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AH Philosophy Part 1 6

InsideVol. 20. 20 No. 6 of The GENERAL was

an unheraldedsurprisepleasantwe trust-for the

readership. It was, of course, the first issue of

the Victory Insider printed and mailed as an

insert. Since that auspicious appearance it has

become a regular feature, one we hope is looked

forward to by many. Now for the revelationscon-

cerning that genesis.

With the creation of Victory Games and theirgreat success in designing and marketing war-

games for the "hard-core", pressure began to

mount from various quarters to provide suppor-

tive coverage in these pages. Foreseeing a

plethora of difficulties, some serious and some

trivial but annoying, I objected-not to the con-

cept, but to the execution.

First and foremost in m y mind was that a

such inclusion of VG articles would necessa

decrease the space devoted to our own exte

sive line. Trying to provideequitable coverage

the adventure and historical boardgames of T

Avalon Hill Game Company's growing line is ta

enough without the adding of dozens more

demand premium space. Perforce, such attentio

placed on VG games would affect many of th

regular features of The GENERAL as well-the

Letters column, "The Question Box", the REcharts, advertisements, and so forth. This wou

mean a dilution of our concentration, felt, su

merging the fascinating and distinctive a

proachesof the separate designstaffs. Both ha

Co trinued on Page 28 Column

IS SMOLENSK BURNING?PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN Re-visited

SERIES REPLAYPANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN

HOW TO WIN AT PANZERBLITZThe Serious Side o f Choosing Sides

VICHY IN THE EASTBritish Strategy i n the Levant

TURNING THE TIDEPlaying the Russian i n RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN

THE IDEOLOGICAL FACTORBenign German Occupation in TRC

THE COMPLEAT DIPLOMATI Give Up . But Not to You, Fella

SOVIET UNION-1941Melding Two Classics

OPERATION HUBERTUSScenario 2000

41 IS GONNA BE A GOOD YEARRussian Play in THIRD REICH

THE BIG THREECommon German Errors in STALINGRAD

By Henry Robinet

1By S. Nixon, J. Clukey, A. Lockto

2By Steve Powleslan

2By William Searigh

2By Michael Anchor

2By Richard Egglesto

3By Rod Walke

3By Dean Mille

3By Charles Kibl

3By Nayyer A

4By James Corlin

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


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8/12/2019 Vol21i4


IS SMOLENSK BURNING?PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN Re visited

y Henry C. Robinette

Why do some games become classics that areplayed time and time again? Many games go stale

after a few playings because, like puzzles, they can

be solved. After players determinethe optim lopen-ing moves and tactics, play isall toopredictable and

about as exciting as watching cars rust on a rainy

afternoon. Eventually stale games collect dust on

closet shelves. PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIANplays as fresh today as it did seven years ago when

it burst upon the wargaming scene with a numberof innovative concepts.

PANZERG RWPE GUDERLQN. or those who've

not yet played this classic, is a reghentalldivisional

wargame of the German drive to cross the Dneiper

~ i v e rn the summer of 1941and seize ~molensk-

Moscow's ist line of defense. Each game turn

represents two days (twelve turns cover the action)

and each hex equals ten kilometers. It is simple to

learn, and playable in an evening.

he Game SystemUnderstanding the game system is basic to un-

derstanding the strategies and tactics necessary for

winning any game. heone concept that established

PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN as a name aoart

from all others was the use of un tr i2 unit s. '~l l

Soviet units are inverted, selected at random, and

not disclosed to either player until the instant of com-bat. This neatly simulates he fog of war and dds

a dimension of uncertainty to every combat. Also,

it eliminates factor fidget , the shuffling of units

to get that exact number of combat factors needed

for predetermined precise odds. Because of the un-

tried units, no two games of PANZERGRUPPEGUDERIAN c n ever be exactly alike.

Another concept-overrun attacks-was not

unique to PAhZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN but the

manner in which it was handled certainly was. Other

games had allowed for automatic victory against

weak units, but usually only at high odds with the

attacking units unable to move or attack again dur-ing the turn of the automatic victory. PANZER-GRUPPE GUDERIAN integrated overrun attacks

with movement. As long s hey suffer no adverse

effects, overrunning units can make as many over-

runs as their movement allowance permits. Defend-ing units can suffer as many overruns in a turn s

the attackerc res o make. Successful overrunsdis-rupt the defending unit, making it lose its zone of

control and its movement allowance for a turn.

Divisional integrity also first appeared in

PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN. Panzer and

mechanized infantry regiments double their com-

bat strength when all the regiments of a division

stack together. This rule gave the gamer an incen-tive to employ his units by division-fficiently and

effectively.

In discussingPAhZERGRUPPE GUDERLPN thesignificance of the unique combat results table and

the application of combat results areoften slighted.

Except for Attacker and Defender Eliminated

results, players have the option to retreat or take

step losses to remain in place. Thus a defender c n

hold key terrain as long as he is willing and ableto lose stepsfromhis involved units. Combat reso-

lution is, to a great deal, in thehands of the player.

For the first time, a player may institute a true

stand fast order and engage in b ttles of attri-

tion in a strategic game. If the defender retreats,

the attacker may follow along the path of retreat.

Since the opposing player always dictates the retreat

path, the advance after combat may isolate other

units that have yet to be attacked. Optional retreatand the possibility of the defender advancing after

an Attacker Retreat add flexibility to the game.

But even with all this, the supply rule is the he

of the game. Supply for the German army is siple: be 20 hexes from a road leading uninterrup

by enemy units, enemy zones of control, or Soviet interdiction marker to the western map ed

or be within 20movement points of the western m

edge. As there is only one road exiting the west

map edge, the Germans are somewhat road-bou

for supply purposes. Supply for the Soviet army

dependent on headquarters. Each Soviet army hea

quarters in the game, named for its commandigeneral, has a o d adius that also serves

its combat strength. The command radius var

from two to five hexes according to thehe dqu rtused for tracing supply. The headquarters must th

trace a line of hexes of any length free of ene

units and their zones of control to the eastern ed

of the map. Swiet units cannot attack unless th

are within the wmmand radius of the headquarte

A headquarters may add its strength in the atta

to the units in its stack, but it does not add strength on the defense (although it may be lost

satisfy a step loss combat result). When a uni

unsupplied, it loses half its movemed allowance

h s its combat strength halved, losing any fractio

Strategy and tactics in PANZERGRUPGUDERUN succeed or fail based on how well th

relate to the supply rule. German strategy shoim to open the Minsk-Moscow road to ensure m

imum mobility and combat strength. Gennan t

tics should strive to kill or isolate Sov

headquarters so as to paralyze and weaken the So

Army. The Soviet strategy is to deny the Germ

the use of the mad as long as possible so as to t

away the Germans' mobiiity..To win more tha

marginal victory, the German must penetrate to

eastern map edge by the end of the twelfth tu

Soviet tactics shotld protect the headquarters

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


w e Defending the Omha Landbridge the first turn deploy-mmt ccording o LippenMdMumm lssumingthat the 19th mydoa c4move Ifthe 19thdocs move one infntrydivisionshoulddeploy to the wood n hex- 1014. 0816 0817. 0917. Koniev

should go to hex 1216. The 16thAnny is assumed not to move.

The X n hex 1016mark the funheal 24th Army units could

move unmo1eattdby interdiction; if interdicted. it can ust rcach

Smolemk.

much as possible (the quickest way to collapse a

position is to put it out of supply).

Victory in PAhZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN is de-

termined on the basis of victory points. The Ger-

man player receives victory points for capturing ndholding cities and further key victory point objec-

tive hexes on the map. The Sovietplayer receives

victory points for rec pturing cities and for eachentire German division (other than the cavalry

division) that is eliminated. Soviet victory points

re subtracted h m he G e m otal ndcompared

to the victory point schedule to determine the level

of victory. From 50 to 79 victory points is a Ger-

m n marginal victory. Vitebsk, Orsha, and

Mogilev-all within five hexes of the western map

edge-are virtual gifts worth twenty victory points.

The Germanplayer need onlycaptureSmolensk nd

either Roslavl or Yel'nya without losing any divi-

sions to assure a marginal victory. If he can't do

that in twelve turns, he should seriously consider

watching television instead of playing wargames.

My suggestion: 50 to 79 victory points should beconsidered a draw.

The errain

How well the Soviet player fares in PANZER-GRUPPE GUDERIAN depends on how well he is

able to use the terrain to his best advantage for

defense. Thekey feature is the Minsk-Moscowhighway running kom hex 0120 to 5907 It branches

in hex 2115 near Smolensk and runs through the

city to Roslavland fromthere to hex 5915 Several

forest hexes along this road can be put to good useas can the two river lines, the Vop and the Dnepr,

that intersect it. To the south the terrain around

Roslavl offers excellent defensive positions. Since

all victory point objective hexes except Rzhev are

withinsevenhexes of these roads, th iu importance

should be obvious. The rail net, so important to theSoviet player for shuffling his reinforcements and

headquarters around, dictates the locationwhere he

can best make a stand. The rivers hinder north-to-southmovement and are useful for securing block-

ing positions on the flanks. The forest hexes north

and west of Smolensk, southwest and west of

Vyazma, alongthe Vop River, and around Roslavl

are the key defensive positions.

Three of the cities-Smolensk, Vyazma, and

Roslavl-should be heavily defended. Roslavl, es-

pecially, shouldbe held since it blocks the southern

road. The Vop River line must be manned by thetime Smolensk falls. The Land Bridge is the areabetween heWestern vii nd Kasplya Riversand

the Dnepr River. Although it offers good initial

delayingpositions, it istoo r forward for the Soviet

to attempt to hold in force. Note how the rivers andforests tend to channelize the German advance

through this land bridge.

The UnitsOf the two armies in PANZERGRUPPE

G U D E W he erman is the better by far. Its

four-step infantry divisionsand its many powerful,

mobile mechanized formations can strike fast and

hit hard. So, what re he strengthsand weaknesses

of these units?

The Panzer Divisions:

The panzers are easily the most powerful units

on theboard solongas they remain stackedtogether

for divisionalintegrity.They c n overmnany single

enemy unit. They are most effective when concen-

trated against key positions or when used for deep

penetrations. With their six steps, they can take alot of punishment before being completely de-

stroyed. But, whenever the component regiments

are not stacked together, the panzer divisionsbe-come vulnerable. Retreat after adverse combat

results leaves the regiments scattered and unable to

overmnin the next MovementPhase. And they cost

victory points if totally destroyed.

The Motorized Divisions:

The advantages to these are similar to the panzer

divisions. The motorized divisionsare very useful

for flanking maneuvers and securing the flanks.

However, motorized divisionscannot overrun sup-plied and doubled units without unacceptable risk.

With only four steps, they are fragile on defense

even with divisionalintergrity. The component regi-

ments when unstacked are vunerable, but not as

much as those of the panzer division. They too co

victory points if totally destroyed.

The Infantry Divisions:

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on t

role taken) in this game, the German infantry

faster than most Russian units. They are sturdy o

both the offense and the defense. They are qu

good for reducingby-passed Sovietunits and mai

taining rear area security. But, the infantry is slo

comparedto the armoreddivisions and rarely arriv

in time to contribute to the main attacks along t

front lines. They lack divisional intergrity. Victo

points are lost if they are totally destroyed.

The Independent Mechanized Regiments:

The independentmechanizedregimentshave go

mobility and are useful for wide flanking mane

vers and security. But they have weak com

strengthsand cannotattack alone withoutunacce

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


igurr The Roslavl Hedgehog on Soviet Turn 4. This set-up in- risk. Since have steps, arecludes the entire 21st ~ r r n y .our Southwestern Fmnt reinforce- very vulnerable. Luckily,no victory points are lostmenu and two provisional reinforcements. Note how the Egg if they are destroyed.defense allows the 13th Army headquarters to move to Roslavl.

The Cavalry Division:

The Cavalry Division moves in both movementiOuR 3 The Egg first u r n deployment by DIJM~ unson and phases and is very important for securing the rear

Parish. If the 19th Army could move. it sends two infantry divi- area rail net yet, with two the cavalrysions to hex 0912. two more infantry divisions to hex 1014 nd

Koniev to Smolensk. If the 16th Army can move two of its infan- Division cannot take much punishment. It is too

t v divisions ~o to hex 0513. The 20th Armv infantrv division at weak to attack alone and should never be exD0sedhi x 0513 woi l d then be placed in hen 0 5 l ~ w h e r e would free to a p s i & counterattack. If lost, no victory hintsan armored division that proceeds to hex 071 1.

are lost.

The Air Interdiction Units:

Air interdiction units are perfect for slowing

Soviet reinforcements. They are doubly effective

when placed in hexes that contain both a railroad

and a road. But, air interdiction range is limited be-

fore Smolensk is captured. They are not very ef-

fective when used for any role other than rail

interdiction or when used singly insteadof together

on adjacent hexes.

The Sovietarmy is a motley hodgepodgeof units

of very uneven quality. The individual Sovietdivi-

sion must retreat or die since it has only one step.

The Soviet army is a radically different force than

the German army:

The Tank Divisions:

Good movement rates enableSoviet armored divi-

sions to cover a wide area when used as a reserve.

They can also threaten a broad region when used

on raids late in the game. As with all Soviet units,

armored divisions are of unknown strength with

three phantoms of zero strength. The average

armored division is a three. With only one step they

can be easily destroyed if there is no room for

retreat.

The Mechanized Divisions:

Strengths are the same as those of armored divi-sions except there are no phantom units. They are

good for counterattacking when stacked. But, fifty

percent of the mechanizeddivisionshave a strength

of four or less. Brittle and weak.

The Infantrv Divisions:Since there are so many Sovietinfantry divisions,

they are expendable. They move well enough

through woods and by rail. The percentage of at-

tack strengths five through nine for Soviet infantry

is 20.5 . The percentage of defense strength three

through five is 56.4 and six through eight is

20.5 . However, Soviet infantryis notoriously un-reliable when attacking, with fully 25.6 having

a strength of zero or one. The defensive capabili-

ties are also inconsistent with 10.3 zero-valued

units and 7.896 of one or two defensive strength

points. Soviet infantry is especiallyimpotentwitho

supply and command control from headquarte

units.

The Headquiuters Units:Headquarters are a known quantity and can au

mentthe attack capabilityof units stackedwith the

while providing supplyand commandcontrolradiu

They move by rail without countingagainst the r

capacity. They have a limited evacuationcapabili

However, they too have liabilities. Headquarte

units do not augment defense strengths of un

stacked with them. They are exceptionally vulne

able when alone or when stacked with one othunit. Nor c n they enter an enemy zone of contr

by themselves.

The Air Interdiction Marker:

When placed on hex 0120 the air interdicti

marker can cut off supply for most of the Germ

Army. However, the air interdiction marker inte

rupts German supply only during the Germanplay

turn and can be used but three times during t

game. It cannot be located in a hex occupied by

German unit. Its time and point of placement is

critical decisionfor the Russian player, one whi

entire articles could cover sufficiently.

In sum, the nine panzer divisionsand six moto

ized divisionsconstitutea formidable uggernaut

22 combat strength points with full divisional i

tegrity. This alone is a whopping 72 of the coplete German counter mix defense strengths. T

eighteen German infantry divisions add a furth

162 combat strengthpoints, but because these en

play in small groupsover a period of time and th

seldomarrive at the decisive points of battle, th

are less effective then the mechanizeddivisionsa

are for the most part superfluous. Against th

mighty combatmachine the SovietArmy can mus

elevenarmored or mechanizeddivisions, twelvef a n t ~ivisions of vrovisional reinforcements.

infantry divisionsakd an additional en infantry d

visionsof optionalreinforcementsfiom the Sou

western Front. Although these are all untried un

of varying strength, the Soviet player can usua

hold any position on the map providing that it

doubling or tripling terrain defendedby at least thr

supplied units and that reserves are availablereplace losses. Only by the efficient use of defenble terrain and reserves can the Soviet Army del

and perhaps stop the German advance.

Tactics

An overview of the two basic tactics, the Pin

and the Overrun , used in P NZERGRUP

GUDERI N is essential for a full understanding

the strategies of the game. Let us briefly exploeach in turn.

The Pin tactic arises from the sticky zone-

control rule found in this game. Whenever a u

is in an enemy zone of control, it is struck in pla

and will remain stuck there until either the enem

unit exertingthe zone-of-control or the friendly u

is removed by combat or overrun. The Pin is a uful delayingtactic for the defender. By pinning pazer divisionswith evensingleunits, the Sovietplayforces the German to either overrun or attack t

pinning units, thus delaying the Gennans and bu

ing time for the main line of resistance. The P

can also be a useful tactic for the attacker. Af

a breakthrough has been made, the German play

can pin nearby units to keep them from reactin

Soviet headquarters c n be pinned so that they c

be killed in subsequentturns.He c neven pin Sov

units in clear terrain so they will be easier to kThe Pin works best for holding enemy units out

position so that they cannot be available wh

needed in the following turn and for disrupting

best laid plans of the enemy.

The Overrun is the one tactic that can make

break the German offensive. The Overrun is m

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


N g w e A Red Carpa Defenseon the third SovietNm Only ot?e

possibility of many in his flexible defense

effective against singleunits in clear terrain Against

two units in supply on clearterr in tbecomes risky

and against doubled or tripled units in supply it is

positively foolhardy. The advantage of the Over-

run is that it enables a unit to attack more th n once

in a player turn. By overrunning, it is possible topunch a hole in the defender's line, move through

it, and surroundother enemy units before wmbat.

The number of overruns the German should make

each movementphase is a subjectivedecision. Becauseof the fad that Sovietdefensivestrengthsare

unknown, the matter must be carefully weighed-

both the best and worst possible odds and resultstaken into account. Master players of this game,

Larry Lippert and Gregory Mumm, urge modera-

tion in using overruns even though a full-strength

panzer division overrunning a single Soviet unit on

clear terr inhas a23%chanceof4-1 or better odds

35.9% of 2-1. and 41.03% of 1-1. With an un-

reduced motorized division, they show a 23.8%chance for 3-1 or better odds 16.67%for 2-1 odds

44.87% for 1-1 odds, and 15.39 percent for 1-2

odds.Charles Stards however, believesdifferently:

As long as there is space to retreat to, I feel most

overruns against one or two unit stacks, even in

doubled positions, but not tripled, are potentially

useful enough to outweigh the dangers involved.The dangers involved with the Overrun are not

insignificant even at high odds. Sincea split result,

wherein both the attackerand defender must retreat

or lose a step, stopsmovement, too many overruns

can immobilize the offensivefor a turn. At 8-1 and

9-1 odds there is a 16%chancefor anadverseresult.

At 6-1 and 7-1 this becomes a 33.3% chance. At3-1 and 4-1 this becomes a 50% chance (of which

there is a 16%chance of Engaged , and a mandatory step loss). At 2-1 there is a 66.6% chance

for an adverse result and at 1-1 this is a 83 risk.

A 1-2 overrun is 100 percent adverse with a 16%

chance for an outright Attacker Elimination .

Since, as shown above, many of the Overruns aremade at relatively low odds, the problems facing

the attacker are not inconsiderable.

Duringthe first movementphase, the German canretreat on adverse results. But retreating w ll usually

unstack his division, leaving it unable to overrun

in the mechanized movement phase and it will pre-

vent the division from attacking in the CombatPhase. Similarly, in the Mechanized Movement

Phase, a retreat will deprive the division of over-

run capability in the next turn's movement phase

while possibly exposing it to a devastating counter-

attack. So, many imes the German must chooseto

lose a step in order to maintain divisional intergrity

or to keep the overrunning unit adjacent to Sovietunits so that it can attack again. But taking step

losses on overruns (and combat as well) leads to

the gradual attrition of the German's mechanized

units and the blunting of his spearhead. Using the

front offlankoverrunwherein one unit gets behind

the target unit so that the overrunning unit fromthefront wil l cut off supply at the instant of overrunc nminimize the risk of low odds overrun to some

extent.

Soviet Strategies

There are thr basic strategies for the Soviet

player. These have been labeled by other authors

The Orsha Landbridge , The Main Line of

Resistance , and The Egg .Larry Lippert and Gregory Mummespoused the

Orsha Landbridge strategy see Figure I), which

aims to deny the Germans as much of the 0120 to

Smolensk ro das possible for as m ny turns as pos-

sible. Most Russian reinforcements are thrown into

the area north of the Dnepr River and south of the

West Dvina or Kasplya rivers. Only the third turn

reinforcements with four of the optional South-

western Front units and a (5)-10 headquarters aredeployed around Roslavl. The idea is to defend in

depth within a narrow salient.

Charles Starks and Redmond A. Simonsen,

however, advocated a rapid withdrawal to thevicinity west of Smolensk leaving only a token rearguard force in the forest hexes along the road to

delay the Germans. They set up a main line of

resistance a few hexes west of Smolensk and ex-

tended it in a straight line north to the West Dvina

River and south to Roslavl. Around Smolensk thismain line of resistance would consist of stacks of

two and three units on adjacent hexes. To the north

and south of the central position the stacks re

spaced out; but instead of every other hex, they are

set up two stacks adjacent and skip a hex between

the next two stacks. Units on every other hex

weaken the defense since should a stack be elimi-nated or overrun it createsa hole in the line, whereas

if another stack was adjacent to it there would still

be a zone-of-control to stop movement.

Mr. Simonsen went a step further to explain thedefense to use after the main line of resistance is

eventually smashed. e recommendscre tingdefen-

sive enclaves (hedgehogs)centeredaroundthe vic-

tory objectivehexes. The objectivehex itself should

have at least two strong tried units if possible

and a headquarters. Deployed around this hex in

a circle two or thr hexes out w ll be stacksof two

or hree untried units on adjacent hexes. Roslavl see

Figure 2) and Vyazma, at the very least, should be

turned into hedgehogs.Bill Dunne, Mike Gunson, and David Parish ad-

vocated a synthesisof the two aforementionedstrat-

egies. They observe, quite correctly, that the rapid

fall back of the main lineof resistancestrategy will

not delay the Germansenough. In fad he Germanswould be on top of the main line of resistance be-

fore it could be set up. They deploy the 20th and

13thArmies E~gure) to forma hedgehog that th

call The Egg . These two armies and the 1

Army cling to the forestsalong the road and shou

delay the Germans for three or four critical tur

while the reinforcements form strong hedgehoaround Smolensk and Roslavl. The gap betwe

Smolensk and Roslavl is not defended since theis no defensibleterrain and it would take too m n

units to try to hold it. As long as either hedgeh

remains in Soviet hands, any German advan

through the gapw ll be unsupplied,especially wh

the interdiction marker is used.

As a variant of the main line of resistance, t

Soviet player may disperse his units one to a h

in a band three or four hexes wide instead of stac

ing them three o a hex. These wall-to-wall unlaid down in a red carpet (Figure 4) fonn a re

defense in depth. Obviously, there will not

enoughunits to c rpet a wide front, but the gapb

tween the Kasplya and the Dnepr Rivers is ide

The fl nks re secured y doubled positions diftic

to clear and the carpet with its singleunits, in cotrast, looks easy to penetrate. With average luck

the selection of untried units, German overru

against the carpet's edge should seldom be at odhigher than 4-1. Thus there is little likelihood

an outrightelimination and suchlossesas result fro

the initial overruns should be from engaged or

resultswherein the overrun unit was retreated on

a hex that is then itself overrun. A esult shou

thickenthe carpet as the retreat is made to the re

If a German division attempts to overmn a seco

unit it may be unable to retreat on adverse resu

and will suffer a step loss. Advance after wmbwill be limited to exactly one hex. It is difficult

isolate units in the carpet from supply and retre

units retreating after combat are merely reinfo

ing the next line of hexes making them harder

overrun in the Mechanized MovementPhase. S

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


the German can eventually bludgeon his waythroughthecarpetashecaneventually burstthroughany line the Soviets erect, but when he does he willnot be able to pin all the defenders as he couldagainst the conventional stacked line. The realbeauty of this red carpet defense is it takes the Ger-man's main strength--his ability to overrun-andturns it against him. The more ov em ns the Ger-man makes, the more times he rolls the die and themore opportunities heh s to take step losses on ad-verse results.

The conventional consensus of opinion is that the

Soviet player should never attack unless he can pickoff a component regimnt that h s become separated

from the rest of its division-and only then aftermuch trepidation andsou searching. Nonsense TheSoviet player should not eschew the offensive.Whenever the Soviet player can surround a motor-ized or panzerdivision on clear terrain, he shouldconsider attacking it. If it is isolated or other near-by German divisions are pinned, it should be at-tacked if the Soviet player can spare five or six unitsfor a possible 1-1 attack. A 1-1 attack has a 66%chance of inflicting a step loss on the defender andthe Soviet player can usually lose one or two unitsto avoid a retreat. When attacking, the unit block-ing the defender's supply should not be used, forif it should be a zero strength phantom unit, the

defender would then be supplied. A counterattack

on an isolated divisian, preferably a motorized one,will sometimes divert German strength from morecritical segments of the front. Generally. counter-attacks should be reserved for the middle and endgame turns before using the interdiction marker sothat the Gennan reaction will be enfeebled.

The interdiction marker should not be used untilper Smolensk itself h s fallen as it w ll not be able

to unsupply the German mechanized divisions at-tacking Smolensk. Smolensk should hold out untilturn seven or eight at the latest. (If it falls earlier,the Soviet player is in deep trouble.) So the inter-diction should be made on turns nine, ten, andeleven.

IheSwidplayershwldkcephislnechanizedand

armored units in reserve if at all possible. Theseunits must be available to pin or counterattack Ger-

man units that have penetrated the main line ofresistance. Late in the game they can raid the Ger-man rear to rec pturevictory point cities or threatenthe German supply lines. There should be a garri-son in every victory point hex south and west ofVyazma inclusive. The strength of these garrisons

should wrrespondto the proximity of German units.There is nothing worse than watching the panzersroll unopposed into a vacant objective hex in theMechanized Movement Phase. Make the Germanfight for everything he gets.

German Strategies

German strategy. especially in the first threeturns, is usually a reaction to the Soviet's dcploy-ment. The first decision the German player facesis whether to attempt to penetrate the front or to

swing around it to the north for an envelopment.If the choice is envelopment, the German playermust choose between a shallow or a deep envelopment into the woods north of Smolensk. The shal-low envelopment will seal the doom of 20th Armypossibly as early as the second turn, but it w ll allowthe Soviet player to establish his main line ofresistance near Smolensk without any real inter-ference. The deep envelopment will seize gooddefensive terrain thereby preventing the Sovietsfrom occupying it. However, there are not enoughGermanunitsonthefirstandsecondturnstosecurethe flanks and the deep enveloping force could bepinned down and put out of supply. If the Sovietplayer is aggressive and counterattacks, some of theGerman divisions wuld be endangered as with the2 th Army still intact it could be as late as turn four

before help could arrive.

f oviet 19th Army has notmoved nd the orestsalong the road are not occupied by enemy troops,then the choice may be penetration. A penetration

attack to seize the blocking terrain along the roadaffords an excellent springboard for the third turnGerman reinforcements. The Egg defense ismuch too hard to crack with the 39th Panzer Corps

alone and should be flanked to the north.By the third turn the German player should be

clearing the road with some of his surplus armoredunits and infantry while the rest of his mechanizedforce races around the flanks to surround Smolensk.

At this stage of the game killing every Soviet unitis not necessary. The German panzers should con-centrate on crucial positions where a successful at-tack will open a hole in the line so that they canbreak through to exploit during the MechanizedMovement Phase. Infantry should pin as manySoviet units as possible so that they can be moppedup later when the rest arrives. Some mechanizedunits may have to be detailed for flank security tokeep the roadopen until these pockets are reduced.

Smolensk should be surrounded before attackinnit. The German player should always strive to pany heavily defended position out of supply beforeattacking. Once Smolensk is isolated, the Sovietplayer will not be able to replace his losses in a pro-tracted battle. Smolensk should be c phued no laterthan turn eight, but every effort must be made to

take it before then. The longer you delay, the greaterthe danger grows.

After the fall of Smolensk, the German playermust chooseh e e n he northern advance through

Vyazma or the southern route through Roslavl.While the road to Vyazma is certainly the mostdirect route to the eastern edge, it is likely to bethe most heavily defended.The errain channelizesthe approach to Vyazma along the narrow front andthe railroad enables rapid reinforcement in this sec-tor. The southern route offers a lightly defendedroad to the eastern edge and has the added advan-tage that Soviet reinforcements take a long time toreach the front. The German should concentrate onone or the other routes and should not try to secureboth at the same time, although he will do best ifhe thre tens to open both. I like to t ke Roslavl and

Yel'nya before Vyazma so that the strong positionson the Vop and Dnepr Rivers can be flanked.

If the German player finds all his mechanizedunits pinned by strong stacks of Soviet units at thebeginning of a turn, he has done something wrong.He must presave his mobility in order to win. Heshould have a few units free to exploit any break-throughs that occur on every turn. Similarly, over-runs should be executed first so that units will beavailable to pour through the holes. The Germanshould make deep penetrations whenever possible.Some mechanized units should be screened so thatthey cannot be pinned and will therefore be able tomove. The German player should position his unitsso they cannot be pinned from hexes with favora-

ble defensive terrain; make the Soviet player pinfrom clear hexes where he is vulnerable. Although

the Germans have enough power to smash anySoviet position, the German player must not let thegame become a static slugfest. He must keep thepanzers moving.

onclusionPANZERGRUPPEGUDERAN is a challenging

game for both players. This article has been slanted&ward the Soiet-side because defense in any gameis always the more difficult to play, the advantagesmore subtle. The Soviet player will usually be hard

pressed to hold the German to a marginal victory.But wmpetent defensive play can usually precludeanythingotherth na marginal victory for the Ger-mans The challenge, then is to dobetterthan a Ger-man marginal victory. Many a gamehas ended withthe German player only one turn away from a deci-

sive victory.

Unfortunately, this perceived bias in the victoconditions has kept PANZERGRUPPE GUDER U

off the tournament schedule at many wargame w

ventions. In the typical competition the players apaired off in the first round and the winner of eacgame advances into the second round. If this prcedure were followed in a PANZERGRUPP

GUDERIAN tournament, the second round woube made up almost entirely of gamers who ha

played the German side in the first round; sombody who had won a decisive victory as the Geman could be paired with somebody who had bare

eked out a marginal victory. (In a tournament wilimited time for play there can be no draws.) If thwere the case, then the players could just roll thdie to see who would be the German player and nbother to play the game. It would certainly sav

time. Clearly, this approach will not do.The solution is simple. In a given round theGe

man player is not playing against the Soviet play

for the right to advance intothenext round. Instca

he is playing against the otha German players well as againsthis opponent. The players (whatevnumber the tournament director feels comfortabwith)--German and Russian-with the most poinadvance into the next round. Next, the playeswitch sides so that the Soviet playa(s) of the prvious round would then be the German player(of the current round. Simply repeat the procedu

until only two remain. Doing this will ensure thonly the best all-around players will make it inthe final round.

At the PAMERGRUPPE GUDERIAN tournment of ORIGINS 82, the Soviet player receivevictory points for territorial objectives the same

the German player; other th n his, victory poinwere awarded in the usual fashion according to thrules. To discourage the Soviet player from staing in order to keep their victory points high, thewas a ten-point penalty for each turn that was n

completed. Similarly for the German player thewas a five-point penalty for each unfinished turToo, everybody had the same die rolls for the 16and 19th armies (announced by the tournamedirector and varied for each round). This approa

wofked very well and I recommend that it be us

in future tournaments.Finally, if you hanker for the classic g m - o n

given to quick and challenging play, and capabof analysis and debate on perfect plans (somethiseemingly in disrepute these days for some stranreason)-trv this fine re-issue of PAhZERGRUPP

G U D ~ ~t is worth more than passing interein your over-populated game library.

COPIESf the reader should need a copy of an articlefrom an out-of-stock back issue of TheGENERAL The Avalon Hill Game Companydoes provide a photocopying service. Thecharge for this sewice is $1 W er page, with aminimum order of five pages required. Pleasespecify the article, volume and number it appeared in, and the pages on which it can be

found (as listed in this index). Standard AvalonHill postage rates of 10%of the amount of theorder must be included for domestic orders(20% for Canadian orders; 30 for overseas

orders.) GENERAL postage coupons do no

apply.

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


SERIES REPL YPANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN

Russian Player Stance NixonGerman Player Jody Clukey

Neutral Commentator Andrew Lockton

This Series Replay is brought forward by threesuperlative competitors from the West Coast-

auguring afierce game. The Germanplayer, Jody

Clukey,placed second and third in the l sr twoPG

tournaments. Stance Nixon has twiceplaced third

in the tournament while the Neutral Commentator,

as befining hisposition, hasplacedfirst and second

in the past two PGG tournaments.

Pre Game

Russian We started off by bidding for which side

we wish to play; knowing my opponent likes to play

the Germans, I started in the 60's in order to make

him give me several Southwestern reinforcements.With the bid being 68, he must capture several of

the Victory Point hexes beyond Roslavl. This is

where I hope to stop him by blocking his line ofsupply, pinning as many units as possible, and

heavily defending his target hexes.

I will set up a defense that lets me delay the Ger-

man as well as fall back and use the remainder of

the rearguard units. The front line units will be

pinned which will let me move the reserve units,

the leaders and armor, to the next defensive line.

The first defensive line is anchored on the forest-

road hexes of 0518 and 0617, and looks like areversed qustion mark. The next part of the defense

stretches down the road to deny its use to the Ger-

mans or movement in the early turns. The final part

heads south along the Dnepr River line. This sec-

tion is designed to make it hard for the German toget into the open areas of the board, at least for the

first two turns. This defense gives him the city of

Vitebsk but makes im fight for Orsha ndMogilev.

The last thing to rememberabout my defense is thatit is supposed to stay as mobile as possible to allow

the formation of other lines, filling of holes and,

if the German is not careful, the recapture of Russian

cities.

The last two lines are not as complex in their

execution as in their theory because I will have few

mobile units left. Line two forms around Smolensk

and stretches from the north edge of the board to

the south edge aroundRoslavl. The third defensiveline is on the Vop and Dnepr River line east of

Smolenskwith pockets around Roslavl, Vyazma nd

the central forest area. At this time in the game,

Turn 7 or 8, the German player should have manyof his units pinned and be able to attack with a few

mobile armor and mechanized units. His infantry

will be used to clean up the pockets I have left

behind.

German bid 68 points simply because my oppo-

nent bid 67 and I wanted to be the German (I am

a better offensive player than defensive player). This

will necessitate my taking Vitebsk, Orsha,Mogilev,

Smolensk, Yel'nya, Roslavl and something past

Yel'nya, assuming that he takes no SouthwestRein-

forcements and I lose no divisions that Count for

victory point purposes. I would have preferred abid of 65 so that would not have to take anything

past Yel'nya, thereby simplifying my problems. But

Stance knows me too well to make this easy and

so sent the bid up.

The strengthof the Germanarmy is their panzer The Russians must counter-balance this with eand motorized divisions. Their movement allowance cient use of the rail net and a ''lookahead anirud

of 20 points per game turn, when in supply, makes The mechanics of being out of supply greatly

them awesome. They can punch holes in the Rus- ward even valued units as opposed to odd valu

sian line and make deep penetration raids to grab units. The Panzer Divisions are composed of thrcities, cut rail lines, and overrun solitary leaders, even valued units. Ifsupply is going to be aproble

thereby disruptingthe Russian defensive plans and the Panzer Division is twice as strong as a Moto

the Russian supply lines. It pays to leave some ized Division.

mechanized @anzerandlor motorized) divisions free There aren 't any low odds DEs on the CRT.

and unpinned to exploit weaknesses and mistakes, eliminate a Russian position tends to demand th

and try to force the Russian player to weaken his it be unable to retreat. This can be done by su

center to shore up his flanks. rounding it or by attrition. At theodds r which m

The first several moves for the German will be combat occurs, players will have a choice betwe

dictated by the Russian placement (is . , does the losing a step from or retreating the involved un

Russian create an egg defense, a forward defense, The German almost always will opt to retreat.or something else). It is impossible to project my is very hard to bleed the German player.

moves at this point, they being dependent on those If a stack retreats it is retreated by the ene

of my opponent. player; if it takes losses the owningplayer alloca

My air interdiction units were placed in hexes them. This means that many Soviet defensive po

3815, 3715 and 2915. This placement means that rions must accept 0 2 results as deaths or weak

the Russian first turn reinforcements are slowed the second defensive line. Remember thar a succe

down; if the units in Entrance Hex V, 1 move, ful overrun takes the hex regardless of other ene

they are significantly delayed. Zones of Control. Eliminating all the units defen

For those of you whose only amiliariry wirh PGG ing in a hex grants an advance of two hexes ais what you have read so far in this issue, a brief these units are allowed to ignore enemy Zones

look at some of the key tacticalpoints of the game Control. On the other hand, thefact that the ow

is in order. ing player determines losses means a reinforceabThe Russian units are unknown. Although the defending stack is always improving; only the we

average value of a stack is calculable, the devia- units die.

tion rom average is very large. Even more impor- A weak position in the line will not hold. Th

tantly, the Russian army is composed roughly of is only one combatphase but one can overrun a u

10% dummy units that do not absorb casualties. as many times as he can ind units capable of doiZones of Control may not be lefr except by com- it. Losing an overrun defensivelywill eliminate

bat or overruns. It is crucial topreservesome mobile Zone of Control, upon which all defense is baseunits to react to threats. This is a game that rewards How the German uses these loss-causing opponplayers that keep a reserve. nities will go a lopg way toward deciding who w

AN Germanmechanized and motorized units move win the game.

twice, oncebefoe cornbar and onceafler. Ifthe Ger- Strategically, the key is for the Russian to for

man gets even a small hole in the Russian line, his a solid line and hold it. One mnjor problem is th

army is built to exploit it. This also means that rhe this line musr be held with very ew casualties. CGerman flecil'vely has 20 movement ~ o r ser ru trary to what one would think the German can wfor his main striking force. ntis is to be compared a battle of attrition, i only the attrition is quto the maximum of six per turn for the Russian enough. A comparison of the Russian and Germ

erman Steps

This able is for illustrationonly en l uld be noted that it is theoretically impossible.

-1 also does not include any Southwest ern reinforcements

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The German obviously intends to tr p the Russianfour value leaders. Not a bad idea, but the threedivision attack on 1116 offered much the same op-portunity with the rmrard of two &ad Russian units.20th Headquarters is not on a rail line and has nosafe haven nearby. It is not necessary to be adja-cent to a unit to kill it. Notice that this is anotherweakness of the Turn 2 Russian move. 7he 13thHeadquarters should have been railroaded toRoslavl, it is not supplying a single unit not alreadysupplied by 20th Headquarters.

Given the German movement phase, mechanized

movement is as expected. 7he only obvious weak-ness is the failure to pin the units in 0920. TheRussian will be able to orm five stacks of three unitsin doubled terrain, and a stack of four in doubledterrain when and ifthe units in 0422 move to 0822.B e erman will get more than the usual numberof kills or the delay defense, but his lapses this rummeans he will take more time than usual as well.A11 in a good turn in the abstract but not nearly asgood as it could have been.

Turn 3

Russian My defense s not going as well as wouldlike it to go, but now have the opportunity to causehim several problems in an area that is rapidly be-coming his back lines. The 20th Panzer Division

in 0620 c n be surrounded and put out o f supply.This will cost me several units, and may only costhim one step since he can rescue it with other near-

by units. However, the units sent to rescue the 20thPanzer Division would be delayed. Their delay willhave justified the sacrifice. Next turn is the majorreinforcementturn for the Germans nd must leaveno holes for him to exploit with the newly amvingunits.

had several choices to make this turn. Shouldpin the 7th Panzer Division, the 19th Panzer

Division, or both. surrounded 20th Panzer Divi-sion with only two units. This may turn out to bea mistake, should have used two stacks o f threeor no units at all. Orsha out-of-supply is a betterhex to hold than a hex in the open with three unitsin supply, and this was the only hex could have

gotten three units from. am again seeing my mis-take o f not withdrawing early enough haunt me.hope the units left behind will cause severalproblems for Jody in the next couple o f turns, aswell as slow his movement.

7he Russian stacks in 0521 and 1021 are simplywrong. Undoubled and unsupplied two-step stacksjust provide cannon odder to the Germans withoutextracting any reasonable delay. 7he units in 0521

belong in 0822. lh e units in 1021 should be, oneeach, in 1116 and 1216. Given the fact that onlytwo Panzer Divisions are free, the unit that movedby rail into 2525 should have walked instead, al-lowing another unit rom the Vyazma region to rail

into Smolensk. All in all , a less than perfect Rus-sian move.

German This turn will be devoted to killing mosto f the Russian-units in the forward area 7th Pan-zer Division will open a supply line to 12th Panzer

Division for combat purposes.will now kick myself for not attacking hex

0521-the Russian expected value for defense s fourand my attack value is 28, giving me an attack o fseven to one odds. It is impossible for his unit to

survive this attack and the attack would have freedtwo o f my divisions. A very dumb thing to havedone. Next turn should see Orsha fall and the roadcleared.

At best, an average move. Lehr and GrossDeutschland are being terribly misused. l wy shouldsurround units and scout out information. f GrossDeutschland and Das Reich were to trade placeswith Lehr in 0717, attacking both adjacent hexes

(thus allowing the German to use his units @cienrly

on Turn 4) , it would be a good move. One otherthing to note is the many infantry units heading east,otpam'cipating in the early battles unless they are

necessary, since needless ighting would slow theiram'val against the Smolensk area positions.

Verypoor combat, both in execution and results.The 20th Panzer Division should have advanced to0719 toprevent the retreat rom 0618, and the sec-ond attack should have been with the 17th PanzerDivision and 29th Motorized Division against theRussian infantry in 0521. he q c t e d odds are 7:1,the worst odds are 3:l.

But the G e m as good mechanized movement.The killing overruns were obvious, but not so

obvious were the placements of Das Reich and the

19th Panzer Division. Ifthe h s i a n iscareless theypose a threat. f not, theycan go back ndhelp clearthe road. A good example of German mobility. Alsonoteworthy is the belated recognition of Lehr andGross Deutschland's role.

Turn 4

Russian Several o f his units arc tied up and willbe until next turn. German infantry will not reachthe Smolensk lines until this turn, and then therewill only be two of hem. It looks to me as i f Jodyis going to send most o f his force to Smolensk. Thiswill require me to form my line rather quickly, and

will not let it be as complete as would like it to be.It does not look like will do the Germans a lot

o f damage in combat with what is le ft o f my firstdefense line. The retreat from hex 0518 means hewill have to attack those units again, but this time

with better odds. The 6-8-6 in Orsha was a bit o fa surprise to both o f us, and hope it will be ableto cause him more than the normal delay.

His overrun that was resolved with an A1 gener-ated a small amount o f cheer on my part split upthe German division so that he cannot overrun withthat unit during his next movement phase. The finaltally after all the attacks is pro-Geman, but it hasgiven me some informationon my army. With thetwo exposed 0-0-6s and the 6-84 and the two5-8-6s. know that there are only six 0-0-6s lef tand five units with an eight defense eft. This me ns

that the line around Smolensk is populated by manyaverage units and a few good ones.

After noticing that the German infantrycan getto my Smolensk line this turn. refused to do any-thing about it. shuffled he 16th Headquarters fromSmolensk to Roslavl and the 30thHeadqwters fromhex 40 12 to Smolensk. These Headquarters, alongwith the others, can keep my Smolensk line in sup-ply. f the 13th Headquarters had been moved toRoslavl earlier, then would not have to do all o f

this shuffling. did make a mistake in not allowingfor the German infantry's arrival. Thearea betweenSmolensk and Roslavl is not going to be penetratedby him without a lot of work. This was done at theexpense o f my northern line. hope he will con-

sider the terrain unfavorableand not attack. My linedoes not stretch far enough north to block a flank-

ing maneuver. There are not enough units inRoslavl, so the units coming from the rear will have

to fil l in here and the north.

A good solid move. l ke defensive line rom 2013to 2325 isfirm and backed by a solid line. However,there are some points to criticize. 7he five valueleader in Smolensk belongs on the northern flank.l ke northern forest is far too weakly held. 7he arsouth also is too weak and the Russian line is veryvulnerable to casualties because of the large num-ber of undoubled positions attackable from threehexes. A dt$ense line using hexes 2011,2013,2015,

2216,221 7,2418,2420,2422,2424 nd 2527 withbackers at 2212,2214.2521.2523.2624 and2626would use as many troops as this linebut would haveless hexes exposed to potential high odds attacks.All in all, however, this is by far the best Russian

move since Turn I.

German It was nice of the Russian to let my tw

infantry divisions attack his front line this turnwill attack hex 2013 to apply leverage on the roa

will not use the infantry divisions to attack he2015 because the panzer units which attack withem would be across the river i fand when it camtime to overrun.

Bad luck in the forest as Stance was able to retrehis armor onto his 8-8 4 in their other section the forest; this means still another turn to clear throad in the forest.

A well done move which kills most of the dela

ing units and begins the attrition in the Smolenarea. One improvement would have been to sena small force to the 1609 area to threaten th

northernjlank but this can be done in mechanizemovement i f need be.

he at&zck on 0718 wasprobably a mistake. Zk

was a one-third chance of creating a stack withdefense value of 22 in hex 0617. By ignoring 071it waspossible to guarantee that the road would bclear on Turn 5. Now Jody will have to fight foit since the Russian knows what's there.

I still think Lehr would prove a more dangerothreat farther north. The known Russian units 2013 should have been pinned. f the Russian bright they will become the lynch-pins of hSmolensk defense. lRe German player does do

good job of threatening both sides of the Dnep

while allowing almost all the annor to be free exploit any success.

Turn 5

Russian My front line defense has now fallealmost on schedule. He saw the error in my linand will now exploit, but will t y to stop himhe doesn't get I ar in the ~echar ized bvemPhase. Jody looks as i fhe is avoiding the Smolens

Roslavl road defense and is building up just for th

area around Smolensk. f he eliminates the Smolendefense too early the game is forfeited.

Last turn ended a little in my favor. still haa nice stack in hex 0617 (the forest road). Despithe limited access to Smolensk, can still get unin there this turn to help defend. This will be m

last chanceso need to make the best of t. He coveniently exposed a 2-6-6 and a 3-5-6 earlier andid not pin them, so can move them to Smolens

cannot do everything wanted to do because the shortage of eaders and units. built up my linbut have left several weak points. have a sta

in 2328 that is out o f supply; the stack in 221should be in 2209 (a far better position from whito antagonize theGerman .My biggest mistakemabe not backing up my line at 2418; with the thravailable panzer units he could eliminate that stac

and completely surround Smolensk. This gives hia very good chance ofdestroying the stack in 222and exploiting through 2419 to the rear ofmy lineor deeper still to the eastern board edge.

What a hom'ble turn 7he Russian player wouhave been better off i f he had not moved a sing

unit. Certainly, he key mistake is the gapping hobehind the units in 2220. Ifthey go, the Germacan cut the Vyazma-Smolensk rail with Lehr

mechanized movement. 7he Russian is still weak both f i nks but strategically this is where he camost aflord it. 7he weakness in the center is tcrucial one.

German A Russian mistake He does not havedouble line south o f Smolensk. f breakthrouat hex 2220. can isolate Smolensk. The attacare set and the 14th Motorized and the 18th Motoized will help exploit in the south. The road wbe cleared this turn

will clear the forest in hex 0617 to open a suply line for a breakthrough to isolate SmolensThen will overrun the unit in hex 2112 to ga

space and free three infantry divisions for use ne

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


turn. Next on the hit parade is the overrunning ofhex 2 118 with a motorized division tc free a panzer

division for exploitation of the hole to be created

by overrunning the units in hexes 2319 and 2419.

But after my die rolls there were too many (three)

failed overruns to truly show a breakthrough ex-

ploitation. Still, it's enough to isolate Smolensk from

being reinforced.

Trying to take advantage of all the weaknesses.

The German might be better off if he concentratedall his mechanized units except Lehr in the 2319 gap

region and let the orces along the road provide the

northern threat. ood attack on 21 18 and 2220 isvery strong, but if2118 is weak the path gained to

2219 might well make the difference.

Jody 's retreat of the Russians in 2220 was poorly

done. fboth units had been placed in 2419 instead,

exploitation would be significantly easier. Thefailure to concentrate against the 2319 gap area is

now apparent. The upcoming overruns are crucial

to the Russian defense.Hey iddle diddle, right up to the middle. With

this move Smolensk is a plum waiting to be plucked

by the Germans. The exploitation, although basi-cally solid, is flawed. The 14th Motorized Infantry

would be much stronger in 2519. This would pro-

hibit the Russian from placing a stack of three U-I0

units in 2518 that, combined with Smolensk, orces

German units moving north or south to do so west

of Smolensk. In addition the powerful pin on DasReich greatly limits German threats nert urn. Noticehow the German is using the breakthrough south

of the Dnepr to form a pocket north of the Dnepr.

Turn 6

R u d m With a l l the damage he is doing to my line

I am surprised I still have one. The armor unit in

Roslavl will have to move north to fill in the gaps,

but this leaves me with a weakened defense ofRoslavl. I will have to move some units down there

next turn, before he attacks.

The units in hex 0617 did hold out so this l i i t s

his effort to penetrate my line too deeply because

of supply restrictions. I did not retreat the stack in

21 12 because he will now have to overrun the re-

maining unit at no better than 2-to-1, which could

slow him down a little. I did accept the retreat in2220, however, because it filled a gap in the lineand frees other units to move elsewhere.

The German has created a very big hole and I will

have to fill it fast. I have to do this while still main-

taining the defense of Vyazma and Roslavl. I have

dropped my line several hexes back and formed a

new line that reaches along the Vop River to the

Iput and on southward to Roslavl. My entire line

is in supply, and with the added defense of the Urga

River and the forest from 3319 to 3522 most of theline is in hexes that double defense when attacked.

Weak. The Russian is abandoning 25 steps (not

counting those in 2207) to the German. It should

take only one turn or the German to kill approxi-

mately 20 of these, and it is very possible to kill allof them by the end of combat in Turn 7. The Rus-

sian only has 42 steps not at hazard this turn. This

attrition simply will not allow the Russian to defend

in depth. Stance was correct in that most of the in-volved units are dead, but was wrong to let them

die so easily. For comparison, my defensive line in

the north would have been three U-6s in 2112,2114.

2116,2615; two U-6s anda U- lo in 2210; one U-6

each in 2409, 2207, 2412,2212. When combined

with three unknown mechanized units in 2518, three

U-6s in 2520, 2420. 2422, 2526, and two more in

2628 as the first line of my southern front, it be-comes obvious the dead units in the immediate

Smolensk region are being put to much better use.

Of course, it certainly is easier to see this sort of

move in analysis, as opposed to during play.

German The Russian missed his opportunity to

really hammer 7th Panzer Division, and while he

sealed the breakthrough in the south he has allowedme to butcher his units in the north. I will use three

infantry divisions to overrun hex 2212 and then pour

through this gap to surround the units in the north.

My southern drive will have to be put on a back

burner for the time being. Minor note in the first

overrun, I have a 50-50 chance to continue moving

after the overrun to aid in the attack on hex 2315

(but this plan was spoiled by the die roll).

The attack into hex 2 114 shows the strength of

a German combined attack force. Where it is neces-sary that a panzer division not be split, due to the

wish to use it later in an overrun perhaps, an ad-

verse combat result should be taken by some unit

that is expendable rather than taking the retreat that

would split the armored division.

I do have a annoying problem in that my southern

position is underdefended and over-committed. I

should make some effort to get uncommitted unitsinto the region.

Not very well handled. One obvious mistake w sfailure to notice the supply line rom 2216 to 2212.

A unit in 2014 would have made it a 6:I overrun.

Far worse, however, w s the concept of overrun-

ning the unit in 2212 at all. An infantry division in

2110, Lehr in 231 1, and Das Reich in 2314 along

with the attacks on Smolensk and 2114 would have

isolated and surrounded all of the attacked Russiansnorth of the Dnepr. This would have allowed the

14th Motorized Division to go to 2519 af er 2318

had been overrun and-combined with a move by

Gross Deutschland to 2521 and a panzer division

in 2321-would allow speedy elimination of the Rus-

sian units in 2420 and 2520. The move the German

did make does have the advantage of gaining pos-

sible DEs versus 2114 and 2314 but has the disad-vantage of not killing the southern Russian unitsand

does not maximize the attack on Smolensk. The out-

of-supply Russians in undoubled terrain are easily

killable in one turn; only the units in Smolenskpose

a danger of a long delay. An attacking unit in 2218

is definitely needed.

The German attacks went very much as expecte

The German should have attacked 221 7 before attacked 2216, however; lowering 221 7f rom ou

to three steps would be very useful for his next tur

In his mechanized movement, Jody makes stro

attempt to turn the northern flank. One bad err

on his pan is the failure to pin the units in 301If the 14th Motorized Infantry was n 301 1 and Le

was in 3109, the gap between the forests at 29

would be open and the panzer divisions could po

through. The German also lef the Russian with t

southern defense mentioned earlier, hex 2518 st

divides the battlefield. Note that ifthe Russian hol2518 there are no ree units in the south other thGross Deutchland and 1st Cavalry Division. Th

would allow the German mistakes of failing to k

the units in 2420 and not attacking 221 7 to be e

ploited to the ullest. The Russian player must com

up with a good move or his lack of depth will pro

fatal.

Turn 7Russian The way I expect Jody to attack is to ov

run the lone units to get them out of his way. H

will attack the units surrounding Smolensk and t

units in 2420:The units in the north in hexes 22

and 2210 should also be attacked this turn, he nee

the unit they have pinned. Smolensk should not f

until next turn. All this means is that he will n

be attacking my line and this should give mechance to reform. But . have been provwrong in what actions I thought he would take

past games often enough. He has extended hims

thin on both of his flanks; I will be able to use

against him.

Now is the time for some offensive action on m

part. The German has overextended in the north a

has left two very exposed units holding his southe

flank. I will pin Gross Deutschland and attack t

1st Cavalry Division. Neither attack exposes my lito any danger this turn, and may cause the Germ

to commit heavily to stop my attack from becom

ing a counteroffensive n force. The attack on Le

eases the pressure on my northern line and remov

one of the German's mobile units. I will occu

Rzltev in order to deny the German an easy five V

tory Points. This, along with putting the reinforcments from Entrance Hex X along the rail li

between Vyazma and Rzhev, will insure that seveof my units can get to the front lines next turn. T

Random Reinforcement at Entrance Hex 6 will

forward by rail and repair the rail break at hex 112

If he does not answer this, I can use that that l

to transport a unit to some of the cities on t

western edge and recapture them.

Successful attacks force him to respond. I ha

seven units with a leader almost behind the Ge

man lines. In the north he can easily go througbut I am betting he will respond to the attack in t

south-which will let me reinforce the northe

defense. The German will soon have to worry abo

ir Interdiction and Reinforcements

Turn German Russian Reinforcements

P 2 ' 4F 4015,3916,2915 ' m 'F - e V 1 q

3 4015,3916,2915 - 2I$C ~4015,3916,2915

. - - < * - - * yan(r .r*J..-ns

- 65 3916,3916,2915 - 1

T6 3916,3815,3515 -5 w7 4015,3815,3515 6

5907,5807,5707 4 +M

9 5907,5807,5707 47s 7r 1

fa * 4420,3704,3604 -w < -'-

11 4714,4614.4608 3q2 - - - - 4

German Gains

10 points (Turn 10)

5 polnts (Turn 10)points (Turn 12)

.-

'1-1 $iRnfi"$f%lfn2 10 and YTJ

9tR%Mgivisioni NmW i + -5 points '

86 polnts Total V~ctoryPo~nts

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


his supply lines. I have to generate several pocketsof resistance to block them.

This is a move of which the Russian player can

be proud. Advantage is taken of the German mis-

rakes of Turn 6, and preparation to meet a major

German thrust in the north is made. The units inRzhev are worth their weight in gold The center

of the Russian defense is masterful; four tripled

positions allow the luxury of a weak to non-existant

second line. The onlyportion of the move that can

be questioned is the elimination of 1st Cavalry

Division s opposed toa solid defense along the24th

hexrow. But, it must be admitted that even this ismore a matter of taste rather than doctrine. Withthis move the Russian player begins to rum the tide.

but the lack of units to construct a second line,

especially south of the Dnepr, still makes the Ger-

man the favorite to win.

German The situation in the south has greatlydeteriorated and Smolensk must be taken quicklyin order to free divisions and a supply path to thesouth. During movement, the overmns in the north-east went well (though I could wish for somethingbigger than a 0 0 6 to have been in the northwest).

My first combat was a disaster; the rest were nice.Smolensk will be cleared next turn, thereby allow-ing ir interdiction units to be placed east of Vyazmawhich will cause some slowing of Russian reinforce-

ments. In the north three panzer divisions are nowfree to move and in the south there is one unpinnedpanzer division; these divisions will give me some-thing to react with to the next Russian move.

In the southwest I must beat the Russian to thecities of Orsha and Mogilev with game turn eight sreinforcements.

Gross Deutschland is in serious trouble but is ex-pendable. The hole between Gross Deutschland andhex 2715 is not as serious as it seems because hehas no units that can exploit the hole and cause meserious problems.

The Germanhas madea move to break the north-

ern flank. As the German needs 25 more Victory

Points to win the game, the obvious threat is to take

V y a m ,Rzhev, and Gzhatsk. 7he units sent north

are nor suflcient to do this. Another possibility is

to split the panzers and send the force aroundSmolensk to the south, take Ye1 nyaand attempt to

pincher Vyazma. The great power of hexes 2518and

2217 splitting the board into two distinct parts is

very well shown. Given the northern attack by the

Germans, it is a serious mistake nor tohave strung

the arriving infantry out along the road and send

back an infantry unit to 0518, which would serve

as a supply source and allow the Germans to con-

tinue topush. Thereare too many orests in the north

to push the attack home with unsupplied units.The hole in the German line in 2517 is not im-

portant; the Russians lack the units to rake advan-

tage. What is important is Jody 's ailure to use thenorthern flank forces properly. There are two

possibilities; one is a strong drive with the 10th

Panzer Division (in3902)and Das Reich (in3904)

wirh the 20th and 19th Panzer Divisions asfar for-ward as possible, using the 14th Motorized Infan-

try to pin hex 3309 and moving the 18th Panzer

Division and the other our strong formations into2911 where they will be in supply on Turn 8. They

then threaten to hit the north i it is weakened or

drive up the gap between the Dnepr and Ugha at

V y a m .h e ermanplay in thesouthern sector alsoseems

mishandled. f the 18th Motorized Infantry was in

2419 and the 10th Motorized Infantry was in 2617along wirh the rest, the Russians would have ninefewer mobile steps to operate with in the south. The

next Germanbreakthrough will obviously be in this

area as it is very hard to reinforce. The Air Inter-

diction markers should have been used in 3824,

3925, and 4025 to magniSy this difficulty.

Turn

Russian I am surprised he is not making any at-tacks in the south. H e is attacking in the north in-stead, but not with enough force. I can now readilyattack Gross Deutschland but I do not think I will,because it would give him a chance to pin some ofmy few mobile units. I need to reform my line inthe south and bolster it in the north. Now that he

has repositioned his Air Interdiction markers, it willdelay my ability to bring my reinforcements for-ward and develop balanced defenses.

In order to slow the movement of the Germanforces I will use my own Interdiction Marker in hex0120. In the south, I expect to lose the armor andthe infantry, but I will have repaired the rail breakfor future use. My Vop line will hold long enoughfor m e to bolster it, and maybe counterattack. Themajor problem I have this turn is that I am shortof HQs. My earlier mistakes in this game are be-ginning to show.

This move gives the German a great chance to

win. TheRussian stack in 2420 is atrackableat 2:l

odds. Ifthis stack loses even onestep, it can be over-

run at 1:I odds byfull strength panzer divisions in

the area that are guaranteed to be free in t

Mechanized Movement Phase. A better defense

the south would be to have the two four-streng

units and a U-6 in 2420, along wirh 24th Heaquarters with two U-6 units in 2521. f Reser

Headquarters goes to 2819, this allows the 24

Headquarters to die withoutplacing 2420out of su

ply The south is secure for another turn. In add

tion, the units in hex 2327 would be stronger in25

without creating any weakness elsewhere.

The Russian lack of high value reserves is esp

cially noticeable in the northern flank area. Th

being the case, the Russian has misused the 22nHeadquarters. The two hexes it supplies are triple

and cannot be attacked strongly this turn anywa

f 22nd Headquarters had gone to 3311, it wou

have reed 29th Headquarters for the northernpan

Thisallows the in k to be defended asfollows: tw

U-6s in 3708, two U-6s in 3705, a U-6 in 370

29th Headquarters in 3907, 28th Headquarters3804 and a U-6 in 3901. Assuming average defe

sive values, the highest odds attacks against any

thesepositions is only 4:l. Withthe hole in the nor

closed or the turn, the Russian reinforcements ca

move by rail to V y a m nstead of Gzhatsk. No

that even without the hole closed, those units b

long in Vyazma. The ermanscannot reach Gzhat

in one turn while our of supply.

l l lustntion 2 The situation at the conclusion of the Gennan

Mechanized Movement Phase of Turn 2

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


German: The cowardly Communist quiche-eater

has used his partisan unit for the first time. This

will put a seriouscrimp in my plans in the far north-

east and the deep southeast.

was going to use 17th Panzer Division to help

the 18th Motorized attack the Russian units in hex

2420, via an overrun at three-to-one; and because

now the Russian does not have a second line, hemust take losses rather than retreat. Unfortunately,

received a split result thereby aborting the rest of

the plan (which would have given me a four-to-one

and been guaranteedonekill and a fifty percent shot

at two). This would have allowed me to overrunthe remnant and given me an exploitable hole

through which to pour the units freed by eliminat-

ing the Smolenskgarrison. My moving an infantry

division into Orsha was a mistake, should havemoved it into the hex in front of Orsha (i.e., hex

0521).

My attack was a TRUE disaster hoped to in-

filtrate his line by Dls, and the attack on his 8-10

with a die roll of six was the last thing that I needed

at this time.

The two panzer divisions in the north are

primarily a diversion since the main breakthrough

is in the south where have punched a hole. Myinfantry divisions in Smolensk will march down to

Roslavl to take out the Russianunits ahead; by game

turn ten or eleven, my infantry will hopefully be

in position to attack Roslavl. I have pinned most

of the units that can plug the breakthrough although

I have had to gamble the 18th Motorized (which

could be surrounded, overrun to cause a one step

loss and then attacked, given a D2 result-thereby

killing it).

am sorry that Gross Deutschland found so big

a stack defending and then rolled so badly. First,

because hate to lose any units, especially a "free"unit (i.e., one that can be lost at no cost in victory

points) which could have been used later to nobly

sacrifice itself in order to save a panzer division'sfreedom of movement late in the game. And sec-

ondly, because it lets me pin one less stack of Rus-

sian units.

The rail cut in hex 2920 will keep the Russian

from cutting off the 4th Panzer Division. Becauseof the loss of 19th Panzer Division I now need

twenty-six more Victory Points, which can be sup-

plied by taking Roslavl, Yel'nya, and Vyazma (for

a total of 35 Victory Points).

The southern area is very wellplayed. Thenorth-

ern lank is mishandled. There was no good reason

to put the 19th Panzer Division in hex 3408. It isvitally important to maintain concentrationof effort

with the ermanmechanizedformations. This isnot

being done. Look at the result: the Russian has

almost totally won the battle between mobility a

a static defense in this secror.

The G e m nfantryshould be sent to help cle

the south. The units in 2216 are properly plac

as it is imperative to get the 7:I against Smolen

but the units in 2116 belong in 1919. Placing

arriving infantry in hexes 0120 and 0219 wo

guarantee supply to 2218 the hex the infantry

2216 should advance into afrer combat next ru

Thefailure to advance the infantry south of

Dnepr in the attack on Smolensk is a bad play. Tway the Russian took the loss in the attack on 24

is very interesting. It leaves the hex with a smaldefnse butforces the ermanto have a unit in 24

toplace it out of supply. This could easily orce

first stack overrunning from 2410 to take a l

rather than retreat or leave the second stack v

nerable to an AZ This is a good move by StanThe truly horrible move during combat was

attack on 3409. Although the intent is obviously

allowpressure against 3309 and possibly 3610

attack hadfar too much to riskfor such small ga

Even ignoring thejive VictoryPoints lost the la

of ability to now concentrate in the north ooms t

flank. The only city in the north with with a go

Illustration 3 The situation at the conclusion of the erm

Mechanized Movement Phase of Turn 4

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


chance to all to the Germans is Rzhev and itprob-

ably will not.

Ihe attack by Gross Deutschland, although at

poor odds, was a clever one. Ihe deep exploitation

possible, afrer 2420 is overrun, is much more power-

ful with Gross Deutschland and a panzer division.

Although tw divisions would be more powerful still

it is unlikely the German has enough units in thearea to allow this.

Solid German exploitation in the south during

Mechanized Movement salvages something. But it

would have been much stronger not to pin Roslavl

and use the 7th Panzer Division in 2918 instead ofthe 18th Motorized Infantry. Units in 2918 are very

vulnerable to a counterattack. Ihis would allow the

18th Motorized Infantry to go to 3119. Ihis, in turn,

would provide a threat to Vyazma and to reaching

3611 to help free up the northern flank.

In the north, the 18th Panzer Division leaves it-

self vulnerable to a pin from hex 41 08. This gives

the Russian a much stronger position defensively;

only two free German units in the north. Note thatthe Russian units in 3708 can be surrounded by as

Reich but if they are much above average it would

be a 1:2 attack.

Turn

Russian I have the advantage now of an extra five

Victory Points with the death of the 19th PanzerDivision. Having Gross Deutschland eliminate it-self helps a lot and lets me move those units that

were pinned by it. But should have attacked Gross

Deutschland instead of letting it attack me. If I had

attacked it last turn the German would have had to

respond to my large group of mobile units. These

mobile units could have made it to Smolensk and

cut his line of supply. The stack in 2420 is holding

a critical hex; if he eliminates them he can pour

through my middle toward Vyazma and the eastedge hexes.

He did not pin all the units around Roslavl in his

mechanized movement. This leaves me wit several

units, whose values I know, with which I can de-

fend Roslavl. I will also use these units to pin some

of the German units. He may regret using the 18th

Motorized Infantry to pin my units, if can get anyunits next to it to attack it next turn. The units in

my rear must be pinned as soonas possible. I mustalso fill in the hole he made. I will have to use my

Interdiction Marker until have all the mobile units

in my back field pinned.

I am using the Interdiction Marker to slow the

northern attack. When those units are all pinned I

will not have to worry about them. I have moved

several units to Roslavl to help its defense. My

defense is now centered around Roslavl, Vyazma

and Gzhatsk. The loss of a division by the Germanallows me to bring on some of my south-westem

reinforcements onboard to help around Vyazma. I

moved the unit in hex 0924 to 1025 because it will

tie up the two enemy 9-7 infantry units and keep

them from getting deeper into the south.

Very, very bad. Ihe German will win ifhe takesRoslavl, Yel'nya and Rzhev. Ihe twosouthern cities

are fairly easy to take, leaving only Rzhev asdiflcult. But the Russian vacates it and leaves the

10th Motorized Infantry unpinned A much stronger

move would be to railroad the 49th Headquarters

to 4309, leave 28th HQ in Rzhev, use 31st HQ in

3906, andpin the 10th Motorized Infantry with the

8-10 from 3407. Another alternative was to send

the 8-10 to hex 291 7afrer attempring to overrun the18th Motorized Infantry rom 301 7. lhi s would not

have been a high probability attack, but given the

actual units could easily have worked. Ihe 8-10

could not go south if the overrun failed.

Ihe key lesson of this turn was the taking of the

additional South Western Front reinforcements. lhi s

was the decision that makes the above paragraph

true. f the Russian ignored them, the ermanwould

COMBAT RESULTS

Series ReplayPanzer ruppe uderian

German Turn 3 Combat

1 Attackers: 19th and 20th Panzer Divisions 32 factors)

0720 Defenders: 1-10, 20th Headquarters out of supply 1 factor)

Odds: 10 to 1 Die Roll: 2 Result: DE

20th Panzer Division advances into 0720.

2) Attackers: Lehr, Gross Deutschland. 4th and 3rd Panzer Divisions 39 factors)

0420 Defenders: 4-4-6, 0-0-6, 6-8-6 out of supply 12 factors)

Odds: 3 to 1 Die Roll: 5 Result: D 1 A 1

Russian 44 -6 eliminated.

German retreats to 0319: Lehr, Gross Deutschland; to 0220: 1214,3314; to 0221: 3514; to 0322:

313, 39413; to 0422: 613.

3) Attackers: 20th Motorized infantry, 10th and 18th Panzer Divisions 44 factors)

0518 Defenders: 6-6-6, 0-0-6. 5-86 out of supply 14 factors)

Odds: 3 to 1 Die Roll: 2 Result: D2

Russian retreats to 071 8.

20th Motorized Infantry advances to 0618.

4) Attackers: Das Reich, 7th Panzer Division 34 factors)

0822 Defenders: 5-10, 13th Headquarters out of supply 4 factors)Odds: 8 to 1 Die Roll: 2 Result: DE

Das Reich advances to 0822.

5 Attackers: 12th Panzer Division 16 factors)

1021 Defenders: 1 4-6, 5-8-6 6 factors)


Russian retreats to 1222: 1-46; to 1019: 5-8-6.

German Turn 3 Mechanized Movement Overruns

1) Attackers: 7th Panzer Division from 1122 8 factors)

1122 Defenders: 1-4-6 out of supply surrounded 2 factors)


Russian eliminated.



Odds: 2 to 1 Die Roll: 6 Result: A1

German retreats to 0820: 5/12, 25/12; to 0921: 29/12.




Russian eliminated.


1) Attackers: as Reich, Lehr, 6th and 26th Infantry Divisions 39 factors)

2013 Defenders: 3-5 4, 2 -6 4, 1-3-6 14 factors)

Odds: 2 to 1 Die Roll: 3 Result: Dl lA l

Russian 1-3-6 eliminated.

German retreats to 1812: 21DR, 31DR; to 1813: 41DR, 6th Infantry Division; to 1814:

26th Infantry Division, Lehr.

2) Attackers: 18th Motorized Infantry, 19th Panzer Division 28 factors)

1117 Defenders: 24- 6, 5-10 out of supply 8 factors)

Odds: 3 to 1 Die Roll: 3 Result: Dl

Russian 24-6 eliminated.

3) Attackers: 17th Panzer Division, 29th Motorized Infantry 28 factors)

0521 Defenders: 3-4-6, 1-3-6 out of supply 3 factors)

Odds: 9 to 1 Die Roll: 4 Result: DElAl

German retreats to 0523: 63117. 40117; to 0622: 39/17, 71/29; to 0722: 15/29.

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


need 30. not 25. Victory Points to win. 1 eel ver

strongly that they should have not been taken.

Having taken the reinforcements, it does not ma

ter as much; but the reinforcements hat arrived a

Area 4 should have milrwded to 3724. 7he Roslav

hex 5915 road can easily become a German highway and a block is necessary. Another point wort

noting is the placement of the Air Interdiction i

0120, 0219 which increases the movement point co

to the edge and does not help the German supply

Should have caught this last turn as well.

German How neat The Russian has taken fouSouthwest Front reinforcements, which means thaI now only need Vyazma and Roslavl or Yel'nya-

or Roslavl, Yel'nya and one five-point city othe

than Roslavl, Yel'nya and Vyazma.

His gambit w s only partially taken and 18t

Motorized still lives and hopefully will be saved

I am sorry that hex 2518 was so big defensively

but, oh well, I will overrun the hex in th

Mechanized Movement Phase. Other combat wa

as I expected.During the Mechanized Movement Phase, I mov

to kill Reserve HQ and start killing units in fron

of Roslavl and maybe take Yel'nya. I did kill th

units in hex 2519; but, unfortunately I lost two step

doing it. However, I now have three fre

mechanized units in the south which will perhap

allow me to break his position in hex 2716 froma defensive position with a multiplier of three to on

with a multiplier of two, thereby making it easieto clean out the hex and extend my supply lines jus

a bit further.

In the north things are quiet, except for 10t

Motorized, which is sneaking around the Russia

position in hex 3906 to aid Das Reich in annihila

ing the enemy.

The 12th and 3rd Panzer Divisions can get a 7:

surrounded on hex 2421. This would allow the 29t

Motorized Infantry to go to 2222 where it woulhave a 6 1 urrounded on 2323. All of this is gener

ated because the 17th Panzer Division would be i

supply after the Russian units in 2421 are elim

nated. Some of the German infantry in 2113 shoul

have gone to hex 2809 to help assault Rzhev. Notic

how the Russian has crippled the German mobilityGiven his castastrophic casualties, this is the onl

thing that gives the Russian a chance in this game7he 4th Panzer Division should have taken th

retreat, it only had one hex to which retreat wa

allowed. The 18th Motorized w s left out on a limb

With the 8-10 capable of reaching hex 291 7and th

Russian 9-8-6 capable of reaching 2919, it is ver

vulnerable to being attacked. 7he German shoul

have placed the 29th Motorized Infantry in 2920 t

prevent the surrounding of the 18th Motorized lnfantry.

This tur finished late at night and fatigue is th

only excuse for not taking Ye1 hya.

4) Attackers: 4th and 3rd Panzer Divisions (32 factors)

0420 Defenders: 6-8-6 out of supply (8 factors)


Russian retreats to 0620.

German advances 4th Panzer Division to 0521 taking Orsha.

5) Attackers: loth, 18th, and 20th Panzer Divisions, 20th Motorized Infantry (60 factors)

0617 Defenders: 8-8-6, 4-6-6, 1-2-6 out of supply (16 factors)


Russian 1-2-6 and 4-6-6 eliminated.

6) Attackers: 10th Motorized Infantry, 12th Panzer Division (28 factors)

0718 Defenders: 5-8-6, 6-64 out of supply (7 factors)

Odds: 4 to 1 Die Roll: 6 Result: Eng


German 86/10 reduced to a 2-10.

7 Attackers: 14th Motorized Infantry, 7th Panzer Division, Gross Deutschland (32 factors)

0817 Defenders: 4-10, 3-10 out of supply (6 factors)

Odds: 5 to 1 Die Roll: 4 Result: D2lA1

Russian units retreat to 0617.German retreats to 0815: 53114; to 0916: 11114, 2517; to 1017: 617, 717; to 1018: Gross

Deutschland.

German urn 4 Mechanized Movement Overruns

1) Attackers: 10th Motorized Infantry from 0818 (5 factors)

0718 Defenders: 5- 84 out of supply surrounded (4 factors)

Odds: 1 to 1 Die Roll: 3 Result: Dll Al

Russain eliminated.

erman retreats to 0817: 86110; to 0819: 69/10.

2) Attackers: 4th Panzer Division from 0521 (8 factors)

0620 Defenders: 6-8-6 out of supply surrounded (4 factors)


Russian eliminated.


1116 Defenders: 5-10 out of supply surrounded (4 factors)


Russian eliminated.

German 30118 reduced to a 2-10.

German urn Combat

1) Attackers: 18th, loth, 20th, and 3rd Panzer Divisions, 20th Motorized Infantry, 10th

Motorized Infantry -) (86 factors)

0617 Defenders: 3-10, 4-10, 8-8-6 out of supply (14 factors)


Russian 4-10 and 3-10 eliminated.

2) Attackers: 19th Panzer Division 6th, 26th. 5th, 35th. and 161st Infantry Divisions (61 factors)

2112 Defenders: 1-3-6, 2-3-6, 24-6 (10 factors)



3) Attackers: 4th and 17th Panzer Divisions, 29th Motorized Infantry 44 factors)

2118 Defenders: 2-2-6, 2-3-6, 4-3-6 (8 factors)



4) Attackers: 12th and 7th Panzer ~i vi si on s,Das Reich (50 factors)

2220 Defenders: 0-0-6, 2-4-6 -34-6 (8 factors)


Russian retreats to 2419: 2-4-6; to 2319: 34-6.

