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1 September 1943
1100

It is a beautiful morning- clear blue sky- almost lunch time.

We have been preparing for this for a few hours. The vehicles are lined up ready to move out.

I have my brand new pah-pah-shah - it is a handy weapon it will serve me well.

We load up into the American halftrack vehicles. The crew stand by their anti-aircraft machine gun. Yes it is a good day for air attacks.

We are moving forward again. Still I have seen no combat since 1938. Just training, training, training. Soon.............maybe.

It has been a long journey across the Motherland all the way from the Mongolian desert to this place. A forest with hills. All I see is trees and hills, trees and hills.....
They say we will drive our halftrack all the way to Berlin. I hope to see combat against the hated Nazis soon. Please don't let the other regiments do all the fighting.

Our equipment is new. The tanks we passed along the trail appeared to be all new. T-34's and some with flamethrowers. They are now starting up their engines. I can hear tanks through the screen of trees all around this little clearing where my platoon is deployed.
I think we will see combat today.

It is time to move out.
A lone transport plane travels slowly across the open sky. It is ours. Why is it here?
The halftrack jolts forwards. This is it!

This is C&C on! My kampfgruppe has run headlong into the russkie force into the southernmost part. VHs are per turn (I just noticed) and it's already a scramble. Arty is raining down hard and this appears to be an elite Russian force... that's ok because we're elite too!

we do wonder about the mysterious glider though... [8|]

11:05am

advancing at normal pace through the forest. The men are all smiles as we are driven along the road to Berlin.

Up ahead I hear some shooting. This will be good. Time to shoot some Nazis.
We bail out of the halftrack and assume a defensive position. The forward platoon have run into a recon element. Nothing to worry about- just some light recon troops. We hear the whoosh/crackle of our flame tanks, not far ahead.

Our artillery is firing now, the shells passing over us and landing a kilometer ahead. Some of the shells seem to be dropping short. The men in my squad are smiling still but I don't believe them.

Terrain is a large map with scattered hills and light ot moderate forest cover. Some fairly large open spaces and some good lines of sight up to 1900 yards.
There is a small cluster of houses in the centre of the map slightly south of the centre cluster of victory flags.

Centre flags score 30 points per turn. Rear flags score 60 points at end of battle.
Game length over 30 turns.

Soviet forces hold the centre and south cluster of PPT flags while German forces hold the northern cluster.

Soviet onboard artillery has fired 152mm howitzers. German artillery is 122mm (captured) onboard FH and 81mm mortars. Both sides had two air sections available for purchase. German side has reported seeing one Soviet glider.

To this point, fighting has been restricted mainly to the south and centre PPT areas.
In the south, Soviet mech infantry with T-34's and OT 34's have repulsed a light German recon force, destroying 2 SdKfz 250/9 armoured cars, some recon patrol squads, and small utility vehicles.
A German patrol has assaulted a Soviet armoured car, unsuccessfuly.

In the centre a Soviet paratroop platoon has taken control of the PPT flags and has repulsed a German mech inf attack. They are now suffering under a 122mm bombardment while awaiting relief.

To the west of centre, a German 88mm anti-tank gun set up in a commanding position on the crest of a hill. It immediately received 152mm howitzer bombardment.

To the north, German mechanised infantry advance, unaware that {censored} [:-]

...To the North Germans advance still unopposed... we spy a lone vehicle and fwd obs and encourage him to find another vantage point...

In the South Russkies are moving force, we take out a carrier but a large force of T34s with riders have taken over the VHs down there...

There's a little town on our side of the Central VHs that Russkies are infiltrating into, we aim to discourage this also...

We can tell this is an elite force, not by their shiny new M3 HTs and paratrooper units but by the fact they all seem to be wearing boots! [X(] most shocking indeed! we must be careful...

admittedly not getting used to the C&C on part of this very quickly but it's an interesting engagement...

oh yes... and we can't seem to find that Glider at all! [&:]

Our halftrack has been ordered forward along the main road. German scout units have been dispatched and we decide there should be a gap into which we can advance..........

At this point Sgt Serge Trouserin and his squad are fired upon by a 88mm ATG at close range. The shot goes through the windscreen, killing the drivers assistant instantly but not seriously damaging the halftrack. The squad piles out and scrambles into the ditches on either side of the road.

South, the first sign of German armour. An assault gun has fired on and destroyed a bren carrier.
In the centre of the map a second carrier runs the gauntlet of fire from that first-spotted 88, avoiding any damage.
German 81mm mortars and our 152mm howitzers continue their bombardment.

House clearance goes well in the town on my side of the central VHs... In the South we take out a few more enemy troops who have abandoned their transport... however it looks like a serious enemy assault coming through... [X(]

We also put the enemy rear VHs under pressure this turn as our Northern force turns south after reporting no contact in the Northern sector...

