With the defeat of the German Army at Kursk in the Summer of '43, the German Army was, for all practical purposes, useless. What had been well organized regiments, fully equipped, were now under strength with battleworn equipment. This was the situation at the Second Down East Wargaming Convention (DEW CON II) for the first of two 1/76th scale World War Two battles. The following is the General situation and order of battle of the two opposing armies. On one side are remnants of the elite German armor and anti-tank units, facing the Russian forces, which seem almost unlimited. Russians After Kursk, Stalin has ordered his Red army to pursue the retreating Germans, harass their rear elements and try for a breakthrough that will enable mobile infantry and tank units to operate behind the enemy lines, either to encircle or cut off vital supply lines. The air is still contested between the two air forces and the Russian recon isn't very good. Tank formations are made up of waves hitting the same defensive position time after time until all their reserves are used up or until a breakthrough is generated. Your typical tactic is to infiltrate the German front line of defense (usually infantry and anti-tank weapons) with your infantry. When the attack comes, you not only attack from the front, you attack from the sides and rear. This usually has a demoralizing effect on green troops, but their veterans usually expect this and are prepared for it. Due to the poor optics and relative inexperience of the crews, the Russian tankers try to get in to less than 500 yards, before they can fire effectively. This is part of their tank strategy, in which they drive in at high speed, so as to get within their effective range and fight on an even basis. Your orders are to attack sector C with a combined tank and infantry attack, and your primary objective is to take the Slovicike bridge of the Uraala River. This is to be done with the utmost daring on the part of the officers under your command (heedless of the risks or losses). Leave enough forces to secure it from counterattack, while the rest of the column attacks the disorganized Germans in their rear areas. RUSSIAN ORDER OF BATTLE TANK PLATOONS Platoon One: 4 T34/76Cs Platoon Two 3 T34/85s INFANTRY-TANK PLATOONS Platoon One: 3 Valentines (lend-lease from Canada) Platoon Two 4 KV-1Cs Platoon Three 2 KV-85s Platoon Four: 1 KV-2 and 2 SU-57s (half tracks with AT Guns) INFANTRY Tank mounted squads A & B (w/9 men each) Infantry Squads A & B & C (w/12 men each) Partisans: One Squad (w/15 men) SET UP The Partisans may set up anywhere on the board, but not within 6 inches of any German troops or vehicles, as determined by the judge. There will be no radio communication between them and the tanks. The infiltrating Infantry may setup anywhere within the first row of trees on the east edge of the wheatfield north of the river. The Armor is restricted to committing one platoon of tanks per turn, to enter onto the table from the east edge. Germans The Russians have pushed the Germans back after the fifty-day fight at Kursk. The drain on German resources have been great, and they have pieced units together to hold the front until the main unit can reorganize. This was done by putting tank destroyers and anti-tank guns into defensive positions and keeping a mobile reserve of medium and heavy tanks. The Russians have been infiltrating the front lines at night just before they launch an offensive at any point in the line. The Luftwaffe has been giving you advance warning of any troop movement or heavy vehicles moving into positions for attacks. Quite often when an attack starts, the defending Germans find themselves fighting tanks and infantry from the front as well as infantry and heavy weapons from the flanks and rear. The German front line is very irregular at this point. The high command has ordered their defending front line to hold while their next counter offensive can be prepared. As the Germans, your orders are to hold at all costs. Defend the bridge to the last. Some, if not all, your reinforcements will come in from that way. Your commander has given strict orders not to retreat, unless you can do it in such a way as to set up a trap and still protect the bridge. GERMAN ORDER OF BATTLE BRIDGE DEFENDERS: INFANTRY 3 Squads of infantry: 5 rifles, 2 SMGs, 1 LMG each 1 HW squad: 1 MG, 1 81mm mortar, 6 rifles 5 Hanomag 251 halftrack armored personnel carriers 2 Boxer trucks 1 5 ton Half-track, unarmored 2 Schwimwagens ANTI-TANK PLATOON 1 88mm Flak 18 1 75mm Anti-tank gun 1 Marder III 2 50mm Anti-tank guns SETUP No infantry can be set up closer than one foot from the east edge of the wheat, and no vehicles can be set up less than 2 feet from the east edge. Both the infantry and the armor can be camouflaged. The vehicles cannot be dug in, as they have to remain mobile. No infantry can be set up in the woods at the east end of the wheat field, nearest the east end of the board. COMMANDER OF PANZER GROUPE J You were sent during the night to take a position 1/2 mile from the Slovicike Bridge. You left Kievicce early in the evening and took up your position during the early morning. You are to await the signal from the command at the bridge, to tell you when to make your counterattack. The Luftwaffe has sent you reports of large tank formations to the east of you. They seem to be preparing for an attack. Your orders are to protect the bridge at all cost, as it would destroy our lines of communication if it were to be destroyed. ORDER OF BATTLE 1 Tiger I 2 Pz IVF2 1 Pz IVD 1 222 Armored Car 1 Kubelwagen SETUP You will be started 30" off of the playing board, in the southwest corner. You will not be allowed to start moving until you have received the command from the bridge commander. You will protect that bridge with your last tank if necessary, and even to your last pistol round, THAT's AN ORDER! COMMANDER OF PANZER GROUPE H From reports of the Luftwaffe. there is reason to believe that there will be an armored attack on the Slovicike Bridge. So you have been ordered to move south along the Kievicce road to a position 1 1/2 miles north of the bridge (or 70" off the board and on the road , and wait for the order to advance into the battle when and if it comes. ORDER OF BATTLE 2 Pz IVH 2 Pz V Panthers SETUP You may start moving on the command of the unit holding the bridge. The Battle The Russian players handled their troops well, making wave attacks in a pattern similar to that the Russians were noted for. The Russian tank Squad of Valentines was used for reconnaissance, driving due west through the wheat field east of the rood. The recon unit was followed into the field by the squad of KV-1s. At the same time a troop of T34/76Cs came in from the SE making for the ford, while blasting the surrounding area with High Explosive. The Russian infantry had infiltrated the woods at the edge of the wheat field, and from their initial position they advanced towards the west. The KV-1s were carrying more infantry. The Germans had set up very wisely. Having been given a platoon of anti-tank weapons, the players placed them very well. With the smallest calibers having the shortest fields of fire, with, hopefully, a flank or rear shot. The larger calibers were situated near the road and bridge, protecting them from the Red hordes. As the Russians progressed through the wheat field, the Germans suckered in the recon force and closed the trap on the KV- 1s. With good shooting and a little luck the anti-tank units decimated the KV-1s and part of the recon force. But through an oversight they allowed a Valentine to occupy the bridge, where it was blown up. The two German platoons (H and J) came onto the board, but time ran out before they became of any vital importance in the battle. Group H had sent the two Panzer IVs back and had come onto the board with the two Panthers. The J Group also had arrived at the bridge but too late to prevent its occupation. The battle had to be given to the Russians, although the Germans had played brilliantly, losing little in relationship to the losses of the Russians. The Russian objective was to take the bridge, and interdict all traffic on it. This they did. They had sufficient forces to hold temporarily, until reinforcements could be brought up. The outcome probably would have been quite a bit different if the game had gone more turns. Due to a late start and the time needed to familiarize the players with the rules, only about 2/3s of the moves were completed for which the game was designed. Which only goes to show that, in war, nothing goes according to plan. Map Back to Table of Contents -- Panzerfaust #64 To Panzerfaust/Campaign List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1974 by Donald S. Lowry This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com