Crisis at Slonim - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

Slonim, 160km SW of Minsk: [Best played as Axis] The successes of the armored spearheads against the Soviet Army in the opening days of Operation Barbarossa surpassed all expectations of the German High Command. In a matter of days the panzer groups drove deep into Russia, encircling huge numbers of enemy formations. But even though extensive preparations had been made to keep the panzers moving and supplied, there were only a few major roads to move those supplies on. This was the drawback of a blitzkrieg on such a scale that entire enemy divisions had been bypassed, creating a constant danger for the panzer units of having their supply lines cut. On 28 June, while the 3rd/39th Panzer Battalion pushed east towards Baranovichi, the strung out support units of the 17th Panzer Division wound their way through the narrow streets of Slonim. Suddenly infantry from the Soviet 29th Mechanized Division pounced from positions where they had hidden while the panzers passed and fell on the long German column.