Somewhere near Kiev in '41

[V]

Just a big Rapid Fire bash, Germans trying to punch a hole in the Russians lines, which they just managed to do, but a worthy Russian defence almost held out.

German Forces

Infantry Regiment (3 X Battalions)
Panzer Grenadier Battalion
Two Tank Battalions
Artillery Regiment
Recce Company
Assault Gun Company

Soviet Forces

Two Infantry Regiments (6 x Battalions)
Light Tank Battalion
Medium Tank Battalion
Mortar Regiment

The Table...



Time for one last Vodka...

[V]

The Soviets had to deploy first and where tasked with defending the local road and to stop a German breakthrough that would allow them to encircle forces around Kiev. The Soviet commanders deployed in a long line trying to cover the entire, something that would be their eventual undoing. The Medium Tank battalion, however remained off-table in reserve.

The Germans opted for a massive concentrated strike at one of the two villages. Their objective was to 5 units of the Soviet force, which would represent them destroying enough to cause a breakthrough and allow follow on units to exploit the gap in the enemy lines.




Soviet OP Team discusses their pre-plotted fire zones...



...While the mortars begin readying for action.



T-26s from the Light Tank Battalion roll into the line.



German artillery prepares its barrage...



German armour waits on the start line in the morning mist...



German infantry waits the signal to advance...


The Germans began their attack with a drive straight for the village. With the panzers leading they made good progress till the Soviet Medium tank battalion made its appearance in support of the village defenders. With the tanks unwilling to advance into a heavily defended village, the German Panzers sat and waited for the infantry to arrive while indulging in a long range firefight that did not suit them. Their shells bounced off the thick KV tanks and slowly, they began to lose tanks. The German losses sucked all momentum from the armoured assault and its remained stationary trying to inflict some losses as the Panzer Grenadiers raced to their aid. The main infantry bulk advanced through the corn fields with the StuGs leading the charge, while the recce zipped around the fields directing targets for the artillery support.

The Soviet defence held up remarkably well, with even the A/T rifles causing havoc among the 38Ts. But the thin spread of defenders meant that the regiment holding the village had to do so alone, while the other infantry regiment began a long slog along the road to get into action. The village defence was not helped by the Soviet mortars failing to hit anything time and time again.



Panzer Marsch!



German recce scouts ahead...



The view of the German attack from the Fiesler Storch.



The lone Soviet gun in the village does sterling work shelling the 38Ts before its demise...



The Medium Tank battalion arrives, some of it more use than others...


The initial German attack...

[V]

As the German attack began to solidify on the village the Soviets raced to support it. The T-26s moved in first and one company arrived in the village to start a gun battle with the 38Ts, and they didnt last long. The rest tried to engage the StuGs, and although they managed to make them retire for a while, it cost them dear.

While this was going on the Panzer Grenadiers arrived, and in haste to support the Panzers, ran straight into an ambush. Several trucks were destroyed, men killed and the German piled out into the area just outside the village under enemy fire. One particular Soviet MG Nest would prove very troublesome, and from its defilade position, virtually wiped out the Germans on its own. As the Grenadiers struggled to make any advance into the village, the rest of the German infantry began to get into place.

As the Grenadiers finally retrested to the rear, a spent force with huge casualties, the rest of the infantry attacked, and the losses caused among the Soviet defence allowed them to get a toehold in one of the buildings.

On the flank the Soviets advanced under a curtain of smoke from the mortars and crossed the fields towards the Germans. The Germans filtered and entire battalion to protect their flank and stop the Soviet counter-attack and supported it with the support company of another battalion. Soon German MGs and mortars lined the edge of the field.




T-26s get embroiled in a long-range attempt to knock-out the Stugs.







The assault on the village continues...







Soviet troops rush to support the village defenders...





Panzergrenadiers arrive!







German troops line the fields to defend against the Soviet counter-attack.


The Soviet attack over the open fields to relieve pressure on the village was nothing short of a disaster. Despite an adequate smokescreen, when it lifted the German MGs and artillery opened up and slaughtered the exposed Russian soldiers in droves. Very soon two-thirds of the Soviet Regiments lay dead or dying on the field, failing to reach the enemy positions.

In response the rest of the German infantry launched an attack on the village and drove off some of the defenders, while the Soviet Medium Tank battalion was finally forced to retire. With it retreating, the German panzers sealed off the village and cut up the last infantry reserve the Soviets had.

As the day drew to a close, the Soviets had to withdraw, over half their force destroyed but they had managed to last till the very last turn of the game, and caused not insubstanial losses to the Germans.

Good game and nice to see my Russians back out in play after a three-year hiatus. Given me the urge to paint the rest of my tanks and infantry, just not sure if we need another three Soviet infantry Battalions!


Then again... You can never have enough Russkies...

[Doomhippie]

Wonderful game! Great pictures and an interesting battle. Was it 1:72 scale or 15 mm? Because that's a lot of material I saw on that table!

[Westfalia Chris]

*Tank-induced delirium/stupor*

Lovely. That mass of tanks is totally to my taste.

[Silent Invader]

That's a lovely looking game!

[chaplain severus]

Epic game with great pictures.  Thanks for taking the time to share.  Posts like this are a joy to see.

[V]

Was it 1:72 scale or 15 mm? Because that's a lot of material I saw on that table!

We only do WW2 in 20mm... None of that upstart 15mm business for us!

If you think thats alot of kit... Wait till you see the late-war version. We need a 16' table for that one.

[abhorsen950]

Looks very stunning great job

[Axebreaker]

Very nice!

Cheers
Christopher

[Sky Captain]

Just wow! 

[Michi]

Epic Piers, thatīs simly epic!!!

[dodge]

unbelievable,

very fast flowing too

dodge

[joroas]

Stunning! 

[Mr.Marx]

Wow....great battle!