Report on the Great Patriotic War between 6pm on the 22nd of June and 6pm on the 2nd of July 1942.
A destroyed Pzkpfw.V Panther tank of 13 PzD outside of
Brzesc Litewski.
The first German attacks came in on the 22nd of June, at 7pm, into
Zambrow (4) and into
Lomza (5). At 10pm, as darkness fell, German Infantry moved on
Rietavas (1). In all three battles, the forests suited the defence, but the enemy had a large numerical advantage.
On the 23rd, the Germans continued their offensive throughout the night, initiating 3 new attacks at 1am.
Suwalki (2),
Kybartai (3), and fortified
Maloryta (6) were all targeted. Shortly after daybreak,
Rietavas (1) ended in a loss at 6am, the Germans needing but a single night to rout the defenders. This was quickly followed with an attack on
Taurage (13) starting at 7am. In the evening, both
Suwalki (2) and
Kybartai (3) ended in defeat simultaneously, at 7pm. Casualties were over 2-1 in favour of the attackers.
The 24th started off with another 1am German attack, into
Palanga (10), on the Baltic coast. The Red Banner Baltic Fleet was scrambled to the area provide fire support. While most of us were having breakfast, at 8am, the battle of
Zambrow (4) came to a disappointing end, with over 1.000 casualties on our side, more than twice those suffered by the enemy. Both
Lomza (5) and
Maloryta (6) ended at 9am, with similar casualty numbers, in
Lomza, at least a similar number of the enemy were killed. German reinforcements funneled into
Maloryta gave them an overwhelming superiority in numbers. The rest of the day was devoid of new developments.
1am attacks seem to be particularly in vogue with German commanders, as another attack was started at this hour on the 25th, into
Augustow (8). Again, the terrain favoured the defenders, the numbers, the attackers.
The 26th was another quiet day, with a single German probe into
Jubarkas (7), causing minimal casualties. The 10am battle lasted less than an hour, before the Germans halted their offensive in the face of a risky river crossing and determined resistance.
At midnight, the Red Army was defeated in
Augustow (8), with heavy, but relatively equal casualty numbers. An hour later, on the 27th, as is quickly becoming tradition, Germans moved to attack
Plunge (9) from
Rietavas, and
Kalvarija (12) from
Suwalki and
Kybartai. In both cases, numbers were close, with no clear numerical advantage.
Sokolka (16) was up next, with the first German shots coming in from
Suwalki at 4am, the odds were against the Red Army on this one.
Lapy (11) came under attack from
Lomza at 7am, with pretty even odds. At noon, the battle for
Plunge (9), ended in defeat, casualties were light and in our favour, but the men were exhausted from previous fighting. A German attack into
Bielsk Podalski (19) started at the same time, numbers were equal, and half of the enemy force was attacking over a river from
Siedlce.
After 4 days of bitter fighting, the defenders of
Palanga (10) couldn't take it anymore, retreating at midnight. Both sides suffered over 2.000 casualties. The battles for
Lapy (11) and
Kalvarija (12) were lost at the same time, with less horrific casualty numbers. Following the midnight retreats came the 1am attacks, on
Bialystok (22) and
Merech (23). German numerical superiority in both battles was countered by the forest and extensive fortifications in the former, and impassable marshland in the latter. The 28th of June was a busy day. At 3am, after nearly 6 days of fighting, the battle for
Taurage (13) ended in defeat, casualty numbers were in favour of the Red Army, though both sides suffered over 2.400 KIA. The next attack came at 7am, on
Kobryn (24), from
Maloryta. I SK HQ, an HQ Division from 3rd Army Group, got caught up in the fighting, giving the Red Army a numerical edge in this fight. At 10am, two German probing attacks were made into
Jubarkas 2 (14) (again), and
Brzesc Litewski (15), both were quickly abandoned by the Wehrmacht as the former was strongly held, and the latter was urban, fortified, and across a river. Noon saw the loss of the battle of
Sokolka (16), with over 1.000 KIA on our side, for less than 500 Germans.
For once, the night was quiet, with the Germans waiting until 6am on the 29th to probe
Jubarkas 3 (17) again, with the same result as before. A retreating Rifle Division sparked another battle at 6pm by retreating into
Sokolka (18) before the Germans had a chance to occupy the province.
The 30th saw another 1am attack, into
Brzesc Litewski (20), this time, one of the German units was attacking from
Maloryta, circumventing the need to cross a river to get there. Wanting to take back lost ground, or just looking to strike back, the Red Army launched it's own two-pronged attack at 4am to take back
Kavalrija (21), for once we had numerical superiority. At 6am, the second battle of
Sokolka (18) ended, as the exhausted defenders retreated with relatively light casualties. At noon, the battle for
Bielsk Podalski (19) came to an end, after nearly 5 days of fighting, nearly 5.000 Red Army riflemen had been killed, for less than 3.000 Germans, this is the most devastating loss to date.
Brzesc Litewski (20) proved a tough nut to crack, and at 1pm, the Germans halted their offensive, casualties were surprisingly light. Our attack on
Kavalrija (21) was halted at 9pm, the death toll was slightly in favour of the Red Army.
July started with a quiet night, followed by a quiet day. The evening was marked by victory in
Bialystok (22), the Germans were held off successfully, with German casualties over 1,5x Soviet casualties.
