The most fascinating aspect of any Squad Leader game is observing what little control combat leaders often have during the course of a battle. Men shirk or even flee from combat; weapons and equipment break down at critical moments and even the very forces of nature conspire against them. Despite this apparent or actual lack of control, a combat leader’s presence is critical to the success of any battle. They inspire men to overcome fear while their tactical cunning instills fear into the hearts of their enemies.

Some years ago I read an interesting statistic from one of the books by James Dunnigan and Austin Bay. They stated that only 10% of the individuals in any given military force inflict 40% of the damage against the enemy. If true then the second battle fought certainly reflected the authors’ findings. Once the smoke cleared the number of Russian vehicles destroyed by each German tank was calculated. It turned out that Hans Bolter and his crew accounted for 9 destroyed Russian tanks!

Not everyone though, is brave in battle. Take Lt Eastonov and Sgt Hieken from the first and second scenarios for example. In game terms both men were decent combat leaders. Yet during the course of their respective actions, both men called it quits in the middle of the fight. (Sgt Hieken and the gun crew were victims of the “Unexplained Casualty Rule”). Furthermore, the troops they were leading turned and fled too! If their leader wasn’t going to stick around when things got tough, why should they? The trick is to have enough combat leaders around to take over when one succumbs to the shock and stress of combat. Not to mention succumbing to injuries.

A commander has several key tasks when planning for and waging a battle. One of them is to direct his best combat leaders to the most critical areas of the battlefield. To put it in modern military terms, these are a commander’s “Force Multipliers.” That is, they enhance the effectiveness if their combat power. When everyone and everything else becomes unglued during the fighting, these leaders will be the ones holding it all together to ensure victory or stave off defeat.

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 .