Recapturing Berezino...Hopefully

Berezino controls the supplies for my center, so I had to recapture it. Knowing that I would have to dig out Soviet Infantry had me preparing accordingly:

 

Grenadier Company

2 Grenadier platoons

Fallschirmjager platoon

2 MG platoons

Mortar platoon

3 105s

3 Nebelwerfers

3 PaK40s (he was gonna have tanks too, of course)

Firestorm troops: 2 Tigers, Armored panzergrenadier platoon

I got lucky when I rolled on the low supplies table and got a motivation bonus, so the whole force is fearless, except the Fallschirmjagers and Tigers which are 2+ fearless.

 

Dave did, of course, defend with infantry:

2 massive infantry platoons

Fluff for the infantry (ATRs, etc.) -- I wasn't paying that close of attention, and the nuances of Dave's Soviet list-building are truly beyond me.

3 AT guns

Artillery

4 SU-85s

Firestorm troops: T-34/85s, SU-76s

 

The mission was Hold the Line, which is similar to No Retreat but with delayed reserves balanced by extra ambushes.

 

Our deployment--I have infantry across the front with support immediately behind.

Dave's Horde® is deployed deep, with AT guns and artillery in ambush.

I surge forward, and my Tigers get first blood.

I may have just as much infantry on the table as Dave at the moment!

The first turn sees some assaults on the right flank...

and the left, by the Fallschirmjagers.

Turn 2 sees an incredibly bloody assault by the Fallschirmjagers. There are only 2 teams of them left!

I consolidated my position in the fields on the right, too.

Turn 3 sees my right flank fail 2 assaults! Next turn, I guess...

The Fallschirmjagers popped in the Soviet counterassault, but I fortunately came with a second echelon.

The Soviets got SU-85s for reinforcements and promptly blew up both my Tigers!

I assault on both flanks, and both Soviet companies pop!

This included the company commander, so they flee the field!

Veteran infantry did its job.

 

My MG-and-artillery-heavy list did its job and ground the commies down to nothing. The losses of the tigers by incredibly precise SU-85 fire and Fallschirmjagers (I don't intend on typing that word again for a while) by failed sole survivor check (2+ fearless? yeah right) were both unfortunate and improbable, so I should have won by more. But it is what it is, and that's a victory!

 

I now recaptured Berezino, returning supplies to Orsha, Mogilev, and Bykhov. I also managed to get my tigers out of Bykhov.

 

Next up: the Soviets regain initiative and strike Bykhov to try and cut off the two cities. It looks like a sitting duck at this point, with nothing but armored infantry in the open (!). Time will tell.