A Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Table Top Teaser #1 is one of my favorite scenarios. So I thought it'd be a good test of my Frankenstein's monster of a grid-based rule set for WW2 for 1 base = 1 company. Friday night, I broke out the card table and setup.

With a 6x6 grid, the table gets very crowded very fast despite the attacker's piecemeal arrival (the attacker has quite a few units for so few grid spaces). In my first game, several German units suffered losses very quickly due to an inability to fall back(I use the hit result table from The Portable Wargame) without colliding with another unit. But, because they have staying power, the situation didn't improve for the remaining units.

I chose to ignore the exhaustion point because had I not, the game would have been over by turn 5 or so.

Turn 6 or so - the last arrivals, er, arrive.

I reset the table and tried again using the two-hit variant for strength points originally proposed by Ross Mac and incorporated into Developing the Portable Wargame. This was a much more exciting game. The Germans still suffered some losses early but as they were eliminated whole cloth, it left breathing room for the remaining elements to maneuver. 

This isn't really an issue with the rules so much as recognizing that a large (for me) scenario in a small space, where stacking is not allowed, requires adjustments.

The Soviet defenders had lost two complete units by this point.

But on turn 10, they managed to blow the bridge . Admittedly, stranding their HMG company and a tank company on the other side of the river. Sacrifices for the integrity of the Motherland.

It occurred to me after the game, that in essence, my rules are really just a modified version of The Portable Wargame. 

I use a different firing mechanism (Similar to Memoir of Modern Battle (Cordery) and Hold the Line! units roll 3 dice to hit at 1 space, 2 at 2 spaces, and 1 at three or more spaces - the limit being dependent on the unit type), all hits count, hits are 4 or 6 in the open, 6 in cover, MGs hit on 2/4/6 or 4/6 against targets in cover (these are Morschauser's "to hit" numbers). Close combat is more violent than in The Portable Wargame, with infantry rolling 4 dice, and others rolling two or three, with the same hit numbers given. The number of dice doesn't change regardless of the hit points remaining. This makes close combat potentially decisive and possibly swingy even with mismatched units - closer to Morschauser (who, if it's not clear, I am a big fan of) than The Portable Wargame. There are some other rules changes that I like (units have to fire before moving, a unit can't initiate close combat unless they start adjacent to the enemy unit, and a few more).

All that said, as much as I *like* my modifications, I think I really ought to give The Portable Wargame a try again as written, but this time with the two-hit variant to see if that difference makes the rules-as-written close combat more acceptable to me.

On the Grid Again

 Friday the dam burst and I played a flurry of games on a grid - spurred in no small part by my acquisition of a foldable card table.

It measures 38 in. square, which with my current grid cloth is still just 6x6 of 6 inch squares. But that's fine for One Hour Wargames scenarios with small forces.

I set out Scenario 14: Static Defence  - a favorite of mine  - and I tried some rules I had written up over the course of the preceding week. 

In this iteration, weapon companies were split up into attachments to rifle companies.

Soviet ATR companies can engage armor up to 1 space away. Other infantry have to close assault it.

I played two games like this. They were Ok but they weren't quite what I had hoped and had some flaws I found bothersome.  I combined them with some ideas from The Portable Wargame and tried again.

That was better but still not quite right. So I gave The Portable Wargame a chance as written - but using three hits per unit.

Soviets held off the attack on the town - which was the German target. They instead captured the hill rather accidentally.

That still wasn't quite right, for me. So, I scribbled some ideas down and slept on it.

Saturday morning, I set up a new scenario (Scenario 20: Fighting Retreat) because I needed a change from the last one.

Dramatic sunlight.

Classic Toy Solider MG team holding off the Soviet advance.

Very close to what the end of the last game looked like. The Soviet advance collapsed due to losses. I set exhaustion at 50% of strength points due to the small totals for each force.

The end result was exactly the kind of game I had wanted to play. I played twice even, just to be sure.

In the end it was an amalgamation of my own preferences, Hold the  Line, Bob Cordery's Memoir of Modern Battle and The Portable Wargame, and a little Morschauser (4's and 6's to hit and 2/4/6 for MGs).

Operation Citadel-ish

In the mood for getting some kind of game on the table, I flipped, well, scrolled, through, my copy of One Hour Wargames and realized I could treat scenario 8: Melee as a suitable substitute for Grossdeutschland's attack on Cherkasskoye in July, 1943.

Regular readers may recall that I fought this battle as part of a campaign last year.

Panzer and Tiger units from GD advance in front of PzGrenadiers.

Elements of Soviet 199th Guard Rifle Regiment protect the hill, while others advance to meet the fascist invaders.

GD Panzer IVs were completely destroyed but GD recon unit and additional PzGrenadiers arrive to press the attack.

Two AT batteries of the 67th Guards Rifle Division reinforce what remains of the 199th.

Assault lead by Pz Grenadiers supported by recon and Tigers (off camera)

The Soviet left flank collapses under the weight of GD's advance.

