Russian Front – Fall Blau
- Current
Date: June,
1942 (turn 13)
- Accumulated
Replacements:
2 for “other” Axis allies.
- Current
Victory Level:
does not apply (see victory conditions below)
- Available
Partisan Factors: 1
- Minefields: Soviet minefields are
placed in hexes B20 (Novorassiysk), and H23 (Rostov). The Soviet player
may have a total of three minefields on the board during this scenario.
Axis minefields are placed in hexes D17 and E18 (Kerch), J10 (Odessa), and I22 (Taganrog).
- Hits: The following hits should
be marked, as desired by the controlling players, on the combat units.
1.
Soviet: 10 on infantry armies (no more
than one hit per unit), 3 on mountain armies (no more than one hit per unit), 1
on the air unit, 1 on the Marine army in Sevastopol, and 1 on the flotilla in
Sevastopol.
2.
Axis: 1 on Romanian infantry (11th
army), 1 on German infantry (11th army), and 3 on German Panzer
Corps.
- Set
Up Restrictions: All hexes of the “42” start line must be occupied. The Soviet
player sets up first. Any Axis units not occupying the “42” start line
may be placed in Reserve. Parenthesis indicates the turn of the unit’s
arrival in the regular game.
- Soviet
Set Up:
a.
Bryansk Front (hexes U23, V23, W23): 13 inf. (I), 48 inf. (12), 60 inf.
(7)
b.
Southwest
Front (hexes O22, P21, Q22, R21, S22, T22): 6 inf.(2), 9 mt. (5), 21 inf. (I), 28 inf. (2), 38
inf. (3), 40 inf. (3)
c.
South
Front (hexes I23, J23, K23, L23, M23, N22): 12 inf. (2), 18 inf. (2), 37
inf. (3), 51 inf. (3), 56 mt. (5), 57 inf. (7)
d.
Kerch Strait (hexes D18, E19): 44 mt. (8), 47 mt. (8)
e.
Sevastopol (hex D13): BS Mar inf. (I), 2-2-7 BS flotilla (I)
f.
Rostov (hex H23): 1-1-7 flotilla
g.
Stalingrad (hex K31): 3 cav. (12), 7 air (7)
h.
Novorassiysk
(hex B20): 4-4-7 BS fleet (I)
- Axis
Set up: With
the exception of the units in the 11th army, Axis units may be
placed anywhere West of the “42” start line as long as they meet the set
up restrictions above. Units of the 11th army must set up in
the Crimea and no other Axis units may set up there.
a.
2nd
Army: 39th
Panzer (C), 7th inf. (C), 13th inf. (C), 55th
inf. (S)
b.
6th
Army: 14th
Panzer (S), 8th inf. (C), 11th inf. (R), 17th
inf. (S), 51st inf. (2)
c.
4th
Panzer Army: 24th
Panzer (C), 48th Panzer (S), 4th inf. (S)
d.
1st
Panzer Army: 3rd
Panzer (S), 40th Panzer (2), 52nd inf. (S)
e.
17th
Army: 57th
Panzer (C), 5th inf. (C), 44th inf. (C), 49th
mt. (S)
f.
11th
Army (must set up in the Crimea): ST (12), 42nd inf. (C), 30th inf.
(R), 54th inf. (R), 1R mt. (R), 7R inf. (12)
g.
2nd
Hungarian Army:
1H armored corps (H), 2H inf. (12), 3H inf. (12)
h.
3rd
Romanian Army:
4R inf. (R), 5R inf. (3), 6R inf. (12)
i.
8th
Italian Army: 3I
inf. (3)
j.
Air
units: 4th
Air (S), 5th Air (S), 8th Air (C), 2R Air (12)
k.
Naval
units: 3-3-7 German BS flotilla, 1-1-7 Romanian flotilla, 1-1-7 Italian flotilla.
- Special
Rules:
- Soviet
July Reinforcements: 1st Arm. army enters with 2 hits; 4th
Arm. army enters with 3 hits.
- Axis
Reinforcements:
All Axis reinforcements (not replacements) arrive “any” behind the “42”
start line. Any axis units that are eliminated and rebuilt must begin
the game in their respective home countries.
- Optional
additional Axis Reinforcement: add the 19th mountain infantry to the
Axis turn 15 reinforcements.
- Baku : The Soviets are limited to a single unit per turn utilizing
off-board rail movement through Baku. This does not effect the placement
of reinforcements marked “any” in/around the cities of the Caucasus.
