En parallèle de la partie avec Kalman, je peux jouer des scénarios sur une carte. J’ai joué Malaya Kabosi, scénario 66 d’Eastern Front. Le 13 septembre 1941, l’encerclement de Léningrad vient d’être achevé et une force soviétique se rue à l’assaut pour rompre l’encerclement en reprenant le petit village de Malaya Kabosi. Leur point fort, c’est un ensemble de chars KV1 et KV2, mais sinon, l’infanterie (moral 7/5) doit franchir toute une carte sous le feu de l’artillerie allemande. Très peu d’officiers pour les Soviétiques et assez vite, l’avance se délite. Suivant ma mauvaise technique, le char allemand est venu à la rencontre des KV, essayant de profiter de sa vitesse. Il est détruit assez vite. Les Soviétiques arrivent finalement, avec un seul officier, aux portes de la ville. L’assaut est un échec. Je n’insiste pas, Léningrad reste encerclée (pour pas loin de trois ans, si je ne me trompe…)

Played ftf with Hugmenot on 3/31/12. Fantastically enjoyable.

When I was in my teens I remember vacationing in Williamsburg. The history was OK but I was a teenager and we were travelling with another family with teenagers and we all decided that we needed to be able to do something other than walk from building to building and watch people in clothes that were way too warm for the weather try to teach us something about colonial American history before they collapsed from heat exhaustion.

We had noticed a movie theater and whined and fussed and after it was found that the movie playing wasn't a romantic one our parents said "go ahead". The movie was "Endless Summer" which turned out to be a phenomenal travel movie about surfers chasing the "perfect wave".

I have played well over 150 scenarios of PG now and have played the Russians over 80 times. I have been trying to have my infantry assaults be something more than a trail of disrupted and demoralized platoons desperately looking for a leader to take them forward. I have not, until today, been able to get the morale check rolls necessary to get that wave to make it to the objective.

The Germans begin the scenario holding the town on the board and the Soviets need to cross a lot of ground to get there and take it. The Soviets do have some KV-1s and -2s which help draw off some of the fire but mainly they have 15 infantry/HMG and mortar units which need leaders. The Soviets get three. Add to that the fact that I drew the 6-0-0 Lt. so I really had two since the 6-0-0 Lt was gone by turn 4 of a double demoralization (what a surprise).

My Soviet troops labored on and the KV-1s (the KV-2 was dispatched way too early for my liking) began firing at the town. As the troops neared the town I noticed that an empty town hex beckoned. It was behind the left flank of the German front line and taunted me. I decided to try to slide the troops around the German left flank while keeping the tanks on the right flank to pin the Germans in place.

To get there with my fragile troops I needed to weather the opportunity fire from the town. Remembering my use of the penal troops in Heroes of the Soviet Union, I ran infantry platoons directly at the Germans and absorbed the OF. To my incredible surprise the human wave hit the town and held. It was not strong enough to get into the town but it was plenty strong enough to block the direct fire of the Germans while the remainder of the Soviets slipped around and were able to get into the town. At the same time the KV-1s were able to enter the town on the right flank.

The Soviets were simply not strong enough to push the Germans out of the town but it seemed likely that the Soviets would stay in place as well. Unfortunately the German guns hadn't heard that a draw was inevitable and began slamming the Soviet troops who formed a demoralized ring out of range to the machine guns in the town. On turn 13 this fire destroyed five steps of Soviet infantry and machine guns raising the total lost to 16 and a German win.

The play was fun and although a Soviet win seems highly unlikely a draw is well within the realms of possibility. The ending was tense as Daniel worked to try to push the Soviets out of the town and I worked to get more troops into the town. I give it a "4" for the experience.

My first ftf scenario against Matt W.

The Germans are very easy to play for a newcomer. I set my troops in town and shot at stacks container whenever I could to make the Russian advance more difficult to achieve. Matt advanced his tanks on my right flank and move his infantry to my left. I hit the Russians hard and often but Matt managed to keep a human wave going and it was clear it would arrive in town at turn 10 or 11.

I shifted one platoon from my right flank to my left to deal with the fast approaching infantry. Matt immediately assaulted the weakened town hex with his tanks. My AT got a lucky shot, eliminating 1 more tank step, just as the Russians infantry assaulted the town. As the Russians had already lost 14 steps, I focused my OBA and mortar on the straggling demoralized platoons instead of the incoming wave. The strategy worked as I killed two more reduced platoons.

German victory.

