Introduction

Another solid scenario in Eastern Front, showcasing the difficulties both sides faced. The Soviets have serious numerical superiority---almost 5:1 in infantry and 2:1 in tanks---and they match the Germans in mortars and anti-tank weapons. Their Divisional Artillery is not as strong, but both combatant's dispose only a single battery's worth of support. The Soviet weakness remains in in their Leaders, but unless the Germans draw extremely well, for once there shouldn't be as much disparity. The victory objectives are the same, as well, with the town and casualties being equally important to the Soviet and Germans forces.

The Plans

The Soviets need to cross a lot of ground very briskly. While there is enough time for them to get their infantry and support weapons into action, they cannot afford to advance slowly. The Germans need to separate the Soviet KV tanks from their overwhelming infantry support, and then bleed that infantry as it closes up.

The German Plan

I decided on a risky deployment as being the only real hope of victory, and acted accordingly. The Infantry and HMG platoons, along with the 81mm Mortar platoon, were deployed in the town proper. I had an excellent Leader draw, so I was able to set up a sort of crude ambush for the Soviet tankers; I dug the 50mm PaK-38 as far foreward as I could along the North-South road (Hex 0305) along with the Truck. The Pz. IIIH I dug in on the "un-field" on my left flank (to the West, Hex 0805). I thus hoped to manage a crossfire shot or two on the KV tanks, and maybe take one out. The rest was up to my artillery and the vagaries of Luftwaffe support.

The Soviet Plan

The Soviet Player decided that his enemy was time. He had to get down to the Town and secure it quickly, brushing aside any German foreward units defending it. and letting the following infantry deal with them. He decided, therefore, to rush the town with his KV tanks, letting his infantry catch him up in the crucial middle turns. His plan came down to driving straight at the Germans along the axis of the North-South road, and killing any Germans he encountered.

The Game

Things went awry for the Soviets from the outset. Luftwaffe aircraft attacked the tank column in its assembly area and succeeded in demoralising the Soviet tankers in the KV-2 demi-troop and disrupting the KV-1 demi-troop. As the Soviet Tank Leader was in the KV-2, this presented something of a problem to the Soviet plan of advance. After a delay to reorganize his tankers and exhort himself to remember Mother Russia, the Soviet Tank Leader hopped back in his KV-2 and set off, passing the plodding infantry, but something about this first brush with combat shook the tankers' faith in their new machines. As they crawled across the open ground towards the road the Luftwaffe hit them again, and again the two demi-troops were disorganized, while the KV-1 troop milled around waiting for orders. Once again, the Rifle platoons slogged by. Again the Soviets lurched foreward, and again the Luftwaffe pounded the lead tanks, who this time were stacked with the 45mm Anti-Tank gun. The Luftwaffe's stunning accuracy was finally rewarded in blood, as the wagon and it's gun were knocked out by the Stuka's bombs. The Tank Leader managed to hold his men together this time, but one of the Soviet Lieutenants was killed. The Germans were now hitting the Sovite with what artillery the had, and it managed to devstate one of the rifle platoons which was unlucky enough to get caught unprepared, its casualties amounting to half its men. By now the Soviets were thoroughly shaken; they had been told the Luftwaffe might sortie some ground support aircraft, not that Stukas and Ju.88s would swarm over them like storm crows. At last, the Soviet tanks gained the road and prepared to surge foreward and overrun the hated German invader. Alas, it was not to be. Once again the Eagles struck from the sky with uncanny accuracy, and bombs exploded on and around the KVs with such power that whole platoons of infantry would have been wiped out. Both demi-troops were demoralized and the KV-1 troop thrown into confusion. More delays. At last the Soviets advanced down the road, though the KV-1 troop remained in some confusion, the Soviet commander feared to delay any longer.

The crews of the German PaK-38 battery had been told to look for the Soviet tank with Wireless antennae, and to wait to fire until it was at point-blank range. With admirable discipline, this is exactly what they did, gambling that they could knock the big tank around before it obliterated their gun positions. Not surprisingly, the 50mm shells proved ineffective against the thick armour of the KV-2s, but the shots from the hull-down Pz. IIIH struck the less heavily-protected sides and rear of the Soviet vehicles. With a cry of dread, the Soviet tankers watched as their commander's factory-fresh tank became a pyre. A second shot at the KV-1 demi-troop bounced harmlessly off their thick hides. Like wounded beasts, the KV-1s rained fire on the Pz. IIIH, but the only hits glanced off the upgraded armour of the H model. Again the Pak battery fired into the Soviet tanks, this time at the full-strength KV-1 troop, and again the Pz. III followed this attack up with devastating results. Several KV-1 were knocked out, and the turret was blown off of one. The shattered hulks blazed in front of the PaK nest.

At this point the Soviet Commander called the attack off on his own authority, though he would later claim that he still felt he had sufficient forces to carry the town, but needed to regroup before continuing the assault.

Conclusion

The Soviet player was, to say the least, unlucky, while the German Player was, in turn, quite lucky. The appearance of three consecutive turns of Luftwaffe attacks with effective bombers was nothing but luck, and their re-appearance at the crucial turn of the tank assault was fortuitous. This should have been a much tougher fight, and I am inclined to agree that the Soviet player still had sufficient forces to win. But nine Soviet Steps had been eliminated, and it was quite probably that I would eliminate a few more in close-quarters fighting. With my Pz. IIIH still battle-worthy, I had a serious advantage, and had another Luftwaffe strike appeared, the vulnerable infantry would have been its target. Later in the war, the Soviet tanks would not be so vulnerable to being shaken up as they were here, although again it must be said that the Soviets were unlucky in their Morale rolls---a '7' isn't that hard to roll.

While my opponent made much of his remaining combat power, as I have always maintained, a concession in these circumstances is actually quite a legitimate victory---the Soviet commander had been broken, and in his despair called off the attack; it happened plenty of times when real flesh and blood were at stake. A good scenario I hope to replay again some day.