There were about 15 players at Tabletop Tuesdays Historical Gaming night at Tabletop Hobbies at 78th & Quivera in Lenexa Kan. from 6:30PM-10-ish . We cruised through the store as the game-masters set up their games. I found the July issues of Miniatures Wargames, Wargames Illustrated, and Courier #91.
In the game room there were 4 "historical" games set up to play. Two of the games setup were smaller Shako Napoleonic games to practice to rules being used in the up-coming Napoleonics Campaign game we’re going to start here at the store. About 7 players played these two games with a couple divisions of troops on each French/Allies player side. The 3rd game put on was the Squad Leader game from last week (Battle for the Tractor Factory) with the Guards Counter-Attack too but this week they added the "tanks" that weren’t used last week! The 4th game being put on was micro-armor "The Battle for Commune #43" which I was interested in playing.
Chad Gilbert put this battle on for 5 of us players using his painted tanks & troops and "Jagdpanther" rules-set that he was familiar with. The situation was the Germans needed to capture the small village (Commune #43) to open a flank attack on the Kursk campaign. Stalin had put an expendable Guards Infantry Brigade in and around the Commune buildings & fields with orders to "hold at all costs"!!
The Russian troops here had been positioned long enough to "dig-in" and place 2 mine-fields (2"x12"). The Russian infantry (12 squads & 7 ATR’s) had dug-in in the wheat-fields in "unseen" trenches and spider-holes while the Russian AT guns (6 L45mm)were entrenched directly in the rubbled buildings & farm barns of Commune #43. The entrenched Russians were also supported by T-34’s (6 tanks) placed to the right rear behind a small hill out of sight guarding the right flank against a wide flanking attack to the right! The greatest factor in defense of the commune was the placement of the two "mine-fields" - 1 was placed on the right between a gap between two "swampy" areas and the second was placed "directly forward" on the German’s probable approach route!
These two mine-fields (and swampy areas) covered two sides of the four ways to approach the commune buildings. While there was a "hole" to cover on the far right, the Germans would be forced to "attack to the left flank" where most of the Russian infantry & ATR’shad been placed. Also the majority of the AT guns (4 of 6) covered the left!!
The Germans had attacking forces of 24 tanks (3 groups of 8 Mk4’s & Mk3’s). These 3 groups were supported by 8 MG halftracks loaded with 8 squads of infantry, 2 recon AC’s, and 2 SP artillery guns. Their initial deployment was two tank groups (16 tanks and the infantry HTK’s) coming from the middle thru a gap in two hills. The 3rd tank group went to our right ( I was Russian) to try to flank us thru the "swampy area" gap (mined). The German SP guns (2) placed themselves on a hill on the left where they could hit about anything in sight! It looked like the Germans planned to drive straight forward toward the town and use their "massed guns" to take out any defenders they came upon! Knowing the Russian placement, their best attack was around our left flank deep to the rear then attack the commune buildings from the rear - but the Germans could not see our units (or the mine-fields) until we fired (or with-in 3") so we Russians had a big advantage even though "out-numbered"!!
The way the "rules play" both sides roll for initiative and the winning side gets to move first. You can move your units 1/2 move and get to "fire" in the moving units fire phase or move all and not fire - non-movers get to fire twice per turn (once before moving units fire and once after moving units fire)! The "non-moving fires" are a "first-fire" that is enemy units hit & destroyed don’t get to fire later in the turn (moving-units fire or second non-moving units fire)! After all "fires" all melees are done then morale checks are rolled for any group of units that took losses that turn!
1st turn
The Germans moved onto the table 2/3rds in the middle and 1/3rd to the Russian right, they occupied a couple hills out front of the commune & fields but could not see any exposed Russian units from there. The Russians chose not to move but to use their "hidden positions" to best advantage!
2nd turn
The Germans sent their two recon AC’s in toward the commune buildings (1 thru the right swampy area gap & 1 thru the front right up the middle to the commune). The German AC on the right "brewed up" (destroyed) in that mine-field and we had to put the mine-field on the table showing that that right side of the table was almost completely blocked-off (we Russians made a mistake here in believing that the mine-fields would completely block the enemy approach from across a mine-field - the actual chance of crossing the mine-field unhurt was 50/50 but we didn‘t know it at the time)! The other AC that charged up the middle (across the mine-field) crossed successfully and drove up to the commune buildings forcing us Russians to have to show 2 of our entrenched AT guns ( by the way - we didn’t have to show the "front" mine-field since it had caused no damage that turn - this was to have a great effect on the next German move)! We Russians fired our 2 AT guns showing at the German AC (killed it) and a German tank about 8" away (killed it too).