Recon foolishly leads the charge to eliminate the last of the defenders.

The Soviets lose Cherkasskoye at great cost, while GD losses are minimal.

I used improvised rules based on my Division Squares: Simple WW2 Combat on a Square Grid but converted to grid-less.  The biggest changes, besides using a ruler, were that I left out leaders and artillery. 

Obviously some of the specifics of the scenario didn't match my original from last year - which I tried to base on research - the Soviets weren't dug in, there was no artillery barrage, and there was no village, but honestly, it was close enough and just as enjoyable.

Another Panzer Kids Deluxe Eastern Front Edition

Tuesday night, my son and I held another game of Panzer Kids Deluxe. This time I set it somewhere on the Eastern Front in winter.

 The Soviets had three T-34/76 tanks, while the Germans had a Tiger I and two PAK-40 anti-tank guns.

The mostly immobile Germans were no match for the speedy Soviet tanks, who also rolled better when it came to shooting.

 

 

At the cost of one tank, the Soviets captured the village.

This one wasn't a nail biter by any means -  the forces were mostly balanced cost-wise, but the lack of mobility and low defensive values for the PAKs was too much of a difference.  I should have given the Germans just one PAK and a PzIV. Still we had a fun time - plenty of sound effect making and dice rolling hi-jinx, and we can't wait to play again.

It was also nice to try out the winter table. The ground cloth is a military surplus poncho I acquired for performing at noise shows - it's far too hot to wear under lights on a stage, but it does make a decent winter landscape I think.

Panzer Kids! Eastern Front Edition

First game of February!

In an effort to get in some mid-week gaming, Tuesday night, I bamboozled my son into playing Panzer Kids again. Honestly, it didn't take any arm twisting once I got the tanks out.

The scenario is based loosely on my own lose interpretation of Berezovka Heights in July 1943. I decided on two victory conditions for the Germans to win - they had to clear and claim at least one hill, and get one vehicle off the board via the road. They had 7 turns to do it and they couldn't leave the table until turn 3 or after (I wanted to prevent a race down the road). Otherwise, the Soviets would win.

Vehicles in three scales on the table together - but that didn't lessen the fun.

Below the young commander (he plays both sides, I adjudicate and provide advice) studies the situation in turn 2 (I think):

He's kneeling on the floor. He's 9 and is getting closer to 5' tall every day.

The Germans managed to clear both hills and claimed one as theirs, but victory celebrations were called off when on the last roll of the last turn, the Soviets destroyed the Panzer heading for the road:

An over view of the carnage.

The last shot.

I really like this game a lot. It scratches the itch to play a game, doesn't take more than a quick skim to refresh my memory, and let's me get out my vehicles that really don't get used that much ordinarily. It's also the perfect level of complexity for my son, who isn't big on games in the physical realm. 

It holds his interest which is a minor miracle.

An aside, if you're familiar with the game then you know Panzer Kids treats hills as impassable for tanks (I suspect because it simplifies things for the intended audience) - and yet the Stug is on the hill. For this scenario I decided I would allow them to do so, because I wanted my son to have to consider who he would relegate that duty to and to realize he couldn't sacrifice his entire force just to get someone off the table.

This time we used two advanced rules: ATGs and the flanking fire rules.

I was excited by the former because I just like seeing them on the table. The latter really made things interesting from my point of view, as several times I was able to pull the commander aside and show him how different moves might expose a tank to more or less fire against weaker side and rear armor. And how he could maneuver tanks to use cover and to construct fire groups to gang up on a single target. Trying to give him a little instruction in thinking ahead and such.

Still, I was careful to let him have the final say and merely offered comparisons of possible outcomes that he could choose between.

Despite the fact that he clearly wanted the Soviets to win (he's studying Russian and Russian history), he made good decisions for the Germans and got excited to score a hit regardless of which side it was for.

It was a great time and he was super excited by the whole thing. I'm hoping to get him to play again this weekend, although I know it's probably pressing my luck!

Twin Objectives: Modified Morscauser Modern Rules and One Hour Wagames #21

 As hoped I managed to setup a game this weekend - scenario 21 from One Hour Wargames. The scenario was played using my modified Morschauser Modern rules.

The Soviets have four units to hold the hill and the town, the Germans have six units to take them, and 12 turns to do so.

To win the Germans need to be in exclusive occupation of both objectives, otherwise it's a Soviet victory. In keeping with some of the restrictions of OHW, only leg units may occupy the wooded hill or village. Therefore, as an added challenge, the Germans have to shield their infantry from elimination in order to win. 

OOB (generated using OHW):

• Soviets: two infantry units, one AT unit, one mortar unit
• Germans: three infantry units, one AT unit, two tank units.

I created a plan for the Germans pre-deployment. However, there was some confusion in the arrival on the battlefield. 

Overview of the table. Early morning sun streaming through the blinds.

Soviets deployed per the scenario, Germans used random deployment (cards, 1 per unit plus 3 blanks)

Lovely day for a scrap.

