12-14 October (Soviet)

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

12^th to 14^th October 1941

Weather DR = 1 so DRY                 Air Condition DR = 5,5 so NORMAL

Initiative DR        Axis  = 5,5                Soviet = 5,4

Despite the temptation of a double move, the Axis decided it was not ready and passed first move to the Comrade Kuritsa.

Turn 4 (Soviet)

Replacement DR  = 11 (-1) so 2 x FTR, Other Air, 5 (+1) x Pax, 2 x Eq, 1 Truck, 1 Artillery, 1 Emergency

Rebuilds

I-16, Yak 1, Il-2

 9^th Tank Brigade; 34^th Motorised Infantry Regiment; 49^th Cavalry, Donbas Cavalry Corps, 26^th Motor-cycle Battalion

20^th Mountain Division released from Emergency Reserve

With no artillery available to rebuild, Comrade Kuritsa had to regretfully waste his replacement.

Supply DR = 8 so 22(+1) SP

Star’aya Russka

A few Soviets manoeuvred a little to the east, but the retreat has slowed.  It appears that a new defensive line has formed around the town of Valday.

Nelidovo – Sychevka

Led by the Dovator Cavalry Corps, a column of troops headed east from Rzhev to provide a link to 252^nd Strelkovaya, still holding the woods to the north of Nelidovo.  German intelligence is that the Russians intend to contest control of the area.

After careful preparations were made to relieve the surrounded 1^st Guards Motorised Infantry Division west of Sychevka, disaster struck.  It was discovered starvation and lack of fuel/ammunition had led to the surrender of the unit, which had previously been at full strength.  (Attrition DR = 11!)  Although disappointed, the local commander proceeded with the planned attack, with artillery softening up 1/1 Panzer Bn, 1^st PzD before it was destroyed by infantry.  An attack on 54^th Kradschützen Bn, 14^th Motorised Infantry Division ended with that unit retreating, having destroyed 146^th Light Tank Brigade.  Determined to throw the Germans back from Sychevka, the victors of the earlier attack launched a repeat assault, which eliminated the motor-cyclists but also forced the Russians to retreat.

Several attempts to harass road traffic were made, but only one had any success, though no aircraft were lost.

Vyazma – Spas Demyansk

The VVS made a concerted effort to interdict German movement in this area, even using fighter aircraft.  One group of Yak-1s was badly hit by flak, but several areas near Spas Demyansk were affected.

Bryansk

Bombing lead units near the Sukhinichi – Bryansk road/rail link had no effect, so a mass infantry attack from three directions was tried.  To the anguish of the Russian commanders, the infantry were surprised and their huge numerical advantage was all for nothing.  The Germans did retreat west, becoming disorganised as they fled, but one Russian division took heavy losses.

On an ominous note for the Soviets, two panzer divisions held in reserve until now, were fuelled and started to move to the east.

Orel - L’Gov

The news for Stavka from Orel was not much better.  The Axis had reinforced the tip of its drive east, but there were weak points in the column of troops following behind.  A fast moving group of tanks and cavalry was assembled at struck at 17^th Kradschützen Bn, 17^th Panzer Division, which was strung out along the road.  Once again luck was against the Soviets.  Somehow the motorcyclists got wind of the attack and the 3^rd Cavalry Division was mowed down.  The tank brigade pressed home the attack, forcing the Germans back, but it now appeared doomed, trapped far from support.   The original plan had apparently been for the Russians to withdraw east over the Orel River.

To slow down any German advance, Soviet artillery hit 3^rd PzD and the VVS harassed road movement near Orel, Kromy and L’Gov.

Poltava

Faced with a pullback into a defensive line in front of Poltava and threat from the south, the Russians halted their advance west and turned their attention to 16^th Panzer Division.  After marshalling troops for a counter-attack, an enormous artillery barrage was unleashed.  But once again the Russians were thwarted, as apparently faulty intelligence saw the hundreds of tonnes of shells fall harmlessly on vacant land.  When the dust settled, the German tanks and infantry remained unharmed.  The dejected Soviets called off the attack, cursing their luck.  As a further blow, when the artillery tried again to disrupt the German armour, the barrage worked perfectly.  But now there were insufficient troops available to mount an assault.

Dnepropetrovsk – Zaporezh’e

Although the Italian cavalry were able to block the way north from Zaporezh’e, they could not prevent a few fuel trucks getting to the 132^nd Motorised Brigade, which immediately formed column and headed out.  No supply could reach the 28^th Cavalry, Donbas Corps, which was further south and surrounded by Axis units.  Spotting a weak link in the ring of enemy troops, the cavalry charged the Italian III-4 Anti-aircraft Group.   The gunners were wiped out, but the breakout attempt was ultimately a failure, as the all the Russian horsemen were killed in the fighting.

At Zaporezh’e, an infantry division crossed the Dnepr to place the river as a barrier to attacking German forces.  (The aim being to reduce the likelihood of attack and thus save supplies).  The besieged garrison survived on stockpile resources, the commander suggesting he had enough to last for weeks.  To slow any Axis advance south to assist the Rumanian-German armies operating in the Kherson – Crimea – Melitopol area, large numbers of Russian aircraft flew missions to interdict the Zaporezh’e – Melitopol road.

Melitopol – Arabatskaya Isthmus

(No photo available as the offical photographer was too keen to salvage the Axis positions and forgot to take one)

Any hope 22.ID of a pause in the fighting was soon dispelled.  Artillery shells rained down on the division, now at only half strength.  The regiment sent to assist it was also hit, just before it was annihilated by waves of cavalry.  22.ID itself was attacked by thousands of infantry and though it did manage to destroy a brigade of marines, when the fighting had ceased it had ceased to exist.

The only unit preventing clear access from Melitopol to the Crimea was 22^nd Flak Battalion.  The prize of open supply lines allowed the Russians no choice but to destroy it, and several rifle divisions accomplished this without loss, though they were forced to pull back to recover.

Along the Kherson railroad, the Russians were more cautious, restricting themselves to just one attack.   (One explanation was that the Axis units were retreating faster than the Russians could advance).  2^nd Rumanian Mountain, defending the left wing of the retreating armies, was cut to pieces by cavalry.

Supply:                   Soviet rec’d = 23 SP

                                Soviet used = 31.1 SP

                                Axis used = 4.3 SP

Dead Units

Axis                        20(5)4 Infantry Division (22)

                                7(4)3 Flak Battalion (22)

                                6(5)8 Panzer Bn (1/1, 1^st PzD)

                                4(5)8 Kradschützen Bn (54^th, 14^th Motorised Infantry Division)

                                6(3)3 Rumanian Mountain Brigade (2)

                                3(3)8 Italian Flak Group (III-1)

Soviet                      4(3)3 Naval Brigade (9)

                                2 x 7(3)4 Cavalry Division (28^th, Donbas Cavalry Corps; 3^rd, 5^th Cavalry Corps)

                                10(4)5 Guards Motorised Division (1)

                                5(1)5 Light Tank Brigade (146)

Aircraft Losses

Axis                         Nil

Soviet                      Fighter                  Yak-1 (Flak)

                                Bomber                                Nil