Малая Kabosi Сценарий Eastern Front #66 13 сентября 1941 г. Советская реакция на окружение Ленинграда была незамедлительной и отчаянной. 10-я стрелковая дивизия при поддержке танков КВ-1 и КВ-2 прямо с завода атаковала ранним утром позиции 113-го моторизованного пехотного полка в деревне Малая Kabosi и вокруг нее. Доктор Беннигхоф, конечно, напутал здесь с транслитерацией названия деревни, впрочем, не думаю, что он все выдумал: 10-я сд действительно вела в это время бои в районе Урицка, Лиговска, поселка Володарского. Может быть, кто-нибудь из питерцев догадается, о каком населенном пункте здесь идет речь? А так перед нами второй с конца по величине сценарий Eastern Front, 14 (ходов) * 34 (фишки) * 1 (карта) = 476. Самый большой сценарий данной игры, № 27, имеет “рейтинг играбельности” 50 * 134 * 6 = 40200. А данный сценарий интересен еще и тем, что в нем впервые показан общевойсковой бой “по-панцергренадерски”: обе стороны, помимо пехоты со средствами поддержки, имеют танки, противотанковые орудия, артиллерийскую поддержку, а немцы еще и периодическую авиационную. Немцы расставляются первыми.

И вот немецкая расстановка “в разрезе” перед тем, как поставить маркеры окопов, с радиусами дальнобойности противотанковых орудий, пулеметов и легкого стрелкового оружия, отмеченных соответственно красными, синими и белыми кубиками (исключение: белые кубики наверху отмечают советскую зону расстановки).

Советские силы расставляются вторыми.

Таким плотным боевым порядкам позавидовал бы сам Мехлис. А делать нечего: всего только три лидера, а для того, чтобы фишка смогла двигаться по направлению к вражеским фишкам, которые могут ей навредить, она должна быть активизирована лидером (огневой бой она может вести самостоятельно). У танков свои проблемы: их активируют танковые лидеры, которых в этом сценарии только один, они не представлены отдельными фишками и должны секретно записываться по буквенному или цифровому обозначению на фишке. Но в этой игре на фишках танков обозначений нет! К счастью, все три фишки разные. Лидер просто будет значиться в полновесном взводе КВ-1.

Для победы надо либо контролировать все гексы города, либо нанести противнику определенный уровень потерь. Поле на карте игнорируется. 0845-0930 (ходы 1-4) Сразу становится понятно, кому что делать в дебюте. Танки выезжают вперед, а пока пехота подтягивается, стараются подавить огневые точки немцев. Немцы, в свою очередь, стараются задействовать свои невеликие противотанковые средства против танков, уповая на перекрестный огонь и эффективность бронетехники (позволяющую их танкам проводить две противотанковые атаки в ход), и будут пытаться разбить советскую цепь командования, атакуя гексы с лидерами посредством артиллерии, минометов и авиации, которая приходит спорадически. Воздушная поддержка прибыла к немцам только на третий ход в виде Ю-88, которые отбомбились по гексу с советским капитаном и деморализовали взвод под ним. Капитан затем активировался с целью восстановления взвода, но тот не восстановился и удрал в близлежащий лес! В целом немцам удалось внести беспорядок в цепь командования, и под бомбежкой и артобстрелом продвижение не проходило единообразно. Советские танкисты сбили один уровень с фишки немецких окопанных танков (немцы утратили эффективность), но сами потеряли под перекрестным огнем ослабленную фишку КВ-1. Противотанковый бой в игре очень смертоносный, на двух кубиках всегда можно бросить много.

0945-1030 (ходы 5-8) На пятый ход советским танкистам сразу удалось выбить фишку немецких окопанных танков. Немцы просели по инициативе, кроме того, для победы советской стороне осталось нанести им три уровня потерь (фишка танков имела два уровня, но потери танков идут вдвое). Капитан занял один гекс с танковым лидером, что позволяло им активироваться вместе и активировать как пехоту, так и танки. На шестой ход очень удачно отстрелялись немецкие противотанкисты, артиллерия из-за пределов игрового поля и минометы. Советские потери составили полфишки танков и полфишки пехоты, инициатива упала, лидеры пришли в замешательство, от которого и восстанавливались, было также несколько деморализаций. Три хода подряд немцы имели воздушную поддержку, дважды в виде “Мессершмиттов”, которые привели в замешательство советские минометы, и один раз в виде “Хеншелей”, нанесших потери в виде полуфишки.