On the 2nd of July, a slew of battles started. At 1pm the Germans had their fourth go at
Jubarkas (25), this time it wasn't a probe, and they're keeping up the pressure. Both
Ariogala (26), and
Vainode (27) came under attack at 5am, from
Taurage, and
Palanga respectively, the former across a river, the second has forests for cover. The front in the Baltics is starting to look a bit shaky. At 7, the forests in
Siauliai (28) came under fire from
Taurage. V SK HQ was caught in the open in the plains of
Rasienai (29), the Germans are attacking across a river, so the situation could possibly be saved, but I wouldn't hold my breath. The good news returned with a two victories, one in
Merech (23) at 1pm, and another in
Kobryn (24), at 6pm. Casualties here weren't in our favour, but the ground was held successfully.
Map of
Moskva HQ's front line (pink). The smaller circles indicate small scale battles (in number of Red Army troops involved).
The Northern part of the front is in some trouble, but help is on it's way. Both 2ya Tankovaya Armiya and 11ya Motorizovannaya Armiya are closing in from the East and South-East respectively. I will welcome any suggestions as to how to utilise these forces, in light of the developments of the last 10 days.
1.
Rietavas (Defence - Forest - Defeat)
22 Jun 42 22:00 - 23 Jun 42 06:00
SU: 37 SD (Art, TD - Kachalov, L2, DD)
10.996 men / 413 KIA
Ger (Pogegen): 36 ID (Infx3 - von Kempski, L4), 35 ID (Infx3 - Ruoff, L3)
Ger (Memel): 25 ID (Infx3, Art - Stumme, L4), 4 ID (Infx3 - Haase C., L3)
23.994 men / 234 KIA
2.
Suwalki (Defence - Forest - Defeat)
23 Jun 42 01:00 - 19:00
SU: 24 SD (Art, AT - Kazakov V.I., L3), 64 SD (Art, AT - Kostenko, L2)
21.994 men / 678 KIA
Ger (Gumbinnen): 1 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, AC, Eng - von Thoma, L3, BM), 2 ID (Infx3 - Heissmeyer, L4), 168 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Wünnenberg, L4)
Ger (Lötzen): 20 ID (Infx3 - Erfurth, L3), 57 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Rommel, L5), 76 ID (Infx2, ?? - Straube, L4), 56 ID (Infx2, TD, Eng - Kempf, L4)
57.972 men / 276 KIA
3.
Kybartai (Defence - Hills - Defeat)
23 Jun 42 01:00 - 19:00
SU: 61 SD (Art, TD - Horujenko, L2), 38 SD (Art, AT - Kurasov, L3)
21.989 men / 887 KIA
Ger (Tilsit): 5 PzD (Arm, Mot, SP-Art, TD - Balck, L3, BM), 1 ID (Infx3 - Höpner, L4), 58 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Steiner, L4),
7 PzD (Arm, Mot, TD, Mot-AA - von Hubicki, L4)
Ger (Lötzen): 197 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Kleemann, L2)
40.981 men / 373 KIA
4.
Zambrow (Defence - Forest - Defeat)
22 Jun 42 19:00 - 24 Jun 42 08:00
SU: 89 SD (Art, AT - Gerasimov M.N., L2)
10.997 men / 1.177 KIA
Ger (Ostrow): 9 ID (Infx3 - von dem Bach-Zelewski, L3, LW, OD), 162 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Sachs, L3), 225 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Lichel, L3),
214 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - von und zu Grote, L3)
32.987 men / 413 KIA
5.
Lomza (Defence - Forest - Defeat)
22 Jun 42 19:00 - 24 Jun 42 09:00
SU: 217 SD (Art, AT - Petrov I.I., L3), 4 SD (Art, AT - Firin, L2)
21.988 men / 1.234 KIA
Ger (Johannisburg): 69 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Crüwell, L2, BM)
Ger (Ostroleka): 9 PzD (Arm, Mot, TD, AC - Schaal, L3), 12 ID (Infx3 - Böhme, L3), 5 ID (Infx3 - Lindemann, L3)
33.980 men / 901 KIA
6.
Maloryta (Defence - Plains - Level 2 Fort - Defeat)
23 Jun 42 01:00 - 24 Jun 42 09:00
SU: 71 SD (Art, AT - Krivoshein, L2, LW)
10.990 men / 1.280 KIA
Ger (Biala Podalska - River Crossing): 1 PzD (L Armx2, Mot, Eng - Schmidt R., L4, BM), 10 ID(m) (Motx2, ?? - Müller An., L3)
Ger (Wlodawa - River Crossing): 5 GbjD (Mtnx3 - Kuntze, L2), SSD 'Reich' (WSSx2, ?? - von Randow, L2), 231 ID (Infx2, ?? - Conrath, L3)
Ger (Chelm - River Crossing): 3 PzD (L Armx2, Mot, Eng - von Manstein, L7), 4 LeichteD (Motx2, AC - Geib, L4)
60.971 men / 378 KIA
7.
Jubarkas (Defence - Plains - Victory)
26 Jun 42 10:00
SU: 118 SD (Art, AT - Kuznec, L2, LW), 17 SD (Art, AT - Zaev, L2), 235 SD (Art, AT - Malyshev, L2)
32.756 men / 5 KIA
Ger (Tilsit - River Crossing): 58 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - von Hubicki, L4)
7.998 men / 58 KIA
8.
Augustow (Defence - Forest - Defeat)
25 Jun 42 01:00 - 27 Jun 42 00:00
SU: 19 SD (Art, AT - Hadeev, L2, FB), 17 SD (Art, AT - Vasilev, L2)
21.993 men / 1.407 KIA
Ger (Johannisburg): 13 ID(m) (Motx2, TD, AC - Köstring, L3, OD, OG), 227 ID (Infx2, AT, Art - Miese, L2), 73 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - von Schröder, L3)
40.975 men / 1.254 KIA
9.
