OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS:

PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIANAssaulting the Mystery

by Redmond A. Simonsen

Although it is perhaps invidious to introducemy own article, I'll take the risk. 1 receivedan article on Panzergruppe Guderian (fromMessrs. Reilly, Kubis, and Conklin) whichthough a basically good one, didn't satisfymy particular editorial hunger. Since I hadbecome so enamored of the game, I couldn'tresist indulging myself in belaboring you allwith my ownperceptions (many of which aresubstantially the same as the unprinted art-icle).That article was somewhat shorter thanmine: you may finally wish that it had seenprint instead of the following (I do go on,don't I?).It's not often that your lovable Editor gets todo much actual game playing, even thoughhe sits amidst a swirl of titles-and eventhough he is a clenched-jaw, monomaniacwhen he does manage to get into a game.Aside from being swamped with things to do(i.e., designing the stuff you lay hands upon),the reason is the old "familiarity-breeds-contempt/it's hard to enjoy your own

cooking" effect. It's simply difficult to workup much excitement for playing the veryproducts that have caused you to tear yourhair out in producing.

Panzergruppe Guderian (hereinafter abbre-viated "PGG") is another matter. It hap-pens to be exactly the scale and pace thatmost interests me (historical period has verylittle impact on my game preferences). PGGis also a manageable game (I don't knowabout you fellows, but I am disinclined toride the back of a brontosaurus like TerribleSwift Sword or War in the West).

One of the advantages of my job is that I getto see the finished game before anyone else(other than the pressman). I've therefore hadtime to playa number of PGG games againstopponents and against the guy that alwaysbeats me-myself. Because the game is aninteresting synthesis of a number of gameelements and because the Player trainingproblem is so nicely evident, I've decided to

present you with the modest amount ofwisdom I've been able to develop in the pastmonth of play.

THE LEARNING PROBLEMAND ITS EFFECT ON PLAYAt first blush, PGG seems like yourstandard, shake-the-box wwn operationalgame with a few novel bells and whistles onit. It is perhaps this misleading appearancethat has caused such widely disparate initialappraisals as to whajside-has what chance towin what level of victory. Players I respecthave insisted that the Soviets have a"lock" -other Players assure me that theGermans zoom right through the Sovietswithout working up a sweat. In fact, myinitial appraisal of the game was that theSoviets didn't have the dimmest chance ofstopping the German onslaught. I stillbelieve that the Germans have the bestchance of winning a Marginal Victory (i.e.,doing what they did historically). I think they

=approximate Soviet defense positions _= approximate German line of advance __ -= alternate German line of advance

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will do this more than 660/0of time. But, it nolonger appears to be the totally lopsidedcontest of my first few games. The Sovietscan rarely win more than Marginal Victory(unless the German Player is spaced-out onwood alcohol and Contac) but the SovietPlayer should find fighting the Germans toan historical standstill very satisfying.The errata/addenda incorporated into thesecond printing of the rules suggests that thePlayers treat a German Marginal Victory asaDraw for competitive purposes-this forcesthe German Player to stretch for a Sub-stantive Victory which exposes him tomany risks and enhances the opportunitiesfor a Soviet win. In this article, the "victory"I'll discuss is a German Substantive (aka'Strategic') Victory and Soviet MarginalVictory. The implications of many of thesubsystems in the rules will not always berealized in the initial playing(s) of the game.Even experienced Players will find manylayers of "truth" to the mysterious PGGonion. If you'll bear with me, in the followingparagraphs I'll attempt to review what Ibelieve to be the essentials of the game andoffer general operational and tacticalguidelines for the two Player roles.

BASIC GERMAN OBJECTIVESThe German Player's goal is to take terri-tory (Certain specific cities) and 'hold them incommunications at the end of the game.Destroying Soviet units is victory-makingonly insofar as it contributes to the Germans'ability to penetrate the Soviet line. Toachieve a Substantive Victory the Germansmust accrue a net 80 Victory Points. ThesePoints will be garnered in three (or more)Point Set One:(20 pts Total);The cities Vitebsk, Orsha and Mogilev.Point Set Two:(45 pts Total; 65 pts Cummulative);The cities Smolensk, Roslavl, and Yelna.Point Set Three:(15 pts Total; 80 pts Cummulative);The city of Vyazma, or road hex 5915 (20 pts)or the city of Kaluga (20 pts).Except for the first set of points (which isvirtually a given) the acquiring of an entireset will take three or more Game-Turns each.