German advances 12th Panzer Division to 2320.

Cont d on Page 20

Turn 1

Russian The German player has apparently give

up the attack in the north for the deeper penetration offered by the hole in my middle. I have giveup Yel'nya because I do not have enough units t

defend it successfully. I will beef up the defense o

Roslavl and only allow him to attack it on limite

front.

As for the penetration of the 10th Motorized In

fantry in the north, I will have to pin it as soon a

possible. I will use the 8-10 in hex 3409 to pin

(or use the Random Reinforcement if I roll a "2").

I can put six units around Yel'nya but this wiweaken the areas from which I will have to tak

them. The 9-8-6 and the 3-7-6 will fall back as fa

as their three movement points will allow. Th

should put up a small screen that will delay him on

movement phase. My 4-10 armor in the south (he

1962) will move to Roslavl, but if it were free

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move west and threaten to capture some of the ci-ties it might draw the German infantry toward it.I will have to d o something about the units aroundVyazma. My lack of Headquarters units is still caus-ing problems and tying up my units.

I will leave Gzhatsk open until my movement ofTurn 11 and let the reinforcements from EntranceHex X defend it. I attack the unit adjacent to Roslavlin hopes of reducing its attack strength so that itcould not overrun me at :1 odds. This was the lastunit in the south that could do so. I was able to rein-force Roslavl and use the 4- 10 to keep it in supply.

I must contain his movement again this turn withthe use of my Interdiction marker, but I also mustprepare for the turn when he is in full supply.

It was a bad mistake not to attack the 18thMotor-

ized Infantry. Ifone does not attack the 18thMotor-

ized Infantry here, I guess the pin on the 10thMotorized Infantry is a fair second best. The 49th

Headquarters is horribly misplaced; the units in

3708 can take care of themselves. The 49th Head-

quarters should have moved to 4001, with all three

infantry in 4607moving to 4303. This would make

Rzhev very hard to take by Turn 12, and barring

a total disaster (like two 0-0-62 in 3906) impos-sible to take on Turn 10.

V y a m s greatly over-defended. Four steps in

Vyaunaalong wirh one U-6 n 3715,3817,and 4118

would beplenty. Thiswouldfree three units or hex

4303, anda unit eachfor 3724,4321,and Yel'nya.The Russian does not have enough units to afford

the luxury of over-defending any longer.

In the south, we see a very good attack againstthe 7thPanzer Division. Withtwo 3-4-6sin Roslavl,

the reduction of the only intact panzer division in

the area will make it impossible to overrun Roslavl

at 1:l after it is reduced to two steps. The Russian

would have been better advised, however, to reverse

the positions of the 2-1-6 and the U-6. f the U-6

is a 0-0-6, Roslavl will have to take the combatresult. The U-6 unit must be used in this combat

to avoid being a step in Roslavl on a die roll of 6 .

German: This game turn is simplified in that theRussian has only sixteen stackslunits in the game

and none of theseare

in any positionto

stop me fromexploiting the Smolensk-Roslavl gap.It is too bad that hex 2716 was so incredibly

powerful in terms of its defensive strength. It meansthat all nine infantry divisions will not help withthe attack on Vyazma. Therefore, I am going to usethe 18th Panzer Division to attack the 31th ArmyHQ and two U-6 in hex 4107; if this is a trash stacki.e., a 0-0-6, a 2-1-6 and the 31st Army HQ), I

will crush it. From there the possibilities are almostendless. If the odds are bad and I get an A1 or A2result, the unit will retreat, then reform during theMechanized Phase and freeze the enemy units inhexes 41 12, 41 11, and any more reinforcementsfrom hex X . The attack using 10th Motorized willallow me to either take Rzhev o r use the divisionto pin other Russian units out of supply.

Why is the German so insistant on capturing271 ?The our infantry divisions in 2116 and 2115

should have been sent south. Roslavl is worth Vic-

tory Points and the infantry will not reach Vyazmabefore the end of the game. f Jody sends the two

infantry in 2219 to 2222 and sends the 3rd Panzer

Division to help on the attack 2323, the clearing

of the Roslavl area could begin. The 29th Motorized

Infantry and the 12th Panzer Division should trade

places. A panzer division is much more powerful

than a motorized one, especially when out of supply.

The attack on 2716proves verypainful or him-

poetic justice perhaps. All of rhe involved units are

lost in-so-far as Turn 11 is concerned and the in-

fantry is out of the gamefor allpractical purposes.

It is easy to understand why the German did attack

4108, the odds were good that it would be a 1:I

attack and he desperately needs thefree unit. It is

dificult to understand why the Russian did nor ad-

vance after combat. I can only concludethat hefor-got that it was possible. The attack by the 10th

Motorized Infantry was very critical, but it was an

attack I would have made even though there was

only a one-third chance of a favorable result.

Although Rzhev has allen, the German must main-

tain a line of communications to the west board

edge. Easier said than done. Thisattack could have

been postponed until the eleventh turn. f it werenecessary it could have been taken then with the

same chances. f it had been an AE this turn,

Russian would have won the game.

It is certainlyeasy or your eyes to play tricks

you. I am sure two Germans saw the Russi

stack in 4017 as being in 3981 but whoo

The 18th Motorized Infantry should have driven

hex 2827. This would provide a viable threat to s

rounding Roslavl on Turn 10. This would requ

the 12th Panzer Division to stay in the 3024 ar

where it would pose three threats to the Russian

It could cross the Desna and get on the Roslavl-59

highway; it could attack Roslavl; or it could ov

run the 4-10 unit if the 4-lopinned the Germanf a n t ~n 2520.

IUwbntion The situationat the conclusion of the Soviet Combat

Phase of Turn 7

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Meanwhile in the north the 18th Panzer Division

pins itself, as having the Russian units in hex 4108

free is very dangerous. Theseare the units that best

threaten the German line of communication with

Rzhev, so that the 18th Panzer Division should pin

these units. i e lOrhMotorized Infantry should have

split. This is always a hard move to see but in this

case it is clearly necessary. One of the units should

take Rzhev while the otherpins the 8-lo from 3802.The move would assure that as Reich would be

in supply on Turn 11. fDas Reich canfree itself

the line of communications to Rzhev is given.

Turn

Russian The stack in hex 2716 turned out to b every heroic and will hold down the eight attackinginfantry divisions surrounding it. The German 29thMotorized Division has to be stopped, because itcan reach Kaluga and hex 5915. I will have to pinhim down, and create a screen with units that can-not reach it to pin this turn.

My attack on the 18th Panzer Division did notgo as well as I had hoped; I needed that attack toget the extra five Victory Points. I move to coverKaluga but I still need to cover hex 5915. The 9-8-6is being used to force the German to actually enterYel nya, if he does not the 9-8-6 will occupy it. The4-10 and U-6 unit will be used to keep the stackin Roslavl in supply by negating the Gennan ZOC

The north is finally out of the game so I will quitworrying about it, and shift units elsewhere.

1like the thinking behind this move. The Russian

has decided that he cannothold Roslavl or stop theGerman rom getting the VictoryPointsfor Rzhev.

I think he is wrong; but given his assumptions, the

anack on the 1&h Panzer Division is the onlyproper

move. Eliminating the 18th Panzer Division is the

sure way the Russian has of gaining the five Vic-

toryPoints he needs to win-ifhis assumptions are

true. But let look ar them.

In the south, ifthe Russian were to move both the

4-10 and the U-6 he has free to hex 2825, it be-

comes very dificult to attack Roslavl with enough

units to have a 1:l attack. The only two paths in-

volve overruns. Either a combination of overrun-

ning 2424 at 1:l followed by a 3:l overrun on 2625

or an unknown odds overrun on 2825. No guaran-

tees to either side here. In the north, moving the

8-10 to pin Rzhev from 3902 with the 31st Head-

quarters moving to 3705 and the 4-3-6 moving in

the stack at 3906 looks best. Again no guarantees

for either side.

Railroading the units into Kaluga was afine idea

but 5915 is very vulnerable. Two of the reinforce-

ments at X along wirh the 32nd Headquartersshould have moved to 5911 instead to reach 5915

on Turn 12. This would leave only two units in

Gzhatsk but this is unavoidable.

In his attack, the Russian needed an average at-

tack strength of four to have a 6:l. That was not

very likely. A 0 2 nstead of a Dl would have given

the Russian a reasonable (40 )chance of killingthe 18th Panzer Division on Turn 12 wirh a 1:l over-

run, followed by another 1:l overrun and a 1:l

combat.

German It looks as if 18th Panzer Division is ina small bit of trouble, but it is not worth rescuingat this time. It is necessary to occupy Yel nya toprevent its re-occupation by Russian units.

Instead of going for Roslavl I will attempt to takehex 5915 for twenty points. I feel that this is in k e e ping with the spirit of the game in that this battle wasjust a way station on the road to Moscow. If noth-ing else it will prove amusing to take a hex o n theeastern end of the map since I usually d o not manageto capture hexes there. Safe victories are for thefaint-hearted, bold decisive victories are for Real

Men (or Real Women as the case calls for).

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The 10th Motorized Infantry should have split.

One unit could then remain in Rzhev while the other

moves to pin Gzhatsk. lfthe German had done this

and then pinned Vyazma with the 3rd Panzer Divi-

sion, 5217 with the 29th Mororized Infantry and split

the 12th Panzer Division using one unit each in

4714.4716, and 4818. it would not be possible for

the Russian to guard 5915. It was very careless ofthe German not to place a railroad cur in 1125.

random die ro of a 6 will probably cosr rhe Ger-

man the game, a chance easily avoidable by some

careful planning.

The infantry in 2 726 should have ~ a c k e dhe 4-10

in 2727. f his is successful, the attack on Roslavl

is still a 1:l assault s it is now out of supply. This

also prevents the U-6 in 2827from reaching Roslavlon Turn 12.

Even without rhe pin on Gzharsk, rhe move I sug-

gested in the initial paragraph still looks good. It

is very hard ro understand why rhe German leaves

the Russian so many units free to move so lare in

the game.

Turn 2

Russian: Oh well, here goes the game. I only have

to stop a few mobile units, yet I now need to cover

5915 as well. I should have used the reinforcements

from Entrance Hex X to move south and defend

5915. It also appears that the north is not quite outof the game, surprisingly.

A roll of "6" for my Random Reinforcement

would have been very nice. I could have sent theunit north on the unbroken rail to block the forest-

road hex and cut off German supply. It would be

a cheap way to win but I would take any win now.

I should not complain about rolling a "4". however.

I took the Southwestern einforcementstoblock him

from the last Victory Point hexes. It is all or noth-

ing for him now. I have put Rzhev out of commu-

nication, and if he cannot open them up he will not

get the Victory Points for it. My failure to eliminatethe 18th Panzer Division hurts me because I have

several units still pinned and I needed the five Vic-

tory Points. The pinned units being unable to move

away cannot help defend 5915, the last obtainable

German objective.This has been a game of errors, but the unit in

521 7 is the decisive error of rhe game i f the Ger-

man player sees it. Many good ideas on rhis turn.

The overruns of rhe 18rh Panzer Division riskednothing importantand could have disrupted it, ree-

ing many Russian units. The raking of the extra

Sourh Wesrern reinforcements was also very good.

The besr placement to guard all the victory hexes

I could fin was a 3-7-6 in 4816, U-6s in 4713,

4813,511 7,5318,5619,5921, and 3613. Leaders

in 5014 and 4514. This only leaves two U-6s in

Vyazma, bur rhis is unavoidable.

German: The game is won-simply eliminate that

unit in hex 5217 with 29th Motorized Infantry and

the 12th Panzer Division, then move one of those

divisions into hex 5912. However, I am a verygreedy person and will attempt to do not only that

but also try to take Roslavl, Vyazma, and open a

line of communication back to Rzhev. do not ex-

pect all of this to happen, but it is fun trying.

The Roslavl attack fails. The Vyazma attack fails.

The Rzhev attack works. The attack for hex 5915

also works. Oh well, fifty percent is not that bad.

He sees rhe weak spot. The rest of rhe turn isplayed only to see i f Vyazma or Roslavl also falls.

Post GameRussian: Well my contratulations go to the Ger-

man. His attacks got him hex 5915 for the win. I

am glad that Vyazma and Roslavl held until the end.

This was not one of my better games That is a

bit of an understatement, but then again I also did

several things that I do not often get to do. First

German Turn Mechanized Movement Overruns




Russian eliminated.

2) Attackers: 29th Motorized Infantry from 2017 (6 factors)2118 Defenders: 4-34 (3 factors)


Russian eliminated.


2419 Defenders: 2 4-6 (4 factors)


German retreats to 2220.


2419 Defenders: 24-6 (4 factors)


Russian retreats to 2520 and is disrupted.

German 40117 reduced to a 1-10.

5 Attackers: 4th Panzer Division from 2219 (8 factors)



Russian retreats to 23 18 and is disrupted.

German retreats to 21 19.

6 Attackers: 19th Panzer Division from 2012 (8 factors)

2112 Defenders: 2-4-6 (4 factors)



German retreats to 1912: 27/19; to 1913: 73/19. 74/19.

German Turn 6 Initial Movement Overruns

1) Attackers: 5 t h 35th, and 161st Infantry Divisions from 2112 (12 factors)

2212 Defenders: 2-4-6 (4 factors)


Russian eliminated.German 161st Infantry Division reduced to a 4-7.


2318 Defenders: 34 -6 out of supply surrounded (2 factors)


Russian eliminated.


1) Attackers: Lehr, 6th and 26th Infantry Divisions (21 factors)

2210 Defenders: 1-3-6, 5-5-6 out of supply (6 factors)


Russian eliminated.

German 6th and 26th Infantry Divisions advance to 2210.

2) Attackers: 10th. 18th, and 19th Panzer Divisions, 20th Motorized Infantry (60 factors)2114 Defenders: 5-8-6, 2-46. 6-5-6 out of supply (8 factors)

Odds: 7 to 1 Die Roll: 6 Result: D2/A1

Russian 2-44 and 6-5-6 eliminated.

German 76/20 reduced to a 2-10.

3) Attackers: 20th Panzer Division, Das Reich, 14th Motorized Infantry (46 factors)

2315 Defenders: 2-5-6, 2-3-6, 2-46 out of supply (5 factors)


German 20th Panzer Division advances to 23 15.

4) Attackers: 3rd. 4th. and 7th Panzer Divisions (48 factors)

2315 Defenders: 3-4-6, 2-5-6, and 19th Headquarters out of supply (8 factors)



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German Turn Mechanized Movement Overruns




Russian eliminated.

German retreats to 1914: 76/20; to 2012: 90120.


1) Attackers: Sth, 35th. and 161st Infantry Divisions from 2009 (10 factors)2 110 Defenders: 0-0-6 (eliminated)

2) Attackers: 18th Panzer Divisions from 3009 (8 factors)



Russian eliminated as no 2 hex retreat is possible.



Odds: 2 to 1 Die Roll: 4 Result: Al lD l

Russian eliminated.

German retreats to 2909: 101118, 52/18; to 2908: 18/18.


1) Attackers: Das Reich, 19th and 20th Panzer (50 factors)

3110 Defenders: 0-0-6, 3-3-6, 7-6-6 (18 factors)


German retreats to 2909: 27/19; to 2910: 73/19, 74/19, 21/20; to 2911: 59/20, 112120; to

3008: 3/DR; to 3108: 2/DR, 4/DR

2) Attackers: 20th and 10th Motorized Infantry, 23rd. 263rd, and 137th Infantry Divisions

(47 factors)21 16 Defenders: 1-5-6, 0-1-6, 3-4-6 out of supply (5 factors)


German advances 23rd, 263rd, and 137th Infantry Divisions to 2116.

3) Attackers: 7th Panzer Division (16 factors)

2216 Defenders: 19th Headquarters out of supply (4 factors)


Russian eliminated.

4) Attackers: 3rd, 4th. and 12th Panzer Divisions, 29th Motorized Infantry (60 factors)

2217 Defenders: 2-6-6, 3-54 , 5-10, 30th Headquarters out of supply (14 factors)


Russian 5-10 and 30th Headquarters eliminated.

5 Attackers: 18th Motorized Infantry, 17th Panzer Division (-) (24 factors)2420 Defenders: 1-1-6, 2-2-6, 4-4-6, 24th Headquarters (7 factors)



German retreats to 2319: 18th Motorized Infantry; to 2219: 39/17, 63/17; to 2220: 4 /17 .

German Turn 8 Overruns Initial Movement

1) Attackers: 17th Panzer Division from 1924 (7 factors)1925 Defenders: 4-10 out of supply (2 factors)



German retreats to 1823: 39/17; to 1923: 4 /17 . 63/17.


1) Attackers: 3rd. 4th, and 12th Panzer Divisions, 29th Motorized Infantry, 23rd. 163rd. and

137th Infantry Divisions (Infantry out of supply) (72 factors)

2217 Defenders: 2-6-6, 3-5-6 out of supply (10 factors)


Russian eliminated.

German 29th Motorized Infantry advances to 2217 and takes Smolensk.

I ll look at my mistakes, then the things I belie

I did right. A quick word of advice to any who pl

a game for a Series Replay: if you re going to ta

notes, go back and read them. The only time I re

my notes in this game was just before Turn 4 a

Turn 7 which were, in my opinion, my two b

turns.

I made a lot of mistakes, including throwing tgame away to the German several different time

First. I did not run my defense the correct way

often left my leaders where they could be eliminate

and did not move them back to the next defensi

line. I made stacks two units high and tried to d

fend with them. A stack of two can be eliminat

by a D2, but a stack of three will still have one un

left after the dust settles.

I underdefended Smolenskand Roslavl, but ovdefended Vyazma. The defense of Smolensk a

Roslavl consists of a screen around the city, w

a stack of four (three units and a leader) in each h

of the city. A line of supply must be kept open

long as possible. The best way to do this is to ma

both cities pan of a north-south defense line. Th

way new units can be fed in as needed and the su

ply lines stay open as long as the defensive li

holds. Vyazma, in this game, needed a stack of foalso, but only a thin screen around it. This was b

cause the German s mobility was severely limit

by this point in the game.

One last point. The German is very mobile, a

to counter this mobility the Russian must save h

armor. I did not start doing this soon enough. T

armor must be used to fill the defensive line onwhen there is no other way to do it. The arm

should be used to pin deep penetration by the Geman, threaten German supply lines, and recaptu

cities.

Now to pat myself on the back. I did attack t

German when he became over-extended. I did n

follow through with my attacks, which was my m

take. In this case though, the attacks did more th

just eliminate some of the German units; it lower

his mobility and forced him to regroup. The pic

ing up of rail break markers is always a good ideAs you can see I did more wrong than right, a

so flost on the last turn.

German I am happy to have won this game;eve

though I made many mistakes. I feel my biggest w

not following the German principle of Schwepunker or center of gravity (i.e., concentration

forces), during the initial movement phase an

mechanized movement phase of Turn 8. Had I kemy mobile mechanized divisions together inste

of using them in penny-packets as I did, I could ha

used them to free other mechanized divisions in t

north. The Russian player could not have put a

serious obstacles in the way of this plan. This ma

of mechanzied divisions may have been out of su

ply, but would have had sufficient attack points a

movement points to cany out this maneuver. I cou

then have captured Vyazma from the north and is

lated the rest of the Russian units.Another mistake that I made was in not pinni

most of the mobile Russian units near the end

the game by splitting some of my mobile units. Th

would have eliminated the need for rolling the a

tack to set up the taking of hex 5915. This cou

be an exception to my rule of not splitti

mechanized divisions.

One of the many minor errors that I made in tbeginning was to allow the build-up of defendi

units in hex 0617. This caused me to lose precio

time because the units were able to delay me long

en masse then if they had not been stacked togeth

Another part of my problems also stemmed fro

my lack of aggressive use of the movement phas

to overrun more Russian units, both to find th

defensive value (the lesser of the two reasons), a

to disrupt the actual unit, causing it to lose its Zo

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of Control and letting me exploit in the area around

the unit where the Russian did not have a second

line of defense.

With any post-game analysis, I could go into a

detailed dissertation. But I feel that the pointing up

3f these, my most glaring errors, is enough to help

my gamer avoid the error of these pitfalls.

n interesting game. Both players showedjlashes7f brilliance. Yet neither player could avoid majorrrrors. Ihe big Russian mistakes on Turn 5 and 6

were cancelled by the German failure to exploitsroperly nd the majorflaw of losing the mobilityhalfof the German A m y in the north. For those

interested in numbers: the average die roll for theGerman player was 3 4; for the Russian player,4.25. Ihe Germanplayer made 67 combat relatedpolls nd the Russian made eight.

IUustratba he ituationat he conclusion of the ermanMove

ment Phase of Turn 12

2) Attackers: 7th Panzer Division, 18th Motorized Infantry 26 factors)2420 Defenders: 2-2-6, 2-4-6, 44-6, 24th Headquarters 10 factors)

Odds: 2 to 1 Die Roll: 4 Result: DllAl

Russian 24th Headquarters eliminated.

German retreats to 2219: 717, 617; to 2220: 2517, 30118; to 2221: 51118.

3) Attackers: 19th Panzer Division out of supply 8 factors)

3409 Defenders: 8-10 16 factors)

Odds: 1 to 2 Die Roll: 6 Result: AE


1) Attackers: 29th Motorized Infantry from 2419 6 factors)2420 Defenders: 2-2-6, 2-4-6, 4-4-6 out of supply 5 factors)


German retreats to 29th Motorized Infantry to 2319.





German reduced 5112 to a 1-10.

3) Attackers: 3rd Panzer Division from 2320 8 factors)

2420 Defenders: 2-4-6, 4-4-6 out of supply 4 factors)

Odds: 2 to 1 Die Roll: 3 Result: DlIAl



ussian Turn 9 ombat

1) Attackers: 3-7-6, 9-8-6 in 3017 12 factors)

2918 Defenders: 18th Motorized Infantry out of supply 4 factors)

Odds: 3 to 1 Die Roll: 5 Result: DlIAl


Russian retreats to 3016: 3-7-6; to 3118: 9-8-6.

German Turn 9 ombat

1) Attackers: 29th Motorized Infantry, 3rd and 12th Panzer Divisions 40 factors)2421 Defenders: 2-4-6, 4-4-6 out of supply 4 factors)


Russian eliminated.

German advances 29th Motorized Infantry Division to 2421.

2) Attackers: 23rd, 263rd, 137th, 5th, 35th, and 161st Infantry Divisions, 4th Panzer Division

Infantry out of supply) 38 factors)








Russian eliminated.


2817 Defenders: Reserve Headquarters out of supply surrounded 4 factors)



3) Attackers: 3rd Panzer Division from 2718 7 factors)

2817 Defenders: Reserve Headquarters out of supply surrounded 4 factors)


Russian eliminated.


8/12/2019 Vol21i4


A


1) Attackers: 31st and 34th Infantry Divisions (18 factors)1125 Defenders: 5-5-6 out of supply (2 factors)

Odds: 9 to 1 Die Roll: 6 Result: D 2

Russian eliminated.German advances 31st and 34th Infantry Divisions to 1225

2) Attackers: 18 Motorized Infantry, 12th Panzer Division, (both out of supply) (12 factors)

3018 Defenders: 0-0-6 (eliminated)German advances 18th Motorized Infantry - ) to 3019.

3) Attackers: 4th and 3rd Panzer Divisions, 26th. 17th. 268th, 5th, 35th, 161st, 23rd, 263rd,137th (Infantry out of supply) (60 factors)2716 Defenders: 5-4-6, 6-7-6, 8-8-6 (18 factors)

Odds: 3 to 1 Die Roll: 3 Result: D l


4) Attackers: 18th Panzer Division out of supply (8 factors)4108 Defenders: 0-0-6, 4-3-6, 31st Headquarters (3 factors)


German retreats 18th Panzer Division to 3908.

5 Attackers: 10th Motorized Infantry out of supply (4 factors)3904 Defenders: 8-10 (8 factors)

Odds: 1 to 2 Die Roll: 1 Resul t : Dl IAl

Russian retreats to 3803.German reduced 69/10 to a 2-10.

Russian Turn 11 Combat

1) Attackers: 3911: 0-0-6, 1-3-6, 6-8-6, 31st Headquarters; 3912: 2-4-6, 3-4-6; 411 1: 4-3-6,3 4 - 6 ; 41 12: 3-4-6, 3-3-6, 6-6-6, 32nd Headquarters (38 factors)401 1 Defenders: 18th Panzer Division out of supply (8 factors)

Odds: 4 to 1 Die Roll: 4 Result: D l

German reduced 101118.



4520 Defenders: 0-0-6 (eliminated)


1) Attackers: 258th and 292nd Infantry Divisions, 7th Panzer Division (32 factors)2626 Defenders: 2-1-6, 3-4-6, 3-4-6, 16th Headquarters (18 factors)


Russian 2-1-6 eliminated.German reduced 617 to a 1-10.

2) Attackers: 4th and 3rd Panzer Divisions, 26th, 17th, 268th, 5th, 35th. 161st. 23rd. 263rd,and 137th Infantry Divisions (102 factors)2716 Defenders: 8-8-6, 6-7-6 out of supply (14 factors)


Russian eliminated.

German advances 137th, 263rd, and 23rd Infantry Divisions to 2816.

Russian Turn 12 Overruns

1) Attackers: 1-3-6, 6-8-6, 31st Headquarters from 3911 (5 factors)401 1 Defenders: 18th Panzer Division out of supply (7 factors)



2) Attackers: 3-3-6, 3-4-6, 6-6-6, 32nd Headquarters from 4112 (6 factors)401 1 Defenders: 18th Panzer Division out of supply (7 factors)



onr d o age 4L

REA TOP 50 LISTTbncs RevhmOnLbt Rat IMr

1. K. ombs 41 2598YW 12. B obson I6 2368RIR 23. X urdiclr 40 2-N 4

35 2U7EHJ- I

6 W Scon

7 J Beard8 F Prelssle

9. H. Newby

10 D. Garbun

16 B Remsburg17 M Slnca vage

18 P Ga m an

19 F Freeman20 D sell

21. RRory

22. G c3doam

23 R k c b74 P R

. ...27 R Beyma

28 B Schoose29 M Rogers

30 C Wannall

36 B Dowrung 30 1830FHL 3537 J Baker I3 1829CEI 36

38 P DeVolp~ 7 1828DED 3739 D Gree nwoo d 41 1821GFJ 46

40 W Own bey 10 1812CEI 38

46 R Shurdut47 M Frlsk

48 B Salvatore49 K McCanhy

50 J Whlte

Mr. James Baker is 34, single, holds a MS incomputer science and is employed by the USState Department in Washington,DC.

FnorlCCu: HE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGNAWL4E. I TRC KARMW-t 3-2yMe S hn

€iebbkMwic. hasPeme: PBM opponentswho disappear when losin

TbePIH:10Pby i t b

Mr. Baker states:I enjoy PBM becauseonec ally subject

the game to analysis and play tends to be of thehighest quality. AREA has been extremelyhelpful in this because it ensures that theopponents will be 'sportsmen' This does notmean that one should limit himself solely toPBM. But for many, it is the best. For FTF, I

prefer the visual appeal of miniatures and thejoy of unique tactical situations.

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


HOW TO WIN T P NZERBLITZThe Serious Side of Choosing Sides

By Steve Powlesland

PAMWtBWIZ is certainly one of the most challeng-

ing games created by the wizardsof the Avalon Hill

Game Company, and by far the most educational.

For those new to the hobby, there is no finer tacti-

cal simulation anywhere. By presenting us with such

an array of stimulating situations, we cannot help

but absorb key tactical methods, culminating in the

primary lesson: how to win. Even for the veterans.it can be enlightening to examine the game situa-

tion by situation, however, imagining every step of

the way that this is all somehow new-as though

we were novices once again. Studying the rules care-

fully with a friend, and noting that we are recom-

mended to begin with the lower number game

situations, we commence with .

SITUATION I The first situation is also the vehi-cle for presenting an essential principle of this war

on the Eastern Front. That is, this happens to be

occuring in 1944 and not 1914. The Russians, not

having discovered this themselves, send in honest-

t d j o d cavalry, supported by some nondescript ar-

tillery and a few tanks o take an entrenched hilltop

position guarded by 88mm cannon and some very

effective flak guns. Secure in the town and in the

nearby woods, theGermans confidently wait for theLight Brigade maneuver of Crimean War fame; or

else they pick o aringtankswith the aplomb found

in a shooting gallery. Despite this, we are pleased

to see that at least someone is bound to win, given

the victory conditions.Never mind that it is almost

always the Germans. Armed with this illusion of

better things to come, we re now ready for

SITUATION II In August of 1914, France andBritain were convinced that much of their salvation

lay in the appearance of the vaunted Russian

steamroller . Unfortunately, the steamroller did

not appearand so they found it necessary to do their

fighting themselves. Actually, it was not that the

steamroller never existed-it was just late. About

thirty years late. For now, as the German com-

mander, we see hat it is no fantasy. With our small

Gennan mobile force , we face the difficulty of try-ing to stop a march that seems to ooze rather than

penetrate as those sneaky Russian SOBS hink noth-

ing of hiding behind treesand creeping along slopes

just to get a few more miles west. Meanwhile, a

bunch of Russian trucks hauling 120mm mortars or

122- howitzers have sped off into the distance,

and are now parking themselves somewhere just

across the Oder, thereby ensuring the Russian of

a decisive victory. You must decide whetherto cometo the rescue of the Fuehrer, or anempt to destroy

the ten or twenty Russian units necessary for vic-

tory (but quick decision under fue is the hall-

mark of a successful commander, even when he

loses). Dispensing with WWI finally, we can pro-

ceed to

SITUAnON III You know the saying pride goest

before a fall , and you have heard the Biblical storyof Job. Perhaps you are aware of the Greek term

hubris If not, you soon will be. It is 1941, early

in the war against Russia. You are a tank com-

mander of the 10th Panzer Division, part of the all-

conquering Gennan blitzkrieg Moreover, you read

that Advancing German mobile units scatter rem-

nants of shattered Russian units during the push on

Moscow . This means you, and there are stars in

your eyes, as you see yourself being congratulatedby the Fuehrerhimselfas the first to sight the towers

of the Kremlin. While the rest of the division has

stopped along the side of the road to have break-

fast, you forge ahead to glory. And why not, for

all that stands between you and Stalin re he rem-

nants of the 119th Rifle Division .

Now what Avalon Hill means by remnants ,

however, is that this division lost its commanding

officer and the political commissar in an early ex-ample of a Fragging incident--to your disadvantage.

~ n o you aG tGming the ris . glint of da kn

reflecting off the muzzle of the first German tank

and you see in front the Russian version of the Sieg-

fried Line, with 76.2mm artillery staked out in the

woods above and a monstrous line of infantry dug

in along the side of the plateau. A mass of insolent

barbarian Guards are sitting square across the only

valley passage. Five years ago, your tanks saw sui-cidal action in Spain; but they re allyou have now,

and so you futilely concentrate them for the great

drive-supporting their prospective advance with the

artillery you had planned to use to blow a hole

through the city gates of Moscow. The Russians are

reputed to move with the consistency of molasses,

but they fill holes created in their lines as though

they had the consistency of water. Unsuccessful in

even making a dent you decide to go back and havethe breakfast you missed, and let someone else take

Moscow. While eating, you can contemplate the

problem presented by .

SITUATION IV Back to 1944 (a bad year for situ-

ation cards). We see we must acquaint ourselveswith a tactic which is more economical (and often

more effective) than a blocking action . We also

get to experience another important principle: you

can't fight with what you don't have. Reminiscent

of the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Ger-

man battle group (composed of elements from two

regiments and three battalions-which means the

are the survivors) proceeds to squeeze itself in

forests, hide behind rocksand buildings, run aroumountains, nd jump from one place to anoth

preparing ambushes for the Russian tank corps

who, unfortunately, persist in using the same ta

tics. retty soon the Germansrun out of trees ock

buildings, mountains .and troops. Resolved

take the initiative, they find themselves next in

SITUATION V: In this situation, the Russian v

tory conditions say they Win if they can prevethe Germans from accomplishing their victory co

ditions . This is a little like saying they win if t

sun rises in the East tomorrow morning. Actua

the Germans have the opportunity here to duplica

one of history's most amazing military adventure

Hannibal's crossing of the Alps. But in this ca

all the German elephants are white, and instead

facing a few irate Gallic tribesmen, you are wen

ing your way through a thicket of 122- howzers, 120mm mortars, and 45mm anti-tank gun

not to mention mines, tank-destroyers, and fana

cal Russian infantry. Your goal is to attack t

Dnieper bridge with seven units or more (these w

probably consist mostly of trucks)and return to yo

own lines before you run out of ammunition, fu

time. But, if you reach the bridge, you may as w

keep going right on over to the nearest prison cam

because here is absolutely no ch nce of getting bain time.

By the time you have gone through all twelve s

uations, you should be in a position to provide t

correct answer to the question we broached at t

beginning of this treatise: how to win. You mu

utilize superb tactics, blinding speed, total surpri

and brutal tenacity-when the time wmes to choo

sides. On this matter there can be no second plac

Russian Turn 12 Combat

1 Attackers: 6-8-6, 24-6, 34-6, 3-5-6, 4-3-6, 34-6, 34-6, 6-6-6, 31st Headquarters, 32nd

Headquarters (34 factors)

4011 Defenders: 18th Panzer Division out of supply (7 factors)


German reduced 52/18 to a 1-10.

Russian 24 -6 eliminated.


1 Attackers: 258th and 292nd Infantry Divisions from 2726 (8 factors)


Odds: 1 to 1 Die Roll: 3 Result: DllAl

Russian eliminated.

German 258th Infantry Division reduced to a 4-7.

2 Attackers: Das Reich from 3806 (9 factors)

3906 Defenders: 0-0-6, 8-8-6, 28th Headquarters (8 factors)

Odds: 1 to 1 Die Roll: 1

Russian 28th Headquarters eliminated.

8-84 disrupted.

Result: Dl


1 Attackers: 12th Panzer Division, 29th Motorized Infantry (26 factors)



Russian eliminated

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


VICHY IN THE EASTA ritish Strategy in the Levant

By William Searight

Syria was one of the overseas tenitories of Francewhich, on the collapse of the metropolitan govern-ment, considered itself bound by the surr ender and

resisted the British advance into the Lev ant in earlyJune 1941. By the middle of July 41, the Vichyauthorities there sued for peace and Syria passedinto Allied occupation. Altho ugh the time frame w ascomparatively short, the fighting was bitter andcaused Great Br itain to dispatch additional reinforce-ments to the area when she could least afford themfrom other theaters. But, so the argument goe s, theyhad to be sent to prevent an Axis incursion in theMiddle East.

In THIRD REIC H history is altered somewhatin regard to the s tatus of Fra nce s colonies. IfLebanon-Syria becomes Vichy, then the Britishplayer is beset with the sam e strategic and tacticalproblems of history. Th e British player has only alimited amount of manpow er with which to defendhis empire. But something can be done to alleviate

the potential problem o f having a Vichy Levant-anew strategy.

Lebanon Syria

As the Allied and Axis forces are locked in in-tensive combat on the Euro pean continent, the dis-tant French colony of Lebanon-Syria seems of littleimmediate importance to either player. Generallygarrisoned by a single French infantry, this areadoes not come into strategic focus until France isconquered. At this time, the F rench player must waitin anticipation while the German player rolls thedie to determine the status of French colonies.

As a British player, I m certainly not one to relishthe idea of having my Egyptian defenses rest on a50 50 chance of the die result on having a Vichy

colony in the Middle East, as this would requirestationing additional British forces in P alestine andTransjordan to protect the eastern approaches to theCanal. With Britain s meager force s alreadystretched to the limit, this additional burden couldleave other sectors dangerously weakened. B ritainreally has very little choice except to react in som eway. To ignore the threat would only allow the Axisto quickly spearhead attacks against Egypt from twodirections and overrun the Suez Canal.

Of course the British have Rule 35 5 to helpalleviate such a problem (i.e., two British fleetsbased east of the Suez Canal andlo r a combinationof air factors within four hexes of the Axis portswould negate the 18 maximum factors allowed tobe brought in by the Axis). But the Axis c n counterthis rule, to an extent, by bringing in fleetlair factors

of their own. A 5 4 air unit in Rhodes, along withan Italian fleet SRed into Beirut, would offset the18 British fleet factors and allow the Axis to SR innine factors of ground units. NOTE: Although thefleet in Beirut is counted as part of the 18 factorsallowed, the air unit in Rhodes is not.

For the British to counter this Axis play, he wouldhave to increase his commitment of fleets and airfactors-east of the Suez Canal. The above situa-tion could continue to escalate further by the Axiscontrol of Cypru s andlor Cr ete (for basing additionalair). Eventually, the British player could very w ellfind himself with an inordinate am ount of his navaland air forces tied down in Egypt, leaving En glandand other sectors dangerously exposed. Instead ofthis huge drain on the British resources, there is amuch easier, mo re efficient, and less costly method

of keeping the Axis out of the Levant.

In Defense of Lebanon Syria

If someo ne were to tell you that it would be pos-

sible for the British to hold and defend Lebanon-Syria with only an airbase counter and a 1-3 infantryunit (without naval or air support), against the en-tire Italian Navy loaded to the gunwales with armo rand infantry, you would probably consider the idealaughable at best. Conv ersely, it will be shown howthis seemingly imposs ible idea can become reality,but first some points that may come to mind.

