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CMAK
Kampfgruppe Richter in Budel. Dilemma, fight the allies or retreat?
A Very British Civil War
Note: this is clearly a “what-if” scenario, loosely based on the bustling miniatures war gaming off-shoot of the same name. Outstanding work has been done by Solway Crafts and Miniatures, and I credit them with the brilliance of this war gaming theme.
Background
England, May 1938 (designer note: note the in-game calendar notes “1944”; this is only to create the optics of lush green environment of the British Isles)
Weather: overcast, mild, dry
The very social fabric of Great Britain was torn during the apocalypse that was The Great War. The mightiest empire on the globe ended victorious, but at what cost? The rigid social hierarchy was shaken, and the world wide waves of social change did not stop at the English Channel. Class structure, worker’s rights, regional animosities have all brewed in the decades following the Great War. This has all been exacerbated by the crippling economic crisis of the 1930s, to which the ever cautious government responded to by constricting public spending ever more.
In May 1937, King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom married Wallis Simpson. The marriage to Wallis was not supported by Stanley Baldwin, the British Prime Minister; and King Edward refused to abdicate. This marriage left the British government, and most of the people, alienated; and public hatred for King Edward and Queen Wallis rose. Parliament was torn, and in the general election of 1937, Baldwin was defeated. The Conservative party, ripped by the issue of King Edward’s marriage, as well as economic and regional tensions, broke apart, and a large segment of the Tory support went to the British Union of Fascists. Oswald Mosley’s promise to ensure public order, and shore up the Empire, resonated with a public tired of public disturbances, strikes in essential services, and the economic malaise. The Labour party too split, with the more radical sections forming their own splinter parties which ran their own candidates. The 1937 election results saw a fractured parliament, and although only winning slightly over 200 seats, and less than 30% of the vote, the BUF formed the largest caucus in the House of Commons. King Edward VIII asked Oswald Mosely to form a government. Mosley did so and almost immediately issued “Orders of Council”, outlawing strikes, restricting collective bargaining, and establishing new offences for unauthorized public gatherings, and publishing “any article intended to alarm the public”. Any opposition was swiftly responded to, if not by the police, then by Mosely’s own BUF Blackshirts, the BUF’s paramilitary wing.
In January 1938, a protest by Dockyard workers in Liverpool was brutally crushed by the BUF and elements of the Regular Army; and violent clashes began across the country; between the Kings troops and those of several other factions. The British Civil War has begun!

Factions: The outbreak of conflict led several groups to attempt to seize the country or their own personal goals. Major factions included:
On the Right (Axis in this scenario
* The Edwardian Army – elements of the professional Army, bound to King Edward VIII.
* The Royal Navy and Royal Marines – bound by tradition and culture to remain loyal to the reigning monarch, and the majority have done so.
* The British Union of Fascists (or “BUF”) – the dominant political party, led by Oswald MOSLEY and heavily backed by German and Italian interests. Mosley has garnered considerable support in his efforts to restore order internally and restore the status of Britain’s Empire
* The Mosley Youth – a “social club” of young men, who have been drilled and armed by unknown sources, and have formed para-military units to push the BUF agenda.
* Foreign Volunteer Units: after the recruiting of numerous foreign elements to fight in the Spanish Civil War, similar detachments have been formed to back those with similar agendas in the British Civil War. Contingents from other fascist and imperialist sympathizers have been formed. Here we will see the presence of the “Hanoverian Legion”, volunteers from Germany, who are backing the Edwardian and BUF efforts
On the Left (Allied in this scenario)
* The Albertine Army – elements of the regular forces, plus most of the “Territorial Army”, backing the young Prince Albert’s claim to the throne.
* The Anglican League - A large army led by a group of bishops and archbishops, they were aligned with the Albertine Army. Many are veterans of the Great War.
* The People’s Party Army - Made up of disillusioned Labour party supporters, disgruntled workers and Spanish Civil War veterans, they are seeking to turn Britain into a Socialist state based upon Lenin's Russia.
* The Farmer’s Union: radical small plot farmers and farm working hands, seeking better pay, price subsidies, and land redistribution. They are heavily influenced by Marxist doctrine.
* The Student’s Union: like students before and after them, the university students have ramparts to thwart whomever they view as authoritarian,
* Foreign Volunteer Units: after the recruiting of numerous foreign elements to fight in the Spanish Civil War, similar detachments have been formed to back those with similar agendas in the British Civil War. Groups of Americans, Canadians, and ANZAC units have been formed; here we will see the Lafayette Battalion, formed of French volunteers, many fresh from the savage fighting in Spain.
This scenario occurs in the West Coast port town of Twaddlemore. Twaddlemore is the home base for a small Royal Navy destroyer flotilla, as well as being a mid-sized port for international commerce. Given that the United Kingdom lives or dies based on this freedom to trade overseas, the port is vital to all in this conflict. The Royal Navy, which for the most part has remained loyal to King Edward VIII, dispatched the flotilla two days ago to join the rest of the fleet, tasked with stemming the flow of foreign volunteers coming to fight for their faction of choice. Many of these foreigners have come directly from fighting for the Nationalists or the Republicans in Spain, who have endured two years of their own brutal Civil War already.
Yesterday the dock workers, who are heavily influenced by communist agents and are affiliated with the People’s Party, refused to move armaments stored in the dock warehouses. Instead, they armed themselves and fighting broke out when security staff sought to control the situation. Who opened fire first is both in dispute and a moot point at this juncture. A company of the Army’s Provost Corps was rushed to Twaddlemore by train, but a bomb was used to derail the trail just outside of town. Multiple factions are either in town currently or rumoured to be headed this way. The Telephone Exchange is the key to communicating with the rest of the country, and is clearly a goal to secure. Likewise, the docks and the armaments stored there in are also of immense value. Lastly, the mysterious new Wireless Tower being built on the south shore is of unknown value, as the work crews are from “away” and appear to be quite Teutonic in manner.
This battle will surely prove that the term “Civil War” is clearly a misnomer.
A historically fictional 'what if' look at the events leading up to the Deutsche Afrika Korps capture of Tobruk in June 1942.
SCENARIO DESCRIPTION
A meeting engagement played out in the wooded terrain of the Ardennes at the beginning of the Bulge. 60+ turns.

The Germans are trying to seize important territory: bridges, cross-roads, and towns to allow breakthrough armored thrusts. Central to this map is the village of L’Shone and its surrounding road network.

The Americans are trying to occupy the same terrain to prevent its use by the Germans.

Best played as: H2H
Second Best played as: H2H
(Not designed for vs. AI play due to mounted units)

Map edge friendly to Axis: East. Map edge friendly to Allies: West.

