Long campain, Soviet mech battalion, Nov 1941

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Brigade get upgrade:
4x GAZ AAMG -> 4 GAZ 37mm AA Guns trucks

2/12/41
The enemy have no continuous line of defense here.
Brigade ordered to make fast advance into gap, before mans time to react. The snow is heavy, so we should be careful. There is the panzer division around.

Meeting engagement, visibility 10

To move faster we have some forces attached from from the army reserve :

Cossak squadron
Understrength Ski company - 10 ski secions, 1 scout section
1 halftruck plt 4x halftrucks
4 light trucks plt

The terrain is not very good. There is a big forset in the center and narrow strip the north. All objectives are to the north of the forest, but what if Fritz try flanking in south or attack through the central sector ? There will be huge losses - our infantry is not expirienced enough to fight in the forest, and tank wouldn't be able support it efficiently.
After some thinking Dolya put two ATG and platoon of T-34/57 with infantry riders to the south sector. They are separated from the mian forces and should fight retreat if attacked. If not attacked they will be in reserve.
Another four T34 with rider and two ATG deployed in the north forest strip, blocking the road. Ski troops deployed on the edge of the central forest. Main force is completly mobile and deployed in the center. Several ATG deployed in the back. Dolya is worried that his T-34 are too disperced, that could cause big losses. But he think that with such a low visibility he should try to cover as much of the front line as he can to prevent or at least detect german infiltration into the rear area.

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0020 German artillery punding our rear area. Infantry platoon defending rear objective is suppressed. Artillery observer in the panicked for no reason at all. Our 152mm guns are *not* providing contrbattery fire. They keep telling that the army air recon didn't provide location of the german batteries, and the deep recon of the infantry divsion behind us don't wont work for them because we are not in their chain of command. Dolya gave them some more time. If they will not start contrbattery fire in couple of hours they should start provide close fire support.
Two our mortars run from the battlefield.

0040 4 SdKfz 231(8) appear on the south flank and fell under fire of our T-34/57 plt
In the center our KV and cavalry continue advance. Ski platoons move through the forest and took forest objective.

0050 all four SdKfz 231 destroyed by T34/57. Two SdKfz 222 appear on the north edge of the cental forest. Our KV shoot at them. Enemy started drop smoke. Seems Fritz main forces are not far now.

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0060 Three SdKfz 222 tried to moved along the north forest road, but were destroyed by KV shooting through the gap in the forest from the center. One SdKfz 222 in the center also destroyed. Another either retreated or slipped through our line. Halftruck immobilized by German arty. Two of 152mm battery ordered to fire.

0070 One KV immobilized by 7.5mm howitzer. The rest ordered to advance. Where the hell main geman forces ???

0080 PzIII seen in the forest. If the axis of German advance go through the forest that's not good. Infantry will not be able to hold them. If our T34 went against german in the forest losses will be huge, and KV just too slow, to move them in and out of the forest. All cavalry but scouts ordered to move into forest. Three halftrucks moved there as well.

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0011 About a panzer company moving through the central forest. We have deployed infantry before it, and moved three T34/57 behind infantry. One panzer already burned by infantry. Panzers moving along the north road hit two KV which were supposed to be an ambush. One KV lost in the short range tank duel and another heavily damaged. With the help of KV group in the center and immobilized KV behind all detected panzers destroyed (four PzIIIh). North KVs were supposed to be ambush, but Fritz detected them first instead. KV were separated, left without support and didn't fare well in the short range duels. It was a mistake to put them there at all.
It's not clear if the central german group intend to continue move through the forest or turn into clear. KV in the center ordered regroup and wait for a while. On the south several PzII/III appear and turn into forest. They were hit by our T34/57 plt guarding south flank. Two were destroyed, one T34/57 took heavy damage. It doesn't look good. The serious fighting is not started yet, enemy forces is not commited and we already have substantial losses. If Germans have another three panzer companies somethere with such a loss ratio they will wear us down eventually.

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0012-0013 Group of PzII and PzIII continue their move from the south to the north battlefield through the forest. SOuth T34/57 plt shoot at them and kill another couple. The rest approached primary battlefield on the north edge of the central forest and were engaged by T34/57 plt sitting behind the infantry mass. No survived enemy detected. The main (?) german tank force continue to push through our infantry massed. It seems the german infantry separated from the tank by our mortar and artillery fire. Is it the time to move everything we have against german spearhead ? Or they have some other major force in the reserve ?

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0015 It seems the situation in the center is stabilized. Several panzers is burned by infantry Molotov. Another five, on the side of the german spearhead killed by central KV group. However there could be still more panzers behind the smoke. Our 152mm howitzers are pounding area in the center, behind the line of panzers. Platoon of T34/57 is moving from the south to the center. The group of PzIII detected on the noth road, platoon of T34/57 is left to watch over the central area. Commander stated to put together attack group to move into objectives in the german rear. One T34/76 with riders, three rifle squads on the halftracks, one 57mm ATG and one HMG squad on trucks should reform and move through the center, into the area designated by cavalry scouts. Scouts havn't detected any ATG or tanks behind the main german force, so it should be relatively safe.

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0016-0017 While our T34/57 was sitting behind the infantry near the central fight, two PzIIIh popped out in the forest clearing suddenly from the south and killed it in one hit. No crew survived. Both Panzers were later burned by cavalry with molotov.
Three T34/57 from south arrived into center. Our cavalry scout located and attacked two 8cm mortars in Fritz rear. Central group of four KV ordered to move into close-range fight. Most of our infantry in the center heavily suppressed, in retreat or rout. Another three fresh squads ordered into the furnace which central fight become.
On the north german made their move. Four panzer attacked our position, three were destroyed by 57mm ATG, immobilized KV and T34/57 platoon.

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0018 Advance of KV into the central fight was not quite successful. One KV lost with the crew, anothe heavily damaged and probably immobilized. KVs manged to kill two PzIII. In the forest T34/57 plt arrived from the south helped to repell panzer advance and destroyed three PzIII. German 105 mm howitzers immobilized one T34/57 in the center and disabled gun of another. No functional tanks remain in the central T34/57 plt. Commander trying to withdrwa infantry from the north edge of the forest and hit german panzer group with heavy artillery.
Last (?) PzIII killed on the north and T34/57 plt moved from the north-back to the center. One 57mmATG rebased to the central fight, two another on the move. Two PzIII detected by scouts in the German rear area.

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0022 It seems our 152mm howitzer broke german armor group in the center at last. Some panzers routed and were killed by 57mm ATG. Our infantry started to advance, T34/57 and KV moved in to support. On the west group of five PzIIIj/1 moving to the north. It seems they want to retake objective in the north-westforest taken by our scout.

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0028 Our scouts retreated and German Panzer in the north-west retook the objective and tried to return. On their way back they were ambashed by three T34/57. Three PzIIIj/1 destroyed.
Foom the west german panzer and infantry appear. Commander trying to move some infantry and 57ATG n trucks to the west. In the center there is some german resistace still. One T34/57 and infantry left to watch over central forest clearing, the rest of the force trying to move around the forest, to take central objective group.