Pokrovka

6/7/43

v1.1

On the 5/7/43 II SS Panzer Korps spearheaded the German southern thrust against the Kursk bulge. The Soviets were waiting and progress was not as good as the SS might have liked ; however it was rather too much for the Soviets liking. The II SS Panzer Korps orders for the 6th were to make the objectives that were initially to be achieved on the 5th

The Germans started the day most of the way though the Soviet main defensive belt. On the left of the advance 1 SS Panzergrenadier Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler had a clear line of attack along a ridge line to the east of numerous tangled Russian villages. Before it was the under strength 154th Guards Rifle Regiment supported by the 230th Tank Regiment, although thoroughly fortified these were meagre forces with which to stop what was probably the strongest division in the German armed forces at the time; despite the 200+ casualties it had taken on the 5th. Importantly for the Soviets there were three Tank Brigades within striking distance of the Germans, which were capable of striking a crippling blow, if their attacks could be co-ordinated

At 07:30 German time the German artillery, beefed up by support from the 55 Nebelwerfer Regiment, unleashed a hurricane of fire on the forward Soviet positions, scantily manned by two companies of the 51st Divisional Guards Training Battalion. It took the Germans a couple of hours to prise the guardsmen from their positions. The SS advanced northwards.

The scenario starts around 10am as the Germans move past the initial Soviet outpost line. Note the scenario is bathtubbed at a 1:3 ratio, so each battalion in the real battle is represented by a company on table

Map and Order of Battle

German Deployment

The 1SS & 2SS Panzergrenadier Regiments are deployed on table in the deployment areas indicated by the pink hashed lines. If the German player wishes their stands can start off table and enter the deployment area on turn 1

Panzergruppe LSSAH is a reinforcement. Elements enter at various times up to 12" either side of road D

Soviet Deployment

154th Guards Rifle Regt, 230th tank Regiment, 1838th tank Destroyer Regt, 122nd Guards Artillery Regiment and the 49th Tank Brigade all start on table in the areas shown on the map by the pink dashed lines. The partial exception is the 2nd Battalion 122nd Gds Arty Regt which may be deployed in either the artillery or the rifle's deployment areas.

All non vehicle elements start entrenched (-3 cover). There are 40" of barbed wire available to be deployed in any of the Soviet deployment areas. There are four bunkers (with a capacity of one non AFV stand each) built in to the BUAs in Iakovlevo and Pelgorelovka. These bunkers give -5 cover

The initial positions of 4 stands in the 51st Guards Rifle Regiment (not the training battalion) are protected by buried FOG-1 flamethrowers (see special rules below)

The 54th Guards Training Battalion must be deployed touching T junction W facing towards point G. They start the game shaken and are NOT dug in

The 49th Tank Brigade may not be issued any orders until a German stand passes north of point 230

The 1st Guards Tank Brigade is a reinforcement on turn 4, entering between F & E. In any turn the Soviet player is not obliged to enter if there are infantry in  LOS and 3" of the entry point or weapons with an AT capability within 15" and LOS of the entry point. If there is an entry point that is exempt of these conditions the Soviet force must enter the table.  Each turn the possible deployment zone will grow 12" along the table edge in both directions until there is a viable deployment location (i.e. one far enough from the enemy)

The 100th Tank Brigade will only enter the turn after German forces have passed line ZZ, entering between points H & A

Reinforcements must enter on the turn given above, unless stated above

Terrain

The map depicts an 8x5 table if playing 1"=50m. north is towards the top of the page

The open ground is farm land. The highest point is ridgeline YY, the ground sloping down either side of the ridge

The red lines are the major roads

The blue line is a river. It is flanked by tree lines (see below). The trees and the river count as a single obstacle for LOS purposes (ie a stand touching one side of the combined obstacle can see through to the open ground beyond and be seen from the other side). North of point X the river can be crossed by tracked vehicles and personnel using a BMA. Fully wheeled vehicles and manhandled guns take 2xBMA. South of point X the river banks are marshy. South of point X the river can be crossed by tracked vehicles and personnel using 2xBMA. Fully wheeled vehicles and manhandled guns can not cross south of point X.

