OCS Case Blue - scenario 7.8

Novocherkassk and Voroshilovsgrad taken.

Two rails toward West from Likhosvkoy cut.

Donest crossed beyond Voroshilovsgrad.

Start of the retreat of the centre.

Small counter-attack in front of Rostov.

The 14^th Pz Div crushes the 14^th Tank Corps, opening the road for the D'aosta Div who tooks Milerovo by surprise. Rossoh is taken by the 29^th Mot, the 3^rd PzD surprises the 28^th Army HQ, the unguarded Kantemirovak airbase and the 38^th Army HQ in strategic mode! The trap is closed, encircling all troops between the Don and Rossoh: 9^th, 28^th, 37^th and 38^th Armies, with 14^th, 22^nd and 23^rd Tank corps! Violent fight in west-Rostov, without success, while the Westland regiment of the SS Wiking Div cross the Don behind Rostov and take control of the main road to the South.

Start of the retreat of the centre.

Small counter-attack in front of Rostov.

Calm down... only 6 SP. The 4^th Pz Group appears on the field of operations but due to lack on fuel, only the 24^th PzDiv moves by train to relieve the 23^rd facing Likhovskoy.

The 16^th Pz continues his move forward taking Tatsinskaya by the south with any losses, cutting the remnants of soviet armies retreating, followed by the 22^nd.

4 Inf Div and 6 Tank Bde more are lost while 24^th and 37^th Armies are routed, abandoning Likhovskoy in order to attempt a counter-attack with the 13^th Tank Corps on Tatsinskaya. But, while one of the brigades is stopped by the bombs of the He-111, the two others fall in a trap disposed by the gunners of 16^th Pz Div as their armoured comrades was taking the town...

Morozovsk is fortifying while the 63^th Army's HQ, cavalry and NKVD borders troops are entering the village to reinforce the 153^th Inf Div.

The D'Aosta Div pushes outside Milerovo on the road to Serafimovich, destroying the guard on the Kalitva river. The 16^th Pz Div stays around Tatsinskaya, as the 22^nd Pz Div crosses the Don at Tsimlyanskaya and the 13^th PzDiv finally takes Likhovskoy.

Consolidation

Offensive stopped by lack of fuel. Only the 14^th Pz Div and D'aosta are pushing to Serafimovitch and take Perelazoviskyi and Surovikino by surprise!

Even too far from the 35^th Italian army; lot of food has to be thrown to the front unit in order to keep them supplied...

Morozovsk is now cutted from the rear area ans the fortifications around Stalingrad are far from finished.

Failed counter-attacks on Surovikino and from Serafimovitch. The morale is low on the Soviet side...

Still no enough fuel. The rest of the 14^th Pz comes to rescue the forwarded tanks and Pangrenadieren in Surovikino, surrounded by a lots of Russian tanks.

The Italian are reinforcing in front of Serafimovitch.

Second counter-attack from the area of Stalingrad: the 28^th Tank Corps launch an attach on the artillery of the 14^th Panzer with somme success. The gap is then filled by the 141^th Inf Div.

The more important success is the arrival of the 24^th Tank Corps, who retake Surovikino and the airbase: the anti-tank and planes are routed by the arrival of the new tanks who continue their advance to fall on two German Inf Div in strategic move... The 14^th is once more isolated in Surovikino and more and more Russians are coming.

A precious but light link has been reestablished with the defenders of Morozovsk.

Double-move and limited flight!

The 24^th and 28^th Tank Corps continue their move beyond the Kurniak river and crushes the 35^th Italian army HQ and repulse the German 3^rd Pz Corps in disorder. The Italian are behead.

More, in the rear, on the road from Millerovo, the 22^nd Tank corps and the 5^th Cavalry Div crush some Italian infantry and dispersed the parc of wagons in charge of the supply of the forward troops. The elite Italian ski troops are able to stop the Russian horsemen and to protect the wagons. But the tanks are still there, cutting the road...

Rescue operation to save the 3^rd Pz Corps. Despite the air bridge, most of the Italian are out of supply. The wagon route is reestablished with the German troops and the 24^th Pz Div came to punish with severity the Russian tanks on the road.

In front of Morozovsk, the 16^th and 13^th Pz Div are encircling the town. If the former has some success, their brothers are unable to enter the town.