WW2 Reconnaissance in Strength: Part 8 - Map 7

 

MAP 7

MAP 8

Continued -

Turn 1

An overview of the first half of Map 7 added.

The Russians see movement within the small hilltop village.

There is no sign of the retreating Germans!

As the Russians advance towards the village, the field gun battalion score a double activation allowing them to advance and deploy. Unfortunately for them it brings them into extreme range of a pair of German 75mm guns deployed within the village who promptly destroy one of the Russian 76mm field guns. Of particular concern to the Russians was what the 75mm guns were attached to. More Panthers!

A Russian recce unit moves towards a wood occupying high ground on the Russian left flank. They are tasked with identifying if any Germans are lurking within it.

Likewise on the Russian right flank a recce unit checks on a ruined building.

Turn 2

The Recce platoon confirms that the wood is clear and the T34's waste no time in seeking cover from the Panthers safe in the knowledge that nothing unpleasant will emerge. Unfortunately they do not move far enough and are still in the sights of one Panther who duly targets one of the T34's. It suffers two hits in each of two rounds of firing from the Panther causing it to fall back suppressed (the rearmost T34 in the photo).

The two Panthers causing more stress to the Russian CO using the church yard wall for cover.

The field gun battalion successfully pulls back far enough to place them out of range of the Panthers. The 1st Motorised makes good progress in reaching the front line (bottom of photo).

An overview from the German position at the end of turn 2.

Turn 3

The T34's join a sniper team and a recce platoon in the lee of a mountain side out of view of the Germans.

Following up behind the T34's are the anti-tank rifle and engineer companies.

The 2nd Motorised and naval battalion arrive in their trucks along with the 120mm mortar battalion in their Komsomolets tracked vehicles (upper middle).

The ground erupts around one of the 76mm field guns as shells from two German mortars rain down suppressing and almost destroying it.

Turn 4

The rather depleted 3rd Motorised along with the infantry gun deploy in and around the ruined farmhouse but before they can fire they are targeted by a Panther. One platoon is suppressed and an MMG section was hit but survived.

The anti-tank and engineer companies continue to move up behind the T34's.

A German platoon within the village was spotted by a recce unit and relayed to the 1st Motorised HQ. The field gun battalion was ordered to target it successfully scoring a hit but failing to suppress the Germans. 

The field gun battalion was again the target of German mortars with a gun suppressed. For the second time the gun was lucky to survive.

Turn 5

In an attempt to get close enough to increase their chances of spotting German troops, a recce unit gets a little too close! Opportunity fire from a German platoon suppresses the unit.

The field gun battalion are targeted again by German mortars and on this occasion they destroy one and suppress another.

Something must be done to silence the German mortars and help may be on the way with the successful deployment of the Russian 120mm mortar battalion. 

Turn 6

The Russians struggle to make any headway with mortar shells raining down on them. The field gun battalion is again the target with one gun falling back suppressed. 

One round of 120mm mortar shells falls around a Panther but fail to suppress it. The Germans attempt to take out 2 sniper teams that are proving to be a nuisance but they prove to be elusive.

Turn 7

The Russian CO grows increasingly exasperated as more time is wasted with a largely static force. In  the bottom middle of the photo, the trucks carrying the naval battalion pull off the road ready to deploy their passengers, but so far no sign of them!

The only casualty this turn is a Russian recce platoon destroyed by German rifle fire.

Turn 8

With the naval battalion now deployed, the Russian CO orders a general advance.

With no cover in leading up to the hilltop village, the Russian commander calculates that an all-out assault using overwhelming force is the only option open for him. The 120mm mortar battalion will provide support and hopefully force the Germans to keep their heads down. 

The 1st and 3rd Motorised battalions will lead the charge supported by the naval battalion. As they approach the village they will be joined by the armoured battalion along with the anti-tank and engineers companies. The Russian CO will accompany the lead troops encouraging them advance quickly. The Regimental CO will remain in the rear directing the mortars and any remaining troops such as the 2nd Motorised battalion.

The Russians may be slow to jump off but the Regimental CO has an inspirational turn activating the mortars on four occasions. Working his way along the front of the village they suppressed two rifle platoons and destroyed an Sdkfz 251 halftrack. 

Turn 9

The urging of the Russian CO to get a move on seems to have worked! The 1st Motorised on the left with the 3rd Motorised on the right made good progress even managing to fire their MMG's and mortars!