Plunge (Defence - Forest - Defeat)
27 Jun 42 01:00 - 27 Jun 42 12:00
SU: 37 SD (Art, TD - Kachalov, L2, DD)
10.581 men / 145 KIA
Ger (Rietavas): 25 ID (Infx3, Art - Stumme, L4, BM)
9.988 men / 125 KIA
10.
Palanga (Defence - Soviet Shore Bombardment - Forest - Defeat)
24 Jun 42 01:00 - 28 Jun 42 00:00
SU: 52 SD (Art, AT - Potapov, L2, WS), 16 SD (Art, AT - Klyuchko, L2)
21.993 men / 2.081 KIA
Ger (Memel): 27 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - von Arnim, L4, LW, BM), 79 ID (Infx2, AC, TD - de Angelis, L5), 60 ID(m) (Motx2, TD, Eng - von Salmuth, L6)
23.989 men / 2.178 KIA
11.
Lapy (Defence - Woods - Defeat)
27 Jun 42 07:00 - 28 Jun 42 00:00
SU: 89 SD (Art, TD - Gerasimov M.N., L2, FB), 217 SD (Art, AT - Petrov I.I., L3)
20.341 men / 283 KIA
Ger (Lomza): 9 PzD (Arm, Mot, TD, AC - Schaal, L3, BM)
7.882 men / 384 KIA
12.
Kalvarija (Defence - Plains - Defeat)
27 Jun 42 01:00 - 28 Jun 42 00:00
SU: 6 SD (Art, AT - Tamruchi, L2, DD), 120 SD (Art, AT - Dratvin, L2)
21.992 men / 996 KIA
Ger (Suwalki): 168 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Wünnenberg, L4, OD, BM)
Ger (Kybartai): 9 PzD (Arm, Mot, SP-Art, TD - Balck, L3)
15.982 men / 646 KIA
13.
Taurage (Defence - Woods - Defeat)
23 Jun 42 07:00 - 28 Jun 42 03:00
SU: 53 SD (Art, TD - Kariofilli, L2, FB), 3 SD (Art, AT - Bakunin, L2)
21.993 men / 2.467 KIA
Ger (Pogegen): 86 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - von Langermann und Erlenkamp, L2, OD, BM), 221 ID (Infx2, AT, R-Art - Felber, L3), 86 ID (Infx3 - Ruoff, L3)
Ger (Tilsit - River Crossing): 1 ID (Infx3 - de l'Homme de la Courbière, L2, Eng), 58 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Steiner, L4)
50.775 men / 2.625 KIA
14.
Jubarkas 2 (Defence - Plains - Victory)
28 Jun 42 10:00
SU: 118 SD (Art, AT - Kuznec, L2, LW), 17 SD (Art, AT - Zaev, L2), 235 SD (Art, AT - Malyshev, L2)
32.781 men / 3 KIA
Ger (Tilsit - River Crossing): 10 ID (Infx3 - von Schobert, L4)
8.960 men / 66 KIA
15.
Brzesc Liteweski (Defence - Urban - Fort Level 3 - Victory)
28 Jun 42 10:00
SU: 31 SD (Art, TD - Parkhomenko, L2)
10.996 men / 1 KIA
Ger (Biala Podalska - River Crossing): 13 PzD (Arm, Mot, ?? - Gräser F.H., L2)
7.992 men / 13 KIA
16.
Sokolka (Defence - Forest- Defeat)
27 Jun 42 04:00 - 28 Jun 42 12:00
SU: 64 SD (Art, TD - Kostenko, L2)
11.000 men / 1.110 KIA
Ger (Suwalki): 13 ID(m) (Motx2, TD, AC - Kempf, L4, BM), 20 ID (Infx3 - Erfurth, L3), 57 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Rommel, L5)
24.994 men / 340 KIA
17.
Jubarkas 3 (Defence - Plains - Victory)
29 Jun 42 06:00
SU: 118 SD (Art, AT - Kuznec, L2, LW), 17 SD (Art, AT - Zaev, L2), 235 SD (Art, AT - Malyshev, L2)
32.794 men / 6 KIA
Ger (Tilsit - River Crossing): 10 ID (Infx3 - von Schobert, L4)
8.985 men / 109 KIA
18.
Sokolka 2 (Defence - Forest- Defeat)
29 Jun 42 18:00 - 30 Jun 42 06:00
SU: 19 SD (Art, AT - Hadeev, L2, FB)
9.852 men / 258 KIA
Ger (Suwalki): 57 ID (Infx2, TD, Eng - Kempf, L4, BM), 20 ID (Infx3 - Erfurth, L3)
16.915 men / 103 KIA
19.
Bielsk Podalski (Defence - Plains - Defeat)
27 Jun 42 12:00 - 30 Jun 42 12:00
SU: 85 SD (Art, AT - Pokrovski, L3), 50 SD (Art, AT - Bochenkov, L2), 173 SD (Art, AT - Khrulev, L3), 41 SD (Art, AT - Morozov V.I., L2),
43.984 men / 4.833 KIA
Ger (Siedlce - River Crossing): 3 ID(m) (Motx2, TD, Mot-AA - von Roques, L4, OD), 4 PzD (Arm, Mot, AC, Eng - Hammer, L2),
2 ID(m) (Motx2, TD, Eng - Förster, L4)
Ger (Zambrow): 162 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Sachs, L3), 225 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Lichel, L3), 214 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - von und zu Grote, L3),
9 ID (Infx3 - von dem Bach-Zelewski, L3)
47.855 men / 2.756 KIA
20.
