With the recent release of Tank War, there are a whole slew of new aspects for Bolt Action players to explore – but we couldn't resist sneaking-in a little something extra…
Jon Russell – organizer of Warlord Games Day U.S.A. and all-round 'hero' of ours, who tackles all manner of projects behind the scenes – has sent us through a scenario which he's been working on with some of his gaming mates over in the States…
It goes without saying that this is an optional scenario – designed as a bit of fun, and a new challenge – please, by all means give it a try, and let us know what you think!
Background
The Battle of Raseiniai was a tank battle fought between the elements of the German 4th Panzer Group and the Soviet 3rd Mechanized Corps and 12th Mechanized Corps in Lithuania, 75km northwest of Kaunas. This was an attempt by the commander of the Northwestern Front to contain and destroy German troops that had crossed the Neman River (Nemunas). The result of the battle was the almost complete destruction of Soviet armored forces of the Northwestern Front, clearing the way for the continued German offensive towards the crossings of the Daugava River (Western Dvina). This was one of the major battles during the initial phases of Operation Barbarossa, known in Soviet history as the Border Defensive Battles (22-27 June, 1941) as part of the larger Baltic Strategic Defensive Operation.
It was during this battle that a single KV-2 heavy tank became stuck at a crossroads in front of Raseiniai, and managed to cut off elements of the 6th Panzer Division. The division had established bridgeheads on the Dubysa. The monstrous vehicle stalled the division's advance for a full day, while being attacked by a variety of anti-tank weapons, until it finally ran out of ammunition.* This scenario recreates the desperate action of the KV-2 holding the crossroad, along with several supporting units protecting the monster. They are attempting to hold on long enough for units tasked to relieve them to arrive, and together, they can push back the Fascist Invaders.
General Erhard Raus was the Officer in Command of 6th Panzer Division's Kampfgruppe. This was the unit held up by the lone vehicle, and he disagrees with this storyline. He says the vehicle was damaged by several shots from an 88 anti-tank gun firing at the vehicle from behind, while it was distracted by Panzer 35(t) tanks from Panzer Battalion 65. The crew was killed by grenades from a Pioneer engineer unit, who pushed the grenades through two holes made by the gun while the turret had started moving again. The other five or six shots apparently did not penetrate completely. The crew had remarkably only been stunned by the shots which had entered the turret. Afterwards, they were buried nearby with honors by the German soldiers from the unit they had held up.
You can get your hands on all the details of this free new scenario here.
