AAR 2

On February 12 and 13 Major Panzeri's Military History class participated in a wargame of the 1943 WWII Kanev Operation. The Russian Army consisted of Cadet Candidates from the United States Military Academy Preparatory School and several distinguished war-gaming professionals. The German Army consisted of Virginia Military Institute Cadets, United States Military Academy Cadets, United States Naval Academy Cadets, and University of Connecticut Reserve Officer Training Course Cadets.

The entire Kanev operation began weeks before the weekend of the 12th. About two weeks prior Cadet Candidates (CC's) began receiving e-mail upon e-mail that consisted of various orders and rules for the operation. This was the beginning of the tactical preparation. CC's had to sort through this plethora of information to find specific details that would help them plan the tactics for whichever Russian Army they were assigned. After two weeks of planning the time to brief the other Russian members had finally arrived. The 40th Army, 3rd Guard Tank Army, and 8th Airborne Division each took turns briefing on the specific courses of action that they had planned. After listening and adding suggestions, Marshal Panzerski gave the order of which course of action the Russian Army was going to take. Each division rushed off to make final changes and corrections to their actual operation orders before the battle began.

The battle was picked up in the third day of the Kanev Operation. Both the German and Russian armies were advancing toward each other, and the 8th Airborne Corp had a less than successful drop. Two separate Airborne battalions were destroyed, one at Rzchechev and the other at Kanev. Although one company was not immediately defeated at Kanev, it took little time for the German Army to close width and destroy. Tension was high amongst the staff of the 8th Airborne Corp as they decided how to carry out their next mission. The operation was to drop the remaining six battalions on a remote location in hopes of surprising the Germans in effect blocking them from the Kanev bridgehead. The second airborne drop was considered a success, but two rifle companies, one mortar, and one anti-tank gun were lost because of unsuccessful landings. The remainder of the airborne unit rapidly assembled and prepared for movement to their specified area of operation. The airborne troops moved up the road toward Kanev successfully securing a position and defeating the German forces. As a whole the Russian Army destroyed the German opposition.

The campaign taught me several things about leadership, teamwork and communication. As a member of the 8th Airborne Staff I had the opportunity to witness the leadership roles first hand. Disagreement within the chain of command made operations difficult and hard to complete. However as the staff began to communicate and work as a team the operations came together and the Germans were defeated. Misunderstandings and lack of communication caused the disagreements. The mission was difficult until the staff took the time to use the chain of command and improve communication.

The overall event was very beneficial to me. The initial briefings not only forced me to gather information and construct it into a coherent presentation, but also exposed me to real life briefing situations. The experience will help me when I become an Army Staff Officer. The interaction with all of the campaign participants helped show how important chain of command teamwork and communication are to the success of a mission. I truly enjoyed this weekend and look forward to my future as an Army Officer.