June - Russia Invaded

The Wehrmacht launches Operation Barbarossa on June 16, 1941. The Luftwaffe quickly establishes air superiority in all forward areas; the five panzergruppen, each supported by an infantry army, open the action by concentrating massive firepower on weak points in the Soviet line. The idea is to create narrow penetration points, through which the panzers will flow and then dash forward into open country. The infantry will follow behind as best as possible, to protect supply lines for the mobile units and seal encirclement rings.

Army Group North succeeds in breaking through and V. Panzergruppe surges forward to try and cut off all Soviet forces in and west of the port city of Riga. The panzers are currently engaged securing a crossing over the Dvina River, which is the first major geographical obstacle in the broader advance toward Leningrad:

Meanwhile, Army Group Center's two panzer groups have made good progress and are close to sealing the Byalystok salient. Once the pocket closes, infantry will slide in on the eastern edges and the panzer groups will fan out again:

2nd Panzer Group will move in the direction of Minsk, and 1st Panzer Group will skirt along the northern edges of the Pripyat Marsh. 1st Panzer Group will head east with all speed, and attempt to secure a crossing over the Dnepr River before the Soviets are able to establish a cohesive defensive line on the western bank.

Army Group South has encountered the heaviest resistance and made a concerning lack of progress:

Both 4th and 3rd Panzer Groups still struggle to achieve a breakthrough, but it appears the Soviets have little defense in depth here. Once through, Hausser's 4th Panzer Group will anchor its flank on the south end of the Pripyat Marsh and dash forward toward Kiev. Rommel's 3rd Panzer Group will wheel south, and attempt to create a massive encirclement of all the forward Soviet units currently engaging the Hungarians. Once free, the Hungarians will be encouraged to move east and south to take Odessa, which is a large Soviet port city on the Black Sea.