Retaking the Volkswagon factory

A Blitzkrieg Commander 2 Game.

1944, NEAR BARTIA, EAST PRUSSIA.
A small Russian force has been thrown into a gap in the line, with orders to hold anchored on the ruins of a Volkswagon factory. Comrade Cameron has his orders to repel the fascist beasts, or not come back.

The view from the German lines.

The Russian forces.
CO CV9
HQ CV8 x2
HQ CV7 x2
3 Recce (BA-64)
8 Inf upgrade (Panzerfaust)
25 Engineer unit (Pioneers)
4 Heavy tanks (IS-2)
8 Artillery units (Katyusha)
2 Trucks


Major Dad, has been gifted a powerful armoured force to punch through the reds and create a bridgehead from which to fling the commies out of the Fatherland.

The German forces
CO CV9
HQ CV9 x3
HQ CV8 x2
4 Engineer unit (Assault engineers)
4 Panzer IV
4 Panthers
3 Assault guns (Stug III)
1 Anti Tank Gun (88mm Flak-36)

Ze plan (Turned out there was only one phase)

German turn 1

With the flexible German doctrine, a good few command rolls are passed, the Panzers are on the move.

Moving to a hull down position on the small rise

 

Assault guns and assault engineers are on the move.

 

The assault units reach the edge of the hamlet

A watching brief. Look out for movement, and cover our boys approach.

Russian turn 1

Keep looking Ivan

Here they come

The Russian recce unit spots the panzers, and communicates to the waiting artillery units. Minutes later, the eastern sky is lit up and a devastating concentration of eight Katyusha batteries land amongst the metal beasts. After the rumble of the explosions, and the smoke has drifted away, six of the fascist machines lie in ruins.

Sensing a catastrophic collapse of the Germans right wing, Comrade Cameron moves his heavy tanks forward from reserve, to take advantage.

Ready aim,.......command blunder!

The Russians luck finally gives out. A command blunder. What! move forward? Are you sure? The metal monsters crash through the hedge, into open terrain, too late, Comrade Cameron tries to recall them, the HQ fails.


German turn 2
It's looking very grim for the German commander, he reorganises his armour, pulling them back from the hill, the Russians use opportunity fire to suppress one panther and fix it to the hill, the remaining Panther moves back into the wood, still shaken up after the artillery display.

Fire!  Fire! Fire!.

The Panther noses through te wood and spots the IS2's in the open. Perfect. Some good commands rolls and the two of the IS2's are suppressed.

Where did that Panther come from?

Out on the left flank the German assault group moves up fast (thanks to a command bonus roll), through the hamlet, into the woods go the pioneers, and the assault guns trundle up to the Russians hiding in the far wood, and open up.

Here comes the good news! Steady boys, steady.

But, no. Poor shooting from the Germans (dodgy optics. Sabotage!), and a failed command roll leaves the assault guns all alone out in the open. The infantry fail to move up to support and are lost in Hamlet Woods.

Up on the hill, things go from bad to worse as the 88 Flak blunders and has to move back. Fortunately for the German commander he left is transport behind so the gun stays put. but that's the end of the go. A quick appreciation of my position shows me a decimated right flank, a wobbly left flank and a soft centre (whilst the 88 sorts its self out).

Russian turn 2

Well its looking good for Comrade Cameron. Just one more of the fascist beasts to kill and the Germans must start rolling for their break point. The IS-2 on the Russian left opens up on the Panthers, but poor shooting due to too much vodka results in only two hits, a suppression and little else. The Germans return fire with opportunity suppressing one IS-2. Then a failed command roll by the IS-2 commander, moves the action to the Russian right flank.

The engineer commander is going to assault the Stugs. Needing an eight, fails. However, the CO way out on the right flank needs a 5 (CV9-4 for distance) to get the sluggish infantry to move. Comrade Cameron rolls....4 and the assault is on.

Two rounds of assault combat later ..

Nooooo!

The assault destroys one Stug III and flings the other two back. The loss of the assault gun means the German commander has reached his break point and must roll at the start to stay in the battle at the start of his go. Can he rally the troops for another push?

German turn 3

The break point for the Germans is seven, which was reached last go after a Stug III went up in smoke. My CO has a CV of 9 so I'm comfortable I will make the roll. With a Prussian air of arrogance I roll......an eleven. Its all over.

The Russians hold the line, and the Germans face yet another defeat, and retreat toward the Reich. A great game. losing six AFV's on turn one unraveled my plan somewhat.

Assault at Vilaystock

Turn 1 The Russians charge!

The Russian infantry on both flanks with a 'Hurrah' doubled and charged towards the town of Vilaystock. The Germans had to hold fast to give their weaken division time to move to defensive positions further back.

The T34 85's doubled and charged towards the town, in the hope that they could quickly over come the Germans that surely must be entrenched in the town's rubble. The 3 SU 152's held back and fired. Three shots slammed into the Pak 40's hiding in the ruins. One exploding in a fireball. The Russians opened up their mortars at the raising column of smoke hitting a HMG and the other Pak 40 destroying both. A successful first round to the Russians.

Turn 1. The German response.

Shocked by the ferocity of the assault, the German infantry slowly prepared to return fire. The Russian infantry on the left flank had charged from the shadows of the wood and dashed towards the rubble. The Russians did not have the time to look for folds in the ground, and were easy targets for the well trained SS troopers. A vicious curtain of fire strafed the Russian ranks. Five stands destroyed. On the edge of the town a hidden in the smoke the long snout of a King Tiger slowly moved, two cracks from its gun sent one T34 85 into the scrap heap. Over the top of the town a barrage was fired from across the river. Its shells exploded amongst the rest of the tanks hitting and destroying another, the remaining Pak 40, fired destroying two more. On the left an intense mortar barrage falls on the hapless Russian infantry, killing six stands.   However, with an eye to the Commissar the infantry rally and pass a moral check.

Turn 2. The Russians plow on.

On the right the so far untouched 2nd Russian infantry battalion continues its charge into the town. On the left the remaining Russian infantry fail to unpinned, the try and find any cover they can exposed as they are in the open. The T34s fire hitting and destroying the final Pak 40. No further progress is made. The SU 152's cannot find any targets, and the mortars hits the infantry in the ruins of the town but fail to kill. However, the mortar shells dropping in, make sure the Germans keep their heads down and pinned. The initial German response has thrown the Russian General into confusion.

Turn 2. The Germans 'rock steady'.

The German SS Kaptain, rally's his men and they unpin to fire on the shattered Russians on the left, killing one stand, they also hit and destroy two stands on the Russians racing in on the right. The king tiger looses two shots bailing out the Russian tank commander and sending another up into a fireball of twisted metal. The Russian tank company is feeling very exposed and shaken. The final straw sees a barrage hit and destroy two tanks. The remaining two tanks decide enough is enough and reverse out of the battle zone. (It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Russian army).

Turn 3. The Russians throw the dice.

The 2nd Russian infantry company smashes in to the side of the town. The Germain commander did not have enough troopers to man the whole perimeter. He would have to realign his positions, but would he have enough time. The infantry assaulted the town. In the ensuing conflict four Russian stands are destroyed by the Germans are overrun with two SS infantry, one spotter for the 15cm Guns and a mortar spotter falling in the assault. The SU152's fire hitting the SS infantry who in their haste to realign their defense become slightly easier targets. Two SS stands are destroyed. The German defense is starting to crumble.