George MC Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 New scenario available for test at The Proving Grounds Rail Yard Blues “Totenkopf” SS panzer kampfgruppe attacks a Soviet held rail yard and village during the Kessel battles near Kirovograd in early January 1944. Map Size: 1km x 1.2km Total Points Combined: 7000 Fictional Author: George McEwan Date: January 1944 Region: Russia Battle Type: German Attack. Fictional Game Length: 45 variable Time: Dawn Ground Condition: Light snow Temperature: cold Weather: Fog Defender: Soviets (dug in) Map Contours: Gentle 1.25m Map Edges Friendly to: W - Neutral N - Allied E - Allied S - Axis Flag type: Static – there are 3 flags each worth 300 points. Axis/Allied Bonus: none Play recommendations Best played as H2H or as the Germans Vs Soviet AI; for the first attempt playing against the AI use ‘stick to scenario default’, depending on your experience give AI a combat experience bonus e.g. crack players +3; veteran players +2; regular players +1; green players no bonus. Background Weakened by a steady stream of losses since the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, the Wehrmacht’s Eastern Front was in tatters by January 1944. Army Group South was seriously weakened, and the Soviets recognizing this weakness sought to exploit it. In December 1943 the Soviets broke through southwest of Kiev and pushed the German Fourth panzer Army back over 160km. In early January the Soviets launched another massive offensive with the aim of smashing the German XLVII Panzer Corps who were deployed to defend Kirovograd. More than 600 Soviet tanks opened a huge breach in the German line and trapped several German divisions in the large industrial city. This gap was rebuilt after Manstein moved two fresh divisions to mount a counterattack. Leading this effort was the Waffen SS “Totenkopf” division which had been brought up from the lower Dnepr. The weather at this time of year had been unusually mild with blizzards alternating between spells of rain. With the thaws the road network would very quickly turn into a nasty quagmire that mired all wheeled vehicles and even caused difficulty for tracked vehicles. This meant that rail links and their associated facilities were crucial to either side to enable them to rapidly move supplies and reinforcements to the front. In this fictional scenario a Soviet mechanised unit has taken advantage of one such cold snap and pushed into a crucial goods yard on the outskirts of a small town. A panzer kampfgruppe from the “Totenkopf” division has been tasked to retake the rail yard thus allowing the Germans to continue to support their desperate counterattack. On the other side of the battlefield the Soviet commander has been tasked with ensuring that on no accounts do the Germans retake this vital facility... Sitting in their SPW nervously clutching their weapons the panzergrenadiers peer expectantly into the gloom. In the panzers the commanders, with the soft hiss of static in their earphones, scan the gloomy silhouettes of the rail yard with their binoculars. Opposite, hunkered down in their foxholes the Soviet defenders can hear the rumbling and squeaking of tracks approaching through the foggy dawn… Information Sources This is a fictional scenario and is based on accounts of actual actions covered in: “Armour Battles of the Waffen SS, 1943 – 45” by Will Fey “Chronicle of the 7. Panzer Kompanie 1st SS Panzer Division “Leibstandarte” by Ralf Tiemann. “From The Don to The Dnepr” by David M. Glantz “Steel Storm: Waffen SS Panzer Battles on the Eastern Front 1943 – 1945” by Tim Ripley. I hope you enjoy/enjoyed this battle. I’d appreciate any feedback about this scenario, good, bad or indifferent. You can grab a copy here http://www.the-proving-grounds.com/scenario_details_link.html?sku=953 Cheers fur noo George Mc 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David I Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 George, More my size, let's give it a shot after Normandy. Now where did I put the default "Waffen Grenadiers"? I knew they would come in handy some day. DavidI 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patboy Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Hi George, Nice scenario with much fun. I won easily, I know Hitler gave to his "elite soldiers" some "metaemphetamines", that's why I think isn't necessary to give green experience to the Russian soldiers in 1944. here the result I begin attack by a frontal assault with spws following by panzers, then one spw section took the left flag, the main kampfgruppe take the center flag, in the last turns, I unloaded panzergrenadier infantry to take the right flag before Russian counterattack. Arty 120mm spotter help me to break some russian infantry offensive. zoom + zoom - Thanks for your good work and nice map Cheers Pat 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George MC Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Hi Pat Just clocked your post. I like the screenshots. Wel done on your victory. I've had about seven reviews of this action and all are positive about it. It gives a great wee fight, with some real rough and tumble moments. Thanks again for taking the time to play,and post your comments. Nice One! Cheers fur noo George ps was it you that did the 251c mods - whitewashed grey series? Real grubby used looking vehicles? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patboy Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Originally posted by George Mc: ps was it you that did the 251c mods - whitewashed grey series? Real grubby used looking vehicles? Yes I did WW 251c grey serie! here one of these Cheers Pat [ November 02, 2005, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: patboy ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George MC Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Hi Pat Ah! They are excellent. I did a wee personal mod on them to make them look like some of the SPW I've seen used by peiper's mob during the Kharkov Battles in early 1943. They are just the job. The effect though is all down to your excellent mod - I do like the grubby used look. Cheers fur noo george 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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