All,
Soviet Counterattack on Kastenwald
It's 1430 on 7 July 1943 in western Russia, where the German 292nd Infanterie Division has been caught off guard by forward elements of the Soviet 57th Tank Brigade. The Germans rear echelon troops (supply, maintenance, training company, administrative, military police, walking wounded, etc…) stage into the nearby treeline to mount a hasty defense and their commanders flee in search of reinforcements, which had better hurry as everyone can hear the roar of T-34 engines!
I am playing this game because I have the good fortune of being buddies with Steve of the "Sound Officer's Call" blog (https://soundofficerscall.blogspot.com/2019/10/firestorm-ponyri-station-campaign-first.html), and he is running a "Firestorm Ponyri" campaign. He is playing some games with his local buddies, but was unable to play all of the games himself; rather than simply 'dice off' for results of campaign fights they were unable to play on the table top, Steve asked if anyone in the blogosphere wanted to help, so here I am.
Overview, north is up. The objective is the wood at center; there is a healthy hardball unimproved road network running throughout the area, with a small village present in the southwest (bottom left). Other than that it's manmade crop fields interspersed with a few stands of trees and untamed grassland.
This game is a bit smaller than the previous two; the first two were a reinforced German battalion vs a reinforced Soviet company or two. This one is a Soviet reinforced Company vs a German reinforced platoon, which is actually what the rules are designed for, so went a lot quicker. Also, there were no off-table reserves in this game, everything started on the table so I could get right at it. Let me know if it was still a fun read.
The German defenders consist of their rifle platoon and weapons platoon dug-in on the west (left) side of Kastenwald (center), while their mobile force is coming from the northeast (top right). The concept with the mobile force is that the local HQ Battalion Commander ran off to scrape together whatever reinforcements he could find, and this is what he's back with: a 'panzer' platoon of two Stugs and a Marder, and he flagged down three halftracks to carry all the rest of the clerks, bakers, and candlestick makers he could find, which amounts to another platoon of 'infantry.' The Soviets have their infantry company maneuvering in from the southwest (bottom left), supported by their weapons platoon, while their tank company (with tank riders) are coming in from the northwest (top left). The goal is to take/hold the wood.
Orders of battle:
German
Ersatz Infantry Platoon (PC and three rifle squads)
Ersatz Weapons Platoon (PC, two MG-42s, two 8.0cm mortars, and two PaK-38 5.0cm anti-tank guns)
Commanding Officer
Ersatz Mechanized Platoon (PC and three rifle squads in 3 Sdkfz 251 halftracks)
Ersatz Panzer Platoon (two Stug IIIG and one Marder PzJgr)
Off Table 120mm Mortar Platoon
Soviet
Rifle Company (-) two platoons of a PC and three rifle squads)
Weapons Platoon (PC and two Maxim .30-cal MGs, two 50mm mortars, and one 76.2mm 'crash boom' field gun)
Tank Company (-) (two platoons of three T-34s)
Tank Rider Company (-) (two platoons of a PC and three rifle squads)
Off Table 122mm Field Artillery Battery
Off Table 120mm Mortar Battery
I'm playing in 10mm (figures, vehicles, and gear a mix of Pendraken and Minifigs UK) based at one stand=one squad, weapon, or vehicle. I'm playing this game using Too Fat Lardies' "I Ain't Been Shot Mum" rules, simplified a bit in terms of combat, morale, and movement.
Soviet armor rolling forward.
And the German response.
The Soviet attack jumps off, with 1st Rifle Platoon moving forward (bottom center) and firing on the objective.
Soviet tanks deliver their tank riders onto the objective, and they charge straight into close combat. Look what destruction the Soviet artillery has wrought on the objective!
To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
link
Well, let's see what big Steve has got next for us. Awaiting my orders ;)
V/R,
Jack
begins to think about terrain for Team Yankee.
