The battle area is flat with low-lying brush and woods. The Dnestr River between Mogliev and Ustesecho is 150-250 yards wide and 2-4 yards deep with steep (180m) bordering banks. The only bridge across it was the German pontoon bridge at Khotin. The decision to move west made for surprise but also made traveling difficult since the numerous rivers that fed the Dnestr were swollen and bridging equipment was scarce. During the battle, the weather was generally a mix of rain and blizzard with freezes usually at night that hardened the ground. During the day, mud made traveling cross-country very difficult. Mechanized forces need paved roads to reach convoy speeds on the march, yet only four such roads existed north of the river and only one to the south of it. Anything that got stuck or broke down was simply abandoned along the way. Kesselschlacht March-April 1944 Introduction and Background Terrain and Weather The Deception The Battle Begins Breakout Aftermath The Face of Battle All Daily Situation Maps (monstrously slow: 1.646Mb!) Back to Table of Contents -- Against the Odds vol. 1 no. 3 Back to Against the Odds List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by LPS. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com * Buy this back issue or subscribe to Against the Odds direct from LPS.