A few photos of The 1st Corps 28mm Eastern Front demo game at The Other Partizan today.
Michael Curtis
The Battle of Kamenewo, 6th October 1941
The Battle of Kamenewo on 6th Octobr 1941 marked a pivotal moment on the Eastern Front, showcasing the Soviet T-34 tank’s dominance and halting the German advance towards Moscow.
On 6th October 1941, near the village of Kamenewo south of Mitensk, the German 4th Panzer Division, part of General Heinz Guderian’s 2nd Panzer Army, advanced rapidly following the capture of Orei. Their objective was to push towards Tuis and ultimately Moscow. However the Soviet High Command, alarmed by the speed of the German advance, dispatched Major General Dmitry Letyushenko and his 1st Guards Rifle Corps to intercept the threat.
Letyushenko’s force was a patchwork of units, including the 4th and 11th Tank Brigades and airborne troops from 5th Airborne Corps. Crucially Mikail Katukov’s 4th Tank Brigade, equipped with the newly produced T-34 and KV-1 tanks, played a decisive role.
The German Panzer III and IV tanks, under-armoured and out-gunned compared to the Soviet machines, were caught off guard. The Soviet tanks attacked from the flanks, supported by infantry and airborne units blocking the front. The result was catastrophic for the Germans : most of 4th Panzer Division’s armour was destroyed, and advance towards Tula abruptly halted.
One of the standout Soviet tank commanders during the battle was Lieutenant Dimitry Lavrinenko who, with just four T-34s and three KV-1s under Sergeant Antonov, reportedly knocked out eleven German tanks and two artillery pieces in a single engagement. Lavrinenko would go on to destroy 52 enemy tanks in just two months before his death later that year.
The battle was a wake up call for the Wehrmacht. Guderian himself acknowledged the superiority of the T-34, noting that it was the first time his forces had encountered such formidable Soviet armour. The engagement at Kamenewo not only stalled the German advance but also prompted a reassessment of German tank design and tactics.
This clash demonstrated the growing competance of the Soviet tank commanders and the effectiveness of their new armoured vehicles. It was a turning point in the early phase of the Battle of Moscow, foreshadowing the fierce resistance that would ultimately blunt Operation Typhoon.
And here are some more photos lifted from the excellent Don’t Roll a One blog: highly recommended as a source of inspiration.
All figures, buildings and vehicles are by 1st Corps.