An OLDIE but a goodie...

[Larry Reese]

Giants on the Vistula – After Action Report


Axis Commander: Larry Reese
Allied Commander: Michael “Meza”

The Situations and Commentary: Near Warka, Poland, on the Vistula River. Weak Soviet infantry forces have established a bridgehead west of the river as part of the Russian’s positioning for the resumption of the offensive (recently halted to reform and bring up supplies). The Germans are counterattacking with heavy armor and motorized infantry in an attempt to reduce or eliminate the bridgehead.

The German force moves to contact, consisting of a very powerful array of Tiger IIs, Tiger Is, and Panthers, supported by halftrack-borne infantry and engineers. An extensive recon element is present in the form of ~ 30 armored cars. The Germans are weak on artillery (a few self-propelled 81mm mortars and one regular 120mm mortar platoon), but generally in a very strong opening position. Speed and coordination are essential to German success.

The opposing Soviet infantry forces are weak, scattered, and fixed in position. While supported by two platoons of 76mm AT guns, three platoons of SU-85s and a company of KV-85s hurrying to the front accompanied by two platoons of towed 85mm AT guns, the Soviet forces are generally easy pickings for even half-competent German commanders. The isolated, fixed positions lend themselves to extensive over-run attacks and, once disrupted, infantry will surrender if close assaulted by armor from two sides, even armored cars (if there are no neighboring friendly units to retreat to). The Russians are reinforcing these sacrificial infantry with 18 T-34/85s and 90 IS-2/IS-2ms arriving in the combat area, depending on the luck of the reinforcement draw, mid-way into the game. In many cases, this is too late to allow the Soviets to salvage their positions.

Highlights of the Battle:

As battle is joined, the German force splits into two broad groupings, one advancing towards the intact Vistula bridge, behind a large town, on the west side of the map and the other moving on the central village area.

All goes well for the Germans in the initial combat, overrunning and destroying most of the weak Soviet infantry positions in their path as they approach these objectives. However, the Germans begin to make mistakes. In the eastern group, German armor approaches the central village too closely without sufficient covering fire: Soviet armor using prepared positions and buildings at the village edge take out a number of German tanks and withdraw without damage. Next, a hidden Soviet engineering unit which had taken refuge in a swampy forest while the Germans rolled by, emerges from the woods and attacks a battalion headquarters in road march formation. The HQ is totally destroyed in the excellently sited ambush attack.

In the west, tough Russian resistance has resulted in the loss of cohesion of the German attack. Coordinated but strung out German units push into the village in front of the all important bridge and a number of Panthers bypass Soviet positions and move forward, hoping to take up positions on the ridge just above the bridge before Soviet reinforcing armor can cross.

The fact that the Germans are too late is graphically illustrated by the rapid point-blank destruction of 8 Panthers as Soviet IS-2s and T-34s crest the ridge simultaneously, having just crossed the bridge minutes before.

The German commander is now faced with a disastrous situation. With the town still in enemy hands and his forces in the western part of the map strung out along the road network his force is open to defeat in detail at the hands of the Soviets if hard decisions aren’t made quickly. He orders a complete withdrawal, leaving a shaken Panther platoon as rearguard. The Soviets destroy this rearguard easily and relieve their infantry in the town, but German forces have retreated to smaller village down the river shore and re-consolidated their position. The only approach to the village is across 1.5-2 kilometers of open ground or roads running along the river bank in its sunken valley. The Germans place Tigers and Tiger IIs at the edge of the village and on a hillside overlooking the open ground and the eastern end of the town. From these vantage points, superior German optics will make any armored assault very costly before the Soviets can close to effective range.

The Soviets apparently chose not to pursue at this time. Meanwhile, events at the central village (which we will discuss) force the German commander to begin shifting forces from his river flank to that location. In order to assemble a reserve, German infantry in this village boards their half-tracks and moves out to the east, crossing the hill separating them from the central village. In the end, only a company of infantry with a platoon of 75mm AT guns is left in the western village to defend it - a hollow shell. The Germans are hoping the Soviets don’t attack in strength and relying on long range shooting to wear down any Russian thrust on its way to the village and allow reserves to be shifted back into the town before their main body arrives there.

In the center, after the Soviet armored ambush, the Germans storm into the central village with a combined arms team and after terrific fighting succeed in dislodging the Russians from the buildings. The Soviet infantry retreats into copses of trees and standing wheat fields that hug the village to the north. Beyond these trees and fields is an ~1 kilometer stretch of open ground before the next major stand of woods. Knowing that massive Soviet reinforcements, most of them excellent IS-2 models, are on the way, the German commander pushes his armor into the fields north of the village, hoping to destroy the last remnants of Soviet infantry and set up positions from which to punish the Russian armor if it tries to counterattack the village across the open ground beyond.

