A practice game on the Eastern Front in WWII

On the road to Stalingrad - 31 August 1942

A 20mm WWII wargame fought on Tuesday, August 28, 2007

This game was a practice game to introduce a player to the homebrew Hail of Lead ruleset with 20mm miniatures.

The setting is Fall Blau, the German drive to Stalingrad in the summer of 1942. A kampfgruppe from 16th Panzer Division is counter-attacked by a tank brigade from 4th Tank Army. This was a hypothetical scenario with no basis in history.

The Soviets fielded a full 1942 tank brigade, with 2 tank battalions (having mixed tank types) and 1 weak motorized infantry battalion.

The German kampfgruppe fielded 1 light and 1 medium tank company, 1 motorized infantry company reinforced with a towed anti-tank gun, and 1 towed heavy AA battery. Artillery support consisted of 1 off-board battalion of 105mm howitzers.

At the bottom of this page you will find a list of the 20mm vehicles and figures used in the game, and which companies make them.

The battlefield. German forces will be set up randomly along the road after the Soviets place their units behind the line of shell holes, at right.	The beginning of the game saw the two Soviet tank battalions grinding forward. Note the T-70 lights, T-34/41 mediums, and KV-1/41 heavies.	A BA-10 (well, actually it's a BA-6 model) is leading the charge.	Part of the Soviet infantry battalion organic to the tank brigade is seen here, advancing towards the center town.	The German kampfgruppe headquarters takes shelter behind a patch of woods. This unit had to take cover when faced with enemy tanks.
A medium panzer company outfitted with PzKfw IV F1 and F2 models. The long-barreled 75L43 gun had good armor-penetrating power.	A mixed light panzer company, with a PzKfw II F, a PzKfw III H (actually a J model, but we didn't have the right model available), and a PzKfw F with anachronistic armor skirts. You play with what you have available!	Dismounted German motorized infantry are reinforced with a 50mm PAK 38 anti-tank gun.	The tank killer supreme: an 88mm flak gun ready for action. This piece of ordnance was randomly deployed in the perfect central position, and proved to be lethal to Soviet armor.	Dismounted Soviet motor infantry break cover and head for the town, only to be met by a hail of fire from an MMG platoon and the medium panzer company.
Soviet armor breaks into the open, supported by desantniki (tank riders) with SMGs. The recon armored car taking the first volleys of fire from the German armored car platoon.	German reconnaissance is destroyed shortly after deploying to better cover in the village. Soviet fire was too intense. This was the SdKfz 231 8-wheeled heavy armored car.	Soviet 82mm mortars open up on the enemy infantry as soon as they are spotted. No real damage results.	The Germans respond with a full-scale bombardment by an off-board battalion of 105mm howitzers. The infantry are concerned, but the tanks shrug off the fire.	A couple of moves bring the light panzer company over to face the Soviet attack. Note Soviet infantry at top, hiding in cover after being pummeled from all directions. The panzers took very minor damage from anti-tank rifle fire from the infantry.
Long-range anti-tank fire takes its toll on the first Soviet tank battalion. The KV-1 has shrugged off 88mm shells, but the other tanks have not been so lucky.	Meanwhile, the second tank battalion locates and destroys the lone German forward observer. (The overturned kübelwagen marks the grave of the FO.)	The medium panzer company redeploys to face the Soviet threat from the concealment of the village.	Artillery fire finishes off the remnants of the first tank battalion, as the light panzer company brazenly threatens the Soviet flank.	The kampfgruppe HQ limps from the woods after being mauled by the remaining Soviet tanks with their desantniki. The BA-10 armored car burns in the lower left.

Soviet miniatures

Command car was a collectible toy for the Dick Tracy movie that came out in the early 1990's. This is probably a 1/76 scale vehicle.

Light trucks are actually Roco/Komo plastic models in 1/87 (HO) scale.

BA-6 armored car by UM (Unimodel) in 1/72 scale

T-70 light tank by UM (Unimodel) in 1/72 scale

T-34/41 medium tank by Revell (formerly Matchbox) in 1/76 scale

KV-1/41 heavy tank by Fujimi in 1/76 scale

Soviet figures are a mixture of Revell, ESCI (now Italieri), and Airfix soft plastic figures in 1/72 scale. The figures toting anti-tank rifles are my conversion using sewing pins for barrels.

German miniatures

German command car was a collectible toy for the Dick Tracy movie that came out in the early 1990's. This is probably a 1/76 scale vehicle.

Kübelwagen is by Fujimi in 1/76 scale.

Opel Blitz trucks (with and without radio van body) are by Roco in 1/87 (HO) scale.

Krupp Protze light truck is by Revell (formerly Matchbox) in 1/76 scale.

SdKfz 231 8-wheeled heavy armored car by Roden in 1/72 scale.

PzKfw II F is by Fujimi in 1/76 scale.

PzKfw III J is by Matchbox (hopefully to be re-released by Revell) in 1/76 scale.

PzKfw III M with armor skirts is by Fujimi in 1/76 scale.

PzKfw IV F1 and F2 models are from the same kit by Airfix in 1/76 scale.

88mm flak gun with SdKfz 7 tractor are by Airfix in 1/76 scale.

50mm PAK 38 anti-tank gun is a metal model by RAFM in 20mm scale.

German figures are a mixture of Revell, ESCI (now Italieri), and Airfix soft plastic figures in 1/72 scale.