Just a few days left until the start of the Round 2 of the Combat Mission Grand Tournament. At the beginning of the week, we showcased the second round of [url=https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1952712420]Cold War on Stream[/url] on our Twitch channel, as well as a [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TaRPxN3m4g]video by Usually Hapless[/url] showing the second round of Battle for Normandy. As you can imagine, today we have an article for Red Thunder, Mark Goddard, military and Wargaming expert wrote an article about what you are going to face in this second round, the Battle of Ogledow. We hope you enjoy this first article, as well as the tournament and this article. [u][b]Battle of Ogledów 11-13 Aug 1944:[/b][/u] [b]Setting the Scene[/b] By the late Summer of 1944, the fortunes of the Allies had changed for the better. On the Western front the Normandy landings had broken out and were making steady gains, while on the Eastern Front the immense Soviet war machine had been fully mobilised, striking towards Germany. The Soviet offensive, Operation Bagration was nearing its end, having achieved staggering success, shattering the German defensive lines, and causing such damage that the Germans would never recover. Despite this, the Germans remained a formidable force with innovative technologies rapidly changing their orders of battle, this would soon be seen first-hand with the debut of the Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B, or Königstiger (King Tiger). [b]Crossing the Vistula[/b] On August 10th 1944 Soviet forces from the 1st Ukrainian Front forcibly crossed the Vistula River, establishing a beachhead which the 6th Guards Tank Corps and 3rd Guards Tank Army expanded to the outskirts of the villages of Szyldów and Ogledów while the 52nd Guards Tank brigade held the left flank. The sandy conditions around the area caused severe difficulties for the Soviet forces who could not dig their tanks into hull down positions, however, it also caused German tanks to lose traction and control, often resulting in their side armour being dangerously exposed to Soviet guns. It was reported that the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade alone destroyed 8 Panthers. [b]Königstigers[/b] The Soviets received intelligence on the night of 12th August via a Prisoner of War from the 79th Panzergrenadier Regiment that the 501st Schwere Panzerabteilung 501 (Heavy Tank Battalion) was unloaded at the Konsupol rail station and was equipped with 40 tanks including Panthers and Panzer IVs. It is unclear if the POW did not understand the difference (or was with holding information) but the Brigade was actually equipped with the new Königstiger. However, unbeknownst to the Soviets only approx 75% of the tanks arrived at Khmilnyk due to break downs during the march. Anticipating a German counter offensive elements of the 2nd Tank Guards Tank Battalion equipped with the T34-85 prepared a defensive line around a wide valley near the village of Ogledów backed up by the 294th Rifle Regiment. 2 x T34-85s of the 53rd Guards Tank brigade commanded by Guards Junior Lieutenant Oskin and Guards Captain Ivushkin set an ambush in a crop field overlooking a dirt road in the valley that led to the vulnerable Soviet rear. On the morning of 13 Aug, hidden in the haystacks and obscured by foggy conditions, 3 Königstigers were observed in the valley. Unaware of the T34’s position they continued to advance to within 400m presenting their more vulnerable side armour. 2 Königstigers were quickly knocked out with 1 catching fire while the 3rd threw a track and failed to turn its front towards the threat. Bogged down and under heavy artillery barrage it was later captured. The attack and capture of Ogledów then commenced with a platoon of IS-2 tanks engaging further Königstigers, knocking 1 out with their 122 mm gun before engaging a second, which had stalled the infantry attack on the village. A track was knocked off forcing the German crew to abandon the vehicle as the village was stormed by a company of Soviet submachine gunners. The Königstiger was then captured and used to engage German forces. With the village was secured by 0800 engagements continued across the day with IS2s knocking out a further 3 Königstigers forcing the rest to retreat. Between 11-13 August 6 Königstigers were captured and 7 damaged beyond repair. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44144970/51063ecf612317c0864c0d87ee3a1115f9f2dbc3.jpg[/img] [b]Impact[/b] The Soviet bridgehead was secure and expanding. With every victory Soviet confidence increased and it become clear that even the heaviest German tanks could be countered by the growing experience of the Soviet tank crews. Most importantly the victories at Ogledów and the wider Operation Bagration set the conditions for the Vistula-Oder offensive, which would commence on January 1945, eventually propelling Soviet forces to within 69km of Berlin.