Massacre Outside Dubno

During Operation Barbarossa one of the largest tank engagements of the war took place during the Battle of Brody. It was a massive counterattack by the Red Army with an armored force of as many as 1,000 tanks. The Germans were taken by surprise and caught on the wrong foot while on the move. The Soviet 8th Mechanized Corps had initial success taking the town of Dubno (West of Brody), but by June 26th, the Germans had regrouped and pushed back. 16th Panzer Division first encircled, then routed Soviet tank units of Popel's Group forcing the Soviets to withdraw by July 1st.

I decided to fight a small tank skirmish from this battle using my 6mm Panzer IIIs and Soviet T-26s. I wanted to pick a battle that had the Soviets on the offensive and the Germans slightly off balance. Reading through some of the opening battles of the Barbarossa Campaign, I came across reference to the Battle of Brody and decided it would be perfect.

The game turned out to be a massacre for the Soviets.

I used Disposable Heroes: Point Blank to fight this all tank micro armor game. Point Blank is great for those detailed tank engagements where each player controls a platoon of tanks. It allows for keeping track of ammunition, damage, crew losses, and other details.

The tanks are all 6mm (1/285th scale) from GHQ. I used a ground scale of 3"=25 yards.

Special Rules for Point Blank Tank Battles:

Tank Formations: Tanks can operate in formations, with a set range of distances between each tank. This distance is listed below and no tank can be further than the formation distance from another tank it the unit. Also, the tank formations start the game in either column, wedge, V, or Flank (left/right). Once the battle began, the platoons could move as necessary outside this initial formation shape as long as they maintained the proper formation distance during the rest of the game. The roll for initiative at the beginning of the game also determined which formation a platoon would start the game.

German tank formations (Command Distance) could be anywhere from 3" out to 15" (25-125 yards). The German tanks had radios, could use more open formations, and did not have to be within LOS to act as long as they were within Command Distance.

Soviet tank formations (Command Distance) could be anywhere from 3" out to 9" (25-75 yards). Soviet tanks did not have radios at the platoon level, so they used flag signals. They could also not operate out of LOS of their platoon leader. Any Soviet tank that found itself out of LOS of its platoon leader had to take a Skill Check (Difficult -4) to use Action Points.

I allowed all tanks to share Action Points during an Activation as long as they were within formation. Also, if a unit was moving in column, as long as no tank in the platoon attempted to acquire a target, did not fire, reload, or take any other action, the whole platoon could move up to the column leader's fast speed with the lead tank moving no further than the fast speed and the rest of the tanks in the platoon in a line behind. This allowed for a reserve move (especially down roads), but could pose a danger if the enemy was nearby to exploit the bunching rules in Point Blank.

Lastly, I used the Ammunition Ready Rack rules and gave each tank a select number of rounds in their ready racks ready to go. Any tank that ran out would have to reload their ready racks before being able to fire again.

The forces involved were as follows:

Germans:
Platoon of Panzer III F/G with 5cm gun. Ready Rack: 8 rounds.

Tank 111* (Platoon Leader)
Tank 112
Tank 113
Tank 114
Tank 115

Platoon of Panzer III F/Gs with 5cm gun

The German crews had the following stats:

Accuracy: 5
Guts: 10 (Lt.), 9 (Sgt.), 8 (Crew)
T&E: +2 (Elite)
Activation Pool: 12

The Platoon Leader tank was commanded by the Lt., while the rest of the tanks were commanded by Sgt.s.

Soviets:
2 Platoons of Soviet T-26 1939. Ready Rack: 5 rounds.

Tank 1* (Platoon Leader)
Tank 2
Tank 3
Tank 4

Tank 5* (Platoon Leader)
Tank 6
Tank 7
Tank 8

Platoon of T-26 1939

The Soviet crews had the following stats:

Accuracy: 5
Guts: 8 (Lt.), 7 (Sgt.), 6 (Crew)
T&E: 0 (Trained)
Activation Pool: 8

The Platoon Leader tank was commanded by the Lt., while the rest of the tanks were commanded by Sgt.s.

The table. A farm outside the town of Dubno. Top is West

The game began with a roll for Initiative. The winner of Initiative would be allowed to choose to go first or second, and would be allowed to set up anywhere on his side of the table within 10" and in any formation. The loser would be forced to deploy first and in column on a road on his side of the table within 10".


The Germans won the roll for Initiative. The Soviets deployed first, and the Germans decided to take the first Activation.

Soviet tank platoon in column.

2nd Soviet Platoon in column heading East from Dubno.

Activation 1: Germans.

Tank 111 moves slow speed down the road to find the Soviet column in his view. The platoon leader tank Acquires the lead tank in the Soviet column, fires, and misses! The crew then reloads.

