Barbarossa to Berlin - Game 6 with BG Fall of the Reich - Roadblock on FreidhoffstraBe

The final engagement of our series of Ostfront games – game 6 in 1945 would be an Attack/Defence, with the Germans defending, naturally. The random scenario rolled was ‘End of the Rat Race’, with the Germans as the roadblock force across FreidhoffstraBe, en route to Berlin. They started dug-in behind their road block (at the farm), with panzer reinforcements due. There were just 2 objectives, one at the farmhouse, the other where the road exited the German table edge. They held both to start with.

Here's the Russian force:

Rifle Company    188    16-i    
(3 x platoons + Company HQ)    

SU-76M Battery    75    6-r    

SU-100 Battery    156    6-r    

ISU-152 Battery    145    6-r

2 x 82mm mortars    44    2-i

PRTP            10    0

2 supply trucks    16    1-i

Repair truck        12    2-i

Total            646    39 BR,    7 officers


The Russian would start in column on the road and move on from the road (or just either side of it). The first vehicles were deployed lined up one behind the other, led by  ISU-152s  (I figured these had the best chance of surviving the first ambush shots).

The first turns saw the Russian arriving in good numbers, but with so much foot-slogging infantry (a full company), it would take time to get into the thick of the action (even using Ura! rule). The initial trading of long range fire didn’t do much damage, a timed 80mm mortar strike pinned a few of my squads and the SU-100 tank killers move left to the wood, to await targets. The first of these to arrive was a King Tiger, and both traded missed shots at maximum range.

With little in the way of IDF (two on-table 82mm mortars), I as relying on my SU-76s and ISU-152s for direct suppressing HE fire for my infantry, but these soon started to run low on ammo, notably did the ISU-152s (ammo 2!). The resupply trucks, two of them, got busy, and would be heavily overworked all game, I needed three really.

The infantry moved up, under suppressing HE fire from a dug-in 105mm howitzer and 75mm infantry gun, which caused regular pinning, and I was taking counter to unpin early. First success was getting the German infantry in the farmhouse pinned down by SU-76s fire and get moving up to assault the house and wipe-out the squad in it, thus taking a objective too.

Still, the Germans had had the better of the first turns, 6 counters to just 3…

But the red horde was large, and I rolled well for command and control, so it was coming fast. The German reinforcements were desperately needed and these fed into the large house (call it the hotel) in their corner and got their MGs onto ambush fire to with. Also, a Panther rolled in, which the waiting SU-100 missed, only for return fire to hit and destroy it… damn! But no worry, a repair heavy truck was on the way to try and fix it. Taking the counter, it was an Air Attack, and it arrived, a bomb-armed IL-2 buzzed down and, immediately got driven-off in hail of 20mm flak fire, and damaged. The pilot would circle around for another run at it. When he did, the same happened (good flak gunners) and damaged it again, it was getting shot to bits… but I’d defo risk a third run though, which then managed to pin the King Tiger before the IL-2, out of bombs, headed home full of holes, before being shot-down.

The main attack, up my centre/right with 3 infantry platoons pressed on (Ura!). Around the farm and towards the farm lane. MG fire and DPs traded shots and casualties mounted for the Russians. The tank fight saw the Tiger score its first hit (it had to come) and brew-up an ISU-152, even at long range. Then the Panther scored another kill on an SU-76… I was losing that fight as my SU-100 emptied its ammo bins to score zero hits… the resupply truck head off across the field, under incoming HE fire to re-bomb it. The repair truck was also at work, but failed to fix the SU-100 three times and so gave it up as a right-off.

A third German tank had arrived from reserve, along the road it came, a mighty Panzer I (dragged from a  training depot, no doubt). It survived mortar fire to machine gun more of my infantry… obviously machine guns are never obsolete.

