AAR 1941 Eastern Front: Skirmanevo by Mark Luther

Occupied by most of the I Abt Inf 89 Rgt, the Schwere Kompanie and a Flak troop-and some other support units.

On the hill overlooking the village. The 1st Kompanie I Abt/89 Rgt is up on this elevation.

The main road to Moscow is running across the table, with the route to the north and Moscow on the left. The village is on the downslope with the highest point on the left edge of the table. The Soviet armor is massing offboard along the highway.

Skirmanevo is on the left edge along the lowest part of the board. The west and east sides are bordered by woods.

The Recon elements approach Skirmanevo hoping to get the defenders to expose thier postions. It works too well as about half the armored cars (3 Ba20s and 4 Ba 32s to start) are hit. The 88 missed most of its shots to begin with, but when it did hit the a/c was toast.

The Pak and 88 decide to open up and keep the recce unit from getting any closer.

Victims of the 88 and Pak 38

KV1s leading T34s pass the cemetery that the 1 Kp is in. The German infantry elect to stay quiet as they have no real AT weapons.

The Panzerknackers attached to 1 KP bravely attack the KVs as they pass close to the occupied cemetery. Unfortunately they fail miserably. The rest of 1Kp opens up with small arms to keep the tanks buttoned up.

The remaining Russian armored cars (Ba20s) discover the right flank defenses. They are quickly taken out by the Pak 38 and an 88 up the slope to the left.

This is the main blast area of the pregame rocket attack. It did leave a lot of pinned and suppressed units in town for a few turns, but by the time the attack was underway, the Germans had recovered. The brown square is a German blind.

Led by a group of KV1s, the tankers are going through the area torn up by the pregame Katyushka barrage. Almost all of the blast area was outside of Skirmanvo. The rockets did minimal damage, taking out the tractor for a Pak 38 the Sdkfz for an 88 and causing some wounds on the crews of those guns. The armored cars are KO'ed at the right bottom of the picture.

The lead KVs are getting nailed by an 88. The two groups of T34s start looking for the ATGs.

The Company CO tank took a hit as soon as it emerged from the back side of the slope. This put the rest of the tanks in a tough spot as they tried to figure out what to do.

The 88 concentrated on the KV, but now the T34s are starting to head its way.

The Pak and 88 are still doing a job on the Tanks. A T34 and a KV with engine fires, and three more T34s KO'd along with the other two KV1s.

The Red Artillery getting in some licks. Not a lot of damage though. Some wounds among the 3 KP and a MMG team hit.

The Red Army officers overlooking the battle. Finally getting through to the 122s to start shelling Skirmanevo.

After firing a few rounds into the walled cemetery and gunning down the tank assault team, the KVs decide to follow up the T34s.

No one left for the KVs to help. As soon as they came out from around the slope, the ATGs and 88 started shooting. First victim was the Company CO.

88 higher up the slope on the leftside of the pic, Pak 38 further down the slope and two 37mms. One back in the town and another dug in at the intersection.

Part of the guns that stopped the T34s coming around the left flank. The 88 has 2 wounds in the crew.

Even though the Soviet artillery is now hitting the town, the armor units are down to just a couple of runners. The Pak 38 is in bad shape and the right side 88 is also just about out of the fight. No Big Man for the 88s and the Pak 38 battery CO is KIA.

The Russian infantry finally arrive. 2 SMG platoons with 3 COs (Big men), and 3 reg rifle platoons with 2 Big Men. 4 MMGs and 3 ATR teams in support and a medium mortar battery offbd. This is the beginning of Phase II. The 2) 88s have been withdrawn(actually one is abandoned due to the lack of a working tractor), The Germans finally receive their Panzers, and the Red tanks on the left flank are pulled back and consolidated. The Germans also lost one of their 75mmIG in one of the artillery barrages.

The Grenadiers lay down a load of fire on the Red Inf and get some return fire from the KVs. The closest Russian troops take some serious casualties.

