Barbarossa to Berlin, Game 4 with BG Kursk - Assault on Point 164.

For this four game in our sequence, we changed it up a bit, with an Attack/Defence game, the Russians defending their strongpoint at Point 164 in a 'High Ground' scenario. Both sides picked 650 point forces, German panzers attacking against my Rifle Division defending.

Here is my force list. So, a solid defence with lots of good cover saves, with a T-34 counter-attack, this is Kursk after-all. 

Point 164, Germans attacking from bottom, Russians dug-in in the top half of the table.

Kursk - Rifle Division - Strongpoint 164

Rifle Platoon        58    5-i    off, mortar spotter, ura!
Maxim MG team    18    1-i

T-34 Platoon        100    9-i    Stal, T-34 Mobility

2 x T-34s        80    6-i    Stal, T-34 Mobility

82mm Mortar Battery    66    3-i    3 x 82mm mortars

Field Artillery Battery    55    4-i    2 x Zis 3, on-table

Foxholes x 4        40    0    40 men, 3+

Command Bunker    30    3-r    sen off, mortar spot, 4 men in 2+ cover

Minefield        15    0

Improvised Barricade    5    0    4+ save (for foot patrol)   

‘For the Motherland’    15    +D6 (+2)

Infantry Foot Patrol    22    2-i    scout, mortar spotter

AT Gun Battery    78    3-i    3 x 45mmL46 guns + 3 loader teams
3 x Gun Dug-outs    60    0    3+ cover, for AT guns

PRTP            10    0

Maxim MG dug-out - free (from scenario)

Minefield - free (from scenario)

Bunker - free (from scenario)

Both sides deployed, with the first 4 turns being at long range, as the Germans were not going to attack until their full force (and importantly the Panzer IVs) had arrived. But, this allowed time for the Russian T-34 reserves to arrive too.

It began as both sides traded IDF, my 82mm mortar battery destroying a SdKfz 250/1 and its recce squad inside in a lucky direct hit. The German’s 105mm timed strike hammered down on the hill and caused some pinning, but the 3+ and 2+ covers saves did their job. More tank HE added to this, and my AT guns returned HE fire and scored a few pins. Meanwhile, the infantry in foxholes were all waiting on ambush fire. On the right, in the village, this seemed the obvious covered route to advance, so I used both my minefields here to block that route, and one dug-in infantry squad to cover the minefield in case he had engineers to sneakily remove them. He didn’t, and so this route was blocked and so the Germans must come across the open ground opposite the hill instead, where my AT guns waited (when not pinned).

Turn 4, after the long range fire, saw the Germans get going. First, a 1st priority artillery request and wire team combo saw a 210mm Nebelwerfer battery open up on the hill, screamin’ death hammered down and saw much pinning, and my senior officer, in his bunker lost 3 men, and the last was pinned, so removed. Drat! A blow, and 2 counters as the now dubbed Major Bogov did just that! It also pinned my AT guns, and so the German Panzers rolled forwards with more HE, trying to KO those guns, but they survived in their dug-outs. Ouch! That turn hurt. At least my waiting Maxim MG team managed to pin his incoming Stuka strike, so I was spared its bombs at least. Still, sheer weight of fire was hurting. A few T-34s started to arrive behind the hill, as did my Zis-3 battery, but they had no targets and the PRTP wasn’t well placed. Bit of a waste these.

The pressure mounted, as a second priority request saw a second ‘werfer strike on the hill, as the Germans tried to level it rather than take it! This strike saw a mortar team blown-up, another pinned, and more infantry losses, things were looking bad, the counters mounting. As defender, with defences worth few BRs, I knew my total was lower than his. This is the balance of Attack/Defence games (forget attacker's needing extra points), I get the cover saves, but pay for this in the lower BR for them. In the end, my total was 37 (mainly thanks to on-table guns rather than off-table ones, a deliberate decision for the BR). The German had 46 BR total.

