Romania - Crimea 1/42

[Korpraali V]

During the first year of operation Barbarossa oberstleutnant Karl’s Romanians have grew to a notable fighting force. At start his headquarters was the only veteran unit in the battalion. Four units were average. Rest 85 units were green. Totally inexperienced battalion. Now at the beginning of January 1942 only five units are green anymore. 61 are average and 24 are veterans, including his headquarters. Romanian 15th Independent Armored Battalion consists 90 units:


Ge HQ (Romanian 15th Independent Armored Battalion) Oberstleutnant Friedrich Karl

Ro Inf Co
Co Hq (Rifle sec)
1st Platoon (4x Rifle sec)
2nd Platoon (4x Rifle sec)
3rd Platoon (4x Rifle sec)
2x ZB53 HMG

Ro Eng Co
Co Hq (Eng sec)
1st Platoon (4x Eng sec)
2nd Platoon (4x Eng sec)
3rd Platoon (4x Eng sec)
2x ZB53 HMG

Ro Arm Co
Co Hq (T3)
1st Platoon (3x R-35)
2nd Platoon (3x R-2)
3rd Platoon (3x R-2)
4th Platoon (3x R-2)
5th Platoon (3x T3)

Ro Fire Support Co
Co Hq (FO)
1st Platoon (3x 81mm Brandt)
2nd Platoon (3x 81mm Brandt)
3rd Platoon (3x 100mm Skoda FH)
Ammo dump

Ro AT/AA Co
Co Hq (Rifle sec)
6x M35 47mm ATG
6x M35 47mm ATG
3x 2cm FlaK 38
2x M36 75mm Vickers AA, M36 88mm Flugabwehr-Kanone

Support Platoon
4x Tatra 93T 3 ton truck
4x Tatra 93T 3 ton truck
4x T-6-R tractor





Attachment: Oberstleutnant Friedrich Karl and his staff at 1/42.

[Korpraali V]

18/1/42 Crimea 1200

Romania assault – Soviet defend

Turns 33, Visibility 2km, Weather: Clear


More Soviets have landed to peninsula. Several divisions, no one knows how much. They attacked hard and took some towns on south. Now the German-Romanian forces are counterattacking and trying to take back the lost areas. Ivan is not going to give the peninsula to Axis without fight. That fits to Karl: He’ll fight!


Support units:

Recon
10x Scout Team
9x R-1 Tankette
Sniper

Engineer Company
Co Hq
1st Platoon (4x Engineer sqd)
2nd Platoon (4x Engineer sqd)
3rd Platoon (4x Engineer sqd)
2x ZB53 HMG

Mountain Infantry Company
Co Hq
1st Platoon (Plt Hq, 3x Munte sqd, 60mm Mortar)
2nd Platoon (Plt Hq, 3x Munte sqd, 60mm Mortar)
3rd Platoon (Plt Hq, 3x Munte sqd, 60mm Mortar)
2x ZB37 MMG
2x 81mm Mortar

Air force
2x Bf-110G-4
4x IAR 37
8x Ju-52/3m g7e

Artillery
6x 10cm Mountain Gun Battery
6x M42 120mm Mortar
4x 100mm Skoda FH


Well supplied Soviets have made their defencelines thick. Large minefields and lots of infantry suspected. Some armors and possibly bunkers and other emplacements. Probably not, they’ve only been there some days and can’t be too deeply dugged in. Karl’s orders are clear: Break the Soviet resistance in the area! That won’t actually mean only to push them back but completely destroy their forces on the field. To cut their retreat routes Karl has asked and received some transport planes that can carry troops to Soviet rear area. Munte company will be dropped there at the turn 10. Before that air raids and artillery barrages will prepare their dropping zones for them. With air and artillery support they should be able to take and hold their positions until the breakthrough is achieved in main battle.

Main assault will take place in south. The area will be separated with smoke in good German style. False attack in north starts about fifteen minutes before that: Câpitan Pomutz is the leader of this effort. His engineer company backed with some armor (R-2 platoon and R-1 platoon under command of locotenent Georghiu) will draw the enemy attention by rushing in and shooting wildly. If the situation gets difficult they will withdraw and attack again after the enemy attention has turned to south. AT guns and artillery support both assaults but mainly southern one. The commander of southern forces is câpitan Madgearu, leader of engineer company.






