UPDATE: Storm Over East Prussia

After a delay due to the refurbishing of my new house, the first two scenarios in this series are more or less ready! Good to be designing again! I hope to finish this series before the end of the year. It will cover battles from Lituania (Memel) to the fall of Königsberg in 1945. Most scenarios will be "Tiger-heavy"; so check back regularly for the last updates!

Storm Over Eastprussia - upcoming new series

As I've let you know, I'm working on a new series about the battles for Eastprussia. Right now I'm studying quite a few books about these battles and some related battles in the near vicinity.
If you're interested, here are the links to the books I'm currently reading on the subject!

NEW - ENH FR Slaughterhouse Halbe - 1945

SLAUGHTERHOUSE HALBE**
German Attack - Soviet Defense*
Halbe, Germany, 1800 hrs April 28, 1945*
Turns 20*

Design: Dutchiexx*
MADE FOR ENHANCED FR**


SCENARIO NOTES:**
After two unsuccesfull tries, on the night of April 28 the Germans tried another mass breakout from around Halbe. They managed to break through the 50th Guards Rifle Division and created a corridor from Halbe to the west but they paid a very high price. During the 28th and 29th the Soviets reinforced the flanks and attacked from the south poring in Katyusha rockets and shells concentrating on the area around the Halbe.*
By this time the Germans were spread over a wide area. The rearguard was at Storkow and the vanguard had linked up with the 12th Army at Beelitz. There were large groups around Halbe. The Soviet battle plan was to split the caterpillar into segments and then destroy each segment individually. The German battle plan was to continue moving west as fast as possible keeping the corridor open.*
The situation in Halbe was desperate for the Germans, orders were still being issued to recognisable formations, but these were by now all mixed up. There was considerable tension between Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht soldiers with both accusing the other of helping their own comrades while ignoring the plight of the other. In Halbe itself some of the civilians took pity on very young solders "kindersoldaten" and allowed them to change out of their uniforms into civilian clothes.*
In one documented case an SS man appeared at the door of a cellar intending to shoot a Panzerfaust into a cellar with about 40 civilians and young Wehrmacht soldiers in it, only to be shot dead by one of the soldiers.*
During the following days, the fighting became more and more confused. If the Germans came into contact with Soviet forces and overran a Soviet position, the Soviets counter-attacked not only with ground forces but with artillery and aircraft. Losses on both sides were very high. By the time the fighting was over, (around the end of April, begining of May), about 25,000 German soldiers had managed to escape to join up with the 12th Army on the eastern side of Reichstrasse 2 the road running north south through Beelitz.*
Although this was the end of the battle it was not the end of the breakout. The 12th and 9th Armies remnants then fought a fighting retreat westwards towards the Elbe so that they could surrender to the Americans.**

PLAYER NOTES:**
Your mission is to break through the Soviet defense line In Halbe. You have to open a corridor to the west. It is our last chance to escape the Russian steamroller!**

NEW Scenario: Slaughterhouse Halbe

SLAUGHTERHOUSE HALBE**

German Attack - Soviet Defense*
Halbe, Germany*
1800 hrs April 28, 1945*
Turns 20*
Scenario Size: Small**