It is hard to believe that it was only a week ago when we first heard of “The Outbreak”. Initially it was thought to be a terrorist biological attack, with outbreaks in large cities overwhelming medical facilities. But soon it was apparent it was much more… the more we hear, the more we realize that we know very little – the cause – the prognosis – or the scale of this crisis. All remain unknown – at least to the general populace. What the “government” knows may be something else again.
You are Jack McCann, police chief in the small coastal tourist town of Shady Acres, Maine. Normally by this time of the year, your town is overrun with loud tourists from the cities of the East Coast. If only that were the case.
Four days ago a large staff of the Center for Disease Control showed up at the Town Hall, and brusquely informed the Mayor, Chuck Zeto, that the Federal Government was immediately taking control of “Shady Island”, a favourite picnic spot in the bay. This was all one-way communication, you don’t know much more other than soon thereafter a convoy of sealed trucks arrived and barbed wire was being strung across the access bridge to the island.
The National Guard has been mobilized, and your own police force has been placed under the command of the governor’s office.
And yet even now, you are not sure why. A strange illness has swept the globe, but what little news was initially released was like something from a bad movie. Now that trickle of news has stopped altogether. The official story is that a Chinese cyber attack has shut down the Internet, but this being Small Town America, there are a lot of conspiracy theories floating about.
The Mayor, Chuck Zeto, who also is the local bank manager, has asked that citizens assist in securing the town from whatever threats may arise. Given that the local National Rifle Association sponsored Chuck’s last campaign, their members were eager to show their affinity for the 2nd amendment and reaffirm their ownership of large capacity magazines and assault rifles. With some hesitation, you agreed to deputize these men, but have asked them to stay at home until they may actually be required. Their training and experience doesn’t necessarily match their enthusiasm.
You were at your office all night. You had a call from Doctor Jacobie at the hospital. Dr. Jacobie, a Vietnam war draft dodger who only returned from Canada in the 1990s, is determined to ignore what he considers a “fascist edict” that all patients in suspected cases of the “outbreak” be turned over to the C.D.C. immediately and quarantined on the Island. “It reminds me of the interment of the Japanese in 1942!” Jacobie ranted, and he said he would treat all patients as “patients, not criminals”. At that, you sent two teams of part time deputies to the hospital to deal with any issues that may arise.
The town is an important transportation hub, in that the coastal railway runs through the town. The Railway has deployed their own security at the train station, as if there is an epidemic, it is important to prevent those infected from traveling. Hopefully they have enough staff to do the job.
You remained in your office all night, and it seemed that things may be calming down, but then with a complete news black out, and the mute C.D.C. guards by the island Park, who knows? You did receive several calls from citizens overnight, reporting screams and other noises from the areas near cemeteries last night; typically the local teens will go there to drink and smoke up. Although you usually will send a Deputy to put the run on them, there are more important things to do now.
The sun is coming up, but a heavy thick fog has blankets the town. A convoy of C.D.C. relieve staff are expected in from Bangor any minute; hopefully they have some news. To allow your exhausted staff get some needed rest, two detachments of National Guard troops will be arriving, one is about 5 minutes away and a second convoy from the east in another 5 minutes after that. It will be good to get home and hit the sheets. You are so tired you feel like the walking dead.
Your phone rings. It is the security detail from the train station. Old man Codger, a elderly farmer who lives north east of town, has just shown up at the Rail station, out of breath and terrified. He is rambling about being attacked at his home, and that the only way he could escape is by setting the buildings on fire. You had better send a Deputy to go interview him. It sounds bizarre.
The phone rings again… it is Deputy Boomhauer at the hospital. He sounds quite distraught. Apparently the hospital was overwhelmed with patients overnight, and now he reports the motion detector alarms in the morgue have gone off.
At that second the switch board lights up, and several simultaneous “10-78” calls are received – “officer need assistance!”… What the?????”

This scenario is
1) Meant strictly for play against the AI. Although it one player wants to try playing the Axis/Zombies, please feel free.
2) The scenario is meant to be strictly for fun.
3) Watch you ammo loads. Shoot for the head. You only have the ammo you brought into the fight.
August 12,1944. France. SE of Argentan.
Married platoons of U.S. 5th Armored Division
night out-posts.
France, 1940 - Case Red.

Heavy Tanks of the 4th DCR must smash a hole in the advancing German line - but there are complications.
At Dornot, the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps' first attempt to establish a bridgehead on the Moselle River south of Metz met bloody failure. Two and a half miles south of Dornot the XX Corps' 10 Infantry Regiment is trying once more to establish a permanent bridgehead across the Moselle at Arnaville. Since the first U.S. troops crossed at Arnaville on the night of 8/9 September, the Germans have been launching increasingly vicious counterattacks in an effort to destroy the bridgehead and repeat what happened at Dornot.
This is an Aug 44 meeting engagement between Brit and German mech forces in Belgium. The map is based on a satellite photo of Neubruck just southeast of St. Vith.
Cassino town was destroyed by Allied Airforces on Wednesday, March 15th, along with the abby known as Monte Cassino. "The town was blown assunder and beaten into heaps of rubble, the official British history reported. Yet hundreds of bombs and thousands of shells failed to pound the town to powder, contrary to Allied expectations, nor were the surviving defenders 'rendered comatose', as planned." --The Day of Battle
CMBB
The Axis launch a major attack on the Allied defenses.
Soviet vs. German Meeting Engagement. 60+ turns.
Best played as: H2H (Not recommended for vs. AI play due to mounted infantry.)

In recent weeks, this industrial center has been the scene of increasingly sharp clashes between recon units and regular forces. Both sides have traded jabs over this important airplane fabrication city. Both have moved into the town and then been forced out again. No one seems to be able to hold it. The landing gear assembly plant on the edge of town was occupied by the Red Army a few days ago and then burned and destroyed as the Wehrmacht forced them out. Much of the town lies untouched, but the workers and residents know it is just a matter of time before a major battle rages through the streets of their city…

After another bloody engagement, both sides have backed off. Again, in the still of a Sunday morning under the cover of a pounding rainstorm, both sides push forces forward to gain possession of the city.

No one is sure where the front lines lie. Is the enemy in front of you? Or is he gone?

Push forward, as so many before you have tried, and hold this town once and for all!
This is a CMBB scenario, modelling Plan Yellow in France in May 1940.
It is a "dynamic flag" scenario, on a large map that will provide many options in attack and defence.
July 1941, a german advance detachment, composed of motorized infantry with Stug support, attempts to cut off retreating russian forces.
Russians attack three German-held villages in an attempt to secure the flank of a future offensive.
July, 1944. Operation Bagration already going on since one month. The german north front runs danger to be cut off. Setting down of german troops in western direction
runs among constant attacks of soviet armoured shock forces...
43-02-01, South. SS commandos save Kleist's troops from encirclement. Fictional.
42-07-10, South. Axis forces in Group A cross the Donits to secure northern flank in the beggining of Fall Blau Operation. Semi-fictional.
October, 1942
In the northern Caucaus, along the Terek river line, the battle has been raging brutally for nearly two months. Germany's 13.Panzer-Division tasked with taking the key junction city of Vladikavkaz (Ordzhonikidze) has been stymied in it's every attempt to breakthrough.

But now, at the end of October a break has been achieved through the first mountain range and panzers are rolling along the valley near Ardon, on a back route to Vladikavkaz.

The Russians, somewhat disorganized, are withdrawing to new positions. A desperate stand is ordered to slow the German advance and buy time to set-up the new defensive positions.

Russian breakout from a Kessel against a German blocking force.
CMBO
German infantry dawn attack during the Battle of the Bulge. American infantry caught off-guard whilst lining up for chow.

VPs for casualties and German exit points only.
Before dawn on D-Day the British airbourne must destroy the gun batteries at Vierville.
Koen - A Town to conquer
*****************************************

a Couple of weeks ago the Allies have conquered one of the major towns in France.

Now the Germans broke through the American line of defense in the Ardennes and are advancing rapidly towards this town.

