Hi Guys,
I hosted a Micro-Armor game at our group's local game event yesterday, and the scenario played out really well. The action was inspired by an encounter I read about in the divisional history of the 23rd Panzer Division, which was fought in Southern Poland towards the end of the Soviet's Operation Bagration. For the game the Soviets had two reinforced rifle companies with AT and tank support, tasked with going over to the defensive to hold positions around the town of Bratkowka. The German situation had conceived a two-prong counterattack, first with a drive along the Wislowka river to penetrate towards the town objective, combined with an assault from across the river by an armored PanzerGrenadier company (actually from the division's Aufklarungs Battalion). The Russian players probably set up too far forward with one of their infantry companies and supporting T-34 company, and this contingent was unhinged from its position without being able to put up much of a fight or retreat back towards the primary area of responsibility, which was the town of Bratkowka. The Soviet players were speculating a quick demise of their forces, but a reinforcing SU-85 battalion was actually on the way! It arrived on the main road to Bratkowka, which allowed the SUs to smack into the flank of the main German attack. At this time the Germans realized they needed to launch their coup de main attack at the opposite side of the main objective, and so ordered their PanzerGrenadier company to rush the river crossing towards Bratkowka. At game's end (we played up until our game event session ended), the PzGren. force was just beginning its close assaults on Bratkowka. It was going to be a slog, but with the SUs mostly tied down and reduced in exchanges with the remaining Panther platoons, so weren't positioned to lend their full weight to counterattack the German armored infantry assault from the other side of Bratkowka. We all concurred that the Germans probably would succeed in taking the town, and would be able to consolidate a good position in the area after the battle with their remaining troops.
Overall, the scenario had that ebb & flow I wanted to achieve, with plenty of tension as one side attacked, and then the other counterattacked.
The scenario map:
Pictures from the Front
The Soviet players confer on tactics and deploy their defensive counter markers:
The German team opens the battle by advancing from their forward positions in the town of Odrzykon:
Panzers March! (Panther platoons advance supported by truck-borne PzGrens.):
The initial German assault has broken through the enemy's outer defenses, albeit the attack formation has begun to break up as progress forward slows:
Finally the reinforcing SU-85 battalion has arrived, most engage the Panthers, one battery moves to reinforce the town defense:
PanzerGrenadiers March! The Armored Recon Company makes its surprise attack from across the river, and begins the assault proper on Bratkowka: