All,
Drive on Minsk
30 June 1941
1100 Local Time
Following 2nd Grenadiere Company's successful assault on the 28th, KG Klink went back into Corps Reserve, falling in with the endless columns of panzers, halftracks, staff cars, prime movers, and trucks streaming east. KG Klink came to a halt, and after 30 minutes, Colonel Klink and his XO, LtCol Schultz, dismounted and moved to the head of the column; "what's the hold up?" Klink's Recce Company Commander, Captain Wehner, was answering that he wasn't sure when the Adjutant, Captain Ginter, came dashing up. "Sir, it's come over the wireless; there is a bend in the road a 1/2 mile up ahead, a little village where some Bolshevists are holed up, harassing our columns. Herr General wants you to handle it."
"Sir, shall I take care of this for you," asked LtCol Schultz. "Nein, Schultz, all in good time! You, Ginter, gather some men from 1st Company and go clear out those pesky Russians."
Overview, north is up. You can see the 'bend in the road' at bottom right, with a spur leading northwest, into the Soviet-held village. Once again it's largely cultivated fields with scattered stands of trees, with some swampy areas in the northeast and southeast.
The opposing forces, with Germans on the left and Soviets on the right.
The German force consists of:
Battlefield Commander:
Adjutant: Captain Ginter (
IC2)
Greece, Barbarossa
Second in Command:
3rd Rifle Plt PC, 1st Grenadiere Company: Officer Cadet Hecht
Barbarossa
3rd Rifle Platoon, 1st Grenadiere Company
1st Squad: SSgt Barkstrom (IAB, WB (1), IC2)
Poland, France, Greece, Barbarossa, 2nd Squad: Sgt Hackl (IAB, WB (1)) Poland, France, Greece, Barbarossa, 3rd Squad: Cpl AngererBarbarossa
Reinforced by:
1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, 1st Grenadier Company: Cpl KolzigBarbarossa
3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, 1st Grenadier Company: Cpl Tobias (IAB)Barbarossa
Machine Gun: Sgt Junker
France, Greece, Barbarossa
Mortar Team: Cpl SaucenGreece, BarbarossaThe Soviet force consists of:
-Command Officer
-two Rifle Platoons (3 squads each)
-two Maxim machine gun teams
-82mm mortar team
Overview, now with troops. The Soviets are dug-in in the village (top left) but also have troops scattered north to south on the west (left) side of the board, while the Germans are concentrated in the southeast. Captain Ginter knows the objective is the village, and he's also seen movement to the west, so much like Colonel Klink's battleplan in the previous fight, he's looking to use the two attached squads from 2nd Platoon to screen the left while the full-strength 3rd Platoon moves up the right side to assault the objective, with the supporting weapons in the center.
One squad from 2nd Platoon (1st) is across the street (left top) while the other (3rd) is in the treeline (bottom center left), near the mortar team and Captain Ginter's command team, with 3rd Platoon, the assault element, just visible at top right.
And a look at the German right, where Officer Cadet Hecht and his 3rd Platoon anxiously await the order to cross the line of departure, covered by Sgt Junker's MG-34 team.
What the Germans haven't noticed is that there an MG team and a rifle squad set up amongst the trees in the northeast...
The Reds have two rifle squads, an MG team, their mortar team, and their commander in the village.
In the west, the Soviets have a rifle platoon scattered in line.
The action begins with Captain Ginter (just off camera to right) ordering 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon to advance. They (top left, from center left) are wary of the Communist troops off to their left (off camera to left, left bottom, and left top), so they stay on the right side of the crop field, using the crops to conceal them from the Reds on the left, and they use the stands of trees at top center left to screen them from the enemy in the village...
And this is how the Germans learn there are Commies in the woods to the northeast! The enemy MG team in the northeast (bottom right) spots the German riflemen (top left) creeping forward in the field and open fire...
1st Squad, 2nd Platoon is raked by enemy machine gun fire and panics, which will require a friendly unit to move up into base contact with them to assist them in rallying. Until that happens the squad is utterly helpless...
The German mortar team (bottom left, with the panicked 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon at top left) zeroes in on the Soviet MG team in the northeast (top right).
The 80mm HE rounds are dead on target, panicking the Maxim MG team and suppressing the nearby rifle squad!
The enemy in the northeast neutralized (at least temporarily), Officer Cadet Hecht orders 3rd Platoon forward (center, from bottom right)!
But the Soviet MG team in the village (bottom left) spots them (top center/right) and rattles off a long burst.
Which suppresses one of the 3rd Platoon squads!
Feeling bad about having ordered 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon into an ambush (left top) and supremely vulnerable, Captain Ginter moves his command team up (center, from bottom right), hoping to get to them and get them rallies before the Reds move on them.
One of the enemy rifle squads in the west (bottom left) spots Captain Ginter and his men and opens fire (top right)...
Suppressing the Adjutant!
Meanwhile, on the right, Officer Cadet Hecht falls back to rally his 1st Squad...
But he (top right) draws small arms fire from the village (bottom left).
Which suppresses him and his platoon command element as well!
Then the commie mortar team goes to work...
Suppressing 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, on the German left (mortar team is at top right, Captain Ginter is just visible behind the explosion marker).
Sgt Junkers' MG-34 (bottom right) spews lead into the village (top left).
Pinning the Soviet mortar team.
On the Soviet right (in the west), the center Soviet squad dashes forward (center from left), looking to cause some trouble for 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon (far right) and 3rd Platoon (top right)!
