Small Threat to the Flank – A Crossfire Battle Report

Chris Harrod and I played my Small Threat to the Flank Scenario. A good game although the map needs a bit of work.


Table

I’d been struggling with the map for this scenario. Our table was based on version 5 of the map.

STTTF00 Threat to the Flank Map 4x4 v5
STTTF00 Threat to the Flank Map 4×4 v5

Chris insisted we use my big river. 4″ wide for the entire course.

STTTF01 Table
STTTF01 Table

The terrain was fairly open with the German and Soviet main deployment zones being within sight of each other.

STTTF02 View of farm from German deployment zone
STTTF02 View of farm from German deployment zone

The southern sector of the table had a higher concentration of terrain.

STTTF03 View towards flank ford from German deployment zone
STTTF03 View towards flank ford from German deployment zone

The main Soviet position was the farm on the hill. I didn’t have a sufficiently big two tier hill so just used one of my big one tier hills. The three buildings in front are all scratch built.

STTTF04 The Farm
STTTF04 The Farm

The southern ford is key to the scenario. We were going to discover some interesting geometry about this section of river.

STTTF05 The flank ford
STTTF05 The flank ford

Deployment

The scenario assumes the Soviet detachment is headed towards the southern ford. Chris deployed his detachment in cover with line of sight across the stream near the ford.

STTTF06 Soviet detachment advances towards southern ford
STTTF06 Soviet detachment advances towards southern ford

Similarly I deployed near the ford but the deployment restrictions meant I couldn’t get closer without breaking cover.

STTTF08 German detachment deploys near the southern ford
STTTF08 German detachment deploys near the southern ford

I deployed my main force with two platoons and the StuG III forward. I left one platoon in reserve behind the hill.

STTTF09 German main force deploys in front of northern ford
STTTF09 German main force deploys in front of northern ford

Battle

The scenario starts at 1600 hours.

STTTF00 1600 hours
STTTF00 1600 hours

I kicked off by dropping smoke on the southern ford (from a 7.5cm infantry gun). Then I pushed an patrol across the ford. Or tried to. Soviet reactive fire pinned it.

STTTF10 German patrol pinned at southern ford
STTTF10 German patrol pinned at southern ford

This is where we discovered the unusual geometry of the southern ford. The ford was visible to quite a lot of the Soviet main force deployment zone. Definitely not what was intended by the scenario or the map. This was largely a consequence of using my big river sections. But, the fortunes of war and all that, so we played on.

STTTF11 Soviet main force defends the southern ford
STTTF11 Soviet main force defends the southern ford

The main deployment zone also had some long fields of fire. I had positioned both my StuG and the FO for my heavy artillery to see between the small houses at the foot of the farm hill. This meant they could see the Soviets that had blocked my advance at the southern ford. I also had a 5cm mortar in the front line, which I used to shield my detachment from suspected soviet positions (i.e. the little house).

STTTF12 Sniping with artillery and Panzers
STTTF12 Sniping with artillery and Panzers

Although the rough ground on the hill offered Chris the best visibility, it was also the most exposed to German fire. Chris dubbed it the “rough ground of death.”

STTTF13 Soviets in the rough ground of death
STTTF13 Soviets in the rough ground of death

Having suppressed the original squad that stopped my southern advance, and smoked off another potential threat, I had another go at crossing the southern ford. Unfortunately Chris reveal yet another squad, in the first of the big houses, and suppressed my patrol before they got to the river. [If we had used HTD contour lines, as per the map, this would not have been possible as the house in question was on the other side of the upper contour line. I must get more higher hills!]

STTTF14 Germans fail to cross southern ford
STTTF14 Germans fail to cross southern ford

To add insult to injury, Chris then dropped heavy artillery on my suppressed squad. Boom. Natural kill and the squad adjacent got suppressed.

STTTF15 Soviet heavy artillery pounds Germans in south
STTTF15 Soviet heavy artillery pounds Germans in south

Chris then redeployed some troops into the wood on the southern slopes of the farm hill. I think they came from the objective farm house, but I could be wrong.

STTTF16 Soviets move into wood on hill
STTTF16 Soviets move into wood on hill

With my own flanking force suffering, Chris thought he would exploit the opportunity. He pushed his own detachment towards the southern ford.