Brzesc Liteweski 2 (Defence - Urban - Fort Level 3 - Victory)
30 Jun 42 01:00 - 13:00
SU: 31 SD (Art, TD - Parkhomenko, L2)
10.996 men / 243 KIA
Ger (Biala Podalska - River Crossing): 1 PzD (L Armx2, Mot, Eng - Schmidt R., L4, BM), 13 PzD (Arm, Mot, ?? - Gräser F.H., L2)
Ger (Siedlce - River Crossing): 32 ID (Infx3 - Fromm, L3)
Ger (Maloryta): 231 ID (Infx2, ?? - Conrath, L3)
34.919 men / 167 KIA
21.
Kalvarija 2 (Attack - Plains - Defeat)
30 Jun 42 04:00 - 21:00
SU (Mariampolè): 38 SD (Art, AT - Kurasov, L3, Trk)
SU (Merech): 24 SD (Art, TD - Kazakov V.I., L3)
32.941 men / 327 KIA
Ger: 168 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Wünnenberg, L4, OD, BM)
Ger: 170 ID (Infx2, AT, Art - Krüger W., L3)
23.982 men / 370 KIA
22.
Bialystok (Defence - Forest - Fort Level 2 - Victory)
28 Jun 42 01:00 - 01 Jul 42 22:00
SU: 4 SD (Art, AT - Firin, L2-3), 34 SD (Art, AT - Vasilev, L2)
21.507 men / 994 KIA
Ger (Lomza): 69 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Crüwell, L2, BM), 5 ID (Infx3 - Lindemann, L3), 12 ID (Infx3 - Böhme, L3)
34.973 men / 1.538 KIA
23.
Merech (Defence - Marsh - Victory)
28 Jun 42 01:00 - 02 Jul 42 13:00
SU (Multiple Combat Penalty): 24 SD (Art, AT - Kazakov V.I., L2-3), 6 SD (Art, AT - Tamruchi, L2)
21.174 men / 622 KIA
Ger (Suwalki): 57 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Rommel, L5, LW, OD, Trk, BM)
Ger (Kalvarija): 197 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Kleemann, L2), 170 ID (Infx2, AT, Art - Krüger W., L3)
31.777 men / 412 KIA
24.
Kobryn (Defence - Plains - Victory)
28 Jun 42 07:00 - 02 Jul 42 18:00
SU: I SK HQ (HQ, Infx2, AT - Vlassov, L3-4, WS), 71 SD (Art, TD - Krivoshein, L2)
18.257 men / 1.048 KIA
Ger (Maloryta): SSD 'Reich' (WSSx2, ?? - von Randow, L2, LW, BM)
7.995 men / 774 KIA
Army Group 2 totals:
SU: 464.721 / 20.596 KIA
Ger: 577.713 / 15.622 KIA
Motorised Waffen-SS troops, part of SS-Division (mot) 'Reich', on their way to attack
Brzesc Litewski.
In the south the war started with two battles, an hour-long failed German probe, across the river, into
Sanok (1), and an attack on
Przemysl (4) that would last 2 days, both started at 7pm.
Here too, 1am was a particularly popular time to start battles, on the 23rd the battle in question was a German attack on
Zolkiew (2).
The battle for
Zolkiew (2) ended in defeat at noon on the 24th, with heavy casualties, especially on our side, where almost 3.000 men were lost, almost 3 times German losses. At 4pm, the Germans started attacking
Jaworow (3), across the river, with little success, they halted the attack a mere 2 hours later, at 6pm.
Przemysl (4) was lost at the same time, with Soviet casualties over 2.500, three times German losses.
On the 25th, Lt. General
Vlassov tried it's hand at a 1am attack, attempting to retake
Maloryta (5) using only his I SK HQ Division. Up against the SS, who were taking full advantage of Soviet-built fortifications,
Vlassov cut short his attack 2 hours after it started, with light casualties on both sides. The rest of the day was quiet, with no active battles in the Southern Theatre (Brjansk HQ)
The calm remained until the evening of the 26th, when, at 10pm, a German Division moved to attack
Luboml (6), held by 2 of our, larger, rifle Divisions. The Germans abandoned the attack by midnight, having inflicted only a single Soviet casualty.
The 27th would see an escalation of German aggression, starting at 1am, with another attack on
Jaworow (8). This one was more serious, as the Germans were also attacking from
Przemysl, circumventing the need to cross the river.
Lubolm (16) was attacked again at 7am, from three sides this time, all across rivers. In an attempt to relieve the pressure on
Luboml, the Red Army attacked
Zolkiew (7) at 10am, hitting the flank of one of the Divisions that was attacking
Luboml.
The Soviet attack on
Zolkiew (7) was abandoned at 3am on the 28th, with relatively light casualties in favour of the Red Army. At 7am, a large German force charged across the river into
Switaz (11), the province was strongly held, and fierce fighting broke out.
At 4am on the 29th, the second battle of
Jaworow (8) ended in a costly Soviet victory, with over 2.500 dead on our side, nearly twice the German losses. A 6am single Division Soviet probe across the river into
Jaroslaw (9) was quickly cut short as the riflemen were outnumbered 4-1, and the Germans had tanks, a couple hundred Soviet soldiers died before it was called off. Having failed to take
Jaworow (10) with 4 Divisions from 2 sides, the Wehrmacht tried again at 9am, with a single Division, across the river. Twelve hours later, at 9pm, the Germans called off their offensive, leaving behind over 500 dead, casualties being 10-1 in favour of the Red Army.