Activation 1: Soviets.

Tank 1 and 2 move forward at slow speed. Tank 1 Acquires German tank 111, fires, and hits the tank in the track. The round penetrates and damages the track, reducing the vehicle to slow speed for the rest of the game.

Activation 2: Germans.

Tank 111 moves slow speed right, fires at the same Soviet tank 1, and once again misses!

Activation 2: Soviets.

Tank 2 moves slow speed left next to the farmhouse. Tank 3 moves slow speed forward on the road.

Activation 3: Germans.

Tank 111 fires again at Soviet tank 1 and misses for a third time. Tank 114 moves up onto the nearby hill on the left and Acquires Soviet tank 3.

Activation 3: Soviets.

Tanks 5, 6, 7, and 8 all move fast speed in a column, going off road and swinging to the right and towards the hill.

Soviet column moves towards right hill.

Activation 4: Germans.

Tank 111 reloads, fires again, and finally hits Soviet tank 1. The round penetrates and the tank is brewed up. Some of the crew survive, but they flee to the rear.

Tank 114 fires and hits Soviet tank 3. The round penetrates with a catastrophic result! The vehicle is destroyed and the entire crew is killed. Two tanks in one Activation!

The massacre has begun...

Activation 4: Soviets.

With their platoon leader dead, the rest of the Soviet platoon take a Guts check. Surprisingly, the platoon passes the Guts check and continue the fight!

Activation 5: Germans.

Tank 115 and 112 move fast speed onto the hill on the left flank.

Activation 5: Soviets.

Tank 5 and 6 move up slow and medium speed towards the hill on the right.

Activation 6: Germans.

Tank 115 moves up slow speed to the edge of the woods on top of the hill on the left. The crew Acquire Soviet tank 5. They fire and hit! The round penetrates the hull and the resulting explosion sends another fire plume towards the sky.

Activation 6: Soviets.

The loss of another platoon leader sends the second Soviet platoon into a panic. The platoon fails their Guts check and tank 6, 7, and 8 full reverse towards their table edge. On the other Soviet flank, tank 2 passes a Skill Check to Activate after the loss of his platoon leader and succeeds. Tank 2 then moves slow speed into a position to spot the enemy, but fails to Acquire German tank 114.

Activation 7: Germans.

Tank 114 Acquires Soviet tank 2, fires and misses. The crew reloads, fires again, and hits. This time, the round penetrates and another Soviet tank is brewed up!

Activation 7: Soviets.

After also passing a Skill check to Activate, tank 4 moves onto the hill on the right, taking up a position on the flank of German tank 112. The crew fails to Acquire their target.

Activation 8: Germans.

Tank 112 fails it's Acquisition roll to spot the flanking maneuver of Soviet tank 4, so the crew cannot react to this new threat. However, tank 115 moves medium speed across the low depression between the hills on the right and takes up a position on the hilltop within view of the Soviet platoon that was withdrawing from the battle. The crew Acquires Soviet tank 7. They fire, hit, and using their elite crew skill, move their hit result from a track hit to a hull hit. The round penetrates and once more, a Soviet tank bursts into flames!

Activation 8: Soviets.

Tank 4 now Acquires German tank 112. The crew fires, hits, and penetrates with a major damage result to the track. The Soviet crew decides to reload and fire again to make sure their target is destroyed. This time, the round hits, penetrates, and causes a catastrophic internal explosion! The Soviets have gotten their first, and only kill of the battle. This is also the last Activation from their Activation Pool for the Soviets this turn. From here on out, the Germans can Activate the rest of the Activations from their pool.

German Activation 9-12:

 It's pretty much over for the Soviets. The Germans maneuver a few more of the tanks in their platoon into firing positions or towards the objective. Tank 115 moves into a position to Acquire, fire at, and knock out Soviet tank 8. At the end of the German Activations, the game is called.

The Germans advance on Dubno farm.

German positions at game end.

Results:

What a massacre!

 Soviet Losses:

Tank 1* Platoon Leader
Tank 2
Tank 3
Tank 5* Platoon Leader
Tank 7
Tank 8

Massive losses, and all but one tank was a catastrophic explosion of the vehicle and the death of the crew.

German Losses:

Tank 112
Tank 111 damaged

The Germans clearly won a major victory here. The Soviets not only lost the Initiative to start the game, but the German gunnery was excellent. Other than the German platoon leaders first few shots, the Germans hit and penetrated everything they shot at. Their 5cm guns sliced through the T-26 likes a hot knife through butter. The only bright spot for the Soviets was the T-26 that was able to sneak onto the flank of 112 and get two nice solid flank shots. The Germans were surprised by the move, but they were otherwise in too powerful a position by the end of the turn for it to make a difference.

