Firestorm Campaign Turn 1 Battle 5

Battle at Bykhov


Jim's Motostrelkovy attacking Barrrie's Sperrband in No Retreat Mission.

The Russians had 1500 pts (HQ, 2 Motostrelk, 5T34/85+5T34/76, 155mm Howitzers) plus additional Firestorm Troops 2 IS2 & Sturmovicks.
The Germans were reduced to 1200 pts because they were out of supply & threw a 3, but also had Firestorm troops 2 Tigers & Panzergrenadiers.

The table had a wide river running about a foot in from the table edge on the German right (with 3 bridges), there were two villages & a wood down the German left hand side and it was open in the middle. The Germans put infantry (armed to the teeth with MGs HMGs, Panzerfausts & Paks) on both objectives, Paks in ambush & artillery in rear. The Russians put their T34s on their left over the river, infantry in centre & on the right, artillery in rear & IS2s on the right bank of the river.

The Russians advanced steadily while the Germans dropped their Pak ambush & prayed for their reserves to come up. The Paks got a couple of T34s but were destroyed by return fire, but they bought time for the SPAA & Tigers to come on. The centre Strelk charged & drove back the German Infantry & got within spitting distance of the objective. But their success was temporary as a storm of fire destroyed the Strelk in the German's next turn. The T34's then charged over the bridge & took the objective.

The Sturmoviks had been kept in reserve waiting for the Tigers, then didn't turn up until a turn later. One got past the AA, but failed to hit a Tiger. The Russian artillery had initial success in taking out the German 105's (already reduced to 2 by the supply rule), but didn't hit much else.

Now to hold the objective & win the battle, the T34s just had to survive the fire of 2 Tigers & a Pak & an assult by the Sperrband. The Pak got a bail, the Tiger got a bail & it just wasn't enough - the T34s didn't have to test morale & had enough tanks left to stop the assault with mg fire.

The Russians had lost 1 Strelkovy platoon so it was a 5:2 victory. There were no Firestorm Troop losses to either side. The pic was taken from behind the Russian left in the German's last turn.


Campaign Situation:

The Germans retreated Tigers & 1 Panzergrenadier into Zhoblin & a Panzer Grenadier into Mogilev.

The Russians entered Bykhov with their IS2's & Sturmoviks from Gorky, plus another IS & an Artillery from Dobryna (up to 4 can be moved up into taken areas from adjacent areas).

That is the end of Turn 1 of the campaign - see attached map.

There were 5 battles in Turn 1, the Germans won 3, the Russians 2. The Germans have won more battles & lost less casualties, but their position is precarious with 3 separate pockets - Vitebsk, Orsha & Zhlobin - all with 2 Firestorm Troops bottled up in them.