Background
The Battle of Uman (15 July – 8 August 1941) was the German and allied encirclement of the 6th and 12th Soviet Armies—under the command of Lieutenant General I. N. Muzyrchenko and Major General P. G. Ponedelin, respectively—south of the city of Uman during the initial offensive operations of German Army Group South, commanded by Generalfeldmarshall Gerd von Rundstedt, as part of Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front during World War II.
The battles occurred during the Kiev defensive operation between the elements of the Red Army’s Southwestern Front defending the Southern Bug bridges and the strategic rail road between Odessa and Smolensk, and elements of Panzergruppe 1 in Western Ukraine during the latter’s advance from southern Poland to Crimea.
On 2 August, an encirclement was closed by the meeting of Panzer Group 1 and advance guard elements of the German 17th Field Army. This encirclement was reinforced the next day by a second joining formed when the German 16th Panzer Division met with the Hungarian Mechanized Corps (Gyorshadtest). By 8 August, the Soviet resistance had generally stopped. Remnants of 20 divisions from the 6th Army and the 12th Army were trapped. German sources after the war reported about 103,000 troops were taken prisoner. Included among officers taken prisoner were commanders of both the 6th and 12th armies, four corps commanders, and 11 division commanders.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Uman)
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The Game:
Tactical Situation: Soviet units attempting to escape the encirclement have broken through the initial German defenses and are attempting break through the second line of Hungarian and German troops to safety. Soviet Objective: Capture two of the three roads exiting from the board on the Axis side. Axis Objective: Prevent the Soviets from achieving their objectives.
The Terrain consisted of typical Steppe rolling terrain with several gentle sloped rises and ripened wheat fields. A small village is on the left and a railroad track runs along the northern edge of the board.
Scenario Special Rules:
- Play was edge to edge.
- The Soviet players each received 1,200 points, while the Axis players each received 1,400-1,500 points. All units were built from the Barbarossa Books.
- All units started off the board. Half of each player’s units were available on turn one.
- Soviet reinforcements entered one unit per player automatically each turn.
- Axis rolled on their reinforcements as delayed reserves.
- No T-34s or KV-1s were allowed as was historic for this battle.
- The Soviets received the first move.
Forces:
The Axis consisted of a Czech Panzer Company (PZ 38(t)) with infantry support on the right flank and a Hungarian Cavalry Company supported by tanks, AT guns and artillery on the left. All German units were rated Confident Veteran, while the Hungarians were rated Confident Trained.
The Soviet players commanded a Guard Light Tank (BT-7 & BT-7A) battalion on the left, a Light Tank Battalion (T-26s, BT-7s, BA-10s, 45mm AT guns) and a Motostrelk Battalion (two Infantry Companies, T-26s and KhT-130 flame tanks). Sporadic I-16 air support was also available. All Soviet units were rated as Confident Conscript except for the BY7 Battalions which was Fearless Conscript.
Narrative:
During the Recce Move of the First Turn, the Hungarian Cavalry surged forward onto the board in the vicinity of the village and along the railroad track.
On Turn One, the Soviets raced their slow tanks forward. One Motostrelk Company moved forward in an attempt to seize the wooded areas in front of the Hungarian lines, with 45mm AT guns overlooking the main road in the village. The Hungarian mobile forces surged into the village. The Panzer company moved their tanks to a hillock in order to oversee two of the roads leading off the board.
On Turn Two, as the Soviets continues moving forward, they began to come under fire from German and Hungarian guns. The Hungarians swung all their available armor to confront the Motostrelk infantry, while facing all their other elements to engage the Germans in the center.
Over the next two turns, The Czech Panzers responded to a faint by the Soviets and decided to surge forward from his enfilade positions and engage the Soviet armor out in the open. The Soviets then countered the German move to catch the 38ts in the open. In the center, the Soviets focused their fire on the Hungarian Pioneers, routing them before they could dig in along the rail line. The Motorstrelk and the Hungarians exchange fire, drawing blood on both sides.
On Turn Five, The Soviets continued to mass against the German Panzers. The Motostrelk broke several Hungarian tank platoons (the dice gods showed their favor to the Soviets). The Hungarians returned the favor and attacked the Motostrelk infantry with there rabid tankettes!
By Turn Six, the Motostrelk force had been crushed and barely able to hold the ground they occupied. On the other side, things were bleak for the Germans. The Panzer Company had been routed and the Soviets were eating up the Hungarian gun and infantry units in the center.
By clearing a large section of the board of Germans and Hungarians, the Soviets had opened two of the three exit roads off the board. This resulted in a tactical Soviet Victory (there were several minor historical break-throughs during the historical battle).
Manteuffel