STTTF17 Soviet detachment crosses the stream
STTTF17 Soviet detachment crosses the stream

I waited for the Soviets to move beyond the stream before I revealed another long line of fire. This time from the StuG III deployed with my main force. My reactive fire killed the advancing Soviet. [And that was without remembering my Crossfire house rule that both the main gun and machine guns and fire as a group fire. It was actually quite late in the game before I remembered this house rule.]

STTTF18 Soviet FO with FM Stack
STTTF18 Soviet FO with FM Stack

By the way, we were using my Custom Fire Mission (FM) Markers for Crossfire. Chris like to have his on table by the FO in question. It sacrifices a bit of aesthetics but makes the FM accounting clear.

STTTF18 StuG catches Sovite detachment
STTTF18 StuG catches Sovite detachment
STTTF20 1630 hours
STTTF20 1630 hours

I think both of were struggling to get a fire superiority anywhere. My next choice was in the far north where I had a platoon and HMG attached. They managed to kill a Soviet squad in the first large farm building. The guys that had so tellingly halted my southern advance. A bit of justice there, I felt.

STTTF21 German platoon in north fires at northern house
STTTF21 German platoon in north fires at northern house
STTTF22 German fire kills squad in northern house
STTTF22 German fire kills squad in northern house

Unfortunately, Chris immediately got his revenge. That particular farm house was where the FO for the Soviet heavy artillery was located. So Chris pounded my platoon in revenge. Boom! Another natural kill and suppressed neighbours. Sigh.

STTTF25 Soviet heavy artillery shatters northern platoon
STTTF25 Soviet heavy artillery shatters northern platoon
STTTF27 More Soviet shells on northern platoon
STTTF27 More Soviet shells on northern platoon

Undaunted I pushed my first squad across the main ford. For some reason, that now eludes me, I did a bit of zig zag. A movement path that brought my squad into the view of both a Soviet squad and a HMG. But Chris didn’t use them to stop me. He finally revealed the squad in the little house at the foot of the hill. This is the guy that got me. Damn.

STTTF26 Germans cross the main ford
STTTF26 Germans cross the main ford

So I switched focus to the south again, and pushed my Panzer III across the river. [I forgot to do a bogging roll. Sorry Chris.] Then I drove into the field in front of Chris’s T-34. Chris had the turret pointing the other way so he didn’t get to reactive fire. So bang, whumpf. The T-34 was was knocked out.

STTTF28 Panzer III knocks out T-34 in south
STTTF28 Panzer III knocks out T-34 in south
STTTF29 1700 hours
STTTF29 1700 hours

I had previously rolled my StuG forward to support the infantry advance. And this was its chance. The StuG cleared out the little house. [This time I remembered the Crossfire house rule that buildings don’t give protective cover to direct fire HE weapons. But I still forgot to fire my machine guns. Not that I needed to.]

STTTF30 StuG clears the first farm house
STTTF30 StuG clears the first farm house

I got cocky again and tried advancing toward the main ford. Nope. Chris wasn’t having any of that.

STTTF31 Soviet fire halts the advance
STTTF31 Soviet fire halts the advance

So I just used my squad that was already on the eastern bank of the river. It took the little house at the foot of the hill.

STTTF32 Germans take the first building
STTTF32 Germans take the first building
STTTF33 1730 hours
STTTF33 1730 hours

Then I brought up more guys and took the other little house. With two squads in houses and the third ground hugging in between, I had a bit of fire power on the Soviet side of the river.

STTTF34 Germans take second building
STTTF34 Germans take second building
STTTF35 1800 hours
STTTF35 1800 hours

In the south I reorganised my troops (or the survivors) to fire up the stream on the opposite bank of the river.

STTTF36 German detachment redeploys to river bank
STTTF36 German detachment redeploys to river bank
STTTF37 1830 hours
STTTF37 1830 hours

In the farm, I had more fire power than Chris and it started to tell. I took out a rifle squad.

STTTF38 Firefight in the farm
STTTF38 Firefight in the farm

Then focussed on the HMG.