A less than ideal arrangement for the Germans meant some change in plans were necessary. The AT unit was supposed to support the hill assault while both armored units attacked the village .However, given their proximity, tan Panzer company was ordered to assist infantry in capturing the hill.

The Soviets deployed mortar and infantry in town. 

The Soviet AT would move at first opportunity to support the hill or defend the town as needed.

Soviet hill company is dug in  (unnecessary given the hills are wooded, but it reminded me they had cover)

While half of their force advanced across the battlefield, the Germans launched their assault on the hill with infantry supported by armor, and the AT on the way. The Soviet hill company was able to call down mortar strikes on the attackers although they took quite a beating regardless. 

And yet, they held on for several turns, despite a compete inability to rally and regain any lost combat effectiveness.

The German infantry were eventually eliminated- forcing the German center company to try to take the hill instead - again, only infantry can occupy the wooded hill top.

The Soviets in the village could see the infantry and Panzers advancing but could do little, read: nothing, to slow its progress at that range.

The Soviet commander, seeing the hill as possibly a lost cause, deployed the AT unit West of the village to unload on the German tanks.

Soviet guns in position - but they can't fire the same turn the unlimber.

Overview of battle. German assault on village in foreground, assault on hill in background.

The German right company advanced to silence the guns but were only partially successful.

With the German infantry occupied, the Soviets sallied forth to close with the Panzers and unleashed ATR rounds with great devastation. This left tan Panzer company to break from the hill and deal with the Soviet guns at long range. 

Salvos detonated transport vehicles and ammunition supplies, resulting in a catastrophic explosion.

A fiercely contested battle for the hill - the Soviet defenders would be sung about and praised for years after.

The German AT deployed to flank the Soviets on the hill. This was a tactical error as the Soviets were then able to withdraw to try to regroup behind the hill, out of sight of the German guns. Unfortunately for them, the advancing German infantry were able to fire on them from the superior position, eventually devastating the unit.

With the German AT freed up,  the Germans concentrated tank, gun, and infantry fire on the village (although the AT would prove to be useless - apparently they didn't bring many anti-personnel shells). 

It took house-to-house fighting to clear the last of the Soviet defenders.

Mortars gave a good accounting of themselves but could not hold out. They have a melee value of 2, compared to the 4 infantry have, so it was a surprise they dealt any damage at all.

A German victory on the last turn allotted to the game.

Operation Citadel : Berezovka Heights

 On 10 July 1943, Grossdeutschland recon battalion, along with the mechanized panzergrenadiers and assault guns attacked Hill 247 astride one of the main Soviet supply roads. Opposite Hill 243 was Hill 247. Both were covered in armor and anti-tank batteries.

Not based on an actual map but this one: http://saskatoonminiwargamer.blogspot.com/2018/04/panzergrenadier-aar-berezovka-july-1043_16.html

Battalions of the 200th Tank Brigade, supported by ATG batteries.

Grossdeutschland's recon battalion, assault guns, and I/PzGren advance towards hill 247.

The battle begins in earnest, but the German commander has foolishly split their attacks between the battalions.

After 3.5 hours of fighting for Hill 247, with only I/[PzGren remaining, GD Panzers and II and III/PzGren began their assault of Hill 243 under heavy fire.

II/PzGren in coordination with II/Pz eliminate the Soviet defense on the right of the hill. The Soviets sent up a motorized rifle battalion retake the hill.

III/PzGren moves up the road between the hills to provide support for either flank as needed.

The Soviet commander watches as Grossdeutschland completely wrests away control of 243.

On the Soviet right on 247 however, things were going a little better. But barely. I/PzGren would eventually be driven off.

After 7 hours of fighting, the Germans have a numerical advantage (two units off camera, an they had a good supply of artillery) but the hills are equally divided.

*********

I set a turn limit of 12 turns + additional turns determined by die roll. In total, 14 were played. Arguably, had the game continued, the Germans likely would have captured both hills - their infantry could easily hold off the Soviet infantry to their right, and the three tank units could deal with the Soviet armor on 247.

In testing this scenario, I made good use of a spearhead attack with the initial assault on 247 - piling up on one of the Soviet tank battalions. Instead, in the event, I opted to split my attacks between them. I believe that cost Grossdeutschland that hill. On their right, they fared better with the combination of panzers and pansergrenadiers assaulting the Soviet positions. 

 The Soviet rifle battalions could not gain sufficient advantage to assault the panzergrenadiers without risking their own elimination - this is due to the fact that the PzGrens are veterans (they save on 2/4/6), while they were standard (save on 4 or 6). 

In the end, both sides got 1 point for destroying around 1/3 of the enemy's forces, and 1 point for the draw. The campaign totals are now Grossdeutschland 13, the Soviets 10.

The fifth and final battle will be a hypothetical Soviet counter-attack as within a few days of the historical version of the events described here, the Allies would invade Italy and Hitler would order a cessation of Citadel.