Frozen in Their Tracks (Hautt)

[Laya Eteric]

Time: 16 November 1942, 17:00hrs.
Location: Belorussian village and surrounding hills/fields.
Weather: Overcast, light but increasingly heavy snowfall, -9*C. Snow on ground is 10-20cm and building.

Tank Key: Blue is KV-1, Purple is T-34, Red is Laya's T-34.
MAP.

Snow crunched under Laya's feet as she approached her tank. The feet of her boots disappeared with each step, until finally she grabbed a fender and climbed onto the T-34. Winter was here yet again, and hopefully it would slow down the Germans like it had the year before...likely not, but the col would slow them nonetheless. She giggled to herself any time she'd pass a Nazi tank that had bogged down in snow or mud while her T-34 easily stayed afloat. Sitting on the front of the turret, she bent down and peered into the driver's hatch. “Sasha, have the tanks radioed whether they're positioned yet?”

The radioman leaned over and looked back at his commander. “They have, Eteric. Hidden and waiting for orders.”

Laya nodded in approval, and brought up her binoculars; her tank was on a hill overlooking hat landscape, although it wasn't too high up. But it was enough to make a good hull-down position. She looked at the spots she'd designated; sure enough, there they were: hidden behind the west-most house was the KV-1, the heavy tank...Armour a good 75mm thick, and this one had additional armour plates bolted onto the turret. The only downside was the gun...it was the F-32 type, shorter than the F-34 on Laya's vehicle, and thus was slightly worse than the medium T-34's. Oh well, it was still quite adequate against the German panzers...

The third tank was another T-34. Like Laya's tank, it had the F-34 gun. It was positioned in the southern field, hull hidden by the dying wheat, with more wheat thrown over the turret, hopefully it would be difficult to spot, at least until it fired...Laya smiled, lowering her binoculars. So far, so good. “Sasha? Tell both crews to mount their tanks, and run their engines a bit to keep them warm. It may be only minutes.” She turned to the rest of her crew, driver and loader. “Alright, mount up. Be ready to move if need be.” She looked into the distance again, to the west-bound road. It was only a matter of waiting...

[Deleted]

Deployment

SS-Scharführer Friedrich Hautt brushed snow off of his shoulders for the thousandth time. He was sitting tall in the turret of a Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. G, freezing his ass of and riding toward a Soviet-held town. How did he know it was Soviet-held? Because everything around them was bad-guy country.

The entire 3. SS-Panzerdivision was in a terrible state. They had been encircled by Soviet forces for over a month, and so far the division suffered between 45- and 60-percent casualties. The division didn't really exist anymore. Word was spreading that they were being called Kampfgruppe Eicke in honor of the psychopathic division commander, SS-Obergruppenführer Theodore Eicke. Battle-groups were being formed everywhere from whatever could be thrown together.

How a grenadier like Hautt had ended up commanding a tank platoon was a bit strange. His infantry platoon had been grouped with 2. Kompanie/I. Abteilung/SS-Panzerregiment Totenkopf during an engagement several weeks before. In short, his platoon had been destroyed, and he was given no orders to transfer. He stayed with the Panzers, helping out where possible and learning the complicated trade of armored warfare.

The platoon commander, SS-Untersturmführer Jürgen Hantusch, had been killed two nights ago by a rocket landing in the vehicle park where his tank was stationed. Being unable to pick and choose in the desperate situation now face by high command, Hautt was offered the position.. He figured that if he would die in the conflict, it would be with rested feet. Walking was for chumps. He accepted immediately.

"We're approaching the objective, Herr Scharführer."

The voice of SS-Unterscharführer Rolf Raasch, the Gunner. Raasch had shown Hautt almost everything he knew about commanding a tank, and could be relied upon in the toughest of circumstances.

