Barbarossa - Vassal - Madness - Turn 1

Being able to study the game on Vassal is one thing, but I found myself also wanting to play it as well.  The first half of the Axis first turn took me six hours.

 

AGN gets off to a good start with lots of small units to eliminate.

However in the subsequent motorized movement phase they make an horrendous error.

AGC northern sector.

A number of variable quality Soviet units make some attacks hard to predict,

but it looks like the Axis will slip into Grodno in the subsequent motorized movement phase.

AGC southern sector.

Again, a number of variable quality Soviet units make some attacks hard to predict,

but Brest will be overwhelmed.

After these attacks there is the Axis motorised movement phase then the Soviet motorised movement and combat phases.

I am playing solitaire and unless it turns out to be a rule error, once I move a unit I like to leave it at that.  Playing this game on Vassal means the window through which the game is viewed is quiet small.  Anyway, I am using that as the excuse for moving the 87 Motorised Regiment away from the 618 Artillery Regiment. Whoops!

The area in question.

The Soviet Tank regiment can spend 4 of its five movement points to reach the German artillery.

The motorised cavalry regiment can use all its eight points to just get there.

(This expenditure I have annotated in black and blue respectively).

The Axis air interdiction has slowed them down 

and they only get full movement in the first turn if they attack.

There is a supply unit under the motorised regiment,

which is just within the 7 hex range required to support the attack.

This all means the Soviets can make a 6:1 attack with a minus 1 for combined arms.

Can the Axis react?  

8 Panzer can't because it is in a ZoC 

(I had forgotten that aspect other wise there is a 9 movement factor unit 

that could have gone to the artillery's rescue).

6 Panzer could make it, but you have to be within 3 hexes to react.

At these odds there is an 80% chance of the artillery unit being destroyed.

If that happens, in the subsequent Soviet movement phase,

they could overrun the three supply units.

Heads will roll!

The Soviets make two attacks in the North, one as discussed is very much a spoiling attack,

the other is an attempt to free some trapped units.

Neither attack qualifies as a Mandated Attack (need six steps - not stacking points).

However at Grodno the Soviets do launch a Mandated Attack

 against an overly ambitious move by the reconnaissance battalion of 20 Panzer.

The die roll modifier will be a +2 after a No Retreat order is issued.  

And the results were...

Attack 1 dice roll was a 9 which became a 10 which saw the Soviets take two losses and the Axis retreat, mission achieved but at high cost.

Attack 2 dice roll was a 5 modified to a 4 which saw the artillery removed.  Very much the desired outcome for the Soviets.

Mandated Attack dice roll was a 5 which became a 7 and each side took one step loss.  Not the outcome the Soviets wanted.

The first turn is effectively a double turn so here we go again!

AGN attacks to the north

AGN attacks to the north east.

AGC attacks to the north east

AGC attacks to the north east and mopping up

AGC attacks to the east

And how did it all finish up?

AGN at the end of the first turn

AGC (with a little bit of AGN top left hand corner)

This image gives feel for the scale and the distances involved.

That is Minsk in the centre.

The defensive line around the city is impressive, but there is a shortage of units to man it,

at present...