The Penetration of Rostov


Rostov, July 24th, 1942: With the German summer offensive of '42, "Operation Blue", Hitler hoped to force a
decision on the southern front. In an attempt to form a large scale encirclement on the lower Don, the City
of Rostov became the natural center of operations. The initial breach of the outer city defenses had been made
by the Panzer troops of the III and LVII Corps, but the city's center was the battlefield for assault parties
and not armored formations. To make matters worse, the NKVD garrison was determined to defend Rostov to the 
last bullet. Functioning as the regime's guard against possible rebellion, the NKVD troops were very familiar
with stret fighting techniques. To defeat such an enemy the Germans had to formulate a definite plan of attack.
The 1st and 3rd Battalion, 421st Infantry Regiment were devided into three assault companies each. Each company,
fighting in line abreast, was to advance down its assigned sector and secure each block therein. In this way each
company protected its neighbors from flank attacks.

Game Length: 11 turns

For the Germans to win they must clear the NKVD troops from the buildings.
For the Russian to win they must defend Rostov.

Germans: Squads, HMG, LMG's, AFV's
Russian: Squads, MMG's, LMG's, ATR's, MOL's

Board: #1

Aftermath: The fighting became fiercest in the area around the Tagaurog road which led straight to the Don bridge. 
The German attack was held up repeatedly, discovering it near impossible to pin-point the well camouflaged NKVD 
troops. By using close support artillery and a few tanks of the 13th Panzer Division, the assault companies began the bombardment of suspected enemy positions. Soon they were able to work their way forward by zig-zagging along the streets
and using the tanks for cover where possible. Bt the early morning of the next day all the companies of the 421st
Regiment had reached the Don River. The Germans had forced the last enemy units out of Rostov. The gateway to the
Caucasus had been openned.

Source: ASL Scenario 104, The Penetration of Rostov 