Raseiniai 24 June 1941

Last year Simon and I said we must have another Rommel game.  We finally made it!

This scenario is from the hexesandminiatures website.  All I have done is convert it from squares to hexes.

The Soviets start at the top of the map but the following images are nearly all taken form the Soviet side and so inverted.

The scenario's description of the battle states:

On 22 June 1941 Operation Barbarossa the German invasion of the USSR commenced.   In the north 
the 6th Panzer Division of Panzer Gruppe 4 advanced rapidly only to be unexpectedly  
counter-attacked by the Russian 2nd Tank Division.   A German division of largely light Pz35s found 
itself facing T34 and heavy KV tanks. 

I substituted Pz38s for the Pz35s but had all the right models for everything else.

I took the Soviet side and started with a mass of light armour - T26s and BT7s.

There are four victory locations, currently held by the Germans.

Wasting no time the Soviet counterattack started immediately against the two hamlets.

This is the centre one.

This is the one on the Soviet right-hand side.

PzIIs from Kampgruppe Seckendorff head off Soviet armour

which was aiming for the urban area of Raseiniai. 

Soviet armour strikes against the PzIIs as well as keeping up the pressure on the central hamlet.

The Soviets are just about to take the central hamlet.

They have secured the right-hand hamlet, but the German Kampgruppe Raus has arrived

and commenced trying to recapture it.

The battle is at the halfway point.

Soviet motorised infantry have arrived 

and are heading to the victory location in the woods (top of the image).

The Soviet heavy tank regiment has arrived and is heading for the hamlet

which is under attack by KG Raus.

The Soviets have dug in but are under intense pressure in the right-hand hamlet.

For how long will it remain the "red right-hand"?

The Soviets swap out the light tanks which were defending the hamlet

with some heavies.

The Soviet infantry clear the woods.

They now hold three of the four victory locations.

KG Raus continues its attacks on the right-hand hamlet.

Battered, the Soviet heavy tanks pull out to avoid annihilation.

The light armour of KG Raus makes spoiling attacks against Soviet armour

that could have been used to retake the right-hand hamlet 

or even make an attempt on Raseiniai.

While there is still a pair of turns remaining, both sides securely hold two victory locations,

but don't have the strength to mount any further attacks. 

Excellent scenario providing a challenging game.  Just a pity I made the labels for the light armour so big.  Whoops!