Operation Bagration Campaign
Here are a few photo's of a battle in an Operation Bagration Campaign we are running at present. The campaign is a trial of a system I'm developing that combines map based movement with battles fought on the table top. Actually, I used to use a similar system and I'm in the middle of fine tuning it. The thing I like about map based campaigns is that in each battle you must remain aware of what is going on in the wider picture and try to conserve your forces as they will be needed in the future so it adds another whole dimension that is often lacking in "one-off" battles.
We are using Flames of War rules which we are still getting used to. This battle was the 5th in the campaign and the first Soviet victory! It was fought on a 6'x6' table. Because movement is done on a hex map and battles are fought on the table we don't have even fights (usually the attacker attacks from 2 or 3 hexes so odds of 3 or 4: 1 are not unusual). In general most units represent battalions rather than companies (or regiments for the Russians) but in Flames of War TOEs the forces were approximately:
Soviets
Germans
Picture 01:
The Soviets advance. To the left is a company of T34s, a mortar platoon is setting up behind the hedge, to the right of them are the SU 152s and the infantry Battalion (supported by two 76.2 AT guns) is to the right of the 152s. In the top left corner the main German entrenchments can be seen.
Picture 02:
A view from the SU 152s towards the German lines. The left SU 152 was destroyed by one of the stugs which can be seen in the background in the background.
Picture 03
A view from the German lines. A T34 company has advanced around the wood and forced the stugs to move to engage them. THe SU 152s are just out of shot to the left. The trenches in the foreground are occupied by infantry and the MG platoon.
Picture 04
The Soviet advance on the right flank continues. The two plumes of smoke in the background denote the end of two of the stugs. At the very top of the picture the other company of T34s are barely visible. With their AT defences all but gone the Germans decide that a full scale retreat is in order. They have tried to fire smoke to conceal their retreat as the T34s approach the first line of trenches.
Picture 05
A view from the left flank. The SMG company is hiding in the woods as it is only a couple of teams away from breaking after beng caught in an artillery barrage. The German tenches are all but unoccupied as the Germans have all but retreated off the board to keep as much as hteir force intact as possible. Becuase the losses carry over it is important in theis camapign to try to inflcit losses and then retreat as you will need the survivors to take part in the next battle.