Toaw Scenario: 1941 - Operation Barbarossa At Tactical

Briefing
Operation Barbarossa At Tactical Silvanski mod of a classic Piero Falotti scenario released with kind permission Axis PO Soviet PO possible but weaker PBEM possible but balance in favor of the Axis 1. House rule Bridge demolition only allowed in hexes where a road/rail line actually crosses a river. 2. Following modifications were made EEV set for Axis sudden death victory Lose Leningrad-Moscow-Kiev-Kharkov-Rostov and it's game over for the Soviets. Fixed and added some withdrawal events Supply settings revised Adjusted shock levels Some map fixes OOB with uniform abbreviations Unit colors and formation support scope changed Lend-lease equipment adjusted Axis PO enhancements... Changes to the Axis objective tracks Axis strategic bias set to coincide with weather and supply events Fixed reconstitution points for some units "What if?" situation built in... there is a chance that the Finnish army will attempt to capture Leningrad 3. Background On June 22nd 1941 Germany and its partners launches Operation Barbarossa to crush the Soviet Union. The only chance for the Axis to succeed is to launch a blitzkrieg campaign with Leningrad, Kiev and Moscow as the prime objectives. Achieving all three of these objectives plus capturing Rostov and Kharkov ensures an automatic Axis victory. If not deadly winter fighting to hold conquered territory will be the only chance of a German victory. 4. FORCES 4.1. Russian Various brown, red, beige Non-reconstitutionable units include ISTR, NKVD Border units and various Irregulars. Watch your 5th Army... It will be disbanded in September, to be reconstructed in October. 4.2. Germans Heer : White on Grey Luftwaffe : Light Blue on Grey SS : Black on Grey Volunteers : Various on Black Italians : Field Green on Light Blue Slovak : Brown on Grey Hungarian : Brown on Field Green Rumanians : Grey on Dark Grey Finns : Blue on White Many minor Axis units don't reconstitute 5. Notes by Piero, edited by Silvanski This is a BIG scenario, it may take you a few weeks of continuous play to finish it... Be prepared and stock your fridge! Soviet forces are disorganized and in shock the first weeks and will recover slowly. Loss of key Soviet cities will lower Soviet economic output, while movement of factories to the Urals will also temporarely lower production Autumn (September, October, November) will see supply and transport drop due to Rasputista Winter will hamper Axis supply and replacements There is a small chance that Mussolini orders more Italian troops (an under strenght armored division and a parachutist regiment) to the Russian Front. 5.1. NOTES ON THE PO Don't roam around behind Axis lines too fanatic with your partisan and airborne units cuz the PO has a hard time dealing with those kind of situations... I suggest you use your partisans like this: Blow one bridge or go over one rail hex per partisan unit/per turn only and then move it off-road, as in a hit-and-run action like it happened in reality. I kept Piero's Red Army PO in place but gave the Soviets some positive shock for the December 6 counter offensive. The PO is not that good on defense but can be used to simulate Stalin inability to order his troops efficiently in the first 100 turns or so.. The problem is that it makes German play way too easy... Moscow is an easy grab by Turn 60 in playtesting !!!! Still realistic if plan Marcks had been followed... but the major flaw of the PO is its inability to gather reserves as the Soviets would do to concentrate them in counter offensives or good defenses... so if you play agains the Soviet PO, it will not be as much fun.... 5.2. SOVIET PLAYER NOTES The enemy is at the gates. Protect the motherland at all cost. A difficult task, as your best forces will be wiped out quickly by the fast advancing enemy. Sure once rallied, your troops can retreat and destroy all bridges in their path but at some point you WILL have to fight. Choose that moment and place carefully, use terrain with care, but know that you will only be able to delay the Germans for a while and on selected places. A full front delaying tactic will only mean a meager force that has good chances to be destroyed.. and even if Russia is huge, Moscow is not too far after all... Your big advantage is the ability to have large replacements that will rebuild the units lost and lots of reinforcements.. Use these carefully in small counterattacks to destroy isolated German units and do attack the Rumanians, Hungarians, and Italians units as these will break more easily... Use large cities in an attrition defense but be carefull, if too many of your cities fall, your industrial production (and supply) will be reduced. Kiev, Leningrad and Moscow are vital for the survival of the Soviet Union and the Party. Long live the Internationale. Silvain Domen

Briefing

Operation Barbarossa At Tactical

Silvanski mod of a classic Piero Falotti scenario released with kind permission
Axis PO
Soviet PO possible but weaker
PBEM possible but balance in favor of the Axis

1. House rule

Bridge demolition only allowed in hexes where a road/rail line actually crosses a river.

