World at War 31 | Designer Notes | aUG–SEP 2013 D1

EAST FRONT BATTLES SYSTEM NOTES

by Joseph Miranda

I designed East Front Battles to show how battles were fought at what is sometimes termed the “operational” level in World War II, corps and army echelon combat. (Note this is not the same as what is meant by “operations” today, which refers to campaigns in entire theaters of operations.) The operational level in World War II shows the relative strengths and weaknesses of the armies involved. It’s detailed enough to show how different arms

worked in combat (armor, infantry, artillery, engineers, etc.) while at the same time not getting too bogged down in the minutiae of individual actions.

To design the game, I went to some of the sources to get a new look at a much wargamed topic. This included reading fi rsthand accounts of battles on the Eastern Front, as well as examining doctrinal materials. The basic game system got its origins with SPI’s Modern Battles, which was also used for various World War II games (Westwall, Island War). I had used a variant of this system prior in Vietnam Battles as well as a couple of Modern Battles style games (Cold War Battles)

for Strategy & Tactics. It’s value is that the system is fairly simple and open to expansion via a few additional rules.

Once having decided upon the system, there was the question of the battles to be chosen. I wanted to do one game from each year of the Eastern Front. This way, players could follow the armies as the war progressed. The battles I ended up choosing for the initial run of this series – Dubno 1941, Winter Storm 1942, Prokhorovka 1943, Minsk 1944 – all had in common several things: about a corps; worth of units for the Germans, and an army for the Soviets; large numbers of tanks on both sides; and a chance for each side to both attack and defend.

I settled on battalion level units for the Germans and regiment/brigade for the Soviets. This refl ects the generally superior tactical skill of the Germans, so their side in the game has more maneuver units, as well as the sheer numbers of Soviets.

Combat values could be a little tricky. There’s the issue of fi repower. And then how effective that fi repower was used. Soviet units are generally weaker than their German counterparts, though they get better as the war progresses. The Red Army learned a lot. The Germans also got stronger throughout the war. But it was mainly by adding more weapons to units, not more personnel or vehicles. A German panzer regiment of late 1943 would have Panther and Mark IV tanks, as opposed to the Panzer IIs and IIIs of 1941. But the overall number of tanks in 1943-45 would be much lower than in 1941-42. Similarly, the German infantry had its fi repower increased throughout the war by the addition of extra heavy weapons (such as the 120mm mortar), individual anti-tank rocket launchers, and more automatic weapons. But while this generated more fi repower the Germans became progressively thinner on the ground, so there is a trade-off.

Movement values are based on the ability to maneuver under combat conditions. This is not necessarily the same thing as the speed of a unit’s component vehicles. For example, Soviet tanks often had superior cross country performance than did the German. But it’s one thing to drive an individual tank across the countryside, and another

COUNTERATTACK IN THE UKRAINE: Dubno, 1941 | The Maginot Line | Slim’s Tanks | Gen. Stanislaw Sosabowski

The Strategy & Tactics of World War II #31 AUG−SEP 2013

C O U N T E R AT TACK I N T H E U K R A I N E : DUBNO, 1941

C O U N T E R AT TACK I N T H E U K R A I N E : DUBNO, 1941

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C O U N T E R AT TACK I N T H E U K R A I N E : DUBNO, 1941

to get a hundred or so vehicles to do the same in an organized manner. Movement factors refl ect not simply speed but also unit level leadership.

On a related subject, road move-ment is somewhat restricted in the game. You can’t stack while using road movement because this refl ects the usual diffi culties of getting units organized for a road march, as well as traffi c jams, especially when under fi re. Another thing to consider is that the roads in the Soviet Union were, for the most part, unpaved, and even a good road would quickly become unusable when torn up by tank tracks as well as by artillery fi re. And to make matters worse, precipitation would render roads into rutted nightmares, hence certain weather types negating the effects of road movement in the game.

One thing I considered was using the reverse side of the counter to show units at reduced strength. I decided against this for a couple of reasons. One was that I tried something like this in Vietnam Battles, and it added an extra layer of complexity (i.e., more rules) which detracted from the intent of the game. Inverted counters also proved to be mechanically clumsy because, given the sometimes high density of units, it meant a lot of sorting through counters on the map.

The assumption is that units are either combat effective or not, inef-fective, then in game terms they are eliminated. Given the short time scale of most of the battles, they are effectively

out of play. However, the replacement rule does allow you to bring back some units, thereby showing the relative resiliency of an army. I did add in the suppressed combat results because historically artillery fi re did have a qualitatively different impact than did “adjacent” combat. Effectively, suppres-sion represents an unit being temporar-ily out of command. It’s still there, just not entirely as effective as it ought to be.