1045-1130 (ходы 9-12) На девятый ход советской стороне стало ясно, что надо нажимать, потому что время на исходе, да и оставаться под обстрелом и бомбежкой в ожидании того, когда подавят огневые точки противника, значило продолжать нести потери. Правда, атака на не до конца подавленную оборону противника — зрелище не для слабонервных. Сначала встречает беглый огонь из минометов; тех, кто доберется до переднего края обороны противника, “приветствуют” огнем из стрелкового оружия в упор, а уцелевших, наконец, расстреливают тяжелые пулеметы. Потери сразу дошли до вторых четырех уровней, инициатива упала до единицы. Немцы полностью исчерпали возможности оборонительного огня по первой волне, но вторая только начала подтягиваться. На следующий ход немцы выиграли инициативу и получили первый сегмент действия, еще больше покосив нападающих, но капитан, пулеметчики и КВ все-таки пошли на штурм позиции с немецким “капралом” и взводом. “Капрал” деморализовался (а потом и вовсе дезертировал), взвод пришел в замешательство. Немцы контратаковали очень хорошим “сержантом” и дополнительным взводом, но неудачно: потеряли полфишки и “сержанта”, инициатива тоже опустилась до единицы. Это не помешало немцам опять выиграть инициативу и бросить в бой лейтенанта с пулеметчиками. Тут им повезло добиться результата “3”, у советской стороны в итоге осталась деморализованная полфишки пулеметчиков и капитан, которые вынуждены были покинуть гекс, где проходила штурмовая атака, и были выбиты немецким даровым огнем вдогонку. Советская инициатива упала до нуля, но остальные лидеры успешно прошли проверку на обезглавливание (имеется в виду гибель старшего командира).

1145-1200 (ходы 13-14) Как ни странно, но советская победа все равно была возможна благодаря тому, что советская слабенькая артиллерия удачно отстрелялась по скоплению немцев и сбила полфишки, осталось нанести немцам всего еще один уровень потерь! Но немцы быстренько разгруппировались, и игра закончилась без происшествий.

Послесловие Немцы удержали город и победили. Потери сторон вышли следующие:

Но здесь показаны только фишки, снятые с игрового поля, а с учетом ослабленных фишек немцы нанесли 16 уровней потерь, выполнив тем самым и свое альтернативное условие победы. Сами они потеряли шесть уровней. Сценарий вышел неплохой, динамичный. При такой конфигурации советской стороне надо было постоянно продвигаться вперед, используя первые, опережающие, сегменты действий, отвлекаясь на восстановление только в случае беспорядка лидеров. Еще лучше было бы назначить исходный рубеж в лесу, оставить там одного лидера для повторной утилизации деморализованных фишек и продвигаться эшелонированно, а не широким фронтом. Что касается танков, то им, наверное, не стоило тратить время на попытки подавления немецких противотанковых средств, лучше было бы организовать штурмовую атаку совместно с пехотой, ворвавшись в расположение противника. Можно было бы попробовать объехать немецкие позиции и угрожать проникновением в деревню, немцам пришлось бы перестраиваться. А то и просто можно было въехать на немецкие позиции в одиночку. Заключение Не имея сильной артиллерийской поддержки, плохо подготовленная атака не удалась, хотя и была близка к успеху. Тяжелые танки едва не внесли перелом. К заходу солнца советское продвижение остановилось, и атака прекратилась.

Introduction

Another solid scenario in Eastern Front, showcasing the difficulties both sides faced. The Soviets have serious numerical superiority---almost 5:1 in infantry and 2:1 in tanks---and they match the Germans in mortars and anti-tank weapons. Their Divisional Artillery is not as strong, but both combatant's dispose only a single battery's worth of support. The Soviet weakness remains in in their Leaders, but unless the Germans draw extremely well, for once there shouldn't be as much disparity. The victory objectives are the same, as well, with the town and casualties being equally important to the Soviet and Germans forces.

The Plans

The Soviets need to cross a lot of ground very briskly. While there is enough time for them to get their infantry and support weapons into action, they cannot afford to advance slowly. The Germans need to separate the Soviet KV tanks from their overwhelming infantry support, and then bleed that infantry as it closes up.

The German Plan

I decided on a risky deployment as being the only real hope of victory, and acted accordingly. The Infantry and HMG platoons, along with the 81mm Mortar platoon, were deployed in the town proper. I had an excellent Leader draw, so I was able to set up a sort of crude ambush for the Soviet tankers; I dug the 50mm PaK-38 as far foreward as I could along the North-South road (Hex 0305) along with the Truck. The Pz. IIIH I dug in on the "un-field" on my left flank (to the West, Hex 0805). I thus hoped to manage a crossfire shot or two on the KV tanks, and maybe take one out. The rest was up to my artillery and the vagaries of Luftwaffe support.

