Friday 12th & 19th August has seen us playing the next in Mark's sequential set of linked scenarios as Russian Forces fight their way towards Berlin on the Eastern Front in 1945. The photos below are from week #2 of the game, and as ever these will do most of the 'talking' in this post.
Rules by Mark, figures by Mark, Mike N & John.
Germans were being played by Dave, Ollie (sub for John who was on holiday for week2) & Mike N, whilst the Russians were being played by Steve, Rupert, Nigel, Phil & Mike W (sub for Mat who was unable to attend Week 2).
The Russians, under Steve, are forcing an attack along the length of the board and Wee 2 starts with a general Russian advance, pushing German Volkssturm forces back almost at will, with little of no meaningful resistance on the right flank.
| Russian advance on eth right flank, lead by tanks as they approach Volkssturm positions behind the hedgeline. |
| Close-up of the Volkssturm positions |
On the left flank, under Rupert & Mike W, the going is a little more difficult with wood s and barricades across the railway line slowing up the advance. Additionally an embedded tank turret caused some consternation, as did a Volkssturm Panzerfaust team that took out the lead Russian tank, before they were themselves destroyed.
| Rupert's Infantry & Mike W's tanks advance on the Russian Left, through woods. |
Switch to a squadron of low flying Stormoviks, screaming in low over the battlefield laden with rockets to attack two houses and a known German AA Position. The lead section was driven off by newly revealed German AA resources, saving one of eth houses. The second section unleashed all eight rockets on it's target house only to find four shots overshot by a wide margin, two more flew long and to the fight and one dropped short, leaving only one on target.
| The Stormoviks arrive on the table |
| The railway track on the left flank, with destroyed Russian Tank in view |
Initial Russian disappointment turned to celebrations when it became apparent that the four long shot had missed the house but landed square in a hidden German HQ, destroying the transport and admin staff. Just as the German CnC was dusting himself off and thanking his lucky stars that he'd survived another rocket came skidding over the house to land directly on his position and wiping him out
The final Stormovik delivered a wide ranging scatter of rockets on the AA position missing with most but then eliminating the target.
Later on the right as the Russians continued to advance they began to encounter elements of a Hitler Youth formation was again roughly handled by the Soviets.
| Russian T34 Mine clearing tank on eth Russian right |
| Western half of the board, with the two houses attacked by the Stormoviks, both remained untouched although a hidden German HQ unit behind the blue building (front right)was destroyed. |
| Off table German Supply Units |
| Start positions for Mike W's tanks Week #2. |
| T34 Tanks of the Russian right, rolling forwards. |
| Valentine tanks lumber forwards to the right of the Russian Centre |
| Russian Central start off positions, a heavily defended river |
| Behind the Russian Centre, a self-propelled artillery unit |
| Back on the Russian Left, a destroyed house from which a Volkssturm Panzerfaust unit took out a Russian light tank. |
| A cool Russian Command Vehicle |
| Final shot, from the Russian left, watching the Right Flank attack press forwards |