Apartment Hunting


Kharkov, in the Ukraine, March 11, 1943: The German counteroffensive 
by Von Manstein had reversed the initial success achieved by the 
previous Russian assault. By easily sweeping aside the strung out, 
overconfident Russian forces back towards the Donets Basin the Germans 
were once again astride the large metropolis. Disobeying a direct order 
of not getting committed in a costly city struggle and suffer needless 
heavy losses, Hausser sent his vanguard, the elite Leibstrandarte Adolph 
Hitler into the city. Possibly motivated by prestige, the battle seasoned 
SS troopers now found themselves embroiled in severe fighting amongst the 
numerous apartment buildings.

Game Length: 10 turns

For the Germans to win they must capture the city
For the Russians to win they must defend VP buildings

Germans: Squads, HMG, MMG, LMG's, ATR's, FT's, DC's, AFV's
Russians: Squads, HMG, MMG, LMG's, ATR's, DC's, AT Guns, ART Gun, AFV's

Deluxe ASL Boards: #a, #b, #c, #d

Aftermath: Led by Max Hanson, the Panzergrenadiers pushed right through to the
Red Square in tough street fighting and so opened the access routes to the city 
center. As the deadly street fighting raged on, the bulk of the XLVIII Panzer 
Corps found itself pinned down to the south of the city on the Misha Stream. 
Colonel General Roth, a master of mobile operations, did not wish to be pinned 
down and employed the bulk of his forces in an encirclement movement around 
Kharkov. On the 15th of March the pocket was sealed, the same day resistance 
by the Soviets collapsed at the Kharkov Tractor Works, the last bastion of 
resistance. The victory, however, was a pyrrhic one. Motivated by prestige 
rather than by a tactical necessity the cassualties suffered by the Leibstandarte, 
always considered as the cream of the crop were heedlessly high. Avenging an 
earlier pasting at Rostov in 1941, the SS once again proved of what mettle they 
were made.

Source: On All Fronts, Apartment Hunting, February 1996 issue
  

