Battlegroup Sniper Kursk 1943

We wanted a straight forward infantry fight in a urban landscape, 1943 lists were used but no specific attack/defense scenario. The goal was get a good game.   This was our second try out  of this urban set up  this time we had two German players with 600 points attacking 400 points of my Heroic Soviet Infantry.  again the Germans can keep their squads as 8 men then brake off the MG team when they choose.

Soviet 400 point army List 

• FHQ, Forward Aid Post
• Rifle Company with 3 76mm L/16s with loaderTeams
• 4 Sniper teams and 2 Foot Patrols

Buildings scratch bulit JP and from the extensive collection of the Provans this time from Hovells.

Fascist had 600 points to play 300 points for each player.  Each player was rolling separate command dice. We had three objectives on table the Brewery (in the Soviet deployment area) and the cross roads and a church on the square just outside the Soviet deployment zone but overlooked by the German deployment zone.

My plan was to fight in two blocks on the soviet left and one house on the right.  Soviets got the first turn by dint of outscouting the Fascists

foot patrols lead the way

Move one Soviets advance on the cross roads my wrecked T-34 marks the spot.  It is quite hard to form up a platoon in a street but those two blocks were critical for me.

Facists cant see anything yet!

T-34 in the centre  of the shot here and the battle did revolved around this block on the right and the next one down the street.  Three hours of fighting for the Fascists to take this.  However they still didnt get the cross roads which were contested through the whole battle.  The Germans were reduced to trying close assaults  from the blocks and rubble after pinning my heroes in the next set of buildings with fire.  Hard to do with regular infantry .  My battle plan worked here

Pinned down fascists.

On the other flank the Germans had snipers in a bid to out diddle the Soviets, however this is where the 76mm infantry guns came into their own area firing on the tallest building on the German table side as soon as their HMG and Sniper moved into the second floor.  this was kept up for six turns eventually killing the sniper team and driving out the HMG which had to be tactically co ordinated to get away.  

static prevented many turns of fire

Poor communication rolls blocked German mortar fire for at least four turns followed by a period when the Command group had to focus on tactical co ordination.  Again it took over six turns to dig out the frontline snipers.  The snipers were driven back on the secondline housing them killed but once the germans were in these houses the 76mm kicked in.

Favourite building with Soviet sniper team on ground floor

My 76mm infantry guns after the battle

Brewery with company commander in GAZ parked inside

Both German commands racked up BR close to their limit, but the first to fail were my Soviets.  An intense urban battle taking over four hours with few rules glitches.  Battlegroup is so easy to play once the glitches are sorted out.

Kursk Scenario Hill 252.2

We played a Battlegroup Kursk scenario straight from this Book.  I was on the soviet side with Livy and Sparky.  I suggested an attack based on the battle of Leuctra, Livy would attack on the German right up a railway track, Sparky push in the centre and I would hold back on our right.  We had two katushka strikes which we aimed on the anti tank ditch in front of Livy's attack and heavily defended = TARGET RICH, they would arrive on turn one , then turn two.

village in the centre

Panzer IVs ready to repell the Red Horde

AT gun ready to stop LIVY

David Ps German infantry, this single guy destroyed a squad on his own

AT Ditch, this infantry were deployed in fox holes

Ariel spotter but we had no artillery!

One of four TIGERS

FLAK Gun

Sparky loses a T-34

Burning TIGERS!

Livy roared down the right flank, the First Katshka strike pinned a lot of Germans, the second knocked out or pinned six units including one tiger, livy finished off the second with close range T-34 fire(double6 for penertration)

T-34s ramming Tigers

Ironically the Germans couldnt hit these tanks their rolls were so low, the upshot is that in Battlegroup Kursk the German tank crews have no edge. The t-34s can stal, stal right into their faces

Sparky's lead tank in the village

Facing the last Tiger which rolled double 1 on a fire fire order!

This game seemed seriously unbalanced against the Germans,  time for a replay but this time choose our own 1200points.