SS Panzergrenadiers
| Soviet Guards Strelkovy Battalion
|
The mission is Breakthrough, the SS are the attackers.
TURN ONE AND DEPLOYMENT
The Soviets get everything on the board. The massive strelkovy and heavy mortars are in the right (the mortars are just off camera). The smaller Strelkovy and KV-85s are in the north center. Both Strelkovy are ready to move out and hold the objectives.
The Germans put the Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers in reserve. T-34s, Panzergrenadiers, and armored rockets deploy all the war forward in the bottom center. Smetna (the captured KV-1e) can be seen hiding just to the right of the center ruin.
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Captured T-34s
2nd Panzergrenadier Platoon deploys far forward, ready to hold the KV-85s in check.
Smetna. 'Nuff said.
Mein Gott in Himmel.
Soviet heavy mortars.
The view of the objective quadrant.
The smaller Strelkovy (2nd company).
KV-85s
The T-34s move out. Wide tracks make traversing the plowed fields fairly easy.
Rockets smoke 2 HMGs on the hill.
Rockets cover the Panzergrenadiers' advance.
KV-85s roll forward…
And knock out both a panzerwerfer AND a T-34!
1st Strelkovy company moves out to cover an objective.
SOVIETS none | GERMANS Armored Rockets: 1 Panzerwerfer Captured T-34s: 1 T-34 |
TURN TWO
T-34s cross the water
Panzergrenadiers keep advancing
And assault the Mortars, knocking out one tube and the platoon leader. The remaining guns pull back.
Rockets slam into the Strelkovy, knocking out one of the 2 HMGs.
T-34s Consolidate
The heavy mortars fail to unpin, even at the urging of the battalion komissar who knocks out another gun!
SOVIETS Heavy Mortar Battery: Platoon Leader & 2 Heavy Mortar First Strelkovy: 1 HMG, 2 Rifle Stands | GERMANS Armored Rockets: 1 Panzerwerfer Captured T-34s: 1 T-34 |
TURN THREE
(The soviets got nuked?)
German reserves arrive and wrecklessly charge the smaller strelkovy company!
While the T-34s hound the large strelkovy who continue their march to the objectives!
Panzergrenadiers crash into the strelkovy after withering fire is laid down by the halftracks!
The aftermath sees the strelkovy knocked down to half strength, but the panzergrenadiers are wiped out.
The T-34s assault the heavy mortars, annhilate them, and then turn their attention to the strelkovy.
SOVIETS Heavy Mortar Battery: Platoon Leader & 2 Heavy Mortar First Strelkovy: 1 HMG, 6 Rifle Stands Second Strelkovy: 10 Rifle Stands | GERMANS Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers: PLATOON DESTROYED Armored Rockets: 1 Panzerwerfer Captured T-34s: 1 T-34 |
TURN FOUR
Panzergrenadiers and T-34s continue harassing the larger strelkovy company!
Under cover of a smoke barrage, Panzergrenadiers assault the KV-85s!
1 KV-85 is knocked out at the cost of 1 MG stand!
SOVIETS Heavy Mortar Battery: PLATOON DESTROYED KV-85s: 1 KV-85s First Strelkovy: 1 HMG, 8 Rifle Stands, 1 AT Rifle Second Strelkovy: 10 Rifle Stands | GERMANS Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers: PLATOON DESTROYED Central Panzergrens: 2 MG stands Armored Rockets: 1 Panzerwerfer Captured T-34s: 1 T-34 |
TURN FOUR
T-34s and Panzergrenadiers are relentless! Strelkovy stands fall left and right.
Smetna! What has she been doing? Well, she's snuck up behind the soviet lines to harass the smaller strelkovy company which is at half strength!
And kapow! She knocks a single stand out. The Komissar is now out of command range of any… erm… targets, and the whole company breaks!
The central Panzergrenadier unit moves up, tantalizingly close to the objective!
The T-34s again assault, cutting down the strelkovy!
