During the first two turns the Germans advanced pretty much in line, with two grenadier companies detailed to take each crossroads and the panzer company supporting the right two grenadier companies. The Soviet player's regimental mortar battery FO attempted several times (he tried every turn, in fact) without success to establish communications to call fire as the Germans deployed for combat in clear sight of him. One grenadier company deployed in the woodline east of the farmhouse, to secure the German right flank. On turn 3, the armored grenadier company positioned itself to attack the Soviet troops occupying the farm, supported by the panzer company. Another grenadier company seized the high ground between the hamlet and the farmhouse. The fourth grenadier company began to advance around the right flank of the hamlet. The Soviet troops remained generally stationary and hidden, awaiting further developments. Thus far, there was very little shooting and no casualties. On turn 4, the armored grenadier company engaged in an ineffectual firefight with the Soviet rifle company ensconced therein. The Soviet infantry, in their move, returned fire. Several Soviet squads were suppressed but there were no permanent losses. On turn 5 the German company on the high ground began firing on the Soviet troops in the farmyard behind the farmhouse. The Germans' higher elevation gave them the spotting range necessary to actually see the Soviets. The armored grenadier company launched a close assault on the farmhouse, being repulsed with a squad disordered and several, suppressed. The final grenadier company advanced on the hamlet, trying to acquire targets. The Soviet player, presented with enemy infantry moving in the open, fired on them with the rifle company occupying the hamlet, driving them back with several suppressions. During turn 6, the Germans assaulting the farmhouse got a lodgment inside, and its fall became imminent. The German FO finally made it to the high ground and called fire from the 150mm battery on the farmyard, scattering, with the loss of two squads, the two Soviet platoons occupying it. The lead Pz IVh attempted to cross the mine strip on the road and became suppressed in the attempt. Meanwhile, one of the Soviet 76.2mm guns opened fire on a Pz IVh that was attempting to bypass the farmhouse to its right, but inflicted no damage. The German company attacking the hamlet regrouped and close assaulted it, driving the defenders out of two of the buildings, killing one squad. During the Soviet move, a counter-attack cleared one building of Germans but was unable to retake the other. Meanwhile, the Soviet's third company, guarding their left flank, redeployed towards the rear, to reinforce the other two companies. During turn 7, the farmhouse fell to the Germans after a bitter close combat, with two Soviet squads lost and one forced back, and a renewed German counterattack cleared the hamlet, destroying two Soviet squads and disordering or suppressing the remainder. At the end of turn 7, the Soviet player conceded the game, feeling that his one rifle company and SMG platoon were inadequate to the task of holding the line. The crossroads, and the road north, belonged to the Germans! Notes First of all, note that neither side's victory conditions were directly concerned with inflicting enemy casualties or limiting one's own casualties. Each side perceived itself to be in a do or die situation and the game played out that way. High ground is very important! It enhances one's ability to spot otherwise hidden enemy. The central hill became a vital German observation point during the game. The Soviet player commented afterwards that it would have been worth his while to send the SMG platoon up there simply to contest the point for several turns and deny it to the Germans. Likewise, spotting was VERY important! It's funny to say that about a game in which the rules used deterministic spotting, but one feature of Battlefront became quite clear during play - the spotting system is deterministic but it's also pessimistic, clearly demonstrating how hard it is to positively locate a target during a battle! The ability to fire on suspected targets (i.e., gun flashes and movements in tree lines) does open things up a bit but in order to really hammer a target (i.e., fire without the "-2" suspect target penalty) one has to get fairly close to the target Troop quality is