There you have it! A single turn of Disposable Heroes: Point Blank as an all tank skirmish using micro armor. Games of Point Blank move fast and the action is furious. This battle ended up pretty one sided. The Soviets just couldn't seem to stand up against that expert German gunnery in this game. Still, they were not completely incompetent. Despite the loss of their platoon leaders, at least a few of their tanks attempted to maneuver and engage. Sometimes, that's just the way combat goes.

I love the early war period, where even a 5cm gun can dominate the battlefield. If only the Soviets had brought along a few of their T-34s. Maybe next time they will when the Germans try to push on past Brody...

For now, the 16th Panzer Division rides forward in victory.

It's Dangerous out in the Wastes...

Hello folks, long time no see! It's been a busy summer with lots and lots of gaming, painting, swimming, hiking, fishing, and generally having fun with the family and little time for posting on the blog. Until now...

I had a chance to get together with an old friend who I don't see often enough, and who is pretty new to gaming outside Warhammer 40,000 (which he hasn't played since 4th edition-nor have I). We have been getting together more often recently and I talked him into a game using my Pig Iron sci fi minis and using Disposable Heroes: Point Blank.

The scenario is an Outlander (previously miners) ambush on a Federalist Militia troops convoy. I wrote the scenario with a random element of determining attacker and defender. Both players roll a D10, add their T&E score and consult a chart. The winner determined who was ambushed and the difference in the rolls determined the set up and starting positions of the forces on the table. This difference allowed for a meeting engagement (on a tie roll) to a perfectly executed ambush with hidden forces and a completely unprepared enemy. Both sides could potentially be the ambusher, though the Outlanders had the edge due to their T&E bonus.

I posted some pics of the forces involved before here.

The forces were the miners (I call them Outlanders) from Mining Unit 454 and the forces of the Federalist Militia. I envision the Outlanders as tough, experienced, and wily opponents used to hardships and brutal life and combat in the wastes. They are expert ambushers and use concealment, subtrefuge, and hit and run tactics to win against their foes. Their weapons are durable, simple, and easy to maintain, though not very high tech. They have no higher support weapons, no communication networks and no supply chain. They are humans though, and though their outward appearance, and reputation, casts them as inhuman mutated monsters, they are actually normal humans. They live a harsh, but noble life and use the fearsome reputation of their savagery to scare their Federalist enemies. A select few of their population are actually powerful shamans who can control the weather and elements of their Outland environment (they are rumored to be able to summon and control the dead-called wastewalkers-but this is unconfirmed). The most powerful of these shamans can cause psychic shocks and conjure powerful winds of the wastes, as well as telepathically communicate with their comrades. Unlike the Outlanders, the Federalist Militia are conscripts pulled from the vast reaches of the human Galaxy. They are often undertrained, underpaid, young, scared, and unmotivated to fight for an empire that is always waging an eternal war across some lonely speck of a planet on the wrong side of the Milky Way. They have the best weapons, equipment, vehicles, and support in the galaxy. Their communications, logistics, and heavy support network located on orbitally based ships is impressive enough. However, at the end of an Outland day on the dark side of the planet, they are still unmotivated troops fighting against a determined enemy on a planet the conscripts never heard of and don't want to die on.

On to the game! I allowed my friend Tom to choose, and he liked the look of the Outlanders, so I took the Militia.

For the scenario, we rolled off and ended up with the Outlanders ambushing the Federalists. The scenario is based on an Outlander assault on a supply convoy. One of the results of the chart is the possibility of a Federalist trap based on a fake convoy loaded with explosives. This result did not come up in our game, but I like the possibility that it can.

The game began with the Outlanders deploying on either side of the convoy which was allowed to be set up by me at one edge of the table along the road running down the middle of the table through the blasted remains of an ancient human town.

Here are some pics of the action with captions to tell what happened. I wish I had gotten more quality pics, but all I had was my phone. Hope you enjoy!

The game was a minor Outlander victory. They captured some of the supplies, but despite some casualties, the Federalists ended up holed up inside the town, most likely calling for reinforcements. The Outlanders beat a hasty retreat to the wastes to fight another day!

 The convoy picks its way carefully through the ruined town, wary of the hills and likely ambush spots. Their scanners are running hot, with life signs coming in nearby...

From their position on the hill, the Outlanders prepare to fire on the convoy...

 The Plasma cutter gunner charges up his weapon and blasts two perfectly aimed shots into the sides of the supply trucks, killing the driver of each truck and bringing the convoy to a screeching, charred, and fiery halt.

The Militia platoon leader issues the bailout order. The ramp drops and half a squad of militia run out...

