Nasty surprise at
Smeysko
Orsha-Smolensk highway
July 1941 by Richard Baber
This is a fictional table-top
action designed to simulate a surprise counter attack against a German column
during the advance toward Smolensk
in July 1941. Whilst the scenario and place is fiction, the unit types and
strengths are historical.
I thought it would make an
interesting scenario for the all conquering Germans to be caught by a sudden
Russian counter-attack. Pitting veteran Germans against elite NKDV security
units, make a nice change from the usual Soviet early war rabble.
The Scenario
The German commander is ordered
to attack and seize the small village
of Smeysko on the Orsha – Smolensk highway. Whilst
the village itself has little strategic value, its location will prove useful
as a forward supply and medical hospital as the advance moves towards Smolensk. The German
player (or players) should be told that it is believed that the village is
defended and combat is to be expected. The strength of the defences is unknown,
but resistance has been sporadic in this sector.
Unknown to the German commander
the Russians are about to unleash a new weapon upon his force the M-8 Katyuska
rocket launcher. These weapons are so secret that even local commanders are not
allowed to know about them! A battery of these launchers has been placed near
Smeysko and together with some hastily gathered local troops, the Russian have
prepared a nasty surprise.
The table should be set up with
the village near to one end, with the highway down the centre; fields and
wooded areas dotted around to hinder movement (see map). The German column
enters from the west along the highway most of the Russian forces begin
concealed, except for a token force left to defend Smeysko. Allow the Germans to
deploy for their attack, at which time the Katyuska open up and the Russians
launch their counter-stroke!
German orders
You are a Captain in 12 Aufklarung abteilung (Recon battalion) of 12th Panzer Division; as
usual your units lead the way – like the cavalry of old. Your division is
driving towards Smolensk,
along the Osha-Smolensk Highway.
Russian resistance has been sporadic but occasionally is stiff, sometimes their
units fight to the end, other times they flee or surrender without a fight.
You have been given command of a
small mobile battle-group, you will have to move fast and strike hard to
achieve your objective. Your objective today is to capture the village of Smeysko which sits near the highway and
will provide a useful base for future operations. Intelligence has informed you
that it is likely the village will be defended, though they don`t expect
resistance to be great.
German forces
Elements of 12th Panzer Division (veteran)
HQ
CO, NCO, RTO driver in Horch field car
Artillery FOO, driver in Kubelwagon
M/C platoon
10 men (6 M/C, 2 M/C comb with MG34)
2 Armoured car
platoons
1 - Sdkfz 231, 1 - Sdkfz 222
Motorised Panzer
Grenadier Company with -
HQ
CO, NCO, 4 runners, 50mm mortar team, AT rifle team
3 - PG platoons
each with
10 men (MG34)
All carried in trucks
Tank Company
3 - Pz38 (t)
PanzerJaeger Platoon
2 - 37mm AT + crew & tows
Off table support
1 - battery 105mm guns
Russian Orders
You are a major in the NKDV; you
are in command of one of the highly secret M-8 Katyuska rocket batteries. Today
your battery is set up near the village
of Smeysko, a security unit is
dug in and around the village, whilst the battery vehicles are concealed at the
edge of a small wood close by. Your orders are to stop the fascists and drive
them back along the highway, using the Katyuska to deliver a barrage of high
explosive upon their heads. The local army commander has gathered troops for
this counter-attack, but its you and your NKDV who will win the day for the
Motherland.
Whatever happens you must not
allow the Katyuskas to fall into enemy hands! Withdraw them from danger if the
enemy look to be winning, sacrifice your entire command if necessary! If you
cannot get the launchers to safety, destroy them to prevent capture as a last
resort – you life and that of your family depend on you carrying out your
orders!
Russian Forces
Smeysko defenders
Elements of 27th Rifle Divison (morale - shaky)
2 - Platoons infantry (10 men each)
MMG + crew
47mm AT gun + crew
NKDV squad - 6 men SMG armed (fanatic)
NKDV Katyusha battery
(morale - fanatic)
Major + 15 men
2 – launchers, 3 supply trucks
Counter-attack force
Elements of 27th Rifle Division and 16th Tank Brigade
(morale – regular)
Tank Company – 3 BT-5
2 – Infantry companies with:
HQ – CO, NCO, Kommisar, 3 runners, AT rifle team
3 platoons with:
10 men (LMG)
NKDV squad – 6 men SMG armed (fanatic)
Support company (composite) with:
2 – MMG + crew
2 – 81mm mortar + crew
1 – 47mm AT gun + crew & tow
Once the Germans are deployed for
their attack, the Russian commander can announce the Katyuska barrage. He may
then place his fire template over two randomly selected German units and dice
for effect as per your rules.
1 – MC platoon, AC company
2-3 – Pz38 (t) company
4-5 – Panzer grenadier company
6 – HQ, panzerjaeger platoon
This could of course effectively
remove one or more units from the German order of battle before they even have the chance to fire!
It may at least cause morale checks and casualties against the German units
before the Russian mount their counter-attack.
History
On Tuesday 15th July 1941 the
soviets un-leased a new weapon upon the German attackers – the M-8 “Katyusha”
rocket launcher.
The weapons very existence was a
closely guarded secret. Their crews were elite soldiers of the NKDV, the Soviet
security police, who had to swear an oath that if threatened with death or
capture they would destroy the launching devices and use every possible means
to escape capture, if necessary by committing suicide. The security barrier
surrounding the rocket-launch batteries extended even to the highest
commanders. Only the supreme army commanders and members of the war assembly
were allowed to approach the batteries – a precaution that considerably
impaired their efficient deployment.
The widespread blanket of fire
emitted by the Katyusha meant it could be ideally deployed along the focal
areas of the attack. The artillery commander of the Soviet Western Front –
General I. P. Kramer, reported:
“Reports from infantry
commanders and artillerymen say that this sudden burst of massive fire
inflicted heavy losses on the enemy and had such an effect on morale that whole
units panicked and ran away”!
German troops were painfully
surprised by the tactical manoeuvrability of the rocket launcher, due to their
high road speed (up to 25 MPH), their rapid set up capability once they reached
their firing position, the speed with which they could be brought to fire on
the march and their high rate of fire – 320 rockets in 26 seconds. One of the
first German reports of this new weapon from an officer of Harpe`s 12th Panzer
Division read:
“Dark cloud over the launch point, then missiles resembling those fired
by our own smoke mortars (nebelwelfers), the muffled roar of the flying
projectiles, 30 to 40 of them impacting simultaneously, a loud explosion,
widespread flames, small craters 12 to 16 inches deep. Despite the low
fragmentation effect, the troops found bombardment by these missiles extremely
unpleasant, not least because of their wide dispersion. Fragments of the
missiles and the testimony of prisoners, aided our observations and soon
captured launchers completed our information”.
Sources
Tank War 1939-1945 by Jabusz Piekalkiewicz (ISBN 0-7137-166605)
German Infantry in WWII – Order of Battle by Chris Bishop (ISBN
978-1-905704-85-9)
Operation Barbarossa 1941 (3) – Army Group Center by Robert
Kirchubel (Osprey Campaign 186, ISBN 978-1-84603-107-6)
Hitler`s War on Russia by Charles D. Winchester (ISBN
978-1-84603-195-3)