everything. The German assault on the hamlet was a near-run thing and in the end it was the higher discipline (+1 modifier versus Soviet +0) of the fourth armored grenadier company that won the day. Likewise, if the Soviet infantry in the farmhouse had been veteran and not experienced, the Germans would not have taken it. If the Soviets had been trained and not experienced, the assault would have been a walk-over… Opportunity fire, in Battlefront, is quite limited, that is, the rules only allow its use under circumstances where the proposed target would be gone before the non-phasing player's next turn. This felt funny at first but after a turn it became apparent that the only effect this had on play was to speed things along. In fact, whenever we found ourselves trying to determine the proper execution of a rule, the simpler and/or faster way generally proved to be the right way… Command control started out good and got worse. In the opening turns, with little or no casualties, troops did as they were told. As the game progressed and Soviet companies began to take casualties, they began to roll badly on the maneuver table… This wasn't as overt as some command control rules - in fact, it was altogether abstract - but it had the right "feel" to it. It wasn't so much that maneuver elements went off and did the wrong things; they simply did the right things more slowly and lethargically. Artillery, when it appears, is very effective. Troops in the open are casualties waiting to happen. The German artillery fire on the farmyard clearly demonstrated this. The scenario was to have run 10 turns. The Soviet concession at the end of the seventh turn was due to several factors his feeling that he simply didn't have the forces necessary to hold the line any more as well as the lateness of the hour. This scenario turned out about as expected - the Germans broke through but not until after a hard The game flowed smoothly. The forces involved seemed appropriate for a one-on-one game and neither player seemed overburdened by the number of troops he controlled. Orders of Battle Scenario length: 8 turns. Note: Parenthetical references are to Battlefront Data Cards. German OOB (All troops are Experienced except where noted) 1 Kampfgruppe with: 1 Command (GE-45) in kubelwagen (GE-34) 1 Rifle section (GE-44) 1 Forward Observer (GE-48) for divisional light artillery battalion with: 2 batteries of 3 sections each of 105mm field guns, with 1D6+1 fire missions each in Direct Support 1 battery of 2 sections of 150mm howitzers, with 1D6 fire missions in General Support. 1 Panzergrenadier Battalion, with: 1 Command (GE-45) in kubelwagen (GE-34) 1 Rifle section (GE-44) 3 Panzergrenadier Companies, each with: 1 Command (GE-45) 4 Rifle sections (GE-44) 2 LMG sections (GE-49) 2 MMG HMG sections (GE-50) 1 80mm mortar section (GE-52) 1 Gepanzert Panzergrenadier Company (Veteran) with: 1 Command (GE-45) transported in 1 SdKfz 251/10 (GE-22) 4 Rifle sections (GE-44) 2 LMG sections (GE-49) 2 MMG HMG sections (GE-50) 1 80mm mortar section transported in 1 SdKfz 251/2 (GE-23) 1 Panzer Company with: 1 Pz IVh Command (GE-03) 4 Pz IVh (GE-03) The companies are the maneuver elements Soviet OOB (All troops are Experienced except where noted) Battalion Battlegroup, with: 1 Command (RU-10) 1 Rifle section (RU-17) 1 MMG platoon with two HMG sections (RU-25) 1 SMG platoon with 3 SMG sections (Veteran) (RU-18) 1 FO (RU-22) for an off-board regimental mortar battery of 3 sections of 120mm mortars in direct support, with 2D6 fire missions. 1 antitank battery with two 57mm antitank guns (RU-14) 1 divisional gun btry with two 76.2mm field guns (RU-15) 1 Rifle Battalion with: 1 Command (RU-10) 1 FO (RU-22) for organic mortar battery with 3 sections of 82mm mortars, with 2D6 fire missions each. 3 Rifle Companies (one is Veteran), each with 1 Command (RU-10) 2 SMG sections (RU-18) 4 Rifle sections (RU-17) 1 LMG section (RU-24) 1 MMG section (RU-25) Each unit not in a built-up area starts play in an Improved Position. The gun batteries, the rifle companies, and the platoons are the maneuver elements. To the Vistula! WWII Rule Sets Reviewed Introduction Battlefront Tacfire Point of Attack Scenario: 5 August 1944 Overview Scenario Replay: Battlefront Scenario Replay: Tacfire Scenario Replay: Point of Attack Comparisons and Conclusions Back to Table of Contents -- Courier #82 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com