Panzer Grenadier Headquarters - Library: Broken Axis #15 - Târgu Frumos: The Second Battle Scenario 4: Questionable Effort

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DAK '44 #2 - Armored Thrust	River Battleships #3 - Iron Gates
DAK '44 #3 - Piecestrike	Secret Weapons #1 - Flight of the Valkyries

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Târgu Frumos: The Second Battle Scenario 4: Questionable Effort Broken Axis #15
(Defender) Romania	vs	Soviet Union (Attacker)

Formations Involved
Romania		6th Infantry Division
Soviet Union		42nd Guards Rifle Division
Soviet Union		5th Guards Cavalry Group

	Total
Side 1	1
Draw	1
Side 2	2

Overall Rating, 4 votes
5 4 3 2 1 4
Scenario Rank: --- of 958

Parent Game	Broken Axis
Historicity	Historical
Date	1944-05-02
Start Time	05:30
Turn Count	16
Visibility	Day
Counters	81
Net Morale	0
Net Initiative	1
Maps	1: 102
Layout Dimensions	43 x 28 cm 17 x 11 in
Play Bounty	146
AAR Bounty	166
Total Plays	4
Total AARs	1

Battle Types
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Road Control

Conditions
Anti-infantry Wire
Minefields
Off-board Artillery
Smoke

Scenario Requirements & Playability
Broken Axis	Base Game

Introduction
As dawn approached, the nerves of the defending Romanian soldiers stretched to the breaking point. All of the previous day they sat attentively in their foxholes, dodging the occasional shelling and maintaining readiness to repel the expected Soviet onslaught to mark the 1st of May. Finally, having completed their preliminaries, the Red Army launched the attack.

Conclusion
While the Soviets made their main effort farther to the east, the Guards here expected an easy time against the Romanians. This turned out to be a false assumption, as the hardened guardsmen failed to penetrate the Romanian defenses at all. This later raised the question as to how hard they pressed their attack since the unsuccessful Guards suffered very light casualties.

Display Relevant AFV Rules

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0). AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement. AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1). Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2). Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3) Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0). Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3). Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3). AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42). AFV's may Dig In (16.2). Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC) Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle

Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable

Display Order of Battle

Romania Order of Battle

Armata Română
Foot Leader Towed

Armata Română

Foot

Leader

Towed

Soviet Union Order of Battle

Army (RKKA)
Foot

Guards
Foot Leader Mechanized Towed

Guards

Foot

Leader

Mechanized

Towed

Display AARs (1)

Defying history

Author	TFGA73
Method	Solo
Victor	Soviet Union
Play Date	2020-03-09
Language	English
Scenario	BrAx015

Broken Axis 2-4: A Questionable Effort

Background: In this scenario, part of the second Târgu Fromos battle game, the Soviets have to clear a road and create a three-hex wide corridor all the way down the map. Also, in a somewhat un-Soviet condition, they cannot lose more than a dozen steps. Both sides have a healthy amount of infantry and some decent artillery to throw around. The Russians have a tall order, and historically they didn’t pull this one off.

Setup: The action takes place in board 102, which has a large heavy forest in the middle of the board, adjacent to a road running the short length of the map. This forest drives the action in the games I’ve played on this map, and a key decision for both sides is how to handle it at setup. The Romanians decide to head into the woods, and set up most of their infantry across the face of the woods, overlooking the open ground, and wait. Their artillery and AT guns take the town and cover the paths around the forest, hoping to get a crack at the T34 accompanying the Soviet infantry.

The Russians enter from the north and immediately run into trouble, losing a wagon and its 57mm gun to Romanian artillery on the very first turn. Then they run into the infantry in the woods and take a pounding, losing a few steps and taking lots of demoralizations. By turn 5 the score was 6-0 Romania.

But about that time the Soviets regained their equilibrium. The leaders rallied nearly all of the DM’d units, and they used their numbers to slowly envelop the Romanian line. The T34 sprinted around the right flank and was able to disrupt Romanian mortars and artillery. Meanwhile, the forest that had protected the Romanians early on now became a trap, as they were slowed down and were unable to disengage. The Reds started picking them off around turn 8, and by the end the Romanians mostly demoralized and starting to divide into pockets.

At the end, the Russians had their corridor, but two undemorized VAN units snuck onto the E/W road, denying the Soviets a victory condition. It all cams down to step losses. The Romanians lost 16 steps, and a recount of Russian losses showed that they had lost 11 steps—just under the wire. Minor Soviet victory.

Analysis: Broken Axis is one of my two favorites (along with Army at Dawn) and this scenario was another quick, hard-hitting battle with both sides having a chance up until the end. Great game!

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