8-11 November 1941 (Soviet)

Guderian’s Blitzkrieg II (including Enemy at the Gates and Case Blue)

8^th to 11^th November 1941

Weather dr = 5  so LIGHT FREEZE/MUD                  Air Conditions DR = 3,4 so LIMITED

Initiative DR:      Axis 5,2                                                 Soviet 5,5

Soviet elects to take the initiative (double turn)

Replacement DR = 6,1 (-1) so 2 (+1)Pax

Supply DR = 5,1  so 22 (+1) = 23 SP

Aerial reconnaissance was particularly bad over this period, leading to a marked lack of maps.  Those responsible have been chastised severely, despite pleas that they were more concerned with the Russian attacks than taking photos.

Valday

Soviet forces kept up their recapture of lost territory east of Valday by destroying what remained of 30.ID.  The last regiment of the German division had no hope against 6 regiments.  Further to the west, a cavalry unit from the Velikiye Luki area swept onto 600^th Assault Gun Bn as it crossed a swamp.  Despite the disadvantage the terrain had on the armoured vehicles, good luck allowed the Germans to eliminate the Russian division.

Toropets

252.ID lost half its strength to a Russian attack but stayed in place.  An attack on the town itself failed, with 50^th Cavalry Division destroyed in the attempt.

Rzhev

Soviet bombers and artillery hit the Germans hard, but with little impact.  Some Pe-2s were lost as were some SB-2s.  The Pe-2s did manage to affect an assault gun battalion.  Of course, several units were still not recovered from earlier barrages.  (Due to the Soviet double turn)

The Soviets seemed keen to cut off the push by 6^th PzD and launched a series of attacks, even after German artillery was able to break the morale of one group of units.  The first attack was beaten off with some difficulty, “Totenkopf” losing its artillery in exchange for a motorcycle battalion.  The next attack, however, was a complete failure, as a German divisional line merely pulled back after destroying two motorised infantry regiments.

Vyazma to Bryansk

No combat, though a string of forts were constructed to the south of Vyazma.  The last few units of the Bryansk Army staggered towards safety.   (Except for one division which was unable to march fast enough to keep up).

Orel

Ignoring the Aufklärungs unit directly west of Orel, the Soviets struck along the road to the south, destroying 394^th Infantry Motorised Reg’t.  There had been hopes of continuing across the river and threatening the rear of the force moving on Kursk, but the infantry unit slowed the Russians too much.

Kursk - Belgograd - Poltava

No real action

Zaporezh’e

West of the city a Wach Battalion was destroyed by Russian infantry and armour that had crossed the Dneipr, but once again it inflicted such a shock on the attackers they pulled back.

The city itself saw fierce fighting, but the Germans were lucky again.  The lone panzer unit holding the city centre not only beat off an attempt to overcome it with speed and power (eliminating a Soviet cavalry division and damaging an infantry division), but it also survived a more cautious assault.  In the second attack, the Germans were able to surprise the attackers which shifted the odds in favour of the panzertruppen.  345^th Strelkova and 2^nd Airborne Regiment did not escape the trap.

Kherson

All quiet.

Supply

Soviet rec’d:                         23 SP

Soviet used:                         31 SP

Axis used:                             3.1 SP

Dead Units

Axis:                                        20(4)3                   30.ID

                                                20(2-3)3               SS “Totenkopf” Artillery Group

                                                7(4)3                      394^th Mot. Inf. Reg’t, 3^rd PzD

                                                2(3)2                      542^nd Wach Bn

Soviet:                                    2(3)3                      297^th Motorcycle Bn

                                                8(4)5                      50^th Cavalry Division, Dovator Group

                                                2 x 3(2)3               2^nd and 3^rd Mot. Inf Reg’t

                                                6(2)4                      41^st Cavalry Division

                                                7(3)4                      68^th Cavalry Division

                                                5(3)3                      2^nd Airborne Division

                                                11(1)1                   345^th Infantry Division

Aircraft losses

German                                   Nil

Soviet                                      Bombers                 SB-2 Step (Flak)

                                                                                Pe-2 Step (Flak)               

5-7 November 1941 (Soviet)

Guderians’s Blitzkrieg II (including Enemy at the Gates and Case Blue)

5^th to 7^th November1941

Turn 11 (Soviet)

Reinforcement DR = 6,1 (-1) so 2 (+1) Pax

Rebuilds: 4^th Tank Brigade, 9^th Cavalry Division, 5^th NKVD Division

156^th Strelkovaya disbanded to reinforce other units.

