It is the fall of 1941. German commanders are overwhelmed by the successes of the German Army and Her Allies. It seemed as though the Fuhrer's statement of kicking in the door and the whole rotten structure falling in were true.
The great encircling battles were taking place in the Kiev sectors. As these battles raged, one division of the Sixth Army was handed the task of eliminating a small salient that had developed. It was a typical infantry duty for the time, as the mechanised units were speeding to the interior of Mother Russia, swallowing vast tracts of land and huge numbers of Her defenders. The mission was considered to be a tidying up of the line. The division would be going up against the 37th Russian Army. Opposition to this operation was at first strong, then determined, and finally fanatical. The division fought hard and long and reached what was their final objective of the offensive. This was the high ground, a string of low, rolling hills, above the main Kiev Highway. It was on these hills, in prepared positions, that the division faced the first, of what would be many, Russian "human wave" attacks.
With this, the background for my battle is set. Usually, my preference of Eastern Front Battles is late 1943 to late 1944 era. So this would be a departure from the norm for me. Also, in keeping with the time period that I usually game, the Russians are not as tactically impaired as they were in the first year of the conflict. So this would be my first attempt at modelling the "human wave" attacks that were all to common in the first year. Of course, down through history the Russian leadership has never been one to use their manpower sparingly. So, for this battle my beloved tanks would stay in their laagers. This was to be intense infantry action all the way. Its kind of funny, many times I have started a game with the intent of an infantry battle on my mind. But every time ... I think to myself, hmmmm, maybe just a platoon of PZIV's, perhaps some SP Anti tank weapons, oh and what about those new Hummels that I just finished painting. I am sure that there are those of you who know what I am talking about. When we play with our toys, we want to play with them ALL! However, I am proud to say that this time I held true to my mission.
THE FORCES
The German forces consisted of one standard infantry division and some supporting elements [no, not tanks]. The game was not part of a campaign and therefore some parts of the division were not represented on the tabletop. These included, but were not limited to, Repair and Maintenance, Police, Kitchen, and Recovery. This division is not represented on the table at full strength, as in real life they had been on campaign for some time, and had incurred casualties.
The Russian forces consisted of three infantry divisions, with supporting elements such as, Artillary, Medium and Heavy Machine Guns, and Mortars. Due to the fact that I don't have enough infantry models to represent three Russian divisions I recycled the KIA casualties into the line that was due to arrive on the table next. I kept this up until the equivalent of three divisions had entered the fray. This wound up to be turn number 15 [of 201.
THE TABLE
The eastern half of the 4ft x 6ft table is dominated by small hills extending from the northern edge to the southern edge. There are small areas of woods, mainly on the western side of the slopes. As the map indicates, there is a small village at the road junction that includes a town hall and several other structures. The main Kiev highway is an improved road. All other roads are improved, but a bit better than tracks. All roads are elevated. Where the road passes between the hills, it is bordered by cliffs. All cliff areas are impassable to infantry and vehicles. In parrallel to the Kiev highway, is a railroad line, the bed of which is elevated approximately 10ft above ground level. The building next to the railroad tracks is a station/freighthouse. The woods are medium. Thin enough to maneuver through and thick enough to provide good cover for the Russians to approach their jump off points. There are no rivers, ponds or marsh. The weather is clear, hot, and dry. Most of the open ground is covered in thick, waist high grass, and shrubs.
THE EXTRA'S
Both sides will have air support on an availability die roll at the start of each GAME turn.
Availability is determined on a roll on 1d6, a 1 must be rolled. Any other number means better luck next try. Once air support becomes available another roll on 1d6 takes place to determine how many aircraft are in the flight. On a 1,2,3 one plane, on a 4,5,6 two planes. The air strikes [if any] MUST take place in the current game turn. That is the game turn that they were rolled for. If the available aircraft are not used they are forfeited. Both the Russians and Germans have forward air observers and any strikes must be made on targets within their visibifity[i.e. they must have line of sight to the target].
In addition to the forward air observers, each side has two forward artiflary observers. These will sight for artillary units available, but not represented on the table. My rules require that forward observers establish and maintain radio contact for one full game turn before artillary support can be called for. Radio contact is established on a 2d6 roll of 7 or less, and maintained on a 2d6 roll of 9 or less. If radio contact is established, one full game turn must pass before the observer can call for fire. At the beginning of the game the Russian player will have available 4 fire missions of off board artillary and 4 fire missions of 120mm mortar to be used as pre attack bombardment.
