Introduction

Leningrad: 1941 is a Europa Battle Scenario for Fire in the East/Scorched Earth (FitE/SE). It covers the operations of the German and Soviet forces through the Baltic States and on the approaches to Leningrad from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa to September, 1941.

Presented below is a revision of the scenario originally designed by Frank Watson and Victor Hauser, and first published in TEM #21. Not only is this revision a much cleaned-up version of the original, it is also the version to be used at the Origins '93 Tournament.

All standard, advanced, and optional rules as written in the Scorched Earth rulebook are used except as detailed below. Note: SE Rules 31, 29B, 29C, 29D, 30, 31B, 31D, 31E, 31H, 311, 31K, 32, 35, 38G, 38H, 39C, 39F, 39J, 39K, 40, and 41 are not used in this scenario.

Rules references use the numbering from the Scorched Earth rulebook.

Finally, special thanks go to Mark Swenholt, Charles Sharp, Jason Long, and the participants of the GEnie Leningrad: 1941 tournament for their insightful comments, suggestions, and contributions.

Components

All counters needed to play are available in FitE/SE. All charts and tables needed to play are provided on the three game-aids pages in this revision. Use the rules from Scorched Earth and The Urals except as modified below.

Miscellaneous

Air Units. Several air units have been re-rated in Balkan Front, First to Fight, and A Winter War. These new ratings are incorporated in the Leningrad: 1941 orders of battle.

Rule 5 - Zones of Control (addition)

A unit with a ZOC may temporarily lose its ZOC, depending upon certain activities. For example, a unit which uses administrative movement (Rule 6B) loses its ZOC. When a unit undertakes such an activity, it loses its ZOC as specified in the rule. A unit which loses its ZOC does not have a ZOC for any game purpose until it regains its ZOC.

Rule 6B. Administrative Movement (modification)

A unit using admin. movement is restricted:

• It may not spend MPs for any purpose except admin. movement, rail movement, and naval transport.
• If it has a ZOC, it loses its ZOC for the entire movement phase.
• It may not start or move adjacent to an enemy unit during the entire movement phase in which it uses admin. movement.
• It may move only in clear terrain hexes or along roads or unblown bridges/causeways.
• It may not enter an enemy-owned hex.

Rule 7A1. Rail Movement (modification)

If a unit moves by rail:

• It may not move along rail hexes not friendly owned at the start of a player turn unless the rail hexes have been cleared (see Rule 14A4).
• If it has a ZOC, it loses its ZOC from the instant it starts to move by rail to the end of its rail movement.
• There is no MP cost to entrain.

Note: A unit only counts against rail capacity once per turn, even if it made separate rail moves during its turn. For example, an infantry division moved by rail, then moved overland to another rail line, and then moved by rail again. It counts as 3 REs against the player's rail capacity.

7A4. Rail Capacity (clarification and modification)

The Soviet capacity is fixed at 6 REs for the Jun II 41 turn and may not be increased by a resource point. However, bombing Soviet marshalling yards can reduce this capacity. On or after Jul I 41, Soviet rail capacity is increased to 12 REs, and up to 1 resource point may be spent per turn to increase this capacity by 10 REs. Soviet rail capacity is not reduced by the loss of major-city hexes.

German rail capacity is 10 REs throughout the game. However, the Axis player may increase this by up to 20 REs per turn by spending up to 2 resource points during the Jun II, Jul I, and Jul II 41 turns. Thereafter, only 1 resource point may be expended for temporary Axis rail-capacity increases.

Rule 9C. Combat Results (change).

AS: Attacker Stopped. The attack is inconclusive; neither side takes losses or retreats.

Rule 12 - Supply (modification)

C1. Axis Supply Sources. All Axis regular supply must be traced entirely within the playing area through either 1B:2733 or 1B:2933.

C2. Soviet Supply Sources. All Soviet regular supply must be traced entirely within the playing area through 1B:2609, 1B:2408, 1B:2202, 2A:2224, 2A:2218, or 2A:1518.

Rule 14 - Special Unit Types

A2. Combat Engineers (change). When at least 1/7 of the REs attacking a major city, fortress, or fort are combat engineers, the combat resolution die roll is modified by +1.

