Clash at Borisovka

The German offensive to retake Kharkov put the Russian Voronezh Front in disarray. Shortages of fuel and ammo hampered the Russians. The siutation got worse on March 13th when the Grossdeutschland Division attacked north of Kharkov along the seam between the 40th and 69th Armies. Penetrating deep …

1943-03-14

S021

The German offensive to retake Kharkov put the Russian Voronezh Front in disarray. Shortages of fuel and ammo hampered the Russians. The siutation got worse on March 13th when the Grossdeutschland Division attacked north of Kharkov along the seam between the 40th and 69th Armies. Penetrating deep into the Russian lines, the armored elements, including a company of Tigers, turned northeast in the direction of Tomarovka. The Russian command committed the 3rd Guards Tank Corps to slow down the German advance.

Borisovka, Russia

The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov (today Kharkiv) between 19 February and 15 March 1943. Known to the German side as the Donets Campaign, and in the Soviet Union as the Donbas and Kharkov operations, the German counterstrike led to the recapture of the cities of Kharkov and Belgorod. As the German 6th Army was encircled in Stalingrad, the Red Army undertook a series of wider attacks against the rest of Army Group South. These culminated on 2 January 1943 when the Red Army launched Operation Star and Operation Gallop, which between January and early February broke German defenses and led to the Soviet recapture of Kharkov, Belgorod, Kursk, as well as Voroshilovgrad and Izium. The Soviet victories caused participating Soviet units to over-extend themselves, though this was largely due to Manstein's strategy of controlled retreat towards the Dnieper. Freed on 2 February by the surrender of the German 6th Army, the Red Army's Central Front turned its attention west and on 25 February expanded its offensive against both Army Group South and Army Group Center. Months of continuous operations had taken a heavy toll on the Soviet forces and some divisions were reduced to 1,000–2,000 combat effective soldiers. On 19 February, Field Marshal Erich von Manstein launched his Kharkov counterstrike, using the fresh II SS Panzer Corps and two panzer armies.

Russian

German

Scenario Type = Starter Kit