After all the hard fighting, my counter stack had grown rather, but the Germans were worried, the hotel was under a lot of fire (including my mortars now) and only weakly held by MG teams and the Forward HQ. The 105mm howitzer crew broke and ran under small arms fire and 75mm infantry gun was destroyed by a SU-76s HE shot that totalled the gun behind its wall. But the Il-2 leaving left the flak gun free to lower its sights and blaze away across the fields at the infantry. I lost 2 squads here to the combined MG fire and those counters put me close to breaking. How could I inflict maximum damage? Well, with infantry now facing the Panzer I and the King Tiger which had joined it (put was pinned by 152mm HE fire from the last ISU), it was tough. My SU’s were reloading and so I had little HE support. Mortar fire did wipe-out a 50mm mortar team in its foxhole, but with just 1 counter inflicted the Germans were well in the lead.

Their last turn of firing saw another infantry squad, holding the farm house, wiped out by MGs (that damned Pz I!), and that chit was it for the Russians. Broken, we’d pull back from FreidhoffstaBe and shell into next month before trying again… a solid win for the defenders, their tanks were tough and my sniping SU-100s had failed to hit even one of them (one job to do!)… the Germans were still 9 BR from breaking, so 3-4 counters on average, so a solid win.

That concludes this little sequence of Ost-front gaming, the Germans with a 4-2 result, but all had been excellent games and fun to get different models out and use them. We might do it again, but from Omaha to the Ruhr, or in the desert, from Tobruk to Tunis maybe. 

Russian moves in red, German positions blocking FriedhoffstraBe, in blue.

Russian columns deploys along the road, with tank riding first platoon.

Volkssturm dug-in across the fields, soon to be aided by the King Tiger.

105mm gun in gun-pit, effective HE pinning, notably against the Sukas. behind the stone wall, a 75mm infantry gun adds to the HE fire.

Next wave of Russian vehicles arrive, the SU-76s. Ahead, 80mm mortar shells rains in, in a timed strike.

SU-100 gets round the copse and lines up the King Tiger, hunting big game.

Call up the resupply truck, first of many re-arming jobs today.

Infantry move up to assault the farm house.

Tiger needs re-arming too... horse and wagon resupply... old school.

IL-2 arrives, hurrah! Into a storm of accurate 20mm flak though.

Two infantry platoons lead the way up and then past the farm house, heavy HE support from the ISU's, when not reloading. The burning BA-64 is terrain... part of the scenario.

Panther joins the fray, and first shot, nails the distant SU-100.

Infantry briefly pause from running across the fields, at the hedge, before making the next bound.

Repair heavy truck gets to the smoking SU-100, but the 6s needed to fix it alluded me... of course!

Two mortar teams lurk at the back as the rest of the attack presses on, with HE fire whistling overhead, in both directions.

The lead infantry platoon reach the pond, and take-out an auxiliary kreigsmarine squad dug-in by the lane. They had already pinned themselves.

SU-76s in need of more HE shells.

Unharmed Volkssturm (and pinned sniper), as the Pz I clanks up the road, proving itself still useful.

Barbarossa to Berlin Game 5, with BG Bagration - Engagement at Okolovo

For our fifth game in the series, it was another meeting engagement, a Recce Screen scenario, with 4 turns of recce-ing only (which went quick with not much happening, a few mortars fired, and my recce Valentine moved up and captured an objective, whilst a German sniper boldly did the same in the centre of the table. A few counters taken (3-all in scouts, so no counter there), and the game got going with the first reinforcements arriving. The Germans rolled in, with a Grille (!), odd-one, but it just hung back and launched big suppressing HE up the tabletop, supply truck always close by, because, well, that tactic won’t last long without one.

The Russians got their 120mm mortar battery and other support on, comms team, FHQ etc, to get set-up on or behind the hill for the coming fight. Next to arrive were the Zis 3 guns, to get into place, and cover, at the village. All this was to be ready for when the armour and tank-riding infantry showed up. They were the last to show, after the SU-85s had arrived and started their long range (and largely fruitless) duel.

