Haupt. Zoller again; outskirts on Stalingrad

 Very rare for me to play with the same unit a consecutive time but it is great for the story when I do. If you missed my last post go back and read it.  I will wait.   https://platoonforward.blogspot.com/2025/08/on-road-to-stalingrad-with-hauptman.html

So I am using a new scenario chart for Company actions:  For those of you with Platoon Forward that want to try running a company in a symmetric war try this: 

D10     1-3  Company attack

            4-6  Hasty Attack

            7     Flank Attack

           8    Explotation

            9 Defend against counter attack

            0  other  Roll D6     1 Patrol,2-4 Meeting Engagement, 5-6  Defend against hasty attack. 

Use the correct scenario card from Platoon forward.   

So I rolled a "5" which meant the battalion had reached the outskirts of the city and was going right into the attack with Zoller's company in the lead.  

 Germans enter from the right.  The objective is to control the entrance to this section of the town allowing for follow on troops to pass through into the city center.  Control will consist of the train station [ center] and the church [top left]. 

 Train station and church.

 Drone view of the church.

 View looking from the LOD towards the town.  

 Our Panzergrenadier company [mot].  We have a Panzer platoon with 3 Pz IIIs and 1 Pz IV for support. and a HMG attached as well as 2 120mm Mtrs and company 80mm Mtrs. To remind you from right to left we have 1 plt with Lt Auer down to 2 squads but they have Iron cross winner Sgt Dietz.  2nd Plt with Friedschaffe, brand new with UntOf Kaufman and 3rd Plt Lt Steinman untested last battle with 2 poor squads.

What is your plan Herr Zoller?  

Zoller decides the main attack will be 3rd platoon going straight up the middle towards the church.  Their approach will be masked by smoke and supported by 2 tanks.  2 other tanks will go to the hill at the top of the photo and provide overwatch.  2nd platoon will be on 3rd platoons left flank entering the town proper towards the train station.  They will have minimal support.  Understrength 1st platoon will be in reserve with the ATG.   

Russian forces deployed; the attack steps off!

Lt Friedschaffe enters the farmsted with UntOf Kaufman swinging left through the fields.  Unfortunately Dietz encounters a MMG in the barn and a ...

 75mm howitser back in the forest with a clear shot into the fields.  No Jack that isn't a 45mm ATG.  It is clearly a 75mm howitser.  [ I rolled up an assault gun.  Much to my chagrin the Soviets didn't have any until 1943!  So this subbed in.] 

 3rd platoon quickly has it's hands full.  

 Under cover of smoke 2nd platoon moves forward.  The smoke rules in PBI are simple and effective. You can just see Zoller in this shot watching the progress.  

 A three man scouting team is sent out.  they see a T-34 and a house full of russians.  

Back over on the left flank disaster strikes!!  UntOf Kaufman is hit by a shell fragment and goes down.  Luckly he is still breathing.  

Unlike last battle, this Russian Lt is poor while the men are average. [ 50% chance that.] Still a poor Lt can add firepower to an attack as seen here. 

 

End of turn 2.  Smoke still in place as 3rd platoon prepares to advance.   2nd platoon is back on it's heels after Kaufman's tragedy.  [ For PBI players, Kaufman counts as a leader hit so now the platoon has 2 problems.  For everyone this means that unless the casualties are removed by using action points the platoon will likely retreat. { In actual PBI stands start to flee.  I have modified to stands start to retreat; sometimes there is a difference.}] 

 Zoller, seeing 2nd platoon floundering, comes over to personally sort things out. [ remove casualties and try to rally.]  He can see that the men are in no shape to attack the farm.  He switches to plan B.  He tells his Senior NCO. " Go tell Auer to crank up and move around the right flank to the church and attack into there.  Tell the tankers on the hill to move to support 1st platoon.  I will clean these men up and send them after you."  

This time our tanks didn't miss.  The T-34 in the woods in front of 3rd platoon blows up!  

