In this weeks Flames of War Scenario, we decided to do a double envelopment game of the Battle of Cherkassy. The game was inspired by the Soviet effort to surround the German 8th Army into the Korsun Pocket.
Background
In the autumn of 1943, the German forces of Field Marshal Erich von Manstein’s Army Group South including General Otto Wöhler’s 8th Army had fallen back to the Panther–Wotan line, a defensive position that in Ukraine followed the Dnieper river. By 1 December 1943 the line had been broken and the Soviet Army had crossed the Dnieper in force. Only two corps, the XI under Gen. Wilhelm Stemmermann, the XLII Army Corps under Lt.Gen. Theobald Lieb and the attached Corps Detachment B from the 8th Army were holding a salient in the new Soviet line. The salient to the west of Cherkasy extended some 100 kilometers to the Dnieper river settlement of Kanev, with the town of Korsun roughly in the center of the salient, with the 1st Ukrainian Front to its left and the 2nd Ukrainian Front to its right.
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov realized the potential for destroying Wöhler’s 8th Army with the Stalingrad model as precedent and using similar tactics as were applied to encircle and defeat Paulus’s 6th Army. Zhukov recommended to the Soviet Supreme Command (Stavka) to deploy 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts to form two armored rings of encirclement: an inner ring around the pocket followed by destruction of the forces it contained, and an external ring to prevent relief formations from reaching the surrounded units. Despite repeated warnings from Manstein and others, Hitler refused to allow the exposed units to be pulled back.
General Konev held a conference at his headquarters at Boltushki on 15 January with his commanders and their political commissars to pass on the orders received from Stavka. The initial attack was to be conducted by Konev’s own 2nd Ukrainian Front from the southeast by 53rd Army and 4th Guards Army, with 5th Guards Tank Army to exploit penetrations supported by 5th Air Army, to be joined in progress by 52nd Army, 5th Guards Cavalry Corps and 2nd Tank Army. Additionally, from Vatutin’s 1st Ukrainian Front, 27th and 40th Armies were to be deployed from the northwest, with 6th Tank Army to exploit penetrations supported by 2nd Air Army. Many of these formations had received an inflow of new personnel. Red Army planning further included extensive deception operations that the Soviets claimed were successful; however, the German 8th Army war diary shows clearly that the German staffs were concerned with the threat at hand.
The Soviet attack started on 24 January when Konev’s 2nd Ukrainian Front attacked the salient from the southeast. Breakthrough was quickly achieved, and the penetration was exploited by the 5th Guards Tank Army and the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps the following day. Despite the awareness of German 8th Army’s staff that an attack was imminent, they were surprised by the appearance of the 1st Ukrainian Front’s newly formed 6th Tank Army. The 6th Tank Army, with 160 tanks and 50 self-propelled guns, was inexperienced and took longer than expected to penetrate the western flank of the salient. A “mobile group” from 5th Mechanized Corps’ 233rd Tank Brigade, under the command of General Savelev, with 50 tanks and 200 sub-machine gun armed infantrymen, occupied Lysyanka and moved into the outskirts of Zvenyhorodka by 28 January. Here, these troops of the 6th Tank Army met the 2nd Ukrainian Front’s 20th Tank Corps. Over the next three days, the two tank armies formed a thinly manned outer ring around what was now the Korsun Pocket while another, inner, ring was formed by the Soviet 27th, 52nd, and 4th Guard Armies.
Scenario
The scenario was played on our usual 4’x12′ table. The Soviets had a 1850pt Tankovi Company on each 4′ end. The 1st Ukrainian Front Tankovy was Confident Trained and the 2nd Ukrainian Front Tankovy was Fearless Trained (to represent their better historical performance). The Germans had a Panzer Pioneer Kompanie (with all mobile assets in delayed reserve) facing the 2nd Ukrainian Front and a Sperrverband (with all mobile elements in delayed reserve) facing the 1st Ukrainian Front.
The scenario was played in hard snow terrain (so normal movement for vehicles), but with high wind. The wind rules represented the gusting wind blowing snow and reducing visibility. We used the normal night rule visibility rules from FOW (D6x4″ visibiity per unit). However, the wind conditions were rolled every player turn. On a roll of a “5” the wind would be blowing and on “5” it would stop (and vice versa). The game started with no wind. The Soviets were given dedicated air power (no planes could not fly during blizzard turns) and the Germans received sporadic air power.
