The Krosnogord 1944 campaign - Hypothetical

 

July 1944, while fighting in southern Poland, Soviet forces have come up against a mountain range, where the German positions on the high ground dominate the ground below, bringing accurate artillery fire onto anything that moves. Looking for a way to break through, 1st Brigade  have been ordered to advance into a mountain pass. Their objective is to probe west and take the town of Krosnogord at the far end of the valley. To reach it, they will have to cross the River Wislok, which could be well defended. If they can push beyond Krosnogord, the break through will be complete.

I will be using the tactical WWII boardgame, Old School Tactical published by Flying Pig and designed by Shayne Logan, to fight the various actions, but with a figures system to manage the campaign.

The final chapter in Charles Grant’s book ‘Programmed Wargame Scenarios’ (2nd Edition) has a generic campaign called Reconnaissance in Strength and essentially works as a ‘ladder’ campaign.

It is actually a reconnaissance in strength type scenario that deals with an advance along a mountain pass / valley by the Blue Force (Soviets for us), which will fight over eight game tables, before reaching the final table - the town. We shall replace the individual tables with the small maps that come with the boardgame’s various support modules.

Red Force (Germans for us) is defending the main town at the end of the pass, but they also have detachments further forwards in the valley, with the intent of delaying and disrupting Blue Force.

I will run this campaign with a series of short After Action Reports, so that the reader can follow the progress from map to map. All reports will be added to the campaign folder on my COMMANDERS site (link below). It will probably be played over several weeks or months and will be posted in chronological order.

The order that the paper maps will appear in the chain of advance will be chosen randomly. The final map is fixed and will be map number 1 from the ‘Phantom Division’ module, as this has concrete type building structures that will represent Krosnogord.

There are various mechanics in Grant’s book that will be used in the background to manage the campaign. Red Force can be ordered by the system and accordingly although I am handling both sides in each battle, for the German forces, the programmed system will be used as I sort of ‘Game Master’ things along. 

The record will be written mostly from the perspective of the Soviet attacker, so that the reader gets a vague idea as to the German player’s intentions and strengths, which are only revealed as the campaign unfolds.

The order-of-battle here reflects ownership of mainly 1st Edition OST Vol I upgraded to 2nd edition (east front) and the Red Blitz module, hence there is something of a hodge podge collection of unit types in the Soviet Infantry battalion, with companies of standard rifle sections, Irregulars and Guards, which is an unrealistic mix at this formation level, however, the game’s counter mix is what it is and those variables should give the Soviet player some interesting choices as to which troop types should be used at any one time and place. Just think of them as green or veteran etc.

Here are your available forces ……….. Captain Voronin

Soviet Order-of-Battle

Commander of 1st Brigade - Captain Voronin (You the player)

1st Infantry Battalion

Captain Sokolov

1st Company

Lt. Grenko

9 Rifle sections, 1 sergeant, 2 LMG, 1 Molotov, 1 ATR

2nd Company

Lt. Balakin

1 x Commissar

9 Guards Rifle sections, 1 sergeant, 2 LMG, 1 Molotov, 1 ATR

3rd Company

Lt. Aliyev

9 Irregular rifle sections, 1 sergeant, 2 LMG, 1 Molotov, 1 ATR

Heavy Weapons Company, 2 HMG, 2 x 57mm A/T guns with 2 trucks to tow

1st Tank Battalion (understrength)

Lt. Ivashin

1st Company - 10 x T34 / 76

2nd Company - 4 x T34 / 85

3rd Company (attached) - 5 x JSII

1st SMG Company (attached) 7 Shock sections, 1 Lt. Chekov, 1 sergeant, 3 satchel charges,

Reconnaissance Company 1 x Lt (spare), 2 BA-10 armoured cars, 3 trucks, 3 x 1st line rifle sections, 3 x sapper sections, 2 LMG 1 Sgt 1  flamethrower (sapper only)

Artillery support is randomly determined at the start of each battle.

All Gut Check ratings are 7 with the following exceptions.

Guards and Pioneers are 6, while Irregulars are 8.

Impulse Points - For each battle, the Soviet army gets a basic 4D6. After the first battle, this is always modified. At the conclusion of each battle, check how many casualty points the force lost during that battle. If it has been 12 or more then in future battles the Impulse allowance is permanently reduced by 2 points. These are cumulative modifiers, so if the Soviets have taken 12 or more casualties in two battles, their Impulse allowance for the fifth battle would be permanently lowered to 3D6 +2. Note in the final battle, regardless of any loss, Soviet Impulse Points are always returned to the full 4D6.

LINK TO COMMANDERS

https://commanders.simdif.com/krosnogord_campaign_1944.html

Operation Barbarossa 1941, games and some reading.

Barbarossa - How Hitler Lost the War, by Jonathan Dimbleby, published by Penguin, soft back, 509 pages, hit the retail shelves at Christmas, having been a big seller last year in the original hardback.

