Author	treadasaurusrex (Soviet Union)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Draw
Participants	NBGB
Play Date	2025-03-17
Language	English
Scenario	FitS002

This was a 9-session play-through (30 game turns) with the resolute & careful, NBGB, leading attacking elements of attacking German 298th Infantry and 14th Panzer Division. I led dug-in elements of the Soviet 87th Rifle Division and the reinforcing 41st Tank Division. The Soviets drew a middling set of leaders, but the German invaders drew an excellent group of officers.

We used the FOW (starting on game turn 10), consolidation, tank riders, smoke/Illum (both sides), hidden units (Soviet side), excess initiative and extended assault optional rules. And also these 3 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, 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, and 3) Enhanced Anti-Tank (AT) Gunnery & Hidden Placement Unless prohibited by special scenario rules, ALL dug-in, entrenched, or town-occupying, towed AT gun units may fire in opportunity fire (OPFIRE) TWICE just like tanks in the standard rule set. For example: dug-in, German PaK 36 (37mm); PaK 38 (50mm); or British 6-pdr towed AT gun platoons are therefore able to fire TWO AT shots per unit in OPFIRE situations. In addition, towed, AT gun platoons always begin scenarios in HIDDEN mode if allowed to dig-in per scenario special rules, or are entrenched, dug-in, and/or town-occupying (please see Optional Rules for Hidden Units; Plotting Position; Revealing; and No Hidden Units Specified on Page 37).

Our initial session (game turns 1-2) consisted of the start of an orderly German movement to contact on the west side of the Bug River, led by some brave mortar units and the senior leader. This action was immediately disrupted & disordered by aggressive Russian reconnaissance activity on the east side of the single bridge (Hex 03-0909) west of the 5-hex town of Ustyluh. While the Soviet Lieutenant involved ended up captured, German movement on to the map was temporarily derailed in response to some accurate Russian OBA and long-range artillery strikes, as they poured into concealed positions in the forest. By the end of the session, both sides had lost 2 steps, including a pair of German mortar platoons and two Russian infantry steps.

The second session (game turns 3-4) featured the continued German movement west to contact at the bridge. and further north along the western bank of the Bug. Casualties were again, low this session with a combined 3 steps lost and a pair of captured leaders. The only critical hit was the loss of a single step and a demoralization to the first German pioneer unit to reach the river.

Our constricted-maneuver, third session (game turns 5-6) featured an audacious infiltration of German troops through the contested bridge hex under a smokescreen! They were met by heavy opfire and the Soviets repeatedly bombarded the Wehrmacht 3-stack in the bridge hex, to little avail. Casualties this session included a second German leader killed and a Soviet Kommissar was captured. A handful of steps were lost, bringing losses for both sides to 5 steps apiece. German pioneer platoons and accompanying Landser infantry spread out on the west banks of the Bug, to jump off positions north & south of the bridge. The outcome of this one will likely hinge on the next 6 game turns.

The chaotic, faulty internet-connection, fourth session (game turn 7) featured many adjacent-hex firefights and a surprisingly effective Russian bayonet charge that eliminated an infiltrating German infantry platoon in Hex 03-0808. Just west of the forest on Map 03, the Wehrmacht moved into a river crossing site in Hex 03-0706, southwest of Ustyluh. The updated victory point totals were now: 7 for the struggling Soviets, and 5 for the Germans.

Our wild, fifth session (game turns 8-9) featured the Wehrmacht force closing on the river Bug to attempt crossing operations both south & north of the bridge hex & Ustyluh. Slow infiltration of German infantry through the close assault hex at the bridge location continued with more than a company of Landsers and a supporting HMG platoon sliding across the east bank of the Bug. Good news for the Russians was the delayed entry of a battalion of slow & ramshackle, T-26 tanks during the 9th game turn, and German initiative fell one level to a 3. Victory points were now: 9 for the advancing Germans, and 8 for the godless Soviets. Both sides lost one leader this session.

The wild & woolly, sixth session (game turns 10-11) featured the beginning of the FOW and a good deal of chaos & mischief. Lucky Soviet artillery strikes resulted in the elimination of one of the critical German pioneer platoons, and adjacent-hex fire fights ended the Jerry threat at the southernmost river crossing site, amid heavy casualties and multiple morale collapses. Heavy fighting continued in the troop concentration zone between the bridge hex and Ustyluh, where the infiltrating Germans mounted a second close assault, west of the Bug. There were 5 Wehrmacht steps losses, as well as a pair of Russian steps and a leader killed in action. Soviet initiative fell one level, though momentum of the game seemed to shift in their favor by the end of the session, as the first of the relieving armored column rumbled into view east and south of Ustyluh.

Our bloody, seventh session (game turns 12-13) was incredibly grim for the Russian defenders who lost an additional 8 steps and a leader in very heavy fighting west of Ustyluh. In contrast, the Germans only lost a pair of steps and a Sergeant in close assaults, while steadily reinforcing their contingent across the Bug. By the end of the session, the Germans were very firmly ensconced on the east side of the river and were rapidly drawing into decisive range to begin the inevitable siege of Ustyluh.

The close-assault-heavy, eighth session (game turns 14-15) was another grim one for the defending Soviets with 5 more steps lost to close assaults, accurate OBA and adjacent-hex firefights. The fighting was intense this session and the advancing Germans parted with another 4 steps and lost an initiative level in the bargain. Jerry infiltration through the contested bridge hex continued and now and entire Wehrmacht battalion was across the Bug River and closing on the western margins of Ustyluh. At the halfway point in this high-casualty scenario, the final outcome is still very much in doubt!

The bloody, ninth session (game turns 16-19) was very grim for the Russians with 9 steps lost, to only a pair of Axis losses. The Soviets offered a draw from at the start of the 19th game turn, which was accepted with alacrity by the German commander to end this riverside slugfest.

Unfortunately, this scenario suffers from some poorly-written & edited Fire in the Steppe special scenario rules e.g., Red Tread Heads. It is clear that this one was not adequately play-tested. The German objectives are a very hard pull, given that an entire town (Ustyluh) must be captured before they may begin rolling for their NEEDED, reinforcements. Nevertheless, it was fun to play with an aggressive, determined & able opponent, and though overlong, it provides ample opportunities for sweeping movement, attack sequencing practice, night combat and aggressive probing of prepared defenses, with many crucial decision points. Unplaytested though it is, I give it a rating of 2, and suggest that the more experienced player take the German side,. In spite of the caveats noted above, this is relatively-balanced scenario is recommended for both SOLO and SHARED play.