Bloody Nose at Zhlobin - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

Zhlobin, USSR (Play as Axis vs. computer): By early July 1941 General Model's 3rd Panzer Division, in the vanguard of Army Group Center, had reached the Dnepr River north of Zhlobin and began preparing a cross-river assault. On July 6 the commander of 3rd Panzer's tank regiment (then in reserve) was informed that a German infantry division attacking Zhlobin from the south was in trouble; its advance units had been repulsed and were bogged down well short of the objective. His panzer regiment was ordered to break through the Russian lines north of Zhlobin and strike southeast towards the town to remedy the situation. At his disposal were some 80 panzers of mixed types, evenly divided between two battalions. (The regiment's armored recon battalion would not be available for this mission, as it was already engaged elsewhere.) The commander decided that, once the enemy line was breached, his 1st Panzer Battalion would drive on Zhlobin to the north of the railroad embankment while the 2nd would move on a parallel course, on the other side of the rail line, to take Zhlobin from the south... As expected the regiment had little difficulty brushing aside the Soviet infantry manning the initial defenses. On cue, the regiment's 2nd Battalion crossed the rail line at a point northeast of the embankment then swung towards the Dnepr, while the 1st embarked on its own thrust. The approaches to Zhlobin seemed clear...