Winter Rage....Orzel vs Hellcat

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Thu May 16, 2002 5:44 am

“Ein anderer kalter Morgen” Colonel Thielemann mutters to himself as he mounts his trusty stead, a white-washed Pz IVg named “Anneliesa”.
All along the roadside the elements of “Detachement Thielemann” begin to rev their once idling engines as their Colonel slides into the turret cupola.
As he puts on his headset and pulls up the fur-lined collar of his tanker jacket to block the cold, he looks over at his gunner, Karl, who is hanging out of the side hatch of the turret.
“Ivan ist nahe.” Thielemann says as the looks back out at the horizon. “Ich kann ihn riechen.”
“Ja herr Oberst, leider.” Karl replies and slides back into the turret, pulling the hatch shut behind him with a sharp thud. The comment brings a smile to Thielemann’s face, numb as it is from the biting wind. He then turns and glances back at the assorted vehicles that make up his force and raises his right arm high into the air and then brings it down, pointing towards the horizon.
“Vorwärts!” He says into the radio microphone. A second later “Anneliesa” jolts into gear and lurches forward…the treads crunching loudly into the frozen, snow covered ground…the engine roaring and belching a puff of white smoke. Like a snake startled from its cover, the column comes to life and begins to move forward.
“Winter-Raserei fängt an.” Thielemann says softly to himself as his forces heads into harms way.

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu May 16, 2002 6:22 am

...and on that horizon the soviet colonel let's out a loud belch, slaps his belly (which is full of potatoe and beetroots) and turns to his commisar 'keep your head down little man! These germans shoot back you know!' He laughs maniacally as clouds swarm by overhead. And the snow begins to fall...

'43, Winter... Using Orzel's outstanding map. It's huge! There is a massive gully (frozen river?) running roughly north to south and off road the ground looks pretty rough. Despite our large forces 6000-7000 - how many points was it Orzel?) The map makes it look like it will be a strung out battle. With minimal artillery (15%) This is going to be a head on clash of steel...

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Thu May 16, 2002 6:34 am

Hellcat,
Glad you like the map!

I thought I'd give us a real taste of winter in the southern Ukraine.
The river is frozen over due to the sub-freezing temperatures and thus armor will be able to move freely across the map. The ground is rough....real "frozen tundra".

The points? Hmmm, I think I rounded them off around 6800 so that at least 6500 would be available. The better to blast each other with!

I do believe this battle will live up to the standards of brutality and savage fighting that was the hallmark of Ost Front.

The VH's are spaced to entice the forces into movement...as they are spread out, with the village and river area of the map holding the highest values. No sitting back to protect a grouping of 5 hexes here...to garner points we will have to push forward and fight for them!

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu May 16, 2002 7:05 am

there are also two bridges in the N. W. sector of the map... which have VHs near them... but it's all killing country...

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Thu May 16, 2002 7:38 am

In accordance with General Mansteins orders our Detachment has begun yet another local counter-attack to keep the Russians off balance as the rest of the Wehrmacht in the Southern Ukraine regroups.
Weary as we may be, unshaven and hungry...with our tanks and Halftracks in need of overhauls and refit...we push forward. Ivan's offensive, which started back along the Volga against the ill-fated 6th Army...must be halted here south of Kharkov.
Up ahead is a small village...which, with it's bridges (both road and railroad), will be a vital sector when the spring thaw comes to this God forbidden land.
Intelligence reports place units of Popov's armored formation in the area. Ivan will be looking to force his way further west, to force us from our positions around Kharkov. Thus General Manstein has ordered us to take this area and hold it....and this we shall do! Ivan will not take this sector....at least not without a fight!

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu May 16, 2002 8:21 am

apparently the germans have managed to unfreeze some tanks and are advancing on the other side of the frozen river... Our colonel is a brave (and quite mad) leader of our elite armored formation and we intend to stop them and remove another german division from the front.

our villagers report a substantial force and although we can't see them yet this night, the full moon should show their silhouettes on the horizon soon enough(vis = 25)...

morale is high (because for the first time in a long time nothing broke down this turn!

camrade hellcatski

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Thu May 16, 2002 8:59 am

Our forces continue to move forward...through the cold and icy winds. Over the din of our engines and the clatter of our tracks we can still hear the howling of wolves off in the distant tree-lines...and then there is that other cold howl: that of the wind as it blows across the steppe, giving off a low pitched moaning sound of sorts...like lost souls lamenting.
Colonel Thielemann has given the order to keep a sharp eye on the distant tree lines...for not only the wolves hide there, but also Ivan. Herr Oberst knows the enemy well...he can sense Ivans presence even before he is sighted.
An uneasiness fills our tank. We can all sense it now. There is a rumble, ever so slight, coming from the darkness to the east. Ivan!?!?

