Pestszentimre

4/11/44

The 2nd Guards Mechanised Corps is pushing to the North to capture Budapest, the Axis forces are desperately trying to stop them

1935 Map of the Battlefield, from Mapywig

Map and Order of Battle

Axis Deployment

II Abt 66 Panzergrenadier Regiment, 15SS Kavalrie Regiment, Hungarian Police Company (Rendor-rohamzászlóalj) and the 8SS Aufklärungs Abt all start on table in the areas delineated by the pink dashed lines. The lines for the police and 8SS Aufklärungs extend 6" from the BUA

KG Schöning Stab and the PzJgr Kp are deployed with the II Abt 66 Panzergrenadier Regiment. The 16th Assault Gun Battalion is deployed with the police

The Billnitzer Group (Billnitzer Csoport) is a reinforcement on turn 6 entering between points A&B

KG Gehrig is a reinforcement on Turn 6 entering between points D&E

Soviet Deployment

4th Guards Mechanised Brigade enters turn 1 between points H&I

37th Guards Tank Brigade enters turn 2 between points G&H

30th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment is a reinforcement and enters turn 5 between points H&I

2nd Guards Mechanised Corps Staff is a reinforcement and enters turn 6 between points G&I

251st Guards SU Regiment is a reinforcement and enters turn 10 between points G&I

Reinforcements

On turn 3 and later no reinforcement can arrive within12" and LOS of an un-demoralised enemy stand. If entry is impossible, the reinforcements can enter a turn later up to 12" from  their indicated entry location. If entry is still impossible move 12" further away every turn until entry is possible.

Terrain

Table is 8ft x 5ft if playing 1" = 50m. North is towards the top of the map

The ground is nearly flat with a few shallow undulations, it is farmland

Green areas are dense woods, impassable to vehicles and man-handled guns, 1/2 speed for foot troops

Grey areas are brick BUA's offering medium (-2) cover. The simple town fighting rules are in effect

Red lines are roads. Where they are tree lined stands on the roads are assumed to be adjacent to both hedges

Green dotted lines are hedges or tree lines they break LOS unless a stand is adjacent, and give -1 cover

Brown dotted lines are ridgelines, The give AFVs hull down to all AP fire crossing the ridgeline, unless the firer is also touching the ridge

Air Support

Both the VVS and Luftwaffe strove their utmost to support the troops on the ground, however the weather on the 4th was not great for flying which limited the number of sorties.

Due to the high level of enemy air activity neither side's fighters may make strafing attacks

Each side rolls a d10 each turn on a 9-10 planes are available. Roll a d6

Luftwaffe: 1-2: 1 Fw-190F8 Attack, 3-4: 1 Fw-190F8 Attack, 1 Bf-109G Fighter, 5: 1 Bf-109G Fighter, 6: 1 Bf-109G Fighter and 1 Hs-129B2 Panzerjäger / 1 Ju-87G Panzerjäger (50% chance of either)

Bf-109G may be Hungarian or Luftwaffe

VVS: 1-2: 2 Yak-9 fighters, 3-4: 1 Yak-9 Fighter, 1 Il-2 Attack, 5: 1 Yak-9 Fighter, 2 Il-2 Attack, 6: 1 Yak-9 Fighter, 1 A-20 Bomber

Yak-9 may be replaced by LA-5 and A-20 by Pe-2 but both types were rarer

Special Rules

Game lasts 12 turns with a 50% chance of a 13th turn rolled at the end of the 12th turn

Axis forces my not have movement orders turn 1

Victory Conditions

The side with the highest points at the end of the game wins

Soviet points are doubled if they  get at least one stand, not shaken or demoralised,  in a BUA of Adressy at the end of the game

Axis points are halved if they fail to get at least one stand, not shaken or demoralised,  in a BUA of Pestszentimre at the end of the game

Axis score a point for each Soviet tank or SU destroyed

The Soviets score a point for each tank or SU that ends the game touching triangle BCD

References

The scenario was taken from Kamen Nevenkin's excellent: Take Budapest. His Fire Brigades filled in details of the 13 Panzer Division