Overview: Six of us played a scenario taken from the May 1981 issue of “Wargamer’s Digest.” The scenario was large enough that we used the orders of battle verbatim from the magazine. We used the Flames of War V.4 rules with the V.3 Barbarossa book for the unit stats. One special rule for the scenario was to restrict bombardments to artillery and heavy mortar batteries only — lighter ordnance could only use direct fire. Another special rule was we only used unit morale, not formation morale, so that no player would be knocked out of the game. This rule also reflected the desperate nature of the combat.
Situation: In this sector of Byelorussia, large numbers of Russian units have been left behind the front and isolated. One such group, operating from the area of State Farm 41 and the village of Osipovitchi, has been creating disruption in the German rear area. A mixed Kampfgruppe of panzers, infantry, and artillery has been tasked with eliminating these Russian forces. This would prove to be a challenging game for all players.
Terrain: The 8X5 foot table depicts flat open ground with large areas of standing crops and patches of woods. Two fordable streams cross the area. A river in the SE corner is crossable only at the bridge. Two main roads and some secondary roads cross the table. State Farm 41 and the hamlet of Osipovitchi are located in the center of the table. Standing crops count as low concealment, and all other terrain effects are per the standard rules.
Orders of Battle:
Russian: The Russians started with one much-reduced infantry battalion on the table (comprised of two Rifle/MG companies with seven teams in each), directly supported by two 82mm mortars, two HMGs, two ATRs, and one 45mm ATG. Attached were a battery of three 76mm ATGs, a battery of three 122mm howitzers, a battery of two 120mm heavy mortars, and two T-34 tanks. Off table to the north and to the SE were two more identical infantry battalions with identical direct support, also with two T-34 tanks in each force. The battalion to the SE would enter on Turn 1, and the battalion to the north would enter when the sixth player arrived. Russian infantry and guns were rated Fearless Trained (to represent them as die-hard remnants) and the T-34 tanks were rated Fearless Conscript.
German: The Germans started on on table deployed within six inches of the N-S road on the western end of the table The Germans had a Panzer company with command Pz.IV (short 75mm), three platoons of three Pz.IIIs (short 50mm), and one platoon of three Pz.IVs (short 75mm). One infantry company in halftracks had three reduced platoons of Rifle/MG infantry (five teams and an ATR) in each), a support platoon of three HMGs and one 80mm mortar, and a heavy platoon with one StuGIII (short 75mm), one PzJg.I (47mm), and two Pioneer teams. A second infantry company was identical except mounted in trucks. In support were two recon platoons with two 8-rad ACs and three light ACs, a battery of three 105mm howitzers, and a battery of three 150mm howitzers. All Germans were rated Confident Veteran.
Objectives, Deployment and Plans:
Russian: The Russian commanders were tasked with keeping their force in being in the vicinity of the state farm and the village. The Russian commander spread out his starting force, digging-in one infantry company in front of and within each built up area. The T-34s supported the state farm on the Russian right with the 120mm mortars to the rear, while the 76mm ATGs and 122mm howitzers supported the village on the Russian left. The plan was to hold until the Russian off-table reserves arrived, and then hold some more.
German: The German mission was to eliminate the Russians in the vicinity of the farm and the village. The German commanders ordered the halftrack mounted infantry company to attack and capture State Farm 41, with one Pz.III platoon and the 105mm artillery battery in support. The Panzer company would lead the attack on the village, followed by the dismounted motorized infantry company and the recon platoons, with the 150mm artillery in support.
Battle Report: The battle began with the Germans moving out from their deployment area as their artillery ranged in. The sweeping advance of the halftracks and tanks looked very impressive (too bad we forgot to take pictures!).
At the state farm, The Russians claimed first blood when their artillery killed a halftrack and its passengers. The German company commander then ordered his infantry to dismount from their halftracks and proceed on foot to the state farm. The Germans took additional casualties from small arms, and lost a few more empty halftracks, but managed to get two platoons into assault distance. The first platoon went in but was defeated by a Russian counterassault, then the second platoon assaulted and wiped out the Russians, forcing the remaining Russians to withdraw from the state farm. The Germans exploited and eliminated the 120mm mortars and the remaining Russian infantry behind the farm. The Russians were left with only the two T-34s holding this part of the field. The German infantry company was almost spent in this endeavor, but the platoons continued to pass their unit morale checks, which left their numerous halftracks still on the field.
At the village, the German panzer company advanced in a column, then assembled behind the cover of a narrow strip of woods. However, the Russians targeted the woods with their 122mm artillery, and the barrage caught the massed panzers behind the wood, knocking out three tanks and forcing another to withdraw. This hard blow goaded the German tanks to make a rapid advance toward the Russians in the fields near the village. They successfully assaulted the Russian infantry, causing the Russians to partially evacuate the village.
By this point, the reinforcing Russian battalion had arrived from the SE, and the two T-34s claimed four more panzers over the course of the next several turns, leaving the Germans with one platoon of three Pz.IIIs. The reserve Russian infantry took up positions behind the village to try to protect the 122mm battery; however, one company was slow to arrive and was not dug in, and many of them were gunned down when the German armored cars joined the fight.
Meanwhile, the dismounted German infantry company had quietly advanced behind the panzers, taking no losses on the approach. One platoon assaulted and overran the 76mm ATG battery. Another platoon assaulted the village. The defensive fire of the remaining Russian defenders, reinforced by the support weapons of the reserve battalion, took a heavy toll of this platoon and drove it back.
Back at the state farm, the final Russian reserve battalion finally made a belated appearance, entering from the north minus its T-34s (an umpire decision to maintain play balance). These Russians were met by a storm of fire from the German halftracks and artillery, and swiftly took heavy losses before they were able to dig in. Meanwhile the two on-table T-34s conducted an extended (and one-sided) duel with the German PzIII platoon, spending a lot of turns not hitting the German tanks before finally eliminating them very late in the game. As fate would have it, the two T-34s were then destroyed by a German artillery barrage! That event released the remaining two T-34s from reserve, and the game ended as they arrived.
At the village, the Germans continued to press the Russians with their remaining panzers and infantry. Both sides took losses but Russian losses were higher, and one Russian infantry company and the 122mm battery were taking last stand checks to remain on the table as the game ended. However, the Germans had no answers for the two T-34s which were still holding part of the village, along with the remaining Russian infantry.
Results: The Germans largely achieved their mission of eliminating the Russian forces at the state farm and the village, although the Russians were still holding onto part of the village. Russian losses among their infantry and support weapons were very high. However, German losses were also very high, especially among their panzers and infantry. This left the two forces very much weakened but roughly in balance with each other. Thus the game was declared a draw!
-TJ