The Tractor Works - Squad Leader & ASLSK

I have downloaded the first three scenarios for the old Squad Leader system from Multi Man Publishing. The scenarios have been updated from SL to ASL standard, but for all that, they have changed little to those old classics, that for many, introduced us to WWII tactical wargaming.

I am using the ASL Starter Kit rules to play these scenarios.

The first scenario (The Guards Counterattack) has already been played and discussed previously - see the link in the Resource Section below.

Though using ASLSK rules, I have bought the full ASL module ‘Beyond Valor’, this gives me access to enough counters to get this squad heavy scenario done, plus it also has Board 1, which the scenario uses.

Like last time, I took the board to a local copier and had each half of the original board  expanded to double size, giving me plenty of playing room.

Note the third scenario in the trio combines scenarios A and B and adds some tanks, so when I reach that, it is going to look great with the two expanded board panels sitting side by side.

Anyway, back to the Tractor Works. The blurb tells us that we are in Stalingrad, 6th October 1942. While pushing into the industrial area of the city, advancing elements of the 389th Infantry Division isolated a contingent of the 308th Rifle Division in the crucial Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works. The German command decided to crush this island of resistance and to help, brought up a crack team of assault engineers. However, the Russians had noted a critical weakness in the ring around the Tractor Works and had decided to launch a major counterattack to relieve the garrison there.

So, a dramatic sounding scenario. 

One thing that ASL introduced was snipers. Their activation number is high in this scenario and they do bring an extra level of dynamism. However. Snipers are not used in the ASLSK world and nor were they used in the original Squad Leader scenario, so even though I understand the rule, I will not be implementing snipers, to keep the scenario pure. Note, the scenario does use ‘Concealment’ and this was a rule introduced in both the basic Squad Leader and is also present in the Starter Kit IV module, so we will be using concealment.

We are going to see a lot of firepower here within a small, building dominated landscape. The Soviets get 38 squads and 26 of them are sub-machine gun armed squads, ideal for assault amongst the buildings. The Germans get 19 squads, but 6 of them are the elite and powerful engineer squads, that are also carrying flamethrowers and demolition charges. Additionally, the Germans have excellent leadership with 10-3 and 10-2 leaders!

To win, by the end of the game, a side must have undisputed control of at least 6 hexes in building 1X3 (representing the Tractor Works).

Enough! Let’s go!

Above - here is our game area. The big central building (tractor works) is occupied  by the Soviets (brown) and they are surrounded by German forces (blue). You will note that weak spot in the ring to the right and beyond that are the 26 Soviet 5-2-7 squads lined up ready to exploit that gap. Their big advantage, besides numbers, is that they get a small uplift in firepower in the Advancing Fire Phase.

Above - The German 8-3-8 Assault Engineers set up in the large stone building above the factory. They are going to have the prime responsibility of assaulting the factory. Their high morale (8), excellent firepower, good smoke laying capacity and specialised weapons (flamethrowers and demo charges) are going to make them a formidable force, together with their highly capable 10-3 leader, Major Alter.

Elsewhere the buildings are bristling with machine guns, will anyone dare step out into the street!

Perhaps the most interesting quirk of the scenario happens now - Player 1 is randomly selected! Whoever wins that roll can put down a lot of initial firepower and ruin someone’s day.

Roll …… The Germans win and will be Player 1.

Early part of the game.

In the first 3 turns, both sides slug it out, laying down a lot of firepower, it is not until turn 3 that the German assault engineers manage to actually get into the factory and here you can see (below), a demo charge has been slung into the central building hex. This will prove to be fairly devastating.

Soviet commander, Lt. Chernova has been occupying this central hex, to rally those troops that have broken under fire and retreated into the heart of the factory. Once he calms them, they are sent back into the front line to defend the windows and doors and it is this cycling of troops that have kept the Germans at arms length (see below photo).

Mid part of the game (turns 4 and 5)

Increasing German pressure sees them take the fight through the factory and eventually, Lt. Chernova fights a last stand at the lowest end of the factory. With the factory captured, the German force starts to prepare the building for the inevitable counter-attack. 

Note in the below photo that the Soviets have managed to capture the 4 hex stone building (bottom right) next to the factory, giving the Soviets a good springboard to attack from. They are also employing two captured German medium machine guns.

I think I should have given a little more thought to having Lt. Chernova attempt to escape from the factory as it is becoming noticeable that the Soviets are short on leaders and in the game, these are needed to rally broken squads.

There are broken and abandoned Soviet support weapons  (brown) strewn across the factory.

 

The last part of the game (turns 6 - 8)

The Germans are defending the factory from all aspects of attack. Major Alter (a very impressive 10-3 leader) personally takes a squad into one of the wooden out buildings to help break up the inevitable Soviet attack.

The Soviets have managed to maintain overwhelming numbers, but their losses increasingly grow as they manoeuvre to get closer to the factory. They are clearly now up against the clock and they just have to go in, before their losses make a counter-attack impossible to make.

Soviet Sgt. Malygin scrambles over open exposed ground and into a wooden building 200 metres above the factory and by force of personality, rallies an entire platoon of broken infantry. Leading the way, he takes the platoon back out over the open ground towards the factory, running the gauntlet of automatic weapons, one by one the squads break or become pinned and his ‘charge’ collapses.

Elsewhere, some Soviet squads do get into the factory and in the last turn, the greatly thinned German defence desperately try to hold their ground (see below photo).

A winner!

The Germans are declared the winner as they are the side that have sole control of 6 factory hexes (just!). However the Soviets have given a good account of themselves taking two of the hexes and contesting a third, but both sides are pretty exhausted.

Conclusions

A very entertaining game and quite different from the previous The Guards Counterattack scenario. The opposing forces bring a lot of dynamism to the game, with the Germans having those very powerful 8-3-8 Assault Squads, while the Soviets have the numerous 5-2-7 sub-machine gun units and when stacked and firing in groups, their firepower can be testing even for the 8-3-8’s with their high morale (8) factor.

The scenario victory points being centred upon the occupation of a single building brings a lot of focus to player intentions and with so much firepower in this small area, the randomness as to who goes first can seem to matter …. but the sting in that tail is that the player going second, will also be the last player at the end of the scenario to move / fight and that can bring its own advantages.

It is a long game with 8 turns and lots of units and I can’t remember the original Squad Leader taking that long to play, but ASL(SK) brings additional firing opportunities with its First Fire, Final Fire and Subsequent Fire routines, so perhaps that is coming into play …. or just an older brain :-)

Next up, in the initial trio of Squad Leader Scenarios, we have scenario C that combines scenarios A and B and adds in some tanks for both sides, so that, I think, is going to be a hugely enjoyable match, especially played on this board that I have had enlarged at the copiers, giving plenty of room for the forces to breath …… so there we are, Scenario C, coming soon, to a blog close to you!

Resource Section;

Previous playing of Scenario 1 - The Guards Counterattack. LINK

https://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-guards-counterattack-aslsk-ish.html

My sister webspace ‘COMMANDERS’  showcases the various figure and boardgame systems that I am enjoying and gives a flavour of where current projects are up to. Link.

https://commanders.simdif.com/dear_diary.html