Playtesting the **Morning of fire for I / Panzer Rgt. 26 (DAR)

[Crossroads]

Turn 9

Situation at the end of turn 9:



North
Of course, having moved the T-34 company out from their ambush position it is NOW the enemy decides to advance out from Kapitanovka forest! I have a perfect view into enemy as my ATR team and snipers are still in place. Too good to miss! Eleven T-34s are soon back in their positions, but with no APs left...

This also means one rifle company will need to continue with their march through the mud. Sorry lads!

I hope I am able to disrupt the enemy element from traveling to middle sector. Armoured cars only... But the forest does look ominous still? Tanks, AT guns behind trees... ?

Middle sector
Kapitanovka
It has begun...

Enemy moves out from forest here as well as a Panther and mkIV platoon advances towards the factory. Plenty of armour and infantry coming out behind them!

Still without infantry I decide to engage them before they make it into city! The ATR platoon moves into the factory to hit them – but gets no results! The smaller of my tank platoons with two T-34/43s cautiously do the same – but the resulting firestorm blow them imediately out of this world!

OK... Let us stay put and wait for the enemy to advance. Maybe they would at least be more cautious now? I do need a turn or two to have the first wave of the reinforcements in place.

And quite a reinforcement it is! Six T-34s with two full rifle platoons from the west and three T-34s with one full rifle platoon from the east!

It seems I will be just ready to give the fascists a fight they are not expecting! Or rather, a fight I was not expecting to being capable of...

Tishovka
At the risk of using most of my tank APs I decide to disrupt the advancing enemy infantry to gain more time for the enforcements to arrive.

One platoon of panzer grenadiers has managed to climb to a hill top front of my AT guns. All my assault guns with their 85mms only manage to disrupt the platoon in the open terrain there. They will remain there to plot artillery for next turn... I was expecting to at least be able to have them retreat back :(

Two panzer grenadier platoons planning to cut into town between the hills do retreat as a result of my T-34s firing from town, but the third one remains stubbornly in place, undisrupted even.

Artillery
My one Katyusha platoon is still way too far north to be able to reach the middle sector. My only mortar platoon in the east finally gets some action as the enemy advances out from the forest.

Next turn
The next few turns will show whether the enemy will be able to break into town hexes... But help is on their way! Eight (8!) T-34 platoons together with their full strength rifle platoons ready to leave their mark in the battle field!

Having managed to minimise my losses so far I am optimistic the tide will now turn towards a Russian advantage...

I have used most of my APs in Tishovka however. I expect to see enemy come back with a vengeange next turn. All signs are there for a truly exciting turn 10!

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Turn 10

Middle sector
Tishovka
Heavy fighting breaks out at gates of Tishovka!

Again the enemy is able to hit an arty salvo on my positions with a loss of SMG and AT SPs. If only I would have some arty as well...

Next, five advancing Panther platoons charge up the hill and receive a warm welcome from friendly armour! They are able take an astonishing amount of punishment! Enemy loses only 2 to 3 tanks despite of heavy close range shelling of my concentrated AT and armour fire!

They have two infantry platoons for close support, I am able to push the other one back while the other one will be available undisrupted come next turn.

Kapitanovka
Meanwhile, the first reinforcement arrive to Kapitanovka as the two rifle platoons riding the six T-34s make it to the city from the west. They are not ready to deploy yet...

The six T-34s that arrived on previous turn take an ambush position in the enforced factory building to welcome the two mk IV platoons cautiously making towards the right flank of the town. I see them, they do not see me... All APs available for what I hope is a warm welcome to them!

The overall situation has suddenly changed:



North
My retreating (advancing !!) forces from north have now made it to Pisarivka! Foot infantry and infantry on trucks will secure the city for good.

The tank infantry is blasting straight through the city in order to make it to Kapitanovka area before the enemy is able to close the east-west access road between the towns of Pisarivka and Kapitanivka!

To prevent that from happening, my armour charges into open with cannons firing at enemy armoured cars. They prove to be of no match to my T-34s... German infantry retreats towards the forest unharmed but I am happy at the loss of AC SPs I managed to cause.

West
My infantry on tanks are making very good progress towards Kapitanovka. This will be very close! Will they make it on time before enemy closes that route as well? Two more turns they are there!

Next turn I need to dismount the remaingn infantry from trucks and make the decision should I commit tanks for another round of transport for bringing an additional infantry company into play...

Next turn
Enemy suffered some heavy losses this turn. They will retaliate no doubt!

My engineers provided me with some smoke in the hills of Tishovka. If my tanks will hold their own I might have an opportunity to push the enemy armour away from the hill.

