As promised, here is another trip to the revised WRG 1925-50 set, this time more of an armour heavy engagement. This is loosely based on another Skirmish Campaigns 'Ghosts of Smolensk' scenario, in this case covering a counterattack by 7th Panzer Division against the Soviet bridgehead at Senno near Vitebsk in July 1941.
General view of the battlefield from the north (from whence the Germans are attacking). The main road runs down the middle of the board, veering right through the scattered buildings of Senno and crossing a marshy stream. There is a low wooded ridge where the Germans set up, but the terrain is mainly flat and broken up by boggy fields and a few small woods.
The standard scenario uses a 6x4 table, and for this one I'm going to use 1mm = 1m (or 1 foot to 300m) given the amount of armour which will be turning up.
The right hand side of the battlefield is marshy, effectively impassable to vehicles, while the woods and fields are bad going. The stream (in the distance) is fordable but also boggy so vehicles need to take a bog check.
The village is the typical Russian scattering of wooden buildings with no basements, deathtraps for anyone stupid enough to try hiding inside. The Russians have the option to destroy the bridge (I opted not to). The Germans win by either taking four buildings, or knocking out all the Soviet armour, in ten turns.
Here are the heroic defenders of the Motherland. An AT gun platoon with a pair of towed 45mm AT guns, a platoon of T26s, a rifle platoon with three LMG/rifle groups, two rifle groups and an HQ/rifle group and finally a company HQ T26 with a radio!
I'm going to let the infantry and guns dig in at start.
Riding to the rescue are a platoon each of T26 and BT7. I've tripled up the armour from the basic scenario. These arrive sometime between turns 1 and 4. All the tanks should be BT7s, but this is what I have and they all have comparable guns and armour. They are all Class II frontal armour and armed with short(er) 45mm guns. None of them have radios.
And here is the mighty Panzerwaffe. In the original scenario the Germans are more infantry heavy, but the actual attack was conducted by 11th Company, 7th Panzer Regiment, reinforced by a couple of Mark IVs. So this is a sort of half size Panzer Company, supported by some infantry and guns. Two platoons of 3 x Pz 38 each, one platoon of 3 x Pz II, a section of two Pz IV and a Company HQ section with another Pz II and Pz 1 Befehslwagen.
They are supported by a dismounted motorised rifle platoon and a section of towed Pak 36 AT guns.
In the real battle the Germans moved guns, infantry and some tanks into position before dawn along the wooded ridge and then caught the Russians by surprise at sun up.
Both the Pz IVs and Pz 38s should be 'E' models, but that would essentially turn the game into a wipeout as the Soviet 45mm can only penetrate class III armour at 250m, and even then, needs a '6'. So these are Pz IVD and Pz 38D, Class II armour on the front and an easier proposition for the 45s.
I tried a few different defensive layouts, and in the end I set up the infantry to cover the town from its forward edge - dug in as an extended skirmish line. There isn't any point defending the buildings as they can be spotted from miles away and provide little in the way of cover. These guys are almost invisible unless at close range or they open fire. I like the way the rules encourage you to defend this sort of thing as the manuals say, and not by stuffing troops into every building!
I put the AT guns dug in at the bottom of the field as the best spot I could think of to kill armour. They cant be targetted by suppressive fire here, and combining the entrenchments and foliage in the fields also makes them almost invisible. It isn't a perfect defilade position, but there isn't one available. The field provides masses of cover from the front, and being boggy, is an AT obstacle as well.
The CHQ tank is parked up behind a building at a safe distance and hopefully out of sight. The infantry and guns all have 'hold at all costs' orders.
The tanks were more problematic, in end I figured that they would be fine hiding in this wood 1000m from the German start line, and they might even get some flank shots. No-one could possibly see them there, right?
The Germans got to deploy on the ridge, the 37s went on overwatch over on the left. I'm not planning on moving these, their soft transport would be hideously vulnerable in the open terrain.
While the infantry were going to go right flanking, then cut across to the central field to advance on the village. The Pz II platoon would advance in step with them, while the first Pz 38 platoon provided cover from the ridge, waiting the arrival of the second Pz 38 platoon and the Pz IVs. CHQ was set up back in the woods.
The general plan was to advance the light tank platoons as a panzerkeil supported by the infantry to threaten the four houses on this side of the river, covered by the Pz IVs and AT guns. If they managed to destroy all the Russian tanks along the way then great, otherwise they would win by capturing the houses.
The infantry set off through the woods, while to panzer commanders and AT gunners scanned the horizon....
While the Russian infantry and guns were indeed invisible at that range, it turned out that the Russian tanks weren't. The curse of dice driven spotting - the Germans had sufficient 'eyes' that one of the Pak 36s and one of the Pz 38s spotted some tanks, just as the Pz IVs rolled up. At 1000m, the Paks needed a 6 to see the T26 in woods, but the height advantage reduced that to a 5+. So two spots out of eight observers was fairly average.