Design: Henk "Dutchiexx" Neumann*
Dutchiexx@spwaw.com**

MADE FOR ENHANCED**





SCENARIO NOTES:**

After two unsuccesfull tries, on the night of April 28 the Germans tried another mass breakout from around Halbe. They managed to break through the 50th Guards Rifle Division and created a corridor from Halbe to the west but they paid a very high price. During the 28th and 29th the Soviets reinforced the flanks and attacked from the south poring in Katyusha rockets and shells concentrating on the area around the Halbe.*
By this time the Germans were spread over a wide area. The rearguard was at Storkow and the vanguard had linked up with the 12th Army at Beelitz. There were large groups around Halbe. The Soviet battle plan was to split the caterpillar into segments and then destroy each segment individually. The German battle plan was to continue moving west as fast as possible keeping the corridor open.*
The situation in Halbe was desperate for the Germans, orders were still being issued to recognisable formations, but these were by now all mixed up. There was considerable tension between Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht soldiers with both accusing the other of helping their own comrades while ignoring the plight of the other. In Halbe itself some of the civilians took pity on very young solders "kindersoldaten" and allowed them to change out of their uniforms into civilian clothes.*
In one documented case an SS man appeared at the door of a cellar intending to shoot a Panzerfaust into a cellar with about 40 civilians and young Wehrmacht soldiers in it, only to be shot dead by one of the soldiers.*
During the following days, the fighting became more and more confused. If the Germans came into contact with Soviet forces and overran a Soviet position, the Soviets counter-attacked not only with ground forces but with artillery and aircraft. Losses on both sides were very high. By the time the fighting was over, (around the end of April, begining of May), about 25,000 German soldiers had managed to escape to join up with the 12th Army on the eastern side of Reichstrasse 2 the road running north south through Beelitz.*
Although this was the end of the battle it was not the end of the breakout. The 12th and 9th Armies remnants then fought a fighting retreat westwards towards the Elbe so that they could surrender to the Americans.**

PLAYER NOTES:**

Your mission is to break through the Soviet defense line In Halbe. You have to open a corridor to the west.**

Battle for Koenigsberg - East Prussia

In the near future I will design a series of scenarios playing in and around the old East Prussian capital Königsberg. To give you a taste of what's waiting for you, I'll publish some pictures of the actual battle in and aroud this city.

Battle For Königsberg

Here's a great book I received as a Christmas present from my kids. It depicts the battle for Königsberg in East Prussia. The author not only presents the events from a strictly military point of view, but takes into account the views of the normal citizens and their hardships.

Escape From East Prussia

In the last few days I've been reading parts of "Flucht über die Ostsee 1944/45 im Bild" (Escape Over The Baltic Sea 1944/45 in Pictures) by Heinz Schön. I's published by Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. ISBN 3-613-01061-5.



Thought I'd share some of the wealth of impressive pictures with you.

Königsberg after the British bombardments of august 1944.

Russian infantry 1944 in the Baltic

Pitiful rest of a treck on the Frisches Haff

Upcoming NEW Scenario...

ENH Clash At Prawiedniki. Based on pictures of a small Polish village near the Polish-Soviet border by my friend Janek 'JMN'. I've turned the map into a a little scenario where a German battlegroup tries to regain some terrain on the Soviets.

NEW Scenario: First Blood At The Jungle Fortress - 1941

First Blood At The Jungle Fortress
Germany Assault - USSR Defend

Finland, near Salla

0900 hrs 01 July 1941

Turns 35

Scenario Size: Medium

C&C Friendly

MADE FOR ENH 2009

Visit:
http://www.spwaw.com/
and
http://www.spwawfort.blogspot.com/

SCENARIO NOTES:
Take the Russian line of resistance and secure the railroadline to Murmansk. Viel Glueck!

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
Northern Finland, 1941. Near Sallo. The soldiers of Feiges XXXVI Corps, in the Central Corridor, attacked on the afternoon of 1 July, surging forward with the arctic sun at their backs. In the midst of the Midnight Sun season, day and night had lost their meaning; it was bright daylight around the clock, as the sun simply moved around the sky in a huge circle.

The ill-trained SS-Infantry Regiments 6 and 7 of SS-Division NORD experienced a baptism of fire that would have shaken soldiers of even thebest-trained units. In a frontal attack against what came to be known as The Jungle Fortress Of Salla, these unprepaired units hurled themselves against the Red Armys 42d Rifle Corps, consisting of the 104th and the 112d Rifle Divisions, reinforced by about fifty tanks. This and the subsequent frontal attacks not only failed, but caused the combat novices of the SS-Infantry Regimants to panic.

This disaster had numerous causes. Lack of adequate reconnaissance effectively blinded leaders at all levels. Indirect preparatory fires, both from artillery and Stuka divebombers, began a massive conflagration in the thoroughly dried-out forrest through which the assault troops had to advance; maintaining orientation would have been difficult for highly trained leaders, and for the poorly trained leaders of SS-Infantry Regiments 6 and 7, it was hopeless. Further, the thick smoke from the fires obscured Soviet defensive positions, and further blinded leaders already bereft of intelligence from reconaissance.

