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The bunker was revelaed to Jez on his baseline in a
large copse, guarding access via the road.

Jez was told he could deploy within 12" of either
northern table corners.

So much for the plans then....

My blinds came up first and I easily spotted a mass of
armoured cars heading towards the farm. I decided to
hold all my dice and as Jez's 'Blinds Move' came up he
spotted a blind in the cornfield, west of the farm.
Deciding it was a fake he advanced a SdKfz 231's right
through the blind.

Big mistake. I hit him in the rear with a close range shot
from my AT rifle. Ka-boom, vehicle destroyed.

This really shook Jez. He soon recovered though and
his remaining heavy armoured cars blazed away, killing
an AT rifle crew member and causing three wounds.

Ominously, other blinds of Jez's occupied the woods to
the east. Relieved, I was praying at his point that Jez
was not going to make a run for the bridge as I had
concentrated most of my infantry in the east near the
second, as yet undiscovered bridge.

He spotted blinds in the small copses on the northern
bank and discovered the bunker to be empty, and was
as yet unworried. However, his arse began to grip the
chair when he successfully spotted my six mortars and
two HMG's in the river bend.

As 'Tea Break' came up Jez was forced to place his
Panzers and armoured infantry on table. They were just
behind the farm, in cover.

The next turn saw Jez dismount and occupy the farm
whilst one Panzer drove right along the road, another
skirting the farm to the north.

When my 'Blinds Move' came up I decided the time had
come to mess with his mind.

A blind left the boggy ground it was hiding in and
occupied the large wood in the centre of the table. An
AT rifle located on the northern edge of this feature
started popping away at a Panzer III hitting it with
alarming accuracy though failing to penetrate.

I spotted a 75mm infantry gun in the eastern woods and
decided foolishly to shoot at long range with my infantry
and 76mm gun located in the copse to its front, to no
effect.

The photos do not do the spectacle justice as twelve
Sections each of ten infantry launched into the advance
to contact.

I have never before used a wave assault in IABSM but
judging from the look on Jez's face I will be doing so
again. He was absolutely terrified! Jez was incredibly
impressed with the number of troops he was facing. He
had thought intially that I would only have a skeleton
force but by now he realised he was on the defensive
himself.

Luckily for me I activated an AT rifle in a yard near the
second farm and managed to hit his forward observer a
couple of times, unnerving him somewhat.

The action switched to the western side of the table as
Jez killed my AT rifle near the first farm and then
successfully assaulted and killed another AT rifle with
his infantry, clearing a field, and outflanking my
remaining AT rifle. He also spotted my fake as a fake and
began to realise that an run for the bridge may work.

A Stuka descended from the clouds and dropped its
bomb, engines screaming, before pulling out of its dive
and flying away. Had the pilot managed to look back he
would have realised that his detonation was infact on
top of a SdKfz 223! Blue on blue! Jez was not
impressed. I seem to have a magnificent record of
friendly fire when others have air support, and I do not.

My 'Mortar Bonus' chip arrived. the first time any of my
mortars had had the chance to fire. I dropped a shell
onto a section of Schutzen in the farm. Killing a couple
of vipers! However, scoring a lucky 17 a pinned German
section destroyed my Maxim HMG without it firing in
anger.

Jez continued to mop up AT rifles with MG fire from his
AFVs but he was somewhat suprised when my 76mm
Infantry gun fired at his Panzer III, jamming its turret with
its first hit, and forcing it to withdraw upon tea brak or its
next initiative with its second shot. Lucky for him that
the third shot missed!

Things were looking a little uncertain for me near the
farm so I decided upon 'Heroic Leader' to motivate a
section and lead them from the central woods to assault
Jez's Big Man led Panzer III. Minor damage forced it too
to withdraw.

However, my exposed infantry squad were shot to red
ruin by Halftrack MGs. Surprisingly the Big Man
survived, but collapsed to the ground, no doubt sobbing.

It was a brave but foolhardy tactic, nevertheless one I
would try several more times in the game.

Over in the east, Jez's 75mm infantry gun fired into the
mass of Soviets heading toward him causing several
casualties. However, suddenly a Big Man rose from the
throng on the ground to cry Za Rodinu, for the
Motherland! A loud 'Uhraieeee' sounded as the chip was
pulled from the bag and three section of Ivans assaulted
and wiped out the gun crew capturing the piece.

Other infantry Platoons headed further north when their
chips were drawn, one Platoon however, headed back
over the second bridge in an attempt to manouvre back
into a defensive positon.

The next turn saw Jez's armoured cars get the bit
between their teeth and head in the direction of the
bridge as he realised that time was running out.

