A 6mm wargame--the Battle of Okorovovo, February 17, 1942

The Battle of Okorovovo, 1942

A 6mm wargame fought on Sunday, 13 April, 2008

This wargame was fought using a variation of Avalon Hill's Advanced Squad Leader adapted for use with miniatures, called Squad Leader Simplified (SLS). The scenario is a refight of ASL's scenario 19, A Winter Melee.

The setting: 17 February, 1942.

Following the Russian winter counteroffensive, the Germans were forced to fall back to isolated pockets in an attempt to survive both the Russians and the weather. In the resulting gaps, the Russians found useful employment for their cavalry in resupplying partisans. Occasionally, however, the Germans would sortie out from their pockets in an attempt to to disrupt these Russian operations. One one such occasion, a recon element of the 1st Panzer Regiment broke up a planned partisan-cavalry operation, and frustrated enemy attempts to re-establish themselves in the town of Okorovovo. The Russians reacted strongly, and threw in the only immediately available reserve: an airborne drop by a battalion of the 204th Parachute Brigade. Soon the Germans found themselves in a wild melee with partisans, cavalry, and paratroops.

The battlefield, complete with giant generals. A Soviet commander places his cavalry on the board.	An overview of the German positions in the town of Okorovovo. Numbered/lettered markers may or may not denote German forces. The red markers (bottom left) denote partisan starting positions.	Soviet partisans attack Okorovovo from the north.	The attack is flung back with poor morale. Enemy HMGs take their toll.	More partisans attack from the west, taking hits from HMG fire all the way.
A combined partisan attack results in a running firefight with Germans in a house.	The Soviets press the attack to drive the Germans out.	The partisans regroup and move into the village, right next to the stone factory building (far right).	More partisans attack from the west to press towards the stone church beside the grey marker.	Meanwhile, a column of Soviet cavalry moves on the battlefield with considerable speed.
A close-up of the cavalry. These 6mm tiny soldiers are quite recognizable.	Suddenly a German halftrack races down the road into the midst of the cavalry.	The Soviets react quickly, sending a cavalry squad galloping up to assault the halftrack and its passengers.	The German AFV is dispatched, and the cavalry moves on down the road to attack the village from the south.	Another German halftrack is encountered and dispatched with the same quickness. The Germans are beginning to fear the men on horses.
A quick cavalry charge takes the Soviets into the edge of Okorovovo.	German defenders in a ruined stone building are surprised by a mounted charge.	Soviet cavalry moving up. You can see the stone church at top, beside a grey marker.	The advance into the village is costly, as the dismounted cavalrymen take HMG fire.	Dismounted cavalrymen bound forward after securing the ruined stone building.
And meanwhile, the east area of the table witnesses a paradrop of elements of a Soviet airborne battalion.	The paratroops collect themselves and move out toward Okorovovo.	A lone German halftrack rumbles into view and starts spitting MG fire.	A hail of antitank rifle slugs and light mortar bombs suppresses the halftrack, and the paratroops move in for the kill.	Soviet paratroopers move through the woods towards the stone factory (top left).
The airborne mass for the coming assault. Note the German defenders in the factory.	As the airborne masses, Soviet partisans attack the factory from the west.	All hell breaks loose, with SMG-armed paratroopers charging into the factory into the face of German automatic weapons.	As the battle rages in the factory, partisans vacate the building and head for the last German holdout to the southwest.	The factory falls! Soviet airborne quickly regroups and moves west to the final German positions.
Last stand of the German recon! Remaining squads and leaders fall back into the stone church in the center of Okorovovo.	Partisans attack from the west (left), dismounted cavalry close in from the south (bottom right).	More partisans attack from the northeast (top right). German defensive fire keeps them honest.	Charge! Partisans and cavalrymen cross the street and jump the stone walls.	Pow! German defensive fire takes its toll, but the Soviets are hitting back.
The end. German defenders are wiped out by elements of all 3 Soviet forces. A solid victory with little time to spare.	Soviets and the referee pose with their catch for the day: a very stiff German player. Surely he's only sleeping...