jrv
Forum Guru
The Germans have a hard setup in this scenario, because they have to balance the risk to their 75LLs against their fine anti-tank capabilities. As good as they are against tanks, they are lousy against Infantry. With APCR only, any hit against Infantry is on the 1 FP column. Next the German needs to decide which buildings to defend and which to ignore. My opponent ignored Vf7 (obvious) and L7 (tricky to get anyone out alive), set up a halfie in 4I10 (fair enough), and had a squad in each of vK10, v9n vP7, vS7, 4N5, 4M8. The 9-2 was somewhere in the 4M1 area with a 4-6-8 & MMG. He set up dummies in vS3 & vZ1, hoping to keep me from attempting a flank run.
As I had the Russkies, I wanted to find these AT Guns and keep my armor where they ain't. I was perfectly happy to trade one tank to find an AT Gun, but not two. I loaded up the T34s with riders, planning to keep their radioless carcasses out of sight for the first turn or two, and sent the KVs forward to scout. The first KV ran to vM6 without finding anything. A platoon of Infantry followed. The MTR squad ran up the vG7 hill and two T-34s carried two squads up the hill too.
BTW, make sure you and your opponent agree on what kind of buildings are on board v. The L7 building for instance is obviously wood, but my opponent thought the P7 and N9 buildings were stone.
So far no shots, and I was beginning to get a bit nervous. I sent a KV straight up the middle toward the hulldown position in 4I2 when a shot rang out. An ATG in 4O3 nailed the KV. I sent a platoon of Infantry into the 4H2 woods. Two squads rode the other two T34s to 4G8 & G9, and a platoon followed behind on foot. One KV broke its MA in the AFPh.
The Germans skulked, and no major action happened on their turn one.
In the Russian second turn their Infantry moved into the vL7 building, along the vK8 hillside, to the 4I1 wall, the 4J0 woods, to the edge of the 4K7 field, and next to the halfsquad in 4K10. The tanks tried to find places where the German ATGs were unlikely to be while supporting the Infantry. The T34s on the vG7 hill thought they would test the western flank, and moved through the vM6 grain. It turned out that the second Gun was guarding this flank from vR8, which resulted in a lost T34. The surviving T34 moved to vR3, where it slaughtered some dummies. The KVs pinched the middle by moving into vM10 & 4L1. The last two T34s made a run for the 4P7 area. The Gun in 4O3 missed the swivel shot but kept rate, missed the second shot and the Intensive, and like that the T34s were behind the German positions in 4P7 and 4O8.
With about five squads following along, the two tanks in 4P7 & O8 represented a grave threat to the three building hexes on that flank. On the other flank, Russian Infantry were working up toward vP7 and vN9. It was the right time for the Wunderwaffe, the Russian 50mm MTR, to make its statement. A quick pop, and the 75LL crew in vR3 broke. The crew of the other 75LL tried to push it, but only got as far a 4P3. The Russian crew, which survived from the KV, ran up to 4O3, and the two crews spent several turns exchanging vodka, schnapps and tall stories, for neither crew was able to break the other at point blank range. The top of turn three saw the Russians taking vN9 as well. The KV with the broken MA drove to 4N2 to bring the woods under fire. A T34 drove to 3Q8, which forced the crew in vR8 to rout away from its Gun and gave an encircling shot into vP7. The German squad there surrendered.
On the bottom of three, the German reinforcements arrived. The German AC went to vQ10 where it discovered that every Russian weapon could fire on it. A CH from a KV finished One motorcycle ran through 4S9, passing its shellhole dr only to be shot by rifle fire. The second motorcycle failed its shellhole dr, so two German reinforcement squads were broken. The Marder moved to 4AA2, which caused the two T34s in 4P7 and O8 into Motion. The third reinforcement squad moved to somewhere like 4T8.
On the top of the fourth, the T34 in vQ8 drove into the woods in vR8 to guard the German 75LL. The KV with the MA drove to 4P0 where it interdicted the German reinforcements trying to get into the P6 building and then broke the 9-2 leader in 4P1 during the bottom of four. With that break my opponent failed his PMC.
My opponent felt the Germans are on the short end of this one, but if the Germans can sense what needs to be defended, I think the scenario is even. The German defense is probably centered around the vL10 and the 4O6 areas, with the idea of giving up one (probably vL10) after a vicious and time-consuming fight. The 75LL Guns cover these positions from the rear, so they won't be lost easily. The Russians meanwhile have to keep their armor spread out. Ideally Infantry will find the German 75LL Guns, but losing a tank or two finding them isn't a terrible trade.
