Conflict of Heroes
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Conflict of Heroes
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Dry Ground
After the battle of Kursk and the lose of Kharkov, German forces withdrew towards the mighty Dnieper river. They believed that the river, though unfortified, would be enough to allow them to stabilize their lines. The Soviets however concentrated on…
1943-08-29
Swamps of Bryansk
Early in the campaign, the Germans relied on speed, surprise, and superior tactics to overwhelm or bypass Soviet defenders. Occasionally though, the Germans were forced to fight the Soviets at their own game: positional defense. In this case, the…
1941-07-03
Kursk Northern Flank Attack
Kursk is a central rail hub connected to Moscow via Orel. The Kursk-Orel Rail Line runs through Ponyri, which is directly in the center of the German Operation Zitadelle's northern …
1943-07-05
Dance of the Totenkopfs
The 2nd SS Panzer Corps fights its way north to the Psel River to face the last defensive Soviet ring before Kursk. Elements of the 3rd SS PzGren Div ‘Totenkopf’ wheeled west towards Greznoye to encounter concentrated defense from the …
1943-07-09
Battle for Cherkasskoye
The Germans need to gain control of the heights east of Cherkasskoye to position their mobile artillery to fire on the tank battles raging on their eastern flank. But opposing …
1943-07-05
Battle for Cherkasskoye
The German Panzer advance has stalled in the heavily mined and defended western flank of the battle for `. Infantry and Engineering Platoons have been sent forward in an effort …
1943-07-05
Luchki (part 2)
As the Panzer Grenadiers of the German 2nd SS PzGren Div. ‘Das Reich’ were trying to seize the village of Luchki, SS-Obergruppenführer Hausser tried to flank the village with his Panzers in order to create a larger breakthrough point in …
1943-07-06
Luchki (part 1)
Ferocious battles were being fought as the Germans smashed into the Soviet’s second line of defense. Along the critical Belgorod-Kursk highway, ‘Der Führer’ Regiment of the 2nd SS PzGren Div., ‘Das Reich’, is trying to seize the village of Luchki. …
1943-07-06
Tanks!
Between July 8th and 9th, the German 48th Panzer Corps was forcing its way towards the approaches of Oboyan. East of Verkhopen’ye, elements of the Gross-Deutschland and 11th Panzer Divisions ran headlong into arriving Soviet reinforcements of the 1st…
1943-07-08
Rotmistrov's Red Dawn
After establishing a bridgehead across the northern Donets River near Mikailovka (southeast of Belgorod), advanced elements of the German 6th Panzer Division’s 'armored fist' (or breakthrough Kampfgruppe) must now expand the bridgehead by quickly…
1943-07-06
Black Knights of the Steppe
After five days of almost constant combat, the tired Germans were hoping for a break. Instead, advanced elements of the armored group for the 1st SS Panzer Division “Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler” were ordered to assemble along the road to Prokhorovka.…
1943-07-10
Graveyard
The II SS Armored Command is making steady, but hard fought progress towards the Psel River. East of Pokrovka, the SS Leibstandard AH Panzer Division has left behind a graveyard of Soviet tanks and is in desperate need of fuel. …
1943-07-07
Wounded Tiger
On day 3 of the German offensive, III Panzer Corps blasted a narrow corridor a few kilometers wide through the Soviet defensive lines. The battlefield at Kursk was littered with tanks, abandoned due to mechanical problems rather than combat, which …
1943-07-06
Sneak Attack
For the III Panzer Corps to protect the right flank of the German armored spearheads, it needed to establish a bridgehead across the northern Donets River, southeast of Belgorod. Elements of the 6th Panzer Division, Panzer Grenadier Regiment 114,…
1943-07-05
Pursuit of State Farm 158
Shopino, North-East of Sovkhoz (State Farm) 158 – The German operation to clear Sovkhoz 158 earlier in the day was successful. A Soviet counter-attack is being prepared by forces that have worked their way forward through a tangle of balkas …
1943-07-06
State Farm 158
Despite initial success, the German 106 Corp's efforts to clear Soviet threats to their southern flank proceed slowly. A platoon of Panzer Grenadiers has been detailed to secure the main supply road leading through Sovkhoz 158, where a supply convoy…
1943-07-06
Wind or Sniper
The Panzer Grenadier Division ‘Gross-Deutschland’ has fought its way to the edge of the village of Cherkasskoye. German engineers move forward to clear a path through the Soviet minefield. At the edge of the village, elements of the Soviet 67th …