BASIC SOVIET OBJECTIVESOf course, the main Soviet objective is todeny the German the Victory Point setsoutlined above. Other than this obvious goal,the Soviet Player should attempt to maintaina well-balanced, dense, defensive line untilthe Germans break through the Main Line ofResistance (MLR) in front of Smolensk-Roslavl. Although this is part of the opera-tional plan, it is so important as to constitutea goal in and of itself.

GENERAL PLAN OF OPERATIONSGAME-TURN ONE:Soviet; Withdraw elements of the 13th Army(starts on 0123-26) through and to theMogilev railhead: one Armored division toOrsha (optional). Rifle divisions and leader

of the 20th Army (starts 0108-0115) to0518/0617 road junction. Armored units tovicinity of 1116 on Orsha/Smolensk road. Allother units: fastest possible routes toSmolensk/Roslavl.

German: All Panzer divisions: fastestpossible route toward Smolensk and vicinitysouth of Smolensk. Motorized infantrydivisions to pin Soviet rearguard (if any).Under no circumstances shall the Sovietrearguard be heavily engaged.GAME-TURN TWO:Soviet: Continue concentrating forces onMLR running on a north-south line three orfour hexes west of Smolensk/Roslavl. Linegenerally follows southern edge of forest inthe area north of Smolensk. Rearguardarmored units shall attempt to harass (pin)easternmost Enemy armor. Bring in fourRifle divisions from Southwest Reinforce-ments.

German: 57th Panzer Corps to vicinity ofVelizh and thence to area north andnorthwest of Smolensk to threaten Enemyflank. Do not become heavily engaged. 39thPanzer Corps attempt to cut road betweenSmolensk and Roslavl. If Enemy line isformed, concentrate Panzer Divisions on oneEnemy position south of Smolensk andattempt to break through.

GAME-TURN THREE:Soviet: Continue forming dense (two andthree divisions per hex) line of alternatehexes on the MLR. Pin any strong formationthat threatens to turn the line (if possible).German: Use incoming infantry force toreduce any Soviet rearguard cutting mainroad. 46th and 47th Panzer Corps advancetowards Soviet MLR; 24th Panzer Corps tostage in and north of Krichev. Forces alreadyengaged continue attempt to penetrate anddisrupt Enemy defensive positions. 1st CavDiv advance towards 1225.

GAME-TURN FOURSoviet: Continue consolidation of defensivepositions. If an Enemy breakthrough hasoccurred that severs communications, con-sider counterattack if forces are available, ifnot pin and contain. Consider deployment ofair interdiction marker on hex 0120 ifRoslavl is seriously threatened.German: Concentrate 46th and 47th againstanyone significant spot in enemy line. Ifpossible use other forces to pin local Enemyreserves. North flank should be turned. CavDivision takes up security station at 1225.Dependent upon development of situationand supply situation in south, commitmentof 24th into Roslavl area must be considered.GAME-TURN FIVESoviet: Assuming front is stabilized, attemptto form two or three division armored reserveforce to cope with northern flanking maneu-vers. Station on or near road northeast ofSmolensk. Don't commit southward unlesssituation critical.German: Elements should be adjacent toSmolensk and/or cutting communicationbetween Smolensk and Roslavl.

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GAME-TURN SIX (and later)

Soviet: Hold Smolensk as long as possible. Ifsizeable forces become trapped in andaround Smolensk, do not commit freshforces in an attempt to "rescue" them unlessthe positioning of such forces is consistentwith a good resultant defense position. IfSmolensk falls and Roslavl holds well, at-tempt to fall back to the line VopRiver/Dnepr River/Roslavl with forces al-ready committed; other forces defend im-mediately west of Vyazma. Assign leader andthree divisions each to Kaluga and 5915. Useany mobile, by-passed forces to pin un-damaged Enemy Panzer Divisions.

German: Attempt to secure and clarify thesituation around Smolensk by Game-TurnEight. If the Enemy south-center has broken,send at least two fresh Panzer Divisions onlong-range sweep towards east edge. IfEnemy fall-back to Vyazma is relativelyweak, make full scale assault on that city.Such an assault must be made quickly topre-empt Enemy buildup. If Enemy positionis strong, contain it and move on 5915 andKaluga. Maintain rear-area security againstisolated Enemy units.

It is most important that Roslavl be securedas quickly as possible and road/supply linesbe established through it. If this can be ac-complished by Game-Turn Nine, victory isvirtually assured. Once these conditionsexist, forward mechanized formations caneffectively deal with any Soviet covering forceattempting to secure 5915 and/or Kaluga. Atleast one division must be assigned roadsecurity duty if such a long push is made.