- Axis
movement restrictions: Axis units may not cross the Don River at any point
North of Stalingrad. They may not cross the Volga River. They may be
placed “on” either river. If, at the end of the Soviet September turn or
the end of any Soviet turn thereafter, every hex of the Don River north
of Stalingrad (with the exception of hexes R24 and P25) is not covered by
a Soviet ground unit’s ZOC, Axis units may advance past the Don River
north of Stalingrad (but not the Volga). Optional: Axis units
may advance past the Don River north of Stalingrad (but not the Volga) after the Soviet December turn.
- Supply: Units may trace supply off
of the northern “edge” of the board (hex row V, inclusive) unless the
hexes through which they trace supply would be considered in an enemy
ZOC. For example, a Russian unit in hex V21 could trace supply through
either hex W21 or W22. However if an Axis unit is in hex V20, its ZOC
would negate the supply line traced through hex W21.
- Replacements: All Soviet and Axis
replacements are listed on the Replacement Chart. The only exceptions
are detailed below. Rule 13.2.1.1.2 does not affect the Axis replacement
rate for this scenario. Off board factories do not affect the Soviet
replacement rate for this scenario.
a.
Each
Axis controlled oil hex adds one replacement factor for Germany or any Axis ally per rule 13.2.1.1.1.
b.
Axis
control of Dnepropetrovsk, Kiev, and Rostov adds one replacement factor for Germany per rule 13.2.1.1.3.
c.
Each
Soviet controlled oil hex adds one replacement factor.
d.
Soviet
replacement factors are
reduced by the replacement numbers of Soviet replacement cities which are in
Axis control or which are out of supply.
Replacement
Chart:
Turn
|
Germany
|
Other
Axis
|
Russia
|
Partisans
|
July
(14)
|
14
|
2
|
18
|
1
|
Aug
(15)
|
14
|
2
|
22
|
1
|
Sep
(16)
|
13
|
2
|
23
|
1
|
Oct
(17)
|
12
|
2
|
23
|
1
|
Nov
(18)
|
11
|
2
|
23
|
1
|
Dec
(19)
|
10
|
2
|
26
|
2
|
Jan
(20)
|
9
|
3
|
26
|
1
|
Feb
(21)
|
9
|
3
|
26
|
1
|
Mar
(22)
|
9
|
3
|
24
|
1
|
Apr
(23)
|
10
|
3
|
22
|
2
|
May
(24)
|
11
|
2
|
21
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Victory
Conditions:
- Axis
Victory Conditions:
·
Decisive: Control (in supply) Stalingrad, Baku, and Maikop, at the end of any Axis turn.
·
Marginal: Control (in supply) Stalingrad,
Grozny, the oil well next to Grozny, Maikop and all cities on the Axis side of
the “42” start line at the end of the game.
·
Tie: Control (in supply) all cities
on the Axis side of the “42” start line and any two major cities on the Soviet
side of the “42” start line.
- Soviet
Victory Conditions:
·
Decisive: Control (in supply) all cities and
oil wells on the Soviet side of the “42” start line as well as one major city
on the Axis side of the “42” start line.
·
Marginal: Control (in supply) all but one
major city or oil well on the Soviet side of the “42” start line.
·
Tie: Control all but two major cities
and/or oil wells on the Soviet side of the “42” start line.
Playtest
Notes:
- The
Axis must deny the Soviets control of Voronezh, Stalingrad, Stavropol, and Tuapse for as long as possible. Control of these cities gives the Soviets
forward air bases and air superiority follows very quickly. This is
especially true of Stalingrad. Tuapse also gives the Soviets a dangerous
naval base for marine landings.
- There
is only a single airbase that can support the Axis attack on Grozny (Stavropol). Two German air units will need to be based there if you are serious
about taking Grozny. That puts the majority of the German air units in
the far South and opens up the possibility of an early Soviet offensive
across the Don.
- Once the Russians rebuild enough Mountain infantry, the
Axis have a difficult time with the drive to take Grozny. This is because
the only supply line to Grozny runs right across the Caucasus mountain
ranges and it is a long line to defend. It would be worthwhile to send a
small German “army group” through the mountains to make sure the Russians
don’t flank the Grozny forces. But is it worth sending the powerful
German mountain unit? It almost seems a waste since there may very little
fighting in that area and German forces are normally stretched to the
limit.
- Losing more than one German air unit means losing the
game.
- The Russians must be aggressive and remember that there is
the possibility of a lot of bad weather from October through May. They
cannot afford to simply wait the Germans out and expect to advance easily
during the last few turns. They need to do some damage early to
succeed—and it’s not likely the Axis player will allow them to throw a
noose around the 6th army.
- It’s entirely possible that neither player will achieve
the Victory Conditions posted above. Players may then take a tie or may
determine their own victory conditions as they see fit.