In the path of the Lithuanian advance stood the Red Army’s 24th Rifle Corps. Formed from the four divisions of the former Latvian Army, its troops had no willingness to fight for their new masters. The Soviets had tried to increase its reliability by discharging the thousands of Latvians in the early months of 1941 and replacing them with fresh conscripts from the Moscow region.

The Latvians still in the Soviet ranks eagerly threw down their weapons to join the Lithuanians, but enough Russian cadre remained to put up at least the semblance of a fight. Lithuania had made restored independence for Latvia and Estonia one of her war aims before joining Operation Barbarossa, but while the Germans had accepted this claim many in the Smetona government doubted that they would keep their word.

Iron Wolves uses the counters as Lithuania's Iron Wolves. Eastern Front Deluxe has the same maps and counters as Fire in the Steppe.