The Second World War, Rapid Fire Reloaded, 10mm

We were off to the Eastern Front this week, for a small game with fairly limited goals. The Germans were planning a pre-emptive strike against the Soviets massing east of the Mius River, near the Russian-Ukranian border. The plan was to establish a bridgehead over the river near the village of Kucherovka, south of Kuibishevo, and so a small battlegroup of 11th Panzer Division was sent to seize it.The small bridge was only lightly held by a reinforced battalion of the Soviet 52nd Rifle Brigade.  It held earthworks around the bridge on both banks of the Mius, but the defenders were markedly outnumbered. So, this would be a delaying action, where as the Soviet commander my job was to stall the enemy for as long as possible. Sean though, commanding the Germans, wanted to take it quickly, with minimal losses. We played the game on a 6×4 foot table, with the Mius River close to the short eastern table edge. I benefited from concealed positions, but apart from a few anti-tank guns and a unit of SU-76 tank destroyers, and some air and artillery support, my rifle battalion were on their own. Sean’s units would appear on the western edge, near Kucherovka (above), and from the Alekseevka road leading off the south edge. He had air and artillery assets too. The game began with Sean’s Germans entering the table, with a battalion of panzer grenadiers dismounting in Kucherovka, before deploying for their advance towards the bridge.  My sole 57mm anti-tank gun was on the western bank, in a wood overlooking the western approaches to the bridge. It got its big chance when a Panzer company of Pz. IIIs appeared on the southern road, led by a Pz. II recon tank. A hit on a Pz. III halted this probe, and so Sean called up his grenadiers in the village, who attacked across the railway line, and advanced east, in the direction of the bridge. I began dropping mortar fire on the Germans on the main road, and gave them pause. however, when a panzer knocked out my anti-tank gun, the German armour was able to set up a firing position, and support the infantry by firing into the defences around the bridge. I lost a couple of infantry stands from that, but while Sean lost men too, it wasn’t enough to stop the German advance. Soon they reached the Soviet earthworks, and the leading Pz III advanced towards the bridge. He was fired at an damaged by a Soviet anti-tank rifle team in the ruin beside the bridge’s western side, but this resistance was soon overcome. I was running out of options by this stage – apart from the hidden trick up my sleeve.As the Germans consolidated their hold on the western side of the Mius bridge, Sean’s leading panzer started across the bridge. It was wired for explosives, but thanks to a dreadful die roll, these didn’t go off. So, I played my hand, and revealed the SU-76s sitting on a wooded hill on the eastern side of the river. They successfully knocked out the Panzer III, which comprehensively blocked the bridge. Huzzah! My joy though, was short-lived. the next turn Sean’s remaining panzers opened up, and the light armour of the two Soviet tank destroyers proved no match for the Germans. Soon both tank destroyers were burning fiercely, and my last real chance of stopping the enemy went up in smoke! All I had left were some infantry, lining the defences on the eastern side of the bridge. We both had artillery support, and while Sean plastered these entrenchments with his artillery, my mortars did what they could to stop Sean’s second battalion of panzer grenadiers, whose trucks were heading towards the bridge. We also both had air assets, but every time we rolled, it wasn’t good enough, and the darned aircraft never appeared!Soon, it was clear that the remnants of my battalion had no option but to retreat. They were being pounded by direct fire from tanks, as well as by artillery bombardment, and small arms from Sean’s first battalion of grenadiers.  Sean sent a Stug III from his supporting assault gun company to shunt the burning tank off the bridge, so he could resume his advance. So, with it pushed off the road at the bridge’s eastern side, the road east lay open! I’d lost just over half my force, and a morale test proved disastrous. I rolled low, and the remnants of my Soviet battalion routed from the table. The Germans duly began piling across the bridge, in a scene reminiscent of ‘A Bridge Too Far‘! Then – miracle of miracles – on what was clearly the last turn – I rolled a ‘”6″, and so a Sturmovik finally appeared – a turn or two too late to make any real difference! Still, it was a nice way to end the game. It dropped its payload on the juicy column of German trucks, targeting that pesky Stug. Inevitably though – and in keeping with the rest of the game – the bombs missed! So, the game ended in a clear victory for the Germans, as my brigade command group followed the last of their infantry in a mad dash for the friendly table edge. It was a great game though – tense, exciting and excellent fun.

Tags: Rapid Fire Reloaded