Ah, Good day, Herr General!  Please sit down and allow me to explain the present situation.  As you know, our capture of Moscow was short-lived, because fresh Bolshevik troops from Siberia forced our weary troops to evacuate the city.  This spring we have decided to pursue a Southern strategy, capturing Stalingrad to serve as a base for further advances towards either Moscow or the Baku oil fields.  As part of this campaign you are directed to cross the Dnieper.