Wotan

July 1941.  Inside the Russian border.  The German and Hungarian forces launch attacks on a wide front, encircling large Soviet armies.  The Germans also focus on transportation hubs.   Even with the difference in track gauge that would plague Axis rail transportation throughout Operation Barbarossa, disrupting Soviet rail traffic was a focus of the attack. 

Near a small railway station outside a town so small it doesn’t even appear on a map, the German thrust has struck a Soviet force.  This is a meeting engagement and the first of five fights in the campaign.  

A Hungarian horde swarms the railroad station

 German forces approached what passes as a major road in this part of southwest Russia.  They launch an immediate attack which catches the Soviets off guard and allows the German and Hungarian troops to take control of the rail station as well as a two story house and a stone wall that runs beside the road.  The Soviets rally and meet the Germans. One Soviet platoon attempts to overlap the German left flank by pushing through some woods.

The enemies meet at the road. 

The Soviet flanking maneuver is thwarted by the appearance of a 38t tank that threatens the Russian position. In the woods a hidden Soviet 45mm anti tank gun fires  hitting the tank several times but is unable to crack its armor.  The tank responds and knocks out the anti-tank gun.  The now defenseless infantry are in trouble.  

Their situation worsens when a second 38t speeds towards their position. 

The Soviet’s are soon overwhelmed.  The German tank pair throw shells into the woods and push forward threatening the infantry and a nearby Jump off point.  Where are the Molotovs?  

The glorious German armor dominates 

In the Rail station a Hungarian sniper wreaks havoc on another Soviet platoon until finally spotted after dropping several Russian soldiers.  A Russian light machine gun unloads into the second floor of the station killing the sniper and his spotter.  A Hungarian medium machine team positions itself in the rail station but is driven off with casualties by a newly arriving T-26 tank and an infantry platoon.  The Hungarians respond by bringing up a Nimrod AA Self Propelled gun which unloads on the Russian platoon. 

The outgunned T-26 lurches forward to take cover under a bridge and away from the Nimrod’s guns only to find itself dueling with a Hungarian Anti tank gun-which it drives off- and then a German Infantry Gun.

Peek a boo 

The Soviet reinforcements arrive!  With an Oorah, three more infantry squads from a reinforcing platoon pour into the middle of the Soviet line.  The Germans respond by strengthening their middle along the stone wall that borders the road.  

The mighty Soviet infantry 

Meanwhile the two 38Ts now with supporting infantry have completely chased the Soviets out of the woods and are driving them back and shooting them down.  It’s a trap.  The Czech tanks cross the road and are bearing down when a beast arrives with a bang.  A Soviet KV-2 lumbers forward and fires its big gun at the side of one of the small tanks.  Amazingly the first shot bounces off!  More amazingly the 38T fires back and punches through the KV and wounds the tank Commander!  Not so Amazingly the KV-2 then knocks the 38T out and forces rhe other 38T and infantry to go into hiding. 

The Mighty Soviet Tank 

The less mighty Czech tanks in German service 

Near the rail station the LeIG18 is joined by a Panzer IVD and the rallying Hungarian AT gun.  Poor aim results in several misses from very close range but eventually a hit is scored which kills the gunner of the T26 and drives the tank back into cover. 

Retreat,

The Panzer and friends take the opportunity to fire into Soviet infantry who are attempting to advance under the cover of the bridge. 

The Soviet Infantry is there for a reason. They are joined by a second squad in using the opportunity of a double phase (one of the interesting Chain of Command mechanics) to charge into an unfortunate German rifle squad that is stationed to the right of the house and covering the front against the aforementioned Soviet reinforcements. (note: the lack of Germans in the picture above is due to the photo being taken after the attack).   The Soviets smash the infantry squad and wipe out a flamethrower team hiding amongst the Germans.  The squad is routed and leaves the field. 

The Germans move quickly to halt the breakthrough. The last available reserves of German infantry appear and unload into the Russians.  The Panzer IV and the previously retreating-but now returned- Hungarian medium machine gun join in the attack and cause the Russians to flee.  

The Russians have fled back under the bridge. The machine gun is hidden in the near room of the 
Train station. 

The Hungarians take this opportunity to get aggressive.  An infantry squad charges and routes a Russian  squad driving it back.  The Nimrod, a bit full of hubris crashes through the fence and bushes to try to gun down another Soviet squad. 

The Nimrod-an open topped SPAA gun-forgets it has a giant hole in the top of its armor.  A hidden 45mm anti tank gun appears and fires but misses.  A Russian infantryman tosses a grenade.   Boom!   The grenade lands in the Nimrod and kills the driver.  The Nimrod responds with fire while removing bits of crew from the driver seat.  The AT gun fires again and hits the Nimrod but the shell bounces off.

The Hungarians are about to charge. The 45mm gun is about to fire. 

On the far end of the battle line the Germans are fleeing back into the woods.  The Germans have no answer for the KV-2 which has just knocked out the second 38T by sending a shell through the rear of the fleeing Czech tank. A BT3 has also joined the party. 

                                                                   It was a heck of a shot. 

The fight has turned into a race.  Can the Hungarians on the right side of the German line damage the morale of the Russians before the German left flank crumbles under the weight of an unstoppable  monster?

Oh yeah. There is also a stalemate in the middle with a horde of Russians and line of Germans 

The Hungarians continue to aggressively push the Soviets back.  While taking casualties from small arms fire the Infantry charges into a disordered Russian squad sweeping it off the field and driving the 45mm gun to the rear with casualties and killing the AT Gun leader.  The Soviets respond with withering fire that breaks the Hungarian wave.  The Hungarians unwisely try one final push into a Soviet Maxim team and are repulsed.  

The 45mm AT gun rallies but twice more bounces shells off the  front armor of the Nimrod which would miraculously survive the fight.  

The shock is increasing all around (as represented by red shiny things )

The stalemate in the middle of the field is finally broken when German infantry who were running from the KV storm down the road and slam directly into the center of the Russian front line. A Soviet squad is surprised and thrown back in complete disorder while an adjacent squad is also driven back. The attack is costly and the large number of Russians behind the front line counter attack and wreck what remain of the Germans.  

They’re coming…

A foolish Unterfeldwebel is caught away from his squad and faces down a Soviet armored car and a mortar. The  car misses, the mortar doesn’t .  Luckily for the leader he is only lightly wounded and is able to retreat to safety. 

Ein is the loneliest number. 

The first battle of the operation has ended.  It is a draw.  Neither side breaks but both are close. Morale was dropping with each side down to a force morale of five. 

Conclusiom 

The opening battle of the campaign was a tentative affair dominated by armor.  The lack of infantry anti-tank weapons and the lack of specific objectives stalemated the battle.   The Germans couldn’t take advantage of their early success and the wounding of the KV commander slowed down the already slow tank.  Only the Hungarians made a somewhat successful push, and their attack began to slow when Russian reinforcements arrived to hold the line. 

In the larger picture, the German blitz pushed on.  The Soviets were surrounded and captured en masse and gave ground.  The next test for the Germans would come at a bridge on a river….