Orel Salient '43 - with Battlegroup:Kursk - Bridgehead Breakout

This was another v2 rules play-test, with 700 pts in a 'Bridgehead Breakout' scenario, with the Russians breaking out over a stream and ford, towards a small hamlet in the centre of the tabletop. The German panzers would be counter-attacking in an early morning clash.

There were 4 objectives dotted about one on a hill to the Russian right, one in the village, one at the ford and one on the road out of the village. The fighting for the hill would be most savage, as both moved to secure it. The Russian recce cavalry first, getting there, but coming under MG fire and then pulling back behind the trees. The Germans pushed on it with SdKfz-251 mounted grenadiers and a StuG to aid them, then the Rusain responded with two T-34s and tank riders coming the other way. Not much of any of this would survive the next turns at close quarters. 

In the village, the Russian got there first again, but only with a T-34 and their KV-2 and tank riders, and they took losses, one StuG carefully lining up the KV-2 and KOing it, first shot - boom!. Overhead, there was aircraft action, as a Stuka timed strike hit the ford, but not much else (bad timing) and a low-level Sturmvik bombed the road objective, but took hits from the waiting 20mm flak (doing its job), but then rolled a heroic-action for its morale test. Trailing smoke, its bombs released and scored a direct hit on an MG team, and wiped it out - exciting bomb run that. Aircraft interventions done, the fight on the ground was around the hill. 

The StuG nosed through the trees, lined up and then missed one racing T-34, which plunged through the marshy ground and into PB range, and smacked an AP round off the StuG's frontal armour. The StuG response would be to stay cool and KO the crazy Ivan, at about 20 yards...  only for the second T-34, now on the hill objective, to get a flank shot and destroy it in return. That T-34 didn't last long either, as veteran grenadiers with AT grenades destroyed it. In the close combat brawl, the two German MG-42 teams had deployed and concentrated fire wiped one a tankovik squad, then the recce cavalry that came round behind, killing the grenadier squad that had just taken out the T-34 about under 5" range. One grenaider rifle squad charged and grenaded and bayoneted the last tank rider squad, and the German infantry had the objective. Except, for a racing Russian pioneer squad, on reserve move, that sped up the road in a truck, debussed, and unleashed their flamethrower on an SdKfz-251, burning it to a wreck (and 2 expensive BR counters). The twin MG-42 teams took care of them, in another blaze of close range MG shooting, all 8 pioneers were dead, then they followed up on their truck (burst into the engine block). That left the Germans the hill objective, but the damage in BR had been great for both sides.

Meanwhile, more Russian infantry had taken the woods on their right, threatening the objective on the road. A scratch force of Germans, including a StuG, 1 rifle squad (which was later wiped out in mortar and rifle fire), and the PAK-38 that sat on the road, but now turned 90o to face the woods and HE the treeline (to no effect). Then the Grille rolled up and joined them and the infantry platoon commander though twice about any rush for the objective, facing 150mm ambush fire if they emerged from the trees. When more mortar fire (damn those on-table Russian batteries), KO'd first the 20mm AA half-track, then the PAK-38 team, the last two counters saw the Germans creep over their BR. It had been so close, the Rusian were just 3 from breaking and 1 more counter would have done it. 

A great game, if only maybe the Stuka had hit something... fine margins, but a feel duke-it-out fight, no quarter given. The Russian are across the stream and the Germans have to pullback again.

 

 

Somewhere near Orel. The road into the village. Russian arriving from top right, over the stream. Germans from the left.

PAK-38 covers the road in the initial deployment. Not very effective when tuned into an ad hoc infantry gun.

Russian recce cavalry gallop to their right to take a hilltop objective. It would become a scene of the heaviest fighting.

German counter-attack, StuGs and armoured infantry move for the hill too.

Ura! Russia infantry platoon wade the stream and rush for the cover of the woods.

Flak-wagon on ambush fire... it can hear the Sturmovik coming...

Waiting for the Sturmovik... it opens fire and hits! The Sturmovik takes damage, but the heroic pilot swoops in regardless... and scores a direct hit! Madness... 

