Semyon Yegorovich Konnikov was unhappy. He had, quite reluctantly, agreed to this harebrained plan of splitting up the troops. Now he hadn't heard from Politruk Yevgenievich for several hours. For all he knew, the spearhead was already dead. Or worse, captured.
But with the American Major insisting, he had to agree.

Konnikov knew that his superiors would see that differently.

Now he was leading the rest of his company along the main route, with the few British and American soldiers tagging along. Their commander, British Captain Jackson was an bourgouis imperialist, like most British, but at least he was quiet enough.

Their route had taken them through  Olympiastrasse across the Reichsstrasse through an area with the streets names after trees - Ahorn, Ulmen, Eichenstrasse. They had moved along Platanenstraße and encountered some resistance from German forces, but had been able to move around some of the more fortified positions. The going had been slow, but they had moved in a - relatively - straight line.

Where was Yevgenievich?

((Draw 4 cards, please, from a deck including Jokers.))

((17:09, Today: Semyon Yegorovich Konnikov drew the 4 cards: KC, AH, JD, 7S using a deck of 54 cards.))

So far, the company had been able to weave around any German positions or ruined buildings - but now there was no way around it. Before them was a bridge leading across rails. And it had been fortified on both ends, and manned by Volkssturm, Wehrmacht and SS.

The allies outnumbered them two to one, but numbers didn't count for much here.

The road of the allies made a slight S curve leading toward the bridge. On their left and just before the bridge, was a church that seemed to be largely intact. On the other side of the street was the burned-out ruin of some appartment buildings. The bridge itself was barricaded with sand bags, barbed wire and some barricades.

Konnikov watched the bridge through his binoculars, his platoon commanders behind him.

Captain Jackson twirled his umbrella in his arm, and looked at the roadblock up ahead.
"Well, I guess we had to run into some opposition at some point, it seems. Couldn't expect them to roll out the red carpet for is. Well, for you, maybe."
He chuckled, then seemed disappointed that Konnikov wouldn't get that little carpet. He looked around if one of the officers could translate.

Konnikov turned and spotted Balakin several meters away, "Balakin!"  His voice was insistent but not loud.

When the Mladshiy Serzhant was close enough, he leaned over to him, "Pretend you heard what the American had said are now relaying it to me."

Balakin was momentarily confused, "But sir, I did not-"

"Tssscht, just pretend."

"Uh, Kapitan, sir yes, sir, the ahhh, the American was saying something about something?"

"Hah, very good Serzhant, now tell him I said 'If they wish to greet us we shall have to go and kiss them on both cheeks!'"

As Balakin relays this to Captain Jackson, Kapitan Konnikov turns and catches his Leytenant's eyes, and nods for them to join him.

"Shagidzyanov, send a few scouts into those burned out apartments, I want to know if they'll do as a staging point, Lyubimtsev the same with that church, is it occupied and how many if so."  He looks again at the bridge and claps a hand on the third platoon Leytenant's shoulder, "Strelnikov, I am tired of waiting for Politruk Yevgenievich to report in, so amuse me, how would you take that bridge?"

The Kapitan was only in the habit of asking such a question when the one he was asking was about to be stuck into the meatgrinder.  The men believed he did it to give them some agency, some license to decide how they would die and to speak their minds; and while it did, in truth Konnikov did it to ease his soul.  Despite his reputation as a ruthless strategian, he felt every one of their deaths.

Shagidzyanov nodded and turned to Zolotov, giving the task to his second squad. Lyubimtsev ordered his third squad into position.

Strelnikov nodded, grimly. "Tovarish Kapitan, we should take the church tower and set up a MG position there, clear the rubble on the right with some grenades and and soften the position at the bridge with fire from both directions. Then we charge in and keep going until both sides of the bridge are secured.
The church tower can help us clear the far end of the bridge. Take out an officer or two."

Captain Jackson quietly conversed with his men and pointed towards the bridge. Clearly, the Red Army would have to lead the charge, but it was nice to know that the British contemplated action as well.

Konnikov nods, "I am proud you have been paying attention to my strategies.  You, Valentin Strelnikov, are a true son of Russia. Now Leytenant, prepare the route you wish to take your platoon in your mind.  But first we wait on those scouts.  I will have that bell tower.  We will see if there are other options than true glory, this is not the final destination for this company.  We must have blood enough to see us through farther than the end of this bridge."

He would push them through this bridge if it was necessary, the soldiers knew, and Strelnikov was just told he'd be at the front of that push blunting the teeth of the enemy.  But sometimes there are other ways.  Konnikov hoped to find another way, but was preparing his orders for if it doesn't materialize.

Shots ring out in the bell tower and there's yelling, alarming the men at the bridge head.
Strelnikov curses, then looks at you
"What are your orders, tovarish Kapitan?"


