24-27 Sept. 1941

Game Turn 2 (see map 2: positions at start GT2)

Soviet Player - situation and planning

The initial German attack and especially the loss of four army headquarters units forced the Soviet player to abandon a continuous defensive front. More Soviet units were lost to attrition table die rolls than were destroyed in combat. The Soviet player anticipated defending Bryansk as a pocket and moved additional supplies into the city by rail on Turn 1. Surviving units from Spas Demansk were added to 30 and 16 Armies defending Vyazma. The few surviving 13 Army units withdrew toward Bryansk. Soviet defensive positions were created at Kaluga (49 Army) Tula (32 Army) and Mtsensk.

40 Army was cut off from Soviet supply and reinforcement by disintegration of 13 Army and German capture of rail connections through Orel and Kursk. The Soviet player decided to recover tank units in 40 Army by using available supply to fuel and march them straight north through German positions toward Bryansk. This scheme required attempting a supply air drop on Game Turn 2.

German Player - situation and planning

The German player's first turn operations were very successful but costly in terms of supply. Game Turn 2 would be spent regrouping forces to hold initial gains, isolating Bryansk and accumulating supplies for continuing the offensive toward Moscow.

Game Operations Narrative - Game Turn 2

Clear and dry weather continued for the first week of the German offensive. South of Bryansk 47 Panzer Corps attacked toward Navila. 24 Panzer Corps HQ moved to Orel airfield while corps units redeployed north of the Orel road and east of Bryansk. 48 Panzer Corps attacked 40 Army. All Luftwaffe close air support missions were concentrated in support of Second Panzer Group.

At Spas Demansk 40 and 46 Panzer Corps regrouped while advance units of 2 Panzer moved toward Sukhinich, cutting the last Soviet rail link to Bryansk. Infantry units of 4 Army moved to form a northem shoulder against Soviet units concentrated at Vyazma. 20 Corps attacked Soviet units northwest of Spas Demansk.

2 Army was assigned to form the northern side of the Bryansk encirclement. 12 Corps redeployed through Spas Demansk and took up positions on the road south to Bryansk. 53, 43 and 13 Corps units formed a continuous front containing Soviet units in their bridgehead across the Desna west of the city. Supply lines for all these Corps were directed through Roslavl.

Soviet operations continued to redeploy units between the German spearheads and Moscow. Two artillery brigades, two tankbrigades, 105 Rifle, 129 Rifle, 73 Rifle, 101 Tank and 102 Tank divisions were all moved by rail toward new defensive positions at Tula and Kaluga. The advanced Soviet defense position at Mtsensk was reinforced.

A combination of desperate attacks by cut-off units of 40 Arrny and a successful Soviet air operation produced a confused series of battles behind Second Panzer Group. Soviet airstrikes near Orel, Sevsk and Glukhov concentrated on German units and logistics. Luftwaffe defensive reaction to these strikes gradually reduced or redeployed defending fighter units. In a final Soviet operation, unescorted transports airdropped supplies on 10 and 69 Tank divisions south of Glukhov.

9 Panzer and 48 Panzer Corps support units, including independent infantry regiment GrossDeutchland, succeeded in overrunning and dispersing the headquarters of Soviet 40 Army. However positions of both 25 end 10 Motorized Infantry were overrun by 135 Rifle and 290 Rifle. Tank units from 40 Army resupplied by the Soviet airdrop moved north to the Orel road into the rear of 47 Panzer Corps. Two Soviet tank divisions with an attached tank brigade attacked and destroyed 47 Panzer Corps headquarters. The tank brigade followed the attack by advancing to Kromv near Orel.

Historical Operations Commentary (3-6 Oct.)

On 3 October 4 Panzer reached Orel, and Fourth Panzer Group broke through toward Spas Demansk. Guderian ordered 47 Panzer Corps to move north toward Bryansk.

By 4 October 3 Panzer and 17 Panzer were moving toward Karachev and advance elements of 24 Panzer Corps were advancing beyond Orel toward Tula. Farther north, German units were across the Yelnya-Sukhinich railway.

On 5 0ctober Guderian ordered 17 Panzer to capture Bryansk by coup de main. 18 Panzer was moving north and across the Bryansk - Orel highway. Guderian requested the Luftwaffe to fly fuel supplies to the Orel airfield. On this date, Second Panzer Group was redesignated 2 Panzer Army.

2 Panzer Army HQ was moved to Sevsk on 6 October. While 17 Panzer captured bridges in Bryansk, the advance of 4 Panzer toward Tula was stopped with heavy casualties by a Soviet tank attack south of Mtsensk. The open right flank of 2 Panzer Army was quiet, with 48 Panzer Corps moving slowly due to poor weather. Guderian's memoirs mention the appearance of Soviet T-34 tanks in the attack on 4 Panzer, the poor state of supplies, and the first snow on 6-7 Oct. The rapid advance on Tula was interrupted.

Ed. note: Will the historical parallels continue, or will the German machine make good on its early success and break the game wide open? Read part 2 of this article in the next issue, Operations 30.

More Guderian

Guderian's Blitzrieg (Game): Introduction
Guderian's Blitzrieg (Game): Turn 1
Guderian's Blitzrieg (Game): Turn 2

Guderian's Blitzrieg Part 2: (Game): Turn 3