The first thing you have to do on the Germans side is to pick which North to South road you want to clear & defend. One has towns you will have to clear and one has higher-three level elevation terrain. Both seem difficult and with the moving special rule for this scenario down to a crawl because of mud, the situation becomes dicey. I choose the higher elevation route. Both sides get to start a few infantry units on their side of the board and the rest come on as a race to initiate. As the Russians, you need to kill tanks without losing too many and they have the bigger force.

Basically the Russians won the first activation and I got my smaller German armor too far ahead of my Infantry and they got smashed. Yes they did take some T-34’s with them but the Panthers definitely have to be more careful of the newer T-34C & T-34/85’s. I through in the towel about half way through this game, as the Soviet clearly had this one won, and it may be just because they rolled better activations on the first three turns. The biggest mistake was blowing my panzer too early.

Hex 0710 is a good fishing hole!

This battle was played ftf against Wayne Baumber in one sitting. Chosen by our random selection system, we transported to March 1945 across the muddy plains of Hungary. If both sides do nothing they can secure a draw each. Reading the scenario, its soon becomes apparent that the Germans have the onus of drawing out the Soviets.

1400 hours (Turns 1-5) The whole region had been battered with rain and the conditions for movement were nothing more than a mud mire. The Hohenstaufen units had two roads that they could choose to advance along. In the event, they all pushed along the western north-south road with the intent of clearing it. They pushed their foot units forward, initially using APC’s to get forward at speed along this road. Their array of Panthers, PzIV’s and assault guns followed behind. The Soviets for their part also placed most of their force along this road with a few assigned to the eastern road. These troops would have to spend their time crossing the expanse of boggy ground to assist their comrades.

Rather than push ahead, the Soviet force facing the Hohenstaufen thrust soon positioned themselves in the wooded areas next to the road and hidden from the distant German forces. Responding to this, the SS Division tried a tactic based on temptation. They placed their own armour in wooded locations at full but effective range from their enemy. They then sent forward some APC’s within range of the Soviet positions hoping for the Russians to fire at them and reveal their location. The ruse worked. The Soviets believed that taking these APC baits out would help lower the German initiative, but despite a triple salvo, they only destroyed one platoon. In response, the German Panthers unleashed their 75LL guns and caused 10 T34’s (5 steps) over 30 minutes to become casualties. As the Red Army hulks were taken out, the SS sent in their infantry toward the under fire Russian AFV’s. But the Soviet AFV’s that were still in position fearlessly held their line and blasted shell and MG fire into the attacking German infantrymen. This, combined with supporting OBA removed a whole enemy platoon and more (3 steps). The battle was certainly getting bloody around the woods on the western road.

1515 hours (Turn 6-) The Panthers, which were now supported by a company of PzIV’s wrought a fearsome carnage to the Soviet armour. Once the ranging was zeroed in, another 16 T34’s (8 steps) became nothing more than smoking pyres between 1515-1530 hours. The tank battle had swung absolutely and decisively in the Germans favour. But their infantry were still absorbing casualties, losing an HMG platoon as they tried to get themselves into the woods. But in they finally did get and here assaults began to spring up on the perimeter. Not only were the Germans winning most of the assaults, but this in turn allowed the areas they occurred in to become spotted and once more targets for the German tanks. Furthermore, the Soviet infantrymen were beginning to count their first casualties, losing the equivalent of 2 platoons between 1545-1615. These losses and the deteriorating position of the Soviets quickly forced the Soviet commander to miserably concede at 1615 (turn 10).

Final losses : GERMAN = 7 Foot, 1 Officer, 1 APC :. SOVIET = 4 Foot, 1 Officer, 14 AFV

I believe Wayne did not enjoy this game, but I will be honest and say I did. I found it stimulating and ultimately satisfying to draw out the enemy defenders and slowly unravel their position. It would be all too easy and also probably disasterous to simply advance forward and take the first salvo from the enemy. Therefore, this required the use of the infantry up front, backed with a bit of bait for a target to do the job. Although no way a '4' rating, it is for me going to get a steady '3'. I also think Wayne could have scrapped for the draw but had suffered personal demoralisation to force him to concede this one.

This is a meeting engagement between the elements of 9th SS Division and 2 Soviet tank brigades, setup is simultanous with the German objective to clear one of the two roads of all Soviet units the Russian have to destroy more tank steps than they lose. Vince and I agree that most scenario's can be won by either side but in regards to this one you need to have a poor German commander, an good Soviet commander and a bit of luck to win as the Russians. Well playing Vince meant that the first option was not going to happen and I was not on my top form and I had some poor luck. In my view the RKKA can not face up to tank efficient, late war German Panzers in a tank battle unless they have overwhelming force, so knowing this is postioned my forces in woods to the south waiting for the German units to advance. The German commander sent his GREN forward towards my forces, he also left a couple of SPW's in range to tempt me to fire, thos worked as I thought that with just 6 required to kill I will get some early step losses, I knew that I would recieve incoming fire from two Panthers who would need 9's to kill. I missed with one shot Vince got two out of his four shots as hits. This was a blow but not a killer blow, but he then advanced with his GREN and HMG adjacent to my tanks on the edge of the forest, this was where I made my crucial error I used Op fire and took out some steps but now my tanks were spotted. The German tank commander now unleashed a very accurate fire and that was that the SS jumped into the assaults tank losses mounted supporting SMG tried to assist but with lower morale and limited leaders the game in effect was all over. I conceded very early in this one and apologised to Herr Hughes for giving in so early but I was not enjoying being thrashed by a better armed, better moraled and better led army in a scenario I knew from the off was unbalanced.