GENERAL NOTESON GERMAN OPERATIONS

Maintain flexibility and mass. Decide wherethe weak point in the Enemy MLR is and at-tempt to smash it quickly. Once the line hasbeen decisively cracked make a deep pene-tration as quickly as possible before the So-viets have time to re-organize a new line. Tryto remain aware of the over-all estimatedforce ratio. Keep track of how many Soviet0-0-6's have turned up.

GENERAL NOTESON SOVIET OPERATIONS

Early in the game, use as little force as poss-ible to delay the Enemy as long as possible.The positions of the main defense line mustbe chosen by Game-Turn Three and as fully-manned as possible by Game-Turn Four.There will be little opportunity to adjust thisline once the Enemy has decisively engagedit. When and if the line truly cracks, don't besentimental about leaving a large portion ofyour army trapped in their positions: aban-don the line as efficiently as possible.

GERMAN DOCTRINEThe Number One Doctrinal Imperative forthe Germans Is: Never split up any Panzer orMotorized formation. There will be instancesin which this will be very difficult doctrine tofollow. Visions of surrounding virtually the

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entire Soviet army will tempt the GermanPlayer greatly. Nevertheless, in almost everyinstance it is a mistake to do so. The only oc-casions for breaking up one or more forma-tions are (a) when there simply is no choice,i.e., a critical position or attack demandsthat certain hexes be occupied and only asplit formation will fill the bill. This decisionshould be-made after thoroughly examiningevery possible alternative (even if the SovietPlayer gets bored to death waiting). And (b)when a critical element of the defense posi-tion can be undermined by a first MovementPhase split and the unit can be re-formedduring the Mechanized Movement Phase atno (or little) risk.Note well that the word "critical" is used inboth descriptions of the exceptions to theprime German doctrinal imperative: this isnot hyperbole-the word "critical" is used inits exact sense. There is no surer way ofguaranteeing a German defeat than to givefree reign to the impulse to swirl mechanizedregiments around Soviet pockets everytimethey occur. In doing so, the main hittingpower and distinctive quality of the Germanforce is dissipated. Once separated the regi-ments are often hard to re-form in time fornext attack. The absolute worst violation ofdoctrine is to split up a division and leave itthat way during the Soviet Player-Turn. Notonly does this reduce the overrun threat tothe Soviet Player, but it giveshim a chance tomake a telling counterattack. Losing a singlePanzer Regiment is like losing twelveStrength Points. This loss is multiplied by thenumber of attack-opportunities theoreticallyavailable to the undamaged unit: three perPlayer-Turn.

Momentum and ReservesMaintain local and operational mechanizedreserves. The German mechanized forma-tions should not be frittered away in the roleof "fast infantry". When armor masses forthe attack, at least one division per majorattack should be available to exploit any im-portant breakthrough. If all mechanizedunits are committed to the line, the odds arenone will be free to turn a local victory intoan operational success. The SS Division is anexcellent exploitation unit: the line breaksand Das Reich sweeps through and overrunsa crucial Soviet leader unit. A force of two ormore Motorized Divisions should be main-tained to turn flanks and penetrate theEnemy rear area (without engaging). Thiswill stretch the Enemy defense and force himto divert a number of units to rear-areasecurity. At any point in the game, if theGerman Player can look at the map and seestrong Soviet attacks adjacent to every Ger-man mechanized formation, the GermanPlayer has made a serious mistake.

111111I realize that every tactical appraisal tells oneto maintain a reserve and I also know thatmost readers yawn and ignore the advice inpart or in whole. In PGG it's really true: youmust have units ready to go into a temporary .

gap and thereby make it a permanent gap.The units should be strong enough to makeoverruns against unsupported Soviet unitswithout the risk of losing a whole regiment inthe process. Operationally, a contingentmust be available to make a long rangepenetration at a moment's notice. Neverimagine reserve units to be "wasted" or "outof the action": they are the action. They can,in one move, payoff better than a wholegame of hug-em-and-slug-em.

Minimizing Risk:Never make an attack (or overrun) that couldpossibly be a l-to-Z or worse. This meansthat the Germans will never attempt to over-run against stacked, untried units, noragainst single untried units doubled and insupply. It is this situation that causes most ofthe Players new to the system to "take abath" by attempting to overrun a Sovietforce, rolling the inevitable six and regrettingit for the rest of the game. Always assumethat an untried Soviet unit is the strongestSoviet unit (i.e., eight on defense). Followingthis doctrine (and the other commonsenseprocedure) will insure that the German Armywill never lose a whole division (and the So-viet Player will never get the five VictoryPoints for such a loss).

