DAR: Germany 25 Missions

[Pat58]

11:21AM

This has turned into a rather lopsided affair as the enemy infantry is outnumbered and outgunned. They begin running back from where they came as our own troops head after them.

[Pat58]

Here our artillery will find its mark.



11:24AM

It is now a mopping up operation as the bulk of the Russian infantry has been eliminated.

[Pat58]

11:27AM

The battle is all but over. Even the Russian headquarters is on the run.



The final results show the KG victorious, but with a realization that this was not best Ivan had to offer.



The enemy OOB

[sigeena]

That was confusing at first. I saw a fresh AAR, then the opening post is dated 2010.

I like your maps, your staff work is so much neater than mine.

The HEAT round for the 7.5cm/ L24 is actually pretty good. I remember having a couple of 251/9 which were all of my reserve after the Russian armour punched through my armour screen in a Delay battle. Their HEAT round made all the difference against roaming T34s looking for my artillery park.

Once the units gain experience, they'll be pretty accurate up to 800m.

[Pat58]

01:30 12 August 1941

Oberstlt. Schumacher had barely a chance to catch even a few hours sleep before a radio message was received from higher headquarters. It seems that Ivan had caught wind of the fact that we had little armor in our engagement of the day before and now he was going to attempt yet another breakout some 10-15 kilometers to the south of our current position. The kampfgruppe would need to conduct a night march in order to arrive in a position where a new defense could be established.



Support for our forces was being hastily scratched together as the previously attached infantry companies had already departed our area only hours ago. Two platoons of 5cm AT guns were being rushed to the area where Ivan was to be expected, along with a special weapons company consisting of machine guns and light mortars. There was no definitive word on what kind of armor the enemy would be bringing this time, but we couldn't count on our foes coming at us with more of the light types.

By 07:00 our new positions had been established. It wasn't long before the first enemy mortar and artillery fire were starting to come our way. The number of incoming rounds made it clear we were about to be seriously tested. Visibility was approximately eight hundred meters, so we would have to react quickly should the unexpected come about.

07:45

These are the defensive positions established by the kampfgruppe as enemy fire commenced.



Enemy indirect fire was of the 76mm, 82mm and 122mm variety. Although most of the initial rounds expended found nothing but ground to tear up, it was clearly in sufficient quantity to be a real threat if and when our positions were uncovered.

[Pat58]

07:48

Along with HE rounds, we start to see smoke dropping to our front. Clearly we aren't meant to see what is building in the distance.



08:00

For fifteen minutes we have experienced continuous incoming fire from enemy artillery and mortars. This is a new experience and provides stark evidence that Ivan is far from defeated.

First contact in the north comes in the form of a pair of scout cars and a single T-28 tank with mounted infantry. One of the scout cars is dispatched and the mounted infantry quickly bails from their ride at the sign of our first incoming round.



The northern platoon of 5cm guns while waiting for enemy contact has seen quite a bit of artillery land to their front.



One can sometimes tell just from the number of incoming rounds what is coming our way. The Soviet 122mm batteries fire twenty four rounds at a time compared to sixteen from their 82mm mortar sections. The fire seems rather haphazard, but with all the tubes available to him, he can afford to be. Sooner or later one or more rounds are bound to find their mark. In fact, one such round caught one of our southern AT gun trucks square, and scattered the attending gun crew.



Also in the south, the first Russian armor appears. Four luckless T-60 light tanks fall victim to StuG section #2.



So far, nothing we haven't been able to handle.

[Pat58]

08:03

More Russian light tanks in the south. Our StuG section there continues to add to the cluster of burning vehicles to their front.



In the north, a pair of T60 light tanks appear in one of the tilled fields while a second T-28 has appeared. The first T-28 has already been dispatched along with a second scout car.

[Pat58]

08:12

A large number of enemy light tanks approached from the center and were dealt with to a considerable degree. However, AP and HEAT ammunition among the StuGs is running low and the battle is not over. Tellner's battery have two vehicles with reported casualties.



What is more, a larger Russian tank has appeared to our front. We have not seen one of these before but is believed to be a KV-1 heavy tank. This is not a vehicle we can easily deal with and surely at least a couple more must be approaching. Time to lager up the northern AT guns in case they are needed elsewhere.



In the south, there is a lull in the fighting after the last enemy vehicles are knocked out. The infantry is moving some squads forward to deal with the dismounted crew members.



And Russian artillery is still falling all around us.

[Pat58]

08:21

Our command post is subjected to one of the enemy's fire missions and a building just 150 meters away is flattened.



The southern area is now quiet and an infantry squad is carefully moving forward to see if it can take out any of the enemy mortars that have been plaguing us.

In the north and center, the situation may be approaching a crisis. The enemy KV-1 has been joined by four others and there are still almost a dozen light tanks nearby. StuG Battery 224 has a total of 34 AP and 28 HEAT rounds remaining. One of the StuGs is immobilized and will almost certainly risk being destroyed if it gets into a firefight with many of these heavy tanks. That one vehicles also accounts for almost half the remaining HEAT rounds. Smoke will be needed to keep that vehicle obscured from observation. Another one of our StuGs is down to two crewmen.

The 5cm AT guns have limited options here as the amount of ground cover is sparse. Our engineers with explosive charges are not going to be able to get close to the KVs for the same reason and enemy infantry still has the field.

Oberstlt. Schumacher instructs maximum suppressive fire be placed on the heavy tanks while at the same time the enemy infantry must be scattered. The StuGs will continue to work over the remaining light tanks. If the KVs can be forced to remain buttoned up without infantry support, they may be reluctant to advance further. We have to win a battle of fire with their infantry and light tanks and a battle of nerves with their heavies.



Our infantry are ordered to prepare for assaulting the KVs should it become absolutely necessary. But since only three infantry squads are equipped with the magnetic shaped charges that have to be attached directly to the vehicles, this will only be a last and final option.

08:30

Enemy infantry are grouped together just south of our pioniers, so they are forced to remain in place where they have cover.



The count of KV-1 tanks has now reached seven, but our plan has had the hoped-for results. Some of their heavies are moving forward while others retreat. It appears that their command and control has totally broken down within this tank company. We have to be thankful that they rely so heavily on the use of flags and hand signals for maneuver. While they remain buttoned up and without radio communications, coordinated actions are all but impossible.



Captain Tellner reports to the CP that his battery is down to forty nine rounds of AP and HEAT ammunition. About a third of those rounds are on board the StuG that is disabled. Ivan has seven KVs and five light tanks still functional from what can be observed.

At least the enemy indirect fire has finally lightened up...

[Pat58]

08:39

Ivan is still trying to push his infantry forward. We are countering his move by trying to catch him in a crossfire between our engineers and the MG-34s of the support company.



Our FO, Lt. Schmidt is calling fire down our mortar fire on the KVs. They still remain unable or unwilling to collectively move in any one direction.



08:48

Our infantry company has managed to catch four light tanks that stumbled into the woods. Two were destroyed and the other two disabled.




The lone squad from Hauser's company sent to try and spot their mortars has met with success.



Meanwhile, Ivan continues to press forward with one KV and some infantry. Our MG-34s continue to spit down fire on these.