A Colossus Awakens! Every week we have ideas and projects submitted to us for our views and inclusion in either forthcoming books or as web articles. The constant stream of content is always welcomed as the passion to focus on any particular part of the period is a very good driver for creating the kind of colour we all love to see in Flames Of War. Recently two very dedicated gamers, Gene (Jozhik Chernobyl'skij) and Calle (Dux Bellorum), created a mighty tome presenting their view of the Red Army from 1943 to 1945 and how to represent this in Flames Of War. This volume of research is a testament to their passion for the Soviet forces and is on a scale that should we not have already have sent Firestorm and Stalin’s Onslaught to the printers the previous month would have been very useful indeed. Their work has generated a lot of interest on the forum (see the thread ‘Unofficial (Non BF) new Soviet Briefing’ in the Canteen) and a diverse set of responses and opinions, something that anybody who commits to their own ideas in writing has to accept as I know very well myself. You can download their work from http://www.moloc.se/calle/ to see for yourself. Be warned though, there is a lot here (over 2Mb and 123 pages in three files!).

With Stalin’s Onslaught just out and Firestorm–Operation Bagration on its way next month (and two more books on the Soviet campaigns of 1944 well underway for early next year!), it’s a great time to really dig into the Red Army and see what made it tick. For those delving into the Eastern Front for the first time, here are a few fascinating websites: http://rkkaww2.armchairgeneral.com/index.htm http://www.battlefield.ru/ http://www.theeasternfront.co.uk/Battles/operationbagration.htm And some books that are worth looking up to: Osprey Campaign 42, Bagration 1944, by Steven J Zaloga. Belorussia 1944, The Soviet General Staff Study, translated by David M Glantz and Harold S Orenstein. Soviet Blitzkrieg, The Battle for White Russia, 1944 by Walter S Dunn Jr. Hitler's Greatest Defeat: The Collapse of Army Group Centre by Paul Adair. Red Army Handbook 1939-1945 by Steven J Zaloga and Leland S Ness. Given the volume of suggestions that get sent to us we have decided to set up a dedicated email address newideas@battlefront.co.nz to help funnel all the content into one place. If you have anything at all you would like us to look over please send them through to the new address instead of any of our personal ones. On a final note I should say that to get a feel for the right window of opportunity you should be thinking seven to eight months ahead. Just like the bunch of guys working away in Kansas at present on some Market Garden content we work well ahead of release dates and given we are already almost done with our third Soviet book having ideas included only works if you get them at the right time. Phil