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu May 16, 2002 7:49 pm

riding along with the colonel he said to me 'pass me another molotov vasily', I did as he asked and watched him drink it down before letting out another fiery belch... his eyes glittered with a thousand tiny burning fires...

'Ah... it's a shame the germans had to advance, we were saving all this fuel for the party on saturdayski... never mind... have we encountered any fascists yet?'

'no colonel not yet'

'keep moving then and pass me another of those will you?'

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Thu May 16, 2002 8:45 pm

The columns move on into the winter darkness...turrets traverse back and forth as we pass each line of trees, each gully. Oberst Thielemann scans the horizon....shaking his head. I hear him mutter: " Ich verstehe nicht. Wo ist Ivan? "
We believe in our Oberst, but has the fatigue of constant movement and battle begun to take it's toll? Some elements of the column are requesting permission to advance at a quicker pace...which herr Oberst refuses.
As we continue on some begin to wonder if, perhaps, Ivan has moved off in another direction?
Then our radio crackles...it's the lead recon AFV. A group of Russian civilians have been spotted hurriedly moving along the road to the south of the village...and heading into the nearby woods! Could it be that they are partisans? Or just plain peasants taking cover? Either way it would be a signal that there was a Russian presence nearing the village!
Perhaps Herr Oberst isn't loosing his touch after all?

The advance continues.

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu May 16, 2002 9:24 pm

the colonels loud belching caused a feedback loop in the partisan's primitive radio equipment. He quickly turned it off hoping the noise had not given away his position... from his vantage point he saw the German armored force advancing. He sat back. Now it was time to wait and watch, he couldn't help but smile... :p

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Thu May 16, 2002 10:13 pm

As our advance creeps forward the clouds on the far horizon suddenly are lit with dull flashes of light. Artillery!
Herr Oberst was right after all...Ivan was indeed nearby! The columns begin to swing into action...preparing for battle.
"Jetzt für unsere Überraschung." Thielemann says aloud with a smile...as the incoming rounds hit the frozen fields in the distance.
Perhaps their artillerymen have had too many shots of that crude, cheap vodka they love so much? We joke that we would send them a whole Ju-52 load if it helped them all to shoot so poorly! The joke makes everyone laugh despite the tense mood of impending battle.
Weapons are readied...sights dialed in. The time approaches to make some more of the Russians "Heroes of the Motherland" that their poor grieving parents can be proud of.

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Fri May 17, 2002 12:28 am

looks like the colonel's belch was heard after all, my partisans popped their heads up and there was an SS rifle squad and halftrack waiting for them

The colonel's arty has blown the road bridge across the frozen river... don't know if it will slow the germans down any but it seemed like a good idea.

we can see Tigers and Stugs and quite a few halftracks out there... the storm is about to break...

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Fri May 17, 2002 1:20 am

More Russian artillery fire...they seem to want to knock out the bridges. The elements of our detachement have now deployed for battle...Herr Oberst was expecting this it seems. A few minor casualties this time from Ivans guns...nothing serious though.
Suddenly the radio crackles to life once more. Some more peasants from the village have been spotted.
This time they are ordered to halt. They stop momentarily and then drop to the ground and open fire on an SS squad. They are Partisans after all! The firefight that erupts is fierce, but in the end the SS "pacify" these armed bandits.
Our forces continue their probing of the area...some more partisans are spotted...one throws a Molotov at one of our HT's...machine gun fire returns the hostile gesture. It seems the local population has chosen to get involved...our SS counterparts were hoping for that. It's a dirty war.
As we push forward a beautiful sound is heard...artillery...OURS! As it races overhead and arches down onto the village area we feel better knowing we have some support too. Perhaps the locals will think twice next time...now they will have only burned out houses to return to.
Now the storm has indeed broke! First reports of Russian armor spotted as well! Those T-34's and KV-1's are tough, but we have learned how to handle them over the last two years. All a matter of will, tacitcs and execution!
Ivan will not find us a broken force with no spirit...we will take blood for every inch of ground. Popov's advance stops here!