The Vichy status of a colony is determined at theend of the Allied com bat phase, when P aris cannotbe recaptured. S ince British units must be SRed outof Vichy territory, how can the Axis be preventedfrom SRing forces into Lebanon-Syria? And evenif the British were able to capture and defend thisVichy colony, how could a single weak infantry unithope to hold off a seaborne invasion force (i.e., two3-3 Italian units aboard two fleets, supported by

shore bombardment from three fleets).In countering the above, Britain needs only tobuildlSR an airbase counter into Beirut anytimebefore the German occupation of Paris. As far s

defending the beach hex, there is no need to, norwill a single British fleet be required to sortie outto intercept any Italian naval mission. How ? Rule49.6 pertains to British units (ground, air, andfleets), which must be SRed out of Vichy territor y,but an airbas e is only a counter and not a unit (see4.4). T heref ore the airbase counter could remainin Beirut, adjacent to the now Vichy French infan-try unit on the beach. As the airbase counter sitson the only logistic source for this Vichy colony(27.12). the Vichy infantry unit could neither bemoved nor SRed away fro m the beach hex (27.42),nor on the following Axis turn could additional Axis

units be sea transported or sea escorted to thiscolony. By the end of the Axis turn , the Vichy in-fantry, cut-off from supply, would be eliminatedthrough isolation. Of course, for the airbase counterto remain in Beirut, Britain would have to declarewar o n Vichy France on the very next turn (49.6).To fulfill this requirement the British Palestinian 1-3garrison could be moved north from its beachheadto Beirut. NOTE: In reaching Beirut, no other Vichyhexes ar e to be crossed over or occupied other thanthose necessary to complete the above action, anddurin g the SR phase, a n additional unit would haveto be brought in to cover Palestine s beach hex.

Axis Seaborne Invasion

The Axis player(s) would certainly classify this

defense as no defense at all, believing the s ituationcould easily be rectified by launching a m assive in-vasion. Since the beach hex is now emotv (theFrench unit previously eliminated through i sb ~ ti in ),an attacking force could land unovmse d. smash the

A

puny ~r i t i s h -3 unit, capture the port, and then SRin additional groundlair units. Sounds simple andstraightforward, but in reality, the Axis would bestopped cold on the beach, no matter what f orce isthrown ashore.

The key to the B ritish defense lies not in the matchof combat forces, but rather by something moresubtle-that of logistics. The Axis could certainlyinvade the beach, but because the British neveroccupied nor moved over it, the beach hex wouldstill be considered friendly to the Axis (m eaning thatno Axis bridgehead counter could be used-9.11,

29.436). The original Axis units landed on the un-

defended beach hex could not conduct attacagainst any enemy adjacent to the target he(29.436). With n o bridgehead counter, the remai

ing embarked Axis units ( which did not participain the attack), could not land, even if they wearmor expecting to exploit out of the beach sinthe beach hex was already Vichy (friendly) and nbreakthrough hex could be established (14.31). Wino bridgehead o r breakthrough hex possible, armcould not be exploited nor supplied f rom the beachex in orde r to attack the British unit (14.4, incluing ERRATA).

Even if the Axis h d been in a position to takadvantage of and conduct a seaborne invasion othe Axis turn immediately a fter the fall of Francthe British airbase counter would be sufficient deter the Axis for the same reasons. In a nutshelthe maximum number of Axis units on the beachex, at any one time, would b e limited to two, aneven these would be out of supply at the beginnin

of their next turn. Without logistical support, thseaborne invasion forces fate is sealed even befoleaving port. At most, they will control a few biof sand and rock at the w ater s edge until their supplies are exhausted and then be eliminated (17.127.43).

As the war continues, the Axis might attempother alternate methods to gain control of Beiru(i.e., invade Cyprus and bring in airlparachuforces), but any such action should alert the Britisplayer sufficiently ahead of time to plan countestrategy-increasing Beirut s groun d defense andlohaving air available for counterair and DAS. To hedeter Axis control o f Cyprus, a British pre-emptivmove could be to SR an infantry unit to Cypru(29.6 . This can be done by first pre-staging a fleo alta and then SRing Malta s 1-3 garrison t

Cyprus on the following turn. The above should baccomplished befo re the fall of France since Italiafleets rarely attempt seaborne invasions while botthe French and British naval forces are active in thMediterranean. A fter France has fallen, more Britisunits will be available for use in the Mediterraneaand the Cyprus garrison could be replaced withstronger infantry unit.

Summary

The British player must prevent the Axis frogetting a foothold in the Levant, even with a smaforce. Not only would Egypt be threatened, buperhaps Turkey, the Lend Lease Route, ansouthern Russia (if Turkey were to fall). Althougthe Axis a re limited to 18 factors through ports (ea

of the Sue z Cana l), the British player could still bforced to tie dow n valuable air and fleet factors EgyptlPalestine just t o prevent an A xis buildup thmay or may not happen. This threat would forcBritain to deploy additional ground units to Palestinand Transjordan to prevent even a few Axis unifrom reaching the Suez. B ritain s initial com bground and air, plus allowable builds (before 1942does not match Germany s at-start ground and astrengths. While Ge rm a~ y nd Italy have a massivamount of future manpower to mobilize (total numbers of units), B ritain has comparatively few in number and these must be carefully dep loyed to protenot only England s shor es, but her far flung ouposts and colonies s well. Britain is stretched vethin defensively until America enters the war. This why this B ritish strategy towards a potential Vich

Lebanon-Syria is important, since it conserv

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


British resources. Although some critics maydeplore the concept of an early declaration of waron Vichy France this does not automatically causeactivation), without planning to gain any conquestBRPs for Lebanon-Syria, I for one feel that thestrategic value of this area, far outweighs any ofthese minor disadvantages.

Once the British have control of Beirut, eliminatedthe French through isolation, and moved the infan-try into Beirut, the airbase counter and the 1-3 in-fantry unit can be redeployed back to Palestineandlor Egypt. A garrison within the Levant wouldno longer be necessary except in the event of an Axisparachute threat. Although it may sound strange,a Vichy Lebanon-Syria would be more of a stra-tegic value to Britain than having a Free Frenchcolony.

Without having to deploy additional fleets, air andground units to the Levant, these same units are freefor future operations such as creating an impreg-nable Malta defense thereby strangling the Axissupply to North Africa), sea escorting more unitsper turn throughout the British Empire, and latersending vitally needed BRP loans to Russia. Theseare but a few ideas that show what far-reachingeffects a minimum of force can have if applied atthe right place and at the exact optimum moment.

itles Listed: 124 Total Responses: 513

Rank TimesLast On Freq.

Rank: Title Pub Time it Ratio

IUp Front

AH 15 9 . 32 . Squad Leader AH 23 3 . 8

A number of interesting fluctuations appear in thisissue s listings of the popular played games among ourreaders. UP FRONTcontinuesto dominatethe listingas no game has for some time. Riding this tide of p o pularity is BANZAI, its expansion gamene, whichappears for the first time. HITLER S WAR, subject o four next issue, makes its first showing while, ironi-cally, PG GUDERIAN falls from the list. Nato andmpires in Anns, both fine games, return to the list

after a brief hiatus. Obviously sparked by recent con-tests, HUNDRED DAYS BA77ZES and N V U WARalso make an unusually strong showing. Meanwhile,a number of games-STORM OVERARNHEM LAT-TOP. VITP and GUNS OF AUGUST-all fall justbelow the mark. Bob McNamara s revision of PAN-Z E R B U n (due out in 1985 . which seems to be show-ing its age, should return that game to its rightful placeamong these titles.

The straightforward object of Contest 122 is the German capture of Vyazma s quickly s possiblein one turn of a game of PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN The contest commences with the begin-ning of the current German Player Turn. All German units a re at full strength; the Soviet interdic-tion marker is not in play; and the road from 3414 to 0120 is considered clear. Only the unitsshown are available, and only the area of the map depicted may b e moved over. Note that allerman divisions have their components stacked together. For the purpose of this contest, ll Russian

units are considered to have an exactly ver ge defensive strength and all German die rolls a reconsidered to be 2

The task of the reader is simple: move the German units and conduct their overruns and attacksin the most efficient manner possible to insure the fall of the city during the current turn. Captur-ing Vyazma during the Movement Phase is rated better than capturing it during the Combat Phase;capturing it during either is better than capturing it in the Mechanized Movement Phase. Finally,in the case of ties, those who accomplish the task with the le st number of die rolls win. T o com-plete the contest, indicate: 1) the phase in which Vyazma falls; 2) the number of die rolls requiredfor your solution; 3) indicate movement of units and any overruns andlor attacks they make. Allstandard rules of PANZERGRUPPE GUDERlAN apply.

The answer to this contest must be entered on the official entry form or a facsimile) foundo n the insert of this issue. Ten winning entries will receive merchandise credits from The AvalonHill Game Company. T o be valid, an entry must be received prior to the mailing of the next issueand include a numerical rating for this issue as a whole, as well as listing the three best issues.The solution to Contest 122 will appear in Vol. 21, No. and the list of winners in Vol. 21,No. 6 of The GENERAL

For those who may wish to recreate the contest with their game, the following units are placed

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


TURNING THE TIDEPlaying th Russian in The RUSSI N C MP IGN

By Michael Anchors

Since publication in 1976, THE RUSSIAN CAM-PAIGN has been a stable resident of the "So That's

What You've Been Playing" top ten, but relatively

few articles have dealt with the game. Those thathave appeared have dealt almost exclusively with

the initial set-up and first turn of the Campaign

Game. The middle game and end game have been

neglected. Indeed, in the only Series Replay (Vol.

16, No. 4) to date, the Russians were crushed in

1942. Most games I have observed have ended in

two hours or ten turns because there was not time

to finish. The rules provide for shorter scenarios.

Players couM start the game in mid-1942 to get a

taste of the middle game, but most don't becausethey "don't want to be handicapped by the mistakes

of their predecessors". As a result, few players

practice the subtle art of turning the tide and using

the Red Army on the offense. A real shame.

The first major Soviet offensive should roll off

in November 1942. The Russians may strike at vul-

nerable Axis units even before then, being careful

to avoid severe casualties or jeopardize precious ter-rain. But the first pre-meditated, sustained offen-

sive must await the cold of November. If the

offensive starts late, say in January, there won't be

time to cause appreciable destruction of Axis forces

before March brings non-snow weather, the Axis

replacements and a Stuka. If the offensive starts

early, in September, there is a 50% chance the Ger-

mans will have non-snow weather in November in

which to mount a response aimedatminimizing theirloss. In clear weather, a 17% chance, two Stukas

are on hand to pulverize the Soviet spearheads.

Mud, a 33 chance, slows the Soviet drive while

the Axis uses full rail capacity to reinforce.

The crux of the problem lies in the fact that the

Russians cannot afford to miss damaging the Wehr-

macht, but cannot afford to lose many armor and

Guard units either. Those mobile units are needed

behind the front in 1943 o bluntAxis thrusts. Armorand Guard units are replaced slowly, one each per

turn. Be sure to include a low-factor unit, prefera-

bly infantry, in any attack in which the CRT may

call for a unit loss.

Snow is ideal weather for Russians. The dreaded

Stukas disappear, allowing armor and Guards to

stack together safely. Axis rail capacity is cut to

three; Russian capacity stays at five. First impulsemovement is cut in half for both sides, and secondimpulse movement is one hex for most units. Thus

the Germans are deprived of their usual advantage

in mobiity. True, Russian non-Guard infantry units

can't move in the second impulse, but most infan-

try on the offensive front should be Guards. Let the

mukluks hold down the rear and non-active parts

of the line.

In snow, Axis units not adjacent to Axis-

controlled cities have their combat factor cut in half(17.2). Technically, units two hexes away from a

city are not halved unless the intervening hex is in

a Russian ZOC, but in most situations the interven-

ing hex is in a ZOC. The ZOC can even belong to

one of the units attacking the now out-of-supply Axis

unit. If a separate Russian unit is needed to put the

intervening hex in a ZOC, the Russian player should

resolve combat against the out-of-supply unit first.

his rule deservesc reful attention by every Russianplayer.

Russian airborne units can do their thing only in

snow months (18). There are just three of these

beauties and each can jump but once, so thrift is

in order. They are most handy in 1944 to complete

encirclements he Germans are too weak or too har-

ried to break. The airbornecan cut r ilro ds in re s

partisans can't reach because of SS units; but then,

the SS is represented by a single unit in 1942 sothe partisans can handle the job. In fact, there is

little use for the airborne at all in 1942, but they

are available in a pinch.Winter should see the Wehrmacht sapped by ac-

cumulated losses. Replacements don't arrive until

the first clear weather in 1943 (usually May) and

the only significant reinforcement, the 2nd SS

Panzer Corps riding long partisan-infested rail

lines, won't get into action until March.There is enormous variabiity from game to game

in Russian replacement capacity in 1942. Histori-

cally, the Russians had 14 worker factors in

November and averaged 11 factorslturn through the

year. In most games the average is less: 10 worker

factorslturn through the year and 12 in November,

because Leningrad or the Donets valley fall well

ahead of the historical schedule. If Archangel or

Moscow falls as well, the Russians are in hotborscht.There is no use discussing the middle game

when the Russians have stumbled that badly. Wewill assume the Russians have done no worseth n

lose Leningrad and post an average replacementr te

of 10 factorslturn through 1942. The Red Army

should then muster 30-40 armies, 40%-50% of

which should be Guards and armor, an ample force

to gouge the Wehrmacht in one carefully chosensector.

Which sector to choose? Common sense dictates

choosing any sector vital to the Russians and threat-

ened by the Axis Leningrad, Moscow or Archangel

would qualify. The Sudden Death city-

objective for 1943 chosen before the game (24.3)

would certainly mandate an offensive to save it, if

threatened. A winter offensive in the Leningrad dis-

trict is particularly nice since the Russians can ad-vance over the frozen marshes. The same marshes,

thawed out in spring, seriously impede an Axiscounterthrust.

If all the above cities can be held or are irretriev-

ably lost, the Russians should commit their offen-

sive might against the sector that offers the bestopportunity to knock off Axis units. Any area with

a large porportion of non-German units makea good

choice because those units are weaker and less

mobile. Although destruction of non-German units

may seem less important than eliminating German

ones, mobility counts for less in 1943 because theline is fairly static. Consequently, dead non-German

units are worth as much as dead German ones, and

they are replaced more slowly, if at all

The Russians should try to bag a few panzer units

in the sweep too, but steer clear of an area with too

many panzers. These big boys can break encircle-

ments and cut off Soviet spearheads. The advan-

tage of limited Axis rail capacity in snow is for

if the Russians needlessly assault a sector richpanzer forces.

It is extremely tempting to surround large pock

of Axis units; but the best policy is to break throu

on a broadfront eliminating as many units as p

sible by direct assault. Admittedly, there are stro

historical precedents for envelopment tactics, Sta

grad and Korsun to name but two. And the disp

sition of Axis units during the winter is temptin

If the German commander arrays his army in a cotinuous front, sectors of the line between cities

out of combat-supply (rule 17.2 again) and we

If he clusters around controlled cities, the Russiacan roam at will through the gaps. However, t

Russian player who surrounds a large pocket of G

man units in controlled cities and waits for th

to starve will see spring arrive with the Wehrma

intact and the Red Arse exposed.

THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN is not THIREICH guys Surrounded units don't starve if th

trace supply to an Axis-controlled city. The city

self does not have to trace supply anywhere. C

it unrealistic if you will, but that's the rules. Le

admit it is a compromise. Leningrad held out in t

war; Stalingrad didn't. Local factors are so imp

tant in whether a siege will work (e.g., a frozen la

that could take trucks, a snow-covered airport thcouldn't take planes), that the designers could n

mak6 supply rules both absolutely realistic a

simple.The Russian player must adapt to the situation

keeping his envelopments manageably small. T

purpose of envelopment is only to prevent the v

tims from being reinforced or withdrawing. It w

still be necessary to eliminate them by di&i assa

(usually) or recapture of cities within the perime(sometimes).

Another way in which 77?C differs from3R is th

unsupplied units can move They can roll right o

to the perimeter and attack in coordination with x

units on the outside. Even low-odds attacksc n su

ceed because the Russian retreats are cut off. T

Russian player should, therefore,man he perime

in doubled terrain or at least four hexes from Ax

controlled cities so that German units attackingthe outside will be half-strength. And the Russia

must keep the Huns busy with multiple threatSince it is expensive to attack German units

supply near Axis-controlled cities, the Russia

would be delighted to force the Germans to mo

out of their urban strongholds and attack out-

supply. The Sudden Death rules provide a mea

of doing just that. Assuming the Russiansare in fi

control of their own objective for 1943, they cput great pressure on the Axis by attacking all po

sible Axis objectives (Leningrad, Kharkov and t

oil well at PP13) if Axis-held. If one of these

tacks succeeds against the a d xis objective, t

Germans are compelled to counterattack or forf

the game. It would be foolhardy for them to del

the attack, hoping for non-snow weather and a Stu

in March because there is a 33% chance of cl

weather. If it is clear weather and the Russians co

trol both objectives, the game ends immediate

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


Consequently, the Germans have to counterattack

in snow. Leningrad and the oi l well are more than

three hexes from any city so Axis units attacking

them must be out o f combat-supply. The Russians

should be careful to occupy Kursk or put Y 13 in

a ZOC to prevent combat-supplied German units

from reaching Kharkov.

Many players don't like and don't play the Sud-den Death Victory Conditions (24.3). feeling that

the rules force players into unnatural lines of play.

As the Axis player, one might ask, would you really

bust your treads getting to Sevastapol in 1941 i f t

were not a possible objective for 1942?Some gamesseemingly end prematurely with one side controll-

ing both objectives for a year, but losing everywhere

else on the board.ersonally like the Sudden Death rules for rea-

sons that have to do with TR both as a game and

as a simulation of history. The rules improveTRby shortening the length of play and intensifying

the excitement. The middle game can get mighty

boring as the two titans wrestle along a static line

with no chance of deciding victory for two game-

years, twelve turns and many hours later. With the

Sudden Death rules in place, the game is never dull

as players seek to deduce their opponent's objec-

tive and seize it while concealing the identity of their

own. Such behavior is not a departure from history,either. By Sudden Death rules Russia won the war

in Spring 1943, ontrolling both their own objec-tive, Stalingrad, and the German's, the oi l well at

PP13.Without these rules, players would seldom

fight a do-ordie battle ike Stalingrad. There were

no economic or strategic reasons why a single ob-

scure city on the Volga should have been so im-

portant; but there were several psychological-

propaganda reasons, also of importance in war, andthey are simulated well by the Sudden Death rules.

Choosing Russian Sudden Death objectives intel-

ligently before the game is an important aspect of

turning the tide. I f hey are chosen inappropriately.

the Russian commander won't have freedom to ac-

tion in ate 42. fyour opponent is known to focus

on the north, choose objectives in he south nd viceversa. fyour opponent is unknown o you, choose

Kharkov for 1942and Stalingrad for 1943.The rea-

son for the former is that Army Group South hasto traverse some tough defensive terrain to reach

Kharkov. AG South is less well provided with panzers than AG Center, and loaded with slow non-

German units. Kharkov is a major city, doubling

the defenders and adding a two-factor worker unit

to the defense. Too, Kharkov can be reached by

replacement units generated i nmany nearby cities.

In contrast, Kalin in is a minor city square in thepath of a major German thrust, logically aimed at

Moscow. Sevastopol is more defensible but tough

to reinforce, and many units defending the Crimea

would readily mark Sevastopol as the objective.

Stalingrad is the logical choice for 1943 because

i t is farthest from the west edge of the board. I t s

a major city amidst strong river lines and near the

east edge of the boardwhere reinforcementsarrive.

Voronezh, three hexes farther west, is an accept-able alternative, but never choose Moscow as an ob-

jective. The Germans wil l be aiming at Moscow

anyway, for the sake of its workers, railroad con-

nections and capital city status. Why give them any

more benefit.

The objectives in ater years have nothing to do

with turning the tide ; but since the subject has

not been addressed previously, ill complete thelist. In 1944 hoose Kursk, a minor city and easiest

to recapture. I n 1945, hoose Bucharest. The Ger-

mans then have to retain Warsaw or Lwow to keep

you from winning. Table lists the Sudden Death

objectives for both sides in order o f preference.

The last aspect of urning the tide to consider are

the Opuonal Rulesand Campaign Variants. TheOptional Rules are easy. A l l but two of them favor the

Russians. The SS Replacement Substitution and

First Impulse Attacks on Cities (26.2and26.7respectively) are pro-Axis, but have minor impact.

No problems with these Optional Rules; accept what

feels comfortable.

Among the Campaign Variants, Art illery

Corps favors the Russians, since they get more

of hem. Sea Transport too is pro-Russian, since

on average the Russians have more ports. The Al-

ternative Strategic Scenarios are a mixed bag,however: Mediterranean Distraction is strongly

pro-Axis because of the extra turn in 41 and the

Fliegerkorps. Putting the Bulge on the Russians

is always a brighi Teutonic notion. Why not? Adraw is historically meaningless anyway.

The other two Gennan options, Italian Sell-Out

and Not Tunisia , are bum deals for the Axis.

The Russian laver should reswnd as follows

when the ~ue hrdrschews a ~ehiterraneanDis-traction and attacks Russia inMarch: if he weather

is clear and the German player competent, activate

the Russian Reaction option. You will need the

Siberian reinforcements early to save Moscow.

Otherwise, leave the option alone, avoiding the risk

of a Japanese Gambit .

This concludes our look at the middle game and

turning the tide . You won't see a sequel on the

late game because the situation is so variable thatgeneral analysis is impossible. Suffice to say that

any Russian player on the defensive in 1944should

ask for a draw. On the offensive, the same tacticsthat worked i n Winter 1942,work in 1943; nd with

no Stuka around in 1944 he Russianscan continue

their offensive even i n non-snow weather through

the year and on to Berlin. Urrah

TABLE

SUDDENDEATH O JECTIVES

by year in order of preference

Axis Russia

1942 1. Bryansk 1. Kharkov

2. Dnepropetrovsk 2. Kalinin

3. Leningrad 3. Sevastopol

1. Kharkov 1. Stalingrad

2. Leningrad 2. Voronezh3. oi l well (PP13) 3. Moscow

1944 1. Riga 1. Kursk

2. Kiev 2. Rostov

3. Sevastopol 3. Leningrad

1945 1. Warsaw 1. Bucharest

2. Lwow 2. Berlin

3. Stalin 3. Hitler *A H Philosophy . ont d rom Page 2

much to offer the historicalgamer, and the merg-

ing of the tw o in these pages into an amorphous

melange could not but be detrimental to every-

one's efforts, felt.Still another problem would be my own limited

familiarity with the Victory Games products. In

order to make even a cursory review of, much

less edit and paste up, any article herein demands

some working knowledge of the topic game and

its systems. My past experience, along with

badgering my way into every current AH play-

test, assures me of at least a feeling of com-

petency with respect to our expanding line. In

those instances where a truly expert opinion iswarranted, can readily turn to the designer1

developers in this building for immediate judge-

ment or advice. Not so with Victory Games' ad-

mittedly complex simulations. Given the

constraints on my time (i.e., other ongoing

projects), simply would feel neither competent

nor comfortable expounding upon them. The task

would definitely demand someone enamored

these fine wargames, who was also blessed wthe time to study them at leisure. At the ve

least, he should be able to, when necessa

grasp the guiding hand of those at Victory.

Another facet of that distance between o

Baltimore base and the New York offices

Victory Games imposes itself as well. The tw

game companies have a number of different tec

niques, not always compatible. For over twen

years, The GENERAL has aimed at in-depth portage of the games of The Avalon Hill Gam

company. A number of exceedingly naggitechnical problems would arise should attem

to mix articles on VG and AH games. None we

insurmountable, but all would demand an outl

of extra time and money.

With the creation of a new periodical (HEROE

and the arrival of Mr. Bill Peschel to becom

founding editor, a compromise suggested itseBill expressed an interest n the VG game line a

offered his services in seeing articles on them in

print. And concurrently it occurred to us th

many of the technical problems could be sid

stepped by printing the VG articles separate

from the print run of The GENERAL. Thus, t

Victory lnsider was born, an extensive ins

devoted to the products of our sister compa

yet enjoying the wide distribution of wargaming

oldest continuously published magazine. By turing over this insert to Bill, who is able to c

ordinate closely with the staff at VG, I was ab

to efficiently solve the dilemmas facing me. Now

and henceforth, the Victory lnsider will supp

the kind of support for their products that ha

been a hallmark of The Avalon Hill Game Com

pany for twenty years.

Of course, not all the difficulties were immeately settled; but at least those remaining we

manageable. The first and hardest decision

make was that to raise the cover and subscri

tion prices of The GENERAL to allow the twelv

to-twenty page full-color insert to become a re

ular feature. This was instituted with Vol. 20, N

4 without prior warning; and, as usual, such

move brought an outpouring of distress and d

gust to this office. Hopefully, those whlamented the increase are satisfied with valu

returned for such.

Bill Peschel was forced to work many lon

hours in deciding on the format and layout f

his mini-magazine . hink most discriminatin

garners will agree that he succeeded in produ

ing an eye-pleasing and information packed i

sert. That he continues to do so is a credit to hi

and the entire staff at Victory Games who cotribute so heavily to each issue. Obviously B

brings a professional approach to his distinctiv

layout. suspect that many of our readers w

turn to Thrilling Tales of Victory , W. Bil

Oversights and the fine articles wi th as mu

anticipation as they do to the AH Philosophy

Letters to the Editor and Infiltrator's Report

Of course, all is not smooth sailing yet. Cordination difficulties still arise. The productioof the Victorylnsiderwill occasion delays in fin

mailings for several issues yet. And Bill notes

singular lack of submitted articles from th

readership. But at the very least, we are tryin

Like any sibling, The GENERAL looks with prid

on the growth of our little sister , despite h

current teething. May she grow into a beautif

lady.

In conclusion, the appearance of the VictoInsider is a unique experiment for the sta

GENERAL. Both Bill Peschel and would like

hear the reactions of you, the readers. Question

suggestions, advice, complaints, all grist for th

mill.

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


THE IDEOLOGIC L F CTORenign German Occupation in THE RUSSI N C MP IGN

By Richard H. Eggleston

It is November 1941: light mud, barely service-

able airf~elds,marginal flying weather in the north.

Over the past two months, strong German armored

and infantry formations, aided by aircraft attachedto Army Groups North and Center, have smashed

through the Russian defenses to the suburbs of

Leningrad, encircling the city from the south, west

and east. Despite the weather, it is inevitable that

the few remaining Soviet forceswill be driven from

Leningrad either this month, or in December at the

latest.

But in the south, the siege of Rostov-gateway

to the Caucasian oilfields and to Stalingrad-hasbogged down. Most of the panzer and panzer-

grenadier divisions diverted from the north during

the summer encirclement of iev have suffered seri-

ous losses. Courtesy of the Red Air Force, the

weapons, vehicles and other equipment of three

Hungarian mechanized infantry divisions that at-

tempted in October to land on the coast northeast

of Rostov are, for the most part, at the bottom ofthe Black Sea. Soviet reinforcements and replace-ments are pouring into the area. To make matters

worse, autumn rains have rendered the Luftwaffe's

forward airstrips virtually unusable. The only bright

spot for the Axis is their uncontested control of the

Kiev-Rostov rail line to a point just to the south-

west of Rostov.

Elements of Army Group Center's Panzer Army,

fresh from their victorious drive on Leningrad, are

pulled back and entrained for swift deployment tothe southern front. The men and equipment of three

panzer corps roll southwest by rail through eastern

Poland, then east again through the western Ukraine

until suddenly, sixty-five miles southwest of

Kiev, small arms and mortar fire bring the trains

to a halt. The railroad bridges, so painstakingly

repaired by German combat engineers, lie in ruins.Mile upon mile of railroad track is torn up. Parti-

sans. The German commander asks, What did Ido to deserve this?

The German occupation of Soviet, Polish and

Yugoslav territory during the Second World War

was virtually unprecedented for its ruthlessness and

brutality. Underlying this brutality was Hitler's ideo-

logical obsession with the need to createLebensruum

for ethnic German colonists, to control and exploit

the great mass of Slavic subhumans and, in the

USSR, to exterminate all communist party function-aries as well. The ideological conviction that Slavs

were racially inferior had a number of important

consequences. Togetherwith inadequate military in-

telligence, it led Hitler to seriously underestimate

the kghting abilities of Soviet troops. More to the

point, this view formed the basis for the calculatedGerman policy of starving andlor executing millions

of prisoners-of-war, civilians and party officials.

The most significant result was the creation of a vastresistance movement behind German lines which

seriously disrupted military communications at the

most inopportune moments and, concomitantly,

diverted scarce German m r c e s o non-productive

(and savage) sedurity operations. Not surprisingly,

non-White Russian nationalities (particularly the

Ukrainians) which had aspired to some form of

autonomy and were initially disposed to welcome

Gennan victory reacted to German terror tactics byquickly developing an allconsuming hatred for their

tormentors.

As early as 1941, senior field commanders and

intelligence officials began attempting to persuade

Hitler and Nazi Party leaders of the need to moderate

German occupation policies, to enlist the support

of anti-communist nationalist groups and to create

a limited number of frontline combat units romRus-

sian prisoner-volunteers. Soviet General Vlasov.captured in the summer of 1942, had great personal

appeal and might well have served as the vehicle

for pursuing such a policy. Instead, the German

moderates were ignored or scorned; Vlasov's so

called Russian Army of Liberation existed

primarily on paper until the eleventh hour-by that

time it was t late and German credibility had been

destroyed. Therearemany who believe that Hitler's

refusal to consider a sensible occupation policycontributed significantly to Germany's defeat in

Russia, and hence in the Second World War.

Germany's failure to accurately estimate the

difficultiesposed by fighting on and occupying Rus-sian soil is taken into consideration in the rules of

numerous wargames dealing with the Eastern Front.

In RUSSI N C MP IGN for example, the proper

use of Partisans can have a decisive effect on theoutcome of the game. Thus far, however, there has

been relatively little interest in what might have

occured had the Germans exercised better judge-

ment. The ensuing variant assumes just such a

occurence-it postulates that the rule of reason (orperhaps a fit of intuition) caused Hitler to subor-

dinate his ideological theories to a recognition of

the military and economic benefits that would be

realized from benign treatment of the occupied

eastern territories. The variant also assumes Hitler

was not completely misled by the massive internal

purges which nearly destroyed the Soviet officer

corps during the mid-1930's or by the Red Army's

abysmal performance in the Winter War with Fin-land. On the contrary, he suspects that these events

might lead to fundamental military reforms which

could reduce the likelihood of a decisive Germanvictory in 1941. The chief effects of Hitler's volte

f ce are summarized below and appear in the

variant.

Sovietcitizenseagerly ccepted heir erman con-

querors, greeting them as liberators from the

despised rule of the ruthless communist politicalcommissars and NKVD functionaries. To the ex-

tent practicable, the Germans recipmcated, introduc-

ing local autonomy by retaining and giving limited

authority to indigenous civilian officials. German

Gauleiters were selected primarily for proven ad-

ministrative skills; SS formations were restricted to

front-line service and, therefore, did not participate

in security operations. Soviet secret police officials

were simply transferred into German intelligenceorganizations or were remanded to local authori-

ties for punishment of their crimes; other partymembers were re-educated and returned to assist

in administration (or secretly eliminated if

uncooperative-the Germans did not change that

much). The otal mobilization of the German women

in 1940 rendered forced labor in the Reich by

foreigners unnecessary; and large numbers of volun-

teers were recruited from the millions of Russianprisoners taken during the great encirclements of

1941 and 1942. With uncharacteristic foresight, the

Germans ormed these volunteers into infantry units

led primarily by disaffected Red Army officers and

Russian-speaking ethnic Germans from the former

Baltic Republics (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia).

The capture of General A.A. Vlasov in July 1942

finally provided the volunteer formations with the

high quality military leadership that they needed.

Vlasov, a brilliant field commander who had just

experienced one too many encirclements as a resu

of the STAVKA's incompetence, quickly and e

thusiastically turned on his former masters. By ear

September of 1942, the Vlasov Army consisteof three full-strength. German-equipped infant

divisions ready for frontline service. The numb

of additional volunteer divisions that were event

ally raised fluctuated between three and nine, dpending upon the availability of supplies, equipme

and volunteers from among prisoners and militar

age men in the territory under German control. Ev

the possibility of receiving reliable Russian rei

forcements gave German commanders incentive

deliberately seek to capture rather than annihila

enemy formations.

Although the Vlasov Army and associate

volunteer units did not decisively affect the courof military operations, there were other substanti

direct and indirect benefits from the benign occ

pation policy. Partisan recruitment and operatio

becameexceptionally difficult for the Soviets in cetain areas. In fact, Partisans were unable to ope

ate effectively anywhere in the former Balt

Republics, the Ukraine or former Polish territor

occupied by the Soviet Union in 1939. Without su

port from the local populace, fledglingpartisan opeations withered. German manpower whic

otherwise would have been required for securi

operations in these areas was freed for more pres

ing duties, permitting the formation of numerou

additional infantry units to replace front-line losse

Finally, although the severity of the winter o

1941-1942 crippled Axis combat operations, th

supply problems were soon rectified with the thaw

As a result, Axis troops were sufficiently welsuppJied in subsequent winters to engage Sovi

forces at full strength.

The Russian Campaign for the Germans wasconventional war of imperialism and conques

without the encumbrance of ideological baggag

Although the German High Command recogniz

that giving limited autonomy to the occupied terr

tories and even establishing volunteer military fo

mations might well lead to future problems, thewere sufficiently shrewd to realize that failure

do so might have more immediate and serious co

sequences. The variant attempts to illustrate, the

what might have occurred had the Nazis ceased

behave like Nazis. Such a proposition may appe

to be preposterous, but upon reflection, few wou

disagree that their historical behavior was equal

ridiculous. With this variant, we can explore on

of the great what-ifs of history. Few other gameven consider the broad implications of the ide

logical factor in World War 11.

RUSSI N CAMPAIGN VARIANT

Benign German Occupation in the USSThis variant may be used in the Campaign Gam

or in conjunction with suitable existing scenar

and variants. It is suggested that the optional ru

which benefit the Russian player be adopted if th

variant is to be used.

1) Permanently remove from the game one of

Partisan units scheduled to enter on Game Turn

2) Partisans may never be placed in the followcities:

Ukraine: Kiev, Odessa, Kharkhov, Stali

Dnepropetrovsk

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


Crimea: Sevastopol

Former Baltic Republics: Tallinin, Riga, Taunus

Former Polish Territories: Brest, Lwow

3) Partisans may not be placed on railroad hexes

that connect the following locations:

Kiev and: Brest, R26. T27 Odessa. Kharkhov,

Stalino, Dnepropetrovsk, Sevastopol, W15

Brest and: P23, 022

L23 and: L22

J22 and: El4

4) SS units have no more effect on Partisans th n

other Axis units.5) During the Winter of 1941-1942, the "snowmonth" rules of 1942-1943 apply to German and

Axis units. In the Winter of 1942-1943 (and subse-

quent winters). German and Axis units are subject

to the s me supply rules as the Russians.

6) Two additional infantry corps become available

in 1942 and succeeding years on the nnu l eplace-

ment turn see Rules 21) so long as German troops

occupy any Soviet territory. Use 3 4 German corpsif available; otherwise, Axis infantry or cavalry

corps of identical (or lesser) strength may be used.

7) At the beginning of the September 1942 turn,

the Vlasov Army automatically becomes available

as a reinforcement. The Vlasov Army isa 3-4. Axis-

type corps which, if destroyed or surrendered, be-

comes available again as a reinforcement at thebeginning of the third turn following its loss. If theVlasov Army is lost on any turn in which there are

no German units on Soviet territory, it is removed

permanently from the game. The Vlasov Army

enters the game in any of the Axis-controlled cities

listed in Rule 2 above.

8) Sw ed er ed Soviet units re not immediately re-

moved from the game; rather, they are kept in a

separate pile of building volunteer units.

9) Volunteer infantry units may be formed with the

following prerequisites:

a) take any three surrendered Soviet units and re

move then permanently from the game; and

b) from the list of cities in Rule 2 above, control

at least two major and one minor city.

10) A volunteer unit may be created at any time

the conditions in Rule 9 re met solong as the citiesinvolved are under Axis control at the moment the

unit is formed. However, such units may not enter

the game until the sixth game-turn and must be in-

troduced in one of the Axis-controlled cities in

Rule 2.

11) Cities involved in creating volunteer units may

only be used once for this purpose. However, the

loss of the city involved has no effect on a volun-teer unit once it has been created.

12) Volunteer units re n v r replaced; they re lost

permanently. The maximum number of such units

that can be formed is three (excluding the Vlasov

Army). Volunteer units are rated as 3-3 Axis-type

infantry corps.

With these simple rules, the historian-gamer can

explore Germany's chances given a benign occu-pation. Needless-to-say much could be learned by

applying similar rules in other games. One of the

most fascinating aspects of our hobby is its endless

variety. And its potential for education and fun. The

above variant succeeds in all, I feel.

I ive Up ..ButBy Rod

The "Suicide Ploy" is one of the most common

you will meet with in DIPWWCY. It is frequently

also one of the least effective. It is common because

it is a "knee-jerk" reaction to a really stunning stab.

It is often ineffective for the same reason. And yet,

it M be a great diplomatic weapon in your arsenal.So let's talk about it here.

First of all, what is the "Suicide Ploy". Very

simple, really. You've all seenlheard it at one time

or another in multi-player games, I'm sure. You stab

some guy-whose back no doubt deserved that

knife-and he turns on you to swear he'll commit

suicide (figuratively, of course). He intends to work

to give all his centers to some other player so you'll

get few or none. This may be simple revenge, butit usually is followed by an "unless" usually

then followed by a demand for return of whatever

it was that you got in the stab and so forth.

How do you react to this sort of a threat? How

do others react when and if you make it yourself?

Although the maker of the threat always wants it

taken seriously, reactions in fact vary. All too often

they vary from indifference to outright scorn. That'snot what you want, at least when you're making it.Avoiding that and getting the proper reaction, or

at least gening the proper result in the end, is a tricky

maneuver demanding finesse and patience.

Revenge is a very poor reason for suicide . .if for no other reason than the fact that if revenge

is truly the only option open to you, your position

is probably too far gone for you to be able to bring

it off. Furthermore, once you promise a suicide as

revenge, you are pretty much obligated to gothrough with it or lose credibility in future games.

Of course, the progress of the game might give you

good reason to change your mind. But if, as often

happens, you have a change of heart and decide to

try for survival instead, people will begin not to take

you seriously (and often not just in matters of "sui-

cide" alone, either).No, the "Suicide Ploy" really works best when

you have a good reason for making the threat anda good chance of making it stick.

