Dragon COI Scenario D8"Budapest Under Siege"
updated 060717
This
scenario was originally published in DRAGON Magazine; vol 5, no 11, p70.
The original scenario author is Bryan Beecher. Clarifications
and modification have been made to the original scenario by Bill Thomson for
Squad Leader Academy tournament play.
January 17, 1945:
On December 12, 1944; the Russian high command ordered
that Budapest was to be encircled and crushed. The 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts
were in excellent position to cut off the city. German counterattacks delayed
the encirclement until the 26th, with four German and one Hungarian divisions
trapped in the city. The force trapped whereas designated the IX SS Mountain
Korps and were ordered to hold the city at all costs. On January 17, the IV
SS Panzer Korps opened a passage enabling the entrapped forces to escape; however
Hitler forbade it. This scenario assumes Hitler permitted the besieged forces
to withdraw towards friendly lines.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: The Russians must eliminate the SS
squads and crews that start on board 1 while maintaining 10 squads on boards
3 and 4. AFVs with functioning armament count as 2 squads. The Germans win by
preventing a Russian victory.
SCENARIO SEQUENCE: |
|
German setup first |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
END |
|
Russian move first |
|
GERMAN FORCES:
- AT START: Budapest Garrison, besieged elements
of the IX SS Mountain Korps,; setup on any whole or half hex of board 1.
1x10-2SS; 2x9-1SS; 2x8-0SS; 2x7-0SS; 12x658SS; 6x248SS; 2xHMG; 4xLMG; 2xDC;
1xFT; 2xPzsk; 6xATM; 2x37L(8) AA; 1x37L(16) AA; 2x76L ATG; 1x88L ATG
- TURN 3: Armored relief force; elements of
the IV SS Panzer Korps; enter on the west edge of boards 2 and/or 3:
4xPzKwV (Panther); 2x PzKwVIB (King Tiger); 2xJadgPzV (JadgPanther); 3xJadgPz38t
(Hetzer); 1x10-2AL
RUSSIAN FORCES:
- TURN 1: Elements of the 2nd Ukrainian Front; enter
on the east edge of boards 1 and/or 3:
2x9-1; 12x628; 16x447;2x50cal HMG; 2xMMG; 2xATM; 6xT34/76C
- TURN 1: Elements of the 3rd Ukrainian Front; enter
on the south edge of board 4:
1 x10-2; 3x8-0; 6x628; 30x447; 2xMMG; 8xLMG; 2xATM; 5xT34/85; 2xSU100; 1x10-3AL
SPECIAL SCENARIO RULES:
- D8.1: Snow rules are in effect.
- D8.2: The Russian receives random Sturmovik
support. (Two Sturmoviks armed with MMG + 20L mm ROF=2 (IFE 24) 37L ROF =2)
- D8.3: SIDE SELECTION PROCEDURE: Each player
takes one marker of either nationality and simultaneously reveals their choice
of side. If opposing sides are selected, those sides are assigned. If the
same side is chosen, the players bid for side with the lower rated (seed)
player bidding first. Bids may start at '0' and progress in whole numbers
only. The bid is the numbers of dominant AT START squads to be added to the
opposing side. The bid continues until one player accepts the opposing side
whose force is augmented with that bid.
AFTERMATH: Because Hitler did not allow teh
IX SS to evacuate Budapest, the city finally fell on February 14th with troops
and citizens starving.