2. Following modifications were made

EEV set for Axis sudden death victory
Lose Leningrad-Moscow-Kiev-Kharkov-Rostov and it's game over for the Soviets.
Fixed and added some withdrawal events
Supply settings revised
Adjusted shock levels
Some map fixes
OOB with uniform abbreviations
Unit colors and formation support scope changed
Lend-lease equipment adjusted
Axis PO enhancements...
- Changes to the Axis objective tracks
- Axis strategic bias set to coincide with weather and supply events
- Fixed reconstitution points for some units
- "What if?" situation built in... there is a chance that the Finnish army will attempt to capture Leningrad

3. Background

On June 22nd 1941 Germany and its partners launches Operation Barbarossa to crush the Soviet Union.
The only chance for the Axis to succeed is to launch a blitzkrieg campaign with Leningrad, Kiev and Moscow as the prime objectives. Achieving all three of these objectives plus capturing Rostov and Kharkov ensures an automatic Axis victory.
If not deadly winter fighting to hold conquered territory will be the only chance of a German victory.

4. FORCES

4.1. Russian

Various brown, red, beige
Non-reconstitutionable units include ISTR, NKVD Border units and various Irregulars.
Watch your 5th Army...
It will be disbanded in September, to be reconstructed in October.

4.2. Germans

Heer : White on Grey
Luftwaffe : Light Blue on Grey
SS : Black on Grey
Volunteers : Various on Black
Italians : Field Green on Light Blue
Slovak : Brown on Grey
Hungarian : Brown on Field Green
Rumanians : Grey on Dark Grey
Finns : Blue on White

Many minor Axis units don't reconstitute

5. Notes by Piero, edited by Silvanski

This is a BIG scenario, it may take you a few weeks of continuous play to finish it... Be prepared and stock your fridge!
Soviet forces are disorganized and in shock the first weeks and will recover slowly.
Loss of key Soviet cities will lower Soviet economic output, while movement of factories to the Urals will also temporarely lower production
Autumn (September, October, November) will see supply and transport drop due to Rasputista
Winter will hamper Axis supply and replacements
There is a small chance that Mussolini orders more Italian troops (an under strenght armored division and a parachutist regiment) to the Russian Front.

5.1. NOTES ON THE PO

Don't roam around behind Axis lines too fanatic with your partisan and airborne units cuz the PO has a hard time dealing with those kind of situations...
I suggest you use your partisans like this:
Blow one bridge or go over one rail hex per partisan unit/per turn only and then move it off-road, as in a hit-and-run action like it happened in reality.

I kept Piero's Red Army PO in place but gave the Soviets some positive shock for the December 6 counter offensive.
The PO is not that good on defense but can be used to simulate Stalin inability to order his troops efficiently in the first 100 turns or so.. The problem is that it makes German play way too easy... Moscow is an easy grab by Turn 60 in playtesting !!!! Still realistic if plan Marcks had been followed... but the major flaw of the PO is its inability to gather reserves as the Soviets would do to concentrate them in counter offensives or good defenses... so if you play agains the Soviet PO, it will not be as much fun....

5.2. SOVIET PLAYER NOTES

The enemy is at the gates. Protect the motherland at all cost.
A difficult task, as your best forces will be wiped out quickly by the fast advancing enemy. Sure once rallied, your troops can retreat and destroy all bridges in their path but at some point you WILL have to fight. Choose that moment and place carefully, use terrain with care, but know that you will only be able to delay the Germans for a while and on selected places. A full front delaying tactic will only mean a meager force that has good chances to be destroyed.. and even if Russia is huge, Moscow is not too far after all... Your big advantage is the ability to have large replacements that will rebuild the units lost and lots of reinforcements.. Use these carefully in small counterattacks to destroy isolated German units and do attack the Rumanians, Hungarians, and Italians units as these will break more easily...

Use large cities in an attrition defense but be carefull, if too many of your cities fall, your industrial production (and supply) will be reduced. Kiev, Leningrad and Moscow are vital for the survival of the Soviet Union and the Party.
Long live the Internationale.

Silvain Domen