As they pushed through the snow, the road they followed suddenly sloped downward, toward a small farm village of a half-dozen buildings. Hautt dropped into the turret, securing the hatch above him. He barked an order to stop at the driver over the intercom, and the order was relayed to the others by the radioman. Four tanks halted at once, and after a moment Ernst ordered his tank and a Panzer IV to the ridge to get a view of the village,

"Let me have a look," Hautt spoke to Raasch, switching seats. He pressed his face to the main gun optics and surveyed what he saw. He looked at the village first, watching in stillness for any sign of movement. "Doesn't seem to be any activity. The buildings aren't much in the way of concealment. If there's anything in there I applaud the enemy," Hautt muttered. The vibration of the powerful Maybach engine could be felt through his boots as he looked at the fields.

"The crops are untended. Looks like the villagers left before harvesting time. Hold on..."

"What is it? Movement?" asked Raasch.

"No... I think I see something in the field, but I can't be sure." "Let me take a look." They switched seats again, and Hautt leaned in. Raasch's silence was almost unbearable as he waited for confirmation. The loader shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"I... think... it's..." Raasch started slowly. "...a T-34. It's not moving though. Looks like they tried to hide in the crops" This news made the hair on the back of Hautt's neck stand up. The enemy! "Maybe they knew we were coming," Hautt suggested. "Unlikely, commander. We didn't know ourselves until about an hour ago," The Untersturmführer gently stated. "Good point."

Hautt took inventory of his command. Two Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. G, numbers 322 (his own tank) and 324. They were older models, lightly armoured with only about 30mm of frontal armour, but armed with the newer 5cm KwK38 L/42 gun. Not enough to kill a T-34, but enough to poke it in the eye. They were well-stocked on ammunition, with over 90 5cm shells each of different varieties. The hull- and coaxial-MG34s each had 1500 cartridges.

Also at hand were tanks number 323 and 325, two Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf F2. They were older F model tanks upgraded with the new 7.5cm KwK40 K/43 gun, and capable of penetrating the armour of most Allied tanks with good gunnery. 87 shells were carried of various types. Frontal armor on the F2 was a good 50mm thick. Not as good as the newest G model, unfortunately. The F2 also mounted two MG34s with 1500 rounds each.

Hautt contemplated his situation. Chances of the T-34 being alone were slim. It might even be there as bait. He had known Hantusch to use his own men as bait in some instances, and he wouldn't put it past the dirty Russians to do the same. He would have to go down using the road, where the enemy were probably waiting. Tanks on ridgetops tended to draw a lot of attention that way.

Even if he made it into the field, what then? The snow was steadily getting deeper. Being lined up on the road like ducks in a row didn't appeal to him very much, but neither did the idea of bogging down in the fields. The weather had only recently turned cold, and it would only take a little traffic to turn the ground into mud. If tank tracks got gummed up by that they could be bogged down for days, waiting for the glue-like substance to melt in warmer weather.

What could he do?

[Heiko Alkema]

Moderation Post

Soviet

T-34 (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

T-34
Status: Fully Operational

KV-1
Status: Fully Operational

German

Panzer III G (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer III G
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer IV F2
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer IV F2
Status: Fully Operational

Next Post: Eteric

[Laya Eteric]

No map change.

Laya scanned the horizon routinely, patiently waiting. She knew the Nazi forces would come through this village, with its crossroads and all, but she wasn't quite sure when. She wiped her forehead, and took another look through the binoculars. Nothing...nothing...there! “Is it...?” she said to herself, adjusting her focus. Yes! Several panzers were cresting the hill in the distance, four in number, which stopped just before the hill sloped down. She hoped that there weren't many more, at least not of the medium types.

“All tanks!” she yelled to Sasha, who relayed her orders over the radio. “Cut your engines, don't want the smoke giving away our positions before we're ready to fire. But once the shooting starts, crank up!” Her own driver did as much, the 12-cylinder diesel rumbling down til it stopped. Thus she lacked power traverse, but at this range the hand crank would be sufficient.

Satisfied, she took another look at the distant panzers. They were hard to make out, but the long cannons made them unmistakable. “Alright everyone, All the fascist tanks have the new guns, so they may actually do some damage. We can't be as careless as before...two of them have muzzle brakes, those are priority targets! They may be 75 or 76 millimeter PAK guns.” She took a moment to put on her padded tanker hat.

