36 inch Battlefields: Battle of Kharkov 1943

 Dave was over last night and I wanted to introduce him to Peter's excellent WW2 rules with my added modifications p(QRS linked)laying out a portion of the Battle of Kharkov in 1943.  Not only was this a great run-out for hand-drawn snow mat, but also playing Peter's rules with another live human being (always a plus!).  The main objective of last night's game was to start prepping Dave for our Kasserine Pass game coming up hopefully in March.

Detachment Bissinger would have to attack up the table and exit off of the northern road exit.  The Germans set up first!

We used the scenario from Littlewars TV's Battle of Kharkov scenario from their excellent first season.  Dave and I played the "northern" table (Detachment Bissinger) and rolled for sides with Dave playing Kampfgruppe Harmel / Detachment Bissinger (2nd SS PanzerGrenadier Division "Das Reich").  I played the Soviets commanding elements of the 6th Rifle Division, who were thrown into KG Harmel's way to stop the German juggernaut.  The OOB for last evening's battle was taken almost straight from the LWTV scenario (click scenario above for more details). 

Note the Soviet battalions in lines - Dave starts moving out on his attack.

Soviets in defensive positions.  THe small circular stands represent heavy weapons "upgrades" allowing that stand to shoot 2 x hexes.

Stug Battalion and Recce moving out with Dave's infantry closer behind.  Note the Flak Battalion's desert-painted 88s (sorry!!) moving up the road towards the village.

Dave had a tough task ahead of him.  While the Soviets had awful morale and a mostly-infantry force, Dave was light on armor, only bringing a Stug III battalion to the fight, along with motorized infantry, a flak battalion (88s!) and some light Anti Tank assets, but also had time working against him.  He has only 12 turns to exit units off of the northern table edge, and 3 massive infantry battalions to slice through!

The first few turns we spend getting Dave acquainted with the rules.  While I'm playing against him, I'm coaching on options available and how the rules work.  Dave gets his recce into position and sends down artillery against an SU76 unit in the treeline.  The battle is joined!

The Germans shelling an SU76 unit in the woods.  The block on it indicates that it is DISRUPTED.  One key difference I've added to Peter's rules is rolling 3D6 instead of 1D6.  I found I just didn't have the guts to face Peter's 1D6 roll - much too tense :-)  The 3D6 works out by scoring successes (based on the target you're shooting at).  1 success = target rolls to remain in place or retreat.  2 successes = target disrupted. 3 successes = target destroyed.

The flak battalion enters the village.  First time i've used 88s in a game in a long time!

Dave is forcing units back with artillery fire as his Stug battalion advances.  His plan is to follow them closely with the infantry and exploit as the opportunity arises.

KV-1s held in reserve.  The Stugs wont scratch the paint on them except for up close (heavy armor rule in Peter's rules - that's where the 88s will come in handy as you will find out!)

Dave reaches a central portion on the battlefield after having by-passed the first infantry line and capturing the village.  I'm trying to canalize him into a murderous fight with my infantry.  Dave obliges!

The Germans will not be able to bypass this line.  They'll have to fight here given how 1st and 2nd Battalion flanks overlap.  It's a fiendish plan!  Note the heavy weapons in this battalion.  Dave starts targeting them with artillery.

Detachment Bissinger command stand and Stug Battalion

Heavy combat breaks out at the second Soviet line as Dave's 88s, then his Stugs join in the firing.  Dave's massing his firepower brilliantly trying to force holes inoto the line that he can sneak a Stug or 2 past!

We started using cotton balls to show who's fired so we didn't lose track.  Dave's infantry on the road behind the village.  Stugs and 88s up front.  Worth mentioning here that Turn 4 saw the begining of rolling for a Stuka JU87 airstrike.  Dave rolls a "6" at the right time and Hans Rudel is inbound!  I saw HR because Dave rolls hot on his strike and KOs the unit!  He opens a big gap in the second battalion's line!

Dave's Stugs join in the firing, and the Soviet line buckles

I commit the KV-1s to action now as the second battalion's line is breached.  Dave continues to have good luck in destroying defending infantry stands.

