Blitzkrieg Commander Game 4, November 20, 2010

Hold The Line!!!

By Bryan Olson

 Theater of Operation

Eastern Front 1943

Scenario

     For this game I chose to use the “Hold the Line” mission from the Flames of War rule set. This mission can be found on page 204 of the hard bound Flames of War rule book. I also combined some of the concepts from the assault scenario from the Blitzkrieg Commander rules. For example, the FOW “hold the line” mission calls for both sides to have even point army’s. I changed this to approximately a 3 to 4 point ratio favoring the Attacker with half of the defenders units held in reserve at the start of the game.

Game Duration

8 Turns

Table Size

6’X5′

Victory Conditions

 The attacker’s mission is to capture one of the two objectives placed before the game.

Special/Optional rules

Command Units:We used the optional “regular units as Command units” rule (see pg. 134).

Fixed/Hasty entrenchments: To differentiate between hasty and fixed entrenchments we used the following rule: Hasty entrenchments require a 6 to hit and have no save; fixed entrenchments require a 6 to hit and have a save of 5.

Two units to a transport: All transport units can carry two infantry, mortar or MG units.

 

Battle Groups

Russian Battle Group

CO (CV8)

-1st Infantry Company

HQ (CV8)
Infantry (Regulars) X9
Support Unit (MG, Maxim) X1
Support Unit (Mortar, 82mm) X1

-2nd Infantry Company

HQ (CV8)
Infantry (regulars) X9
Support Unit (MG, Maxim) X2
Support Unit (Mortar, 82mm) X1

-3rd Infantry Company

HQ (CV8)
Infantry (regulars) X9
Support Unit (MG, Maxim) X2
Support Unit (Mortar, 82mm) X1

-Light Tank Platoon

HQ Light Tank Unit (T-70/T-80) X1
Light Tank Unit (T70/T80) X7

-Assault Gun Platoon

HQ Assult Gun Unit (SU-122)
Assault Gun Unit (SU-122) X2

-Off Table Artillery Unit

Artillery Unit (Katyusha Truck) X2 W/2 HE assets each

German Battle Group

CO (CV10)

-1st Infantry Company

HQ (CV9)
Infantry (Heer) X8
Support Unit (MG, MG-34/42) X2
Support Unit (ATG, 50mm, Pak-38) X1
Support Unit (Mortar, 81mm) X1

-2nd Infantry Company

HQ (CV9)
Infantry (Heer) X8
Support Unit (MG, MG-34/42) X2
Support Unit (ATG, 50mm, Pak-38) X1
Support Unit (Mortar, 81mm) X1

-Off Table Artillery Unit

FAO (CV8) X1
Artillery Unit (105mm, Le.FH-18) X2

German Reserves

-3rd Infantry Company

HQ (CV9)
Infantry (Heer) X7
Support Unit (MG, MG-34/42) X1
Transport Unit (Trucks) X4

-Anti-Tank Unit

Anti-Tank Unit (ATG, 75mm, Pak-40) X2
Transport Unit (Trucks) X2

Deployment

    Terrain will play a major factor in the outcome of this battle. Playing as the German Commander my strategy is to use my off table 105’s to break up the advancing Soviet Infantry and the two 50mm anti-tank guns to check the T-70’s and SU-122’s. However, the hills and woods in front of the Germans line will make it very difficult to get a good line of site before the advancing Soviets reach my position.

The two German infantry companies are deployed in a crescent shape covering the two Soviet objective markers. The first company is deployed to the right of the main road along a ridge line. The second rifle company is deployed to the left of the road with its flank ending in a wooded area. Both companies deploy their 50mm anti-tank guns near the center of the line. On the other end of the battlefield the Russian Commander deploys two companies of infantry to the right of the road and one on the left side of the road. The T-70’s are deployed in a column formation along the road and the SU-122’s are placed behind the two infantry companies on the right side of the road. The Russian Commander then sets the firing schedule for the Katyusha’s and the game begins.

  

 

 

 

 

Turn 1

     The Russians begin their advance towards the German position. Inspired to take the victory the Soviets move at an impressive speed. That is all units except for the SU-122’s who fail to make a command roll. The right German infantry company tries to slow the Russians advance by firing its 50mm anti-tank gun and 81mm mortar at the infantry and T-70’s advancing in its front. They manage to suppress one T-70 and one infantry platoon.

 

Turn 2

  The Russian advance continues. The company’s on the right and center are slowed because of terrain and poor command rolls. The company to the left still continues its fast advance and begins to close on the Germans line. The T-70’s spread out and open fire on the entrenched 50mm anti-tank gun to their front. They manage to inflict no damage. Once again the German anti-tank gun and mortar open fire and suppress one T-70 and one infantry platoon. On the left the German FAO fails to make the necessary command roll to call in an artillery strike. In the German rear the first of the reinforcements arrive.

 

Turn 3

  Turn 3 opens with the first scheduled artillery strike from the Soviets Katyusha’s rocket batteries. Rockets bombard the center and left section of the German’s line. (Note: The blast markers on the table mark the bounds of the bombardment.) The consolidated bombardment kills two infantry platoons and suppresses most of the rest. Unfortunately the Soviet infantry is not yet in a position to exploit the effects of the bombardment.  On the center-right of the German line the 50mm ATG continues to exchange fire with the Soviet T-70’s.

 

Turn 4

The second and final Soviet Katyusha bombardment pounds the Germans line. The bombardment kills another infantry platoon and suppresses many others. The German losses from the bombardment create gaps in the defensive line. The T-70’s take advantage of these gaps and begin to move into the Germans interior. On the German’s right the soviet infantry charges forward and assaults the German’s position. The entrenched Germans put up a tough fight and repulse the Soviets. The Soviets have better luck on the German left and manage to push a German platoon out of its entrenchments.

 

Turn 5

  The battle now becomes a bitter hand to hand fight. The German right holds fast against another Soviet assault. In the center the T-70’s pour into the German interior and begin firing on the German infantry forming the secondary defense. On the German left the Soviets succeed in pushing back the 50mm ATG.

 

Turn 6

  The Soviets continue to assault the remaining entrenched German positions. The SU-122’s are brought up for close support, but in the end the Germans still hold strong and the Soviets only manage to kill the 50mm ATG that was pushed back last turn. On the German right flank several idle platoons of infantry advance out of the safety of their entrenchments and prepare to make a flanking move on the Soviets that are assaulting the rest of the company. In the rear, German infantry reserves finally dismount from their transports and prepare to move forward to plug the gaps.

 

Turn 7

   On the German left the soviets manage to knock out another German infantry platoon. However, time is running out for them as German reinforcements move forward. After making an aggressive move the last turn the SU-122’s roll a command blunder and are forced to retreat. On the right things continue to go better for the Germans as the flanking platoons and the rest of the company lay down a heavy fire on the soviets in their front.

 

Turn 8

  The SU-122’s recover from the previous turns command blunder and serge forward again to confront the German reinforcements. On the German right the once threatening Russian infantry company has been reduced to two platoons of infantry, one MG and one mortar. Finally, having arrived and deployed in a previous turn the Germans 75mm ATG’s take aim and fire on the pesky T-70’s. One T-70 is destroyed and another is suppressed.

  Outcome

     The platoon of Soviet T-70’s managed to capture one of the objectives but the infantry never made a complete breakthrough. Since the Blitzkrieg Commander rules state that an objective is captured with three infantry units and one command unit, this never happened. But as the German commander I don’t feel like I came close to wining this battle, so we agreed on a Russian minor victory. All in all it was a fun game.