"The Land of the Soviets, our people and their great achievements, are in danger."
"The savage foe is rushing toward the heart of the country."
Strategic Briefing
Location: The Ukraine, 1941
Weather: Clear
Time of Day: Early Morning
It is August 3, 1941. In the north, German forces are driving on the Leningrad region. Army Group Center has encircled a vast Soviet force at Smolensk and is preparing to crush them resoundingly. Army Group South has roared through the Kiev Military District and is looking for crossings on the southern reaches of the Dnieper River. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers are dead or captured, and the Blitzkrieg rolls on as the world holds its breath.
Panzer spearheads from Army Group South have been assigned mechanized infantry support for a probing attack against the Dnieper River front. Soviet forces are in the vicinity in strength, with orders to hold the bridges against the Germans at all costs. In the drowsy heat of the Ukrainian summer, the armies close once more to match wits and force of arms.
Available Forces
This scenario set uses a variation of the traditional Gear Krieg set-up system. Forces are not assigned on a mission-by-mission basis. Rather, each player is given a large pool of forces, and must secretly assign some or all to each of the three missions. Part of the fun lies in guessing which objectives the opposing player will contest most fiercely. This system was previously used in the "East Wind Rain" scenario set.
Each of the objectives must be attacked by the Germans and defended by the Soviets. While forces may be spread thin for some missions and concentrated for others, abandoning any single objective entirely would be a court-martial offense for either side.
Force assignments should be revealed once both players have finished making their decisions. They cannot be altered once revealed.
*Treat as Command Squad; replace AT gunner with additional loader.
5 x PzKpfw II Ausf D Tank
Incidental forces may be added to individual missions, as described within each.
All German forces are Elite.
All Soviet forces are Rookie.
Victory and Defeat
Each of the three missions comprising this scenario set has a set of victory conditions. The side that wins two of the three missions wins the battle.
I. Encounter in the Dawn, 0630 Hours
With the sun barely up, the first German echelon races toward a small undefended forest. These woods are elevated, and dominate the landscape for a mile in every direction. A Soviet force races in from the opposite direction- will it be confusion in the trees, or slaughter in the open?
II. Dragon's Ridge, 1100 Hours
The main axis of the German advance falls along a rocky ridge filled with Soviets in prepared defensive positions. Behind the ridge lies the Dnieper River and its vital bridges. Before the ridge lies death.
III. Crossing Under Fire, 1500 Hours
Flanking the main concentration of Soviet forces, a German unit drives relentlessly at one of the target bridges. The good news is that the demolition charges placed to destroy it have completely misfired. The bad news is that the bridge is the only way across the river, the Germans have no boats, and you can't hold a bridge from just one side.
Soviet Order of Battle
German Order of Battle
5 x PzKpfw III Ausf F Tank
2 x PzKpfw II Ausf E "Flamingo"
2 x Sturmgeshutz L/33 E
5 x PzKpfw IV Aust B "Loki" Walker
5 x PzKpfw V Aust B "Valkurie" Walker
2 x Pak 40 AT Gun
2 x Truck (Towing AT Guns)
3 x SdKfz 231 (8-Rad) Armored Car
6 x Wehrmacht Rifle Squad
2 x Wehrmacht Machinegun Team