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Click flames for Diplomacy Map (note that the campaign map for this link is a later campaign) |
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Initial German forces are a dug in platoon, including a bunker, an MG stand, a 37mm Pak 35 and a couple of minefields. The platoon is connected by land line to an artillery battery which has a couple of preregistered targets in the area.
The Soviet forces include a full rifle company (2 MGs along with 3 platoons of 4 squads each), a platoon of 2 T-35 multi-turreted tanks, and an on-board medium mortar group for indirect fire...the FO will trail land line from the mortars' position for contact (small bobbin of thread on the stand paid out as the FO moves). Also available is a preplanned bombardment of three 120mm mortar batteries which are plotted after a pregame reconnaissance phase.
The pregame reconnaissance sequence will be played with one Soviet platoon. The moving clock from Hit the Dirt will be used: 1 hour is allotted for recce and the clock advances 20 minutes on a German roll of 4-6 on a d6 at the beginning of their initiative.
Time will be tracked in the main game for purposes of reinforcements. The moving clock will advance 15 minutes on a 5,6 rolled on the German initiative.
Refer to the section describing victory points to find out how these two different missions manifested themselves in terms of determining which side won the wargame.
Both sides have access to generous reinforcements;
however there are costs associated with calling these (see victory
points).
At the end of the game, both sides opened an envelope prepared beforehand by the referee. In each envelope was a listing of what the value of each of the three coloured poker chips were. Players then calculated the points they earned and compared.
Objectives There were 6 areas on the gaming table which had blue poker chips associated with them. As the Germans were defending, they began the game in possession of these chips. If an area objective chanbged hands, so too did it's poker chip. The long and very prominent Eastern ridge had two chips, while the remaining 5 (North hill with bridge, Southwestern hill, Northwestern hill, church and factory) had one.
Casualties When a side lost a squad as killed or a towed gun or AFV was destroyed, the other side was awarded a red chip.
Reinforcements were indicated with white chips. Cost, in numbers of white chips, of various forces and combinations are detailed in the reinforcements section.
Points Schemes:
| German Points
Red chip from a Soviet casualty: 1/2
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Soviet Points
Red chip from a German casualty: 3
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Notes to scenario designers: the point system, especially for calling of reinforcements, worked beautifully. Players agonized over whether or not to call in reinforcements and one German player, Ronk, correctly guessed from the Soviet actions that the factory was very important to them. Combined with the pre-game recce, this particular wargame had a very good historical feel to it.
Mind you, the point system for objectives needed a little work. Also, I've been assured by a Russian/Soviet historian that the lack of concern of Soviet commanders for the welfare of their troops as reflected in the low point scores for Soviet casualties was a propaganda stereotype promoted by West Germany after the war...
The purpose of the objective points was to reflect the main Soviet objective of the factory (hence the bonus) and the German concern for overall control of prominent features in the area.
The recce, while it provided the historical feel desired, worked almost too well and proved to be a very debilitating force for the intial German forces. It eliminated a German squad on the southern flank, the PC and the 37mm AT gun in the centre on the Eastern ridge. This left the Germans very wide open by the time the main Soviet force arrived. It was, after all, a full platoon versus a German platoon which was spread out. In the future, either reduce the fighting recce to a couple or one squad, or, preferably, make it a scouting mission as opposed to a fighting reconnaissance. In the "scouting mission" role, I would restrict the recce squads involved to only performing CF's "recon by fire", except assume this is more of intense observation rather than actual speculative fire to provoke a reaction. If the recce phase has a moving clock which advances quickly (4-6 or even 3-6 to pass a 15 or 20 minute phase - remember, Hit the Dirt recommends such a quick passage of time when the activity is rather low) the players conducting the recce will prefer not to waste time with this sort of recon by fire/observation anyway. It is more likely they will send the recce squads into actual woods/field/building/etc features to find the hidden enemy. Perhaps a "maximum advance" for the recce might also be specified - in the above case, perhaps they would only be tasked to scout as far as the river...from this maximum advance, if they reach it, they then might waste their precious time trying to perform recon by fire/observation.
| Germans (representing RonK's Germany in Diplomacy):
RonK & Dave |
Commander | Deployment? | Chip Cost |
| Command & Communications d6 rolled for radio contact at beginning of every initiative: on a 3-6, players were allowed to converse for 1 minute. Players commanded forces as indicated. | . | . | . |
| 1 platoon of 3 rifle squads, 1 MG, 1 +1 PC
1 37mm Pak 35 & crew 2 mine fields All troops dug in. 1 bunker available. All troops have land line connection to 105mm artillery battery, 2 registered targets (the only thing artillery can be called against) Note - for pre-game recce, artillery could be called against preregistered targets as reactive fire |
Dave | initial forces
hidden at game start |
N/A |
| 1 platoon of 4 Sturmgeschutz Ausf D | RonK | called | 4 |
| 1 section of 2 SiG 33 auf Panzer I (for direct fire role) | Dave | called | 2 |
| 1 company of infantry:
1 CC +2 3 MG 3 rifle platoons, each with 3 squads (one squad in platoon has ATR), 1 +1 PC 1 50mm mortar (placed with a rifle squad) |
Dave | called as a
complete company |
3 (4 if
individual platoons called) |
| 1 platoon of Hanomag mounted rifle squads
(4 Hanomags, + 1 50mm mortar, 1 flame thrower) |
. | not called | 2 |
| 1 platoon of 3 37mm AT guns plus light trucks | . | not called | 1 |
| 1 platoon of 3 PanzerJaeger I | . | not called | 2 |
| 1 section of 3 88mm Flak & prime movers | . | not called | 3 (4 if
individual guns called) |
| 1 SDKFZ 221 Luftwaffe controller (to call in Stuka strikes) | . | not called | 2 |
| Soviets (representing John's Russians in Diplomacy):
Joe & Stu |
Commander | Deployment? | Chip Cost |
| Command & Communications: Both players operated
the pregame recce. On completion of the recce phase (1 hour passed
on moving clock - see scenario), both players alloted
20 minutes real time to formulate plan - thereafter, the Soviet players
were
not permitted to communicate for the rest of the game. To further
represent poor Soviet command structure at this stage of the war, one commander
was in charge of the armour & mortars, the other the infantry.