My 12.7cm finally was destroyed by autocannon

He killed my last AT rifle with another infantry assault
and was now a mere 12" away from the bridge.

I now drew a couple of 'Tank Killer' chips in quick
succession and proceeded to attack the front and rear of
Jez's Company HQ, still near the second farm and still
awaiting their chip to be drawn.

The brave Ivans lobbed grenades at his 251/10
Command vehicle, immobilising it and also managed to
immobilise a 251/1 at the rear.

However, when 'Tea Break' arrived next chip the smile
was wiped off my face as both assault squads were hit
with close range 2cm AA, Hanomag mounted MG34,
Motorcyle Combo MG34 and 251/10 37mm AT cannon
wiping out all except one man who dazed was captured
and no doubt executed for his foolish bravery.

As Jez's Armoured cars continued their progress
towards their objective my 76mm gun opened up again,
missing wildly.

Once again as 'Tank Killers' was drawn I rushed a
section from the central woods and permanently
immobilised a SdKfz 222 with a flank hit.

Jez's infantry had been pinned with accurate sniper fire
in the previous two moves but made a run for the bridge,
shooting and butchering my victorious tank killers in the
bargain, and finally setting foot on the rickety bridge.

My infantry Platoon which had captured Jez's 75mm in
assault manhandled it to the edge of the wood intent on
using it on the German HQ vehicles.

In a final act of suicide I assaulted Jez's SdKfz 10/5 2cm
mounted light AA gun with yet another section.
Managing to jam the weapons traverse they too were
wiped out by yet more concentrated MG34 fire.

My fifth and final section to meet the same fate that day.

With the drawing on the 'Tea Break' chip, and it being
lunchtime we called it a day.

Jez had managed to set foot on the bridge but not
control it. It is arguable whether he could infact have
successfully held it close as it was to two T-28's.

My mortars had fired once as a platoon and twice as
single tubes with no real effect and had been very
disappointing. The number of chips in the bag seemed
magically to prevent their chip turning up (I know, I know
Clivey its 50% probability of a chip turning up - but it
didn't!)

Jez's Company HQ also, armed to the teeth, had their
chip turn up only once and relied on the fact that when
'Tea Break' came up they were within short range and
could shoot my brave troops to ruin.

Spectacular is the only word to decribe 120 Soviets
running towards you!

I really wanted them to get into the German's but lacking
'Uhraieeeee' chips, also noticeably absent from the
draw, and only in possetion of two inititative dice with
which to move meant that progress was slow. Luckily,
Jez's lack of automatic weapons in that vacinity of the
table meant that they hadn't accumulated wounds or it
would have been a massacre.

The attacks on the AFVs, by the infantry were suicidal
but often very effective. There was a real air of
desperation about the savageness of the fighting worthy
of a report in Signal with brave German's facing hordes
of Ivans.

The game was a cracker, one of the best IABSM games
I've ever played.

I shall use Human Wave assaults again.
Back to the drawing board....

Two blinds crossed the river via the second bridge. One was a fake, the other contained two
Infantry Platoons with 60 bloodthirsty Ivans.

Jez was by now wondering how many troops I had, blinds seemed to be coming out of everywhere.

I also moved a further fake from the marshy area near the first bridge towards the farm concealing it
in a cornfield. I was trying to make Jez think that I had more troops in the area than I had.

He successfully spotted my blind moving in the central woods as an infantry Platoon, and began to
engage my AT rifle located there with a Panzer III.

The second Panzer III began to engage my 12.7mm AA gun from the farm complex.

One SdKfz 251/1 the Platoon command 251/10 and a light 222 armoured car with a 2.8cm AT rifle
headed toward the bunker complex, where the Schutzen dismounted and occupied it. Outflanking
my AT rifle. Other German blinds headed westwards along the road and halted near the second
farm.

Due to the 9" proximity of his troops, two other blinds, containing AT rifles were placed in cornfields
south of the first farm.

Jez revealed his Company HQ and Forward Observer on the road near the second farm.

After the 'Tea Break' a Stuka appeared above and proceeded to dive bomb my mortar Platoon.
Luckily the 12.7mm engaged and managed to sufficiently put off its aim causing the bomb to miss
by an extra D6 deviation. The bomb fell close enough to my troops in the central woods though
killing a couple of unlucky Ivans and pinning them.

When my 'Blinds Move' came up I decided to de-cloak my troops. What a surprise for Jez! I
revealed my entire infantry force of four Platoons - 120 men, heading north of the river towards the
75mm Infantry gun and the second farm.