Irregular(s) Wargaming : Counterattack Near Uman-Scenario 3 Part 1 (The Rules)

The Soviet repulse of Axis forces attempting to force a crossing at one of many rivers did not stop at Axis Juggernaut. Soon the German and Hungarian armies of the Southern Front worked around the Russians defending the river crossing and scooped up thousands of prisoners. July 1941 was coming to a close and Uman was on the horizon.

The Germans and Hungarians again came to the banks of another one of the ubiquitous rivers south of the soon to be encircled Uman. Advanced units reached the river near a now forgotten city and easily pushed the Soviets back across the river. The main body of Axis forces and artillery were called up and en-route, but before any attack could be staged the Soviets pounced first…

Game Note

We did not plan to play this scenario immediately after already fighting a pre-dawn river crossing but decided to do so while all the rule changes we made from scenario 2 were rolling around our addled brains. Two significant changes were made: There would be a wider front with less depth (12’ wide by 6’ across versus 6’ wide by 14’ across) and this time the Soviets would attack.

The Soviets would have two bridges and a boatload of..well..boats. They could sneak or they could Uurah in a hurry before the Germans could set up a defense.

The Modified Rules

The Objectives- There is a single objective for both armies. Eliminate the Force Morale of the enemy. The attacking Soviets would start with a Force Morale of 35. The Germans would start with a Force Morale of 20. This may seem high but there are three platoons per side.

Recycling- Infantry squads of the Patriotic Motherland (The Reds) can be endlessly recycled. When a Soviet squad is wiped out or Routs off the board, it is placed back in reserve. Alternatively a Soviet player may pull a squad of their choice off the board and place it back in reserves at any time but has to roll on the Squad Wiped Out chart of the Very Bad Things chart (COC main book). This second option could be useful when a squad is down to too few models to be combat effective. Squads that are recycled are not available until the start of a new turn.

-Boats that reach the far bank or that are sunk can be recycled. They are placed in reserve and can immediately be used by attaching them to a squad entering via a Jump Off Point or can be placed within 6” of a Jump Off Point and picked up by any squad that makes contact with them. Boats otherwise work under the rules of the Blitzkrieg Rulebook.

Pre-dawn-The attack begins in the darkness of the Pre-dawn. This means visibility is 16”. Light comes at the end of three natural turns.

- The German defenders will only have 2 sentries per player and one Junior leader per every three players on the board when the game starts. They will have three JOPs but these cannot be used until the alarm is sounded. Only one squad (or gun team) can use a JOP per phase . Only one vehicle can enter per phase.

-The Soviet attackers start with three Jump of Points placed on their table edge wherever they like. These JOPs are immediately available but only one squad or gun team can enter per phase. Only one vehicle can enter the board per turn.

-Noise setting off alarm

Every time an attacker does one of the following the defending side rolls 1d6

@-Infantry moves at any speed but At the Double- cannot be heard

@-Infantry moves at the double-1-2 defender hears and sounds alarm

@-Vehicle moves at normal speed 1-2 defender hears and sound alarm

@-vehicle moves flat out 1-4 defender hears and sounds alarm

@-tank moves any speed Automatic defender hears and sounds alarm

@-Attacker fires weapon. Automatic defender hears and sounds alarm

@- Attacker assaults defender team - roll 1d6. If the number rolled is equal to or lower than the number of dead defenders alarm is sounded. If any defender survives a round of combat they will automatically sound the alarm.

- Spotting Attackers. Any time an attacking squad, vehicle or gun team is in spotting range of a defender who activates; or an attacking squad, vehicle or team is spotted by a searchlight, place a marker by the spotted team. A defending squad or team can spot more than one attacking squad or team in the same phase representing an increased chance of seeing multiple squads sneaking by. An attacking squad or team can be spotted by multiple defenders and have more than one marker placed on it.

At the end of the next phase whether attacker’s-or in the case of a double phase roll-defender’s, the attacking player rolls a D6 for each marker next to a squad or team.. The attacker can increase or decrease the chance of being spotted by what action they take or don’t take during the phase directly after being spotted.

Member Infantry standing still or not activated spotted on roll of 1

Infantry moving tactical spotted on roll of 1-2

Infantry moving anything else on a roll of 1-3

Vehicle standing still spotted on roll of 1-2 (tanks are automatically heard)

Vehicle moving spotted on 1-4 (tanks are automatically heard)

Assault raft floating spotted on a roll of 1

Assault raft actively rowing spotted on a roll of 1-2

-Searchlight: The searchlight acts a bit differently. Any Searchlight on the board (there are two in this scenario) can be activated by a sentry team on a roll of a one (or three if ordered by a Junior Leader) When activated, a handy paper template is placed on the front of the searchlight (the template is a sleek design) and a dice is rolled to indicate which direction the spotlight is facing. A two inch wide beam is projected out 24” in the indicated direction. If the beam crosses an enemy model without being blocked by scenery there is a chance the model will be seen and the alarm sounded. We used the shorter beam to allow the attackers to at least be able to reach the river before being spotted as happened last game.