No consultation permitted on calling of reinforcements and the infantry
commander could only call infantry, and the armour commander, the armour.
Reinforcements would arrive after 15 minutes which was checked on the German turn (as per Hit the Dirt's "Moving Clock"). The comparative delay in arrival (German forces would arrive on the initiative they were called if the clock advanced) further represented Soviet communications difficulties. |
. | . | . |
| 1 reconnaissance platoon of 4 SMG squads, +1 PC (removed on completion of pregame recce phase) | Both | Recce Phase | N/A |
| 1 Infantry company - +2 CC, 3 platoons of 4 rifle squads, each armed with an ATR, 1 50mm mortar (assigned to a squad), 2 MG | Stu | Initial forces | N/A |
| 1 mortar battery + FO with landline (thread bobbin trailed to mark route). Line can be cut on a 4-6 by a German squad. Vehicle traversing wire breaks it on a 6 on a d6 (rolled by the German) - a wire broken by the vehicle does not lose the initiative. Broken wire can be fixed by the FO on a 3-6 or by a CC on a 6. Failure to fix or deliberately cut wire is a failed action. | Joe | Initial forces | N/A |
| T-35 platoon - 2 T-35 1938 model | Joe | Initial forces | N/A |
| Preplanned barrage - 2 initiatives, 3 batteries of 120mm mortars (was not called as the recce decimated initial defenders!) | Joe | Initial forces | N/A |
| 1 Infantry company - +2 CC, 3 platoons of 4 SMG squads, each armed with an ATR, 1 50mm mortar (assigned to a squad), 2 MG | Stu | called as a
complete company |
3 (4 if
individual platoons called) |
| 1 Infantry company - +2 CC, 3 platoons of 4 rifle squads, each armed with an ATR, 1 50mm mortar (assigned to a squad), 2 MG | Stu | not called | 3 (4 if
individual platoons called) |
| KV-II platoon - 2 KV-II | Joe | not called | 4 |
| T-28 company - 5 T-28 | Joe | not called | 2 |
Battle of the Troika Vodka Works
The 3rd Battalion of the 12954th Rifle Regiment was assigned the task
of
retaking this important strategic production facility.
The operation was carried out in two phases beginning on the morning
of the
26th of November. The first phase involved a reconnaissance carried
out by
elements of the 3rd company 3rd Battalion. This reconnaissance
penetrated
unobserved into the heart of the German position overrunning
a squad of
German infantry and more importantly destroying an anti-tank gun. After
destroying these elements the Platoon was able to scout the area beyond
the
factory. On their return a lucky German Artillery Barrage
pinned the
platoon down and they withdrew after having identified another German
infantry position.
The second phase was carried out by the 4th company. Ably led
by Captain
Gibsonov this company penetrated the German position and occupied the
factory and hill 407 to the south of the position. One platoon
advanced
along the river to outflank the church. German response was swift.
Several Assault guns and three platoons of infantry advanced against
our
right. Heavy fire from the factory suppressed most of the Germans
in the
church but were unable to silence the machine gun which protected the
flank
of the German assault gun on that flank. Several German squads
were pinned
down by Soviet forces south of the factory.
The Soviets to the south of the Factory came under fire from several
assault
guns and German artillery. The battle of attrition was working
against the
infantry and after the supporting tanks under command of Captain Trikettov
were knocked out the battalion commander wisely committed the 1st company
to
stabilize the situation.
With their infantry largely pinned down and with Russian infantry
reserves reaching the battlefield the Germans withdrew as darkness
fell.
Stewartevski Giboshenko
GOC 12954 Rifle Regiment
Soviet Figures - Revell and some Old hard plastic ESCI with a couple
of newer ESCI used as PCs
T-35 & T-28 - Premo (Rocco) with some detailling (weld reinforcement,
vision slits) addded
KV-II - Fujimi
German Figures - Airfix, Matchbox, Revell
37mm Pak 35 (& trucks in reserve) - Matchbox (also 1 Fujimi gun)
Stug III D - Fujimi with figures & detailling added. The
very thin Fujimi 75mm barrel was also replaced
Sig 33 auf Pz I - Fujimi Panzer I B chassis with scratchbuilt superstructure
88mm & half-tracks - What else?...Airfix
SDKFZ 221 (actually a 222) - Fujimi
Panzerjaeger I - Fujimi & ESCI
Hanomag - Matchbox
