Game Manual - 12 O`Clock High!

SCENARIO NOTES
E PI LEPS Y WA R N I N G
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WORLD WAR II ARRIVES EARLY IN THE PACIFIC
Many additional man-years of development from a dedicated and experienced team including
subject matter experts and experienced programmers has resulted in an improved War in the
Pacific experience across the board. This is the entire War in the Pacific down to individual
aircraft, vehicles, ships, guns and squads - more than just a game, it’s an encyclopedia of the
war compiled from many sources to an unmatched level of detail. Add in a much improved AI
and more secure PBEM play and you have the makings of a new classic!
The Entire War in the Pacific on One Map! – If you thought the original map was something
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important bases that would not fit in the larger scale, but which played a key role in the
strategy of various operations. On top of that, Admiral’s Edition now has off-map movement
through map edge boxes representing major bases across the world, allowing more realistic
movement of Allied assets and arrival of reinforcements and resources.
Find out more at: www.matrixgames.com
CONTENTS
SCENARIO 1: BATTLE FOR KHARKOV 1942 (12 MAY - 22 JUNE 1942)..................................... 6
SCENARIO 2: OPERATION STURGEON CATCH 1942 (2 JUNE - 3 AUGUST 1942)...................... 7
SCENARIO 3: CASE BLUE – PHASE I (28 JUNE - 18 JULY 1942).............................................. 8
SCENARIO 4: OPERATION URANUS 1942 (19 NOVEMBER - 30 DECEMBER 1942)................... 9
SCENARIO 5: OPERATION KUTUZOV-RUMYANTSEV (5 JULY - 29 AUGUST 1943).................... 11
SCENARIO 6: CHERKASSY POCKET 1944 (24 JANUARY - 5 MARCH 1944)............................ 13
SCENARIO 7: RED ARMY RESURGENT (19 NOVEMBER 1942 – 17 MARCH 1943).................. 15
SCENARIO 8: DECISION IN THE UKRAINE (24 SEPTEMBER 1943 – 4 MAY 1944)................... 18
SCENARIO 9: RETREAT FROM LENINGRAD (22 JUNE 1944– 3 JANUARY 1945)..................... 23
SCENARIO 10: DRAMA ON THE DANUBE (20 AUGUST 1944– 5 MAY 1945)........................... 28
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................... 35
CREDITS
......................................................................................................................... 36
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GARY GRIGSBY’S WAR IN THE EAST:
DON TO THE DANUBE
SCENARIO NOTES
Gary Grigsby’s War in the East: Don to the Danube includes ten new scenarios for use with the
Gary Grigsby’s War in the East game. John Duquette designed, and wrote the scenario notes
for, the first six shorter scenarios. Trey Marshall designed, and wrote the scenario notes for, the
final four longer scenarios.
SCENARIO 1: BATTLE FOR KHARKOV 1942 (12
MAY - 22 JUNE 1942)
Historical Outcome. In the
spring of 1942, the Soviets
attempted to preempt the
anticipated German summer
offensive by launching their
own offensive operation in the
south in the vicinity of Kharkov.
However, German intelligence
efforts were very successful in
detecting Soviet movements
and concentrations prior to the
attack. In addition, the Soviets
underestimated the combat
potential of the German forces
marshalling in the Kharkov area
while overestimating their own
capabilities.
On 12 May offensive was stopped cold by German armored counterattacks. A successful
German pincer attack cut off the advancing Soviet troops in the “Barvenkovo Bulge”. The
resulting pocket yielded the Germans over 240,000 Soviet prisoners of war.
Play Tips. The Battle for Kharkov 1942 is a small scenario. Elements of two Soviet fronts
and three Axis armies attack and counterattack as they struggle with bad weather. You can
play either side against the AI or human versus human; in any case it’s a tough slog for both
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sides. Both sides are evenly matched in this scenario so you are not going to have any deep
penetrations if both players are equal in skill.
Recommended Reading.
Glantz, David M., “Kharkov 1942: Anatomy of a Military Disaster”, Sarpedon, 1998.
SCENARIO 2: OPERATION STURGEON CATCH
1942 (2 JUNE - 3 AUGUST 1942)
Historical Outcome. As part
of Operation Barbarossa, the
Germans were successful in
occupying all of the Crimea
in the fall of 1941 with one
exception—the port city of
Sevastopol. Despite several
attacks by the German’s 11th
Army in October and November,
the Soviets managed to keep
possession of this city on the
Black Sea.
After maintaining a seven-month siege, the Axis launched an all-out assault to take the city on
2 June 1942. The Luftwaffe’s VIII Fliegerkorps was used with great effect throughout the
month-long battle to make up for the shortages of artillery in Mainstein’s 11th Army and the
Rumanian Mountain Corps. After a fierce fight, Sevastopol finally fell on 4 July. As a result,
60,000+ Soviet soldiers and sailors marched into captivity.
Play Tips. This small scenario provides a good
opportunity for the Axis player to explore the
ins-and-outs of conducting an air offensive in
support of ground operations. It also provides
the Soviet player an opportunity to take a look at
the use of naval transport for either evacuating
and/or reinforcing Sevastopol. Given the nature
of this scenario it is recommended that you
either play as the Axis versus the Soviet AI or as a human versus human game. Playing the
Soviets against the Axis AI will prove disappointing because the AI cannot be induced to attack
Sevastopol beyond the first turn.
Recommended Reading.
Forcyzk, Robert, “Sevastopol 1942: Von Manstein’s Triumph”, Osprey, 2008.
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Hayward, Joel S.A., “Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler’s Defeat in the East, 19421943”, University Press of Kansas, 1998.
SCENARIO 3: CASE BLUE – PHASE I (28 JUNE
- 18 JULY 1942)
Historical Outcome. In the summer of 1942, STAVKA fully expected the Axis to conduct its
main offensive operations in the north against Moscow. The Germans designed Case Blue
to take advantage of this Soviet belief. In Phase I, the Germans would attack in the direction
of Voronezh to maintain the Soviet impression that the Axis offensive would turn north after
Voronezh to threaten the capital from the south.
Their true intention was to establish a defensive line along the Don River to protect the northern
flank of the actual offensive that would take Army Group South to Stalingrad and into the
Caucasus. Although the feint towards Voronezh was a success, the Soviet’s strong reaction to
it tied down the Fourth Panzer Army for two critical—perhaps decisive—weeks in July.
Play Tips. In this short scenario, the Axis player is provided an opportunity to practice the
offensive skills they will need to have mastered for the opening turns of the 1942-45 Campaign.
As the Axis player, drive as far as you can on game turn 1. This will determine whether or not
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you will capture Voronezh. As the Soviet player, take every opportunity to delay the advance
of the Germans towards Voronezh. Playing this as a human versus human game is a fast and
furious nail-biter all the way to the end.
Recommended Reading.
Glantz, David M. & Jonathan M. House, “To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat
Operations: April-August 1942”, University Press of Kansas, 2009.
SCENARIO 4: OPERATION URANUS 1942 (19
NOVEMBER - 30 DECEMBER 1942)
Historical Outcome. Operation Uranus was the codename given to the Soviet offensive to
encircle and destroy the German and Rumanian forces in and around Stalingrad. On 19
November 1942, the Soviet Southwest and Don Fronts (on the northern flank of the Axis forces
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at Stalingrad) began their offensive. Although the Rumanians were able to contain the first
Soviet attacks, by the end of November 20th, the Third and Fourth Rumanian armies were in
headlong retreat to the south, west and east. On this same day, the Soviet Stalingrad Front
began its offensive in the south. Axis reserves were unable to stop these Soviet spearheads.
By the evening of November 22nd, the attacking Soviet fronts had linked-up at the town of
Kalach, thus encircling the 290,000 Germans and Rumanians in the vicinity of Stalingrad.
Instead of attempting a breakout, the German OKH decided that Axis forces in Stalingrad would
hold in place, and that forces outside the pocket would be assembled to affect their relief.