 

And right into the face of a mining hard suit attack! The Outlanders have rigged their old mining suits, excellently armored and easy to modify, into armored fighting suits equipped with flamethrowers and plasma drills. The mining hard suit rushes over and easily chops a gaping hole in the cab of the militia Armored Personnel Carrier.

 BOOM! The APC goes up, with the rest of the surviving squad bailing out the back. The Militia Squad Automatic Weapon immediately goes into action against this threat and several rounds penetrate the armor of the mining hard suit. Despite the fire, it's not out of the action yet!

The Outlanders pour fire and merciless shamanic attacks of psychic power at the Militia. Several militia are cut down or suppressed. 

The Shaman then conjures up some of the dreaded wastewalkers to his aid and sends them at the enemy. The Militia manage to cut down a few before they reach their lines, but one gets through and eats an unfortunate Militia whose gun had jammed and who had been suppressed by the shocks of the shaman's attack. Up near the front of the column, the SAW gunner destroys the mining hard suit in a hail or hardened armor piercing slugs. However, his comrades at the rear begin to take withering return fire.

Outlanders pouring fire down into the enemy...

The reason for the ambush? Supplies! The Outlanders pull a truck along side the convoy which had been disabled by the plasma cutter's shooting. They perfected this tactic of using one of their own trucks to pull alongside convoys because the Militia had developed security measures that automatically shut down Federalist systems on board trucks to prevent them from being used by the enemy. A commanding officer could request an orbital system link to shut down any system feared to be captured or used by the enemy. This was also a handy method of calling for direct orbital fire support on the GPS tracked trucks. The Outlanders knew from experience that the Federalists were perfectly willing to fire down onto their own equipment and obliterate any Outlander foolish enough to stick around too long to loot.

"Just pull up here and I'll unload!"

The end of the game. My friend Tom (seen here) wins a small victory over my hard pressed Militia. I cut down the mining hard suit, shot up an Outlander truck (not pictured) that tried to make a dash towards the convoy, and I secured a pretty tough position in the ruins of the town. From there, Tom found there was little chance the Outlanders were going to win the fight by assaulting me. Turns out, they didn't have to...the position of the supply trucks outside the town at the rear of the convoy meant Tom was able to sneak up and steal some of the supplies. However, he was only able to make it off the board with one truck's worth, since the other truck was well covered from the positions in the town and he wasn't willing to risk any more casualties to my fire.

It was a great, tense game with a good friend.

Back to my Roots: Rogue Trader

2012 marked the 25th year anniversary of Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader. This was the game, and the models, that started it all for me. The first time I saw the box of Space Marines (the old mk 6 "beakie" marines), I had to have them.

Holy crap is that cover awesome. It's so 80s it hurts. It almost makes me want to find Bolt Thrower and listen to them again. Almost.

I was thirteen and found them in my local hobby shop "Race O Rama" (for those of you who might be from York PA). About a year later, after having painted them up in the colors of the Crimson Fists, my friend Eric showed me an ad in a Dragon Magazine for this "game" called Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader. We found the rulebook at the local game shop (I forget which shop it was now), and we nabbed a copy. I grew up playing D&D with the original Red Box set, so I knew a little about gaming, but I had no idea you could use miniatures to game. I was completely sold on the idea. I always loved miniatures and models, but never knew what to do with them...until now.

So I saved some cash and bought the first box of opponents I could find for those marines...the Orks! Thrug Bullneck's Ork Raiders. I painted them up and several friends and I tried to figure out how this game thing worked.

25 years later, here I am with my own 5 year old son who knows what Orks are and likes to watch me paint "Daddy's guys".

I played Warhammer 40,000 pretty much exclusively through high school, art school, and up until the release of 4th edition by which time I had long been lured away to historical miniature gaming by my friend Chalfant. Several years of historical gaming later and I have helped develop, write, and publish over a dozen different gaming rulebooks and supplements. Over those years, the Warhammer 40,000 universe became rather silly to me and I thought I would probably never get back into it again...

Then some friends of mine convinced me to consider playing Warhammer 40,000 again. I'm not really sure how. I think it was just that I enjoyed gaming with those guys, and they weren't into historicals. And the new models were kind of cool, and well...the nostalgia factor kind of pulled me back in. We played a game and while I thoroughly enjoyed rolling dice with them, it did remind me how much the rules sucked.

I posted about this a while back and I had even painted up an Ork Warboss to get me back into the mood to collect and paint a new army. It sat on the shelf for a little while as other historical projects distracted me, but the 25th anniversary this past year has really got me back in the mood.

