Background

On 22 June 1941, the German forces of Army Group North under FM Ritter von Leeb began their invasion of the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa. Their goal was to Leningrad-industrial, military, and transportation center; home of the Baltic Fleet; and, perhaps most importantly, the birthplace of the Bolshevik Revolution.

German operational plans called for the Wehrmacht to crush the Red Army on the frontiers, for daring commandos to seize vital bridges, and for Leningrad itself to be captured within a matter of weeks...

Introduction

Leningrad: 1941 is an Europa Battle Scenario for Fire in the East/Scorched Earth (FitE/SE). It covers the operations of German and Soviet forces in the Baltic States and the vicinity of Leningrad from the start of Operation Barbarossa through October 1941. The scenario is presented in three sections.

Section I, the Standard Game, presents the special modifications and rules necessary to play using the FitE/SE (and The Urals if desired) rules as written.

Section II consists of the German and Soviet orders of battle (OBs) and Developer's Notes. Note that the OBs incorporate some Section III material (new air-unit ratings and a German RR engineer brigade). This material may be disregarded when playing the Standard Game.

Section III presents a set of optional rules and modifications comprising a "state-of-the-art-1991" rules set. These are the rules that were used to test and play-balance Leningrad: 1941. Most of these rules represent incorporation of the new material from The Urals, Balkan Front, and First to Fight into FitE/SE. However, Section III also introduces several experimental air rules which replace patrol attacks and make defensive air support more flexible.

In the following, all rules references follow the Scorched Earth numbering sequence. SECTION I - The Standard Game

When playing the standard game, use the rules as written in the Scorched Earth (and The Urals if desired) rulebook except as detailed below.

Rule 15 - Unit Breakdowns (clarification)

Both sides are limited only by the Scorched Earth counter mix when playing Leningrad: 1941.

Rule 22-Antiaircraft

A. Capabilities.

1. Intrinsic (addition and modification). In addition to the other intrinsic AA strengths listed, each Soviet-owned major city hex has an intrinsic heavy AA strength of 1. Kronshtadt, while Soviet owned, has an intrinsic heavy AA strength of 3. Each permanent airfield (for both sides) has an intrinsic light AA strength of 1. The intrinsic AA strength of a feature is treated as if there were actually a position AA unit in the hex, with the following exception: intrinsic AA is eliminated if forced to retreat.

B. Resolution.

1. Restrictions (clarification). Cargo may not fire AA while being transported.

2. Procedure (clarification). If the firing AA strength is less than 1, its result is automatically "no effect".

Rule 26 - Air Replacement System Introduction

A1. The available box is not used, all newly arriving air units are immediately activated.

A4. The Group Allowance Chart is not used.

B. Group allowances are not used.

F. The air replacement cycle is not used. Air reinforcements are listed in the OBs for each side.

Rule 27 - Air Replacement System (modification)

B. Groupings are 2 for the EFT and EET boxes, and 3 for the remnants box. For each grouping in the EET or EFT box, 1 air unit is activated and 1 is sent to remnants. For each grouping in the remnants box, 1 is activated and 2 are withdrawn from play.

C. Air reinforcements are immediately activated and enter play.

D. Deactivation is not used.

Rule 28C1. Naval Transports (modification).

The Axis player rolls 1D6 each friendly initial phase to determine naval transport availability. The number rolled is the number of naval transports usable that player turn, with rolls greater than 4 being treated as 4.

Rule 31 - Special Rules (modification)

F2. There are no group allowance reductions or disruption as a result of the surprise air attack. Units eliminated by the surprise air attack are simply not usable until processed through the modified air replacement system.

Rule 33 - Occupation (modification)

The Axis player is required to garrison Riga with 3 REs and Pskov with 1 RE of Security, SS, or SS-Pol units. No other garrisons are required.

Rule 34 - Reinforcements and Replacements

A. Reinforcements. When a reinforcement appears with a parenthesized MP cost in italics, that is the number of movement points the unit has already expended to reach the indicated entry hex. "OpR" indicates the unit enters play using operational rail movement. "Strat RR" indicates the unit enters play using strategic rail movement and may move an unlimited distance along friendly rail lines within the playing area per the strategic rail rules. Note: Reinforcement listed on the Soviet OB as arriving by operational or strategic rail do not count against the Soviet rail capacity that turn.

1. German.

West Edge: Treat as "German".

Arctic: The 2-10 Mot III 9 (SS) must be shipped from the Arctic (any off-map Finnish port on the Baltic Sea) using available naval transport. The 4 MP cost for naval transport is paid as usual.

