Panzer Battle of Kolomak

 

This Sunday's Solo was a tank only Flames of War game using 1/144th miniatures from Victrix.

Looking out over Kolomak to Kolomak Station

The Soviet view

The Soviet side had 24 T34-76s. 

These were upgraded slightly with the Guards Tank Battalion card from Red Banner, at a cost of 2 points. Still hit on 2+, but morale and remount improved to 3+. 138 points.

Panzergruppe Holzer had 6 Panthers:

Also upgraded to Veteran Panther Crews, from Ghost Panzers, at a cost of 6 points per AFV. Now hit on 4+ and skill of 3+. 144 points.

The Soviets were acutely aware they could only penetrate the Panther's side armour! 

The two companies split, each trying to hug a flank to ultimately gain side shots...

And, hit on 2+, they made good use of cover:

The two Panther platoon's inital plan was to made good use of the tracks and roads to also close up, one to each flank...

However the T34s made good speed and were soon within range...

The Panthers adapted, only creeping forward by blitzing...

To achieve maximum rate of fire, albeit at long range...

Of 12 rounds down the range, 7 hit and penetrated!

The T34s didn't even have the range yet, even if sides shots had somehow presented!

The left flanking T34 company hugged the flank even further...

But were unable to completely escape the long reach of the Panther's 75mmL70!

However the survivors of the right flanking T34's, with their Guards morale, had resolved to make good use of their speed to press on down the flank...

And were very soon in amongst the Panthers on the outskirts of Kolomak!

Alarm! Achtung Panzer!

The Guards T34's took their potentially lethal side and rear shots - however, they only had a moving rate of fire of one, and with the overloaded attribute for the overworked tank commander, would only be hitting on 5+. One round obtained a hit, but the saving roll of 6, was sufficient to stop the round penetrating! Such a waste of courage on behalf of the Red Tankers!

In revenge, the Panthers did much better with twice the rate of fire:

However, the situation for the Panzergruppe remained dangerous...

And the a couple of Panthers who had been covering the German right flank retreated into Kolomak to play hide and seek with the daring T34s...

And soon enought Kolomak was once again secure:

In the meantime the sole Panther covering the fight flank had picked off the surviving T34s so that flank was also secure.

In my game 6 Panthers had seen off 24 T34s with barely a paint scratch!

Hauptsturmfuhrer Friedrich Holzer's seven Panthers destroyed 28 T-34s within 40 minutes
 in this action, taking no losses. He was awarded the Knight's Cross for this and other actions
during the retreat to the Dnieper. Eventually promoted to Obersturmbahnfuhrer, he died in 1984

Nothing is recorded online of the fate of the Red Army tankers who fought at Kolomak. Yet we know their sacrifice ultimately ended in Victory.