The battlefield (at TacWWII's 1cm = 40m ground scale) is just 4 feet by 2.5 feet so the game fit very comfortably on the kitchen table.
The terrain is, I think, largely self-evident in the picture above with the possible exceptions that the pale linear features are ridge lines blocking line of sight (mostly - in some case there is line of sight across a ridge line from one that is deemed to be higher) and the beige-coloured rectangles bottom right are flooded meadows.
Our German player (Phil) began with a battalion (I/64 Panzergrenadier Regiment) holding Jablonice and an armoured battlegroup (KG Collin) advancing either side of the major ridge to the right of Mokre.
Andy, as the Soviet commander, had 52nd Guards Tank Brigade in and around Mokre, 53rd Brigade on the left-hand side of the table below the woods, and 289th Rifle Regiment coming on behind them. Additional Soviet forces would arrive as determined by a die roll each turn.
Contrary to what the designations above might suggest, in reality none of these Soviet formations was above what most armies would consider peacetime battalion strength. For example, here's 53rd Guards Tank Brigade advancing towards Jablonice:
There's the Brigade HQ, a platoon of T-34s with tank riders, and a platoon of IS-2s. They are approaching some outlying elements of I/64 Panzergrenadier Regiment:
Kampfgruppe Collin was forced by the scenario to deploy astride the ridgeline near Mokre. This would leave half of their tank platoons in a position where they could be fired upon by the ambushing 52nd Guards Tank Brigade. Phil decided to put his under-strength Panzer IV battalion in the "shop window".
Unfortunately for Andy the component units of 62nd Guards Tank Brigade were not properly alert as the Panzers passed in front of them. Only one of their company-sized battalions managed to spot the enemy and fire at the first opportunity. Although one Panzer IV platoon was knocked out, Phil elected not to return fire. This avoided keeping the transiting Panzers hidden from the sleepy Soviet tank gunners throughout the first turn.
The action had previously begun with the arrival of a flight of Il-2 Sturmovik. Andy's Bf-109s were able to intercept them and shoot them down. Subsequently, a flight of La-5FN fighters showed up. They engaged some SdKfz 251s but to no effect.
On the second game turn the Soviets again received the maximum in air support while the Luftwaffe was conspicuous by its absence. One of KG Collin's Panzergrenadier platoons was put out of action.
A light SU Regiment with SU-85s appeared alongside 52nd Tank Brigade. Although they didn't contribute any effective hits, their arrival seemed to wake up the nearby tankers. The German Panzer IV battalion was wiped out but the Kampfgruppe's overall morale held despite the losses.
One turn three 51st Tank Brigade arrived through Kurozweki...
... whilst their compatriots of the 52nd and 53rd Brigades engaged the enemy armour.
The centre of the board saw an increasingly complex melée between converging armoured units. By the end of game turn 6 KG Collin had been broken and 52nd Tank Brigade was reduced to the strength of two platoons, albeit one of them was a powerful IS-2 unit.
By the seventh turn of the game the Soviets had received all of their expected reinforcements. Perhaps key were the headquarters units of two off-table artillery regiments. With these manoeuvered into position, the Soviets would be able at leisure to bombard Jablonice.
With our available time used up, the opinion was that the eventual result would be a victory to the Soviets but a pretty Pyrrhic one; certainly not the easy triumph they achieved in history.
My thanks are due to Andy and Phil for an enjoyable battle, hard-fought in the best spirit. We need to build on our increasing experience with TacWWII and get some more games in soon.
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