End Of The Road
D+5 | 25 July 1989, 12:00hrs - 16:00hrs vs @ Neuffen
Following their successful crossing of the Neckar, the Soviets did not stop. Conscious of the grouping of NATO forces south and fully expecting a counter-attack at any time, a plan was needed to pin those forces and allow the Soviet 15th Gds Armoured Division to leapfrog over the 48th Motorized Rifle Division to attack in the direction of Stuttgart.
During the previous day, it became painfully evident that the Czechoslovakians were too far away to provide this diversionary move. Also, the main body of Soviet forces was lagging behind the 48th Motorized Rifle Division and the 15th Gds Armoured Division. To the north, the East Germans were regrouping, and the French forces were seen for the first time reconnoitering the front.
The area south of the Neckar had a critical target, the town of Metzingen. It was a major road hub, with both north-south and east-west links in road and rail. This was defined as a target for the 48th Motorized Rifle Division. Anyone looking at a map could see that this was, at best, optimistic.
The 48th Motorized Rifle Division had a long way to go, difficult ground with a number of stream crossings, and was attacking into defended territory, where at least one West-German unit was known to have taken defensive positions, the PzBtl 293.
There was no mistaking it, the happy times had ended for the 48th Motorized Rifle Division, they were about to start what could very well be their last operation as a cohesive formation.
Scenario by Jo Lima; Mike Johnstone | Map by William van der Sterren