10. Siege Of The Brest Fortress
Just before dawn on Sunday 22 June 1941, German border guards called over their Soviet counterparts for a conversation and swiftly murdered them. The Luftwaffe set out to hit major cities and airfields, eviscerating the Soviet Air Forces archaic fleet. Army engineers secured bridges and signalled for the tanks to roll through. Thus began Operation Barbarossa: the largest invasion in history. Over 3.6 million troops primarily though not entirely German - supported by over 8,000 combined tanks and aircraft, surged across the border to fulfil Hitlers long-held dream of expansion and extermination. After the Red Armys disastrous performance in Finland in 1939-40, German hubris was exceptionally high and anticipated an outcome as swift as it was decisive. Indeed, one German officer is alleged to have remarked at the outset that the entire war last only four weeks. But the Axis had barely crossed the border when they were faced with one of their most ferocious and protracted engagements. The 19th century fortress at Brest was an outdated relic and its relaxed personnel and their families were traumatized by the opening artillery bombardment. By the time the infantry assault came shortly afterwards, chaos and confusion reigned and many were already maimed or dead. The Soviets subsequently retreated to isolated strongpoints within the fort, regrouping and eventually putting up a solid defence, turning the battle into a siege. In sweltering summer heat, the remaining defenders managed to hold on when outnumbered by approximately 2:1, bringing obsolete weapons to bear against tanks, and remarkably succeeding. By the time the fortress was bombed into submission a week later, some 400 Germans were dead but, as would be the case throughout the war, the Soviets suffered far more terribly. Though it was merely a pinprick to the goliath that was the 1941 Wehrmacht most simply raced ahead of the fort to their objectives the extraordinary achievement of the soldiers there eventually earned the site the designation of Hero Fortress in 1965, and today there is a museum commemorating one of the only spots of hope in that hot, dreadful summer in the USSR. The events were portrayed captivatingly, brutally and poignantly in the 2010 Belarus-Russia co-production
The Brest Fortress, and the events could be just as effective when translated into the virtual, interactive sphere. Players taking command of an anonymous Red Army recruit, running through the opening barrage, conducting a tactical fighting retreat, and defending a fortified position against waves of enemy troops would despite the obvious end provide an exhilarating and cathartic experience amongst all the bleakness, confusion and desperation of the wars first weeks. And what better way to open a potential campaign than on the very first day?