Can the Allied commander hold this town?
November 1944, the French 2nd Armored Division is tasked to breach the German fortified line of the Vosges mountains. This battle takes place on the second days of the attack. The different French Task forces are competing with each other in order to be the first to reach the plain of Alsace. The company team Minjonnet (part of the Task Force Massu) blocked close to Voyer in a narrow valley by German remnants of the 708. ID has to bypass quickly this resistance. The French can be sure that their old enemy is not about to ease their action !
An American WWII GI's dream come true- a "what if" American assault on Berlin AND a chance to personally bag the ol'Führer himself!
Arnhem Bridge battle. British airborne against armoured SS.
Updated Scenarios
CMAK
A Very British Civil War
Note: this is clearly a “what-if” scenario, loosely based on the bustling miniatures war gaming off-shoot of the same name. Outstanding work has been done by Solway Crafts and Miniatures, and I credit them with the brilliance of this war gaming theme.
Background
England, May 1938 (designer note: note the in-game calendar notes “1944”; this is only to create the optics of lush green environment of the British Isles)
Weather: overcast, mild, dry
The very social fabric of Great Britain was torn during the apocalypse that was The Great War. The mightiest empire on the globe ended victorious, but at what cost? The rigid social hierarchy was shaken, and the world wide waves of social change did not stop at the English Channel. Class structure, worker’s rights, regional animosities have all brewed in the decades following the Great War. This has all been exacerbated by the crippling economic crisis of the 1930s, to which the ever cautious government responded to by constricting public spending ever more.
In May 1937, King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom married Wallis Simpson. The marriage to Wallis was not supported by Stanley Baldwin, the British Prime Minister; and King Edward refused to abdicate. This marriage left the British government, and most of the people, alienated; and public hatred for King Edward and Queen Wallis rose. Parliament was torn, and in the general election of 1937, Baldwin was defeated. The Conservative party, ripped by the issue of King Edward’s marriage, as well as economic and regional tensions, broke apart, and a large segment of the Tory support went to the British Union of Fascists. Oswald Mosley’s promise to ensure public order, and shore up the Empire, resonated with a public tired of public disturbances, strikes in essential services, and the economic malaise. The Labour party too split, with the more radical sections forming their own splinter parties which ran their own candidates. The 1937 election results saw a fractured parliament, and although only winning slightly over 200 seats, and less than 30% of the vote, the BUF formed the largest caucus in the House of Commons. King Edward VIII asked Oswald Mosely to form a government. Mosley did so and almost immediately issued “Orders of Council”, outlawing strikes, restricting collective bargaining, and establishing new offences for unauthorized public gatherings, and publishing “any article intended to alarm the public”. Any opposition was swiftly responded to, if not by the police, then by Mosely’s own BUF Blackshirts, the BUF’s paramilitary wing.
In January 1938, a protest by Dockyard workers in Liverpool was brutally crushed by the BUF and elements of the Regular Army; and violent clashes began across the country; between the Kings troops and those of several other factions. The British Civil War has begun!

Factions: The outbreak of conflict led several groups to attempt to seize the country or their own personal goals. Major factions included:
On the Right (Axis in this scenario
* The Edwardian Army – elements of the professional Army, bound to King Edward VIII.
* The Royal Navy and Royal Marines – bound by tradition and culture to remain loyal to the reigning monarch, and the majority have done so.
* The British Union of Fascists (or “BUF”) – the dominant political party, led by Oswald MOSLEY and heavily backed by German and Italian interests. Mosley has garnered considerable support in his efforts to restore order internally and restore the status of Britain’s Empire
* The Mosley Youth – a “social club” of young men, who have been drilled and armed by unknown sources, and have formed para-military units to push the BUF agenda.
* Foreign Volunteer Units: after the recruiting of numerous foreign elements to fight in the Spanish Civil War, similar detachments have been formed to back those with similar agendas in the British Civil War. Contingents from other fascist and imperialist sympathizers have been formed. Here we will see the presence of the “Hanoverian Legion”, volunteers from Germany, who are backing the Edwardian and BUF efforts
On the Left (Allied in this scenario)
* The Albertine Army – elements of the regular forces, plus most of the “Territorial Army”, backing the young Prince Albert’s claim to the throne.
* The Anglican League - A large army led by a group of bishops and archbishops, they were aligned with the Albertine Army. Many are veterans of the Great War.
* The People’s Party Army - Made up of disillusioned Labour party supporters, disgruntled workers and Spanish Civil War veterans, they are seeking to turn Britain into a Socialist state based upon Lenin's Russia.
* The Farmer’s Union: radical small plot farmers and farm working hands, seeking better pay, price subsidies, and land redistribution. They are heavily influenced by Marxist doctrine.
* The Student’s Union: like students before and after them, the university students have ramparts to thwart whomever they view as authoritarian,
* Foreign Volunteer Units: after the recruiting of numerous foreign elements to fight in the Spanish Civil War, similar detachments have been formed to back those with similar agendas in the British Civil War. Groups of Americans, Canadians, and ANZAC units have been formed; here we will see the Lafayette Battalion, formed of French volunteers, many fresh from the savage fighting in Spain.
This scenario occurs in the West Coast port town of Twaddlemore. Twaddlemore is the home base for a small Royal Navy destroyer flotilla, as well as being a mid-sized port for international commerce. Given that the United Kingdom lives or dies based on this freedom to trade overseas, the port is vital to all in this conflict. The Royal Navy, which for the most part has remained loyal to King Edward VIII, dispatched the flotilla two days ago to join the rest of the fleet, tasked with stemming the flow of foreign volunteers coming to fight for their faction of choice. Many of these foreigners have come directly from fighting for the Nationalists or the Republicans in Spain, who have endured two years of their own brutal Civil War already.
Yesterday the dock workers, who are heavily influenced by communist agents and are affiliated with the People’s Party, refused to move armaments stored in the dock warehouses. Instead, they armed themselves and fighting broke out when security staff sought to control the situation. Who opened fire first is both in dispute and a moot point at this juncture. A company of the Army’s Provost Corps was rushed to Twaddlemore by train, but a bomb was used to derail the trail just outside of town. Multiple factions are either in town currently or rumoured to be headed this way. The Telephone Exchange is the key to communicating with the rest of the country, and is clearly a goal to secure. Likewise, the docks and the armaments stored there in are also of immense value. Lastly, the mysterious new Wireless Tower being built on the south shore is of unknown value, as the work crews are from “away” and appear to be quite Teutonic in manner.
This battle will surely prove that the term “Civil War” is clearly a misnomer.
A historically fictional 'what if' look at the events leading up to the Deutsche Afrika Korps capture of Tobruk in June 1942.
France, 1940 - Case Red.

Heavy Tanks of the 4th DCR must smash a hole in the advancing German line - but there are complications.
Axis and Allied forces clash for a town and large hill.
This is an Aug 44 meeting engagement between Brit and German mech forces in Belgium. The map is based on a satellite photo of Neubruck just southeast of St. Vith.
At Dornot, the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps' first attempt to establish a bridgehead on the Moselle River south of Metz met bloody failure. Two and a half miles south of Dornot the XX Corps' 10 Infantry Regiment is trying once more to establish a permanent bridgehead across the Moselle at Arnaville. Since the first U.S. troops crossed at Arnaville on the night of 8/9 September, the Germans have been launching increasingly vicious counterattacks in an effort to destroy the bridgehead and repeat what happened at Dornot.
Normandy - known for its rolling fields, orchards, stud farms and a good glass of cider. Sheltered from the elements which can pound the coastline this is a landscape is carpeted in apple blossom. It is here, at the heart of one of the best designated cider producing areas that you will find the Chateau les Bruyîres, an Empire period residence and 18th century manor house - run by the Wehrmacht. It is your task to put an end to this inappropriate ownership.
US Army invades an island defended by Italian Troops.

Map is 1200x1200.
Non-Historical.
20 Battles 10 Turns each.

Play HtH (Preferred), or Allied vs. Axis AI.
Allow AI to setup units, there is no pre-planned setup for the defender yet.
Two Reinforced Infantry Companies with Armor Support clash in this typical Meeting Engagement.
engineering company attacks dug in german positions somewhere near monte cassino to capture wine stash for captain hosehead
CMBB
Soviet vs. German Meeting Engagement. 60+ turns.
Best played as: H2H (Not recommended for vs. AI play due to mounted infantry.)

In recent weeks, this industrial center has been the scene of increasingly sharp clashes between recon units and regular forces. Both sides have traded jabs over this important airplane fabrication city. Both have moved into the town and then been forced out again. No one seems to be able to hold it. The landing gear assembly plant on the edge of town was occupied by the Red Army a few days ago and then burned and destroyed as the Wehrmacht forced them out. Much of the town lies untouched, but the workers and residents know it is just a matter of time before a major battle rages through the streets of their city…

After another bloody engagement, both sides have backed off. Again, in the still of a Sunday morning under the cover of a pounding rainstorm, both sides push forces forward to gain possession of the city.

No one is sure where the front lines lie. Is the enemy in front of you? Or is he gone?

