A ftf game that both of us really enjoyed. The battle was fought over many hours and a few sittings against each other. If you are prepared to devote the time, I would thoroughly recommend this as a ftf game as the emotional ups and downs are quite numerous

As per the first scenario on Sol'tsy (that featured the capture of Sitnya), this also requires the Germans to march up 4 boards, securing roads, killing as many Soviets as possible and then finally securing and occupying as much of Sol'tsy as possible (large town on board 2) so do expect a tough street to street battle at the end. For their part, the Soviets simply have to reciprocate the objectives and then both sides gain points for a final tot up and tally to determine draw or major or minor victory.

The German force enters one end, and is a Kampfgruppe made up of tanks, infantry, motor-cycles, half-tracks and various guns.The Soviets have a mixed bag made up as follows..... A numerous retreating force that set up on a road and are a hotch-potch of tanks, men and guns. A small NKVD 'crust' unit in front of the town, and then a largish defending force deployed around Sol'tsy itself.

Here's the entry that has gone into my scenario report binder :

‘Sol’tsy : Tougher Stuff ’

Sol’tsy : 13th July 1941

Scenario completed 26th June 2009

Just west of Sol’tsy, the Soviet 682nd Motorised Rifle Regiment was scattered to the four winds in costly fighting with Kampfgruppe Fronhofer. As the Germans advanced toward Sol’tsy most of their fleeing enemy sought safety by joining up with their sister regiment in the village. This did not concern the Germans, who expected no trouble that couldn’t easily be overcome. First Lieutenant Fronhofer and his men looked forward to spending the night in Sol’tsy, while 682nd Motorised Rifle intended to deny them the privilege and earn some respect in the process.

At 3pm the German advanced units, consisting of motorcycle troops, halftracks and tanks swooped on the masses of Soviet soldiers making their miserable way toward Sol’tsy. For nearly two hours, the Germans, having outflanked them and pressuring them from behind, cut them down almost at will, including some Soviets that tried to make a stand in the nearby forest. The Soviets had tried to set-up some semblance of a cohesive defensive line with these retreating troops but it had proved utterly futile! In all, some 12 tanks and nearly 400 soldiers were destroyed in the mini-kessel before Sol’tsy. The Germans on the other hand lost little more than a handful of half-tracks !

As this massacre went on, the chief of the lightly armed NKVD detachments had his meager forces, around 150 NKVD troopers, dig-in to the front of Sol’tsy as an energy sapping shield against the Germans. In the town itself, infantry, tanks and artillery busied themselves in preparing for defence and bombarding the advancing enemy. Now the attack became a far more painful experience for the Germans ! Soviet tanks and guns smote 6 PzIV’s away and some armoured cars. 35+ of their half-tracks became casualties in the attack as they tried to deliver MG support to their advancing infantry. The Soviet commander had set up his AT guns and tanks all along the perimeter so as cut down as many German AFV’s as possible. This proved relatively successful if not totally so. At one location, one particular Russian 76.2mm battery was causing great trouble to the German PzIV’s and infantry, inflicting a number of losses. There was the hugest of cheers from the German Landsers, when, on the very last flight of the day, a Stuka scored a direct hit on this battery and knocked it out completely. Despite this rousing success, more than 50 German infantry were still mown down in the advance.

But for all this, the German attackers finally gained a toe-hold in the south-west corner of the town, and from there, a deadly close combat battle slowly built up as each street was manfully defended and contested by the opposing armies. The German’s sent in engineers to assist their comrades in clearing the defended houses with satchel charges and flame-throwers. Slowly, Soviet men and tanks were becoming casualties in this deadly close in fighting.

As the battle raged in the south-west corner of the town, other German troops maneuvered round each side of the town in order to force the Soviet defenders to thin out if they wished to defend all approaches. Motor-cycle infantry also cut off the road link east of Sol’tsy and this isolated the defenders completely. Very slowly, more incursions were made by the Germans into the defence but there was a high toll in casualties being taken. The Germans threw in infantry and leaders, engineers, tanks, the remaining half-tracks and also called in plenty of artillery from the rear as well as local mortar and artillery platoons.

At 8.30pm, after five and half hours of battle, the Soviet commanders finally gave up the ghost and conceded defeat. They had suffered 817 casualties, plus the crews of around 18 tanks. The German losses, the bulk of which had come once the attack on the town began amounted to 126 soldiers, 16 AFV’s and their crews and nearly 50 half-tracks that had paid the price of being used aggressively! No doubt their usual cargo would be walking eastwards in future ?

The Germans had finally taken Sol’tsy and the surrounding areas. But the Soviet forces in the nearby vicinity were still very numerous and so, it could only be a matter of time before serious counter-attacks were launched.