Russian armour and tankoviks arrive...

and an old KV-2, aging warhorse... crosses the ford.

Rumbling on into the village, to secure the road junction.

Battle for the hill on the Russian right (German left). It's messy, in the trees, the StuG nails one T-34, but was then KO'd by the flank shot. Panzer Grenadiers get the T-34 with their AT grenades. Recce cavalry appear behind them and cut them down in turn.

More panzer grenadiers jump out of their 251 and the MG-42s begin to reap havoc on the Russian infantry at close range. Recce cavalry wiped out in savage fire.

StuG lines up the KV-2 and ends it with a careful shot. Not so scarey by '43 standards. It never got to shoot... sad day...

A third T-34 makes to the village and unloads its riders into the buildings. Trading fire with a StuG, neither can hit. StuG runs out of AP ammo... hmm!

Painful Russian 82mm mortar barrage KO's the AA-wagon with a direct hit.

Bold Russian pioneers race up in their truck, de-buss and use their flamethrower(!) on a 251, which is well grilled...  but then the twin MG-42s open up again, and another squad is wiped out. Next, their truck for good measure, and an easy BR counter!

Not much left around the hill objective, just the two MG teams, barrels red hot, but they have the objective in the end. Carnage here... 'they're all dead, Jim!'

JU-87 screams in, to bomb the ford, and miss everything, waste of a timed air strike.

Grille, on ambush, covers the German right, against the Russian infantry, who skulk unwilling to risk multiple 150mm SiG HE... without an ammo truck (which it had, but the truck didn't keep up), it couldn't risk any speculative shots. Never fired in the end. Waste of a good Grille.

 

Battlegroup:Barbarossa - Counter-Attack at Yasnyska

650 points, meeting engagement (recce screen), Panzer division vs Mechanised corps, testing v2 rules tweaks... 

Germans from the far corner, Russians from bottom left...

A few days into Operation Barbarossa and the Germans have reached the village of Yasnyska in the Ukraine, where the Red Army counter-attacks. Both sides started with their 4 recce units each, armoured cars, snipers, a foot patrol etc, for 3 turns of trading a few rounds, in which not much was accomplished beyond seizing early objectives. Then the main forces began to arrive, with the Russians rolling well, and the Germans not so, even helped by the "Panzer Marsch" rule. Oh, and we rolled a 1 for weather, raining, so no air support today for either side. Phew! No Stukas...

My (Russian) plan was get my anti-tank gun screen on, and onto ambush fire each turn, to make life uncomfortable for his panzers, with timed 76.2mm strikes as well, whilst my BT-7 arrived and massed for the inevitable 'Stal! Stal!' charge, against a weakened enemy (well, that;s the plan, we'll see). Timing would matter, not too, soon, not too late. Hopefully, the tanks would carry the day, taking the last objectives.

Russian tanks go left and right, avoid the church, its a PRTP.

BA-10 lurks, trading fire with a distant 222, then moves up to claim the church objective.

222 in the plantation's edge, hammering 20mm rounds like they grow on trees.

First support for the recce rolls in, an SU-12, which hammers away and gets the 222 pinned down - hurrah, it finally did something, usually it just dies.

First panzers roll in along the road to the village, which soon comes under 76.2mm barrages, scoring some pinning, slowing them down.

Forward HQ takes up position in a cottage, and helps get the reinforcements in faster.

First German 105mm barrage and the BA-10 is hit and KO'd... first loss.

AT gun screen gets in place early, with truck tows and loader teams. If a panzer moves, shoot at it. 

Kradschutzen race up and de-buss, finding any cover they can. SdKfz 221 armoured car (upgraded to 28mm cone-bore gun), sniping at range, until it runs out of ammo.

The German traded fire at range and moved their first panzers up, through a timed barrage, which pinned one Pz-III and a truck (towing their 37mm AT gun, handy). Their motorcycle platoon also began to race up the roads and jump-off, threatening to get to the central objective. They took sniper fire and MG fire from another armoured car, but weren't pinned down and would trade rifle fire with Russian infantry for the next few turns. 

