Andy is preparing a set of scenarios for the All Hell Let Loose rules, focusing on the actions of German Army Group Centre during Operation Barbarossa. Before publishing them, he wants to test the scenarios for playability. This time, the focus is on the German landings that established a bridgehead on the Dnieper River near Kremenchuk. This bridgehead later enabled an attack that completed the encirclement of Kiev from the south, ultimately leading to its capture by the Germans.
UMPIRING: Andy Valdez-Tullett
1. Forces.
1 x CO1 x FO4 x Infantry1 x MMG
1 x CO1 x FO4 x Infantry1 x MMG
1 x CO1 x FO6 x Infantry1 x MMG2 x Mortar
1 x CO1 x FO6 x Infantry1 x MMG1 x Mortar
1 x CO10 x Infantry
1 x CO1 x FO10 x Infantry
1 x CO1 x FO10 x Infantry
1 x CO1 x FO9 x Infantry1 x MMG
1 x CO1 x FO9 x Infantry1 x MMG
1 x CO1 x FO9 x Infantry1 x MMG
1 x CO1 x FO9 x Infantry1 x MMG
1 x CO1 x FO9 x Infantry1 x MMG
1 x CO5 x Engieer
2. The Game.
The Germans advanced across the river, but they faced a significant disadvantage: they had only 48 boats, each capable of carrying just one unit. It took the Germans three rounds to successfully cross the river. Mike moved downstream, Andy positioned himself in the middle, and Tim took up a position upstream. Opposite Mike, Michael's forces occupied the island, while my forces held the opposite island, and Jimmy stationed his troops between us.
We initially decided to keep Jimmy's forces in reserve to guard the central bank on the river. This would allow them to support either side's actions if necessary. Additionally, another challenge for the Germans was the unclear suitability of the opposite bank of the Dnieper for landing at the time of their approach.
As the first wave of the landing force crossed the Dnieper, they were met with precise Soviet artillery fire. Mike, unfortunately, faced significant losses, and his troops were largely decimated on the river. Additionally, some of his units were swept away by the strong current. As a result, Michael's positions remained secure and were not under threat.
The situation was different in the lower reaches of the upper river, where Tim successfully landed the first wave of troops on the riverbank. There, he engaged my infantry, which managed to repel the initial attack. However, subsequent waves of landing forces, this time from Andy's troops, began to push my forces out of the positions I had secured on the island. Ultimately, the Germans captured the island and established a bridgehead, but losses in the boats delayed the arrival of additional troops to support the advancing Germans.
It quickly became clear that German troops could only land on a very narrow section of the riverbank, which allowed us to concentrate our defences in just two locations. Mike, positioned downstream, didn't pose much of a threat, while Michael, with support from artillery and mortars, effectively kept the Germans at bay on the river. Meanwhile, my defences could be strengthened by Jimmei's troops, as my own reinforcements failed to arrive. I needed to roll a 6 to bring them in, but I wasn’t able to manage that throughout the entire game.
As a result, the Germans established a weak bridgehead upstream, which was effectively bombarded by Soviet artillery and mortars. Germans were unable to relocate their artillery observers, who, unfortunately, drowned in the river. As a consequence, the German troops on the opposite side lacked artillery support. To make matters worse, the engineers were still on the western bank of the river and could not begin constructing a bridge to facilitate the crossing of reinforcements to support the Germans trying to secure the bridgehead. The game concluded with another Soviet victory.
3. Links.
SESWC:
FLICKR:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720328878442
