Background
Operation Bagration (/bʌɡrʌtiˈɒn/; Russian: Oперация Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation, (Russian: Белорусская наступательная операция «Багратион», Belorusskaya nastupatelnaya Operatsiya Bagration) a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern Front of World War II. The Soviet Union achieved a major victory by destroying the German Army Group Centre and completely rupturing the German front line.
On 23 June 1944, the Red Army attacked Army Group Centre in Byelorussia, with the objective of encircling and destroying its main component armies. By 28 June, the German Fourth Army had been destroyed, along with most of the Third Panzer and Ninth Armies. The Red Army exploited the collapse of the German front line to encircle German formations in the vicinity of Minsk and destroy them, with Minsk liberated on 4 July. With the end of effective German resistance in Byelorussia, the Soviet offensive continued further to Lithuania, Poland and Romania over the course of July and August.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bagration)
5th Panzer, which was reorganised on 28 June into a combat group under the command of Dietrich von Saucken, took up positions near Borisov on the main road north-east of Minsk, along which elements of Fourth Army were fleeing from the front. 5th Panzer’s main tank regiments, which unlike many German armoured units at the time were at full strength, were concentrated to the north, screening the rail lines being used for evacuation. The road itself was held by a rearguard of infantry, while Heavy Tank Battalion 505, equipped with Tiger Is, held the rail lines at Krupki to the east.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minsk_Offensive)
The Game
Terrain:
The 5×12 foot battlefield played side to side. The village of Krupki on the right center of the German Deployment Zone on the Main Moscow to Minsk Road. A river runs across the left side of the table with three bridges and one ford crossing it.
Forces:
Russians use two lists as their core force, using a four company Inomarochnikiy (Lend-Lease Tank) Tank Battalion (41 Tanks) from Red Bear and a four platoon Rota Razvedki (Reconnaissance) Company of the same book. No other Division or Corps support was allowed except for limited IL-2 Tip3 air support for the first two turns. The Soviet Tank Battalion entered on the North Eastern Corner and the Rota entered on the road in the Center.
The Germans receive two forces from the Grey Wolf book. A Schwere Tiger 1 company and a Panzerpioneer Company. The Tigers deployed on the Main Road, up to and including Krupki. The Panzerpioneers entered on the roads of the South Western edge.
Scenario rules:
- The number of Tigers is determined by a Silent Auction. Each player selected a number from 5-13 and with the winning command that number of tanks.
- As the historical battle began at Dusk of the 28th of June, the first two turns are played as daylight and subsequent turns used the night fighting rules.
- The German pioneers can elect to blow all three bridges: Doing so would require up to two stands rolling Skill each turn until six successful rolls were achieved. Then a single Skill test would destroy the bridge.
Victory Conditions:
To win, the Soviets must capture and hold at least one bridge across the river and take and hold the town of Krupki. Achieving only one of these objectives is a draw. If none of the Soviet objectives are attained the Germans win.
Narrative:
The German low bid was 11 tanks! Dang, this was going to hurt!
Opening Phase: The German Pioneer company sent one platoon to destroy the main road bridge and the adjacent rail bridge, while the rest of the force secured the more exposed northern bridge. Both Soviet players took advantage of the remaining daylight to race across the table towards Krupki and the river crossings. An IL-2 attack killed one of the lead Tigers and bailed another. The Tigers rallied and began to shoot up the advancing Shermans, killing one and bailing several others. A subsequent IL-2 strike failed to destroy additional Tigers, but the pilots managed to get some really good seats at the O Club that night The Tigers managed to mass in and around Krupki, devastating one of the Sherman Companies before the sun set.
Mid-Game: As night fell, Cory arrived and took over command of the Pioneers. The Pioneers quickly destroyed the bridge on the Main Road but their attempts to place explosives on the northern bridge were disrupted and delayed by the massed .50 cal fire from the Rota vehicles and some failed skill tests. Meanwhile the Tigers and Shermans played cat and mouse in the dark trying to gain fire advantage. Both sides had poor night range roles which enabled the Soviet tanks to close in on the town with only minor losses. As the Shermans drew near, some Tigers pulled back into the town so as to limit Soviet lines of fire and channelize part of the Soviet approach.
End-Game: Under heavy fire, the Pioneers managed to wire the northern bridge, but before the could blow it, a successful assault by Rota troops pushed the Germans away from the bridge, and the Pioneers lacked the strength to take it back. Thus the Soviets captured this objective in the nick of time. The tank fight ended up in a close range fur ball high velocity knife fight with the Soviets ending up on the losing side. After losing 37 Shermans in exchange for two destroyed Tigers, Soviet morale broke and the Tigers were left in control of the smoking remains of the town.
After Turn Eight the game was called a draw with the objectives split between both sides. The Commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army, General Pavel Rotmistrov, was relieved of command after this battle!
– Manteuffel