I still pretty much refuse to play Warhammer 40,000. I just can't bring myself to play that horrid system. But it has inspired me to convert Disposable Heroes and Coffin for Seven Brothers (a WWII system I helped create and author) over to Warhammer 40,000. It's a total fan mod and will never, ever see the light of day except on my own private game table with my friends. But it allows me to paint some Orks (and now Imperial Guard) and a friend's Eldar.

The mod is a port over of Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition, which is fun and all. But the idea of painting 100 Orks is kind of daunting, and the 25th anniversary reminded me of the original scenario in the back of the Rogue Trader book and this reminded how that edition was different than all of the rest. Future editions of the rules were big battles. What I missed were the small skirmishes of Rogue Trader with the tricked out characters fighting cool little story telling scenarios. Psychic powers. Hover boards. Gangers. Aliens. All kinds of cool stuff. I remember turning my old Millenium Falcon toy into a wrecked spaceship and building Orks with chainswords on hover boards fighting against my friend's Terminator psyker who teleported everywhere backed up by a Ratling sniper tossing Vortex grenades around. Those were the days!

So what is the point of this trip down memory lane?

Inspired by the 25th anniversary and the coverage by Games Workshop of the "Battle at the Farm" Crimson Fists vs Orks scenario in the original Rogue Trader book, I started looking for a new Warhammer 40,000 project that would allow me to game those kinds of things again. So I bought and painted some of the Warhammer 40,000 Imperial characters such as the Astropath and some of my favorite Imperial Guard: the Steel Legion. My Ork project is also back underway with the completion of the Nobz that accompany my Warboss.

So here is the project so far:

Completed:

Deathskull Orks
1 Ork Warboss (Grimjaw Irongob)
5 Ork Nobz

Steel Legion Imperial Guard
1 Captain
1 Lieutenant
1 Sergeant
9 Guardsmen
1 Astropath
1 Imperial Governor
1 Techpriest transcriber looking guy

I'm on my way to having enough models to run a little scenario featuring an Imperial Governor's downed transport and some Orks on the hunt while some Guardsmen rush to the rescue. Just like the Rogue Trader days...

My next Blog post will probably be a battle report. But until then, here are the models I have painted so far.

Da Boss. I always loved the Deathskullz clan for their blue warpaint and their propensity for looting.

I removed the back banner from the model. It was huge and a little ridiculous. I'm saving it for a Waagh banner to be carried by a Nob.

Here are the boyz. The Ork Nobz that the Boss orders around.

The assortment of backplates representing the Nobz clan affiliations.

One thing I used to love about the Rogue Trader period of Orks was their backplates. These were a big part of the Ork background. It demoted clan affiliation and displayed the Ork's personal motif. I always thought it was a cool touch. The current incarnations kind of abandoned that idea, but I decided to revive it as an homage to the old Waagh the Orks, Freebooterz, and 'Ere we Go! books.

Waaagh.

Lieutenant.

Captain.

(L-R) Astropath, Imperial Governor, tech transcriber techpriest thing...

Sergeant.

Steel Legion Squad.

Dark Reaper Exarch.

Eldar Warlock.

The Eldar are old models I painted back when I was still into Warhammer 40,000. I found them in a box of stuff a friend gave me. He wants me to paint up his Eldar Army. I'm not sure I can paint as well as I used to...

Well, I hope you enjoyed the little nostalgia trip. I have been enjoying painting these models. It is a truly nice break from all that khaki and field grey.

Keith

The Undefeated: The 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade vs. the 4th Light Division AAR.

Ambush Along the San River

September, 1939. German troops have crossed the Polish border and are smashing their way through Polish defenses with massive air and artillery support. Hard pressed everywhere, Polish troops fought hard to delay German advances so that the French and British, who "guaranteed" Polish borders against German aggression, would declare war against Germany. The Poles would fight in vain.

The Early War has fascinated me for a long time. The valiant stands of Polish, French, Belgian, Dutch, Danish, and Norwegian troops is a study of the "Futile Gallantry" of the early phase of WWII. One Polish unit in particular stands out: The 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade. This tough unit fought intense defensive battles around Lvov against the German panzers of the 4th Light Division, 2nd Panzer, and delaying actions in southern Poland against troops of the 1st Gebirgsjagers. The unit became so adept at ambushes along the pine ridges of the Beksides mountains that German troops became fearful of the ever present danger lurking behind the trees.

As I posted about previously, I recently picked up a platoon of these troops from the new range by Blitzkrieg Laboratory (released through Gorgon Studios). I ran a game using these troops at the last HMGS East convention, Fall In 2012, but I forgot my camera and my phone battery died, so I never got any pics. With the end of the semester (I teach, and I'm a PhD student), I had some time to put together a game and get some good pics as well as do a more detailed after action report.

