Bolt Action - Retreat from Stalingrad Scenario.

Today's game at the local club was one of my own creation. Based on an incident outlined in Gunter K. Korschorrek's excellent memoir "Blood Red Snow", it pitched the Soviet forces against a rapidly assembled Wehrmacht rearguard. The Germans were defending a small town and a bridge which had been designated an assembly area for those retreating from Stalingrad at the end of 1942. The defenders consisted of three infantry squads (of mixed Regular and Veteran troops), a light infantry gun (pictured), a couple of MMG's and two Panzer IV's. The Russian side had three infantry squads, two mortars, and Anti-Tank Squad plus two T34's. A devastating barrage and some lucky dice rolling held the Red Army in check at the beginning, and prevented them from concentrating their attack. Although the T34's fared somewhat better by rolling forwards and pinning some of the German infantry in the buildings whilst destroying a Panzer, then bringing down some deadly mortar fire on a nearby Infantry squad who pretty much disintegrated. The infantry gun's inexperienced team were quaking in their boots and hitting everything but a target until the last Panzer IV swung round a corner to smash the Russian armour. Next the Soviet hordes came crashing through undergrowth on the German left flank only to be cut down in crossfire from the MMG and LMG of a nearby infantry squad.