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Fri May 17, 2002 3:33 am

The german arty hasn't even brought a potatoe out of the ground yet

partisans are attacking behind the enemy lines and the Colonel has begun to draw up the battle line where he says with a jolly smile we will 'fight or die'

The Germans are very close now... and we can pop open their halftracks from long range

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Fri May 17, 2002 4:30 am

We have taken some casualities from Ivan...two HT's and one prime mover. Fortunately the losses in soldiers have been light and the stranded 88mm AT will be picked up and moved on by an extra mover...herr Oberst had figured on some losses.
The Russian partisans are out in force...we have destroyed four gangs of these cut-throats and have spotted at least two or three more groups that will have to be pacified.
We move into position to try and prevent Ivan from getting armor across the river. His small groups of scouts and sappers may cause some havoc, but they will not be able to do much without support.
The radio crackles once again. Ivan HT's spotted....American Lend Lease machines. As the reports filter in Oberst Thielemann listens and mulls over his options.
"Ivan ist sehr schlau....Wir zerstoren Ivan langsam." He says to Karl.
"Ja Herr Oberst" Karl replies with a smile.
Now comes the tricky part...cracking the line!

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Fri May 17, 2002 5:43 am

I lost a t-34 who was trying to take a sneaky pot shot at a pzivg (hate to admit it but they really are good tanks against the t-34 - ask belisarius!) A couple of German halftracks decided to park themselves right next to another t-34 and some people's glorious revolutionary paratroopers - ha ha. Two of my motorcycle units have disappeared completely! deserted perhaps and I seem to only be getting 1 breakdown per turn (compared with my usual 2). Haven't seen anything of the german infantry since some villagers were mercilessly cut down by the SS. There will be payback for that...

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Fri May 17, 2002 6:11 am

The radio crackles to life once more...there are screams and gunfire mixed with explosions. A HT section has come to grief in a fight with Ivan.
Surely this time there have been losses. It angers us as much as it pains us..there will be revenge!
Russian radio traffic intercepted by one of our listening posts reports they have lost contact with two motorcycle squads...which brings a smile to the face of the SS liasion officer that is riding with us. He informs Thielemann that the "lost" Soviets will be of no worry to our forces...they have been ambushed and wiped out to the last man. According to him a Stug scared them out of their wooded hiding area and they blundered into the LoS of a Waffen SS squad. The bodies were then hung from trees as a "warning to the other Bolsheviks" the SS officer states with a smirk.
Herr Oberst frowns and shakes his head and replies " Mein God. You sind ein Tier! "
The SS officer says nothing and turns away. This is indeed a dirty little war.

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Fri May 17, 2002 7:16 am

The radio is alive once more with the jittery voices of men under the stress of combat.
Herr Oberst is informed that two more HT's have been lost in combat with Russian infantry and a lone T-34.
"Zwei weitere Verluste. Fluch! " Thielemann says aloud as he slams his fist down on the Command vehicles mapchart table. "der Schnee wird rot mit Blut gedreht. das Blut meiner Männer! " He shakes his head slowly.
Then comes a report that lifts all our spirits. Our units have routed two more Soviet infantry units...and scored another kill of a T-34! What is even more welcomed is that it seems as if Ivan is starting to show himself a bit more.....now it will give us a chance to test their metal!
The advance continues...outside the steppes of Russia are turning red with the blood of the fallen. The darkness is now broken by points of light....the glimmering, dancing tongues of flames that now dot the landscape. These funeral pyres of the dead of both sides billow smoke and cinders into the cold winter sky...they are the grave markers of the fallen.

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Fri May 17, 2002 8:18 am

there are two firefights occuring just ahead of our forward line and both results of probing on both sides... one is across the bridge from the village we're holding and the wide frozen river is acting as a buffer to both sides who have armor lining up for a duel...

the other is at a junction and dominated by a hill - which we are holding, however those pzivs make short work of exposed t-34s. I didn't achieve anything substantial this last turn. The bulk of my force are still manoeuvering or taking up watchful positions elsewhere...

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Fri May 17, 2002 9:28 am

Oberst Thielemann listens anxiously as the reports file in.
The Russians have come across the bridge near the village and have armor pushing forward towards the position known now as "the hill". Things have been see-sawing there...four HT and one Pz IV have been lost there already.
In the middle sector there is a lull in the action...one of Ivans recon units is cut to pieces there, but little else happens.
To the north yet another partisan unit is spotted and "disposed of" as our SS friend would say.
Right now herr Oberst biggest worry is Ivan's artillery, which has been raining down HE rounds on some of our units all morning. During the "Happy Time" of summer 1941 we would have had air support come in a blast the Soviets out of their positions and gun emplacements...now there is little to no hope of that.
"Wir müssen achtgeben. " herr Oberst says aloud as he rubs his eyes with both hands and then draws them down to his chin, a sign that he is in deep thought. " wir müssen Ivan bald zerstören." he adds, almost as an afterthought.
I agree with him and we then set about pouring over the maps infront of us.

Winter Rage....Orzel vs Hellcat

Winter Rage....Orzel vs Hellcat

Preview

Turn I

The Call of the Wild...

No Contact...yet

The Storm Breaks Indeed

Partisan, sappers and scouts..oh my!

Battle lines