Firefight 1 – Panzerkoloss Ahead

Tank battle at Raseiniai - 26th June 1941

General Situation: Spearheading the German attack were the mobile forces of General Hoepners 4th tank group, mainly revolving around the
41st and the 56th tank corps. Primary goal of this early stage was getting past Memel and Düna in order to erect bridgeheads, to which
German command relied heavily in their plans for the march onto Leningrad. On the first day already, German armored groups managed to
cross the Memel and penetrate 50 miles into enemy territory. Although the retreating Soviets fought desperately, they were unable to cope
with the sheer force of the German tanks and had to suffer the humiliation of watching the German attack advance seemingly unhindered at
rapid pace. At this point, however, no definite intelligence concerning the whereabouts of larger, battle-ready Soviet forces was available to
German commanders, leading to severe miscalculations and strategic mistakes. This resulted in the 41st corps, having just crushed another
soviet infantry division, being caught in a heavy counterattack near the little hamlet of Raseinai.
The 3rd and the 12th mechanized Red Army corps started their riposte using nearly 300 tanks and large numbers of reconnaissance
vehicles. Their aim, as defined by Soviet commanders Kurkin and Shestapolov, was to flank the German tanks, thereby hindering and, if
possible, ultimately stopping their advance. Much to their dismay, however, their main battle arrays were spotted by German planes and
bombed by JU-88 shortly after. Without any protection by Soviet airplanes, those bombing runs bore devastating results for Kurkin and
Shestapolov, seriously weakening their counterattack before it even reached full velocity. Still, the Red Army could count on one heavy
advantage: As it turned out, German weaponry such as the common 3,7cm anti-tank gun had a ridiculously low chance of being able to even
do as much as just put a dent into the super-heavy KV tanks. The monstrosities tore through German defenses as if they were but sheets of
paper, wreaking havoc and even threatening German artillery positions in the far rear. Those German officers able to withstand the general
panic urgently called for reinforcements - a great armored clash began to loom on the horizon.

Firefight Overview: The battle of tanks rages on without any side having gained any significant advantage. The Germans, however, managed
to have parts of their vanguard turned around 180 degrees, thereby enabling them to rejoin the fray. These units are now on the verge of
reuniting with their fellows, thereby trapping the Soviet forces between two fronts. The Red Army, quite aware of the looming peril, sent a
ragtag force to force a corridor through German lines in order to allow their comrades to escape the pressure. The German tanks, advancing
from the south as well as the north, will have to stop that from happening at all costs.

Historical Notes: The Soviets were unable to make use of their advantage since the attack hit the front lines and not, as they had expected,
the flank of the 41st tank corps. During nearly 4 days of battle, the Germans managed to outmaneuver and demoralize the mechanized soviet
forces, encircling them, forcing them to leave behind most of their tanks and trucks burning. Only a small part of the red army personnel
managed to pull off a breakout and escape the German tanks. The battle of Raseinai was one of the first major tank battles on the eastern
front and stands out as being the only tank battle in the northern sector. The mechanized corps fielded here by the Red Army were soon to
vanish from the theatre of war: Witnessing the severe defeats inflicted on them, STAVKA deemed them obsolete. Their bad performance
however owed more to a lack of able, well-trained officers, chaos in supreme command and crippling shortages of gear as well as fuel. As a
matter of fact, at the outbreak of the war, most mechanized corps were neither sufficiently supplied with men and heavy gear nor stationed
were they were supposed to be, forcing their commanders to respond to German aggression while at the same time wasting time trying to
cope with their highly improvised surroundings. Later the Soviet mechanized corps were to experience a revival, being reorganized after
German fashion and then redeployed on a large scale.

Commanders: 2 Initiative: Soviets on Round 1.

CAP Allocation per Round: Germans – 12 CAPs Soviets – 10 CAPs Soviet CAP adjustments duo to casualties cannot fall under 4.

Action Cards: Use only green actions cards under #30. Each commander receives 2 cards in round 1 and 1 card each round thereafter.

Map-Setup: Maps 2 and 12. Place neutral control markers (either the polish ones or coins) on hexes 2-D10, 12-F04, 12-E16 and 12-L10.
 Special Rules:
Communication failure - Soviet tanks were not equipped with two-way radios, forcing them to use flags and hand signs as means of
communication. Of course this did not prove to be an effective way to relay orders and sit-reps during combat situations - and on top of this,
commanding officers tended to hog the few existing phone lines for dubious purposes such as informing Moscow that they're still alive and that
their families did not have to be arrested for being related to a traitor. Soviet Tanks cannot perform group actions.

Terrain - the potato fields count only as slightly uneven terrain. Tanks do receive their bonus movements just as they would in open fields.

German Forces: 41st Tank Corps of the 4rd Tank Group

Setup Round 1: Mixed tank elements and Backup-Support of the 1st PD, enter anywhere along the northern edge of Map 12.

1x PzIIIe 2x PIIf 1x D7 1x PrP36 1x Rifle 1x LMG 1x 251/1

th
Setup Round 1: Mixed tank elements of the 6 PD, enter anywhere along the southern edge of Map 12.

1x PzIIIh 1x Pz38t 2x Pz35t 1x PZ Ive 1x PzJg 35r

Setup Round 3: Antiaircraft-detachment, enter anywhere along the northern or southern edge of Map 12.

1x Flak18 1x OPEL

Orders: This is it - as soon as we have them encircled entirely, we will crush them under our boots. Hold the line until the vanguard returns to
battle, then finish them off. Watch out for those KV-monstrosities, though: They ripped our lines open when their counterattack started, and I'd
hate to see that happen here. I've sent you an 88-FLAK; that beauty should be able to do the trick: Crack those KV like walnuts and avenge our
fellow Germans. At any costs, do not let the Bolsheviks escape!

Victory Points:
1 VP – Immediately score for every Russian unit eliminated.
2 VP – Immediately score for destroying a KV-Tank.
3 VP – Per control marker at the end of the firefight.

Soviet Forces: Elements of the 3th and 12th mechanized Corps.

Setup Round 1: Mixed reinforced Tank Platoon, enter anywhere along the western edge of Map 2.

2x KV1a 1x KV2a 2x BT-7 3x BT-5 3x T-26b 2x BA-10

Setup Round 2: Motorized Infantry Platoon, enter anywhere along the western edge of Map 2.

3x Rifles 3x Trucks

Orders: Comrades! The Germans are trying to encircle us! Fuel and provisions are running sparse - we have to break out immediately or face
a gruesome death. High Command conferred upon us the honor of being first to break through enemy lines. Our blood will open up a corridor
through which our brethren can escape to fight for Mother Russia once more!
Victory Points
1 VP – Immediately score for every German unit eliminated.
2 VP – For every surviving KV-Tank at the end of the firefight.
3 VP – Per control marker at the end of the firefight.
Round I Round II Round III Round IV Round V
Initiative: Reinforcements: Reinforcements: Score
Soviets Soviets Germans Each Marker
GAME END