0700

German SS forces flood against the 170th Tank Brigade in the north. (Want to avoid the Soviet Guard’s Su-100s in the south.

The German advance is not spotted except by some SMG platoons in the town in the far north east.

0715

In the South, the Guards mobilise as fire erupts to the north. The SMGs are overrun and an armour battle erupts between the 10 T-34c platoons and the Panzers. The T-34s are hit hard with 3 platoons being reduced. One advancing PzIVH is hit.

0730

Soviets win the initiative and a PzIVH is hit! Return fire decimates the T-34s with 3 platoons lost and others reduced. 2 platoons pull back.

The Guard Su-100s to the south (left) line up the disrupted and reduced PzIVH.

Soviet initiative reduced to zero. 5 German steps lost so far. I will keep track of German losses and tally Soviet losses at the end.

0745

PzIVH eludes the Su-100s which have a firing channel (south to north) in front of the main panzer line. T-34 wrecks clog up the roads in the town making it all but impassable to mechanised and motorised forces.

0800

Tigers and Panzers destroy the T-34s in the woods. The front German armour advances to the town and is hit close range, but their armour proves too tough for the Soviet 76.2mm guns.

German infantry advances and disembarks from their trucks. They come under Soviet artillery fire.

0815

Germans win initiative and T-34s in town are destroyed. Still worried about those Su-100s, German infantry crosses to the northwest town on foot.

0830 – 0845

Germans capture the northwest towns.

German armour advances into the Su-100 sights, but the Soviet armour misses! German infantry charges into the open to assault the tank destroyers but they are hit by Soviet artillery (6th German step casualty)

German armour in the east “stands watch” as the infantry pass through the north toward the east.

0900 onwards

Germans win initiative and the Su-100s are eliminated by the Tigers and PzVs.

Germans take another casualty at the hands of Soviet artillery. (7)

PzIVH chase the last T-34 which is fleeing into the woods in the northwest.

Guard infantry is too scared to charge across the open through the sights of the German armour standing watch. German infantry is about to exit to the east.

Soviets, having lost too much armour surrender and allow the Germans to pass.

Within the next 15 minutes, 15 German SS infantry platoons exit the area.

GERMAN VICTORY!!!

Aftermath

Soviet VPs: 8 town hexes (24), 1 GREN eliminated (4), HMG reduced (2), Two PzIVH reduced (8) = 38 VPs

German VPs: 15 INF exit (30), 4 SMG eliminated (8), 1 AT Gun destroyed (1), 11 and a half platoons of T-34c and Su-100 destroyed (46) = 85 VPs

Even if the Germans completely abandoned the north, the Soviets still wouldn’t have the VPs to win (the Germans would have also gotten a heap more exit VPs). Also, there were just too many tanks and artillery for the Guards to try to advance against the Germans on foot. The German armour also is more mobile.

Therefore the battle was ended.

Scenario Rating 3/5. This was a fun battle and not overly long, only taking about 2 hours. I preferred Scenario 3 (AAR coming soon) over this one though, which is the Viking Panzer Division advancing on Death’s Head right flank.