Push forward, as so many before you have tried, and hold this town once and for all!
The Axis launch a major attack on the Allied defenses.
Russians attack three German-held villages in an attempt to secure the flank of a future offensive.
Russian breakout from a Kessel against a German blocking force.
43-02-01, South. SS commandos save Kleist's troops from encirclement. Fictional.
42-07-10, South. Axis forces in Group A cross the Donits to secure northern flank in the beggining of Fall Blau Operation. Semi-fictional.
October, 1942
In the northern Caucaus, along the Terek river line, the battle has been raging brutally for nearly two months. Germany's 13.Panzer-Division tasked with taking the key junction city of Vladikavkaz (Ordzhonikidze) has been stymied in it's every attempt to breakthrough.

But now, at the end of October a break has been achieved through the first mountain range and panzers are rolling along the valley near Ardon, on a back route to Vladikavkaz.

The Russians, somewhat disorganized, are withdrawing to new positions. A desperate stand is ordered to slow the German advance and buy time to set-up the new defensive positions.

a product of HDCS

3rd SS Totenkopf arrives back at the front after its Hiatus from the front in France and is immediately thrown back into action.

Follow the swift Donet's campaign the IInd SS panzer Korps stands poised for the final push too retake Kharkov and restore the pride of the Waffen SS, but they have too cross the Mzha river first.

Alternative History : Moskow Decision
This the first of a series of fictional scenarios based on the hipotetic decision by Hitler to attack Moskow instead of Kiev during the august 1941.
The german offensive to Moskow is starting, the first task is to take the bridge over the Dnjepr between Smolensk and Viazma.
Alternative History : Moskow Decision
This the first of a series of fictional scenarios based on the hipotetic decision by Hitler to attack Moskow instead of Kiev during the august 1941.
The german offensive to Moskow is starting, the first task is to take the bridge over the Dnjepr between Smolensk and Viazma.
CMBO
German infantry dawn attack during the Battle of the Bulge. American infantry caught off-guard whilst lining up for chow.

VPs for casualties and German exit points only.
An American WWII GI's dream come true- a "what if" American assault on Berlin AND a chance to personally bag the ol'Führer himself!
Newest Maps
CMAK
a fictional Town in North Africa.
Fictional City in North Africa. Best played as a meeting
engagement.
Fictional City in North Africa. Best played as a meeting
engagement.
Version 2, church size and orientation adjusted to be in village center. Minor adjustments such as villages, small hills and ridges around the wheat fields.
Mixed terrain, woods, open fields, villages, church, river, bridges.
This is a huge (actually 5 x 4 km) map representing a piece of French countryside west of the town of Arras. It is flat (gentle slopes) and moderately populated with villages, forests, orchards and the like. It is suitable for a massive battle of regiment-sized forces (15,000 points or more).
Fictional Map, Crete, An almost compleatly dried up river bed with a ruined bridge across, 2 small hamlets on either side
The axis forces have captured the ridge east of Lieso. It´s been quiet over a month, so they have had enough time to dig deep in the ridge.

Allied forces are attacking with brutal force from east. Tuomari-Laurila has already been taken.
The axis forces are about to assault a little town called Lieso in aim to capture a road that leads through a ridge to deeper east. The allied forces are dug in somewhere around the old elementary school.
A small river splits a large map, with lots of roads and 6 bridges to control and a town also to control. This map is for meeting engagements and no side has a terrain advantage. Hopefully this will boil down to your choice of units and your game play.
CMBB
Beautiful and challenging map perfect for direct or flank approach. Fight in the woods, the streets, the buildings or inside a small factory! Great for infantery with some armor and artillerie support and IDEAL for a quick motorized assault in the middle of a foggy night.
This was a work in progress for the cancelled CM Campaigns. Maps are both operations and battles. Four maps included. One is large version (75% accurate scale) of the entire fortress of Brest Litovsk and immediate area. Others are 2 km x 2 km maps of the north and south portions of the fortress. You are welcome to use these maps as long as your credit "Bannon DC" for map creation.
1600x1600m, middle eastern front,
3 big victory locations in the middle of the map,
4 additional small flags,
medium settlement with surrounding rural areas,
some hills, woods and farmland,
a small river crossing from N to S,
prepared setup-zones for both sides,
therefor I call it battlefield-map.
Germans advance easily untill they find... A speed bump on the road to Leningrad
This Map is designed for Meeting engagements, it is set in a fictional City.
A medium town lying crosswisely to the advance direction. In and around the town gardens and fields, some bush and tree rows.
2 small rivers with some fords.
Only 1 large victory location.
Best used for meeting engagements.
Damaged large town/small city divided by a river. Contains several bridges, an old fortress, stadium, factories, railway station, and an old manor. Flags spread pretty evenly out on the map, made for a QB axis attack. IMPORTANT: ONLY FOR USE WITH UMLAUTS STALINGRAD MODS. You most use the scenario with these three mods found at www.cmmods.com:

FULL_telephonepole_umlaut
rubble_spray_umlaut
stalingrad_buildings_umlaut
Stalingrad-ish map made for Umlaut´s Stalingrad-mods.
29 2x2km maps. Various terrain; city, village, farmland, deep forests ...

They all quite beatuful ;)
I know it was UK and not USSR! but i didnt own CMAK when i made the level and i dont want to do everything over again so USSR must equal UK! its a fun level with the FJ troops in the greatest air invasion prior to D-Day.
CMBO
This CMBO map is built from a topographical map of the little town of Seville, NE of Melbourne, Australia. My idea was to lauch a Brit brigade (3 btns) across it at a German static defence screening mobile reserves.
Desiliens is an ancient Roman town. The map features the ruins of the town, an aquaduct, and the ruins of a villa on a low central hill.

The eastern side of the map is mostly woods, the west is hills and farms. It is most suitable for an assault on the town, but if the focus is shifted to the ruined villa it would be good for a meeting engagement.
Updated Maps
CMAK
Ideal for a QB ME
CMBB
This Map is designed for Meeting engagements, it is set in a fictional City.
axis winterattack on a Russian City
Please feel free to download, use or edit the map.

Screenshots can be found here:

http://worldatwar.eu/index.php?entity_sess=512x00db4fede3b24a34db2c5e9d283f162c&lang=3&location=boardshownode&boardid=51
A town with a river and lake surrounded by grainfields
Map is based on a sketch in the book > Die guten Glaubens waren< the history of the SS Polizei Division and shows a hard-fought area south of Leningrad. The Observatory was not reached by the Germans although they really tried it
This is part of a series of maps on the so-called Ladoga
Front
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JDR DRAGOON
Junior Tester

Member #2429
Joined: Aug 2005
Ratings: 0 / 0 / 0
Discussions: 62
Post #9   5402 days, 18 hours, 4 minutes, 34 seconds ago        
Overall note about this scenario pack as such:

I really like it. It presents a large selection of "typical" east Front action. Perhaps the armor is weighed a little heavily, but that is what most people wants to play (Tanks!) and besides around 1/4th of the scenarios are still infantry heavy affairs (scenario 1,2 plus 5 and 10 to a large degree). It also succeeds in showing just HOW the soviets managed to beat the germans and what which forces.
JDR DRAGOON
Junior Tester

Member #2429
Joined: Aug 2005
Ratings: 0 / 0 / 0
Discussions: 62
Post #8   5402 days, 18 hours, 7 minutes, 30 seconds ago        
Here are my comments:

That didn´t really go that well, but it didn´t really go that bad either ;-)

Unsurpricingly I again agree with most of your comments ;-).

The theme of this scenario was yet again one of a small number of high quality germans with superior equipment having to withstand an attack from an infantry heavy russian enemy of lesser quality but this time with a twist!. The twist is of course, that he german player has to exit almost half of his total force in points terms, which means that these units cannot allow themselves to be decisively engaged for fear of losing them. To top this off, all the units eligible for exiting are vulnerable to every weapon in the soviet arsenal. The superiority of the rest of the german forces is thus partially nullified by this design decision. The Panthers might rule the roost, but this matters little of soviet small arms fire simply kills off all the units the german player has to exit!

