Lots of campaign progress this weekend with the FIRESTORM PONYRI STATION campaign! With the Duc de Gobin's results in from the
Second Battle of Buzuluk [
click], and JustJack playing out the action in the
Bunkerwald [
click]today, I figured I had best get moving on the write up of what happened at Shirokoye Bulotev yesterday.
The results of which will likely be used as evidence in court martial proceedings after the campaign...
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| Shirokoye Bulotev. Control of this sector will enable the Germans to assault all 3 of the XXXXI Corps' primary objectives of Ponyri, 1 May Collective, and Hill 253. Germans coming from the right, soviets from the left. |
We used BATTLEGROUP: KURSK rules, which I thought I knew ALOT better...Roughly 500 points per side with a morale breakpoint of 24 for the Germans and 26 for the Soviets.
Both sides start with recce patrols on the table.
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| German objective with a security patrol guarding it on "ambush fire" orders. |
To signify the importance of this battle, Alex committed Tigers and Pioneer Firestorm troops to get the job done.
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| Tigers moving forward. There are also a ton of infantry coming in behind them. |
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| Herr General Alex and OberFeldwebel Dave, senior advisor! |
The Soviets placed a ton of fortifications on the table that they would occupy. Ken placed objectives directly behind the trenchlines.
As Soviet troops come on, Ken moves them into the trenches.
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| Soviet squad in trenches guarding an objective The building to their front has the Soviet recon patrol in it. |
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| Germans push the tigers up! |
The Germans have a 105mm timed artillery strike and they place it directly onto the soviet infantry on the objective above!
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| German landsers getting into position! |
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| Not one but TWO tigers rumbling onto the board! |
The first few turns are spent jockeying into position with the troops. Ken pushes his reinforcing infantry, AT guns, and MMGs up while the Germans do the same.
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| German Pioneers on the table. Alex and Dave want to use them to assault the Soviet trenchlines. |
Dave and Alex's 105mm strike comes in a pins everything in reach on the Soviet objective!
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| Pinned from German artillery! |
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| Also pinned from German artillery |
Ken starts to send an infantry platoon around the flank to occupy the German shooters. The Germans are deploying in a tight area around their assembly area.
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| Ken, Alex, and Dave |
As Ken pushes the infantry out, the Germans keep banging away at them in the hopes of pinning them, which they do, using Area Fire to great effect in this game!
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| Pinned Soviet troops? Nothing new here... |
The Germans occupy the fenced gardens around the hovels in Shirokoye and start trading long range small arms fire with the Soviets. Ken dials in his mortar battery on them and tries to keep them pinned.
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| German company commander watches over the troops. |
My next report takes us back to the Soviet trenchlines where Tiger Is are approaching, spraying MG fire at the Soviet positions. Ken fires a long-barrel 45mm gun at an approaching tiger which, while it hits, fails to penetrate. The Germans fail their MC with the big cat PINNED. The second shot rattles the crew after it hits, they subsequently fail their MC again and abandon the tank! How could this happen?!?! Damn rookie crews!
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| Heroes of the battle? Perhaps. Soviet AT gunners cheer as German tankers run for the woods. |
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| A KV-1 rumbles onto the field. |
Ken receives another "BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY" test for the recon troops in the small log house. They assault the OTHER Tiger I with AT grenades. Guess what happens? The Tiger I is destroyed! The Tigers have been LOST! Alex, who had to leave a little earlier, is NOT going to be happy!
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| What the heck is this?!?! Warlord Games I want a replacement dice! |
The Germans advance to the edge of the woods with the Pioneer squad and Ken sends them packing with a deadly accurate 122mm Artillery strike. BTW purchasing a forward signals unit for the Soviets are points well spent. Luckily, the Pioneers fail their morale roll and rout off the field. Alex will have them available for the next turn!
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| Pioneers not long for this world. A Soviet FO team is watching them with his binoculars! |
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| Soviets move up to occupy more houses to trade fire with the Germans in their assembly area. |
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| we have them on the run, comrades! Keep firing! |
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| The winning shot as Germans pour out of the hedgeline in the upper right of the picture and accurate Soviet MMG fire takes the entire team out. The Germans reach their Breakpoint of 24. The game is over and Shirokoye Bulotev is still in Soviet hands...for now! |
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| Soviet rear area |
This was a great and really exciting, tense game but there were lots of things I was doing wrong in Battlegroup which sucks. I really like the rules but noted that we were all very rusty with them. One other thing I'll note was the distinct lack of tanks on the table - only 3 total tracked vehicles in all! The rest were infantry and I have to say the infantry fights give a very interesting and exciting battle.
So far for the firestorm campaign:
Shirokoye Bulotev remains in Soviet hands. Germans lost the Tiger I platoon but keep the Pioneers.
The Germans capture the "Birnenwald" (we diced for it) and did not lose any Firestorm Resources.
In
Buzuluk, the Soviet attack was beaten back, but just barely after what looked like an awesome Nail Biter. I suggest you head over to the Duc de Gobin's blog to read about the Second Battle of Buzuluk! I love the look of Le Duc's table and I'd like to crack the code on his Rapid Fire modifications and use them myself!
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| Second Battle of Buzuluk! |
"JustJack" is fighting the battle of the
Bunkerwald over on the Soviet left flank today and here is a sneak peek at his battlefield. Man his table looks awesome, too!
