Battlegroup Manstein

Eastern Front

Battlegroup Manstein

By Hailey Wynn and the Northern Virginia Irregulars

This Scenario is based upon the situation that faced the German Army in late December 1942 as the Soviets launched Operation Saturn. The Soviets crushed the Italian 8th Army as they rushed south toward Rostov in an effort to cut off Army Group A in the Caucasus Region.

Your Orders

Attacker: You command a tank brigade that is part of the XXIV Tank Corps that has smashed through the thinly held Fascist lines. You have been ordered to advance as rapidly as possible to cut off the Germans before they can retreat from the Caucuses. Your immediate objective is to take an objective that will cut off the German flight. 

Defender: Der Furher has ordered you to stop the Communists hordes.

Unfortunately, in order to do so you must cease all efforts to punch through to the Sixth Army trapped in Stalingrad, Operation Winter Storm, and instead throw ad hoc battle groups drawn from the 6th Panzer Division, 11th Panzer Division, and 306th Infantry Division against this new and greater threat.

Preparing for Battle

1. The initial German force starts the game in Foxholes and Gone to Ground. All Units are in Ambush.
2. The Soviet forces enter the game as indicated by their reinforcement schedule.
3. Starting on turn two, the German player roles 2 dice each turn and consults the German reinforcement schedule.
> To determine which road these forces enter, roll a die.
4. The attacking player gets the first turn.

The Battle ends when

1. The attacking player holds either objective at the end of their turn.

2. The Soviet forces are totally removed from the battlefield.

Game Map
Deciding Who Won

The Soviet player wins if they hold an Objectives at the end of a turn.
The German player wins if all Soviet Formations are not in Good Spirits.

Special Rules

1. Germans may form ad hoc Units (Kampfgruppen) from arriving individual Teams. They can either join an existing Unit, or form a Unit of two or more Teams (nominate one Team as the Unit Leader). Once they do so, they behave and are liable to all rules governing Units. Teams must join a Unit of the same type (Tank, Infantry, or Gun) and may not join another Unit once they have joined  or formed a unit.
2. Individual German Tank, Infantry and Gun teams that arrive on table and do not join a Unit cannot move again once they have dug in or taken cover in a building unless a Unit Leader, Formatin Commander or Manstein comes within their command range and either takes them under command as part of their Unit (if a Unit Leader), appoints them a Unit Leader (Formation Commander or Manstein). The individual Team then becomes part of the Unit, or is the Unit Leader of a new Unit. Such teams are marked*.
3. Manstein starts the game at the crossroads. Any platoon that is within 24"/60cm and Line of Sight of Manstein that fails a Last Stand test may re-roll thatLast Stand test.
4. Terrain: Tanks crossing the frozen stream must roll for a Cross check. If they fail, roll again. On a roll of 3 or lower the tank crashes through the ice and is out of the fight..

DESIGNED BY: Hailey Wynn 2004 (modified for 4th Edition FOW 2021 by Wayne Turner)
Germans in winter uniforms

Initial On-table German Forces

Manstein Higher-command team
Follows all the rules of a
Formation Commander, but applies it to all German Units.
1x MP40 SMG team
with a Kfz 15 car (Softskin transport)




Free
Panzer II Tank Company HQ (MG203)
2x Panzer III (long 5cm)
Panzer III Tank Platoon (MG205)
3x Panzer III (long 5cm)
Panzer IV Tank Platoon (MG202)
3x Panzer IV (long 7.5cm)

12 points

21 points

30 points
1st Panzergrenadier Platoon (MG210)
7x MG34 team


10 points

Sd Kfz 7/1 Quad AA Platoon (MG261)
2x Sd Kfz 7/1 (2cm Quad)

5 points
8.8cm Heavy AA Platoon (MG232)
1x 8.8cm AA gun

6 points
Sd Kfz 221 & 222
Light Scout Troop (MG223)

2x Sd Kfz 222 (2cm), 1x Sd Kfz 221 (MG)


2 points
Total Points
92 points

Battle Group Manstein
Random Reinforcements


Starting on turn two, the German player roles 2 dice each turn and consults the German reinforcement schedule (Left). The number is the unit due on that turn.
> To determine which road these forces enter, roll a die and consult the map.

* See (2) in the Special Rules.

See Eastern Front for Forces.

