Preparing The Way

The Soviet wave swept inexorably toward the borders of the Reich—but in those isolated instances where replenished German armored units were encountered, they still proved masters of the battlefield. During the night of August 14th, the 3rd Panzer Division detrained at Kielce in southern Poland to halt the advance of …

1944-08-16

DASL09

D09

The Soviet wave swept inexorably toward the borders of the Reich—but in those isolated instances where replenished German armored units were encountered, they still proved masters of the battlefield. During the night of August 14th, the 3rd Panzer Division detrained at Kielce in southern Poland to halt the advance of a Russian breakthrough during the collapse of Army Group Center. In order to allow his division the time it needed to prepare for the counterattack, and to ready the path, the German commander formed an armored task force from the first units unloaded. The mixed force was placed under the command of Lt. Zobel who was ordered to seize the bridges at Ostroviec in preparation for the division’s advance on Opatov. On his first approach, however, three Panthers were lost to enemy fire and he fell back into nearby woods. Realizing that the element of surprise had been lost, and pressed for time, Zobel decided to boldly attack again before the Russian garrison was reinforced. As part of his task force created a diversion to the south, Zobel led a contingent of Panthers and infantry which forced entry into the town.

Ostroviec, Poland

Operation Doppelkopf and the following Operation Cäsar were German counter-offensives on the Eastern Front in the late summer of 1944 in the aftermath of the major Soviet advance in Operation Bagration with the aim of restoring a coherent front between Army Group North and Army Group Centre. The operation's codename was a reference to the German card game Doppelkopf. By the end of July 1944, Soviet mechanised forces had reached the Gulf of Riga following their headlong advance in the Kaunas and Šiauliai Offensives, part of the third and final 'pursuit' phase of the strategic offensive Operation Bagration. The Soviet 2nd Guards Army had exploited a breach between the German Sixteenth Army of Army Group North and the neighbouring Third Panzer Army of Army Group Centre, and severed the connection between them. German counter-attacks failed to restore it, and significant elements of the German armed forces were left isolated. The Oberkommando des Heeres made immediate plans for an offensive to restore the connection between the two Army Groups.

German

Russian

Scenario Type = Deluxe