 3rd platoon pushes forward towards the forest in front of the church supported by 2 tanks. [center]  2nd platoon has pulled completely back and is reorganizing.  Lt Auer plus the ATG has started their flanking movement [top right] with  a tank moving off the hill in direct support. 

 Pounded by mortars and german LMGs the Russian line breaks just as the Russian Lt [ lone figure middle right] was coming forward to try to stabilize the situation.  The men flee to the ...

church graveyard. There they run into a SrLt and a nifty flag to remind them of their duty to Mother Russia! 

The Soviets bring their last tank around the church to threaten 1st platoon's flanking move!  

 Meanwhile, Lt Steinmann and 3rd platoon occupy the soviet positions and press on towards the church!

 End of turn 4.  3rd platoon firmly in place in front of the Church.  1st Platoon in trucks moving up the right flank towards the church.  Two grey Pz IIIs attempting to destroy a T-34 before it can blow up 1st platoon in their trucks.  The left flank has been abandoned.  2nd platoon is boarding trucks ready to follow 1st platoon.  

The Pz IV enters the trees in front of the church and breaks a track!  It can fire but no more movement today.
 

As the battle for the church begins in earnest; the Soviet CO goes looking for reinforcements.  The Russian platoon holding the now quiet german left flank!  [ Note too the T-34 retreated from the church corner.  3 panzers firering at it was too much.  It is looking for a better position.]

End of turn 5.  Russian platoon [center] slow to move back.  The 75mm howitzer is rigged up to it's horses [ bottom left] and moving to counter the new german threat.  3rd platoon [upper center] has cleared the hedgeline of russian troops and is ready to advance towards the church when mortars start to fall into their positions.  Finally, 1st platoon [upper center] debusses.  

 

1st platoon shakes out.  Unt Of Dietz in the lead.

 Something you don't see every day!

 Russian CO strikes a heroic pose while waiting for his tardy Russian troops!

Zoller orders 120mm Mortars to hit the church in preparation for the german assault.  I place an artillery arrives card in the deck as it is hard to time when the rounds will arrive.  1st and 3rd platoon continue to move up as no one has told them to stop.   Where is this artillery card?  Zoller becomes alarmed when UntOf Dietz shows his normal efficiency and moves over the hedges into ...

the graveyard and becomes pinned down.  [ In PBI you roll a D6 for action points.  Dietz being a great leader rolled very well and moved up farther than I expected!  You can see 3rd platoon where I expected them.]  

Then everyone hears the whistle of mortar rounds!  In PBI artillery is simple. Roll a D6, 1 it falls one square short, 6 it falls one square long. [ might give the US a D8 for this but Martin will say I am complicating the game too much!]   Zoller prays he doesn't wipe out his own attack on the church...

he has never been happier to hear rounds fall long before!!!!  

Meanwhile at the other end of town the tardy russian platoon starts to move.  

End of turn 6  We have described 1st platoon up at the church. Zoller has move his CP up past the woods in front of the church. He also sent 1 squad of third platoon to the small building in the center of the picture.  They are to interdict any russian troops moving back towards the train station and keep it under fire.  He also orders the last Pz III to move up and support this squad.  Finally you can see what is left of 2nd platoon in trucks [ upper right] moving towards the church.  Their morale is still shaky but it is hard to flee while in a truck! 

The first card of turn 7 is.....

 If this card is one of the first 2 or 3 cards [ depending on how many cards are in the deck] a random event occurs.   Random events I take straight from Platoon Forward but substitute "platoon" for "squad".  This one is bad.  The Russian Lt leading the defense in the church is upgraded from average to very good.  Now I realize Godless communists would not get divine intervention for defending a church but it does make you wonder!  

 As if that is not bad enough, mortar fragments [russian] take out most of a squad laying down covering fire into said church.  3rd platoon now has 4 casualties and will need to reorganize.  They will not be assaulting the church today. 

