Across the Luga - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

Porechye, 110km SW of Leningrad: [Best played as Axis] By early July 1941, the German panzer formations of Army Group North had shattered the Soviet divisions facing them and battered their way through the defenses of the Stalin Line. The jumping off position for the planned attack on Leningrad had been reached. The blow against Russia's northern metropolis was to be struck through the narrow neck of land between Lake Ilmen and the Gulf of Finland, but the Soviets had thrown up another defensive line along the Luga River. While Manstein's 56th Pz Corps pounded against the southern end of the river line, General Hoepner commanding 4th Panzer Group flung the 41st Pz Corps along bad roads and swampy ground to the north. On July 14th the spearhead of the 6th Panzer Division, under Colonel Raus, was southwest of Porechye. Raus's mission was to seize the bridges across the Luga from survivors of the 125th Rifle Division and elements of the 56th Tank Regiment to open the route to Leningrad.