This relief effort, Operation Winter Storm, ended unsuccessfully on 23 December leaving the
German 6th Army to its fate.
Play Tips. In this medium-sized scenario, players are given an opportunity to explore the key
events involved with the encirclement battle for Stalingrad. The Soviet player must quickly
establish the encirclement. Once that task is complete, efforts should focus on maintaining the
encirclement and repelling Axis relief forces. The Axis player faces some tough decisions in
the first few turns. Should Stalingrad be held or abandoned? If held, how and where should its
defenses be established? From what direction(s) should the relief forces attack? If Stalingrad
is abandoned, can sufficient victory points be gained by other means to win the game? Playing
against the AI, this scenario provides the Axis player an opportunity to explore the requirements
involved in re-establishing a shattered front line and relieving encircled forces. Playing
this scenario human versus human will provide a short—but challenging—gaming
experience for both players.
Recommended Reading.
Glantz, David M. & Jonathan M. House, “When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped
Hitler”, University Press of Kansas, 1995.
Morzik, D. Fritz, “German Air Force Airlift Operations”, University Press of the Pacific, 2002.
Ziemke, Earl F., “Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East”, Barnes & Noble, Inc.,
1996.
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SCENARIO 5: OPERATION KUTUZOVRUMYANTSEV (5 JULY - 29 AUGUST 1943)
Historical Outcome. Operation Kutuzov-Rumyantsev represents the seizure of the strategic
initiative on the Eastern Front by the Soviets. These twin offensives were conducted at the
culmination of the German’s 1943 summer offensive against the Kursk salient. In the north,
Operation Kutuzov was conducted by the Soviet’s Western, Bryansk, and Central Fronts against
the German 2nd Panzer and 9th Armies located in the Orel salient. The goal of this offensive
was threefold. First, it was to put pressure on Army Group Center which was engaged at the
time in fighting the Battle of Kursk. Second, it was designed to reduce the Orel salient and thus
shorten the length of the front line. Last, but not least, the objective of Operation Kutuzov was
to encircle and destroy a large number of German divisions in the Orel salient.
In the south, Operation Rumyantsev was an offensive operation conducted by the Voronezh
and Steppe Fronts in the Belgorod sector of the Kursk salient. The objective of this operation
was to follow-up the success achieved through the defeat of Army Group South’s portion of
Operation Citadel.
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Once launched, Operation Kutuzov proved an immediate success. German reserves earmarked
for the Battle of Kursk were moved instead to resist the advances of Soviet forces involved in
Operation Kutuzov. A see-saw battle ensued as each side sent reinforcements into the melee
around Orel. Threatened with imminent encirclement, the Germans decided to evacuate the
Orel salient.
Operation Rumyantsev began on 3 August 1943. This operation also enjoyed immediate
success. The German defenders were pushed back steadily, and Belgorod and Kharkov were
soon liberated by Soviet forces. This was the last time that Kharkov changed hands during the
War in the East. Operation Kutuzov-Rumyantsev led to the retreat of German forces behind
the Dnepr River, and it set the stage for the liberation of Smolensk and Kiev in autumn 1943.
Play Tips. This medium-sized scenario is a challenge to play against the AI for both sides.
It also provides a tough but enjoyable match between two human players of equal skill. The
Soviet player should focus less on deep penetrations and more on grinding down the Axis bit
by bit. Every Axis unit destroyed with ease means one less unit to hold a hex on the front, and
perhaps one less Axis mechanized unit that can be kept in reserve.
If you follow this strategy, then by the end of the game you just might be able to blow the
front wide open. The Axis player needs to discover and employ every defensive advantage
the terrain has to offer. Always keep a mobile reserve that can blunt, stop, or divert any Soviet
axis of advance. Try to get the Soviet to shift his advance to another “more favorable” avenue.
If he is shifting forces—he is not attacking with them (or at least has less movement points
available to do so).
Recommended Reading.
Glantz, David M. & Jonathan M. House, “The Battle of Kursk”, University Press of Kansas, 1999.
---------, “When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler”, University Press of
Kansas, 1995.
Ziemke, Earl F., “Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East”, Barnes & Noble, Inc.,
1996.
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SCENARIO 6: CHERKASSY POCKET 1944 (24
JANUARY - 5 MARCH 1944)
Historical Outcome. In January 1944, a race was on between the Axis Army Group South
and the Soviet’s 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts. Which side would be first in taking advantage
of the Cherkassy salient? Army Group South planned to launch Operation Watutin at the end
of January. The minimum goal of this offensive was to spoil any attack by the 1st Ukrainian
Front against the western face of the Cherkassy salient. At best, it was hoped that the forces
of Operation Watutin could re-capture Kiev. On the Soviet side, the Korsun–Shevchenkovsky
Offensive was designed to cut-off and destroy the German forces located in the Cherkassy
bulge.
On 24 January, the Soviets launched their offensive first and thus won the race. The 1st and
2nd Ukrainian Fronts were successful in quickly trapping elements of the German 8th Army in
a pocket near the Dnieper river city of Cherkassy. During the weeks of fighting that followed,
13
the Soviets tried to destroy the pocket. The Germans assembled a relief force that attacked
towards the encirclement from the south. The surrounded German units succeeded in breaking
out and linking-up with the relief force--but at a very high cost. Nearly a third of the pocketed
forces were killed, wounded, or captured.
Play Tips. The Cherkassy Pocket is a small scenario. It is an even fight with lots of mechanized
units to play with. It’s just the right size for a quick, fun game versus the AI or another human.
For the Soviets, pocket the German forces with a clear idea from the start of how you are going
to keep them in it. Use forces in the Zhitomir and Krivoi Rog sectors to launch spoiling attacks
to fix or divert German mobile forces away from their relief efforts. For the Axis, you have
a large number of mechanized forces available in this fight—but you can’t be everywhere.
Figure out what you can afford to give up (point-wise) and concentrate your combat power to
save your forces in the pocket.
Recommended Reading.
Glantz, David M. & Harold S. Orenstein, “The Battle for the Ukraine: The Red Army’s Korsun’Shevchenkovsii Offensive, 1944”, Routledge, 2003.
Nash, Douglas E., “Hell’s Gate: The Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket, January-February 1944”,
RZM Publishing, 2009.
Zetterling, Niklas & Anders Frankson, “The Korsun Pocket”, Casemate, 2008.
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SCENARIO 7: RED ARMY RESURGENT (19
NOVEMBER 1942 – 17 MARCH 1943)
Historical Background
Stalingrad, a city that began as a simple minor objective on the Volga during the planning and
opening stages of Operation Blue in the summer of 1942. As the Germans successfully blitzed
into the Caucasus and Don Steppes, Hitler became more and more obsessed with the city
and hurled more and more German divisions to capture the city. Stalin was just as obsessed
and refused to let his namesake become a trophy for the fascist invaders and so the meat
grinder-like struggle for Stalingrad ensued for months. While the Germans sent more German
divisions to fight in Stalingrad, they needed more and more of their allies to support the flanks.
While 6th Army struggled for Stalingrad, Army Group A was nearly spent in the Caucasus by
mid November 1942. The logistical situation and losses had just about stalled out the army
group far short of its objective to capture the oilfields at Baku. It was the deepest into Soviet
Russia that the Germans would ever get. The Soviets meanwhile, had been busy planning its
Operation Uranus for months.
On the 19th of November, 1942, the Soviets struck with a double envelopment aimed at
encircling the Germans at Stalingrad and proving that the Germans were not invincible.
Southwest Front smashed the Rumanian 3rd Army holding the left flank of the German 6th
Army at Stalingrad while the Stalingrad Front routed the Rumanian elements of the 4th Panzer
15
Army on the 20th of November just south of Stalingrad. The poorly equipped Rumanians were
routed, leaving huge holes all along the flanks of 6th Army allowing Soviet mobile formations
to maneuver in its rear. The only hope for the Axis lay in the XXXXVIII Panzer Corps comprised of
the 22nd Panzer and 1st Rumanian Armored Divisions but the corps barely managed to escape
the onslaught itself much less check the offensive.
