After Action Report by MK1:
Eastern Front, Spring / 1943
This is a wargame we fought out at my home this past weekend.
Our battlefield was on the northern portion of the Eastern Front, in the spring of 1943.
C.G. Erickson provided the battle terrain. He makes marvelous game boards. These are his newest. He has finished only four in the series so far. 18 total are planned. They are 1 x 2 foot boards, built up with foam on top of birch plywood.
He also provided the German tanks. Beautiful they were, too. Almost a shame to shoot 'em up. Not actually shame, but almost...
The rules were ODGW's Mein Panzer. Special thanks to PMSkaar for his help in getting me up on these rules. The game ground scale was 1 inch = 50 yards. Unit scale was 1-to-1 (one tank model = 1 tank).
And so we see our battlefield.
We are looking from the South. The paved road runs across from east to west, then northward up the west side of the board. There is a dirt road running south to north along the eastern edge of the board. There are two sets of ridges between these roads. The higher steeper ridge to the east run only halfway from north to south. The lower gentle ridge line to the west run up the whole length of the board, but with several passes. Running down the norther half of the board there is a little valley between the ridges. A logging trail cuts across the high ridge from the eastern dirt road.
In our battles, we use paper "chits" for the units until they have been spotted. Players often also get some extra blank chits to move as if they were units. Using this technique screening forces, recon, reserves, and bluffing all become much more common in wargaming.
Here we see the Germans coming on the board along the roads, seen from the northwest corner. Germans started with one platoon of 4 Pz IIILs and one platoon of 4 StuG IIIGs. Soviets did not know what forces the Germans had.
Soviets are coming on, as seen from the southeast corner. Two commands: A short company of T-34s, two platoons of 3 each, and a company commander; and a company of KV-1s, two plattons of 2 each with a company commander.
One platoon of T-34s, and the company commander, came on along the dirt road from the south edge, seen in the foreground. All of the KVs came in cross-country from the east, with the southernmost flank along the road. The second platoon of T-34s came on a bit to the north, seen here in the distance.
The chits start shadow-boxing, as each side maneuvers without knowing the enemy's true strength. Germans pushed StuGs down the road, and took Pz IIIs (seen here) into the small valley. Soviets maneuvered the second platoon of T-34s along the opposite side of the ridge, looking for the logging road.
The StuGs advance southward down the road.
Which just happens to be the same road the Soviet's first platoon of T-34s and company CO are orienting on.
The StuGs draw the first blood.
The T-34s maneuver for position along the low ridge.
Now the StuGs have another problem. Note the KVs in the distance, drawing their attention from the T-34s!
This is becoming an unhealthy environment. This StuG was disabled by the T-34s, and then killed by a flank shot from the KVs.
And the KVs advance.
The first platoon of T-34s make a dash across the road.
One is hit by a StuG. The vehicle is not damaged, but the crew is disoriented by the hit, and the tank roles to a stop in just the wrong place.
Where it is hit again, with more permanent results.
But the remaining T-34s advance, stunning, and later killing, the StuG in the road.
The surviving StuGs now face T-34s to their front, and KVs to their side, and start pulling back. In the meantime, to the north and east ...
The Pz IIIs are moving up the small valley, carefully picking their way through the trees.
While the KVs have decided to do just the same.
Hmmm, I wonder what's up there?
Nevermind!
Speedbump? Comrade, I did NOT feel a speedbump. What speedbump do you speak of?
(Notice that 3 KVs advance. That is one platoon, plus company CO. I wonder what the other two are doing?)
The Germans have to worry not only about the KVs, but also the problem of the T-34s finding their way up to the top of the ridge along that logging trail.
T-34s have successfully turned the Pz III's flank. They now hold the high ground.
While the KVs are still advancing to their front.
The Germans try to pull back, but lose another Pz III in the process. In the meantime, the StuGs are fighting, and dying, on the road.
The situation is grave.
At this critical juncture, the re-inforcements arrived! (Three more players showed up to join the fun.)
