#BATTLE GROUP KURSK HOW TO#

The battle is said to have been the last major use of KV 1s. Note on Soviet Equipment: Kursk saw the fist major use of assault guns by the Red Army, these included SU 152s, SU 76s and SU 122s.

#BATTLE GROUP KURSK HOW TO#

However, it is suggested that the initial defensive line should be manned by Rifle Battalions as this is what, by and large, were tasked with blunting the initial assault (see the STAVKA Reserve special rule below for how to change forces during the campaign). Typical Formations include: T-34 Tank Battalion, Hero T-34 Tank Battalion, KV-1s Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, Churchill Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, Reconnaissance Company, Motor Rifle Battalion, Hero Motor Rifle Battalion, Rifle Battalion and Hero Rifle Battalions, including Guards versions (command cards), would all be appropriate for the Soviet players.

3rd SS Panzergrenadier Division: Totenkopf.

2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division: Das Reich.

1st SS Panzergrenadier Division: Leibstandarte.

10th Panzer Brigade, 39TH Panzer Regiment (panthers).

PG Division Grossdeutschland- Lt Gen Walter Hoernlein.

167th Infantry Division- Lt Gen Wolf Trierenberg.

11th Panzer Division- Major General Miekl.

3rd Panzer Division- Lt General Franz Westhoven.

XXXXVIII Panzer Korps- General Otto von Knobelsdorff Here is a list of some of the German Forces involved in the Southern shoulder of Kursk: However Ferdinands were only deployed on the northern (9th Army) shoulder so should probably not be fielded. Most equipment in Ghost Panzers is available. Note on German Equipment: Kursk saw the first use of schurzen, Panthers and a number of other weapons, including Tigers in large numbers. However a number of infantry divisions were also involved in the assault so they too could be used. Typical Formations include: Mixed Panzer Company, Panther Tank Company, Armoured Panzergrenadier Company.

If neither side wins within seven games it means a Soviet campaign victory. The Germans have 7 games to capture either Prokhorovka or Oboyan. The first battle of the campaign is the initial German assault on the Soviet first line of fortifications. The aim is for the two Army Groups to, by means of a classic pincer attack, rapidly defeat the Soviet forces deployed in the Salient and meet at the town of Kursk. The scene was set then for the greatest tank battle of the war.Īt the start of the campaign the Germans are about to launch Operation Citadel, their long awaited summer offensive. The Russians, for their part, had every confidence in their battle plan, but they knew that defeat at Kursk could mean the loss of all they had recently gained. He knew that it was the German Armies last chance in the East. Hitler is reported to have said that at the very thought of it made his stomach turn over. The depth of these defences were staggering they consisted of eight defensive belts with a total depth of nearly 100 miles!īoth sides were aware of the decisive nature of the Kursk operation. Stalin agreed to this plan to “bleed the Germans white” and the Soviets began to prepare an extensive network of defensive fortifications. Stalin too was keen to launch his own summer offensive but for once listened to the advice of his generals, who recommended that they wear out the Germans in a defensive action, destroy their tanks and then, by utilising fresh reserves, launch their own offensive. However several delays as Hitler awaited teething troubles to be ironed out of the new panther tanks gave the Soviets more time to prepare and strengthen their own defences. There is much debate as to whether or not the German generals agreed to the plan but given the success of the previous two summer offensives the Germans probably felt that they could once again destroy the Soviet forces arrayed before them and win an important victory.

The months following the recapture of Kharkov in the spring of 1943 were spent re-equipping the German panzer divisions and awaiting the arrival of the new weapons that Hitler hoped would turn the tide once again in the Germans favour- the panther and tiger tanks. The objective of the offensive was to pinch out the Kursk Salient, destroy the Soviet forces within it, and shorten the German frontline.

The goals of this offensive were less ambitious than those of the preceding two summer offensives due to the growing material, and manpower, shortages of the German army. For the Germans eliminating this salient became the focus of the planning for their own summer offensive, Operation Citadel, as it was to become known. One noticeable feature of the front was a huge salient that projected deep into the German lines and which could provide a springboard for the Soviets to launch a summer offensive to destroy Army Group South. Following the recapture of Kharkov in the spring of 1943 the Eastern front stabilised.

Battle group kursk