Tanks a Lot

• Quick Battle
• 800 point Allied Assault
• German Armor vs. Soviet Armor with 80% ammo
• Played as Allies, gave Axis +25% handicap and +1 computer bonus

Setting

April 1942, North. A cool and overcast dawn is breaking. The Germans are being pushed back through a rural part of western Russia. I am to take my tanks and their supporting infantry down a road and clear out the German forces that are blockading it. In front of me the road passes through some heavy trees. It rises out of a deep bowl at the far edge of the forest and that's where the enemy awaits. From there the road bends left and runs across an open field before turning right and diving back down into more trees. It is across this opening that we expect the German defense to lie.

The forest mainly consists of three long thin clumps of trees running in the direction of the road. There is enough open space between each clump to pass tanks through. They can also swing around the left or right, or take the road. To the left of the forest is a broad, open field, and on its left is a hill that should offer a decent view into enemy held territory.

Forces

Under my command are two three-tank platoons of T-34s (model 1942), and a platoon each of T-60s (five tanks, model 1941) and 1941 KV-Is (two tanks). An additional independent T-34 is also under my command. Supporting these tanks is a Regimental SMG Company (Mechanized), consisting of three SMG platoons. Each platoon fields 27 men with small machine guns and can really chew up enemy infantry.

Plan

I'll put my KV-Is off to the left where they'll have a good view of the battlefield. Lt. Grachev will be in the open plain to the left of the forest, and Ser. Mogilny will drive to the top of the hill on the left where he'll get a good look into the enemy's area. My three infantry platoons will each advance through one of the clumps of forest and sit tight at the forward edge until opportunities arise to move them forward. My T-60s will be scattered around the forest to help out the infantry when they move. The independent T-34 will head through the left and center clumps of trees and peek over the rise. One of my T-34 platoons will swing around the right and try to advance from the enemy's side. The other platoon will sit tight in the woods as a reserve until I learn the enemy's disposition.

Action

About 800m from the expected enemy position artillery starts falling on Lt. Grachev's KV-I. So much for observing from out in the open. I send him forward to a small rise a little closer to the woods. Shells continue to fall for around three and a half to four minutes even though Grachev has moved on so I figure they were just targeting the area and didn't have me actually in sight yet. I'm glad my infantry is nowhere near there.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting for Ser Mogilny to crest that left hill and tell me what he sees in the enemy's rear. He's almost to the top when his big tank bogs down in the soft ground. I ask him what he can see from there, but all he can see is his side of the hill.

Around the time the artillery stops Lt. Alekhin edges around the right side of the forest and spots a light tank. He fires and misses and the tank disappears momentarily behind a slight hill. When he reemerges Ser. Nikoladze's T-34 has just come through the forest and he and Alekhin both fire on him. Alekhin's second shot hits home and leaves the tank in flames.

Grachev's KV-I arrives at the top of the hill, spots a light tank to his right and opens fire. Meanwhile more of my tanks are arriving on the right and I order the other T-34 platoon to move ahead around the left clump of trees.

Ser. Nikladze in the center takes seven hits to this T-34 (two causing internal armor flaking) from a tank he hears, but cannot see, off to his left. At the same time what looks like an armored car in the distant right starts firing. after a couple quick hits it is silenced.

The reserve T-34s are arriving at the forward edge of the woods. As they arrive another light tank emerges ahead in the center. He's driving fast but far too exposed. Most of my tanks can see him, and they're all firing. I'm amazed at this guy's luck as I watch six penetrations fail to stop him. Seven isn't so lucky for him, though, as the next shot does the job.

A Panzer III opens fire on Ser Nikoladze from the right. Nikoladze notices that along with the tank there are two bunkers back there and manages to knock one out.

A light tank has been appearing and disappearing ahead of Lt. Grachev. I send Ser. Husanbaev, who's T-34 is nearby, to hunt the guy down, but stop him when two light tanks are spotted off to the left. Both start firing on the KV-I. They aren't doing any serious damage but they make me nervous so I send Husanbaev after them. As he advances on them one of the tanks takes a well aimed shot at him and hits his gun. Nobody is hurt, but the gun is out of commission. I have him back out. He's done for this fight, but he'll be back another day if we can get that gun looked at.

