The Battle of Medvenka AAR

This game was played on the 2nd day of Christmas, but other content for the blog kept it waiting. Here appears a full force of both Germans and Soviets, and as we are still imited to a 4x4 foot table, the battlefield is kind of packed.

As part of a German offensive on the East, a strike force, after a previous recon misson, was sent out to shatter the defenses of the Russian village Medvenka.

German OOB

3x Elite Tiger tanks

5x Panther tanks

1x SS squad with Hanomag

3x Infantry platoons with two squads and MG support

Air support: 1x Ju-87, 1x Fw-190

4 artillery barrages

Soviet OOB

Heavy tank company, 1x KV-1 HQ, 2x KV-2

Medium tank company, 3x T34/85, 3x T34/76

2x Bunkers with 85mm turrets

3x Infantry platoons with LMG support

1x BM-5 Katyusha

Germans advance towards the first line of defense.

A Tiger has its gun jammed while the Panthers try to outflank the enemy.

The SS-squad reaches its goal and disables the Katyusha before it would be able to cause trouble.

A Russian squad takes shelter in the V.I. Lenin Tractor Factory.

Russian armor surges forward to meet the German onslaught.

The first line of sandbags is broken through and the heavy tanks are engaging in the village.

The tank battle is very confusing at this point but both sides lose a lot of infantry caught up in between.

The German advance is wavering, but the foot catches up. Infantry battle for the hill.

Here comes the air force: the tank battle still rages on.

The German infantry takes heavy losses but so do the Russians.

Bad, bad dice.

The same Tiger that had its gun jammed and took an engine hit now crashes into the T-34's rear and sets it ablaze!

The remaning Russian foot retreats to the factory.

The Tiger and Panther block the T-34's way and destroy it.

Lookin' real bad to the Russians...

Then the remaining Soviet armor takes a few hits and it's not so bright for them either.

A Panther fires a HE round right into the ruins and then the foot charges.

The last Soviet tanks are burning out.

And by taking the factory, the Germans are victorious. The only trouble is counting the losses.

The Germans lost a Tiger, had a Panther immobilised and another two destroyed; out of the six squads, five had major losses. The Russians took a heavier beating, losing essentially everything they've got, but endured for quite long and at one point in the tank battle it seemed they could even win.

At the moment the 15mm Böhnstadter forces are finished but basing and varnishing, the first Minden command figure had a few layers added, and I'm trying to regain my painting (and writing) mojo. Off to a new term then.