Panzer Grenadier Battles on November 21st:
Desert Rats #16 - The Panzers Pull Back Desert Rats #19 - The Panzers Return
Desert Rats #17 - The Tomb Of Sidi Rezegh Jungle Fighting #7 - Line Of Departure
Desert Rats #18 - A Pibroch's Skirl South Africa's War #5 - Irish Eyes
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One Week
Maple Leaf Brigade #8
(Attacker) Canada vs Soviet Union (Defender)
Formations Involved
Canada 27th Brigade Group
Soviet Union 207th "Berlinskaya" Rifle Division
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for MaLB008
Total
Side 1 1
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 1 vote
5
4
3
2
1
4
Scenario Rank: --- of 940
Parent Game Maple Leaf Brigade
Historicity Alt-History
Date 1951-11-01
Start Time 11:00
Turn Count 20
Visibility Day
Counters 160
Net Morale 1
Net Initiative 2
Maps 2: 23, 24
Layout Dimensions 56 x 43 cm
22 x 17 in
Play Bounty 198
AAR Bounty 171
Total Plays 1
Total AARs 1
Battle Types
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Road Control
Urban Assault
Conditions
Off-board Artillery
Randomly-drawn Aircraft
Smoke
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Elsenborn Ridge Maps
Hammer & Sickle Counters
Maple Leaf Brigade Base Game
Road to Berlin Counters
Introduction

Falling back toward their East German bases, the Soviet formations began to receive replacements that improved their personnel as combat-experienced reservists arrived at the front. Much of their “new” equipment came from the huge stockpiles left over from the Great Patriotic War, but was considered more than adequate for holding the defensive positions the Third Shock Army now assumed.

It had been only a week since the Soviets had been advancing and looking forward to disrupting the NATO mobilization. Despite the replacements and reequipment, none of the rank and file were unaware that this was not what the STAVKA had anticipated.

Conclusion

The Soviet defenses could not stand against the Canadian combination of morale and mobility. The big anti-aircraft guns employed in a ground-defense role briefly gave the oncoming Centurions pause, but the Canadian infantry dealt with them and the advance carried on. The Soviet bid to liberate the oppressed workers of the West appeared to be in dire jeopardy.


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).
  • Open-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables, but DO take step losses from X and #X results (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). If a "2X" or "3X" result is rolled, at least one of the step losses must be taken by an open-top AFV if present.
  • 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
  • APC – Armored Personnel Carrier: These are Combat Units, but stack like Transports. They can transport personnel units or towed units. They are not counted as combat units for the +1 stacking modifier on the Direct Fire and Bombardment Tables (4.4). They may be activated by regular leaders and tank leaders (1.2, 3.34, 4.3, 5.43). They do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Armored Cars: These are Combat Units. They are motorized instead of mechanized. All have their own armored car leaders, who can only activate armored cars (6.85). Do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Reconnaissance Vehicle: 8.23 Special Spotting Powers Both foot and vehicle mounted recce units (1.2) possess two special spotting abilities. The first ability is that they can spot enemy in limiting terrain at one hex further than the TEC specifies for other units and leaders. For example, an enemy unit in town can normally be spotted at three hexes or less, but a recce unit can spot them at four hexes.Their second ability is that they can place a Spotted marker on any one enemy unit they can spot per turn, just as if the enemy unit had "blown its cover" by firing. Such Spotted markers are removed as described earlier.

Display Order of Battle

Canada Order of Battle
Army
  • Mechanized
  • Misc
  • Motorized
  • Towed
Soviet Union Order of Battle
Army (RKKA)
  • Mechanized
  • Motorized

Display Errata (2)

2 Errata Items
Overall balance chart for 951

The reduced direct fire value in Kursk: Burning Tigers is 4-4.

(plloyd1010 on 2015 Jul 31)
Overall balance chart for 993

Kommissars never get morale or combat modifiers. Ignore misprints.

(Shad on 2010 Dec 15)

Display AARs (1)

Have the Canadians met their match?...Nope!
Author scrane
Method Solo
Victor Canada
Play Date 2020-09-11
Language English
Scenario MaLB008

This 20 turn battle features the full Canadian brigade attacking a Soviet RKKA motor rifle regiment (dismounted). The Soviets need to prevent the Canadians from ejecting them from the westernmost of two boards, clearing the east-west road, controlling 10+ town hexes, and inflicting a 2:1 or better loss ratio. Achieving two or more of those is a Canadian minor victory, three or more is a major.

The western board has two small towns and a large wooded hill mass. The eastern board has a larger town between a northern wooded ridge and a southern bare ridge. The Soviets put a battalion in one of the western towns, with another defending the wooded hill to the south of it. The last battalion defended the eastern city. The MGs from each battalion were stripped off and formed into a provisional MG battalion, dug in a line in front of the eastern city. All the mortars, including two batteries of 120mm and 4 of 81mm, were formed into a provisional mortar battalion just north of the MGs. The roughly 2 companies of T34-85s were held in reserve in the eastern city to see where they could be best deployed as a counterattack.

The Canadians reorganized their 2 infantry battalions into 3 task forces. One to capture the western town, one to clear the western wooded hill mass (both together to clear all Soviets off the western map). The last task force would follow up the first, pressing past it to assault the eastern city from across the northern wooded ridge (behind the Soviet mortars). In this way they hoped to avoid the wall of carnage that the MG battalion was threatening between the ridges. The Centurions attacked as a group along the southern edge of the wooded hill mass, supporting the second infantry task group but mainly pressing on to the east to attack the city from across the southern ridge.

Not to put too fine a point on it: the plan worked. Like a charm. The Soviet resistance largely melted in front of the Canadian attack. They had a few bright spots, like a few local counterattacks that disrupted and demoralized some key Canadian assaults, a few Centurions left burning on the southern ridge, and a probing attack that the Canadians sent toward the MG battalion that was shredded by Soviet fire. But the game was won with a major victory in the final 2 turns when Canada's assaults into the eastern city secured enough town hexes to satisfy three victory conditions (western board control, 10+ town hexes, better than 2:1 losses inflicted).

Early in the battle plentiful American air support played an important role, but after two hours or so it seemed like the American pilots weren't trying as hard, and couldn't even find their targets much of the time. Canadian artillery in these battles isn't much to brag about, but they had as much as they are ever likely to get and it did help a little. In the end it was morale and organization that won this for the Canadians. Their command and sequencing of attacks from unit to unit kept up a relentless pressure on the Soviets.

Fun game, but very one-sided.

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