ARR Retiurn the Stoyanka State Farm 16th July 1941 8am

With our second campaign move of the campaign completed on the map we returned to Stoyanka State Farm (or so we've named it). A large set of agricultural buildings on the outskirts of Ivanstoya on the West. Landser of the 6 Panzer division repelled the early morning attack by the Soviets here and are now moving to occupy the farm counterattack begins from the West.

The battlefield has moved somewhat to the West and the State Farm now takes the central position with a large forest to the north and open fields to the South. The Soviet forces having a reconnaissance counters nearby won the reconnaissance battle to deploy with the road through their deployment zone the German forces would deploy from the fields. I use the Panzer March! special rule to bring my forces quickly onto the board beginning with forward observer and some infantry. Then my three Panzer 35(t) tanks which arrived from the fields on the southern border edge whilst the Soviet's brought the horse drawn limber with an anti tank gun and a Maxim gun as their first move in their counterattack. The campaign map shows that the Soviet tanks would not arrive before turn 3 - one hex on the campaign map away from the battlefield. A good roll for re=enforcements brought almost all the rest of the German force a Schutzen platoon. An 75mm infantry gun and PAK 36 anti tank gun with their loaded teams in the next turn but I will be playing with poor orders every turn. 

This little led to a very dangerous pile up of troops arriving at the border edge on the South and east but without the orders to move them. I would pay dearly for this later. The German observer team deployed into the large barn in the State Farm using the upstairs hayloft to observe the Soviets and bring them under fire from their off table mortars. Meanwhile Soviet sniper got into position in the woods and the panzers went on to reserve fire ready for the inevitable Soviet armoured attack. This will come in turn 3 the T26 tanks driving up the road and then turning South across the fields angling for my own panzers. One was destroyed by reserve fire, a second when a mortar bomb hit it and tore it apart, but the others continued to race forwards firing as they came supported by their infantry.  Covered by the Maxim machine gun team. The orders  drought on the German side continued.

The last German infantry section deployed only having a few orders ( 3 !). The move forward was slow the German anti tank Gunners went to push their gun to the crossroads.  The German infantry Gun crew pushed their gun forward to the goat pen setting up there and taking an objective. The T26 rolled on exchanging fire with my own Panzer 35(t).  One of the panzers was pinned and another T26 was knocked out by return fire for the German tanks. 

The Soviet sniper in the woods began exchanging fire with a German machine gun team. The Germans taking cover behind a wicker fence found themselves pinned down as they blazed away at a undetected enemy in the woods on either side of the road. An excellent use by the Soviets of their sniper and spotter.

Now the Germans would pay for the orders drought early in the game as the Soviet timed artillery began four times strikes  across the board hitting the farm and the fields outside the Infantry Gun and much of the infantry was pinned although casualties were light. But this fire would return turn after turn wearing down the battle groups morale with the need to unpin infantry to try and get them to cover. The observer team in the barn were hit directly by it  pining them but only causing one casualty. With this the fire support from the off-table 80mm mortars died away. The panzers would have to defend from the tanks on their own.

Meanwhile Soviet Infantry deployed into the woods and began to advance towards the objective in the farm. The sniper talking objective in the woods by the road. Things looked grim, the the Germans outflanked and with Soviet Infantry The building only lightly held by a single infantry squad and the observer team.  Soviet Infantry used the used Urrah! special rule to advance quickly towards the farm. The Soviets were also suffering from an order's drought but made good use of their special rules to keep their forces moving forward and engaging the Panzers things looking desperate. Some of the small teams, the anti tank gun and several machine gun teams eminated by the artillery fire. There was a constant need to unpin the German troops but all together this is put the Germans in a perilous situation regarding their break rating.

With the Russian infantry poised to capture a hardly occupied farm. The Landser needed something desperate. One squad decided on a desperate action and charge from the barn to try and dislodge the Russians from the North West corner of the State Farm. Throwing stick grenades and firing their submachine guns their assault killed 5 Soviet infantrymen and the remainder of the squad thought the better of it and fled. The farm was once again in German hands but the brave Landser but left themselves very exposed.

The Soviet guns in the fields and woodland bordering the road zeroed in on this movement on the farm in the farm and open fire. Miraculously the German infantry made their cover save it seems that the desperate plan that paid off. However the Russian infantry in the woods then open fire killing two of them. The remainder failing a morale roll and fled. 

The situation at Stoyanka State Farm was clearly untenable. The commander of the battle group ordered the retreat. The German force broke with 27 BR points taken - one over there total whilst the Soviet battle group taken 22 points from a limit of 30. A hard fought and well deserved victory for the Soviet forces the men of the 6 Panzer division will now withdraw to a defence line that has been prepared by their engineers closer to Ivanshoya.