Firestorm Kursk Game 6 - Soviet Counterattack!

For our sixth game in campaign it was Bryan's turn to come up with a scenario and table. This game was to be set in the Northern sector of the Kursk salient and Bryan meticulously adapted an old FOW V2 version from 2004 from a Bryansk front Soviet counter offensive a little later in the war, the 18th of July. But the terrain was a great match for what we wanted. 



The soviets are able to form up unobserved on the reverse side of a wooded slope, and need to cross a riverand take the cross roads to the rear.


Bryan went to great lengths to recreate the terrain to reflect the key aspects relevant to game play, and to give the flavour of this region of the Ukraine...














The scenario featured lots a great variety of Soviet armour - as well as our trusty Tridsat'chetyres...

We also deployed KV-1s and lend-lease Churchills...

Whereas the German team refrained from deploying their big cats - they confined themselves to Pz IIIs and IVs, and a few Stugs. 

They did field a pair of 88 Flak guns though - which was awkward! The Germans deployed well forward, with their PzIIIs, which surprised us and constrained our ability to mass our armour somewhat.

They also covered the bridge with dug in infantry...no easy ride this one...

Nonethe less we pressed on - Bryan went left flanking with his scounts in infantry carriers and I attempted to sneak around the German right flank...

dropping off 3 T-34s to cover the centre...

However it wasn't the centre I should have been worried about - a platoon of 3 PzIVs appeared right in front of me from Ambush...that direction no longer held much promise!

I circled back around the cover of the woods to take on the German forward positions from cover...

Meanwhile Bryan attempted to set up for an assault river crossing over on the right, fending off long range 88 fire...

Having prised the Pz IIIs out of their forward positions, my surviving elements also found a ford over the river...

Supported by their heavier KV-1 brethren on the bridge...

With the despatch of one of the troublesome 88s all seemed to be going well for the heroes of the Red Army...

And Bryan launched his carefully set up series of assaults - once the German infantry had been pinned down, first in were the lead infantry elements in the centre...

Then the armour over on the left...

However the German infantry, whilst initially forced from their foxholes, were able to rally and force back both assaults. 

At this stage of the evening the Soviet steamroller had run out of traction and Bryan and I resigned ourselves to 'interview negative coffee' with the Kommissars...