The Winter of ’42

This Chain of Command game saw the Russians trying to dislodge a Panzer Grenadier platoon from a Russian village in the winter of 1942.

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The forces assembled for this game saw the Russians with two small Platoons and a T34 and the Germans with a Panzer Grenadier platoon and a Pak 40. The Germans had to hold the small Russian village, the Russians had to persuade the Germans to leave!

The Russians had the initiative and started to deploy their infantry into the wood to the south west of the village.

The Germans manage to start to get their infantry in to defensive positions in an attempt to throw back the advancing Russians.

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The bold Russian commander (Colin) throws his infantry forward in a bit to take the village before the Germans can fully take up defensive positions.

The game soon becomes a game of attrition with fierce close quarters firefights taking place between the building captured by the Russians and the defending German infantry.

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Colin’s Russians bring on Armoured with their T34 and start firing HE shells in to the German defences.

The Panzer Grenadiers bring on their Pak 40 in a bit to take out the Russian T-34.

As the infantry battle over the village the T-34 and Pak 40 exchange shots in a bit to destroy the other. At least 4 shots from the Pak 40 hit the T-34 but none manage to knock it out completely. The tank is saved on numerous occasions by its commander rallying its crew (removing shock). Ultimately, the Pak 40 and its crew manage to inflict enough damage to force the T-34 off the table. They now turn their attention to the combat within the village and start firing HE in to the nearby Russian infantry.

As the firefight within the village continues the advantage ebbs and flows between the German and Russian forces as casualties on both sides start to mount. The Germans loose one of their section to continued short range fire then the Russians Loose one of their own. Eventually the Russians manage to silence the Pak 40 but they have suffered too many man and consequently start to loose command dice as well and are forced to call off the attack. A narrow victory for the Panzer Grenadiers.