Introduction

This seems like it would be an interesting scenario, depicting as it does a very difficult situation to model in a wargame. Special Forces operations seem to fascinate wargame developers and players of modern video games, but the difficulties of modeling Special Forces operations is that, conventionally speaking, they are terribly weak when compared to the units they are assaulting. Here was a chance to see what the strengths and weaknesses of a Special Operations unit are, balancing superb unit morale and concentrated firepower with the age-old equation of numbers and time; there are reasons line Generals like Schwartzkopf are dismissive of Special Forces, and the math at the heart of a wargame engine is one of them.

Scenario Note

We played this scenario with Brandenburgers' set-up with 8th Panzer, as that is our usual go-to Rule when a Scenario omits precise set-up details for a following unit (it sometimes happens). The lack of Engineer units prohibits units crossing the River, regardless of the crossing numbers given in the rules. This play is the one for which this AAR and the Scenario Rating is given.

If the Brandenburgers are made to assault the bridge on the first Turn, or if 8th Panzer is prohibited from moving until the Turn after the Brandenburgers assault the Soviet bridge garrison, a much more exciting game is had.

The Plans

For the German Player, the plan is simple: hang on till 8th Panzer reaches the bridge and can reinforce the assault. For the Soviet Player, everything depends on the set up. The SMG and HMG units must be as close as possible to the bridge, and stacked. The 82mm and HMG must be dug-in and positioned to bring fire into the bridge hexes, even if they are under assault. The SMG platoons must be as close as possible to the bridge.

The Game

Was surprisingly unexciting. The German strategy, which had the virtue of being tailored to the Special Forces' needs rather than the Regular Army's needs---which is how things tend to work in real-world cooperative operations---worked to perfection. By the time the Brandenburgers had assaulted the bridge, there was no time left for the Soviets to do anything about it. 8th Panzer's troops poured foreward, although an SdKfz 222 platoon was wiped out by Soviet Anti-Tank guns firing from the far side of the river, at maximum range. The leade PzKpfw 38(t) troop was also hit, suffering losses and falling back in disarray. The German Infantry dismounted, and the SPW 251/1s sped foreward to supress the Soviet 45mm ATG. The Soviet gunners showed remarkable discipline, and hit another Pz. 38(t) troop, knocking out several panzers. This turn of events slowed the German advance, putting a little caution into 8th Panzer's advance, but the ATG crews' elan was ultimately futile, the superior morale and firepower of the Brandenburgers overwhelming the small bridge garrison before the remaining Soviet units could reach it. The 45mm Anti-Tank gun battery was finally knocked out, allowing the SPW 251/1s to add their firepower to the assaults at the east end of the bridge, while the infantry and the now-reorganized Pz. 38(t) waited to cross the bridge to drive the Soviet infantry platoons back. Time ran out for the Soviets.

Conclusion

This is what happened, and I consider that a good wargame provides a framework for historical accuracy with a balanced chance of achieving realistic goals. A more aggressive Soviet set-up might prove intriguing, holding each hex with one unit to prevent overrun by 8th Panzer. With the 45mm in the Eastern-most hex, AT fire is still possible. Mostly, though, it takes Luck for the Soviet Player to win; one of the bridge units must Spot the Brandenburgers in the Westernmost objective hex, before the bridge itself; then it's a whole other world.

The Germans showed a fine understanding of the limits of Special Forces throughout the war, so I don't have as much trouble with this scenario as some do; the Germans seem always to have understood that Regular forces needed to be on the scene very quickly if the objective were to be held. Take 8th panzer out of the equation---say by prohibiting their movement until a Soviet unit employs Direct Fire (not Assault), or by having them enter the Board on Turn 5 while the Brandenburgers must start the game within three hexes of the bridge on Board 3---and it is a completely different scenario.