Small Solo Game - Berlin 1945

 After all the recent positive feedback on my RXK 3D printed Berlin Defenders, I felt compelled to give them a try out on the table 

A brief report with a lot of images follows 

Set up with the defenders in the top half of the table and Russians in the bottom

As they were attacking, the Russians had 4 squads to three and support from a mortar, plus two "event" cards in the activation pack

The defenders had all the assets recently painted, except for the 88mm gun!

This included two snipers on high buildings overlooking the combat zone

On the very first turn, the Russian mortar put a hit on the German HMG

When turn 2 went to the Red Army, the mortar performed a repeat - and the HMG was wiped out - a rather inauspicious start for the Volksturm!

On turn three, the mortar crew were targeted by one of the snipers, and took a hit

Next turn, the mortar was knocked out!

The same sniper then got a double hit on the squad in the building

Having lost their first support and with the right flank unit wavering, the Red Army commander ordered his troops to rush the outnumbered civilian defenders - URRAH!

As the left flank advance moved up, the Russian right flank unit disintegrated and left the field.

The "rush" however, was somewhat hesitant, with both units rolling low for movement.

The sniper certainly had his eye in for this first game!

The Soviet squad under fire needs a double 6 to spot and kill the sniper - they came so close!

The Soviet attack was in danger of completely disintegrating as the exposed troops reeled under heavy German fire from concealed positions 

At this point, the Soviets turned their first Event card and received some welcome reinforcements.

As one battered Red Army unit fell back towards their starting point, the second managed to rally off one hit point and press their assault on the building in front of them in a desperate charge 

Which miraculously succeeded!

Having won a close combat, they recovered another two hit tokens

Buoyed by the heroic example of their comrades, the rest of the Soviet troops burst from cover and surged forward

The German snipers and Volksturm continued to put hits on the exposed troops

The leading Red Army unit (bottom left) had pursued and destroyed the unit of Volksturm from the earlier assault, as the follow up troops reached the first line of buildings

The second Soviet event card was an artillery strike, which was spot on target and wiped out the remaining Volksturm MG team!

The Volksturm commander received some damage, too!

Realising (maybe too late) that the Russian axis of attack had shifted to their left (German right) flank, a unit of Volksturm rush to new positions, as the snipers continue to make their presence felt

Once again, a Russian unit was forced to fall back under galling fire from the defenders

This sniper was definitely MVP/Man of the Match!

Every German turn, the snipers were piling on the hits (I should have given the Russians a sniper or two, perhaps?!)

By this stage, the Russians occupied one half of the original German positions, but the Volksturm had swivelled (or should that be "pivoted", the new buzz word!) their posture 90 degrees and were still putting up fierce resistance

The squad of heroes who broke through in the first assault now charged across behind the former Volksturm defensive barricade to assault the Germans holding the building on the other side of the strasse

But this time, the Germans held firm!

Exposed in the roadway, the squad came under a hail of German fire 

Meanwhile, the only Russian unit not carrying 3 or 4 hits, was cajoled by their commissar into a charge at the building containing the sniper - the men moved forward, but hesitantly, allowing the defenders to engage them 

But the Germans aim was poor, for once, and despite two rounds of fire, the Rusians reached the target building unscathed 

And the assault succeeded!

I only have 34 turn cards, so I called the game there as a minor Soviet win - The Germans still had two of the original three squads plus a sniper in action - the Russians had three squads on the table, having lost two but received one fresh reinforcement. Two of the remaining Red Army squads were carrying 3 hits, so they might well have been forced to retire if I had carried on a few more turns.

A very hard slog for the Russians, who were quite lucky that the one unit managed to successfully break through on the left flank mid game. The curse of the newly painted figures did not seem to affect the defenders too much, they did a reasonable job and with a win in the first close combat, could well have kept the Russians pinned in their starting lines.