Concentration of Effort:Consistent with the maintenance of a properreserve, use maximum force against selectedpoints in the Enemy's defensive line. If youalways assume the worst case when attackinga stack of untried Soviet units, you'll never bedisappointed with the result of the attack.Don't chintz. Don't nickel-and-dime yourforces in piecemeal attacks.

Conservation of Quality:Preserve the strength of the German Mech-anized formations. In the mid-game, makecombined arms attacks using leg infantryalong with the mechanized units. It's worth-while to note that three 9-7's maintained as astack makes a formidable overrun andattacking force. Many pre-conditioned Play-ers ignore the fact that infantry can makeoverruns. When losses are sustained, reducethe infantry division. If a reduced infantrydivision participated in an attack, reduce itfurther then withdraw it to the rear when itbecomes a 1-7.

GERMAN TACTICSThe Mechanized Team:

Use a Panzer Division and a Motorized Divi-sion as a team. Make a semi-permanentmental attachment between specific pairs ofPanzer and Motorized units. Against isolatedSoviet leaders or units, the Motorized unitpins the Enemy from the rear and the PanzerDivision smashes it with an overrun from thefront (placing the Enemy out of supply at theinstant of overrun). This teaming will alsocontribute to the maintenance of properreserves and the proper and efficient alloca-tion of mass.

Serial Overruns:When possible, make serial overruns againsta single critical defense position to eliminateit during the Initial Movement Phase or tosoften it up for the Combat Phase. Make any

chancey overruns during the Initial Move-ment Phase if necessary.

Prudent but Bold:

German formations are practically invul-nerable when properly used. Don't be afraidto put a fresh unit's head in the Soviet lion'smouth: the lion usually has no teeth. Ifproper reserves are maintained, they can res-cue any German formation that getsover-extended.

Line of Retreat:Secure your line of retreat in extended situa-tions, but don't be paranoid. If necessary afresh formation can stand and take the loss.Remember that units can be eliminated bypassing through hexes in an overstackedconfiguration, so don't bunch-up behind adubious attack.

Prize Catches:Destroy Soviet leaders whenever the oppor-tunity presents itself. Overruns in the Mech-anized Movement Phase are usually the timeto catch a bare Soviet leader behind the lines.Step on him at almost any cost.

Utility Units:Use the independent mechanized regimentsand the cavalry division for the odd jobs.Panzer Lehr and Gross Deutschland can un-nerve a Soviet Player by making wideflanking movements in the north (at littlerisk to the German Player). If they getthrough, wonderful-if they get caught,they've diverted Soviet strength from themain line at little cost to the Germans. The1st Cavalry Division should make a home foritself on hex 1225 to forestall the off chanceof a Soviet unit appearing at entrance hex"6" and railroading its way to Orsha and Vi-tebsk. The Cav Div is not much good foranything else and by providing rear-areasecurity it frees better units to smash theSoviets.

Air InterdictionRoutinely place the three Air Interdictionmarkers on the railline between Vyazma andthe river. Never use the Air to do anythingother than slow down the Soviet reinforce-ments. When Smolensk falls place the Airnear Entrance hex X.

Cleaning- Up:

Use oncoming reinforcements (after Game-Turn Three) to clean up any importantpockets of Soviet units, but don't get boggeddown destroying such units. Use appropriateodd-job units to pin such forces so that theydon't get into mischief. Assuming the Ger-man Player is not strapped for mechanizedunits, he should retire any division that haslost a whole regiment to the rear area forsuch pinning assignments.

Counter-Interdiction:If absolutely necessary, the main supply roadcan be insulated against Soviet interdictionfor part of its length by the positioning •rear area units in column. If a critical series

of attacks is planned for the next Game-Turn(and the Soviet Player has any interdictioncapability left) place a few "junk" unitsalong the road for a few hexes westward toextend the trace-point. This can sometimesmean the difference between taking Roslavlearly and not taking it at all. Even thoughsome good units might be tied up for aGame-Turn, the trade-off can be worth it ifthe chance for success in-supply is high.

SOVIET DOCTRINESovietdoctrine is simpler than German doc-trine mainly because the SovietArmy is lessflexible and almost totally on the defensive.

Remain on the Defensive:Never attack unless absolutely necessary.The Soviet Army in the game-system is al-most guaranteed to become the ultimateloser in any attack. Even if it succeeds on theCombat Results Table, it usually requires themispositioning of massive amounts of Sovietunits in order to get a worthwhile attackagainst the typical .German unit or forma-tion. The typical Soviet unit has onlyone-third the attacking power of its Germancounterpart. The Combat Results Table re-quires very high ratios for "De" outcomes.The Soviets will almost never be able to ob-tain such local superiority. What attacksusually do is effectively strip the Soviets oftheir reserve forces. It is difficult for mostPlayers to just sit there and take it,Game-Turn after Game-Turn-but that'sthe technique that will payoff best.

