Hailstone
Posts: 666
Joined: 1/19/2016 From: Phoenix, AZ Status: offline
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On the road again, again... On the Road to Kanev - pt 2 5 miles southwest of Kanev, August 14, 1941: The Russians were being forced back to the Dneiper River by German infantry divisions thrusting from the west and south. A Russian battalion, forming part of an infantry brigade, received orders to dig in south of a very forested crossroad leading to Kanev and to hold out to the last man. The German 169th Infantry Regiment of the 68th Division, which was moving up from the south, was to capture that crossroad and establish contact with German forces driving towards the Dneiper from the west. In organizing their defense, the Russians set up two lines of combat outposts - one each along two parallel ridges south of the crossroad. The Russian main battle position was organized in-depth within the forest; complete with well camouflaged foxholes, wooden mines, and plenty of snipers. At 0900 Hrs the 1st Battalion of the German 169th Infantry Regiment approached the forest from the south. Game length: 10 turns For the Germans to win they must take the Russian headquarters at the crossroads For the Russians to win they must defend the Russian nerve center of the sector Germans: Squads, MMG's, LMG's, mtr, OBA Russians: Squads, MMG's, LMG's, mtr's, MTR, INF Gun Boards: #5, #32 Aftermath: As the Battalion advanced guard approached the first outpost line the Russians opened fire with machineguns, mortars, and small arms fire. The German commander then called for artillery support which zeroed in on the first ridge. This proved to be too much for the Russian defenders and after a short period of hand-to-hand combat, the Germans held the first outpost line. They were still under fire from the second ridge, however, and Russian observers in the second outpost line were calling in interdictory fire across the German line of advance. German observers pinpointed targets for their artillery, under cover of which the infantry slowly advanced. When they finally cleared the second ridge they were unable to advance in the face of the heavy fire emanating from the Russian positions in the forest. Pt 2: While the German battalion reorganized for the final thrust against the Russian main line of resistance, the battalion commander requested a dive-bomber attack against the Russian nerve center at the crossroad. As the German artillery joined in the fray, the 1st Battalion resumed its advance. Entering the forest the Germans found dead Russians and many discarded weapons. Tree snipers fired on the Germans so the German machine-gunners sprayed the treetops. The 1st Battalion mopped up the forest as far as the crossroad. and then turned east along the road to Kanev. A number of Russians defending the rear areas managed to escape. One commissar, who had been shooting his retreating comrades, killed himself with a hand grenade as some Germans closed in on him. The Russian minefields failed to delay the Germans; all were either detonated by artillery fire or betrayed by prisoners. Source: On All Fronts, On the Road to Kanev - pt 2, The Playtester's Journal #1, Fall 1989 issue ***Original scenario required 4 boards and twice as many units but was reduced for ToTH playability***
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