Barrikady Factory Battle
scenario by asl3d
This glorious battle began with German troops with light armored support massed to the northeast of the factories while the Russians occupied all the buildings along the streets blocking our noble crusade to secure the factories for the glory of the Reich.
The Russian troops were all hunkered down out of sight while their mortar team started to blast our armored support causing delays with interdicting fire, craters and bewildering the crews.
German squads moved out across the road and were mercilessly put under rifle and machine gun fire causing casualties and pinning them down out on the vulnerable streets, cutting down officers who were trying to rally the troops, and gradually eliminating the troops themselves who cried out in agony while being shot down. Meanwhile, troops in the buildings opposite raked the Russian held buildings with heavy fire, and the satisfying screams of the smitten occupants were the best Christmas presents the troops of the 6th Army had ever had... well except for Nuremberger rib steak sausages and classic German handcrafted toys when the troops were children.
A few German tanks moved down the street and one was destroyed by a lucky shot from a Russian armored car which invited return fire that in turn brewed the car up in a blazing display of instant karma. In a steady grinding urban battle, the Germans made progress into the Barrikady district but the advance was stonewalled at the factories themselves which provide very strong defensive bonuses and places to hunker down and hide for the defenders. German troops and tanks struggled to destroy the Russian troops in the factories with little success. One German platoon was pinned down in the open and another came to try and rescue the wounded but both platoons were completely wiped out while other German units poured fire into the factory in a desperate bid for a little payback. Another platoon tried to approach a factory and was annihilated by concentrated fire from the defenders despite frantic covering fire from the German side. Tank fire had a little effect on the defenses but not enough. One German platoon tried to flush out a sniper but lost its commander and was pinned down by mortar fire. Another Soviet sniper was less lucky and was bayoneted as was his due.
All throughout the combat, a Russian maxim heavy machine gun and a mortar fired constantly from long distance at the target rich environment. Russian forward observers stalked the German line and miraculously avoided frequent fire from German units seeking revenge for the cheapshots the heavy weapons were dishing out.
The assault ground to a halt outside the factories. The final portion of the battle was mostly composed of German troops working over the factories with a lot of fire from tanks and troops with only the occasional scream from within as a reward for their effort.
The German casualties were 6 officers, 19 squads and a tank versus Soviet losses of 3 officers, 24 squads, the lucky armored car (maybe not so lucky considering the crew were cooked when it brewed up) and also 4 heroes.
Here is the final battlefield view. The German assault only made it 1/4 of the way into the factory district. Russian troops can be seen forming a strong defensive line based on the strong positions in the factories.
Here are the battle statistics. Oddly, it says only 1 team was lost but multiple teams (platoons) were lost by both sides, but the rest of the numbers appear accurate.