1943-07-05
Twilight's Last Gleam
Soviet defenses east of the Donets River were so strong that Army Detachment Kempf was forced eastwards, splitting away from the 4th Armored Army. A gap formed between them, creating flanks to the north and south of Kempf's position. These …
1943-07-06
The Courier's Satchel
Shortly before operation Citadel, a Soviet probe intercepts a courier carrying a satchel with German deployment orders. An elite platoon of Panzer Grenadiers is immediately dispatched to retrieve the satchel. The provincial Soviet commander orders…
1943-07-04
Last Stand
Soviet Personal Field Journal: 'Our staff has been told that the first elements of the 10th Panzer Div and von Hauenschild's 86th Rifle Regiment are forcing their way into the town center. We currently have them surrounded, but our men …
1941-10-06
Stalwart Line
Soviet 'Reserve Front' Field Report: A German Panzer Division has broken through our lines and is moving on Vyazma directly from the south. The situation on our left flank is grave. We have no forces to secure the Moscow highway. …
1941-10-05
Race for Victory
German Field Journal: We linked up with the Fallschirmjäger three hours ago and they guided us to Yukhnov. Our scouts report a hastily prepared defensive perimeter southeast of the city. We have been ordered to neutralize the bunkers guarding the …
1941-10-05
Breaking Point
German Field Report to Major General Fischer: The Division commander dispatched our Mechanized Unit to extract the returning Fallschirmjäger at an arranged meeting point west of Kurovskoy. It is 06:00, we are on location, set in a loose defensive…
1941-10-05
Borrowing
German Field Journal: We have escaped from Yukhnov and are now working our way back on foot towards friendly forces. We are very tired, but the enemy is close behind us. We have spotted a village ahead that the Soviets …
1941-10-04
Behind Enemy Lines
German High Command Report: After the heavy losses to the Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) during the capture of Crete, large scale airdrops are no longer a strategic option. Instead, it has been decided to test the effectiveness of small surgical…
1941-10-03
Partisans
Remnants of cut-off Soviet infantry Units, scattered after the fall of Kiev, have begun partisan activities. A heavily armed group of partisans operating near Priluki have been tracked by a group of soldiers from the German 161st Inf. Div. sent …
1941-10-17
Hunting Chernov
The German XXIV Panzer Corps has punched through the Soviet defenses south of Warsaw. Unfortunately, the Panzers are low on fuel and are now threatened by the hastily reformed remnants of the 26th Soviet Army. The Germans can barely stop …
1941-10-02
Tank Hunt
‘I was wounded last month, shot in the leg. The doctors deemed me fit to return to the front, damn them. They sent me to a ruin of a city, where I hear we are still fighting it out with …
1941-11-31
Search and Destroy
Soviet Partisans have been harassing German supply wagons. In an attempt to root out local combatants, a platoon of German trackers are searching a nearby abandoned Soviet village for the Partisans and weapons stockpiles. With the first knock on a …
1941-07-12
Tragedy of Victory
On Sept 9th, the Independent Operational Group “Polesie”, led by General Franciszek Kleeberg, was created to guard the Polesie area and the Brześć (Brest) fortress against German units (including Guderian’s XIX Corps) that had broken through the…
1939-10-05
The Last Stand
The Polish Border Defense Corps was the only regular Polish defense on the eastern border on the day of the Soviet invasion. After a series of border fights, the Polish forces were concentrated under the command of General Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann …
1939-10-01
End of the Line
After breaking through the German lines at the battle of Krasnobród, General Władysław Anders’ Cavalry Group was moving south to carry out its last order - to evacuate soldiers via the Romanian or Hungarian borders. Afterwards, they were to leave …
1939-09-27
Clashing Sabers
A Polish cavalry group led by General Władysław Anders, composed of the “Kresowa”, “Nowogródzka” and “Wołyńska” cavalry brigades, was attempting to break through the German encirclement to the south during the Second Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski.…
1939-09-23
No Surrender