3rd move
The Germans tried to concentrate their tanks at the front of the commune and moved 5 tanks across the mine-field to our front (3 of these brewed up but 2 made it across to trade shots with our AT guns showing) we now had to show this 2nd mine-field! The Germans were surprised by our mine placement and immediately "changed their attack plans. They would have to swing to the left flank thru the wheat-fields if they were to get to the commune buildings - their right flank attack (8 tanks) turned back to the left giving up the right flank attack (the Russian right flank wasn’t defended by much - 4 infantry squads - and the mine-fields were crossable "with risk" but no further attack on that flank came).
4th move
As the German tanks approached the commune buildings thru the left wheat-fields the entrenched 4 Russian infantry and 7 ATR’s popped up from their "spider-holes" shooting up the German tanks at "close-range" with flank shots (thinner armor) and rolling "hot" got hits! The German tanks in the middle crossed the mine-field in the middle to close with the entrenched AT guns losing about half the tanks that tried! At this point I’ll try to explain the "over-run rule" - basically any tank can over-run any infantry or AT gun and if that infantry or AT gun does not kill the over-running tank by the end of the turn - the defending infantry or AT gun is destroyed (by gun & mg fire). Anyway the Germans "over-ran" any Russian squad, ATR, or AT gun they could reach. Though "lucky rolling" though (lots of low numbers) most of the German tanks were getting killed off before the end of the turn - the Germans were trading "tanks for infantry" (a few each turn).
5th turn
The Germans brought up their half-tracked infantry and unloaded into the wheat-fields so as to kill off our ATR’s and infantry and moved their tanks over to just outside the commune buildings. We Russians could see that the wheat-fields were now going to fall so we ordered up our armor reserve (6 T-34’s) from the rear behind a hill - we moved "full move" that turn up to the back of the commune and didn’t get to fire - German SP guns on that front hill killed 1 of our T-34’s but the other 5 made it into the commune rubble buildings! We also moved our infantry into the commune rubble from the wheat-fields just outside ( we were trading our "dug-in" trenches for a "-4" modifier in the commune rubble and "holding the village" was the victory condition)!!
6th turn
The Germans moved about 6 tanks and some of the "unloaded" infantry into their end of the rubbled village but we Russians now had a "superiority" in the village in "tank-killing weapons" and a "parity" in infantry squads! Both sides held their tanks back at their ends of the village while the infantry of both sides fought in the middle for superiority. The combined Russian squads, AT guns, and tanks got hits on the German squads and in "melee battles" killed two German squads ! Because of losses in unit’s the German groups had to "morale check" and failed a couple causing their tank units (at 25%) to "back off to cover" (retreat back) while the Russian groups in the village passed and held!
7th turn
As the sun was setting (10PM real time) we exchanged a few more combats in the village but the Germans (down to 4 tanks from their starting 24) could not overcome the Russians 4 tanks, 3 AT guns, 1 ATR, and 7 squads - the Russians hold their end of the village! The game is declared a draw! After the game we discussed the importance of the "mine-field" effect (killed about 8 German tanks & AC’s) and the lucky "low numbers" rolled by the Russian ATR’s & AT guns! We felt at the start of the battle that the Russians would be defeated but being "hidden" off the table till firing or seen was a big advantage. We felt we couldn’t defend everywhere and only mid-game moved everybody into the village rubble with it’s "-4" modifiers!
We enjoyed this micro armor game and learning the Jagdpather rules with Chad Gilbert‘s stuff!
We look forward to the next Tabletop Tuesday every Tuesday night at Tabletop Hobbies, the Ft. Leav. Simsats Aug 7th at the U.S. Army Museum, the LSHS Recruits-Con Sept. 17th/18th at Lees Summit High School (check out www.recruits-con.com) , Border Wars HAHMGS Con Oct. 1,2,3 at the Best Western on S.W. Trafwy. in K.C.Kan., and Command Con Nov.19-21 in St. Louis at Grant’s Shelter! Till then, good gaming all, Harold (Harold’s Old Games) Morgan in Gladstone Mo. (N.K.C.Mo.)
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