Products mentioned in this Article
When the Soviets found a potential weak spot in the German lines they would initially probe with a reinforced Forward Detachment. If they found a hole they would try to expand it as quickly as possible before the Germans could counterattack.
With German defence units spread thin across a wide front and very limited armoured resources available for counterattack, this quick reaction follow-up proved very successful in breaking through the German lines.
Ultimately the Germans lost many units in trying to fill the holes in the dike. Although sometimes successful in holding an initial breakthrough for a few hours and sometimes a few days, the shear number of Soviet Forward Detachments exploiting German weak points prevented them from stabilising the Front without a major barrier such as a river to form the defence line.
POINT OF THE SPEAR!
For three years, Podpolkovnik Ytka has been surviving German attacks. He has fought himself to the head of a Motorstrelkovy Batalon in the lead elements of a Mechanized Corps. Now he has the chance to take the battle to Germany.
Last week his unit has been given three captured panther tanks to lead his unit through the wood ahead of the tank columns and outflank the German defences on the main roads leading through Byelorussia.
First reports have been excellent. Your lead element has secured a small bridge over a tributary of the mighty Prypyat river north of Slutsk from a German infantry platoon. A tongue has revealed the track over the bridge leads back towards the main road to Baranovichi. Speed is your friend and glory your reward.
Russian mechanized spearheads would force themselves through forests and marsh to show up behind German defensive lines. Sometimes the German learned of their movements and counterattacked before the Mech units could clear the woods and wreak havoc in the German rear areas. The Point of the Sword scenario uses the Prepared Positions and Reserves special rules. Your Orders German Your infantry are holding a small bridgehead in the woods and have reported a Soviet troops in their area. As the battalion mobile reserve you are responsible for engaging and destroying this spearhead. Failure will allow the Soviet advance to break through your lines and threatened the encirclement of the entire division. You have your orders, destroy this Soviet incursion. Soviet Marshal Zhukov has personally selected your Batalon to lead the Forward Detachment through the woods and outflank the Fascist beast. You are not to fail. Force your way through the marshlands to the enemy’s rear area and begin the envelopment of their forces. Do not let them stop you. We must push them back to Berlin.
Preparing for Battle 1. Set up terrain using the map as your guide. 2. Place the two objectives as identified on the map. Both objectives are on the road at least 12”/30cm from any table edge.
3. Deploy the 3ya Rota 175ya Gvardeyskaya Bronevik Batalon and Pered Otrad within 4in/10cm of the Bridge at Point A. They have surprized and destroyed one Sperr platoon and now hold the bridge. 4. The rest of the Sperrverband deploys in prepared positions inside either woods B or C and at least 8”/20cm from Soviet troops. 4. The attacker deploys the rest of his forces in the Soviet Deployment area within 12”/30cm of the table edge 5. Both players now place their Independent Teams in their deployment zones starting with the defending player.
Beginning the Battle 1. The German Player begins the game in prepared positions. 2. All reconnaissance platoons make their Reconnaissance Deployment moves starting with the German Player. 3. The German Player has the first turn.
Ending the Game The battle ends when: 1. Beginning on Turn 6, the Soviet Player holds either one of the objectives at the beginning of their turn. 2. One of the forces fails a Company Motivation Check. 3. The German player begins a turn after Turn 6 with no Russian units on their side of the river. Deciding Who Won The Soviet player wins if beginning on Turn 6, they hold one of the objectives at the beginning of a turn, or forces the Germans to leave the field of battle. The German Player wins if they hold both objectives and there are no Soviet forces on the German half of the table after Turn 6, or have forced the Soviet forces to leave the field of battle. Terrain The River is impassable to all but infantry, infantry weapons, and man-packed gun teams. The Soviet attack through the woods probing the German defence looking for a weak spot. A small German infantry force is holding the river line in the wooded area.
Forces
For the rules and Intelligence Briefings for the German and Soviet forces see Hammer and Sickle.
3ya Rota 175ya Gvardeyskaya Bronevik Batalon