The German obsession with
Jaworow (15), was combined with the typical 1am start time in another attack on the province on the 30th. The battle for
Switaz (11) was won conclusively by the Red Army at 8am, with over 1.000 Soviet losses, but close to 2.000 German ones. At 10am, another Soviet attack was launched into
Maloryta (10), from the South this time. This 2 DIvision attack was stronger than the previous one, but the Germans had also reinforced the province. One of the German Divisions was distracted by it's own attack into
Kobryn (see above). An hour-long probe into
Switaz (13) was successfully brushed off by 1pm with 10-1 casualties in our favour. Then, at 9pm, our attack into
Maloryta (10) was called off, with surprisingly light casualties.
The 1st of July saw little action. At 10pm, a third attack on
Switaz (17) started. It doesn't seem more likely than the previous ones to succeed, but our troops there are getting a bit disorganised, so maybe they'll break first.
On the 2nd of July, German troops probed the defences of
Lwow (14), met with a corps of Guards Riflemen, including IS-2 Heavy Tanks, and our favourite female sharpshooter, they abandoned the attack by 6am, barely an hour after the first shot. Casualties were limited, but 10-1 in favour of the Soviet Union. After 4 battles totalling over 3 days of fighting
Jaworow (15) was lost at 6pm, with close to 1.000 Soviet casualties in the final battle, almost double the German deathtoll. At the same time, the second battle of
Luboml (16) ended in a costly victory, after nearly 6 days of fighting. Soviet casualties were close to 2.000, German ones closer to 1.500.
Map of
Brjansk HQ's front line (blue). The smaller circles indicate small scale battles (in number of Red Army troops involved).
The Southern part of the front has held a lot better, this is thanks to a slightly higher concentration of units, and the fact that most of this part of the front is behind the river.
1.
Sanok (Defence - Forest - Victory)
22 Jun 42 19:00 - 20:00
SU: 62 SD (Art, AT - Rogachev, L2, Trk), 159 SD (Art, AT - Novoselski, L2), 139 SD (Art, AT - Panfilov, L2), 2 SD (Art, AT - Sergatskov, L2),
189 SD (AT - Korhilov, L2)
53.994 men / 24 KIA
Ger (Gorlice -
River Crossing): 75 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Hilpert, L3, OD)
Ger (Debica - River Crossing): 8 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Heunert, L2), 11 PzD (Arm, Mot, Mot-AA, Eng - von Bismarck, L2):
23.994 men / 234 KIA
2.
Zolkiew (Defence - Plains - Defeat)
23 Jun 42 01:00 - 24 Jun 42 12:00
SU: 122 SD (Art, AT - Nikishin, L2), 87 SD (Art, TD - Missan, L2), 42 SD (Art, AT - Krutikov, L2), 49 SD (Art, AT - Rivkin, L2),
113 SD (AT - Baranov V.I., L2)
54.107 men / 2.867 KIA
Ger (Zamosc): 60 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Raus, L3, BM), 45 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Felber, L3), 62 ID (Infx2, TD, Eng - von Knobelsdorf, L3),
5 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, TD, Mot-AA - Phleps, L3)
Ger (Rawa Ruska): 4 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, AC, Eng - von Cochenhausen, L2), 223 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Felber, L3)
47.951 men / 1.139 KIA
3.
Jaworow (Defence - Plains - Victory)
24 Jun 42 16:00 - 18:00
SU: 75 SD (Art, TD - Ptuhin, L3), 45 SD (Art, AT - Lazarev, L2), 169 SD (Art, AT - Bondarev, L2)
32.974 men / 43 KIA
Ger (
Jaroslaw - River Crossing)
: 2 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, AC, Mot-AA - Jodl A., L3, OD), SSD 'Wiking' (WSSx2, AC, Mot-AA, Eng - von Manteuffel, L4),
SSD 'LSAH' (WSSx2, AC, Mot-AA - Gudowius, L2),
24.876 men / 133 KIA
4.
Przemysl (Defence - Plains - Defeat)
22 Jun 42 19:00 - 24 Jun 42 18:00
SU: 11 SD (Art, TD - Leselidze, L2, FB), 130 SD (Art, AT - Petin, L2, LW)
21.975 men / 2.539 KIA
Ger (Rawa Ruska): 10 PzD (Arm, Mot, TD, AC - Model, L6, DD, BM), 8 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - von Sponeck, L2), 10 PzD (Arm, Mot, TD, AC - Heinrici, L5)
Ger (Jaroslaw - River Crossing): SS-Verfügungstruppe (WSS)
26.992 men / 786 KIA
5.
Maloryta 2 (Attack- Plains - Defeat)
25 Jun 42 01:00 - 03:00
SU (Brzesc Litewski): I SK HQD (HQ, Infx2, AT - Vlassov, L3, WS)
7.994 men / 25 KIA
Ger: SSD 'Reich' (WSSx2, ?? - von Randow, L2, LW, BM)
7.957 men / 10 KIA
6.
Luboml (Defence - Plains - Victory)
26 Jun 42 22:00 - 27 Jun 42 00:00
SU: 14 SD (Art, AT - Trofimenko, L3), 17 SD (Art, AT - Odintsov, L2)
21.990 men / 1 KIA
Ger (Zamosc): 60 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Raus, L3, BM)
7.998 men / 100 KIA
7.
