Herr Oberstleutnant Raus, You are given command of Wehrmatch Panzer Grenadier Regiment 245. Having taken heavy losses repulsing never ending Red attacks, it has narrowly escaped encirclement last week, but it managed to break through, sustaining more casualties, among which its Commander, leaving behind all its heavy weapons, most of its vehicles and assault guns. Your initial orders were to move to Paderborn to have it reformed with replacements and to draw new equipments, Spw’s and Jagd PZ IV’s. However, due to the critical situation and the lack of available reserve, You will take command of KampfGruppe Raus IV Battalion / PGR 245 which has been formed from PGR 245 remaining infantrymen and incorporated stragglers brought by the Feldgendarmerie. It is not at full strength but has been adequately supplied with panzerschrecks and panzerfauts to face the awaited Red armor offensive toward the sea . However, partly in reason of the intense Red air activity and of the delay in rounding adequate transports and fuel, only 13 Kompanie 1 and 2 Zugs with elements of the HMG platoon and the mortars has been deployed on the reverse slope of the Hauptkampflinie (MLR), with 14 Kompanie disposed around the airfield. 3 Zug 13 Kompanie is on its way having been replenished and distributed among available trucks and some assault guns attached to your unit. They should arrived within one hour at the most at their deployment area on the road leading to the bridge. Before them, 2 Tigers currently reloading and refuelling in the woods on the left of the RR and road bridges should be available within 20 minutes with one ATG platoon of 2 Spw 251/1 tracting 2 Pak 40 at the deployment area…../………………/…..you know your orders, rejoin your first elements already there……/………………/…You will learn more, about the tactical emplacements of your units already there on your tactical map and take notice of your reinforcement forces schedule……./……./….Herr Hauptmann Kartch will prepare and lead the second echelon movement toward the bridge, consisting of 15 Kompanie and a section of HMG of 16 Kompanie with 2x Jagd PZ IV, 1x Hetzer, 1x Pz IIIStuG , 1x Pz III StuH, 1x flame and 1x 20mm SPW’s which have been attached to your Battalion…/……./…
Designer Notes: Since You won’t have that much time before getting into the battle, my best advice as it was a standard procedure at the time is to recon as much as You can the ground. Try to define the enemy most likely attack axis. Find as much as you can enfilading sites, where you will be able to move hidden from the enemy, your tanks and or Pak guns, as soon as their main thrust is clearly assumed.
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thank u for work. well ok its only work for people with normal chemistry..:p since cm work is fun its not really work! 😀 {abnormal and or modified chemistries will consider scenario creation as un-work} now for a gripe!..this gripe is for all creators but mostly for the unpaid kind. 1. if your home language is not English you must always watch the verb conjugation in every single phrase. since the whole world conjugates backwards, its an easy slip for a tired german to include a phrase here and there with backward structures. often I see write-ups with to much verbiage. spelling slips, verbiage, and general lack of sentence art can mess up what could be a great write up. I suggest you pass your written stuff to be proof read, after you have waited a few days to do your own preliminary editing, to a friend that thinks editing is not work.
I really enjoyed playing this scenario. I was able to somehow visualize the intensity of the fighting and how stretched the Wehrmacht at that time. Thank you for your effort in making this scenario.
Looks like a great scenario with one small caveat though: what are the victory conditions…;-)?
Thanks bruno,
The game plays Axis only. The Axis will have in the Parameter, like the Red, 1000 points. The Axis Defense objectives can be seen on the map. The Axis will get 3850 points if all are occupied. They will also be able to get 2000 points for destroying specific Red Units. that will make a possible total of 6850 points.
The Red will be able to get 3800 points for taken their objectives. and 2450 points for destroying specific Axis units. That will make for them a possible total (including the Parameter points) of 7250 points. 400 points more than the Axis could get. That to take in account the fact that the A.I is fighting. It turned out to be correct through the multiple testing made at the time.
Anyway to win you have to get hold of some grounds, stop the Red advance, keep a low casualty rate and inflict as many as you can to the Reds.
Thanks Snake Eye.
I agree with the logic. I am in the middle of the game as I speak. I consider all green areas important anyway and a careful use of the expensive assets on treads especially 😉
But unless I missed something, I havent seen anywhere the VPs you mention above in the brief. Should be added you think?
one comment on the setup: the PAK 43s should be positioned further behind the HKL. they get caught too early without the benefit of their 71 calibers range.
You are right Bruno, about considering the value of the Green areas and keeping your casualties as low as it is possible, while attempting to defend them.
I have not mentioned the VPs (they can be seen in the Editor) simply, because I felt that if the player knew them, he will tend to try to play for VPs and not try to find good tactical positions. Doing so, will mostly deprive him of thinking of the best possibilities offered by the ground to make the red attack difficult.
In other words, I feel that a player using a good tactical approach for that battle, will be able to attain the objective which is to stop the Reds advance, using the units at his disposal for the best.
You are also right about the center Pak 43s, which I admit are located too much forward. However when you make a Recon on the map, you will see that positions in the center,do not allow that much possibilities. Nearly all LOS are not so good and that only few locations will allow them a better field of fire. The best positions for them are along the river on the left of the German front line. So, to cover the center and the right, I had to content with the center position of these three Paks. In any case the 88’s with their high silhouette and even the Pak 43 with their lower one are prime target for the Red tanks. As a matter of fact all Anti tank guns do have a short life expectancy. At least in Combat Mission. I came across statistics once and was surprised that they were not so far from the ones of Combat Mission.
Thanks again, have a good fight and let us know about your AAR
Great work, thanks !
I would have like to be able to put back the 88s, but their sacrifice was costly for Ivan.
Thanks a lot Thomas
great mission, exactly fits the narrative of the game, you certainly get the feeling of being somewhat overwhelmed. was thinking and expecting the airfield to be overwhelmed? maybe few more allied forces?
Thanks a lot Norman. Well, to be frank, I had thought once to give more asset to the allied for their right side push, toward the airfield. However, thinking about some rules that are usually followed, they were attacking on a lower ground being at risk from tanks or AT that might be located on higher grounds. That is why I ruled out that option. In any case the airfield is doomed, once the Russians are taking the high ground, being in plain view of any gun getting there. So considering all these, I think( I might be wrong) that taking the high grounds would, in a real battle, have all troops being exposed on lower grounds move back some distances. That if they are not able to put up a strong counter attack immediately to retake the lost grounds.
I think that this can be played well H2H if you gave the Soviets a Forward Observer so they can use the rockets and heavy artillery. Also you should give them their own briefing.
It’s one of the best maps I’ve seen for RT and hope you do some for Fire and Rubble when it comes out.
First really sorry not to have given any answer to your comments, being engaged at the time with 3 scenarios . 2 for F & R (Against all Odds – and taking over the Soviet side for Red Dawn) and 1 for Cold war (Mittelaschenbach).
Your H2H Soviet Forward Observer proposal for CMRT East Prussia Defence is correct. As a matter of fact , I had thought of it some time ago and started to work on the map. I have set a small town at the summit of the ground and now an autobahn is going all the way down of the Soviet Starting Line. The work was interrupted when I had to work on F & R, I also moved out and the Covid lock down did not help at all at the time.
So, If things look good I will start again my work doing a German A.I in order to play it on the Soviet side. Thanks again.