Neulankau Pics

 This game was played the Friday before Xmas in my conservatory. I was the Brits; Chris and Ian shared the Soviets. Most of the kit on table was mine but Ian provided some useful additions to the British force, especially the engineers

1st Yorks and Lancs Battalion started dug-in around Panten facing the Soviet bridgehead over the canal at Neulankau

Facing the 1st Yorks and Lancs were the 3rd Battalion 46th Guards Rifle Regiment at Neulankau. The positions were only 500m apart but the day started foggy so neither side could see each other

The British 15th Brigade commander at Kuhsen. Cromwell Dorchester ACV and Frontline (?) 15cwt wireless truck

The 2nd Devonshires in the Bridgehead at Hude. In the distance 1st Battalion 45th Guards can be seen massing for an attack

141 RAC lining up over the Bridge at Hude. My (British) plane was to assault Naulankau from the Front with the 1st York & Lancs and from the north, from the Hude Bridgehead, with the Churchills. Hopefully I would have enough strength in the Hude bridgehead to fend off any Soviet attack until the engineers arrived to blow the bridge. Milicast Black Prince, an Airfix Crocodile (nearest pained by Ian) and a Britannia Crocodile.

The Devonshires bridgehead from the Soviet perspective. 17pdr by SHQ, The Stuart "Tractor" is a turretless M5 also by SHQ. The Bofors is the ubiquitous Airfix model (crewed by locally recruited German militia); its tow truck from Ian's collection and is from Minimi. The British figs are plastics and mostly from Airfix and Matchbox.

Defences to the north of Neulankau. Not many AT weapons to fend off the Churchills

37mm M1939 AA Gun to the south of Neulankau (PST kits)

A Squadron Royal Dragoons guards the canal south of Neulankau, ensuring there were no sneaky Soviet river crossings. Milicast Staghound, Gesbirs Alecto 95mm

Mortars supporting 3rd Battalion 45th Guards to east of Neulankau

141 RAC moves up to attack the Soviets in Neulankau. The flamethrowers were surprisingly ineffective, but the 75mm's and coax made up for it. The Soviet flank soon began to crumble. Soviet figs are all plastics: a mix of Revell, Esci, Italeri and HAT.

3rd Bttn 45th Guards charges forward to engage the bridgehead at Hude. The Brits couldn't fend off the initial assault and the Tommies were soon falling back.

Soviet divisional AT arrives. The Black prince missed with its 17pdr but managed to kill one of the SU-76's with its Hull MG. Unfortunately for the Brits the other SU-76 destroyed the Black Prince. SU-76's by SHQ

After a dodgy start the Yorks and Lancs make good progress against the Soviets west of Neulankau

The Crocodiles over run the defences north of Neulankau. Things don't look good for the Soviet defenders

Things are going much better for the Soviets at Hude, the British are bucking under the pressure of the Soviet advance.

Soviet SU's move up (Italeri SU-152 & 122)

British engineers arrive on the Bridge at Hude and instantly start work on demolitions

1st Yorks and Lancs prepare for an assault across the canal. The crossing is defended by Soviet AAMG's but as soon as they reveal themselves by firing they disappear under a deluge of 25pdr fire

The Royal dragoons moved up to support the Yorks and Lanc with their crossing. However under fire from the Soviet 37mm AA they lost their nerve and fell back shaken

 The RAF gets it wrong and bombs the engineers on the Bridge by mistake. Luckily for the Brits the pilots' aim is off.

The situation at Hude looks desperate for the Brits. There is almost nothing between the Soviets and the bridge, though there are a couple of hidden infantry stands at the bridge's entrance

Having fixed the changes the Engineers prepare to blow the bridge

Soon after the RAF departs the VVS makes an appearance. The Boston (Airfix) tries to bomb the Churchills as they penetrate the outskirts of Neulankau

The Boston was supported by a MiG-9 (Maquette) which was aimed at the engineers on the bridge. Disappointingly for the Soviets it missed the bridge and strafed the road junction to the east instead. This had a devastating affect on the morale of the Soviet infantry with the majority going pinned or shaken (some monumentally poor dice rolling by Ian)

Mack force arrives and deploys to block any incursion by the Soviets over the bridge at Hude (Matchbox Comets)

The Squadron commander at Husen

An ISU makes it to the bridge. However this pic was taken before opportunity fire

Boom!  A lucky flank shot by a PIAT takes out the ISU and gives the engineers enough time to blow the bridge

As the threat from Hude disappeared in a puff of smoke, Mack force deploys to cover the crossing at Naulankau. The Comets re too heavy to cross the bridge there though. Ram Kangaroos mostly by Frontline, though the furthest away is a Britannia example. The halftrack is Airfix with an S&S interior set.

Rams in close-up

The British clear out the last few Soviet defenders of Neulankau

Stymied at Hude the Soviets attack along the Canal to re-capture Neulankau from the British. At this point the consequences of  the mistaken attack by the MiG-9 on the Soviet infantry become apparent, there  are very few platoons available for the attack and there are plenty of British defenders

Mack force arrives at Neulankau and moves to guard the crossing

At this point the Soviet players called off their attack. The best they could achieve was a draw and with the preponderance of British forces in Neulankau an attack looked unlikely to succeed. The "home goal" by the MiG-9 was a hard blow for the Soviets but, perhaps, with a little more aggression they could have seized the crossing at Hude, though the arrival of Mack force made it unlikely they would have held it

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