Ost Front 2

6 Scenarios for Advanced Squad Leader depicting the Soviet's drive for Minsk during Operation Bagration, the last week of June 1944. The Germans have deployed the 5th Panzer Division to Minsk, hoping to keep the escape routes open in the face of the onslaught of Red Army juggernaut. The Soviet armoured forces have burst through the German Army Group Centre's defensive front and are streaming westwards. The 5th Panzer Division, a formidable unit with near 300 tanks, and reinforced with Tiger Is of Schewere Panzer Abteilung 505, must fight to keep the roads and rail lines open, allowing for the remnants of the German 4th Army to escape. Scenario Information: Krupki Station, Russia, 28 June 1944: On 22 June, three years after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed: BARBAROSSA, the Red Army launched its own offensive, Operation BAGRATION in Byelorussia. By 28 June, the Red Army steamroller smashed through the German defences of Army Group Centre and were closing in on the city of Minsk. Hastily the Tigers of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 505 was rushed forward to a railway station outside the village of Krupki to block the Russians and keep the highway open... GERMAN FORCES: 3x AFV RUSSIAN FORCES: 10x AFV BOARDS: 4, 5, q, x GAME LENGTH: 4.5 Kostritsa, Russia, 29 June 1944: The Russian armoured forces fought a sharp engagement through the night, but finally managed to captured Krupki Station. As day broke, following up mechanized forces continued their westward advance, overtaking German stragglers as they went. The German 14th Infantry Division left its 11th Regiment as a rearguard on the approaches to Borisov, hoping to gain some time to allow the stragglers to get across the Berezina River... GERMAN FORCES: 6x Squads, 2x Leaders, 1x Gun, Fortifications RUSSIAN FORCES: 13x Squads, 3x Leaders, 2x AFV BOARDS: q GAME LENGTH: 6 Studenka, Russia, 29 June 1944: The Soviet juggernaut surged forward, overrunning German defences as it went. The 3rd Byelorussian Front closed on the city Minsk, but was struggling with German's 5th Panzer Division, to find a crossing of the Berezina River. As the Soviet armoured forces probed north of Borisov, they were being rebuffed by German Panzer-Abteilung Aufklarung 5 time after time... GERMAN FORCES: 6.5 x Squads, 3x Leaders, 1x Gun, 4x AFV RUSSIAN FORCES: 10x Squads, 2x Leaders, 10x AFV BOARDS: 40, 57 GAME LENGTH: 6 Borisov, Russia, 30 June 1944: The Soviet armoured spearheads were unstoppable - the Germans could only hope to buy time for the evacuation of Minsk. As five rifle divisions of the Soviet 11th Guards Army closed with Berezina River, the lead armoured foreces of the 3rd Guards Tank Corps smashed its way into Borisov, attempting to capture the bridges over the Berezina from the Germans who were trying to hold them open as long as possible to allow forces to evacuate across them... GERMAN FORCES: 8x Squads, 3x Leaders, Fortifications RUSSIAN FORCES: 15x Squads, 3x Leaders, 10x AFV BOARDS: 8, 51 GAME LENGTH: 8 Pleschenitsy, Russia, 1 July 1944: The Soviet spearheads were converging on Minsk from three directions (North, East, and South). The German's 5th Panzer Division with support of the Tigers of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 505 had mounted an effective defence east of Minsk, centred along the Moscow-Minsk Highway, intended to keep the railway lines open to allow evacuation of the city. The Soviets pushed the 5th Guards Tank Army north attempting to flank the strong German defences... GERMAN FORCES: 8x Squads, 3x Leaders, 2x Gun, 7x AFV RUSSIAN FORCES: 13x Squads, 3x Leaders, 18x AFV BOARDS: 4, 44, 57 GAME LENGTH: 8.5 Minsk, Russia, 3 July 1944: The Soviet Armoured spearheads closed in on the city from the North, East, and South; standing in their way was 1,800 poorly organized troops who were tasked to keep at bay, while the 35,000 unarmed stragglers, wounded, and rear echelon staff from Army Group Centre Headquarters could flee the city by train. In the early morning hours, the Soviets load up as many infantry as possible on to its tanks raced forward... GERMAN FORCES: 7x Squads, 2x Leaders, 1x Gun, Fortifications RUSSIAN FORCES: 7x Squads, 2x Leaders, 7x AFV BOARDS: 1, 49 GAME LENGTH: 5.5