** Arctic Front: Far From Home - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

19 January, 1943

[Ekaterinovka, Rostov Oblast, 165 km Southeast from Rostov-on-Don] [H2H] [HIS] [CSL]
Having bled white in the heavy fighting over Caucasus during Fall Blau, SS-Panzer-Grenadier Division "Wiking" was finally pulled back from fighting and reinforced, with the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of SS-Nordland also receiving a new patch of volunteers. "Wiking" was then transferred to Ukraine, with an aim to participate in the relief effort towards the encircled 6th Army at Stalingrad.

As the division arrived to Ukraine late in December 1942, it was instead immediately involved in the heavy rearguard fighting of the retreating 4th Panzer Army. There was often no cohesive front, as the extreme cold forced the combatants into villages of the steppe. Over the coming days the division fell back through Zimovniki and Kuberle to Proletarskaya, where it held open the bridge over the Manych for the retreating Germans on their way to Rostov-on-Don via Salsk.

On 19 January 1943, RKKA infantry and artillery was spotted at the village of Ekaterinovka, threatening the vital Proletarskaya - Salks road connection. Supported by tanks and assault guns, the III (finn.)/Nordland proceeded to swiftly secure the village. As the fight over the village was still in full, they were warned of a strong RKKA formation moving over the open steppe towards Ekaterinovka. As the situation deteriorated, the pinned battalion found out it was the only German force available to stop the determined Soviet 99th Bde from trapping the German elements in the area.

(Scenario picture: T-34 on fire outside Ekaterinovka village. Picture from: M. Jokipii "Panttipataljoona")

[** Requires players to install Forgotten Battles Mod version 2.0 or newer **]

[ALL: AF OPT] [FORGOTTEN BATTLES 2.0]