Agoo reason You need a cause to be dying for.

"If you don't get out of my home centers, I'll sui-

cide against you." There needs to be a concrete de-

mand, a condition under which the "suicide" will

be called off. This also lends credibility to your

threat by allowing it to be given in cold blood, not

the heat of the moment. This gives you options and

a negotiating position. It is not irrevocable.Agoo chance Many players make the "suicide"

threat, for whatever reason, without thinking too

much about it. It is very important to determine

whether you actually have the strength and position

with which to resist your prime opponent while al-

lowing some other player(s) into your remaining

Not to You, FellaWalker

centers. If you can't resist effectively, don't ev

think about using the "Suicide Ploy" unless yoopponent is a cretin (and if he is, how did he pu

off such a devastating stab against you .Once you have threatened suicide, and the thre

has produced no results, you must now go throuwith it, scrupulously until your opponent sto

attacking you. There can be no turning back, n

attempts to defend your other centers from oth

players, no regrets. This sort of threat depen

entirely on its credibility: your diplomatic positioyour military position, and the full expectation th

you will follow through.

Now, what can you expect to gain throu

"suicide"? Sometimes you will gain absolute

nothing; you'll get eliminated.Good at least y

have made real your threat. However, the thre

when convincingly presented, can turn the gam

around for you sometimes. The player who stabb

you normally expects two things. First, he expesome significant gains. Second, and partly in co

sequence of the first, he expects to win the gam

Your suicide action effectively denies him his fiexpectation; worse, you re making sure that som

one else gets much of what he was expecting. No

that player may be his ally at the moment, but ho

long can he allow you to take an action that mig

well throw the game to another even if he

an ally? If your situation is otherwise hopeless ter a stab, and you have no other way to get an

teration in the alliancestructure, the "Suicide Ploy

is an often effective way to get somebody to ba

off, barring the circumstancesof being opposed b

a tooclose alliance.

Of course, some people play DIPW WC Yo n t

"buddy system". That is a very poor way to a

proach it. In fact it isn't really playing the GAM

at all; it's just going through the motions. If yo"suicide" is failing because two allies re oo clo

and show signs of playing the whole game that wayour diplomacy should be aimed at getting eve

other player on the board to attack them a

eliminate them so that the rest of you can play t

game the way Allan Calhamer intended it to

played.

Even so, however temporary they may be, a

alliance can be for awhile a real "buddy-buddysystem. If both benefit, why not? There can ev

be circumstances in which you'd let an ally into

home supply center. "What," you say, "how c

that be? I'd never let even my own mother into

home center " No? Well, think again, becau

sometimes you really should. And that's the su

ject of our next excursion into duplicity, treache

brute force, and the other cardinal virtues

DIPLOMACY.

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IF

SOVIET UNION 1941Melding Two lassics

By Dean Miller

STALINGRAD is one of the most popular of theH games. It has much going for it. The game is

easy to learn, and easily balanced. It lends itself well

to play-by-mail. The board vividly depicts the vast-

ness of the Russian landscape and the unit counters

are both legibly and attractively designed, things

which most of the Russian campaign games lack.

The subject matter is one which is of perennial in-

terest to wargamers. Yet the game fails to live up

to the promise which I believe most often motivates

its purchase-to enable the player to duplicate the

Russo-German conflict, permitting him to ex-

perience history's greatest "what i f . For once thegame is begun, it soon becomes apparent that the

movement of the unit counters across the game-

board is not going to resemble the actual campaign.

Instead of blitzkrieg, we have sitzkrieg.

Since STALINGRAD was brought out, the art ofwargaming has advanced considerably. Games have

been designed which do permit players to simulate

campaigns as they were performed in the era of

lightning war. Probably the best of these is FRANCE1940. With its fluid zones of control, its mechanized

movement phase, its use of air units and its CRT,

this game permits the breakthroughs and encircle-

ments which characterized the blitzkrieg, and were

most strikingly employed in the Russian conflict.

Yet there has been no attempt to merge these fea-

tures to AH'S S TUNGRAD . This is not to say that

there have been no variants-past issues of The

GENERAL abound with them. But these have

usually required their own extensive new set of rules

and, quite often, new unit counters; most have for

some reason, ignored the potential of adaptation of

FRANCE 40 techniques.

Nor have other designs which apply the FRANCE1940 method of play to this war been lacking.

Inevitably, however, the games which others have

produced have also been deficient in some serious

respect-the board andlor the counters are on the

wrong scale , the rules are unclear in some essen-

tial respect, and so forth. Probably their most im-

portant failing, however, is their lack of the support

and expertise that the Avalon Hill Game Company

brings to all its products. It is usually impossible

to find opponents (particularly PBM), get rules in-

terpretations, replacement parts, all those thingswhich AH provides so well. This, then, is an at-

tempt to merge two great AH games-STUN-

GRAD and FRANCE 1940, and in the process

correct the foregoing litany of ills.

To begin with, you of course use the STALIN-

GRAD game board and unit counters. From theFRANCE 1940 components add the air units and the

CRT. The rules are a combination of both, with a

minimum of modifications. Let me review them,

in no particular order:

Stack ing: Either side can place up to three units

on a hex, as in S T UNGRAD . The ground support

and air unit counters count as one for this purpose,

as in FRANCE 1940.

Movement: Movement is according to the move-

ment factor on the counters, with minor exceptions.

Air ground support units have a movement factor

of 3, half that indicated on the counter. The Ger-man air units have a range of five hexes; the Rus-

sians, four . Movement in rough terrain and swamps

is one hex per turn as in STALINGRAD unless the

hex is in an enemy zone of control, and the unit

wishing to enter lacks sufficient additional move-

ment factors to do so. Russian cavalry also mmove in the Mechanized Movement Phase.

Rail roads: A unit may have a railroad bonus

ten hexes (five in snow months) subject to the sam

rules as in STALINGRAD with minor exception

First, no unit may advance into enemy territory

a railroad. This will correct an anomalous b

devious S T UNGRAD rule, which the Mechaniz

Movement Phase now makes unnecessary. Railro

hexes which are in captured territory may not

used until friendly units have first advanced ov

them at the regular movement rate. Secondly, t

railroad bonus is only available in thefirst mov

ment phase-it may not be used in the Mechaniz

Movement Phase. Third, a unit may not advan

into a zone of control while using the railroad bonu

it must revert to normal movement rate in enteri

the hex subject to the enemy ZOC. Finally, no mothan six German units may use the railroad bon

on Russian railroads in any turn.

Zone of Control : These rules are the same asFRANCE 1940, except that it costs tw factors

enter a zone of control, one to leave and three

go from one to another, in addition to the usu

movement cost.

Combat: This follows the FRANCE 40 syste

with some exceptions. First, as many as three un

may attack from or defend a given hex. Attacks ca

not be divided into more than one battle agai

defending units on the same hex. If three units a

defending and the result is a CA, all three mu

counterattack-it makes for a whopping attack

one poor unit (as in FRANCE 1940, only the weak

unit is the subject of counterattack), but does

destroy playability or realism Second, in attac

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8/12/2019 Vol21i4


OPER TIONSCEN RIO 2

Board ConfigurationNote that Scenario 2000 demands th use o boards 20 21 nd 22-notyet released as part of any gamene

Note: The shaded portion of the rnapboard is not in play (see Special Rule

2001.).

HUBERTUS

ST LINGR DRUSSIA November 1942: For Paulus, the battle for con

trol of the city of S t a l i n d had become the battle of attrition he feared. Shor

ages of ammunition an; heavy weaponry were serious, but the crucial deficlav n combat trooos. None of the erman divisions were near normal strennt

-

arid the only reinibrcements being received were a trickle of convalescen

returning to front-line duty. Paulus repeatedly appealed for major reinforc

ments, citing his casualties and arguing that recent directives on staff bille

and urban minefields did little to augment his offensive forces. He felt strongthat time was running short for his Sixth Army to secure the remaining tent

of the devastated city still held by the tenacious 62nd Soviet Army.

As his forces regrouped in early November, Paulus worried. The German

were not equipped for winter warfare and intelligence reports of increasinRussian activity along his northern flank augered a major enemy offensiv

Paulus turned to his commanders for a final desperate effort to clear the cit

rubble-Operation Huberrus All available forces were to be concentrated i

a Gruppe Schwerin . New units, some four battalions of pioneers (eac

with 600 specialists trained in demolition of fortifications) hen preparing

fly into Stalingrad, would lead the assault. A dozen experimental assault gun

mounting 150mm guns would join other armored vehicles for the street figh

ing, To reduce certain strongpoints, 210mm howitzers maintaining a stead

fire for several days. General Paulus emphasized these extraordinary preparations in an order to his troops on the eve of the attack. At the same tim

however, special aid stations and field burial formations quietly moved u

to the front lines.

When the officers of the pioneers arrived in Stalingrad on 9 Novemberthey were met by Major Josef Linden, who was to command their phase o

the operation. Among the targets shown them was the Red Barricady Gu

Factory; Linden appraised it with glum foreboding, loosely hanging co

rugated steel panels that creaked eerily in the wind; a perfect mess of iro

parts, gun barrels, T-beams, huge craters. Cellars were turned into stronpoints. Every unturned stone threatened a booby trap. At the Barricady plan

the combat engineers were ordered to aim their first assaults at two Russia

strongpoints-one called the Chemist's Shop and the other known as th

Red House . The troops began the careful chore of preparing their demol

tion charges and flamethrowers, confident that they would take both withi

a matter of minutes.

The Soviet defenders were well aware that a German offensive was in th

offing. Newly compressed into a zone only six miles long and one mile deep

with the freezing river at their backs, the weary soldiers entrenched themselves in cellar bunkers protected by heavy machineguns and anti-tank gun

Steel plates with holes drilled though exposed only the muzzles of the gun

while mines and booby traps were strewn with abandon. Penal companiewere organized into tank-killer close combat groups. Heavy artillery shel

were withheld by the Front Command, but Chuikov was able to distribu

sparse ammunition and food supplies to the men still in the factories. Chuiko

was in desperate straits. In the predawn darkness he sent a despairing me

sage, Deliveries of supplies have fallen through for three days running. Rein

forcements have not been ferried across, and our units are feeling the acushortage of ammunition and rations. The weeks of fighting had begun

take a toll on even the stolid Russian morale, and the commissars of the 62n

Army were ordered into the front lines to maintain discipline.

At 0300 hours on 11 November,Hubertus opened with a short and violen

barrage. Ten battalions of German infantry, supported by tanks and pioneer

stormed toward the Barricady Factory, the Red October Factory and nearb

ruins. Paulus had launched his latest, and as it would turn out last, bid t

capture the city.

VICTORY CONDITIONSVictory is evaluated on the basis of points, which are gained for the controof buildings. Each building of three or more ground-level hexes east of th

Start Line see Special Rule 2009.) controlled (solely) by theGermanplaye

at the conclusion of play is worth a number of Victory Points equal to th

number of ground-level hexes of that building. (Example: sole control of th

building centered on hex 22V2 brings three VP; of that centered on hex 20H3

six VP.) Each building of four ground-level hexes west of the Start Line

controlled by the Soviet player is likewise worth a number of Victow Poin

equal to the number of g;ound-level hexes of that building. At the ~o~clusof dav. the number of Soviet Victorv Points is subtracted from the total numb

of 'German Victory Points. The resilt is then applied to the following criteri

1 points and below =Decisive Soviet Victory

0 points to 45 points Tactical Soviet Victory

46 points to 60 points Tactical German Victory

61 points and above Decisive German Victory

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TURNRECORDTRACK43 Hours. November 1942

Umrg ircd Ekmmb 1J61bRinc Divbbn [ELB 31 on m y whole hex of Board20 and/or21 east of the Stut Line seeSpecial Rule 2009. :

1-88 1-88<

6 13 3 5 2 2

112

2 4 3 2 42 2

Ekmenta 89th Inlamfry Divdw, 38 Jtb and 162nd P l o w Battalions, lll te th StG

BatWlon Wlq on m y whole hex west of the SIM Line seeSpecld Rule 2009

.1 6 8 1 3 2 2 2

7

-16

-

2 4 a 2 s .2 2

amants lWrd Rifle Regiment LR 31 on m y whole hex on oard 8 west of river see

Special Rule 2010. :

R-u 1 89th antry Dlvbha JlLR 41 entn m y west board edge hex on urn 3

4 1 s m

42 4

Ekmmb 244th StG Battalion enter mwest board edge hex on urn 5

3

Hemewa45th P ~ M Wattalion [ELR 41mtcr m y wesr board edge hex on urn 7

aQ

112

a n uI 4

ISIBU

S 3 23 2

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ad Ekmcnts 84thTank Brigade I LR31 enter any south board e ge of Boards 20 andlor

8 on urn 6.

3 2

SPECI L RULES2 M Only hexmwsA through P, inclusive, are playableon Board 1andBoard21; only hexrows R through GG nclusive, are playable on Board 7.

2002 Overlay D is placed on Board 22 normally.

2003 Woods, as such, do not exist. Instead, considerall woods hexes as stonerubble. Rubble covers the entire hex, and blocks LOS along a hexside.

2004 The stream is dry (157.2); treat it as a gully for all purposes.

2 5 The river isdeep, running atnormal level, with a moderatecurrent flawingsouth.

2006 Enviromental Conditions are moderate, with no wind.

2007 The following hexes are hird-level building hexes: 21K4, U5 and 20H3.

un l Given the weeks of fighting, the Soviet soldiersproved themselves expertengineers. The Sovietplayermay m t l y designate ny five ground-level hexesas fortified building hexes (161.).

2009. The Start Line runs along the road designated by the following hexes:1P9,1M8,119 1F7, 1D5, lC5 22EE6 22Y6 22S7 20T9 2M7 2026 20FF5

to 20GG6. Germanunits must be initially placed west of these hexes; Swietunits, east. No units may start adjacent to any enemy unit.

2010 Swiet units of the 1053rd Rifle Regiment may not mwe, nor fire, norengage in any activity prior to urn 5 unless a German unit is within threehexes inclusive of ny hex (whole or partial) of Board 8 and with LOS of amulti-man counter of the 1053rd Regiment. Should such an event occur, theRussian units are immediately released from all restrictions.

2M1. The Russian player has available a U2mm OBA artillery module withscarce ammunition.

2011 1 The Russian radio, in actual fact, represents a field phone. All rulesfor Field Phones are in effect.

2012 The German player has available a 105mmOBA artillery module withnormal ammunition.

U 13 IheBrummbaercountersof he third turnGerman e h b x m n t s actuallyrepresent the experimental SIG33Bs. For game pruposes there is no differ-encebetween thevehicles, use the statisticsfor the Brummbaerthroughout play.

2014 Field Promotions (115.) are not allowed.

2015 Beyond the OB snipers, neither side may generate snipers.

2016 Given the extent of the fighting, and the length of time the enemies havefaced each other across the street, both players may Bore-Sight 78.)with allonboard ordnance. hisdoes not apply to main armament of AFVs nor to ny

machineguns.2017 The Russian player may exchange ny or a l l of his mine factorsforboobytrap factors (136.1).

2018 Neither side is subject to Battlefield Integrity (93.).

2019 German units may not become Berserk (110.1) regardless of level ofMC

2020 Orchard Road Any hex containing both orchard and road symbols(such as hex 20S5) is actually a tree-lined boulevard. Entrance of such a hexthrough a road hexside is identical to movement along any road. Same levelhindrance rules do not apply to such hexes ifthat portion of the LOS fromfirer to target within these hexes never leaves the confinesof the road depic-

tion. Otherwise, orchard roads are identical to orchards in every respect.

AFTERMATH: The seven German divisions came on a three-mile frobetween Volkhovstroyevskaya Streetand the Banny Gully. Chuikov's trooleapt tomeet the Germanshead-on. he solatedSovietcommand under ColonGorokhovattempted to relieve the pressureby counterattacking from the raway bridge over the mouth of the Mecheh towardsthe Tractor Factory. Fighing was unusually bitter, even by the fanatic standards of Stalingrad.Quartwas neither asked nor given.

Near the Red October factory, onebatch of the German pioneer point trooran into a Sovietassault groupjust moving into position. Inside a work haheavily armed soldiers fired point blank into each other. Some German uniwere forced back to their lines of departure; local Sovietcounterattackswia few tanksblunted other advances. The Chemist's Shopfell almostat oncbut the occupantsof the Red House fought off attacks throughoutthe day annight. Next dawn, when the engineers finallybroke into the place, the Russiadefenders hurried to the cellar. The Germans ripped up the floorboards, tosse

down full gasoline cans and ignited them with rifle fire. Then they lowereand detonated satchel charges. At long last they were in full possessionthe Red House; and here they stayed, trapped by withering fire fromthe Baricady Factory.

Meanwhile, elements of the German 305th and 389th Infantry Divisionmade better progress, winning ground on the bank of the Volga around thdevastated oil depot and Barricady plant. To the south, three German divsions were laboriously clearing ad-hoc Soviet bunkers. After five hoursthe grim closequarter fighting, Paulus committed his tactical reserve, overunning the right flank of the Soviet 95th Division and reaching the Volgin the Red October plan on a frontageof about600 yards. With that, the Sovi138thDivision was now cut off and isolated from the tattered remains of th62nd Army. When Russian reinforcements tried to land from acrossthe rivethey were driven back by heavy flak and machinegun fire The 138th,trappein the angle (a wedge of land only four hundred yards wide and one hundredeep) behind the Red Barricady, was written off. But this time there was nthe tension that there had preGiously been among the officers of the 62n

for they knew this to be Paulus' last fling. Though the fighting was harand the fluid situation critical, they were opimistic

Casualtieson both sides were extraordinarilyheavy. Soviet and Nazi commanders both clamoredfor more men from higher headquartersand demandedetailed situation reports from subordinatecommands,all in vain. The Geman 336th Engineer Battalion lost eighteenmen to a booby trap even befothey left their start positions. The Soviet 118th Guards Regiment defendinthe open ground n front of the Bamcadyhad250 men when the fightingbegaon 11 November; 244 were lost in the first five hours of fighting. The Geman engineers had lost 440 men in the same time period. At the oil depothe 112th Guards Rifle Regiment commander could field less than 100 mein each of his battalions, and every other staff officer was dead. Lyudnikov138th Division numbered only seven hundred effectives. A number of regments simplyce sed o exist in thecauldronaround he Red Barricady Factor

Lyudnikov's division, the 138th, was in a very precarious position. Chukov took to calling himby radio each hour to tell him help was on the waThis was pure bluff, intended to deceive German listeners; in fact Chuiko

had no help to spare for Lyudnikov. The relief of the trapped division wto be a matter of creepiing back tow~rds is position building by buildinIndeed, with the dawn of the next day, everywherein the city the Soviet troobegan to counterattack, block by block, house by house, room by room

Despitethe losses, the Gennansdoggedlyresume heir attackson the moming of the 12th. But such attrition could not long be taken and the rubblecity itself frustrated any efforts to coordinateoperations. By the fall of eveninall four thrusts suearheaded bv the ~ioneersad brokendown into savagelitle battles that d d not differ kom h e previous street fighting. ~ 0 t h i 6a

changed. Scoresof clashesebbed and flowed in the citv for another three davGe- and Soviet troops often found themselves difending positions in ;hsame building. Huberfus was over; the Sixth Army could not clear the cit

At dawn on 19 November, Chuikov and Paulus and all their weary mein the ruins heard the boom of big gunscarried by the wind from a new diietion far to the northwest. That barrage heralded the Russian counterattacto relieve the city. Paulus' fight to take Stalingrad was over.

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IS GONN BE GOOD YE RRussian Play in THIRD REICH

By Nayyer Ali

The following piece was originally being con-

sidered for inclusion in the WargamerS Guide to

THIRD REICH (to be released for ORIGINS). But

alas , the constraints of space eliminated it from that

special event. This issue proved the perfect oppor-

tunity to print Mr. Ali s ine article rather than let

it languish in the files any longer.

THIRD REICH is one of the most commonlywritten upon games in The GENERAL.. Articles

dealing with variants, historical background, strat-

egy, specific campaigns, and specific countries

abound. One country though, has not gotten equal

treatment up to now; this, curiously, is the Soviet

Union. There have been few articles dealing with

Russian play, and even those concentrate mainly on

what should be done before the war with Germany

begins. I will also discuss play in the pre-1941 tums,but the gist of this article will deal with Russian play

in those most crucial years, 1941 and 1942. If the

Russians play well in these two years, everything

else is secondary.

nitial Placement

Let us first examine the forces at Stalin's disposalin the Fall of 1939. The Soviet land army is mainly

a weak infantry force that is at once incompetent

in battle and slow afoot (they can't even retreat

rapidly). Some 50 (15 of 30) of the available Rus-

sian infantry are 1-3 units. These are best used to

take up space and provide a trip-wire to slow down

an enemy advance. As a combat force, or even for

attrition factors, they are practically useless. Ten

of the thirty infantry are 2-3 units. lhes e will pro-vide the backbone of the early Soviet defense. They

can deal with two German infantry by themselves

and possess a certain degree of offensive power. Plit

them in the marshes or behind a river, and they will

give a good account of themselves.

So we come to the five remaining Russian infan-

try, the 3-3s. lh es e five units are the heavy infan-

try of the Red Army. They stand equal to theGerman Volksgrenadiersand ue mainly to the factthat they are so much better than their Russian

counterparts, the 3-3 units are an intimidating

presence. Although it sometimes looks like the Ger-

mans have more irand armor units than they know

what to do with, they don't. The Germans are very

much willing to bypass the 3-3 infantry than fight

them. So the question is, how does one turn the in-

timidation potential of the 3-3 infantry into a con-

crete and worthwhile advantage? This will beanswered as I discuss the Soviet defensive set-up

for the actual war.

We must examine the Russian armor force. This

consists of six 3-5 armor units, one of which must

remain in Moscow until Axis forces come within

five hexes. These units are of very poor quality.

being only slightly better than the Italian armor.Their combat factors makes themno better thanRus-

sian Guards infantry. Their five movement factorsallow them to move only out of oneZOC per turn.

But all of these shortcomings are made up by one

superior quality, the ability to exert a zone of con-

trol. The placement and use of these six units will

be very critical for the success of Russia in the early

years of the war. Their main purpose will be to stand

behind the front lines and contain, through their

ZOC and movement capabilities, the German

armored penetrations. rule of thumb, always useinfantry when you don't absolutely need armor. In

Russia in JR, lives are cheap, tanks are expensive.

The Sovietair force consists of three 5 4 irunits.

In quality, they are inferior to the Germans (and

are saddled with a modifier in air combat) but

are equal to any lent Italians and superior to theminor countries. Russia is not capable of rebuild-

ing more than 15 air factors (unless BRPs are sent

from England) before 1942. Until then, the airforceshould serve as an intimidator, too far behind the

front to be counter-aired, but still able to lend DAS.

As far as using them in an attack role, they just don't

have the numbers necessary to offset the Luftwaffe

and give ground support in meaningful quantities

until 1943. Air units are very expensive, and should

not be used except in emergencies.The Soviet fleet consists of three nine-factor units

which, at first glance, can't do much. The Russian

fleet cannot hope to challenge he Germans in open

battle because of the -2 first modifier it has. This

does not mean that the fleet is worthless. It c n per-

form many important functions-such as supply

units trapped in the Baltic States, invade Sweden,

or even invade the Baltic coastline later in the w

when the German navy is in the west. It can aconduct critical sea transport or SR missions. Oviously, most of these duties will also be cam

out later in the game when Russia is on the off

sive, so it is important that the fleet be preserv

This should be done by basing all of the fleet

Leningrad and making sure that Leningrad does

fall. The navy should not be based in the Black S

(for the only thing it c n do there is invade T

key, a very unwise move in my estimation).

It is now Fall '39 and the Poles, Italians, Frenand English have set-up in an orthodox manner; n

it is the Soviet's turn. A quick examination of Sov

goals in 1939 should lead to a correct set-up. R

sia wants to occupy all of the East European citi

and take some simple precautions against a fir

turn Barbarossa. In addition to the deploym

limits, there are 13 infantry, two armor, and twair units to set up. he air force should be deploy

with one 5 4 ir wing in Leningrad and anotherKiev. The infantry should be placed along the fro

with no gaps, and able to cover all the necessa

cities. The armor must be behind the front and

the northern half (the area around Smolensk a

Bryansk is suggested). The Germans only have fo

armored units, and can really only mount an atta

in one region at this stage of the game. Figure

shows what an adequate initial set-up looks lik

Assuming the G e m on't attack in '39 (whi

happens in over 95 of the games), what shou

Russia do for the next year and a half? This is

complex question,and I will answer it in due cour

Before that though, I will indulge myself in a smdigression.

Russia's chances of victory depend heavily how the war in the west goes. Obviously, the long

France holds out, the better off Russia is. If t

French fall in Spring 40or earlier, it will pro

ably be a quick game, and most likely the All

will surrender and start over. But if the Allies pl

competently, and the Germans use the most co

mon plan of attack (Poland-Low Countries-Franc

then France should hold out at the minimum un

Summer '40. If France falls in the summer, thBarbarossa can begin by Winter '40. If this ha

pens, the Russians are not doomed but will ha

to play an excellent game to win the war. If Fran

falls after Summer '40, the scales tip in the fav

of the Russians. So the key is having France su

render no earlier th n Fall 1940. The Russian playcan't do much about the Western Front, but

should badger the British into a serious commitm

to France (five or six strong units; i.e., 3 4 s and4-5s), something the British are not always apt

do. What this amounts to is that, for the Russia

their fate is not completely in their own hands

In Fall of 1939 the Russians watch as Germa

rolls over Poland and prepares to invade the o

Countries and France. The Soviet player resig

himself to four to six turns of boredom and p

ceeds to do the following. In 1939 Russia captu

East Europe and completely builds its force poThis leaves 19 excess BRPs. Nine of these shou

be sent as foreign aid to Bulgaria. l hi s serves tw

purposes: 1 it takes Bulgaria away from the G

mans unless they are willing to pay the necessa

foreign aid, and 2) it provides some needed inte

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


gence regarding German intentions vis-a-visTurkeyA number of good German players l i e to attackTurkey as a means of both outflanking Russia andthe British in Egypt. Russia should, however, neverattempt a preemptive invasion of Turkey, unlessshe is reasonably sure that the Germans have Variant7 In addition, the nine BRPs sent to Bulgaria wouldonly be worth 1 BRP in 1941 after two YSS. Theother ten BRPsc nbe used for intelligence efforts.

1940, in most games, is a year in which normallyvery little occurs for Russia. The USSR should sittight and wait until the war with Germany begins.BRP expenditure should be kept to a minimum,preferably nothing.

But what should Russia do when presented withGerman mistakes before 1941? There are threemajor mistakes Germany can make in this timeframe that affect Russia. The first is no garrison inFinland F M oesn't havea port so the only Ger-man units in Finland are those initially placed there.The obvious question is, should Russia take Fin-land out in 1939 by using the offensive option, orattrition it away through 1940? I think the attritionoption is much more productive. When taking outa minor country, the bottom line is how many BRPs

it yields in 1941. When using the offensive option.it costs a minimum of 25 BRPs (10 for declaringwar and 15 for an offensive) but yields only 13 BRPs(10x30%+ 10) in 1941. This a net deficit oftwelve. The attrition option is a much cheaper wayof securing the northern flank.

The second mistake is a similar failure to garrisonRumania This mistake should be exploitedimmedi-

ately. Rumania should be rushed n '39. Thiswouldallow Russia to take out Bulgaria in Spring 40 be-fore the Germans can open up an SR route throughYugoslavia. Once Rumania has been captured, theonly garrison should be a 1-3 in Bucharest. Russiacannot stop Germany from taking Rumania backwhen it wants to. Any garrison, therefore, justweakens the Russian front without sewing a legiti-mate purpose.

The third mistake is the violation of the 20-factorEast Front garrison. This allows Russia to attackGermany before Fall '41. This situation is not soclear-cut a decision as the other two were. In a two-player game, Russia should usually invade. In amulti-player game, they should not get involved ifthe French and/or Britisharedoing very well. Onlyif France is in trouble, and it is clear that an inva-sion would help more than hurt should it be under-taken. The decision must be tempered by the factthat Russia does not have the military capability tomount a serious offensive against Germany (before'42).

[None of these ermanmist kes should ever takeplace but actually theyh ppen quite ofin . I woul

estimate that one of them occurs in every jive 3R

games I play.]

94

1941 is the most important year for the Russianplayer. He must come out of it with most of his armyintact, without having lost too much ground, andwith his economy capable of counterattack. BeforeI begin discussing 1941, we should take a look atwhat forces Germany has for Barbarossa.

Germany can be expected to send 15-20 infantryunits to the East. These are solid units that can helpcreate a breakthrough, can hold ground, and c n

chew up the Russian front line in a series of 2-1attacks n addition to that, they are cheap to rebuild.Add in a number of weak Rumanian, Hungarian,and Finnish infantry whose purpose will be to fleshout the front nd absorb amition losses and the Ger-man has an infantry superiority-in fact if not in

numbers.

Ten or eleven full strength armor units will jointhe attack. These units combine a high combat fac-tor with a superior movement capability (they canexit 2 ZOCs per movement phase). They are an ex-tremely devastating threat. It is possible for themto advance up to 14 hexes in one turn The onlyway to contain them is by having a double line ofdefense. Establishment of a double line of defensewill strain Russian resources to the maximum. Itis how well you manage these resources, especiallythe armor, that will decide the game.

G e m y will also have available its airborneunit.

This unit is most valuable to the German war ef-fort because it is capable of breaking a double lineof defense. It does this by dropping on a second ineunit and eliminating it. Thisallows exploiting armorto freely pass through this second line hex.

Some 30-35 German and Italian air factors willparticipate. Three minor air factors are also avail-a6le. The German air superiority will be complete.It is imperative that Russia avoid air combat; Ger-many can afford to rebuild air factors. Russia can't.The German navy might possibly be available toshore bombard Leningrad. If it does so, the Rus-sian fleet should intercept. If Leningrad falls, thenthe Russian fleet will be destroyed anyway, so itdoesn't hurt to take a few Germans with you.

Defensive Set upIt is obvious from the comparison of forces that

Russia will be on the defensive for a long while.What is the best defensive set-up to both minimizeGerman gains in the first turn and keep Russianlosses at a reasonable level? What I believe doesthe best job is shown in Figure 2. I have refinedit with the help of many other gamers. The line of1-3 infantry in the front provides a cheap way ofstopping theGerman infantry. It alsoforces the pan-zers to create a breakthrough before advancingagainst the stronger second line.

The second line consists purely of 2-3 and 3-3infantry. Every hex from 046on north has a defensefactor of six. This requires a large air effort (9 fac-

igure Initial ovia Setup. Om Russian u r unit adoae lcun n L e n i n d .

tors of ground support plus enoughair to interceany DAS) for the airborne to burst the second linNothing could be better. Russia's strategy in 19should be based on holding the line in the norththe expense of the south. Anything that is conducito this strategy should be exploited.

Behind the second line are the five armor uniThey are there to contain that one airborne-assistexploitation to be faced each turn. There is wespot in the placement of the armor, and that is the far south. If Germany sets up its airborne reach either of the two vulnerable hexes R38 a

S38) then the armor can be shifted to compensaTwo 2-3 infantry are placed in Leningrad, athe fleet is based first in Parnu. The air units abased in Vitebsk, Talinn, and Smolensk. Again, tplacement of the air is made to defend the northesection of the front.

The overall strategy for 1941 must emphasize organized retreat that presewes a strong defensethe north. The north has to be defended strongbecause everything of importance is located therMoscow. Vologda, and the Baltic States are all

the north. The most important hex in all of RussiLeningrad, is also in the north. We will exploLeningrad's true importance in a moment. Whatamounts to is that Russia can retreat only to tMoscow area in the north but as far as Astrakhin the south. If she retreats any further than thi

her chances of winning decline dramatically.Let's take a look at why Leningrad is so very im

portant. Leningrad in thehandsof the Soviets s memany purposes. It is the only safe port for the Batic Fleet. It is a fortress, and hence Russia can buinside of it even when it is completely surroundeIt is a base from which to strike out at the Germflank when the front advances past it. It is an ojective hex. It i s one of the two receiving cities fthe Murmansk convoys. If Leningrad falls, Russimmediatly loses 15 BRPs ndGermany gains every YSS. No other city is nearly so importanMoscow is a supply source and Russia loses BRPs when it falls, but otherwise it is not signicant. Russia c n afford to lose Moscow but nevLeningrad.

Tke Red Army's major concern lies in preven

ing any large fraction of itself from being surounded. Units eliminated due to lack of suppcannot be rebuilt in the same turn resulting in fewunits to manthe front, resulting in even more surounded units next turn and so forth. Th"snowball effect'' can be prevented by keeping tnumber of surrounded units per turn to a minimumIf 37 or more factors die of starvation in one turthen Russia will be forced to surrender in shoorder.

The economic situation in 1941 is bleak. Germny will begin the year with about 260 BRPs. Sutract 10% for strategic warfare nd hey are left wi

234. Germany will also receive 45 BRPs for minor allies in the summer, yielding a total of abo280. The Soviet Union should have about 125 BRfrom its base plus 25 BRPs from Baltic States. T

BRPs from the Baltic States won't be around velong though. Economically, Russia is no match fGermany. This has great implications for overstrategy. First, it is impossible for Russia to huGermany by wearing down its army. Germany,it wishes to, could rebuild its entire armor foralmost three timesover. Killing German units donot give Russia any benefit in economic termRather, Russia must keep Germany from destroing large numbers of Red units, especially air aarmor, since a war of attrition at this point spedoom for the Kremlin.

It is quite possible for Russia to limit her lossto about 30 BRPs per turn. This means that Russwill not need BRP grants from England in 194A deal with England that lets.her keep her BRin 1941 in exchGge formoreBRPs in 1&2 is so-

thing to consider obtaining. This would nsur Ru

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sia's economic needs later in the war. It might also armor destroyed two 2-3 and one 3-3 infantry plus trition table a column. Attrition is fine, but on

encourage England to be aggressiveif she chooses a 3-5 armor unit. One 3-3 and two 1-3infantry units long Russian front, one more hex or one more co

to in the Mediterranean. were put out of supply. All of this at a cost of two will usually not make much difference.

infantry units. If Russiadoes gain a hex, the obvious one to taSpring 1941 Russia is now faced with a maximum loss of 6 is Minsk. This is mainly because Minsk is the o

The first German attack will probably consist of BRPs. If Russia can maintain this rate, then she will airbase open to Germany in the north. One ma

a few two-hex penetrations by armor, plus one be in great shape. The Soviet Union now should factor in slowing up the German advance is den

airborne-assistedone. A typical first turn attack is clearly select the attrition option. Attrition does not of airbases. Cities that Russia retreats out of in

shown in Figure 3. Germany has attacked all along cost any BRPs. Futhermore, it is far easier for Rus- own turn can not be staged to by the Luftwaffe

the front, but with armor in only three locations. sia to push back German armor by attrition than by Germany's next turn. The Russian player sho

One attack in the South drove in the direction of combat. The Red Army should fall back slowly, keep careful track of those citieshe has just retrea

Dnepropetrovskand the Crimea with three armored especially in the north, to form a new defense line. out of, and those that were previously captured.

units. The second attack was made right through Because one can't build in a ZOC, the German has been stated so often, the key to R is airpowthe heart of the PripetMarshes with another three. armor must be sealed off by movement. The air so Russia must keep Germany from bringing

Both of these attacks advancedtwo hexes deep. Both force should pull back any units that are now wi- full power of the Luftwaffe to bear.

of these penetrationscan be readily dealt with dur- thin Gennan counterair range. The airborne unit must be prevented from dro

ing Russia's turn. In Figure 4, we see a reasonable Soviet response ping next turn. There is one sure way to do th

The major armored attack occurs in the North, to what Germany has done. A new front line has put the airborne in a Russian ZOC. This will ne

as was expected. Even though five armor and the been formed running basically in frontof the Dvina be very difficult to accomplish,given that the a

airborne unit were used, the Wehrmacht only and Dnieper. Units rebuilt at the end of the tur will borne must land in the second row to be effecti

managed to push to Minsk Every single German form the second line of defense directly behind the In my example, either the armor near Riga or

infantry also attacked. They destroyed nine of the first. Russia now takes a 3 1 4 0 point amition. There one near Minsk could have done it. This move w

thirteen 1-3infantry that made up the front line. The is a 67%chance of gaining a hex. Hexes are all that not made because the airborne is not on a city, n

matter; any corp losses come out as cheaply rebuilt

igurr Soviet defensive line for the onslaught This can be init is Inore important to

Figure 3 Hypothetical Situationat the end German turn of Spplace as early as Winter 39. establish a solid defense than try to increase the at- .41

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igum4 HypotheticalSituationat the end of Soviet Nm of Spring

41.

was an airbase constructed underneath it. An air-borne can jump if it doesn t begin its turn on a city

or an airbase.

After the attrition is resolved, the Soviet player

should build back his destroyed units and re-form

a double line. After the first attack, there should

stillbe enoughunits to form a completedouble line.

Summer 1W1The situation now looks pretty good for Russia.

She has a double line of defense, she has momen-tarily neutralized he airborne,and she has only lost

26 BRPs. Germany, at best, can only advance two

hexes during Summer 1941.

Germany s minor allies do enter the war in Sum-

mer 1941.-Exceptordelivering35BRPs, Hungary,

Rumania nd ulgaria are fairly insimificant. When

playing ~ e r m a n i , usually cave e minors cap-ture Yugoslavia through attrition. They don t play

any part in Russia except for filling gaps in the front

and absorbing attrition losses.

Finland is another matter. The Finns can stride

to Leningrad, and they can hit the rear of the Rus-

sian front. Basically, they can be quite obnoxious.

There is an e sy way to handle the Finns, especially

when dealing with an agressive German. Russia

must let the Finns sweep into the north through the

undefended region between lakes Ladoga andOnega. On the immediately following Allied turn,

Russia constructs partisans in I346 and B47 This

seals the Finns out of supply. End of threat.

