Apparantly, Comrade Molotov's pact with the fascists has broken down even sooner than expected, as my forces have already been recalled from Finland to further the defense of the Rodina...
Refitting after the last battle (See USSR vs. Rambo for the bloody details) was primarily a matter of equipment replacements, however in the midst of battle, it was discovered that my logictian neglected to provide adaquate transport for my MG sections, and had no transport for HQ.
His replacement was promptly tasked with finding some reliable transport, and disposing of the body.
Current OOB
7 T-35 tanks in one company
1 platoon infantry
1 platoon engineers
2 sections scouts mounted in Kosmolets APC's
2 GAZ-AAA trucks
1 section motorcyle scouts
2 DS-39 MG's in one section
1 DShK AAMG
New arrivals
3 Kosmolets APC's for the MG sections and HQ
We have also been assigned a 3 gun motorized platoon of 45mm AT guns to help counter the possible hordes of Panzers.
Terrain was agricultural in the west and south, with farmhouses scattered throughout. The central area had a small crossroads village surrounded by treelined pastures. In the east it was moderatly wooded in the south, with a V shaped oxbow stream/lake in the NE corner. A medium sized village was built where the main road crossed that stream.
Objectives were a wheat field just west of the main village, an open pasture slightly south of the crossroads, and a tree grove ~250m SW of the pasture.
I entered from the east, planning on taking the bulk of my forces south of the oxbow, deployed more or less in one V formation of T-35's, with the Kosmolets hauling my MG's and HQ in the center with the trucks hauling the AT guns slightly to the rear, escorted by the AA trucks.
Battleplans were to drive directly for the pasture, establish a good infantry position there, then engage the enemy armour on the plain nearby.The grove objective would be attained later, after the immediate armour threat was eliminated. The wheatfield west of the main village was subject to a maskrivoika plan. I sent one mounted scout section and the motorcycle troop on a flying run into the village, gain the objective, then retire into a house on the SW corner to act as an OP and provide information on the enemy formation and composition. These troops were given STRICT ROE's that forbade any engagment without HQ's direct approval. I fully expected to lose that objective temporarily, but I needed information, and I hoped to split his forces and allow me time to deal with each portion in detail.
That was the plan. The best thing about a plan is that you know EXACTLY what went wrong.
2 turns into the meeting engagement, a German 8cm mortar battery dropped a barrage directly on my trucks with the AT guns, destroying 2 guns, 2 cargo trucks, and sending all the crews fleeing back to Moscow.
The same barrage also destroyed one of my AA trucks that was escorting them. Shortly thereafter, the OP force arrived at the main village, the scouts taking up residence in the selected house with thier transport in the village square a short distance away. The motorcycle troop swooped in, inspected the objective, and joined them.
Meanwhile, the main force was making all possible speed while the CO muttered to himself and tried to adapt to the loss of the AT gun platoon. Shortly before they made it to the pasture, the scouts reported seeing an Infantrie Gruppe on the road west of town. Then another. And another. And 4-5 more, just for good measure. All this time, the CO is scanning madly, trying to find those damn Panzers. Finally, as the reports come in of more and more infantry, the realization that there are no tanks starts to sink in.
Just before I was going to order a stealthy withdral from the OP, my motorcyle troops break fire discipline (again...) All 6 of them start shooting madly into a mass of 8-10 Inf. Gps, opening the door for a withering return fire, and making me wonder why I brought them back after the last time they did that. Cover blown, everybody exits the building post haste. The MC troops turn tail and run, and only the scouts appearance on thier heels saved them from being slaughtered. The scouts are withdrawing quickly, but in good order when we have a genuine Hero of the Soviet Union moment. Sgt. Kuchke, commanding the scouts Kosmolets, seeing his comrades in serious danger of being shot in the street, storms out of his hiding place in the town square, takes a position between the retreating scouts and the German horde, and proceeds to BACK his vehicle down the road behind them, bow MG blazing fiercely. This act of inspired insanity allowed the scouts to rally and disappear into the woods, while both parts of the MC troop disappear in a cloud of dust. I sent them on a large loop north, and around back to the west through the forest, giving myself a mobile OP north of the village, though I lost track of the northern force.
As this was happening in town, a position was established around the south end of the pasture, with tanks and infantry on the south treeline, the engineers and remaining AA truck holding the east, and the remainder of the tanks on the west with the DS-39's. HQ was placed on a little knoll well to the east, with the AAMG. This created a series of bowling alley firing lanes for the tanks, able to react to targets west and north, and to a lesser degree south, though a large grove of trees there prevented any long range fire.
About half way through establishing that position, the first skirmishes started on the west edge, T-35's surpising Granatewerfen, and Inf Grp.s assaulting through the trees. These initial attacks were beaten off with minimal losses. 2 main attacks followed, one from the west which caused some causualties in my infantry, and one determined attack down the bowling ally, routing my flamethrower section, and destroying my remaining GAZ AA truck with long range LMG fire. Each of these attacks was by 6-8 Inf Grp. with MG or Granatewerfen support. The infantry, especially the engineers, were the subject of moderate but accurate mortar fire throughout most of this time. Unfortunatly this was the lesser of two evils, though it drove them crazy. Better to hunker down and take the occasional casualty in cover then run into the open fields under German guns.
After the western attack, I sent a pair of tanks and one Kosmolets west to drive them off the map. Unfortunatly, I managed to halt them in LOS with a hidden 37mm FlaK, 800m away. I lost the Kosmolets, and somehow the gunner managed to destroy the T-35 with a HE shell :shrug: After the northern attack, I started to break formation and prepare for general persuit of the stragglers. Too late, I finally found the remaining German forces as they broke over the hill and down into the bowling alley, directly on top of my engineers. The FT section was simply swarmed over, though they did slow the assault enough to allow the rest of the legs to break contact. Fortunatly, I was able to form a perimiter with the T-35's and get long range support from the DShK located with HQ. After that, mopping up was simply a matter of pouring fire into the pocket they created, and letting my scouts roam into the wheatfield, reclaiming the rest of the objectives as the last of the German formations were destroyed.
In the end, enemy forces were completly decimated, the only units left unscathed were HQ, one 37mm FLaK, and both those damn mortars. Most of the remaining units destroyed outright, the rest routed off the map. It was a total victory, and we have been ordered to persue and destroy in a battle of opportunity. Our losses were moderate, especially in view of the destruction wrought on our enemies. The engineers fought well until they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and the loss of the the supporting AT guns, while regretable, had zero impact on the outcome. It did bring to light, however, just how easily destroyed soft targets really are
We lost 1 T-35, 1 Kosmolets, 2 GAZ-AA trucks, the whole AT gun battery and the motorcycle section. (Again)
The only infantry unit destroyed were the flamethrower troops, though all took losses. One glaring weakness is our lack of any orgainic artillery, something that will have to be corrected quickly. Several times throughout the battle, even a 82mm mortar could have saved lives.
Next battle is a special pursuit opportunity. Here's hoping that it goes better then the last one.
Matt
USSR vs. Germany 1939.
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