Manstein was given command of the newly created Army Group Don on the 20th of November
and tasked with restoring the front around Stalingrad and on the 21st, Hitler ordered the 6th
Army to stand fast and not attempt a breakout. The ring closed around the 6th Army when the
4th Tank and 4th Mechanized Corps met at Sovetskiy on the 23rd. An overstrained Luftwaffe
began its aerial relief effort of bringing supplies into the pocket by air but the rate of re-supply
could clearly not sustain the 6th Army for long.
On December 1st, Army Group Don prepared
to launch Operation Winter Storm with the
goal of breaking through to Stalingrad.
Spearheaded by the LVII Panzer Corps (the
fresh 6th and 23rd Panzer Divisions) and
striking from Kotelnikovo with two Rumanian
corps covering its flanks, this force would be
the main effort. XXXXVIII Panzer Corps was
also prepared to launch a smaller attack
from its Chir bridgehead as Paulus was to
have his armored elements prepared to breakout to Kalach from inside the pocket to link up
with the relieving elements. The Soviets did not give the Germans time to mass as assaults
on the pocket forced Paulus to pull his mobile units from supporting Manstein’s plan to deal
with the new threats. Attacks along the Chir also forced Manstein to prematurely commit the
XXXXVIII Panzer Corps and so it was unable to participate in Winter Storm. By December 9th,
Operation Winter Storm had dwindled to a two division attack and it began on the 12th.
The LVII Panzer Corps made good but not great progress on the first couple of days of the
attack. By the 19th of December, the corps was reinforced by a third panzer division (17th)
and got within forty miles of the pocket but losses and Soviet resistance were stalling out the
drive. Again, Manstein requested that 6th Army be allowed to breakout but Hitler again refused.
The Soviet 6th Army and 1st Guards Army struck the Italian 8th Army line along the Don River
on the 16th of December with 3rd Guards Army joining a couple of days later. Within days, the
Italian army had been smashed ripping open a 100 mile gap in the Axis lines. The Germans had
no choice but to pull out elements of the LVII Panzer Corps from its limit of advance to shore
up the demolished line.
Meanwhile, 6th Army was languishing in its encirclement having been short on rations for a full
month while the temperature lingered around freezing. By late December, Army Group Don’s
lines were still under heavy pressure forcing even more re-deployments that were sapping the
striking power that would allow Manstein to continue his relief efforts. By the end of the month,
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the Soviets threatened to capture Rostov which would sever lines of communication with Army
Group A, still withdrawing from the Caucasus region. By late January 1943, Fretter-Pico’s army
along with Army Detachment Hollidt was settled behind the Donets River, with the 4th Panzer
Army holding along the Donets and Manich Rivers. Army Group Don was now over 150 miles
from Stalingrad. ^
Don Front, under General Rokossovskiy, commanded the seven Soviet armies now ringing the
German perimeter at Stalingrad. 6th Army was starving and exhausted with only 90 tons of
supplies being delivered everyday out of a minimum daily requirement of 300 tons. Still, Paulus
refused all overtures of surrender and continued to resist. Rokossovskiy began his assault on
the pocket on the 10th of January and made minimal gains. A few days later the Germans
prevented breakthroughs by withdrawing back deeper into its own pocket. The Pitomnik
airfield fell on 16th which was a serious blow because it was the best airfield in the pocket.
Losses of the Luftwaffe airfields at Tatinskaya now forced the Germans to fly from Rostov, over
200 miles away. 6th Army stopped issuing rations to the wounded on the 28th to help preserve
the strength of the fighting men. On the 29th, the pocket was split in two and XIV Panzer Corps
was utterly destroyed. By the 2nd of February, the 6th Army had been eliminated with an
estimated loss of 200k men.
German Player Strategy
The German player will be faced with a loose pocket being formed around Stalingrad by the
time he starts his first turn and will be forced with the critical decision whether to try and hold
or pull back. The Germans are still weak in this area and rely on their weak allies for support
so expect the Soviets to try to continue to complete an encirclement. You should immediately
start withdrawing Army Group A out of the Caucasus region to firm up your extended lines as
this could also free up more forces to stabilize Army Group Don’s front. The longer you can
delay major retreats, the better as you will slowly get more powerful reserves that can be used
to launch powerful counterattacks as these units still outclass any units the Soviet player can
deploy.
Soviet Player Strategy
Destroy the 6th Army! They are worth a lot of victory points so do whatever you can to keep
him from withdrawing and developing a stable front. You can concentrate your offenses against
the weaker Axis allies with great success which forces the German player to send even more
German units to bail them out. For the rest of the year, you can afford to be very aggressive
but be wary at the turn of the year as the Germans will start accumulating powerful panzer
reserves which will totally outclass any unit you can muster. If you have allowed the Germans
breathing space, expect a vicious counterattack. The key is to keep the momentum going and
keep the initiative away from the Germans by making him respond to your moves and not vice
versa.
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Designer Notes
This is a fun scenario to explore the emerging capabilities of the Soviet army in late 1942 and
early 1943. The Soviets are starting to show their own proficiency in the art of maneuver. Also,
the Caucasus region is an area that is often neglected in war games so you get a chance to
see the impact of the defeat of the 6th Army at Stalingrad with the disposition of Army Group A
and its vulnerabilities. This is a match where a strong player could do well on either side. The
Soviets are capable of being very aggressive and mobile but if they allow the Germans time to
consolidate, the Germans can make very effective counterattacks.
SCENARIO 8: DECISION IN THE UKRAINE (24
SEPTEMBER 1943 – 4 MAY 1944)
Historical Background
Operation Citadel marked Germany’s last attempt to retain the initiative in its drive to conquer
the Soviet Union on 4 July 1943. After a week of heavy sustained offensive operation, Army
Group Center bogged down in the thick Soviet defenses while Army Group South managed to
achieve an impressive penetration spearheaded by the II SS Panzer Corps near Prokhorovka.
18
But these gains were not the sweeping encirclement battles against an inept enemy such as
the summer of 1941 as the Germans were forced to breach numerous successive defensive
lines while constantly under heavy Soviet counterattacks. By the 14th of July, Army Group
South was on the verge of success as it seemed the enemy in front of 4th Panzer Army was
severely weakened and ready to break. The same could not be said of its flanks as Army Group
Center and the southern flank of Army Group South (6th Army and 1st Panzer Army) were
under severe Soviet pressure. Soviet offensives against Orel, Kuybyshevo, and Izyum forced
the Germans to halt their offensive and respond to the oncoming Soviet assaults and thus
Operation Citadel came to a halt.
For the next three months, Army Groups A and B would fight a dogged fight back towards the
Dnepr River. The Soviets would continually make deep penetrations to which the Germans
would respond with local counterattacks by their mobile forces to allow the German infantry
time to withdraw. This campaign of attrition was exacting huge tolls on both sides. The Soviets
were unable to pocket any major German units but were still making impressive gains at a
huge cost. Germans units were getting mauled with many infantry divisions at Kampfgruppe
strength (regimental) by the time they started occupying positions on the west bank of the
Dnepr in September 1943.
On 4 September, the German 6th Army withdrew to the Kalmius River but the 1st Panzer Army
to the north was too weak to maintain contact. Two days later the Soviets broke through the
seam and threatened a major encirclement, and so the race for the Dnepr began. The two
German armies covered about 140 miles in four days and managed to cut off many Soviet
spearheads but at the cost of even more unsustainable casualties. By the 12th of September,
the retreat had to slow to allow the German 17th Army to withdraw out of the Crimea. In mid
September, the Germans concentrated their crossings on the five bridgeheads at Kiev, Kanev,
Cherkassy, Kremenchug, and Dnepropetrovsk. The Soviets desperately wanted to prevent the
orderly withdrawal of the Germans behind the natural defenses along the Dnepr River. Army
Group South wanted to withdraw behind the Dnepr as quickly as possible but was thwarted
by Hitler’s insistence on a phased withdrawal only under heavy contact. The result was that
the Soviets arrived at the Dnepr with some German forces still deployed on the eastern side.