One of the T26s was brewed almost immediately by the Pak 36 (at 900m range!) - which was a fairly lucky shot, needing a 5+ to penetrate at that range, but I let it stand. The Russians returned fire ineffectively. Perhaps they should have run away.
The reserve Pz 38 platoon rolled up. Panzerkeil vorwarts! The vehicles advanced, laying down fire from the short halt. You can see the infantry are about to shake out into skirmish formation to advance across the open ground. The Pz IIs can't do any damage at this range, but they can suppress the T26s.
The Paks and Pz IVs take on the T26s. Once one target is spotted and it's pals open fire, suddenly it becomes very easy to locate them. Firing stationary, these guys put eight shots down range, and the 75L24s make a real mess of Class II armour if they can actually hit them (at 1000m they need 2+ to penetrate).
Fairly soon the rest of the Russian tanks are burning. They didn't score even once hit in return and were just overwhelmed with fire. I should have run away when they were first spotted.
In a happier development, the other T26 platoon turns up and drives at top speed for the cover of the woods beside the church. The Germans are distracted shooting up the other tanks so don't notice them.
I'm being much stricter with "acquisition" this time, treating it is a fire action and rolling both the acquisition and firing dice together. This prevents the sort of spurious spotting I was doing in previous games and makes things marginally easier to keep track of. Obviously the player is aware what the enemy is doing, but by going a 'target fixation' route with acquisition, it reduces that number of actual targets.
Eagle eyed readers will also notice that the CHQ tank has hopped over one house. In the absence of any radios, the CC is going to have to get close to the reserve platoons to tell them what to do.
The main German force is now nicely formed up into three breitkeil, really the Pz II should be behind the Pz 38 but I want to keep a reasonable line.
Even though they have only been advancing an average of 200m per turn, so they can fire then shoot, the tanks are just starting to outpace the infantry who have been steadily marching forwards at 100m per turn. The main thing is I need to have nearby infantry once the tanks get close to any buildings. I'm wondering if I should have brought their lorries along.
Back on the ridge the only viable target is the CHQ T26 which is hard to acquire with opportunity fire at around 1400m as it hops between buildings. The Pak 36s fail to acquire it at all, and the Pz IVs both spot it but can only fire one shot as it ends its move out of sight - unsurprisingly at that range they both miss their first shots (a horrible -2 to hit mod for first shots at that range).
The Russians hold fire. The AT guns pivot to face front as that is where the bulk of the German armour is. The infantry hold fire, maximum rifle range is only 500m anyway, 750m for the LMGs - I'll be aiming to force the Germans to button up as I engage them with the AT guns. But they need to be much closer yet...
The T26s hide behind the wood. A quarter move will bring them up behind the stream and able to both see out of the woods and conduct advancing fire. But they need the CC to tell them to do it, who has just motored over the bridge at top speed and is now hiding behind another building.
The Germans don't even bother trying to pick the CC off this time, instead the Pz IVs fire and advance supported by fire from the Pak 36s. They just acquired the building he is hiding behind and plastered it with area fire instead. The building survives but the CHQ is suppressed by a hail of HE fire.
The main panzerkeil continues to advance and then suddenly, BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM and three Pz 38s burst into flames!
The ambush is sprung. The leading German tanks were 450m from the AT guns and also about 600m from the Russian infantry, so the the 45s opened fire scoring three hits. At that range it is automatic penetration, so bad news for the German tankers. The Russian LMG teams also open up, scoring hits to suppress some of the other German tanks and force them to button up.
I could have waited another turn for them to get even closer, but at that range there was a chance the Germans might spot the ambush (they would need a 6, but they have lots of eyes....).
The BT7 platoon also rolled up and motored at top speed to join the T26s behind the woods/stream. The CHQ T26 hopped over to the church and is now within morale support distance, if not verbal comms range. My eventual plan is to roll this lot forwards through the woods and steal an alpha strike advancing fire shot on them them. The Germans need to get closer first though, much closer, as I'll have a moving fire penalty.
Back in panzer land, much confusion reigns. Both Pz 38 platoons fail their morale, one halts altogether and the other goes to 'cautious advance'.
Everyone stops and starts looking for the source of the fire, prioritising the AT guns. The German infantry are still too far away to help apart from two MG34 teams who are in range but fail to spot anything through the fields. However the firing AT guns are located by many of the surviving German tanks although not all of them.
And even the Pak 36s on the hill, thanks to that very useful height advantage. It is amazing how much fire eight stationary tanks and AT guns can put down range. The 20mm autocannon on the Pz IIs also have a high to-hit number.
