|
Platypus -> RE: Some German divisions missing in WIR, provide list? (3/14/2010 10:17:51 AM)
|
And on the subject of Brandenburger Units - here is a good source for some of their Operations behind-the-lines in Russia.
These units were small, however, their effectiveness in this type of operation was significantly disproportionate to their size. The question is though, how to model this in the game.
Is there any way to code the elements of such operations by combining the elements of"surprise & audacity" into the game engine so that special forces operations are properly added to the experience?
"In early August 1942, a Brandenburger unit of 62 Baltic and Sudeten Germans led by Freiherr Adrian von Fölkersam penetrated farther into enemy territory than any other German unit.
They had been ordered to seize and secure the vital Maikop oilfields. Disguised as dreaded NKVD men, and driving Soviet trucks, Fölkersam’s unit passed through the Soviet front lines and moved deep into hostile territory.
The Brandenburgers ran into a large group of Red Army deserters fleeing from the front. Fölkersam saw an opportunity to use them to the unit’s advantage. By persuading them to return to the Soviet cause, he was able to join with them and move almost at will through the Russian lines.
Operating under false identity of NKVD Major Truchin based in Stalingrad, Fölkersam explained his role in recovering the deserters to the Soviet commander in charge of Maikop's defenses.
The commander not only believed Fölkersam, but the next day gave him a personal tour of the city's defenses. By August 8, the German spearheads were only 12 miles away.
The Brandenburgers made their move. Using grenades to simulate an artillery attack, they knocked out the military communications center for the city. Fölkersam then went to the Russian defenders and told them that a withdrawal was taking place.
Having seen Fölkersam with their commander and lacking any communications to rebut or confirm his statement, the Soviets began to evacuate Maikop. The German spearhead entered the city without a fight on August 9, 1942.
This is only one example of the hundreds of missions performed by the Brandenburgers during the advance into Russia.
By 1943, the most common mission assignment was long range reconnaissance. During the 1942 advance of Heeresgruppe Süd
Army Group South in Ukraine, the Brandenburgers revived their role from the early days of the campaign, forging ahead of the Panzer columns, seizing bridges, road and rail junctions, and attacking the Soviet command and control structure. Mostly, these missions were performed by units of 20-60 Brandenburgers, dressed as Soviets and driving captured Red Army vehicles.
Between January and April 1943, the Brandenburgers were expanded to the size of a division , and specialized subunits for U-boat crews, air defense, artillery, tank, antitank and combat engineering were created. Men were transferred from the Afrika Korps and Kriegsmarine, and also Muslims from Yugoslavia and volunteers from India."
Source: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Brandenburgers
cheers
|
|
|
|
