We played out the basic 'attack' scenario tonight from the rulebook. Interesting battle with the Russians having a few poor rolls but the Germans once more performing well...
The game started with a scheduled artillery strike from the Germans landing right on a Russian infantry platoon and with 8 dice scoring four direct hits... That pretty much gutted a platoon in the first turn and killed their Platoon Commander. Things didnt get much better from there on in for the Russians. Their attempt to push the left flank of the Germans ran onto mortar fire and two Panzer IVs set-up in ambush that destroyed four T-34s with a bit of help from the lone Tiger Ace.
On the other flank the massed tank attack by 6 T-34s and a single SU-152 was broken up by another Panzer IV and an artillery rquest that brought in a Nebelwerfer strike. This caused the Russian attack to divert, after knocking out the Panzer IV and they tried to attack in the centre. This met with more heavy mortar fire and tank fire, and although they managed to immobilise the Tiger, the Russians lost all their armour... With 11 tanks burning on the battlefield and one of their two infantry platoons gutted, the Russians retreated. The Germans lost a Panzer IV and two
MG teams plus a few more casualties from one of the infantry commands.
What clinched it for the Germans was that their force was more compact and featured a balance of all arms with some choice supporting artillery. The Russians, electing to go tank heavy, had little artillery support to help them and with the tanks moving far ahead of the infantry, and the infantry commanders being casualties early on, they had to make an armour only attack that battered its way through but to no avail.
Oh and the Germans had some very nice dice rolls...
