Battlegroup Manstein

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.

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)

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