THE SETUP
The Germans set up first, anywhere from the east edge of the hill line back to the west edge of the table. The Germans have 25 entrenching factors which can be used in the set up to place trench lines, foxholes, mg pits. One factor can be used for one inch of trenchline, or 3 foxholes. A machine gun pit takes two factors. The German player also has 200 factors of mines, to be placed anywhere in the area described in the setup for forces. All mines are anti-personnel.
The Russian first assault wave sets up in the woods to the west side of the Kiev highway. no unit in the first, and subsequent, wave may be placed farther than I inch from another fiiendly unit in the same wave. [shoulder to shoulder almost]. The second wave sets up to the east of the Kiev highway, behind the embankment. Once again no unit may be farther than one inch from another friendly unit in the same wave. The third wave sets up in the woods to the east of the railroad embankment.
The three Russian waves are the equal in the amount of units, and each wave is divided into two halves. One half must attack the northern hill, the other the southern hill. As the first wave begins its attack, the second and third waves move out to maintain a distance of no more than 3 inches from each other. If the second wave falls more than 3 inches away from the first, the first must halt until the proper spacing is acheived. The same holds true with the third wave in relation to the second. As the third wave moves out, the fourth moves onto the table and also maintains the 3 inch interval. And so it goes for the fifth and sixth waves. After the sixth wave a 2 game turn pause is observed before the seventh, eigth, and ninth waves can move onto the table.
Then another two game turns and the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth. This continues until the equivalent of the Russian O.O.B. has been commited to the battle. Russian fire support elements [mortars, and machine guns, not artillery] may set up on the table anywhere east of the first wave. If not already in firing positions, they may move into firing positions as the first wave moves out to the attack. These fire support elements may act independently of the attack waves.
THE GAME
The dawn was quiet, clear and warm. We had spent a fitfull night preparing our positions, digging, laying mines and wire, in preparation of the assault that was sure to come soon. Our patrols had detected strong Russian presence in the wooded area to the west of the main Kiev highway. So strong was this presence that our patrols were unable to penetrate beyond the woods. All signs pointed to a large Russian assault building. This did not worry us. Since operation Barbarossa, we had outclassed the Russian soldier in every way. We were well supplied and taken care of. We had beaten many Russian attacks and counterattacks to get to where we were now. Our morale is very high and there is even talk that we will be home for Christmas with yet another successful campaign under our belts. The mood was fight as we sat and talked, feasting on the fresh coffee and bread from the divisions kitchens.
As the sun continued its journey higher into the morning sky, we started to get reports from the forward positions. The lookouts were unsure of the enemies strength, but reported to be at least divisional, more with the amount of noise issuing from the woods to there front. Then the noise diminished, eventually to nothing. Some of the less experienced thought that the enemy had 139 decided not to fight here. The veterans amoung us knew better. We waited, eyes fixed on the tree line. Minutes seemed like hours. The tension built, the air grew hot and filled with the scent of the fresh earth from our trenches. It reminded me of mornings spent working in my garden.
The tension broke as we heard in the distance the low coughing sound of the enemies mortars. At first the bombs were detonating in our rear, but the correction was made and soon the earth was errupting all around our positions. We were well protected in our dug in positions. A couple of my men took fight wounds, but nothing serious in my company. As the bombardment continued the men in the forward positions started making their way back through the trench system to join the main line. They were reporting very large concentrations collecting at the edge of the woods, yelling, singing, and firing their weapons into the air. Now, along with the mortars, the heavier artillery started to fall. Our casualties were mounting. Most were not to severe, a dressing and back into the line.
I peered over the trench to take stock of the situation. Through the smoke, dirt and dust I could make out the Russians leaving the protection of the trees and advancing up the slope toward our positions. Hundreds of the brown clad soldiers, with their officers and commisars rushing back and forth along the line, screaming, exaulting, threatening their men to move ahead. I had heard of this kind of attack, the human wave. But this was my first experience with it. The mortars and artillery lifted fire. I ran up and down my company's section of the trench line, making sure my men had their heads up, weapons at the ready, grenades ready to toss into the midst of the brown hoard. With a quick check on the four MG34 in our line, we were ready.
THE REAL WORLD
After the setup of the German forces, trench works, minefields, etc..., the game began. I spent the first Russian phase of the turn moving up the machine guns and mortars. The forward observers, air and artillery, were moved onto the table and into position. The German positions did not have a line of sight to any area beyond the woods due to the low height of the hills.
Thus, the Russians were able to move right up to the west edge of the hills unmolested. The Russians used their fire missions of off board artillery and mortars as they were moving to their jump off points. The forward observers for both sides had established radio contact with their respective off board entities. In the next player turn radio contact would have to be maintained before the observers would be able to call for support. As the first Russian wave exited the woods the second and third waves moved up to maintain the required distance. With this the Russian player phase of the game turn was ended and the German phase began.