With the panzer grenadiers advancing or waiting on reserve move in their 251/1s, I had to keep my troops on ambush fire, in case they rushed me, and unpinned, or they’d get assaulted. So, my orders were spent on ambush fire and I get unpinning, and this kept the German infantry back, not risking my close quarters fire if they came in and high cover saves in an assault, if I'd be fighting back. I kept up mortar fire from the now reduced battery, and this scored another lucky kill, his Pz III armoured artillery spotter was KO’d. Too late really, his ‘werfer stonks damage was done.

Whilst unpinning I got some luck and, for the first time in 4 games, pulled a Air Attack counter, and then rolled a 6. Incoming VVS, which was a PE-2. It dived in, aiming for his panzers. His 20mm AA truck had just moved, so wasn’t on ambush fire, so the attack run dropped all 8 small bombs. Much pinning and 2 direct hits saw a Pz-IV destroyed and a 251, with infantry still on board as well, all out pinned. 3 counters there and suddenly the German attack was looking in some trouble. Time for the counter-attack... I sent the T-34s in. They raced up, the first was hit by ambush fire from the covering Pz-IV and KO’d instantly. The others did good work throwing HE and pinning his infantry. The German attack could now not risk moving up and had to turn their fire on the attacking tanks, a break for my hard pushed infantry and guns. Combined with fire from the AT guns, one of which had run low on ammo due to a special counter, these added to the pinning and the initiative was now with the Russians.

The T-34s pressed on, even after another was hit and destroyed by 75mm AP shells. MG fire destroyed a German MG team and, after removing pinning and then another Pz-IV was hit in the flank and burning, the German attack had broken. To be fair, the German counter pulls hadn’t been kind, several 5s and too many 4s meant the attack withered rather sooner than I thought. I was OK(ish), still 7 BR left. Point 164 had held and the panzers had been stopped, despite a good start from the Germans and those two very painful big ‘werfer strikes. My AT guns had done well, mostly with pinning, and the T-34s bold rush turned it back my way. But the turning point had been the PE-2 dive bomber attack… that had been messy for the Germans… so thanks to Red Air Force for this one.

We move on the game 5, 1944 and into Belorussia… I have the army lists as a WIP, so it’ll be a good first test game. It is now 2-2 in wins in our six game sequence, all still to play for.

The strongpoint, command bunker, infantry in foxholes, AT gun dug-outs.

105 shelling starts the game... boom! boom! boom!

Stuka dives in and is pinned by MG fire...phew!

Infantry cover the lane to the village, blocked by both mine fields.

Early mortar direct hit on recce 250... right in the back!

'Werfer strike on the hill... target, the bunker. First of two - rude!

German reserve arriving behind the railway embankment.

German attack starts to struggle, 251 ht by AT gun fire, Pz III arty observer tank KO'd by mortar fire.

Panzer Grenadiers MG team de-buss into the woods, and are pinned, the rifle squad wait in the wagon for a rush to close assault.

Panzer IVs advance, firing HE onto the hill.

T-34s wait the order to go.

Another 251 comes forward and is KO'd by AT fire, infantry pile out, but pinned.

The VVS unleash their own heavy firepower in a dive bombing attack. The PE-2 scores multiple kills.

First T-34 comes forward to aid the AT gun, now down to 1 shot left.

Stal! Here comes the armoured counter attack.

T-34 'lifts it's hat' to a Pz-IV's 75mm lang gun.

Boldly surging on, a T-34 at point blank, missed!

But this one didn't, ended the game. Urah for the Motherland!

Barbarossa to Berlin, Game 3 with BG Stalingrad - Red October

The third in our series of Ostfront BG games, a diversion into Stalingrad for a urban fight using all the Stalingrad rules and the Stadtkampf scenario at 650 points per side.

