June 28 Game Day AAR

I really like both of the scenarios we played here. Iv'e played Vienna Woods twice now as the Russians (1-1). Although both Rob and Jim concurred that the Germans need to fully occupy the ridgeline prior to the Russian reinforcements (which Rob did with relative ease and skill), I believe the Russians have to control at least one or two of the level three locations (at least not have Germans there) so that the reinforcements have a path which they can get on the map without being slapped by the overwhelming firepower the Germans have. In the game this day, not only did Rob have the 10-2, but he also generated a hero who stacked with the 9-1. By the time the Russian reinforcements arrived, there was no path for them to get on the map without facing 8-12 FP shots with -2 or -3 mods. So I entered slowly (advancing concealed into the woods) with the idea of throwing some smoke on the hill to create a path for the next turn. Of course, being concealed did not prevent Rob from getting MCs on my two leader stacks (each accompanied by two 4-5-8's. The first (9-1) group the leader passed and went heroic (which I believe was the only on of the six MCs that I passed). All the rest of the units broke and at least one also ELRed. The 8-0 that was part of the initial setup was the first guy to pass a morale check (at least 5 failed MMC failed to that point, turn 3). He passed a couple…unfortunately the broken squad that he raced over to in an attempt to rally, broke with ELR failed to rout (of course Rob made sure the clowns were DM), CRd on a failed MC, and then CRd again, leaving the broken leader alone with an LMG on the ground. He passed his (2nd) morale check but just stood there looking at the LMG while the Nazi hordes descended. All in all a brutal thrashing. There were at least two occasions on the first couple of turns that could have given the Russians at least a chance. I'd like to give this one a try as the Germans some time.

Red Comrades is probably my favorite scenario from the Russian Front Action Pack. I've played it twice now, as both sides (2-0). Jim (and Rob–I was seriously outnumbered at the start) surprised me by having a rear setup–not a single non-Hip guy on my side of the railroad).
I deployed four squads worth of Germans and advanced as far and fast as I could with some searching but primarily recon by movement. I sent one tank around the woods on the German left, but avoided the obvous bypass rout (which I subsequently learned had two AT mine factors there) and plowed through the two woods hexes adjacent to it. So that tank was ready to leave the woods at the start of turn 4. On the other flank the three AFVs moved through the AP minefields with impunity and the Infantry kept pace. Jim got the Arty on his first draw but the spotting round went off the map, the second attempt he was more cautious and placed it farther back in the middle of the board where it landed successfully. He was able to adjust and place harrassing fire on the (German) right filank just as the Germans were reaching that flank. On turn 3 all of the German initial force AFVs were in the LOS of the ATGun which popped up in the building to the rigt of the rear most victory building. One AFV had to (well, I thought so) move into the FFE and was shocked, the Gun popped up and took out the second AFV (after four or five rate shots had bounced), burning it. The smoke generated actually was to my benefit, in the long run. A Russian hero tried to toss his DC on the third tank, which was on the left flank facing the ATGun, but his heroism was wasted when the DC was not placed effectively. Meanwhile the shocked AFV recovered on his first opportunity and the ATGun shocked him again. The Russian drew a Red Card for their second OBA draw, so the Germans didn't have to worry about that for a while. Meanwhile I brought the reinforcement AFVs on the left and sent them through the trail breaks. By the start of turn four the first one had just cleared the woods and I was beginning to think that I had erred in bringing them in that way…ah but it turned out to be glorious!
So, at the start of turn 4, the Germans had one tank (the PzIV) in bypass of the left victory building, one tank on fire in front of the rear victory building, one tank shocked on the right side of the right victory building. The DC hero occupied the left hex of the left victory building while I had a leader with one and a half squads in the other hex. Also there was a broken half squad in the rubble to the left of the building–he would be key. The 9-1 had two squads, a MMG and a couple of broken half squads in the forward location of the right flank victory building. There were also a couple of MMCs in the surrounding hexes (including a hs in the burning tank hex). The Russians had the 9-2, 6-2-8 and HMG in the forward hex of the central victory building and the 4-5-8 in the other hex. The Russian HIP stack consisting of a half squad with an LMG, the 8-0 and a hero with an ATR had turned up in the woods on the far right edge of the board, on the same hex row as the 9-2 occupied building. They had been discovered by the intrepid efforts of a scout HS who wound up being broken by their fire, but the Russian 8-0 also broke and was not a factor in the game.
As turn 4 (of 5.5) began for the Germans, the shocked StuG (which had been immobilized by the ATR) recovered but was again shocked by the ATGun, which hit it again forcing the crew to bail out. The infantry in the left victory building fired uselessly at the ATGun crew (and an accmpanying leader and HS). The 9-1 fired the MMG and two squads through the smoke at the 9-2 in the center victory building, to no effect. The PzIv on the left started, moved into the rail hex adjacent to the ATG (out of it's CA), survived street fighting attacks by the Hero on one side as well as by the Leader/HS on the other. I think Jim was expecting me to move into the ATGun hex, but I sent the tank around the left flank, he ended up in the rear on the road four or five hexes behind the front, in motion. The Russians got a black card on the third OBA draw, and brought the FFE down near the left victory building, behind the German line.
In close combat the Germans sent a leader, squad and hs against the hero in the left building, killing him and laughing off his puny counter thrust. During the Russian Turn the ATGun again hit the immobilized tank, forcing the crew to bail out.
At the start of turn 5, the broken hs on the far left not only self rallied, but also created an 8-0. The 4-5-8 in the rear center victory building hex was broken by German fire. The Germans started moving half squads to surround the center victory building (which had one wire hex in front of it, which was scrupulously avoided by the Germans. The ldr/hs in the ATG hex fired at one of the German MMCs as the moved toward the building. The lead PzIII from the German reinforcement group turned out to have gotten exactly 12 MPS away from the railroad hex to the left of the ATG (outside CA), where it stopped, bounding fired it's MGs and broke the crew, hs, and ldr (I think it was a 1MC).
By the end of the German movement phase, the only unbroken Russian units were the hs and hero in the woods on the far right flank and the 9-2 and 6-2-8 in the forward hex of the center victory building, with the HMG. The PzIv had come around to be adjacent to that hex (with a wall and infantry between it and Russians in the woods on the far right). The Germans had squads or half squads in all of the hexes adjacent to the 9-2's location (excepting the wire hex) and was ready to take a pounding from the HMG, but still have some firepower available to hit them on the final turn with a good chance of breaking the occupants. The Russians adjusted their 80mm FFE and it came down on the left side of the building, the center hex being adjacent to the 9-2 and the 6-2-8. The German half squad in the center of this fire storm passed his 1MC, the next hex rolled for was the 9-2 in the victory building. With a 16+3 they wound up facing a 1 or N MC. Both failed and that was the game.

I really thought I was in trouble at the start of turn 4, but things really went my way from that point–getting some reverse karma from the first game I guess. Had the 9-2 and 6-2-8 not broken on turn 5, the Germans would have been faced with a tough situation, FFE on one side of the building, HMG (with a -2 DRM) on the other. They would have had a more than decent chance at killing all the infantry in the building area. Jim played agreat game.

I think I got all the details right, but I might have missed a few. Sorry I didn't have the board handy so couldn't provide hex numbers.

Wait, I'm confused. Didn't you assert before that Pansergeist favored the Germans? Also, is it the force mix or the objective that you think is unbalanced? I seem to think it is mostly the objective, with the Germans being able to camp out on top of the hill and blast any Russians who try to come up.

Yes, Candace, I mis-type in my recent post–the scenario favors the Germans. Thanks for noticing me.