The Germans completely ignore the Russian infantry and focus on the AT guns, who vanish in a hail of 20mm, 37mm and 75mm HE. Both guns are knocked out, despite being dug in! You need a 6 to knock out dug in guns with small calibre HE, but they were hit so many times...
Well at least we have the tank ambush nicely lined up now, waiting for the CC to give the order.
The German vehicles in good order continue to advance, now laying down suppressive fire on the Russian LMG positions. The German CHQ moves up to try and get the left hand Pz 38 platoon moving again (I need to get the CC into base-base contact with the command element to force another reaction test). The German infantry are now marching through the field and the Germans have captured their first building (the barn left of the road).
While the main German force is sorting itself out, the Pz II light platoon pushes on. Time to spring the Russian tank ambush. The advancing fire action is: moving fire, quarter move advance, moving fire, then quarter move again if you have stabilised guns. Well, the first shot is blocked by the woods, they roll forward 50m up the stream (it could have been up to 100m) and now they can see out of the woods.
The T26s all acquire the Pz IIs, the BTs go for the nearer Pz 38s and Pz IVs. Sadly their fire is fairly lousy despite the close range as moving fire incurs a significant penalty. One Pz IV and one Pz 38 are hit, and the Russians manage to roll a pair of 1s for the penetration rolls! The shots bounce off. The Pz IIs are missed completely.
Well that could have gone better.
Once again the Germans halt and try to spot some targets to engage. By now the Russian riflemen are in range and they also open fire on the German tanks.
The Pz 38s and Pz IVs on the road are all suppressed by small arms fire, and one of the BTs gets the leading Pz IV which goes up in flames.
The Pz IIs spray the woods with 20mm autocannon, hitting all the T26s and reverse back. Sadly they discover that 20mm cannon need to be within 250m to penetrate class II armour, and all the rounds bounce off. The T26s return fire with two shots each, and make no mistakes, destroying the entire platoon of Pz IIs.
The first round of German return fire is fairly moderate, two BTs are knocked out by the remaining German tanks and the T26s are all suppressed by the 20mm hits. The Pak 36s are also firing at the Russain tanks, but at this range they have no hope of a penetration, so effectively it is just suppressive fire.
The Russians easily pass their morale checks due to the Russian morale bonus and the presence of the CC right behind them!
The tank duel continues for another turn. The Germans lose another Pz 38. They are now down to one Pz IV and two Pz 38s,
And the Russian infantry is still blazing away unscathed as the tanks are all busy shooting at each other.
The Germans are getting their eye in now, another BT and two T26s are knocked out. But it doesn't matter, as long as the CC T26 stays hidden, the Germans haven't knocked out all the Russian armour.
The suppressed German armour is having real problems acquiring the last T26 and the best the supporting German infantry can do is lay some suppressions down on the Russian infantry, which doesn't stop them firing, just reduces the effect.
The Pak 36s are still gamely blazing away though.
There isn't any realistic prospect now of the Germans either taking the rest of the village or destroying the rest of the Russian armour in the remaining time, so I called it there. A well deserved, if expensive, Russian win. The final tally was three BT7, five T26 and two 45mm guns destroyed for the Russians, no infantry losses. The Germans lost three Pz II, four Pz 38 and one Pz IV and no infantry losses.
That game fairly rattled along, I wrapped the whole thing up in two hours with nine turns played, and my recollection of the older set was that tank heavy battles are always faster, partly as the combat is so much more lethal. It worked very well treating the acquisition roll as part of a fire action, and I guess that is how it is meant to be played. The only bit of extra arithmetic required was the gun/armour penetration stuff - essentially you need a 6 to penetrate with a hit in effective range, minus 1 for every 250m below the maximum range. So for each AT shot you have acquisition, to hit and then effect to dice for.
Once again there was the silliness that Russians have a built in morale advantage, yet no C3 disadvantages apart from a lack of radios, but that is just the game. Unlike the infantry heavy games, I didn't have to play the 'stack the reaction test modifiers' game so much as tanks just blow each other up, though you do need to be careful - hence my concern about keeping some German infantry near their tanks. I was also very impressed with the massed firepower of an entire panzer company after the AT guns opened up, scary stuff, and pleased that I managed to mount an effective AT gun ambush, even if the poor gunners didn't last long. That was probably the decisive turn of the game for the Russians. In retrospect I should have probably put the AT guns on the south side of the small wood to fire from a flank, and the starting T26s in the town, but hey ho, the Russians won anyway.
I actually really enjoyed that and unlike the previous two outings, I even quite fancy playing it again. I'm sure there were things I did wrong, both in terms of mechanics and tactics, but it was an enjoyable experience and all felt fairly sensible. I've still not tried out any actual indirect fire weapons, but I'll work up to that.