The battle was between German motorized troops of the 4th Light Division up against the Polish 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade.

I used Disposable Heroes: Point Blank. This AAR will be the first of a series of battles using these rules to demonstrate not only how the rules work, but how adaptable they are for all kinds of conflicts, periods, and tactical engagements. From WWII infantry battles, to Vietnam, modern, and all tank battles using 1/285th (6mm) minis, Point Blank is a system that allows you to do all kinds of games.

The game table layout:

The map depicts a small farm near a bridge over the San River (more of a creek here, really). The Germans are attempting to push along the river and capture the high ground around the farm as well as push recon and motorized troops across the creek. The Poles are attempting to stop the Germans by knocking out their mobile units.

The Objectives:

German: Capture Hill (2), Hill (3), and the bridge. The farm is a secondary objective.

Polish:  Knock out, immobilize, or drive off any German tanks or vehicles. Preventing capture of bridge and hills are secondary objectives.

The Forces:

Polish:

ACC: 5
CC: 6
Guts: Corporal (9), Lance Corporal (8), Private (7)
T&E: Elite (+2)

Rifle Squad (Player 1):
1 Corporal w/Wz98 Rifle
LMG Team:
1 LMG Gunner w/Wz28 LMG
1 Assistant w/Wz98 Rifle

AT Rifle Team:
1 AT Rifle Gunner w/Wz35 AT Rifle
1 Assistant w/Wz98 Rifle

1 Lance Corporal w/Wz98 Rifle

LMG Team:
1 LMG Gunner w/Wz28 LMG
1 Assistant w/Wz98 Rifle

3 Riflemen w/Wz98 Rifles

Tanks and Support (Player 2):
3 TKS 20 FK w/20mm Cannon

AT Gun Team:
1 Gunner w/Bofors 37mm AT Gun
1 Lance Corporal Assistant w/Wz98 Rifle

TKS 20 FK and Bofors 37mm AT Gun.

German:

ACC: 5
CC: 6
Guts: Sergeant (8), Corporal (7), Private (6)
T&E: Veteran (+1)

Motorized Infantry Squad (Player 1): 
1 Sergeant w/MP-38 SMG

LMG Team:
1 LMG Gunner w/MG-34 LMG
1 Assistant w/Kar-98k Rifle

LMG Team:
1 LMG Gunner w/MG-34 LMG
1 Assistant w/Kar-98k Rifle

5 Riflemen w/Kar98k

Opel Blitz Truck

Motorized Infantry Squad (Player 2):

1 Sergeant w/MP-38 SMG

LMG Team:
1 LMG Gunner w/MG-34 LMG
1 Assistant w/Kar-98k Rifle

LMG Team:
1 LMG Gunner w/MG-34 LMG
1 Assistant w/Kar-98k Rifle

5 Riflemen w/Kar98k

Opel Blitz Truck

Tank Support (Player 3):
2 Panzer I B
2 Panzer II B

Motorized Rifle Squads.

Panzer Is and IIs.

Deployment:

The Germans must come on the table on the road. However, they are allowed some pre-game recon to find alternate entry points on the table. If these are successful, they may allow the Germans opportunities to change the deployment. The Poles can deploy anywhere on their half of the table. However, they do not set up before the game starts, instead, they deploy by Activating a soldier, team, or vehicle and placing it on the board. No model or team may deploy closer than 16" to a German soldier, team, or vehicle. 

The game begins with recon rolls for the Germans. I took the recon chart from the Disposable Heroes & Coffin for Seven Brothers book (page 45) and used it to allow the German player the chance to reveal different approaches to coming onto the table during the game. If the Germans rolled well enough, they would be allowed to enter the table in more advantageous locations. If they rolled really well, they would have been able to outflank the Polish positions. Recon, however, involves risk, and each player had to allocate an infantryman or tank to act as a scout to enable the players to roll on the table. If the roll went badly enough, they could be killed or destroyed.

I Followed the chart on page 45 of Disposable Heroes & Coffin for Seven Brothers and used the "Light Tank/Infantry" column. I also used the Chance to be Destroyed column as well. If a roll was high enough, the scouting model may have been killed or destroyed (removed from game). If a roll was a success, it allowed for a better German deployment on the table at the start of the game. The German players did not have to use the newly revealed recon location, but it is an option.

1st Success: German player allowed to deploy up to 12" along right hand table edge (Hill 3) up to 6" away from the edge.

2nd Success: German player allowed to deploy up to 12" onto the table, between river and Hill 2.

Success 3: Outflanked! The German player allowed to deploy on the road along the Polish deployment edge on the left side, up to the bridge (but not on it).

