Less than two months after the devastating fall of Stalingrad, the German Wehrmacht is once again attacking, the prize of retaking Kharkov and Belgorod beyond enticing the forward units in their advance. With virtually catastrophic losses in the fall of the city that holds Stalin's name, the new Tiger tanks and Panzer IVs begin to near their goals, hope beginning to once again to rise in their crews' chests. Catching the Russian armies completely by surprise, the counter offensive is led by fresh SS units in the north supported by the Gross Deutschland division on the flanks, weakened Wehrmacht units driving up from the south. The few available fresh Russian divisions are rushed to meet them, numerous scattered divisions running short of fuel and destroyed in the might of the German advance.

But a grim brutal reality is beginning to filter into the minds of the German and their allied ground units; that the Russian bear is far from beaten, with better tactics and weaponry than ever before. A deep fear and dread is gradually spreading that the bitter war in the east may now never end, that both countries of such opposing ideologies will fight each other to the brink of complete destruction and extinction.

The air war is beginning to even, the Luftwaffe flying almost continuously in efforts suppress the Red Air Force, a bomber war over central Europe and the Reich beginning to menacingly shift in the allies favour. Soon the fighters and young pilots may have to be recalled to protect Germany and her industry against almost overwhelming streams of American and British raids.

Attrition of experienced personnel has almost become critical, the experienced soldiers and pilots that advanced to the east almost two years earlier now depleted with basic grave markings stretching from the Polish border to the banks of the Volga River.