Attachment: Map

[Korpraali V]

1230

Smoke is covering both spears well and the engineers are moving forward. Barrages have forced some Soviet units to withdraw from their positions. They have also destroyed one ZIS-30. R-1 found the minefield in south. Tankette was destroyed but both crewmembers managed to get out. Air raids have revealed many bunkers and heavy armors, destroyed two tank destroyers and damaged slightly another one. Also monsterous KV-2 was damaged due the air raid and another raid killed the crew. Engineers start to work the minefield in thick smoke cover. No casualties yet.

Karl is very worried about those Kliment Voroshilov 2 armors. Their armour is very strong and those 152,4mm guns are real threat. Although he knows the model, his Romanians have never encountered them before. And their psycholocigal affect must not be underestimated. Karl orders Cuza to call the air strikes again on those monsters. That will hopefully destroy them of at least force them to withdraw to forest where the engineers have better possibilities to destroy them. Thing that is notable is that they were in south, right in front of main assault force. Does Ivan wait for them? Or did Karl managed to surprise him completely and find his moving reserves?





Attachment: Engineers start their work in north.

[Korpraali V]

1240

North: First casualty is taken when the Soviet infantry squad opens fire from 150 meter distance against engineers. Another man is lost when one engineer decides to remove the mines in regular infantry way…

South: Three more tank destroyers killed and KV-2 slightly damaged by air raids. R-2 takes the fourth ZIS out shooting through the hole in the smoke screen. Soviet mortars opened fire against the engineers that were advancing in smoke cover. Possibly the explosion in the minefield had alarmed them. Karl hopes that they’d not continue their barrages long. Unfortunately that seems to continue at least some time, now the artillery have started to barrage them too.

Scouting air raid to Ivan’s rear hits the spot and reveals couple AAMGs and KV-2s. And IAR 37 even manages to destroy one KV-2! Unbelievable hit with 12kg bomb! Cuza orders the artillery to lay the covering barrages to area as planned. The munte company will be dropped there in ten minutes.

Soviet artillery founds the northern group and barrages accurately the engineers. Whole engineer company is in panic and totally unable to rally. Karl shouts orders to radio with little help. Those heavy artillery shells have done their job in five minutes, but they are continuing to barrage the engineers. Well, Ivan’s attention received…

South: Probably the last armor in the area, KV-2 loses its main gun due to accurate hit of APCR ammo from sublocotenent Melinte’s T3. That will help the main force to break through. Karl counts total of eight ZIS-30 and two KV-2 destroyed by air strikes and barrages. Cuza sends more smoke to south and barrages to north and dropping zone. Ju-52s arrive.








Attachment: Airstrike against KV-2. Note that in 8.4 Romanian IAR 37 has 12kg bombs with range of 2 (bug)! So they can be used as short range rockets as you can see in the picture. [:D]

[Korpraali V]

1305

Munte company arrived and engaged right away those KV-beasts and some AA and AT guns placed in the forest. They were not trained for airdrop so it’ll take some time for them to gather themselves. Unlucky munte squad was dropped right behind the KV-2 and was overran. Others start to fight Soviet AA guns, AT guns and crewmen in the forest. Both sides take some casualties. Mountain troops manage to destroy one ATG and two AAMGs but now two KV-2s are coming towards them. Karl gets very worried: Munte company hasn’t get any change to group and they are still frightened after their first paradrop. Even in perfect fit and concentrated they’d be hardly able to face those beasts. And now they are scattered all around the forest and partly in panic already. He orders Cuza to contact the IARs and call them to dive against KVs.

Soviet mortars start bounding the landing area very quickly. Munte company takes more casualties. Then the miracle happens: Two IAR 37s dive against KV-2s and both are hit and damaged. First one loses its tracks and another one gets a top hit and the crew abandons the vehicle. This will help the mountain troops significantly. Second heavy AT gun is destroyed.

South: The engineers have cleared a line through the minefield and start to advance. Last KV-2 gets a hit to its side hull. 50mm APCR ammo penetrates the thick armour and the beast is history. Heavy AT gun shoots couple times from the distance. Tries to hit T3 but misses all. Karl orders panzers back behind the hill until the artillery and engineer have cleared a route for their advance.

North: Engineers are still mostly panicking and clearing a way through minefield takes time. But the enemy attention is clearly received, they are still barraging the poor company.






Attachment: Munte company in northern rear forest.

