Mini Solo WWII Eastern Front Game

After a throw away comment on one of my replies to a recent post, today I set up a small game using a few of my rather large 15mm WWII Russian collection. Not a great deal of thought or preparation went into the scenario, but in the end, it played out quite well.

The only change I made to the rules was to substitute cm for inches in the movement and firing ranges, which worked fine for the smaller scale figures and table.

Overview on turn one (Germans have initiative!) as three Russian infantry units advance on a ruined village in East Prussia.

With the first three initiatives, the Germans opened up with two HMG's, causing a disappointing total of two hits. The Russians were out of rifle range so could not respond.

There followed three initiatives in a row for the Russians, at the end of which, three IS heavy tanks had arrived and one of the infantry units had assaulted an HMG but to no effect.

The German HMG's fell back and the Russian advance into the ruined village continued.

German Nebelwerfers opened fire on the advancing Russian infantry, causing immediate damage to both the left- and right-wing units.

The Russian command coordinating the attack.

On both flanks, the Russian infantry pressed forward and assaulted the German HMG's but again with no result. 

The HMG's again fell back, and a new ambush was sprung, as two PAK 38 50mm AT guns opened fire on the advancing Soviet armour. Simultaneously, the Nebelwerfers fired again and the right-most Russian infantry unit, now on four hits, was forced to retire.

One PAK scored a direct hit on the leading Soviet tank, and it burst into flames, whilst the second shell bounced off the other IS. Return fire destroyed one PAK and put a hit on the second! In the following phase, the remaining Russian tanks combined to take out the second PAK.

A German "event" card was turned, and on roll of 2, on came a King Tiger! The very next card was a Russian event, and they received reinforcements of an additional two infantry units.

The infantry continued to advance through the shattered village and one unit managed to assault an HMG and wipe it out in close combat.

In addition to the King Tiger, the Germans sprung another hasty surprise in the form of an 88mm FLAK, which put a hit on the second IS with no damage from the return fire.

The very next turn, the 88 took out a second Russian tank, as the King Tiger inched forward cautiously.

I tested "move and fire" in this game by simply not adding any bonus if the firer has moved - so the King Tiger needed an unmodified 9 to hit the IS and failed to do so. The 88 had no target and the Nebelwerfer fire took one of the units on the left wing to four hits, forcing it to retire!

In the next couple of initiatives, both retiring Russian infantry units passed a rally test and were able to move forwards again. The two tanks exchanged fire, and each scored a non-lethal hit. The IS then moved off as the infantry moved in on the isolated German tank.

The Russian tank was now in a position to be engaged by the 88 - shots were exchanged but both missed! Meanwhile, the Nebelwerfers had again caused one of the Russian infantry units to reach four hit markers, and they were forced to retire once more!

General view at about the three quarters stage, the Russians are well advanced on the left flank but are making slower progress on the right, where they face the might of the King Tiger.

The final Russian tank dies as it destroys the 88mm FLAK! 

Elsewhere, the Russian infantry again manage to rally and move forwards towards the fray once again.

On the Russian right, two units of infantry charge forwards to assault the wounded King Tiger

The bravery of the Russian infantry is rewarded as they suffer no loss but score a knockout blow on the German behemoth.

With one Nebelwerfer already forced to retire by the advancing Russian infantry, the remaining Germans decide now is the time to fall back to the next defensive position. The village is in Russian hands and the advance towards Berlin can continue.

The Russian command team reports their success up the chain of command.

Final view of the table - in the end, the Russians had the infantry to do the job in a built-up area, whereas the Germans were relying on fire power - which certainly took out all the Soviet tanks but was ultimately unable to prevent the PBI from taking the position.

I enjoyed that and the system worked pretty well for a solo game, which took about 90 minutes to play through. Next time, I might try Normandy with the British moving through bocage-lined lanes, waiting for the Germans to open fire......!

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