Draconian Measures

Kharkov was again becoming the focal point for a major battle for the fourth and last time as the rampaging Red armies of Vatutin and Konev converged on the city—the site of huge German supply dumps. The first Soviets to reach the city belonged to an armored formation of the …

1943-08-13

DASL06

D06

Kharkov was again becoming the focal point for a major battle for the fourth and last time as the rampaging Red armies of Vatutin and Konev converged on the city—the site of huge German supply dumps. The first Soviets to reach the city belonged to an armored formation of the 57th Army which had crushed the 848th Grenadier Regiment of the 282nd Infantry Division on August 10th and rolled into the eastern part of the city where they took over the tractor plant and other factories. German morale collapsed to the point where imposition of draconian courts-martial was considered. However, the troops rallied and plans to shoot every tenth man of the division were dismissed. The 6th Panzer Division was hurriedly dispatched to counterattack in an effort to throw the Russians out of the city.

Kharkov, Russia

The Belgorod–Kharkov strategic offensive operation, or simply Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation, was a Soviet strategic summer offensive that aimed to recapture Belgorod and Kharkov (now Kharkiv)a , and destroy the German forces of the 4th Panzer Army and Army Detachment Kempf. The operation was codenamed Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev (Russian: Полководец Румянцев), after the 18th-century Field Marshal Peter Rumyantsev and was conducted by the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts (army groups) in the southern sector of the Kursk Bulge. The battle was referred to as the Fourth Battle of Kharkov by the Germans. The operation began in the early hours of 3 August 1943, with the objective of following up the successful Soviet defensive effort against the German Operation Citadel. The offensive was directed against the German Army Group South's northern flank. By 23 August, the troops of the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts had successfully seized Kharkov from German forces. It was the last time that Kharkov changed hands during the Soviet-German War. The operation led to the retreat of the German forces in Ukraine behind the Dnieper River and set the stage for the Battle of Kiev in autumn 1943.

German

Russian

Scenario Type = Deluxe