Ponyri Station

 Continuing my Kursk mini campaign, the next stop was Ponyri Station on 7th July 1943. With the defeat of the ill timed counterattack by 2nd Tank Army, Model committed his Panzer Divisions to force a breakthrough into the Russian rear. At Ponyri Station, on the rail line to Kursk, 18th Panzer Division ran into units of 13th Rifle Corps. The Russians threw in everything they had left to stop the Germans. 

Battlefield from the south. Ponyri Station is at the crossroads, Ponyri village is on the road leading south. The rail line runs beside the E-W road. In this scenario, the hills and woods are bad going due to recent rainstorms. Astute readers will note the resemblance to Neil Thomas's 'Take the Crossroads' scenario.... Although irl many battles were fought over road junctions.

The initial Russian defenders are the remains of 307th Rifle Division, dug in along this low rise astride the railway. They have also erected some obstacles across the rail line. Each unit is a (very weak) Rifle Regiment. They still have some anti-tank guns, who are positioned with the 1010th Rifle Regiment along with an FAC. The trenches are all wired with field phones. 

John B commanded the 307th.

13th Corps HQ in the rear. As a very ordinary Rifle Corps, this is almost all horse drawn, including the combat debut of my horse drawn Field Kitchen! The Corps Commander and his friendly NKVD detachment get to ride in the command Gaz.

The Corps orders are to hold the crossroads at all costs. John A was Corps Commander.

307th Artillery Regiment offtable. Horse drawn 76mm guns.

Reinforcements on the way! 85th Rifle Division with attached Corps level assets. In the lead is the 85th Rifle Div Advanced Guard, a Rifle Regiment reinforced with 129th Tank Brigade, 237th Tank Regiment and 22nd Guards Mortar Brigade, all independant Corps level units. The tank units were designated for infantry support and a low priority for modern equipment. 

I based the 129th on the 225th which had a battalion of T70s, a battalion of Valentines and a 'heavy' battalion of 3" gun CS Matildas, so I gave it a Valentine and Matilda. The Valentine should be a 6pdr version, but I only have a 2pdr MK III. 

The 237th was based in a typical 1943 Independant Tank Regiment, which usually had a company of medium tanks and a couple of companies of light tanks, generally T60 or T70, so I gave it a T70. Later in the year they were standardised to be organised the same as the Tank Regiments in Mechanised and Cavalry Corps, with four companies. I rolled this into the Rifle Regiment.

This unit was commanded by Pete (in the snazzy BA64 Armoured Car) and the Katyusha Brigade had an FOO in a Gaz jeep. These chaps would arrive along the road to the east.

The 85th Div Main Body had two Rifle Regiments, the Divisional AT battalion and Division Field Artillery Regiment (horse drawn 76mm guns). John A commanded this as well as the Corps. These chaps would arrive late in the day from the north.

Along with their Field Guns and Katyushas, the Russians had the inevitable Sturmoviks. Another outing for my Stripey Tail.

To roll over the Russians we have the entire 18th Panzer Division! You don't often get an entire Panzer Division to play with. The 18th wasn't a great division, being a third wave unit and based on a converted infantry division (the 88th). It only had a single panzer battalion at Kursk, consisting of two companies each of Pz III and Pz IV. I was very generous and allowed them to form into two battalions, which basically meant 60 German tanks had the same combat power as 100 Russian ones, the Panzerblitz approach.

Tim G was division CO and organised the three Regiments (18th Panzer, 52nd and 101st PGR) into Kampfgruppen. The division would enter in column along the road from the west, their orders, to take and hold the crossroads.

First up was KG Markus (Mark) with a panzer battalion and motorised infantry battalion with attached combat engineers. Their job was to form up and bash through (or at least keep busy) the defenders across the road. I gave each panzer battalion a Pz III and a Pz IV as real panzer regiment had two companies of each. 

Then KG Wilhelm (Simon), another panzer battalion plus the armoured panzergrenadier battalion. Their job was to go right flanking and attack Ponyri from the south.

Finally we had KG Gow (Tim commanded these guys too). Two motorised infantry battalions, reinforced with Marders from the divisional panzerjaeger battalion. Their job to go left flanking and lock down the road from the north.

