Olita in 15mm

 This game was played in France in Dave Chapel's enormous gaming room on 25/2/12. We used Dave's 15mm tanks and Infantry painted by Simon. Howard Simon & I were the Soviets. Alan & Justin were the German. Dave was busy doing the final touches to the German vehicles in time for them to arrive as reinforcements.

 

Reece planes view of the table. For the game was played "half blind" with the Soviet forces deployed on map and the Germans deployed on table. The map used was a print out of this picture ensuring no discrepancies between the map and the real terrain. The table is a foot wider than the scenario map.

 

5Kp advance into an ambush by 1st Battalion 9th Tank Regiment

 

8Kp advance north to the railway bridge and meet one of the stragglers from 126RD; which promptly fails to make its presence felt

 

The attack from another angle

 

Rather surprisingly: T-28's 2, Pz-38(t)'s 0

 

Having shot up the rifle stand 8Kp advances towards the railway bridge

 

The engineer stand guarding the bridge also left 8Kp unperturbed and then died under a hail of MG fire

 

Having defeated the Pz-38(t) the 2nd Bttn then decides the Pioneer's Pz-I is dead scary and go pinned.

 

6 Kp 6 Schützen Regiment scour the woods for the stragglers from the 126 Rifle Division

 

8Kp cautiously scouts the open ground beyond the Nemen

 

Dismounted Kradschützen follow 8Kp

 

Having crossed the Nemen 8Kp probes forward over one of its tributaries

 

Pioneers push towards the road bridge

 

The Soviets react to the incursion by 8Kp by deploying the 2nd and 3rd Battalions 9th Tank Regiment

 

The Motor Rifle Battalion flanks the German position and close assaults the accompanying FO

 

Taking advantage of the Germans pinning, 3rd Battalion advances to the stream

 

A T-34 advances up the railway towards the bridge where it encounters a dismounted Kradschützen

 

The last T-28 to the east of the river sallies forth to do battle with the Germans approaching the road bridge. The Soviets in the west did exceptionally well at slowing the German advance to the bridge; slowing them enough to allow the engineers to set off their demolition charges.

 

As the road bridge is damaged the German player pushes the Panzergrenadiers across to secure a bridgehead while the pioneers start repairs

 

Fearful of a Soviet counter attack the Germans form a defensive line along the railway near the bridge

 

The Germans take Kaniukai village. Having moved all the T-34's north to deal with the panzers the Soviets have nothing bar a handful of infantry and a rusty old BA-6 to deal with the German road bridge repairs

 

The last T-28 bites the dust

 

Un-nerved by a single Pz-II 2nd Battalion 9th tank regiment fall back shaken. The regimental commander hurries back to rally them

 

Spirits uplifted by the departure of the T-34's and the arrival of more stragglers the Germans probe forward

 

In the south 4th Battalion 9th Tank regiment enter the fray, passing through their retreating infantry, and head for the road bridge. However the German pioneers have almost fixed it.

 

Regrouped again! The 9th Regiments staff pulls together the remnants of the T-28 battalion.

 

Dispirited by the withdrawal of the T-34's the commander of the the 3rd Battalion pulls back behind the steam

 

In the south the pioneers fix the road bridge and the panzers push across to confront 4th Battalion. In the background the rusty BA-6 oxidises faster than previously

 

In the north the Germans finally launch a concerted attack. However they are running out of time for their push east if they want to win the battle.

 

The T-34's having rallied move up to the ridge overlooking the stream crossing in the north

 

The T-28 moves down a forest track to attack the railway bridge from behind

 

T-34's move up the railway line towards the rail bridge

 

In the south a mix of pioneer tanks and stragglers cross the road bridge and confront 4th Battalion. They need to move swiftly and darkness and the end of the battle is approaching

 

T-28 at the railway bridge confronts the Kradschützen's IG-18

 

Ignoring the threat to their rear the Germans move up to take on 9th Tank Regiment. They have already driven off a pair of T-34s. However its starting to get dark...

 

4th Battalion is comprehensively wrecked by the Germans and their is nothing much between the Germans and the objective cross roads

 

The Germans motor for the crossroads but they have left it too late...

 

This was another great outing for the Olita scenario and it again produced a really good game. The Germans failed to meet their victory conditions. Dave doesn't like games with victory condition but non the less the the Germans still lost. Having said that if they had a couple more turn of daylight the Soviets would have been in serious trouble. The excellent stand of the T-28's west of the river was instrumental in slowing the Germans enough to prevent them winning

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