Battle of Werba

This game was played in my conservatory Sunday 15th Feb. Dave and I played the Germans, while John and Ian controlled the Soviets. Most of the kit was mine, but Dave brought a couple of pieces along. Ian provided the second T-35

The initial move by KG Sickenius. Dave and I split the available force into two sub Kampfgruppen. Dave had the II Abt Stab and the 4 Kp, I had the 5 & 6 Kp under the Regiment Stab. Each of us had some schützen attached. My forces can be seen in the woodland in the distance. Nearest to the cameral are Dave's panzers

Dave's 4Kp II 2 Panzer Regt in close-up

5 & 6 Kp in the woodland. Closet PzKfw-IV is Airfix conversion, the further is from Vac-u-Cast

1st Battalion 23rd Tank Regiment face the 5 & 6 Kompanie 2 Panzer Regiment. There was no way I was advancing against the KV's so my forces bogged in place while Dave's panzers worked around the Soviets' flank. John was commanding these Soviet tanks, his initial plan was to make for Ptytshta Bridge to link up with the reinforcements, however the German armour to his front dissuaded him from that course of action. Nearest KV is by SHQ, further is Fujimi with a Vac-u-Cast conversion kit. Front T-34's are Fujimi hulls with liberation turrets, the rear T-34 is from Cromwell

The defenders of Zofjowka protect the flank if the 1st Tank Battalion

The RHQ of the 300th Motorised Rifle Regiment standing a few hundred meters north of Zofjowka

Soviets defending the high ground around point 261

Broken down T-35 (Ostmodels) on the Baitogrodka - Werba road. The 76mm (SHQ) was the cause of the early German casualties. Self spotting from the high ground it has an enormous field of fire. AA Tuck is Alby with an SHQ quad AAMG

The 88mm and a detached PzKfw-II guard the German right flank on the Ptytshta - Werba road

1st tank battalion faces off 5 & 6 Kp 2 Panzer Regiment. There is a ridgeline between them (represented by a line of stones) so they can, as yet, not see each other.

The initial casualties on the Germans were caused by the 76mm Infantry Gun self-spotting from the high ground, which effectively meant it could hit anywhere on table. When the German air support arrived it was a natural target. Despite the quad Maxim the 76mm died in a hail of MG fire. (Its already been removed from the table in this pic)

Fw-189 (Airfix) over the table co-coordinating artillery fire

The BT-7's (Ostmodels) of 3rd Company 1st battalion 23rd tank regiment come hurtling down off the high ridgeline to confront 4Kp 2 Panzer Regiment. This was a very brave move.

4Kp and the Abteilung Stab move up the hill

Soviet airpower arrives. An I-16 (painted by Dave) strafes the 88mm guarding the German flank. Unfortunately for the Soviet players it missed the target completely

Tank battle on the German left. The 1st battalion stymied in its plan to move towards the Bridge at Ptytshta pulled back and switched to the Soviet right to attack the encroaching 4 Kp. Although the Germans are much better trained than the Soviets the T-34 and KV are very tough targets for the Germans to penetrate. Dave's morale rolls didn't help and by the time this pic was taken 4Kp had fallen back shaken leaving the Abt Stab to fend for its self. On the right 5 & 6Kp have taken advantage of the Soviet retreat to move up the flank. Much of the German right was steep slopes so progress wasn't as quick as the Germans would have liked.

KV-1's move to counter 4Kp

5Kp 2 Panzer Regiment to move around Zofjowka to the north, hoping to outflank the Soviet position. They had to deal with some Soviet infantry on the way. The nearest Pz-III is a Matchbox hull with an Adapt Armour turret. The further is from SHS

Soviet Reinforcements. The Composite Tank Battalion arrives on table. The left hand T-26's by SHQ, that on the right by Ostmodels

The Soviet defenders on the German left slowly start to crumble. The T-34's have heavy armour but the German panzers shoot batter

Turn 6, the Soviet airforce turns up en-mass. LaGG-3 (Emhar) strafes the 88mm and kills it

I-16 Light attack fires rockets at the II Abt Stab

The (anachronistic) Il-2 (Eduard) bombs the panzers. This was meant to be a SB2 but Chris unfortunately couldn't make it, so we needed a substitute

Another I-16 light attack (Revel) plane strikes the Panzers around Zofjowka. Unfortunately for the Soviets, despite all the strikes, the attacks were not particularly successful with the 88 being the only casualty.

The Composite Tank Battalion advances to try and join with the main Soviet force. The OT-26 and BT are from Ostmodels, the T-35 (painted by Ian) is from Red Star

The only opposition waiting is a PzKfw-II. However a Pz-II with a veteran crew is a dangerous opponent for thin-skinned T-26's with low quality crews

The first reinforcements from I Abt 2 Panzer Regiment. In the background the 2 Panzer Regt Stab is rallying the demoralised 4Kp II Abt 2 PR. From right to left on the road: FAA PzKfw-IIIE, MMS PzKfw-II and MMS PzKfw-IIIJ

5Kp outflank Zofjowka and penetrate the Soviet rear

The newly arrived 3Kp hustles up the Germans left flank to take the KV's in the side. Unfortunately for the Germans the KV is impenetrable from any angle barring a lucky hit

At this point the Soviets Morale breaks. The 1st Battalion commander goes demoralised and runs, as do the pair of KV's

The Composite Battalion makes a desperate lunge to join their comrades. The PzKfw-II has been joined by the last PzKfw-IV of 6Kp. The Soviets were not up to an attack at such odds and they failed spectacularly

5 Kp keep persecuting the KV's in an effort to make them surrender. In Zofjowka the commander of 1st Battalion 300th Motor Rifle Regiment is busy taking command of the Soviet tanks in order to rally them

The Germans pursue the scattered remains of the Composite Battalion towards Ptytshta

With 2 hours to go its looking like a German victory. However the German commanders wanted to make it a decisive victory and time was running out to get the panzers up the heights.

As Dave's morale rolls were pretty dire al game the Germans had scant forces to send towards the heights. However there was little in the way to stop them at the top save the broken-down T-35, which, as it was placed in a hull-down position, could only fire its poor 76mm. It was the Soviet Infantry that stopped the Germans getting a decisive victory. The German tanks didn't have enough fire-power to dig them out of the foxholes in the final turn of the game.

The final reinforcements lead by the Stab 2 Panzer Regiment on the Werba - Ptytshta road. This was held in strength by the Germans with only a handful of Soviet stands cowering in Ptytshta at the end of the game. From left to right. PzKfw-IIIH conversion based on a Skytrex Hull, SHS turret and a Nitto gun/mantle. SHS PzKfw-IIIE and PzBefWg based on a converted Matchbox hull with a Vac-u-Cast turret

At the end of the game the ridge was contested but the road was firmly in German hands. The Germans also had a much higher kill tally, so a marginal win for the Germans, though it wasn't far of a decisive win. The Soviets played well but the Soviet troop quality and morale, combined with the low ROF of the Soviet tanks, let them down. John aggressively manoeuvred the T-34's and KV's but they  were not good enough to exploit his tactics

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