Seelow Heights at Partizan II

 

Well, I finally made it to the show with everything done. It was a real push at the end, but I got there! The game was well received and went very well. Unusually for a demo game, we actually got a result - a late Soviet win!

I have also managed to solve my blogger gremlins (or rather my computer expert has), so hopefully I will be able to post more regularly.

The calm before the storm; a village in front of the main German positions. All the buildings are scratch built, mainly with 3mm MDF; I will try and post some more detailed pictures later.

A view of the table and the wider hall. There were, as usual, some very nice games at the show - still the premier showcase for demo games I feel.

Some views of the main German lines. Although badly outnumbered, the German positions were strong. We were using Rapid Fire, with a few additions. German troops in the trenches enjoyed a whopping -3 when being fired at, other than enemy infantry in close range, who suffered a -1 on their firing dice. With all the big gun AFVs the Soviets had, they needed all the help they could get.

A Hetzer lies in wait for the Soviet advance guard.

A Hanomag mounting a PAK 40 prepares to engage the advancing Soviet armour.

The village as seen from the main German positions.

The leading Soviet troops probe cautiously towards the village.

The leading ISU152 assault gun receives light damage from the lurking Hetzer.

Timely reinforcements in the shape of IS2 heavy tanks.

The 152 goes up in smoke but the Soviet grip on the village tightens. The garrison was an improvised SS panzerjager group with a hetzer platoon and a reinforced infantry company with extra panzerfausts.

By this stage the village was almost completely in Soviet hands. The German player commanding here had awful dice and was unable to hold the enemy up for long, or inflict much damage.

Over on the other flank, the first Soviet infantry assault on the heights was beaten back with heavy losses.

A column of heavy Soviet armour systematically demolished the German positions. Bad dice were not a problem here as a dug in German 88 was despatched with a double 6!!

Back on the German right flank, the Soviets prepared for the final attack.

At the critical moment, more bad dice throwing for the German commander. Firing at short range at the closing Soviet infantry, only minor damage was done and they were able to storm the position.

In the centre, the late arriving Soviet T34 battalion advanced slowly in the boggy ground but added valuable fire support onto the German positions, which gradually crumbled under the relentless pressure.

All in all a successful game. The Germans were unlucky to lose both their 88s early on, before they had been able to cull the advancing Soviet armour. The German armour, such as it was, was also largely ineffectual, again mainly down to poor dice - such is war.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the game and we all had plenty of time to do our shopping and chat to the many people at the show. Although it did seem a touch quiet, especially in the afternoon, it was, as always, a great day out.