Indirect fire support included the 88th Panzer Artillery Regiment with battalions of Wespe and towed 105mm guns, the Luftwaffe with Hs 129s and 150mm Army Artillery which would fire a preparatory bombardment. 

Finally there was Divisional HQ, with a command halftrack, ambulance and my Bergepanzer III conversion.

The action opened with a heavy preparatory bombardment on the 307th, which suppressed the defenders and inflicted a couple of hits.

The lead elements of 18th Panzer began to drive on. KG Markus evidently hadn't received the orders about what they were supposed to be doing, but eventually formed up across the railway. The Panzer battalion of KG Wilhlem followed behind. 

From their vantage point on the rise, the Russian spotters could see the Germans and called in air and artillery on the Panzergrenadiers in their lorries.

Undeterred, the Panzers rolled forwards.KG Markus headed for the southern positions of the 307th. KG Wilhelm formed up on the reverse slope of the hill, prior to conducting an outflanking manouvre to the south, and 101st PGR finally rolled on heading north east.

The Russians continued to fire on Marks infantry, who became disorganised. Marks Panzers were very wisely uphill, which gave them some protection from the Russian AT guns.

All hell then broke loose as the 85th Div Advanced Guard (lets call it the Forward Detachment or FD) came storming on from the east, led by 129th Tank Brigade. The Russian tankers parked up across the railway, but both sides threw all their air and artillery into the battle for rise E6. Both the Russian and German infantry hit the deck and reorganised, ambulances ferried away the wounded while the Russian Field Kitchen brought up fresh supplies of bread and vodka.

In all the kerfuffle, KG Wilhelm advanced southeast across the muddy hills, while 101 PGR continued to march northeast.

Back at Ponyri Station 255 Rifle Regiment and their accompanying T70 Regiment began digging in, encouraged by the proximity of the Corps CO, the NKVD and Pete in his BA64!

On the rise, the 1020th Rifle Regiment was in dire straits, reduced to just one hit, and made the bold move of retreating (advancing?) north to join the 1019th. This left KG Markus a bit puzzled as to where all the Russians had gone.

KG Wilhlem had meanwhile swung around the south. Russian defensive fire hammered the panzergrenadiers who were forced to stop and reorganise, while 255 RR in Ponyri redoubled their digging in efforts. German fire meanwhile switched to 129 Tank Brigade, including the attentions of the Hs 129s. The Russian tanks were in a poor tactical position, trying to find cover behind the railway embankment while overlooked by the Panzer units on the hills to the south.

101st PGR had made it through the hills in the north and now fanned out, II/101 pinning the 1019th RR, while I/101 (with the Marders) parked up on a rise in the rear of 129 Tank Brigade! The Russian tankers were in danger of behind completely surrounded.

Hard pounding ensued, 129th Tank Brigade hung on and Simons Panzergrenadiers took heavy losses, while the defenders of Ponyri, supported by Sturmoviks, took on the nearby Panzers, inflicting light losses.

More seriously I/101 PGR was absolutely hammered, being reduced to two hits and requiring attention from the medical column to deal with the casualties.

The Panzergrenadiers had also taken heavy losses, but the Panzers finally got the upper hand against the Matildas and Valentines of 129 Tank Brigade, and the steppe was left littered with burning tanks and fleeing Tank Riders. To add insult to injury, the 1020th RR was destroyed by German artillery fire before to had a chance to reorganise.

The Russian position had been blown wide open, and the response from the defenders was muted, mainly concentrating on Simons Panzer Battalion, which took enough losses to disorganise it.

Up in the north. II/101 PGR and 1019th RR continued to trade shots, but I/101 PGR retired to the ridge behind. A rather healthier spot and out of sight of the Russians, to hopefully reorganise in peace. Both sides logistic units had been kept very busy, both in dealing with casualties, but also shifting shed loads of ammunition to the artillery, whose barrels were red hot by now. The Katyushas of 22 Guards Mortar Brigade in particular needed 'feeding' regularly as they were salvo firing two loads of ammo at a time.  

Time to finish the job. KG Markus and Wilhlem rolled up to assault Ponyri, while repair teams frantically tried to sort out the damaged Panzers on the hill. Dimly visible in the distance, 1019th RR has taken enough losses to become disorganised.

The Russians fired everything they had against Marks lorried infantry and engineers. Artillery, Katyushas, Sturmoviks, infantry, tanks... Under the sheer weight of fire the battalion disintegrated and the survivors fled for the rear. 

