Operation Citadel 4th July 1943: Butovo

Major General A.I. Baksov's 67th Guards Rifle Division (GRD) of 22nd Guards Rifle Corps was defending astride the main road that ran from Borisovka northward through Butovo and Cherkasskoe to Oboian. His right flank covered by the 71st GRD. 10km to the rear the 90th GRD backed up by the 6th Tank Corps of the 1st Tank Army formed a second echelon defenses along the Pena river. The 67th defended a 14km sector along a low generally treeless ridge line. The main routes into Baskov's positions ran northward along either side of the village of Butovo.

Baksov created a security belt that ranged from two to four kilometers in front of his main defenses anchored  on Butovo.

Preliminary fighting started shortly after 1600 hours on on 4 July 1943 in the south, as Fourth Panzer Army had elected to try to take the Soviet outposts prior to the main assault on July 5. 

Advanced Battalions of Großdeutschland's Grenadier Regiment and 11th Panzer Division attacked Butovo and the high ground around Butovo in torrential rain.  

Map used with permission from the Spearhead Yahoo group.

Soviet TOE

German TOE

Weather

Poor Weather -1Cmd penalty. See page 24 BKC II

Deployment 

Soviets deploy first up to one third of the table.
Germans nominate a player as their Recon element. Gets 1D3x30 seconds in the room with a map of the table. May mark, measure and take notes of the Soviet deployment. May not ask any questions.

Germans can then formulate their plan, divide up their units into formations and should use the map to mark where each formation will enter the board from (note xcm from left hand corner). Germans deploy opposite and use mobile deployment.

Game Length

12 Turns, the Germans take the first turn.

Objective

Calculate the number of victory points at the end of 12 turns. The following terrain features are all objectives; Hill 228.4 +2VPs, Butovo +3VPs and Hill 223 +2VPs. Inflicting more casualty points than casualty points taken (but not twice as many) +1VP, Inflicting at least twice as many casualty points than casualty points taken +2VP. Decide the winner as per page 36 BKC II.