PzB Kursk 0705_01 SS Attack

[Dog Soldier]

German losses at Kursk were high in penetrating the defensive belts.  I think such losses are very realistic since the Soviet strategy of fighting from prepared positions to bleed the German divisions to death for a follow up counter stroke is what the game shows.

This scenario is indeed a tough fight for both sides.  Each side has advantages and disadvantages which are not the same for both sides.  One cannot play the Soviet side in Kursk the same way one would handle the German side.

In my experience with Kursk, is the casualty rate is incidental to the need to take objectives.  A player cannot just rack up a huge casualty differential to replace the need to take objectives against a another player of equal skill.  The game is well designed if the players take advantage of their respective troops abilities, the defensive works and terrain.

My point her is made.  Pure infantry assaults against a strongly held fortified position as a hard bunker or pillbox is not likely to succeed.  Combined arms are required to reduce the formidable Soviet bunker positions which can be held by three or four platoons.

I broke the third bunker line in this game with plenty of time left to reduce the defenses around the VP locations I needed for a win.  In that respect I do not think that bunkers in either PzB Kursk or Normandy are overly tough to to take as the attacker.  One has to use the right tools available in the scenario.

BTW, once my recon companies were released and reached the point of attack, I was a able to defeat the Soviet tactic of trying to keep troops in the bunkers hidden to prevent them from being hit by direct AT fire.  This is a valid Soviet tactic to try and remain hidden so a German assault will fail due to the presence of hidden Soviet defenders.  The German recon units sped up the pace of the bunker reductions by exposing these hidden Soviet units to be attacked by the ATG, armor and Stukas busting the bunkers in advance o the PzGr assaulting the bunkers.

The recon spotting by the recon troops really made a big difference in the pace and time.  I do not think three turns (1.5 hours in game time) to break each bunker line like these at Kursk stuffed with Soviet infantry and ATG is not doing it in a timely manner.  I say it pretty fast considering the Soviets were handeled by an expert player who used all the advantages of a fortified line to delay the German advance.

BTW, IIRC ComradeP asserted to me I broke out of the third bunker line several turns earlier than in his game with Gregor mentioned here.  Seems timely enough for me.

Dog Soldier