The final Flames of War game for our Budapest 1945 theme was the battle for the Kerepesi Cemetery and the Keleti (Eastern) Train Station in Pest. Historically, the Romanian 19th Infantry Division and 9th Cavalry Division attacked the Hungarian 10th Infantry Division supported by elements of the German 13th Panzer Division.
Our terrain was based on a 1929 city map of Budapest, and depicted the train station and rail yard, the surrounding urban ruins, and the NW corner of the cemetery, which is laid out as an open park with numerous tree lines. The terrain effects were per the standard rules, except the rail yard was about 15 feet below street level, thus the retaining walls that bordered the yard were impassible to vehicles and provided dead ground to teams that were down in the yard and adjacent to the walls.
Four objectives were placed for the Hungarians to defend — in the station, in the cemetery, and in the ruins on both sides of the rail yard. Whichever side controlled the majority of the objectives at game’s end would be the winner.
The Hungarian defenders were dug-in between the tracks in front of the station and in the cemetery, and also occupied the ruins. 60% of the defending force started on the table, which consisted of two infantry companies supported by mortars, antitank guns, and a Zrinyi battery. The remaining 40% came on as reinforcements, in the form of a pioneer platoon and two platoons of German Pz IV/70 tank destroyers.
The Romanian attack featured an infantry company and a pioneer company, supported by antitank guns, machine guns, armored cars, self-propelled guns, mortars and artillery. The game saw the Romanians push forward on all fronts. Heavy firepower steadily attrited the forces on both sides, and close combat in the ruins bloodied both the attackers and the defenders.
The fighting in and around the rail yard was especially brutal. The Romanians eliminated two full-sized Hungarian platoons and advanced far enough to contest the objective in the northern ruins, but were themselves reduced to two infantry platoons that were taking last stand checks, plus the company HQs and support weapons. The train station itself was held by the four surviving teams of the Hungarian company — three teams of the volunteer students and workers platoon, and the company commander.
To the south of the rail yard, fighting in the ruins reached a stalemate, with both sides contesting the objective. However, in the cemetery, a late push by the Romanians, following up an effective artillery barrage, captured the Hungarian trenches and seized that objective.
Thus at the end of the game, both sides controlled one objective each, and the other two were contested, for a hard-fought draw…!
- TJ