Described as ‘Staggering’ by the Sunday Times, who had it on their bestseller list, the book covers the titanic struggle on the East Front in 1941. Packed with detail, the work draws upon previously unseen archival material, including previously untranslated Russian sources.

Anyway, I picked it up thinking it looked a solid read and it occurred to me that reading the book, hand-in-hand with playing some Barbarossa boardgames would give an experience that would enhance both book and game.

Now my boardgame collection is pretty modest, but I was surprised to find that even so, I had nine titles that would each fit the time frame of the book. These are all strategic type games rather than the tactical scenarios from my collection.

Please use the ‘read more’ tab for a brief synopsis of those games;

Midway PBEM game cancelled (postponed perhaps)

Unfortunately and somewhat surprisingly, I have not had enough takers (not even close!) to get the PBEM battle up and running and so I will kick this into the long grass for now and perhaps look at it again next year.

Thanks to those who expressed an interest. Should I have another go at getting this game going, you will of course automatically be given a command within the game.

Attention will instead turn to my own Napoleonic rules (stop smiling at the back Mr. W. :-) )

I will use the Generic Multi-Period scenario mentioned in the post on 11th November to explore various aspects of the rules and try to develop some of the rule changes that I have been working on. If any of those playings produce anything of note, I will bring it back here as a post.

One of the rule areas that feels a little awkward are the two types of skirmishing. The first is where the entire battalion can collectively go into open order, such as with French light infantry. The other is Line Skirmishing, where a line just throws out its flank companies to screen the rest of the line. Hopefully I can get this nailed down to something that doesn’t keep dragging the player back to the rulebook to remember the differences in effect between the two deployments types. 

In the ‘bridge’ scenario, I am initially looking at making the flank reinforcement for both sides a cavalry only option rather than allowing an infantry unit to flank and emphasising that both sides can reinforce (flank manoeuvre) from the same board edge if they choose to.

Other than that, the Jours de Gloire boardgame system - with the battle of Ligny is about to go onto the table.

Resource Section.

My sister webspace ‘COMMANDERS’ is being re-configured to showcase various figure and boardgame systems that I am enjoying and gives a flavour of where current ongoing projects are up to. Link.

https://commanders.simdif.com

Campaigning and fast play WWII tactical rules.

This post discusses an easy fast play campaign system, including a fast play set of tactical rules to keep the campaign moving at a good pace.

 

In issue 58 of Warning Order (free downloadable e-zine), Matt Irsik presented an article with suggestions of how to run a campaign that could be completed in a day. In the following and most recent issue (59) he shared a set of fast play rules, which enable players to cycle through the number of battlefields that will need to be fought over in a single day.

Both articles are an easy read and begged for a closer look, so I set some 10 / 12mm figures up and using measurements in centimetres, ran some manoeuvres on my large pinboard (less than 2’ x 3’), representing the initial battlefield.

There is a link to Matt’s freely downloadable e-magazine and his significant back catalogue in the Resource Section below. 

He has a donate button on his front page, each issue is certainly worth gifting him.

For the rest of this post, please use the ‘read more’ tab.

Kursk Month - Road to Prokhorovka

Kursk Battles (75th Anniversary) - the fourth scenario.

Another scenario from ‘Dark July’, the Lock ‘n Load boardgame module that covers the tactical level fighting in the region just west of Prokhorovka and specifically at the Oktiabrski State Farm and Hill 252.2, but also includes a Ponyri scenario.

Please use the 'read more' tab for the rest of this post

Campaign module for Tigers at Minsk

Yartzevo Defiant.

Even as the Germans were closing down their Kursk offensive (Operation Citadel) on the Russian front in July 1943, the Soviets had already started their counter-offensive, driving into the shoulders of the Kursk bulge. The attacks into the Northern shoulder would see the liberation of Orel followed by Smolensk and the attacks into the southern sector captured first Belgorod and then Kharkov.

This post delivers a mini-campaign, themed on part of the fighting in the north. Orel has just fallen and to the north west the Surovov Offensive opens with Smolensk as the ultimate objective. We are dealing with the first week of that offensive, where the Soviets tried to breakthrough in the direction of Yartzevo.

The campaign has been designed as a module to support my free Tigers at Minsk rules (see resources below) which manage a WWII tactical game, played out on a hex grid measuring just 8 hexes wide by 6 deep and fitting into a playing area no bigger than 3' x 2'. The module will probably convert quite easily to other rule sets and some boardgames.

For the rest of this post, please click on 'Read More'.

The fight for Suetovo (Yartzevo campaign)

Yartzevo Defiant is a campaign module that I have been working on to support the Tigers at Minsk rules and it may interest owners of other rulesets. It covers a small part of the Soviet counter-offensive that followed the Kursk battles on the eastern front in 1943.

iPad art.

