Tank Panic at Fedorovka*
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Series: 2nd Battle of Kharkov
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_Soviet Union*
_____vs.*
__Germany*

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Date: 12th of May, 1942*
0645 Hours*
Location: North-East of Kharkov*
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Designed By: Ts4EVER*
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Background 2nd Battle of Kharkov: Following the successful winter offensives in 1941, Stalin was keen to keep the pressure on the enemy, hoping to preempt another assault on Moscow with his own offensive. He was especially in favor of going on the offensive in the Kharkov sector, the city having fallen to the enemy in the summer of 1941. The attack was to be undertaken by the South-West-Front in a pincer movement, from the Barvenkovo salient and the Stariy Saltov bridgehead. Once massed artillery had broken through the German line, mobile group would be fed into the breaches to encircle AOK6 and reconquer Kharkov. However, due to supply issues, especially with artillery ammunition, as well as the undetected presence of German mobile reserves, the plan soon proved ill-advised...
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Briefing: You are in command of a battalion of the 226th Rifle Division, supported by engineers and tanks from the 36th tank brigade. The tanks are foreign models with very good armor, but they don't have HE ammunition, making the destruction of antitank guns problematic. Your task on this first day of the offensive:*
Cross the Babka river in a fast and decisive movement with your infantry and tanks. Then seize Hill 199 from the German forces occupying it and advance in the direction of Nepokrytaya. Clear mines along the river before advancing your tanks. Our artillery support is limited and we have no heavy guns on call, but the long stalemate allowed us to map out German defenses and prepare target reference points.
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You enemy is infantry in depleted battalion strength. They are part of "Gruppe Winkler", an improvised unit of the 294. Infanterie-Division. The enemy is positioned in trenches and had time to erect barbed wire obstacles and plant mines. We believe that they have antitank guns in support, but the armor of our English tanks should withstand most models.
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Historical Scenario, designed to be played as the Russians.
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POSSIBLE SPOILERS
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Historical outcome: The Russian attack in this sector was swift and well-prepared. General-Major Aleksandr Gorbatov's 226th Rifle-Division managed to cross the Babka river with a rifle battalion and 14 Matilda and Valentine tanks. Gruppe Winkler was dug-in, but after their only 5cm anti-tank piece was knocked out, the infantry panicked, much like the French and Russians had in 1940 and 1941. They abandoned their positions and retreated towards Nepokrytaya in an unorganized rout, the Russian tanks in Hot Pursuit, thus exposing the flank of Gruppe Reck in Peschanoye to the south.