A4. German Railroad (RR) Engineers (change). A railroad engineer unit may regauge a rail line, changing the gauge from broad to standard. If a rail line is broken, it must be repaired before it can be regauged. It costs an RR engineer unit 4 MPs to repair a rail hex. An RR engineer unit must be in supply to regauge a rail hex. It costs an RR engineer regiment 1 MP to regauge a rail hex. RR engineer units always regauge to standard gauge.

RR engineer units may demolish the rail in a hex at an accelerated rate. An RR engineer pays only 1 MP to demolish the rail in a hex. Special: Clearing the Rails. Normally, units may only use rail movement along rail hexes they own in their initial phase. However, if an RR engineer unit moves by either normal or administrative ground movement along a stretch of standard-gauge rail hexes not previously owned, but directly connected to currently owned rail hexes, that stretch of rail hexes may then be used for rail movement that turn by other friendly units.

Rule 15 - Unit Breakdowns (clarification)

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

Rule 19 - Patrol Attacks (addition)

by flying to an assembly hex and "joining up". Fighter units in a movement group may be designated as "close" or regular escorts. The units of a movement group may then move together as a stack for as far as desired, or as far as their movement allowances will permit.

Special: Close escorts that are intended to fly at extended range must be declared before they fly and suffer the penalties associated with extended range throughout the air movement step. Enemy fighters must patrol attack the close escorts of a mission force first (regardless of the success of those attacks) before patrolling any units of the mission force (including other fighters flying as regular escorts). Once a close escort has been patrol attacked (regardless of the success of that attack), it immediately reverts to regular escort status, and continues to move with the movement group (unless it suffered an adverse patrol result, in which case it returns to base at the end of the air movement step from the hex where it was patrol attacked).

Rule 20 - Air Missions

Special: No Soviet air units may fly during the surprise turn, regardless of where they are based.

F2a. Airbase Bombing. (change). Each hit affects the airbase and one air unit on the ground there.

A hit on the airbase decreases the capacity of the airbase by 1. Mark each hit achieved on the airbase with a hit marker. Note: The capacity of airbase may not be reduced below zero.

A hit on an air unit renders it inoperative if it is operative. A hit on an air unit eliminates it if it is already inoperative. If several air units are at the airbase, the bombing player chooses which air unit is hit.

Rule 21 - Air Combat

b) Firing Step (change). When several air units are allocated against one air unit, the single air unit fires upon any one opposing air unit, firing player's choice. The several air units each fire upon the single air unit separately, in any order of the firing player's choice.

However, stop firing when the first combat result (return, abort, or elimination) is achieved against the single air unit, even if all the air units haven't fired. Implement the combat results after the air units have stopped firing.

Example: Three interceptors attack one escort. The escort attacks one of the interceptors, achieving an eliminated result on it. The interceptors fire on the escort, one after the other. The first interceptor achieves no effect, but the second achieves an abort result. The exchange of fire ends at this point, before the third interceptor fires, and combat results are implemented. One interceptor is eliminated, and the escort is aborted.

Rule 22 - Antiaircraft

A. Capabilities.

1. Intrinsic (addition and modification). In addition to the other intrinsic AA strengths listed, each major city hex in the USSR has an intrinsic heavy-AA strength of 1 while Soviet owned. Kronshtadt, while Soviet owned, has an intrinsic heavy AA strength of 3. Note that upon Axis capture of such a city/fortress, its intrinsic AA strength is permanently lost.

Each permanent airfield for both sides has an intrinsic light-AA strength of 1. Dot and reference cities in the USSR have no intrinsic AA.

Intrinsic AA is treated as a zero-strength unit with a movement allowance of 0, does not count against stacking, is not counted for AEC/ATEC purposes, may not be replaced, and is automatically emplaced upon the completion of a permanent airfield.

3. Position AA Units (change). Position AA points are not eliminated if required to retreat. Note: This does not apply to intrinsic AA at cities and airfields.

B. Resolution.

1. Restrictions (clarification). Cargo being transported may never fire AA.

2.Procedure (clarification). If the firing AA strength is less than 1, the AA fire automatically has no effect.

