Command Ops Eastern Front: Across the Tartar Ditch (1941) Scenario Update

The "Across the Tartar Ditch" scenario map.
Across the Tartar Ditch is my new scenario for Command Ops.  General von Manstein's 11th Army is driving on Sevastopol. The key to to the city is the Perekop Isthmus and the fortified position of the Tartar Ditch (marked on this map as "Rampart" on the isthmus south of Perekop).

German forces include elements of General Oskar-Hansen's LIV Corps (2 infantry divisions) and the 1st SS Panzer Division, supporting engineer and artillery units.

Elements of three rifle divisions from the Soviet 51st army under General Kuznetsov as well as naval infantry stand in the way.

There are a couple of interesting elements to this scenario that are new to me:

- Soviet airpower is dominant, one of the few locations on the Eastern Front in 1941 where the Luftwaffe is soundly outnumbered.

- The threat of a Russian counterattack along the German advance's flank is very real.  Soviet forces to the east of Perekop are massing for a thrust against the Romanian army guarding 11th army's flank and along the Black Sea Coast to the west of Perekop the threat of a naval infantry landing by the Soviets is very real.

-The Tartar ditch fortification is the largest fortified position  I've seen/placed on a map.  There is also a second layer of defense behind the ditch consisting of a elevated embankment running east to west across the isthmus.

-This will be the first scenario where I specify the Commander's stats in the scenario file.  General von Manstein is considered by some to be Hitler's best general and I wanted to see if I could capture that in the game (I have no idea if the editing the commanders stats for aggression, leadership, determination efficiency and judgement make a difference).


My plan is to finish the German OOB tonight and the Soviet OOB tomorrow. Playtest this week and release by the weekend!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John Tiller's Campaign Series - Buy It Now

Image
John Tiller's campaign series game for $9.99 at  Matrix Games Ltd.  is a steal. There are so many great scenarios. I have been playing a Fastov scenario this morning detailing the 25th Panzer Division probe into a Soviet armor formation in 1943. If my memory is correct, the division commander is killed and the reconnaissance battalion is wiped out. The Campaign Series game lays this meeting engagement out on a beautiful map with the full OOB (over 300 unit counters are present). I have considered setting up this battle before for Panzer Battles and Command Ops, so to find it in this title's scenario list this morning was very exciting! This is a zoomed out view of the northern portion of the Fastov map in the map editor. Each hex is 250 meters. In the image below, 25th Panzer is probing north towards Fastov along both sides of the Unava river. The scenario designer set a minor victory at 600 objective points and a major victory at 1200 points. You can technically achieve
Read more

Maxwell's Marauders: Find the Observation Post

Image
Maxwell’s Marauders, 1st Platoon, C Company of the 7th Marine Regiment is a fictional unit, filled with characters that I have created to deepen my connection to my Squad Battles “ Proud and the Few ” gaming. The New York boys, Bullseye, Sgt. Rock and the rest are going to be persistent characters (unless they die on my digital battlefields) that take me through the War in the Pacific. From Guadalcanal to New Britain to Peleliu and finally Okinawa, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment served with distinction and so too will Maxwell’s Marauders. Along the way, my hope is that by investing in the backstories of the soldiers on the map, I will play smarter and take fewer risks with them, enjoy my gaming and appreciate this great Squad Battles system in a deeper way. About these scenarios The scenarios are short (under 20 turns (100 minutes or less of combat). They are historical, even though the unit is fictional. Each battlefield map is an approximation of the terrain Frisbie’s
Read more

Edson's Ridge

Image
September 12, 1942, just before sunset: [Historical scenario] Japanese Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi has come to Guadalcanal to lead the attack against the Marine foothold on the island at Henderson Airfield. The I and III battalions of the 124th Infantry regiment are to attack from the south, along with the Kuma Battalion, II battalion of the 4th infantry regiment 19th engineer battalion. Kawaguchi will personally lead these battalions. A composite of Japanese engineers, special naval landing troops and the Oka Force, II Bn 124 Inf Rgt are to attack from the West. The Japanese objectives are the Marine bridge over the Lunga, the air traffic control tower on Pagoda Hill, the main runway hangars, and the Fighter One airstrip. Kawaguchi has grossly underestimated the strength of the Marine force facing him. The Marines have also disrupted his supply base along the coast at Tasimboko, dispersing a small reserve force, his artillery, and supplies. Special Terrain rules: The Lunga River
Read more