The unit is most of the II Abt of 7 Pz Rgt. At this stage of the campaign they were down to almost 1/3 strength so we wound up with a Hvy coy of 4 Pz IVEs and 2 PzIIFs, 2 weak units of 3 PzIIIGs ea and another unit of 4 PzIIIGs and 2 PzIIFs that was detailed offbd to deal with the Russians to SW of Skirmanevo. There is also a platoon of Pioneers in SdKfz 251 attached.

The smg platoons move past the smoking T34s. Big Men -COs are represented by the rectangular bases (from Mainforce, other minis are from Adler).

The SMG units charge into the newly arrived grenadiers of 2 Coy I Abt 89 Inf Rgt and a PaK 36 that was dug in protecting the west edge of Skirmanevo.

The two SiG 33 auf PzKfw I of 708 IG Btty and a 75mm IG gun move up to stem the Red tide. The Pak 38 to the left has already been overrun.

One has already taken a hit from the remaining T34s.

The remaining T34s are joined by some BT7s as the Panzers negotiate the craters of the Katyushka strike.

Part of 2nd Bth of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade. The 2nd armor wave cmae on the board about the same time the Panzers and Russian infantry arrived. One group moved to the left to follow up that floundering attack and this group headed straight for Skirmanevo.

A 'Blitzkreig' move allows the Pz IIIs to get to the flank of the just arrived BTs.

Although they clobber the Russians in the Pak positions one takes some damage from the Russians to their right.

The SMG platoons are forced back after losing the close assault to the grenadiers.

Trying to hide until the BT7s come to their rescue.

They pack a wallop but can't stand up to much fire:  immobilized by small arms fire.

This is not the way they were designed to operate, but they rushed to the endangered flank as fast as their little chassis could get them there.

This is a pretty easy shot to make. Good thing the PzIII's card came up first.

Pz IIFs, Pz IVEs and PzIIIGs

Time to boogie. There are just too many panzers with veteren crews to handle.

Just a nice shot of the Panzers among the craters and smoking T34s.

The solitary PaK 36 makes a stand and immobilizes one of the incoming BTs while taking some hits.

The walls of the cemetery are just too good a defense against the tanks and MMGs. The mortars never even get close to the grenadiers.

The HE from the tanks is largely ineffective-only taking out the MMG and causing a few other kills. The med mortar battery never even ranges in on the cemetery.

Pretty impressive group charging in with not a lot to stop them.

This seems to be the most effective way to take out ATGs. The BT7 used a bonus move to crunch the 50mm before it could get a shot off.

A couple of the T34s managed to run away with damaged turrets or guns, but the one remaining BT is about to be KO'ed.

The PzIIIs make short work of the remaining BT7

The Command tank noticed the KVs and BTs that were heading into town on their left and started swinging the battalion over to counterattack their flank.

A squad of grenadiers hunkers down against the KVs while a lucky shot from the 75mm IG immobilises a KV.

Panzerjaeger squad assualts one BT7 while the other runs down main street. The BT receives a immobization hit but manages to roll it off on its next activation.

The PzIV and PzII company are the first to engage the Russians on their left flank.

The combined attack by the Infantry, SMG unit and KV1s force the grenadiers to flee. One remaining squad tries to hold out at the abandoned Pak position.

Not much left after the KV1 is through. They got a couple of nice shots off though.

The crew of the damaged SiG quickly abandons their vehicle while the IG crew runs from the oncoming KV.

After overrunning the Paks the BTs turn around to try to engage the newly arrived PzIIs. The Pak 36 has been restaffed with the crew from the overrun Pak 38 and their CO (Big Man).

The BT7s are forced to turn about and face the Panzer threat.

Mortars are falling, the infantry is advancing and KVs are leading the way. Lots of shot up Russian infantry though and only one SMG platoon Big Man to sort out the lot.

The PzIV and PzII company used a 'blitzkreig' move to get to the left flank first and put a couple of rounds into the BT7s.

Not much of a fight, specially since the BTs have taken hits already from the PaK 36.

