Urrah! Urrah! Urrah!

The Hamilton Road Gaming Group found it's way into the steppes of Russia on Saturday with a Disposable Heroes game - Soviet Russians vs. National Socialist Germans. With 7 players and 2 "overseers", over 200 Russian figures and 8 Soviet tanks in two waves with reinforcements, Germans in trenches, and Robby's scheming Hetzer, it was quite a game.

The Soviet left flank gets ready to advance across an open field. This was to be an early war straight assault by a massive group of Russian infantry with some armour support - hence the KV-1, the T34/76, and the two T26 in the infantry group. The double turreted T26 didn't last long. The German "Crash-boom" AT gun saw to that.

More of the Soviets with a mortar, sniper team out front, and an anti-tank rifle in the third rank.



A detail of one of Andy's T34's. Patriotic slogans



The beastly T35 (5 turrets, 11 crew) which DIED the second turn after it was deployed. The Hetzer took a shot and disabled it, causing the crew to bail out. The next turn Robby shot it and destroyed it with... an ANTI-TANK RIFLE which hit the main turret, the least armoured spot on the machine! Then the remarks began: "Captain, the billiards room is filling up with smoke!" "Captain, there's a hole in the casino wall!" Such a laugh. Too bad, it was part of my command. Nice model, Ralph.

 

The flag bearer takes a prominent place in the advance. Luckly, there were six-siders in the field. The dark green figure in the background is a "Political Officer", one of three who saw a lot of business that day, assisting squads to recover their morale by... shoting one of the squad. (The rules allow it.)

Early in the game, the German trenches were busy and packed. Andy's trenches made their debut in this game.

As the game went on, the trenches became more "spacious."



The NKVD Machine gun teams (here NKVD and Border Guards) served as regular MG teams rather than "interdiction squads." The Iron Ivan rules permit them to fire on their own troops to... 'encourage' them to remain firm in morale.
Not this time, comrades. The T34 in the foreground is one of my models. It died in the first term to Robby's Hetzer lurking behind the German trenches. The blamed thing knocked out three Soviet tanks and was working on a fourth.



A different view of the German trench works. Heavy MG's, LMG's, an anti-tank rifle and plenty of regular infantry cause a lot of damage to the Russian advance, making the "second wave" of returned 'dead' castings necessary.

Robby in his "Hetzer Commandant" persona.

On the Soviet left, the troops chased the Germans out of the trench works. On the right, the Red Army whittled down the German until they withdrew. In the centre, there was a hot and heavy fight over a farm house with grenades being exchanged (the hard way) and a German Marder holding strong until it was knocked out. The German troops withdrew to another defensive line a ways back - off the board. A marginal victory for the Socialist Motherland, but a good strategic withdrawal for the National Socialist Fatherland.


The farmhouse, the centre of the German defensive line with the Marder to the right, Russian infiltrators out front, and an HMG to the left. Plenty of transport, too.

 

A photo taken through one of Kevin's periscopes. The 'scope is great; the photo is poor; the figs are my Russians. The Political Officer is the dark green blur in the foreground.


It was  a  good game for sure. That'll be my last game before Easter - a busy time for me. The week after Easter is out, too. Longwoods! The first reenacting event of the season.