The terrain was offered both obvious opportunities and limitations for both sides. The most obvious piece of terrain was of course the parallel road and railroad running from east to west down the middle of the map. The road/Railroad was sunken at points, shielding it from observation (apart from the pieces of high ground overlooking it), but at other points it was raised, allowing observation and ifre to be directed against it.. The area to the SW of the road was defined by a large hill covered w. rough/rocky terrain and a large V-flag. This hill could overlook all parts of the board not shielded by patches of forest. To the immediate north of this hill (and across the road) was a cluster of buildings (w. a large V-flag) shielded to the front by a forest covered section of hill running from the western table edge and almost to the center of the board. Extending almost to this hill was a large borad area of dense forest running from the northern table edge and down the table. A bit further to the east along the road was a small village (w. a large V-flag) extending slightly to the north. Between this village and the aforementioned large area of forest was another hill (w. a small V-flag) w. pacthes of forest. To the east of this village was another large dense area of forest, running in a stretch from the north and eastern to the south table edge across the road and railroad (at which point two small V-flags were situated). At certain points this forest was divided by some patches of small lakes and soft ground. Inbetween this patch of forest and the other broader stretch of forest to the west was another hill w. patches of forest/rocky (and a small v-flag). To the east/south of this board spanning stretch of forest and to the north of the road/railroad was another hill w. patches of cover (and a small V-flag) and to the south of this hill and the road/railroad was another hill such hill (w. another small V-flag). The map thus has a lot of obvious approach terrain for infantry, allowing the attacking soviets to get perilously close. But the map also had good long lines of fire (mostly from the large hill w. the large V-Flag to the SW), but all the other hills also had excellent fields of fire against the parts of the map not shielded off by forest, allowing the german defender clear fields of fire (but also allowing soviet fire to be directed against the road/railroad the german player needs to exit his units across). The map had 3 large and 6 smaller V-flags of which the germans should be able to either set up or quickly occupy all but two of the smaller V-flags on the hills closest to the soviet setup area. The germans also had an Exit area along the western table edge.

The scenario seems OK with regard to number of turns. There should be enough for both the soviet infantry numbers to begin to tell, but also enough time for the german player to get every unit eligible for exit off the board in an orderly manner.

The correlation of forces is almost totally equal in points terms (2297 german to 2298 russian), but the germans have about 400 of their points tied up in unarmored soft transports (most of which are eligible for Exit points) while the soviets have about 100 points tied up in transport (for their ATGs). The soviets thus have a small points edge in pure fighting power, but the germans make up for this by initially being on the tactical defensive. On top of this, the germans have about 850 points of their total tied up in units eligible for Exit victory points. It goes without saying that the german player can´t put these units at undue risk and since they are Green they are not very good at it anyway.

Infantry wise the correlation is one of 5 german platoons (1 Vet, 1 Vet/Crack, 3 Greens. The Green platoons were eligible for exit points and thus of marginal utility in any event) against 11(!) soviet platoons (6 Rifle, 1 Pioneer and 4 cavalry platoons, all regular). In support weapons the germans have 6 MG42s (4 Vet, 2 Green, with the Greens being eligible for exit) plus a single 81mm Mortar Halftrack against 8 soviet Maxims, 2 DP LMGs, 4 82mm Mts plus 4 50mm Lt MTs. The german HQs supporting these formations had average to excellent bonuses as long as they were Vet/Crack, while the HQs of the Green german troops were mostly below average to average in the bonus department. The soviet HQs ran the whole gamut from below average to excellent with regard to HQ bonuses with all bonus categories about equavally represented. With regards to artillery firepower the soviets had 1 76mm spotter and 1 120mm spotter (both Regular) against 1 german 150mm spotter (Vet). In the Gun vs. Armor department the germans deployed 2 Panthers (w00t!!!, although both were "just" Regular) plus a single Panzerschreck (Crack) against 1 soviet T34, 4 T70s, 2 45mm ATGs and 2 76mm Guns (All regular, none of which are capable of penetrating the Panthers front armor). The germans also had 2 75mm guns mounted on Halftracks (Vet) plus 2 105mm towed howitzers (green and eligible to exit) able to shoot armor at short ranges (due to HEAT ammo), but much more suited for shooting up hordes of soviet infantry ;-). The soviets also had 10 AT Rifles plus 2 TH tems (all Regular) plus a satchel charge equipped pioneer platoon, while most of the german squads had Panzerfausts or magnetic mines.

The germans start the game w. a reduced company of Panzergrenadiers (only 2 platoons), an MG platoon (4 guns), a mortar HT, 2 75mm gun Hts, the 150mm FO, The Schreck plus the two Panthers These can be set up along the road and in the village and building cluster to the north of the road and on the large hill to the south of the road. The rest of the german force (Infantry company of 3 platoons, MG section of 2 guns, 2 105mm howitzers, all w. motor transport, all Green) arrives on the road at the eastern table edge between turn 8 and turn 20 and are eligible to exit along the westerne table edge. The soviets start with a single infantry company (2 Maxims, 2 50mm LMts, 3 platoons) reinforced with some extra DP LMGs, 2 82mm MTs, 2 45mm AT Guns w. Jeep transport, 4 ATRs plus the 76mm spotter. They set up in the broad expanse of forest extending from the northern table edge and almost reaching the road. Between turn 3 and turn 15 these forces get reinforced with a further company (as above), supported by 2 76mm guns towed by jeeps, a 120mm FO, 4 Maxims, 2 82mm Mts and 6 ATRs, which arrive behind them. Finally the soviet cavalry force (4 T70s, 1 T34, 4 cavalry platoons, 1 Sapper Platoon, 2 TH teams) arrive in the NW corner of the map between turn 17 and 25.

This sets up an engagement where the soviets with their clear superiority in infantry platoons and partial superiority in infantry support weapons (mortars and MGs) can dominate the closed terrain on the battlefield, while the germans with their clearly superior armor and artillery can dominate the open terrain and movement between any two pieces of cover with long range fire. But the germans must be necessity be thinly spread out in order to cover all soviet approach routes that can threaten the units escaping along the road/railroad. He has very little squad infantry to do it with and must rely on his tanks and MGs to dominate terrain by fire rather than by presence. If the soviet player can concentrate enough forces against a thin portion of the german front and manages to infest a given piece of terrain with enough infantry disaster may ensue and the escape route might be cut!

After a brief terrain analysis based on the above I settled down to the task of getting the most out of my meager but well equipped high quality force. As far as I knew every patch of cover north of my setup zone might be crawling with soviets, so I had to set up accordingly. First of all my company HQ took over a squad from each of the two platoons so I now had 3 mini platoons of 2 squads each. I set up the "worst" of these platoons near the cluster of buldings w. the large V-flag furthest to west along the road. Thei job was to prtect the road, the flag and to prevent enemy infantry from exiting the forest to the north and occupy the road/railroad. On the big hill w. the large V-flag to the south of them I setup 2 MG42s, the mortar halftrack (behind the hill and firing through a HQ), a Panther and my 150mm spotter. This was my "Base of fire", able to intervene along 2/3rds of the lenght of the board from up there and able to deal with any kind of enemy unit with impunity. In the village I didn´t really place anything (I am of the conviction that houses are deathtraps) apart from a single MG42 sited to fire into the "gap" between the two large expanses of N-S running forest and to protect stop any infantry from entering the village from the north. In the large stretch of forest crossing the road/railroad to the east of the village I set up my two remaining (and best) platoons (plus the Schreck, which I set up to cover the village in order to use it to collapse any houses occupied by attacking enemy infantry) since I was mortally afraid of soviet infantry infiltrating down from the north and occupying a blocking position stride the road/railroad preventing my men from escaping. On the road/railroad behind them I set up the two 75mm gun Hts so that they could poke out and gain LoS against any enemy threat trying to close in on the road (I was afraid I would lose them to AT rifles otherwise). I set up my last Panther immediately to the east of the large NS running woods and an MG42 in the outskirts of the forest next to it. Their task was to guard the clearing to the east against enemies trying to approach from the forest to the N-NW. With that done I then started the game.