B.. Replacements (modification). Only a limited number of certain unit types may be replaced during the course of the game.

1. German.

1) Only 2 combat engineer REs.
2) Only 2 artillery REs.
3) Only 1 Brandenburger unit. Other airborne units may not be replaced.

2. Soviet.

1) Only 2 REs of combat engineers.
2) Only 6 REs of cavalry.
3) Only 1 NKVD political troops unit.
4) Only 3 REs of winterized units.
5) Only 1 RE of airborne units.

Note: Units replaced using armored or artillery RPs appear in any Soviet-owned hex of Leningrad.

F4. Starting with the Aug I 41 turn, the Soviet player may convert one 3-6 Rifle XX to a 4-6 Rifle XX per turn.

Rule 36 - Preparing for Play (modification)

Only parts of maps 1B and 2A are used in the play of Leningrad: 1941. The playing area consists of the area within and bounded by the west map edge of map 1B in the west; the 0700 hexrow in the north; the 1800 hex column on map 2A in the east; and the line of hexes running from 1B:3033 to 1B:3011 to 1B:2207 to 2A:2218 in the south, inclusive.

Suggestion: Use sheets of construction paper or the like to block off the southern, eastern, and northern edge of the playing area.

Units may not voluntarily leave the playing area. Units forced to do so are eliminated and are permanently removed from play.

The Soviet player deploys all forces listed in the Baltic Special MD section of his initial forces first. The German player then deploys all his initial forces and plans special operations per the normal FitE/SE rules. Finally, the Soviet player deploys all his remaining initial forces. Play then follows the normal FitE/SE sequence beginning with the special surprise attack turn.

Optional Free Deployment. Do not use the historical setup given in the OBs. Instead, both players may deploy freely per the normal FitE/SE rules. When using this rule, the deployment sequence remains:

The Soviet player deploys all forces listed in the Baltic Special MD section of his initial forces first. The German player then deploys all his initial forces and plans special operations per the normal FitE/SE rules. Finally, the Soviet player deploys all his remaining initial forces. Play then follows the normal FitE/SE sequence, beginning with the special surprise attack turn.

Exception: Both sides' non-divisional units may deploy within 1 hex of a divisional unit.

Note that this rule distinctly favors the Soviet

Rule 37 - Victory (change)

A. Game Length. The game starts with the Jun II 41 turn and ends with the Oct II 41 turn.

B. Victory Determination. Victory is determined following the Oct II 41 turn. Victory is based on victory points (VPs) which are calculated as follows. Both players receive VPs for certain hexes they own:

• Each player receives 16 VPs for each Leningrad hex held at the end of the game.
• The player holding Kronshtadt at the end of the game receives 16 VPs.
• The Soviet player (only) receives 2 VPs each per turn for owning Kaunas, Riga, or Tallinn during his initial phase starting with the Jul 1 41 turn.
• The German player (only) receives 1 VP per turn for each rail hex within the playing area on or east of the 3000 hex column on map 2A that he owns during his initial phase starting Jul I 41.

Players receive only half the VPs for isolated hexes. Note: When determining Soviet isolation and supply status, consider the 2A:0600 hexrow blocked by Finnish forces not directly represented in the game.

Optional. Each player receives VPs for performing certain activities during the course of the game:

The German player receives 1 VP for each Soviet battleship sunk. The Soviet player receives 1 VP for each bombing hit obtained against Berlin.

Special. Bombing Berlin

Berlin lies 17 hexes off the west edge of the playing area. To bomb Berlin, the Soviet player must send his bombing air units off the map taking into account the additional range required for the mission. Berlin can only be bombed at night and is considered to be a strategic mission. The effects of AA fire and German off-map interceptors are ignored when flying this mission.

C. Levels of Victory. At the end of the game, calculate the accumulated victory points for each side. Subtract the Axis total from the Soviet total to obtain the game VP total. The level of victory is then determined as follows:

Game Total Level of Victory
93 or more Soviet Strategic
76-92 Soviet Substantial
59-75 Soviet Marginal
42-58 Draw
25-41 German Marginal
8-24 German Substantial
7 or lessGerman Strategic

D. Automatic Victory. If the German player ever owns all hexes of Leningrad at the start of any game turn, he wins an automatic decisive victory.

Leningrad: 1941 An Europa Battle Scenario

Background and Rules
German Order of Battle
Soviet Order of Battle
"State of the Art" Rules
Designers' Notes
Charts (slow: 179K)