3 PzlllJs, a HMG, a SCH and a leader on the left, then again the same on the right with everybody else coming up the middle. The Schars leading the way, 3 schars in 3 rows leaping ahead searching for mines with each action segment with the PzlVF2s and the PzlVH holding back at the edge of the field until the way was cleared for quick movement. At 09:15 3 minefields were discovered in the southern field bordering our middle. Our Schars moved to the right while still advancing along the trail, the center tanks moved up and over to investigate the field while a scout infantry unit found 2 entrenchments manned by 3 SMGs and a t-34b, a 76.2 and a KMS. This was too large a force to attack since it would be too costly in time and men to bother with so the Hmg, Schar and a PzlllJ remained in the field but outside the line of minefields to make sure the Soviet force could not maneuver behind the German main force still moving forward. The units on the left discovered a lone T-34b defending the hill shaped as a peanut. It retreated along with the Soviet Infantry and T-34c that was defending the town to the left of the trail as The German infantry began encasing the town. The Schars continued advancing along the trail encircling 3 Soviet tanks and an infantry unit on the eastern hill and once the hill was in German hands the tank rolled on top and quickly dominated the battle for the hill. The rest of the Soviet force was so badly misplaced that their only solution was to leave the field of battle.

Kursk, South Flank: scenario #14: Pushing Hard

This looks interesting on paper but with 18 turns and the German Infantry on foot with a lot Hill terrain and two towns to conquer, I couldn’t just wait around for the German armor to try and out distant shoot dug-in Soviet T-34s & T-70s at range. So I pushed my German armor forward, maybe too soon but Soviets made sure to knockout the long-barreled German PzIVF2s & PzIVHs first and let the weaker German PzIIIJ come to them, as they had the Dug-in Advantage and many times they got the Cross-Fire modifier and these were Soviet Guard tanks, so they also got the Armor Efficiency and got to fire twice.

The Germans needed some Tiger Tanks to help them out but none in this scenario, as they lost all their armor, which was a first for me. Sure the Soviet lost some as well but had enough left over to assist their Infantry and other weapon units. The German Infantry had to try and take the towns and hill without armor support and only their off-map artillery. They manage to take one town hex after getting through the minefields and pushed to the second and could not take in 18 turns or any of the hills for that matter. The Soviets come away with a major Victory in this one.

The Germans made several mistakes on this one. They attacked on too broad of a front, they closed with the Soviet armor too soon and they should have hit one town at a time. Still this is a difficult scenario for them, if the Soviet setup with the correct supporting, defense positions, the Germans will have to roll well if they want to have a chance to win!

I would probably rate this scenario a 3.5 so I rounded it to 4.0.

The Soviets set up first in this one, using the minefields to block the trail and setting up their tanks on the flanks for crossfire bonuses. The infantry sets up in front of the towns and artillery sets up on the hills to get the self-spotting bonuses.

With the Soviets trying to cover both sides, the Germans set up all in the south, ignoring the mined trail. They advance quickly, leaving behind a few units recovering from the effects of the Soviet artillery.

Once the Germans get spotters in range of the Soviet artillery (spotted when they fired), the German off-board artillery manages to suppress them with counter-battery fire. The German tankers move up quickly and overwhelm the Soviet armor in the south, destroying three of the Soviet platoons while losing one of their own. Now outnumbered, the remainder of the Soviet armor pulls back to the towns.

The German armor and infantry meet up and assault the defenders in the hills. Once the hills are nearly clear, they split off half of their force to attack one of the towns. The remainder clears the remaining hill hexes and heads for the other town. The group from the hill managed to clear one town, but the group that split off first just barely failed to clear the town in the north on the last turn.

The Soviets easily meet their minor victory condition (German step losses), while the Germans fail to meet theirs (clearing the towns). Had the Germans succeeded, they would have also met their major victory condition (clear town and hills). The scenario was very close, and could easily have ended in a German victory.

This is a pretty good mixed armor/infantry/artillery scenario.

The soviets gained a minor victory on the strength of contesting both the town hexes on the board at the end of the game. The Germans controlled the majority of hill hexes but that was not enough. I think this is a tough one for the Germans, given the quality superiority of Soviet armor, but I think some sub-optimal play early on for the Germans may have played a role too. I ended up not having enough infantry to support the attack on the southeast town, and we all know what happens when armor assaults towns alone. Overall, an OK scenario.

As the Russian, I did not expect the Germans to come right up the middle. I expected them to work the sides of the board, sneaking slowly through the fields. So, I laid what I thought would be a great ambush in one of the fields. It never happened. The Germans avoided the strongpoint and drove steadily on. All I could do was withdraw, withdraw, withdraw.