The first large scale attempt to cross the Dnepr River began on 23 September when a Soviet
tank brigade almost reached the Kanev bridge where it was shot up by two German anti-tank
guns and lost sixteen tanks. As the German units got closer to the Dnepr, the bridgeheads on
the eastern bank progressively got smaller but constant Soviet attacks prevented the Germans
from redeploying their mobile forces from the bridgeheads and into the river defenses as
quickly as they would have liked. The desire of the German Ukraine administration to withdraw
as much industrial capacity as possible also delayed the German withdrawal.
On the night of the 24th of September, the Soviets dropped two parachute brigades around
Kanev in an attempt to establish a strong bridgehead and then to allow mechanized forces to
launch a breakthrough. The parachute elements were widely spread across their drop zones
and couldn’t effectively mass their forces. The Germans reacted quickly with mobile forces and
destroyed the airborne attack.
19
On October 6th, the Soviets established a small bridgehead northwest of Kanev that would
serve as a major offensive start point to unhinging the German Dnepr line. The slow German
withdrawal allowed the Soviets several key bridgeheads when German units could not occupy
their defensive lines in time. So instead of German forces digging in along a strong, natural
barrier and then getting some much needed rest, they found themselves involved in pitched
battles attempting to hold the line.
After bloody fighting at Zaporozhye during the first two weeks of October, the city fell on the
23rd to Soviet forces. The German 6th Army struggled to hold the area near Melitopol to allow
the 17th Army time to withdraw from the Crimea. After losing Zaporozhye, 6th Army was forced
into a routed retreat to the Dnepr, thus sealing the 17th Army and its Rumanian allies trapped
in the Crimea. The 6th Army now occupied defensive positions along the Dnepr near Nikolaev
and Kherson.
The Soviets launched a strong attack from just south of Kiev which resulted in the fall of Kiev
on 6 November, Zhitomir on the 12th, and Korosten on the 17th. Manstein attacked fiercely
with reserves he had wrangled from Hitler together with the 8th Army, driving the Soviets 60
miles back towards Kiev, and nearly destroying the 3rd Tank Army. The Soviet threat at Kiev
forced Manstein to abandon his plans to re-establish contact with the 17th Army in the Crimea
and so its fate was sealed.
The German XLVII Panzer Corps spearheaded another counterattack on 4 December along the
Zhitomir-Korosten line to relieve the encircled LIX Corps. The offensive was such a success that
the Germans linked up with the encircled LIX Corps within days. The German offensive was so
successful that two Soviet armies were mauled and incapable of returning to offensive action.
The result was that a Soviet threat was neutralized west of Kiev and the line was shortened
but it came at a price in the 8th Army’s sector. Cherkassy fell on 10 December and gaps
were showing themselves in both 8th Army and 1st Panzer Army that could not be filled. The
effective spoiling attacks by Mainstein could not prevent the inevitable.
2nd Ukrainian Front launched its own assault on Kirovograd on 8 January and threatened
the southern flank of the German forces holding the Dnepr River defenses near Kanev. After
twelve days of fighting, the Soviet force was severely weakened by a very reactive and mobile
German defense. The Germans, unable to hold their ground with weak forces after an effective
defense, again found themselves falling back and Kirovograd fell on the 10th of January. After
a series of German counterattacks and Soviet breakthroughs south of Cherkassy, a German
force found itself surrounded at Korsun on 31 January and the weak German units in the area
were in no position to try and effect a relief. III and XLVII Panzer Corps attempted several times
to re-establish contact with the encircled forces but mud hampered their efforts. The encircled
forces under the command of General Stemmermann (60,000 troops under XLII and XI Corps
along with various other units) were ordered to breakout on the 14th of February in which
around 70% of the force escaped.
The Korsun operation had the effect of pulling much of the German mobile resources away
from the neighboring armies and allowing the Soviets to launch renewed attacks along Army
20
Group South’s line. Rovno fell on 5 February with the defending 4th Panzer Army effectively
mauled during the offensive. By the 20th of March, 1st Ukrainian Front had breached the
Dneister River and captured Brody and Dubno. The now isolated 1st Panzer Army was facing
attacks from the north and east and it found itself withdrawing into the Carpathian foothills
along the Dneister River. To the south, the German 8th and 6th Armies were also getting their
own mauling as the Soviets advanced a hundred miles in just five days. By the end of March,
the front was along the Pruth River and on the Rumanian border.
By late March, the 1st Panzer
and 8th Armies found themselves
again fighting for their lives near
the
Ukraine-Polish-Rumanian
border. A series of Soviet blows
from Tarnopol and southeast of
Vinnista isolated the 1st Panzer
Army around Kamenets-Podolsky.
The commander of the 4th Panzer
Army, General Hube, was ordered
by Manstein to conduct a breakout
to the west and re-establish
contact with the flank armies.
Under extremely poor weather conditions and heavy Soviet pressure, Gen. Hube extracted his
force and occupied defensive positions along the Seret River on 9 April. The newly assembled
1st Hungarian Army around Stanislav would form the 1st Panzer Army’s left flank. After a few
Soviet attacks on the new line with increased casualties and German reinforcements, the
Soviets decided to dig in.
With the Soviets breaching the Dnepr River, there seemed little reason to hang on to the
Crimea. The Sevastopol garrison with the German 17th Army and its Rumanian allies were
bottled up there (around 200k men), but Hitler was insistent they hold. The Soviets launched
their assault on the Crimea on the 8th of April with a dual assault from the northern and
eastern sides of the peninsula. By the 16th, fighting raged on the outer forts of Sevastopol. The
final Soviet offensive began on the 5th of May and by the 8th, even Hitler conceded that the
defense of the Crimea had run its usefulness. A last minute withdrawal from Sevastopol across
the Black Sea to Rumania began with over 100k men successfully withdrawn and a blown
opportunity for the Soviets.
May 1944 would start relatively quiet with both sides digging in and replacing their losses.
The Soviets were preparing their masterstroke to destroy Army Group Center in its summer
campaign while the Germans retained a majority of its mobile units under Army Group South
(now Army Group North and South Ukraine) where it expected the next blow. This successful
Soviet deception was one of the key ingredients to the destruction of Army Group Center during
Operation Bagration.
21
German Player Strategy
The German player faces a situation where his forces are worn out and not deployed very
efficiently with a good portion of his armored forces on the wrong side of the Dnepr with Soviet
forces already across the river. The 17th Army is still in the Caucasus and is dangerously
exposed. The 1st objectives should be to move the rest of your forces across the Dnepr and
establish a river defense line and then begin moving the 17th Army out of the Crimea. The next
objective should be to marshal your mobile forces to defeat the numerous Soviet breakthroughs
that will inevitably come. With your infantry divisions so weak, your mobile panzer divisions are
your only hope in holding back the Soviets. The Soviets are also very mobile and will achieve
breakthroughs so if you can cut off these spearheads and destroy them, you might stand
a chance at weathering the Soviet assault. Otherwise you will face the slow grinding away
of your infantry and increased breakthroughs. Mass your stronger mobile units in striking
counterattacking forces and try to avoid keeping them on the front line long. Keep them behind
your lines so that you have the flexibility to move them to the next hotspot or counterattack.
The only things saving you from defeat are these mobile units. Use your worn out depleted
units and Axis minor units for building your subsequent fall back lines along natural defensive
barriers. You will receive strong reinforcements so it will be up to you whether to use them in
building defensive lines or trying to save another desperate situation.
Soviet Player Strategy
The key to winning this scenario as the Soviets is keeping up constant pressure on the German
player. You will want to first establish several strong bridgeheads over the Dnepr followed by
a strong thrust along the Azov Sea to bottle up the 17th Army in the Crimea. The German’s
main weakness is his infantry so take every opportunity to hammer his infantry and attempt
to encircle them. Your mobile formations are good but they are vulnerable to German mobile
attacks so you do not want to overextend your breakthroughs. What you want to avoid is
allowing the Germans to mass his armor so make every attempt to engage his armor at every
opportunity.