Density:

Maintain defensive density. Stack three-highon the defense with one unit (preferably aleader) positioned immediately behind thestack. Insure that reserves exist to replenishthose stacks that have been reduced bystanding against effective German attacks.

Hanging Back:Do not be seduced by the excellent forwarddefensive positions on the map. The firsttime out, many Players will latch onto thesepositions (running in hex-columns 0400 and05(0) and attempt to hold the Germans westof this line. It is impossible. Flatly imposs-ible. The Sovietswill deliver their best forcespiecemeal to the Germans (who will roll outof bed and crush them without half trying).Once this position breaks, there will be no-thing to stop the Germans from achieving aDecisive Victory (an otherwise unattainablefeat). The Main Line of Resistance isproperly a few hexes in front of the Smo-lensk/Roslavl road-rail connection. Thisallowstime to set up a dense line and insuresthat reinforcements will arrive while the lineis still intact. Incidentally when choosing theexact location of MLR, don't be seduced bylocal niceties of terrain. Of course alwaystake the best possible terrain consistent witha coherent line but remember that it is moreimportant to have a strong, dense linecapable of taking and replacing lossesefficiently. Remain within one Game-Turn'smarch of the rail net.

Create Reserves:

As soon as feasible form an operational re-serve of armored units. This reserve shouldbe employed to pin German penetrators.Only in the greatest emergency should it takea line position.

SOVIET TACTICSA Straight MLR:

Form the main defensiveline in as straight afashion as possible using stacks of three rifledivisions spaced one hex apart. Whereverpossible back these stacks up with adjacentlocal reserves and/or leader units. Form theline with the grain of the hex pattern to avoidthree-hex exposure to attack. Where the lineturns to the interior, use at least one strongtried unit to contribute to this keystone de-fense.

Pinning:In the mid- and end-game, try to maintainreserves of two and three-stacks of rifle divi-sions ready to pin any likely German mech-anized formation. This will hamper Germanoperations and force the German Player toscreen his forces against being wastefullypinned. Once a sufficient number of strongstacks become available, the pinning tech-nique is perhaps the most valuable Soviettactic. Operating from a stable line Sovietstacks can make small advances to tie upGerman reserves and/or flanking units. Themore German formations that begin aGame-Turn with Soviet units adjacent tothem, the less flexibility and momentumthose formations have. Note that using singleSovietunits to pin the Germans is much lesseffective (since the Germans can overruntheir way out of the pin and still deploy forthe attack).The ideal pin is that which ties down an im-portant German formation and does so insuch a manner that the German divisioncannot independently attack its way out ofthe pin. This will often force the GermanPlayer to divert another, helper-formation tofree the pinned unit. An untried stack of two(in supply)and doubled by terrain is an idealforce to pin any single German stack otherthan a fresh Panzer Division.Often, when a single German formation istied down by many Soviet units there is agreat temptation to attack. Don't. The oddswill rarely be higher than 2-to-l: the Ger-mans can usuallys stand against any possibleresult and the net effect will be that manySoviet units are out of position and ripe forcounterattack and penetration.

Use of Leaders:Manage the Sovietleader force carefully. Italmost goes without saying that they are thekey to a successful defense line. Don't placethem in the line except as a desperationmeasure. Use the short-range leaders nearerthe center or near the more stable portion ofthe line. The "4" and "5" valueleaders shouldcontrol the Soviet flanks and/or those fluidsituations where there flexibility will meanthe difference between a holding force beingin or ouf of supply.

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Late in the game, when the contest comesdown to grimly holding on to some key posi-tion (such as Vyazma), stack a leader withthe surrounded forces. When a loss is calledfor, lose the leader first-the group is out ofsupply anywayand the defensivepower of thestack is not reduced by his loss. Such a tacticwill often buy one more Game-Turn of sur-vival. Use the evacuation provision to fly outonly the most valuable Soviet leaders.

The Southwest Force:Take only four divisions (on Game-TurnTwo) of the optional South West reinforce-ments. This forces the German Player to takeVyazma (or some other more remote hex) ifhe wants a Substantive Victory-and itforces him to take Roslavl and Smolensk ifhe plays for Draw.

Air Interdiction:Use the marker in mid- and end-game. Al-waysplace it on hex 0120. Its first use shouldbe when the Germans threaten to overwhelmthe Roslavl position and run beyond it. Itssecond use will either be immediately afterthe first situation, or when Vyazma is aboutto be assaulted (the city itself, not the outerdefenses).. If possible, save the last use ofinterdiction to the very end of the game.Doing this will maintain the threat andpossibly keep the Germans off balance alittle. Also, there is almost always somefar-flung high payoff attack that the Ger-mans will be making on the last fewGame-Turns.

