"Come back here ya coward, it's only a flesh wound..." SFS Round 2 Sitrep Thread!!

[Toten Tanz]

From the Regimental Combat Diary of the 28th/18 Panzer Regiment, Col Eckhardt (Toten Tanz) commanding

Date: July 3, 1941
Location: Lipki, Belarus
Weather: Clear with a slight haze, visibility good.
Entry Time: 15.30 hours (Turn 12)

The battalion guns of 88th/18 Recon Btl fired against the infantry E of Lipki with no results. The armored cars of 2 Co. counter attacked the BT-7s that had attacked them W of Novosady Station. They destroyed 2 with cannon fire, and forced the lone survivor to retreat. Capt. Gerbardt led the tanks of 1 Co., I/28 PZ; minus 2 Plt, towards Novosady Station, in order to ensure that the Regimental objectives to the W of it stayed secure.

3 Co.,88th/18 Recon Btl, meanwhile, attacked the Russian forces facing it along the Povodista road; to the NE of Lipki. 2Plt, flanked the Russian forces and engaged the infantry from the rear; throwing them into confusion. 2Plt, 1 Co. came forward to engage the Russian tanks from the rear. The Russians fired on them as they moved into postion; destroying a PSW 222. The attached 50mm ATGs from 4th Co. were brought forward and destroyed the Russian tanks as they engaged the armored cars. The attack came to a conclusion as 3 Plt assaulted the Russian infantry; destroying the enemy platoon. Some 50 Russian intantry were killed or wounded.

Around Lipki, Maj. Schede directed the 75mm fire from the MkIVs of 6 Co., II/28 Pz, against the infantry to the E of Lipki. They drove an infantry and MG platoon from their postions. It is estimated that 20-30 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded. Afterwards, Col. Eckhardt realigned the units around Lipki as to better respond to any threat from the E, or Lipki Ridge.

That threat soon materialized. Smoke covered Lipki Ridge, due to numerous buring tanks. From out of that smoke rumbled the Russian KVs. They attacked the Regimental line at several placed to the E and SW of Lipki. Cannon fire was exchanged, and no losses were suffered on either side.They advanced to within 250m at places. Addiditonally, Russian infantry infiltrated back into their previous postions in the woods to the E.

3 Plt, 1 Co., 88th/18 Recon Btl., finished making a long sweeping move to the E of the Romanivka forest. It took up a blocking position on the western edge of Kurganovka; some 5.5KM behind the Russian forces. Russian trucks had been seen heading E from Lipki Ridge, along the Moscow Motor Hiway. The move by 3 Plt. put Regimental forces across their expectd route. The Russian trucks changed directions and headed to the SE, once they saw their path was blocked. The T-26 company to the E of Lipki reacted to this threat and move out towards Kurganovka.

The Light Plt, of 2 Co., I/28 Pz advanced E from Lipki, out of LOS of the Russian tanks on the high ground. It's intent was to move through the woods to the E. of the Russian infantry, and make a thrust at cutting the Moscow Motor Hiway behind the Russian forces. A Russian HQ unit unknowingly advanced to within 250m of the Light Plt.

German Losses:
8 x PzIIF
14 x PzIII of various models
3 x Pz IV
5 x PSW Armored Cars of various models.
1 x Prime Mover
2 x ATG
Cpt. Fegelien - KIA

Russian Losses:
5 x T-26
47 x BT-7
18 x T-34M40
10 x Trucks
10 x BA-20
2 x ATG
43 x Inf Squads (approx 335-KIA/WIA 50-PW)
1 x Russian HQ.
2 x Russian officer - KIA