Dice Roll
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
1 7 13 19 5 13
2
2 8 14 20 7 14
3
3 9 15 1 8 15
4
4 10 16 2 9 16
5
5 11 17 3 10 18
6
6 12 18 4 12 20
Unit # Type Unit/Vehicle # teams
Points
1
Panzer IV (long 7.5cm) Tank Platoon (MG202)
3
30 points
2
Panzer III (long 5cm) Tank Platoon (MG205)
4
40 points
3* Panzer IV (long 7.5cm) (MG202)
1 10 points
4*
Panzer III (long 5cm) (MG205)
1
105 points
5
StuG (long 7.5cm) Assault Gun Platoon (MG221)
2
18 points
6
StuG (long 7.5cm) (MG221)
1
9 points
7*
Marder II (7.5cm) (MG312)
1
6 points
8
5cm Tank-hunter Platoon (2x 5cm gun) (MG226)
2 8 points
9*
7.5cm gun (PaK 40) (MG227) 1 5 points
10
10.5cm Artillery Battery (3x 10.5cm Howitzer) (MG228)
3
10.5 points
11*
10.5cm howitzer (MG228)
1 3.5 points
12*
7.5cm Infantry gun (MG213)
1 3.5 points
13
Panzergrenadier Platoon (5x MG34 team) (MG210)
5 7 points
14*
Grenadier Squad (2x MG34 & K98 rifle team) (MG216)
2
3 points
15
Grenadier Company HQ (2x MP40 SMG teams) (MG215)
2 2 points
16*
Assault Pioneer Platoon (5x MP40 SMG team, 1x Flame-thrower) (MG217)
6 9 points
17*
Sd Kfz 7/1 (2cm Quad) (MG261)
1
2 points
18
sMG34 Machine-gun Platoon (2x sMG34 HMG team) (MG211)
2
3 points
19
8cm Mortar Section (2x 8cm mortar team) (MG212)
2
3 points
20*
8.8cm AA gun (MG232)
1 6 points

Soviet Forces

Turn 1 Brigade Recon
BA-64 Armoured Car Platoon (5x BA-64) (MS163)

12 points
Turn 2 Tank Company No.1 w/SMG Company
T-34 (Early) Tank Company (1st Battalion) (MS104)
8x T-34 (Early)
SMG Company (MS113)
15x PPSh SMG team
1x Komissar team


42 points


15 points
Turn 3 Tank Company No.2 w/Battalion HQ
T-34 (Early) Tank Company (1st Battalion) (MS104)
9x T-34 (Early)
T-34 (Early) Tank Battalion HQ (1st Battalion) (MS103)
1x T-34 (Ealry)


47 points

5 points
Turn 4 Tank Company No.3 w\AA Section
T-34 (Early) Tank Company (1st Battalion) (MS104)
8x T-34 (Early)
DShK AA MG Anti-aircraft Platoon (MS134)
3x DShK AA Truck


42 points

3 points
Turn 5 Heavy Tank Company
Guards Heavy Tank Company (MS145)
5x KV-1s (76mm)


50 points
Turn 6 Motor Rifle Company
Motor Rifle Company (MS150)
28x DP MG & M1891 rifle team
1x Komissar team
2x Maksim HMG team
Softskin Transport Command Card


28 points

2 points
1 points

Turn 7 Artillery
76mm Artillery Battery (MS130)
4x 76mm gun
Softskin Transport command card

76mm Artillery Battery (MS130)
4x 76mm gun
Softskin Transport command card

76mm Artillery Battery (MS130)
4x 76mm gun
Softskin Transport command card



8 points
1 points


8 points
1 points


8 points
1 points

Turn 8 Tank Company No.4
T-34 (Early) Tank Company (2nd Battalion) (MS104)
8x T-34 (Early)


42 points
Turn 9 Tank Company No.5 w/Battalion HQ
T-34 (Early) Tank Company (2nd Battalion) (MS104)
8x T-34 (Early)
T-34 (Early) Tank Battalion HQ (2nd Battalion) (MS103)
1x T-34 (Ealry)


42 points

5 points
Turn 10 Tank Company No.6
T-34 (Early) Tank Company (2nd Battalion) (MS104)
8x T-34 (Early)


42 points
Turn 11 Blocking Detachment
Blocking Detachment Command Card
Maksim MG Company (3x Maksim HMG team)


2 points
Starting Turn 3 Roll for Air Support
IL-2 Shturmovik Assault Company

7 points
Total
414 points


Last Updated On Wednesday, December 14, 2022 by Wayne at Battlefront