Not all of their difficulties came from their own faults or inexperience, however. In the fifteen months during which they had occupied the conquered territory, the Soviets had heavily fortified the border region. Fully cognizant of the criticality of the open-water port at Murmansk and the rail line connecting it to the rest of the Soviet Empire, they had turned the sector into a veritable fortress, defended by high-quality troops. The terrain that the Soviets had fortified lent many advantages to such a usage. On the Soviet side of the border, the hills were 250-450 meters higher inrelief than the undulating ground on the Finnish side , affording the defenders exceptional fields of ire and observation of up to five kilometers deep in Finnish territory. Artfully camouflaged tanks, dug in up to their turrets, faced west across these same killing grounds.

Further reading:
Wolf T. Zoepf; Seven Days In January. With The 6th SS-Mountain Division In Operation Nordwind.

DESIGNER NOTES
Have FUN!

NEW Scenario upcoming...

It will be called "First Blood - Attack On The Jungle Fortress". It's situated in northern Finland in 1941 and shows the first attack of the later SS-Division Nord on the Soviet defenses of the railroad line connecting Murmansk to the rest of the Soviet empire. Stay tuned!

If you want some more info in advance, run to your local internet store and get:

NEW Scenario: Bielskis Attack - 1943

Get the latest scenario right HERE!

Here's the story:

Bielskis Attack**
USSR Partisan - Germany*
Belorussia, near Lida*
0900 hrs 22 July 1943*
Turns 35*
Scenario Size: Large*
C&C Off**

SCENARIO NOTES:**
Take the village at the left side of the map. Ambush any German patrols you encounter. In the meantime - don't forget to defend your partisan camp. You are responsible for the wellbeing of hundreds of Jewish refugees.**

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:**
In 1942 a small group of Jewish resistance fighters established a community deep in the forests of western Belorussia, offering protection to all Jewish fugitives who could find their way to them. Within two years they numbered more than 1200 - men and women, old and young, the largest armed rescue operation of Jews by Jews in the war.They were led by the charismatic Tuvia Bielski.**

Further reading:*Nechama Tec; Defiance; ISBN 9780195385236**

Have FUN!

NEW ENHANCED 2009 Scenario

Here it is! ENH Luck Out Of Luck. The first attempt by the German Ninth Army to break the Russian vice arounf the Halbe cauldron.

You have two German Kampfgruppes at your disposal. Kampfgruppe Luck (the upper one on the map) and Kampfgruppe Pipkorn. They both consist of infantry, tanks (most of the big cat variety) and sp artillery.

You start off at the right side of the map. You have to cross a large wooded to reach Baruth. If you can grab the Baruth railroad line and the crossroads, you Kameraden of the Ninth Army have a fighting chance to break through to the Twelfth Army and to the relative safety of the west.

You can download the scen right here! Enjoy!

Halbe Cauldron - Luck Out Of Luck

The first scenario about the Halbe Cauldron is being tested. Won't be long 'til it'll be published. For your interest:

• It's a large one
• You command two German Kampfgruppes
• Big cats galore
• And, oh yes... it's designed with and for Enhanced 2009!

Check back!

Vassily Grossman's "Life And Fate"

Last weekend I spent on the Dutch coast with my lovely wife. Besides long walks on the beach and visiting a fantastic musical, we did some shopping around. During our stay in Amsterdam she surprised me with the great novel "Life And Fate" by Vassily Grossman.

This book is the penultimate classic epic novel of WWII Russia. It centers on the Shaposhnikova family and their life in totalitarian Stalinist Soviet Russia, and in particular on the Battle of Stalingrad. The tale is unrelentingly grim. Nearly every character dies, is betrayed to the Soviet authorities, or simply suffers - and no ordinary suffering, but genuine Slavic deprivation. With a few temporary exceptions, universal hunger and material deprivation prevail. Hunger ranges from ever-present to starvation.

Political betrayal runs rampant across every class of Stalinist Soviet society with mind-boggling inefficiency. Grossman also describes the very beginnings of the Nazi Holocaust at Treblinka and other extermination camps, including a blood-chilling scene with Eichmann having dinner at the camp to celebrate its opening.

