Panzer Grenadier Battles on November 23rd:
An Army at Dawn #3 - Fire Support Leyte '44 #29 - Thanksgiving Day
Carpathian Brigade #3 - Breakout and Pursuit Panzer Lehr 2 #24 - Plug the Hole
Desert Rats #23 - Te Hokowhitu-a-Tu ("War Party") Panzer Lehr #24 - Plug the Hole
Desert Rats #24 - Hill 175 South Africa's War #7 - Rear Echelon
Dragon’s Teeth #33 - Chickenshit Regulations South Africa's War #8 - Ons Is Helsems
Invasion of Germany #38 - Making Hay South Africa's War #9 - Sunday of the Dead
Jungle Fighting #9 - Another Try West Wall #8 - Making Hay
How Does One Say "Run Away!" in Italian and German?
Author Poor Yorek
Method Solo
Victor Soviet Union
Play Date 2014-03-15
Language English
Scenario FrRu025

This scenario is a Soviet artilleryman's dream come true.

A company of Italian Bersaglieri and two companies of (low morale) Heer infantry boot it across ~1200m of open terrain to assault a fortified (3 x entrenchments) hill almost entirely encircled by a row of mines. One insignificant change: as I could not find a Soviet tube with a 16 BF value, I "counted" the 2x16 Soviet OBA factors as 2x15 treating them as 107mm units. Even so, the Stalinists could throw:

10+20 = 30 attack

10+10+15 = 30 attack

10+10+15 = 30 attack

12+12 = 21 attack (the 120mm mortars)

8+16 = 16 attack (the 82mm mortars).

As the Axis side's OBA was spotted by Italian leaders only, initial Russian targeting was directed towards Italian leaders.

The Axis forces were simply slaughtered on approach and this despite taking the precaution of spreading out units one per hex. German leadership was good, but the 7/6 morale base was a liability. By Turn Four, three Axis steps had been lost; 7 units were demoralized; another was disrupted; and the Italian capitano demoralized. On the subsequent turn, the only Italian units that survived approach crossed a minefield; got stopped; then hit by a '2' on the 16-col from OF by a single Soviet INF. This was after the single favorable Axis event, which was demoralizing the RKKA HMG in the same entrenchment. On the German side, demoralizations and recovery failures had the Heer companies scattered and in shambles.

It was pretty much the French taunting Arthur and his Knights. How do you say "runaway" in Italian and German?

The Hitler Jugend might have survived this approach with their 9/8 morale, but this scenario reminded me a bit of a few plays from Winter Soldiers with the US having the VT proximity fuse OBA going.

I think only very prolonged "average" rolling by the Soviets (or having TheDoctor roll the Axis morale checks) would possibly allow the Axis even a foothold, much less an opportunity for victory here. So, meh.

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