THE GAME
My eyes were fixed on the enemy soldiers advancing steadily up the rise. The officers and commissars still busy with their duties. Our machine guns opened up on them and tore great gaps in the line, which the commissars and leaders were busy filling with more soldiers. Our snipers were beginning to take a small toll on the leadership of the Russian horde. 1 even saw several of the commissars shoot their own men, men that were breaking and running back to the woods, or were falling behind due to light wounds. I could not believe the soldiers did not turn on the commissars. The Russians were starting to take heavy casualties but it was nothing in comparison to the amount of troops making the advance. As this line advanced one section ran headlong into one of our minefields, which was well hidden in the tall grass. But still on they came, not even stopping to fire, just firing from the hip, bayonets gleeming in the sun.
Our attention was so focused on this wave advancing on us that we barely noticed the second and third waves exiting the woodline. At this point the first wave was closing on the trenches, taking horrific casualties. I made my way back and forth in the system, mp38 in one hand and bayonet in the other. My men were fighting hard and keeping Ivan out of the trench. Most of them had been hit before they got to the trench, so that very few made it to our positions. We did however take some casualties, two dead and 9 wounded badly enough to have to be evacuated.
Those of us left unharmed quickly prepared for the next wave which was closing on us very rapidly. Behind them, the third wave could be seen to be close at hand also, and a fourth wave starting from the woods. Our artillery began pounding the tree line. We were glad for this as it appeared that we were going to need all the help we could get if we were to have a chance of surviving this onslaught. In some areas the high explosive was setting the grass ablaze, thus forcing the oncoming waves to concentrate in order to get past these spots. Our machine guns were taking advantage of this, concentrating their fire on these areas.
Even above the roar of the artillery I could hear the familiar drone of aircraft engines approaching. I turned to see two Stuka coming from our rear. As they passed overhead you could see the bomb loads they carried. A loud cheer arose from our lines, our beloved Luftwaffe was coming to our aid. They would bring a measure of grief to those approaching Ivan soldiers. As they dove and released their first bombs the Russians hit the dirt. This gave us very valuable time to regroup and prepare to meet the next wave, which was barely 30 metres distant. Runners were coming up with supplies of ammo and grenades, and helping to get the wounded back to the dressing stations. One of them informed me that the fighting was not going so well on the northern hill. There the Russians had gained a foothold in the trenches, driving the defenders back and inflicting heavy casualties. Some of the regimental staff had been put under arms and were joining the displaced company in a counter attack to attempt to retake the lost trench system. Meanwhile the Stuka were finishing their attack. They had dropped their bomb load and were now starting the Kiev highway. This could mean only one thing, more Russians moving up into the woods.
THE REAL WORLD
By the fifth game turn the Russians had moved the first three waves onto the slope of the hills, with the first assaulting the trenches, and the fourth and fifth waves into the open ground in front of the hills. Although the first wave took very heavy casualties, they did have some success. They had been able to cause serious casualties on the northern hill, and even taken a section of the trench line. It was at this time that the Stuka flight showed up and inflicted some serious damage on the second and third waves. They made no attempt to attack the first wave due to the close proximity to the German lines. In bombing and straffig runs the Stuka were able to cause nearly 20% casualties in the second and third waves. They then proceeded to attack a concentration of troops on the Kiev Highway, but caused very minor casualties on the seventh wave moving across the highway and into the woods. The eigth wave moving into the narrow strip between the highway and the railroad embankments. The attack was going pretty well for the Russians, even better than expected. I did not think that any of the trench line could be taken until at least the first two waves had spent themselves wearing down the defenders. But, as well as things were going for the attackers, it was that bad for the Germans on the northern hill. Two of the four 60mm mortars had malfunctioned on a firing roll of twelve on 2d6. On repair die rolls both had thrown sixes which deemed them both unrepairable.
From that point, things got worse. One of the two heavy machine guns malfunctioned and at the beginning of game turn 3 had still not been repaired. A critical hit [snake eyes on two d6] had been gained by a Russian 82mm mortar on a log bunker that killed an entire company command staff for the units on the northern hill. One entire company had broken, or were killed outright, leaving a gaping hole in the trenchline which was promptly filled by the Russians.
But, across the entire German front not all had been bad. The assault on the southern hill had been severely mauled. Not one Russian soldier from the first wave had survived. The Germans casualties had been very light, and things were well in hand for the southern hills defenders. Most of the casualties caused by the Stuka raid had been in the northern sector, so the defenders of that hill would not be as hard pressed for the next couple of game turns. But it was imperative that the lost section of trenchline be retaken.
