Battle Report: Butovo Operation Citadel 4th July 1943

Saturday saw the chaps gather to try out the Butovo Scenario (full details for the scenario and TOE can be found  here).

Table Set-up. Gray squares are minefields (2 dummies)

73d Guards Anti Tank Dig in

Soviet lines are drawn

Butovo

General Von Cleweswitz on recon. 

The German deployment plan

Russian fire plan

Delays to the German arrival and inability to get off multiple orders works to their advantage as they  avoid the Russian HE assets

T

2nd turn Russian Assets 

PzIVs unaffected by the Arty. However on the next command test their HQ found their radio had been damaged (blunder led to -1CV).

Germans take a wide berth of the field

3d turn and the ruthless Russians shell their own positions. Again the tardy Germans fail to oblige

Germans deploy for assault on hill 233

German firepower finally dislodges and destroys  1 infantry stand,  the 2d stand  is rooted out by assault. Germans seize the lightly defended objective but not before the Russian infantry claim a stand of Heer from reaction fire.

The Russian Maxim gave the German central effort a lot of problems, keeping the  PAK 40 suppressed.

Germans expose the weak left  flank of the Russian defenses, but can they carry Butovo?

Turn 8 and honors even

The Russians scramble to redeploy their forces  to the Eastern outskirts of Butovo.

Mr 1/36  improves the weather.

Germans take advantage of their improved CV and assault Butovo in force whilst the Russians  who have had good command all game struggle to get orders off and fail to reinforce the Eastern edge.

PzIVs go on a spree, completing 6 orders in a row and with the help of their supporting infantry blow away 5 Russian stands and their HQ! Suddenly the Germans have managed to contest Butovo and reap the 2 extra VP for doing twice as much damage. 

Turn 12 end of game situation in Butovo

Turn 12 Russians hold the hill in the foreground (2VP)  German Stug battery that was tasked with assaulting the hill was destroyed by ATG fire. Butovo (3VP) is contested. Germans hold hill in the background (2VP)

Final scores on the board. Germans carry the day with 3 VP (1 objective and inflicted more casualties) to the Russian 2VP

Final thoughts, this was a great game to watch. For a long while the Germans struggled to make any headway and it looked like they would sustain too many losses to take Butovo. Then suddenly their luck changed (literally with the weather) and they punched through. Very close game, well fought.

Scenery  looks great. Great work from General Sutov in producing so much terrain for the game.

The scenario seems pretty well balanced. The BKC system is great.

Will be updating the campaign situation and working up the next scenario which will be an attack on the Russian Main Line of Resistance, stay tuned...