Winter Blues ETO (id:#57634)

Dagger (Rout Report # 5.1 ID: Z22)   [next]   [previous]

North of Novgorod, Russia 1942-03-19 (3 others)

Overview:

In mid-January, the Soviet 2nd Shock Army smashed through the weak, overextended German line along the Volkhov River. Its ultimate goal was the relief of the besieged city of Leningrad. The attack was slowed by stubborn German forces holding isolated strongpoints which the Soviets were forced to flow around. A narrow corridor was cleared through which the Soviet cavalry, armor and Siberian ski battalions raced towards Leningrad. The Germans planned to counter this by sealing off the Russian penetration at the base of the corridor to strangle it through lack of supplies. The northern pincer of the counterattack was made by I Corps, spearheaded by the 4th SS Police Division. The southern pincer was centered around the veteran 58th Infantry Division, which was bolstered by several battalions of the Spanish Blue Division. On March 15th, in temperatures of 50 below zero, through thick forests buried under four feet of snow, the German and Spanish ski assault troops attacked.

Defender: Russian (305th Rifle Division and 2nd Shock Army)  

Errata (source)