Operation Barbarossa saw 7th Panzer Division racing across the Soviet border, and up against elements of 3rd Mechanized Corps. The resulting battles saw some of the first tank-to-tank fighting on what became the Eastern Front. This scenario was adapted from Bob Mackenzie's Olita scenario, available in text and photos on his excellent website. Click here to go to the website; click on the CD link, then scroll down to the Great Patriotic War section and click on The First Tank Battle. The German goal was to cross the Nemen River and take the crossroads beyond. The Soviets were hampered by poor troop quality and command and control throughout the battle. We played the game with 20mm miniatures (really a mix of 1/76 and 1/72 scales) using our Hail of Lead homebrew rules. Game Central in El Cerrito, California, hosted the Gourmet Wargaming Club (GWC). Scroll to the bottom to get information about the miniatures used.

The battle opens with German panzer units moving onto the board along the main road, at lower left. The Soviets have a few units defending the "German side" of the Nemen River, but most of their forces are on the far side.	Soviet 1st Tank Battalion destroys a recon Panzer II F light tank. The red marker indicates fear of the nearby German tanks. The top Soviet tank is a T-28M; the others are T-35's in a different scale that were acting as T-28's.	German tanks head north along a forest road, and run smack into an enemy roadblock. The numbered marker ("64") is used for unit identification purposes.	The only airpower that arrived over the battlefield during the game for the Soviets was this flight of MiG-3 fighters. The enemy land units were all safely on forest roads, and thus could not be attacked. Bad luck!	After blasting through the roadblock with no losses, the panzer company runs into an entrenched engineer stand attempting to blow the railroad bridge.
A rare appearance by the Luftwaffe causes the loss of the T-28M, the best tank in the battalion. The Bf 109E model is a stand-in for a 109F.	The medium panzer company (Panzer IV F1's) heads south along a forest road, and springs another Soviet trap. The 75mm guns did quick work.	A BA-10 heavy armored car ambushes a company of Panzer 38(t)'s. The Germans had already captured the railroad bridge, and used the railroad to exit the forest. The Soviet vehicle was quickly silenced.	The Panzer IV's move up the main road to engage the T-28's.	Scratch one Soviet tank battalion. The short 76mm gun was a serious drawback in tank-to-tank combat--not to mention the thin armor and inexperienced crews!
The German commander's tank is ambushed by a polyglot mix of straggler infantry and the Soviet commander's BA-20 armored car.	The German advance down the main road is blocked by enemy engineers dug in at the road bridge over the Nemen.	Panzer 38(t)'s leave the railroad and immediately lose a Panzer II F to enemy fire. But from where?	The culprits turn out to be T-34/76 Model 1940 medium tanks protected by tank ramps.	A Soviet command unit arrives on-board with a Quad AA truck, FAI recon armored car, and a command car.
More German command units move north to try to clear the forest road to the railroad bridge. The enemy BA-20 is easily dispatched, but the infantry won't budge, even when shelled by artillery. The second vehicle in line is an SdKfz 10/4 AA halftrack (actually an SdKfz 7/2), followed by an SdKfz 261 radio vehicle and PzBefWg III E command tank (actually a Panzer III F).	A battalion of T-26 Model 1933 light tanks enters the battle, and takes up hull-down positions opposite the railroad.	The same unit under fire from the Panzer 38(t)'s and a 105mm artillery battery. Note "krump" markers representing an artillery strike; these are made by hand from steel wool, and sprayed with rust-proof black and light grey paint.	German Panzer IV's cross the Nemen River to encounter another company of T-34's, backed up by entrenched infantry with a 45mm AT gun.	After shooting up the T-26's, the panzer company finds its flank threatened by the now-mobile T-34's.
An overview of the battle just past the half-way point.	Success! The last Soviet infantry stand has held its ground in the face of German armor, and manages to destroy the enemy command tank. The celebrating was, however, short-lived.	A backlog of German vehicles appears behind the Nemen River, held up by the Panzer IV. The enemy T-34's became the cork in the mouth of the German bottle on this side of the table. Note the Panzer I B on the bridge; this represents a specially-modified engineering vehicle (but the special function could not be used in this scenario).	The German tanks beside the railroad lose their nerve and are forced back to the cover of the forest by Soviet armor. Antitank fire on both sides was ineffective because of the T-34s' thick armor and green crews.	The cork is out! Acting under orders from on-high, panzer commanders burst out from the road bridge and trade close-range shots with the T-34's.
Meanwhile, the panzer company counter-attacks down the railroad track and trusts to its superior training to win the tank-to-tank battle.	Suddenly a new Soviet threat races onto the table: a battalion of 7 BT-7 light tanks. These attempt to infiltrate the forest to get behind the enemy, but run into a previously hidden panzer company.	Askari chic.	The Soviet commander takes a quick break.	Soviet infantry (and Komsomolyets tractor) fall back from the main German tank attack with some losses. The 45mm AT gun was abandoned during the "rearward redeployment."
German panzers swarm out of their bridgehead, shooting up T-34's and BT-7's wherever they are encountered.	The column of Soviet BT-7's are neatly flanked by agile panzers.	More panzers exit from the railroad line as the nearby tank battle continues.	Before the battle ends, all commanders share in the chocolately fruits of victory. This could easily be a contoured landscape for a 2mm game--but don't chew the lead.	German infantry and tanks hem the T-34's in on all sides. The infantry are sent scurrying back by machine-gun and cannon fire.
The German advance down the main road is met with autocannon fire from the 37mm AA gun. This does little, and only serves to bring artillery fire down on the assorted surviving infantry nearby.	German engineers and their special halftrack move up to help clear the main road.	The last surviving tank protecting the road is a T-34 in a tank ramp. The enemy shouldn't have much trouble taking care of it.	An overview of the battlefield as we ended the game. With 9 of 16 turns played, the Soviets were in no shape to stop the Germans from continuing their drive east.	These men smile in the face of death. (The photographer wasn't looking so good at the time. Brave souls.)