A new German playercame on with a platoon of 4 Pz IVf2s, and a platoon of 4 TIGERS!
At the same time, two new Soviet players came on with another short company of T-34s, and a short company of T-70s (each with 2 platoons of 3, and a company CO).
The Germans split their new forces along the same lines as they initially had -- heavier armor down the road, lighter armor into the little valley. The Tigers went south on the road, and while the Pz IVs diverted towards the east. As they had been giving ground for much of the game, the action was already in the German's backyard, and the Pz IVs found themselves in action almost immediately.
A furious exchange of gunfire, and the Pz IVs find themselves on the short end of the stick vs. the KVs.
Soon a single Pz IV remains, sheltering behind the trees. A KV has been immobilized, but there is no stopping the Soviet juggernaut at this end of the board.
South down the road, perhaps a different story will be told. The Tigers advance past the wreckage of their compatriots.
A T-34 TC says: "Shhh, maybe if we're very quiet, they won't notice us..."
GONG! Wrong answer! Thank you for playing. Next?
The Tigers set to work merrily chopping up T-34s.
Oh look! We found the other KVs! At less than 6 inches (300 yards), the Tigers discover that their sides are indeed vulnerable. The lead Tiger dies just west of the road.
And then just as suddenly, more T-34s arrive on the scene, and charge headlong at the Tigers. The next Tiger down the line, in the middle of the road, happens to make a particularly bad throw at this moment, and his gun is jammed! At a range less than 100 yards, we find that T-34s can penetrate even the frontal armor of the Tigers.
Now it is the Tigers' turn to try to withdraw.
But of course Tigers are not optimized for running. They are not faster than T-34s, much less than 76.2mm AP rounds, and their backsides are even MORE vulnerable.
The last Tiger turns to make his stand. It was a brief and futile gesture.
The bells rang in Moscow that evening. I hope a good time was had by all.
This was a test game of the ODGW rules. We started with the "basic" rules, with only three of us, all experienced gamers. We found them playable, but not entirely satisfying. Two issues bothered us -- while range affected the accuracy of guns, range had no affect on the penetration of an AP round, and it was entirely too easy to be killed when you were in an ambush position. To this point, the German player positioned a Pz III to watch the logging road, but the T-34s managed to crest the rise and kill the Pz III before it got a shot off. Both sides agreed that was what the rules provided, but it just didn't seem quite right.
So at that point we switched to the advanced rules. We found these to be quite a bit more satisfying. Range affected both accuracy and penetration. And vehicles in overwatch got reaction fire to targets that entered their observed zones. This allowed the StuG to catch the T-34 crossing the road. As with our prior rules, it was now clear that if you charge a stationary unit (on overwatch), you get chopped up. With crew-quality modifiers, a stationary veteran unit on overwatch will be a particularly dangerous opponent.
I like the Eastern Front from '41 to '43 as a test of wargaming rules. The challenge for rules makers is how to reconcile the superiority of Russian tanks with the actual historical results. I feel too many rulesets discount Soviet armor and guns. I found that these rules fit my own notions better than most -- in 1943 Soviet armor was still strong, and Soviet guns were adequate (particularly at close range). But there is much room in these rules to replicate German successes, as every shot starts with a base number which is set according to crew quality, and is then modified by the details of the gun, the ammunition, and the situation. Better quality troops can do much to redress deficiencies in equipment.
In our game the German tanks shot more accurately, and more often, than the Soviet tanks did. But the battlefield was small, and the fighting took place at close quarters, where the Soviets' number carried the day. On the open steppe, it might have been a very different story. So we have more reason to play again, and soon!
For this particular engagement, the Russians won on the beer, too! Dinkel Acker ("Die Mercedes von Biers!") is an old favorite of mine, but that Baltika 9 turns out to be pretty darned good! You are, of course, welcome to bring your own choice of contestants!
Page Last Updated (Mayl 29, 2006)
