Winterschlacht-13

This was our first Total War battle for Flames of War at the club and it was a an exciting game.

We started planning the game back in October, to inspire everyone to get ready and paint up their forces.

Due to some illness, the game had to be moved so it actually took place in 2014 instead of 2013 but who cares?

The Forces

We were running 5000 points per side, with the players on each deciding if the wanted to push points from one company to the other.

Germans

The invading forces, with their goal set to capture the railroad station at Prokhorovka.

First Company

HQ

2 x Panzer IV G Late

Combat Platoons

3 x Panzer IV G Late

3 x Panzer IV G Late

2 x Panther D

Support Platoons

Ferdinand

HS129B (7 dice)

Second Company

HQ

Panther D + Bergepanther

Combat Platoons

3 x Panther D

5 x Panzer IV G Late

3 x Panzer IV G + 1 Panzer IV E

Russians

Heroic defenders of the Motherland and Stalin's finest.

First Battalion

HQ

T-34/76

Combat Platoons

8 x T-34/76

8 x T-34/76

5 x T-70

Support Platoons

5 x KV1s

Second Battalion

HQ

1 x T-34/76

Combat Platoons

10 x T-34/76

8 x T-34/76

Support Platoons

4 x SU85

2 x SU152

IL2 Shturmovik (5 dice)

Table Setup

The setting for the table is the railroad leading up to the town of Prokhorovka.
In the middle a ridge is situated with the railroad, we decided to have slow going for teams going up/down the ridge. 
On top of the ridge to the left is the town of Prokhorovka (a bit small, we missed out on some houses when packing the terrain). Two farms are located on each side of the railroad, with a road connecting them. In the right, upper corner in the picture is a forrest and finally some fields and hedges are sprinkled across the table. 

Deployment

To spice things up, we added the Tactical Edge Tokens from Blood, Guts & Glory, we also had the plans to use skills from BG&G but at the last moment we decided not to.

We rolled for attacker/defender and the Germans managed to get a historical position as attackers. They deployed three PzIV platoons on their left flank, a Ferdinand and a PzIV platoon in the forest. Just outside the forest, towards the railroad the larger Panther platoon was deployed and finally the smaller Panther platoon was deployed in the middle of the ridge.

On the Russian side, two T-34 Companies deployed on their right flank with one platoon of T-34s and the T-70 platoon on the ridge. The final T-34 platoon and the KV1S platoon took up positions on the Russian left hand flank. To support them, they had the SU-85s hiding among the houses of Prokhorovka and the SU-152 platoon mixed up among the T-34s on the right flank.

First Half

The rounds leading up to the lunch break.

The Germans decided to move up their Panzer IV platoons on both flanks, with two tanks bogging in a hedge on the left. The Panthers were a bit reluctant and stayed back and close to the forest to avoid the air strikes. A lucky shot from a PzIV lit up one of the SU-152s next to a house. 

On the Russian side it was only moving as they were not able to shoot at anything. The IL-2 came in and targeted the Company Commander in the Panther but missed the to-hit, the Russian side then used a token to re-roll but failed again. A few drops of sweat could be seen on the German commander's forehead.

Panzer IVs got out of the hedges on the left and captured one objective. On the right the Panthers were still scared of the IL2 but the Panzer IVs moved out into a field to grab a token and threaten the objective. In the shooting phase a bunch of T-34s on the right were torched but on the left they were only bailed out.

In the Russian turn, the KV1s moved closer up the line and in the center the T-34 company drove through fences and hedges together with the smaller T-70s.

On the right hand flank, the Germans made a daring move to capture a fourth objective by moving one Panzer IV up behind a field. If it would be able to survive the Russian fire it would make the Germans gain the upper hand in victory points. The shooting on the left flank continued to be fairly ineffective, destroying a few T-34s but nothing that would stop them from moving on.

Russians on their right flank moved up to be able to fire at the Germans in the field and blew one Panzer IV up while bailing a second. On their left flank they managed to bail the Panzer IV in the field next to the barn but the Panzer next to objective was unharmed.

Before the lunch break, things did not look very good for the Russian commanders. On their right flanks many T-34 had been set ablaze and their SU-152 had done nothing. The other flank was not looking better, with most of the T-34s burning in the fields and a wrecked KV1S.

The German commanders seemed confident in their victory.

 Panthers and Panzer IVs, guarding their objective.

 Panzer IV platoons, feeling secure in the field, maybe too secure?

With no reason to move on, the Germans continue torching Russians left and right. The Russians manage to kill the Panzer IV that grabbed an objective in the field but their own T-34 company on that side lost a few more tanks and called it a day. This made that side very thin and the SU-85 platoon decided to get closer to the action.
In the forest, the Ferdinand managed to bog itself down and had to be towed free by the Bergepanther. 

 Second Half

After the commanders finished their lunch it was time to attend to the forces again. Germans shooting at Russians, mostly bailing the crews out of the tanks.
The Russians did not give in, they were determined to kick their enemy out. With the SU-85s lined up, they opened fire on the Panthers but didn't manage to score any kills on them but one Panzer IV was destroyed by a KV.

 German left flank, looking god so far and the objective is secure.

 Right flank, not many Russians left.

The Panthers fired on the SU-85s but managed to do zero damage but the KVs were knocked out. Maybe time to go grab another objective?
In the return fire the Russians didn't do any damage on the German right flank.
But, what is this? On the left flank a whole platoon of Panzer IVs are knocked out, will things take a turn for worse for the German commanders?

 This is what happens if you let the Russians get to close.

The Panthers on the far side of the ridge fired a salvo on the SU-85, obliterating that platoon. Right flank clear of Russians!

Another round of very successful shooting from the Russian tankers, knocking out another platoon of the Panzer IVs in the field. This lead to a severe drop in morale and the second German company decided to leave the field.

The Germans now shifted their focus on the left flank, the slow Ferdinand trying to catch up with the rest of the gang.

 After the German shooting, the Russians lost more tanks and failed their morale.

A very "Kursky" ending, the flaming tank hulls spread all across the fields. 

The happening turned out well, with a game that looked very one sided at first but things shifted around and then back again. Thanks to all involved parties, time to plan the next big game!