In February, two German Armeekorps -- six divisions -- were stuck in the area around Demyansk. The harsh winter had hit the unprepared Germans hard and, combined with stiff Soviet resistance, forced them into defensive positions. On 8 February, the Soviets closed the ring around the Germans, forming the Demyansk pocket. Nearly 100,000 Germans soldiers were trapped an the only way to supply then was by air. To solve this the Germans launched Operation BRUCKENSCHLAG on 29 March to crack open the Demyansk pocket and relieve their trapped comrades there.
This one’s a fun “tactical sandwich” with the Germans as slices of bread closing in from both sides on the Russians who straddle a river in the middle. Before long, both sides are asking, “How can my forces on this side help their comrades on the other side?”
The Russians set up as follows.
West Bank: 45LL ATG in the center at 62X8 facing south to peg any Stug that tried the southern approach to the river or pivot to cover the center. The MMG down south with 9-1 in 62T9 to sweep mid board with a fire lane and/or protect the southern approach where two squads waited in the 62S9 wood. The ATR up north in 62CC9 to catch any Stug that tried to bypass along the 62DD7 gap. Remaining Russian infantry covered the northern wood.
East Bank: Wire and mines ran along a six-hex diagonal from the north board edge, 7GG10, down south to 32F8. At mid field, the mortar in 7Z8 and the HMG in 32J9 covered the mines and wire. A couple of squads from center to north covered the road while most of the Russian infantry, including all 5-2-7s, clustered in the central wood around 32I6. A corporal with 447 and LMG in the southernmost wooden house, 32N8, covered the stream.
The Germans approached in the north on both sides of the river.
Along the west bank, the two Stugs and accompanying infantry moved together in a tight juggernaut that completely avoided the Russian ATG at board center on the other side of the BB8 woods cluster. They crashed into concealed infantry, two 447 each with an LMG, in the northern wood around F6. The Russians cut down 1.5 German squads and broke a couple more before they collapsed under shots of 12 and 16 flat; one 447 with LMG did escape to the wooden house by the river at 7FF1. As feared, the Stugs then bypassed along the DD7 gap. The ATR fired with box cars to break on first use. A concealed 5-2-7 advanced into close combat to kill a German half squad. The Russians skulked from the perimeter of the BB8 wood to the center and back out to the perimeter to keep presenting concealed stacks to superior German firepower. The German flamethrower ran out of gas on first use, but did break a squad. The Germans were gradually overpowering the Russians in this northwestern battle of attrition until, on turn 5, a Russian sniper broke two German squads and pinned another while one Stug malfunctioned its MA. That left the Germans with only a few GO squads with as many Russian squads and an MMG fire lane between them and the river.
Along the east bank, the Germans used the houses in the northeast to rapidly reach the road and drive the Russian pickets away. Then they rushed through the northern woods, saw the wire, and stumbled into the minefield. A German snipper activated to shatter the Russian HMG position by killing the 9-1 and breaking the squad manning the weapon. So began several turns of the Germans pivoting to attack along the sunken road at board center. The Russians used the J7 wood as a rally point and concealment factory to keep cycling troops out to the perimeter to contest the German advance along the sunken road. A Russian half squad made it back to the HMG and the mortar at Z8 started firing. Between them, those weapons only knocked out one German half squad, but they attracted the bulk of German fire enabling Russian squads in the wood to survive.
By now, the Stugs were looking for ways to fire across the river to shut down that Russian HMG and mortar while the Russian mortar was hoping for some shots at the Stugs on the other side. Then the German 9-2 on the east bank finally found his mark to break the mortar and the HMG. But it was too late. The firefights had taken too long. Like their comrades on the far shore, the eastern Germans faced a fire lane and equal number of squads. So, the Germans conceded on turn 5 for the Russian win.