At the beginning of the 7th game turn radio rolls were made and both sides maintained contact for both the air and artillery observers. The Russian player rolled for and received air support, a flight of two planes would arrive that game turn.
THE GAME
As I watched the two stuka making their strafing run over the Kiev highway, the rear plane suddenly burst into flames, it had been hit by 85mm anti aircraft fire. The plane crumbled apart as it fell to the ground. The surviving plane pulled out of its run, turned and headed back to the west. Hopefully he would be back after taking on fuel and weapons load.
As the plane departed my attention was diverted back to our front. With the planes gone the Russians had renewed their attack. The whole of the southern hill seemed to explode. Russian artillery had unleashed all that was available to them and we were taking a pounding. They were hoping, I am sure, to gain a foothold in our trenches as they had on the north hill. Our machine guns began to chatter, and we opened up with rifle fire at targets barely 60 metres away. Once again great gaps opened in the oncoming Russian fine. Officers and Commissars tried to do their duty and keep their men advancing quickly up the slope. Their jobs were useless as the majority of the men, with self preservation utmost in mind, cowered behind great clumps of soil thrown up by the bombing, and in shell craters. This wave had also been decimated by rifle, machine gun, and mortat fire before they had reached within 25 metres. Only isolated pockets of soldiers kept up the attack, and were easily dealt with. By this time the bodies of the Russian soldiers were piled so high that they were blocking fire into the third wave coming on. Behind the third wave, now only 20 metres distant, I could see a fourth and fifth wave advancing up the slope, and a sixth wave pouring from the woods.
Once again we put fire on the swarming Russians, in such a volume that I had never seen before. Our artillery was falling at the base of the hill, I could no longer see the treeline from which the Russians had launched their attacks. But I could see masses of the Ivan exiting the smoke and dust filled bombardment area. We had been fighting for about forty minutes, and it seemed that there was no end to the waves of men coming up the slope. The enemy soldiers were certainly brave enough but the tactics being used were waisting these men in a way I had never experienced before. But every enemy soldier killed here would be one less to fire on our comrades later.
As we continued to fire into the oncoming ranks, the low rumble of aircraft could be heard again. Only this time it was not coming from behind, but in front of us. As they approached we could see that these were not our planes, but the planes of the enemy. They screamed by, strafing our positions, taking a south to north run on our lines. Our AA opened up, but so far had no effect. My men were busy with the Russian soldiers to our front, and most paid no attention to the planes. The aircraft made three more runs, causing considerable casualties in our section of the line, and taking out two mortar and one machine gun position. The third wave had closed and was being dealt with when the fourth wave struck. Things were desperate for our hard pressed men. The hand to hand fighting was ruthless and the Russians were very good at it. Our casualties were mounting rapidly and we would not be able to hold on much longer. I sent a runner with a message to bring up the reserve platoon. The third wave had been dealt with but the forth were taking over parts of the trench system. Just then the fifth wave hit us and some of the men began taking flight to the rear. Taking stock of our situation there was little that could be done. Some of the hard core veterans remained in the trenches and gave as good as they got.
Just as I was prepared to issue the command to fall back, we started getting the replacements from our reserve platoon. Together we fought hard to rid our positions of the Russians. The fighting was tough, but we managed to handle most of the attackers then the next wave hit us. At this point further fighting would be fruitless and I gave the order to fall back to the next line of ' trenches, Most of the machinegun positions had been lost to Ivan, and those that weren't lost had to be left behind in a very hasty withdrawal.
THE REAL WORLD
Things had gone well for the Germans, but better for the Russians. They were firmly into the forward trench systems on both hills. The defenders on the northern hill had lost part of the trenches early in the game but had been able to regain most of them. However by game turn 7 both hills had lost considerable parts of their prepared positions and had not been able to take them back. At the point of game turn 8 the Germans were being driven from their defense line on the forward slopes of the hills to hastily prepared positions on the crest. The Russians still had enough troops for 3 more waves and had started to enter them onto the board. With the sixth and seventh waves already on the board and moving up the hills, the Germans would in all probability be looking at having to abandon the second line of trenches. I suppose that the Germans would have fallen back, regrouped and mounted a counterattack to regain the hills. Unfortunately this was beyond the scope of this game. My supreme commander [my wife] had determined that I had enough time to play my game and informed me that we needed the space in the game room for my son's party. Ah, the horrors of war. This game was a lot of fun to play, even without my beloved armor, but I think my next game will be a combined arms attack.
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© Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum
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