The Germans had rolled-in to, but soon found themselves under galling 120mm mortar fire, spotted by the lurking BA-64. A direct hit KO’d their Pz-IV - good shot. But they also got their rude surprise in place, two Tigers! Eek… well this is unusual, lots of points in those beast, but it made for a different game, as we both rarely go for such ‘big ticket’ items. It was obvious, both sides had long guns and would be happier sitting back and snipe, both had supply vehicles at hand. So, Tigers matching up with the T34/85s and SU-85s, let's see how a 85mm AP shells fares against that good Krupp steel. The first loss to a Tiger was my poor Valentine, which had the audacity (or idiocy) to open its ambush fire on the Tiger with its 2 pdr gun. The return fire (having failed to pin it), was 1 shot, 1 kill, boom! One Valentine in bits… and the German infantry could nip forwards and retake that objective with ease, which they did.  

After about 6 turns of mortaring by both sides, one 80mm shell having hit and wrecked my Zis 3 towing truck, losing the gun crew too, so 2 counters… we both had unpinned from the suppression a few times. I was behind on counters, but everything was now in place to open fire. Both sides had also drawn and rolled for an Air Attack. Mine was a mere fighter (Air Cobra), the Germans got Stuka support (37mm cannon-armed). The first air attacks both missed, then the Air Cobra chased the Stuka and pinned and damaged it. Rare dog-fight action, but fun. The SU-85s, fired away, missed or glanced off, then the last Zis-3 pinned a Tiger with HE - hurrah! The next shot, from a T-34/85 smashed through the Tiger’s armour and killed it, shocker! That is my first ever confirmed Tiger kill in a BG game (I don’t face them much though). The Germans were in trouble, down to just 1 tank left and I had all of mine (5).

Well I did, until the next turn when a mine strike counter saw a T-34/85 brew-up, then an 88 round smashed another one. Mortar fire pinned both SU-85s too, and suddenly I didn’t have much to shoot back with.

By now the counters had built up quickly, so the decision to tactically co-ordinate to get an SU shot at the Tiger’s flank probably wasn’t the best. It failed the BtCoD test anyway (aargh!)… Good grief. From being on top, this game turned fast.

Could I kill that last Tiger? If so, he was in trouble, but as it turned out, no. Its Krupp armour prove strong and ace crew were not for pinning. Mean beast. I had sent my resupply truck rushing round the hill to re-bomb the SU-85s, now low on ammo, and when it was hit by another mortar bomb (for a single German 80mm mortar it never seemed to miss), it was blown up and the final counter broke the Russians. That mortar crew need a medal, 6 direct hits, 4 kills.

Oh well, that didn’t go so well. The Germans were still 10 BR from their total, so a solid win. The Tigers had halted our advance on Minsk at Okolovo.   It is now 3-2 to the Germans with just Fall of the Reich to go. That’s next, very soon… then back to playing something else for a bit. First, to smash my way to Berlin...

The battlefield, Germans enter top right, Russian bottom left, by the village.

Okolovo village and church

Big cat rolls in carrying some infantry support, also 'Panzer Ace'.

Making short work of the recce Valentine, oh well, that fight lasted about 5 seconds...

 

Mortar bombs wreck a Zis 3 tow and the gun.

They the FHQs scout car wagon... but the chit is an Air Attack.

Mortars pin the German support elements.

Zis 3 battery on tow, arrives to get deployed,

At the back, 120mm mortar battery and forward comms team.

First red armour arrives... long guns to duke it out at range

The VVS flies in, Air Cobra strafing run...

Occupying Okolovo in force.

Timed IL-2 strike, missing wildly... it hit nothing!

Air Cobra distracted by the arrival of an enemy Stuka, he gets on its tail and pins and damages it. Rare air-to-air combat.

German big cat roams the fields, looking for targets.

Here they are waiting, open fire!

120mm mortars wreck at Pz IV...

SU-85s arrive and line up that Tiger, if only they could hit.

Last Zis-3 lurks in woods, opens fire and pins the Tiger... yes!

Then a 85mm tank shell defeats the Krupp steel... Tiger kill... confirmed Tiger kill...

SU sniping away at long range...

whilst one closes in for a flank shot, only to be pinned by 50mm HE fire...

Grille's dedicated ammo truck blows up from a mortar hit - big bang! Grille with 1 ammo left...

Followed by an Tiger's 88 round smashing up its first Russian T-34/85. Lost that duel.

Pak38 keeps pinning my SU-85, and survived a 37mm cannon strafing run untouched... lucky day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!