Matrix Games

Location : Russia
Opponents : Axis & Russians
Date :   22 JUN 1941
Scale : 50 KM per hex

Description :

FELDZUG IM OSTEN 1941 OPERATION BABAROSSA The German attack on Russia (This scenario is set at army/corps level for those of us who wish to finish a PBEM game in under a year!) Date: 22 June 1941 Location: Russia Map scale: 50km per hex Time scale: Full-week turns Unit Scale: Division/Corps/Army Length: 28 Turns UNIT COLORS: RUSSIAN Red on Red: Moscow Sector Red on Dk Red: Southwest Front Black on Dk Red: Northern Front Green on Dk Red: Northwestern Front Dk Red on Dk Red: Western Front Grey on Dk Red: Southern Front Black on Red: Air Force Tan on Red: Partisans AXIS White on Grey: Army Group North Grey on Grey: Army Group Center Brown on Grey: Army Group South Black on Grey: SS Blue on Grey: Luftwaffe Blue on Olive: Slovakia Orange on Green: Rumania Reddish Brown on Green: Italy Lt Tan on Lt Grey: Baltic Partisan Red on Olive: Hungary Red on Blue: Bulgaria Red on Lt Blue: Croatia Lt Blue on White: Finnland SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: Croatia and Bulgaria are fully activated by an event. **************************** Scenario design by: Col Wayne Close wayneclose@sbcglobal.net Sources: Der Zweite Weltkrieg by Janusz Piekalkiewicz The Soviet Air Force in World War II by The Ministry of Defense of the USSR Barbarossa by TSR/SPI BRIEFING: "The German Armed Forces must be prepared to crush Soviet Russia in a quick campaign even before the conclusion of the war against England." Fuehrer Directive 21, 18 December 1940 "At dawn on 22 June 1941, the fascist German army treacherously attacked the Soviet Union with millions of men. A blow of immense force suddenly crashed against our ground forces, airfields, railroad systems, army bases, and cities located in the border zone. After massive preliminary artillery and air attacks, German troops invaded the territory of the USSR. Over a huge expanse from the Baltic to the Black Sea unfolded bloody and ferocious batles on a scale hitherto unknown." The Soviet Air Force in World War II On Sunday , 22 June 1941, the sun rose over the western border of the Soviet Union at 4:43 AM. At that moment the last of the trains filled with raw materials bound for Germany from Russia crossed the frontier at Brest-Litovsk. The usually friendly German sentries, instead of greeting the Soviet border guards, opened fire. Operation Barbarossa had commenced. Forward Soviets outposts were caught completely by surprise. One radioed for instructions, "We are under attack. What should we do?" The unhelpful reply, "Are you insane? Why is your transmission not in code?" The German offensive swept up whole Soviet armies in encircling manuevers. By 30 September the Soviets had lost 2,500,000 men, 22,000 guns, 18,000 tanks and 14,000 aircraft. Then the autumn rains came, slowing the Nazi advance. Nonetheless, by 20 October German forces were within forty miles of Moscow. The final push on the city, Operation Typhoon, reached the outskirts but snow, bitter cold and Soviet resistance stopped the advance. By 31 November German losses exceeded 743,000 men, about 23 per cent of the initial invasion force. On 6 December the Soviet counterattack struck. One hundred divisions pounded the German lines, driving them back. It was going to be a long struggle.