The Enclave Defense:

The late middle and end of the game will seethe Soviets using the enclave defense (assu-ming the main line has been broken). Sinceit's difficult for the SovietArmy to conduct aproper withdrawal, the speediest and. mosteffective line that can be constructed is onethat rings an important point with stacks ofthree units on interior lines with a strong re-serve in the center. Although this positionwill ultimately be cut off from supply, theGermans will have a tough time workingthrough the outer ring with sufficient force tomeaningfully attack the center (i.e., the Vic-tory Point city hex). This defensive ringshould be on a perimeter about two or threehexes distant from the center with each outerstack backed up by a divisionor two if poss-ible. The central hex should contain at leasttwo units (preferably tried units). A singleleader should be stacked in the center.

Counter-attackingWhen making a necessary counterattack, at-tempt to use tried units in sufficient quantityto assure that the attack will be at leastl-to-L Attempt to attack from positions thatare in themselves good defensive positions.Have sufficient units involvedso that any lossmay be suffered without having to retreat.Take the loss from that attack position thatis least exposed to counterattack (but don'tweaken the center so much that the Germancounterattack can overrun it). As previouslystated, there is little payoff in most Soviet

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attacks. The Soviet Player should only attack, when there is a very good chance of elimi-

nating one (or more) of the regiments of aformation or when a city may be re-captured(rare) or when the advance after combat willcut a vital road or supply line to major Ger-man elements. The Soviet Player shouldaccept the fact that the German Army can-not be seriously damaged by direct attack. Ifthe only unit cutting off the German supplyline is an Untried unit, do not involve thatunit in the attack: it could very well be a zeroand ruin your whole day. Incidentally, thegame in which the Soviets can make a singleoverrun is an oddity.

Raids:Late in the game, when the Soviets are de-fending in enclaves, it is useful to send aleader or two plus an armored division on arear-area raid. This will upset the GermanPlayer, particularly if he has been lazy withregard to rear area security. Such a raid willusually not accomplish anything directly, butit may distract the German Player and causehim to overreact to the threat and send toostrong a detachment to deal with it (he reallyneeds to send only one fast unit to pin theraiders).

Scattering Retreated Germans:

When you retreat a German stack, send theindividual regiments to different hexes to robthat stack of an overrun.

THE GERMAN ARMY·Strengths and Weaknesses

The German Army is obviously the superiorinstrument in the game and the mechanizedformations thereof are numerous and of thefinest quality.

(J) III~§4-10

~ III

~~2-10

(J) III

~~2-10

The Panzer Divisions:Strengths: Fast; powerful when integrated(fully stacked) and used in groups; highlyflexible; capable of effective overrun againstany single Enemy unit. Most powerful inconcentrated attacks and penetration ofEnemy line. Very sturdy on the defense whenfresh.

Weaknesses: Can be deliberately scattered asa result of combat retreat thereby precludingInitial Phase overrun ability in the nextPlayer-Turn. Vulnerable when split intoregiments. Victory Points surrendered whentotally destroyed.

IX) III

~18J3-10

Q) III

~18J3-10

The Motorized Divisions

Strengths: Similar to Panzer Divisions; use-ful for flanking maneuvers.

Weaknesses: Not capable of overrunning allEnemy units without unacceptable risk. Less

sturdy on defense in place (fewer steps tolose). Vulnerable when split into regiments(but slightly less so than Panzer Divisions).Victory Points surrendered when totally de-stroyed.

~

~The Infantry Divisions:

Strengths: Very strong independently andwhen massed. Very sturdy on defense inplace. Faster than most Enemy units. Goodwhen penetrating forests.

Weaknesses: Relatively slow compared tomechanized formations (will have difficultykeeping up in end-game). No integrationbonus but nevertheless cost Victory Pointswhen entirely destroyed (which should neverreally happen).

III

g§4-10

•....III.~[fi}]3-10

The Independent Mechanized Regiments:Strengths: Fast, flexible, useful for wideflanking maneuvers and rear area security.No Victory Points involved in loss.

Weaknesses: Low mass; no integrationbonus; vulnerable and relatively fragile.Should not be used in main attacks except assurrounding force.

[!]x-04-5

The CavalryDivision:

Strengths: Faster than infantry; useful pri-marily for securing rear-area railnet. NoVictory Points involved in loss.

Weaknesses: Low mass; no integrationbonus. Should not be used in the line.

