DAR - The Cauldron Of Fire

[Cole]

Turn 25 Morning 9 July,

As dawn breaks the 9th Army continues to press the assault.

Historically on the 9th the focus of Kursk shifted to the south (many excellent Earlmann scenarios). The 9th Army was pretty much stopped in their tracks having been stalemated in Ponyri and failing to gain the heights around Olkhovatka (another Earlmann scenario).

I'll post a review of the current front lines below but somehow Earl has figured things out in this scenario to have the struggle for Ponyri happen right around the same time it did historically. During Kursk the Germans assaulted Ponyri on 7 July and managed to take all the 500 VP hexes in Ponyri. Glantz quotes German participants in the battle: "Ponyri, a strung-out village, and Hill 253.5 were the Stalingrad of the Kursk salient. The most fiercely contested points were the tractor station (500 vp) , the railway-station (500 vp) , the school, and the water tower....". The battle went back and forth for the next two days.
In this scenario the battle revolves around the State Farm (captured by the Germans on 7 July by two battalions and 12 tanks) and Hill 253.5 instead.

Screen shot below shows the situation around Shirokoe Bilota. Russian counter attack has been repulsed and now the Russians will attempt to hold on to the 500 VP hex (under Ponryi L on the screen shot). Historically this area was quickly overrun by the Germans while Larry made a decision to mass everything on his left flank.



Screen shot below of the action to the north of Ponyri. The Russian commander was glad to hear that his troops have been able to hold on to the State Farm 500 VP hex. Bloody fighting will continue here.
The Ferdinands sit upon the ridge line and just blast the Russian defenders with direct fire. I've been allocating heavy artillery fire to keep the tankers buttoned up and hopefully disable a tank or two but so far without luck.

It looks like the Germans are going for broke. Their infantry is now moving forward from three directions but the Russian artillery does a beautiful job in breaking up the assault waves.



I apologize for the ugly screen shot below but I want to show the Hill 253.5 sector but as this is a DAR and not AAR do not want to show the situation behind my lines (artillery positions, forces or lack thereof).



The Germans have given up trying to take the hill and seem to be sending any extra infantry either to the fight at the State Farm or to guard their 500 vp hex in the NE. The Germans hold on to the bunker and slopes commanding the fields to the east of the State Farm below them but it's here that the Russian artillery is constantly able to disable the big German tanks. In this game the Germans have lost more armor to artillery fire than any other Russian unit.