Gertsovka The Cornerstone

[Tide1]

Hello:

Wondering about the platoons moving into 5,9. They are not engineers I think (I cannot see a green side strip). What kind of casualties did they experience?

Thanks,

Gerry

It wasn't a large number I just don't recall now. Maybe around ten

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Five
19:00 4 July 1943, Normal Conditions, Day, Visibility 3Km (12 Hexes)
Germans move up under cover of smoke to engage the Russians in the bunkers protecting the entrance to the village a point blank range. All three engineer platoons move to clear mines at the cut in the railroad embankment. The defense concentrates its fire on these engineers.

Dog Soldier

This image shows the German stacks left to right. Two on the left are in the smoke. This smoke placement does not help. In PzB smoke has to be placed between opposing units to block LOS. Smoke in a unit's hex does not cause a detriment to fire leaving a hex or entering the hex. We play testers had to learn this by expending the digital lives of our volunteer digital soldiers. Like real life, there was no manual at the time.

Notice the two German platoons in the scattered buildings on the right are also in a minefield without engineer support. They have dropped a morale level due to isolation. Not the end of the world to place your troops in a minefield for a turn. Just be be sure you have an exit strategy (movement or assault) to leave the minefield the next turn gaining an advantage from exposing your troops. The loss of a step in morale ('B' now) will cause these units to take a little higher casualties from incoming fire than in their base quality state of 'A'. This simulates how despite their excellent training, leadership, and expertise as hardened veterans, there is little room to maneuver or hide from incoming fire in a minefield.


Notice that with the action becoming intimate, German casualties nearly doubled this turn. The Russians lose Pvt Anton Maslak to a stray German artillery round. His harmonica was found later in his pocket. His music will be missed in the evenings by his comrades.

[Tide1]

Turn 6

Under cover of smoke I moved my engineers into another minefield and continued to battle the Russins dug in on the embankment taking three casualties.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Six
19:30 4 July 1943, Normal Conditions, Day, Visibility 3Km (12 Hexes)
Germans are massed at the gates of the village under cover from smoke. Russian fire and artillery concentrate on the Axis engineers. I decide to move up another 100 Russian guardsmen to make life more difficult for any Germans that get through the railroad embankment cut. Due to minefields and the advance of the German engineers, both my bunkers on the railroad embankment at the south entrance to the village of Gertsovka are now isolated.

Dog Soldier

[Tide1]

Turn 7

No movement this turn my PzGr. are stil trying to dislodge the Russians from the embankment and the first objective hex at
hex 4,6. And sadly that was the last of the smoke rounds.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Seven
20:00 4 July 1943, Normal Conditions, Day, Visibility 3Km (12 Hexes)
The Germans launch assaults against the guardsmen in the left railroad embankment bunker and the bunker blocking their move into the village. Both sides take losses. The guards hold, for now. Most of the Russian fire in their turn is still directed at the engineers. Unfortunately, a crack comes in the defense as the Russian machine gun unit in the right railroad embankment bunker disrupts from German return fire. Being isolated, these troops might well be destroyed in the next German turn should the Germans chose to make multiple platoon sized assaults on that bunker. The good news is time is running out on the Germans.



Dog Soldier

[Tide1]

My engineers have opened a lane for the infantry but have taken severe losses. The Grenediers assaulted the left hand bunker and captured it.
The engineers have taken severe losses and are combat inefective now.

[GerryM]

Hello:

Curious about a few things.
1. Have you been able to use your artillery and mortars at all? (IIRC if a unit has fired/moved it cannot spot.)
2. Is that a lot of troops in a narrow (500m) frontage or was that normal doctrine for both sides in WW II?

Thanks,

Gerry

[Tide1]

Hello:

Curious about a few things.
1. Have you been able to use your artillery and mortars at all? (IIRC if a unit has fired/moved it cannot spot.)
2. Is that a lot of troops in a narrow (500m) frontage or was that normal doctrine for both sides in WW II?

Thanks,

Gerry

Yes I've used my arty no problem.
No you probably should not over stack like I did. It's close to the end of the game and I want to blast the Russians off the embankment.
I think most anyone plays better than I do.

[GerryM]

Thanks. I am curious from a history perspective what the frontage was for say a German or Russian company. I am sure one of the history buffs will know.

Gerry