Hartelt's Panthers*
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Date: January 24, 1945*                     
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Battle Type: German Advance vs Soviet Delay*
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Design: CB Blackard*
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Battle Description: The battles in East Prussia in January 1945 were conducted in the form of a moving pocket.  The objective of the Hermann Goring Division's panzer regiment was to delay the onrushing enenmy in order to gain the time needed by other units, in particular infantry divisions, for their retreat.  On the morning of 24 January, Oberfahnrich Hartelt was summoned by the commander of I Battalion, Hauptmann Renz.  Renz said to him:  "Hartelt, you are to form the division's rear guard.  You and your five remaining tanks must hold up the pursuing enemy for at least four hours."  Hartelt, however, had no intention of simply waiting for the Russians to appear.  His Panthers swept through the rear of the advancing Russian units before doubling back to rejoin the HG division.  For this battle, Hartelt was awarded the Knight's Cross.*
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Note:  If played against the AI, this scenario is best played with the human player being the German side.* 
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Source:  Kurowski, "The History of the Fallschirm Panzerkorps Hermann Goring", pp. 383-85*
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