Submitted by Correspondent Mike Momot (Misha)
I took part in this event for the first time held annually in Odessa, New York and hosted by Scott Thompson and Fusilier Bataillon 272. I was joined by, 193rd Rifle Division member, Phil Zimmer. He distinguished himself well in his first battle. We fell in under the 9th Guards, commanded by Dave Goliger, and fought together with the 3rd Rifle Division, commanded by Mike Snyder, in attempting to thwart the fascist hoards. Battling the Russian forces were Heer, SS, and Fallschirm-Jäger units.
There were 4 tactical scenarios on the day. The first two had the Russians attacking German positions and the second two had us holding positions in defense. It was the usual situation of us being outnumbered over two to one and at a firepower disadvantage being limited in semiautomatic weapons. Our only advantage was the mobile asset of a lend-leased US jeep and an automatic PPSh onboard. We were stopped short of our first objective defeated en route in some heavily wooded terrain. The second objective was more closely contested and found us trying to take an objective in open ground. This was a hotly contested one as there was some question amongst us as to the Russians achieving the objective. We found out at the end of the day that we had not. The other two scenarios were defensive objectives. We successfully defended the third as the enemy had to attack uphill in heavily wooded terrain. We found their assault to be piecemeal in its effort. Special thanks to John of the 9th Guards and the SS we had pinned down till I fell between two rotted logs and had my foot pinned. They helped me out of a tight spot or I might still be there as rotted as those logs. The fourth and final objective had us fall in the face of overwhelming numbers and a concentrated attack by the Germans just outside the quarry. Alas, our brave defenders ran out of ammo and steam. Final score: Russians 1, Germans 3.
This is a good event, well run and well organized. Most folks took their hits and fell and recycle times were fair. Special thanks goes out to the landowner who shares this beautiful land in upstate New York with all of us. I’d like to add, when I arrived on Friday, it was snowing with a light coating of the white stuff on the ground and temps in the 20’s. It quickly warmed up the next day with temperatures in the upper 50’s and partly cloudy skies with some periods of sun. This is one event I will attend again and I’d like to encourage more of our own members to attend this one as well. It is located close to Watkins Glen, NY for all of you auto racing enthusiasts. Good bars and good food are nearby. Funny how your priorities change, as you get older!
Mike Momot
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