Sgt Junkers' MG team (bottom right) continues raking the village.
Pinning the enemy CO (center top, behind the house) and a rifle squad (bottom right; mortar team is pinned at bottom left).
And the German mortar team goes to work.
Dropping rounds in the pumpkin patch, suppressing the MG team in the village and pinning a nearby rifle squad (bottom left).
Captain Ginter works to rally his command team.
And they're good.
While on the right, Officer Cadet Hecht looks to do the same...
But he fails and they fall back (bottom center, from center)!!!
Not a good idea, Cadet, ze Colonel is not fond of cowardice in the face of the enemy, particularly from his officers and senior NCOs...
One of 3rd Platoon's squads faces left (bottom right) and opens fire on the Soviet squad (top left) moving up on the panicked 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon (far left).
And some fancy shooting manages to pin them down!
Sgt Hackl's squad then moves over to help SSgt Barkstrom get his men rallied.
And they're back in the fight.
In the village, the Soviet commander rallies his command team.
As the Red Army mortar team (bottom left) takes 3rd Platoon under fire (top right)...
82mm HE rounds are bursting seemingly everywhere, knocking out the just-rallied 1st Squad and suppressing 2nd Squad!
As another Soviet rifle squad moves up from the west edge (center, from far left, looking to get up to their pinned comrades at bottom right).
The German mortar team (bottom left) resumes dropping HE on the village (top left).
Suppressing the Soviet commander and Maxim MG team there.
On the far German right, 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon fires on some nearby Soviet riflemen.
While in the center, Captain Ginter moves up to rally 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon.
But he (top right) is spotted by the Soviet rifle squad in the southwest (bottom left), which commences firing on them...
But the Adjutant makes it through the incoming fire and reaches his panicked squad.
But they've taken too many casualties and are no longer combat effective. Now Captain Ginter and his command team suddenly find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having the distinction of being the furthest forward German unit.
Back in the rear, 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon attempts to self rally.
And they're good.
But over on the German right, things are not going well: the suppressed squad at center tries to self-rally, as does Officer Cadet Hecht's command team (bottom right)...
They both fail and are forced to fall back (center, from top left, and bottom right, from center)!!!
Sgt Junkers, MG team leader, looks over and tries to calm down Officer Cadet Hecht...
But he's completely irrational and runs (far riht, from far left), leaving the battlefield!!!
On the Soviet right, the pinned rifle squad (bottom center) self rallies.
And they are back in good fighting shape!
While in the village, the Soviet CO (bottom left), MG team (bottom center), and rifle squad (top right) all successfully self rally.
And the Russkie mortar (bottom left)...
Fires on Sgt Junker's MG team, suppressing them.
In the northeast, the suppressed Soviet rifle team self-rallies (top right, while the MG team at bottom left is panicked and is helpless until a friendly unit moves into base contact).
And they're good to go.
The Soviet CO dashes across the street (bottom right, from top center left), to rally the pinned rifle squad there.
They're good, and they push forward in the center (center right, from left center).
The Soviet rifle platoon in the west advances (one squad is in the field at bottom left, one squad is in the trees at center, in front of the squad that just rallied and came out of the village at top left, while the final squad dashes forward through the crop fields (right, from left), nearing Captain Ginter's command team!
But the Adjutant has the good sense to haul ass back to cover (far right, near the mortar team and 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, from center left top).
While the other Soviet squad in the village moves up as well (center top, from left), near the rifle squad in the northeast (top left).
Which quickly moves left to check on the panicked MG team.
And they are back in the fight.
With a wave of Soviet infantry approaching and finding he's still the only rifle squad in the fight on the German right, Cpl Angerer orders his 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon, to fall back (far left, from right), leaving behind the bodies of SSgt Barkstrom's 1st Squad (center top), where the run into Sgt Hackl's suppressed 2nd Squad.
Sgt Hack's squad is rallies.
And falls back, where they run into Sgt Junker's suppressed MG team, which they try to rally.
But they fail and the MG team falls back!
Captain Ginter looks around at his meager, demoralized force, then at the wave of Soviet infantry coming across the fields... He drops his head dejectedly, shaking it left and right in disbelief, before giving the order to fall back...
The Soviets did not suffer a single unit knocked out... The Germans had two rifle squads knocked out and a Platoon Command Element retreat off the table.
Captain Ginter, at the tail end of the retreating rabble, straightened his uniform and straightened his posture before making his report to Colonel Klink. "Yes, so I've heard, and I've already dealt with that idiot Hecht! Get out of my sight! Schultz!"
"Yes, my Colonel!"
"It is now your time, Schultz, get in there and fix this! Now it is your time."
German casualties;
-Officer Cadet Hecht, Commander of 3rd Platoon, 1st Grenadiere Company, was summarily shot by Colonel Klink for cowardice. Sgt Hackl assumes command of 3rd Platoon.
-SSgt Barkstrom, 1st Squad Leader, 3rd Platoon, veteran of Poland, France, and Greece, holder of the Iron Cross 2nd Class, was killed in Action. He is replaced by Cpl Kronauer.
-Cpl Kolzig, acting 1st Squad Leader, 2nd Platoon, was seriously wounded and is out for six months, returning 15 December 1941. He is replaced by Cpl Dittmer.
Well, that could have gone better ;) But no sweat, was bound to happen, glad to have my first butt-kicking out of the way, I'm sure there will be many more...
V/R,
Jack
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