Almost immediately the MG42 in the village started engaging enemy infantry (and a gun) trying to cross from pass from the large expanse of forest to the W across the clearing and enter the forest running N-S clear across the table. It roughed these up some, but by passing behind the hill (w. small V-flag) between these two pieces of forest most of them were able to avoid the MG fire and cross the clearing or set up positions on the hill. Meanwhile one of my 75mm HTs had moved onto the hill at the SE end of the board, intending to hold the V-flag there and take over from the Panther, freeing it up to go elsewhere. As the first of my platoons intended for exit arrived at the eastern edge and began to cross the board a lot of things happened: To the west, the MGs on the hill beat back persistent probing out of the broad expanse of woods reaching almost to the road and the same went for the village, where the MG there also beat back some probing infantry coming straight S from the same woods (infiltrating the hill V. small V-flag to the immediate south of this forest in the process). In the clearing to the immediate E of the large expanse of woods stretching across the board most of an infantry platoon also tried to waltz out, but were immediately taken under fire by my MG42 and Panther. Needless to say they were stopped. With only a few stray shot and shells chasing them my first platoon made it off the board relatively safely. Things then started getting tougher.

My MG position in the village was hit by an infantry assault covered by smoke and supported by Mgs and AT guns firing direct fire, which overran the machinegun and established soviet infantry in the village near the large V-flag. At the same time my 2 mini platoons in the forest to the east of the village was hit a by a soviet infantry attack, which they beat back handsomely, although using quite a bit of ammo. My 150mm spotter intervened against the soviets overrunning the village, too late to save the MG there, but he still managed to rough up the storing soviets with a little over ½ dozen shells. In response to this I withdrew my Panther from the clearing to the east and sent it west towards the village, while the last of my 75mm HTs poked out from behind the forest and opened fire on the soviets occupying the buildings, sending the roofs collapsing down on their heads. The next platoon eleigible for exit had now arrived, but due to the soviet presence in the village I had to delay sending them forward untill the Panther and 75mm HT had suppressed them sufficiently. When I did send them forwards some of the trucks took heavy fire from the soviet occupied hilltops and the infantry was swiped off them, leaving them to find other rides offboard (or go on foot). Nevertheless 80% of this platoon had still made it off the board by games end one way or the other.

We were now over halfway through the game and all of my forces were committed. The third batch of units (consisting of the Mgs and the 105mm Howitzers were beginning to cross the dangerous stretch of the board (west of the village) when disaster struck. A soviet platoon managed to infiltrate the hill to the SW of the broad expanse of forest and emplace themselves within small arms fire of the road/railroad. The 150mm FO unleashed about a dozen shells at them and the mini platoon near the buildings w. the large V-flag put in a counterattack, but they wouldn´t budge. Instead my counterattacking platoon was decimated as they crested the hill. Despondently I sent the Panther on the hill (w. large V-flag) to the south of the road over there to deal with the emergency, but the damage had already been done: my column of towed howitzers and MGs were already rolling down the road subjected to sustained fire from soviet heavy weapons on the hills overlooking the road from the north. Going back was out of the question, standing still and waiting for the situation to resolve was also out of the question, so my only option was to roll on and hope the infantry was sufficiently suppressed for my convoy to pass, but then another disaster struck. 2 T70s and a T34 unmasked from behind the hill running parallel to the road near the western table edge. Avoiding LoS to my panther they began to decimate the convoy. None of the vehicles made it out, and the guns were destroyed, while the surviving MGs were driven into cover. The Panther then arrived and exacted a horrible revenge, eviscerating both T70s, the T34, a supporting AT gun plus a bunch of infantry (helped by the 150mm spotter who fired another ½ dozen shells into the broad expanse of forest in order to stop the enemy support fire coming from here, primarily mortars and Mgs), but too late to help the convoy.

Meanwhile my positions in the village were holding steady, with the Panther there stopping further enemy infantry entering the village and also executing a T70 trying to get through the village (plus a 76mm gun who wouldn´t stop firing untill it was wrecked). In the forest to the east of the village my infantry was now running low on ammo, but were still firing enough so that the soviet infantry just couldn´t close (at the end of the game it became clear hat these 4 squads had wrecked most of a soviet infantry company!). In the clearing to the east of there, the MG42 and 75mm HT beat back another infanry assault, but the HT then went west to help out in the village. The MG42 then packed up and moved east to the hill in order to occupy the V-flag there at games end. After settling down it roughed up a renewed infantry attack some more. The two 75mm HTs (who were both supporting the fight in the village now) then got knocked out (after having spent most of their ammo) by ATR and AT Gun fire.


My last batch of units were now making their way from east to west, harassed by heavy fire from the hills overlooking the roads, which knocked out a couple of trucks and sent the infantry on them scurrying for cover. On top of this the remaining infantry on the hill to the west within small arms fire of the road also managed to take their toll (albeit heavily suppressed by the Panther and the 150mm FO who spent his remaining load here). Only about 50% of this platoon made it off. The soviets then overran the buildings immediately to the north of the road, taking the large V-flag in the process and threatening my Panther with close assault. I was out of units and out of ammo, so I was powerless to do anything about it, but luckily for me the game then ended. Much to my chagrin I wasn´t awarded the 2 small V-flags situated where the N-S running forest crosses the road railroad. This probably robbed me of a victory, but then again this might have been made up if you had managed to kill a Panther (you managed to land an RPG on one during the closing thurn, but it didn´t do any damage. Faulty fuze I guess ;-)).

Some observations:

-With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and knowing the soviet reinforcement schedule I would probably have tried to hold the hill running parallel to the north of the road and the buildings w. the large V-flag a LOT stronger than I did, since most of the soviet force can threaten this point very easily. As it was I had to hold most of the map rather thinly since I didn´t have any idea where the soviets would pop up. That is about my only obvious mistake. but I simply didn´t have the necessary forces to accomplish this (and the hill itself was outside my intial setup zone anyway).

-Another possible mistake on my part might have been the timing of the convoys, but I had no way of knowing about the infantry infiltrating the hills to the west immediately north of the road in advance, and once they were there it was too late to stop the convoy. Still, I managed to exit almost half of my points total which meant I was only saddled with a penalty of -80 points, so not too bad I suppose. Percentage wise I also ended up slightly ahead (55% of the VPs scored) so honour was at least preserved ;-)

-You did a very good job of sending infantry probes everywhere, ensuring that I couldn´t just thin out parts of the map in order to reinforce other parts. I had to hold the entire lenght of the map with what I had. As a consequnce my men mostly had to "Do or Die" where they stood. The vehicles provided welcome mobile firepower, but they can only do so much after all.

-The 150mm FO was a godsend. During this scenario pack I have often had problems getting the most out of my artillery, but this time I made good. He killed almost a ½company of infantry (42men and 2 50mm LMTs) on his own.

-The Panthers also did good, as did the 75mm Hts (before they got killed off).

-Generally my men beat off all comers when on the defense and stationary. The counterattack I did put in foundered due to heavy fire. In the end only counterattacks by vehicles were effective.

-You also did a very good "combined arms" approach and took full advantage of your heavy weapons and the large field of fire afforded by the hills to the north and the approach opportunities offered by the woods. I think your only mistake was to try and press forward attacks that had already failed, which just led to even higher losses among your already decimated units. On top of this you also failed to use your guns to get in a flank shot on one of my panthers, but hen again they are tough to kill.

-The reason your 120mm Mortar FO couldn´t board the jeep is because he is trailing a communications wire behind him for communication with his battery via field telephone. In order to be able to a vehicle he would have needed a to have a "Radio" in brackets behind his name ;-)

-Overall this seems like the tyical german late war retreats: Infantry and vehicles that can drive gets out, while the heavy weapons, derelict vehicles and artillery gets left behind ;-).