((Alright, we'll have ourselves a little mass battle for a quick encounter. You got superior numbers here, but you don't know how many more. You can select how many you want to commit to this battle (in 10s of %, then we determine how many tokens. You can add your reserves to the battle as additional tokens after each round.))

"Use the apartments to shield your approach, soften, and then take that bridge head Strelnikov," he turns, "Shagidzyanov we will follow and support Strelnikov from the apartments.  Lyubimtsev!  Get your machine gunner in that bell tower! NOW!"  Konnikov was barking orders as he hefted his PPSh-41, checking the drum was properly seated as he moved.  He paused a step, turned, and in terrible English yelled "Kapitan Jackson, glory!" before turning to follow the Second Platoon into the rubble of the apartments...




((OOC:  Since he's ordering 2 out of 8 squads into the pitch (and what oneish squad of mixed Brits and Americans?), with 3 squads immediately following to support... so call it 30% in the first push with 30% immediately ready to reinforce.  Another 30% deploying (ебать их матерей!) into support, with at best delayed reinforcement possibility.

I was hoping to get some more intel before getting jammed in, but ah, this is war.  You never go to war with the intel you want.))

((Allright, let's make a bunch of rolls! In the interest of speed and moving this along, I'll handle the rolls for the first two rounds.

As it'll turn out, you have about a 2:1 advantage in numbers, giving you a total of 10 tokens vs. 5 for the Germans. But they got less experienced troops, costing them two tokens, so your total is 10, they got 3.
You commit 3 tokens at the beginning, with an extra 3 in the second round.

There is no resistance in the rubble, but there are Germans in the bell-tower, so that's a sub-battle, so to speak, we'll resolve that one first:

Group roll for the Squad in the church:
10:43, Today: Warmaster, on behalf of BPO Company, rolled 12,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+4)12,4.  Soviet attack
10:44, Today: Warmaster, on behalf of SS-Infantry, rolled 3,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  German defense.

The Soviets take the bell tower, wiping out the German soldiers there, but take one casualty (to be resolved later). It also removes +2 from the German defense bonus
Total Casualties: 1

The main attack: It's 3 against 3 tokens, but the Germans get +2 due to their defenses.
10:47, Today: Warmaster, on behalf of Semyon Yegorovich Konnikov, rolled 2,11 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+5)11.  Battle 10:48, Today: Warmaster, on behalf of SS-Infantry, rolled 6,11 using d6+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+3)9.  Battle roll.roll.

That's a tie, both sides lose one token!

Second round: The Soviets bring 3 more tokens to the front and they have now a machine gunner at the top of the church, attacking the bridge. means it's 5 tokens against 2, giving Konnikov +3 for the numerical advantage and +2 for the MG:
10:51, Today: Warmaster, on behalf of Semyon Yegorovich Konnikov, rolled 20,6 using d8+5,d6+5, rerolling max with rolls of (8+7)15,1.  Battle .
10:51, Today: Warmaster, on behalf of SS-Infantry, rolled 7,6 using d6+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4.  Battle roll.

The Red Army steamrolls the German defense, completely eliminating the opposition and take the bridge, without taking any further casualties (since Konnikov won the battle roll with a raise).

You've taken the bridge, now you can resolve the battle results. You've taken 1 casualty in the belltower, the token represents 10% of your force, so 8 more.

Give me 9 Vigor rolls for the BPO company (no wild dice). Anybody who makes it has minor injuries. Anybody who fails is walking wounded. Anybody who rolls 1 is dead. I'll assign any results then randomly.))

((OOC:  Oops, didn't see the no Wild Die till I went to post, rerolled:
12:47, Today: BPO Company rolled 37 using 9d6, rerolling max ((1,1,(6+3)9,3,2,(6+1)7,4,3,(6+1)7)).

1 (Dead), 1 (Dead), 9 (Minor), 3 (Walking), 2 (Walking), 7 (Minor), 4 (Minor), 3 (Walking), 7 (Minor).

2 Dead, 4 Minor Casualties, 3 Walking It Off like proper Soviets!

I'm "invoking" Konnikov's Heroic Hindrance, he took a few "grazing" hits while standing and shouting orders and laying down suppressing fire!  Should I throw a Wound on him? ))

((Yes, you can take care of one of the Walking Wounded results, which would hit your command staff anyway.

I added the dead soldiers to the Remember the Fallen thread, your total command is now 79 men and women.

The other two walking wounded are marked in  Bold Blue on your sheet - Emma Zholdina and Styopa Yefimov.

Feel free to write a summary of the battle.

))
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:52, Tue 21 Sept 2021.

Kapitan Konnikov listened to his Leytenant's reports while the medic did a hasty stitch of the 'mere flesh wound' he'd received across his right shoulder.  When the medic finished, Semyon eased his shirt back on and donned his coat, a private had stitched a rough patch to close the rend the bullet had torn.

