This was the first playtest using Version 0.2 of the rules which incorporated changes from my first playtest and one by Derk in the Netherlands. It was another attack by a Soviet force against a West German held position. The table is below and incorporates a hamlet astride a road bordered by 3 small woods. On one side of the table was a ridge while the other held corn fields.
The Bundeswehr force was a deployed on blinds and consisted of dismounted Panzergrenadiers:
Company HQ
Level 3 Big Man
Level 1 Big Man
Infantry section of 9 men, Carl Gustav SG550, Pzf44,
Handflammpatrone
Platoon 1
Level 2 Big Man
1 Infantry section of 9 men, Carl Gustav SG550, Pzf44,
sniper, Handflammpatrone
2 Infantry sections of 9 men, Milan, Pzf44, sniper, Handflammpatrone
Platoon 2
Level 2 Big Man
1 Infantry section of 9 men, Carl Gustav SG550, Pzf44,
sniper, Handflammpatrone
2 Infantry sections of 9 men, Milan, Pzf44, sniper, Handflammpatrone
Panzer Platoon Detachment
Level 2 Big Man
2 Leopard 1A4
Off-Table ATGM (BO105P)
Orders were to prevent any Warsaw Pact advance.
The Soviet force was a reinforced Motor Rifle company:
Company HQ
Level 3 Big ManOne BTR70
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, sniper
Platoon 1
Level 2 Big Man
Three BTR70
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16, sniper
Platoon 2
Level 2 Big ManThree BTR70
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16, sniper
Platoon 3
Level 2 Big ManThree BTR70
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16
Infantry section of 7 men, RPG 18, RPG 16, sniper
Machine-gun / Anti-tank Platoon
Level 1 Big ManTwo BTR70
One machine-gun section of 6 men
Three AT4B Spigot teams of 2 men
Tank Platoon
Level 2 Big Man4 T62MV
The Soviet commander was told that capitalist forces had been detected ahead of the advance and he was to attack their expected position so as to ensure unimpeded progress along the road. Two pre-planned stonks hit the German forces causing casualties and shock on the second platoon that was holding the wood in front of the hamlet and the German left. This softening up was accompanied by a smoke screen that blinded most of the defenders.
The Soviet advance was rapid making the most of the effects of the initial bombardment
Making use of bonus moves the tank platoon and an infantry platoon advanced rapidly around the German left flank losing one BTR to a lurking anti-tank helicopter that appeared in the right part of the table.
The 2 Leopards had been hidden behind a wood at the rear of the German right flank and moved to engage the Soviet flank attack.
The German 2nd platoon came off blinds and opened fire on the advancing communists. One Soviet section was pit out of the battle in the initial exchange. Concentrated Soviet fire from 2 platoons and their supporting BTRs destroyed one German section but not before the Soviet company HQ section was devestated, the Big Man being amogst the dead.
The game ended with one German platoon smashed and sufficient Soviet forces remaining to make life difficult of the other. So a Soviet win was declared.
It was quite a quick game consisting mainly of one big firefight. Flaws in the German deployment meant that their forces struggled to support each other so a rapid Soviet attack carried the position. The Soviet player took a big risk as even a limited amount of German artillery (he was not aware that there was none available) could have casued carnage.
There were a few areas to review in the rules, a lesson in scenario design and I really need to get some better terrain done for the next game!