Lt Auer moves into position around the church.  The men lay down fire. [ A couple are even dressed as paratroopers!]  

Hauptman Zoller meets Lt Friedschaffe.  He redirects 2nd platoon to take 3rd platoons place in front of the church.  He will send 3rd platoon towards the train station once ready to move. 

Zoller begins to hear small arms fire from near the train station.  He must get third platoon there soon.  But first Lt Auer and Dietz must take the church.  That is where today's battle will be decided so he will stay here. 
 

End of turn 7.  1st platoon ready to assault the church.  Remnants of 3rd platoon have pulled back to the trees [center] except for one squad under UntOf Shnell who is keeping the russians in check near the train station. 2nd platoon is ready to debuss and head for the hedges.  The men are moving slowly. [ command confusion card]. 

 Capt Zoller [ actually Feldwebel Block, Senior NCO for the company] gets 2nd platoon moving!

Lt Auer and 1st platoons card comes up.  It is now or never!!!! 

For PBI players this is a great roll.  For everyone else, Lt Auer rolled 4 action points because he is pinned.  He should be able to rally his men and still provide some covering fire into the church.  More importantly, UntOf Dietz rolled 5.  This is important because you need 4 APs to close assault.  Dietz of course IS Dietz!  The Russians in this part of the church are pinned which will help but the suddenly brilliant Lt is also here ready to rally his men.  

1st platoon executes.  Several russans fall and Dietz [newly awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class in my last post!] leads his men into the strange environment of an orthodox church.  The fighting is fierce...   

but the Russians have too many places to hide.  Dietz and 3 survivors leave the church.   Zoller and Auer are stunned.   

Zoller had his best platoon [ understrength] attack the church and fail.  His second platoon is now understrength and shaky.  His third platoon is down to 1 squad.   There will be no quick victory today.  He orders 1st platoon back to the trees along with UntOf Shnell's squad out of the town.  We will plaster the church and train station with mortars and re asses while the men rest and re arm.  He will see what battalion then wants to do.  

He hopes the rest of the city won't be this hard.  

Another great game!!  I thought Dietz had it.  Bad die rolls sent him packing.  I thought Zoller's plan [ my plan] of changing from a left flank to right in the face of heavy resistance was a good one and worked well. The Germans had mobility and the Russians due to poor command and control would be slow to react which the activation system bore out.   The streamlined activation worked great.  Each turn still took about 20 minutes but that was because I kept enjoying the moments!  A couple more games and I can start working on teh OPFOR AI.  I enjoy PBI as the base engine but will probably move back to 30 yard hexes. 

For Zoller this battle counts as a loss.    The Battalion CO agrees with plastering the area with artillery and throws some Stukas in as well and then a sister company finishes the job.  The Battalion commander understands THIS Time!  

Zoller has a run in with the battalion quatermaster.  This will probably make it hard to get supplies in the future.  

As to the three platoons:

1st platoon is brought up to full strength.  The new squad will be average.  Dietz status doesn't change, he is still great.

2nd Platoon.  UntOf Kaufman luckily is okay from his wound and will be ready for the next battle.  Platoon morale dips only slightly as 1 squad drops to poor.  Lt Friedschaffe didn't really do anything wrong but he didn't do anything right either.  Since morale is dropping Zoller is going to have his SrNCO with 2nd platoon next battle. [FW Block]  He is not there to run things but to steady the men.  Of course if he happens to have a suggestion that would be okay.  Zoller also plans to be with 2nd platoon as conditions allow.

3rd platoon was a pleasant surprise.   Lt Steinmann is an average leader with 2 poor squads but did well until the mortar attack.  His 3rd squad [ UntOf Shnell]  has the makings of a good leader and the men upgrade to average.  His second squad also upgrades to average.  

Hope you liked the story and photos!  Next the company should move deeper into Stalingrad. Will 2nd platoon improve?  Will Dietz return for more heroics?  Will Shnell make a name for himself in the factories? 

Enjoy

Joe