“Alright, I don't know how they're going to approach us. If they come one at a time, then Georgiy-- the KV-1 commander “--I want you to peek out and fire at the lead tank, and hide again. And then, turn so your front is facing them. I'll fire at the rearmost tank, and hopefully trap the other two. Ilyich--” the commander of the other T-34 “--You fire at any vehicle in between them.” Both commanders radioed their agreement. “Do not, I repeat, do not fire until I give the order, unless the enemy fires first, or you see them aiming their cannon at you. Now, if the enemy comes in a different formation, then we'll have to change our targets.”

Laya sighed, watching the panzers for any movement. She hoped they would sink in the mud, or slide around on ice, their tracks were so narrow. Hehe, ice skating tanks... She grinned, nodding to her gunner. “Let's prove to the fascists that their new guns won't help them...”

[Heiko Alkema]

Moderation Post

Soviet

T-34 (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

T-34
Status: Fully Operational

KV-1
Status: Fully Operational

German

Panzer III G (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer III G
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer IV F2
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer IV F2
Status: Fully Operational

Next Post: Hautt

[Deleted]

Map Move and Fire Detail
Map Final No Detail

Hautt was not pleased with the situation presented to him. The fields were difficult going, and deteriorating with the weather. The road was the only practical route to the village, and was exposed to fire from most directions. Hautt didn't like it, but he had to do his duty, even if he didn't understand the significance of this one village. He would have to take the town.

"What is the distance from here to the village, four-zero-zero meters?" Hautt asked Raasch, stroking his cheek with his thumb.

"About that, Herr Scharführer," Rolf confirmed warily. "Is that close enough for an F2 to duel with that T-34?"

Rolf thought for a moment before replying. "Ja, Herr Scharführer. It'd be easy to hit at that range. The new KgZF2 optics would make sure of that, but..." he trailed off. Hautt knew where he was going. The angle was very odd on the T-34. Facing from above and slightly beside the tank, the sloped frontal armor would be very difficult to penetrate.

Hautt had heard of shots bouncing down off the lower gun mantlet into the top of the forward hull, but it was very rare and likely impossible from such an angle. A shot in the turret ring was also unlikely. Any shots on the front would likely slide off without effect. "A shot in the turret side isn't impossible, and a hit on the engine compartment might make it through," Raasch offered.

The engine compartment was probably the best bet. It was a hard shot, but T-34s were notorious for burning up when hit there. Hautt took off his crushed NCO's cap, running his long fingers through his glorious blonde mane. He hadn't had a chance to get a trim for some time, and was seriously considering doing it himself.

"Three-Two-Five has a decent gun crew, so they'll suffice. I want them to stay in overwatch on the cliff. When the rest of us are ready on the road, he is to open fire on the enemy armor," Hautt stabbed his hand in the direction of the T-34. Whether or not it was crewed was irrelevant. At worst, tank 325 would waste a few shells. At best, they would cover the advance party's asses and possibly prevent an ambush. "If there's no return fire, he is to watch the area for any activity. Anything moving that is not our little group is to be assumed hostile."

Raasch held a hand up. He wanted to know how they were going to assault the town. Good old Rolf sure didn't waste any time getting to the nitty-gritty. "Our IIIs will be vulnerable those four hundred meters or so, meaning that the main focus is keeping them alive until we're in the village itself."

Raasch nodded in agreement. "So we put the F2 in front. That will be our sword and shield. He takes it and dishes it out for the thirty seconds it takes us to cross the field. He watches straight ahead. His focus on the approach is the town." Hautt paused as Raasch raised his hand again. He wanted to know what the IIIs would be doing during the advance. "We'll be behind him, watching the hill and gully on the left. Two-Three-Four will be at the rear, watching the T-34 and the field on the right."

Raasch was silent for a while, and Hautt wasn't sure if he had violated some sacred tank doctrine hocus-pocus. Rolf slowly nodded before speaking, "It isn't pretty, but it's all we have to work with for now." Fine words of encouragement for a blossoming tank commander.