Dave tears a 5 hex wide hole into the line!  The Stugs are earning their pay.  Dave's artillery has been firing non stop also.

Exploiting the hole in the line, Dave's stugs surge forward.  The KV-1s are now in 88 range!!  The infantry in the bottom of the picture are the last line of defense.

The bending Soviet line now goes from the road exit at top and follows the road down to the trees in center-bottom of picture.  The German Stug and Flag Battalion are breaching the line and the KV-1s are starting to counter attack now!

Heavy combat breaks out as the 88s and Stugs position themselves to engage the KV1s.  The 88s start systematically picking off KV1 targets.

Dave leaves a detachment of 88s behind as flank/rear guard against roving Soviet armor.  Here an SU76 burns, destroyed as it probed the village.

I destroy a Stug platoon with KV-1 fire and my artillery is certainly help even the odds, destroying Dave's infantry as best I can.  He's doing a very commendable job though of keeping the infantry out of harms way until he needs them.

Clear shot towards the exit!  Dave starts to peel back the flank of the Soviet 3rd Battalion

Soviet infantry that were initially bypassed flank the German breakthrough and begin to assault the 88s!

Meanwhile Dave sneaks more Stugs off the table!  My only shot left on turn 10 is to move that infantry platoon from the road down to the road exit which I do to block the remaining Stugs.  Dave's only hope in getting more units off is to get a Stuka strike....

German Turn 11, Dave rolls a "6" and Hans Rudel is again inbound.  Dave rolls all "6s" and kills another infantry stand, while his artillery makes short work of ANOTHER Soviet platoon.  Dave ends up getting the entire Stug Battalion off of the table.  The infantry are still mopping up.

Poised for a breakthrough - the German Stugs are lined up to exploit the breach in the line.

 The LWTV game's victory parameters are a bit vague "secure the road exits" but I wanted this to be a bit more desperate than that so we used exited vehicles as the success indicator.  Just not sure "how much" success.  Dave left more than half of the infantry battalion on the field with almost 60% casualties, and the 88s were running from the Soviet infantry counterattacks.  Still, though, Dave did exit a considerable amount of powerful units off of the table so I'm content to call this a German minor victory!

LESSONS LEARNED

A critical part of any Sound Officers Call posting, what did we learn from this battle?

CONSERVE YOUR STRENGTH - In games like this, the infantry can be bled white early on.  As Dave showed, it's important to commit at the right time and not fight needlessly.  One of things I love about these rules are the ability to showcase true maneuver warfare - attacking the weak spots and only with increased odds of success.  The rules dont favor an attritional grind - that is a good way to lose all of your infantry early on in the fight.  Especially with the way artillery works. Which leads me to my next point...

ARTILLERY IS DEADLY - Infantry need to be on the move constantly if they can.  Artillery is absolutely deadly.  I asked Dave if he thought it had too great of an impact on the game (most of the German and Soviet infantry units were killed by Artillery.  Or disrupted by Artillery and finished off with infantry attacks).  Dave thought it might have been better to have a limited number of salvoes in the game and I tend to agree with him.  The artillery was a huge casualty producer in this game (as it was in WW2) but the amount of ammo expended and the constant changing of fire missions each turn is probably too generous.

ALL ARMS COOPERATION - Dave learned the hard way to have infantry supporting the tanks by soaking up infantry fire up front, and also that he needed to have mobile forces on standby to exploit a breakthrough.  All firing and artillery attacks should go towards a singular goal (in this case it was the breakthrough at the Soviet 2nd Battalion's line) .

Look at the lessons learned here.  The tenets outlined above may as well have come from a real after action report.  That is a huge testament to the strength of these rules and again my hat's off to Peter for developing a real gem here.

So all-in-all a very successful night of gaming fun.  Dave is keen to play these again and I'm moving forward with my Kasserine Pass plans.  I still need to play GDWs "Team Yankee" with my microarmor and that is likely next week's game, and I am starting the 8th Army British for "Race for Tunis" after Kasserine Pass is over!  Stay tuned!