push of the German blitzkrieg during Operation Barbarossa, the USSR immediately launched a counteroffensive. The Wehrmacht had to be pushed away from the capital, but the exhausted Red Army couldn’t successfully complete this difficult task everywhere.
Due to errors of the command and lack of resources, the Soviet forces failed to drive the Germans out of Rzhev as planned. As a result, a salient formed in the front line, that the German Army Group Centre could use to once again strike in the direction of Moscow. Both sides understood how valuable this chance was — and spared no expense.
The Battles of Rzhev combined numerous operations that lasted for 15 months in total, and became as important as the defense of Stalingrad or the Battle of Moscow.
The battles took their toll on the town, and after the war some parts of it simply ceased to exist. We tried to recreate them as best as we could using historical photos and archive maps.
You’ll be able to visit the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ that still stands after the shellings, the town hall, the central market and the shopping square with the monument to Gratsinsky — the district military commissar of Rzhev. On the outskirts of the town, the battles will take place in an industrial area with a grain elevator and among the ruins of the village of Teterino, where only silhouettes of the houses remain.
Rzhev, even though it is covered by the ashes of war, remains a large and interesting town that can be explored for a while. The central streets, the steep banks on the left side of the Volga, and many small villages around the town.
Tactics-wise, this new campaign features long distance battles, lots of cover and height differences that favor each side of this historic battle from time to time.
Join the fight!
Missions of this new campaign will be available for all Battle Ratings of the USSR and Germany, and after the release of the update, you’ll have a higher chance of getting this new battlefield for a while.
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