"We'll do NQM this Tuesday" says Chris, "You'll get T-34s". This is a running joke with us. We've been playing Chris' Eastern Front campaign for 30 years. I've always played the Soviets. For three decades I've been on the receiving end of superior German armour. My questions has often been "When are the T-34s turning up?"
Well, this week, apparently. How could I miss that?
We Soviets are on the right of the picture, aiming to capture Ikeagrad on the left. Tim and I split the command: Phil had the Germans. In addition to T-34swe had some Katyusha rocket batteries, and Tim had at least one KV1. The Katyushas proved to be very effective, once I'd got the move sequence sorted out.
With recce out we rumbled forwards. Recce was essential for identifying targets for our artillery to soften them up before we attacked with the armour. I nearly screwed up quite badly by throwing my recce in a vain attack on some German rear echelon units. I won't be doing that again in a hurry.
The combined artillery/armour worked fine, and we threw the Germans out of an advanced position. An important learning point was driven home here. The re-org rules enable you to remove all outstanding hits if you have a medic truck with the unit (see mine, bottom left). So you don't just want to drive the enemy back, but destroy it with as much firepower as possible or it comes back to bite you. Concentration of effort is key. Or get very lucky with the dice.
Oh no! The Germans counter attack, heading for a hole in the line covered only by recce.
A timely arrival of air support disrupted their advance. The Stug and its friend will be destroyed by my artillery support.
On the right Tim had encountered stiff resistance. They even had a TIGER!! Tim pounded them with his Katyusha and surrounded them with his armour. In the centre Phil throws everything he has at my mounted infantry. There is some discussion as to whether they should count as being in their trucks when halted. I'd put them there to sucker Phil into attacking them so I could flank his counter attack with my armour.
Tim even swung some of his armour round to help snuff out the counter attack. What I haven't photographed is our very effective destruction of the German heavy artillery which was top left through repeated airstrikes.
The forward German defences have been completely overrun, and we are now pounding Ikeagrad with artillery and ground attack aircraft, prior to the ground assault. Chris called the game at this point.
Unless Tim and I were either really incompetent or very unlucky this game was set up as a Soviet victory with how long it took and the amount of damage inflicted on us being the important outcomes. However we still had to get it right. Key to it all was co-ordination of the various army components. You need to get your artillery in range of the targets, have enough kit to deliver a decisive blow AND have the logistics support and medical units to ensure you are in a fit state to deal with any counter attack. You are at your most vulnerable when you've just taken a position if you aren't prepared.
It was good to have some proper tanks at last.
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