12st Battle ( Defend - 47 turn - visibility 62 )
Battle plan:
All the area was snow, the north zone was dominated by a medium sized forest crossed by a road from east to west. The central area was dominated by a hill. The south area was mostly iced plains.
There were one objective behind the north forest, another one behind the central hill, and the last one at the plains.
We used the support points to buy mines and 3 bunkers.
Once planing the defense it become obvious that our forces weren't strong enough to protect the 3 objectives at the same time, so Lt. Cpt Samoila decided to defend the north and the center objective letting the south one undefended. The south flank was to be defended by a fort line, also a mine belt had to surround all the defended area.
Company A was deployed at the north forest. Company B supported by engineers was deployed at the slope of the central hill. Both were supported by AT-guns. Company C was deployed at the rear ready to support A or B if needed. Tanks were ready to be launched against the expected infantry horde.
A small mobile group done with scouts and motorbikes were ready to retake the third objective if the battle was positive for us.
Go:
After few minutes of battle enemy armor was located at the central area, they had T-34, T-26 and T-60, artillery was called to suppress them. At the same time a few tanks were detected and destroyed at the north road.
We let the enemy reach our lines before open fire. Our mine belt damage or destroyed a few enemy tanks and our artillery immobilized some more. A few were able to reach the infantry but they were close assaulted and destroyed.
After the fiasco of their armor the Soviets launched their infantry. At the forest our men kept the line without many problems, enemy was ambushed continually taking big casualties every time. At the north road many infantry was approaching, Lt. Cpt. Samoila after checking there weren't enemy armor at that the area sent our tank force which destroyed the enemy. But suddenly a hidden tank opened fire destroying one of our tanks (crew didn't survived) and immobilizing another one.
At the center enemy artillery was firing over our positions. Our men were suppressed when the horde reached them, a few squads routed. it looked like they were to break the line. C company were sent to set a second defensive line at the company B rear.
At the south plains a small force of 3 t-28 supported by a few infantry squads were to capture the objective at the plains. Our forts tried to destroy them but our guns weren't able to knock them even at short distance.
At the forest huge numbers of enemy infantry kept reaching our lines. Some of our squads routed, one of them was surrounded and destroyed. But, in general, we were able to fight meanwhile withdrawal, finally we could stop them and set a new defensive line.
Enemy artillery was doing some damage. Two At-guns were lost, our immobilized tank was blasted and the crew lost, also some squads had casualties.
When the center line was to be overwhelm the enemy attack started to lose its impetus. We were able to reorganize and hold the line.
Looking that enemy assault was losing its energy we dispatched our small mobile force to recon the south objective. One of the T-28 were immobilized by a mine the other two were heading to the north, a few infantry squads were engaged with our HMG and artillery were plotted at the area. Due the incapacity to destroy the T-28 which was immobilized next to the objective a smoke curtain was laid to blind it. After that our motorbikes recaptured the objective.
More and more infantry reached our line at the forest. They lost many men with few casualties for us. After a while Soviets fully retread.
Decisive victory for us !!
Post Battle thoughts:
There was just one moment in all the battle which locked really bad, it was when the central defense was near to be overwhelm but enemy lacked of the necessary reserve to exploit the moment.
The worst is the lost of 2 tanks with their high skilled crew. Every battle I feel less comfortable with these light tanks, they are too expensive for romanians and its frustrating having to hide them all the time or lost them at the first enemy shot.