The Game:

The game started off with a roll for recon, which resulted in the German's achieving two successes. They decided to take advantage of the 2nd success and advance a squad along the hill.The Germans suffered no losses from the recon rolls (though there were some close calls).

Next, Initiative was rolled, with a tie: Germans (8 Guts + 7 + 1 T&E=16) vs Poles (9 Guts + 5 + 2 T&E=16). Since it was a tie, but the Poles have a higher T&E, they won initiative. The Poles decide to allow the Germans to go first since they wanted to hold back forces for the ambush.

German Activation Pool: 9 Activations (8 Guts + 1 T&E).

Polish Activation Pool: 11 (9 Guts + 2 T&E).

German Activation 1: (this Activation allows the Germans to place their forces on the table within 6" of the edge or using one of the pre-game recon locations-all subsequent Activations will be with individual soldiers, teams, or vehicles): The Germans move an Opel Blitz truck with a Motorized Infantry squad on board down the road 12". Half of the squad disembarks. The other squad arrives on the table dismounted without the Opel Blitz. They take advantage of the cover of the hill revealed by the successful pre-game recon. Next, a Panzer I moves down the road 16" towards the roadblock (a wagon pushed across the road). This move provokes a snap fire by the Polish AT rifle team. They hit the Panzer I but fail to penetrate.

Dismount!

Polish Activation 1: The now revealed AT rifle team reloads and takes another shot at the Panzer I. They hit and penetrate, killing the commander and inflicting light damage to the tank. The driver passes his Gut check. The AT rifle team then reloads.

Next, a hidden Polish Bofors AT gun fires at the Opel Blitz with infantry on board. They Acquire, hit, and heavily damage the truck. The driver and his assistant is killed outright and the rest of the squad bails out. The AT gun then switches targets to the infantry squad that has dismounted.

Bail out!

German Activation 2: A German LMG team moves up to the cover of the wrecked car and puts some fire on the Polish AT gun while some of the riflemen move up to the cover of the trees along the side of the road.

A German corporal, which had taken advantage of the advanced position along the hill moves towards the Polish AT gun and throws a grenade. The blast does not harm the AT gun crew and they keep their nerve.

The damaged Panzer I, with a dead commander, decides to reverse at fast speed off the table and withdraw from the battle.

Polish Activation 2: The Poles reveal an LMG team in the barn which opens up on the German infantry dismounted from the truck. They kill the Sergeant and suppress the LMG team.

German Sergeant goes down from Polish machine gun fire.

The AT gun fires at the German infantry as well, and suppresses the Corporal of the squad. Both leaders had been at the front of the column when they dismounted. Leading from the front is dangerous work...

German Activation 3: The LMG team that had been suppressed by the fire coming from the barn rallies and hops over the fence to take cover behind the hay pile. They return fire to the Polish LMG team and suppresses them, though while firing their gun jams.

On the other side of the road on the hill, a German LMG team moves up and puts fire on the Polish AT gun crew. They kill the gunner and suppress the loader, though they also experience a jam.

At the same time, a Panzer I drives north of the road along the hill and attempts to find the AT gun to bring machine gun fire to bear. The crew acquire their target and pour fire into the AT gun position, driving off the crew by inflicting more than five suppressions.

Polish Activation 3: The Poles move up an LMG team to the position previously occupied by the AT gun crew, knowing the Germans will be pushing towards this objective. They draw a bead on the Germans approaching them along the hill and kill both the loader of the German LMG team and the Corporal of the squad. This fire also suppresses the machine gunner.

In a bold move by one of the TKS tankettes, the crew slowly drives around the curve of the hill until the German Panzer I is in view. Since they are within 12" they Acquire the target automatically. The TKS fires, but the two shots are glancing blows to the top part of the armor of the Panzer I.

German Activation 4: The Germans rally their LMG team and start to bring a crossfire onto the Polish infantry in the barn, suppressing them. Elsewhere, more German infantry move up along the hill trying to get into position to assault the Polish AT gun position.

A Panzer II arrives and finds the TKS in its sights. It scores a hit with its 20mm cannon, but the shot skims off.

Polish Activation 4: Luckily for the Polish LMG team in the barn, a nearby Corporal rallies them and gets them back in the fight. The LMG team puts fire onto the Germans position behind the haystack, but to no effect.

Now that they have the target zeroed in, the TKS pours 20mm fire into the Panzer I until it explodes.

Brew up!

German Activation 5: The Germans maneuver more of their infantry and put more fire into the barn, but to no effect.


The Panzer II fires at the TKS and misses.

Polish Activation 5: The brave Polish AT rifle team reloads, fires and misses the Panzer II.

Meanwhile, the game of cat and mouse continues. The TKS reverses back around the bend in the hill out of LOS of the Germans. Safe...for now.