This plan evaporates with the crash of 122mm tank guns: the Soviet armor has already reached the field and is positioned across a ravine concealed by the waving stalks. The waiting Russian tanks rake the surprised German armor at point blank range. Again the Germans are forced to withdraw leaving smoking Panthers and Tigers on the field. But stalemate has been reached. The Soviets dare not advance across the arroyo in pursuit or they may drive into exactly the same trap as they just sprung.

A lull in the fighting lasting almost half an hour or more now ensues. During this period, the German over watch units knock out a lone T-34/85 and IS-2 at extremely long range, further reinforcing the critical superiority of their optics. Some German recon forces operating deep in the Russian rear get nasty surprises from heavy armor positioned to protect high value road junctions and headquarters units (although the threat of this German force prevents this armor from moving south to engage other German units on the main battle line – and this heavy armor will be sorely needed by the Russian). Sporadic artillery duels take place in the west.

During this lull, the German commander does two things: 1) he brings additional infantry support to the central village. Some of this infantry comes from the east (reinforcements), some from a small mobile reserve. 2) he becomes more and more concerned at the seeming Russian inactivity along the river. All the evidence points to this being a very clever, top-of-the-line Soviet commander, and the one avenue into the village not covered by an OP is along the sunken river road. Belatedly, a German infantry platoon moves into a position to observe a section of the road about half-way to the village.

Back at the central village, the new infantry reinforcements (armed with Panzerfaust and Panzershrek) joined the defenders in the village and the northern field. After another ten or fifteen minutes, the German commander makes the decision to probe the Soviet tank line in the field. A company of infantry probes forward cautiously and discovers the Soviet armor in perfect firing positions, lined up tread to tread, awaiting German panzers to smash. The infantry men are curious that they have not taken any fire. Realizing the Soviets have apparently ordered their tanks to husband their precious ammunition for use against German armor, the infantry rush to the attack and are joined by the remainder of the German infantry forces in the defensive positions. The shriek of anti-tank projectiles rises to a crescendo and is joined by the roaring of tank engines and the cooking off of knocked-out tank ammunition. Only a few of the amazingly strong IS-2s are knocked out by the sudden infantry assault, but in the ensuing confusion several of the Russian tanks break formation and pull away to escape the German infantry teams. This is the moment the German commander has been waiting for – he orders the German armor into the fray. As the German tanks appear out of the smoke and fire of the burning wheat field the Russian line fires a ragged fusillade, still powerful enough to knock out several tanks but nothing compared to what their undiluted effect would have been. The remaining German gunners open up first on the retreating IS-2s and then on those remaining in the firing line. Soviet losses begin to mount as the German tank/infantry attack achieves local superiority over the Soviet armor. Soviet retreats and German withdrawals break most armor to armor contact; only the German infantry teams remain in sight of the Soviet armor.

The Soviet command quickly reasserts control over their forces, and a strong counterattack severely punishes many of the German infantry platoons. Most German armor escapes unscathed, hidden in the still burning fields.

The Soviets begin to withdraw towards the tree line a kilometer distant, covered by other Soviet armor positioned in a nearby flanking woods. The Germans pause to regroup then continue to push the combined arms assault forward. German armor and infantry systematically drive off or knock out most of the Soviet tanks threatening the central village and begin to push further north and west. Some units drive deep into the enemy rear and begin what might be a lunge for the Vistula bridge again, this time from the east instead of the south. Several Soviet units including a headquarters detachment are surprised and destroyed as this force moves west.

In the south, IS-2s have evidently crept along the river road before the German infantry platoon OP was able to get in place and, during the heavy fighting at the central village, 20 or 25 IS-2s burst forth in the center of the eastern village. The defending German infantry company and AT guns valiantly defend themselves, knocking out several enemy tanks, but are unable to prevent the armor from taking possession of the village. In the rear areas, bypassed Soviet infantry makes a push for some critical road junctions but German half-tracks (with their infantry deployed ahead in the firing line) are able to fend off these attacks.

Despite the local Soviet victory on the west flank in the village, the Soviet center has disintegrated and the Soviet force is in danger of being encircled by the German push to the Vistula bridge from the east. As the game ends, the Germans have achieved a major victory.