Spring is here, and action is heating up in the Caucuses. I might have trouble maintaining my double defensive line, but I don't have to win the battle. Kesselring's job is merely to hold the Russians and Free French off until Mainstein and co. can capture Siberia. One thing that is a little alarming is that Ronnie brought 4 fighters to the area, effectively ending my air superiority. All the bombers have been sent to the north, so the ground troops are on their own.
Speaking of the north, the massive German juggernaut moves out, capturing Kazan. From the screenshot you can see the number of air units I have, and more are on the way. All I can see are Russian corps, plus 2 air units. German effectiveness and morale are high; final victory is so close they can almost smell it!
A minor cause for concern out west: the British and Americans have deployed a massive bomber fleet in England and have renewed their bombing campaign over Germany. My 2 fighters get the better of the escorts, but they can't do anything about the bombers themselves. Depending on what kind of fighter cover Ronnie has in Siberia, I may be able to recall some of the fighters I have stationed over there. But ultimately, this isn't a huge deal. My revenue will suffer, but it is far too late for that strategy to have much of an effect. I don't need any more units in Russia, and aside from repairs I can spend everything on thwarting the Western Allies. Furthermore, all those planes means Ronnie isn't spending much on ground troops, which means no invasion of France.
Still, I would like to give Kudos to Ronnie for fighting like a lion in a game he probably knows he won't win in the end. If he had played the first 2 years as well as he does now then you would never have taken Baghdad and been so close to Siberia.
At this point, anything less than a Russian surrender will feel like a defeat to me.