The Soviet Plan

The Soviet Player decided that his enemy was time. He had to get down to the Town and secure it quickly, brushing aside any German foreward units defending it. and letting the following infantry deal with them. He decided, therefore, to rush the town with his KV tanks, letting his infantry catch him up in the crucial middle turns. His plan came down to driving straight at the Germans along the axis of the North-South road, and killing any Germans he encountered.

The Game

Things went awry for the Soviets from the outset. Luftwaffe aircraft attacked the tank column in its assembly area and succeeded in demoralising the Soviet tankers in the KV-2 demi-troop and disrupting the KV-1 demi-troop. As the Soviet Tank Leader was in the KV-2, this presented something of a problem to the Soviet plan of advance. After a delay to reorganize his tankers and exhort himself to remember Mother Russia, the Soviet Tank Leader hopped back in his KV-2 and set off, passing the plodding infantry, but something about this first brush with combat shook the tankers' faith in their new machines. As they crawled across the open ground towards the road the Luftwaffe hit them again, and again the two demi-troops were disorganized, while the KV-1 troop milled around waiting for orders. Once again, the Rifle platoons slogged by. Again the Soviets lurched foreward, and again the Luftwaffe pounded the lead tanks, who this time were stacked with the 45mm Anti-Tank gun. The Luftwaffe's stunning accuracy was finally rewarded in blood, as the wagon and it's gun were knocked out by the Stuka's bombs. The Tank Leader managed to hold his men together this time, but one of the Soviet Lieutenants was killed. The Germans were now hitting the Sovite with what artillery the had, and it managed to devstate one of the rifle platoons which was unlucky enough to get caught unprepared, its casualties amounting to half its men. By now the Soviets were thoroughly shaken; they had been told the Luftwaffe might sortie some ground support aircraft, not that Stukas and Ju.88s would swarm over them like storm crows. At last, the Soviet tanks gained the road and prepared to surge foreward and overrun the hated German invader. Alas, it was not to be. Once again the Eagles struck from the sky with uncanny accuracy, and bombs exploded on and around the KVs with such power that whole platoons of infantry would have been wiped out. Both demi-troops were demoralized and the KV-1 troop thrown into confusion. More delays. At last the Soviets advanced down the road, though the KV-1 troop remained in some confusion, the Soviet commander feared to delay any longer.

The crews of the German PaK-38 battery had been told to look for the Soviet tank with Wireless antennae, and to wait to fire until it was at point-blank range. With admirable discipline, this is exactly what they did, gambling that they could knock the big tank around before it obliterated their gun positions. Not surprisingly, the 50mm shells proved ineffective against the thick armour of the KV-2s, but the shots from the hull-down Pz. IIIH struck the less heavily-protected sides and rear of the Soviet vehicles. With a cry of dread, the Soviet tankers watched as their commander's factory-fresh tank became a pyre. A second shot at the KV-1 demi-troop bounced harmlessly off their thick hides. Like wounded beasts, the KV-1s rained fire on the Pz. IIIH, but the only hits glanced off the upgraded armour of the H model. Again the Pak battery fired into the Soviet tanks, this time at the full-strength KV-1 troop, and again the Pz. III followed this attack up with devastating results. Several KV-1 were knocked out, and the turret was blown off of one. The shattered hulks blazed in front of the PaK nest.

At this point the Soviet Commander called the attack off on his own authority, though he would later claim that he still felt he had sufficient forces to carry the town, but needed to regroup before continuing the assault.

Conclusion

The Soviet player was, to say the least, unlucky, while the German Player was, in turn, quite lucky. The appearance of three consecutive turns of Luftwaffe attacks with effective bombers was nothing but luck, and their re-appearance at the crucial turn of the tank assault was fortuitous. This should have been a much tougher fight, and I am inclined to agree that the Soviet player still had sufficient forces to win. But nine Soviet Steps had been eliminated, and it was quite probably that I would eliminate a few more in close-quarters fighting. With my Pz. IIIH still battle-worthy, I had a serious advantage, and had another Luftwaffe strike appeared, the vulnerable infantry would have been its target. Later in the war, the Soviet tanks would not be so vulnerable to being shaken up as they were here, although again it must be said that the Soviets were unlucky in their Morale rolls---a '7' isn't that hard to roll.

While my opponent made much of his remaining combat power, as I have always maintained, a concession in these circumstances is actually quite a legitimate victory---the Soviet commander had been broken, and in his despair called off the attack; it happened plenty of times when real flesh and blood were at stake. A good scenario I hope to replay again some day.