The module is going through a final play test and the campaign is nearing the end. Both sides have exhausted their reinforcement pool and the Soviets are preparing to attack into the town of Suetovo - a critical location at this stage of the campaign.

This post will give a brief overview of the campaign and will then cover the action at Suetovo - all of which is intended to set the scene for the release of the campaign module (free download), which should follow shortly.

Please press on the 'read more' tab for the rest of this post.

Yartzevo campaign update

At the end of last year I completed the second playtesting of Yartzevo Defiant, a 1943 east front campaign module for the Into Battle - WWII Tactical rules (miniature rules for tactical games on hexes).

The playtest went well and resulted in a number of design tweaks, which although individually small, their collective influence needed to see another play through.

Sorry to those who had hoped it would be ready by now, but other projects have distracted me. Anyway, the campaign is up and running again and I have started both solitaire and face to face campaigns. All things being equal the campaign module should be available shortly - though a play of two campaign games running side by side is likely to generate something like 25 engagements.

My opening game for the solitaire campaign kicked off to an exciting start. The first battle is based upon the initial Soviet probe on 6th August 1943 and has relatively light forces fighting in an open environment, with the defenders having some entrenchments.

Orchards divide the battlefield

However, the terrain generator threw up an interesting battlefield with quite a bit of cover. A total of four orchard hexes were obtained and laid in a way that divided the battlefield and gave the attackers a corridor of cover that they could use to drive to the enemy baseline .... provided they could reach the orchard!

The Soviet player's heartbeat skipped a beat when German artillery directed at infantry in the open was inaccurate and instead fell onto the Russian SU 76 - their only heavy weapon support - destroying it and leaving it burning (so no chance of recovery).

The Soviet SU 76 burns following an artillery strike

It was a dangerous moment for the Soviet player, especially as their smoke cover quickly dispersed, but the German HMG in the entrenchment on the small hill (right of the orchard) did not really get much effective opportunity fire and soon the German position was overwhelmed, with the German morale crashing to zero and four Soviet squads moving onto their baseline.

So quite an unexpectedly exciting game (against the background of a gentle opening scenario that is simply meant to just get things started), but things were about to become even more interesting. In the inter-game admin phase when reinforcements are determined, the Germans got an understrength StuG III platoon, some infantry and two artillery missions, while the Soviets just got more infantry, no armour and just one artillery mission to add to their order of battle.

The next scenario is the River attack, which is tough for the attacker anyway, but now with the imbalance of armour and the bridge producing a choking point, I can well see the outcome being that the Soviets will lose the next battle, which will allow the Germans to go over onto the attack. Depending what reinforcements are received after the next battle, things look to get very tight, with both sides having everything to fight for, as failure for the Soviets to break away from their start-up positions could bring the campaign to an early end! This is an exciting start and I am pleased the way the play test is shaping up.

It will be interesting to see how the face to face campaign opens up (this Friday).

In the meantime, here is a link to an extensive overview giving both a play and design perspective of how the second playtest last year progressed and it gives a good idea of the flow of play. It is a 14 page PDF download, so best wait for a coffee moment!

Also a 90 second video trailer that was made just as a bit of fun to try out some software, which has been shown here before, but is repeated below.

Finally, I run a website called Commanders, which is more 'snippet' based than here, so will often show things that will not make it to this blog. I will likely put some AAR updates there.

Link to Second playtest extensive notes.

Link to video trailer (this is just for fun)

Link  - Keep up to date at my Commanders web page.

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Design notes and campaign AAR

This is a full replay (2nd playtest) of the Yartzevo Defiant mini-campaign module for the Into Battle - WWII Tactical rules. It shows the flow of the game, briefly describes the campaign engine and perhaps more interestingly, highlights the various rules changes that playtesting brought about.

I am putting the module through another full replay before making it available. Below is the opening blurb to the replay. please note this is a 14 page document, so make some coffee and enjoy.

To download (8.5 MB in my Dropbox) the playtest account and notes, please press HERE.

Thank you Dropbox.

Files also available via my new Commanders web site - link http://commanders.simdif.com

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Yartzevo Defiant - Video Trailer

I have recently been putting together a mini-campaign as a supplement to my Tigers at Minsk rules, which will shortly be available as a free download.

I have been playing around with some video trailer software resulting in this fun clip to promote the campaign module in Hollywood style. Please put your speakers on. The video only lasts 90 seconds. I hope you enjoy the results.

LINK please click HERE

 

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Playtesting a WWII campaign

I am presently working on a campaign module to compliment my Into Battle - WWII Tactical rules. The module is going through a second playtest and the 7th battle in the campaign is being played out today.

This post covers the AAR of this battle and discusses some design aspects behind the mini-campaign module. Please press 'read more' for the rest of this post.