A Deadly Landscape ETO (id:#62840)

(Dispatches from the Bunker #43 ID: DB133)   [next]   [previous]

Stalingrad, Russia 1942-12-27 (2 others)

Overview:

The battle for Stalingrad is often associated with snipers. The individual names of Zaitsev and Konings are forever linked with the national duels waged at the regimental and divisional levels within the city. However, there were many other such skilled marksmen on both sides concealed in the vast rubble strewn landscape that Stalingrad became. What is more the weapon employed was not solely the scoped rifle. Indeed some Russians, preferred the PPSh submachinegun, others even the antitank rifle, a rare few ‘sniped’ close, very close, by grenade. Their targets were not solely officers, commissioned and non alike, or even specialists like combat engineers or those laying vital communication cable, quite often the ordinary soldier, on both sides, fell silent to the unobserved skills of these masters of their craft. Although the morning of the 27th was relatively quiet in the 95th Division’s sector, by the afternoon things had heated up. From the vicinity of School No. 2 (BB24), the Germans had opened fire on Russian positions with small arms and machineguns in and around the fuel tanks. The Russians responded in kind with machinegun, Molotov cocktail projector and mortar fire of their own, claiming three of the enemy. However, it was the 95th Division’s snipers that proved most active, claiming 17 Germans by day’s end. A figure that is not substantiated by the casualty log for Infanterie Division 305, which lists 4 dead and 22 wounded. The truth has always been a victim of war.. . . . . .The Russian is on the attack at first but the German will get ample opportunities for counterattacking, especially when the Panzer-Pioneer platoon makes their entry on turn 3. The side with more VPs wins and the German starts with 2 VPs forcing the Russian to be aggressive early on. VPs are earned for Building / Rubble / Trench / Bridge / Storage Tanks & CVPs. A really unique SSR for Sniper VPs makes this a very unique and entertaining return to familiar ground for both sides.

Defender: German (Elements 576th Infantry Regt, 305th Infantry Division & 50th Panzer Pioneer Battalion)  

Errata (source)