Hautt spoke to the radioman, who relayed the orders to the others. He received no response, which wasn't surprising since only command tanks such as his carried transmitters. The others carried receive-only Funk-Gerät-5 radios. A welcome change from having orders questioned in the infantry.

They lined up on the road in good order. Tank 325 remained on the hill overlooking the farmland below. Unseen to Hautt, the turret hatch opened an a black hat appeared, wielding binoculars. The dirty, scrawny face of Unterscharführer Brauer scanned the field on the left, the village in center, and finally the T-34 in the right-hand field. Hautt's voice crackled over the radio, and Brauer ordered the driver to transfer engine HP to power the turret. Three turrets turned at once, whirring as they traversed to face their designated sectors.

There was silence for a moment as the gunner of 325 frantically turned hand-cranks for small adjustments. "Loaded!" shouted tank Three-Two-Five's loader. He had taken a solid armor-piercing shell from the racks as ordered by the loader and placed in it the breech-loading mechanism. Brauer screamed his hatred, and the gunner fired. The loader was loading a second before the first had even struck.

And with that, the miniature Blitzkrieg began.




OOC Info Note: Since second-guessing a future modmark is impossible, there is little point in roleplaying a mile only for the post to be nullified by a modmark at a few hundred yards. Writing a section for every possible outcome is too time-consuming, so here's a summary of given orders and likely tactics. NPC reactions to the encounters are completely up to Heiko, so the final locations will likely be different than ordered as he makes everyone react to one another. Kudos, man.

IVF2 325 on the hill is tasked with making sure the visible T-34 is dead. He is to light it up and then scan for others.

IVF2 323 is tasked with leading the assault. It is ordered to keep enemy tanks off the IIIs on approach and stop at the first building in town.

IIIG 322 (me) is watching the left-hand field and Laya's hill. The plan was to cut into town then turn north, stopping at the northern side of the village.

IIIG 324 is the same in flip, watching the right where the visible T-34 is and cutting through town before turning south.

My III Tactics: Schnell! Speed and movement are important for survival, and most kills are a result from being in the right place at the right time. Aims for the weakest spots such as tracks, hull/turret rear, turret ring, engine compartment. Focused on disabling rather than killing.

My IV Tactics: Every shot counts! Coordination between the crew places emphasis on accuracy rather than volume of fire, with forward armor presented when possible. Knows their penetration tables and will try to maximize each shot's damage. Focused on killing.

Also, as stated in the post, only my tank has a transmitting radio, the others being receive-only. I think this is accurate but I can't be sure.

Sorry for any inconsistencies or errors. This was written in a hurry.

[Heiko Alkema]

Moderation Post

Soviet

T-34 (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

T-34
Status: Fully Operational

KV-1
Status: Damaged
Driver Incapacitated

German

Panzer III G 322 (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer III G 324
Status: Knocked Out

Panzer IV F2 323
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer IV F2 325
Status: Fully Operational

---

Map


The assault began with the 325's 75mm cannon opening fire on the southern T-34. The shell made contact with the 16mm plate on the engine deck, but skipped off the armor due to the extreme angle.

Meanwhile the other three tanks make a break down the main road; 323 in the lead, followed by Hautt's 322, and 324 bringing up the rear.

Laya's northern T-34 had the best view of the situation and responded as planned by firing on the rearmost tank in the German column, 324 (PzIII). Her first shot makes contact and easily penetrates 324's unsloped 30mm side armor, and ripping through the engine and bringing the tank to a halt.

Rattled somewhat by taking a hit right off the bat the southern T-34 took a shot at the advancing Panzers, and missing Hautt's 322.

With the battle well underway the KV-1, as ordered, began to roll out from cover to fire on the Germans. However 323 and it's 75mm were prepared and, with a few quick adjustments, fired on the emerging tank. The shell managed to penetrate the KV-1's thick side armour just behind the driver. Spalling and debris incapacitated the driver while dust and dirt knocked loose by the impact choked the rest of the crew.

