(COI) B "HILL 253.5"

Published in the GENERAL volume ## number #: Updated 060716

40 MILE NORTH OF KURSK, July 9, 1943: Operation Citadel had begun, but instead of the desired lightning breakthrough, the fighting had taken on the characteristics of World War I trench warfare. In four days of grueling combat the XLI Panzer Corps had managed o penetrate the defenses of the Soviet 13th Army to a depth of only about five miles. The Corps, now being slowly forced onto the defensive by increasing enemy pressure, needed to secure a strong position on which to anchor its left flank and free it s mobile elements: such a spot was the commanding heights of Hill 253.5 near the village of Ponyri, where some of the most intensive fighting of the entire Eastern campaign was taking place. On July 9th, the Germans stormed and captured Hill 239.8 and to exploit this success an assault on Hill 253.5 wa ordered.

VICTORY CONDITIONS: The Germans win if at the end of the game they solely occupy, with unbroken squads of functioning AFVs, four of the level 3 hexes of HIll 621 and there are no Russian unbroken squads or functioning AFVs on the remaining level 3 hexes. "Functioning" is defined as having an unbroken , unstunned crew and any working armament. Russians win by prevent the German victory conditions.

 
BOARD LAYOUT
SCENARIO SEQUENCE
 
North>>>
 
2
Russians sets up first
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
END
Germans moves first

RUSSIAN FORCES:

GERMAN FORCES:

SPECIAL SCENARIO RULES:

AFTERMATH: The German units, decimated and exhausted by five days of incessant fighting, attacked doggedly but didn't have the strength to seize or hold the hill. The panzergrenadiers were soon actually on the defensive as continuous Soviet counterattacks force the Germans to employ their last reserves merely to hold their own positions.

CREDITS: Original design by Burt Baker, Development by Jon Mishcon & Joe Suchar. The TS scenarios were used in the Origins 1983 COI/COD tournament.

Applicable COD 125. 3RD LEVEL BUILDINGS

125.1 Buildings may gain 3rd level status only by specific scenario definition. In many cases a multi hex building will gain 3rd level status over only part of the total building usually a staircase hex.
125.2 Units in a 3rd level building are considered on the 3rd level only if they are placed on top of a 3rd level counter.
125.3 The cost of moving up or down a building level remains 2 MF per level. A unit may move up or down a staircase hex only one level per Advance Phase.
125.4 Demolition attacks which do not result in rubble (58.1) affect only the target level. Ground level flamethrowers may not affect a third level target directly.
125.5 Indirect fire affects only the two top levels with a separate effects dice roll for each level. It has no effect on ground level units unless a KIA result rubbles the entire building hex.
125.6 Being on a 3rd level counter is equivalent to being on a level three hill hex; the third level hex is a 3.5 level obstacle.
125.7 A level 3 building hex in the LOS of an observer on a level 4 hill causes a "blind zone" of three hexes directly behind it along the observer’s LOS (7.4).
125.8 Units may not fire up or down a staircase hex more than one level.
125.81 Direct fire HE shells aimed at the 3rd level of a building have no "Near Miss" (100) affects unless the TO HIT dice roll exceeds the TO HIT number by only one, in which case the second level of the building is hit with Area Fire (LOS permitting).
125.82 No AFV armament except AA MGs may fire at an adjacent building’s 3rd level.
125.9 All other rules pertaining to Upper Building Levels (57), Rubble (58), and Fire (59) apply normally with logical modifications. For example, units changing levels without a staircase (57.9) would be limited to a change of one level per turn.