[Korpraali V]

1320

Rear: With the help of accurate mortar fire munte troops are able to destroy more anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. One of company’s HMGs jammed. It was probably damaged during the airdrop but the damage wasn’t visible. The gun jammed after two bursts. Crewmen of immobilised KV-2 abandoned their steel cover and were mowed down by other HMG. Both beasts are out but so slightly damaged that if the mountain goats manage to keep them covered they may be in good use later. Northern forest is now secured and the company is closing the bunkers on a hill south to forest. First assaults fail.

South: AT-rifles found and destroyed. Two Soviet AT guns are now under constant howitzer fire and the engineers are closing them. R-1 was immobilised. Oberstleutnant orders rifle company to move forward. Smokeshield and large hill cover the advance.

North: Soviet artillery gives the engineers some time to breath and they continue their work. Romanian mortars and artillery have constantly bounded the Soviet infantry in front of them and they should be easily dealt with after the minefield is penetrated.

[Korpraali V]

1340

Rear: Ivan has placed some AT gun on a large hill in the middle between the forest. In a day this clear they have great firing sights. Those guns are clear threat and Cuza gives immediately coordinates to artillery and soon the shells start to rain on AT gun positions. Also Ivan barrages the Munte company now. Some casualties are taken and many are in panic. The northern forest is still in Romanian hands and the road is cut. The bolsheviks seems not very interested of counterattacking and securing their retreat route. Other possiblility is that their moving reserves have been destroyed in south and they have nothing to throw against the mountain troops.

South: Lots of AT-rifles and some AT guns are destroyed by mortars and engineers. Barrages suppress the crews and when they abandon their gun the HMGs will finish the job. But more guns are found. After mortar barrages two R-1s speed next to guns and finish their crews. But right after that both tankettes are destroyed by other AT guns. There seems to be the whole net of AT gun positions in the area. Rest armors get the orders to wait until the engineers have secured the area. Part of the engineer company have turned to north to cover and widen the breakthrough until the rifle company reaches them. Others continue towards the AT gun positions in southern forest.

Center: Two tank destroyers are destroyed by tanks. Artillery is barraging suspected Soviet positions.

North: Finally the minefield has one 100 meter wide route. Engineers, R-1s and R-2s move in and face the pinned Soviet infantry.




Attachment: Situation in south.

[Korpraali V]

1400

North: Soviet infantry and Romanian engineers fight almost equally until the armors arrive. After that the communists are mostly running. More bunkers found. Own inaccurate mortar fire destroys sergent Patrascanu’s R-2 Panzer. Patrascanu and one of his crewmen survive. The northern hill is now occupied by Romanian engineers. Soviet AA gun destroys the scouting R-1. It was shooting from somewhere in the forest behind the hill. ‘Cause the artillery is now mainly free, Cuza orders huge barrages to the western forest end. That should teach them a lesson. After the barrages R-1 will speed to find that gun.

Center: Artillery barrages constantly Soviet lines and couple ZIS are destroyed. Their infantry is now fighting alone against superior Romanian army. They’ve built up a desperate defence that takes some time to destroy. The fighting is heavy and both sides take losses. Sergent Nechita is killed when his R–35 explodes due to molotov’s coctail hit. He had been in the battalion only one month. Fellow tankers revenge their death quickly.

Rear: Few AT guns are destroyed and some bunkers are found and destroyed. First units of mountain troops meet the armored spearhead in southern forest and Ivan’s retreat route is cut. Now encircled Soviet troops are continuously barraged. They can’t last long.




Attachment: Armored spearhead meets the mountain troops.

[Korpraali V]

1405

Center: Northern and southern spears have united and the remains of bolshevik infantry are now totally hopeless situation. Remnants of them surrender and the battle is over. Whole Soviet battalion was destroyed (three companies of infantry, bunkers, AT guns and armors). After the battle riflemen find the Soviet polkovnik dead. Probably killed in barrages or air strikes. Ivan got what he was looking for. Some 120mm heavy mortars were captured and taken in better use. There’s plenty of ammunition to them and they’ll replace the old 100mm field howitzers.


Today’s heroes:
- Engineer companies under command of câpitan Madgearian and câpitan Pomutz (three men left in the command squad).
- Munte company under command of câpitan Gigurtu (KIA).
- Four IAR 37s got total of fifteen kills and helped significantly in destroying KV-2s.


Romanian losses: 166 men, 6 AFVs (6822 points DV)

Soviet losses: 693 men, 24 artillery, 5 bunkers, 14 AFVs (545 points CD)






Attachment: Barraging the suspected AA 'position' [:D]