Designer Notes
These Army Group sized scenarios are my absolute favorite type of scenarios in Gary Grigsby’s
War in the East as they are small enough not to be overwhelming and the victory objectives
are concrete and clearly identifiable. I think that this scenario is the best scenario for two
players who enjoy a move/counter-move battle. The Soviets are very strong with effective
mobile forces but the German panzer and SS panzer divisions are the battle masters at a point
in the war where around 80% of all German armor in the East is in the Ukraine. It is very much
a very tense maneuver battle which I guarantee will be filled with drama. The German line will
be smashed at numerous times forcing a general retreat and the German player can be quite
capable of unleashing devastating defensive blows with its armored forces. The stakes could
not be any higher.
22
SCENARIO 9: RETREAT FROM LENINGRAD (22
JUNE 1944– 3 JANUARY 1945)
Historical Background
The Soviet offensives to relieve the German siege and blockade of Leningrad began in January
1944 with the very ambitious goals of destroying the 18th Army and opening up a pathway
through Estonia. Although the Soviets were successful in relieving the city, the battered Army
Group North escaped almost 300 km into the better fortified Panther Line, a much more
defensible position. Smaller offensives in the spring of 1944 were unsuccessful in breaching
the German lines. Army Group North, sitting in superior defensive positions, would have its fate
decided on it southern flank.
For months, the Soviet 1st Baltic Front had been preparing for its attack against the far northern
portion of Army Group Center’s 3rd Panzer Army. Army Group North had been aware of the
Soviet buildup to its south as early as late May. On the 22nd of June, 1944 the Soviets launched
their grand summer campaign called “Operation Bagration” and its goal was to crush the
German Army Group Center around Minsk. On the first day, the 3rd Belorussian Front smashed
the 3rd Panzer Army lines and encircled Vitebsk on the 24th, while Soviet forces poured into
the gap and drove 50km within days. 3rd Panzer’s IX Corps was already weakened, because it
had sent its reserves elsewhere to Army Group Center, and found itself getting hammered near
23
Polotsk. Army Group North reacted quickly by sending more and more units from its sector to
attempt to shore up the shattered lines on its southern flanks. 16th Army’s I Corps found itself
embroiled with the battles of 3rd Panzer Army. The army group’s only reserve mobile unit (12th
Panzer Division) was also sent south to try and stem the tide. As a result, 16th Army’s right
flank became ever extended to the west as more and more forces were added.
By the 28th, the 1st Baltic Front had achieved its breakthrough near Lepel and the 3rd Panzer
Army commander (General Reinhardt) reported that his army no longer had the strength to
resist. Army Group North had lost contact with Army Group Center and Army Group North was
in danger of being encircled. More units were dispatched from Army Detachment Narva, 16th
Army, and 18th Army, to shore up its shattered southern flank near Daugavpils. In all, eight
German divisions had been withdrawn from the Panther line to its southern flank. Army Group
North commander (General Lindemann) reported that his army group could no longer hold the
eastern lines. Soviet mechanized forces at Dzisna clearly showed an envelopment was in
progress.
Instead of allowing Army Group North
to withdraw, Hitler ordered aggressive
counterattacks towards Polotsk to cut off the
Soviet units and regain contact with Army
Group Center. The main threat remained at
Daugavpils with the Soviet mechanized forces
poised to break through to the Baltic coast. As
a renewed Soviet offensive began at Polotsk
in early July, it was clear that a German
offensive was not going to be successful and
Hitler conceded that a withdrawal was the
best option.
By the 3rd of July, Minsk had been captured and Vilna was in danger of being lost to the
Soviets. On the 4th, General Lindemann was replaced by General Friessner as commander
of Army Group North with orders to hold his line and re-establish contact with the 3rd Panzer
Army. By the 10th, a dangerous gap of up to 35km was opened up between the two army
groups west of Daugavpils with neither army group possessing enough strength to close it.
Army Detachment Narva dispatched more forces to try and close the gap while the Soviets
opened their own attacks on the German 16th Army on the Panther line.
Most assaults by the Soviets had been repulsed on the Panther except in the VI SS Corps sector
as the Soviets renewed their attacks. Drained from the numerous withdrawals of frontline
divisions to shore up the southern flank, the Germans on the Panther Line could no longer hold.
The boundary between the 16th and 18th Army was also being threatened, potentially splitting
Army Group North in two. On the 20th of July, Friessner reported to Hitler that every available
man was serving on the line, that he had absolutely no more reserves to plug any additional
holes, and that a breakthrough of German lines was imminent. With 3rd Panzer Army further
24
withdrawing to the east, the gap between the army groups was widening. On the 22nd, Army
Detachment Narva began withdrawing from the Narva sector.
The decisive breakout came on the 27th with 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps capturing Jelgava.
Tuckums, on the Baltic coast, was captured the next day. Army Group North’s last rail line to
Prussia was severed and the army group was encircled. Severe logistical shortages prevented
Army Group North from successfully launching a counter offensive. STAVKA rapidly reinforced
the avenues most likely to be used in a relief attempt, while 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts resumed
their attacks towards the northeast and Riga in hopes of smashing Army Group North for good.
The Germans slowly withdrew away from the Panther Line and Estonia, under heavy Soviet
pressure, west towards Riga in an ever decreasing pocket. Faced with more breakthroughs
into the pocket by 10 August, Army Group North was facing near collapse. Friessner briefed
that only if Army Group North abandoned Estonia, 18th and 16th Army continued to withdraw
towards Riga, and sufficient forces outside the pocket broke though, would the army group
survive.
The relief effort for Army Group North began on the 16th of August with the XXXX and XXXIX
Panzer Corps with Panzerverband Strachwitz. XXXX Panzer Corps was to push towards Siauliali
and capture Jelgava while XXXIX Panzer Corps was to strike through Autz also towards Jelgava.
Strachwitz would cover the north flank and conduct the actual linkup with Army Group North.
16th Army was to drive west and also make contact with the relief force. 1st Baltic Front
discontinued its attack against the pocket and shifted its attention against the new threat. On
the 19th, Strachwitz re-captured Tuckums and re-established contact with the 16th Army. In
the next few days, the overland connection to Army Group North was reinforced and heavily
guarded to allow Army Group North the time and space to withdraw. The two Panzer Corps
south of Strachwitz continued to meet heavy resistance without significant gains.
The Soviets were driven to eliminate this German threat in the Baltics once and for all so
they could add these forces to the main drive on Germany proper. 1st Baltic Front was to
breakthrough from Bauska to Riga, which was a vital strongpoint in the German defense, and
once again encircle Army Group North. 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts were tasked with splitting the
army group from the east in any way possible to disrupt the withdrawal. Leningrad Front was
to advance from Tartu and try to separate Army Detachment Narva away from the ports where
it might try to escape.
Guderian believed that it was necessary to make preparations to evacuate the Baltic countries
and told Army Group North to prepare to execute when the decision was made. In the meantime,
16th Army was to maintain the western edge of the land bridge around Jelgava-Riga while the
18th Army was to hold its position long enough to allow Detachment Narva to withdraw out
of Estonia. By mid September, the withdrawal was well under way. On the 21st of September,
3rd Panzer Army was assigned to Army Group North and holding the lines of communication
into Prussia. By this time, elements of the Narva Detachment were re-deploying under the
command of the 16th Army in the Riga area. Evacuations from the seaports of Tallinn and
Paldiski were completed by the 22nd with over 50k men evacuated out of Estonia.
