Sunday, 27 August 2023

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......!

Thanks for visiting and extra special appreciation for all the good people who take the time and effort to leave a comment.

36 comments:

  1. Well I'm very happy to see that your throw away comment did lead to the Soviets making it onto the table:). Plenty of action for sure and all on a small table, which of course I like to see, given my space contraints too! The AAR reminded of some fighting in Prussia in '45 that I've just been reading about, which was bloody and the Soviet's losing loads of tanks and with the PBI gaining the objectives. Keep up the good work!

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    1. Thanks Steve...it's good to know I managed to create a reasonably accurate outcome, even if it was more by good luck than good management!

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  2. Great to see the Soviets on the table and a rather fun looking game

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    1. Cheers Scotty, it was a good way to spend s couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon!

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  3. Another fine example of plenty of good game and narrative coming out of a small space.

    You have to smile when the chances of a King tiger coming on have been made deliberately low ….. and it happens, as often seems the case!

    90 minutes is a real sweet spot for a game. I am on day 3 of a 4 day game fest, standing at my table and I have to admit to game fatigue … mainly due to aches, but even so, it is possible to have too much goodness :-)

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    1. Thanks Norm, I am glad you enjoyed my efforts! I find I get a bit of a sore back too...I think it's the confined space nature of using the 3 x 3 table squeezed in next to my wife's car...for this latest game, I managed to sit half the time, which was a lot better! Old age, it's a bugger, isn't it?!

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  4. Oh, very, very interesting game!
    Always nice to see Germans vs Soviets on table :)

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    1. Thanks Michal I agree, my Russians do not see enough action!

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  5. looks cool. was it nice to get an rarely used collection out for a little shoot em up? How long did it take you to find them? you might be more organized than I am, but collections that I rarely use get lost in the back of the garage underneath the dust and spider webs. 😁

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    1. Stew, you must be the least organized person, because I am pretty bad, but I do have all boxes labeled and (mostly) in large free standing cupboards in the garage, so I have a pretty good idea of where everything is! Didn't take too long to find everything required and yes, it was great to get the Soviets in action after a long break!

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  6. Nice to give the Soviets a run. As unreliable as they were, there is always something about a Konigstiger that gives pause for thought. Even with the limited space this certainly produced a lot of action.

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    1. Thanks Lawrence...I have 5 KT's and not sure any have ever participated in a game previously....ironic that it succumbed to an infantry assault in the end!

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  7. I really liked the game too. And, given the fighting in East Prussia, it is quite historical.

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    1. Thanks Valentin, I am pleased you agree with Steve that the scenario had a ring of truth to it!

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  8. Neat looking game. Ever thought of doing 1946 « what if » stuff?

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    1. Thanks JBM and to answer your question...no, not at all!

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  9. These smaller actions are perfect avenues for solo play. Good to see your Soviets out on the table for romp. Have you considered converting your wife’s parking spot in the garage into a gaming space for you???

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    1. Lol...I think such a plan would meet with as much success as Operation Sealion, Jon!

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    2. So, you have considered the operation, then, and you’re still in the “feasibility” stage?

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    3. Hmmmmm....perhaps....maybe I will just invade Russia instead?!

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    1. Thanks a lot Mark - glad you approve of my efforts!

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  11. Excellent looking game and report! It looks like a great scenario with the attackers receiving continuous reinforcements while the defenders need to hope they get something useful.

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    1. Thanks Ben - the Germans were a bit short on resources but managed to take a toll on the Russian armour, for sure!

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  12. Enjoyed the report and the figures on the table Keith.

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    1. Thanks Richard and I am glad you found the post enjoyable 😉

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  13. A cracking looking game Keith… and a great way to spend an hour of your time…

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Cheers Aly...certainly beats almost anything else I would be likely to be doing on a Sunday afternoon!

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  14. Lovely little solo game. 3x IS2's taken out so easily though... Ouch.

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    1. Thanks Dai...I am not 100% sure exactly what tanks these actually are! I think it may in fact have been one IS II and two IS I....but regardless, they do die quite easily in these rules....which isn't necessarily a bad thing!

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  15. A great deal of action for such a small space: nice system!

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    1. Thanks Ed, I agree on both counts 👍

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  16. Great game- a small compact set and a very gripping game. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks John - pleased you found the post interesting.

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  17. Great looking game, I especially liked the built ip areas!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks a lot Iain...the BUA should have been in use again at Andrew's tomorrow but unfortunately that has been postponed to next week...might have to do another solo instead....!

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