The Bridge over the River Notok

This is the first scenario in the Too Fat Lardies' "Bashyna or Bust" campaign, after our "refresher" last Sunday, using I Ain't Been Shot Mum rules.

We have resumed with Steve Clarke being the Soviets and me the bad Nazis.

Here are the German forces

and this the Soviet Order of Battle

The rule book

Battlefield map. Objective for both sides - take and hold the river bridge.

What it looks like from the German end

and the view from the Soviet end

Here's a German armoured car doing a recce before the action starts - its Lt. Siggi Spatzen in his Puma SdKfz 234/2

The Germans were quickest off the mark and a tank Zug quickly takes the road to the bridge and comes off blinds.

Other units on blinds are not far behind

At last the Soviets move

A second Panzer Zug spots enemy armour and opens fire

hitting the Soviet commander's tank, although not too badly

The Soviets return fire

as troops still under cover come up in support

German armour makes use of the copse of trees as cover as other unspotted units reach the road

A Russian armoured car is destroyed and a second one damaged

At this stage its all going the way of the Germans

But not for long ! The Soviets target enemy armour

And badly damage one PzIV

A duel ensues

Another T34 has got serious engine damage and the crew so shocked they abandon.

Siggi Spatzen now uncloaks near the road

Just as well as his 50mm gun will be needed - a Pz IV explodes

And another goes the same way when ambushed by three previously unseen T34s

That tank troop keep coming threatening the remaining two Panzers on the German right flank

Two T34s advance on the Germans

Five T34s are concentrating their attack as one after another PzIVs explode

A German blind is hidden behind another copse of trees

And it turns out to be the German tank CO who crashes through the trees and engages the T34s

This turns into a real "bun fight" with tanks of both sides erupting in flames

Siggi Spatzen had dispatched a T34 but for his trouble got hit in turn - kaboom !

The Russian commander's tank was next to explode

German tanks with their main guns out of action resorted to ramming their enemies - and it worked !
Two T34s were KO'd by doing this.

The blind by the bridge turned out to be Lt. Warsteiner's 30th Panzergrenadiers in trucks and they swiftly occupied the bridge - both sides objective.

Too late, the Russian infantry made for the bridge

Hardly a tank is left at this stage

The last operational PzIV is taken out from behind whilst he was spraying the Russian infantry with MG fire

But a damaged PzIV rams the T34 before he can shoot him too.

Both tanks explode.

The Soviets have one armoured car left which fires at the infantry on there bridge. To counter this, Warsteiner sends men out to "stalk" the A/C.

Despite casualties from tank and A/C fire, Warsteiner has the bridge and he has beaten off the Russian infantry attacks - they fled to the safety of the trees where he continued to pour rifle fire.

A slim victory was declared for the Germans - they had the bridge but all the armoured support had gone.

The Russians were in no state to contest it however.

This time the IABSM rules came back to us more easily and the game flowed - in hindsight, this would have made a better introduction for Mike and Allan but we will get the game down the club again some time.

Meantime, Steve Clarke and I will move onto Scenario 2 in the campaign - when Steve gets back from a two week break in Ireland.