Rule 25 - Airborne Operations

A. Disruption (change).

On a disruption roll of -1 or less, the unit has its attack strength reduced to 0, has its defense strength halved, and is immediately eliminated if in an enemy-occupied hex.

E. Surprise (new).

Due to the immense surprise effects of airborne operations, airborne units are treated as being supported on the player turn they make air drops.

F. Supply Effects (change).

Airborne units that perform air drops do not immediately gain ownership of hexes they drop in or enter for enemy supply tracing purposes. Instead, they gain ownership of these hexes as follows:

1) In the following enemy initial phase if they can trace a supply line to a regular supply source, or

2) in the initial phase of the next friendly player turn (regardless of supply). Thus, a friendly supply line may be traced through hexes containing enemy airborne units that do not qualify for hex ownership.

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

C. Air reinforcements are immediately activated and enter play.

D. Deactivation is not used.

Rule 28 - Naval Rules

C1. Naval Transports (modification). The Axis player rolls 1D6 each friendly initial phase for transport availability. The number rolled is the number of transports usable in that player turn with rolls greater than 4 being treated as 4.

C2b. Amphibious Operations (change). Cavalry, artillery, and c/m units may not make amphibious landings. All non-marine units making an amphibious landing have their attack factors quartered; all marine units have their attack factors halved.

Rule 29 - Weather (modification)

The weather is automatically clear throughout the game.

Rule 31 - Special Rules

A5a. Kronshtadt (modification). Treat Soviet units (only) defending in Kronshtadt as behind a river

A6. Velikaya River (new). Treat the 1939 border along hexes 1B:1906 and 1B:2006 as a river.

F2 (modification). The surprise air attack is carried out against only the 11 air units of the Baltic MD VVS and the 2 Baltic Fleet air units deployed in hexes 1B:1421 and 1B:1724 (a total of 13 air units). These 13 air units are simply held off map until after the surprise air attack is performed.

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

L. Soviet Coastal Defenses (new).

1. Support. Due to coastal defenses not shown in the game, all Soviet units in coastal hexes either in or adjacent to Tallinn (1B:0711), Kronshtadt (2A:0832), or Leningrad (2A:0831, 2A:0931, or 2A:1031) are considered supported (Rule 11).

2. Saaremaa Island. On or after the Jul I 41 turn, all Axis naval movement (including amphibious assault) is prohibited into or through any hex on or adjacent to any hex of Saaremaa Island. This restriction is lifted if the island is ever Axis owned. Further, ground units may not cross from 1B:1319 or 1B:1320 to 1B:1219.

M. Leningrad PVO (new). The 5 fighter air units listed as the Leningrad PVO must always be based in Leningrad. They may only fly patrol and interception missions. If eliminated, these units are removed from play and do not go through the air replacement procedure.

Rule 33 - Occupation (modification)

The Axis player is required to garrison Pskov with I RE of Security, SS, or SS- Pol units. No other garrisons are required.

Rule 34 - Reinforcements and Replacements

A. Reinforcements (modification). In general, 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" means operational rail movement. When a reinforcement arrives by rail, its rail capacity has already been accounted for and need not be paid by the players.

If all entry hexes specified for a given unit are enemy owned, then the entry of that unit is delayed until at least one of its specified entry hexes is friendly (however, units specified to enter at a city that is enemy owned are still eliminated per the SE rules). Delayed units are considered to have their full movement allowance upon entry. However, they may not be considered entrained. Special:

Although hex 2A:2125 is actually within the playing area, it (and not 2A:2224) is considered to be the entry hex. That is, Soviet reinforcements specified to do so may not enter hex 2A:2224 (or any other hex) if hex 2A:2125 is Axis owned.

1. German.

West Edge: Treat as "German".

2. Soviet.

Strat RR: These units enter at either 2A:1518, 2A:2218, or 2A:2224 using strategic rail movement and may move an unlimited distance along any friendly rail within the playing area per the strategic rail rules.

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 may be replaced per game.

2) Only 2 artillery REs may be replaced per game.

3) Only 1 Brandenburger unit may be replaced per game. Other airborne units may not be replaced.

2. Soviet. The entire playing area is considered to be one military district for all replacement activities. Special: Soviet special replacements may exceed 10 in the playing area (i.e., the number of Soviet special replacements is not limited).

