Author	treadasaurusrex (Soviet Union)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Soviet Union
Participants	Grognard Gunny (AAR)
Play Date	2025-02-10
Language	English
Scenario	TBRa002

This was a 5-session play through with the cunning & consistently entertaining, Grognard Gunny led defending recon and anti-tank elements of German Battle Group Seckendorff of the 6th Panzer Division in this meeting engagement-style battle in relatively open terrain on 2 maps. I led stolid elements of the Soviet 2nd Tank Division in this early-war scenario. The Germans drew a good batch of leaders, while the Russian leaders were middling. To secure a major victory, the Soviets must: 1) exit the west map edge with at least 10 steps of good order tanks, 2) eliminate more German than Soviet steps (AT guns & tanks count double) and 3) ensure that no German units occupies a hex on the north-south road. This will be hard nut for the combined arms Russian force to crack with the possibility of an entire German armored battalion arriving as reinforcements from the south sometime after Game turn 5.

We used the FOW, consolidation, smoke/Illum (None for the Russians), excess initiative, strategic movement and extended assault optional rules. We also used these 2 house rules: 1) Road Movement for Mechanized & Foot Units - All FOOT & MECHANIZED units may move on roads at the rate of 1/2 of a Movement Point (MP) per road hex, just like MOTORIZED units, and 2) Standardized Movement for Mechanized Units — All mechanized units may move through clear hexes at a movement cost of only 1 movement point (MP) per hex, instead of 1 1/2. Add one to this cost if moving up, across, or down slopes hexes.

Our initial session (game turns 1-2) featured a 2-pronged Soviet movement to contact, commencing before dawn in the north (right flank) with an armor-only approach, and the south(left flank) with a very strong combined arms approach that seized the 7-hex town in the center of Map 04 by the end of the second game turn. Panzer panic struck hard that same turn, and multiple German units disrupted or demoralized at first sight of several platoons of advancing KV-2 and KV-1 heavy tanks.

The second session (game turns 3-5) was focused on the consolidation of the attacking Russian infantry & mortars in the 7-hex town, as well as the Soviet Doctrine-Rule-required, mad rush of heavy tanks to close with, and assault any AT guns that they could see. A single 37mm AT gun platoon was eliminated this session as the Bolsheviks drew first blood in an armored close assault. All 10 steps of good-order Soviet tank units moved off the west edge of the battle map, achieving one of the 3 Soviet objectives, and the German reinforcements were delayed.

Our third session (game turns 6-8) was a grim one for the defending German side with 10 step losses, a 2-level decline in initiative and a leader captured. Unexpectedly, a demoralized KV-2 platoon was decimated by the Soviet Kommissar who personally executed half the unit’s nonconforming, tank commanders after the unit failed to recover its morale. Ironically, all Russian casualties to this point were the result of political assassination rather than enemy bullets, shells or bayonets!

The action-packed, fourth third session (game turns 9-11) was a very grim one for the defending Wehrmacht with the loss of 11 steps and another officer. The German armored reinforcements finally arrived on the south edge of the battle map during game turn 10. This led to a bloody exchange of armor piercing fire and some accurate OBA strikes by both sides, resulting in the German initiative level collapsing. Fierce fighting in a series of adjacent hex firefights continued along the north-south road, around 1 kilometer north of the Soviet-held, 7-hex town on Map 4. A lone, Russian BT-5 scuttled off the northwest corner of the battle map to complete the exit of required 10 steps of tanks. The updated victory points at the end of this session were now: 22 for the Soviets and 3 for the embattled Jerries.

Our costly, fifth third session (game turns 12-15) featured continued accurate At and close range direct fire. By mutual agreement we ended the game at the start of the 15th game turn with a Soviet minor victory with only 2 of their objectives fulfilled. Casualties were again, very heavy, with a combined 11 steps lost (2 Soviet & 9 German) by the end of the session.

This was a gamey & unnecessarily complex scenario with too many special rules, that was enjoyable when played with a determined & flexible opponent. It merits consideration for both SHARED and SOLO play, with the caveat that the more experienced player should manage the, harder-to-lead, attacking Soviets. I give this one a rating of 3, and recommend a rewrite to simplify both gameplay and the victory conditions.