Background
The Battle of Prokhorovka was fought on 12 July 1943[a] near Prokhorovka, 87 kilometres (54 mi) southeast of Kursk in the Soviet Union, during the Second World War. Taking place on the Eastern Front, the engagement was part of the wider Battle of Kursk, and occurred when the 5th Guards Tank Army of the Soviet Red Army attacked the II SS-Panzer Corps of the German Wehrmacht in one of the largest tank battles in military history.[k]
On 5 July 1943 the Wehrmacht launched its offensive. On the northern side of the salient, the German forces bogged down within four days. On the southern side, the German 4th Panzer Army, with Army Detachment Kempf on its eastern flank, attacked the Soviet defences of the Voronezh Front. They made slow but steady progress through the Soviet defensive lines.
After a week of fighting, the Soviets launched their counteroffensives – Operation Kutuzov on the northern side and a coinciding one on the southern side. On the southern side of the salient near Prokhorovka, the 5th Guards Tank Army engaged the II SS-Panzer Corps of the 4th Panzer Army, resulting in a large clash of armour. The 5th Guards Tank Army suffered significant losses in the attack, but succeeded in preventing the Wehrmacht from capturing Prokhorovka and breaking through the third defensive belt – the last heavily fortified one. The German high command, unable to accomplish its objective, cancelled Operation Citadel and began redeploying its forces to deal with new pressing developments elsewhere.
The Red Army went on a general offensive, conducting Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev on the southern side and continuing Operation Kutuzov on the northern side. The Soviet Union thus seized the strategic initiative on the Eastern Front, which it was to hold for the rest of the war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prokhorovka
The Game
Soviets Forces
Turn 1
- T34 BHQ
- T34 Company 10
- T34 Company 10
Turn 2
- T34 company 10
- T34 Company 10
Turn 3
- T34 company 10
- T70 Company 10
General
- Soviets have two 4 gun Katyusha batteries off board
- All T34s companies have a MotoStrelk platoon as tank riders (9 stands)
- Soviets are Guards and fearless trained.
- Soviets enter the board and have first turn.
German Forces
- PzIV HQ and 2iC,
- 2 xSP 20mm(4)
- PzIV Platoon 4
- PzIV Platoon 4
- PzVI Platoon 4
- PanzerGren Platoon (dug in)
- 3 x PAK40 (dub in)
- 2 x PzIII AOP
- PanzerGren HQ, 2iC and 2 x PzShrk (dug in)
- PanzerGren Platoon (dug in)
- 3 x PAK40 (dug in)
- HMG Platoon (dug in)
Turn 3
- PzVI Platoon (4)
- StugIII (3)
Turn 4
- StugIII (3)
- Stuka Support (37mm)
General
- Germans have a 105 and a 150 battery off board
- Germans are SS and fearless veteran.
Deployment
- Germans set up on table up to center line.
- Soviet forces enter table from anywhere along their table edge.
- German reserves enter on their table edge. Stugs on right and PzIV on left halves.
- If desired, many Russian tank recks can be set up along the railroad track.
Objectives
- Both farms and the hill are one point each.
- Each German stand/vehicle destroyed is one point each.
- Each Soviet “platoon” (three tanks or 9 infantry) is one point each.
- Each Soviet stand/tank exited off the table is one point each.
- Side with higher point total wins.
Terrain
- All fields are low area terrain.
- Buildings are wood, so can be driven in by tanks (cross check)
- Railroad tract has an embankment, counts as hard cover for all.
- Tree line runs along rail road track.
- All woods are open woods
- Anti Tank ditch is deployed behind the large hill.
Soviet Initial Attack: The Soviets chose to bring their first wave onto the far left table side and slowly moved those forces forward to enable move and fire against the defending Germans. The Germans held their ground and started long range fire knocking out a few Soviet tanks. The Soviet second wave entered to the right of the first waive and slowly moved up to the woods to their front to engage the German ATGs. With this move, the Germans began shifting their defenses to the center to concentrate on the two waves. Soviet tank losses began to mount with the concentration. The Soviets began dismounting their infantry in an attempt to overwhelm the German defenses,
Mid-Game: The Soviets continued to grind forward. There third wave was then committed to the right of the second wave. Unfortunately, this was directly into the teach of the German positions. The Germans began deploying their reserves and concentrating fire, resulting in an ever increasing number of Soviet tanks meeting their end.
End Game: As losses started to mount, the Soviets began picking up their pace, as it was clear that they could not win the long range duel. This resulted in a handful of units being able to squeeze of the table. With no hope of exit, the T-70s turned back to preserve themselves. With the battlefield littered with burning tanks, the fight was over. Based on losses, it was a German historical minor victory.
– manteuffel