The table runs with North on the lft and East at the top.  To the North East is the village of Eiglersdorf with St Martin to its south.  West of Eiglersdorf is an inustrial complex with the small town of Obersdorf to its South.

 

 

 

 

1	CO (CV9)
5	HQ (CV8)
1	FAO (CV6)
1	FAC (CV6)
2	Recce Unit (BA10)
18	Infantry Unit
6	Support Unit (MG)
3	Support Unit (Mortar)
4	Light SPA Unit (SU-76)
4	Heavy SPA Unit (ISU-152)
2	Anti-Tank Gun Unit (57mm)
2	Artillery Unit (160mm Mortar)
1	Artillery Unit (122mm)
2	Artillery Unit (152mm)
1	Ground Attack (Il-2, bombs)
2	Transport Unit (Trucks)

 

1	CO (CV9)
3	HQ (CV8)
12	Infantry Unit
6	Support Unit (MG)
2	Support Unit (ATG, 75/76mm)
2	Support Unit (Mortar)
1	Support Unit (IG, 75mm, 251/9)
1	Support Unit (IG, 150mm, Grille/Bison)
1	Support Unit (AA, Sdkfz 10/4)
2	Engineer Unit (Combat Engineers)
1	Anti-Tank Gun Unit (88mm)
1	SPAT Unit (Jagdpanther)

 

 

 

 

The Soviet general plan was to advance on a narrow front using the left flank. 1^st Battalion were to mask St Martin, second would mask Obersdorf and third would drive over the heights and on towards Berlin. An artillery fire plan using the assets purchased would fall ahead of the advance to neutralise any defenders.

The German CO opted for defence in depth with a battalion taking each side of the main road. A company would be deployed forward to force the Soviets to deploy with a main AT belt running North south from the industrial complex through Obersdorf to the heights.

 

 

The battle began with the Soviet first battalion failing its first two turns of command. As the lead element this looked like it was going to slow the whole advance and prevent a breakthrough before last light (turn 12).

 

Turn three saw a reluctant advance by the Soviet first battalion and allowed the second and third battalions to deploy on to the table. Realising that some motivation was required the Soviet CO (and his party commissar!) moved forward to encourage the tardy lead battalion. By now the Soviets were heavily bunched and although he lacked heavy artillery the lead German battalion commander brought effective fire down from the regimental infantry guns knocking out a truck and 57mm AT gun.

 

With the CO leading the Soviet advance picked up momentum and turn 5 saw some excellent rolls allowing the first battalion to reach its hedgerow objective and orient North to mask off St Martin. The remainder of the regiment followed slowly behind.

Seeing the threat to his right on a narrow front the German CO decided to act. A hasty plan to move troops from the industrial complex south on to what would be the Soviet right flank was developed. The execution proved slow though with the Battalion commanders failing to coordinate the movement of more than a couple of platoons.

 

Turn 6 saw the Soviet recce, who were advancing ahead of the main body, spot lead infantry units on the hills and some of the German AT capability. 1^st Battalion put fire down on St Martin forcing the lead German elements out of sight. The attack was now developing some momentum as second and third battalions passed through first almost on schedule with the fire plan which would prepare the heights for assault. The German counter attack was still failing to materialise as command roll failures prevented any real coordination of the German response.

 

Turn 7 saw devastating fire from three batteries of Soviet guns on to the heights. The German AT gun dug in there was destroyed and the remaining infantry suppressed. Smoke fell on the Soviet right masking any effective AT fire on the now deployed SU76 who would shoot the Soviet infantry on to their objective. If that wasn’t enough a scheduled air strike on the open woods south of the industrial area suppressed some of the German counter attack assets. Despite this onslaught the German CO successfully pulled some platoons forward through the masking smoke and began to put fire down on the deployed Soviet second battalion forming up for the assault on the heights.

 

 

By turn 8 the soviet commander had an eye on his watch and the slowly setting sun. There was real concern that neither the heights nor the breakthrough would be achieved. Scheduled fire now fell on Obersdorf suppressing the German reserve of combat engineers who were moving across to give depth to the defenders on the heights. The soviet second and third battalions MGs and mortars now opened up on the heights knocking out the remaining defenders with their weight of fire. However the smoke masking the soviet right had now cleared and the German commander had now successfully mustered sufficient assets to put down effective fire on the now exposed Soviet right. MG fire, rifles and the regiments infantry guns and mortars played heavy on the soviet second battalion and its supporting SU76s. The Jagdpanther and 88mm also opened fire effectively knocking out all bar two of the Soviet second battalions assets.

 

With most of the second Battalion neutralised the Soviet CO was forced to change plan for turn 9. His third battalion supported by the SU152 would drive for the heights and accept whatever casualties were incurred in order to achieve victory. The soviet FAO successfully brought fire down on the German counter attack and crucially knocked out the 88. The colossal SU152s were now in a position to roam with the only real threat being a single Jagdpanther. Things were still on a knife edge however with the German counter attack still causing casualties despite being under heavy fire.

 

The Soviet superiority in numbers and the limited German AT capability saw the tide begin to turn in turn 10. The SU152s brought down killing fire on the remaining dug in infantry on the soviet right despite one being suppressed by the Jagdpanther. With the SU152s and the Soviet MGs engaging the German counter attack the Soviet third battalion pushed up on to the now unoccupied heights.

 

Turn 11 allowed the Soviets to clear the heights out of range of the German infantry who had now moved to the cover of Obersdorf.

The German counter attack capability was now limited to a dash across open ground on to the Soviet third battalion and the SU152s. Realising this was suicidal the German CO spent turn 12 consolidating Obersdorf. With sufficient assets in the German final third of the table a minor victory had been achieved but at considerable cost. Both sides were only three or four units off of their breakpoints.

 

All in all a good game but my original aim had been for some heavy infantry fighting in built up areas. For any future game I think it will be important to put some terrain down to discourage over use of the table edge.

 

It was also fun to get my Timecast Stalingrad grain silo out to stnd in for the industrial complex!