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I invited Rob Avery, Max Maxwell and Jez Davies over for a game at Wally HQ. I decided that I
would umpire, my first time, allow rob to use his excellent newly painted Battlefront Russians
whilst letting Max and Jez use my German figures.
Firstly I feel the need to allow an insight into the sick mind of the umpire – ME!
In writing the scenario my intention was to tailor the German commands to the players
characters. This is an important thing to try and do as players feel more comfortable.
Not knowing Rob’s playing style I thought some sort of defensive role for the Ivans, with an
option to attack later in the game. Knowing Max somewhat I thought he may be better as overall
German C-in-C. Jez is a VERY aggressive, some say impulsive, commander who loves tanks.
With this in mind I gave him a Panzer Company to command, and warned Max!
I didn’t want the game to swamp Rob though as I wanted him to feel he could attack if he wanted
to, and gave him a breakout option.
The players were given maps of the battlefield and orbats to use after Rob had let me know what
he wanted to use, and what he owned.
It was important to try some sort of balancing act to. Rob, although in an ideal positon had
much inferior troops. Soviet poor squads have only two initiative dice and Rob only had three
Big Men available at the outset to Max and Jez’s dozen! Also Soviet tanks operate on individual
cards and were rated as green, plus the two man turret is a major disadvantage in tank Vs tank
combat. To balance this I decided to really try and nacker up the Germans.
I decided that they should arrive piecemeal on table depending upon what was occurring off-
table in my minds eye.
I really wanted to recreate the feel of 1941 though so gave the German’s air support and both
sides limited artillery options too.
I e-mailed the players with daily updates on the situation going on off-table to give the game a
wider setting.
Max was told that the air support had been required elsewhere initially and that Jez’s force was
heavily engaged against Soviet armour off-table. Jez was told that his Panzer Company was
really up against it and would be late in arriving, though his troops were confident in their
assured victory. Rob was told that reinforcements were being sent by train and that a Company
of ten BT7s were also on the way. Rob suggested as a joke that I may like to give him an
armoured train. I laughed it off then ordered and bought one from Peter Pig without telling him. I
had no intention whatsoever in letting Rob have any more tanks but wanted to foster the idea
that he could attack the Germans to try and break out as reinforcements were on the way.
The table essentially featured a lot of seemingly open terrain with a goods yard occupied by the
Soviets. Max was allowed his Company HQ and dismounted Schutzen Platoon from the game
start plus D6+1 fakes and four stonks. I also allowed him to pre-register two locations for his off
table 150mm howitzer battery.
Jez initially had his Panzer Company HQ, armoured Engineer Platoon and Panzer II Recce
Platoon.
I decided that only his Pz IV Platoon would be available for the game. During the game when his
Company HQ Big Man card was drawn I would give him info about the rest of his company. I
told him that they had been defeated and had had to fall back.
I also told Rob late during the game that his BT7 Company had been destroyed too.
As a final report I told them that it had rained heavily and that there would be much boggy
ground on table. Again this was to restrict movement for the German’s making offensive action
difficult and encouraging them to think about standing off thereby allowing Rob a window to
assault.
Anyhow so much for the plan, what about the action?
suited the scenario briefings I'd given the players. He also
declared his intention of using both a fake minefield and a fake
trench.
The players had already drawn up their deployment and plans.
I told Max and Jez that Jez's Pz II's and Engineers were no
longer able to deploy on the northern road but that they had
arrived out of position on the western road.
Rob marked his three locations for his artillery; 1 - behind the
hill in an area where he anticipated the enemy massing prior to
assault, 2- in the middle of the open area near the boggy
ground, 3 - on the crossroads.
Max marked his pre-registered artillery locations behind the
wood and then on the goods yard
Max started the action with revealing that he had four stonks.
These fell one behind the wood where I had briefed Max that
armour was spotted moving by aerial recce. One on the goods
yard, one on the railway platforms and one to the rear adjacent
to the railway line. I told the players that the result of the stonks
would be apparent when the blinds were spotted if they were in
the 12" area. This way the defender is not necessarily aware of
what casualties he suffers until he tries to do something with
them. Nasty!
Max moved cautiously his HQ SdKfz 251/10 beeing spotted
automatically at 'Tea Break' near the wooden hovel at the SW
corner.
True to form Jez moved rapidly, blinds moved behind the hill
and into position towards the north. Rob faced a mass of
enemy blinds, not knowing that many were fakes. Clearly Jez
was hell bent on assaulting the goods yard true to his
objectives and briefing, believing he needed to secure the
northern road to allow his Panzer company to arrive. At this
point he didn't know I had decided they were not turning up!
When 'Soviet Blinds Move' came up Rob spotted the fakes and
movement and Jez's blinds were revealed. Armoured engineer
halftracks moving to the north exposing their rear to a Platoon
of BT7s dug in in the dense wood. Two were hit and put out of
action immediately by Rob's green tank crews, their
passengers dismounting with heavy losses.
Rob then opened up with two Big Man led HMGs, also dug in,
in the wood, on the luckless dismounted engineers causing
pins and wounds. We assesses the HMGs as they were just in
the stonk area. Minimal casualties.
Rob was not finished there though. A blind sneaking round the
northern edge of the hill was spotted as the Panzer II Platoon.
Rob revealed two KV1's hiding between the railway platforms.
He fired but missed.
Stukas appeared overhead but after rollling a one, one peeled
off and dive-bombed the engineer Platoon. knocking out a
halftrack.
