As part of the Proskurov-Chernovsty Offensive, the 1st Guards Heavy Tank Shock Regiment was to attack German forces in the vicinity of Starokonstantinovo. Col. Bulanov’s twenty-one KV-85s and the supporting submachine-gun company advanced toward their objective, not know that they were about to fight the first battle between the new KV-85 and Tiger tanks.
Attacker: Russian (Elements of the 1st Guards Heavy Tank Shock Regiment)
Defender: German (Elements of Bataillon 1, Panzergrenadier Regiment 6, Panzer Division 7 and Schwere Panzer Abteilung 503 (Feldherrnhalle))
This looks like an interesting scenario with both sides having some rather hard hitting stuff. The Russians have a bunch of tanks that are rather easy game for the opposing 3 Tigers if caught in the open. As the Russian needs Exit VP, he can't afford to lose to many of them. On the other hand, the German Tigers are rather resilient vs. the Russian 85L gun, but the Russians are Guards and thus have APCR 6 with a TK of 19. Besides, the Tigers will probably spread out to cover the various approaches the Russians may take and may thus be in danger to be swarmed. Which leads my to my Russian tactic for attack. Noting that exiting 4 tanks or 3 tanks/2 squads fulfils the EVP cap, I planned on pushing fast towards the board edge before the German can effectively redeploy and thus take maximum advantage of superiority in numbers until that point. I attacked on the flank with the buildings, VBM-freezing an infantry outpost with an AC, then Human-Waving to close in fast, finally rushing forward with all but one tank to reach the area between the buildings in turn 1. This cost me 2 tanks - one by Tiger, the other one by PF. My last tank then moved into a side-shot position of the Tiger which proved to lead to his timely demise. My lost tanks provided some cover for the others in motion on the road to the board edge. To gain some extra road movement hexes and to get away from German infantry which had exhausted its fire options, I took the reasonable risk to ESB some Russian tanks for 1.5 MPs (for a +1 ESB mod vs. 3 extra road hexes moved). During Turn 2 I managed to exit 3 tanks for 21 of 25 EVPs, killed a 2nd Tiger after first placing a DC with the 10-2 and 628 which stunned it and then killing it in CC. As the 3rd Tiger would have had to face at least +5 mods vs. my remaining tanks for blaze, hindrance of an AC and motion status, my opponent conceded after he malfed his MA. While the situation was clearly in my favor, I would not have done so at that point, because one of my remaining tanks about 5 hexes from the board edge might have been threatened by his PSK and it would not have been trivial to exit my infantry now stationed in force within the buildings vs. the resistance of some of his infantry which would have arrived on the scene after his 2nd MPh. What can I say - my plan worked out. This scenario is probably more fun to play for the Russian for he clearly has the initiative and can determine the Schwerpunkt with the German hurrying to reinforce one or the other flank. The scenario can be decided prematurely by either the Russians loosing too many tanks soon. Same for the Germans, where a malfed Tiger MA will as well have a significant impact (which in my case was somewhat alleviated for by a dud against a Tiger needing 9 or less for a kill and a successful low odds shot with a PF costing me a tank).