The same principles used in Spring 41 apply

equally in Summer. Germany will make a lot of

short stabs assisted by her overwhelming airpower.

The airborne unit will be moved to a safe airbase

so that it can drop in the autumn. After Germanycompletes her turn, Russia should again fall back

and re-form. The problem is that, this time, the front

has expanded beyond the capabilities of the Red

Army to contain it. The army will not be able to

form a double line, much less a third line with ar-mor to contain the airborne. This is when a deci-

sion must be made. Is it is better for Russia to

solidify one section of the front at the expense of

another? The alternative, spreading the available

resourcesevenly, leaves the entire front inadequate

to handle the Germans. I would have a full defense

in the north and a single line of infantry in the south.

Armor and air should be placed in the south to bol-

ster the infantry line. A good example of such a

response is shown in Figure 5. This represents the

situation at the end of Summer 41.The northern

section is defended very heavily. There is a double

line of infantry plus armor behind. Germany won tget far if it makes its big push in the north.

The southern section is a different story. The

is only a singleline of infantry. This is supplemen

by two armorand two air units behind the line. Th

job is to slow down the inevitable breakthroug

Germany wuld very easily drive as far east as N4This is acceptable. After the Fall turn, Germany w

be stopped by the Russian winter. 1941will be ov

igure 5 Hypothetical Situation at the end of Sovianun ofSumm41. Notice the relative m e s s f the ussian line in the sou

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Before I continue discussing the combat aspectof '41, there isanothapoint I should bring up. Rus-siabegins 1942 witharound 150 BRFS. Englandw llusually have about 120-150 BRPs. This gives anAllied totalof approximately 280-300. Germany has

about 25 to st rt he year plus 45 romminor allies.Add in 80 from Italy and the Axis have a total ofabout 375. Gwmany will have spent quite a fewBRPs in 1941. She will declare war on Russia, takeoffensive options in the East and possibly the Med,

and she will build the fleet. Russia and Britain onthe other hand will be playing a very inexpensivedelaying game. The possibility of a flip-flop be-comes very evident. Should Russia accept the flip-

flop, which would most likely occur in Fall-Winter?Absolutley not It would be a tremendous mistake.The danger in accepting the flip-flop lies in the factthat the Axis get the initiative back in Spring '42.An Axis double move in Winter-Spring would bedevastating (not only on the Russian front). If oneis faced with a flip-flop, there are many ways toget rid of the unwanted BRPs.Foreign Aid, Mur-mansk U-boats, intelligience, and British attacks inthe Med, can all bum those unwanted BRPs.

all 1941

Gcrmanywill launch her last offensive of the yearthis turn. As hasbeen seen, theWehrmachtwill notget very far, except in the deep south. The Russianmust make his Fall turn move with a deep aware-ness of the Rusian Winterand ts implications. Thexule states, in brief, that Axis (non-Finnish) forcesduringthefirstWinter turn in Russia are not doubledon defense, and may not take the offensive option.This means that in the Fall '41 turn, Russia onlyneeds to form a single line of defense, and can con-centrate on achieving a high attrition total. An ex-ample of such a move is shown in Figure 6. Thisis the position at the end of the Russian Fall turn.Notice how much further Germany has advancedin the south than in the north.

Before continuing with consideration of Winter'41 there is another possibility to wmider. Suppose

Germany attacks earlier than Spring 41. This isn'ttoocommon, but it happens once in a while. If Rus-sia is hit hard in Fall 40 or earlier, the blame lieswith France and Britain. There is no excuse forFrance falling early enough to allow Germany toattack so soon. Russia will be hard-pressed to sur-vive at all. If Russia is attacked in Winter 1940,then comes the true test of how good the Russianplayer really is.

Obviously, don't t ke theRussian Winter in 1940.The Russian Winter is a device that pulls Russia'sbottom out of the fire; in 1940, the coals haven'teven been w a n d . Using the same strategy I havepreviously outlined, Russia can get through Sum-mer '41 in reasonable wndition. Now though thereisno Winter to stoptheWehrmacht; a very devastat-ing Fall turn looms ahead.

This is where the skill of the Russian player iscrucial. There are two basic strategies that can beused to handle this situation. The first is the sameold retreat and re-form. It tries to hold the northand give up the south again. Unfortunately, thisusually won't work very well. Thc fronthas bewmetoo ong for the available Red units to hold it. Ger-many should be able to make a major encirclementin either the southern or central regions. The pan-zers wuld alsobreak hrough in the centerand drivenorth into the rearof the Red Army. This is NOTa good position for Russia to be in. I can't speakvery concretely about what wil l happen since somuch depends on the particular situation and thegoals of the German player. In short, this is a pas-sive rather than active solution to the problem.

The other solution is to counterattack against the

msinpocket of German armor in theNorth.Because

of the nature of the combat system in 3R the Wehr-macht will break up its armor into two or threemajor attackgrwp If Germanyhasonly two armorunits working together as a breakthrough and ex-ploitation team they won't get very far. Mass (i.e..three to five units) armor is necessary to make biggains. This results in "pockets" that are ripe forcounterattack.

Some readers are now thinking. "The Germanswon't let themselves be put into a position vulner-able towunterattack," or. "How can Russia mounta counterattack against all that airpower Germanyhas? Both ofth s argumentsare invalid. Germanycannot avoid getting into a position vulnerable toattack. The Wehrmacht must be very bold and reck-less with its armor to have a chance of winning. Ifthey play conservatively, always waiting for the in-fantry and airbases to catch up, their advances willbe reduced to a crawl. Germany will always haveweak links in its line as soon as the front expandsinside Russia. These weak links (i.e., minor units)can be the holes through which Zhukov attacks.

The second point seems like a more reasonableargument. On the face value, Russia can't possiblyhope to mount a counterattack with so much Ger-man airpower available. Now is when a goodknowledge of the rules helps out. It is very possiblefor a weaker air force to completely neutralize amuch stronger enemy air force. I wil l show how

this is done by giving an example from a game re-cently played:

Germany had dropped its airborne into London,garrisoned by a single 3 4 nfantry. Another 3 4 n-fantry was in Plymouth and a 1-3 infantry was inSouthampton. The Axis had 35 air factors withinrange of London (30 German and five Italian).England had twelve factors, all of which were outof counterair range. Germany added nine factorsof ground support to the attack on London. Englandchose not to fly DAS so the combat odds were 2-1(12-6). The Axis rolled a "5" eliminating thedefender and occupying London. It looks prettygrim for the Allies now, right? Wron

Consider this. On the Allied turn, ~ngfandmovesthe 3 4 infantry from Plymouth to Birmingham. TheRAF contributes three factors of ground support

leaving it with exactly nineuncommatedair factors.England now has a 1-1 (7-6) attack with an 83.3%chance of retaking London and permanentlyeliminating the airborne unit. The Luftwaffehas 26factors of uncommitted air, but can only fly ninefactors for DAS (3x basic strength of defender).These nine factors are intercepted and turned awayby the remaining RAF factors. The 1-1 attack isallowed to go through right in the face of over-whelming German air superiority. It was an excel-lant move on Britain's part and would have beeneven better if he didn't roll a 5 . The point is thatRussia can circumvent superior Gwman airpowerby holding back its planes for an intaception ratherthandirect ground rmpport ofwunterair role. (Iper-sonally consider this tactic somewhat illegal. I sug-gest allowing the defender to fly additional air

factors as "escorts" who wuld participate in aircombat against interceptors, but wouldn't count forDAS.)

When I, as Russia, launch a counterattack, Ialways conduct it in the north, for three majorma

sons. First, as I have said many times, the northis intxinsicallymrremportant If theGerman ssaultin the north canbe stopped for a turn, it does moregood than doing the same in the southern or cen-tral fronts.

Secondly, the northern armor pocket is usuallylarger in number of units and smaller in physicalsize than those in the south. A larger concentrationof armor can usually be found in the triangledemarked by Leningrad. Smolensk and Yaroslavl.In the southernpart of the front, the armor is muchmore spaced and spread out. This means that thenorthern pocket is easier to surround.

Lastly, there are a couple of terrain features ithe north that help do thejob. The constrictednatur

of the Baltic Statesand he location of the Lake Peipus help to cut off alternate supply routes. Leningrad is in a good position to launch attacks at thGerman rear.

The goal of the counterattack s to isolate a largnumber of German armor units. Umts that are ouof supply cannot move and hence cannot advanceArmor units that exploited the previous turn arautomatically in supply, but are not allowed to exploit this turn. Because these armor cannot exploi

they are no better than nfantry; hence any advancwill be limited to only one hex. If Russia c n puoff this counterattack in Summer, then Germanywi

have to extricate its units in Fall. The next turn wibe the Russian Winter and again Germany will bstopped.

An example of just such a counterattack is showin Figure 7. If possible, exploiting Russian armoshould try to destroy undefended airbases and putheairborne into a ZOC. Note that the airbornemusjump from a supplied airbase out of enemy ZOCThe overriding concern should be the encirclemenof the Nazi armor. Quite often, as w s the c se imy example, the construction of partisans c n bthe very key to completing the Kessel. It is in thimode that the partisans are most devastating.

Winter 1941Many 3R players feel that Winter '41 is a per

fect time to counterattack. The Wehrmacht is nodoubled on defense. Too o German penetrationhave to be dealt with this turn. I think this is thwrong analysis. There are many factors workinagainst any successful major wunterattack.

For one, the Welumacht player knows his uniare not doubled on defense, and will take reasonable countermeasures. He will probably double uunits, and space armor behind the line to prevena large breakthrough. In the German winter turnGermany will be concentrating on a reasonabdefense rather than offense. This will prevent hefrom being caught seriously off-balance. Anotheproblem is that theGerman armorhasnotmadedee

penetrations in Winter. This will allow the laggin

infantry to catch up with the panzers and solidifthe front. The last major problem is that Germandid not, of course, need to use any airpower iWinter. A much larger number of air factors wibe available for DAS. This preponderance of ai

power can be nullified in one or two locations bthe strategy outlined earlier, but a major offensivcan never be made in the face of it.

I look at the Russian W i r s a time for the ReArmy to take a breather. It can rebuild all the unisurrounded in Fall. It can re-form a solid defenseIt is not yet the time to launch a major counteoffensive.

1942

At thebeginning of 1942, Russia will be in on

of two positions. The first, is one in which Russis strong both militarilyand economically. Shewbe defending a line that stretches from Leningrato Tula and then southeast to the Don bend and oto Rostov. Russia will be in control of Leningraand will pmbably be eng ged in a fight for MoscowThis is what I call the "Victory Line". From thposition, Russiaw ll probablyw n a tactical or straegic victory in the multi-player game, and at leaa marginal victory in the two-player game.

The alternative position is the fullrout This proably came about because Germany attacked in Summer or Fall 1940. The Red Army will be in fu

retre tallalongthe ront. If Russia is in a two-playgame, then she should play for the draw. In a mulplayer game, the Russian player should at least tto avoid surrerder. There is pmbably no way a Geman strategic victory c nbe avoided in this cas

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Before I discussappropriate strategy for both situ-

ations, I want to conclude my general overview of

1942.

Economically, Russia will need a lot of BRPs

from the West. Indeed, 89BRP equivalents n new

forcepool units need to be built. mere will also

be a continuous flow of destroyed units that need

to be rebuilt (approximately 15-30BRPs per turn).Russia will c e m y ake oneand maybe two offen-

sive options in 1942. Russia begins the year with

only 125-135 BRPs; this obviously won't meet all

the Soviet needs.

pring 1942

Let's examine the Victory Line situation in

1942. With the Winter calm, Russia has had achance to rebuild her defense. Again, the strength

shouldbe in the north. The Gennan attack in Spring

'42 will crawl forward in the north, but in ll likeli-

hood, should burst across the Steppes and into the

Caucasus. After this happens, Russia has two

priorities: 1)Russia must not let Gennany outflank

her northern front. Germany has to be prevented

fromdriving north in the direction of Gorki. 2) Rus-

siamust not try to hold Germany in the Caucasus.It would be too easy for the panzers to drive toward

Astrakhan and seal off a large number of Russian

units. If the Don iver linehas completely collapsed,

the Red Army should re-form along the Volga.

Russia's Spring '42 turn is a perfect time to launch

acounterattackin the samemanner as was suggested

earlier for Summer '41. If this counterattackagainst

Army Group North is successful, then by the time

theGerman recovers (Fall '42), the Red Army willbe in much better shape.

Russia should realize that the German offensive

will continue well into '42. Maybe even until fall

of that year. By that time, Russia will have built

enough of her new force pool to put a halt to Bar-

barossa. But how far c n Germany be allowed to

advance in '42 before there is too much ground to

bemade up? I draw them ximum advance line, give

or takea few hexes, like this: it startsat Lake Onegain the north, goes down to Moscow, across to

Kuibyshev, then down the Volga and on to the

Caspian Sea. Ihe Wehrmacht cannotbe allowed to

makea consolidatedadvanceacrossthis line if Rus-

siahopes to win. It is very important that the Ger-

man army does not ever reach the east edge of the

mapboard or Russia is in serious trouble.

In the build phase of Spring of '42, Russia must

decide whether or not to use theFree Siberian Trans-fer rule (if shedidn't do soin Winter). I was initially

against using this rule in all but the most desperate

situations since it increases the victory conditions.

Since then, I have heard a very convincing argu-

ment for using this rule. The argumentran like this,

Very few R games are played to completion-

l l the way to 1945. They usually end in conces-

sion. Hence, there is very little need to worry about

how tough the victory conditionshave become. Justthe fact that it looks like the Allies will take Berlin-

eventually--counts. How can I argue with that?

Of course, if you are planning to play a complete

game, then use of this rule should be restricted to

those cases in which it is absolutely necessary.

In 1942, Russia's force pool expands tremen-dously. Fifteen Guards infantry, f a r good armor

(theintroduction of theT-34), and twoairborneunits

are added. Russia should build the infantry first,

and maybe one or two armor if needed. Two tank

units can be brought on through Free Siberian

Transfer in Spring nd Summer. The airborne are

expensive, and really won't be needed until Russiagoes on to the offensive.

By the end of Summer '42, the Axis should be

ator near theirhigh water mark Russia should have

acontinuousdauble line, nd armor behind thearea

Elgure H~cslSifuatimattheadofSovidturnof all 41.

4

the airborne can hit. An example of this situation try to turn the comer. Both the physical layout

is shown in Figure 8. Thisexact situation will prob- the Baltic Statesand the Crimea is conduciveto th

ably never occur in your games, but it gives an idea strategy.

of what Russia should be aiming for in '42. The airborne units c n be used as harassmen

Dropping them on Helsinki rBucharest is an e

Turning The Tidecellent move. If based in Poland (obviously lat

in the war) or the Baltic States, they can drop o

The Red Army now goes over to the offensive- Stettin or Rostock, or even on Berlin. Russia shou

no later than Winter '42, and maybeas early as Fall. always keep her eyes open for airborne possibil

There are two reasons for why this will happen: 1) ties. Don't get too carried away though, becau

by late '42, Russia will have had time to build up Russian airborne c n be permanently eliminat

its additionalforce pool; 2) the front will have ex- also. Flanking invasions by the fleet, especially

panded to sucha long line that Germany can't pos- the Kriegsmarine is tied up with England ansibly defend it all either. America, c nbe helpful. A landing on K30, wi

How Russiawill go about drivingthe Nazis back three armor units, will capture Copenhagen an

to Berlin is far too complicated to discuss here. I Kiel. This would allow Western llied forces to S

will satisfy myself by mentioninga few tips that are into North Germany.

helpful in crushing the Wehrmacht. One point to remember, always maintain a do

Gennany will quickly realize that it can't defend ble line of defense, even in 44 and '45. German

a line that stretches from Finland to the Caspian. is very capable of a crippling counterattack that cThe Wehrmacht will probably fall back to a line that really throw a wrench into the Russian drive. Thresemblesthe '42 start line. If it doesn't, then a Rus- is exactly what happened in the last R series repla

sian drive from Moscow toward Rostov will make (Vol. 17No. 6)printed in these pages. As thegam

a lot of priests out of the Sixth Anny. When Ger- winds down, it is important to keep victory cond

many forms a solid line in Russia, the Red Army tions firmly in mind. In the multi-player game,

shouldn't try to push the whole thing backward. It is objective hexes that count, not who captur

is moq productive to hit either end (or both) and Berlin.

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Full Retreat Scenario

Now let's return to the alternative '42 positi

Russia has being routed. How c n he Soviet Un

stabilize the front nd avoid being forced to s

render? One way for the Red Army to get a resp

is to retreat and rebuild their new line at least f

hexes away from the forward erman nfantry. T

will prevent the Volhgenadiers rom assisting

ny attacks in the next turn. The Wehrmacht w

have to attack with unsupported armor. This wbe somewhat easier to handle than the entire G

man army.But this will not stop the Wehrmacht for lo

The Red Army should ease back into the area so

of 059 and the north end of the Caspian. The R

sian player must fashion a three- or four-row d

defensiveline and force the German to dig him o

The lack of cities in the area will curtail the ava

bility of the Luftwaffe.

In the multi-player game, it is now next topossible to prevent a German strategic victory.

a two-player game though, Germany must have

objective hexes at the end of Winter '43 to win. T

is assuming Russiadoes not surrender, in which c

Germany wins anyway. At first, it looks like

would be hard to prevent Germany &omhaving

objectiveshexes. The Allied player must resora devious little trick. n the Winter '43, Allied c

struction phase, Russia should build a singlepasan on each of three objectivehexes inside Russ

Nine times out of ten, the erman will not have g

risoned these hexes, and so the Allies will ha

snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat.

In the two-player game, the Allied player sho

realize that it is impossible for him to take Ber

while the Russians are fighting by the Caspi

England and America should concentrate on se

ing BRPs to Russia so she remains strong enou

to hold out. Opening a second front will also h

by drawing off German air and armor units. T

West should clean up the Mediterranean, andfend Tabroz and Sarab (if they fall, the Persia pi

line will be cut).

Turkish Gambit

Fl@m 7 Soviet countemnack against German rmy Group Northin Fall 41. The Soviet air unit in Kalinin must break down into3 4 and 2 4 counters. Exploiting anmr moves to hexes J43 and141. nisans arc created in the shaded hexes.

Figure Hypothetical Situation at the end o f Summer 42 whenI expressed my opposition to an atta

Russia s defensive line h s solidified. on Turkey in '39, but I didn't explain why. The s

plistic reason most Russian players attack Turk

is to gain BRPs (someattack out of boredom). I hshown that Russia doesn't need any additional BR

in '41. She needs them in '42, and 1find it hig

unlikely that Turkeywill belong to Russia in 19

Just on economic grounds, the attack is not ess

tial. Even worse, thedefenseof Turkey drastica

weakens the defense of the Motherland. Russia w

not be able to form a double line of defense u

1942, which will be much too late. I liken an

tack on Turkey to self-mutilation.

Conclusion

In this article, I have tried to outline the prin

ples that a successful Russian player uses. In 19which is the year that decides the war, Russia sho

avoid challenging the German army. Never let

Wehrmacht surround l a r ~ eumbers of units. If v

c ndo even this, you hate played Russia well. d

many's real chances of winning come from infling tremendous lossesevery tur (int rmsof BRP

Don't help the Nazis in their attempt to do this. T

way to win is not launching suicidecounteratta

and throwing in your airpower for DAS at ev

0ppoft 'ty.This does not mean that Russians must be c

servative throughout the war. Innovative uses

armor, airborne, partisans, and naval units can

quite fun and quite unorthodox. There must bbalance though, and it is the very best R play

thrt achieve this balance.

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


It is rare that an article on one of the AHclassics comes across our desk. Yet stiNJind that,should wish to play a game with a new-found war-gaming f i e n d , we usually turn to STALINGRAD,AFRIKA KORPS, D-DAY or W A E R L . 0 0 initially.t is a dicotomy that cannot explain.

Whenever I play a game of S T U G R A D , I alwayst y to learn something from it that will improve myplay. I generally watch for two things. I look for abetter way to do something, which often find ywatching what my opponent does. Secondly, I tryto pay attention to mistakes made both y myself andby my opponent, so that I can avoid repeating thosemistakes in future games.

Having played S T U G R A D more than 1 times,have noticed that the German player more often

than not commits at least one of three commonstrategic mistakes. I call these mistakes "The BigThree .Often the German player makes many more"risky" attacks than are necessary, and suffers need-less losses. I define a "risky" attack as one that ismade at less than 3 1 odds (especially against a dou-bled position), and is not a "soak-off . Or the Ger-man player fails to do everything he can to hold outin Finland for as long as possible. Or the Germanplayer is guilty of what I call "strategic misdirec-tion" (this mistake usually occurs in the "middle"game, the Spring and Summer 1942 campaign). Inthis article, my intention is t o discuss the generalstrategic situation during different phases of thegame. By doing this, I hope to explain why those

mistakes are so often committed, how these can beavoided, and how this fits into the overall game sit-uation.

The German player commences the game with animpressive looking army. Despite that, progressagainst a competent Russian opponent is usuallymade slowly in the opening stages. The reason forthis is that the Russian situation at the beginning ofthe game is better. Let's take a look at some of thethings the Russian player has going for him as thegame begins. First of all, the Russian player startswith his entire army on the board. After the Ger-man player makes his first at tack, never again dur-ing the course of the game should the Russians beable to field every one of their units. Secondly, theRussian player begins the game with a relativelyshort front to defend; even with units in Finland,

he has many more units defending a shorter front

than he should ever have in any other stage of thegame. Last, but not least, the area near the Russianborder offers an abundance of doubling terrain. TheRussians have mountains, cities, and river lines todefend in (or behind) to a depth that will not be en-countered again after they are forced to withdrawdeeper into Russia. Although not doubling terrain,the marshes are famous for the part they play in theRussian defense.

The German player need not despair, however.Provided that the German plays competently dur-ing the first few turns, the situation for the Russianplayer can be expected to soon worsen. This turnof events will be caused mainly y factors designedinto the game, not necessarily y a lapse into badplay y the Russian commander.

First of all, the Russian player does not begin toreceive replacements until his fourth (September)turn; therefore the German player has four turns toinflict losses before the Russian player can begin toreplace them. This means that the Russian playerwill have fewer and fewer units to hold the same,or longer, frontage.This is the German's best chanceto rupture the front and make significant gains. As

the Russian forces retire deeper and deeper into theinterior, they will generally have to defend more openterrain. Once the Soviets have been pushed backbeyond the Dnepr River, they will no longer be ableto depend on the Pripyet Marshes as part of theirdefense. Thus, the Russian line will become longerand more difficult to defend.

The onset of winter will only add to the Russianplayer's problems. Although it's true that snow will

impair the German mobility, the Russian player'smobility will be hurt even worse. The Russian frontwill still be distant from his replacementcities, mak-ing it difficult or impossible to get those 2 3 6 delay-ing units (or any other units) into position each turnparticularly in the south. His low unit count (rela-tive to the German forces) can make it very difficultfor the Russian player to defend as efficiently as hewould Wre. He will find it hard to shift his units aboutfrom one position to another.

The Russian player does have a couple of thingsin his favor to partially offset those problems. Bynow, the German forces will probably have beenweakened to some degree due to occasionallow-oddsattacks, exchanges, and soaks-offs. And, the Rus-sian forces in Finland can be expected to completetheir campaign and move toward the main front y

the time winter has begun.

The best way for the German player to furthhis goals is to minimize those factors (mentionabove) that work in the Russian player's favor. TGerman player can do this by minimizing his lossand by keeping the Russians occupied in Finlafor as long as possible. Let's examine these twobjectives closely, one at a time.

The first objective is that of keeping Germlosses to a minimum during the opening stagethe game. As mentioned earlier, one of the mcommon mistakes made by the German playerto attack at low odds much more often than is asolutely necessary, thus incurring needless lossI believe that there are two main motivations bhind this mistaken tendency on the part of many Gman players. First, because it is so difficult to ma

progress at the beginning of the game, I believe thmany German players fear they will run out of timbefore they can accomplish their victory conditioSecondly, German commanders are usually anxioto attrite the Russian army before his replacemenbegin to arrive.

The notion that the German player will run oof time unless he makes numerous risky attacksfalse. However, as is the case with many groun

less fears, this notion does contain an ounce of truIn the game STALINGRAD, the German player ca

not afford to simply sit back and take what the Rusian player gives him. In order to maintain tmomentum of his advance, especially in the opeing stage of the game, the German player must tasome risks. This does not mean, however, that tGermans should attack everything in sight

low-odds attack that is properly executed wrisk a minimum of losses and have a good chanof capturing its objective. Such an attack could,example, be made to break a Russian river lidefense and force the defenders into open terrawhere they can be attacked at favorable odds. Bin the final analysis, there are only a few instancwhere such low-odds attacks are feasible or usefAt this point, feel that it might be appropriategive an example of what I consider to be a "propeexecuted low-odds attack". After the Russian playhas set up his opening defense, the German playshould examine the entire front before placingunits on the board. However, for purposes of keeing the example simple, will consider only a smportion of one possible Russian set up. This wbe the sector in the area of the Nemunas River

shown in Diagram #I).

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


1Cracking th Nenmnus Line

Given the defense shown, there are four possi-

ble positions along the Nemunas River that the Ger-

m n player c n attack. Of course he 2-34 delaying

unit will be "AVed". If the Germanplayer declines

to make any risky attacks against the "Nemunas

defensive line", it will require four tums to out-

flank he Nemunas by advancing into the marsh atthe south end of the river. I don't believe that any

German player can passively allow the Russian

player to "bottle up" his forces that long. The Ger-

man player must t y to break this line at some point

and force the Russian defenders into the open.

My solution would be to attack the 7-10-4 unitat 1-2 odds from hex T18. This attack would risk

ten factors and have a 33% chance of destroying

(in an Exchange) or pinning the 7-104 unit. Withthe 7-10-4 unit out of the way, the "Nemunas

defense" at that point will either be broken immedi-

ately (by advancing due to a D-back result), or soon

after. If the 7-10-4 is lost in an Exchange, it will

not be possible for the Russian player to "3-1

proof' the river at that point (unlessthe other 7-104

can reach S18). This, then, is an example of an at-

tack that risks relatively few losses and yet has a

fair chance of accomplishing somethingsignificant.Of course, an attack such as this will often fail, but

if attacks such as this are occasionally attempted at

selected points, the Germans will succeed at

times-bringing great gains in their wake.

[Fora number of sound ideas on ow to minimizeGerman losses, the reader is referred to an excel-lent am'cle in Vol. 13 No. of The GENERAL en-tirled Taking rhe W e n s iv e in STAWNGRAD .]

Now would like to discuss the second objectivementioned above, which is aimed at keeping the

Russians occupied in Finland for as long as possi-

ble. Many German commanders seem to be almost

indifferent to the action going on in the Far North.

The German player either considers it to be a rela-

tively unimportant front, or he seems to feel that

the Russian forces there are too powerful to be

stopped anyway, so what the heck?

While it is probably true that the Russian forcesin Finland are usually too powerful to be prevented

from conquering it indefinitely, I believe that the

Axis forces in Finland have a good chance of hold-

ing out for at least six months. My opening Axisdefense of Finland is shown in Diagram K . his

defense allows the Russian player to "AV" a 2-24,

but if he wants to "bag" any other Axis units he

will be forced to risk lower odds attacks with pos-

sible Exchange, D-back 2, or other unfavorableresults. This defense takes advantageof the fact that

the Russian units are relatively weak in offensive

power, though they are quite strongdefensively. My

defensive play is to retreat each turn just far enobgh

to shorten my line a bit. Each turn I plan to offer

only one easy kill, at most, while forcing the Rus-

sian player to take risks to eliminateany other units.

The rules allow the German player to send 8 fac-

tors worth of units to the aid of the Finns. Send a5-54 and a 3-34. The5-54 is the key unit. I almost

always keep the 5-54 stacked with another unit the

first few turns. Because of that, the 5-5-4 is often

one of the last surviving units in Finland. The Rus-

sians would t y to kill it sooner if it were left alone

in a hex. After the Axis forces have been "whit-

tled down" to the point where the Russians reaboutto be through with them, I like to move the 5-5-4

into Helsinki and use other smaller Axis units to

form a defensive"ring" in front of the city. It then

takes the Russian player another two turns to "fin-

ish off the Finns". The Russian player's final at-

tack in Finland is often a 3-1 surrounded against

the 5-5-4 in Helsinki. The Russian player is forcedto risk a 33% possibility of an expensiveExchange

just to rid himself of the last Axis unit in FinlandIf the German player has managed to avoid ex-

cessive losses and has successllly delayed the Rus-

sians in Finland, his situation should be much

improved by the time his 1941winter campaign be-

gins The snowtur swill impairthe m o b ' i ofbothplayers, but the erman player's numerical superi-

ority should give h i he upper hand in this situa-

tion. To make the most of his advantage, the

German player must plan ahead. Before the snow

begins, the German player must decide where he

will concentrate his forces and what his objectives

will be. The German player should carefully studythe terrain and the Russian player's defensive align-

ment and t y to visualize, in general, how the game

can be expected to develop. Has the Russian player

concentrated his strength north or south of the

marshes? What kind of doubling terrain will theRussian be able to utilize to slow the German ad-

vance and where? What is the best way to overcomethe obstacle? Can these strongpositions be bypassed

or must they be attacked? How long will it take Rus-

sian replacements to reach the front line in each

sector? These things must all be considered when

the German player plans his winter offensive. It

sounds difficult, but with experience these things

can be considered and factored into the German planfairly quickly. Withgoodplanning and a bit of luck,

the German player can inflict losses and take much

ground during the winter of '411'42.

Most of the opponents I've met have done very

well with the Germans during the first winter. It

is during the second winter that most German

players, including myself, have the greatest difficul-

ties. The reason for this is the advantages of mobilityfor the most part now belong to the Russian player.

Let's consider the general tactical situationduring

the second winter for a moment.

h p m Z Defending Finland

The situation during the second winter is alm

the opposite of the situation that exists during

first winter. The Russian front is now closer toreplacement cities and he is usually fighting on

terior lines. Even with reduced mobility, the R

sian defense has great flexibility. n the other ha

the Gennan forces re often spread all over the m

Additionally, the German army is somewhat

pleted after almost a year and a half of fightin

The seeds of a German defeat in the winterusually sown during the 1942 summer campai

It was mentioned earlier that some advanced pla

ning was necessary in order to be successful du

ing the first winter offensive. That iseven more tfor the second winter offensive. Many Germ

players who could have won, lose instead becau

they failed to concentrate their forces in the rigplaces during the good weather turns of 1942

Often I have seen a situation similar to the flowing occur. Strong German forces close in o

and finally capture Leningrad and Moscow. Me

while, a handful of armored units with a few inf

t y units are beaten back by determined Russ

counterattacks in front of Stalingrad. The GermApril 1943turn finds six or seven (or fewer) G

m n units within two hexes of Stalingrad. Wit

solid barrier of red units between them and the ci

the game is lost. It is not uncommon for the G

m n player to come that close and still lo

However, "overkill" against one objective at

expense of taking another objective is one ofleading causes of the Gennan player losing

STALZNGRQD. It is what I referred to earlier

"strategic misdirection".

The only way I know of to avoid that mistake

to plan well in advance how your objectives are

be best taken. One must keep firmly in mind

advantages that the Russians will enjoy during

second winter and prepare accordingly. Remem

that even one Russian replacement city can genate two 2-34 armor corps every turn Also reme

ber that you will probably be attacking on exter

lines and will not easily be able to switch units fr

one sector to another. It is a fact that is often l

in that first flush of victory as the Red Army fa

back in disarray.

These three emrs , endlessly repeatedby novic

can be avoided. When the day comes that you haplayed a flawless game of STAWNGRAD as the G

man commander, then (to steal a phrase), "On t

day, my son, you will be a WARGAMER."*

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


Dear Rex:

lust thought I'd waste a bit of your time withm e deas and stuff on our favorite game. UPFRONTIBANUI.

First for the b d m s . A k r co ntin ua l play -ing. on our lunch hour, of every scenario. R onWhaley and I think w e have finally foun d an im-balance in one of the scenarios. I refer to"Sanario 0 ith the llapanese on the defense.It has b a n our n o m l method of defens ive set-up for all these scenarios (and that of its sister."Scenario C o place the MMG in the pillboxto protect its firepowe r. This results in a typicalset-up of either the rest o r most of the rest of thetroops in Group A or C.

However. if the Jap player sets up cards 5, 8and 21 in the pillbox; 9 and 12 in a group; andthe rest in a firebase, the following can happen.The largest group can be placed in either A o rC, depending on how the attacker sets up hisgroups. This gives the following firepower fac-tors at ranges 0-5: 6, 7 14, 21, 22. 29-simplyawesome at times. The two-man group simplyruns away to prevent the US player from win-ning by eliminating 75% of theenemy. Alte rnetively, it may transfer one man to the pillbox atthe ame time as the pillbox sends one to the ochcrgr o u p a s imple matter given the number of Japmovement cards. If the larger group gets favor-able terrain early-such as woods (plus an en-trenchment) or a good buildings card-they arcnearly as invulnerable as the pillbox when youconsider the - for the jungle effect. Given thelarge difference in n umber of movement cardsand the defender's use of mims and snipers, thisresults in a large disadvantage for the US player.

Note that this is not apparent in the othermatch-ups of the scenarios since any otherdefender would lose by elimination o f the largeouo (50%+ . Since the defender is able to react- . . .

to the American set-up, h e gets to place the larg egmup in either A orC to suit his purpm s. GroupC is preferable. This leaves the attacker thenecessity of charging through heavy fire and badterrain to hope he can flank the defender-theonly way to win. What we suggest to rem edy allthis is to allow the anacker to set-up second-after the Japanese. Th is is a small advan tageseemingly, but we think it essential. Would beinterested in other thoughts on this.

lim BurnettClinton. Tenmssec

I usually place my machineguns ourside theh k r wlvn d&nding, regardless of ~ n o n al it ybeing played, s o have seen how awesome rheJapanesemnbe I'vefond them more than once.and won only rhrough a ra re d i n a r i o n of

Wire, Gully. Marsh an d Sfream cards-pinningrhem while my ow nf ing rw p moved through rhcGullys to optimum range. In any ca se, your sug -gesred change se em rhe mosr elegant solutionro rhe imbalance. I heartily recommend im-plemem'ng it in allfWure playings of Scenario 0

Dear Sir:

ome of the older, established g am u are be-ing neglected in The GENERAL. I realize youhave to rely on material submitted, and surelythe pattern is to publicize and introduce m wgames. OK. But some of us have 20+ AvalonHill games. enjoy four or five. and only imeand opponents to play two or three. We'd liketo sec more articles on the best old om s. and afew could revive inte mt in the others. For ex-ample, THIRD REICH. one of your best (espPBM) games hasn't had an article for ages, andthe Emerald City game was stopped om-third ofthe way through. Surely you should finish whatyou've started at least.

I penonally believe Avalon Hill has expandedwell (if widely) but should consolidate b efore itspreads itself too thin and its reputation suffers.Getting back to the point. it shouldn't be hardtom n m he known experts in the various gamesa d sk them to write with an offer of suitablecompensation. At present. the games I play arelimited and I haven't even re d one-half the rulesof COD, let alone any of GI or UP FRONT(which I am now o rdering). Help me feel lessfoolish (and compulsive) by following up thesegames with mic le s on strategy. series replays,even an open panel for reader suggestions, rulechanges, and background information.

Now all that w as meant t o be constructive. and1hope you take it as such. Actu ally, your m aga-zine is extremely welcome (even if two monthslate ovw her e) and very valuable. As an example.in 3R recently I was attacking Paris 2-1 across

b

Letters to the Editor . . .

b

the river with four panzer corps in exploitationand had intercepted intervening French air withfour of my wings. The die roll modifiers led toa tie, so I lost my four and he had one air unitleft. He then sought to add it to the Parisdefenders to make the anack only 1-1. AHAI remembered a recent rule change and locatedit in a GENERAL Q&A section I photocopied tokeep with the game. The attack on Paris went

through at 2-1 and was a D-Elim (which wouldhave been a A-Elim at 1-1 odds). The point ofall this is that reading your magazine can anddocs help us become b etter gamers. I and manyother happy gamers thank yuu all for makinggaming s o enjoyable. We hope that you will notforget those who have bought your games. Weare counting on The GENERAL continuing tosupport these.

Chris ReeveTewantin, Australia

Mr. Reeve rml vr ov erm sse s his point, but in-deed we a re dependcnr upon submissions to fillthese page:. In point a f m hav e solicited (even,perhaps , badgered?) anicles on popula r gamesfmm thos e "upens " I 've m t and have an ap-preciation of-."run0 Sinigag lio, Mark Nixon.

BobBeyma. J im Bumen. M ch gh li n, Medrow.Mishcon. a s well as rhe game designers/developers in rhese hallowed halls themelves.

This is especially true concerning the oldergames: even with a c mc io us efi r t to f indsuirablr--even marginally acceprabk-morerial.it is a struggle. These gentlemen have, a s do weall, a limited amount of rime ro seize from thereal world of rheir professions an d~ hm ili eso de-wr e ro rhis hobby no matter how fascinating. Acase in point, due ro a serious illness and rhefamily an d professional disruption it entailed.Mr. Nightingale has yer to complete the nexr in-stallment in his series on rhe 3R game at theEC C& GC (last seen in Vol. 1 9, No. 2). I've neverhad any doubr bur rhar l 3 e GENERAL is a wcl-corned and usefui oddition for the serious gamer.And there is much more rhar we would like ro dowithin rhese pages. Bur, the realities of the situ-arion impinge and we simply do the best we can.

Dear Rex:

My compliments to the editorial staff of TheGENERAL for the fine issue featuring UPFRONT(Vol. 21, No. 1). AsaSQUADLEAD ERenthusiast, I particularly enjoyed PatrickCallahan's "The Men Behind the Cardboard"and Mark Ninon's "Anvil o f My Eye". Thecompletion of Mr. Nixon's detalled analysis ofthe rem nin g scenarios fromG. I. was well won hthe wait. The article by Mr. callahan reminds usall that we ought not "glory in war, but in thosewho went to war." The price paid by those whoserved in the conflicts simulalcd by c ar cardboardand paper was higher than we can imagineregardless of the realism of the rules.

