Posted on 24 June 2012 at 17:55:21 GMT .. don;t know, but I do... so a game featuring the 8th Mech Corps' 34th Tank Divsion, and it's distant cousin the 15th, against the randomly selected 9th Panzer division (I do like Bob Mackenzies lists)..
15th Tank is an old school division - T28, T26, T38s even... 34th Tank is an mix... Classic T35s and BTs intermixed with shiny new KV (1 and 2!) and T34 types, but Soviet tank divs are light on supporting arms, and the particular circumstances - long, confused approach marches with no real picture of what they were marching into - meant that there would be no scheduled fires or air support on call..
9th Panzer is a German, as opposed to Czech, unit, that's pretty much up to standard TOE... but it's not all here...one rifle brigarde and the Panzerjager are elsewhere, so they field the two panzer battalions and one rifle brigade.
The Soviets attack from either flank, 15th Tank arrives first, then (when the Soviet player rolls under the turn count on 2d6) 34th Tank arrives on the opposite quarter.
9th Panzer starts along the table centreline, aware that it's threatened from both sides. It needs to keep the road open so it can maintain the advance and further disrupt the Soviet defence...
15th Tank and 9th Panzer came up to about 5000 points, 34th Tank to about 4000.
Game worked out as a Soviet victory, 9th Panzer's second Panzer battalion seemed to have a problem with its radio frequencies as it consistently failed to receive its first order each turn, so had to be chivvied by the CO each turn... this and issues with radios in towns limited their ability to react to the developing Soviet threat.
When we called it 15th Tank was near to its break point, 34th had arrived and made a significant advance down the undefended flank of 9th Panzer. 9th's losses weren't significant, a couple of PIIIs and some Sd232s, but 15th Tank was astride the road to the rear and 34th was to its front and flank and very fresh... |