Supply DR = 6,5  = 18 (+1) = 19 SP

Valday – Toropets – Rzhev

253.ID, weakened by combat and having sent off regiments for other duties, beyond the command and supply range of its Korps headquarters, was too tempting a target for the Red Army.  As the lead unit pushing east from Valday, it was hit by the VVS and then attacked from three sides.  It ceased to exist.

The Soviet forces in the Velikiye Luki area remained active.  Cavalry moved from that city to the north.  After an artillery barrage destroyed a divisional line to the north of Poropets, infantry poured through the gap to isolate two German units on the river line.

Rzhev has been flooded with reinforcements from the east and south, and a group pushed out to contact the German line.  An attack on a thin divisional line failed miserably (DR = 1,1) and a motorcycle battalion was lost as the Russians retreated.   Other Soviet units moved to cut off the German mobile units near Selizharsvo.

Vyazma – Yukhnov

Vyazma was quiet as many units had moved north towards Rhzev.  With Yukhnov once again secure, Soviet troops moved west to engage the Germans again, but there was no combat.

The garrison of the fortified area south of Vyazma, now cut off and unlikely to be relieved, successfully broke out and will return to action in 2 weeks or so.  The German security around trapped units is a laughing stock: at least 50% of trapped units should surrender but the current figure is more like 20%.

Bryansk – Orel – Kursk

The Bryansk garrison continued their struggle to reach safety, made more difficult with the destruction of the supply base.  A mass assault on a single German regiment forced the Germans back, but led to the loss of another unit: 20.R Infantry Reg’t. 

The defenders of Orel, seeing the Germans pulling south, went on the offensive.  Despite the failure of an artillery barrage on 201^st Assault Gun Bn (another DR = 1,1) they still attacked, and their persistence paid off.  201^st was eliminated without loss, though the Russians were forced to pull back.  Artillery did rattle 3^rd Kradschützen Bn, 3^rd PzD and it was wiped out by a combined arms attack (even though German artillery had badly disorganised the infantry component of the attack).  The only disappointing result was on 1^st Aufklärung Bn: its machine guns decimated the 5^th Cavalry before the German armoured cars retreated.

At Kursk, the defenders, cheered by the failure of the German assaults, also attacked, though with less success.  243^rd Assault Gun Bn was destroyed, but Comp. Infantry Reg’t and 29^th Sep. Cav Reg’t did not return from the battle.

Belgorod – Poltava

An Su-2 was lost to flak but otherwise the Russian attacks went exactly as planned.  755^th Bicycle Bn and 11^th SS Police Reg’t were blasted by artillery and overwhelmed, then 4^th Bicycle Reg’t was destroyed by a head on assault.  The direct road to Khar’kov was blocked again.

Zaporezh’e

The fighting near Zaporezh’e was just as successful.  The foolhardy lunge from the city led by the Italian tanks was mercilessly crushed.  Attacked from several directions at once, both the Italians and the Westland SS Regiment, “Wiking” Division, were destroyed.  Only the fact that the Soviet attack had no focal point saved the city itself from being attacked.

Kherson

All quiet on the Kherson front

Supply                    Russian rec’d:                    23 SP

                                Russian used                     33.2 SP

                                German used                    4.2 SP

Dead Units

Axis                        20(4)3                                     253.ID

                                4(5)8                                      3^rd Kradschützen Bn, 3^rd PzD

                                5(3)8                                      201^st Assault Gun Bn

                                5(5)8                                      243^rd Assault Gun Bn

                                3(3)3                                      11^th SS Police Regiment

                                4(3)4                                      4^th Bicycle Regiment

                                2(3)4                                      755^th Bicycle Bn

                                8(4)3                                      “Westland” SS Motorised Infantry Regiment

                                2(2)6                                      3^rd Light Armour Bn, D’Aosta Division

Soviet                   12(2)2                                     185^th Strelkovaya

                                4(3)6                                      46^th Motorcycle Reg’t

                                2 x 3(2)2                               20.R, Corp Infantry Regiments

                                8(4)5                                      5^th Cavalry Division

                                2(3)4                                      29^th Sep Cavalry Reg’t

Aircraft Losses

Axis                        Nil

Soviet                   Bomber                                                Su-2 step (flak)