Speaking of artillery fi re, I added a third, “Barrage”, combat results table to the game. In the original system, ranged fi re was resolved on the Mobile CRT, with the results modifi ed. I found it was easier to simply have a separate Barrage CRT as this actually took up less rules space than writing separate cases and exceptions for use of the Mobile CRT for Barrage.

I took the system beyond Modern Battles in several areas. One was with Command Control (C2). The C2 rules are intended to simply show the impact of not only superior leadership and communications, but also logistics. Headquarters (HQ) units represent not only command centers, but also points for coordinating logistical support in combat. It also neatly allowed me to show the relative strengths and weaknesses of the armies on a higher level. An army with a lot of units but low C2 (such as the Soviet in 1941) is not going to be able to deploy its strength as effectively as a smaller but better led foe.

The supply rules represent the great masses of artillery ammunition which

would be stockpiled prior to an offen-sive. So they affect only artillery fi res.

Another aspect of logistics is in the Replacement rule. One of the main strengths of the German armed forces was in its ability to recover damaged tanks from the battlefi eld, repair them, and then put them quickly back into action. Replacements represent not only additional men and vehicles but also unit resiliency. This also allows an army which has a high replacement rate to take a few more chances since it has the chance to recycle losses, though, as was the case in reality, an army can quickly burn itself up in combat if the player is not careful.

Combined arms represent the ability of different arms (armor, infantry, etc.) to work together as a team. This was a real German advantage, and was much remarked upon throughout the war. In comparison, the Allies did not get the knack of combined arms until at least mid-war. As late as 1942, there were still diffi culties I the Soviet, British and American armies in getting everyone to work together. But learn they did, and this is refl ected I the organization. Thus, the mid-war Soviet tank brigade would have an organic battalion of infantry assigned to it.

The restrictions on the number of artillery and air units which can be used for individual combats also refl ects doctrine and training. Again, this shows how superior numbers do not translate into superior combat strength if the coordination is not there.

The weather rules should be self-explanatory. There are some severe effects even for light precipitation. The reason is that the water table in the western Soviet Union tended to making the ground quite soggy even with light rain. This was reported at Kursk, for example, so you get the cut in movement facto. The Hazy result represents not only low overcast, but also the effects of the clouds of dust and smoke thrown up by moving vehicles, fi res and other such things.

One other point is in the high ground terrain. Tactical doctrine in this era made much of gaining the high ground and using it to observe indirect fi res and otherwise dominate a battlefi eld. So I put peak hexes on

World at War 31 | Designer Notes | aUG–SEP 2013 D3

the map. I kept the line of site rules simple since these can often be a sticking point in tactical games.

There are two combat phases per player turn, First and Second Wave. This represents actual tactical practice (sometimes there might even be a third wave, but I wanted to keep this simple!). I reworked the Mobile and Assault CRTs a bit to give different quantitative results for each. Now, only the Mobile table provides the d3 and D4 combat results, allowing for some deep advances after combat. I also gave a slightly better distribution of attrition style results (eliminations) to better refl ect the rates of losses in World War II combat.

The Mobile CRT represents the ability to break through an enemy line and keep going, obviously, minimizing casualties. It can be negated by certain types of terrain, such as fortifi cations, which could not be bypassed on the tactical level. Also, certain types of terrain can convert the rather innocuous BR result into an EX, representing the World War II tendency to turn even minor terrain features, such as villages, into strongpoints to be fought over.

German units advancing after combat do not have to follow the enemy retreat path. This represents German mission oriented tactics, and greater

lower level initiative. In comparison, Soviet units generally followed pre-set plans. This is a minor tactical difference which can have a major impact on game play, giving the Germans the ability to much better exploit advance.

The game system allowed me to show some of the advantages that the Soviet army developed. For example, the use of independent maneuver groups, which appear as HQs in some of the sce-narios that enhance the Soviet player’s ability to command mobile units.

There were a lot of other details such as this I could have included in the game, but instead fi gured them into other things, such as combat values or the way that command control works. The idea was to keep the game playable while at the same time giving a new look at this level of combat.

Tactical Notes

The most critical thing to understand is that winning in East Front Battles requires you to utilize the “non-material” aspects of the game. These include the command control and combined arms rules. The former is critical for moving your forces and then using them at full effi ciency. The latter will give you additional combat shifts.

Also included here are the advantages you accrue form using heavy armor, anti-tank fi res, and engineers. Needless to say, winning an individual action is not a matter of simply piling on more combat factors, but of getting the right units at the right place at the right time.

