Really Rumbling on the Mius

[Dog Soldier]

Turn 8


The Russian command report shows I am in great shape for the last two turns. I even had three artillery units set up from the reinforcements that arrived on turn two! Full speed ahead!

The mixed unit defense of the trench SE of hill 164 rallied in the German turn 7. One of the two German infantry units SE of Gustafel’d (the larger one) rallied also. These guys just will not quit. Bad news for the Germans is that the defenses on the eastern slope of hill 164 weakened in their turn with three disruptions. The German engineers of the 336th ID remained disrupted. There does not appear to be any reserves in the center; at least not in my LOS.

The 7th Guards artillery destroys the 336th ID regimental HQ with their first shot! The defense is unraveling. After a severe battering by the Russian artillery a final direct fire salvo from the rocket battery in hex (10,11) disrupts the German defenders in the stubborn trench southeast of Gustafel’d. No need to wait for these rocket batteries to set up for indirect fire. There just is not enough turns. They have to move into a direct fire position to be used at all. An assault directly on the village this turn might be possible.

Another turn of the iron men occupying the trench on the SE spur of hill 164 hold under a fury of steel and lead. This stubborn defense may save the 150 VP location on the summit of the hill. The Russian advance has been stalled here since first reaching this position with the KV tanks on turn 6. My last hope is to blast these guys off the hill in turn nine with infantry assaults, then hit the summit with a final assault by the tanks of the 140th tank brigade and the KV tanks. That is a slim hope right now.
Gustafel’d is softened up though the defenders do not disrupt. Defensive fire from the village indicates a possibility of a two company strong unit holding the village. For this reason I held back the 33rd Guards MI this turn from moving in adjacent to the village. No need to expose them to being disrupted by direct fire from the village. I have plenty of infantry from the 347th & 320th RDs to continue to soften up the German defenders there. I held back the engineers SE of the village for the same reason.

The German turn was aggressive. A unit of the 336th ID assaulted my disrupted AA units north of Gustafel’d to place ZOC on both my MI units. These Russian units will not be able to move up to their assault positions in turn nine as I had planned unless the German infantry can be pushed back. This German move is a suicidal move if the game was going to last longer than one more turn. In this case it will make my last Russian turn very tough.

On the plus side, the 336th ID unit in the hex I have called the “iron men” position disrupted. I will concentrate artillery on that position, the 336th ID units in the center and in Gustafel’d. Some German artillery lost their nerve and have limbered SW of Gustafel’d. I will ignore them unless a Russian artillery unit has no other target but them. They cannot fire in the German half of the last turn. They are no threat.

Victory points at the end of the German turn eight shows just how small a margin is the Russian minor victory.

Dog Soldier