325, back on the hill, takes another shot at the field-bound T-34, making contact lower leaving a deep groove in the armor, but again doesn't manage to penetrate the sloped armor of the T-34. However, the crew of the T-34 can feel the increased force of impact and know that the shots are getting closer to penetrating.

323 and 322 enter the small town, 322 overtook 323 and took a shot at the rear of the KV-1 as it passed but the hopelessly inadequate 50mm shell bounced off leaving nothing but a shallow groove in the steel. 323, takes a right turn instead of a left at the fork to come around the KV-1.

A follow-up shot from Laya’s T-34 scores another hit on the now disabled 324, detonating an ammo storage rack and destroying the tank.

Hautt’s 322 took a final shot of opportunity at the KV-1 after making the turn north, but with no better results than before.

---

Next Post: Eteric

[Laya Eteric]

Maps, with and without markings.



Panzers rolled down the hill. Just three of them though...Laya questioned this, watching as they approached. Just as she was looking at the fourth, which had hung back, she saw it fire. Shit, they've seen us! She swung her view back to the other three...they were in as good a position as ever, and she ducked back into the turret, taking aim at the rearmost tank. “Fire!” she called to the radio operator.

The T-34 rocked as the loud Thoom! erupted from its 76.2mm cannon. Her loader lugged the next round from the bin in the floor of the tank; Laya looked through binoculars as the smoke cleared...she'd scored a good hit, the panzer starting to burn. However, the KV-1 hadn't fired...in fact, the panzers were circling around it!

“Sir! called Sasha from down in the hull. “Georgiy reports driver dead before they could take the shot! Still operable though, and they're switching seats!”

Laya nodded, firing once more at the Panzer III to finish it off. “Hit, crank it up! And tell Ilyich the last tank is firing at him from the hill! Fire once, then fall back to the villiage...keep his front pointed at them!” She stood out once more to look at the battle; what she saw made her heart jump. “Georgiy! Tank directly behind you!!” she screamed., then called to her driver. “Reverse! Tank coming right for us!” She ducked back down into the turret, hatch slamming down. “Alright, take a left and head forward.” She looked around in the periscope, trying to find the tank coming up her road.

“Driver, halt! Reverse ten meters!” The T-34 stopped and reversed slightly as ordered, attempting a hull down position. Laya jumped down to her gun-sight, her loader ripping up another rubber pad to load more quickly. Laya bit her lip, taking aim. “On the way.”



OOC Notes (I hope I'm doing this right owo; )

Laya's T-34, reversed before heading towards the road, but turned before reaching it. She attempts a hull down to fire on 322, the closest tank.

The other T-34 will try to fire upon the Panzer IV 325, and will try to back off afterward.

KV-1 rotates it's turret clockwise away from the building to avoid catching its cannon on it. If the mechanic/assistant driver from the turret rear gets to the driver seat in time, he may try to turn the entire tank likewise to speed it up.

[Heiko Alkema]

Moderation Post

Soviet

T-34 (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

T-34
Status: Fully Operational

KV-1
Status: Damaged
Driver Incapacitated Replacement Driver

German

Panzer III G 322 (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer III G 324
Status: Knocked Out

Panzer IV F2 323
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer IV F2 325
Status: Damaged
Radio equipment inoperable

---

Map

Georgiy's KV whipped around as fast the heavy tank could, but wasn't quite fast enough. Realizing the danger German 323 shifted gears, reversing back and around to safety behind the building.

To the south Ilyich's T-34, under the immense pressure of being under fire from the enemy, let loose a shell and threw itself into the reverse out of the field.

At the same moment rearwards 325 fired a third shot at the field-bound T-34, however the shot fell just short as the Soviet tank moved backwards. The Germans weren't so lucky with the Soviet shell finding it's mark and ripping through the right side frontal armor and tearing apart the radio equipment therein. Though none of the crew have been significantly injured, the tank is now unable to receive anything other than visual communications.