I wo uld li ke to c o r n one error that appearsin Mr. Callahan's article. He refers to the th

Division's anack on Aachen as "the bu cke o fblood". According lo Cecil B. Curry 's excellentvolume on the battle of the Hurtgen Forest(Follow Me and Die: hc Desfrucrian of anAmerican Division in W orld War 11, 1984: Steinand Day). this title was actually applied to the

28th Division. As an activated National GuardDivision from Pennsylvania, the 28th wore thered Keystone emblem for recognition. TheGer-man soldierscame o call the division (hc blun'gerelmer ("bloodv bucket"). not onlv for the ~ a t c hworn but also for Ihc in&ity wilhwhich th Isfought.

To underscore Mr. Callahan's attempt to put"flesh and blood" in our cardboard counters.several statistics should be citcd. The ister regi-ment to the 112th. the 109th suffered a casualtyrate exceeding 50% in its anack on Germeter.O f t he 10 9th ' ~ taff officers, only one remainedfit for duty following the banle from the 1st Bat-talion. Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion re-ported only four officers and 47 men available;this from a normal complement of 193 men andofficers

Thcodorc BleckCanandaigua. New York

To the Editor.

As you may know. the Soviet leadership madeit a point to downplay our rememberance ofD-Day. According to them, o ur role in the warhad no bearing o n the outcome on the RussianFront. In response, I would like to suggest a var-iant for THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. This vari-ant would reflect a 100% German effort against

the Russians. untroubled bv the threat of anotherfmnt. I would also hop such a variant would takeinto account the absence of strategic bombing ofthe heavy German industry. Then let us in thishobby explore how the ou tcome on the RussianFront would have been affected had the West norbrought about the greatest invasion in history.

I believe such a variant would create great in-terest among the readership of The GENERAL,if not among the Soviets.

Robert PeddieWickliffe. Kentucky

ntor ' s one of the things I so like about rhishobby. It provides a scholarly an d rekuin gm a n ne r of e xp lo ri ng r h e ~ c i n a t i n g w ha r ifbyun ys of hisrory without mere rhetor ic rakingover.

Mr. Martin:Enclosed in this env el op is a scenario of my

own esign to be used with the SQUAD LEADERsystem. I believe it to be both well-balanced andof a high de gree of playability, two factors whichI think are very important in a wargame. I havesent it to be considered for printing in a fonh -coming issue of your magazine, The GENERAL.If you do print it. I would appreciate notifica-tion stating so; and if you don't, I have encloseda stamped. self-addressed envelop for its reNrn.Thank you for your attention.

Tony AmenYellow Springs, Ohio

I have printed Mr. Am en's submission letternot because it is unique, bu r because we receivea &Zen simi lar in conrent each week. Literallyhun dnd r of SL scenarios pour rhmugh ou roflccs yearly. But I wished to use his letter asa vehicle to inform would-be aur ho n ro delayfun her scenario submi ssim . Once ADVANCEDSQUAD LEADER has been released atORIGINS, all urther sce narios printed in thesepages m ust conform to the rules and sys tem ofrhar game. 7he new maps, new counters. newscenario formar, and many new rules will bestandard. Since thar is the case. I've more rhanenough marerial to handle the rcquiremenrs overrhe ne n ew issues. All orhers a m being refumedro their authors, wirh a requesr thar they awairrhe release of ASL and rework the sce nario forsubmission following rhar auspicious date. Toavoid unnecessary expense, readers hoping tosubmit scenarios are advised to awair release ofASL l rharpoim. wc '11again be more than gladro r ev ie w a l l s c e ~ r i oubmissions.

ear Mr. Martin:

I recently received a copy of FREDERICKTHE GREATas a gift . I was so p l e a d with the

game that I proudly showed it to my neighbo r,a German Army officer. He was qui tei n t e d , b u t very surprised at the subli t le : The

Cam pig ns of the Soldier-King". He toldme thatit was the fatherof Frederick the Great. FrederickWilliam n, who was known a s the Soldier-King.no' Frederick himself. I have checked and myneigbbor is correct. My faith in Avalon Hill hasbeen shaken

John PitzerMcLean. Virginia

In Fuller's Military History of the WesternWorld. Frederick the Great is indeed awardedrhe sobriquer "The Soldier-King ': However, anum ber of w orks (such a s Frederick the Great'sArmy by Searon and The Army of Frederick theGreat by Dufi) make no such reference toFrederick Wilhelm, gmndron of the Grear Elen orand King of Pruss ia (1713-17401, nor to hisfamous son eirher. I su sp m rhar, given FrederickWilhelm s personality and interesrs, the term

docs inde ed apply to him bur can ind M corroboration. In any case uch colo~l-if less rhaaccurate-sub~irles app ear on many games in rhhobby. No reason for yourfoith to be shakensince the matter seems open to debate eveamon g the expens. Indeed. I would believe rhathe Kings of Pm si a so named could have careless over whar rhey were to be la ter called.

Dear Mr. Martin:

One thing that got me mad in the laGENERAL (Vol. 2 1, No. I) was a letter statin

that the quality of the magazine had gone dowin recent issues and complaining about the articlavailable. If lhey don't like , that's just too dambad. Rather than offer suggestions, or contribute to the article mlx. they simply complaln andeman d. And threaten. They reflect that anlNdso prevalent in the hobby these days. Let themcancel their subscriptions.

Mike HagenSanta Rosa. California

Dear Mr. Martin:

Thank you for your letter of 25 Octoberreturned herein is the signed undertaking formas requested.

I note what you say concerning the popularityof FLA lTO P (or rather, lack of it) and it is rathesurprising that a game which stood in your toten rankings only some two years ago shoul

have its appeal fade soquickly. I believe the twmain reasons for this are: I) there are only fouscenarios provided for the game; and 2) it haan extremely large mapboard which, with itassociated charts, requires a very large area (aleast by British standards) to set i t up. FU7 TOsuffers by comparison with. say, SQUALEADER in today's "instant" wargamingsociety. Gam es such as SL and its gamettes provide a tremendo us variety of scenarios, ensuring that players are not con stantly re-fighting olbattles; and lhey can be played in a relativelysmall playing area with immediate "action"ensuing.

However, fashions and fads are constantlchanging and changing and I am s ure it is jusa matter of time before gam ers will want a breafrom SL and what-all. Then they w ill be lookinaround f or old favorites to play. I'm convincedthat FLATTOP is still the most "intense" anrealistic game that I've played, and that its timwill come again. If you agree with all this. the

it might be that by publishing scenarios on gamesuch as FLATTOP, you could be moving somway towards assisting in the "renaissance" owargaming.

David PayneBurgess Hill, Great Britain

o nor be misled by any game's appearancon o ur "So &r's What You 've Been Playinglisting. W argaming, like so many orher pursuitthese days, seems ro have entered a cycle o*W ;ew games which may begrearly playe

for awhile go ro the shelf within a couple omonths in fa wr of rhe newest magazine game ofanrasy advenrure module. This is true of everhe best and mosr innowrive releases, ones rhawill demand years o fplay before one con claimcompetency in competition. Long brfoe rhese arunderstood (and perhaps rheir unique qualiriecontribute ro rhe gamer ruming ro the morfamiliar conceprs, simply dressed in new colorsthe game disappe ars fm m ou r listing. Some indee d do deserve ro: oth ers are classics-if bugiven enough play to realize it. Those gamewhich app ear on numerous lisrs ar e those abto weather this fickle attirude among gamenToo, you musr realize thar the rop listings of ouregular "popularity contest" ar e grearly aff'eby whar has been recently featured in thespages. And its been some time since anyhi ng h

appeared in prinr on FLAlTOP.So. do not udge any game's wlue by irs sh ow

ing in the "Top Twenty . Ifanyhing, FLAlTOhas condnued ro show some entrenched supposince it does show upf mm rime ro rime. I hardconsider SL an "instanr" game and doubt rhgamers will wanr a break , notably s o wirh rhimpending release of ASL. But I do agree rhmore scenarios in ou r pages for any game wiincrease its appea l. The diflculty lies in receiving them. finding time to tesr rhem, and henfinding the space ro prinr those thar seem suitableCenainly. Mr. Payne 's scenario for FLATTOis the type har makes ir all wonhwhile.

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


RUSSIAN CAMWIGN

Q Is rail ownership determ~ned eJi~rror uftrrsecond impulse combat'?A. After all second impulse combat is finished.

Rule 4 4 1s misleading

Q If the Axis captures both Moscow and Lenin-grad and the Russians have no ZOC along therail line from Moscow to hex K2 to Leningrad,does the Axis gain control of t h ~ sail line all theway to KZ?A. Yes

Q Must you enter a clty that you control to gaincontrol of its rail capacity?A No. if you control the city and it 1s out ofenemy ZOC at the end of your turn then youautomatically control its rail lines. This is theonly case in which your rail head can move intoa hex that you never actually entered.

Q Assuming no unlts Intervene. what happensto a stretch of rail line that is between two Axiscities and. at the same time, between two Rus-slan citles?A. At the end of the AXISurn 11becomes AXIS.and at the end of the Russian turn 11becomes Rus-sian. In effect. this means that neither side canuse the stretch for rail movement (lt 1s always

enemy-controlled during the movement phases).but both sides can use it for supply.

Q If a unit lnvades during MARIAPR. whendoes it have to trace supply again?

A. At the end of 11sMAYiJUN turn. The unitis automatically supplied on the turn it invades.but ~tmust trace supply normally on its side'snext turn.

Q Can the Russlan player put a worker in a cityon the same movementphase that he captures that

city"A. No. Russian workers must be placed in cities(In Russla) that were under Russian control at thestart of the current Russlan turn.

Q If the AXISplayer cannot make a PanzerGrenadier substitut~onn the scheduled turn, canhe make it later (when he gets an infantry unitof the proper type)?A. No. If the subst~tutions not made on sched-ule. it 1s lost.

Q Can an attacking unit in a woods hex retreat?If the attacker wants it to?A. No A unit that attacks or defends while ina woods hex cannot retreat.

PANZERKRIEG

Q May units stacked together retreat to differ-ent hexes?A Yes.

Q Rule 10.1 states that for a unit to be in Com-mand Control it "must be located within sevenhexes of a friendly headquarters unit." May thispath be traced through impassable terrain suchas all-sea hexes or across major rivers.?A. Yes.

Q Is Weather checked at the beg~nn~ngf thefirst turn of each scenario?A. Yes.

Q May reinforcing units be voluntarily de-ployed?A Yes.

Q May Tank and Panzer Armies be moved be-fore they are comb~ned r broken down?A. Yes.

Q May the additional combat unit allowed tostack In a bridgehead add its combat strength lntoattacks from or the defense of the bridgehead

hex?A. No.

Q May out of supply units construct fortifi-cations?A. Yes.

Q Do fortifications built In woods' hexes re-double the defenders' already doubled defensestrength?A. Fortifications may not be const~cted n

woods: amend 18.1Q May fortifications be destroyed at any timevoluntarily by the owning player? Must friendlycombat units be present lo destroy the fortifi-

cation?A. Fortifications may be voluntarily destroyedduring any phase of the owning player. and nounits need be present.

Q May Panzer Corps or Tank Armies be sea-transported? May airiields be sea-transported:air

units?A. No. Yes: no. Amend 20.4.

Q May a unit to be ra~lroad-movedbegin itsturn on a friendly RR hex that is in an enemyzone of control?A No.

Q It there a llmit on the number of units whichcan utilize rail movement in a turn?A No.

Q May units entering as reinforcements use rail

movement on the turn of arrival?A. Yes.

Q By rule 10.21. "Reserves may cross majorrlvers only at bridges or bridgeheads." Howabout at rlver crossings?A. No.

PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN 18.00The Battle of Smolensk July 1941

PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIANhas long AH development. Game Length, even at thebeen accorded the status of a "classic" in hlghest level of competition, is but fourthe wargaming hobby. and thls perception hours. perfect for an evening's enjoyment.shows through in the readership-generated Certainly, among the AH "remakes" PAN

rating for the game. The Overall Rating ZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN is foremost. It

would have placed it 25th on our listing-if remains as much a "classic" today as it wasenough responses had been received. It years ago.would seem that the strengths that charac- The complete ratings for PANZER

terized it a decade ago remain strong in our GRUPPE GUDERIAN are as follows:version.

As Mr. Robinette points out in h ~ sead Overall Value: 3.33article, as the Serles Replay highlights. and ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t.41as these ratings support. PGG IS highly play-able, with a Completeness of Rules value

Map: 2'.93

that 1s enviable in these days of complex Counters: 2.94simulations. Yet there is a depth to the play Player's Aids: 3.66that many have overlooked despite its complexity: 3.10moderate Complexity level. The unique fea-tures of the game remain as intriguing to- COm~letenessf 82

day as yesterday. Drawing on several years Playability: 1.95of experience with the game and the thou- ~ ~ ~ i t ~ ~ ~ ~ t.73sands of words that have been printed aboutit (an appendix to the rulebook lists the best 'lay 2.86

articles that have appeared in the hobby press Authenticity: 3.49on PGG to date), the AH development team Game Lengthwas able to clean up the few ambiguities thatdid exist. The play balance and excitement

Shortest: 2 hrs . 55 mins.

of the design has been retained. both ratings Longest: 3 hrs . 54 m h s .being well above the average for the RBG. Year: 1983And the components show the usual solid Sample Base: 3

P

AH RBG RATING CHARTSThe following games are ranked by their reader-generatedoverall Valuerating. Further aspects of reader response to our titles are indicatedby the ratings in other categories. By breaking down a game s ratingsinto these individual categories, the gamer is able to discern for him-self where the title s strengths and weaknesses lie in the qualities hevalues highly. Readers are reminded that the Game Length categoriesare measured in multiples of ten minutes (thus, a rating of 18 equatesto three hours).

WARGAME RBG

9 1.22 4.52 l6.% 22.36 I977 42014. CAE 2.85 3.01 4 2.32 2.89 2.52 25.14 32.57 1976 25215. SON 2.92 3.03 10 3.72 4.09 1.92 29.50 81.78 1981 123

1%SOA 2.97 2.79 3 2.73 2.41 3.88 18.22 22.57 1981 237

37. TR 3.80 3.76 3 3.33 3.60 3.70 9 25.79 1980 7238. WAT 3.83 4.17 2 2.95 2.64 5.W 17.08 23.13 I%2 2%39. NP 3.87 3.29 3 3.27 2.56 4.89 9.69 14.40 1978 15940. AK 3.92 4.38 2 3.30 2.48 5.09 14.49 19.13 1964 492

45. PAA 4.17 4.24 5 3.79 3.99 3.70 15.51 25.24 1981 14446 DD 4.22 4.07 2 3.04 2.88 4.64 17.54 26.25 1977 367

-9 3.80 4 3.35 3.52 4.67 14.76 24.% 1%1 140rL 9 4.29 2 2.88 2.75 5.83 20.57 28.85 1%3 320

4.79 3.49 4 3 75 4 0 16.27 26.95 1972 244

4 73 4.16 7 3 77 5 2 10.43 41.44 1%525 .29 1%) :

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


With a Napoleonic theme, Vol. 21,No. 2 wassure to be a crowd-pleaser (at least among war-garners). Indeed, the overall rating (3.07) as alsoan editor-pleaser. Andrew Blauvelt's comprehen-sive Test of Arms not surprisingly took the topslot among the individual article ratings.However, equally fine articles on WAR PEACEand BATTLE FOR ITALY made their mark in theminds of the readership too. Ratings for all thearticles in Vol. 21,No. 2 are as follows:

TEST OF ARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279

EMPEROR AT WAR . . . . . . . . .218ACTION AT ARCOLA . . . . . . . . . . . . ,176SPAIN FOR THE SPANISH . . . . . . . . . . .I27THECORSICAN FACTOR . . . . . . . . . . . 91THE 1776 EXPERIENCE . . . . . . . . 85SQUAD LEADER CLINIC . . . . 50KEEPING THE REPUBLIC FREE . . . . . . . . 48FORCE MARCH TO VICTORY . . . . 42THE LOWLANDS GAMBIT . . . 30BYTHEBOOK 25AH PHILOSOPHY . . . . . . . . . . . 17THE COMPLEAT DIPLOMAT. . . . 12

The Avalon Hill Game Company is looking forqualified gamemasters to run tournaments usingour games at the upcoming ORIGINS conventionin Baltimore, June 27-30 985.Each GM wil l be

solely responsible for paying event fees, fillingout event forms w it h the convention sponsors,and providing any promised prizes. However,each GM wil l receive all entry fees from the con-vention organizers after the event has beenstaged, as well as free admission and merchan-dise certificates for use as prizes from AH. In-terested parties should wri te both t o The AvalonHill Game Company fo r official sanction (to avoidduplication) and t o ORIGINS '85,P.O. Box 139,Middletown, NJ07748, or the necessary forms.

With attention at AH already turning toORIGINS '85, t is inevitable that some new pro-motions will be unveiled. The first mentionedshould be of interest t o all. The Avalon Hill GameCompany is reactivating the Elite Club. Long-time

readers may remember the original offer, whi chwas featured fo r several years; in essence, a dis-count was presented to our best customers. Thistime, instead of of fering $1.00 off each game,we will be giving a flat 10 off and it will applyto all items-games, parts, magazines, specialpublications, everything. New tickets are beingprinted now, and will carry coupons good throughAugust 1989. By simply attaching one suchticket to his order, a customer can obtain the 10discount applied to his entire purchase. To jointhe Elite Club, a minimum one-time purchase of$90.00 will be required. The purchase can bemade at any time, even at the ORIGINS booth.Indeed, ORIGINS wil l see the kick-off of this latestbargain.

Progress continues slow but sure in the on-going Postal AREA Championships. In theAFRIKA KORPS competition, the field has finallybeen narrowed down to three finalists: FrankPreissle, Joseph Beard and David Kopp. InWATERLOO Kevin McCarthy has qualified forthe finals but is awaiting the outcome of the PeterLandry-James Naughton match. In BATTLE OFTHEBULGE Joe Drummond and Claude Todorofare still battling it out for the last pass into thefinals where Don Burdick, Jeff Power, FrankPeterson and Alan Dudderand are already en-gaged. In the STALINGRAD contest, David Kopp,Bill Armstrong, Frank Preissle and Gregory Smithare in a close four -way battle, having eliminatedStuart Martin from the finals. RUSSIAN CAM-PAIGN has also entered the final round with

Robert Jones, Ed Mineman, Pat Flory, Bill

Salvatore and Robert Shurdut all st ill i n conten-tion. D-DAY that fifty-turn monster, is apparentlydragging out t o the end wi th Frank Preissle andKevin McCarthy fighting it out for the final slotagainst Don Burdick. InANZIO Tom Oleson ando vid Downing are battli ng it out for the crown.The PANZERBLITZ tournament ended some timeago with Bruce Remsburg triumphant and readyto defend his crow n against all comers. Anyonewishing t o challenge Bruce for this championshipshould forward his formal request to DonGreenwood in care of The Avalon Hill GameCompany.

It gives me great pleasure to announce thatKathy Byrne has accepted the posit ion of GeneralEditor of Diplomacy World the premier periodi-cal on the DIPLOMACY hobby. Ms. Byrne comesto her new post after outstanding service asCo-Director of the US Orphan Game Service andas Boardman Number Custodian.

After a too-long hiatus, Charles Vasey's rer-fidious Albion returns to a regular and timelyschedule. For many years, this English publica-tion provided a literate, wi tt y and thought-provoking look at the hobby for its devoted-and occasionally outraged-readership. Over-looking no subject dealing wi th wargaming, Per-fidious Albion again gives game reviews, industrygossip, hobby personalities, developments, andgeneral what-not. Of particular interest to us herewere recent reviews that included surveys of UPFRONTand Victory Games' Nato and Civil War.Mr. Vasey is once more in top form, at times wit ha touch of acerbity, often wi th tongue firmlyplanted in h is very British cheek. Not everyone'scup of tea, but always insightful, PerfidiousAlbion may be obtained by contacting Mr. Vasey

at 14Osprey Gardens, Selsdon, Surrey CR2 8TB.Last reported price for an issue was 6 p Britishand $1.07 or American orders.

Ornni Magazine has, for a number of years,announced its twenty best games in theDecember issue. Although the selection processis not explained, and some of the games lookmore like toys, the l ist does reach millions ofreaders around the world and selection to it is anacknowledged honor. The Avalon Hill GameCompany has reason to be proud this year, fortwo of our games were listed. For the best role-playing game on the market, the editors gave thenod to RUNEQUEST chosen over the likes ofJames Bond and Star Trek. Among the manypleasing features of RUNEQUEST mentioned,

special stress was given to the new rulebooks,which makes the game more accessible to first-time players . Among trivia games, Ornnichose

our TRIVIA. t seems that the basis for eliminat-ing others was the quality of questions and theunique and playable system found in TRIVIA.Now, if Omni just had a category for best war-game. . .

Once again, the opening for nominations forthe Rod Walker Aw ard for Literary Excellence inthe DIPLOMACY hobby has been announced byLarry Peery. Nominations are accepted in fourcategories: fiction, strategy and tactics, hobbyoriented, and special. In each category, the bestarticle on the game is being sought. For the 1985award process, four new members for the nomi-

nation board have been announced; Steve

Knight, Bill Quinn, Paul Rauterberg and MarkBerch (last year's recipient) join the five thaselected the nominees that were, i n turn, votedupon by the hundreds of readers of theDIPLOMACY hobby press. This year too, it wasrevealed, the nomination process has beenopened to the hobby at large. Those among thereadership of The GENERAL who may wish tocontribu te a nominee should contact Rex Mart inby post. Such should include the article beingnominated (periodical, date, page numbers-aphotocopy of the article if possible) and the nameof the author. These will be passed along to thesecretary of the nominating committee, LarryPeery.

The challenge of Contest 120 dealt wit h theonboard arrival of the French Army in HUNDREDDAYS BATTLES; by its appearance in our SoThat's What You've Been Playing list this issueand the number of responses, the challenge wastaken up by many readers. Even though minorvariations in organization occurred (primarily theswitching of Mouton and Drouot), the ten win-ners duplicated our solution in all important particulars. The following are awarded amerchandise credit voucher from The Avalon HilGame Company: David Brown, San Gabriel, CA;William Davis, Denver, CO; John Grant Jr.,Stamford, CT; Kevin Heagerty, Ossing, NY; DavidHricisak, Charleroi, PA; Bill Large, Gettysburg,PA; R.B. Roberts, Clarksburg, NJ; Lloyd Sadler,Salt Lake City, UT; Bruce St. Dennis, Granger,UT; and Michael Seibert, Lancaster, PA.

Contest 121 brought a relatively simplechallenge to our readership-a straight forwardcalculation of who would win the game oNAVAL WAR depicted. To win on the expectednumber of correct answers, the card played bySouth (if allowed to play) was asked for also.

The calculation of the winner of the game isobvious. Given the number of points at the be-ginning of the hand, and those of the shipsalready sunk, a t the point shown in the contest,

North has amassed 99 points, South 100,Wes98, nd East 90.To insure a victory for the Southyou only need to guarantee that the North playesinks no further ships; or, if he does, that you sinkone of equal value. Luckily, this is assured.

South will draw tw o of the three cards remaining to be played. By careful count of the shipsshown still in play and those in he Deep Six pileof the players, it is apparent that one of the Ad-ditional Ship cards remain undrawn (since thesemust be played immediately in lieu of a normaplay if drawn). If the North player draws this cardthe game is over and South has won. If howeverhe should draw any other card (since this is theonly red card that is certain in the remainingdeck), it is possible for him to sink the Mississippi. Since there are no cards that allow even

four hits for the gun calibres show n on his fleet,it is not possible for him to send the MissourioRodney down. Thus, you must either protect thecrippled Mississippi or sink his Scharnhorst.

Should you draw the Additiona l Ship cardstill lurking in the deck first, he will certainly sinkthe Mississippi. In turn, you play the 16 Salvocard to send do wn the Scharnhorst.Should youdraw any black card, you may either play theSmoke to protect your cripple, or fire and pu

down the Scharnhorst to end the suspense. Sincefiring on the enemy guarantees he win, obviouslythis is the preferred next card played. Shouldeither player draw the extra Additiona lDamage card, the results are the same. Thus,the final score will either be North 99 points andSouth 100, r North 104 and South 105. n eithe

case, South has won the game.

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


8/12/2019 Vol21i4


The GENERAL

oardgameClassic now available on the I BM PCComputer Diplomacy i s the computer version of the classic

boardgame of persuasion, compromise a n d betrayal . Against abackdrop of Imperial Europe, Computer Diplomacy u s es aminimum of g am e mechanics a n d a maximum of intimidation(and back stabbing) to c r e a t e a g am e of exciting internationalintrigue w h er e e a c h player t r ies to a r r an g e the deals an dall iances that will lead him to ult imate victory. T h e result is ag am e of p u r e diplomacy, a b a l an ce between the t rus t needed todeal a n d the prof i table s t a b in the back that l eav es the bet r ayerfriendless.

The player is free to scroll the map. Flags of a power within a provinceProvinces and seas are shown by signifies control. Symbolsthree letter codes. Supply centers indicate a fleet H or army @).are marked by crosses I@ .

But now there is Computer Diplomacy w h e r e six o r lessp layer s c a n compete an d the computer resolves the moves of theo ther nations. Admittedly the computer isn't a l w ay s a s deviousa s a human, but it is t r eacherous enough to m ak e play vastlymore enjoyable for six o r less players. In fact , it's fun for asingle player to take one nation a n d try to conquer the m a p(though this cer tainly cannot be termed diplomacy ).

Of course, Computer Diplomacy also h a s all of the ameni t ieyou expect in a computer game: a detai led scrolling m a p thadisplays the location a n d type of all units, var ious s ta tus repor t sa n d even a built-in clock that t imes e a c h diplomacy period .T h e computer a lso t ak es ca r e of g am e mechanics : you simplyenter your moves a n d the computer swiftly resolves all conflicts

prompts you when to take the action a n d explains why a movefailed.

So, if Diplomacy is a classic, w h a t is Computer Diplomacy?

We'll be humble a n d just say it's still a classic ut not justfor seven anymore.

Computer DiplomacyQ is available on diskette for yourIBMQ PC with 256K memory a t $50.00. Also compatible withCompa'q PortableQ an d Chameleon Plus@computers ."Trademark of Int. Business Machines. Compaq Computer Corp. and Seequa ComputerCorp.

For year s , the board g am e version of Diplomacy h a s beenregarded a s a t r u e classic in the world of gaming. Even profes-sional diplomats, including no less a celebrity t h an HenryKissinger, h av e enjoyed its accu r acy a n d intensity. However ,

microcomputer gamesA DIVISION OF

for it h a s also been noticed that the g am e h a d one flaw: by

f a r the best version of the g am e required seven players, a The Avalon Hill Game Compansometimes hard-to-get number. -4517 Harford Road Balt imore. Maryland ( 301 ) 254-9200

THESE GAMES AREALSO AVAILABLEFOR THE L W PC

as w e l l as f o ro t h e r m i c r o c o m p u t e rs ys te m s . ~ v a i l a b l e tf in e c o m p u t er a n dh o b b y s t o r e s, o rca l l t o l l -f r ee :

800)638-9292 f o r

m o r e i n f o .

8/12/2019 Vol21i4


The GENERAL

CONQUIST DOR 18.00TheGame of the Age of Exploration

INSTRUCTIONS:

Rate each category by placing a numberranging rom 1 hrough 9 n he appropriate

apace t o he right (1 equating excellent ;5. averase : 9. terrible ). EXCEPTION:ate item; 7 and 7b in erms of minutes

necessary t o play the game, in en-minuteincrements. (Example: If you've found it

takes t w o and a half hours o play the basic

scenario of FRANCE 1940, enter 5 forcategory 7s.) For an explanation of thecategories. refer t o the AH Philosophy ofVol. 19. No. 4. Sub-categories are ndicatedby italics. Enter ratings only for those

cstegoriea relevant o the game in question.Note that AH'S rating. for Compkxity andY u r of PuMi.hln l have been provided; donot rate these categories.

1. Ovemw V a lw

2. Comporwma

2.3. Mapboard

2b. Counters

2c. Player's Aids

3. Compkxlty

3.3. Complexity

4. Cornploternas of Rubs

. PIayaMUty

5s. Excitement Level

, 56. P h y Bslsnce

, 6. A u t M *

' 7. Qanul.n(fh

, 7a. Basic/Shonest

76. AdvencedAongest

8. Y u r of Publlcatlon

Opponent Wanted1. Want-& wi l l be se pcd nly whenprintedon bii forma a W i l e nd mustbe secanp.n*d

by a 50E token fee. No refulds. Paymentmay be ma in uounallcd U.S. postage stamps.2. ForWe, Tndc.aWtuW To Buy ad will be .mptedonly when dealingwith ~Lls tor 'stems

(TheAvdw Hill Gunc Compny's out of print games and rc pcwmpnniedby a$1.00 token fa.

No rchds.3. Insencopy w lina pmvided (25 words nuximum) and print name, ddress nd phone number on

the .ppmpr*tcI m.

4. Please PRINT. If your s illegible. it will not be printed.5. So that m many ad .s possible can be printedwitbin our limitedspace, we rcqtcst that you usc

officialstateand gm abb~~viations.ont l i s t your entirecollection. list only thoseyou rc mostinterested in outing opponents f a .

Afrika Korpf-AK, Air Force-AF, Aluudrr-AL, Alpha Omega-AO. mobu Wm-AW,Anio-AZ. Anb-Israeli Wm-AIW, Assault On Crete-AOC. B i k - B I S . Blitzkrcig-BL.

Battle Of The Bulge-BE, Bull Run-BR, Clear Alesia--CAE, C m ' s Legions-CL.Chancellorsville-CH. Circus Maximus-CM, Civilization-CIV. Conquistador-CON.

C m f Iron-COI, C I C S C C ~ ~ ~f Doom-COD, Durrulus-DL. D-Day-DD. Diplomry-DIP.Down With T k King-DWTK. Dragonhunt-DH. Firepow-FP, Flu Top-ST. Fortrecs~ump.--FE. F -FR. ~rrderickthe &t-FRED. ~ r c c ~ mn the ~hy-FIX.

Fury In Tbc West-FITW, Octtysburg--OE. G.I.: Anvil of Victory-GI. GI.dutor-GL.uns Of August--GOA. Gunslinger--GSL, Hitler's War-HW, lutlud-JU. Kiogrmlm-KM,

Legendof Robin Hood-LRH, The Loagest Day-TLD. Liale Round TopLRT. Luthvaffe-LW,MrhirveUi-MA. Magic Rulm--MR. Midway-MD. N.pdccn-NP. Napohn Bay-NAB,

Naval War-NW, Origins-OR: Outdoor Survival-0s. PanzerArmee Afrika-PAA,PawAlh~-pB, RmaOruppcG wPOO m - P K , W - P L , Railb R B .

Richthofen's War-RW. The R u s h Cunpign-TRC, S q d Ludcr-SL. Stdingrad-STAL,Stuship Tmapem SST. Storm Over Amhem-SOA, Srmgglcof Nations-SON. Submarine-SUB.T II-TAC, Third Rcicb-3R. Tim-IT. Tobnk-TB, Trircmc-TR,Up Fm-UF, i

In k Pafihe--WTP. War and Pcre--W&P. War At Sea-WAS, Waterloo--WAT, i sQws-WQ. Wooden Ship & Imn Men-WSIM.

W H N HAVE YOU BEENPLAYING?

Top ten lists are seemingly always in vogue these days. Whether thesubject is books on the Best Seller List, television s Nielsen ratings, oreven games, the public never seemsto tire of seeing how their individual

favorites stack up numerically against the competition. Our preoccupa-tion with this national pastime is almost akin to rooting the home teamon to victory every Sunday. So to further cater to your whims (and tosatisfy our own curiosity)weunveil The GENERAL.s version of the gamer sTOP TEN.

We won t ask you to ojbectively rate any game. That sort of thing isalreadydone in thesepages and elsewhere. Instead,we ask that you merelylist th hree (or lessjghes which you ve spent the most time with since

vou received vour last issueof The GENERAL. With this we can generate;onsensuslist of what s being bought. The degreeof correlation-betweenthe Best Selling Lists and the Most Played List should prove interesting.

Feel free to list any game regardless of manufacturer. There will be abuilt-in bias to the survey because you all play our games to some extentbut it should be no more prevalent than similar projects undertaken byother magazines with a special interest-based circulation. The amount towhich this bias affects the final outcome will be left to the individual sdiscretion.

The games I ve spent themost time playing during the past two monthsare:

CONTEST I22To enter the PANZERGRUPPE CUDERIANontest, merely answer the fol-lowing.

The number of German die rolls required for Vyazma to fall:

12th Panzer:

h Panzer:

20th Motorized:

Issue r a whuk . . Rmb from 1 lo 10, with I qualing rxrclknl. 10 cqu.lin~ Icrribkl

Ik*r 3 A n k h

NAME PHONE

ADDRESS I A M ~ - .Al)l)Rb44

CrI Y STATE IP ms T A T E LP

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VICTORY INSIDER

Turning Words Into Games Part TwoThe Lineup

SE AD comprises half of Victory Games. In editorial, we haveRob ert J. Ryer, wh o has been in the business for over seven yearsand is frequently sane, despite his time on the fro nt line; MichaelE. Moo re, a five-year veteran and beginning to sh ow battle scars;and Paul M. Murphy, th e new kid in the company, unscarred yet,but tak ing cohesion hits already. In a rt, w e have Ted Koller, a six-year veteran of the bo ards wh o has yet to play on e of our games;

Rosaria Baldari , our recent addition to the art of boardw ork (shestil l doesn't know what we do); and J im Talbo t, artist extra-ordinaire. Most of VG's an d TAH GC's covers have come fromJim's fecund imaginaton and talented fingers. These six areresponsible for turning the designer's ideas into professionalgames, and they often come through.

Victory Games' editorial staff is rather unu sual in ou r hobby.Th at we have an editorial staff to begin with is very rare. No t onlyare they responsible for turning out a good set of rules, theyactually become involved in developing the game as it goesthrough production. In developing the game, they seek primarilyto m ake th e game rules a s accessible as possible, which may in-volve tearing ap art the rules manuscript and reorganizing it tomake understanding the rules easier.

For example, a designer may design several Combat Results

Tables for different ways of resolving combat. T he informationmay be redundan t, and by adding ano ther column or rearrangingthe possible com bat results, several tables are combin ed into one.Occasionally, mo re drastic measures have to be undertaken withfreelance designs liminating excessive chrome, redesigningthe game system to ad d enjoyment to th e game, or reducing thegame system to its basic elements and b uilding it anew. Th e finalresult is t o have the rules read well and the g ame play well.

The editorial staff also must make the game counters andmaps both attractive and easy to use in the game. They decide inwhat order of imp ortance the bits of information are to be shownon the counters. As the num ber of bits per counter increases, theyd o numerous tests until they find the best arrangement of the in-formation. They also must decide how th e information will bepresented on the m ap ow big will the nam es of cities be; howmany charts, tables, tracks a nd displays will fit on the ma p; w hatdecorative graphics should be added to the rulebook t o increaseplayability and produce a pleasing work of art.

The basic design decisions abo ut the map s and counters aremade with the art staff. Ted Koller has been doing maps andcounters for over a hundred simulation games, and is a fon t ofknowledge about adding glitz while cutting corners. Ted , by the

way. will explain his techniq ues in a fu tur e Tales. On ceeditorial , art , a nd th e designer have agreed to th e final look of themaps a nd co unters, the type is set and the mechanicals begun.

As th e hard components ar e being done , th e editorial stafworks o n the rules. It may take several drafts before the rulecome ou t the satisfaction of the editor a nd designer. Once therules are ready, they are typeset and th en laid dow n on boardsThe final mechanicals are sent to M onarch-Avalon in Baltimore

to be printed.Thu s a game goes from th e designer's manuscript to th e fina

product you buy in the store. In the next issue of the Insider, we'lgo into more detail on the editing process of a game.

In This InsiderThis time around, w e continue with Tony C urtis' analysis of the

Viemumgame. T ony received developm ental assistance credit on thatgame , and he has put his experience to good use. T he article coversthe variety of tactical options the U S ommander has at his com-mand. T here are numerous examples that you can follow along withthe text.

For Ambush fans, we also have An Infantryman's D iary, orone gamer's impression of how his campaign went.

In the Next InsiderWhile the final mix has not been decided, we do have a slew of

articles to choose from. In the bin is another article on Vietnam(although after Tony's exhau stive analysis, we will wait at least anissue before printing it), and we expect articles on Hell s Highwayand Cold War. And with the publication of Purple Heart, the secondsupplement to Ambush, we will also publish a mission of our ow n.Why not publish it now, I hear you ask? Because it will use someof the counters and rules found in the supplement.

By the way, Purple Heart is methodically working its way throughtypesetting by the time you read this. You will be happy to knowthat it follows the tradition established in the first game of plant-

ing bogus paragraphs that are often quite hilarious. We'r e think-ing about a future column in Thrilling Tale s that will help you locateall the paragraphs, and provide so me explanation for the private jokesthat appear. We'll see.

Executive Editor: Mark Herman Victory Insid er is devoted to printing articles about the products of VictoryManaging Editor: William E. Peschel Games. Inc.The Vlctory Games Staff: All editorial and general mail should be sent to The Avalon Hill Game Company,

Mark Herman. Jerry Glichenhouse. Rosaria Baldari, Robert Kern, Gerry Klug, 4517 Harford Rd.. Baltimore. MD 21214. Subscriptions to The General are 12.00 forSusan Koch. Ted Koller. Michael E. Moore. Paul Murphy. Bob Ryer. Eric Lee Smith. one year; 18.00 for two years. Address changes must be submitted at least weeksJim Talbot. in advance to guarantee proper delivery. Paid advertising is not accepted.Project Oversight: W. Bill Articles from the public will be considered for publication at the discretion of

our Executive Editor. Articles should be typewritten, double-spaced, and written inContents Copyright GI 98 4 by Victory Games. Inc. English. There is no limit to word length. Rejected articles will be returned if submit.

ted with a stamped-self addressed envelope.