Advance after combat means that you can break through an enemy line with fi rst wave attacks, surround enemy units, and then cut off their retreat paths for your second wave attacks. You have to put your armor (or other Mobile CRT qualifi ed units) at the critical points in your offensive. The dilemma is that this will frequently get them shot up or pinned down, especially if the enemy has anti-tank capable units available.

You have to think through your sec-ond wave combats. Your breakthrough units can, as noted, turn back and surround enemy units. Or they an keep moving forward and then attack enemy headquarters and artillery units, thereby causing the foe’s frontline units to become unsupported. This latter course of action was the one chosen by classic blitzkrieg doctrine. Indeed, German armor was, during the early war, designed for this kind of mission and notto fi ght enemy tanks. Anti-tank work was to be the mission of anti-tank guns, with fl ak pieces often pressed into this role.

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C O U N T E R AT TACK I N T H E U K R A I N E : DUBNO, 1941

Another tactics is to exploit advance after combat to place advancing units adjacent to enemy units, thereby forcing them to withdraw the next turn or counterattack at unfavorable “odds”.

One the defense, it is important to maintain units in reserve. You need a “tactical” reserve to prevent enemy units from advancing into your rear as a result of combat. But you also need an “opera-tional” reserve to deal with unexpected enemy moves. Remember, once a unit has been committed to the line, it will have diffi culty disengaging owing to the zone of control rules, as well as com-mand control situations which may turn up – such as enemy artillery or airpower suppressing your headquarters units.

It is sometimes useful to think in terms of headquarters and not individual units, since it is the HQs which will allow you to conduct the more decisive actions. Think in terms of what units you want to “assign: to a HQ and then keep them together instead of committing units piecemeal.

Airpower has several uses in the game. The least critical is that of “fl ying artillery”, providing support to units attacking the enemy line. A more effi cient use of air units is to attack enemy headquarters and artillery to paralyze their ability to support the front. Airpower can also be useful for deep strikes to protect open fl anks.

And air units can also conduct recon-naissance by attacking enemy stacks or untried units to reveal their contents.

Overall, it is useful to examine your order of battle prior to playing East Front Battles. You can learn a lot about the army you have avail-able, and its capabilities before the fi rst shot is fi red in the game.

EAST FRONT BATTLES IIIDRIVE ON DUBNO 1941

Design Notes

by Joseph Miranda

Drive on Dubno deals with the German First Panzer Group fi ghting some fairly large-scale tank battles in the opening days of Operation Barbarossa. The panzer spearheads had driven deep into the northwestern Ukraine, where they were subjected to counterattacks by several Soviet mechanized corps. The Soviets had the advantages of numbers on paper, but on the ground their poor training, abysmal logistics, and a general lack of command control gave the edge to the Wehrmacht. Still, despite a string of German tactical victories, the Red Army held up the panzers long enough to prevent a quick German entry into Kiev. This would have considerable implications over the summer as Kiev

became the pivot for Soviet defenses in the south, thereby forcing Hitler’s fateful decision to divert Army Group Center to closing the pocket in the Ukraine instead of immediately going for Moscow.

All this led to a very interesting wargame situation. The panzers are at the peak of their qualitative advantage over the Red Army, while the latter has the numbers. The front is wide open. Both sides get a chance to attack and defend. The course of the 1941 cam-paign can be decided by a few divisions.

Scope of the Game

Given the scale of the East Front Battles system, I could not, and did not want to, cover all of First Panzer Group’s operations. The idea of the system is to put the player at the level of an operational commander (“operational” in World War II terms), meaning corps level for the German and army level for the Soviet. I chose the 48th Panzer Corps for several reasons, mainly because it was the central thrust of the entire offensive. I had some good sources for its operations including, among other things, the daily situation maps for the area of operations.

The Germans

The German order of battle is fairly cut and dried. You get the 48th Panzer Corps, plus a shot at some First Panzer Group level units. The panzer divisions in the game show the 1941 organiza-tion. The number of half tracks and self-propelled guns in the division was quite low compared to mid- and late-war practice, so the panzergrenadier battalions are not as strong as they are depicted post-1941 games in this series. Also, the Germans divided divisional reconnaissance into an armored recon battalion and a motorcycle battalion. Both were found to be too weak for independent operations, and later were combined into a single stronger unit. The panzer divisions neverthe-less were well-balanced combined arms formations. If there was a short coming to the German army, it was in the lack of motorization of the infantry divisions. Their units can have a hard time keeping up in the game.