1st Ukr
ainian Front:
The German Sperrverband set up behind the two forwards towns (Zvenigorodka on the left and Yematerinopoi on the right), with covering forces at the back of the towns and remaining forces in depth back to Shpola in their rear. The Soviets sent their Spetznatz and a Tankovy Company to infiltrate towards Yematerinopoi as recon moves. Those units attacked into the town on turn one as the remainder of the Soviet forces massed against Zvenigorodka. The Spetznatz cleared their town in close in fighting, but not without taking a number of casualites. The main assault positioned their SP support and moved up to the other town. At this point, the blizzard started and the Germans used the opportunity to try to counterattack the Spetnatz and push them out of the town. The remainder of the line held awaiting the main assault. The Soviets obliged s
ending the Spetznatz forward with Tankovy support and cleared the town once and for all. The main Soviet assault launched probing attacks into Zvenigorodka and adjusted their base of fire formations. The Germans withdrew what remained of the Yematerinopoi defenders to the rear under the cover of the blizzard. On the next turn, the Soviets swept forward out of Yematerinopoi to position themselves to attack the main German line. Unfortunately for the Soviets, the blizzard stopped. With the main assaulting force shielded by Zvenigorodka, the right wing Tankovy was caught in the open by the German AT and AA Guns. The withering fire wrecked the unit, with the handful of survivors routing, leaving the Spetznatz holding the flank. The blizzard came back as fast as it ended and the Germans contented themselves in holding the line. Over the next few turns, the Soviet attack concentrated on clearing Zvenigorodka and sniping as German forward units with their SP guns. The Germans obliged in doing the same as
their reserves started trickling in from their right flank. This generally stabilized the front until new from the rear caused the Germans to pull their mobile forces and AA assets to help defend their rear. behold Shpola.
2nd Ukrainian Front:
With their Spetznatz and leading the way, the Soviets massed their entire force against the Pio Platoon defending Kapitanovka. The German rear area was hit with a Sturmovick strike that eliminated on of the rear 88s covering the valley. The Germans struck back with accurate artillery fire on their turn. The Soviets then launched a mass attack on Kapitanovka with all their tanks and Tankodesnti troops and wiped out the pioneers. On their turn, the Germans continued to hit with their artillery, killing a few more Soviet tanks. On their turn, the Soviets swept forward to engage the defending Germans on their way to Lebedin and broke off their SU85 companies to cover the flank and engage the pios holding that part of the front. On the German turn, the 1st reserve (PZIV plattoon) entered on the German right flank and engaged the 
SU85s, destroying one and bailing two. The German artillery continued to pick off Soviet Tanks. On turn four, the soviets cleared the remaining AA/AT defenses in front of Lebedin. The SU85s returned fire on the PZIVs knocking them all out at long range and in cover! The Order of Lenin was awarded to all the gunners after the battle). The German artillery continued to fire on the attacking tanks and were joined by defensive fire from the Sperrverband rear area 88 batteries, as they desperately tried to slow the Soviet advance on Lebedin. On the next turn, the Soviet SU85s started to grind away at the pios holding the German right flank, driving the remnants deeper into the woods. The main attack swept into Lebedin and overran the Company Command Post and artillery support units. The German artillery continued to fire, but with little effect. Additional elements of the 14th Pz arrived (5 x PZIIIMs) and att
acked into the SU85 plattoon attacking the pioneers, destroying them in total! The 
Sperrverband continued to add support to their rear with 88 fire and moved their arrived Marder IIIs to help. The Soviets then swept into Lebedin and cleared all remaining German forces, including the German artillery. This final push was too much for the Pz Pio Kompanie, as it failed its motivation and retreated outside the pocket, leaving the Sperrverband to do what it could. In return, the Sperverband 88s and Marders continued to whittle down the attacking Russian hoards.
Final A
ct:
Standing alone, but still in good shape, the Sperrverband prepared to throw back the Soviet final assault. The Russians did not disappoint…. The mai
n elements of the 1st Ukrainian Front came into view and assaulted the main German Sper rverband positions. The Sperrverband infantry and AT guns were able to hold off every
wave. However, the 2nd Ukr
anian Front units ravaged their rear area, destroying their remaining 88s and occupying Spola. It was clear it was time for the Germans to fall back and
cede the field to
the victorious soviets…..
-Manteuffel