It's going to get ugly now! [:@]

My first engagement with the Nazis and such a terrible result. Half of my squad is dead or missing and our driver is also missing. Our halftrack stands empty in the middle of the road, abandoned. The fight was deadly; us lying in the ditch while enemy storm-troopers amongst our number fought us hand to hand. Fortunately for us a t-34 arrived and killed the enemy, firing into us with their main gun and machine gun. As soon as the Germans were no longer with us we retreated to the safety of the tank.

The air all around is filled with the acrid smoke of battle but we are safe for now.
The 88 that stopped us is now destroyed. We will resume our advance to victory.

Partisan reports from the enemy rear that reinforcements are due soon.
Artilery fires a successful shoot on the 88 on the hill scoring a hit very close to the gun. The 88 should not trouble us now.

StuG assault guns and panthers are now entering the fray.

Soviet losses so far number at least two halftracks, a machine gun, a bren carrier and approximately 20 infantry

German losses amount to several light recon vehicles, two sdkfz 250/9 armoured cars, at least one halftrack, one 88mm FlaK-18 ATG, several recon patrol squads and close to two entire platoons of engineers

I lost my Stugs [:(]

but...

I killed a T34 with my Panther...

In MD's rear area we start shooting up whatever we can find... so far just some cavalry...

We make a few small kills but I was right, it's getting Ugly. [:@]

Panther(s) and a tiger appear now but the enemy infantry is so badly depleted that I think I should be able to defeat these beasts in close assault. Our men are draining the fuel from the abandoned halftracks into recently emptied vodka bottles.

Our tankers perform wonderfully, scoring two defeated StuG's with only two shots. We also put up a valiant but hopeless fight against the panther, scoring only one front turret hit before losing our first tank.

The airforce has shown up to quieten the enemy artillery. Initial reports indicate that the Sturmovik destroyed one ammo truck and 2 or 3 122mm howizters.

The enemy armoured infantry thrust towards our rear is of little concern. Fritz will find a sting in our tail.[:D]

well the enemy air attack has obliterated much of my arty park [:@] but we're still fighting! Enemy cavalry have been chased off the Russian end of the map by my forces and we're continuing to engage anything we can find over there... there's gonna be some tank action any moment somewhere around the turn as T34s are closing in...

The fighting has let up a little and our men are digging in all around the site of the recent fight. We have been told that this will be our objective for the battle We must prevent the objective from falling into enemy hands.

My orders were to move up to and provide infantry support to an immobilised OT-34. The crew were outside the tank, quite exposed and effecting repairs. Before we had a chance to begin digging in an enemy aircraft came in very low and strafed the tank. Our anti-aircraft guns put up a fierce defence but could not stop the attack. The plane disappeared out of sight leaving a long black smoke trail in the sky.
When we got up to investigate the damage, we found the tank burning and the crew all dead. It seems that wherever I go, disaster strikes.

our 2nd air attack goes in on enemy arty park... some effect but not enough... those enemy 150mm shells make big holes... we press the attack around the enemy VHs in the centre and rear but to little effect (comedy moment when my kubelwagen eliminates it's passenger instead of enemy as we were all in same hex, never seen a kubelwagen kill 4 ppl before!) [X(]

It's tense [:@]

our 2nd air attack goes in on enemy arty park... some effect but not enough... those enemy 150mm shells make big holes... we press the attack around the enemy VHs in the centre and rear but to little effect (comedy moment when my kubelwagen eliminates it's passenger instead of enemy as we were all in same hex, never seen a kubelwagen kill 4 ppl before!) [X(]

It's tense [:@]

The battle has passed us over for a while. The past few minutes has been relatively calm and the smkoe is drifting away. Another airstrike by enemy planes attack something in our rear. Probably the artillery. But their attack must have been unsuccessful because our guns continue to fire. It is a comforting sound.

We move away from the burning OT-34 looking for something to kill.

In the South we bag two enemy tanks however the life expectancy of my own tank crews may well fall drastically...

enemy tanks also spotted in the russian rear sector which bring to an end our little fun back there...

fighting still going on round the central VHs and arty raining hard down onto the town...

heavy duty [:@]

We manage to nail another T34 and shoot up some enemy infantry... it was a significant morale boots until russian arty tore open the roof of one of my panthers. [:-] [:@]

Panthers fly too close to the sun.
This time the OT-34 comes out on top after blundering into a panther in the forest and exchanging fire at point blank range. The panther missed and is now a burning hulk.
OT-34 then burned a halftrack and moved on.

88 on the hill is still a nuisance. We bombard it from time to time to make the crew keep their heads down.
Centre flags are under pressure from mechanised paratroops. Our artillery will now control this area.
Luftwaffe sortie finds no targets and flies off in a hail of AAMG fire.

we're killing our share of russia infantry but chances are he's got plenty more... the central VHs appear to be ours despite the arty and we're contesting his far cluster...

luftwaffe [:-]

russian forces still seem to be very strong in the South...