I was in the mood to do an East Front game and hadn't gotten my Panzer 38 (t) and multitudes of T-26 tanks out lately so went with a table inspired by actions with the 7th Panzer and 3rd Mechanised Corps in Lithuania early in Operation Barbarossa.

Lots of Trees

View from the north and German entry edge,

The village runs mainly East/West

And is along the road that the German player must control for victory.

The west edge is at the top.

Open Area on the Southern half of the Table

The creek is not fordable because it is too marshy. Some pregame Luftwaffe action has knocked out a couple of groups of trucks.

The Soviets have also constructed two road block that are placed to force the advancing Germans to slow down. They will not completely block the road.

First Encounter and Losses

This was going to be a armor heavy game. Jon had nothing but tanks: three platoons of Panzer 38 (t) for a total of eleven tanks; four Panzer IV D and four Panzer III tanks. Altogether nineteen panzers. He could enter on the two roads on the north edge which were separated by woods and the creek

I took the Soviets which were spread out along the village and road. I had one company of nine early twin turreted T-26 tanks;. another company of nine 45mm armed T-26s; three T-34 M40 tanks; and two groups of armored cars consisting of three BA-6 (45mm gun) and three FAI-M (MG only). I also had a weak two-platoon infantry company with three sections each and two 76mm infantry guns. My infantry was dug in by the bridge and the east part of the village. The two guns covered the bridge.

All Soviets were considered Green and the Germans were veterans.

1 BA6 and 1 PzII burning

My right recon group was the BA6s and they spotted the lead panzer platoon first but didn't hit anything until the PzIIs went around my left.

Jon sent a platoon of Pz38Ts, the PzIvs and the PzIIs down his left road.

I couldn't deploy my other tanks until we saw the panzers.

The west panzer column

This consisted of the other Pz38Ts.

The T26s move to face the panzers

These tanks can at least take out any German tank in the game. They were on the east side of the village, while the MG armed vehicles were all to west. I had rolled randomly for which unit was where so wound up with a very weak left flank.

Not a very even fight on this side of the table

The FAI-Ms are lucky to still be running. They did force Jon to deploy all his units off blinds at least.

Jon spreads his panzers out

The PzIIs go right and the Pz38T platoon heads out left and the PzIV stay in the middle.

My BA6s soon were destroyed or knocked about enough to bail. Not a difficult thing to accomplish with Green crews as the target. for the Germans.

Pz38ts prepare to advance

Jon did not know that there was really nothing to stop him on this side of the table.

PzIIs and T26s exchange fire

Germans exit from the road through the wood

Too bad I had no AT guns out here.

Closing in on the east

The T26s try to get around the left

I did have one T26 with the 37mm pea shooter, but my flanking attempt was a failure

Russian infantry under fire also

The panzers were making short work of the green crewed T26s, especially when the Pz38ts started getting flank shots.

More uneven exchanges of fire

I had 2 T26s covering the right side but that did little to slow Jon down.

Soviet infantry positions near the bridge

Jon was unaware that the only weapons here slightly lethal are the 2 Infantry Guns. I had already run 1 of the MG armed T26s platoons away to hide from the Pz38ts after seeing all the others knocked out. 2 of the FAI-Ms went in the other direction to at least monitor the west flank.

Heading for the bridge

One brave armored car attempts flanking fire with its MG from the cover of the village

And the T34s finally activate

Now this should scare 'em. Their first targets are the PzIIs that have gone all the way around to Jon's left.

And a PzII is destroyed

The Pz38s platoon has moved up to the road bloack and the PzIVs are still back near the road.

The round green marker with a red dot is what Jon likes to use for shock markers.

Overview of the battle

The blinds that are still unspotted are my 2 infantry guns to the left and the infantry command section to the right. The blind on the road is a dummy.

At this stage I have 1 T26 with a 45mm and 3 twin turreted ones left. 2 of the light armored cars, the 3 T34s and most of the infantry. .Jon is down 2 tanks with several damaged but running..

PzIVs advance

A couple of the T26s were still getting hit after their crews had bailed out due to excess shock (that would be 3 points only).

Not many moving Russian vehicles

PzIVs looking for targets

Trying to hide among the wrecks

The remaining T26 on my right tried to pick off another panzer but my aim was terrible in this game.

Infantry guns open up

And fail to hit anything. Meanwhile the dug in Russians are losing some men to the panzers.

PzIVs come up behind the remaining T26s

Jon was able to capitalize on his superior armor Big Men and issue orders that out paced the Soviet movements

Rear hits on the T26s

And more Soviet tanks are knocked out. Where are the T34s?

T34s move to the left

They were the least activated unit in the game. And we used the "Sharpening Up' rules which did help The Germans had 5 Command cards in the deck and the Soviets only 3. I also had a breakdown card in the deck for the Russians but it had no effect in the entire game

Panzers brave the bridge

And run the gauntlet. The infantry guns did get a couple of hits but Jon generally took nothing but shock.

Pz 38ts engage the T34s

A side hit damages the engine/road wheels and forces the crew to bail. Another took a hit that damaged its main gun, so they also bailed out. The remaining T34 failed to hit anything

Close range combat

The shooting skill if the Germans was really apparent. My tanks were batting under 100 .

Link up of the 2 panzer groups

One of the PzIVs has taken an engine hit and another has gunsight damage. T34s getting hit from the front and rear now.

Pz38ts fanning out to their right

As the PzIVs engage the remaining Russian tanks.

End positions

Pz38ts putting fire down on the Russian infantry positions from the other side of the bridge One infantry gun was wiped out. and only a matter of time til the dug in infantry bugs out. Jon secured the road across the table so a clear victory.

The Germans lost 2 PzIIs and a Pz38t. Several other tanks were damaged. The Russians had only 1 FAI-M car left. 2 of the infantry sections were gone-1 crushed in an overrun attack. 1 infantry gun was also destroyed.

This was an difficult one for the Russkies even if they got decent die rolls. The random deployment also added to their woes. But so typical of the early days of Barbarossa.

Mark Luther