During the German advance into the Soviet Union, a Waffen
SS unit has made a bold move to seize a crucial road junction. Having defended against one Soviet counter-attack, it now waits for the German main force to arrive, licking its wounds from the days costly fighting...
In the early morning, the Germans hear the sounds of vehicles approaching... from the West and the East.
Russian Forces
German Forces
Two companies of Waffen-
SS would be holding the town in the centre of the table. Both Soviet and German forces would arrive, two units per turn as their march columns reached the table...
Both sides arrived in dribs and dabs. First a mini-engagement was fought out between the two sides recce vehicles, with the Soviets getting the better (indeed the Russian recce remained till the very end, proving very tenacious!) and the Waffen-SS caught in the middle.
As more troops arrived the Germans suffered only having one good road, and as one column made good headway, the other had to move cross country. This was however balanced by the Soviet infantry having to make their advance on foot. Both sides headed towards the town centre and converged on it. The Soviets initially re-took the town (though the SS men hid out in the houses and Russian tanks drove through, but lacking in infantry support the Russian tanks couldnt hold the town and eventually pulled back after a drawn out tank battle, with both sides taking heavy losses.
This was followed by a Soviet infantry attack under a barrage of rocket and mortar fire that virtually destroyed one of the German motorised infantry battalions, but they again managed to cling on, and along with air support, plus a cunning out flanking move, they bombed and shot up the Russian column.
Eventually things got to much for the Soviets and their losses forced them to retire, though they had lost the town they had caused heavy German losses and held them at bay for the entire day.
The result was a tactical victory for the Germans (town taken and held) but a strategic victory for the Russians (stop German forces exiting east table edge by end of game). Both sides took heavy losses, with the Germans losing half their infantry and the Soviets leaving most of their armour burnt out around the village.
