Trenka Bridge 1943

Wednesday night's game saw my Germans facing Ken's Russians once again. I did my best to set up an appealing table with the available resources; and add a plausible scenario.


Using Alzo Zero's "Operation Overlord" rules I fielded a 1500 point mixed reconnaissance force, running ahead of the main army in the southern Caucasus, attempting to seize crossing points. Ken was given the Russian supplement (downloaded from Alzo Zero's website) to form a 1500 point force, including at least some engineers, attempting to blow the crossing before the Germans arrive. He had a screening platoon forward, but no idea what would face him. Fortunately most of his men had cover, including some nice Snapdragon studios trenches.

The Germans advanced cautiously at first using kubelwagens for speed. This vehicle wasn't just used as a staff car, and was more analogous (if over engineered) to the US Jeep. A long straight road through flat arable terrain led to the bridge, and orchard is on the left.

The Russians had no difficulty stopping the first car, ambushing it as it approached a ruined farm on the right, but drawing attention to themselves would unleash the deadly wild card in the German patrol...


A quad 20mm flak gun mounted on a half track. Conscious of soviet air power, and aware of it's potential against infantry formations, the Germans had attached one of these beasts to the patrol; the murderous fire from it's position on a low rise would cover the movements of the German recon forces for the rest of the engagement. It's first blow was dealt to a squad of infantry advancing across open ground, who took losses of around 50% and promptly broke; then it concentrated on the trench lines.

Additionally, the Germans had access to a SDFFZ 232 armoured car, with another deadly 20mm cannon and a machine gun. In defense however the Russians were stalwart, and whilst the entrenched troops stalled the limited infantry at German disposal (only 10 men in three cars, 6 of whom became casualties), their engineers wired up the bridge.

Some then tried to advance, but the flak gun did its terrible work once again. Nonetheless as the Russian main line crumbled and withdrew, the bridge was blown, stopping the Germans in the nick of time. It had been costly, the Soviet forces lost some 25 men from an initial complement of about 45. Most of these were to the cannons and so hopes for them were slight. The Germans had several wounded and a couple of dead, but had not approached fast enough to take the crossing. It would now fall to their own engineers to try to resolve the problem the Soviet commander had given them...