To the west, the showdown between Laya and Hautt ended inconclusively with Laya's shot missing the target while Hautt's 322 ducked out of sight.

Next Post: Hautt

[Deleted]

Turn and Fire
Final

Hautt cursed under his breath at the sound of sharp screech of metal behind him. A quick look at the rear from the cupola revealed that tank 324 had taken a hit in the engine. The crew immediately bailed out of the smoking vehicle and started running for the hills. Their part in the battle was done.

"KV front!" tank 323 shouted, firing. Hautt wished he could see what was happening. A shot from the field T-34 missed them, sounding like a lightning bolt as it flew past. They were entering the town, and took a potshot at the KV as they passed, missing. Hautt did get a quick view of the KV, and it appeared to be damaged.

They turned North, and Hautt was wary of enemy infantry, but no fire erupted from the buildings. The radio became alive again. "He's reversing 32-" the transmission became silent. Someone was hit, anyway.

"On the hill, T-34!" shouted Rolf, and Hautt got a glimpse of another tank, this one firing at him as well. The sentence was repeated by the radioman. "Reverse, schnell!" he shouted over the intercom, tank 322 jerking backwards as the dirt in front of them was chewed up by an enemy shell. This battle was quickly escalating from a skirmish to a dirt brawl.

They took cover behind a building, and Hautt used the cupola to check the status of the field T-34. It had reversed, and was now in a prime static position for them to get a shot in. "Raasch, T-34 to the rear! Reverse turret and hit the bastard hard!" he shouted excitedly, lowering his seat again.

He left the exact target up to Raasch. Gripping his knees tightly, Hautt watched Rolf coordinate with the driver to turn the vehicle in place, traversing the turret quicker. Hautt hadn't thought of that, one more reason he needed Rolf. Rolf fired a quick shot as the vehicle turned and the T-34 slid into the sights. Hautt once again raised his seat to watch the result.

Rolf ordered another 5-cm AP shell. The Panzer III stopped, now presenting its front to the field T-34. Rolf manually adjusted the sights slightly, firing again and ordering another AP shell.


OOC:

No orders are given to the other tanks. Hautt knows one has been hit but doesn't know which.

Tank 323 knows that the field T-34 is not knocked out and still a threat. It will attack whichever tank is the biggest immediate threat. It also hears the announcement of a T-34 on a hill and will not expose itself to its fire.

The penetration of tank 325 has likely alarmed the crew and made the radioman piss himself, but they will probably stay at their stations, attacking the field T-34. They will only bail out if the tank is knocked out. They do not know of the hill T-34 since they didn't receive the transmission.

Tank 322 turns in place, traversing its turret at the same time and firing a quick 50mm AP shell at the field T-34. It fires again, better aimed, when facing. Backed into a corner, and now aimed at a stationary target, it will fire as fast as it can on vulnerable offensive spots until the field T-34 is knocked out. If knocked out, it will machine-gun escaping crew with turret and hull MGs. By offensive spots, I mean hit points with offensive value such as turret ring, turret, attacking the engine to prevent withdrawal if the turret it jammed with a good shot.

[Heiko Alkema]

Moderation Post

Soviet

T-34 (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

T-34
Status: Knocked Out

KV-1
Status: Damaged
Driver Incapacitated Replacement Driver

German

Panzer III G 322 (Command)
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer III G 324
Status: Knocked Out

Panzer IV F2 323
Status: Fully Operational

Panzer IV F2 325
Status: Damaged
Radio equipment inoperable

---

No new map

While Hautt's 50mm APCBC rounds failed to penetrate again, however, both 323 and 325 found their marks. 325 managed a lucky shot winging the driver's viewport while 323 put a round through the turret ring.

The T-34 is out of the fight.

Next post: Eteric

[Heiko Alkema]

Moderation Post

Closed due to inactivity upon request.

Instead of the normal CP payout the participants will keep the surviving tanks.

Hautt - 2× Panzer IV, 1× Panzer III

Eteric - 1× KV-1, 1× T-34

Heiko