6mm IABSM game played in Powder Springs October 2014 with Martin and Rick C. and myself, Mark Luther.
Rolling Terrain
This game was put together pretty quickly once I found out what the Florida players wanted to see. Rick had ten M3 Grants and he likes Russian Front, so I thought I'd do a nice little Kursk game. That patch of yellow and green is a sunflower field per a request from Pam.
Overrun Soviet Positions
The premise of this scenario was that the Russians would be counterattacking some recently captured territory. These are those abandoned entrenched positions. I just don't get to use them too often so I came up with an good excuse.
Artillery coming down on the village
Rick and I as the Soviets had two pregame stonks. So he elected to put them around the village area. Martin rolls for casualties. I think he had quite a bit of shock on his units and a Sdkfz 250 was immobilized. Most of his units were out of the beaten area.
Wooded streambed
If we (Russians) were being clever we would try to infiltrate into the village through this route. But no time for that. Instead we would come charging in over the rolling hills to the right.
Barrage area
Martins's units were part of a Panzer recce battalion, reinforced with a battery of three StuG IIIs. He had a platoon of grenadiers in seven Sdkfz 250s; with one 250/10 with a Pak 36 and three 250/9s with the 20mm autocannon in a turret. The 250/9s were deployed forward overlooking the rolling terrain and the Stugs were this side of the barrage. The grenadiers were in the orchard area inside the barrage area.
1st company of Grants
Rick's company of seven M3 Grants with a company of tank riders and came in from the top edge of the table.
Sdkfz 250/9s
Martin opens fire to try to clean off some red riders. The halftracks are hull down on a slight ridge.
Time to hop off
The 20mm fire does kill a couple of the Russian infantrymen, and Rick quickly dismounts and goes to ground behind the tanks.
Return fire on the halftracks
Martin won't stick around too long in this unequal contest. Even though they were a small hull down target, Rick scored a couple of minor hits
Some shocked troops
Unfortunately one of the casualties was a platoon CO. Bad start for the Russians.
Moving through a small depression
Rick sends a platoon of tanks and infantry along a slight depression out of line of sight of the 250/9s
Overhead view
Russian getting organized to carry on their advance
Infantry rushes into the village
But took some fire from the displaced 250/9s
And now the StuGs open up
Martin's battery of Stugs had moved to the right to overlook the lower parts of the village. And when the lead unit of Grants appeared, they hammered them.
View to a Kill
Nice angle to cover the Soviet advance. The 250 half-track is staying out of sight.
And the rest of the battery
Grants in trouble
As the infantry huddles in the farm buildings, the Grants come under fire from across the stream. One M3 is KO'ed quickly and two others take hits.
More 20mm fire
The 250/9s had moved down into the village and were able to shot up the infantry as they moved into the farm buildings
Covering fire from the remaining Grants
They took up some hull down posts on a ridge to use their 37mm turret guns only. One of the 250/9s is abandoned in an orchard below. The Grants would now switch their fire to the Stugs.
Sdkfz 250/9s
After limping off the ridge they took up positions to sweep the back entrance into town. One of the halftracks had to be abandoned after taking another 37mm hit though.
Company CO leads the rest of the infantry into the fight
The platoon that was shot up by the halftracks earlier and lost a platoon CO is shepherded into the village by the Company CO.
Making sure that the 250/9s are out of action
The abandoned halftrack was hit again to make sure that it was truly KO'd.
The 250/10 gets into the act
It had moved out to the flank hoping to get a shot in on the side armor of the M3s
Second company of Russians finally arrives
And I finally get on the table with my company. I rolled ahead of time to see how many turns of the "Blank" card it would be before I came on the table. Only two turns were required, but alas that took awhile. There is a dummy German blind to the left and a slight ridge between my company and the 250/9s.
German viewpoint
The blinds to the left are the recce grenadiers
250/9s run away
Too many Russian tanks to stick around
StuGs holding off Rick's M3s
Planning the next move
Two of the StuGs have pulled back along with the 250/9s.
Three M3s going nowhere
Even the puny 205/10 managed to score a hit on the Grants
Pulling back
Rick finally got a solid hit on one of the Stugs. It turned out to be the battery CO. With my tanks coming into view, Martin decided to move back to a better, less exposed position.
One more destroyed Grant
Another line of Soviets
I pulled my M3s up to a hull down position (not exactly Soviet doctrine) and dropped off my infantry to sweep to my right.
My Soviet tanks
I was hesitant to charge ahead, no knowing what else was waiting to strike.
What could those blinds be?
We saw some movement down there and had to assume that they were dangerous.
Soviet M3s
These are GHQ models
StuG IIIs pulling back
And these are some CinC models
Rick's Soviets getting organized
Long line of Red tanks
Infantry seems reluctant to move off
Their cards just wouldn't come up.
Still exchanging shots
The battery CO vehicle is now burning. He was a Junior Tank Ace too.
Closer up view of StuGs
Backing up towards more cover
My Grants looking pretty shot up
The exchange with the StuGs did not go all that well. The Company CO's tank exploded along with another one. And two others abandoned their vehicles.
Rick starting to move out again in the lower village
Company CO tank on fire
A pair of Soviet hands
And the red tape measurer.
It looks like the Germans are pulling back...
or at least their blinds are moving that way
Meanwhile Rick goes left
Grenadiers packing up
Martin decides that he is too weak to hold us up much longer.
Rick still moving on the left
Still moving left
The space between us
I wanted to get my infantry moving ASAP, but they just ain't having any of it.
No movement in the ranks
Rick's men moving up slowly
Russian positions near the end
Securing the lower village
Smoke
Rick called in some smoke to mask his advance. It took so long to arrive that it pretty well worked to mask Martin's Germans withdrawing.
Last victim of the M3s
The Sdkfz 250/10 tried its luck one too many times.
Rick still slowly moving up
Another Grant also blowing up
StuG scores again.
And my infantry finally moving up
Taking their time. Probably not too sure of the halftrack and entrenchments.
Germans starting to withdraw
Keeping the heads down
The 250/9s were able to slow the infantry down.
Another Halftrack
This is one that was crippled in the pre-game stonks.
Rick rolling through the village
Yeah, sorry: couldn't resist.
Grants move up to help cover the advance
Germans pulling back
Martin decided to vacate the premises. Only a weak grenadier platoon, two 250/9s and two StuGs left. Quite a bit of small arms firepower but not a lot of anti-tank, especially since one of the Stugs had a (-1) to hit now.
Game end positions
So the final score.
Soviets loses: Rick had four M3s KO'ed, including both platoon COs; eleven infantry casualties and one platoon CO KIA. I lost two M3s to explosions and two more had to be abandoned. The Company CO was KO'ed along with a platoon CO tank. And five grunts and a platoon CO were casualties.
Martin's Germans lost their StuG battery CO and three grenadiers in the pre-game stonk; one 250/9 20mm halftrack; one 250/10 half-track with the 37mm PaK. Two other halftracks were damaged in the artillery barrage.
The Russians did take the village and their former positions, so I would say a victory for the Reds. Another really fun game of IABSM.