Grossman's characters engage in extensive internal dialogue about their suffering and especially about their political punishments. He recreates the frustration of not knowing why one has been accused of infidelity to the Revolution. Often the victim doesn't know by whom or of what they have been accused.

Grossman was a decorated Soviet military journalist who moved gradually toward the dissidence that flowers in his epic novel. What is remarkable, and a matter of some debate today, is how Grossman ever imagined that his book would be published in the Soviet Union - as he proposed during the thaw under Nikita Khrushchev. Instead, while Grossman was not molested, his book was taken "under arrest" by the KGB in 1961. Fortunately, Grossman kept two undeclared copies that were smuggled out to the West in 1980 and published in 1985.

As the excellent introduction to the New York Review of Books edition puts it, Life and Fate is "almost an encyclopedia of the complexities of life under totalitarianism" and the pressures brought to bear on the individual. Absolutely a must read!

Halbe Cauldron, teaser...

Here's a little reading about the first scenario on the Halbe Cauldron or Kessel I am working on.

On the evening of April 25, General Busse ordered the two battlegroups or Kampfgruppen Von Luck and Pipkorn, containing 35th SS and Police Grenadier Division 35th SS and Police Grenadier Division, both named after their commanders, to attempt a break-out in the direction of the road centre of Baruth to obtain the use of roads to Luckenwalde and Jüterbog.

Kampfgruppe von Luck consisted mainly of 125th Panzer Grenadier Regiment and tanks from 22nd Panzer Regiment and started from Halbe, while Pipkorn consisted of the remains of the 35th SS Division with tanks from 10th SS Panzer Division, and started from Schleepitz. The orders to Colonel von Luck were to open a corridor and keep it open for the sole use of military units of Ninth Army. No civilians were to be allowed to use it. Von Luck made good progress across the Berlin–Dresden autobahn until it hit the Soviet defenses of 50th Guards Rifle Division at Baruth, which had been reinforced by dug-in Stalin tanks. Pipkorn hit defenses of 329th Rifle Division early on and the battle group was scattered, with some armoured elements including Panther tanks reaching Baruth. A pitched battle developed at Baruth, which was impossible for the German battlegroups to win. Busse ordered von Luck to stay near Baruth but discontinue the attack. When informed of this, however von Luck disobeyed the order and disbanded his battle group, allowing soldiers to try and attempt a breakout individually.

On the following day battle continued around Baruth, and tank-hunting teams blew up some of the dug-in Soviet tanks. Some supply canisters were delivered by air, but the strength of the battle group was insufficient to hold off a Soviet counter-attack. Heavy air attacks, a strike by 4th Bomber Air Corps around noon with 55 aircraft, and repeated strikes by 1st and 2nd Air Assault Corps with 8-10 aircraft each, a total of ca. 500 missions, caused heavy casualties and chaos. The forces of the two battle groups were destroyed, with Soviet reports claiming 5,000 prisoners (POW) taken, 40 tanks and self-propelled guns destroyed, and almost 200 guns and mortars captured. These forces and weapons would be severely missed during later break-out attempts. Pipkorn, the commander of the other battle group, was killed during the battle, and von Luck taken prisoner by the Soviets on April 27. Few of the survivors of the battle reached the Elbe.

Halbe... Again

Right now I'm working on the first scenario in a series about the Battle in the Halbe Pocket at the end of WWII. The first scenario will be about the breakout attempt by a battlegroup commanded by Colonel von Luck. Sources for this series will be:

Slaughter at Halbe: The Destruction of Hitler's 9th Army

Last Battle: The Classic History of the Battle for Berlin

The Fall of Berlin 1945

Berlin Dance of Death

The Complete WIKING Series

Here you can find the complete Wiking Series, consisting of "Cossack Attack", "Wiking At The Mius", "Wiking At Malgobek" and "Wiking At Maciejow". The series is loosely based on the book "Wiking" by H. Kistemaker. Unfortunately it's only available as a Dutch language edition. Have FUN!