I will start setting up the next scenario. This one will be a winter affair with lots of snow :-)
JDR DRAGOON
Junior Tester

Member #2429
Joined: Aug 2005
Ratings: 0 / 0 / 0
Discussions: 62
Post #7   5402 days, 18 hours, 8 minutes, 9 seconds ago        
OUTCOME:Draw
STATISTICS:
Axis
Allied
Player Name:
Me
Him
Experience Bonus:
0
0
Play Balance:
0
0
Men OK
193
339
Tot. Casualties
100
198
Men KIA
25
56
Men Captured
0
0
Mortars Dest.
0
2
Guns Dest.
2
2
Pillboxes Dest.
0
0
Vehicles Dest.
8
6
Aircraft Dest.
0
0
POINTS:
Axis
Allied
Flags Held:
800
500
Enemy Casualties:
1124
826
Prisoners Taken:
0
0
Exited Troops:
-80
0
Scenario Bonus:
0
0
FINAL SCORE:
55%
45%

Played this one PBEM against human opponent. Here are the comments of my opponent:

Moderately difficult as the Soviets. Cutting off your retreat and preventing
as much infantry as exiting was my mission. spent most of the game simply
marching infantry into position. Never could KO those two Panthers, even
though I was gifted with 2x 76mm atgs and a T-34. All in all a good game.
Wouldn't change anything.

Overall I am pleased with my performance, and I think if I just had ONE MORE
TURN, I couldve KO'd that pesky Panther near the map edge, and possibly
taken the flag on the far eastern hill, as it was only defended by a
suppressed MG42 and I was rushing it with ragtag units.

Situation, Turn 14. Morale is at 97% and I'm still in the
process of manuevering into positions. My move to take the eastern flag on a
hill was disrupted by MG42 fire, assisted by a lumbering Panther (shit!). A
second platoon skirted around the lake, hoping to flank the central village;
they were met and stopped by tough infantry (who later turned out to be
crack/veteran status). Ordered my 76mms placed on the main hill, along with
some mortars and MGs under the supervision of my Batallion HQ. Started
laying a smoke screen with my 76mm FO in order to screen two rifle platoons
for a frontal assault on the central village. Meanwhile, moved 2 rifle pltns
plus 2nd coy support units to the west near the edge of the map in order to
disrupt the escaping units.

By Turn 19, my morale had dropped an astonishing 20% (from 97 to 77%), as my
infantry was being chewed up by the tenacious defenders in the woods, as
well as the ominous Panthers...one of which had abandoned the eastern hill
in favor of settling in the village.

Pic 3 depicts the failure of the infantry assault on the far eastern hill
and western side of the pond. It also shows that the smoke screen dissipated
faster than I had originally hoped, leaving 2x rifle platoons crawling and
panicking for cover, as the Panthers and far hill (with MG42 and a 150mm
spotter) rained terror down on them. As four of my platoons were now
battered and panicking, I turned my attention to gradually and carefully
placing both the 1st Coy and Batallion HQ units and their supporting guns
and various weapons.

A poor error in judgement left me placing my 120mm FO on a hilltop in the
north central area of the map. After taking 5 turns to march him there
(wouldnt fit in a jeep??), he didnt have LOS on the tough hill w/ MGs and
FOs (argh!). Instead of wasting another 5-10 turns marching him to the front
of the woods to have clear vision (then another 3-4 minutes to register the
fire), I simply left him and hoped that his unaimed fire would do some
damage.

Meanwhile, on the western part of the map things were looking better. I had
successfully positioned a rifle pltn w/ CoyHQ and supporting units in front
of the road and a major flag. I had started receiving 'cavalry division'
reinforcements, which soon truned out to be a pair of T-70s (blah) and a
single T-34. I sped the T70s forward to guard the western flank, along with
a rifle platoon that managed to run there, and a towed 45mm atg.

By Turn 19, one of the Panthers caught on to this strategy and moved into
position to overrun the infantry there. One of the T-70s was promptly KO'd,
and a hellish 150mm barrage pounded the area, instantly killing the Pltn
HQ(!), wiping out half of two panicked squads, and suppressing the third
(pic 4).

I was disappointed, but a few turns later managed to run my Coy HQ over to
the area in order to retain command/morale among these vital units.

By Turn 33 (Pic 5), my morale was down to 63%, I had sustained heavy
infantry and armor losses (all but 1 T70 was left, and it was
bogged/immobilized in the center of the woods.

A few turns before, I had lost a T70, Jeep, and T34 to that damn Panther in
one turn...then another withering 150mm barrage left my rifle platoon
scrambling. I wanted both that FO and that Panther dead.

I managed to keep the far east platoon together, and with a few stragglers
(empty mortar teams, gun crews) I managed a miniature, last ditch assault on
the far eastern flag. The central village assault was a total failure.
Remnants of three platoons (only 1 HQ unit among them all) remained
hidden/suppressed in the woods, occasionally trading gunfire with the
hardened defenders. The central Panther was kept in relative check (except
for the stupid mistake of a hapless T70) by smoking it and providing
distractions with ATR depleted mortar crews as bait to draw fire.

I then concentrated on suppressing the far hill with 76mm, mortar, and MG
fire from the Coy and Bat support units. This was to prepare for my final
Cav Inf assault on the small village flag (and disrupt the remaining
infantry attempting to flee). Amazingly, My Coy HQ on the far west edge had
managed to hold on with his battered rifle platoon and gun crew, despite the
Panther bearing down on them. Fortunately, the Cav Pltns showed up and moved
into position.

The game ended as a stalemate. Pic 6 is of my belated assault on the far
eastern hill. Pic 7 is the end result of a literal stalemate in the woods
adjacent to the central village.

Pic 8 shows my glorious Cavalry Infantry in a human wave formation,
overrunning the small village and taking the flag on the last turn. I had
successfully suppressed the MGs on the menacing hill, and the Panther was
preoccupied with multiple other targets.

Interestingly two sprinting TH units managed to close in on the Panther (Pic
9). One threw a bomb which 'hit' but didnt cause any discernable damage
(damn!). Who knows if it wouldve survived the next turn?

Soviets Pros:
-Manuevered infantry fairly well, especially in the west.
-Lots of infantry to work with - Cav Inf was much needed reinforcements
(even though they never stopped moving as soon as they appeared on the
map...it literally took X amount of turns to get them from where they
appeared to where the ended up).
-Successfully disrupted much of the escaping infantry in trucks/jeeps. ATRs
and MG fire were mostly responsible for this. Did I just say ATR fire? ;)
-Support units were effective and used well (mortars, atrs, MGs)
-Smoke was used well at times
-Managed to KO many trucks, halftracks, and both guns.
-Fire discipline was maintained among many units, especially guns.

Soviet Cons:
-Suffered way too many infantry losses on the east/central fronts.
-76mm FO smokescreen was ceased too abruptly, leaving many units visible and
vulnerable
-As a result of the above, assault on village was disastrous.
-Missed a perfect rear shot on a Panther w/ 76mm atg...still cant figure out
why it wouldnt fire.
-120mm FO was worthless...barrage went largely unnoticed and effect was
minimal.
-Tank positioning was careless and resulted in 3/4 T-70s killed, as well as
the only T-34. Actually attempted to sneak the T-34 to flank your Panther
for a side shot, but it was too fast.
-Overall, excessive losses hurt my total points.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

German Pros:
-Panthers wreaked havoc w/o fear of legit threats (total 26x inf casualties,
1x 45mm atg, 1x 76mm atg, 3x t-70s, 1x t-34, 1x jeep)
-Some units exited w/o problem
-150mm FO was hellacious - caused multiple cases of PTSD among surviving
infantry. The FOs final tally was 42 infantry casualties (basically a
platoon and a half!) & 2 mortars KO'd.
-Together your Panthers and FO accounted for 1/3 of all infantry casualties,
and 80% of all armor destroyed.
-Tough infantry surrounding the pond held out to the bitter end w/ no sign
of withdrawing or falling back.

German Cons:
-Limited supporting infantry to 'spot' for Panthers...which in turn appeared
easily confused by multiple targets presented, often allowing Soviet units
to run past or creep by unnoticed.
-Lots of soft-skinned vehicles vulnerable to Soviet weapons.
-Panther that ended up near the western exit edge took too long to position
itself there, imo...couldve prevented the Soviets from capitalizing on
guarding the edge earlier in the game.
-Exit unit scenario...what more to say?
-German side couldve used another FO...perhaps a 75 or 80mm mortar to help
suppress Soviet positions. Germans seemed to lack mortars.
-Considering the above, the two guns couldve been placed/used more
effectively...but Im not sure if they were worth exit points.