He stood to address his forces who moved to assemble, roughly in order, but these soldiers were tired and Konnikov did not press for perfection in spit and polish on the field, he pressed for perfection in combat.  So a little slowness and little disorder here was overlooked.

"Today you have made me proud.  Leytenant Strelnikov!  Even under manned your platoon charged into the barricades and drove the Nazis before you!  Your men's bravery and prowess won us the foothold, without you, it would have floundered.  Starshiy Leytenant Lyubimtsev!  Without your machinegun team, the enemy would have been free to sweep our advance with fire, today's overwhelming victory would not have been so thorough without your platoon's admirable performance!  Starshiy Leytenant Shagidzyanov, today you were held back from the glory of leading the charge, but your platoon found it's calling in holding the breach, and sweeping the enemy from bridge entirely!  You stood beside me as we suppressed the enemy's position, know that your bravery and your platoon's bravery is not overlooked!"

He turns to the two men laid out, covered in their blankets, weighed down by stones.

He salutes the two dead soldiers.  "Ryadovóy Aleyev, your valor in taking the bell tower will not be forgotten, Ryadovóy Nazarov you held the breach despite a gut wound and pressed the charge to this end of the bridge, your valor will not be forgotten."

He holds the salute a few moments longer and as he drops it, so does the company.  "Now we press on, gather yourselves.  Urbanovsky!  My radio, I'm getting answers from Yevgenievich before we move on."

Over the next half hour of travel, Konnikov moved amongst the soldiers, taking a moment to to commend those his Leytenants had personally mentioned as noteworthy in the battle.

With the snipers a quiet word, "Siyasinova, Kruglikova, your eyes and your aim were invaluable."  A laugh with this young man's squad, "Ryadovóy Bok, young man, it is not necessary to rush into the enemy's fortification to personally hand them your grenade, next time just throw it, preferably from five or more meters away."

And a word as well with the other 'walking wounded', "Zholdina, is your arm going to be steady?  Ah, you are switching with your spotter, carry on."  "Yefimov, pulling your comrade out of the line of fire, only to be shot yourself.  That is life."

Captain Jackson nodded at you after the bridge was taken. "Slava!" he says, proudly saying the Russian word for glory, but his pronunciation is slightly off, making it sound more like the Italian "Brava".

With guns reloaded, wounds dressed, the dead set aside, the company marches on.

After the bridge, you encounter little resistance, a few Volkssturm units here and there, but most disperse even before a shot is fired, obviously panicking that the Red Army is already that deep in the city and coming from the West, not East!

That should at least cause some panic at the Nazi headquarter, maybe pull troops from the Eastern front.

Just as you arrive at a burned-out church, something odd happens: The Soviet guns and artillery stop and the silence that follows is as serene as it is unexpected.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/w..._Memorial_Church.jpg

((OOC:  How far are we from the Reichsluftfahrtministry?))

((Time-wise, you're now at the same point in time when the Spearhead was encountering the tiger and the hyenas. So right now maybe 2 hours away? I'll be bringing you up soon.))

"We press on, the front will be shifting closer shortly.  This mission needs to be finished before the target is shelled."

The company is uneasy about the sudden quiet, but moves on your order. A few minutes later, there is a short burst of rifle fire to be heard, somewhat in the distance. But it's over as quickly as it began.

Then, the artillery starts up again. The impacts sound a lot closer now, but it could be due to the silence before.

You continue on, to your left are the walls of the Berlin Zoo, to your right the broad Boulevard of Budapester Straße.

Third Platoon is upfront, carefully walking from cover to cover, when suddenly Evelina Kruglikova, another one of the company's female snipers falls to the side, blood spurting from a wound in her neck.

Teterev, who was walking next to her, freezes, looking dumbstruck at the woman.

SNAJPER! somebody yells and people dive to the ground and for cover.

If there is someone not moving, Konnikov will grab them as he dives for cover, then once in cover he attempts to asses the situation, is just a lone sniper, or does it sound like more troops moving up?

Somebody yells for Teterev to get into cover and the young men half-turns before a bullet hits him, his knees exploding in a spray of blood and he cries out in pain and topples to the ground.

Kruglikova's legs twitch as she presses her hand against her neck wound, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

((Notice to spot the sniper's position))

As Konnikov dove for cover he'd recognized the angle the shot had to have come from...

((21:29, Today: Semyon Yegorovich Konnikov rolled 5 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4.  Notice to spot Sniper.))
This message was last edited by the player at 02:40, Mon 11 Oct 2021.

((12:17, Today: Warmaster, for the NPC SS Sniper, rolled 13,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+5)13,3.  Stealth.))

He's well-hidden indeed. But you get +1 each time he fires.


You look around, there is too much rubble, too many windows, too many potential spots for a sniper to hide. You look in one direction and another of your soldiers cries out, another man down.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Someone yells, and men and women point in multiple directions.
Captain Jackson huddles into a doorway and looks at you, shrugging, then scans the buildings again, his rifle at the ready.