The Germans were not silent however, with their mortars once again causing the Russians problems. Two MMG sections and the infantry gun were suppressed. The Russians also lost one of their sniper teams.

For their part the Russians enjoyed some success. The MMG's from the 3rd Motorised battalion destroyed an SS rifle platoon.

Very nearly disaster for the Germans when the Panther commander rolled a command blunder. This necessitated a roll of 2 dice to determine how many attacks the nearest Panther to the Russians suffered. This was sufficient to knock out one of the Panthers. However, I determined that as no Russian anti-tank weapons were in a position to hit the Panther this would have been unrealistic. It is capable of being suppressed though so that became the outcome.

Turn 10

The two motorised battalions now surged forward leaving suppressed units in their wake, and leaving the naval battalion struggling to catch up (far left of photo). They were joined by the T34's with the anti-tank and engineer companies.

The Germans were clearly unnerved by the bravado of the Russians giving a weak response and only managing to suppress a single MMG section.

A constant and repeated bombardment of the single active Panther by the 120mm mortars had the desired effect and suppressed it. With both Panthers silent it now gave the German CO food for thought!

Turn 11

An overview with the rest of Map 7 added.

The 120mm mortar battalion receives 4 activations taking the opportunity to work along the front of the German position. They succeeded in suppressing 2 platoons and inflicting casualties on others.

The two Panthers used opportunity fire on the T34's. Their accuracy proved wide of the mark with only one hit scored which the T34 crew shrugged off.

The 1st Motorised halted allowing the armour to join them. The T34's were not yet ready to open fire but the infantry let rip with everything they had destroying a recce platoon within one of the village buildings.

The 3rd Motorised made excellent progress now approaching the village perimeter. They had already opened fire finishing off a German platoon within a building who had already suffered from the mortar bombardment. The battalion's own mortar suppressed the halftrack in the photo.

A clearer view showing the position of the 3rd Motorised battalion.

North side of the village.

Another view of north side of the village.

An overview looking towards the Russian forces.

With mounting casualties and the onrush of overwhelming Russian forces, the German commander, mindful of his orders merely to give the Russians a bloody nose before retiring, decided now would be a good time to abandon the village before being overrun.

All German units were activated and those unsuppressed mounted up and retreated along the road. The two Panthers momentarily turning to cover the infantry in their vehicles.

An SS battalion HQ volunteered to remain behind commanding the sole rifle platoon (shown in photo) that had been suppressed, and also the last of the halftracks. This meagre force would provide the rearguard.

Turn 12

The 3rd Motorised battalion easily overran the eastern half of the village destroying a halftrack in the process. They emerged on the northern side of the village only to observe the escaping Germans disappearing along the road.

The 1st Motorised was not finding it so easy. The lone SS rifle platoon occupying the house on the lower slope intended to make life as difficult for the Russians as possible. Having failed to advance any further the Germans opened fire suppressing a Russian SMG platoon. Using opportunity fire the 1st Motorised poured fire into the building only scoring one hit and failing to suppress the Germans.

An overview with the 2nd Motorised in trucks on the road moving up behind the T34's.

Turn 13

The 1st Motorised launched and assault on the German platoon which proved disastrous. Despite being hopelessly outnumbered the Germans fought hard to defend their house destroying the Russian platoon engaged in close combat. A couple of machine gun teams from the 3rd Motorised hoped for revenge spraying the German held house with bullets but failed to have any impact. 

The German rearguard had resigned themselves to being wiped out but the battalion HQ now saw a chance of escape. The rifle platoon was ordered to evacuate their building and with a succession of activations retreated clear of the village (bottom middle of photo). They were not yet safe though with Russian armour rapidly advancing along the road.

Turn 14

Only the Russian lead T34 was in a position to fire on the last of the Germans and using its initiative fired off a round but failed to make much of an impact with only a single hit on the HQ. They failed to activate in the command phase and with no other Russians able to intervene, the German rearguard made their miraculous escape.

With the absence of any Germans the Russians advance through the western half of the village.

The 1st Motorised observing the ground ahead. Much work yet to be done!

An overview at the end of turn 14. With all Germans having left Map 7 this phase of the campaign draws to a close. 

Next up will be the penultimate map, and the last of the random maps, Map 3.