Stemming the Tide

Stemming the Tide is a scenario in Steel Division II, set at Bobr, June 26th, 1944.

Briefing[ | ]

Although the garrison at Orscha was still stubbornly holding on, the Soviet armored breakthrough forces had bypassed it already and were racing through the undefended German rear. The only regular Wehrmacht unit available in the area was the anti-partisan French collaborationist LVF (Grenadier-Regiment 638). In a desperate effort to stem the tide, and only supported by a handful of Tigers and Stukas, their mission was to slow down the Soviet onslaught long enough to allow for much-needed reinforcements to be brought up to the front.

Objectives[ | ]

Soviet

Secure the highway to Minsk
Seize Bobr

German

Prevent the enemy from taking both control points

Available forces[ | ]

Soviet[ | ]

Strelk./18-ya Gv. Tank. Brigada[ | ]

Recon

4// x Razvedka
//3 x WLA DP
//3 x Dozor

Infantry

9// x Avtomatchiki
1// x Avto. Komroti ⋀
/9/ x Gvardyia
/1/ x Gv. Komroti ⋀
//3 x Saperi ⋀

Support

2// x SG-43
/2/ x SG-43 ⋀
1// x Kombat ⩓
/2/2 x Studebekker Snab.
//2 x ISU-152

Anti-tank

2// x ZiS-2 57mm
/4/ x M-42 45mm
//4 x ZiS-3 76.2mm

Artillery

Air

Tank./18-ya Gv. Tank. Brigada[ | ]

Recon

1/3/1 x WLA DP
3/3/ x Mot. Razvedka
//3 x Mot. Razvedka ⋀

Infantry

5// x Tankodesantniki
//5 x Tankodesantniki ⋀

Tank

19/19/19 x Emcha (57 total)
2/1/ x Emcha Komroti ⋀
/1/2 x Emcha Komroti ⩓

Support

/1/ x M2 Kombat ⩓
//1 x M3A1 Kombat ⩓

Anti-air

4/6/ x ZiS-5V Doushka

Artillery

2/4/ x SU-76M ⋀

Air

2// x Yak-9 Normandie Dogfighter ⋀
/2/ x P-39Q-15 Kobra Dogfighter

German[ | ]

Kampfgruppe Bridoux[ | ]

Recon

6// x LVF Eclaireurs ⋀ (A/B/C)
3// x LVF Chasseurs ⩓

Infantry

27//18 x LVF Grenadier ⋀
5//3 x LVF Führer ⩓
/12/ x SS-Schupo
/2/ x SS-Schupo Füh. ⋀

Tank

4// x Tiger E (SD2) ⩓

Support

12//6 x LVF MG-34 ⋀
1// x LVF Kommandant ⩓
/2/ x MG 08
/2/2 x Opel Blitz Mun. (SD2)

Anti-tank

2// x LVF PaK 36 37mm ⋀
/2/ x PaK 40 75mm (SD2)

Artillery

3// x LVF Mortier 80mm
//2 x LVF Mortier 80mm ⋀

Air

2// x FW 190 A8 Dogfighter (SD2) ⋀
//2 x FW 190 A8 Dogfighter (SD2)
/2/ x Me 109 G-8 Recon
/5/ x Ju 87 D-3 Medium Bomber 250kg (SD2) ⋀
//3 x Ju 87 D-5 Recon Plane ⩓

Defense

3000 x barbed wire
1 x gun pit
1500 x trenches
4 x Bunker MG 42
4 x Bunker PaK 37mm ⋀
1 x Bunker PaK 75mm

Walkthrough[ | ]

This is a straightforward defensive scenario. Although the German side is definitely outnumbered, they have a quality advantage over the Soviets, access to four double vet Tigers from the get go, and a superior tactical position. Both control points require the Soviets to cross the river, starting at the edge of the map, while German forces can cross the river at their leisure, at least initially, and project power across the other side, allowing for flanking attacks.
The biggest advantage the LVF has is the plateau near Bobr. Scouts located on the plateau can spot tanks coming through the rightmost reinforcement route, while the LVF bunker, AT weapons, and especially Tigers can easily shut down that access point and engage Soviet Shermans from beyond their effective range. Taking the plateau is challenging, but will immediately reverse the tide of battle if Soviet forces can enter it: The entirety of Bobr is laid open for attack that way.
In general, taking Bobr requires a lot of groundpounding if crossing the river, and the battle may very well stalemate at that point. The plateau offers an additional advantage, as it grants access to the valley behind the village, bypassing defenders holed up in the town.
The road to Minsk is challenging, as it requires going through the river and the forest, both of which are quite easy to shut down and defend against. However, crossing it gives the opportunity to eliminate German reinforcements and win an early victory, since that way the enemy player cannot reinforce.
What's definitely recommended for the German player is to field at least one Tiger supported by infantry on the other side, to raid artillery positions that can be quite bothersome to deal with.
Video walkthrough : https://youtu.be/GZQmbGdqGDU Help visualize how to go about this mission.