Sowchos 79

Following the encirclement of 6th Army at Stalingrad, the Germans launched a relief effort from their bridgehead at Nizhna Chirskaya, 25 miles from the nearest troops of Sixth Army at Marinowka. The Chir River was to provide the left flank for the operation, and consequently, had to be held. Attempting …

1942-12-08

U28

Following the encirclement of 6th Army at Stalingrad, the Germans launched a relief effort from their bridgehead at Nizhna Chirskaya, 25 miles from the nearest troops of Sixth Army at Marinowka. The Chir River was to provide the left flank for the operation, and consequently, had to be held. Attempting to foil the German relief effort, the Russian 5th Tank Army attacked across the Chir and forced it's way past the left flank of the defending 336th Infantry Division, and on to Sowchos 79, a collective farm deep in the German rear. General Balck's 11th "Ghost" Panzer Division, just arriving in the area for Rostov to take part in the Stalingrad relief, was detoured to attack Sowchos 79 and restore the situation.

Southern, Russia

Operation Winter Storm a German offensive in December 1942 during World War II, involved the German 4th Panzer Army failing to break the Soviet encirclement of the German 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. In late November 1942 the Red Army had completed Operation Uranus, encircling some 300,000 Axis personnel in and around the city of Stalingrad. German forces within the Stalingrad pocket and directly outside were reorganized (22 November 1942) into Army Group Don and placed under the command of Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. The Red Army continued to allocate as many resources as possible to the planned Operation Saturn to isolate Army Group A from the rest of the German Army. To remedy the situation, the Luftwaffe attempted to supply German forces in Stalingrad through an air bridge. When the Luftwaffe failed and it became obvious that a breakout could succeed only if launched as early as possible, Manstein decided on a relief effort. Originally, Manstein was promised four panzer divisions. Due to German reluctance to weaken certain sectors by redeploying German units, the task of opening a corridor to the encircled German 6th Army fell to the 4th Panzer Army. The German force was pitted against several Soviet armies tasked with the destruction of the encircled German forces and their offensive around the lower Chir River.

German

Russian

Scenario Type = Standard