As before, we play straight up pick-up games, select forces, scenario, generate terrain etc and see what we get. My Russian forces here were, in brief, a remnant platoon with support from a 50mm mortar, marksman, anti-tank rifle team and anti-tank gun, a extra remnant squad, a reserve platoon, sapper squad with flamethrower, FHQ, NKVD officer, off-table 122mm howitzers across the Volga, ace sniper and observer, infantry foot patrol, and defences in an arty spotter bunker, a tunnel access for the sapper squad and a reinforced building (which was the main workhall). No tanks, no vehicles at all in fact. An all infantry force.

Having randomly set-up the terrain we had various factory buildings and ruins, some railway tracks etc, which we just rolled to place around the table in remaining spaces, staring with the largest buildings and then filling in gaps with smaller ones, we added rubble and rolled for which buildings were on fire, and got this. The flaming buildings were in right awkward places, blocking two covered routes to get to the enemy. 

Germans on nearest edge, Russians far side, holding the central workhall and marshalling yard (with crane). Admin building on German left.

The Russian chose to hold the factory area with the marshalling yard to their left and workshop and admin building on the right, with the Germans opposite. Both deployed our defences and units, including scouts, set timed strikes and ammo’d up AFVs (not me). Time to let battle commence.

The initial turns were cagey. Neither side came out of their positions as they awaited extra reinforcements which are slow to arrive. Patients was required as both sides flung some artillery to little effect beyond a few pins. My plan was to launch small spoiling attacks forwards, like the sappers in their tunnel, but mostly to hang on to the workhall and the objectives I had (again 5 were present). I had 3 quickly, the Germans 2. They started to get their StuG support onto the table and two squads used tunnels to get into the admin block and seize it. The fighting was sporadic, shot traded here and there, a bit of pinning, the odd sniper round, but as yet no major push from either side and a lot of units waiting on ambush fire for the action to kick-off. My sappers found their own tunnel had been collapsed and so couldn’t deploy forwards.

The German attack moved in steadily, a timed 105 strike on the workhall initiating the advance, StuG fire at the workhall did little (thanks to the reinforced save) and return anti-tank rifle fire pinned one, good shooting. My reinforcements had been slowly deploying, reserve platoon on the right, and the firefight between the workshop and admin building was intense, both sides becoming well pinned, my sniper ace doing good work here too. When a StuG appeared to help, that seemed like it would gain the Germans the upper hand, with no anti-tank weapon to shoot back, instead a veteran squad moved up against it and used anti-tank grenades, twice failing, but the StuG pulled back after its infantry support, an MG team, was wiped out by PPsH fire. Ammo was a consideration here too, StuG running low I guessed.

Artillery fire still fell, my 122s doing useful work in pinning, and killing a German sniper. His 105, on-table and firing at a PRTP on the workhall, was annoying, but I couldn’t stop it. A direct hit wiped out my anti-tank rifle team. We were 6-7 turns in and the counters stack was even(ish), no clear leader as yet.

Things started to move the German’s way as the StuGs opened fire on the workhall and their infantry and MG teams worked into place to try an assault. A flaming building blocked the main route, and an assault over open ground was suicidal, so there was only one way, which was currently covered by a remnant squad’s PPsHs waiting on ambush fire, trying to get them pinned was a task the Germans were finding hard. Meanwhile, the 122 shells pinned a StuG and immobilised the StuH-33, broken track, but that didn’t stop it launching 150mm shells into the workhall, where the casualty count was increasing despite the 3+ cover save. I sent fresh reserve squads in, and the 50mm mortar was keeping Germans heads down until StuG fire did for it too… more counters.

The Germans were on top now, so time for a counter-attack. My Sappers had been waiting on reserve move and now moved up through the marshalling yards’ station. The German trench was no longer on ambush fire, they fired into the workhall to try and get the assault going. My sappers now rushed the open ground and, whoosh! Unleashed their flamethrower attack, wiping out the rifle squad and causing 2 counters for the Germans (I didn’t know it then but they drew a 4 and a 5 - ouch!). The Germans pressed for the workhall, one squad braving PPsH ambush fire to try and assault, that failed and it too was wiped out, another counter. They had support though and the second squad wiped out my sub-machine gunners in turn as the fighting got close and personal. That counter was a 4, with only 3 BR left, the Russians were defeated. But not by much, the late Russian rally had the Germans just 2 from their total BR… so very close. 1 more counter would have done it (or a better roll for my 'Bled White' special rule). Great game, very different from the last 2, and close, so close, again.