1) Only 6 REs of cavalry may be replaced per game.

2) Only 1 NKVD political troops unit may be replaced per game.

3) Only 3 REs of winterized units may be replaced per game.

4) Only 1 RE of airborne units may be replaced per game.

5) Only 2 REs of combat engineers may be replaced per game.

6) No Soviet AA (including positional AA) units may be replaced.

7) Special: Tallinn (113:0711) is considered to be an "optional" replacement center so long as the city is not isolated. That is, up to half of a turn's replaced units may be placed at Tallinn if it is not isolated. In this case, replaced units are never required to be placed at Tallinn (they are placed at Leningrad instead).

However, if Tallinn is isolated, then only those RPs accumulated there (or traced there as special replacements) may be expended at Tallinn. All other replacements must appear at Leningrad in this case.

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 for Leningrad: 1941. The playing area consists of the area within and bounded by the west map edge of map 113 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. Units may not voluntarily leave the playing area. Units forced to do so are considered eliminated and are permanently removed from play. Before play begins, each player writes down a secret bid. The bids are then revealed simultaneously and the person bidding the highest total plays the Soviets. In addition, that bid becomes the victory determination point" (Rule 37C). The Soviet player deploys all forces listed in the Baltic Special MD section of his initial forces first. Special: No Soviet forces may deploy in the Western Special MD.

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 FitE/SE sequence.

Rule 37 - Victory (change)

A. Game Length. The game starts with the Jun II 41 turn and ends following the Axis Sep II 41 player turn.

B. Victory Points. Victory is determined following the Axis Sep 1141 player 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 8 VPs for each Leningrad hex held at the end of the game.
• The player holding Kronshtadt at the end of the game receives 8 VPs.
• Special: If any hexes of Leningrad are both Soviet-owned and isolated, the player holding hex 2A: 1027 (Voybokalo Station) at the end of the game receives 8 VPs.
• The Soviet player (only) receives 4 VPs each per turn for owning Tallinn during his initial phase starting with the Jul I 41 turn.
• The Soviet player (only) receives 4 VPs for each naval transport counter that successfully moves from Tallinn to Leningrad during the Aug I 41 game turn.
• The Axis player (only) receives 8 VPs if the rail line from 2A:1030-2A:2224 is not entirely Soviet owned at the end of the game.
• The Axis player (only) receives 1 VP for each reference city owned in the Leningrad MD per each friendly initial phase.
• The Axis player (only) receives 1 VP per each Soviet BB and CA sunk. Players receive only half VPs for isolated hexes.

C. Victory Determination.

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 total VPs. If this game total exceeds the victory determination point, then the Soviet player is the winner. Otherwise, the Axis player wins.

Example: Before the game, player A bids 30 points and player B bids 32 points. Thus, player B becomes the Soviet player and the victory determination point is set at 32.

At the end of the game (following the Axis Sep II 41 player turn), the Soviet player is calculated to have 40 points and the Axis player has 8. The difference is 32, which equals the victory determination point. Therefore, the Axis player is the winner.

Rule 38 - Advanced Rules

C2. Upgrading. The roads shown on the map are actually low-capacity railroads, and these may be upgraded to full railroad status. Any road hex within the playing area may be upgraded to railroad status.

A German RR engineer unit may upgrade a road to a railroad. It costs the unit 8 times the regauging MP cost to upgrade a road hex. For example, an RR engineer regiment would spend 8 MPs (eight times 1 MP) to upgrade a road hex to a railroad during clear weather. It also costs one resource point to upgrade a road hex. The RR engineer must be in supply and trace an overland supply line to the resource point when it starts to upgrade the road hex, and the resource point is spent (removed from play) at that time.

Notes: 1) A hex containing both a road and a railroad must be upgraded in order for the road in the hex to become a railroad. 2) MPs may be accumulated from turn to turn when upgrading roads. Only RR engineer units may upgrade roads to railroads. Construction units cannot upgrade roads or participate in quick construction for an upgrade. German RR engineer units always upgrade to standard gauge.

Leningrad: 1941 Second Edition

Rules
Orders of Battle: Soviet
Orders of Battle: Axis
Game Aids (very slow: 256K)