Bolt Action - Game 28

Campaign Stalingrad - Last Bridge over the River Don 12 Aug 1942

Introduction

This is the first scenario in the Bolt Action Campaign Stalingrad book. A sensible place for Kevin and I to fight our way through the book.

Situation

The Soviet forces are retreating in Aug 1942 in front of a sustained blitzkrieg from the German 6th Army. The retreating forces are seriously weakened, and the only hope is to retreat over the River Don.

Enemy Forces

The German forces are likely to be a mixed force of infantry and Panzers.

Friendly Forces

A small bridge guard was in place, ready to blow the bridge, of a Zis-3 and a MMG team. The last troops expected were the remnants of 2nd Battalion 1075th Rifle Regiment (2/1075 RR) commanded by Lt Vasiliy Ugryumov. He had drawn together 3 infantry sections and an anti-tank team. He was fortunate to have found some transport. Bringing up the rear were a scout squad and NKVD squad.

Mission

The 2/1075 RR is to complete the crossing of the Don and then blow the bridge. The Bridge must not fall into enemy hands,

Post Mission Report

Lt Ugryumov loaded the vehicles with as many men as he could. Their mission was to get to the bridge and reinforce the bridge guard. He placed his inexperienced troops on the southern flank and NKVD took the northern flank.

The MMG were optimally placed on the second floor of the building closest to the bridge on the south side of the road with the bridge detonators routed to their location. The ZIS-3 was deployed on the northern side of the road near the bridge.

The transport managed to get across the bridge unscathed and were able to reinforce the guard force. The retreating forces were greatly helped by the failure of the German forces to get to the battlefield quickly enough.

Once the Germans arrived they did so in force, and they fought hard to destroy as many of the Soviet units as they could. First to be destroyed were the inexperienced infantry who never really managed to even load their weapons before they were cut down. The T-34 provided as much fire support as it could as it withdrew. On the northern flank the Germans lost their truck, but the surviving infantry managed to start bringing their MGs to bear on the Soviet northern flank protection.

The Soviet northern flank protection was easily mopped up by the Germans and they continued to press home the attack trying to close in on the T-34 as it withdrew. A German mortar crew that arrived late made up for their late arrival by zeroing in immediately on the Zis-3 and destroying it and its crew.

The Germans continue to close in on the Bridge but Lt Ugryumov is adamant that he wants to recover the T-34 before the bridge is blown. As the T-34 rolled across the bridge the MMG team were told to blow the bridge and the charges fired and the bridge went up in the face of the advancing Germans. They would have to find another way to cross the River Don

Outcome

A Soviet victory, despite the loss of a number of infantry. Importantly the T-34 was saved and the bridge was blown.