It is now 2-1 to the Germans in wins (narrow ones), with our next game a 1943 Kursk tank-fest again. Let’s see if the Reds can even it up. 

Admin building, the German tunneled in and took it.

Marshalling yard and crane, home to a sniper.

Main workhall, the left-front was a reinforced building.

First StuG sneaks on, with some infantry support.

Sniper ace waiting... waiting...

German occupied trench on their left, a blocking position, mostly on ambush fire.

More landsers infiltrate forwards, heading for the workhall.

105 at the back, hitting their PRTP, on the workhall - constant, accurate, harassment.

Reserves for the workhall meatgrinder.

Sneaking up through the marshalling yard's station buildings (and water tower)

Firing down from the admin building, a protracted firefight with the workshop ahead. Smoking T-34 marks an objective. 

StuG arrives to aid the fight here.

Whilst the others line up the workhall.

Inside, NKVD squad (foot patrol) hold the objective marker, as the 50mm mortar returns fire (doesn't really seem fair that).

Urrah! Timed 105 strike hammers the workhall.

Remnant squad hunts the lone StuG with their AT grenades, they fail, but it pulls back anyway.

122 shells falling around the StuGs in the centre.

FAMO arrives to try and fix the immobilised StuH-33B, working under fire.

German infantry sneak up to the workhall, the buildings behind is on fire and cannot be entered.

Inside the workhall again, reserve giving (and taking) fire from the admin building. Stalemate here.

Reserves risk a rush across the marshalling yard for the workhall, and get pinned by incoming. Pinned in the open, not good!

45mm AT gun taking long range pot-shots at the 33B, always an optimist! 2 hits, 2 glances... they tried.

Barbarossa to Berlin, game 2 with BG Stalingrad - Encounter near the Don.

This would be our second game from a series of six planned, set in 1942 during the German advance along the Don. Another meeting engagement, this time the random scenario was Flank Attack. The terrain was randomly generated, with a few small hills (hillocks), two copses, an area of marshy ground and a single farm. That was pretty much it, so open steppes for another Panzer Division vs Tank Corps clash.

Part of the point of these ‘pick-up’ games is to use models that see little action, so I went with all my T-70s, six of them, which rarely get tabletop time and then built from there, with another six T-34s and tank riders, a battery of on-table 120mm mortars and, for recce, a BA-10 and the PO-2 (very useful mortar spotter). They would face panzer forces of a Pz-II platoon, a Pz-IV platoon and 1 extra Pz-III (lang) with a kradschutzen platoon as infantry and other bits a pieces, including off-table mortars, a StuG (same one that had been a pain in the last game) and a 20mm AA half-track (unlucky for the PO-2).

We got going, with my basic plan being to throw my T-70s forwards in a reckless attack, to cause damage, confusion and attraction attention, and quickly grab any available objectives for easy counters. Behind them, the T-34s, tank riders and mortars (once set-up), would follow in the main attack, going fast and hard at where ever seemed weak and had some cover from incoming anti-tank guns (those copses). Time to go.

As per ‘the plan’, the T-70 all arrived first and sped across the steps, getting to 4 objectives (woo-hoo) and running over and machine gunning a German recce command team, that was to be his main mortar spotter, but were now dead… excellent start as the Germans were slow to arrive and found their first tanks, Pz -IIs, not much of a match for my T-70s in the light tank duel, as 20mm cannon rounds kept glancing off.

The T-34s, each with a tank riding squad arrived and waited for the T-70 to complete their work, as the mortars then got set-up and started to pound away at the farm, where the Germans were still arriving. Long ranged fire proved mostly ineffective and the AA half-track was pinned by mortar fire, so the PO-2 could swoop about and fire the mortars at anything without being shot at every turn. The Germans meanwhile couldn’t get their mortars going, comms issues.