The Air Interdiction Force:Strengths: Useful primarily to slow Sovietreinforcements at no risk to the GermanPlayer.Weaknesses: Range limited before Smolenskis taken. Only marginally effective in any roleother than rail interdiction. Relatively inef-fective-when used singly.

THE SOVIET ARMYStrengths and Weaknesses

~

xgC8:l4-5-6

The Infantry Divisions:Strengths: Numerous and therefore expend-able. Good on defensive when stacked.Easily moved by rail.

Weaknesses: Uneven and unknown quality;poor on the attack. Slow and inflexible com-pared to Enemy formations. Fragile (one stepper division). Dependent upon leader units.

~

x •..§

3-10

The Armored Divisions:Strengths: Relatively fast and flexible. Goodfor flank security and reserves. Late in thegame, useful for rear area raids. Single Com-bat Strength.

Weaknesses: Uneven and unknown quality(300/0zeros). Scarce and fragile. Low mass;not in any way comparable to Enemy PanzerDivisions. Hard to move by rail.

[;]

x~§4-10

The Mechanized Divisions:Strengths: Same as armored divisions but ofbetter quality (no zeros). Can fill gaps in themain line when stacked.

Weaknesses: Similar to armored divisions(although mass is better on the average).

The Air Interdiction Marker:

Strengths: Can deny supply to a major por-tion of the Enemy army simply by placementon hex 0120. This is its sole function.

Weaknesses: Only available for three Game-Turns; does not affect supply during SovietPlayer Turn. Can be pre-empted by priorplacement of Enemy unit(s). Inflexible.

Lukin16th Army

*(3) 10

The Leader UnitsStrengths: Mobile; known quality; can aug-ment the attack capability of unit-stacks andprovide control for units within leadershipradius. Easily transported by rail (at nopenalty). Limited air evacuation capability.

Weaknesses: Vulnerable when alone; do notcontribute to Defense Strength of stack:;cannot independently enter Enemy Zone 0Control. Limited span of control.

COMPARING THE TWO ARMIES

The main combat formations of the GermanArmy are decidedly superior to those of theSoviet Army. The German Army also has ~advantage of being a known quantity,There's always a beading of sweat on theviet Player's upper lip when the Germer,Panzer divisions engage the MLR for the

time. The worst surprise for the Soviet Playeris a key defense position that turns out to beheld by imaginary units.

The main hitting power of the German Armyand its principal strike force is the finecollection of mechanized units all of whichare active by the third Game-Turn. The ninePanzer Divisions, ten Motorized Divisions,and one SS Motorized Division constitute anenormous spearhead of 282 Combat StrengthPoints. This force alone is fully 72% of thestrength of the entire counter mix of EnemyDefense Strengths (excluding Soviet leaders).The Soviet Armored force amounts to only 11divisions with an aggregate average Strengthof 45 Combat Strength Points. All of thesedivisions are the inferior of the Germandivisions in every important respect. Theaverage Soviet Armored/Mechanized Divi-sion is only one-quarter as powerful as theintegrated German division. A stack of threeSoviet Armored/Mechanized Divisions is anaverage 12 Combat Strength Points (identicalto the average stack of Soviet Rifle Divi-sions). A stack of German Infantry divisionsis the single most powerful formation on themap: 27 Combat Strength Points.

The Soviet Army units are fragile: all areone-step units. All German tormations aresturdy, capable of taking repeated losses andstill maintaining a presence. The worst fea-ture of the Soviet Army is its unreliability:the face-down untried units can vaporize atcritical points in the battle. Players may findit useful to keep in mind the following statis-tics concerning the quality of Soviet Units.

Rifle Divisions:Average Attack Strength: 3Average Defense Strength: 4Percentage of Zero Defense Strengths: 10.30/0Percentage of Defense Strengths 1 or 2: 7.80/0Percentage of Defense Strengths 3, 4, or 5:56.4%Percentage of Defense Strengths 6, 7, or 8:20.50/0

Armored Divisions:Average Combat Strength: 3Percentage of Zero Strengths: 30.00/0Percentage Strengths 1 or 2: 0.00/0Percentage Strength 3: 300/0Percentage Strengths 4 or 5: 30%Percentage Strength 7: 100/0

Mechanized Divisions:Average Combat Strength: 5Percentage of Zero Strengths: 0.00/0Percentage of Strengths 1 or 2: 200/0Percentage of Strengths 4, 5, or 6: 500/0Percentage of Strength 8: 300/0

The only way in which the Soviet Army canhope to cope .with the massive Germanformations is to stack as densely as possibleand to maintain a well ordered MLR withwell positioned reserves. The Soviet Armyhas no attack potential on the operationallevel and little on the tactical level. Its onlyfeasible role is defensive-and it's inconsis-tent at that.

