German Order of Battle

1 Panzer IV-E tank, entrenched but immobile
1 PAK-36 3.7 cm ATG
1 Medium Machine Gun
1 Light Machine Gun
1 ATG Crew
1 Demolition Charge
3 Infantry Squads
6 Trenches
Lt. Hamberg (“9-2” leader)
Sgt. Kuebler (“8-1” leader)

RussianOrder of Battle

3 T-34/76 model 1940 tanks
6 Infantry Squads
Lt Sahavich (“8-1” leader)
Lt Eastonov (“8-0” leader)

The Situation

The German trenchline extended from a farmhouse at the road junction to a small copse of barren woods to the south. To the east, in the open end of the “Y” intersection stood a small collective which consisted of a farmhouse and barn. The northern leg of the “Y” was bordered by a hedgerow while various other collective farms dotted the frozen steppes north of the road.

The Panzer IV-E occupied the northern trench section next to a house at the road junction (referred to as the junction house). The ATG was emplaced in the woods to the south. The trenches in between were occupied by Lt Hamberg’s 3 squads.

Unbeknownst to the Germans, the 31st Soviet Army Headquarters (HQ), planned to conduct a raid on their position. Six squads of Siberian soldiers dressed in their snow smocks, massed behind the collective farm buildings. Lt’s Sahavich and Eastonov, along with 3 squads climbed aboard the 3 T-34 tanks. The plan was to conduct a mounted assault on the German trenchline at the crossroads. Once enough damage was inflicted they were to proceed to the southwest in order to link up with the 31st’s other raiding forces. (The game’s victory conditions called for the Russians to exit 20 or more Victory Points off the southwest portion of the battlefield).

The Course of Action

0810 hours:

Riding the lead T-34, Lt Sahavich and his squad broke cover from the behind the collective farm’s barn. Slewing in the deep snow, the tank drove towards the northern leg of the “Y” heading for the cover of the hedgerow. They never made it.

Alerted by the sound of revving engines, the German Panzer IV-E fired its short-barreled 75mm gun at the fleeting Russian tank less than 300 meters away. The heavy armor piercing round slammed into the flank (side) of the T-34. The tank crew, Lt Sahavich and his entire squad were all killed.

Lt Eastonov and his squad, riding the second T-34 sped past the wreck followed by the last tank and its riders. Neither of these vehicles came under fire because the German tank crew couldn’t reload fast enough. Both vehicles and their passengers made it safely to the hedgerow. In the meantime the 3 footbound Siberian squads trudged through the deep snow towards the collective farmhouse.

The two Russian tanks made their way down the hedge-lined road towards the north flank of the German position. While unable to see their oncoming attackers, the German tank crew re-aimed the main gun at the gap between the junction house and the hedgerow.

Across the open field the Siberians entered the farmhouse 240 meters in front of the German trenchline. They intended to form a “base of fire” against the Germans. The problem was their submachine guns only had a range of 80 meters. They would have to move forward in order to be of any use in the raid.

While mustering for another march in the snow, the PAK-36 gun shot several holes into the farmhouse but didn’t cause any casualties among the Siberians. Lt Hamberg ordered the center squad manning the MMG to engage the Siberians in the farmhouse. Unfortunately, because of the bitter cold, the weapon jammed. The Germans then engaged the Siberians with rifle and light machine gun fire, but this had no effect.

0812 hours:

Lt Eastonov’s tank broke cover first between the hedgerow and the junction house. The Panzer IV-E crew was ready, or so they thought. At less than 200 meters away the German tank fired. Except this time the 75mm round only glanced off the sloping armor of the T-34 without causing any damage. That was enough for Lt Eastonov, though. He panicked and jumped off the moving tank. Seeing their leader take flight, the rest of the squad followed suit. They made their way to a farmhouse north of the German trenchline. Meanwhile the T-34 turned off the road and braved the deep snow. It nearly bogged down but took cover behind a farmhouse next to the one Lt Eastonov was running for.

0814 hours:

The last T-34 emerged from around the junction house and stopped less than 100 meters from the rear of the Panzer IVE. Both Panzer and PAK-36 crews had their guns trained at the very spot the T-34 appeared from. Unfortunately, the Panzer crew wasn’t able to reload the main gun in time, while the PAK-36 misfired due to the extreme cold!

The Siberian passengers took full advantage of the lack of incoming heavy weapons fire and disembarked from the T-34. As they did so, they took rifle fire from one of the German squads. This was enough to rattle the Siberians who then ran into the junction house. Once the Siberians disembarked, the T-34 fired its main gun. The armor piercing round sliced through the Panzer IV’s turret. Amazingly, most of the crew survived the initial hit but were gunned down by machinegun fire from the T-34.

Meanwhile, the Siberian squads in the eastern farmhouse attempted to move out. Lt Hamberg and the center squad attempted to repair the MMG. Their efforts were in vain however, because the weapon turned out to be beyond repair. Despite the loss of their MMG, all 3 German squads fired at the Siberians darting from the distant farmhouse to the barn. This fire panicked the Siberians and they ran pell-mell into the very barn to which they were marching.

0816 hours:

Despite having destroyed the sole German tank, the Russian tank crews at this time faced a dilemma. According to plan they were suppose to bypass this area within the next 5 minutes in order to affect a link-up with other raiding comrades. The officers chosen to lead this particular raid were either dead or in hiding. Without their guidance the tankers were unsure about what to do next. No one wanted to run the risk of being immobilized by the deep snow or close assault attacks by the remaining German infantry (Lt Hamberg had a demolition charge just for this purpose). With these risks in their minds, the T-34s withdrew. The Germans, powerless with their heavy weapons either destroyed or disabled, were glad to watch them leave.

Battle Results

German losses
1 Panzer IV-E & crew destroyed
1 Medium Machine Gun disabled
1 PAK-36 anti-tank gun disabled

Russian losses
1 T-34 & crew destroyed
1 Squad Killed In Action
Lt Sahavich KIA
5 Squads Broken
Lt. Eastonov Broken

Dead of Winter Wargaming A “Squad Leader in Miniature” After Action Review

Introduction .
Scenario 1: The Dead of Winter .
Scenario 2: The Paw of the Tiger .
Commentary .