To the green fields beyond*
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Series: 2nd Battle of Kharkov
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_Soviet Union*
_____vs.*
__Germany*

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Date: 13th of May, 1942*
1130 Hours*
Location: South 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: On the 9th October 1760, Frederick the Great's Berlin surrendered to a force of Austrian light cavalry and cossacks that had penetrated far behind Prussian lines on one of their feared raiding missions. As the commander of a task force belonging to the 137th Cavalry regiment, you find yourself part of that proud tradition. Yesterday Russian forces penetrated the enemy lines near Grushino with surprising ease, allowing deep exploitation towards Krasnograd. Under your command are two cavalry companies, a battery of light artillery and a platoon of BT fast tanks from 7th tank brigade. These light tanks are obsolete, but the only models quick enough to keep up with a cavalry advance.*
Your task is to reach and secure the bridge over the Orel river and move on in the direction of Krasnograd. On the way you are to annihilate the rest of the shattered enemy security forces, which are strung out along the road in panicked retreat. The destruction of enemy ammunition carriers and transport will net you additional victory points.
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Your enemy is the ill-fated 454. Sicherungs-Division. Ill equipped and ejected from their dugouts, they should be able to offer only little resistance, but they might have been able to tow away some of their light antitank guns.
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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: In a reverse of the situation of the previous day, the Russians were forced to turn their divisional artillery against the marauding Panzers, however, they only managed to knock out 3 of them before they were forced to retreat towards Nepokrytaya. Their flank in danger, the 226th Rifle Division was also forced to pull back from their spearhead positions near Kharkov. In a puzzling move, the Soviets had combined the 13th, 36th and 133rd into the ad hoc 22nd tank corps and pulled them from the line, exposing their infantry. Faced with the sudden German attack, parts of the corps were committed to stabilize the situation, but accomplished little for the cost of ten tanks.