Tankovy Assault – A “Hold the Line” AAR

by Tom Burgess

After playing several city fights with the new Version 4 Mid War East Front lists, and I decided to turn our attention to more open field battles.

We set up an East Front looking table with few woods, wheat fields, a couple of built-up areas, and a rail line. We also increased the points we were playing at from 55 to 81 points as that’s what we’ll be playing at Advance the Colors in October.

Ed decided to run a Mixed Tankovy. His key unit had three KV-1s. These were backed up by five T-34s and six Valentines. Knowing he would be facing my Grenadiers, Ed brought Katyushas, mortars, and a Hero SMG company.

My Grenadier company was based on three medium-sized platoons each with an HMG added (I was expecting more infantry in ED’s force). I took the new Nebelwerfers and medium mortars for fires support. Expecting Ed to take KV-1s, I knew I’d need to have some serious Anti-tank ability and so my force included a full unit of Marders and three PaK-40s.

We rolled up “Hold the Line” for the mission using the Battle Plans matrix with Ed attacking and me defending. I knew I’d need all of my AT assets the board so mortars, rockets and two Grenadier platoons had to go in to reserve.

I placed the mines to block off most of my open left and to help keep Ed’s tanks out of the concealment in the wheat-fields. My HQ went into the small town and my Marders set up trying to get some trying to get concealment from the building edges.  My PaK-40s lurked somewhere in ambush.

Ed’s plan was simple, drive down the highway at full speed with his tanks while his infantry would sweep through the woods on my right. His Katyushas would provide fire support from his right.

Knowing he’d need “7’s” to hit my Marders, Ed dashed his light and medium tanks up the highway while the KVs and infantry plodded on at a slower rate of advance. Ed also attempted to shift his Katushas fire from his pre-ranged in point on the town out into the infantry on my right, but he failed to range in.

In my turn one, I had the PaK-40s ambush on my left, while the infantry on the left gave up their foxholes and started moving toward the town in the center.

Also, my sniper emerged from the other town and started harassing ED’s rocket trucks.

My one rockets also came in from reserve on turn one and I pulled them into some woods.

The initial volleys of AT fire were good. I destroyed two T-34s and bailed one and also destroyed three Valentines and bailed one.

In Ed’s second turn his mortars ranged in on my infantry in the open, but he failed to earn a hit.

While his Katyushas failed to range in at all.

Ed decided to flex his two operational Valentines back to try to deal with the sniper.

Ed’s T-34s and KVs continued to sweep around the left of the town. His infantry pushed up to the edge of the woods.

In my second turn I continued to move my infantry platoon into the rail station.

My Nebelwefers, in their first bombardment, destroyed three Katyushas.

Mt AT fire in the second turn was not nearly as good as the first. I only managed to bail out one T-34, while the KVs bounced off many hits and remained unaffected.

Withe the Katyushas neutralized, my sniper turned his attention toward Ed’s mortars.

In Ed’s third turn he continued to swing around the town with his infantry and KVs.

His T-34s finally destroy a Marder.

Ed attempts a probing assault into the town with just two teams, but both are cut down by the German 2ICs SMG fire.

In my turn three, my Nebelwerfers smack Ed’s mortars.

I also bring in a platoon of infantry and SdKfz-222s (proxied by Opel Blitz AA trucks).

My fire in turn three only manages to bail out a KV, three Valentines and but I do destoy one T-34, pushing that unit into poor spirits. Grenadiers and scout vehicles concentrate fire on Ed’s SMG unit rendering them ineffective.

In Ed’s 4th turn he fails to remount all three bailed out Valentines, but at least the unit holds. Ed was really hating not having a CO in the Mixed Tankovy Battalion, has he had many failed remount attempts through the game.

To make things worse, his last T-34 fails poor spirits check as well.

At least Ed’s KVs destroy another of my Marders in this turn.

With turn six coming up, I aggressively move up my infantry to make it harder for Ed to get with 8″ on an objective.

My Nebelwerfers continue to pound Ed’s mortars, but they just wont die.

My PaK-40s finally finish off the Valentines while the Marders destroy one and bail one KV.

Protected by the hull of the bailed KV from defensive fire from Ed’s active KV, my Grenadiers assault in to easily destroy the bailed KV. This will leave Ed’s mortars as his last unit in good spirits, thus breaking his formation at the start of his next turn. The game ends as a 8-1 German victory with the rout of the Mixed Tankovy.

This was a very enjoyable game for both of us.  I felt the PaK-40s and Marders were sufficient to deal with the KVs, but only barely.  If Ed had been able to get more out of his Valentines, the Marders would likely have folded. The key to German win was using the town to shield off the Marders from being shot at by all of Ed’s tanks in the same turn. I had to concentrate on one unit at a time saving the KVs for last. If I did not have terrain to help me do that, I would have tried to screen off portions of Ed’s force with smoke.  I do not think my force would have held if Ed was able to get in good volleys by all three tank units on the same turn.

These new East Front Books are really making me rethink my reluctance to using Tigers in my German forces. KVs, Churchills, Valentines, and now even Matildas are making what use to see like a points sink appear as possible a bit more necessary.  A German Captured KV might also be something to consider strongly going forward with or without the Tiger.  One German KV is not going to matter to three Soviet KVs. But at just 1o points, it would have been a big help in dealing with the Valentines and T-34s.