25
On the 24th of September, the 1st Baltic Front halted its attack to the north and northeast
against Riga and shifted its assault to the west. By the 27th, Army Group North had successfully
withdrawn into its ‘Segewold’ positions in the Latvian Courland region in which it was expected
to defend. 3rd Panzer Army was positioned to defend the region of Tilsit-Memel-Liepaja and the
Army Group’s vital overland line of communications to Prussia. It was expected to defend
200km of front with five worn out divisions. The weak 3rd Panzer Army prompted Army Group
North to request the withdrawal out of Latvia. At the beginning of the month of October,
desperately needed Army Group North units were ordered to withdraw out of the Baltics and to
report to Army Group Center. An already fragile army group was getting weaker by the day as
the buildup of fresh forces in the 1st Baltic Front in front of the 3rd Panzer Army’s position
continued.
1st Baltic Front launched its
offensive against the 3rd Panzer
Army in force on the 5th of
October and cracks began to
form immediately even with the
heavy German resistance. Again,
the 3rd Panzer Army collapsed
and Army Group North was
encircled, as the 1st Baltic Front
nearly captured Liepaja. 16th
and 18th Armies had to readjust
to prevent being rolled up along
the Baltic coast from the south.
Riga was abandoned without a
fight as the Germans withdrew
across the Daugava River. On the
10th, 3rd Panzer Army was reassigned to Army Group Center
and Memel was encircled. A
weak attack was launched from
the Tilsit bridgehead to try and
link back up with Army Group
North. Spearheaded by the
Hermann Goring Panzer Corps,
this offensive was halted on the
18th and Tilsit was evacuated.
Army Group North was now on
its own.
Fresh from its re-encirclement of Army Group North, the Soviets launched renewed attacks
against the bottled up army group in expectation of a final death blow, but the attacks made
no gains. For the next four and a half months, the Soviets would launch vicious attacks, rest
26
and refit, and then launch more attacks. They never gained any significant territory. In January,
the Soviets started withdrawing more and more forces from the ring around the Courland
pocket to support its drive on Germany. In March, the attacks almost completely stopped with
the Soviets being content to let the Germans manage their own virtual prisoner of war camp.
Army Group North’s purpose was simply to tie up as many troops as possible. When V-E day
came, Army Group North had the distinction and honor of being the only intact army group in
the German armed forces.
German Player Strategy
The goal for the Germans here is simply to survive. The right flank of Army Group North will
collapse and you will be forced to send more and more forces to contend with the threat. You
will also be severely short on mobile units compared to the Soviets until your reinforcements
arrive in August. Find a good defensible line that can gain you enough weekly VPs to prevent
the Soviets from gaining a lead and dig in.
Soviet Player Strategy
Speed, speed, speed. Get over and across the major terrain barriers before the Germans can
dig in. Try to reach the Baltic coast by August and fend off the German reinforcements. You will
want to bottle the Germans up somewhere that doesn’t have a port that allows resupply. Try
and do mini-encirclements and destroy a division here and there. Every division the German
player loses makes it that much harder for him to defend a potential pocket.
Designer Notes
The reason I like this scenario is that it is obscure and not a battle often covered in wargames.
It’s guaranteed to deliver a dramatic and stressful game. The German player has a bit of an
advantage in that he doesn’t have to worry about the political decisions that were made that
halted the overall withdrawal of Army Group North. It is also an interesting contrast to the “Road
to Leningrad” scenario in reverse, and it is small enough to be manageable without being
overwhelmed by one of the massive campaign battles.
27
SCENARIO 10: DRAMA ON THE DANUBE (20
AUGUST 1944– 5 MAY 1945)
Historical Background
Since late April 1944, the front along the Rumanian-Ukrainian border had been somewhat
quiet. Army Group South Ukraine’s left flank comprising of Army Group North Ukraine’s 1st
Hungarian Army had been pushed out of the Stanislav area and into the more defensible
Carpathian Mountains along the Hungarian border and thus providing a very stable defensive
line. The front in Rumania had been quiet in the early summer of 1944, allowing the Germans
and Rumanians to prepare and rehabilitate shattered divisions from their costly withdrawal
from the Ukraine. This calm was not without a strategic cost, for further north, Army Group
Center collapsed and Army Group North was desperately fighting Soviet attempts to encircle
the Germans in the Baltics. As a consequence, Army Group South Ukraine had to give almost
all of its armored forces to the desperate fighting to the north. The only armored reserves
available to the army group where the recuperating 20th and 13th Panzer Divisions, 10th
Panzergrenadier Division, and the underequipped 1st Rumanian Armored Division. The Soviets
were not sitting idly by as they had their own plans by completing their buildup of assault
forces without detection from the Germans and Rumanians.
28
The 20th of August marked a day often referred to as “Black Sunday” by the German
participants and marked the second time in less than two years that the German 6th Army
would be destroyed. Taking advantage of the low Rumanian morale, Soviet units concentrated
their fire on them resulting in most Rumanian units simply melting away without a fight. This
left the Germans, who relied on the Rumanians to cover their flanks, extremely vulnerable. As
per their doctrine, the Germans hurled whatever reserves they could muster including the 20th
Panzer and 10th Panzergrenadier Divisions, but these counterattacks could not turn the tide.
The weak German Luftwaffe could only provide token support amidst an effective Red Air
Force. By the next day the situation was becoming chaotic for the German units. Soviet
penetrations forced German headquarters to relocate. Communications were crumbling. The
Germans desperately tried to protect their flanks but were overwhelmed and helpless. By
nightfall of the 21st, the Soviets had penetrated over 30 miles in multiple areas and were
already approaching German 6th Army headquarters. General Friessner, Army Group South
Ukraine’s commander, ordered General Fretto-Pico to withdraw his army to the west
immediately but it was already too late by time the movement started.
By the 23rd of August, the remnants of the
3rd Rumanian Army was bottled up and
isolated along the Black Sea coast. The double
envelopment by the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian
Fronts had concentrated their shock forces
on the 3rd and 4th Rumanian Armies with
the objective being Husi. This plan effectively
knocked the Rumanian forces out of the war
for the Germans, encircled the 6th Army in
place along with half of the 8th Army. It was a masterstroke of planning and execution which
led to the immediate collapse and subjugation of Rumania.
Also on the 23rd, Antonescu reported to the royal palace in Bucharest to brief the king on the
situation and was arrested. The Rumanian king announced the formation of a new government
and cessation of hostilities against the Allies. He then ordered all Wehrmacht troops out of
Rumania in 14 days. As a final measure, the king renounced the Treaty of Vienna in which
Rumania had ceded parts of Transylvania to Hungary. Hitler ordered Friessner to immediately
arrest the king and restore Antonescu to the control of Rumania. Friessner was given control
over the 5th Flak Division stationed at Ploesti to do so. The division was further reinforced by
the Brandenburg Parachute Regiment airlanded into the Otopeni Airport. The German attempt
to recapture Bucharest was a failure, so Friessner had to worry about a hostile Rumanian
government in addition to trying to withdraw his army group from destruction.
A final, desperate attempt of the 6th Army to break out the encirclement began on the night
of the 25th of August and was a dismal failure as the Soviets drove deep into the pocket and
severely disrupted the attempt. Estimates mark the 6th Army losses around 150k men. These
turn of events started the general withdrawal of the 8th Army (minus IV Corps surrounded with
the 6th Army) as it attempted to block the Carpathian passes into Transylvania leaving the
29
rest of Rumania completely exposed. Remaining pockets of the German 6th Army and some
elements of the 8th Army continued to resist until early September. The 5th Flak Division also
surrendered at Ploesti around this time along with the elite Brandenburg Parachute Regiment
outside Bucharest. Total German losses in Rumania to this point were estimated at between
200k and 300k.
Friessner had only five divisions left intact to work with for the coming defense of Hungary
in addition to the 1st Hungarian Army defending the northern Carpathians and Fritto-Pico’s
6th Army stragglers on his right flank. The 2nd Hungarian was quickly activated and sent to
Transylvania where it struck the advancing, and now Soviet allied, Rumanian 4th Army at Cluj
with great success. The Hungarian 3rd Army was also being formed to attempt to close the gap
and block the mountain passes at Sibiu on the 6th Army’s right flank but they were too late.