But pull bac after a massive counter attack.
The 2 remaining KV-85s are out for blood!
They assault the panzergrenadiers who pull back severely battered.
The Strelkovy see a massive surge, and the flame throwers are brought to the fore!
2 T-34s are wiped out! The survivor hangs in there.
The assault comes in heavy!
The surviving Panzergrenadiers and T-34 pull back.
SOVIETS Heavy Mortar Battery: PLATOON DESTROYED Second Strelkovy: PLATOON DESTROYED KV-85s: 1 KV-85s First Strelkovy: 1 HMG, 11 Rifle Stands, 1 AT Rifle | GERMANS Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers: PLATOON DESTROYED Central Panzergrens: 5 MG stands Eastern Panzergrens: 2 MG stands Armored Rockets: 1 Panzerwerfer Captured T-34s: 3 T-34s |
TURN FIVE
Smetna moves forward to help defend the central gains.
The German company commander calls in rocket fire, which slams into the large strelkovy!
MG fire chases off the central Panzergrenadiers and 2iC!
SOVIETS Heavy Mortar Battery: PLATOON DESTROYED Second Strelkovy: PLATOON DESTROYED KV-85s: 1 KV-85s First Strelkovy: 2 HMGs, 15 Rifle Stands, 1 AT Rifle | GERMANS Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers: PLATOON DESTROYED Central Panzergrens: PLATOON DESTROYED Eastern Panzergrens: 2 MG stands Armored Rockets: 1 Panzerwerfer Captured T-34s: 3 T-34s |
TURN SIX
Smetna is thankfully within 16" of the objective to keep the Germans in the game!
The Panzergrenadiers open up on the Strelkovy with the company commander again calling in rocket fire!
Under additional cover from the lone T-34, the Panzergrenadiers assault the soviets!
The majority of the strelkovy company is annhilated, but a small band pulls back into the woods lead by the Battalion commander. They stay in the fight, but lose their komissar.
The Germans are relentless!
The KV-85s chase Smetna!
SOVIETS Heavy Mortar Battery: PLATOON DESTROYED Second Strelkovy: PLATOON DESTROYED KV-85s: 1 KV-85s First Strelkovy: 2 HMGs, 25 Rifle Stands, 1 AT Rifle | GERMANS Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers: PLATOON DESTROYED Central Panzergrens: PLATOON DESTROYED Eastern Panzergrens: 3 MG stands Armored Rockets: 1 Panzerwerfer Captured T-34s: 3 T-34s |
TURN SEVEN
Rockets are now called in by their observer from across the board, and pin the battered defenders!
Smetna deftly maneuvers behind her pursuers, but fails to find her mark.
The Panzergrenadiers again assault…
and again the strelkovy pull back with what's left.
Finally, many games since her capture, the beast goes down. I find some consolation in the fact that Smetna is put down by one of her own.
SOVIETS Heavy Mortar Battery: PLATOON DESTROYED Second Strelkovy: PLATOON DESTROYED KV-85s: 1 KV-85s First Strelkovy: 2 HMGs, 29 Rifle Stands, 2 AT Rifles | GERMANS Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers: PLATOON DESTROYED SMETNA: PLATOON DESTROYED :( Central Panzergrens: PLATOON DESTROYED Eastern Panzergrens: 3 MG stands Armored Rockets: 1 Panzerwerfer Captured T-34s: 3 T-34s |
TURN SEVEN
It's been a hard fight, but the Panzergrenadiers this time assault and finish off the very last stand of the large Strelkovy company and the Battalion commander. That's 29 rifle stands, plus a platoon command, komissar, 2 HMGs, 4 attached ATRs, and 2 Flame Throwers. Mein Gott.
With 3 platoons down, and no command, the Soviets quit the field.
The Germans are severely battered. At the end of the day they are left with an understrength panzergrenadier platoon, 1 captured T-34, and 2 panzerwerfers.
4-3.
