with Dave as Evgeny Dushkin and Mark as Siggi Sauerbrauten
Both sides moved on under Blinds. The Germans got their forces moving faster, spearheaded by the Puma armoured car and a Zug of Panzer IVJs, and followed by the HQ with the infantry. The Soviets advanced with their infantry riding on the T-34s, and quickly deployed into tactical formations close to the bridge.
The Germans spread out, their Puma rapidly retiring when faced with the Russian HQ T-34/85, but after making a couple of shots which bounced off the armour, the T-34s by the river blew it up.
More Soviet reinforcements arrived and moved forward, the Soviet plan being to seize the bridge accepting losses, and then hold it against counter attacks. The advancing T-34s to the North ran into a well prepared position of Panzer IVs, which opened up to great effect.
The Soviets were shocked by the quality of the German shooting and the losses they took.
German reinforcements arrived and deployed by the river in a concentrated formation. The Soviets started causing damage themselves, with the T-34s to the North destroying a Panzer IV, and Evgeny successfully called in a Lavochkin Lag 5 to machine gun the tanks as well, shocking the crew in the end one. By the river, the T-34s had destroyed the Zug leader's Panzer IV and taken out half of the Panzer HQ formation as well. The Germans were dismayed to find their armour little use against the Soviet guns, if they were hit the tank tended to explode.
Keen to take the bridge, the Soviet tanks by the river advanced across the road, but this sacrificed shooting in the middle of the battle, and cost them a second tank lost.
To the north, the Panzer IVs in the wood no longer had targets to their front, with all the T-34s blown up or bailed, and turned for a flank attack on the Soviets by the bridge, much to Evgeny's annoyance.
The Soviet infantry had advanced behind the T-34s and were in a good position to seize the bridge, but with every T-34 out of action the Soviets withdrew, conceding the battle.
The Germans had taken moderate casualties, but were in a reasonable position to secure the bridge.
Review
The Soviets had adopted a tactic of seizing the bridge and holding against counter attacks, the Germans a more cautious approach and engage in the hope of securing control of the battlefield and then holding the bridge.
The Russian tanks were much better armoured and almost equally gunned, but the Germans had higher quality crew, which led to a fascinating match up. The Russians adopted a two-aimed-shot strategy against the Germans’ two-aimed-plus-one-snap-shop, and were also moving to seize the ground. When the Russians hit they did serious damage, but they were outshot almost 2-1 over the battle. "Air Support" sounds brilliant until an ageing fighter with only a machine gun turns up to try and attack tanks.
I felt the battle hinged on two events: the Russians sweeping forwards in an armoured thrust towards a German Blind which opened fire first within 18" and took out half of the formation, and the Russian T-34s by the river moving forward to seize the road in the face of a row of Panzer IVs shooting at them.
There was a debate about the merits of using armoured cars for scouting when expecting a collision of tank forces and the tactics used by both sides, plus wondering if it would have been different with better dice rolls.
The Germans have the bridge, now on to Sorok for the next battle in the campaign.
Bevan Marchand