The game progressed swiftly with Jez manouvring his Pz II's
into positions to they could poor fire upon the KV1's hoping by
volume of fire to upset the Soviet gunners aim. It was not to be.
Rob accounted for a Pz II immediately as his card turned up.
I now brought on two Quad HMGs mounted on trucks on Rob's
baseline, near the eastern road. Their fire was directed to the
hill upon the German infantry cutting down swathes even at
long-ish range.
Rob's artillery arrived right on target behind the hill pinning
everything and causing further wounds on the hapless
engineers.
Jez now decided to engage the BT7's with his Company HQ Pz
IIIF and Pz IIIG. Jez's crew missed their targets but he
destroyed a quad MG. The other was quickly despached when
Max's off table artillery landed right behind the wood, the blast
zone accounting for the surviving Quad.
However, Max did a bit of shoot and scoot with his SdKfz/251
10s. Two dug in BT7's were hit easily as the Veteran halftrack
crew led by their Company Commander Big Man, with quickly
acheived fire support. Then retreated an hid behind the hovel.
Rob revealed another ace up his sleeve though. Dug in to the
north of the dense wood were also three T26s! One had been
seriously damaged by a stonk however and would have to wait
several moves for its concussed crew to operate.
Jez's Company commander was instantly killed when his Pz
IIIG blew up as a 45mm round hit him smack on target. and
penetrated. The remaining Pz IIIF also took hits and was
immobilised.
Za Rodinu! Good shooting Ivan. Rob was massacring the
fascist vipers!
Jez now decided to hide his last two Panzer IIs behind the
building and the wood fenced yard in the centre. He had failed
to spot the fact that it contained valiant AT rifle defenders
hidden here by Rob specifically for that purpose. As German
infantry manouvered into position with another SdKfz 25/10 in
support they were pinned by Rob's dug in Maxims near the rail
shed. However, Max's stonk had accounted for two of the
four Rob had positioned there.
Rob also revealed two dug-in 45mm AT guns in the ballast
yard. Again Max's stonk had knocked out one! The remaining
45mm hit Max Company HQ Sdkfz 251/10 immobilising it
behind the hovel. Max dismounted the Big Man and joined a
rilfe squad he had deployed in the hovel.
Rob now fired his AT rifles and hit a Panzer II twice in the flank,
jamming its turret and knocking out its main gun also.
Jez assaulted the building with engineers forcing out the
heroic forlorn hope - but only just.
At this point I allowed Max to bring on his 75mm infantry guns
and another infantry Platoon near the hovel and Jez's Panzer
IV Platoon arrived on the western road.
Jez decided revenge was in order and crushed the remaining
45mm gun as its crew legged it, with his damaged Panzer II.
Max hit the Soviet HMGs in the dense wood and accounted for
a BT7. Crews of the other BT7s now bailed out when their
cards were drawn.
The next move saw Jez try to crush the dug in HMGs near the
railway shed. The Soviets passed their guts test and evaded
the oncoming Panzer which then got stuck!
Jez then suffered unbelievable bad luck. Empty trenches were
spotted near the railway line infront of the ballast yard. Jez
engineers ran from the building to the trenches only to find
them to be fake. Rob's Maxim poured fire on them pinning
them and the next turn Rob's artillery zeroed in on the
crossroads fell right amongst the exposed engineers
massacring them.
Jez's Panzer IVs fired on the T26's causing no hits.
Max then manouvred his Infantry into a flank attack upon the
wood only to discover that Rob had also dug in a Platoon of
infantry in support of the BT7's and HMGs.
On a 'Heroic Leader' card Rob's Big Man climbed into an
immobilised and abandoned BT7 and fired its MG into the
invaders of the motherland.
Suddenly Motorcycle troops arrived near the dense wood and
dismounted in the dense wood. A crowd of Russian civilians
were herded towards the minefield by their Einsatzgruppen
guards, only to discover that it was a fake minefield. A
contentious thing to put in the game but not being a squeamish
type I thought it added some flavour. StuGs arrived on Max's
baseline as Jez discovered to his horror that no reinforcement
would be forthcoming. His remaining Panzers had been hotly
engaged with a Soviet tank Company to the north and had
almost been wiped out.
To make matters worse Jez's Pz IV tanks were low on ammo
and could only engage now at short range! Two were also
knocked out by T26's. They had marched to the sound of the
guns without adequate ammunition supplies.
Max assaulted with his Motorcycle troops in the dense wood in
a very confused and tight melee, but took the trenches.
In the centre Jez assaulted a Soviet HMG to find it supported by
a Platoon of infantry dug-in behind the railway line. Jez's
troops were wiped out and the survivors captured by Rob's
depleted troops.
Smoke on the horizon revealed Soviet reinforcements arriving
by rail. To the German's horror and Rob's glee, an armoured
Soviet train arrived with two 76mm guns, four HMGs, a 37mm
AA gun and an NKVD Squad on board. The howitzers raked
the German positions and the light AA gun fired at anything
moving...not that it was needed as the Soviets had already won
the day.
As the rugby was due soon we ended the game as a massive
and glorious victory for the Soviets an excellent game which
Rob had planned and executed precisely.
Max and Jez had fought bravely but Rob still had two dug in
Platoons which had been undiscovered. Jez in particular had
fallen foul of the cards and his own impulsive nature. Max was
left shaking his head and wondering what could've been....A
breakout was on the cards! Za Rodinu!