Just as in Bucharest, the Hungarians were getting nervous with the Soviets approaching their
borders, The Hungarians began secret negotiations with the Soviets. Hungary also demanded
that the Germans send five panzer divisions within twenty-four hours or it would defect to the
Soviets and General Guderian reluctantly agreed.
By the 23rd of September, the Soviets had moved into Arad very near the Hungarian border.
Hitler, very concerned about the loss of Hungary and its oil and other economic resources,
ordered Hungary to be reinforced at once. Army Group South Ukraine was also redesignated as
Army Group South. SS Panzergrenadier Division “Polizei”, and LVII Panzer Corps (with 23rd and
24th Panzer Divisions) were rapidly sent to shore up Army Group South. The Soviets slowed
for the rest of September while they conquered Bulgaria and moved into Yugoslavia. This relief
gave Friessner time to salvage his army group and prepare for the next phase of the proper
invasion of Hungary.
Hungarian Admiral Nicholas Horthy was still negotiating with the Soviets to declare an armistice
in late September and a treaty was signed on 11th October. However, Hitler was prepared for
this after being surprised by the Rumanian defection. Germany sent SS General Erich von
dem Bach-Zelewski and SS Major Otto Skorzeny to plan an operation to stop the defection.
Horthy’s son, who played a significant role in the negotiations, was captured by Skorzeny and
the cabinet did not approve Horthy’s armistice. The Germans, with elite units, captured the
royal palace and installed a new pro-German government. Germany’s ally, and its rear area,
was secure.
On October 6th, the Soviets launched a new offensive by the 2nd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts
aimed at enveloping both Army Group South and Army Group Heinrici (1st Panzer Army and 1st
Hungarian Army). Soviet logistics simply could not support such an offensive, especially with
the rail gauge differences. 1st Hungarian Army was quickly routed but 1st Panzer Army held
the 4th Ukrainian Front on the Carpathians. The Pliev Mechanized Group broke through the 3rd
Hungarian Army but was met with a furious counterattack from the newly arrived 23rd Panzer
Division at Oradea and Pliev was forced to withdraw. The Axis forces were nevertheless forced
to withdraw near Debrecen where they attempted to make a stand.
30
The Pliev Mechanized Cavalry group again punched through the Axis lines and captured
Nyiregyhaza on the 22nd of October and also blocked the 8th Army’s line of retreat. The
Germans struck the extended Pliev group with III Panzer Corps from the west and 8th Army
from the east and encircled the Pliev Group consisting of the 1st Tank and 2nd Guards Cavalry
Corps. 4th Ukrainian Front desperately tried to relieve the encircled Pliev Group but failed. The
Soviets lost around 25k men and over 600 tanks while the Germans recaptured Nyirgyhaza
on the 29th of October.
On the 29th of October, 2nd Ukrainian Front under General Malinovsky struck the 3rd Hungarian
Army. The Hungarians were routed as the LVII Panzer Corps fought to hold the line. The Soviets
had advanced thirty miles within days with mechanized forces moving into 6th Army’s rear and
the 6th Army began retreating towards Budapest. The III and LVII Panzer Corps only managed
to halt the Soviets briefly a few scant miles outside Budapest. The 8th and 22nd SS Cavalry
Divisions were deployed around Budapest to bolster the defenses, as a costly city battle raged
with savage fighting reminiscent of Stalingrad a couple of years earlier.
During the first week of November,
Timoshenko’s 3rd Ukrainian Front entered
Hungary from the south, fresh from its
liberation of Belgrade. Defending southern
Hungary fell to the 2nd Panzer Army which was
ironic because this army had no tanks and was
tasked with defending the crucial Hungarian
oilfields at Nagykanisza. The Soviets renewed
their offensive on November 11th and by
December 8th had captured Vac and Estergom
on the Danube just north of Budapest. The 3rd
Ukrainian Front kept pounding the BalatonLake Velencze Line and it was clear that the
Soviets were attempting to envelope Budapest
from the north and south. Friessner tried to
block the penetrations with his panzer reserves
but the divisions were worn out and were
unable to check the Soviet advances.
Friessner asked to withdraw from Budapest but Hitler declared it a fortress city to be held
to the last man. Hitler assumed operational control of the battle from Berlin and ordered
renewed armored attacks by the III Panzer Corps between Lake Balaton and Velecze which
were unsuccessful. The Soviet 46th Army and 6th Guards Tank Army linked up at Estergom
on Christmas Eve, surrounding Budapest. IX SS Corps and I Hungarian Corps were the main
elements encircled at Budapest and tasked to defend the fortress. They were comprised of
the 8th and 22nd SS Cavalry Divisions, Feldernhalle Panzergrenadier Division, 13th Panzer
Division, Hungarian 1st Armored, 10th, and 12th Infantry Divisions and other various units.
31
These elements had been fighting bloody engagements within the city since the 10th of
November.
The Soviets thought they could capture Budapest in a matter of a few days but the Axis
defenders were making the Soviets pay for every city block and tied up over 250k Soviet
troops. The German defensive lines within the city slowly shrank but the Soviets were taking
enormous casualties. To relieve the city, Hitler ordered the IV SS Panzer Corps (3rd and 5th SS
Panzer Divisions) to Hungary to spearhead the relief attempt.
Early on New Year’s day, the IV SS Panzer Corps and Group Pape (6th and 8th Panzer Divisions)
struck near Estergom under Operation Konrad and achieved a local breakthrough. III Panzer
and I Cavalry Corps launched a diversionary attack near Szekesfehervar further to the south.
Malinovsky quickly deployed his reserves and checked the III Panzer and I Cavalry Corps but
the IV SS Panzer Corps was not stopped. However, a decisive breakthrough by the Germans was
not achieved. By the 3rd of January, Malinovsky hurled the 1st and 7th Guards Mechanized,
5th Guards Cavalry, and 21st Rifle Corps to halt the SS advance. By the 8th of January, the
Germans were stopped cold just 15 miles from the outskirts of Budapest. IV SS Panzer Corps
was pulled out of the line and re-assembled at Gran.
On the 10th of January, the IV SS Panzer Corps started its second relief attempt from Gran and
towards Vac under Konrad II. On the 12th, it captured Pilisszenkereszt and was within 14 miles
of Budapest. The next day, to the IV SS Panzer Corp’s disbelief, they were withdrawn from the
offensive under Hitler’s orders who did not believe the operation could be a success.
Hitler devised a new plan that far exceeded the original goal of relieving Budapest but had now
transformed into a double envelopment attack to encircle and destroy the Soviet forces west of
Budapest. As part of Operation Konrad III, the IV SS Panzer Corps was redeployed again to the
northern tip of Lake Balaton, and along with the III Panzer Corps smashed the Soviets on the
18th of January. Dunapentele on the Danube was taken on the 19th, only a dozen miles from
Budapest. The garrison in Budapest could have broken out, but Hitler refused and demanded
the recapture of the city. Marshal Tolbukhin requested to withdraw to the east bank of the
Danube, but was denied by Stalin. IV SS Panzer Corps, depleted, spent, and down to less than
thirty tanks, was stalled.
The Soviets began new attacks against IV SS Panzer Corps on the 27th and the Germans
were forced to retreat. Although demonstrating impressive offensives this late in the war, the
Germans had nothing to show for their efforts except high casualties and worn out divisions.
Army Group South suffered around 35k casualties during the Konrad offensives. The 3rd SS,
5th SS, and 1st Panzer Divisions all together had barely thirty functioning tanks, and fuel and
ammunition reserves were desperately diminished.
On the 30th, IX SS Corps in Budapest reported its situation as critical. Collapse was imminent
as brutal fighting within Budapest continued. SS General Pfeffer-Wildenbruch, commander
IX SS Corps, ordered a breakout without orders, to begin on 11 February, but few Germans
managed to make it back to their lines as they scattered and were destroyed by the Soviets.
