I send one platoon of each company to occupy and defend each area of victory hexes. The Pz.IV's and one 88mm gun accompany the advance in the center. In the beginning all proceeds smoothly. The units in the south beat the Russians to the victory hexes and fan out to assume defensive positions. In the center, the tanks on the hill are using the flimsy Russian armor for long range target practice. Because of the terrain it's taking the northern group longer to reach their VH area. They encounter the Russians before completely occupying the VH's.[X(]
The enemy is sighted in the north and center, but there is no activity in the south. In a decision that would later turn the tide of the battle I followed the maxim "Forward to contact!" After one turn of waiting, the southern forces advance.
NO-O-O-O!!!! It's not fair!! I see a T-34 among the Russians in the center. It's really unfair to force the Germans to cope with a T-34 so early in the war. And where there's one T-34, there are 3--or more. The T-34's begin flaming my tanks. After checking the stats I pull the surviving Pz.II's off the hill. Five of the 9 central tanks are destroyed and the Pz.II's are gone. That leaves one operational tank left. The infantry hide in the smoke, ready to close assault. The 88 gun deploys in the woods just behind the VH's. Desperate times are calling.
In the north the engineer platoon and the Pz.III's are meeting the Russian infantry and T-34's at point blank range. I lose two tanks, and one is immobilized. The engineers are also taking casualties. Even though all the artillery has been diverted to that sector, we have actually been pushed back out of the VH's and face the problematic task of having to go on the attack. I notice one Pz.III in the midst of the T-34 hordes. I thought it had been eliminated but it turns out the crew "merely" routed. As long as they didn't move, the Russians left them alone. I knew as soon as they showed signs of life they'd be dead, so they waited quietly.
When the southern group pull even with the Russians in the center they wheel to the left. Coming unexpectedly from the open flank and through the smoke their attack is almost completely one-sided. Thank God for APCR and point-blank side shots. By the time the combined central and southern forces have finished cleaning up the Russian attack they comprise the only effective mobile fighting force on the battlefield. I set up some machine-gun teams to fire into the flanks of the northern Russian infantry and send a couple of tanks to help out. The majority of the armor streaks for the Russian rear, looking for ATG's and other defensive forces. The only unit found is the Soviet HQ, which is dispatched quickly.
All along, the ever-diminishing group of engineers have been using their flamethrowers and satchel charges to great effect. The surviving panzers are giving better than they get. Still, the losses are heavy. The northernmost position is held by only a much reduced squad and a halftrack. When it appears that the Russians have mostly exhausted their supply of T-34's, the engineers begin their deliberate counterattack, using the stranded Pz.III as reconaissance. As they near the tank, it opens fire to support the advance.
Despite having suffered over 50% casualties they have won the day. The liberal use of artillery 100-150 meters in front of our own positions keeps the Russians from mounting a coherent counterattack of their own, and so this battle ends. Whew!![:D]One important lesson I learned from this battle was to replace all of my Pz.II's with Pz.III's BEFORE meeting the Russians.