After the initial engagement it was time for the T-34s to move up and join the fight. I had lost 2 T-70s to anti-tank fire, but the others were still fighting, but low on ammo (no ammo truck) or down to a single MG. My T-34s would push right, using the copses as some cover and they dismounted their infantry here, only to encounter dismounted kradschutzen in what became an extended infantry fight, both sides pinning the other in turn and unable to move into or through the woods to assault the other. The German StuG, at it again, recaptured one objectives when the T-70 holding it was destroyed and then the BA-10 raced up to try to hold it was pinned, then destroyed. The Germans had started a fight back, and their AA, unpinned, hit and damaged the PO-2. I needed to unpin it and withdraw it, but didn’t due to lack of orders and next turn, it was shot down in hail of 20mm flak fire… 2 counters as it crashed and burned. Two poor orders rolls on the trot meant the Russian’s advance had ground to halt. A timed IL-2 airstrike helped out though, scoring 4 pins with its bombs... flak missed it... phew!

The tank fight was heating up, but remained at longer ranges, the T-34s banging away to little effect (I hit and failed to penetrate German steel on 6 consecutive attempts!). The 120mm mortars were still doing good work though, although my FHQ was doing the spotting work now (always worth having back-up spotter or two).

The Germans were struggling too, low on ammo, the Pz-IIs unable to do much and reduced to trying to pin T-34s (not much luck). Short on big anti-tank guns to take on my armour, the loss of his Pz-III lang hurt even more. The Russians were getting the upper hand and so, the Germans, fearing the loss of their infantry at the copse (now 2 squads and 2 MG teams, mostly pinned), if I could ever get my inexperienced infantry to close assault when ordered (failed 3 times), sent his last reserve, veteran panzer grenadiers in a 251 on reserve move, it raced up and dismounted the men, who then tore into the Russian infantry, assaulting one rifle squad and wiping it out. His Panzerjaeger-I scored hit and kill on a T-70 and my counter stack was building worryingly. But the bold counter-attack was at a cost. A T-34 shell destroyed the exposed 251 and more machine guns wiped out his MG team. When more mortar fire destroyed his AA half-track, back the farm, that was the Germans done. The Russians had won, with 7 BR still left, so 2-3 counters in the tank. I’ll take that. So, 1-all in games in the series so far.

The next game, we decided, would be a change, off to Stalingrad itself for a game that wasn’t a tank duel. Make for a nice change before moving on to 1943 and Kursk.

Photos of the action. 

T-70s lead the way, scattering towards objectives (the crater, KO'd BA-10, rocks on hillock) before the Germans could get moving.

They encounter a skulking German recce spotter team, and give him some MG fire...

Don steppe, Russians from lower left, Germans at the farm, top right.

PO-2 circles above... waiting the 120mm battery to deploy.

T-34s and tank riders arrive and wait a few turns.

Panzer IIs lead the way for the Germans, under watchful eye of big brother, Pz-IV lang...

FHQ watches from hillock as the 120mm mortars arrive.

More T-34s, the main punch, the smoking one is a wreck marking an objective.

Busy at the farm, but hemmed in by the marsh.

Resupply truck needed already.

AA cover, very handy.

Timed strike, well placed, but the bombing is all pinning, but effective pinning...

T-34s move up on the right towards the hotly contested copse.

... and in the centre.

StuG moves to take the objective back, wrecking the T-70 holding it.

BA-10 moves in, hits and... pins, again! That StuG will not die!

Infantry at close quarters at the copse, and all rapidly pinned. Who can get an assault off? Neither side it turned out.

BA-10 is caught in the 75mm crossfire.

Urrah! More infantry to support the battle at the copse.

T-70 (no ammo now) vs Pz-II, bouncing 20mm shells...

20mm Flak gets its target, down in flames for the PO-2... should have withdrawn it once damaged.