The battle ended, it earned the honor of being the “Stalingrad of the SS.”
32
In a last gasp attempt, the last German major offensive was decided by Hitler to be launched
into Hungary as part of Operation Spring Awakening. This was planned as a repeat attempt of
Operation Konrad III to encircle and destroy Soviet forces west of Budapest and provide some
breathing space around the oilfields of Nagykhaniza. Backed by the strongest German army
in 1945, the almost full strength 6th SS Panzer Army, it was an impressive force of armored
might that would be spent at Hitler’s whim on obscure and questionable objectives in Hungary.
The operation was planned for the first week of March and began on the 6th of March. In a
repeat of the previous Konrad offensives, impressive gains by the Waffen SS forces striking
from North of Lake Balaton were countered by massive Soviet reinforcements. By mid March
the offensive was stalling. The 2nd Panzer Army, south of the 6th SS Panzer Army, did not do
nearly as well in the attack. In just a few days, the Soviets had driven the Germans back to
their original start points. Germany had spent its last armored reserve and would not be able
to mount an offensive at this scale for the rest of the war. Germany could only try desperately
to hold the line.
By the end of March, the Soviets crossed into Austria and Vienna fell on the 13th of April. The
shattered remnants of the 6th Army were fighting for survival near Gran and the 3rd Hungarian
Army was virtually destroyed thirty miles west of Budapest as Army Group South effectively
collapsed.
German Player Strategy
The Germans face a disaster before they even get to move a single unit. If the Soviet player
executes his first turn effectively, the Soviet mobile units will smash the two Rumanian armies
on the flanks and drive deep into the German rear of the 6th and 8th Armies. With little mobile
units and reserves to check these penetrations, the Germans will simply be fighting for
33
survival. The Rumanians will most likely completely withdraw from the war within the first
two turns so do not expect any help from your Rumanian units whatsoever. In fact, Rumania is
guaranteed to surrender before you have a chance to use any Rumanian units as long as the
Soviets capture a surrender trigger city, like Vaslui or Husi, on their first turn. The first objective
for the Germans is to attempt to save whatever you can from being destroyed and begin
withdrawing into the Carpathians. It will be a race to see who will get their first but if you can
occupy some good defensive positions in the mountains, you stand a chance of delaying the
Soviets long enough for reinforcements to arrive. You may be forced to fight your way through
some weak Soviet Rumanian units in order to reach the southern passes before the Soviet
troops can secure them. You will not have enough troops to make a continuous front line along
the Carpathians and along the Hungarian-Rumanian border so your defenses will be breached
in time. You will receive strong reinforcements and the key to surviving this campaign is what
to do with those reinforcements. Instead of grand offensives, it may be best to focus on cutting
off Soviet penetrations and attempting to destroy them to take the mobility out of the Soviet
forces to even the odds a bit. Another option is to use some of the weaker reinforcements,
including rebuilding 6th Army divisions, to build a fortified line anchored on good terrain around
Budapest. If you can slow the Soviets in the mountains and fight a delaying action across
central Hungary, you may give yourself enough time to prepare strong defensive works for
your forces to occupy. Your Hungarian allied units are not nearly as strong or capable as your
German units so you will be forced to reinforce them.
Soviet Player Strategy
Soviet strategy is quite simple. Smash the Rumanians and drive deep into the Rumanian rear
and try and encircle and destroy as many Germans as you can. On your first turn you should
be able to pocket the 6th Army and force the Rumanians to switch sides. Keep enough mobile
forces driving as fast as you can to secure the mountain passes into Hungary before the
Germans can stabilize the front. The Hungarian units are relatively weak so if the Germans use
them as complete armies, concentrate your offensives on these easier targets. Be wary of the
German panzers and SS units as these are still very strong and capable of crashing your best
plans. Whenever the Germans mass their mobile forces, concentrate your reserves and try to
wear them down as much as possible.
Designer Notes
If you like crisis management scenarios, this will be a fun one to play as the Germans. The
Germans will have a crisis immediately and the German player will have to use great skill
to use his reinforcements to stabilize the front. This scenario, like Decision in the Ukraine,
is attractive for a German player because it uses some very strong late war German units
such as the 6th SS Panzer Army arriving in February and you get to see your Axis allies trying
to defend their homes. The Soviet side is interesting because we see how well the Soviets
have learned from their devastating losses in 41 and 42 and become such an effective and
maneuverable force.
34
REFERENCES
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Allen Publishing, 2008
Bergstrom, Christer, “Stalingrad. The Air Battle: 1942 through January 1943”, Ian Allen
Publishing, 2007
Glantz, David M., “The Battle for the Ukraine, The Red Army’s Korsun-Shevchenkovskii
Offensive, 1944”, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2003
Glantz, David M., “The Soviet Airborne Experience”, Combat Studies Institute, 1984
Glantz, David M., “The Battle for Leningrad. 1941-1944”, University Press of Kansas, 2002
Glantz, David M., “Armageddon in Stalingrad. September – November 1942”, University of
Kansas Press, 2009
Haupt, Werner, “Army Group South, The Wehrmacht in Russia 1941-1945”, Schiffer Military
History, 1998
Hinze, Rolf, “Crucible of Combat, Germany’s Defensive Battles in the Ukraine 1943-1944”,
Helion & Company Ltd, 2009
Jentz, Thomas, “Panzer Truppen. Volumes 1 and 2”, Schiffer Military Publishing, 1996
Krivosheev, G.F., “Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the Twentieth Century”, Greenhill
Books, 1993
Kurowski, Franz, “Bridgehead Kurland. The Six Epic Battles of Heeresgruppe Kurland”, J.J.
Fedorowciz Publishing, 2002
Madeja, Victor W., “Russo-German War Winter-Spring 1944”, Valor Publishing Company, 1988
Madeja, Victor W., “Russo-German War Summer-Autumn 1943”, Valor Publishing Company,
1987
Mitcham, Samuel W. Jr., “Crumbling Empire, The German Defeat in the East, 1944”, Praeger
Publishers, 2001
Nafziger, George F., “Rumanian Order of Battle World War II, An Organizational History of the
Rumanian Army in World War II”, Privately published, 1995
Niehorster, Leo, “The Royal Hungarian Army, 1920-1945”, Axis Europa Books, 1998
Newton, Steven H., “Retreat from Leningrad, Army Group North 1944/1945”, Schiffer
Publishing, 1995
Military Research Department of General Staff, “Battle of the Soviet Army Part III, January –
December 1943”, Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense, 1972
Sharp, Charles C., “Soviet Order of Battle World War II”, Published by George Nafziger, 1995
35
Tieke, Wilhelm, “The Caucasus and the Oil, The German-Soviet War in the Caucasus 1942/43”,
J.J. Fedorwicz Publishing , 1995
Various Authors, “Slaughterhouse, The Handbook of the Eastern Front”, The Aberjona Press,
2005
Lexicon der Wehrmacht, http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/inhaltsverzeichnis1.htm
Panzerkeil, http://www.ordersofbattle.darkscape.net/site/sturmvogel/Panzerkeil.html
The Luftwaffe, 1933-1945, http://www.ww2.dk/
VVS of RKKA, http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bfhome&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fallaces.ru&lp=ru_en&btnTrUrl=Translate
Romanian Armed Forces in the Second World War, http://www.worldwar2.ro/
generali/?section=29
OKW Lage Situation Map, Southern Russia dated 19 November 1942
OKW Lage Situation Map, Ukraine dated 12 November 1943
OKW Lage Situation Map, Rumanian dated 18 August 1944
CREDITS
2BY3 GAMES
PRODUCER
Joel Billings
SCENARIO DESIGN AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH
John Duquette, Trey Marshall
PROGRAMMING
Gary Grigsby, Pavel Zagzin
PLAYTESTERS
Steven Clarke, Flavio Carrillo, Jeff Duquette, Lee Elmendorf,
Pieter de Jong, Scott Koberstein, Bob Malin
36
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