Battlegroup Barbarossa Campaign - Counterattack at Rozrazh

Last week saw the first battle of what is looking like a brutal Day 3 in our BG Barbarossa campaign.  The first engagement would be a Russian counterattack on the German force at Rozrazh - this was a blocking force to protect the rear of the German bridging effort. This was the first the first time the Russians had taken the offensive in our campaign and they would attack with a 2:1 advantage in numbers!

For this game I took a mixed approach with two platoons of infantry (no transport is allowed under the 1941 Rifle Division lists), two platoons of light tanks, my favourite T-26 heavy tank, two heavy mortar batteries and a timed artillery barrage to try and pin the defenders while the Red Tide closed their defensive positions.  The extra mortars, while effective from a Psyops perspective against Alan, were a dull selection and I never had the orders to use them even if Alan hadn't been hunting down my observers with emplaced MMGs (which was very effective BTW).

Looking at the terrain, I decided to focus the main effort of the attack up the right flank with a secondary armoured effort in the centre to stop the Germans from adjusting their defences.

My lead infantry platoon pushes hard against the German AT gun in the house, taking flanking fire from the hill

They make it and destroy the gun crew in a close assault

With the AT defences in this side KOed, the first tank Platoon moves up and starts to supress the Germans on the Hill 

And in the centre the tank reinforcement start to neutralise the enemy

FLASH MESSAGE TO DIVISION COMMANDER

DAWN COUNTERATTACK ON GERMAN POSITION AT ROZRAZH SUCCESSFUL
HEAVY CASUALTIES INFLICTED BEFORE REMAINING ENEMY INFANTRY WERE WITHDRAWN FROM THE HEIGHTS BY MOTORISED TRANSPORT.  POSITION NOW OCCUPIED BY RED ARMY ELEMENTS AND PREPARING TO DEFEND AGAINST ENEMY COUNTERATTACK. THE FASCIST INVADER HAS FELT THE WRATH OF THE MOTHERLAND!

END MESSAGE