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.