Battlegroup Fall of the Reich club night

Last evening we played the Hard Road scenario from BFotR.  1050 points of Russians taking on a similar points value of Germans.  The German battlegroup was divided into 3 groups of 350 point forces, one of a Volksturm platoon fully loaded with Panzerfausts, supported by a PAK38 in AT emplacement, an MG34 nest, an MG34 and loader team and an artillery spotter with off table 80mm mortar battery.  The other battlegroups were again Volksturm platoons, but not dug in, one supported by a Stug IIIG battery and the other by 3 Pz IVs.

We drew the hard road scenario and the Russian players drew the table edge with the bigger built up area.  Germans placed the road block as far forward as possible and I deployed my trenches across the table with the PAK 38 facing towards the upper right table edge.  I also deployed an MG emplacement in the woods to the right of the road block.  Will deployed a PAK 38 in the town to the right of the road and I placed an MG34 team with loaders in the building to the left of the road.  Ian had three Stugs deployed in the village and in woods on both flanks.  Steve and Mike had T-34s, ISU-152 and what looked like SU-85s or similar, plus loads of infantry and some timed artillery.  1050 points per side.

The Russians pushed forward into the town and sent T-34s down both flanks, those on the right deploying tank riders to get into the woods in the foreground.  These guys killed one of my snipers, for the loss of 2 men.

Taking the woods on the German left meant the Stug had to bug out or face close assault with AT grenades.

 

Russian tank riders move into the woods.

More Russian infantry push past the town while T-34s and animal killers carry on a long range duel with Stugs and AT guns.

On the right, the MG dug out, sniper and Stug await the coming storm.

Turn 3 and German reserves arrive - three Pz IVs to contest the right wing with two T-34s in the far distance.

At the end of the game - we ran out of time - Mike decided to recon in force with a T-34, which ran into Faust fire from infantry in trenches on the left - scratch one T-34.  The Stug, relocated from the woods on the German left has been brewed up in the centre, as has the Sdkfz 222 recce.  The PAK 38 in the village has been swept away, although the dug in PAK 38 is still in the game.

The red horde advancing into Germany.

So far so good on the German left.

When we had to call a halt, the Germans were over half their break point while the Russians were significantly less than half.  Both sides could have done with more artillery support.  The Russians played the waiting game, keeping at extreme range, so both sides shooting was spectacularly unsuccessful, although the Russians were getting the best of it.  It was only when the Russian commander had a rush of blood and charged unpinned infantry with a T-34 that they suffered any serious armour casualties.

All in all, too big a game for an evening, but fun and some interesting lessons about tactics and troop selection.  Next time …..!

Thanks for looking.