The Soviets were on the defensive but were holding. The only building they had lost in the battle in the small Soviet village was burning due to a tank round and at risk of collapse. The German infantry who had taken it had hastily pulled back. All along the road that acted as the front line, the Axis forces had the initiative but struggled to make any meaningful advance.
It was time for a push and both sides tried it in different parts of the village.
The Germans struck first. Their first foray into the Soviet lines had been beaten back by the now collapsing house, but the Germans held a second house on the Soviet side of the street. A small blue roofed dacha positioned in between the two burning houses was in their hands and they decided on the bold move of charging the Soviets holding the yard behind the house. With a shout, the Landsers pushed out of the building in a hail of bullets and grenades. They were met in kind by the Soviet rifle squad arrayed to meet them. Bullets and bayonets led to death and ultimately a repulse of the German attack.
The Germans were not done. A second squad nearby smashed into the weakened Soviet squad and successfully drove them from the yard. Then another German infantry squad crashed into the other Russian squad that was positioned on the other side of the dacha. The Germans were forced back with only light casualties but a third German squad crushed the remaining Soviet resistance behind the dacha and secured the yard. Along with the Hungarians reclaiming the mud farm the tide temporarily swung to the Axis
Soviets 15. Axis 19 Ongoing Count 6
The Soviets were not idle The driver of the lumbering T-28 that had taken down the now collapsed second house smacked the gear lever with a wrench and the big green beast rolled forward and out into the road. The tank’s main gun and machine gun cut down Germans who were caught in the open and forced an enemy infantry squad to flee back to the safety of the Axis lines
The Germans were helpless against the tank as one of the German Generals forgot to pack the panzerknackers. Luckily, the Hungarians were not so unprepared and rolled a PAK 38 into the road to challenge the tank. The first shot hit causing damage to the T-28. A return shot killed a Hungarian crew member and a further PAK shell killed the main turret gunner. The T-28 rolled forward slowly and the showdown was coming
The Germans in the road in front of the church were growing frustrated. The Panzer IV and other T-28 continued to duel to no definite conclusion and the burning remains of the house in front of them stood in the way of a path of advance. The Fedlwebel leading the two infantry squads decided that staying in the road was trouble and retreating was not going to win the battle, so he gave the order and the two squads charged a Soviet infantry squad that was posted up behind the collapsed house.
The assault was decisive. The Soviet squad was wiped out, their Serzhant severely wounded and carried from the field, and an attached Leytenant ran for his life. The German casualties were light but the personal cost to the Fedlwebel was high. A bullet brained him ending his life.
The assault, although successful did not result in the taking of yard as a Maxim machine gun still held and was joined by yet another Soviet rifle squad.
The Germans again pushed into the yard in front of the big blue house. Using the narrow path between the yard of the first burnt out building and a high fenced yard next to it, the Germans employed one squad to pin down the Soviet infantry and come in behind the Maxim, which was facing the other way. Before the Machine gun could turn the Germans were amongst the Soviets with machine pistols and entrenching tools. The hand to hand fight was bloody. The remaining two Maxim crew were killed and all the Soviets were killed or routed. The cost, though was heavy for the Germans. Another squad leader was dead and only four members of rhe squad survived. The Germans now held the yard.
Soviets 13. Axis 21 Ongoing Count 8
The victory was short lived. The Germans had no support and a quick and decisive counter attack by another Soviet infantry squad wiped out the four Germans and retook the yard. This would be the last fight in this part of the village. Both sides were fought out here
Soviets 15 Axis 19 Ongoing Count 10
On the far end in front of the pig farm and the larger railroad building, the Hungarians finally jumped into action. A Soviet squad entered the road in front of the railroad building and advanced on a Hungarian squad in the muddy yard. A Hungarian squad in the railroad building unseen by the Soviets grabbed the initiative and struck the Soviet squad in the rear, with only a few Soviets facing them to protect the Soviet squad’s six. The fight was decisive. The Hungarians threw the Soviets into flight and out of the road.
The Hungarians followed up their success by taking the smaller railroad building across the street.
Soviets 14 Axis 20 Ongoing Count 11
The Hungarians were pressured by the arrival of another Maxim and infantry squad but barricaded themselves in the small railroad building and would hold out for the remainder of the fight.
In the middle of the village things were heating up (in the literal sense.)
The duel between Pak and tank finally ended when the T-28 crew had enough of AT shells pinging off (and through) their tank and bailed out. A supporting Soviet infantry squad following the tank up the road was driven back by another German assault, but another German Senior commander was killed.
It was then that the Soviets pulled out their last card. Their morale was fading and German assaults, though costly were wearing them down. The squeaking tracks of another T-26 carried on the wind audible above the small arms fire. In a cramped and closed village this T-26 was a German nightmare.
The KhT 134 flame tank rolled in behind the other T-26 into the yard containing the second burning building that was held by the Germans. The twin (sort of) tanks crushed several Germans who couldn’t get out of the way and chased off the rest. Only a squad in the small blue dacha remained.
The Germans had their own plan. A forward thinking squad leader formed a team with panzerknackers and sent them out the door to deal with the tanks. The two brave men raced out in a charge but fell short of the tanks and were beaten to death by a Soviet squad that had entered the yard through a house in the rear. Even worse for the Germans, the flame tank rumbled forward and released a blast of flame into the German occupied blue house. Those Germans who were not incinerated routed out of the house and back across rhe road. The Russians had retaken the yard.
Soviets 16 Axis 18 Ongoing Count 13
This ended up being rhe final significant action of the fight. Both sides were fought out and all offensive actiom had stalled. In the end, the victory was for the Axis but only barely and hardly convincing. Only one building had been taken in the end: the small railroad station. Four other sorties were ultimately repulsed.
Fighting in a village is hard. Making headway is hard. Multiple times, buildings and yards were taken, but support could not be brought up due to the limited room with which to work. When a yard would be entered from one end, the enemy could and did converge from three sides.
The Germans were on the offensive the entire fight. The Soviets made a quick but superficial push into the mud farm but didn’t stay long. Nowhere else did they fully cross the street. Twice, the timely arrival of Soviet tanks stopped the Germans Once when a T-28 brought down a building, and once when the flame tank burned out the Germans from the dacha.
It was an interesting fight and a fun way to end the Barbarossa campaign. Twice the Hungarians “won” the day for the Axis forces. In the deep woods they overwhelmed the Soviets and in the village rhey were the only squad to end in an enemy building or yard. Bravo to them.
Many house rules were tried during the campaign. Some worked, some didn’t. Some sort of worked with tweaking. Each time we play COC we have new rules. Unfortunately, each time we play COC we forget rules and have to relearn them all over again.
Until the next time…