Grachev fires on the guy and takes him out with one shot. I then order him to turn and advance on the other guy. Over the next minute and a half I watch as he crawls forward, the enemy firing three times for every one of his. Even when he does fire Grachev keeps missing. Finally, within a stone's throw, he puts one into the guy's hull and he stops firing. A moment later the crew jumps out and runs for the trees.

While this is happening I order tanks forward to roll up the right. They spot the first infantry I've seen all day way in the back on the right. I order 2nd platoon over there in the right clump of trees to cross the open and approach them. A T-60 moves forward to help them out.

The platoon arrives safely and I order them to attack the foxhole with the infantry I've seen. At that more infantry pops up and my men are quickly turned back. The T-60 arrives and with him for cover I make another attempt, again unsuccessful. So now I order 3rd platoon to swing around to the right and help out, and get another T-60 over too.

Meanwhile, Lt. Alekhin is deep in the enemy's rear and he heads to the left. As he goes he discovers some more infantry in the trees to his left but ignores them when another light tank is found hiding in some scattered trees way in the rear. It fires on him and hits him six times (including a track hit) without serious damage before Alekhin is able to swivel around and fire. At less than 70m it only takes him one shot.

I think that most of the enemy's armor has been dealt with and time is starting to get away from me so I order all tanks forward, including the T-60s. I need vehicles to cover the infantry that Alekhin found near the center. I'm too late in the end. Out of nowhere Lt. Alekhin's T-34 gets hit. The crew jumps out and is quickly cut down behind enemy lines. It must have been a panzerschreck. My tanks in the area soon see infantry moving through those trees and are quick to suppress them.

My men make another attempt at the far right, this time with two T-60s and 3rd platoon in place to cover them. German infantry is seen running away and those that don't pay the price.

Over to the left Ser. Nikoladze makes a dash to cover the area where the road runs back down into the trees. He arrives unmolested, reassuring me that the enemy's tanks have been dealt with. But shortly after he arrives in the area a stream of fire sprays out from the trees and engulfs his tank. The flamethrower fires again, but luckily no harm seems to be done to the T-34. He backs away to be safe and I send Grachev's KV-I and a T-60 to help him out. As he backs up an unseen assailant fires on him and hits twice. For a moment I think they are ok, but then I see the hatch pop open and the crew scrambles out. They try to run away, but are cut down.

At this I decide I will move 1st platoon over to the area, but they are a long way off. Lt. Grachev arrives in his KV-I and some infantry try to assault his tank but he drives them back with machine gun fire.

Result

The battle abruptly ended there, giving me a Tactical Victory (66%). The last few battles I've played were all well over before the specified number of turns elapsed, but they still each went on for seven or eight extra turns. In this one a few more turns could have made a big difference to the result, but I only got one extra. I am fairly sure that with a few more minutes I would have been able to focus more effective firepower on the infantry out there and gotten the big flag Grachev was near and possibly the other that wasn't mine yet. But time ran out on me. I set those parameters and I guess I'll have to live with them.

Most of the "Light tank?" contacts I saw turned out to be Panzer IICs (5 in all). One was a Panzer IIIJ. And the "Armored car?" was in fact a PSW 231 8-Rad. All were knocked out or abandoned.

Conclusions

I need to be better about using infantry and armor in coordination. My tanks were fine for clearing out the open space, but I should have used my infantry to comb through the woods at the back instead of just barging ahead with my tanks.

Of fourteen tanks that I started with, four were taken out (even though the AAR says two). One bogged immediately and never got in the fight, one had its gun damaged and necessarily withdrew, and two were killed by infantry. That means that from a purely tank vs. tank perspective I knocked off six tanks and an armored car for the cost of one damaged gun (crew ok). The problem is I lost two to panzerschrecks and I should have known better. I had been lulled into thinking I was fighting only tanks by not seeing any men on foot until I got to the extreme back end of the battlefield. By then I had taken out most of the enemy's tanks and was feeling fairly invincible. Additionally, I felt like I needed to hurry tanks out to the flags since I was running low on time. Man, it was frustrating to see my tanks get "Hit" once from a completely unseen enemy and bail out, after watching them exchange shots with tanks all over the field without a scratch.

With the benefit of hindsight I can say that I should have moved forward more aggressively. The short timeline of this game dictated a faster pace than I was used to. I probably should have spent about half the time clearing the enemy infantry, which implies dealing with the tanks faster and moving my infantry up earlier. Instead I had to rush my tanks around without infantry support and paid the price. Hopefully I've learned for next time.