Zolkiew 2 (Attack - Plains - Defeat)
27 Jun 42 10:00 - 28 Jun 42 03:00
SU (Wlodzimierz Wolynski - River Crossing): 87 SD (Art, TD - Missan, L2, LW)
10.677 men / 535 KIA
Ger (Multiple Combat Penalty): 4 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, AC, Eng - von Cochenhausen, L2, Eng), 223 ID (Infx2, AT, AA - Hollidt, L3)
26.992 men / 786 KIA
8.
Jaworow 2 (Defence - Plains - Victory)
27 Jun 42 01:00 - 29 Jun 42 04:00
SU: 75 SD (Art, TD - Ptuhin, L3), 45 SD (Art, AT - Lazarev, L2), 169 SD (Art, AT - Bondarev, L2)
32.997 men / 2.649 KIA
Ger (
Jaroslaw - River Crossing)
: 2 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, AC, Mot-AA - Jodl A., L3-4, OD), SSD 'Wiking' (WSSx2, AC, Mot-AA, Eng - von Manteuffel, L4),
SSD 'LSAH' (WSSx2, AC, Mot-AA - Gudowius, L2), 93 ID (Infx2, AT, Art - von Bismarck L2)
Ger (Przemysl): 10 PzD (Arm, Mot, TD, AC - Model, L6), 8 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - von Sponeck, L2), SS-Verfügungstruppe (WSS)
47.454 men / 1.585 KIA
9.
Jaroslaw (Attack - Plains - Defeat)
29 Jun 42 06:00
SU (Sanok - River Crossing): 62 SD (Art, AT - Rogachev, L2, Trk)
10.812 men / 227 KIA
Ger: 2 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, AC, Mot-AA - Jodl A., L4, OD), 93 ID (Infx2, AT, Art - von Bismarck L2), SSD 'Wiking' (WSSx2, AC, Mot-AA, Eng - von Manteuffel, L4),
SSD 'LSAH' (WSSx2, AC, Mot-AA - Gudowius, L2), 211 ID (Infx2, ?? - Eberle, L1)
39.574 men / 7 KIA
10.
Jaworow 3 (Defence - Plains - Victory)
29 Jun 42 09:00 - 21:00
SU: 45 SD (Art, AT - Lazarev, L2, BM), 169 SD (Art, AT - Bondarev, L2)
20.450 men / 56 KIA
Ger (Jaroslaw - River Crossing): 211 ID (Infx2, ?? - Eberle, L1, BM)
7.973 men / 540 KIA
11.
Switaz (Defence - Plains - Victory)
28 Jun 42 07:00 - 30 Jun 08:00
SU: 54 SD (Art, AT - Chernyak, L2), 104 SD (Art, AT - Tiulenev, L2), 23 SD (Art, AT - Dement'ev, L2)
32.991 men / 1.239 KIA
Ger (
Chelm - River Crossing)
: 3 PzD (Arm, Mot, TD, AC - von Manstein, L7, OD, Trk, BM, FB), 16 ID(m) (Motx2, TD, Mot-AA - von Massow, L2),
46 ID (Infx2, AT, Eng - von Mackensen, L4), Kav-Kdo (Cavx2 - Eicke, L4)
31.983 men / 1.932 KIA
12.
Maloryta 3 (Attack - Plains - Fort Level 1,47 - Defeat)
30 Jun 42 10:00 - 21:00
SU (Switaz): 54 SD (Art, AT - Chernyak, L2), 23 SD (Art, AT - Dement'ev, L2)
21.451 men / 65 KIA
Ger (Multiple Combat Penalty): 5 GbjD (Mtnx3 - Kuntze, L2), SSD 'Reich' (WSSx2, ?? - von Randow, L2), 231 ID (Infx2, ?? - Conrath, L3)
25.497 men / 98 KIA
13.
Switaz 2 (Defence - Plains - Victory)
30 Jun 42 12:00 - 13:00
SU: 54 SD (Art, AT - Chernyak, L2), 104 SD (Art, AT - Tiulenev, L2), 23 SD (Art, AT - Dement'ev, L2)
31.685 men / 7 KIA
Ger (Chelm - River Crossing): 4 LeichteD (Motx2, AC - Geib, L4, DD)
6.997 men / 72 KIA
14.
Lwow (Defence - Urban - Fort Level 2 - Victory)
02 Jul 42 05:00 - 06:00
SU: XXIX GvSK (HQ, Gdsx2, AT - Popov M.M., L4, DD), 72 GvSD (TD, Eng - Rotsmistrov, L3), 10 TTGvD (H Arm, Gdsx2, Art, Eng - Novikov N.A., L3),
76 GvSD (AT, Eng - Barinov, L3), 77 GvSD (AT, Eng - Badanov, L3)
62.809 men / 5 KIA
Ger (
Przemysl)
: 95 ID (Infx2, ?? - Böttcher F., L3, BM)
7.959 men / 54 KIA
15.
Jaworow 4 (Defence - Plains - Defeat)
30 Jun 42 01:00 - 02 Jul 42 18:00
SU: 45 SD (Art, AT - Lazarev, L2, BM), 169 SD (Art, AT - Bondarev, L2)
20.393 men / 928 KIA
Ger (Jaroslaw - River Crossing): SSD 'Wiking' (WSSx2, AC, Mot-AA, Eng - von Manteuffel, L4, DD, BM), SS-Verfügungstruppe (WSS)
Ger (Przemysl): 10 PzD (Arm, Mot, TD, AC - Model, L6)
7.973 men / 540 KIA
16.
