WG102"Tooth and Nail"

Scenario Design by Bill Thomson; Updated 130621

August 26, 1941: When Guderian’s Panzer Group 2 is ordered southeast towards Kiev, the 20th Army Corps is left to fend for themselves versus Zhukov’s first sustained offensive defending the Yelnia salient. German invincibility is shattered as the unsupported infantry formations are reduced by constant attrition. With the loss of panzer support, the infantry is hindered by their outclassed antitank weaponry versus the new Russian AFVs. In what will be a reoccurring role, the Sturmgeschutz assault guns prove to be indispensable in providing antitank support supplemented by infantry heroics.

VICTORY CONDITIONS: The Russians win if at the end they occupy six of the designated victory hexes with a good order squad (not broken, berserk, or in melee) in the location and no German unit is present. The German player initially controls all victory hexes at the start of the scenario. The German player immediately regains control if no Russian good order squad remains in the hex. The victory hexes are: B6, D2, G4, H9, I6, J1, M1, O7, Q3.

BOARD LAYOUT:

NORTH

SCENARIO SEQUENCE:

Germans Setup First	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	END
Russians Move First

GERMAN FORCES:

AT START: [Elements of 263rd Division] Setup any whole or have hex south of hex row S inclusive:
1x10-2, 1x8-1; 1x8-0; 9x467; 3x247; 4xLMG; 2xMMG, 1xRadio; 1x50mm ATG; 1x37mm ATG; 2x ENT; 2x135 Bunkers
TURN 3: TURN 3: [Reserves] Enter turn one, South edge
1xSTGIII(75); 2x Armed HT; 1x9-1; 3x838; 1xFT; 2xDC

RUSSIAN FORCES:

AT START: [Elements of the 308th Rifle Division and 2nd Bn.37th Guards] Set up on whole or half hex north of hex row W inclusive:
1x9-1; 1x8-0; 24x447; 3xLMG; 1x MMG; 2x ENT
TURN 1: [Elements of the 17th Tank Brigade] Enter on any North Edge hex. Any AT START forces may enter as passengers:
4 xT34

SPECIAL SCENARIO RULES:

WG102.1: TERRAIN: Wheatfields are in effect. All roads do not exist. Treat all orchard hexes (11S7) as open ground.
WG102.2: Use the American 57ATG to represent the German 37ATG (TK# 2/3/4, 2AF HE).
WG102.3: The German 838s has smoke making capability.
WG102.4: The German radio may only contact the company mortar, a single hex 50mm battalion mortar, unlimited Fire Missions but no smoke ammunition. AR/SR/FFE possesses sufficient range to reach any hex on the map subject to OBA mechanics.
WG102.5: As a result of specialized training, the German 838s are not required to take a PreAFV MC to place DC on enemy AFVs. (This is a current discussion point on SLlist).
WG102.6: SIDE SELECTION PROCEDURE: Each player takes one marker of each 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 number 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. Please report the bid, winning side and comments (i.e. uneven die rolls at key moments) as this data will be used for balance modification the scenario prior to its published form.

PLAYTEST STATUS: This scenario is currently in playtest (Beta Release), please contact Squad Leader Academy to join this effort. The 'final' version will be published as a SQLA/Wargame Academy (WGA) scenario pack.

AFTERMATH: The German infantry Divisions were hard pressed to hold their ground given their meager resources. Given the ineffectiveness of the standard ATGs vs the T34, the Sturmgeschuetz assault gun were pressed into an antitank role and served as the only effective AT weapon beyond heroic infantry assaults. The decision of the OKH to hold the Yelnia salient as a jumping off point for a renewed Moscow offensive proved to be a sad commentary on some of the generals who advocated maintaining a position solely for reasons of prestige. To say that Yelnia was a costly blunder would be to minimize its true horror for the German infantryman.