STTTF39 Firefight in the farm
STTTF39 Firefight in the farm

Now and completely unequal fight began. Chris started shooting his anti-tank rifle at my StuG. He needed a double 6 to kill it. Fat chance. Meanwhile my StuG could dish out 4d6+4d6 of death to the nearest enemy.

STTTF40 Soviet Anti-tank Rifle opens up
STTTF40 Soviet Anti-tank Rifle opens up
STTTF41 1900 hours
STTTF41 1900 hours

And the nearest enemy was that annoying HMG in the rough ground. Suppress then kill.

STTTF42 StuG keeps firing
STTTF42 StuG keeps firing

I decided I needed more troops at the main ford and deployed my reserve forward.

STTTF43 German reserve moves forward under cover of smoke
STTTF43 German reserve moves forward under cover of smoke

My this time in the battle Chris was looking quite thin in the farm. I could see two FOs, a PC and a squad (with ATR). Right in front of them I had a complete platoon.

STTTF44 Only one squad in front of Germans in the farm
STTTF44 Only one squad in front of Germans in the farm

But Chris did have more troops. Which I found out when I redeployed my northern platoon. Chris revealed a squad in the woods right in the back corner, behind the farm. It took a long shot and stopped my redeployment.

STTTF45 Soviets halt German redeployment in north
STTTF45 Soviets halt German redeployment in north

And to add insult to injury, Chris’s anti-tank rifle delivered the goods. A double 6 and my StuG went bang!

STTTF46 Soviet Anti-tank rifle scores
STTTF46 Soviet Anti-tank rifle scores

Chris tried to pull his detachment back to the main positioned but my own detachment stopped them.

STTTF47 Germans prevent Soviet detachment pulling back
STTTF47 Germans prevent Soviet detachment pulling back
STTTF48 1930 hours
STTTF48 1930 hours

I can’t remember who wiped out the Soviet detachment, my riflemen or the Panzer III, but it didn’t matter, they were quickly a matter of history.

STTTF49 Soviet detachment wiped out
STTTF49 Soviet detachment wiped out
STTTF50 2000 hours
STTTF50 2000 hours

My reserve platoon opened up on the squad with the ATR.

STTTF52 Long shot by German reserve platoon
STTTF52 Long shot by German reserve platoon

And killed it. 60% Soviet casualties and game to me.

STTTF53 Soviet Anti-tank rifle squad killed
STTTF53 Soviet Anti-tank rifle squad killed

Conclusion and observations

It was an enjoyable game. My Germans won, always nice, but Chris also thought it was a good game.

Chris is keen to try it again with me as a defender, which hints that he thinks it is biased against the Soviets. Admittedly the terrain around the farm objective is tricky for the Soviets. Those two small houses at the foot of the hill, only one of which is inside the deployment zone, block line of sight from the hill. And that nice wood feature on the southern end of the hill is outside the deployment zone – so close, yet so far. In both cases these are elements of the original map that I have retained. I assume the wood in question is empty because the Soviet flanking force was positioned there before being sent towards the southern ford. I can’t explain the unoccupied house at the foot of the hill.

Despite offering a good game there is one point of scenario design where I think Scenario 2: Threat to the Flank failed. The idea behind the scenario is that an attack/defence of the flanking ford detracts from the main engagement. Long fields of fire from the Soviet Main Force positions meant this wasn’t true. Chris didn’t have to move any troops and he had the flanking ford covered by fire. All the way down the river. This partly an attribute of the map and partly because we used my big river (4″ wide) for the main river rather than my normal stream (1″ wide). That extra 3 inches of river really opened up the fields of fire. None of this is a problem in a normal game with limited shooting ranges. With Crossfire’s unlimited range, it is a big problem. It would be a better scenario, more true to the original, if the flanking ford was out of sight of the main positions.

The river wasn’t the only place we discovered long fields of fire. There were a few places where troops could, and did, take long shots. Something I’ve found before, and wasn’t careful enough with this map, was that both sides need covered movement on their baseline to ensure they can redeploy and attack in a new sector. This wasn’t possible with the map/table we used.

STTTF54 Long Fields of fire
STTTF54 Long Fields of fire

The 60% casualty objective was a good addition to the victory conditions. It would have been silly to see Chris’s men try to defend a unknown farm to the last bullet. Similarly, if I’d suffered too many casualties.

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