BTW, I don't quite get why the Russian 50mm MTR has a nickname like “Wunderwaffe.” That's German, right? Did the Germans give the name out of respect, or did the Russians use a German name ironically? Does anyone know?
JR
As I had the Russkies, I wanted to find these AT Guns and keep my armor where they ain't. I was perfectly happy to trade one tank to find an AT Gun, but not two. I loaded up the T34s with riders, planning to keep their radioless carcasses out of sight for the first turn or two, and sent the KVs forward to scout. The first KV ran to vM6 without finding anything. A platoon of Infantry followed. The MTR squad ran up the vG7 hill and two T-34s carried two squads up the hill too.
BTW, make sure you and your opponent agree on what kind of buildings are on board v. The L7 building for instance is obviously wood, but my opponent thought the P7 and N9 buildings were stone.
So far no shots, and I was beginning to get a bit nervous. I sent a KV straight up the middle toward the hulldown position in 4I2 when a shot rang out. An ATG in 4O3 nailed the KV. I sent a platoon of Infantry into the 4H2 woods. Two squads rode the other two T34s to 4G8 & G9, and a platoon followed behind on foot. One KV broke its MA in the AFPh.
The Germans skulked, and no major action happened on their turn one.
In the Russian second turn their Infantry moved into the vL7 building, along the vK8 hillside, to the 4I1 wall, the 4J0 woods, to the edge of the 4K7 field, and next to the halfsquad in 4K10. The tanks tried to find places where the German ATGs were unlikely to be while supporting the Infantry. The T34s on the vG7 hill thought they would test the western flank, and moved through the vM6 grain. It turned out that the second Gun was guarding this flank from vR8, which resulted in a lost T34. The surviving T34 moved to vR3, where it slaughtered some dummies. The KVs pinched the middle by moving into vM10 & 4L1. The last two T34s made a run for the 4P7 area. The Gun in 4O3 missed the swivel shot but kept rate, missed the second shot and the Intensive, and like that the T34s were behind the German positions in 4P7 and 4O8.
With about five squads following along, the two tanks in 4P7 & O8 represented a grave threat to the three building hexes on that flank. On the other flank, Russian Infantry were working up toward vP7 and vN9. It was the right time for the Wunderwaffe, the Russian 50mm MTR, to make its statement. A quick pop, and the 75LL crew in vR3 broke. The crew of the other 75LL tried to push it, but only got as far a 4P3. The Russian crew, which survived from the KV, ran up to 4O3, and the two crews spent several turns exchanging vodka, schnapps and tall stories, for neither crew was able to break the other at point blank range. The top of turn three saw the Russians taking vN9 as well. The KV with the broken MA drove to 4N2 to bring the woods under fire. A T34 drove to 3Q8, which forced the crew in vR8 to rout away from its Gun and gave an encircling shot into vP7. The German squad there surrendered.
On the bottom of three, the German reinforcements arrived. The German AC went to vQ10 where it discovered that every Russian weapon could fire on it. A CH from a KV finished One motorcycle ran through 4S9, passing its shellhole dr only to be shot by rifle fire. The second motorcycle failed its shellhole dr, so two German reinforcement squads were broken. The Marder moved to 4AA2, which caused the two T34s in 4P7 and O8 into Motion. The third reinforcement squad moved to somewhere like 4T8.
On the top of the fourth, the T34 in vQ8 drove into the woods in vR8 to guard the German 75LL. The KV with the MA drove to 4P0 where it interdicted the German reinforcements trying to get into the P6 building and then broke the 9-2 leader in 4P1 during the bottom of four. With that break my opponent failed his PMC.
My opponent felt the Germans are on the short end of this one, but if the Germans can sense what needs to be defended, I think the scenario is even. The German defense is probably centered around the vL10 and the 4O6 areas, with the idea of giving up one (probably vL10) after a vicious and time-consuming fight. The 75LL Guns cover these positions from the rear, so they won't be lost easily. The Russians meanwhile have to keep their armor spread out. Ideally Infantry will find the German 75LL Guns, but losing a tank or two finding them isn't a terrible trade.
BTW, I don't quite get why the Russian 50mm MTR has a nickname like “Wunderwaffe.” That's German, right? Did the Germans give the name out of respect, or did the Russians use a German name ironically? Does anyone know?
JR
