Throughout the winter
of ‘42–‘43, the Soviets launched repeated attacks to relieve the siege of
Leningrad. The hard-pressed Germans rebuffed one attack after another, but in
so doing, their lines became progressively thinner. Finally, the Germans had to
develop a trip wire defense of light local forces, backed by a “fire brigade”
mobile force, which was quickly dispatched to the inevitable breakthrough sector.
Such a fire brigade was 1st Company, schwere Panzer Battalion 502, with
ace tanker Cpt. Hans Bölter, who was called upon to halt a major Russian
armored incursion by a full battalion of the 122nd Tank Brigade.
Attacker: Russian (Elements of 122nd Tank Brigade)
Defender: German (Company 1, Schwere Panzer Battalion 502)