One of three ATRs going after the flanks of the incoming Panzers. Not a total waste, they do manage to damage a couple of tanks.

After removing 'wounds' the 3rd platoon is still too weak to do much damage to the grenadiers in the cemetery. After a few turns of exchanging fire they are forced back in the woods.

Two PzIIs and the recrewed Pak 36 put a hurting on the BT7 forcing the crew to abandon the tank.

While moving to the rear, the engineer halftracks run into the marauding BT7. No damage from the fire as the Red tankers fail to hit anything and don't notice the light mortars behind the buildings.

KVs and BT7s are in the town and the infantry is moving up virtually unopposed. The big problem is the number of 'wounds' and no 'Big Men' in the vicinity.

After debussing from their Sdkfz 251s, the pioneers prepare to drive the Ivans out of the village.

One PzIV has been hit already after trading shots with the KVs. They did force the crew of the already immobilised KV (hit by the 75 IG) to jump ship and immobilized another KV. The brewed up PZIV was also hit a few times by the ATRs.

The panzers are vectored by the Command PzBefWg III in the lower right corner. Smoking and abandoned BTs along with abrewed up PzIV in the picture. Russian ATRs are behind the bushes on the far side of the road.

Pioneers start to retake the village. One squad fires and flames while the other prepares to mop up. The 3rd squad moves past the abandoned SP and provides covering fire to prevent the survivors from escaping or getting reinforced.

The Panzers are closing in on the Soviet armor and the Pioneers and grenadiers are pushing the Russian infantry out of town. ATRs on the other side of the road are managing to get some hits on the German tanks though.

The last BT7 continues it rampage as it spots some grenadiers in the open.

The Russian infantry heads back to the cover of the creek to await some much needed direction form the absentee Big Men. Only 1 platoon CO is left and just about every squad has taken several hits. The light mortars are falling around the bridge.

The last KV takes on the swarming panzers. It shrugged off most of the hits from the PzIVs and vanquished them, now it has to duel with five PzIIIs and a couple of PzIIs.

Two smoking PzIVs and a 3rd one retiring past the abandoned and burning BT7s. Pz IIIs and IIs moving up to challenge the big tanks next.

It had quite some adventure and lives to tell the tale. It first put some hits on the Pak 36 coming into town, then ran over a Pak 38 and scattered the crew, took an imobilization hit from some tankhunters in town, recovered quickly from that, shot up some Sdkfz 251s, gunned some other grenadiers from the rear and forced them to head for cover and hosed down some engineers as it drove past them getting out of town. This is one crew deserving of Heroric status.

The Pioneers and their flamethrower move up to the overrun IG and its tow. Their victim is eliminated on the right.

As the Pioneers and the 3rd Platoon move up, the last KV takes several hits from the PzIIIs. It and one of its partners did take out a couple of PzIVs and drove the last one away before it met its end.

The Pioneers used their 3rd squirt against a Russian squad which did it in, as med mortars land on one of the platoons in the captured ATG position. Both of the KVs are immobilized and abandoned.

The remaining Panzers take out the KVs while getting hits in their right sides from ATRs. The last of the PzIVs is retiring from a head to head with the KVs, while the PzIIIs and IIs are looking for the Russian tanks. Final toll on the panzers was 3 of 4 Pz IV KO'ed, 1 PzIII KO'ed with another immobilized (of 6), both Pz II were okay and the CO tank still in good shape.

The final irony of the game was this massive deviation (38") directly towards Gen Maj Katukov and the HQ unit (including the observer who called it in) by the BM13s. Results = 9 kills and 4 wounds. Looks like he won't be around to direct the next wave of infantry that was due any minute.

The Russian infantry takes cover in the stream bed as med mortars land in front of them in the captured positions, light mortars land behind them and a ranging round from 105s lands out of sight. Lots of 'wounds' and only a couple of COs left. Not much else left either. All six KV1s, nine T34s, seven out of eight BT7s, were KO'ed or abandoned. Three of four MMGs are KO'ed, and all except one SMG platoon is at half strength or less.