1st Ukraine Front - Insiders look at a Play Test

[Strela]

FINALLY, I have time to post another turn up - real life unfortunately has been getting in the way....!

Soviet Turn

The Russian forces are through the German line in multiple locations. Now its time to press forward and mop up where possible.






27th Army with 233rd Tank Bde continue to try and clear the Medvin - Lisyanka highway. 167th & 180th Rifle Divisions continue to clear the villages around Krasnogorodka and are approaching the bridge at Povadovka. Not all of the assaults are successful. 337th Rifle Division is strung along the road from Luka to Medvin and essentially holding the flank of the forces pushing towards the south.

233rd Tank Bde brushes aside some German remnants and can see open ground beyond, but low fuel, streams and other supply difficulties limit the exploitation. The STuG unit that has been taking such a toll of Soviet armor is now isolated and hopefully can be weakened over the next turn or so







40th Army begins to reduce the Vinograd pocket in earnest. Most of the infantry are close enough to either shoot up the trapped forces or close assault disrupted Germans and begin to pin the defenders. Multiple assaults are successful and at least two hexes are separated from the other isolated units.

The pocket is being reduced but some of the units holding the Germans are weak.

5th GTC armor continues to probe towards Tichnovka and to try and secure the bridges over G'niloy Tikich.

5th MC is slowly replaced by Rifle infantry and beginning to move further through the breach in the German lines.




German Turn 14

Things are looking grim around Vinograd.






German air finds Russian units in travel mode behind the lines - Mr HE-111 pays a visit.






5 men(!) of I/FE 235 are all that are left in front of the Russian T-34's. STuG Abt 202 with its 12 vehicles is cut off by the Russians and is in a desperate way, disrupted and low ammo. There is no one to spring them from the trap this turn.

There is a tenuous defensive line between Medvin and Dolgaya Greblya but it is only temporary. Hopefully it will buy a little more time for 198th Infantry Division to cross the G'niloy Tikich at Povadovka. The artillery of the division continues to try and move away from the fighting and to find a way across the river further south. 198th Infantry division continues to withdraw.

88th Infantry is relatively quiet with the Russians content to sit astride Baran'ye Pole. Most off 88th Infantry's units are still fixed.






It is becoming obvious that it will be extremely difficult to extract any units from Vinograd. Isolation and low supply is making it easier for the Soviets to quickly reduce the hexes held.

One assault is successful and beats the Russians back across the stream, but it is not enough to rejoin the other forces at Vinograd.

Further Soviet Forces have been seen near Rubanny Most where there is an open flank and there are reports of T-34's firing at the forces besieging Tichnovka. The Russians seem to be everywhere.






The situation at the end of Turn 14. I should mention that this is the view from the German perspective - Russians where appropriate are hidden due to fog of war.






Turn 15 to follow.