Going into turn 9, we broke for the evening. An overhead view of Ponyri. The Russians will have to hope their trenches save them.

An interesting situation in the north. The Russians are coming off worse here for now, but the Germans didn't have enough logistic units to reorganise I/101 PGR either. What the Germans don't know of course is that the rest of 85th Rifle Division is about to coming marching on down that road, right next to those disorganised Germans on the ridge! Well, lets see what happens tomorrow.

The first assault on Ponyri failed. The Panzergrenadiers were routed despite supporting fire from the entire divisional artillery and panzer regiment. 

And in the north the ongoing duel between the 101 PGR and 307 Rifle Div sputtered on. Supply columns and ambulances kept both sides in the fight, neither was strong enough to strike a decisive blow. 

At this juncture the rest of 85th Rifle Div rolled up, straight into the ZOC of the Marders on the ridge. The Germans had managed to inadvertently block their entry route. 

Back at Ponyri, Mark's Panzers launched another assault, covered by massed artillery fire. The defenders were disorganised from the previous attacks and unable to reorg due to last turns assault. 

Defensive fire did enough damage to disrupt the Panzer attack, and the Germans only scored one hit on the defenders. The attack was repulsed. Sturmoviks hammered the retreating tanks and they were reduced to one remaining hit! 

In the north the 307th received the attention of the Luftwaffe and had to be reorganised, while I/101 PGR was plastered by Russian artillery and the battalion became disorganised too.

Ambulances raced to the rescue of the beleagured Panzergrenadiers, apparently (based on this photographic evidence!) while being strafed by Sturmoviks. The 85th Rifle Divs leading Regiment sidestepped the obstruction while the Germans were busy, clearing the road.

Back at Ponyri, both sides paused to regroup after the previous few turns heavy fighting. Bergepanzers fixed up Marks Panzer battalion, while the doughty Field Kitchen sorted out Petes boys in Ponyri.

The Panzers rolled forwards once again, covered by Simons tanks on the hill and artillery, and once again took massive losses from Russian artillery and Katyusha fire. They were however adjacent to Ponyri once more. The Field Kitchen (and NKVD) once more had to encourage the wavering defenders.

At the 307th Div position things quietened down as both the 1020th RR and II/101 PGR needed reorganising. The Russians kept up a steady fire on I/101 PGR to cover the entry of the third Regiment of 85th Rifle Div.

At Ponyri Mark bravely volunteered to charge the town with his few remaining operational tanks to pin the defenders and allow Simons tanks to close. Von Gow vetoed this suggestion and instead ordered Mark to refit his battered tanks, while Simon and the artillery continued to pound the blazing village.

The gunners finally got their eye in and the battered defenders broke and ran under the heavy German fire, leaving burning houses and wrecked T70s behind them.

In the north the Russians continued to plaster I/101 PGR, keeping them thoroughly pinned.

This allowed one Regiment of the 85th Div to break free and rapidly march south through the woods towards Ponyri.

Sadly it was too late, Ponyri was now undefended and the Russian infantry was still a move away. Tims blocking action in the north had held up the Russian reinforcements just long enough.

As time ran out, Simons Panzers cautiously entered the demolished town and the Germans claimed victory.

Well done to all sides, that was a very close run thing! I was very impressed with the standard of play on both sides, there was admirable concentration of effort, economy of force, maintenance of the aim etc and both sides respective commanders were faced with tough decisions allocating their logistic efforts between keeping their indirect fire assets supplied and their combat formations effective.

A breakthrough here would have forced the Russians to commit some of their strategic reserves, which in turn would have hampered their strategic offensive towards the Dneipr later that summer. In reality 18th Panzer Div failed to break through at Kursk, and in fact suffered such heavy losses that the division fell apart with low morale and high rates of desertion. It was dissolved and struck from the Order of Battle. Elements of the division later reappeared in 1944 as 88th Artillery Division, but it never got any tanks again.

The failure at Ponyri ended 9th Army's hopes of breaking through the northern flank of the Kursk Bulge, and although the fighting fizzled on for a few days longer, Model essentially gave up at that point and instead starting looking nervously as the massed Soviet Armies behind his rear left flank. Something for another day perhaps.