We played a scenario based on the battle of Kursk, 1943 - I took the Germans and Chun Long the Russians. The objective was a railway station at the centre of the Russian base edge.
My OOB was:
Tiger Platoon
Command Tiger Tank x 1
Troop 1 - 2 x Tiger Tank
Troop 2 - 2 x Tiger Tank
Panther Platoon
Command Panther x 1
Recon - 2 x 234/1 (8 wheel Armoured Car)
Panther Troop - 3 x Panther
PzIV Troop - 3 x Pz IV
 |
| The German force. |
The Russians had lots of:
T34/76
Matildas
Valentines
76mm ATG
Su 100
ISU 152
Chun Long started with his ATG dug in on table, his tanks arrived
in turn 1.
I deployed the Tigers to my left, the Panther team to my
right. My initial move was to send my
Recce up the road, followed by the Panthers, whilst my Pz IVs stayed on a hill
to give support.
Meanwhile my Tigers advanced menacingly & ponderously towards
the Soviet defences. My Recce unit got
hit, took casualties & retreated off table, but had stopped the Soviets
using the road.
The Tigers traded shots with the ATG – Disaster! 1 platoon failed its morale test &
retreated off table.
The remaining 3 Tigers then set about demolishing the oncoming
waves of Russians, whilst on the right the Panthers advanced, halted &
retired slowly, their path marked by burning Russian tanks.
 |
| The Panther withdrawal - a trail of burning Russians... |
The Pz IVs took a hit and retreated off
table, the Panthers likewise a couple of turns later.
 |
| The ones that "got away". The 2 Tigers only fired 1 or 2 shots ! |
The Tigers continued to shoot/reload/advance to the railway
station. 88mm Ammo was getting low, as
were Russian stocks of spare tanks & smoke markers. One Tiger died on a hill, the remaining pair
made it to the station and took turns to destroy tanks and ATG at will.
 |
| The "Tiger on the Hill", with some of its victims.... |
In the end both Tigers succumbed to mass ATG fire, but having
destroyed nearly every tank sent against them.
I was still within a whisker of a win.
 |
| The Tigers burning at the railway station |
The Tigers were superb, with Soviet shot bouncing off or
ineffectual. Chun Long scoured the
rulebook but could not find the “for the Rodina!” ram rule!
 |
| The end - from the Russian table edge. Panthers came up the road on the left, Tigers over the hill to the right |
It was a thoroughly enjoyable and well fought game (…..and I lost).
