The German 2nd Panzer Group had created the Mogilev “kessel” on 13 July 1941 as its lead elements raced towards Smolensk. As German infantry units arrived they replaced the panzer formations containing the Soviet forces and on 15 July they began to squeeze the pocket. The Russians at Mogilev received supply drops from the Red Air Force, which allowed a number of limited counterattacks attempting to both slow the Germans and to break out of the kessel. On July 20 the German forces penetrated the Russian defenses and within two days any possibility of escape by the encircled units had evaporated. The German 23rd Infantry Division, attacking from the southeast, blasted a path into the town and on 21 July attempted to capture a bridge across the Dnepr and break into the final defensive line.
Attacker: German (Elements of 9th Infantry Regiment, 23rd Infantry Division)
Defender: Russian (Elements of the 172nd Rifle Division, 61st Rifle Corps., Soviet 13th Army)
9 turns
Players: 2 OBA: German Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:19.0 D:23.0
AFVs: A:0
AFVs: D:2
BT-5 M34 x 2
Guns: A:1 D:0
Misc Rules:
A: Assault Engineers/Sappers w D: FB2. Wire, Mines. AFVs set up Immobilized
I contested the Germans strongly, like a beach landing, with just about every possible entry hex covered with potential fire. This would put me at risk of being subjected to some substantial return fire, but that's what commissars are for, and I had three of them. The 9-0 was wounded, but the Kubelwagan, gun, and crew were eliminated, and a few broken Gemans (including the HMG squad) had to run home to mommy. Turn 2 saw my 7-0, whose job was to help tote a MMG, taken out by a sniper. But the German 9-2/HMG/MMG stack were delayed with a pin result, keeping them off the front line for one more turn. Delay was the name of the game here, and my men did a good job of it, with the Germans making little forward progress on Turn 3. Turn 4 saw my tank guarding the western peninsula lose its MA for good, while the rest of our men out there continued to duke it out around the walled orchard. My 10-0 was gunned down trying to make a break across the east central streets, leaving that side of the board leaderless for me, except for the wounded 9-0 who was needed to help haul around the last MMG (the other being lost for good on a failed fix the turn before). Thankfully a bunch of dummies soaked up a lot of the remaining German fire. Turn 5 saw the Germans shrug off their first minefield find, my men tenuosuly cling to their meager hold in the middle, while the battle in the walled orchard in the west waged on. Turn 6 finally saw the Germans break free in this area (with Russians hot on their heels), but it would be too little too late. My central defense toughened up for one more turn of precious delay. With the continuous fighting withdrawl of the Russians, the German radio really had no time or place to get into position. When it finally was ready to drop some smoke it lost its dial. The Germans in the center were finally freed up to gain a bit of ground, but with lots of wire and a secondary Russian line of defense to get past there was really no chance to make it to the bridge, let alone claim it, so they conceded. Quite a fun scenario, with the multiple battlefronts entertaining. Beware of shots across the river!
2021-09-19
(A) Rich Weiley
vs
Dave Wallace
Russian win
My attack was pretty clumsy and not well thought out. Lost the infantry gun on entry to a foreseeable MMG shot and got no use out of the observer who entering east of the river failed to get a fire mission down until he was eventually dispatched by the Sniper around turn 6. In retrospect would have been better off entering both these assets on the west side of the river where they would have had good LOS's to the Soviet defences around the bridge. My main attack remained hung-up in the Soviet fortifications within about six hexes of the board edge for the first 5 turns, my opponent being happy to put forward a wall of bodies to deny me forward momentum. It was only about turn 6 that I managed to extricate myself from the wire and mines and thin out the defenders enough to generate any real forward momentum. I conceded in turn 7 when it was pretty obvious that I could not break through to the bridge.
2019-03-15
(D) Kermit Mullins
vs
Scott Martin
German win
1st Round Games - KC 2019 March Madness Tournament. Up front defense held for 4 turns, before Scott's Germans seized the momentum and took it home for the win.
2019-03-15
(A) nathan wegener
vs
Dave Ginnard
Russian win
Radio man wounded / broken moving into position and then could not get contact in time. close match pushed hard up the rural side of the river. MM2019