Behind, the Russians were arriving in force, BT-7s, some with tanks riders (reservist infantry though). The Germans had moved in a StuG, making it sway left through the plantation, and support elements in an on-table 105mm gun and tow, 20mm flak and supply truck.

First BT-7s move up, awaiting the order to Charge! Not yet!

Panzers edge through the cornfields, as 76.2mm shells rain in, harassing barrages to keep life awkward.

With most of BT-7s on-table, they Stal! order was given and the tanks took off, like a rocket (as only a BT-7 can) and raced left, reaching the AT gun screen, which had been in place and firing at the panzers, but could hit nothing. Try, try, again. The attack was coming, and unfortunately a recce HQ unit saw it and used a 1st priority request to call in emergency fire, from Army-level, a battery of 280mm Nebelwerfers (Stuka Zu Fuss, to the rear). It screamed down on the first BT wave (oh no!).

Stal! the BT-7s roll up to the ambush firing (badly) 45mm AT gun screen.

Boom, boom, boom! Nebelwerfer stonk! Many impacts from the big rockets. 

Return fire, Russian harassing artillery rakes through the plantation, more pinning and a KO'd 222.

StuG emerges from the plantation, and is pinned by 45mm HE. But, on a 'Heroic Action' unpins, blasts a BT-7 into wreckage and pulls back, as ever, to re-arm.

 

The end saw BTs pinned, one destroyed and a AT gun wiped out, a big hit (oh for a counter battery fire mission). Still, the Russian sniper had is revenge, targeting the spotter team, seeing them in a cottage window, and killing one with a clear head shot! They broke and ran, taking their dead artillery officer with them. By now, the panzers were trading fire with AT guns, and neither could hit much, a few 45mm rounds did glance off the panzer's armour... hmmm!

The BTs pressed up again and flung HE around. On counters in was close, maybe slight Russian edge, but the Germans had slightly more total BR (50 vs 43).

It was down to the BTs, they pushed up and fired, a lot, and the Germans were struggling for AT shots, their BT gun was stranded back in the village, trying to get another tow truck after its own lost a wheel (immobilised) by artillery fire. Still, several panzers found their marked and the BTs began to smoke. One made a dash for the central objective, shrugging off anti-tank rifle hits (multiple times in the flank, it was very lucky), but a 37mm tank gun then took care of it. Still, the central objective was 'vital', so 2 counters to the Germans, worth the BT. The tanks were the main weapons now, all the artillery fire had been used up (bar the annoyingly accurate on-table 105). BT-7s banged away, but all shots just bounced off. The Germans shots did not. 7 BTs down from 10 now... but the 'crazy Ivan' attack wasn't over, a lone BT raced on, into the German rear to find it facing the deployed 105mm gun and the 20mm flak half-track. The flak gun immobilised the rogue BT with 20mm cannon fire, but it just get shooting at the rear-echelon targets, taking out the 105mm guns HT tow with an AP round, then the flak HT as well, PB range.

B 'we made them out of plywood' T tanks burning after their dash forwards to the objective (marked by abandoned wagon).

Crazy Ivan, the BT is off, just racing passed the panzers and on, to find softer targets behind. Bit of German panic, but it's do or die (mostly die).

Behind the plantation, the BT (unable to move), scores 3 kills, flak HT, tow HT and then a AP round wrecks the 105mm gun too... chaos! The 105mm was pinned, from a earlier mortar bomb.

All those late counters had quickly added up and the Germans had reached 50 BR – broken. Time to retreat and regroup from Yasnyska. The Russians had reached 40, from 43, so just 1 more counter might well have won it. – so close. A really close and good game. The Germans had lost 0 (I counted them twice) panzers in the action, with 7 BTs KO'd and 1 immobilised, so an expensive win, but a win none-the-less. Sneaked it!

All the new rules performed very well... very happy, each improves the game by a tweak without changing too much or adding complexity.