THE DEVELOPMENT OFPLAYIN THE SITUATION

Assuming equally competent Players thatgenerally follow the Operational Plan previ-ously described, the game will consist ofthree distinct stages:

Stage I:THE APPROACH-Game-Turns One through Four.

Soviet withdrawal and delaying action. As-sembly of Soviet Army on the MLR. Germanapproach and massing just west of EnemyMLR. Initial probe attacks against the MLRand flanking attempts in the north.

Stage II:THE CRITICAL INVOLVEMENT-German Player-Turn Four through Game-Turn Seven or Eight.

Soviet defense-in-place on the MLR; distri-bution of reinforcements and formation ofreserves. German main assault in two sec-tors: immediately north of Smolensk andmidway between Smolensk and Roslavl. Di-rect assault on Smolensk. Capture of Smo-lensk and Roslavl; penetration of MLR andstart of deep penetration. Soviet forces moveto form enclaves at Kaluga and 5915; as-semble and regroup around Vyazma. Airinterdiction employed.

Stage III:THE BREAKOUT-Game-Turns Eight through Twelve.

Soviet formation of Vyazma enclave. Forcesremaining in Roslavl vicinity attempt toholdout, cutting the RoslavllYukhnov road.By-passed Soviet units around Smolensk at-tempt to pin German mechanized forma-tions. German Panzer Divisions sweeptowards the east edge; infantry groups cleanup situation around Smolensk and Roslavl

. and begin approach on Vyzama. Germansdetermine whether Vyzama can be assaultedand taken within remaining time. Smo-lensk/Yelna/Roslavl secured. End of mappositions engaged. Last use of Soviet Air In-terdiction. Germans secure rear area againstSoviet raids.

HOW DOES THE SOVIET PLAYER WIN?

He wins by holding on a properly constructedMLR as long as possible and-when thatbreaks-by holding out in Roslavl and form-ing strong enclaves around Vyzama, 5915,and Kaluga. Holding Roslavl is critical: itdenies the Germans quick, supplied access tothe east edge of the map. By defending at thispoint a major slice of the ripest part of therear area is secured. It also takes some of thepressure off the Vyzama enclave. If units areavailable to form "wings" on the Vyazmaenclave, this should be done to keep theposition in supply for as long as possible.

HOW DOES THE GERMAN PLAYER WIN

He wins by optimum use of his mechanizedforce; maintaining momentum and mass andmaking a firm decision regarding where the

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MLR will be broken and how to best exploitthe breakthrough and eventual consolidationof Smolensk and Roslavl.

WHAT ARE THE WORST MISTAKES?

Soviet Player:1. Attempt a forward defense of the Vi-tebsk/Mogilev line.2. Routinely defend with single unit posi-tions.3. Make large scale counterattacks.4. Forget to use the Air Interdiction markerat the proper time.

German Player:1. Become heavily involved with Soviet de-laying forces.2. Split up mechanized formations.3. Fail to concentrate against the Soviet MLRin a well organized fashion.4. Make attacks or overruns at less than1-to-l.

It should be evident around Game-Turn Tenjust who is going to win and how big. It willbe evident much earlier if one or the otherPlayer drops the ball and makes some dis-astrous error.Panzergruppe Guderian will, I believe, be-come a game that is played and re-playeduntil the counters are worn round. Althoughit's possible to generalize about doctrine,operations, and tactics as I've done in this ar-ticle, every game will have a unique twist in itbecause of the charming quality of the un-tried unit system. This incidentally, makes itan excellent solitaire-play situation.

I'm certain that right at this instant, someace gamer out there is sitting down to writeme a letter protesting this or that detail oftactics or alternative of operations that I'veoverlooked. The game has a great deal ofdepth to it and a lot of play value. It won't betotally "scoped" by anyone simply becauseof its variability and the fluidity of thesituation. Even though there's only oneset-up and one set of Victory Conditions,PGG has an infinite number of scenariosbuilt right into the game-system: one has tostop and think about this to realize that everynew game is a brand-new, totally unrepro-duceable scenario. Perhaps, because it is a"free" (S&T subscription) game, PGG willnever receive its justly deserved acclaim(there's a disturbing tendency to do one-night-stands on S&T games and then chuck themwhen the next issue arrives). I certainly hopethis doesn't obtain. PanzerGruppe Guderianhas provided me (old jaded-brain) with overforty hours of pure entertainment in the pastfive weeks and I still want to play it! Even if Iweren't a "company man", I'd rate it "9".