NEW Scenario: Passarge River Tank Clash - 1945

ENHANCED Passarge River Tank Clash

_____Passarge River Tank Clash**

___Russian Assault - German Defend*
_________Near Passarge River*
_____________East Prussia*
_______0900 hrs 9 February 1945*
_____________Turns 40*
_______Scenario Size: Medium*
_______Best played as USSR*
_____________C&C Off**


Design: Henk "Dutchiexx" Neumann*

________SCENARIO NOTES:**

In February 1945 the Red Army had entered the eastern parts of the German Reich. Near the Passarge River in East Prusiia they encountered heavy resistance. The defenders occupied a heavily wooded area near the Passarge River. The Russians attacked time and again. Until at last they found the solution to this tactical problem. Can you find it too?**

_________PLAYER NOTES:**
Push the enemy from the woods at all costs! For the Rodina!**


___HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:**

WARNING: SPOILER!*
From "Krasnaja Svesda", USSR, 27 December 1946:**

"A good example of offensive operations of tanks in wooded terrain is the battle described below. The Germans, surrounded to the west of Koenigsberg, offered strong resistance. Their defensive position consisted of several lines of deep trenches dug in the forest. This forest was defended by two infantry divisions, supportedby artillery, atnks and assault guns. All roads and lanes in the forest were under fire. The forest was full of men armed with Panzerfaueste. All intersections and main roads were mined. Tanks and self-propelled guns were emplaced at intersections and could, therefore, fire in several directions.**

The mission of our tanks and infantry was to clear the forest of the enemy, advancing in a northerly direction, parallel to the Passarge River. With the assistance of artillery, the enemy was pushed off the main line of resistance, and the tanks, advancing through the forest with the infantry, took possession of the road intersection northeast of the swamp.**

The scouts found that the enemy was defending all roads with the main body of his troops. The commander then moved his tanks along narrow lanes and over the swamp. By doing so, the tanks, self-propelled guns and artillery of the enemy were bypassed and left on the road in the rear of the attacker. Fearing encirclement, the Germans withdrew their tanks, leaving on the road only machine guns and men armed with sub-machineguns. Against them we used a part of our tanks and self-propelled guns as well as 82-mm mortars".**



Have FUN!

NEW Scenario: Wiking At Maciejow - 1944

Get the last part of the Wiking Series RIGHT HERE! The story goes like this:

_______Tank Battle In Maciejow**

___German Defend, Russian Assault*
_________Maciejow, Poland*
_______1000 hrs 7 July 1944*
_____________Turns 15*
_______Scenario Size: Small*
_______Best played as Germany*
_____________C&C Off**

Design: Henk "Dutchiexx" Neumann*
_______Dutchiexx@spwaw.com*
_____MADE FOR ENHANCED SPWAW**

______________Visit:*
__________www.spwaw.com*
_______________and*____
http://www.spwawfort.blospot.com/**

________SCENARIO NOTES:**

In July 1944 the Russian forces had chased the German troops from their Motherland. Heavy fighting took place in Poland.**

___HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:**

from "Wiking", by Henk Kistemaker:**

"Seventh and eight July 1944 were two days I'll never forget.After the Russian artillery fired an eneormous amount of smokegrenades on our positions, the enemy followed up with a very big tank attack. It must have been 400 to 500 tanks. Our positions were concealed, meaning that our tanks were positioned - for the mostpart - behind a hill. To the left of our position was a Finnish officer, Ola Ulli, who belonged to the 7th Kompanie. His tank lay in ambush and fired on the Russian column from that psoition. Then something amazing happened: the Russians kept moving toward the Finn, while we could hit them from the flank."**

_________PLAYER NOTES:**

Defend your VH against the Russian onslaught. Hals und Beinbruch!**

SOURCES:**

"Wiking", Henk Kistemaker**

Assault On East Prussia

Since part of my roots lay in East Prussia - my father was born there - I'm very interested in what happened in that little part of the world at the end of the Second World War. Here's a five piece movie series which was posted on Youtube with interviews and movies.

Assault On East Prussia, part 1, 9:58

Assault On East Prussia, part 2, 10:00

Assault On East Prussia, part 3, 9:49

Assault On East Prussia, part 4, 9:50

Assault On East Prussia, part 5, 9:55