Spearhead Blunted

Good evening

Last night, in a belated effort to remember the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kursk from a couple of weeks ago, Robin and I organised to have a 1943 Russian Front game using 500 Spearhead points worth of opposing armoured divisions.

Armoured divisions? Eastern Front, 1943? Kursk? Robin must be meaning an all tank engagement. Sweet!

So I pulled out my new Panthers, Stugs and Tigers I added my Pz IVs, and a couple of Robin's I cursed the fact that I hand to leave one of the Stugs in their box and got ready to roll.

Alas and alak, I got the wrong end of the stick. "Where's your infantry?" asked Robin, as he put out hordes and hordes of Russian footmen. "Umm, I thought We were doing an all tank engagement," replied I, rather sheepishly. "Rats!"

Robin gave me the opportunity to swap out some tanks for some infantry, but I looked at the anti infantry factors of my tanks and thought "she'll be right. They'll hold their own..."

And So we began.


I drew my plans...


...and away we went.


Arghh, so Many Russians!


Still, I continued to hold the left bridge and advance in the centre.


Nothing but infantry to my front while Robin's armour sneaks around my flank. Bother!


Robin's first Katusha barrage gets fired...


...but fails to land. And still the infantry advance. "No worries," thought I. "What's the chances they can touch my tin cans."


Oh, and some tanks on my flank.


Robin drops smoke and starts piling in.


Shots are exchanged between the armour on the hill, supressing one of my Tigers. (Still, he had to roll a 6 to do it!)


At this point, orders were changed, the bridge abandoned and the Panthers race to shore up the rear of my centre.

So. Many. Russians.


(By the way, that lead tank with it's turret facing the wrong way is the Battalion Commander. A non fighting stand unless it's in close combat. I think.)


Another Katusha barrage...fails to land, but...


...in pile the Russian infantry. Needing a 6 to destroy my tanks. Many tried, unfortunately, one succeeded.


By this point my casualties were starting to pile up. Two Pz IVs down, not that many more to go.

(Those two Pz IVs at the back are the Battalion and Regimental commanders respectively.)


Here come the cavalry!


Too late for this tanker though.


Still, I had managed to whittle away at those hull down T-34s. There was at least one more (+ some BT-5s) lurking there just before this shot.


That is such a cool mini!


Things aren't looking good for the surrounded Germans.


A third Katusha barrage lands, this time taking out my Stug.


Add to that the demise of this suppressed Pz IV...


...and that was the end of that! My centre battalion breaks, and we call it an evening. All objectives were soon to be in Russian hands. A resounding defeat for the Germans...and an object lesson as to why you take infantry in your army lists!


Still, my objective was achieved. I got to push round some plastic and have a jolly good time doing it!

Robin's leaving the table set up so that we can re-fight this battle, this time with a more balanced German force.

Nick