Germans and Russians get in each other's way during the busy Stalingrad Christmas shopping season Players: 6 Troop Quality: The different troop qualities are important to maintain the balance of this game. Set Up: The table is then divided into thirds along each table edge creating nine zones. The three zones on the northern and southern edges represent the front lines of each side with the three zones in the middle representing a kind of no-man's land. There should be a church in the Northwest sector and a bridge in the Southeast sector German units set up in the Northern three zones according to their orders. The German HQ is located in the Northwest sector. Russian units set up in the Southern thiree zones according to their orders. The Russian HQ in located in the Southern central sector. The umpire will moderate the game and act as the headquarters units for both sides. Individual units can request mortar support and reinforcements from their headquarters each turn on a roll of 5 or 6 on a d6. All requests should be written on a piece of paper and submitted to the umpire. The umpire will resolve the HQ's response. The mortar can support only one of the units on its side per turn. The reinforcement groups should be written on index cards. If a unit's request for reinforcements is granted, that player should draw a card at random. During the game, HQ's may issue additional orders to their units. These orders become additional objectives for the units concerned. HQ Units (both Russian and German) 4 SMG, LMG, 3 Officers (will only fire in self-defense) 81 mm mortar Troop Quality: Veteran German Reinforcement Cards: 5 man SMG squad 5 man Rifle squad LMG team 2-man demolition team, 2 satchel charges, 2 SMG Sdkfz. 232 75 mm Infantry Gun, Kettenkrad All German reinforcements enter from the Northeastern Sector. Russian Reinforcement Cards: 5-man SMG squad 5-man Rifle squad LMG team ATR team MMG team T34 C All Russian reinforcements enter from the Southeastern Sector. GERMAN FORCES Angriffskompanie Sauerbraten Objective: Capture and hold the stone bridge at the SE corner of the town. Forces: Engineer Platoon Sdkfz. 251, 4 SMG; 5 Rifle; Flame-thrower; 2 Satchel Charges Support Platoon MMG; Sdkfz. 222 Troop Quality: Veteran Starting Position: Western Sector Sturmbattalion Bratwurst Objective: Clear the road on the southern edge of town. Forces: 2 Infantry Platoons Each with 5 Rifle, 3 SMG, LMG, Panzerfaust Support Platoon 2 MMG, 2 Sniper, 2 Stug. III Troop Quality: Green Starting Position: Central Sector SS Spezialauftlarungsgruppe Marzipan Objective: Capture the Russian HQ Forces: 2 Recon Teams (Each: 8 SMG, Panzerfaust, Satchel Charge) Troop Quality: Elite Starting Position: Eastern Sector RUSSIAN FORCES Urban Combat Unit Blistashve Schneck Objective: Establish an artillery observation post in the church in the Northwest Forces: Guards Rifle Platoon: 3 Rifle, 5 SMG, LMG, 4 Molotov Observation Team: Radioman, Observer, 3 SMG Troop Quality: Veteran Starting Position: Central Sector Anti-Armor Unit Krasny Oktvab Objective: Destroy all German armored vehicles. Forces: 2 Tank-hunting Teams: (Each: ATR, 2 PzFaust, 1 AT mine, 3 SMG) Troop Quality: Elite Starting Position: Eastern Sector Assault Battalion Stanzye Metro Objective: Capture and hold the intersection at the NE corner of town. Forces: 3 Rifle Platoons (Each: 6 Rifle; 3 SMG; LMG) Support Platoon ( 2 MMG, BA-32, 2 Sniper) Troop Quality: Green Starting Position: Western Sector Stalingrad Shuffle Play Test: The game began tensely, going almost four turns before any significant firefiglits broke out. Then, as they say, all hell broke loose. During the opening moves, all the units except the Russian Urban Combat Unit had gravitated to the southeast corner of town and a vicious firefight ensued. The German Sturmbattalion had pushed aggressively into this area under the cover of their Stug.'s. A Russian Anti-Armor squad then took an out-of-range pot shot at one of them with a panzerfaust. The crews of both assault guns promptly peed their pants and pulled back into the rear area. The rest of the unit bogged down and seemed content to snipe at the Russian Assault Battalion which had also ground to a halt across the street. Into this crossfire waltzed the SS Spezialaufklarungsgruppe Marzipan and they were chopped into eensy-weensy pieces. On the periphery of this action, the German engineers moved quickly to the bridge and were at the point of taking it, when a group of Russian reinforcements showed up and denied them the far end of the bridge. The Russian Urban Combat Unit had pushed off in the opposite direction from anyone else and was making good time towards their objective in the church when they were spotted by the German HQ. The HQ radioed for protection and the Stug.'s, suddenly happy to have a purpose in life, rumbled over and blasted the snot out of the Russians as they tried to slip into the church. Throughout the game the mortar support was hotly contested by both sides and wildly inaccurate (largely because the aiming mechanism consisted of the umpire hurling a cotton ball towards the approximate point of aim.) In the end, no-one completed their mission, no-one had a clue what anybody else's mission was, and everyone had fun. WWII Street Fighting Introduction Scenario One: Stalingrad Shuffle Scenario Two: Gott Mit Uns Scenario Three: C'Est La Gruyere Back to MWAN #115 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum 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