AAR: A runamia AAR

[a_ver_est]

Eight Battle ( Meeting engagement - 48 turn - visibility 22 )

Pre-Battle:

With the arrival of the winter army logistics become a chaos. Division HQ reclaimed our heavy trucks. Those had been a key part of the battalion allowing archive deception many times and moving troops to reinforce the front in critical moments.

Lt. Cpt. Samoila protested and HQ promised alternative vehicles. Once received he went to inspect them, - where are the new trucks corporal ? - corporal answered - They are eating hay, sir - Trucks were a few famished horses.

Dam it !!!!

After a hard discussion new trucks were promised again, after few days 3 old ford light trucks arrived. Then Samoila requested his car to go at division HQ to protest directly, his assistant answered, - Soldiers who brought the new trucks had orders to bring your car back sir, I though you were informed. -


Battle plan:

The battle area was a central plain surrounded by hilly terrain. Two roads started at the north-east edge, one in north-west direction, and the other one in south-west direction. All the area was snow, movement was very difficult. The lack of heavy trucks will be a great problem.

One victory objective was at the south, on the top of a hill next to our deploy area. The central objective was also at the top of a hill, in front of them there was another hill with a small village on it. The north objective was also on a hill, but next to the north road.

We will deploy our force between the central and the south targets, Company A will advance and take the control of the south objective, from this position will cover the north-west to south-est road with AT-guns and HMG.

Company C plus tanks will advance and take the control of the small village, from there they will try to engage enemy which will try to capture the central objective, also has to cover the north flank.

Company B will be deployed at the plain, advancing through the road and ready to support A or C if needed, light trucks will go with them but they haven't enough carry capacity for more than a section.

Horses will be used to keep HMG with their companies.

One potter plane was available.





Go:

Company A advanced and secured the south objective in few turns, then took defensive positions and waited. Company C advanced and took positions into the hill, tanks were with them. One of his sections were move to the north hill to cover this flank. Company B advanced through the plain, one section on trucks advanced and took a reverse slope position at the hill with the road.

First contact were done by C company, some T-60 were detected through the north road, also 3 BT-7 advanced over the central objective. Our spotter plane detected a big armor group, about 20 tanks, approaching to the center objective, mainly Valentines III, Matilda II and a few T-28. Heavy artillery was plotted over them.

At the south a medium sized infantry group (about 2 companies) tried to reach the objective, our defenders old the line without problems with the support of mortars.

After taking the north objective enemy forces there turned over the central objective so we have 2 attack vectors, one form the north and the other one at the center. At-guns proved to be effective against t-60 so the north vector was stopped with heavy losses for Soviets. But they probed to be absolutely useless against heavy tanks, also our tanks were in danger, they were over the hill in firing position against the incoming enemy, they were suppressed by enemy artillery and one of them was immobilized, then they become under enemy tank fire, looking that their guns weren't unable to do any damage to the enemy they were ordered to hide at the hill rear. One was lost during this short fight and the immobilized has to be abandoned due its exposed position.

Heavy artillery didn't proved to be very effective this time, some heavy tanks still were able to advance, our defender at the slope done a successful ambush destroying 2 Valentines but they were overhelmed by enemy because their number, they tried to withdraw pooping some smoke but enemy kept firing over them it was a real butcher, now about 10 tanks were reaching the plains.

At same time our spotter plane detected a big group of infantry reaching the town hill, Lt. Col Samiola though that if we lost that hill the battle was over so artillery shifted over them. Also he noticed that all remaining enemy armor at the north sector was a few T-60 and T-26 and all the heavy tanks were next to the plains. So he ordered to our tanks to do an encirclement behind the town hill and attack the north vector rear. Heavy tanks wouldn't have LOS over us.



The situation at the plains were bad, B company were unable to hold the line, C company flank was exposed and there didn't seem to be anything able to stop those tanks. All remaining artillery were ordered to fire a smoke screen, some squads of C company were ordered to hide inside smoke, and survivors of B company were ordered to simulate a break.

Samoila looking that enemy was doing a major effort at the center judged that north objective might have a weak defense, so a small recon force was sent there.

At the plains our trickery worked, enemy tanks pursuit our B company, C squads were waiting for them, moving from the smoke they close assaulted the tanks and routed the few infantry support that they have. In few minutes the plain was covered with burning scrap metal.

Our north recon force checked that victory objective were protected by two AA-trucks, they were destroyed and the objective destroyed. Our tanks with some artillery support also did a great job versus the infantry masses, routing them after a short fight.

Finally Soviets still have humor to try an assault at the south objective which was firmly refused.

Decisive victory for us !!


Post Battle thoughts:

A surprising battle, when I studied the map I had very bad feeling, there weren't any forest, river, ... to articulate my plan, objectives were to far and my infantry can advance only 2 hex turn and we don't have heavy trucks anymore. I was thinking to do 3 attacks vector, one per objective but I felt that spreading my force in such way wasn't a good idea.

Finally I decided concentrate our efforts in just two objectives and pray for a marginal victory or even a draw, perhaps try to get the third objective if i feel that the enemy was so weak after fighting and there were still turns, what I never though that it gonna be a Decisive victory in just 30 turns.

Obviously I had the idea to use a smoke screen from the start, but I didn't have many hopes that it will work, there were to much tanks with heavy armor in a very compact group. My men outperformed my expectations, BRAVO !!!