Green dotted lines are tree lines. They break LOS to any stand not touching and give -1 cover

The brown dashed lines are ridgelines. For the most part they break LOS and give AFVs hull down if the AFV is touching (-2 cover). The partial exception is that stands touching the thicker line YY can see over all the other ridges and the wooded gullies (but not other terrain). Stands touching YY negate the hull down bonus of stands touching a thinner line.

The green areas with green borders are woods. They are dense thus impenetrable to vehicles and man handled guns and they reduce the speed of other stands by half.

The green areas with brown borders are wooded gullies. They are dense woods thus impenetrable to vehicles and man handled guns and they reduce the speed of other stands by half. As the woods are in gullies units on the edge of the woods only have a LOS of 2" in to the open and can only be seen from closer than 2" to the wood.

They grey squares represent BUAs. They represent fairly spread out wooden houses. Personnel within get -2 cover. Vehicles and towed guns within only get -1 cover. There are no ROF restrictions. The thick bordered BUAs are fortified. See the Soviet deployment guidelines for rules on placing bunkers

Air Support

The Luftwaffe were very active over the battlefield. The VVS were mostly deployed elsewhere so were much less prevalent

Each turn the German player rolls 2 dice, one for fighters and one for attack planes. On the fighter dice a 7+ indicates a Bf-109G is available. If a 7+ comes up on the attack dice roll again: 1: Ju-87D, 2: HS-129B2, 3: 1 JU-87G, 4: HS-129B2 (3.7cm), 5-7: 2 Ju-87D, 8: Ju-87G & HS-129BG32 (3.7cm), 9: 2 Ju-87D & HS-129B2, 10: 2 Ju-87D & 1 Ju-87G

Each turn the Soviets roll 2 dice one for fighters and one for attack planes. On the fighter dice a 9+ indicates an Airacobra or LA-5 is available. If a 7+ comes up on the attack dice roll again: 1-7: 1 Il-2m, 8-9 2 Il-2m, 10: 2 Il-2m & 1 Il-2 (NS37)

Special Rules

The game starts at 10AM and is 13 or 14 turns long. At the end of the 13th turn roll 1d10 on a 6+ there is a 14th turn

FOG-1 flame throwers are represented by red counters which are placed under the stands of any defending Soviet stand in the 154th Rifle Regiment. The FOG only works as long as the stand remains in its initial position. If the stand moves the counter is removed. Any German stands close assaulting the Soviet stand from the direction of the original facing or to either flank (but not directly from the rear) is subject to a flame attack during the opportunity fire phase. After the fire is resolved the counter is removed from play.

Victory Conditions

There are three victory locations: points 229, 230 and 243. In addition the Germans are aiming to exit AFVs along road B

To win the Germans must hold all three points and exit 5 points worth of AFVs from point B, at the end of the battle

To win the Russians must hold any one of points 229, 230 or 342 AND must have at least one stand in good morale in both Iakovlevo and Pegorelovka at the end of the battle

Any other result is a draw

The victory locations around point 229. 230 and 243 are 6" in diameter. To be treated as holding a point one side must have the only stands within 6" of the point in good morale at the end of the battle

For exit purposes the following count: panzers, StuGs, Marders, SdKfz-251/9 and other 251's carrying personnel stands. Anything exiting on or before turn 8 counts 3 points. between turns 9 and 11: 2 points and turns 12 and after 1 point

Good morale means not shaken or demoralised

References

Demolishing the Myth: Valeriy Zamulin

Kursk 1943, Niklas Zetterling & Anders Frankson

Map: http://rusyag.webhop.org/maps/%d0%93%d0%b5%d0%bd%d1%88%d1%82%d0%b0%d0%b1/m/m37/100k/100k--m37-037--(1981).gif 

The Leibstandarte III, Rudolf Lehmann

German WW2 Organisational Series Vol 5/III, Leo Neihorster