PiersBrand | 16 Feb 2014 5:54 p.m. PST |
For our final batch of playtests, myself and Garry are fighting a little campaign. Things got off to a tense start tonight with my armoured spearhead running into two Soviet behemoths – a KV1 and a KV2! One is bad enough, but two is a right royal pain in the backside for my little 38ts to deal with
That said, with cuteness on their side
Who knows what may happen!
We used the basic 'attack/Counter-attack' scenario for the start of the campaign with my Panzer list forces running into the advance of a Soviet Mechanised group. I tried to follow a story with my army, infantry in Sdkfz 251s and lots of tanks, with little artillery support – indeed just a single timed barrage. I saw it as the spearhead of the division, rushing ahead out of artillery support. In reality I just wanted lots of tanks instead of having some support. A risky move that could easily cost me the game.
The opening moves were from both sides recce troops who started on table. My motorcycle patrol whizzed off to try and get up the big hill to take position in the ruin, while two Russian snipers skulked around a bit! Little happened until the main forces arrived. At which point, my recce motorcycle, happily bouncing over the grassy hill saw a KV1 appear over the crest
Discretion became the better part of valour and they spun the bike around and hightailed it out of there! Sadly they didnt get far as the tank MG shot the bike up, but two of them got away alive with the MG34 and ran off behind the railway line
Meanwhile, German armour flooded onto the table using the 'Panzermarcsh' special rule, and seeing a KV2 lumbering down the road, it all elected to try and hide! Even a 'Breakdown' chit played on the KV1 didnt help and with a roll of '1' the tank belched out a cloud of oily black smoke but carried on. The Germans began to wish they had brought some artillery or an 88
The Russian attack was slow and lumbering, and generally pretty ineffective. Soviet mortar support and timed barrages rained in, but did little, only managing to pin down some infantry. The tanks too did little and the infantry advanced in a solid mass with no enemy artillery to fear. As the Russian reached the T-junction by the railway crossing, the only German timed barrage hit. A good stonk from the 105mm guns blasted the KV2 sat on the junction
and when the dust cleared
it was still sat there. It would have to be up close and personal or nothing for the Germans. As the Soviet T-26 armoured sewing machines arrived, the Germans launched their mass tank attack. All the Germans tanks surged forward, led valiantly (and stupidly?) by the 'Flamingo' hoping it would spew firery death at the KV1. It didnt. The KV2 on 'Ambush' put a round into it as it crossed directly in front of it and very little remained of the poor little tank. Its first outing was not covered in glory. The remaining German tank attack scored lots of hits, but most bounced. Even managing to bounce off T-26s – no mean feat. Luckily the one success would prove much needed. The Soviet T26 commanders tank was hit and they were pinned, a second hit saw them fail morale and abandon the tank.
Now the Russians returned fire, again generally very scary, but pretty ineffective, although two 38ts were knocked-out by tidy shooting from the KV1. Not good. A tit-for-tat fight broke out between the T26s and some of the 38ts, and they 38ts slowly gained the upper hand. As things progressed the infantry fight began with first the Germans gaining the upper hand, their MG teams cutting down khaki clad Russians, and then being paid back in kind. The advantage was with the Russians though who attacked in a mass, while the German platoon was strung out over the entire table. Not good! The Germans once more tried to crack the Soviet armour and although managing to knock out two T26 tanks and the 37mm on the platoon commanders Sdkfz 251 putting a round through the side of the KV2 to knock that out with a very lucky close range shot, still the damn KV1 shrugged off everything. Subsequent Russian shooting took out the exposed platoon commanders ride and he and his platoon HQ survivors bailed out of the burning half-track to hide in a building.
Things began to look bleak for the Germans. With only two 38ts remaining, one of which was pinned, it didnt look good. Both sides had a stack of morale chits so it was reaching the endgame. The Germans went for broke. Using 'Tactical Co-ordination' they unpinned the 38t, but drew a chit. This was a '5' and when the German player (me) did a little count up, I found my force had one Battle Rating point left before the army broke. It was now all up to this little 38t. He advanced at full speed, crashed through the fence, and while on the move put a round into the side of the KV1. It hit with a thud and the beast lurched to a halt as smoke began to pour from the vehicle. The Soviet player (Garry) drew his chit for the vehicles loss, and it was enough to break his army. The remaining Soviet forces fled the battlefield, leaving a very shaken and very battered German force to lick their wounds
As always, a few more pics here;
link |
Sparker | 16 Feb 2014 6:03 p.m. PST |
Now that is some great eye-candy! |
(Leftee) | 16 Feb 2014 6:36 p.m. PST |
Ouch! How much of your force came back – do you have enough reserves/replacements to continue as an armored spearhead? Those large hills are just great! Are they foamboard? |
PiersBrand | 16 Feb 2014 6:43 p.m. PST |
Im less an armoured spearhead, and more an infantry spearhead now! Four of the 38ts were 'knocked out', and one half-track. Luckily the infantry got off lightly. The Russians left all but one tank burning on the battlefield when they retreated
but they dismissed the losses with a shrug of the shoulders! It was a bloody encounter for both of us, though for some reason, I suspect it will end up hurting me more in the longterm. |
PiersBrand | 17 Feb 2014 12:50 a.m. PST |
The 38ts are by Pegasus. How did it kill the KV1? It followed Oddballs advice
"Shoot it in the arse" |
Gaz0045 | 17 Feb 2014 1:00 a.m. PST |
Great report, perfect Barbarossa encounter! |
14th Brooklyn | 17 Feb 2014 3:40 a.m. PST |
