Bagration – Week 1
Operation “Bagration” was a massive Eastern-Front Soviet attack during June 1944, also known as the “Destruction of Army group Centre”.
SAD Wargamers are running a three week mini-campaign based on Operation Bagration, Week 1 starting with the Trench Fight scenario, as the Soviets attacked the German front-lines.
Five battalions of Soviets attacked five companies of well dug in Germans to start the Bagration mini-campaign. The scenario was Trench Fight, with the following restrictions:
- German Grenadier companies only. No SS. No Elephants, Tigers, King Tigers, Jagdpanthers or Panthers. 1,500 points.
- Russians – any Tank or Mechanised list permitted. 1,500 points.
- Germans cannot take air support.
- Germans may take a Panzer Platoon or an Assault Gun Platoon – not both.
- Any Soviet Battalion may take a single company of T34 tanks upgraded to PT-34 mine rolling tanks, which then count as being taken from Corps Support.
Whilst only being capable or really saying what happened in my fight against Derek, I’ve also done a bit of a report on the other fights, which might be wrong!
Fight 1 – Hauptmann Paul Nettle vs Major Derek Whittenbury
Cathy had brought mine-rolling tanks, supported by more tanks with plenty of tank-riding infantry, and they soon got into the German fortifications. However, James’ reserves – including a solitary 88mm gun that was deadly accurate – and some accurate panzerfaust shooting – soon turned this into a massive swirling and crowded melee. This game ran out of time, but at the end both sides were contesting the objective and it was declared a draw.
Fight 3 – Hauptmann Stuart Greenhow vs Major Andy Cummings
Andy had also brought mine-rolling tanks, supported by massed Soviet armour. Andy’s armour was soon into the German fortifications, and his T70 light tanks cleared out the German defenders from their trenches. Stuart’s reserves, including 4 Stug G, countered the heavier Soviet tanks, but Stuart failed several attempts to counter attack the T70s with his Grenadiers, and although the T70s were eventually destroyed, Andy had supported his attack with masses of infantry, who soon had uncontested control of the objective. A Soviet breakthrough!
Fight 4 – Hauptmann Jonathan Beach vs Polkovnik Steve Bradley
I saw almost nothing of this fight, but I believe Steve brought lots of Soviet tanks, including five mine-rolling T34s and five KV-85s, and these got into the German fortifications and overwhelmed at the critical point with their mass – another Soviet win.
Fight 5 – Hauptmann Peter David vs Major Phil Wynne
Again I saw little of this fight, but Phil seemed to be using armoured infantry and mine-rolling tanks as his main assault force, which suffered when Phil’s mine-rolling tanks were destroyed. A German win.
Overall I was happy that this had provided a fairly balanced scenario, as two wins and a draw per side seemed to bear out. Polkovnik Steve Bradley had the option to try this scenario again, but he wisely decided to reinforce success, and decided to throw all his forces through the breaches. Next week’s fight will be a Fighting Withdrawal.
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