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VICTORY INSIDER 3

Hunting the Vietcong

Winning Vietnam actics

By Tony Curtis

Whenever you play a single ietnam scenario or campaign game, theU.S. player always has a nagging problem: the VC. Those inverted VCunits are really slippery and elusive. They alert out of dangerous situa-tions. They react out of areas where they could be trapped. They usestrategic movement to escape from provinces swarming with U.S . un its,or cross the border to shelters in Cambodia or Laos.

In order to catch the VC, you will have to rely .on your workhorsetactic: the search and destroy (S D). It com es in an infinite variety ofshapes and sizes. There are no pre-set numbers of ground units or sup-port levels required. The trick is to use enough force to do the job withoutoverkilling. Not using enough force is false economy at its worst be-cause the allocated units cannot be reused even though the VC get aw ay.You have to throw out all of your pre-conceived ideas about how toengage in combat. Simply moving one or two units next to a VC unitin a target hex is a waste of your time and units. Occupying the targethex alone is no guarantee of success either.

The U.S. player has to develop a methodical approach to his S Doperations. You have to remember that, unlike standard combat units,the VC can react out of harm's way efore combat. VC units are notpowerful. They will lose the fight when cornered by a U.S. player utiliz-ing sufficient force. The real trick for the U .S. player is to ensure that

the VC cannot run far enough during any round of combat.Against single VC units, I prefer to use a surround and interdict sys-tem which practically nullifies all chance of VC escape. There is a trade-off to this type of operation. It requires high numbers of ground unitsand support levels. The high chance of success makes it worth it. Thereare additional benefits to using higher force levels: higher o dds producehigher VC casualties. When amassing combat strength for the higherodds attacks, make s ure that the majority of the points are air or artillerypoints. Large numbers of ground units with little or no firepower areinherently inefficient and tend to receive more casualties than they in-flict. Check out the com bat results table. Eight strength points support-ed by 24 airla rtillery points is far more effective than 24 strength pointssupported by 8 airlartillery points.

A second advan tage is the increased pursuit bonuses genera ted by thehigher odds. VC units surviving the first round of combat have a farless chance to escape when U.S. units are able to come storming afterthem with high pursuit bonuses. These higher pursuit bonuses help fuelsubsequent rounds of combat. All unused pursuit translates into higherpositive die roll modifiers for the combat. Finally, after the VC unitsare destroyed or chased across the border, the higher pursuit bonusesgenerated aid in repositioning the operational units for future operationsor to block the retreat of VC units not yet targeted.

Part One Search DestroyThe first example shows how to catch a single VC unit even when

terrain most heavily favors VC chances for escape. Seven maneuver unitsare required. Most S D operations require fewer , usually three to five.In extreme cases where a VC unit occupies a cultivated or grasslandhex, a single U.S. battalion using + 2 interdiction will still remain onor adjacent to the VC unit on any reaction die roll except a six.

We are going to run a S D operation against a VC target unit in 1775,

a marsh on the Chuong ThienIBa Xuyen provincial border. We will

assume that the VC is a 2-1-7 battalion. The six hexes around 1775 areclear terrain, and even though a minor river hexside has to be crossedto enter 1776 and 1876, the overall movement advantage for a VC unitusing a lert movement is m ore favorable here than alm ost anywhere elseon the map. In oth er words, if you can catch the VC here , you can catchthem anywhere.

For this example, both Choung Thien and Ba Xuyen provinces arenot firmly enough under government control to withstand free-fire andnot enough under VC con trol where free-fire wouldn't m atter. So free-fire will not be used. All province captials and towns are garrisonedby misce llaneous ARVN battalions, not shown in the illustrations.

The U.S. player is the phasing player and he declares a S D missionagainst 1775 using these previously uninvolved units:

Headquarters, 9th U.S. Infantry DivisionHeadquarters, 2nd Brigade, 9th Division, plus the three organic

battalions, in second deployment

Illustration 1 1

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VICTORY INSIDER

Air Cavalry Brigade, 9th Division16th Regiment, th ARVN Division (augmented side showing)8 Air PointsPlus, a roll of 2 on the die means that 2 ranger units out of the 5 in

the pool are available.The U.S. player airmobilizes the brigade and division HQs. These

units are moved to the following hexes:16th ARVN Regiment: 1675Ranger battalion and 16th ARVN Regiment: 17763rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, th Division: 1775AR CAV Battalion, th Division: 167411

1st Battalion (Mech), 2nd Brigade, 9th Division: 1774Ranger Battalion with 1st Battalion Mechanized: 1874HQ, 2nd Brigade, 9th Division: 17742nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 9th Division: 1875HQ, th Division: 1875Fourteen points are allocated to interdiction to provide a two-point

movement penalty on the VC unit. The points are all artillery, and pro-vided as follows: 16th ARVN Regiment: 4 points; 2nd Brigade, th Di-vision: 5 points; HQ, 9th Division: 5 points (leaving 3 for combat).

The VC unit in the target hex is now in a tight position. (See Illustra-tion 1-2). If it takes alert movement, it will suffer a four-point move-ment penalty due to interdiction (two points) and exiting a hex with anenemy unit (also two points). At least three more movement points areneeded to pass through any hex surrounding target hex 1775 (one pointfor the terrain and two points for exiting a hex with an enemy units).

With the three-point bonus for exiting a swamp hex plus one point forbeing in an operation containing ARVN units, our VC unit must rollat least a four to move out of the target hex and some of the surroundinghexes. To get away entirely, a six must be rolled. Even entirely sur-rounded, a VC unit can still get away, but the chance is only one insix, and the unit will probably be forced into an unfavorable incidentalattack in the process.

Illustration 1-3: The IncidentalAttack. The VC unit rolls an alert rollof 5. Added to the four-point movement bonus (three for marsh terrainand one for ARVN units), the unit moves along a path which ends in1777. While crossing 1776, however, the U.S. player declares that anincidental attack must be performed against the ARVN ranger battalionin that hex. The initial odds are 3-to-2 in favor of the VC, with no ter-rain modifiers for cultivated terrain. The U.S. allocates four of the eightair points to assist the rangers, making final adds three to four for a

die roll modifier when the VC attacks. The VC player rolls the dieand gets a three, modified by the to a final result of two. The VCunit loses one strengthpoint (for casualty computations, the VC strengthis four: two group strength plus four U.S. air points, reduced to twofor no free-fire. Casualities are found on the 4-to-7.5 column on theattacker side). The ARVN loss is zero (ground strength two plus oneVC Artillery point equals three. Use the 1-to-3.5 column, defender sside.) Helicopter loss is ignored because no combat took place in thetarget hex and the U.S. unit in the target hex went in on foot insteadof airmobile. The VC absorbs one replacement point and completes itsmovement to 1777.

Illustration 1-4: The VC unit is attacked. The VC unit used all ninemovement points to reach 1777: full interdiction (2), exiting with enemyunit in 1775 (2), crossing a minor river into 1776 (I) , terrain cost in1776 (I) , exiting with enemy unit in 1776 (2), terrain cost in 1777 (1).To have gotten away completely, the VC unit would have needed twomore movement points: leave zone of control of ARVN rangers in 1776(I) , terrain cost of 1677, 1778 or 1877 (1).

The ARVN unit, augmented by four air points, attacks with a strengthof four (two for basic strength plus two points for air support: the fourair points divided by two for no free-fire). The VC unit defends withthree points: two for basic strength plus one for the VC artillery factor).

Note: there are three artillery points unused in HQ, 9th Division, butthey cannot be used because the ARVN rangers are not a 9th Divisionunit. There are no modifiers to the die roll because 4-to-3 does not meetor exceed 3-to-2 odds. The U.S. player rolls and receives a five. TheVC unit takes one strength point loss and absorbs one replacement point.There is no loss to the ARVN rangers. Pursuit: +2. The VC unit retreatsto 2078. The U.S. player pursues.

Illustration 1-5: The pursuit and second combat round. The U.S. playerdeclares the following units to e uninvolved in future rounds: both ranger

units are removed from the map; the 16th ARVN Regiment are air-

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VICTORY INSIDER 5

mobilized to 2076; the 9th Air Cavalry Squadron is not moved; the 1stBattalion Mechanized, 2nd Brigade, 9th Division is moved by road to2075; and the HQ, 2nd ~ r i ~ a d e ,th Division is moved by airmobileto 2075.

The U.S. player pursues with eight air points and the followingunits:the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 9th Division is airmobilized to 2178;the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 9th Division is airmobilized to 1978;the HQ, th Division is moved by airmobile to 2076.

Note that pursuit movement for ground units is the printed pursuitmodifiers plus the + 2 pursuit bonus gained in round one of combat.Both the 2nd and 3rd Battalion use 39 movement points, rounded upto four. Both have a pursuit allowance of five +3 printed on the counterand +2 from combat). This leaves them with a 1 modifier for secondround combat. U.S. attack strength is 14 (six ground strength plus eightair points, divided by two, added to the eight artillery points that is alsohalved). VC defense strength is three. Basic odds is 4-to-1 which yieldsa 4 modifier to the die roll. The VC unit defends in marsh and receivesa benefit. Net die roll modifier is +4.

The U.S. player rolls a four, modified to eight. The U.S. player suffersan airmobile loss. The VC player, seeing the + 4 pursuit modifier fromcombat, knows he cannot possibly outrun the pursuing U.S. units. Hetakes some comfort from inflicting an airmobile loss, and removes theVC unit from play to satisfy the two strength point loss. End of operation.

To summarize the preceding example, the most potent VC weaponthe ability to escape s neutralized. This allows the U.S. player to

effectively utilize his two premier weapons: firepowerandmobility. Most

of the time, the VC units won t be able to escape. In this, the most favor-able of situations for the VC, there was only one chance in six that theVC unit could break contact with all of the surrounding U.S./ARVNunits and force termination of the operation without first round combat.Even then, the VC unit would be forced into an incidental attack, andall available air and artillery points would be applied, since none wouldbe needed for a first round combat which could not occur.

Other setbacks can spoil an operation. The die roll for rangers canexceed the number in the holding box, forcing the U.S. player eitherto scramble for more units to plug escape routes or launch the operationon a shoestring and hope the VC bombs on the alert die roll. Poor firstround combat results can limit for pursuit, especially for artillery, andcan cancel future combat rounds due to poor odds and the risk of highcasualities.

Still, most terrain the VC hides in is less favorable (sometimes much

less so) than what was presented here. Allowing for all the possible set-backs, the kill ratio should run close to five out of every six operationsundertaken. Using a good U.S./FWA/ARVN force level (described else-where), 15 to 20 operations per turn can be conducted easily. Multi-plied by two, we have 30 to 40 operations per season. If the VC playeris willing to field 30 to 40VC units, or more, per season, the U.S. playerwill easily destroy or force dispersal of 25 to 30 units per season.

The Proper WayTo Search Destroy

Whenever possible, use ARVN units to surround VC units and fightthe first round of combat. The firepower, surrounding and loss-takingbenefits outweigh the + 1 to the reaction die roll. ARVN regiments arepowerful, ARVN artillery is almost as good as U.S. artillery, and therangers are lifesavers when it comes to preventing VC escape.

In most search and destroy operations, first round combat results willbe most severe for the U.S./ARVN player because the pursuit modifiers,both printed and earned in combat, are not available to offset defensiveterrain advantages. Whenever strength point losses occur, assign themto the ARVN; losses in subsequent rounds may have to be borne by U.S.units alone.

Because of their low pursuit modifiers, ARVN units eat up most orall of any pursuit bonus gained through combat, thereby reducing theeffectivenessof second or subsequent round attacks. Only if the ARVNunits can attack in subsequent rounds without moving should they be

used, and then only on a case-by-case basis. It is also wise not to putan ARVN unit in the target hex. If the VC units stays in the target hexfor a second round of combat, an ARVN unit in the target hex, prob-ably with a pursuit value of zero or one, would be obligated to attackin the second round, renderingthe printed +3 or + 4 U .S. pursuit bonusesuseless since the lowest printed bonus of the attacker is the one used.Notice that in the example given, that the U.S./ARVN units converged

Illustration 1-5

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VICTORY INSIDER

on the VC unit from lldirections. Dispersing U.S.IAR VN units through-out the map increases the U.S. player's ability to surround any givenVC unit. S ince only one ARVN ranger unit can be placed in a hex withunits designated for a search and destroy operation, h aving all the desig-nated units in only one o r two hexes limits the number of ranger unitsyou can put into play.

If the VC player wishes to launch VC attacks against lone battalionsin the countryside, so much the better. The U.S. player usually hasartillery, naval gunfire or air points on call. Let the VC player attackand take the losses, leaving you several units free to go afte r the attackeror other V C units later to inflict additional loss. If the VC player wants

to work for you, so much the better.The VC units which are easiest to catch, but cost the most to do, ar e

VC units on holding missions in the mountains. The VC cannot escapeeasily because they usually have to move into adjacent mountain orforested hill hexes. In many instances, when a U.S./ARVN unit occupiesthe target hex and interdiction is applied, the VC unit cannot even exitthe target hex. That often makes dispersal or comb at the only two options.If it comes to a fight, a doubled V C unit on a defensive mission in themountains is a formidible force to tackle. First roun d losses will be heavy(remember to bring the ARVN to the party ). There will be numerousair and airmobile losses, too.

The offsetting advantage to the U.S. player is that isolated VC unitsin mountain or forested hill hexes are almost always destroyed ordispersed since they cannot escape. Even when going after isolated VCunits, keep som e ground units and artillery around to u se as offensive

reserves.A warning about keeping an offensive reserve: as the U.S. player,

you can get lulled into a false sense of security as you bash an unendingstream of VC battalions. Never forget that there are VC regiments too.You may send a few battalions to hunt down a VC battalion, but you'llwill need much more when you run into a VC regiment. Odds for yourfirst attack will be poor. Pursuit bonuses will not be high. In order toraise the odds and maintain contact, new ground units and artillery willhave to enter on the second round. Without offensive reserves, the U.S.player either has to call off the operation and let the regiment get away,or risk taking unacceptable losses in exchange for destroying theregiment.

At this point, don't start to feel overconfident about walking over theVC. The truly competent NLF player won't give anything away. Hewon't go out of his way to leave isolated VC units. You will have to

isolate the VC units because in most cases they will be grouped togetherin clumps or clusters of four to six VC units. It's a tactic akin to form-ing a square against cavalry, an d it is very effective. VC units in a clusterkeep the U.S. player from surrounding any single VC unit. Reactionmovement allows the VC to shift units if necessary to block routes ofU.S./ARVN pursuit, allowing VC target units to break contact. AnotherVC tactic with reaction movement is to react one o r two VC units intothe target hex. This has the unfortunate effect of turning decent firstround attacks for the U.S. player into low oddsllow pursuit attacks. Itis entirely possible to expend several U.S.IARVN units to do nothingmore than move one of these VC clusters a few hexes in one directionor another as VC units break contact and react.

You can't ignore VC clusters, but you have to have some certaintyof destroying several VC battalions because of the high level of unitsand support points which have to be committed. A complete encircle-ment is not only too expensive in terms of units committed, but alsofutile. The NL F player isn't blind. It becomes obvious to even the casualobserver that a ring is being constructed. After several U.S.IARV N unitshave been commit& to operations where they have no chance of catch-ing VC units, the N LF player w ill run the next few operations and usestrategic movement to get far away from the trap. The U.S. player isleft with several wasted operations and a very real sense of frustration.There are two basic U.S. tactics and several variants which serve tobreak up these VC clusters. Th ey are the use of clear and secure opera-tions and employment of offensive reserves.

Part Two Clear 8 SecureFirst, s ome discussion about clear and s ecure operations. You don't

use it to destroy VC units, but to set them up for future S&D opera-tions. On e or two units ar e moved adjacent to a target hex containinga VC unit which is part of a cluster. Th e VC target unit should be able

to alert out with no difficulty. Th e payoff of the operation for the U.S.

player comes when he puts the units in the clear and secure operationinto a patrol operation since they didn't end the clear and secure in thetarget hex. Every hex around each unit on patrol will now cost + 2 o verand above the terrain cost for a VC unit to leave. On e or two units outon patrol will make it very difficult for VC units to retreat in at leastone o r two directions later.

The nex t step is to run a search and destroy mission ag ainst the clusteron the side opposite the patrol units. The V C player either moves thecluster out of the area before you conduct the S&D, or stands to takethe S& D operation with one o r two avenu es of retreat cut off. O n a relatednote, if the VC player starts a turn with several VC units adjacent to

an eligible U.S./ARVN unit, it may pay to put that unit onto a patroloperation during the special operations designation phase. You get thebenefit of running a clear and secure operation against several VC units,and they don't get to alert.

If you don't use clear and secure operations to block off some of theretreat routes, you will have to surround a VC cluster with operationalunits on the first round. This means placing a coup le of operational unitson the side of the VC cluster opposite from the target hex so that nomatter which way a VC target unit alerts, an operational unit will beadjacent to it for first round combat.

The second major U.S . tactic is offensive reserve activation. V C tar-get units often alert into adjacent hexes with VC units, low ering firstround odds and lessening attainable pursuit modifiers. Other VC unitsin the cluster either through reaction movement or initial placement willbe in a position to slow or halt U.S.IARVN pursuit. The only hope for

continuing the operation is to bring in the offensive reserves to main-tain contact andlor restore subs equent combat odds to higher levels. Hereagain, if the NLF player chooses to put more than one V C unit at riskas a target unit, the U.S. player should not hesitate to add enoughresources to conduct the equivalent of two C&S operations, because thatis really what you have. Support points for first rounds of operationsshould come as much as possible from air or naval points. Save theartillery to u se as offensive reserves s ince air and naval points cannotbe added on second or subsequent rounds.

Use your d edicated artillery to the maxim um extent around VC clusters.So long as a subordinate unit is a part of the operation, the artillery canadd its support, even though it is not tasked as part of the operation.This multiplies the value of a brigade or division headquarters manytimes over if it is placed on or adjacent to a VC cluster. This is oneinstance where the VC player helps you max imize your strength by plac-

ing units in clusters.Three examples follow to show some of the do's and don'ts of opera-tions against a VC cluster. The first example show s a clear and secureoperation followed by a search and destroy. The second depicts an S&Doperation conducted against a VC cluster by surrounding it on roundone. The third example shows an S&D operation utilizing offensivereserves.

Example One Quang Nam ProvinceIllustration 2-1 shows the initial positions plus the clear and secure

operation. Quang Nam province is the area of operations. Free-fire isnot declared initially. It is presumed to be early in the campaign game,and U.S. airpower is not abundant. No air points are available, but fourairmobile are available. For the clear and secure operation, HQ, 3rdMarine D ivision and 214, 3rd Marine Division move from 3814 to 3716.HQ, 3rd Marine Division is airmobilized to do so. The infantry bat-talion moves on foot. None o f the artillery points are used fo r interdic-tion. The V C unit could escape on any alert roll, but elects to defendagainst an all-U.S. operation in hopes of inflicting U.S. cas ualties. TotalU.S. attack strength is 7-to-2 VC for a + 3 modifier. But the VC de-fends a mountain hex for a -3 modifier, cancelling out both. The dieroll is one. Both sides suffer one strength point loss and consume onereplacement point. The VC units stays for one more round. The U.S.player attacks again and rolls a five. Ther e is no pursuit modifier ( + 3printed on 214 battalion; -2 for a clear and secure operation; forcombat result). The VC unit suffers one S P loss, absorbs one replace-ment point, and r etreats. T he 214 unit does not pursue, and is convertedover to a patrol operation.

Illustration 2-2: the VC player attempts to "strat move" the units outof the area The U.S. player is given the next operation. The U.S. playerdeclares an S&D operation against 3917. Ranger supp ort is rolled for,

and the U.S. receives two units. T he ARVN rangers are placed in 41 17

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VI TORY INSIDER

Illustration 2 1

Illustration 2.2

lllustration 2 3

and 41 19.Note that the VC unit which was the target of the clear and secure

operation has retreated to 3918. The cluster is still unbroken. It has simplyshifted and taken on a different shape. Placing that VC unit in 3918 willhinder the operation against target hex 3917. Note, however, that theclear and secure operation did yield two benefits to the U.S. player.Hexes 3815, 3816, and 3717 are almost impossible to retreat throughdue to the patrol status of the 214 Marine battalion (note the VC unitalso on patrol. The VC can effectively utilize patrol to inhibit accessto VC clusters or to curtail road movement). Since another 3rd MarineDivision unit is part of the S D operation, the HQ, 3rd Marine Divi-sion artillery may add its eight artillery points since it is within range.

iHQ, 2nd ARVN Division and HQ, 4th Marine Regiment are air-

mobilized. Fourteen artillery points are used to provide + 2 interdiction(eight from HQ, 3rd Marine Division; 3 from HQ, 2nd ARVN Divi-sion; 2 from the 6th ARVN Regiment; and 1 from the HQ, 4th MarineRegiment). The remaining artillery points are held on-call for combat.As U.S.1ARVN units move into or adjacent to the target hex, the threeVC units not in the target hex can all react. The sequence of U.S./ARVNmovement will determine when the VC units will react. All three VCunits could react away from the target hex, but that would isolate thetarget unit and fragment the cluster. All three VC units could react intothe target hex, but that would put all four into jeopardy on the second

round when interdicting artillery is switched to support. The first roundcombat odds for the U.S./ARVN would indeed be low. Quite possiblyhe VC would react one or two units. For purposes of this example.

the VC unit in 3916 will react into the target hex. If it does not, andhe target VC unit retreats, the VC unit would have been isolated if it

had remained in 3916. The VC unit in 38 17 will stay in place to providea secure path of retreat. The VC unit in 3918 will remain in place tomake it more difficult for the ARVN 6th Regiment to pursue on roundtwo.

Illustration 2-3: a die roll of three or greater on the alert roll will allowthe two VC units to alert out of the target hex. The odds say that theywill get a three o r better, so in this example the two VC units alert to3817 where they join a third VC unit. The U.S. player now has a problemof insufficient force. He has adjacent to 3817 only one U.S. battalionplus fourteen artillery points which would be reduced to seven if free-

fire was not used. A first round combat without free-fire would go inwith a -2 or - modifier due to basic odds plus defensive terrain modi-

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VICTORY INSIDER

fiers. The U.S. player can either attack at bad odds or declare free-fire.A low odds attack results in high U .S.lARV N casualties with no offset-ting gain because there are no offensive reserves available. The onlyreal choice is to declare free-fire, inflict as many casualties on the VCunits as possible, and hope that the pacification die roll is not hurt bythe minus two for free-fire.

The concept of this operation was good The clear and secure workedwell. The shortcomings for the U.S. player were twofold. First, it takesmore units and support points to go after VC clusters in mountains orforested hills than anyw here else on the m ap. Since no additional sup-port was available, the U.S. player should have declared free-fire at the

start of the S& D operation. Without free-fire, the odds were good thatthe four VC units would survive to lower the pacification roll by -2anyway. Declaring free-fire would have put more firepower into the first

Illustration 3.1

m

round attack since only seven points are needed for +2 interdiction withfree-fire. The second shortcoming was not having any ground units orartillery available to use a s offensive reserves to increase second roundodds and make it possible to run the three VC units into the ground.

Example Two: Quang Tri ProvinceThis situation portrays the effects of surrounding a VC cluster with

U.S./ARVN units on the first round. The area of operations is QuangTri province. Free-fire has not been declared. The following forces areavailable to the U.S. player: 114, 3rd Marine Division; an armored bat-talion from the 3rd Marine; the 5th ARVN regiment; two AR VN ranger

units; one cruiser; four air points and two airmobile points. F irepowerand maneuver units are both in short supply. The target hex is 4717.The U.S. cruiser provides 1 interdiction on the target hex. This isoffset by 1 addition to VC alert movement from ARVN participation.There is enough power to eliminate the target VC unit if it remains inthe target hex. There are not enough maneuver battalions to spare fora preliminary clear and secure. The VC cluster has to be surroundedto the extent that the VC unit reacting out of the target hex would re-main in contact with at least one U.S.lARVN unit so that combat couldbe forced on the VC. Illustration 311 shows the initial positions.

Illustration 3-2: One ARV N ranger unit is placed in 4716 and remainsthere. The second ranger unit is placed in 4918 and moves on foot to4719. Neither VC unit in the adjacent hexes take reaction movement.The 5th ARVN regiment moves on foot to 4517. The adjacent VC unitdoes not react. The 114 Marine battalion moves on foot to 4717, the

target hex. The Marine armored battalion moves into 4817. The VCunit in 4617 reacts into 45 18 when the 114 Mar ines mov e into the targethex. The cruiser provides 1 interdiction. The air points are reservedfor combat.

An alert roll of three through six would allow the VC target unit tomove into adjacent hex 4718. Although there is a VC unit in the hexand the terrain is rough, there are 11 U.S.lARVN ground strength pointsadjacent. That is not a really desirable option. On an alert roll of fiveor six, however, the VC target unit can move into 4518 or 4618. Bothhexes are also rough terrain and contain one VC unit each. The big ad-vantage to these hexes is the relative w eakness of the adjacent ARVNunits. The optimal hex is 4618 where only the AR VN ranger unit is ad-jacent.

Illustration 3-3: we assume that the VC target unit gets reaction rollof five and reacts into 4618. T he U.S. player has only the single ARVN

ranger unit adjacent to the hex. Since free-fire is not being used, totalattack strength for the U.S. is four (two fo r the ranger and two for half

Illustration 3 2

m-*X xq

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of the available air points). Chances for a favorable combat result donot look favorable before the VC units are revealed. The U.S. playerdecides to attack anyway, which is probably a mistake. The VC unitsare revealed, totalling five strength points. Basic odds of four U.S. fac-tors to five VC factors yields a modifier to the die roll. The VCdefend in rough terrain, so another modifier is added. A quick scanof the combat results table is not encouraging. Out of the six results,the ARVN will lose one strength point on four of them. The VC willlose a strength point on only one out of the six. Pursuit bonuses rangefrom +1 to -2 Should the VC stand after round one combat, the 114Marines could pursue into 4617. That addition would cancel out part

or all of the -2 die roll modifier, but the U.S. player still would nothave a favorable attack. The VC player would probably retreat the tar-get units out of contact after round one combat, and "strat move" theother two VC units adjacent to the retreating VC units so that a clusterwould be rebuilt in a new location. The sole U.S. gain from this opera-tion is that, temporarily at least, the cultivated hexes in Quang Triprovince have been cleared.

The concept of surrounding a cluster is viable. The VC target unitwas not able to break contact in round one. The problem again is lackof ground units and firepower. There were weak links in the chain ofunits surrounding the cluster, and there was a significant chance thatthe VC would alert into positions adjacent to them. Given the limita-tions on forces, the operation was conducted as well as could be ex-pected. You will find situations early in the campaign game or someof the scenarios where abundant support is not available. In those cases,

you have to run the operations with what's on hand, so go for it andhope for the best. If you have additional support available and run anoperation in this manner, you should be shot This example would endfar more favorably if another U.S. infantry battalion also occupied 4719with the ARVN rangers, and if six more air points were available.Carrying it one step further, add another U.S. battalion plus a 155mmbattalion as offensive reserves. It becomes a walkover for the U.S.

Example Three: Quang Gnai ProvinceIn this example, a properly supported U.SlARVN force with offen-

sive reserves takes on a VC cluster in the mountains. The area of opera-tions is Quang Gnai province. There is no free-fire. The target hex forthe operation is 4821. The U.S. player has 12 air points and 4 airmobilepoints. The die has been rolled for ARVN rangers, and two are avail-able. Illustration 4-1 shows the starting positions for all U.S., ARVN

and VC units. All units shown are eligible to take part in the operation.Illustration4-2 shows the movements of the U.S./ARVN units activated

VICTORY INSIDER 9

for the search and destroy operation, and the movements the VC unitstake in response. Three of the U.S.IARVN units are airmobilized. Theyare the ARVN ranger unit, the 155mm battalion and the HQ, 9th MarineRegiment. The rest move by foot from their original locations. The twoMarine battalions in 5019 have not been activated for round one, butmay be activated as offensive reserves in round two. None of the VCunits take reaction movement when U.S./ARVN units move adjacent.The VC cluster is not completely surrounded. The VC target unit canonly alert move one hex back into the mountains even if it receives themaximum alert die roll. The U.S. player allocates 14 points out of the29 available airlartillery points: 4th ARVN regiment (2); HQ, 9th Ma-

rines (8); 1127 155mrn battalion (4).For this example, the VC target unit receives a high enough alert die

roll to alert out of the target hex and into 4721. Thd U.S. player attacksthe two VC units in 4721. The VC units are flipped over to reveal acombined strength of six. The U.S. player has five ground strength pointsadjacent to the VC units plus 15 airlartillery points, reduced to 7 be-cause free-fire has not been declared. Basic odds are 12% to 6 , whichyields a + 2 die roll modifier. Since the VC occupy a mountain hex (a3 die roll modifier), the final modifier is . A six is rolled, becom-

ing a five: both sides suffer a one point loss. The U.S. loss is takenby the ARVN rangers in 4720. Both sides expend one replacement point.The U.S. player also receives a + 2 modifier for pursuit.

Illustration 4 3 shows the two marine battalions in 5019 activated asoffensive reserves and airmobiled to 4620 and 4522. Both use airmobile

lllustration 4 2

Illustration 4.3

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1 VI TORY INSIDER

points previously assigned to the operation. The HQ, 9th Marines usesthe third point to move back to 4822. This artillery unit is in positionto be airmobiled into the third round of combat if the pursuit modifieris great enough. The U.S. player assigns the fourth airmobile point tothe operation, moving the 219 Marines to 4721. That move costs threepursuit points (one for leaving a VC zone of control, one for enteringa VC zone of control in a landing hex, and one for the hex itself). Itwould have cost four pursuit points to move on foot, however. Th e 219Marines have two unused pursuit points which give the U.S. player a+ 2 die roll modifier (the two newly activated Marine battalions are ex-cluded from pursuit computations on their turn of activation). The U.S.

player has 10 ground strength points and 9 airlartillery points roundeddown from 19 (the 155mm battalion and 12 air points). The VC stillhave six strength points. Basic odds are 3-to-1 which yields a + 3 modi-fier. The VC are still in the mountains -3 modifier). They cancel eachother out, leaving the U.S. player with the + 2 modifier from pursuit.Barring any really bad die rolls, this operation will end up a U.S. suc-cess. Decent pursuit bonuses should allow both artillery units to reposi-tion to add their firepower to the third round of combat.

onclusions

The U.S. player has a tough but by no means impossible job whenhunting the VC. There are two points to remember:

Cut off the avenues of escape for the VC units. Any forces committedto an operation are wasted when the VC escape. The means to keep thisfrom happening are many and varied. You have the clear and secureoperation which changes into the patrol operation, patrol operations in-hibiting VC movement, interdiction, and, depending upon the terrain,surrounding the target hex with your units to prevent escape or triggerincidental attacks.

Second, use enough force to get the job done. This means employingenough ground units and support points on the first round to ensure thatdecent pursuit is generated for subsequent rounds. Keep units on hand,especially artillery, that can be activated as offensive reserves. Rememberthat as VC units cwnbine, they make it harder for the operational unitsto maintain good odds. For that reason alone, it makes sense to keepoffensive reserves on tap. Also, when additional VC units become tar-get units after an operation starts, they have the disadvantage of sharingall the risk of the original VC target unit, but they don't have the advan-tage of an initial alert movement. The U.S. player only needs an in-cremental addition of strength to generate odds. Additional forcesnecessary to prevent escape generally aren't needed.

The alert die roll, terrain, combat results table and the VC player ensurethat no two operations will be exactly alike. Combine these guidelineswith your own common sense, and you will come out a winner.

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VICTORY INSIDER 11

An Infantryman s DiaryFrom the Journal of Daniel Coke Simmons, PFC US Army

Transcribed ByWilliam Hamilton

Ambush represents to me the merging of three very exciting hobbie s.For garners, there is the realism of tactic al combat (with albeit very in-tensive action ); for computer garners there is the programmed actionparagraphs; and there is the element of role-playing that gives you avariety of options (would you lea ve your wounded buddy behind, or goon and attempt to finish the mission ?). For those who agr ee, not onlyis Victory coming out with Purple Heart sometime in the future, but atthat time the Insider will publish a scenario of its own So, it is withpleasure that we present this artic le: one man s journey through the worldof Ambush. WEP

7 June 1944Wa r is Hell, all right. All us GI's that have seen action h o w that

for a fact. After minimal training, we were dropped into France. We

were to capture and hold two important bridges near Caretin fo r the boysbusting through Utah Beach (mission4 . The winds were gusting at dawnand w e got jerked all over the drop site. Willie Stevens drowned in theriver when he couldn't get out of the chute. Tom Wilson took one inthe belly and died before the medic came. T he Krauts must have knownsomething w as up because they blew the bridges before we could stopthem. Big Bubba Jones killed a couple of Krauts and near blew off theleg of another with his Browning but didn't get more than a nod fromthe Loo ie when we got back. Probably because he was a negro. I likeBubba, and wouldn't w ant anyone else to be in a firefight with. I busteda Jerry open with my carbine as did our second in command, StanBrowne. All in all, we gave as good as we got, killing two and incapaci-tating five more. Too bad about them bridges. Sgt. D irty Jack got a com-mendation and Richie Long got a Purple Heart for getting wounded.

5 July 1944 (Mission 5)Dirty Jack sure lives up to his name. He volunteered us for a raidto bust u p a rocket base in Holland. W ith help from the Dutch under-grou nd, we found ou rselves on the outskirts of the base early yesterdaymorning. W e had been given plenty of explosives, but found ourselvesshort o f them before we would have liked. Ou r orders were to destroywhat w e could and try to find some documents on a rocket the G ermanswe re building. Well, w e found the documents, blew up a tower and radarstation, but had to scram when we ran out of demo packs and thingsstarted heating up. W e got out, but lost our two replacements. ArnieDavies took o ne between the eyes and died instantly. Charlie Simmons(he was the Rabbit, since his eyes got real big and would shake in afight) took som e shrapnel in the belly and died real s low, s cared as helland crying for the pain to stop. His last words w ere for his mom. I volun-teered to w rite his parents and found it worse than busting tanks w ithbaseball bats. The C O destroyed a command car with a grenade andwe kill three and incapacitate one. I didn't get any, but did get a com-mendation. I found ou t later that Stan Browne told the Lo oie about Rabbitdying in my arms.

10 August 1944After our last mission, we got 10days R&R and then some guard

duty. Eight August, our orders came through to bivouac at Mortin, asmall French town . Nev er could spell those Frenchie names right. W egot AT mines and a Jeep since a tank attack was expected (mission 2).Dirty Jack took along a bazook and got Rick Long to load for him. W esur e did a number o n the Jerrys w hen they tried to cruise through. Sgt.Wagner and PFC Long personally KO'ed a Panzer and a Jadgpanthertank destroyer along with three Germans with the baz. Wagner then threwhimself on a live grenade, and l l we found were his stripes nd his PurpleHeart. That was all we wanted to find. When the tanks started going

up in smoke, Krauts started craw ling out of the woodwork. They tossed

everything they had at us, but we got nine of them, losing two. Ourother casualty was the second, Stan Browne, who caught a m achine pistol.I incapped three guys and wounded on e in hand-to-hand, and go t anotherwith a crack shot of my semi-auto. Got another commendation for thatone. All in all, we only let two Krauts slip through. A good day.

14 August 1944We got our new C O today; a real vain bastard by the name of Vance

Hughes. T he second's name is Junior Carlin, but he told everyone tocall him Spike. He's a real decent sort, compared to Hughes. I guesthat's what you call taking the bad with the good.

23 August 1944Our next engagement was during an offensive. W hile waiting for fuel

and supplies, we were sent ahead to scout out the town of Chaso l (mission2 ) . We cleared all the buildings, incapping o r killing nine K rauts whilenone of us so much as bruise a shin. A lucky shot from my carbineknocked down a plane in flight. Hughes, Jimmy Jackson, LorneWashburn , and even Bubba Jones go t commendations fo r that mission.Washburn was Rabbit's replacement and really showed what he was madeof in his first fight.

7 September 1944We w ere sent forward to capture a crucial bridge across the Sambre

two days ago (mission 8 . They told us that a Sherman would arrivefor backup. We reach ed the bridge with little trouble, but when the Sargewent to check the bridge, the Krauts blew it up. Hughes got a nastygash on his arm ut bandages and sulfa powder took care of it. Luckily,

we found a fo rd a little ways downstream and managed to clear the area.The Sarge was w orried about Washburn, wh o'd taken a couple of bullets,and didn't feel right waiting fo r the Sherman, s o we kept going. Wash-bum turned out OK and both he and Sarge got Purple Hearts. DougCrawford, Spike Carlin and I all got commendations.

1 November 1944Things have calmed down, so tomorrow we're being sent to Belgium

for gams on duty.

5 November 1944Who ever said ga ms on duty was easy Yesterday, we were out on

patrol. There must have been K rauts all through the area. Although theattack was sudden, w e killed, w ounded, o r incapped 11 Krauts, and BigBubba knocked ou t a tank with a bazooka. Bubba later took some nastyshrapnel in the leg, but we bound it up and got him out.

20 January 1944Wow You want to talk about hairy missions. Sixteen January saw

us approaching the bunker-packed West W all by canoe (mission6 . Goodthing it was at night or we might have crap ped if we'd seen all thebunkers. W e knocked out a couple and wasted about half a dozen otherKrauts, though it cost us our CO and Bubba. That fool Hughes musthave gone nuts, cause he tried to rush o ne of the bunkers and got cutin half. Was hburn, Rick Long and Crawford all got commendations onthat one.

25 January 1945The new replacements arrived today. Our new second (Spike's now

CO) is Willard Wilcox, nd seems a decent enough sort. Bubba's replace-ment is Freddie Thompson. Those are awful big shoes to fill, Fred. I

wonder what our next mission will be like?

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