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| If you rotate this picture 90 degrees to the left, this table mimics the terrain in the Bunkerwald perfectly. I sent Jack a satellite photo the other day from Google Maps. |
I plan on doing another post on the other battles being fought in support this week and will post an updated campaign map once Jack's results are in. So far this linked campaign business has been ALOT of fun and I am loving incorporating all of the satellite battles into the narrative! I am enjoying sending these guys "missions" to fight and they send me back the results.
This would work very well for other historical eras, too I think. (looking at you, Fulda Gap, ACW and Napoleonics!)
Ken starts to send an infantry platoon around the flank to occupy the German shooters. The Germans are deploying in a tight area around their assembly area.
I am really enjoying following your campaign and your satellite battle reports. Darren's report provided a riveting contest. Looking forward to seeing the latest campaign map.
ReplyDeleteAs for your die with two three's, was it an average die or just poor QC?
Jonathan,
DeleteBelieve it or not it was poor QC. Luckily we were using that die for tracking orders and not firing! Dave noticed it. I was shocked! Glad you are enjoying the campaign this has been a ton of fun. I feel like I would love someone giving me a scenario to play along with some "commander's guidance" and having me execute a battle within constraints to follow. It's been alot of fun and I'm super happy that other gamers have jumped in to participate.
I should add that Jonathan has already done something like this on Peter's blog (grid based wargaming) with the French and Indian War, so he knows how exciting this is already.
DeleteI did something like this two years whereby I conducted the operational/strategic elements of a French & Indian War game while sending potential battles to be fought on the table to another fellow. It was great fun. I think he ended up fighting nearly 20 battles in the campaign.
DeleteThat sounds awesome. I am really digging this aspect of the campaign (managing the map and the battles and capturing the narrative). I think almost more than playing any of the battles. Perhaps I've found my "thing?" This was actually just the shot in the arm my gaming life needed.
DeleteIt's all getting quite exciting. It's hard to predict where the narrative will end, which is fascinating stuff.
ReplyDeleteThis is a whole new way of wargaming guys!
Cheers sir! Yes, each turn will get more desperate. I am predicting the Germans will have another go at Shirokoye! Especially since after turn 3 they'll be down to only 2 x attacks per turn!
DeleteGlad you're participating and glad you're enjoying the campaign so far.
Enjoying following this. Thanks to all participants. Thanks also for running with Battlegroup (my recent purchase) and I would keep your dice ..... looks like a collectors item to me :-)
ReplyDeleteNorm i picked battlegroup so you could see it. Lots of fun although i should have explained better. I picked up some things i thought i knew but apparently was playing incorrectly all these years. I still love the game but it was disheartening to realize i was wrong for so long...
DeleteYoure welcome to play a Tigers at Minsk game in the campaign if you like :)
Alex has been playing around with Frank Chadwicks "blood and thunder" boardgame and perhaps we will use that to decide a battle.
Thanks for the offer of involvement, east front is hard to resist, but I am really sorry to say that 'plate full' is an understatement at the moment, with a project going on in the background that is currently all time consuming. I have just read Jack's battle account and the richness of play that is coming from your campaign idea is blogosphere headline grabbing.
DeleteThe Blood and Thunder idea is a great idea. From the inclusion and hobby cross-over perspective, a hex and chit game can only add to the overall scope of what your idea is growing into.
Understood, Norm! We'll keep plugging away and hopefully providing fun and interesting linked campaign games for everyone to read and enjoy. I am quite pleased with how this whole thing is turning out! Also at how much i am enjoying putting it all together.
DeleteAfter returning from a *very* important OKW meeting, I find that Oberst Flatraski has lost the easy victory I set him up with! Send him to the Russian Front!! Oh, wait...he's already there. Hey, where do Nazis send people who fail at the Russian front? To fight Yugoslavian partisans?
ReplyDeleteBut seriously... yes, it is all working well, which is to inspire people to get out and game or play games and try out rules that need some dusting off. This was my second BG game and it is more fun when it is part of a campaign. I'm uncertain how the tiger got assaulted when there was some MG teams covering it, but live and learn.
I have at least three more games I want to play for this campaign - Up the Blue! OHSW and Blood and Thunder.
Plus it was good to see Dave who has been a wargame ghost lurking in the basement, rattling chains like Marley.
I look forward to reading the other batreps from TX and Britain!
Alex it was crazy we couldnt believe our eyes when ivan broke from cover and all of the events that led to the second tiger's demise occurred all in perfect sequence.
DeleteYes this has been hugely inspiring from a wargaming perspective. I am LOVING the campaign so far!
Dave as wargaming marley is hilariousny the way...
DeleteI should add that I will do a short report on my blog and link everyone's games, also, soon as I play my B&T game or do something.
ReplyDeleteGreat project: full of tension and suspense.
ReplyDeleteCheers Archduke. It has been lots of fun so far.
DeleteGreat looking fight man, I really love your home-grown mat, and your troops look great, too. I still haven't tried out Battlegroup, just not enough time. I can't believe the Soviets held on! I suppose I'm pulling for the Germans, it's the whole KG Klink connection I guess ;)
ReplyDeleteWell, let's keep this train a-rolling, lot more fightin' to do! This was a great idea, and I'm happy to be a part of it.
V/R,
Jack
Thanks Jack! Glad you're digging the campaign so far. Dont let those troops of yours get too comfortable, there are still 2 x sectors in front of them to capture!
DeleteYeah we were surprised, too, especially after the tigers were KO'd.
Looks like great fun, well designed campaign and beautiful table!
ReplyDeleteThanks AJ! Glad you enjoyed the battle report. Be sure to check out Duc de Gobin and JustJack's battles as well!
Delete