Buchenau Pics

The game was played on 25/8/08 at Dave Norman's house. Dave was the Germans, John and I the Soviets. I provided all the toys.

Picture of the battlefield looking East

Buchenau at the start of the battle. To the right is the Kampfgruppe Baier. To the left occupying the town is the Recce Battalion of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps. The German strategy was to pull back KG Baier to combine with the Volksturm in Oderbruck. This was a risky strategy as the Soviet horsemen are faster than the German stands on foot. Luckily for Dave John's first move was to go south in order to outflank the Germans, so the Germans at least go off to a head start

KG Baier. The roll to see if the Jagdpanzer was taken off table and placed with the reinforcements was such that the model was removed, leaving Baier looking very lonely. JgdPz-IV/48 by Crusader (though its had the track units replaced), SdKfz-250/9 by Esci/Italeri

Ersatz Panzerzerstörer who were destined to have a lousy battle. They retreated only to go demoralised circa turn three and fled the field. They didn't shoot at a shingle enemy

Corps Recce in Buchenau. Germans masquerading as Hungarians masquerading as Russians.

Volksturm deployed in Oderbruck

SdKfz-234/1  of the 8 Panzer Division waits just the other side of the Oder. Matchbox/Revel hull, Cromwell turret

The Soviets make their move south to the tip of the lake

Valentine IX (MMS) can be seen in the background

9:30am the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment enter Buchenau (SHQ figures)

Joined by the 153rd Tank Brigade, the cavalry charge across fields

1st Battalion 153rd Tank Brigade. Matchbox/Revel hulls and RH Models Adapt Models turrets

Carrier from the 153rd moves to cross the causeway over the lake. Airfix model with SHQ crew.

Abandoned by the Panzerzerstörer and pursued by the Cavalry Baier is shot by the Valentine of the Corps Recce Battalion. Cavalry are Revel Cossacks

3rd Company 153rd Tank Brigade covering the approaches to be used by the 8 Panzer Division (Fujimi T-34/85)

2nd Company 153rd Tank Brigade north of Rainfelde (Airfix T-34/85)

8 Panzer Division arrives and pushes north to the west of Leng in order to avoid the flanking fire of the T-34's of the 153rd. SdKfz-251/1 by Skytrex. SdKfz-251/9 by Cromwell and SdKfz-250/1 by Esci/Italeri

Hetzer (Fujimi) confronts a pair of T-34's. The Hetzer would come off best in the encounter

The brave carrier probes the flank of the German advance. Luckily it is being covered by the T-34's of the 153rd which slay the Jagdpanzer and the PzKfw-IV (Fujimi)

Dave pushes more armour to the west of Rainfelde

The Soviet cavalry charge the remains of the Volksturm. Despite being awful troops the Volksturm gave a good account of themselves holding up the Soviet advance for many turns

My bloody Valentine. Or rather John's bloody Valentine. Time was running out but the last remaining Volksturm stand was enough to cause it to go pinned - twice!

First pair of Soviet tanks across the Oder. Only one more to go

Germans push past Rainfelde towards the Oder bridge. PzKfw-III masquerading as a PzBefWg is Matchbox with Fujimi bits.

The last T-34's pin just before the final turn preventing their move to the bridge

Disater! (If you are allied). Jubilation (if you are pro German): the crappy move of the Valentine gets it up on to the bridge but not across. The Soviets manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

In the end the game was a marginal German win as the Soviets didn't get three tanks across the river. For the longest time it looked like the Russians were on for a decisive victory but a couple of bad morale rolls before the end put paid to that. Less it be said the Soviets had all the bad rolls it must be pointed out that nearly all the 8 Panzer went pinned the turn after it entered the table. I was playing the 153rd and in hindsight should have brought the T-34's towards the bridge a turn earlier.

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