For the uninitiated, Squad Leader and the subsequent games Cross of Iron (CoI), Crescendo of Doom (CoD) and G.I. Anvil of Victory (GIAoV) are a series of World War II small-unit tactical level boardgames. The cardboard counters represent squads of soldiers, support weapons like machine guns, individual tanks or artillery pieces. The counters are moved on a map representing a battlefield and superimposed with a hexagonical grid to regulate movement and combat. In the miniature version, a ground scale of 1” = 40 yards is used. Each turn represents 2 minutes of ‘real’ time.

On the first day of spring, Gene Anderson and I tried our hand at using the Squad Leader in Miniature (SLiM) conversion rules by Fred Scudiery and Bill Littlefield. We both downloaded the rules from the “SLiM” Yahoo! Groups Webpage. The rules are written so that players can utilize 15 mm or other scale figures. We used micro-scale (1/285) miniatures. The miniature vehicles soldiers, buildings and terrain features added an appealing 3 dimensional quality to the wargame.

Preparation & Set Up

I chose two scenarios and attempted to recreate the terrain represented on the normal SL scenario maps as much as possible (Maps 2, 4 & 5). I played the Germans, while Gene took the Russians.

The first scenario was “The Dead of Winter,” Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Scenario T6. This took place northwest of Staritsa, Russia on 29 December 1941. Elements of the German 18th Infantery Regt. occupied a critical “Y” intersection on the snow-swept Russian steppes. “Extreme Winter,” “Deep Snow” and “Winter Camouflage” (for the Russians) rules were in effect. The German have a tank, but it is immobile. While this is an ASL Scenario, I felt it wouldn’t be a problem using the older SL rules due to the small number of units involved.

The second scenario I chose was “The Paw of the Tiger,” CoI Scenario 14. This took place south of Leningrad on 12 January 1943. Elements of Company I, Tiger Battalion 502 were rushed to reinforce an outpost expecting a heavy Russian attack. “Snow Rules” were in effect.

Dead of Winter Wargaming A “Squad Leader in Miniature” After Action Review

Introduction .
Scenario 1: The Dead of Winter .
Scenario 2: The Paw of the Tiger .
Commentary .