Fictional Citadel: July 5, 1943

On July 5th, 1943, three German divisions pressed onward into the Soviet Union with the goal of reaching the Kursk salient. It was arguably a small force for the task, but intelligence suggested the region was only lightly defended.

In the pre-dawn hours, General Fichte’s PanGermania Division advanced with Phantom Division under General Feuerbach to their right. At Butovo, PanGermania's 1st Fusiliers, supported by the division's recon battalion and panzer regiment encountered resistance from the 2nd Rifle Regiment of the 1st  Soviet Guard Rifle Division (SGRD), commanded by General Novikov.

With their artillery tied up engaging Phantom division, 2nd Rifle Regiment fought essentially without support. As the defenders were being forced from the town, PanGermania's 1st Panzer Grenadier Regiment, supported by the division's artillery cleared out the 1st Rifle Regiment from their defensive positions in front of Cherkasskoye. The 1st SGRD's AT battalion and engineers were not enough to hold off the advance as the two halves of PanGermania combined to press forward.

The Jagdpanther is filling in for my lack of 1/50th StuG

The huge minefield to the West narrowed the frontage 1st Soviet Guard Rifle Division was forced to defend. But it had no effect on the German artillery.

General Feuerbach ’s Phantom Division engaged the remaining elements of 1st SGRD that had been protecting that unit's flank. Quickly pressing past the Soviet's recon company, the advance was delayed by the Soviet 3rd Rifle Regiment which valiantly defended its position. Although eventually they and the artillery were forced back, it was not without significant casualties to the 4th Panzer Grenadier Regiment.

After seven hours of hard fighting, General Novikov ordered his troops to fall back.

In the aftermath, as PanGermania pressed forward, Phantom Division was forced to halt their own advance due to vehicle congestion on the limited roadways.

East of Phantom Division, General Schopenhauer’s 1st Panzer Grenadier Division clashed with the 2nd Soviet Guard Rifle Division, led by General Blavatsky. Blavatsky's troops held fortified hilltop positions and presented an outsized challenge for the attackers.

From their height beyond the river, the Soviet 2nd Artillery Regiment bombarded the advancing Germans with stunning accuracy. Stiff resistance from the entrenched rifle units with additional support from 2nd Recon company resulted in a general mauling of the 2nd and 3rd Panzer Grenadier Regiments before Schopenhauer ordered his units to fall back to regroup.

Campaign Notes:

• PanGermania - Starting SP: 29. Now 28. 0 in the hospital.
  
• 1st Panzer Grenadier Division - Starting SP: 22. Now 16. 1 in the hospital.
  
• Phantom Division - Starting SP:27. Now 25. 0 in the hospital.
• 1st Soviet Guard Rifle Division - Starting SP 25. Now 17. 1 in the hospital.
• 2nd Soviet Guard Rifle Division - Starting SP 25. Now 25. 0 in hospital.

All of the games lasted 7 turns. That was probably a coincidence but I found it interesting.

One note, I am not using the standard initiative rules for The Portable Wargame. Instead, I am pulling out the cards as per the solo mode, but instead keep them in separate decks. The sides dice for initiative and then the winner draws from their card deck. Artillery attacks are simultaneous before the dice are rolled and count against the number of units that may move according to each side's card. 

In this way I can more easily track turns (I'm treating each one as an hour, and limiting fighting to 12 turns max generally) and maintain the IGO-UGO system which I think makes more sense with the simultaneous artillery fire.

Armored cars / scout cars with their machine guns are devastating against infantry. I have been counting each roll of 5+ on the three dice as a hit. I think I may change that to "if one or more of the dice is 5+ then a single hit is scored".

Final Map Positions at the end of Turn 1: