General Information
Broadcast: https://www.twitch.tv/imperialdane
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImperialDane
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Propagandacast?feature=mhee
Leutnant Müller was observing the men assembled before him. What germany had been able to scrape together for the upcoming Assault in the Ardennes. Would they be enough ?
The Allies had been stalling during their attack for the last few days and the Germans decided to seize upon the chance, committing the 21st Panzer Division to an attack that could wipe out the 3rd and 11th Armoured Divisions.
During the night the 85th Infanterie Division had abandoned their positions and withdrawn.. Without approval from High Command. The 9th Infantry had been quick to take up the vital crossroads leaving 1st SS Panzer Korps in a bad position. The 1st SS Panzer Division was ordered to immediately attack and retake the crossroads before the Americans dug in too heavily.
Their backs against the wall the 9th Panzer Division was in dire straits, after a failed counter-attack ordered by the Führer himself. They had been cut off from the rest of the Germany army and in their way lay the 52nd Infantry Division. Resources and supplies were low. But they had to try a breakthrough or face annihilation.
Operation Bagration was in full swing. But the 78th Sturm division was holding fast against the soviet onslaught. And so the 5th Guards Rifle Division was sent in to deal a killing blow.
The 3rd Armoured Division had been making increasingly worrying gains against the German army. And so High Command committed the Panzer Lehr for a counter-attack meant to cripple the division and buy time to re-organize the sector.
The English had recently secured a strategically vital hamlet and High Command was already signing orders to have it taken back lest the flank of the 2nd SS panzer Corps be threatened. The 21st Panzer Division was assigned the task, but no additional resources for it.
The attack had stalled south of Minsk as the 16th Panzergrenadier division had dug in hard. Frustrated at the lack of progress Stavka replaced the commander of the 7th Guards Tank corps with a more suited one, threw in reinforcements and ordered renewed attacks.
"Right men, we gotta hold the line. The Krauts are coming up and they are quite hellbent on getting through here"
The 2nd Infantry Division was in quite a pickle, on the 3rd day of the Ardennes assault and they had suffered substantial losses. But they had to hold or more would be lost.