The year is 1945. The Allies have pushed the Third Reich to breaking point. On every front, the Germans have resolutely switched to the defensive. But as the Axis retreats, better weapons come online, shorter supply lines are built, and powerful defensive lines are established to help stem the Allied tide. A lot more battles will need to be fought before the Reich and its minions fall. The fight for the Iberian Peninsula is drawing to a close, and with it, a new battle will soon begin on the so-called German Pyrenees Line. In the East, the southern part of the frontline is still locked by the powerful German Dnieper Defensive Line, while in the North, a battle to the finish is looming for Moscow, with the Red Army poised to reclaim its capital city. In between, the fighting also rages across London’s skies with new German weapons capable of reaching the British city. In the Mediterranean, the Allies are about to launch Operation Ringbolt, supposed to unlock the situation and make a play for Italy. In the end, however, the matter is not about if they will hold but for how long. Everyone knows it, except apparently for Germany and the Wehrmacht, which sees in their stiffening capability a glimmer of hope for a final victory. And besides, they’ve got the new weapons, so why should they not hope? This is the story of the Second World War.