Soviet forces, while outnumbering the Germans by probably 2:1, had a serious shortage of leaders. While in the push toward the town it didn't make much difference, it made a lot once they got within firing distance. Average morale, and no ability to combine fire condemned the Soviets to trying to overwhelm the Germans.

Soviet infantry attacked the north side of the town, while their tanks moved in from the west. Germans redeployed their anti-tank forces (an anti-tank gun and a sole PzIIIH) to slow the KVs down. With only one tank leader, that wasn't tough. The soviet infantry traded morale state for terrain (once the Germans fired, the soviets moved up). This eventually put them adjacent to one another. Unfortunately, it also resulted in many of the soviet infantry in marginal states. This minimized the fire against the germans and even though eventually the Soviets pushed into town, the Germans were able to reorganize. The Soviets pushed into an assault, but that proved foolish as there was too little firepower to hurt the Germans and in return, they were easily disrupted and/or demoralized.

The KVs finally broke through with about 30 minutes to spare. reinforcing the assault, they too found the high German morale to be difficult to deal with. The game ended with the Soviets controlling the entire town, except for one area where the two sides were locked in assault.

Soviet lost 13 steps, Germans 7. Soviet win, but only barely (and due to the loss of the tank alone). A fun scenario, even though the sides were uneven. The time crunch and the morale differences make it a challenge

This small scenario from the main box-set EFD was played by email with old adversary of five and half years John Legan from Chicago. It has 2.5 German Infantry platoons back with an HMG pln, a PzIII, 50mm AT gun & mortar, trying to fend off 9.5 Soviet INF pln, 2 HMG plns and 2 plns of KV's. The Germans also have a 1 in 3 chance of air-support each turn and a 16pt OBA allotment. Both sides are tasked to control the whole 5 hex town of Malayi on the board or if contested, the Germans can win by eliminating 16 steps and the Soviets can win by eliminating 7 steps.

For the first 3 turns or so, the Soviets advance toward Malaya Kabosi and they manage this without loss. In fact, they practically get to the town gates unscathed. As a sub-plot, the PzIII does its best to become a target for the KV's and moves far from the roads serving the town tugging the slow moving KV's with it in a slow chase.

As the Soviets make their final dash to incur on the town, some German fire causes a step loss on turn 4. There is also some disorder struck, but the Soviets do manage to get to the one corner where a solo German platoon holds. The Soviets throw a company sized attack against the defenders on the corner just mentioned and this assault was to last around 8 or 9 turns as the German defenders hold the enemy off generally getting the better of the assaults by disordering the enemy attacks. Elsewhere, other Soviet foot troops are slowly becoming disrupted and then demoralised as they fail to breach the enemy line .... Their morale against fire often letting them down. But almost un-noticeably, their casualties are slowly mounting as some steps are cut down by German HMG and rifle fire, but also by DEM troops throwing in the towel and disappearing as fighting units.

In turn 11, the Germans throw in a counter-attack in the assault hex where two of the Soviet platoons are demoralised. This follows the Germans first loss of a step the turn before when what had been a brave stand by the solo platoon results in them losing a step in the assault and becoming disrupted. With better morale and concentrated force, this counter attack knocks off a step from the good order Soviet INF, and with a double demoralisation, a step off each of the already DEM Sov platoons. The damage is accentuated when the PzIII gets a ranging shot from 5 hexes against the KV2 reduced platoon and destroys the step too. This brings the Soviet step loss to 15 with just one more needed.

With the initiative theirs in turn 12, the Germans mercilessly drive the assault home against the 3 x reduced DEM enemy units remaining there. This causes another step loss and knocks off the other 2 x DEM units as they both fail M2 MC's by a considerable margin. With 18 step losses and still needing to inflict 6 on the Germans with a turn remaining, it was going to be impossible.

Of the 5 hexes of Malaya Kabosi, the best the Soviets could muster was control of 2 hexes and 2 hexes contested. The Germans controlled 1 hex (plus the 2 contested hexes). German win.

Rated '3' as its a decently fun game with such a small counter-count. German leaders were poor with only one of them having a morale rating. The Soviets were equally poorly led in officer ratings. I'm surprised this scenario has such a German win bias. Certainly at one point, it looked as if the Soviets might swamp the town around turn 4, but it never occurred in the end. Certainly as the Germans you have to be ready to fire-brigade locations and when you do fight, fight with a hard-hitting stack. Don't use them in dribs and drabs or else they will get picked off.