All in all, good game...just wish I couldve witnessed one more turn. IMO,
couldve made the difference between stalemate and tactical victory. ;)

JASONC
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Post #6   5963 days, 8 hours, 27 minutes, 50 seconds ago        

Great AAR, thanks.

On the guns, yeah the AI doesn't know how to use those unless they start set up with LOS, as on defense.
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Post #5   5964 days, 14 hours, 29 minutes, 13 seconds ago        
The AI did not use it's four guns at all. Never even moved them from their arrival spots. So a human player will have a little more fire power to bring to bear.

The SPW's started out helping in the center, but as soon as the russians showed up on the right flank they moved over there and remained the rest of the battle. One HMG from the left flank was also shuttled over with one of the carriers to help hold the right flank open. Both SPW's survived the battle.

While the above units were getting moved over a platoon leader and one of his squads unloaded for a few turns to hold the right flank, then loaded back up and continued off map when help arrived.

The 150 didn't start firing until there was several russians piled up at the edge of the woods in the center. The two panthers in overwatch and the track mortar with the help of the forward inf squads were able to hold up the advance in the center. The the 150 started working over the massed troops. It was out of ammo before the russians made their attack on the left flank. The mortar track was KO'ed by the time it used all it's ammo. Not sure what hit it, maybe one of the ATRifles, as I didn't notice any mortar rounds falling.

As the russians started bogging down in the center they started pouring over to the right flank in greater numbers. This caused a need to start transfering troops over to the woods to counter this move. One of the panthers had to come down from overwatch to help in the center, as well as the other HMG from the left flank. Then all the inf squads were moved from their setup zone locations and moved into the woods on the right to help check the flow of russians. With the help of the SPW's and the HMG they were able to box the russians and finally get them to pull back. Then the russians used those same woods to try and make a dash for the large flag in the center.

If this wasn't wild enough then things started breaking loose on the left flank. First the armor shows up, one as a KV and the other as a T-34. Actually it was a T-34 and a T-70 I think. Anyway the panther that was still on the hill kept the armor at bay and finally destroyed it all. Lost a couple of trucks before things got back under control, but their cargo was able to exit on foot and pushing the gun the few meters to the edge.

The russian inf were able to push on in to the flag on the left, despite the two HMG's and panther blasting away at them, and neutralize it.

So I had trucks come under fire from russians on the right flank, center and left flank.

The SPW's and all defense inf ended up holding the right flank.

A panther and HMG ended up holding the center with some help from the overwatch panther and two HMG's.

The overwatch panther and the two HMG's on the hill, with one platoon HQ tried to hold the left flank. The left flank was collapsing by the end of the battle, but all troops had exited that were suppose to. The defenders would have had to fall back and circle off map further back, or try and fight their way through. With the state of the ammo, that might not have been possible.

lee Smile




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Post #4   5965 days, 7 hours, 3 minutes, 39 seconds ago        
As someone with more than a passing interest in the GD, I'm eager to try these myself.

One note to your scenario description - at risk of being a pedant, GD was never a panzer division. Despite having as many or more tanks than most 1st line panzer divisions, they were designated a panzergrenadier division from 1943 to the end of the war.

I'll try and contribute something more substantial in weeks to come.
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JASONC
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Post #3   5965 days, 8 hours, 5 minutes, 5 seconds ago        

Thanks for the report, and the kind words.

On scenario 4, the Russian tanks (only) are meant to be required to exit, off the southern edge. This is important for balance, as it means the Germans can win the game even losing the firefight, provided they take enough armor with them. It was an oversight that they were not so marked, and I'll make a version to correct that.

On the general comment about the difficulty fighting T-34s with Pz IVs (mostly - IIIs are rare in this pack actually - a couple of Marders too), I notice as well reported difficulty killing the lone German StuG in scenario 9, and that the Panthers both lived in your play of scenario 10. Those are the only instances of strong armor the Germans get in this one. Apparently players are quite used to stacked armor fights. I think the T-34 is shown with its true power - and occasional limits - in the pack as a whole.

The Russians also get KVs in scenario 2, but they are up against PAK. They get a couple SU-122s in scenario 9, with HC - but players haven't found those overkill. (Instead they had trouble with one StuG). For the rest, the Russians get T-34s, but also plenty of T-70s and on one occasion only 2 pdr Valentines. The mix is reasonably accurate over the whole package - StuGs slightly underrepresented numerically, but then those are overmodeled and the one I used already drew noticable comment for the difficulties it presented. So I don't think the German armor is underpowered over the whole pack. I wanted instead to give a realistic sense of platoons of T-34s being dangerous items for a typical German force to meet.

On 10 specifically, yeah the AI tries all the doors. The German right is mostly a function of the infantry sent that way living longer than stuff trying the center, while the late hit on the German left is the arrival of the Russian cavalry force. A human would probably hit the left considerably harder, and faster, to exploit the wooded route to the area east of the village, where both improved routes pass through dense trees.

I have some questions about how your game went vs. the AI. First, did all your light armor live and deliver its ammo, or was the AI able to get any of it? Part of the idea is that the Panthers are superpowered, but their loads can't do all of it themselves, so to succeed they have to create conditions in which the SPWs can help effectively.

A second question is where and when you used the German 150mm artillery. In my testing I found it very effective at stopping AI pushes out of the woods - but it can be fired too early, and if it is too much Russian infantry attacks after it is dry, and the German squad ammo gives out before they can all be stopped. (Especially if the AI send enough around the German right, and if the Germans put infantry in the deeper woods, it is true).

Another intended German dilemma is whether to try to hold the wooded belt east of the village, or concede all the deeper woods areas to the Russians, to maximize vehicle firepower and ability to intervene safely. If they do the former, they are supposed to have trouble taking on the more numerous Russian infantry in knife-fight cover. If the latter, they risk the Russians getting men astride the road before many of the German ID forces arrive - leaving those a choice of fighting through them or trying to go around (with unarmored trucks, off road, etc).

It sounds like in your case the AI didn't try that approach until a bit too late - or is that what you mean by sending one of the Panthers in to hold that flag?


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Post #2   5966 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 41 seconds ago        
As this was an Axis exit game played against the allied AI with no CEB.

Got all but two trucks exited. The AI just kept slamming into the defense and it was really desperate there at the end. Just verily kept the door open long enough for everybody to get through.

I had put the panthers in overwatch at the start, but had to move one down the hill to help hold the center flag. It was a good thing that one was left up there, or things would have gotten bad in a hurry for the last bunch trying to exit.

The defense was just about out of ammo by the end and the AI managed to neutralize the large flag on the axis left flank. I had loaded up the HMG's from there and moved to the center and right flank to help hold the road open long enough. Then the AI made a rush for the left flank flag in the end. I suppose the allied reinforcements arrived over there, so they just came straight on in their attack. It worked rather well though and made it feel like the allied attack was shifting across the front to find a weak spot.

They first hit in the center and then shifted to the right flank. That is when the HMG's had to shift from the left to right flank to hold the entry point open for the trucks. Then finally the attack shifted to the left flank, while still pushing in the center and right.

The question is whether the defenders would have been able to save themselve from being trapped after holding the road open for their comrades to escape.

This was an easy win against the AI, but really had a good feel to it as far as the desperate defense against waves of russians trying to break through.

Should be interesting H2H play.

These have been a fun set of games. The most frustrating ones were the match up between the T-34's and the Pz IIIJ's and IV's. The hardest one was #9. Played that one five times and probably will do it again trying out some different ideas. You need to look at #4 again, as it is an exit game with no troops marked as such.

Thanks Jason for some fine hours of CM gaming.

lee Smile
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JASONC
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Post #1   6064 days, 7 hours, 40 minutes, 53 seconds ago        
Scenario discussion area for OK10N-GDHoldstheDoor
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