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The Soviets

I depicted Soviet forces using the Untried Units rule. This modeled the generally disorganized state of the Red Army at the time: even its commanders had little idea of the strength and effectiveness of their units. I did not depict the Soviet divisional battalions (anti-tank, engineer, recon) reflecting the general lack of tactical capabilities of these units at this point of the war. For example, while the Red Army had considerable numbers of anti-tank guns available, it lacked the ability to employ them effectively. Basics such as reconnaissance were lacking, and it was difficult to impossible for commanders to deploy specialist units intact. The strength of anti-tank and other indepen-dent battalion units is figured into the combat factors of the infantry regiments.

Soviet mechanized corps in the game are a completely different organization than the mechanized corps of the later war (the latter units were actually divisional sized). Theoretically, each mechanized corps consisted of two tank and one motorized division. But these units were only recently formed in 1941. There was little in the way of combined arms training, staff coordina-tion, logistical support, and even basics such as trucks for the infantry and tractors for the artillery. When deployed in the field, units were decimated by mechanical breakdowns and stalled by lack of fuel—and this was before they got into combat with the Germans!

These factors are reflected in the wide range of strengths for the tank and motorized units in the game. Overall unit values reflect the number of tanks assigned to the unit (I had some good sources for that) as well as combat performance. I should note that actual organization in the field did not match the table of organization: commanders deployed whatever tanks, men and guns they could get moving into ad hoc regiments and brigades. Again, this is reflected in the untried unit strengths, so both sides may get a surprise in the first combat for each Soviet unit.

Despite what seems to be a running debacle, the Red Army does have a couple of advantages. One is their heavy armor: T-34 and KV tanks. These tanks were vastly superior to

most of the German panzers. Don’t forget, at this point in the war the main German tank was the Panzer III, and the panzer regiments still had considerable numbers of Panzer IIs. The few Panzer IVs available still were armed with a short 75mm gun intended for infantry support against “soft” targets. Making the situation worse was the fact that the main German anti-tank weapon was the 37mm gun, which had little effect against heavy or even medium Soviet armor.

To reflect these facts in game terms, certain Soviet tank regiments have “heavy” status, giving them an addi-tional shift on the combat results table when attacking or defending. I reduced the normal defensive bonus for German anti-tank guns to reflect the poor show-ing of the 37mms. What this means is that if (and this is a pretty big “if”) the Soviet player can get his heavy tank units into the right position, he can deliver some real blows against the Germans.

Tactics

The Germans have a couple of tactical advantages, representing their superior tactics and training at this point in the war. They can use both the Mobile and Assault CRTs, while the Soviets can use only the latter. This means that the German can fight a battle of maneuver while the Soviet will find his armor attritioned via Assault combats. The critical thing for the Germans is to avoid frontal assaults against what will often be superior Soviet tank units.

The Germans get the benefit of the Combined Arms rule, which will provide a combat shift. And they can concentrate more artillery against a single enemy hex. And they have (potentially) lots of airpower on call. Airpower is a source of combat power which often does not appear on the historical situation maps. But it can have a major impact. Airpower lets you concentrate even more combat power for a single attack, or to hit enemy units before they reach the main battle.

Of course, all this requires the German player to think about what he is doing. This means not charging ahead with the maximum number of combat factors. Instead, the German must think in terms of a panzer corps

commander. A successful battle means good reconnaissance first to determine the strength of Soviet untried units. Then move up combined arms forces of armor and infantry, backed up by artillery and airpower. You also need to have engineers handy for river crossings and assaulting enemy strongpoints.

There’s another German advantage, and that is in superior command con-trol. This allows the Germans to range more feely across the area of operations, and to exploit such things as Second Wave combat. It is also a subtle way to show the shortfalls of the Red Army in this battle. For example, while on paper the Soviet mechanized corps look like fairly mobile units, in actual play they will be slowed down the moment they run out of HQ command radius. This accounts for their general logistical breakdown in the campaign, with units lacking trucks and running out of fuel. But the Soviet can still strike some blows if he can get the right units into command and attack German weak-nesses. And as with a lot of other things in this campaign, it’s a pretty big “if”.

The German player cannot get over-confident. He has to maintain a reserve of anti-aircraft units because these do get full defensive bonuses against Soviet armor. These units include the famous 88mm flank guns which proved deadly against enemy armor.

Another thing to consider is the variable time and place of entry for Red Army formations. This means you have to think quickly and hopefully have a reserve in hand. Still, the Soviet player is just as much in the dark about when his units will appear, so in one way it balances out. Again, this represents the extreme fog of war conditions under which this battle was fought, and helps explain some of the outcomes of the actions during the opening of Barbarossa.