I decided to break my vintage uncut Panzer Grenadier game in order to get a first taste of the rules in a long time - and to get some points from unplayed scenarios with no AAR's in the process! ;) BTW, I played by the 3rd Edition rules.

Situation in this scenario is typical for the first few weeks of Barbarossa: survivors from a mauled Soviet front unit (roughly a regiment with no heavier weapons than HMG's, as well as a mixed company of medium and light tanks) try to make it back to their lines before the steel ring of German troops closes around them. Such "ring", however, is but a very porous line of German overextended motorized infantry (a reinforced company minus most of their trucks).

The Germans receive a 9-1-1 LT, a 9-0-2 SGT and a 9-1-1 SGT. The Soviets receive a 8-0-0 Captain and a 8-0-0 LT, and his only tank leader rides on his T-28 medium tank half-company.

Here is a pic of the at-start deployment. The Soviets will try and move as a mass in order to overwhelm the defenders.

11:00 & 11:15 Turns

The Soviets close on the northernmost part of the line at 2 hexes/turn (due to the slowest speed for the T-28 & HMG units), resorting to just one daisy-chain activation for the CAPT and one for the tank leader. On the 11:15 Turn, according to the scenario special rules, the Soviets roll one die and receive a 9-0-0 LT and 1xINF in hex 1-0401

The Germans take advantage of this slow pace and start digging in.

11:30 Turn

Germans finally act by firing a 81mm mortar volley against the first rank of RKKA infantrymen directed by the 9-0-2 SGT in 8-1114. A roll of "7" means no harm is done. The Soviets keep getting closer and closer.

Link to a pic after the 11:15 mortar volley. Please note all German units but the truck under the LT are dug in.

11:45 Turn

Soviet gets the initiative (6 to 5), but no new reinforcements are received. Soviet keeps closing, and the German northernmost platoons join the shooting fest, causing some Soviet units to disrupt. Now that the Soviet axis of advance is clear, the two southernmost German INF platoons and their SGT start racing north to close any gaps in the line.

12:00 Turn

Initiative gos to the German side (9 to 3), which enables him to take 3 action segments before the Soviet can react.

As the range closes, German small arms shooting becomes more and more effective (unlike the 37mm PaK, which is little more than useless at 5 hexes range, even against the T-60!).

12:15 Turn

Initiative: German (10); Soviet (4). Again the German may perform three activations in a row. On the other hand, the Soviets receive a 9-0-0 CAPT. Bad luck for the Soviets with their leader modifiers.

First to activate are the dug-in platoons, which again fire against their former targets... and basically repeating the success and lack of. Things becoming serious with the unharmed Soviet stack in 8-1012, the 9-0-1 SGT orders his two INF and the HMG platoons to combine fire on said group, and disrupt the full stack!

The last German activation sees the AT gun battery firing on the T-26 unit (another miss), and the mortar battery attacking the juicy target offered by the Soviet CAPT and the units in 8-1011 (demoralizing the half-strength INF there).

The Soviet CAPT then again chain-activates everything in range. Incredibly, the German has left the 9-0-2 SGT alone in its hex, and it is overrun by the half-stregth Soviet CAV unit (roll of "10") and dies! The half-strength CAV then exits the mapboard. The second activation by Soviet forces is the tank leader, and both Soviet tank units plow onwards without pausing to shoot. Las two activations are for the newly arrived CAPT and the demoralized CAV (which again fails to rally).

Here's a pic of this turn at the end of activations and prior to marker removal. The Soviet half-strength CAV has alrady overrun the German 9-0-2 SGT and exited the map.

12:30 Turn

Soviet wins initiative (7 to 5), which only manages to give him one activation before the German has his chance.

Of course, it is the Soviet CAPT who activates first., moving everything he can towards the escape route. Next to activate is the surviving German CAPT, who orders fire at will with 2 INF platoons and the HMG Section., managing to eliminate one half-strength INF (the second Soviet lost unit so far) as well as disrupting/demoralizing some enemy units. Soviet tank leader is next, followed by the German LT, who only manages to demoralize one previously disrupted enemy INF with some well-directed mortar fire. Next the Soviet moves and after the lonely German platoon fires and demoralizes a HMG and disrupts a half-strength one.

Picture

12:45 turn.

German wins initiative (6 to 4), and manages to achieve one activation before the Soviet has his.

The Soviet gets an 8-0-0 LT plus an INF platoon as reinforcements.

First activation is the German SGT. Next, the Soviet CAPT. Soviet troops' morale starts collapsing (even the original CAPT is demoralized), but the two tank units manage to leave the field.

13:00 Turn.

Again initiative 6 to 4 for the Germans. And then I leaned on the kitchen table, which turned over and the game ended rather abruptly... (it was 3:30 and my eyes kept telling me it was time to go to sleep). :O

Well; I only played 9 out of 20 turns and managed to get the Soviet forces' morale badly collapsed while only exiting a step of CAV and both full-strength tank units.

Nex time it will pay to spread the Soviets a little more (in order not to give the Germans any column shift for 3-unit stacks), and also to pause and fire on the Germans in order to put a little bit of pressure on them. However, being dug-in and with better leaders, it is not likely that the Soviets cause much harm.

The 37mm AT battery is rather useless except in self-defense, I am afraid. Long range shots against Soviet tanks are not likely to do much damage (door knockers). By the way... Why don't AT guns get 2 shots per activation (i.e. similarly to efficiency for tank units)?

Historical rant: Soviet T-60's did not start appearing in the front lines until the very end of 1941.

And a last rules rant: I am still deciding is I like the PG command system (so many leaders, so different infantry and tank leaders, buch of combat counters that may be commanded by any leader of the appropriate type, etc.) or if I prefer an abstracted, leaderless system, with combat counters organized like their historical counterparts (Western companies, Soviet-style battalions, etc.) and command being resolved through card/dice/written activation of full formations... It would be nice to make some formation cards with morale, leader values, command range... Oh well... I am always houseruling. ;)