Kampfgruppe Hedgehog: Mission 8

[Rico]

After the latest successful defensive battle, Kampfgruppe @Hedgehog has been pulled back into reserve and StuG Brigade 112 have also been pulled out of the line for repairs and replenishment.

12th Panzer Division is pulling back to regroup SW of Minsk and hold the Russians there for as long as possible.
A small PAK blocking detachment at the village of Ploshgoy has beaten back heavy enemy attacks and has lost all its trucks to artillery fire and is now unable to move its guns.



Division does not want to abandon those guns, and since your Kampfgruppe is closest to Ploshgoy, Lt Baier's 1st PzGrenadier platoon is ordered to take their halftracks and evacuate the guns crews and supporting MG teams from their positions under cover of night, before the enemy launches another attack and overruns their positions. Your two Flak Halftracks armoured cars are attached to provide escort and gunfire support.

The halftracks however only arrive at dawn due to refuelling delays ... hopefully the enemy does not spot your activity.

 

[Unknown]

Astonishing! This is a real, official photo from 1942 - when I looked at it in the first moment I thought it was a 1:35 model diorama...

 

[poesel71]

I guess its the lens shift effect which is so often used today to make real photos look like dioramas.
Only the SPW in the centre is in focus while everything around is unfocused. Probably due to the photographer following the movement of the halftrack which blurs everything else.

 

[Unknown]

I guess its the lens shift effect which is so often used today to make real photos look like dioramas.
Only the SPW in the centre is in focus while everything around is unfocused. Probably due to the photographer following the movement of the halftrack which blurs everything else.

Yes - now as you say it - that's the effect! Thx! And in addition the smoke in the background makes an effect of "no horizon", no wideness - just as if there is a tapestry or wall behind that scene.

 

[Hedgehog]

@Rico All my forces are safely back with the loss of one HQ, I feel it was pretty close run thing as the Russians were in full flight
near the end of this affray, We shouldn't under estimate the Russians we are thinking

 

[Rico]

@Rico All my forces are safely back with the loss of one HQ, I feel it was pretty close run thing as the Russians were in full flight
near the end of this affray, We shouldn't under estimate the Russians we are thinking

Ok, will ceasefire and process.

 

[Rico]

@Rico All my forces are safely back with the loss of one HQ, I feel it was pretty close run thing as the Russians were in full flight
near the end of this affray, We shouldn't under estimate the Russians we are thinking

I see you lost one of the AT guns -- was it to the rocket fire?

 

[Hedgehog]

I see you lost one of the AT guns -- was it to the rocket fire?

Yes credit goes to your rocket attack

 

[Rico]

Congratulations Major @Hedgehog -- you have successfully completed Mission 8 and safely extracted 2 of 3 the PAK guns with their crews and support infantry before they would be overrun by the Russian infantry attack.
One gun was lost when it was hit by the Russian rocket barrage and the members of the PAK battery HQ were all WIA.

The PAK guns have been passed on to the Panzergrenadier Regiment command and you regroup with StuG Brigade 112 and prepare for the withdrawal operations to commence.

 

[Mehlsack]

I guess its the lens shift effect which is so often used today to make real photos look like dioramas.
Only the SPW in the centre is in focus while everything around is unfocused. Probably due to the photographer following the movement of the halftrack which blurs everything else.

[smartass mode on]

I propose a different explanation basing on the things I learnt at an photography course just 20 years ago.
Back then we used rolls of film that we did process in the darkroom. Seems ages ago...

In fact the picture reminds of a diorama photo since it has a small depth of field (DOF) what occurs with macro lenses for diorama pics as well.
However it has nothing to do with following a moving object. Rather this effect is achieved here with a large aperture respectively a small f-number at the camera. Apparently the photographer did choose such a large aperture since the light incidence is pretty reduced by heavy smoke.
Under sunny conditions such a large aperture would overexpose the film what requires the usage of small apertures normally. This causes a large depth of field then again = everything is sharp.

[smartass mode off ]