Luboml 2 (Defence - Plains - Victory)
27 Jun 42 07:00 - 02 Jul 42 18:00
SU: 14 SD (Art, AT - Trofimenko, L3), 17 SD (Art, AT - Odintsov, L2, FB)
21.998 men / 1.827 KIA
Ger (Zamosc - River Crossing): 5 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, TD, Mot-AA - Phleps, L3, OD), 4 LeichteD (Motx2, AC - Geib, L4)
Ger (Zolkiew - River Crossing): 4 sPzD (H Arm, Mot, AC, Eng - von Cochenhausen, L2)
Ger (Chelm - River Crossing): 60 ID (Infx2, AC, AT - Raus, L3, BM)
38.848 men / 1.410 KIA
Army Group 3 totals:
SU: 480.468 / 13.659 KIA
Ger: 577.713 / 10.289 KIA
The first aerial encounters with the Luftwaffe were linked to operation 'Thor', they were successful despite significant losses.
On the main front, it took until 6pm on the 25th of June (3 days into the war), for the Luftwaffe to make it's first apparition over the front. A single damaged Jagdgeschwäder intercepted our bombers over
Pogegen (5), Soviet interceptors were scrambled, and many Bf-109G's were shot out of the sky. The JG in question wasn't seen again, VVS bombing operations could continue as before, thanks to a reserve Assault Aviation Division that was rotated into
Kaunas.
Getting absolutely hammered by incessant VVS Ground Attacks, the Luftwaffe attempted to return the favour. On the 27th, first
Jaworow (3) at 6pm, then
Luboml (4) at 7pm, were targeted by Tactical Bombers. Before they could unleash their deadly load on our troops, the Ju-88s, and their FW-190D escorts came under fire from swarms of Yak-7s, they were decimated, returned to their Air Bases, and didn't return. This would be a recurring theme, with Soviet Interceptor units suffering only marginal losses, and German Tacticai Bomber units being decimated.
Another Luftflotte with Tactical Bombers tried the same thing at 1pm on the 28th, attempting to bomb
Jaworow (6), it met the same fate and wasn't seen again.
On the 30th, two more German bomber formations made attempts, first on
Mariampole (7), and then on
Jaworow (8). With the same result. Soviet Fighter squadrons were rotated, as to be able to send the freshest units into combat, while the orthers repaired closer to Moskva and it's supply hub.
On the 1st of July, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet was hit by a Gruppe of Heavy Naval bombers in the
North-western Baltic (9). The CAGs from
Moskva and
Leningrad attempted to intercept the bombers in the fog, but some got through and dropped their bombs on the fleet. Both the Escort Carrier
Leningrad, and the Light Cruiser
Profitern suffered some light damage. The Seeaufklärungsgruppe did pay a heavy toll for this action, and the Red Navy doesn't expect to see the Ju-290As again for quite some time.
A Junkers Ju-290 of the
Seeaufklärungsgruppe ready to take off to bomb the
Red Banner Baltic Fleet (9).
1.
Bornholm (Soviet Airborne Assault / German & Soviet Intercept - Victory)
23 Jun 42 21:00 - 24:00
VVS: I TrAK - Ftr, Trax2 - 124 La-7, 248 Li-2 - 620 airmen - Kaunas - Lt. Gen. Av. Chuvakov, L2
VMF: 1 KPA - CAG - 32 La-7VM, 32 Il-10VM - 94 airmen - Moskva (Southern Baltic) - Air Capt 1C Zhavronkov, L4
2 KPA - CAG - 32 La-7VM, 32 Il-10VM - 94 airmen - Leningrad (Southern Baltic) - Air Capt 1C Falaleev, L4
496 planes / 808 airmen / 70 downed / 128 KIA
Luftwaffe: JG 2, JG 3, JG 109 - Intx3 - 336 Me-109G - 336 airmen - ? - Genlt. Klepke, L2, SAT
JG 4 - 112 Me-109G - 112 airmen - ? - Genmaj. Fisser, L1
448 planes / 448 airmen / 35 downed / 34 KIA
2.
Southern Baltic (Soviet Intercept - Weather -10% (fog) - Victory)
24 Jun 42 04:00 - 07:00
VMF: 1 KPA - CAG - 28 La-7VM, 29 Il-10VM - 84 airmen - Moskva (Southern Baltic) - Air Capt 1C Zhavronkov, L4, FD
2 KPA - CAG - 32 La-7VM, 32 Il-10VM - 94 airmen - Leningrad (Southern Baltic) - Air Capt 1C Falaleev, L4
117 planes / 178 airmen / 6 downed / 9 KIA
Luftwaffe: JG 4 - 111 Me-109G - 111 airmen - ? - Genmaj. Fisser, L1, SAT
111 planes / 111 airmen / 8 downed / 8 KIA
3.
Jaworow (German Ground Attack attempt / Soviet Intercept - Victory)
27 Jun 42 18:00 - 21:00
VVS: II IAK - Infx4 - 496 Yak-7 - 496 airmen - Lwow - Lt. Gen. Av. Astakhov, L4
496 planes / 496 airmen / 26 downed / 26 KIA
Luftwaffe: JG 28, KG 3, Stkpfg. - Ftr, Tacx2 - 112 FW-190D, 186 Ju-88A-4 - 856 airmen - ? - Genlt. Keller, L3, SAT, TB
298 planes / 856 airmen / 56 downed / 116 KIA
4.