Great report as usual! I can remember a real AAR from Barbarossa where a unit equipped with PzKw 30(t)s encountered a KV-1 in a village. Unable to punch through its armor, they ended up firing at the 75mm barrel, turning the main gun in operational. |
PiersBrand | 17 Feb 2014 7:23 a.m. PST |
Tim, You are never an arse! To me it depends on what the 'hit' represents and the associated narrative to a degree. Do all hits have to penetrate the armour to knock a tank out? No they don't. At Kursk the German Tiger crews found Soviet AT Rifles to be a bane as they would shoot out optics and vision blocks, often injuring crew in the process. These hits would render the vehicle out of action. I wont mention my Grandfather in the BEF in 1940 who claims to have seen off Panzers with nothing more than a Bren Gun and harsh language
Knowing him, it was the harsh language that did the trick. As evidenced by Hermann Bix, one method of close range dueling with KV1s was to target the barrel, and shoot a hole in it! link The KV1 was certainly able to withstand punishment (as did the one in this game which absorbed over 14 'hits' in the game with none forcing anything other than a morale test, 14 hits in a game of BG is a lot
Certainly all my tanks were low on ammo after encountering this thing!) but in a game, we need to abstract all effects into a single dice roll. So perhaps the hit did something to a rattle the crew enough to leg it, or perhaps it pierced the barrel, or perhaps in bounced off the commanders noggin? My point is that given the difficulty in the game to do the job of killing this beastie, an abstracted armour system doesn't always come down to a simple X versus Y analogy of penetrative ability versus armour thickness. Part of that is the story
But others things happen on a battlefield. The KV1A had 60mm armour protection at the rear at a 40 degree angle and 70mm on the rear rounded section. The hull side was 75mm. At a range of 100m the 37mm Pak36 APCR could penetrate 64mm against armoured plate at a 30 degree angle. Given the close range I hit the tank at in game terms, and the difficulty of the roll (requiring 11+ I think on 2d6), I'd say it was about right
Certainly enough to make a game of it. Lets remember that this is a game. We try and abstract all factors into a single mechanic, we want to try and build in the quantifiable, such as armour and gun data, but also the unquantifiable (the 'fluke' barrel hit, the chance of armour spalling killing the crew, the optics hit and destroyed) that can also put a tank out of action. But most of all, reality considered, you still have to make a game that is fun for people to play
As for the models
Ermm
The KV1a is my modified Nitto one I think
Been built for a good 20+ years that ! The T26 are from Frontline, due to be retired and replaced with the new ones from S-Models when I get the time
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Gaz0045 | 17 Feb 2014 8:03 a.m. PST |
A hit on the turret ring could render a tank ineffective , the Kv2 was particularly susceptible because of the enormous weight of the turret assembly
the actual effect of having loads of ordnance fired at you, knowing that you are 'on your own' may degrade your morale enough that the crew could bale out of a perfectly serviceable vehicle
. for the scenario it is 'knocked out'
. |
Bill Slavin | 17 Feb 2014 8:33 a.m. PST |
Always a pleasure seeing your games. Great AAR! Very touch and go. |
PiersBrand | 17 Feb 2014 8:42 a.m. PST |
Tim, it was Bix. Likely a copy of 'Panzer Aces' by Kurowski is were you read it. He took out two with barrel shots, though that didn't stop one of the KV crews trying to then ram him. The picture I linked above is the one he peppered and is testimony to the resilience of the KV series. And thanks for the comments guys. Its been a fun, but hard slog on Barbarossa for myself and Warwick and our first venture into the early war period. One area of the war we both feel in under gamed and prime for some really fun and exciting games. But then I just like painting grey instead of three tone camo! Starting to write the Blitzkrieg book at the moment
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SFC Retired | 17 Feb 2014 9:05 a.m. PST |
Nice AAR and great combat photos
. SFC Retired |
Jabo 1944 | 17 Feb 2014 6:46 p.m. PST |
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Deadone | 18 Feb 2014 3:56 a.m. PST |
Absolutely superb. Amazing it came down to a single shot and that being a 37mm shot against a KV?!? Didn't a single KV-2 stall the advance of the 6th Panzer Division. Your next mission, if you chose to accept it, is to replay Krasnogvardeysk, 14/08/14: 5 x KV-1 v a batallion of German armour from the 8th Panzer Division. |
PiersBrand | 18 Feb 2014 5:21 a.m. PST |
No thanks
One KV1 was bad enough! |
mysteron | 18 Feb 2014 5:51 a.m. PST |
I can see this being a challenge for German players especially when KV1s are used. With the exception of the 88mm Flak gun Germany was devoid of heavy hitters at this time. Maybe this is were the Stuka would be most useful? |
Marc the plastics fan | 18 Feb 2014 10:12 a.m. PST |
Looks good. I will get through the Kursk games first though before you tempt me further
And personally, I like your "rationale" for the death of the KV – it would be a dull world/game if the puny guys could "never" take out the big ones |
donlowry | 18 Feb 2014 10:37 a.m. PST |
I think a Pz 38(t) could penetrate a KV-1 at 100 meters or less if it used tungsten-cored Panzergranate 40 ammo. It could with my home-made rules. |
PiersBrand | 18 Feb 2014 10:42 a.m. PST |
Well you gotta make it a fun game too aint ya! |
Ethanjt21 | 18 Feb 2014 11:42 a.m. PST |
First off, I love your eye candy and bat reps. Second, do you ever lose? :D |
PiersBrand | 18 Feb 2014 1:57 p.m. PST |
Oh yes
but I forget my camera on those nights
;) |
PiersBrand | 18 Feb 2014 2:01 p.m. PST |
Tim They made good use of the 100mm kanone as a make shift AT gun too. There is a wonderful report of a single KV1 holding up the advance for a couple of days while they tried all sorts to knacker it. Eventually a combat pioneer dealt with it with a long fused satchel charge under cover of darkness. |