Panzer Grenadier Battles on April 25th:
Army Group South Ukraine #2 - False Hope Hammer & Sickle #39 - Insanity Laughs
Army Group South Ukraine #3 - Expanding the Perimeter Iron Curtain #20 - Insanity Laughs
Broken Axis #12 - Târgu Frumos: The Second Battle Scenario 1: Preliminaries New Zealand Division #10 - Medaglie d’Oro
Broken Axis #13 - Târgu Frumos: The Second Battle Scenario 2: Spoiling Attack
I.R.G.D. pokes a hornets' nest
Author scrane
Method Solo
Victor Draw
Play Date 2013-06-09
Language English
Scenario EFDx019

You can tell this is an earlier PG scenario, from an era when the design/development wasn't quite as tight as today. I still liked it quite a bit, for reasons I'll try to elaborate on.

Its a small, straightforward scenario. A German company must get a unit into the Russian town without losing more than 1 step. The Russians have a weak company to defend with. Here's the kicker: a scenario special rule for reinforcements that gives the Russians a 1/3 chance each turn of receiving a platoon in every town hex not yet entered by the Germans. In my game, the reinforcements didn't show up until turn 5, the turn after the Germans entered one hex of the town. At that point the game changed completely.

Having accomplished their recon mission, the Germans began to withdraw, already having taken a single step loss in the approach to the town. The Russians, with only 2 lieutenants, had to figure out how to advance about 2 battalions (!) worth of reinforcements that apparently had all just been roused out of bed, with the objective of taking out one German step before they retreated off the board.

The Germans were retreating under cover of their HMG, but a human wave of Russians poured out of town at them. A few turns of disciplined retreat was enough to exit one platoon and an AT battery, but the Germans still had 2 platoons of infantry and a HMG in jeopardy. Ultimately the volume of opp fire from the pursuing Russians was too much, and none of the remaining Germans made it. A draw.

That special rule is a bit loopy, because you get a huge number of Russian reinforcements with no leaders. I enjoyed the challenge of creatively leading the hordes, directing some to fire while some advanced. Ultimately a few platoons got left behind each turn, but the disruptions they administered to the Germans were enough to allow part of the wave to catch up and surround the Germans, wiping them out in a close-range firefight.

1 Comment
2013-07-27 17:02

Hi scrane. I was thinking about playing this quickie one night this week. As I read the special rule #3, I interpret it that you get a one-third chance to place ONE INF counter in ONE town hex, not in every town hex as you suggested. Have I got this wrong? Cheers Bangla

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