The invading Soviet armies marched into Polish territory with ease, as most Polish units were facing the Germans. The Soviets, however, suffered both from a lack of supplies and tactical planning. The Soviet officer cadre was very young and…
1939-09-20
Race for Lwow
For seven days, the city of Lwów repelled German attacks. However, on Sept 19th, a Soviet rapid attack column struck the city from the east. Thus began a race between the invading armies to conquer this great Polish city, a …
1939-09-19
Captured Convoy
During the third phase of the Battle of Bzura (Sept 16-19), Polish forces of the “Poznań” and “Pomorze” armies were trying to break through to Warsaw via the forested area of Kampinos Woods. Leading the Polish formation was the “Wielkopolska” …
1939-09-19
The Red Tide
The stiffening resistance of Polish forces and the Bzura counteroffensive had slowed the German Blitzkrieg. Fearing an imminent attack from France, the Wehrmacht was under increasing pressure to conclude the Polish campaign. The Polish decision to…
1939-09-19
The Romanian
The Poles had originally planned to make a defensive stand along the Vistula river, but because this line was overrun, the Polish Commander in Chief, Edward Śmigły-Rydz, decided to withdraw his troops towards the so-called ‘Romanian Bridgehead’. This…
1939-09-18
Shadows in the Mist
The Battle of Bzura (Sept 9-19, 1939) was one of the biggest battles of the Polish campaign. In the first phase of the battle (Sept 9-12), two Polish armies, “Pomorze” and the “Poznań”, attacked the left flank of the German …
1939-09-14
Grojecka Street
Having broken through the border defenses of the Polish “Łódź” Army near Częstochowa on Sept. 3rd, the German 4th Panzer Division, commanded by Major-General Reinhardt, began its drive towards the river Vistula and Poland’s capital city of Warsaw.…
1939-09-09
Tank Clash
After breaking through the defensive positions of the Polish 7th Infantry Division, the German XVI Panzer Corps advanced towards Warsaw along the Piotrkowska road. On Sept. 4th, lead German units had reached the hastily prepared Polish positions…
1939-09-05
The Black Brigade
General von Kleist’s XXII Army Corps (2nd Panzer, 4th Light and 3rd Mountain Divisions) hit the Polish Army “Kraków” from the south, after moving through Slovakia to bypass the Polish defenses in Silesia. The Polish General Staff was surprised by …
1939-09-02
Armored Train No. 53
In the early morning hours of Sept 1st, the German 10th Army crossed the Polish border into the operational sector of the Polish “Wołyńska” Cavalry brigade stationed near the village of Mokra. The “Wołyńska” Brigade was assigned to keep the …
1939-09-01
Calvary Charge!
The German 76th Motorized Infantry Regiment of the 20th Motorized Infantry Division was moving east towards the Brda river, pushing back the Polish 85th National Defense Infantry Battalion. The Polish 18th Uhlan (Cavalry) Regiment was ordered to stop…
1939-09-01
Blitzkrieg!
After seizing the town of Pruszcz, the German 3rd Panzer Division quickly enters the Tuchola Woods through a gap it has found between the 34th and 22nd Infantry Regiments, Polish 9th Infantry Division. There is nothing to stop 3rd Panzer …
1939-09-01
X Oktybra State Farm
During late July, the Germans launched their Fall Blau offensive in the southern Soviet Union. Near the Don River, the Soviet 158th Separate Heavy Tank Brigade of the 28th Tank Corps of the 1st Tank Army attacked the Germans across …
1942-07-27
Sandomierez Counter Attack
In early August 1944 the First Ukrainian Front crossed the Vistula River near the Polish city of Sandomierez. The Germans counter-attacked with armored forces including their new King Tiger tanks to eliminate the bridgehead. However, the Soviets had…
1944-08-01
Göringstrasse!
At the beginning of 1945, World War II was drawing to a bitter end. Allied forces had crossed the Rhine and were quickly advancing into German territory, while the Red Army was steam rolling through eastern Germany. Marshal Zhukov himself …
1945-04-26
Narrow Corridor
After the defeat of the Japanese at Mount Austen, the Marines kept up their drive westwards to eradicate all Japanese resistance on Guadalcanal. General Hyakutake, however, was expecting 50,000 reinforcements and with these he planned to retake…
1943-01-28
Mount Austen
Mount Austen is composed of a cluster of hills in a jungle area known as “The Gifu”. U.S. Command has decided that taking Mount Austen is a critical step in the elimination of all Japanese forces from Guadalcanal due to …
1942-12-15