Luboml (German Ground Attack attempt / Soviet Intercept - Victory)
27 Jun 42 19:00 - 22:00
VVS: III IAK - Infx4 - 496 Yak-7 - 496 airmen - Brzesc Litewski - Lt. Gen. Av. Vorozheikin, L4
496 planes / 496 airmen / 21 downed / 21 KIA
Luftwaffe: JG 104, KG 25, KG 30 - Ftr, Tacx2 - 112 FW-190D, 186 Ju-88A-4 - 856 airmen - ? - Genlt. Sperrle, L5, TB, CB
298 planes / 856 airmen / 55 downed / 196 KIA
5.
Pogegen (Soviet Ground Attack / German & Soviet Intercept - Victory)
25 Jun 42 08:00 - 11:00
VVS: III ShAK - Ftr, CASx2 - 124 La-7, 248 Il-10 - 620 airmen - Kaunas - Lt. Gen. Av. Kutakhov, L3, TB
I IAK - Infx4 - 496 Yak-7 - 496 airmen - Kaunas - Lt. Gen. Av. Khudyakov, L4
868 planes / 1.116 airmen / 19 downed / 37 KIA
Luftwaffe: JG 4 - 89 Me-109G - 89 airmen - ? - Genmaj. Fisser, L1, SAT
89 planes / 89 airmen / 18 downed / 18 KIA
6.
Jaworow (German Ground Attack attempt / Soviet Intercept - Victory)
28 Jun 42 13:00 - 16:00
VVS: II IAK - Infx4 - 491 Yak-7 - 491 airmen - Lwow - Lt. Gen. Av. Astakhov, L4, NF
491 planes / 491 airmen / 39 downed / 39 KIA
Luftwaffe: JG 50, KG 50, KG 76 - Ftr, Tacx2 - 112 FW-190D, 186 Ju-88A-4 - 856 airmen - ? - Genlt. Dörstling, L3, TB
298 planes / 856 airmen / 62 downed / 140 KIA
7.
Mariampolè (German Ground Attack attempt / Soviet Intercept - Victory)
30 Jun 42 21:00 - 00:00
VVS: III IAK - Infx4 - 487 Yak-7 - 487 airmen - Brzesc Litewski - Lt. Gen. Av. Vorozheikin, L4
487 planes / 487 airmen / 15 downed / 15 KIA
Luftwaffe: JG 51, KG 4, KG 1 - Ftr, Tacx2 - 112 FW-190D, 186 Ju-88A-4 - 856 airmen - ? - Genlt. Stumpff, L3, FD
298 planes / 856 airmen / 64 downed / 70 KIA
8.
Jaworow (German Ground Attack attempt / Soviet Intercept - Victory)
30 Jun 42 22:00 - 31 Jun 42 01:00
VVS: II IAK - Infx4 - 491 Yak-7 - 491 airmen - Lwow - Lt. Gen. Av. Astakhov, L4, NF
491 planes / 491 airmen / 39 downed / 39 KIA
Luftwaffe: JG 7, KG 53, KG 2 - Ftr, Tacx2 - 112 FW-190D, 186 Ju-88A-4 - 856 airmen - ? - Genlt. Kesselring, L5, TB
298 planes / 856 airmen / 64 downed / 106 KIA
9.
North-Western Baltic (German Naval Strike / Soviet CAG Duty - Weather -12,5% (fog) - Victory)
01 Jul 42 12:00 - 15:00
VMF: 2 KPA - CAG - 32 La-7VM, 32 Il-10VM - 94 airmen - Leningrad (North-Western Baltic) - Air Capt 1C Falaleev, L4
7 KPA - CAG - 32 La-7VM, 32 Il-10VM - 94 airmen - Moskva (North-Western Baltic) - Air Capt 1C Kapitochin, L2
124 planes / 186 airmen / 2 downed / 3 KIA
Luftwaffe: Seeaufklärungsgruppe - 36 Ju-290A-5 - 324 airmen - ? - Oberst Ritter, L3, FD
36 planes / 324 airmen / 8 downed / 72 KIA
VMF: Red Banner Baltic Fleet - 2 BB, 2 CVL, CA, CL, 6 DD, TP - 10.606 sailors - V.Adm. Kuznetsov 4, ST
13 naval units / 41 ships / 10.606 sailors / 500 merchantmen / Leningrad (CVL) -3% / Profitern (CL) -10% / 78 sailors KIA
Air Battle Totals:
VVS: 7 battles / 3.701 (2.957 Yak-7, 248 La-7, 248 Il-10, 248 Li-2) / 120 (120 Yak-7, 18 Il-10, 37 La-7, 27 Li-2) / 274 KIA
VMF (Air Fleet): 3 battles / 365 (182 La-7VM, 183 Il-10VM) / 15 (8 La-7VM, 7 Il-10VM) / 22 KIA
VMF (Surface Fleet): 13 units / 41 ships (2 BB, 2 CVL, CA, CL, 6 DD, TP) / CVL -3% / CL -10% / 78 KIA
Luftwaffe: 9 battles / 1 Naval strike / 2.174 (648 Me-109G, 560 FW-190D, 930 Ju-88A-4, 36 Ju-290A-5) / 369 (
60 Me-109G, 192 FW-190D, 109 Ju-88A-4, 8 Ju-290A) / 752 KIA
A Junkers Ju-88, crashed in the fields of
Jaworow. The 4-man crew died on impact, or so it seems.
Those first ten days were packed with action, with expected, and unexpected developments. What do you think about where the war is going? What do you think about the reporting style? As always, your input is valued,