Attack at Gavrishi : Operation Rumyantsev August 1943

Introduced Martin to WW2 6mm with a game very loosely based around my ongoing Rumyantsev campaign. The SS Das Reich Division has pushed north and attacked Krivoshein’s 3rd Mechanised Corps. Near Gavrishi on the morning of 12th August 1943. This threatened to split the 1st Tank Army and the 5th Guards Tank Army. Rotmistrov immediately sent a brigade from the 29 Tank Corps. What resulted was a fearce tank engagement where historically both sides were badly mauled. Only 4 or 5 hours of gaming would see if history would be repeated ?

Overview of the battlefield looking West Das Reich entering from the left

Remnants of the 3rd Mechanised Corps remain close to the village and take up defensive positions on the wooded hills

The ominous armour of Das Reich...smoke can already be seen in the distance as one of the Tiger Tanks claims its first victim

The 29 Tank Corps Brigade arrives with powerful SU152’s and SU76’s

Unsure whether to hold or run the heavy antitank battery of the 3rd MC refuses to obey orders and won’t unlimbers their guns! 

If Stalin founds out it will be Siberia for this lot

German antitank armour moves into position to support the attack 2 Marders dig in in one of the small farms

Suddenly the first Battalion of Tanks of the 29th TC arrive and immediate try to engage the SS division but initially they are outgunned

A view looking East, Russian antitank Battery dug in on the hill

After about an hour of fearce fighting the Russian play their ‘joker’ and a second Battalion attack’s from the flank

a single german Tiger sits in wait

I wider shot....the Russian General appears to be waving a white flag or are they fresh orders from Uncle Joe to hold the line ?

On the German alert flank the second SS Battalion is turning East to travel down the road

Another wide shot..mainly taken to give s ense of the terrain (ps I do need to tidy up the dungeon)

Panzers advance down the road

But they come under fire from the Russian Heavy KV1 Battalion

On the right flank, two Marders and the Tiger have been knocked out and the Russian flank attack is looking very dangerous

two Stugs have redeployed to hopefully plug the gap

Germans are being held in the centre

Finally the german Artillery support has arrived on the battlefield, they deploy immediately to hold the right flank

....but the Russian tanks redeploy around the hill and surge forward towards the gap between the fields

Those fresh orders have finally arrived at the front, and the commander of the Russian heavy artillery has been threatened

with a long holiday in Siberia, they immediately unlimbers and open fire

In the centre the German reserve Tank Battalion (slightly inferior Pz IV’s and III’s) pushes forward

theough the trees towards the village, in the distance many Russian and german tanks are burning 

A wide angle shot of the battlefield at this point both sides are now moving closer to their own break points the 

Russian general well aware that his leadership is lower than the german SS commander.

Through the smoke the Russian flank attack has reformed again when they are threatened themselves in the flank by the company of Wespe’s

At this stage both sides have reached their breaking point, but the Germans in a last ditch attempt to swing the battle rich forward a company

of Pak 40 antitank guns, with German efficiency they are able to limber up move unlimber and fire in a single turn, knocking out a key enemy 

Tank, they then fail their test with a ‘blunder’ and choose to move forward! With their guns.

But it is too late for the Russians who have broken (when you reach break point you have to test at the start of each turn), Das Reich 

have won thought but they have been badly mauled and only their obsessive belief in their commanders has held them on the battlefield.

The guns of the 3rd Mechanised Corps can withdraw knowing that they have held their position and the fearsome SS Panzer Divisions

are not invincible

A splendid game, after a brief skirmish to teach Martin the rules it ran pretty well. Sadly when we play again he may have learnt the true value of the KV-1’s which weren’t put to the best use. So our game reflect the historical outcome.