Bolt Action - Game Report 19

Double Envelopment – Little Saturn Offensive Phase I Feb 1943

Introduction

Game 3, the last on Saturday, was against the organiser Michael and his Germans. Another game and scenario to tax my imagination of “what ifs” in WW2.

Situation

Early 1943 and the Soviet offensive has encircled Stalingrad is reaching the culmination in the surrender of the 6th Army. Meanwhile the launch of Operation Little Saturn is making rapid progress to recover territory lost to the Germans in 1942. The 1075th Rifle Regiment has been subordinated to the 46th Corps to recover Krasnador from the remnants of the 1st Panzer Army retreating the Black Sea Coast.

Enemy Forces

Divisional scouts had reported that there were German infantry supported by early war tanks recovered from captured territory. They had good mobility with captured trucks and were likely to put up stiff resistance.

Friendly Forces

Captain Vasya Rimkov 4th Coy, 1075 Rifle Regt was in command.. He had under command Senior Lieutenant Alexey Nofkirov’s platoon, whose core troops from his platoon were in three sections made up from conscripts with no battle experience. 4th Coy was supported by an early model of the T34-85 with a tank rider squad, a scout car for recon, a ZIS-3, a sniper team, three tank hunter teams, and a battalion mortar for support. The Artillery Battalion provided an observer. Division had placed the Scout Squad under his command for the operation.

Mission

4th Coy is to penetrate the enemy position and to exploit into the depths to seal of the possible lines of retreat for the remnants of 1st Panzer Army.

Execution

Captain Rimkov’s plan was simple. Seize the damaged buildings and then use this as a start line to exploit forward. The T34 and scout car would be used to destroy any enemy that tried to prevent the rapid advance of the Infantry. The scouts were deployed forward to seize the buildings and hold them until the Nofkirov joined them.

Battle Report

Lt Nofkirov and the first wave were well supported by the armour. An enemy nebelwerfer was zeroing on the buildings, despite our sniper’s deadly suppressive fire on their position.

On the right the enemy army, identified as a captured French Char1b with a flamethrower, tried to intervene. However, it only seemed to be able to find reverse gear and continued to refuse to engage in the initial stages of the battle.

Our amour moved up to provide intimate support to the advance. The Nebelwerfer had been destroyed by accurate sniper fire and divisional artillery support.

Captain Rimkov deployed the Zis-3 to defend the right flank and to take out the armour, but before it could be brought into action the crew were killed by aggressive German counter-attacks.

Despite the loss of the ZIs-3 the troops on the right flank managed to hold their own sufficiently to buy time for the main body, led by Captain Rimkov, to exploit into the depths of the enemy position.

Outcome

A victory for 4th Company 1075 Rifle Regiment.