I am glad the German armour apparently pushed on with their infantry not quite keeping up with them. German panzer grenadiers are deadly in close support, I would not dare to bring my tanks this close to the German battle cats should they also be around!

Katyusha targeting enemy AA trucks and other soft vehicles north of Kapitanovka this turn.

Victory Dialog at the end of turn 10:



The enemy has taken some severe losses this turn, especially as I hit their armoured cars with my tanks. There's the 500 victory points available in the middle, however, the fat lady has not sung yet.

Into turn 11. I have a feeling it might prove decisive for gaining the initiative for the rest of the game ...

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Turn 11

My intelligence informed me of enemy commander’s e-mail errr radio transmission where he is heard to say he propably made some wrong tactical assumptions and is considering a surrender in a few turns if things do not change for better.

I do feel for the enemy as somehow I ended up with an answer to his actions, always in just nick of time, typically with forces that weren't there a turn earlier...

Of course he does not know that, and I hope to put as much shock-and-awe into this turn as possible to have this battle come to an early end...

Situation in the beginning of turn 11:



Tishovka
Panzer grenadiers charge up the hill after a concentrated artillery barrage on my fortified forward post! I immediately loose my AT guns and the SMG platoon to their fire.

I am very lucky they appeared one turn later than the initial panzer charge!

In the coming armoured slug fest - one that I am ready for by now - I manage to knock out 5 to 6 Panthers with my armour and AT guns further back. I should now have a definite advantage here?

Three panzer grenadier platoons advance in the open and I only manage to have one of them retreat, without casualties to add to the insult. Two full platoons will start the next turn undisrupted just outside my positions.

I use again all my SPs. No fresh enemy forces appearing next turn I hope?

No enemy armour is in my LOS now. My engineers use a smoke round again to protect the T-34 company positioned behind the forward IP where my AT used to be.

I reinforce the forward posts with two rifle platoons to make up for my losses. Normally I would have kept them out of sight due to enemy arty but now I need to press on.

Separately, about a klick left from this battle, a Panther platoon charges up a hill to punish my SU-85s he knew were there without any APs.

Finding my T-34 platoon waiting for them was propably a nasty surprise. The enemy manage to take two rear shots on my SU-85s, which in turn prove Russian cast iron is of solid stuff as well! No armour losses at all to enemy tanks. Lucky dice :)

Next, the Panthers are properly shoooed (shooo, and stay out!) away by my T-34 platoon!

Kapitanovka
The advancing mk IV platoons with the supporting infantry on the right flank of the city are taken by a surprise just as I was hoping for! The other platoon is knocked down completely, the other is losing a tank or two in the process as well!

The mk IVs and Panthers just north of the town are luckier.

Again the enemy infantry is slow to arrive to support the tanks. At the moment I am securing the northern factory with just two ATR platoons as I am keeping my tanks outside the enemy tank LOS.

East
Pisarivka is now fully garrisoned as last of my troops arrive there.

I do not believe the enemy has any forces left to attack the city, but I will spread out my infantry around the town just in case.

I still have seven T-34s there, available to defend the city. Just to make the enemy feel the Russians are everywhere I drive one platoon of T-34s into open, knocking out a distant AC platoon with them...

Reinforcements are in!
I have now fifteen T-34s in Kapitanovka in addition to two new fresh rifle platoons. I additionally decided to send another T-34 + rifle platoon there to make sure the enemy will not be able to advance into town. That brings the available tank force to a total of eighteen T-34/43s!

Tishovka received another ATR platoon and three T-34s, making the total of friendly armour up to eighteen T-34s and thirteen SU-85s !!! More importantly, there's a couple of rifle platoons ready for combat as well.

The nine T-34s + their three rifle platoons, originally from up north, are rushing towards Kapitanovka and aren’t even counted for in the numbers above! They should make it to Kapitanovka in two to three turns time. Surely my forces there are able to hold until they arrive.

A few turns after that, the last infantry company coming from west should reach the middle sector...

Then, surely, the enemy will not have the strength to continue! For the first time I believe I have a good understanding where the enemy is, and in what strength.

Next turn
I do believe the battle is over once the rest of my tanks together with their infantry make it to middle sector.

It was not a nice turn for the Germans, but as you can see the Russians took losses too.



Having (knock on wood!) just barely avoided the firing squads for missing out on the obvious role of the tank infantry I am in a happier mood now.

Time to have the vodka put on ice?

An enemy engineer platoon just north of Kapitanovka will receive the Katyushas warm greeting next turn.