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| Sector of the I.394 and the village of Gertsovka |
The objective of PzG Regiment 394 is to clear the village of Gertsovka to facilitate the advance of Division Grosdeutchland. From the scenario description:
Major Werner Rode's I Battalion, Panzer Grenadier Regiment 394 was given the task of clearing Gertsovka. Gertsovka was the cornerstone of the Soviet defences in this sector. It controlled the crossing of the Ivinka River as well as providing flanking fire across the line of advance of Großdeutschland Panzer Grenadier Division to the east. The southernmost defences of the 2nd Battalion, 210th Guards Rifle Regiment were dug in both at Gertsovka station and along the raised railway embankment just south of the town. The Panzer Grenadiers would have to clear these positions first. This scenario covers Rode's assault on the embankment and into the town and the Guards desperate defence to hold it.
The battle of Kursk happens at about the same time that Patton and Montgomery are invading Sicily. I find it fascinating to realize that this titanic battle was going on thousands of miles from the Mediterranean while the Americans and British were launching their attack on Italy.
There are bunkers and minefields aplenty ahead of me. My plan is to lead with my Pioneers to clear the minefields and use the three maneuver companies and their weapons sections to surround, isolate, and assault the Station. I'll then move up the main road into the village, taking strong points as I go.
I have ten turns to accomplish the mission. In Panzer Battles, each turn is 30 minutes and each hex is 250 meters.
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| A airstrike is targeted on the train station. I don't see any enemy there yet, but I'm pretty sure they're going to be a problem. |
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| Soviet defenders protected by mines holding the railroad embankment and station |
I'm already in to turn three, here. What I haven't realized yet is that I'm already behind. I should have been much more aggressive in moving my units forward in their vehicles.
It takes me until Turn 5 to take the Station. The Station isn't even worth victory points; I just need it cleared to facilitate my advance. Leaving troops there will result in my units becoming isolated as they move into the village. Isolated units have supply issues and don't fight as well.
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| Only smoke stands between my landsers and that big stack of Soviet guns |
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| The center of the village is cleared. Strong Soviet units still hold the outskirts |
A major defeat! Still, this was good fun and a great learning experience. I'm sure I'm missing something in my tactics that would make this an easier fight. I'm looking forward to finding that out!
Hi Doug. Looks interesting. I downloaded a couple of Tiller demos (including new Grenada one) and I am trying to learn to use his system. Not sure I am sold yet but this AAR definitely helps. I do love the historical research that clearly goes into these.
ReplyDeleteThe Tiller engine is definitely different from something like Command Ops. It took me awhile to warm up to it, but once I did I've come to really enjoy it. Since the basic mechanics are the same across all the different game series, it makes it very easy to jump in and play once you've learned the system.
ReplyDeleteThe key to the game mechanic is to understand disruption and fatigue, which is not really very different than Command Ops. Heavily fatigued units don't fight as well and tend to disrupt easier. Disrupted units can then break. The basic tactic is to try and disrupt the enemy with ranged fires, and then assault him once he's disrupted. There's just a bit more overt management of doing that in Tiller's games than there is in Command Ops. I find that the upside of that is that I feel more in control of my forces and have a deeper understanding of what their condition is. The down side is that in larger scenarios the micromanagement gets tedious.
But boy, are they packed with scenarios and historical research!
FYI - I find the Mius Front demo a little unrepresentative. It's largely an attack against fortified German positions across a river, and lacks some of the sweeping maneuver of other Panzer Campaign games. If you have an iPad or Android tablet you might want to grab one of the free or even paid (I think they're less than $5) mobile versions of Panzer Campaigns to try it out. It's the exact same system, but it uses graphics closer to Panzer Battles for the maps and you move stuff with your finger. The free demo is Russian front stuff I believe.
I find the Squad Battles games to be tough. Like the Combat Mission games, the tactical battlefield is unforgiving and you have to manage a lot of details. So, between that and the micromanagement of large scenarios in Panzer Campaigns, I'm really excited about Panzer Battles, which seems to be the best of both worlds.
Finally, knowing your interest in Napoleonics, you should look at some of those games too.
Hi Doug. Thanks for these comments. I will try the ipad apps.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Napoleonics, I found this for a really good price point in the Matrix store. have you played it? http://www.matrixgames.com/products/321/details/John.Tiller's.Battleground.Napoleonic.Wars
That's a classic from back in the Talonsoft days! Yes, I have it as well as the Civil War games using the same engine. Graphically they're dated, but for the price there's a ton of gaming there. It's more or less the same Tiller engine, just in an older form.
DeleteI probably played the Gettysburg game of that series for 500 hours. I came to know the terrain of that battlefield like I'd grown up there, 10 years before I actually ever visited.
This: http://www.matrixgames.com/products/282/details/Campaigns.On.The.Danube is also shockingly good. It's a damn shame it's never been updated.