DAR: USSR vs. Germany - Tikuin, USSR

[RERomine]

Turn 29

South group is stirring up hornets. They are coming across AA guns, infantry and even a tank or two. Nothing really to worry about, but I do need to be careful. The southern most company took direct fire from a mortar and some AA guns. The northernmost group is at the road intersection and engaged some infantry and a tank heading east. There is one mortar to the west and a couple of howitzers to the northwest.

The infantry line had smoke dropped along the northern half of the contact point with the enemy, leaving them blind. The infantry and tanks engaged infantry to their front and mortar rounds continued to hit them. Artillery started to hit my tanks behind the line, so I will have to move them.

I pulled five tanks back from the right flank, leaving the immobilized tank on his own. Not much else I can do.

Casualties

Friendly: Zero.

Enemy: Estimated 15 casualties.

[RERomine]

Turn 30

Tanks at the intersection ran into a mess of trouble. They took fire from a couple of tank destroyers and at least two tanks. I lost one tank and had another damaged, but punched a hole on one of the tank destroyers. My forces were moving on some howitzers and AA guns. Their attention is going to have to be refocused for a while. I'm going to send out a company of the north flank group to take the enemy from the rear, because I'm sure I can hold at the intersection. The southern company is having better luck, taking out two AA guns and another mortar.

Along the infantry line, there still is about a company of enemy still trying to move up. I pulled my tanks back for now. My infantry and mortars still are hitting the enemy and holding them at bay.

Casualties

Friendly: 1xT-34/76A tank destroyed.

Enemy: 2x20mm AA Guns and 1x100mm Mortar destroyed. Estimated 10 casualties.

[RERomine]

Decisive Victory!!!!

Turn 31

My tank company at the intersection destroyed one of the tank destroyers, a tank, a howitzer and an AA gun. Another AA gun was shot up pretty well and would likely have been destroyed had there been time. The other tank company moving north along the west edge destroyed an AA gun and was firing at a nebelwerfer. Enemy tanks were seen entering from the west edge, but they were light and not of any concern. One tank company from the north flank group moved out, but didn't get far before the battle ended.

Enemy artillery was hitting my infantry line harder this turn from the road south about 750m. The foxholes have kept it from hurting my troops. I hit the enemy with small arms, tanks and mortars. They still weren't able to get any closer.

Casualties

Friendly: Zero.

Enemy: 1xPzKw IIIh tank, 1xSdKfz 10/4 Flak, 2x20mm AA guns, 1x75mm Infantry gun destroyed. Estimated 15 casualties.

Total Casualties

USSR

Men: 62
Artillery: 1
Soft Vehicles: 1
APCs: 0
AFVs: 4
Air Transports/Helos: 0
Aircraft: 0

Germany

Men: 1024
Artillery: 13
Soft Vehicles: 0
APCs: 4
AFVs: 180
Air Transports/Helos: 0
Aircraft: 4

Score

USSR: 14128
Germany: 303

Final Comments

This battle turned out nicely. Luck played a role. My larger flanking group happened to be where the enemy's major effort took place. If they weren't completely disorganized, they had enough troops left to make a major push. Counting the tanks entering the map in the last couple of turns, they still had somewhere in the range of 30-40 active AFVs remaining. There also looks like something along the line of 3-4 infantry companies milling about. Had I continued pushing my north flank company forward, it might have really run into a buzz saw.

A vast number of the enemy tanks were weak varieties. There were no Mk IIIj types at all. No real matter in this case. Two of the four companies up north were equipped with T-34/76B tanks. While the T-34/76A and Mk IIIh and Mk IIIj tanks are relatively equal in fights, the T-34/76B with the new gun has a significant edge. Once the Germans have slightly better tanks, it will be more difficult for me to pull off this type of defense.

It is difficult to be unhappy with the results of this defensive battle. I only lost three tanks while destroying 180 AFVs. One of the AFVs I lost must be the bunker, because only lost six units in the whole battle, with one each being a bunker, ammo truck and AA gun. That leaves the other three being tanks and I confirmed this by reviewing my force list after the battle. It helped a great deal that the enemy didn't put as much steel on target with their artillery. Much of their artillery fired over my main infantry line and they didn't target my tanks as much as expected. That isn't to say they didn't at least try. I had a lot of barrages falling behind my south group as it moved along. The AI also fired too much smoke with large caliber guns instead of with mortars.

Attached is the file just before my last turn ended.