The Enemy at the Gates - Advance of the Reich

Size: Huge. Playtime: 2+ Hours Play Type: Best Solo as German or H2H. Recommended Optional Rules: Alternate fire density; Vehicle Fire Over; Optional Assault Rule. \\STALINGRAD, RUSSIA, 15 SEPTEMBER 1942. \\Tactical Situation: As 6th Army approached Stalingrad, Soviet resistance and fanatacism grew stronger. The city that bore Stalin's name became a propaganda tool for the Soviets to rally the battered Red Army. Stalin's Order 227 "Concerning Measures for strengthening Discipline and Preventing Unauthorized Retreat from Combat Positions" forbade withdrawal except under direct attack by superior enemy forces. Thus the Red Army fought tenaciously for every inch of ground, trying to buy time for the units around Stalingrad to prepare proper defenses. Whenever the Germans made too fast a gain, 62nd Army would issue orders for immediate counter-attacks to retake what was lost, no matter how suicidal the odds of success. In this way the German advance was slowed down; more importantly, each Soviet counterattack inflicted casualties on the Nazi's, sapping the Wehrmacht's pool of irreplaceable veterans. \By the evening of 13 September, the main body of 6th Army had reached the outskirts of the city. General Paulus planned to pause his advance for a day to refit & allow the supply columns catch up. Anticipating such a pause, Soviet General Chuikov planned to counterattack just before dawn on the 14th. Gambling that he might catch the Germans off guard and inflict heavy casualties, Chuikov ordered all units in the Central and Factory Sectors out of their defenses and into the attack. \\Under cover of darkness and light fog, 62nd Army made modest gains in the central sector and the surprised Germans scrambled to organize a defense; but as the morning clouds broke, a non-stop procession of Stuka's appeared overhead like Hornets - 60 screaming down at a time - and decimated the exposed Russians. Within a span of 30 minutes many Red Army units simply ceased to exist; Chuikov's gamble had failed. Seizing the opportunity, the German 71st Infantry Division blitzed through the dazed & demoralized 62nd Army remnants and thrust deep into the Central City area, reaching Railroad Station #1 by noon and within sight of the Volga by evening.\\In contrast the fighting in the Southern Stalingrad Sector was less eventful. The 24th Panzer Division's Panzer-Grenadiers spent the entire day of the 14th rooting out a handful of NKVD fanatics in the Smirnov Leather Works just outside the city. At a cost of 4 dead and 50 wounded, the Leather Works was captured. The Division Commander, General Lemski, was concerned that his meager force of elite Grenadiers were being worn down ever further in costly urban combat. Realizing he could not sustain such losses indefinately, Lemski planned a bold strike for the 15th; he would blitz his panzers and mounted grenadiers in a dash deep into the heart of the Southern City, seize key locations and link up with 71st Infantry Division. He divided his Panzer Division into two Kampfgruppe; KG Edelsheim would race into the city while KG Hillermann would follow behind later and mop up bypassed pockets of resistance. Lemski gathered his commanders together the evening of the 14th and issued Division Order #60:\\"24.Pz will be ready at 0330 15Sep1942 with tightly concentrated forces in a surprise assault to break through the enemy defensive position. At 0530, a thrust with one Kampfgruppe will bound non-stop from positions west of Maximovskii RR Station, drive east following the rail line north of the Yelshanka River to the Locomotive House. It will then follow the main rail line north and take Railway Station #2 into possession. By swift penetration, the enemy will be denied the possibility to set up new defenses as he has previously done. Once secure, continue along the rail line Northward to link up with 71st Infantry Division at the rail bridge across the Tsaritsa River. The second kampfgruppe will complete the destruction and clearing out of the penetrated sectors after the successful breakthrough." \\As the commander of Kampfgruppe Edelsheim, you are to break through enemy defenses and drive like hell for Rail Station #2. Do not get your panzers bogged down in streetfighting; leave that for your infantry to mop up. Once you have taken the Rail Station, push up the rail line to the Tsaritsa River bridge. Plan to establish defenses in key buildings along the path (noted by VP hexes) and prepare to hold your gains against enemy counterattack. \\Historical Result: The Germans secured their various objectives, but were unable to form a continuous line of defense. Thus bypassed Red Army units were able to freely move back towards the Volga and establish a new defensive line anchored on the Grain Elevator and running north to the Tsaritsa River. A brigade of elite Naval Infantry was fed into the Southern Sector, insuring the Germans would pay dearly for every buidling. The chance for a quick capture of the city had passed. Now the fight would be close quarter. It would take over a week to clear the Russians out of the Grain Elevator. \\Design Notes: The impassable area represents the sectors of the German 94th and 29th Infantry Division's who were fighting to the south of the Yelshanka River and did not mix with the 24th Panzer's assault. Russian forces are 'fixed' at start to reflect the surprise & paralysis from the unexpected German thrust. KG Hellerman units are fixed for the entire scenario and are provided for reference only. Historically German air support was available on a planned rotation schedule. To reflect this, air strikes have varying arrival times that increase in length. The German player needs to request all airstrikes on his first turn - the airstrikes are designed to arrive in sequence throughout the scenario. A lot of artillery support is available at start; realize that in a long scenario like this, you must refrain from using up all your artillery support early on. The Grain Elevator has no VP value. Historically the Germans did not secure the Grain Elevator on the 15th - a decision they would highly regret later.