WG210"Across The Don"
Scenario Design by Alan Page; Updated 060412
To the West of Stalingrad: November
19, 1942: Two massive Soviet spearheads attacked
from the South and the North-West of the Stalingrad front, the intention being
to encircle and trap the German VI Army in Stalingrad. The Russian pincers would
close in the region of the River Don, near the town of Kalach. Near Kalach there
stood a crucial bridge that German truck convoys used to haul supplies to the
VI Army, and was used daily by a German training school that used captured Russian
tanks for gunnery demonstrations. The bridge guards had grown accustomed to
the routine, and so, on the morning of November 22nd, a German sargeant named
Wiedemann, having counted off five tanks as they crossed to the West, later
casually waved on five Russian tanks when they approached to cross Eastward.
Three crossed and fanned out on the East bank, and then came a burst of machine-gun
fire. The five genuine Russian tanks were part of a leading detachment of the
Russian 26 Tank Corps, led by the commander of the 14th Motorised Rifle Brigade,
Lieutenant-Colonel G N Filippov. The detachment comprised two companies of motorised
infantry, five tanks and an armoured car. The Russians were now sandwiched between
the German defensive positions on the high West bank, and the garrison from
Kalach.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: At the end of the
Game, the Russians Win by Having control of all 3 bridge hexes. Control is defined
as having been the last to occupy the hex with either a good order squad or
vehicle (armament in any condition), and no enemy unit occupying the same hex,
unless a wreck or prisoner or broken. The Germans win by avoiding the Russian
victory conditions. Any side blowing the bridge, whether by accident or design,
automatically loses the game.
BOARD LAYOUT:
A river two hexes wide is superinposed on rows 9 and 10 of board 2.
SCENARIO SEQUENCE:
| Germans
Setup First |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
END |
| Russians Move
First |
GERMAN
FORCES:
- AT START; Bridge Detail; set up within 2 hexes of
either or both ends of the bridge:
6+1(Wiedemann), 3x467, 2xEntrenchments, 2xWire, 2xLMG, 1xPF(42b)
-
AT START: Nearby infantry billets
- set up in any building hexes on the east bank (board 4), but no more
than 1 squad (or squad+leader) per building hex:
8-1, 6x4-6-7, 2xLMG, PF(42b); 2xSTGIIIB (STGs must setup on 4P5 &
4Q6)
-
AT START: West Bank Defences;
Set up anywhere on 2nd level of hill 538 unless otherwise noted:
4-6-7, 2-4-7, HMG, 50L ATG; On 2W7: 3x4-6-7, LMG n2V8: 8-1, 3x4-6-7, LMG
On 2nd or 3rd level of hill 621: AT Gun: 75L, 2xMMG, 3x2-4-7, 9-1, Radio
- An additional 3xbarbed wire is available to set up on any hex/any board
of choice.
- German Reinforcements from Kalach - enter according to SSR210.3:
9-2, 6x4-6-7, 2x8-3-8, FT, 2xDC, MMG, 3xLMG, 4xPzFst(42b) 3xHeavy Truck,
2xSPW251/1, PzJagIIM
-
-
TURN 2:
9-2(Filippov), 2x8-1, 18x4-4-7, 2-3-7, 2xMMG, 4xLMG, ATR, Zisb-25LL, 10xJAG
Heavy Trucks, 37L AT Gun
SPECIAL SCENARIO RULES:
- WG210.1: TERRAIN: A single lane ston bridge spans
2Q9-2Q10; it is aligned East-West for purposes of LOS when receiving enemy
fire.
- WG210.2: RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: During Turn 1, the
Russian tanks may not move more than 3 hexes beyond the East Edge of the
bridge before either stopping or carrying out an overrun attack. All Russian
units are recognised as Russian by any of the following, whichever occurs
first::
- Any unit opens fire or carries out an overrun attack.
- Any unit expends more than 3 movement points off road,
on any board.
- Any Russian AFV becomes CE.
- Any Turn 2 Russian reinforcements or vehicles gets
within 3 hexes of any German unit
- At the close of the Turn 2 Russian Movement Phase,
if not recognised before then.
- WG210.3: Entry of German Reinforcements from the
Kalach garrison is attempted beginning German Turn 2. Each Rally Phase,
one die is rolled. , onwards. if the result is greaterthan or equal to the
turn number permits the Germans to enter on that player turn, on any Northern
edge hex.
- WG210.4: Supplemental Rule A is in effect.
Each sides may roll for Stuka/Sturmovic support beginning on turn 4.
- WG210.5: The German have one module of 105mm OBA
available on turn 1.
- WG210.6: Environmental Conditions: Mud
is not allowed. A weather die roll of 12 should be treated as 11: rain,
h/o
- WG210.7: Variations: Although designed
for COI, the scenario can also be played using any of the later rule sets,
COD or GIA.
- WG210.8: 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 dominate 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.
AFTERMATH: Filippov formed an all round
defence of the bridge and held out against fierce counterattacks until heavy
Russian reinforcements arrived. The next day, beneath green signal flares that
reflected eerily on the snow at a village 30 miles below Kalach, the Russian
pincers closed. The fate of the VI Army was sealed.
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. Playtest credits to date: Alan
Page, Dennis Jorgenson.