German Activation 6: The German infantry along the road are trying to maneuver towards the barn, but having difficulty. Their move is covered by the Polish LMG team in the barn that snap fires on their move.

In the middle, the German infantry is having more luck and they maneuver the LMG team and the Sergeant towards the top of the hill. The Sergeant gets close enough to throw a grenade onto the Polish LMG team on the hill. The blast from the grenade kills the LMG gunner, but the assistant takes over.

Polish LMG team moments before a German potato masher lands among them and kills the gunner.

Pushing hard, the Germans move their second Panzer II, onto the table. It drives 16" along the left side of the hill, keeping an eye out for any lurking Polish tankettes...

Polish Activation 6: Having ignored the AT rifle team lurking under the wagon roadblock, the Panzer II on the road pays dearly. The AT rifle team fires, scoring a hull hit into a vital location, causing the tank to brew up with all crew killed.

AT Rifle ambush!

The Poles press their advantage against the German armor by revealing their second TKS high up on hill 3 in an attempt to knock out the remaining Panzer II. They Acquire the target, but when they fire the shots go wild, completely missing.

German Activation 7: The German infantry are getting aggressive. The LMG behind the haystack fires at and finally removes the threat of the Polish LMG team in the barn, while on the center hill, the German LMG team fires at and kills the remaining Polish LMG gunner. This allows the Sergeant to move up and secure the objective on the hill.

Turning in place to face its frontal armor at this new threat, the Panzer II Acquires the TKS on hill 3 and fires its 20mm cannon into the hull until it explodes in a ball of fire.

The Panzer IIs 20mm cannon makes short work of the TKS.

Polish Activation 7: The Poles in the farm are getting desperate, and begin taking rifle pot shots at the German infantry along the road. However, a lucky shot from one of the rifles in the farmhouse kills the German Sergeant who had just captured the hill.

The Poles need to destroy all the German tanks, so the first TKS rolls around the same bend in the hill and Acquires the remaining Panzer II. By turning in place, the Panzer II had left its vulnerable side armor exposed to the TKS. They get lucky with an engine shot from the side, which immobilizes the Panzer II and causes light damage.

Side shot!

German Activation 8: The Germans finally bring fire to bear on the Polish AT rifle team. They kill the assistant gunner, but the team is still in action.

Since the Sergeant was killed the LMG team moves up to retake the hill.

Now immobilized, The Panzer II turns its turret towards the second TKS who had knocked out its engine. They Acquire the target point blank, hit, score a blast against the crew and cause medium damage. Miraculously, the crew survive the blast, but are dazed by the concussion of the hit.

Polish Activation 8: Polish riflemen attempt to clear out the hill the German infantry just occupied, but their fire is ineffective.

Luckily, the crew of the TKS recover quickly. The gunner lets fly with a shot from the 20mm cannon while the driver jams it into reverse and speeds as fast as he can out of sight of the German Panzer II. The shot hits the Panzer II but does not penetrate its armor.

German Activation 9 (Final Activation of the turn): The German LMG team on the hill fires at the Polish AT rifle, with no effect, while German rifleman work their way up to support them.

The immobilized Panzer II does nothing else this turn.

Polish Activation 9-11: The AT rifle team, in a final move to finish off the remaining Panzer II, sneaks over to the stone wall along the road. They fail to hit the first time, but after reloading, their second shot hits the Panzer II in the lower hull. This shot penetrates and causes a catastrophic explosion, popping off the turret in a plume of fire and smoke.

BOOM!

Having achieved their objective of destroying or driving off all German armor and holding up the German advance, the Poles decide to withdraw from the battle. The Corporal gives the order to fall back, and the remaining TKS crosses over the San river to the safety of Polish lines. A squad of waiting Polish engineers will then attempt to blow the bridge before the Germans can secure it, and then place mines near the ford downstream to harass anyone that attempts to cross there.

Fall back!

The game ends with a Polish victory. They had suffered very few casualties, though their LMG teams took a beating and they lost a TKS.

The Germans took only one of their objectives. Though they could now advance on the farm and the bridge, they lost a truck and all of their armored vehicles. Their infantry squads took heavy losses in leaders. They will be sure to advance more cautiously now that the Black Brigade has dealt the 4th Light Division a blow they won't soon forget!

I hope you enjoyed this battle report! I really had fun playing this scenario. I hope it gives you some ideas for your own WWII games or even games of Point Blank!

Polish Miniatures are Gorgon Studios/Blitzkrieg Laboratory, with Warlord Games TKS tanks and AT.

Germans are all Crusader Miniatures, with Warlord Games tanks, and Army Group North trucks.

The houses are Old Glory.