My second force in Flames of War were the Germans. I wanted an Axis army to complement my British forces, but since a friend of mine already had a sizeable German collection, I wanted to build something a bit more specialized. While flipping through army books, Kampfgruppe Bäke caught my eye, and in no time I had put together a heavy task force to bring to the tabletop.
The German army was renowned for its tactical flexibility during World War II, frequently combining sub-units into ad-hoc Kampfgruppen (battle groups) for specific operations. By the later stages of the war, some of these formations became semi-permanent. One of the most famous was Schwere Panzerregiment Bäke, created in January 1944.
Kampfgruppe Bäke's baptism of fire came in January 1944 at the Balabonowka pocket, where they were tasked with stopping a major Soviet offensive. Bäke’s Tigers and Panthers destroyed over 250 Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns while suffering remarkably few total losses of their own. Franz Bäke himself even destroyed three Soviet tanks at close quarters using infantry anti-tank weapons!
By 1944, Oberstleutnant Dr. Franz Bäke was one of the most experienced and capable panzer commanders in the German army. He had served as an enlisted man in World War I, fighting at Verdun, earning the Iron Cross Second Class, and finishing the war as a sergeant and officer candidate. Between the wars, he studied dentistry and earned his doctorate. Called back to active service as a reservist in 1937, he started World War II as a lieutenant commanding a panzer platoon and rose through the ranks to command one of the war's most lethal armored spearheads.
Kampfgruppe Bäke in Flames of War:
Oberstleutnant Bäke in the back commanding a platoon of Panthers:
Heavy and recon elements of the kampfgruppe, supported by a platoon of Gebirgsjäger and a Stuka dive bomber:
Organization of Kampfgruppe Bäke in Flames of War:
28/07/2026