Hi all,
I ran a 1200 point per side Battlegroup Kursk game this last Saturday for the local gaming group (The Catawba Gamers) at our FLGS Parker, Banner, Kent, & Wayne. I had ten (!) players and pretty much everybody had a really good time. The scenario was right out of the book and was a historical one called First Charge at Hill 252.2. It featured the attack of the Soviet 32nd Tank Brigade on July 11th 1943. Here's some shots I took during the game
Most of the German players.
Half of the Soviet players-- we have a club habit of showing up at least a half hour late for our monthly games. 8)=
The board uncluttered by dice and cheat sheets. Hill 252.2 is on the far end of the board. The Germans were allowed to set up 24" in from their side (to the right), and also in the state farm in the foreground.
The Soviets had two timed Katyusha barrages in their force list, and they chose to drop the first one on turn one before even coming on to the board. It landed on the hill and killed a PaK 40 and two infantry teams regardless of their 3+ fox hole saves, plus it pinned one of the Pz. IV Hs which was on Ambush Fire. A good start!
The vanguard of the first wave of ten T-34s races down the German's right flank and the subsequent Pz. IV fire ALL misses. A better start!
The German left flank-- a line of Panzers and infantry observes from cover.
The forward Pz. IV G (backed up by two squads in the buildings) awaits the Soviet tide.
Which turns out to be just two T-34s-- designed to pin down the Germans from supporting their right flank against the main Soviet thrust. But the lead T-34 manages a lucky shot at the Pz.IV and brews it up!
Things are starting to look dicey for the beleaguered German right flank. LOTS of Soviet armor is heading their way! Murmurs of "We're hosed!" start on the German side of the board.
Insult to injury time-- the Soviets draw an air support chit and roll the 5+ they need to get the plane. The Il-2 promptly clobbers a Tiger with a rocket attack. It turns out to be the German Company HQ-- which causes two Morale Chits to be drawn by the Germans. Plus they lose the Commander's Tactical Coordination and orders re-roll he might have used later. A huge blow to the outnumbered Fascists.
Finally some headway for the Pz. IVs, although the nearer tank has been pinned twice, rolled a one for the second Morale roll, and abandoned their tank in the face of the enemy. SOMEBODY'S going to get a Luger talking-to after the battle.
The German Forward Observer finally gets in on the battle with a very effective barrage from the off-board 150mm howitzers. No T-34s are destroyed but three are Pinned, blunting the attack a bit. Plus another one is out of ammo and one is immobilized, both from lucky Morale Chits.
More T-34s from the turn two second wave of seven arrive on the Soviet right flank to develop the attack on the state farm still in German hands.
Turn three and the Sovs drop their second timed Katyusha barrage (they had to pick where it would fall and what turn before the game started) and it devastates the infantry in the buildings, plus blows up a Pz. IV G. The Kats are a terrifying asset!
Following up on the artillery is a platoon of tank riders. This farm will be back in Soviet hands shortly
except the Germans had planned beautifully! Their timed Stuka attack drops a large bomb and four small ones onto the tops of the T-34s with their hapless riders. Three tanks go BOOM and all the infantry on them disembarks with casualties and is Pinned besides. The remaining three German infantrymen (just visible in the rear building and JUST outside the blasts from the Stuka's bombs) maintain their tenuous hold on the farm.
More of the Soviet infantry legs it towards the state farm through the wheat fields.
The Soviets get into the farm buildings but it too little too late. The three German soldiers across the courtyard from them are on Ambush Fire and pin the Soviets as soon as they enter the building. A stubborn defense!
At this point we had to stop-- we had been playing for five hours and everybody was famished. We counted up Morale counters and the Soviets had taken 68 out of 90, and the Germans 49 out of 74. It was a modest German victory but considering how bad it looked for them after two turns it was an astounding turn around. Heroes of the Fatherland were the Stuka pilot and the Forward Observer in his Pz. III. Between them they accounted for seven tanks and many, many pinned units. Another testament to how effective artillery can be.
Hope you enjoyed it-- I know I did!!